#Link: no go to your well

[demiboydemon]

Banished to the well while he cleans the melted cutting board from the oven rack 😔

[knifearo]

this year my challenge for everyone is to unlearn the association between love and morality. love is not something that is inherently morally good, and the absence of love is not something that is inherently bad. sex without love isn't morally bankrupt, it's just an action. people without love aren't less kind or less good, they're just people. when we can get past this false (and often unnoticed) dichotomy of good love/evil lovelessness then i think we are going to be able to take leaps and bounds in sex positivity, aro advocacy, certain discussions of mental health...

[flyingcakeee]

Me: oh wow I wonder how Reddit is handling the news of Ralf Schumacher?

F1 meme subreddit:

[raycatzdraws]

ribbonwood

[cockroachesunite]

Go for broke AU part 2

☞ (Part 1) . (Part 3) (Part 4) (Part 5)

(masterpost)

[themortaldraw]

this is so lazily done lol but I wanted to doodle turnip four (he thinks he looks bad ass, the monsters they're fighting are laughing at him)

TURNIP FOR WHAT!!

[zelda-without-a-licence-plate]

I've been stressed lately so here have some angsty sidon sketches. I can't believe there isn't more Sidon's dead mom angst out there it's like nintendo just waved a magic wand and said "sidon and mipha do not have a mom she is never seen or mentioned she is not relevant she never existed dorephan simply willed them both into existence with the power of his mind and no one will ever wonder where their mom is or what happened to her you will never wonder" and then it just... worked LMFAO

[tortilla-of-courage]

friendly reminder that you're completely allowed to have opinions of your own! but if you see a post talking positively about something and your first thought is "okay but i Need to let them know i hate [thing] about it so im going to write a comment about it on that post-" just don't. don't. go and make your own post instead. the person who made the post doesn't care.

[ganondoodle]

even if i didnt love botw as much as i do, totk drives me nuts bc, similarly to pokemon, this series is so SO SO full of potential, they have so many games they can pull from, theres so many themes, characters and worldbuilding thats just left to rot, you dont need to connect anything with a chain to old titles, you dont need to bring back any things that already had their ending, but PLEASE harness at least a fraction of all this!!!! and they just refuse to do it beyond shallow references

totk jsut drives it all home to me, bc this isnt just the next game in the franchise, but a DIRECT SEQUEL no 10 years apart from botw, yet they cant even, they REFUSE to even keep the continuity with its OWN lore it established in botw together, and that, i think, is what truly makes me so insane (derogatory) about totk

it PROVES they do not care, they dont care to build on anything of the lore of old titles beyond references in form of amiibos or whatever, they dont even care to make a sequel to their most successful game in the franchise coherent with its own lore

botw established a captivating detailed world full of potential, while lacking in active storytelling, it had environmental storytelling, characters and ideas that were the perfect ground to build on-

and then they do away with it bc idk .. they want you to build mechs and make videos of it that go viral and thats all they care about or something

shiekah tech? forget that existed character being the character you know? act as if you are seeing them for the first time just like they are lame story? dont think about that just be distracted by the epic presentation of it lore the previous title established? forget that, all that matters is what is here and now beloved character from old games beign brought back? hes a new guy and has no background and no lore and just sits waiting for you at the end to have a flashy fight with references from old titles and their lore? just here for nostalgie bait, dont you remember? you LOVE this series, now give me 70 bucks for a glorified DLC that ruins what you loved about the series and makes you realize that nothign matters and nothing is interesting anymore

you are supposed to take it all at face value, to not think about anything, to see a character say something and just go with it, and forget it the second its over, be distracted by good music and pretty visuals, but dont think about, dont think about anything but what is directly said to you like you have no critical thinking skills, forget there was a game before this one, only the one you play matters, empty your skull and dont let yourself feel anything but what the game tells you to feel

if they dont even care to make the sequel to their most successful game actually build on the previous title, dont even care to keep their continuity of two games supposedly directly happening one after the other in tact- maybe they never cared, and all the meaning we thought we saw them build into their games was all accidental and meaningless

and that is absolutely soul crushing for fans like me to discover

its a game. its not a story, its not a world, its not themes, its not characters, its not lore. its a product made to make you pay money, not to make you think about anything.

