#The one where sky writes a note to zelda

[majorproblems77]

Day 24 of whumptober! Goodbye note

My darling sun If you are reading this...

[tinytime10]

I have more head cannons for warriors. Also thank you to everyone who voted on my, (What is the next story I write) vote. “Left in the cold.” is almost done. I'm just finishing up the editing. I should be able to post it soon but for now have some more head cannons centered specifically around the hylein body, and habits that manifest in a physical sense.

All right let's talk ears, Warriors have very expressive ears when he's relaxed and comfortable around the chain. He's very good at stopping his ears from portraying his true emotions when he's around the people he's trying to lie to.

Warriors will rub his ears when he's nervous or upset as a way to calm himself down. It's just one of his ways of self-soothing. Parents will rub their young children's ear to get them to stop crying because it feels good and comforting. So Warriors will do it with a mask when he is having nightmares or otherwise upset. Zelda will kiss the back of Warriors’s ear as a show of affection. Warriors loves it. He also finds the fact that time will kind of nibble at melon's ears and a playful affectionate way super adorable 

I think that the Hylian body is way tougher than the human one. You know how humans have like three layers of skin highlyans have eight. Their bones are just a lot more tough. They have better hearing and night vision but the sense of smell and touch is about the same. 

All of the links share the habit of messing with the back of their hair when they are nervous or embarrassed. I just find it hilarious that literally all of them do it.

 Just like myself, Warriors will comfort himself by hugging his middle. He absolutely hates other people touching his sides or his waste. But he'll hug his middle because it makes him feel more secure. During the war he wrapped his waist tightly with bandages, because that pressure feels comforting. After the war he wears a corset for medical reasons, that was actually a thing way back when. The Physicians made him one after the war to help with his injuries. He just kind of wears it all the time under his clothing. Cuz it's really easy to stealth the corset when his uniform is already so baggy.

 Speaking of uniforms, he is walking around in about 30 lb worth of chainmail. He has like 8 layers. an undershirt and trousers, a gambeson, chainmail, the Green Heroes Tunic, his armor, and his scarf. One side effect of all of these layers is the way they fall, he has extremely feminine hips because he cinches his belt so tight and his hip bones stick out so much anyway because he's so thin. The way the chainmail lays smooths out his figure, giving him extremely feminine hips.

 On that note he mastered that Mom hip carry. You know what I mean, where Mom will just stick out one hip a little further and rest the baby on it. He would carry Mask around all day, going about his duties in the war camp. Mask either loved it or hated it depending on the day. He frequently was made fun of by his own soldiers and a lot by his commanding officers.  He was called a Teen Mom for years he leaned into the title as a joke and it weirdly stuck, to the point where mask and tune would accidentally call him mom on occasion. Time will make a lot of jokes about Warriors being the mom friend during the linked universe adventure. He'll just start acting like the whole chain are his rowdy sons.

Warriors would never undress in front of any one of the chain for a very long time. Long after his facade cracked he still refused to let them see him even take his gloves off. He was fine with everyone else but not himself. At one point he is injured very badly and is unconscious. To Times utter consternation and aggressive objections, Twilight and Sky make the decision to leap over that boundary they know he has and undress him to get to his wound and save his life. When he wakes up shirtless and bound in bandages, the rest of his brothers have a lot of concerned questions. His brothers are smart enough to know what scars were earned from battle and what scars were done by his own hand.

 He has to explain his bad habits, and promise that he's getting better and not hurting himself very much anymore. Of course his brothers are horrified and heartbroken that the perfect captain they'd all grown to love had such terrible scars on his arms  and his chest there are scratch marks on his sides that only some of the older members of the chain recognized as being done by Hylian nails not the claws of monsters. Cia left her marks on him and Sky tried to ask about them but Time shot him down quicker than Warriors could.

 Another discovery they made that day was that Warriors has two tattoos. One, an eating disorder progress tattoo  and One he shares with time. He, Masks and Tune got matching tattoos at the end of the war. Wind is too young to have his, but he is the one who designed it during the war. It is a sword stabbed into the waves of the ocean, around the hill is tied a ribbon with the Kokiri symbol. A design meant to incorporate all three of the war brothers. 

Before the war the captain was a wild child, Impa punished him severely because that seemed to be the only way he would listen. There is a patch on his upper arm that is a mess of perfectly lined up scars overlapping years of punishment. It was a comin military punishment for drinking, 2 small cuts to the arm, not meant to really do any real damage just enough to hurt. Every time he drinks on duty he adds to that number of scars. Which is far too many to count by the time he joins the chain. 

Warriors is extremely suicidal at the beginning of LU. Even though he tries to hide it from his brothers, his sense of humor is extremely dark and twisted. Time and strangely enough Legends are the only ones who seem to really understand his darker humor. he makes jokes about suicide or self-harm a lot. They thought it was just jokes so when his brother's saw the scars themselves, they knew a lot of the methods he'd used against himself by that point, just from the jokes he'd made.

 Four Will aggressively braid comb and demand they wash their hair and bodies frequently see the last  repost for better clarification on why. He does this with the whole chain except for Warriors. Four is understanding about the fact that Warriors hates having his hair touched by other people. So Four takes meticulous care of Warriors’s gear. He’ll ask to oil and maintain Warriors’s weapons for him. He will service his shield and armor because if the captain takes care of himself so meticulously, Four will do the same for his gear, as a way of showing his friendship and care.

 All right, that's everything I can think of now. Thank you to the like two or three people who actually care. Us Warriors fans are starved for content. My fellow Hyrule Warriors fans I bring sustenance.

[wayfayrr]

It’s been a while but hello! ✨ I have been so busy working two jobs but I have been doing well, just tired, hope you’ve been doing well Moss <3 I absolutely loved what you wrote for reader playing Stardew valley with Sky <333 absolutely worth the wait, I need me a Sky irl so badly it’s not even funny 😭 throwing hands with Nintendo for making a fictional man so fine and lovable </3

But also, YOU PLAY ELDEN RING????? I’VE BEEN PLAYING IT SO MUCH RECENTLY WHEN I HAVE FREE TIME, ITS SO PRETTY <33 restarted cause I couldn’t remember how to play and I wanted to do a new build, rip my level 90+ and 50+ hours Samurai Tarnished </3

But on that same note, TARNISHED MY ABSOLUTE BELOVED, I MUST GIVE YOUR BOY SMOOCHES <333333 !!! I beg for a crumb of more lore for him please 🙏 He deserves kissies, and cuddles, and being spoiled and treated with so much love and affection <33 IS HE TAKING MAIDENS CAUSE I VOLUNTEER <3333

~ 🍀anon

I'm glad that you've been doing well clover!!! Working two jobs is draining as all hell so I hope you've been able to find time for yourself outside of it <3 That sky fic was really nice to write too, even if it was a bit shorter than I planned for it to be. He's just such a sweetheart and Nintendo really be hurting us all for having him only be fictional ;-;

ALSO YOU'RE RIGHT ELDEN RING IS SO PRETTY???? whenever I talk about tarnished I'm probably going to be posting some screenshots too cause just??? I don't blame you for restarting though, when you haven't played for a while it's nicer to restart than try to figure out where the hell you left off last time

(The siofra river is so pretty stg AND THE AREA IS COMPLETELY OPTIONAL????)

As for lore - I've been fleshing out his background a bit but I'm still uncertain on a few things For certain I think It would be interesting for him to be a member of the church of dragon communion, since dragons are more worshipped by the rest of the chain and then you just have this fucker/aff who eats their hearts to gain abilities a friend of mine also suggested that he could have a second nickname of elden, in tune with the boys tending to have two nicknames or more (like wars/captain or wind/sailor) it would also match how the nicknames seem to be given!! one is what they quested for and the other is something they 'are'

as for him taking maidens? :3 I've been wanting to write a bit for him I won't lie, cause I've had the idea of him possibly being self aware too

It's been a while since I've even touched my playstation, but with my switch all but turning into a brick the last time I tried to play anything but a zelda game. Well there's no reason not to try play on something else. "Shame... booking a repair slot is a headache that I'd rather not have to deal with." That can wait though, till I have the energy to do it that is. In the meantime I've got other games that I've been neglecting. When is the last time that I played elden ring actually? It's gotta have been at least a year, I remember setting up a link look alike character before totk came out but... Oh wow that would have been the last time I played wouldn't it? I don't think I even got far, so maybe picking that save back up won't be to much of an issue. ... I could have sworn it wasn't possible to have your character so close to the screen. "You - You came back?"

