#the hyrule compendium is complete as well

[lulu2992]

But... What am I supposed to do with my life now?

[frostehburr]

Basically Done with Breath of the Wild

Alright, so...

You know how there are about 900 Korok seeds in Breath of the Wild? Well that's all that's left for me to do in the game. And you know what? I'm not going to do that.

I completed all the quests, filled out the Hyrule Compendium, and finished all 120 shrines. Therefore, I am done.

Hardcore completionists will say something on the lines of "achtually, the game isn't complete because you HAVE to get the golden turd from Hetsu" blah blah blah don't care, it's not worth the effort.

Nintendo never made achievements or trophies or anything resembling them so everything in Nintendo games are dependent on the game itself telling you it's complete. Breath of the Wild encourages you NOT to collect korok seeds. In fact, it stops upgrading your inventory space half way through the collection. The only reason to get all of the seeds is to have the golden turn, which is basically telling you you wasted too much time on it.

If the game tells me I don't have to. I don't have to. No need to fret over it. I decided it's done and if others are going to have a tantrum over one game I play not being wiped clean then that's their issue.

The shrines were my prime concern because they up your health and stamina. Also noticed 120 is like the Nintendo standard for collectables in their games. Aside from Mario Odyssey, the number 120 shows up frequently. Must be something special about it.

What korok seeds I stumbled on while looking for those shrines were what I got... which happened to be 120 as well... huh... anyhow, majority of the trials were basic test your might or freebies. On occasion I did a puzzle that didn't need internet search for. Maybe two that were on top of a mountain pair mainly because they were very stupid puzzles dependent on you going back and forth between the two shrines. Whoever though of that one deserves a slap across the face.

I honestly did not think I'd get through Breath of the Wild, at all. Let alone this year. Breath of the Wild is one game I've strongly disliked for several reasons but I'm not reviewing anything so just know I didn't like it, boo for me.

Just glad it's off the checklist of my backlog.

[duckapus]

While whichever agent got assigned to preparing the first MRU universe could've (and probably should've) just picked either BotW or TotK, they were an overachiever, and remembered that they could copy over their horses from a completed BotW save to TotK, and at that point it hadn't yet been decided yet which game would get picked. Soooo they completed both and went a little insane doing so.

Keep in mind they had to set it up so there would be absolutely no updates, which includes making sure there can be no more New Item Textboxes, so they actually had to go a little bit beyond the actual 100% completion.

Here's what they had to do to get all this done:

Before Starting

Find copies of both games that have the potential to become living universes when exposed to Meme Energy.

Purchase the DLC for Breath of the Wild and acquire compatible Amibo

Make sure to play them in order so the horses can be transferred.

Breath of the Wild

Complete all 15 Main Quests

Complete all 76 Side Quests

Find and complete all 120 Shrines

Find and activate all 15 Sheikah Towers

Complete all 5 DLC Main Quests and all 14 DLC Side Quests

Collect all 999 Korok Seeds and give them to Hestu to get all inventory upgrades and The Golden Turd

Find and restore all four Great Fairies and the Horse God

Acquire and fully upgrade all the Sheikah Slate's Runes

Acquire and fully upgrade all 107 Armor Pieces

Recover all 23 Memories

Create all 190 Recipes at least once each

Complete all 389 entries in the Hyrule Compendium and get the Classified Envelope from Symin (note: due to the existence of Gold enemies and Sky Octoroks, this requirement means they had to play in Master Mode)

Speak to the Horned Statue at least once

Find every landmark so their names show up on the map

Summon Epona and Wolf Link at least once each

Defeat All 40 Taluses, all 40 Hinoxes, and all 4 Moldugas at leas once each and get their Medals of Honor from Kilton

Acquire all 12 Horse Armor Pieces

Pick up all 122 Melee Weapons, 25 Bows, 31 Shields, and 8 Amiibo Equipment Items at least once each

Pick up all 173 Materials at least once each

Pick up all 7 types of Rupee at least once each

This wasn't strictly necessary but they also made sure to ride every mountable animal at least once as a personal challenge

Tears of the Kingdom

Import horses from Breath of the Wild

Complete all 23 Main Quests

Complete all 60 Side Adventures

Complete all 139 Side Quests

Complete all 152 Shrines and loot all their treasure chests

Find and Activate all 15 Skyview Towers

Find and Activate all 120 Lightroots

Collect all 1000 Korok seeds and give them to Hestu to get all the inventory upgrades and the Golden Turd

Find and activate the Horse God

Acquire all the Right Arm Abilities and Purah Pad features

Find all 20 Sage's Wills and use them to fully upgrade all 5 Sages

Visit every landmark on all three layers to put their names or icons on the map (this includes chasms, caves, and wells)

Help Addison support all 81 Huddson Signs

Acquire 50 Pony Points and get all the rewards

Collect all 147 Bubbul Gems and give them to Koltin to get all the rewards

Fully upgrade the Energy Cell

Acquire all 31 Old Maps

Acquire all 46 Autobuild Schematics

Acquire and fully upgrade all 135 Armor pieces

Acquire at least 1 Sleepover Ticket

Acquire all 12 Horse Armor Pieces and the Towing Harness

Defeat all 35 Flux Constructs, 68 Hinoxes, 87 Taluses, 40 Frox, 13 Gleeoks, and 4 Moldugas and get their Monster Medals

Defeat the Dungeon Boss Rematches in the Depths

View all 18 Memories (including fining all 12 Dragon Tears)

Acquire all 29 regularly available Paraglider Fabrics and all 24 Amiibo-exclusive fabrics

Summon Epona at least once

Complete all 509 entries in the Hyrule Compendium

Cook all 228 Recipes (including inventing Pizza and going to the ends of the earth just to boil an egg)

Pick up all 7 types of Rupee at least once

Pich up all 3 levels of Poe at least once

Pick up all 3 levels of Crystalized Charges at least once

Pick up all 27 Zonai Device Capsules at least once

Pick up all 81 Melee Weapons (plus the 31 Intact variants of the decayed weapons), 30 Bows, and 33 Shields at least once, as well as every possible weapon and shield fusion because those cause the new item popup! No I am not counting them all there is a limit to my insanity. They can at least skip the Marbled Rock Roast Fusions because those disappear as part of the story before you can even get a certain weapon.

Pick up all 254 Materials at least once

They're up to their riding shenanigans again so they rode everything even though they really didn't have to

[imorphemi]

Help I can't stop making AUs

this is sort of inspired by @ tenten18282's Hyrule x four swords AU, but yknow, botw link instead

I'm just gonna start rambling about them under the cut uwu

So from left to right, we have Safflina (Saff), Thistle, Violet (Vi), and Nightshade (Night). Violet was the one who suggested they nickname themselves after flowers and no one had better ideas so here they are

Saff is the designated leader of the group simply because. uh. He's the only one who is willing to actually go talk to people, the other three would rather do so much else. He's the most empathetic and courageous. He's also their best cook!

Thistle is the fighter. He's extremely skilled with any weapon and enjoys monster hunting. He's pretty impulsive and will always be the one to initiate the fight. It's not that bad because he can usually win any fight he starts, but he can get pretty reckless.

Vi is the adventurous one, who can and will get lost the moment he runs off to grab a beetle. He just really likes exploring but really dislikes fighting. He steals the slate constantly to take photos. Night usually tags along with his antics to complete the compendium and also make sure he doesn't end up too lost.

Night is the one with the braincell. He's also extremely stealthy, and prefers to sneakstrike enemies instead of fighting them head on. He just enjoys learning about anything and everything. He knows a lot of stuff, but isn't the best at execution. He's only allowed to make elixirs lol

Vi and Night are probably the most interesting ones design wise, Vi constantly changes outfit depending on his needs but usually wears a combination of the climbing gear and the stealth armor. Night wears a combination of the stealth armor and the radiant set. I think I want Night to have a scar on his left eye. I based his hair after sheik because. sheik mask in game. His hair is also long and braided. Vi's hair is very long and horribly unkempt, he hasn't bothered to cut it at all

Saff wears the Champions tunic, usually a hylian hood, and some soldier armor. He's also the only one who wields the Master Sword. His hair is the usual smol ponytail. Thistle wears the full barbarian armor with crimson dye. His hair is basically the same as Vi's except he sometimes accidentally cuts some of it off with his weapon, so it's also horribly choppy

Saff and Night are the only ones who are concerned about the plot what happened 100 years ago, Thistle and Vi are content to just. Leave all that behind. Save the world and Zelda, and then go back to their new life. Well for Vi his main motivation is learning about the history mostly, and Saff actually wants to know what happened to himself.

I mean, that's not entirely descriptive of what they actually want, its complicated. Thistle, Vi, and Night are a lot more detached to their past self and they feel really guilty about it, but that's not stopping them from pursuing the life they want to live now. I guess. Like of course they'll save Hyrule, but after that? They want to do their own thing.

If that makes senes :V honestly this AU is basically two identity crises stacked on top of each other and multiplied by four lmao

[lucky-clover-gazette]

we interrupt this meal prep for interdimensional shenanigans

i can't even say this one is prompt-based, because the original prompt was like, "shadow and vio eat food!" which isn't WRONG, but i'm 99.9999% sure this fic was not the desired outcome.

we interrupt this meal prep for interdimensional shenanigans

(2559 words, general audiences, crackfic/shitpost/whatever, implied shadow x vio)

Link scrutinizes everything—every memory, every regret, every challenge laid before him by the goddess Hylia herself. He has journals full of notes and recollections, quests he has no reason to accept other than a genuine desire to connect with the world around him. He’s endlessly curious. He leaves no stone unturned. 

Until tonight, that is… because Link has just reached his fucking limit. 

read the full thing on ao3 or under the cut:

It’s nearly dusk when Link arrives at Riverside Stable. 

He’s spent a long, grueling day fighting Guardians on Hyrule Field, hoping to net as many Giant Ancient Cores as possible before the next Blood Moon. If his mental math is correct, tonight Calamity Ganon will yet again revive every single monster on the map, undoing all the hard work he’s done to rid Hyrule of evil. That, Link can accept—just as well as he can accept anything that’s happened to the world in the past century, anyway—but the heightened nighttime spawn rate of those cursed Stal enemies is simply intolerable. 

On nights like this, Link always tries his best to find shelter, or at least a campfire to help him pass the time. The upside of a stable or town is that Link can cook during the Blood Moon, which he’s discovered can sometimes give his meals random status buffs. He treasures the opportunity to learn how freshly foraged ingredients interact, resulting in unique dishes and the occasional dubious food. Cooking is one of the first things Link re-learned to do after his restorative slumber, and still remains his very favorite.

Earlier on in his travels, it would have been difficult for Link to tell each of Hyrule’s stables apart. From a distance they all look the same, offering identical services and ready-to-use cooking pots, never too far from a shrine for fast-traveling convenience. At this point, however, Link has taken detailed physical and mental notes on each location. It’s impossible not to get to know these places when you’re scouring the map for 900 Korok seeds and random townspeople with names using the suffix “-son.”

Riverside Stable is one of the least distinguishable of the bunch, located by Hylia River between Hyrule Field and West Necluda. Link’s first encounter with the place was during his search for Hestu, who was en route at the time to his home in the Korok forest. Beside the stable is the Wahgo Katta Shrine, obviously already completed, and a docked raft just asking to be used. 

