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splinteredthoughts · 2 months

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YAY OC RAMBLES!

Aight, ya asked for it!

Currently in the process of reworking an old sona to be a full-on oc of their own. It wasn’t really a ‘me’ anymore, so I wanted to give her her own shine and dazzle.

Here she is! Originally, the only thing I had for her was that she was a shark-themed villain version of a self-insert named Nora. She had little to no story as a villain, and no exceptional powers except for enhanced strength and breathing underwater.

Now, I have thoughts about her! Her new name is Frenzy. She lives in Deluge, a city protected by a few big heros, and some smaller heros, but fought over constantly by villains. Instead of being one of the big fish, Frenzy is more on the rogues side of the villains, stirring up trouble and doing small crime on more of a for fun basis than anything else. Her powers mostly lie in her enhanced speed and strength, but she also has some control over water. Not enough to be on the level of ATLA’s waterbenders, but just enough to bring in a thick fog or to make it rain. It works as a cover for her misdeeds. Frenzy also occasionally works as extra muscle for the bigger villains if they need more manpower on bigger jobs, or just to use her for scary dog privileges.

Between the bigger jobs and being paid by other villains, Frenzy gets on pretty well. Her tail and fin make it hard to blend in with the civilian population, so she doesn’t have a lot of freedom to roam about during the daylight hours. Luckily, she doesn’t need to. Frenzy had a young villain that she had taken under her wing/was training. His name was Phoenix (I’ll whip up a doodle of him later, he’s ✨new✨). Unsurprisingly, his powers are speed and pyrokinesis. Phoenix stayed under Frenzy‘s protection for years, until he made a sudden switch to being a hero and has started to fight her, just because he realized how much more profitable it would be if he had the people of Deluge behind him instead of against him. That ambition is going to get him killed.

Phoenix is the reason that Frenzy is getting reworked at all. I honestly hadn’t thought of her in years, but then Phoenix popped into my head and took it hostage for Frenzy. She barely had a personality beforehand, but now I know that she’s an action first, think later kinda woman. She stays as one of the more unpredictable rogues because people won’t mess with her as much, and she loves the way that her reputation and appearance frighten others. Frenzy will not hesitate to destroy months or even years of hard work if it starts to become a problem for her. If she has soft spots, she’s hidden them well.

I haven’t quite worked out the power system of this world yet, but when I do I’ll have a better explanation of the shark tail than ‘I think it looks cool’, but that’s all I have for now!

#:]#OC rambles are always fun #I’m really glad peeps were interested to hear about my little sillies!#Dragon I’m sure you recognize the original oc Frenzy evolved from #I gave Frenzy the little spikes to pay tribute to the original hairstyle Nora had.#Maybe I’ll show a doodle of the original design in a reboot or sth #Scribbled Thoughts

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undercityrezident · 10 months

Text

Fading

A Retelling of Memory 17 from Tears of the Kingdom

Implied Zelink

Critical plot spoiler warning for The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

The gentle breeze brushed my white dress against my legs and rustled the large—though surprisingly light—earrings against my cheek. Both were soft and clean: the opposite of what lay before me. The decayed Master Sword sat on the altar before me, most of its once pristine form broken and lost through the events of that horrific day yet to dawn for millennia.

Regret burned through me two-fold. Knowing what I knew now, I wondered how things would’ve turned out if I hadn’t descended those ancient steps beneath Hyrule Castle with Link in tow. What if I’d learned more before taking the risk. What if I’d learned more before forcing that risk on Link too. I, no—Zelda, daughter of Rhoam Bosphoramus Hyrule and, more importantly, a scholar—should’ve known better. I blamed myself.

But Link would never see it that way. He was always steadfastly by my side. Even with his knightly oath forgotten through the Shrine of Resurrection, he managed to fulfill his duty to me and the kingdom. But it was more than duty. He believed in me. He would follow me anywhere and do his utmost to ensure my dream of reviving Hyrule came to fruition.