[crazylittlejester]

Can we hear about "the other Wars"? 👀

ABSOLUTELY

i dont really have anything I can really share for this one, it’s in very rough shape and mostly just jotted down notes, but it’s the idea I mentioned ages ago about wanting to write a fic where Wars was a villain. And i dont mean just an asshole, I mean at some point in the war something happened and his need for control led him to believe the only way to save everyone and ever feel safe again was to gain as much power as physically possible and essentially do everything himself. in his mind he’s protecting the people of hyrule, but he’s actually become a dictator. and once he WINS the war and defeats ganon and cia and everything is over, he can’t let that power go because it makes him feel safe and it’s all he can rely on, and he’s taken over the kingdom at that point and Lana, Zelda, Impa and all the others have literally had to leave because they can’t get rid of him from right next to him and he sees them as threats. And he just grows more and more paranoid that people are going to take his “safety” away so he becomes a worse and worse person. But in HIS mind he’s doing it to protect people he loves and also himself, because his fear has made him selfish but he’s unable to see that. its not that he doesn’t still care about the others, because he DOES, but his perception of reality has been so fucked up and twisted he can’t comprehend the harm he causes

HOWEVER: REGULAR GOOD OL WARS IS ALSO JUST THERE IN THIS FIC. THERES TWO OF THEM. Because Evil Wars ended the war HOW he did, the timeline didn’t heal, so he’s in his own timeline continuing to fucking suck, and a portal spits out the chain in THAT era. So Regular Wars and Evil Wars will at some point comes face to face

and the whole point of this fic is that I want to highlight that YES, (Regular) Warriors is a deeply traumatized character who’s terrified of betrayal and just wants to feel safe and to protect others, and yes sometimes his fear and his worry can come across as him being harsh to the others, but he is not cruel. He was never cruel, not at any point in his game. His over confidence does not equate to him being unkind, in his game he got a bit of an ego, sure, but he was a kid and he learned his mistake. His trauma does not make him abusive, he IS a kind and caring person, and he chooses to be one despite all he went through because he has compassion for others and lives his life serving the kingdom and its people that he loves so much

…basically i’m petty and i hated seeing so much of Asshole Wars that I decided I was going to create Evil Wars but STILL make him human and not completely cold hearted. DONT GET ME WRONG EVIL WARS STILL FUCKING SUCKS, but also he exists (in part) to highlight the gentleness and love Regular Wars treats others with, EVEN when he’s stressed and/or scared. Because Wars is not a fucking asshole and shouldn’t be used to create more angst for the other members of the chain and i lose a year off my life every time i see that happen thats my biggest pet peeve like yeah sure its your fanfic do whatever you want but oh my god im falling to my knees and screaming at the sky

[breannasfluff]

Four Rabbits Meet

I came across @minart-was-taken's post about Four Swords + Lorule Ravio and fell in love with the concept. For writing purposes I changed Blue's name to Cyan so it's not confused with the actual Four Colors. ~

“So!” Purple claps his hands together and gives the rest of the group a bright look. “Should we head back to Link’s place? There’s a portal near here we can hit up.”

Three identical faces in different colors stare back. A fourth stares at the clouds.

“Are you kidding me?” the newly dubbed Gold says. “We’re four separate people and whoever…that is”—he waves at the one staring at the sky—“instead of Ravio and you just want to move on with life? What about our treasure hunt?”

Purple’s smile is a little strained, but he still nods. “Standing out here in the woods isn’t doing us any good.

Cyan’s voice is barely above a whisper. “I don’t think taking this sword was a good idea.”

“But it’s treasure!” Gold immediately flips sides, examining the sword in his hand. “We could sell it.”

“It’s magical,” Cyan says.

“And there’s four of them. So, we get four times the profit. Hey, Pink, you don’t want your sword, right?”

Pink glances between all of them and curls deeper into his hood. “Shouldn’t we figure out how to be—Ravio again?”

They all turn and look at Cyan, who shrugs. If there’s a magical answer, he doesn’t know it.

Purple takes the lead. “Look, we aren’t going to solve this out here. Let’s head back to the house. Link’s been on so many adventures, I’m sure he’s heard of something like this.”

Gold rolls his eyes, but sets off down the path. Purple and Cyan fall in behind him. Only Pink stays where he is, until Purple glances back at him. “Pink? Coming?”

“What about him?”

Right. The fifth one. He nearly glows pale yellow, and he’s still staring at the clouds. Even with this whole mess, there’s no sword in his hand to match theirs. Also, he doesn’t seem to be the…brightest lantern in the bunch. Mostly, he ignores them.

Purple doesn’t even attempt a smile, just sighs and waves at Pink. “Mind grabbing him? Maybe you can think of a nickname for him.”

The color brightens and runs back to grab the fifth’s hand. It takes a few tugs, but he follows, placid enough.

With a final glance, Purple hurries down the path to rejoin Gold. A quick portal to Hyrule to figure this out and they can get back to their travels. Link will know what to do.

Link is not home. He’s gone on a journey for an unknown period of time. The note to Zelda on the table is already covered in a light layer of dust. Either she came and left, or hasn’t noticed Link is missing.

The four—five colors stand in a circle, staring at the note.

“Well, we better head out.” Purple really likes Link’s house, too. It’s nicer than Ravio’s.

“What? No, we aren’t leaving!” Gold snatches the note, then crumples it into a ball.

“But Link is gone! We can’t stay here without permission.”

Gold’s eyes take on the crafty gleam Ravio does whenever he’s about to make an excellent point. “Who would watch over Link’s stuff while he’s gone? What if someone breaks in? Look how dusty his house is! And with so many magical items…”

Purple can practically see the rupees in his eyes. Link better have magical items to come home to. “But permission…”

Slinging an arm around his shoulder, Gold steers him out of the kitchen. “We’re helping, Purple. Link will be happy! We’ll keep things clean and protected while he’s gone; maybe make him a little money. We don’t want him to lose his rent income now, do we?”

“We don’t pay rent,” Cyan points out. Gold stomps on his foot.

“Okay, we’ll stay. But if Link comes back and wants us to leave—”

“Yes, yes, we’ll deal with it then. Now, about that money…” Gold turns back to the front room and—yep, he’s out.

Pink is still in the kitchen, holding onto the fifth one’s arm.

“Got a name for him?” Purple asks as he comes back in. He might as well make some tea; they need it.

The color perks up and nods. “Gleam! You like that, don’t you?”

Gleam stares at him and blinks slowly. “Link?”

“Link’s gone,” Purple says. He waits till the teapot is full before continuing. “We’re going to keep the place clean for him till he comes back.”

“Back?”

“…yes. When Link comes back.” He turns to Pink with a frown. “He understands Hylian, doesn’t he?”

Pink gasps and clings to Gleam’s arm. “Of course he does!” Then he turns to Gleam. “You do…don’t you?”

Gleam stares at him a touch too long, then nods. Lolia, is he that dense, or just an airhead? Well, Pink needs something to do, so— “You mind watching over Gleam for me? Sure would be a help.”

The color’s face lights and, wow, is that what Ravio looks like when he’s happy? Huh. It’s not a bad expression. “I can help! Leave it to me!” Then he turns to Gleam and squeezes his hand. “Don’t worry, I’ve got you.”

Pink may have Gleam, but who’s got Purple? Why did today have to be the day the goddess pulled Link onto a new journey?

Something crashes in the front room and Gold screeches about merchandise. Right. Because Ravio as a whole is cursed.

Sighing, Purple pulls out more teacups. They are going to need it.

The following weeks bring them no closer to figuring out how to rejoin. Purple takes over running the shop—he looks the most like Ravio. While their robes changed color when they split, there’s still an extra robe he wears.

Looks-wise, it’s not a problem. Money-wise…well, Purple just wants to help people! And sometimes that means giving them a good deal. Gold loses his temper the first time he checks the books and starts training Purple on how to barter—or at least not give items away.

Link returns and Purple finds himself at sword-point from a variety of strangers. The other colors are out for the day; Cyan wanted to practice some spells with the swords. The hero doesn’t even seem pleased with his unexpected guest. Really! Who does he think dusted everything?

Purple draws on every acting skill he has—and channels a lot of Gold—to make it through the conversation long enough to get official permission to stay. Link has a new nickname, Legend, and the one called Four has a sword that looks suspiciously familiar.

The group is there for barely an hour before someone yells about a portal. Link—Legend switches out more items in a hurry and shoves the extra into Purple’s arms. “Don’t sell these!” Then he squints at him. “And stop being weird around my family. Just be yourself.”

Time calls for him and Purple is left standing in an empty house.

“Link came back.” Purple explains the short encounter to the other colors when they return.

“Why didn’t you tell him what happened?” Cyan comes back with two cups of tea and passes one to Purple. 

“You think Link would believe him without all of us there?”

Pink sits on the floor and leans back. “So, what do we do now?”

“We’ve got each other.” Purple puts his cup down and brushes off his robe. “Either we figure out how to become Ravio again before Mr. Hero returns, or we figure out how to adapt and live like this. That hero, Four, had a sword similar to the one we found. If we have to, we’ll wait till they come back and ask.”

