#oh how i have missed the rito and rito village

[katetcake]

I don't really like that Tulin turns out to be a descendant of a Sage and that's why he's able to control wind.

Like in BotW (and AoC), Revali was special because he developed his ability through hard work. He was the strongest/most skilled warrior the Rito had. That was the emphasis of his character. There was no talk of his history (like Zelda), his lineage (like Zelda/Sidon/Riju), or any devine rites (like Link/Zelda) or devine powers (like Urbosa/Daruk/Riju/Yunobo/Mipha).

Revali was just a guy. A guy who was good/strong enough to stand amongst essentially demi-gods in spite of his totally ordinary background.

Same with Teba. He was just a guy who heard the story of Revali and wanted to be strong like him. He looked up to Revali and his achievements so much, he became the hero his people needed.

We could've had that w/ Tulin. Make him have natural skill which he hones into the mastery he shows in the game. Someone who grew up w/ stories of the Great Master Revali. Someone who saw his own father, just a normal guy, rise up to help the chosen of the Goddess defeat the darkness around Vah Medoh. Tulin could have been someone so inspired by his community and family he became great. Someone the Sage could acknowledge and pass on his gift and title to despite not being related.

This also allows for the impulsive/prideful loner to humble teammate storyline to work too.

Idk, it just bothered me a little too much. The Rito of BotW (and AoC) never had any mention of lineage or devine intervention. It made them feel like they could achieve greatness instead of them being destined for it, regardless of who they are.

[skyward-floored]

More totk things I did/saw yesterday:

Sticky lizards. Sticky lizards sticky lizards sticky lizards. Sticky lizards. Did I mention sticky lizards.

The glowing cave fish are so pretty, I love their colors. I just love all the glowing stuff in the caves, and the caves in general, they were a superb decision on nintendo’s part

I fought some of those crazy monkey bokoblin things. I forget what they’re called. I maybe screamed a little because they startled me. But also something about them reminds me of the Mogmas in skyward sword and that worries me a little (even though I’m sure it’s a coincidence).

PELICAN RITO!!!

Penn is the best. He’s so silly goofy. I love his little salute he does as he leaves and “soar long” abshdbdjdbd. I really hope he carries stuff in his beak at some point (letters would be REALLY funny).

Since when can the trees attack by the way? what happened to those trees. Who hurt you. Ents gone rogue. Rebellious teenage Ents maybe.

Didn’t expect to find Impa in the middle of a field but okay! why not. Thought I’d have to hike all the way over to Kakariko to see her. I was also surprised she isn’t dead but I guess Sheikah just live longer. She’s gotta be pushing 130 at least...

(The rest is a little long so it goes under the cut):

The geoglyphs are really cool. Part of time is thinking they’re just a way for the developers to take up space without having to put anything but eh I’m forgiving.

The geoglyph of Rauru looks like he’s in a wheelchair. I don’t have anything further to say about that I just think it’s interesting.

Dragon tears... mysterious dragon... dragon people... hmmmmmm. hm.

Zelda: *wakes up to see a lady with poofy hair and a literal dragon dude standing over her* oh it’s going to be one of those days isn’t it

Jokes aside I’m glad Zelda isn’t alone at least? Even if she’s ten bajillion years in the past or however long it is. At least she didn’t wake up basically alone like Link did. Plus Sonia and Rauru are funny hehe

Got three game overs from a battle talus thing and then ran away 😔

Zelda sounds really into the blood moon thing tbh. Like in botw it sounds like a tired warning, but in totk it’s like HERE COME THE MONSTERS BABE *cue the you better watch out vine*

Second geoglyph memory tear thing was very interesting. That view from the great plateau is incredible, I want to look around hyrule from a bajillion years ago. How come only Zelda got to go... anyway interesting how Sonia could sense she and Zelda were related. And also if they are indeed related and therefore Rauru is too then how come Zelda just looks... Hylian? Are Zonai genes just extremely recessive or something? Or has it just been so long with so many Hylian genes that they’re just all gone. I have Questions.

Also Rauru has a big sister? Little brother Rauru?? hehehe

I feel bad for thinking it but the blizzard situation is kinda fun ngl. I know the Rito are struggling but I LOVE snowy areas. I LOVE THEM.

And the music is different in rito village aaaaaaaa. Again I feel real sorry for the Rito. But I love the vibes. I love the snow. I love it here.

KASS’S GIRLS ARE OLDER aww!! I got a little burst of pride seeing them they’re all so responsible now *squeals*

Side note it’s weird that the botw shrines are gone. It’s like I know something should be there but it’s missing. And nobody acts like it’s even gone. But I know it is. It’s missing and it should be there but it isn’t.

...Is this what Link feels like all the time?

Anyway.

Tulin sounds like Spike the dragon from mlp but honestly that just makes me love him more. He’s a cute little responsible and rebellious teenager now!! And Teba is dealing with that haha. Also a promotion!! I’m sure it’s rough being village elder, but I think you’re doing a good job Teba.

Oh I forgot to mention the newspaper place, that looks like it’s going to be a fun sidequest! And the music is great there too (also Penn again!!! Beloved!!!).

And I think that’s all :)

[nolongerapileofashprobably]

First Impressions (will be adding as I play)

DOMESTIC ZELINK THEH ARE SO FUCKING CUTE (like PLS he is such a gentleman and is still a short king, we stan— and Zelda always worried about him 🥺)

Link lost an arm to protect Zelda. My guy sets a HIGH BAR

Once I fully understand zonai devices it’s over for you bitches

Rauru my main man gets a love interest. What a dude

NOOOO NOT THE WAY THE MASTER SWORD GOES TO ZELDY IN THE PAST IM SO AHSJKDJSBAHSJZ I MISS FI SO MUCH

yo Hyrule be lookin DIFFERENTT AND OMG EVERYONE IS LOOKING FOR ZELDA AND LINK

Fucking SHOOT ME IT WOULD BE LESS PAINFUL THAN SEEING HOW MUCH EVERYONE CARES ABOUT THEM LIKE ????? GODDDDDD

DID A TREE JUST FUCKING ATTACK ME WHAT THE FUCK KIND OF SHIT IS THIS those scrubs really upped themselves ig

TULIN MY CHILD IVE NEVER BEEN SO EXCITED THAT IS MY SON!!!!!! THATS MY BOY!!!!! lol I love that the game points you towards Rito first bc no matter what the game wanted me to do, I was going to Rito village first bc I wanted to see all my CHILDRENN

Where the FUCK is Kass.

Not me avoiding both the entire East portion of the map in preference of going to Gerudo to see Riju

YOOOOO GIBDOS????? Need the suns song

OH LIGHTNINGGGGGG interesting I am DIGGING THIS and we get to go into Gerudo without disguise???? BANGERRRRRRR

I want my HORSE 🥲 silence my trusty white stallion where art thou

I’ve made it to Hateno and I’m fucking sick of these Koroks, like get up you lazy tree spirit are you fucking KIDDING me

ZELDA’S HOUSE!!!!! IS!!! THE!!!! HATENO!!!! HOUSE!!!! THEY LIVED TOGETHER!!! We been knew but OH MY GOD ITS SO FUCKING OBVIOUS WITH ALL THESE IMPLICATIONS. HIS HAIR TIE. THENEW TUNIC. THE KIDS DRAWING OF ZELDA. I AM GOING FERAL THEY ARE SO GODDAMN DOMESTIC

Yo where the FUCK is Kass.

Okay okay I’m having a time with paragliding so I’m just going to do Rito Village’s thing so I can get Tulin’s power

Lmao they’re not gunna kill off the babies like they did with the last champions…. Right?

LOL OKAY OKAY COOL THEY WONT CRISIS AVERTED but MAN I’ve fucked myself bc it is nearly 5a and my sister is coming over at 8a 💀

my HORSEEEE I HAVE MY HORSE BACK yo that is TRULY the best thing I missed my horse so much

Okay now I’m going to do the tears of the dragon quest bc WOOOOOHWEEEEE I miss Zelda

This was a fucking mistake it is 3am and I have to be up in four hours for work and I’m SOBBING bc ZELDA HAS SACRIFICED SO FUCKING MUCH I CANNOT DEAL WITH THIS LIKE WHAT THE FUCK NINTENDO

At least I have the sword 🥲

I’m loving everyone sending asks and talking to me about this game I love each of you SO MUCH… not as much as I love Tulin and Riju but still LOL

Yo I’m so fucking sad bc of Zelda rn I think I’m just gunna get a shit ton of shrines and explore the depths

THE DEPTHS ARE SO FUN AND COOL!!! I also think I found a temple in eldin ???? COOOOOOOOLLLLL !!!!!

What’s not cool? Yunobo being all macho macho man bruh when that is not the sensitive little Goron I know and love. Marbled rock roast? Sureeee Cuz that’s not suspicious.

Okay I’m going to avoid Zora’s domain and head to the great plateau…. Why the fuck is the Old Man’s Cabin inhabited by the Sheikah what the fuck is this

Okay so the Yiga are just camped out in Akkala too??? Bitches. Next thing you know Kohga is alive and in the depths LMAO

Now I’m going to Zora’s Domain bc it’s my last pit stop before I actually continue the story LOL… scratch that Imma head to Tarrey Town and see how the fam is doin! And !!! Hudson has a daughter!! Guess that answers my question as to how long it’s been between games lmao

I keep procrastinating Zora’s Domain OOOOFT but I’ll go there now for reals—Sidon is engaged??? Man was like “Omg bestie it’s been forevs btw this is my fiancé” like damn okay how long has it been since Link went to Zora’s domain

I’ve been searching for Kass and I’m having major doubt atp 🥲 I want my beloved songbird back

OKAY DUNGEON TIMEEEEE Imma do Yunobo and while I know it wants me to save Riju for last I simply cannot stay away for long so I’ll go there next!

Yo these temples are fire I got majorly concerned with the Wind Temple but it genuinely makes sense to have a more familiar groundwork for players to begin with that’s just different enough that you notice so it prepares you for the more complex classic Zelda dungeon twist the rest of them have

I’m annoyed all of their abilities require me like ‘asking’ their spirits rather than having a function button to summon it at will

Except for tulin bc he is my child and all is forgiven. And Riju bc she’s pretty and I love her

DID I FUCKING MANIFEST KOHGA BEING ALIVE AND IN THE DEPTHS?????? BITTTTCCCCHHHHHH I thought these people be straight up loyal but nah he ain’t dead, just chillin in the depths

Yo I thought I was at the end of the game but nope I find out that the Zelda I’ve been chasing is a puppet WOW who would have guessed 🙃

BUT THE WAY GANONDORF WAS LIKE “using her made it so easy to lure you into traps” like my man KNOWS

Okay okay fifth Sage down and now I’m going to the Hyrule castle chasm

Was no one going to tell me this might be difficult bc I’m just tryna sneak through but that ain’t happening LOL

I’m going to shower and eat dinner and THEN I’ll beat the game

Oh my god we back at the place we started I LOVE FULL CIRCLES

I’m going to fucking sob this has been such a good fight!!! Getting to use the master sword the entire time >>>>>

(Even though i legitimately used a lynel bow and bombs to deal most of my damage to Ganondorf… don’t judge me I am ✨strategic✨ and I only managed fo do real damage if I did arrows, arrows, dodge dodge dodge, flurry rush, backpedal it up)

ZELDA BEING MY HOMIE IN THIS DRAGON FIGHT WE LOVE TO SEE IT !!! She makes me so happy she went straight for Link to save him bc that’s simply instinct

🥹🥹🥹🥹IM SOBBING THIS IS SO FUCKINNNNGGGGGGGGGGGG THIS IS SO GOOD I LOVE HER AND I LOVE THAT WE GET TO DIVE AFTER HER AND ACTUALLY CATCH HER 🥹🥹🥹

Lifting her out of the water… Zelda waking up to the feeling of a warm loving embrace… telling Link “I’m home” and that she has “so much to tell” him… I’m going to need another box of tissues bc I be EMOTIONAL

Awe all the sages pledging themselves to Zelda

Link just being a silent supportive boyfriend bc homeslice can and will do everything to protect Zelda (and okay he already did a ceremony for this but let me have my shipper goggles on)

I’m just going to say it. This might be my favorite game. And I’m a diehard Majora’s Mask fan. Like that’s been my favorite for a WHILE. I miss the simplicity for some of the game mechanics but thoroughly enjoy the new creations we can make. I also understand zonai devices now so when Kass comes in the DLC it’s over for y’all

Anyway botw/totk zelink is canon and no one can change my mind

[asocial-lobster]

Whispers in the Wind

Link dragged his feet through another pile of sand and tried to swallow the dryness of his throat. It was hot. Unreasonable so, Link thought, despite his lack of experience with such things.

