#the ones the zelda president studied

[krawdad]

Thank you kevin defunctland pergurer a 2 hour video on the history of animatronics is exactly what I needed

[shingekinohyrulewrites]

First Child

Queen Zelda and King Consort Link adjust to life as parents and rulers of Hyrule.

Read on AO3 here

The West Wing of Hyrule Castle had, throughout its history, been designated as the personal quarters for the Hylian Royal Family. During the Battle of Twilight, it had been destroyed, but had been renovated following the rebuilding of Hyrule. Now, it was the home for Queen Zelda and her husband, King Consort Link. The two had recently been married and had left for their honeymoon, and had returned the week prior. Unbeknownst to the public, Queen Zelda had been pregnant during their wedding, and she had given birth to a healthy baby boy during their honeymoon in Ordon. Now, the two were acclimating to being parents, and their love had only grown stronger.

The West Wing of the Castle, normally quiet, now rang loudly with the wails of a newborn baby.

It was just after two in the morning, and Griffin wailed from his crib across his parent’s bedroom. Zelda sat up groggily in bed, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. She had only slept for two hours, as Griffin had woken her up due to his hunger. From beside her, Link shot up, eyes wide as he glanced across the room.

“Zel, go back to sleep. You checked on him last.”

“He might be hungry again,” she murmured, reaching down to yank her nightgown down.

“No, no, lay down. Let me go check.”

Zelda obliged, slipping back under the covers. Link crossed the room, quietly shushing Griffin as he gently lifted him up and cradled him carefully in his strong arms.

“Hey little guy,” he spoke in a soft voice. “What seems to be the problem?”

The problem wafted to his nose, causing him to wrinkle it.

“He just needs a new diaper. Go back to sleep, Zel. I got it.”

Link glanced over his shoulder to see that his wife was already asleep. He smiled to himself, crossing across to the other side of the room where Griffin’s changing table was. It was second nature to him now to change a diaper, hands moving swiftly as he removed the old one, wiped his son gently, and slipped on a new one. Griffin was already beginning to drift back to sleep, wintry blue eyes blinking rapidly before slowly closing. Link carefully lifted him up, placing him back into his crib before he went back to sleep.

Griffin began crying at dawn, and the couple sat up. This time, Zelda slipped out of bed, telling Link to go back to sleep. As soon as she picked their child up, his chubby hands began grabbing at her chest. She settled into the rocking chair Link had carved for her that sat beside the crib and began feeding him, singing her lullaby to him as she nursed. Just like with Link, his eyes fluttered before shutting, and she put him back into his crib.

This was the couple’s new routine, and they had settled into it rather quickly. The day after Zelda had given birth, the doctor in Ordon had sat them down and began discussing what to expect.

“There is a reason new parents are so tired all the time,” he explained. “Your baby is absolutely helpless, and he will rely on you for everything. Since he cannot speak, it is up to you to figure out what exactly he needs.”

Their last two days in Ordon, the couple didn’t sleep. Griffin cried nonstop, and he oscillated between hunger and discomfort at his soiled diaper. Link, knowing how hard his wife had worked during the delivery, stepped in as much as he could. Aside from feeding Griffin, he essentially did everything. Zelda was thankful, as she was still recovering from the delivery and feeling exhausted from what her body went through.

Thankfully, their carriage ride back to the Castle had been quiet, the lull of their journey soothing their baby so much he slept the entire time. The couple did the same, Zelda resting her head on Link’s shoulder as they tried to catch up on all the sleep they had lost. Lord President Ezlo had greeted them, face brightening at the sight of Griffin and extending his hands out to hold him.

“Why, he looks just like you, Your Majesty!” he exclaimed, studying Griffin’s face in awe.

“I only pray he doesn’t inherit my spirit as well,” she smiled.

The crib that Link had surprised her with was swiftly delivered to their quarters, and they were escorted to a quick meeting with the council. Mila, Zelda’s trusted handmaiden, had taken Griffin upstairs and had promised to be extra careful with him. Being away from their baby made Zelda anxious, and Link swiftly noticed.

“We will be upstairs soon,” he assured her. “We have to make sure everythin’ in Hyrule is okay.”

Their council was ecstatic to see them, pleased that Zelda had delivered a healthy heir. The couple had forgotten what role their son would play one day, with the surprise evident on their faces.

“Oh, come now,” Ezlo had chastised them. “You do know that, if you had not been pregnant prior to the wedding, that we would be asking you both for a timeline on when to expect an heir.”

Zelda sighed, shaking her head.

“Yes, yes, well, we have produced an heir. What other matters should I be aware of?”

Thankfully, Hyrule had been safe and stable during their honeymoon. Ezlo promised to give the couple their space to ease into parenthood at the Castle, but warned that it wouldn’t take too long.

“We have many important matters to discuss. I understand how exhausted you both must be, but you both have roles you still need to fill.”

It had been a week since their arrival, and the couple still had not developed a set routine. They were at will to their son, sleeping until he awoke them with his cries. Now, with the sun peeking over the horizon, a new day was starting for them.

“Was he just hungry?”

Link’s tired voice startled Zelda as she slipped back into bed.

“Yes, he went right back to sleep.”

He yawned, scratching his head as he turned to look at her.

“I think today is when Ezlo said he would come see us.”

Holy Hylia, how could I forget?

“Do you remember what time he said he would be stopping by?” Zelda frowned.

“I think during breakfast.”

Her eyes flickered to the window before sighing.

“I suppose we should sleep some more. I shall tell the guard to fetch Mila to wake us up.”

“I’ll go tell him. You sleep Zel.”

The couple managed to sleep an additional three hours before they were awoken by a series of soft knocks. Mila poked her head in, looking at the couple for a moment.

“You rang, Your Majesties?”

“Mila, it’s too early for formalities,” Zelda sighed.

The handmaiden stepped in, closing the door behind her.

“Well, Ezlo will be here in an hour. Shall I start a bath for you both?”

“Yes please.”

While it was normal for the King to be assigned his own personal servant, he had refused, stating that Mila had served his wife well enough and could handle them both.

“I don’t require as much help as the Queen,” he had said.

Mila slipped into their bathroom while the couple stretched in bed.

“I can’t remember the last time I had a proper bath,” Zelda murmured.

“I can’t remember the last time I had a proper meal,” Link sighed.

When Mila emerged a few minutes later, the couple thanked her and walked into the bathroom, shutting the door behind them. The water was warm, and they sank into it with weary sighs.

“This feels so great. My breasts have been hurting,” Zelda bemoaned.

Link’s eyes flickered towards her bare chest.

“Do you need them to be massaged?”

She raised an eyebrow at him.

“Must your mind be in the gutter while we are raising our newborn?”

“I’m still a man, Zel.”

She sighed, sinking lower into the water. After a moment, she felt Link’s hands gently squeezing her shoulders.

“Here, let me wash your hair for you.”

The gentle feel of his fingers massaging her scalp had Zelda feeling drowsy, and she drifted in and out of sleep. She offered to return the favor, but Link shook his head.

“You’ve done so much more than me. Don’t worry, Zel.”

She smiled, turning around to kiss him. They quickly finished up their bath, drying themselves off and wrapping robes around them before returning to their bedroom. Mila had made their bed, stripping the sheets and blankets and replacing them with fresh, clean ones. The curtains had been pulled back, sunlight strategically streaming in that avoided the area where Griffin’s crib was. The window that was farthest away was open, a soft breeze drifting through the room and bringing with it the smell of the royal gardens. Mila had pulled several dresses for Zelda and had Link’s uniform laid neatly on the bed.

“Mila, what would I do without you?”

She emerged from the front room, smiling at the couple.

“Oh stop. I’ll give you two privacy to change. If you need anything, let me know.”

The door was closed, and the two busied themselves with getting dressed. Zelda had just finished tying up her corset when the silence was broken by Griffin’s wails. The door quickly opened, and Mila bustled over to the crib.

“Apologies for the intrusion. Please, continue with getting dressed.”

She carefully lifted Griffin up, cooing softly at him before holding him away.

“By the Goddesses, what does your milk have? He smells foul.”

Link laughed as Mila rushed to the changing table. While she changed the diaper, the couple finished with getting dressed. Zelda had chosen her trademark gown, and she was delighted to see that she fit into it like before. Her eyes flickered over to Link, who looked handsome in his uniform.

“Ezlo will be here in ten minutes. I have instructed the maids to bring the meal to the front room. I have prepared the room for his arrival. I will stay here with Griffin.”

“Mila, like my wife said, what would we do without you?”  Link asked.

“You flatter me, Your Majesties,” Mila chortled.

The couple entered the front room, taking note that Mila had cleaned up in here as well. The windows were all open, curtains pulled back allowing fresh air and sunlight to stream through. A small fire had been lit, with the serving table pulled in front of it and three chairs surrounding it. A pitcher of cold water sat on the table, and Zelda quickly poured herself a glass.

“I didn’t realize breastfeeding made me so thirsty.”

Link collapsed into one of the chairs, letting out a long sigh as his eyes closed. With the sun casting on his face, the dark circles under his eyes were prominent.

“Hopefully the meeting doesn’t take long and we can rest some more,” Zelda said quietly.

“I hope so,” Link responded in a mumble.

A series of three knocks rang on the door, and Zelda called for them to enter. Two maids came in, pulling a cart full of their breakfast. Their stomachs grumbled as they carefully placed everything on the table in front of them, bowing their heads as they departed.

“Lord President Ezlo has said to eat before him. He is running slightly late.”

“Don’t have to tell me twice,” Link said as he began piling his plate up.

The couple ate in silence, eyes closing in pleasure at their first meal in Goddesses knows how long. Ezlo entered as they were halfway done with their food, bustling towards them and taking the free seat.

“Apologies. I was dealing with an issue in the stables. How are you both doing?”

“Fine, thank you,” Zelda responded. “What is there to discuss?”

“What, am I not allowed to eat first?” he mused.

The silence stretched on as they ate. Once they were done, Ezlo wiped his mouth and leaned back in his seat.

“What a glorious meal. Thank the Goddesses above.”

The couple were now sleepy, going through the beginnings of a food coma. Zelda rubbed her belly absently as she looked at Ezlo.

“I agree. So, the meeting, then?”

“Eager, are we?” he grinned.

“No, I have a baby to return to.”

“Ah, that is what we need to discuss.”

She raised an eyebrow, exchanging an inquisitive look with Link.

“I thought we had briefly touched on the topic during the meeting?”

Ezlo sighed, crossing his arms across his chest as he shook his head.

“I’m afraid we have a . . . slight issue.”

“What sort of issue?” Link asked, sitting up straight.

Ezlo exchanged a nervous look between the couple before sighing again.

“I’m afraid we had a mole in the castle.”

“A mole?” Zelda repeated.

“Yes,” he nodded. “It seems the news of your pregnancy and birth slipped out and has been spreading as gossip in Castle Town.”

While it was rare that word from the Castle reached the town, it wasn’t unheard of. Every staff member went through an extensive process before even having the privilege to interview, and many had to sign paperwork to keep the business of the Royal Family private.

“I had a lead in the stables and went to investigate. Unfortunately, I have hit a dead end, but I will continue on.”

“Well, has there been any word from Castle Town?” Link asked, frowning.

“It is a mixed bag at the moment,” Ezlo said. “Your marriage was highly received, especially given that Link is the Hero of Twilight. Among the younger folks, you two are quite popular. It is that group that could care less that you conceived before you were wed.”

“So it is the older folks, then?” Zelda questioned.

“That is where the mixed bag is. Many do not care, as you two ended up getting married at the end. The more traditional folks are the ones who are upset.”

While it wasn’t the first time that a scandal had hit the Hylian Royal Family, it had been a while since one had occurred. Zelda had hoped that the Twilight Invasion would be the only “scandal” that happened during her rule, but Link had come along and damn him and his good looks . . .

“I have been speaking with Shikashi to develop some sort of plan. We have both agreed that transparency is key, but how to display that transparency is the issue.”

“I can take the blame,” Link said. “It takes two to make a baby, and I should have been more responsible about it.”

“While that is admirable, Your Majesty, I do not think the public needs details about your . . . intimate life.”

The couple flushed, looking away.

“I am sure the public is aware how children are conceived. What matters is how we spin the situation into a positive one.”

An idea popped into Zelda’s head, but certain parts of it made her grimace.

“Why don’t we blame Vaati? I was pregnant during it, but we can say that the wedding had to be postponed because of it. We can lie and say that the wedding was supposed to happen earlier, but the attack happened right before it.”

Ezlo rubbed his chin in thought.

“I . . . suppose that may work. I was trying to rush the wedding, and I can say that you were expected to marry not long after I announced the engagement.”

He nodded, continuing to think.

“I will work with Shikashi. I do like that idea.”

The door to their bedroom opened, and Mila emerged, carrying a sleeping Griffin.

“My apologies for the intrusion, Your Majesties, Lord President. I wanted to see if you wanted to see the Prince before I put him in his crib.”

Griffin’s proper title was Prince Griffin Nohansen of Hyrule, but Zelda or Link called him Griffin. It was only used as a formality as needed, especially since the couple didn’t want to push royal duties on their son quite yet.

“Of course I do! Bring him here.”

Ezlo spent a few minutes holding the baby, cooing to him quietly before asking Mila to help him put the young Prince into his crib. He left after, reminding the couple that they were set to return to their regular duties the following week. Mila remained, collecting the dirty dishes and promising to return once she was done.

The couple returned to bed, crawling under the covers as they got comfortable.

“Do you think Ezlo will fix everything?” Link asked.

“I’m more concerned about the mole,” Zelda frowned. “I was hoping to perhaps use magic to make things work out for us.”

When Link didn’t respond, she turned to see him looking at her with wide eyes.

“What?”

“Did you plan on wiping their memories?”

“Of course not,” she scoffed. “Just adjust their memory of when we got married.”

“That’s . . . impressive.”

She snuggled into his side, letting out a sigh.

“I am blessed by Nayru and Hylia, aren’t I?”

***

Monday morning symbolized the start of the couple’s return to royal duties, and with it a regular schedule. Mila awoke them an hour before breakfast, preparing a warm bath for them before tidying up their room. Griffin was sleeping more through the night, giving the couple an extra half hour of sleep. The Royal Doctor was set to visit today to examine him and Zelda, and she was hoping he would be able to assure her more sleep was in their future.

"Zel.”

Link’s voice broke her from her thoughts. She blinked, staring back at him as they sat in the bath.

“Griffin is going to be okay. Mila will be here with him, and either one of us will be summoned if anything happens.”

Zelda had sat Mila down and gone through every single step of taking care of Griffin, wanting to make sure that their baby would be protected. Other maids would assist her as needed, but Mila promised not to worry.

“Don’t worry, Zelda. I’ve been taking care of you so long that it’s time for me to do the same for your son.”

She stood up, water dripping off of her as she carefully stepped out of the tub.

“I know. I just worry too much.”

Zelda slipped once again into her traditional gown while Link wore his uniform. Mila assisted with putting their crowns on their head - Zelda’s crown had sapphires to represent Nayru, while Link’s had emeralds to represent Farore. They stepped back to admire each other briefly before turning to give one last glance at Griffin.

“He’ll be okay!” Mila assured them. “You two go on and enjoy your day.”

Link offered his arm out to Zelda, and she gently placed her hand on his bicep. The two gave one last look before exiting their quarters into the hallway. It was quiet as they walked, a few workers passing by and stopping to greet them properly. When they reached the top of the stairway, Zelda came to an abrupt stop.

“Do you think . . .”

“I’m nervous too, Zel.”

Eyes wide, she turned to look at Link.

“I haven’t really done anything officially as King Consort. We got married and immediately left for Ordon. I don’t know what I’m doing.”

He scratched the back of his neck nervously.

"The only royal thing I’ve done is given you an heir.”

“Oh, my love.”

She kissed him, holding his face carefully.

“You will do great. I’m here by your side.”

Smiling, he offered his arm again and the two began their descent down the stairs. Ezlo and Shikashi were waiting at the bottom of the stairs, speaking quietly with each other. Upon seeing the couple, they sank into bows and rose once the couple was standing in front of them.

“Good morning, Your Majesties!” Ezlo chirped. “Are you ready to begin your day?”

Shikashi went on ahead to announce their presence to the dining room. The heavy doors swung shut, leaving the three of them behind. Ezlo studied their faces for a moment but sighing and shaking his head.

“All will be well! You two look nervous, shape up!”

Zelda immediately stood up straight, the hand on Link’s bicep tightening. Her face sank into one of coldness, the icy look that she was known for. She carried herself so elegantly, so royally, that Link suddenly felt self-conscious next to her.

“Link, you are the Hero of Twilight! Use that courage to aid you today.”

He sucked in a deep breath, closing his eyes before slowly opening them. He pretended that he was about to face an enemy, face getting serious and eyes sharp as he also stood straight. His shoulders rolled back, and his chest puffed out with confidence.

“There you go.”

Beyond the double doors to the dining hall, Shikashi began announcing their arrival.

“Presenting Queen Zelda and King Consort Link!”

The doors slowly swung open, revealing the dining hall full of lords and ladies. Ezlo stood behind them, smiling softly as they began walking in. It seemed as if they were gliding, relying on each other silently as they made their way to their respective seats at the head of the table. Whispers echoed around the room, many in awe at how well the two of them seemed to fit. Zelda got wind of a few chastising them for committing a premarital sin, but she pushed their words out of her ears.

Once they arrived at her seats, Zelda turned to look at everyone and bowed her head.

“Please, have a seat.”

After blessing their meal, the couple ate breakfast before making their way to their first meeting with the Council. Every member was happy to see them, welcoming them back and expressing their excitement at working with them again. They had a mid-morning break after the meeting, and they rushed back to their quarters to check on Griffin. He was fast asleep, chest rising and falling steadily while Mila quietly cleaned their room.

“You two worry too much. Go on, you have things to do!”

The rest of their morning before lunch was spent holding court, allowing an audience of citizens to come in and express their concerns. Thankfully, many of the concerns were mild and would not cause any headaches for the two. They spent lunch in the garden, enjoying the nice weather in a gazebo while they spoke quietly. From there, the couple split - Zelda went into her office to look over the piles of paperwork left for her while Link went to oversee the training of the soldiers. The Royal Doctor was set to arrive before dinner, and the two would be taking dinner in their quarters.

The Royal Doctor arrived at five sharp, just as the couple came rushing in. He greeted them with a deep bow, asking them to step into their bedroom to begin the exam. Griffin had just awoken, eyes glancing around him before settling on his parents walking in. His chubby hands reached for Zelda, and she immediately picked him up to feed him.

“Your Majesty, if I may?”

Link sat across the room while the Doctor examined Zelda as she breastfed him, asking her questions about her own health before gently taking Griffin from her.

“Griffin is three weeks now, correct?”

Zelda quickly did the math in her head. We left Ordon two days after delivery . . . my, how the time has passed.

“Yes, that’s correct.”

Griffin, full and drowsy from his meal, didn’t cry as the Doctor laid him down and began looking over his body.

“I would encourage you to begin laying him on his stomach to help him develop his muscles. Simply lay him on his stomach and encourage him to lift his head.”

Griffin let out a loud yawn.

“I would demonstrate, but he must be awake. Perhaps if he wakes you two up later?”

Link began scribbling down notes on a piece of parchment.

“Has he been spitting up much?”

“Surprisingly, no. Should I be concerned?” Zelda frowned.

The Doctor lifted up Griffin and began patting his back. Zelda had been softly patting him, and she was alarmed at how the Doctor seemed to do so.

“Not at all. Some babies spit much, others not at all. You may have just lucked out.”

Griffin let out a quiet burp and yawned again. His hands reached for Zelda, and she began rocking him in her arms. Link stepped in to continue rocking him while Zelda began her exam with the doctor.

“I will be coming in weekly, so do not fret. How have you been feeling?”

“My body feels recovered, for the most part. I was feeling sore nightly, but the pain has subsided.”

Mila helped her lay on the bed so the Doctor could examine her, nodding to himself as he gently examined her most private area.

“You have recovered well. If the pain returns, a hot bath should help.”

He grabbed his bag, bowing once again before exiting.

“Dinner is set to be delivered at six. Do you require anything else?”

“You are dismissed, Mila. Enjoy your night,” Zelda smiled.

***

“Griffin, look over here!”

It was three months since Zelda and Link had returned to the Castle. Currently, they were sitting on the floor as their son, Griffin, lay on his stomach. He lifted his head, smiling widely at them as he cooed to himself. Link waved at him, and Griffin let out a laugh.

