revivalproject | [Calibrations] It's dangerous to go alone, take this

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[Calibrations] It's dangerous to go alone, take this

WHO: Link and you!
WHERE: Link's Calibration room
WHAT: Calibrations
WHEN: June 10th to July 10th
WARNINGS: CW for death in the pool memory

On first appearances, Link's room is the inside of cosy little cottage.

There's rustic wooden furniture - that will appear to many as old fashioned - and Link is humming away as he cooks something at the small corner that serves as the kitchen. Propped up on the wall next to Link and the kitchen is the Sword the Seals the Darkness, a blade that many will recognise as the one that has been a constant presence on Link's back.

Draped over the back of one of the dining table chairs is the Champion's tunic, a distinctive blue garment. Sitting on that same chair, hidden partially by the fabric of the tunic, is the Sheikah Slate, a rectangular device that's sitting on one of the chairs. Atop the table itself sits the Thunder Helm.

In one corner, there's a small bookcase. On the shelves are a few assorted objects: a massively large scale, and a whistle.

There is, however, something odd that happens in this room. Sometimes, if you tilt your head at just the right angle or look out of the corner of your eye, the appears of it shifts - like a lenticular image. The cottage will be gone, and Link won't be humming away at the kitchen anymore. Instead, it will be a mysterious underground space, lit by soft blue glowing lights and faint orange constellations on the walls.

In the middle of this space is a small pool, or perhaps a kind of tub. It's filled with a bright blue water - and inside, as well, is Link. He's completely under the surface, dressed only in a pair of boxers, eyes closed. He's not moving.

To one side of the chamber, a picture hands on the wall.

On the other side, a pedestal - out of which grows a single silent princess flower.

And if, while within the mysterious underground space, if you tilt your head and gaze in just the right way again, there will be another shift. This time, it's strange in a different way. Large sections of the space seem to be just...gone, leaving behind only a blank white nothingness. In between those blank spaces are what is perhaps stone walls, something that might - maybe? - look like a room in a castle. But the details that do exist are so fuzzy and indistinct, it's hard to really tell.

There are a few pictures on the walls. But they feature only people with blank, featureless faces.

No matter what you touch, or interact with, there are no memories to be found here. And Link isn't anywhere to be seen at all. From this place, he is absent.

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It's a sad thing that this is the most Donnie's ever been in other people's rooms or houses. While he feels only a little awkward for intruding, curiosity is quick to get the better of him.

The place is, well, he supposes this is what people might call 'quaint.' It's actually rather nice, despite its lack of electronics. And someone's home, cooking? Nice!

"Huh." Donnie steps further into the space, allowing himself to relax a little.

Despite the fact that Link hasn't met Donnie before, the most his unusual appearance gets his a curious head-tilt to the side. Sure, Link hasn't met a turtle-person before - but his world has bird people and fish people and rock people. Turtle people don't really seem that unreasonable, really.

"Hi," Link says, keeping his focus on his cooking even as he looks over his shoulder at his visitor. Unfortunately, he's not cooking a pizza. Instead, it looks to be a kind of meat stew.

And despite Donnie's initial assessment, there is one piece of electronics. But being on the chair and half-hidden by Link's tunic, the Sheikah Slate might be a bit hard to spot.

He's looking for computers and TV screens, maybe some track lights or a stereo. But when he finds himself greeted, Donnie looks over at Link again. Well, it'd probably be rude not to acknowledge the apparent owner.

"Oh uh. Hey." He starts to step closer as he catches a whiff of whatever's cooking. Pizza may be their family preference but they eat other things!

Once he heads over by the dining table that tablet does finally catch his eye. "Ooh-!" He's a teenager and has been sorely deprived of his phone and the internet, of course he is going to go for it.

Alas, Link's world is still several years away from the glorious invention of pizza.

But hey, there is a shiny tablet. One with quite a curious design too, far from the sleek minimalist designs that will become popular in other worlds. But the moment Donnie grabs it, he sinks into a memory.