It was his first trip to the desert, and Link hated it already. He hated the warmth, the thirst, the way his clothes chafed against his scars. He wondered for the hundredth time what on earth could possess anyone to actually live here.

Still, there was nothing to do but carry on. Impa had told him in no uncertain terms to go to the four villages – Rito, Gerudo, Goron, and Zora – before he went to the castle. After having seen and defeated Waterblight Ganon, Link was inclined to agree with her. These people needed him.

But so did Zelda. Zelda, who had spent more than a hundred years fighting for her kingdom and people while Link slept. Now that Link was free of the Shrine, he was anxious to save her.

Sure, he didn't have many memories of her. And sure, those he had weren't all that happy. But Zelda had stepped up when Link himself failed to stop Ganon. He had to save her. He owed her that. 

But the heat. The sun was an ever-present eye looking down on him. His skin was blistering by now, and Link could already feel the sunburn begin to peel. He wished he could cover his exposed skin, but the idea of putting on more clothes was enough to send a streak of nausea through Link's stomach. 

How long since he'd gone into the desert now? Link couldn't remember. It had been a few days at least – he'd spent more than a day caught in a sandstorm, and when the skies finally cleared, he'd found himself way off course.

Link shook his head to clear the fog, but only succeeded in making himself dizzy. They would have water in Gerudo Town. Water and shade. He just had to get there.

Link's vision was beginning to blur by the edges, but he stubbornly carried on. He could see the village on the horizon now, it was almost within reach – or was it nothing more than a trick of the desert?

Link squinted, and in a moment of carelessness, his foot caught in the sand. He slammed headfirst into the dune, mouth filling with sand.

Link turned his head toward the city in the distance and reached for it, like that alone would be enough to carry him there. 

He had to get up. He couldn't give up now. 

The echo of laughter blew past him, and Link turned his head to find its source. Nothing but sand and the Gerudo Highlands, far away.

Whispering. Raspy exhales of air, a voice crinkling like a bent paper.

"Who- who's there?" Link asked. Only more laughter met his ears, the deep baritone joined by a woman's voice.

"Oh Link, I will miss you so," the woman whispered, the sound somehow both quiet and deafening to Link's ears. There was something comforting yet melancholic about it. Like cooking a meal from your childhood, only to realize it doesn't taste quite like you remembered it.

"You have the strength of a soldier," the man said, his creaking voice filled with pride. "You'll make a fine warrior one day."

Link felt his eyes sting, but his body was so starved for water that no tears came. His chest ached with something familiar.

"Link, don't go!" Came a third voice, and this one was young and panicked. A small girl's, by the sound of it.

"I'll come back soon," Link whispered. The words felt too well-rehearsed for something he'd never said before.

The voices began overlapping, and several new ones joined the chorus. One was rich and bossy, another sweet and determined. The cacophony rose to a dizzyingly crescendo in Link's head, and he squeezed his eyes shut against the building headache.

He needed to get up. But he was so tired, and it felt like the voices were tearing his soul itself apart. Who knew, maybe they were? Not like there was a lot to tear apart in the first place, Link thought deliriously. Ganon had made sure of that, right?

With that thought in mind, Link let his head rest on the scorching sand beneath him. He fell asleep to the distant sound of laughter in the wind.

[tnc-n3cl]

💋 Friday Kiss Tag 💋

Rules: From your Story/WIP, share a kiss. It can be any kiss—from familial pecks on the cheek, forehead kisses, platonic smooches, to full-blown makeouts. Spread the love! ❤️ Rules: Share a snippet of your writing!

Thanks for the tag @zeawesomebirdie !

Oh, I uh... don't have many scenes that fit this one, heh... (Well scenes that are written anyway...) And uh, they pretty much all involve Rito! This is from an upcoming chapter of The Ballad of Kass, which actually involves Teba and Saki. It is a little spoilery, but not too much. I'mma put it under the read more, and instead of tagging anyone specifically just say that anyone who sees this and wants to join in can! (It's pretty tame but just in case... Content warning: "nude" bird people, horny thoughts)

In his roost, Teba takes off his Chuchu jelly-stained armor and sets it on the floor.  He’s far too exhausted to try and clean it right now.  Honestly, it’s probably pointless, the jelly has likely already done enough damage to the leather by now that he’ll have to replace it.

He turns and watches Saki standing over Tulin’s hammock.  He’s finally asleep, and while Teba wouldn’t mind holding his son all night, he’s grateful he can lie down in his hammock and not have to sit all night. 

The lantern light reflects nicely off Saki’s beautiful feathers and he can’t help himself.  He walks over to her and puts his wings around her and gently presses his beak into her dense pluma [hair].  Then he begins running it back and forth. 

“Teba,” she says, “What are you doing?”

His voice muffled by her pluma, he responds softly, “I can’t show my wife a little affection?”

She sounds rather annoyed as she answers, “Not with that Chuchu jelly smeared all over your beak.”

He gasps and backs away; he’d almost forgotten about that!  “Sorry,” he mumbles as he pours some water in a washbowl and dips a cloth in it.  Then he tries his damnedest to clean the dried jelly off.  It’s not working…

Saki chuckles, “Here let me help.”

She takes a bar of soap out of their cleaning supplies and cuts a small piece off and places it in the water.  Then she dips the cloth in it and presses it to his beak.  His heart beats a little faster.

After a moment she finishes and dries his beak off with another cloth, “There,” she says, “All better.”

He leans in and wraps his wings around her again, and rubs his beak against her forehead.  She places her wings around his midsection.  He hugs her a little tighter, and reaches for the straps keeping her clothes on.

She breaks away from him, “I’m hardly in the mood for this right now.”

Teba sighs, “I’m sorry, honestly I’m too exhausted to do much more than hold you right now.”

She looks him in the eyes, and those beautiful blue eyes of hers bore into him, “And yet you’re trying to take my clothes off.”

His heart skips a beat, “I…”

She smiles, then takes her clothes off and wraps her wings around him.  She nuzzles her beak against his neck and he whispers, “I’m sorry I missed our evening meal.”

“It’s fine,” she replies, “The village was in danger and you did what had to be done.”

A sob escapes her beak, “I knew what I was getting into when I married you.”

He hugs her tighter, Goddess how he hates to hear her cry.  He hates being away from his family, but he has to keep them safe.  He has to keep everyone safe.  It’s why he became a Warrior in the first place.

“I’m sorry,” he chirps softly and he tilts his head down towards her.

She nips at the feathers around the base of his beak, “Teba, I…”

His mind races, is this really happening?  His crest rises and he asks, “Yes love?”

“I don’t want you training Tulin at the Flight Range anymore.  He’s too young.”

He breaks away from her and huffs, “Really?  You want to have this argument now?”

She scoffs and climbs into her hammock.

“Shit,” he whispers to himself as he climbs into his.  He reaches out his wing and places it on her, “Saki, can we talk about this later?  I don’t want to wake Tulin.”

“It’s always later for you, isn’t it,” she huffs, “You might not get a ‘later’ Teba.” 

That stings more than he cares to admit, but his damn stubbornness makes him dig in his talons, “You know how much Tulin likes going to the Flight Range, do you really want to deny him that?”

She pushes his wing off her and rolls over to face him and glares at him with her feathers raised.

Goddess, he’s an idiot!

He softens his tone, “I’m sorry.  Besides its not like I can take him with Vah Medoh keeping us grounded.”

“Oh, like you won’t drag him off as soon as it’s appeased!”

The biggest idiot ever…

“I…”  He pauses trying desperately to think of something that will soothe her wrath.  “What if you come with us?”

“What?”

He sits up, “Yeah, the three of us could go to the Flight Range.  Spend some time together as a family.”

Her feathers relax and she sits up as well, she tilts her head to the side and just stares at him for a moment.  In spite of his exhaustion, he suddenly has the urge to leap into her hammock with her, and run his beak across every inch of her body.  Especially that lovely violet patch on her breast.

Perhaps he’ll even do more than that…

“Alright,” she replies, pulling him from lustful thoughts, “After Vah Medoh’s dealt with.”

[toddstool]

i finished breath of the wild (loz for those who don't know) and before I get to totk i wanna at least talk about the casual/subtle/built-in misogyny in the game and get it off my mind

1) the first i noticed directly was how purah OFC wasn't allowed to be an old woman. two old women in a game? naahhh that's crazy, let's make the one that's a scientist a loli stereotype 🤪 "sure she has the body of a cutesie 6 year old (that looks nothing like the other children in the game) but she's ACTUALLY like 120 sooo :P" plus that stupid stance thing that she does with that noise is so fucking... weird i can't stand it. why couldn't she just be a wise old woman?

2) backing up to purah's village and family, let's talk about her grand niece Paya. complete fan service right off the bat. that noise she makes when you start a conversation with her is straight up pornographic. and she's nervous around men. and she's in love with link. there's NO other personality we could give her nintendo?

3) Mipha. also in love with link. she dies lol ofc. very soft spoken and is a healer. again whole personality is being in love with link. there's some side notes about her connecting with van ruta really well but majority of her story is about her love for link. 😐

4) all the female zora are in love with Prince Sidon. he has a fan club. except for one:

(and also one female zora that is married and got so carried away with fishing she forgot about her family. she kinda slays so I'll give them that but getting to my point)

5) one of the younger female zora; a side quest you're able to do is ssaauurrr weird. so the zora age slower and live longer than the hylians (humans) and there's a female character that wants to find love cuz she doesn't have a thing for Sidon like the others. she sends love letters down the river to some guy she's corresponding with. they meet once you complete the side quest and he's an adult human with a child female zora. but it's okay cuz she's a late bloomer. 😰 also also side note there's another female zora not in love with Prince Sidon, she's in love with link. or was. she got married after link went missing but like CMOOONNNN

6) zelda's entire damsel in distress character. others have worded this better than me. also in love with link and was completely "useless" until "her love for him" unlocked her powers. not when like, her entire kingdom and her father and all the champions died that was chill ig. NOT MY MANLET KNIGHT ESCORT NAAUURR. i never thought i would start to dislike link ever but here we are.

7) the great fairy/ies. but this has been a thing. and they kinda slay. but still it's kind of weird to be in what is considered a child's game.

8) the rito. the males of the rito are known as flying warriors, skilled in archery. the women: their singing 😐 literally give me a break here. both male and female birds sing. at least majority of the children in the village are these sillay girls but that doesn't make up for the fact that all they do is sing. and stay home. and cook. and like,, stand around.