There are nods and smiles from all the colors. It’s not much of a plan but—well, it will have to do for now.

Gleam steps forward and shoves a handful of berries in Purple’s hands. “For you.”

“Gleam, these are poisonous.”

The color just gives him a thumbs up, because of course he does.

~

Gleam is my special little problem child. We'll see this group pop up a few more times for flufftober as well!

[candy8448]

Photo (for the one word prompt)

Used a fic idea i had since i basically joined this fandom but never wrote so i got carried away and wrote 1580 words 0.0

This fic idea came to me when playing totk for the first time when it first came out, i took a photo of the old champions photo and put it in the gallery of my new house

Get ready for some fluff! (From me? I know, shocking!)

Send me a one word writing prompt

"And this room, i actually made with you guys in mind... i didn't have space for full beds but those mattresses are a lot comfier than a sleeping roll. Sometimes i even prefered sleeping in here than in my own bedroom," imagining that i was still with you lot, he left out. Wild turned back to the chain as he finished showing them around his new home. Twilight glanced around, noting something,

"Where is the champions photo? I thought of all things you would want to bring, it would be that?"

Wild tried to hide his upset expression, "well, Zelda kept it... and she is the one with all the real memories of them... so its okay"

He tried not to think about losing the champions photo, but he couldnt help but think it was like loosing them all over again. Still, nothing would come from burdening the chain with his emotions.

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

The next day, while Wild was out running errands, Legend burst into their shared room on the top floor, canvas and paints in his arms, dumping them on the table in the center of the room,

"We're painting him a new one."

"What?"

"You saw how sad he looked when he didn't have the champion's photo; we are repainting him a new one"

Warriors grinned at the vet, "wow, didn't know you were soft, collector."

That earned a glare, "You never know when you could lose someone, sometimes you need something to keep their memory alive, like a song, or a picture."

A few of them nodded in agreement.

"Right, who's doing what?" Time said as they all gathered around the table.

Wind's hand shot up first, "ooh, OOH! I can draw! Let me draw it!"

Legend looked at him, "okay, you do the sketch and i do the painting, BUT im gonna check over the sketch before we're done" ever the perfectionist.

Sky nudged Four, "bet we can make a pretty good frame eh?" Four grinned back and nodded, running off to find somewhere he could start.

Roles were assigned to each member: Four and Sky would work on a frame, Wind would sketch and Legend would paint, Warriors would find Flora and ask to borrow the original photo as reference, Time would also go with him to learn more about the champions, and finally, Hyrule and Twilight, having no artistic skill and being the closest to their cook would distract Wild until the painting was finished. It was a good plan, and they began too work.

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

Legend and Wind sat in the top room all day, Wind was getting frustrated at how the sketch was just not looking right, Legend came to pull the pencil away,

"No you do it like this!" He said, rubbing out a piece of the drawing and sketching it on himself. Wind's eyes widened in understanding, and he grabbed the pencil again, fixing up other similar mistakes. Legend noted that the rito happened to look the best and he had to wonder if that was because it was the only race outside of hylians he had a lot of experience with. Wind noticed the same thing. He almost felt the spirit of the rito looking smug as he pridefully gloated on the others, and Wind giggled.

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

"It's really nice you're doing this for him, i wasn't aware that he would feel upset that i kept the photo. I thought he would come and tell me if something was upsetting him," Flora said as they sat around the table in her own house in Hateno village. Warriors and Time had told Wild that they wanted to speak to her and Wild, being unsuspecting at the two 'leaders' of the group wanting to gather information, called Zelda over with the Purah Pad. She had teleported to them with the old Sheika Slate and Warriors couldn't help but gape at the glowing blue antlers and her purple and blue eyes. Zelda then proceded to take them to her house once they told her they wanted to speak to her in private, much to the displeasure of Wild, who wanted her nearby to make sure she was safe, not that anyone could blame him.

Time smiled at her, "well, hiding one's emotions do seem to come with the hero's spirit"

She nodded uncertainly.

Wars drew the girl's attention, "Can you tell us about the champions? Our friends Sky and Four would like to make a frame and were hoping to make it something special."

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

Wild excitedly showed them around Tarrey town and was pulling Twilight and Hyrule along with him. When wild came running back to the house, Twilight first asked to have help with Epona, but because the house stable was already occupied, they had to go to the nearest stable. Hyrule also tagged along, hoping to use up time exploring once Wild's attention would eventually shift from horses to something else. Twilight was currently just following behind them, trying to catch up to the duo and making sure they didn't get hurt.

Wild had decided that it was a good idea to dive off the side of the town and into the water to reach the construction grounds. Twilight tried to stop him but the champion, as slippery as he is, got past him, already with his shirt off and shouting as he went down, followed by a massive splash that almost reached up to them. Twilight sighed and turned around, only to see Hyrule missing from his side. The traveler's laughter joined Wild's own as he knelt on the moving tracks platform and waved at him, Wild waving back as he swam to shore. Twilight sighed harder but smiled, at least his brother seemed in a better mood.

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

Sky hummed to the rythm of Four's hammer hitting metal. The skyloftian had decided to join the smithy in the forge to spend time with him. The carving in his hands would theoretically slot into what four was making, the metal to hold the canvas in place and the wood for the details. Sky used what Warriors and the old man had relayed to them from Flora to create intricate markings which he hoped represented the champions. Four hammered away, joining his humming with his own layer to the tune until he stopped hammering and looked at his work, "how does that look?" He asked, sky stood up, halfing his unfinished piece nearby and comparing the two, looking at the but where the two would slide in together, "it looks great!"

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

Hyrule excitedly dragged Wild to the top room by his arms. When the champion saw everyone in the room he looked confused, waiting for an answer. "We made something for you" Wind said, ushering him to the table.

Wild walked up to the table to see a canvas resting on it, one with a very familiar image. His breath hitched in his throat as he silently.

It was almost identical to the original image, the champions photo, but newer. Everone in the image looked perfect, careful strokes of paint marking out their individual features. Wild sniffled as he inspected the frame. Wood and metal worked into eachother. The metal sides of the frame had the words "champions ballad" indented in his hylian. The wooden sides had carvings, depicting the four regions the champions came from, it also had things which he knew the champions loved from his scattered memories. There were indentations of more things, and Wild wondered where they got this information from. The frame was detailed, he could also see where the wood and metal intertwined with one another. There were no carvings of the divine beasts, Wild noticed suddenly, no marks of duty; just six friends, together and happy.

Wild worlessly looked up at his traveling companions, and only now noticed the river of tears running down his face.

Twilight stepped forwards, offering Wild a tissue, "legend was the one who suggested we do this because we saw how sad you were about not having the original. He and Wind sketched and painted it. Wars and Time got the original image from Flora and learned about the champions for the details on the frame, which Sky and Four both made. Hyrule and I were distracting you so it could be a surprise"

Wild sniffed, happy tears overflowing him, "th-thank you guys, it really means a lot" his voice cracked, "i-um... can we take a new one? With all of us? If you dont mind" he stuttered.

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

Flora held the Purah Pad, looking through the lens. She called out, telling everyone to move around and making sure they were in shot, "Time, move down, yeah like Warriors, you might not be that tall but you are still out of shot" laugheter errupted out of the others, the old man deadpanned before his face returned to his smile. Flora decided to take advantage of everyone's laughing faces, "Ready?" She giggled, borrowing Purah's iconic phrase "Click-" Twilight grinned mischieviously, "-snap!" And pulled everyone in suddenly with his strong arms.

The image was put up next to the champions painting on the top floor where they all slept. Wild took a step back, smiling softly. Everyone had a mixture of shocked and laughing faces, Wild himself, in the middle with a beaming smile and a tear running down his cheek...

Ao3 (oneshot collection)

Ao3 (the fic on its own)

I have notes and headcanons featured in this fic in the end notes of both of the Ao3 versions

Hope you enjoyed! :)

[fioreofthemarch]

Finding Her - Chapter 17

Link makes notes, takes photos and keeps time on his quest across Hyrule, in the hopes of finding Zelda and staying sane until he does. [ Previous | Next | First | AO3 ]

Log date: 06:35. 8th month, 29th day 104AC Location: Tuft Mountain, Faron Weather: Rain

Link, Zelda’s Chosen Protector. You do not wish to talk to me. I understand, however we must talk. 

I know the Purah Pad is precious to you. I have watched you document your travels and your thoughts. Please forgive me for taking it while you sleep in order to write you this note.

It is imperative that we retrieve the Master Sword and return to Lookout Landing to meet with Lady Purah. The Demon King’s power grows by the day. Even in my construct body I can sense it. The air is ever hazy and the blood moons are more frequent. Soon will be the hour of his ascension and, if we do not act, his victory.

