#just wanted to say that....Tebas voice is like .....damn...(@_@)

[scarletknightreterns]

-My TOTK Review pt 1-

I finished the game a while ago now, and even now I’m continuing to play it and collect almost everything while daydreaming about the world, lore, and my Oc’s personal story and how I might revamp her to fit this world more.

There are so so many things I’ve discovered through the game, and even the other day I lost my mind with someone I SUDDENLY realized while looking at the sheikah stealth gear. I’ll get into that in a bit.

So.

I figured I would make a review of my personal thoughts and opinions on the game. It’s too good not to do, and it would be interesting to hear what all y’all think.

—

Things I like:

• The Sky Islands. These are so damn beautiful and a highlight of the game. Not only does the game start off STRONG with the ‘plateau’ and it’s Temple of Time, but there are literally so so many things to do. I love the sky-dive challenges, the mining factory, and that one island that gives the Zonai headdress— I did that a few days ago and thought it was actually very unique!! I live up in the sky so much because it’s just, absolutely serene. Gorgeous. Spectacular and I love collecting all the mushrooms and plants up there.

• The ZONAI!!! Like, holy shit. Nintendo didn’t scrap what BoTW was originally going to be with all that alien tech and Link’s weird arm. I had hoped to see them do something with that, and even I did not expect the Zonai to have such a major part in TOTK. We all thought they were a mysterious tribe of people long long ago- and while they were, they were so so much more. A lot of people seem to have a gripe about the Zonai, being glorified goats that come from heaven or something, but I actually think a lot of their history was purposefully burned away from Hyrule, making them the tribe of ‘brutes’ that BOTW suggested them to be; or we all tenorized. But. My gosh, I love them so damn much?! Rauru is gorgeous and I’m so glad he exists, none of you can convince me otherwise!

• The Constructs. All of them. All of them are beautiful. Yes, I know the Divine Beasts are gone, but I do NOT care when there are these adorable Stewards that I want to hug and keep company because they are lonely and deserve to be appreciated! Also, I can build things?? I can build things. Glory be it’s Minecraft. I love even the Gacha Machines because they are so cool. And the shrines?? Absolutely amazing, in appearance, and even the statues in the end where you get the spirit orbs.

• The Temples. I’m so glad they brought temples back although I really wish there could have been more to them, like, original 8, but all in all, they were beautiful. My favourites had to be the Rito’s War Boat which was super cool, and Zora’s Giant Fish (I forget the names of them, but you know what I mean haha). I was very surprised they added a Spirit Temple, but I’m sad that thatbonly had me build a construct although, in the end, I was sooooooo hype I got to KEEP that construct and ride it 0w0

• Sidon, Teba, Yanobo, Riju. First of all, Sidon is beautiful, Teba is precious child must protect, Yanobo is Yanobo, and Riju has matured and grown up UwU Of course, this is something else that upsets me. While I was super SUPER HAPPY to have them accompany me for the Temples, having merely apparitions of them follow me around, while it’s cool, is just.... it’s very, very upsetting. I was hoping I could select any of them at any time to come with me, have dialogue and say encouraging things. Like, it would be NICE TO HEAR THEIR VOICES WHILE WE EXSPLORE!! Maybe they collect things as well and can even give me things as rewards or shows of speciation. Like, Nintendo could have done SO SO MUCH MORE with them and they DID NOT (don’t mind me I’m just upset because my fishy prince Sidon didn’t get to stay with me in the way I dreamt...) but it’s still cool....

• The Depths. Like, holy holy crap?? Nintendo literally might as well have spent the past.... 5-6 years alone on this place to make it the perfect place it is. It looks unbelievable and there are even little places like the Gerudo Underground Cemetary, and the Gerudo Dark Skeleton. It’s just small things like these that I really really like. There is also the Ancient Underground Fortress which I think is really neat, and speaks to a story. Also, the Lightroots?? Are simply amazing?? I’ve almost gotten them all, not quite, but close! The boss fights you can relive down there are also a nice touch, as well as almost all enemies and their gloom-corrupted forms.

• The new enemeies. I really love the return of more enemies. The Horrorblins remind me of the Bokoblins from TP, very creepy, and actually seeing Gleeoks is a MASSIVE. MASSIVE BOON FOR ME BECAUSE ✨hydra-dragons✨King Gleeok is a B***H to kill tho... not gonna lie. Might try that again later on today :’P also, they added in the silver enemies as well. I never saw those in BOTW because, I think, those were Ballad of The Champtions DLC exclusive. It’s really nice to have tougher enemies— and the Bokoblin’s charge attacks are always annoying. The Lynels are my favourites to fight tho; their horns are soooooooo good for fusing yo the master sword. 60 dang bby, I’m a monster >8)

• We. Can. Actually. Join. The. Yiga. Clan. These fools won’t know what hit them and I’m laughing because they are all such hormonal, love-deprived twats that are so emo and edgy and need more to eat then just bananas. Maybe banana bread. Make them that, and they will be happy. Glory to Master Khoga.

• I finished the Labaryths around last week and. Hellll yaaaahhhh I’m getting my Edgy Teen Ganon vibes ooonnnnn— I literally don’t take this stuff off because. Cape. No excuses just cape. Me fancy, with sorcery! No sword, just sorcery (secret Yiga technique) yeeting fools into the air ehehehehehehehehehehheeh

• Dragons. An actual reason for the dragons, and I love we can collect a bit more from them in terms of the shards, and they don’t just vanish after taking something from them, I can stay of Naydra’s back for hours and take as many scales, horns, claws, fangs as necessary. Also, what’s interesting is, instead of going up, like they did in BoTW, they go down now, into the Depths, which is really interesting to me. They are literally like... Dolphins, hopping in and out of the rifts and I can ride them still while they do so by standing on their snouts B3

• This gets it’s own ping for literally being my favourite. Silver Lizalfos horn. Fuse to master sword. Master Scythe. Nothing more to say~

• Another thing (or rather 3) that gets their own ping for being top of my list despite being alllllll the way down here. Elemental dragon outfits??? I need to get the charged set but I don’t think I can because I got Mineru by my own exploring and mistake and I don’t think I can trigger the side quest.... :’)))) which MAKES ME MAAAAADDDDDDDD—- but flame set ~ my beloved~ dyed purple because purple hair~ Glows in the heat??? My favourite UwU

What else is there...?

Ah yes.

• Koroks. They did not get rid of these little guys but the new quests??? They shouldn’t hav.... I can abuse forest children by attaching them to rockets and launching them into the sky for the greater distance, then bring them to their friend. Also, the new little hidden challenges. I found a dandelion and I was so confused until I touched it XDD they are so creative. Also have you SEEN THE NEW ANIMATION FOR HESTU’S DANCE????? IT’S SO CUTE!!! KOROKS JOIN HIM!! I’M 😭😭😭😭😭

Phew, this is quite long already and there are still things I could list... But I think I will end this here and make another update later on listing the things that SHOCKED ME, and then the things I didn’t like about the game, and finally, the things I terrorize and lore stuff. :>>

[redundantz]

Age of calamity spoilers in tags

[cyraclove]

Higher Pursuits

BOTW Grad School AU

-

-

“...so, if you do decide that you’ll be writing a thesis in lieu of the comprehensive examination, I’ll be the one you’ll need to speak with.”

Zelda scribbled furiously in her notebook as Dr. Kaneli continued to speak, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose every few minutes like clockwork. He’d come to Dr. Teba’s diagnostics lecture that morning to speak about research opportunities, accompanied by several of his current research assistants. 

“No need to decide right this moment, of course,” he said, “but we will be needing your name and thesis topic by the end of your first year if you do select that track.” 

Thesis by end year one, she scrawled onto the paper. 

God, a thesis. She’d dreamt of this moment. 

Had Zelda ever wanted anything more than to write a thesis? What greater pleasure was there than to delve so completely into research that you know every facet of it like you know the letters of your own name? The plethora of potential opportunities was exhilarating, her mind running rampant at the very notion of selecting one. 

A hand suddenly covered hers, causing her pen to scratch to a halt. 

She glanced up to see Link staring at her, an eyebrow cocked in her direction. 

“What?” She whispered, “I’m taking notes.” 

‘Just listen,’ he signed, ‘You don’t have to write down every word he says.’

She felt a smile tug at her lips as she rolled her eyes. “We’ll see who’s coming to who with questions in a few weeks.” 

Link grinned brightly, waving a hand at her in dismissal. 

“My personal field is neurological disorders,” Kaneli explained, recapturing Zelda’s undivided attention, “and if you have any interest in my research, do let me know. I am always in need of hardworking graduate assistants. It’s not easy work, mind you, but we do have fun.” 

The professor then paused to smile at a young man seated amongst the other second year students In the front row. 

“I’m sure you can attest to that, Mr. Medoh,” he teased cheerily. A few of the others around him chuckled lightly. 

From where she and Link were sitting in the lecture hall, it was impossible to see his face. Even when craning her neck a bit, Zelda could only glimpse locks of raven hair that dusted the man’s shoulders, several strands pleated into delicate braids while some was piled atop his head in a haphazard bun. 

Medoh, she wrote hastily in the margins. 

Link tapped the table to get her attention before furrowing his brow and asking, ‘Why?’. 

She shrugged. “Might be good to have second year connections. And quit reading over my shoulder.” 

Link’s face took on a sly expression as he eyed her curiously. With two fingers, he gestured a circle around his face before pointing to the man in the first row. 

“Handsome?” Zelda scoffed, “How can I think that he’s handsome when I can’t even see him? You hush.”

He waggled his brows at her. ‘I’m not talking,’ he signed. 

“You know what I mean,” she said. “You can make that joke all you want and it still won’t be funny.” 

“Ah, does someone there in the back have a question?” 

Zelda’s face prickled hot as nearly everyone in the room swiveled around to look at her. She froze, damning her immoveable tongue for not immediately coming to her rescue with a response. She barely heard Link sniggering beside her as she stared blankly at Dr. Kaneli, an expectant look on his face. 

Her gaze was drawn downward to a pair of green eyes staring up from beneath thick, dark lashes. 

The young man that Kaneli had called Mr. Medoh was now looking directly at her, incredulity marring his brow. His sharp, almost bird-like features gave him a stern appearance, the strong cut of his jaw curtained by wisps of hair. The striking emerald of his irises was offset by the deep, rich tone of his bronzed skin. 

Oh. He was handsome. 

Someone cleared their throat.

“Ms. Farore,” Dr. Teba prompted from his seat in the corner, “did you have a question or didn’t you?” 