“He can almost lift his head completely,” Zelda beamed. “He is such a bright boy.”

The crying had ceased, and instead Griffin was a curious baby. When he wasn’t on his stomach, he was being read to by his parents or Mila, eyes wide as he stared at the pages. He also enjoyed music, and Zelda sang her lullaby to him nightly. Link had carved toys for him out of wood, and he spent his waking hours playing with them, smiling to himself as his fingers traced the shapes of the carved wood.

The Royal Doctor was pleased with his growth, stating he was growing at a healthy rate.

“He is growing to be a healthy boy. The Prince will not have to be fussed over!”

Zelda had been cleared as well, able to continue with physical activity and intimacy. However, with the new routine of being a Queen and mother, both were not at the forefront of her mind.

Mila came in, smiling at the sight before her. It was a sunny Saturday, but she liked to come in on her time off to see Griffin.

“He’s lifting his head much higher than before!”

She sat beside Zelda, sighing fondly as Griffin smiled at them.

“You two should take him outside. The weather is wonderful today.”

Mila helped set up the stroller that had yet to be used. It had been a gift from Beth and her family, but the couple had been hesitant to wheel Griffin around. Now they felt ready, and they gently placed him in before making their way down. He laughed as the stroller went down the stairs, bouncing rapidly with each step. His eyes went wide upon exiting the Castle, looking around him at the sights of the Royal Gardens.

“I shall give you two your privacy,” Mila said. “I wanted to come give my greetings to the lovely Prince.”

She kissed his forehead before heading towards Castle Town. Zelda pushed the stroller, Link by her side as he glanced around him. The Gardens were mostly empty, guards scattered about watching the couple as they walked. The sound of bubbling water had Griffin turning his head, and he clapped his hands at the sight of the fountain in the middle of the Garden. Zelda lifted him and sat at the edge of the fountain, explaining to him what water was. Link smiled at the sight, sitting beside her and laughing as Griffin reached for the water.

“Mila was right,” Zelda sighed. “We should be taking Griffin out more.”

“Well, he’s finally old enough where we can take him out and not worry too much,” Link said.

They sat in silence, Griffin still absorbed by the water. The couple exchanged a look before Link quickly gave her a peck on the lips.

"I know we just had one, but should we have another?”

Zelda’s eyes went wide.

“Link, by the Goddesses!”

Griffin turned his head to look at them, confused.

“What? He’s just so cute, another wouldn’t hurt.”

“Did you forget about the crying we had to endure?”

Link smiled sheepishly.

“Well, we survived, right?”

Zelda shook her head.

“Perhaps, but not now. Maybe in a year?”

“I can live with that,” Link smiled.

[jupitermelichios]

so this is, as far as anyone can tell, not a joke. this is an actual list an alt right dipshit gamerTM made of 'conservative core' games and posted on a 4chan clone, and it's the greatest self own I've seen online in a while. guy is just out here boasting about his own lack of media literacy

I'll put the full list below a cut for anyone who wants it, but i just want to highlight a extra few special entries here first (minor content warning for mention of forced pregnancy, nothing explicit):

Toho Project: it's almost certainly on here because it contains anime waifus, but I've literally never met a toho fan who wasn't trans. technically i guess cis toho fans exist, but they're definitely not the ones keeping the franchise afloat

The 3 different Warhammer 40k games: 40k was created as a critique of reactionary conservatism generally, and margaret thatcher specifically.

Doom: just gonna quote the creator of doom here. "Trans rights are human rights, important rights, critical rights and society needs to do more to make this the case for everyone."

Sniper Elite: this is a game about shooting nazis in the balls. literally, that is the game. there are nazis, you shoot them. usually in the balls. that feels like a pretty firmly anti-nazi stance to me, idk

Persona 4: this game is about how conservative japanese society mistreats teenagers and denies them physical and emotional agency. gonna go out on a limb and guess it's on here because dipshit fancies one of the female characters

Silent Hill 3: silent hill three is about a teenage girl who is impregnated against her will and desperately wants to not be pregnant but a powerful religious organisation tries to force her to carry the baby to term and as a direct result the world nearly ends. in one of the endings, it does end. because of the lack of an abortion. i cannot believe the game about the importance of reproductive rights isn't even the stupidest entry on this list

Fallout 3: it is, granted,one of the less political fallouts. it's still a game about how the U.S. gonvernment destroyed the entire world by declaring war on china and then nuking the planet, and also about how unchecked capitalism and the replacing the social safety net with corporations will inevitably lead to those corporations abusing people, and how that is very bad actually.

Bioshock: literally the first thing that happens in this game is you are told libertarianism is a stupid ideology that will always fail and ayn rand was a moron. and then the game goes on telling you that. at length. in a variety of creative ways. for the next 15 hours.

Metro Last Light: see fallout, this is a game about war-hungry governments who don't give a shit about their people end up nuking the planet and nearly wiping out all life.

and finally, to end on the highest possible note:

Metal Gear Rising Revengence: not only is this an entry in a franchise which is entirely and exclusively about how awful the military industrial complex is, this game specifically is about a soldier who was abused by the military killing the president of the united states because his use of private military corporations to fight wars is morally indefensible. literally. that's the plot. it's entirely possible raiden just says those words in that order out loud in the game because hideo kojima knows writers who use subtext and they're all cowards.

anyway, the alt right are fucking morons and media studies needs to be a compulsory subject in every school on the planet.

full list below the cut:

Toho Project

Warhammer 40k: Darktide

Doom

Zelda: Ocarina of Time

Sniper Elite

Mortal Kombat

Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

Persona 4

Rimworld

Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind

Quake

Silent Hill 3

Resident Evil: Parasite Eve

007: Goldeneye

Perfect Dark

Battlefield 4

Dino Crisis

Fallout 3

Counter Strike: Global Offensive

Arma III

Squad (no, I don't know what this one is either, it appears to just be called squad? it looks like a rainbox six knock off)

Ready or Not (disappointingly, this looks like a Call of Duty knockoff and not a game based on the film ready or not, which is about killing the 1% with a machete)

Company of Heroes

Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare

Devil May Cry 2

Fire Emblem: the Three Houses

Megaman Zero

STALKER: Shadow of Chernobyl

Bioshock

Halo 2

Battlefield 3

Call of Duty: Black Ops

Warhammer 40k: Dawn of War

Ninja Gaiden II

Metro: Last Light

Warhammer 40k: Space Marine (fun fact, at the end of this game your character gets executed for heresy because they saved lives, but i'm sure that's not commentary on anything at all)

Killzone 2

Dead or Alive: X-Treme Beach Volleyball 2

God of War (the original, not the Dad of Boy reboot)

Metal Gear Rising Revengence

[bunnyscar]

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In answer to @novelmonger's question about context:

This is a scene for a Legend of Zelda university AU (loosely based on Legend of Zelda). Zelda is a freshman in Hyrule's most prestigious universities, majoring in the sciences. One day, however, when she is doing her work study, she opens the utility closet to find Link in there, injured. He attempts to attack her and run, but collapses. Zelda immediately runs to get help.

Link is taken to the university's infirmary. Rauru, the president of the university, recognizes Link as belonging to a nefarious organization that is led by Ganon. Rauru questions Link when he finally wakes up. Link is wary of Rauru, but seeing that he has no way to escape, reveals that he betrayed the organization and is on the run now. Rauru makes a deal with him. The school will agree to protect Link if he will do certain things: reveal what he knows about the organization's plans and goals and become a student at the university.

Link is doubtful at first, not understanding why Rauru is so ready to help him, but he finally agrees.

Zelda recognizes him in class, and they end up being paired as lab partners. Though he is rather sullen and stand-offish, Zelda tries to get to know him, and he begins to warm up to her just a little.

Ganon's organization, however, sends an agent one night that is able to get through the university's security. The agent corners Link in the lab and wounds him deeply. Zelda, however, happens to come into the lab to grab something she forgot, when she sees the agent standing over Link, who is doubled up in pain. The agent tries to kill her, not wanting any witnesses; but Link musters up enough strength to kill the agent, then he collapses.

Then we have this scene I wrote above, after Link is healed up from that encounter. There's some more random details than what I wrote here, but that's the gist of it.

It was going to be more normal school romance, where a shy boy meets a kind girl, but...I just couldn't resist bringing in the dark past and angst. ;)

Foolish Concern

Zelda stepped into the infirmary quietly, half afraid that Link would be asleep and she would wake him. But he was sitting up in bed, staring out the window.

“Link, are you feeling better?” she asked, taking a seat next to his bed.

He glanced at her and muttered an affirmative. She noted that his face had more color now, and he didn’t seem to be in pain.

“Thank goodness! I was worried…”

“Why should you worry about me?” Link said shortly.

Zelda frowned. “Well, I was there when it happened, and you’re my--someone I know. Why shouldn’t I worry?”

“You shouldn’t get involved with me. The people hunting me are ruthless, and if you get in the way again, they'll kill you. Or worse, torture you.”

“And it’s okay if they kill you instead?”

Link glanced at Zelda, who was glaring at him. He turned away again and hunched his shoulders. “You barely know me. It’s not like you have any obligation to help me.”

“Maybe not, but I want to. I want to get to know you, even if it’s going to hurt me; I want to learn what you’re interested in, what makes you happy, what you’re like when you smile, laugh, and cry. I want to learn about the different sides of you. I—it’s just—you seem so sad. So…lonely….,” she faltered.

Link clenched his hands. She wanted to know him? Even though she had almost gotten killed because of him? It was foolishness. Arrogance. Did she think she could save him?

He looked up at her savagely, but all he saw in her blue eyes were concern and kindness. Suddenly, a great longing stirred in him, a longing to be known, to have someone care about him and cry with him, to not be alone. It was wrong of him to force his weakness on her. It was wrong of him to want to lean on someone else, but he had never wanted something so badly. He didn’t want to be lonely anymore. 

“You…are really something,” he murmured, and for the first time he gave her a smile. It was only a small one, a quivering, painful smile; but Zelda’s face broke into a smile that was as radiant as the sun, as if she had just received the most precious gift ever.

“Indeed I am. I’m a stubborn and annoying something that’s not going to let you alone until I get what I want,” she said teasingly. “So you’d better prepare yourself before coming back to classes, because I’m going to keep hanging around and talking to you.”

Link sighed. “Not much I can do about that,” he said and laid back on his pillow. “Now leave me alone, you’re wearing me out. I’m an invalid right now, you know.”

Zelda stood to leave. “Zelda,” Link suddenly said when she reached the door. Her hand resting on its handle, she turned back and said, “Yes?”

“Thank you.”

[1up-girl]

Reverdie (2022)

Chapter 1

Fandom: The Legend of Zelda Pairing: Link/Zelda Words: 4.4k + Rating: T, will raise for M, for sexual content

Summary: 

"....And it seems that he was right…if you don't round your lips a bit more on the last vowel, it certainly does look like you're preparing for a kiss." It's the precise moment in which darkness flashes across hungry, viridescent eyes. She leans further in, her lips ghosting against his skin.

"Unless…that might be something you're after."

His brow wrenches with unbridled need and he throbs in more ways than one as he notices the tensing strain against the lower half of his tunic. She smells of fresh lavender.

Link thinks he might like to smell of lavender, too.

Chapter 1: my favorite fantasy

Keep reading::

Nascent zephyrs promise glorious days to come as spring reacquaints itself with Hyrule. Doubts and inhibitions find themselves swaddled in rosy blooms and in iridescent ribbons of air that brush gently across those starved of warmth. The kingdom rejoices as it bids farewell to dark, wintry days, and there is a new flurry of activity throughout the region as the thin smell of snow evaporates from the grounds. The castle bustles with renewed energy as optimism begins to seep its way back into its halls. But the season arrives far too quickly for the Princess, who cannot seem to make the most of the borrowed time she's attemtping to harness; the somnolent power that dwells somewhere within has yet to answer her desperate calls to action.

On the evening of the spring equinox, Zelda finds herself atop the cathedral's altar, dwindling in the shade of her father's austere presence as he presides over the vespers’ final message, his booming voice ringing out to praise Hylia in a manner that Zelda deems far too indelicate; the closing remarks prepared for him by another's quill are poetry incarnate, and yet he barrages through the text as though he's scolding her on the stone just beyond her study. She'd deliver the speech differently, she thinks, with special attention paid to the aureate descriptions that he seems to trample right over without a second thought.

From the sidelines, her knight attendant watches as King Rhoam acknowledges his daughter with a bow. Under the monarch’s studious eye, Zelda steps forward and raises both hands to the sky, deep emerald robes draping from delicate wrists. Wrapped in the verdant wash of the garment, she appears almost nymph-like, with recently picked flowerheads expertly embedded into the neckline. She lifts her eyes to the domed ceiling, and though the litany tumbles from her lips, Link hears none of it; he's fixated on the way golden tresses cascade across one shoulder to expose an elegant neck, on the soft motion of her jaw moving as she recites standard prayers that have been effortlessly committed to memory after so much repetition.

In the dawn of the new season, Link finds himself caught in a whirlwind of a predicament; he's realized, in the last few weeks at her side, that he's developed a rather…unbecoming desire to learn more about the girl that he has sworn to protect with his life. To discover every part of her, commit the inner mechanisms of her mind to memory. Even now, in a holy place constructed entirely for the divine blood that runs through her veins, he's brazen enough to wonder what her tantalizing skin might feel like beneath his mouth.

Link half expects to be struck down on the spot for such sacrilege.

He's trying to be good, truly–but as the venom in her glance disappears entirely to allow amity to pave over its ashen remains, he remembers that they're destined for one another, that the threads of fate intertwine to keep him near to her as they've done again and again throughout the ages. He's resigned to his fate–has been since the day he pulled the treacherous sword from its pedestal–but he looks upon his assignment now with a bit more optimism than in days past.

In the cathedral, Zelda's devotional is so brief that when her gaze lands upon him, he assumes for half of a panic-stricken moment that he's expected to contribute--but the pinched sensation in his chest dips when he catches her accommodating smile. He's stumbled across it a few times throughout the course of the evening; it hasn't failed to ignite his blood yet. The expression is a vast cry from the one she'd worn the first time she'd ever caught sight of the Master Sword across his back.

Link accepts the hand that she offers to escort her down the altar steps, careful to maintain a respectful distance behind the King. Murmured conversations ripple through the congregation behind them as they pass, and as soon as they've disappeared through the heavy doors at the back of the hall, Zelda quickly darts down one of the intersecting hallways. Her father moves in the opposite direction, entrenched in an entourage of his own. The royal family separates without any parting words.

"Thank the Gods that's over," Link hears the Princess mumble. The elegant mask that she displays so convincingly shatters at her feet to release a visibly potent irritation, tension cimbing its way up her body to settle aggressively in her shoulders. 

"Seemed simple enough," Link comments. "I'm sure you'd be able to recite that prayer in your sleep."

"I might as well have," she points out sharply, withering with exasperation. "Did you hear how my father spoke? So utterly careless. He ought to have just let me do it."

Link presumes to know why the King hasn't permitted her to participate in more than her standard obligations, in spite of the birthright that seems to imply that her offering might hold more significance than her father's; her burden is still the topic of hushed discussions. Link is well aware that those around them are losing faith, their bleak sentiments only exacerbated by the damp, depressive days of winter. Even still, in spite of the whispers that insist she is to inherit a kingdom of ashes, Link clings tightly to optimism. 

"I'm sure you would have been lovely," he remarks, half under his breath in a voice that's tinged with a pining that nearly betrays him, though it isn't entirely apparent that she's heard the statement. It's better– safer– that way, Link reminds himself, a tightened breath hitched firmly in his throat.

"Have you sought an exemption for the festival?" The inquiry pulls Link from his thoughts as they swap out the dark masonry of the cathedral for that of the castle.

"I believe I have commitments here," Link responds dutifully.

Visibility in the stairwell dampens as the last cadences of the day retract into nocturnal repose. With copious amounts of fabric tangling between each long stride, it won't be safe for her to attempt to climb the staircase on her own; he'll need to linger close to her as she moves--just in case, of course. Link bends to assist with the train of her gown as she begins her ascent.

"Surely you might still be able to find coverage. I'm sure a few knights will suffice for the next couple of hours." she reasons, eyeing him as he rises with emerald cloth draped across a white-gloved hand. "You really should go and enjoy the evening. Dancing and drinking and…and there will be many beautiful maidens, I'm sure. After all, you don't have the summer's ball to look forward to this year."

Exquisite fabric slips through reluctant fingers when they reach the top of the staircase. "You misjudge me. I don't need a ball--I'm more than satisfied here." Link admits through thinly pressed lips. When the princess turns to meet her knight's glance, heart leapt up to seek refuge squarely in her throat, he notices the flickering hint of a prestigious flush across her cheeks.

They bid one another good night shortly after, the space between them seemingly heavy with words left unspoken.

Link hears every one of them in the dreams that soon follow.

It only takes another week for a new obligation to fumble its way onto Zelda's lap, cauterizing the promising swell of spring with just two words.

"Oratory training?"

Link poses the question from one of the small, plush chairs stationed in her study as he brings a cup of tea to his lips, his brows knit together in confusion. "For what purpose? It seems…wasteful. With all due respect, of course."

Zelda paces the room tediously as late morning light streams through her open window to bathe scattered textbooks and potted plants in a golden glow. Her lower lip pulled in, her right canine plunges into the skin in vigorous thought.

"Because one can never have too many tasks, I suppose." she grumbles as she melts defeatedly into a chair of her own. "I don't know what he can possibly be thinking."

"I've heard you speak publicly many times," Link's assertion rattles a sardonic chuckle from her.

"Of course you have! I've been speaking publicly for years now…it's utter nonsense. There is a Calamity on the horizon. That is where I must focus my concentration-not on some silly exercises." Link nods silently in understanding, avoiding the fact that his own concentration now slackens so frequently in her presence--a nasty habit that he really ought to remedy.

"I admit, I take a bit of offense…does he really have such little faith in me that he'd rather have me engage in activities for a….a child than let me try to contribute in some meaningful way? I’m sure I might be able to assist Impa with the relics..." Zelda gives a weighty sigh, lifting a ceramic cup of her own from the small table between them with tense fingers. She drums nails against her teacup in plaintive thought. "But I suppose it's already been decided. Father won't hear anything more about it."

Link swallows a sip of the earthy blend. He isn't as enamored with the flavor as she, but he'll consume it by the gallons if it grants him more time with her sacred, innermost thoughts. As he catches sight of the impeccably lovely sorrow that wrestles her face, he finds that it spurns him, almost as though the King has maligned him personally. He swallows the ache down, squashes it between abdominal muscles to shower her in cool, collected tones that he utilizes so adroitly.

"I'm positive that he doesn't feel that way. You will be perfectly fine. Don't worry."

Once upon a time, she had deemed such equilibrium as far too nonchalant--as blatantly ignorant of her tremendous plight. But today, just as they have been in the last few weeks, his words are as soothing as the spring breeze that kisses Hyrule Field. She seems to take solace beneath them, all signs of strain soon evanescing from her expression. Link doesn't attempt to quiet the triumphant swell that batters away behind his sternum.

She's quiet for a moment, calculating her next thought with diplomatic precision.

"You are too good to me, Sir Link," Zelda finally intones with a wistful smile, her voice growing softer in a most curious way.

Shining eyes meet over raised teacups.

The first of Zelda's sessions approaches the following week, haunting her as though it were an apocalypse of its own until the day it arrives as a summons at her bedroom door. She mutters half to herself as she serpentines through the castle to a room set aside specifically for the occasion, Link silently trailing three steps behind as he always does. She makes several remarks under her breath that have him suppressing laughter, unsure as to whether or not her disgust with the idea is wholly authentic.

He loves to see her like this; she's no longer an archetype shrouded in a divine mist. No longer just a mysterious force that fate continues to test in the cruelest of ways. Though cursed with such a destiny, she's still just a girl, slightly younger than he, voraciously intelligent and by far the most beautiful girl in all of Hyrule. She whispers her secrets and he repays her with his own–they're veritably cut from the same cloth. In a peculiar way, he's grown to love the complaints that remind him that she is, in fact, more than just a vessel to be used by her kingdom.

Though there are other ways that she ought to be used: the absolutely disastrous thought flashes across his cognition without warning.

He castigates himself with a face set ablaze.