9) the gerudo is just......... like they could be SO COOL but that's not allowed. for those of u that dont know the gerudo are an all (most of the time) female race (one male is born every 100 years)(oh and btw when he is born he's like hyrule wizard hitler very cool not racist at all when u look up the gerudo (only sometimes tho i think to be fair)) and they strictly forbid men from entering their village. sounds kinda cool right? yeah that's where that stops. a majority of the gerudo talk about marriage or men in general. the female children gather up at some point in the day and when you interact with them, they're talking about marriage and falling in love. the gerudo leave their village when old enough and go out to find a husband. the older gerudo women are portrayed as lonely and regretful. and of course there's the whole thing of link either having to sneak in in most games or CROSSDRESS like in botw to get into the village. but it's for the good for the world or whatever. oh and btw, in botw the male that link gets the crossdressing clothes from has the same voice sounds as the only other gnc male, who is largely portrayed as gay. verrrrryyy interesting stuff here. very subtle.

10) the gorons. okay I like the gorons. just silly guys. but that's the thing there's no female gorons. i forgot their origin and lore but they're basically rock creatures and are very big and buff. and nintendo couldn't make a female character like that 😱 so there's just no female gorons. im sure it's explained away but bruh.

okay this has gotten too long and that's all i can think of off the top of my head anyway.

[writerwithbrainrot]

Chapter 1: The World that Turns

In the world of light, legends of a world parallel to their own are now nearly forgotten. Who would have believed the dark of legend would plot to enter where they don't belong.

Warning: Swearing, violence mentioned, let me know if I need to add more!

｡☆✼★━━━━━━━━━━━━★✼☆｡

The festival in Castle Town couldn't have happened on a more perfect three days. Perfect weather, light breezes with a full sun casting warmth on the kingdom of Hyrule. Birds tweeted happily, and villagers were loud in Castle Town.

Gorons, Zora, Hylians, Rito all setting up their stands or games for people to enjoy. Many chatting happily, more than pleased to be born in such a unified time in Hyrule's history.

A boy in green rushed through town, panting and rushing to meet with his friend. Link had slept in, again. And he had promised Zelda to be in the garden before noon. And the sun was already high in the sky.

Link panted, rushing through a back ally and to a large stone wall. Pulling out a basic grappling hood, he threw the rope up, letting the hood grab onto the top of the wall. He pulled and started to climb the wall, panting and grunting as he reached the top and hopped over. He looked around, stepping a few feet forward, seeing no one in the magnificent garden and gave a sigh of relief.

"Link!" Zelda's angry voice exclaimed, and Link jumped, dropping his grappling hook. "Why are you late?! Again?!"

Link turned to see the beautiful princess Zelda, her white and pink dress flowing softly with the breeze, blond hair swaying softly and circlet crown shining in the sun. "Zelda! I'm sorry, I slept in, I didn't mean too!" He said in a panic.

His old friemd sighed, face falling into something of sadness. "I apologize. I shouldn't have snapped at you. . ."

"You've been really stressed lately." Link said, frowning. "Do you. . . want to talk about it?"

Zelda nodded, walking away to a stone bench under a nearby tree. Link followed, and sat down after Zelda, not missing how her elf ears drooped. "I. . . must confess, I do not know how to explain this. Oh. . ." she paused "This is quite difficult. . . "

Pulling out an old dusty book, she showed it to Link. "See, recently- exactly a week ago, I was outside here, in the garden when I felt it. Have you ever . . . say. . . dropped a peice of glassware and somehow your parents know even though they were far away?"

Link nodded. "Yea, Mrs. Green somehow knew a broke a pot despite being in town."

Link lost his parents at a young age, and Mrs. Green took him in, teaching him how to garden and care for the earth around them. "These things are a gift from the goddesses." She'd tell him.

"Well, it was like that." Zelda explained. "I was outside, it was a perfect day, and there was still water from the previous night's rain when I felt it. Like something had entered Hyrule uninvited, something. . . Unwelcome, dark, evil. It's not as strong, as if it had left but still, I can feel it's presence Link. Like it left something behind. . ."

Link offered a hand to Zelda. She look at his calloused hand and then his face, to see a kind smile. "I don't doubt it. But today will be the first day of the festival. Let's not let things like taht ruin our moods."

Zelda smiled, and held his hand, her white glove now a little dirty from the dirt under his nails. "You're right. I should at least tell Impa, however."

Link nodded, "What's this book. anyways?" he asked, gesturing ro the book Zelda had brought with her. She took her hand back.

"An old book I found in a forgotten corner of the library, covered in dust. Its a book of old legends. I wanted to show you one." she said, gently opening it and flipping to her book mark. The page had a added painted picture of a dark landscape, covered in fire and death. "It tells about a world that is parallel to our own. This world, the Dark world as this book calls it, has no heavenly guidance and the things that live there have no morals. They did awful things, and attempted to take over the light world. They were defeated by a hero in ancient times and the dark world was closed." Zelda explained. Link nodded, but Zelda only closed the book. "It only speaks of the evil crimes committed, but not of the reason why. That troubles me, even if it truly is a mere story you tell to children so they behave. . ."

A voice called to them, ans Lady Impa appeared, the middle aged sheika still so beautiful and strong, white hair in a bun and sheika armour on. She was a powerful woman, and despite her looks and strength and standing in the royal family, she refused to marry, instead choosing to help raise Zelda.

"Impa!" Zelda said, standing up and leaving the book where she had been sitting. Link followed behind, smiling and bowed to Impa. "Oh, did father decide to let me go to the festival this year?"

Impa smiled, and Zelda beamed, letting out a small squeal before grabbing Link's hand. Link blushed, his ears turning pink as Zelda rushed into the castle. "Lets go, Link! I wnat to see all the nice things there!"

"Now wait a minute, Princess." Impa said, appearing in front of the two. "Your father said I have to accompany you, and that we must wait until he his done with his meeting before you can go." Zelda's ears fell, and Impa continued. "It is only for your safety. He cares for your well being. I promise you will get to see everything that this festival has to offer. Have patience."

Zelda nodded and turned back to Link. "Lets go back outside. It is truly a gorgeous day today." she said, dragging him back outside to the sunlight. . .

»»————-　★　————-««

The Dark world was rarely ever warm. Hot, blistering hot from a volcanic eruption, yes, but it was usually always cool. You'd have to wear some outwear to even go into town, it was always like this. There was no sun, only a moon that would go from full to empty through the hours and then ful again. And occasionally, it would become red. casting the land in crimson colored light.

Unity always had been scarce, and often times forced to keep what little peace there was in the dark world, the fire breathing monsters of Death Mountain, for example, never got along with the monsters and inhabitants of the shadow forest, either the fire kind trying to ignite the forest or the forest monsters messing with teh structer of death mountain. Creatures of the sky always fighting with the village piglins, hoglins and shadow people and the Ku.

It was always difficult to share as well, as food was hard to grow and come by, trees were always empty or dead, or poisonous. Water was heavily guarded by the Ku as well.

However, there were the ones in charge of each region of the Dark world, the strongest of all monsters. The Overlords. Each one ruled over every section of the Dark World.

Speaking of the Overlords, the lead overlord had called a meeting, an urgent one. He was in his palace in the Dark mountains, his main area of rule. He was considered the head of the overlords, as he was created by the God of destruction. Ghirahim made sure to act like it to.

Zant, the overlord of twilight and ruler of the twilight zone, walked through the halls of Ghirahim's palace, his gold shoes tapping agaisnt the floor and his long sleeves following behind him as he walked. Yuga was with him, cape flowing behind him, a circlet with a single stone on his orange hair. Yuga was the overlord of the fallen kingdom of Lorule.

"Zant, I must say," Yuga started, glancing at thr man in thr helmet, "It has been a long while since we have gathered like this. When was the last time we gathered?"

"Two years ago." Zant said "the Zazaks and Hinoxs tryed to dig through Death mountain to the Dark mountains.".

Yuga laughed "Oh Zant! I always aspire to have your memory!" he paused, and hummed hearing the flapping of insects. The men turned to see a swarm of Black and red butterflies and dragonflies approaching. They became a group and formed into the overlord of nature, Reader.

"Reader! Old friend!" yuga said, excited to see the nymph. "Is that a new flower crown? I must say, I will need an exact copy of it for my newest painting!"

"I appreciate you noticing." Reader said, bare feet touching the cold floor, thin clothing made of cotten adored with vines and berries. "I worked hard on growing the new species."

They joined the two overlords in their journey through the halls. These three seemed to get along the best, despite their cruel natures. "I must say-" Reader began "The weed walkers are growing up just nicely, they've learned how to echo locate. I feel like a proud parent."

"That sound wonderful, Reader." Zant said, still looking straight forward. The trio turned and began to climb up a set of spiral stairs to the meeting room.

Reader opened the door, letting the other two enter first. Looking in, they saw Cole, the overlord of energy and head of the train systems in the Dark world. He smiled, his horns freshly polished, for with it looked like. "Ah! Zant, Yuga, how wonderful it is to see you both again! Reader, it is always so refreshing to see someone using their manners!"

"Cole." Reader said, walking over and shaking his stretched out hand, "It is always nice to see you. How are the mines?"

He smiled again, letting out a laugh. "Wonderful, they've found many veins of fuel and metal! In the mist of our mineral crisis, it is such a relief to find."

Reader took their hand back and saw Zant and Yuga sitting down. They went to it in their chair, between Zant and where Ghirahim was supposed to sit. "Where is Ghirahim?" Reader asked, Cole grinned.

"He left to speak to Maud, I believe. Something about a change of clothes." Cole said. Reader hummed, and grew some vines out of their hand, and started to fidget eith the thorns.

The doors opened and Ghirahim entered, swaggering over to his chair and sitting down. "Ah, how wonderful ut is to see you all once more. Where is Vaati?"

"Hasn't arrived." Cole said "I believe he is planing on skipping this meeting."

Ghirahim growled at Vaati's insolence, the missing overlords actions taken as an insult. Reader's ears fell in disappointment. "Ah. . . I see. . ." They said.

"Chin up, sweetie." Yuga said "It is not a big deal, besides, he doesn't deserve your respect."

Suddenly, a glass window slammed opened and the wind picked up, making hair fly and clothing flap until the overlord of wind and ruler of the sky, Vaati, materialize in the room. Reader's ears perked up and the others make a form of being displeased.

"Vaati." Ghirahim started, watching the wind mage sit down in his chair "You're late."

"Duely noted." The purple haired mage said "However, I am here now, am I not?"

Zant spoke up. "Shall we begin the meeting, then?" he suggested, not wanting anyone to start a fight. silence before Ghirahim cleared his throat.

"I'd like to start by saying that the west ocean is starting to haul less food than before, and even that was in need of rationing. Reader," he started, and Reader snapped out of their staring at Vaati "Is there anything you can do about this?"

Reader sighed and shook their head. "Unfortunately, no. If I could create new aquatic life, I'd have to use a sun stone to do so if I want to make non-predatory fish. However, who the mineral crisis happening, I'm afraid I cannot."

Ghirahim huffed "Alright then. Well. . . Other than the flying monsters slowly going out of control-" he glared at Vaati "I shall tell you the reason why I have called you all here."

The room became tense, and all eyes were on Ghirahim. "A week ago, a door to the Light word was opened."

Gasps came from Reader and Cole, Zant sat up straighter, Yuga let our a soft "Excuse me?!" and Vaati -for once- payed full attention to Ghirahim, eyes wide.

