#loz the dreaming island

[mashounen1945]

Something crazy I realized about Tails in Sonic Adventure 1

I'm replaying SA1 right now (on a Dreamcast emulator, because f*** those buggy-as-heck re-releases, am I right?). I'm jumping from one character to another (while always staying on one savefile) to play through every event of the story in order...

And as far as I saw, Tails is the only playable character who gets one of his upgrades during a dream.

He grabs Froggy (and the red Chaos Emerald with it) at the end of Sand Hill, sees Tikal's hitodama floating around him, the dream/flashback in the Knuckles Clan's ancient walled city starts... and when he wakes up from that dream, he's got the Rhythm Badge on his chest out of nowhere and is suddenly able to lethally slice everything around him non-stop with reckless abandon.

Yep, he straight-up dreamed the Rhythm Badge up and materialized it outside of the dream.

Just consider the in-universe implications:

Sonic: "Hey Tails, that's a cool amulet! Where'd you get it?" Tails: [with Dr Light's English voice from Mega Man 8] "That's a good question."

I'm also trying to think of some other videogame, TV series, movie or comic that had done something like this, but I can't come up with anything. I've seen a few people suggesting a few examples, though: one power-up in a Castlevania game, Psychonauts, The Legend of Vox Machina, the seagull appearing at the end of The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening (it's implied the seagull is a real-life incarnation of Marin created by the Wind Fish), the Klonoa series' entire universe...

Someone else mentioned the possibility of Tikal granting the badge to Tails through the dream. If that's true, then she's one hell of a powerful spirit. Basically, "Tikal OP, plz nerf".

Another possibility I've considered is that, perhaps, those flashbacks are not dreams and Tikal's spirit has the power to literally send the characters back in time so they can witness what happened to the Knuckles Clan and where Chaos comes from. Super-powerful ghost Tikal headcanons aside, it'd also imply Tails retrieved the Rhythm Badge from its place at the Echidnas' walled city in the past.

Like... He grabbed the badge with his own anthropomorphic fox hands in the past, and then he carried that badge to the present. This would mean that, if either Tails, Sonic or any of the other four playable characters in SA1 hadn't "followed the script", they totally could have changed history at any point around the time when the Knuckles Clan was decimated by Chaos.

Anyway, thanks for reading my ramblings, I guess. SA1 certainly has one bizarre, trippy story when you think about it, especially regarding Tails's story.

[waywardsalt]

gonna be a hater in tags real quick

[sailforvalinor]

Aauuggghhh thinking about the parallels today girlies

[theauthorandtheartist]

I had a dream the other night that i can't stop thinking about, where a new LOZ game was released in a similar vein to TOTK, except instead of collecting sages like in that game, there was a series of dungeons/temples that were directly tied to other LOZ games, and at the end, you gained the ability to summon the avatar/ghost of the hero from said game -like the TOTK sages- to help on your quest (and get a fun power up). All of the links would have stilted dialogue with you at first, but as the game goes on they get more friendly and at the end of the game theres a cutscene where they all "move on" and it's super emotional cuz by this point they're all brothers (player-link actually emotes during this cutscene, the only time he does so, for an extra punch in the gut). I don't remember all of the details, but what I do remember was:

A Palace of the Four Sword dungeon where you gained the Link(s) from FSA. FSA Link was the simplest in terms of abilities, the avatar would split into 4 and distract enemies/fight alongside you. Pretty sure this was the first one/tutorial temple. Later on this link gives you a sidequest after which you gain the Four Sword as a weapon (its the second strongest in the game behind the master sword).

A Tower of Winds dungeon where you got Minish Cap Link to tag along. He allows you to shrink for short periods of time to get through locked doors/escape danger. Don't remember much about this dungeon except that there's a timer to get through it before yiu have to start over.

Forest temple/great deku tree/kokiri forest type place where Oot/MM link joins up with you. He allows you to rewind time for a little bit (basically the recall ability but on everything including you). Later on He gives a sidequest that results in obtaining the Fierce Deity Mask (best armor in the game).

Arbiter grounds dungeon where you get TP link. He's basically a glorified horse; you ride him around.

Tower of the Gods dungeon where you get WW/PH Link to tag along. He's like Revali's Gale and Tulin's gust in one.

The dungeon to get the Master Sword is like the Skyview Temple, and to be allowed to draw it you must beat SS Link as the final boss of the temple, After which he joins you on your quest. He allows you to do skyward strikes with any one handed weapon.

A secret, optional dungeon that you only unlock by falling asleep on this random island. It's kohohlit. The only avatars/ghosts that you can access here are OoT/MM Link and WW/PH Link (because PH was a dream and MM was an alternate reality). By the end, You get Alttp/albw/LA link who can put enemies to sleep for a time. Later he gives you a sidequest to get ravio's bracelet, which opens up a few easter eggs and secret loot.

Other links/games were included as easter eggs but they don't stick around. BOTW/TOTK Link is a recurring ghostly NPC who you can find in all the weirdest places, offering seemingly nonsensical trades that change every time you see him (10 frogs for 13 bombs, a ruby for an apple pie, 35 monster parts for a single ancient arrow, etc). There's a few places around hyrule where you see two-bit LOZ1/LOZ2 Link just vibing. ST Link takes the place of Purah or Robbie as the eccentric scientist/engineer who will upgrade your stuff if you bring him materials, and he can also upgrade your ghost-Link-friend's abilities as well since he's -y'know- Hero of Spirits.

There's murals in the castle from Cadence of Hyrule, and there's "ancient history books" about HW and AoC. Throughout Hyrule you'll meet various NPCs claiming to be from different countries here to see "the birthplace of the hero of Holodrum/Labrynnia/Calatia."

Various Zelda's would show up too. You get a sidequest where you have to sneak aboard a ghost pirate ship. It's Tetra's. There's a mysterious sheikah warrior who repeatedly accosts you on your travels to loredump and test if you're ready to fight the big bad. She only ever brings you down to half heart, at which point she makes a disappponted comment and leaves. you aren't able to beat her until near endgame, at which point she reveals herself as sheik, has a brief conversation with Oot/MM Link, gives you some cryptic foreshadowing advice and a few fairies, and dips. BOTW/TOTK zelda is similar to her link since she can be found all over the place, but she deals exclusively in ancient materials and dragon parts. TP Zelda gives lore/exposition when you finally make it to the castle, right before the big bad fight.

Big bad is an amalgamation of all ganons/ganondorfs/big bads across the timelines. He telegraphs attacks via shifting forms to look like various bad guys (forms tentacles like bellum and Majora (at the same time) before slam attack, gets blue pig face before charge attack, long purple vaati hair and bat wings before AOE gust attack, scales up his arm and X on face before big AOE lightning blast, and big fuck-all sword and gerudo features before slashing. 2nd phase has it split into like 5 separate beings to fight you and all your friends at once (each one has different features: one is similar to bellum/majora, one is more beast-ganon, one more demise, one Vaati-esque one, and one Ganondorf-like one). The music is harsh and disjointed, cobbled together from many other games, and the noises that the beast makes are screeching and painful.