Zelda has been draped in a charming, pale blue gown that softens the edges of her regality. The delicately spun gold that inlays the front of it shimmers beneath sunlight that spills through stained glass windows. Compared to other styles she's been secured into time after time, this particular garment is far less intimidating. It's akin to the dresses that the women of the town might wear to their own celebrations, though its stitching is far more intricate than anything one would find beyond the castle walls. But, Link is quick to note, the dress affords her a freedom that her other fashions typically do not permit. As she moves ahead of him, he admires the way the fabric hugs at her waist, considers how the skirt might flare out around her in a way other regalia might not. How, if she were to turn to him, the neckline would sit just low enough for him to consider her womanhood even further.

And when she eventually does turn to ask him for his thoughts, that is precisely what happens. Quickly and wholly unintentional--but it happens all the same.

And, unfortunately for him, the observation does not go unnoticed.

Whatever Zelda's next thought might be is tossed aside, locked away in her throat to never resurface. Viridian eyes glance him up and down in sharp analysis, head retracted slightly in surprise and her brow furrowed in confusion. Link's throat constricts against him and he swallows hard beneath such a deliberate gaze.

"M-my apologies," he barely manages to choke out. He's quickly left wondering if feigning ignorance would have produced a more desirable result. 

Link knows very well how danger tastes on his tongue as it materializes around him. He can recreate the thundering pound of adrenaline through his veins as fangs and claws and hooves assail him, knows how to counter each thrust of a weapon as though clairvoyant; but it's when Zelda's expression melts into something far more demure, far more cunning, that Link is suddenly aswoon, thrust off his axis in a way that feels far more perilous than any chance encounter with a monster horde.

Zelda incites a foreign panic within him when she turns back around with a sharp inhalation. She takes another step. Hesitates. A step. A pause. Then, quietly, she tosses five words across her shoulder that cause a flame to lick hard at his neck.

"I don't mind, you know." 

Zelda's sessions are to be held in a long neglected room that's been excavated for the occasion. They enter to find that the air is stale, teeming with years of underutilization, with much of the furniture still draped beneath heavy canvas sheets. It's a rather large room, one that Zelda says once hosted the musical soirees of her youth; the desire for music has worn thin in recent years. Old tapestries adorn the walls, and tall, expansive windows usher in sunlight that seem to only highlight spots of dust that housekeeping has glossed over.

Her instructor, Sir Barto, is a peculiar old acquaintence of the royal family and a musician of the court, and they stumble upon him nervously fluttering around a piano as they enter the room. He pokes a note out at the keyboard that rings out exceedingly flat of the intended pitch.

"We ought to get that fixed!" Barto exclaims. He must be drawing close to middle age, with a head of thinning black hair and a pair of thick-rimmed glasses that sit upon an aquiline nose. With hardly another word, he's soon ushering an unyielding Link back out into the hallway with a gusto that Zelda finds undeniably amusing. 

In spite of such hyperkinetic energy, Barto manages to prevail; the knight will remain in the vacant hallway for the next hour. Barto claims that it's a vulnerable act, training one's natural instrument, and Zelda must be left in her new instructor's tender care to experiment with it.

When he finds himself tasting solitude, Link cranes his neck to assess the scene beyond the heavy oaken door. As the minutes languish on, he occasionally hears a voice, Barto's instructions, followed by Zelda's familiar tones in response. She's soon speaking aloud, offering nonsensical sentences that surely must promise some sort of technical advancement. Soon, the speech is replaced with sounds, bizarre sounds that seem neither pleasant nor enjoyable to produce. He leans in further, wheat colored eyebrows strewn together in perplexion, but he soothes when he detects the ardent ring of her laughter.

The Princess doesn't laugh. Zelda, however, has the most wonderful one he's ever had the pleasure to wallow in. Awash in her sound, Link catches himself wilting against the door with a tiny smile toying at his lips.

"I don't mind, you know. "

His stomach gives a sudden, treacherous lurch; what else might she be inclined to not mind?

Link spends his time straining with dulled awareness while a sensational heat simmers low within him. He tries, in vain, to wrestle the taunting look that she's granted him from his mind. It encapsulates him with an iron-clad grip, threatens to conjure itself repeatedly in the coming days with hot insistence. Fatigue knocks at him after half of an hour, and, most unfortunately for him, it's the moment when his mind really begins to wander–a dangerous thing for a young man his age to engage in when he finds himself bundled in the thrilling sweetness of spring.

Without even meaning to, Link crafts her silhouette in his mind, nerves coordinating to shed her of the soft color of her dress and create the illusion of her hands against the architecture of his own body. His eyes flutter shut to taste her, to let her taste him, to consider how the firm bow of her lip might feel against the silk of the organ that throbs in the empty hallway. He redresses her, recalls her as she is at this very moment, but considers how, if she wanted to, she'd only need to tug slightly at fabric to display her breasts entirely, knowing very well that there would be no action he could take in response. He's realized recently that she has a coy side, that Princess of his–and now that she knows of his furtive glances, there is no telling what sort of torture she may enact.

Oh Hylia, she knows.

She's rattled his peace, corroded his foundation and shaken every conception he's held of her to leave him receding into a sea of unhinged avarice.

When Zelda eventually emerges from the room another half of an hour later, absorbed in what looks like a haze of surprise, Link is practically perspiring through his uniform, unholy thoughts pounding away in his head.

The days bleed into one another, threading the weeks so that the time spent in Zelda's vicinity begins to feel like a long dream. Link tiptoes around her, swathed in a combination of cautious optimism for her new undertaking and binding apprehension at what has transpired between them. Much to the knight's relief, the Princess has yet to address his small indiscretion. Every so often, he thinks it's slipped her mind entirely, the sudden influx of all of her other tasks ridding everything else from her senses; but then she gives him that knowing smile– the one that sears itself onto his mind, causes him to simmer until the small hours of the morning and demands that he apply pressure to the front of his trousers, and the onset of frenetic energy hums to life once more.

Link’s managed to avoid one of those disarming glances the last couple of days–he may finally manage a restful sleep this evening.

There is yet another change in the wind when the kingdom releases an official statement that triggers some sort of tectonic shift in Zelda's wake: Hyrule Castle has decided to welcome the summer's arrival with a ball after all. It had previously been agreed upon, in the penumbral abeyance of winter, that a celebration would only serve as a mockery to the Kingdom's tribulations.

“Seems that the Council has had a change of heart.”  

On the day that the event is publicly reinstated into the master calendar, the Princess and her knight make their way towards the castle library. Zelda is reeling from the new development- ‘in celebration of a prosperous spring’, the official proclamation reads. She reads words that exist in the blank spaces of the notice, realizes that the pressure thrust upon her has been dialed up to the highest degree yet; that anything less than a ‘prosperous’ achievement will not suffice in her kingdom’s eyes.

"The council has decided that a morale boost is necessary, and Father has asked me to take care of it. He wants me to say a few words and perhaps show that we're making progress in our cause...." Zelda postulates, her incredulous voice reverberating against the stone of the halls. There is no need to speak the words aloud--a truly prosperous spring will bring about her ever elusive power.

"Still, I'd rather he just speak to me frankly instead of dancing around with all of this." She gestures around ambiguously. "One surprise after another..."

Though he's very aware of the height of the stakes, Link can't avoid the nagging sensation that it's cruel for the King to act in such a way; his own flesh and blood is to douse her peoples' fears as the apocalypse draws near when she carries the unbearable weight of their tentative salvation upon her shoulders. Link wonders if her father is attempting to trigger her powers with a deadline, and a fresh wound carves its way into his heart at the thought. 

"But your sessions are going well, yes?

Zelda thinks for a moment. "Yes, I suppose they are."

"Then he will certainly be pleased to hear about that.”

He already knows the answer before posing the question–with Link in tow, she always leaves her sessions chattering incessantly about the discussions that she and Sir Barto partake in; her eyes light up as she speaks of Hylian texts that they critique, waves her hands excitedly as she describes the comparisons drawn between said texts and ancient Gerudo scrolls. They analyze the great speeches of past Zora queens and trace the influence of Tabanthan topography on Rito verses. She sparkles all the while, without even the slightest hint that it endears her impossibly further to him.

"I feel strange. I feel like I'm being…I don't know, toyed with. He's clearly had this whole thing planned and I'm only finding out about it now--what else am I to discover in the coming weeks? A fine prospective leader," she mutters bitterly as they arrive. It pains him to see her so depleted.

Streaks of pink have already begun to stream against a hint of a wisteria sky as they enter the library, so it doesn't come as much of a surprise to find that they're greeted by an empty hall. The two-storied structure is one of the greatest assets that the grounds has to offer. Its size is perhaps dwarfed by a few other spaces, though the knowledge that it possesses garners more value than any ballroom or dining hall. Link has spent many hours of his appointment within the library's walls, craning his head to read titles off of withered spines while Zelda piles surpluses of books into his arms.

"You will make a great leader," his voice drips with confidence as the door gently moans shut behind them. "You doubt yourself far too often." He surprises himself; the knight attendant of days past would have received quite a berating for the audacity of such an intimate comment. They move further into the library to descend one of the preliminary staircases.

Link watches Zelda's head pivot in surveillance.

“Thank you for listening to me, Sir Link. I’m sorry– I’ve become a different sort of terror to you these days.” A bit of warmth percolates into her tone as she addresses him.

“It’s an honor,” he responds softly, quiet pertinacity burning beneath the surface.  

Mirth dapples her expression and she releases a soft huff of a laugh. 

“What?”

The corners of her lips indent upwards in a hint of a smile. “You.”

“What about me?” 

"Always needing to be so overly kind to me. You don’t have to do that, you know." Her voice fills the air more comfortably.

Link slows to a halt and frowns as Zelda places a bit of distance between them. "I'm not." he says, his voice pointed and coloring oddly defiant. Why does she ring so accusatory in his ears? "I'm just…speaking my mind."

Zelda pauses in her path, hesitating for a moment before a sudden, pithy giggle bursts from her lips to bring about a tonal shift that Link is suddenly painfully cognizant of. When she turns to meet his eyes, he finds that desolation has melted away, evaporated in the change that his assertion brings to reveal a furtive look that is positively feline in nature, cunning and jocose. She traces her steps back and draws herself closer up to him, emboldened by their isolation, and the way that she sweeps up beside him causes him to tighten in apprehension.

"Do you know what I think, Sir Link?"

His stomach plummets at the way her tongue wallows in the first consonant of his name. He concedes with silence. 

"I think..." she begins playfully, "that if you were truly speaking your mind these days, we'd be having a very… different conversation."

And then, so quickly that Link swears he may have misinterpreted something, Zelda's eyes flit to peer down at her own bodice before she drags her gaze across him once more. She smiles impishly at the panicked expression that springs to life on his pale face.

How had he felt such palpable pity for her only moments before?

"I'm…n-not sure what you're…referring to," he coughs out, positively stumbling his way through the sentence. She tips her head back and laughs radiantly at the sight of her Chosen Hero reduced to a stutter under her girlish gaze. She moves even closer still, raising a perfectly manicured finger to press against his chest. She lingers just long enough to kindle something potentially devastating in his groin.

"You are a terrible liar, Sir Link."

He's never heard Zelda speak with such disarming electricity before. It silences him, washes over atrophied muscles that strain in complete disbelief. Her lips begin to part, slowly and deliberately, as a deliciously tempting smile slips its way onto her lips.

A sonorous groan resounds from the top of the staircase. The intrusion hardly even registers on her expression, but it spurs her into action, and she's soon flittering away from him and towards the eastern wall of shelves. Link lingers behind with a slackened jaw and a pounding heart.

Fuck.

Chapter 2: sell me a dream ->

[beebubb]

My creepypasta AU! I really wanted to make my own creepypasta world where i can come up with ideas for the characters as to designing and coming up with their personalities and other stuff!

But before I describe my AU/world here are a few things I want to mention first

1. Some of these ideas are inspired by vivziepop, snuffbomb(I do not support what he did in the past, I just like the characters from the comic Creeps), and pastamonsters

2. There are ships that I will include with my OCs but it DOESN'T mean that I'm one of those fangirls that are like "BEnY iS mInE aNd nO oNe eLsE CaN hAvE him!!" and go after other fans! I respect if you ship yourself or your own characters with the same pasta that I like or if you like someone else! Also I might post some headcanons later on that will be based off of my AU and also I might do those Y/N x *insert your creepypasta love interest here* later on as well! So if you like this and wanna ask something or request something later on you can!

3. You don't have to completely like or agree with every single thing I write or make in my AU! This is just for my entertainment and for others!

4. This is includes demonology so I have like princes/kings/Dukes etc of hell so yes that does mean I include stolas but it is not the same stolas from helluva boss (made by vivziepop)

5. The entities I mention that are part of Demonology, each have their purpose as well.

OK now that I got that out of the way here is a bit of my AU!

The world is divided into 3, which is the earth world, underworld, and hell. What's the difference?

Earth world: this is the normal human world, where people like us exist etc

Underworld: this is where all monsters and killers live and exist (I was inspired by this part by the Creeps comic sense I really liked the concept of having an underworld for killers to live at)

Hell: this is where prince's, queens, kings, princesses, of hell exist. So pretty much rulers of hell.

What happens in the underworld?

(this was also inspired by Creeps) in the underworld it is kind of like the earth world, but of course like I mentioned before, this is where killers exist and all that.

The difference is pretty much what you do, what you can study for, what you do for work, and lifestyle.

What can you study for and work for in the underworld?

Here you can study for careers like morticians, hitman, bounty killers, professional stalkers, and killer apprentices(can also be known as studying to be a proxy), or a demon's apprentice (what you dedicate for is depending the demon you decide to work for)

There are also normal jobs of course, like surgeon, CEO, entrepreneur, and pathologist.

What's the difference between hell and the underworld?

In the underworld it is pretty much normal people that became killers, ghosts, etc.

In hell, only royalty and rulers live there.

Who are in hell?

Queen: lilith

Kings: bael, paimon, asmodeus, purson, belial, viné, balam, zalgo, zagan

Dukes: amduscias, Agares, eligos, astaroth, valefar, barbatos, gusion, zepar, bathin, saleos, aim, buné, berith, focalor, vepar, vual, crocell, allocer, murmur, gremory, vapula, flauros, dantalion.

Princes: vassago, sitri, ipos, gaap, stolas, orobas, seir, beelzebub, lucifer, slenderman (he is zalgo's son here)

Marquises: gamigin, aamon, leraje, naberius, ronové, forneus, marchosias, phenex, sabnock, shax, orias, andras, andrealphus, kimaris, decarabia.

Earls: furfur, malthus, raum, bifrons, andfomalius

Knights: furcas

President: barbas, buer, botis, morax, glasya-labolas, foras, malphas, haagenti, camio, ose, Amy, valac.

How can you get to the underworld?

There are a few ways that you can get to the underworld which are

1. You get brought by a demon from hell or by slenderman himself (very common and popular way). This usually happens once the underworld would be a much better place for you (for example, for Ben drowned he was brought to the underworld by slenderman after he died sense well he's a ghost now and was literally part of a hunted legend of Zelda video game so he was basically a bit of a poltergeist)

2. If you have any background with a killer that already lives in the underworld that was or is still related to you, you can also be brought to the underworld (kind of like when will Grossman was brought to the underworld and Isaac was looking for him (Isaac was his great great great grandpa I think))

3. Once your time has come to be in the underworld, you'll be teleported here, if you are dying then you would just wake up here, and if you are still conscious, you'll black out and get teleported.

What happens once you get to the underworld? Do you change?

Not much is changed, you still have the same personality and physical appearance that you had when you were in the underworld, the only physical change varies depending on how you died or why you came to the underworld (kind of like hazbin hotel and helluva boss, that depending on how you died you get left a mark that shows) or depending on what you did to yourself, a few examples are these:

-Jeff the killer: sense he killed his family and cut a smile on to his face, then when he's in the underworld, that smile does become permanent and a part of him, so it won't heal like a normal cut

-amari (my OC) didn't do anything to herself like Jeff did, but she was just power hungry and thrill seeking out of killing, so sense she has no self inflicted physical marks, once she came to the underworld, she had a skull in the iris of her eye (this kinda came out of the "the eyes are the Window to the soul" thing, and sense she literally wanted the death of others, she had a skull on her eye)

What pastas will I include? (if you are interested in having me do a y/n x creepypasta thing and you wanna know who I am including then this list is for you!)

-Jeff the killer

-Ben drowned

-Jane the killer

-Will grossman

-laughing jack

-nina the killer

-hoodie/Brian (I won't include marble hornets so here hoodie/Brian are the same, same goes for masky/Tim)

-masky/timothy

-sherry(my OC)

-eyeless jack

-slenderman

-ticci toby

-amelie/lady(my OC)

-amari(my OC)

-clockwork

-Damien (my OC)

-hobo heart

-offenderman

-splendor

-puppeteer

-zalgo

Info of the demons

They all have different personalities, morals, and different beliefs. So just because they are demons, it doesn't mean everyone is evil (except for zalgo, he's an evil mf)

-Some of them teach at the institution or schools

-they can make deals with anyone from the earth world and underworld

-sometimes they can take someone under their wing when they see potential in them

-Some of them have businesses, safe houses, proxies, etc just like slenderman

-sometimes they hire hitmen, bounty killers, and stalkers

Well that's it for now! I hope you like this concept I made!and like I said, I this is just for fun! Nothing of this is Canon for the original creators of the pastas or other characters, it's just something I made for my own entertainment and others!

[casiavium]

If selkie! Link is an AU no one asked for then idk what this is because I'm probably the only person who would want to combine these two things

or, Roman Empire Ghiralink

Outline of an AU/fic idea I will not write

If you've made it here I promise I will try to make this readable to someone who did not spend eight years of their life studying this stuff :)

Skyloft is an island off the coast of Britannia (Britain as a Roman province), the "Surface" is Rome itself & the surrounding Italian area. There's rumors that some of the Romans are blessed/cursed with the power of their gods and it has corrupted them beyond humanity (demons), and that their emperor is one of them

I'm not going one-to-one with the Skyward Sword plot for this (even though I could and it would make sense) because I don't really care about factoring Zelda in right now

SO Link living happy life in Skyloft still training to be a warrior for his village when the Romans attack, Skyloft is desperately underprepared and surrenders, no one gets hurt (so unrealistic but I'm keeping it PG and happy-ish)

Zelda knows she's the reincarnation of Hylia, it's like a priestess role she's been working with since birth. The Romans hate this because it puts her on the same level as their emperor gods or leaders like Cleopatra (Roman emperors were worshiped as gods especially after death, Egyptian pharaohs as the incarnations of Ra or Isis) Instead of killing her they choose to hurt someone close to her. She's still powerful, and they don't want to insight an uprising, they want to subdue her and make Skyloft cooperate. Conquered provinces were allowed to continue their religion as long as they added Roman gods to their pantheon, but in the case of Britannia druid priests were outlawed by Claudius to prevent rebellion so they did try to discourage Celtic paganism.

Link is special, he's been chosen by the Skyloft goddess Hylia to protect her reincarnation. Perfect to make an example out of. He gets taken back to Rome to become a gladiator, they honesty expect him to die during his first fight.

But he's good. So good he gets the attention of the emperor (which is Demise but that sounds so stupid when I say it like that) who wouldn't fight him himself, of course, but is interested in watching him die fight someone who is actually a challenge for him.

(Adding Fi to make it more complicated—Hylia gets him the magic sword somehow. these things just kind of happen in Roman mythology. Fi's still a sword spirit)

Ghirahim is head of the praetorian guard (guards the emperor & high level senators, massive amount of political power). The rumor is he's not human but a demon spirit, gifted to Demise by the gods to make him invincible. This is kinda true, he's Demise's sword, and though he's head of the guard he often gets special treatment and is more of a pet and a figurehead than he is allowed to be a leader. Ghirahim feels slighted, he's a powerful sword that deserves to be used in battle. The praetorian guard could overthrow the emperor because of the power they held (and they did, several times), but Ghirahim can't disobey Demise and despite being head of the guard he doesn't have much control over them.

Back to Link. Demise is interested in this young warrior from a weak province, wants to watch him fight someone his own skill level, who better than Ghirahim (symbolic shit, civilized Rome conquers the barbaric province). Duels to the death didn't happen that often, but for a big political spectacle like this, one of them (Link) is gonna die

Gladiator fights were somewhat staged, so there is some training that has to go into Link & Ghirahim's fight. During this time they speedrun enemies to lovers, but they're still preparing to kill each other. (maybe not so speedrun. These things take a lot of planning, it's not like they'd be the only ones fighting on the day they're scheduled too. They'd make it a huge deal with their fight the main event. ask me about the different types of battles in the Colleseum I'll infodump)

At some point before the end they get taken to the palace for a mock fight at a party (where they do not kill each other, they need to be alive for later) and Link wins. Was it staged to make the stakes seem higher? Ghirahim would say so, and that was the plan, but he really did lose to Link. Link, sword to Ghirahim's neck, realizes he can't kill him when the time comes.