Darkness.

Then there's a light, and a woman's voice. Muffled and hard to hear, at first. But then it grows stronger. She's calling his name.

"Open your eyes," she tells him.

Link does so, and the light becomes a bright blue light above him. He's surrounded by a bright blue water, water which is soon draining away. "Wake up, Link."

He sits up. Near-naked, with only some undershorts on. He looks around the strange underground space he's in, before hopping out of the now-emptied pool. Strange constellations on the walls, glowing with orange lights.

There's a door in one corner. Next to it, the pedestal. It glows with a blue light as Link approaches, then the center of it raises up - and a rectangular device emerges from within.

"That is a Sheikah Slate. Take it," the woman's voice tells him. "It will help guide you after your long slumber."

Link takes it. Holds it in both hands, as the screen lights up. But then the door beyond is opens, and Link exit through it. In the hallway beyond, there's a few chests - in which he manages to find some thread-bare clothing. He puts it on, even though it doesn't really fit him.

At the end of the corridor, there's another pedestal, glowing orange. The woman's voice speaks once again.

"Hold the Sheikah Slate up to the pedestal. That will show you the way."

As Link does so, the pedestal glows blue. The next door opens. And...there's light. Real sunlight. Link has to hold one hand in front of his eyes, as he walks towards it.

"Link...You are the light - our light," The voice says. "That must shine upon Hyrule once again. Now, go..."

He heads towards the light. Climbs up the rock, that blocks the way. And then...emerges out into the sun, and runs across green grass to the edge of the cliff.

There's a wide, massive world beyond him.

Edited 2023-06-17 04:38 (UTC)

His eagerness is quickly replaced by uncertainty the moment things start to go fuzzy around the edges of his vision.

Link? His name's not...

It's a strange thing, going through the motions of someone else's experience. Waking up in only shorts is hardly a strange thing when it's your standard attire, but hearing some disembodied voice offering some kind of...guidance? That's different.

Donnie's still squinting at the memory of the brilliant sunlight and an open landscape as the cottage returns around him. He rubs at his eyes, then shoots the Sheikah Slate an accusatory look. How dare you.

The Sheikah Slate just sits there, innocently defying Donnie's accusatory look. But if Donnie continues to touch it, there are no further memories.

Link, meanwhile, simply continues to cook as if nothing happened. He's humming away to himself as he adds in a little seasoning.

Not that that keeps Donnie from throwing a suspicious look at Link. At least he hadn't dropped the tablet altogether, but he still eyes it like it might grow teeth and try biting him at any given moment, even as he cautiously pokes at it.

But dream tablets will likely only do so much, so inevitably he relinquishes it, setting it on the table. It's super annoying being in such spaces. You never know what'll set off a thing. Way to make someone paranoid! Still, at least that hadn't been a bad memory, although it was a curious one. Just who is this Link guy anyway?

He casts a look at the person in question, who's still cooking, and in the back of his mind Donnie can't help but hope it's not in preparation for turtle soup.

Would Link eat turtle soup? Absolutely. Though not turtle-person soup, of course. Only regular, non-sentient turtle soup.

That, however, is not what's on the menu today. As Donnie will soon find out, as Link says, "Ready!" before filling up two bowls full of the meat stew.

He brings them over to the table. Sets one bowl down in front of Donnie, and another in front of himself as he sits down.

Because that'd make him feel so much better.

Being served a meal in someone's...dream is not at all what Donnie had anticipated. He blinks as Link brings the bowls over. This may not be real, but it still smells and looks delicious.

"Uh...thanks?" he says as he moves to pull the chair out to sit, however placing his other hand on the chair beside it- and the tunic draped over its back.

The moment he touches the tunic, Donnie will be immediately thrust into another memory - one rather different the the one he saw previously.

Link stands in the Sanctum of Hyrule Castle. He's wearing that very same blue tunic, along with a diamond circlet that shines with faint magical power.

