#new zora girlfriend for zelda

[jellyfishvibes]

Echoes of Wisdom is already on the redesign list dw

I am so obsessed with the new teeny tiny zelda

[links-in-time]

Hero's Scars

Trans-Masc Hyrule Warriors Link

@hyruledwarriorr @crazylittlejester

Not sure how long this fic is going to be, or where it's going at the moment. But I had an idea for this fic a while ago and Warriors Link lives rent free in my brain in a variety of ways.

Hope people like this iteration of Warriors Link.

(Conversations and ideas have been vetted by my trans girlfriend)

Warnings: Mature themes, language, future sexual encounters.

Content under cut.

Sara walked along the long corridor which housed the Hylian army barracks. To the left and right were doors leading into the bunks for the various battalions of the army, as well as the officer's quarters. Sara had been sent to retrieve Captain Link for a meeting with Princess Zelda and the generals. Link was usually pretty prompt at attending meetings. However, last night he had returned well after midnight, following a particularly harrowing raid on a monster encampment.

As she reached the door to Link's room Sara stopped and knocked.

"Just a moment!" She heard Link call out.

The door however was unlatched and swung open a little as she knocked. Sara opened it a little more and put one foot inside the room.

"It's just Sara, Sir, I've come to get you for the meeting." She assured him as her eyes swept the room.

It was a modest chamber. A small room with a window and bed at the far end, a desk covered with documents and a trunk containing Link's clothes and personal items.

Link was already up and half dressed. He had put on his trousers and was sitting on the bed in the process of pulling up his boots. He jumped to his feet however when he realised Sara was in the room. She couldn't help but stare at his half naked form. He was slim but very muscular, his torso tapered a little at his waist above his belt. As Sara's eyes wandered upwards towards Link's flushed face, she noticed two crescent shaped scars below his chest. They curved around his pecks like pink shadows. Link's arms folded around his chest instantly when he caught her staring, and he turned his back on the door.

"I said I needed a moment! Get out!" He barked back at Sara, his surprise and embarrassment quickly turning to anger.

"I'm so sorry!" Sara replied, flustered as she tried to close the door. "The door was open, I just... I'll wait for you outside."

Sara quickly slammed the door closed with a little more force than she meant to. She slumped against the wall and let out a long sigh. She squeezed her eyes closed and bashed her fist against her forehead.

Sara and Link had become friends a long time ago. Not long after the start of the war she had been assigned to his squad. Though Link was fairly cagey around most people, Sara had got him to open up on more than one occasion. They bonded over their dislike of their adolescent drill sergeants, and their mutual love of sweet treats. Although they were difficult to come by these days, Link often managed to share his rations of cake and biscuits with Sara. She hoped beyond hope that this incident wouldn't spoil their friendship.

***

It was a few days until Sara got the opportunity to see Link again. They had just finished clearing out a new monster encampment on the Zora border and were taking a well earned rest in a nearby town. The Inn had offered to house the officers while the rest of the troops were camped outside. That didn't stop the soldiers from making use of the Inn's bar however.

Sara had just come off patrol with a few other soldiers, when she stepped into the Inn. A wall of noise, warmth and light hit her like the broadside of a bokoblins mace. The Inn was full to bursting with jolly soldiers and a few of their superiors dotted about, as well as a handful of locals. Some of whom seemed pleased to have the army visit their small village, others were glaring over their tankards.

Pushing her way to the bar, Sara caught the barkeeps attention. Some barrels of cider had been paid for by the General and set behind the bar for the troops. The barkeep poured a pint into a pewter tankard and passed it across the bar to her. She gave him a nod rather than try and thank him, it was too loud for him to hear her anyway.

Turning around to face the room, Sara caught sight of a familiar flash of bright blond hair at the far end of the bar. Leaning forwards she could see Link, drink in hand, two young women and a red headed boy practically hanging off his right arm. Sara studied his face. Link clearly wasn't engaging with them and was doing his best to ignore the trio. His cheery smile failed to reach his bright blue eyes. One of the women, a pretty blonde with large green eyes, leant against the bar talking almost constantly. The other woman who had brown hair was trying to muscle in between her friend and Link to try and get his attention. The red headed boy leant against an elbow on the bar, sipping his drink while occasionally adding a comment to the conversation.

Sara rolled her eyes at them. She'd seen plenty of people in towns all over Hyrule swooning over the Captain. The Hero of Hyrule came with a lot of caviats she had realised. One being a lot of unwanted attention from people seeking the Hero's favor.

Sara enjoyed her cider in relative peace for a while. Some of her squad came over to talk about the battle but she was only half interested in reliving their latest victory.

When she found herself alone at the bar again, her attention wandered back to Link. The two women had gone but the red headed guy was still hanging around him like a bad smell. Sara assumed he was a farm hand or some such, judging by his muddy and patched clothing. But going by his sly expression, he could have fit right in at Hyrule Castle with the other slippery nobles. Sara's eyes flicked to Link's face, but it was difficult to make out his expression beneath his bangs which hung down low over his half bowed head. When the red head trailed a hand down Link's upper arm, he flinched.

"That's it!" Sara announced to no one in particular, slamming her tankard down on the bar with more force than she meant to.

Sara got to he feet and pushed her way towards her Captain. He didn't see her coming but the interloper did. He scoffed at her and raised an eyebrow as she elbowed her way towards them.

"Can we help you with something sweetheart?" The man asked condescendingly, looking down his pointed nose at Sara, who was only half a head shorter than he was.

"Hmm?" she hummed behind a false smile. "No, but you can help yourself avoid a black eye and go home," she stated plainly.

The man blinked at her and Link half turned to look at her, the corner of his mouth curling slightly.

"Excuse me darlin'," he drawled, a little taken aback by her afront.

"No, I will not excuse you. I think my Captain has had enough of your chatter for this evening. And unless you want me to announce to every one of HIS soldiers in this tavern that you're bothering him, I suggest you make like a bokoblin and fuck off!"

Sara emphasised her command by pointing towards the door. The man glanced once at Link, who gave him no sighs of encouragement. A few soldiers near by had stopped their conversations to listen to the commotion. Clearly outnumbered and not really wanting to face Hyrule's finest, the man slunk away from the bar, left the Inn and disappeared into the night.

Sara was about to go back to her drink when she heard Link speak.

"Thanks Sara," he uttered.

Sara gave him a respectful nod.

"You didn't look like you were enjoying his company Sir," she replied.

"Not particularly, I just can't seem to be able to tell people that myself," he sighed.

Sara laid a hand on his back. Link froze beneath her touch and she quickly withdrew it again.

"Sorry, um, do you wanna get some air?" She suggested.

Link glanced around at the bar full of soldiers and villagers. A few peple kept shooting him curious looks or whispering to others while staring at him. He turned back to Sara and gave her a weak half smile.

"Yeah, that might be a good idea."

The two of them slipped out of the Inn and walked a short distance out of town where a bubbling river passed it's boundary. Link stopped walking and settled himself on a rock beneath a willow tree. Sara came to a halt when she realised Link was no longer beside her and walked back to lean against the tree beside him.

"So can I ask what all that was about back there?" She asked, inclining her head back towards the Inn.

Link sighed, he wasn't looking at Sara, his gaze was fixed on the water as it hurried by. He rested his elbows up on his knees and rubbed his hands into his eyes, messing up his fringe a little.

"Urgh, they're fans of the Hero," he said, letting out a long deep breath.

"Fans?"

"Yep, all they want to hang around me, make sketches of me, or... Well, that guy wanted something else from me."

"Oh Hylia, they sound as bad as Cia!" Sara exclaimed, disgusted by the behaviour Link was describing.

"They're not so bad really, I'm their hero and there's a certain image of me that they're used to seeing by now. The stoic, handsome hero who swoops in and saves them all. But, I'm just," he paused, closing his eyes. "You know I'm not that person all the time, don't you."

"Of course I do," Sara replied. She kicked Link's foot with her own boot. "For example I know you insist on having three sugars in your tea because in your own words, 'four is excessive but two just isn't enough sweetness'!"

Sara did a poor imitation of Link's Captain voice, which he reserved for meetings or rousing pre-battle speaches. He chuckled and kicked her in return.

"Hey!"

"What I mean is, yes, I know you're a normal guy. Your troops know you're a normal guy, but I guess the people of Hyrule don't really know that."

"Mmm, that's my problem. I have to be Hero Link all the time around them, or else they get disappointed or disheartened if I don't live up to their expectations."

"And the people who want, something else from you?" Sara asked tentatively.

Link let out a haggard breath and his shoulders slumped.

"Even before I found out I had the Triforce of Courage, I'd never been very comfortable about people flirting with me. I never knew how to feel about it. Even if I liked them in return I couldn't bring myself to do anything about it."

Sara didn't know what to say in return, so she remained quiet. Hoping Link just needed someone to listen to him, not offer dating advice.

"I guess I sound like a stuck up ass hole to you don't I?!"

"What?! No not at all, everything you've said makes total sense to me." Sara assured him.

"But you have questions," he continued. "I can tell."

Sara stayed quiet. Of course she had questions about Link. Ever since she had walked in on him half naked and seen his scars she had had questions. But it wasn't her place to ask them. They weren't that close friends, were they?

"Hmm, I know what you want to ask. I saw your face the other day when you walked in on me. You looked just like Impa did when the same thing happened with her," Link said pensively. "Though she addressed it at the time. Impa has very little concern for other people's embarrassment."

"Well, I do. Which I why I didn't ask then, and I'm not asking now. Even if you hadn't yelled at me at the time, I could tell it's a personal thing and I'd never push anyone to talk about personal issues if they didn't want to." Sara said firmly, stepping away from the tree so that Link could see the resolve on her face.

He looked up at her then. Appreciation and tears sparkling in his eyes. He smiled sweetly and nodded.

"Thanks Sara. It's difficult to know who I can be myself around these days," he sniffed, wiping his face on the cuff of his sleeve.

"Of course you can trust me, you gave me your last bar of chocolate when our platoon got snowed into that cave! I'd never break a sacred bond like that!" Sara teased, however, behind her jokes she was being sincere.

"You're right!" Link laughed, a perfect release of joy which made Sara smile. "You know I'd almost forgotten about that misadventure."

"Sir, Link, I want you to know you can tell me anything. If it'll help you shoulder the burden of being our hero, you can trust me." Sara insisted, placing her hand over her heart.

Link got to his feet and faced Sara. He smiled and opened his arms, giving her a cautious glance. Sara approached and wrapped her arms around Link's waist while he hugged tightly around her shoulders.

"Thank you Sara," Link uttered close to her ear. "And you can drop the Sir when it's just us. Feels a bit wrong."

"Okay, and you're welcome Link. I'm not entirely sure what I did really," Sara shrugged.

"You listened," Link said, as he drew back slightly, his arms still locked around her body. "That's more than most people do for me."

"Well, if there's more you want to get off your chest, I'm never far away," Sara replied, giving him a smile.

"Maybe not right now. But I'll definitely keep that in mind."

Part 2 >

[moxpunk]

So, my tabletop group just wrapped up our multi-year Zelda: Reclaim the Wild campaign, and I just wanted to write about it for y'all. This is going to be long and rambling.

To start things off, I made my gal Forota a Gerudo princess (who was also a twin) that transed her gender and abdicated the throne so their non-binary sibling could rule because she just didn't ruling over people. Were they originally named after Kotake and Koume? Absolutely. Were they both destined to be the new-age Ganondorfs because they're both AMAB? Also yes. It's the other reason my gal left her position: she was terrified that because she had a penchant for fighting and strategy and commanding groups meant that she would take on Ganondorf's brutalistic traits.

Because she had a history of being royalty, it was very easy for Forota to find an adventuring position with Queen Zelda (Zelda was finally a queen in our game). The task was to help settle Old Hyrule, which Forota didn't really agree with, but figured she could do a better job than the entire Hylian Army in helping rediscover things. Along the way, she met with a whole party of other adventurers who explored Old Hyrule by her side.

Through all the adventures, a big theme our game took was defying the powers that be and unique relationships with destiny. Personal destiny, the ordained destiny of a culture, the destiny of The Princess, The Warrior, and The Demon.

Turns out, the whole adventuring party had been deigned by Hylia to all collectively take on the soul of the Courage part of the Triforce. We, uh... found a dead Link in the Spirit Temple, where we grabbed the Master Sword and had a fun mechanic where each party-member could only make a single strike with it before it had to be passed to someone else until the whole party got a swing. The Spirit Temple was a huge turning point for a lot of our characters. Cerra, Forota's girlfriend, a Sheikah gravetender, denied her destiny to die in the Spirit Temple. Forota found a new destiny to help raise the Gerudo (who have been splintered into three separate kingdoms in Old Hyrule) from their scorned position of living in the desert. It was... really cool, all said.

Along the way, we met with a whole bunch of different cultures and fun characters. The Deku scrubs were all hyper-capitalists because an evil fairy was demanding all of their rupees. The Zora were all fed into a demon-machine, leaving only children on a single island. The Tokay were absolute trade-gremlins that raised hell with both the Zora and the Deku. The Sheikah knew the dark secrets of the kingdom, and were happy to murder anyone that stumbled on those secrets (that "anyone" also included the party!). The Gerudo were split into a warring kingdom, a political-usurping kingdom, and a fucked-up mushroom-fairy kingdom and they were the coolest motherfuckers. The Rito wished for flight and sought to do so through warfare. The Gorons were subjugated by the Rito, and we helped break their chains.

As we ventured more and more, we began to run into Hylia herself on occasion, and she was the biggest bitch. She demanded perfect subjugation beneath her, and nearly killed Forota when she spoke out against her. As time went on, we realized that maybe Ganondorf had the right idea trying to defy Hylia and the Hyrulean Kingdom.

It all culminated when Ganondorf showed up when we obtained the final shard of the Triforce, and Forota just finally walked up to him and went "I disagree in how you've done your work, but I'll fight by your side to take down Hylia." She had accepted both parts of her destiny, realizing that fighting alongside Ganondorf and using his forces of monsters for good against an unjust Hylia would be how she could redeem the Gerudo's past. He helped repair an ancient crown gifted to her in the Shadow Temple, and allowed her to command 1/10th of his monster army in the final assault against the Sky Islands (an idea our DM came up with long before the first Tears of the Kingdom was ever shown, he took it from Skyward Sword).

