#but like sidon has two hands

[fanfiction-fantasies]

Imagine falling asleep on the Breath of the Wild boys

Link would probably keep still, but relax his arm so as not to bring you discomfort. The two of you had stopped at a campfire in a relatively safe spot, and as the moon traveled through the sky, exhaustion had finally caught up with you. When Link noticed you, asleep on his shoulder, a rare smile pulls at the corner of his mouth. He stays wide awake, keeping an eye out for any danger that may try to approach. However, when you make a noise in your sleep, he turns to you, and finds himself falling for how peaceful you look when sleeping.

Revali would roll his eyes and scoff. He'd spent the past few hours training at the flight range, and the one time he decides to take a break (one that you had nagged at him to take), you go and fall asleep on him! Really, he wanted to be annoyed at you, but seeing how you cuddled into his wing subconsciously, that irritation melted like ice next to a fire. Very carefully, he would move you to rest against his chest so that he could wrap his wings around you properly. Don't fear the cold, dear, he will keep you warm.

Daruk would be nervous, at first. He knows he's not the softest guy around, after all! He figures he should have seen it coming though. He'd spent all day showing you around Goron City and giving you a tour of the inside of Vah Rudania (even though, technically, he wasn't supposed to do that). It's no wonder you're tired! Very carefully, he picks you up and cradles you in his hands as he guides Rudania back to Goron City. He'll find a good place for you to nap, don't you worry little one!

If you thought Daruk was nervous, Yunobo is ten times worse. This poor boy is already nervous as is, but through in a cute little thing like you falling asleep on him? He doesn't know what to do! So he stays perfectly still. He's stiff as a board, and frantically shushing anyone who tries to talk to him. The last thing in the world he wants is for you to wale up. Because as nervous as he is, he has to admit... it's nice, knowing you feel safe enough to sleep near him. Now if only his leg hadn't gone numb...

Teba doesn't outwardly react. One would assume it's because he hadn't noticed, but that couldn't be further from the truth. Yes, he was still fine tuning his bow, but if you look closely, you'll see a certain slowness to his movements, and you'll notice how the arm you're resting on isn't moving very much. Believe it or not, he's used to being slept on. Tulin once had a tendency of climbing into his lap and falling asleep back when he was a little chick, and this isn't much different. Still, Teba is quiet and gentle with his movements. He's not the kind to wake others unnecessarily.

Sidon would be surprised, but not unpleasantly so. He had brought you to a quiet, secluded cave just outside of the Domain so that the two of you could have some time away from prying eyes. The Zora prince had noticed you looked a bit worse for wear, tired and run ragged by adventuring and helping out around Hyrule. He had hoped a quiet outing would revitalize you, but it seems that a bit of rest is what you truly needed. Still, it surprised him that you would fall asleep against him so easily. Seeing you in this vulnerable state, trusting him to keep you safe... his heart fluttered in his chest. Yes, he thought, pulling you close to him. Yes, he will always keep you safe, should you permit him. You have nothing to fear while you are by his side.

[tklpilled]

sunshine riptide

(sidon/link)

summary: link is careless, but sidon is more than happy to be of assistance.

a/n: commission for @slyscribbles !! biting you /pos i love these two ..

[this is a sfw tickle fic!!]

・・・・・・・・・・・・・・

Link is smart, Sidon thinks to himself, but that doesn’t mean he’s not an idiot.

It’s not as if he expects Link to be invincible, immune to all kinds of danger. He knows that’s not the case; it never has been, it never will be. It’s just that there’s a difference between brave and reckless, and Link more often than not falls into the latter end of things. This is, of course, one of those cases.

He trails a claw down Link’s spine, near the now bandaged scrape. It’s not too bad, but still, it’s deeper than it looks. He wishes he had his sister’s healing powers. Nursing isn’t his strong suit.

“Honestly,” he murmurs, and Link shifts guiltily in his seat.

“I’m alright,” he signs, smiling sheepishly. 

Only because I noticed your injuries, Sidon muses in his head. You certainly wouldn’t have taken care of them yourself.

Despite his scolding, Sidon really doesn’t mind. It’s always a pleasure to see Link, even if it means having to bandage him up all the time. He’s taken to keeping some extra supplies around just for when Link drops by. He playfully pokes at a spot on the boy’s lower back that he knows is sensitive, just to show that he’s not really upset. Link jolts, his back straightening as he tries arching away with a huff of laughter.

“Ticklish, are we?” Sidon teases, and Link turns to glare at him before his eyes are widening as he focuses on trying not to laugh. Sidon’s claw trails in circles around Link’s back, dangerously venturing towards his sides but never quite going there. Link manages to sign the first letters of Sidon’s name in protest before he’s wrapping his arms around himself protectively, ears reddening as he squirms.

Truth be told, Sidon had no idea Link was ticklish beyond the one spot. He’d only found that one out on accident, anyway; he tends to care for the injuries on Link’s back, since Link himself can’t reach there, and it had simply come up. So, now, you can’t really blame him for wanting to investigate a little, alright?

“My, this can’t be good,” he hums, gently scratching around the sides of Link’s back and making him arch forward with a gasp. “The hero of Hyrule surely shouldn’t have such a weakness like this.”

Link shakes his head, blushing. “Stop,” he tries to sign shakily, his hand curling into a fist halfway through.

“Consider this a punishment for not telling me you were hurt,” Sidon continues, trying to hide the fond smile showing in his voice. Without warning, he jabs both of Link’s sides at once, and Link yelps before finally beginning to laugh.

His laugh has always been quiet, for as long as Sidon has known him. It’s breathy, and he can barely hear it if there are other noises around, but Sidon thinks he’s absolutely in love with it.

There’s nothing else now, though. Just them, not even the waterfalls of Lanayru loud enough to cover Link’s giggles. Sidon is eternally grateful for that.

Sidon curls around to Link’s stomach, sending him into a new fit of giggling as he doubles over. His hands bat weakly at Sidon’s, and if Sidon didn’t know better he’d think that Link was trying to make him stop. Link is much stronger than this, though, Sidon knows firsthand. 

He’s tempted to dig in a little harder, make Link laugh even harder, but he decides against it in the end. Small, soft giggles are enough for now, and besides, Link is injured. Sidon doesn’t want to be too rough on him while the wound is still fresh. Link’s laughter is a bit raspy, likely due to his voice never being used. Sidon thinks it adds charm.

“You really are ticklish, then,” he hums. “I didn’t think it was possible to be so ticklish.” Link turns a pretty shade of pink, darkening every time Sidon says that word. Sidon won’t abuse that information—not yet, at least. He’ll make no promises regarding the future. He stores it away instead, only lengthening the list in his head of what makes Link so special. The items on the list are odd and mismatched, ranging from “saved the kingdom” to “will eat rocks without a second thought”, and maybe they don’t all make sense but that’s besides the point—the point being that Link is cute, and he’s pretty, and Sidon is absolutely enamoured by him.

Link raises his hands weakly, shaking with soft laughter, and Sidon stops tickling him just long enough to let him sign without interruption.

“Stop,” he manages, before he wraps his arms back around himself and continues to giggle. Sidon thinks he means it this time. He does look rather tired, and it’s nearly dark out. Sidon pulls away and waits for Link to regain his composure. Link turns and reaches out in an attempt to poke him, and Sidon doesn’t even know if Zora can be ticklish but he’s holding Link in his arms before either of them can find out. Link sighs quietly in defeat, resigning himself to getting his revenge some other day.