“Oh, no. Uh, sir. No, sir,” she stammered, “I didn’t...um, no. Sorry.” 

Teba pursed his lips and hummed his disapproval, but said nothing more. He instead encouraged Kaneli to continue, apologizing for the interruption. Zelda’s pulse thundered in her ears as she caught a hint of a smirk on the dark-haired man’s face just before he turned back around. 

She wanted to die. 

And, maybe, smack Link. 

The remainder of the lecture went quickly, though Zelda registered only a quarter of anything that was said. She still felt hot with humiliation, her embarrassment taking the uncomfortable form of sweat; she could think only of how badly she wished she had a stick of deodorant and a new blouse. 

When Kaneli and Teba finally concluded and announced dismissal, Zelda slumped down into her chair and covered her face with her hands. She sat amidst the shuffling of papers and zipping of book bags, letting the rest of the class file out until she and Link were the only two left in the large hall. 

When she finally peeked through her fingers at Link, she saw him looking just as remorseful as he could, signing ‘sorry’ on his chest. 

Zelda sighed. “Oh, don’t look at me that way. I’ve already forgiven you, you know that.” 

He beamed at her, and she suddenly remembered why it was impossible to ever be cross with him in any capacity. He stacked his fists then, twisting one atop the other as he raised his brows in question. 

“Yeah, coffee sounds good. You’re buying.” 

_ 

The Café Bar was bustling with students just being released from class, flocking in from outside to escape the chilly October air and scrambling for a place in line. Others stood idly by and scouted for empty tables, often to no avail. Though there were several places to go for coffee on campus, the little, locally-owned coffee shop that sat just near the university was by far the most popular. 

The gentle hiss of milk being steamed and the pleasant gurgle of fresh coffee brewing could just be heard above the sound of light jazz mingling with idle chatter. Cups and saucers clinked as they were cleared from tables. Zelda inhaled deeply, the comforting scent of espresso a welcome respite. 

“I have a vanilla latte with extra whip on the bar!” 

She nudged Link with her elbow to get his attention. They had managed to procure their favorite spot; a small circular table over by the large bay window that sidled right up to the window seat. He looked up from his phone. 

“That’s you,” she said. He nodded and stood with a smile, lightly touching her shoulder and giving it an affectionate squeeze as he slipped behind her. Zelda smiled to herself before returning to the article that she’d been perusing, a clinical research study on the affects of naturalistic treatment protocols on aphasic patients. She’d not even read five words when she heard her name being softly called from across the café. 

“Zelda, over here.” 

A petite, red-headed young woman came striding towards her, her arms piled with books. Zelda hopped up from her chair to lighten her load, carefully taking a few of the books off of the top. 

“Oh, Mipha, let me help you. Where’s your--wait, here, set them on the table.” 

She thanked her profusely as she plunked the remaining books on the tiny table, making it wobble sadly on its narrow legs. She slid onto the window seat, shrugging her blue sweater from her shoulders. Her cheeks were a pretty, wind-bitten pink as she smiled warmly, releasing a sigh of relief. 

“I thought you’d already gone home,” Zelda said, “And what are all of these for?” 

 “Oh, these are my textbooks for this semester. I’ve just been to the bookstore to pick them up,” she explained. She screwed up her face. “They didn’t have the one I need for my biochem class, though. I preordered that one, too.” 

“You need all of these?” Zelda asked, brows raised in awe as she mentally tallied the books. 

Mipha nodded resignedly. “Yes, all of them. That’s what I get for deciding to get my master’s in marine biology, I suppose. I’m on my way to the apartment, but I thought I’d stop and grab a latte or so—” she paused, copper eyes shifting their attention from Zelda’s face to just behind her. “Oh, Link, hello.” 

Link nodded cheerfully at Mipha with a mug in one hand and a plate holding the largest muffin that Zelda had ever seen in the other. She kicked out his chair for him with her foot and he sat, gingerly placing his coffee on the table. He signed ‘thank you’ with his free hand, the other still absentmindedly clutching the plate as his eyes swept the café. Mipha and Zelda gave one another a quick, knowing look.  

“Sidon’s still at the rec with Bazz,” Mipha mentioned, a smile in her voice, “He told me to tell you ‘hi’, though.” 

Zelda watched Link’s jaw visibly clench as he sucked in a breath through his nose. 

‘He did?’ 

Mipha nodded. 

Link bit the inside of his cheek, and then quickly shrugged and focused his attention on making a dent in the mountain of whipped cream on his coffee. 

‘That’s cool,’ he told her, ‘Tell him hey, I guess.’

The redhead turned to Zelda for a translation; she was with the two of them so frequently now that she’d been able to pick up quite a bit of ASL, but still needed occasional help. Zelda found that Link was particularly difficult to understand when the subject of conversation was Sidon, simply because his hands moved twice their normal speed. 

“He said to tell Sidon that he’s the most handsome man he’s ever seen and that he’d love to go on a date sometime,” Zelda answered casually, unlocking her phone to open up her article again. 

Link nearly choked on a piece of muffin. 

“I have an americano with cream on the bar!” 

“Be right back,” Zelda chimed as she got up to get her drink, looking back briefly to see Link signing ‘wrong’ on his chin repeatedly. She chuckled inwardly and turned back around, only to collide with an oddly familiar looking green cardigan. 

“Oh, I’m so sorry,” she said, backing up, “That’s my fault. I wasn’t even paying attention.” 

“Evidently not.” 

Zelda’s eyes flicked up at the foreign voice, her heart leaping into her throat as she realized with whom she was speaking.

Oh, shit. 

Handsome braids guy. 

“Uh, hi. Again,” she muttered, hopelessly lost for anything else to say. 

He gave her a queer look. “Again?” 

“Um. I mean, yeah. You were just in Dr. Teba’s lecture? You came with Dr. Kaneli. For the, uh, research. Thing.” 

The corner of the young man’s mouth quirked up ever so slightly as he tucked a strand of hair behind his ear. “Right. You didn’t have a question.”

Zelda felt her cheeks burn at the very mention of the incident, her chest tightening at the memory. The man raised a brow at her, an irritatingly amused expression on his face. She felt her eye twitch. 

“Yes, well. If you’ll excuse me. Sorry, ag--” 

A barista interrupted.

“Americano with cream to-go!” 

Green cardigan stepped up to the bar to accept the coffee, thanking the woman who’d handed it off with an actual smile. Zelda watched him, dumbfounded, as he hoisted his messenger bag up onto his shoulder and glanced in her direction for a fraction of a second before heading for the door. 

“Wait!” 

The words had flown out of her mouth before she’d even had time to register them. Perfectly annoyed, he stopped to turn and face her, his eyes on her in silent query. 

“About Dr. Kaneli’s research lab,” she began, “are there still spots open for new assistants right now?” 

His demeanor changed at the question and he adopted a defensive, almost territorial stance. He studied her closely, eyeing her with an uncomfortable thoroughness; as though he were sizing up a rival. 

“Yes,” he drawled, “Why?” 

“I’d like to apply,” she responded, maybe too quickly. 

He sucked his teeth. “Interesting. Well, come by the office at the clinic if you want an application. They’re due in a week.”

Zelda grinned, nodding excitedly. “Oh, that’s excellent. I’ll definitely be by, then. Thank you, um...” she paused, chewing her lip, “Sorry. What did you say your name was?”

“I didn’t.”

Making for the door once again, he left Zelda with her mouth partly open, staring after him in quiet disbeleif. His fingers brushing the handle, he hesitated, looking back over his shoulder. 

“It’s Revali,” he said, and was gone. 

Zelda stood in place for a while until he was completely out of sight, her mind fumbling with the entire interaction. Her stomach had twisted itself into a squirmy knot, a feeling with which she was unfamiliar. She felt like she’d somehow been both insulted and praised at the same time. 

Revali, she thought to herself.

What a dick. 

-

-

I hope you enjoyed this completely self-indulgent drabble of a Grad School AU that I’m considering. The more I think about this ship the more I like it. Thanks for reading! @botwrareships

[h3rmitsunited]

Continuing Thoughts on Age of Calamity: I am about 19 hours in at this point and oh man are things going down. Just wanted to record some of my thoughts, theories, reactions, etc... before I get to the last four missions of the story because I’m just thinking about this non-stop and want to share.

Spoilers below the read more, so don’t read if you plan on playing the game. It is a lot more fun to experience in the game than reading it, so just you know, don’t read it.

THE NEW BOTW CHAMPIONS ARE HERE, THE OG CHAMPIONS ARE ALIVE! 

-After the siege of the castle mission that ends with the king's death at the hands of the guardians off screen and the menu music changing to the awesome dark theme and the prompt on the screen saying that Mipha, Daruk, Revali, and Urbosa are trapped in the Divine Beasts, I legitimately cried a little bit. Like I was mostly tearing up because of the bit with Zelda and her father and Link dragging her away, but with the context of BOTW and the Divine Beasts and the Champions having been killed in battle with the Calamity Blights, I was like holy crap, they killed them, they're trapped because they died, but then I started the next chapter and decided to do Urbosa and Revali's first and then it starts and they're both still alive and then we see that Teba and Riju come through and like I lost my shit. I was like WHAT!? IS!? HAPPENING?! I thought that it was a really cool way to get more characters to play as (because this is a Warriors game so the vast array of characters to play as is a selling point) and a cool way to keep the OG Champions from being dead which is depressing. So I got Urbosa and Revali back and then realized what this meant for the other mission, that Mipha would be saved by giant grown Sidon and it was just as cute and sweet as I thought it was going to be. And then them working together on the Divine Beast and teaming up and you can see how much Sidon missed his sister and looks up to her, despite the fact that he is literally ginormous and she is a tiny little thing. It made me tear up. The other champion relationships don't really hit that hard because none of them actually met each other before, but it was pretty funny the bit with Teba and Revali when Revali is once again being an asshole to Link and Teba is just like.... WTF? This is the Rito champion, he's like kind of a di- and Urbosa is like yes, we know. Moving on. Because like damn, they really turned Revali's dick factor way up in this game. Like seriously, bird, can you like chill?

-Anyways, another thing that got me going literally insane was the bit in Hyrule field with Astor and Sooga and Kohga when Astor was like...pulling soul power or something from the Yiga soldiers and like turned it into Hollow Link and when I saw that I was like losing my mind. I don't know why it got me so hyped up, but it did and I'm very excited to battle it out with this dark Link character.