It was that dedication—no, devotion—that had him follow me into that imprisoning chamber. It was months at this point, but I remembered every detail of that fateful day that shaped my destiny in this far-flung age long since gone by. Aeons separated us now, but the danger felt so close at hand, regardless. My eyes turned skyward, and I let them close as the past claimed my thoughts.

“Was that the Sword that Seals the Darkness?” That rasped, cruel, and somehow amused voice rang in my ears as the scene played out before me: the Master Sword reduced to shards at the hands of Ganondorf’s blood-red, fiendish magic. I heard his dried flesh cracking as his desiccated form stood to its full height. “A blade that shatters so easily against my power cannot save you from me.”

Now, it all made sense how he knew us. His name was a mystery to me then, but I could sense Ganondorf’s evil intent when he first came to this youthful Hyrule’s court. I knew there was more to my presence here than just bearing witness to these events. And yet, for a time, that’s all I did. I knew well enough to caution Rauru, but he seemed so certain of the path forward that I didn’t question his decision to accept the Gerudo king’s pledge of fealty.

The second wave of regret wrought its way through me. Sonia, Rauru, and countless more were dead because I didn’t heed my suspicions and force the issue. I had the power to stop a catastrophe, but I’d failed to use it… again.

This Hyrule—ancient to me, but now intimately familiar—was saved, but only just. It would ever balance on the edge of peril unless I could do something about that day coming. This time, I would do something.

My eyes opened and drifted down the remains of the Master Sword. Words and memories flashed before me, clear as day.

I was back in the Korok Forest before the Deku Tree with Link. Its low, rumbling, but assuring words tumbled in my ears as though I were there now. “The sword will continue to gain strength if bathed in sacred power. The stronger that power, the more powerful the sword becomes.”

From there, my mind flung to another memory, a pinch of pain knitting in my brows and chest as I saw Sonia speaking to me again, her hands softly clasped around mine. “After all, you possess more than the power over time. You have a sacred power that can dispel evil.” I nearly wept. She had been so kind. It felt almost motherly. I’d forgotten what that was like.

But purpose drew me away from those feelings. A determination to see my goal through seized me as my mind turned to another memory that had brought me here today. Mineru’s study stood clear before me, and the Zonai herself sat in her chair, her knowledgeable voice speaking unwaveringly. “To swallow a secret stone is to become an immortal dragon… one blessed with eternal life.”

Another pinprick of pain struck me as I recalled something more I had to do before I committed myself to the one solution we had. To the sword’s right sat the Purah Pad and the soft glow of a teal, floating flame. I gently took the device in hand, turned from the altar, and strode to the stone path connecting this cliffside balcony to the Temple of Time. Waiting ever dutifully and ever patiently for me was one of Mineru’s constructs. The flame accompanied me there, taking its place above the device, and I felt my lips tremble. Guilt wracked me. I had no right to ask anything of her, but I had to.

“Mineru, I’m counting on you.”

The flame bobbed in the air for half a moment before it shrank and entered the Purah Pad, briefly illuminating it with the same teal glow before I placed the device gingerly into the hands of the construct. Large, blocky fingers cradled the Purah Pad with the utmost care as it turned and hovered silently toward the Temple of Time.

The rest was up to me.

The fear that gripped me had me retreating into my thoughts. Before I knew it, I stood at the altar once more, halfway surprised I was there as I stared long and hard at the sword upon it.

My mind turned to Link, fighting for us in our future. Wisdom had brought me here. But courage… courage was what I needed. Courage is what he had in abundance. I envied him for it. Though he was often silent, I fondly remembered how he told me I had courage aplenty for holding the Calamity at bay for a century. But now, I felt like I needed even more for what needed to be done. Link readily shared his courage with me before, during, and after the Calamity. But I was alone now. And I knew I would be for a very long time. My courage would have to be enough.

I took a deep breath and began to speak. “Link. I will restore the Master Sword for you.” I paused. I wanted to believe saying it out loud would steady my resolve. Yet, I found myself trembling more. “I will pour my sacred power into it. It will be the weapon that defeats the Demon King.”