And get his revenge he does, days later when he’s fully healed and more energetic than ever, but it ends quickly because that also means that Sidon’s not scared of hurting him anymore.

“Please!” he frantically gestures the best he can, considering he’s on his stomach and Sidon’s got him pinned while he’s tracing Link’s back again—just to make sure it’s really healed. Nothing more, of course.

Sidon tilts his head as if genuinely considering the request. “Oh dear, is someone a bit too ticklish?” As intended, Link blushes brightly, quickly turning to hide his face but not before Sidon gets a good look at the red spreading across his freckled cheeks. It’s adorable, and Sidon thinks his heart is going to burst with adoration and affection.

It really is a shame that Mipha beat him to the Zora armour a hundred years ago.

[fangirlingpuggle]

Half asleep very very dumb Revalink fic prompt/AU idea

Just AU where before Link was put in the shrine of resurrection, he was pregnant, through the shrine powers baby is fine and Link wakes up with this tiny tiny golden Rito chick who wakes up for the first time and looks very unimpressed.

Link who’s like ...well I guess i have to save the world...and I’ve got a kid now...huh

Impa sees Link with this tiny baby who already has Revali’s annoyed expression and is just like ‘...I KNEW YOU TWO WERE TOGETHER’

Just Link traveling around with this tiny baby chick, he can’t leave them anywhere because this child has decided no, they want their parent and they want to be involved in everything he does and if they aren’t... just this tiny baby Rito scream/squawking at the top of their lungs. Bazz whose watching the kid while Sidon and Link fight Vah Ruta is pretty sure he’s gone deaf… there’s also the problem that the tiny chick deciding they would learn to move through sheer force of will alone and if he uses both hands to keep a hold of the child and stop them from running into a battle with a divine beast then he can’t cover his ears.

The elder in Rito village hearing the chicks squawks of offense and instantly like ‘…Is that Revali?’ because he raised him and it weas exactly the same. He is very happy to be a grandpa.

All the champions being so shocked also really wish Link remembered because they still have the betting pool and need answers for when those 2 actually got together, they need answers and they can’t communicate with each other so they can’t ask Revali…not that they think he’d answer them honestly. Also after defeating each beast Link teleports back with his kid so he can meet them.

Revali just being so shocked to see his and Links kid, just the reunion and the feels. After Gannon is defeated all the champions come back again because of reasons and Revali is the most proud parent he will boast for hours about his kid he has all the pictures.

[yanderemommabean]

Do Zora have mating seasons? If so, what would Sidon be like during his?

I like to think they do!

Prince Sidon was raised to be respectable and a great leader, one who protects and does whatever he can for his people. His blood is of champions and warriors who will be adored for centuries! So of course when mating season comes along, he'll be hounded about who he will choose as a destined mate.

Now, he'll admit, he's gotten pretty close to you. You two have shared many bonding moments together, and it's like you've become apart of the domain, though you aren't a Zora yourself.

You unfortunately had no idea about a Zora's sexual nature, nor when they were in heat/rut. You assumed they simply had sex whenever they wished and that was that. Although that's mainly true, when mating season arrives, they have almost no control over their more primal minds.

-First, Sidon is more than a little clingy. He won't let go of you even for a second, his large hands either holding you close or groping your soft, supple body. You'll hear him growling, or purring against you while you visit, his eyes nearly pitch black as he stares at you hungrily.

-Next, he's trying to show you that he's interested in mating you, showing that he made specific armor, has caught many many fish, and even hands you his own handmade pendant. He wants you to see how serious he is, how much he truly has fallen for you.

-Now you're given a choice, kinda. You can politely decline and try to leave (though I'm positive he wouldn't allow that) or- accept his courtship and meet him in his own room, where he prepares to absolutely wreck you until you are claimed inside and out.

Sidon would have to gently open you up, but it's such a difficult task. He wants to just pummel into you, breed you deeply, fill you up with both of his cocks while you writhe and whimper for him. But he holds himself back, letting his fingers open you slowly, pumping in and out of your hole as the digits curl and search for any and every spot that makes you squeal.

Of course his tongue is used to help lubricate and open you more, but he'd be lying if he said it wasn't his favorite part. Your taste is just so divine, so delicious, he could never get enough even if he strapped you to his face for hours! (Which, when this horny, he just might!).

Drinking your cum, slurping up the mess you make on your thighs and your ass, tongue plunging into you while his fingers toy with your sex and are added again to help stretch your hole. He's in absolute heaven!

soon, while you're wrung of your umpteenth orgasm, his large cocks tease your opening, begging to slam in and just take, take, take. One slowly manages it's way inside of you, carving it's rightful place one agonizing inch at a time. Your walls will clamp down, and test his restraint as he tries not to break you.

Sidon will thrust into you while his teeth sink into your shoulder, drawing an alarming amount of blood that he simply laps up and drinks in. You'll be squirming and panting as he uses just one of his large cocks to breed you, knowing he'll fill you up to an obscene extent, wondering if you could ever handle both monstrous organs.

Once he's climaxed, he'll stay inside of you for a while, gently kissing you while looking at the damage he'd done to your skin. Teeth marks, scratches up your back, tears on your face as you fall asleep in his arms. He feels a mix of pride and guilt, loving that he has you as his forever mate, but hates that he hurt you so bad.

He'll make it up to you! Just bear with him throughout his rut, once you find a mate it's three days of breeding, mating, bonding and marking!

(-Mommabean, tell me what you think!)

[helkat-lines]

Zelda Story themes

Been on a binge of LinkxSidon, and now I'm just thinking about Zora Culture

Baby Zoras are called Tadpoles, and nothing will change my mind about this

Zora are not mammals that need milk, but Tadpoes do need to suckle like little vampires that chew on the edges of scales until they can taste blood. This is done to take on the traits of their parents, and usually not something meant to be seen in public because family bonding time is sacred. Also, the longer tadpoles suckle, the more delayed their aging; the price of family likeness

Common Zora do not tend to let their tadpoles suckle past the first family trait to develop such as eye color or scale pattern. Royal Zora usually allow their children to suckle until they feel like stopping, which can take two or three years, an obnoxiously long time compared to the traditional First Week

In acknowledging SS, Zora didn't always suckle, but they started to track family likeness with the royal family, chosen by Faron, and further continued until they began to show more bipedal forms. Then common Zora also began to adopt this tradition as a means of tracking their own family lines. This is the reason for having so many different types of fish attributes

Ocean and River Zoras still exist in the same timeline for BotW. They are not aware of each other because of the perilous history of the Great Sea forcing them to either adapt, relocate, or die. Some adapted (into Rito), the others relocated in various pods that either lived in freshwater or salt water, and this difference led them to think the other groups died off because they had seen what not relocating had done to their families

Affection is both freely given as well as culturally rationed for Very Specific Circumstances

Sidon showers Link with enough affection that he may as well be declaring his wish to marry, but because Link neither seems to recognize nor say no thanks, he is left in this nebulous place of not quite rejection where he is free to continue to love his Most Dearest of Friends even though said friend has never and does not seem to ever be able to reciprocate

The Windfish was the same type of guardian as Lord Jabu Jabu, Jabun, Oshus, and Levius. I declare them Jalevaiya, for reasons I forget but I'm sure was a mashspelling of Jabu and Vale in Latin (as Goodbye) mixed with Laviathan. I guess?

