#stone talus hat

[samanthastruttart]

Talus hat! I want all the hats. ALL

[lucky-clover-gazette]

evil emails

1050 words | canon-compliant | vio & shadow

Per our previous conversations, I would like to again emphasize the initiative and skill V has shown since swearing allegiance to our cause. I am contacting you today to follow up on my request to offer him a permanent position as my

Shadow looks up at Vio, whose stupid hat bounces up and down as he gesticulates wildly. He might not fully understand whatever niche historical event has piqued Vio’s interest this week, but Shadow loves to listen all the same.

as my assistant

as my companion

as my official right-hand man.

Author's Note: This is not my usual type of fic, but I thought it would be interesting to try some things I haven't before. This little moment takes place during the canon manga events and is not as clearly ship-oriented as my other work for this fandom. The line between platonic and romantic is up to you to draw.

read it on ao3 or under the cut:

It's an unconventional arrangement, but it works.

"...so the thing about attempting the trials on Master Mode, is that the enemies are all scaled up but the weapons remain mostly the same. An exception is an additional Iron Sledgehammer on the fourth floor, but it's not even useful on the miniboss because it's scaled up to a Luminous Stone Talus, which is the only kind of Talus that doesn't take four-times damage from that weapon. It's just another thing that makes the trials so fundamentally dysfunctional, not to mention how the durability..."

Shadow balances the laptop on his knees and elevates his legs onto Vio's lap. Half-listening to the blonde’s interest of the day, he clicks on the keyboard with freshly-painted purple fingernails.

Hey Boss,

Shadow shakes his head and backspaces. Writing emails will always be a chore, but it was ten times worse before he had Vio around for background noise. He can’t really explain why it helps him so much—logically, it should probably distract him from his writing—but it boosts his efficiency and makes Vio happy, and those are two of Shadow’s main priorities these days.

“…and the sneakstrike chaining is really essential because—Shadow, did you hear that, I said the sneakstrike is essential—”

"I did," Shadow replies, raising a thumbs-up. "Sneakstrike chaining is essential because you can exploit it indefinitely.”

"Well, actually, on the tenth floor it's harder to pull off, because the lizalfos are by water…”

Shadow rolls his eyes with a smile, returning his attention to the screen.

Dear Lord Vaati,

I hope this message finds you well.

Truthfully he couldn’t care less, but with the request he’s about to make he needs the hackneyed salutation.

Progress is going well on Death Mountain. The Fire Temple has been prepared for the heroes’ arrival with more than enough time to spare.

"Two silver lizalfos, Shadow, that's insane! It's like, impossible to beat."

Shadow hums and meets Vio’s eyes. “But didn't the Hero beat it?"

"That's what the legends say, but I still have my doubts. I just don't understand…”

Per our previous conversations, I would like to again emphasize the initiative and skill V has shown since swearing allegiance to our cause. I am contacting you today to follow up on my request to offer him a permanent position as my

Shadow looks up at Vio, whose stupid hat bounces up and down as he gesticulates wildly. He might not fully understand whatever niche historical event has piqued Vio’s interest this week, but Shadow loves to listen all the same.

as my assistant

as my companion

as my official right-hand man.

“One historian postulates that the Hero could have cheated the tenth floor using campfires, but frankly I think that's absurd."

“You're absurd,” Shadow teases, and is promptly flipped off. He sticks out his tongue and opens his file explorer.

I have attached a document outlining Vio Violet Link's contributions over the past few months, as well as statements from the head of HR (Hinox Resources) and Big Poe. Please share this information with Lord Ganon in preparation for next week’s board meeting. I would like to secure my associate’s role in the organization before the end of this quarter.

Shadow hesitates—here comes the hard part.  

As strange as it may sound, V’s allegiance is essential to our continued success. His capability for manipulation is far beyond what we had anticipated, and at this moment the lesser heroes still believe him to be on their side. With this deceptive advantage in mind, I believe we could potentially take over Hyrule before this quarter’s end. Of course, once we have achieved our goal, V’s original purpose in the plan will be fulfilled.

I humbly ask insist that V’s life not only be spared, but also protected indefinitely, by the forces of evil. Violet Link is our proven ally, your faithful servant, and my associate accomplice

“… may have lots of health, but they also die instantly when they hit the water, so of course the strategy is to knock them off the tower, and—hey.”

Shadow feels a hand on his shoulder.

“What?” Shadow asks, his tone more irritated then intended.

Vio frowns, meeting his eyes. He places his free hand on Shadow’s knee, holding him steady. “You just started looking really worried there for a second. Not an emotion I’d normally associate with emails.”

Shadow shakes his head, mustering a smile. “Then you must not know much about emails.”

Vio doesn’t appreciate his joke.

“I’m okay,” Shadow assures him. “Just trying to figure out the right word for something.”

“Oh. All right. Do you want help with that?”

Hylia, no he does not. Shadow places his hand over Vio’s. “Thanks for the offer, but I’ve got it.”

“Do you need some quiet, or do you want to hear more about…?”

“I want to hear it all.”

Vio seems surprised by Shadow’s response. “Thank you. I’m… still not used to hearing that.”