As the sun sets over the river, Link takes a picture of two ducks with his Sheikah Slate. He’s not sure why he does this—his Compendium is complete—but these days he’s just trying to let himself exist, however he pleases. 

There are only a few more things he needs to do before he can return to Hyrule Castle and destroy Calamity Ganon for good. His current objective is to acquire the complete Ancient Armor set from Cherry at the Akkala Tech Lab, hence the Guardian farming. In retrospect, he really wishes he hadn’t wasted his stockpile of ancient screws and gears trying to enhance his seafood paella.

“Link! Hey!” 

Beedle waves at the approaching hero from the front of the stable, sitting criss-cross on the ground with his merchant’s table unfolded. For some reason, this strange man always seems to be exactly where he’s needed.

“Wow!” Beedle exclaims as Link stands at attention, hands on his hips. “We meet again! It seems that sharing space is our destiny.”

Link nods, because that’s really the only way he can imagine responding to the statement. 

“What are you looking for? Or are you selling?” 

Link looks up at the sky and then down at the stable, bathed in the warm orange color of the setting sun. He could always just call it a night now, but it doesn’t look like there will be rain, and he’s been holding onto some hearty durians from his recent travels to Faron… 

Link buys three tireless frogs and Beedle’s meager stock of arrows, and then sells him a few opals to make up for rupees spent. He does this—like most things—without a word, pointing to his desired purchases on the sheet Beetle provides. 

“Thank you very much! Hope to see you again soon!” 

He probably will, and they both know this. 

Link walks past Ember in the stable window to the small outdoor area Riverside has to offer. Nothing special here—a pre-lit cooking pot, wooden benches, supply crates and a spare pot lid. Three horses enjoy their hay in the outdoor stables and Link tries not to think about the last time and place he saw his own. They’re not dead, he promises, but just… maybe on a cliff, somewhere. He’ll find them. It’s fine. 

It’s turning dark now, and Link gets the easiest recipes out of the way first. Five hearty durians, five hearty durians, five hearty durians. Boring but extremely effective. Sneaky fried wild greens for his next trip to the Yiga hideout, stamina elixir with the frogs purchased from Beedle. Spicy peppers, the scent so strong that Link’s sinuses sting. He considers cooking a few raw whole birds, but then remembers to hold onto them for the strange wolf who occasionally accompanies him on his travels. Monster cake, just for fun, purple fumes rising from the pot as it sets.

He’ll probably end up preparing more than a dozen dishes tonight. Maybe it’s not the case for an average Hylian, but for Link, meal prep is essential. He realized pretty early on in his adventures that he could keep his meals fresh by programming the Sheikah Slate to automatically Stasis them until needed. That probably wasn’t Zelda or the Sheikah’s intention with the rune, but it has kept him alive in more lynel fights than he can count. 

He’d love more stamina-boosting dishes but is low on the necessary supplies. But there, in the river, a few staminoka bass catch his eye. He draws his bow, shock-arrows the water, and watches his quarry rise to the surface. He then uses Magnesis on the Master Sword to spear the fish like a kebab and slide them into the pot, listening to their satisfying sizzle against the cast iron surface. 

Link can see the Blood Moon rising in the sky, as well as the purple-red particles of malice rising from the ground. Yet again he’s reminded of how deeply Calamity Ganon has marred this world—and how, despite this, the world persists. 

He’s heard of many unexplained things happening during the Blood Moon, far beyond the regeneration of monsters and forageable materials. A woman in Hateno told him she once saw herself, with red eyes that pierced through the darkness, watching her from the field outside her home. Riju said that her bedroom mirror sometimes acts strangely during the Blood Moon, her reflection lost to a pitch-black void. Even Link himself has witnessed strange disappearances and reappearances, entire monsters and buildings fading in and out of existence, especially when he’s windbombing in a rush to find shelter.

“Hey, you!” Link turns his head to face Gotter, a stablehand he’s helped at least once, probably, with something or other. “You’re the guy who got me the recipes from Hyrule Castle! And you drew me a map! Are you cooking now?” 

Link looks from Gotter, to the lit cooking pot full of simmering seafood, and back to Gotter. 

“Neat,” Gotter says, taking a deep whiff. “You know, it’s funny…” 

He rambles on as Link considers his next ingredients. He has a lot of Goron spice at the moment, that might work. On the other hand, he’s pretty sure there’s someone near Rito Village who’s waiting on a delivery of the stuff. He’d have to consult his notes to be sure. 

“I said, it’s funny,” Gotter clears his throat and Link shrugs in apology. “I thought I just saw you, over by the water, but it looks like you’ve been cooking here for quite a while.”

This intrigues Link. Gotter looks him up and down, which isn’t an irregular occurrence with Hyrule’s denizens but makes him uncomfortable all the same. 

“Did you change your clothes?” Gotter asks, eyebrows knitted. “I could have sworn you were wearing purple.” 

Link steps away from the cooking pot and juts his chin towards the water behind the stables. Gotter nods. “Yeah, over there. By the dock.” 

Link scarfs down his recently-prepared stealthy greens and leaves the rest of the night’s meals and ingredients by the fire, shushing Gotter as he sneaks towards the horse stables. From his kneeling position, he can indeed see the form of a Hylian seated on the dock, about his height and build. The shape of the stranger’s hair is similar to Link’s, as well, long and choppy and flowing in the breeze. Link watches as the stranger ties up his hair and opens a book, jotting something down as he watches the river rush by. The blood moon is certainly bright enough to illuminate the pages. 

Slowly as he can, Link crouch-hops behind the stable. He presses himself up against the canvas tent as he tries to get a better look, hiding behind a wooden mop taller than he is standing.

“—can’t believe the ritual worked, especially given what that mirror has been already through—”

The man speaks, quietly but discernibly, despite his lack of company. This is the greatest surprise yet; not only does this ‘Link’ speak at all, but his voice is also unfamiliar. Link knows what his voice sounds like, even if he doesn’t often use it. He still says “hyah” probably at least thirty times a day. 

This person speaks in full sentences, his voice more controlled than Link’s own. He has this academic affect, reminding Link of Zelda when she gushes about her scientific fascinations. 

“—don’t see why we can’t pet the dogs—” 

Link’s expression sours. A… second voice? A second person? His eyes strain to see in the dark, and sure enough, there is another person seated on the dock. His form is less distinguishable, but the impression of his mangled-looking hat is lined with red moonlight. Glancing downwards, he can now also see that the two people are holding hands. 

Link can’t even remember the last time he was touched, outside of battle and armor upgrades. 

“How long do we have?” the shadowy figure asks the young man with the book. 

“I think until morning. When the moon goes, so do we.” 

“No one’s going to believe that we did this. I can’t believe we did this. Look at this world, Vio, it’s insane!” 

Vio, Link thinks with relief. See? Completely different person. 

“I’m curious about Calamity Ganon,” the man named Vio says. Link’s blood goes cold. “Is he the same as ours?”

“Not our problem. You hungry? I’m super hungry.” 

“Actually, yes. The book did mention the ritual having that effect.” 

Link brings his hand to his head, which immediately proves to be a mistake. The mop clatters loudly onto the ground and draws the attention of both young men. While one appears to have a normal face, the other’s features are eclipsed by piercing red eyes. 

“So that’s why we were sent here,” says the cursed creature, elbowing the man beside him. With the moonlight on their faces, they admittedly both bear some resemblance to Hylia’s chosen champion. “I thought he’d just look like Green, but he’s got a whole turquoise thing going on with the tunic.” 

Link’s mouth hangs open. He makes some kind of ugly “guh” sound and jumps to his feet, holding the mop in an offensive position. After a second’s consideration he swaps it out for the Master Sword, which still vaguely smells of fish. 

“Hey, calm down,” Vio says, raising both his hands. “You… you’re probably tired, aren’t you? Long day?”

Link is still as a statue and just as silent. 

“You’re imagining this,” Vio continues, locking eyes with the shadow and turning back to Link. “That’s… that’s what happens during the Blood Moon, right? And—hey!—something smells good, you’ve been cooking!”

“Seriously, that does smell good,” the shadow mutters, more to Vio than to Link. 

“I wonder if you’ve used any questionable ingredients, lately? Like monster extract? I’ve read that the cooking fumes from that stuff can cause some intense hallucinations.” 

“I’ve, uh, read that too.”

Link looks from one person to another, still deeply uncomfortable with the entire situation.

“Go get some rest,” says Vio with a smile. “I’m sure you’ll have a clearer head in the morning. Cool sword, by the way.” 

Link holds it tight to his chest and the shadow bursts out laughing. Vio elbows him and he stops at once.

Maybe they’re right about the monster extract, Link tries to convince himself. Who knows where Kilton got it? 

He’s been through a lot since awakening in the Shrine of Resurrection. He’s seen ghosts of kings, monsters rising from the dead, giant divine beasts and flying elemental dragons. He’s done tactical drag and liked it. He’s become a homeowner. He’s built a town from the ground up.

Link scrutinizes everything—every memory, every regret, every challenge laid before him by the goddess Hylia herself. He has journals full of notes and recollections, quests he has no reason to accept other than a genuine desire to connect with the world around him. He’s endlessly curious. He leaves no stone unturned. 

Until tonight, that is… because Link has just reached his fucking limit. 

He turns on his heel and retreats inside the stable, praying to the Champions, Zelda, and Hylia herself for sanity when he wakes.

━━

The sun has risen and the imposters are gone. 

Link stretches his arms above his head and waves to Beetle as he exits the tent. Before he can depart from the stable entirely, however, he’s intercepted by a familiar face.

“Hey,” Gotter says, wringing his hands. “I just want to apologize for anything I might have told you last night. I was… well, I had found some barrels in the Hyrule Castle cellars last week, using that map you gave me. Brought ‘em back here, decided to give it a shot to celebrate the Blood Moon. It tasted kind of like root beer, but I don’t think it was just root beer, if you know what I mean. Do you know what I mean?”

Link gestures a tentative so-so. Gotter rubs the back of his neck. 

“But, uh, point is, I don’t think I was in my right mind last night. So sorry, if I said anything weird.” 

Link is beyond relieved as he nods his understanding. Last night was fine. He arrived at the stable, did some cooking, and then went to sleep. 

His inventory is light, though, for the day after meal prep. Oh, right—he left his food by the cooking pot when he got distracted by the… whatever it was. Link could get distracted by a mushroom, or a cricket, or a stick, so it wasn’t too hard to believe. 

But he should definitely collect his food before heading back to Hyrule Field. He’s pretty good at shield-parrying lasers, but there’s always that one time in a dozen where he fumbles the timing. 

Outside Riverside Stable, the fire is still lit. The horses still eat hay, the ducks still swim, the pot lid still rests against a storage crate. The river still runs in the correct direction and the sun still shines in the sky. 

But Link’s food—meals, ingredients, all of it—is completely gone.

The only thing left is a handwritten note, secured beneath an impromptu paperweight on one of the wooden stools. Link snatches the note and narrows his eyes, trying to interpret the overly elaborate cursive script:

Thanks for breakfast! Good luck with Ganon!

