#actually please talk to me about all the rito

[tiredesperdad]

I've been thinking about their dynamic way too much since I've started playing age of calamity + replaying breath of the wild so here are some of my thoughts about Teba and Revali under the cut.

Like sadly age of calamity barely scratches the surfaces but man their relationship could be so interesting and if you ask me there isn't nearly enough Revali&Teba fanfic out there. I need them to bond in those "the champions live" AUs, I need it!

Anyway....

So we have Revali. Champion of the Rito. Master of the sky and greatest archer they have ever seen. He worked his ass off to create his gale and he's regarded highly among the Rito even a hundred years after his death. But also he was most likely still very young. There are different headcanons but I'd like to think that he was of similar age as Zelda and Link. We don't know anything about his family but either he wasn't really close with anyone while he was still alive or he lost everything in those 100 years he was gone (most likely a bit of both). He's a bit of a drama queen. He acts arrogant but we know from the champion's ballad dlc that he was rather insecure and putting up a front. He's the kinda guy you sometimes just wanna tell to shut up.

Then you have the Rito who look up to him. Nobody had a blood connection to him or really remembers him as an individual, not like the other champions. He's kind of a legend among the Rito.

And that brings us to Teba.

Teba, like the rest of the Rito, always looked up to their champion and the stories they were told about him. He's the best warrior the Rito have at the time of breath of the wild. He has a son and wife but still acts pretty reckless. Saki and Harth describe him as impulsive and Teba describes himself as rather blunt and direct. He seems like a bit of a grump but also is caring.

And now put those two together.

Like I just love this dynamic of Teba meeting /the/ Rito champion, the guy he spent his whole life looking up to and he's barely older than a fledgling. He's a kid whose kind of a dickhead but also absolutely has all of the skills that are remembered about him. But also like holy shit he's so young. And alone. There are no blood relatives left, everyone he knew is dead. He probably didn't even have many connections while he was still alive. Revali went through a lot of shit, too. Like depending on the AU he not only woke up 100 years later but he probably remembers the fight against windblight ganon, he remembers the fear, he remembers dying maybe. But also he's too proud to admit it and he doesn't open up to anyone.

But then there's Teba who is blunt, he's direct. So I'd like to think he'd be the perfect person for Revali in such a scenario because let's be real, Revali needs someone who will call out the bullshit once in a while and just flat out tells him what he doesn't want to hear but needs to hear. Maybe someone who sees him for the person that he is and not just the champion Revali.

Also I feel like at some point the Rito (in Revali's time) were looking up to Revali so much he really just lived that front of the Rito champion. He couldn't show weakness, he always had to be strong and perfect and couldn't make any mistakes. But that shit can't keep going and Teba probably would just.... kick his ass about it once in a while.

Plus I'm 100% accepting from age of calamity that Revali is good with kids and takes on Tulin/trains him (maybe even the other kids).

Anyway.... Just.... Revali's and Teba's dynamic man. I just love the thought of Teba being that adult that Revali so desperately needs but I also like the thought of these two shitheads impulsively going off all the time and driving Saki and Harth crazy. You have Revali who is about to do something stupid and everyone is like "ah thank god Teba went to stop him" but Teba 100% would go along with it almost every time.

Also sidenote: Give me those Kass and Revali bonding moments. There are exactly zero Kass&Revali fanfics on AO3 and it's killing me, I love Kass so much, please give Revali a calm adult who will play songs for him, thanks.

Also another sidenote: I know mute Link is a big headcanon in the fandom but I've always imagined that he's much more talkative after losing his memories and that would be the reason why he and Revali would get along a lot better if the champions ended up being alive after the 100 years of Link sleeping. A big reason why Revali dislikes Link so much is because he doesn't speak his mind and shows no emotions so I think they absolutely could get over this with Link just being more open (and Revali swallowing his pride for once) because he doesn't have to put up a front anymore.

[mvmnbnv]

Ever since one of the writers said that the caitvi fans "might like" something but will most definitely "hate" something else, i've been very cautious about them. cause both of these answers suck so much??? To hate something about a couple is honestly not encourging at all, but the other one being "might like" is not reassuring either?? cause it means there's a 50% chance i might not like it and??? that's such a red flag to me.

If the goal was to make me lower my expectations, it was very effective, the bar is now in hell.

I have to laugh, honestly. And i wince so bad whenever i see people getting excited about a potential sex scene cause i'm over there thinking "but at what cost???". It's jarring to me and i fear the fans will self-combuste if their storyline turns out to be a shit show. Also, they're not even official in the game either??? it's a big leap of faith for a story that we will "hate" and "might like". Please, it's baffling to me 😭😭

Don't get me wrong, i really liked them in season 1, still do like them and i hope i will keep liking them. I'm interested in what they'll do with them this season, but i've heard the warnings and i don't simply "ship" just because there's a chance they'll be "endgame". I want so much better for them, especially Vi. As it is, i actually could not give less of a shit if they are together by the end if their journey is a shit, unsatisfying, angst galore one. Especially if it's at the cost of either/both Vi and Cait's individual journeys and as characters.

Free my butch from the punching-bag character treatment the writers want her to have so bad, rito, i beg.

you pretty much summed up all my fears, even tho i completely forgot how the might like and definitely hate thing was phrased...like oh fuck...yeah it might be a wild thing to say but the relationship wouldnt even be worth it to me if it was just unsatisfying. i mean even in the game a relationship between them is just speculation of the people around them so eh...the game devs give them a lot together but again...if the story sucks i cant root for it anymore. and with everything thats been seen and said by the writers i feel like vi is gonna get the punching bag treatment, which makes me just not even want it to happen. i have a feeling im just gonna be writing fanfiction atp of vi with another character or an oc. hell even others have been talking about vi with other champs like Miss Fortune and one or a few of the girls from KDA. like damn we havent even seen anything but trailers and the writiers talking and we're this hopeless?? yea im just...

like you already have talk of fucking unrequited love and im like...no??? no no no thats not something thats cute or should be glorified wtf...but considering how the fandom is mostly just about cait n vi fucking and kissing and thinking this is unrequite love shit is oh so cute i wouldnt be shocked if they thought they could just skate by with shit that we "might like" and will "most definitely hate"...caitvi fandom is mostly shallow atp

[ivymyers]

Clingy (Revali x Reader)

Personal project. Enjoy! (requests are open)

Warnings: a little bit agnsty, point of view does not make sense, I wrote this kinda fast, Revali being a dick

“She’s so…goddamn clingy.”

You flinch as you hear these words uttered from Revali. It didn’t feel good, but he wasn’t finished and you could confirm who was definitely talking about.

“She always wants to spend time with me, I’m lacking in all my skills because of it. Y/n is such a distraction.”

You get that he likes to show off and brag, but saying this crap to the champions was too far. You had made such an effort to get them to like you. It hurt that Revali was killing your progress behind your back. Not to mention how absolutely hurtful this all was. All the times he wanted to hang out with you, you thought he was being sweet, different than how he was around others. It crushed your soul that he would say such hurtful things.

You ran out before you could hear the responses from the other champions.

—

All week you avoided Revali, whenever you thought of a fun idea for the pair of you, it was shot down by the neverending repetition of that phrase. Over and over it played until you couldn’t do anything but think about that.

—

You sat on the flight deck to feel the rushing wind in an attempt to drown your feelings. As the tears fell down your face you couldn’t stop thinking about what your Rito lover had said, even though a week had already passed. He called you clingy. What an awful thing to be called for trying to express your feelings. Although, you were finally beginning to see the reasoning behind it. You heard the footsteps behind you and immediately knew who it was.

“Y/n? Hey, I just wanted to see if you wanted to do somethi- are you crying?” His heart stopped when he saw tears.

“What?” you quickly wiped the tears from your cheeks.

“Y/n are you ok? I’m worried. You haven’t wanted to do anything with me all week.”

“I’m fine.” You say coldly. 

“Y/n what’s up?” Revali actually looks a little concerned now. “Do you want to talk somewhere?”

“No, I said I’m fine. Wouldn’t want to waste any of your precious training time.” With that you stormed off. Leaving Revali mildly confused.

—

[timeskip to later that night]

It was the middle of the night when you slipped out of the hammock. He probably thought it was annoying to have to share with you anyway. God, you were so annoying weren’t you? Once the tears started they wouldn’t stop, so instead of trying to calm yourself down, you just curled into a little ball to comfort yourself. 

The sound of you in distress woke Revali. Immediately he was terrified when you were missing from the Hammock. Hearing your sniffles from the corner made him feel sick. He hated it whenever you weren’t feeling your best. Instantly he got up to go sit down next to you. 

“Angel…what’s wrong?”

“Nothing Revali, I’m just trying not to act so…Goddamn clingy I guess.”

The room got quiet very fast. To see you in distress made Revali  anxious, but to know he was the one who caused it? He felt extremely guilty, and pissed at himself. 

“Y/n…”

“No, it’s fine, you don’t need to justify yourself, I understand, I’ve been putting myself first in our relationship too much. It’s my fault you haven't been enjoying yourself. I feel so bad Revali.”

You stared at him with tears flowing down your face and he wished he could take it all back. You were his whole world and he crushed you.

“I’m sorry y/n. Those words were…god I’m such a dumbass…” he closed his eyes and let out a sigh. “What I said to them last week, none of it was true. I was showing off and…it’s something I need to do less of. Please. Come back to the hammock with me, I couldn’t bear it if you left me.”

You followed him slowly and silently, thought jumbled and confused.

Revali, on the other hand, was freaking out inside. This distress he caused you, what if he messed you up permanently? He knew it would take time for you to regain his trust…but the way you feel must be ten times worse than how he does. He made a mental note to take you to your favorite spot in the morning and make your favorite meal. But for now, you were already asleep against his chest in the hammock.

---------

Hope you enjoyed! Sorry if it was kinda all over the place.

[imaginethezeldaverse]

Ahhh I love your work! Every work of yours I’ve read has been absolutely amazing, you write so beautifully. I was wondering if I could maybe request a Revali x reader headcanons of Rito mating season or heat/rut? Have a wonderful day/night as well!

Hmmm okay, I think I can give you a few off the top of my head, sure! Since we're talking about a mating season, I'm going to write reader a female/afab/child-bearing capable perspective, if that's okay. There's a headcanon I have that will involve that aspect (so trigger warning for that too btw - I'll add it in in the tags but just an fyi!) I also added a little mini fic in there for funsies lol enjoy!

It's overwhelming for him. Being with you is the first time his heat has ever truly affected him before, so the experience engulfs the poor Rito man. It's a new experience for you both.

He's scared he'll hurt you - like...actually scared. For as headstrong as he can be and how well he carries himself, he very much is still a hero - and that means no harm comes to people that don't deserve it. Especially you - who he loves so dearly and would give his ability to fly if it came down to it.

His instincts are so strong he almost can't control them this time. There's a sensation in him that needs to breed you - take you over and over until he knows he's successfully put a child in you.

Should you decide to help him, he's definitely not going to be gentle. You'll likely sustain some scratches, rug burn, and a few hickies here from his love bites. He's giving in to inhibition here, running with something more primal and animalistic than either of you are used to. But if that scares you - please heed his warning and leave! He absolutely would not hold it against you.

Afterwards, he's very cuddly and it's then you'll realize that he's made a makeshift nest out of a bunch of soft things he owned: garments, shed feathers, even all of his scarves that he's owned through the years. He'll hold you to his chest (and his heart is beating FAST), his chirps and trills are quiet but against your body you hear him clear as day. It takes a few minutes for him to slip back into a less animal-like frame of mind, so forgive him if he doesn't answer any questions or respond to you coherently right away.

Normally Revali had never had an issue with mating season before recent - without a mate to call his own, the ruts were never something he couldn't handle. However, after falling for you, the creation of an unbreakable bond of love and trust changes things inside him. His Rito DNA senses the deep affection he holds for you and ultimately alters his internal biology to reflect as such. So when mating season comes around, you're both blissfully unaware at first. Until you walk into his hut and find him doubled over. The scent of you hits him right away, and in a very rough, shaky voice he begs you not to come any closer. But you can clearly see that he's sweating profusely, feathers fluffed and tousled. He's disheveled and groaning in what sounds like pain so immediately you're thinking he's injured...or worse.

