#I was opinionated about this during calamity and I will have OPINIONS ABOUT IT AGAIN

[essektheylyss]

I think what's the most buckwild to me is that the arguments for hearing Ludinus out are often near identical to the ones during Calamity going, "We should listen to Asmodeus! He's right, the prime deities are the real villains!"

And it's like, even aside from the fact that both Asmodeus and Ludinus are demonstrable, canonically-supported, manipulative liars, I'm sitting here looking at them like, "This argument wasn't borne out or vindicated during Calamity either!" Asmodeus was absolutely, doubtlessly the villain of that story! In fact, virtually everyone—down to Vespin Chloras, the most depraved, reviled mortal figure of the Calamity—looked far better at the end of that series than they had at the start, except Asmodeus, who was the character that all of these arguments insisted would be proven correct by the end.

Zerxus Ilerez doesn't have a grave to roll in but he is without a doubt doing backflips in hell.

[a-person-whos-alive]

Why TotK fails Zelda

Heads up, this is a long post. Ive cut this down like a motherfucker but it still reads very long. My thoughts are divided into four main categories;

1. Her relationship with her magic & tech

2. Her relationship with Hyrule

3. Her relationship with Link

4. Her relationship with the player

Also, these are my opinions, I'm certain there are people with far better analysis skills than me! I am just in love with this franchise and a little disappointed with the recent game. Zelda as a character holds a special place in my heart and its sad that her character was done dirty like this.

Theres a TLDR at the end and before I forget, SPOILERS!!!

1. Her relationship with her magic & tech

Zelda is not someone who magic came easily to, and I think BotW & AoC did a great job exploring that. They contrasted her natural interest with the sheikah technology and her lack of power and it was 😘👌

How did TotK do? With the Zonai tech being the main selling point, how would Zelda, a scholar at heart, interact with it? To my memory, the only interaction she has is to put Mineru's soul into a piece of Sheikah tech and hand it to a construct.

Well what about magic? Finding out she has light AND time powers was at first a great throwback to OoT with the Sage of Time. The fact that her Time magic awakened immediately unlike the Light magic in the last game was a nice contrast. But then, she immediately has a similar dilemma, she can't USE her magic to propel herself forward because she doesnt know how. Unlike BotW though, she has the "mother" she was lacking to teach her. This was a decent set-up. It was different enough to be its own thing but still was familiar enough. This is up to memory 4 - Mineru's Council

The issue the NEXT MEMORY, memory 5 - Gerudo Assualt shows her being even more proficient than Sonia. We don't see her train, or struggle, or even ask a question about how the stone works. She just does. It's not until memory 8 do we see her get any guidance about her powers? And even then we don't see her attempt recall at all. In the next memory she simply uses it perfectly and effortlessly.

The purpose of her strengthening Time Magic was to get back home. Yet, she gets back home by swallowing a sacred stone, that she already had the ability to do at any point. She turns into the LIGHT dragon, using her LIGHT magic to strengthen the Master Sword. Her whole arc about her magic was pointless because in the end she used the powers from the previous game for everything important.

2. Her relationship with Hyrule

Positives first! Its clear that Zelda loves her people, and during the 7? year gap she obviously took the time to connect with them and problem solve. Penn's quest really demonstrates this, and so does the Hateno school quest. (Even if the children don't believe in the Calamity). I found it very endearing that the people had such faith in her, that even with Ganondorf causing havoc with her face, people refused to believe it. The Great Fairies MUST have seen wrong because it was dark, Dorephan MUST have been mistaken, the Stable Trotters MUST have seen someone else - Zelda wouldn't do that.

I additionally liked that Zelda wasn't immediately trying to set up a monarchy again. In fact, she seemed to be doing the opposite. She wasn't living in Central Hyrule, at Looking Landing, she was living in Hateno. She was a teacher, and on some level a researcher (even if the Don Dons were scrapped ideas from the first trailer).

But the second she goes to the past, she is put back in her box. Her interests in tech are non-existant, she does not interact with anyone who isn't royalty, the King doesn't listen to her about Ganondorf and tells her to not to worry - after all she's just supposed to wear that white dress and hope her magic works soon. She's regressed back to before the Calamity, waiting for something terrible she knows is coming and is powerless to stop.

Crucially, she doesn't speak to Ganondorf once.

This is by far the most egregious waste of their characters in my opinion, and I've just deleted a 3 paragraph Ganondorf discussion - another time. But come on! This is legitimately the PERFECT scenario for Zelda to find about about WHY people opposed her royal family, WHY everyone she's ever loved died in Calamity caused by this guy, WHY she's had to go through all this. But no, if they did talk, it wasn't on screen.

Ive seen in translations of parts of one of the interviews with a developer saying she was able to see what a ruler should be like by going to the past, but until a see an official source I'm going to hope that's not true

3. Her relationship with Link

"Link is still entrusted with the role of protecting Princess Zelda." - Hidemaro Fujibayashi https://www.npr.org/2023/09/13/1199307678/zelda-tears-of-the-kingdom-dlc-video-game. Maybe I'll write a post about Link sometime, but I'm focusing on just him and Zelda.

Whether you ship the two or not, the pair would obviously have a unique bond from both fighting the Calamity and losing the Champions/everyone. So, how did the pair cope with the destruction of everything the love? How did Zelda come to terms with the ruins of Castle Town, the harsh reality of all those who were dead? Zelda doesn't have Link's amnesia to temporarily soften the inital blow.

TotK explores none of this.

Similarly, there is a level of formality on how Zelda speaks of Link. When she tells Rauru of Link she starts, "He is a royal knight. He had been originally appointed for my protection, but later he became a hero by saving both me and Hyrule from a great evil". Not "he and I became close" or even "he became my friend". Zelda is talking to the two people closest to her right now,

All their interactions are the bare minimum.

Link has ALWAYS been a self insert for the player, but he's still a character, and more recently Nintendo has been acting like having emotions means a player can't project onto them. Zelda is Link's closest person, and when she returns he is piece of cardboard, at least help her up!

4. Her relationship with the player

First, as everyone who played BotW will know, many things were removed or changed in TotK to allow it to be standalone for new players. Sheikah tech was removed, important characters forgot Link, the majority of the last game was rarely if ever mentioned. Kass

However TotK does not properly establish Link and Zelda for new fans AND doesnt not elaborate for old fans. They interact twice until the end - the intro and memory 1. All of her characterisation is in that little history moment, the rest of it is 50% sacred power lore and 50% time power lore. Additionlly, anyone who is new to the game has no context for her light powers.

Actually, TotK literally retcons her light magic to be from Rauru and not Hylia. Which was the WHOLE POINT of BotW so great sequelling there guys.

TLDR: The Conclusion

Wow, you made it this far. Or you skipped to end, I would too. My main gripes with Zelda:

> She doesn't interact with Zonai Tech.

> Her arc is about learning time power to go home, only for her to not use said magic and instead use the light magic from the last game to fix the sword and be a light dragon.

> Having her worries about Ganondorf shot down by the King and not holding her ground/ insisting (did you learn nothing from Rhoam??)

> never interacting with Ganondorf him being in Hyrule as a diplomat

> nintendos approach to her and link, they dont once touch while both conscious. Not even a handshake or pat on the shoulder. See images above with prev. Zelda and Link.

> the instance on making it not complicated for accessibility to new players, but also not fleshing it out enough to be compelling on its own.

[fujii-draws]

Regrets

Summary: As golden orbs of light brought an end to Dusknoir’s existence; he’s confronted with a thought. One he’d long been avoiding since the day he arrived in the world of the past, and came in contact with two young, small Pokémon. The same two he’d eventually come to grow fond of, only to betray as part of his mission. As he’s forced to finally confront it in his isolation, Dusknoir finds himself coming to an epiphany. One he’d been denying for a very, very long time.

[Word count: 2130]

–––––––––––––––––––––

‘Aimilios... Ribbons...’ The ghost type melancholically lamented to himself. ‘They… did it….’

The black, paralyzed skies had begun to shift as the morning came. Rays of light hit the ghost type’s body; although numb, even he’d felt the warmth of the sun course through him. Time was finally moving again… and all Dusknoir could do was helplessly watch as his body faded; the light bringing an end to his existence.

Dusknoir cannot describe the emotions he’s feeling. Proud…? Accomplished…? Fearful….?

Damn it all. Arceus… if only he’d realized the mistake he was making. If only he’d defied Primal Dialga and had his change of heart sooner… perhaps those two would’ve still…. The three of them could’ve been-

No.

It’s over.

He ruined it.

…Dusknoir turns his head slowly, his gaze falling on to Grovyle; the reason he decided to go against Primal Dialga’s wishes in the first place. The reason he lived; for what would perhaps be the first time in ages… Had it not been for his speech back at the icicle pillars…Dusknoir doesn’t even want to think of the calamity that would’ve ensued. He continues to stare at the slowly disappearing grass-type, almost thoughtful.

“Grovyle…”

The grass-type’s eyes meet the black specter’s pained expression.

“My M-my life… Did it shine….?”

Dusknoir wanted to hear it from Grovyle. He wouldn’t feel satisfied, or even happy hearing it from himself. The ghost’s self-hatred was deep rooted enough as it was. Especially after all of what he had done. He needed a second opinion.

“…Yes.” The lizard Pokémon smiles, softly reassuring Dusknoir in what would be his final moments. “…Extraordinarily.”

…Dusknoir, despite not believing Grovyle, chooses to do so. Offering a small smile back at his old friend. “Grovyle… Thanks to you…..”

He pauses.

“…I have no regrets.”

…Dusknoir starts to feel himself slipping away completely; his physical form fading into illuminated lights in the sky as he draws his final breath… His death is almost comforting... At least- it would’ve been, had he made peace with his unspoken feelings… towards them. Even when he’s disappearing. Even when he’s dying…

He still couldn’t tell the truth.

One regret.

He had all but one.

…And now, he’ll never see them again. Never be able to tell them how sorry he was. Never be able to tell those two how much they meant to him… what they actually meant to him.

How foolish was he…? To get attached like this…? To care so much about their futures as well as his…? ..He couldn’t even admit how much they mattered to him in his final moments… Dusknoir grunts. really is just a liar, isn’t he? And that’s all the two will remember him for. Their scornful expressions when he’d laughed at their misery during their confrontation in the future. Their looks of betrayal. Tears rolled down the eevee and riolu’s faces as they unhinged their claws and teeth at Dusknoir. To think at the time, he found their reactions simply hysterical…

——————

“YOU LIAR..!”

“W-WE TRUSTED YOU..!”

“Pray tell… who’s fault is that?” Dusknoir sneered. “Not once had I asked for your background, or your names.”

Dusknoir began to float menacingly towards Aimilios. “Last I recall, you were responsible for your own partner’s downfall.”

“I-I….”

“LEAVE HIM ALONE…!!”

——————

…Now all he feels is a sharp pain stabbing through his chest recalling that horrible memory.

If there was a heaven or hell; the latter would be awaiting him right about now.

Speaking of…

Dusknoir opens his eye, attempting to browse his uncanny surroundings. What meets the ghost-type is… emptiness?

“…What on earth..?” His eye wanders down to his body.

