#i plan to do one with saria too

[arkiwii]

Clothes study with Silence

[maple-the-awesome]

He Becomes a Dad! || Part 1/2

PART 2

Pairing: Time, Four, Legend, Hyrule x Reader

Overview: Congratulations, you're new parents 🎉 Some of the Links are prepared. Others...might need a moment to gather themselves. But rest assured! At the end of the day, they're all going to get a handle on this whole dad thing. I'm a sucker for family tropes and there simply aren't enough out there for the Chain to quench my thirst, so here it is, I'm adding my contribution👍 Btw, there will be only two parts for this prompt since Wind will be excluded for obvious reasons. Baby making isn't a platonic activity🤷‍♀️

Zelda Masterlist 🩵Fandom Masterlist

You only brought the topic of children up to your husband once. It was at some point during the early half of your marriage and after a particularly lengthy day of enduring Malon’s well-meant pestering. Time, beside being caught slightly off guard, delivered a straightforward answer:

“It wouldn’t feel right bringing kids into this world, especially when I would hardly be home to help you rear them.”

Now, you can’t lie and say you weren’t at all disappointed by this answer, although you wouldn’t say you had the rug completely pulled from beneath you. You understood the true implications behind Time’s statement right away. It’s the same reason he took so long to let himself marry you. It’s not you nor a disgust towards children, but rather an unspoken fear of building a life where he’s too happy - one that could be ripped away from him at a moment’s notice as has seemed to be the case for his younger years.

Although his worries are needless, you never pushed against his boundaries because you could at least see the sense in his argument. Sure, the idea of having children did always appeal to you deep down, however between Time’s constant traveling and your hard work helping at Lon Lon Ranch, it would be difficult to squeeze a family into the schedule. There was no sense in forcing him into a commitment he wasn’t ready for nor one you weren’t in a  position to properly foster.

Twelve years of blissful marriage passed before your plans changed. The blame lies with those other heroes, too. One would think traveling alongside a group of unruly young boys would’ve made someone more certain of their decision to never again subject themselves to such a headache, yet it apparently had the opposite effect on your dear husband.

Discovering first hand how much pride he could feel towards a descendant was life-altering, to put it light. Twilight was living proof that somewhere along the line, Time does something right. Whatever kids he might have will grow up to have children of their own and so on…Not to mention Twilight isn’t a terrible outcome by any means. To raise someone with the possibility of them turning out like him and to do so with you of all people? Well, needless to say, it was settled rather quickly after that: Time wanted kids.

Call it baby-fever if you will, but he was suddenly rather eager about the concept he had once avoided like the plague. He brought it up through not-so-subtly hints at first, then when you outright asked him if he was being serious, he went on a slightly nervous spew about your home being too quiet and how he could officially retire from traveling to be home more and it’s really a shame that you have an extra bedroom just sitting around - You just had to kiss him to shut him up which eventually led to…other things. Let’s just say you both got started right away.

It took you twelve years to realize you did indeed want kids yet less than a year to actually be holding them for the first time. It turns out even the universe was impatiently waiting for you both to come to your senses, so once you finally had, it decided to award you with not one, but two beautiful girls whom you affectionately named Saria after Time’s old friend and Mallory, a mix between melody and Malon, their ever-so-excited godmother.  

It’s safe to say that the twins are pretty spoiled. Malon has been over almost everyday, bringing you plenty of baked goods as a bribe to let her spend more time with her favorite goddaughters and you have practically every baby related item that you could need, courtesy of the Queen of Hyrule herself, but of course, it’s their parents who love them the most.

Never in his wildest dreams did Time think it would be possible to feel so at peace with the life he’s built. For so many years, he feared true happiness was impossible - that every turn would result in the same cruel fate he had been subjected to during most of his existence - and yet for the last couple of nights, he’s held it in his arms. He’s watched the moon rise outside his window while playing soft lullabies on his ocarina, you cuddled by his side with your daughters shared between you both. You wear a small smile even in sleep and he swears the girls match it, too; he definitely does himself…This is a priceless treasure he’ll give his life to protect.

Four and you had already been married for a few years by the time you found out you’re pregnant. It’s not to say you were actively planning for it, although you also weren’t actively trying not to either. 

It had been agreed upon early in your relationship that kids would be nice should they come your way, therefore you were both equally excited that your wishes were finally being granted, so much so that the nursery was finished within the first month (courtesy of your handy husband). It’s painted in beautiful pastels that are easy on the eyes and decorated with many toys Four had hand-carved himself; a useful craft he’s now very appreciative towards Sky for teaching him.

Seeing as this was already a somewhat anticipated next step in your lives, Four’s pretty relaxed throughout the process despite its many challenges. For starters, pregnancy itself unfortunately isn't as much of a 'blessing' for you as some have made it sound. You’re rather sick from beginning to end. If it isn't your inability to keep food down (especially in the early stages) or your fluctuating blood pressure, then it’s the aching you constantly feel thanks to both your very heavy bump and extremely active baby who just loves to make sure you never forgot about their existence by kicking you as hard as possible day and night. 

Worry not. Four has made your struggles more bearable by being a darling husband through and through. He’s by your side during each doctor’s visit, does his own personal research on all things baby-related, and helps with every chore he can to give you at least some rest even if just for a quick nap, however most spectacularly, he does all of this without ever being too overbearing. 

Although certainly concerned for your health, Four can recognize your strength any day of the week, especially when you've been rolling with the punches like a warrior queen during such a draining pregnancy. Anxious, sure, but not afraid. Why would he be? He’s confident that you’re both prepared to face anything together! …That is, until you actually went into labor…

Yeah, remember that previously mentioned, relaxed and darling husband? Forget about him. Your water broke and so did Four's calm demeanor, but can he really be blamed? You went into labor early - and not just by a couple of days either. Oh no, we're talking a couple of weeks early. 

Regardless of his newfound fear, Four does his utmost best to still present himself as calm and collected in front of you, not wanting to freak you out any more than you’re already freaking out yourself. He first helped you lay down with plenty of pillows and cushions before running to get help. After that, he doesn’t leave your side, encouraging you throughout the process with a smile on his face, however don’t be fooled: the second you turn your head to the midwife’s voice or close your eyes to scream, your poor husband’s face reflects his inner thoughts as the situation fully begins to sink in. 'Scared shitless' - that's a good word to describe it; eyes wide in terror with a mouth that’s hung agape and slightly twisted in pain as your nails clawed into his hand.

As said, he never leaves your side - not even for a millisecond. You don’t have to worry about him being the type of guy to get grossed out by natural fluids or complain about your expressions of pain; none of that is remotely a concern of his. He’s just grateful to see you okay and even more so to hear his baby crying as they should.

A girl; small like her daddy, but healthy all things considered. Four couldn't wait to hold her, knowing damn well he was going to cry the second her soft skin touched his, but he isn’t ashamed of it in the slightest. Who wouldn’t cry holding something so precious?

Then you scream again. He thinks something must be wrong until the midwife announces that it isn’t over - that there are more squeezed in there waiting.

At the end of the day, you're just relieved to finally breathe easy without going through agonizing pain while Four, on the other hand, is left in shock staring at not one, not two, but three little babies, all healthy girls who wiggle and whimper in their parents' arms, but oh well. The nursery may have to be expanded, although there's plenty of love to go around. At least he can thank Hylia that it wasn’t quads (he's had enough of those).

Legend and you have been in a relationship for several years, although you had mutually agreed earlier on that neither of you were big fans of the whole 'marriage' thing. What difference would a ceremony and piece of paper make, anyway? You already act as any officially married couple would. You live together, go on dates, occasionally argue, and even share a bed which is exactly what resulted in a recent, unplanned detour in your lives: a baby.

When you first told Legend the news, he panicked, asking himself all those stupid questions like ‘what now’ and ‘how could this have happened’ even though he knew damn well how. Then he left. Giving some half-assed excuse about needing fresh air, he turned his back to you despite your pleas and didn’t return for hours. 

Now, rest assured, he did immediately regret having that reaction and apologized for it as soon as he came home. He didn’t mean to scare you with the thought of abandonment, but as he would quietly confess during his apology, the thought of being a parent had just been too overwhelming in the moment. Neither of you had ever talked about having kids, and while he could at least have some peace of mind knowing you’ll obviously be a great mom, he fears that the same won’t be applied to him.

You have always been the light in a dim room, as Legend would put it. You’re fun, sweet, and amazing with kids. Any child of yours, planned or not, will love you with all of their heart exactly as he does. Meanwhile he’s stubborn, cranky, and the last kid to cross his path literally started sobbing. Maybe it had to do with him being covered in monster blood after just having crawled out of a dungeon but he’s pretty sure he traumatized a kid nonetheless…The thought of being just as bad around any kid you share together scares the crap out of him.

Deep, deep down, Legend’s actually somewhat excited to be a father. Although he’s too stubborn to admit it to anyone other than you, he’ll sometimes daydream about how nice it would be to tell a little replica of you both about all his adventures or to teach them how to use some of the items he’s collected over the years like his trusty boomerang. Seeing the excitement in their eyes would definitely be worth listening to you scold him afterwards. If that’s all there was to being a father, Legend wouldn’t have a single concern, yet it’s his insecurities that always have a habit of souring things. Would his kid actually find his stories cool or would they just be tempted to throw the boomerang right at his head?

You’ve done your best to reassure him, often falling back on the argument that the baby will be a part of him. Like father, like son, right? Legend was almost ready to believe you, too, especially upon laying eyes on his child for the first time. As you passed the tiny bundle over to him, he thought that maybe being a dad wasn’t going to be that scary after all, and it might not be so bad to even have more someday either…However, his worries were quick to return when the baby started screaming two seconds after being set into his arms…

Baby screams if he holds him. Baby whimpers if he looks at him for too long. Sometimes, Legend swears the thing starts crying simply by hearing his voice in another room. It doesn’t happen with anyone else, though. The baby just adores you as predicted, but what Legend can’t stand is the fact that the baby seems to like Ravio, of all annoyances, over his own dad.

He’s forced to watch as the little brat happily lets Ravio cradle him, the sight filling him with bitter jealousy and sorrow. You’re convinced that he’s just overthinking everything - that he should give himself time to adjust to his new position as a father instead of holding himself to unrealistic standards, but how long is he exactly supposed to wait until it clicks? It’s been a whole month already and he still feels as confused as day one! Will he ever get the hang of this whole dad-thing or is he a lost cause…?

