#because as the Twilight Sword he feels responsible

[reginrokkr]

✧ @delusionaid & @resolutepath asked: [ META ] + halfdan

At risk of sounding like a sap, I'm a firm believer that Halfdan was someone important to Dain as Dain was to Halfdan. It's hard to overlook that Halfdan, within his broken mind and soul state he was 500 years after their homeland and themselves were taken away in varying degrees in the Calamity, was able to recognize Dain. Not only that, but he has been upholding his honor as a Black Serpent Knight and continued to do his duty and follow Dain's last order to protect every Khaenri'ah without differentiating between races or purity of blood and managed to make other fellow Black Serpent Knights follow it too.

It also resonated deeply within me that for all those years, Halfdan believed he failed Dain and how happy he was when Dain acknowledged his efforts and the others' for 500 years despite what happened. I would dare say that Dain's words filled with pride for him and the others served as a wish come true or a release for Halfdan to let go at long last of that burden, hopefully to a better place.

The way these events unfolded in Requiem of the Echoing Depths are no doubt a reflection of what their relationship was like in Khaenri'ah. I don't think it was strictly one of a captain and his knight, but beyond that to a more personal level of mutual trust. As I mentioned in a previous post, I think that Dain wasn't fully at ease in Khaenri'ah due to its laws and overall mentality in regards of the Abyss if not more topics than that, and that his beliefs strayed from the status quo of the time. Although I see him as the kind to keep to himself that, I'd like to think that Dain and Halfdan shared opinions on certain topics of conversation that thinking any differently would be nothing short of a taboo that none of them would bring themselves to talk about openly. Even less being pure-blood Khaenri'ahns with what that entails in various ways.

[crazylittlejester]

I’ve done sooo much yapping about Warriors today, here are some headcanon about some of the others!

- Twilight’s hair grows similarly to a wolf’s pelt in that his roots are just permanently very dark and his hair is incredibly thick (I also think his hair is definitely a red toned brown)

- Time is not at all a natural born leader or an intentional father figure. He’s just very kind and genuinely wants to help others, and everyone else has really bad Daddy Issues. He’s not being fatherly on purpose and has no idea they’re all interpreting it that way

- More on that: The others all see Time as this stoic, mysterious man, but the reality is Time has HORRIBLE control of his facial expressions and will sit down and think his silly little thoughts and the others will be like “WOAH- He must be THINKIN- Hylia, he’s so wise!!!” but Time’s thoughts are actually just “Did I clean my sword… Wild was hurt earlier I hope he’s feeling better… Is this how Warriors felt about me during the War…”

- Wild is very extroverted and a reasonably chatty guy. He knows like EVERYONE in his era and they all just adore him (except that flower lady by that shrine). He’s cautious around new people because of the yiga, but the town regulars are people he very much enjoys chatting with

- Part of the reason Legend is so grumpy is because he has chronic pain, he doesn’t mean to snap at people. The other part is that he struggles to control his tone. He’s never intentionally rude or cruel to people, he’s incredibly nice and sweet once he relaxes around people

- Warriors and Legend have gotten into a full on physical brawl at least twice over a bet and Time had to break them up

- Sky will wander off with Hyrule and Wild sometimes to find more wood to carve

- Wind is a SHOCKINGLY good artist, he likes drawing places he’s been and the people around him. The others are just impressed he can sit still long enough to finish a piece

- Four would regularly take walks by himself, but Twilight got anxious about him disappearing off alone so he’d join him, but as Wolfie, out of respect of the fact that Four didn’t want Hylian company

- Hyrule has healing magic but is/was NOT a medic, or trained to be one at all. He knew a few basic things from his quest, but the more complex things he learned from Warriors who was trained as a field medic

- Wild is very independent, and is very responsible when he wants to be. He just… rarely WANTS to be

[skyward-floored]

Whumptober day 15 - Moment of clarity, (childhood trauma)

I know I know, I’m late 😔 I had a tiring day yesterday and this fic wasn’t behaving and I was just staring at it and making ZERO progress, so I threw in the towel for the night. But it’s here now, in all its messy glory. sorry again.

Anyway, another prompt that only sorta fits, and having fun with an AU-ish thing. It’s not even that whumpy. Idk. also twilight princess freezards are awful and I hate them

Warnings: brief violence, hypothermia

Ao3 link

————————————————————

“I’m not a child.”

Wind had heard those words from Four several times on their journey, often said with an eye roll, a casual snort, genuine annoyance on occasion. Some of them were skeptical about the truth of that statement when they’d first met Four, but after hearing he’d been through three journeys and seeing just how responsible he could be, they eased off the incredulity. The short jokes kept up of course, but Four always ignored them, and never seemed terribly bothered at the fact that he was the smallest of them all.

And because of his repeated insistence that he wasn’t a child, nobody ever thought to ask what age Four considered children to be.

Wind certainly never thought to ask. There was something... about Four though, something that sometimes gave him pause and made him look a little harder at the little smithy. Something that ignited the big brother part of him, and reminded him of Aryll, for some reason.

But that was silly, since Four was several years older than Wind.

And at the moment, talking about ages or children or really much of anything was currently far from Wind’s mind as he and Four plodded through the icy cave they’d been dropped in, icicles on every available surface.

Sudden portal switches were no fun. Especially when they involved being separated from the others and dumped in a cold cave. Wind was lucky he’d happened to have stolen Warriors’ scarf right before they were all separated, but it was still awfully cold in here; he was shivering a little, and could see Four doing the same.

This cave was confusing too, twisting tunnels, long icy stretches, big blocks that they had to push. Wind had figured it was some kind of mini dungeon, but they hadn’t seen a single bad guy yet.

Which made him especially suspicious.

The open area they were walking through began to narrow, another twisting passageway up ahead. Wind and Four exchanged looks, then decided to take a quick break before heading that way, leaning against the wall and catching their breath from the icy slope they’d just walked up.

Wind looked up at the pale blue crystals on the ceiling, admiring the shapes while they paused, and glanced over at Four. The smithy had pulled his hood up, and looked much cozier than Wind felt. And small.

That feeling in the back of Wind’s mind itched again, but Wind ignored it as Four straightened, sufficiently rested.

“You ready?” Wind said, and Four hummed.

“Yeah, I think so. We’ve got to be near the end of this thing,” he said, and Wind agreed with a nod.

“I wonder if there’ll be a boss or anything,” Wind said as they plunged into the tunnel, following the bluish walls and shape of the stone. He thought the cave seemed a little colder this way, but maybe it only seemed like it because the tunnel was smaller. “It’s weird that this place has just had puzzles and nothing else.”

“Yeah, I know,” Four frowned, stepping over a rock. “But maybe somebody else cleared it out and the puzzles just reset.”

“Yeah, maybe.”

Wind kept his sword in his hand just in case, though.

Four did the same, and they walked carefully through the tunnel, avoiding some loose icicles and small pits. Still no enemies came though, and Wind wasn’t sure if he should be concerned or relieved.

He and Four turned a corner and the tunnel opened up, leading to the top of a steep slope shining with ice. Daylight shone below them, and Wind grinned, nudging Four’s arm.

“There’s the exit! Looks like there’s no boss,” Wind observed, peering over the edge.

"Well that's nice, a break is always good," Four smiled, and Wind's grin changed to a smirk as he looked down at the slope again.

“...Race you down.”

“Hey!” Four protested as Wind jumped, and Wind cackled as he slid, crouching to increase his speed.

Four jumped down behind him, and the two whooped as they rushed down the icy slope, wind rushing past their faces. There were some small rocks and things to avoid, but it was mostly smooth sailing, and Wind laughed as he hit a small bump and caught some air.

Four edged ahead as they neared the bottom, Wind could only guess because of his pegasus boots, and he shouted as Four stuck his tongue out at him. That little miniblin!

Wind knew he had no chance of catching up, but he crouched down even more anyways, barreling towards the light at the bottom. Four was just too far ahead of him though, and reached the bottom first with a victorious cheer.

Which was why when the blast of icy air shot out, only Four was frozen solid.

“Smithy!” Wind yelped in alarm, and just barely managed to swerve away from the last bits of icy air. He careened towards the exit as he hit the bottom of the slope, but managed to stab his sword into the ground, halting his slide.

He yanked it back out as he whirled around, and came face to face with a huge icy beast, at least six red eyes scattered across its face, more ice blasting out of its jaws.

Four lay frozen right next to it, and alarm clutched at Wind's heart as he scrambled away from the cloud of ice. He quickly thumbed through his pouch for the item he needed, but it took him twice as long since he had to keep rolling out of the way of the icy monster.

It looked like it couldn’t really move, only swivel around, but because of that Wind couldn’t dart in and grab Four without getting frozen himself. The monster only paused to occasionally gather its breath for more ice, and Wind’s fingers finally closed around his bow.

Four still hadn't moved, too close to the frigid monster to unfreeze, and Wind bit his lip as the monster’s red eyes glared at him. It revealed a gaping maw full of icicle-like teeth and blasted more ice towards Wind, but he was just out of range.

Hold on Four!

Wind drew on his magic and pulled back a fire arrow, loosing it through a cloud of ice into the monster’s face. It roared, and Wind hurriedly loosed another, and then yet another when the monster kept roaring.

It took another three arrows for the beast to finally disappear, and Wind gasped in relief, scrambling forward and sliding beside Four. The smithy’s eyes were frozen wide open, his body encased in a solid sheen of ice, but right as Wind joined his side, the ice around him shattered.

Four collapsed, Wind’s heart skipping a beat when the smithy didn’t move.

“Oh geez— Four? Can you hear me?” Wind asked frantically, pulling Four up into his arms. The smithy was blisteringly cold in his lap, lips blue and skin frostbitten. He didn’t move when Wind gave him a cautious shake, and Wind’s stomach sank. Four hadn’t been frozen all that long.

Though... he had been right next to that monster’s ice breath for while.

Wind pressed his fingers over Four’s wrist like Warriors had shown him to do, and felt desperately for any sort of pulse. Right when he was about to despair, he felt a soft beat against the pad of his fingers, and gasped in relief.

“Oh Four, okay, okay,” Wind breathed, his breath coming fast. His eyes began to sting as he wrapped Warriors’ scarf around Four, and he hurriedly blinked back the tears trying to form. Oh come on, not now tears! I need to focus.

He quickly tugged Four up onto his back and stood up, surprised at how light he was. Four was small, but he was still a teenager, and Wind had expected more muscle. He was mostly a bit gangly, and Wind had to adjust him so he was actually secure on his back.

Wind then tugged Four out into the sunshine, pleasantly surprised at how warm it was outside of the cave. That monster must have been lowering the temperature. Wind had emerged into a forest that was just starting to turn into fall, the edges of the trees dipped in orange, lit brightly by the sun. It didn’t take Wind long to quickly find a safe enough looking spot beside a large tree, and he set Four down, hugging him close.

The smithy seemed so small like this, tight in Wind's arms.

Wind swallowed, and held Four tight, his stomach rolling. He didn’t really have any other way to warm Four up, aside from pulling out his and Four’s blankets, so he just kept hugging him, making sure the blankets and Warriors’ scarf were wrapped warmly across his shoulders.

Worry still clutched at his heart as he held Four, the smithy's head freezing where it was tucked in Wind's neck, and Wind held him even tighter. So tight in fact, that he almost missed it when Four abruptly stirred.

"Smithy?" Wind asked when Four groaned, and he sighed in relief as Four's eyes twitched open. "Whew, I didn't know when you were gonna wake up."

"...Wake..? What happen..." Four murmured, his brows scrunching.

Wind squeezed him a bit. "A big ice monster ambushed us, basically. You got frozen for a little longer then you probably should have."

Four slowly blinked, then shivered a little, his face suddenly paling.

"Oh. Right... I remember now," he whispered, his voice small. "Ice."