Link, Zelda’s Chosen Protector. She called you that herself. She told me that after the Great Calamity, your obligations towards each other ceased. Hyrule did not need a Princess nor did its Princess need a Knight. Despite this, Zelda recounted, she chose to stay, and so did you.

I know it is difficult to believe, but in my time, Zelda made another choice. One that gave Hyrule its last, best hope. Do not let it be in vain. 

A photograph of Tuft Mountain lake, which is shaped like a love heart. There are lily pads in the water and blue nightshades glowing softly on the banks. 

Caption: I sense something bittersweet about this place. 

---

Incoming transmission… [LINK (Purah Pad)]

Answer transmission? ...

Answer transmission? ...

Answer — Connection established.

PRH | 23:33 Link? Why are you still awake?

LNK | 23:33 Couldn’t sleep.

PRH | 23:33 Okay.

LNK | 23:33 I found the fifth Sage.

PRH | 23:33 Oh! Great, great news. (yawning) Sorry.   How is she? I mean, they. How are they? 

LNK | 23:33 You knew about her, didn't you? 

PRH | 23:33 In my defence, she contacted me first.  Is she still in the Purah Pad?

LNK | 23:34 We made her a construct body.

PRH | 23:34 Wonderful, I’ll inform the others.  Head back to Lookout Landing and we can discuss next steps—

LNK | 23:34 Purah.

PRH | 23:34 What?

LNK | 23:34 During the Calamity. Did you have a backup plan?

PRH | 23:34 Linky, I had several. You’ll have to be more specific. 

LNK | 23:34 I mean for if I failed, a second time.

PRH | 23:35 Of course I did. You were our best hope, but we would have freed our Princess no matter what.  

LNK | 23:35 What if– I mean, what would–

PRH | 23:35 What is it?  

LNK | 23:35 What would happen to Hyrule, if she wasn’t coming back?

PRH | 23:35 I… I don’t know. We never planned for that. Maybe ask Impa, okay?

LNK | 23:35 She doesn’t have a medallion, you do. Just answer me.

PRH | 23:35 Answer what, exactly? Why are you even… Wait. What else have you found?

LNK | 23:35 Nothing.

PRH | 23:36 Link, if it’s about Zelda we need you to tell us—  

LNK | 23:36 I can’t! Not yet! (a pause) I can’t do it.

PRH | 23:36 Do what?

LNK | 23:36 Find her. I can’t… make myself. I can’t.

PRH | 23:36 Look, you’re starting to freak me out a bit. Maybe you should come back to Lookout Landing. You shouldn’t be alone right now.

LNK | 23:37 I’m not alone. Mineru is here.

PRH | 23:37 Okay, Good. Say hi to her for me. Listen, I don’t know what’s going on, but I’m sure you’ll get through… whatever it is. And then please, come back.

LNK | 23:37 Okay. I’ll try.

Connection terminated.

---

Log date: 10:00. 8th month, 31st day 104AC Location: Flux Construct Island, Faron Sky Archpelago Weather: Cloudy 

Two days in Faron with Mineru. Saw Penn at Lakeside Stables. Had lunch, he cooked. Can't remember what he made. 

Then north-west. Travellers on the road wary of Mineru. Detoured via Faron Grasslands. Watched Mineru build a balloon-ship. Zonai parts for propulsion and salvaged wood for the fuselage. Fuselage. Where did I learn that word?

Flew the balloon-ship here -- quicker than walking, fewer staring travellers. Dealt with the Flux Construct on the island, tough fight but got it done. That was yesterday I think. 

Another geoglyph by Lake Hylia. Glided down to it this morning -- a vision about Rauru, and the Imprisoning War. She tried to warn him, but, what did it matter in the end? 

A photograph of Mineru, in her Zonai Construct form, examining the wreckage of the Flux Construct. In the background is the balloon ship. With a wooden hull, three Zonai balloons for buoyancy and a fan for propulsion, it is a well-engineered vessel. 

Caption: Checking the ship for damage and then moving on. 

---

Log date: 17:50. 9th month, 1st day 104AC Location: Thyphlo Ruins, North Hyrule Weather: Partly cloudy. 

Touched down this morning. Gave the Zonai researcher here a bit of a scare. Kazul – he was trying to solve the riddles in the ruins. Asked Mineru for help but she refused. ‘Didn’t your people build this place?’ She refused again, her voice in my head: You are wasting time. 

Does she think I don’t know that? I know there’s a geoglyph nearby, it’s why we came here. But every time I try to go find it… It’s like I can’t breathe. There’s this claw in my chest, its nails digging in. And then I start shaking. I shake and I cry and I… I can’t do it. Physically, I can’t move. 

There’s smoke rising from the middle of the ruins. Someone’s made a fire. I came to the waterside to be alone, but now, I’m hungry. Maybe I could cook Kazul some stew, to celebrate the great research paper he’s going to write about this place. And then we have to move on. 

Mineru’s construct… It was built to carry a pilot. Maybe if I can’t walk, she can carry me. Better apologise first, for tarrying.

A photograph of the Thyphlo Ruins, the Sheikah SkyView Tower at the centre and the rocky red cliffs of Eldin in the background to the east. The geoglyph painted there is distorted, but looms high on the horizon. 

Caption: One more. Just one more. 

---

Incoming transmission… [Robbie (Message Medallion)]

Answer transmission? …

Answer transmission? …

Answer transmission? …

*beep* Begin recorded voice message:

[ Link, it’s Robbie. Impa is here. I was visiting Kakariko on my way back to Hateno, and saw that she’s also in town for a few days before returning to the Forgotten Temple. Something about needing a book from her library of ancient texts. Anyway I thought you might want to talk to her, update her on your progress. Call us back in the next day or so if you can ]

LNK | 09:10 (click) I’m here, I’m here. 

RBB | 09:10 Well, well, he finally picks up. Purah Pad still working?  

LNK | 09:10 Yes?

RBB | 09:10 Excellent. Let us know if you need it serviced. I’ll pass you on to Impa. (shuffling noises)

IMP | 09:11 Hello, Master Link. 

LNK | 09:11 Lady Impa. You wanted to speak to me?

IMP | 09:11 Purah told me what happened at Hyrule Castle and about the fifth Sage. 

LNK | 09:11 Mineru is her name. She’s a Zonai. 

IMP | 09:11 Wonderful. And you continue the search for the geoglyphs?

LNK | 09:11 I have.

IMP | 09:11 Do you wish to talk about it?

LNK | 09:11 Not really. Not yet.Is that okay?

IMP | 09:11 It is. I am certain Zelda can manage a few more days. Sometimes we must answer when destiny calls. Other times, it is okay to wait until we are ready. 

LNK | 09:12 How do you know–

IMP | 09:12 I am Sheikah. It is my duty to seek truth, and sense it in others.

LNK | 09:12 Right. (a weak laugh) Of course. Lady Impa… during the Calamity, when Zelda and I were gone.

IMP | 09:13 Yes, child?

LNK | 09:13 Did you ever give up hope?

IMP | 09:13 Of course I did. I grieved for you both for many years.

LNK | 09:13 How did you survive it?

IMP | 09:13 For starters I grew very old, which has a handy way of making the years feel short. All I could do until then was continue waking up each morning, in spite of it all. But all the wisdom in the world did not make it any easier. 

LNK | 09:13 Right now, it feels impossible.

IMP | 09:13 Yes, but you will keep waking up. You have it in you to survive this, Master Link. For her sake, I believe you can.   

LNK | 09:14 (a pause) She has the Master Sword. It travelled through time to find her, she said.

IMP | 09:14 I see. Her divine powers could restore it, of course. But how to return it to you?

LNK | 09:14 Well…there’s one more dragon tear in Akkala. There’s no geoglyph but I know it’s there.

IMP | 09:14 Ah, the final clue. Are you ready, then?

LNK | 09:14 No. But I’m going anyway.

IMP | 09:15 As it must be. Walk with the Goddess’ grace, Master Link. We will be at your side, no matter what happens. 

Connection terminated.

---

Log date: 12:00. 9th month, 3rd day 104AC Location: Rist Peninsula, Akkala Weather: Clear. 

Let me paint you a picture. You are you, the Hero of Hyrule, or so they call you. You descend into the depths below Hyrule Castle and find something that did not want to be found, and then– 

You wake up, in a quiet room in the sky. You know something’s missing, and it’s not just your arm. 

You return to your friends on the surface and promise to help them. But something’s still missing. Everyone promises to look, and they look everywhere, but find nothing. 

You search, and search, and search, all the while you know what you’re looking for isn’t there. It’s gone, it always was. You know this, deep down in your soul, but you ignore it. You will realise that you knew when you first saw that dragon above you. You know her so well that even completely changed, she is so familiar. 