By the end of the game, there's a big deal made by SS link that you are the final Link in the cycle, that it's over, that you finished what he couldn't. There's a sense of hope, but also of sorrow, since all your new friends are leaving now. They're ghosts, they're dead, they've done their duty and it's time for them to rest. Before they go, though, each one gives you one last gift (the ability they've been helping you with this whole time) and one last sidequest (one for each of them) for you to accomplish: find their treasures, keep them safe.

Post game is you running around without the ghosts (FSA Link's ability duplicates you now, giving you 3 buddies to fight with, but they can't give dialogue and they last like 30 seconds so it's not the samel), doing mini-dungeons and fetch-quests in order to obtain major key items (all old and unusable anymore) from the Links' adventures, (the Beetle, goddess harp, spinner, shards of the fused shadow, deku/goron/Zora masks, gnat hat, various kinstones, pictobox, deku leaf, LA instruments, Ocarina of Time, wind waker, etc) and some from games not mentioned previously or not from your gaggle of links, (Harp of ages, rod of seasons, silver arrows, a doppel, ST panpipes, a revival doll, Cadence of Hyrule Lute, HW blue Scarf, old and broken Terrako, champion's tunic, BOTW champion's picture, trirod, etc). In post-game, there are new NPCs to replace the links/zeldas that used to fill those niches, but it's not the same. They're gone. It's a bittersweet feeling.

After you finish all the post game and get all the treasures (basically 100%ing the game), you get an achievement called "archive of the ages" and a special cutscene where Player Link sets the Master sword down on the side of his bed, looks out the window of his house at the brilliantly setting sun, smiles, and falls asleep. You may no longer play on that save file anymore. The adventure is over.

Basically I dreamt up a game that was a love letter to the entire series, and I'm sad it was just a dream. Logically i know this will never happen because that would mean tying up LOZ and it's too much of a cash cow for Nintendo to ever stop making, but it was a wonderful dream to have for a little while.

[azureaeondragaeon]

Oh my Goiky! An Inanimate Insanity refence!

Chapter 1 in the crossover in a nutshell ( @zay-does-things )

Link: With Susie gone, I thought of the perfect new alliance! Kris: (flatly) He wants to make a boy's club. Link: Stay out of my brain journal! Ralsei: But... Kris is nonbinary. Link: (glances at Kris, then back to him) I mean... anti-girl club.

[whoslinger]

Thought I'd do a random little doodle of myself as a cowboy or somethin' like that. Folks on Instagram know me a little, so I reckon I'd introduce myself over here too.

The name's Leigh, that much y'all know. Howdy.

I'm a couple hundred years old.

I'm just a dude who likes video games and some movies. I play guitar and violin, but I can't say I'm good at either.

Love the Beatles and Lord Huron more than I love myself.

And I love my best friend thrice as much.

I have ADHD and I'm depressed, but one interferes with the other so I'm like 😀 neutral.

I'm aroace.

My biggest dream is to be a dad. My second biggest dream is to build a spaceship or something.

My favourite movie is lotr the two towers.

My favourite food is ramen noodles.

My favourite games: RED DEAD REDEMPTION. BOTH. Disco Elysium, Skyrim, Silent Hill 1, 2 and The Room (maybe Origins too), LOZ Breath of the Wild, Stardew Valley, Yoshi's Island.

I guess that's a lot of useless information. Nice to meet you too.

If there's anything else that's interesting to know that I ain't mentioned, y'all can ask I reckon. Thank you kindly for reading.

[anxietybumblebee]

Other than the obvious overlap in monsters, I replayed the switch version of Link's Awakening recently and saw like. An uncanny amount of similarities between it and EoW. It's a given, seeing as they're both in the same toon Link style on the same device, but it makes you wonder why there are virtually no differences - other than, from what I've seen, pretty much just some monster names and colours (plus more recent additions to the loz universe, like lynels).

A LOT OF TEXT + ECHOES OF WISDOM/LINK'S AWAKENING SPOILERS BENEATH THE BREAK VVV

From the entrance to the final boss (LA left + EoW right)

To the dark monsters + the nightmare in LA (left + right respectively)

Not even mentioning the fact that it's the same Ganon (well, the nightmare version in LA, but the same guy as that Link has faced before) (LA + LBW on the left/top depending on your screen, EoW on the right/bottom)

The map styles aren't identical, but the mechanics + appearances are similar enough that I thought they were worth a mention, too!! (EoW on the left, LA on the right)

The similarities between Null/the rifts and the nightmares has me wondering if there was a deeper reason behind the similarities than simply being able to reuse models; we all know Nintendo isn't one to skimp on the graphics for new Zelda games (see breath of the wild + tears of the kingdom).

I had a couple of theories on this:

The first being that Echoes of Wisdom is a more drawn out dream, which I think is a more obvious conclusion. It could come about in a few different ways, though; either Tri and the golden goddesses are working to keep the dream going (fixing the rifts) and the people returned from the rifts have awoken, leaving only the no longer sentient bodies behind, or Null and the dark monsters are the nightmares, attempting to render the dream fully un-endable by turning it into void; with no instruments to play and no bosses to beat, the dream can't be ended. It's something of a pyrrhic victory for the nightmares, who honestly seemed to like having Koholint around, if just to torture its inhabitants.

The second being that Echoes of Wisdom takes place in the Hyrule where Koholint truly existed (or somewhere else that the Windfish has influence), somewhere out in the sea beyond our map, and the rifts are damage caused as the Windfish pulls more and more people into its slumber. It reaches across worlds, and sometimes people's bodies and souls end up back in the wrong spots (hence Marin's turning into a seagull in the true ending, and the people returning from the rifts completely lifeless, or missing things). In this case, the rifts would be the effects of the Windfish's slumber ripping the land apart (perhaps by the nightmare's influence as they want more and more in their domain, beyond the simple island of Koholint). Maybe Null is simply the main nightmare you fight at the end, trying to have an entire world as part of the dream, trying to stop everything from just looping like it seemed to on Koholint.

I'm having quite a few thoughts about this if you couldn't tell. I may be insane.

[jellyfishvibes]

Hello! i have worms in my brain and this is all the trigger they need to rant about zelda lore,

The light temple has only appeared 2 (ish) times in the timeline to my knowledge, and the main one is in oot, and due to cuts to the game* the only actual room of it we get to see is the chamber of sages, which oot Rauru states is the "Very center of the sacred realm"

"I am Rauru, one of the ancient Sages... Ages ago, we ancient Sages built the Temple of Time to protect the entrance to the Sacred Realm... This is the Chamber of Sages, inside the Temple of Light... The Temple of Light, situated in the very center of the Sacred Realm, is the last stronghold against Ganondorf's evil forces. The Master Sword--the evil- destroying sword that you pulled out of the Pedestal of Time--was the final key to the Sacred Realm. Link... Don't be alarmed... Look at yourself...!"