Four swallowed, and Wind frowned, unused to seeing the smithy so visibly shaken. "...Don't like ice, huh?"

"Don't like being e-encased in it, no," Four said, voice a little choked. "I was... my third quest..."

His voice began to shake too much for him to speak, and Wind felt a pang run through his chest, hugging Four tighter again. Four shrank into his hold, and Wind began gently petting Four's head, just like he always did for Aryll after she had a nightmare.

...Why was that my first response?

Wind shook aside the thought as Four leaned into it, and neither of them spoke for several minutes.

"Sorry," Four whispered after a while, taking in a shaky breath. Then he let out a wavering laugh. "I'm... ugh. It was months ago, but I’m still... sometimes it's hard to... y'know."

Wind smiled at that. "Yeah, I know. Sometimes it just... stinks."

Four snorted thickly, and curled a little tighter into Wind's arms. "Well, it's b-been better then my l-last birthday at least."

Wind froze, and stared down at Four in disbelief.

"What?"

Four stilled, and Wind could almost hear him thinking oops.

"Four, it's your birthday? Why didn't you tell me?!" Wind said indignantly, and Four shrugged, barely noticeable with how bundled up he was.

"I don't know. Not a big deal. It's not like eleven is an important age."

If the previous sentences had hit Wind like a brick, that next one hit him like an entire wall.

He stared at Four, the smithy lying very still all of a sudden, and repeated the words he'd just heard in his head a few times just to be sure he hadn't been mistaken.

"What?" he finally whispered, and Four swallowed, curling into a tighter ball.

"Never mind," Four said, muffled by the blanket he turned his head into.

"No, no not 'never mind', Four you... are you... I’m older than you?” Wind choked out.

Four gave him a tiny nod.

“Are you really eleven?” Wind asked, and Four didn’t say anything for a few long moments.

“Yeah,” he finally whispered.

Wind stared, flabbergasted, and Four stayed quietly huddled in his blanket, still faintly shivering.

He quickly reevaluated every single piece of information he had about Four, thinking back to conversations, random moments where Four had acted oddly childish that he'd brushed off, discussions of age that Four had always avoided. The way Wind’s big brother instincts always seemed to sharpen around Four more so then any of the other Links.

"Eleven?" Wind repeated in disbelief, and Four looked mildly annoyed.

“Yes. But I’m not a kid,” Four insisted, huddling tighter in his blanket. “Once you’re past ten you’re an adult in my Hyrule. Or at least, not a kid anymore. Young adult.”

“At ten?” Wind said in disbelief, and Four glared at him.

"You've said you become an adult at twelve on your island!"

"Not like a real adult!" Wind spluttered, beyond shocked. "Four how are you— you've been on three quests!" he gasped. "How old were you when you started?!"

"I was almost ten, stop yelling," Four grumbled, and Wind couldn't help noticing how childish he sounded. "Weren't you and Time just talking about being underestimated because of your ages?"

“Well yeah, but—”

“It’s not any different!” Four said fiercely, then was wracked by a violent shiver.

Wind watched him shake, then breathed out, holding Four closer again. Four didn’t snuggle up quite as tightly as he had been, but he didn’t pull away either, and the two sat in silence for a bit, sunshine warming their faces.

“Why didn’t you tell us?” Wind asked after a bit. “Everyone thinks I’m the youngest, why...”

Four looked away. “I... I didn’t want to. When I saw how everyone treated you, even after you told them off, how they kept underestimating you and treating you more like someone to protect rather than a teammate, I... I didn’t want all that to shift to me... I’m sorry,” he whispered. “It was cowardly of me.”

“No, it wasn’t, I... get it,” Wind sighed. “I probably would do the same. I can only image how they’d all react with the news that you were ten all this time.” Twilight would probably explode or something.

Four grimaced. “Yeah. They’d be insufferable.” He hesitated then, and looked up at Wind, grey eyes looking silvery in the sunshine. “Could you... not tell them?”

“What?” Wind startled, staring at him. “But...”

“Please?” Four pleaded, eyes wide, and he looked so much like Aryll in that moment that Wind found himself physically incapable of saying no.

“Okay, okay,” he grumbled, visions of finally not being treated like the youngest abruptly silenced. “I won’t say anything. But you can’t keep this a secret forever, Four.”

“I know,” Four said quietly, and set his head against Wind’s shoulder again. “It’s just... nice being treated like I’m capable for once.”

Wind sighed, and leaned back against the tree. “Yeah. I get it.”

Silence fell over them again, and Wind watched a few orangey leaves drift by, catching the sunlight and glowing like embers from a fire. Four’s shivering was easing more and more, and Wind had to resist the urge to begin petting his head again.

“Can we at least tell Wild it’s your birthday? Even if we don’t tell him what age,” Wind said after a bit, still watching the leaves. “Maybe he’d make you a cake.”

Four perked up at that, and Wind laughed at the expression on his face.

“I take it that’s a yes.”

“Absolutely,” Four nodded, smiling brightly. “I’ll risk dozens of age questions for some of Wild’s cake.”

Wind and Four both laughed, Four’s a little weak still, but hearty enough that Wind wasn’t too worried. But as Four curled up again with a yawn, Wind looked down at him, and made a promise.

Wind would look out for him. Subtly, and he wouldn’t be overbearing like Twilight or anything, but... he would keep an eye on him. Stick a little closer. Watch out for the smithy.

After all, he had a feeling Four would do the same for him if their roles were reversed.

[hero-of-the-wolf]

@kikker-oma !!! I couldn't let this month pass without writing you a little something 🫶 I hope you like it!!!! based on this drawing here :)

Twilight stumbled back a step, bringing his shield up against the lizalfos’ attack. His side screamed in protest at the impact, forcing him to fall back another step.

“Careful, Twi!”

“Do you need any help?”

“Are you okay?”

The rancher ignored them all. He was losing his mind. He knew that the others meant well, but it was hard not to feel absolutely smothered by all of their concern. He was a fully capable hero, just the same as the rest of them. So why was his injury such a big deal? Just because he’d almost died-....

Twilight shook his head firmly. He was fine. The wounds were well on their way to scarring by now. So what if they were still sore? So what if his current strength was only a fraction of what it once was? There was absolutely no reason for the others to worry about him.

He was fine.

The lizalfos pressed the attack, hacking its sword against his shield over and over again. Twilight gritted his teeth, losing more ground with every hit.

This was getting ridiculous.

Surging forwards, he bashed his shield against the monster, stunning it, and thrust his sword through its chest. With a horrible screech it exploded into a cloud of black smoke.

Twilight panted, wiping the sweat off his face with the back of his hand. He moved to walk forwards when his legs buckled, sending him stumbling to his knees with a surprised grunt. Almost immediately he felt a concerned hand prodding at him. He closed his eyes, taking in a deep breath, trying to hold it together. He’d be worried too if he was in their shoes, he tried to remind himself. They meant well.

He waved Sky away and forced himself back to his feet. His side was still screaming at him, his head was spinning, he couldn’t quite catch his breath. He looked around for the next monster only to realize the battle had already ended and everyone was staring at him.

He felt his face flush red.

Without a word he picked a direction and took off, steps quick and unsteady. He couldn’t take it anymore. He needed space.

He managed to make it out of earshot before the pain grew too much and he was forced to sit down roughly on a nearby rock.

Hylia it hurt.

It shouldn��t. He hadn’t even done that much during the battle. It shouldn’t hurt at all.

What was wrong with him?

“Twilight?”

He stiffened. He didn't dare to turn around. He knew that whoever it was, they wouldn’t be leaving him alone so easily. But maybe if he just—

“Hey… are you okay, rancher?”

Or not.

“Fine,” he snapped.

“I’m… not so sure about that.”

Footsteps crept closer, almost too quiet to hear. Twilight glanced over to see Hyrule nervously wringing his hands. When he noticed the rancher looking at him he immediately stopped, dropping his arms back down to his sides. The rancher frowned in concern and motioned him closer.

But Hyrule only bit his lip in response. “You… you’re bleeding, you know.”

Twilight looked down at his side, eyes widening in surprise when he saw that his shirt was already growing red.

“Oh.”

“Can I…?”

He nodded, resigned to his fate, and let Hyrule pull his armor off to look at the wound. He ignored the traveler’s concerned sounds, staring down at his clenched fists instead.

He’d hurt himself again.

Some hero he was.

“I know you’re trying to get your strength back,” Hyrule finally spoke up. “But you can’t hide this from me.”

Twilight glanced over again to see Hyrule watching him expectantly, his hands still outstretched. His heart twisted in guilt and he forced his gaze away.

“M’sorry….”

“Nothing to apologize for.” Hyrule gently pressed his hands against the wound. They were blessedly warm, easing the pain back into a much more manageable ache.

“Thank you,” he tried again.

Hyrule paused, looking up at him with a small, genuine smile. “Anytime.”

[tenderleavesbob]

This is part of the kitty!wars fic series and is a direct sequel to this and this.

The Master Sword in Link's era wasn't enough, but the Master Sword in Sky's hands? It still took effort, but in the end, a slender, handsome Hylian stood before the chain and Queen Zelda.

"I think you looked better in your other form," Twilight told him frankly, barely audible over the weeping. 

They had wrapped Link in a fluffy white robe reminiscent of his former feline coat. He stood on wobbly legs between Queen Zelda and Time and Wind. Link looked back at Twilight, pale and wide-eyed and so overwhelmed that Twilight wished he could tuck him in a quiet hole somewhere. "I don't even know what I look like," Link said.

Before Twilight could speak with him further, Sky shooed him and the rest of the chain out of the room. Twilight didn't know how Wind and Time knew Link, but there was no mistaking the odd grief twisting Time’s face or the solemn, pain maturity of Wind’s expression. Somehow, they knew Link before the quest, and in that time, they had never known the truth of Link’s form. The last thing Twilight saw of the group was Wind wrapping a thin arm around Time's shaking shoulders and touching Link with his other hand.

As Twilight roamed the halls of this era’s Hyrule Castle, so different from the castle in his era, the shadows of his own battles trailed him. He remembered the first initial transformation into the wolf. It was just awful flashes of pain and horror before the darkness claimed him and he woke up chained. Returning to his Hylian form should have been a relief after that, but it was disorienting. He remembered tripping over his own feet and Midna laughing at him even as she helped steady him. He remembered almost biting into a raw chunk of meat and only stopping because Midna interfered and scolded him. 

Link said he was in that form for years. How disoriented was he now? Would the others understand? 

Eventually, a guard found Twilight roaming and reported that Link requested his presence. He learned as the guard escorted him upstairs that they had given a room to Link when it was assumed he was a cat, and they were planning to better remodel it for him. Time and Wind were with him now.

Well, he didn't say Time and Wind. He said Mask and Tune. Twilight really wanted to know that story.

When he arrived, it was to the sound of arguing. He knocked but no one answered. Twilight let himself in.

Link’s fluffy white robe was gone. Too bad. Twilight liked it. Now dressed in simple pants and a tunic, Link sat on the edge of a large bed. Time sat on one side and Wind sat on a chair across from them. In Link's lap, there was a large, comfortable-looking cat bed. Link held it protectively while the other two frowned at him. Twilight caught on immediately.

"Your kitty bed?" Twilight asked, sitting on Link's other side. 

Link nodded, squeezing it to his chest. Time and Wind frowned at him. "Yes. Ever since I moved into the castle when the war ended."

Yep. Definitely what the fight was about. "It looks like you'll need to clean it before you use it again," Twilight said easily. He had thought about it for a while, but looking at Link's face, Twilight's decision was easy. "I have a crystal which can help you transform back when you want. I'll have to figure out how to give you a shard, but you can keep it on a necklace after that."