If there’s any comfort Legend can have, it’s that even Ravio doesn’t know what to do with the baby once he starts crying, so at least he’s not alone in that aspect. The only problem is you’re busy making lunch and stubbornly refuse to pause your efforts. Instead, you shove a bottle over to Legend, insisting that he be the one to feed his son since it should be a ‘good bonding exercise’ for them. You won’t take ‘no’ for an answer and judging on your glare when he tries to protest, you probably wouldn’t be happy if he tries passing the task onto Ravio either.

Thus, Legend is left to awkwardly sit down and take the baby into his arms. He already knows it’s obvious he has no idea what he’s doing, Ravio doesn’t have to point it out, but luckily after some swift around, he manages to hold his son more securely against his chest before shoving the bottle in his face. The baby continues to fuss while turning his head away from the bottle, and Legend’s almost tempted to call for you in defeat until at last, the room falls silent.

Looking down, he watches in quiet awe as his son accepts his meal eagerly. His little hands quickly rise up, gripping onto Legend’s which holds the bottle in place. They’re so tiny; barely able to wrap around a single finger - Oh, and his eyes as well! They’re wide as he stares up at his dad with unbroken eye contact. It’s like a wordless conversation - one more valuable than any he’s heard before.

You return, offering to take your son now that your work is done, but Legend is quick to shake his head. Why don’t you take a well-deserved break while he handles this little troublemaker? It would be a shame to bother him when he looks so comfortable in daddy’s arms.

You've been dating Hyrule for longer than either of you can really remember, however you aren’t in any big rush to get married, figuring that it would make no real difference in your commitment to each other. You love Hyrule and he loves you. What more is there to say? For a while there, you were both perfectly satisfied with simply taking things slow and letting fate decide your course, although more recently you’ve had to switch up that method to something more stable for the baby. Yes, a baby.

You wouldn’t necessarily call it a surprise, but you also can’t truthfully say it was planned either. You had agreed that kids might be nice if the goddesses ever blessed you with any in the future, however you weren’t exactly trying for them…You just weren’t being very careful…

Hyrule must admit he was rather nervous at the start. The only prior experience he really had around kids was with Wind, but there’s a pretty big difference between a young teen and newborn. Pair that with his not so ‘kid-friendly’ world and there’s plenty to worry over. Anything could happen, but Hyrule’s determined to be the best dad and partner he can.

First thing was first, of course: you needed a place to stay. Traveling is fun and you both enjoy being on the move, but that’s no life for a baby. Hyrule and you had actually already considered the idea of settling down someplace before, so you didn’t think of it as a massive loss to take off your adventure boots for a while. If anything, it was a welcomed change once you remembered how lovely it is to be able to kick your feet up for a rest or be surrounded by warmth during a terrible rainstorm.

Again, Hyrule takes his job as your partner very seriously which wasn’t ever a surprise to you. He found a small house for you both to rent in one of the safer villages around; a perfect place for raising a child. While he might not have a talent for decorating or making a place feel ‘homey’, he does thrive when it comes to making sure you’re comfortable, his spare rupees definitely going to fluffy wool blankets and a rickety rocking chair that he saw at a market.

Early on in the pregnancy, you noticed that your boyfriend also began showing a new found determination for cooking which did scare you a bit at first - Okay, so maybe a lot. Hyrule began taking cooking lessons from some kind elderly ladies in town who must have an endless pool of patience because while you can’t say every dish is a masterpiece (or even editable for that matter), you are happy to say Hyrule can now make things like toast and tomato soup successfully. It’s progress.

There aren’t a ton of doctors in your time and none in your village, so you have to take a lot of notes from local women regarding the process. Hearing all their stories and the possible ‘what if’s for what could go wrong made you anxious, especially once you finally go into labor, but it doesn’t faze Hyrule - not on the outside, anyway. He does an excellent job of swallowing his own fears for your peace of mind, talking you through each painful contraction and doing his best to distract you from it all until it comes time to start pushing.

Some people may get squeamish at the thought of childbirth, however Hyrule isn’t one of them. He’s fought through some terrifying dungeons and has bore witness to more than a few gory injuries over the years, so bodily fluids don’t bother him one bit. He’s kneeled down right in front of you without a second’s hesitation, multitasking between mentally reviewing what he’s been told to do and reassuring you even though he’s sure you don’t hear a word of it over your own screams.

One minute Hyrule’s encouraging you to keep pushing, the next he’s holding a small, crying baby in his arms. His movements after that feel almost automatic as he carefully cleans her off and just admires the fact that this baby - this tiny, precious gift of life is his. She’s yours and his and she’s beautiful despite having come into existence within such a broken world filled with more hardships than he could count…

Your tired voice brings him back to reality - asking if the baby you hear crying is okay. You clearly feel the same thing Hyrule does upon seeing your daughter for the first time, the two of you sitting side-by-side as you soak in this wonderful emotion. Hope...That’s what she represents. Hope for a brighter future...

[dlartistanon]

Some thoughts on some of the skins I bought (not counting free ones)

I got spooked by Saga and wasn't intending on E2ing her, but her skin is really good so I did

I normally don't like swimsuit skins, but the psychic damage from Saileach saying somber voice lines while winking was too incredulous to not partake in. I ironically enjoy the dissonance, and hers is the only case

I like how they sold a Ch'en cop skin after her character development where she stopped being a cop, but also they made it look like what I affectionate call her "slutty cop outfit"

Anything to not make me look at white woman dreads Gavial

I'm so torn on Nearlter's; I think I originally got it because of the novelty, but the chibi sprite is better than the skin art. Honestly, I'm hoping she gets another skin where she's dressed more like a campaign knight/Silverlance Pegasus

I got this one for Qiubai because it's cool and also I needed to distinguish her from Ines because their vaguely floaty E2 poses are damn near identical to me (and Qiubai already looks like Deer Schwarz)

Skadi swimsuit bad; much prefer this casual one

Ronin Hoshiguma is the best-looking Hoshiguma, period. I don't care much for her Dossoles fit, but at least she still wore pants in that!

Even though I bought both of Saria's skins, I prefer her BoC one because of story and that she looks so scruffy in it. Her jailer skin is still hot but I never use it. Prime well spent

Chalter skin is similar to Gavialter because the base art is so bad

Fartooth's is so wildly out there conceptually; I don't know what it has to do with her as a character or her story, but it has NoriZC's weird technical footprint and that's cool

Honestly, I don't have a problem with how Schwarz looks by default; her regular outfit is fine to me, personally, but I got her skin largely because of Liduke sneaking in Ceylon birb

I got W's skin before they jacked up the price

Nightingale is similar to Saria in that I never use this skin, even though it looks amazing. If her cages didn't have the pumpkin heads, I'd be more inclined to leave it on, but it's too seasonal

There's an issue I have about how Reed is subsequently looking Softer with each appearance, and while I know it's in part symbolic of her development, I don't really like it. OG Reed has a very sharp, intense, almost cold/unapproachable/detached vibe that I really dig, and it's very striking. I miss that. But this skin is still cool

Dorothy DMing a tabletop session between RL members is too good

God bless Indra in a suit, can we pretty please get more girls in suits???

Whislash E2 pose is so egregiously sexual, I can't even

Ugh, Andreana continues to be the most Gender character I've seen

Jieyun is like Saga--wasn't planning on E2ing her, but good skin compelled me to

I'll take Meteorite's oddly-foreshortened arm over her entire base art, because it's that bad. Why wouldn't you get the skin

Platinum's is the only swimsuit I genuinely like. It's gorgeous. Skade is a phenomenal artist

I don't generally like maid outfits (which is why I skipped Irene's), but Kjera I got because the story attached to it is funny. She wears it to annoy SilverAsh and that makes Pramanix happy, so why not?

Lava's... I kinda regret getting. I much prefer her OG art. RIP

Tomimi base art bad. Swimsuit much better. And it's white to match Gavial's black swimsuit--

Folinic's I also kinda regret getting, but I don't really feel strongly about her design, or even her as a character much. Not enough to warrant getting a skin at least

Honeyberry's skin makes her look older and not so young

I prefer bringing Whisperain over Lumen just because her skin is so pretty. Also infinite skill ear candy

Nine-Colored Deer was already beautiful, but her skin gives her a touch of handsome and wow, Gender Deer

Shamare's skin is self-explanatory

Red's skin I got pure for the idle animation; I don't really feel one way or another about the art itself. It's okay

If you didn't get Gravel's skin, you suck

[huneyproses]

Concept: LU all boys meeting their pre-adventure selves (as a chain)

I'm posting in shorter parts than will be posted to AO3.

Part 1/? (Aiming for 20/10)

Note: Switches POV throughout, I am a firm believer in "give them some oddities funny little man" It is explained in this part (with reasonings), but for ease of reading: Soldier -> Warriors Guard -> Wild Rancher -> Twilight Farmer -> Legend Crimson -> Sky Smithy -> Four Traveller -> Hyrule Outset -> Wind Green -> Time

Oh how glad he was to never grow up.

Link placed his hands below himself, giving a small cushion for his tail bones to rest on. The harsh rock of the cave floor had begun an all out war against his rear end with how many positions he had shifted to in an attempt to get comfortable. Oh how he wished to return to the soft cushion of his own bed back in the forest, sleeping till the sun began wain in the sky, and only waking up from Saria’s incessant shouts at the base of the latter. There was always something to be done—always something Link would forget about until she reminded him.

He brought his knees in closer, resting his forehead on them. He really did miss her. Not just her, the whole lot of them. The very forest itself.

They had been trapped in the cramped cave for a long time. He wasn’t fully sure how long, but time felt immeasurable during the tense silence that had preceded the discussion. When they had arrived in the cave, the man that appeared to be a Hylian soldier motioned for immediate silence, only whispering a short “Do not speak” before turning his attention to the gap between the stone. 

Link had assumed, based on how easily the man had commanded authority over the eight that he would be the one to break the silence, but instead it was broken by an all too pitiful yip from the small brunette in a ratty cloak. It was difficult to see with the little light streaming in, but even so the bright red of his cheeks was somehow readily apparent. A few had responded with a chuckle, Link, himself, even let out an involuntary giggle. 

His hushed explanation—“It was a really big spider”—and the muddled, yet frantic apologies made it difficult to not let out another laugh. 