But you ignore it, because… because… 

You never meant to love her this much. She was just an assignment, back in the day. Some sheltered girl to keep safe from herself. She rejected you, challenged you, frustrated you, but… you shared something. She was so alone, just like you were. You developed an understanding, then a friendship, then something more. You laid down your life for her, and she did the same for you. 

Then you saved her, or maybe you saved each other, and afterwards never spent more than a day apart. And Goddess, she was so beautiful, so brilliant, so vibrant. You could listen to her talk for hours. Often you did, and you never grew tired of it. You admit now that you fell, hard, and you wanted not just her but a whole life with her. You wanted to marry her. You wanted children. You didn’t know it until this damned moment but you wanted it more than anything in the world.

Now you’re here, in Akkala of all places, making your way towards a sandbank to which she has led you. You know the worst is yet to come, but that you owe it to her to continue. You know every step is taking you closer to the last thing you want to see, but you cannot help it. You have no choice – you will seek the final tear, and you will watch in helpless terror as the one person you wanted to find is lost to you forever. 

A photograph of the spiralling Rist Peninsula, the waters ruffled by the wind and sparkling in the sun. The peninsula is coiled around a silver pillar of light, bright enough to be seen even in the middle of the day. 

A photograph of a ring of Silent Princesses. They grow tall, strong and radiant, and are clustered around a small shallow in the ground. At the centre, a dragon tear awaits. 

A photograph of the Light Dragon, flying low over the sea. From her head streams a blue and golden light like the tail of a comet. Barely visible at the source of the stream is a noble and familiar blade, with its legendary purple hilt and winged cross guard. In the Light Dragon’s open eye, fine droplets can be seen – the remnants of a fallen tear. 

Caption: Okay. I’m ready. 

---

Log date: 16:30. 9th month, 3rd day 104AC Location: [Unable to determine location when Purah Pad is in motion. Please come to a full stop before using the map function.] Weather: Clear 

Zelda… my brave, brave... How can I ever claim to be the courageous one now? I couldn’t have done what you did. It looked... so terrifying. To transform like that. And painful too. Goddess, I hope it didn’t hurt. 

I don’t deserve you, Zelda, I don’t deserve this. The Master Sword has been fully repaired, but it’s stronger. I can feel her power mixed in with yours and made more formidable than ever. The Demon King won’t know what hit him. 

I’m going to kill him, Zelda. I’m going to tear him into a thousand pieces. When I am done there will be nothing left. This isn’t reckless rage like before. This is divine vengeance. And I will have it. 

I guess you’re all out of tears now. I feel the same way. Reading back through the logs you wouldn’t know it. No one puts in their diary that they spent the whole day crying in a cave! But I did. And now it feels like I have no grief left. Only a dull thud on my chest. Thud, thud, thud. 

I wish we could talk. I have so much to tell you. How can I live the rest of my life knowing— No. I don’t want to think about it. I just want to be near you, to sit in your soft hair and float through the sky. If I had my way, I would never leave. 

A photograph of the Light Dragon Zelda’s face, taken from what is most likely one of her slender blue horns. There is a small bald patch on her forehead where the Master Sword used to be. Her expression, though mostly blank, seems content. 

Capt~~~[ Warning ] Log save interrupted. Error code: 11-78 Overspeed *Recovering…Partial text recovery and de-encryption complete:

Caption: How’s the weather up here? %%%50 6C 65 61 73 65 20 73 61 79 20 73 6F 6D 65 74 68 69 6E 67 2C 20 5A 65 6C 64 61 2E 20 53 6F 6D 65 74 68 69 6E 67 20 61 6E  79 74 68 69 6E 67 20 74 6F 20 73 68 6F 77 20 6D 65 20 79 6F 75 20 61 72 65 20 73 74 69 6C 6C 20 69 6E 20 74 68 65 72 65 2E 20 50 6C 65 61 73 65 2C 20 5A 65 6C 64 61 2E 20 49 20 6D 69 73 73 20 79 6F 75 20 73 6F 20 6D 75 63 68 2E 20 41 6E 79 74 68 69 6E 67 2C 20 70 6C 65 61 73 65 2E 20 41 6E 79 74 68 69 6E 67 20 61 74 20 61 6C 6C 2E

[ahanarhorse]

What are the Links in your au's hobbies? If you don't want to do ALL of them, choose a few you'd like to talk about!

Ooo, okay!! I'm going to do all of them, so this will be pretty long.

First- He likes calm relaxing repetitive things. Likes repairing chain mail after fights, the repetitive motion is soothing to him. Also likes to make flower crowns when there's nothing better for him to do. The only one who's any good at braiding so he brushes and braids the longer haired heroes during supper.

Sky- loves making little crafts, woodworking mostly. A pretty good whittler but he also makes reed flutes and other small things. Likes to take feathers he finds and make things out of it, either adding it to his woodworking or putting them into his hair or something.

Minish- Makes little gifts. Learned to whittle, weave, sew and other things to make little gifts to give to the minish. Also collects kinstones and tries to put them together.

Four- Any smith work that needs to be done. Will sharpen blades, re-wrap handles or anything that needs to be done after a fight. The colors all have their own personal things: Red likes to draw, Green writes, Vio whittles and Blue whistles.

Time- He likes playing his ocarina. Just some music after hard battles or when they're relaxing. Often likes to create his own songs or try and play songs he hears the others humming around camp.(gives Past a heart attack when he plays Marin's song on the ocarina, Past didn't realize he sung it around camp so much)

Mask- Organizes his stuff. Somehow it always gets messed up in his bag and he like to know where everything is. Takes out the masks and makes sure they're clean(and don't have any leftover evil in them) and organizes them in a specific way.

Warriors- likes to sew. Will repair any rips or tears when he has time. Has a great eye for patterns and can recreate torn embroidery with great accuracy. Also makes clothes for the heroes who don't have appropriate winter gear out of furs and skins.

Past- Weaving. He likes to make small baskets and bowls and things. Doesn't exactly have anything to do with them, but the repetitive and easy motions are something nice to do when there's down time.

Worlds- Reading. He has a few books and likes to read about history and stories from other Links Hyrules. He wants to know a lot about each Hyrule and if they also have a connection with Lorule or if it was just him. Very big historian.

Legend- Picked up a little of everything from the other members. Likes to make random doodles, learned to make arrows, helps repair chain mail or whittling depending on how he's feeling at the moment.

Wind- Makes little sail boats!! He loves taking bark and leaves and making the most complex and accurate boats he can out of things he finds. He has an entire stash of models he wants to show Tetra so they can make the fastest boat on the ocean.

Twilight- Twilight also likes to draw and write. He takes notes and draws pictures of any animals he hasn't seen before. He likes taking notes on how certain animal species are more common in some Hyrules than others.

Age- Likes to write and take notes about what he's seen. His Zelda is very intent on learning about the other heroes so he takes notes on the other Hyrules and things he things Zelda would find interesting. Also the main cook for the group so he jots down other recipes.

Wild- Makes arrows in his free time. He uses so many he decided it would be best if he learned to make his own. Pretty good at sharpening rocks and winding the feathers. Also hunts or forages if he's bored.

Thank you SO much for asking Faith!!!! It was really fun thinking about all of this!!!!❤️

[marenwithanm]

I know most of the people following me are here for Zelda stuff, but I was rewatching mob psycho and a plot bunny popped into my brian so of course I had to write it

“He stood, backlit by the setting sun. A soft breeze tousled his hair, obscuring whatever expression could be on his face. But she didn’t need sight to understand his feelings. She knew him like she knew the watercolors of the sky. The explosion of blues and purples, of pinks and oranges and yellows. Yes, even before he open his mouth to speak, she knew. “I…”

“I know.” She stepped towards him, the wind’s futile attempts at blowing her back like a token effort of protection. “I’ve always known. You aren’t alone.” 

This time, the movement of his hair wasn’t due to the wind. This time, the hair floated away from his face, baring his expression to…”

No, that’s too plain. His… What’s the word? Not quite bittersweet. Almost contemplative? But definitely more emotionally charged. The feeling of a sunset, the beauty that's fleeting but still just as real or whatever! But what is the word?!

“Melancholy.”

Emi’s head shot up from where it was hunched over her desk. What was that? A voice? More importantly, yes! That's the word! Before she could forget again, Emi scrubbed her eraser over the offending word and wrote out the correct one in the newly blank space. “baring his melancholy to the world.” 

Emi looked around, searching for the source of the voice. Nobody was looking at her. She’d successfully hid her writing notebook within the textbook they were reading from. Not even the teacher suspected anything, despite being turned to face his students head on. So how had whoever that was known she was writing? Even more, how had they known what word she’d been thinking of? She was sure she wasn’t muttering under her breath, otherwise people actually would be looking at her. And that voice, it wasn’t her own internal monologue, unless her brain had decided to talk in the voice of a boy for some reason. Which just left one possibility… Emi suppressed a grin, covering her mouth as if she had to cough. It was serendipitous to get called out to by a psychic while she was writing this particular story.