Ghirahim on the other hand gets pissed at Link, who doesn't know why, and Ghirahim almost kills him in a private real fight. Demise's orders stop him from doing it, but Ghirahim was 100% ready to end Link's life. Ironically what gets Ghirahim on Link's side is the fact that he couldn't kill him because of the orders.

So Link and Ghirahim team up to assassinate Demise and there's some Katniss killing President Coin type of thing going on. They find a bunch of loopholes so Ghirahim can go around Demise's orders, get the rest of the praetorian guard on their side. (When the time comes Demise won't order Ghirahim to kill Link, he'll give him the thumbs up meaning kill ASK ME ABOUT THIS AS WELL but the action doesn't specify who)

When the final battle comes and Ghirahim wins, he looks to Demise for the order to kill Link and kills him instead.

Somehow they escape back to Skyloft (getting separated on the way for some extra angst), Link is Ghirahim's new master (he wouldn't have been next in line for emperor anyway), and they live as happily ever after as they can get in the 2nd century AD

[hyliacursed]

                the  villagers  of  kakariko  spot  the  once-royal  highness  emerging  from  the  elder’s  household,    moving  stiltedly  as  to  awkwardly  hover  around  the  raised  patio.    helpless,  they  try  not  to  mind  the  sheikah  passersby  sparing  them  an  awed  glance  ---    the  last  time  they  were  here,      they  were  glowing  in  a  tattered,  bloody  dress      (  which,  as  well  as  one  could  expect,  caused  an  amassed  alarm  among  the  second  busiest  village  in  hyrule.  )

                they  want  to  rebuild  hyrule,  they  really  do.  that  was  the  bare  minimum  of  their  responsibilities  after  surviving  the  tragic  destruction  of  their  longstanding  nation...  but  such  an  arduous  task  did  not  have  to  mean  reviving  the  royalty  that  once  presided  over  the  country,  did  it  ?      “  the  people  wouldn’t  want  this  strange  witch  suddenly  claiming  to  be  their  ruler,  ”    zelda  told  the  elder  as  much,  and  then  more  selfishly  thinking  ‘  there  is  nothing  left  to  rule  over.  they  are  happy  without  me.  '

                understandably,  impa  took  such  a  monumental  offense  to  this  notion  that  zelda  gingerly  walked  out  of  the  room  to  escape  the  tension  in  the  air.  they  didn’t  even  stop  to  listen  to  impa’s  reasons.

                they  startle  when  they  meet  another  face  so  dangerously  close  as  they  turn.  ah,  it’s  just  paya  .    the  sheikah  people  are  always  so  surreptitious  when  they  move  about  ---  in  a  brief  state  of  whimsy,  zelda  thinks  of  how  delightful  it  would  be  to  study  what  properties  make  them  so,  but  now,   they  can  only  sigh,    hoping  that  paya  isn’t  here  to  collect  them  or  send  them  away.    “  ...i’ve  upset  your  grandmother,  haven’t  i  ?  ”

        ‘  (  🌟        @onverslagen​  ❤️’d  for  a  starter  !

[ashleyswrittenwords]

How to be a Queen [Part 25]

Summary: Princess Zelda is at a loss. Her handed royal responsibilities have begun to weigh heavily on her and she is eventually backed into a corner. Live a life she loathes or run away from everything she’s ever known? Navigating life is hard, and Link forces her to learn that she doesn’t have to do it alone.

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Part 1

How To Be A Queen

I’m afraid your apologies fall upon blind eyes. The fact that you were able to sneak three letters was a surprise in itself. Please do not believe you have the power to bring your queen to her knees by missing your imaginary quota. We have a mutual understanding of priorities.

Remember, your safety is my everything.

No matter how you prefer it not to be.

Days folded into weeks and I was tied fast to the rolling waves.  

The goddesses willed today to be kind. The skies were clear and though summer was coming to an end, the breeze that rustled the trees was still warm. Hyrule Castle’s grounds are expansive and stretch into densely wooded forests owned exclusively by the Crown. Birds chirped sweet songs from the tall branches alongside the distant hum of the royal apiaries.

I shrieked. A clank of metal cut through the peacefulness.

My thin blade raked against the ground before its little momentum made it favor one side and hit the clay lamely. The backside of my hand burned an angry red and I pressed my lips together to hold a curse. The attacker, who I tossed an evil glare at, laughed gutturally.

“Infirmi vehvi.”

The passing glance turned into a scowl. I straightened, shooting a pointed accusation at Urbosa. “I am not weak.”

The corner of her mouth hiked upward. She even bent down to grab my weapon for me, tossing it my way instead of handing it over. I let out a short gasp as my fumbling hands took hold of the hilt.

“Oh, you’ve been studying!” Urbosa clapped mockingly with her own blade. “A shame your swordplay doesn’t match your academia.”

The sword was heavy in my hand, almost weighty enough that I needed to use both arms. My biceps burned and breath didn’t come to me easily. I let the weapon droop, a particularly undignified stance. “Impa, I implore you to reconsider.”

A tea table with two petite chairs sat at the edge of the copse. It didn’t belong with the scenery and had been drug from the castle several weeks ago. Impa looked up, languish in her movements as she pulled down her spectacles – another quality to her that made her seem so much older than she was. Odd rocks acted as paperweights to hold down the documents before her.

“Certainly, Your Majesty,” she said, dryly. “Inform me of which physical activity you prefer.”

I almost whined. “None. This is counterintuitive.”

“And wasting away in your office is better? No, don’t say your bedchambers because I have caught you time and time against sneaking letters out in the middle of the night,” Urbosa leaned on one hip.

Honestly? Even when I stamped my foot on the dirt and made a child of myself in front of the royal guard, I couldn’t completely disagree. It was mid-August in central Hyrule and for weeks at a time I would go without seeing the sun. Urbosa and Impa had been scheming for this together; forcing me outdoors to play petty games and when I vehemently worked against them under the guise of productivity, they played a hand I hadn’t seen coming.

“Ah, well,” my advisor sat back in her garden chair, towards her work. “I ponder how I should word a castle report to General Forester now that our Queen has given up swordplay.”

“Impa!” I met Anju who nervously shrugged from across the table.

As much as I hated it, Link didn’t need another disappointment. No matter how inferior, especially as of late. The supply line had been established by the time any skirmishes began. Though, from the coming reports, it was a project that was started far too late. Our strength out bested Gerudo forces as they were largely unorganized – at first. The following battles showed their adaptiveness and exposed our own faults.

It seemed that no matter how fortified the supply line grew, there would always be an attempted attack. Seasoned travelers were growing rightfully paranoid and provisions couldn’t be sent in large quantities, which burdened both the army and Gerudo Town.

And worse, the usurper was gaining ground.

Refugees were pouring from the Gerudo capital and, to my horror, learned that they attacked groups with small children. In our correspondences, I had to plead with Link to force one of his admirals to send men to sponsor their treks. There wasn’t opposition in his letters, but the strain in sparing troops was evident.

If they take the capital, then it will give reason to fear they will be able to travel north, Link had written. Fierlin has already proposed to establish a temporary camp by the Great Plateau, but I can’t do that to them now. Not this early on.

By them he meant his admirals, his captains, his men. I understood why Whitehurst had stopped me one day in the halls, admitting something he would never tell his counterpart.

“If you ever doubt our choice,” he had said with an uncharacteristically sound smile. “Nathaniel spoke of him several times after he pushed for replacement hearings.”

Urbosa attempted to bait me into swinging blindly again by lightly touching her blade to mine. Instead of loosening myself to anticipate her attacks, I tensed at the threat of suffering another rude smack to my wrist. The sight made her reprimand me.

“Feet parted!” she shouted, swiping at my feet. I gave a pathetic hop out of an irrational fear that my ankles would be cut through. She would never do anything to hurt me and the action was mostly born of annoyance: I haven’t been the ideal student she had been hoping for.

“Truly, Urbosa.” My voice was shaking more than I needed it to. “This is very harsh on a beginner!”

“Forgive me, my Queen,” Urbosa said without a drop of sorrow. Then, she smiled with a measure of mischievous. “Although you did have the advantage of Hyrule’s most renowned swordsman as your knight attendant.”

“Renowned?” I yelped as her sword clashed against mine. She was holding back, I knew, but my arm wavered under the kickback. “I had no idea that standing beside a person warrants a personal gain of their skill.”

Her response was in Gerudo and I paused our circling to process the words. I had been studying the language during my downtime. Since the Gerudo aristocracy was being housed within the castle, there was no shortage of conversation partners. Some words I couldn’t make out yet the little I could made my face catch a rosy red beyond the sweat that caught my forehead.

“That is entirely unwarranted!”

I swung back against her sword with the strength she had been vying for. It made me curse myself when the pride in her face swelled. Urbosa harked out her triumph, “Translate your emotions into force. Even the most beautiful of desert flowers bare thorns.”

A strand of hair had loosened from my braid and in grew matted against my damp forehead. “Some find my words to be prickly, but my bite has no comparison.”

“Depending on your opponent,” Urbosa nodded as I mirrored her footwork. I was a little shaky, my feet stuttering to match her own while keeping in mind where her eyes were. “Words with a sharp tongue can strike deeper than any blade. However, I think we can both agree that action has more immediate results.”

Our sparring went on until my muscles trembled and the soles of my feet were sore. We weren’t alone either. The notion of a group of noblewomen seeking solitude amidst wartime was laughable at best, outright reckless at worse. The ten men that surrounded us were once apart of my father’s personnel, an inner circle of knights who were both experienced and battle hardened. They were at ease, much to my preference, taking turns scouting the area and sharing a basket of foodstuffs. At one point I had suggested they be allowed to join in the war effort but I was told that my general wouldn’t even entertain the notion when it presented itself.

Still, I did my best to converse with those within the King’s Guard (a name I hadn’t had the energy to bother with changing). They were typically older men with families of their own presiding within the capital; each a story of their own that I would think of in the night when news trickled in riddled with death and carnage.

The victories, despite being so sparse, hadn’t allowed me any reprieve. My whereabouts were a constant reminder of my privileges, luxuries I didn’t feel fit for. Guilt – or was it shame? – made a home in the back of my mind when I would yearn for more than what my power could afford. As with my materials, I was rich in company to dine with. Platters that would never grow scant and goblets that would never run dry.

My father, Impa, Urbosa, and an army of advisors were dazzled by my smiles and ability to save face in adversary. There would always be those against war and my court was not without; all I could do was take it in strides with each evening I entertained the court.

“Any news?” I said to Impa as I maintained a neutral expression. Courtiers twirled about the floor, most were newly returned from the summer harvests and ready to gain favor with their still-new Queen. Little factions of particular lords and ladies clung to the borders of the throne room, gossiping or scheming, I couldn’t tell. But, really, was there a difference?

It almost made me regret not socializing with these people in my youth. Not that Father would permit such free time.

Without turning my head, I heard her make a noise of acknowledgment. “Nothing of consequence, dear.”

Exhaustion was heavy in her murmur. The real question was if that exhaustion was born of current events and from me. I kept the inquiry on my tongue.

“If there is,” I kept my voice low. “Please send them to my room.”

She didn’t need to respond. I stood, acting indifferent to the hundreds of eyes watching me and made my own way to the door. The upside to power was the lack of need to request an exit. Outside the doors was a man of the Knight’s Guard taking leave of another who he was talking to. I nearly felt bad for abruptly ending their conversation.

The knight bowed to someone behind me and Urbosa made herself known in a formal Gerudo fitting; glittering gold that would look odd on anyone that wasn’t her.

“Do you need accompaniment?”

I didn’t need to downplay the tiredness in my movements for her. “No, enjoy the reveling without me. I know how much you like the festivities and all too well of our aristocratic visitor’s tendencies to celebrate nothing until dawn.”

There was a critical look in her eye before it fell to a degree of understanding. We bid one another an uneventful goodnight with a short hug and I made my way towards the spiraling staircases without a care if there was anyone following.

My rooms were a bit tidier than I had left them. The bed was made with fresh linen and my night dress was spread over the covers neatly. Silently, I thanked myself for having Anju teach me how to lace a front-facing corset and let the drapes of fabric fall around my feet. Not long after, I was between the covers already half-way into sleep.

My mind clung onto the little consciousness I had left and I began to feel as if I were missing something. I tensed, the attempt to fall asleep slightly dashed.

He’s not here, I told myself, he’s not here and there is nothing I can do in this moment nor the next. The thought swirled like a mantra, but even then the coldness of the pillow beside me left no aid. A silly notion to miss a moment you felt only once in your life.

Step… two-three. Step.. two-three. Step… two-three.

A waltz, or at least a whisper of one, danced through me and into the movements that were both mine and not. My recollection didn’t come from seeing but knowing that I was in the throne room. It was much different from tonight, emptied and desolate.

“Do I humor you?”

The man with striking eyes was here, the charm of before now replaced with an intimidating seriousness. I wanted to spit venom at this nightmare and tell him he hadn’t broken me after all, but just like last time I wasn’t here to do that. His gaze was glowering, heated with all intentions that dream me ignored.

We took a turn about the room. I tilted my head and blinked up at him, “Only in the ways you hate.”

The words were backed by the knowledge of who he was. Knowledge I desperately tried to learn as I searched his vague outline.

Who are you? Tell me.

There was little response to my utterance aside from the slight pressure on my waist, which only caused a smile to form on my lips – barely there at all. I was teasing.

The pressure disappeared instantly. “You have met him.”

I watched him carefully now, feeling suspicious of his tone.

“We will always meet.”

The man’s chest heaved in laughter. “Yes,” he harked, “Indeed we will, but that was not in the way you and I shall. Never in the manner that he dallies in. We have an… inclination to put aside petty discrepancies, wouldn’t you agree?”

Confusion soured me. It was odd to feel like a third wheel in a conversation I was meant to be partaking in. Words bubbled in my chest yet I seemed to decide otherwise. He made a sound.

“Alas, you need not to tell me. Your ways speak clear that the mortal walks in your steps. Worshipping you like the dog you’ve made him.”

“You have come to mock me. Nothing more? As my children starve under your thumb?” I scowled, itching to say more but biting down on my urge. Already, I had said to much.

“Oh, no, my love,” he spat, “I have come to sing you sweet songs of our future.”

Suddenly, I was taken by scenes from far places. The heat was stifling, so hot I could hardly breath under the blaring sun. There was commotion around me and noise of huffing horses as wagons of supplies were being carried away. A quick glance at myself in my night gown said that no one could see me when they walked passed.

I breathed in the dry air, turning when I heard a particular conversation.

“The transport cases are too heavy for the mules to pull at once.”

It came from a large tent, the opening flap fluttering in a breeze that was just as hot as the air around it. This was unmistakably the Gerudo Desert and my chest grew wanton at the thought of who was inside. The business around me toned down and I took my first steps towards the tent.

My breath rattled uneven in my chest as my thoughts were spoken without the shapes of my lips.

“Why are you showing me this?”

Soft dissuasions beat vaguely against my urge to continue on, but my newfound control of my body and piqued curiosity were overwhelming. I pushed back the tent opening to see a dimmer setting. Light filtered through the canvas and persisted enough to void the need for lanterns. A large table sat in the middle of the space, littered with books and loose papers. Unpacked boxes coincided with the miscellaneous items and at the table, bending over to speak, was a man in uniform.

However, I didn’t pay much attention to him. The one in the chair held me rapt. I was unable to feel the carpet under my feet as I walked further within the tent, not particularly caring about much else.

“Then let’s pull them one by one.”

He was seated with his back to me and now I could make out the unmistakable wheat-blond hair. The man, officer, he spoke to sagged slightly in posture. “But, sir, by then-”

“Burn them,” my general said chastely, “Unless you plan to leave them as a gift to the our Gerudo friends, we either take our supplies with us or burn it. I have no intention of assisting in even the smallest stick of firewood. Is that clear, Captain?”

The tone he employed was foreign to me. Link sat up, looking at him where I could a glimpse of his side profile. My heart ached in a way I hadn’t expected. The man gave a silent sigh.

“Yes sir.”

Without another word, the captain stood straight and walked by me without an ounce of awareness. I swallowed, watching Link lean over what he was working on. Warily, I approached him and studied the way his appearance had changed.

How many months has it been already? Four, almost five months since his departure.

More importantly, how was this possible?

His hair was hardly tamed and seemed to had been shorn with a blunt tool – probably a knife. Ruminants from the vast sands clung from his cheeks to his hands, a testament to his time out here. It was obvious that he wasn’t happy and studied the pages of a book with heavy eyes that hadn’t closed for sleep in far longer than I cared to examine. One of his hands thumbed the next page while the other braced the side of his face as he slumped over the table, a straight seat long abandoned after the captain left.

Link looked far older than he was.

I watched his eyes skim the words and whispered uselessly, “I wish I could help you.”

Blue eyes wandered astray in my direction. I thought they would see right through me as all the others but instead…

“Zelda?”

A breath caught in my throat as his expression of distress morphed from shock to disbelief to a certain relief. “Goddess, Zelda… what are you… what are you doing here?”

Link stood to his full height, clad in uniform and every emotion flashing over him.

“This is a dream,” I immediately said, staggering back. His confusion followed me.

“What do you mean?”

He began taking steps toward me.

“This is a dream,” I repeated, this time more persistent.

It barely occurred to me that we weren’t in the tent anymore. We weren’t anywhere. Link didn’t seem to care. He smiled, reaching towards me.

“I don’t understand,” he shook his head. “I don’t understand, but I don’t have to. I missed you, Zelda. More than anything.”

Link’s eyes held an adoration that I had always yearned for… and yet it was out of place. His hands shook as they closed around my shoulders. “I thought about you every night, Zelda. I crave only you and your light. Your love and pity. I have prayed for a moment like this and here you are!”

“Link-”

“Don’t you get it?” his volume raised sharply. “I do this all for you. I slave for you, I plead for you, I kill for you!”

Then a sickening wet sound cut through his speech. He looked down first and I followed to where his gaze stopped.

Red coated his uniform, staining the midnight blue darker around the tear. Protruding from his abdomen was a silver blade tinged in his blood. I think I might have screamed. He looked back up at me with blank eyes and made a choking sound. Link’s lips formed a word.

I wasn’t in a tent with my dying general. I wasn’t anywhere, but I could still see the image of him dying in my arms with overpouring blood running from his stomach. I wanted to scream. I wanted to sob. Only tears ran from my eyes as the man of my nightmares swung me through our dance.

“A reminder of what I’ve done in the past. A warning of what I’ll do in the future.”

 ---

I had awoken in a sheet of sweat and tears. My throat was scratchy from the sobs of my sleep and I didn’t move to begin my day immediately. I spent the early morning hours curled in a ball on my bed without the energy to cry more nor the exhaustion to fall back to slumber.

Anju found me staring into the shadows of my room and decided to fetch my breakfast from the kitchen for me. While she sat with me, stirring a cup of strong tea in her hands, I didn’t talk about my dream and allowed her to tell me all the silly rumors the castle maids push around. Gratefulness ebbed at me with every smile she pulled from my lips. I still don’t think I deserve her loyalty and friendship.

“Any decent ones about me?”

She took a long sip of her tea, rolling her eyes. “Some ladies of the court fancy a royal wedding. They don’t have much care for wars.”

I hummed my understanding and took my time spreading strawberry jam on toast. “Predictable. I don’t blame them for looking for distraction. I’m sure the bordering lands have heightened concerns with quartering troops.”

My maid paused. “Quartering troops?”

I blinked. It was a dream, I thought harshly. It was a dream and nothing more. Why am I scaring her by thinking it was true?

“I meant for the injured,” I mended hastily. “Transport isn’t so secure until you cross Lake Hylia and some feel more comfortable healing in the towns than traveling all the way here.”

“Ah,” she nodded, “I suppose they aren’t as patriotic as I thought. I get it, though, I would be uncomfortable by the idea too. You know how Kafei and my father feel about taking holiday away from here.”

I breathed a breath of relief.

The remainder of the morning went without a hitch. I hadn’t received any intel overnight and despite my increased pestering, my inbox lacked anything regarding the war to the southwest. It seemed that my mind had fled any sense of reason regarding the mythos of premonitions. I jumped at any counsel about the conflict or how Admiral Byron’s spies should proceed.

I frowned at the sound of another unsuccessful mission. “I want eyes on him.”

“We have been monitoring their encampments for months,” Byron gestured to the war room’s map. “All aspects of their movements are accurate to the square footage.”

