#BOTW link

[christian-zelda]

Ooh, that's really cool.

something about a star on a save file and the consequences of giving up

(or: a somewhat meta time loop/post-apocalyptic botw au, which I spent way way way way way too much time working on)

edit: now with an attached fanfic! 

[demiboydemon]

[luimagines]

Elden Pampering

Another commission!

@daeyumi asked for BotW Link and some one on one time with Reader as partners where they just take an easy day. Enjoy.

Masterlist

Content under the cut!

It was hard to think of a time where your life wasn’t this way. The time where your life was simple and plain, but undeniably safe and predictable. You and many of your friends and family had grown up that way so it was hard to think of doing something that would break the mold. You had thought you were content with that way of life.

There wasn’t anything wrong with it. There were times where you missed the simple comforts but it wasn’t until you met him that you felt like you were truly living.

Link had come into your village as if hell itself was on his heels. He had bought every carrot and arrow from your shop, collected nearly every piece of clothing that it offered and had left as if making the one of the biggest purchases you had ever seen was a regular occurrence.

He came by at least once a month to buy out your stock and you were beginning to wonder just who was this guy to not only have the money to keep dumping it all on your tiny homestead but to also do it multiple times.

This was a repeating pattern. At some point your neighbors started to ask you if you could keep the shop open a bit longer so they could get their needed equipment and/or food before Link came the next day to buy you out. You ended up agreeing since... well… You couldn’t deny them, for one. And two, the need outweighed the consequence.

You balanced it out by allowing yourself to sleep in the next day and figured that everyone was winning at the end of the day.

At some point you began to get excited when Link would visit. He would also come back to sell you the strangest of items with even wilder stories of how he came across such an object. He enthralled you. You found yourself wanting to see what he did. You found yourself wanting adventure... wanting something new, wanting to just… be near the crazy man that you couldn’t get out of your head.

You’re not entirely sure what started your relationship.

One minute you’re gently scolding him for not leaving any milk for anyone else (again) and the next you’re swept up onto the counter where you both confess that the meetings in your shop had taken on a more intimate tone than either of you were willing to admit before. He kissed you and swept you away from your village into the life you have now.

You had seen the world with fresh new eyes. Each new little marvel had taken your breath away. Was this truly the place in which you lived? Were there truly such treasures around every corner? Hidden in every nook and cranny?

Was this how Link saw Hyrule?

Of course, there are always shadows even on a sunny day.

You had to learn how to fight and how to use a weapon. And without a moment to lose. Link hadn’t held back from warning about the dangers you could potentially face out in the open. The monsters he mentioned had always seemed much more fearsome in your own head. IT wasn’t until you actually had to fight them yourself did you finally understand what he had been trying to prepare you for.

You… took a beating.

Link smiled sadly as he patched you up and apologized for not getting there on time. His touch was tender and soft. The calluses on his hands were a shock to your frazzled senses. A reminder that he had been on this journey far longer than you have and has gained the experience you needed to make it out in the middle of nowhere.

You took a deep breath and let him fret over you until you were fully healed. With time, you became more proficient in the way of the blade, and with even more time, you had branched out to other weapons, almost matching Link in the arsenal at his disposal.

Never to his skill set, mind you. It had taken an embarrassingly long time to figure out that this was the very same Link that had helped purge the land of the malice and free Hyrule Castle from the ever present curse.

He laughed at you when you finally put the pieces together. (But he later admitted that it only confirmed that your feelings for him were genuine, at least. He was glad that you didn’t see him for his title or his victories. You told him it was hard to think of him as the hero after you’ve seen him eat rocks.) He didn’t laugh for long at least.

The days were long and sometimes muscles you didn’t know you had were screaming at you from the treatment you pummeled into yourself just to keep up with Link. Other days though were spent cloud watching, meeting new and old friends, playing in the rivers and lakes of Hyrule, eating good food until you felt as if you could burst and simply enjoying every breath that filled your lungs.

You had taken to keeping a notebook, filled with countless drawings and doodles of your time together. It was filled with breathtaking scenery and jaw dropping creatures that you couldn’t wait to share with your family when you saw them again. You hoped it would be soon. You’re going to need a new notebook soon.

One day, after a particularly bad tumble down the side of a mountain from an unforeseen talus battle, Link had decided to venture through the Elden Region once more. He claimed that it was going to be an easy day.

