#▲ HYRULE’S LIGHT (visage)

[i-write-what-i-want-when-i-want]

Wishing Stone

Pre-Twilight x female reader ft. the rest of the chain | wc: 1154

Little blurb bc the fic is not fic-ing so why not take a break to write something else while still indulging in my horribly pathetic down bad-edness on any and all versions of twilight princess link

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In which Twilight wishes for Midna. Instead, he gets you.

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When the chain stumbles upon a dungeon in yet another time period none of them can claim as their own, they find an artifact waiting for them at the end. An inconspicuous little stone for all that its accompanying inscriptions claim its ability to grant its wielder its truest desire.

It takes a bit of wrangling of the more optimistic members but they all eventually agree that no one is to touch the artifact until both Hyrule and Legend can inspect it for any foul magic or malicious influence.

With bated breath, they all wait until both boys tentatively agree that they don't detect anything bad, dark or vile from the stone. With a grin, Wind snatches the stone from it's pedestal and it immediately starts to glow in his hands. Once more, they all hold their breaths, waiting, hands on their weapons as the glow slowly fades and...

Nothing happens.

Wind scrunches up his face in confusion.

"Ha? What does it mean my wish will be granted in due time? Just have patience?"

Wild takes the stone from him and just like before, the stone glows briefly before it fades and again, nothing happens. All that's left is a complicated look on Wild's face.

"What did it say, cub?" Twilight asks tentatively. Wild takes a shuddering, wet breath before shutting his eyes.

"It said I'll be given a chance to right the world as it could have been but she won't be mine to cherish, that I'd have to choose between..."

Twilight places a hand on the younger boy's shoulder, squeezing firmly to which the latter can only give a fragile smile in return. Time carefully takes the stone from Wild and yet again, nothing happens when its glow fades. Something soft passes in their leader's face, bringing a small smile to his face before he holds the stone to Twilight.

"Not even gonna tell us what it said to you, old man?" Legend asks, an eyebrow raised, hand on hip and curiosity clear in his eyes. The rest of the boys are carefully looking away from Wild who was still trying to compose himself.

Time simply hums. "That's for me to know and you to guess at. Now, how about you give it a try, pup?"

Twilight takes the stone and immediately he feels his heart race, blood pulsing in time with the flood of thoughts of a woman with hair as fiery as her spirit and a visage as beautiful as her soul. If he could see her again, even if just one last time...

Hm. I see. This one perhaps, we can do something about.

Twilight almost startles at the sudden emergence of a voice in his head, his anticipation climbing in response to its words but then the glow fades and again, nothing happens.

"Okay, I've had it with its stupid magic trick," Legend grumbles as he goes to inspect the inscriptions once more. Four and Warriors join him, combing over the other stone tablets with the veteran.

"Maybe we're missing something?" Hyrule asks, looking around the chamber from top to bottom.

"Oh, there's a smaller, kinda faded writing on this one, near the bottom edge," Four announces. "It says, the wish can only be granted within the constraints of the laws of the world."

Just as he finishes reading, the floor rumbles as the whole chamber starts to shake, stirring up dust and rubble.

"Din's tits! I thought you said it was safe, Ledge?!" Wars yells out, voice clear above the din of the others' shouts of surprise, a hand clenched in Hyrule's collar, keeping the younger boy upright.

"Head to the exit!" Time's voice bellows out. Everyone rushes to the stone archway just as the rumbling intensifies and then there's a burst of blinding white light enveloping the whole room.

When the light dies down, the room looks just as it did before the rumbling began—undisturbed and empty, not a single sign of life.

.

Your lungs burn with each breath you take but you know you can't stop, not now, not when the minions of that shadow creature are right at your heels. But your body can't take much more, the fatigue having long surpassed your limits and you can feel yourself slowing against your will.

Then a bright light starts to glow not too far ahead of you and perhaps you were running to your death but if that light consumed you, it would still be a better way to die than at the hands of beasts who'll tear you apart piece by piece. After all, there was a chance this was a mercy from the goddess and you'd gladly give yourself into her embrace than die in violence.

But then the glow fades and leaves in its wake nine men armed to the teeth, all with looks of bewilderment in their eyes as they look around themselves. You see the moment one of them catches sight of you and quickly shouts at his companions all while he readies a bow. The others are quick to unsheathe their swords and race towards you.

One of them catches you just as your legs give out, tossing you up into his arms as if you weighed no more than a single feather, making you yelp and wrap your arms around his neck instinctively, your arms brushing against the pelt he wore on his shoulders.

"Pardon me, miss," he says as he carries you away from where the other men are fighting off the monsters, effectively cutting off their pursuit of you.

He carefully puts you down to sit, letting you rest your back against the rocky wall of a cliff face before joining into the fray. You take this chance to catch your breath, letting your gaze pass over the strangers skillfully beating back the monsters that have been chasing you for hours.

Faintly, you wonder if this was, perhaps, a blessing from Hylia herself, that you be saved by her soldiers. Whatever the case, you're just glad for the reprieve. Glad that all your efforts will not have been for nothing, lost to the world as a corpse forever silenced.

Several breaths pass before the sounds of battle fade and you hear footsteps nearing you.

"Miss?" the same voice from before calls out. "Are you okay?"

When you open your eyes again, you find several handsome faces looking at you in concern. Heat rushes to your cheeks just as a part of you shivers in delight at the rasp in the man's voice.

"Miss?" another one asks, this one with a blue scarf wrapped around his neck. He reaches out a hand to you, his pretty face inching closer and closer and your heart starts to race, beating faster than when you'd been running from the monsters even.

Before you could so much as make a sound, your vision blurs, darkens and then you know no more.

.

Well... what was supposed to be reader angst where 'you figure out a way to travel to the twilight realm and offer to reunite twi w/ midna even if you love twi bc you want him happy even if its not with you' became this instead because my brain said no, bich, you need to write the context first so here we are

but now that i think abt it, there's potential to make it a reader x other members of the chain... hmmmmmmmmmm

but anyway, throws my lame writing into the void in hopes of someone joining me in my "shamelessly indulging on my crush on link" agenda

[adrift-in-thyme]

Febuwhump Day 10: Magic Exhaustion (Time & Hyrule)

Read on Ao3

CW for blood, injury, and torture

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Breathing itself is laborious now. Movement is nearly impossible. The thought of fighting, laughable.

Time leans against the wall of harsh, grating bricks and chilled damp. The ropes around his wrists have gnawed away at his flesh, speckled it with deep splinters. He has not helped himself much in that arena, he supposes. Too many desperate attempts at escape, too many times that new bonds have dug into skin abused by his own methods of wriggling free.

They have secured his ankles too now. Such a precaution is unnecessary. His strength to resist has all but fled. To even sit upright is a task most arduous.

He inhales. Air scrapes through his throat. His stomach churns. The darkness swims treacherously before his fleeting gaze.

The gag pulled tight between his lips tastes of musty cloth and metallic blood. The room wreaks of dark sorcery and pain.

Any moment now they will return, ravenous for more. Any moment now his ears will brim with the muffled sounds of his own screams. 

Little good they do. To sit in stoic silence garners a beating. To thrash and cry out leads to laughter and mocking.

Either way, more of his magic drains away beneath the clawed fingertips of his captors. 

To lose all magic is a death sentence for one such as himself. Time knows this for certain. 

“You must be cautious,” a great fairy had murmured during his first adventure when Din’s Fire and Nayru’s Love had rendered him void of power. Navi had been near to tears by the time he managed to drag himself to the fountain, blood on his lips and whirring in his ears. “You are not like other humans. You are like us. Magic is at your core. It encompasses your gentle spirit. Little fairy boy, do not use up that which gives you life.”

He had nearly done it again years later when a beast had deprived him of his eye and a deity had marked him as his own. By the time he had dragged himself home to Malon, he had hardly known his own surroundings. 

She made him promise two things that fateful day. One he has managed to keep. The other shattered beneath his grasping hands weeks ago.

Though…was it truly? It was not his decision to bleed himself dry.

That knowledge does not negate the guilt pooling in his gut. 

But the door is sliding open now on screeching hinges, and there is no longer time for gloomy pondering. Time stiffens as much as his aching body will allow. Wearily, he lifts his eye to the form silhouetted by the lantern light that dances outside the cell. 

“Ah, you’re awake.”

A familiar face smiles jovially down at him. Small eyes narrow in a perpetual squint despite the spectacles perched atop a beakish nose. A thin visage to match wiry limbs, cloaked in a tangled beard of brown; bony hands featuring the distinct scarring of magical flame — these features are imprinted ferociously upon his mind. Too often, he has watched those eyes gleam as he squirms beneath the agonizing spell. Too often, that face has blurred beyond comprehension behind the tears that flood his vision.

“It is easier,” the man purrs, “when you are awake.”

The times when they have extracted his magic while he was unconscious have been few. Yet, Time can recall them with nauseating intensity. The pain had been immeasurable, the fear even more so. He had awoke with a start and a scream, fighting blindly until they pushed him back against the wall so fiercely he had seen stars.

He supposes it is easier when he is awake. As unpleasant of a thought as that is. 

“Well…” 

The man moves forward. Clammy fingers grasp Time’s chin. He leans forward, forces his head up, then side to side, peering at him as though he is a specimen pinned beneath a microscope.

“You aren’t quite at death’s door yet. I believe we can get a bit more out of you before your heart stops beating.” He chuckles. “I tell you, you are a tough one. The others died long before this point. You are greatly helping my research.” 

What his research entails, Time hasn’t a clue. He never made it far enough down these curving halls of darkness to find out where he is and why. The statement turns his insides cold anyway. He longs to jerk out of the grasp. He longs to rise and run, far from here, leaving nothing but flame behind him. 

“Alright, then. Let’s get started!”

The man retracts his grip. Rubbing his hands together with practiced eagerness, he steps back, ushers the forms standing behind to step forward.

Time watches as they surround him. He can never quite make out their faces. He isn’t certain that they even have any. They are dark, shapeless, fierce. Hungry. Their touch is like ice. Their relentlessness unending. No matter the offense, their punishments are always severe. 

He flinches back as they reach for him, and that alone is enough. Talons stab mercilessly into the space where his heart still flutters stubbornly. Power streaks through his veins with more force than it has since the last time he slipped their clutches. And when it retracts, his soul comes with it. 

His vision whites out. His back arches, mouth opening to release a scream stinging ears cannot hear. Bones screech and muscle pound. His head feels full to bursting.

He tries to kick out at them but his limbs are clumsy, unwieldy. They do not follow his commands. Laughter echoes. They dig deeper, take more. And more. And more. Until he is gasping, choking on the air he cannot garner. Until the weakness of before has spread, tingling in its numbness, and engulfed him in its agonizing storm. Until he goes limp.  

The talons leave, then. Satisfied at last, he supposes, when he can give them no more. Ruby liquid rains down in their wake. Time sags against the wall, gazing forward and seeing nothing. There is a gray haze hovering now, an emptiness where once there was warmth and familiarity. It screams of danger. It weeps. It envelopes him in a bitter embrace and begs that he make it stop.

If only he could.

“Good, good!” The man chortles. “That will tide me over for a few days at least! But don’t worry. You’ve got enough magic left for one more draw I think.” He kneels, hand on Time’s shoulder. Cocking his head, he smiles. “So, we’ll be back soon. I’m sure it grows lonely in here, doesn’t it? You magical folk get lonely very fast, I’ve found.”