When you try to approach him again he raises his voice to leave him alone. "Please!" he begs - and the red alarms in your head are blaring because he is not one to beg for anything - "I need you...t-to leave..." his head hangs and his chest heaves as he tries to keep a semblance of his decency intact, "I c-c-can't...pro...tect you..." You look at him confused, protect you from what? There's currently no danger! Scanning the room, you still don't understand. But then you remember, from a book you'd read a while ago that Princess Zelda has lent to you (just so you could understand Rito culture a bit better) - spring always meant mating season. Your eyes connect with the foliage that peeks just outside of Revali's window - an elder tree in full bloom. So Revali was-- "Let me help you," you offer, realizing now why he seemed so pained. You didn't think about the decision, didn't think about the repercussions - all you wanted was for him to no longer be in distress. The black pupils of this emerald eyes withered to slits. His breathing picks up, a few short huffs away from a hyperventilation. With the last shred of coherent thought he could must, he exhaled out, "I'll...hurt...you..."

Perhaps it was your bravery, or maybe your caring, stubborn heart that would shrug off your coat, laying it on the ground before him. Revali watches you through his exasperated panting, the erection in his lower garments straining terribly, though he's trying to hide it. The groan he lets out sends a chill down your own spine when you move to gently cup his beak in your hands. As soon as you understood what was happening, you knew the risk of staying there. "I don't care, Revali...I know what you need..." his feather take on a more purple shade as he flushes, "...And I want to help you."

You barely have time to undo the bodice portion of your dress when your hands release his face and you turn to undress, because he almost immediately pins you down. His rush on your body has you landing a little awkwardly on your chest and stomach, but it's soothed by the sensation of long, soft fingered-feathers caressing your sensitive skin. The Rito's beak pecks everywhere he can reach, even plucking at your sleeves to release more of your skin from your dress. You feel his taloned foot wrap around your ankle, not necessarily doing anything to you other than anchoring you beneath him. His winged digits pinch your nipples to stiffness: the combination of those pulses of electricity and the very obvious hardness poking at your backside have you gasping already.

His rut makes him impatient; you know this as you already feel fingers circling your entrance, half to rile you up further, half to make sure you're ready. But again - Revali is impatient, and so up goes your dress, over your hips. There's brief shuffling behind you and then just as you brace your hand around what would essentially be his wrist, Revali is already spreading your legs and sliding between them. The pressure of him inside of you has you keening, and you're thankful for the little bit of foreplay you were given, making you just wet enough to accommodate him. The wing that toyed with your chest was now crowding around your neck, pulling your body upright and flush against his chest as he took you.

Revali is far less than gentle, the rough huffs and deep chitters falling over your skin as he held you still: one wing wound very loosely around your neck, the other gripping your thigh for purchase. His beak nibbled at whatever flesh he could reach. "Re...valiiiiii" you whined out, breath hitching mid thrust. But he could not hear you, his mind so incensed with fucking you to fullness, more avian than anything else as he slammed his hips into you. Yes, he would bed you multiple times that evening, and in multiple positions no less, spilling his seed so deep inside you, even he wasn't able to get you pregnant - he was surely going to take you like he planned on it.

------

After all is said and done, you eventually wake upon a bed of soft clothes and feathers. As you look down you realize it's shaped meticulously, as though it was made to have a form. It was then you realize his need to mate had him go through all of the motions: including building a nest for his mate. You look up at your Rito Champion, the tufts of his feathers much more relaxed than earlier as he rests. Your fingers gently stroke his beak, and the pleased chirp he lets out warms your heart. His wings wrap around your frame a little tighter; your hands waft through the down of his chest. You've no idea if this means you'll actually conceive or not - but you do know you don't mind in the least. You love Revali entirely, you wouldn't have offered if you didn't, and you're hoping that making love to him through his rut was proof enough. His beak finds your temple, carefully nibble and peck at the strands of your hair as if to preen you - it makes you giggle, his animal instincts still showing out in small ways as he settles down into sleep.

You'd assess any repercussions of his rougher handling when you awoke later, right now it just felt good to be in his arms like this.

[spaceless-vacuum]

Hi my friend sent me the request you did for them. And I love it so much

Can I request yandere gagons for yandere links playtonic x baby dragon's female reader ( been playing tears of the kingdom. And you can ride and climb the dragons.)

Like the found the little reader coming out of her egg and is kinda different then the other dragons she More like a naga dragon looking one but is to cute

Please and thank you ( I didn't know if you do ganondorf's so I put links on there to if you can't do the ganondorf s have a great day

Oot Ganondorf was a powerful sorcerer who was born to the Geurdo and raised by two witches. He has stolen from everyone and knows no bounds and murdered people, nothing can or will stand in his way. When he first finds your egg he's more confused with what's inside. Will you even hatch?

He doesn't know the power he holds but he can’t tell from the moment he sees your egg that you're his. The rare object is his birthright. In his eyes and no one was going to stop him from keeping it.

After some research he found out he came across a rare dragon egg. One that hadn't been seen in centuries. Despite it being such a rare gift the limits and knowledge on you were limited. He had no clue what to think, what you could or would do, or even how to raise you. He thought about passing you along to someone else to raise but as he kept you close and spent more time with you the two of you began to imprint on each other.

He brought you with him to Hyrule as he swore allegiance and he often rants to your egg about news and how the days pass. His plots and schemes remain his to know about but he loves to just talk to you. Once you hatch it's after the young hero emerges from the woods but before he faces or challenges Link.

The serpent-like creature was too small and weak to care for itself. He took care of you. Keeping you close all the time (not that you would stand to be put down) he kept you with him hidden in his pockets. Sneaking your food during meetings. You ate fruits and meats most happily and he was glad to see you thrive even in these conditions. It would take awhile until you grew up but he had hoped it would be sooner rather than later. He had plans that needed to go underway soon. 

Wind waker Ganondorf has this deeper character to him where he states his reasons for wanting to take over Hyrule is so he can give his people a better life. While i dont think this is actually the case, I think it stems more from the fact that he believes by some sort of bid he owns hyrule by right and can rule it better. What better way to take it all over than a dragon?

Flying through the air or swimming in the ocean either way will be a wonderful tool for conquering. At first when he finds the egg he assumes he'll use you like a tool the same way he does his bird. Once you hatch though he takes one look into those beady little eyes and realises, no… No, I can't do that to this creature. He does care for even his bird (he uses chickens hidden around the rocky shores of his fortress as enrichment and will throw the hideous creature people who cross him for food to hunt down)  but he can't think of you as a tool. Not even as a pet.

You're intelligent, far more so than he would ever expect and you've… What's the word? Tamed? Imprinted? Like the rito- eh it doesnt matter.

He doesn't know how to care for you but you're very smart and intuitively the both of you work it out. As you grow older and his plans start to grow bolder as he starts to kidnap the maidens. He keeps you by his side for this. Planning to keep you safe and by his side for his final fight. Talking to you and keeping you safe as you grow older.

Totk Ganondorf would have found you while planning to challenge Raru. Leaving his kingdom to swear fealty also meant being able to travel through hyrule proper and taking claim to whatever he figured he might need. He found you hidden away in some temple and was skewed with jealousy. Raru never did know what power he wielded and this was just another show of it. Items of rare and extravagant power are best suited to those that would use them.

This man is tainted with hate and the moment he sees the egg he has his claws in you. Planning for what he'll do once you wake up. A dragon is a terrible thing to waste. He keeps you warm with blankets and hides you until he's back home. You sit still until it's time for you to hatch and he trusts few with the task of guarding you.

You're a very sweet dragon in comparison to his cool exterior.  He only allows you to circle his keep and to go no further than that, lest you be discovered before he can put his plans into motion. When he goes to kill Sonia and enact his revenge he takes you with him. Hiding you in the room he killed the queen in so you may witness his rise as king in front of zelda and everyone else.

When he manages to slip away you dash after him, remaining out of sight. He also takes you with him to the keep that was made his tomb. He knows that as an immortal dragon you're doomed to stay alive all those years without him, and it stops you from running off. He impressions you with him. 

Unless you showed absolute fealty, keeping you here with him is a mercy. Otherwise he'd have to hunt you down and corrupt you with malice and neither of you would want that. He believes in you to stay there. Staying asleep until he wakes up himself. After damaging Link and ensuring Zelda is gone he goes underground with you by his side. Waiting for the fabled swordman to challenge him; he plans to fight with you by his side.

[ashleyleygraves]

Every time I look at Tears of the Kingdom criticisms, they aren't even about actual criticisms, they just don't like the story. It's fine to not like the story. But when you criticize, you need to explain why and how you would've fixed the problem. (No, saying "I would've changed the whole story" is not the why and how.)

For example, I didn't like that there wasn't any explanation on where the Sheikah technology went until a developer basically panicked in an interview and said that it just vanished after the Calamity. I would've made it so that while Purah is explaining the Purah Towers and/or Purah Pad, she offhandedly commented that she got the parts from the guardians/shrines/Divine Beasts.

What really irks me is the "but the story doesn't line up to past Zelda games" that's right. Good job on understanding that. Ocarina of Time had 2 direct sequels: Majora's Mask and Wind Waker. Zelda 1 has a direct sequel: Link's Adventure. Wind Waker has a direct sequel: Phantom Hourglass. Breath of the Wild has a direct sequel: Tears of the Kingdom.

The only thing that was promised was that it was a sequel (and technically also prequel) to Breath of the Wild. People take the timeline way too seriously. Twilight Princess is technically after Majora's Mask, but we are only told that from the timeline. The Hero's Shade was hinted at being the Hero of Time, but just like the Bridge of Hylia existing in BotW/TotK those hints were just made as a reference.

The Zelda timeline doesn't make sense. Why did 4 Sword adventure take place in the Child timeline? How does a "the hero is killed" timeline exist if the hero canonically wins? Why is it only Ocarina of Time that had the timeline split when time travel is a common thing in many Zelda games?

Sure, you are allowed to not like the story, but stop blaming it on Nintendo not caring about the Zelda timeline. They were all meant to be a brand of games with the same name, we as a community just wanted a timeline, so Nintendo just made one and threw it at us.

If you want to argue that it has no connection to Breath of the Wild, please replay the game again and see how many things are connected:

If you've played BotW, your horses transfer over

Zelda has made monuments dedicated to the people that lost their lives to Calamity Ganon

People still remember him. I've seen arguments that people don't; so I will say: talk to the Zora, the people around Lookout Landing, Master Kohga, the Sheikah, some of the Rito, Riju and her right hand, and Yunobo.

If you've beaten the Champions' Balad DLC, you keep the picture of the Champions.

Anyway, I just needed to rant because I keep seeing "criticisms" that are just bitching at the story, which as I said before: if you don't like the story, that's your opinion, but don't think that's what a criticism is because it's not.

[starlight-eclipsed]

Thanks for clarifying the sentence—it mostly made sense but that middle part was giving me serious trouble. I don’t think I would have figured it out without help.

Makes sense that I didn’t get it though—haven’t played totk—so I had zero references. I like seeing the language differences between what I presume is some variant of sky’s Julian compared to wild’s! It’s still intelligible but with very clear differences in spelling.

Adore that the Zonai were the ones to continue on telling the story of the hero of the sky and why. Of course the funky cat/dragon sky people told the story of the hero of the sky! It’s really fun world-building and yeah of course the people living in the sky would relate to a hero from similar circumstances (added bonus of claiming the god slayer to their line of succession). It’s a multipurpose legend!

Furthermore, it explains why Hylia is so prevalent in botw compared to literally any other game (not counting Skyward Sword). The retelling of the hero of the sky meant that some of those cultural practices got passed down to Wild’s era but it shifted from formal worship to more intimate worship. It’s utterly fascinating!

Please continue to give me world building! Are there any other headcanons you have on the other Hyrules or characters?

I wonder what sky’s reaction to knowing how prevalent he is still in wild’s era is?