(Which kind of implies that the temple of light is a mirror of the temple of time just inside the sacred realm), and we do know that the temple of time was built by Rauru ontop of the ruins of the Temple of Hylia from skyward sword (Hyrule Historia/Loz Encyclopedia)

And also the Deku Tree's speech from oot kind of implied that the sacred realm is just a side effect of the triforce existing? like the relic is so powerful the point in which it rested on earth warped around it into a whole different realm

The second is kinda iffy and is the Temple of Time dungeon in tp, which is canonically the temple of time but spiritually is the cut temple of light from oot (or even just the fandom rumors of said cut dungeon-), literally walking past the master sword pedestal into it and all

Ganondorfs wish from the heros defeat branch isn't to make the sacred realm into the dark realm, he actually transforms it 7 years prior when Link leaves the door of time open behind him and lets Ganon get into the sacred realm,

He tried to make a wish but apon his touch the triforce split into three because his heart was unbalanced (kinda rude if you ask me, ss link i could see as having a balanced heart because he forged his soul with all three of the virtues but no fucking way the king from ww has a balanced heart, me thinks the triforce added a rule cause it didnt want to grant the stinky mans wish) , and so he used the triforce of power to become the ruler of hyrule and mess it up for 7 years, the sacred realm becomes the dark realm because the sacred realm reflects the heart of whoever enters

Its why hes hunting down Zelda and Link, to get the other two pieces and get his wish

We don't know what he wished for but we do know that it resulted in him turning into Ganon and being unable to turn back into a Gerudo for the rest of that timeline, and that the Sages plus Zelda couldn't defeat him, only seal him in the sacred realm (which you know, only lead to a short time of peace before people got greedy and fought to get at the sacred realm/triforce not knowing that its now the dark realm, which is named the imprisoning war and then the king of hyrule makes the new sages, the ancestors to the maiden in lttp, seal the realm entirely so noone may enter or leave, insert plot of lttp here)

I personally am a "Botw/totk are the merged ending of every timeline set hunderds of thousands of years in the future and the flashbacks in totk are still miles in the future not time travelling to ss / mc / oot" believer and generally prefer the my other dimensions to be other dimensions and not just "the sky islands are the scared realm/the depths are the dark realm"

i do love the funny implication (and pain from loz map lore people) that if its the ruins of that temple of light then totk has two places where the temple of hylia/temple of time are supposed to be and they are miles away from both each other and in relation to where they should be by previous maps lmao

*The theory is that if there was a temple of light it was scrapped pretty early on, most of the evidence we have is the light medallion and the light trial in Ganon's castle, also generally the idea of you getting the medallion without a temple beforehand, we do know from various leaks but mainly the gigaleak that the medallions were supposed to be equippable items to be used like the three spells in the current game and that the light medallions use was to light up an area

if it did exist it was probably had a redirecting light/mirror theme that was reused for the spirit temple (which funnily enough the current spirit temple colour scheme kinda matches this screenshot of a very early temple of time) and was most likely a temple like the tower of the gods in windwaker

i am alot more skeptical now of its existence after getting hella into look up stuff from the giga leaks and look at peoples modded recreations of early areas but god is it an interesting lore idea that makes me mental thinking about it even potentially existing in some way in totk Sources: Hyrule Historia, Loz Encyclopedia, Loz Arts and Artifacts (Not used i just wanted to complete the trio), An Oot Text Dump, A Good Overview of the various beta oot stuff found and last but not least Zelda Dungeon My Beloved

What the fuck

Hello?!?!?

Temple of light ruins?!?!?!?!!?

[shade-pup-cub]

Febuwhump 2024, Day 5: Legend & Warriors - Rope Burns

Fandom: LOZ/Linked Universe

With memories haunting his dreams, Legend goes for a needed walk that leads him to the ocean. His Mer curse was wanting to be used, but when Warriors comes looking for him, it isn't only Legend who has eyes on the Captain. Sirens lurked just under the surface.

CW: slight blood, minor injuries, mild language (its Legend... its gonna happen)

Just like the rest of the Chain, Legend had secrets. They had only recently found out about Wolfie being Twilight, though he already knew. Only Twilight and Sky knew of his pink rabbit form, but no one knew of the curse laid on him and it was itching to be used.

He kept away from water for a reason, grumbling every time someone splashed him. It wasn’t what he turned into that he hated, it was the transformation part itself. It was painful in a way that only the Old Man and Twilight would understand.

They had once again landed in another unknown era between heroes and they guessed this one was right after the flood that Wind talked about since there seemed to only be clusters of islands all around, no civilization to be seen.

Legend had woken from his restless sleep that was filled with dreams of a girl with red hair and a voice that was so sweet. There was no going back to sleep when she showed up in his dreams, so he stood quietly to make his way to the person on watch.

Warriors gave a small smile as he approached. “Can’t sleep?”

“Nope. I’m going to go for a walk, clear my head.”

The Captain’s brow furrowed with worry at that. “Need some company? My shift ends in less than an hour.”

“I’m a big boy, Cap. I can handle a simple walk by myself.”

“Legend.”

“Warriors.”

“If you aren’t back in an hour, I’m going to come looking for you.”

Legend waved him off as he made his way through the entanglement of bodies that were still asleep.

Wind was Starfished partly on Sky, who was smiling in his sleep, Sail Cloth tucked under his chin. Four and Hyrule were still back to back where Legend had left them. He had been on the other side of Hyrule to make sure the young teen knew that he was safe as he slept.

On the other side of camp, Time was laid on his back, Wild under his right arm and the blue tunic secured in his fist. Twilight- Wolfie at the moment- was draped over Wild’s legs and hip. The group had found out the hard way that Wild sleepwalks and he had gotten into some dangerous situations while doing so. Thus Twilight and Time made it their duty to keep him where he slept.

Legend fondly shook his head, though he would never admit to caring about this group of crazy heroes. Caring meant attachment. Attachment meant parting. Parting meant pain. Legend had too much of that in his life already, he didn’t want it with his companions.

Breaking through the treeline he took a deep breath of the salt in the air. The sand was not normal to him or the others since it was black sand and when it was stepped on near the water, it glowed in blue and purples with micro life. Where there was such beauty, there was always danger.

He walked the shore, past a few rock formations that stuck out into the water. He chose to go further down the coast where a cavern was visible due to the low tide. Looking around one more time to make sure no one had followed him, he took off his tunic, cap and boots, leaving him in his shorts. The water was warm to his surprise and he allowed himself to enjoy it, a purr like humm leaving his chest.

With some hesitation, he sat in the deepest part of the water that still hid him behind the rocks. He bit the inside of his palm when the curse took hold. The transformation of two legs becoming one tail and fins was the most excruciating pain he had ever felt. Bones were broken and reformed, scales grew out of the thick skin. Gills formed and opened up along his ribs while his hands became webbed. His eyes were a bit fogged from the protective film over them, but it would clear when he went under water.

Everything about him was dramatic and beautiful. The gold and pinks with an accent of black shimmered in the water and he admired his long flowy tail once the pain subsided.

Not even thinking about how long he had been gone, he froze in fear when he heard Warriors calling out his name.

“Legend? Leg?”