…He appears in what looks like a pitch-black void. Dusknoir himself would’ve blended right in with the endless abyss had it not been for the yellow outlines distinguishing the features of his silhouette-like shadow… the same exact hue of yellow lights that’d been responsible for his disappearance moments ago… it’s almost as if he’d become a ghost all over again... He’d find the circumstances slightly amusing had it not been for his current dilemma. Dusknoir stares at his golden-laced hand, before contemplating something.

‘…Perhaps..’ Dusknoir thinks to himself. ‘Perhaps… it’s better this way…’ He knows it’s selfish. He knows he’s being a coward. But… now he doesn’t have to face Ribbons and Aimilios. He doesn’t have to look at those same faces that once revered him with such adoration; now fear, in the eyes… And yet… The thought of never seeing those two again… why does the thought bring him so much unnecessary pain? They were only means to an end to begin with- so why does he even CARE?!

“…GWOOH.. GWOOOOH..!!!” The ghost-type’s head begins to throb uncontrollably; Dusknoir clutches his head; nearly identical to how he did when breaking down in the midst of Grovyle’s speech. He clutches his temple harder in a feeble attempt to satiate the pain. Why couldn’t he just stop…? He’d tried so hard to detach himself from Ribbons and Aimilios once he realized who they were... Yet like a complete and utter fool; he stayed close. So close to an eevee and riolu he was ordered to execute. Why couldn’t he just forget about those two…? It would hurt so much less. They were means to an end to begin with- so WHY?!

“B-BLAST IT..!”

He slams both of his fists on the onyx colored ground beneath him in frustration. The yellow outlines of his body begin to glow violently as he draws heavy, shallow breaths.

…Dusknoir is suddenly plagued with a memory- of those two. He… remembers the eevee and riolu smiling widely; at him no less. It was… around the time when he’d referred to them as his ‘friends’. A mere front to gain their trust. Dusknoir recounts just how overjoyed they looked… and how that happiness made something in his chest hurt for a split second. He didn’t have to give them false hope. He didn’t have to play this ruse as far as he did… and yet. There was a small, foolish part of him that genuinely enjoyed it; and an even smaller part of him that knew he’d regret it.

————————

“You mean it?!” The riolu beamed. “You’ll really help us?!”

“But of course!” Dusknoir smiled, placing a hand on his chest. “I offer you two, my full cooperation!”

Dusknoir watched as the two Pokémon whip their heads towards eachother; almost trying to confirm the other’s disbelief. They look back at him; tails wagging rapidly in unison— before Ribbons excitedly jumps onto the ghost-type. Dusknoir nearly stumbles from just how sudden it was. Despite this, he catches her with his quick reflexes.

“Thank you thank you thank you!!!” Ribbons cheered. “You have no idea how much this means to us!”

Dusknoir recollected himself; before putting a hand on each of the overjoyous Pokémon’s heads.

“I’m… glad to hear. Truly.” A lie, obviously…but even he couldn’t help but smile a little at their shared enthusiasm.

“By golly..! Huff… huff…”

All three of the Pokémon had turned their heads to the out-of-breath Bidoof. Dusknoir immediately put Ribbons and Aimilios down; a slightly embarrassed blush crossing the ghost’s face as he brushed himself off coughing, returning to his more professional, stoic-like persona.

———————————

…He didn’t have to play with their emotions. He could’ve just as easily stayed acquaintances- kept his distance- but no. He just had to enjoy spending time with them. He had to get closer to them. He had to remember their favorite foods. To enjoy laughing with them until his stomach became sore, protecting them, watching over them, loving them as if they were…

Were…

…Dusknoir can’t help but hold his hand under his eye. He… he really did care those two... As if they were his own… his own…

“….Hoh…”

His train of thought comes to a complete halt. The idea of those two? Seeing him that way? After what he had done? After the horrible things he’s said…?

“Ho..Hohohaha..! HOHOHOHA-HA-HA-HA!”

His laughter becomes more and more erratic; holding one hand under his eye as the other grips his head- his cackles echoing into the never ending void.

“HAH-HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAhahaa…!“

Dusknoir’s broken laughter echoes throughout the void; until there’s nothing left but silence. Both of Dusknoir’s hands now cover his face as he crumbles to the ground. A shell of what was once the ‘Great Dusknoir’… was nothing more but the husk of a broken ghost. Too selfish and weak to do the right thing; and stand by the only two Pokémon who were willing to trust him with their lives… He wishes the endless abyss he was in would just swallow him already.

“Aimilios…Ribbons…” Dusknoir’s voice cracks; calling out for the ones he’d hurt.

…They deserved so much better than him. He didn’t deserve them. And to think in the beginning, they’d been the ones who were trying to prove themselves to be worthy of him... When it’d been the other way around this entire time. How ironic.

How absolutely ironic.

…Which reminds him-

“Ribbons…!” His head shoots up in a panic; his eye filled with worry.

She had already disappeared at this point, didn’t she..? In front of Aimilios no less..? He can’t even begin to fathom how horrible it must’ve been for both of them… at such young ages… maybe if he’d assisted them on their perilous journey to Temporal Tower…. he could’ve been there to remedy the weight of their situation… but of course instead, he used it in a pathetic attempt to beg for his life. Dumping everything onto Ribbons in a last ditch effort to save his own ghostly skin… in the small desperate hope she’d finally understand why he…

…Selfish.

So selfish.

Of course his train of thought immediately went straight back to him. He can’t think about anyone’s wellbeing except for his own. His ‘self preservation’. His ‘life’. Nevermind all of the Pokémon he was going to deny the futures of. He was at risk. So they all had to pay for it. Because of his cowardice.

This was his atonement.

He deserved this.

Dusknoir closes his eye. Maybe in his next life he’ll be a decent Pokémon. One worthy of respect. Of adoration.

Of love.

.

.

.

“Gah...”

Dusknoir groans. Why does it feel so cold all of a sudden..?

Wait.. cold?

He sees… ice… and feels… wind?

‘…What..?’

He slowly gets up; using his hands to suspend himself in the air. He looks around- only to see himself back.

Back on the mountain.

He stares at his hands for an indeterminate amount of time before they begin to tremble. His expression contorted into one of self-loathing and confusion.

“W-we’re still here…” His fingers curl into fists.

“I didn’t disappear…! Wh-Why?!”

Dusknoir shouts; almost disgusted by the fact he was revived- rather than questioning how it was even possible in the first place. No. He doesn’t- He shouldn’t be here. It must’ve been some kind of mistake… That’s it. There’s no other logical explanation for why he should be still here. Perhaps the higher being that brought him back into this world will immediately realize their error, and make swift work of him.

“We… we truly are still here…” Grovyle lamented, breathing a sigh of what would be an overwhelming rush relief. Celebi begins to flutter her wings happily around the grass-type.

“Wonderful!! I don’t know why we were fading and didn’t disappear…” She twirls, overjoyous now having gained all her strength back. “…But everyone is safe!! Oh my beloved..! Isn’t this just an amazing wonderful thing?!”

Grovyle chuckles heartedly. “It is.”

Unfortunately among the three; the ghost type was not experiencing the same joy as the grass type pokemon. Dusknoir had been drowning out half of their words of cheer and relief with thoughts of contempt. Self-depricational thoughts clouded the ghost-type’s mind as he kept searching for logical answers for his revival… Everyone else made sense. But why him of all Pokémon..?!

“Why..? Wh-Why me..?” Dusknoir whispered to himself dejectedly; mirroring his words from when his Sableye ‘betrayed’ him.

The only difference being how genuine it was.

Pr- Dialga had appeared to explain the whole situation to the trio. Once that had been done, Grovyle, and Celebi walked and flew individually near the edge of the mountain to feel the sun on their skins; their accomplishments finally having been paid off, soaking in the sun…

……Dusknoir, however; had stayed in the exact spot he’d been revived. His thoughts plagued him. This was not his victory. This was not for him to enjoy. What was he to do now..? Live his life as if nothing happened..? As if he didn’t hurt countless Pokémon..? Guilt had almost immediately begun to eat away at the ghost-type. He looks down at his hands one last time... Perhaps death would’ve been too good for a despicable Pokémon such as himself. The torment of being alive, and living with what he had done seemed like a fitting and ironic enough punishment… but that wasn’t what truly scared him.

Far from it, in fact.

Without a doubt in Dusknoir’s mind; Grovyle and Celebi would want to return back to the past… perhaps not this very instant; but at a given point. And when that time finally arrives…

Dusknoir stares at the Passage of Time facing him. Almost mocking him.

…He’d have to face them.

“…” Dusknoir clenches his fists tightly; his brow furrowing.

…The mere thought of confronting those two again- No no no no no. He- he should have disappeared. Death would’ve been a mercy. He can’t face them- not again. Looking at the same two children he tried to slaughter with his bare hands mere hours ago face-to-face..? Dusknoir’s fists tremble as his terror consumes him. What would they say..? Let alone think..? They’d run at the mere sight of him. He…

He doesn’t want to scare them.

He doesn’t want to hurt them.

He..

…Now he has something else to be afraid of.

[tirsynni]

If we're asking about BotW/TotK ships, any thoughts on Revalink? Asking mostly just because it has been living in my head rent-free for months and I constantly desire more people to talk about it.

Anonymous asked:

Sorry for asking about your opinion on Revalink without even checking to see that you had already written Revalink fics, feel free to ignore previous ask

Oh, honey. I am always happy to talk about Revalink. They are absolutely my BotW/TotK OTP. I also adore Revali and I hungrily devoured even the slightest mention of him in TotK and have multiple WIPs scribbled on my laptop finding out ways to have him actually in TotK.

(Do I still feel a little cheated? Maybe. I wasn't expecting much, but ow, TotK.)

This ship has an insane amount of potential, especially since we have so few of Link's memories available in BotW. Maybe it was always just brutal tension between two fucked up young Champions with far too much weight on their shoulders (with most of it being self-imposed!). Maybe they quietly figured out something, just for Link to forget or maybe he didn't even forget but it didn't matter because the Link of then and the Link of now are so different. Ack! So much potential!

...but anyway.

Pre-Calamity, these two had so much weight dragging them down and not a single positive communication skill in sight. Link was buried under the title of Champion and Hero to the point he could barely see the sky anymore. Revali pushed and pushed and pushed himself to the point of collapse. He was absolutely driven and stubborn and passionate and snarky and desperate for validation. Link was silently begging for everyone to not look at him and Revali was silently begging for someone to fucking see him.

Specifically, he wanted Link to see him.

That's what absolutely kills me about that pairing. We don't know what Link saw or thought. We got everyone's journal but his. Hell, even his memories seemed like they were from an outsider's perspective (especially the last one). But we got Revali's journal and we got to hear Revali speak (and snark and yell) and so it baffles me when people paint him as an asshole who hated Link.

Doubtlessly, Revali would have pushed himself forever without external validation, but it didn't change the fact that he was thirsty for it. Where do we see it most? In his interactions with Link. In his journal talking about Link. It was a constant chant of "See me, see me." Link was strong and skilled and we saw in his limited memories that he pushed himself, too. While Zelda quietly mused in a safe, dry spot, Link stood in the rain and continued to practice with his sword. He threw himself at hordes of monsters and Zelda scolded him for being reckless. For their own reasons, Revali and Link actively pushed themselves arguably long after almost anyone else would have stopped, and I think Revali saw that in Link -- saw a possible peer who valued hard work and sweat and determination -- and desperately wanted Link to see him, too.