Of course! To answer that last bit first: he's surprised to know that his hero title is remembered, but he doesn't know the true extent of how much people still know about him. He also isn't aware of how much time is between their eras--he knows that it's pretty distant, but to be fair he's used to interacting with long-lived beings from distant times. Sky hasn't really processed what it means for Wild's era to still remember him.

As for the rest: I'm not sure you understand what you're opening the door for, but I'm always down to talk world building and headcanons so let's go :D

Termina is in Lorule. It's from a timeline where their Triforce was never destroyed, so it's a lot healthier and resembles Hyrule more. Rifts between the lands still exist but are significantly more stable, so it's not uncommon for someone or something from one land to cross into the other. That's how Hilda was able to learn of Hyrule's Triforce--someone from Hyrule fell into their lands. It's more difficult in the other direction, and anyone who left Lorule while it was crumbling away was more than happy to pretend like it never existed, so that's why Zelda didn't know about it.

Seers are a big thing in Hyrule, and are the reason the different timelines know about each other. That said, visions of the past/future are indistinguishable from alternate timelines, so they don't actually know they sometimes see things from alternate realities--they just think they must've gotten something wrong. Seers that are able to catch glimpses of the heroes on their journey will often have their visions recorded as 'history'. This is why the mural in TP's castle town is so weird: it's an amalgamation of OoT and WW.

The Oocca tribe was related to the Interlopers. They used to be the same tribe of Hylian sorcerers that lived within the Sacred Realm. Much like the Sheikah/Yiga of botw, a schism formed and fighting broke out, with the force of their magic threatening to destroy the land. Those who would become the Twili were banished to the Twilight, and the others were sent to the sky (being given the Rito treatment in the process). Neither side would recognize the other, between the physical transformations and the amount of time that's passed.

Agitha(TP) is a descendant of Strich(SS). Her family is one of the oldest in the kingdom--and among the wealthiest.

Weather in this world is the work of spirits (technically they're a kind of fairy). It's all very localized, so that's why things like the Rod of Seasons and Song of Storms don't have disastrous global consequences. The Gale Boomerang houses one such spirit.

The moon cycle is associated with the Golden Goddesses. This is actually something I wrote in one of my wips (this one is gonna take years to finish, I just know it), so I'm gonna copy that section over:

“The moon’s magic only changes during a full moon, but I was talking about the offering part. Nayru is a-so-see-ate-ed with the in-between full and new moons.” Zelda chewed her lip in thought a bit before lighting up. “Because she’s the Goddess of Time!” He nodded with a face-splitting grin. “Din’s the new moon, ‘cuz she’s the start of the cycle and you need her fire to see well during it. And Farore is the full moon, ‘cuz she’s the end of the cycle and blesses the land with new life.”

To build off that last point, the Blood Moon is Ganon hijacking the full moon's normal power of respawning natural resources. And yes, this is my in-universe explanation for how Hyrule's ecosystem recovers so quickly and is so abundant. Ganon is very rightfully jealous--the one from OoT keeps trying to grab the Triforce of Courage for Farore's association but it never works.

And yes, the respawning thing applies to those who hold the Triforce of Courage.

The Downfall Timeline is already a retcon in of itself so I don't care too much about changing details: the hero never opened the door to the Sacred Realm in that timeline.

Chuchus take on the properties of magic they absorb, with varying degrees of efficiency depending on the era. Most are carnivorous and prefer to eat things while they are alive--the ones in TP have a broad enough diet to consume all ingredients necessary to brew a potion with their own body.

Cuccos aren't actually animals--they're actually related to the Lizalfos/Dynalfos/Aeralfos line. Much like Wolfos, Hylians domesticated them anyway.

[michpat6]

the champions shouldn't come back

I’ve been seeing a lot of people say that the Champions should come back to life in TOTK, and can I just say please no. This isn’t even about shipping, I don’t give a fuck about that right now, this is about narrative.  

Breath of the Wild is a story about grief. Hyrule is a grave and each ruin is a tomb. Zelda is holding the Calamity back from adding to the body count and Link is the only one who can help her stop him for good. To do that, he needs to help the kingdom move on from its death a hundred years ago. He needs to free the Champions’ spirits from the Divine Beasts and destroy Ganon and save Zelda.     

Based on how the map is laid out once you get the Sheikah Slate repaired, Vah Ruta is first. It’s closes to Kakariko/Hateno and the enemies are the easiest. The game tries to subtly funnel you in that direction with the random Zora laid out in the area, searching for Hylians for Prince Sidon, and there’s a reason for that, narratively. 

(or there isn’t and I’m reaching, but bear with me)

Mipha was Link’s childhood friend. She (and Zora’s Domain as a location) is the representation of his youth and the child he was before he pulled the Master Sword. She’s his innocence, ripped away by the sword a hundred years ago and handed back to him by the Shrine of Resurrection a hundred years later, even though he doesn’t remember. It’s how he rediscovers his lost innocence, through Muzu being pissed at him and Sidon hiding his sadness, an innocence which he loses again once he frees Mipha’s spirit from Vah Ruta. 

She tells him, “Yesterday, I was awash in a pool of tears. I had nearly given up hope and resigned myself to being trapped here, as a spirit, for the rest of eternity. But now you’re here”. In this moment Link faces the reality of what the Champions being dead means. He’s been told by everyone that they’re prisoners, unable to move on, but now he’s seeing it for the first time, hearing in Mipha’s voice the pain of what these hundred years have been. He knows now that he really is the light, our light, that must shine upon Hyrule once again and that if he wants to remember more, he needs to go free the next Divine Beast. 

In freeing Mipha, Link gets hope in the form of her Grace. 

The game tries to funnel you to Vah Rudania next. There’s a very easy path from the Domain to Death Mountain, with the stable where you get the heatproof elixirs close by. Goron City is the Okay, I know what’s really going on, now what? of the game. Daruk was Link’s rock (pun not intended but it’s true), a grounding presence, the person that keeps him himself once he’s saddled with the burden of being the Hero of Hyrule.

He calls Link to Death Mountain in the memories to show off his progress with Rudania, yeah, but also to have, like, guy talk. He mentions “all those delectable rocks” and then reminds Link that he’s not alone in protecting Hyrule, that, “I’ll protect this land of ours to the death!”. He’s reassuring Link that he’s got his back and then literally does when those rocks fall and he uses his Protection. 

Daruk gives him that Protection once he’s freed from Rudania, that encouraging smack on the back that says, Go get him for us. 

Then there’s Revali and Vah Medoh. Revali was a jerk to Link, and sure he’s jealous that Link is The Hero, that the Master Sword is arguably the most important piece of the “killing the Calamity” plan, and that all he’s going to be is glorified backup, but the point of Revali is that he keeps Link on the ball.

By that, I mean that Link’s little rivalry with Revali (whether or not he actually sees their relationship as such) is akin to, like, a sports team. There’s always that one person you don’t necessarily get along with, but you know you can count on them to push you to be your best and be there to pick up the slack whenever you stumble. Rito Village is home to Teba’s pride and the spirit of Revali’s arrogance lives within his landing, and Link is able to remember that one time Revali made fun of him for not being able to fly, how that eggs him on to find a way up to Vah Medoh in the present just to rub it in the archer’s face (at least, that's how I felt when I first played the game). There’s a method to Revali’s madness and it’s to make sure Link is in tip-top shape if he’s supposed to be the one to save the world. 

Revali then literally uplifts Link with his Gale after he has control of Medoh again.  

Finally, we have Urbosa. Like Daruk, she was a reassuring presence, but not in the sense of, I’m your shield, I’ll be watching your back. She’s comforting in the way having five 100+ damage Lynel weapons in your inventory is comforting. She’s reassuring in the sense of, I’m your sword, I’ll be next to you on the front lines. She reminds Link that despite his youth and the burden of the sword on his spine, that he has a duty to protect Zelda, and that by protecting Zelda he is protecting Hyrule.

She’s not forcing him into the role, but she’s keeping him on track whereas Daruk allows him to stray for the sake of his mental health/childhood. She’s saying, Be a child for as long as you can, but also be the Hero. It’s why she tells him to open up to Zelda, so he can have a friend his age that he can be around 24/7, so he can have someone to relate to (and so that Zelda can, too). Urbosa is the representation of Link’s duty and his relationship with Zelda (whether platonic or romantic, I don’t care in this context), and how that relationship with Zelda turns into Zelda finally unlocking her powers on Blatchery Plain. Without Urbosa’s presence, Link isn’t in the right headspace to even be the Hero.  

Now that Link knows exactly what he’s lost a hundred years ago, and what he’s then regained during his quest, he can take her Fury and use it as a conduit for his own. 

Link starts Breath of the Wild a blank slate tasked with saving the world. Throughout his quest, he remembers his lost childhood, but regains that little spark of hope, that thought of, I can do this. He remembers that he wasn’t alone in his task, that there were other people right there with him, and that it was the actions of a monster that took them all away from him, not the unheard prayers of the princess he was sworn to protect and then came to genuinely care for. He learns that there’s nothing he can do to change the past, that all he can do is let his dead friends move on and do his best to do the same.

It’s why he takes their weapons. It’s why he buys the house in Hateno. It’s why he furnishes it. It’s why he builds Tarrey Town. He accepts that his old friends are gone and that the best thing he can do for them is make new ones with the people who helped him free them. In dealing with his past, in accepting it, Link sets up his future for after the dust settles.

TLDR: To bring the Champions back to life in Tears of the Kingdom is to ignore all of the progress we as players made in Breath of the Wild, it ignores the point of the story the game is telling, and it does a disservice to the character arc that Link has over the course of the game.

[angeliczelda444]

Hello everyone! I wrote a little one shot for Tears of the Kingdom. A few authors notes before I publish below. I am a huge sucker for found family tropes. I love the bond Zelda has created with Rauru and Zelda as her parents. However, I feel like there wasn't much between Rauru and Zelda, so I wrote this one shot to capture their father daughter like relationship. Remember how Urbosa called Zelda little bird? Well, I thought it would be cute for Zelda to have a father like equivalent to this. I call this fanfic Sweet dove. A term of endearment Rauru calls Zelda. I hope you enjoy!

Sweet dove

Word count: 1444 Words

It's been 6 months since Zelda had been in the ancient past. A kingdom that is ancient even to the oldest living Zora of her time. This experience for Zelda has not been easy for her a first, but with the kindness and support from Rauru, Sonia and Mineru, she felt like she was not only welcomed with open arms but a part of their family.

The ancient trio had made an agreement to fulfill a role for Zelda. Sonia helping her with her time powers, Mineru helping her with research and Rauru helping her understand to role of royalty and to possibly help her with her light powers as well.

Today, she had spent time with King Rauru. He had a meeting with the Rito leader at the time and brought Zelda with him. She was in awe of what the ancient Rito Village had looked like and was fascinated to discuss how they could further their alliance to the Kingdom of Hyrule.

As Zelda and Rauru were heading back to the castle, they were discussing what they talked about with the Rito Leader and then eventually slipped into casual conversation

As they both got to the plateau, they walk by the area where Zelda has been training her Time power with Sonia. A calm area with apple trees with a few apples on the ground. She would even use some of those apples as part of her training.

"Ah, so this is where you and Sonia have been training and learning your time abilities. Now then Zelda, how has that been going for you?" Rauru asks.

Zelda looks up at Rauru and then smiles "It's been going well actually! I took Sonia's advice by drawing out the objects memory. It wasn't easy a first, but-"

Before Zelda could finish her sentence, she notices an apple falling right above her head. Rauru tells her to watch out but she then used recall on the apple immediately and it went back to its original position in the tree.

While Zelda stands there feeling accomplished, Rauru then looks to her and sings his praise. "With that, I can see you have improved my dear."

Zelda then smiles and giggles a little "I never thought I could learn so much about my time powers so quickly after Sonia gave me her advice!"

Rauru then chuckles "With this you're one step closer to your era! And if you please to do so, I could maybe help you with your light powers as well."

With this, Zelda's smile starts to fade slowly. Her smile turns into a face of distraught as she sighs. Her light power.....something she has great trauma with. Her father, King Rhoam had pushed her to the limits with this ability. A power that woke up too late in time of need.