Jalevaiya are meant to guide the Royal Family by offering holy attributes for their tadpoles to take on, gifting them with their large size, proficiency in magic, and strong charisma. They would have no other connection to Hylia otherwise, as well.

Sidon and the rest of the Zora in Hyrule are River Zora and therefore limited to living in fresh water spaces. The species they are most genetically alike to help with their ability to stand salt water, but they ultimately can not live in the ocean. This makes them slightly inbred with most of their distinct scale patterns blurred and faded. Ocean Zora, on the other hand, have retained their scale stripes and spots, as well as the slightest of bioluminescence due to the very nature of needing to use such traits in the depths of the ocean

I want Link to be an Ocean Zora

[mytemporarycomfort]

Domestic life and more

A/N: I'm sorry I was away for a hot second.

summary: You and your Zora girlfriend, the pride of the domain. Everyone looks up to you two, especially the Zora guppies.

Mipha X reader

Her hands slipped around your waist as her head rested against your back. She was soft, but strong. She was quite, but her eyes spoke a thousand words. She was a healer, but she gave you strength. She was everything you needed and more.

As you finished whipping the frosting on top of the cake, you turned around.

"Hi" You said as you tucked her head beneath your chin. She was what you need.

"Do you wanna go swimming after we eat desert?" She asked softly. "Its going to be a clear night tonight. We can go to our special spot again."

"Of course Mipha, I'd love to. And I made the cake takes like wildberries. I hope you like it."

She hummed as she pulled away from you. She set the table and with all the simple wares that you both owned. It was a life you both wanted to have. After you both fought so hard for this life, you both were glad that you were both finally able to live together without the fear of you being targeted.

You both sat down and shared a slice of the wildberry cake in absolute silence. You both didnt need to say anything for a full conversation to happen. It was close to midnight by the time you both finished the cake.

As you both strolled out to have your nightly walk, you wandered to the market place to buy fresh food for the next day. Even though the place opened all day and night, there was not a single second in which the place was not even a little busy. It was filled with people from mall over Hyrule. It was always a sight to see when people from all over the place came to shop for Zora goods.

As the little children ran around, they all waved at you and thanked you for saving the domain. It was all so cute, you couldn't help but entertain the little ones. As the little Sidon came up to you, you scooped him right into your arms and snuggled him. He was already like a little brother to you. He was always so eager to run to you like he did to Mipha. This made Mipha so red as she watched you so gracefully interact with her brother, it made her eyes practically into hearts.

When you turned back to your beautiful girlfriend, she just held your free hand and walked towards another section of the store.

"Mipha marries (Y/N), right?" Sidon said without even thinking.

"Wh-what?" Mipha blushed.

"Mipha and (Y/N) forever and ever!" Sidon basically was cheering in your arms. Your cheeks were so warm from his excitement and innocence.

As Sidon's excitement drew more and more attention, you can see the people around you snicker and giggle as you tried to calm down the little guppy. The more the little one cheered, the more little ones came and started to stared up at you and Mipha. It was like a a party where all the little ones in Zora has gathered and hoped that you two would finally get married.

Mipha hid her face in your shoulder. You can feel her cheeks heat up. Yours was not to much different if you can guess.

"They're right you know." You shyly said. She looked up at you with wide eyes.

"(Y/N), I....."

"Hmmm? Yes?"

"I would love that a lot you know, to have you by my self, if would have me." Mipha slipped her hand into yours.

"For you Mipha, I would go to the ends of the earth."

[thezoraprince]

A Trip to the Lake - Sidon x Reader

“if possible, and as silly as you want to make it: imagines where reader is link’s companion fairy (like navi). all i can imagine is sidon looking like he's talking to thin air, and everyone is confused, but he lifts up one of his little fin-flap thingies and it turns out you were sitting on his shoulder the whole time” - anon

this was my very first request on this page, and i’m so happy to have FINALLY finished it! when first reading it, it reminded me of that episode from the office where jim and pam are talking on the world’s smallest bluetooth, and jim pranks dwight into thinking he’s talking to himself. so, needless to say that i used some dialogue and inspo from that. (s5 ep7) this one took me a while, and i DEFINITELY need to brush up on writing lol

enjoy :)

(p.s.: i know totk has definitely changed they way we’ve expected hyrule to be rebuilt, so i’m just gonna pretend that we haven’t seen anything yet and keep everything normal-ish for this little piece.)

y/n - your name

(requests are open!)

Toto Lake is always beautiful this time of year. But you can’t see it, anyway. All you can see is the inside of Sidon’s ear fin. You’ve sat on his shoulder the whole trip up, and how you’ve managed to stay on, and hidden, is a mystery to the both of you. You're all sat on the bank side, the other three looking out into the waters. You? All you can see is a deep scarlett fin.

Zelda and Link decided to join the two of you. You don't seem to know that they think you're not there, yet. You try to make conversation, but the sound of your voice is muffled by Sidon's ear fin. Zelda is going on and on about how beautiful Castletown is looking after the restoration of most of the buildings and fountains, as well as how much foliage has grown since the malice has disappeared. Link pulls out the Sheikah Slate and shows Sidon a photo. You manage to catch a quick glimpse before he puts it away. 

“Wow!” Sidon says. “Castletown is really coming together.”

Zelda smiles. “I can’t wait to see how it will look when everything’s finished! With so many homes and businesses rebuilt, hopefully it will be as lively as it was before the Calamity.”

You sit quietly, listening to their conversation. You’ve caught on by this point, and you really want to make it worth while. 

“Hey,” you whisper. “what sounds good for dinner?”

Sidon thinks for a moment. “I really like the idea of hearty salmon for tonight. How does that sound to you?”

Zelda and Link both give him a look of confusion.

“Well,” Zelda begins, “that was extremely out of context, but I do love hearty salmon.”

Link nods in agreement. 

Sidon turns to Zelda. “What do you mean?” 

“Hearty salmon.” she continues. “Didn't you ask if it sounded good?”

“Yes, but--”

“Are you alright, Sidon?” Zelda stands up and places her hand on Sidon’s forehead. “You feel a little cold.”

“I mean…” Sidon watches her sit back down. “that could be because of the contrast of Zora and Hylian body temperatures.”

“Very true.”

Everyone sat in silence for a bit. Zelda was wading in the shallow part of the lake, and Link was skipping pebbles across the water. 

“You know what would be great?” Sidon asked.

“Hmm.”

“If we had some bright-eyed crab with our salmon."

Zelda and Link once again give him that look.

“Huh?” Zelda stands up and walks over to him.

“What?”

Zelda sighs. “Are you sure you’re feeling well?”

“Yes, Princess.” Sidon speaks a little more sternly. “I’m feeling perfectly normal.”

Link snickers at the two of them.

“I’m being serious!” She continues on. “You’ve not been your normal self today, Sidon. You’ve been talking to thin air, laughing over nothing, and going on about dinner plans we didn’t even make the whole time we’ve been here. What’s going on?”

“I’m talking to y/n.”

“Y/n’s not here, Sidon!”

Sidon raises an eyebrow at her. “What are you talking about? I have been ta— ”

“Wait, shut up.”

“I’m sorry?”

Zelda puts a finger to her lips and whispers. “Shh. Do you hear that?”

Sidon’s eyes widen. “Hear what?”

“Breathing… Is that you?”

“Well, I am breathing, yes.”