Shadow resents the world for ever making Vio feel unheard. It’s good, he supposes, that they’re going to destroy it together.  

So, he types:

Violet Link is our proven ally, your faithful servant, and my friend.

It may seen unprofessional to mention friendship in our correspondence, but I see it as assurance. I swear to take full responsibility for V’s actions—past, present, and future. I understand, of course, that there is always a possibility of his betrayal. In such case I

“…shock arrows in a treasure chest, but it might not be worth your—”

 “Vio,” Shadow interrupts, his hand hovering over the keyboard.

“Oh, sorry.”

“Don’t apologi—you know what, we can talk about that later. I just have to ask… I can trust you, right? You’re devoted to the darkness forever?”

Vio blinks. “Why are you asking me this now?”

“I need you to say yes, and I need you to mean it.”

“Then I say yes. You can trust me. I’m devoted to the darkness forever.”

Shadow nods, strangely unsatisfied by his satisfaction.

In such case I swear to end his life myself.

It’s his most compelling argument yet.

“So anyway,” Vio says, his discomfort getting the best of him. “The final boss is a Hinox, actually, and—”

I look forward to your response.

Sincerely,

Shadow Link

[jackalsarchive]

Wrote a response to a fic prompt, "write this in your style" from @breannasfluff prompt, "Purah's List" if you want to check it out.

This fic is also on AO3! It'll have the collections link as well, so you can check out the other fics people have written, along w/ the original prompt from Breanna.

It's a bit lengthy, so I'll put it under the read more. Please let me know what you think :)

I wrote from the Champion's point of view, but there's a bit of foolishness from the others at the edges.

It’s late morning in Hateno, the nine swordsmen circling around Purah’s table in the tech lab.

“I need all of this by sundown. All of it, from all nine of you. It’s a matter of life and death.” Purah says, with utmost seriousness.

They take turns looking at the list of items, and looking at each other, as they pick and choose who’s bringing back what.

Wind peeks at it, sarcastically asking, “Yeah? So what happens if we’re late, we die?”

Purah fondly rolls her eyes, as she’s standing on the table so she’s taller than him. “Oh please, I’d bring you back.”

Wind’s eyes widen, smirking and calling her bluff. “Oh, so you can just give someone life after death?”

Warriors snorts, commenting as he stretches his arms. “Pfft. Life after death is as improbable as sex after marriage—oww!“ his sentence gets cut off by Time, giving him a glare, and Twilight swatting the captain in the back of the head, with the sailor laughing in the background.

So they all take their pick from Purah’s list, getting themselves ready for their challenge.

The door of Purah’s lab swings shut behind Wild, as he ambles past the warp circle, digging a pen out of his travel pack. He hears the soft creeeak…thump as the old heavy door opens and shuts again, the sound of old boots softly crunching gravel behind him.

“Sixteen potlids, huh…” the Rancher starts, in his easygoing drawl.

Wild looks up from scribbling his list of ‘Goron spice’ and ‘Chuchu jelly’ on the back of his hand, to glance at him. Wild gives him a look, knowing he’s about to say some choice shit. He hears the rancher continue, a teasing lilt to his words.

“…Do you even have that many in the population to—“

Wild cuts off the rancher’s words by swatting Twilight on the arm, “Oh shut up, go off and sniff some grass or something!” The champion retorts back, making him howl in laughter.

The champion swats him again, going for a playful kick in the calf, when Twilight catches him, ramming into his torso, arms gripping him and pushing, with the strength of his goats back home.

Their brief arm-swatting-turned-schoolyard sumo wrestling tussle gets cut off by the Veteran walking out of the lab next, squinting at the sun, and then them, before shaking his head as he keeps walking.

“What’d you have to get, Vet?” Twilight asks, still smiling as he follows Legend down the hill path, holding Wild’s head and neck in a chokehold under his arm, taking Wild with them down the road.

“Ah—uh. Three flint stones and one...luminous stone?” He trails off in his answer. “Purah was saying there’s a Talus by Ginner woods….wherever that is.” He finishes, brushing his pinkish hair out of his eyes, fixing his hat back on over his blond roots.

“Oh! Yeah! Ginner’s not even half a mile out the village, on your right, just go a bit past it, in the…north west-ish…direction. There’s a talus there…dunno if it’ll have luminous stone though. It might.”

Wild explains, through a slightly strained voice, still in Twilight’s chokehold, wriggling and pushing the bulkier man to his best efforts, to no success.

The veteran laughs at the sight, giggling as he walks down the path ahead of them, his Pegasus boots giving him the slightest bit of a faster stride.

Twilight finally lets go of Wild, yelling after Legend with “Don’t forget the Chuchu jelly!” getting a friendly middle finger in return, making his heart warm with the beloved jackass behavior.

Wild composes himself, checking his hand to make sure his list isn’t smudged, as he purposely steps on the back heel of Twilight’s boots as they walk downhill, getting one last shot in.