Half of the admirals, including Whitehurst and Fierlin, had taken leave early this month while the other end of the cabinet returned to Hyrule Castle.

“That’s not what I meant,” I watched the short man carefully. “General Forester has written that the war prisoners regard him with a reverence of a king. Please recall to me one specification he has recalled for us.”

He rustled through his papers before coming upon one and folded his arms over it. “The one true King of the Gerudo, Your Majesty,” he exhaled, then looked at me with tired eyes. “He is nothing but a usurper, a traitor, of the aristocracy.”

“How am I to react when I have no description of this man? When our men only hear of him as this… fabled legend? I will not accept the prolonging of that,” I sighed. “Do you see where my plight is coming from, Admiral Byron? I realize you’re without a doubt an accomplished man and leader within my army, however this problem still pesters me.”

The man pressed his mouth into a fine line, looking down. “I do. Moving forward I will follow through with this issue and provide you with results. Though I assure you that this Ganondorf is only below you, I will unmask him all the same.”

I bent my head towards him with a smile. “You are will met, sir. Thank you.”

The meeting in the war room was productive and filled appropriate guidelines to send Link’s way. I was pleased to see a familiar face.

“Sir Elian!” I grinned when he approached me after the meeting. “What a pleasant surprise!”

The knight took a short bow with a muddied helmet cradled under the crook of his arm. He must have just arrived in time for the next set of deliverables. I had seen him every now and again lately; his visitations becoming scarce as the war drew on and more precautions were put into place on the road.

“Queen Zelda,” Elian acknowledged kindly. “It seems the news hadn’t arrived yet. I was recently handed down a promotion.”

A conservative smile graced him as he sat on his heels, making the extra stripe on his uniform more pronounced. I clapped my hands together at his bravado.

“My apologies, Captain,” I laughed and voiced my congratulations. He deserved it, after all. There weren’t many that are up to the task of supervising shipments in this climate. “I must attend to Lady Urbosa in the gardens, however you’re more than welcome to accompany me.”

“Why, I could never turn you down,” he acquiesced.

The path from the war room was winding if one wanted to go to the gardens and I was happy to have a companion. I learned from our conversation that the roads were steadily becoming less fraught with ambush but it did little to calm the nerves of anyone who travelled.

“The Rito are slowly warming up to the idea of aerial surveyance. Especially now that we’ve proven to uphold our trade agreements,” I told him. “Their ambassador and Lady Urbosa butt heads constantly during court. It hardly helps.”

Elian chuckled. “I wonder if the threat is the reason why they’re barely trying to thwart us.”

That made me turn to him with concern. “Do you think they monitor that?”

“If the walls have ears, I wonder how they use our secrets?”

I was about to ask him to elaborate when a strangled noise of a shout cut me off. The gardens were around the corner when we heard it.

“Where is she?” a voice boomed down the hall. “Relinquish me and tell me where she is!”

When I realized that Urbosa was shouting over the demanding voice, I gathered my skirts to avoid falling on my face and ignored Elian’s warnings. Once I rounded the corner I saw Lord Ibauna staring down Urbosa’s sword. Guards stood around them, unsure of what to do.

“What is the meaning of this?” I said about their shouting match. Ibauna twisted to me with eyes full of malice.

His fists clenched tightly. “It’s your fault! My brother is dead and it is your fault!”

Lord Ibauna began towards me with a heavy foot, fury red in his face and step. Elian blocked his path with a heavy pull of his sword from its sheath. Two guards wrangled him to a stop before he made it to us and made him kneel. One of the man looked up with question.

“Lady Urbosa?” I asked, looking between her and Ibauna with growing worry.

“He approached me in the gardens looking for you,” she sniffed in his direction, “I wouldn’t tell him where you were because I’ve heard tales of his insolence… then he began insulting your honor, Your Grace.”

“Because you are leading a losing war!” Ibauna yelled, struggling against his binds. “We’re being slaughtered. Don’t pretend, Princess! I have seen the reports and the dead eyes of my family. Give up the aristocracy to Ganondorf!”

I stared, words refusing to surface on my lips.

“Apologies, Your Majesty,” a guard said, pulling the lord harshly back to his feet. “We should lead him to the dungeons for his sharp tongue. At your word, of course.”

I pulled at my fingers and couldn’t look away from his anger. Thankfully, my voice found me. “Who is it you speak of? How do you know that name?”

Lord Ibauna seemed to sober up and watched me with suspicion. “Consider it, Zelda. The very basis of this war is within an area that does not affect us. Send the aristocracy back and let them handle their own mess.”

I considered him coldly and nodded at the guards. He struggled against their hold, “I know who you are, girl! You’re meant to be a goddess among men yet you lead us towards tyranny and death!”

His screams haunted down the hall and I startled when Urbosa sheathed her sword. She gave me a look of concern.

“I suppose our teatime is cancelled?”

“Yes, I – um – I feel a little faint and I should retire,” I said, frowning. My mind worked through his words and felt a feeling I hadn’t since I was a girl. An impossible responsibility setting itself on my shoulders. A crown too heavy to bear. I turned to Elian, “I have another message for you if you wouldn’t mind.”

How did he know that name? The same way Link had learned of it?

Lord Ibauna came from money nearly older than the Crown. His silver spoon kept him from any type of military service that may be passed to an ordinary man. Very much like his family, he sought to gain favor in court circles through ways of blackmail and empty promises; a prime example was his attempted seduction of me at the ball. Everything he did was a double edged sword and when his first plan is rejected, another more devious execution settles into place – that being my subsequent judgement from my father.

The only regret I have now was not wearing more rings on my fingers when I hit him.

My hands were shaking when I reached my quarters. Despite my reassurances that I was fine, both the captain and Urbosa followed me. I asked them to wait outside as I scrambled through my desk drawers for my ink pot and pen.

I was going to write to Link to go through with moving resources back behind our lines. If he didn’t want to transition his men there immediately, fine, but I wasn’t about to let pride put anyone at risk. He wasn’t going to be happy… though there would be a good chance he would understand.

A flash of yellow out of the corner of my eye made me freeze. My desk was cluttered already but the yellow yarn was unmistakable. I forced myself to look at the black button eyes and the mouth the formed a slight frown. My mind tried to process when I had taken it from my drawers. Surely, I hadn’t forgotten. In reality, I had gone out of my way not to see it at all and briefly contemplated discarding it. I rose to my feet and swallowed my nerves, almost completely collected when I saw what the doll laid upon.

An envelope, sealed by red wax, was positioned on the side of my desk. It was in a place I knew for certain had been empty this morning.

Tentatively, I skipped the letter opener and ripped an opening with my hands. The doll fell to the floor. My movements were frantic, shaking, as I scanned the words within.

Someone had broken into the castle to place this in my room.

Someone had access to this wing of the grounds and placed this in my room.

Someone had been in my room.

With my introduction having been made, I patiently await yours.

Ganondorf, King of the Gerudo

[morbidcorvids]

I just read ur halloween fic!! And it's adorable!! Can I also request a prompt? This is their highschool years btw and its about Hizashi, Shouta, Oboro, Nemuri, Kan and Tensei having a halloween party and also having a contest on who could have the best costumes! And the two winners would be going on a date. This was set up by Nemuri, Oboro, Kan and Tensei cause they know that Shouta and Hizashi had been dancing around each other for a few years and they wanted to help. So yeah XD Hizashi goes as Hatsune Miku! Which as he likes to call it, Present Miku! XD

Happy Halloween! I’m sorry this took *forever*, but it became much longer than anticipated. I loved the whole idea of Present Miku! Hope you enjoy!

Sorry for any grammar or spelling mistakes!

Title: Present Miku

If only he had put a bit more effort into his costume, his friend Kan wouldn’t have felt as personally offended. 

“You know, you could have at least bought one from the dollar store instead of wearing your black curtains as a cape,” Kan remarked, crossing his arms. 

Shouta shrugged as he sat down next to Oboro, “I wasn’t going to come in a costume, but Nemuri warned me that if I didn’t dress up then she would make a scene on my birthday.” 

“What type of scene?” Oboro asked, getting comfortable on the couch as he opened his tenth candy wrapper for the night. 

“She didn’t specify, but honestly, I‘d rather not know,” Shouta responded, laying back on the couch as he gestured for Oboro to grab him a candy from the bowl. 

Even if it wasn’t his original idea to attend the party, he had to admit, Tensei’s house was pretty impressive. From the moment he stepped onto the front gates, Shouta felt out of place with his cheap cape and DIY fangs. As the gates opened, he could see the massive garden filled with colorful plants and fancy statues. There was even a mini pond with lily pads that ran probably the bluest water Shouta had ever seen. 

As he approached the huge double doors, Tensei was already waiting for him with that flashy smile that captivated everyone in class 1-A. With the best grades in the class, and being a descendant from a family of heroes, it was no wonder he became the president of 1-A. 

When Shouta first arrived at class 1-A after transferring from General Studies, he hadn’t expected such a warm welcome from the president. The one from General Studies displayed a high ego and God complex that was unbearable most of the time. Tensei let Shouta feel included the second he entered his new classroom, and introduced him to Hizashi and Oboro - his current two best friends. 

As Tensei let him inside the house, he was greeted by an ecstatic Nemuri, who was wearing a scantily clad Poison Ivy costume. Already seeing Tensei’s detailed costume of Link from Legend of Zelda and the custom made Poison Ivy outfit from Nemuri made Shouta feel like the odd one out with his poor excuse of a costume. It didn’t help immediately getting berated by Kan for “not putting effort into his Dracula costume”. Though he had to admit; he completely forgot about Kan’s attendance and how...insensitive it would be to come with a poorly done Dracula outfit. Kan’s family, who all have similar quirks that deal with blood, practically venerate the Draculian lore. 

Kan was dressed as a chef, claiming the film Ratatouille inspired him. Shouta just rolled his eyes at the explanation and walked towards the living room. His eyes scanned the enormous living room, finding Oboro sitting down on a couch that probably cost more than his parent’s apartment. 

He currently sat on that same couch, waiting for the last person to arrive. He sighed as Oboro’s white wings hit him in the face again for the fifth time. His friend opted to dress as an angel, and his explanation was even worse than Kan’s. 

“Well, for one, I am an angel. Two, I am really feeling like acting as Cupid today,” Oboro stated, fluttering his eyes as he smiled at Shouta. 

Shouta groaned, “are you sure it isn’t an excuse to use your clouds as a substitute for pants?” 

Oboro cackled as he handed Shouta a piece of chocolate. They began talking with Kan about the scariest experiences they had with the supposed supernatural. Kan was in the middle of explaining the footsteps he used to hear walking back and forth on his apartment’s hallway at 3 in the morning when the lights were suddenly turned off. 

Shouta looked at Oboro in confusion, who stared back at him with the same puzzlement. Rays of lights invaded the room as a certain pop song blared through the speakers. Shouta winced as he covered his ears. The loud music sort of reminded him of someone…

Tensei appeared from the entrance of the living room, looking unfazed. He turned on the microphone he was holding, which let out an unpleasant howling noise. Tensei smiled apologetically, and sighed before using the microphone to speak. 

“People of Halloweentown, get ready for the greatest pop star of our generation. Please receive the wondrous, fantastic, fabulous, talented, and amazing: Present Miku!” 

Nemuri released a giant confetti cannon, which sprinkled all across the room - blinding Shouta. Of course, Shouta thought, Hizashi would be one for dramatic entrances. 

Hizashi suddenly appeared with a microphone on his hands, and began lip-syncing to the song that was still playing from the speakers. Kan leaned towards Shouta and Oboro as he covered his ears. 

“What song is this?!” He yelled, yet Shouta could barely hear him as the song blasted through their ears. Oboro laughed hysterically as he moved to the beat of the song. 

“It’s a Hatsune Miku song!” Oboro replied, “I think it is called ‘Desert Wolf’!” 

“Is it the vocaloid girl he is obsessed about?” Shouta asked. His ears finally adjusted to the loudness that invaded the room. Someone would have believed he was prepared to be bombarded with sound, considering he was friends with Hizashi, the classmate with a Voice quirk. 

Oboro smiled widely. “What do you think?” he said, pointing at Hizashi. 

A long teal hair tied in pigtails adorned Hizashi’s head, falling to his hips. He wore a grey shirt that traced his waist with a black skirt. Shouta’s eyes lingered towards the bottom, where Hizashi posed with thigh high boots. 

Shouta had to admit, Hizashi looked really nice. 

It was clear that out of everyone here, especially Shouta, Hizashi put the most effort into his costume. He even had the clothing piece on his arms glow a color similar to turquoise. His tie had his name ‘Present Miku’ engraved on the top, with small pins of Hatsune Miku attached. 

Shouta caught Nemuri glancing at him, wiggling her eyebrows. He couldn’t help the slight blush that crept on his face as he looked away. 

The song soon ended, and Hizashi bowed, receiving applause from his friends. Oboro and Nemuri clapped loud and sincere, while Shouta and Kan clapped rather unenthusiastically. 

Hizashi proceeded to plop down in between Oboro and Shouta, putting his arms around them as he hugged them tightly. 

“Happy Halloween you two!” He exclaimed, flashing his brightest grin. 

“Took you long enough to arrive,” Shouta grumbled, leaning towards Hizashi’s embrace. He’s used to Hizashi’s shoulder being his personal pillow as he took a quick nap. 

He didn’t notice the way Oboro and Kan exchanged knowing looks to one another. They looked back to Nemuri, who nodded once in agreement. She approached the center of the room - heels clanking loudly. 

“As you know, there was supposed to be a costume contest,” she reminded, looking at Shouta with those disapproving eyes again. 

“The two people who win will get to go on a ‘fake’ date inside that door,” Nemuri explained, pointing her fingers at the closed white double doors at the right side of the room. 

“Tensei decorated it so that it may seem as authentic as possible.” 

“Authentic to what?” Shouta asked with his eyes closed, still leaning on Hizashi. 

“To a date, Shouta,” Nemuri replied with a smug smile, “so let’s start with the first lucky winner!” 

“Why do we need to do this now?” Shouta complained, “and also, don’t you think it is weird to make two people go on a forced date?” 

“Shut up, Shouta,” Nemuri scolded, being one of the few people that isn’t afraid to argue with him. His intimidating look might work on his classmates, but his upperclassmen friend isn’t threatened by those judging eyes. 

“Alright, remember not to vote for yourself!” Nemuri added, “pick a paper and once you write down your pick, just place it on this bowl.” 

She gleefully walked towards Tensei and sat next to him, writing down a name with her personal calligraphy pen. Shouta sighed as Hizashi passed him a piece of paper and pen. Might as well get this over with. 

He stared at the paper for a moment, remembering the details of everyone’s costumes. He didn’t even know why he was analyzing the costumes when he already knew the answer. 

He carefully wrote Hizashi’s name, tracing back the letters as he finished. He rarely got to write his friend’s name, yet it felt so familiar to him. 

He placed his paper into the bowl, and leaned back on the couch as he waited for the last person to cast their vote. Once Kan, the last one to vote, slipped his paper into the bowl, Tensei grabbed it and started counting. 

As they waited, Hizashi was acting as the DJ for the party, though it mostly consisted of Hatsune Miku songs. Shouta stood up once to grab a piece of pigs in a blanket. As he ate the small party appetizer, he sneaked a peek at Hizashi, who was dancing to the music with Nemuri. Shouta never knew Hizashi was talented at moving his hips. His heartbeat began quickening-

“I have counted the votes!” Tensei announced, beaming in front of his friends. 

“The winner is…” he began, and Oboro began tapping the table to mimic drums. 

“Present Miku!” 

Hizashi squealed, jumping up and down with Nemuri. 

“Can’t wait to see who will be my date!” 

“I feel like I know who,” Nemuri answered, looking straight at Shouta as she winked. What was she trying to say?

“Let’s not waste time and pick the second winner!” Nemuri sang, already picking up her piece of paper. 

“Wow, someone is excited,” Shouta joked in his deadpanned time. Nemuri stuck her tongue out at him before handing him another piece of paper. Shouta sighed again, but this time louder than before. 

Hizashi was busy talking to Oboro to notice Shouta next to him. Shouta wasn’t listening to their conversation - too busy thinking on who he would pick. I mean, it isn’t a hard choice. Just pick the second best costume. 

Still, there was something impeding him from writing another name. He knew it was just a stupid date that meant nothing other than a way for his friends to tease the ones that got chosen. 

Whoever got chosen meant they were going on a “date” with Hizashi. Shouta couldn’t explain why he felt an aching in his heart as he thought about it. 

He brushed off his thoughts and wrote Kan as his answer. He didn’t know why he chose Kan, since he was sure everyone would probably pick Tensei. The speedster definitely had the second best costume at the party.

Maybe it was the thought of seeing Hizashi and Tensei having a happy date at the other side of the room that swayed his decision. He knew Hizashi wasn’t interested in Kan, especially after that time Kan told him about the pet tarantula he used to have as a kid. 

Tensei, on the other hand, always seemed to make Hizashi smile with his stories about his baby brother Iida. 

Shouta could never make Hizashi smile the same way. 

Shouta felt someone flick a finger on his forehead, bringing him back to Earth. He turned to see Hizashi smiling fondly at him. 

“Shouta, are you done?” Oboro whined, “I want to know the next winner!”

Shouta hadn’t realized he was the last one left to place his vote. He quickly stood up and dropped his paper into the bowl as he ignored everyone’s stares. 

“Are you ready to know who your date is?” Nemuri teased Hizashi. The blonde man simply raised his thumb in excitement as he jumped up and down his seat. 

Tensei didn’t take long to count votes, considering there were only six of them. Shouta just sat there, wondering how Tensei felt about receiving most of the votes. He knew he wasn’t going to win, so why did he keep feeling this pain on his chest? 

“Guys, the final vote has been determined!” Tensei announced, standing up from his chair. Shouta briefly caught Nemuri giggling with Oboro and Kan giving a nod of approval to Tensei. 

Now that Shouta thought about it - the four had been acting very suspicious throughout the night. 

“And the winner is,” Tensei started, gesturing for Oboro to do his dramatic drums. 

“Dracula!” 

Everyone in the room cheered, except for two people. Shouta didn’t know how to process what had just happened. He just gazed at Hizashi, who was noticeably pale. 

He was probably expecting someone else. 

“I can’t believe my two best friends won!” Oboro shouted, “don’t try to have too much fun inside there. Got it?”

Shouta noticed Tensei helping Hizashi towards the other room. He noticed the loud hero unusually quiet - blindly following the blue-haired man. His vision was obstructed by Nemuri standing in front of him with a deceiving smile on her lips. 

“Are you ready, big boy?” 

“Nemuri, I don’t know what is going on but this was definitely a set-up,” Shouta blurted, “and I don’t like it one bit.”

“Sure you don’t, grumpy cat,” she replied, “c’mon, your date is waiting.” 

Before he knew it, Nemuri shoved him inside a dining room. The table only contained two chairs and was decorated with a white tablecloth and a rose in the middle. The plates already had a small meal, which included a portion of lobster. 

Hizashi was sitting down, looking back at Shouta with an apologetic smile. 

“I’m sorry they put you through this,” Hizashi said, “I don’t want you to feel uncomfortable.” 

“It’s fine,” Shouta answered a little too quickly. He was still shocked over the obvious setup from his friends. Why would they want him and Hizashi to go on a date?

Did they realize his feelings for Hizashi? Was this a cruel plan to get his feelings rejected by his crush? 

He ignored his thoughts and sat down on the empty chair. The two stayed quiet for a long moment, nervous to even stare at each other. 

Shouta broke the silence, “I don’t know why they chose me. I had the worst costume out of all of us.” 

“I think you look cute!” Hizashi blurted out, blushing deeply as he realized what he said. Shouta’s cheeks also turned into that dreaded crimson color. 

“Shouta…” Hizashi began, hesitance in his voice. The ravenette focused back on Hizashi, trying his best to compose his pumping heartbeat. 

“I guess I feel a bit more confident in this outfit, but I just wanted to say…” Hizashi continued, rubbing the back of his neck. 

“Hizashi just say it,” Shouta ordered, eyes fixated on Hizashi. 

“I like you, Shouta!” Hizashi exclaimed, covering his mouth with both hands after he finished. 

Shouta’s eyes widened at the revelation. His mouth dropped open in shock and the room grew dead silent. Both lay eyes on one another; fear of uncertainty emanating from both of them. Shouta lowered his arms, trembling as he grasped for his utensil. 

“I- I like you too, Hizashi,” Shouta confessed, staring down at his plate. 