But that still left a question of who. She knew Mob’s voice, and that wasn’t it. Not to mention he’d never mentioned anything related to telepathy. 

“Hello?” She called out internally, noting how weird it was to try and speak within her own mind. “Is someone there?”

No response. She kept her thoughts carefully blank, knowing that someone could be listening. Perhaps they weren’t feeling all that talkative. Emi could understand that. “Thanks for giving me the word I was looking for.” 

Still nothing. Oh well, Emi thought, gaze turning back to her novel. She’d left off at the confession scene, a pivotal moment in the story that needed a lot of emotional impact. Now how would she express the… wait. A horrible realization struck Emi as she stared down at the words scrawled across the paper. If the psychic could hear her internal monologue well enough to give her the word she was looking for, then.. Then they could hear everything she’d been writing. Emi’s face went hot at the thought, and she scrambled to close the notebook. She’d never shared her writing with anyone, most people didn’t even know she had the hobby! And, well, she wasn’t exactly ashamed of it but still! How embarrassing… 

Emi forced her focus back to the textbook, determined not to think any more of her novel in this class. Internally, she groaned. This class was going to be a lot more boring now.

---

A few desks away, a boy scrubbed a hand over his face. "Stupid!" He thought. "Of course she'd get creeped out. Should've just kept quiet. Now I'll never know how the story ends."

[majorproblems77]

Oh AUs you say??? Tell me more

I HAVE BEEN ENABLED! :D

Okay okay, So if you didn't know I've got a Links Meet AU that I'm working on in the background called Exodus, Its a space themed Links Meet AU where the Skyloft is invaded and Sky (Sksw link) Has to travel across space to gather likeminded people to help him take back his planet basically.

I am very excited about it and want to talk about it more and get more people into it because it's everything I love. Space, Cool weapons, Zelda. Like just going through my notes and stuff makes me so excited.

I've got various things already made including a prologue for the main story where Sky is escaping from the D3 organisation (Led by Lord Demise.)

I've got locations, family dynamics, and a space station which I think will be the next thing I reveal and the more I work on it the more I wish I could draw with my pc because I'd love to make a comic with this but writing it is so much fun too. I've got so much planned. Space ships because space travel is cool and everything.

I've taken everything about the Zelda universe I love and thrown it into a blender with my fave things about space and sci-fi to make something that makes me excited to work and write about it.

As these links are my versions of the mainline game links it makes me so excited. I just want to scream about my boys and show them off because i love them so much and I'm so proud already of what I've got and am so excited to show more.

I've got files made for Sky /[Crimson breath of the celestial sphere] (Sksw link), Chronos (OOT/MM Link) and Skipper (HW Link). With the rest of my characters named as follows

Fen (BOTW/TOTK)

Smithy (FS/MC)

Twilight (TP Link)

Saga (LA/OOA/LTTP/OOS)

Sprite (LOZ1/LOZ2)

Tempest (WW/PH)

Crimson wave of the great expanse (The First hero)

I've taken bits from each characters game and changed them to fit in the universe. I think my favourite so far is Sky's story. He's fought the D3 organisation and won before but lost a huge part of himself in the process. Which he's had made for him. Fi is an artificial intelligence that Sky has embedded in his head as a part of this transplant.

Skyloftians have natural Wings, and so when he fought demise the first time he had his wings ripped from him. A story which I plan to work my way to at one point after I've got the main AU story off the ground with chapter 1 which is in progress rn!

I'd love to go into more detail id love to ramble about it all day. If you want me to I can! :D

I just want to hype about my bois but I know people dont follow Zelda for the space aspect haha. So I try to keep my excitement on the down low for the most part

Thank you for letting me hype about my bois

If you wanna look at it? Exodus-AU

[ihaveatheoryonthat]

A small handful of songs I associate with A Glint, a Spark. (Spoilers for both that fic and Memory, Heavy in My Heart.)

Arms Outstretched - Griffin McElroy

As I alluded to in the MHIMH playlist, Arms Outstretched was the song I had all but set AGAS to, for the animatic in my head. The progression of it from being kind of downtrodden, to this moment of hope, and then a happy epilogue was pretty perfect, both for the idea I actually went with, and the one I may still write.

Chapters 1 & 2

Place to Start - Mike Shinoda

Do I even have a decision? Feeling like I'm living in a story already written. Am I part of a vision made by somebody else? / Am I out of conviction with no wind in the sail, too focused on the end and simply ready to fail?

Cause I'm tired of feeling like I can't control this; tired of feeling like every next step's hopeless. Tired of feeling like what I build might break apart, I don't want to know the end, all I want is a place to start.

I don't have a ton to elaborate on with the lyrics. The first part just meshes really nicely with the theme of being unable to influence events that have already happened, and having to take them as they come. The second part resonates particularly well with the first chapter, in my opinion. I also like having a song from the same artist in both halves of the main story, and the contrasting tones.

Chapters 3-9:

The Heart of a Graveyard - Demon Hunter

Tell me that your final home is not a shot in the dark; tell me that your hopes and dreams don't end in the heart of a graveyard.

Tonally, it doesn't fit perfectly with the rest of this list, but the subject matter is pretty on the mark. There's a sense of preparing for the worst while still hoping for the best that I like, particularly in this context.

Chapter 10:

Final Battle: Malladus (From "The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks") - The Noble Demon

(The portion up to 0:46 is an intro, and not the most relevant to this list; the actual battle theme starts warming up after that.) A friend unintentionally reminded me that I love this track, and since that conversation happened smack at the climax of MHIMH, I naturally connected the dots. This would correspond to the recorded battle with Arceus, because the track for it in canon PLA just does not fit this version. I chose this remix in particular because it really emphasized the woodwind notes in parts-- which made sense re: the Azure Flute-- and because it has that underlying, train-chugging percussion. It's always struck me as a very triumphant battle theme, which fit beautifully.

Chapter 11:

Welcome to the World of Pokemon - Super Pokemon Mystery Dungeon

It's wondrous and mysterious, but gentle and a bit low-key at the same time, which I think makes it work very well for the build up this chapter, and most of the time spent in the Hall of Origin.

Mysterious Rainbow Girl - Wandersong

The same goes for this track; I was pretty torn as to which one I liked better, so I ended up keeping both for a little bit of variation.

Chapter 12:

On the Beach at Dusk - Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time, Darkness & Sky

I had this one set aside specifically for the scene at the top of Dragonspiral Tower, where the reality of the situation is beginning to sink in. If you're familiar with Explorers, there... might be something of a parallel to be read into the situations they 'play' over.

Misc:

The yet untitled song from The Dreadful Demise of the Dinosaurs - Puppet History

A lonely life among the stars, my destination veiled and far away, but I knew one day we'd find each other. Then in the dark, a glint, a spark, the greens and blues, be still my heart-- and once I hit, that's it, I'm here forever.

While I'm here, I should probably include the fic's namesake. It's really only the one verse (~0:25-0:47), because this song has a very specific subject matter and thesis, but that one passage really stuck with me in this context. The first half definitely resonates most strongly with chapter 11, but I was also aiming to match the second to 12-- specifically "the greens and blues, be still my heart" to the scene on Dragonspiral, and to end with the promise of "I'm here forever"

[across-violet-skies]

Febuwhump day 19: "please don't"

Whumpee: Sky

Whump Rating: 4/10

TWs: nightmares, discussion of loss/fear of losing loved ones

Time hummed quietly to himself, glancing up at the moon every so often.

He was on second watch. Monsters rarely struck during a second watch, but nightmares did, especially with all the trauma this group had dealt with.

So when Time heard a soft whimper from the bedrolls, he wasn't too surprised.

He stood up, knee cracking as he did. His eye scanned over the usual suspects– Legend, Wild, and Warriors– but they all seemed to be sleeping peacefully.

“...Please don't,” Sky whispered, a note of terror held in his voice. The knight was still asleep, but he was twitching and mumbling with deeply furrowed brows. “No… please don’t hurt her…”

Time knelt down beside Sky, roughly shaking his shoulder. The Skyloftian woke with a gasp, immediately reaching for the Master Sword. Realization dawned on him quickly, however, and his arm slumped as he let out a relieved breath.

Time raised an eyebrow, tilting his head to tell Sky to follow. He led them both back to the small campfire, having Sky sit to calm down from his nightmare.

“Nightmare?” Time questioned, despite already knowing the answer.

Sky sighed, running a tired hand down his face. Like this, the knight looked much older than he actually was, purple eye bags exaggerated by the dim, flickering light of the campfire. “Yeah,” he finally murmured, nodding.