He fixes his long hair back into a loose tail, redoing his hair tie, as he speaks. “…Anyway. You should be able to find some good amount of lids here. If not, there’s most likely some at the monster camps outside town, or Kakariko’s like…not too far away, on four legs.” Wild advises, turning back at the lab, seeing the traveler and their blacksmith come out next, the traveler swinging a bucket in his hand, and Four tying his hair back, looking mildly perplexed.

They make it to the bottom of the hill, Wild getting an encouraging pat on the back from Twilight, before splitting ways.

Just a couple things to grab. Easy. Wild could do all this in his underwear, and only a rusty axe and a tree branch on him. In fact, he probably has.

Wild taps his fingers rhythmically on his thigh, idly and mindlessly alternating fingers in a fast tempo, as he laps around Hateno a couple times. He asks around about the merchant caravan, using his usual intel source of Nebb and Karin, though the two kids don’t know anything. He does get shown a cool iridescent worm that Karin found though.

He spends five minutes poking and playing around with the worm with the two kids before he remembers he actually has some responsible shit to do, and excuses himself, waving at them as he keeps walking.

Unfortunately, either the gossip circle at the laundry basin was wrong, or that merchant caravan from Eldin is quicker than he would’ve thought. The caravan isn’t here, and Pruce from the produce store didn’t get any spice.

The champion blows out a puff of air in frustration, leaning against the beam of the Hateno main gate.

He doesn’t have his slate, still being repaired by Purah. So he can’t just warp somewhere….

But it’s a risky gamble if any nearby merchants would even have Goron spice, this side of Hyrule….he may have to get it the hard way…

…Shit.

The champion does one last desperate search around Hateno, with the same results. He even digs through his shelves and cabinets in his house across the bridge, hoping to the three spirits that he’s not just wasting his time.

….He wasted his time, he found nothing.

Wild heads out of his house, locking his door, when Bolson calls out from his lounge spot by the cooking pot, lounging in the shade.

“Looking for Zelda, dear? I think she said she was traveling to the Domain for a few days, she left a day or so ago.” He says, his tone lilting and floaty, squinting at Wild under his eyeshadow.

Wild waves him off. “No Bolson, but thanks for letting me know why she wasn’t home. I’m actually looking for spice but we don’t have any.”

Bolson, quick as a whip, answers back as Wild starts to cross the bridge.

“Well you’ll have to talk to your lady about that—“

“What…?—wait—no! No, that’s— Bolson!” The champion sputters, caught off guard by Bolson’s teasing dirty joke, as the older man cackles, tilting back in his spot on the grass. The older man adjusts his position, waving him off as he continues lounging in the shade, as Link’s house has the best of it.  

Wild, red and flustered, speed walks his way back to Hateno’s main gate. He waves to Thadd as he exits, spotting Sky a bit away, peeking around a tree, looking at a beehive a few trees away, squinting like he’s going to snipe it. Or trying to mentally control the bees….Whichever, Wild has faith in him.

Wild’s getting his breathing ready to start the run to Eldin until he can grab a horse, when hears the faint sound of the earth falling apart, with tremors under his feet.

The veteran must have found the stone talus. He doesn’t hear cussing yet, but he does hear faint sounds of battle, so he figures Legend is okay. It’s not one of the senior taluses, or anything elemental, so it should be nothing more than a workout for him.

He sends a mental wish of luck to him, and gets moving.

The champion’s running at a good pace, controlling his breathing, wondering how he’ll get Goron spice in time before sundown. He stops before the monster fort camp near the hill, catching his breath.

He watches the moblins and bokoblins stalk around, some on some patrol path, others looking like their squabbling over a stack of boxes.

…Wait. Maybe…

Wild checks his shield’s condition. A little banged up, but it should work…if he gets it right on the first couple tries. His bow and arrows are sturdy on his back.

He takes a deep breath, and gets climbing up the near rock hill, staying out of sight of the camp.

He checks the sun, guessing the rough estimate of time. He faces the right way, seeing his shadow doesn’t point towards noon yet, so he’s not doing too terribly on time. He crouches, his eyes following the red moblin, as it circles and stalks closer…and closer…almost…

There. Now!

Wild takes one last breath, and sprints, drawing his shield. He gets good airtime, planting his feet on the straps of his shield, drawing his bow. It feels like time slows as he aims for contact on the Moblins left shoulder, pointing north-northwest.

Perfect.

He feels his boots and shield drop against the shoulder of the moblin, monster screams and snarls with indignance and offense as Wild gets bounced off.

The bounce gets him good airtime, sending him far as he reaches the highest he’ll get, snapping his paraglider open, the champion’s shoulders flaring in protest briefly as the fabric and wind resistance yanks and pulls.

He takes time to laugh like a madman, yelling “I still got it!!”  as he glides past Necluda towards Eldin.

Wild thankfully has enough energy today, and got enough height in the air to make it to Foothill stable, crashlanding and dragging his feet, faceplanting into the dirt. If he remembers right, there should be a Goron salesman, or someone around here carrying Goron spice…

He asks around and searches for about half an hour, sitting and resting a bit, drinking water. Today, it seems, the world must have it out for him. No one has any, after checking with Ozunda at the counter, then Beedle, then any poor traveling merchant unlucky enough to make eye contact with him. He probably sounds like he’s losing it, asking for Goron spice like it’s his lost child.