He gives his shoulder two good pats. Then, with a neighborly wave, he and his companions are gone.

The door screams shut. Time crumples, trembling, onto the hard ground. When the gray turns to black, he does not resist it.

…

It is those cursed hinges that drag him back into some semblance of awareness. Somewhere within him, panic stirs. Embers of a fire long smothered sparking alive. He tries to move. But he is heavy, leaden, secured to the floor by bindings unseen. 

They will despise him for not attempting to rise. They will scratch at his face and kick his back and stomach, they will bite and punch at limbs and ligaments. There is nothing he can do, however. Not now. 

…how long has he been suffocating?

Long enough, it seems, for the terror to shatter the endless deafening nothingness. Long enough for the pressure within his chest to expand until it crushes him. 

Fingernails scrape desperately against unforgiving stone. His eye flutters open, quickly filling with tears that burn. Sparks of light and dark dance before him like the flickering flame of a racing bombchu.  

He is drowning. He is dying. And he cannot die. 

He needs to tell Malon that he loves her again, needs to hold her, to kiss her, to feel her touch. 

He needs to tell Twilight how proud he is, tell Wind the same. He needs to encourage Wild. He needs to give Warriors a hug.  

Time chokes on the air that evades him. Somewhere, footsteps pound. They are thunder to his ears. The storm of incoming death.

Somewhere, someone speaks. Frantic, angered tones that assault him from all directions. 

There are hands on him, terrible grips that he struggles vainly against. His existence is in bleary flashes of incomprehensible sensation and matter. His thoughts have narrowed to fear and flight. 

He cannot calm the fear. He cannot entertain the flight.

Leave! He longs to shout. You have taken everything! Why should you come back for more?

He is turned onto his back. Shards of pain shoot out like Ganondorf’s electric attacks. Fingers find his neck and travel along it, feeling for something. Time reaches up, grapples with the slender wrist. 

“Link!” The voice is soft, gentle, even in its panic. Like fairy dust and the forest. “Link, calm down! It’s me! It’s Hyrule!”

Hyrule.

He blinks, rapidly, trying to clear the film enough to make out the pile of brown curls, the hazel eyes in a sun-tanned visage. He can’t see more than a vague outline. But he knows that voice. Knows it in his very soul. 

Even now, shriveled and drained, shrunken and dried as his magic is, it cries out to a brother of a deeper sort than even blood or choice. 

Time stills. His already weak grip falters. His hand falls to his side.

“Traveler,” he tries to say but his throat is tight, his gasping thin, and nothing except a hoarse whine makes it out.

Gently, Hyrule shushes him. Warmth blossoms at his fingertips, glides through Time’s veins. A spell as fiercely determined as it is excruciatingly soft. He practically melts beneath it. 

“It’s okay,” the hero murmurs amongst a backdrop of hushed and concerned voices. “Just hang on. You’ll be able to breathe freely soon. I promise.”

Already, his words cement themselves as truth. As the spell works, Time feels the pressing ache begin to flee. 

Seizing lungs soften. Rigid muscles relax. His vision clears enough that he can see Hyrule’s shadowed face. 

“Where…” he whispers, hoarse and haggard. Exhaustion drags at him. Relief makes it far heavier. One more step and he will plummet.

It has been far too long since he was secure to do so.

“Gone.” It is Twilight who replies to the question he lacks the strength to to complete. “They won’t touch you again.”

Hyrule grasps his hand and squeezes. Weakly, Time squeezes back.  

“I’m so sorry we didn’t find you sooner. I’m so sorry for what they did.” The traveler’s voice cracks amidst the words, shatters like delicate pottery. The terrible levity of his captors’ sins lays heavy and poignant in it. 

If he had the strength, Time would assure him that the guilt is not his to bear. Nor does it belong upon the shoulders of the others. That nothing could have been done. 

Yet he can offer them nothing in this moment. Now, he loses his grip. Now, he fades into the darkness and the warmth of a brother’s spell.

“But you’re safe now,” Hyrule says from very far away. “You’re safe.”

[tokiro07]

With Zelda finally taking on the hero role and my speculation goggles firmly adhered to my eyeballs, I find myself asking an interesting question: what if each Princess Zelda had a title the way that each Link does?

Skyward Sword: For her status as the Goddess Hylia reborn, Princess Zelda the Divine

Minish Cap: For the strong concentration of the Light Force she holds within her, Princess Zelda the Radiant

Four Swords: For her lovely visage that bewitched even the wizard Vaati, Princess Zelda the Beautiful

Ocarina of Time: For the seven years she spent training, biding her time and preparing to overthrow Ganondorf, Princess Zelda the Patient

Link to the Past/Echoes of Wisdom: For her ingenuity and clever use of magic to personally face the Demon King, Princess Zelda the Wise

Oracle of Ages/Seasons (if taken to be a different Zelda from LttP OR if EoW is a different Zelda after all): For the faith and optimism she inspires in her people, Princess Zelda the Hopeful

Link Between Worlds: For the magnanimity shown in forgiving her captor, Princess Hilda the Fallen, and bestowing upon her a miracle of the Triforce, Princess Zelda the Loving

Zelda 1: For her great fortune in finding the Hero who not only saved the kingdom in its darkest hour but also revived the slumbering princess, Princess Zelda the Blessed

Adventure of Link: For her great tragedy in being put to eternal sleep by her own family, Princess Zelda the Accursed; alternatively, for the love shown in preserving her body and memory for all time, Princess Zelda the Treasured

Twilight Princess: For the grave choices she bore upon her shoulders, sacrificing her pride to protect her people and offering her life to save another, Princess Zelda the Resolute

Four Swords Adventure: For her trust in her allies and commitment to cooperation, Princess Zelda the Harmonious

Wind Waker: For her rebellious spirit and rejection of both tradition and throne, Tetra the Free

Spirit Tracks: For her proactivity to save her own kingdom and the bravery to face her greatest fears, Princess Zelda the Spirited

Hyrule Warriors: For her bravery to fight amongst the vanguard and power to vanquish her enemies single-handedly, Princess Zelda the Mighty

Breath of the Wild: For her stoic dedication to her research, Princess Zelda the Studious

There might be better titles I could have chosen, and some iterations of Zelda really didn't give me much to work with in the first place, but this is definitely something I'd like to see explored in canon if for no better reason than to help differentiate them aside from saying "the Zelda from such and such game"

I'm particularly proud of the Zeldas of 1 and 2 being the Blessed and the Accursed, if they got their own game I think that would be a very fun angle to approach their comparisons, contrasts and dynamics from

[bigsoftmarshmallow]

Heads up for the first aid:

How would Bandit, Noctis, Wake, & Vendettas react to their wife, Nemma, asking them to visit Hyrule Castle again the next day after a very boring & irritating day of “diplomacy” with the rich uppercrust of Hyrule?

Now, he very much doesn't want to, but…

There was that mischievous light in her eye that he'd know anywhere.

“What are you planning?”

Though, still mostly stoic, the corners of her lips quirked towards ever so slightly in a similar way to when a cat has devoured a bird whole. “Why, whatever do you mean, shinainaru danna-san?” (beloved husband) She says, fluttering her lashes at him demurely.

But that only raised both his suspicions… & his curiosity.

If he decides to return the next day…

He'll be greeted by the sight of king's expression of restrained humor as his servants & attendants scurry around furiously & the pompous elites from the night before wailing & complaining about “the indignity of such a horrid vandalization!”

And, when they drew close, those insipid wretches attempted to keep him from the main hall. But just as he was about to react, the king remarks, “Oh, come now! It was a harmless prank. How are we to make alliances if we hide our warts! Let them in.”

Confused, he glances at his wife, who’s hiding the lower half of her face behind a fan, eyes bright with glee. Now, the curiosity had a chokehold on him.

However, whatever he might've been expecting, it very much wasn’t what he found.

The main hall, that just the night before, had been gloriously, ostentatiously, even pompously, & vibrantly painted, was now a drab, uniform, unpainted, & unattractive gray with piles of what appeared to be peeled away paint upon the floor. Servants were furiously trying to repaint the walls or sweep the debris away. A couple were even weeping pathetically at the loss. It was utter mayhem.

What are his thoughts & feelings? Like, really go into it. I'm guessing half confused.

I’m also hoping for humor that he must valiantly fight against projecting upon his visage & possible sputtering that was covered up quickly when he takes out the gentlemen’s fan that his wife had handed to him just before they left for the castle.

Maybe clearing his throat before asking, “H-how exactly did this occur?”

Regardless, the king remarks that, evidently, some mischievous little scamp had acquired a jar of Ordon’s finest & highest proof moonshine, then hid it open inside the hall. (Ganondorf was nearly unable to keep himself from snapping his neck to look at his wife, who had only just the night before last bought such a jar of Ordonian Moonshine. 2, in fact. Note: The highest proof of moonshine could very well do something like this if left open in a room overnight.)

Though it will take a lot to fix, the king had to admire that sort of creative genius! So simple, yet so effective!

How do they feel throughout this? How do they react upon the pair finding a moment alone away from prying eyes?

I’m hoping for hysterics or retrained giggling or chuckling or something to that effect. Possibly to the point of tears in his eyes, because his queen will certainly be giggling behind her fan, shoulders shaking with jubilance at having made such a mockery of the courts & gotten away with it.

However, should he ask, Nemma will simply state that just because they cannot strike just yet, does not mean that they can’t strike in other, possibly more subtle, if petty ways.

Also, she noticed how awfully the pompous aristocracy was speaking to him & how frustrated he’d been about not being able to put them in their places like she knew he wanted to, so she wished to “defend his honor” she supposed. Though, she hadn’t been planning to use the moonshine in such a way when she bought it, she remarks somewhat mournfully. She’d wanted to cook him a meal tonight & it would've paired well with the corn spirit. Luckily, she'd only needed to leave one jar, so she had enough left to at least bake a new dessert idea she'd had. Fall Moonshine Cake. It should be a lovely spiced thing full of apples & drizzled with a glaze. She was actually looking forward to it.

I love this. Yessss! I love mischief and mayhem! Look at her go! <3 <3 <3

*********************************************************************

The Ganondorfs and Demise, as varied and complex as their personalities may be, would all share a moment of confusion, curiosity, and—ultimately—amusement upon seeing the chaotic aftermath of Nemma’s prank on the Hyrulean elite.

Wind Waker Ganondorf (Wake): As Wake enters the hall, his usual stoic composure cracks slightly. The sight of the once-glorious chamber now stripped bare, servants wailing over the destruction of their precious décor, forces him to stifle a laugh. He quickly covers it up by pulling out the fan his wife gave him, clearing his throat. His mind, however, races with a mixture of shock, admiration, and pride in his queen's cleverness. "So much for the self-important pomp," he thinks, a smirk tugging at the corner of his lips as he surveys the ridiculous scene. When the king mentions the jar of moonshine, Wake's eyes widen slightly, flickering toward Nemma, whose fan hides her playful grin. He knows exactly where that moonshine came from, and it takes everything in him not to burst into laughter then and there.

Later, when they find a moment alone, Wake can no longer hold it in. His deep, hearty laughter fills the empty hallway as he clutches his side, tears of amusement welling in his eyes. "You are more dangerous than any blade, Nemma," he says between fits of chuckles, his respect for her mischievous mind growing even more. Her explanation about defending his honor only makes him laugh harder, and the thought of a moonshine-baked dessert afterward just adds to the joy of the day.