He sat up in the water that came up to his chest, debating on swimming a little ways out or crawling back onto the sand. Going back on to the sand would give him his legs back, but with the cost of a pain. No doubt Warriors would hear that.

“Vet, where did you go?” Warriors was getting too close.

There was a splash in the water that caught Legend’s attention since there hadn’t been any disturbances since he left camp. It clearly held Warriors attention too as Legend peeked around the rocks to see what it was. Warriors walked out to the tip of the rock formation, peering into the water curiously as he went to one knee.

Black, long, silky hair was seen first, then the pale skin. The voice of the person was hypnotic and loring as they sang. A hand from under the water came up to touch Warriors cheek, brushing hair back from his eyes.

‘How is it that everywhere we go, this dumb Pretty Boy attracts-’ Legend cut off his thoughts. That wasn’t just a woman in the water…

“WARS, NO!” Legend hollered out to warn the other, but Warriors was too far gone into the spell of the Siren that now had her lips to the Captains.

Effortlessly, Wars was pulled into the rising water by slender arms around his neck and Legend knew how these things ended. He wasn’t going to let one of his bro- fellow heroes be another victim to the creatures lurking below.

He pushed off the rocks to get into deeper water, wishing he had done it sooner or just agreed to the company in the first place so this would have been prevented. Submerged fully, he kicked his tail to propel him to the depths where Warriors was being dragged down to. The fact that there were six Sirens all twirling around Wars didn’t falter him and neither did the fang filled mouths or the hisses that greeted him.

Two of the Sirens, each carrying a single head spear, screeched in a high frequency before moving in to attack the invading hero. Weaponless, Legend dove deeper, hoping to swim under all the action before rocketing up, snatching Warriors and getting the hell out of the infested waters. Of course that is not what happened.

Instead, a spear was launched towards him at frightening speed, clipping his side. Red mixed with blue water, but he didn’t have time to think about it as the Siren who cut him was gaining on him. He looked to the spear that was sticking up from the sand below. Legend raced for it, gills rapidly drawing in water for the oxygen needed.

Both hands gripping the thick spear, he spun around, swiping the first monster away. The second one didn’t have time to slow down and he used that to his advantage. He thrusted the spear upwards, impaling the second Siren through the chest.

The first one grabbed the end of the spear, then Legend’s arm. He gave a swift punch to the nose and used his tail to batter it away. His spear thoroughly stuck, he tried to pry the dying Siren’s weapon from its hand with no luck. Gnashing teen headed for his neck, he pivoted the spear he was still fighting for to the side, catching the original bastard like he had with the other.

A split second thought of twisted humor came to mind, ‘Looks like Wild’s fish skewers.’ The sound of clicks and whistles brought him back to reality though.

There were four more of those monsters swirling around Warriors as he stayed under their charm, all trying to get him to their nest, wherever that was. Legend was going to have to play this carefully. Sirens needed a fresh kill to feed off of and every time they kissed Wars, it was a breath of air to his lungs and caused him to be paralyzed by the spell. Take that away at the wrong time and he was going to drown.

Stick to the plan.

Legend used the ocean’s sandy floor for cover, stirring it up into a murky mess. He pushed off the sandy floor, dodging the Sirens and grabbed Warriors under his arms. He could see the light from the moon dancing on the surface of the water, heart hopeful that he was about to breach with the Captain in tow.

Claws dug into the meat of his tail, opening it up some for the salt water to pour into. He screamed and wished he could join the bubbles upwards that left him. Another set of claws grabbed his largest fin, slicing it into two sections. That would cause a problem with swimming.

The other two Sirens had swam above the heroes and Legend looked around for anything of use. He should have thought about it sooner, but he hadn’t. Warriors never went anywhere without his sword that was currently strapped to his back. Legend pulled it and tried to push the Captain out of harm's way towards the surface. A part of him almost begged that one of the Sirens would take him again if it meant he was given air. And one of them did.

Sword in hand, Legend curled back downwards and the blade caught the nearest Siren across the face, making it bellow in pain, but also made it let go. One attacked from behind, jolting him forward and it latched its teeth onto his shoulder like the Zoras in his era always tried to do when he got near or in the rivers. He angled the sword over his shoulder, praying he didn’t stab himself as he thrusted the sword through the Siren’s skull.

The one that he got across the face was back with two ropes in hand, one tossed to the one Siren that wasn’t “attending” to Warriors, who hadn’t moved a muscle in nearly ten minutes. Dodging the attempts to be roped, Legend kept charging the two creatures. When he would, that one would flee, the other rounding around his backside.

He lunged one more time, sword oh so close to evening the numbers, but he had gotten ahead of himself. The one behind him slammed into his back and wrapped its rope around his hips, pulling it tight before getting out of range of the sword that whipped around.

Legend roared in anger, eyes locking with the monster in front of him. He raised the sword up to cut the rope, but he dropped it due to the second rope wrapping around his throat. His hands automatically went to grapple with the newest one as he began being pulled backwards away from Warriors. He could still breath nearly perfectly with the ropes where they were since his gills weren’t interfered with, but that didn’t make it any less uncomfortable or difficult.

A flash of blue in the corner of his vision and he saw the lone Siren pulling Warriors into the darkness of the ocean. Panic and determination swirled in his veins, pumping adrenaline through him. He pulled against his foes with no care to the ropes digging into his skin, making it raw. He could care later for the rope burns, they had stocked up on poisons before the last portal appeared. He could care for all of his injuries once Warriors was back on dry land and these things were killed for targeting him in the first place.

The ropes were pulled taunt, now cutting deep into his skin to the point that he was sure that his skin would break and bleed. He still didn’t care, he needed to get to Wars, but the more he fought the further that seemed to get. He reached one last time towards the fading image of blue and tan, but it disappeared. Desperately he pulled more, black dots filling the outer parts of his vision.

He finally let his body go limp, giving the rope some slack. He floated there for a moment, bringing back his sight and oxygen rich blood to his brain. Though he floated, he never let go of the rope that was in his left hand at his neck. He kept his eyes mostly closed as the Sirens swam closer, most likely seeing if he was still alive.

A shadow passed over him, halting in front of his face and a clawed cold hand tilted his head from side to side. A few clicks that were moving away told him it was time. He moved quickly to wrap the ropes in both hands as he looped the section between his hands around the leaving Siren’s neck. His gills were on his ribs, but theirs were right below their ears, allowing him to effectively strangulate the monster.

Legend was pulled through the water as the Siren thrashed to get free. It tried to plow him into the underwater rock formations, drag him through the sand to disorient him, but he was relentless on his hold and his mission to get Warriors back. Who knew what was happening to him.

‘Oh look, sword!’ he thought as he was dragged across the sand next to it. Reaching a hand out he gripped the hilt, running the blade clean through between the shoulder blades in front of him. He never liked stabbing anything in the back, but Warriors was about to be out of time.

Getting a good breath in, sword still in hand, he followed the trail of bubbles, sand and the hint of blood. In this form, he was able to track the blood trail no matter how diluted it was. There was only one issue, his tail fins had holes torn into them from the fight. This was going to slow him down, reducing the clock for Wars even more.