Our Zora caster, Hretha, was stolen by Hylia and kidnapped to the sky, and tonight in our final session we helped save her and finally take down Hylia. We gathered the Triforce and the Reversed Triforce that Ganondorf had gathered, and wished upon the Resversed Triforce to strip her of her goddesshood and upon the Triforce to break the cycle of Link, Zelda, and Ganon reincarnation. Now, Hylia gets to sit-in on diplomatic meetings while people essentially child-glove speak to her like "You don't imprison someone in the Golden Realm forever if you disagree, you talk it out like a normal person."

Forota got a lovely send-off. She got married to Cerra with a big wedding officiated by both Zelda and Ganondorf in a huge show of peace. Then, when celebrations had subsided, Ganondorf pulled Forota aside and told her that his tie to the cycle may have been broken, but his immortality remains intact. To find his humanity, he needs a general by his side to travel to the Underworld to kill six-billion demons. Forota, overjoyed that she gets to fight alongside the man she dreaded she might have become, happily accepted. She comes to the surface on occasion to hang out with her wife who is now Zelda's right-hand woman.

I plan on doing a follow-up campaign set about 10 or 20 years after this one, where all of our characters can make cute little cameo appearances. Also, it'll be a fun way to bring in some of the Zonai stuff and other mechanics the Reclaim the Wild devs are cooking up in their Discord.

I know this was long, but it was a long adventure! Thank you guys for reading my fun little ramblings, feel free to send me some asks if you have questions you'd like me to write about!

[frickingnerd]

match up for dino

for xenoblade chronicles i'd match you up with… pyra and mythra!

pyra is the one that falls for you first, but mythra falls for you harder!

pyra had a small crush on you since you two first met, her feelings slowly growing stronger over time

mythra however didn't like you at first, yet when you continued to be kind to her, despite how mean she was, she suddenly caught herself falling for you!

the great thing about dating the two of them is that you can do different things with a different girl!

pyra is the calm one that loves dates at the park or having a picnic in an open field, while you two talk and maybe she'll even sing something just for you

meanwhile with mythra, you'll likely play some video games with her or she'll drag you out to a place you've never been to before, to make sure you make some new memories!

both of the girls are deadly protective of you and won't let anyone say a single bad thing about you!

for rwby i'd match you up with… pyrrha nikos!

yes, another red head named pyr(rh)a! i have now determined that this is your type. i make the rules, sorry :P

pyrrha is a really affectionate and at times even clingy girlfriend!

honestly, she likes herself a shy guy and she finds it adorable how humble and kind you are!

pyrrha is very eager to learn more about your hobbies and interests, always urging you to open up towards her, as she wants to know everything there is about you

once she learns that you draw, she'll beg you to show you some of your drawings and she'll love them!

drawing isn't something she's good at, so she thinks it's great that you can do it!

what she is good at though is singing!

as most of your dates happen within or near beacon, you two often find yourself a lonesome spot and pyrrha will softly sing for you, while you lean against her and draw. she'll never get tired of watching you work!

for doki doki literature club i'd match you up with… sayori!

listen, sayori might not be what you described as your type, but i still think the two of you would make a really sweet couple!

you'd be this soft couple that never argues and that everyone is a bit envious about, because your relationship is just so wholesome

you bring out the best in each other, able to lift each other up when nobody else can do it

dates often take place somewhere outside, since sayori often spends too much time alone in her room and going out with you is the only time when she can bring herself to spend time outside

it's kind of a mystery how the two of you even began dating though, as you are both introverted and nobody quite knows who made the first move…

for nier automata i'd match you up with… A2!

A2 is deeply protective person, since she lost so many people dear to her already

she tends to be a overprotective and at times even a bit possessive, but its always clear that it's because she cares about you a lot and lost too much already

A2 is also incredibly strong and i think she'd be very happy if you let her take care of you! carrying you, defending you in battle and so on

what A2 loves the most about you is how creative you are, simply because she's only good at fighting and destroying, while you create something new

A2 has a cold exterior, but she's an absolute sweetheart with you!

for the legend of zelda i'd match you up with… mipha!

mipha is a very kind and caring girlfriend, who's just super supportive of you and always there to lift you up when you're not feeling well

she loves to listen to you talk and she's a great listener, always knowing when to keep quiet and when to ask questions

dating her might be a bit intimidating, given that she's the zora princess, but mipha always assures you that you're good enough for her and that her family loves you!

it's a bit hard to find alone time with mipha, given her status, so most dates happen near zora domain, exploring the nearby area

mipha admires you drawing skills, given that she isn't any good at that and always nudges you towards making some drawings for her!

for my hero academia i'd match you up with… itsuka kendo!

kendo can be a bit strict with you, but she means well and just wants you to be the best version of yourself that you can be!

she'll train and study with you, which will be what most of your dates are, but sometimes you two also go on normal dates, like the movies or dinner!

kendo always drags you along to class activities or other events, wanting you to get to know more people and experience new things

she respects your boundaries, but still pushes you out of your comfort zone, helping you realize that most things aren't as scary or hard as you might think

a/n: i feel the need to add that you seem like a very sweet person and absolutely deserve to be happy, dude! :) also, tagging you so you can see this, @dinomidori

[eureka5215]

The impatient with himself vs wanting to take it slow and prevent anymore loss stuff is even more apparent looking at how their journeys began and the overall mindset they(and you as the player) develop over their games.

Without going too much into the sword itself the pulling of the sword has COMPLETELY different tones in both games, and it only snowballs after that. In Skyward Sword, Sky is quite literally living out the ancient legends of the goddess and the hero, the fact that you have to lift Fi skyward and she charges with holy light really sets how this is such sacred moment and is followed by Gaepora, a man he very clearly looks up to and is the father of his girlfriend, explaining to him how this means he’s part of this ancient prophecy that Fi, a literal agent of the goddess they JUST had a ceremony for, expands upon and then immediately assures him that Zelda is, and will be, alright. The beginning of his adventure is through beautiful and relatively peaceful locations, and aside from the urgency to find Zelda those first few areas and dungeons have a feeling of detachment in a way. The Demon King isn’t in play yet, just his high camp Demon Lord who is chasing after Zelda. Yeah he doesn’t want that demon getting to her and yeah he wasn’t quick enough at first, but he’s only just gotten here, what’s there to worry about? He’s one of the first Hylian’s on the surface in ages! It isn’t until Impa grilling him in the fire temple and being faced with the Very Real Possible Consequences that urgency starts to set in. But hey, those words sting but it’s not like it’ll always be like that right? And then the destruction of the time gate at the Temple of Time happens. And then the first Imprisoned fight happens. And suddenly everything is all too real, coming all too soon. Everything is in jeopardy, and you need to forge the Master Sword and obtain the Triforce before it’s too late. And even then, Ghirahim comes in at the last second and spirits Zelda away, and again it’s a race to save her before first the Imprisoned is released and then Demise rises again. Danger in Skyward Sword is equated with being as fast as possible to prevent harm from being done, because the one major person in danger for most of the game can only be saved if the evil force is stopped before it can strike again. And in the end he saves the day and is reunited with his two closest friends, now free to explore the vast new world beneath the clouds in peace.

Now look at Ocarina of Time. It opens with a similar dilemma: Time has to save the Great Deku Tree, the forest guardian that raised him from death. And despite completing the dungeon, despite stopping the entity, he still dies. Time is 10 here. 10. Sky was a near graduate of the knight’s academy, he was formally trained with a sword. The first time Time wields a sword was just before that same dungeon. And as he has to come to terms with the horror that his father is dying right in front of him the prophecy for OoT is thrust upon him. That he has to stop Ganondorf from destroying Hyrule, that this is only the beginning. And so he sets off and, like the Hero of the Skies before him, prevents greater damage from happening to the Gorons and the Zora, preventing harm before it can set in. And then he has to pull the sword. Pulling the sword immediately sets the tone for the rest of the game with Ganondorf using him to get into the Sacred Realm and him being unable to do anything. There will be no preventing the destruction. There will be no saving the day in the nick of time. The sword was, in essence, a trap, and he fell hook, line, and sinker. And suddenly he wakes up, in a body foreign to his own, and a man he’s never seen before tells him how much he missed during his 7 years asleep, how much was lost. Straight out of the a temple of Time the lively and bright city he knew is now complete and utter ruins. The post time-skip storyline of Ocarina of Time is not about preventing harm, it’s about protecting what’s left. Sky’s journey always loops back to Skyloft under the Goddess statue’s welcoming gaze, his home is always there and a remind of what there is to lose if he doesn’t stop the threat in time. Stepping back into Kokiri Forest after the time-skip lets you know right away that this is no longer Time’s home. And why would it be? He’s not a child, he’s not a Kokiri, so why would they recognize him? He’s already lost that home, I don’t think he could live with himself if he were to lose what little is left. Except he does. Zelda sends him back, and suddenly everything he lost is back, and everything he had is gone. The princess he warns didn’t guide him throughout his journey. The sages he fought beside don’t know this little kid. And the one person that did know him still, that never left his side through all the pain, leaves without a trace. Beating Ocarina of Time is not triumphant, it’s bittersweet at best. The kingdom is saved and Ganondorf is thwarted before he can even begin his wicked plans, but Time is still left all alone with nothing but the memories and trauma of his adventure to keep him company when he wanders. Majora’s Mask is much the same, endlessly trying to save what little there is of Termina within three short days, only to be greeted every cycle with people you now know and care for that have never seen you before.

They both love those around them so fiercely, that much is very clear. They go to hell and back to everyone they can, but that urgency and the approach they take are colored by very different backgrounds. It doesn’t matter if they both want the best for the same people, the two would absolutely clash on how to go about doing so, and the Hero’s Spirit is nothing if not stubborn.

Luna, my dear sweet friend, can I pick your brain?

Lofty gave me a veeerrry good scenario for a Time vs Sky conflict, but I'd love to hear your thoughts on what that could look like? I picked 2 very mature characters and now I have to make them brawl lolol

I think the best route (for me at least) wouldn't involve the master sword or Hylia. So this would be a personality conflict. I don't wanna spoil the scenario she gave me, so I thought I'd ask for your general opinion on what you think would make them fight, personality wise🥰

Feel free to delete if you don't care to go over this, but I thought I'd ask cus you're really good at going in depth with character analysis❤️

BYE FRIEND😀 also I hope you're doing well and you're amazing and wonderful❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

YES ok so personality conflicts between Sky and Time. There's... a lot to look at there lol.

So I'm just gonna look at each of their personalities +flaws, and then how they interact :))

Soo for Time

Time is dad. He's older and more experienced- and he's still a stubborn gremlin like all of them. He's patient with them but also stern- he cares very deeply about all the boys and Sky is no exception

I don't doubt for a second Time wants to be just as close to Sky as the others

One of Times biggest flaws is the idea of a closed mindset. Which makes sense, since we know Time's ending as the hero's shade- he spends years in that mindset of regret. Time has these thoughts of being too old to change (<no), and allows himself to keep holding onto bitterness, especially about the sword. Which he has good reason to be a grumpy old man already, with the mental and physical age difference, but still

Time is obviously capable of changing his mind- as Wind took a challenge to prove

But overall Time is still. He's not super expressive, my man likes to just be. He wants to be still and live, and hero as needed, and not be a super crazy hero, but just a chill dude with malon.

Time is patient and stern and calm and good. He is also closed and stubborn. That's all good, but it doesn't always work the best with Sky.

So Sky.

I literally love this ask because I could rant forever about his flaws to talk about them more (no one kill me).

Sky very highly values being a hero as part of who he is- in contrast to time who literally just doesn't want to.

I see so much of Sky's patience. And with good reason- with others Sky is endlessly patient and calm in resolving conflict. He's emotionally intuitive and intelligent and awesome

But Sky is also I think extremely impatient. With himself, and with things around him that aren't going well.

He wants answers and he wants them now, which is kind of scary from him. I see a lot about Skys temper, but I don't want to forget how much of that is from impatience- not knowing how to handle things going slow.

Because things moving fast and violently is how it needs to be right? *cough cough IMPA

For all sky is extremely patient with others feelings, he is one of the most impatient people with himself and his circumstances. Which a lot of comes from immaturity, which is my next point-

Sky is. A monster with pranks. I don't even know why it took me so long to realise this was Sky-

Saying 'I know we should help but this is too funny'. Twilight and wild are looking disturbed and like they want to help, and Sky and legend are just cold-blooded leaving four struggling for his shield and taking bets. He's very immature, and furthermore, he doesn't really respect Time as an authority as much in the face of pranking/joking

Bro is not remorseful at all I swear-

I also think 'nice hair' Sky is a little... idk judgy? With people he doesn't get along with as well. Like Hyrule. (Wait I haven't yet I gotta rant on that sometime sorry- but yeah he and Hyrule don't vibe well)

Sky can also be unrestrained with his words and snark- his words can practically be a prank in itself 'nice hair' 'am I late?'. I think sometimes he toes the line with pranks and joking around (like that one quest where you could break Peatrices heart?), and same with his words. Overall he's a snarky and sharper person- and being able to pull off good pranks and jokes isn't inherently a bad thing- he's smart. He's a kind person too, but I think sometimes his words and actions can be too sharp.

I think Jojo also said in the post with their ages that she made him slightly younger because of his immaturity compared to twilight. Do with that what you will

So point is, Sky has flaws that are mildly subtle but still prominent, like his impatience with himself and situations, his immaturity with joking and temper and words, and I hc he's a slightly judgy person. 'Nice costume' to Zelda like SKY but I swear I love him. Don't kill me for discussing flaws please I have a dog

So how this comes together with between him and Time is pretty cool-

Skys impatient, and Time has a resistance to change in his mindset- which means that as far as the sword, Sky wants change now, he wants validation and Time to not hate it. Time does not care about this because the sword hurt him and he's spent years hating it.

But with situations and stuff, especially with the entrance arc, we can see Sky being very impatient after Twi's injury- from what I can tell he wants to rip dinks throat out. But it's still subtle- what's not as subtle is how much Time wants to slow down. He wants to hold them back and protect them, and Sky is impatient in a frustrating situation. I could honestly see Sky wanting to run after the shadow on his own right now (sorry, I've been rereading elastic heart). Sometimes patient + wanting to hurry up doesn't work well.

If you think about it in relation to their journeys it makes sense that they are portrayed this way. Skys journey was about rushing and trying to hurry up. Times journeys were horrifying, with this insane feeling of running out of time.. but he could still turn back said time.

I can't even count the number of people I've seen say they tried to rush through the eldin temple as fast as possible on reruns- after Impa telling him it was too late trying to run as fast as possible even knowing it wouldn't change anything. That translates into skys character, and it must be insanely frustrating for him.