Link looked so relieved that Twilight wanted to hug him. Twilight looked at the two hovering cuccos. "Mind if I talk with him real quick? Haven't had a chance to chat since he had a tail and all."

Wind pouted, but Time, thankfully, caught on. He didn't look happy, but he nodded. "Yes. We'll be down the hall. We won't be far."

Twilight couldn't remember Time ever looking like he was protecting someone from Twilight. What was their story? Twilight tried not to feel hurt and only nodded in response to Time’s not-so-subtle warning. Twilight held his tongue quiet and shoulders stiff until the pair left, Wind holding Time’s arm and Time shooting a final look over his shoulder.

After the door shut, Twilight exhaled. His skin itched. He turned to Link and frowned at the man’s flat ears and distressed pout. "You okay?" Twilight asked quietly.

Link pet his bed with a possessiveness Twilight could only call feline. His ears remained flat. "It's weird. I miss my tail."

His words were soft and mournful. Twilight nodded in commiseration. He missed that fluffy tail, too. "I'll get you that crystal shard as quick as I can. That'll help. Did you ever get your cream?"

Link managed a small, miserable smile. "And my chicken. It didn't taste right."

Twilight gave in and wrapped his arms around Link. Link yielded immediately and rested his head on Twilight's shoulders. His new blond hair was soft but not as soft as his fur. "You'll figure it out. Now you have thumbs and you can get your own chicken."

"And cream," Link said. Too sadly for the topic discussed.

"And cream," Twilight agreed. He stroked Link's back and was sad that Link couldn't purr in this form.

After a moment, Link said quietly, "I don't know my own face. It doesn’t look like it’s mine."

Twilight held on tight.

[layraket]

Day 3 - Set up for Failure

Character(s): Legend and (in part) Time (LU)

Words: 936

Summary: Legend knows how the old man ended, or at least in his timeline

Whump scale: 1 (see the full scale here)

Warnings: mentioned Character Death, nothing graphic

-

When they ended in what appeared to be Time’s era, something felt weird.

“Is this yer Hyrule field?” Twilight asked, already noticing the expression in the old man’s face.

“Yes… Wait, no? It looks the same, but very different at the same time” he commented with a frown “Some trees look a lot younger, and the place too…”

Twilight matched with a frown of his own “Huh, weird”

Around the group murmurs were heard of where to go. When they were already deciding for the best option the feeling of pulling coming from a portal called for them.

“Weird indeed” Wind agreed with Twilight’s comment, already grabbing Warriors’ scarf to walk through the portal.

It was until they all went through it that they noticed there was an empty space.

-

There have been stories of a boy who tried to stop the man that caused the downfall of Hyrule. A kid who, with a fairy by his side and the legendary sword, went to a fight where he only met his demise.

This story is one that Legend knows from memory, his uncle always retelling it to him.

That’s also how he knows from the start who the old man is.

He wasn’t sure how, but it was obvious that Time was the same kid of the legend, just a little taller and grown up.

He tried to not think about it too deep, maybe it was really just a legend and there was no child.

He always though that, until he was given wrong.

They arrived at what looked like Time’s era, but there was something that definitely made the difference. The magic around the place was slightly damaged.

There’s always some trace of magic, and here it was a lot weaker than the one he always feels when they are going through Hyrule Field. The thing that worried him the most is the hint of darkness that plagued it almost in every corner.

Legend seems to have been separated from the group, not being able to see any sign of them close to his position. The only thing that was the closest to him was–

A boy. Blond, green clothes and a blue fairy coming with him.

Maybe he stared a little too much, because the kid noticed and came running towards him.

The sound of bells came together with the Fairy’s voice “We haven’t never seen you before! And we know everyone in the kingdom. Are you new?” The kid–Link, his name was Link– looked at him. Two blue eyes full of wonder and curiosity. If this was the old man, he obviously could sense all his magic arsenal.

Legend tried to come with a quick and reasonable response “Yeah, I came here after hearing about a kingdom full of life, wanted to explore and see what it can offer”

The kid frowned–And oh how it looked almost the same way that the old man usually does– and cleared his throat “There’s lots of cool things, just stay inside Castletown for today, you can explore all you want later”

There was something in his voice that didn’t match with how he looked. Raw and obviously rarely used, he understands now why the fairy was the first one to talk.

Then he noticed, the pommel of a dark purple in the kid’s back. He was going towards Ganon.

“I will take it in count” A pause, he needs to be careful how will he word this “And why is it that I’ll need to wait?”

The fairy was ready with an answer “In the actual times it’s not too safe wandering around, not after some attacks in the castle, but we’re taking care of it! Right, Link?” After that, the kid nodded.

The kid. The one who has the weight of the entire kingdom on his shoulders.

The one that he knows how will end up.

“I understand. Then I should get going, I will not stop the two of you anymore” He started making his way towards the gates, at least from here he could see in which direction to go.

Before he could go too far, Legend grabbed all his courage to speak again “Be careful and try your best, alright? I trust that I will be able to see you again” He never looked back to see the kid’s expression.

When he was close to the gates, the familiar pull of the portal made presence.

“So, you only needed me to give him some words? Cool” If she heard him, there was no signal to make it known.

He knows how the story ends, there was nothing that he could do even if he wanted to.

-

Centuries after, an old soul follows this one kid that decided to grab it’s old weapon. It saw how it finished the work it started, putting again the weapon on it’s place.

The soul decided to keep company this kid, witnessing more and more incredible adventures.

When it met the others it was delighted. Other cool people, who also went through big adventures and came victorious, it was fantastic!

If the young one stared at its direction every now and then, it didn’t care.

There was another one with its special kid, who seemed to come after all the pink-kid’s adventures. It also started following this fairy boy, his magic being like a warm comfort.

It should have seen it coming, Link should have known that it was set in stone for him to end in this state.

At least he can keep his promise, even if is only one sided.

[yaoienjoyerwife]

Bram As Your Boyfriend HCs! ♡

I love my vampire boyfriend so I'm going to write as much as possible for him tw for some sexual content, it's not super nsfw but it is implied/referenced!!

Bram's love language is either quality time or gift giving he loves to buy you things because he wants to spoil you because you are his princess/prince and all, but at the same time he knows compared to how long he's going to live he doesn't have much time with you so he's going to spend as much time as he possibly can with you

He's also just very touchy sometimes even though he doesn't seem the type to be, I feel like he would be since he was on that damn sword for so long.

Like he genuinely just likes to be near you, you don't even have to be doing anything together. As long as the two of you are in the same room together and generally close.

He's also very protective! If you even mention not liking someone like a coworker or something he will offer to duel them (even though he actually really can't), and also if someone flirts with you on the street or tries to talk to you then you can bet he is thinking about a duel again.

Additionally, because he's from Europe and not from a country that does valentines/white day, he gets really confused (and a little jealous) when you buy chocolate for your co-workers, you have to explain to him the whole thing to him (mostly because beforehand you'd only told him about white day as a little hint you wanted chocolate)

He's a very traditional man, he wants to get married to you and if you are a woman he definitely wants kids with you. However, for men, he is fine with adoptions or if you are infertile or scared of childbirth.

He's very gentle with you always, like he genuinely acts like if he doesn't treat you like a fragile object you're going to die.

He absolutely loves taking naps with you, because he's very tall you're probably shorter and he loves that, even if you are somehow taller he still likes holding onto you as if you're going to disappear from his arms if he doesn't hold on.

Will listen to all your music, even if it's rock or metal music or something he doesn't usually listen to, he will try to understand why you like it.

He also refuses to turn you into a vampire, you'd have to beg for like the next 1,000 years, I feel like the only scenario where he would do it without thinking much about it is like a Twilight scenario like when Bella was going to die giving birth type thing.

If his partner is part of the ADA he will literally threaten all its members to keep you safe at all costs, especially Kunikida because he has double responsibility because of Aya.

He also makes excuses to come to your work all the time and Dazai likes to tease him by flirting with you as a joke.

On days like that, you pray to whatever god there is you don't have to buy a new bed frame because on days like that is the only time he doesn't treat you like a priceless glass object.

He always apologizes for letting his emotions get the better of him afterwards though and gives you 100/10 aftercare.

He also lets you paint his nails, he won't let you cut them though so no fingers in you unless you want to bleed.

Overall pretty solid, like an 8/10 boyfriend because you also have to remind him of certain hygiene though he doesn't really sweat so.

[maple-the-awesome]

Friend or Foe || Part 2/3

Part 1 || Part 3

Pairings: Time, Wind, Wild x GN Reader

Overview: Link visits an alternate world without its hero and, more importantly, a version of you without your Link. Unfortunately, it seems even the smallest of details can lead to disastrous results. In spirt of Halloween, I've decided to do a little evil prompt because none of the Links have enough emotional damage yet😈

Zelda Masterlist 💙Fandom Masterlist

Time may not remember everything that has occurred over his many, long adventures, but he does remember the day you met. Only children then, you both made an innocent promise to marry once adults. Now, Time may be a lot of things, but he has always been a man of his word. How could he not be when presented the perfect chance to spend the rest of his life with his childhood crush? You’re the one person he can trust with his every secret - the reward at the end of every troubling journey. He lives to see your joy and dies to see your sorrow, even when it isn't exactly 'your' sorrow...

It's difficult business keeping track of eight young boys and men, especially when they're all cursed with the same adventurous spirits that are easily distracted. Of course they’ve managed to disappear here. He can only blame himself for not having questioned their silence sooner, although he’d be lying to say he doesn’t feel disappointed, notably with the older boys, Twilight and Warrior, who are usually more responsible than to simply wander off without a word of explanation. Alas, even they’re nowhere to be seen, his only hint of other life nearby being a giggle that echoes off the vast number of gigantic trees.

"My, my. One more left I see?" Time leaps back, hand already on his sword when he hears the voice, “Oooh, and look at you! So handsome! So fierce! I’m digging the scar - it makes you look so tough. And those muscles, too! You seem like you would really know how to -”

“- Where are you?!” Time demands, getting his answer promptly when a figure swings down from a branch mere feet away from his face.

“Wow! You’re even hotter up closer!”

Time's eyes widen in surprise due to both their sudden entrance and their physical appearance. This mysterious person has wild hair that sticks out in every direction with their body lacking a healthy weight or color, yet Time immediately ignores all of that in favor of focusing upon the mask they wear - one he knows all too well but wishes he didn’t. He thought, for a second, that he may have recognized their voice, too, yet he’s more certain that he must be mistaken in that regard. No way it could be…

“Hey, you were traveling with those other boys, right? So maybe you’ll be nicer by giving me the answers I want! You see, beautiful stranger, I’m looking for a special friend of mine. We made a promise a while back and I intend to fulfill it if I could just find him first. None of the travelers I’ve found in these woods so far are him, so I was beginning to lose hope until I overheard those friends of yours mention his name, but they -”

Time can’t move, his body overcome with a chilled wave that ends with his feet cemented to the ground. It would be reasonable to say he misheard the first time, and he could keep denying it if he wants now, but that wouldn’t change the fact that he does recognize this person’s voice. How could he not when it’s the same that belongs to his own person angel? It’s a disordered version of yours, however this person isn’t you. This can’t be you because last he checked, you were safe back home where you promised to wait for his next return. How could you suddenly be here in this world, kept under the binding influence of Majora’s Mask?

“- Hey, are you broken?!” This person - who still so eerily sounds like you despite Time’s refusal to admit such a thing - knocks a fist against his forehead, barely flinching when he jerks back with a gasp, “Sooo? You gonna help me or just be difficult like your friends, eh? I don’t have all day, miser!”

Perhaps this ‘you’ is simply a figment of his imagination created by the forest to torment him; that must be the answer. He just has to play the game - no matter how much it messes with his head - to find out what happened to the boys. He’s dealt with enough Skull Kids before, this would be a piece of cake.