I exhaled, forcing my hand to the necklace where my golden secret stone hung gently from my neck. My fingers wrapped around it, and I felt the gentle warmth it offered. It was so small, but I knew the power locked within. I knew its amazing—and horrifying—potential. I drew in a breath and tugged, pulling the stone from the beads that tethered it.

It was only then that I deigned to look on the stone directly. In my cupped hands, its steady glow was calming, but that was its deception. Power threatened to burst from it every moment someone held it. I had to learn to tap into it a drop at a time to bolster my power. Sonia and Rauru, gently and patiently with me, had both nurtured the skill I needed to make use of it. But there would be no restraint here. It was all or nothing with the taboo I intended to commit.

The thought of that power flung me back into my memories of Mineru’s study. The Zonai spoke again, crystal clear. “To become an immortal dragon is to lose oneself.”

Fear gnawed at me, but not as much as my memories did. I saw flashes of Mineru wounded and panting in our desperate battle. I saw Sonia’s face wracked with pain as Ganondorf slew her. I saw Rauru stilled as he sealed the Demon King’s heart, entangled with him until we came to relieve Hyrule’s first king of his terrible duty. I saw Link diving toward me, his corrupted arm reaching for mine, as the imprisoning chamber crumbled around us.

“You must…” I spoke softly to myself. It’s the only way. You must. You must. You must.

The words rung in my head over and over. Each time, I thought of them. Each time, I thought of their sacrifices. I thought of the sacrifices yet to come. And that is where I found my courage.

I closed my eyes, tilted my head back, and brought my cupped hands to my mouth. When my hands came away, they were empty.

I didn’t know what to expect when I let the stone slip past my lips. I didn’t know what I’d taste or how it’d feel slipping past my teeth. Would it burn my tongue? Would it lodge in my throat? Would I die the moment I swallowed?

It did none of those things. It barely registered on my tongue. It had no taste. I barely felt it enter my body. It was as though it wanted to make its passage as easy as possible. There was a moment where I was relieved.

But only a moment.

I was only barely aware of how the sky darkened. I only lightly felt how the wind picked up and blew my dress fiercely against my legs and slapped my earrings against my cheeks. I opened my eyes, but I found them hard to keep open. My vision grew hazy as I found my eyelids fluttering, water massing beneath them. I felt a warmth beginning to blossom within me. It began as that same gentle heat, but it quickly grew discomforting. It felt strange, like it was unfurling within me, layer by layer.

What have I done?

The moment those words echoed through my mind, a blinding light took me. I was suffused by it, and my arms burst outward to my sides as though strung out by an invisible force from within. I felt myself lifted off the ground for a moment from the impact of it as my head craned upward towards the sky. My eyes opened wide, and my vision cleared, though I regretted it for how bright the light was. I exhaled in a massive gasp and struggled to inhale again. I could bring nothing into me, not even air, for the volume of light my body shone out. No pain, not even what I’d felt over a century restraining the Calamity, could compare to the sensations wreathing themselves through my body now.

But my mind was still mine, for the moment, and I glimpsed the Master Sword through the storm of light. I had to bring it with me. I needed her with me. This would be all for naught if I couldn’t lay a hand upon the blade.

I lurched forward, doubling over in pain. My hands slapped roughly against the altar, but it was nothing against the burning sensation riddling my body. One hand drew back in reflex against my chest as my heart threatened to drum its way out. The other kept its grip on the altar as I desperately dragged myself towards the Sword That Seals the Darkness.

I felt as though I was fighting a windstorm. My body wanted nothing more than to be cast into the clouds. But I couldn’t relent. Not with Link depending on me. Not with everyone depending on me.

I grit my teeth and lunged forward. My chest was on fire, and my fingers squeezed harder into my skin to restrain whatever force wanted to erupt from it. I don’t know how, but I knew that time was growing short. My fingers were inches away from the Master Sword. I summoned the last of my will and extended my arm, finally feeling my fingers curl around the hilt.

In this storm of light growing ever brighter—to the point where I could see nothing but the golden glow around me—I allowed myself the slightest relief as I jerked the broken sword flat against my chest. My other hand joined it on the remnants of the blade, holding it tight against me as though it were my most precious possession.