They are both heros. Time's journey was about saving the world and Sky's was about trying to kill a god. It's a big disconnect between them- one is patient and one is not, one doesn't want to be a hero and one's life is being a hero dating a goddess. One lightheartedly jokes and one throws a love letter down the toilet (SKY), one is older and one is immature. Yet on the surface Time wears a scowl and Sky is as soft as can be.

They are so very different in so many ways, but so much alike- they are both heros, they both want to be young and playful at heart. They both really like stabbing things and setting them on fire. And also saving the world.

They are also both extremely mature in ways beyond their years and endlessly kind.

I love them so much.

I wasn't sure to say this in the post bc the ask is about personalities, but I feel like another major issue between them could be whatever happened with Time and timelines and the triforce. Obviously the timeline is messed up. I also have not played times games... but I think in timeline talk one he mentioned the triforce of courage ended up broken? I can see Sky not taking well to all of that.

Soooo in terms of personality conflicts that would make them. Fight? Yikes what are you planning Oma, I would say there's several possible triggers outside of the master sword and Hylia (which I think is wise of you to avoid btw)

I think that Skys impatience contrasting with Time's fixed mindsets can have issues. But the way Sky has shown no acknowledgment of Time when he's tried to stop the boys goofing off w/ pranking can also be a trigger- as well as that sharp and sometimes insensitive snarkiness in Skys words we all know and love. They have. A lot of issues. lol.

Yeah! I uhh hope that helped and was relevant or made sense at all- I swear I love these guys. These two are fun to look at because outside of the obvious stressor of the sword they have a lot of other issues as well. They have differences in thinking and personality that can lead to a lot of tension between them.

Thank you for the ask and I can't wait to see what you come up with

The art and comics is by Jojo @linkeduniverse au :D

Thank you for listening to my rant, and here's one of my favourite pictures of these guys

Simply majestic <3

:)

@skyloftian-nutcase

[fortheloveoffanfic]

Behind Closed Doors

Keanu Reeves x OFC (A/n- And now, I shall make it complicated)

Masterlist

Warnings- Jealousy

Chapter 2 All In a Long Weekend

Saturday

That Saturday morning, breakfast had been done a tad earlier than usual, and afterwards, Emma had stayed back in the kitchen, packing a picnic while Keanu oversaw the children as they got ready for the day's beach trip. Matt and Poppy had been raving about their trip to Malibu for the past two weeks, asking every night before bed if they'd still be going. Each time, Emma had assured them that unless it rained, they were certainly going.

"You look excited," an older woman came up beside Emma, setting down some sodas into the cooler, just as Emma continued preparing sandwiches for the container that was set to be packed into the woven basket. She and Zelda, despite the fifteen or so years between them had become fast friends, always eager to help each other out when possible. The older woman was also sometimes keen of giving Emma little snippets of advice that she thought my be helpful; never go into Keanu's office when he had the door shut, don't give the kids ice pops inside and possibly the one that had saved her the most trouble, always check the allergy list that Keanu had stuck to the fridge before making the kids something new.

Beaming absently at her comment, Emma carried on with her task, making cheese and turkey sandwiches; a favorite among Keanu and his kids, "I am, it's been a while since I've been to the beach, and even if I'm still working, it's gonna be fun." Closing up the Tupperware, Emma set it in the basket, moving on to prepping snacks, just as Zelda started on some frozen treats for the sizable cooler. In retrospect, it might have seemed like a lot, but when you were having a day trip with kids, it was best to prepare for anything. "Plus, it'll be nice to spend some time together, just the four of us."

Furrowing her eyebrows in confusion, Zelda paused for a minute, "Five dear," she corrected, a little shocked when Emma didn't understand what she meant.

Certainly, Keanu must have told her!

But really, he hadn't.

Just as Zelda was about to explain though, the sound of the front door opening and shutting, followed by a very loud, and an annoyingly exuberant; "Darling!" After that, it wasn't long before the sound of heels clicking against the floor drew nearer, and out of the long hallway emerged a woman, tall, blonde and just as famous as Keanu.

"Sweet-" Upon seeing the pair, the Miranda Riley, former Victoria Secret model and world famous actress, stopped in her tracks, scrunching her perfectly straight nose as if she'd smelt something terrible, "Oh," her made up face fell, "Its you; Zora and…….the new one."

A little annoyed by her obviously snooty behavior, Emma opened her mouth to speak up, "Actually it's-" Though, when Zelda grabbed her arm, squeezing warningly, she shut up immediately, sealing her lips tightly.

Though, it didn't really seem like any of it greatly affected Miranda, especially when Keanu jogged into the room from the other hall, still bare foot while his worn out t-shirt was soaked at the front, probably from herding the twins into a bath. "Mandy," he grinned, and Emma swore it was stiff and forced. Maybe it was just her imagination though, cause with barely any hesitation, Keanu was taking the woman in his arms, holding her in a more than friendly hug before planting a lengthy kiss on her deep, ruby lips, one of his hands reaching up to cup her face.

The world seemed to slow down as the entire scene unfolded before her; the way he held her, looked at her when they pulled away to speak. A soft, pained gasp seeped past her lips and Emma wasn’t sure what she’d been expecting when Miranda walked into the house, but she did know that the last thing she’d predicted was that it would hurt so much. Her lungs were set ablaze and a similar sensation prickled at her eyes. Rage, betrayal, jealousy, Emma couldn’t tell which it was, but she did know that she wanted to run out of the room and not have to face Keanu for the rest of the day. Hell, maybe even the rest of the month.

Slowly, as if she were just coming up from being submerged in an ice cold bath, Emma brought herself back to the moment, raising her gaze when Keanu sought to introduce them, “Mandy, you remember I told you about Emma, our new nanny.” That was what she was, the nanny; the woman who took care of his kids, nothing more. Even if quieter moments had suggested otherwise. The tension, the long stares and innocent touches that thrilled her nerves, they meant nothing to Keanu. “And Em, this is my girlfriend, Mandy.” Well that didn’t feel like a bullet to the chest at all.

“It’s nice to meet you,” the smile that she plastered on her face was probably the hardest one she’d ever managed, and when Emma offered her hand, it wasn’t difficult to miss the flash of disgust that crossed Miranda’s pale features. Never meet your heroes, they said. For as long as Emma had known herself, Miranda had been an icon in the fashion world, she was well connected, and had set most of the trends that Emma had her friends had desperately wanted to mimic in their teens. It was her, among other inspiring names in the fashion world that had prompted Emma to go to a design institute and not a conventional college. But right then, she might have been happier going back to a time where she’d never crossed paths with Miranda.

Hesitating before offering Emma a toothy, winning grin, Miranda took her hand, shaking quickly over the counter before letting it go again, “Mmm, yes, it's…….nice to meet you too, Emily.”

“Emma,” she corrected, having to bite her tongue so she wouldn’t say anything more. The last thing she’d want was to lose her job after telling off her boss’s out of touch bitch of a girlfriend.

“Right,” Miranda appraised her look, a bright blue sundress, raising an impressed brow, probably only complimenting her to appease Keanu, “Cute dress.”

Before Emma could speak up, Keanu interjected, “She looks lovely doesn’t she? Made it herself,” he didn’t seem remotely aware of the heaviness in the room, or the way Miranda clenched her jaw when another slew of praises for Emma left his lips, “She’s so talented, Poppy is already roping her into making princess dresses for Halloween,” he chuckled, shaking in his head.

After another minute spent gritting her teeth, Miranda sought to change the topic, clearly having had her fill of Keanu’s pride in his nanny, “Where are the little ones anyway? It's nearly ten, we’re going to be late.”

With that, Emma’s head snapped towards Zelda, who'd opted to finish the cooler and snacks in silence, so she wouldn’t have to endure any of the painstaking conversation, “She’s going?” She whispered when Keanu and Miranda weren’t looking, eyes wide and frenzied.

“Yeah,” she nodded, barely looking as Emma when she followed her to the fridge, while Keanu and Miranda spoke, or rather, canoodled in hushed tones, "I feel like I should have told you he has a girlfriend," Zelda paused, just after reaching for a half filled carton of strawberries.

"Ya think?" Emma hissed, glancing backwards at the couple, feeling her heart pinch at how lovey dovey they were. She could have sworn there was something between herself and Keanu. "How hard was it to say 'Hey Em, you know our boss has this girlfriend, and she's like, a total bitch.' What the hell does he even see in her anyway?"

"She's tall and gorgeous?" Zelda shrugged casually, "Look, I don't get it either, but he loves her, they've been together for almost two years and I think she's convinced him to go public by the end of this year." Her face fell at Emma's troubled expression, reaching out to rub her shoulder sympathetically, "I see the way you look at him, and if there's something between you two, then……and I don't mean this harshly at all, maybe you need to back down. Miranda, she's……she's not someone you want to mess with," sighing deeply, Zelda peered over to see if they were being overheard, "She gets what she wants, and right now, she wants Keanu and you don't want to be in her way."

Gritting her teeth, Emma pulled away harshly, "I don't know what the hell you're talking about," she squared her shoulders, "There's nothing between Keanu and I," maybe she was getting more defensive than she needed to be, but Emma didn't care. "I'm gonna go finish getting the twins ready," she announced loudly, stalking out of the room and down the hall, and hopefully, leaving behind whatever she'd started to feel for her boss.

As it turned out, Matt and Poppy had all but put their clothes on over their swimsuits, and they were so excited about going, that they got into their little summery outfits without fuss. Afterwards, tiny feet clad in colorful sandals, they raced each other downstairs, leaving Emma to collect their bags before she headed down.

She was walking towards the stairs, backpacks in hands, really just minding her own business, having just started to calm down after the whole Keanu/Miranda fiasco, when, just as she neared the door of Keanu's home office, she heard it. He was deep in conversation, and had unknowingly left the door just a sliver open, enough for her to catch on to some juicy bits. "I know mom," he sounded exasperated, and when she dared to peek in, Emma found that his back was to her, as he stood facing the window, one hand stuffed into the pocket of his jeans, "But I'm not getting any younger, what do you want me to do? Wait till I'm sixty?" He sighed heavily, shaking his head, "Matt and Poppy need a mother, and Miranda……" he trailed off, listening intently to what his mother had to say. Leaning closer, Emma wished she could be privy to the other end of the call, aching to hear what his mother thought about the succubus that he called a girlfriend. But alas, she'd have to settle for whatever she got.

After a few minutes had passed, Keanu spoke again, turning around, leaving Emma to dash for cover, though still within earshot. For a minute, she held her breath, awaiting the moment where Keanu would poke his head out the door and catch her eavesdropping. But it never came, and instead, he continued, "I think I'm going to do it tomorrow night, we're going to dinner, and the nanny will watch the kids. I have the ring already. I think she might like it."

Ring?

The sirens in Emma's head were going off so loudly that she barely registered his tone, the absence of excitement or joy, things that were usually there when someone was smitten enough to propose. There was too much going on in her head; the irrational fear of never having a chance with Keanu, the more rational fear that Miranda might become her boss too. Tuning out the rest of the conversation, not caring to hear anymore, Emma dragged herself towards the stairs, slinking down towards the kitchen, where she found Zelda entertaining the children.

“Everything okay?” She probed when Emma placed the bags on the counter, next to the cooler and picnic basket, her features still crestfallen.

“Yeah,” she mustered up a smile, inching closer to her friend, her voice dropping an octave, “I think Keanu’s going to propose to Miranda, like tomorrow night.”

“What?” Zelda’s eyes went wide, her jaw hanging slack, and she almost dropped the dishes she had just started putting into the cupboards, “How do you know that, did he tell you?”

“Tell her what?” Speak of the devil. Miranda startled them both, and for a second, Emma was worried that she’d overheard their conversation, though that too was short lived.

“Everyone ready?” Keanu strode into the room, and though Emma wanted to meet his gaze, she restrained herself, not even trying to respond, just going over to gather some of their things, her teary smile faltering when the kids excitedly started following her to the car.

At some point, Miranda had eased Keanu away from where they’d set up their picnic on the beach, urging him into a walk even though the kids had pleaded with him to stay and help them build sandcastles. Emma had taken his place, helping them with their little construction project, highly aware of how upset Poppy still was. “You okay Pop?”

The girl frowned, using her fragile fingers to sweep some hair out of her face, “I wish daddy would have stayed and built it with us,” she mumbled, dumping another bucket of sand to create segment of the castle, though doing it so harshly that the new section just crumbled, “He always leaves when aunt Mandy comes around.”

“I’m sure that’s not true,” even if she didn’t like Miranda, if she was going to be Matt and Poppy’s step mother, Emma couldn’t go around bad mouthing her to them, “I’m sure he still spends time with you. And aunt Miranda seems really like you two.”

“Not as much as you,” that was Matt, his expression skewed by his dark mane falling over his face, “She’s always telling us to be quiet. And she’s so boring,” he stressed, lurching forward, only half interested in ranting about Miranda, still very invested in their sandcastle, “She almost made dad stop my swimming lessons.”

“What?” That time, it was a struggle to keep her annoyance at bay. Even if it was just one side, even if Matt couldn’t possibly know the entire truth, it was still enough to rile Emma up. How dare she? Matt was the best on his team! Taking a breath, Emma knew it was time to shift the conversation, and cheer the twins up before she said something that she’d regret, “You know what? Why don’t we give this a break? We can go to the water, have a splash war!”

“Yeah!” They jumped up immediately, barely giving Emma a minute to shimmy out of her sundress, revealing her simple, floral bikini before joining them in the water. It didn’t take long to lift their spirits, and before long, Matt and Poppy were teaming up to out splash Emma. Their gleeful giggles were music to her ears and she adored seeing their wide grins. They’d waited almost a month for that trip, they deserved to enjoy as much as they could, even if Miranda was going to take up most of Keanu’s time.

They probably spent hours past noon in the water, and not once did anyone’s smile falter. Emma gave them ice pops, and insisted that they have some water once or twice, though each time, they accepted without fuss, and she couldn’t tell if was the sugar from their snacks, or just how immersed they were in the games, but even when Keanu and Miranda returned near sunset, they didn’t show signs of tire.

“You guys having all the fun without me?” Keanu let go of Miranda’s hand, standing where the water would wash over his feet, pulling the sand back as it receded.

A pang of anger flared inside of her, making Emma want to remind Keanu that he was the one that left, but she suppressed it. A fight wouldn’t solve anything. She was so caught up in being annoyed with Keanu, that she hadn't noticed how dark his gaze had grown when his eyes fell on her, kneeling in the water, rivulets rolling off her tan skin, the top of her bathing suit pressing her breasts together, a generous amount of her cleavage spilling out voluptuously. “Well why don’t you join in?” She made herself laugh, and while Emma was hardly as much of an actor as the two A listers before her, she’d liked to think she managed pretty well.