Attached to the ceiling is a pulsing, red sac. From from within emerges a light - and a young woman's voice. Zelda's voice.

"Link...Link..Link...I'm sorry, but my power isn't strong enough. I can't hold him...!"

Then the sac bursts, a beam of white hot destructive force emerging from it - along with a giant, terrible, spider-like beast. A mix of malice and cobbled together mechanical limbs; this is Calamity Ganon.

The floor beneath them crumbles, and they both plummet down below - Link's paraglider slowing his descent.

The two face each other, but before the battle begins a massive beam of energy - the combined attack of all four Divine Beasts - strikes Calamity Ganon from above. The beast is damaged badly - but not out for the count.

Now Link draws his sword - one that glows a bright, divine blue - and attacks.

Some may have seen Link in action, but they won't have seen him fight like this. Or against an opponent this large, and powerful. The beast attacks are many, and varied. Claws that strike and slam the ground. A massive sword, alight in flame. A giant spear of ice. Tornadoes and fireballs that he hurls towards Link. A gigantic laser beam.

Link, meanwhile, uses everything to take it down. He dodges, slowing down time to get in multiple attacks at once. He uses his shield, deflecting laser beams back onto the beast. He fires his bow - sometimes from the ground, sometimes from the air. He calls upon lightning, the spirit of a massive eight-foot woman coming forth to stun the beast with electricity. He summons a crystal-red shield and the spirit of a large Goron to defend him.

The battle is long, and a slog...but eventually, he brings the creature to its knees. Malice and dark energy pours from it as it screams.

And yet, things aren't yet over - the dark energy swirls, flying upwards and out of the castle. Link too runs towards it, and disappears into light - before reappearing outside, in a wide open plain. His horse, standing next to him.

"Ganon...Ganon..." whispers Zelda's voice. "Ganon was born out of a dark past. He is a pure embodiment of the ancient evil that is reborn time and time again. He has given up on reincarnation and assumed his pure, enraged form. If set free upon our world, the destruction will be unlike anything ever seen before."

Then a bright light in the sky - a bow, descending down from above. "I entrust you with the Bow of Light - a powerful weapon in the face of evil.

"Link...you may not yet be at a point where you have fully recovered your power or all of your memories...but courage need not be remembered. For it is never forgotten."

Link takes the bow, and leaps onto the back of his horse. The horse rears, and Link charges straight towards the beast.

Then the cottage returns. And Link is, very enthusiastically, eating his meat stew.

This one is...a lot. Donnie is no stranger to a battle, but he hasn't ~~thus far~~ come across something nearly so powerful, and never on his own.

Still, there's something exhilarating about it, the difference between being terrified as you tried to hang on in a seemingly hopeless battle and giving it your all to vanquish an evil not only because of what might happen if you don't, but knowing that you've prepared for this moment.

...and he isn't alone, not really. (Huh... Something to think about...)

Just when things seem to be finished... Oh no.

This fight isn't over, not yet. But as things fade out, Donnie still feels like he's trying to catch is breath. He blinks as the cottage and the stew and Link come back into focus, and he's not sure whether to get mad or if he should say anything. Then again, maybe it helps that Link, throughout it all, had kept such an incredibly cool composure. It's the only thing that really makes the memory manageable.

...it doesn't keep Donnie from looking exasperatedly at Link as the other seems completely oblivious to what he'd just seen. How can anyone eat after that?

Making a face, Donnie turns, dragging his hand away from the chair after side-eyeing the tunic there. Something else catches his eye, or maybe it's just a trick of the light? "Huh?" He's hardly prepared for the entirety of the room to shift as he turns his head.

The cottage is gone. Now, there's only the strange underground space, lit by strange orange lights on the walls, arranged like constellations. It will remind Donnie immediately of the tablet - and, of course, the memory he saw within in.

In fact, there's that same pool that Link woke up in. There seems to be someone in there. And Link isn't where he was before, either...