Through everything, the only thing I could see beyond the light were the clouds above. I fixed my gaze on a single point above, trying to focus as my mind began to burn alongside my body.

“Link!” I shouted to the sky. My voice was utterly dire. The second half of my sentence faded in and out of my mind. I didn’t want to lose it. I didn’t want to lose everything I knew. I everyone I knew. All I loved. I didn’t want to lose me.

But I was drowning in light. There was no air: only a brilliant white fire that enveloped my body, heart, and mind. My eyes closed, and I searched. I searched through my mind for those words I needed to say. That message I had to pass onto Link. The haze of light obscured everything. Words were becoming difficult to recall, much less speak. I would’ve lost it all were it not for one thing I saw.

A memory. Through the hurricane of light, I saw a scene through a slit flickering as though between a cracked open door. I heaved myself toward it and blearily stared through it. I saw my countless memories playing through at blistering speed. Even so, I comprehended every single one. But where they slowed and let me linger were the ones where I saw him. I saw Link with me at the school at Hateno, in Faron at the preserve, and as I found a rare golden horse.

Then I found myself looking further back, and the memories played more slowly. I saw when he protected me from the blades of the Yiga, when he escorted me through the forest toward Hyrule Castle as the Calamity began, and when he gave his life for me near Fort Hateno. But most of all, I found the memories finally stopping to let me live in the moment after I’d sealed away Calamity Ganon, standing in Hyrule Field with him and him alone. In all those moments, and especially then, I saw Link’s eyes and the unwavering belief he had for me to achieve all I could for Hyrule.

That was the thought I latched onto. His hope. His belief. The one handhold in a storm that threatened to sweep me away. It was small, but it was enough. I forced my eyes open again, seeing the world through strange shades of purples, blues, greens, and golds. With the last of my strength, I let out a cry that rung across the entire plateau.

“Protect them all!”

The handhold broke, and light engulfed me within and without. I couldn’t comprehend what I felt for several long moments. I know I screamed, but instead of my voice, a long, bellowing, bestial wail trumpeted through the lands.

I couldn’t understand why the sound felt wrong yet normal at the same time. It felt wrong yet normal to feel my claws scrape against the ground. It felt strange yet normal to heavy my long, massive form upward. It felt odd yet normal to feel air flowing past me as I took flight. It felt normal for the sun to warm my white scales as I crested upward through the clouds. It felt perfectly normal to weave through the sky with ease.

But what felt strange were these sad images plaguing my mind.

This fear. What was it?

This regret. What was it?

This grief. What was it?

This longing. What was it?

This duty. What was it?

No… the duty felt right. The longing was obscure… but not entirely unfamiliar. But everything else felt wrong. It was foreign. It wasn’t mine.

But all that was fading. These images of strangers praising me, leaving me, scolding me, comforting me, and saving me were once crystal clear. But with every passing moment, to my relief, they were growing foggier. As they became hazier, eventually becoming listless smoke in my mind, water built up in the corners of my eyes.

Tears? A dragon does not weep. I don’t know why I wanted shed tears over the images of this stranger’s life. I didn’t want it. Any of it. I wanted to be in the sky where I belonged. I wanted to bask in my power and keep to this beautiful land.

I blinked, and the tears fell away, falling around me in a spiral to the corners of the land. Now, I could only see the beauty of the sky and the lands below in vibrant shades of green, blue, purple, and gold. I let out a triumphant cry as the haunting images in my mind faded completely. What torture they were.

Now they wouldn’t interfere. I could fulfill my duty and pour my power into something I cherished. And I had all the time in the world to do it.

#The Legend of Zelda #Tears of the Kingdom #Zelda Fanfiction #LOZ Fanfiction #Zelink #TotK Spoilers #Tears of the Kingdom Spoilers #Princess Zelda #The literal first fanfiction I've written in years #Hope it pays proper tribute to this scene in the game #I HAD to write about this one #My fanfiction

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