Your legs protested otherwise.

“Link.” You groaned, wanting to be melodramatic and doted on by your partner. “We’ve been walking for hours. Can’t we take a break yet? You said it was going to be an easy day today.”

“I know, I know.” Link gives you a soft and patient smile. Not only is Elden hot enough to cook you alive but the sun itself is particularly unforgiving today. You have no idea where he’s going with this. Link takes your hand and pulls you to his side, helping you descend a small hill before taking another turn. “We’re almost there, I promise. Have I ever broken a promise to you?”

“Yes.” You grumble, trying to bite back a teasing grin. “Remember the fireflies and the pumpkin soup-”

“That was one time and an unfair circumstance.” Link huff, pouting. “You know those cuccos can be vindictive creatures when they want to be.”

You let a small snort slip from your otherwise deadpan expression. “Mhm… I’m sure you deserved it.”

“Mean.” Link chuckles and shakes his head. “Here I am, trying to do something nice for the light of my life and this is the thanks I get.”

“Don’t be corny.” You playfully push him, reaching your destination in the middle of your next sentence. “I was just saying- …. Oh, Link.”

The young man next to you grins. “You like it? You mentioned wanting to visit them one day.”

He had taken you to the hot springs and somehow had already set up a small picnic with the basket and blanket by the water. How it’s not already being set ablaze, you don’t know. But the idea of relaxing in the hot spring is too tempting for you to bother questioning it right now.

“I needed this.” You drop your equipment at once. “Thank you. I was so confused why we were in Elden to begin with.”

“I would question that.” Link chuckles, also taking off his armor and equipment. “But it really only worked in my favor so by all means jump in. We don’t have to do anything else today, so we can be here as long as you want.”

“Perfect.” You grinned.

It takes a moment, but eventually you both settle yourselves into the borderline boiling water. You let out a soft hiss and tilt your head back, allowing yourself to float onto your back in one of the bigger pools of water. It does wonders for your aching body and you can only question why neither of you have had this idea sooner.

Link sits somewhere next to you, fiddling with the basket, doing who knows what. After an approximate ten minutes, you sit up and knock the water out of your ears. You can see that Link was setting up some tea and cooking your lunch on a nearby (hopefully cleaned) stone.

You give him a flat look. “I thought we were supposed to be relaxing.”

“You’re relaxing.” He replied, not even looking at you. He pokes a bit at the steeping leaves in the teapot. “That’s what we’re here for.”

You let out a soft sigh and move over to him. You take his hand, stopping it in its tracks and pull him back closer to you. “Not you?”

Link gulps softly, watching your hand lead him back over to you. You see his eyes dip down for a split second, as if he’s finally looking at (and admiring) you since you’ve got there. “...I’m fine.”

“Uh-huh.” You chuckle. You reach over, taking a strand of his hair now that he’s let it down. A leaf gets caught and you gently pull it out. “Even so, I want your attention. Please?”

His eyes darted over to the food and the tea he was preparing but you couldn’t care less for that. You float over, blocking his view. “Link~”

“Ok, ok-” He shakes his head and brushes his hair away from his face. “You got me. What do you want me to do?”

“Sit.” You guide him in front of you, getting out of the spring so that you can sit on the small ledge.

“What are you-”

“Shush.” You put him between your legs, gently carding your fingers through his hair. “Let me know if it hurts at any point, ok?”

“....mhm…” He seems confused and a bit nervous but he trusts you enough to let you go through with whatever you have in mind for him without question.

It makes you smile.

Dipping down, you cup a bit of the hot water and very slowly pour it from hand to hand, letting it drip onto the top of his head without burning him. You do it again and again, running your nails over his scalp to work the water down and wet his hair.

You can almost see Link physically let go of the strain he’s also been through. He melts at your touch, leaning back and letting his body sink as deep into the water as it can get in the shallow section of the hot spring. His head tilts back like a pleased cat, humming his contentment as you scratch your nails against his scalp.

It makes you giggle. “Feel good?”

“Yes.” He says breathlessly, as if he’s afraid to speak at full volume and ruin the moment. “It feels perfect.”

His words bring out another giggle in you. You continue to give him a scalp massage before moving down to his neck and shoulders. You have to repeat the same pouring technique you used earlier to make sure that you don’t drag on his skin in the process.