“I -...This friend of yours, who is he? Someone you’ve lost in the forest?” Time asks carefully, doing his best not to react too much outwardly, after all he’s seen first hand how Majora’s Mask can affect the mind of its wearer, and this ‘you’ before him has already clearly been put through the wringer.

“If I knew where I had lost him, I would’ve found him!” You snap in irritation.

Time swallows, “...Right, that does make sense, but perhaps if you could tell me his name, I could offer you better help in finding him?”

You seem pleased by this answer, swinging yourself upright on the branch where you become illuminated only by the glowing eyes of your mask, “Link.”

“L…Link?” That cold feeling from before returns, making Time suddenly feel sick to his stomach as the dots finally begin to connect in his head. This is no figment of his imagination - no trick of the light or evil illusion. It really is you…not the same version of you he married, but the other he promised to…

In Wind’s world, you're an adored teacher on Windfall Island. You’re kind, caring, and very knowledgeable about Hyrule's history which came in handy whenever he needed pointers during his early adventures. Yes, you would express concern over a child of his age partaking in such dangerous affairs (you thought it was all a joke when he first told you) and you've let it slip before that you aren't the biggest fan of pirates, although beyond your mother-like worry which you’ve adopted towards all your students (even the unofficial ones like Wind), you’ve ultimately supported him every step of the way. You've always been a huge role model for him, so this shift in personality is more than unexpected...

Wind was excited to show his new friends around what he thought to be his own Hyrule and relieved to discover they weren’t alone on this island they’ve found themselves stuck on after wandering through another portal. A pirate ship anchored on shore - the very ship belonging to Zelda’ crew, as Wind foolishly assured the others despite their caution. Now, thanks to his impatience and eagerness, he sits saddened and embarrassed next to the rest of the heroes as they remain tied to the ship’s mast. 

It’s confusing. The pirates of this ship are the same as Zelda's crew, yet they claimed to not at all recognize the younger pirate regardless of his attempts to jog their memories. Instead, they had rounded him and the rest of the Chain up the second they approached their dock, taking them prisoner where they currently wait for 'the Captain's reaction'. 

The Captain. This made Wind feel relieved again. Zelda. He doesn't know why the other pirates are acting so strangely, but Zelda will be able to clear this whole mess up, in fact here she comes, dressed in her normal pirate attire Wind's accustomed to seeing.

"ZELDA! Goddesses, am I glad to see you! I don't understand what kinda trick the guys are trying to play on me, but this isn’t the time! My friends - they're all heroes of courage like me and we could really use your help to -" The words come so quickly from Wind's mouth that Zelda barely has time to look disgusted. 

"How hard did you exactly hit this guy?" She asks while looking to Nudge then back to Wind with a smirk.

"Wha - I'm serious! This is urgent, Zelda -!"

"- Who?" She places her hands on her hips, generally seemingly confused which makes Wind's blood run cold, but not as much as it does when another voice speaks.

"Oi, what's the ruckus out here, eh!? I thought I told ya' lot to keep it down - Oh. What do we have here, umm?" The doors to the Captain's cabin burst open, out walking a figure dressed head-to-toe in a bright red uniform with a large black, white, and magenta feather sticking out from their hat.

"Captain," Zelda immediately backs off from Wind, "These guys were just caught after trying to rush our ship."

"No, that’s not what we -!"

"- Little thieves. 'thought they could just follow us here and steal our treasure!" The pirates hiss together, although you take more time to look over the boy in front of you along with his companions.

"You all look familiar…" Your statement - as disinterested as it sounds - almost gives Wind hope. Almost, "Lock 'em up in the cellar where I won't have to listen to their annoying bitching. Gonzo, set a course for the Forsaken Fortress. I think Ganondorf would like to meet these boys. Tetra, you stick with me."

"YES, CAPTAIN!" An assortment of shouts follow, both from the pirates who follow your every order loyally and the heroes who express their dismay. Wind, however, can only stare in complete disbelief and betrayal as you look back at him once more, your eyes dark from underneath your hat's shadow which is a sharp contrast to the usual warmth that he knows you for. 

Wild lives with a lot of heavy regrets weighing him down, perhaps the most unspoken being his missed chance at ever telling you his true feelings. You were an ever-so-dear friend to him before the Calamity - someone who never expected the impossible from him and always offered a shoulder to lean on should he need one. He loved you quite a bit; something he remembered almost as soon as he remembered you. He has often visited your grave, replaying past events in his head while suffocating in his own guilt from not having protected you. He has sometimes begged the Goddess to let him see you again, even if just to apologize, but this isn’t what he had in mind - far from it…

Wild’s version of Hyrule is chaotic and messy; a land that thrives off of quiet hope and the shattered remnants of a once mighty kingdom. Zelda has mentioned the theory before: that like Hyrule, Wild needed to become something else - something different and unruly in nature because if you can’t beat it, then join it. 

With that said, he’s accustomed to using a lack of forethought, at least in any way comparable to his past self (which is what he tells himself, anyway). As far as he knows, before the Calamity, he was as straight-laced as they come, always concerning himself with his public image and focused on never letting anyone down. He’s nothing like that now, often running into danger head first with messy hair and a blaze of fire following his trail. You would think after the amount of concussions and scars he’s gained, he would’ve long learned his lesson, but alas, he raced through this dungeon with little worry as he’s done many others because his confidence - or perhaps his dull wit - has once again outweighed any common sense. 

Now this is the price he must pay for his own ignorance: a nightmare reanimated before him as it taunts and tortures his inner conscience…and all he can do is accept this horrid punishment in frozen terror as you stalk across the room towards him.

When he raced ahead of the others and turned the key, he expected to be greeted with the typical dungeon boss - an overgrown bokoblin or fiery wizard. He didn’t expect it to be you, crumbled on the ground with gloom affecting your entire body. He didn’t expect for you to react so harshly to his presence, throwing him across the room with a blast of magic when he tried to reach your side, desperate to know how you’re alive and if you’re okay.

You look as angry as you have every right to be, your face curled into a snarl as you come closer, eyes narrowed in an orange glow and a sword in your hand…yet Wild could do nothing but let his knees buckle from underneath himself and dig his nails into his scalp as he asks himself over and over again how this is possible. How are you here? How are you alive? How were you affected and how does he fix you? …He can’t, though. He let you down then and has no idea how to save you now despite having been granted the gift of your presence again - the very thing he’s been begging for.

“I’m so sorry! I’m so sorry!” He cries, not sure if it’s for you or himself as he sobs your name with the same heartache he would over your grave, “I’msorry! I’msorry!”

“IT’S AN ILLUSION, WILD! IT’S NOT THEM!” Someone shouts from behind - someone who he’d usually easily recognize as Twilight yet his mind is in too much of a rush to even listen to his concerned friend’s words, let alone care about his identity. 

Wild can only think of his final moments with you. The day you ‘casually’ told him about plans to try a new restaurant in Castle Town and how you were looking for someone to join you. Foolishly - ever so foolishly - he asked if your sister wouldn’t go, generally confused that you, someone so kind and loved, would have trouble finding a willing companion for any aspect of your life. 

Bashfully, you agreed to ask her, and that was it. You walked off, leaving the poor hero to wonder why you looked so dejected and heartbroken. The next time he’d see you was a mere picture an old woman showed him, curious if you happened to be the one he ran into town desperately searching for. The woman - your niece, as it would turn out - confirmed his worst fears, explaining that while you had survived the initial attack during the Calamity, you like many others soon succumbed to an illness Purah now theorizes to have been a result of close contact with gloom. 

Wild can only imagine your final moments, poisoned by gloom and betrayal much like this other version of you is. If only he had done his job properly, you would have never felt such pain. You, like your sister, would have grown old and lived peacefully as you deserved. He, himself, wouldn’t have to forever live with this guilt he bears from your death - guilt that tries convincing him it would’ve been better if Twilight hadn’t pulled him away from the danger, instead allowing you - even if not truly you - to get some sort of revenge for his mistakes. 

[hinatahyugacute]

The shadow hokage and his lady Uchiha

In the soft glow of Konoha’s twilight, a silhouette stood atop the Hokage's office, cloaked in darkness as he surveyed the village. Sasuke Uchiha, the Shadow Hokage, had taken this position silently—no official title, no grand announcement. His role was more discreet, one that protected Konoha from dangers lurking in the shadows, far from the public eye. Though Naruto held the formal title of Hokage, everyone knew that without Sasuke, the village wouldn’t enjoy the same peace.

He felt a familiar warmth as he sensed another presence joining him on the rooftop. Turning slightly, he saw Hinata Uchiha, her lithe form gracefully moving toward him. The soft purple of her kimono flowed elegantly around her, a delicate contrast to her husband’s dark attire. Her long indigo hair cascaded over her shoulders, the color deepening as the dusk darkened into night.

“You came,” Sasuke murmured, his voice a blend of appreciation and mild surprise. In the silence of their bond, they often communicated without words, but tonight, it seemed he wanted to hear her voice.

Hinata smiled gently, a warmth in her eyes that softened her husband's perpetually stoic demeanor. “Of course,” she replied softly. “The children are asleep, and I wanted to see you.”

Sasuke turned, stepping closer to her as the village lights began to twinkle below. He felt the weight of his duties and responsibilities slip away in her presence. Together, they shared a silent understanding; though their lives were wrapped in duty and sacrifice, they found solace in each other. Sasuke reached out, his hand brushing against her cheek.

“It’s peaceful tonight,” he said, more to himself than her. Konoha, the village that had taken so much from him, had also given him everything he’d needed in the end: family, purpose, and a sense of belonging he’d never expected to find. And Hinata—Hinata had been there, quietly supporting him, loving him unconditionally. She was his steady light.

Hinata nodded. “It’s peaceful because of you, Sasuke. You’ve kept this village safe in ways most will never understand.” Her voice was soft but filled with pride, and she looked up at him, her lavender eyes reflecting her deep admiration.

“I don’t do it for them,” he replied, a rare flicker of vulnerability in his tone. He pulled her closer, allowing himself the indulgence of her warmth. “I do it for you. And for the children.”

Hinata’s eyes softened, her hand resting over his heart, feeling its steady beat beneath her palm. “You’ve given so much. Sometimes I worry…”

“Worry?” he repeated, his dark eyes searching hers.

“About the toll this takes on you.” She bit her lip, hesitating. “I know you would never speak of it, but I can feel the weight you carry, Sasuke. You protect everyone… but sometimes I wish you’d let yourself rest.”

Sasuke lowered his head, their foreheads touching, and let out a small sigh. “I know,” he whispered, almost inaudible. “But some things can’t wait.” His fingers tightened around hers, as if grounding himself in her presence. “And this… role… it’s something I chose. For our family. So that you, Sarada, and little Itachi can live in peace.”

Hinata’s expression softened, and she pressed her lips gently to his. It was her way of reassuring him, showing her support without words. The stars above them twinkled brighter as the night deepened, and in that moment, Sasuke felt something he’d rarely allowed himself to experience—contentment.

A sudden rustle below broke their silence, and they both looked down, their instincts sharp as they scanned the ground. A stray cat, prowling through the empty streets, gave them a curious glance before trotting away. Sasuke smirked, his hand lingering on the hilt of his sword. “Seems like the only threats tonight are the four-legged ones.”

Hinata chuckled softly, a sound that Sasuke found himself cherishing. “Then perhaps, my dear shadow, we can enjoy a moment of peace together.”

Sasuke relaxed, letting go of the tension he hadn’t realized he’d been holding. They sat on the edge of the rooftop, side by side, Hinata leaning into him as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders. She placed her head on his shoulder, closing her eyes as she enjoyed the stillness.

In the distance, they could hear the faint laughter of villagers, the sound of life carrying on peacefully below. Sasuke allowed himself a rare smile as he looked at the woman beside him. She had been his strength, his calm in the storm, his constant when everything else felt like it was slipping away. With her, he could be Sasuke, not the feared last Uchiha or the village’s shadow guardian—just a man who had fought to protect the ones he loved.