But with the glare the soldier had levelled at them, any jovial atmosphere that could’ve emerged was snuffed out. He had followed it up with a loud sigh, dismissing any sort of plan he may have had with a wave of the hand. And following, the man began his interrogation, citing the need to be familiar with those he would need to fight alongside—and, based on the way his eyes flicked towards Link and the other three younger boys, protect.

It almost seemed like some sort of game they would all play back in the forest. The soldier had instructed them all into a circle. Saria would’ve named the rules, taking charge as she always did. Eventually, halfway through the game, Mido would’ve gotten fed up with losing and have started some dumb argument that somehow was always Link’s fault. They’d fight, kicking and scratching their way through an argument—all before someone threatened to tattle and it ceremoniously ended with forced, muttered apologies. Despite how at-odds Link and Mido seemed to be, Link still found him to be a comfortable constant. He never changed, and his antics could be amusing. Sometimes.

But he wasn’t in the forest, these people certainly weren’t his friends, and going around in a circle naming their names, oc-u-pations (?), and fighting ability wasn’t a game. Link drew his gaze up once again, avoiding the eyes of the older men, looking towards the fidgety brunette. He seemed incredibly downcast after the silent reprimand the soldier had shot them. Without thinking, Link nudged himself a tad closer to the boy. If it was for his comfort, or the boys, Link wasn’t all that sure.

Though, the more introductions they went through, that feeling of defiance and wariness had shifted to befuddlement. Occupations, Link had surmised, meant jobs. That was all fine and dandy; A farmer, a smith's apprentice, a rancher, and quite a few knights. The loud boy didn’t have a job, and the boy beside him called himself a traveller. All the knights seemed confident in their fighting experience, and even a few of the others seemed to have training, which was probably good news, if the loud grunts of the monsters stalking the perimeter of the cave was anything to go by.

But somehow there was something wrong. Something very odd. Each and every boy began their introduction with their name: Link. They were all named Link. It sure surprised Link (himself)—sure, he’d never been out of the forest before, but having 9 people all with the same name, that was definitely odd, right?

Link (him, Link. This was already annoying!), was the last of the group, having refused to speak the first go around, the soldier offered another chance. But, given the pure look of awe mixed with indignation Link gave the man, he simply let out a sigh.

“Right.” Soldier-Link had started, brows knit in a mirrored way as a majority of them, “We…all share a name. That will get confusing quickly.” He crossed his arms, closing his eyes for a moment, “I suppose we can refer to each other via occupation, though a few of you have none…therefore…”

“I will simply assign one.” With a forming smirk and a renewed confidence, Soldier-Link leveled a pointed finger at each Link.

For himself, “Soldier.”

To the stoic boy with a ponytail, “Guard” for his occupation of being a guard for the princess (however dismissive the eye-roll Soldier-Link posed while giving the name—he still gave it).

The boy beside him denoted “Traveller” for simply being such. For a short second the brunette caught Link’s eye, offering a reassuring smile. Link turned indignantly; he was trying to comfort the boy, not the other way around!

The same was true of “Farmer” and “Rancher” and “Smithy”; the former two being older boys. One looked like he could toss Link across the room, another that had a deer in the lantern light look about him. The latter was the younger of the three with relentless strands of tuft out the back of his head that gave a real funny look to him (especially with his contrastingly wise face).

The sickly boy with a weird outfit was nearly coined “Knight'' but was deemed too confusing with the other two. After a moment of deliberation, he offered up “Crimson”, with an explanation cut short by a sudden fit of coughs with intermittent apologies. Rancher gravitated closer, bringing a hand up to his back.

When Himself-Link refused to speak (he began to be unsure if he was doing so because of a lack of trust, some complex, or because he was genuinely frightened), he was called only “Green.”

“And for you—”

“Outset! I’m not anything yet so that makes the most sense since it’s the island I’m from.” The boy with messy hair and bright expression blurted out, “Plus I’d rather not be called, like, lobster.” He gestured to his shirt (The same thing Link was definitely named after), before placing his hand on his hips. He must be proud of one-upping the older guy, Link sure would be.

As if to confirm, the Soldier huffed, “So that was why the air smelled salty.” brushing his hair back, he moved to lean against the wall of the cave. He had opened his mouth to speak before the serious one—Guard—spoke up.

“—We are nowhere close to the sea.”

“Hm?”

“I don’t know exactly where we are but…” He trailed off, bringing his attention to the side of the cave, tracing around the wall to the entrance. “These caves were carved as encampments—as safe havens from the creatures, but also for the possibility of war before…” He trailed off momentarily before continuing, “The entrance is marked. They were only built in certain areas around Hyrule. None are close to the ocean.”

Soldier remained silent, having brought his own gaze towards the slitted entrance of the cave. After a moment, he scoffed incredulously, “You’d think a soldier of the castle would know about safe havens;” challenging Guard, he moved closer, ���Lying about something as great as being the Princess’ royal guard when it's so easily disprovable. You’ve sure got some balls.”

Guard remained silent.

Suddenly, Soldier grabbed the collar of Guard’s shirt, lifting the smaller man with discomforting ease, “Stop fuc—” He cut himself off, glancing towards Link, “Stop lying. Who are you? I won't hesitate to throw your sorry excuse out of here if you don’t answer. You’re short, certainly not Sheikah, and not to mention a man, so you’re certainly not her highness’ guard.” 

Guard matched Soldiers vitriolic glare, gripping his arm with a vengeance even Link could tell wasn’t going to end well. Rancher stood from his spot, placing his hand firmly on Soldier’s shoulder.

“You need to calm down man; we can do this later. You’re gonna scare the kids.”

Soldier glanced between him and Guard, taking a deep breath before dropping his collar. He leaned into Guard’s ear and whispered something indecipherable. Turning around he pushed back his hair again, “Weapons. What do we have?”

“I have a sword,” Traveller said, bringing it out into his hands. Guard followed suit, flashing a shiny sword with a purple and green hilt. Compared to travellers, it was stunning. Alluring in a way Link couldn’t understand. It had a triangle with four smaller triangles inside at its base. It was so long it nearly stood at half Guards’ height. It was probably too big for Link to even hold. 

And yet, just looking at it made him feel an indecipherable sense of dread. He looked away, tucking further into his knees.

Soldier had approached Traveller, from what Link could tell, his voice echoing from directly beside him. He had even squatted down to meet their sitting position, “Do you mind if someone borrows it, Traveller? I assure you it will come back—if not I shall purchase you an even better one.”

His voice was deceivingly sweet compared to his earlier disposition, but, even so, Traveller handed it over, if the steps following the exchange were any indication. 

Link turned his head towards Traveller, legs crossed as he focused on the fate of his blade. He hadn’t had a good look at him before, but with their renewed proximity, he got a better sense of the brunette's features. He was definitely close to Link’s age, with girly features and freckles dotting his face. Were it not for his name and clothing, Link certainly would’ve definitely thought him as a girl. He was pretty.

“Green?”

Oh—he hated that nickname, “...You really gave your sword to that guy?” He cursed himself for how pathetic the voice that echoed from him sounded: quiet and frightened with a higher pitch than he swore was normal. Link discreetly cleared his throat.

“Well he’s an adult. He seems to know what he’s doing with it—well, better than I would anyway. It’s mostly just for protection.” He let out a small laugh.

“He’s some adult. You really trust him?”

Traveller blinked, averting his gaze as his smile fell. After a moment, he shrugged, “I don’t have a choice right now.”

“What?” Link sat a bit straighter, furrowing his brows, “Why wouldn’t you? It’s your sword.”

“If I want people to stay safe, it isn’t. I shouldn’t be reckless. These guys work with the kingdom from what they’ve said; they know how to handle a sword better than me. I’d rather have them wielding it.”

“You trust them more than yourself, then?”

“No!” Traveller let out a short laugh, earning a glare from Link, “Sorry, sorry—I don’t mean to laugh at you. Of course I don’t.”

“Then why are you giving them your sword?”

“Um…” His bright expression had all but dissipated, leaving only the trace of a smile as he finally set his eyes back on Link’s. Suddenly, his face seemed a lot older than it had before, “I just think it’s the best thing I can do to keep everyone safe.”

Link crossed his arms incredulously, breaking off the conversation with a discomforted huff. That conversation gave him more questions than answers. He supposed that could just be what Hylians were like—confusing! The guy’s reasoning was dumb. How can you give away your protection for someone else’s and still say you trust yourself more?

Watching the quiet conversation between Soldier, Crimson, and Farmer. Soldier gestured towards them a few times before they both nodded, eventually turning their backs on Soldier and venturing closer. Link spotted Traveller’s sword on Crimson’s back. At least it’d be close to Traveller.

At some point, Outset had also joined the newly formed group, hands lazily laced behind his head. Smithy followed him at a distance, fidgeting with the band on his head.

“We’ll split into two groups.” Soldier started, gaining everyone's ear, “Guard, Rancher and I will get the attention of the monsters. Farmer and Crimson will take the kids east towards some stable that should be there.” Link didn’t miss the distrusting glance Soldier shot Guard before continuing, “It’s a risky plan, but it’s our best chance of getting out of here before night falls and we become stuck without food or water.”

Link glanced at a few of the others. Guard hadn’t offered a readable expression since the encounter with Soldier. Smithy looked uncomfortable, tossing his gaze around the room. Outset had a sour expression, pursed lips in a pout with his gaze towards the cave wall. Rancher looked sceptical, scratching the side of his head with averted eyes, yet spoke nothing in contrast to it. Traveller and Farmer looked worried and uncomfortable respectively. Crimson had placed himself beside a cave wall, head leaned against it with his eyes scrunched closed since Soldier had begun to speak. 

All in all, great plan. 

But it wasn’t as if Link was going to offer anything better; As little as he trusted this Hylian soldier, it wasn’t as if he had a choice. No weapons and no real fighting experience bar practice duels with other Kokiri….

“Alright, we’ll head out on my signal.”

They all shimmied their way toward the mouth of the cave, Soldier remaining just outside the entrance. For a discomforting amount of time, he waited with his right hand palm up. Yet, with the ambient sounds of the birds and unfamiliar buzzing whirring outside, silence had yet to add to it.

Suddenly, his hand moved. Three fingers up—

Two—

One—

“Now!”

[ennawrite]

accidentally made my nyx x tamlin’s daughter fic political because the lack of character development/growth in Rhysand actually pisses me off and I have no doubt in my mind that he’d stay that way for decades.