-I just finished the battle at Akkala citadel, which was a pretty cool fight, and going to go into the next battle, something about thunder, so obviously another Divine Beast lead in with Divine Beast support trying to fight off Guardians and monsters and stuff. From the placement, it appears like it'll be near Hateno, and will be involving Urbosa and Vah Nahboris. I don't really care for the Divine Beast levels. They are frustrating to control and the camera movements are annoying and the targeting system just is frustrating. The level with Vah Rudania fighting off the guardians was so annoying, just trying to target the guardians and move around and then I just kept getting stuck on the walls and stuff and the movements are so slow, and it was just like, I don't really care for this at all, thanks... I much prefer the on the ground, quick fighting. Obviously, Link is the most intuitive and easiest to use, he's the highest level, and he's the main fighting character, so he's my favorite to use. I really want to unlock the Hyrule Warriors armor set, so I'm going to have to do a ton of quests and stuff which is a lot, but it will make me keep playing the game for a while, which is good since the game cost sixty dollars. It's fun to play though, so I feel like it's worth it. -Regarding the timeline pieces, I'm really conflicted about the backstory elements that we're getting, and I realize that the moment the eggo was introduced, it set this timeline off into a completely different direction, but it brings up questions for me about the original timeline. We don't really know exactly when the Hyrule Warriors timeline starts out and how far from the Calamity attack it was in the past. I would assume that it wasn't too far in the past, most like like less than a year, maybe less than six months? It's difficult to tell because we don't get a whole lot of context. We are given the information that in this game, the Calamity attack on the castle happens at the same time as in the original timeline, on Zelda's 17th birthday, maybe a little sooner, since in the OG, she's coming down from Lanayru with Link and in this one, I think she's leaving the castle to go to Lanayru when the attack happens. But when did everything else happen? How long has Link had the Master sword and been the chosen knight? He's been following Zelda in this timeline since eggo was introduced, but he was still "just a knight" at that point, even if he was a really good and talented one. But wouldn't that mean that he activates his power in Korok forest like barely anytime before the Calamity attack? I mean I guess in the OG timeline, we can kind of get hints that Link hasn't been chosen for a super long time, since Zelda questions him about how confident he is with the Master Sword and can he hear the voice, and is a bit more antagonistic with him, so he probably hadn't been doing that for a super long time either, but it does feel like he's had it longer in the OG timeline memories compared to here when he gets the Master sword and then like two missions later Ganon is popping up at the castle. I mean, it wouldn't make sense really to drag things out a super long time, so I understand that having a bunch of extra cut scenes and missions that aren't super plot relevant would be kind of weird, especially with this Astor dude's involvement, he would want to push things along. But the Ganon attack still happens the same time as the OG timeline, so all of these things happen within the same amount of time. I don't remember in the OG timeline if we ever got any details about how Link awakened his power. I do like how they did it in this version, how it was like a parallel to how Zelda awakened her power protecting Link, which gave me all the Zelink feels, but I just want canon backstory for the OG timeline, you know? We know that this timeline isn't canon for the OG timeline because of eggo being involved, so we can only really pull character elements from this timeline rather than specific plot elements. I also wondered about Impa since she is there kind of escorting Zelda in most of the missions, but was only in BOTW as an old lady, which is fine because they likely hadn't have developed that into the story at that point, but I also think maybe since Link in AOC hasn't become the chosen knight until later, he wasn't seen as capable or trustworthy enough to be her sole escort knight and wanted to keep Impa around for additional protection or something. I don't know, doesn't make a whole lot of sense, but whatever. I'm also trying to remember... when did the Champions get their champion clothes? Does Link have the blue tunic on in all the memories? I'm pretty sure that one of the first memories is that depressing one where Zelda is like knighting Link or something in the gazebo thing in front of the castle, but I can't remember the order... It's just all so confusing and I'm sure I'm deeply overthinking everything and that they're kind of just like retconning elements, but like what does it all mean? I mean maybe... maybe... since Zelda remembers the eggo in her like baby dream memory in that one cut scene, maybe that means eggo was also sent way back in time to the beginning of her life, so this timeline is deeply changed from the beginning of her life, so while the initial difference weren't super evident, just some small things, once they got to later in the timeline and all the Master sword/Champion stuff, it really just like threw everything in the air. I don't know why it bothers me so much, I think it's just me Zelink heart wanting Link and Zelda to have more time together when it's not just crazy monster fighting sad Zelda all the time like in the AOC cutscenes. In BOTW, we get these soft little memories of Zelda and Link researching in the field and riding horses and stuff and like yes the ever present concern about Zelda's power and Ganon is there in the memories still, but it feels more intimate and slow and down to earth. I think it's also because in several of the memories, it's just them two, and in AOC, there hasn't really been any memories with just the two of them together, so it has a different feel to it. I liked in BOTW, the stories in Zelda's diary about talking to Link about his destiny and why he doesn't talk and how he feels the weight of this title and it keeps him silent and it gave Link this interesting depth and emotion that you couldn't really see without that, and then in the AOC, there are some little moments where you see Link having a scrap of emotion, tiny smiles he gives to Zelda, serious face, confused, happy to eat stuff, but most of his moments are the little grunts and blank stares that he gives. Like seriously? Zelda's father just died, she feels like it's all her fault and Link's response is a tiny smile and a "huh". Like yes, there are dynamics with them, she's a princess, he's a knight, he's protective of her and doesn't push her boundaries or whatever, but like just hug please. I loved that memory in the forest in BOTW where she just collapses into his chest and he holds her and we see this pained expression on his face and it's like yes please give me more not lobotomized Link. Like I know this sounds like complaining, because it is, and like I do understand they want Link to kind of be this blank slate, character insert type of character, but give him something please! 

-I'm hoping we get some good content in these last few mission cut scenes. I'm getting down to the last few missions, only four left, and looking at the chapter titles, which is the only spoilers that I have allowed myself, I'm like, okay, what is going to happen next. And like I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that we win and the bad BOTW timeline ending is subverted and Ganon has to go night night, but like who knows, maybe they'll surprise me, but probably not. This is supposed to be a game that you keep playing after you finish the main story, so like killing off a bunch of playable characters and having it end in destruction would be probably not so smart...

-Okay, that's all my current thoughts. I'll be playing more tonight and we'll see if I finish the story tonight, or maybe I'll have to stop myself and take a breather before blasting through the remaining missions. I finished I think three missions(?) last night, and I had a break for dinner, but like I don't work tomorrow, so like, I could probably blast through the last ones, but I'd also still need to do some additional quest stuff in between for level up purposes since I just go through rupees like crazy. Oh my gosh, that reminds me... it is so dang annoying when you get one of those like quest find item marker things that lights up when you have all the items and you're like sweet I'll complete this and as you're pressing the button, out of habit, without super paying attention, you realize it's going to cost like 2,000 rupees or something and it's like... not again! I can't tell you how many times I have done this and it's so annoying. Like warn me if I have to pay rupees, I don't want to use my brain, game! Lol yes, it's my fault, I'm not really mad.

-Okay, the end. For now. TLDR: This game is fun and unexpected, but it is also not BOTW, so don't go into this expecting BOTW mechanics or gameplay. But hey, smashing through tons of enemies is also kind of satisfying too. Also, like the new enemies are wild. Elemental Moblins, Hinoxs, Lynels, Guardians(!), the use of the Elemental weapons is a cool mechanic, and it's cool having some cinematic fight moments, even if it might get repetitive after playing the game for a while, but you also can use a ton of different characters, so there's variety there, I just have yet to leave my boy because he's the easiest to blast through anything and everything, though Impa is pretty cool too, even if most of my moves with her are random button smashes since I don't really have a good grip on how her moves work. At least with Link it's pretty obvious and I've gotten better about actually having some sort of strategy with how he works, the other characters I haven't played enough to have any sort of knowledge on how they work. Also Zelda's moves are not fun to play at all, sorry, but they're just annoying and useless. Also Daruk is bad at fighting Hinoxes. Okay, now, the end.

[katedoesfics]

Shadows of Hyrule | Chapter 79

“ Link.”

Link jumped slightly in his seat. He had zoned out... again. But he was sure he heard Fi calling to him. He looked around for a moment before settling back into his seat. He had just fallen asleep for a moment. He turned his attention to the board and knit his brows together. What the hell were they talking about? Oh, right. Math. Link sighed lightly and let his chin rest in the palm of his hand. He turned his gaze over to Mipha. She was doodling absentmindedly in her notebook. She glanced at him and smiled.

“You’re not sleeping again, are you?”

“Never,” he said with a grin. The bell rang, signaling the end of the period, and he and Mipha made their way through the halls and out into the courtyard for their lunch period. Zelda was already out there, sitting at their usual table, her nose in her phone. She offered them a shorty ‘hey’ when they sat across from her. After another moment, she put her phone down and sighed.

“I never thought I’d say this,” she said. “But I miss Revali. He made life exciting.” She regarded her friends for a moment and frowned. “You two are so boring.”

“It’s called being mature,” Link said.

Zelda laughed sharply. “Right, sure. Because you’re so mature.” She picked up her phone once more and proceeded to text, her fingers flying across the screen.

“Who are you texting that’s more important than us?” he said.

Zelda regarded him over her phone for a moment and smiled. “None of your business.”

“Secret boyfriend you’re not telling us about?”

Zelda shook her head.

“Girlfriend?”

Zelda put her phone down once more and sighed. She turned to Mipha, ignoring Link. “Your boytoy is nosey.”

“Yeah,” Mipha said with a tone of disappointment. “He’s a lot of things.”

“That’s very nice, Mipha, thank you,” Link said. “I love you, too.”

Zelda snorted. Their phones vibrated simultaneously, and they each groaned lightly as they checked the group message that came through. The image that Teba sent, however, brought smiles to their faces. Revali was passed out on a bed, wearing a skirt and a bra. The text below the image said “Link’s Revenge.”

“Sweet, sweet, revenge,” Link said. “That’s what he gets.”

“Remind me not to apply there,” Mipha said, rolling her eyes.

“Where have you applied?” Zelda asked.

Mipha listed off various colleges. Link frowned.

“You’re applying already?”

Both Mipha and Zelda turned their gazes to him.

“Yes,” Mipha said. “Aren’t you?”

Link blinked at her. “Uh. No.”

Mipha sighed and shook her head.

“You’re not seriously going to try to get anywhere in the world with the hero excuse, are you?”

“Of course not,” Link said, then hesitated. “I can’t, right?”

Mipha shook her head disapprovingly.

“Well,” Link started. “I guess I’ll apply to that school Revali’s at. You know, make his life miserable.”

“That’s a good use of your money,” Zelda said. “There’s nothing at all that you want to do with your life?”

Link thought about this for a moment. “I like eating and sleeping. If there’s a job where I can do that, sign me the fuck up.”