Zelda looks around. “Well, stop. Hold your breath.” She walks over to the other side of Sidon. “I still hear it… Who’s there? Link?!” She turns to look at the boy in blue.

OH!!!” Sidon raises up his ear fin, and there you are, sitting on his shoulder.

“Hi!” You wave at Zelda.

Link is absolutely rolling with laughter. 

Zelda’s face turns bright red in humiliation. “I—”

Sidon interrupts. “I seriously forgot you couldn’t see y/n! I’m so sorry for worrying you!”

Zelda sits back down yet again, her face buried in her hands from embarrassment.

“You have to admit though,” You jump off Sidon’s boulder and walk over to her. “that was the funniest hour and a half you’ve had in a long time.”

Zelda lifts her head. “Yeah, you’re right.”

“And besides,” you add. “you’re always invited to dinner!”

[awkwardspontaneity]

Hello. This is my first request for the Legend of Zelda, so I do not know how to write it correctly. I don't speak English and I'm writing this in a translator, so there may be mistakes here, sorry. In general, I want to see how the reader will react to the fact that Revali, Link and Sidon cheated on her. (something made me feel sad) Thank you in advance ╹▽╹

I'm so sorry something happened to upset you. If it's along the lines of this request give me a name😤👊 anyways thank you so much for requesting!! This ended up being so much longer than I intended but I'm pretty happy with it. I hope this is what you're looking for!

✨ requests are open✨

Warning: angst, cheating

Revali🐦

I think with his prickly nature not a lot of people would stick around long enough to get to know how much he cares

But some bitch saw how much he was training to perfect his powers to help Hyrule and couldn't resist

It started off as bringing him lunches and heat pads after a long day of training and then it escalated

They would wrap his wings up and suddenly he was letting them fix his braids. He never saw it as much more than a fan helping him out but you saw differently

It ended up in a big fight when you finally brought up how Revali was allowing this fan to hang off of him like they were his partner not you. You brought up excellent points like how he took such a long time to even trust you with braiding his hair and that he could at least let them know he's in a relationship.

Revali got upset (probably cuz ur right and he can't admit it) and snapped that at least they appreciated him

Yeah bad move. You walked out and bird brain left to train away the pain

You came across his first and decided to head to the shooting range with some peace snacks but what do you find?

You walk up the slope towards the archery range, a container of Revali's favourite snacks in hand. As you approach you see something sitting inside the hut and assume it's him. Sterling your breath you walk into the hut and what you find takes your breath away- not in the good way either. Revali sat there with his wings wrapped around them, too caught up on their liplock to notice you standing there.

CRASH

The container hits the ground with a shatter, ruining their little scene.

"Y/n-"

"Don't even try it." You wish your voice didn't sound as broken. No matter how much your heart squeezed in pain from the betrayal, you wanted to come off so much different- angrier. Because you were angry. "Just because we have an argument does not give you the right to run off with your new friend."

Revali flinches at the word and you feel a sick glimmer of satisfaction. He opens his mouth to protest, ignoring your glare. "I-I'm sorry." Your glare darkens and he immediately flounders for the right words. "You accused me of something I didn't do-"

Yeah, not the right words. You wish you could do something, anything to hurt him like he hurt you. But you had to be the bigger person no matter how much you wanted to snap that precious bow of his in half.

"I accused you, not have you permission."

"We can work through this, together" his wing reached out to you, but you recoiled to fast.

"We're not together." You walked towards the entrance "I hope it was worth it."

Link 🗡️

Link is a closed off person. Sure he has people worship him for his title as the hero of Hyrule, but he would never let that get to his head. You could tell this boy he's amazing and it still wouldn't get through his insecurities

Maybe it's cruel but, that almost reassured you he would never break your heart like that. You felt secure in your relationship

That's why it was so shocking when you found out he had fallen for Zelda.

It wasn't meant to ever be more than knight and princess. And you never should have found out.

You were walking towards the stables of your party was staying at. It was supposed to be a simple trip to complete some research out in the plains. Of course your trip was ambushed by an energetic princess who begged to come along for research purposes. You couldn't complain because the addition of the princess also came with your boyfriend Link.

Now you were looking for him outside the small ranch. You fully expected him to be caring for Epona like he always did after a long trip. His love for his horse was something you had always loved about him. The way he would stay later than everyone else to make sure she was okay. It had made stables kind of your spot. Hanging out at the end of a long day to talk and spend time together while caring for your steeds.

Maybe that was why your heart felt so utterly shattered when you did find him, standing next to the stable, with the princess in his arms. Maybe you could have fooled yourself into believing he was being friendly if he hadn't pressed a long loving kiss to her forehead followed by both her cheeks, chuckling softly as she giggled.

You knew they had always been close. I mean they spent all their time together. You'd just never thought that Link would do something like this to you.

You walked away from the stables fighting backs the tears in your eyes. It was only when you found you had walked into an older area, a spare shack outside, that you finally let the tears fall. Your heart twisted in pain as sobs tore from your throat.

Why hasn't you seen this? Why weren't you enough?

------

Your research trip was almost over. You had gone back late into the night to find Link on the edge of his bed head in his hands. He had shot up to demand where you had been when you finally walked in and although he looked like he wanted to argue, he accepted that you had been organizing your research supplies and notes in quiet.

That had been 3 days ago. You had spent the research trip sticking close to your colleagues, poring over each plant and testing their uses. The princess was too distracted with her own interests to really notice how you shied away from her presence. Link had though. And he was about done with you brushing him off in favour of your work. You both were busy so not having time was nothing new. But this was different. You couldn't meet his eyes and he had caught you staring at him and Zelda as if you were about to cry before. He was at a loss and now he needed to figure things out for himself.

However he wasn't quite ready for the answer.

"I saw you and Zelda together."

His throat closed up. He wanted to say so many things. How sorry he was. How he wished he could have told you himself. How he wished he could hold you and forget how complicated things were.

"it's okay." Now that, he wasn't expecting. "I thought I could be mad at you. Both of you. But I guess... It just makes sense." You sniffled softly. You really didn't want to do this. You hated that it had to be you who gave up. But we're you really going to fight? No. As much as it tore your heart into pieces, you would stand aside for them. "I wish that things hadn't changed but, clearly you don't feel the same anymore and I don't want to hold you back. I love you. So much. But I don't deserve this, and I won't put either of us through the trouble. I hope you two are happy together Link."

As you walked towards your friends to head home Link felt his heart clench. You deserved so much better.

Sidon🦈

You were a princess from another kingdom, betrothed to Prince Sidon of the Zora. We all know how these things go, neither of you were all that fond of the idea but you would go through with it. For your kingdoms

You tried to be as understanding as possible of the situations, knowing that the prince was just as trapped as you were. So you played along with your parents wishes.

You two went on dates and spent time together, getting closer and closer until finally you kissed him.

Things were great. You were planning your wedding and enjoying the time you spent with your fiance as you prepared for your future

It wasn't until a few days before the wedding when you were trying on your dress that things fell apart.

Your dressmaker had been in a bad mood, grumbling as they worked and even sticking you with needles a few times. You would have brushed it off as a bad day if not for the facts that they seemed so unapologetic.

You finally brought it up, softly asking if there was something wrong and if you could help. They snapped, going off about how you were ruining the princes life and that he didn't love you and was only marrying you for his kingdom and that he deserved to be happy.

They realized their mistake and left quickly, leaving you alone in your wedding dress with shocked tears slipping down your face.