I’m truly not even trying to write a hit piece on the guy, because I don’t think he’s inherently bad. We know he’d do anything & everything for his family which is amazing, but he does not put that same care into 2/3’s of his court. I think Rhysand will go a bit insane in the future trying to keep his family and Velaris safe while simultaneously letting the Illyrian camps & CoN continue to fend for themselves. And he will ultimately pay the price for it.

Tamlin, on the other hand, has lost EVERYTHING. He knows what it’s like to go insane trying to protect your loved ones and how easily a court can fall if not handled with the utmost care. He knows how you can’t hold on too tightly to things & that you don’t have the power to control the outcome of everything. In my fic, he’s spent years healing and restoring his court, and regaining the trust of his civilians and actually listening to them. And he’s found his mate 🤭

Idk if I’m making sense but I’m so insanely excited to explore the politics of both the Night Court & the Spring Court and how the High Lords have grown (or haven’t) in the twenty years since ACOSF ended.

If you’re interested in a story that explores these themes, you can find the first five chapters of “When Night Bloomed” on AO3 under the user “ennadoes”. It’s a dual POV fic of Nyx and Tamlin’s daughter (Saria), and it will follow the two as they navigate life as children of two High Lords. There will be disrupt, things from the past being unveiled, and lots of cute little moments between the two.

It’s a lot of world building right now, but I have big, big things planned ;)

[freezingwhitefire]

OoT Link does not like his hair having been cut while he was sealed away. This is me mentioning that.

It was a stupid little thing, really. Link knew that it was just a little thing that he shouldn't care about and certainly not as much as he did, but as he ran his fingers through his hair, noting the shorter length he hated it.

The length felt wrong. The ends felt wrong. Everything about that little change in how he looked felt so very wrong.

It was nothing like the crisp white he'd only seen Princess Zelda wear that he'd been given to compliment his Kokiri Green tunic and brown boots. It wasn't even like the matching brown gauntlets and sword belt that he'd been given as well.

Saria had always been the one to cut his hair. She only ever cut it when he asked her to and never this short. Even without part of it pulled back and up it felt too short.

Navi seemed to know that it was bothering him because she kept shifting tiny pieces this way or that way so it felt a little closer to how it had been. Link closed his eyes tightly and shook his head a little.

"It's okay, Navi."

"It isn't though." She replied, finally settling on top of his head, her hands still fussing with the strands as she wove them into little braids and tucked them around each other. "You don't like it this short... and I don't either."

Link felt a tiny blossom of relief settle in his chest as she said that. Maybe it wasn't such a stupid little thing after all.

"Saria... would always cut it for me when I asked."

"Well..." Navi started then she trailed off as she remembered that Saria was a Sage now. "Maybe next time you want it cut shorter we can ask Saria how she did it and maybe miss Malon or miss Impa could cut it for you instead!"

That sounded like it might work. Link smiled and nodded, relieved to have some sort of plan for that. Maybe it would seem weird but maybe not. He hoped not.

A few months later when he worked up the nerve to ask Malon to cut his hair and explained how he wanted her to do it she smiled happily and agreed. He had been nervous until she was done and then as he ran his fingers through the strands he relaxed, his smile brighter than it had been in a while.

Malon cut it the perfect length. Of course he wouldn't ever know she had watched him running his fingers through his hair and always stopping at a certain point below where it had ended. It was just the length that Navi knew he preferred and confirmed for Malon too.

[kenandeliza]

WIP tag fun: Tell me about "Ocarina of Time: The Boy with No Fairy"?

It is basically an alternate universe that swaps Ganon's role and Link's role as heroes and Villains. There are some plotholes but im still working on it

'Boy with no Fairy' is an AU: Any Holder of the triforce of Courage or any reincarnation of the first hero is corrupted instead of any holder of the triforce of Power, this includes OOT Link.

In this fanfiction in particular, It is told from the perspective of Saria, from her friendship with Link to slowly realizing that he is a monster that cause Hyrule in shambles.

Instead of the original OOT, Ganondorf is de-aged to fit Zelda's age and Link is born as a kokiri instead of a Hylian, and unlike other Kokiris, he never had a fairy. There's a magic within himself that prevents Fairies to be near it.

In this AU, Fairies are what tells right from wrong, as the kokiri children do not have that innate conscience unlike Hylian children. Without a Fairy, this version of Link doesn;t have a conscience, he does whatever he wants.

The Great Deku Tree doesn't want this Kokiri near anyone as he is potentially dangerous, so he is placed in the Forest Temple instead.

many centuries later, Saria befriended Link and the two became best friends after she practiced her song. She expressed that she wants to go out into Hyrule but couldn;t because the forest magic in Kokiri Forest is the only thing keeping them alive, they can survive outside for a few hours, but eventually they'll die. Link kept that thought into mind

then the Gerudo war with the Hylians came along, A woman gave a baby girl to the Kokiri as a temporary safe haven for her. a few years later, after the war ended, the king picked his daughter from the Kokiri settlement, promising to return the favor one day and giving them a letter with his signature in case they need to show it to the kingdom for proof.

This made Saria longed to see the kingdom of Hyrule even more because she misses baby Zelda. Link, seeing his friend sad, had an idea in mind, something that will change Hyrule forever. He had seen the inscriptions in the forest temple, that there is a mythical artifact, the Triforce hidden in the Temple of Time, an artifact that can bring a wish to reality.

Link has a plan, a plan that will eventually doom Hyrule

since this is too long, i will explain it as if it was a greentext post

>Be Link

>Prepare enough power to do your plan [years have passed , zelda and Prince Ganondorf would be 10 years old at this point]

>create queen gohma with his powers to harm the great deku tree and get the kokiri emerald [it's filled with forest magic so he can be outside the forest while wearing it]

>Kill Mido because he discovered you while he enters the sick great deku tree

>Leaves kokiri forest with the intention to gather the other two gems from the two tribes to open the temple of Time

[plot holes are in here but im working on thinking about it]

>gathers all the triforce after Prince Ganondorf stupidly opens it and seals himself away for 7 years

>Wishes that Hyrule is overruled by Kokiri forest magic so the kokiri can live in Hyrule

>Kokiri forest magic turns regular hylians into stalfos and skullkids

>The remaining Hylians are in Death Mountain and Kakariko village

it's still a work in progress, so it's a bit rough, by the end of the story, it has to end by Saria realizing his friend is a monster and he must be stopped.

I am planning to write ganondorf's side of the story one day, where after the hylian-gerudo war, he is consumed by hatred of hylians. His mother was killed by the Hylians.

at 10 years old on the peace treaty event, he plans to gain the king's trust, and the princess' so he could poison his food one day and marry the princess, ursurping power and enslaving them one day. He followed along what he thought was Zelda's delusion about a prophecy on an evil "forest kid" so he could get close to her.

Then one day, after he got the mastersword, and 7 years have passed, Hyrule field is filled with dangerous monsters and plants, his own people thought their prince had betrayed them whereas Link gave them an oasis in Gerudo Desert, so they serve him now.

The character arc I want for ganon in this story is for him to let go of his hatred of Hylians after seeing them suffer like his people, he had always thought that hylians were weak but after seeing them fight alongside them. He will eventually become not only Hero of the Gerudo but The hero of Hyrule as well

again, this is still incomplete

sorry for mucho texto

[waheelawhisperer]

Make your own skinline theme what would be the theme and cost and who are the operators in the line.

Idols specifically to torment Dreamer

I thought about a lot of horny options (because of course I did), but ultimately I settled on old-timey Western skins - the Columbian Pioneer line. Rhodes Island made the mistake of letting Nian direct another set of movies, but at least they got Ling and Pozzy to edit the script this time.

I kind of ran away with this and it got really long, so just pick 5-6 for the actual skin line or assume they're released in sets.

Protagonists:

Sheriff Nearl headlines the skin line, complete with cowboy hat and enormous fake mustache

Deputy Gavial helps Nearl bring in lawbreakers.

Blemishine is the protagonist, a young gun whose journey we follow over the course of the film series.

Whislash is her mentor, the retired gunslinger that passes on her tips and tricks to both Margaret and Maria. Can frequently be found drunk at the bar in the town saloon.

Allies:

Gladiia, Horn, and Bagpipe are Columbian military officers assigned to occupy the territory and keep the peace and provide manpower to the protagonists when necessary.

Mountain is a wealthy rancher with political connections back in more settled areas who comes into frequent conflict with SilverAsh over the latter's efforts to expand his influence. Saria is his bodyguard. Croissant and Exusiai are his ranch hands.

Swire is the daughter of a Senator and Mountain's childhood friend. She's the one he sends a telegram to when SilverAsh is causing too much trouble. Swire insisted that her character be married to Ch'en's before she would participate/help bankroll the film.

Ch'en wanted nothing to do with this nonsense, but was eventually bullied/cajoled into taking her (relatively small) part. Nearly throttled all three of Swire, Closure, and Nian when they tried to shoehorn her into a shower scene.

Tomimi barged into one of the planning meetings and demanded a part that let her be close to Gavial, so Nian made her the town barber and Gavial's wife. Tomimi initially demanded at least one explicit and fully method-acted sex scene between her and Gavial per movie, but casting director Shining managed to negotiate her down to making out with tongue.

Penance plays the Hanging Judge. She keeps correcting Nian's ideas about how the legal system works.

Antagonists:

SilverAsh is the wealthy railroad baron from back East, and the backer of the various troublemakers Nearl/Gavial/Blemishine have to contend with early on. He's the ultimate antagonist.

Degenbrecher is his personal gun-for-hire, the fastest gun in the west, who Margaret faces down in a climactic shootout at the end of the series. For added bonus points, she's the one that retired Whislash.

Matterhorn and Courier are more of SilverAsh's hired gunslingers.

Chongyue plays the corrupt territorial governor in SilverAsh's pocket. He asked if he could have a part to help Nian out. Closure agreed on the condition that he get at least one shirtless scene to drive sales.

Hoshiguma is the leader of the legendary Oni Gang, a group of outlaws that also includes "Deadeye" Schwarz, Specter "The Shark" Laurentina, Lappland "The Executioner" Saluzzo, and Indra "El Tigre" Jackson. All five of them are having the time of their lives hamming it up as villains.

Passenger is an arms dealer who hired a group of mercenaries to start skirmishes on the frontier to drum up business. W is the leader of those mercenaries. The heroes have to hunt them down before they manage to start a full-fledged war.