“You could do business,” Mipha suggested.

“Business is what everyone goes into when they have nothing else.”

“Ouch,” Link said. “There are some good business people out there.”

“And I’m sure you’ll be one of them,” Zelda said dryly.

Link shrugged. “I’ll ask Ary what I should do. She’ll pick something good.”

Zelda ignored him. “What are you going for?” she asked Mipha.

“I was thinking nursing or something,” she said.

Link narrowed his gaze on her. “Why? So you can wiggle your fingers and make people magically better?”

“Daruk’s fighting people,” Mipha whined.

“He’s not using his power,” Link reminded her. “And you shouldn’t be, either.”

“I have to agree with him there,” Zelda said. “With great power comes great responsibility.”

“That’s good,” Link said, stuffing his face with his sandwich. “Did you make that up yourself?”

Zelda sneered at him, then turned back to Mipha. “I’m just saying. People will get greedy, and next thing you know, they’re shoving sick little orphans in your face and dying old people and expect you to save the world and make them live forever. Even the Sheikah are careful in what they do in front of people, and you know how mixed the feelings are about them. Don’t put yourself in that situation.”

Mipha frowned. “Well, it’s a waste of a power if I can’t do anything with it.”

“I’m sure Link will keep you busy, the way he likes to get into trouble.”

Link nodded. “I might get gutted again.”

Mipha rolled her eyes. “Goddesses, I hope not.” She sighed. “Well, if I can be of some good, I want to do it, regardless if I can use my powers.”

“Of course you do,” Zelda said. “Because you’re a good person who contributes to society.”

“I contribute,” Link said with a mouthful of food.

Zelda stood and gathered her books.

“Leaving already?” Mipha asked.

“I gotta meet with my adviser about my college applications.”

“Is there a special college for princesses?” Link asked.

Zelda narrowed her eyes at him. “No, Idiot.” She grinned and patted his head as she walked by, leaving them alone in the courtyard.

“College for princesses,” Mipha muttered, rolling her eyes.

“If I’m too dumb for you, you can leave,” Link said, sticking his tongue out at her.

Mipha smiled and kissed his cheek. “I’ll stick it out a while longer.”

*****

At the end of the day, after walking Mipha home, Link opted not to go straight home himself. His mind was on the sword and the voice he had heard earlier that day. Though he was certain it was just a dream and meant nothing, he hadn’t been to the forest since the day he returned the sword.

So, Link made his way back to where the forest was. He circled back to the power lines, but he did not see the trees he remembered seeing across the way. Instead, the forest seemed to be replaced by rolling hills that lead out into the countryside. He paused, searching around him. He was sure he had gone the right way, but the forest where he found the sword had simply vanished, just as it had the first time. Though this was a relief, he couldn’t help but to feel saddened that he would never see the sword again.

“Link?”

He turned to see Mipha behind him. The breeze blew her sundress gently as she stood in the tall grass.

“What are you doing here?”

Mipha hesitated. “You texted me.” She showed him her phone. Just as she said, there was a text from him.  It’s gone.

He didn't remember texting her. Nor did he even have a clue how long he had been out here. The setting sun was a clear indicator that it had been quite a few hours searching for the forest

Mipha walked to his side and looked out over the rolling hills where the forest once stood, but she did not question its disappearance.

“I'm sure she's safe,” she said, offering him a smile. “She'll come around again when she's needed.”

Link nodded as he stared out over the rolling hills. After a moment, he shrugged. “Hopefully not in our lifetime.”

“That would be ideal,” Mipha said with a grin. She took his hand in hers and pulled him closer. She planted a kiss on his lips and smiled up at him.

“So, college,” Link started. “I don’t have a damn clue.”

Mipha laughed lightly. “You can do whatever you want to do.”

“What a concept,” he said. “I thought I’d be stuck as the hero for the rest of my life. In fact, I was kind of banking on that.” He paused in thought. “Firemen are heroes. They save little kitties from trees.”

“And run into burning buildings,” Mipha said with a frown.

“That sounds reckless. I could get on board with that.”

“How about something safer?”

“Why you gotta crush my dreams?”

Mipha smiled and pulled him across the field. “I’d like you to stick around for a little while. And I really don’t want to be chasing you around all day healing you.”

“But I thought that was the plan,” Link said. “What good is dating a healer if I can’t use her as I please?”

Mipha grinned at him over her shoulder and winked at him. “Guess you’ll just have to think of something else to do with me, huh?”

Link smiled. He could think of lots of things to do with her. Someday, one of those things would be marrying her.

[heirtotheskies]

💙❤💝 (( answer how many you want of these I'm sorry gndjfjg )) [ soulofaether ]

Send some hearts for headcanons!

@soulofaether

[[ Why sorry? ovo ]]

[[ Under ReadMore bc this is a long one ]]

💙 for 4 “Slice of Life” headcanons of our muse’s relationship

The two don’t argue much but it’s well known Tulin is the most likely topic when they do. They’re both relentless but where Teba keeps his voice calm, Saki raises hers which results in headaches for him. Sensitive hawk ears don’t enjoy loud sounds. Sometimes, he doesn’t respond to hopefully end their argument and try to relieve himself of the pain. She knows what he’s trying to do but, the subject is not dropped. To rid of a lingering headache, he either meditates or sleeps for a short while.

In the rare moment Saki needs a wound treated, Teba can assist. His knowledge isn’t on par with hers but he can clean wounds properly and knows how to stitch them if need be. Depending on how he received his own injuries, Saki may or may not be gentle. He doesn’t fight as he knows he deserves it for being reckless but, this also helps him practice at keeping his hisses low.

Even though Teba had made her a blanket thick for the cold Tabantha nights, nothing is better than his arms. In truth, Teba feels the same way and loves being in her arms too, plus her lavender scent helps him fall asleep rather quickly. He’s a stubborn fool, this is well known. He’s determined to train and practice until his muscles burn, going everyday, nearly non stop. However, one way to get him to stay home is Saki holding him in her arms and just asking him to stay. Helps him realize how much he loves being with her.

❤️ for 4 romantic headcanons of our muse’s relationship

Teba is aware he can come off as intimidating but, to relax his new wife, he would show her a much softer side to him. He had found a gorgeous garden of flowers ranging in countless shades of violet and pink. Some grew along trees and hung over their branches, others grew beside the path as if marking it. Here, he wanted to say this garden always reminded him of her. “I see these flowers as mirrors and they all reflect you.“

Saki takes initiative as well, it’s not solely Teba who plans an event for them. He likes it when she has surprises for him. Hers are rather adventurous. To him, so long as they are together, the destination could be anywhere as she makes his heart flutter. He hopes to bring her as much joy as she’s brought him.

The first time they sang together was the first time they had heard the other sing. Their dual hauntingly beautiful tones matched as they held each other close during a slow dance, feeling and listening to their partner. No lyrics were spoken as they didn’t need to say anything but hear their voices harmonize as one.

Their love runs passionately deep and there have been times where they couldn’t resist each other. When helping her practice holding a bow or firing, he would start with positioning her arms but with being so close, sometimes, the bow and arrow would be discarded and they would kiss. Training would resume of course but they would try to avoid any more distractions. They don’t have to be in close proximity for this, one could come home and the other would wrap their arms around their spouse affectionately.  

💝 for 4 nsfw headcanons of our muse’s relationship 

This is a sfw blog so I’ll keep it as sfw as possible XD

They hadn’t made an attempt to have a child until about after their first anniversary. There were subtle hints to see if the other one was ready such as preening closer to the heart and pressing their bodies to feel for each other. Over time, these hints grew bolder between them until they were both ready.

The more serious of the two doesn’t break easily, being stoic for most of his life but, damn… did he blush the first time he saw her nude. Teba took in what he saw, admiring but, also trying to stay respectful. She’s too beautiful. These feelings were mutual. Teba himself had grown into a very attractive Rito and Saki took note.

Since the huts aren’t noise proof, while they tried for an offspring, they wanted to be as quiet as they could. Teba made sure to not make any sudden movements which would cause Saki’s voice to increase in volume. If it did, he made sure to slow tf down. Teba is normally quiet and has been well at keeping his voice low during wound treatments and other variations of pain but, this new sense of pleasure proved to be a different kind of challenge.

Due to having to be near silent during their first time together, he prefers to find a place more secluded and private so they would not have to hold back on their sounds. It would be liberating to not have to constantly worry about being too loud for anyone to hear when they know no one is around.

[lesserfandomappreciation]

Hello dear! I've got this idea about an botw s/o who live somewhere that really stress her and make her unhappy (their apartment owner is problematic, the neighbors are difficult, the neighborhood is dangerous etc.). Sidon, Teba, Revali and Kass try to convince them to come live with them. How would they convince them and how would it be to adjust to this new live together if s/o accept their offer? Thanks! ^^

Sidon

Nope. Nuh-uh. No way no how.

Once he finds out that s/o lives in a miserable place, be they dating or just friends, that shit ends now. Nobody is going to make you live in an unsafe place! Nobody deserves that!

He tries to be cordial about it, especially if s/o is attached to the place, but he is very insistent that they come live in a better place.

“I love you dearly, but I wouldn’t wish your home upon the Ancient Evil itself.”

Adjusting to his home is tricky because 1) it’s not his home; it’s his, Dorephan’s, and a good number of guards’, workers’ and advisors’ place as well, and 2) its a frickin’ castle. It is incredibly easy to get lost during the first stint there, and it can be awkward to know there’s so many people.

However, Sidon would be more than happy to help, and with time, it starts to feel a lot like home.

Teba

Why do they live here? Did they have a choice? Did someone force them to?

As a very cautious bird warrior, Teba can’t even begin to imagine living in a high-stress environment, though he gets why they might have chosen to do so.

Is a bit shy about offering up his house, because its a huge step, and doesn’t want to rush things with them, but his s/o’s safety is more important. He worries about them, and while quiet, would still voice his concerns.

“Love... Would you like to live with me?”

Adjusting isn’t too bad. He lives fairly isolated, but adjusting to the fact there are NO WALLS would take time (although if s/o is Rito that’s a pretty easy thing to get over). He’s somehow messy since he prefers to be training and doesn’t really spend tones of time at home, though the rooms are incredibly void besides a bed and a place to cook. Convincing him to get something other than that could be tricky.

Revali

“Babe, I’m a warrior, and this place STILL makes me nervous.”

A rare time Revali admits to not being 100% confident for once.

Unlike the others, who have put some thought into their damn request, he says it plainly and immediately. It’s an easy solution in his mind; they’ll be happier, they can hang out more, its less of a distance to see each other, and they get to enjoy his presence more often.