"That isn't possible!" Yuga exclaimed, "The only door to the Light world was destroyed eons ago by the old residents of Lorule! Are you saying there was a second door built?!"

"I'm not saying g that exactly." Ghirahim said "I'm saying that somehow, somewhere, an entrance to the Light world was opened. It may have been a door or a portal was ripped open. Either way, a way out of this dying world was made."

Reader squealed a bit. "Oh that is wonderful! Ah, if we could get our hands on such wonderful, such powerful light magic, think of how well off our people will be! The crops would grow again, and fish populations would grow, and think of how the mines and the living beings would prosper!"

"If we could get our hands on the power in that world," Vaati started, "I cannot even begin to imagine the boundless amounts of power I could hold and learn!"

"How do we know this isn't a hoax?" Zabt said suddenly. "If a way to the world of light has truly opened, then how come the Twili haven't become ill or empowered by the influence of power?"

"Then it is most likely a door." Cole said "portals are harder to keep contained, but the doors can lock themselves close. That means we can invade that Light world and take what ever we can!"

Chatter rose up in volume, but Reader tryed to speak up. "But what of our people?! They are not ready to fight a war!"

Their voice was drowned out, until Vaati's wind spiked, whipping around the room, silencing all. Vaati looked at Reader, and their face turned a bit red. "What were you saying?"

"u-um." the started "Thank you, Lord Vaati. If we go to war, with our people nearly on the brick of starvation and so unhappy, wouldn't taht hurt the people and us more?"

Zant spoke "We shall make do. In the end, the power we shall have will be much worth it."

The meeting dragged on, the overlord creating a plan to scout the land for the enter center to the light world, ans lasted until the moon was almost pitch black.

The overlords were departing, Vaati santering to a window when Reader's voice spoke to him. "Lord Vaati." Theysaid, he turned, glaring. "May I speak to you?"

He thought for a moment but agreed, following them to an empty room. Vaati stood near the window, tapping his foot. "Well? What is it? I am a busy king."

Reader lit up brighter than the moon, flowers blooming on their flower crown as Reader told him what they had been dying to tell him all meeting.

"I opened the door to the light world. I know where it is."

｡☆✼★━━━━━━━━━━━━★✼☆｡

Uh oh! A door to the world of light has been found and opened?! This isn't good!

I hope you enjoyed this chapter, have a good day/ night!

The idea of Overlords came from Hazbin Hotel.

[flickerintwilights]

Revalink Week 2023, day 1: What are you waiting for? // Formal Dance

Hyrule Castle is possibly the stuffiest place Revali has ever been.

Even when it’s not a night like tonight — a gala, where the kingdom’s nobles and persons of high status gather to sip infuriatingly from wineglasses, chittering about meaningless things like riches or drinks or oh how wonderful it is that we can continue to have riches and drinks now that the champions are here to protect us — it’s a far cry from Rito Village. The castle is heavy stone instead of the airy wood he’s so familiar with, thick-walled instead of open to the wind. The press of people on all sides is even worse. Rito leave him well enough alone.

So yes, Revali breathes a long and deep sigh of relief upon his discovery of a balcony where he can escape to, bathe in the cool evening air. It’s deserved.

He paces, halfheartedly staving off the urge to up and fly away. Less than halfheartedly. He really, really wants to.

Just a quick flight around the castle, he tells himself. It will hardly be long. He is, after all, the best flier of all the Rito. He’s done more, hasn’t he?

It doesn’t take much to convince himself. Without a backward glance, Revali spreads his wings, breathes in with the wind, and calls his Gale. Like an exhale, it comes.

It’s like waking up. Revali wings a circuit around the castle, relishing the rush of the wind through his feathers, riding the adrenaline while he can — and then he folds his wings and plunges into a dive.

He soars to a graceful end at the balcony, preening quietly to himself. Nothing else tonight could possibly compare to that.

A quiet cough.

Revali freezes in place, a feather sticking up on his wing, and turns.

Standing in the balcony threshold, backlit by the bright castle torchlights, is Link. The knight. The hero of the hour.

His eyes are wide.

They’re a very pretty blue. Inwardly, Revali hisses shut up.

Outwardly, he smooths his ruffled feathers down as casually as he can look. “Come to stare? No need to compliment me, I know I’m impressive.”

Their eyes make contact, despite Revali’s best efforts. Link glances away hurriedly. His hands, fingers fidgeting, come up to sign. “You’re wanted. By the king. The Champions have to dance.”

“Oh.” Revali smooths his feathers again, feeling oddly distracted. “I see. Lead the way, then.”

Link hovers in the threshold, hesitant.

Revali arches an eyebrow. “What are you waiting for? I thought you wanted to go.”

“You,” Link’s fingers hesitate, then he signs so rapidly Revali nearly misses it, “that was amazing.”

Revali’s mind goes blank.

Link looks as flummoxed as Revali feels. It probably shows. About then, Revali notices that his beak is half-open and has been for the past ten seconds or more.

He clicks it shut with some effort, then swallows. “I… yes. It certainly is, I’ve… worked hard on it.”

Shit shit shit.

“You were amazing,” Link signs far more deliberately. His cheeks look red. Is it cold? Revali absently feels the air with a wing. It doesn’t seem too chilly. Maybe it’s different for Hylians.

The signs catch up to him. Revali blinks several times. “Wh…”

Link half-turns, looking almost embarrassed, and Revali releases the sound to peter out before it becomes a word. He heads inside. Revali trails after him, attempting to get his mind working again. The castle hallways pass by without him noticing.

They reach the sanctum quickly, it feels like. The other Champions are already there, plus Zelda.

“Link,” Mipha says, perking up. “I wasn’t sure where you were. And—” She gives him a look. “Revali, there were guards looking for you, you know.”

“So you didn’t dispatch Link to be your messenger boy?” Revali asks, raising an eyebrow.

Mipha gives Link, too, a look. “No.”

Link flushes. “I wanted to get some air.”

Revali opens his beak skeptically, but Rhoam’s booming voice interrupts, the man striding down with his beard and gold-trimmed coat.

“Good, you’re all here. Now, the Champions aren’t strictly required to dance, but the attendees to this event would have their… morale increased, should they see you present on the floor.” His tone makes it sound like a command anyway. “I hope you enjoy your time.”

He returns to the elevated deck and announces the dancing. Revali scoffs to himself and withdraws into a corner, arms folded, fully intending to stay there for the entirety of the remaining event. It’s still stuffy.

It isn’t long until his attention is drawn to something else: a flash of blue, the same pigment as the scarf around Revali’s neck, in front of him. Link

“Dance,” he signs, and he smiles. “With me?”

Revali splutters, cheeks heating up. Out of annoyance, most likely. “Wha— absolutely not. No. Why — wouldn’t you be dancing with Mipha?”

“Mipha is dancing with S-I-D-O-N,” Link signs, adding the sign for “brother” for clarification. “And. You have to dance. Daruk, Urbosa, and Zelda won’t, so I’m going to too.”

“And what makes you think I will?”

“Dance with me,” Link signs again. He smiles, again. Goddess damn it.

Revali gives way. “…Fine. But only once.”

“Okay.” Link flashes a pleased grin that holds Revali longer than it definitely should, and then he’s taking Revali’s wing and tugging him gently out onto the floor.

Revali begins to question his malleability when it comes to pretty blue eyes when they begin to step. The footwork Link is showing him isn’t hard per se — it does take some getting used to, especially when Link has Hylian feet and Revali doesn’t — it’s just the dancing. Link is still holding Revali’s wing, every so often shifting his fingers along the feathers. They’re standing… close.

That is the nature of dances, after all. Revali forgot that little bit.

He begins to question his entire life choices when they turn, having caught the general motions of the dance, and Revali is gifted with a full view of the other three Champions plus Zelda. All four of them are laughing. Urbosa makes eye contact, a gleeful expression on her face, and waggles her eyebrows. Revali glares back.

Then Link looks at him, glaring and all, smiles brightly, and dips him. Revali lets out an ungraceful squawk. Link looks at him with bright eyes and an almost surprised laugh, lifts a hand to push a stray lock of dark golden hair from his forehead, and he’s… kind of close, isn’t he?

Revali blinks. Many times.

Link pulls him upright, grins again, and Revali shakes himself. He’s fine. He’s very fine.

(He flies home later that night, as the night gives way to dawn, and he can’t stop thinking about Link.)

(He’s probably not fine.)

[natcracken]

Finding the Master Sword in TotK is the closest I've ever seen a big budget game get to the Outer Wilds formula. I won't be mentioning any specific discoveries, just the structure.

Once you complete the first task for Purah, there is nothing stopping you from going directly to the sword other than knowledge of where it is and a stamina requirement. Put a pin in stamina, thats the biggest deviation and its for last.

Most players will of course not have this knowledge so the game has several different paths of different intrusiveness to push you towards this discovery.

The least obtrusive is to just intuit it. If you are just curious about what you see and get lucky, you may arrive at the destination with no prompting from the game.

Or you may have prior knowledge of the games inhabitants and recognize that something is out of place and investigate.

If you arrive either of these ways you will have no context for how this came to be. You may be able to come to the acursed realization from the areas color scheme, but you might not and can't be sure. This is the most subtle Outer Wilds-like element that other game puzzles lack: the process of discovery informs other aspects of the story. The characters, the world, the lore. All get fleshed out during the pursuit of the answer. Luckily TotK has this in spades. (Perhaps even too much with the memory sequences)

If you rush ahead of the "intended path" and pursue Gannon, you have the option to reveal murals that give you a massive clue. These are explicitly brought to your attention in the intro sequence (although you can miss them if you ignore Zelda fangirling over them.) However the realization that the murals should be taken literally and are actionable in the gameworld are left as an excersize for the player. I can forsee a path where a player tries to rush the ending, sees the answer, gets gatekept by the difficult enemies, returns to the intended path, and doesn't realize the mural they saw during this escapade was important. They're in for a massive "augh you IDIOT" moment down the line. Especially if they don't recall the mural when they make the discovery, and see it again at the end of their playthrough; reminding them of it.

And then there are the geoglyphs. Theres lots of nuance within this route. If you follow the recommended path to the Rito Village you are highly likely to come across a character that tutorializes the glyphs and introduces them as a main quest. They are present in many other places on the map in case you miss them. But you are more than capable of finding them early. If you head southeast from your first landing in Hyrule you may be in for a particularly late-timeline sequence. BotW players are at another advantage in this quest. Just recognizing the geoglyphs as something new is an advantage. A first time player aware of the franchises reputation may just assume that "ancient chalk art" is part of the lore. Some of them around the center of the map are especially adeptly placed to feel like they "belong there".

Next is the godess statue. A player doing the intended route, with prior knowledge, who missed the NPC, may simply choose the visit the godess statue as its on the way. They are in for an upsetting surprise on that front, but will also access the geoglyph map. Having most players visit this area early on their quest is an especially adept trick to make some later gut puches land hand.