- V&S 

[aquamoon33]

Game Clearing 2021

So this year was... something. Besides having less time to play (having to babysit more because kindergartens were closed due to coroni), my boyfriend moved in with me this August, since he got a job and we're getting used to living together, but otherwise, not much happened. I got to attend a convention in Italy, and that was pretty much it.

But without much further ado, this years game clearing list is under the cut:

Game 1: Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity (Nintendo Switch)

Ok, I'm sad I didn't get to play this when it came out, because if it did and I’d play it way back in November, it would be my GOTY 2020. I love Warrior series, just for the catharsis I get from mass murdering bad guys. The story is great, and without going into too much spoiler territory, it’s not what you expect at all. Bonus points that I went into this game completely blind, only watching the reveal trailer and nothing else and I never felt this kind of awe and shock, that is nowadays sadly almost non-existent with how much other people on YouTube and other social media (Nintendo as well, sadly) spoil the game just for clicks and likes. The gameplay is fun, fast and unlike the first HW game, it has some new mechanics (rods and Sheikah slate help a lot when trying to deplete the Weak-point gauge).

Now if you excuse me, I have an egg to build.

Game 2: Persona 5 Royal (Playstation 4)

Okay, I delayed playing a Persona game because I’m bad at managing in-game events. I played Persona 4 in the past and I remember there was a lot of multitasking involved with confidants and skills that I lost interest in it and decided to watch the anime instead. But when my boyfriend gave me a PS4 and Persona 5 Royal for my birthday I decided to give it an honest try. And I LOVE IT! I didn’t manage to max everyone out (and probably no one does on their first playthrough) but I did manage to max out my skills. I watched the anime a while ago so I knew of the original plot, but the Royal content was where I ended up playing blind, so the whole Yoshizawa plot was a surprise to me (and I had tears streaming down my face during the final boss, which never happens!!!). The game is great, but I’d have a hard time recommending it if you’re bad with micromanaging and if you do end up tackling it, I recommend writing stuff down on paper/tablet/phone/other devices.

Now, I’m gonna mass murder Shadows in Persona 5 Strikers.

Game 3: Persona 5 Strikers (Nintendo Switch)

Now this is how you make a spin-off sequel to a good game. It felt like a real hack and slash Persona game instead of the classic Warriors gameplay. But the biggest inclusion is the fact that you can actually move around as other Thieves in dungeons! The gameplay is fun, however it can catch you off guard if you’re not paying attention to weaknesses (…trust me, got Joker killed A LOT because of my recklessness). Didn’t manage to unlock every Persona in the compendium, because that actually requires levelling up Personas you get in the first dungeon (ex. Needed a lvl. 40 Pixie and Pisaca to get a lvl 53 Bugs fused). Storywise, the game sends you all across Japan to hunt bad guys and the two new party members were a fun addition.

Also, Ryuji at one point seemed to do crack for some reason, but it turned out to be just flour for cooking :/

Game 4: YS – Memories of Celceta (Playstation 4)

I grew to love YS series after a friend of mine recommended YS VIII to me and while this is a remake of the fourth games (Mask of the Sun and The Dawn of Ys), I liked the gameplay here better because of quick pacing and lots of exploring (…and while I loved the map system in VIII, I don’t like how you have to hug walls to get stuff registered on the map in this game). The story is also your classic JRPG style: main hero has amnesia, stop a corrupt group of people trying to bring the end of the world, kill a god maybe and all’s well that ends well.

I’m an Adventurer now!

Game 5: Torna – The Golden Country (Nintendo Switch)

Is it wrong to think that this game is actually better than the actual XC2? Because I like this DLC better than the original game, with no time consuming merc missions, no random gacha pulls and no crappy tutorials. Story explained a lot of things regarding the ancient Aegis war, how Jin became how he is, the birth of Pyra and the destruction of the Tornan titan. The gameplay is more simplified, considering you only ever get 3 drivers, and each has 2 blades, but the regular driver and blade combos are still present. The side quests actually feel worthy doing them since as you complete them, your community grows, and the final quest has your community helping out a sickly little girl get better.

Also, now I know how Malos became so messed up in the head, Jesus.

Game 6: Sonic Adventure 2 Battle (Nintendo GameCube)

I have a confession to make. Despite holding this game as one of my favourite 3D Sonic games, I have never beaten it. Well, I beat Hero and Dark story, but never the Last story. Blame my stupid teenage mind, which didn’t want to see Shadow die, because he is my favourite Sonic character. The gameplay hasn’t aged that well and they, pardon my language, FUCKED UP the treasure hunting stages. Don’t get me wrong, the game is still fun, but the controls and camera can and will fuck you up if you’re careless.

Chao garden will eat up 90% of your time tho.

Game 7: Miitopia (Nintendo Switch)

I may have beaten the 3DS version before, but this one feels more complete. The addition of the horse is great, albeit overpowered a bit, but you can always leave the horse in the inn if you want. I am sad that they didn’t include more jobs in the post-game. The gameplay is still as it was in the 3DS version, make your characters and go on an adventure (Yaaaay!), except this time, I included myself, my boyfriend and 8 of my OCs (my 3DS playthrough had anime characters, and I didn’t want another anime adventure). The outings are also a good new feature, as it allows levelling up relationships easier.

Tho the real way to play this game, is to make memes and kill all the Twerkeys.

Game 8: Persona 5 Dancing in Starlight (Playstation 4)

Ok, I’m not good at rhythm games, because I start panicking and mess up the buttons. But this was a fun game. While I was enjoying the dancing and music (and dressing up the cast in ridiculous outfits), the social events were fun to watch as well. Gameplay wise it’s your standard rhythm game, with a lot of customizing options for dancers and songs.

My child’s name is now canon as Ren Amamiya and you can’t and won’t change my mind.

Game 9: Owlboy (Nintendo Switch)

If you ever want to play a cute, short platformer, then this is a game I recommend. The artstyle is beautiful, and the characters are memorable, which is saying a lot, considering that the game is 6 hours long (10 – 13, if you’re going for 100%). I went into this game thinking “Aww, a smol child is a prodigy among his kind and everyone loves him.” Only to be proven wrong in the next 30 seconds of starting the game. It is also worth noting that the main character, Otus, is disabled, as he was born mute and thus cannot argue against others who belittle him and insult him, and has earned a reputation of being a useless owl, who cannot do anything right. Gameplay wise you either control Otus, or you can have him pick up his party members and use them in combat (first party member, human soldier Geddy, is your main gunner, and one you learn to rely on for combat, despite him using a pea shooter).

Also, I see why the Buccanary abuses her employees, because after those penguins made me go through, I wanna punch them too.

Game 10: The World Ends With You – Final Remix (Nintendo Switch)

So, my boyfriend wanted me to play co-op with him, realized that the mass dialogue made him sleepy and dumped the whole playthrough on me. And I beat it in less than 15 hours (without the extra content). The gameplay was more on the gimmicky side, with being touch only in handheld and one joy-con motion controls in docked mode (thankfully you had some button controls available in docked mode) but fun once you figured out the pin mechanics. Story wise, you’d say it was your typical “protag discovers the power of friendship” but it runs much deeper than that. Each character gets some character development, the stakes get higher with each passing day, for both the protagonists and the antagonists. I still need to watch the anime that came out this year.

And once I get my own copy of the game, I’m tackling A New Day.

Game 11: NEO The World Ends With You (Nintendo Switch)

I jumped into this game almost immediately after I finished the original TWEWY, just so that the story would still be fresh to me. Turns out, that the original story barely matters in the first two thirds of the game and the final third is like “Never played the original? Here’s all the spoilers for it! :D”. Speaking of the story in NEO, it’s your usual people-die-now-they-play-the-Reapers-game routine, but this time it’s not as it seems. The main characters all have their own special abilities, with Rindo being able to travel through time, Fret being able to make people remember things, etc. Gameplay is pretty fun and fluid, having more than two playable characters in combat and each pin is assigned to different output, but you cannot equip pins of the same output, until you get an ability to do so, that’s when you’re able to go to town on the Noise and other players. Other players? Yep! This reapers game is a team effort and you get to fight other teams. I recommend this game to everyone who played the original game + new game since that is essentially this game’s prologue.

Also, Pi-face/Tabooty is your party member, so that’s a big plus in my book! (Zero – Seven – Seven – Three – Four)

Game 12: Metroid Dread (Nintendo Switch)

To be completely honest, I’ve never played any Metroids before. I watched Let’s plays (First one being the Omega Boss Battles rom hack), played many Metroidvanias before, but never THE Metroid. I had fun playing this game, some moments were frustrating, and some bosses made me feel like I’m playing an old NES game, where you had to learn all the patterns to beat the boss. Story takes place after Fusion, with Samus already having Metroid DNA inside her, and she is tasked to go to planet ZDR, to investigate the disappearance of the giant kille-errr I mean, EMMI, the robots designed to investigate the planet. And they went rogue and they kill in one shot. Gameplay is fluid and some items need complex tricks to obtain them, which is why I didn’t 100% the game.

I did manage to blow up the planet though.

Game 13: Evoland 1 (Nintendo Switch)

Had this game on my wishlist for a while now and I managed to snag it for only 5€ during the Black Market discounts. It was short and kinda on the meh side. The idea of slowly upgrading your game from 8bit to 16bit to 64bit is great but it felt lackluster halfway through the game after you unlock every upgrade. Story is your generic RPG kind, you have a lot of references to other Adventure and RPG games (some memes as well), combat is either action adventure or RPG, depending on the area and there are a few collectibles around to find. It's a game that can be beaten in one afternoon, so don't go expecting some high quality gameplay from it.

Also the final boss was too easy once you learn the patterns.

Game 14: Bowser's Fury (Nintendo Switch)

Counting this as a separate game from 3D World since the mechanics are more similar to Odyssey as opposed to 3D World. Speaking of which, it felt as if I was playing a mash up of Odyssey and SM3DW, with the former's open world exploration and the latter's power up mechanics. Story wise, it is the usual defeat Bowser thing all over again, but this time it feels more dire as the one to ask for your help is Bowser Jr. of all people. You're exploring the Lake Lapcat, an archipelago full of cats and cat themed residents and structures (as a cat fanatic, I was squealing in delight). You have two modes, regular exploration, during which you collect Cat Shines (this game equivalent of Power Stars/Shines/Power Moons) and once enough time passes, Bowser's Fury activates, waking up Bowser as he starts wreaking havoc on the isles. While this is happening you either have to dodge his attacks and wait out the invisible timer, collect a shine to chase him away or, once you unlock Giga Bells, fight him. There are 100 Shines in total, some are easy, some somewhat hard and some will make you throw your controller down.

I cackled during the ending though.

Game 15: Evoland 2 (Nintendo Switch)

This game had some improvements over the first game, but also a lot of meh things. The story is very reminiscent of Chrono Trigger, having you traveling between 3 different eras (signified by graphics, 16bit being the past, 32bit being present and 3D being future) and at first you're only trying to get back to your time, but it soon becomes apparent that this isn't just about that. Personally, I liked the idea of traveling between 16bit, 32bit and 3D era, since the first game lacked that IMO. Having party members (that actually stay with you throughout the whole game, mind you) is also welcome in my book. Though as good as the gameplay and story are, there are some plots that are never explained, main quest sometimes requires a guide as to where to go and what to do, and some mechanics are either really good or poorly implemented (Had a wee bit of trouble with the Stepmania segment). Otherwise, it's a good game, darker than the original, but it was a fun ride.