“Hey! Ozunda, anyone come by with Goron spice?”

“Nah, S.O.L buddy, I’d tell ya if I knew, though.”

The champion heads into the stable, towards the den area.

“Damn it…Beedle, any Goron spice?”

“No, my friend! Just arrows and fireproof horned lizards….you want your usual stock of arrows though?”

“Damn…no, I’m good, thanks though.”

“….Are. Are you sick…?....You don’t need more arrows…?” Beedle asks, looking at him with a raised eyebrow, silently calling his bluff, holding his bag open like he knows Wild is going to cave.

Then Beedle starts again, sounding nice, but with the vibe of a viper before it strikes.

“…You always need more arrows, Link…”

Wild buys more arrows, wiping the sweat from his brow and shaking off the chill from his spine.

He leaves up the Death Mountain trail, snagging a fireproof elixir with his remaining rupees, waiting until absolutely necessary to drink it.

An hour’s hike finds him hauling ass past the dismantled guardian remains up the trail, panting and sweating, already feeling the sunburn on his cheeks and back of his neck.

He gets to a stopping point, hands on his knees, trying to bring air into his dry throat, coughing as it’s almost too dry to swallow. Wild grimaces as he licks his lips, tasting sweat from above his upper lip.

He pops open the elixir, drinking it, hoping it’ll last long enough to get in, buy the Goron spice, and leave. Or combust into flames, whichever happens first.

He drinks it all, ignoring the texture, and ignoring the fact that multiple people, several times, have told him ‘Link, that’s a topical cream!’ or ‘Link, don’t drink it, it’s for your skin, I think it’s toxic to be consumed—‘

Haters, all of them. If it works, it works, he thinks.

He runs and hikes up the mountain pass, the next hour feeling like it’s being stretched out, and the heat making his body feel like it’s being pulled towards the earth. His steps getting harder and harder to pick up. He’s starting to fear that elixir wasn’t strong enough…

Finally, finally. He gets to Goron city.

Wild stumbles up the path, skin and clothing drenched in sweat, near falling onto the store counter, panting.

“Please….please….sell me something…Goron spice…”

The Goron merchant watches him for a second, his eyes wide like he’s witnessing something of terror. He grabs a scooper, filling a jar Wild hands him with the spice, as Wild sells a few chunks of rock salt and amber, to pay for the amount of spice sold by weight, along with having some rupees of his own after getting shaken down by Beedle. He buys two more fireproof elixers, downing one, and storing the other, checking the duration first. He heads back down the trail, heat-dazed, red-faced, and damp from sweat, his hair frizzy and partially undone from the gliding and running.

The champion dips his fingers into the hotspring nearby, to help tame and redo his hair, sighing as he still feels himself bake in the sun, but it’s more of a bask now, rather than feeling like someone buttered him up and threw him on a grill like a stalk of corn.

He’s ambling down the path when he snipes a Fire Chuchu with an arrow, for looking at him wrong. He almost leaves the remains be, when he remembers he needs Chu jelly as well, cussing and stomping as he scoops it into another jar. To add onto it, he isn’t careful enough and the jelly almost spills, flaring to burn his arm.

“Hhhsss---ooww—fuck!” He hisses, shutting the jar tight.

 If Purah has any issue with it being not plain, she can deal. It might even be cooler than what the others find.

It’s late in the afternoon, almost evening, as he gets back to Foothill stable. He takes out his fastest horse, a constantly antsy appaloosa mare. Her hooves are already trotting and kicking in place, waiting for Wild’s go ahead. He barely finishes his signal when she takes off down the road like lightning struck her, Wild holding onto the reigns, choking out a curse.

Thankfully, she doesn’t like following paths, similar to her rider, bolting through the Lanayru wetlands soon enough. And if Link didn’t know any better, he’d say she ran that Lizalfos over on purpose.

He pats her flank, hoping at least the others had an easier time getting their odd items on Purah’s scavenger hunt from hell.

Wild steers his horse into Hateno just in time, reigning in her manic energy, petting her and calming her as he guides her into the pen by his house. He fills the troughs, and triple locks the gate, only because he knows the horse won’t jump the fence, but she likes to try and kick the lock and break it out of spite, even if she doesn’t leave. His mood is lifted a bit after just being on his horse, and from the fact he was able to find what he needed, still technically before sundown.

Wild shuffles up the path of the tech lab, his boots crunching the dirt up the hill, sunburnt like a lobster, and the burn still stinging a bit on his arm. He runs into Legend and Four, walking with them into the lab tower, trickling in with the rest of the group.

Purah has them set their things down, the champion thunks down the Goron spice on the counter with a grin, and the jar of the red Chu jelly. He elbows Twilight in the ribs in good nature, seeing the full count of sixteen potlids. Though he does have to cover his snort when Twilight all but body slams a still living Chuchu out of his wolf pelt.

“What, did you make friends with it or something?”

“Oh shut up, you look like you cooked yourself and forgot the seasoning.”