Aa you gather the geoglyphs you have a slim possibility of intuiting the truth from the name of the game itself. The droplet animation is very deliberate and its not to much to figure out that these are the Tears of the Kingdom (could also refer to the special stones but their shape is just off enough that I think its just a mythic coincidence). How are these Tears, not just droplets, "of" said kingdom? Oh

And last (as far as I'm aware) is the great deku tree. Clearing the lost woods in this game is a whole other discussion and I dont think its handled as elegantly. I imagine returning players might feel especially cheated here. But once you find your way in and complete a fight, the deku tree will straight up tell you where the sword is, even giving you a moving map marker. This is the only path I think was handled poorly. The "reward" of being told exactly where to go may actively rob you of this discovery, one of the strongest moments in the entire game. I can see a mechanically inclined player being satisfied, or path version where you figure out the mystery and just need assistance with the location. But as a standard route it lacks the finesse of the others. It almost feels like a "last resort" option to catch any players who can't figure it out by other means; but a better last resort already exsists in finishing the geoplyphs. When analyzed from a discovery and exploration perspective, this route is a trap. It appears like a grand path in the same way as the geoglyphs, but with none of the narrative or character development that comes with it. So its simmilar to luck or intuition but without the discovery of them. Its all of the downsides of the other routes without the shining moments that offset them.

Eventually you will get enough information to pursue the answer yourself. If you don't figure it out and complete all of the geoglyphs first, you are treated to a more comprehensive sequence that explicitly tells you what happened and where to go. Either way you will come up against the stamina check. This is the greatest difference from the Outer Wilds formula as it gates your progress based on a mechanical stat. You must have completed enough shrines to have started investing in stamina (most players invest in a buffer of health first so this may be quite late in the game.) Or have made enough main quest progress to reveal the trading shrine. Either way you must have completed at least 20 shrines or traded equivalent heart containers. This is completely in line with series tradition, its in fact a subversion as a player may have been collecting health to prepare for this only to get dunked on with stam. But I can't help but feel like this was too much of a hedge. What does this gate actually stop you from doing that the mystery already doesn't. The overwhelming majority of players won't rush the geoplyphs; they will do them as they travel along the main quest or in their own rambling; so it doesn't block them. It only blocks players who either get lucky or intuit the answer themselves. And those groups deserve better. Congratulations on your discovery! Now fuck off untill you grind more levels.

I can only assume this was an act for caution. They looked at metrics for how many people rushed gannon in BotW and decided to hedge against stuff like it, in this case to preserve balance. Except TotK already had a system for that. The mob drop + combining + world scaling system keeps your dps tightly locked to the difficulty of the areas you're in. You can get slight advantages if you push into late game areas and then scamper off with the loot. Having the master sword from the very start of the game would not change this. There was no reason to be as cautious as they were when players can already snag royal guard weapons from the castle, only gated by the same unlock that gates getting to the sword.

With one exception: players who used guides. This player will be rightly gatekept from a reward they did not earn. I hope that this is just a coincidence are game are not being actively developed around gamefaqs and ign. Its a players own responsibility to curate how they engage with 3rd party media and if they want to cheat themselves out of their own video game then let them. And mock them. But don't develop around them.

I don’t really have a way to end this. Lots of naysaying in the back half and thats pretty much just me being a pedant. The overwhelming majority of players (me included) will follow an intended path with slight deviations here and there, and be completely fooled into thinking its a matter of either our own genius or tenacity and not extremely tight design. This is of course the mark of masterful design. This sequence is an acomplishment, a gamble on their own mastry of player psychology that paid off. I just can't help but wish they were just that more confident to let the game handle its own outliers. It can.

Thanks for coming to my Ted Talk.

tldr: totk goty. Re4makestans can cope. Get autobuilded on idiot

[afriendlygoblin]

my thoughts on TOTK because i need to ramble about it somewhere and my friend hasn't finished it yet

SPOILERS

i'm gonna go through the main quests/parts as i completed them

1) the opening, Great Sky Island, Temple of Time and landing in Hyrule

it made me really really really happy to see that Link and Zelda were still around each other like this, exploring stuff together and all. the awakening cutscene gave me chills and really all i could think about was finding Zelda.

discovering the Great Sky Island was fun, though i was used to my comfort in BOTW so it was quite a shock to not have the paraglider and get one-shot by literally anything. but i guess that's normal

then i really liked meeting Rauru though i missed having at least a clue of what was going on. like in BOTW, the king tells you "alright, the world is shit because this happened, Zelda is over there waiting for you, now u do u". there i had this feeling of being absolutely clueless for the first few hours of gameplay and it was frustrating at times.

Lookout Landing was a heartwarming sight, seeing people rebuild and stuff genuinely made me smile. i did feel a pinch in my heart when i recognized that it was built on the very ground where Link swore his oath as Zelda's appointed knight. but overall it was great and i loved the concept of the new towers.

2) the Temples and Sages

i started with Rito Village and the Wind temple. i love Tulin with all my heart and i have to say i use his ability the most. the temple was a pain to access and the cold was annoying but i had a blast with the boss battle. didn't really use Tulin's help there because it was really easy to do on my own but i enjoyed having a supporter during the fight.

i was favorably surprised when i found out that Tulin's clone would accompany me forever. BOTW was a pretty lonely game. peaceful and beautiful but lonely nonetheless. also seeing Teba give his son the Great Eagle Bow made me emotional i admit. i wish there were more references to Revali (and the Champions in general) but eh at least he has a Landing named after him. also where did the Flight Range go?

next i went to Goron City. it felt strange to not instantly catch on fire but well, i was happy with no more elixirs and ugly outfits (not a fan of the fireproof set). the battle against the 3 headed monster in Death Mountain was awesome and it reminded me of how fun it was to yeet Yunobo around. speaking of which i was so relieved when i got him back to normal because that rock boi is precious and seeing him being mean was not cool.

the Temple was a bit annoying tbh, i got lost in the rail system so i just went and monkeyed around climbing everything and flying everywhere. the boss fight was also quite forgettable though i liked using Yunobo's ability more. again, there was zero mention of Daruk (that i remember) and Daruk's Protection has been entirely forgotten. i know the goal isn't to live in the past but i find it sad to see it pretty much forgotten about in some areas.

after that i went to Zora's Domain and had fun yeeting splash fruit at the sludge. i almost had a heart attack when i saw that the Mipha statue had been replaced but i was so thrilled to see it relocated to where the Lynel used to be. they really built her a splendid memorial and she can really watch over her people from there.

i had missed Sidon and his smile, and helping Yona bringing him back to his true optimistic charming self was really great. i liked that since the Zora live long lives, everyone remembered me (Link) more than in other parts of Hyrule. oh and Sidon's coronation had me smiling ear to ear because i was so proud of my fish brother.

i had so much fun in the temple and its weird gravity, sometimes i go back just to jump around and dive in slow motion. the boss fight was correct, though it was annoying to go so slow through sludge.

finally, i made my way to Gerudo Town. the gibdos surprised me but by pure luck i had a fire lizalfos horn weapon equipped so i was never in any real danger. i loved organizing the defenses of Gerudo Town and fighting alongside Riju's warriors.

i loved seeing how Riju had grown since we last saw her, she and Tulin were like my young niblings and seeing them grow made me so proud. again i don't remember any tribute to Urbosa but seeing Riju's dual Scimitars of the Seven was a nice touch so i didn't say anything.

the temple was really cool and the boss fight made me rage quit once or twice so i consider it to be awesome. i thought i was gonna throw my Switch against the wall but then i remembered Zelda needed me so i took a breath and went back to the fight.

overall i really liked this part of the game, seeing my old new friends was very heartwarming and having their clones follow me in my daily life made the game so much less lonely than BOTW was.

3) Tears of the Dragon

no. i am still sobbing, throwing up, rolling on the floor. no. seeing Zelda finding not one but 2 loving parental figures only to lose them 20 min later, Ganondorf's ascension, Rauru's sacrifice, ZELDA'S SACRIFICE ABZBZBFKGNDKDLS I WAS NOT READY. i didn't find the memories in chronological order so when i found the one that hinted what was going to happen to Zelda i rushed them all and stayed up until like 4 am to see them all. the final one tore me apart and i basically cried myself to sleep (not really but almost). i actually had to go spoil myself online just to put my mind at ease because like what if we could never get her back???

after that and the Master Sword quest, whenever i saw Zelda not too far from a tower i'd go see her and rest on her head for a little while while imagining Link talking to her.

i was at a point where i didn't really know what to do with myself, i still had Gerudo Town to visit but eh i was a bit sick of boss battles at the moment. seeing the memories remotivated me and pushed me to finish the main quests as fast as possible to get Zelda back.

4) the Master Sword

as eager as i was to just go and beat up Ganondorf, i couldn't imagine doing it without my trursty blade, and also the reason why Zelda sacrificed herself. so i decided to go see the Great Deku Tree so seek counsel. after a quick in and out trip to the depth, i found a dying tree in no shape to answer my questions.

Phantom Ganon handed my ass to me a few times but once i got his attack patterns right, it all went smooth like a baby's butt cheek.

getting the Master Sword from Zelda's head made me so emotional, i had just seen a fanart of that scene where Link let himself fall while crying and clutching the sword against his heart. that was how i felt it really.

5) the Depths and Fifth Sage

so after crying my eyes, heart, lungs and intestines out, i had to continue investigating to know where the hell Ganondorf was. that led me to the Depth, searching for all the abandonned mines and everything. on the way i had fun in the battles against Kohga, i had missed his ridiculous... him.

i'm not the biggest fan of the Depths but hey, you can find pretty awesome stuff down there so i do spend a lot of time farming Zonaite and throwing Brightbloom seeds around.

finding and assembling Mineru's construct felt a bit ehh. the shrine like puzzles to get the limbs were thankfully not too long but really all i wanted was to get over with it. funny enough i was fully prepared for a big twist like Mineru revealing that she was with Ganondorf and having to fight the construct i had just built myself.

what i got was even better. like mech fight??? hello?? that was awesome though it took me some time to get the controls down. but ah as a kid who grew up playing Solatorobo, riding the construct was just cbfkdkd SO COOL.

6) the Final Fight

i'll just focus on the battles because the way to get to the Gloom's Lair or whatever was just like yeah sure go off i guess. chasing Zelda through the Castle was just a delay of what i knew would happen underground and then i mostly dodged the monsters except the Lynel because come on who has time for that.

the. EPIC. BATTLE. AGAINST. AN ENTIRE. ARMY. my Goddess fighting hordes and hordes of monsters alongside my friends with the most epic music was just so euphoric and cathartic and just fullfilling ahhhhgg. when i saw the temple bossed coming back to life i was gully prepared to take them on with my friends but nope, the game had other plans for me.

and what plans oh bloody hell this FIGHT? THAT is what i call a boss battle. in BOTW, Ganon wasn't hard to kill. like it had taken me less than 5 tries i think, 3 of them being just to learn the fight's mechanics. but here? the first part i got quickly, after all it was just a one on one against a (large) human sized villain. the pace was slow, there was no music, in a word : a warmup.

then he activates his secret stone and turns into a human emo LED. alright sure. and then his health bar replenishes. AND KEEPS GOING. i was expecting it to just go beyond the screen border at this point. and oh the clones, how many times did i accidentally get killed by one of them. having my friends fight them for me was cool but too many times i ended up ignoring them and taking a lost bullet becayse of that.

then comes the real 1v1 againt the Demon King. THAT was the fight i'd been waiting for. the final confrontation between the Hero and Evil, the final battle that would- he can Flurry Rush? what do you mean he can Flurry Rush?? alright then, i'll just be careful, good thing i have a good shield haha HE CAN FLURRY RUSH MY FLURRY RUSH?????? HOW WHAT WHY WTF ah at least i can Flurry Rush his Flurry Rush that he Flurry Rushed from my Flurry Rush. McFlurry.

after at least 20 tries, tears and a break because my left index was sore from keeping my shield up, i finally got to deal a final strike. and then oh my GODDESS THIS PART

Zelda rushes to my aid and together we face that giant Demon Dragon. she soars, allowing me to dive and land right next to one of the Demon's weak point. i attack it, then bet blown off. Zelda gets me back and we repeat the maneuver 3 times. finally, i dive one last time to the Demon's head and shatter the Secret Stone.

no more Demon, no more Ganondorf, it really is over this time.