[blueskittlesart]

guys you can try to convince me of this movie's potential merits all you want but i need you to keep in mind that you're talking to someone who has consumed literally every piece of non-game zelda media ever released. any comic or film or show you want to cite as a good adaptation they've done before i have read or watched. i made a two hour video about it. i know exactly what their past attempts at adaptation have looked like. i have seen both the best and the absolute worst nintendo has to offer. and i truly think there is no way we get a good movie out of this

[mothfables]

i keep thinking about the chain (minus legend) being turned into wolves from this post of mine so i figured why not ramble about it

the base idea: everyone except legend is turned into wolves. legend is a rabbit. you can imagine the issues this causes

-definitely inspired by Wolfie’s Pack by AmayasAngel and Wolf Family by Breanna!! they’re very good go read them now <3

-the wolves can understand each other. wolves and rabbits cannot

-they eventually manage to figure out who’s who through some trial and error

-in the beginning, the Chain have to constantly reign in their new instincts around Legend (small, brightly-coloured prey animal moving quickly = hunting mode activated). as i’m sure you can imagine, this does nothing to help Legend’s poor heart or issues

-Twilight + Sky, the two most familiar with Legend’s rabbit form, are extremely protective of him the whole time they’re transformed

-Wind + Four are pup/juvenile sized, with Wild + Hyrule slightly bigger than them

-Legend has about a hundred heart attacks during this time; it does not help that half the Chain are very eager to play, with him or with each other. either way his nerves are through the roof

-Twilight is in charge, as he’s the one most familiar with this form. this also means he has the (dubious) pleasure of teaching everyone else - sans Legend - how to be a wolf

-Legend mostly chills with Sky or hides from the more... excitable members of the Chain (these are not mutually exclusive)

-Sky takes to grooming him to help both their nerves

-you know how rabbits grooming each other can be a sign of submission + boosts their ego? yeah. Legend gets an ego boost for a while there and it allows him to be confident enough to engage with the others for a bit

-they take turns grooming him one time (he gets massively ego-drunk) and he binkies for a good five minutes in the middle of camp while everyone else watches in amusement (and the younger ones join in)

-the curse eventually wears off or gets removed and everyone has to take a while to adjust to being hylian again. that being said, being able to communicate properly with everyone is a relief

-there is some teasing on both sides but the Chain remembers quite clearly how terrified Legend was (and how they were, too, when they realized it was him and when they couldn’t understand him) and so they keep it to a minimum. Legend definitely gives as much as he gets, though

[skyloftian-nutcase]

Oookay, you wished for prompts, here’s mine 😉

In Breath of the Sky, Sun hints at Sky having had Pneumonia before ( or even a chronic respiratory illness). I’d like to read something about Sky being ill and her (and probably the people of Skyloft) caring for him. ( I’m asthmatic and hc Sky as having respiratory issues 🙈🙈. He grew up with severely lower atmospheric pressure and less oxygen, him having problems with breathing on the surface would be understandable.)

Other suggestions: something with your Hero of Shadow and ToTK Link ( preferably something fluffy, them kicking Ganondorfs a** or Shadow telling Link what happened would also be very much appreciated) yeah, I know the fluffy stuff isn’t really your thing ( I seriously doubt that, sick Sky child and Breath of the Sky where so good with that) so I totally understand if you don’t choose my prompt.

I congratulate you for your success and I really appreciate you wanting to write something for us ❤️❤️

To be honest, Link felt a little worn out. He hardly ever talked this much in general, certainly to the same person. But the multiple thoughts of how he would annihilate Ganondorf were certainly a good way to replenish his energy as he felt the kid beside him start to nod off.

He was still trying to wrap his head around everything. He'd seen this kid before, but he'd never really put the pieces together about who he was or anything of the sort. The first time he'd seen him he'd nearly had a heart attack - the kid had caught his attention because he'd been crying, Link had heard crying and had gone to investigate, and Ganondorf himself was right there.

Link had nearly choked on his spit, had hid behind a rock, had looked through his gear to see he was woefully unprepared for such a confrontation, he hadn't even found the last sage, but the boy had made eye contact with him. Link had grabbed his resolve, had prepared for the worst, was steeling himself for the fight of his life, when... when the boy had told Ganondorf he wanted to leave.

Link hadn't understood it, in the moment. But he'd realized later, that kid had probably saved his life.

And he'd wondered. And worried. Because why did Ganondorf have a teenager with him? Why was the kid crying? The demon king was holding him like he was his child.

Link had been curious, to be sure. He'd made as much gloom resistant food as he could and set for the Depths the next day, but he'd had little luck in his search. It hadn't been until almost a month later, when he'd encountered gloom spawn close to the castle's underbelly. He'd already passed multiple enemies, including a gloom infected lynel. He'd known he was getting close to Ganondorf, and he'd known he was pushing his luck.

It wasn't until the gloom spawn, though. Once he'd defeated the hands themselves, a new surprise had emerged from the malice. Instead of a phantom version of the demon king, he'd seen the kid.