Like I said, he really, really didn’t think this through.

He is clean! Like, really clean! Warrior discipline or not, the guy’s house is spotless, even if his room set-up is strange.

“Why is your bed in the middle of the kitchen???”

“I get hungry!”

It’s going to take some fighting, but eventually a compromise can be made.

He is however, a fantastic cook surprisingly, so meal time is always fun.

Kass

This one has no room to talk when he’s barely home enough to really count as a homeowner. But he still tries to get them to get out of that house and into a better house (preferably his).

“I have traveled far and wide, to peak to valley and between, and your house is still scarier than the time a Lynel tried to eat me.”

His place is larger than the others on account of having kids, so there is a mess factor, plus a noise factor from the kids, which he does his best to adjust. His place is a lot livelier than most and if s/o isn’t prepared for that it’s going to be like a punch to the face to deal with.

However, the kids are sweet and do their best to welcome this new person home. Kass did his best to explain prior to bringing s/o home what the situation was to his kids, so they don’t get overwhelmed, confused or upset, and overall it goes really well. It doesn’t hit him til later that that’s the first time they’ve met, and that it went so much better than he ever dreamed it would. 

[theclosetpoet7]

Apparently, Sakura Likes Karin's New Look

Disclaimer: Naruto is not mine. Not mine, not mine, not mine. :P

Notes on chapter: In which the Uchiha couple pays Karin a surprise visit.

Rating: T

"You're pregnant."

"Mou, I was hoping you wouldn't notice Karin."

Uchiha Sasuke lets out a scoff at what she just said. Because his wife was crazy, absolutely crazy. Really, who could miss that? And to his ex-teammate's credit, the chakra detector had probably noticed miles before they arrived. Sakura has a cute little pout on and is resting a hand on her womb, gently caressing it. Seriously, she looks like she is about to pop any minute now.

He sweat drops at the fact that she still cared about how she looked at this point, considering that she is on her third trimester.

Hadn't he already seen her vomit meal after meal months before?

(He remembers the rancid smell and the sweat on her face as he held her hair up.)

Hadn't he already bought her new maternity clothes because the ones she insisted on wearing were getting too small?

(She'd nearly punched him that time, but had gone gaga over the darling outfit he bought.)

And hadn't he already gotten a nice view of her swollen feet as they rested from their wanderlust?

(And he'd offered to rub them too, but she had shut him down with a flick of her middle finger.)

But Kami was she still beautiful, even when she was retching out last night's dinner. She was just glowing. He resists the urge to pull her to him, being one who doesn't really tolerate public displays of affection. When they get to their room though… His thoughts are interrupted when Karin glares at him. He figures what she is mad about.

"You're letting your wife travel in this condition?!"

Of course she'd berate him for taking Sakura along, would probably lecture him later as to why he had to when he could stay in Konoha instead. She'd also tell him that he is stupid for insisting on continuing his path on redemption now, and with a very pregnant spouse at that.

It was Sakura who insisted though and he is about to tell the red-head so when the soon-to-be-mother decides to change the topic.

"Oh my! I love your new look!"

There is a blush on her cheeks, one that tells him that something has captured her attention.

"Eh?"

Uzumaki Karin only appears confused.

"With that part of your head shaved? It's so cool! So edgy. I wanted to do that myself once but never had the guts to do it."

And there she goes again, rambling random things.

Karin never stood a chance.

"Ne, ne, did you do it yourself? Can you do mine too?"

The Team Taka member has her hands up, putting a bit of distance between her and his wife. Because Sakura is leaning close with hands fisted in front of her looking pumped up. Never in his wildest dreams, as a teen, had Sasuke imagined such a conversation. But after marrying Sakura, and travelling with the pregnant, cranky, bipolar version of her, he isn't even surprised. But, he doesn't exactly like the idea of her shaving off her pink locks. And she had started to grow it out too.

"Don't you dare."

Damn.

Now he's done it.

He is met by stone cold silence then. Yes, now he's done it. She turns to him with a look that he couldn't fathom. Glimmering eyes, an almost maniacal tilt to her lips and a Cheshire cat grin on.

"What was that Anata?"

She says it sweetly, but there is a tone to her voice which he knows is definitely not good. He feels goosebumps then, because there is an air around her. And it feels like if he steps into her bubble, he just might end up with a fist to his face. He retreats a little. Damn it. His wife could be scary sometimes. He shivers as he remembers Naruto's disfigured face when he had casually commented that she seemed to have gained a little weight. And with her hormones going haywire the past few months, he doesn't know if she'll spare him her wrath.

So he thinks of something, anything to calm her down.

"You look fine the way you are now."

And with that, the mood in the room shifted.

He glances at the other person in the hideout, Karin looked terrified as well and had swallowed a gulp of oxygen when his wife started chatting animatedly again.

"Ah! Anata-teba, you know how shy I get when you say things like that. I'm burning up now!"

She has her hands on her cheeks, with a big smile, her eyes nearly chinked closed, and was swaying side to side.

Adorable would be an understatement.

In an instant, her arms are around his neck and she is pressing her cheeks to his.

"Sasuke-kun, Daisuki!"

He smirks at his wife's antics, she could be childish sometimes.

"Ehem."

Their attention shifts to the other occupant in the room and Sasuke nearly blushes at the fact that they had in fact, displayed their affection in front of another person.

"Now that we've made it clear that I'm not cutting anyone's hair today, why are you two here?"

Sakura pulls away from him and stands straight, a hand on her abdomen again, flushing with happiness.

"I just need a check-up."

"Is something wrong?"

The concern in Karin's voice is genuine and Sasuke sighs with relief. Because even though he knows that Sakura would be able to take care of herself, it still worries him how far along she is. And it frightened him, the possibility that she just might give birth during their travels. He doesn't want her to have the baby without another medic's assistance.

Maybe they should go home.

He had planned to do so.

But it is a week's worth of journey to Konoha. And the base just happened to be nearer.

"No, the baby's kicking like crazy but I know she's healthy and I have irregular contractions which is normal. It's been thirty-seven weeks so I just want you to take a look at my cervix."

"Did your water break yet?"

Sakura giggles a little and shakes her head.

"Mm, if it did, I wouldn't be this calm now would I?"

Karin smiles at her.

"Good, I'll take you to the next room."

Since when had they been this close? Sasuke doesn't really know, but it was an unlikely companionship that pleases him. He attempts to follow them but Sakura pushes him away and tells him to sit outside. This has slowly become a habit of hers, bossing him around. It doesn't bother him though, in fact, he likes doing things for his young wife. That smile on her face always brought little rays of sunshine into his otherwise dark world. Now, they had a future together to look forward to. And he thanks whoever's watching him from above for giving him this.

For giving him Uchiha Sakura.

.

.

.

It takes twenty-five minutes for him to realize that the session is taking too long. And he opens the door to Karin's office only to be greeted by the sight of Sakura handing Karin the electric shaver.

He sweat drops again.

Really.

His wife was quite a handful.

A.N.:

Anata-teba – Geez, darling

Daisuki- I love you

I absolutely love the fact that Sakura and Karin are friends. And that's Canon too! Gomen! I know, I should be typing Sore ga ai deshou or Revolution, but while walking my dog this afternoon, this suddenly came to mind and I couldn't help but type it up. I hope you enjoyed this

Read and Review

Eat, pray, love, then think of SasuSaku.

[katedoesfics]

Shadows of the Yiga | Chapter 47

It was early in the afternoon the next day when the Champions found themselves gathered together inside the palace. They kept inside the walls of the palace, away from the crowd and reporters, as Zelda held a press conference. Link, however, paid no mind to the coverage on the tv screen, and instead searched for his sister, somewhere within those same walls. It didn’t take long to find her, having a good hunch of where she would be.

He stood in the doorway of the small temple inside the palace, his hands shoved in his pockets. He watched as Aryll stood over their father. Though she spoke softly to him, her voice carried.

“Anyway,” she said. She paused to sniff and wipe at her tears. “I dunno. Maybe it’s dumb. But I just wanted a chance to say goodbye this time.” She shrugged. “No one gets a second chance like we did. Only you would manage to pull something like that off.” She smiled to herself, then after a moment, she sighed shakily. “Thank you for coming back,” she whispered. “I wouldn’t change that for the world. Link, either, I know. You guys...” She chuckled lightly. “You guys are both so damn stubborn. I guess there’s a lot of you there. So, that’s not so bad.” She forced a smile. “I know you’d be like, making a stupid joke right now or something.” She paused. “I know we’ll be okay. You made sure of that.” She allowed the tears to roll down her cheeks. “And don’t worry. I won’t burn anymore books.” She hesitated, holding back a sob. “I love you, Daddy.” After a moment, her ears twitched, and she turned her gaze to the ceiling and smiled.

She noticed her brother then, and turned toward him. She offered him a smile as he approached her. He stood at her side when he reached her, but his gaze was fixed on the casket in the front of the room.

“Do you resent me?” he asked quietly.

Aryll’s brows furrowed. “What? No. Why would you ask that?”

“Because everything's my fault.”

“Why would you say that?”

“I didn’t… I could have… prevented this.”

Aryll wrapped her arms around her brother. He stiffened in her hold.

“It’s not your fault,” she said softly. “I know it’s not.”

Link’s shoulders dropped and he wrapped his arms around his sister. “Okay,” he said simply.

Aryll pulled back and met his gaze. “Don’t you believe me?”

Link forced a smile. “Yeah.”

Aryll raised a brow. “Really?”

Link sighed tiredly. “Yes, Aryll.”

Aryll smiled. “Good.” She made her way out of the room, not bothering to check to see if her brother was following her. “I think we should get pizza again tonight. This time, I’m thinking a veggie lovers.”

Link turned his gaze back to the casket. He remained standing in the middle of the room, his hands back in his pockets. It felt strange to be back in the city, as if all that had happened over the last couple of months was just a distant dream. He didn’t particularly feel any better about being home and instead found himself wishing he were back at the ranch. Despite it all, at the ranch, everything felt right, even if for just brief moments. Aryll happily grooming the horses. His father smoking a cigarette against the fence as his daughter pressed for a ride. Staring at his father’s casket didn’t necessarily make his death feel any more real, but it made those small moments more concrete in his mind. And he smiled.

Aryll was right. They were given a second chance. And despite how they were torn apart once more, he wouldn’t have traded those moments for anything in the world. He tore his gaze away, turned around, and followed Aryll back into the hall where she waited just around the corner with the rest of their friends.

“Who knew she’d be so comfortable making speeches,” Daruk said.