7) the End

is it? the sky is peaceful, as i, behind my screen, thank the princess for her help and tell her that we succeded, i start floating off of her head. Rauru and Sonia appear and somehow channel their magic through my arm.

and there she is. my princess. my Zelda. the one i travelled through Sky, Land and Depth to find. the one i've been chasing for (in game) months (days irl).

and she's falling. shit. so i dive as fast as i can, i extend my freshly restored arm and.... i got her! a perfect echo to the opening, an exquisite parallel, i took so many screenshots of this scene and i will cherish them forever.

then i watched the last cutscenes, my Zelink heart that was already screaming exploded when i saw Link gently put Zelda down on the grass. she wakes up, sees Link, looks around and... "you really did it" no princess, we did it together. "Oh Link... i'm home" AAAAAHAHBBFNDKDBBF I SCREAMED i really screamed and thank the Goddess that i live alone because it was again 4am and had i been at my parent's place, Zelda's smile would have been the last thing i'd seen before certain death (not that i would have minded). i wish i could hug my princess in that moment. yes, you're home. i promised i'd get you back when i saw your memories so here you are. and you're never leaving me again.

end credits, i use that time to process what i just lived. then i watch the post credit cutscene, shed a tear watching Mineru rest in peace and the new Sages swear their oath. everything's good now.

and then i'm transported back to Castle Chasm. yay.

Additional 1) the Gameplay

as an engineering student, i had been waiting for this game for so long (only could play it a month after release because of finals) and it didn't disappoint. well to be honest i was used to BOTW's controls and though they were similar here, i missed using the cross' top arrow to pick a rune. minor stuff like that. BUT WHO CARE WHEN YOU CAN BUILD CARS, PLANES, ROCKETS AND TORTURE DEVICES

i fully started enjoying vehicle building when i expanded my battery. from then on i was unstoppable, roaming around Hyrule on my Turbo Deadly Flying Tricycle that shoots fire and laser beams.

also i'm a pretty peaceful being but i have to admit that nailing a Korok to a cross and pulling it around with your horse like "do you have time for our Lord and Savior Korok Christ?" is really really fun.

Additional 2) the World

also i loved the additions they made to the stables like the Pony Points system. and ah finally i don't have to talk to this random girl to change my saddle.

i'm a sucker for fantasy sky island so i was so happy to see some in Hyrule sky. though i wish there were a bit more or at least some bigger ones. Great Sky Island was nice but then in other regions, aside from a shrine here and a dispenser there i didn't spend a lot of time up tthere.

Hyrule was at the same time the good old same and a totally new and foreign place. cities and villages were in the same place but they were so different. Tarrey Town had grown so much (btw fuck you Rail Car guy i built this place you should pay ME). Kakariko had its new Ring Ruins, Hateno had developped a mushroom frenzy... AND ZELDA HAS STOLEN MY HOUSE??? HAY PRINCESS YOU HAVE A CASTLE AT LEAST LET ME HAVE THIS oh? is that my hair tie? and... you're writing about me in your diary? oh so we live together... alright then all good! also seeing the photo from Champion's Ballad exactly where i hung it in BOTW brought a tear to my eye. no, our omd friends aren't forgotten. and they will always be home.

i'll stop there because i'm hungry and i've been rambling for an hour and a half but this game is just so so so good. the story touched me a bit less than that of BOTW for some reason but it did make me emotional af. i wish we had a postgame which solely consists of completing the secondary adventures and like... farming in Hateno Village with Zelda but eh, be grateful for what you have i told myself. i think i will go have a cutscene marathon starting with Age of Calamity now.

Additional 3) the Side Quests

while i ignored most of them (will get to them eventually no worry about that), i particularly appreciated the Monster Control ones and the Lurelin line. these quests really made me feel how important community and cooperation are in this game. because you have your own community of heroes with the Sages and also the researchers, people who are in the heart of the story but there you get to see other communities. the losers with a valiant heart, fighting silver moblins with mops and buckets as helmets, the exiled fishermen who lost their town but with your help get to rebuild their home etc. this makes this game whole because it reminds you that yeah, there are always epic tales of legendary heroes, dramatic tragedies and heroic sacrifices but there are also smaller, equally as important stories. there's the story of how anyone can rise up and fight monsters and there's the story of how to rebuild your home after it was totally destroyed. and you get to be a part of all these stories, big or small. and that's beautiful.

also i liked stealing Zelda's horse again. you took my house i take your horse, fair is fair.

[definitelynotapossum]

Hylian Sign Language

You can read more fics like this on my ao3

------------------------

On a sunny winter day in Dueling Peaks, Zelda, bundled in winter attire and sat by a warm campfire, was languidly petting the stable dog, and watched as Link chatted with one of the merchants passing the Dueling Peaks Stable. Well, she wasn't sure if "chatted" was exactly the word for it. They were using a language that Zelda found so foreign, yet so intriguing: Hylian Sign Language.

 

They had stopped at the stable for a good night's rest, and to let their horses refuel on delicious hay before setting out for Hateno Village. They were on their way back from a trip to Zora Domain to see Vah Ruta where Zelda had fixed a slight misfire of one of the enormous machine's conduits which was causing the beast to shut down at random intervals, but it was now as good as new, thanks to her perseverance and love for Sheikah technology.

 

Now, homeward bound, her attention was focused on her knight. Moreso, his animated and energetic gestures that were responded to in kind by the merchant, who signed with graceful yet swift movements that reminded Zelda of a ballet dancer. It was all so wondrous to watch, and yet, she felt like she was missing out on so much.

 

Link could talk. He knew Greudo on top of regular Hylian and its signed equivalent, but his spoken words were nothing like the unique gestures she saw now. He seemed more enthusiastic, open, and more "vocal," per se. At times like this, he seemed to break out of a hundred-year shell.

 

Link could talk, but she knew how difficult it was sometimes for him to express himself in spoken words, no matter what language he was using. There were days when words either eluded him or stressed him so much that he would stay silent for hours on end, only nodding in agreement, or murmuring the occasional, "Yeah," "No," or "I don't think so." Zelda remembers a few months ago when some miscommunication ended in a verbal fight with a Rito merchant, and Link nearly didn't speak for three days straight.

 

Link could talk, but sometimes, it seemed like he didn't want to. It was a welcome sight, seeing him enjoying himself like this. He was known to become visibly excited when he stumbled across someone who knew the language, replying in movements so fast and elated that the other person would have to ask him to slow down.

 

Zelda suddenly wondered what more she could know about him if she knew it. She never learned it, since she never had a reason to. The deaf or mute staff in the castle had a translator, one of which was the cook, who Link was friends with, but what if she didn't need one? Surely someone had some books on the subject.

 

She left her thoughts behind when she noticed that the merchant was now waving goodbye, as he turned his horse and began to ride away from the stables. Link trotted back to Zelda, arms now full of veggies and fruits. He smiled warmly. "I got us dinner!" He chirped, heading over to the nearby fire and tossing some of the food into the pot.

 

It already smelled wonderful, and Zelda's stomach growled. "What did you talk about?" She asked, curious. "Your conversation seemed very lively."

 

"Oh, him? I've met the guy before. His name's Angus! Carries all sorts of stuff, but mostly veggies. Saved my life one day when he found me wounded near a bokoblin camp."

 

Zelda thought for a moment. "Oh, dear. I think I remember seeing that. I'll have to give him my thanks one day." She smiled when Link handed her a bowl of curry, and they both laughed as her stomach growled again, loud enough for the both of them to hear it. They spent that night talking about Link's unfortunate rescue with the merchant.

 

The next day, they both strolled into Hateno on horseback, waving enthusiastically as the other villagers said their hellos and a gaggle of little kids came up to see their horses, chattering a mix of, "Can I feed her a carrot?"

 

"Where did you two go?"

 

"Mr. Link! Are you gonna teach me how to use a sword now?"

 

"Link! Princess! There's bokoblins in the barn again!"

 

They eventually got home, practically collapsing on the couch the second both of them and all their travel gear were inside. Zelda lay on the couch, rubbing her forehead, trying to stave off a potential headache while Link placed all their collected food on the counter, then immediately joined Zelda on the couch. He leaned back into the pillows and rubbed his sore shoulder. "Aye… remind me to get Sidon's help next time we head up there. I think I tore something."

 

"Well turn this way then." Zelda said. "Can't have you grouchy the rest of the day because you're hurting, hm?" Link listened, and turned his back to her, slightly leaning against her, allowing her to massage the aching muscles on his body, and he let out a loud, undignified groan that made Zelda chuckle. "That bad, huh?" Link just nodded and they sat together in comfortable silence, becoming warmed up by the evening light pouring through the window, illuminating the room in golden hues. The sunlight began to warm up some of the dried herbs hanging from the cabinets and shelves, filling the room with lovely, herbal scents. 

 

Zelda's mind kept flitting back to the exchange at the stables, and she allowed her curiosity to surface. "That sign language of yours is interesting. May I ask where you learned it?" Zelda said, kneading at his back muscles and pulling another pleased groan from him.

 

Link leaned back into her touch, yawning wide. "My father had a friend who taught me. I knew the basics thanks to him, and then I met some fellow knights who would use it to communicate. Learned from them too."

 

"Well, you seem like you had a good teacher." She brought her hands down, watching as he rolled his shoulder, tension now gone. "Could you teach me?" She blurted out.

 

Link's ears twitched, a sign of excitement that Zelda caught on to. "You… want to learn?" He turned around to look at her, legs crossed on the couch.

 

"I mean, just the basics for now, but if you'll show me I would like to speak it fluently."

 

Link chuckled. "Speak it?"

 

Zelda playfully rolled her eyes, and biffed him lightly in the arm, making him laugh. "Oh, you know what I mean."

 

"Alright then. Why not start now?" Link propped himself against the armrest. "What's the first thing you want to learn?"

 

"Oh, right now? Ok, what about…" She looked at the bowl of fruit that was sitting on the counter. It was a perfect starting point. "Apple!"

 

Link looked at the bowl, clenching his hand into a fist and then bringing it up near his mouth, before biting like it was a real fruit. "Like this! This one is one of the first words I learned too."

 

Zelda tentatively brought her hand up, copying the same shape and movement Link did. "Like that?"

 

Link smiled, radiating pure pride and happiness. "Just like that."

 

Zelda repeated the motion three times, links smile growing on each one. "My first word in Hylian sign." She chirped, radiating joy. "What was your first word, Link?"

 

Link brought his open hand up to his forehead, lightly tapping it with his thumb. "Dad." That was my first word. But his friend would call him this." He made a quick, fluid motion, starting at the top of his head. "He never told me what it meant, just that it was his name. It looked like it had "sun" in it."

 

Zelda had met Link's father once before, when she was a little girl. Even though she wasn't sure what the sign meant, it seemed to fit a bright, brave man like him. She cocked her head to the side. "How do I say my name?"

 

"Well, you'd just spell it really." Link signed each letter out in front of him, slowly enough for her to follow. "Z-E-L-D-A"

 

"Oh, I see. I guess I wouldn't have a signed name then." She sighed. "No one ever gave me one." She noticed that the link went quiet for a moment. "Hmm?"

 

"I… actually already have a name for you, you know." Link's ears twitched. "Like, not spelled out, but a real signed name."

 

"Really?" Zelda straightened, excited to see what the link's name for her was. "And what was that?"