He'd had to fight a kid. And goddess if it hadn't made him felt like he was looking in a mirror, if the red eyes and grotesque glowing gloom eye on his forehead hadn't been there he might as well have been fighting his past self. This boy was fierce, and he looked close to the age Link had been when the Calamity had struck, if not a little younger.

The duel had ended in a stalemate. Link hadn't wanted to hurt him, and he knew he didn't have the tools to find an alternative to defeating him. Not to mention the kid had landed several good blows, malice sapping Link's strength. But it had also left him with far too many emotions to sift through.

Yet here he was now, terrified and starving and freezing, forehead bleeding where that eye had been. Link had to wonder...

He didn't know. He just didn't know.

What he did know was something terrible had happened to this kid, and he could guess who was the cause of it.

The teenager jostled a little, having started to nod off before startling himself awake. He jerked away from Link, petrified and disoriented, before the hero gently placed his hands on his shoulders. "It's okay. You're okay."

The words were simple. He'd used them a fair amount when helping people, especially those who were set upon by monsters. But for whatever reason, instead of a "thank you" or "oh right," he got an overwhelmingly relieved and emotional expression gazing at him before the teenager promptly burst into tears.

Link... didn't know what to do. But he felt the need to do something, so he pulled the boy into a hug. The haggard teenager clung to him in response, limbs shaking but desperate in their feeble capability. It made Link's heart hurt all the more.

"It's okay," he repeated, far more gently. "You're safe."

When the boy continued to cry, Link tried hushing him softly, holding him a little tighter. It was the contact that seemed to do the most good, as the tighter he held the boy, the more seemed to relax.

"What's your name?" he asked.

The mysterious teenager shivered in his arms before quietly croaking out, "Link."

Link stiffened. His anxiety rose once more, wondering if this really was some sort of trick of the demon king's making. He'd already tried to fool him with a puppet version of Zelda, after all.

But... this boy had saved his life. But then he'd tried to kill him. But there had clearly been malice controlling him then, and there wasn't now. He was openly bleeding from where that eye had been--

Oh, right. He should probably address that.

"Well, Link," he huffed a little, reaching for his pouch, "Why don't we clean your head up, okay?"

He'd learned from experience to always clean injuries before he healed them, especially if they'd been around for a while. The phantom hero didn't protest as he pulled away slightly to look at the wound. It was a fairly deep cut, frostbitten at the edges, slowing what should have been major bleeding to a near crystalline standstill.

That... wasn't exactly ideal either. But at least the kid wasn't bleeding to death.

Link grabbed water and boiled it with a cloth, attempting to hold pressure on the injury, but as soon as his hand reached for the teenager's forehead, the strange kid balked, gasping and leaping to his feet. He immediately had a sword in hand, and Link reached for his own in retaliation.

Both warriors hissed in pain as their weapons fought against their masters. Link stared at the Master Sword in horror and confusion - it had never actively tried to hurt him before! The worst had been when he'd first drawn it once more to fight years ago - it had tested his strength and ability to wield it, but it had never refuted his touch.

What was happening?

Wait. Wait.

Link looked sharply at the other Link's sword, recognizing the blue luster, the sacred hum, the way it looked like shattered stained glass reconstructed by a purple thread.

That was pieces of the Master Sword.

How...? He wondered, staring up at the phantom warrior.

The boy, in turn, was staring at the weapon as well, eyes wide with shock, but he recovered first, trying to reach for another weapon.

Link hastily threw his hands in the air. "Relax! I'm not trying to hurt you!"

The teenager looked wary, but he didn't pursue any aggression. Instead, he hugged himself, shuddering and falling to his knees, curling inward until his forehead touched the cave floor. Link carefully walked towards him, kneeling in front of him and hesitantly laying a hand on his back. "I just want to help you, Link."

When he got no reply, he grew unsure. He tried easing the teenager's worries with a distraction. "You know... my name's Link too."

The boy curled in even further. "I know."

He... he did? Link blinked, caught off guard. It was strange how so few people in Hyrule knew him when he bumped into them, but his enemies always did.

Well. Maybe it wasn't strange. At least he had friends now who knew him as well. At least on this quest, he wasn't alone.

That made him wonder even more, though. "So... Ganondorf and... and you..."

The teenage warrior let out a shaky breath, tightening his hold on himself before slowly rising. His eyes were dull and dark, gazing blankly towards the ground. "He was... he was family to me. But that was before he became a monster. He's been controlling me since then, and I... I promise I'm not trying to cause you problems. I... I wanted to help you defeat him."

