❛ ᴀɴᴀᴇʟ.

( hello, my lovelies!! good gosh, it’s been! four months!! since i last logged in! uni has been a big reason for my absence but anxiety and executive dysfunction have defs played their parts too lmao :’)) but yes! it’s been a v long while since i last talked to y’all and i think a big old reboot is in order!

    there’s a quarter of the queen regent’s watch over the dunes of the gerudo desert left when it starts.

    it begins:

    a crease of his brow, once peaceful in sleep. the twitching of a pointed ear. this close to the fire, his features are cast in dark shadows.    

     it continues:

     his lips part, furrow now pronounced, and a short syllable escapes. it’s sleep-ridden, but that doesn’t stop the ihl from being heard. and then: the mih. and then, again: mih. mihd. and his body twitches, a full-soul flinch, his hand flying up as if to shield himself but never quite making it to his face. it falls into the sand, fingers grasping at weapons that aren’t there.

     it ends:

    all at once, link sits up, a harsh gasp wrenched from his throat. his hand flies to his shoulder, sand falling between his gloved fingertips, searching for the hilt of his blade. it isn’t there, and he grasps again and again, feeling the mud of panic seep into his lungs, making it harder to breathe – gods, oh gods, breathe – he does so, raggedly, and quickly –

               she almost does not notice when it starts. so lost                             is she within bouts of fire-gazing and desert-                             scoping, within sleep-addled musings and rueful                             thoughts, within WHAT IFs and HOW ABOUTs                             and IF ONLY Is — she almost does not notice                             when it starts.

               almost.

               it’s a silent whisper, the hiss of sand as something                             shifts, but it’s enough to seize her attention.                             enough to make her stare turn from ailing                             flames to slumbering figure. is he awake                             already? she rises and treads closer, mindful of                             the way she sinks with each measured step, and                             searches for a glint of blue against the backdrop                             of shade. no, not awake.

               but...

               she takes in the faint sheen of sweat ‘pon his brow,                             the stretched stiffness of painfully taut thews, the                             palpable distress compressed in each huffing                             breath.

               ...not quite asleep either.

               (wake him up, the midna within her pules. wake him                             up, wake him up, wake him up!)

               she crouches beside him then, head stooped and                             hands hovering when---

                                         ❝ ihl---... ❞

               ihl. ihl, he says.

               something shatters. (the fire pops.)

               link, she tries, but her voice is stuck in the base of                             her throat, wet and heavy with a dread she cannot                             shake loose. so she reaches for him with her soul                             instead — softly, carefully, chanting prayers of                             warmth and calm. I AM HERE, it warbles, a cry                             she hopes he can hear in the murk of his dreams,                             I LOVE YOU, I AM HERE, I AM HERE.

               but then the mih comes. mih, mih, mihd.

               her soul retreats. (the fire crackles.)

               link, she tries again. fails again. watches him recoil                             from a sight she cannot see, from a sound she                             cannot hear, from a darkness her light cannot                             banish.

               (the grief does not come gently. it does not come slow.                             it swamps her with wave upon rampant wave,                             neverending, ever-hurting; it deepens the aching,                             gaping pit in her heart, digs and digs until her very                             core is struck; it rattles in her stomach, in her lungs,                             in her bones, rattles and thrashes and bruises and                             batters—)

                                         ❝ link, ❞ her throat finally allows. her vision                                          wavers, her voice wavers, the fire wavers.                                          (mih, mih, mihd.) ❝ it is but a dream, link.                                          you--- you are safe here, you— ❞

               he jolts awake, grasps at something that isn’t there,                             unseeing, unhearing, barely breathing---

               (calm, the midna whispers. calm, in-out, deep breaths,                             one-two, in-out.)

                                         ❝ link. ❞ she’s louder now. firmer. surer.                                          (the fire flares. her hands twitch towards                                          him for a brief second before jerking back.)                                          ❝ link, i need you to breathe. ❞

               he does not.

               (mih, mih, mihd---)

                                         ❝ come now, breathe with me: in--- ❞

               he does not.

               (mihd, mihd, mihd, mihd---)

                                         ❝ i swear, link, you are safe here, i beg of                                          you, please take my word for it--- ❞

               he does not.