“You- you do?” Hizashi cautiously asked, thinking he heard wrong. The silent teenager liked the loud one? Oh, the irony that is love. 

Shouta nodded slowly, playing with his fork. He was surprised when Hizashi began to giggle loudly. 

“I think I should take you on a real date!” Hizashi proclaimed with excitement. Shouta chuckled lightly, still a bit timid over the whole ordeal. 

Shouta was never one to celebrate Halloween, but this year’s would definitely be unforgettable. He was celebrating it with his closest friends. His only friends. 

But best of all, he was spending it with Present Miku - the best pop star in the world. 

“So what do you say?” Hizashi asked eagerly, awaiting Shouta’s answer.

Shouta just beamed at Hizashi - showing off his DIY fangs. 

“I think I’ll like that.” 

[spirit-science-blog]

“Time not important… only life important.” yep, we’re going there, things are about to get a little bit philosophical now that we’re dealing with the Fifth Element...no..not the Alchemical Quintessence, but close! That crazy 1990s Sci-Fi about a killer planet, the power of love… and… You know, Bruce Willis’s Wacky Taxi Adventures... and all that…

So, major spoiler alert… The fifth element is Love. Well, kind of...it’s this woman called Leeloominaï Lekatariba Lamina-Tchaï Ekbat De Sebat… For short, Leeloo is the fifth element, and in essence: a perfect, supreme being of sorts. In a way, she’s kind of like Avatar Aan, destined to unite with the other classical elements in an ancient Egyptian temple to act as a defense system against this super evil Dark Force called Mr. Shadow - which takes on the form of a cruel planet, whose only goal is to destroy life in a cosmic cycle every 5000 years.

It’s a movie that’s had its fair share of criticism, especially in the gender department… Leeloo is the only real female character, with others appearing randomly throughout as passive objects, sex objects, or with most of their femininity stripped away like Major Iceborg. Aside from the fifth element herself, there’s a real lack of divine feminine in this story, but then again, her nature itself does embody many characteristics of the divine feminine: powerful, unique, and beyond the understanding of nearly everyone that she meets.

Regarding the plot, we have kind of a Raava vs. Vaatu thing happening like from Legend of Korra… and it’s hard not to draw lines to Avatar here considering the whole elemental theme huh? In the intro, we see an archaeologist deciphering ancient words regarding the conjunction of celestial bodies, something we should all do more of you know? Which, by the way, if you haven’t picked up your edition of the 2021 Almanac of the New Age, I might highly recommend it, because it helps you do just that without being randomly surprised by a giant robot-alien! Before they show up though, the archaeologist has to keep yelling to Aziz to wake up, as the kid keeps nodding off… I wonder if this is subtly depicting how humanity keeps falling asleep and thus the light that illuminates sacred knowledge is not currently stable. Yet when the advanced beings come to show the way, the light is blinding… Powerful and concrete.

There’s also a sense here that humans are the custodians of Earth, so we have to protect it from darkness and destruction ourselves, and while these higher beings help when the time is right, they cannot do it for us. While Love is shown as this mythical force that these advanced beings can use to defeat the darkness, it could also be said that Love is neutral energy between Light and Dark, one that is capable of harmonizing both sides, ultimately resetting the cycle, something that is echoed in Zorg’s speech later on.

All this knowledge is of course passed down through a secret brotherhood of priests, acting as keepers through the generations, of which there are many stories of secret societies doing the same in our history, and amazingly in the future where the main story takes place, Priest Cornelius is also an “Expert of Astrophenomenon”. He’s not just an expert on the metaphysical, but also seemingly the scientific study of space, and there’s certainly a sense that he’s got that whole balance thing down to a tee, working to better his understanding of both science and spirit by combining the two fields.  

So when the military fires a bunch of missiles at Mr. Shadow, it’s interesting to see how they treat Cornelius, who tries to explain to them what Mr. Shadow is, to which he is mostly ignored, and they continue trying to brute force the problem. Yet Evil begets more Evil - as Cornelius explains, subtly referencing that the military's weapons, or at least their intentions. Mr. Shadow - symbolic of “our” shadow selves, demonstrates that it will grow in power if you try to destroy it with the same mindset that created it. The only way to truly harmonize the darkness is through love.

Even more impressive is this disconnect between the President of Earth and Earth itself. While, of course, they are trying to protect the earth and all of its life, when we see the world, we have to ask… are those living? Police and robots so heavily control everything, it’s smoggy, you see some crazy representations of people like the guy who tries to rob Korben in his apartment, and I’m not sure I saw a single tree…

Now, Major Dallas, to that end, of course, represents the divine masculine, also fulfilling the warrior archetype. While, of course, he checks all the classic hero tropes of the ex-lone warrior destined to save the world and fall in love with a perfect supreme sacred woman, the way it plays out DOES provides us with a bit of wisdom for ourselves concerning synchronicity. He describes that what he wants is to meet that perfect woman, and she falls from the sky into his cab. Perhaps this is a nod to manifestation in some way, as it’s their love story that’s the key to resolving the movie's conflict. It’s also a reminder for us that when we stumble into synchronicity, we have to be willing to take that leap of faith and follow where it leads us. For Korben, he has an opportunity to give LeeLoo up to the coppers but ends up putting his whole life at risk for her instead, but it’s THIS path that leads to the world being saved. Korben has to ask himself what’s important, following his heart and helping someone in need or earning more points on his taxi license…

Now, Leeloo on the other hand, through her character explores the nature of spirituality, DNA, and the physical capabilities of our souls within a body. A big topic in spirituality today is the science of ascension - we made a whole workshop on that which you can watch for free if you like - and what enlightenment might look like or do to our physical bodies. Leeloo’s DNA is perfect.. But it isn’t inhuman. There’s nothing really out of the ordinary about her DNA, she has the same genetic composition as us, just more of it, more tightly packed, allowing for greater inherent genetic knowledge and potential. Perhaps there’s a message here that the human genome is already whole, we just need to utilize its latent capabilities to find inner harmony, leading to a leveling up of what we are truly capable of.  

So if Korben was like Link and LeeLoo was Princess Zelda, Zorg would be Ganondorf, completing the trinity. Zorg actually drops some pretty interesting wisdom in his discussion with Cornelius. Despite his “evil” role, his whole name is Jean Baptiste Emanuel Zorg, being named after the prophet and saint in many religions, and Emanuel meaning ”God is with us” in Hebrew. Zorg explains that life itself results from chaos and disorder at times. He believes that by creating a little destruction, he is encouraging life to renew itself, so the Priest and he are really in the same business… while it might just sound like he’s been brainwashed by the Shadow, when we look deeper, we do find some hidden spirituality!

His ideology is in alignment with the wisdom of the importance and honorable role of darkness in our reality. Much like the tower or death card in the major arcana or the shells of the Qliphoth in the Kabbalah, agents of darkness often come to give structure, boundaries, and direction for light to move through, as well as clearing stagnant energy to make way for new and evolved paradigms. Much like the cycles and sine waves that move through nature, energy flows through peaks and valleys that balance each other out.

Zorg knows he is a monster and is proud of it. He’s a businessman at heart, powerful from the money of capitalism, and a reflection of society's state of awareness and evolution. As we mentioned, this future society is portrayed as consumerist and still dwelling on issues of pollution and crime, even in spite of great new technologies. Perhaps that’s why the Darkness had to come, to help propel the evolution of consciousness forward and bring about divine love. However, while the love between Korben and Leeloo is highly symbolic, it doesn’t seem to affect basically anyone else, which might call us to ask ourselves… would it have been better for humanity and its pollution to be destroyed? This - at the very least - seems to be the underlying thinking behind Zorgs criminal activity. Ultimately, in the face of darkness, humans must come together to accomplish things and stop evil, something we wouldn’t do otherwise… This is what makes us evolve as a species.

Zorg perfectly encapsulates his philosophy in his quote about glass, saying “this glass is serene and boring, but when destroyed, a lovely ballet ensues full of form and color”. He then knocks it off the table and a bunch of little vacuum cleaner droids come and clean it up. Describing that the “People who created them, technicians, engineers, now have money to feed their children. They are part of the chain of life".

Interestingly though, Zorg is only a monster because life experiences took him there, but he started like any of us. There is a nice lesson from Cornelius about how fickle life is: all of Zorg’s power counts for absolutely nothing when his entire empire comes crashing down because of one little cherry. Cornelius saves Zorg’s life regardless, showing us the virtue of the angels, even towards the demons.

When the team finally makes it to the alien space opera, we get to meet Ruby Rhod and Plavalaguna. Ruby is one of the most unique parts of this movie… Crazy sexual antics aside, he is unapologetically authentic to his true nature, bending gender standards and seemingly embodying masculine and feminine with grace and humor. Perhaps the epitome of the wacky human spirit. And then as for Plavalaguna, she has some very ascended master vibes. The Mondoshawans entrusted her with the safekeeping of the elemental stones, who actually carries them inside her body as a safeguard. From a Spiritual perspective, this seems to describe how we all embody the classical elements within us. She even senses Leeloo's presence behind a wall down the hallway, implying she has some measure of clairvoyance. Interestingly, like the Mondoshawan from earlier, she doesn’t seem overly concerned with her own death, echoing the movie’s sentiment that time is not important, only life. Deeper though, it appears that she knew she was going to die all along, in order for the stones to get out of her…. We’re not even gonna ask how she got the stones inside her in the first place...that’d be one hard pill to swallow, let alone perform an entire opera with these giant rocks in your belly. Mad props to her.

Perhaps the reason superior beings don’t fear death as we do is that they know the bigger picture, they know these lives are transitory, so they don’t mind dying for a cause, as they understand the purpose of this life in the bigger scheme of things. Knowing that the flux and flow between life and death is transient, they’ll be back in the right place and the right time as life requires it. In the same way, in traditional tarot the horse Death is riding, is stepping over a prone king, which symbolizes that not even royalty can stop change. Plava understands her role and accepts her death, after imparting wisdom to Dallas that Leeloo is still fragile and somewhat human, despite her seeming physical evolution.

This idea of Leeloo still being human, however, forms a key part of the ending, as up until this point she has been learning all of human history via an alphabetical database… When she learns of war, she loses hope in humanity after seeing the darker sides of our past. Certainly, we can’t blame her, humans are the only species to cut down a forest to make room for a billboard that says “stop deforestation”, I’d be pretty shocked about our history too. However, Korben’s love shows her that love is an undefinable thing, it’s not a stone like the other elements, but a feeling between people that permeates everything and is worth fighting and caring for.

It’s pretty funny that when it comes down to it, none of the characters actually know how to activate the super-love bomb. Leeloo doesn’t know what will happen, but she continues to follow her divine calling to be on that platform without second-guessing herself, even if she didn’t know at the end how to activate the final “weapon”..she follows her own inner voice and calling and is guided into defeating the darkness, speaking to the importance of following our intuition and own inner guide.

Ultimately love is shown to be something with no boundaries, no clear explanations, but still exists through us, changing our lives in powerful ways. And through thousands of years, it will stay as the most important thing worthy to fight for. It’s no accident that in a time of such modernized technologies and possibilities humanity once again has to turn to nature for help in the form of the elements. It reminds people that technology cannot always provide protection, it is nature that always has been the source of power, as it exists forever. And only things that are eternal, like nature and love, are of true significance. Today, it seems people either love or hate this movie, but whatever way the coin falls, it is undoubtedly a fun experience, and packed to the brim with spiritual wisdom!

So until next time, be mindful of what you do with the gift of life, cause we never know when a sentient evil planet might try and eat us. Toodles!

This video was created by Team Spirit Connect with the team at https://spiritsciencecentral.com/about

[timeless-hollywood-classics]

Irene Dunne DHS (born Irene Marie Dunn; December 20, 1898 – September 4, 1990) was an American actress and singer who appeared in films during the Golden Age of Hollywood. She is best known for her comedic roles, despite being in films of varied genres.

After her father died when she was fourteen, Dunne's family relocated from Kentucky to Indiana and she became determined to become an opera singer, but when she was rejected by The Met, she performed in musicals on Broadway until she was scouted by RKO and made her Hollywood film debut in the 1930 musical Leathernecking. She starred in 42 movies and made guest appearances on radio and in popular anthology television until 1962; she was nominated five times for the Academy Award for Best Actress – for her performances in Cimarron (1931), Theodora Goes Wild (1936), The Awful Truth (1937), Love Affair (1939), and I Remember Mama (1948) – and was one of the top 25 highest-paid actors of her time.

In the present, Dunne is considered one of the greatest actresses who never won an Academy Award. Some critics theorize that her performances have been underappreciated and largely forgotten, overshadowed by movie remakes and her better-known co-stars. Dunne once fled across the Atlantic Ocean to avoid starring in a comedy, but she has been praised by many during her career, and after her death, as one of the best comedic actresses in the screwball genre. She was nicknamed "The First Lady of Hollywood" for her regal manner despite being proud of her Irish-American, country girl roots.

Dunne devoted her retirement to philanthropy and was chosen by President Dwight D. Eisenhower as a delegate for the United States to the United Nations, in which she advocated for world peace and highlighted refugee-relief programs. She also used the time to be with her family – her husband, dentist Dr. Francis Griffin, and their daughter Mary Frances, whom they adopted in 1938. She received numerous awards for her philanthropy, including honorary doctorates, a Laetare Medal and a Sepulchre damehood, and was given a Kennedy Center Honor for her services to the arts.

Irene Marie Dunn was born on December 20, 1898, at 507 East Gray Street in Louisville, Kentucky,

Following her father's death, Dunne's family moved to her mother's hometown of Madison, Indiana, living at 916 W. Second St., in the same neighborhood as Dunne's grandparents' home. Dunne's mother taught her to play the piano as a very small girl — according to Dunne, "Music was as natural as breathing in our house," — but unfortunately for her, music lessons frequently prevented her from playing with the neighborhood kids. Her first school production of A Midsummer Night's Dream began her interest in drama, so she took singing lessons as well, and sang in local churches and high school plays before her graduation in 1916. Her first ambition was to become a music teacher and studied at the Indianapolis Conservatory of Music and Webster College, earning a diploma in 1918, but saw an audition advertizement for the Chicago Musical College when she visited friends during a journey to Gary, and won the College scholarship, officially graduating in 1926. She hoped to become a soprano opera singer, relocating to New York after finishing her second year in 1920, but did not pass the audition with the Metropolitan Opera Company due to her inexperience and her "slight" voice.

Dunne took more singing lessons and then dancing lessons to prepare for a possible career in musical theater. On a New York vacation to visit family friends, she was recommended to audition for a stage musical, eventually starring as the leading role in the popular play Irene, which toured major cities as a roadshow throughout 1921. "Back in New York," Dunne reflected, "I thought that with my experience on the road and musical education it would be easy to win a role. It wasn't." Her Broadway debut was December 25, the following year as Tessie in Zelda Sears's The Clinging Vine, and she took leading role when the original actress took a leave of absence in 1924. Supporting roles in musical theater productions followed in the shows The City Chap (1925), Yours Truly (1927) and She's My Baby (1928). Her first top-billing, leading role Luckee Girl (1928) was not as successful as her previous projects. She would later call her career beginnings "not great furor." At this time, Dunne added the extra "e" to her surname, which had ironically been misspelled as "Dunne" at times throughout her life until this point; until her death, "Dunne" would then occasionally be misspelled as "Dunn." Starring as Magnolia Hawks in a road company adaptation of Show Boat was the result of a chance meeting with its director Florenz Ziegfeld Jr. in an elevator the day she returned from her honeymoon, when he mistook her for his next potential client, eventually sending his secretary to chase after her. A talent scout for RKO Pictures attended a performance, and Dunne signed the studio's contract, appearing in her first movie, Leathernecking (1930), a film version of the musical Present Arms. Already in her 30s when she made her first film, she would be in competition with younger actresses for roles, and found it advantageous to evade questions that would reveal her age, so publicists encouraged the belief that she was born in 1901 or 1904; the former is the date engraved on her tombstone.

The "Hollywood musical" era had fizzled out so Dunne moved to dramatic roles during the Pre-Code era, leading a successful campaign for the role of Sabra in Cimarron (1931) with her soon-to-be co-star Richard Dix, receiving her first Best Actress nomination. Her role as the determined but ladylike mother figure of Sabra reflected her later persona and the films she starred in afterwards, such as the melodramas Back Street (1932) and Magnificent Obsession (1935). The latter had the best critical acclaim and the melodrama she reportedly did the most preparation for, studying Braille and working on posture with blind consultant Ruby Fruth. This was after she and Dix reunited for Stingaree (1934), where overall consensus was that Dunne had usurped Dix's star power. The 1934 Sweet Adeline remake and Roberta (1935) were Dunne's first two musicals since Leathernecking; Roberta also starred dancing partners Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, and she sang the musical's breakaway pop hit "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes." In 1936, she starred as Magnolia Hawks in Show Boat (1936), directed by James Whale. Dunne had concerns about Whale's directing decisions, but she later admitted that her favorite scene to film was "Make Believe" with Allan Jones because it reminded her of Romeo and Juliet. It was during this year that Dunne's RKO contract had expired and she had decided to become a freelance actor, with the power to choose studios and directors. Dunne was apprehensive about attempting her first comedy role as the title character in Theodora Goes Wild (1936), but discovered that she enjoyed it, and received her second Best Actress Oscar nomination for the performance.

Later years of Dunne's film career became diverse. She starred in three films each with Charles Boyer and Cary Grant in screwball comedies (The Awful Truth (1937), My Favorite Wife (1940)), romantic dramas (Love Affair (1939), When Tomorrow Comes (1939)), drama (Penny Serenade (1941)) and comedy (Together Again (1944)). She starred in fictionalized dramas Anna and the King of Siam (1946) and later The Mudlark (1950) as Anna Leonowens and Queen Victoria, respectively, was in the comedies Unfinished Business (1941), Lady in a Jam (1942) and Over 21 (1945), and the war movies A Guy Named Joe (1943) and The White Cliffs of Dover (1944). She also starred as mothers Lavinia Day in Life with Father (1947), and Marta Hanson in I Remember Mama (1948). Marta required her to wear aging makeup and body padding, and she wore prosthetics to portray Queen Victoria.

Dunne's last three films were box-office failures. The Mudlark was a success in the UK, despite initial critical concern over the only foreigner in a British film starring as a well-known British monarch, but her American fans disapproved of the prosthetic decisions. The comedy It Grows on Trees (1952) became Dunne's last movie performance, although she remained on the lookout for suitable film scripts for years afterwards. On the radio, she and Fred MacMurray respectively played a feuding editor and reporter of a struggling newspaper in the 52-episode comedy-drama Bright Star, which aired in syndication between 1952 and 1953 by the Ziv Company. She also starred in and hosted episodes of television anthologies, such as Ford Theatre, General Electric Theater, and the Schlitz Playhouse of Stars. Faye Emerson wrote in 1954 that "I hope we see much more of Miss Dunne on TV," and Nick Adams called Dunne's performance in Saints and Sinners worthy of an Emmy nomination. Dunne's last acting credit was in 1962, but she was once rumored to star in a movie named Heaven Train, and rejected an offer to cameo in Airport '77.

Dunne appeared at 1953's March of Dimes showcase in New York City to introduce two little girls nicknamed the Poster Children, who performed a dramatization about polio research. She was later present at Disneyland's "Dedication Day" in 1955 to christen the Mark Twain Riverboat with a bottle containing water from several major rivers across the United States. Years before, Dunne had also christened the SS Carole Lombard.

In her retirement, she devoted herself primarily to humanitarianism. Some of the organizations she worked with include the American Cancer Society, the Los Angeles Orphanage, and the American Red Cross. She was also president of St. John's Hospital Clinic and became a board member of Technicolor in 1965, the first woman ever elected to the board of directors. She established an African American school for Los Angeles, negotiated donations to St. John's through box office results, and served as chairwoman in 1949 for the American Heart Association's women's committee, and Hebrew University Rebuilding Fun's sponsors committee. She appeared in 1955's celebrity-rostered television special Benefit Show for Retarded Children with Jack Benny as host. Dunne also donated to refurbishments in Madison, Indiana, funding the manufacture of Camp Louis Ernst Boy Scout's gate in 1939 and the Broadway Fountain's 1976 restoration.

Dunne reflected: "If I began living in Hollywood today I would certainly one thing that I did when I arrived, and that is to be active in charity. If one is going to take something out of a community — any community — one must put something in, too." She also hoped that charity would encourage submissive women to find independence: "I wish women would be more direct. ...I was amazed when some quiet little mouse of a woman was given a job which seemed to be out of all proportion to her capabilities. Then I saw the drive with which she undertook that job and put it through to a great finish. It was both inspiring and surprising. I want women to be individuals. They should not lean on their husbands' opinions and be merely echoes of the men of the family.