“I knew,” Revali said with a nod. “This is Zelda, we’re talking about. All she ever does is lecture us and make speeches.”

“Are you guys leaving, now?” Aryll asked with a frown.

Revali draped an arm around her shoulders. “Not me, kiddo. I’ve still gotta recruit your brother to work for me.” He looked up, meeting Link’s gaze, and gave him a wink.

“I already moved in, and out, and in again,” Mipha said. “I don’t plan on going anywhere for a long time.”

“I was actually thinking about moving back for a while,” Urbosa said thoughtfully. “You know, in case Revali really does need a lawyer.”

“Oh, so I’m the asshole that’s not going to stay?” Daruk said.

“Pretty much,” Revali confirmed.

“You’re breaking us up, man!” Aryll scolded him.

Daruk sighed. “You guys have never been to Eldin,” he said. “It rocks over there.”

“I never thought I’d say this,” Revali started, “But I’m going to Kit’s bar. Guess it’s time to be a regular there.”

“Kit has a bar?” Urbosa asked with a grin. “Jeez, he never talked about it.”

They turned as footsteps rounded the corner and Zelda greeted them with a tired smile.

“We’re going drinking, apparently,” Daruk said. “You coming?”

“I don’t think so,” Zelda said with a frown.

“This is it,” Revali said. “This is where she leaves us to be a boring queen.”

Zelda offered an apologetic smile.

“Ah, we don’t need her,” he continued, waving her off. “Let’s go.”

“Have fun,” Urbosa said. “Zelda and I have our own plans.”

“Whatever,” Revali grumbled.

“I’ll meet you there,” Link said. There was still something else he had to do. Someone else he wanted to see. He parted from his friends, wandering the palace halls aimlessly until he rounded the corner to the temple once more. The doors were closed, now, and two guards stood on either side of it. A third person - and just the person he wanted to see - stood in front of the doors.

Dorian stared at the closed doors, his face torn in grief and regret. It took him a moment to notice Link’s presence, but when he did, he turned to him. His expression hardened once more, offering him no greeting, and he watched as Link approached him.

“What’s up?” he asked simply.

“I, uh just wanted to apologize. For not trusting you.”

Dorian seemed to study him carefully. He pulled his gaze away. “That’s not necessary,” he said. “I did nothing to earn your trust. You had no reason to trust me.”

“But Dad did,” Link said. “And that should have been enough for me.”

Dorian said nothing.

“And,” Link continued. “I wanted to say thanks. For everything you did for him, and for us.”

“Ah, don’t thank me,” he said, his shoulders dropping slightly. “I only did it because your father would have killed me otherwise.”

“Right,” Link said. The corner of his lip pulled into a crooked smile. “Like he could have killed a Sheikah.”

“You underestimate him,” Dorian said. “He was terrifying when he wanted to be.” He turned his gaze back to Link. “Is that all?”

Link raised a brow. “Are you trying to get rid of me?”

“Well, no offense, but you’ve been my problem for the last twenty-six years.”

“Right.” Link’s lips pulled into a small smile. He put his hands in his pockets and turned away. “See you around, D.” He could practically feel Dorian’s furious gaze on him as he walked away and rounded the corner.

*****

To his surprise, Kit’s bar was lined with bodies. As expected, Daurk, Revali, Mipha, and Aryll were there, along with Teba and even Sera. They took up a majority of the bar seating while the rest of the room remained relatively empty, one other patron sitting alone at a booth in the corner. They all turned to see who had come through the door, and upon seeing Link, Sera jumped to her feet and ran to pull him into a hug.

“For fuck’s sake, Link,” she barked at him. She pushed away at arm’s length and looked him over. “Please tell me all of Kit’s wild ass stories aren’t true.”

“They probably are,” Link said. He stepped around her, ignoring her angry gaze, and joined his friends at the bar, sitting himself beside Mipha.

“You didn’t believe me,” Kit said. “Why else do you think I’ve been MIA? I’ve been helping his sorry ass!”

Sera returned to her seat at the bar, her head shaking. She glanced at Link. “For real?”

Link shrugged. “He was an annoying presence,” he said simply.

“If it weren’t for me -”

“If It weren’t for you,” Mipha sneered, “he wouldn’t have run off on some suicide mission.”

“But then he wouldn’t have found Dad,” Aryll pointed out.

“Oh, that guy would have found you one way or another,” Revali said.

“Wait,” Sera started. “You left out that part.” She sneered at Kit.

Kit cleaned an empty glass absentmindedly. “It’s a touchy subject right now.”

Sera frowned. She turned back to Link. “So, now what?”

“Do you think I can get my job back?” Link asked.

“You defeated the entire Yiga Clan, and you’re worried about getting your job back?” Sera stared at him in shock.

“Heroes gotta get paid,” Link reminded her.

“Oi.” She pressed a finger to her temple, then sighed. “The office has been pretty boring without you.” She opted to turn her attention to Aryll, and smiled. “Are you going to make it through your last year of high school? Or is Link going to have to bust you out of jail or something?”

Aryll shrugged. “We’ll see how I feel come September,” she said with a grin.

“Does that attitude run in the family?” Sera asked.

“Yes,” Link and Aryll both confirmed.

Sera smiled.

“Refill?” Kit pointed down the line of patrons seated at the bar. When he got to Link, he skipped over him, and pointed at Aryll. His gaze narrowed for a moment on her, then shrugged.

“Beer, or fruity drink?”

“Beer,” Aryll confirmed.

“Do you want to lose your license?” Sera sneered.

Kit straightened and spread his arm out before him, indicating the very empty bar, then laughed. “Like I have one of those.” He turned to fetch their drinks, speaking once more when he returned. “Besides. Girl could use a drink or two right now.” He handed Aryll a bottle and winked at her.

“You’re a good man,” Aryll said. “A gentleman and a scholar.”

“She’s drunk,” Revali said.

“Hey, fuck you.”

Link peered at his sister curiously. “How many have you had?”

Aryll held the bottle up proudly. “One.”

“And before I got here?”

“Three!”

“What a lightweight,” Revali said.

“You didn’t learn your lesson last time?”

Aryll slunk back in her seat.

“Oh, shit,” Kit said, remembering what had happened last time. “I can’t encourage that behavior.” He moved to take the bottle from her.

“I’ll be good!” Aryll said. “I’ll pass high school and everything! I deserve this drink!”

“That’s how it starts, you know,” Kit warned. “Your brother is an expert.”

Aryll frowned. She turned her gaze to the bottle in her hand. When her brother patted her head with his hand, she met his gaze.

“You are smarter than me, remember?”

“This is true,” she confirmed. She lifted the bottle as if in toast, and drank.

The man that sat alone stood at that moment and mosied over to the bar, pushing himself between Link and Aryll.

“Son of a bitch,” he said, looking Link over. He held a card between his fingers and handed it to Kit. “They’re drinks are on me.”

Kit eyed him carefully. “Sure,” he said with a one shouldered shrug. “You’ll regret that.”

The man leaned against the counter. “I don’t think so,” he said with a grin. “So, Rusl really did find himself a chick and a couple of kids.”

Link narrowed his gaze on him. “Excuse me?”

“I grew up with him,” he said. “At Telma’s. I’m Karsen.”

“Telma’s?” Aryll echoed. Karsen turned his attention to her. “Were you guys like, foster brothers or something?”

Karsen made a look of disgust and laughed. “I guess so. Shit, last time I talked to him was almost thirty years ago.”

“He never talked about you,” Aryll said frankly.

Karsen smiled. “I’m sure he didn’t talk about any of it,” he said.

Aryll considered this. “Yeah. That’s true.”

“Camilla’s been up my ass about finding you two,” he said.

“Camilla?” Aryll raised a brow.

“Telma’s daughter, that old hag.” He straightened and took his phone out of his pocket. “I dunno. She promised Telma she’d give you some shit Telma had been holding on to. Said Rusl wanted you to have it.” He showed his phone to Link, a number displayed on the screen. “Give her a call, I guess. I did my part.”

“Stalking us?” Aryll asked, narrowing her gaze.

“Well, it’s not that hard when the entire kingdom is hearing about some shit with this Yiga Clan.” He shrugged. “I always knew Rusl was living in the city. Figured it was likely you were still here. Once I started seeing all that shit on the news, I decided to come around and see if I could track you down.” He let Aryll take the phone from him, and he wiped his hands together. “I did my part. That’s all I came for.”

After taking down the number, Aryll handed the phone back to him. “Where are you going?”

Karsen smiled and pocketed his phone. “I dunno,” he said. “I usually just wander around and see where life takes me.”

Aryll raised a skeptical brow. “Right. You’re weird.”

“And you are totally Rusl’s daughter.” His grin widened and he turned away from them. “See ya later.”

Revali watched him leave, his gaze suspicious. “What the fuck was that about?”

“I’m gonna call,” Aryll said, jumping to her feet.

“No, you’re not,” Link sneered.

“Aw, come on,” she whined. “I wanna see what stuff Dad had laying around.” Her face brightened. “Maybe we have an inheritance!”

“Unlikely,” Link said.

“Never know unless we call,” she said, already dialing the number. She tapped her foot as she waited, then beamed when a voice answered. “Camilla? Karsen gave me this number.”

“Bless Hylia,” Camilla’s voice said. “If it isn’t little Aryll.”

[katedoesfics]

Breath of the Resistance | Chapter 20

A blur of white swooped down and Teba threw himself against the Windblight, knocking it to the ground and sending its prepared laser attack shooting across the sky. Link shot twice more at the blight as it lay stunned on the ground. One of the bullets hit, but it dodged the second as it stood up once more, shrieking in agony. It was slower now and growing desperate. It prepared another attack, this time firing rapidly like a machine gun at Link and Teba.

They ran across the Divine Beast once more, ducking behind one of the pillars in an attempt to avoid the attacks. The bullets stopped and the blight returned to its laser attacks, blasting the pillar away. Link and Teba ran from the debris of the blast and Teba pulled Link onto his back once more as he took to the sky. The Windblight wasted no time teleporting above them, another deadly blast locked on to them. But this time, before Teba could think to dodge the blast, Link lept off of his back and onto the Windblight, clinging to its legs.

The blight shrieked and tossed itself around in an attempt to dislodge Link, but he clung on and fired two more shots up at the phantom. The Windblight screamed as it plummeted once more to the ground, and Link held on as it crashed against the ground. It did not hesitate to prepare one last blast, but this time, Link took hold of its arm and forced it backwards, twisting it around as the blast let loose. The blast hit the Windblight square in its head, cutting its screams short as its head exploded. Mechanical debris and a strange, dark haze flew in every direction and the blight fell limp, defeated.