“Fuck it!” Legend hollered at himself. He had been through worse, dealt with worse and made it, damn it! This was not going to cost a person's life. No matter how annoying and egotistical and stubborn Warriors was because Legend deep down cared and loved each and every one of those dumbass heroes that he has been so lucky to call his brothers!

He moved through the water like an apex predator hunting down its prey. He took in the scent of the blood trail through his gills, turning right, then left, diving under the reef's arch, another left then dove deeper down to where the water was darkest. There the nest laid and Warriors was about to be the sacrifice.

With rage and no plan, he pushed himself harder than ever, gaining speeds and ground. Seeing the one he had fought earlier protecting the other who was still dragging Warriors, Legend didn’t waste a second thought on barreling into it. The Siren seemed surprised by this and moved to get away, but Legend had no mercy to give it as he pierced the monster in the upper gut, knowing that was a slow way to go.

The final one that had taken part in the attack on the Captain looked back at him and dumped Warriors. Legend smirked, but it didn’t last long as he saw Warriors begin to wake from his spell. Legend swam to him, covering his mouth and nose so he wouldn’t take in water.

Wars first reaction was to fight, but Legend didn’t let go. “Hey, Cap, it’s me. It’s Legend. You’re safe now, but I need to get you to the surface. Do you understand?”

Warriors looked him over and nodded.

“Hang on to me.” After sheathing the borrowed sword, Legend gave him what would normally be a hug, letting the others arms go around his neck. Warriors could swim, but not as fast as Legend even with a damaged tail. He kept in the hiss from the tunic Warriors worn rubbing up against the damaged skin from the rope.

He made the turns to get back to where he had been, but with Warriors, who was bigger than him normally, he was weighed down. His muscles burned from the exertion to save the others' life before he couldn’t hold his breath any longer. That was approaching quickly as Warriors audibly struggled with spasming lungs that were in dire need of air.

“Hold on! We are almost there!”

Warriors let out a stream of bubbles and went limp in his arms, eyes rolling back.

“Cap? Stay with me!”

Seeing the moonlight on the water, Legend kicked his tail back and forth as hard as he could, begging for it to be enough. Breaching the surface, Legend turned Warriors still limp body around so they were back to chest. He looked for land, smiling from ear to ear when he recognized the island they had been on, fire in the distance. They had drifted a small distance closer than this nightmare had started.

Legend kept both arms around Warriors chest, only using his tail to make it to shore. The panic had truly set in as Warriors head lulled to the side, but not into the water speeding past them. Legend cupped the other man’s chin, redirecting it so he could breathe, only Warriors wasn’t breathing.

The landscape and the water no longer held the same beauty, nor did it call to Legend in the way it had when the curse was itching to be used. It was only hidden dangers that he couldn’t see.

The sharp rocks met him first, cutting his skin as the waves of high tide pushed and pulled them against the rocks. He struggled to keep Wars head up as another wave crashed over them, then threatened to rip the Captain from him. It was like the ocean was helping the Sirens to bring the nearly lost soul back to them.

He firmly gripped a rock that was almost out of arm's reach and used the incoming wave to surge them both forward. He tried to ignore the all-consuming pain as he pulled him and Wars up onto the sand, last rock carving a wound through his left set of gills, but he couldn’t as a scream was torn from his throat, tears falling from his eyes without permission to do so.

They finally made it to the shore, to the warm sand that changed colors when touched. To the sand that was now packing into his bleeding flesh. He let out another holler as he gave a last effort to pull Warriors up next to him. He placed a hand over Warriors mouth and nose-

“Cap?” Legend’s throat was raw and hoarse. He laid his head on the other’s chest to listen for any sign of life. Nothing. “Warriors, buddy, I need you to breathe.” He raked his knuckles over the too still of a sternum, trying to stimulate him to breathe.

“Shit. Shit! ” He hit Wars chest, nothing. Camp was in earshot surely and if he remembered correctly, Twilight was on third shift. “Help! Someone help!”

Legend would have done CPR, but he was beyond exhausted, unable to get up onto his hand and would be knees and still had too much water covering him to transform back. Though it was a curse, it was still magic. Magic that would drain him fully and not be able to call to anyone that was looking for them if he went back to his normal form, so he kept hit against Warriors chest over and over again, begging him out loud to wake up.

He didn’t hesitate to blow air into the others airways as he grew desperate. He would never forgive himself if Warriors died because of some dumb secret that the others wouldn’t have minded. He was just too stubborn and untrusting, yet Warriors had shown him full trust since the beginning.

Another breath.

Hit to the chest.

Another struggling breath.

Weaker hit to the chest. Legend was fading.

Warriors coughed, spewing water from his mouth. Legend let out a relieved sob, rolling Warriors to his side as best as he could.

In the distance were two figures that Legend could just make out as Wolfie and Time. “Over here!!” He felt the adrenaline dropping, darkness calling to him. He let out a soft, “Over here…”, placing a protective arm over Wars, then drifted to the sound of the waves and the warmth of the sand.

They were safe. Him and his brother were safe.

[gaylactic-fire]

I think a lot about the monsters in Link's Awakening and how they are so unique and honestly tragic compared to every other depiction of monsters in the LoZ series.

Like, it's undeniable that the monsters of Koholint -if not all than at least the boss monsters- are sentient. In some cases more so than the human(oid) residents. And for however long Koholint existed before Link was dragged into the dream, the monsters seemed to live pretty peacefully along with the island residents. The owl even states as much that the monsters have begun acting up because they know that Link arrived to wake the Windfish.

The nightmare monster keeping the Windfish trapped in his dream is somewhat akin to a parasite, leeching off of this powerful being's abilities to create a home for the other monsters... But I don't exactly get a sense that the other monsters are "following orders" from the nightmare. Their reactions, their willingness to fight, is not because of some devout loyalty to a higher power, but because Koholint is their home. They are very much aware that Link poses an imminent threat to that.

It's also not exactly a stretch to say that they might have developed a willingness to protect the other inhabitants of Koholint. When a few boss monsters die they put great emphasis on the fact that everything on the island is going to disappear if Link continues his journey. Not just their monster brethern. Everything, the monsters, the homes, the people and animals.

Plus the few times they do cause grief for the residents of the island seems to have ulterior motives. Bow-Wow's capture, for example, feels very premeditated and not just done for evil funsies. There is no way to get into Bottle Grotto without Bow-Wow. The monsters capture him knowing this, trying to hault Link's progress.

And the most tragic thing is that the whole time the monsters never lie to you. They never try to trick you or exaggerate the severity of Link's actions. They tell you exactly what is going to happen if you keep going and you never listen. As the final nightmare dies it utters:  "This island is going to disappear... Our world is going to disappear... Our world... Our... world..."

So... yeah. Probably the most fascinating and humanising depiction of monsters in the series we will get...