Ocarina of Time Ganondorf (Bandit): Bandit steps into the hall, his arms crossed, a deep frown on his face, still annoyed from the previous day’s diplomatic nonsense. However, the moment he sees the chaotic scene of elites complaining and servants scrambling to repaint the drab gray walls, his brow furrows in confusion. The king’s cryptic remark about a harmless prank makes him even more suspicious, and when he glances at Nemma, her demure yet wickedly gleeful expression sends alarm bells ringing in his mind.

When the king explains the moonshine fiasco, Bandit nearly sputters, the fan in his hand snapping open with a loud fwip as he covers his mouth. He narrows his eyes at his wife, who now seems to be enjoying his struggle to contain his laughter. "Moonshine?" he mutters under his breath, finally understanding what had transpired. The sheer ridiculousness of it all, paired with his queen’s audacious wit, threatens to break his composure.

Once alone, Bandit leans against the wall, his shoulders shaking as he fights back the urge to laugh. He runs a hand down his face and shakes his head, eyes twinkling with reluctant amusement. "You couldn’t just let me deal with them in my way, could you? No... you had to outsmart them in the most spectacularly petty way possible." Nemma’s explanation about “defending his honor” makes him groan in mock frustration, though a small, appreciative smile finally breaks through.

Twilight Princess Ganondorf (Noctis): Noctis, ever the most composed and regal of the Ganondorfs, strides into the hall with a bored, tired expression after the day of diplomacy. But when he takes in the sight of the destruction—the walls now dull and bare, the elites whining incessantly—he freezes. His golden eyes sweep across the hall, trying to comprehend what has happened, and then they land on Nemma, her mischievous smile hidden just behind her fan. He immediately knows something is amiss.

As the king explains the moonshine prank, Noctis blinks, still trying to process how something as simple as a jar of alcohol could wreak such havoc. He opens the fan Nemma handed him earlier with a graceful flick, subtly fanning his face to cover the smile that’s trying to break through. The image of those snobbish nobles having their grand hall ruined by a jar of Ordonian moonshine is too deliciously ironic to ignore.

When they’re alone, Noctis lets out a low chuckle, a rare sound from the usually stoic king. He shakes his head, folding his arms over his chest. "I cannot decide whether I should be impressed or furious," he admits, though his lips quirk into an affectionate smile. "I hope you left enough moonshine for our dinner, Nemma. That cake sounds intriguing."

Hyrule Warriors Ganondorf (Hedony): Hedony’s first instinct is to assume that something violent occurred when he sees the mess in the hall. The paint peeled off, the nobles screeching like wounded animals—it all points to some grand act of destruction. But when he hears the king’s explanation and sees Nemma’s barely-contained laughter behind her fan, the realization of what really happened hits him. His lips twitch, wanting to curl into a smirk, but he keeps his face impassive, though only barely.

The idea of using moonshine to cause this level of mayhem is... brilliant. Simple, yet effective. He clenches his jaw, holding back the urge to laugh aloud. "How exactly did this occur?" he asks, voice tight with the effort of not breaking into hysterics.

Later, when they’re alone, Hedony finally allows himself to laugh. His booming voice echoes through the corridors as he pulls Nemma close, kissing her deeply. "You’re going to be the death of me, woman," he says with a grin, his pride in her devious mind shining through. "But what a glorious way to go."

Tears of the Kingdom Ganondorf (Vendettas): Vendettas, ever suspicious and brooding, walks into the hall, already irritated by the previous day’s events. His eyes scan the destruction with a raised brow. The nobles whining, the king trying to calm everyone down—it all seems so trivial to him. But then he sees Nemma’s smirk hidden behind her fan, and his annoyance fades, replaced by curiosity.

The explanation about the moonshine catches him off guard. He stops in his tracks, blinking in surprise. "Moonshine? Really?" His hand twitches toward the fan she gave him earlier, and before he knows it, he’s covering his face, trying not to snort. The absurdity of it all, the sheer pettiness, is enough to make even him struggle to maintain his composure.

When they’re alone, Vendettas lets out a rare, deep chuckle. "I didn’t think you’d take it that far," he admits, shaking his head. "But I’m glad you did. They deserved it."

Demise: Demise, ever the most prideful and straightforward, enters the hall with a scowl, his patience already worn thin from the previous day's tiresome events. But when he sees the disarray, his scowl deepens. He shoots a suspicious look at Nemma, whose playful eyes behind her fan give everything away.

As the king explains the moonshine incident, Demise’s scowl falters, replaced by confusion. "Moonshine?" His deep voice rumbles as he looks between Nemma and the king, trying to comprehend how such a simple substance caused this chaos. But then he remembers the jar Nemma bought, and realization dawns on him. He tries to stifle his amusement, but a deep, guttural laugh escapes his throat despite himself.

Later, when they’re alone, Demise grips Nemma by the waist, pulling her close. "You are a wicked woman," he growls softly, though there’s a note of admiration in his voice. "But I wouldn’t have it any other way."

[spinnerprincess]

"Goal-setting" (Hyrule Warriors x Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds, Lana/Hilda, 2,072 words)

Femslash February prompt for 2/26: Kids

Set sometime after Triangulation. Specifically, actually, uh, sometime after the sequel to it that I have half-written. Oops. So, minor spoilers for a work that I haven't published? Sorry.

Hilda doesn't know what to do with children.

Lorule's population has been in such decline that the castle has seen none of them since she was herself young. Hers was a lonely childhood, with all the adults around her expecting that she could fix their world, anticipating that she would amount to nothing. She was the lingering leech of a royal line, the daughter to a king who abandoned his throne, the heir to a legacy that destroyed the very Triforce that had sustained them.

She certainly never had other playmates. Without Ravio, rich in mischief and willing to speak candidly with one he was told was his better, she might never have had friends.

So, children? She's never had the opportunity to really get to know them.

They're small and loud, she's finding. They know too little about the world in many ways, and in other ways, far too much. They're rather impulsive and decidedly blunt.

They have told her, to her face, that she's stinky.

"I bathed only last night," Hilda says, frowning. She uses a lovely herbal soap in her baths, and a hint of perfume some mornings. She didn't think it was necessary today.

"Stinky princess!" says the child, giggling. His name is Krif, and he's a tiny navy-haired Lorulean, born to a soldier that used to patrol the Dark Palace. Another child is on the way, there is no father in the picture, and Hilda is overseeing their move to a new town, if one can call a smattering of families in tiny, newly built houses a town. Long ago, Lorule Castle used to be home to far more than just the royal family, with a bustling, mercantile community living just inside the outer walls.

"Princess Stink," agrees the other child. Her name is Taura, which is a sensible name for a child of mask-wearers, bearing herself the tiny visage of a bull. Her family has also sought refuge at the castle. Hilda has been told that she and Krif made fast friends in the last day or so.

"Is stink my domain, or are you saying I smell?" Hilda asks, entirely at a loss.

Krif wrinkles his entire face in thought. "Both?" Taura cackles.

Lana, observing, also giggles at her plight. Hilda, at a glance, sees that none of her guard is looking this way, so she can afford to drop some of her regal bearing. Grimacing, she mouths, "Help!" in Lana's direction.

Rolling her eyes, Lana hops over. "Your parents will be back in, what, fifteen minutes?" she says to the children.

"Probably much longer than that," Taura says, bearing an approximation of wisdom. "I heard father complaining about paperwork."

"Paperwork," Krif says, puzzled and frowning.

Hilda explains, "That means your parents have many things they need to write down, in order to accomplish something properly."

"I'm not sure my papa knows how to write," Taura adds thoughtfully.

"Castle scribes will help them," Hilda explains further, but even as she's saying it she can tell she's losing Krif's interest. And the moment she loses his interest, she risks being called stinky again. Quietly, she panics.

Thankfully, Lana picks up the thread again. "Well… Want to see how many weird magic tricks I can pull off until they get back?"

"You know magic?" Krif asks, delighted. Taura seems curious too, tilting her head.

"Do I know magic?" Lana asks, scoffing. She snaps her grimoire off her hip and blows on it. Golden sparkles rise along the path of her breath, flowing directly into Krif's face. Krif laughs loudly, waving the sparkles out of his face. Some of them fly upon Lana's pale blue hair and pop like bubbles as they disappear.

Taura seems less impressed, but she's still amused. She crosses her little arms. "That's neat, but it's just a light trick. What about real magic?"

"Real magic?" Lana taps her finger against her chin in exaggerated thought. "Like what?"

"Show us something really cool. Not just sparkles." She says 'sparkles' with such scorn, for some reason.

"Well, aren't you worldly?" Lana nods, and after a moment, grins. "Fine: one quick dose of real magic, just for you, Taura."

Hilda glances at her with just a hint of worry, only hoping Lana won't go overboard.

Lana smiles at her briefly in reassurance. Then she lifts her grimoire again, chanting, drawing just a small little circle in the air, just about at Taura's eye level. It's only big enough for perhaps Lana's hand to slip through.

When it's complete, Hilda blinks in surprise. Lana has created, unmistakably, a gate to another dimension - though of course nobody will be slipping through this one.

"Be quiet, and look," murmurs Lana. Taura eyes her warily, and steps up to the little gate, peering inside.

Lana's gates are often double-sided. Hilda quietly shuffles around to Lana's side, so she can see a hint of it for herself.

She sees… a castle town. It's beautiful, and familiar, and she's never seen it before. There are thriving green bushes. Tulips grow in flower beds along a well-maintained cobbled street. A pair of large, beautiful trees frame the entrance to the castle proper. People walk to and fro, busy with their days.

"What is this?" Taura asks, wonderous.

Krif, over her shoulder, is equally entranced. "It's like a dollhouse?" he says.

"Nope, no dolls. You're looking at something real." Lana smiles, crouching down, glancing between each child. "I think your parents said you're moving, but they didn't really explain, did they?"

Taura doesn't take the implied insult to her parents well. "They said we're moving here, to the castle!"

"Which explains nothing," says Krif, more knowingly. "And there's nothing here, either."

"That's because your parents are very brave," says Lana. "What you're looking at, Krif, Taura, is the result of years of hard work. It's a place called Castle Town, in a castle very like this one, with a princess rather like Princess Hilda."

The children look at Hilda, who smiles and nods. She still has no idea what to say, but the way these children look at her now, with curiosity, is shocking. How has Lana turned them around on this so quickly? These are the same children that decided she was Princess Stink, did they not?

"This is real?" Krif asks, skeptical.

"It is. Go on - put your hand through. There's a tree leaf right above the gate, isn't there? I bet if you reach for it, you can touch it."

"It won't hurt him?" Taura asks, which makes Hilda glad. She's properly wary of Lorulean vegetation.

Hilda smiles. "No, it's a perfectly safe leaf. Don't be scared."

Krif scowls. "I'm not scared," he says firmly. He thrusts his hand through Lana's portal. Shock comes over his face as he touches the leaf, and pulls his hand back. There's a hint of morning dew glistening on his fingertips, which he stares at with awe.

Taura brings her hands up to her chin in an expression of shock, tugging slightly at the bottom of her mask. "It's really real!"

"You did ask for real magic, after Lana showed you her sparkles," Hilda says, smiling to keep the admonishment mild.

Taura bows her head, and when she lifts it, she proves that she's been taught some manners. "I'm sorry, Sorceress. I was kinda rude about your sparkles."

Lana smiles and "Thanks, Taura. No harm done - but I appreciate your apology."

Klif says, "This place is pretty… But this isn't where we're moving to, right?"