As the night deepened, Hinata lifted her head and looked up at him. “You’ve always been the shadow, Sasuke, but I hope you know you are loved by the light.”

Her words struck a chord deep within him, a part of him that he’d long kept hidden away. He knew he was difficult to love, that his life was far from easy to share. But Hinata had seen the worst of him, his brokenness and his strength, and she had chosen to stay.

Sasuke cupped her face, his thumb tracing her cheek. “I don’t deserve you, Hinata,” he said softly. “But I’ll protect you. Always.”

They shared a quiet moment, their breaths in sync as the stars continued to watch over them. Hinata placed a gentle kiss on his forehead, her lips lingering as she whispered, “And I’ll be here, always. Just like this.”

In the silence that followed, they simply held each other, lost in the profound comfort that only they could provide one another. In that moment, Sasuke felt complete. The man who once wandered in search of vengeance had found something far greater—someone who understood him, and a love that could withstand any shadow.

As they sat together under the vast sky, the weight of their shared history, their struggles, and their love wove around them, binding them closer. They were two souls who had found peace, even in the silence, even in the darkness. And as long as they had each other, they knew they could face whatever came next.

[arkus-rhapsode]

Gachi-Bachi: A Tale of Two Roads to Success (A Discussion)

Back again with another think piece on this blog. And while the last two came from an inspiration of topics that I had floating around in my head for awhile, this one came about from me scrolling on twitter (I'm not calling it X) recently and noticing the in real time evolution of two of the arguably biggest battle shonen releases of the 2020s. That would be Gachiakuta and Kagurabachi.

However, this isn't gonna be a simple compare and contrast of the series as works of fiction as I personally feel each one has different qualities that really distinguish them from each other in a way that doing a comparison wouldn't be too interesting. Rather what intrigues me is how they are a fascinating study in how series become big so to speak and despite the overlap in fans, there's actually some pretty key differences in their success stories that highlight greater things in the manga industry in particular. So let's ask ourselves: how did we get here, what role has fanbases played in it, what role has their respective magazines played in this, and just how truly successful are these series?

Background and Rise

Now for those who are just not initiated, I'll briefly explain the premise of these two series.

Gachiakuta by Kei Urana is a series set in a dark fantasy world where an orphan named Rudo is banished to the trash filled abyss after being framed for the murder of his adoptive father. In the Abyss Rudo discovers he has the power to use his magic gloves to turn objects into weapons, which he uses as a member of the Cleaners. He fights trash monsters and criminals in a journey to get back home and take revenge on the one who framed him.

Kagurabachi by Takeru Hokazono is an urban fantasy series set in contemporary Japan that deal with Chihiro, the son of a mystical blacksmith who had forged six magic swords. Chihiro's father is killed by a group of magical mobsters and his swords taken from him. Chihiro, armed with a secret seventh magic sword, will cut a blood path through Japan's criminal underbelly and take revenge on those responsible for his father's death.

I know Im grossly summarizing both works because I'm focusing not on the series themselves but rather the things surrounding each of them. So if you wish to know more, please check them out yourselves and see if you enjoy them. And just for transparency's sake, I have made multiple posts on this blog about Gachiakuta so I think its safe to say I enjoy it quite a bit. While my relationship with Kagurabachi is not that intimate as I actually don't read much Weekly Shonen Jump anymore, I did at least read the first volume just so I can say, I totally see why this got a following. Also just for clarity as I know the internet can flatten time in many instances, I want to point out that while I'd call these series contemporary, its worth noting that they're not exactly same time rising stars. Kagurabachi came out this year, in 2024, while Gachiakuta came out in 2022. A whooping two year lead. Hot did Kagurabachi get so hot? How?

Well if you're familiar with Kagurabachi in even a tertiary form you probably remember this meme.

This was a piece of promo art used by Jump along with a brief summary of the series before it was publishized. Now for a little context, at this time, two of Shonen Jump's biggest action staple series, My Hero Academia and Jujutsu Kaisen, were in their twilight stages. And at the time the shonen jump magazine had an interesting assortment of genres probably more than the last two decades. However, while One Piece would still be evergreen and their were action series such as Sakamoto Days and Undead Unluck, there was a hunger for a new battle series. And not just a new battle series, a long term investment battle series.

So when the news came down that WSJ would be releasing a "urban fantasy revenge sword battle series" with an accompanying art that definitely would fit alongside the heroes of the 2000s like Ichigo Kurosaki or Death the Kid, there was a reasonable excitement. Course there was also a bit of an over enthusiasm. Now like I said in my 2000s anime nostalgia post, I don't think this definitively means anything deep that there are just people who got into anime around the 2000s who just enjoy that types of series they were introduced to and were excited for more of that. However, over enthusiasm on the internet, is always prime material for ribbing.

So a lot of people on Ani/manga twitter saw slews of people posting this, and I mean this with no disrespect, kinda bored looking guy drawing his sword and being excited for a series that hadn't come out. This lead to of course memes. Lots of memes.

That this was the best jump manga of all time before a single chapter came out. It even lead to a bunch of people redrawing this promo image several times with different characters each with the same kind of expression. Now of course, this did ignore the fact that there was at least a translated one-shot released by Hokazono that people could at least check out to see if they enjoy his work. As well as the fact this kinda happens everytime there's a new jump rotation. Its just kinda in fan nature to get hyped for something even if all they have is a simple description. But lots of memes tend to flatten out context.

And so it seemed like that was that, the set up for the ultimate punchline. People had some genuine excitement, a bunch of guys on twitter made a mountain of ironic excitement, and now all the series had to come out and not live up to that hype. But then Kagurabachi did come out and the chapter was good. Sure it wasn't change your life spectacular or anything, but for a first chapter of a brand new series, it did exactly what it needed to do: Clearly introduce the stakes of the world, who the main character is, what their motivation is, mixing in some action set pieces, and leaving a little room for intrigue to watch the series grow. It hit the emotional points it wanted and hit the action beats it wanted. The end. That wasn't bad at all. Quite the opposite.

So here we are, left with what was essentially a free marketing campaign for people who probably expected it to get the shonen jump axe like a lot of new action series tended to get and instead they got something pretty okay. If there was ever a group of people vindicated it was those guys excited for Kagurabachi for the start.

Yes I know, meme popularity can be dumb or annoying. And some super fans and hype beasts who want to be there on the ground floor can be kinda cringe, but there is no doubt this was one of the most successful social media campaigns ever for a series that actually was managing to justify it. And for the next few weeks it would keep going and irony was almost completely replaced with sincerity.

The fact this was actually getting Shueisha's social media to acknowledge twitter hashtags and release a promotional trailer for it in English was such a first. Even if you don't like Kagurabachi or are indifferent to it, there is no denying this was unique.

But I've spent all this time reminiscing about Kagurabachi's social media rise. What about Gachiakuta hmm?

Well Gachiakuta was a series made by Kei Urana who had served as an assistant to Atsushi Okubo on the Weekly Shonen Magazine series, Fire Force. Fire Force itself is an odd beast we don't have the time to fully get into, but it was pretty popular for a non jump series and featured Okubo, a creator who has possibly one of the most devout fanbases ever, striking it big with many people's formative anime, Soul Eater. Urana herself was a massive fan of the series and if you've read Gachiakuta you can see the inspiration. However, when it was time for Fire Force to come to a close, WSM had announced that a new series by Okubo's assistant would be starting just before its end. And people were excited right? Well not exactly. Cause you had to be looking in the right places to even notice this announcement.

At the time, WSM series were mostly readable on Azuki. However, there seemed to be a weirdly non commutable relationship with Azuki and WSM's publisher Kodansha. As such it was kinda a gamble if a new WSM series would even show up on Azuki let alone simelpubbed. So it seemed like whatever Gachiakuta was would be Japan exclusive. But as if by miracle, the translation group, Pair of 2+ came in and dropped an English version of the chapter on release. The first chapter of Gachiakuta was pretty strong though mostly for Urana's incredibly striking artstyle. Made even better by the fact that the world of Gachiakuta was a fantasy world. And not fantasy in the way a stereotypical isekai is borrowing from romanticized European fantasy. But rather this sorta grudge world that was capable of having what looked like modern convinces, but there was things like a mysterious trash pit, a bunch of soldiers who dressed in ostentatious uniforms and a ginormous and intimidating trash creature.

I know it might seem kinda like a broken record now, but a big thing in the 2010s era of action manga and anime was a move towards more grounded and contemporary setting with stories. Juxtaposing supernatural or spectacular elements with the modern day Japan structure and order. Plenty of series were popular with this such as My Hero, Jujutsu Kaisen, Chainsaw Man, hell even Demon Slayer does the same though set in a turn of the century version of Japan. These certainly have an appeal and obviously they're not going anywhere, but there was a growing perception that fantasy worlds in manga were kinda fading. We weren't really getting a bunch of One Pieces. Were were getting stuff closer to Bleach. So of course, deny someone something long enough and they become enthusiastic for the tiniest taste of it.

So with all this, how was Gachiakuta's first few weeks. Well outside of some territory nods and the obvious "This manga is trash" jokes. It kinda stayed low key. With people relying on scan groups to handle it, there was really no guarantee of consistent momentum. Sometimes it'd take two weeks to get a chapter out in English while the Spanish versions were available. sometimes another scan group may come in a drop a chapter, making it harder to find the series in one place. However, all of this really did end up benefitting Gachiakuta. Because when you remove convenience you end up creating your strongest soldiers. If you were actively looking for Gachiakuta and not just waiting for an app update, that meant you were committed. And committed people had to use word of mouth to get this out there. If there was a moment of big promotion it would be when AniTuber Gigguk's Trash Taste podcast had well know Vtuber (Full disclaimer I know almost nothing about Vtubers or Hololive. I'm sorry in advance if I'm not going into greater detail on their significance) Mori Calliope discuss the Next Manga award winners and give Gachiakuta a shout out.

So, we had Bachibros and the twitter take over, while we had Gachibros and their slowly growing cult classic. Both methods ended up creating some real die hard fans, but the visibility and promotion of both series is very different. And ties into...

How Each Series Respective Company Has Handled Them

So before I start this section, I know I've made social media a big reference point for the success of these series. I want to make it clear that social media popularity isn't a full story. Something may be popular on twitter or YouTube but not necessarily be successful. I think social media can be a good barometer of the actual interest of a series, but not its end all be all for its results. And I think no series really knew this better than Hunters Guild: Red Hood.

For those unaware, Hunters Guild: Red Hood was a series that released in Weekly Shonen Jump in 2021 and was a big darling with Animanga twitter. Its art style, its premise on western fairytales, going for a more traditional dark fable vibe, and of course attractive characters. It was easily the series a bunch of people were calling the next big thing. And then it flopped. It was regularly last place in the popularity polls and its Japanese volume sales were really unimpressive. So it got axed by Jump.

To say this caused an outrage with people would be an understatement. This caused a trend of people really trying to find "the answer." Try and make this seemingly senseless action make sense. Well tragically if you are a manga industry watcher like me you know that this isn't actually all that unique.

For a lot of non Japanese fans, particularly Americans, we never had the accessibility of the Shonen Jump app or the Manga+ app in the 2000s-2010s. If you wanted manga, you were using MangaStream and MangaPanda which had focused on basically the biggest series in the industry. While countless series that have run in jump and other magazines have just been ended after 20 chapters. But that information wasn't available to us in real time the way it is now.