Bit of a warning, don't let Kuro drive.

Game 16: Samurai Jack: Battle Through Time (Nintendo Switch)

A year and a half later and I finally managed to sit down and play this game. I could've gotten the digital version of this game on launch, but I wanted to get the physical copy of it, so I had to wait almost a year (Ordered from Limited Run Games in August 2020, got it in June 2021). I never watched the series in full, I watched bits and pieces as a kid, but I watched the final season in full. I loved the references the devs snuck in the game, from character cameos to locations. Story takes place in the FINAL episode of the series, just as Ashi opens the portal to the past, but during the trip back, Aku manages to grab Jack and trap him in a pocket dimension and he has to fight his way back. Gameplay is fun, having both exploration and fighting scenes, and Jack also uses other weapons besides his sword (they are breakable like in Breath of the Wild, but you are able to repair them before they break). There are also these Kamons that you need to collect if you want to get the Golden Ending (there are 50 of them and there is no way to track where you missed them). I managed to get the Golden Ending and I'm torn between this ending and the series' ending. The opening cutscene where you hear Mako speak again, brings tears to one's eyes.

And there you have it. Less games but some of them did take 50+ hours so it is kinda understandable. My game collection is slowly growing, now that I've managed to snag myself a PS3 and Xbox 360, and my boyfriend gifting me a PSP.

Also a bit of a announcment to make: I'll be less active here and I'll post more on my Twitter (mostly my stupidity).

Happy Holidays and stay safe!

[petervel]

❛ narnia,   narnia . . .   ah.   king edmund the just ? ❜   well,   peter  did  know this would happen,   at least   —   still,   he’s almost a little guilty as he peers down at the list in the guard’s hands ;   though no more than edmund himself,   who’d argued with peter for over forty minutes in his bid to prove himself capable of being the  first pevensie  to visit hyrule   ( stubbornly blind all the while,   of course,   to the fact that the entirety of their exchange had taken place while edmund sat in bed,   his face even paler than usual )  .

❛ er   —   no,   sorry, ❜   he starts ;   though in some ways,   he isn’t sorry at all.   hyrule   —   like narnia   —   is a  far cry  from london,   and he cannot help but feel as if he’s tumbled through the doors of yet another wardrobe to engage in this visit :   every breath,   it seems,   is pure magic.   it’s certain,   then.   ed’s going to be absolutely  furious  about having missed this.   ❛ peter of narnia.   edmund is unwell ;   i’m attending in his stead. ❜

❛ peter of . . . ❜   at last,   the guard’s eyes widen in recognition,   and peter smiles graciously   ( if not a little self - consciously )  .   ❛ welcome to hyrule,   high king peter.   right this way,   if you please. ❜   peter is ushered into the castle as he conveys his thanks,   and in the moments before he passes out of earshot,   the guard speaks once more   —   but not to him.   ❛ narnia sure is trying to  impress  the princess. ❜   though he raises a brow rather surreptitiously,   he knows better than to comment.

in any case,   distraction comes rather easily once he walks into the ballroom and immediately comes face to face with said princess.   ❛ your highness, ❜   peter begins,   dipping into a polite bow at the waist.   ❛ happy birthday.   i have something for you   —   i’ve heard you enjoy reading. ❜   he lifts the package in his hands,   wrapped in brown paper and  intricately braided  threads of twine that at this point look more like a work of art than mere fetters ;   he can’t exactly take full responsibility for the idea,   but he knows that no library is complete without a compendium of narnian fairy tales   ( leather - bound and dusted with gold foil,   naturally )  .   even if zelda is too old for such stories,   he thinks,   one day they will be old enough to enjoy them again.

                                     plotted  starter  for  @hyliacursed​ .

[embyrinitalics]

Calamiversary: Flashbacks

Under the cut are a few unused flashbacks/dream sequences. I was actually really attached to some of these, and for a while I considered making an entire fic based on these two, but with Calamitous taking as long as it has my ambitions for that have fizzled out.

Anyways, I’m posting them in the order they appear in the google doc, but these are so old I can’t remember what was supposed to go where. 😂 Some of the scenes end midsentence, or have editing notes in them still, or don’t make sense because the surrounding scene never happened. Don’t think too hard about it. 😬

There’s about 3k words here, so. Hit that “keep reading” tag with caution!

Enjoy!

  Nightshade

He caught her looking, his expression amused and affronted at once.

“What are you documenting so studiously?”

“Nightshade,” she informed him coolly, and then angled the interface on him more obviously. “And something else, beautiful and strange.”

He loosed a breath, something caught between a laugh and a sigh, and tossed the stones back into the underbrush. “Are you playing with my feelings, Majesty?”

“Certainly not,” she breathed, admiring him in the viewscreen for another self-indulgent half-second before turning it on back on the flora. “I have a compendium to complete. I hardly have time for games.”

“Don’t tease me,” he murmured, folding his arms. “It isn’t easy being in love with a queen and a goddess.”

Her mouth twisted gently, swiping through the interface again and tapping more useless details into the entry. She muttered, “I’m not a goddess.”

He joined her in the grass, rocking back onto his elbow and tipping the interface back with one finger so she would meet his eyes, glimmering softly with the beginnings of a wry smile. “Who said I was talking about you?”

She smiled in earnest, letting the interface drop, forgotten, into her lap. “I wasn’t aware you were well acquainted with any other queens.”

He scoffed dismissively. “There’s a lot you don’t know about me.”

“I’m sure,” she allowed, reaching to pick grass out of his hair and smoothing the wind-tousled bangs it had tangled in afterwards. She was grateful for the levity—grateful to him, for supporting her even when it meant denying himself.

So grateful...

And she still hadn’t untangled her fingers from his hair, from the soft edge of his hairline and his temple, the smooth line of his brow. He had gone quiet, eyes half closing and diverting, while he let her. He watched her palm for another second, two, and then closed a hand, gently, but firmly, over her wrist.

She swallowed, her hand hanging idly between them and the spell broken. “I’m sorry.”

“I’m not stopping you for my sake,” he frowned. “It’s agony not having you, but I’m stupid enough to take what I can get.”

She sighed. “I can have you reassigned. No one would question it—”

“No, we’ve been over this,” he growled, running a hand tersely through his hair. “As long as I wield the Sword, my place is with you. And I can handle it.” Then he hesitated, expression shuttering, and he amended, “Unless you’ve changed your mind, and no longer wish it.”

Her hands were in the grass, eyes fixed on them, and her heart was throbbing in her throat. She couldn’t quite swallow it down.

She whispered, “No.”

  A Meeting

“Link,” she breathed, startled, their eyes meeting for a charged half-second.

He bent his head curiously in a rigid sort of bow, as though he was leaning away from the discomfort of their meeting.

“My lady.”

She waited, paralyzed, for him to move, or speak, or even look her in the eye again. But then, the ball was in her court.

It was always in her court.

But she was unprepared, and unarmored, and teetering dangerously at the precipice of a vulnerability she could not afford. And so, exercising her royal privilege as unmagnanimously as she likely ever had, she fled.

He caught her elbow as she made to pass him, sending a warm jolt up her arm. A rebuke danced wildly on the tip of her tongue, and she might even have used it had there been another soul anywhere within earshot of them. But the hallway was abandoned, and they were alone. His eyes were still fixed on the place she had been, the practiced stoicism in them, the practiced numbness in them, simmering with the frustration that he was harboring beneath.

“I won’t have this conversation with you now,” she reprimanded him quietly. “Not here.”

His gaze slid back to hers, burning, threatening to buckle with impatience or something far more desperate, and she wanted to flinch away from its intensity and luxuriate in it at once.

“When, Zelda?”

She took a meaningful step away, freeing her arm, and coolly arched a slender brow even as her heart sputtered at the cavalier way he used her given name in public.

“When we’re somewhere less conspicuous.”

She expected him to submit, tucking his tail begrudgingly between his legs and allowing himself to be put off yet again, but his eyes narrowed.

“Don’t scold me like I’m some child,” he scoffed.

  The Wilds

The carriage jostled down the path, headed for the milky spires that had been bobbing in and out of view for the last few hours. Her visit to the new reservoir in Lanayru had been successful, and pleasant enough as these sorts of things went, but there had also been a lot of pomp and formality surrounding the whole affair that left her craving some solitude and a good night’s rest in her own bed.

Both of which would happily get her out from under the stormy gaze of her Knight Protector.

Shielded by the walls of her carriage, she let herself grimace and sink a little lower in her seat. They hadn’t had an opportunity to talk in several days, what, with all the preparation for the journey and the constant company of the delegation. And she may have been avoiding him. Just a little.

And he seemed to have begun to notice, if the way his gaze burned into her any time she was careless enough to graze it was any indication.

The carriage jostled again violently as they rode over another pothole. And this time, the whole thing lurched to a stop beneath her as the axle snapped. She sighed, readying a gentle smile as the footman swung the door open.

“Hit a spot of trouble?”

“I’m afraid so, my lady,” he grumbled, offering her his hand.

“Please tell me you can fix it,” she said, brow puckered, letting him help her out and onto the road and trying very hard not to groan. She was not looking forward to walking the rest of the way.

“I doubt it very much, ma’am. But we’re nearly there. You could continue on horseback.”

She willed herself expressionless. The only horses saddled for riding were those of her escorts, which meant—

“I’ll take her.”

She didn’t need to guess who had spoken, or turn to picture the smug look on his face. She plastered an insincere smile over her mouth as his horse’s hooves beat an easy amble behind her for the footman’s sake—it wouldn’t do for him to see her furious or crestfallen or abjectly miserable over something as routine as a ride back to the castle from the man who was largely responsible for such things.

“Very well,” she said demurely, unable to conjure a decent excuse, and turned.

And there he was, perched atop his chestnut mare with an expression arguably more schooled than her own. She took his hand, hiding the warm jolt that ran up her arm, and let him lift her over the pommel, bidding the rest of the entourage farewell as he urged his horse forward and over the ridge.

When they had cleared the crest of the hill and taken the bend for a fair distance, he slowed them to a walk, letting the reins go slack and dipping his head to inhale the warm safflina in her hair.

“Link,” she mumbled, shrugging him off half-heartedly, but he wasn’t so easily deterred.

“We’re in the middle of the Wilds. No one is going to see. Just let me have this.”

Maybe it was the reasonableness of his argument, or maybe it was the note of heartache in his voice, so imperceptible only she would have ever noticed, but either way she let herself be coerced. They rode in silence a while, and she finally relaxed when he didn’t press her for more than that, letting herself lean a little into his chest. His hands rested idly on her waist, fingers curled loosely in the reins.

He said, “I missed you.”

She could feel his eyes looking cautiously for hers, but she pretended not to notice.

“You were with me every day.”

“No. I stared at the back of your head every day. That hardly qualifies.”

“I was busy.”

“You were avoiding me.”

She met his eyes then, ready to object, and quickly remembered why she had made every attempt not to. They looked right through her, melting her defenses and reducing her will to jelly. She sighed.

“I was avoiding you,” she agreed, settling against his chest again resignedly.

“I didn’t blame you,” he murmured, warm breath and lips moving softly against the lobe of her perfectly tapered ear, and her heart throbbed treacherously. “I knew why. It was just frustrating, not being able to talk to you about it."