Rauru then notices her demeanor change and asks "Zelda? Is everything alright?"

Zelda then sighs as she sits down under the tree of apples. "I apologize. It's just..... I've always had trouble with my light sealing power. I've had to use it ever since my mother died during the calamity Ganon. I remember my father pushing me to my limits with this. I let my love for study get in the way and because of this, it awakened too late. Causing everything and everyone I loved to perish and the kingdom to fall. And not to mention...I nearly let Link die because of this. I know my light power is useful but..." With this Zelda then places her head in her knees as she tried to not spiral out of control thinking about her past. "It's all too much with the burdens that came with this."

As Rauru stands there and listens to her struggles regarding her power of light, he then realizes how much this power had taken a toll on her well being. He immediately understands this.....because when he sees Zelda in this matter, he sees himself. He also was a lost young person with the same powers as her. His father was harsh on him. Badly. To the point of threatening his well being and loved ones. He remembers his great breaking point when he failed to save his people with his powers. Memories that once stained his mind with grief.

Understanding how she feels in this moment and to prevent her from spiraling out of uncontrollable anxiety, he sits down next to Zelda and puts his arm around her.

"Zelda, sweet dove, I understand how you feel. I truly do." He says to her in a gentle, fatherly tone.

Zelda then sits up and looks to Rauru. "You...do?"

"Yes, I do. I remember feeling so lost with this power around your age. I failed to save my people as well. But listen, your struggles with the power of light may not have had a pleasant beginning, but this does not define who you are now. Zelda, my sweet dove, I know you are doing such an amazing job so far by finding away home. But please, do not overwork yourself. Trust me when I say this. Sonia and I will never push you or force you to be anything you're not. The power of light is already within you and you have come a long way." He says with a smile on his face while slowly taking his arm off of her.

Zelda starts to feel better hearing these words and sighs in relief "I know I can be hard on myself. Besides, I have learned that my light powers will only awaken in great times of need. I have made peace with this. Even know my kingdom has fallen once, Link and I are doing all we can now to restore the kingdom to its former glory." She smiles as she thinks of Link by her side doing this.

Rauru the looks to Zelda with a tender smile "That's the spirit sweet dove." He says while nodding.

Zelda then looks to Rauru with such curiosity. "King Rauru, if you don't mind me asking, where did you get the name sweet dove from?"

"The name sweet dove you ask? Well...." He then looks at his bracelet with his secret stone of light on it. "It was a name my mother gave me long ago. She always said that I had an aura that was sweeter than honey. A ray of hope to shine within this world. And now, I pass it on to you. Zelda, dont ever forget your purpose. You were made for such greatness. With everything you're learning, I know you will do great things. You have become our pride and joy." He says as he pushes Zeldas hair back with his fingers. "Sonia and I are so proud of you....my sweet dove." He then gently pulls Zelda in for a hug.

Zelda immediately hugs Rauru back. She finds this moment to be heartwarming. She then realizes that these people are so much more than her descendents. She sees Rauru and Sonia....as her own parents. Unlike her own father, she feels a gentle presence with King Rauru. She loves this bond she has created with them both.

"Rauru....thank you." They both then stop hugging. Zelda notices something up in the trees. A golden apple! She then springs up to look. "Oh! Look up there! Is that....oh it's a golden apple! I've learned about this in my studies not too long ago. It's so lovely yet it is sucha rare find." She then tries to climb on top to reach it but struggles to. She sighs out of defeat. "It's too high up though. I really want to pick it for myself."

Now, Rauru could easily use ultrahand to grab it for her. However, he does not want to ruin this moment for his cherished descendent. So with this, he has an idea.

"Here, I'll help!" Rauru says as he lifts Zelda on his shoulder to help her pick the apple. As she was being lifted she felt a sense of thrill, knowing that he's encourahing her love for study this way. Zelda feeling immediately happy to see the apple in front of her, she grabs it.

As Rauru sets Zelda down, she turns to him with excitement. "Thank you so much Rauru! I cannot wait to show this to Mineru. A golden apple, what a discovery! I'll see you later, Rauru!"

She then runs off to the castle to find Mineru. Rauru then smiles to her from the distance admiring her adorable nerdiness. "See you later my sweet dove." He says with a smile.

[zarvasace]

So, um. Hi, it's me again. Happy new years and I hope you like badly planned posters because I sure have one for you.

I have more thoughts, now, and I'm going to try to put most of it into a post. I tried writing a scene but it was just info dumping and not very interesting, so here's me info dumping right to you! I'm including the full character illustrations too. Hop on in and let's go cruisin

The Setting

A galaxy with wormhole pockets that allow for quick interplanetary travel. Might be magic. There's a lot of technology and a little bit of magic. Despite all the technology, no sophisticated AI has actually worked out, so there aren't androids or anything, and robots aren't super common.

The Hyrule system has one star, called Hylia after the goddess. The star has three smaller star satellites, called Din, Farore, and Nayru. Several livable planets dwell in the system:

The Plains has native Hylians and Minish. It used to be called Hyrule until the name was expanded to cover the whole system. It's mostly towns and rivered forests, with one large continent and one enormous sea dotted with islands.

Ordon is a twin planet system with native Twili on one and humans on the other. Humans came to settle after the solar system united, and are still brand new to the area

Domain is a water planet where Zora live, high in seafood exports. Shallow Zora are generally even-tempered and are the ones that interact with others most often. Deep Zora are hostile and have designed their own ships to maraud abroad, though the Shallow Zora have a tentative peace treaty with them

Other planets I haven't named yet with Rito, Gerudo, Gorons, and forest fey

Long ago, when space travel through the Hyrule system just began, an impending apocalyptic war caused the Hylians to leave their native planet on a massive ship called Skyloft. Those on the planet were subject to wars and diseases and cataclysms until only one godlike lich remained. Those on Skyloft embraced peace and established relations with other governments throughout the galaxy (and intermarried. That's important.)

Eventually, a hero appeared, and the Skyloft Hylians returned home to rebuild.

Our Characters' Stories

Okay honestly I'm not sure yet about all this, so I'll mostly keep quiet. The broad strokes are as follows—an unsuspecting Link is employed as some kind of security by a large company, tentatively named Sorcerer Enterprises. The same company directs Shadow to kidnap him. They artificially activate Link's long-dormant non-Hylian genes to induce the split, turning him into four highly malnourished people with strong elemental associations.

Conditions aren't great, but our heroes (plus Shadow, eventually, and Zelda) manage to escape and topple Sorcerer Enterprises in the process. Unfortunately, there's a bigger fish. They escape with files and information, enough to know that Ganon is out there, intending to take over the system and the galaxy. They know how to stop him, they think.

Characters!

I talked a bit about them in my earlier post, so I'll just go through the illustrations and point out the details! Please forgive the iffy quality, I was trying to be fast and not perfect, and I think it turned out all right.

Green is associated with air. He's the pilot, and also wears a lil air purifier/compressor thing because he's generally in need of more oxygen than his lungs can normally get (thus the tube thingy.) He also has rocket shoes and a cool cape. :) The thing on his arm is a portable computer, most others have them, too. The bright cyan indicates cool technology, usually.

Red is, of course, fire, and gets cold easily. He has heat-resistant work gloves and here is shown lighting an explosive. Whoops. He also has a heated sweater but I decided to not draw it this time. His boots have steel-capped toes because he bangs into things on accident a lot.

Blue is water and gets warm fast, so his clothes are lighter materials. He usually has cans of compressed water on him, along with medical supplies and rations and flashlights and spare batteries and— anyway he has some cool armor stuff and an undercut (because that feels so right.)

Vio is earth and the tech boy. His weapon is his backpack, which can pop out with a tiny little artillery post. His hair is longer but not too much longer, he hasn't had a lot of time to grow it out. That jumpsuit thingy he's wearing was designed for an alien race that has an oozelike form, it squeezes and exerts pressure evenly across the entire body. As the earth-element-aligned, he doesn't like feeling as if he'll explode.

Ngl I love Zelda's design here. She's not exactly a princess here, but she does have traces of light magic. She's also good with a gun. Her elbow and knee pads can give her a full-body shield if she needs it.

Shadow is a genetically modified clone of the original Link. They made him to be a replacement, or a nemesis, he's not sure, but he's on his way to find his own identity now. (he might go a little too far sometimes. He painted purple flames on his boots.) Is his hair fluffy enough?

Their ship isn't new, but it's not garbage, either. It's a bit small, with six of them. They have a quest!!

And those are most of the thoughts that are solid enough to share XD mostly I just drew silly art.

[its-captain-sir]

oh my gosh, genuinely- PLEASE tell me about your turtles/zelda crossover

YESSSSSS I HAVE BEEN ENABLED ok ok ok so. don't have any explanation for Why it happens but the turtles end up in Hyrule at some point before the calamity. They're not together when they arrive, but rather split up amongst the four major regions. I'm sure you can see where this is going as to me drawing connections between the turtles and the champions hakdhskdjs I'm still missing a lot of the plot reasoning for all that to make this a truly solid au idea, right now it's kinda just been me thinking about who would be best matched with who, though it does get a little more complicated than just magically appearing in front of a champion and going from there

Meeting Mikey is point where it all sorta starts in my head. It's actually Zelda and Link who run into Mikey first on their way to Gerudo Town! He's just kinda been wandering the desert for a day or so after getting turned away from the town, and up until this point he actually has no idea that he's in a different universe, he honestly thought there was some kind of portal mishap and he ended up by another hidden city somewhere else in the world. Getting everything actually sorted out is a bit of a mess, but Zelda promises to help him search for his brothers, he and Link become cooking besties, and then they have him tag along to meet Urbosa. These two I paired together mostly because I felt like their powers of fire and lightning complimented each other well, and Mikey's chains might just be fast enough to help prevent something later on...... :)

Raph ends up in Goron City! In the hot springs more specifically, as it's the only place protected from the heat as Death Mountain becomes more active. Luckily Daruk was out and about though, so he finds Raph pretty quick before he spends too much time alone and takes him back to the city to get fireproof elixirs and eventually a custom fit set of fireproof armor. Raph has a BLAST with Daruk and they definitely spend a lot of time sparring (without having to hold back too much!) and showing off their different protection powers! Eventually though they do set off towards Hyrule Castle hoping someone there will have the answers to how Raph got here and where everyone else is.

Leo ends up in the Hebra Mountains and his first meeting with Revali is Absolutely Horrible. for Revali. Kinda like Mikey, Leo was on his own for a bit wandering around, except he ran into wayyyy more monster camps. Just bokoblins so nothing too bad, but it does mean his new motto becomes stab first talk later which makes for a bit of an issue when he runs into a Rito patrol spearheaded by Revali. They think he's a monster, he thinks they're monsters, it's a mess hdkdhdkfhd just as he's about to enter a really serious fight with Revali he finally gets clued in that these are People rather than monsters, so he drops all pretenses in his usual manner and backs off instantly and Revali's just left scrambling like "what." And really it only gets worse for him from there cause here's yet ANOTHER blue coded sword wielder except this one. this one tries to be annoying to him on purpose. Leo has absolutely no qualms about throwing all Revali's bullshit right back at him and pesters him beyond that just for fun (he's just similar enough to Donnie that Leo knows alllll the right buttons to press). Revali wants to get rid of him right away, but who knows, maybe Leo's portals would be enough to make a difference in the final hour if Revali had him on his side.......