 

Slowly, Link brought his hand upwards, starting with his fingers touching then letting his hand unfold as it came upwards, before swirling it and ending in a Hylian "Z." 

 

Zelda recognized the movement. "You've used that before when talking to Purah!" She chirped, excited she spotted the similarities.

 

"This sign-" Link mimicked the first movement again, "is the one for the Silent Princess flower. That middle part," he repeated the swirl that ended in a "Z." "Is for… beautiful, then it just ends in a Z." At this point, he was growing red in the face, waiting for Zelda's response.

 

She was looking at him with an expression of pure starstruck wonder until she realized her dazed silence was making him uneasy. "This," she copied the movement a little stiffly, but correctly, "-is the name you gave me?"

 

Link beamed at the sight of her using her own name. "I gave it to you a long time ago. Some of the maids had names for you, but I didn't have one so… that just felt appropriate." Link smiled at Zelda's agape expression.

 

Her ears twitched bashfully. "You thought I was beautiful."

 

"Of course." He said, honestly.

 

Zelda could feel herself turning red, and she leaned back, clearing her throat and doing her best not to stammer as she changed the subject. "Do you have a sign name?"

 

"Oh, several." Link chuckled, adding in the sign for "many." Link signed a very swift and broad movement that made her laugh a little. "I've seen this used once or twice." 

 

Zelda raised an eyebrow. "-and what does that one mean?"

 

"Literally? It means "crazy bastard." "Saw that one a lot whenever I got in trouble."

 

They both laughed hard at that. "Any other fitting names your friends made you?"

 

He counted off on his fingers. "Bomb guy, hero, blondie, nutcase, loony sword swinger- there's a few."

 

"Oh I'm sure you earned every single one of them, Link." They both laughed and chatted throughout the rest of the day. Zelda did her best to follow along with Link. She learned "apple" "hello" "blue" "flower" "horse" and "princess" by the end of the day. By the end of the year, when snow began to coat the village, she had learned hundreds of different phrases through Links teaching, and could now comfortably hold a conversation with him. 

 

"What is it, Link?" 

 

"Let's go together!"

 

"Are you ok?"

 

"You did great!"

 

"You want to come with me to Purah's?"

 

Despite all these phrases, and all the colorful and expressive words she managed to learn, there was one phrase she had never said, never been taught, one that she so desperately wanted to learn, but she just didn't have the courage to ask him. Instead, she thought it would make a nice surprise, so she enlisted the help of a friend instead.

 

Purah knew Hylian sign language too. Zelda had even picked up a few phrases from her, some more colorful than others, that she would use when an experiment went awry, which Zelda found herself using when her own experiments would do the same. While Link was gone to pick up some food for lunch one day, Zelda hiked up the hill to her lab, heaving and out of breath when she reached the top. She gave the door a swift few knocks.

 

Symin answered the door, a little humored by her current state. "Hey, Zelda! Here to see Purah?"

 

She was hunched over, hands on her knees, cursing at that massive hill that Purah just had to stick her lab on top of. "Yes…" Zelda huffed. "Is… is she here?"

 

"Right here, sweets!" A high-pitched voice came from behind Symin, and he moved back behind the door for Pura. "My, what brings you waddling up here in weather like this?" She questioned, gesturing to the thin sheet of snow on the ground.

 

"I didn't… waddle here!" She said hoarsely, before standing up straight and clearing her throat. "I actually needed some help with something, if it's not too much trouble."

 

"Oh, don't be so modest! I can tell 'ya anything. Come in! Come in!" Zelda dodged paperwork and scientific utensils scattered on the floor the whole way in. Purah, on the other hand, absentmindedly swiped some papers off the table before sitting down. She leaned forward, chin on her hands, and eyes Zelda. "So what is it you're wanting to learn, princess?"

 

Later that day, Link came back from the market with a basket full of apples, carrots, mushrooms, and other random foods, plus a bag slung around his shoulder. He burst through the door, making Zelda jump about three feet off the couch, and dropping the book she was reading, before kicking it closed behind him with his boot. "I'm home!"

 

"I heard," Zelda mumbled, before switching to sign. "What did you get?"

 

He dropped the items onto the counter, some carrots rolling off to the side. "Carrots, mushrooms, pork, beef, and some herbs! Gonna make stew! I got you something too!"

 

"Something? What something?"

 

"You'll see!"

 

Zelda rested her book on the nearby table and got up to help Link with dinner, taking a pot from his hands, and grabbing a wooden spoon. "Let me help!"

 

Link sighed, knowing there was no point in arguing. "I'm not gonna have to chip the food out with a fork again, am I?"

 

"Wha-! The food was just fine!" Zelda squawked. "Just a bit crisp around the edges!" She swatted him lightly on the shoulder with the spoon, making him giggle.

 

It had been like this for months: comfortably switching back and forth between the two languages, using whatever benefited them most at the moment. Link still had his days where he found it better to remain silent, but Zelda no longer felt powerless when they dawned. She could talk to him, understand him, and comfort him if needed.

 

When he bumped his bag into the counter he seemed to panic and Zelda wondered if he had some eggs in it. She took the loose veggies from his hands. '"Careful. I'll take some." Link opened the bag, checking inside, making sure whatever delicate item he was carrying was ok before swiftly closing it when Zelda tried to look into it. She placed the food on the counter. "-and you didn't carry this all in your bag, why?" She questioned.

 

"Well," Link reached into the pouch, gently rummaging through it until he found what he was looking for. "-because I didn't want to ruin this." He said, softly.

 

From the pouch, Link began unwrapping something delicate in a thin cloth, and Zelda gasped when she saw what he had gotten. Inside was a little paper flower, which she instantly recognized the species of: A silent princess. "This sweet old lady was selling them at her booth. It reminded me of you." He said.

 

Oh, it was beautiful. "Link-"

 

"I know it's hard to get a real one since they don't last very long once picked," he handed her the paper flower, taking her other hand and guiding it to hold the gift, before pulling back, the short distance between them making his heart leap. "-so I thought this would be better. The lady said she's made them for years."

 

The paper was so thin and fragile, Zelda worried it would turn to dust if she even breathed on it, but it was breathtaking. She turned it in her hands, watching as the sun bounced off the baby blue and yellow hues. The paper even had a slight gloss to it. Tied to the stem of the flower was a little yellow bow, perfectly bringing its beauty all together. "Oh, Link… it's gorgeous." 

 

A sudden thought made her heart leap. Right then. She needed to say it right then or she might as well just spontaneously combust on the spot. Never has a moment rendered her so excited and terrified at the same time. Feeling like she wouldn't get the chance again, she inhaled sharply and made up her mind.

 

Just like she practiced. She sat the delicate little flower on the counter, and Link watched curiously as she began to sign. She brought her hands up, bringing them to her chest, crossing them, signing with the most honesty and certainty she could manage without words, and looked Link in the eyes.

 

It took him a moment to process what she had just said to him, and he stood there, eyes wide and mouth open mid-gasp. Link wondered if he was dreaming, the realization that he was wide awake hitting him a second later. "You-!" He started, speaking before slowly bringing his hands up. "You know what that sign is right?"

 

Zelda smiled. "Yes. I do."

 

A smile slowly began to grow at the corners of his mouth. "You… you said you loved me."

 

"Sure did."

 

Link's brain ran through multiple questions at once, his hands going through some half-movements that Zelda just considered a stutter. "Where did you learn-?"

 

"Purah." She interrupted. "Purah taught it to me this morning. I… had wanted to tell you, but I never saw you use it."

 

Link mentally chastised himself for not using it sooner, but better late than never. "And you really mean it?"

 

"I've meant it for over a hundred years, Link. I just never knew how to say it until now." The words came to her so easily, and she truly meant it. A hundred years was more than enough time to think of all the things she wanted to say to him once they were together again.

 

Link attempted to sign something, but ultimately failed so, at a loss for both words and signs, he resorted to running across the space separating them, nearly stumbling, taking Zelda's face in his hands, and tilting her down as he kissed her wildly, making her squeak in surprise. She was pushed up against the counter behind her. Euphoric and overjoyed, she kissed him back, wrapping her arms around his waist and leaning into him so he wouldn't have to stand on his toes.

 

It had started a bit frantic, slowing down to where both of them languidly moved their lips against one another, sighing in bliss. She went to cup his face in her hands, but the feeling of something wet and warm made her open her eyes. Link was crying. "Oh, Love-"

 

He wrapped her up in a tight hug, burying his face into her neck, the smell of jasmine faintly lingering somewhere on her. His throat suddenly felt tight, and a faint sob escaped him, worrying Zelda, and she brought a hand to run up and down his back soothingly. "Hey, what's wrong?"

 

He pushed back, signing. "The last person to say that to me was my dad, more than a hundred years ago. It… took me a second to recognize what you said. I never thought-

 

"Shhh… Link." Bringing him back to her, arms around his waist, she gently ghosted kisses over his forehead, down to his lips, then to the tip of his nose. "You know I will say it as many times as you need to hear it."

 

Link squirmed a bit as he brought his hand up between them, a bit squished from the close proximity. "Say it now?" He watched her face as he patiently waited for an answer, those curious blue eyes making his princess melt.

 

She released him, smiling as she moved her hands. "Link…" his ears perked upwards. "I love you."

 

He was back on her like white on rice, once again pushing her back against the counter, capturing her lips with his, and snaking his hand up into her hair. She giggled into the kiss, tangling both her hands in his own hair, and making his loose ponytail fall out. They kept on until a sudden thought made Link hastily pull back, leaving Zelda balancing against the counter with a lovesick smile, dizzy with glee.

 

"Wait...wait. I need to-" he paced for a second, Zelda watching, a bit confused before he breathed in and turned and stood in front of her with a beaming smile on his face. "I… I love you too, Zel." He breathed out a breath he had been holding. "I've wanted to say that myself for years." 

 

Still in a slightly lovesick trance, Zelda jumped forward, wrapping him back up in a tight embrace before peppering his face with kisses, making him giggle and laugh, before going back to passionately kissing him slowly. In all her life, she never thought she could be so lucky. They spent their time kissing in the rays of warm sunlight pouring through the windows, happier than they had ever been in their lives, and Zelda was glad she had signed it when she did, and she never went a day without telling him "I love you" ever again.

-----------------

Here's my ao3

[hyde-nseek]

Lorule Theory Time!!

Let me take you on a story of little Hyde still discovering Zelda.

So I first learned about A Link Between Worlds and was really excited to learn that there's a negative Hyrule where Zelda, Link, and Ganondorf (and others) have edgy counterparts! I've always loved the concept that Hyrule and Lorule portray, that everything is almost the same, but darker.

So when I learned about Majora's Mask (yes, I discovered it after ALBW), I was really excited to learn that the game shares almost all of its assets with Ocarina of Time, including characters. I then came to the conclusion that Termina is just a distant province of Lorule.

Theory 1

There are two parts of this theory. Part 1 is the geography, and part 2 is the characters/counterparts. Let's start with the maps.

I actually found the maps of Lorule and Termina to be pretty easy to connect. In the southern part of Termina, there is a swamp. It's called the southern swamp, because it's south of the rest of Termina. And in Lorule, there's a swamp-like forest in the northwest called Skull Woods. So it totally works!

Now, let's remember that Lorule is supposed to reflect Hyrule. So, where does Termina fit in the Hyrule map? Well, let me illustrate it for you.

There are a couple of reasons for why it could be like this.

1. Ocarina of Time's map would not cross with any region, making sure that none of the maps match.

2. Skull Woods matches with Seres Scablands. This is cool because Seres is the sage that's trapped in the Skull Woods dungeon.