               (mihd, mihd, midna, midna, MIDNA, SHE’S GONE,                             SHE’S GONE, MIDNA, SHE’S GONE---)

                                         ❝ link, please! ❞ the fire erupts and her                                          shackles snap — quivering hands burst                                          forth in a frenzy of activity, sweeping across                                          clammy skin, brushing away straw clumps                                          of hair, clutching tight to fingers wrought                                          with hysteria; velveteen rasps against sand                                          as she scuffles closer, torso barely an inch                                          away from his and knees pressed into his                                          side; her face draws close, closer and closer                                          until all she can see is blue, until all she can                                          breathe is him.

               it is only moments after that she realises what she’s                             done. she wants to push him away, wants to                             withdraw just as her soul did, wants to tell him she                             didn’t mean to shout, didn’t mean to push, didn’t                             mean to touch. she didn’t mean to, but it is too little                             too late; for her muscles lock up on her last breath,                             pinched tight with some raw, terrifying desperation.

               she can’t move away. can’t even look away.

               (so she does the only thing she can.)

on baking | un.

TAGGED BY: @lcylines TAGGING: @duskhero, @atdusk, @twilightbound, @magnanimousmonarch and anyone else who wants to do this!!

                   her name against the human’s lips sparks a cold shiver—–one that runs the length of her spine; causing sharpened teeth to clench and frown in the mere presence of the woman. the small, usurped monarch hasn’t yet acclimated to such a greeting, and it does nothing but rile a sense of abhorrence against this realm.

                   elongated arms cross over her shrunken core, legs follow suit as she leisurely leans back within her invisible perch. the creature’s jaw slacks—-twists into something akin to a grueling smirk. amused by the withdraw that had been met as two bodies ( one of shadow, the other light ) overlap. it doesn’t hold long, for she’s no fool and easily picks and pulls at unspoken words of doubt and disbelief that spread so easily across beaten and worn features.

                   ——–why would she, a being ( warped gremlin ) from the world of dusk care what happened to this one? perhaps she truly didn’t? for the underlined notion was certainly true in itself. this world, filled to the brim with crass, misunderstanding whelps held no real purchase within the imp’s biding plans. in fact, she would SACRIFICE them instantaneously in lieu of saving her own people, her kingdom——her world; however, she wasn’t EVIL. she didn’t necessarily wish to uproot and destroy this realm like they ( HYLIA ) had once done to them. the past, and all it’s thorny, destructive happenings was only that, and she, she was a being of WISDOM, one who would use such cruel iniquities to learn and GROW, rather than to damn. if the choice remains at the end of it all; she would at least try to save these simple-minded beings as well!

                   in the wake of zelda’s approach, midna stirs; crimsons flashing from indignation to something resigned. “your world, bathed in light is always so quick to pride itself with strength and bravery, but every one of your forsaken soldiers have crumbled under the weight of dusk! it’s laughable!” frustration and anger are all that’s provided in her short, condescending words. a groan that falls heavy from cursed lips and a curt shake of her head that more-so shows the results of her VICIOUS cycle of repetitive searching!  they just cower, press themselves into denial and cower again! “OH! but i have overhead some simple murmurs from the baleful king’s shadow beasts ” she’s still chortling, gruesome fingers finding their way to her chin to curl and obstruct that carnivorous grin of hers.

                   “————they’re invading a small village on the morrow! I can only imagine what’s to fall into the eventide’s clutch! eheehee ”

               she has never been one to indulge in spite, no matter                             how deceptively enticing its acrid juices may seem.                             it is simply not in her nature. (cannot be in her nature.                             what good can a monarch who is so recklessly                             swayed by emotion possibly bring to her people?)                             and yet…for that one instance, for that one second,                             for that one frightening moment, she finds herself                             faltering. wavering. teetering upon some narrow edge,                             a mere hair’s breadth away from falling. (YOU KNOW                             NOTHING, sits within the confines of her throat; so                             eager to be said, so eager to be heard. YOU KNOW                             NOTHING—)

               can you truly fault her, though? so thickly wound in                             enmity is she who scorns: aggrieved ire drips from                             the imp’s every word, pervades and curdles the air                             with its foul, heady stench — it would be all too easy                             for zelda to follow in turn, to succumb to the sweet                             poison of petty hatred. (YOU KNOW NOTHING,                             YOU CANNOT SAY ANYTHING, DO NOT SPEAK                             AS THOUGH YOU DO—)

               but she does not protest. does not fight. does not say                             a single word. how can she, when it is because of                             her blunder that the twilight has grown so heavy?                             how can she, when it is because of her miscalculated                             decision that its weight has crushed so many? she                             has lost all such rights to challenge those scathing                             remarks, to defy those seething flames.