“Sounds great,” he didn’t even seem to notice Emma’s irritation, bubbling beneath the surface. In a flash, he was pulling off his t-shirt, tossing it to the sand, getting into water wearing just his swim trunks, and as he drew closer, his cheerful tone faltered, probably realizing that being in the water with her wasn’t going to do him any favors, “Do you guys wanna play chicken fight?” Keanu turned to his kids, only to be met with excited nods, “And maybe Mandy wants to play too?” He turned to her, eyes somewhat hopeful, “And we can let Em have a break,” swallowing thickly.

“Oh, I…..” Miranda seemed perfectly out of her element, smoothing a hand over her stylish, white sundress, and then pushing up the dark tinted sunglasses, which formerly guarded crystal green orbs. It took a minute, but eventually, she conjured up a tight grin, “Chicken fight isn’t really my kind of game,” she laughed nonchalantly, “Besides, the water will ruin my hair. You should let Emily play, childish nonsense seems right up her alley.”

Subduing the urge to roll her eyes and fire a few obscenities towards Miranda, Emma took a breath, gazing between Keanu, who’d gone cold, and Miranda who’s wicked mirth was reflected in her defiant smile, “Like I said this morning, it’s just Emma. And that’s fine, I actually love childish nonsense, its way more fun than sitting on the sand like a……” stuck up bitch, “Boring grown up.”

Amused with her half hearted insult, Matt laughed loudly, while Poppy just giggled, already trying to get up on Emma’s shoulders. Fuming, Miranda turned on her heel, stomping off towards the mat, and it wasn’t long before the rest of them had forgotten the almost-spat, getting on with their game.

Monday

As usual, Emma was up early, preparing breakfast for everyone. It was just past seven am, and since Mondays didn’t promise cartoon reruns, the kids weren’t up yet. Instead, Zelda had come in earlier than usual, saying that she wanted to get a head start on the housework, but really just looking to gossip. They were in the kitchen together, preparing for hash browns, eggs and bacon, working over quiet chatter, “So…” Zelda nudged Emma’s shoulder with her own.

“So?” Emma chuckled, nudging her back, the comfy cotton of her robe brushing against the sleeve of Zelda’s shirt. She knew exactly what her friend was seeking, but truthfully, she didn’t know how Keanu’s proposal had gone. All she knew was that they’d left for dinner around seven, leaving her to make something for Matt and Poppy, and hadn’t returned until the twins had fallen asleep and Emma had stolen away to her room.

“So, is the wicked witch of the west coast going to be out new boss or not?” Zelda teased, continuing with helping Emma shred some potatoes.

“Honestly-” Emma cut herself off when Keanu walked in, sans shirt and with low riding sweat pants. His hair was a mess, and his good morning was punctuated by a tired yawn. "Good morning Keanu," both women greeted in unison, sharing a look.

They both wanted to know so badly that the itch was almost physical, but it wasn't like they could simply ask. With their one question would come a dozen more from Keanu. Though, as faith would have it, the truth they were seeking wasn't far behind a still half asleep Mr. Reeves.

"Darling," an all too familiar voice purred, shuffling into the kitchen, her blonde hair held up in a loose ponytail and her elegant frame wrapped up in fine satin. Unlike Keanu, Miranda didn't even bother with pleasantries, going straight over to where he stood at the integrated refrigerator, holding him in a hug from behind, strategically angling her left hand so the large rock on her finger would be on full display.

"Still wanna know?" Emma whispered near Zelda's ear, their heads almost touching.

Scoffing, Zelda seemed caught between a sarcastic smirk and a frown, "Not any more."

And because the world was such a cruel place and open wounds would be pointless without a little salt, Miranda abruptly turned to them. "Ladies! Have you two seen my ring?" Without warning she thrust her hand towards them, making the engagement ring on her finger hard to avoid, "Gorgeous right? Keke loves to spoil me," her words were perfectly gag worthy and Emma was finding it difficult to keep down the half cup of coffee she'd had. It wasn't like she was opposed to love or affection or anything, she'd really liked to think of herself as well adjusted in that way, but during the one weekend she'd spent around Miranda, her affections for Keanu always seemed so dramatic that it was nothing short of an elaborate farce.

Yet, it wasn't like she had much of a choice when it came to going forward and having to endure it. Jobs in the fashion world were hard to come by and freelancing would hardly be enough to cover living expenses. So, alas, she'd have to put up with Miranda for a quite while to come. "Don't worry Emily," Emma hadn't even realized she'd zoned out until Miranda called her by the wrong name, for probably the dozenth time. At her next words, Miranda's voice dropped below what Keanu could hear, and there was a wicked glimmer in her gaze, "You're pretty enough, I'm sure you can trick a man into buying you a nice ring. Might not be as many carats, but you'll manage."

That little quip was definitely pay back for Saturday. Fuming, Emma longed to just let her have it, but she was growing so versed in holding her tongue that she did again, deciding right then and there that as much as she loved the kids, she was wholly willing to take the next sustaining job as long as Miranda was in the picture.

*****

Tagging- @harrisongslimited @magnificentclodpiebanana @keandrews @greenmanalishi @rdjloverxxx @danceoftwowolves @planetkt @wheretheriversrunintothesea

[unlockthelore]

Hey there, I’m Lore !

A twenty-two year old writer with a vast interest in fiction and the themes that can be conveyed by an interesting character-driven narrative. I’ve been writing for about seventeen years and I’ve got no interest in stopping anytime soon. Most of my works deal heavily with fantasy ranging from urban fantasy, dystopian, to high fantasy. 

Although the process can be challenging, I enjoy seeing what I’ve made come to life and keep meticulous notes of everything that I do. It can be a little consuming but I’m grateful to anyone who wants to tag along while I’m working.

[ A FEW LOREBITS ABOUT LORE ]

The want to be a writer has been around since I was a small child and I quite honestly don’t see myself doing anything else. 

I’ve been writing since I was about five years old and my first story, from what I can remember, was about an ogre who befriended a cat that loved to wear hats. Inspirations being Cat in the Hat, and my older brother’s growing interest in RPGs.

My greatest love is adventure stories in interconnected universes with a sprawling cast of characters, each unique and colorful in their own way. I like the idea of creating a universe where the reader can fall in love with them but also understand their struggles.

As an above note, I’m very invested in JRPGs, animated movies, and fantasy novels. If you know of any and want to recommend them to me then it would be much appreciated. 

Notebooks are both my lifeblood and what take up 90% of the space in everything I have. Even my desk usually has a notebook on top of it so I can scribble down ideas. 

I prefer character-driven narratives because it’s normally the characters that make the situation, so most of my time is spent figuring out backstories and weaving them together. 

I stim and at times, it takes me hours to come to a point where I’m sitting again. If I miss a message or I don’t reply right away, that’s usually why.

I tend to listen to instrrumentals when I’m writing and rarely listen to music with lyrics.

My comfort movies are anything made by Studio Ghibli, I’m incredibly partial to Whispers of the Heart, Princess Mononoke, Pom Poko, and Porco Rosso. I bought the novel that inspired Howl’s Moving Castle, the one by Diana Wynne Jones and it’s my comfort book.

Speaking of series I love, I’ve read a lot of them and I know I mentioned it before, but if you have book recs please don’t hesitate.

[ INSPIRATIONS ]

I’m heavily inspired by a lot of things. Reading has always been something I’ve done since I was young and going out in the world is how I find the words for settings, and interesting people who bring my characters to life. JRPGs such as Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest, Kingdom Hearts, Legend of Zelda, and the like are what interest me he heavily. I’ve also been into anime for as long as I can remember, studying and trying to remain respectful of the cultures I’m privy to seeing. 

Then there’s movies. I love superhero movies but I also like others which challenge the mind and put the characters in harrowing situations. TV shows as well. Some of the writers / creators that’ve heavily attributed to my works are Maya Angelou, Zora Neale Hurston, Langston Hughes, Hayao Miyazaki, Leigh Bardugo, L.A. Banks, Rumiko Takahashi, Togashi Yoshihiro, Naoko Takeuchi, and several others.

[ WRITING PROJECTS ]

HUNTSMAN AND THE WOLF - Red is a huntsman, protector of the innocent and destroyer of the wicked, sworn to a life bound to a sordid end. Yet when he comes face to face with a creature that he has no interest in felling, the certainty that he'd had all of his life crumbles. Tangled in a web of lies and deceit that may bring about the end of all Creation, Red seeks the truth alongside the one who may be the death of him.

LEGEND OF THE FOUR ELEMENTAL HEROES - Falling through the sky isn't the best way to wake up, but Air has little time to worry about that. In a world they don't know where suspicion and lies lurk around every corner, they have to keep their wits about them. And stay light on their feet if they want to survive.

OATHBOUND - Monty swore to honor and cherish his wife until the end of their days. They were the best of friends, lovers, and fought side by side. Yet, time passed and death took her, while he was left with only the memories and the hope that soon he'd follow. When he thought he breathed his last, he didn't expect to open his eyes to a whole new world.With only the burning question, when you swear until death do us part, is death really the end?

PAN - Wendy wants nothing more than freedom. The right to choose, the right to live, the right to be free — she wants it more than anything and will go to any lengths she has to for it to be hers. If that means making deals with the Fair Folk, evading the clutches of Captain Hook and her band of soldiers, and joining forces with the Lost Ones, then so be it. The past no longer matters to Wendy. She’ll do anything to make sure that her future and her destiny are firmly set within her grasp. Even if she’ll have to put an end to the beloved Bandit Pan.

SPELLBOUND ( drawn by @acersecomic​ ) - The witches Cygnus and Gris do not get along. They run competing magic shops, the only two in town. Their magic infused bickering leads to trouble.

THE LAST STORY - Lyra had everything she wanted in life: her family, her girlfriend, and a peace that would keep her for the rest of her life. She was more than content to spend out the rest of her days in the village of her birth with each new day being another chapter in her story. Yet, fate seemed to have other plans. Her village razed to the ground, her family scattered to the winds, and her life thrown into chaos. With her only hope to regain all she lost lying with guiding her girlfriend on her quest for knighthood and a stranger’s visions, Lyra delves deep into deception, myths, and uncovers secrets long buried. She can only wonder how this will end and what she will become to regain her happy ending.

WAYFINDER - A traveling apothecary searching for something that is yet unknown meets a wandering magician seeking to run away from everything. What began as a simple act of goodwill turns into an event that may very well change the course of their lives. Dystopian, high fantasy, with a bit of solarpunk.

[rational-mastermind]

So, question: if Majora's Mask and Twilight Princess take place in the Child Era, and Majora's Mask is all about Link being dead and stuck in purgatory after Ocarina of Time, then how is he, the Hero of Time, an adult stalfos in Twilight Princess?

Still following?

Then let's discuss.

Everyone loves to analyze the darker, horrific aesthetics of Majora's Mask and  the bigger topics you'll likely hear about is "What is Termina?" "Where did Navi go?" "Who is Majora?" "How the hell do I get through Snowhead Temple?!"

Meanwhile, I've stumbled across a different question. One I'm not sure if a lot of people have asked. If this is Link's personal hell or a weird drug trip through his Wonderland, then what does any of it, but specifically the transformation masks, say about the Hero of Time?

Now before answering, let's go back over the beautifully blood-stained lore.

At the beginning of the game you are turned into a deku scrub and the only way to be a real boy again is to get back your ocarina and play the song of healing.

Now the lore for this alone is a little weird. I recall reading that Link is transformed because of his fear of deku scrubs, but that feels a little silly cause Link practically grew up with them in Ocarina of Time. It'd be like being afraid of feral cats while having one for a pet.

And while I'm here, cause my ADD likes to jump to a thousand different conclusions, I'll drop this mini theory here: I believe that the kokiri and the deku scrub's are one and the same. The kokiri are obviously part of the lineage of the kikwii in Skyward Sword and the koroks in every Zelda game since Wind Waker. But it's weird that an obvious tree-related species were once human enough to be mistaken for hylian children. Well, the kokiri can change shape because they are simply spirits of the woods. But the interesting thing is that they are always guarded by a DEKU TREE. Weird, huh? Basically, the idea is that the dekus are the real kokiri but some had changed to look human for Link's sake when the Great Deku Tree promised his dying mother that he would raise him. Also be sure to note that while there are deku BABAS, there aren't any deku SCRUBS anywhere else but in Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask.

Anyway, so Link shouldn't really be afraid of them. The other observation is that before you reach Clock Town, there is a dead scrub at the entrance, later revealed to be the Deku Royal Court's butler's son, who had left home in search for adventure. At the end of the game we see the advisor had found his son's corpse and grieved for the loss.

(Remember this cause I'm gonna come back to this later.)

The goron and zora masks are easier to explain.

The Goron Mask comes from soothing the spirit of a strong leader and champion of the gorons, Darmani. He grieves having died while on his way to the Snowhead Temple to bring back Spring. Apparently he was pushed off the cliff by a goron who was under the influence of Majora. All he wanted was to save his people from starving in the dead if an unnatural Winter.

The Zora Mask comes from the spirit of Mikau. A strong and talented guitar-playing zora who dies RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOU. His death is the result of a tragic love story. He dies, broken hearted, after having just fought a band of pirates that took away his and his girlfriend's future children. He never got to say a proper goodbye to his girl. Their relationship may have been a secret to everyone else, but those children, their future, was gone. He dies of exhaustion, fatal wounds, and a broken heart.

Now, what does any of this have to do with Link? What could the hidden meaning be to this, if there is any at all? Well.. There is. And it opened up a whole new understanding of Ocarina of Time, Majora's Mask, Twilight Princess, and the entire Child Era Timeline.

What I took from the masks, and their tales, aren't anything to do with Link in particular, but rather the people he was closest to in Ocarina of Time and how they all died.

Majora's Mask takes place in the Child Timeline, meaning that you save the day, beat Ganon, go back in time, tell Kid Zelda that opening the Door of Time is a bad idea, and leave it at that. At this point, you would be at the time just after leaving the Kokiri and before going to collect the other two spiritual stones and that has some serious consequences for the works of Hyrule, and the results of his actions, years later when he takes his time to grow up again, are represented in the masks.

The Deku Scrub mask represents Saria. Among the Kokiri, it's said that those who leave the Kokiri Forest die. They are kept safe by the Deku Tree who had already died. Since you don't open the Temple of Time, you don't go to save her in the Forest Temple. You don't save the Great Deku Sprout, and therefore don't ensure the protection of the Kokiri, especially Saria. Saria leaves the woods and dies. (Likely in an effort to find Link)

The Goron Mask, represents Darunia. Telling Zelda that gathering the spiritual stones is a bad idea means you never go to the Goron City. Which means you never help Darunia with his depression. His people starve because of the Dodongos Ganon already unleashed on their mines and as the leader, it's up to Darunia to go and face King Dodongo. But clouded by depression, he dies. He dies trying to provide for his people.