Time offered a grim smile, nodding at the Skyloftian. “Would you like to talk about it?”

“...It was about my adventure,” Sky began, frowning as he stared at the campfire. “Zelda– Sun– went missing. She… she was taken away, and I didn’t-” his voice broke. “-I didn’t know where she was, or if she was safe, or if she was even-” Sky cut himself off with a choked sob, clenching and unclenching his fists.

Time nodded solemnly. He despised that his boys had all gone through so much… and he knew more went unsaid. There were some things too difficult to talk about.

“I…” Sky sighed, hanging his head as he clasped his hands together. “I was so scared for her. Losing Sun… well, I don’t know what I would do. How could I live without her?”

Time hummed, glancing up at the moon briefly. “It would be difficult,” he agreed, turning his eye onto Sky. “But you would figure it out with time.”

Sky wrinkled his nose, shaking his head helplessly. “No, I… I could never move on without her. I love Sun.”

“Moving on and learning how to deal with it are two different things,” Time mused, lips pressed into a thin smile. “It would hurt, yes. But you can’t base your existence on another.”

Sky sighed, finally tilting his head up enough to make eye contact with Time. “...I guess. But it scares me.” He shook his head, frown deepening. “What if she disappears again? What if… what if I’m not fast enough?”

“Do you think it’ll happen again?”

The knight faltered, hesitating. “...No. I don’t. I think… at least for now, it’s over,” he spoke slowly. “But that fear… it just won’t go away.” He glanced away before returning eye contact. “How do you deal with it? Being away from her… not knowing what’s going on in her life… all of it.”

Time took a deep breath, resting his palms on his knees. “It gets easier,” he murmured. “The love doesn’t fade, but… you learn how to live separately.” He twisted the smooth wedding band, smiling fondly down at the piece of metal. “It makes the reunion all the more joyous.”

For the first time since waking up, Sky smiled. “You really love her.” He sighed, reaching around to hold his sailcloth. “You’re right. I just wish it wasn’t so hard for me to be away from her.”

Time chuckled. “You’re both young. It takes time.” He smiled knowingly. “Why don’t you write her a letter? It might help if you’re missing her.”

“I think I will,” Sky decided, standing up with a yawn and a stretch of his arms. “Tomorrow. I’m going back to bed.”

“Sleep well,” Time offered, nodding.

Sky smiled. “Thanks. And… thank you for talking to me about this.”

“Don’t mention it,” Time insisted, waving a hand. “We all look out for each other, stuff like this included. You can always talk to me.”

“I might take you up on that sometime,” Sky mumbled, rubbing his eyes. “Goodnight, Old Man.”

“Goodnight, Sky.”

–> support me on ao3!

[theangelicstoryteller]

This is my entry for the @zelinkcommunity 2023 Zelink week! This would have included an AO3 link, but since the site is down I will update the post with it later.

WARNING: STORY TAKES PLACE DURING TEARS OF THE KINGDOM AND INCLUDES MAJOR SPOILERS FOR IT

Title: Both Here and 100,000 Years Away

Words: 978 Rating - G

Happy readings to you all!

Link woke in his bed in his new home in Akkala. He stretched as he got up, savoring the morning, even if he had a lot to do today. But he liked his new home. It was nice and he liked that he got to make it himself, to a degree. Not that he disliked his home in Hateno, but this… this was nice. Especially as he found himself usually sleeping in a stable or in the wilds again as he tried to save Hyrule from its newest disaster. A bed was nice, especially a new bed, since…

He shook the thought out of his head and quickly got dressed and readied himself for the day. He made a quick breakfast that he shoveled into his mouth before he grabbed his weapons and burst out the door. It was usually breezy and today was not an exception. He took a second to admire the mountainous view, looking over the small Terry Town he had helped build years ago. He smiled as he looked down at it. He was glad he had helped Hudson and that his family and his community was thriving.

He was smiling to himself as he thought about as his eyes wandered over to the construction site below it and then up the mountains. He looked over the mountains, his eyes wandering upward to the sky where he froze.

She was passing through the sky above him. The Light Dragon… Zelda. As it often did when he saw her shining form dancing across the sky, The Master Sword on his back felt heavier. He couldn’t stop himself from gazing at her as she slowly made her way across the Akkala sky. His beautiful, beautiful Zelda… somehow both here and 100,000 years away.

Before he had witnessed her final memory, seen the vision of her swallowing her stone to provide the power the Master Sword needed to both recover from the gloom that Ganondorf had struck it with, but to be strong enough to defeat him, he had always felt the Light Dragon filled him with a sense of comfort and ease. Now Link understood that was Zelda. That her spirit was still watching over them, even now, uncounted milenia after she had lost her mind to becoming a dragon for Hyrule… for him.

Though Link did not want to lose himself in the memories of it all, he could not stop them as they washed over him. He thought to the days they spent in Hateno village, how Zelda had gently made his house a home for the two of them. He thought of holding her tight as they slept in their bed, never getting as peaceful a sleep as when they were holding each other through the night. He wrapped his arms around himself as he thought of even last night, as he had to force himself to sleep even as his bed felt cold and empty without her, even in a bed she’s never seen, let alone one he had shared with her.

He missed her laugh. He missed her coming to him in the night with a notebook and excited words with a breakthrough she had neglected her sleep to achieve. He missed having to gently remind her it could wait for the morning as he guided her to bed where she would still excitedly speak about her research before she would gently drift off to sleep. He missed running after her in the wilds as she found something she wanted to document or capture, writing down notes excitedly.

He looked back up to the light dragon as she passed over him more closely. He saw into those wide purple eyes, where he saw no hints of the woman he loved within them. She seemed as if she was really gone… He wondered if it would have almost been better that she died rather than being trapped in the form she was currently in.

Could Impa or Purah really think of a way to change her back? Was such a thing even possible? And what would she be like if they even could reverse the effects of swallowing her sacred stone? What if… what if she could not remember him? What if they brought her back, but her memories were gone, just like his were when he was resurrected. Even now, years later, many things were hazy when he tried to recall them.

And if she did remember everything… would she forgive him? It was his fault all this had happened. If had been stronger, if he had been faster, if he would have caught her, she would have never had to make such a sacrifice. He could have prevented all this pain, if he had only been better. What kind of a knight could he call himself after failing her again?

Would… would she even still love him?

Link heard a weird noise and it brought him out of his drowning thoughts. He looked around and heard it again, though this time he felt it as well as heard it. Oh… he put his hand to his face, feeling the tears that were streaming down him. I’m crying… The sound came again and he realized it was him sobbing. He took a steadying breath as he tried to calm himself. He looked back up to the sky to see Zelda’s form beginning to retreat. Though he was able to calm his breathing, his tears still flowed.

Goddesses he missed her. Din, Nayru, Farore, and Hylia herself did he miss her. He would give anything to see her smile once more.

[natdrinkstea]

Zelda 3 - L + un

so this one isn't writing as much as it is a little thought exercise @haijinks and I use to keep each other occupied and it is What Would Our Perfect BOTW/TOTK follow-up look like?

putting this under a cut :) it's long :)

our basic premise so far (Nintendo you can pay us $10000000 to use this) is that it's about five (maybe ten?) ish years post totk and link is visibly older! late 20s, early 30s, less boyish and more of a Real Adult. He's still getting used to having Both Arms Again, but in general everything is Normal now? Rebuilding after the Calamity is near finished, Tulin and Riju are all grown up (😭), and in general everything is chill. until! inciting incident! don't freak out, but Ganon's once again trying come back. BOO! but in my vision his soul or whatever is a sort of shooting star, a meteorite slowly falling from the sky directly towards Hyrule castle. (Imagine a huge ball of white-red light hovering above the castle throughout the game. UGH. isn't that COOL).

Guess Link is back at it again!

Because I miss them, Link has to go on a little cross-country journey, Zelda in tow, to attempt to convince the Sages/Champions to- you guessed it- BRING THE DIVINE BEASTS BACK! and he has a little quest in each region similar to botw where we get to reprogram each divine beast to aim its laser towards the Ganon Meteor. in these little quests we get to see how the last fifteenish years have really impacted the people of this world- two world-ending catastrophes that close together have got to leave a mark. how did Tulin and Riju manage growing up in Revali and Urbosa's footsteps, and having to save the world so young? Is Yunobo cool again? Is Sidon still hot?

our idea for the Gerudo/Naboris quest specifically was that just before the time this takes place, word got out about the existence of a young gerudo who (gasp!) is a boy. this isn't necessarily bad, but after ganondorf everyone's a bit on edge. so, zelda and link go to check it out, and learn that this kid's totally normal, just a bit desperate to prove his worth after being Hidden In Shame for so long. it'd be sad and about generational trauma or whatever

other things of note:

-> ZELDA DOESN'T DISAPPEAR IN THIS ONE! She actually travels with Link for some of the more plot-heavy portions of the game! I think she maybe provides some cool mechanic or something, like the memories in BOTW but if they weren't pictures. Maybe she's just a walking sheikah slate/purah pad lmao. AMD SHE CAN BE HELPFUL IN COMBAT. somehow. we haven't figured it out. can you summon her like the Sages? who knows

-> similarly, Zelda was fucked up big time by the Dragon-ing and I think another main quest has something to do with the fallout of that. maybe her cool powers are fucking up, or she has scary nightmares about being a dragon again, or visions or smth. idk man. wouldn't it be cool though.