                                         ❝ they have done what they can. ❞ there is                                          no denial of what they could not achieve,                                          only acknowledgement of what they have.                                          she shifts, robes giving the slightest rustle                                          as a lilac-cloaked hand is lifted to be pressed                                          ‘gainst smoky glass. ❝ but this is not their                                          destiny to fulfil. ❞ (not their burden to                                          shoulder.)

               the simmering heat of embittered shame has faded                             by then, reduced to nothing more than smouldering                             ashes, but the revelation spurs it ablaze — fuels it                             further than any barbed taunts ever could. her heart                             writhes within the embrace of that unforgiving touch,                             writhes and writhes and screams---

               (she is quick to turn away then, to hide the strained                             quiver of pursed tiers, to smooth out the mournful                             crumple of delicate brows.)

( oh it’s no problem, hon! thank you for actually using my code ♥ and i realise that the way i’ve named each option on the customising sidebar may be confusing, so i’m going to give you a detailed explanation of what everything means under the cut!! )

i can’t believe it, but we’ve hit our second milestone!! this is such a huge honour for me, especially given my recent inactivity. thank you all so much for sticking around with me and zelda ❤❤ i look forward to writing with more of you in the future!!

before i say anything further, i just want to thank @octomoosey for taking time out of her life to create all of these incredibly detailed, easy-to-use coding tutorials --- without them, this theme would have taken much longer to code. if you’re into coding, i absolutely recommend checking her out if you haven’t already!!

okay, a few things you need to know about the theme base code: it is v easily customised from the ‘edit theme’ sidebar. everything can be changed from there, save for popup and blog info content. (you will also have to make your own graphics, of course, but they can be easily embedded through the sidebar.) the theme also includes optional features like disabling right-click, a small cursor, and grey-scaled images. if anything looks wonky/does not work on your end, don’t hesitate to shoot me a message!

O THUNDERING BEAUTY.

static preview (please ignore the test posts) | code.

you can absolutely change the code and play around with it as much as you want!! all i ask is that you keep the credits intact. please do not move, shrink, delete, or make the credits less visible. no exceptions! i think i’ve made them fairly inconspicuous as it is. anyhow, thank you again, and i hope this will be of use to you! ❤

TAGGED BY: @lcylines TAGGING: @duskhero, @atdusk, @magnanimousmonarch​, @dignotions, and anyone else who wants to do this!!

     calloused  fingers  would  brush  the  smooth,  delicate  ivory  of  fine  china,  azure  gaze  downcast  into  the  amber  depths  of  richly  aromatic  tea.  shoulders  squared  and  spine  set  ramrod  straight,  it  was  an  understatement  to  say  he  was  ill  at  ease  at  the finely-set  table.   the  queen  that  was  situated  across  from  him  seemed  of  an  impossibly  different  plane  ——

    ( all  poise  and  grace  and  refinery;  a  beacon  of  nobility  and  sophistication. )

     she  was  high  royalty, that  much  could  be  sensed  from  the  mere  aura  of  her  presence.   and  as  nothing  more  than  a  mere  knight…  he  was  daunted.

               sunset murmurs a quiet greeting, peeking through                             wiry clouds with jacinthe hues and quavering light.                             so sweetly do its rays caress creamy skin, bearing                             warmth and peace unto an otherwise stifling silence;                             the queen is not so meek within its tender embrace,                             not so unsettled by this one’s strangeness as he                             quite clearly is with hers. (familiarity swathes his                             entire frame, dances along to the uneasy song her                             soul chirrs: I KNOW YOU. I KNOW YOU, I KNOW                             YOU, AND YET.)

on the hyrulean guard | deux.

( okay, but you know how i talked about the numbers of captains and commanders in the royal hyrulean guard dwindling down from nine to two in this post? well. at least four of them were killed in an effort to protect hyrule from zant’s invasion but the rest?? their deaths weren’t quite as honourable.

ANOTHER being that reminded him of his childhood friend. this woman was much older, a sense of MATURITY swirled around her. she was no princess, she was a QUEEN. and he knew it. blue hues followed her as he finally moved into her vicinity. his throat not wanting to work as he remained silent for now.

               she does not mind the stretching silence, nor is she                             affronted by the rather patent staring. if anything,                             they honour her; only awe lies within those unspoken                             depths, awe and wonder and gentle amazement ---                             YOU ARE MARVELLOUS, his gaze tells her, firm                             and steady in spite of his apparent apprehension.                             YOU WEAVE STARS AND BREATHE MOONLIGHT,                             YOU ARE MARVELLOUS.