The Zora Mask represents, you guessed it, Ruto. You never go to help her get the Zora's Sapphire. She never meets you and never falls in love with you. If she doesn't die because of Jabujabu, she dies old and alone, never knowing true love, never hoping for a beautiful future with you. She dies with a broken heart.

Now I'm sure by now you've noticed there was one more mask I hadn't mentioned. The Fierce Diety. There is no tragic backstory to this one. In Majora's Mask, you go to the Moon, play with the kids, then go to speak with Majora, who hands you Fierce Diety. He wants to play Heroes and Villains and you're the villain.

This mask, this fierce warrior you become, is Link. It's the adult version of Link. The one who faced down ultimate evils and saved the world. The Hero of Time that Link had...ran away from.

And doesn't that help put things into perspective?

Link never asked to be the Hero of Time. He didn't want to kill the Deku Tree. He only fulfilled the Tree's dying request and then BAM! Life kept making decisions for him! Zelda tells him, insists that he's a hero, and asks him to gather the stones. Darunia asks him to go to Dodongo Cave. The King Zora asks you to save his daughter. Ruto forces you into a relationship. Zelda trusts you with the ocarina. Sheik tells you to save the sages and hell, why not just go kill the big baddie that already destroyed the world while you're at it?? So given the chance, of course he would leave that behind! He had gone through puberty so many times, time traveled, watched people die, interact with the dead, was scared shitless both as an adult and a child and all of Link's friends, including Zelda, all couldn't be his friends anymore when they awoke as Sages. (As is explained by several characters.) They all had duties that they were responsible for. A duty he was responsible for. He saved the world and was never even thanked for it. His life, from the beginning of the game to the end was SHIT.

And this is even worse cause he wasn't ever made aware of the reincarnations or the legends like other Links. Any other cycles were either called upon by an oracle (like Impa back in the early days) or had the legends drilled into their heads to a point where it would be believable when it happened. (Link to the Past, Botw, & Wind Waker for examples)

Link goes back in time and does everything he can to prevent the future he just saved. Prevents having to grow up and face the music Ganon so cheerfully plays for him leading up to the final battle. As a result, Saria gets lost, Darunia dies, Ruto never knows real love, hell, you could argue and say the entire Ikana Kingdom is the result of never stopping Ganon.

The stones or not, Ganon still attacks the castle and destroys Castle Town. And where was Link? Why didn't he stop it? Link had abandoned his duty as the Hero of Time and ran away.

And I think that's who the Skull Kid is. Skull children are kids who wander into the woods to escape adults and growing up, as Navi describes.

So Link's childish follies, his affinity to fairies, his selfish desire for fun and refusal for responsibility, is represented by Skull Kid. And remember, the moon child standing in for Skull Kid said that he was the GOOD guy and the Adult Link is the BAD guy. Growing up was a burden in Link's eyes. Growing up meant dying. Growing up meant watching you lose friends. Why wouldn't he want to run away from it all when all the future had in store for him was pain and suffering?

So Link ran away into the woods hoping, praying, he could go back to Navi, or maybe even Saria, and play as a happy innocent child once again. But without the protection of the Great Deku Tree, Link gets lost, and inevitably dies.

Link then has to face a means of purgatory where he is subconsciously reminded of all the things he had abandoned in his life. And that starts with the Skull Kid. A selfish brat who didn't want to lose his friends and didn't want to grow up, but ended up pushing everyone away anyway.

And it’s funny cause when Link started this adventure, he again, wasn’t exactly thrilled at the idea of being thrown into another adventure.

But then The Happy Mask Salesman, out of all the songs to play, teaches Link the Song of Healing. A song that soothes upset spirits and distraught people. And yeah it was mostly for the sake of the dead Deku clinging to his face, but I think the song had an effect on battle-weary Link as well.

When Link faces down Majora, he’s basically staring Death itself in the face to fight for a second chance to live.

On a side note, that’s very appropriate for Majora to play the role of, Death. Because Majora simply uses Skull Kid and this whole world as a puppet theater for Link to tell him that basically he’s gonna be damned to hell if he doesn’t shape up. But the swamp, the Deku Princess, Lulu and her babies, Darmani’s tribe, the spirits of Ikana who are finally at peace, Pamela’s father, Kafei and Anjuu, Romani and Cremia, nobody mattered at all. Everyone was just a puppet to teach Link about responsibility and facing the consequences of your lack of actions. That you shouldn’t hide behind a mask and turn a blind eye to people suffering.

After defeating Majora, Link returns to Hyrule. He helps the gorons and zoras, collects the Spiritual Stones, still doesn’t unlock the Temple of Time but instead readies himself and trains so he can be ready to fight Ganon and savs Hyrule yet again, without needing to time travel hundreds of times. This time when Link dies, he is a proud warrior and head of the Royal Guard. Forever known as the Hero of Time.

Then, Link continues on after death. While his spirit is reincarnated into the next life, a piece of him, an echo of who he is, an echo of the Hero of Time, remains in purgatory, to teach future generations. He lives on as a ghost, waiting for the next Hero so that the past is never forgotten and never abandoned. If you don't learn from your past, you'll be doomed to repeat it.

So, answer?

The Deku mask represents Saria

The Goron mask represents Darunia

The Zora mask represents Ruto

The Fierce Diety mask represents Link's future

All four transformations are connected to the courageous deeds Link performed in OoT:

Courage to leave home.

Courage to provide for those in need.

Courage to fight for love.

Courage to accept Death.

Ikana Canyon represents the Kingdom of Hyrule if Link never stayed to fight Ganon.

Skull Kid represents Link's desire for childhood innocence.

Majora is Death and Termina is purgatory.

Everything in Majora's Mask is about the consequences of Link abandoning Hyrule and his existential dread of growing up in the Child Era. He's given a second chance, and then he barely exists after death to teach Twilight Link and others past him which could have interesting consequences for future games...

[nolongerapileofashprobably]

Actual Headcanons

Sort of

Okay so

Who starts the conversation?

-Before the Calamity, Zelda. Link would make comments here and there but he wouldn’t talk unless asked something. After the Calamity, Link starts the conversation. Solely because he’s already adjusted to how everything is. He goes on and on about the new things and things he misses, his adventures while he was getting stronger so he can beat Ganon. Zelda listens to all his stories, having seen them all from afar while she was fighting Ganon, but loves hearing all the details.

Who wakes up first?

-For someone who fought Ganon for 100 years straight without a break, Zelda is always the first one up. Link’s sleep schedule was so out of whack before they defeated Ganon, and now that it’s reached some sort of stable schedule he sleeps until Zelda wakes him up. She usually goes to the Ancient Tech Lab to hang out with Purah at dawn, so she can catch up on all the progress they’ve made over the past 100 years. When she gets back around 10 ish she wakes Link up so they can had breakfast.

Who cooks?

-That’s the chef himself, Link. He loves cooking food almost as much as he loves eating it. He is teaching Zelda, who is fully aware that she lacks cooking skills because she never needed it. She’s getting better at it, sometimes she doesn’t burn the eggs. No matter what, the food they serve each other is also coupled with a kiss on the cheek.

Who says ‘I love you’ first?

-Lover Boy Link at your service. We know Zelda loves Link and he knows it too (not that she really knows a bird outed her feelings). But Link says it to her when she’s talking about possible solutions for the Divine Beast Vah Ruta. After spending the last few months going around Hyrule, meeting new people, remembering his past life, and going through the trials set in front of him all he could think about was saving her. Link knew he should be doing it to save Hyrule and that was part of his motivation, but the main drive for him was to get Zelda back. He refell in love with her during his journies, so when she was being the geek she is, it slipped.

How does the other react?

-Zelda sorta just stops and stares at him, because she’s known she’s loved him since she shielded him from the Guardian. But to hear that he loves her? She wants to cry on the spot because she’s so happy. Zelda gets all flustered and Link just sorta repeats it because even he’s surprised he said it and she just throws herself on him. Kisses and giggle ensue, because these two teenagers that have seen more than enough tragedy for their lifetime are in love with each other and together.

How do other characters react to the couple?

-The entirety of Hateno thought they were already engaged when they became official. Whoops.

-Impa has this knowing grin when the two of them go visit her for the first time since the confession. She knew that Zelda was in love Link 100 years ago, she’s just surprised it took him this long to figure it out for himself.

-They don’t tell Kass or anything when they go to Rito Village, but he tells Link in private that he doesn’t need a song to see how in love they are with each other. Link gets embarrassed but smiles and thanks him. Teba also makes a “is that your girlfriend?” Comment bc he doesn’t know what the princess from 100 years ago looks like. When Link says yes, he’s a bit surprised but proud anyway.

-Riju, my favorite companion, is estactic. She’s read Urbosa’s Diary and knows for a fact that there was something between Link and Zelda even if they didn’t know it. She’s also a tad off put bc she has this school girl crush on Link but she brushes it off because she’s never seen Link so carefree and happy as he is with Zelda around.

-Sidon, my lovely Zora, is a little surprised to say the least. He never really considered that Link had feelings for Zelda, just sort of focused on the fact that Mipha loved him enough to want Link to be her husband. But he’s happy for them anyway, and says to Link that Mipha would be happy he found someone he loves.

-Yunobo just sorta goes “oh, they’re together? That’s great!” And goes on with his life. Meanwhile, Daruk’s spirit is facepalming bc he saw all the signs and didn’t put two and two together. He really thought that one conversation was about food. Typical Hylians.

-If I’m gunna mention Daruk’s spirit I have to mention all of them.

-Urbosa is highfiving Zelda’s Mom because she got her wish for Zelda. She’s been on this team since Link first requested to meet with her. Those two were bound to be together, especially after all they’ve been through.

-Revali could care less, honestly. But he’s forced to listen to all the spirits talk about them and forces out a “Well I guess the two of them deserve each other” which was meant to be an insult but no one took it that way. He can never win, guys.

-Mipha is actually really happy. She’s had this feeling that Link was never really ever going to be truly hers. She saw how he saw past her, always looking for something else and how when he looked at Zelda, that’s all he saw. It’s why she never gave him the armor. So when she sees Link accept his feelings and let someone in, she’s beyond happy because Link deserves it. Zelda, too.

-Rhoam is just sorta going “well no one else is fit to be the king of Hyrule, so I guess Link is okay” when the Queen and Urbosa roll their eyes. He knows how much Zelda liked Link because she would have him hang out with her in the castle all the time.

Who proposes?

-Zelda is the first one to mention marriage. Since they’re in the process of rebuilding the castle and Hyrule Town, she will be the Queen once it’s completed. She’s already got royal stuff planned and all these projects started, but she brings up the point that if they get married, the ceremony would have to this whole thing since Hyrule has been without a royal family for a century. She’s sitting at the desk staring at pieces of parchment, when Link comes up behind her and places a hand on her back. Link then causally holds out a ring and tells her that they could get married tomorrow just for them.

Wedding?

- They go to Kapson in Terry Town the next day, with Purah, Impa, and Paya as their audience. They have this small ceremony with a dress Impa had saved from when the late Queen got married. Link had to go to Bolson of all people to get a tux of sorts, which ends up being a fancier version of the Royal Guards outfit bc Bolson is extra, even more so when he’s getting an outfit for the new King of Hyrule. He also joins the audience, but much more of a background character who throws flower petals at them.

-The ceremony for the kingdom doesn’t happen for another three years. They’re 23 by this time, the kingdom almost fully restored. With the castle finally back in order and Hyrule Town buzzing with merchants and residents, they decide to announce the news that they’re engaged. Yes, they’ve been married for three years at this point, but this is for the public more than them. Only close friends from the different races know, as well as most of Hateno Village (But they thought they were married a month after Zelda arrived). It’s this whole shebang with a new dress and classy tux. Impa walks Zelda down the aisle, telling her how happy her parents would be if they were here.

Do either of them want kids? One more than the other?

-Link is a SUCKER for kids. He loves them. He would have 50 kids of his own if he could. He doesn’t have many memories of his actual family, so it’s sort of a coping thing for him. Zelda wants children, but is more concerned that being in a different realm for 100 years would affect her ability to become pregnant. She’s also terrified that she’ll have a girl and have to name her Zelda per the family tradition (she doesn’t want any of her children to bear the responsibilities she did).

Do they have kids?

-Yes, they have two little girls. Neither are named Zelda. Instead they name them after story characters their parents used to read to them. (Tetra and Lana for me, but ya’ll can pick what you want)

[lonym82fanfics]

Zelink Month 2018. Day 30: Paradise.

(Chapter 38  of  this  http://lonym82fanfics.tumblr.com/post/177217153230/day-1-zelink-month-prompt-distractions-how   )

Link heard a knock on his apartment door and smiled. “Be right there.” Before heading to the door, he quickly dipped his hands in the water basin and smoothed out his hair as best as possible. With a huge smile he opened the door and he greeted his guest. “Good morning, my beautiful darlin’.” And he stopped cold when he saw who it was.

“Oh…” The postman blushed. “Well, I’m flattered, but…”

Link grimaced. “I thought you were my girlfriend…”

“Of course, of course…And here I was using this new moisturizer…”

“Can I just get my mail?”

The postman gave a quiet little chuckle and held out an envelope with the crest of the Hyrulian Royal seal. “It’s been awhile since I delivered one of these to you,” he said as Link took the letter.

“Yeah…” Because she would come herself and then they would go on the mission together. Link thanked the postman and wished him a good day before heading inside.

He cracked the seal, opened the letter, and started to read.

From the desk of Zelda, Princess of Hyrule.

Salutations Link,

He smirked. Princess Zelda was as formal as ever.

I regret to inform you an unexpected matter has suddenly came up and I cannot provide help for the scheduled mission of the 38th treasure. I, and my entourage, shall be gone for a week’s time. Once I have returned, I can give you aid.

I do apologize. Your time is valuable and I’m saddened and embarrassed by this cancellation. I look forward to the competition of this mission and bringing us closer to our goal.

Sincerely,

Zelda

Link frowned. It was kind of rude to cancel last minute, but at least the Princess apologized for it. He set the letter next to his adventuring bag when suddenly he had an idea. He strapped on his sword and shield before slinging the bag over his shoulder and headed out the door.

He remembered a lot of detail about this treasure’s location and didn’t need his usual dossier. He could get the treasure and be back home before the cuccos came home to roost. Then, when that cutie finally got her rear end on over, they could just spend the entire time on a nice, long date.