If you're around my age range and know about the shonen jump ranking system, you were probably introduced to the concept through the series Bakuman, manga about manga that was really the first popularized look at how the sausage was made in the Shuiesha offices. A big thing that was a point of tension was the rankings. If a series fell low consistently in the ranks of readership surveys filled up by the ones who purchased a copy of shonen jump and submitted it, then it would be cancelled by jump. Now its important to remember, Bakuman was a dramatized recreation of how Shueisha operated. Things were exaggerated in the name of making an entertaining and tension filled series. In reality, the ranking system is important, however the editorial department of Jump weights multiple factors when making this judgement: what is in the magazine at the time? Is something ending so we can risk having this run longer? Is there a new batch we want to role out soon so we need to free up space? How are the volume sales doing? And has this carved out a viable niche for itself?

While yes its a good rule of thumb to say something in last place is generally in danger for not maintaining interest to keep it around, its not a simple yes no.

Thanks to Shueisha's Shonen Jump App we now get everything as it comes out. We get the future best and the future failures and there really isn't a way to control it. So to see Red Hood a series with some very vocal fans, it was always at the whims of Japanese customers who seemed neither interested in voting for it over other series in the magazine or purchasing its volumes as they came out. It is a hard pill for people to swallow, to have something that they like, that they want to be invested in and tell its story to be cut short.

But I would say that in this day and age while it is hard to witness this, the benefits of the SJ app are phenomenal. The SJ app is a convent subscription service at a reasonable price that offers the first chapter of a series free as well as the latest three chapters free. So even if you want to not subscribe you can still keep up on an official platform. And Manga+ being similar and not region locked. Thanks to this any new series debuting in Shonen will have the eyes of the world audience on it. When there is a new batch of manga that enter the series, it feels like an event. It really is a high risk high reward situation-you run in WSJ and you have the opportunity for everyone even beyond Japan see your work simultaneously, however you will still have to fight and maintain interest and hype for your series on a weekly basis.

As previously stated, Kagurabachi absolutely benefitted from this. And while yes some it was ironic, the fact that the promise of a new battle series was going to be on everyone's screens and have the biggest reach to find an audience is good. Now of course, we have to remember that WSJ still doesn't let non Japanese voters participate in polls, so while you can find a foreign audience it might not be what gets people excited in Japan (Although there have been instances of foreign fans purchasing Japanese volumes). Well jump may have gone an extra mile with this one. Kagurabachi would actually really early into its run cycle be given a recommendation by Gege Akutani author of Jujutsu Kaisen.

Now for those who actually don't know, in Japan, some manga are printed and packaged with a recommendation band that acts as an extra form of promotion. Siting a famous or well liked author giving a series a recommendation and a little image of the series they worked and sometimes a quote.

Obviously getting an on the cover cosign is a bit more prestigious than say, going to your Barnes and Noble and an employee has written why you may enjoy this series. And not just any mangaka, Kagurabachi was getting props from one the biggest mangaka in the magazine with a pretty ravenous fanbase. But for me a big thing that got my attention that showed how much jump was investing was the previously mention Kagurabachi PV trailer. A simple YouTube animation to get people to check out the work, plenty of series get this. But Kagurabachi's was the first to have it in English. A Japanese company acknowledging the server of the global audience is huge and I'd say this already seemed like it was hyped up enough, but then you have an editor of Jump+ openly acknowledging the "#BachiFlex" in an official statement. There's no doubt there is a fanbase and Jump is absolutely aware of that fact. And of course you can't forget those color pages.

So that's how Kagurabachi was doing, how was Gachiakuta doing? Well first we need to talk about Weekly Shonen Magazine and get something out of the way, they do not have a ranking system like shonen jump. Weekly Shonen Magazine actually seems to operate more along the lines of volume sales. waiting for a manga to hit print and see that actual tangible interest of the people who buy it. Because of this, you can see that WSM has actually a much lower turn over rate than WSJ. And that when there is a new series its usually only one or two at a time in a year. So if the series hinges on sales, it should love having a massive reach?

Well sadly, WSM and Kodansha have been pretty poor when dealing with the global market. I mentioned earlier its relationship with Azuki getting official scans out but there was also the deals it had made with Crunchyroll to have a reader for their work. Both services were not the best received, so wouldn't it be nice if Kodansha had a web service like Jump? A simeulpub on the international market. Well enter K Manga and possibly one of the biggest fumbles ever.

I mentioned before that the SJ app was made with the mind as a subscription service, this was done with awareness of what western audience were willing to financially invest in. Well, Kodansha instead responded with a resigned version of their Magazine Pocket app that included a frankly confusing points and ticket system with just straight up micro-transactions. If you're keyed into the Webtoon scene you probably know this type of weird gamification of a service is done in Asia.

Im sure you've heard the famous quote about how piracy is a service problem and not a pricing problem. People would be perfectly happy to spend money on an official release if the way to access it was ultra convenient. And making Americans learn things like 24 hour tickets, and daily prizes, and just having you pay for each individual chapter. Its just really cumbersome and I'd rather get back to reading scans instead. Also to add some insult to injury it is region locked so even if you wanted to purchase this in countries like Europe, you can't.

I will at least say some positives, I think K manga has a much wider range of series available than the SJ or Manga+ apps. As it takes from Kodansha's many different manga magazines like Weekly Shonen Magazine, Weekly Young Magazine, Monthly Afternoon, Monthly Morning, Bessatsu Shonen Magazine, and Magazine Pocket originals. And Gachiakuta was part of the first few titles at launch and it was some good promotion as later that Fall, Kodansha USA would release the English print copies. But promotion through an app a lot of people weren't really happy with.

Speaking of the print side wasn't doing so hot either. As this may be a surprise to some, WSJ is rare in the fact that it makes manga a real center focus of why you should purchase the magazine, meanwhile many other mags use covergirls.

Look Im not gonna say Shueisha doesn't do this, their Weekly Young Jump covers are really raunchier than this with their cover girls. But yeah not exactly the most bright thing for a series when its being paired against glamor girls and quite literally pushed into a corner.

But it wasn't all bad as Urana would actually end up promoting the series through other means. As mentioned before, a pretty popular Vtuber had already devoted time to promote it of her own free will, Urana herself would even be commissioned to draw cover art for them. Urana would do the same for Jpop band cvlte. We'd even have Kodansha ambassador and professional skateboarder Yuto Horigome have Urana in for a session to talk about art and just recently, British rock band Bring Me The Horizon was promoting the series.

Now its my opinion that no series deserves success or deserves failure. It needs to stand on it own merits and the ones interested will come to it. However, I do find it interesting how Kodansha as a company has chosen to promote their work. Even when its going harder (especially post anime announcement) it feels weirdly word of mouth. Getting all these guys from different subgeneres to talk about it while internationally having such a mixed roll out. But maybe that close inter-personality is what makes the Gachiakuta rise story more unique. Sure it doesn't have the same all eyes on me as Kagurabachi has gotten, but in a way its kinda made this more intimate whether once again cultivating fans who are really really faithful to Gachiakuta's success. This comes to a head in the 101st chapter of Gachiakuta with a color page, Urana thanks her friends in it fitting several graffiti names of people who have supported her and the studio that will be making this a reality.

And hey, while I've definitely been critical of Kodansha, there's no denying that, but hey they agreed to give this series an anime so that must mean its a success. Right?

Success?

So I've been mostly talking about aspects of Gachiakuta and Kagurabachi's more social and industrial significance. How they became popular and how they're been treated by their respective companies. But what about results? Why bore you all with all this hot air when I can just give you cold hard facts? Well by sales-yeah Kagurabachi is a hit. Like there's no other interpretation. It is a hit. It debuted at number 4 on the manga sales chart, by two volume on the market it had hit 100K copies in circulation, and is receiving reprint after reprint.

Also this is a bit tacked on because this happened while I was editing, Kagurabachi just overwhelming won the Next Manga Awards print category. By a huge margin and being the second highest number of votes submitted for a series after Oshi no Ko. Like I don't really have much to say but like... Congrats to Takeru Hokazono. Like there's not denying this is a hit. Like I read the acceptance tweet, he knows. He knows people have been gasing him up as "the next big thing" like. I have nothing else to say this is a success.

The Kagurabachi train is a rolling and knowing how hotly people are anticipating it to fill the shoes of success like MHA or JJK, its showing the results to back up those expectations. In fact, this has actually been one of the few times I've seen a lot of anticipation for a series that doesn't have and anime and that anime is probably off for quite a bit. As of the time I'm writing this Kagurabachi sits at 46 chapters.

As for Gachiakuta this was actually the most surprising for me to actually see the Japanese sales figures.

So for all the anticipation its final result is... okay. Like yeah these sales are fine. There's no way it be in danger of being cancelled and like any business would look at this and say its steady. But that's kinda all it it, steady. I always kinda hate talking about sales that are kinda just doing okay. Cause no one ever wants to be told that its not exceeding expectations, but there's no like rubbernecker cratering that can be entertaining. Its doing just fine. And that's really all there is for a series that's manga only for now.

Obviously the anime is announced. Its coming and it will likely get a boost in audiences interested in it (Know if it doesn't get stuck on like Disney+ or Amazon), but that's kinda why I wanted to get this blog post out before hand. Cause I wanted to compare these series as manga. Now of course you have to remember these sales charts are accounting for Japanese sales on debut. So its likely that there is longer tails than we know of for each series. However, its kinda funny seeing Gachiakuta's figures and remember how it won a Next Manga Award in the category of "Global Special Prize." So its not too much of a stretch to say in Japan Gachiakuta is still pretty punk and underground and the value is definitely in that global market. Though I have to have a bit of laugh now a how much that's been a pretty hit or miss effort.

So Gachiakuta is a success story, but its that sort of "A first party Nintendo switch game sold over a million units" type of success. That's good, but its not like making those Mario numbers.

Conclusion

So I'm sure you're asking what was the point of all of this? Why did you spend so much time of comparing the rises of two shonen action series that outside of probably their hardcore cheering section don't really think about their success stories?

Well to me, I'm of the belief that the ultimate goal for a mangaka (And really any creative professional) at the end of the day is to be able to tell their story, entertain people, and make a comfortable living while doing so. The end goal may be the same for many, but the paths to how we get there can vary greatly. If you made it there by blockbuster success or by underground hit. And the fact that those paths can be so varied by factors ranging from independent social media movements and the actions of making a piece of media even available for an audience you want to reach.

When writing this piece, I really got the sense of just how much bigger manga in particular is effecting the more broader ani/manga subgenre. Its not just that thing where only the best of the best we're getting English translation posted on scan sites, we've reached a point where now a global audience can have a series in their reach. Yet their reach varies.

We still don't have the chance to submit surveys in jump and we still don't have physical volumes of manga printed around the same time so we can take into account global sales, but we can hashtag. We can share these on live streams. We can have our own grassroots efforts that are actually having something resembling an effects on the choices of Japan. All of this change in practically a decade.

Will Gachiakuta and Kagurabachi go onto to be pillers of the anime and manga community? Mmm maybe. Their fans are super passionate and the great thing about fans is even though they can be loud, they are the ones helping make new fans. They're the ones making the fan art and fan fictions and reddit posts. For all we know when they get anime they'll pop off harder than before. Or maybe they'll get a bunch of normies who don't get or like them and will tell you how its secretly never good.

Still its interesting to see how despite these two series having so much of the same ground, both of their roads were so different. And that maybe you can't control how things will turn out in the world of social media and corporate management. Sometimes all you can do is your best and stand on your own merits and the people will find you.

Whether they run for 200 chapters each or 700 chapters each or anything down the middle. Gachiakuta and Kagurabachi, here's to you're accomplishments now and here's to many more successful years down your respective roads.

Anyway folks that's my time. I hope you enjoyed this think piece. If you do please drop a like or reblog. It'll really tell me if you're interested in seeing more content like this. And maybe I can share more and more about this industry that I'm passionate about.

[madebysoupy]

100 years later I finally drew all of my AU Links

Say hello to my lads! They're going to be in a comic I've been scripting and planning for about a year now I think? I'm calling it Link and the Links, latl for short!