Link stared, trying to process everything he'd just heard. Ganondorf had family? That would explain why he'd held the kid the way he had. But that... goddess, Link hated this. That made him far too human for all the terrible things he'd done. Calamity Ganon had been much easier a foe to deal with.

But it made him even more monstrous as well. Because the other part of the kid's explanation settled in his mind, and he... he'd suspected it was the case, but...

What kind of demon would do that to his own child?!

The monster's title was certainly appropriate. Link felt his blood boil anew, as if he had just seen the last memory Zelda had left behind in precious, blessed waters.

He wasn't going to just kill this man, he was going to enjoy it.

"Link... protect them all!"

Zelda's words echoed in his mind and heart, and goddess if it didn't break thinking about her sacrifice all over again. But looking at this boy, he knew, he knew she'd meant him as well, without ever realizing what his fate was.

He reached out carefully this time, pausing and making eye contact, waiting for permission. This shadowy, broken, freshly purified warrior was so terrified, and he wanted nothing more than to help him. The teenager tensed a little, but didn't outright attack this time, and Link finally managed to reach a handkerchief to the oozing blood on his forehead.

"We will defeat him," he said quietly, resolutely, as he wiped the blood away. "I promise."

[bandaidfingers]

006 and 007

redrawing this Goldeneye promo photo with my fav half-dry chisel tip marker

[doctorsiren]

hey new followers

It would be so very swag if you would sub to my YouTube channel (also named DoctorSiren) /nfnfnfnf

I’m pretty close to 19k, which is super epic, and also I’m working on an Ace Attorney animatic that I’m hoping I’ll be able to post in the next couple weeks or so! Many thanks!

[carnivalcarriondiscarded]

never have i been so entirely exhausted from sitting in front of a laptop in a dark room for three hours gay! and so full of delight and happiness! like wow! i have not felt this good in ages!! and its a good kind of tired! i feel like im glowing!

but shit, the update is more than i could've dreamed of. like i said - three straight hours of combing, and i probably still missed a thing or two! i'm even saving the storytime audio to enjoy in the morning, i haven't listened to it yet!

i already have so many thoughts and emotions but i'm... so wiped out oh my god lmao. so much new stuff at once! i need to sleep on it all! and in the morning i will be more than happy to reply, interact, answer asks on this subject, share my actual thoughts - i just need to take the rest of the night to Process and rest, yk yk

and i know i "missed" some links on my liveblog! i know i know! i didn't add every single thing i found - like most of the Wally audios - because i'll be compiling them all into a labeled post tomorrow! when i wake up! i'm already looking forward to it <3 i'm confident i personally found all of them, though! i was Thorough! i went through everything at least twice, i tabbed through, i clicked on Everything...

but yes i hope you all are having a wonderful Update Day/Evening/Morning/Afternoon As The Case May Be. this is truly a delight and again, more than i could've dreamed of. i'd forgotten what it's like to be so wholly excited and delighted by something! it's been so long since i've felt this kind of genuine joy and whimsy! usually im white-knuckling my optimism and happiness but tonight it was all authentic 100% non-forced From The Soul!

[summertimemusician]

Linktober (Shadow) 2023

Spirit

Welp turns out my exam season throughly steam rolled through my general Linktober plans, so you get this VERY late thing for now folks who find this, at least until I decide whether to continue this until I finish it even though it's no longer Linktober or if I'll make whatever other stories come later their own thing after exam season is over (mostly because the original for this one is my preferred draft, and that I feel the one for the Link/Dark Link prompt would be kind of wasted if it just sat there collecting dust cause I worked hard on the tension and horror there lord darn it, along with a few others mainly involving Fae Hyrule, Twilight, Time, First, among other Links like Legend, Sky, Warriors, just all of the boys, I wanted to give them all proper spotlight and still want to do that in any way I can). Welp. *Downs coffee like a shot* Also really need to find out how to make a Masterlist on mobile, figure out how AO3 works and answer asks.

Anyway, not really any warnings this time besides Reader Not Being Okay (par the course really) and angst.

As always can be read as either romantic or platonic, Reader is gender neutral on purpose, technically is meant to be read as either Hero's Shade Time x Reader or First x Reader mainly, but you can interpret it as any Link really lol

Good reading!

This corner of Faron Woods was quiet this time of year.

The woods were solemn in this Hyrule, the sliver of moonlight barely enough of a guide through the mist, it was silent but for the soft padding of animals through the underbrush and the howl of a wolf in the distance (not Wolfie's, not musical enough). The stars were your only company as you were separated from the group, the air was cold agaisnt your skin as you attempted to find your way.