In doing so, you shamelessly take the time to admire and appreciate how well toned his muscles are. You don’t think he minds in the process.  “Did you honestly think that you would successfully be able to make this all about me?”

Link grunts, not bothering to open his eyes. “You can’t blame me for trying.”

“I suppose not.” You say softly, kneading the knots between his shoulder blades. “But don’t forget that you work just as hard as I do, if not more. You can afford to take a moment for yourself every now and then.”

He huffs and tilts his head further back, giving you a boyish grin with flushed cheeks. “What do you call this then?”

“This is called~” You tease, leaning closer to him in the process. You grin and tilt your head, faintly brushing your nose against his. “-pampering you the way you deserve.”

“You’re good to me.”

“I try to be.” You laugh and lean away, continuing to knead into his shoulders. “Move your head up a bit so I can reach this spot.”

“Nuh-uh. Don’t wanna~”

“Liinnkkk.” You groan and flick his forehead.

“Ow.”

“Please?”

“Not now. You hurt me.”

“Oh my goodness-!” You huff and playfully pout over his stubbornness. You lean back, putting your hand on the warmth of the blanket behind you. You finally turn around back to where the tea and snacks lay abandoned. You notice a new box that Link must have taken out of the basket while you had your eyes closed. You twist your hips and lean further back to reach.

Surprisingly, it’s cold.

You open it, revealing that the insides are encased in ice. The ice blocks have to at least be two inches thick, leaving very little room for the items in the middle. You pull the box closer to get a better look inside.

It’s grapes.

You gasp, a bright smile on your face blooming at the sight of them. You get an idea, plucking one from the stem. You twist back over, running your free hand through Link’s hair once more. He kept his head tilted back, resting it against your lap with his eyes closed. You tap his lips with unrestrained glee. “Open.”

He opens his eyes. Confusion filters through them before he registers the grape you hold between your fingers. He gets a matching grin to mirror yours and opens his mouth.

You feed him the grape.

He chews and swallows, opening his mouth for more. Vaguely, it reminds you of a baby bird.

Twisting once more, you grab a handful of grapes this time, feeding your partner one by one until you have no more. You keep running your hand through his hair, smiling all the while. “Does that make up for ‘hurting’ you Mr. Link?”

Link gets a cheeky grin, the kind that spells trouble. “Not quite.”

You pout. “Oh come on!”

He snorts, dissolving into boyishly unapologetic giggles. “Come back into the water. We came here for you after all.”

“We came here for us.” You amend, pushing him aside so that you can slip beside him. “Considering I didn’t know we were coming here to begin with.”

Link doesn’t hesitate to hop up from the water for a moment and bring the ice box closer to the both of you so that you can both reach the ice cold grapes. He holds one out to you, playfully holding it out of your reach when you try to take it from him.

Not wanting to ruin the moment, you sigh and open your mouth. Link feeds you the grape this time. He chuckles again, getting another grape to feed you with. “Don’t think you can turn this all around on me that quickly. I had a whole thing planned out.”

“Did you intend it to take the entire morning to get here first?” You tease, snuggling close to him as the hot spring’s heat seeps into the depth of your bones.

Link wraps his arm around your shoulders, bringing you even closer to him. He begins to run his hands through your hair, not dissimilar to how you were doing it earlier to him. “...So we’re a little behind schedule.”

“There’s a schedule?”

“I told you, I had a whole thing planned.” He says sheepishly. “Is it wrong of me to want to spoil you every now and then? I’m aware my lifestyle and travels aren’t exactly the easiest to deal with. Not to mention that I know that I tend to drag you around from place to place with little warning… like this morning. And yet, despite the danger and troubles you rarely complain and even encourage my shenanigans.”

“I happen to like your shenanigans.” You rest your head on his shoulder, letting him feed you one more grape. “And I like the change of pace. There’s just… always something to do with you. It’s fun. Although I do happen to think that I complain a lot more than I’m willing to admit.”

“That’s because you’re still new at this.” He laughs and kisses your temple. “Just give it a few more months and you’ll be able to hold up on your own just fine.”

“I don’t know~... I might still complain just for the heck of it.”

“You’re not going to let me just tell you nice things, huh? Gotta always have the last word.” Link pokes your waist mercilessly.

You jump, squawking indignantly. You smack his chest and attempt to squirm away. He doesn’t let you. If anything, he starts to poke you more and more, watching his sadistic glee as laughter tumbles from your lips. The water goes flying as you flail.

