#feels nice to be acknowledged

[wormonastringtime]

goodnight 😴

[leciraofthewilderness]

So, despite some faults, I really enjoyed totk, and on its anniversary I want to say something about it. Other people have said similar things before but it’s really important to me and actually a big part of why the story of totk was meaningful to me, so I want to also say it:

Zelda needed to come back from draconification. The story needed that. It wasn’t lazy and just ignoring “consequences” because (imo) that was the *point*

The point is to feel like there are going to be terrible consequences and then say actually, no. You can come back from this, with the help of other people.

To me at least, that was the theme of the whole story.

If botw was about how the world goes on past loss and grief and starts to heal (how flowers grow in the ruins and the world can be beautiful again, be worth saving, even if it has changed)…then totk was about a more personal kind of healing.

The weight of the world should not be on your shoulders alone…you, alone, should not have to fix everything…you should not have to sacrifice yourself, but when you do, someone will be there to save you from it.

This turned into a really long ramble so:

You (Link) gained so much and now it’s gone. It feels like you’re back to where you started and yet you know you have to do it all again…you were weak and you failed and you’re weaker now…but

You go down to the surface. Monsters swarm across it once again. Other people are fighting them too though. You help, but it’s not just you…

You go to the Rito, the Gorons, the Zora, the Gerudo…just like with the divine beasts, there are friends who help you save each region. But this time, part of them comes along with you when you leave. It’s nice, you realize, the first time one of them protects you from a monster you weren’t prepared for. You’re still weaker than you were before, but someone has your back…

When you go up to the sky you see a strange new dragon there. There’s something about them that feels familiar. You try not to think about it.

You go down to the depths too. It’s terrifying at first. You hate it. You only want to get what you came for and get out of the dark….but slowly, the light grows. You get stronger. The dark feels like a challenge you can face (and someone has your back).

There are spirits down there. You don’t know when they’re from, but some part of you wonders…are these all the people you let die in the Calamity? (You help them find rest from their wandering. The weight on your shoulders feels a little less heavy).

There’s so much gloom. The first few times the sky turns red and hands chase you (a reminder of what you’ve lost, how you failed) you just run. Eventually though, you have to fight. It feels like the (second) worst day of your life again. But you manage to get free of the grasping gloom and stand and fight, as wild and desperate as it is. Beneath the manifestation of your worst fears, there’s another thing to fight, but this time it has a face (a voice in the back of your head says…you know this isn’t all on you and your failure…it’s really Ganon’s fault right?). You get through it.

At every turn in your travels, it seems like something reminds you of Zelda. Her passion, her curiosity, her kindness. You miss her.

At first, the tears you find reassure you. She may be in the past, but she’s safe. She’ll come back somehow…but then you hear the word draconification for the first time. You want to believe she wouldn’t do it but you know her and the fear sits cold inside you. (Zelda is a lot of things. She’s been allowed to be more of them, since she was freed from her hundred year battle, without her father holding her back. But deep down inside her, there’s a vein of self-sacrifice that still runs strong. It’s what saved the world before, after all).

She did it. She really did it. She’s gone from you (from Hyrule) forever, and it’s all your fault. If only you hadn’t failed so utterly in the battle (you can hardly even call it that) under the castle. If only you’d caught her. If only you hadn’t let the sword break. You should have protected her you should have been better it’s all your fault and now she has to live with the consequences, forever. Everything really is on you, you should have been better.

(Zelda POV: you couldn’t call upon Hylia’s power in time, you were too content to let it wither and fade away from you, ready to be free of it. You shouldn’t have. He got hurt, the sword got hurt, it’s your fault…Sonia and Rauru help you channel it again, Sonia helps you learn how to turn back time…but you don’t save her. She dies because you couldn’t save her. Rauru dies not long after. There is no one left to guide you, once again. You could spend years trying to figure it out on your own. But you did that last time. It didn’t work. Self-sacrifice, stepping in front of someone you love, that worked. (You do what you can, to call upon the sages, to help Link in the future, first). And then you swallow the stone. You’ve come a long way, in the past five years, allowing yourself to exist. But in the end, self-sacrifice worked last time. It’ll work this time too.)

You (Link) go down beneath the castle. You were supposed to bring the sages but you didn’t. It’s nice, for someone to have your back. But no one else should get hurt to fix your mistakes.

They follow you anyway. They fight with you, against the hordes, against the greatest enemies you defeated together, along the way. They’ll have your back, even if you don’t think you deserve it.

You fight Ganondorf, and then the demon king, in the hardest battle of your life. You think it’s over and then the demon king decides it’s better to lose himself completely than let you win. You’re exhausted and afraid of yet another battle, but up there in the sky, when you’re falling, the Light Dragon catches you (you wonder why she changed her path to catch you, you wonder if there’s still something of Zelda left in there to save). With her help, you win.

And then you’re in some other realm. The spirits of Sonia and Rauru are there. You remember how the two of them and Zelda channeled such incredible power together. You think about Recall. Turning something back to the memory of what it was before, like Sonia said. You stand with them and you allow yourself to hope. Maybe the Light Dragon can remember the form she took so long ago, the person that she was.