Donnie is the only one to appear right in front of a champion right in the middle of Zora's Domain, so there's no escaping meeting Mipha hskfhskdhsj she's very nice to him though! And he likes how thoughtful she can be and that she's not overly loud. There's also something to be said about being long ranged weapon buddies <3 it's honestly just a very nice match up that quickly comes to be built on a lot of respect for each other, and so Mipha is the one who offers to accompany Donnie out of the domain and to Kakariko Village where hopefully the researchers there will have some answers (but Donnie will have fun exploring their whole entirely new form of tech regardless hskdhskdjs and he definitely becomes close with Robbie and Purah)

Eventually everyone heads back or gets redirected to Hyrule Castle and an actual reunion can happen! As for what happens after that point.... I don't know really. The only other ideas I've tossed around are how the blight fights could potentially go if they all had a little extra help on their side. If anything, I think this crossover would be in a similar vein to hwaoc, just not as easy and without time travel forewarning hskdhskdhsj it's something to keep thinking about though! Thank you for indulging me in my ramble cause I really do have so many thoughts and ideas about this hakdhskghsj

[bugcatcherwill]

Rage Against the Calamity - Chapter 58: Hylian and Rito Hospitality

Bokoblins, Moblins, Lizalfos, and Wizzrobe. One of each has managed to break free from the Malice that binds them. With their tie to Ganon gone, these monsters must fight to survive in a world where everything wants them dead. Yet, things are not always what they seem. For as unforgiving a land as Hyrule, it will continue to surprise even the most hopeless hearts. This is the story of those four monsters, and all their unlikely allies…

Also on AO3

It was a few hours into the afternoon and all of Akkala Stable was in a ruckus. Rudi's loose lips had keyed everyone in on the Lab's little secret before they planned on breaking the news, and the stable's reaction was exactly what Hoz had been trying to avoid. The residents and travelers alike yammered on and on about the situation, the implications, and most importantly, what to do. Hoz's pencil-thin mustache twitched in aggravation as the mini-crowd refused to settle down. Desperately he tried to gain control.

"My fellow Hylians, can we please simmer down?" he said, getting completely ignored. He removed the steel soldier's helmet on his head, a relic of the past that was still in pristine condition, and clanged against it with his fist several times.

"Again, can we please have some quiet to discuss this?"

A few members of the crowd softened up, but the loudest ones only raised their voice - too enraptured by their own conversation to notice.

"HEY!!!" Rudi, the stablehand next to him, shouted as loud as he possibly could. That inflection was only used when he really needed to get control of the horses, but it worked on Hylians well enough too. The entire stable turned white-eye, even those that had stopped talking long ago, and brought their attention to Hoz and Rudi standing atop chairs.

"Now then," Hoz said, pinching his dark brown goatee, "let's try our best to come to a consensus civilly and quietly. Of course, we wouldn't have to shout if Rudi kept his damn mouth shut until now, but I digress."

The grizzled dirty-blond Hylian twirled one of his hair tassels bashfully. He couldn't help but blab, with his whole job involving shooting the breeze with the entire stable. Still, looking at the panicked faces below him, he felt quite a bit of regret.

"Since no doubt everyone has a different account of what happened in their head, despite only us two even being there, I'm going to clear the air and tell you all exactly what I saw. Alright?"

Hoz was already preparing for the worst. When you have the job of the only "soldier" in that region, a lot of your dealings with the public involve wild goose chases and petty squabbles where nobody could get their story straight. Weakly, several faces in the crowd silently nodded, letting him finally speak his mind.

"Good. Okay, this all happened during my morning patrol. I heard a commotion at the Lab up the hill, and I found Robbie and a few Sheikah trying to wrangle an Eldin Ostrich around. You all know Robbie, right?"

Those that lived around the stable and the regular merchants all let out a round of staggered 'Yea…'s, having seen the man come down for food and supplies numerous times. Although most interestingly, his grocery list had amplified nearly tenfold in recent weeks.

"I also, however, saw an assortment of monsters run out of the Lab, too. But the shocking part was their demeanor. None of them acted like usual monsters, and they seemed to help the Sheikahs wrangle the bird, yelling words of their own, though I couldn't hear what they were saying. I saw a Lizalfos, a Blue Moblin, and two Wizzrobe amongst them. Once they managed to get ahold of the ostrich, they all grouped together and walked to the back. That was the last I saw of them today. Rudi can vouch for me because he saw most of it, too…"

Eyes turned to the stablehand and he nodded confidently, his bushy handlebar mustache covering his slight frown. Hoz continued.

"To tell you the truth, it was actually…pretty funny to witness. Never seen a Moblin panic like that before, heh," he said to a very tepid crowd, forcing him to awkwardly clear his throat, "But as you can see, there's been no monster attack on the stable, or anything of the sort. There were no burnt crops, poisoned wells, or mind-controlled Hylians. I'm sure we would have noticed some of the outlandish things I've heard this morning, and I'd like to remind you all that rumors are dangerous. They can very easily lead to unneeded panic and mass hysteria, which is why I try to do my job as best as I can - to prevent these misunderstandings."

A few members of the crowd tugged at the collars of their shirts - embarrassed that they did exactly that.

"But that still leaves the unanswered question of why we saw non-hostile monsters seemingly living with Robbie and whatever other Sheikah were up there. I'm sure if I just paid him a visit, we could get an answer straight from the horse's mouth."

Like steam erupting from a kettle the entire crowd exploded with negative rebuttals - nearly screaming at Hoz to let him know their opinion on his idea. The soldier recoiled back holding his open palms out while fists were raised in objection.

"What are you, crazy?!"

"You got a death wish, Hoz?"

"No! Don't go up there!"

Hoz finally raised his voice loud enough to carry over the rest.

"Whoa, whoa, HEY!" he shouted, Rudi nodding with a stuck-out lower lip showing even he was impressed with that one, "Now I've known Robbie ever since I got stationed here! He's been nothing but kind to all of us and even solved a few of our problems. It's hard to believe he'd be up to anything malicious after all he's done to keep this stable safe…"

He deliberately left out the fact that Robbie had recently used the de-aging rune on himself, knowing it'd only seed more panic and crackpot theories. Rudi gave Hoz a side-eye, knowing the Sheikah man's secret too, but let it slide for now. That still did little to temper the growing mob. Many voiced objections, with one in particular patiently raising their hand to have the floor.

"Didn't you hear about what happened at Hateno? You used to live there didn't you, Hoz? It was all because of the Sheikah Lab there, and they were hiding monsters, too! The woman responsible and the monsters were never found in the wreckage, either! It must be the same group, and the same might happen to us!"

More jeers were hurled that made Hoz wince painfully. He just knew this would come up if he had this meeting.

"I've heard the stories, yes. It's nearly impossible to get anywhere in Hyrule without hearing it," he said, crossing his arms and desperately trying to maintain the voice of reason, "But remember what I just said about rumors? Or do you think they did exactly what we're doing now? Riling ourselves up over nothing but assumptions!"

He was met with immediate anger, an unknown patron going so far to hurl a crumpled up piece of paper at Hoz - bouncing harmlessly on his head.

"You're calling children almost getting eaten an assumption?!"

This was already spiraling out of control. Fists balled with exasperation, Hoz stomped his leather boot on the chair and nearly cracked it. Just enough silence broke for him to speak.

"Remember the Fang and Bone incident? The whole reason I came up to Akkala? Eeeeveryone was coming to me terrified of some evil dark-magic wizard that was selling severed monster heads and trying to kidnap children in the night! And because of all that I almost cut down some weird eccentric, but ultimately harmless, Hylian in cold blood! What an awkward apology that was, right?! And I feel like the only one still feeling guilty about it! Sound familiar to you?"

For the briefest of moments, the mob felt a modicum of shame. The near-trance they were snapped out of forced them to look at each other's panicked ghost-white faces and actually think about the logical next steps. Thankfully for them, a stray voice was not so easily swayed by reason and enabled them to throw the blinders on their brains once again.

"But this time it's an actual monster! Scratch that, monsters! More than one! We have to do something!"

The steaming kettle whistled again, the crowd now all yelling their various ideas - none of them particularly pleasant. Hoz threw his fists downwards and glared into each and every face he could see.

"Well I'm not giving any of you the key to the munitions shack until I see some proof that we should resort to that!" he shouted so forcefully his helmet went askew, squinting his eyes nearly shut and pointing his finger so fiercely it could poke an eye out, "And the key isn't even on me - it's hidden well. So good luck with…whatever you plan to do unless you convince me those monsters I saw are an actual threat! I was sent here to keep you all safe, and that includes stopping you from yourselves!"

The bloodlust in the Hylians' eyes finally relinquished, if only for a moment. While they were an angry mob, they were an angry mob confined by the superficial barrier of politeness. They could, for all intents and purposes, simply bust down the walls of the shack and grab whatever torches, swords, and bows were stocked there. But that would go against their idea of law - regardless of whatever they were going to do with them immediately afterwards that directly broke said law. Almost acting like a representative, a lone Hylian separated from the sea of the crowd. He was one of the permanent residents of the Akkala Stable that went by the name Khini.

"Well you can twiddle your thumbs and wait for something bad to happen! We will find the evidence ourselves to ensure our children can sleep safely each night!" he said with a huff, practically dismissing the crowd by himself.

Some Hylians dispersed entirely, realizing they still had their daily work and schedules to keep track of. A decently sized portion stayed, however, following Khini almost like how ducklings follow their mother. Exhausted bags under his eyes, looking as though he missed several nights of sleep, Hoz turned to Rudi who just morbidly chuckled in response.

"Now do you see what I put up with on a daily basis before you got here?" the stablehand said.

The soldier rolled his eyes, getting a sudden desire to reach for his flask normally reserved for nightly fun and take a long swig.

"I don't know why you didn't side with them considering how you reacted this morning," he said disdainfully. Rudi scoffed and readjusted Hoz's helmet with a petty flick of the finger.

"Tch. I'd sooner try to keep a Lynel in the stables. Besides, now that I've had time to think, all of this seems…off. I've seen monsters. Too many monsters. Those monsters I saw…they were monsters, all right, but they weren't monsters. I would like to know what really went down at Hateno."

Hoz wearily sat down in his chair and pouted, his thin mustache shifting to the left and to the right.

"You could come up with me and ask them, like my original suggestion."

"Do you think they will let us get further than ten steps?" Rudi said, motioning to the rowdy circle of Hylians plotting around a nearby table.

"Grrgh…fair point."

…

While Teba properly led Kobb up and down the village, the Bokoblin nearly gave itself whiplash from spinning its head around. It hadn't gotten the chance to admire the scenery when it was led around bound by rope, but now that Kobb could go as it pleased its hands spent a good amount of time gripping the wooden railings as it gazed across the lake and every which way between. Its large snout vibrated in content with every breath, desperate to keep that fresh breezy pine smell. Many of the other Rito denizens found Kobb pleasantly endearing, often laughing or smiling at its reactions. It'd been quite some time since there was a new visitor to the Village, let alone a special case like Kobb - and it was always entertaining to see someone's first experience. 

Before long the sweet and savory smells of cooking all around it started to get to Kobb, its mouth subconsciously watering. It had missed lunch due to this whole debacle and Teba could hear the angry complaints of its stomach. Stifling a grin, he led Link and the Bokoblin all the way down the spiral boardwalk to the floating fish farms that encompassed the rock archipelago of Rito Village. Kobb was in awe at how well everything was seemingly built into nature. For a while it forgot about the hunger pangs and just watched the Rito fishers walk all around the bobbing wooden platforms, peering into the square holes that led to the netted tanks, occasionally pulling a fish out to measure and weigh it, before taking notes and tossing it back in.

When it was ready, all Kobb had to do was pick out a fish from the tanks deemed "ready to eat", and the Ritos there would gut and prepare it on the spot. Link was there to help it choose a nice healthy one. From there all they had to do was walk back up and either cook it themselves, or pay someone at the inn to cook it for them. With a hearty wave Teba took off to meet them at the top - using the updrafts from the lake to soar all the way up. Kobb and Link had to take the grueling stairs.

But the effort it took made the first bite of seared Hylian Trout all the more divine.

Kobb softly squealed in delight the moment the flaky buttery fish passed its lips. The tips of its ears twitched in delight, leaning its head back with eyes closed, ready to dive in for more. It had to hold back its ravenous appetite just to savor every bite. Zayl's cooking was objectively better, but the fish being as fresh as can possibly be was hard to beat. Although it made sure to take notes watching the dish get prepared - ready to ask Zayl to replicate it as soon as it'd return. Both Kobb and Link ate at the table in Teba's house, sharing their meal with him and his wife Saki. She had been brought up to speed long ago, but there was a difference between that and actually sitting this close to a Bokoblin. Regardless, she welcomed Kobb with a smile and gave it a wide hug with her bright purple wings, telling it that every guest always gets a "mom hug". Link tried to tiptoe away, not exactly the most touchy-feely with most people, but was grabbed by the shirt collar and hugged all the same.