It doesn't look nearly as warm and inviting as the cottage interior had been, all signs of 'quaint' gone. The atmosphere here is completely different, and he's not quite sure what to make of it.

No, wait. He knows this place. That realization takes precedence over the brief panic of his sudden displacement. Slowly Donnie starts to wander, looking up in awe at the strange glowing marks. It's oddly peaceful.

He steps towards the pool and then stops shortly after he sees someone lying within. "Link?" The turtle glances back as though expecting to see him still stuffing his face at the dining table.

"What is this, some kind of...stasis pool?" It's vaguely disturbing to be in a room with someone who might be in some kind of cryo for all he knows. The memory hadn't quite specified that part.

Donnie looks around the rest of the space as bits overlapped with what he'd experienced earlier. It's a strange thing to remember things that distinctly shouldn't be things you knew.

Link doesn't answer. He doesn't look to be capable of answering. He's just there, in the pool.

Perhaps Donnie will explore this space further. There are a few things of note here, after all. The pool. The flower. The picture on the wall that absolutely does not look like it belongs.

Or perhaps he'll shift his head one way, and end up back in the cottage. Or shift the other way...and end up somewhere else.

That...sure is a weird thing to be hanging in a cave. (His brain wants to say tomb but that'd make Link like...a zombie or a vampire or something.)

Donnie means to start towards the picture, but he's quick to divert his own path as he spies the flower, letting out a gasp.

It's so beautiful in a simple, almost understated way. "Hellooo, and who are you?" Experiencing alien plant-life has definitely been one of the upsides to the whole kidnapped business, and not at all what he might have anticipated to find in anyone's dream space. He circles the pedestal as he tries to figure out how the flower's rooted before reaching a finger out to gently brush its almost glowing petals.

As it turns out, the flower triggers another memory - one that will, in fact, tell Donnie exactly what flower this is.

A grassy, open plain on a bright sudden day. Link, and a young Hylian woman - Zelda - stand in the grass, their two horses just off to the side.

"There's one! Oh! And another!"" Zelda says, as she points the Sheikah Slate at the flowers around her. The Sheikah Slate goes click, as she takes picture after picture.

"The flowers we have in Hyrule aren't just beautiful...they're also quite useful as ingredients for a variety of things."

Then she spots one particular white and blue flower, and gasps. "This one here is called the silent princess. It's a rare, endangered species."

She gets down on her knees, to look at it close. Link follows - a silent partner in this conversation, but clearly curious and listening closely to all Zelda has to say.

"Despite out efforts, we can't get them to grow domestically yet. The princess can only thrive out here in the wild. All that we can hope...is that the species will be strong enough to prosper, on its own."

There's a quiet melancholy to her, as she talks about the flower. Like perhaps, it's not just the flower that she speaks of.

But then, she spots something else - and that excitement is back. "Is that what I think it is?! Look at this!" She crawls down in the grass, grabbing at something - and then spinning around, her hands clasped together as she knee-walks back to Link, talking at a hundred miles an hour.

"I don't believe it, but I actually caught one! This delicacy is known to have very, very potent effects under the proper circumstances." She opens her hands, and reveals her prize - a frog. "Ta daa!"

The frog croaks.

"Research from the castle shows ingesting one of these can actually augment certain abilities. We wouldn't be in a controlled environment out here, but with your level of physical fitness...you'd be a perfect candidate for the study!"

Link looks at Zelda, clearly not sure exactly what she wants him to do. At least, not until she shoves the frog in his face.

"Go on! Taste it!"

Link leans back, eyes going wide. And then the memory fades.

By now one would think the turtle teen would expect this routine by now. A sunny field. Usually this much nature and no civilization in sight would make him feel queasy, but it's so...nice.

He watches this blond girl take photos- that is absolutely what it is- absently thinking somewhere in the back of his subconscious, Oh, so it is like a regular tablet...