Link pushed himself to his feet and leaned against his knees as he fought to catch his breath. At the corner of his eye, he saw Teba land beside him and grunt at the corpse of the blight.

“That was ballsy,” Teba said with approval.

“Yeah,” Link said between breaths. “No shit.” He straightened, pocketed his gun, and turned his gaze to Teba. It was then that he had noticed the scorch mark down the side of Teba’s body. He opened his mouth to say something, but Teba cut him off.

“Don’t worry about it,” he said quickly, waving a wing at Link and turning around with a slight limp. “Let’s just get out of here.”

“You’re not gonna leave me up here, are you?”

“If you don’t hurry up, I will,” Teba warned him. “It does hurt, you know.”

Link rolled his eyes and jogged to the control panel, pulling the Sheikah Slate out of his pocket and placing it against the panel. It pulsed a cool blue light for a moment and Vah Medoh let out a life-like sigh. Its screams turned into a more melodic kind of screech and it perched upon the tall pillar above Rito Village.

Two down, two to go.

Link tucked the slate in his pocket and hurried to the edge of Vah Medoh where Teba waited. He climbed as carefully as he could onto his back and they took flight, making their way down into town.

*****

Teba, a newly appointed Champion, did not let Link leave without stocking his car up with gear. He filled the trunk with additional ammunition, for Link’s guns and for a few additional pieces that lay across his back seat, courtesy of the grateful Ritos. Along with these weapons were some knives, a box of C4, and of course a few snacks for his drive. Besides a quick bite in Goron City before he left, he couldn’t remember the last time he had eaten, and his stomach was definitely complaining about that.

He tossed some chips in his mouth as he drove south towards Gerudo Desert. Once more, he opted to avoid the main interstate as much as possible, taking the long way around in hopes of avoiding as many of the Guardians as possible. The road moved up and down over the rolling hills of the countryside, and he noticed a few shrines in the distance as he drove.

Zelda mused over the shrine. She held the Sheikah Slate in her hands, peering at it curiously before attempting to place it on what seemed to be the control panel just outside. Unlike the Divine Beasts, however, the slate did not seem to activate it in any way. She was muttering to herself as Link got out of the car. He closed the car door which caught her attention, but she only seemed aggravated with him.

“Let me guess,” she started, her hands on her hips. “My father sent you after me.”

Link opened his mouth to speak, but Zelda cut him off angrily.

“I bet he told you I was off doing some silly research project like I’m some dumb schoolgirl. If it doesn’t have anything to do with this stupid power or a damn war that hasn’t even started, he doesn’t want me doing it. But I’ll have you know that there’s more to these shrines than people realize. They’re part of the ancient Sheikah technology, too, so they must be important, and I’m going to figure it out.” She turned on her heels abruptly and collected the slate from the pedestal. “I just don’t know why the slate isn’t responding to it. I cannot get them to open no matter what I try!”

Link hesitated, unsure of what to say to comfort her. But mostly, he didn’t want her going off on some rant. “Maybe you just need-”

“What I need is for everyone to stop breathing down my neck!” She pocketed the slate and turned to Link angrily. “Stop following me! I don’t need any guards or escorts and I don’t need you. Got it?”

“I don’t think you have a choice in that matter,” Link said crossing his arms.

Zelda ignored him as she walked towards her car. She slid in the driver’s seat, closing the door hard as she did so, and turned the key in the ignition. Without hesitation, she threw the car into drive and peeled away from the shrine and back onto the road heading towards the highway.

Link slunk into his seat. While his memories of the Champions had come back to him suddenly, one by one, the ones with Zelda were more sparse, and he couldn’t quite fit the pieces together. So far, all he knew was that he was entrusted with the task as her handler to work with her to prevent Ganon from starting a war. And that she was kind of a bitch.

Still. For reasons he didn’t understand, he felt drawn to her. With any luck, more memories would come back to him and complete the mysterious puzzle that was his life.

*****

To Link’s fortune, the drive to Gerudo Desert was fairly uneventful. Except for the stray Guardian patrolling the back roads, Link had no other encounters, deadly or otherwise. Hyrule seemed lifeless. Cities and towns lay in ruins, and the ones that somehow managed to remain standing were heavily guarded, makeshift walls built around them in hopes of keeping Ganon’s forces out. No one dared leave the protection of the walls, and they were even more hesitant to let unfamiliar people in, including the remaining Hylian soldiers. Despite that, Link had managed to find a bed to sleep in for the night instead of his car, and he arrived at a small town just outside of Gerudo City early the next afternoon.

And that’s where his fortune ended as he was stopped by two Gerudo soldiers.

“What business do you have in the desert?” one of the tall, dark skinned women asked him. Her gaze was fierce.

Link flashed his badge at them. “I hear you have a pest problem,” he said.

The two Gerudo exchanged unamused glances. “If you’re referring to Vah Naboris,” the soldier continued, “pest is an understatement.”

“Are you going to let me through to get to it?”

“That depends,” the second woman said. She popped out a hip and placed her hand atop it. “Do you have a death wish?”

“Vah Naboris has been possessed by Ganon,” the first explained. “It has whipped up a sandstorm that threatens to overtake the city and won’t let anyone near it. If we are fortunate enough to penetrate the storm, it attacks us with lightning.”

“Look,” Link started. “I’ve reclaimed two of these Divine Beasts already. I’m under order to reclaim them all so we can end this war. Are you going to let me through or not?”

“We have our own orders, Link,” she snapped at him. “Riju, the leader of the Gerudo, has ordered that no one enter the desert without her approval.”

Link sighed and rolled his eyes. “Then get me approval.”

“Fine,” she said. “I suppose I cannot deny you that. But even if Riju lets you in, I can assure you that you will be unable to reach Vah Naboris. You will die before you get within one hundred yards of it.”

“Let me talk to Riju.”

The Gerudo shook her head. “You should know, Link, that voe are not allowed in the city.”

“We will let her know that you are here,” the second woman said. “If she wishes to speak with you, she will come to you. For now, you can stay in town here.”

Link narrowed his eyes at them. “Don’t keep me waiting too long,” he said. “I have a war to end.”

The two Gerudos stepped aside allowing Link to enter the small town. He found his way to the inn on the other side of town and parked in the small lot. Outside, the wind picked up, and he turned his gaze across the desert to where a sandstorm kicked up. He could hear the distant roar of Vah Naboris, hidden by the wall of sand that surrounded it.

Rather than see if he could get himself a room, he walked anxiously about the town. A few smaller memories dribbled back to him as he walked about, and he realized the town was very different from what he had remembered it to be; a place where people all over Hyrule had come to enjoy the desert heat, like a sort of vacation spot. But now, only Gerudo women and children occupied the town, and very few of them dared to even venture down the road to Gerudo City for fear of Vah Naboris.

Link wandered aimlessly around until he found himself back at the inn. He trudged back over to his car and checked his phone. It had been a couple hours since he had arrived, and he wasn’t sure how long it would take to hear from the two Gerudos, if he would hear from them at all.

“It’s about time our hero showed up.”

Link turned to the sound of the voice. At the edge of the parking lot stood a young Gerudo. Her red hair was pulled up, but draped over one shoulder, and there was a sort of crown on her head. She was much shorter than the other Gerudo, but her stance told Link she was just as fierce and full of sass. She had her hand on her hip, the other raised in the air in a pose that screamed “what gives?” to Link. Behind her stood the two Gerudo soldiers Link had spoken with earlier.

She strode across the parking lot as she spoke. “I got word from one of the Ritos that you were heading this way. Seems you’ve been pretty successful with those Divine Beasts.” She leaned against the car when she reached it and threw her chin in the direction of Vah Naboris. “Up for another challenge, then?”

“Riju, I presume,” Link said with a raised brow. “How kind of you to speak with me.” He was only slightly sarcastic in that comment.

Riju grinned up at Link. “I like you,” she said. “Urbosa was right about you.”

“Oh, yeah?”

Riju nodded. “I may not be my sister, but she was my sister. Her friends are my friends.”

Link offered her a smile, unwilling to admit to her that he had know idea who Urbosa was. Riju was spunky though, and pretty. And like all the other Gerudo, she wore very little, leaving plenty for Link’s imagination.

He cleared his throat and forced himself to keep his eyes on her. “So, Vah Naboris,” he said. “How can I get to it?”

“You can’t,” Riju said with a grin. “Not without my help, anyway.”

Link raised a brow at her. He had a feeling that she would not take kindly to Link’s chivalry; she would not allow him through unless she were with him. “So, are you going to help me?”

Riju rolled her eyes up in thought. She put a finger to her still smiling lips, then met Link’s gaze and held a hand out as she spoke. “I guess I can,” she said playfully. “Under one condition.”

“And what’s that?”

“I’m driving your car.”

Link glanced at the car, hesitant.

“Is there a problem?” Riju said, her eyes narrowed at him. She leaned forward with her hands on her hips.

Link shook his head quickly. “No. Of course not. But… it’s a fast car.”

Riju grinned. “I know. I like it. Are those the kinda toys you get to play with when you’re in the SFU?” She stepped around Link and peered into the tinted windows. “What other cool stuff you got in there?”

“Nothing for you,” he muttered.

“Is that an AR?” She pressed her nose against the window.

“You can drive, but that’s it.”

Riju turned and grinned at him. “Good, because I know my way around Vah Naboris better than anyone. You’ll want me behind the wheel if you want to get aboard in one piece.”

[katedoesfics]

Shadows of the Future | Chapter 80

One after another, the Divine Beast shot their deadly blasts, dragging four red tails behind them as they fired at the Yiga Clan hideout. Though the hideout was hidden in the valley just at the edge of the desert, Link could clearly see the eruption from the blast. Smoke, sand, and debris clouded the area around the hideout, and at their distance, they could even feel the tremor from the attack as it stretched across the desert just ahead of the sound of the blast.

Just moments after the blast subsided, the air snapped as one by one, the Champions returned. After a moment of taking in their surroundings, they turned their gazes to the blast where a cloud of sand still hung over the valley.

“Bullseye,” Revali said. He brushed his hands together. “Champs: one. Yiga: zip.” He turned his gaze to Link. “What are you hanging around here for?” He grinned. “Oh. Right. Silly me.” And in another snap, he was gone, only to appear in an instant on the battlefield below, bow drawn as he plunged into the battle.

“Idiot,” Urbosa hissed.

“I’d say he’s going to get killed,” Mipha started. “But I think that’s wishful thinking.”