Her eyes fell shut, stinging with remorse. She whispered, “I’m sorry.”

“It wasn’t your fault.”

“Don’t do that. It was as much mine as it was yours.”

“I don’t regret it,” he said, quiet adamance coloring his voice, “not for a moment. Even if it means consequences for me.”

In spite of herself she smiled, warmed to the bone by his sweet assurance. “Even if you’re stripped of rank? Even if you’re whipped?”

“They can’t whip the memory of you out of me,” and then he leaned closer, his warm breath feathering her ear again, “Zelda.”

Not Princess, or My Lady, or Highness, or the plethora of other titles he was obligated to use in the presence of others. Merely Zelda. Because out in the Wilds of Hyrule they were alone, and a stolen kiss didn’t seem such a terrible secret. Even if it was forbidden. Even if she had made it abundantly clear to him that it could never happen again, no matter how sweet and perfect and wonderful it had been.

She sank back into him, letting the steady beat of their gait and of his heart lull her into a rare peace.

  Realization

When I woke there was moss against my cheek, the cool dew of early morning clinging to my lips and eyelashes. The vision from the night before danced in breaths and lights as I blinked myself lucid, like the ghosts of a dozen sunset fireflies. I wanted to chase them, down, down into a dream, into an illusion, and wrap myself in it like a blanket. And then, like a wish fulfilled, soft lips alighted on mine, encouraging me awake.

“Good morning,” he murmured, pulling me closer by the hand splayed over the small of my back, and that didn’t strike me as odd in the slightest.

I snagged fingers in the collar of his shirt and buried my face in his neck, breathing him in as I grudgingly left the dream behind, as I spiraled towards his warmth. He smelled like the forest, and nights spent in the wilds, and it was so good it made my eyes tremble shut.

“It can’t be morning,” I whispered, sighing, and he pulled me into his lap, humming in agreement, and pressed his lips to my pulse point.

The wind rippled across the plains, across the wilds, tangling in my hair and twisting it sideways, and neither of us paid any mind. It was too rare that we found ourselves like this, lost in each other and lingering in that quiet stretch of peace between sleep and waking to the world.

“I need to get you back,” he said, but even as he did wrapped his arms around my waist in silent, subconscious objection. “You’ll be missed.”

“Then let me be missed.”

His lips on my neck angled higher, gently coaxing me down, and just as they obligingly found that delicate spot behind my ear, he whispered apologetically, “We can’t.”

I resisted the urge to scowl, resting my forehead on his. He was right, of course. But that didn’t mean I had to like it. My eyes eased open in time to watch the sunrise over his shoulder.

Another dawn. I knew there couldn’t be many left before the Calamity finally stirred from its long slumber, restless, feverish, hungry and ready to devour the world…

And then I realized how little of this made any sense—how incredibly blue his eyes were, how the voice I had been using wasn’t even mine—and the jarring disconnect between who I was and where I was broke the illusion apart.

  The Blade of Evil’s Bane

She opened her eyes as she felt a weight being lifted off her back.

And then she watched as Revali drove the Master Sword through Link’s middle to the hilt. (chapter break, then she freaks out, catches him, and his eyes start to roll back)

“Don’t you die on me,” she shouted through furious tears, pressing her fingers to his forehead. “Don’t you die!”

And then light filled her from the inside out as she bridged their minds, glaring across the world like a sun rising from within.

He sat across from her at her writing desk, still blurry from the haze of her tears, but she could hear the sardonic smile on his voice.

“Is that an order, Princess?”

She wanted to berate him, wanted to scream and fight tooth and nail against his apathy, but she couldn’t find her voice—not without loosing everything else that was threatening to spill out. She stood and crossed the room to nowhere, trying to shield herself from his ridicule. He sighed, following slowly.

He turned her around gingerly and took her face in his hands, studying her carefully while he thumbed her tears away.

“Why do you cry over me?” he murmured. “By rights I should have been dead thousands of years ago—even if I had defeated Ganon. This era will go on without me. I’m nothing.”

She took a sharp, stinging breath, and whispered, “Not to me.”

His lip quirked up in spite of himself, a familiar, roguish half-smile alighting on his face that made her heart stammer. “Never cry over your soldiers, Princess,” he scolded her gently. “They’re only too happy to die to protect you.”

“Don’t give up,” she warbled, a fresh rush of tears spilling out of her eyes, down her cheeks, over his thumbs still cupping her face. “Please don’t. Not like this.”

“Hyrule will go on. So will you.”

“I heard what you said to Urbosa,” she accused him, reaching for something, anything, that would make him hold on for just a moment longer. “You were wrong. I’m not confused. Not anymore.”

That gave him pause. His eyes searched her, gradually shedding the armor that they had always worn, piece by heavy piece, revealing the tired, consuming sadness beneath.

“Don’t cry over me, Princess,” he murmured, drifting closer. The bridge of his nose brushed softly against hers as he angled her face higher, poised to lance through her walls even as his own crumbled. “It pains me more than you know.”

He took her lips in his own, deepening the kiss obediently when she parted for him, and a sound lifted out of her. She wanted to lose herself in him, dive headlong into sating oblivion and never surface. But she found the will to pull away.

“Then don’t do this,” she urged, breathless, against his mouth.

He lingered, warm breath ghosting heavy on her lips. His voice was quiet, husky, desire tempered by regret. “Overcoming the Blade of Evil’s Bane is not so easily done.”

“I can save you,” she whispered, stepping closer, stripping away the needless space between them. “Never doubt that.”

“I have never doubted you,” he said, so tenderly her heart squeezed. “I’ve always known you were capable of so much more than you ever dreamed. But this—”

“I won’t let you go. I’ll order you back from the grave if I have to.”

He sighed at that, a defeated, hollow sound, and her lips parted gently in surprise. “I’m just so tired.”

And then he gasped, like a drowning man drawing breath after so many minutes, and the dream bled out into light.

She blinked away sunbursts and the blindness that followed, stumbling haphazardly back to reality. Link was in her arms; the hole through his stomach was gone.

 Ruins

The sunlight dimmed into night, luminous stone embedded in the sculptures lighting the darkness like softened stars. The ruins grew into an atrium, looming over the gathered order of monks and their commander. Her knight stood as far away as he dared, near the entrance, should there be a disturbance. It was nearly as far away as he had had the will to station himself in weeks.

“The final sensor towers have been erected, and Naboris is nearly ready to be deployed,” a monk was saying, the tattoos under his eyes catching starlight as he spoke. “Her pilot is in the final phases of training.”

The proclamation didn’t garner the reaction anyone was hoping for; the Queen merely nodded, lips pursed. Another monk shifted, as though weighing the wisdom of disturbing the silence that had settled uncomfortably over the assembly, before he decided to be bold.

“I had an idea for another Beast. Nothing so large or so complicated as the others. Something for Hylia’s Chosen—”

“No,” the Queen murmured. “There isn’t time.”

His teeth met with a click. He sent a sidelong glance to her knight, standing with his back against one of the pillars flanking the entrance, but he shook his head in subtle warning, and that put pain to it. He seemed less and less inclined to voice dissent recently, and everyone suspected they knew why.

“Then we’ll redouble our efforts with the Divine Beasts we have,” he offered instead, wearing a reassuring smile. “We won’t fail you, Your Highness.”

She nodded again, smiling tightly. They were dismissed, and her knight drifted closer, moving towards her as the others filed away. She was still sitting on the ground; he offered her his hand, and she met his eyes. She took it, lifting to her feet, and didn’t let go, squeezing softly.

She whispered, eyes depthless in their uncertainty, “But will we fail them?”

[fatefulfaerie]

Ruins

Linktober Prompt Day 25/31

Incarnation: Breath of the Wild

Word Count: 1,210

Triggers: Death, Depression, Guilt

Link and Zelda walked from the castle thinking of the champions they had seen, lamenting their deaths and the Hyrule they were now in without them.

Their turquoise ghosts were frankly haunting and, although Link and Zelda found solace in seeing the champions and the King one last time, their grief was still quite rampant.

Thus they walked in silence, Zelda drowning in her sadness upon seeing Hyrule Castle Town completely decimated. Even though she had just walked through to get to the castle, it still shocked her, still was so opposite to her memory of the bustling town that she was surprised with every glance, her spirit downtrodden to see it and truly think of the destruction of her kingdom and her people.

“Everything seems to be left to ruin,” she said quietly, looking forward.

Link didn’t reply to Zelda trying to make conversation, trying to express her thoughts.

“I don’t know why it’s still so hard for me to see,” she added. “The destruction…I’ve seen it before…it’s in the past…”

“But you aren’t,” Link said frankly. Zelda turned her head quickly, waiting for his next words. “You have to live with it.”

Zelda studied his profile.

“So you’ve been able to live with it?” Zelda asked. “With what happened then?”

Link shook his head and Zelda got her answer, returning her gaze forward.

They started to walk to the crumbling fountain, the square and center of the town that no longer was. There was nothing left of this town. Calamity Ganon had taken everything from it.

At the end of it all, Zelda feared her fate was the same, her pacing stopping. Had Calamity Ganon left her a husk of what she once was? Was she reduced to nothing? To ash? Was there any of her left for Link to interact with? Was she nothing compared to who she used to be? Serving her purpose and now useless?

Link noticed that she stopped, turning his head at the lack of noise and ceasing his own walking.

“Do you think of me as a ruin?” Zelda asked, her arms hugged close to her chest and her gaze downward at the cracked stone ground.

Link’s eyes melted and he breathed a sigh of concern.

“It’s okay if you do,” Zelda continued. “You can be honest with me.”

More silence.

Zelda’s bad feelings eroded at her. It felt like poison had settled in her chest. 

Link didn’t deny it.

Link didn’t deny it.

Link didn’t deny it.

“Zelda, I…” Link started. “I don’t even know how to answer that.”

More silence.

Zelda wanted to leave. She wanted to leave, to run anywhere but here. She wanted to get away from Link, from Hyrule, from everything.

So she did, starting to walk off, her arms returning to her sides.

“Forget it,” she said as she walked around the opposite side of the broken fountain, her words alerting Link to the fact that she was departing, his head popping up.

“Zelda,” he said as he rushed to catch up with her. “Zelda, no…I didn’t mean…”

“I said forget it, Link,” Zelda said as she kept walking, but soon felt Link’s arms completely capture her from behind, penning her arms to her sides.

“Link!” She exclaimed, struggling. “Let me go!”

“I am not letting you leave until I get my words together, okay?”

“I don’t want to hear it!” She said continuing to struggle, Link forcefully turning her around, and moving his hands to clamp her bare shoulders. “I don’t want to—”

“You were crying…” she observed immediately, interrupting herself when she saw his wet blue eyes encircled with puffs of red. “Why were you crying?” 

Was it because he couldn’t fathom telling her the truth? That she was in fact a ruin of a bygone era of Hyrule?

“Because you thought so damn little of yourself that you compared yourself to rubble! Because I’ve been so damned quiet that you thought there was nothing left to say to you! Because I’ve held you so little that you think there’s nothing left to hold! Because I’ve treated you with so little regard since we reunited that you thought I wouldn’t regard you as more than a pile of bricks!”