Townsfolk:

Mlynar once served in the army, retired, and now owns and runs the town's general store. He disapproves of his nieces' decision to become gunfighters and voices that opinion frequently.

Kal'tsit is the owner of the town saloon and the madam of the attached brothel. She frequently has to be reminded to deliver her lines as written and not... expand upon them.

Blaze is the saloon's bartender/bouncer. She was not permitted access to real alcohol during filming.

Skadi plays a dancer/singer at the saloon. She took the part to get the Doctor's attention and then immediately regretted it when she saw the dress that Nian and Closure expected her to wear. Forceful negotiation from both her and Gladiia convinced the costume department to provide her with clothing that is unlikely to cause a wardrobe malfunction during filming.

Elysium plays the classic hooker with a heart of gold and has to be frequently reminded that ratings agencies do not consider full frontal male nudity acceptable for the films' intended audience.

Franka plays another one of the brothel's working ladies and keeps asking the costuming department if she can show more cleavage.

Liskarm is a Pinkerton detective who swings by town to spend her wages on Franka with considerable regularity.

Saileach is the local schoolmarm. The kids at Rhodes Island play her students.

Eunectes serves as the local blacksmith. There may or may not be a budding romance between her and Blemishine.

Executor plays the town preacher and takes his assigned role very seriously.

[seijatachiis]

decided i wanna invest more into 5s like max investment so lvl80, at least one skill m3, maybe module if it's good. decided that since my only max lvl 5s are these ones bc they're ops i really like. (ignore texas) ((tho i'll max lvl her for my One max levelled vanguard))

so i decided imma max lvl and at least m3 one skill for an op of each class!

vanguards as mentioned will be texas, she's already s2m3 mod lvl1 so it's just levels.

defender: nearl

i'm anti meta so my saria is only e260 sl7. i actually raised nearl first bc i was anti meta so i'll s1m3 and look into her module :D also bc dr silvergun said smth recently about having stonks defenders to tank and that hasn't left my mind (i say with lvl90 hoshi and mod lvl1 on both mods)

sniper: andreana

i've always liked her and while i'm not sure if i wanna commit to abyssal hunters i will commit to her. she's so cute i love her. i am also maxing insider already but it is what it is

caster was easy, absinthe! she was the first caster i got and used ALL the time until i got eyja.

AND SHE FINALLY GOT A SKIN SO THIS WILL BE A CELEBRATION OF THAT TOO!!!!!!

already mentioned i'd do NCD like last time but yeah.

specialist: enforcer. i've always wanted a maxed pusher but idk smth was always holding me back on weedy. i don't like feater or shaw too much so i'll do enforcer :) i like his skin a lot and his seiyuu

medic: ptilopsis! she's been like my main medic since forever! and i had to wait FOREVER for her skin to return but she's a good birb

anyways lol ignore me i'm just thinking out loud but this is my plan after i max insider!

[loopy777]

I probably worded that a bit badly.

When i said "Something like an oot remake" i didn't mean that one could only do this concept with an oot Remake, just that it was the game that in my opinion best exemplified how you could go with mix of open world and the kind of more epic, grand tales zelda is known for.

Link's Awakening wouldn't be my first choice, but it's a good example of it yeah. Expand on the island, make the village into an actual little city, with infrastruture, more npc's side quests, add some history that the people there think is truely how the world used to be and how their village came to exist, and then use that to add to the further heartbreak of the fact its all a dream.

Also it would work really well as an alternate ending. Your idea coudl work too, but i have another one that gameplay vise wouldn't require nearly as much work, but could still hit the same beats.

Like say, you defeat the nightmare, but in the end don't go through with awakening the windfish, and instead you go back to Marin. Then you get a cut saying many years later, and you see this young girl(Link's own age in this game) clad in green, with flaming red hair, who battles her way through a dark and corrupted world. Link's decision to not awaken the windfish after defeating the nightmare did not save this world, it merely prolonged it's existence, but as the girl fights her way through familiar dungeons, you get a cut away to her life, the life that you, the player is responsible for bringing about, by choosing Marin over his duty, ending with The girl in front of two graves, and taking up Link's sword and shield.

And finally, this ends with her doing what her father would not, and awakening the windfish, destroying her own world, and ending in the predicament that her father in another time and place would have found himself in. Stranded in the middle of the ocean, as the giant fish, now awake and free from its nightmare, and the tale ending with her beginning to paddle, with a much, much more melancholic expression on her face as we flash back to what became of all the characters in a world where Link did not awaken the windfish.

The idea is the same as an OOT remake in breath's style, but the big reason i singled out oot is basically the scale. Not just in fleshing out the games cities, but also in how much you could add to the characters, sub plots, and alternate scenarios.

A perfect oot would have a dozen different endings(Not counting the actual 3 timelines we got, 1 zelink ending where link stays in the future, 2 possible malon endings(One where you go back in time and one where you stay an afult), 1 saria(Though to be honest unless there is some chenanigans where saria gets to grow up, i feel any romance between them should end on a reality ensues ending as link grows up) ending, 2 possible ruto endings, 1 Nabooru ending, 1 Impa ending.

Oot was a game that was planned out with a massive amount of endings, and then just never delivered. By contrast most other games in the franchise wouldn't have that many endings by comparison.

Links awakening would only really have 2 outcomes. One where he awakens the fish, and one where he doesnt.

A Link To the Past, The original Zelda and Zelda 2, doesn't really have any other characters beyond link and zelda and ganon.

It wouldnt be impossible to remake them so that they would be more in the line with the rest, but it would need to be a full on reimagening, not a remake.

Majora's mask could have an ending where link stayed in Termina, though it wasn't exactly flush with romance options like oot was. I guess... Romani maybe?

The Oracle games did set up din as an alternate love interest, so i suppose that could have been an alternate ending.

Wind Waker could have had an ending where your actions and choices instead convince Daphne to use the triforce to restore the Hyrule of old to above the waves.

Other than that, while its absolutely flush with places that could have had some amazing expansion, it's not really filled with love interests, with the only other than Tetrq one being medli. Though i supose an actual ending where link and Tetra(far and away the best zelda) actually hooked up no questions about it would have been nice.

Twilight Princess has a very obvious alternate ending scenario with link X midna taken all the way, and the gateways stays open. Other than that there is Illa, Zelda herself who desperately needed some fleshing out in that game, Ashei(And man, such a remake would be perfect for fleshing both her and her entire crew out), and telma.

Skyward sword doesnt have any obvious alternate scenarios... Though surprisingly for being the game when Nintendo committed to making the link x zelda paring more explicit, it has 2 alternate love interests in the form of kina and Peatrice, the latter of whom might hilariously be the canon love interest from that game given the seperate bloodlines of link and zelda.

I don't see the love interests being different adding much to alternate endings, though i suppose more explicit hugging and kissing is always nice... But man, if there is one game where the main civilazion NEEDS to be fleshed out, all the way, its freaking Skyloft. I've seen floating island civilizations done right, and this ain't it.

And finally Breath would obviously be a much, much better game if the sorta romance with Paya was an action you were allowed to play out to it's conclusion. I will not budge on that.

As I get older and have less time for video games, I find my tolerance for alternate endings grows more limited. I'm okay with them if I can make a handy save-point near the end of the game and pick an alternate choice, but playing through the whole game again to see a different ending cutscene is needless busywork. If I want to play through a game again, I'd rather do it just for the joy, not to get the 'full' experience.

That said, I hear that players these days don't like the idea of picking which color button to press at the end of the game. So maybe I'm the weird one.

For the love interests, I like the idea of leaving that more to gameplay, and the ending would only be changed in cosmetic ways. Again, I want to avoid mandatory replays, but I also think that if Zelda games implement a romance mechanic, they shouldn't put too much weight on it. I feel like it centers too much of the story and themes on romance, when it should be left as optional. For example, in Twilight Princess, if an ending where the portal is left open is available, then I think that should be a choice independent of achieving an endgame romance with Midna. Both could be combined for the ultimate shippers' dream, and the people who like things tragic can romance Midna and then choose to destroy the portal. Something for everyone! XD

I agree that Skyward Sword is ripe for a remake to expand its setting, and would throw Wind Waker at the top of the list of the same reason: they would be easier to do because the 'in between' portions of the overworld are empty, so the waypoints can get a lot of the focus and development time.

I can't speak to SS's romance options, though. I never finished that game, I remember exactly 0 characters who aren't Fi, Zelda, or Groose.

[arkiwii]

I don't really like answering to these posts because everyone can have their opinion, but I want to reply to some of the questioning and confusion here;

I think there's a misunderstanding about "Rhine Lab event" - this event is not only Rhine Lab, there's a reason why it's so huge and important. What Kristen did, it doesn't just affect Rhine Lab or Columbia. It affects Terra as a whole. That night, every Terran looked at the sky.

What makes Arknights and its world building beautiful, to me, is how everything goes together. They're not excluded stories, they're all cogwheels; you move one, the others move. The world lives, what happened to Sami could very well affect Sargon, and that's a huge work to create a world as such. On the surface, we can think each faction and country have their own lore without it affecting anything, but they are all related. It's something that is important to know to understand why this event had so much going on.

It wasn't Rhine Lab's story. It was Terra's story. The story of how a woman teared up the false sky for likely the first time.

The characters relationships are very well explored I believe. We could always say "these characters should interact more", and it will be true for any characters. But for the line of the event, each interaction was really well made, it concluded the story between Saria and Kristen, it concluded Rosmontis's rememberence of her past, it concluded the tension between Saria and Silence, it just basically turned a page for Rhine Lab, and started a new chapter, if not a book.

Silence is the main character, and I believe it was planned so since the very moment Rhine Lab was created, hence why her code in game is RL01, and the Rhine Lab's logo was originally an owl. As someone pointed in the notes; it's a story about the past, the present, and the future. Silence is the characterization of the future, she stepped forward, she dared, and she doesn't look back. While staying realistically human, while saying relatable, while being "just a simple researcher". Saria is the past, she is stuck on her relationship with Kristen, regrets of their time together. She hasn't changed in all those years.

This illustration is the future and the past meeting. Silence looks towards the light, Saria looks in the dark.

They are the main characters. And that's why they both became the new heads of Rhine Lab. It's a story about moving forward, about heading towards a future shaped by your goals and ideals, while acknowledging of the past, and regarding it. Rhine Lab shall never do the same mistakes and cause the same suffering as they did. It's a whole symbolic, a story about duality and trust.