"No, but it's my goal to make something like it," says Hilda. "It'll be you two, your mother, Taura's fathers, and a few others there at first, very small. We probably won't have lovely things like flowers and shops for a while. But with some hard work, someday, I think we will."

"And you can help," Lana says, quick to jump in. "After all, this is going to be your home! You can help us in little ways, whether it's building things, helping us figure out what to plan, or cheering people up when they're off work. You're part of this, too."

Taura is very quiet, very thoughtful. Klif outright jumps up and down with delight, saying, "Yeah, I want to help! I want… I want…" He scrunches up his entire face again. "I want a tree like that. With pretty leaves that are safe to touch!"

Hilda laughs. "I'd love that, too. We'll see if we can find an earth-speaker to help you, then."

Klif seems just a little confused before Lana stage-whispers, "They can help you with plant magic!"

It's about then that rescue finally comes. Hearing footsteps, Lana snaps her fingers quietly behind her back, and the gate closes in an instant. She barely has time to shush the children, swearing them to immediate secrecy, before a group of guards, scribes, and parents returns from the office nearby.

"Mom!" Klif runs over to her, full of energy. "Princess Hilda says I can put a tree near our home!"

Taura takes an extra moment to bow to them, her finely braided hair bouncing with her. "Thank you, Sorceress, Your Highness!"

"Our pleasure. We'll see you around, Taura," Lana promises.

The families depart for the time being, following a scribe to their next business. At their departure, Hilda sighs, gratefully sinking into a chair.

"I don't know how you did that," Hilda says. "Those children were going to eat me alive."

Lana laughs, lightly, and comes to her side. She brushes Hilda's hair with one hand, running it down a few runaway strands. "They've heard rumors from adults, or even other children. You know, the old ones, about how ineffective the royalty of Lorule is."

"But they're just children," Hilda argues, frowning. "Why do they care?"

"Well, they don't really understand. Kids their age tend to parrot things they hear, or take on their parents' opinions without really thinking about it. And they do care, in a way - things that upset adults they care for upset them, too, even if they don't know why." Lana continues hand-brushing Hilda's hair. It's an indulgence that relaxes her.

"So calling me Princess Stink is their way of expressing that they know, or thought they knew, that I was a poor sovereign?" Hilda asks. "Is that also why Taura dismissed your magic, come to think of it?"

"Probably, yeah - she might have seen someone else put down another's magic. Though sometimes they're just disrespectful for weird reasons of their own."

"How are you so good with children?" Hilda asks. She looks up at Lana, catching her hand, and gently caressing the slightly lighter skin of her palm.

Lana closes her eyes, smiling. "I don't know, honestly. I guess I've just observed people enough, children included, to figure them out a little. Sometimes you have to put in a little extra work to earn their respect. You certainly had to earn mine, when I was their age: I don't think being a powerful budding sorceress made it very easy on my clan."

It doesn't take Hilda long to imagine the trouble a child with dimension-peeking magic might get into. She laughs. "I imagine not!"

Only the thought is just a little sobering. Perhaps with just a little more oversight, Lana would not have had her soul rend itself in two, would not have fallen as easily into the clutches of evil. But then, had Cia not been created by Ganon's darkness, Lana wouldn't be here now, slotting herself in with the misfits of Lorule, would she?

Hilda rises from her seat to draw Lana closer, kissing her sweetly. "Thank you for your insight, and your assistance," she says, brimming with fondness. "I would have been helpless without you."

Lana's never the best at taking a direct compliment. She hugs Hilda, probably in part to hide her face. "No problem. Those two are just the start. There will be more kids around Castle Town soon, but don't worry - dealing with children is a skill you can learn. You'll pick it up soon enough."

"I'll attend your lessons carefully," promises Hilda.

They have a little free time before the next royal matter to attend to, she thinks. She takes hold of Lana's hand again, and draws her away from the receiving hall. A little stress relief - a little affection, a little time spent in each other's arms behind a closed door - wouldn't be bad, at all.

[obraveyouth-m]

˗ˏˋ plotted starter for @xnostos — princess midna *˖ △

once  again  did  dusk  cover  the  ever  expansive  kingdom  of  hyrule  and  the  lands  beyond  its  borders  and  once  again  did  the  hero  of  twilight  find  himself  deluged  in  the  hours  that  the  light  of  dawn  met  the  embers  of  night  once  more.  the  towheaded  man  glanced  fleetingly  into  the  distance  with  no  target  in  mind  ( seeking  a  visage  that  had  become  an  ever  haunting  memory ):  customary  cerulean  held  a  crystalline  dullness  as  his  expression  turned  solemn  over  the  marking  of  a  decade  since  he’d  originally  begun  —  what  others  spoke  of  —  a  pointless  effort.  still , who  could  blame  link?  not  himself  nor  the  goddesses (  if  they  did  he  would  simply  speak  blasphemy  upon  their  alter  as  he’d  done  countless  times  before  ):  one  could  say  he’d  been  cursed , met  with  a  terrible  fate.  the  burdens  of  the  one  bestowed  the  divinely  beseeched moniker  of  ‘o  legendary  hero  chosen  by  the  gods’.  truly  ,  who  had  asked  for  such  a  ironclad  prewritten  history?  for  they  spoke  that  he  carried  the  soul  of  the legendary hero  ,  a  blessed one  that  transverses  the  very  rivers  along  the  flow  of  time  itself  to  smite  a  grave  evil  ( the  same  evil  that  link  had  drove  the  masters  word  into  the  chest  of  ):  but  just  what  good  was  that?  what  goodness  did  any  hero  bring  if  only  to  be  forced  to  come  back  as  another  incarnation  again  and  again  and  again?  for what?  to  best  the  same  born  again  evil  that  had  caused  this  cycle  to  begin  with.  sheer  foolishness  link  had  tirelessly  shouted  in  the  woodlands  of  the  sacred  grove  upon  the  ancient  holy  ground  from  which  he  had  once  pulled  the  blade  of  evil’s  bane. 

often  did  link  find  himself  mindlessly  walking  the  grounds  of  the  temple  of  time  ( more  like  the  ruins  of  time ): epona  waiting  patiently  for  her  master  at  the  entrance  of  faron  woods.  boscage  and  various  flora  made  him  feel  at  home  and  the  peace  of  the  sacred  grove  ,  helped  provide  link  with  a  sort  of  refuge  from  his  own  mind.  however  ,  this  time  was  not  so  mindless  ,  for  ,  he  had  a  task  —  a  side quest  of  his  own  making  to  fulfill.  while  ,  rare  ,  a  familiar  golden  wolf  had  begun  to  seek  him  out  for  a  change  (  after  a  couple  years  had  passed  since  link  had  fulfilled  his  destiny  and  had  begun  his  personal  mission  of  finding  a  way  to  the  princess  of  twilight  once  more ):  compared  to  his  predecessor  —  the  hero  shade  —  link  was  incomparable  ,  despite  what  everyone  around  him  preached  and  praised  of  his  name.  unlike  the  one who  had  moved  within  time ,  the  hero  of  light  and  shadow  could  never  accept  the  life  of  the  hero  nor  its  burdens  (  inside  link  was  full  of  despair  and  rage  at  the  notion  ):  while  ,  he  couldn’t  call  it  regret  ,  he  couldn’t  fully  call  it  acceptance  either.  who  wanted  to  look  up  to  a  savior  who’s  tongue  spoke  sacrilegious  psalms?  so  how  was  one  a  living  symbol  of  holy  heroism  of  the  gods  and  cursing  everything  of  them  in  the  same  breath?  the  embodiment  of  an  oxymoron  was  link  ,  whom  marched  through  all  green  clad  victory  —  each  more  deadly  than  the  last  —  looked  towards  a  future  that  just  spat  in  his  face  and  gave  him  clouded  vision.  desperately  did  the  ordon  man  cling  to  the  memories  of  yesteryear  ,  wanting  to  make  them  back  into  his  current  reality  once  more. 

mayhaps  it  was  how  he  found  himself  in  this  current  predicament.  lingering  onto  the  texts  in  ancient  hylian?  (  or was it gerudo?  some ancient dialect of sky language?  ):  link  was  not  exactly  sure  but  he  had managed  to  venture  past  the  temple  of  time  —  so  far  into  un-ascertained  land  (  the  blonde  wasn’t  even  sure  if  he  was  still  in  claimed  territory  of  hyrule  ):  but  the  words  of  shade  gripped  tightly  to  his  mental  as  he  spoke  about  other  worlds  and  pathways  ,  attached  and  detached  to  hyrule  much  like  the  twilight  realm  —  the  very  place  god's  chosen  was  seeking.  link  just  keeps  his  pace  and  walks  on  and  on.  oddly  enough  ,  it  become  far  easier  to  make  the  unfamiliar trek  in  his  wolf  form  (  he's  always  felt  more  hardier  as  beast  than  man  ):  but  it  is  here  that  link  finds  a  place  so  much  like  the  sacred  grove  unyet  so  much  unlike  it  as  well.  it  has  that  same  mystical  power  flowing  in  the  fog  nestled  up  against  the  flora  but  there's  faint  flickers  of  (  but  maybe  link  was  imagining  what  he  wished  to  be  there  ):  of  that  same  orangey  haze  that  engulfed  the  twilight  realm. still  ,  it  was ... something.  even  as  the  air  surrounding  was  emanating  and  muddled  with  miasma  link  kept  his  pace  ,  a  bit  unsteady  with  his  steps  in  these  woodlands  drowning  in  nightshades  and  atropa  belladonna.  just  how  far  had  he  wondered  —  would  be  became  as  a  skeleton  ,  as  a  bygone  relic  like  his  previous  incarnation? for  no  longer  did  the  atmosphere  carry  the  mist  of  godliness.  the  ambience  had  become  as  zant’s  throne  room  (  all  eerie  and  bone-chilling  ):  in  this  distress  link  saw  a  estuary  and  his  mouth  grew  more  dry  than  the  sands  of  arbiter's  grounds  and  jumbled  senses  caused  link  to  sway  in  his  (  just  when  had  he  became  so  disoriented?  ):  steps  as  he  quickly  lowered  himself  to  gulp  upon  the  streams  of  adam’s  ale  that  had  become  as  dwale  exposed  to  the  toxicant  in  the  firmament.  his  body  wept  out  in  extreme  pain  mere  moments  later  ,  an  agony  so  great  hyrule’s  hero  could  not  even  scream  out  as  his  figure  collapsed  over  and  the  last  thing  he  saw  was  an  image  of  something  akin  to  a  fused  shadow  before  everything  had  returned  to  nothingness. 

when  he’d  awoken  link  felt  no  pain  ,  no  sadness  ,  no  nothing  (  so  had  he  truly  woken  up  or  was  this  a  dream?  ):  all  around  him  was  white  as  the  tallest mountains  of  snowpeak  (  safe  for  a  half-rotten  tree  and a  reservoir  of  water  beneath  his  feet  ):  in  the  middle  of  the  vast  land  that  saw  not  an  end  the  waters  held  both  qualities of  murky  and  clearness  ,  allowing  him  to  see  his  reflection  in  the  pools  —  but  distorted  and  discolored.  yet  ,  somehow  ,  someway  it  seemed  detached  from  him  (  as  when midna dwelled  within  his  shadow  ):  it  was  almost  like…  but  he  pushed  the  thought  out  of  his  mind.  still  ,  curiosity  had  gotten  the  better  of  link  —  as  it  had  humanity  and  fauna  alike  —  it  was  as  if  the  mirrored  reflection  was  calling  out  to  him. but the  visage  reflected  was  not  of  himself  ,  in-truth all  the  blue  eyed  beast  saw  was  nothingness.  but  ,  something  told  link  to  remain  vigilant  ,  something  ...  something  told  the  hero  of  twilight  he  was  not  alone.