“You think you…” He tried, but his voice broke, he shook his head and Zelda was absolutely shocked at his condition as he wiped his tears away.

“Link?” She inquired breathlessly.

“Don’t,” he said. “Please don’t think of yourself that way, it…it hurts me to think you would consider that, let alone that I would think that of you.”

“I. Do. Not,” he insisted. “I never have.”

Tears were gathering around Zelda’s emerald eyes, and she soon threw her arms around Link, whose hand she felt on the back of her head. They descended to their knees as they held each other.

“Around us are ruins,” Link said. “They are like us in that they can be rebuilt and that they can never be rebuilt the exact same way. We are ruined by what we’ve been through, but that doesn’t mean there is nothing left of us, or that we are completely ruins. Even then, these ruins around us are different from us because they only show how they’ve been broken. But us…there’s so much more to you than how you’ve been broken. I can see it.”

“How?” Zelda asked.

Link let go of her, tucking a wayward strand of hair behind her ear.

“Trust me,” Link said. “The Calamity hasn’t broken you completely. And neither has over a hundred years of exhausting yourself trying to be a legend.”

Link bit his lip as he thought upon it.

“Here,” he said as he unlatched the Sheikah Slate from his hip. The slate turned on with a chime as Zelda sat on her heels, her finger wiping away a tear as Link tapped at the slate. “I was going to wait until the right moment to show you but I’m going to do it now.”

He handed her the slate, the rectangular relic sliding into her hands and into her grip like it was only yesterday she held it last.

“It’s a compendium,” Link explained. “Of every monster, flora, fauna, animal I came across, with a picture and…”

“Description for each,” Zelda finished for him, shaking her head. “Link this is incredible.”

Link’s expression lit up as she continued.

“The opportunity to study and compare the nature of two different Hyrules betwixt a century, the Hyrule then and the Hyrule now, how species have flourished, how species have declined…and even how some may have adapted!”

She continued to slide her finger, brushing the slate to see new pages of the compendium.

“There are creatures here I’ve never even heard of!” She exclaimed, as she looked up to Link. “I could study this for…”

Her words drifted at Link’s smile of adoration. She placed the slate on her lap.

“Well played, Link,” she said as she tried to hand it back, but Link pushed it back into her hold.

“It’s yours,” he said. “I’m just returning it.”

Zelda smiled and held the Slate close to her chest, her eyes filled with thankfulness and love as she looked at Link.

“Thank you.”

[lulu2992]

I’ve been playing The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom for a week now and, so far (unsurprisingly), it’s been mostly enjoyable and entertaining!

There’s just one thing I think feels a bit discouraging if you’ve played Breath of the Wild…

According to my Switch, I spent at least 315 hours in that game 100% completing everything that could be 100% completed (map, pieces of armor and their upgrades, Hyrule Compendium, etc.)… and now it kind of feels like I have to do that all over again. Of course, the games aren’t identical; although the world is (almost) the same, there are many new places, items, enemies, and mechanics. A lot of things changed so you don’t literally have to redo everything you’ve already done, and it makes sense that all players had to start from the same point. Still, I wish more of my progression had carried over. Especially the Hyrule Compendium :’)

But, as I said, Tears of the Kingdom has been a nice and fun experience so far, and I’m only getting started; I’m excited to (re)discover everything it has to offer! And at least, they gave me all my horses back ♥️

[watchmakermori]

a list of indulgent requests for the breath of the wild sequel

bOTH LINK AND ZELDA AS PLAYER CHARACTERS

ergo, shittons of new outfits for BOTH OF THEM

an actual cook book that you can complete, maybe as a part of the compendium

loads of new recipes

more caves scattered around hyrule, as well as more populated settlements 

proper dungeons

a RETURN of the weapon breaking mechanic. I feel like the only person on the planet who loved the challenge it brought to the game, especially early on. if they get rid of it I will be incredibly disappointed

accent coaching for zelda’s voice actress

masks??????? I adored the eerieness of the masks in OoT and MM, so I’d love to see them make a return

more utility for elixirs. I never make them in botw because food and special clothing can afford you the same effects. it would be good if elixirs could offer some unique advantages that can’t be attained by any other means

more information about the Yiga Clan, the Lomei and the Zonai - just more exploration of all the untapped lore

ghirahim in any fucking capacity, i’m begging u nintendo 

[wereallylostnowbois]

Sometimes i sit back and i think about my 100% complete botw save file. All shrines, full hyrule compendium, every side quest, all 900 koroks. Why did i do this? What did I seek to achieve? I have well over 300 hours in this game. Even by my standards thats a massive time sink.

[iwroteinapastlife]

Zelink Month Day 5!

Sequel to last week’s fic, this one takes place after the events of Breath of the Wild.

Week 2: The Flow of Time is Always Cruel...

Day 5: Unfinished

“Wow.”

Zelda sat on the floor, her back propped up against the side of Link’s bed, and stared starry-eyed at the screen before her, boasting a fully detailed topographic map of Hyrule. “This is incredible,” she said, a giddy smile on her lips. “Did you really climb every tower to get this?”

She turned her head to look at him. The hero was tired, to say the least. After waking up from what was effectively a hundred-year nap to the news that he needed to save the kingdom from calamity, he had barely slept a wink in the months he spent traveling and preparing to fight Ganon. Now that the war was over and he was back in his bed at home in Hateno, Zelda safe and beside him, the need for sleep was very quickly overtaking him.

The princess, on the other hand, was wired.

She had told him, of course, that he could go ahead and sleep without her, but the knight insisted that he was content laying on the bed with his arm draped over the edge and watching over her shoulder as she explored the progress he had made with the Sheikah Slate.

He stared at her with lethargic, serene blue eyes and a simple smile and nodded. “Every single one.”

She smiled affectionately, still not used to his comparatively liberal use of his voice. “Incredible,” she whispered. “And all of these,” she continued, pointing at the little blue symbols scattered across the map. “They’re all ancient Sheikah shrines that you’ve been able to enter?”

“Mm-hmm,” he hummed. “I’m sure there are still more I haven’t found yet, though. We should ask Kass; he knows songs about some of them.”

“Kass?” she asked, turning to look at him again. She smiled at seeing his eyes closed, though he quickly opened them, realizing she was watching.

“He’s a traveling bard who sings and plays the accordion. His old master was the bard who used to work in the castle.” Link paused to yawn and Zelda thought it might be one of the cutest things she’d ever seen. “You’ll like him. And his family. His wife and daughters live in Rito Village and sing every day.”

Zelda was practically glowing with the warmth she felt every time Link talked about the things he had learned while traveling. She had always known Hyrule to be a diverse and beautiful land with much to be discovered, but growing up, her life had rarely extended beyond the castle walls. She had always loved hearing tales from travelers and reading up on everything she could about the world outside, and that drive and desire to see and learn more of it was only stronger now that 100 years had passed and Ganon was gone.

“I used to love Rito Village,” she replied softly, zooming in on that area of the map. “Let’s go there soon.”

Link hummed in what sounded like agreement and she giggled softly, wondering how much longer he would be awake. She closed the map and went to scroll through the pictures saved on the Sheikah Slate. Nostalgia filled her at the sight of her old pictures—landscapes of some of her favorite places in Hyrule. The very pictures that had allowed Link to regain some of his memories.

Then she scrolled further and saw pictures that Link must have taken along his journey. She laughed at the first one there—a picture of a very young looking Purah in a cute pose—and then immediately paused, confused, as she reached a picture of a sunshroom. Why, of all things, did he take a picture of a sunshroom?

As she scrolled she found more pictures of that nature—just simple shots (some not even that well-taken) of random objects ranging from flowers to weapons.

“Why do you have pictures of so many different things?”

She watched him lean forward the slightest bit, blinking tired eyes at the screen showing off a hearty blueshell snail. Then he relaxed again, head settling close enough she could feel his breath on her shoulder.

“At first it was so that I could track them with the sensor; it beeps when I get closer to the object I have targeted. But then I started taking pictures of everything, just to have them in the compendium.”

Zelda paused, sitting up straight at the sound of those words.

“The…compendium?”

“Mm-hmm,” he hummed. Link reached his hand forward then to click a button on the Sheikah Slate that opened up a familiar organized assortment of pictures, containing nearly everything to be found across Hyrule. The compendium—her compendium.

“You’ve been working on the compendium?” she whispered, slowly scrolling through the entries.

She felt the knight shrug. “A little bit. I’ll admit I haven’t been taking great pictures for it, and a lot are still missing, but it’s useful to have when I’m looking for…” he trailed off. “Princess?” Zelda blinked, suddenly aware of the warm tears falling from her eyes. Link propped himself up on his elbows, becoming much more alert. “What’s wrong?”

“You…don’t remember, do you?” she asked, eyes remaining fixed on the glowing screen in front of her.

“Remember what?”

“The compendium.”

He paused. “No… A lot of my memory still hasn’t come back to me…” She could feel his gaze on her, but she couldn’t stop staring at the compendium. “I’m sorry,” he said, “Should I not have filled it in?”

“N-No, I’m really happy that you have.” More tears rolled down her cheeks as a small smile took to her lips. “Really happy.”

She couldn’t believe her eyes. She had programmed the template for the compendium into the slate ages ago, but never had she thought that she would actually see it come to fruition. Back then, it was little more than a hopeless dream. But now…

“Then…” he reached out and stroked her cheek with a thumb to wipe away a tear and she finally tore her eyes from the miracle in her hands to look at the miracle beside her, “…why are you crying?” Those blue eyes were gazing at her with such tender care and worry and she knew that even if he had changed, everything she felt for him 100 years ago most definitely hadn’t.

She smiled a full smile and rubbed her face with the back of her hand. “You don’t remember, but…you and I used to spend hours taking pictures for the compendium. Making a complete collection of every creature and object in Hyrule was my dream, but with everything going on back then, I never thought…” she laughed and some more tears spilled over, wetting her cheeks anew. “I never thought it would happen.”

Link rubbed her cheek with his thumb again, this time cupping her face as she pressed it into his palm. “I’m crying because even though it’s the smallest, silliest thing, seeing the compendium like this is a dream come true.”

He sighed, shoulders relaxing. “I’m sorry I haven’t finished it for you.”

Then she smiled, an excited grin spreading across her cheeks. “Let’s finish it,” she said. “You and me. Let’s finish the compendium.”

Link responded with a real, full smile and nodded. “Okay, princess. Let’s finish the compendium.”

[the-elemental-sides]

the sides play breath of the wild headcanons

because i’m being A B S O R B E D by these precious characters and it’s 1 am and

Logan is a collector. He does the Divine Beasts and the Korok seeds and a couple of the sidequests, but the love of his life are the shrines. He spends hours combing the lands for them, and it takes him way too long to get through an area because he checks EVERYTHING with Magnesis. The Tests of Strength are the bane of his existence because he thinks they’re a letdown but he completes them anyway. Robbie is his favorite character, and he grinded Guardians until he had like 30 Ancient Arrows and all the Ancient weapons so he could murder the Major Tests. His first horse is named Caballus and he loves her and rides her everywhere and spent all his arrows on that one Horseback Archery Camp time trial just so he could get a special saddle and bridle. He’s also super meticulous with taking photos of everything so he can make Simon and Purah happy. Link Status: rapidly alternating between the Zora Armor, climber’s gear, and the soldiers’ armor—he’d rather use potions than ever switch to something heat- or cold-resistant.