When they reunited one hundred years later, for all of Revali's snark about Link making him wait, nothing can convince me that Revali wasn't happy to see him again. We won't know what happened in those final days before the Calamity or what Revali knew about Link during those hundred years, but the fact that Revali specifically told Link to avenge him will forever be telling to me. Revali -- fiercely independent, determined Revali -- recognized that he couldn't avenge his own death. He also didn't expect the fight to be impersonal for Link, for it to be another thing for Link to check off in his quest. He didn't want Link to kill the Blight on his behalf: he wanted Link to do what he couldn't, he wanted Link to treat the fight as something personal, he wanted Link to fight in Revali's name. He wanted Link to avenge him.

(And in return, he gave Link wings and personally lifted him into the sky. <3 With an adorable little flourish.)

I also love the dialogue choices during the fight, and they are part of my argument for why Revali isn't hateful: he's snappy and snarky and is absolutely the guy who shows he cares about by calling his love interest an idiot for failing to appropriately care for himself. He spends that entire fight scolding Link and cheering Link on and snarking at Link and fretting over Link, depending on how the fight goes. He gets so worried for Link. Not because Revali won't be avenged but because Link is hurt and he checks to see if he is okay. ;_;

On Link's half? If Revali is the bird who is desperate to fly as high as he can, Link is absolutely the trapped, muzzled songbird. There's one scene where the king is scolding Zelda and Link is kneeling beside Zelda, absolutely forgotten by both of them. He's pretty much part of the scenery in that memory. His head is bowed. His face is expressionless. He's disregarded butterly as the king berates Zelda and Zelda focuses on vainly defending herself. That exemplifies so much of his backstory: he's the silent Knight. He's the Wielder of Evil's Bane. He's the guy who effortlessly claimed his destiny by pulling the Master Sword while Zelda struggled fruitlessly to call upon her sacred powers. I would argue (and this isn't a slight against Zelda, who is clearly a traumatized, overburdened, and royal teenager in all of these memories) that when Zelda finally sees Link as an actual person and not just another symbol of her failure, she still struggles to see him as a true individual and not another way for her to deal with and understand her own problems. For most of the characters in those memories, Link is characterized by his role and his duty, not as an actual overburdened teenager himself.

Except Revali, who never shows any indication that he gives a damn about titles and destiny and all of that bullshit, sees Link and wants Link to see him. Revali wants a response. Revali wants Link.

I've also written briefly about this before, but in regards to symbolism, Revali is also the closest in-game parallel to things normally associated with the Heroes of Courage. Courage is Farore green, courage is Farore's Wind. In Skyward Sword, Link rides upon his loftwing, a sacred creature which connects the Hylians to the Goddess. In Wind Waker, well, do I need to say it? The other Champions fit well with Din/Power (Urbosa and Daruk) and Nayru/Wisdom (Zelda and Mipha). Revali? Fits great with Farore/Courage. Revali, who pushes Link and gets so pissed (and hurt) when Link doesn't push back. Revali, who tells Link to watch him as he flies and grows so upset when Link doesn't react to that magical moment at all.

To leave the Great Plateau and begin his journey, Link needs to take a leap of faith and glide through the sky. Link needs the wind. Link needs to fly.

I could keep going for a while, but I think I should stop. lol I've written plenty of meta about these two before, though, so feel free to check out my Revalink tag. Always feel free to ask about these two (and fandom and such in general). I love rambling about them and people IRL tend to look at me like I'm crazy when I begin talking about this stuff. :D

[undiscovered-horizon]

Imagine feeling insecure but the Doctor is there to reassure you.

If someone had told you yesterday that you would be the lifesaver of an alien princess, you'd probably believe it. Maybe you'd be a little sceptical, "What are the odds of that happening?", but it definitely was on your Space-and-time-travel bingo.

And there you were, sitting at a long table in an even longer hall under an open sky, celebrating the saving of princess Axalari III. The whole ordeal had started with the Doctor promising to show you a shower of meteorites, except the meteorites turned out to be invading spaceships ready to wipe out an entire species. So you did what any reasonable person would do: throw yourself in the middle of the action. In hindsight, listening to the celebratory music and laughs, it seemed as if the calamity had happened so long ago you could hardly be sure it was ever real. The wraith of war did not leave a mark on the people of this world. Judging by their happiness and celebratory mood, it seemed as if peace had never left their hearts.

The princess was dancing with some commoners - a sight both hard to believe and entirely heartwarming. Once again, she was the star that shone the brightenest, the spotlight in which everyone wanted to stand even for a second. The Doctor and you had the privilege of being named "friends of the crown" but the fame that came with such honour disappeared rather quickly in the court of public opinion: somewhere after the first appetizer during the dinner, the aliens forgot all about the peacemakers. You still haven't made up your mind about whether it was a good thing or a bad one.

"I've always wanted to be like that," you broke the silence. That quiet confession of yours was barely audible over the celebrations but he heard you. He always did, for better or worse.

"...have tentacles growing out of your head?" he asked sheepishly. A grimace of confusion contorted his features. "Nah, you wouldn't look good with tentacles, sorry."

A dry chuckle left your lips. To some degree, you were in disbelief at the direction his thoughts took. "No, it's just... I've always wanted to be inimitable, you know?" you looked at him for a moment. His expression became serious but unreadable except for that. "For people to look at you and in a split second they realise they've never met someone like you and probably never will again. I mean, look at her! It's like she has this magical, one-in-a-million aura. She could be a princess even without the royal title."

The Doctor scrunched his nose and shook his head:

"You're not one in a million."

"Yeah, I know..." you answered quietly. A heavy sigh left your lips. How could you ever think that an immortal, time travelling alien would understand your mundane, egoistic problems? The sentiment probably seemed at best petty to him.

Longingly, you admired the princess dancing with her people. The flowy material of her dress shone as she twirled under the starlight. With that bright smile on her face and a tear in her eye, she couldn't be anything except happy.

"You're so much better than that."

Quickly, you looked back at him. The Doctor had a soft smile on his face like he was fondly thinking about something. There was something adoring yet intense in his eyes and you felt the need to nervously look away. He rarely got like that.

"You think so?" you asked him unconvinced.

"I know so."

You felt his hand tightly squeeze yours.

[one-flower-one-sword]

Hello! I’m new to your blog so it’s possible you may have shared similar thoughts. I recently finished the novel and just wanted to share some random thoughts. :-D Did you figure out Hua Cheng was Wu Ming before the novel revealed it? I was spoiled on this before reading and so saw the hints leading up to it. I don't know if I would have figured it out beforehand, but I just think it's interesting seeing some of the hints. One being when Hua Cheng and Xie Lian were running on the rooftops of the Heavenly Capital, trying to get to his guoshi. Xie Lian felt a sense of deja vu I think. And then Hua Cheng's reaction when Xie Lian made a joke about being stabbed and turned into mush. I just thought that was really good foreshadowing. _____

I’ve seen some of the jokes about Hua Cheng being a stalker and I have to say again just how not true that is and it’s not even something I want to joke about. Seeing how Jun Wu actually stalked him, tormented him and all the pain that caused Xie Lian. Hua Cheng never did, and would never do anything like that. This man has such a visceral reaction to any pain Xie Lian has that it would be, at this point, like going against his very nature to do so. He is so careful about not wanting to cause Xie Lian harm by his own actions ( and of course by others).

—--------------- I was reminded from a TGCF discussion thread how young Hua Cheng was during the time Xie Lian was the White Clothed Calamity. He was 16-17 or 17-18. After all the suffering he saw Xie Lian go through, of course he was ready to burn the world down for him. It’s completely understandable even if one doesn’t agree with it. And as soon as Xie Lian changed his mind, he put aside his own desire for revenge and helped Xie Lian stop it by sacrificing himself.

I once read a thread where a comment was made that Hua Cheng encouraged Xie Lian to commit genocide because he asked why wait 3 days to inflict the Human Face Disease and it bothered me because that just wasn’t the case. And I feel it kind of does a disserve to Hua Cheng - missing out on the fact he too had just witnessed his beloved stabbed to death. Ofc, he wanted revenge but he never let that desire override what Xie Lian ultimately wanted to do.

I remember a fanfic I read kind of addressed how back then Hua Cheng didn’t try to stop Xie Lian from doing something that would’ve hurt him mentally and emotionally. Hua Cheng said at present he would say something to Xie Lian if  something were to happen again. Although Hua Cheng didn’t deny he’d ultimately follow through if Xie Lian persisted, Xie LIan said he wouldn’t because he’d listen to Hua Cheng. I know it’s fanfic, but I thought that was the best way to surmise how things would play out because Hua Cheng at present wants Xie Lian to keep from being hurt in all ways, not just his body, but of course will ultimately follow whatever Xie Lian says.

I guess I just wanted to know, from your reading and thoughts on the characters, how do you think Hua Cheng would respond to Xie Lian if he was on the verge of doing something of that nature again? 

Sorry for the word vomit, happy to clarify anything that got too jumbled up! And if it's too much to answer, any thoughts you'd like to share about anything I mentioned is just fine. :) Thank you!

hi, thank you so much for your ask! I'm honestly still really humbled people want to know my tgcf opinions, I did not expect this much interest at all when I started posting.

I was also spoilered for Hua Cheng being Wu Ming, but yeah, the foreshadowing in this novel really is amazing! as with the Black Water arc, every time I reread the novel I spot another small bit of foreshadowing.

I also feel your frustration in regards to the "Hua Cheng is a stalker" thing, I'm continually baffled when it comes up in fandom - because like you said, it was Jun Wu who repeatedly displayed this kind of violating behavior towards Xie Lian, not Hua Cheng. I've mentioned it in previous meta posts, though I've not yet talked extensively about it. I have a longer post in the works though where I tackle several takes on hualian's relationship that seem popular in fandom yet I feel are directly contradicted by the text.

In regards to your last questions, I've also wondered about these kinds of what-ifs, though I think the point of this storyline was that Xie Lian ultimately did choose kindness and forgiveness, and also that he was only brought to this point after suffering through the trauma of incredibly brutal violation and torture and the loss of his parents through suicide. and in regards to Hua Cheng, like you said it needs to be kept in mind what witnessing Xie Lian be violated and tortured like this did to him as well. it's very obvious both from Hua Cheng's wrath against anyone and anything who causes Xie Lian pain - including Hua Cheng himself when he feels he's failed Xie Lian in some way - as well as his unflinching self-sacrifical protectiveness towards Xie Lian, how deeply he was traumatized by what he witnessed people do to Xie Lian. unfortunately i feel like the complexities of the whole situation often get flattened out or outright ignored in certain fandom circles in favor of takes like "and that's why hualian is a toxic relationship" and other such nonsense.

also like you said it's often a disservice to Hua Cheng in particular, who I've several times seen described as one-dimensional and "walking red flag of a person". honestly one of the reasons I've been focusing so much meta on him is because of how baffling and frankly annoying I find these kinds of takes.