And then you’re falling, and Zelda is falling, but this time you catch her. You catch her. She’s back home with you, finally, finally.

And maybe, one mistake doesn’t have to be the end of the world. You don’t have to be perfect. Sometimes, someone else can stand with you, and it’ll all turn out alright. (You can put the weight of the world on your shoulders, you can sacrifice yourself, but someone will be there to catch you, someone will be there to pull you back to yourself, when all is said and done).

[aroaceleovaldez]

thinking about Piper's claiming scene in TLH but instead of her getting the stupid dress (that isn't even Greek-style it's just stupid) she gets a tear dress. cause that'd be fun.

[strigital]

just... him... 🥺

[shesmore-shoebill]

I think the Amanda Arasha combination is especially effective because they do have differing opinions on a number of things, but Arasha is also largely unafraid to actually disagree/pushback on things (in a very good natured, thoughtful, usually well articulated way) without taking it personally. Which, I think is especially fun/good with Amanda, who tends to have strong opinions and expresses them very. powerfully. And I love her for it, but the discussion definitely gets even better when someone like Arasha is willing to push back or call out the comedy of certain personal opinions/subjective viewpoints, and still have a good time overall.

[griem]

ijbol idk man releasing screenshots of very polarizing things said in a private discord server between friends in a public "callout" post is #the most #tumblrific thing ive ever seen LOL.

#opinion 😱 in tags

[myfairkatiecat]

hey as someone who struggles with lashing out at people when I'm upset, I'd like to remind everyone that saying that it's out of character for someone to lash out/get really upset/struggle with anger sometimes when the rest of the time they're a super kind and thoughtful person is just as bad as only remembering that one specific characteristic about them and completely forgetting that they're super kind and thoughtful person!

[xchronicles]

After watching the Screen Rant interview, I want Season 3 of Prodigy without Admiral Janeway or Chakotay appearing at all. Holo Janeway is more than enough. Kate is clearly against J/C for whatever reason, and she even went after Brett for wanting Gwyn/Dal. I'd rather enjoy Season 3 with the Protostar kids only and not get frustrated with the J/C stuff. Please, I'm begging. Brett, my beloved.

Media and art are escapism. We live in super messed up times, and I just want two imaginary, make-believe characters to kiss so my mind can escape into something positive and feel the love that the world is so clearly missing. People find comfort in art and can feel a bit of love through imaginary characters in this messed up world. The rest of Prodigy is about hope; J/C is about (romantic) love, and it's a positive path to take, especially in times where men are being taught to hate women by idiots like Tate. And here you have a character, a man (Chakotay), who gives zero fucks about power dynamics and gender roles. We want them together as a middle finger to the gender roles imposed by social norms. Janeway hates to cook and do house chores, Chakotay does not. Janeway likes to be in command, Chakotay is fine being her support. They are breaking the tiresome stereotypes, and dunking on the shippers for wanting them to be together is just playing into the 'a strong woman can only be strong if she is forever alone' trope. It's an outdated mindset.

That is why Kate. For every girl and woman who was told repeatedly she'll be alone and that no man would want her because she didn't fit the gender role. Because she wanted to be in power and be loved at the same time. For daring to want both. Women can have both. Women are allowed to have both. Being in a romantic relationship is not weak, and it's freaking weird to be saying that having two characters be in a romantic relationship who clearly love each other beyond words would do them a disservice. What does that teach the kids? That you have to choose? That having a powerful bond and a romantic relationship is mutually exclusive? It's weird, and I'm tired of pretending that it's not.

[cannibal-nightmares]

let's make trouble in the dream world, we'll hijack heaven with another memory now; i make the most of the turning tide, it just split what's left of the burning silence

[sweetandglovelyart]

[seleneprince]

Scorpius and Rose's dynamic would be like James and Lily's, except Scorpius isn't an arrogant bully and would try his best to get along with Rose's friends because he knows how important they are to her and he really wishes to be part of her life in any way possible.

Oh, and he'll respect her boundaries. If she asks him to leave, he will. If she rejects him, he'll accept it. But until that rejection comes, he'll keep asking her out and trying to win her heart (and gladly welcoming any hexes and curses she throws his way)

Rose wouldn't ever date someone that her friends and family don't aprove of. If he doesn't get along with her loved ones, he's done for.

[wildflowercryptid]

sometimes, i think about the extra bit of depth alex's romance is given when you date him as a guy and i just gotta. stare at the ceiling for a bit...

[booasaur]

Ted Lasso - 3x07

Bonus:

[ableedingpromise]

I wanna cry

[fennthetalkingdog]

Someone just treated me like a dog today and it made me feel? So good?? Like I was caught off guard at first cause they've never done that before (they only pet my head but still), but then they were like, "But aren't you a dog?" and AGH, it felt so nice!

[izloveshorses]

not my man featuring my work i left for him at the stage door last summer on his instagram reel 😭