Being alone in the forests of Hyrule never spelled anything good for anyone, but as you felt the brush of a hand tenderly twined in yours, the ghost of leather and the faint clinking of steel, and a faint glow of pale gold and ivory cutting through the veil of the night, mindful of roots you may trip onto and never flickering too far out of sight you couldn't feel safer, even  if instead something like melancholy threatened to lock your throat with the chains of silence, you felt as warm as the soft twilight glow and as frigid as ice, frostburned with the bitter cold of your own warring emotions.

You can't help but chuckle a bit whille holding a old scabbard close to your heart, it's a wry sound, "It's been a while, hasn't it?"

There is no answer, of course there isn't, but you don't mind, you know he'll listen, thorns wrap around your heart and crawl up your throat, the smell of lilies and steel coats and sticks in your throat like honey, or maybe blood, "... I didn't think you'd show up, you know? I always considered the possibility but..." You trail off, you feel something brush your side, you can only see him in the corner of your eyes or with a passing glance, there but not, existing but gone, so you keep your eyes on the road and in the flicker of light, so you carefully don't look to your side, you don't think you could contain the shaking in your heart otherwise, to stare at inevitability and prophecy, "... I know, I know you're fine. At least for now, I apologize for all the trouble I gave you."

'It's alright. It could never be a hardship aiding you.', the voice echoes in your ears, and you swallow thickly, breath hitching, the warmth of the sun in the fields of Hyrule, the wind caressing your hair, the song of the animals in Faron Woods, someone holding you carefully, fondly. The warmth of your hand in his. Not really here, but not gone either, more feeling than true echo.

You chuckle, and try to pretend it's not a bit breathless, something like a wounded keen, "... You're too kind. Too, too kind, thank you."

Spirits in Hyrule never spell anything good, in this wild land of light and shadow in a gestalt of divinity. There are some exceptions though, even if it hurts to witness then. So you follow him through the dark, certain that as you've guided his way once, he'll lead you now to where you need to go.

----------------------------------------------------------

... The clearing he leads you to is open, but by no means truly quiet among the trees, there is no peace to be found for the armored skeleton here. You choke on sorrow, on unfinished business, on the cruelty of being brought to ruin and being denied peace, and you stumble towards the familiar figure, almost in a trance as your vision blurs, roots and thorny vines wrap over rusted armor and a thorn cape, the skeleton's void sockets piercing through your soul, illuminated by the solemn gaze of the wretched moon and it's uncaring maids of honor in the stars.

You fall to your knees near the decaying skeleton, biting back against the wounded sound that attempts to leave your throat with enough strenght to bleed, you lay the scabbard by his side with a bouquet of lilies and shiver at the gentle, phantom touch, so soft, so loving it almost leads you to ruin all over again.

'... It's foolish to grieve for someone who isn't gone yet.' the thought comes to you, yet you can't help it. You still hurt for him, you still hold onto the fury at the heavens themselves for denying them quietus. For denying them rest over and over and over again. To watch this cycle and be helpless to stop it all due to the will of uncaring gods.

Alive. Dead. Alive. Dead. Denied full rest over and over again, to watch the chance at rest to the kindest of souls found in this world you found yourself in.

You barely register the touch to your cheek, ephemeral as it is, as you can't help but shed tears, can't help but grieve. Because if you don't, who will?

You know by now that some wounds can never heal, some rifts can never be mended. Even with the guarantee of cyclic, eternal rebirth, some things never return to how they were. And reminding yourself of this inevitability to them will never not hurt, even if you know it's futile to blame anyone but the one god who started this, and maybe the goddess who stood complacent to it. It leaves a bitter taste in your mouth that it'll one day come to this, that the frost of death and the sharpness of pain will leave a mark the sands of time can't scar over.

You reach a trembling hand towards the one in your cheek, try to find catharsis in the remains of decayed, dead yet ever eternal, ever growing love. And you breathe.

'We'll meet again. So do not mourn for me, please.'

You don't think you could deny him if you tried. Not when you know he's trying to soothe you, to thaw your sorrow. To allow your heart's healing to fallow.

"We will, I know. I'm sorry for making you worry." You chuckle, leaning into the cold, trying to brand the memory of the shadowed, but not gone love given to you so you can return it in kind. Just until you meet again, just until you can give all you can to his not yet decomposing self, grasping onto what remains of him, "I love you."

'I love you too. Until we meet again.'

The cold is gone, the echo of love leaves. And you breathe, and pretend you don't feel empty.

(When you see Link again, reuniting with the Chain on the next day's twilight. You hug him as tight as you can, and hope you he doesn't notice the tears in your eyes. And that you don't feel the lingering traces of a frigid embrace.

When no one is looking, you wave goodbye to the shade. And pray he dreams of warmer days until he finds quietus.)