I think I may have read that same fanfic btw! that conversation feels familiar :3 I don't remember all the details but it did make sense to me.

don't apologize for rambling btw, always feel free to send me your thoughts! I feel like this reply ended up also quite rambly, I hope my answers were at least somewhat satisfactory anyway. some of the things you touched upon I will definitely address with more detail in that longer post I mentioned on hualian's relationship that I've been working on.

[doomed-era]

STEAMROLLS IN. dust clears and everytjing is perfectly fine except for me who has been steamrolled. mineru or purah hcs……,,,

HEHEHEH. HEH

WEL. I will be doing purah since I haven't thought about mineru too much yet I just think she's neat

so. in general I think purah is a bit of an oddball, not just in how she dresses but also how she behaves and her opinions on a lot of things. she's brutally honest which is a characteristic she shares with impa, except uh. well impa basically only became that brutally honest in her old age and more or less held her tongue to an extent when she was younger. this isn't completely why I headcanon that purah is autistic (I just like headcanoning characters as nd because it's relatable to me sometimes) but it is part of the reason lmao

her and robbie are childhood friends! they latched onto each other when they were like. eight. and they still keep in pretty close contact in botw! robbie and purah have pretty much always understood their relationship to be completely platonic though they have been teased/questioned about it only for them to look confused and go "um no we are besties what are you talking about "

speaking of that. we're going to go into "stuff i just made up and have no evidence for" territory. but I like to think that even before the whole prophecy thing started and the divine beasts and guardians were excavated purah had a rudimentary understanding of ancient sheikah tech from poking around where she shouldn't have and experimenting. i really don't think the sheikah tribe a century ago had any interest in it for the most part. in fact i think they kinda. discouraged it. heavily. they still know the legends, and before the yiga clan emerges they were basically a boogeyman for young children—an almost comically exaggerated evil (and they turned out to be that way lmao.) so purah got a lot of "you're going to become like the yiga clan if you don't quit messing around with things you shouldn't!" when she was younger and robbie got punished along with her as sort of an accomplice/enabler lmao. they were not well liked and often kept to themselves.

yeah then the whole "the thing you need lies buried underground" or whatever happened. suddenly purah isn't the Freak Child Who Must be Punished but basically a prodigy and their only hope and incredible and stuff. this told purah and robbie one thing primarily: none of this praise could be trusted. the moment the tech stopped being relevant they would be discarded again, so they had to do everything in their power to stay useful and relevant. the guardians and divine beasts becoming corrupted was a huge blow to them both, especially robbie. also yeah the general consensus amongst the tribe after the calamity was that sheikah tech sucked now and though they didn't...prevent people from messing around with it it's still frowned upon to this day. that's kind of why symin never went back lmao. both he and purah do visit from time to time but mostly just to see their families.

speaking of family. purah adores her grand-niece. paya calls her auntie purah! purah's somewhat closed off about this. also she's worried about paya taking impa's place as chieftain because of what a doormat she is. she doesn't think impa prepared her very well and probably thinks cado or dorian should become chieftain instead lmao. (if we're going to talk abt totk, i think purah got really pissed at impa for just running off and leaving kakariko to get crushed by falling ruins and giving up all her responsibility to paya like seriously wtf. impa. one of your closest advisors/guards got their house crushed by a fancy rock and of course those dipshit hylian researchers aren't helping paya doesn't know what to do go back and HELP FIX IT. AAAAAAAAA)

hopefully i won't get more insatiably pissed about totk on main. but oh girl purah is not happy during the events of that game. hiding eyebags with makeup kinda unhappy. though i also think she has a horrible sleep schedule in general. i just dont really think she has any reason to be i mean yeah she managed to scrounge up what was left of her life's work even though most of it vanished without an explanation. so again she tries to stay relevant by helping develop the towers and the purah pad (minimally.) she's spearheading the development of a new town that I'm assuming will probably make an effort to restore castle town when it gets bigger. she is desperate for something to do, some way to be beautiful and useful and cool again, but she gets this looming feeling in the back of her head that none of it will last, and she fears for herself and her tribe, hoping to appeal to hylians and princess zelda as much as possible to avoid disaster.

did i mention i think she's very particular about her appearance? cause she is. she masks a LOT, and she does not like looking bad or foolish or weak to anyone. I mean she is fine with being weird, likes pushing that boundary to see what's palatable for other people, and tries to befriend and protect people who she thinks might be ostracized, but again, she fears not being palatable. she doesn't want to be bullied or shunned, and she wants to look like nothing affects her.

i also think she understates how much she and impa didn't get along as kids. they do generally get along better now, but they try not to step on each other's toes and they've tried to be there for each other during hard times. they love each other very much but yeah they do not touch...sensitive issues

her and josha have sort of a child and her weird aunt thing going on. josha just kinda latched onto purah randomly at some point purah was like "oh no" internally but befriended josha and yeah

she's not completely agnostic but she's about as close as you can get. does not care about religion and does what she does because she cares about other people

oh also she's a lesbian

[uniquevoidflowers]

Whatever day of Whumptober this is! It's short, but I think it ended up fine. Prompt: ”But now this room is spinning while I’m just trying to fill in the gaps.” Safety Net| Swooning| “How many fingers am I holding up?” 

The timeline. It was…so very complex. Time should know, after all he had split it. The old man knew he had caused the flooding of Wind’s Hyrule, and that had plagued him every waking moment of his life. What he was not expecting was to get another load of information about the timeline that involved him splitting it again.

“Does anybody else have stories of past heroes?” Wind wondered, eyes darting at the chain.

“Legend speaks of a hero in my time who died 10 000 years ago. He was the first to seal away Calamity Ganon along with a princess.” Wild offered.

“I don’t speak of that.” Legend scoffed.

Warriors nudged the vet for the joke, grinning. “Don’t turn into me or Time.”

“Ew, no.” Legend scrunched up his face in disgust.

“I take full offence to that.” Time huffed.

There were a bunch of chuckles heard around the chain as they walked around in an unfamiliar Hyrule.

“…Is there anymore heroes you guys have heard of?” Wind questioned. Time eyed the sailor, wondering why the kid was so invested in getting an answer for that question. “I could name one or two.” Hyrule offered, eyes darting to the veteran hero.

“Tell me!” Wind demanded, almost tripping over a fallen branch because he had turned his entire focus on the traveller.

“Well, other than the Hero of Legend, there was faint talks about the Fallen Hero. Don’t remember learning much about ‘im except that he died.” Hyrule replied easily.

“You know about the Fallen Hero too Rulie?” Legend startled.

“Yeah, but like I said, I don’t know much. I was more…fixated on the Hero of Legend.” Hyrule affirmed.

“What do you know about this Fallen Hero, vet?” Time wondered, a little surprised at the information he had just gained.

“Oh, yeah, I know tons.” Legend huffed, glaring at the ground as he walked like it had personally offended him.

“Tell us!” Wind urged, ignoring the stares he earned.

What was up with the kid? “Fine. The Fallen Hero, true to his name, had died during a battle against Ganon. Once Ganon had killed the Fallen Hero, he was able to take all three pieces of the Triforce, turn into a beast, and cause destruction. In a last desperate attempt to rescue everyone, the sages sealed Ganon in the sacred realm. The people nowadays in my Hyrule have two opinions. Either you hate him, or you respect him. Some people scowl at the name and will call the Fallen Hero a failure, while others will sigh and call him noble and courageous. Depends on who you ask.” Legend informed everyone, staying neutral the entire time.

There were a few moments of quiet, the only sounds heard were light footsteps and the background noises that were barely even there. Time thought over what the veteran had just shared. He had a gut feeling there was something very important that he was missing about this. “Does this Fallen Hero have an actual name? Or is he just known for his death?” Twilight grumbled.

“Mmmmm, probably has a name on his grave, but that’s the name he’s known as." Legend shrugged.

“Huh.”

“Guess we’ll have to find out when we get to you Hyrule, vet.”

“If we can get to the graveyard.”

Time’s bones started aching from all the walking, his legs wanting to give up. But the old man didn’t give in. “The Fallen Hero was a child when he died. They said he was accompanied by a fairy, the Great Fairy Navi, and I can’t help but wonder how that Navi fairy is doing now.” Legend sighed.

Time froze. Navi? That name was all too familiar.

“Old Man you okay?”

Then it hit Time like a bullet through his skull.

Time was the fallen hero.

Stumbling back, he tried to calm himself, vision blurring as he felt too dizzy from the reality of it all. Had Time somehow failed Hyrule and caused another split in the timeline? The voices in the background were fuzzy, Time not completely registering them.

“Link!”

Time could see the fluttering of Navi’s wings as the blue fairy chimed with fond irritation. “Hey, Listen!” Navi would demand, and Time would always ignore her.

“Link, come on, what happened?”

Vision slightly returning he looked to see blurs of blue and grey atop him and he felt the cold hard ground on his back.

“Time? Link?”

Time was able to take a shaky deep breath and clear his vision. He saw Warriors standing over him with concern palpable in his eyes. “How many fingers am I holding up?” Warriors asked, holding his hands up.

“Four fingers.” Time answered, sitting up.

There were some sighs of relief.

But all Time knew was the image of him being the one to leave Navi, and to let Ganon loose.

[shinjisdone]

Reasons for Link(s) To Be A Yandere

In Relation to this request I did (rather the reblog reblog)

Link is hard to pinpoint since he's a vessel for the player. Headcanons Based on the game's worldbuilding/lore, a bit of their mangas and very much lotsa imagination from my side.

(Romantic)

SS! Link: His constant worry for Zelda's safety, unknown of Hyrule below, too naive, seems like a good boy, unexperienced, someone who might long for ACTUAL connection since Fi is a bit too much beep boop master linkkkk

OoT! Link: Very much naive and still childlike when sent into the future, confused by all that is happening and needs an anker of reality (maybe even an escape to simpler, childish times since he doesn't want to face all the actual real horrors, daydreams a lot), BEARS THE BURDEN OF THE WOOORLD, wishes for some kind of positivity/sunshine, you might think he is weird for his age, protective since he doesn't know what this future has in store for him, ALL THAT HE KNEW AND CHERISHED IS GONE NOW

TP! Link: GUY GOT TURNED INTO A WOLF, IMAGINE JUST; YOUR ENTIRE LIFE IS UPSIDE DOWN FROM HUMAN TO BEAST ALL THAT YOU KNOW WILL NEVER BE THE SAME AGAIN YOU HAVE TO GET USED TO LIVING THE REST OF YOUR LIFE AS SOMETHING ELSE AND THEN YOU DIE

THE PEOPLE YOU KNOW, YOUR FRIENDS, YOUR FAMILY DON'T KNOW WHO YOU ARE, THEY FEAR YOU AND PRBLY THINK YOU ARE DEAD OR WENT MISSING. AND ON TOP OF THAT YOU ARE EXPECTED TO SAVE THE WORLD

ITS A LOT OF STRESS.

Maybe naive, aware of his strength and ready to protect others, courageous to the point nothing will stop him, maybe bit of a Country pumpkin, soft, so soft he holds animals like babies, internally frustrated and scared? Unsure? NeedING COMFORT AND ASSURANCE? ONLY HAS A FEW LOVED ONES. Needs acceptance.