“Link! Let go! It tickles!” You try to push him away.”

“No, I don’t think I will.”

“Link!”

“Say it.”

“Say what?!” You try to grab his hands to stop him from tickling you anymore.

Link shrugs, as if he wasn’t attacking you as you spoke. “Say you love me.”

“That’s it?!”

He pokes some more despite your best efforts to get him to stop. “I’m not hearing it.”

“Ok, ok, ok!” You squeal. “I love you! Happy? I love you, I said it!”

He finally stops, allowing you to catch your breath. He pops one last grape into his mouth as he gives you a victory smile. Silence falls over you both as you begin to catch your breath. He brings you back to his side where you both relax into the water once more.

Link absentmindedly rubs his thumb over your shoulder before he turns his head back to where the basket was. “Tea? It’s warm.”

“Yes, please. Thank you.”

[skyloftian-nutcase]

Relationship Snapshot: Miphlink

(I wanted to get into the characters and how their relationship would work, so that’s this lol)

Mipha

Dedicated, compassionate, kind, nurturing, gentle, graceful, an excellent fighter and healer - these are all ways people would describe the Princess of the Zora. Ever the perfect and noble young woman, Mipha is quiet and elegant. She puts on an excellent facade for the people, as their princess, and knows to do her duty. In reality, Mipha does truly love to help others and finds joy in it, but she also desperately suppresses her own wants and desires in the name of both duty and trying to satisfy that need to help others. As she is the golden child, she also rarely—if ever—gets criticism, and therefore is not used to taking any at all. She’ll overthink any critique, stressing and resenting it. She’ll push herself beyond her breaking point for others, defining herself and her worth in her ability to help. She doesn’t have as much confidence in her own abilities as others seem to, and she resigns herself to knowing that she’s the weakest link in the chain of warriors around her. While she’ll do everything in her power to improve herself so that she can better help others, Mipha is also pessimistic in her own outcomes in life. She doesn’t really expect to be happy, doesn’t expect to survive a fight with Ganon, doesn’t expect to live a life that feels truly her own. She’s a servant of her people and that honestly seems like enough for her. She’s very shy about expressing her own needs and desires, rarely talking about what she wants. She’s emotionally overwhelmed easily, and despite pushing for intimacy with others in order to help them, she’s hardly ever intimate about herself and her own needs. Mipha will be everyone’s best friend and know all their hurts and loves but hardly anyone will know anything about her. She was far more adventurous as a child, though a worrier for others and much preferred tending to friends than seeking excitement. Still has a small spark of adventure in her, loves to explore and see new things, but spends most of her time attending to others so she just represses any desire for it. When she does finally get to be in an intimate relationship, she goes above and beyond in trying to show her love and feel loved in return initially, insecure on the matter. This can make her burn herself out or annoy whoever the other party is by overstepping. Overall, Mipha is very kindhearted and gentle, pushes herself to be the best she can be in her gifts and abilities, constantly involved in the lives of her subjects and tries to be a role model for those around her, and she wants to help everyone to the point of completely disregarding herself.

Link

As a child prodigy, Link is used to having a lot of expectations on his shoulders. He was raised to put duty first, and he takes his duty very seriously as a result, constantly pushing himself to improve and be the best knight he can be. Link has confidence in his abilities and plenty of courage, but reckless abandon are also often reasons he simply throws himself into battle with little strategy involved. He has a lot of anxiety about the pressure he’s under and desperately seeks security, even if it’s just form himself, or from praying to Hylia as often as possible. Got pushed out of the nest a little too soon due to his abilities, and tends to feel very alone and scared as a result, trying to steady himself in a chaotic world that keeps pushing him around. Very aware of how perceived he is and not sure how to handle it, but doesn’t want to mess it up. Adventurous and curious, Link will explore everything and break every bone in his body doing it and not regret it one bit. And he’ll do it without a single plan in his head. He’s not incapable of strategy, of course, but he hardly uses it. However, his strong sense of duty and recognition that the world is watching him and has expectations often keeps this wilder side of him in line. He has a kind heart under the stoic exterior, which can be confusing to those around him as he comes across as ambivalent but actually cares very deeply. Loves being around children as there is little pressure, they’re brutally honest about their opinions, and their innocence is endearing, and he loves to protect them. Finds peace in nature, and may go out to be alone to center himself, but honestly prefers the company of a few close friends/family over being alone in the wilds all the time. Quite independent, almost fiercely so - he follows orders and all that, but left to his own devices he would rather just do what he wants. He’s used to taking care of himself from a fairly young age, and while sometimes guidance in how to do things is greatly appreciated and gives him a break, sometimes he’ll balk at it and want to go his own way. With all the pressure he’s gotten throughout his life, Link places even more pressure on himself. He has to get it right every time. He has to win every time. If anything goes wrong it’s his fault, no matter what. He has to protect everyone. Between this internalized stress and his silence, Link hardly knows how to connect with others and rarely, if ever, is the first to reach out. This can definitely make him seem aloof when he truly does care, he just doesn’t know how to show it. Link is a doer far more than a talker, and will show he cares through actions, especially through cooking.