He was running ideas through his head all the while getting his horse Epona from the stables and heading out to the area. Maybe a picnic on the southern hills? The sunsets were beautiful up there.

In time, he reached the outer southern river leading to Lake Hylia. Oh wait! They could go fishing! Find a nice spot with the fish jumping, cast a line, and lay back with his head on her lap. That sounded like paradise.

However before he could enjoy that rest, he’d have to find the treasure first. Link looked ahead and he could see the split in the river. He figured he’d just mosey along towards the right bend and soon he’d reach his goal.

He’d spent most of the morning traveling and the rest of the afternoon searching at the river’s end.

“There’s has to be some sort of clue,” he muttered while looking around a couple of trees. He called over to his horse. “Hey, Epona, you see something, girl?” he asked with a playful smile. Epona didn’t even look up from eating the grass. “Nothing, you say? Well, alright.” He gave a soft laugh.

After finding nothing on land, Link turned his attention to the river. He walked along the river until he could no longer see the bottom. He then got in the water, submerged himself, and swam downstream. He looked along the edges, surface for a breath and repeat.

After a while, he paused his search. He treaded water while considering his options. He was some distance from the river’s end. If he went too far, this place wouldn’t fit the description of the treasure’s location. And if that was so, then perhaps he should try another place. Maybe there was an underway entrance buried in the shallow end. How would he check? It seemed wasteful to randomly bomb the area…

“Hello!”

Link let out a yelp of surprise, as someone had breached the surface in front of him. “R-Ruteau!”

And the Zora Princess laughed at him. “I didn’t think I could sneak up on you. You should have seen your face.”

Link let himself sink a little and fumed under the water.

“I must say, I certainly didn’t expect to bump into you today,” Ruteau said as she looked to the right and left of Link.

Link raised his eyebrows and smiled when he realized why she was looking around. “She couldn’t come this time. Royal duty and all that.”

Ruteau scoffed and pouted. “Well, how rude. I’ve come to expect seeing her when I see you.”

Link shook his head. “I’ll tell her you miss her.” Ruteau looked off to the side. “Anyhow, Ruteau, since I got you out here, have you seen any underwater caves this area?”

“Caves? No. Not in this area. Why do you ask?”

“Well, you see, hey you mind we swim to shore? I’ve been swimming for awhile.”

Ruteau shook her head and they continued their conversation on the river bank. “So, you see, I’m doing our treasure hunting thing...”

Ruteau faked a yawn.

“Yeah, yeah, I know how you feel about it, Ruteau.”

She smirked.

“So, the description said the treasure was located on the right wet head of giving. I figured this must be the place. This river has two heads and it’s a water source. But I’m not having any luck finding anything.”

“Hmm.” Ruteau looked towards the end of the river. “This place does seems to fit that description. However, if it’s not here then...Oh...Oh…Oh no...it can’t mean…” Ruteau made a disgusted face, “that…”

“Don’t keep me hanging, lady. What’s this place you thinking of?”

Ruteau gave a pained expression. “Get your horse and follow me downstream. I’ll show you.”

After a short time they reached a minor lake near Zora’s Domain. Ruteau beckoned Link off his Epona and they swam to an underwater cave. It lead to an air pocket and Link saw on the ledge what Ruteau meant.

“Ah…” He looked it over. “It’s…”

“Hideous!” Ruteau proclaimed. “Simply hideous.”

Link couldn’t help but agree. “So, why is there a two-headed statue here?”

“Tsk, a neighboring kingdom gave this to my ancestors as a gift. They thought it was lovely, but no. Anyhow, they couldn’t just get rid of it. So, the king at the time moved it here and decorated this place to look like a shrine.” She turned to Link. “A shrine of generosity. Which is what I think refers to the giving part of the description.”

“I mean, so far it fits most of it. All it needs is,” he stopped as he heard a plop. They looked up at the right head. Link got out of the water and climbed up the statue. Soon he saw a drop of water fall from the ceiling into the decorative hat of the right head. “Huh.” Link looked and in the small basin was an opal in the shape of a shell. He collected it and called over to Ruteau. “Got it.”

“What? Are you serious? It was that simple? And there was nothing locking the treasure in place? Anyone could have come down here and taken it! Then what would you have done?”

Link placed the treasure in his bag. “That actually did happen to us once. There was this treasure suppose to be in a desert temple, but raiders had ransacked it.” He smiled at the memory. “Long quest...but that adventure was when me and her first kissed.” The setting wasn’t the most romantic. They thought they were going to die and wanted one last moment together. And she was so beautiful. After they survived, he couldn’t help but court her. She didn’t mind at all. She admitted she had a crush on him for a long time.

“Aww, that’s sweet.” Ruteau smiled. “She’ll have to tell me more about that next time I see her. Next time. Anyhow…” She did a couple of backstrokes. “Since we got your silly treasure, let’s leave this eyesore of a place.”

Link nodded and, when they reached the shore, they said their goodbyes.

“And tell her she better come with you next time. Or, or...umm, oh, or I’ll steal you away from her.”

Link chuckled. “And get an ugly gift like that statue? No thanks.”

They laughed and Ruteau splashed away.

In a week’s time, Princess Zelda finally arrived at Link’s place and knocked. The door opened a smidge. Link wanted to verify it was her first before he opened it and proclaim, “Good morning, my darlin’!”

“Link! I’m so happy to see you. How have you been?”

“Wonderful now that you’re here. Ready for the mission?” He walked back into the apartment and she followed. “I got us some aquatic equipment for this one.”

“Yes. That’s a good idea. I think the treasure may be in the river that flows south of…”

Link gently tossed her something and she caught it. She opened her hands and saw the opal shell. She blinked and looked at Link. He was holding two fishing rods. She blinked again and looked back to the treasure. She opened her mouth but shut it. She wanted to confirm, but she had a fathom of what he did. She felt annoyed. His grinning face weren’t helping that feeling either.

She set the treasure on the nearby self, place the other hand on her hip and cocked her head. “You,” she began, “are such a pain.”

He tossed the fishing rods on the bed and scooped her up in her arms. She gave a delighted cry and laugh, as he spun her around. When he stopped she slowly sank down, slinking her arms around his neck and kissed him.

And Link decided, it didn’t matter where they went; anywhere with her was paradise.

[lezzybugo3o]

That’s Amore

A Linksona fic made for a challenge on a Linksona Discord server.

Summary: On one rainy day, Swift Wind reminisces about her past love life and muses on her current one.

                                                  That’s Amore

The rain poured down as the young hero and her wolf ran towards the Dueling Peaks stable. Once they made it to the establishment, Wolf Link shook the rainwater off his fur with a groan. “The sky looked sunny when we left the shrine. How did this rain come in so suddenly?”

Swift wrung out her tunic’s hem. “Nature’s funny that way. It looks fun out there though. Sure would love to stomp in some of those puddles.”

“I am NOT dealing with a sick teenager, so stay inside the stable,” growled the wolf.

Rolling her eyes, she took off her wet tunic and quickly put on an old shirt. “Fine then. Party pooper,” Swift huffed.

As Wolf Link settled in next to one of the stable beds, the Hylian gazed out, watching the rain. She soon caught sight of a couple running into the stable to avoid getting any wetter. She then noticed the male Hylian putting a cloak around his girlfriend, keeping her warm. The woman smiled at him and the two rested their foreheads together. Swift couldn’t help but feel warm inside at the sight of this. Love had always been such an interesting thing to her and she was no stranger to it as well. Swift closed her eyes as she began to let her mind reach back into the recesses of her memories of those she cared for in the past.

Swift could barely contain her excitement as the small ceremony carried on. She had been chosen to be Zelda’s personal knight along with being one of the Champions to seal away Calamity Ganon. Swift had always heard of Zelda’s name, but never had the chance to meet her properly until now. Needless to say, she was awestruck by the princess’ beauty. The way the wind blew past her golden locks and dress, one could have sworn they were in the presence of a goddess. Of course, once Zelda opened her eyes, Swift could sense a feeling of sorrow and possibly bitterness in her. She wasn’t sure where it was coming from, but the least Swift could offer was a genuine smile, hoping it would help. To her joy, the princess returned the gesture with a grin of her own, albeit a sad one. The Hylian Champion made a mental note to find ways to have Zelda smile more often, for her own sake and to experience the wonderful sight again and again.

Of course, Princess Zelda wasn’t the only lovely lady who caught Swift’s eye. During the ceremony, she could have sworn the other Champions were talking about her. She could tell one of them didn’t think that much of her, but she chose to ignore the negative comments made by him. The voice that caught her attention was one that she later found out belonged to the Gerudo chief herself, Lady Urbosa. Just the mere sight of her was enough to get Swift’s heart thumping like mad. She was gorgeous and fierce like the Lynels the Hylian had seen once or twice. Usually Swift had no problem trying to woo others with her words, but when she tried to turn on the charm with Urbosa, the Gerudo woman responded with a gentle caress on the younger woman’s cheek and sweet words of her own, causing Swift’s face to redden immediately. The action also elicited a hearty laugh from the Gerudo, a most melodious sound to the Hylian’s ears.

As if that wasn’t enough, Swift somehow found herself falling for the same Champion that thought she wasn’t all that special, Revali, Rito warrior. While most couldn’t stand the bird’s arrogant way of speaking and how much of a showoff he could be, Swifty thought it was a bit charming. Irritating but charming. Revali at first thought of her flirty behavior as unbecoming of a Champion, but at the same time he relished in the fact that someone was interested in him. They would spend long moments just exchanging snarky comments about the other person. Swift giggled to herself as she remembered one of the conversations they had at Rito Village. She had made herself a delicious fruit pie and she was savoring every bite like it was a treasure. The Rito Champion saw her and remarked, “I'm surprised you haven't broken any of the bridges with your chubby butt.”

Swift in turn shot back, “I’m surprised you're able to fly so high with how huge your ego is.”

Revali gave a smirk and smacked her back with his wing. “Little imp.”

Swift Wind then took a spoonful of her pie and smeared it on the Rito’s beak with a giggle. “Feather brain.”

Revali licked the sweet food off his mouth and bit back a surprised squawk when the Hylian girl cuddled up to him.

Swift certainly wasn't a picky girl when it came to finding a partner. The most important aspect to her was their personality and whether or not she could have a good time with them. She had had a few flings with people here and there… but there was one person who Swifty felt more than just mere infatuation… the one and only Princess Mipha. As a child, Swift already thought she was a pretty Zora, but meeting with her again after all those years, the young hero saw her old friend in a new light. Swift found herself visiting Zora’s Domain more often just to spend more time with Mipha, even with her new duty as Zelda's knight. The Zora princess would often fret that her friend would get in trouble with her frequent visits, but a peck on her cheek was enough to melt her worry away. Every time she came by, Swift would tell Mipha about something new the princess had never seen outside of the domain and even treat her to a new recipe she learned. In turn, the young Zora would teach Swift how to swim faster and improve her sparring. The Hylian sighed heavily as she recalled one of the last conversations she had with the princess.

“Perhaps we could spend some time together.”

Swift smirked. “You mean more time than we already do?”

Mipha’s face flushed as she tried to find her voice. “Ah um, m-my apologies! I did not mean to intrude on anything important you had to-”

“Heh heh heh, I’m only teasing, Mipha!” The Hylian reassured her with a gentle kiss on her forehead. “I love spending time with you… and your little scamp of a brother.”

“Again, I apologize for his rude behavior towards you,” she said sweetly.

“Ahh, think nothing of it. I've got three little brothers of my own. I know how it is with younger siblings,” Swift mused. She then took a breath before putting her arm around Mipha, chuckling when the Zora female squeaked.

“Swift Wind… if… if it is not too personal for you to answer, may I ask you something?”

The younger champion looked to her comrade and responded with a grin, “Sure thing. Ask me.”

Mipha took a deep breath as she gathered her courage. “Have… have you… (Oh goddess, Mipha, just spit it out! You are a proud Zora princess! And surely Father would love to have her as a second daughter!) Have you ever thought about marriage?”

Swift blinked in surprise which made Mipha's stomach drop, thinking she messed this up. Suddenly the princess felt her fellow champion hold both of her hands. “A few times… with you on my mind,” the hero playfully said with a wink.

The Zora gasped at this response. “I… I'm not dreaming, am I?”

Swift Wind leaned in and pressed her lips tenderly on the princess’, smiling when Mipha kissed back.

The Hylian champion fell back on to the stable bed with a sigh that was mixed with sorrow and reminiscence.

“What’s got you such a good mood?”

Swift sat back up to see Wolf Link watching her on the side of the bed. “Hm? Oh, just thinking is all… about Mipha… Revali… everyone I knew before. Heh, I found out she wanted to marry me before Ganon decided to rear his ugly head.”

Wolf Link raised an eyebrow. “You certainly have a way of attracting others, don't you? Like that prince you met at the domain?”

The champion snickered to herself as she remembered her first meeting with said prince. Last time she saw him, he barely reached her knee and by goddess, his grin was much too big for his tiny sweet face. But now, that same child towered over Swift, keeping that charming smile with a twinkle. His enthusiasm was as infectious as his positive mood and his muscular frame was enough to make the Hylian’s legs turn to jelly… so why couldn't she bring herself to flirt openly with him as she did with his sister long ago? Could it be guilt? The fact that she devoted her heart to Mipha and could never love another like her again? Maybe it was the fear of seeing him as a consolation prize compared to his sister. Whatever the reason, she wouldn't try to woo him as constantly as other people in her life… or so she thought. “Ahh, Prince Sidon could get any other woman. He is quite a sweetheart… not to mention those rippling muscles of his~”

“You're turning red again,” groaned Wolf Link.

She cleared her throat, trying to rid her brain of any lewd thoughts of Sidon… no matter how tempting it was. “Not as red as that adorable Goron we met back at Death Mountain turned when I held his hand. By Hylia, Yunobo was a yummy little cinnamon roll. What I wouldn't give to kiss that soft goofy face again.”

“Do that and he might accidentally knock you into lava, idiot,” the wolf growled. “Like when you almost walked off that cliff staring at that Rito bard.”

Swift burst into laughter at the memory. “Can you blame me? Kass is a very pretty bird. His looks are as mesmerizing as his music.”

The dark-colored canine shook his head in frustration. It seemed like everywhere they went, his companion had at least three new infatuations towards the residents of Hyrule. “Seriously, is there any place in Hyrule you HAVEN'T fallen for someone?!”

“I wonder if that cute Hylian girl with the purple hair is still in Gerudo Town,” Swift gushed, oblivious to the wolf’s question.