And Ferdinand? His character became so much more interesting than in Dorothy's Vision, where he was just some egocentric guy wishing to take the head of the company for his own interests. Lone Trail made this character so much more than this, still not the most morally good, but one with goals and a point of view you can understand. Maybe it seemed like too much screentime for a character not a lot cares about, but I'm so, so glad they did so, because I started to actually appreciate him.

About the Doctor/Muelsyse... I've read stuff before Lone Trail where people spoke about how Muelsyse was one of those playersexual characters. So naturally I was scared and felt disappointed.

It wasn't the case. Not ONE a bit. I don't really know what makes anyone think there's something even a little bit romantic between these two - there's absolutely not. No, dancing isn't something only romantic partners can do, same as being comfortable with each other, going to shopping together or watching movies.

The relationship between these two characters was one of the most interesting to me. After the entire Preserver lore dump on the Doctor, where this one had to reflect on their own person, face that they don't know who they are, where is their place, with only "Rhodes Island" as their home and reason to go forward, having this Muelsyse and Doctor moment was a delight. Because then, both could bound around not knowing their place. About feeling lonely, set aside. Muelsyse found other elves, just like she dreamt, and yet she couldn't feel home. The Doctor found their kin, and likely replies to some of their questions about who they are, but they couldn't feel any connection neither.

And so, they can be alone together.

In conclusion - well, as one of the biggest Rhine Lab nerds and fans on this hellsite, I was not disappointed one a bit by Lone Trail. I loved each character, even the new ones, Jara appeared only for this event and yet her character was very interesting. I hope we'll get to see more of her, and of Nasti as well. Rosmontis, Ifrit, Muelsyse, Silence, Saria, Kristen, Tin man, Kal'tsit, Doctor, these characters became more than memorable to me thanks to this event.

So yeah, it's what I think of it. I may be bootlicking, I definitely am, but it was so much of the peak of writing to me, the characters and the symbolism were deep and explored, I can hardly think they can do better. The moment I started the first cutscene, I couldn't stop.

Idk about Lone Trail.

It's not generally bad, but for the big Rhine Labs event there sure was a lot of stuff that wasn't Rhine Labs (it could definitely do with a little less Preserver).

Like, I get that they're following up on some of the RL story bits that they've planted in other things, but they probably should have given more time to Kirsten and Saria and just generally explored the pre-established character relationships more.

Also, Silence and, even more so, Ferdinand are main characters for no reason. Why? Genuinely, what was the purpose of giving them that much screen time?

It ended up being an event about legacy and progress that just happens to feature RL, and that seems off to me.

Also, the Doctor and Muelsyse thing is entirely unnecessary, and I want everyone to give them shit for it when they open the event survey. We can't have them doing this again.

[matriarchsdevotee-archive]

💭 + the Sages

I Might Have Too Many headcanons

She's slightly terrified of Saria, both because she gets anxious around people who are too nice and because she's worried she'll accidentally hurt her feelings. She also really wants to teach the Kokiri to say fuck, so equal grab bag there.

She absolutely cannot stand Ruto outside of professional obligations. She finds both her and her father to be equally elitist and entitled, and she finds Ruto's persistence hunter method of romance exhausting and slightly unnerving.

Nabooru didn't have many interactions with Rauru, but she'd generally characterize him as the least interesting kind of academic; one too afraid to get into the fray and too book-learned to accept anything outside his scope of influence.

Darunia is probably her closest friend amongst the canon sages, after they got over some initial friction. Darunia is one of the only sages who can take her snark and throw it back without anybody's feelings being hurt, and the Gorons share the custom of playfighting as a form of affection. She occasionally asks him for advice on general governance, and returns the same when he asks for it.

Nabooru has a complicated relationship with Zelda, which is probably to be expected. She thinks she's a far better leader than her father was, even if disregarding his toxic policies with her people. Frankly, she's impressed she was able to survive Ganondorf's reign in any state, and she's deeply impressed by Zelda not abandoning her country. At the same time, she doesn't feel that she can be completely at ease with her. Nabooru is very rough-and-tumble and she knows she's not exactly refined. She's also not remotely subtle, and she's not going to mince words to save feelings. By contrast, Zelda is poised, regal, and well-spoken. Ultimately she trusts Zelda, but finds it difficult to relax around her.

I'm not going to lie, Nabs has a teeny tiny little crush on Impa, even if she'd never label it as such. Nothing is as attractive to her as competence which may as well be Impa's middle name. She's everything Nabooru wishes she was - reserved, confident, and ever-ready to thwart those that would do her or those in her protection harm. They don't talk much, since they're both up to their necks in their everyday duties, but whenever they get the chance, Nabooru takes Impa's words of wisdom to heart.

And for funsies, in verses in which Sheik is a different person, he's one of Nabooru's closest friends. Like Darunia, he can manage her outbursts relatively painlessly and can hurl back her sarcasm. They've gone through similar hardships, and even if she's baffled by the Sheikah's continued allegiance to the crown of Hyrule, it's something she can ultimately respect. He's one of the first people she vents to and she'll always be available to do the same for him.

As for the need to be a sage in general, she resents it. Nabooru has had functionally very few choices in her life - she was inducted into the temple before she could read, she was declared Heirophant despite never wanting the title, and became Chieftain essentially by default. Her duties as sage are exhausting and, to her mind, entirely futile. The Gerudo acknowledge the Golden Goddesses as creators, especially Farore, but they don't pray to them as a matter of course. Why would you pray to those who never answer? She also strongly suspects that, emboldened by the curse of the ancient as well as the Triforce of Power, it's only a matter of time before Ganondorf returns in some form. She'd much rather plan for that day than try to stave it off with meaningless entreaties to the Gods

[legendofzoodles]

LOZ Character Analysis/Rant

 The Hero of Time 

‘the flow of time is always cruel’

Forced to grow up too quickly, to abandon childhood and embrace adulthood for the sake of his destiny and kingdom. Neither Ganondorf nor Majora were the true villains. Time itself as always been Link’s true enemy. 