[aiyexayen]

✿⋆₊⊹ Zonai Facts ⊹₊⋆✿

Mammalian features.

Furry.

Bipedal.

Had exclusive access to incredibly potent but finite power source obtained by unsustainable mining practises.

Opened enormous pit mines in underground caverns beneath every single major city of every nation across Hyrule in the pursuit of more of the energy source.

Bound naturally-occurring root systems in tight woven nets throughout Hyrule's underworld to funnel large quantities of daylight down from the surface, introducing invasive species of surface flora in the process, in order to see better in pursuit of more of the energy source.

Named the energy source after themselves.

Energy source notably corrupts other beings who mine for it.

Used their power and technological advancements to invent fully modular mass weapons of elemental destruction.

Created an army of effectively-immortal, autonomous war robots that are hostile to all lifeforms and attack immediately with deadly force.

Had the power to semi-permanently suspend enormous land masses in the air and did so.

Seeded aforementioned robots on these land masses across the entire skies of Hyrule suspended over every other peoples' land.

Spread their Zonai-exclusive-access technology across the entire surface of Hyrule as well--into towns, caves, valleys, mountaintops.

Supplanted many Hyrulean culture's beliefs and religious practises, building all of them enormous temples with little apparent religious function beyond interacting with the Zonai themselves.

Built over ancient sacred grave sites with their own architecture.

Constructed their own buildings on sacred land intruding on the homes of spirit beings.

Perpetuated the belief that the Zonai themselves were descended from gods.

Filled each of these Zonai temples across Hyrule with technology exclusively able to be accessed by the Zonai or those few they grant permission.

Each temple's technology contained the enormous elemental potential to wreak extinction-level destruction on the peoples and land of Hyrule, not unlike enormous floating war machines.

Seeded the temples with scores of their previously-mentioned immortal, armed with deadly force, universally hostile battle robots.

Places where the Zonai land masses interact with Hyrulean ground cause the latter to begin to disappear, native ecology being replaced as patterns of unknown nature spread out from the point of contact like a living tattoo.

Made a marriage alliance with the most populous and centrally-located race in Hyrule, who also claimed divine bloodline.

Both accepted and demanded allegiance from every other prominent nation in Hyrule.

Described as "warlike" by those who outlived them.

Commandeered the most powerful spiritual leaders from each race and bonded them to ancient and powerful Zonai amulets.

Crafted Zonai-style animal masks for this elite team of mages that they appeared to wear permanently, while the Zonai and Hylians remained unmasked.

Ensured their own visages and names would survive eternally through hundreds of shrines built in their image across the land and sky, filled with an absurd quantity of light energy from an unknown source (and battle robots) to eternally preserve and protect them.

Left the other mages' faces and names out of history entirely--until they do not exist even in the records of their own peoples and nations.

Adorned royalty with intricate stone jewellery.

Severed limbs capable of functioning independent of rest of body.

Had white hair.

Very tall.

Fuckable?

[gaymergal]

@helloallec

So like for that Wip I do have a solid middle chapter done 😅 (but like the backstory to get to this point is…overwhelming, I have some of it outlined but 😓 idk if this will ever be a finished fic)

😶 if you want the chapter is below the cut

“Gan?” Sheik yelled into the fog. He cupped his hands, trying to project louder. “Gan? Gan, can you hear me?” Panic tinged at the edge of his voice. He had longed to call out to Link, but knew the plea would have fallen on literal deaf ears. He prayed to the goddess that she had fallen somewhere close to Gan.

Giggling tore him from his thoughts and he whipped his head around trying to find the source. By the light of the three, these woods were truly haunted.

“Who’s there?” Sheik pulled out his Sheikah Slate and tried to use its torch function, but to no avail. Though he knew it to be fully charged, the slate would not turn on.

More cackling echoed around him, seemingly coming from a different direction. “Show yourself!” He bellowed only to be met by silence. He rummaged around in his backpack to find a lighter. There was enough loose sticks and foliage around for him to make a fire.

He kept it tight. A medium sized fire, something hopefully bright enough that his partner and childhood friend could spot it in the thick of the fog, but not large enough to catch the forest on fire.

He tried his Sheikah Slate again. Even when he pulled out his portable charging unit and tried plugging it in, both the battery pack and Slate read as dead. “Fuck these woods,” he said blowing at the fringe of hair the fell over his left eye.

He surveyed his surroundings once more, and was unsurprised that there was fog and mist everywhere he turned. He had thought that the three of them were prepared, thought that they could enter the Lost Woods, domain of the restless forest spirits, find the sword of legends and go home.

Something rustled at the edge of his visage, Sheik took a sizable branch and lit it from the fire pit. He didn’t bother to call out to it. He edged closer to the rustling, flaming stick in hand. He could make out a little bit of the ground he walked on, could see that something was rustling the leaves on the forest floor. He tracked it slowly, eyes so glued on the ground beneath him that he didn’t notice the crumbling stone wall until he smacked it with his shoulder.

He yelped, dropping the stick, which promptly set the pile of leaves closest to him on fire. “Shit!” he cursed, stomping on the fire closest to him but it did him no good. The fire spread before his eyes, lighting a trail of leaves that surrounded the stone structure he had run into. His pale blue eyes widened in fear, it was bad enough that he had lied to his mother when he said he, Link, and Gan were going to the Herba region rather than sneaking off on their impromptu quest.

He imagined his mother’s face when she learned that he had burned down the most ancient and sacred forest in all of Hyrule…even if it was fucking haunted and infested with ghosts.

Princess Zelda was a fair and kind constitutional monarch, but as a mother she was known to be much more of a hardass. Sheik would rather combat a magical forest fire rather than face the wrath of his mother.

Thankfully the fire stopped spreading, sparing Sheik’s hide, but it did not burn out. Red flames danced, staying eerily within the courtyard of the highlighting a large decaying stone structure.

Or at least he was pretty sure the building had been comprised of stone at one point. The structure now was nearly completely mossed over, slowly returning to the forest with each decade it remained unused. Sheik carefully approached a broken archway of the courtyard and gasped once he stepped over the threshold.

There was something here…something old, older than the decayed building that housed it, older than the crumbling stones surrounding him, and older than the large gnarled tree roots underfoot. He swallowed thickly, feeling the presence close in around him. Sheik scratched at his right hand, the old magic lingering in the air made his skin itch.

He tried his Sheikah slate one last time, hoping that it would let him signal Gan or anyone really. The screen remained dark, and he lamented that magic and technology rarely ever worked well together. He placed his backpack down by the entrance way and made an arrow point towards the heart of the structure, an old temple he presumed. He filled his pockets with his non-tech arsenal. A sickle and chain, kunai’s, cherry-bomboms, and a potion his grandmother had brewed for him two years ago that he was fairly certain was just moonshine now.

He took a swig of the amber concoction, it imbued him with a liquid courage that was not at all due to the workings of royal magic. With his trusty sickle and chain in hand he entered the Forest Temple of the Lost Woods.

His hand tingled again as he pushed deeper into the temple. He tried his best to follow the pull of magic, but whoever built this temple was definitely drunker than he. That or Grandma’s potion was more aged than he thought…but no, alcohol induced or not, Sheik was standing sideways on a wall looking down at the entrance way he had just gone through. Across the gap of the foyer, he saw a hallway jutting out of the wall with no discernable path to it.

He looked around and saw what might have been a chandelier at one point but was now a mass of mossed over metal hanging from the ceiling. He swung the chain of his sickle and threw it to the light fixture. He tugged hard where the chain had caught, it didn’t budge much, but there was no guarantee it would hold his weight. Sheik made the sign of a triangle with his right hand before attempting the swing across the foyer.

The ancient fixture groaned heavily under his weight and Sheik was clenching hard even before it cracked and fell from the ceiling. He was barely half a story up, he braced himself for the fall, but was unprepared for his breath to leave his lungs so abruptly when his back hit the floor boards. Sucking in a breath he went to stand but heard the tale tell signs of cracking wood planks. “Sweet Hylia!” he hissed. The floor broke beneath him and he scrambled for his sickle.

There was nothing for his chain to catch on to, so he angled the blade to catch the stone wall of the chamber he was falling into and slowed his descent. Sparks flew, crackling and spitting embers at his face until his legs, then torso, were submerged in water. He was grateful for having left all of his tech outside, his clothing was soaked in gross moldy water. “For the love of Nayru!” he cried to the dark waters.

He awkwardly dog paddled around, waiting for his eyes to adjust to the dark flooded basement.

There was a light coming from a distance and with nothing better to steer to he headed that way and ended up on a shore line? It wasn’t the flooring of the temple above. It was soft dirt, the water that he had fallen into lapped at the edges like small waves. He shivered, stepping out of the water, and took off his hoodie and shirt in an attempt to get warm. He thought of discarding his trousers, but didn’t want to be wandering around this creepy ass temple in just his boxers.

The shore was only marginally lighter than the pitchblack waters he had fallen into. Wherever the light source was coming from, it didn’t fully encompass the shoreline. He fished around in his pockets for his cherry bomboms and lighter. The lighter was uselessly wet, he gathered the driest looking driftwood he could see and struck the cherry bombom with a rock until it detonated , catching the driftwood and his hand in the tiny explosion.

Sheik cursed for the umteemth time that day, blaspheming to the remaining members of the pantheon whilst shaking his hand. He cradled his hand clenching and unclenching his fist and plopped down by the fire.

He was beyond pissed. Today had not gone to plan at all. His frustration gave way to curiosity. Even from here he could feel the old magic growing stronger. If he strained his ears he could hear something, not the giggles of mischievous forest spirits, not the voices of Gan or Link, something calling to him. Only him. It only wanted Sheik. That’s why it had to send the others away.

While he tried to dry out by the fire, he could feel old magic pulsating from whatever laid down the path to the light. He shivered, it had to be the sword of legends, the blade of evil’s bane. The Master Sword. It was crazy to think they had actually found it! With the sword of legends in hand the three of them could make their own destiny.

Sickle at the ready, Sheik rose from the fire. In the soft dirt he drew a deep arrow, pointing towards his best estimate of where the light was coming from. He wanted Gan or Link to find him, he hoped that in her genius Link would find away to avoid the mossy water.

He walked away from the shore, and once again encountered fog.

It was as if he was back outside in the forest. He nearly tripped several times over, the fog getting thicker the further he got. Tree roots were once again abundant, but they were unlike the trees he had encountered outside in the forest. Nestled in the grooves of winding roots were pools of water. As he passed them he caught glimpses of movement, the water reflecting things that were not there…Or at least he hoped were not. One particular tree gave him pause, it looked familiar to him, though he knew not why. The reflection in the pool of water gathered at the ancient tree startled him greatly and he stumbled away.

It was her! It was him! Well, the old him. He approached the pool again this time prepared for the blast from the past. A young Zelda stared back at him. She looked just as he had in a family portrait that hung in his mother’s chambers. He raised his arm, and the young Zelda did the same. It was unsettling. He had started transitioning not but two years after the memory the pool reflected. He touched the scars on his bare chest and the Zelda reflection made the same movement.

He stomped in the puddle, erasing the image of his past self. That young girl didn’t exist any more. He had spent the last eight years forging a unique path for himself. He wasn’t going to be a Zelda like his mother before him or her mother before her.