You later made you way to Sidons office, hoping to clear some things up and maybe seek comfort from the one you loved.

What you didn't expect was to find him already comforting someone. Your dressmaker.

You watched as he whispered sweet nothings and reassurances to them. It was when he said no matter what they were the one that he loved when you broke away.

You stood in your room, packed bags beside you. You knew there were better ways to deal with this. You knew that your kingdom was counting on you and thus marriage. You just couldn't go through with it. Not anymore.

"Y/n?"

You sound around to find the Zora princess standing in your doorway. Mipha had become a close friend in your time in the Zora domain, even feeling like family as you worked closely planning the wedding. She had once told you that you were everything she could hope for in a sister and wife for her brother. You guessed it didn't matter in the end.

Finally you choked out pained words "I can't... I just... I can't do this anymore."

"If you are feeling nervous, I can assure you my brother would never hurt you."

This made you laugh. It was cold, similar to the ice creeping into your veins. "He would. And he did." You cut off Mipha's confusion, wringing a hand through your hair, "Sidon is in love with someone else. I made every effort to work through this engagement despite our... rocky beginning. But he didn't choose me back. He never wanted me, and I won't ruin his chance to be happy."

The room was silent after your outburst. You only noticed the tears when your friend wiped them from your eyes. She offered you a small smile, sharing the pain you felt. She was losing you and still understood it was best for you. You needed to move on and save yourself from a life of pain. A life of being chosen second.

"I hope one day we can meet again, sister."

You let out a choked mix of a son and laugh. Hugging the princess before you grabbed your bags and walked out the door, out of the kingdom that stole your heart and crushed it in its hands.

"I love you, always."

[linksthoughtbrambles]