BotW! Link: My man has SO MUCH LORE. Survivor's guilt? Amnesia? Unsure if he remembers everything correctly? NOT SURE IF HE STILL FEELS THE SAME AFTER LEARNING ABOUT HIS PASSED LOVED ONES? Unexperienced and curious, open and lets himself be amazed by the world, letting all the pain that he doesn't even remember (YET) go and just live the life he couldn't have? A part of him not wanting to go through everything all over again after finding out the truth? Doubting his abilities and believing he'll fail again? Slowly becoming his old, stoic, mute and emotionally closed off self through time? Yes to all the above.

Also talks more at the beginning, eats a lot, happy to help and learn new things. Tries to distract himself from reality.

(Platonic)

LA! Link: You're probly in the island too, just as his imagonation however. A memory of a friend he knows and missed? Cannot EVER see again? Well, you are here, in this mystical, fun island. He can be here with you. Indulges in the dream and pretends its the life he wanted to have with you. Friend, best friend, sibling, whatever, it's you and him now forever. No destiny or Calamity can keep you apart when he is dreaming. Will not listen to the owl. He was forced to grow up when defeating evil but here he can indulge in whimsical, childish games. Fishing, stomping on weird creatures (he finds them funny and names them goombas!) Getting all kinds of funny knick-knacks...all with you. Might shape the dream you to make you into the 'you' he remembers, or worse, desires.

FS! Link: uh-oh four Links is double the trouble. Something might have happened during the Split and each of Link's best and worst characteristics show. Your friend gets agGreSSiVe then overprotective, cheery and kind and then clingy and emotional. Smart and giving advice only to be possesive the next. He struggles to maintain his emotions/doppelgangers and it makes it even worse when he tries to hide his true feelings from you. Each Clone might just spit out a thought/opinion they have of you without thinking that has been residing in Link's heart forever. Each get jealous on who gets to spend more time with you (although they're the same person).

MM! Link: Has the wits and maturity of a grown-up and finds it hard to let himself indulge in anything. Lonely since no one understands him and kids 'his age' are too immature for him so he can't find any friends, any connections. Has immense feeling of duty and responsibility that HE is the hero of everything and everyone. When a Problem arrives, HE must solve it. HE must endanger his life to save others. You must be special to have any connection with him. Longs for a normal life but thats not possible anymore. Zelda unwittingly gave him another terrible fate.

[shaxxuality]

answered this ask list for calamity-12! :D i didn't answer every question, so those aren't listed below under the cut.

🍇: What sort of friend are they? Where are they in the group dynamic? Definitely a 'we should kill them as a response to everything' kind of a friend. Calamity is a supportive friend, but he's not really the type to go out of his way to offer said support, partly because he trusts that his friends (who he doesn't even consider friends until he's known them for a prolonged amount of time and eventually fully warms up to them) obviously know that he's there for them. This makes it sound like Calamity never does anything for his friends unprompted, which is not the case lmao, but I'm just generalizing for simplicity if that makes any sense. With that said, Calamity can admittedly be a bit direct when it comes to offering his opinion/advice when a friend asks for it. Again, mostly due to them trusting said friends to know he's coming from a well-intentioned place, and frankly part of it is that he'll be kinda less tolerant of something he might deem silly. (silly as in, "well the obvious answer is to do this") In a group dynamic, I'd describe him as the friend that's present, but doesn't necessarily stand out from an outsider perspective. Like, some of his friends might be chattier, friendlier, etc. than they are so while he's obviously noticed to be there, it's not like Calamity will really go out of his way to chitchat with newer faces while in the group or something. I hope this makes sense lmao. 🍉: Does your OC have a particular piece of jewellery that they always wear or refuse to part with? Not jewelry obviously, but I'll say his helmet. Calamity does take it off infrequently, but they have a strong preference for wearing it. Looks cool, it's become a "face" for them thanks to their guardian career more-or-less, and having it on means they don't have to worry about others around him perceiving his emotions. I will honestly say that it's personal projection too lmfao, I too would love to be a robot and have the luxury of getting to wear a helmet all the time without having to deal with sweat/condensation/etc. Calamity is living my dream for me in that regard. I'll also quickly mention that this works favorably for Calamity when they first start fucking Spider, where both figuratively shake hands to agree to fucking with helmets on only. There is the personal element mentioned above for Calamity, but not gonna lie when I say it's mainly fueled by both enjoying the idea of saving the "INCREDIBLE privilege" of seeing the other emote during sex until later down the line. Also, Spider definitely seems like a half-dressed quickie kind of guy when casually fucking guardians/lightbearers to me so. Honestly I could expand on this specific detail of their dynamic, but obviously I won't because it's not even the point to begin with. 😭 🍋: What is your OC's most painful memory? His early guardian activities on the moon, which for the moment is mainly the Destiny 1 story there. It's definitely a case of someone having experienced plenty of traumatic shit, but there'll be an extremely specific experience that'll hang heaviest over them. As well as growing averse to certain elements and what not that were present in the environment.

I'll be honest by saying I don't really have any specific scenarios thought up for now, but I will say that overall Calamity does develop a bit of an aversion to going to the moon in general.

🍍: Where does your OC feel most comfortable? While Calamity is a pretty sociable guy, I'd say it's definitely when he can be Alone and Unbothered(™). Similar to the helmet explanation, they're super relaxed and comfortable when there isn't any concern for having to put that mask of complete composure on.

Considering all the shit he's up to both in the canon story and elsewhere, it's nice to just simply exist without anyone else perceiving you. Excluding his ghost, Cola, of course. I'll also say his actual friends are exceptions too, when they're in a more private setting than like a bar or simply out and about.

🍑: What sort of traits does your OC look for in a Significant Other? This is kind of a difficult question, because I don't really see Calamity as someone who's interested or all that concerned with a significant other in a dating sense. I definitely wouldn't call Spider his signifcant other, regardless that he manages to worm his way into Spider's genuine good graces after a long while.

So, I'll try to answer this in a general sense. They tend to be attracted to self-assured people, for starters. Obviously, nobody is without even the briefest moments of insecurity, Calamity included, but he typically hangs around folks that have at least a good idea of what they want, who they are, what they're good at, etc. He'll also warm up much faster to people who tend to be a bit distant as he is, compared to someone who might unintentionally be kinda too nosy or "too much" for him to tolerate when he's wanting said person to like, just leave him alone and let him open up on his own. (even if it is well-intentioned and/or not even annoying to the average person, if that makes sense).

This is super vague, I know, but [shrug emoji].

🍒: Has Your OC had their first kiss yet? If so, with who? Well, as far as a "first kiss" goes for his current life, it was probably with some other guardian he casually fucked if I'm being real.

🍆: Does your OC have any favourite form of affection, physical or otherwise? To be honest, Calamity is a sex enjoyer, first off. While he does have very casual sex with others besides Spider, when I say he's a "sex enjoyer" I'm referring to the close relationship he has with both of them (later on in life of course) which is what makes it that much more enjoyable for him since he has a greater degree of comfortable intimacy.

Besides that, he's honestly not much of a physical affection kind of guy if it's not in private. That means hand holding, cuddling, etc. is not something they're particularly fond of doing in front of others, especially in public spaces. Also, even in private, Calamity typically needs their own space after awhile, so he's not one to cuddle for hours or something like that.

I'd say he's more appreciative of compliments, gifts, and above all, being allowed to exist in his own personal bubble of space. It seems redundant to mention at this point, but it's important to him! However, those affectionate type of gazes from across the room/table/etc. will definitely get to them too. (in a good way)

🍰: What's something your OC counts as unforgivable? While Calamity tends to be a bit self-centered and selfish honestly, I'll say that they can be very cutthroat about someone hurting a genuine friend of theirs in some way. In the more lighthearted "oh we should just kill them" way as I mentioned in an earlier question, but also like, Calamity will absolutely despise the offending person of said friend as a bitter, petty yet very strong grudge. Calamity doesn't just count anyone as a friend! So to see someone who they genuinely trust and are close to be hurt in some way, he's rolling up those sleeves for a fight figuratively and literally. This does not extend to Spider though, but again, their entire dynamic can be a whole post on its own. 🎂: Has your OC have any contradictory interests or traits to the first preception people have of the? How do they surprise people? I guess what I mentioned directly above counts for this question, since Calamity is typically characterized as this distant, blunt person, but when he's around those he's genuinely comfortable with, they're relaxed, cracking jokes and laughing, etc. I'll also mention that Calamity is definitely an animal person too! Most likely a very distant echo of a past life/reset maybe, but he's really drawn to learning about fauna and the kind of guy to simply observe animals in the wild while he's out and about on patrols and such. :] So you know Calamity is totally down to have a cat nap on his lap or a dog jumping up on him and all that other good shit. He likes the ocean too. Calamity would be a "stare out at sea all day" kind of guy, honestly. Another distant echo of a past life/reset is that he'd totally be a music guy!! Meaning, if he had the time or drive, he'd learn to play an instrument for sure. That and he genuinely enjoys dancing. :] 🍩: What's a crime your OC is most likely to commit? What's a crime they're most likely to get arrested for? The guy is a glorified (and later, favored) errand-runner for Spider, that list grows like every month at this point, I'm sure.

🍹: Does your OC have any funny anecdotes told about them? Bruh, I feel like regularly fucking Spider is a "funny anecdote" on its own lmfao.

A more accurate answer is probably the belief that Calamity is the one who killed certain raid bosses. I'm talking about the ones that debut in the story, are defeated there, but aren't truly defeated until later on in a raid. So, adversaries like Crota and Oryx, for example.

Calamity has to explain "yeah I faced them and pretty much softened them up for the actual raid team to take them down for good. But still, you're welcome for dealing with that." pretty much lmaooo.

I do alot of projecting of my own gaming habits onto Calamity's guardian career, so I think it's fun to include silly details like that!!

🍻: What's your OC's favourite comfort ritual? How do they calm themselves down after a rough day? Agh, I don't think this is all that canon compliant, BUT the ideal way for Calamity to unwind would be strip off that armor, get comfortable, go for a relaxing swim, shower afterwards, then chill.

🥃: If your OC was in this universe, what would be their favourite show/book/band/social media platform? Not exactly a correct answer for this question, but I have to say that Calamity would probably actually have an Instagram or Twitter where he might post a picture or two; or even a simple status every once in awhile, but he'd hardly be active on it. Even when it gains alot of traction as his canon young wolf role grows over time lmao. He'd follow friends if they ask him to, etc.

Calamity would also like using emojis unironically.

Spider: "Location for drop. [attached info]" Calamity: "👍🏽" or the funnier alternative, "🫡"

[utilitycaster]

I’ve been wondering about your opinion on some common theories I’ve been seeing since Thursday. Namely, people are once again insisting Predathos and Tharizdun are the same entity or at least that they’re connected. I’m inclined to suspect that it’s possible the two might be connected (like brothers and the Luxon is like their cousin), but I’m not *as* knowledgeable about the lore as you are. A lot of the theories I’ve been seeing have been insisting that they MUST be connected because “unfinished plot thread in C2” and “alien entities that scare the gods” but for one thing, the Angel of Irons business was concluded for the M9’s interests after defeating Obann (no matter how much I wanted to further explore that thread, the M9’s interest was Yasha, and that was concluded).