-> link gets a third set of cool new superpowers. no ideas for what those would be

-> you can sit down whenever you want in this one

-> MY BIGGEST NEW ADDITION: because totk introduced the sky islands and the depths as new areas, we have ... drumroll.... two new divine beasts!! that's right, in the last few years people have made these areas hospitable and that means they need a giant robot animal too. to fit in. In my heart the depths beast is a snake, with the mechanic being that it's coiled around a huge stalagmite and you can rotate it up or down from the map. the sky one is a dragonfly!!!!!! and maybe it flaps its wings in a fun way! who knows!

-> you can decorate Link's house in Hateno however you want. just because I want to

-> nothing about shrines yet! I'm thinking maybe a weird mixture of the botw and totk ones? but we're not totally sure.

-> At the beginning of the game Link decides he is Retired and puts the Master Sword back!!! By the Deku Tree! so you have to get it back! but it's different this time somehow. somehow. we don't know everything.

send ideas if u have them!!! this is basically fanfiction

[achoshistor]

[totk] alternate dimension???

HAHA ok i simply can't go without writing this down but this time i will try my best to omit all spelling errors to preserve readability... tbh i wouldnt read this if you havent finished the geoglyphs

[spoilers!!]

ok im gonna be honest i've only finished botw and totk so this is gonna be moreso why the alternate timeline from botw is plausible in comparison to the actual placement of the timeline bc thats too much thinking and its been like a million bajillion years since i read the historia.

ok so firstly zelda doing different things in the past is def why the line would have changed from botw to totk but why was zelda the one who went back in time?? In botw the divine beasts are literally analogous to the current sages which is basically

vah rudania/daruk = yunobo

vah naboris/urbosa = riju

vah ruta/mipha = sidon

vah medoh/revali = tulin

that covers all four but what about link?? link gets his own divine beast (master cycle) too so why is zelda the sage and not link?? besides i heard this mentioned somewhere else (i forgot where) but link has the ability to literally slow down time when hes drawing his bow or looking through the scope and he can pause time with the menu but idk if thats actually canon LOL. either way link can also control time like zelda. But speaking of divine beasts the 4 helms can be found in totk as well but the item descriptions call them zonai while the general look of the pieces is clearly sheikha which is weird cuz whaaaat?? also idk maybe nintendo just wanted a way to explain amiibo gear but this just suggests that the divine beasts themsleves are also zonai of some sort. Ik people are saying they dont mention the divine beasts at all but impa and i think like one or two other npcs mention them meaning they are still here but zonai somehow which doesnt make sense in the context of botw.

also aside from the divine beasts theres some other things of note too: firstly, your house in hateno which zelda STOLE 😭😭liek man i paid good money for that sign... 3000 rs.... this is p minor but why would she just take the sign away unless it wasnt already there?? I mean ok maybe link wanted to live with her

[zora arc spoilers]

anyways point two about yona... tbh i thought she was ganondorfs spy or something at first because she came out of nowhere... im assuming she's muzu's daughter but we saw no sign at all of her in botw... maybe the devs hated sidlink that much lolol. In all seriousness tbh her appearance does seem to point to a shift in the events of 100 years ago unless she's not from hyrule which seems unlikley seeing that sidon grew up in zora's domain according to the botw dlc.

[zora spoilers over]

ok last thing... the bottomless swamp is gone!!

like whaaat theres a pond there now

I'm like 99% sure this is just because they needed a body of water that you can drop into safely but its also the only pond on ground thats actually got the lily pads from the sky in it which is interesting. I don't think they added any other new bodies of water aside from this though. Lorewise though it makes no sense at all that they removed that whole giant skeleton from here in a few years and even if they did iirc the ground around it was crackly and dry. Lanaryu/Zorana used to all be a desert and they said it took hundreds of years for it to become fertile so its kind of nonsensical that this area would only take a little while...

overall i think this is probably just nintendo trying to make it so that totk can be standalone but man it cant be that hard to write coherent lore

[gerudospiriit]

[Maybe controversial thoughts ahoy? Just a general thought I've been stewing on now that I've been done with TotK for a minute now.]

I think the reason I have trouble outright saying I love the story of BotW/TotK and even SS to a degree is because I feel like they've made the story too black and white. And yes, I know that Zelda games have always been the fight of "good vs evil" but...any chance for any kind of nuance within that gets completely blanketed into basically this person is bad and this one is good and there is no further implication or exploration into it. And maybe this is just me getting old because this is my complaint with other series, too. But I crave even just a little bit of a peek into the gray areas they're presenting us with, but we just never get it. Instead, we're basically just spoon-fed the idea that the "good guys" can do no wrong and the "bad guys" are fully unjustified in their actions because the good guys are peerless with no background on any of it, even if there is perfect set up for SOMETHING.

Like one example is one I discussed with a friend last night about apparently the Rauru hate going around. And let me preface this with I don't hate Rauru. There's not enough context and information for me to hate Rauru for the reasons the haters are pointing to. He's fine. But here's sort of my takeaway from that discussion: you can't write what apparently happened between Hyrule and the Gerudo as a black and white narrative of good vs evil because it's very likely a political matter which is very much ALWAYS more gray and complicated. While I'm not ruling out the idea of Ganondorf just being Ganondorf and throwing a hissy fit, I'm willing to bet there are WAY more political implications to it than that. It's likely a very gray, diplomatic matter where both sides had their reasoning and grievances for what they did. Like it's suggested Rauru tries to get the Gerudo on board a few times. Which maybe was innocent enough, but might have looked like him trying to rob them of their sovereignty to the Gerudo, and if he went to them more than once after they already refused, of course that would be irritating. But like...it's literally about perspective. In the eyes of the Gerudo, Rauru and this new country probably looked evil. To Rauru and co., the Gerudo looked evil, especially after they retaliated to what they saw as reasonable attempts to I assume unify the country. Both sides felt they were correct in their actions. But because of the perspective we're seeing the memories from (even though I don't think that can be argued because, if these are Zelda's memories, how do we get the ones like the one where Ganondorf takes note of the Secret Stones which is in itself goofy but I've mentioned that before), Ganondorf and the Gerudo are painted as evil. And not JUST because of that since, as I mentioned, that makes no sense with the premise of the memories, he's just SHOWN to be evil from the get go. Or to at least have some unsavory ambitions concerning some stones he should have no knowledge of anyway.

And to the same effect, they go through some backbreaking efforts to make sure the "good guys" can't be questioned on their own gray morality or decisions. We get no context outside of maybe how the Geruro react (maybe) to the Zonai descending from the sky to become joint rulers of the land. We're lead to believe everyone was just okay with this arrangement and Rauru and Sonia are well-loved as monarchs. Which okay fine but it feels very questionable and outlandish, especially when the Gerudo are at least apparently not okay with it. Even with Zelda, there isn't a bad word said about her, even when she's running around telling people to fight monsters in their underwear, insisting they don't research a specific ruin, and generally wreaking havoc among the citizens of Hyrule (yes i know that isnt her but the point is thr characters don't). She is portrayed as an absolutely perfect human even before the upheaval with all the tidbits you get about her doings around Hyrule and rebuilding. Which is great, don't get me wrong. I'm glad to see she has matured and was very invested in rebuilding the country. I have nothing against Zelda as a character. I'm speaking to the implications of the writing as it once again glosses over any gray area she might have (which they didn't do in botw BTW and that was SO GOOD to see her just...be human) and making her just....too perfect right alongside the rest of Hyrule's monarchy portrayed in this game. And I understand we're dealing in a lot of gods and god-like characters, but, even though they're LIGHTLY suggested to be flawed, it really gets glossed over, muddled, or just not addressed. And I think this is very purposeful to ensure that the narrative they want to share is maintained, even if there are some pretty glaring inconsistencies at time when you look through the cracks that are there.

Tl;dr: basically, I feel like there is a lot of gray area stuff that gets made completely black and white because od how the writers portrayed certain characters, how they chose to frame certain scenes, and the overall inconsistency of how they handle story elements just makes the story less interesting. It's fine. And they definitely did better in this game with story overall. But removing all the potential nuance and going hard on a black and white story is just meh to me.]