In 1957, President Eisenhower appointed Dunne one of five alternative U.S. delegates to the United Nations in recognition of her interest in international affairs and Roman Catholic and Republican causes. Dunne admired the U.N.'s dedication to creating world peace, and was inspired by colleagues' beliefs that Hollywood influenced the world. She held delegacy for two years and addressed the General Assembly twice. She gave her delegacy its own anthem: "Getting to Know You" because "it's so simple, and yet so fundamental in international relations today." Dunne later described her Assembly request for $21 million to help Palestinian refugees as her "biggest thrill," and called her delegacy career the "highlight of my life." She also concluded, "I came away greatly impressed with the work the U.N. does in its limited field — and it does have certain limits. I think we averted a serious situation in Syria, which might have been much more worse without a forum to hear it... And I'm much impressed with the work the U.N. agencies do. I'm especially interested in UNICEF's work with children[,] and the health organization[.]"

Dunne was a lifelong Republican and participated in 1948's Republican convention. She accepted the U.N. delegacy offer because she viewed the U.N. as apolitical. She later explained: "I'm a Nixon Republican, not a Goldwater one. I don't like extremism in any case. The extreme rights do as much harm as the extreme lefts." Her large input in politics created an assumption that she was a member of the "Hollywood right-wing fringe," which Dunne denied, calling herself "foolish" for being involved years before other celebrities did.

Dunne's father frequently told Dunne about his memories of traveling on bayous and lazy rivers. Dunne's favorite family vacations were riverboat rides and parades, later recalling a voyage from St. Louis to New Orleans, and watching boats on the Ohio River from the hillside. She admitted, "No triumph of either my stage or screen career has ever rivaled the excitement of trips down the Mississippi on the riverboats with my father."

Dunne was an avid golf player and had played since high school graduation; she and her husband often played against each other and she made a hole in one in two different games. She was good friends with Loretta Young, Jimmy Stewart, Bob Hope, Ronald Reagan, Carole Lombard, and George Stevens Jr., and became godmother to Young's son, Peter. Dunne also bonded with Leo McCarey over numerous similar interests, such as their Irish ancestry, music, religious backgrounds, and humor. School friends nicknamed her "Dunnie" and she was referred to as this in Madison High School's 1916 yearbook, along with the description "divinely tall and most divinely fair."

One of Dunne's later public appearances was in April 1985, when she attended the dedication of a bronze bust in her honor at St. John's Hospital in Santa Monica, California, for which her foundation, The Irene Dunne Guild, had raised more than $20 million. The Irene Dunne Guild remains "instrumental in raising funds to support programs and services at St. John's" hospital in Santa Monica. The artwork, commissioned by the hospital from artist Artis Lane, has a plaque reading "IRENE DUNNE First Lady Of Saint John's Hospital and Health Center Foundation."

Between 1919 and 1922, Dunne was close to Fritz Ernst, a businessman based in Chicago who was 20 years older than her and a member of one of the richest families in Madison, Indiana. They frequently corresponded over letters while Dunne was training for musical theater but when Fritz proposed, Dunne rejected, due to pressure from her mother and wanting to focus on acting. They remained friends and continued writing letters until Ernst died in 1959.

At a New York, Biltmore Hotel supper party in 1924, Dunne met Northampton-born dentist Francis Griffin. According to Dunne, he preferred being a bachelor, yet tried everything he could to meet her. To her frustration, he did not telephone her until over a month later, but the relationship had strengthened and they married in Manhattan on July 13, 1927. They had constantly argued about the state of their careers if they ever got married, with Dunne agreeing to consider theater retirement sometime in the future and Griffin agreeing to support Dunne's acting. Griffin later explained: "I didn't like the moral tone of show business. [...] Then Ziegfeld signed her for 'Show Boat' and it looked like she was due for big things. Next came Hollywood and [she] was catapulted to the top. Then I didn't feel I could ask her to drop her career. [I] really didn't think marriage and the stage were compatible but we loved each other and we were both determined to make our marriage work."

When Dunne decided to star in Leathernecking, it was meant to be her only Hollywood project, but when it was a box-office bomb, she took an interest in Cimarron. Soon after, she and her mother moved to Hollywood and maintained a long-distance relationship with her husband and brother in New York until they joined her in California in 1936. They remained married until Griffin's death on October 14, 1965, and lived in the Holmby Hills in a "kind of French Chateau" they designed. They had one daughter, Mary Frances (née Anna Mary Bush; born 1932), who was adopted by the couple in 1936 (finalized in 1938) from the New York Foundling Hospital, run by the Sisters of Charity of New York. Due to Dunne's privacy, Hollywood columnists struggled to find scandals to write about her — an eventual interview with Photoplay included the disclaimer, "I can guarantee no juicy bits of intimate gossip. Unless, perhaps she lies awake nights heartsick about the kitchen sink in her new home. She's afraid it's too near to the door. Or would you call that juicy? No? No, I thought not." When the magazines alleged that Dunne and Griffin would divorce, Griffin released a statement denying any marital issues. When Griffin was asked about how the marriage had lasted, he replied, "When she had to go on location for a film I arranged my schedule so I could go with her. When I had to go out of town she arranged her schedule so she could be with me. We co-operate in everything. [...] I think a man married to a career woman in show business has to be convinced that his wife's talent is too strong to be dimmed or put out. Then, he can be just as proud of her success as she is and, inside he can take a bow himself for whatever help he's been."

After retiring from dentistry, Griffin became Dunne's business manager, and helped negotiate her first contract. The couple became interested in real estate, later investing in the Beverly Wilshire and partnering with Griffin's family's businesses (Griffin Equipment Company and The Griffin Wellpoint Company.) Griffin sat as a board member of numerous banks, but his offices were relocated from Century City to their home after his death, when Dunne took over as president.

Dunne was a devout Roman Catholic, who became a daily communicant. She was a member of the Church of the Good Shepherd and the Catholic Motion Picture Guild in Beverly Hills, California. Both Dunne and her husband were members of the Knights of Malta.

Dunne died at the age of 91 in her Holmby Hills home on September 4, 1990, and is entombed in the Calvary Cemetery, East Los Angeles. She had been unwell for a year and became bedridden about a month before. Her personal papers are housed at the University of Southern California. She was survived by her daughter, two grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

Dunne is considered one of the best actresses of The Golden Age of Hollywood never to win an Academy Award. Roger Fristoe pointed out that "a generation of filmgoers is mostly unfamiliar with her work" because some of her movies had been remade, including Love Affair (remade as An Affair to Remember), Show Boat (remade in 1951), My Favourite Wife (remade as Move Over, Darling), and Cimarron (remade in 1960). Dunne once noted that she had lacked the "terrifying ambition" of some other actresses, explaining in 1977, "I drifted into acting and drifted out. Acting is not everything. Living is." The Awful Truth was voted the 68th best comedy of American cinema.

Although known for her comedic roles, Dunne admitted that she never saw comedy as a worthy genre, even leaving the country to the London premiere of Show Boat with her husband and James Whale to get away from being confronted with a script for Theodora Goes Wild. "I never admired a comedienne," she said retrospectively, "yet it was very easy for me, very natural. It was no effort for me to do comedy at all. Maybe that's why I wasn't so appreciative of it." She ascribed her sense of humor to her late father, as well as her "Irish stubbornness." Her screwball comedy characters have been praised for their subversions to the traditional characterisation of female leads in the genre, particularly Susan (Katharine Hepburn) in Bringing Up Baby and Irene (Carole Lombard) in My Man Godfrey. "Unlike the genre's stereotypical leading lady, who exhibits bonkers behaviour continuously," writes Wes D. Gehring, "Dunne's screwball heroine [in Theodora Goes Wild] chooses when she goes wild." Biographers and critics argue that Dunne's groundedness made her screwball characters more attractive than her contemporaries; Maria DiBattista points out that Dunne is the "only comic actress working under the strictures of the Production Code" who ends both of her screwball movies alongside Cary Grant with a heavy implication of sharing a bed with him, "under the guise of keeping him at bay." Meanwhile, outside of comedy, Andrew Sarris theorized that Dunne's sex appeal is due to the common narrative in her movies about a good girl "going bad."

Dunne was popular with co-workers off-camera, earning a reputation as warm, approachable and having a "poised, gracious manner" like royalty, which spilled into her persona in movies. She earned the nickname "The First Lady of Hollywood" because "she was the first real lady Hollywood has ever seen," said Leo McCarey, with Gregory La Cava adding, "If Irene Dunne isn't the first lady of Hollywood, then she's the last one." Ironically, this title had been bestowed on her when she was a little girl when an aunt cooed "What a little lady!"[159] This ladylike attitude furthered Sarris' sex appeal claims, admitting that the scene when she shares a carriage with Preston Foster on the train in Unfinished Business was practically his "rite of passage" to a sex scene in a film, theorizing that the sex appeal of Dunne came from "a good girl deciding thoughtfully to be bad." On the blatant eroticism of the same train scene, Megan McGurk wrote, "The only thing that allowed this film to pass the censors was that good-girl Irene Dunne can have a one-night stand with a random because she loves him, rather than just a once-off fling. For most other women of her star magnitude, you could not imagine a heroine without a moral compass trained on true north. Irene Dunne elevates a tawdry encounter to something justifiably pure or blameless. She's just not the casual sex type, so she gets away with it." When approached about the nickname in 1936, Dunne admitted that it had grown tiresome but approved if it was meant as "the feminine counterpart of 'gentleman'"; a later interview she did have with the Los Angeles Times would ironically be titled "Irene Dunne, Gentlewoman." She would also be made a Dame (or Lady) of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre. The Los Angeles Times referred to Dunne's publicity in their obituary as trailblazing, noting her as one of the first actors to become a freelancer in Hollywood during its rigid studio system through her "non-exclusive contract that gave her the right to make films at other studios and to decide who should direct them," and her involvement with the United Nations as a decision that allowed entertainers from movies and television to branch out into philanthropy and politics, such as Ronald Reagan and George Murphy.

Dunne later said, "Cary Grant always said that I had the best timing of anybody he ever worked with." Lucille Ball admitted at an American Film Institute seminar that she based her comedic skills on Dunne's performance in Joy of Living. When asked about life after retiring from baseball, Lou Gehrig stated that he would want Dunne as a screen partner if he ever became a movie actor. Charles Boyer described her as "a gracious house," adding, "the best room would be the music room [...] Great music, and the best of good swing, and things by Gershwin would sound there always. The acoustics would be perfect. Guests in this house would be relaxed and happy but they would have to mind their manners." A two-sided marker was erected in Dunne's childhood hometown of Madison in 2006.

Dunne received five Best Actress nominations during her career: for Cimarron (1931), Theodora Goes Wild (1936), The Awful Truth (1937), Love Affair (1939) and I Remember Mama (1948); she was the first actor to lose against the same actor in the same category twice, losing to Best Actress winner Luise Rainer in 1936 and 1937. When asked if she ever resented never winning, Dunne pointed out that the nominees she was up against had strong support, believing that she would never have had a chance, especially when Love Affair was against Gone with the Wind.

However, Dunne was honored numerous times for her philanthropy from Catholic organizations and schools, receiving the University of Notre Dame's Laetare Medal, and the Bellarmine Medal from Bellarmine College. She received numerous honorary doctorates, including from Chicago Musical College (for music), Loyola University and Mount St. Mary's College (both for Law). In 1953, she and her husband were made Lady and Knight of the Holy Sepulchre, respectively. For her film career, she was honored by the Kennedy Center, a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6440 Hollywood Blvd, and displays in the Warner Bros. Museum and Center for Motion Picture Study.

[luv-surveys]

38

Put your music player on shuffle and list the first 10 songs.

hungarian march - hector berlioz

by your side (klischee remix) - klischee & tim freitag

memories (drinks bring back) - ajay stephens (cover)

lone digger - caravan palace

confident - demi lovato

rasputin - boney m.

second suite in f major, movement iv - gustav holst

slavonic fantasy - milan rericha

ma vlast, the moldau - bedrich smetana

cinnamon girl (club edit) - [dunkelbunt]

If you could spend a week anywhere in the world, where would it be and why? Would you take anyone with you? i would spend a week in japan with my boyfriend, because i’ve always wanted to visit japan and tokyo and immerse myself in their culture -- it’s so fascinating!

What is your preferred writing implement? (eg. Blue pen, pencil, green pen) black pen.

Favorite month and why? i’m going to say may, because it’s pretty and warm and school is wrapping up (although maybe not this year...).

Do you have connections to any celebrities (even minor)? List them. nope.

Name 3 items you could pick up from where you are. my phone, my water bottle, and my lamp.

What brand logo is closest to you currently? asus.

Do you ever play board games or other non-computer games? Got any favorites? i occasionally play board games, mostly with my family or at my boyfriend’s house. my brother-in-law loves board games so we usually play one when we visit. my personal favorite board game is the game of life.

Name a musical artist you love that isn’t well known. caravan palace! i love electroswing and they’re top-tier. electroswing is a very underrated genre of music in my opinion.

Name a musical artist you love that is well known. i really like the beatles!

What is your desktop background currently? it’s my marching band section from my sophomore year at senior recognition.

Last person you talked to, and through what you talked to them? i last talked to my friend through discord.

First color name you can think of that isn’t in the rainbow? pink lol.

What timekeeping devices are in the room you are currently in? there’s my alarm clock, my phone, and my computer.

What kind of headphones do you use? i use apple earbuds and soundpal sonobass headphones.

What musical artists have you seen perform live? i’ve seen the trans-siberian orchestra perform live... and that’s it.

Does virginity matter to you? it does.

What gaming consoles do you or your family own? we own a nintendo 64, a supernintendo, a playstation, a wii, and a switch.

What pets do you have? i have a dog.

What’s the best job you’ve ever had? i’ve never had a job.

What’s the worst job you’ve ever had? still never had a job!

What magazines do you read, if any? i don’t read magazines anymore.

Inspiration behind your URL? it’s aesthetic and it’s about surveys. and i “luv” surveys.

Inspiration behind your blog title? i don’t have a blog.

Favorite item of clothing? probably my mom jeans, i always feel extra cute when i wear them.

Are you friends with any exes? nope.

Name at least one book you loved as a child. i loved little house on the prarie.

What’s your native language? If that language has distinct regional variations, which variation? (eg. AU English, US English) my native language is american english.

What email service do you use? i use gmail and outlook.

Is there anything hanging on the walls of the room you are currently in? there’s a calendar and posters from marching band and winter percussion.

What’s your favorite number, and why? i like 4. it’s just very simple and even.

Earliest moment in your life you can remember? standing at the window in my dining room and looking at my neighbor’s house. my mom came over and told me that a little girl lived there and i was going to meet her. she was my best friend for 10 years.

What did you have for dinner yesterday? we had chicken fingers, asparagus, and macaroni and cheese.

How often do you brush your teeth? twice daily.

What’s your favorite candy/chocolate? i like heath bars.

Have you had other blogs on Tumblr? Do you have any other blogs currently? yes, i had a blog where i would post “aesthetic” pictures in middle school, and then a studyblr.

If you were suddenly really hungry, what would you choose to eat? right now, i’d probably eat some cheez-its.

What fandoms would you consider yourself a part of? pokemon, legend of zelda, avatar the last airbender, harry potter, puella magi madoka magica. just look at the reddits i’ve joined haha.

If you could study anything, what would it be? music!

Do you use anything on your lips? (eg. Chapstick, gloss, balm, lipstick) yes, i use burt’s bees chapstick.

How would you describe your sense of humour? it’s sarcastic and spontaneous.

What things annoy you more than anything else? mean people, people who aren’t open-minded, dry hands.

What kind of position are you in at the moment? i’m cross-legged on my bed.

Do you wear much jewelry?

nope.

Who is the leader of your country, currently? Any other levels of government with leaders? (State, region, province, county, district, municipality, etc) our current leader is president trump. we have a state and local government but i don’t know the leaders of those.

What do you carry your money in? it’s in my purse.

Do you enjoy driving? Why or why not? it’s okay. i enjoy it but it’s stressful and i keep having nightmares where i’m a terrible driver haha.

Longest drive you have ever been on? we’ve driven about six hours i believe.

Furthest away from home you have ever been? when i went to russia.

How many times have you moved in your life? i’ve never moved.

What is on the floor of the room you’re currently in, not including furniture?

my trash can, my mirror, my hamper, pillows, music, my instruments, my music stand, and my backpack.

How many devices do you own which can access the internet? five.

Is there is anything that is guaranteed to always make you happy? yes, sleep haha.

Is there anything that always makes you sad? watching titanic haha.

What programs do you currently have open? i have chrome open.

What do you associate the color red with? passion.

Last strong smell you can remember smelling? the vanilla mug cake i made earlier.

Last healthy thing you ate? dinner (which was chicken fingers, asparagus, and mac n cheese).

Do you drink tea or coffee, and how much per day? i do not.

What do you associate the color blue with? the ocean.

How long is the closest ruler you can find? it’s probably one foot.

What color pants/skirt/etc are you currently wearing? light blue.

When was the last time you drank water? about 30 minutes ago.

How often do you clear your browser history? maybe once a month.

Do you believe nude photos can be artistic, rather than erotic? yep.

Ever written fanfiction for anything? yes, i wrote neopets fanfiction when i was younger LOL.

Last formal event you attended? my awards for marching band.

If you had to move your birthday to another date, which one would you choose and why? i would choose mid january, because i’m tired of being the youngest in the grade! fall birthdays suck :(

Would you prefer to be at a beach or in the countryside? the beach.

Roughly how many people live in your town? about 15000.

Do you know anyone with the same birthday as you? nope.

Favorite place to shop? Can be a certain store or a place where there are multiple stores a mall about 45 minutes away from my house.

Do you have a smartphone? What kind? If you don’t, do you want one? i have an iphone 8.

What is your favorite colour, and why? my favorite color is yellow, because it’s a happy bright color :)

How do you spell grey/gray? i spell it gray.

Go to your dashboard and describe the image shown in the radar section (below the “Find blogs” link) it’s a cat in a plant! :D

What difference is there between how many followers you have, and the number of blogs you follow? 51 lmaoo.

How many posts do you have? this is my 40th post.

How many posts have you liked? i’ve liked 21 posts.

Do you post mainly reblogs, or your own content? it’s mostly my own content, but i take the surveys from other accounts.

Do you track any tags? i don’t believe so.

What time is it currently? it’s 12:18am.

Is there anything you should be doing right now? sleeping, probably haha.

[ladykf-writes]

Fanfic Writer Appreciation (and a little self love)

Sooooo, as talked about I wanted to do a little promo. I may not always be my favorite writer, but I try to be one of my cheerleaders. And well, if you’re here you obviously have some interest in what I’m up to.

SO! Here’s a list of my currently-published WIPs and some info about them, in the order that I’ve updated them, most recent to oldest. 

Feel free to ask questions about any of them!

Dog Whistle (Ao3 || FFN) - started off as a prompt from @snackarey​ when I reblogged some Soulmate AUs. This one was a prompt for soulmates (Zack/Kunsel) who felt what each other felt - like pain. Needless to say, this went into a canon divergent AU where Kunsel felt some of what Zack was going through when Hojo got a hold of him after Nibelheim. And saved him, setting off an ever-increasing list of revolutionary consequences. It’s nearly 58K, and though I’m a little stuck I’m looking forward to seeing where it goes.

Dewprism: Journey to the [Relic] (Ao3 || FFN) - this actually has a lot more written than I’ve posted, I just got a little frustrated because well... the fandom is teeny tiny and there’s no real feedback. But! It’s an interesting piece. It’s a semi-novelization where I’m taking the old PS1 Classic from Squaresoft, Threads of Fate/Dewprism and merging the two storylines. Basically... you can’t play the game anymore unless you got it from the PSN for your PSP or... PS2, I think? Or emulate it, of course, you can do that. And I wanted to bring the experience to more people, because it’s got such a great story.

It’s Not a Game (Ao3 || FFN) - this is my Avengers/FF7 crossover, and funny story, it was actually born out of a comment back on my old Genesis RP blog about how Genesis would totally be Tony Stark’s favorite character if he played Crisis Core. It’s turned into a full blown fixit I have a type and I actually have like, 90% of the next chapter done, it just doesn’t feel quite right so I haven’t posted it. And am, of course, stuck. There’s a case of choice paralysis here; the premise is that, in the MCU, FF7 is a series like it is in our world, and Tony is a fan. So he goes to make a simulation to do a self-insert... only he somehow transports himself (and Bruce) to a dimension where it’s real. A “Stark-insert” someone called it; and it does use a lot of “Self-Insert” tropes, actually. There’s just so many ways it could go that I’m stuck on choosing exactly how to progress here.