Patton: sIDEQUESTS!!! The more dire the problem, the more invested he is. He gets way too emotionally invested in the story and WILL listen to Kass’ three-minute-long-song every single time their paths meet. He’s a surprisingly good stealth player because he refuses to kill any animals or even monsters, if he can help it, and he absolutely blazed through the Yiga Clan Hideout. He hoards items on the chance that he’ll need them for a quest. He once spent 2 hours trying to climb a mountain on a deer because he didn’t want it to run away when he dismounted it. He will never admit who his favorite character is because he loves them all. (But it’s Hestu.) Link Status: well-groomed. Patton never takes off the Champion’s Tunic.

Roman: He went STRAIGHT for Hyrule Castle and was blown up immediately. At first he was too concerned with Zelda to slow down and enjoy the game, but when he discovered the first Great Fairy, he decided maybe he’d take a breather and find the rest of them, and stock up on some outfits, and then of course he has to go gather ingredients for the set bonuses, and what do you mean the gerudo outfit has terrible defense? he’s wearing it anyway. Then he found out about the Master Sword and HAD to complete that before he finished anything else. He still neglects the Divine Beasts, but if someone told him about Sidon he’d be THERE. Voted Most Likely To Get Killed In Hilarious Ways During Combat. Link Status: highly fashionable, and Roman refuses to ever, under ANY circumstances, mix and match outfits.

Virgil: Of everyone, he’s the most likely to appreciate the nice atmosphere, not to mention the technical side of the graphics and physics engine. He makes fun of the story elements, but he really likes searching out the memories. He’s also possibly the only side who could defeat anything stronger than a blue lynel. He just likes having a chill time exploring the world and fighting minibosses. Stalhorses are the BEST thing in the game. He does a bit of everything, and sometimes he’ll make up his own goals, like seeking out a certain item with the Hyrule Compendium, and run with whatever happens. His favorite area was that one shrine quest in total darkness. Virgil won’t admit to being super attached to any characters, but he does have a soft spot for Paya. He’ll also constantly revisit the Great Plateau just to experience the tranquility of it. Link Status: probably bare-chested, but he might be wearing the stealth or radiant armor.

[hyruletarot]

The Sheikah Slate Spread

Gather round, Heroes and Heroines of Time, for I am about to share with you a little something I have been working on for the past few days. I can´t think of a better item to base a Zelda Spread on than the Sheikah Slate for this blog´s main purpose´s reawakening.

It’s been over 100 years since we last fought against the forces of darkness and uncertainty on this very same blog (yes, I know it was just a year!). We shall begin anew and part for new adventures. But before venturing forth, take this. We all know that it´s dangerous out there, don’t we?

As a highly powerful technological device, the Sheikah Slate offers all kinds of functions to assist you in your quest. It has a Scope, a Map, it operates with well-developed apps Runes, and it even has advanced sensors for unopened Shrines. So, I went pondering about a Spread that could replicate those functions somehow. After all, a highly advanced piece of technology needs highly advanced divination techniques. So, I worked hard like a Sheikah these past days, trying my hand on every bit of divinatory techniques that could lend itself quite nicely to a Sheikah Slate Spread.

So, now, I didn´t invented these techniques at all. BUT, I took everything that could work for this project and gave it a twist here and there to make it functional. I used everything, from traditional tarot techniques, methods found in traditional cartomancy, and fun tricks found in Lenormand reading. In fact, the fabled Grand Tableau served as the basis for this spread… with proper Zelda twists to create a fun spread that offers the wonderful things found in the Sheikah Slate. Heck, I even think I managed to channel Steve Jobs to pitch this spread to my followers and lovers of all-things cartomancy!

So, without further ado, let me present the Sheikah Slate Spread!

HOW DOES IT WORK? 

Begin by selecting a Significator for yourself. If there are other persons involved, select one for each of the. Don´t overstuff, though, keep it simple. And remember to take note on which card represents who. Proceed to shuffle the cards and pick the cards you need to complete a set of 16 cards, bearing in mind that from those 16 you already took one when you choose a Significator for you. Maybe you took more than one for each additional persons involved. It doesn´t matter, just pick as many as you need from the deck to complete a set of 16 cards.

Spread them out the following way, already face-up. I will guide you through this lengthy process to read this spread in an appropriate manner.

Part 1: The Scope and Pins Functionality

The Sheikah Slate uses state-of-the-art technology to zero in something of importance, that is maybe distant from where you stand. The Scope is represented by the Four Central Cards of the Spread (that is A, B, C and D). These cards zero in something very important for your life right now. It is not just about something simple, this four cards reveal the most important thing on your life journey as of now.

Once you read those four cards, read the Four Corner Cards, the give additional information regarding the Central Cards. These Four Corner Cards (I, IV, XIII and XVI) complement the Central Cards by showing more mundane and immediate things.

Part 2: The Map Functionality

The Sheikah Slate always pinpoints your exact location and/or that of other important individuals/things. Kindly, please, locate Your Significator Card and take notice of the Numbered Position it landed on. This Numbered Position corresponds to which part of the land of Hyrule you are currently residing on. This will give you further information regarding your current life position on the Map Functionality.

The cards above you deal with what is exerting the most pressure on your mind and emotion. The cards below you are those thing you have under control. The cards to your left represent your past. The cards to your right represent what is to come. If no further cards are on your right, then you are on the brink a new cycle in your life.

If there is more than one person involved, proceed to do the same for them. Also, take notice if you share the same row or column with them. If not, then you might not be on the best of terms with them and so you can use the Yiga´s Spell: to further explore that situation, trace imaginary lines parting from both Significator Cards in a Vertical and Horziontal way. Those lines emanating from both cards will intersect in two card positions. These two cards will let you explore what is happening between you two.

Part 3: The Places of Power

It is imperative to analyze the Map the cards offer you in much more detail. As a continuation from the Map Functionality part, we shall delve further into the Hyrulian Landscape as follows:

I. Shrine of Resurrection: Project in hand

II. Temple of Time: Hope

III. Sheikah Towers: Luck

IV. Great Hyrule Forest: Wishes

V. Hyrule Castle: Injustice

VI. Death Mountain: Trouble

VII. Karusa Valley: Rivals/Deceit/Gossip

VIII. Gerudo Desert: Sickness

IX. Zora´s Domain: Friendship

X. Kakariko Village: Joy/Home

XI. Spring of Wisdom: Love of any kind

XII. Tarrey Town: Marriage

XIII. Spring of Power: Money/Fortune

XIV. Great Fairy Fountain: Gift

XV. Spring of Courage: Kindness

XVI. Shrines: Prosperity

Each of the sixteen cards is located in one of these Hyrulian Places of Power, including the Significators. You must interpret the card that landed there, taking into consideration that its position in the spread is colored by what the Place of Power brings to that card.

Note: More information regarding the possible interpretations will come in a follow-up post. In said post we will delve on the significance of the Places of Power based on the suit of the card it landed on them.

Part 4: The Heroic Columns

The Sheikah Slate is equipped with powerful software capable of identifying your present quest for the day and assisting you in managing that day´s quest. Keep in mind that for the interpretation for these columns you are NOT required to take the Places of Power into consideration. And please, scale down the interpretation for we are dealing with more mundane situation, although certainly not less important.

   E. Present Day Quest: This Column tells you about the present day´s most pressing concern.

   F. Keys to the Shrine: The things that will open the way for you to make progress towards your goals. Could be anything, from pep-talks, to magick spells, to meditation, to affirmations, to prayers, to simple everyday actions like getting out of the house, doing homework, visitng friends, etc.

   G. Puzzle Solving: The first two cards from top to bottom tell you about the obstacles. The last two cards are how they are meant to be resolved.

   H. Spirit Orbs: The things you shall receive that at the end of the day you shall stop and appreciate the best you can. Every day you receive blessings, this are the things that you should shower with your appreciation to open the doors for even more blessings.

Part 5: The Malicious Rows

Of course, the Sheikah Slate can further analyze your Life Position, help you remember even things that are important, store revelations, and recall a compendium of information for you to review and reflect when you have the opportunity to do so. These are not be taken in a broader way than the Heroic Columns, for they reveal things that have happened in the last month. Also, you don´t need to take into account the Places of Power when interpreting the rows.

   1. The Spirit: These are the Higher Things, those that are bigger than you and that explain your current Life Situation. These are active forces.

   2. The Mind: These is the preponderant mind state for the month that colors all your interactions with all aspects of your life.

   3. The Physical: Important aspects of your body, your needs and satisfactions that have dominated the last month.

   4. The Undercurrent: Important yet subtle forces at work, that are born from other´s actions and decisions all around you that may directly or indirectly impact you. Again, this is information about last month.

Part 6: The Runes

Further powers can be unlocked for the Sheikah Slate. For that matter, part from the card that is directly placed under the Symbols of each Rune. Interpret the cards following the colored line. Each Rune reveals things, show you secret ways to influence the events and deal with both everyday problems and life problems.

The Remote Bomb Line: This line reveals a connection between the cards the line touches, how they overtly or secretly relate to each other, and how if you impact any of the cards in this line you will set off a chain reaction to help you blast through the obstacles one or more cards in the line represent. The preceding cards shall impact the next one, and so on and so forth.

The Magnesis Line: This line reveals a connection between the cards the line touches, how they overtly or secretly relate to each other, and how if you manipulate any of the cards in this line you will set off a chain reaction to help you moves things in your favor. Be careful, for it also generates enough force that could potentially damage you, and is represented by the line returning to its starting place.

The Stasis Line: This line reveals things that, for the time being, you should nurture and keep them as they are. When the effect expires after some time (probably withing the next lunar month), the “kinetic” energy that your kindness and nurturing bestowed upon them shall be released in a way that blesses yourself and make things fall into place for you, even the universe bending over itself to help you if you keep doing it consistently. Again, the arrow line flies towards its starting point, the second to last card represents that which you shall receive, be it the destruction of an obstacle or the securing of success. Even seemingly immovable objects can be impacted this way.

The Cryonis Line: The cards on this arrow line are stepping stones that you should use to balance your life. Keep in mind that they may also represent obstacles for your enemies, offering protection from their vicious attacks if you procure them.

Part 7: The Sheikah Sensor+

This sensor is the latest of functions added to the Sheikah Slate, giving you the ability to discover secrets hidden all around you that will give your more information regarding any of the Sixteen Cards that conform the Spread.

How you go about it by using the Lenormand technique called Knighting. Yes, this technique comes from the Knight´s movement in chess and works the same. You part from the card you want to learn secrets from and count three cards forming a letter “L”. You will arrive to a second card after you Knight, and this card will give you information about their secret.

Part 8: The Divine Beasts

Dealing in with the Main Computer in certain Sheikah Places can bestow power and the ability to take possession of one of the Four Divine Beast. These shall be taken with the power of your intuition from the deck of unused cards at the end of a Sheikah Slate Spread reading. So you will take four cards and place them, one by one in the order of your liking, over one of the 16 cards so you can summon further introspection, hints and solutions for what the cards reveal. Take in mind that the Divine Beast will bestow its power to the card randomly picked, and the interpretation must come from that perspective.