"You know, I never expected Bokoblins to look so adorable up close…" she whispered to Teba, who playfully rolled his eyes and pushed her on the shoulder. There was still an empty seat, one higher up and smaller than the rest, and Saki's impatience soon showed.

"Oh where in Hyrule is that boy, he disappears like a falcon in an updraft, I swear…" she grumbled, getting up and sticking her head out of their open-wall house. Link gave Teba a smarmy little eyebrow raise, who rolled his eyes again. He never liked to raise his voice, personally.

"Tulin! I told you already, dinner's done! Don't let it get cold!" she shouted, her voice echoing through the whole village and giving Kobb some secondhand embarrassment.

Less than a minute later it saw the spitting image of Teba, only much smaller, bobbing up and down as the Rito child ran as fast as his tiny legs could carry him. Unlike Teba, the little one's eyes sparkled like his mother's. His wings were mostly developed, but Kobb doubted he'd be able to fly like the grown Rito for at least another few years. That didn't stop him from trying - taking a big leap every few steps and flapping his wings frantically to slow his descent ever so slightly.

"Aw, c'mon, mom!" Tulin whined before getting promptly scooped up in her wings, "I was on a mission!"

Saki giggled and nuzzled her beak into her child's feathers, tickling him as he kicked his talons playfully.

"Ohhhh is that so? Well your new mission is to finish that plate in front of you, so my little fledgling can grow big and strong like your father!" she said, plopping him down in his seat and tying a handkerchief around his neck. Tulin immediately began scarfing his meal down, needing a little correction on manners, before finally looking up and nearly jumping out of his seat when he saw the familiar Hylian at the table - somehow completely glossing over the Bokoblin also across from him.

"Link!" he cried, the Hylian giving him a little wave, "You're here again! I've done so much since last time!"

Link leaned forward with an elbow on the table and the hand on his chin, giving Tulin his undivided attention.

"Oh, you have?" he said with a warm smile, playing the role of a visiting uncle, "What have you been up to since I've been gone?"

Tulin's eyes lit up again and immediately began talking a mile a minute.

"So first I flew all around Hyrule three times! And then I beat up a Stone Talus with my friend Molli all by ourselves! And then I used my bow to hit an apple from a THOUSAND steps away! And then…"

The Rito child chirped on and on but Link stayed attentive the whole time, egging on Tulin to go into the thrilling details, which he did with great embellishment. Teba and Saki couldn't help but smile when they looked at each other, seeing Tulin's beaming face. Eventually he was running out of his 'missions' to talk about and his attention strayed, finally noticing Kobb that had been sitting at the table the entire time.

"Whoa! You're a Bokoblin!" he said, pointing his wing towards Kobb's large snout. Teba and Saki tensed up a little, wondering what either of their reactions would be. Kobb simply straightened its back and puffed out its chest slightly.

"Yes I am!" it said matter-of-factly, having at least some experience with the boundlessly energetic youth thanks to Ashen. Tulin's eyes sparkled with intrigue as he had never actually seen a Bokoblin in real life before - only in picture books and stories.

"That's so cool! …Can I fight you?"

"Tulin!" Teba and Saki shouted in unison, their feathers ruffling from embarrassment as they tried to quell his loose beak. Meanwhile Link and Kobb nearly choked trying not to laugh from the sheer brazenness of the child.

"What? I could see what it's like to fight a real Boko-mmph mmpph!" he tried to say before Saki covered his beak.

"Heh, kids can be pretty blunt sometimes, huh?" she said, blushing through her purple and white feathers, trying to deflect from the faux pas.

Kobb just laughed it off, much to their relief.

"Heh. It is fine. I am used to bluntness - though mostly from ones much older than this one…" it said with a morbid chuckle before turning to the Rito child, "Tulin, you hopefully will not need to fight any Bokoblins, but when you are old enough to hold a sword on your own we can have a friendly spar."

A muffled "Woo-Hoo!" could be heard behind Saki's wing, causing both the mother and the father to sigh. Thankfully that day seemed far enough away that they wouldn't have to worry about it for a while.

Once dinner was finished, Teba took Kobb and Link over to Revali's Landing - which offered a beautiful view of the sunset. The whole time Kobb sat itself next to Link on one of the benches, it was approached by several of the Rito children. Before one even walked up, Kobb spotted the whole gaggle of them watching from a distance - arguing amongst each other over who should go up to it first. One-by-one they took their turn running up to Kobb and either saying some childish quip, or making a playfully rude gesture and running away frantically giggling. Sometimes Kobb would return the gesture or stick out its tongue and make a raspberry sound, causing the small Rito to laugh even harder and sprint back to the group. With every visit it'd look back at Link and exchange a knowing glance.

"You'll get used to it, they don't see non-Rito that often - especially in times like these." Link said, having dealt with this exact bombardment of nosy fledglings, himself. Just as he said that, another one ran up to Kobb.

"If…if you're a Bokobwin, where's your cwub?" she said, leaning forward and back on her talons with wings politely held behind her back.

"I do not have one!" it said with a shrug, "I prefer a sword, like how some Ritos do not use a bow."

"Oooooo…pwefer…that's neat! Mother warned me not to talk to the Bokobwin, but you're pwetty nice!"

That last comment especially broke Kobb's heart and it had to restrain itself from showing too much emotion as the child bounded back to the group, the rest of the fledglings cheering her on and patting her on the back before finally running off somewhere else. With a deep breath Kobb stood up and looked out from the landing across Hebra. But it didn't have a chance to dwell for long as it was interrupted by stomping footsteps and a loud AH-HEM.

It turned to see exactly what it hoped wouldn't be there: a very pissed-off Thrush standing before it with his wings crossed in a withheld rage. Kobb's attention turned to a spot on the Rito's leather tunic. It was pristine and unblemished unlike the rest of the uniform - with holes around the outline where stitching once was. The shape was that of the crest Kobb has spotted throughout the village and on the other Rito guards. The two stared each other down - Kobb matching Thrush's scowl as it had yet to hear a genuine apology from him. And it didn't think that was why he came. Once again several other nosy Rito perched around the landing, waiting to see the conclusion of this altercation.

Without a word Thrust reached his wing up and behind his head, prompting Kobb to instinctively grasp at its sheathed sword. However the disgraced Rito Captain didn't reach for his bow. With a near silent poink he yanked a good-sized feather out of his plumage. It was a beautiful deep sea green, perfectly uniform in hue. The feather was then whipped towards the Bokoblin with a sharp fwish. The pointy end stuck perfectly between the wooden planks of the landing right at Kobb's feet. The crowd gasped and murmurs filled the surrounding pine air. Kobb looked down then back up at Thrush, feeling more out of loop than ever, its scowl replaced with a surprised confusion.

"Well?! What is your answer, monster?" he shouted, beak quivering in rage, "I cannot sink lower than I already have so I might as well take you down with me!"

The Bokoblin's perplexed stare continued.

"You're being challenged to a duel of Rito combat…" Teba muttered, leaning over into Kobb's ear.

"...to the death?" Kobb asked back, shocked at the assumption that Thrush would risk his life to prove a point like this. Teba burst in a deep laugh, not expecting that question.

"No, but close! To establish the pecking order. To claim yourself as the superior fighter. Although for non-Ritos, I wouldn't-"

"I accept." Kobb said, snapping its head towards the challenger without even hearing the rest. While it wasn't the vengeful type, the prospect of knocking Thrush down a peg or two was too tantalizing to ignore especially when the memories of that morning were still fresh and bitter in its mind.

"Wait, Kobb…don't-" Link tried to say, knowing the Bokoblin was being hustled and it knew none of the details involving Rito duels. But it was too late now that the growing crowd had heard it say yes. Another gasp followed, along with Thrush beginning a quiet chuckle that grew to a roaring cackle.

"Hah! Haha! Ahahaha! I can't believe it! You actually accepted! No backing down now! See you at the range in two days, hope you can grow wings before then! You probably should have listened to your Hylian friend!"

Thrush leapt up into the air triumphantly and circled around the main spire several more times before flying off out of sight - his maniacal laughter carrying throughout the air. Feeling more sheepish than ever, Kobb turned with purple-flushed cheeks towards Link and Teba, who both looked at the Bokoblin with unamused frowns.

"I…what should I do now?" it asked, knowing better than to make excuses for the situation it sprinted head-first into.

"Now," Link said, pinching the bridge of his nose with an all-too-familiar migraine, "we get your archery up to snuff and somehow teach you to fly because your mouth talked faster than your brain…"

[iiryebreadii]

I wanna write my thoughts on my playthrough of totk as I go along (cause I love going back and reading them after finishing), so I'm gonna post them on this blog!! If you're sensitive to spoilers like me, make sure to blacklist "#totk liveblog" :)

It got kinda long so I'm putting it under a cut haha

that being said, my beginning thoughts to the opening of the game were basically OMG ZELDA HI ZELDA I MISSED YOU LOVE THE HAIR OMG HI like she was so cute!!! I LOVED getting to walk with her in the opening it made me like actually emotional. Cause you never get to just!! walk with her and talk in botw!! She's SUCH a nerd I loved her info dumping on the ruins. At the same time I was like "girl please stop walking into the ominous red fog I can hear the chanting in the background getting louder ZELDA PLEASE" and the bit where you have to choose to keep going? It's like the game is giving you a false out, like the following events are your fault because you chose to walk forward and investigate

And then there was the craziness of MUMMYDORF being all like "mm pathetic. weak lil baby sword can't do anything lmao rauru was soooo dumb" and he can identify Link and Zelda on sight despite them being entirely new incarnations which I find very interesting

Then SHE FALLS AND LINK JUMPS AFTER HER AND HE DOESNT SAVE HER AND SHE DISAPPEARS AND AJHDJHDJSNKJAK

Also I got really sad about the master sword?? Fi girl I'm so sorry I promise I'll find a way to fix you :'( when you pick her up on the sky island and she's got 1 damage, less than a tree branch, I was just heartbroken. Though it does make me wonder, how much power has the master sword lost over the millennia, for it to be corrupted so thoroughly by Ganondorf's magic?? Maybe we'll get a chance to get her up to full power later in the game? Maybe reforge her somehow?

On the sky island when I was running around, I was convinced I missed the shirt in the beginning. I got the leg wrap things but no weird toga to go with it?? Straight up thought I somehow missed it even though I practically combed every area I walked through lol. My friend was playing with me and he made it their mission to find the shirt HAHA

The new mechanics/powers are so much fun!! After I got ascend, I kept forgetting I had it at first when I got stuck in underground places, and would wander around looking for a ladder or a climbable wall before I would be like "oh yeah I have ascend" lol. Fuse has been really cool! I love using extra long spears, they're so convenient for tough monsters cause I'm still Very Squishy. OH speaking of, I love that the opening addresses why you're back down to three hearts and a single stamina wheel!! once again, link has Almost Perished. But at least he has a sickass prosthetic from a dead guy!

Ultrahand is SO fun, I made myself a little jet when I was exploring the underground of hyrule with some fans, a 'wing' glider thing, and a ramp made of stone walls. It didn't go too terribly far BUT it got me over the Ganon Gunk I was trying to get past, so it was a success in my book!!

Recall is my favorite. I don't use it much yet but zelda gave it to me. So it Must be my favorite. It was a gift from my beloved.

Some other notes on getting back to the surface of hyrule:

PURAH IS FINALLY AN ADULT I'm glad your anti-anti-aging rune worked out for you girl

How long has it been since botw?? Also, how long were Zelda and Link missing??? Long enough for people to have named the Upheaval, and to organize groups for research and combat around it. How long was Link out in that sky cave?? How long did it take for Rauru to heal him/give him his arm??? Not years obviously, but maybe a few days?? Weeks??