Wolf Link put his paw over his face and sighed in defeat, “You're hopeless.”

[sometipsygnostalgic]

tipsy reviews: breath of the wild

So last month, early november, I went and got myself a Nintendo Switch. And for my new console I bought 3 games: MarioKart Deluxe, Super Mario: Odyssey, and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.

What I used it for mostly during this time period was.... Mariokart. It’s a fun and addictive little game while the two openworld games required a lot of effort with no linear path, so I wasn’t looking forward to a lot of busywork.

To my pleasant surprise, when I finally sat down to complete Odyssey, I discovered that the game was filled with many little secrets. It would reward you for experimenting, for putting objects in funny places, and solving its puzzles. The addictive gameplay helped me steamroll through the game to its logical conclusion, and then beyond.

Breath of the Wild, fortunately, follows a similar path. Gone are the many hours of tutorials, talking swords, and narrow Hyrule paths. Now we find the world not only open, where you’re free to move in any direction  and climb any mountain, but filled with many secrets and challenges to spend your days working through!  It’s not fair to say that Breath of the Wild is without its challenges though; the open-world formula starts out with many, and though Zelda subverts the issues plagueing more well-known users like Assassin’s Creed, it does fall into some unique pitfalls. 

In this post I will discuss the different areas of this game - story, gameplay, puzzle elements - and see how they compare.

Environment: I felt like it was most important to talk about this aspect first, because the world of Hyrule is so significant to the potential and failures of every other part of the game. Everything to do with story, puzzles, difficulty, it’s all related to the open world, what’s in it, and how you navigate.   Breath of the Wild kinda looks like a barren, empty game when you look at its open world face-value. There’s very few cities, most of the place is ruins littered with some enemy camps and lots of caves. Not a lot of history at all! It reminds me of the empty Hyrule Fields in Ocarina of Time. And there are no sprawling dungeons like in its predecessors. The closest to this is the shrines, short mini-dungeons which were created by the Sheikah predecessors to help the Hero destroy Ganon.  But what Breath of the Wild does RIGHT is utilize this seemingly empty open world to its full advantage. It’s filled with a variety of animals and critters to use for cooking, challenging opponents who you can loot, korok seeds which you need to solve a riddle to collect (but which are far less irritating than riddler trophies), hidden treasure for you to discover... And perhaps the most immersive tactic is how we are able to take damage from the environment - you can freeze to death on a mountain, or dehydrate in the desert, or roast in the Goron mine. All of this, combined with the many, MANY shrines and seeds and their corresponding puzzles, makes this world feel... alive. Like people and animals actually live here.   And the most adrenaline-bursting part of all is entering a Divine Beast for the first time and realising you can manipulate the environment using the map. THIS is what makes a great adventure game. Now, it’s still a fair departure from the classic dungeon crawlers or the previous three entries, but I think Breath of the Wild pulled off its world very impressively. Much more fun to explore than London or North America. It is only for an issue I’ll discuss later on that I have to rank it as low as 8/10. 

Story: BotW does make an interesting departure once again from before, though in some ways I feel this had lost potential. The story is COMPLETELY optional - as soon as you leave the great plateau, you can fight Ganon and call it a day. But if you choose to dig deeper into the memories of Link, you’ll discover that you were ALREADY the Chosen Hero, sealed deep into the Resurrection Shrine by instruction of Zelda. You were identified early because of your upbringing as the son of a Royal Knight, and that’s about it for Link’s known pre-mastersword history. It’s unknown what adventures you went on before. Now you and four Champions were chosen to prepare to fight Ganon. The backstory between you and Zelda is.... mixed, kind of depressing actually; she resented you for a long time because you were so good at your job as the Hero of the Sword while she was deeply insecure over her inability to activate her powers and how her father kept putting pressure on her to constantly pray when she just wanted to become a huge nerd, helping out in other ways.  It ends with Ganon unleashing its power across Hyrule, the Champions being killed and trapped in the Divine Beasts they were going to use against him, and Link nearly dying protecting Zelda who  saves him last second with an awesome Light that Burns the Sky.   After watching 25-ish cutscenes, I... was quite disappointed, because they kept rehashing stuff I already knew; Zelda was insecure over her lack of power, she disliked Link but grew to respect him, and the other Champions are.... well, Mipha’s the only one who has any real history with Link. Revali sees him as a rival, Urubosa looks after Zelda, and Daruk is very hardy and enthusiastic. It’s really cool meeting these characters in the Divine Beasts but you don’t learn much more, and I heard the Champion’s Ballad DLC is the same...  Ganon himself isn’t a chilling villain like before, moreso an intimidating threat. He’s not nearly as scary as the Twilight Beasts or any named Ocarina of Time boss, and he takes very little skill to defeat, even compared to some of his Blights (Thunderblight Ganon took me multiple attempts with its fast hard-hitting moves). In fact I think I’d be able to sweep him easily without saving any Champions. The worst part of all though has to be how it just CUTS YOU OFF.  You complete the game? Yeah, that’s kind of it. There isn’t a “post-game”, it just lets you load your past save. That’s what pisses me off the most. I wanted to speak to Zelda about all those memories I found! Oh yeah the game is also sneaky and won’t load the secret ending cutscene if you didn’t report to Impa and recover the hidden memory after unlocking the Hyrule Tower memory, so good luck doing what I did and getting that one last just before the final boss.  All in all, 5 out of 10. It did its job, but was nothing special whatsoever, lots of wasted potential.  

Gameplay: When you first start playing Breath o the Wild it is extremely punishing. Your weapons  are shit, your damage is shit, you WILL get oneshot many times. But when you pump more hours into it, you gain lots of momentum; since there are so many areas of gameplay, so many ways to approach a certain situation, it becomes inevitable that you’ll figure out a good solution to any fight.  This is a double-edged blade; while it’s lots of fun to kill enemies inventively, the difficulty curb at the BEGINNING of the game is so steep that you’ll find it becoming stupidly easy later on, when you’re more overpowered and you’ve mastered the enemy attack patterns. Sure, they may turn black or silver and do hella damage, but what’s a god to a player who knows how to exploit their AI?  And you’ll be swimming in so many powerful weapons that you’ll abandon them all after a certain point, cos there’s nothing worse to trade out.   The biggest victims of the difficulty scaling have to be the Ganon bosses, all of them, which DO NOT gain health or difficulty at any point. It’s like fighting Champion Wallace’s level 40 watertypes with a level 70 rayquaza, which is what I did in my Emerald playthrough...  This means that the greatest elements of Breath of the Wild’s gameplay are those moments where your tools aren’t quite enough, where you have to prepare and plan. Maybe there’s too many moblins to take on at once? Maybe you’re playing the Island Trial and you have no decent weapons? Maybe you’re trying to complete the Zora divine beast quest and you come face-to-face with the Lynel on the summit? Maybe there’s multiple Guardians aiming at your direction and you have no Ancient Arrows? In all these situations I’ve had to be inventive, sneak around and attack on the sly, or avoid combat altogether.  But what’s even more reliable is the puzzles. You’re not handheld, you’re not told how to do anything outside of the very basic controls - every single puzzle you solve is completely your own accomplishment, your own skills, and sometimes it’s not set out clearly at all so you have to be creative. Nobody TOLD you to put that one rock in the gap between all the others, but you did it, and now you have a rock! And nobody TOLD you how to make a recipe that heals all your hearts and gives you 3 to spare, but your experimentation crafted a recipe.   THIS, in my opinion, is what makes a definitive gaming experience - respect for the player. 9 out of 10 too many royal swords.

Music - No videogame review is complete without an OST ranking. Now.... BotW tried to play a certain role with its music, having it in the background colouring your experiences rather than defining them. This is quite appreciated because it would have been distracting to have booming enemy music for an opponent I knock out in 2 seconds (cough OOT cough). However, outside of its main theme, Breath of the Wild lacks almost all the signature Zelda tracks that have been defining for the series. I’d say that the absence of this booming music makes it.... not feel much like a Zelda at all. It better reflects the open and partially destroyed world, at the expense of recogition. That’s not to say it’s without gems though.. there are very few things more chilling than the music that plays in ganon-possessed guardian containing the tormented soul of your dead zora girlfriend. 7 out of 10, servicable and decent. 

Conclusion - Breath of the Wild is a smashing game, which deserves the praise it gets, not because it’s an open world Zelda but because it REDEFINES the possibilities of an open world game. Instead of littering itself with countless copy-paste fortresses, it offers puzzles and challenges that show respect for the player’s adaptability, encouraging you to explore all the different options its mechanics offer. Instead of making you choke through an insufferable and possibly frustrating campaign to unlock new areas, it gives you the options and tools to go anywhere you like as long as you prepare. It says much when even this game’s biggest weaknesses can be played for strengths. And oh man, what a solid introduction to the Nintendo Switch generation. 

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild: 8 out of 10. 

[heroofhyrulelink]

Zelpha Week: Day 2

Hope you all enjoy this one! I loved writing it :)

Zelpha Week Themes AO3 Link

Day 2: Magic Word Count: 1129 Summary: Mipha and Zelda spend some time in the Spirit Realm and once the Calamity is defeated, Zelda looks for a way to bring Mipha back to life.

Zelda was trapped inside of the Calamity for over a century, forced to roam the "Spirit Realm" of Hyrule while waiting for Link to wake up and finish what they all started so very long ago. Most of the time, the Princess was alone. She was trapped in the ghostly version of her kingdom by herself. However, every once in a while a special someone would visit. Mipha, the Zora Champion.

Mipha's spirit was the one out of the four champions that hadn't yet accepted the fact that things had gone terribly wrong. Don't get her wrong, she understood that she was dead and most of Hyrule's population had plummeted...but she didn't believe that she would stay dead. Neither did she believe that Hyrule would stay "dead". The other champions did have faith in Hyrule's recovery given the fact that it had survived this long, however their mindset was more...realistic than Mipha's perhaps too optimistic thoughts. This didn't matter too much though.

Zelda spent most of her time in the empty version of the Zora's Domain, waiting for Miles to return to the Spirit Realm. Those days were lonely and long. It almost felt like she had to wait years until her next visit from the charming champion. But before she knew it Mipha was walking up the steps of the Domain and greeting Zelda with a warm smile.

The two spent their time together talking, obviously. It was a bit awkward. The two never really spoke of things other than pressing issues such as the Calamity or royal matters. But now they were forced to talk about something else. Something new. So they did. The two grew closer, getting to know each other slowly yet surely. Zelda was the one that talked the most, going on for what felt like hours about her life and how she spent a majority of it praying when she longed for knowledge and adventure. Mipha listened intently to everything the Hylian Princess had to say. When Zelda said all she needed to the Zora Champion had a new image of the once seemingly pretentious princess.

Mipha spoke of her own life, it wasn't as interesting as Zelda's but Zelda enjoyed hearing about it nonetheless. The Hylian took a major interest in Mipha's healing powers and how she discovered them, Mipha answered any question Zelda threw at her. Zelda attacked the Zora Princess with a shower of questions regarding Mipha's spearmanship, Mipha happily gave the overexcited Zelda a demonstration and answered all her questions.

It went on like this for a while. The two talked of themselves and grew closer. One day, without really thinking, Mipha took a hold of her friend's hand and confessed that she had feelings for her, feelings that developed in their time together. The two were blushing brightly, Mipha apologised for being so blunt and sudden. She wanted to confess her feelings before anything happened. She didn't want to wait to confess only to be obliterated by Ganon's dark forces. Zelda, not really knowing how to properly act in a situation like this, responded with a rather sudden, and only a little awkward, kiss.

More time passed. Link had woken up and Mipha was needed up in Hyrule now. Before she returned to help Link defeat the Calamity, Zelda held onto her girlfriend tightly and promised her that things would turn out okay. Link would win. Hyrule would be free. Zelda would go straight to work to figure out how to revive Mipha so they could be together like all the times they imagined. Mipha only smiled and wished her luck with that and with sealing the darkness before she disappeared.

Even more time passed. Zelda was freed, floating in the air and hands clasped together while golden light enveloped her. She raised a hand and sealed the darkness. It was over. The spirits of the champions were freed and Hyrule was saved. As promised, Zelda put herself to work. She dragged Link across the kingdom (not really, he went willingly) to the goddess statues and prayed to them for some sort of clue. All the time she replayed memories of herself and her dearest Mipha in the Spirit Realm. All those promises of the future felt like lies they told each other to shelter themselves from the truth.

When the Spring of Wisdom was a failure, the two Hylians spent the night at Hateno village. They were going to return to Hyrule Castle and attempt to salvage any books they could find, maybe one had something on reviving your dead Zora girlfriend?

Night rolled around and Zelda fell into a rather short sleep. She dreamt she was in a peculiar place. Somewhere she didn't recall being. A gigantic goddess statue, bigger than the ones at the springs, stood at the end of the room. Zelda tilted her head and walked slowly towards it.

"Zelda." Mipha's soft voice echoed in the room. Zelda looked around for the source of the voice, disappointed when she couldn't see Mipha. "Zelda," Mipha repeated, "The Goddesses. The Triforce."

"Mipha? Zelda turned in circles, looking for the red Zora. "Where on earth are you?"

"The Triforce. It allows you one wish. The Goddesses are allowing you to use that one wish as reward for all the pain you have endured. Go to it, my dear Princess. Go to it."

Zelda woke up in a cold sweat. She jumped out of bed and shook Link awake, explaining that she knew exactly where to go. Of course all she had to say was "we go where the Triforce presumably is!", when she realised that wasn't too specific she began describing her dream and is surroundings to her knight. Link instantly knew where to go.

It took them a while but they eventually made it to The Forgotten Temple. Zelda could feel the power radiating from inside. The two entered and made it all the way through as quickly as possible. Once they reached the room with the gigantic Goddess statue the Triforce did make itself known. Golden light appeared out of thin air, a moment later and the three triangles floated into view before combing to make one gigantic triangle.

Her heart raced as she placed a single hand on the Triforce, closed her eyes, and made her wish. The magical triangles disappeared and instead were replaced with ha brilliant blue light. Zelda quickly threw her arms out in time to catch a now living Mipha fall from a few feet above the ground.

The two just stood there a moment, Zelda carrying Mipha like the princess she was, and Mipha staring into her girlfriends eyes. After a minute of disbelief they laughed, Zelda spun around happily before they shared a gentle kiss of relief.

[highraccoon]

DND - Legend of Zelda: Breath of The Wild

so many bullshit things have happened since i last posted such as ~

the party getting trapped in a hell church run by a demon that made us live through our worst fears.