Sirenity

A short story for Zelink Week 2022's 'Age' prompt (see end for notes).

~~~~&~~~~

The head cook has just described Zelda’s appointed knight as ‘a might pale.’

It’s a vast understatement.

Link stands as ready to follow Zelda from the kitchen to the mess as little Prince Sidon would be to swim up the lavafalls of Death Mountain and dive into its caldera.  She can see he’s been sweating despite the chill of late fall, but any trace of heat has dissipated.  Even his hands are pale, and while he remains motionless for the most part, his eyes flicker with nauseating speed across the wide opening between the castle kitchen and the cavernous room in which he had once eaten his meals (before the melee).

A small gasp escapes Zelda as Link glances her way and swallows.  She rather thinks she hears the sound of his bone-dry tongue peeling from the roof of his mouth.

The cook had offered breakfast at a small table tucked in the corner, and Link obviously needs to not leave the kitchen yet.  Zelda gestures toward it, thanking the cook out of habit, and Link’s chest flattens as a soft flow of held breath leaves him, eyelids shut and face upturned as though in prayer.  He strides to the nearer seat and drops into it, face in his hands.  She seats herself across from him, a mere two feet of sanded wood between them.

“Link,” Zelda murmurs.  “I- I know telling a person to relax does not make them do so.  So, I won’t tell you to.  I will, however, say I am here with you.  And you need not be so ashamed.”

“I just,” he tries.

“…Yes?”

“I just…” he tries again.

He fails.

And so has she, clearly.  She should not have forced him near so many soldiers who’d turned on him (as if they’d any right to judge him even had he slept with her!  Whom to love is, frankly, one of few freedoms she has—how disturbing that so many would attempt to deny her that choice).

She’d meant no harm in bringing Link here.  The people in that mess hall would not dare repeat the melee—she’d thought Link would understand it, too, upon seeing them, but she may have failed yet again to grasp the full effects of his social difficulties.  He knows a frown is a frown, but knowing whether it expresses thoughtfulness or disapproval is a different matter.  Perhaps when he gets it right, it’s a result of statistics and not any intuition on his part.  Perhaps he cannot determine whether his assailants still harbor resentment toward him; perhaps he knows he can’t tell for sure, and the uncertainty when he faces them feels like having his head bashed between a gauntlet and the stone wall of the training yard (or perhaps the memory of that particular experience is still too fresh).

She could tell him what she saw--that if anything, the myriad of faces turned toward them as they’d passed on the way here spoke of other things: guilt, fear, sympathy, and some haltingly-opening mouths which suggested an apology would be forthcoming would Link have looked in their direction at all.  Yet she still felt the better course would be for him to see it himself.

She could, of course, be mistaken once again.  After all, him seeing for himself was seven tenths of the reason she’d dragged them down here, and it had thus far backfired, her extraordinary knight having reverted into an anxious, self-conscious mess.

The thought strikes that she, herself, has been less than explicit about her feelings for him, and that may in part be the problem—how could she guide him toward understanding the crisis had passed if he doesn’t even know her own perspective on all this?

Zelda gives her bolstered determination no chance to ebb; she slides her fingers between one of his hands and his face, freeing him from it with care.

He, of course, protests.  “Th-they’ll think-“

“I don’t care what they think.”  She firms her grip on his hand, for contact with her is not and never has been a crime—she wills it to communicate such certainty.  She knows the particular people in this kitchen will enjoy gossiping about this later—they like Link, with his blatant admiration of their cooking and his squirrel-like cheeks as he demonstrates it—and their reactions seem an excellent place to begin Link’s re-education on the castle’s social dynamics.  “Come back to the present, Link.  Look about.  What do you see?”

It takes him a few moments, but he does open the eye she’s uncovered, followed by the other eye once he removes that hand of his own volition.  His bright-sky-blue eyes scan the room in uneasy obedience, lingering on the rolling table and following each cook briefly as they go about their business, then one of the boys who appears envious of Link’s enchanted rupee pouch.

“Anything that bothers you?” Zelda asks.

“…No,” Link says, his face pinching in confusion.  “Not right now.”

Surmising he had indeed expected to fall from the good graces of the kitchen staff over hand-holding, she increases her fingers’ pressure, “Good.”

Plates and shoes scrape as the head cook approaches them.  “Here’s a bite for you, Princess.  Sir Link.  Tea’s heating,” she says with a wide smile and a lilt in her voice betraying just a hint of excitement (to Zelda, at least—whether Link perceives it is, for the moment, known only to him).

“Thank you, Madam Plynne,” says Zelda, encouraged by the confirmation that affectionate behavior would cause no trouble whatsoever in her presence.

“Th-thanks,” says Link with sudden energy at observing the contents of his plate.

Zelda doesn’t know what to think of her own.  It contains two tan-colored lumps slathered in a milky-white substance dotted with some manner of meat and an unusually large concentration of black pepper.  “I don’t believe I’ve ever seen this in the dining hall!”

“It’s biscuits and gravy.  It’s really good.”

His voice, already quiet, has taken on the hushed tone of a cathedral whisper, and a glance up reveals an expression of abject adoration for his food.

It does smell good, but neither of them can eat effectively while interlocked across the table.  “Will you be alright if I release your hand and try it?”

His gaze remains fastened to his plate.  “Heh.  Yeah.  Thanks, Princess.”

Seeing Link eat is an impactful experience to say the least.  He forks an enormous portion of one biscuit slathered with gravy and somehow manages to insert it in his face without leaving a crumb on the table or losing a single drop of liquid, not even back onto the plate.  He barely seems to chew, but whatever he’s done seems adequate for the food descends into his gullet with an audible gulp.

It never fails to amaze her (or anyone else, it seems).

She lifts her own fork and intentionally spears a small piece of meat and a reasonably-sized portion of biscuit to try. The gravy is so prolific she has no need of chasing it.

Zelda’s outlook on life shifts irreversibly when the heavenly substance meets her tongue.  Why do they not serve this in the dining hall?  The spiciness of the pepper mingles with the gentle sweetness of what must be milk in the gravy and the fluffy starches to generate a wholesome, comforting experience in her mouth.  It settles in her stomach with an equal influx of comfort and satisfaction, and she hastens to consume a heartier portion on her second mouthful.

Link seems equally enamored, if not more so.

“Tea, Princess.  And for you, Sir Link,” says Plynne.

“Thank you,” says Zelda, as her mouth has just been vacated.  Link’s mouth (full to the brim) is in no fit state to speak.  He seems to be trying not to swallow too soon between mouthfuls—whether out of politeness or due to his recently-tremulous state of mind, she isn’t sure.

A whisper of light footsteps draws Zelda’s attention to the door on the outer wall to the grass landing, where the three-foot-high little girl who often sits at the flouring station tiptoes with impressive speed toward their table with her distinctive, mischievous giggle, hands held behind her back.

“Hello, Myrri,” Zelda says.

“Hi, Princess.  Hi, Mister LINKheee,” Myrri says, loudly enough to alert the entire kitchen of Link’s presence had they not been aware already.  Her smile is all teeth and excitedly hunched shoulders. 

Some of the tension re-enters Link’s frame as he turns toward her, but he greets her with an emphatic “Hi!” infused with genuine fondness.  It isn’t every five-year-old who would think to gift a pet snail to a knight recovering from concussion, after all.

A sudden concern that a snail might appear on her plate strikes Zelda. “What do you have there, Myrri?” she asks, resisting the urge to peer behind the child’s back.

Myrri thrusts her face toward Link as she produces a bouquet of nearly-leafless thorned branches, excitedly holding them out for him.  “They’re for YOU.”

The look on Link’s face may be the most priceless Zelda’s ever seen—he doesn’t seem to know whether to balk, smile, pout, or frown.  This results, somehow, in an expressive non-expression which nearly sets her giggling through a forkful of flaky biscuit.

Link appears to recover after a beat and several widening blinks.  “For me?” he asks.

“YEEAAAH,” Myrri replies with astonishing volume for a whisper.

A small smile twitches Link’s lips—an improvement, to be sure (though still reflecting considerable confusion).  “Thanks, Myrri,” he says.  “They’re really nice!”

Myrri proceeds to jerk her head repeatedly toward Zelda, grunt-humming wordless syllables with a rapidly expanding grimace.  After a few moments of this—the child’s patience apparently exhausted—she whispers,’ “You’re supposed to give them to HER!”

Zelda wonders how aware Link is of the now-rapidly-decelerating activity in the kitchen and equally-rapid-acceleration of sidelong-cooks’-glances.  The two young boys who usually run supplies and turn spits peer with ineffective stealth from beneath the food-preparation table near the main hearth.

Zelda watches the pulse jump in Link’s neck as he slowly squares his shoulders toward her, the inconveniently-sharp bouquet shifting in his grip, and he makes eye contact for just an instant, an unvoiced question driving his mouth open and closed again.

Zelda’s amusement at his face must be obvious, for it begins to echo on his.  The pulse in his neck shows no signs of slowing, but his shoulders become more relaxed as he holds the branches across the table in offering-

-and his smile disappears in the space of a breath as he again meets her eyes, this time in the steadiest stare he’s ever laid on her.  “For you, my Princess,” he says, his voice dropping.  He speaks the end of her title so softly, and the feeling enters her, unbidden, of that voice speaking at her cheek, his nose brushing her hair, sending shivers of anticipation down her spine she prays are unnoticeable to the others.

The age of the child so near them precludes her understanding—and thank Hylia it does. 

The age of the child means she cannot possibly have chosen her offering out of some deep insight regarding the nature of Link’s affections for Zelda (or hers for him).

Zelda can only think either Hylia had guided the child’s hand to aid Zelda’s own understanding, or Zelda's mind has simply latched on to the first apt metaphor to present itself.

What else but a bouquet of thorns would it be?

How better to describe the intensity of the true gift Link has just given her?

The monumental nature of the exertion necessary for Link to hold her gaze at length, with such force, makes itself known in its absence elsewhere.  It means, she thinks, more than even he realizes, for he doesn’t spare others’ eyes more than a glance (and he avoids most people’s altogether)—it hurts him, doesn’t it?  It causes some kind of suffering she has yet to empathize with.  Yet he offers her this, and he offers it in public, and Zelda feels she must finally have breached some barrier of invisible barbs—or perhaps he has chosen to breach it himself, and she is simply the siren for whom he’d bear a thousand bloody wounds.

He’s certainly borne many already.

She would bear those wounds for him, too.

Myrri’s “GOOD JOB!” resurrects Zelda’s smile despite the blooming ache within her, and she reaches out.  She accepts Link’s thorns with the care they warranted, avoiding the physical ones—she knows he has no wish for her to bleed into her plate—but with a silent promise to take those within him into herself along with the rest of him.  They are part of him, as inseparable as his sweetness, his courage, his physical prowess, and his inexplicably tolerant love for her.

She wants them.  She wants to come between them and the rest of him, to offer him respite, to take some of their sting for him, however brief the relief might be—and as she says, “Thank you, my knight,” she hears the entirety of that in her own voice.

Link’s breathing quickens; his nostrils flare; his eyes go a fraction wider.  Then he blinks wildly, drains his teacup in one go, and stuffs an unreasonable amount of biscuit into his mouth.

He still isn’t sure, is he?  No amount of promise in her voice will convince him.  He watches her lean the bundle of withering wildberry branches reverently against the wall, and she watches him fail to take in the certainty of it.  She would need to be explicit.  She would need to find an equal amount of courage as he has shown in other contexts.  She knows beyond any doubt his hesitance stems from uncertainty about her feelings, not from his own, for she’s seen his thoughts quite plainly in written form thanks to the Sheikah Slate.

Perhaps in an effort to dissolve his own tension, Link leans toward Myrri and thanks her.

Her response, “YOU’RE WELCOME, GOOD LUCK WITH THE KISSING AND HUGS,” instead visibly solidifies her knight’s discomfort, and he stares at the floor after Myrri vacates it, performing a breathing exercise she’s seen him employ in other situations.

He does find it within himself to look at Zelda again, though he focuses on her nose.  She finds this adorable, and the feeling intensifies along with his grimace (it gives Link a child-like appearance himself, belying his age).

Zelda knows she oughtn’t speak too freely in the crowded kitchen, but she feels a tease reach her lips and decides after a beat to voice it.  It should give her floundering knight another much-needed clue.  “Good luck with that, Sir Link,” she says with an unintended (and, she believes, quite flirtatious) smirk.

Her reward is a much-desired flex of his chest muscles as he sits at sudden attention, chin tilting toward her as one physically tugged.

Zelda hopes with renewed fervor that her signals will reach him, that later he will trap her against the wall behind a drapery and kiss her with unrestrained desire, though she believes the chance is slim.  She eats her breakfast, considering when she might be able to deliver a clearer message, and deciding with finality she would do so that day.  She would wait no longer.  They merely need not be in public.

~~~~&~~~~

[Note: (edit) - I foolishly forgot to thank @aquaticpal for helping me with some ways Zelda might interpret Link's perception here. THANK YOU!!]