Met a rito named Penn, I already know people are gonna be weirdly thirsty about him

The little Korok buddies needing to reach their friends is just. SO cute. Two for one korok seed deal also

Addison, the guy putting up signs for Hudson's construction business, is amazing. I help him with his sign and he's like "THANK YOU TAKE MY MONEY TAKE MY FOOD TAKE MY WIFE TAKE MY CAR I CAN NEVER REPAY YOU FOR THIS". and he does that every time. incredible

I'm still exploring in hateno but. guys. Links house. Zelda LIVES there and there is STILL ONLY ONE BED. I rest my case.

Also the school??? Zelda, who dedicated her life to her duty but had a love of learning, making her duty of restoring hyrule by starting with building a school and being a teacher??? The students call her Ms. Zelda??? brb crying. sobbing my eyes out. good lord.

Also Bolson built the school, but then he left to go on a trip??? Construction grandpa i need you here!!! don't leave!!! But also maybe it's good that you left. I don't want you to be here for the Ganondorf Revival. stay safe king

My horses from my last botw save file are here!! Good to have you guys back :') they don't have their cool armor but I guess I'll just find those sets again :) perhaps new ones also?? (I'm kinda sad I don't have the original save file from my first playthrough; I've replayed a few times but my first playthrough was the one I did all the side quests on, and it had my first really good horse, which was named Mürdur. He was all black, had 5 stars in speed, and was awesome. I fought my first dark beast ganon with him. Maybe I'll look for a similar horse here in totk...)

Horseback combat is AMAZING. I had to fight a huge group of monsters to get through fort hateno and I am still Very Squishy with only 4 hearts and no extra stamina, but I hopped on one of my old botw horses and just did a bunch of ride-by whacks on the monsters and eventually got them all! thank you horseback combat for the bonus damage. god bless

Kinda sad to see all the ancient sheikah tech gone :( I wonder if they'll address where it all went? Did you guys just... re bury it?? Did everything get sucked back into the ground??? Where's the OG sheikah slate?? Obviously we can't have it because then we would have access to the botw runes, which isn't what this game is about, but still!! I like the Purah Pad but I would like to know where it went!

Cave exploration is Very Fun and Underground exploration is terrifying in the best way possible. I found a glow in the dark shirt while I was down there and it has become my default armor piece to wear.

Speaking of armor, Misko the famous treasure hunter being referred to exclusively with they/them pronouns? excellent

Also how did this ancient treasure hunter get their hands on my clothes. those are my outfits homie I had them in the last game.

I haven't gotten to the main bits of the story yet, but the game seems to be pushing me to go to the rito first, so I think that's where I'll go after I finished exploring Hateno

Apparently Impa is just. Out there somewhere? On a hot air balloon??? I saw Cado earlier and he was like "Link you're back!! Impa is floating around out there :)" GIRL WHAT. WHERE.

I need to go check on Teba. why is your son in the trailer but not you. Also Yunobo, cause I didn't see him either

[enderdaggers]

Hello! I really love your works! I noticed your requests are open, so if I could request something, could I just get general dating headcanons with Revali, please? You don't have to, though. Have a nice day/night!

Revali Dating Headcanons

Word count: 596

Warnings: None that I've caught since they're headcanons, please tell me if I should add anything

Notes: Aww, thank you so much for the compliment! I loved writing this, and I feel like it's a bit short, but I hope you enjoy. I love writing Revali so much and enjoy to continue doing so :)

-

Revali. Our beloved champion. Oh, how he does not know how to date.

Of course, he’ll pretend he does. Honestly, the first barrier for him was actually telling you how he felt.

And boy oh boy, once you do that? It’s like the floodgates have just opened.

Revali’s a Rito of splendor, grace, and beauty. He tries his hardest in every way to show love and appreciation in ways that he thinks shows through.

(It’s not like he’s worried he’s gonna mess up- not at all!)

If you live in Rito Village, Revali’s going to try and spend time with you always. He’s at your side when you walk through the village, he’s spending the night in your hut while you cook dinner, he’s going for a walk with you when you need to stretch your legs.

He doesn’t let just anyone come and watch him practice at his beloved Flight Range… but sure, you can tag along if you want, he doesn’t mind. He definitely practices with more flair that day just because you’re watching.

If you don’t live in Rito Village, he’s always visiting. He’ll be gone for about two days and then bam- he’s suddenly back like he never left. He had this habit of perching in trees and scaring the living shit out of you when you walk by. He definitely enjoys it even when he insists you’re just jumpy.

He’s very self-conscious about everything, too. You’ll be cuddling and his mind will race the entire time- Am I doing this right? Are they comfortable? Am I messing up? Are they too hot? Cold, maybe? Should I move? You’d never know it from his attitude, but he… worries, you know?

Whatever you do in life, whether it’s research or running a shop, or taking care of children, Revali is your biggest supporter. He’ll tease you, sure- (“I’m bugging you? Surely you, in all your greatness, aren’t distracted by me. I understand, the view must be fabulous, but-” “Shut up, Revali.”)- but at the end of the day, he’s so proud of you. Especially if your job involves making things- he likes watching your hands bring something, anything, into fruition. It’s adorable.

He’s very protective, too. Especially with the rising monsters. Sure, he wouldn’t ever admit he’s worried about you, but… yeah. He’s worried. Revali can’t imagine a world without you in it, and he’ll do everything in his power to make sure you’re  safe and protected in his arms.

On a fluffier side, her me out- DATES. ON. MEDOH! Revali’s taken you up on there before and every process is nerve-wracking as you cling desperately to his back, but now you have to hold onto supplies too?? At least Revali brings the Divine Beast lower so you don’t have to fly as far.

And you have to admit when you get there… it’s damn romantic. Our dramatic bird knows how to set a vibe. The two of you will talk and laugh up there for hours, long after any food is gone, just enjoying the view and each other’s company. Soon, the sun begins to set, and it gets colder, and even though you’re probably wearing Snowquill armor, you wiggle your way up against Revali.

He complains that you’re heavy (he doesn’t mind and doesn’t mean it. At all.)

In the end, he isn’t the greatest at communication or feelings sometimes, but there are genuine moments. And you’re working on it. Revali is teasing and good and protective and would burn the world down for you. You can be sure of that.

-

There isn't anyone on a Revali taglist yet (I think) but hey tell me if you'd like to be added to that or an overall Breath of the Wild one! :)

(replies are from @lostglassguitars so it's not a random stranger I promise)

[of-birds-and-men]

Kass gave Link a warm smile, the early morning sun dipping him in honey and making his smile glow even more. “Well, this is quite out of the blue. Not even a ‘hello?’ Much less a ‘please?’”

Link’s lips snapped into a flustered frown. “I’m sorry,” he frantically signed. “Please, could you teach me?”

After throwing his head back to bellow a laugh, Kass chuckled, “I am only messing with you, my friend. Do not worry.” He patted the spot next to him on the landing where he sat, signaling Link to sit by him. “I’m curious about what song you want to play. Which is it?”

Accepting the invitation to sit next to Kass, Link kept his head down as he shuffled over. His eyes flicked around and his cheeks started to redden the slightest bit. Why the answer embarrassed him so much, he wasn’t so sure, but it was hard to get his reply out.

“Ah,” Kass said with his smile still prominent on his beak as he set his accordion down next to him. “Do you mean to learn the other Champions’ songs as well?”

Link breathed in through his teeth and shrugged. “Maybe. But I want to learn Revali’s right now if I can...”

Kass looked down at him with raised eyebrows, as if gently urging him to elaborate. 

With that, Link rubbed the back of his neck and shrugged again. “Well...I don’t know. I had some memories come to me, but they’re foggy and I can barely understand them. But, something is telling me today is Revali’s…” His hand dropped and his brow furrowed in thought. He knew the sign for the Hylian term but didn’t know it for the Rito if there even was one for it. Opting to fingerspell, Link spelled it out with his fingers as Kass read it closely.

When he was finished, Kass’s beak hung open a little in interest. “Oh, so today is Champion Revali’s Hatchday? I had no idea.”

“Yeah, I…”

“...I think so.”

“You mean to play his song in his memory today?”

Link’s cheeks burned brighter. “Is that stupid?”

“Oh, no. Not in the slightest,” Kass assured, waving his hand. “In fact, I think it’s a lovely idea.”

“...Thanks. I don’t know what else I would do anyway. If there was something, I don’t remember it,” Link said, his hands moving slowly. His mind drifted; not that there was anywhere for it to go after his century-long sleep practically wiped it clean. 

He brought himself back to where he was with a sigh. “I don’t know. I would do something or leave him a gift, but I remember next to nothing about him. I don’t remember what he liked or even what he hated. Nothing...”

It was true. There were only a couple of clear memories of Revali that Link remembered now. Only a few moments where Link could see his face and hear his voice clearly. And then there were even more blurry, foggy images of him that were slowly trickling in and left Link with more questions than answers. Leaving him feeling like there was so much more that he was missing. Almost like he was missing an important part of himself; of what his life had been before Calamity Ganon struck.

Really, it was the same thing with everyone; with Zelda, Mipha, Urbosa, and Daruk. Brief memories, some clear and some so hazy they were beyond recognition.

But with Revali, it was somehow different. It hurt more. It was severely more painful. It made both his heart and head ache. And he had no idea why it was the case for Revali out of all of them. Why the one who seemed to like him the least, or even hated him, made Link feel this longing...No, this need...to remember and know him like he used to. However it had been.

Still, even though his mind was riddled by all sorts of questions he couldn’t answer after forgetting everything but his own name…

Something within him couldn’t quite let itself completely forget.

“But I know that I have to do something for him and this is all I can think of,” Link finished, taking his time with every hand motion as he stared down at the lake below them; the surface of the water was almost black with the light of the morning sun not having reached it yet.

Noticing the gloom that was beginning to dawn on Link again, Kass leaned over and spoke up in a chipper voice. “It is more than a generous gift. Do not sell yourself short. I’m sure that if he is still there to listen, he will be grateful.” 

Link forced a small smile to give to Kass. “Thank you. I hope you’re right.”

Kass let the corners of his beak curl all the way up to try and settle whatever troubles he thought Link had. “I must say though, I did not take you for the musical type,” he began. “What does a man like you play?”

Letting out a short hum, Link fumbled around in the small bag on his belt to show the instrument in question. Once he fished it out, he held it out for Kass to see.

It was an ocarina he had come across in his travels. His curiosity had driven him to buy it with the extra rupees he had on hand when he saw it amongst Beedle’s wares. Though, it wasn’t until he actually held it and felt the cool ceramic touch on his skin and the shape in his hands, did he realize it was not so much curiosity as it was familiarity. Or something close to it.

And again, it was proven to Link that while his head was clear of what made him himself in the past, there were many things that his body seemed to remember. Muscle memory helped him ride horses like a pro straight away, and instinct along with that allowed him to fight the way he had before without needing to relearn much of anything. It was the same sort of thing for the ocarina; as soon as he brought the mouthpiece to his lips, his fingers knew exactly where to go to play notes he didn’t remember and songs he couldn’t recall. It all came to him naturally as if playing it was once something that was ingrained in him. And he found himself occasionally fiddling with it until now. Too busy to really sit down and learn anything new, but playing what his lips and fingers remembered when he had a moment to himself.

If Link couldn’t leave Revali a proper gift on his Hatchday, then at least he could play his song, one of the last things the world had left to remember him by. Whether it was for Revali himself, if he was still there, or if it was in his memory on his day.

Or, even if it was just for Link; a way to remember Revali with what little he had left.

Hopefully, it would be enough. But it definitely didn’t feel like it, even if it was all he could really do.

“An ocarina certainly does suit you,” Kass said, looking at the instrument in Link’s hands before peering at him and pointing at it. “Ah, may I?”

Link nodded, allowing Kass to take the ocarina in his hands and examine it himself.

“Can you play it, too?” Link asked.

Tittering, Kass replied, “Well, Rito aren’t exactly equipped to play wind instruments, considering our anatomy.” He tapped his beak. “Though, I think once I found a way around it to make it work with this blasted thing on my face. Would you mind if I tried?”

Link’s lips tightly creased together to keep him from smirking as he shook his head and motioned toward the ocarina. He watched as Kass brought it to his beak, which clacked against the ceramic as he tried to find the best position.