The royal family, much like the rest of Hyrule, clung to their old traditions and superstitions. Every royal daughter named Zelda, every child of the captain of the guard named Link, every Gerudo voe named in the likeliness of Ganondorf.

Was it any wonder why every couple generations the tragedy of the Triforce appeared? Power to the King of Sands, Wisdom to the line of the Goddess, Courage to the Champion of the realm.

Power corrupted by the Demon Demise. The curse of Din, named after the minor goddess who first fell under the immortal demon's spell. Forever damning her descendents to seek the Triforce of Power, to claim the powers of the triforce as their own.

Cursing them to fall at the hands of Courage and Wisdom

Like a broken record, round and round it went, Hyrule had burned and been rebuilt a dozen times over and still the tragedy played out. Din’s descendants would seek out Power. The Goddess Hylia, bonded to the minor goddess Nayru, would bless their descendants with the Wisdom, and Light to trap Din’s children. A Champion blessed by the minor goddess Farore, chosen not for their bloodline, but for their Courage and fealty to the realm, would arise and would be the vehicle by which Nayru’s and Hylia’s children slew Power.

Thoughts of Gan, and their sweet smile, filled Sheik and he stomped his way through the misty grove. Shoving old growth and branches out of his way.

He would never raise a hand against his partner.

Chaos was leaking back into the kingdom. Monster attacks, a rarity in this modern day and age, were popping up with a growing frequency. It had been six generations since the last Triforce war. It was foolish for his Mother to simply pray that they be spared from their destiny. If not them then who? His sisters? His sisters’ children?

He was going to be smarter than their ancestors. He was going to break the cycle before it started. With the Master Sword, the blade of evil's bane, he would have the Power to seal Demise before it took hold. He would have the Power to break the Triforce before its tragedy could begin anew. He would have the Power to save Gan. He would have Power.

Sheik pushed further, deeper into the grove of trees and came across the source of the light. It was a larger pool of water, much larger. The lake before him stretched on for as long as the eye could see. Its waters lighter than the dark murky depths he had originally fallen into. Nearly blindingly so. He blinked rapidly, the whole area was bathed in light, coming from the dark temple above it was hard to adjust.

His hand jolted and it felt like a bombom had gone off in his palm. Sheik grinded his teeth and bore through the pain. Through squinted eyes he peered ahead and his stomach dropped faster and harder than when he had fallen through the floor. “No.” He whispered to himself.

“No!” He yelled out to the golden light dancing in front of him.

His eyes burned with tears, and he found he couldn’t look directly at the sacred emblem floating above the waters. He cast his gaze to the water just below, where the reflection of the Triforce danced mockingly at him.

“Sheik! Sheik, can you hear me?!”

Sheik whipped his head and turned to the sound of Gan’s voice, they sounded so far away, as if on another level of the temple searching for him.

“Stay away!” Sheik bellowed with all of the breath in his lungs, hoping the warning would carry through. By the goddess this couldn’t be happening now! He needed more time, they didn’t yet have the sword of legends. Power couldn’t take Gan away from him.

Gasping for air he turned back to the Triforce and hissed. “You cannot have them. I won’t allow it!”

Ċ̸̨̡̢̭̭̱̭̦̺̻͕̯͚̰̹͗͑̆̾̓̔̌͛̽͆͆́h̶͉̦̖̝̲͎͖͎̃͐̀̚̕į̵̨̛͉̏͋̿͛̎͗̌͌̋͝l̴̨͇͔̝̟̰̦̥̞̆̌̃̒͋̅̌̎̀̉̅̔̓͗̇͘͜d̷̡̛̼͙͍͚̥̯̘̩̫͖̣͍̱̜̓̈̈́̏̀̅͌̐͛̓̈́͒̂͘͜͠ͅ ̸̙̞̲̭̫̻̫͔̭̘̌͊̎̏͊̒̀͐͋́̏̕͝͠͝o̷̧̢̞̯̺̘̜͎̩̱̮̥͕̣͚͈͎͌͜͜f̷̣̠̻̝͜͝͝ ̵̯̾͒͌̅̎̋̚͝ͅD̵̡̡̡̧̛͕̤̱̘͍̭̮̺̼̖͈̿̅̓͌͆́͠ͅͅi̵̞̰͓̹̻͙̗͉͎̦̖͈̔̓̆ņ̸̨̞̯̯̹͎͖̼̣̯̊̀̃̿̒̓̓̓͜͝ͅ…̴̩͔̻̮̓̑̈̕ͅc̵̨̢̻̟̰̭̗̱͉̐͝ơ̸̳͓̰̝̭̣̳̜̙̹͍͔̈́͗̌m̷̧̛͙̳̟̫͖͉͉̲͔̙̬͕͂̈́̇͆͂̒͜ͅe̵̜̥̥͊̓̉̈́͋͒̄̉͐́̈́̀̐̚͝ ̵̳͔̒̓h̵̢̩͚̙̲̝͉̜̳͎̻͙͒̽̒̉̈́̊́̒͝ĩ̶̧̢̛͎̖̪̪̗͕̬̻̯͗̽̏̅̀̓͛̐̅͋͛̈́̎̈̈́̚͜͝ͅͅt̷̡̨̛̛̺͓̎̏́͒̀͂̓̊̎̏̏̌̚h̴̢̨̨̺̞̟͙̦̥̞̟̺͉̃̐̆̾̄̒͒̂͋̊̄̈̚̕͜͠ͅe̸̢̯̼̘̳͂̈̓̃͐̍̊̐̊̄̅͛̍ͅr̸͈̀́̿̑̃̾͗̉̒͝

Sheik flinched hard. The call came from within, the Triforce speaking directly to his body. He reached for his sickle and threw it. It was no blade of evil’s bane but it would have to do.

His weapon never made contact.

It disintegrated before it even came close. Sheik’s throwing arm froze as the handle crumpled in his grasp.

Hot tears ran down his face. The magic in the air was restless; the Triforce was ready to have a host once more after nearly 300 years of slumber.

The Wise decision would have been to have never stepped foot in this temple. Perhaps it was Courageous, walking closer to the divine relic, courageous to accept that he was bound to this cycle. In the end, he was driven to do what he did by Power.

He reached out his hand and grabbed the top most triangle, he seized Power. The golden triangle glew red, and soon everything was bathed in crimson. In a red flash the fog vanished, the water he was wading in evaporated, the trees turned to ash and were swept away by the unnatural wind that raged all around Sheik.

He couldn’t be sure that he wasn’t not screaming. The Triforce of Power fused into his hand. The other two pieces broke away and flew off.

He saw it. He could feel it. Power rising in him as he understood Demise’s master plan.

Their fates had been cast. Their fates were sealed by the actions of ancestors they never knew. After so many generations, the lines had blurred enough for Demise to gain a foothold.

Courage to the Champion of the desert, determined to change their destiny. Wisdom to the Scholar of the realm, the mislayed child of champions and queens…Power to the line of Din, who after eons of waiting had finally intersected with the line of the Goddess.

It would end soon. The war between Demons and Goddesses. In her eternal fight to wipe out Demise and his kind, would Hylia slay her own blood?

————————————————————————

[only-by-the-stars]

For the guessing game! Shock!

Naboris let out that cry again, sounding more like the tolling of a bell or a massive gong more than any living animal. Her strange face had been only briefly seen before Mipha turned and began her headlong flight in the opposite direction, but it haunted her. Something about the way those lights had been arranged in it gave her the appearance of smiling, but not in a friendly way. Perhaps her perception was biased, perhaps it would be different if she remembered her the way she’d once been—Urbosa’s benevolent and beloved partner—but the only memento she had of those days was Zelda’s pictograph, which had focused mainly on Urbosa herself. Naboris’ visage had not been visible, and maybe that had contributed to the shock of that first sight here, looming up in the strange green-tinted mist.

Not that it made any difference, since she was about to receive a far worse shock. Tears riddled with sand swam in her eyes, and she choked back what she was sure was one of her last breaths. This was it, this was where she'd die, she'd never free Naboris or save Hyrule, she'd never know where Link was, she—

—she tripped.

Her foot finally betrayed her, and she plunged down with terrifying speed into the sand.

[prismatoxic]

i was trying to write a summary elsewhere and i may as well put it here also

while i did sort of go with the interlopers look for the "shadow" version, he's unrelated to lanaryu's story. he is, however, made of twili magic (ganon didn't know exactly what it was all the way back in the hero of time era), and the "interlopers" using his visage upsets link very much. lanaryu used him and ilia for other cast members, so maybe it's not a surprise, but it worries him.

he'd assumed dark was a persistent hallucination, a too-long-lived "imaginary friend" from his childhood, until they met midna. she and zelda could both see dark where no one else ever could. their journey across hyrule, then, dispelling the twilight and trying to save the castle, was a chance for link to finally get to know his shadow. not that dark really ever has much to say about himself. (he could have explained his presence at any time, he just never saw a reason to. he's bad at the Being Human thing in general.)

eventually he gains a more corporeal form, less of a shadow and more of a man, but he's still invisible to those not touched by the twilight. a while after their journey, though, with midna gone and link trying to resume a normal life, they receive an unexpected guest... an ancient hero, or rather the ancient hero, displaced from his own time yet again. dark is actually his shadow, and he's the key to severing that connection and freeing dark from obscurity.

the story may or may not see the light of day eventually. i sure have been writing a lot lately...

i don't talk about him a lot, partially bc as of right now i have all of one person who's totally on board with my bullshit, but. i love dark link.

i've had fun exploring him in oot, his most common fandom setting for obvious reasons (i have a wip fic about oot darktime), but when i originally latched onto the guy, i hadn't really engaged with oot yet. i saw all this awesome fanart and looked up his (minimal) lore and really loved him and darktime, and that was right around the time i was getting super into twilight princess. so, well before i saw the interlopers cutscene and thereby not influenced by it at all, i mentally inserted dark link into the narrative.

it's been a long time since then, and he's still with me. i've gotten to a point where i can't reasonably claim any of this is headcanon. he's an OC, he just borrows the base of a miniboss from oot. like that IS his backstory, and is important to his character, but... he's an OC. no denying it.

while p5 is occupying a lot of my brain right now, i still finally made the time to replay twilight princess for the first time in years (emulated, lmao). it's my favorite zelda and always has been. this also means it's time to revisit dark's story after having already been very enabled while sharing it with max. i have some new ideas and am inching towards finally being able to put some of it into actual writing.

anyway, all that to say: here he is. tp era dark link, both intangible shadow and flesh and blood version.

[hyrulecast]

he baby

[bigsoftmarshmallow]

How would the Ganondorfs (Wind Waker, Ocarina of Time, Twilight Princess, Hyrule Warriors, and Tears of the Kingdom) & Demise react to their SO running up to them, so very giddy, before revealing a small plushy of them? SO is so exciting cuz look!!! Tiny Demon King!!! So cute and squishy!!!

That’s an adorable scenario! Here's how each version of Ganondorf and Demise might react to their SO excitedly presenting them with a cute, squishy plushie version of themselves:

Wind Waker Ganondorf

Reaction: Surprised and Gently Amused

Thoughts: "I never imagined myself represented in such a... endearing form. Their joy is truly infectious."

Scene: The sun sets over the Great Sea, casting a warm glow through the windows of Ganondorf's chamber. He's engrossed in ancient texts when suddenly, his SO bursts into the room, eyes sparkling with excitement.