More info under the cut :]

(this is the old post, consider checking out the new version!)

(please don't tag as LU/Linked Universe!!)

The Plot

The Links find themselves in a mysterious forest that seems somewhat familiar to all of them yet none of them know where they are. Now they have to work together to find their way home. On the way they'll discover a thing or two about each other and grow closer!

The Cast

I could talk about these guys for hours, but to keep it digestible I'll make it short

A bit of info before I get into it - all of them are taken from different points in time after the end of their adventure(s)!

Birdie (Skyward Sword)

18

Roughly 6 hours after defeating Demise

The start of it all. Unbeknownst to himself and the others, the space they find themselves in was created out of his desire to meet the heroes after him. He feels terribly guilty about the curse and very much blames himself for the possible suffering of future heroes. His main goal is to check up on everyone and help where he can!

Grasshopper (Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask)

10

4 days after leaving Termina

Somewhat disoriented after his journey still, he tags along simply because he thinks Birdie is an idiot who would get lost without him. He doesn't talk a whole lot but he likes listening to other people's stories

Seagull (Wind Waker and Phantom Hourglass)

13

6 months after leaving the domain for the ocean King

He's a real genuine pirate, yarr!! Or so he'd like you to believe. He talks a great deal about his strength and bravery, but really is just afraid and terribly homesick most of the time. He wants to fit in with Tetra's and her crew's toughness so much he might go a little overboard on the act in a way that may or may not end up biting him in the butt.

Choo (Spirit Tracks)

14

6 months after peace returned to new Hyrule

He wouldn't call himself a hero, in fact he'd say it's a miracle he made it out alive. Self-esteem and confidence really aren't his strong suits, he often finds himself dragged along and unable to say no. He is very friendly however, and if you just give him a little space he might even open up to you.

Wolfie (Twilight Princess)

21

4 years after defeating Ganondorf

Left Ordon after intrusive thoughts convinced him he was a danger to his village, now works at Telma's bar as a waiter in exchange for a room. He's responsible well liked, though he's not too fond of himself. He has some complicated feelings about the whole turning into a wolf thing

Apple (A Link to the Past, Oracle of Ages/Seasons and Link's Awakening)

20

Just a few seconds after Koholint disappeared

From one dream right into the next (sorta?) he's understandably disoriented at first. He pushes that aside pretty much immediately though, much more interested in getting to know everyone. He's a kind and soft spoken, weirdly wise sort of guy and near instantly becomes the heart of the team

Wallflower (A Link Between Worlds)

19

4 years after wishing upon the triforce with Zelda

Bitter doesn't even begin to describe this uh.. Pleasant fella. After being bossed around for the better part of his life he doesn't take orders from anybody and is this close to quitting his job as a blacksmith. He hates being stuck here, he hates these strange people, really there's not much he doesn't hate. But that can't be all there is to him...

Puzzle (The Legend of Zelda and Adventure of Link)

18

1,5 years after waking Zelda II

Confused, disoriented, but still happy to help and ready for adventure. Though some of the others don't really like him around he's still just as friendly to everyone. Since he struggles to communicate he tends to stay quiet. He appears to be simple minded on first glance, but he'll prove to be a valuable member of the team.

Sprout (Minish Cap)

23

13 years after defeating Vaati

After his grandfather died he retreated into his house and dedicated himself to improving his blacksmithing skills to live up to his grandfather's name, he was quickly forgotten by his community and faded into obscurity. Now he may be the best blacksmith in Hyrule, so good that even the royal guard hires him, but among the general castletown population he's nothing more than a forest cryptid. He only leaves the house when he has to, carefully avoiding people. Not because they disgust him, he just has a major case of social anxiety!

Squire (Breath of the Wild)

14

3 years pre calamity

This absolute rascal couldn't be happier about his current circumstances. These unknown woods are his playground and all of these weirdos are his friends now! Though everyone's pretty sure he's a knight trainee, he insists that he's just a stable hand for the guard. His chaotic and carefree nature surprisingly doesn't get in the way of things as he's eager to help out wherever he can, seeing the whole journey as an impromptu camping trip.

Some funfacts :]

Most of them are neurodivergent in some way!

Birdie and Seagull have ADHD, Grasshopper and Choo are autistic, Squire gets the combo platter AuDHD and Wolfie has OCD

Additionally, Birdie has auditory processing disorder and dyscalculia, and Squire has dyslexia

A few of them also have speech disorders

Choo stutters and Puzzle has cluttering speech disorder

Apple has a weak voice, so after a while his voice gets tired and gets hoarse

Choo enjoys drawings and cartography, two skills that will be very important!

One of Seagull's hobbies is photography! He takes his pictobox everywhere

Wolfie also does entertainment at the bar from time to time! He sings or does card tricks

Sprout knows HSL (hylian sign language) because his grandfather was deaf

Seagull's piratey way of talking is 100% for show and painfully inconsistent

Wolfie speaks in a thick southern (in universe ordonian) accent but he's trying hard to mask it since he moved to castletown

Wallflower absolutely hates Puzzle

Squire's special interest is horses

Birdie is a bit of a doormat so he has the ideas but Wolfie is the one to actually get them through

A number of them are blood related (has nothing to do with the colours of their names in this post, I had to reuse some because there weren't enough orz)

That's all I have for you today! Thank you so much for reading, I hope you enjoyed! :]

If any of you have any questions about my Links or AU you'd like answered, my inbox is open!

Have a lovely day everyone!

[crazylittlejester]

What is one head canon you have for every individual member of the chain?

only one headcanon for each of them? 🥺

Time: I’ve definitely said this one before, but he is not at all trying to be fatherly. He does care about the boys a lot, but his fatherly actions are all completely unintentional, he has no idea some of them look up to him like a dad, and he has yet to realize he looks at some of them as his kids. In his mind he’s just being kind and brotherly. He has a hard time expressing emotions and seriously struggles with facial expressions, which is why he comes off as so hard to approach and seems more responsible and dad like, but that’s not the case at all. He’s just as chaotic as the others and seriously is oblivious to how some of them look up to him

Warriors: I headcanon he comes from a family of tailors (which is a headcanon ive seen before) who own a small shop in the little village he comes from (he’s not originally a city boy to me, he became a city boy later in life). His family also owns a small farm and he had big dogs growing up. Had the war never happened he’d probably still be with them, taking over his mom’s shop because he was the one most interested in it (i also headcanon he has a lot of siblings)

Twilight: He needs people to take care of or he won’t take care of himself. He just falls into such a slump if there’s no one for him to look after because he feels useless and unneeded. He’s a serious hoverer when one of the others are injured but he feels bad for hovering so he ends up sitting on the opposite side of camp looking like a wet dog and it’s just so sad looking 😭

Sky: I know a lot of people make him super sleepy or give him asthma because of his low stamina in Skyward Sword and also because he just always seems tired in that game, but for me Sky has epilepsy, and that’s why he has periods of time where he’s just absolutely exhausted

Hyrule: Not afraid of much and has a stomach of steel. This kid will eat anything and everything and will be completely fine. Bonus extra headcanon: I think he’s older than Legend

Legend: I headcanon he’s autistic and struggles to control the tone of his voice, and that’s why he can come off pretty harsh. He doesn’t mean to, he’s seriously pretty chill (unless Warriors is involved), but he can come off as disinterested or snappy when he really doesn’t mean to

Wild: Actually extremely good at handling his emotions and dealing with problems (compared to the others). He knows he gets overwhelmed and while he’s not the best at telling someone where he goes to blow off steam, he knows how to hold himself back and handle himself, and he’s perfectly capable of defending himself if something happens when he goes off alone. Sometimes he just needs to be alone, and if he really CANT be alone because it’s too dangerous, Wolfie will trail after him just for backup and keep his distance

Four: BIG reader, he loves to curl up with a good book but it’s hard for him to get his alone time to focus on what he’s reading while he’s traveling with the others. He will make up stories in his head when he can’t sleep or actually focus, and he’s a really animated story teller. He’s told a lot of campfire stories and when he’s doing those it’s one of the very few times the others actually shut up

Wind: Dyslexic and seriously struggles to read, but he absolutely LOVES to draw and would doodle all the time during any lessons anyone tried to give him ever. Give this kid a sketchbook and he’ll literally draw you a masterpiece. He loves sketching scenery and the others and he’s FREAKY good at it

[kholnt]

Can you tell us more about lost and there relationship with the chain?

oh lordy theres an entire doc for this that kay n i worked on earlier so i'm just gonna copy and paste that :thumbsup: and if some things dont make sense uhhhh problem for later me under readmore bc its long asf

Twilight

PRE-TOTK: Not that close with Twilight but very close with Wolfie. Wolfie is basically his therapy-dog so Twilight knows some of the secrets/details of his life that Lost has been keeping from the rest of the Chain. Twilight struggles with respecting Lost’s privacy but also wanting to help him work through what he’s going through.

He tries to incorporate Lost into the group in little ways. It’s small but it’s the most he can do at the moment and he doesn’t want Lost to be completely isolated from their group.

If Wolfie's reveal happens Pre-Totk their relationship is soured. Lost kept all those secrets secret for a reason and Twilight knowing them messes with him a lot. Lost probably thinks that Twilight was only keeping tabs on him to make sure he wouldn’t be a problem to group despite what Twilight says in response.

POST-TOTK

If Wolfie Reveal happens Post-Totk + character development, Lost is a Lot More understanding as to why Twilight kept the whole Wolfie thing a secret. Twilight basically becomes his older brother (he was before but now Twilight gets to actually show it outside of being a wolf) and they’re really close. Twilight is the #1 Lost Defender.

Time

PRE-TOTK: Time struggles a lot with trying to help Lost because he can Tell Lost has a lot more going on under the surface. Twilight confirms this is the case but will not go into details for the sake of Lost’s privacy unless he Has To. But he can’t do much since Lost is still very much afraid of him and puts the soldier front on with him. Also struggles with the fact he doesn’t really Know Lost.

Lost has a lot of respect for Time but Also Time reminds him of his dad and that’s scary for him and also bringing up past trauma. (DADDY ISSUES!!!!!)

POST-TOTK: The first/one of the first to give Lost a hug after the Horn Incident. Lost is still working out his daddy issues but he’s a lot more open with Time. Lost’s relationship with Malon improving also helps a lot in this aspect too.

Warriors

PRE-TOTK: Lost feels the need to prove himself to Warriors because he’s The Captain and his own past issues with authorities figures. Warriors in turn struggles with the fact that Lost appears so Afraid of him all the time and tries to alleviate that fear, but it doesn’t do much. 

Warriors also is Not a fan of self-sacrificing Lost is. Tries to gently scold him and discourages him but this only makes Lost get better at hiding injuries and discreetly healing himself after fights. Warriors (+ Time) doesn’t like ordering him around but it’s the only way to get him to listen to them when it comes to proper self care and allowing others to help.

POST-TOTK: After Lost learns that he outranks Warriors he sees their dynamic more equally and removes a lot of tenseness from their relationship. Lost becomes a lot more involved with planning and strategy and helps Warriors with planning attacks/defense/etc. which helps improve their relationship a lot too. 

Legend

PRE-TOTK: Tense. Legend sees Lost as a “suck-up” and tries to be understanding of his mentality and such, but it’s still frustrating for them both because Lost is trying to “impress” Legend and prove his worth and Legend doesn’t see Lost as genuine. This eventually leads to an argument between the two of them.

POST-TOTK: After the Horn Incident™, Legend apologizes to Lost about the things he said and did pre-totk, their relationship vastly improves after that. 

Sky

PRE-TOTK: Lost has Feelings about Hylia but he respects Sky’s relationship with her + another case of complete respect since Sky is the one who made the Master Sword. There’s a healthy dose of fear from Lost almost dying from the blade as well, so he tends to keep his distance as well.