So many flowers, ah, and there's the gem of the plains. It's too bad it all ends with a frog thrust in his face.

"Aah!"

Donnie stumbles back as the grassy fields fade and he's back in the cool, dark cavern. "That lady...was she a scientist of some kind?" The way she'd been speaking had suggested it. That she had been fully prepared to make Link ingest of live frog renews his paranoia of ending up turtle stew. He'd nearly been made into a meal once before, after all. "Yech, what was she suggesting, he can gain frog abilities? Weird way to go about mutations."

He looks back at the flower, stepping back towards it. "The silent princess..." Too bad he doesn't have his own phone or tablet, but he supposes the transfer wouldn't work well between dreaming and waking up. "Hrgh, I know she said they don't know how to make you grow domestically but-" He stops himself, bringing his hands up as he makes himself focus. "Dreamworld, Donnie, this flower doesn't exist back...wherever we are," he sighs. "Just enjoy it while it lasts, I guess."

There's other things here but he still has to give the flower a final farewell as he brings a hand up again, like he's brushing away a tear from the cheek of a loved one.

As it turns out, the flower still has more memories to give. Except this one is very, very different to the last.

A forest, the rain pouring down.

Link and Zelda run. Their clothes are covered in dirt and grime. He pulls her along by one hand, the Sword held in the other as they run.

But she slips out from his grip, and falls to her knees. "How," she says, as he sheaths the sword and walks back to her. "How did it come to this?"

Link kneels in front of her. He says nothing, but his face says that he's asking himself the exact same thing.

"The Divine Beasts...the Guardians...they've all turned against us," she continues, her voice wracked with despair. "It was...Calamity Ganon. It turned them all against us!

"And everyone - Mipha, Urbosa, Revali and Daruk...they're all trapped inside those things."

She looks up, her eyes welling with tears. "It's all my fault! Our only hope for defeating Ganon is lost, all because i couldn't harness this cursed power! Everything - everything I've done up until now. It was all for nothing!

"So I really just a failure! All my friends...the entire kingdom...my father most of all...I tried, and I failed them all. I've left them...all to die."

She sobs. Falls into Link's arms. His fingers slowly close around around her shoulders. There's a swirling mess of emotions in his eyes, but they all go unvoiced. He just holds her, as she cries.

Donnie gives a garbled yelp as that by now all too familiar sensation pulls at him. Betrayal! He was playing around with that slate fine, why now?!

It's a completely different mood from a moment ago. Something had happened, and it weighs heavily over their heads. The lady...Zelda, that's her name...

It's an unpleasant ache that lingers with him once the memory ends. Donnie wouldn't have known how else to comfort someone in that position, but Link had done what he could. He rubs at his eyes, looking up sadly at the flower from where he'd flopped down to sit.

"These memories are all over the place. Did that come before or after that fight..?"

Did he have a right to know any of this? Donnie shifts his feet around, drawing his knees to his chest as he hugs his arms around them. Maybe he should have stayed at the dining table. At least Link was awake there, and didn't feel so lonely. Donnie's not sure he wants to disturb the body here.

Edited 2023-06-17 22:50 (UTC)

There is, in fact, a logic to this place. A reason why some memories appear in the underground space, and others in the cottage. But that reason is likely still opaque, at this point.

Where Donnie goes next, however, is up to him. He could stay here. Perhaps investigate the picture, or the pool despite his reluctance. Or he can shift his head in just the right way, and end up back in the cottage.

(Or shift his head the other way...and end up somewhere else.)

He hasn't quite gotten the hang of how these places work, and it's not like he enjoys being stuck in someone else's head. Sighing, Donnie takes a moment before he finally pushes himself to his feet again.

The layout of everything makes it clear that there are things meant to be explored, although at the same time it seems quite intrusive. He looks back towards the picture, which seems much more inviting to investigate than looking at Link's submerged form.