“Yeah and you look like you got a nice right hook in the eye, did you try and flirt with it or—“

“Alright, alright, settle.” Purah hollers at them, going down her list of the rest of the items. Each one of them surrenders their burden, and piles the Chu jelly collection onto the lab table, on a collection tray to prevent any from rolling or spilling off.

Poor Sky and Hyrule look like they stung, soaked, rolled in leaves, and then steamed over a low heat. Wild decides not to ask. It’ll come up over dinner later.

The captain looks….oh Din have mercy is that goat sh—

“It’s mud.” Warriors says, bluntly, looking no one in the eye.

The old man looks like he fought a whole hen house. He probably did. Time places the egg, pristine, no cracks, gently onto the table, stepping back, shifting his weight, looking like he just moved a chess piece that would decide his life or death.

After all is said and done, Wild finds not only is his Sheikah Slate not even recalibrated yet, but their nonsensical scavenger hunt was just errands.

‘Just like old times’ All the Links think at once, thinking of their past sidequests on their respective journeys.

The champion looks to Purah, internally wanting nothing more than food, a bath, and a story of what the hell Hyrule and Sky were doing, when he speaks.

“…So what’s this all for? What’s important…?”

Purah looks up over her glasses, tinkering with his slate.

“Oh, I didn’t say? Impa’s visiting tomorrow.”

It takes every ounce of Wild’s willpower to not ask what in Farosh’s green earth what all this stuff is for in relation to Impa. He wants to. So badly.

A loud fwump is heard through the room, as Legend sits heavily on the ground, throwing his cap off and resting a short staff on his lap, looking like he just did an eight hour shift in a fighting ring.

All nine leave the lab, with a promise from Purah that the slate will be fixed before they have to leave, as they shuffle down the hill, to hopefully end their night.

It’s quiet, and peaceful, despite their appearances and general presence as they all stagger through the village.  The cool night air coming from Mount Lanayru, and the breeze from the coast of Hateno bay act as a soothing balm on their skins.

Until the sailor pipes up, in middle of their group.

“…So…you think miss Purah would mind if a couple of those dynamite sticks were missing..?”

[xanth-the-wizard]

Random Mountain Encounters (1d20) #5

[1] Poisonous mist swirls around the sierra, be careful not to lose consciousness while it seeps through your skin [2] Built into the side of the jagged stone, a Monk Temple sits peacefully amidst the storm [3] Bound to the mountain, a hellish warrior slaughters anyone who enters their domain. They are horrendously powerful and would wipe out any unsuspecting low-level party [4] Hosting a prestigious singing competition, a Purple Dragon with a tie and top hat invites all to watch this once in a lifetime event. Gods, Spirits, Giants, Beholders, etc.. are all participants [5] A campfire burns brightly on the side of the road, no one is around. Food is roasting, bottles left unopened, treasure left untouched. Do you search for those who set up this camp or take it for yourselves? [6] The party stumbles upon a murder scene and are framed for the crime by corrupt guards who came to investigate the death of a famous hero. The situation seems far too convenient [7] Frozen in ice a monstrous beast is slowly thawing, it’s power is equal to that of a Tarrasque but it does have the dumbest name in the world [8] Mimics as large as houses, disguised as, you guessed it. Houses. They lie in wait, hidden in plain sight among other buildings of an abandoned city. A storm is brewing and the party needs to take shelter. Hopefully they don’t wander into the wrong house [9] Introduce a new or reoccurring cult from your campaign. One of the members is infusing with a demon and will become a powerful antagonist that will continue to be a problem for the players in the campaign [10] The world’s worst rogue has been stalking the party. They want to kill the party or go on an adventure. The choice is yours, but they HAVE to be lovable. A new child to adopt [11] “Oi! You’ve come fer blood, haven’t you?” You are handed a flyer for a Colosseum nearby [12] A misguided entrepreneur has built their new Fast Food restaurant on a summit. They got the place for cheap but business is… Not ideal [13] Throw a Legend of Zelda boss at the players! Some suggestions: Bongo Bongo, Volvagia, Stallord, Stone Talus, Lynel [14] Struck with lightning, an unlucky party member’s eyes begin to glow as they have gained newfound powers. They’ve been selected by a powerful deity to carry out a prophecy [15] A deserted alchemy lab wanders the wilderness, it is sentient and left without a purpose [16] Thrown from the top of the mountain, a wooden chest filled with cursed magic items has been disposed of, never to be found again. Well until you rolled this random encounter [17] The party meets a high level party of badasses. They are kind of jerks and act as secondary antagonists on this journey up or through the range [18] Treasure map! No tricks, no traps. Just some sick loot [19] Let’s try out a traditional encounter. Find a cool monster (preferably displaced) and let the party fight it or perhaps help calm it down and lead it somewhere safe [20] Hidden away from the rest of the world, an observatory keeps track of planetary movement, stars, and unusual phenomenon. The observatory is run by a secret organization that watches over the world. Grand secrets reside within the somber halls

(More Random Encounters on Tuesdays! If you like my work, consider supporting me and check out my Ko-Fi Page! Image credit: x)

[paladinsheadcanons]

Everyone's favorite piece of clothing they have (if applicable)

I stretched the meaning of clothing, a bit, to include whatever the champions are wearing (including jewelry, etc). I hope that’s okay!