[candy8448]

Rambles Masterlist

#i do a little ramble (theories and such)

Other Ramble Masterlists:

Original rambles masterlist

Asks n interacts

Playing twilight princess for the first time

Bigenderfluid rambles

GCSEs rambles

Big Rambles:

Flora and the chain senarios

Sky and Sun headcanons

Music in BotW and LoZ (TotK continuation)

BotW cutscenes: 3 7

Legend oh Kohilint (lucid dreaming)

Portals in LU

Random details in LU

Hyrule castle tablet speculation (totk)

Sage themes ranked

Dawn part 3 part 4 part 5 part 6 part 8 part 9 rambles

I finished TotK!!!

Stakes in tears of the kingdom

Memory system in botw and totk

Link, hero of legend (continuation)

Every zelda ost thoughts

Warrior cats new stuff 0.0

Zelda dungeon concept

Hunger games: Ballad of songbirds and snakes

Haymitch's hunger games - 2nd quarter quell

Labeling everything in the lu dec art

Reading mockingjay more dream ending

LU LGBT+ headcanons

My struggles with being raised Christian

Big island dream

We dislike the Zonai

Moving on (lu update) rambles

My art and fic process

Moving on (lu update) rambles

Smaller Rambles:

Pre-TotK speculation & discussion

-tober appreciation

Revisiting my 11yrs old self's wattpad account

The chain as benders

We need a sksw manga

Purple korok forest

SCRAPPER THAT LITTLE-

Mermays

Divine dark reflections

Whumptober fluff challenge idea

Sky and various fuzzy creatures

Surface birds

Rain webcomic

Watching sksw in drama dream

Say no to this

Disney channel all star party

Legend protection squad?

Playing totk be like

Legend & Time's birthdays

Super paper mario ost takedowns >:(

Me when blorbo-

Absolutely Tiny Rambles:

Lu boys shiny :D

Girlfriend? Ceased to exist.

Wild success kid

Official skyward sword fancams

Zom 100 animation :0

Skyward sword screenshots

Sealing ground in totk (not really)

Legend and Ravio lookalikes

Oot and Tp manga parallels

Ganty

The Warriors stance

✨Babygirl✨

Hyrule warriors silly

Time travel

Wild fics rant

Lover's pond TotK

Ocarina of time screenshots

Trans Legend

Totally a goron

Master sword pedestal

Peeta's makeup tutorials

My gender is tag game

Snake (mockingjay)

Hyrule sass & more

Warriors not canon

:D

Sad people shack

The most perfectest series of images

BOOP BOOP>:) BOOP! Boop:/ Boop? Boop:0

[legend-of-zelda-voices]

Compilation Post

Ichiko Aoba

Roles in LoZ: Japanese Link's Awakening Switch Commercial (Marin)

Alternate LU Voice for: Marin

Some characters with the same voice:

Trixie (Blade Runner Black Out 2022)

...

In the commercial:

Japanese Link's Awakening Switch Commercial

Ballad of the Wind Fish part from Japanese LA:Switch Commercial

Original Post with Lyrics

_______________________

Speaking

Trixie from Blade Runner Black Out 2022

Times are 0:01, 0:07, 0:13, 0:20, 0:21, and 0:26.

Original Post

_______________________

Singing

"Amuletum" from Ichiko Aoba

Original Post with Lyrics

---

"Sagu Palm's Song" from the Windswept Adan album

Another version here or below

Original Post with Lyrics

---

"Porcelain" from Ichiko Aoba from the Windswept Adan album

Original Post with Lyrics

---

"Seabed Eden" from Ichiko Aoba

Another version here or below

Original Post with Lyrics

---

"Easter Lily" from the Windswept Adan album

Original Post with Lyrics

---

"Dawn in the Adan" from the Windswept Adan album

Original Post with Lyrics

---

"Hello" from AMIKO

Original Post with Lyrics

---

"Kiseki wa Itsudemo" from the Utabiko album

Translated title: "Miracles Always"

Original Post with Lyrics

---

"Yume Shigure" from the Mahoroboshiya album

Translated title: "Dream Drizzle"

Original Post with Lyrics

---

"Kanashii Yume wo Mitara" from the Utabiko album

Translated title: "When You Dream a Sad Dream"

Original Post with Lyrics

---

She has a lot of songs, and I didn't want to make this go on for too long, so... I'll put some songs here.

Some songs I didn't make original posts for:

• Pilgrimage from the Windswept Adan album (None - made-up)

• Asleep Among Endives from Ichiko Aoba (Lyrics in Description)

• A Hill of the Moon from the qp album (Lyrics in Comments)

• Tooi Akogare (Distant Longing) from Moomin (Lyrics found in another compilation toward bottom at the top of the list or Here)

• Merengue Doll from Ichiko Aoba (Lyrics in Description)

• The End from the Mahoroboshiya album (None)

• Hagupit from the Windswept Adan album (Lyrics)

• Adan no Shima no Tanjyosai and Another Version (The Birth Festival of Adan Island) from the Windswept Adan album (Lyrics)

• Kokoro no Sekai (The World of the Heart) from the Kamisori Otome album (Lyrics)

• Fuwarin from the Kamisori Otome album (Lyrics)

• Umibe no Souretsu (Funeral Procession by the Seaside) from the qp album (Lyrics)

• Umitengu (Sea Tengu) from the Mahoroboshiya album (Lyrics)

• Dare ka no Sekai (Someone Else's World/No One's World) from the qp album (Lyrics)

• Rohyou (Guide) from the Kamisori Otome album (Lyrics)

• Onigashima (Isle of Demons) from the Mahoroboshiya album (Lyrics in Video or Here)

• Amaneki (Ubiquity) and Another Version from Ichiko Aoba & Sweet William (Lyrics in 1st video or Here)

• Hidokei (Sundial) from the Origami album (Lyrics)

• Faint Song of the Rabbit Moon from the qp album (Lyrics in Video)

• Lullaby from Ichiko Aoba (Lyrics)

You can find even more songs here:

Ichiko Aoba

Playlist

_______________________

[gardenofhope]

WAITER WAITER 🥘🎶♟️ more lore please<3

thanks bestie >:3c

🥘 (Stew) - Do they have any favourite foods or comfort foods? What are their eating habits like? If absorbed by the Cook ability, what healing item would they summon?

- lula’s a big fan of soups and stews!! she loves making them herself with veggies she grows in her garden, probably tastes much better with those than with store bought ingredients. as for luca, he’s a big fan of spicy foods [and has a higher spice tolerance than lula], so he would enjoy curry, and be the kind of mf to put an absurd amount of salsa on his tacos LMAO but as for comfort foods, they both have a big sweet tooth so just about any dessert will satisfy them.

- lula is very good about eating three meals a day, while luca tends to forget about needing to eat 😭 she gets on his case about it often, and makes sure he eats something at a reasonable time. sometimes they cook together though! a fun activity AND luca remembers to eat…

- as for the cook ability, luca would drop an energy drink or a pepper of some kind, while lula would drop a tomato/maxim tomato orrr strawberries? [all things she grows in her garden]

🎶 (Music Notes) - Do they play any instruments? What kind of leitmotif and/or battle theme would they have? Are there any songs you associate with them?