Urbosa grinned. She cracked her knuckles, winked at Link, then followed after Revali with Daruk on her heels.

Before Link could think to argue with them, they suddenly found themselves surrounded as several Yiga soldiers appeared before them suddenly. They sprung into the air with their blades raised, then plunged down toward them.

Rusl worked quickly to defend them against the Yiga as best as he could without utilizing his power, fearful that it would only cause Link to further distrust him. But as he engaged in battle, he found that they were quickly separated from one another, and searching for his son only proved to be a distraction he could not afford. He tried to focus on the Yiga that surrounded him, trying to convince himself that Link could handle himself. And from time to time, he caught a glimpse of Link, dislodging a Yiga and easily defending against their attacks, and he felt reassured - even impressed - by his son’s capabilities.

It didn’t take long, however, for Rusl to notice a change in the pace of the battle. The Yiga came at Link quickly, moving faster than before, even moving their focus from Rusl to Link completely in an attempt to overwhelm him. Link had no choice but to move back to his defensive stance, moving quickly to block and dislodged their blows. Within moments, Link was completely surrounded, and they closed in quickly, eagerly.

Rusl worked as quickly as he could to dislodge the remaining Yiga soldiers that kept him engaged in battle. He quickly knocked them off their feet, bringing his blade down across the neck of one first and letting his arm continue swiftly over to plunge into the chest of the second and final one. He spun on his heels just as the Yiga lunged at Link, knocking him down and plunging his blade into Link’s side. The Yiga stood over him, gripping the blade in his hand, and Rusl did the only thing he knew to do.

He threw himself in front of his son and thrust his palm forward. A light sprung forth from his palm, promptly piercing the Yiga soldier before he had a chance to escape. The blast seared his chest, creating a clear hole that singed and burned, the scent of burnt flesh filling their noses. His knees gave out and he fell to the ground lifeless.

Rusl’s gaze narrowed on the remaining Yiga. He held his ground as they lunged at him. He crossed his arms and they were immediately pushed backwards with a wicked force as an invisible shield erected around them. Rusl grunted under the impact and stepped backwards, but otherwise, remained standing. As they landed on the ground, Rusl thrust his palm out, and a sudden forcewave shot forward, sending them flying violently further back, their bones snapping from the impact of the blast before they even dropped to the ground.

Rusl paused to catch his breath, then turned to face Link, studying him for a moment with concerned eyes. “You’re alive.”

“Not dead yet,” Link muttered, wincing at the pain.

Rusl stepped back as Mipha rushed to his side, dropping to her knees and working quickly to heal him. When she was finished, Rusl pulled Link to his feet. With the wave of Yiga that had ambushed them cleared, they had a moment to examine the rest of the battle field. The Champions continued to fight strongly against the opposing Yiga, and for the first time in a long time, they felt a glimmer of hope.

“Are you going to explain that stunt you pulled?” Link asked. His gaze narrowed on Rusl. “How long have you been hiding that?”

“Years,” Rusl said simply. “All Hylian’s are capable of wielding that sort of power. I don’t compare to Dorian’s strength, but it comes in handy.” He turned and met Link’s gaze, his eyes fierce. “If you want a damn chance at winning this and coming out alive, you need to find that power.”

Link hesitated. “That seems like the kind of thing that takes a lot of training,” he muttered.

“For most, yes,” Rusl started. “But you’re the Chosen Hero. You’re not most.”

Link turned his gaze away. He cracked his knuckles absentmindedly. “Alright,” he said. “Guess it’s time to join the Superheroes Club.” He hesitated, then glanced at his father. “Any tips?”

Rusl held his gaze on Link for a moment, then shrugged. “Don’t die.”

Link’s brows furrowed. “I mean on this Hylian voodoo you expect me to use.”

Rusl’s lips pulled into a small smile. He pulled his gaze away and sighed. “No.”

Link pinched his lips together, then focused his attention on the battle waging below them. His tongue stuck out between his lips slightly as he focused his attention, then thrust his palm out like he had seen his father do.

But nothing happened.

Rusl snorted, and Link scowled at him.

“I don’t see you helping!”

“Hyrule is doomed,” Rusl said, shaking his head.

“Shut up,” Link growled. “I don’t need your stupid Hylian shit.” He exhaled angrily, then left Rusl alone on top of the dune, sliding on the sand to quickly join his friends in the battle.

The battle between the Yiga and Hyrule continued on. Hylians, Sheikah, and Hyruleans alike fought side by side against their enemy, and though Link could not find the power within him, he pressed on, determined to do whatever he could to stop the Yiga Clan once and for all. He fought beside his friends, he fought beside his father, and he fought beside comrades who gave their lives to support Link, despite all that had happened in the last few weeks; despite the lives he, himself, had ended. But as he fought, he didn’t think of any of it. He focused only on doing what he did best; what he was born to do. He focused on saving Hyrule and preserving the kingdom’s future.

It wasn’t long before he found himself overlooking the battlefield once more, another wave of Yiga soldiers cleared. Teba had managed to find Link, Zelda, Rusl, and Dorian in the chaos and pulled them aside. His gaze was fierce as he regarded them.

“I lost contact with the Divine Beasts,” he said.

“What do you mean you lost contact?” Dorian sneered. “What’s going on?”

“The last person I spoke with was Purah,” Teba explained. “She said they fought off the last of the Yiga that ambushed them. But that was almost half an hour ago.”

Dorian pressed in closer to Teba, getting into his face angrily as he spoke. “Where the fuck are my daughters?”

Teba hesitated. “I don’t know.”

“Dorian,” Rusl warned, but Dorian was too busy shouting profanities at Teba to listen.

At that moment, however, the radio crackled to life, and Cottla’s panicked voice came over in broken pieces.

“... back-up... Teba… he’s here… Kohga… here...”

Dorian didn’t wait a second longer. The moment Cottla mentioned Kohga, Dorian was gone in a snap. Rusl looked at the space where Dorian once stood, his lips pinched together nervously. He turned his gaze back to Link.

“Fuck,” Teba muttered under his breath. “Fucking shit.”

“There’s nothing we can do about it now,” Rusl said. “Dorian will take care of it.”

Teba turned his gaze to Zelda. “We’re getting slaughtered out there,” he said. “The Sheikah can hold their own, but right now, they’re working twice as hard to fight and hold up defenses. My guys are taking a beating. They won’t last much longer.”

Zelda’s brows furrowed and her frown deepened as she looked over the battlefield. “I know,” she said softly.

“You knew they wouldn’t stand a chance,” Link growled. “You shouldn’t have dragged them into this.”

“I didn’t,” Teba snapped. “They offered. The least you can do is be a little more grateful for their sacrifices.”

Link’s face softened as he regarded Teba, though his stomach knotted sickeningly. He never wanted anyone to do this for him. He pulled his gaze away and bit his lip.

“Pull them back.”

The three men turned their gazes to Zelda.

“What?” Rusl sneered.

“I said pull them back,” Zelda snapped. “We’re done here.”

“Right,” Link started. “Because the Yiga will just let us retreat. They’ll still be a damn problem we need to stop!”

“We’re at a stalemate,” Zelda said, narrowing her gaze on him. “At this rate, they’ll only exhaust themselves. As soon as that happens, we’ll lose. We need to regroup and consider our options. We’ve already dealt a great deal of damage. Their hideout has been destroyed. They’ll be an easier target next time. When we’re better prepared, we’ll make our move.”

“They won’t wait for you,” Rusl reminded her. “If you leave, you’ll leave Hyrule without a defense. Impa is the only thing keeping them out of the city. They’ll go after her. They will kill her. The ward will drop, and the city will be exposed. If you pull them back, the war will be lost.”

Zelda hesitated. Her forehead creased in worry as she watched the battle wage on. After a moment, she turned to Teba.

“The choice is yours,” Teba said.

“I want your professional opinion,” she said simply.

Teba held his gaze on her for a moment. “Rusl’s right,” he finally said. “Pulling back will only seal our fate.”

“But you said so yourself -”

“People die in war,” Teba growled. “It’s a few of our men, or it’s all of Hyrule. It’s not the most ideal way to look at the situation, but…” He hesitated. “Hyrule is what we’re fighting for. Let them defend their kingdom.”

Zelda turned her gaze back to the battle. “I liked it better when we were the only ones doing the fighting,” she said softly.

“This has become more than you can handle alone,” Teba said. He glanced at Link, his gaze narrowing. “Both of you.”

“Why are you looking at me?” Link hissed.

“Because I know you have a habit of running in blind thinking you can take care of everything yourself.”

“That’s my job.”

“Your job is to keep Hyrule safe,” he snapped. “Not be an idiot.”

“Well you just take the fun out of everything.”

“Someone has to control this fucking circus you call heroes.”

“I’m the ringleader,” Link said, thrusting his thumb into his chest.

“You’re the idiot that wants to get shot out of a canon.”

Link smirked and shrugged a shoulder. “Someone has to do the shit no one else wants to do.”

“Alright,” Zelda growled at them. She sighed. “We stay put then.”

“I guess I can’t convince you to go back to the city?” Teba said.

“Of course not,” Zelda hissed. “I won’t run and hide and leave them -”

“Running and hiding is usually the best option when you’re the one they want,” Teba said, narrowing his eyes on her. “If Kohga gets his hands on either of you, we’re just as fucked.”

“Look,” Zelda said. “Either we all run, or we stay put. It’s one or the other. Pick your poison.”

“There’s no reasoning with you,” Teba muttered.

“Are you so surprised?” Link said.

“Look who’s talking,” Zelda snapped at him. “I’m just trying to keep up with you.”

“You’re supposed to be the reasonable one,” Link said.

“Well, what good does that do if no one ever listens to me?” She turned her nose up at him. “Have you forgotten that I am the queen?"

“Here we go,” Link said. “It’s high school all over again.”

“You know,” Zelda sneered. “I’ve really had it with you. I should have just let you turn and killed you myself.”

“That’s the Zelda I used to know,” Link grinned. “I preferred it when you hated my guts.”

Rusl sighed loudly. “Are you done?”

“She started it,” Link muttered.

Rusl glanced at Link. “That’s real mature.”

Link grinned at his father. He opened his mouth, prepared with a snappy comeback, but a snap in the air caught their attention, and they quickly turned their gazes back to the battle below, which appeared to be temporarily disrupted. Rusl’s gaze narrowed suspiciously as the two armies parted, a distinct space of desert sand between the Yiga army and the Hyrulean army. A man stepped forward from the Yiga army. He took a few steps into the empty space before turning his gaze to the dunes where Link and Zelda stood. A wicked grin split his face.

Kohga.