Party of Five (Ao3 || FFN) - the MMO AU! This was actually originally a prompt @up-sideand-down​ got, that I got permission to take off with. It’s a modern AU AGSZC where they meet online playing this MMO I made up that’s based off of FF7 and modeled after a mashup of like, me studying WoW and my experiences playing SWTOR. I’ve actually got some ideas of where it’s going, I just got too caught up in technicalities and need to reroute it back to the relationships going on.

Welcome to FF7 (series link, Ao3) - this is me hashing out basically what I think went down pre-games. Most of it is headcanon, I cannot stress that enough. It’s based off of the little we know, of course, but there’s just so much we don’t that it’s mostly headcanon. Tons of OCs. It’s a whole series, and they overlap - different sections that follow different departments, mostly. The base story is Welcome to ShinRa (Ao3 || FFN) and that follows the man who will become President Shinra from back when they first discover mako energy. I’ve also got Welcome to the Science Department (Ao3 || FFN) which starts off with college students Gast and Grimoire and how they get drawn into the beginnings of what becomes ShinRa Electric.

And last but not least, honorable mention to Times of Change (Ao3) - this was actually a piece inspired by @deadcatwithaflamethrower‘s Re-Entry series. I desperately need to reread that before I can hope to continue this, but... one day. One day.... I don’t suggest reading it right now, my headcanons have changed and it needs an overhaul. But you’ll see eventually.

And now... the WIPs you haven’t seen. (Under a cut)

By fandom, just to keep things straight, but in no particular order otherwise.

Compilation of FF7

The Snowball Effect (Ao3 || FFN) ... sequel? continuation? - as one of the gift exchange presents I’ve just done this past month, it is definitely standalone as is, but if I ever figure out where I want to take it, I’ll continue that one. It was just far too much fun.

The Price of Freedom - the sequel to To Be Human, which... I’m looking forward to, but I really burnt myself out on TBH so it’s going to be longer than anticipated before I approach this one. TBH definitely stands on its own, but there were some loose ends left to tie up, so we’ll see how that goes. And when it goes, when I’m ready to approach that again. TBH needs some editing, too... lots of work there.

The Unnamed Pokemon/FF7 crossover that I’ve talked about for... a couple years now (yikes) but now actually have a plot for. It’s very interesting to me, putting Pokemon on Gaia, and seeing how that changes everything. Because like, they’d have presumably used Mew’s DNA since there’s no Jenova (I can’t see them using Deoxys, which would be the closer parallel) and since there’s no Chaos, Grimoire is still alive. Which means no extra Drama between Lucrecia and Vincent - and really, there shouldn’t be the stress between Vincent and Hojo over her being sick because Mew would theoretically be much more compatible with humans than Jenova was.

What I’m saying is Seph has three parents and at least one set of grandparents and a much more stable Sephiroth (and Genesis and Angeal, thanks to Lucrecia teaming up with Gillian) leads to some very interesting changes. Like deciding they don’t want to fight the Wutai war anymore. >_>

Hold My Flower - a timetravel fic featuring our one and only flowergirl, who has had enough of people messing up her planet and refuses to just... let it die. She is, unquestionably, a force of nature. No fragile flower to be found here, this is the gal you see in the OG who threatened a mob boss and meant it. Heaven help anyone who gets in her way. She’s going to save the world. Possibly in a Turk Suit, don’t look at me.

The Long Game - Reeve goes back in time, and holy crap this one is a monster I am truly intimidated by so it’s gonna take a while for me to get going on that. XD But basically, similar premise to the above - the world isn’t healing and someone has to do something, so Reeve is nominated due to his position in ShinRa and potential to... he’d say “influence” but let’s call a spade a spade - manipulate people and events to a more favorable outcome.

A third BIT fic is one that I started writing with my friend @askshivanulegacy back in... damn, somewhere between 2011-2013, before we switched to writing SWTOR fic together. It’s one where Zack is sent back in time, and the differences in him post-Hojo change things even before he can start deliberately changing anything. But I got permission to take and remake that, so I intend to, one day. It was Good Stuff. And you can never have too much timetravel.

Dragon Ball Z

So, this is an oooooold fandom of mine - the first fanfics I ever wrote (under a different name, no I’m not telling XD it was ten years ago) were for DBZ, and definitely the first ones I ever read, back in the days of dial up. And I read a couple interesting takes on Chichi/Vegeta fic... and I was talking with @vorpalgirl about it and said I’d love to try my hand at something with that one day. I think they have the potential to be a really great pair (don’t get me wrong, I appreciate the canon pairings but those two have a lot of potential) so... yeah someday I might dip my toes back into Z. It’s on the wishlist, as well as reviving and cleaning up an old unfinished work of mine. Someday~

Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

Seven Years Lost - this one I’ve been debating a long time, and even did a little on! It’s basically how I rationalize what happens when Link pulls the Master Sword out and - well, spoilers but it’s a really old game so - when he comes out as a teenager and is immediately able to handle a nearly-adult body. It involves a dreamscape scenario where he communicates with his past incarnations and learns from them, and from sharing dreams with Zelda due to their bond.

Sailor Moon (manga/Crystal based)

Second Chances - I read a lot of SM fanfic back in the day, and my favorite ones were... more real? Like, there were more consequences to these 14 year old kids out there fighting for their lives and sometimes losing them. I’d like to tell a story through Minako/Venus’ eyes primarily, covering what that’s like, and then I also just really want a happy ending for the senshi/shittenou? So... yay canon divergence, lol. You guys know the deal by now. XD

Star Wars: Legends Era

United We Stand - SWTOR fanfic, baby! Basically, I’m just dying to see the eight classes cross over each other, and I will bend canon to do it. For anyone that’s played the original class story lines, there is some cross over but believe me when I say there were huge opportunities that were let drop by nature of the game. Just with the two Jedi stories alone... but that’s #spoilers for a not-as-old game so I’ll leave that be and only elaborate if asked.

(And do feel free to ask about any of these! I’d love to hash them out more.)

[ganymedesclock]

I’m aware that a lot of my headcanons for Ganon, Link, and Zelda is rooted in the fact that I love personality powers and there’s something interesting about what all three’s aptitudes say about them in contrast to the roles they’re given by the narrative and what we’re ostensibly told about them.

Buckle in, because this got... very long.

Zelda

In both OoT and BotW Zelda is tied closely to the Sheikah; in the former, she has been raised by one (Impa) and assimilates fully into their culture when it becomes too dangerous to exist as the princess of Hyrule. In BotW, she is fascinated by their culture and technology and wants to study it in detail. The Sheikah clan is established as the motif of a weeping eye- this connection is also implied in Twilight Princess with Impaz and the conspicuous Sheikah eye embroidered on Zelda’s cloak.

There’s a strong implication here of seeing. And Zelda’s powers tend to take two forms: one, perceiving herself or allowing others to perceive- and the other is penetrating the darkness by cutting it down.

A friend of mine aired the idea that the implication of the Sheikah weeping eye may suggest the Sheikah originated as exorcists- because any veteran Zelda player knows that the way to deal with virtually all of the game’s enemies is go for the eye. The implication of the crest would then be that the Sheikah are those who blind Demise’s eyes, preventing the original demon god from continuing to influence the world.

But an eye also sees. The gossip stones are traditionally hailed as a Sheikah invention. Sheik’s specific role in OoT is to guide Link by illuminating, revealing things to them.

Zelda as a character is correlated heavily with light; if we take BotW thematically tying Ganon to the moon as an enduring quality of his character (especially since in Wind Waker, he’s able to halt the movement of the heavens temporarily, over his home fortress and for a period of time over the entire sea, causing perpetual night) then the golden light conflated with Zelda would seem to be the rays of the sun. In Twilight Princess she is able to command the light spirits, and is the only non-twili truly unaffected by the cloud of twilight- a feat that the twili themselves weren’t capable of without seemingly turning their magic heavily unto their own bodies and losing the ability to walk in daylight as a result.

In Wind Waker, she takes possession of the Hero’s Bow and its Light Arrows, which, for anything less powerful than Ganon caught in its crosshairs, they’re pierced and immolated in a beam of light.

Light handily reflects the duality of Zelda’s powers as implied by the Sheikah: light can be blinding, destroying- and light can also be revealing, transmitting, clarifying.

However, taken together, this does not invoke a gracious and gentle maiden. If anything, it would almost suggest that the reason many Zeldas come across passively is because of active effort on her caretakers’ part to clip her wings and prevent her from actualizing. The nature of Zelda as implied by her powers is someone who pierces situations, who challenges and dismantles falsehood; an oracle and an executioner. Of the chosen three, she’s the destroyer- because while Link often wields the light arrows, they’re conflated much more with Zelda than they ever are with him.

Zelda is not presented as the gracious sun that presides over a warm field of wheat. She is not depicted as cruel, but there is an intensity, a veiled frustration, implied by her powers- it suggests that Zelda is someone who yearns to cut through obstructions in her path.

It implies Zelda, the detective, and most certainly, the exorcist. Her powers are for picking a target precisely, evaluating its nature and weaknesses, and, if need be, obliterating it with grace and precision.

Ganon

On the flipside, Ganon, who we’re continuously told is an element of wrath and destruction... has powers geared heavily towards restoration. The most powerful abilities he’s ever shown in terms of scale and effect are his darkening the skies in Wind Waker and, in Breath of the Wild, the rising of the blood moon.

Everything Ganon accomplishes in BotW is a testament not to supernatural resilience but his ability to reconstruct himself and spread that same power to his allies. No wonder in Twilight Princess Zant calls him a god; his command of flesh, blood, and bone is certainly impressive enough that he could be described as someone with power over life and death itself. He’s able to heal the mortal injuries of a huge number of people and creatures with disparate physiology, at range, while his body is overwhelmingly splattered across the countryside.

Hell, that power is so interesting and so strong that if you have Ganon as anything but final boss, you pretty much have to nerf it. It also could afford an interesting context to how in many of the earlier games and stories based on them, a point is made that Ganon can only be injured by certain weapons- holy silver, sacred light, or the Master Sword (which implicitly has a silvered blade; it’d explain that gleaming white blade it has).

It could be not that Ganon’s flesh has some power to repel harm as much as anything else turned against him merely has him regenerate, possibly, depending on how well he’s able to generate Malice in incarnations where his regeneration didn’t get disrupted repeatedly and smashed up in a blender, even colonizing the offending weapon, digesting it, and reconstituting it as part of himself.

Now, Ganon doesn’t have quite so clear and predictable a thesis to his powers; his ability to turn into various creatures and move undetected place to place tend to have different explanations but you can pretty easily rope them under the capabilities of a shapeshifting regenerative blob monster. And given the time he’s had to work with, it makes sense that he would have a much more versatile skill set than Link and Zelda, and enthusiastically dabble in any new form of power he gets his hands on. 

The electricity he wields in ALttP and Thunderblight being the most formidable of the Blights would seem to suggest that’s a favorite of him- not only is electricity the element conflated with the Gerudo in BotW, but Ganon’s teachers and mother figures were Twinrova, who are fire and ice witches. Assuming Ganon’s a lightning user would neatly bracket the pupil in with his mentors and further indicate the land Ganon originally hailed from.

Where Zelda’s abilities are heavily focused in two areas and fit according to a concise thesis, Ganon’s standout power of healing and his implicit favored element of thunder don’t have so clear a notion behind them; only one conflates directly with his lunar motif. But this still suggests things about his character, and you can make a connection here:

While the sun is always the same, the moon continuously changes its face. While all of the Chosen Three are redesigned repeatedly, Ganon is overwhelmingly the same person deep down- so the transformations he goes through are just that. He changes, but a certain core of him remains the same. And as a healer- as someone who basically has an incredibly tenacious grasp to life so much so that when run to his limits in BotW, pieces of his body scatter, separate, and latch onto the landscape itself for survival- it makes sense that he would be the assimilating force of the three of them.

He’s the man with a thousand enemies and who has died something like a hundred times by now- he’s the pariah who lives at the edges of the world, refusing to stay down, refusing to stay in his grave no matter which new king of hyrule thinks they can stake him and put a rock over it. So he uses that changing face and seizes everything he can. Survival at all costs. No wonder his conflated animal motif is a creature once known in the ancient world for running the length of the weapon it was impaled with to kill the person holding it.

And, yet. The fact that Ganon is ultimately focused on his own survival isn’t the only application of his healing powers. He’s also someone who heals others. I mentioned that Zant’s reverence in TP makes a lot of sense in the face of BotW- but, we also have a pretty compelling argument why so many disparate groups, time and time again, unite under his banner. It’s not fear- it’s hope.

If Ganon just walked into people’s villages as a warlord and threatened them into fighting for him, that loyalty would wither easily. But we know that even when he’s doing absolutely miserable, Ganon tends to galvanize Hyrule’s “monsters” into a feeding frenzy of growth and development. The average moblin is a lot less likely to forget Ganon or turn their back on him if they have a scar from a mortal injury and know that it was Ganon, their savior, and his moon rising in the sky that personally saved their life and probably dozens of other people they knew.

It’d suggest exactly what Zant’s proselytizing does- that to the people who work for Ganon, he’s viewed in a messianic light, in contrast to his pariah status in the rest of Hyrule’s eyes. And that doesn’t appear to be insincere on Ganon’s part- while TP appears to end with Zant severing his connection with Ganon, it stands that Zant was in a position to do that after Midna killed him- which would tell us that Ganon resurrected Zant again, after a point when Zant was no longer useful to him.

Sure, Ganon’s not exactly an honorable person. There are plenty of accounts in various stories of him lying through his teeth or buttering someone up only to discard their corpse at a key moment. But the fact that Ganon callously throws certain people under the bus while taking pains to heal others is not necessarily contradictory- it just tells us that Ganon is a loyal compassionate person... to certain entities. To others, they can rot, and he won’t give a shit. But his healing power would logically, then, be a gateway to who he’s decided he really wants to live. And many of the entities with him, both sapient and non, would appear to be beneficiaries of his mercy, to the point that the implication of creatures like Helmaroc in Wind Waker is that Ganon could very well have hand-reared and personally trained that behemoth given its very exclusive loyalty and attentiveness to his commands. We see no one else- even in Forsaken Fortress- commanding Helmaroc.

Someone not capable of long-term kindness and patience towards what would have been an incredibly difficult baby to take care of would never have gotten access to a creature like that in the first place. I know Nintendo put Helmaroc there to be a boss monster and didn’t want us to think about it, but the watsonian implications are obvious and damning- Ganon isn’t backstabs mclovesmurder, and he is capable of spending a long time lavishly investing in an animal in a way that leaves it earnestly willing to fight, hunt, and kill on his behalf, and unafraid of him. Thus, Ganon being genuinely cruel to people is something that happens in situations he feels are personally warranted- where he feels he was wronged first. In short, he’s potentially petty, vengeful, and very good at holding grudges- but he doesn’t hate indiscriminately, and that’s a noteworthy distinction.

It’s another angle of that changing face, of that lunar motif- Ganon is not someone who’s easy to figure out, in part because he often actively does not want to be known. In Wind Waker, he appears to have a conversation with Link only to reveal Link was talking to a monstrous puppet while the real Ganon escaped. In ALttP he extinguishes all the lights and hides as a shadow. In TP he goes through multiple layers of hiding himself behind barriers and even inside Zelda’s body. A lesser theme that crops up here is evasion. While Ganon’s certainly not unequipped for a direct fight, he tends to try and avoid it as long as possible, divert attention onto proxies or shields. 

In BotW, “the Calamity” is obviously clever, bringing about catastrophe by dramatically outfoxing the entire royal family and not just negating, but actively weaponizing in his favor things that were used against him in the past, guaranteeing that win or lose, it’ll be a long time before Hyrule is so friendly with the Guardians and Divine Beasts- and int hat time they’ll probably have forgotten about his intelligence again. Yes, Ganon hardly deliberately engineered being dehumanized, but, he’d be long used to it at this point- at this point, he’s probably able to set his watch to someone forgetting he was ever a mortal person, and he can play the role of a mindless beast easily enough. He can swing it in his favor.

In a way, it furthers that sense that Ganon’s not actually mutable at his core- if anything, he’s rather stubborn and brash- but he is very prone to accumulating and utilizing external ‘faces’ to try and stay protected, to stay untouched.

Which brings us to, finally:

Link

Link’s motifs are probably the most interesting because they tend aggressively mutable. Hero of Time, Hero of Winds, Hero of Wild, Hero of Twilight, Hero of the Sky. Unlike Zelda or Ganon, Link lacks an obvious conflation with either day or night. If anything, Link stands out because he tends to have balanced and contradictory associated motifs.

The fearful rabbit and the aggressive wolf, for example.

In Twilight Princess, the light spirit Faron councils Link that in order to defeat Zant, he must match Zant in power- and this starts gathering the Fused Shadows that Midna ultimately uses to destroy Ganon’s barrier around Hyrule Castle.

Zelda is mainly conflated with the harp (shown playing other instruments from time to time, but the harp is the most consistent between Sheik and Skyward Sword’s Zelda), Ganon the rare times he’s shown with an instrument the organ, and certainly Link’s most famous instrument is the ocarina, but he also takes up a huge number of different instruments throughout the games. Likewise, while the Master Sword is his signature weapon, he sometimes spends entire games without it, or using a different sword instead, and every game, without fail, sees him accumulating a large number of different tools and armaments and using all of them.

At a glance, this can seem like proof Link is an everyman hero without personality- an empty vessel for the player’s will. But unlike in, say, Undertale, there is no in-universe acknowledgement the player exists, ever. And Link does plenty of things without player input, or where the player can only choose one of a few options to respond with.

So in-universe, what does it say about someone who is incredibly versatile, but also consistently characterized as the furthest thing from weak-willed?

It suggests that while Zelda might be the sun and Ganon the moon, Link is the interceding force between them; perhaps embodied as the manifold and diverse light of the stars. It suggests a vague, yet powerful sense of self- Link doesn’t need to know who he is or where he comes from, it’s what he chooses to become that defines his fate for him. Which lends significance to how, while Ganon in ALttP was able to take possession of the full triforce, the only one who’s united the triforce inside their body was the first Link in Skyward Sword.

Many games feature Link actively taking qualities from his enemies- in ALBW, his ability to proceed at all is by stealing Yuga’s curse and using it against him. In TP, he very quickly exploits his abilities in his changed form to proceed even before he utilizes Zant’s “help”. In fact outside of ALttP, where he found a way to circumvent it entirely, I can’t think of a single time Link’s gotten cursed where he hasn’t fairly rapidly made peace with it and swung it in his favor.

Hell, it’s worth noting that in BotW Link would even seem to have an indifferent relationship with gender since he’s not particularly concerned wearing traditionally feminine clothes to enter the Gerudo city. (at least, that’s how I’m choosing to interpret that to save myself a lot of frustration,)

It ultimately comes down to a sense that while Zelda might conceal herself, while Ganon might adapt and change his outer layer, Link, out of the chosen, is the one prone to true metamorphosis.

This is the significance to Link always being conflated as an outsider- he doesn’t have a specific biased anchoring to Hyrule or it’s systems. And it’d reflect how, with the help of masks, BotW Link has absolutely no problem partying it up with a bunch of monsters- or, with masks again, Link in Majora’s Mask basically becomes a full-time medium helping the spirits of the dead find peace through his body.

Heck, Skyward Sword’s Skyward Strike, the mechanics of transformation in Twilight Princess, and Link’s unique ability to see Zelda’s ghost outside of her body in Spirit Tracks would seem to point to the idea that Link in general is ghost sensitive / kind of a medium. It’d also reflect on how, while Zelda and Ganon both tend to be established mages, Link lacks magical power until it’s bequeathed by some kind of outside source.

[zeldauniverse]

Zelda's Study: It took a bathtub full of acid to develop a 3D engine for the Game Boy

Zelda’s Study: It took a bathtub full of acid to develop a 3D engine for the Game Boy

Dylan Cuthbert, now-president of Q-Games (developer of the Pixeljunk series), was just 17 years old when he was employed at Nintendo to work on the original Star Fox. He quickly went from hacking Spectrum computers in the UK to being one of the first people outside of Japan to work with Nintendo at their Kyoto headquarters, before even hitting his 20s.

This is an amazing story to explore in…