- neither of them know how to play an instrument! though maybe lula would take an interest in piano, and luca with a synthesizer…

- OHHHH I think it would be fun if they shared a leitmotif, but the instrumentation differed between them. like if lula’s version had woodwinds/strings or just a more orchestral style, and luca’s version had more electronic sounds, or was in a chiptune style. if I had any proper knowledge in music theory I would’ve definitely tried to compose something for them by now [we are ignoring the fact that I played an instrument for 11 years-]

- as for a battle theme for them, luca on his own might have something like [Bombs for Throwing at You] from portal 2 or [System Corruption] from portal stories: mel? it would sound very reminiscent of either game… as for lula, something like [Dialga’s Fight to the Finish!] from pmd time/darkness/sky or maybe [Midna’s Lament] from loz twilight princess..? for a battle theme of the two of them together, [Try, Try Again] from m&l dream team fits I think… very upbeat and could highlight the two of them working together in a battle :]c

- for songs I associate with them, [Christmas Island] by LAKE and [By Your Side.] from the omori ost makes me think of them. ANNNND [A Gash on the Cheek] by Superet!! I am very normal about that song [lying]

♟️ (Pawn) - Does your OC get possessed easily, or do they have the willpower to fight back against any possible attempts? Have they been possessed before?

- both of them would be susceptible to possession, ESPECIALLY when caught in a bad mood. in their “canon” lore, neither of them have been possessed, though I’ve been thinking about the concept of one of them getting possessed by dark matter, and the other being forced to fight them >:3c bonus points if the possessed twin is winning the fight and almost deals a finishing blow, but said twin manages to muster enough willpower to stop themselves from doing so <3 I love angst

[noorahqar]

ohhhhh that makes sense! i will do an ask game thingo!

ok im gonna say number 8 reoccurring dreams for the questions game & 👊🙉 for the loz one. i think i mightve typed the wrong emoji monkey but WHY IS THERE MORE THAN ONE EMOJI MONKEY ANYWAY

thank u and goodnight <3

Hi Bee!!! I also don't know why there's more than one monkey! Why is that a subgenre of emojis. I kind of get the cats, at least. Altho this guy 😼 has no rational reason to exist IMO.

8. any reacquiring dreams?

Yeah I'm guessing that meant reoccurring. Not really anymore. I never had reoccurring dreams, but I'd have dream sequels two or three years after the original. The only one I remember right now is one that had the titanic in it. Not much else. It was like... 6-ish years ago, tbf LOL

🙊 Unpopular Zelda Opinions?

Zelda unpopular opinions... Hmm. I'm a sheep when it comes to opinions but I can think of one currently.

I don't think every Zelda game from here on out HAS to be open world. I've seen a lot of people view the open world format as the future of all games, but linearity is nice too. I've heard people say that Nintendo doesn't go back once it's found a formula that works, and I'm vaguely scared that'll be the case moving forwards LOL.

Additionally, because my rambles kept ending up here, TOTK's map was kind of mediocre. It was fun seeing how it had developed over the five-ish years since BOTW, but there wasn't much new to explore. The Depths and Sky Islands? Yeah, they're there, but only about 20% of either of those had any actual content. There were a lot of missed opportunities. But the little lore drops were fun! I really liked the contents of the Gerudo depths. I wish it'd been explored more.

Eek. Don't get me started on how none of the civilians recognize Link. Or the repetitiveness of the dialogue and sages. Eughh. As you can see I'm stuck somewhere between adoring TOTK and disliking it LOL

👊 Favorite Zelda Villain/Boss?

Oooooh. I'm gonna have to say the very final boss of TOTK, for strange reasons. Spoilers ahead (It's been a year. Is it still spoilers?)

I saw the name "Demon Dragon" on Ao3 like a week after the game came out and immediately did that thing where I forget spoilers on purpose. (It works so well. I did the same for the Seized Construct and was SO SHOCKED when that boss fight occurred.) But I expected it to be a main boss _before_ Ganondorf. Like Mucktorok or something. I actually thought the Spirit Temple was where it'd occur.

It did NOT occur in the Spirit Temple. It was fucking awesome, LOL. Not a hard boss, more for the spectacle, but the thrill was insane!!

Thank you for the ask, Bee!! ❤️❤️

[ten-thousand-year-elegy]

Lorepost: Chapter Twelve, “Insomnia”

By popular reader request, TTYE lore posts are companion pieces for each chapter of the story breaking down all of the Legend of Zelda lore and references made in each chapter, for readers looking to learn more about LoZ or just refresh their knowledge. This chapter contains explanations for: The Mirror Shield, “You’re met with a terrible fate...”, the Book of Mudora, Dragon Roost Island, the Fairy Ocarina, the Fierce Deity Mask, Yuugi’s Truth-Sight, Midna, and Zelda’s Lullaby.

Spoilers again :D I’m going in-depth on the Yuugi-tachi’s hallucinations in the jungle, and often these will be things that the gang themselves don’t manage to figure out - tons of foreshadowing, references to other timelines, etc. etc. No direct spoilers for future TTYE chapters, just hints.

Part Two: The Items

Time to finally reveal the purposes behind the hallucinations throughout the jungle - they were all seeing future visions hinting at the items they would get! But it wasn’t one-to-one - each member of the nerd herd was seeing a hallucination of someone else’s item.

Honda’s Mirror Shield

Honda shrugged. “I dunno. I saw a big temple in the desert with a giant lady statue. I was standing in one of her hands. I felt scared as fuck when I woke up, but looking back it was really cool.”

“Checks out,” Eri said. “That’s the Spirit Temple, where you get the Mirror Shield.”

The Mirror Shield is found in a few Zelda games. The one Honda receives is from Majora’s Mask. Kaiba dreams of the Haunted Wasteland leading to the Desert Colossus, which is where the Mirror Shield is found in Ocarina of Time.

Anzu’s Vision

“Um…” Anzu frowned, and wrapped her arms around her knees. “No. I just heard…odd music, and…a voice. It said something strange.”

“What was it, Anzu-chan?” Eri prodded gently.

Anzu looked at Eri, her eyes fearful, and quoted: “You’ve met with a terrible fate, haven’t you?”

There was a long pause.

“Oh,” Eri said faintly, “that’s not good.”

The nerd herd doesn’t know yet what exactly Anzu got at the Spring of Courage, if anything. But the phrase she heard - you’ve met with a terrible fate, haven’t you - is the arc phrase for The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask. This line is spoken by the Happy Mask Man, a wandering mask salesman. He was in possession of Majora’s Mask, an artifact of unspeakable power and evil, until he was injured and robbed by Skull Kid. The Happy Mask Man tasks Link with recovering Majora’s Mask before Skull Kid can use it to bring doom to the land of Termina.

Throughout the jungle, Honda had been hearing the Skull Kid pattering along behind him and occasionally letting out his signature cackle. He was also kept awake by a suspiciously bright moon.

Kaiba’s Book of Mudora

Yuugi looked over at Kaiba, finally taking his appearance in for the first time. He was clearly completely awake, but scowling up at the sky as if refusing to accept whatever had just happened. It was an expression Yuugi had seen on him many times. Clutched to his chest was an open, heavy-looking book.