Paja freaking out at being touched or feeling warmth, breaking down into tears when Gilleon dragged her into the igloo so she wouldn't die from the cold. His force and her slipping resulted in them kissing by mistake. Paja gets angry and punches him.

The party gets kidnapped by Simulacra and Paja figures out that Simulacra can't bleed and that's how they could tell the difference between the real them and the others. Unfortunately i rolled a nat 1 and sliced so deep into Paja's arm that she cut the nerves and lost use of everything below the middle of her forearm. She got it removed and replaced with automail that turns into an electrified spike at will.

A Guardian wakes up and a demon wizard kidnapps the party, taking them to the central monster camp. They find out that every living thing has a piece of Demise in them, and the only way to remove it is through a painful rite. the only way to perform the rite is by using these power cores, one core per person. Ati, wanting to become stronger, offers herself up but Paja pushes her out of the way and goes instead. She says that because none of them know how the rite works or even if they'll survive it, it would be best that she goes instead.

Paja gets the darkness ripped out of her (her greed, her lust, her impulsivity, her pride, her cruelty and ruthlessness) and she is forced to fight the horrific mass that continuously ignores her or tosses her aside to try and kill her friends. Paja's Blight has a strange fixation on Gilleon, repeatedly attacking him even when Paja steps in the way to protect him. Eventually the party kills it and once its gone, Paja falls to her knees and openly weeps. She curls in on herself, shaking and screaming at the emptiness inside her.

Paja's personality was pretty much 90% Blight, so now without it, she feels that she is nothing. She drinks herself numb and smokes herself stupid for 2 days, going through crying jags every time she gets somewhat sober. The rest of the party is extremely uncomfortable, having seen Paja as a pillar of strength and power and now having to watch her collapse in on herself.

When the party returns to the Union, they're told that everyone thought they were dead for 3 weeks. When everyone walks into the war room and sees the leaders of all their clans in a heated discussion which slowly quiets when they see the 7 party members that were thought to be dead. Impa sees her daughter Paja and runs up to her, tears running down her cheeks. She hugs her tight and says "you're alive. my baby is alive. you're here. you're safe" over and over. Paja didn't know how much her adoptive mother loved her until that moment and Paja breaks down crying again, saying "I'm sorry, mama. I'm sorry for all of it. i thought you would be relieved, but i guess i was wrong."

The party convinces the Union to work with the Monsters against the Guardian tasked with destroying Demise and is set on killing all the life in Hylia to do so.

The party goes to Gilleon's house for the holiday feast and they meet his family, Paja is still horrifically depressed and refuses to make eye contact with Gilleon. He occasionally tries to prod her, saying something teasing, but she doesn't react. Mako, Gilleon's older sister, pulls Paja aside and asks her what's wrong.

Paja admits that she's in love with Gilleon and that she's known since the church. Her worst fear was watching Gilleon and her mother abandon her, then burn her at the stake. How, now that she has no lid for her emotions, everything is spreading like a grease fire and she has no control over her emotions anymore but when she sees Gilleon, everything quiets. Everything feels manageable, she feels at peace. Which then makes her feel terrible, because she knows Gilleon hates her and they had JUST started becoming friends and her love for him would just ruin that.

Mako sings her a song of healing, mending Paja's broken heart partially. She tells Paja to take it easy for the next few days because something is coming after her party and it feeds on the emotionally weak.

Shelly, Gilleon's mad scientist sister, pulls Paja into her room to do tests on her automail arm. Paja lights up a joint, feeling considerably better, until Gilleon follows her into the room and tries to get Paja to put it out so that his mom doesn't smell it. Paja giggles and flirts with him, then confesses that he makes everything quiet and she loves the blue of his eyes and his smile makes her smile and that she's completely in love with him. She then admits that her worst fear was him and her mother leaving her.

Gilleon snaps at her, saying "So you hate me as much as you hate your mother? Seriously what is wrong with you? You bully me for months then you pull this? What do you hope to gain? Seriously this isn't fucking funny, Paja."

The rest of the day is Gilleon and Paja yelling at each other and miscommunicating. Paja desperately trying to get Gilleon to understand that she loves him and would never want to hurt him while Gilleon thinks that she's lying to fuck with him and that she's decided to bully him again. Seriously, the rest of the session was just Paja and Gilleon yelling at each other. Mako has had enough and she's DONE, so she yanks Gilleon into his room and yells at him something to the effect of "what the actual all encompassing FUCK was that? she was sobbing in my room and one of the things that upset her the most was her love for you, because she knows she fucked up. the least you could do is not be a dick to her so when the thing thats coming to kill you all in 3 days actually comes, maybe you all won't die!"

They visit the Dekuscrub Village (which is a large tree), they get reunited with Nakka. now, no one has any clue who Nakka is. but according to Nakka, Gilleon is his very best friend in the whole word - or any other dimension. That his Gilleon, a merfolk alcoholic Bard, jumped into a portal and got dispersed throughout other dimensions and this was the one Nakka found him in. Little backstory on Nakka: Richard created Nakka in another campaign for one specific purpose. To fuck with the DM. he exploited the system to make a super-charged character. Nakka is extremely strong and can essentially hug people to death. He has bested gods in hand-to-hand combat, he's defeated devils in cooking shows. all while having a +1 on pretty much everything except strength, concentration, and agility. this dude has been through so much shit that is a sudo God and is the Lord of Hell because he kicked Satan down into the dirt. and Nakka has done all of this for his very best friend Gilleon. Gilleon, in the past incarnation, became an alcoholic because Nakka ruined his life. Nakka bested the Goddess Merfolk!Gilleon prayed to every night since he was a child, dethroned her, put Gilleon on her throne, and gifted the goddess to Gilleon as a girlfriend. this broke Gilleon irreparably and he went into a downward spiral of insanity and alcoholism until he threw himself into a void that threw him into multiple dimensions.

Richard decided that every campaign that Ian plays Gilleon in, Nakka will always eventually show up to reunite with his "fishbro". Ian said that every time Nakka shows up, Gilleon will have a knee-jerk reaction to him that will start with crying and end with being hella paranoid all the time.

So, two days after Zora!Gilleon reuniting with Nakka, and Paja basically protecting Gilleon in every combat they get into, Gilleon feels terrible for what he said and pulls her aside during an extended rest. He confesses that yeah, he was scared and hurt when she initially told him that she loved him and it took him some time to accept that New Paja isn't the same as Old Paja. and if he was being honest with himself, he hasn't hated Paja for a long time and actually feels like he would rather be by her side than anywhere else. That he thinks if he were to be without her that he would be miserable. His feelings were that he loved her above all else and never wanted to be without her.

Still scared that he doesn't mean it, she still asks him out on a date and they go for a drink.

Note: Nakka created a door/portal to Merfolk!Gilleon's room in Hell upon meeting this party. Zora! Gilleon picked up a picture of Merfolk!Gilleon and Paja leans over his shoulder and says "hm he's hot." which causes Gilleon to get insecure. Paja found a chest with 69 bottles of 100 proof alcohol. 1 bottle in the 69 is the Krunkinator, which is 2,000 proof alcohol only fit for the king of hell to drink - everyone else will be killed the second their lips touch the liquid. i now need to roll a D65 (we already used or drank 4 of them) every time we pick up a bottle to see if today will be the day we die.

[hollyplays]

Breath of the Wild- A Mini Review Not Meant To Be

Hey! This was supposed to be part of a new feature for when I don’t have the spoons to do a full-length review of a game. Patrons wont be charged for mini-reviews, but I ended up having way more to say about this game than I thought I would, so it turned into a full-size review.

I’ve been putting off talking about Breath of the Wild for a long time- it’s been out for more than a month, and I’ve put a solid twenty hours into it. Of those hours, I think I was having fun for maybe six of them.

For maybe the first time ever, this review is spoiler free!

First, the good: Breath of the Wild is a much-needed reinvention of the Zelda franchise. Zelda games are incredibly hit-or-miss, from the fantastic and wonderful Majora’s Mask to the miserably slow Twilight Princess. Open world games (especially those with a survival focus) are also fairly hit-or-miss; a good chuck of these games end up feeling like work a few hours in, and the stronger the focus on survival the more likely that is. For the most part and for most people, Breath of the Wild will hit. It has no hunger or thirst mechanic. It’s temperature mechanic is relatively straightforward and complications therein are easily avoided.

I did not expect the thing I loved most about Breath of the Wild to be it’s cooking, but there it is- BotW’s cooking mechanic is the most robust and enjoyable I’ve ever seen in a video game. By no coincidence, it’s also the closest to actual cooking. Most video games give you rigid recipes, with precise quantities and ingredients to make a dish with little variation. Breath of the Wild gives you the ingredients, the means to acquire them, and their descriptions- and whatever you make, you make. There are “results”, obviously- but they’re going to vary immensely depending on what you use. This system is awesomely rewarding, and the little jingle and Link’s humming are satisfying. In general, the simpler your dish the better- you want to stick with one ‘core’ ingredient and one ‘effect’ ingredient. Mixing ‘effects’ ingredients typically results in a weaker version of only one of those effects. Although my inner chef dreams of an uber Milksteak with max stealth and max hearts, this system works well.

Combat in BotW is the best the series has ever had. Gathering weapons is fun and feels natural, and trading out your weapons over time feels satisfying. The combat is quick and precise on all counts- it’s never been easier to die in a Zelda game. This is balanced with frequent autosaves, and little punishment for death- you’ll generally respawn right outside where you died and be able to move on fairly quickly.

Aesthetically, BotW is gorgeous. So much care went into the character and art design, and it shows. This game shines, and half the enjoyment is watching the camera pan up on every new environment. It’s absolutely lovely, and a satisfying world to explore and be part of.

I have a love/hate relationship with Breath of the Wild’s Shrines. Probably the most important new mechanic BotW has to offer, Shrines are miniature dungeons scattered throughout the world. These miniature dungeons range from engaging puzzles on connecting circuits and freezing pillars of water into platforms to miniature boss battles. Complete a shrine and you’ll be rewarded with a spirit orb- turn in four spirit orbs for heart containers or upgrades to your stamina vessel.

The puzzles in the shrines are by and large fun. The electricity puzzles are especially engaging, and even a few of the ice puzzles are satisfying. Some of these puzzles, unfortunately, boil down to Zelda-Golf, which is as unwieldy as it is irritating. Perhaps the worst of Zelda’s shrines are the “tests of strength”- battles with the games Guardians. These shrines end up generally being a frustrating expenditure of resources- most of my Guardian fights ended up with me trading multiple melee weapons and shields for a spirit orb and one weapon. The fights aren’t fun, either- the Guardians are incredibly powerful, and often only one hit is enough to take the player out and force them to restart. It’s true that dying is generally fairly easy to recover from, but that doesn’t make it not discouraging.

The story is engaging enough, although Link is, as per usual, the least interesting part. I have a particular attachment to the Zora Prince Sidon, and Purah, the Hylian scientist who accidentally turned herself into a child during an experiment gone wrong. These characters are standouts among a largely unremarkable cast. Even the Gorons, long my favorite race, are mostly without distinction- looking back, I can’t even remember a single Goron character’s name.

The worst part of BotW, without a doubt, is the stamina vessel. The world is beautiful, and I had the most fun when I was out exploring it- climbing towers and assassinating Bokoblins. It felt for most of the game like I was constantly battling the stamina vessel- falling off impossibly high towers, getting one-shotted by Guardians who’s bullets I couldn’t outrun, and any number of other ways running out of stamina can turn into a death sentence. It’s inclusion in the game is honestly baffling- I fail to see anything meaningful it adds. Getting heart containers from Spirit Orbs is reward enough (especially as heart containers will get you the Master Sword, which believe me, you want) and constantly watching the stamina drain is frustrating.

Most of BotW I spent climbing. Climbing towers, climbing walls, climbing ruins. In some scenarios, climbing is fun- the second-to-second rush of climbing the walls of a labyrinth to avoid a Guardian is thrilling, but even in that scenario I felt more like I was fighting the stamina system and less like I was fighting the Guardian. For most of the game, however, climbing is just monotonous. Breath of the Wild, maybe more than any other Zelda game, needs to be engaging- and climbing just isn’t.

Breath of the Wild also introduces a weather system- a first for the series. This should have been a welcome addition, and couldn’t have come at a better time- a dynamic weather system sounds perfect for an open world survival Zelda. Unfortunately, the only real weather the game provides you with is ‘rain’, and during rain the game is basically unplayable. Forget about climbing, which you’ll recall is necessary to get almost anywhere- Link will slip and fall and you’ll lose precious stamina. Bomb and fire arrows won’t work in the rain, forcing you to waste regular weapons and resources on what could be easy fights. Some puzzles require you to move magical fire from one place to another- at one point early in the game I was attempting one of these puzzles and it started to rain. The weather system forced me to just sit near the source of the fire and wait for twenty minutes until I could play the game again. What should have been a mechanic making the world seem natural and dynamic stalls the game and forces the player to wait for no real reason.

Breath of the Wild is full of instances like this- what should be small design flaws turning into massively frustrating ordeals. For example, BotW’s second major boss fight requires one handed weapons. For most of the game, spears are the superior choice- but if you go into this boss without three or four one handed weapons and shields to match, you’ll get to a certain point in the boss’ fight patterns where he’ll one-shot you every swing. With no reliable way to acquire one-handed weapons (at that point, the only “renewable” weapon I’d found was, go figure, a spear), this is a huge design flaw. Even my girlfriend, who liked BotW much more than I did, went and did the other main dungeons and only came back for this boss after she had the Master Sword and a myriad of magical powers to defend her.

Breath of the Wild is a deeply flawed game with a wonderful engine. This game had the potential to be the greatest Zelda of all time, and while it defies hit-or-miss expectations by being both, the frustrating stamina system and absurd weather restrictions keep it from really hitting home. Breath of the Wild is not bad- but it is far, far from perfect. Final score- 7.75 out of ten.

[iwillstealyourvitalregions]

POSSIBLE LEGEND OF ZELDA BREATH OF THE WILD SPOILERS

I'm just really sad okay because when I started the new adventure I was super excited because everything was new and fresh and I was ready to fall in love with Zelda all over again, but now as I'm discovering more of the story, it's making me sad because LITERALLY ALL OF LINKS FRIENDS ARE DEAD OMG. I've only gotten to Zora's domain so far (after the kakariko village quest of course) and like?? I WAS FEELING SOME SORT OF WAY ABOUT THE ZORA PRINCE AND NOW I FIND OUT THAT LINKS CHILDHOOD FRIEND/ GIRLFRIEND DIED AND HE BARELY REMEMBERS SHIT. I'M SO SAD DON'T TOUCH ME.