[Note: This fic is part of the Adventure Log+ AU, overlapping part of a chapter of Link's Thought Brambles but from a different POV.]

[Note: Sirenity is an amalgamation of siren and serenity. It's not in the dictionary.]

Here's my Zelink Week 2022 fic post list.

Here's my fic masterlist.

@zelinkweekofficial

[ginneke]

WIP Wednesday

Extracts from two WIPS for you this week:

Frustration simmers in Link’s chest. It would be easier if the problem was nothing more complicated than a fight. He wouldn’t have to think then. Wouldn’t have to do anything but be the sword that people expect him to be. Usually, that thought is dissatisfying, but—

Enough of that, Link tells himself sternly. If he can’t sleep, then there’s no point in lying here and letting his thoughts get so tangled over something pointless. Link sits up, folding his legs underneath him and cradling the egg in the crook of his knee. He curves a hand over the shell. It still feels warm to the touch. That’s a small relief. He focuses on that feeling and tries to push everything else to one side. One thing at a time. Somebody has to take the egg to Rito Village, and Link is the only person who can.

 Leaving his own wishes aside… If it’s an obligation, a responsibility, then nobody can complain. Can they?

[A Seed of Song, ch2]

She plucks a seedpod of her own, a gentle smile curving over her face.

“My little brother… Sidon loves them, but he can never get the seeds out himself…” There’s something strangely wistful about her expression. Her voice briefly trails off into nothing, but she rallies before he can figure out what the problem might be. “Link, do you still remember how to peel lotus pods?”

Link blinks down at them. Very faintly, he has a recollection of gathering pods with Bazz and Rivan and Gaddison, and sometimes Kodah too, back when they were all small. They’d liked the strange shapes, and Rivan found it funny whenever Link overbalanced and fell in. But he only remembers collecting the stems; he doesn’t recall eating them.

[Flowers from your Beloathed, ch3]

[jheselbraum]

What the hell is up with Hateno Village. Like, Gerudo Town is the most multicultural of the remaining settlements in Hyrule with both the most visitors inside the town as well as travelers elsewhere, they kind of have to be. And while Zora's Domain is inaccessible to non-Zora at the beginning of the game due to the rain, and they are the most overtly opposed to both the presence of Hylians and to leaving the domain (they pretty much only leave under Prince Sidon's orders to go find a Hylian, you never see them elsewhere, though to be fair that's likely an environmental issue. I wouldn't expect a Zora would do well in Gerudo Town or Goron City), you can actually find at least one other Hylian in Zora's Domain after you stop Vah Ruta's downpour. You won't find many Hylians in Goron City, but that's another environmental factor and the Gorons seem to actively want Hylians to visit, they just have to get around the whole burning-to-death-thing. The Rito are also fine with Hylians, as two can be seen honeymooning there, and with traveling, if Kass and the traveling Rito in Gerudo Town are anything to go by. Lurelin village has non-Hylians staying as well, although the Gerudo woman staying at the inn is specifically searching for Eventide Island. Hateno Village is different from all that. I have yet to see a non-Hylian in Hateno Village at any stage in the game, I don't even recall seeing any non-Hylians on the road to Hateno, they're the only town other than Gerudo Town to verify anything about my identity before I went in, and they weren't asking for gender they were asking for species. The guard, Thadd, directly says, and I quote, "You certainly do appear Hylian like the rest of us" when questioning you when you first enter through the village gates. They're the only village in the game that does anything like this. The head of the village, Reede, also specifies that Hateno Village was rebuilt by Hylian hands. If you respond "not really..." when he says "Isn't this a peaceful place we have here, don't you think?" he deflects and says it looks more like an urban center. The other locals seem nice enough, they really only take issue with one person... the only Shiekah in town, Purah. I can't prove anything, of course, but the whole thing smells very very fishy. Very fishy indeed. If my hypothesis is correct, and Hateno doesn't allow non-Hylians inside, that would make the Bolson Construction Company employees the most progressive people in town, possibly the entire kingdom, because they (Hudson specifically) go out and create the only location in the game where people from every race in game live together (as long as their name ends in -son. Baby steps, I guess?)

[asksidon]

Ok this is a weird one but (only if you're comfortable) could u do a drabble (or headcanons) where the reader introduces Sidon to some good ol 😗💨🍃 if ya know what I mean lmao.. or edibles if you can't picture him smoking

"Are you sure you don't mind, my prince?"

You sit underneath the giant fish fountain on the wall in Sidon's chambers, bong in hand. It feels weird to smoke in his pristine room, but he tells you for what must be the dozenth time:

"Of course I don't mind. As long as..." he trails off, seeming to weigh what he is about to request of you. The rhythmic tinkling of the fountain fills the silence.

You tilt your head as you search your pockets for your lighter. Finding it in your pants pocket, your fingers clasp around it and you bring it up to light the bowl. You hesitate to allow him to finish his thought.

"As long as you'll share with me?" There is a devilish glint in his eye.

The request takes you by surprise. Sidon has never expressed much interest in substances or even alcohol, refusing wine at dinner in favor of sparkling water or tea. "I'd be happy to share with you. Shall I... er, show you how it works, then?" You don't know if he has ever smoked anything before, but if you had to guess...

"Yes! Please." He moves to sit next to you, confirming your guess by watching your every move with the lighter intently. You take a deep puff and hold on to it for a moment before exhaling, and Sidon watches the smoke that furls out, fascinated by it. “It’s a bit like you’re a dragon,” he says in wonder.

You chuckle, endeared by his innocence. “Would you like to try it now?”

He takes the bong and lighter from you. He struggles with the latter before you take it from him and light the bowl for him. He exhales too quickly on his first hit and coughs. “Try to hold it for a couple more seconds,” you tell him, and light it again. He does as instructed, becoming his own magnificent dragon for a few moments. You smile to yourself as you watch him. As big as he is, you estimate it will take a few more hits for him to feel anything.

“What do we do now?” he asks, staring at the bong.

“We wait. We talk. And you pass that back to me so I can have another,” you answer.

He grins, and you find yourself staring at his sharp teeth. They are quite pretty, but they could also do some serious damage. He’s done and seen so much, and yet, you are the one teaching him to get high. 

“So, what happens when you start to feel it?”

You explain to him that the effects are different for everyone, that the only real way for him to know is to keep hitting it gradually until he notices something. After about an hour, the two of you have moved to the large velvet sofa by the window and are giggling intermittently at one another’s comments while you stare at the ceiling.

“I really love this,” he says after a pause.

Your inhibitions lowered, you look over at him and run your thumb over his cheek. “Good. You deserve to relax. I guess this makes it easier, huh? Takes some of the edginess off our thoughts.”

“Yes! I hate that edginess. I... I just want to be silly with you like this. All the time. Mmm, that feels good,” he says in response to your touch, “keep doing it.”

You oblige. Suddenly, Sidon straightens up, his eyes wide. “Shit.”

You’ve never heard the prince swear before. In surprise, you cover your mouth with a hand to stifle a laugh. “What?”

“I was supposed to meet with the council today.” Glancing at the clock, he adds, “About fifteen minutes ago.” He stands up and paces. “Shit,” he says again. “I like that word. ‘Shit.’ It’s just so... soothing to say.”

You watch him as he considers. “You know what? I’ll just make it up to them later. We should go hide somewhere, before they come looking for me.” He tugs at your hand and pulls you up before you can protest. Just then, a knock at the door.