“And that’s the Book of Mudora,” Eri said after a moment, following Yuugi’s gaze.

“What’s in it?” Yuugi wondered, tapping Kaiba’s shoulder. Kaiba ignored him.

“It’s a guide to ancient Hylian text,” Eri said. She poked Kaiba too. “Hey. Kaiba-kun. Can you even read that?”

“No,” Kaiba said, in a tone that Yuugi somehow understood meant yes, and I hate it.

The Book of Mudora appears in just one Zelda game: A Link to the Past. From the Zelda wiki: “The Book of Mudora is a collection of ancient Hylian lore and stories, as well as a guide to translating the ancient Hylian Language.”

As you’ll recall from the last post, Eri’s hallucinations have been olfactory in nature - she mentioned smelling a forest (the Forest Haven) and the sea (Outset Island.) In this chapter she elaborates:

“I saw something!” Eri chimed in suddenly, patting Honda’s shoulder. “It’s not only you.”

“Don’t lie to make him feel better,” Kaiba snapped.

Eri deflated. “Okay. I didn’t see anything, exactly…”

“Neither did I,” Anzu said. “I only heard the music and the strange voice. It’s something like that for you too, ne, Eri-chan?”

“Yeah.” Eri nodded. “It’s kind of hard to explain. I heard two voices talking to each other in a language I couldn’t understand, but…I was on top of a volcano.”

“How did you know that if you couldn’t see anything?” Yuugi asked.

“I smelled it,” Eri answered sheepishly. “You know. Like…smoke, and mountain chrysanthemum. I’ve never been to a volcano, but I’m sure of it.”

“Okay,” Honda said dubiously. “Did you recognize either of the voices?”

Eri nodded again. “One of them was Kaiba-kun.”

The volcano Eri smelled was Dragon Roost Island, home of the dragon Valoo.

Put together, Eri hallucinated the three times in Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker when Link hears the Ancient Hylian language - spoken by The Great Deku tree at the Forest Haven, Jabun at Outset Island, and Valoo at Dragon Roost Island. You may also recall that Eri seemed to hear Kaiba talking a few times when no one else did:

Yuugi looked around, bemused. “You like this smell?”

“Don’t you?” Eri inhaled deeply. “It’s so light and fresh and flowery.” Suddenly, she turned to face Kaiba, folding her arms. “What did you say? You have a problem with me breathing in air now?”

“I didn’t say anything, moron,” Kaiba snapped. “But since you brought it up, you’re aware that you can breathe air while walking, aren’t you? Let’s go already.”

-

“Dunno about that,” Eri chimed in, popping up at Honda’s elbow, “but I couldn’t sleep either because someone was talking to himself all night.” She shot a glare at Kaiba’s back.

“What?” Honda glanced at Kaiba. “I didn’t hear him.”

“How could you not?” Eri crossed her arms. “I think he’s finally gone off his rocker. He’s been muttering to himself the whole time we’ve been in the jungle.”

She looked back and forth from Honda to Anzu to Yuugi, all of whom were wearing matching concerned expressions. “Um…unless there’s someone else around who can make their voice go really deep? Did Jounouchi-kun finally figure out how to do a proper Kaiba-kun impression?”

The reason she couldn’t figure out exactly what Kaiba was saying is because in her auditory hallucinations, he was speaking in Ancient Hylian.

Eri’s Fairy Ocarina

“And you’ve got, what, a little flute?” Honda said, reaching over to uncurl Eri’s fingers, which were clamped in a death grip around something small.

“Oh,” Eri said, sounding surprised that she’d even been holding it. She looked down. Her face was puzzled. “It’s…the fairy ocarina? But why?”

The Fairy Ocarina is a musical instrument that can play multiple songs with magical effects. It was given to Link by his cherished childhood friend Saria as a parting gift. Anzu dreamed about this exact scene, and then later heard Saria’s laughter echoing through the forest.

The catch with the Fairy Ocarina is that you have to know both the song and the magical effect it will produce before it will do anything - you can’t really just take a blind stab at it and hope you play the right thing. Intent is key. So even though Eri has an advantage, being both a musician and a Zelda nerd, she still has to figure out exactly what the Ocarina is capable of before putting it to good use.

Jounouchi’s Fierce Deity Mask

The Fierce Deity’s Mask is from The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask. Link obtains it just before his final battle with Majora, the evil entity sealed into the mask. It is unspeakably powerful and turns Link into a Fierce Deity version of himself. Because the Fierce Deity’s Mask has appeared with the intent of being wielded by Jounouchi, it has taken on Jounouchi’s face.

A note on Jounouchi’s hallucinations: these are not canon to any entry of the Zelda series, so you won’t recognize them from any games (although particularly eagle-eyed readers may recognize a character or two.) I’m not going to go into any depth because all will be explained later in the story. :)

Yuugi’s Truth-Sight

Eri does a pretty comprehensive job of explaining the Lens of Truth and how it’s likely connected to Yuugi’s truth-sight, but for a little extra background: the Lens of Truth appears in multiple Zelda games and allows the bearer to see through minor illusions (such as false walls and enemies that are capable of concealing themselves with dark magic). It also reveals hidden ghosts.

Yuugi and Jounouchi are the only two characters who hallucinate about their own items/powers instead of someone else’s. Yuugi actually proves mostly immune to the effects of the jungle because, between the Shadow Realm and his forays into the Twilight Realm, he’s built up an immunity to dark magic that the others don’t have. Hylia uses her magic to lower his defenses and allow some visions through as a warning, which is why his hallucinations all happen in one go at the end. (What is she trying to warn him about? Well, I won’t spoil that.)

Other Lore

Midna

Midna is the Princess (later Queen) of the Twilight Realm. In The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, she slowly grew to trust Link (seen above him his wolf form) and eventually put herself in danger to save Princess Zelda, despite previously expressing disdain for light-worlders. Princess Zelda sacrificed herself in turn for Midna and Link went to great lengths to save both Hyrule and the Twilight Realm from Ganondorf’s evil. At the end of Twilight Princess, Midna shattered the Mirror of Twilight, thus severing the only connection between her world and the light world, but made it clear that she would always see Link and Zelda as her friends.

It has been many, many years - centuries, or even millennia - since the events of Twilight Princess. The Link and Zelda alive now are not the ones that Midna knew and trusted. She has been hiding and watching Yuugi all along as he pops in and out of her Realm, waiting for the right time to make her move. The fact that Midna is around means that the other Twili are still in their Realm as well, hidden from the sight of any wanderers who would stumble into their dimension.

Zelda’s Lullaby

This tune has been present as Zelda’s theme in every Zelda game (give or take one or two.) When played on magic musical instruments, it can sometimes put people to sleep, or reveal secrets hidden by the Royal Family. Is Eri really wielding magic here, or just playing a nice relaxing song that Anzu happens to like? That’s debatable :)

Give it a listen - it’s a very beautiful song!

[thechibigames]