If he pokes through enough memories, maybe he'll get kicked out. Is that how it works? He has no idea, but he starts towards the picture. It's kind of funny to see that even in another world, the concept of selfies and group photos still thrives. Chewing on his lower lip, Donnie finally lifts a hand towards the picture.

Once again, Donnie is pulled into another memory.

The base of a mountain. Link and a young Hylian woman - Zelda - walk down the path towards a group of four people, waiting. A large Goron, born of the rocks: Daruk. A winged bird-like Rito: Revali. A red-scaled Zora, built for the water: Mipha. A tall Gerudo woman, with long red hair: Urbosa.

The same people, it must be noted, as were in the picture.

"Well? Don't keep us in suspense. How'd everything go up there on the mountain?" Daruk asks Zelda.

She shakes her head. There's a moment of silence, as the group takes this in. It's not good news.

"So you didn't feel anything? No power at all?" asks Revali.

"I'm sorry, no," says Zelda.

"Then let's move on," says Urbosa. "You've done all you could. Feeling sorry for yourself won't be of any help. After all, it's not like your last shot was up there on Mount Lanayru. Anything could finally spark the power to seal Ganon away. We just have to keep looking for that...thing."

"That's kind of you. Thank you," Zelda says. Though it is clear, she is not reassured.

Mipha steps forward. "If I may...I thought you...Well, I'm not sure how to put this into words. I'm actually quite embarrassed to say it. But I was thinking about what I do when I'm healing. You know, what usually goes through my mind. It helps when I think - when I think about -"

Suddenly, an incredibly loud rumble. The ground shakes, and the group stumbles as they try to keep their balance.

Revali flies up, and gasps. There's a dark red storm, in the distance.

"It's here," says Urbosa, her voice grim.

"This is it then..." says Daruk.

"Are you sure?" Mipha says.

Revali confirms it. "Positive."

"It's awake. Ganon!" gasps Zelda. For a moment all she can do is stare, in horror.

"Let's stop wasting time!" says Daruk. "We're going to need everything we got to take that thing down! Now Champions! To your Divine Beasts! Show that swirling swine who's boss! Link will need to meet Ganon head on when we attack. This needs to be a unified assault!"

Daruk looks towards Link. "Little guy! You get to Hyrule Castle. You can count on us for support. But it's up to you to pound Ganon into oblivion!"

He nods, as Urbosa walks towards the young Hylian woman, embracing her shoulders. "Come. We should go. We need to get you someplace safe."

"No," Zelda says. "I am not a child anymore! I may not be much use on the battlefield...But there must...There must be something I can do to help!"

What that is, however, as they all look towards the looming darkness, isn't clear.

These are the people Zelda cried for. Friends who supported her, doing everything in their power...

Even though Donnie had been anticipating the memory this time, it's still disorienting to come out of. "That must have been...just before?" he wonders to himself, eyes slipping back towards where the flower grows on a pedestal. That thought sits like a knot in his stomach.

Did everyone make it in the end? And when exactly did that battle slot into place?

Donnie looks again at where Link lay in some kind of underwater stasis. His guess, anyway. If he'd woken up from such a pool in the first place, it makes some sense. He looks back towards the other end of the cavern. Is there a way back to...

The cottage. The dining room. He almost falls over for how abruptly things have changed again.

Link, meanwhile, still sits at the dining table. Eating his dinner, as if nothing had happened. He glances over to Donnie.

"Will get cold," he says, jerking his chin towards Donnie's uneaten bowl of meat stew. Would be a shame, if Donnie didn't get to eat it while it was still nice and warm.

"Er..." That's a weird response to be sure, but Donnie steps back towards the table, pointedly avoiding the tunic in case it had any other things to impart as he settles into another chair.

The bowl of stew still smells really good. Even if this is a dream, with everything else feeling as real as it's been, Donnie decides it can't hurt to try dream-food.

"So..." he starts, stirring things around. "Wow, this is super awkward. I'm not sure how aware of it you are, but I...well, I've been seeing things. Memories. Your memories. Here."

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