"Ganondorf! Look what I found!" they exclaim, holding up a small, plush version of him complete with tiny robes and a miniature beard.

He raises an eyebrow, clearly taken aback. The sight of his formidable image rendered into something so soft and adorable is unexpected. His SO presses the plushie into his hands, their enthusiasm undeniable.

He studies the toy, a small smile tugging at the corners of his lips. The plushie is meticulously crafted, and the thoughtfulness behind it touches him deeply.

"It's... quite the likeness," he remarks, his voice gentle.

His SO beams up at him. "Isn't it the cutest? Now I can have you with me everywhere!"

A soft chuckle escapes him as he watches their joy. Carefully, he places the plushie on a nearby shelf, ensuring it's prominently displayed.

"Thank you," he says sincerely, placing a tender hand on their cheek. "Your delight brings warmth to these old halls."

They grin and lean into his touch, eyes shining with happiness.

Ocarina of Time Ganondorf

Reaction: Amused and Slightly Proud

Thoughts: "A toy in my image? How fitting that even in playthings, my presence is acknowledged."

Scene: In the grand throne room of his desert fortress, Ganondorf sits, exuding his usual aura of dominance and control. The heavy doors swing open, and his SO rushes in, clutching something behind their back and practically bouncing with excitement.

"My King, I have a surprise for you!" they announce, eyes dancing with mischief.

He leans forward, intrigued by their unusual excitement. "Oh? And what might that be?"

With a flourish, they reveal a small, plush version of him, complete with his armor and piercing gaze but rendered adorably soft and huggable.

He blinks in surprise before a smirk spreads across his face. "Is that supposed to be me?"

"Yes! Isn't it amazing? Now there's a cuddly side to the mighty Ganondorf," they giggle, offering it to him.

He takes the plushie, examining it closely. The idea of his fearsome reputation softened into a toy is amusing, and he can't deny a swell of pride at being immortalized in such a way.

"Perhaps I should distribute these across Hyrule," he muses with a glint in his eye. "Let them all become accustomed to my visage."

His SO laughs, clearly delighted by his response. "I'm sure it would be a hit!"

He chuckles, handing the plushie back to them. "Keep it close. Let it remind you of my presence, even when I'm away."

They nod eagerly, hugging the toy to their chest. "Always."

Twilight Princess Ganondorf

Reaction: Initially Confused but Secretly Touched

Thoughts: "Such a trivial object, yet it seems to bring them immense joy. Perhaps there is value in these small pleasures."

Scene: The twilight casts long shadows across the desolate landscape as Ganondorf stands atop a balcony, gazing out in contemplation. His SO approaches quietly, their footsteps light but their excitement evident.

"Ganondorf, I have something to show you," they say softly, their eyes gleaming.

He turns to them, his expression stoic. "What is it?"

They reveal a plushie from behind their back—a soft, cuddly version of him, complete with his glowing forehead jewel and flowing cloak.

He stares at it, eyebrows knitting together. "What... is this?"

"It's you! Well, a mini you," they explain with a bright smile. "I thought it would be nice to have a softer side of you around."

He takes the plushie hesitantly, his large hands dwarfing the tiny toy. He turns it over, examining the craftsmanship. Despite himself, he feels a subtle warmth at the gesture.

"Hmph. It's... accurate," he admits grudgingly.

They laugh, clearly pleased. "I knew you'd appreciate it."

He casts them a sidelong glance, a hint of a smile ghosting over his lips. "I suppose if it pleases you, it can stay."

They beam, stepping closer to wrap their arms around his waist. "It does. Thank you."

He allows the embrace, his free hand resting gently on their back as he continues to hold the plushie, a silent acknowledgment of the affection behind the gift.

Hyrule Warriors Ganondorf

Reaction: Highly Amused and Slightly Flirtatious

Thoughts: "They've captured my grandeur in such a tiny form? How delightful. Their enthusiasm is truly charming."

Scene: Amidst the war room filled with maps and strategies, Ganondorf exudes confidence and power. Suddenly, his SO bursts in, their excitement cutting through the heavy atmosphere.

"Ganondorf! You have to see this!" they exclaim, almost bouncing on their feet.

He looks up, eyebrow arched. "This had better be important."

With a dramatic flourish, they present a plushie version of him, complete with his wild mane of hair and imposing armor, now adorably softened.

For a moment, he stares before a deep, hearty laugh rumbles from his chest. "Is that supposed to be me? So small and soft?"

They nod enthusiastically. "Yes! Now I have my own pocket-sized Demon King."

He stands, moving towards them with a predatory grace, eyes glinting with amusement. "Do you prefer this softer version to the real thing?"

They giggle, shaking their head. "Never. But it's nice to have a cuddly version when you're busy conquering."

He chuckles, taking the plushie and giving it a playful squeeze before handing it back. "Then keep it close, and remember who truly holds your affections."

They smile, tiptoeing to place a quick kiss on his cheek. "Always."

His gaze softens slightly as he watches them, a satisfied smirk playing on his lips. "Good. Now, perhaps later I'll show you just how unmatched the real thing is."

They blush, hugging the plushie tighter. "I'll look forward to it."

Tears of the Kingdom Ganondorf

Reaction: Mildly Surprised and Secretly Pleased

Thoughts: "Such innocence and joy over a simple toy. Their lightness is a refreshing contrast to my darkness."

Scene: In the depths of his underground lair, Ganondorf pores over ancient scripts, the air heavy with malice and power. His SO enters, their presence bringing a lightness to the dark surroundings.

"Ganondorf, I have something special to show you," they say, eyes twinkling with excitement.

He looks up, curiosity piqued by their bright demeanor. "Yes?"

They reveal a plushie crafted in his likeness, complete with his ornate armor and menacing aura, now soft and endearing.

He raises an eyebrow, clearly not expecting this. "Interesting. You've turned the King of Evil into a child's toy."

They laugh, undeterred by his words. "Not just any toy—a cute and squishy one! Now I can have you with me even when you're busy."

He studies the plushie for a moment before a subtle smile curves his lips. "If it brings you joy, then it serves its purpose."

They step closer, pressing the plushie into his hands. "Feel how soft it is!"

He indulges them, giving it a gentle squeeze. The absurdity of the situation isn't lost on him, but their delight is contagious.

"It is... surprisingly pleasant," he admits softly.

They beam up at him. "I'm glad you like it!"

He hands the plushie back, his gaze lingering on them. "Your happiness is of importance. Keep it close, and think of me."

"I always do," they reply warmly, clutching the plushie to their chest.

Demise

Reaction: Initially Confused but Ultimately Amused

Thoughts: "They dare to render my formidable presence into this soft form? Their boldness continues to amuse me."

Scene: The realm is dark and foreboding as Demise stands amidst swirling shadows, his presence commanding and fearsome. His SO approaches, unafraid and brimming with excitement.

"Demise, look what I found!" they exclaim, eyes shining.

He turns his fiery gaze upon them, noting their exhilaration. "What is it?"

With a triumphant grin, they reveal a plushie modeled after him, complete with his flaming hair and imposing stature, now transformed into a cuddly toy.

He stares for a moment, processing the sight of his terrifying form made soft and harmless. "Is that... meant to be me?"

They nod eagerly. "Yes! Now I have a cuddly version of the Demon King himself."

A low rumble of laughter escapes him, unexpected but genuine. "You have courage, presenting me with such a thing."

They smile brightly. "I thought it was adorable, just like you."

He smirks, amused by their audacity and the contrast between his dark essence and the innocent toy. "Adorable is not a word often associated with me."

They step closer, pressing the plushie into his large hand. "Well, now it is."

He examines it briefly before returning it to them. "Keep it, then. Let it remind you of my power, even in softness."

They hug the plushie happily. "Thank you, Demise."

He places a hand under their chin, lifting their gaze to meet his. "Your boldness continues to entertain me. Perhaps there is more softness in darkness than I realized."

They smile up at him, their eyes full of affection. "Always."

Summary: Each version of Ganondorf and Demise reacts uniquely to their SO's playful and affectionate gesture, ranging from surprise and amusement to subtle pride and warmth. Despite their dark and imposing natures, they all find themselves touched by the innocent and loving act, revealing softer sides beneath their formidable exteriors.

[courageunbound-blog1]

tag drop! these tags kinda suck but oh well

[citrusici]

(felt like writing something for this bc I love it, hope ya dont mind)

~~~~~

The shadow was watching Hylia’s mortal incarnation.

She stood further away from the safety of the shelter blessed by the goddess of horses, near the edge of the forest where the shadow lay in wait. The hero of this era was not here, having been thrown through portals into different areas with the other incarnations of the hero’s spirit, and would not be able to interfere; the shadow was taking the opportunity to analyze a potential threat and decide if she was better left alone and unaware of its presence, or if she was worth removing from the picture.

It would demoralize the heroes chasing the source of the black blooded infections across the eras of Hyrule. The goddess incarnation was not to be underestimated, but she was preoccupied and would not be expecting him.

The goddess incarnation turned around, and the shadow chose that moment to step forward from the forest, silently stepping into the light cast by the small fire she was currently tending to and pausing several feet behind her. 

She turned around, and it waited in anticipation for the moment that she would realize that something was wrong, that this twisted visage of her precious hero was–

“Oh! Link!” she said, jumping slightly. “You startled me for a moment, appearing like that! Where have you been?”

It paused. What?

“...I’m taking your silence and the fact that you’re wearing your dark tunic to mean that you’ve been off gallivanting who-knows-where again. I don’t know where Kilton finds such strange costumes, nor why you’ve acquired so many of them,” she said, misinterpreting the shadow’s silence. She turned her back towards it, facing a pot full of something that was bubbling. “Well, your timing is perfect!”

The mortal goddess incarnation… believed it was her hero. 

There had been no fear in her eyes. Not even a hint.

What?

It was so caught off guard that it almost didn’t realize when she turned back to it and handed it a bowl filled with something, and it nearly dropped the bowl in the process.

“It’s not perfect, but I think I’ve managed to recreate your recipe for creamy heart soup!”

Its eyes widened a little. Soup made of hearts? That was… shockingly ruthless of this goddess incarnation; the shadow never thought she would stoop to such a level. It wondered if she had crafted it from the hearts of her enemies. It sounded brutally effective as an intimidation tactic, though not particularly useful for anything else.

“Well?” she asked. “Go on and try it!”

It blinked in surprise. She… wanted it to taste the soup?

Well. It couldn’t say it wasn’t intrigued by the idea of her creation, and there was little harm in doing so. 

It raised the bowl to its face and took a deep drink of the soup. Disappointingly, it didn’t taste anything like hearts, so the goddess incarnation must have used extremely little, but the shadow tasted a blend of chopped vegetable roots and spices, and the soup was pleasantly warm and creamy.

It was good. Surprisingly so.

“How is it?” she asked.

Unable to give a verbal response without tipping her off that she had mistaken its true identity, the shadow simply nodded and continued to eat at a much faster pace. 

~~~

Zelda was fairly certain by now that this wasn’t her Link.

She truly believed it had been him at first; Link had shown her the strange dark armor that changed his appearance when he donned the black tunic and cap and glamoured him to show gray skin and red eyes. She never looked too hard at his face for all that those red eyes unsettled her, so that was part of the reason she had been fooled at first.

His mannerisms gave him away, though. Link hadn’t been this quiet since before the Calamity; he had opened up somewhat and allowed himself to speak a little more freely, offering small smiles and small bits of conversation. Whoever this was hadn’t uttered a word, nor had he smiled or made any attempts to examine the pot that held the still-warm creamy hearty radish soup.