-Mod Androxus

Ash- Given how she fights, Ash is probably pretty attached to her armor. Her ram pauldron might be her favorite piece, though. It’s big, good for shoulder bashing, and intimidating. 

Barik- His safety goggles. They might be broken, now, but they’ve stood strong in the past through all sorts of mechanical mishaps. If he didn’t have them, he might not have working eyes, so he owes them that.

Fernando- I’m going to turn this on its head and say that Fernando’s least favorite article of clothing is his helmet. Sure, it protects him, but it obscures his beautiful face.

Inara- While she takes pride in her skirt, gloves, and other clothing, Inara’s favorite is smaller. It’s the flower in her hair. It never dies or wilts, and in that regard it’s like stone. 

Makoa- He doesn’t wear a whole lot of anything, but he would jokingly answer his shell. I mean, it’s literally part of his spine.

Ruckus- He thinks his fingerless gloves make him look cool, like a battle pilot. They’re worn in from use, but he won’t stop wearing them. Truthfully, they were regular gloves that Ruckus cut the fingers off of.

Terminus- He doesn’t wear much, and isn’t concerned with favorites. If he had to chose, it might be his headdress. 

Torvald- His glasses. He wouldn’t be able to see anything without them, and he needs precise sight to read books and work with rune magic. 

Bomb King- As a golem, he can’’t change clothes or put them on. Still, his favorite ‘clothing’ item is undoubtedly his crown, for obvious reasons.

Cassie- Her cape. It was one of her father’s capes that he would wear hunting in the woods. When she ran off to join the Paladins, she figured it would protect against the cold better than nothing.

Drogoz- His horn baubles. They were his first valuable treasure, and from the moment he clipped them on, he felt more like a real dragon than he ever had.

Kinessa- Either her scarf or her boots. She doesn’t have a strong sentimental attachment to either, but both are practical and exactly her favorite style.

Lian- She prides herself on representing House Aico with her clothing, so all of her clothing is a special in that right. Her favorite might be her gloves- a well known symbol of her house.

Sha Lin- He likes to keep things simple but dramatic, and so his favorite clothing is his shirt. It’s practical for desert travel, and shows off his good looks. Its a win-win.

Strix- Definitely his owl cape or hood. Despite the rest of the Magistrate snipers wearing assigned uniforms that help camouflage them, Strix stays hidden and connected to his home with his unique cape.

Tyra- Her bear pelt. It was one of her most thrilling hunts, and she wears the pelt as a badge of honor. It keeps her warm and shows enemies and friends that she means business.

Viktor- His belt. It holds ammo, supplies, weaponry like his bombs, and whatever else he needs. The crystal in it packs some magical energy that he can use, as well.

Vivian- Her short-coat. Its bright red and elegant design gives her even more of a commanding presence than otherwise, and it lets everyone know that she’s aligned with the Magistrate.

Willo- She doesn’t wear many different articles of clothing, so her flower skirt is by default her favorite. Bright colors tend to be a status symbol among fairies, and Willo’s colors show off that she’s a ‘knight’ of sorts.

Grohk- His headdress marks him as chief of his tribe, so it’s no doubt that it’s important to him. Besides, the horns on its sides strike fear into more cowardly enemies.

Grover- While he doesn’t wear anything and can’t really wear anything, Grover appreciates it when the forest creatures decorate his branches with flower garlands.

Jenos- He takes pride in all of his celestial clothing, but none more so than his mask. It protects mortals from seeing his face, which could be dangerous for them. 

Mal’Damba- Likewise, Mal’damba’s mask is his favorite ‘clothing’. It protects his identity and helps him connect more with Wekono- it means a lot to him, from a spiritual standpoint.

Pip- His vest. It’s very comfortable, doesn’t get all full of his hair, and is still practical in battle. It keeps him warm, but doesn’t let him get too hot. It’s a pretty darn good vest.

Seris- Her blindfold. If her eyes- or possible lack thereof- were visible to mortals, the result could be disastrous. Even a glance at them might drive someone to insanity, if they aren’t strong of will.

Ying- Her entire dress is more comfortable than it looks, though it isn’t all that comfortable. Luckily, it doesn’t matter as much since she floats rather than walks.

Androxus- Like many champions on this list, Androxus favors his mask. He’s scared of what others might think of him, if he didn’t wear it. If he had to chose more conventional clothes, it would be his coat.

Buck- His red sash was a gift to him at the monastery for all of his training. Even in battle, he wears it as a sign that he is bringing peace, even if it has to be brought by unfortunate methods.

Evie- Her dress makes her feel cute and powerful. She doesn’t need to look like a stereotypical teen witch, but she wants people to know what she’s about- and that she’s dangerous to mess with.

Lex- Honestly, his entire uniform- but mostly the upper half, since it’s more recognizable. It assures him that the power of the Outer Tribunal is behind him and he receives respect in most places.

Maeve- Even though she’s half-tigron, Maeve would lack many of her magical abilities without her coat. As such, it’s a favored treasure of hers. Anything to be more lethal.