POST-TOTK: Sky has Feelings about the fact that Lost turned himself into a dragon to repair the Master Sword. Lost talks about repairing the Master Sword and how he didn’t consider any other option because “it's what you would have done”. 

Four

PRE-TOTK: Lost is the least “afraid” of him. He’s willing to talk more about himself with Four because they’re the most similar. They both have their own secrets, and they understand that. Four is also very observant of Lost, and is the first one to learn how Lost displays his emotions, and will generally come to his aid when someone in the chain is (usually worriedly) hounding him.

POST-TOTK: Not much changes between them, for better or for worse. Lost is a lot more open to asking more personal questions, and they get to know each other much better. Plus Four got to show Lost what blacksmithing is like, so that’s a very big bonus

Hyrule

PRE-TOTK: Wary respect.Lost has respect for Hyrule’s medic abilities but is Unsure on how to feel about the magic healing. The only person he knows who is able to heal with magic isn’t a Hylian. Possibly wary of if Hyrule is actually a Hylian? + Hyrule probably reminds him of Mipha and that's Probably Not A Good Thing

POST-TOTK: Hyrule allows Lost to finally have some sense of individuality by allowing him to escape and go out adventuring by themselves. This starts a snowball effect of Lost learning things he’s interested in, nature and a drive for learning being the first few.

Wind

PRE-TOTK: Guard. Wind wants him to be a big brother, but he forgot how to fill that role due to Reasons™ Instead, he fills a guard role so he’s still able to protect Wind in some way. (Wind has mixed feelings about this)

POST-TOTK: After Lost learns more about himself and finally allows himself to have some fun, they get along like a house on fire. Please never give them access to a hill it’ll be terrible for everyone’s hearts.

[wild-dagon]

Following up on my prior post about Wild going back in time and becoming a dragon

Which member of the Chain do you think should pull the Master sword from him?

Twilight has the closest relationship with him. That’s his cub. I love the idea that Twilight was with Wild on his first quest. I think Wild is Twilight’s most important person. Very few people in Twilight’s life know about his wolf form. But Wild adores that side of him. After Midna left it was so hard for him to find his footing. He’s been searching for his place for years only to find centuries in the future. He woke up one more stuck as a wolf and with a new hero to mentor. And he loved it. No one in his world knows about his ability to transform into a wolf outside of Midna and Zelda. Yet this kid and his world welcome this side of Twilight with open arms. He never wanted to leave. When he was pulled away it was unbearable until he was pulled into a new quest. This time instead of traveling with one other hero he was traveling with 8. One being his mentor and one being his cub. But once again the gods have ripped his cub from and this time it’s permanent. He doesn’t know which one is worse Midna choosing to abandon him and going where he can’t follow. Or wild who is still here but is completely out of his reach. I could go way more into their relationship, I love them so much.

Time. Time is the dad of the group. Wild is a part of his legacy. Twilight is his descendent and Wild is the protégée of his protégée (is he also Twi’s descendent who’s to say) he loves these kids, all of them but there is a special bond between the three. But would he be willing to draw the master sword again. The blade has already taken so much from him, and now in an effort to restore it, it has also taken wild from him.

Sky. The master sword is his blade. He forged the sword and he has a relationship with Fi. The Blade is far more important to him then it is to the others. To find out it shattered had to hurt. It shattered on Wild when he need it to protect him and Zelda. Sky knows he has gotten mad at Wild in the past for draining the Master Swords energy but it’s not truly his fault that Fi is so old by the time he needs to wield her. He can’t help but feel responsible for Wild sacrificing so much to restore Fi. His brother gave up everything that he is to restore Sky’s friend. (I don’t think enough people play with Sky and Wilds relationships they have such a sweet dynamic)

Four has never wielded the Master Sword. And while he and Wild have a close relationship with Four trying to craft a sword that Wild can’t break. For all of Four’s inflect I think he would realize that he can’t be the one to draw the blade. Not because they aren’t close but because the master sword has never been his to wield

Warriors is interesting. He, Wild, and Sky are the knights of the group and while Wild might not remember everything that doesn’t mean he and Warriors haven’t bonded over their time in the service. He’s also the best at compartmentalizing what is going on. Is his little brother now a giant worm? Yes. Have they seen this giant worm flying all around hyrule’s history meaning Wild’s been trapped like this for eons? Yes. Does this dragon have the weapon they need to free Wild’s world from Ganondorf? Yes. I think it will wreck him later but I think in the moment he would be the most objective.

Legend. He’s never been this mad at the goddess. How dare she do this to his brother. It wasn’t good enough to kill him on his first quest no she need to force him to sacrifice everything on his second. And for what? So that one of them could complete a fetch quest to get her super important sword. No. He wants his brother back. Not this giant dragon. If they were allowed to help why couldn’t they be there from the start. Why couldn’t they fight Ganondorf in the past with Wild. Why couldn’t they beat him back then before Wild even need to swallow the stone. This is so many levels of wrong. And now one of them needs to draw the sword from Wild’s skull.

Hyrule is distressed. He can barely feel Wild’s magic in this dragon. It’s definitely their brother but he’s also different. He’s ancient now. The same feeling he gets around a great fairy. How has this happened. Wild his adventuring and wondering buddy is gone? Forever? And they weren’t there to help him. And now in his place is this ancient dragon that barely feels like his brother. (Wild’s still there he’s conscious is just buried deep at the moment)

Wind. Don’t blame the kid but this is kinda awesome. Wild’s a dragon! And yes he’s stuck right now but the master sword has broken worst curses. And if that doesn’t work then maybe he will be restored after they beat Ganondorf. And if not well Wild never mentions his worlds Triforce. They could find it and wish Wild back. The gods couldn’t be mad at such a wish from their hero’s. No they would get Wild back. He has to believe that because if they can’t then what’s the point of all of this?

[hyde-nseek]

My headcanon is that every Link and every Zelda falls in love. But it gets a little more complicated than that because I don't think they get together every time. So... Here is how I would justify every Zelink in the Legend of Zelda franchise:

(please note that I'm not saying other ships aren't cool. I personally like a lot of them.)

Skyward Sword: This one is probably as canon as Zelink has gotten so far. I don't know anyone that says that they don't have feelings for each other. These two probably founded Hyrule together. Maybe as a kingdom, maybe just as a small village below the clouds. Either way, the Royal Family traces their lineage back to this couple.

Minish Cap: This Zelink is very cute. I think they dated, and maybe even married. From what I understand about the timeline, though, this Link abandons Hyrule and lives the rest of his life cursed by the mind-shattering properties of the Four Sword. So, it was a relationship for a while, but they didn't grow old together.

Four Swords: There actually isn't a lot of information about this Zelda, but I like to think that they got together after Link saves her. They're cute.

Ocarina of Time: The way Zelda looks at Link at the end of the game is full of remorse. She doesn't want to send Link away from her, but she knows it's the right thing to do for his sake and Hyrule's. Also, the way Sheik looks at Link can't go unnoticed. That ninja isn't good at hiding his feelings.

Majora's Mask: The same as Ocarina of Time, but it's much more brief. I don't think Link ever returns to Hyrule Castle, but it's possible. It's more likely that he founded Ordon with Malon. That means that Malon and Link end up together, but Link's true love was the princess he saved in another time.

Twilight Princess: Zelda and Link barely talk in the game, and when they interact, it's only because Midna put them together. But with Midna out of the picture, I think they would still bond. Ilia gets friendzoned. Sorry.

Four Swords Adventures: I think I'll have to put this one with Four Swords as well. These games are a little weird in that the Links are so affected by the Four Sword that it's hard to picture them in a situation without it. If anyone else has thoughts on this Zelink, please lmk.

Wind Waker/Phantom Hourglass: Tetra and Link get together and found New Hyrule. This one is pretty self explanatory and difficult to argue against. Very cute and I love it.

Spirit Tracks: They were made for each other. They have so much of a connection because of their adventure together. Whether Link becomes an adventurer or an engineer, I think the princess has feelings for the Hero of Spirit.

A Link to the Past/Link's Awakening/Oracles: The cryptic uncle wants you to know that Zelda is your responsibility. Now that we've covered that, I think Link would have been with Zelda if it weren't for Marin. After Koholint, I don't think he really has it in him to have a relationship with anyone.

A Link Between Worlds/Tri Force Heroes: I think that after saving Hytopia, Link returns to Hyrule and asks for Zelda's hand. There's no reason why not to, and I don't think Link would have wanted to stay in Hytopia for the rest of his life. As cool as it is, it's a vacation spot. And Styla isn't the princess for Link.

Hyrule Fantasy/Adventure of Link: Two Zeldas, one Link. This one's kind of weird, but I think he'd rather be with the Zelda from his first adventure. Zelda the First only kisses him as a reward, probably the only reward she can give.

Breath of the Wild/Tears of the Kingdom: I mean, they live together. They hugged at the end of both games. What else do you want me to say?

[bokettochild]

Okay, so I'm writing things from Sky's perspective for the first time in what feels like years (maybe it has been years? the last notable Sky POV I can remember is from Feathered which I finished I year and a half ago) and I have thoughts!

Legend is not the person who resents the goddesses. My boy is literally besties with Din and Nayru, probably Farore too. Who knows about his thoughts on Hylia honestly, but you know who is salty about Hylia? Sky. Sky is so salty about Hylia. The goddesses toyed with him and Zelda like puppets with no cares for how it would destroy them, only that it would turn out how they want. Hylia is the definition of "end justifies the means" in Sky's mind, and he resents her for it.

Sky does not appreciate anyone making any implications that he is dating Hylia, in love with Hylia, or anything of the sort. My man will throw down with anyone who tries to say that Zelda is Hylia. They are two different people, thank you very much! His brothers are not him, and Hylia' incarnations are not her.

Sky finds relief in the Chain because he is not the only hero anymore. On skyloft, he's now an important person, a hero and not just a knight. He did not sign up for this, he's fresh out of school and he is overwhelmed by the expectations and responsibilities that come from being the hero. Being with the chain is a relief because they're all heroes too.

Sky is experiencing burn-out. The sleepiness? Yeah, that's the burn out, Gifted kid burn-out maybe, maybe just exhaustion from the expectations on him, but it's burn out. he's glad no one gets on him for it now. The others laugh at it a bit, but no one thinks he's lazy and it's nice to be allowed to have his rest without consequences now.

Sky is more used to talking to Fi than anyone else, so he's developed certain ticks and cues that he used on Fi to express things (like asking her to stop talking or to redirect her when he wa suncomfortable), but which don't translate as well to talking to Hylians. Most of this is because it involves fidgeting with his sword, not an acceptable method of communication between friends.

To continue the above, Legend, who also talks to Fi, DOES catch some of the ticks because he uses them too. Different, yes, but they're both pretty similar on that front (to the point it's nostalgic for Fi when she talks to Legend because he reminds her of Sky). Does this mean that they understand certain cues the others don't even notice? Yes. They don't even realize they're doing it but it's part of how they've learned to get along already; because they use similar communication styles that no one else does so it adds a whole different level of easier communication between them.

Sky has trouble with communication with Time specifically. he's wary about discussing some topics (their adventures, the goddesses, his sword) but also just struggles to read Time in general.

Sky admires Twilight's connection with Epona and views their dynamic the same way he would a fellow knight and their loftwing.

Sky is a bundle of unresolved and unprocessed issues that he hides under soft smiles and copious amounts of affection.

That's all for now, but yeah. Sky's got more depth than I'd initially thought and my gosh this boy has so many emotions? So many issues too, I don't know if he'll be recognizable compared to the sweet sleepyhead I usually write him as, but I kinda like him being more... mature? Aware? I like him being like a real young adult still finding his feet in the world :)