Ironic that history will forever champion him as The Hero of Time.

~~~

To be honest he never struck me as the cold serious type. I feel like he only became hardened and jaded as his perspective on his past experiences changed with age. I mean, look at that goofy kid! He was a mischievous little gremlin back in the day and I won’t hear otherwise. He would have been very sociable with the forest children, playing games, playing pranks and living a carefree life. 

At least subconsciously, he was aware that he was different to the Korkiri. This would have been pointed out to him due to him being the only one without a bonded fairy until much later in life and the fact that everyone was aware that he was growing up. This wouldn’t have been a major concern for him at the time. It would be 7 years later.

The inciting incident that spurs his adventure is the death of his mentor figure: The Great Deku tree. This would have had a profound effect on the young boy, but the send off was so inspiring that more than anything it motivates Link to fulfil his new role. The Deku tree recounts to Link the creation story of the three Golden Goddesses and the business with Ganondorf. At the time much of this would have flown over Link’s head who was probably more focused on the fact that his tree dad was dying and the job he needed to do.

Much later in life though, realising that there are supposedly benevolent beings with infinite power who created this world who sit around and let fiends like Ganondorf cause such misery would add to his jaded view of the world. 

Leaving the Korkiri forest must have been bittersweet, especially since he had to do it alone, for the forest children could not leave (I feel like if Saria could, Link would have wanted her to join him). The first part of OoT must have been a blast for child Link. For a short time he got to go out and explore Hyrule with no strings attached, a truly free kid (many characters refer to him as a child quite often: ‘kid’, ‘lad’, ‘fairy boy’). 

At his young age he didn’t properly grasp the severity of the situation, and saw the quest as fun. To his credit, things were going great, he met princesses (and got engaged to a fish princess! He would’ve looked forward to bragging to Mido about it), wrangled himself a loyal horse and explored the land (bet this cinnamon roll had planned to bring back gifts for his friends in the forest). 

Then Ganondorf pulled the rug out from everyone and great googly boogly, it all went to shit. 

The shock of waking up from what he probably initially assumed was a nap must have traumatised him. Imagine waking up to realise you had missed out on puberty, see the kingdom in ruins, your woodland father figure is dead, your childhood friend/crush is dead and it’s your job to fix everything. 

He did everything perfectly up until now. None of this was deserved. 

At first he might have felt guilty for abandoning the kingdom, but honestly I think that would have dissolved into sheer anger the more he thought it through. Since he was a child, nothing regarding the 7 year coma can really be attributed to him specifically. And being 9 I don’t think that would register until much later in his life, but due to the confusing nature of the whole thing, he wouldn’t know who to blame or what to direct his anger to. Hence the bitterness he carries with him. 

Fi obviously didn’t want him to perish. She did what she did to give him the best fighting chance, but perhaps it was poor judgment on her part to prioritise the wellbeing of her master over that of the kingdom. It was the right call in terms of protecting the hero, but it screwed over literally everyone else. Not to mention that the Royal Family and Raru had been duped by Ganondorf and Zelda/Lullaby had been forced into hiding. 

All in all, I don’t think the 7 year coma was anyone’s fault; the forces of good made their moves and Ganondorf just outplayed them. 

Link himself wasn’t a much of a player at all, more like a variable both sides used in order to outplay the other. The outcome of this struggle behind the scenes was cruel and unfair in the eyes of the hero. He’d done what he was told, he had purified the Zora and Goron’s guardian deities, he had collected all the sacred elemental gemstones and was ready to claim the power that was his birthright. 

Raru, Fi, Hylia, the Goddesses even the Royal Family failed the Hero of Time. But he wouldn’t have thought this back then because he believed that he was destined for greatness. He’d been told by the Deku tree that he’d accomplish amazing things and save the kingdom. In his mind, he had failed.

Since Time still pretty much had the mind of a child in the latter half of OoT, he probably deviated from the main quest, unable to resist the need to help the suffering people. The sight of the kingdom he’d just explored now in such disharmony, a twisted corrupted version of itself, must have been awful. The kingdom had already been taken over, so there was no real need to hurry, he just needed to focus on building up his strength and make sure he defeated Ganondorf. It probably also took him a fat while to get used to his new body.

Because of this, I’m genuinely not surprised that there’s a canon outcome where he dies to Ganon. The odds were against him from the get-go. There was no way he was going to be at his best when he was still mentally 9 and in a body he’d barely gotten any experience in. Maybe he misjudged a sword strike, overestimated his reach or underestimated his speed. It wouldn’t have taken much, just one small mistake for it all to be over. 

On the flip side, following the outcome where he does win, it would be a massive boost in ego. Not in an arrogant way, more just in self assured confidence. The fact that he was able to overcome all that despite the trash hand dealt by the Gods and his own weapon, would give him the attitude of not fearing what life throws at him. Although it wouldn’t make him reckless, it would be the reason why he’d continue to go out adventuring and helping people. He has the hero’s spirit after all, going out of his way to do what’s right is in his nature. 

The trauma from speedrunning childhood was probably the main reason he allowed Zelda to send him back in time. That, and to expose Ganondorf before he can cause all that devastation. He probably thought it would be exclusively beneficial for him and the kingdom, by way of erasing those 7 years of hardship under Ganondorf’s takeover...not splitting the timeline. I feel like Zelda knew it would cause a timeline split (she has the Triforce of Wisdom, she 100% knew and you can’t tell me otherwise) and leave her timeline without a hero, but purposefully put his wishes above that of hers and the kingdom. Maybe out of pity and/or guilt. 

To protect him, she didn’t mention that teeny weeny world shattering detail.

Regarding Sheik, I think Time would have liked and respected them a lot during OoT, taking comfort in their guidance. Probably saw them in an older sibling sort of light, quickly feeling comfortable to joke around with them and maybe confide a bit too. I don’t know how he’d feel about them being Zelda, because I don’t know how he’d feel about Zelda herself. It wouldn’t be overwhelmingly positive though, some of that unyielding bitterness would be directed at her I’d imagine. 

After all he lost everything, his father-figure, his best friends, his childish innocence and doesn’t even have a home to return to anymore. But Zelda? When all this is said and done she can return to her life of privileged luxury, ready to rule the kingdom healed by the Hero of Time (and the sages too). To be fair that’s adult-timeline Zelda, child-timeline Zelda isn’t really the Zelda he knew, but he probably isn’t too keen on having much to do with her either.  

I feel like there would be things from both OoT and MM he’d struggle to get over later in life, due to him being so young when he experienced them.

Needless to say he never touched the Master Sword again.

His desperation to find Navi at the end of OoT is interesting though. It shows that he cares about her, but she wasn’t kidnapped or went missing...she left him. It’s possible Link thought she just needed to go somewhere, but I don’t think that was the case. 

No matter the reason, it was for all intensive purposes, a dick move. Because even if you’re not a Korkiri, I believe you can still make it into the forest if you have a fairy companion to guide you. Be doing this, she effectively locks Link out of the Korkiri forest, banishing him from his childhood and robbing him of the chance to live in carefree peace with the forest children. So aside from missing her, he probably chased after her because without her, he can never return home. 

And we know in LU that years later she still hasn’t come back...

During his life leading up to LU, he was probably going with the flow. There was no way back into the Korkiri forest without Navi, so he sort of aimlessly roamed around Hyrule and went wherever there was adventure. Helping anyone who needed it, taking down dangerous monsters and travelling around the kingdom. He didn’t think of it as a job and didn’t take it too seriously, he knew he had the power to do good so like his predecessors before him, and did what was right because he could. 

I do like the idea that sometime before LU, maybe in his mid twenties, there was an incident where he used the Fierce Deity mask and something went horribly wrong. He ended up defeating whatever forced him to resort to that power, but it resulted in the Fierce Deity almost possessing him, or the power itself tried to take over for a moment- either way it lead to the missing eye and tattoos. 

I have a fair bit more to say on the Fierce Deity...but I’ll leave it there for now.

Time never saw the masks he collected as toys. Some were connected to the dead, one housed a very powerful entity and therefore needed to be treated with respect. Keeping the collection mostly to honour those they represented and maybe also as proof of the adventure. MM was another thankless quest, no one outside of Termina (which may or may not exist) knows what happened there, so he could tell stories using the masks as evidence that he wasn’t full of shit. 

That being said, his skill as a swordsman and warrior would be enough for most to believe him. He’s had a long while to master the blade and was probably besting even the most skilled knights in the Hyrulean Army while back in his child body after OoT. He can use a bunch of different items, shoot a bow with deadly accuracy and even do a nifty bit of magic.

Unfortunately, due to his circumstances his intelligence stat capped off mid-way through childhood. Filling his time with adventure and daring do meant he wasn’t exactly hitting the books and making up for the lost years of homeschooling...or tree-schooling in his case. As such, he’s a very slow reader, his handwriting is like that of a 4th grader’s, his arithmetic is excellent as long as the numbers don’t get to big or the math more complex than adding, subtracting and multiplying. Also statistics and fractions smaller than 1/4 mean basically nothing to him.

In his defence, what’s reading a few books compared to year’s worth of life experience? This man is wise beyond his years, always aware of his surroundings and one could say he’s very much a people person. The only thing that didn’t improve with age is his cringe humour.  

Since the Hero’s Shade looked heavily armoured, it seems likely that Time was officially signed up to the army but maybe as a reserve and has had knight’s training once he became old enough to enlist. Things didn’t go smoothly after Ganondorf was outed by kid Lullaby and Time. The King of Thieves didn’t get arrested lying down, he got arrested after a long drawn out bloody conflict with the Royal Family. 

This conflict led to the Gerudo being chased out the desert and the reuse of their Spirit Temple, turning it into a prison: the Arbiter’s Grounds. Time couldn’t fight in this war because it happened when he was still a kid (could have ended when he was in his mid teens) and since he isn’t known as the legendary hero there was no way the army would let a minor fight in their ranks. He wouldn’t have risked pulling out the Master Sword to prove his status, for fear of Fi putting him in stasis again or Ganondorf having access to the Triforce and Sacred Realm.

He may be bitter towards the Master Sword, but he’s downright hateful of Royal Family. He saw evidence of the atrocities the Sheikah committed under their orders in the Shadow Temple, their cruelty towards the Gerudo and incompetence to stop Ganondorf in his original timeline. Hence why he spends his life doing his own thing rather than rise the ranks of their army.

Music is incredibly important to him. It not only serves as a meaningful connection to Saria and the life he once had, but it’s also how he interacts with the world and enforces his will on it. Again, as a kid he only saw the ocarina as a practical little instrument that could do cool things (btw I know for a fact that Time would never drop Saria’s ocarina or favour it to Zelda’s, even if it’s something the player can do. He wouldn’t do it willingly, only resorting to it if he needed space for a item that could save his life), but as he grew into an adult appreciated its connection to space as well as time.

He may travel alone, but that’s mostly due to the sense of isolation he acquired from his experiences and the burden of bearing the God-like power of the Fierce Deity. On days off or when he feels he needs a break, he’ll seek out the company of those he cares about. Those relationships would have started from scratch, because in this timeline no one remembers him and courageous acts he committed to save Hyrule.

Still has a deep connection to the Korkiri forest. Even though he couldn’t return. It’s a safe bet to assume that the Hero’s Shade is in fact a Stalfos. What if the reason he risks going into the Lost Woods without a fairy guide was because he’d heard news that the Korkiri Forest was falling into decay. The Deku tree still dies in this timeline and without a new sapling to replace him, the forest dies. What if Link went to try and save the forest by finding a new sapling, only to find himself lost and cursed to forever roam the haunted woods as the Hero’s Shade. All while his home slowly perishes.

Leaving the forest in the decrepit state seen in Twilight Princess, with the hollow husk of the Deku Tree serving as the game’s first dungeon. Who knows the fate of the Korkiri...

Twilight’s existence makes him exceedingly happy. Before that revelation, he probably didn’t think too much about stuff like legacy, descendants and passing down his skills. He’d have a funny view on nostalgia. Spent most of his life not putting too much thought into the past or dwelling on a future that may not come to past if he doesn’t make it back from an adventure. Until he gets a family of his own. The normalcy and security his wife and kid(s) bring will finally have him looking at the past fondly and the future with hope. 

I’ll leave you with a couple more famous OoT quotes:

‘melody that will draw you into infinite darkness’

‘A childish mind will turn into noble ambition’

~~~

Thanks for reading! 

I truly believe that this incarnation of Link is one of the most interesting. Imagine what having control over yet being completely at the mercy of the flow of time would do to a person. There are lots of other interpretations you can pull from Link’s experience on OoT and MM, which is a testament to the incredible game design. 

Expect edits every now and then for posts like these. They take a while to write and I don’t always proofread...

If you enjoyed this post check my other ones:

Hero of Twilight character analysis

Hero of the Sky character analysis (TP story) From Shadows: Link’s backstory

Masterlist

[amnesicmaiden]

Seira let out a sigh as she looks to the side, hands in her coat pockets as she takes in the events and the aftermath that plenty were using to benefit themselves. What would have happen if she wasn't here? Would Muelsyse had been killed if she didn't say something. . .Could still remember the look on her face. Too much could be different if she and the others weren't here.

The Doctor hearing the other's response looks over to the owner, her red eyes meeting those narrow amber ones. Now she was given a question.

"I. . ."

She paused for a moment. Was it wise to dug further into this hole? If she continues on the path who else would be dragged into this and yet. It was clear she was now involved and trying to pull out may not be the best course of action. Wouldn't be the first time she had done this kind of thing after all. She then give a soft smile.

". . .I'm going to continue on the path straight ahead and not look back. Besides, I'm already involved and thus I'm not going to quit until my job is done here. Currently, I plan on getting to know Doctor Franks- I mean Dorothy to be a good start and guide her on how to properly help those she cherishes. As silly as that is, I emphasize how she feels at least by a small faction. I want to help her." Seira paused, slowly taking out her right hand from her pocket as she steps towards the Vouivre. "Saria, I trust you and I hope you can trust me. I know- I know all the things about what can be said about my past you may know about. Still, I'm sure you understand that's not who I am currently. So. . ."

She holds out her right hand, signaling for a handshake. ". . .Business partners commence handshakes as a kind of promised for their dealings right? Aha. . . Let's do this together as partners for the time being until my part is done. Okay?"

[cerastes]

I need a bit of help in crimson solitaire. My problem is that I cannot beat the bear. I always get the letter that prevents healing when I can. I already have a plan for dealing with the 3rd boss being bagpipe skill 2 with the reduced redeployment time book. Here is some info that might help

(I have m9 max level weedy. Ling m6 s2 and 3 max level. Chalter m3 skill 3, phantom m3 skill 2 (my husband) and skalter m3 skill 2) I am also planning on getting schwarz e2 for skill 3 Ntr knight as well.