 Moji- Her hat. Well, she mostly likes her hat because Po-Li takes it from her and tries to chew on it. As much as it seems annoying in the moment, it’s helped her build a relationship with her goofy familiar.

Skye- She doesn’t have too many articles of clothing on, given that she wears a bodysuit. That bodysuit, however, helps her to turn invisible and get the drop on her marks. Plus, it matches her hair color.

Talus- His headpiece is a symbol of the Ska’Drin, one that he proudly wears to prove that they’re still alive and will fight back for their freedom. It’s a bit too big for his head, since his horns haven’t grown in all the way, yet.

Zhin- His heavy, embroidered coat is a symbol of what he’s made himself. He grew from ashes into the leader of the thousand hands. It’s a bit too warm, at times, but it fits well and is somewhat soft on the inside.

[thehikingviking]

Iron Mountain (11,148 ft) via Fern Lake & Beck Lake Trail Loop from Devils Postpile

It was our first day of the 2019 Sierra Challenge. The official challenge started a day prior, however work was busy towards the end of the week so I decided to start on the Saturday instead. The challenge peak was of very little interest to me so I decided to climb Iron Mountain as an alternate peak. Asaka and I drove to Devils Postpile after hours to avoid the traffic restrictions and slept in the car near the trailhead.

The next morning we woke up to a chilly morning. We ate cereal for breakfast then drove a few hundred feet to the end of the road. With just Asaka and me, it did not feel like the Sierra Challenge, but the hike itself would fit the bill. We started off down the trail alongside the Middle Fork of the San Joaquin River.

We crossed the foot bridge and continued south. The stone pillars of Devils Postpile were visible across the river.

We crossed the John Muir / Pacific Crest Trail where I left a note along the side of the trail for Colin Gregory, who was attempting the JMT and would be passing by within the next few days.

He never saw the message, and my guess is that he walked on the opposite side of the river alongside Devils Postpile. Where the JMT and the PCT intersect and overlap is not exactly clear in this area. Our first task was to climb 500 vertical feet up and over The Buttresses. We passed an older gentleman with his dog and when we asked where he was heading he alluded to some lakes via a big loop.

The trail took us back down 500 ft eliminating the gain we just accomplished. We reached our first obstacle which was the swift moving King Creek. There appeared to be no easy way around, so we took off our shoes and walked across.

The next 2.3 miles was along trail that gradually climbed towards Summit Meadow. Mammoth Mountain was visible across the valley.

The southern end of the Ritter Range with Iron Mountain slowly came into view.

We took a left at the next intersection at about 8,700 ft. I planned to access the ridge from the east. Others have taken a right at the same intersection and accessed the ridge from the north. Patches of snow lingered and a nice creek dripped alongside the trail. The trail climbed some granite ledges and we eventually reached Summit Meadow at about 9,000 ft.

I continued following the trail expecting to find a fork to a separate use trail but found nothing of the sort. We then left the trail all together and climbed up the ridge to our west. Trees began to thin out as we flirted with the treeline. 

Our objective was in view, but still appeared far away.

We had an option to stay low and maintain our elevation or climb atop the ridge. I chose to contour below the top of the ridgeline. A very interesting dome appeared in the valley below. I later learned that this is called Balloon Dome, and while unlisted, it looks very formidable and has been added to my "to do” list.

We continued off trail up and over ledges, boulders and talus fields. It was tedious work. I made the mistake of bringing up the subject of our upcoming wedding and our discussions evolved into an argument. Some alone time which followed the argument made me wonder why a road was never built along the Middle Fork of the San Joaquin River, as the would be route seems very low in elevation.

We aimed for a weakness in the rock wall ahead of us. We were making much slower time than I expected. This talus slog was the main reason for this, and I started to consider with the idea of descending via a different route.

I snapped a photo of the largest flying bug I’ve ever seen. While it is hard to see in this photo, it was as large as a humming bird.

A snow free route presented itself. 

I found the debris of a plane crash among the patches of snow.

This has been at least the 5th plane crash I have inadvertently hiked to. Other peaks with plane crashes include Kuna Peak in Yosemite, Mt Humphreys in Arizona, Mt Konocti in the coastal ranges and Mt Charleston near Las Vegas. A plane full of civilian contractors and CIA operatives crashed into Mt Charleston during a snow storm on a commuter flight from Burbank to Area 51 during the development of the U2 during the Cold War. The activity surrounding the U2 was highly classified at the time and the government did everything in its power to retrieve the bodies and classified documents on the plane, however the storm was so severe that no one could reach the plane until several days later.

We made it through the weakness with relative ease. Asaka and I took separate routes and we met up shortly after.

We continued contouring along the ridge until the summit came into view.

I startled a large buck, who darted down the mountain. Progress seemed to get slower and slower. The talus became even more tedious and I found myself gaining more and more distance from Asaka between breaks. 

I did some research peering over the cliffs to see if I could descend off the eastern face of the ridge. While the snowfield to Ashley Lake looked inviting, the initial drop off looked sketchy at best.