3. The Great Bay matches the area surrounding Rito Village. Since Rito did evolve from Zora (allegedly), this makes a lot of sense.

One thing we need to remember is that the landmarks won't match perfectly, but this can be due to time differences and the fact that it's a separate dimension. Anyways...

Theory 2

Counterparts are a very important part of these two dimensions and their connection to Hyrule. In fact, it's the only real connection to Termina that we have.

So there is a counterpart for Zelda, Link, and Ganondorf in Lorule: Hilda, Ravio, and Yuga. (I would like to mention that Yuga's name is very similar to the Yiga, a cult dedicated to Ganon.) Gramps, the old man in Kakariko, could also have a counterpart, that being the masked elder in Thieves' Town.

Oh yeah! Isn't it interesting how both Lorule and Termina have some respect for masks, and that they seem to help the people?

Anyways, in Majora's Mask, we see the counterpart for all of the NPCs in Ocarina of Time, except for a few specific ones. I want to mention that there isn't a counterpart for Zelda, Link or Ganondorf!

... And then I learned about Kafei. Apparently, he uses a lot of Link's assets, with the exception of having longer purple hair and a weird tunic with what looks like upside-down bunny ears.

You know who else uses Link's assets and has a purple outfit that's bunny themed? That's right!

Kafei is actually Ravio! Multiple Ravios confirmed! Do what you will with this information!

That concludes my Lorule Theory for today!

I'm always open to thoughts or ideas. Let me know if I missed anything.

[bldmnrises]

@flockrest !

it had been a long time since the defeat of ganon, the eternal blood moon's curse lifted in light of their freedom from its imprisonment. since, celestial child had found a home in hateno with the princess and her knight, and link - having shown them the way of living - had helped them obtain a hue of normalcy. aproned cloth upon a soft blue dress, green beads through their midwaist's rope belt and hair tie, long braid drawn down to the length of their ankles. home had never felt warmer. a sense of belonging they had only once dreamed of.

now, running hand carefully across bridge's tweed rail leading straight into the heart of hebra, MARION stood idly as the somber light of evening stilled on the horizon's edge. such a height, one they knew profoundly as the stars that used to house their sun-scorned days, dangling above a canyon so deep. head follows up, glances over the village's nests and their respective dwellers, how somber rays drift between the perch and its inhabitants.

breaking from their solace, tiny feet run ahead of traveling hero, he who never left them to be alone ever again. companion rushes forward, stumbles up steps past hylia's blessing, and walks hands and feet up the ascent to where sage resides. it had been some time since their reunion, colgera's reign long past and marion's reformation as a freed deity. the star child the rito only knew of in folktale. they scuttle past adults finishing up their duties, simple house chores suddenly less a spectacle than the racing child running past. breaking into line of sight, only to be left looking up as they continue upwards.

to the elder's landing they climb, until the first hut draws them in. they round the corner sharp, hand hooked onto wooden plank overarched door frame, and speak wildly in spirited relief. " tutu --- we're here! " link is surely not too far behind, but puppet wastes no such time for pleasantries. they muddle their feet across carpet, arms lapsed wide and lunging for an embrace of plumage and joints. the squeeze comes softly yet tight, refusing to let go even as hero joins them shortly with the soft steps 'pon entrance.

" i've missed you so. how has your father and mother been? oh, how i wish to see their delight to see how far you've come, friend. "

[ginger375]

Things that have gone through my head while playing TotK…

Spoilerific, so read on if you dare…

Where are all the freaking shrines/towers?! There’s nothing in their locations! Why does this bother me?

Impa, you are an old lady get back to Kakariko!

The Depths are anxiety-inducing… waking up my long-dormant fear of the dark.

However, the Sky Islands are even more so… like those levels in the Mario games where you had to jump to platforms or fall to your death.

TEBA IS ALIVE… oh I was so worried… but now he’s the village dad!

Seriously, I was going to cry when I got to Rito Village and only saw Kass’ girls and Molli.

On a similar note, KASS BETTER BE ALRIGHT!

Came across the New Serenne Stable and went to see the site of the old Serenne Stable and found sand seal plushie game! Oh such joy!

And then that was all ruined when I jumped down the nearby well and found a shrine and also FUCKING NIGHTMARE HANDS!!

Nope nope nope, warp on outta there.

Okay, above ground, safe now, let’s break some cratesHOLY FUCK HOW DID NIGHTMARE HANDS GET ABOVE GROUND?!?

Can I hide? Yeah, just duck behind this wallOH FUCK NO THEY FOUND ME AND STARTED SCREAMING AND THE SKY TURNED RED!!!

Warp the fuck outta there.

Came across my first Yiga… kinda missed them.

S’all I got for now… it’s so good so far.

[thegeminisage]

ok, i'm back in hateno to do this election. i read that the quest has no consequences so i can do all of them lol (have to, in fact). so for now i'm tailing cece the gentrifier...

actually, sitting around waiting for midnight reminds me a lot of majora's mask :')

SCREEEEAM THE BLOOD MOON TRIGGERED. THIS LADY IS FUCKING EVIL LMAO

oh. my god. girl.

she sneaks out to eat VEGETABLES??? the shame............

this is so funny. nintendo's take on politics is "but what if everybody just got along!"

oh! there's a message in a bottle on this farm. ocarina of time core.

sdfjghsldjkfgh it's a secret cheese recipe. so true that needed saving in a bottle

holy shit the mayor's wife walked by and when i talked to her she said she was on her way to clean "zelda's" house...interesting...........she hires housekeepers.

well. everybody made up and held hands or whatever

i got like her hat or whatever but here's the thing. love and light. the hat is ugly. the clothes are ugly. i maybe wouldn't have hated cece if her clothes were cool but man...........it's just a mushroom pattern. girl cmon

im ALL GOOD in hateno now. i think the next place i want to try going is the great plateau...it's been so long 🥺

oh, but first, i gotta swing by lookout point. i haven't turned in a single poe this whole game lol

oh! it's like a store!

DARK LINK TUNIC MY BELOVED..........................

ohhh and gloom-resistant food, and bomb flowers...aaaaa

ooooooooh there's a goron here talking about the mountain going cold...WTF that was totally a thing 14yo liz out in her fanfic lol

omg some lurelin villagers thanked me for telling them i'd been and seen everyone got out safely 😭

HETSU IS HERE GIMME MY WEAPON SLOTS

i forgot how fucking tedious this was. so many dialogue boxes and an animation for every upgrade............help

ooh, some sky junk fell down around here too. what's real interesting about this is that they refer to the language as "ancient hyrulean." HYRULEAN. not hylian. HMMMMMMM but what a throwback lol

and the stable is finished except for the last piece i slotted in! i like this, it seems the lookout changes with every quest you do. reminds me a little of tarrytown......

i missed gay construction worker noises :')

there are zoras and rito here too!! man this is so cool

i am literally falling asleep in my chair but tomorrow great plateau fr

[sunset-peril]

Successors - Chapter Two - The Songbird Warrior

*One Year Later*

~~~

"Oh, Mama! It's trembling again!" A blue and pink Rito peeped as she called her mother to the egg-filled nest. "That's the second time this hour!" 

"But of course! It's been a year since you laid." A pink and brown bird raised her head from the hammock.

"Oh, what would Revali be saying now?"

"That you should not be such a worrywart, Khosha!" She flapped her wings wide. "A hatching egg shall tremble, and that is nothing to concern over." Her talons clicked on the floor. "Specially, he would say you are being asinine." She sighed. "But that is not of concern. He's been gone a year, Khosha, and it's time for your egg to hatch. Please do not live in the past, he isn't there either." 

But Khosha's focus did not turn to her egg, but to Hyrule Castle in the distance. "The closer we've gotten, Mama, the more I've thought about her."

"Oh. How so?"

She sighed loudly. "It's been a year, Mama… she should have already had her baby; a beautiful, healthy, golden baby." Khosha glanced backwards. "I don't even know if she got out of that dangerous place, much less delivered a child as healthy as her effort deserved." Her egg rolled back and forth in her talons. "I guess it doesn't seem fair that I only lost my husband, but she lost so much more: her home, kingdom, husband, and quite possibly her child."

"The dead do not wish for you to mourn over their uncertainties."

"Oh, she was so little, Mama… so so little…" She poured over the words like a serenade. "but she had an ancient soul." 

The older woman's beak curved up slightly. "She sounds lovely."

"Did you ever see her? She came to the village several times." 

"A few. None as well as the last. I saw her when she came by just before the Calamity." She cooed out a chuckle. "Oh, she was so little… but that stomach of hers… hmm, that was a sight to behold. I don't think her husband appreciated my amusement though. He gave me the ugliest look." She imitated Link's steely glare. 

"He was not in a good mood that day. He was upset she was traveling instead of resting, and she'd been hurting earlier that morning."

"He had a good heart in him. Part of what made him the incarnation of protective, my theory. Hylia always takes the best sooner than we hope." 

"I bet the Princess is still missing him painfully."

"If she even survived. She might be up there with him, reunited with her dear mother."

"Mama, I know she's alive. I saw her."

"Oh, and where?" 

"The Castle. I… needed some closure soon after the Calamity, and flew there. I saw her in the throne room, Mama, just the way I saw her last, sitting on the throne with a great red Lynel at her feet that was streaked in black and purple like Malice. She didn't look like she'd aged a day, nor did her baby seem a day closer to coming, but she was cloaked in holy light." 

"Then she does seem alive, and in no need of our concern in this very moment." Khosha's mother gestured towards the egg rattling beneath Khosha's right foot. "Someone both alive and in our world would like your attention."

Finally, Khosha lowered her head from the window to focus on the hatching egg. "Hello? Is there a little Rito in there?"

A startlingly familiar beak pierced through the shell, sending cracks throughout the remaining areas before retracting. After that, the egg stopped moving, causing the two women to lower their beaks in curiosity.

"It just… stopped, Mama."

The shell split apart like an explosion, scattering fragments and revealing a tiny Rito with its wings outstretched.

"Revali?"

…

"It's like the Champion had a chick with himself!" The Elder exclaimed upon further examination.

"I've never seen this outside of the Hylian Royal Family!" 

The chick had since dried off from his egg into a noisy little poofball. To the amazement of the entire tribe, he was almost an exact copy of Champion Revali, except for the teal tips of his wings where his father had white.  

"His name is Revali the Second." His mother declared, bringing him closer to her chest. 

"Ah, what a joyous day is this!" The elder hooted. "To be gifted once again with our Champion just a year after his passing!" 

While the tribe gathered in celebration, heading to the Flight Range, Khosha and her mother lingered at the nest.

"He will lead a burdened life, that is for sure. His father's silhouette lies before him, and the world will try and get him to match it instead of casting his own, even if it is similar." 

Revali the Second glanced up from his mother's wings. Peep! Peep! 

"It's so strange…" 

"Perhaps Hylia knew you needed him to stay with you, even though he had to go with her. That is what she did for Zelda, is it not?"

"Yes." She wandered out to Revali's Landing, looking out towards the Flight Range. "And we'll make our mark, won't we, Revali?" She held the baby to the sky, whispering 'Look at your son…' before fastening him into a restraint, clasping the Great Eagle Bow and taking off. As she neared the Range, she prepared three bomb arrows and shot them into some of the targets her husband left behind, then landed with the same degree and style of fanfare he always had. And when she opened her beak to welcome the tribe in a way that he would, she could have sworn it was his voice and not her own.

"Impressive, I know."

Edited - 04/14/2024