Yeah you have the tools for Big Sad Lock, the thing with BSL is that it looks all huge and intimidating and, to some degree, it is, but it is also by far the most static of the bosses: Lucian is as dynamic as modern Arknights bosses tend to be, Mouthpiece is FAR more dynamic and unstable than most Arknights bosses and requires a lot of input and execution, but BSL's entire schtick is that if you go into it prepared, it's all over for it. To put it another way, the BSL boss fight is building for it rather than fighting it.

As long as you have the right tools, you're good to go, and you do have them: Two non-Arts damage dealers + sustainers for each lane (this means lane clearing and healing, and you're pretty much done. It's far simpler than it seems. You also want big beefy hits over multiple hits, because every 20 hits you land on BSL, it explodes for mapwide Arts damage. The damage isn't too severe, but if triggered in quick succession, the SHITUATION becomes dire rather rapidly. So, for example,

This is my generic, ideal set-up coming in on BSL, usually 8 deployment slots, you don't want to oversaturate units so your healers can actually keep you alive, just two to three people hitting the bear with significant, big single hits instead of getting the whole family on his ass. Schwarz and Tourist C both must have their S3, and they more or less chew through BSL easily. Most of my clears have been without the regen-cancelling letter, but of course, if you can snatch it, snatch it. Blue crosses are cornerstones, that's where you hold your lanes, the left blue cross can also be Blaze S2 aimed right to also hit the bear if you feel your damage insufficient or you are lacking dedicated bear slappers, green crosses are healers, the one directly left to the left cross is for Saria, Nearl, Spot, or your preferred melee tile healer of choice, red cross is a damage dealer to help your cornerstone if you think you need it, Corrupting Heart tile to the right can also be for a Medic if you lack her in your run, preferably an AoE healer (Ptilo, Nightingale, Perfumer are good choices), right blue cross in the most ideal of cases is Thorns S3 aimed left, Mudrock, Cutter E2 aimed up, Jaye E2 aimed up (if you're using 1 block there, though, then put something on the purple cross to help block, like a Defender or 2-block Guard or Specialist or something or you'll leak), anything that can reliably, quickly kill and not die quickly.

And that's pretty much it, it's an intimidating looking fight but much more simple than you think, hope this helps you, chum.

[johannstutt413]

[while I continue porting shit over to Ao3, I want to post something, luckily I got through the last bit of this]

(requested by calligomiles; continuing from this) Rhine Labs Sandwich III

[Sidenote: I have learned Ptilopsis’ real name since the last time I wrote her. Gonna have to change how her lovers address her going forward.]

Saria was only gone for twenty-four hours. Ptilopsis kept track, not because she disliked spending time with Silence - quite the contrary, they spent the entire time together - but because Saria had been taken suddenly on a day she’d planned to go home with her, her routines had already been pre-optimized, and so there was no escaping that. In those twenty-four hours, Ifrit completed her project, slept, woke up, ate breakfast, went to class, and ate lunch.

In that same twenty-four hour period, Tilly made breakfast and worried.

“Doctor Silence?” Fifteen minutes into the twenty-fifth hour, Angelina stopped by the Liberis’ office. “Ah, Ptilopsis is here, too. Good. The deployment team is back-”

“Which bay?” The taller physician asked as the pair grabbed their Medic bags.

The Vulpo shook her head. “No one needs emergency care, I just thought you’d want to know.”

“Ah.” Silence set her bag down. “Because Saria went out?”

“Eh? Did she? I didn’t see her-” She had to glide out of the way as Ptilopsis bolted out of the office.

When Olivia caught up to her, it was in front of a terminal interface; the analyst was doing what she did best, looking through data, trying to find the whereabouts of Her Vouivre. “Where where where where-”

“Joyce?” Silence decided against surprising her with a hug, even though it seemed like she needed one. “Is she not on the list?”

“Who are you looking for?” Saria asked, walking out of an examination room-

-and getting immediately covered in Ptilopsis. “Oh thank God thank God thank God thank God.”

“Oh. Someone told you we got back, I guess.” The Defender sighed, cradling the Medic in her arms. “I was still in work mode. Just finished the last of the check-ups I volunteered for.”

“We’re glad you’re safe,” Olivia replied matter-of-factly.

The Vouivre nodded. “As am I. Has Joy-”

“She wanted to spend last night with you, I think,” the physician admitted. “Most of last night and today both, she’s been thinking about you.”

“Ptilopsis was worried sick,” Ptilopsis observed, shaking.

Saria stroked her hair as she carried her towards the exit. “I’m sorry. The mission went well, no issues whatsoever.”

“Ptilopsis is happy for you.” She sniffled. “Playback: Saria requested a conversation regarding visitation rights upon her return.”

“That can wait until tomorrow. Right now, all I want is to go through your Task Manager and clear up some CPU space for you.”

Joyce blushed. “Yes, please.”

“I’ll see you both tomorrow, then,” Silence said, turning back towards the fastest route to her offi- Wait. “Before I go…”

“Before you-” The Vouivre stopped dead in her tracks as Olivia hugged both her and Tilly in a single arm-sweep.

Tilly’s internal clock froze until the moment ended. “She…”

“Yeah.” The Defender replied, a bit shaken herself as Silence walked away. “Tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow.” Tonight’s agenda had already been filled.

Tomorrow came faster than Ptilopsis wanted it to; as her body tried to start its usual morning protocols, she manually overrode them and pressed herself closer to Saria. “Not yet… Running ‘snooze.exe’.”

“Hmm?” The Vouivre, to her surprise, was already awake. “Good morning.”

“I don’t want to get up yet.”

The Defender kissed her forehead. “So I heard.”

“Did you?” Joyce smirked. “From who?”

“A little birdy.” Saria chuckled as the Liberi’s head fell against her chest in faux exasperation.

After one more snooze button’s worth of cuddling, the pair went through their usual morning routine… Well, except for the amount of space between them. “Saria~”

“Feeling lovey-dovey this morning?” The Vouivre squeezed her close with one arm while flipping sausages with a pair of tongs. “I suppose we could call into the office…”

“I would like that.” Ptilopsis was practically purring, though with her supercomputer mind, perhaps just ‘vibrating’ would be a better metaphor-

*Knock knocK*

Saria and Joyce shared a glance. “Olivia?” The Defender asked.

“Olivia,” the Liberi confirmed based on the knocking pattern. “Ptilopsis will call the Doctor.”

“Sure, go ahead.” Leaving the Vouivre to answer the door? If that’s what Tilly wanted…

Sure enough, Silence was on the other side. “Oh. Good morning, Saria.”

“Good morning, Olivia.” She glanced around the hallway. “Is Ifrit in class already?”

“She’s spending the day with Eyjafjalla. May I come in?”

The Defender nodded. “Be my guest.”

“Thank you.” The physician crossed the threshold, immediately looking around for Ptilopsis. “Is Joyce-”

“Calling in sick for the two of us. She wants to make up for lost time.” Saria wasn’t looking in Tilly’s direction as she replied.

The other Liberi blinked. “...You always were better with emotions than me.”

“Not that either of us are particularly good with them.” The Vouivre sighed. “One second, I think the sausage might be-”

“Ptilopsis is handling breakfast. Please continue talking.” The analyst’s voice wrapped around the corner from the kitchen.

That threw both of her girlfriends for a loop; nevertheless, they sat on the couch a safe distance from each other. “So.” Saria attempted to begin.

“So… This is rather awkward.”

“Maybe we should start from the beginning.” The Defender leaned back into the upholstery. “You’re okay with me seeing Ifrit again.”

Silence nodded, staring at her lap. “Yes. I also… I miss us, too.”

“...” Well shit.

“Joy paced around the apartment, and then the office, the entire time you were gone, and her worry was infectious.” Her brow furrowed. “It made me think as well; if something were to happen to me, someone would have to take care of Ifrit, and you and Joy are the only two I can trust to do that well.”

Really? “I understand Joy, but you trust me more than Mayer?”

“You nearly died trying to save her from herself, even though it alienated everyone else at Rhine Labs. Of course I’d trust you to take care of her if I was gone.” She clenched her fists and shook.

“I see.” Saria’d never expected to hear those words. “Have… have you forgiven me, then?”

The physician shivered more visibly. “It’s not that simple.”

“You didn’t call it a mistake just now-”

“As a matter of saving Iffy’s life, of course not, that was never the issue.” Silence finally turned to face the Defender, tears blurring her vision. “But every time I try to look past that moment, I see her lying in your arms, limp, and it happens all over again. The arguments, the shouting, Joyce’s heart breaking in front of us, the paperwork, ALL of it in a matter of seconds… I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to forgive you.”

Ptilopsis walked into the living room carrying three plates of breakfast on a tray. “Ptilopsis made Olivia a plate as well.”

“How could we do that to someone so precious,” the other Liberi squeaked out before dissolving into a puddle. “How?”

“Comfort protocols engaging.” Tilly set the tray on the coffee table before sitting down between the pair and squeezing a sobbing Silence with all the strength she could muster.

Saria didn’t want to just sit there, but she wasn’t sure what else she could do really… So she stood up, walked around to the other side of the couch, and hugged the owl loosely but firmly. “It won’t happen again. I promise.”

“I want to believe you,” Olivia managed. “I really do…”

“Ptilopsis suggests a stronger display of affection,” the analyst whispered into the Vouivre’s ear.

The Defender nodded, taking a preparatory breath. “Olivia?”

“Ye-” When the physician predictably turned towards Saria to address her, she found herself transported farther back than the tragedies, before the manipulation of other Rhine Labs members tore them apart, before they’d met Ptilopsis to sandwich between them… A time that hadn’t quite existed, because her romance with Saria was anchored in Joyce’s feelings for both of them.

“I think she gets it,” Tilly observed with a smile after giving them time to enjoy the moment. “Now then- ahh!”

Silence, with the Vouivre’s help, had pulled Ptilopsis into her lap to absolutely smother with affection. “You’re not getting out of this that easily, love.”

“Get out of what?” She parroted, knowing full well but not sure if she was ready-

“For this.” Saria kissed her left cheek; Olivia kissed her right. “It’s been literally years, hasn’t it?”

The analyst chirped half-consciously.

The other Liberi smiled. “She’s blue-screened, I think.”

“I agree. Should we eat breakfast before it gets cold? It’ll reheat well enough.”

“Let’s eat,” Joyce managed to squeak out.

Her girlfriends simply kissed her again… and again… and again…