I watched the minutes tick away. The summit looked so close but progress was minimal. Losing my patience, I hiked ahead of Asaka for the final section and scampered to the top.

We made it to the summit at 1:40pm, much later than I had hoped for.

To the southwest was the San Joaquin River Basin.

To the west was the Clark Range in Yosemite.

To the north were Mt Ritter, Banner Peak and the Minarets. 

To the northeast were San Joaquin Mountain and Ashley Lake.

To the east were Mammoth Mountain and Red Slate Mountain.

To the south was the ridge we followed and the broader Sierra Nevada.

I couldn’t stop dreading the upcoming laborious nature of the same ridgeline, so I resolved to find a way down to Ashley Lake. The snow chute was the obvious choice, however it was very steep and we didn’t have our crampons with us. There were also big gaps, or mini crevasses, that coated the steepest sections. I found a rock chute with a lot of loose rocks instead and decided to give it a go.

To avoid rock fall danger, I would first lead, then wait out of the fall line as Asaka followed. Things were progressing well until we cliffed out with only about 20 feet left to go until the snow field. There was a large moat that added another hazard to the impasse. One option was to jump down about 8 feet or so to the top of the snow, clearing the rock face and moat altogether. This is something I would have considered if I was alone, but not something that I wanted Asaka to try. The second option was to climb down the rock face and transition onto the snowfield at a weakness in the moat. I followed a crack that traversed diagonally underneath an overhanging rock where I was able to safely dismount. Exposure was high at the beginning where the climbing was easiest, and as I shuffled to tougher climbing the drop below became less and less dangerous. I then had Asaka follow and watched nervously beneath her, wondering if I could catch her if she fell. I gave her some pointers and she also made it down safely. I would say the short pitch goes as class 4.

The weakness in the moat was easily surpassed and we were soon on the steep snowfield. Looking back was the steeper section which we avoided by down climbing the rocks.

We carefully walked down the slick snowfield, using the sun cups for additional friction.

After a short distance, the snow field became more gradual and potential danger greatly diminished.

I stopped to investigate some giant ice blocks resting on the snow. I sat on them as I waited for Asaka. I tried to push them downhill but they would not budge.

I jogged the remaining distance to Ashley Lake.

I paid my respect to Matt Yaussi and participated in the Aqua Challenge.

After drying off, we followed the shoreline towards the outlet of the lake. There were tons of trout swimming in the inlet of the lake below a cascade. They used the snowfields which covered parts of the creek as cover. If only I had my Tenkara.

Iron Mountain and our descent snow field stood behind us.

My Topo map showed a trail starting a short distance down the creek, so we hiked downstream.

We crossed the creek at our own discretion. At one point Asaka and I got separated and we wasted several minutes looking for each other.

We found the faint trail shortly after and followed this. The trail became more defined as other forks of the trail merged together. There were several groups camping here.

At a meadow, we had the choice to either connect back with Fern Lake Trail by following the fork southeast, or to take Beck Lake Trail towards the northeast. Elevation gain and distance of the two options were more or less the same, so I decided to take the northeast fork, giving us a brand new trail to walk along. We crossed the King Creek once more, but this time we didn’t have to take off our shoes. The trail climbed several hundred feet at first, traversing beneath Red Top Mountain. I did not have the stamina for a bonus peak today. We walked through some lonely, mosquito infested forest and found a hat on the ground. This belonged to the older gentleman we saw earlier in the day. We claimed the hat as booty and continued on our way. The distance was starting to take a toll on our legs and hopes of another hard hike the following day started to fade. We reached a series of switchbacks which we decided to cut. Typically I don’t like cutting switchbacks however we were in a pine forest which meant no small shrubs to trample and the impact on erosion was small. At one point we stumbled upon an animal which ran away in fear of us. The sound indicated it was a large animal, however we didn’t get to see what it was. The trail on my Topo map was inaccurate in several places, but we had a good idea of where to go. The last mile along the John Muir Trail was mind numbing but we finally made it back to the footbridge and the meadow.

I had no energy left to check out Devils Postpile. There were several tourists hiking around. I almost felt envious of them since their hike was so easy. We drove out to Mammoth Lakes where we had dinner that night, then drove to Bishop were we had a hotel reserved for the next two nights.

[uncle-condor]

Okay, Breath of the Wild? I tip my hat to Nintendo for it. It just did something no game has done to me in a while.

I finished the main quest then ran around for like the last two weeks doing side quests and hunting shit to max out my gears upgrades. I hunted down all the mini bosses and Lynels and killed them all. This morning I realized there wasn’t much to do in my game other than go through and kill all the mini bosses again.

So what did I do?

I restarted the game from the beginning. No waiting for a while and then realizing that I’d like to play it again.

I beat the final stone talus and was like “From the top!” and started it all over again. The only reason I could have ever seen myself restarting a game immediately after finishing it would be to find all the story lines and do things like Genocide/ Pacifist runs. But BotW did it because it’s pretty to look at, it’s fun to play and god damn did I love trying to hunt down all those fucking shrines.

[goddesstrolls-archive]

I love the way you draw the Stone Talus bc it looks like a dumpy little lad with a funny little hat

is that not what they are?