Anyway, what are your thoughts on a possible connection between Tharizdun and Predathos?

A possible connection in the broad sense of "eldritch entities with cosmic horror vibes" is, well, possible, but they are absolutely not the same entity. Tharizdun is openly discussed as a deity despite its horrific all-consuming nature and is acknowledged as among the pantheon of Betrayer Gods, whereas knowledge of Predathos was, as the past few episodes make clear, tightly controlled. We also outright know that Tharizdun was active during the Calamity, and wounded Ioun, and that Predathos was sealed prior to the Schism.

For what it's worth we don't know the actual connections of the gods. Asmodeus referred to the other betrayers as his siblings, but the sense I get is not a literal one but rather that of "brothers in arms" (not in the least because we know two of the gods, Erathis and Melora, are lovers).

I also don't think the Luxon is necessarily connected to any of them; it is its own entity. There is a lot of stuff in outer space. Space is really fucking big. Just because two things come from outer space does not mean they are any more connected than two things not from outer space.

And finally, there are a lot of potential unfinished plot threads from the Mighty Nein campaign; in contrast to the more-on-rails Campaign 3, it was a very sandbox/open world style campaign with a lot of hanging threads, and the characters chose to pursue certain ones. Tharizdun has been a sealed threat since the Divergence, and will continue to be a sealed threat until it is either unsealed or neutralized. I am sure the Angel of Irons group was not the first nor last cult of Tharizdun, and so the fact of it playing a role in Campaign 2 does not guarantee payoff in Campaign 3; nor, even if payoff on Tharizdun does eventually occur in Campaign 3, does it mean that it is connected to Predathos. There is room enough for two ravening voids in the universe.

[goobigon]

More OM! content

Oh boy, goobigon has lost it, haven't they?

Am I seriously making another biblically inspired original character for a stupid otome game? For OBEY ME???

Yes.

Will I have a lot of fun with it regardless?

Oh, of course.

Did I do a weird amount of research about an angel for someone who is not religious and is taking a shit ton of creative liberty in my character's design and personality because I refuse to look at what’s canon about them in-game so far?

You bet I did!

And will my Lilith character concept be reality here?

No doubt.

This will be very infodump-y since this is the result of my pure brain rot and hyperfocus! Have fun and good luck!

Alrighty- we've heard about Michael and have seen Raphael in canon, but what about Gabriel?!



-Role/ general information:

Gabriel is considered one of the "Big Three" in the hierarchy of the Celestial realm and other angels, Raphael is the other appointed member, and, of course, Michael is the most recognizable and revered Archangel among them.

They all fulfill different roles, Michael being something like a manager and overseer to his angel brethren. Raphael acting as both a healer and assassin if Father so pleased. Gabriel's job is unique, he's a messenger- a harbinger of truth, an envoy of information, an omen of situations.

Many demons have nightmares of the blaring cry of Gabriel's trumpet which initiated the calamity that was The Celestial War. Brass instruments are widely disliked in the Devildom; even demons that had been destroyed and took years to regenerate, losing their memories in the process, still become unnerved at the sound.

Gabriel holds a seemingly limitless amount of information about anyone and everyone, knowing names of every individual he looks at even if he hadn't met them before. However, he is not a prophesier as many may assume, he's just a messenger with a gift of knowledge about any current or previous living creature with a soul.

Since Gabriel is a messenger, it's not often he gets the chance of intermission before he has to be off again to fulfill another duty, and after (and especially during) the Celestial War, his work load increased- feeding into his reputation as a grouchy and reserved workaholic younger angels seemed to presume. It didn't help that he has a very intense resting grumpy face and ceaseless work he needed to accomplish lest he disappoint Father.

The people who interact with Gabriel the most are, of course, their Father, then Michael and Raphael. Simeon had only ever had a handful of interactions with him in the Celestial Realm after the war, and Luke had only ever met him once before Gabriel's arrival in the Devildom and R.A.D.

Before the war, the now demon siblings actually spent quite a bit of time with Gabriel- most often Lucifer and/or Mammon who cherished their time with their older brother. It was always enjoyable spending time with him during his lulls between his missions, Gabriel had a love and talent for brass instruments, playing ethereal melodies that encouraged anyone to join in the merriment in whatever way they wanted.

Other pastimes and hobbies of his include writing; it was mostly private letters to his loved ones or pen pals from every realm, but he occasionally dabbles in script writing and fictional stories with Simeon. He saves reports and recounts for work related orders since they lack feeling and personality, in his opinion.

Before Gabriel lays down to sleep, he details everything he did during his waking hours. Due to a majority of his mind and memory is dedicated to others (names that will only continue to grow as more beings come into existence, and names that will stay even after their physical life), he has to sacrifice his own memories to accommodate the new. So, to make sure that none of his life- especially the important events- go completely lost to himself, he writes it down. His home library in the Celestial Realm is teeming with only his journals, which he seldom allows others to visit unless essential or ordered by their Father. That rule is especially strict against Michael since he has tried to alter the records Gabriel writes for a reason he can't quite figure out since Michael is a master at diverting conversation topics and derailing trains of thought. There are also a few notebooks missing, since they are placed chronologically, it's easy to notice the jump in dates- and his number one suspect is Michael, even though he claims innocence.



-Why is Gabriel in the Devildom?

At first, Gabriel was assigned to the human realm as a transfer (I have no idea if angels or demons actually went to the human realm as transfers, but I find that idea interesting) but was brought back after a few months when he kept having to bring back reports of his own unusual behavior towards humans.

To clarify first, nothing Gabriel did had any intention of weirding out, belittle, or confuse any human! He just got a little too eager with his fascination of humans and how far they have come since him, his Father, and oldest brothers all had a hand in the humans' creation and development. How could one not be curious to see how they're doing without their guidance for so long? But that curiosity did lead to some accidental odd encounters when questions came out without any filter or tact.

A human once made a post about an interaction with Gabriel that took their school by storm (of course, Gabe thought it was awesome that mass media can spread information so fast! It's like a pocket him people carry around!), it was a tweet made by the person that read something like this:

*"AKSMKWAN SO THAT WEIRD TRANSFER GUY CAME UP TO ME AND JUST LIKE FORCIBLY FIXED MY POSTURE AND JUST SAID 'you know, humans aren't supposed to sit like that' BITCH WHAT?? YOU AN ALIEN OR SMTHN LMAOAASLKLAD 💀💀😭😭😭"*

Needless to say, it was determined that maybe Gabriel wasn't the best choice as transfer student to the human realm, he needs to learn to repress his curiosity for humans again, first.

During that whole situation, word of a human being in the Devildom wielding the power of all eight lords of Hell the angels' former siblings finally reached the Celestial realm and caused a lot of talk and confusion to stir- and that unease caught the attention of Father. His weakest creations (humans) having an individual that's able to harness such power was unusual, and He knew better than to leave it be in case of another war. So, He tasked his most trusted archangel messenger, Gabriel, to inform him of the situation at hand- Michael was more than upset that he wasn't chosen for the assignment, especially since Simeon and Luke respect him wholeheartedly and are afraid enough of him that they wouldn't dare disobey him. Michael was worried that Gabriel would go soft if his "former" (Michael felt the need to really stress that sentiment) siblings, or current ones, being Simeon and Luke, were to ask him to.

But Father paid no mind to Michael's veiled disapproving of His choice and sent Gabriel to make sure that everything is as it should be, and that there are no threats of a future war. Now, there was one thing their Father was worried about; Gabriel is pretty incapable of lying, pretty much unable to not spill the beans about anything he's asked explicitly, even at his own expense- I mean, that's what makes him such a trustworthy and reliable messenger! But that might prove to be trouble if the demons find out he's there as something akin to a spy rather than a brother, and it could affect the authenticity of their behavior around his supervision. So, Father placed a curse spell on Gabriel's tongue that ensured that, even if asked his true purpose of attending RAD so suddenly, the truth would never be able to escape past his teeth. What Gabriel doesn't know about the spell is that, if fought against, his tongue would rip itself out, and he'd have to wait 48 human hours before it grew back... Michael suggested that as a precaution of sorts- demons are persuasive, you never know what they might trick poor Gabriel into thinking or saying!

No, no! I don't hate Michael! Why do you ask? What could have possibly made you think that...😁/s… But honestly, I don’t know much about him in-game, so I’m going off of the fandom’s general opinion lol.

-Personality and opinions:

First and foremost, Gabriel is an angel- he serves God, all angels' Father, he will always think about God's will and goal before he does anything. His purpose is to inform, to be a communicator between worlds, truth first, the improvement and safety of others being his own moral compass. When Gabriel first came to existence, he believed that nothing could ever budge his views, nothing could ever make him steer away from Father's system or make him do things differently than how God's system instructed. That was until he met his brothers and sisters.

Yes, he is an angel, but he's also a brother, an older brother, one with so much love and admiration in his heart for his siblings that they could compel him to go against his very purpose of creation if his siblings needed that of him.

Even though he chose not to join his younger siblings in revolting against their Father, even if Lucifer may have been a little disappointed by Gabriel’s refusal, he never felt like Gabriel had or would ever betray them. Gabriel even made sure he never spoke of their plans to anyone- purposefully avoiding conversation topics or even leaving in the middle of conversations if he thinks anyone might try to ask him. Maybe that’s some of the reason behind the animosity Michael and Gabriel harbor behind closed doors- the reason younger angels have such a skewed perception of Gabriel- the missing notebooks and distrust.

But Father still wholeheartedly trusts them both, He lets Gabriel write letters to the fallen siblings (but he saves him from the betrayal he’d feel by not letting him know that Michael destroys them before they can make it out of Celestia), He still lets him go on confidential missions with full faith in His son’s obedience to him. He allows him the “freedom” to be a messenger between the realms, so much he’s allowed to see during his deliveries. And the knowledge that Gabriel can continue to bend the rules as he pleases without punishment is the bane of Michael’s peace of mind and sense of control. He’s supposed to be in charge of all the angels, but Gabriel has always been, and will continue to be, on the same level as him- no matter how much Michael wants to have power and control, or how many loopholes Gabriel exploits without being caught by Father, they will always be equal.  

After the notorious revolt Lucifer initiated, choosing the demon life followed by six of his younger siblings, anyone left behind weren’t to think of them as their siblings anymore- they are traitorous demons being housed by the enemy, don’t hold out any hope or sympathy for them anymore. Many angels agreed and did as they were told, eliminating any kind feelings they had for them, severing any emotional ties they might’ve had. However, there were those who couldn’t, or wouldn’t think that way- Simeon and Gabriel being those few. They may not have outright expressed those feelings to any of their angel siblings, but they did make sure to help quell hatred and fear towards demons during the rebuilding of peace after the war.