Vah Ruta: The powers of positive feelings will drive this card to affect a card of your choosing.

Vah Medoh: The powers of intellect will drive this card to affect a card of your choosing.

Vah Rudania: The power of direct confrontation will drive this card to affect a card of your choosing.

Vah Naboris: The power of spirits and magick will drive this card to affect a card of your choosing.

So there you have it. One fun way to kickstart and re-energize this blog once more. I hope you enjoy this spread as much as I did putting it together though I am reeeeeally nervous about this post. What if you hate it? Still, Power and Wisdom cannot be balanced without Courage, no? *Inhales deeply before clicking to post* 

So, stay tuned because there is much, much more to come for all THREE of my blogs.

[thecagedsong]

Zelda’s Research

A/N Okay, so originally this headcanon was going to be in headcanon style, but then it became a fic, so here it is. I could never put together what exactly Zelda was studying, and fics usually made it seem like she was just being silly, trying to get Link to eat a frog that everyone already knew how to use. Everything connects here though, and I cried while wiriting it, because Zelda needs to be reminded constantly and often that she isn’t useless.

               Link was trying to be helpful. Zelda said she needed time away before Hyrule’s leaders arrived for the summit meeting, so Link took Zelda out to the mountains. Zelda shivered, so he gave her his wam doublet. Zelda didn’t want to talk about her outburst at Impa that she didn’t have the golden power anymore, so he didn’t ask. Zelda didn’t want to talk about the Calamity, or the future, or the past, or the summit, so they rode in silence.

               There was only so much he could do however, when Zelda threw herself off her horse, stumbled but missed crashing into a boulder, and frog jumped to catch a lizard.  

               “Are you okay?” he yelled, desperately calming their horses from her abrupt exit before swinging himself down beside her. Her horse had already bolted from the unfamiliar rider though. He didn’t wait for her to answer and started checking her over for injuries.

               “Yes!” Zelda cheered, the streak of mud on her face seemed to disagree with her, as did Link’s heart rate. “Look what I caught! My studies, before I was forced to stop, indicated that this critter can be used to augment speed. I just absolutely had to catch it before it got away. You said you remembered the time I tried to get to you eat a frog right? Well I had a break through before our trip to the spring of power and realized it needed to be cooked with monster parts before being consumed! Oh, this is so exciting. Do you happen to have a cooking pot on you? Wait…it had to be a particular kind of pot made with Hylian flint…”

               Link breathed out slowly. Only this princess would risk breaking her neck in the name of science.

               “I know what a hightail lizard is,” Link said slowly, taking the lizard from her and pulling out the three others he was carrying to show her. He put them all away and pulled out a potion bottle, “This is an elixir made from a hightail lizard. Now, no more throwing yourself from horses okay? You have a physical body again, and it can get hurt, and you nearly gave me a heart attack right there. You aren’t allowed to die. Ever.” He said it all as firmly as he could.

               “How can you know that? About the elixir I mean,” she asked, completely ignoring his warning.

               Link groaned, “It’s in the compendium. Not only that, it’s common knowledge. Any traveler or child could tell you the same thing.”

               “Let me see!” Zelda demanded, “I’ve been trying to translate that infuriating compendium for three years! Half of the letters were missing, the rest were in a dialect of Sheikah that was lost to memory seven thousand years ago!”

               Well, that made sense. Considering she had the sheikah slate without runes on it, he had always wondered what she was studying and doing with it besides taking pictures.

               “The compendium is in modern Hylian now,” Link said, pulling it up for her and showing it. The look on her face was somewhere between anger and wonder, “but like I said, everyone just knows.”

               “How did they know though? None of that was known 100 years ago. It was the stuff of fairy tales. And of course the slate had translation abilities in it the entire time” Zelda said, grumbling the last bit. She stood up straight and shoved the slate at him. “Change of plans, I want to get to Robbie. I entrusted him with all my notes, translations, and ideas.”

               “Er, is it that important? We need to make sure we’re back in Kakiriko before the representatives arrive,” Link said, wondering where this demanding Zelda had come from. They would barely be able to make it back to Kakirko before nightfall now that they would have to share a horse on the return journey.

               “I need to know what he did with my notes, because it sounds like…” Zelda’s eyes unfocused, she took a breath, then refocused on him. She was smiling, and there were tears in her eyes. “Yes. Yes, it is that important,” she said, her voice cracking. She looked like she did when she was first freed from the Calamity, when she asked if he knew her. Link the same panic came back at the thought of her crying, happy tears or not.

               “Alright!” Link said, jumping closer to her, “Is it important enough to be incorporeal for a few seconds?”

               Zelda nodded. He slid the slate onto his belt and helped her onto his horse, with his arms around her, he pushed towards Akkala.

               They came across the shrine at the riverside stables, and Link explained that he didn’t know if the slate could take two people, but if it couldn’t, she could travel to Robbie’s lab alone to speak with him. He would wait at this shrine for her to come back. He highlighted the symbols very clearly for her, and made her repeat the plan and directions back to him.

               “Well, get close to me then,” she said, stepping so that her back was pressed against his chest, “if all your things travel with you, skin contact should be enough to transport the both of us. Hold on tight.” Link gulped as he found his arms full of princess. Apparently, though she had been awkward with her body since she sealed the Calamity, she was relearning the joys of skin contact.

               He eventually tightened his arms around her waist, and he must have imagined her smelling him, just before she pressed the symbol for Robbie’s research lab.

               They both dissolved and arrived together. Zelda stumbled out of his hold right away though, and threw up on the trash heap outside of the lab. He held her hair back and winced every time she retched.

               “Better?” he asked, a minute after she stopped, and he almost pulled out some hearty durain simmered fruit before he realized he should ask first. (He hadn’t the first time and Zelda was currently trying to condition him out of the habit of shoving food at her when he thought something was wrong.)

               “Goddesses,” she croaked, wiping her mouth on her hand, “That was terrible.”

               “What’s all the ruckus?” a voice called, “I told you kids not to use my back yard for your parties anymore, not if you don’t have any decent mus—”

               Zelda and Link turned at the same time, and Robbie’s mouth dropped open.

               “My apologies, old friend. Shrine travel doesn’t seem to agree with me,” she said, forcing herself to stand up. Link kept an arm around her, and she seemed to accept the aid.

               “Princess?” Robbie’s voice croaked. He bowed first to her, then rushed forward and threw his arms around her. “Princess! My dear friend. Come inside, I’m so happy to see you.”

               “I’ve missed you too, old friend,” she said softly, then let Robbie pull her inside, with Link awkwardly shuffling beside her, still supporting her.

               Robbie started telling her everything then. How he knew Link could do it, and he’s been helping Link all along. How far he’s gotten with Cherry and what he’s discovered about guardians. How he had a wife and son.

               “How could you have a son?” Zelda managed to tease, “You always swore that your Cherry would be the only woman in your life.”

               “Cherry still is, it seems like,” Jerrin responded, with a friendly glare at her husband, who just laughed and helped Jerrin pull up some chairs.

               “Oh, I’ve missed you Zelda,” Robbie said, as they all settled with some tea and in front of the fire. “I had hoped I would live to see you again when I saw the Calamity leave the castle, but I feared that your trial meant your death.”

               “The goddesses were kind enough to return me how I was,” Zelda said, smiling. “However, before we discuss anything further, I have an important matter to ask you about.” Link watched Zelda closely, and she got that heartbreakingly hopeful look again, even as her hands stared fidgeting with her teacup. “I’m sorry, but I just had to know,” she said, “Robbie, did you…I mean…Link said everyone knew about cooking insects with monster parts. Did my research…Did I do…” her voice grew thick as she tried to get the question out.

               Robbie smiled and took Zelda’s free hand between his own, stopping her fidgeting. “Yes, Princess Zelda of Hyrule. I took your work and put the final touches on it before sending it to every town and providence, a week before your birthday. I had hoped to have some positive news for you; should the Spring of Wisdom not unlock your power. Hylians, Zora, Rito, Gerudo, Goron, and Sheikah knew about making elixirs and preparing meals the way you described to bring out the special effects, and had begun experimenting when Calamity struck. Your years of research and translation were not wasted, as I can say with no doubt in my mind that the work Zelda the Scholar did saved her people.” Zelda let out a sob and Robbie continued, “I got letters back for years, people thanking me for publishing your work because they were able to outrun monsters because they had brewed a stamina potion, and were able to save their children from burning villages because of strength potions and fireproof elixirs. Those years were anything but wasted.”

               Zelda was crying, and Link shot Robbie a panicked look, but he just shook his head fondly, so Link let her cry.

               “Thank-thank you,” Zelda said, giving a watery smile. “I needed to hear that.”

               “No, thank you, Princess,” Robbie said, giving a sad smile, “It was all your work. It did a lot more good than mine, in the end. Ancient technology is all well and good, but reviving as many guardians as I did only brought death. You focused on Hyrule itself, and brought hope. Hyrule will be forever in your debt. Unfortunately, since the King had decreed you weren’t allowed to pursue your studies, I decided to publish your work under the penname Adlez, in hopes of sparing you his ire. I tried to spread word that it was their princess who had discovered the secrets to Hyrule’s flora and fauna, but the origins of the discovery of so much were so secondary to the uses themselves, then the uses became common knowledge and people forgot there was a time they didn’t know. Only some of the Sheikah know that it was your work, your Highness. I pray you will forgive me.”

               “My people survived,” Zelda laughed through her tears, “You more than earned your forgiveness.”

               “I only helped,” Robbie said.

               “It’s getting late, you two will be staying the night,” Jerrin said, standing up and leaving no room for argument. “We will put you in Grante’s old room. I’ll go make it up for you.”

               Cherry also decided to make herself known in that moment by blowing a circuit.

               “Familiar name known! Princess Zelda! Bzzt!” which had Robbie scrambling towards the forge.

               Link took this moment of privace to place a hand on Zelda’s shoulder. She jumped, then leaned into the touch, smiling at him, wiping her tears away.

               “Hey, are you okay?” he checked.

               “I’m so much more than okay,” Zelda said, smiling at him. “I berated myself for those first fifty years, as much as I could while still keeping the Calamity at bay, thinking that if I had only awakened my powers sooner, if I had been willing to trust in my feelings and let myself love people, maybe things could have been different. That those years of research had been wasted because the slate had always been for you, I had just been stubborn, and the King had made sure that any useful discoveries I made had died with him when he forbade my research. Then I let it go, because I needed to focus on faith and hope to keep the Calamity back. But my work saved people, Link. Just plain Zelda saved her people too.”

               Link smiled because he understood exactly what that meant to her, and she squeezed his hand on her shoulder. Princess Zelda, without her golden power from the goddess, was just as worthy of her throne. Just Princess Zelda, did so much, she could do the rest of it too.

                Then Link cocked his head, “You know, if the King hadn’t stopped your research on that very day, you wouldn’t have given it to Robbie, and he wouldn’t have published it before your birthday.”

“Everything happened exactly the way it was supposed to,” Zelda agreed, understanding shining in her eyes and smile, “Hyrule survived, and the Calamity destroyed.”

               “That was all you Zelda,” Link said, giving a small smile, “I just helped a little.”

               She laughed, and it was a good sound.

               Link sent a prayer of thanks to the goddesses that he could be helpful.