Kass’ feathers ruffled; clearly, he was flustered, but he tried his best to get past it by laughing it off. “Well, this is certainly humbling. This proves that no matter how esteemed of a bard I may be, I simply cannot master everything...What with my pesky beak and less than graceful fingers.” He rubbed the mouthpiece of the ocarina on his scarf before handing it back to Link.

With how much spit he saw flying from Kass when he was trying the ocarina, Link decided to rub it again on his clothes for good measure. 

Kass let out another embarrassed chuckle and twisted around to grab his accordion. “I might not be able to give you direction, but I can teach you the notes.”

Link nodded. “That works,” he said, his last words before readying his hands to focus on his ocarina rather than on speaking.

Smiling while he slid his hands through his instrument’s straps, Kass said, “Well, let’s begin then.”

~

Link opened his mouth to say something, finding himself gaping at Vah Medoh, but clamped it shut again. He attached the ocarina to his belt for a moment to speak with his hands.

Whether he was really alone or if there was still someone there to see him, he was not sure at all. After the defeat of Ganon, he was never sure what happened to Revali or the others.

Even so...he had the feeling he wasn’t quite alone.

But maybe that was just him being hopeful. Hopeful that he wasn’t just making a fool of himself. Grasping at straws for nothing.

“Hi.” Instantly, he cringed at himself and hissed through his teeth. Now he really felt stupid. Nonetheless, he made himself go on. “I’m not sure if you’re even here right now or if I’m talking to myself. But, either way-“ Link took a second to swallow and fix his eyes back down to the ground beneath him. “I wish I could say I remember you. There are only little things I remember, but something is telling me there’s so much more to you...to us...that I’m still missing.”

Link licked his lips. He hoped that he was, in fact, alone, so Revali wouldn’t be seeing him rambling on to himself.

“But I know that we were close somehow. I feel that, once, you were the most important thing to me, but that’s all I know. I’m sorry.” He bit his lip that was still wet from when he licked them. “That’s why when I remembered it was your birthday-“ Link froze, then corrected, “Sorry, hatchday...I knew I had to do something for you, because, in a way, you still matter to me now as much as you did before. But you’re still a mystery to me; I know nothing about you further than you being a Champion and being the pride of your people.” He laughed a little to himself. “And that you didn’t like me at all. At first, at least. I’m not sure.”

Finally, he racked up the courage to look back up at Vah Medoh. “I do know your song though, which I’m sure you’d like to know is played by bards to keep your memory alive. I’m not one of those at all, but I can just barely remember how to play this thing and Kass taught me how to play your song. One of the things of yours that’s still here- Even if these are all the memories I can ever have of you, at least I can have this. And your bow, too.”

Nervously, he started to chuckle to himself. “I don’t know what I’m saying. Maybe I never should’ve said anything. Anyway, the point is...I know it’s a crummy present and I don’t know if you’re even still here to listen, but I learned how to play your song for you.”

Done with his monologue, Link anxiously took the ocarina off of his belt. For a moment, he stared at it and focused on the cool touch of it in his hand before slowly bringing it up to his mouth. He took in a deep breath while his fingers went to their places and he played what he learned for Revali.

Dormant, Vah Medoh said nothing in reply, leaving Revali alone to revel in both Link’s appearance and song. That was fine. He honestly hadn’t expected her to reply anyway.

Even when he couldn’t even remember him, Link was still annoyingly sentimental. It brought bittersweet comfort that, even with everything that had happened, it was still the same Link before him. His Link.

He had the same golden hair he used to run his fingers through. The same lustrous, sapphire eyes he used to stare into. The same quiet laugh that warmed Revali’s heart. The same strength that Revali both envied and once fell in love with. The same kindness. The same courage. The same everything. Every little thing Revali loved and even hated about him was still there, down below, playing a song for someone he didn’t even know anymore.

Still, it hurt knowing Link didn’t know him. Seeing no recollection on his face when Link first came to Vah Medoh...Seeing Link looking at him as if he was a stranger…

Well, it nearly broke his heart. To be eventually forgotten by his people was worse enough, but then to have the one he loved come back to him only to forget him, too…

Revali sniffed, resting his hand under his chin to watch Link far down below. 

Link was right. This was a crummy present. His finger clumsily fumbled around and he kept blowing into the ocarina’s mouthpiece too hard or too soft. Even from here, he could see his spit flying. Funny how, even over a hundred years later, he never did get better with that thing.

He really was still his Link. Just how he remembered him. Just how he loved him. How he would, unfortunately, always love him. Even if it meant being unrequited for the rest of time.

~~~

GASPS OUT OF BREATH,,,,,, WOW OKAY,, umm LOL here is le @revalinkexchange gift for @mars-janka ??? I. hm. certainly took some liberties and for some reason with my srs lack of expertise ..I was like “HEY I KNOW HOW TO MAKE THIS INFINITELY HARDER ON MYSELF!!! WRITE AND ALSO DRAW A BILLION PICTURES WHICH IS SOMETHING I BARELY KNOW HOW 2 DO.” 

//sobs// i was so drained of my life juices by the end that the quality DROPPED and im genuinely so sorry pls forgive me wwwwwwwwwwww- i even redrew the last link panels to try and make it better if u can believe it LOL i also was considering making a prose only version of this to make up for it but i honestly don’t know how to translate some bits to that...SO- ah

anyway...yaaaaaaaahhh happy valentine’s day!! hope u still like it despite my clear depletion of life juices dskjghkjag

also teehee ty @udog​ for helping me w vah medoh u smell

[runtedfiction]

nothing

day 6: abnormality @zelinkweek2021

ao3

AN: inspired by this lovely artwork from @eerna. it's so good that it's seared into my personal canon. (also, day 7 will be egregiously late, so i'll prob post it as its own thing)

* * *

The aftermath of the Spring of Power.

* * *

“What’s wrong with me?”

When she asks it, she doesn’t expect to hear anything, just like always. But still, she can’t help but stare into the stupid statue’s eyes and hope for something to happen. She stares and stares until the water begins to feel almost warm. Until Link appears in the periphery of her vision.

“Princess, your fingers are purple.”

When he helps her out of the spring, she isn’t shivering--she’s cried so hard that she doesn't have energy for anything else. He wraps a cloak around her, his brow the most furrowed she’s ever seen. She barely has the energy to thank him, let alone walk. After she nearly trips for the third time on the way back to their campsite, he stops.

“Can--” he stumbles over his words. Even lifting her head to look at him makes her tired. “Can I carry you?”

“Yes. Please.” She just wants to be somewhere warm. The chill is coming back, and this time it’s deeper than it’s ever been.

He places one arm beneath her legs, and one behind her back.

Perhaps in another life, she would have blushed while her handsome knight carried her, bridal style, to their lodgings for the night. In another life, she would’ve taken this opportunity to loop her arms around his neck and bury her face in his neck.

In this one, as soon as her body doesn’t have to work to move, she passes out.

* * *

She wakes up shortly after he places her down to the sound of the kettle whistling. She couldn’t have been asleep for more than twenty minutes, and she would fall back asleep instantly if her dress weren’t still so cold. Link’s moved her bedroll as close as it can be to the fire. She closes her eyes to soak in the heat on her cheeks.

“I’m making tea,” he says.

“Thank you.”

“You should change.”

“Ok.” She closes her eyes for a bit more. It isn’t so bad now that her face is warm. She can almost ignore the fact that the rest of her body feels like the Biron Snowshelf, and if she focuses on the fire and its crackle it sounds so soothing, and—

“Princess,” he says gently. “You should change.”

Zelda rubs her eyes and sits up. “You’re right.”

In the tent, she shivers as she peels off her dress. Link also laid out a towel, and she runs it over her body as quickly as she can considering her hands hurt like hell. She focuses on getting her Rito set as quickly as possible.

When she walks out to sit next to him, he has a mug of tea and a second cloak ready.

“Here.” He drapes it over her shoulders, and hands her the steaming mug. She estimates she’s feeling one tenth of how hot the metal actually is as she wraps her hands around it.

“Thank you.”

Slowly, the unbearable chill defrosts. She takes a sip of the tea.

“Mm,” she says to break the silence. Now that the fog in her brain is also clearing, it’s easy to remember that she cried in front of him for the better part of an hour. She’s too tired to be embarrassed, but still. “This is good. What is it?”

He doesn’t look up from polishing his sword. “Oolong. Decaf.”

“Fancy,” she says.

He nods.

“Did you know,” she says, after a beat, “that oolong is one of the most difficult teas to produce? Some say it’s similar to making fine wine.”

He doesn’t say anything; it seems like there’s a spot of rust or monster gunk that’s particularly to get off. But she’s used to his silence by this point--if anything, now that she’s gotten him to open up, it’s strange when he does respond. It’s easy to keep talking.

“Excluding external factors like the mountain you’re on and that year’s weather conditions, there are millions of small things you can do to vary the flavor. You need to choose a specific variety to grow, how long you want it to oxidize for, and in the case of decaf, you need to expose the moistened tea leaves to pressurized carbon dioxide.”

She looks into the fire. “But, there’s one thing all oolong producers need to do--you need to let it wilt in the sun. Once you pick the plant, this living thing that you’ve cultivated and cherished and killed, you need to find a day with strong sun. You need to let it wilt.”

She doesn’t know exactly where she’s going with this (just that it fills her with rage when she thinks about how her father couldn’t care less if she froze to death today), so she stops.

“Mm,” he says after an inappropriately long amount of time. “Interesting.”

She almost smiles. “You’re lying.”

He looks at her. “What?”

“Nothing.”

They sit in a comfortable silence for a while more. When he puts in the last of the firewood, he speaks first.

“Are you ok?”

“What?”

He looks at her. His brow is furrowed again. “Are you ok?”

The question is so simple, so genuine, that it stabs at her.

“Sorry,” she says, wiping at her cheeks when the tears come. “Sorry, I’ll stop.”

“It’s ok.”

He looks back into the fire again, and waits patiently.

“To be honest,” she says with a sigh once she’s done composing herself. “I don’t think things are going too well.”

“We have time.”

He looks so calm, despite the fact that there’s only one more spring and time is running out. And sure, they have the Champions and the Divine Beasts and the Guardians, but Zelda knows that their odds of survival would increase exponentially with her.

“Yes,” she agrees, “but it isn’t enough. And this isn’t--this can’t be normal.”

“What can’t be?”

“Not hearing anything. Not feeling anything, even when all I do is pray.” She hopes she doesn’t sound too bitter.

He looks back into the fire. “Nothing’s wrong with you.”

Again, for someone who normally says nothing, it’s impressive how his words cut into her like a knife. This time she swallows the lump in her throat. She can’t cry in front of him for a third time.

“Oh,” she says, in her worst impression of casualness, “so you were listening earlier?”

“Sorry.”

She smiles a little to try and put him at ease. It doesn’t look like it’s working, especially since he’s still avoiding eye contact. “You mean to tell me you aren’t listening all the time?”

“Well this one,” he says, then pauses. She wonders if he’s also remembering how broken her voice was (“What’s wrong with me?”). “This one sounded a bit different.”

“It was,” she says, choosing to not say, “I fear I will cause the apocalypse.”

He looks over at her. She doesn’t know if she wants him to tell her if everything will be ok, or if she just wants a hug.

It’s her turn to stumble over her words. “Can--can I put my head on your shoulder?”

He looks surprised, but who is a knight to refuse his princess? (And secretly, she has a feeling he’d go to the ends of the world for her.) “Sure.”

Very gingerly, she places her head on his shoulder. He doesn’t say anything. They watch the fire die down to glowing embers.

* * *

It’s hard for her to fall asleep, even when the fire is out and she’s so toasty it’s easy to forget what she felt like just a few hours ago.

She keeps playing his words over and over in her head. Nothing’s wrong with you.

Link is solid and warm and an anchor. A reminder that underneath the legends and lifetimes and lore, there’s another story here. It involves a boy and a girl, a princess and her knight.

The princess knows that she’s in love with her knight. She knows she might end the world.

“I’m sorry,” Zelda whispers.

Link shakes his head. “Don’t be.”