Personality-wise, Gabriel is very mature and comforting like most angels are, but there’s a distinction with him compared to other angels when it comes to his ability to make anyone feel like he’s their guardian and/or unshaking figure of protection and safety. It could be because he’s one of the oldest, especially in the Devildom where the only one who beats him in age is Barbatos. Gabriel just radiates reliability and stability, he treats everyone equally, his lectures never feel like you’re less than him, maybe the brothers just see it that way because that’s what lectures from Lucifer feel like, but even Luke and Levi feel like an equal when talking with Gabriel. He’s working on coming off just the same towards humans, he truly never intended on coming off like he was an alien first coming in contact with a human.

As mentioned before, Gabriel is honest to a fault. He just can’t help it- many people joke that it’s a compulsion, and more crude individuals joke it’s his kink to be so honest. Gabe always chuckles along, he just can’t help it, it’s how he’s wired, how he was created to be. But because of his chronic honesty, he really can’t be included in any childish schemes the brothers, angels, or MC may be up to- the moment they’re caught and that fateful ‘what are you doing?’ question is asked, the whole plan that was so brilliantly clever and so close to fool-proof, is now being revealed. However, there are times where only the goal rather than the plan is revealed, giving more of a chance for the masterminds to cover their tracks.

There are times the siblings are reminded and outsiders learn exactly where Lucifer got his smothering habit, watching as Gabriel, subtly or not, fusses over everyone. Straightening ties, fixing unruly hair, guiding distracted walkers out of the way of obstacles, catching them before they fall, etc, etc, etc… but every older sibling finds humor in annoying the younger ones for no other reason than just being a shithead for fun and watching your siblings grow more irked at such a small, annoying thing.  He’ll pluck a feather off, open and close wings over and over, pulling them by the horns all the way to their room if they start throwing a childish tantrum, simply holding tails still or swatting them. He isn’t afraid of them, not even Satan whom he hadn’t met or knew of until the war, he really couldn’t find himself to be afraid of their demon forms since all he can ever be reminded of was them as young angels throwing the same tantrums. But this treatment isn’t limited to the demon and angel siblings, his new human friends aren’t spared either.

Even if the nice treatment is the same, the teasing and torment is specially curated to the humans, getting annoying in just the right way. Pestering them about their pacts or small things about human culture, occasionally sighing and saying: “that was so human of you 😊” just to mess with you (Solomon doesn’t give a fun enough reaction). Ruffling hair, fixing posture, and one time so far- scaring the shit out of either of you with one quick, loud, blow on his trumpet.

Such a gossip fiend! Being the bearer of news means Gabriel has to be up to date and well informed about everything! What do you mean this demon’s love life isn’t very crucial information he needs to immediately and frequently be updated on the moment the situation develops even a little? It’s not unimportant information- and no, don’t ask why he need to know, totally not because he just loves gossip! (It is). He is the number one person to go to for a fix of gossip, since he knows everyone’s name, he’ll be able to tell you the identity of everyone involved in a story- even if they just walked by the situation at some point, they are included in the retelling.

-Powers and abilities:

He’s able to write with his magic, multiple pages at a time too. He’s smart, so it’s pretty much impossible to tell that he’s doing it at all. He could be talking with people in Purgatory Hall, attending school and doing schoolwork, breaking up a fight between siblings, attending an event at the Demon Lord’s castle, and everyone would be none the wiser to the fact that all the way back in his dorm, his feathers are scribbling away at paper, writing complete, eloquently worded and neatly written paragraphs without losing focus on either end.  

Commanding attention. Sure, almost anyone can do that- but Gabriel has a gift for it. Sometimes a panicking crowd will fail to notice someone trying to calm them down or lead them to safety, but the moment asks for silence; the crowd will still and heads turn to him, waiting for what he has to say. No matter how softly he may utter his words, if he commands it, the sound will always reach ears and catch attention. For the more scheming types, that power is perfect for sneaking away while all eyes are on Gabriel, but that’s only if he agrees, his ability to draw attention in may affect the schemer too if he so pleases.

Subliminal messages/ omens. Sometimes, drawing attention to something or public announcements may not be the best course of action when trying to warn or inform, so by creating omens or sending a gut-feeling to someone, it can allow a situation to be subtly discovered and, hopefully, fixed. This ability can also prove helpful when he wants to relay information without anyone else, or any one person, being aware of anything at all. Humans long ago called this ‘divine intuition’ or ‘divine intervention’.

He knows any current and past living beings’ names; all he has to do is look at the being and the name will pop in his head. He doesn’t know future peoples’ names, though. That’s for the Archangel of Prophecy to know, and Gabriel is content with not knowing any more than what he has to.



Appearance:

Is fairly tall, reaching about six foot 3 (or around 1.92 meters)- so nothing startling, just a bit taller than most of the surrounding people. In my own personal height headcanons, Diavolo, Beelzebub, and Leviathan are the only people who are taller than him (unless, of course, you/MC also are!).

Long, slightly wavy, silky, inky black hair that reaches to the bottom of Gabriel’s shoulder blades. Very reminiscent of Lucifer’s hair had he not cut it- or if he hadn’t gotten some grey due to the overwhelming stress of his brothers. Most of the time, it’s down, he even cut his bangs into a slight middle part so his hair wouldn’t get in his face all the time; occasionally, however, he puts it in a low ponytail, but that’s usually only when he’s writing. Back during the war, he exclusively wore his hair up, but not much anymore. He doesn’t mind it when people play with his hair, so you can often find Asmo messing with it as he pleases, and if that’s something you enjoy doing, feel free to join as well.

Pretty androgynous looking- even though I’ve used he/him pronouns on Gabriel (for the sake of simplicity and to not confuse anyone once I started naming a lot of different people at the same time) I firmly believe pronouns generally don’t matter to angels or demons, especially not Gabriel. It’s not uncommon to see Gabriel being depicted as a more masculine or feminine being, even a lot of artworks being somewhere in the middle- so I wanted that to be the case here, too! He/She/They are all good to Gabriel, even it/its is welcomed! Any other fun, human created labels are welcomed! Gabriel loves it all!

I would say they have light brown eyes, similar to pecans or milk chocolate, his gaze being just as sweet. Those eyes have witnessed so much, but you’d never be able to guess by the gentle look ever present when he looks at those he loves so dearly. His lashes are thick and long- long enough that glasses lenses always become a cage, getting brushed and scratched by the long bristles of hair.

Relationships:

(You’ll see me refer to a lot of affection as ‘brotherly’ just as a reminder that NO, there is nothing romantic going on! I’m a sucker for platonic/familial affection, and I’d hate for such an innocent thing to be misunderstood. I don’t care if they aren’t ‘technically’ siblings, they are to me! I don’t care if any of this is ooc- it’s cute and fun to me! Lol, enough of that, let’s carry on.)

Lucifer: Since the early days of Lucifer’s creation, Gabriel had always felt like a big brother to him- when times were tough, Gabriel was the first, and sometimes only, person Lucifer would go to. After the fall, he had expected that Gabriel wouldn’t see him as the same brother he was before, so he decided to try and push any sense of love he held for him away, next to the love of any of the other angel siblings he favored. So, after the thousands of years of complete radio silence, the last thing he expected from Gabriel’s arrival in the Devildom was Gabe’s unchanged brotherly affection.

The moment Gabriel’s eyes met Lucifer after he opened the doors to the entrance of the House of Lamentation, Gabriel engulfed his brother in such a familiarly comforting hug. Usually, his pride would never allow such an open display of affection, but as he felt Gabriel place a brotherly kiss to the crown of his head, he couldn’t find it in himself to push him away.

“I’ve missed you so much, dear brother. I can’t believe you’ve changed so much right under my nose,” Gabriel pulled back to take in Lucifer’s face.

And though it hadn’t truly changed much, it felt so much different, so much older, to Gabriel.

“I-” Lucifer started, a little surprised by Gabriel’s actions. “I didn’t realize you still regarded me as your brother.”

Gabriel’s brows furrowed a moment, “Did you never receive any of my letters?”

Lucifer matched the same furrow in his brow, “I was never made aware of any letters, no.”

Gabriel’s jaw clenched as he exhaled sharply, his hands lowering from Lucifers shoulders to his elbows before it seemed he came to some sort of conclusion- his forehead relaxing and a small smile paired with a short laugh-like puff of air escaping Gabriel’s lips.

“No wonder you’re confused. Let’s all gather around and catch each other up,” Gabriel finally released Lucifer from his hold. “I have a feeling I know why my letters never reached you all- but that doesn’t matter now. I’m excited to see everyone.”

As time passed in the Devildom, and Gabriel became more of a regular character in the grand scheme of it all- it’s not uncommon to see him and Lucifer talking over drinks in the music room during late weekend nights.

Mammon: Oh boy, it’s not often you see Mammon so happy over someone’s presence outside of MC, so watching as his face stretches into a carefully happy, but somewhat confused smile before turning into a closed eye grin, was a unique sight to behold.

Mammon had forgotten how much fulfillment he had felt when he played with Gabriel as a young angel, so having him here again sparked his greed for that feeling again. He knew things would never be the same as they were before, that was something Mammon understood too well, but he was more than happy to at least have a sliver back what he had before, and now he gets to live that with MC- the other very important thing in his life.

[josefavomjaaga]

Joseph and Napoleon, again.

Still reading the correspondence between Napoleon and Joseph during the Peninsular War, and I can’t decide whom of the two correspondents I dislike more. Napoleon still boasting »I will in Spain find the Pillars of Hercules, but not the limit of my power«, while Joseph - who has warned him over and over that things are going really, really badly here - after the capitulation of Baylén is already on the road from Madrid back to the French frontier, running from an army of infuriated Spanish insurgents … that’s really hard to stomach and makes me pity Joseph, who sees much better how things really stand, but whose opinion, it seems, Napoleon never takes serious.

And yet I think I’m also starting to understand why, despite Joseph’s and Murat’s problems being so similar in nature, I have far more sympathy for Murat than for Monsieur Joseph.

This is from a letter Joseph wrote to Napoleon in 1808, when he had been driven from Madrid the first time, after Dupont’s capitulation at Baylén and literally only a couple days after he had first entered Madrid:

Joseph to Napoleon, Burgos, 9 August 1808

[…] I found here other people of my household who left Naples after it. I have been here since this morning; I have been thinking a great deal about the situation of Spanish affairs, about those of Naples, and about Your Majesty's letter of 3 August, in which she tells me of my fondness for the Spaniards. I disregard all intermediate ideas, and here is the result of my reflections:

1° Since much blood and money is needed to conquer Spain, France is entitled to find an indemnity for it, and to ensure that these peoples, who will long hold a feeling of animosity against her, cannot essentially harm her. For this, Spain must be reduced to the point of being powerless to give in to this resentment: joining the provinces beyond the Ebro to France, joining Galicia to Portugal, dividing up the Spanish possessions, would make what would remain of Spain descend to the rank of a third power; [...]

It would be possible, by returning the increased Portugal to the house of Braganza, and disposing of Spain and the Spanish possessions, to make them objects of compensation, the price of the war and the token of a general peace [...].

2° When I consider myself in this matter, it is impossible for me not to become at once a stranger to Spain. Honour, conscience, or finally that hidden instinct which is the motive of all my actions, […]

… Money? Or women? It has to be one of those two!