She didn’t truly believe him to be a monster, though. He hadn’t made any attempts to harm her yet, and was busy enjoying her culinary creation, even letting her know that he thought it was satisfactory.

How peculiar.

She laughed softly. “I’m glad you’re enjoying it so much. I was worried I hadn’t gotten the spices quite right, but I see now there was nothing to be afraid of,” she explained. “Although… what do you think of bananas? I was thinking of trying my hand at making banana bread next.”

This person who shared Link’s appearance only stared at her briefly before returning to his soup. 

No reaction. She relaxed. Most likely not a Yiga assassin then, though if they were this certainly would have been the strangest attempt so far. She couldn’t stifle her disappointment that this wasn’t truly her Link, but she was certain that wherever he was off to, he would be fine.

Besides, if this person was enjoying her hearty radish soup this much, she thought that there was little to be worried about.

Stupid AU idea:

Wild leaves his era before he can tell Flora abou the portals/other heroes. Dink, sensing an opportunity, tries to attack Flora while she's unaware her hero is gone.

Flora sees a person who looks like Wild but with grey skin, black hair, and red eyes, and since she already knows about the dark armor, she just assumes that Wild's finally entered his emo phase.

Dink is expecting her to cower in fear of his appearance, a twisted version of the hero of this era. Instead Flora just goes "Oh hey Link, I like the new look! 🥰 Now come taste this soup I just made!"

And Dink is so caught off guard that? He just does?? And by the end of the night he is so, so confused, but also full of delicious soup and high off of the first friendly contact he's ever had.

He keeps coming back, and Flora ends up rehabilitating him. (She may or may not have caught on to the fact that Dink is not Wild about halfway though her first time meeting him, but decided to keep quiet and see where it went)

[cloudninetonine]

What about Player who doesn’t know about blood drinking fae Hyrule and finds him in a bad spot?

—

The past few days hadn’t been great to say the least. Sky had broken his wrist after a powerful moblin strike, Time was feeling guilty over being partially involved in said wrist break, Legend was having stess induced migraines, and Four was lashing out randomly (what you assumed was his colors’ distress).

To top it all off, Hyrule was ill, very ill.

It hadn’t gone unnoticed, with everyone keeping close for the past few weeks in fear of their more vulnerable state with two team members down and out, it was easier to pick out details on those who more than often wandered off.

Hyrule had gotten sicker than a dog within days, growing pale as breathing became a slog. You stayed beside the groaning hero, gently brushing the sweat out of his scruffy bangs on hot days.

It all came to a head during the middle of your third week stuck in the same ditch. You forced Time to sleep, as he was exhausting himself after taking watch for the past three days. Now you sat and watched the surrounding area, a small groove cut out of the land in the middle of a snowy spruce forest.

For a moment you let yourself get lost in the stars, letting the cold, bleak twilight air brush through your curls.

Wild would probably yell at you for taking the watch. He had unfortunately bothered to listen to your ramblings of your life and he and Hyrule had decided that no, you were not fit for watch. Really it was just an excuse to make you as comfortable as possible, the doofuses.

Though you thought maybe they were right, as you realized that you hadn’t actually been paying attention to the camp. You shook yourself, doing a quick scan of the small ditch.

Something felt… off.

You looked it over and over until you realized the issue.

Hyrule was gone.

You jumped to your feet, leaping up from the rock you had sat yourself on. You desperately whipped your head about, as if it would somehow aid you in finding your lost hero.

You slapped both sides of your head, urging yourself to think. It was snowy, white cloud covered the forest floor, meaning tracks. You moved up to the bed roll, discovering barefoot prints that led up and out of the ditch.

Without a second thought you rushed forward, scrabbling up the side, grabbing onto dead tree roots to haul yourself up, the lifeline breaking off behind you.

You took off, trudging your way through thick snow. You cried out to the winds, receiving nothing but a taunting zephyr back. It didn’t take long for you to be gasping for breath, eyes shaking in their sockets as the trail began to get fresher and fresher.

Eventually you were at the very edge of the small spruce wood, panting for breath. There was a partially frozen over river, only a small six or so feet long. In front of it was what you were looking for.

Hyrule, crouched down and over something as gargles came from where he positioned himself, it sounded as if he was guzzling something down.

Something was wrong, very wrong.

“Rulie?” You whispered out, a cautious curiosity in your voice. “Are you… okay?”

All motion stopped from the traveler, he stayed crouched over for a long moment, almost long enough for you to feel the need to call out again. Before you could Hyrule suddenly stood to his full height, letting himself drop what he had been holding.

You let out an involuntary gag as a mutilated fish fell to the snowy floor with haunted, white eyes, the exposed bone’s surface licked clean of blood. Hyrule’s neck suddenly snapped around as his gaze locked onto yours. A shiver traveled down your spine as the edges of his silhouette were painted ominously by the bright light of the full moon directly behind him, the rest of his visage blackened out by darkness.

He turned and slowly stumbled in your direction, head hanging limply. You moved backwards, periodically looking behind yourself as to not run into a tree.

“He-hey! It’s me! It’s me, (Name), yeah?” Your instincts screamed at you to run, but you were certain that the man who had been on the run all of his life was faster then you, and you weren’t exactly in the mood to play predator and prey.

You were surprised by the uplift of his head, which resulting in a very sudden burst of speed as you were knocked onto your back, neck whimpering as the cold snow drove away whatever warmth you had.

His face was pressed directly against the crook of your neck. His breathing was shallow, yet louder than the chirping of the crickets with him so close to your ear.

“I- I can’t…” he wheezed, each inhale long and drawn while each exhale was quick and impatient. “I- I don’t want to hurt you.” Something wet was left against your neck as he whispered against your skin, the cold dampness dripping off his lips.

“I-“ you tried to compose yourself. You didn’t know what Hyrule was talking about, but he was clearly in distress, and he needed… something from you.

“You- you aren’t going to hurt me, Rules.” You brought a hand to his tangled, messy mop of hair. “I trust you with all my heart and soul. There isn’t a world where I don’t trust you, where I don’t help you with… whatever is going on.”

“…Truly…?” He rasped, squeezing you just a little tighter.

Gingerly, you pushed the hero to rest on his knees as you sat up, finally spotting a dark, crimson liquid slowing drying on his chapped, frosted lips.

You understood now, you weren’t an expert on the fae but you had read your fair share of lore on them.

“Yes, truly.” You pulled your gifted arm guard off and brandished your arm. “You holding yourself back while starving says enough.”

Slitted pupils grew to the size of dinner plates, a look of utter astonishment and reverence on his face. Without another word his quivering hands took hold of your arm, you looked away just as you felt a sharp pinch.

—

UAGABAH He loves them so fucking much that even while starving- because he can’t sneak off and feed- he forced himself above the waters to keep them safe. However, he simply cannot resist an offer, maybe if he were lucid but right now he’s too hungry to care.

Also when he was on top of them and breathing he was just trying to smell them, get a load of their scent and that blood he wants SO BAD but he knows he shouldn’t have. Honestly making it worse for himself but he doesn’t particularly care.

NAH BECAUSE I LOVED EVERY LAST SECOND OF THIS

Our favourite vamp fairy, in all honesty, especially because he holds back- would they only experience a few moments of pain? Yes, but any pain he inflicts, even the tiniest bit fucks with his morals for the one he loves so he's not gonna do it.

He just loves them so much and it just makes me JNDNWNXNKSD

[encreboueuse]

Ship ship ship

Composé exclusivement de couples gays avec Link en vedette, sur le thème de "Foire à l'OS" [Hetalia].

1. “You’re my light in the darkness” [Twilight Princess] - ShadLink

Tu as peur des maisons hantées et des attractions d'Halloween et je ne te connais pas, mais tes amis t'ont abandonné (quels cons), alors je vais te tenir la main et t'aider à traverser tout ça, d'accord ?

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2. “Mon héros !” [A Link Between Worlds] - RavioLi

J'ai débarqué dans cette maison hantée tout seul parce que je pensais que je n'aurais pas peur, mais maintenant j'ai peur et je te tiens peut-être la main.

FF.net ⨳ AO3 ⨳ WordPress

3. “Tombé à l’eau” [Oracle of Ages] - Linkalph

Une promenade romantique sur la plage est gâchée car toi, et toi seul, es attaqué par des crabes. Je ne fais rien d'autre que rire pendant que tu t'enfuis de la masse qui te poursuit.

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4. “Jusqu’à la dernière miette” [Linkcest] Wild x Hyrule

C'est ton tour de préparer le repas mais le goût est vraiment affreux et nous sommes maintenant engagés dans une bataille de cuisine incroyablement unilatérale, mais je ne peux pas me résoudre à te dire que tu ne t'améliores pas, alors je passe de plus en plus de temps malade, aux toilettes.

FF.net ⨳ AO3 ⨳ WordPress

5. “Consommer local” [Linkcest] - Legend x Warriors

Tu as l'air d'un local et j'ai passé vingt minutes à me débattre avec mes connaissances linguistiques basiques pour demander où se trouve le bureau de poste le plus proche et tu as répondu dans un hyruléen parfait, parce que tu es un connard.

FF.net ⨳ AO3 ⨳ WordPress

6. “Self-service” [Skyward Sword] - Link x Kiko

J'assiste à un blind date vraiment merdique et tu en as marre du connard avec qui je suis. Tu lui jettes de l'eau au visage et me propose de m'emmener à un meilleur rencard. J'accepte totalement.

FF.net ⨳ AO3 ⨳ WordPress

7. “Une relation épicée” [Skyward Sword] - Link x Ghirahim

Je te méprise complètement mais il se trouve que tu es le seul serveur en ce moment et si je ne bois pas un Chaï Latte tout de suite, je vais poignarder quelqu'un. Je suppose que je n'ai pas le choix.

FF.net ⨳ AO3 ⨳ WordPress

8. “Des étoiles plein les yeux” [Majora’s Mask] - Link x Kafei

Ton ami t'a arrangé un blind date et il se trouve que je mangeais seul, alors tu as cru que c'était moi. Tu étais mignon alors j'ai accepté, mais tu as fini par recevoir un message dudit ami s'excusant que le rencard prévu t'ait posé un lapin. Maintenant, je dois m'expliquer.

FF.net ⨳ AO3 ⨳ WordPress

9. “Blushberry” [The Minish Cap] - Link x Vaati

— Tous les mardis, je prends une soirée de congé de ma vie de crimes pour m'asseoir dans mon restaurant préféré pendant quelques heures. Je n'ai absolument pas de crush sur le mignon serveur.

— Je me faisais harceler par deux connards et mon client préféré est intervenu pour me protéger… eeet c'est un Vilain. Génial.

FF.net ⨳ AO3 ⨳ WordPress

10. “A Christmas Movie” [Linkcest] - Legend x Twilight

"Bonjour, votre enfant pleure et je suis assistant maternelle. Heureusement, nous sommes assis l'un à côté de l'autre dans l'avion. Ne vous inquiétez pas, je m'en charge."

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11. “Un pavé dans la mare” [Skyward Sword] - Link x Ghirahim

Je jette des œufs sur une maison au hasard afin d'évacuer mon stress. Tu te joins à moi et il s'avère que c'est chez ton ex et il nous poursuit. Nous sommes tous les deux en prison, attendant d'être libérés sous caution, alors, mmh, veux-tu en parler ?

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Séries

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