Miphlink

Mipha and Link complement each other well. Mipha’s kindness, gentleness, and nurturing nature soothe Link’s anxieties. Link’s confidence and strength and steadfastness give Mipha stability in a world where everyone else relies on her. Both love each other quietly - Mipha’s shyness is a hurdle she works to get over as their relationship develops into something romantic, and Link of course has no idea how to communicate his feelings. When they were children they were good friends, exploring together and teaching each other, whether it was Link showing Mipha how to fight or Mipha showing Link how to fish and swim. As young aduts, as they grow comfortable with each other once more after years apart and baggage and worries have piled up, they regain some of that spark for adventure, especially Link, who feels safe around Mipha, and he pushes her to be open about what she wants and needs and enjoys, forcing her out of her perfect facade and making her have fun with him.

[multifr0g]

It took FOREVER to get him!

doodle request: BOTW Link chilling with his horse (pick your fav BOTW horse)

giant horse giant horse 🐴

[faustus-flouting]

Just had a realisation that in Breath of the Wild Link and Zelda's connection to Hylia and Fi respectively seems reversed. Zelda gets no answer from the goddess when she prays to her but Fi speaks when she holds the Master Sword. Link never hears Fi but the goddess speaks to him every time he approaches a goddess statue. I dunno what this means but i like it.

[hztired]

💥

[gotylocks]

I just need more people to watch this because it's insane. Recreating Zelda trailers in pixel art, even down to animating the gameplay with the UI, and adapting the music to the Game Boy to match the aesthetic, I'm just blown away. This is so impressive.

[echoesofwisdomcountup]

SO CUTE. I LOVE THEM.

#linktober 02 | companion

I went mushroom hunting today with my partner, whom is my encyclopedia for identifying mushrooms. I thought, what if Link’s furry companion in the wild helps him along too? Mushrooms must past a thorough inspection each time Link picks one up! Very very serious inspection! 🍄‍🟫🐶

[wlwtw]

the first of a series of stupid doodles inspired by my playthrough. ive been having a great time discovering you can “cook” fairies

[thenerdperson]

Stupid Challenge!

In honor of all the feral Breath of the Wild Link fics I decided to give myself a very stupid challenge: See how much you can accomplish without going into towns.

I wanted to see how feral you could actually play Link, so I gave myself some rules

No Towns

Accomplish as many side quest and main quest as you can

You can go into Stables but no staying the night

Anything on the Outskirts of a town are allowed examples include but not limited to: Kakariko Great Fairy and Shrine, Link's House, Purah's Lab, ect

The Lost Woods are allowed because Koroks have never counted in any of the feral Link fics

However you cannot enter the Lost Woods until you have enough hearts to pull the Master Sword first try

So this is my stupid challenge, Ill try to document how I do on here so not only my partner is inflicted with my insanity

[heart-locket-musicboxless]

There are three kinds of LGBT headcanons:

Actual queer coding / metaphors ("Nimona is trans because her creator made her as a way to express his feelings as a trans person")

Vibes ("Link is genderless because I said so")

It's funny ("Phoenix Wright is asexual because he's the Ace Attorney")

[echoesofwisdomcountup]

55 Days Since Echoes of Wisdom Release.

556 Days since Tears of the Kingdom Released.

Rip Totk/Botw Link, colorless in the corner and Rip Eow Link jailed in the still world, right in the middle.

More Zelda doodles ! I drew these today

Very relaxing to just draw without thinking much XD

[jinaxxo]

Zelda and Link as "The Shadow" (1909), Edmund Blair Leighton

[eori-namo]

Bodyguard