[…] would never allow me to remain on the throne of Spain, if that monarchy were to be reduced in the least part.

Of course. Ruling over a third degree power would be beneath one Joseph Bonaparte.

In the supposition that France would want to gratuitously lavish her blood and gold to place and maintain me on the throne of Spain, I cannot conceal from Your Majesty that I could not bear the idea that another than Your Majesty should command the French armies in Spain. Having become the conqueror of this country through the horrors of the war in which all Spanish individuals will take part, I will long be an object of terror and execration. I am too old to have the time to repair so many evils; and I would have sown too much hatred during the war for me to be able to reap in my last years the fruit of the good that I would have been able to do during peace, in the midst of preventions and calamities of all kinds.

To sum up: Joseph is not necessarily against using violence against the Spaniards – to the contrary, he is fully aware that a ruthless oppression will be necessary in order to get a hold of the country, and he even suggests that the country be split up, rendered powerless forever, and certain regions be used as barter goods with the Brits for a general peace.

He just does not want to be the one to do it.

In exchange for the priviledge to see his brother sit the throne of Spain, Napoleon please do all that ugly fighting and butchering and maiming. M’kay? Getting his hands dirty, that’s nothing for a person as delicate as Joseph. He wants to be seen as the good guy by his new subordinates, so he cannot be involved in any of the ugly stuff. But, hey, Naps, that’s precisely what you went to Brienne for, right? So just invest some fifty millions in money and some fifty thousand soldiers (Joseph keeps asking for this over and over, before he even has reached his capital), kill whoever you need to kill in order to make sure that the Spanish will not rebel again, and I’m all yours to wear that crown.

And in case Napoleon should adopt neither of Joseph’s suggestions (either split up Spain and make it powerless, or beat it into submission and then place Joseph on the throne), Joseph will do what any person in his right mind would do, call it a day and go back to his much more comfortable throne of Naples. Sorry, Naps, surely you will understand.

I can’t help but feel a lot of Schadenfreude at the thought that, when Joseph was writing this, Naples had already been given to Murat.

[sonicasura]

Garuda!Sky

I can't help turning the Lu boys into various creatures. Transformations are just my thing plus the group having so many diverse creatures is cool in my opinion. I'm mixing a bit of thunderbird into this. If you guys are wondering what a Garuda is, they're a minor Hindu Deity that are humanoid bearing various avian traits. 👇

Becomes a Garuda upon death as punishment for slaying Demise and keep balance between the godly powers. A deity representing chaos, combined form of darkness and light. Feathers are mixed of gold, blue and red(represents his dear Loftwing).

Can switch between Hylian, Garuda, Loftwing and a Helmaroc like Thunderbird. Hylian form has sharp claws, hidden patches of feathers and compact wings. Loftwing form has a sharper predatory beak, narrow feathers similar to an arrow and Triforce emblem on his back. Thunderbird is a mix between Loftwing, falcon, horned owl and nightjar. (This is a Nightjar.)

Is quite reclusive unlike most deities, often staying in a personal realm where the Loftwings now reside alongside various avian species. Reclusiveness is partly out of shame for the curse he caused for his descendants and people by killing Demise.

Personality is still the same but with an extra layer of curiosity alongside animalistic maternal instincts. Considers those he cared about as part of his flock and calls his children/descendants his chicks. Shameless when preening his feathers or grooming his flock.

Often leaves his personal realm to see how the land changed over time. Sky has definitely taken human just play various games, go fishing or enjoy cuisine. Love pumpkins haven't changed but loves to eat trout and salmon.

Does keep an eye on his descendants and even secretly helps them. Whether by nudging them in the right direction using birds or wind to take em to safety like changing Wind's trajectory to land near the King of Red Lions after he got blasted from the Forbidden Keep in Wind Waker.

Sometimes help the people of Hyrule get to safety during times of calamity. Carrying them on his back in thunderbird form or grant a blessing of safe travel away from monsters. Sky would intervene more but could face serious punishment if interacts with the mortal realm like this for too long.

Came up with a special song as a loophole called the Ode of Storms. This special song serves as a summon where he can grant a request to his summoner. It does take a week before someone can use the song again.

If his human incarnation uses it, reminder that time based shenanigans are a thing for the Chain, then said incarnation will gain some of his godly powers alongside a Garuda form. A little extra assurance should his power be needed.

Frequently nests whenever he can. Has a few nests hidden across each era to relax in or provide safe haven for those who truly need it. Monsters are instantly repelled by Sky's powerful magic around these nests. Loose feathers hold miraculous healing powers that can be used once before they lose their strength.

That's all I have for now. Until next folks, I'll see you back at Skyloft.

[novantinuum]

ooh pen/paintbrush/pastels for aryll?

Thank you much for sending some in, fren <3<3

Writer/OC meme source

__

Pen- What’s one minor moment your character regrets? A small mistake, but something they “can’t erase”?

In a sad way, a lot of the little things young Aryll regrets are moments when she gets hurt on the road, or has to admit to her weariness or hunger. She fear that she's just slowing her brother down... and every single second they linger on the road is a second of his important quest he can't ever get back.

Another thing she regrets years later... is the fact that her first meeting with Purah didn't exactly give the best impressions. Child Aryll was quite overbearing in her excitement during that introduction, and she feels like the researcher has been a bit standoffish ever since. Like... Purah tolerates Aryll, but she doesn't get the sense that she particularly likes her.

I think Purah's opinion of Aryll softens the older she gets- but they're never "besties" or anything. There's always gonna be a bit of friction with those two.

Paintbrush- How often does your character “brush over” conflict instead of facing it head on? Is there something specific they don’t like to face, or do they avoid conflict as a whole?

Hmm... So, especially as she grows older, Aryll is the sort of person who is more than willing to tackle physical conflict, but emotional conflict is daunting to navigate. She kind of inherits some of Link's worst emotional repression traits over time, just via subconscious emulation.

The largest conflict she has not to date (as of Young Adult Aryll in TotK times) gotten around to fully processing are those lingering fears of abandonment. This stems right back to her older brother essentially disowning the family back pre-Calamity, disappearing from their lives without a trace or even an explanation. Aryll likes to believe that she's gotten over the lingering scars of this with the Link she knows now, but I think it still bothers her that she'll never understand the reason he walked away in the first place. (Aka Link has never gotten back those memories, and at this point probably never will.) Thus, I think there's a small part of her that feels like she's eternally destined to walk on eggshells around him, least he decide to leave her behind again.

On a related note, I have a mid TotK fic scene in mind that (content warning: mental illness, suicide attempt) involves Aryll responding in a bit of an ugly way to Link's gloom sickness heightened depression. She does not take too well to learning that her brother tried to drop himself off a sky island without his paraglider, and momentarily makes it about her in her mind. Y'know, in that sort of "how dare you almost kill yourself and leave ME behind" sort of way. She IS able to course correct when called out on it by another individual... and from then on re-centers herself to give as much support to Link as she's able. I think it only makes sense that this would be her instinctual first reaction with her personal traumas, though. A realistic fatal flaw.

Pastels- Give me three colors that best represent your OC. Now give me three colors that your OC likes best. Is there an overlap?

Ooohohoh, color theory! Love me some of this.

Okay, so as the author, picked from a piece of artwork I did of Aryll... here are the three colors I feel best encompass her story:

The light yellow was color picked right from the shiny part of her hair- and it not only represents her as a person and her connection with her brother- also a blonde- but also her sunny disposition and ability to look on the brighter side of things. She is the daylight of Link's journey, even when the clouds set in and the roads grow stormy.

The turquoise was color picked from some "green fire" on the background of The Ballad of Aryll's cover art, and represents Aryll's connection to the spiritual realm... a very large part of her character and story which will be explored more as the story goes on.

The sorta burnt red color was colored picked from the red of the combo Hylian/Sheikah crest on Aryll's shield, and represents her heritage. It's a color seen associated a lot with both societies.

On Aryll's side, I feel like she'd very much love the light yellow and the red- and some of the art I've drawn of her features her clothed in these colors, but turquoise is the odd one out. It's not a color she would choose for herself. If she could pick a third color all her own, it'd be this:

[science-lings]

HELLO IM LATE but could you share your thoughts about the Heroes blood?? How is it similar/different from the goddess blood and stuff like that. It’s intriguing to me bc and I want to know more pls pls pls pls pls

Let's start with Goddess blood, it's purely hereditary and only affects the women who inherit it. It lays dormant until the goddess's descendants' light power awakens. I also like to think that it has a physical marker. When a descendant of the goddess bleeds, if she has unlocked her power, you can immediately tell who she is. While the reincarnation of Hylia herself has purely golden blood, her descendants have a noticeable golden shimmer to their blood. This also opens up some angsty ideas about how princesses prove that they're true descendants of the goddess and how a princess who struggles to unlock her sealing powers could perhaps be... tested or their identity doubted...

Heroes' blood is much more complex and mysterious. Reincarnations of Link just pop out of nowhere, though that doesn't mean that it can't be passed down through the generations. There are non-heroes with a bit of heroes blood in them, which could lie dormant or grand them extremely minor quirks that the hero tends to just come with. Things like natural ability with a sword, a slight propensity towards magic, strength that's just a little more than natural ability, getting along with animals (usually horses or birds for some reason), general inherent musical talent, etc. Heroes' blood is also less picky compared to Goddess blood, it can be activated in anyone despite gender.

Though Heroes blood doesn't have a physical indicator like goddess blood does, it can still be traced. Monsters can smell the blood of the hero, they fight differently if they're against a hero versus any other hyrulean. The Yiga clan always has members that poof in front of the hero out of nowhere and I'm almost certain that some non-Ganon villains are able to watch the hero from a distance and it wouldn't be a shocker to me if they had to use his blood to do so.

Another important use for the heroes' blood, resurrecting demon kings! This is partially what inspired my thoughts about the blood of the hero, there has to be something up with these guys' blood if it can literally raise the king of evil. (which is my theory about the creation of the Calamity but that's a little off-topic), It's not just the fact that the first reincarnation of the hero defeated the literal god of evil, making it poetic that the current holder of the hero's spirit has to die to revive the evil king, it can also be just how eternal the heroes spirit really is. During the dozens of thousands of years, gods have been reduced to skeletons and even the strongest deities are whispers of what they once were. But one of the oldest ones, older than Hyrule, older than the royal family, older than the master sword, the hero's spirit is still going strong, reincarnation after reincarnation. I think being so ancient and still so powerful makes the blood of the hero very potent for magic.

The thing is, there is a canonical line of heroes, even if the only heroes involved are the hero of Time and the hero of Twilight. I've touched on the idea several times in my LU fics but I am of the headcanon that heroes' blood can carry the magic from several thousand years in the past if the hero used it a lot. I'm also of the opinion that the hero of the Wild is also in the heroes bloodline (there are similarities but that is again a little too off-topic for this current rant), and I like to think that the hero of the wild gets his unique grasp over time from his ancestor who definitely played with time magic to an excessive amount. Perhaps his natural way in the wilderness and ability to see very well in the dark comes from an ancestor who was cursed with shadow magic. The idea that magic used thousands of years ago still persists in their descendants is just intriguing to me.

okay those are all my thoughts for now lol