“Prince Sidon, sir?” Bazz’s voice.

Changing course, Sidon points to the window, mouthing that the two of you can sneak out of it.

“Sir?” The knocking becomes more urgent.

“Wait,” you hiss. “You should tell him you’re here. Don’t want them thinking you’re missing or... worse.”

He stops in his tracks. Stares at you, then at the door. Then he sighs, and calls out, “I’m afraid I am indisposed at the moment, Bazz.”

“Indisposed? Are you all right, sir?”

“I’m...” He looks at you and grins again. “I’m actually rather high out of my mind. I don’t think it would be productive for me to meet with anyone for the rest of the day.”

For a long time, there is no answer on the other side of the door. Then Bazz says, “Understood, sir. I will report to them that you are not feeling yourself.”

You can hear his footsteps retreat down the corridor. “To the contrary, I feel more myself than I have in a long time,” Sidon says and tugs you down on the sofa with him. “Hey, do you have anything left in that bowl? We should see if Bazz wants some when he gets back.”

[two-red-lungs]

Player of Games

Eddie Munson Drabble

Content: Implied reader/Eddie, DnD shenanigans, fluff

Summary: Sitting nearby and spectating one of the Hellfire games can almost be as fun as playing them. Especially when you know exactly how the combat encounter is going to end.

Word Count: 1157

“Why isn’t your girlfriend playing with us this time, dude? College make her too cool for us?” One of the newer Hellfire club faces asked, looking at Eddie, who was perched up on his seat behind the DM screen.

Without even looking up, Eddie waved a hand in my direction, focused on his notes. “The good lady has sided with the foul Beholder. She knows too much.”

I dropped my copy of Startide Rising from my eyes, reclined on one of the Hawkins High play set pieces in our nook behind the stage. “He’s saying I helped him prep the combat for this encounter. Can’t play if you’re a co-conspirator.”

Over his screen, Eddie winked at me. Like a grand maestro directing an orchestra, he slowly lit the candles on the table, tension rising… and then he began the session right where they had left off. Backstage lights dimmed. All attention on him.

Munson was a performer for sure. It shone even when he was off the stage: he was always at 110 percent, twenty-four seven. His lips wove seas of sound and story, gestures sending candle flames aflutter, spinning rapt illusory webs of high fantasy that ensnared his players. It was enchanting to watch from the outside.

Incredibly geeky, but enchanting.

“...King Terevin gives a wave of his hand, and the massive iron gate begins to slowly lift with a click, click, click.” He punctuated every onomatopoeia with knuckles against the wooden table. He spread his fingers. “The gaping maw of darkness stretches wide in front of you, our brave guild recruits. You hear the thunk, thunk, thunk of heavy, wet flesh, scraping across the stone. And then,” Eddie rose in his seat, holding clasped hands out over the board, “lumbering out into the light of the fighting pit, the crowd roaring in your ears—” He dropped the hulking miniature onto the graph paper map, “—Is a titanic, club-weilding, undead flesh atronach!”

The table exploded into cries, Dustin grabbing Mike’s sleeve and shaking it vigorously. The players protested in fear and Eddie gleefully rolled out the enemy’s stats: twenty feet tall, level ten, boasting 220 hit points. He spat the facts over the cacophony.

“A creature of infamy and legend!” Eddie crowed. “Known throughout the king’s lands, older than the stones that built the very fortress it’s imprisoned in! Your most dangerous foe yet.” He rubbed his hands together and pointed at the players. “Alright. Roll for initiative.”

I made steady headway in my science fiction novel as the table thrummed with action nearby, voices echoing off the high theater ceiling. Spells were cast, blows were struck. Poor Mike’s new elven sorcerer got his shit rocked, down to two hit points and barely avoiding getting reduced to a smear of blood on the cobblestones. 

“I click my Sidon’s boots of speed, doubling my speed, and use my full movement to get…” One of Eddie’s players said, counting on his player sheet. He was pretty new. Only sat through three sessions, with three wins under his belt. It made him cocky. “Fifty feet to the side. Then I use my fast movement feat—” The other players groaned, protesting him leaving the formation, “—to take a dash as a bonus action, adding fifteen feet.”

Eddie slowly moved the player’s mini across the board. As he did, he looked out under his fringe of hair at me. “Congrats, man.” His eyes never left mine. “You’re now flanking the atronach.”

I pressed my lips together to keep from smiling, hiding my face in my book. Remembering the conversation we had had last night. My grin would be a sure-fire giveaway to the players.

Ten-thirty PM, pouring over the monster manual, trying to come up with some contingency plans to throw roadblocks in the group’s way. Eddie bit at his nail, looking at the stats sheet. “I don’t wanna pad the atronach’s health any more than we already have. I mean, I’m known for my epic TPKs, but that’s just cruel.”

“You’ve basically custom-built a killing machine NPC, Ed.” I reminded him, painting the last finishing touch stitch on the miniature. I set the tiny brush down on Eddie’s crowded desk. “You gotta use it. They’re leveled enough. But maybe you can put some, like, secret rules in place.”

He rested his hands on his hips, looking over at me. “Like what?”

I shrugged, blowing on the mini. It was perfect. Ugly, undulating waves of flesh. “Like, uh… the party’s rogue. The new-ish guy? He always thinks he’s a solo act, right? If he breaks away from the safety of the party, punish him for it. Hold the atronach’s legendary actions until he does.”

A slow, broad grin began to crawl across Eddie’s face. “Oh. Wow. You’re kinda evil. I like it.”

He was giving me the same look now, a night later, fingers moving away from the rogue’s miniature. Did I feel good about basically sentencing the cocky player’s favorite genasi player character to death? Yes. No.

Maybe a little. 

“I use my secondary action to throw my poisoned daggers at the flesh atronach, using my cloak of shadows to get stealth damage.” The player dropped a die onto the table. “That’s an eighteen, plus a mod two. Dirty twenty to hit.” He sat back in his seat, arms folded, smug. Far too confident for a rogue with his actions all burned up.

“That’s a hit.” Eddie smiled back just as smugly. He paused, dragging the silence out. Everyone was waiting for him to describe the crippling damage. “...But. Your genasi releases the dagger, and they spin into nothing, clattering to the floor.” He snatched the mini off the table, and the chorus of protests started to rise. “The atronach’s glowing jewel embedded in its chest flares, and suddenly it’s gone. It uses a legendary action—” The chorus became a myriad of shocked shrieks, “—and teleports right next to Sir Endon the Rogue.”

The player’s face dropped. 

“He raises his twisted, mighty club, and brings it down…” Eddie paused to roll dice in his tray behind his screen, resin clattering against felt, “... for thirty-eight damage—”

“Dustin, your spare the dying spell!” The player shrieked in dismay. “Use spare the dying!”

“You’re not in range!” Dustin poineded wildly at the board, spittle flying “You moved way outta range!”

“—plus ten prone damage. That’s fifteen negative, right? You know what that means.” Eddie continued on. He dropped his face into the flickering candlelight shadows, and with a flick of his fingers, knocked the player’s mini over. “You…” he murmured darkly, “are dead. Reduced to a soup of blood and viscera, splattering the arena.”

The player was flabberghast. The other players ooohed at the sight, hooting. The rogue’s player face twisted, and he stood up, chair screeching. “Man. Seriously? Really?”

Eddie bowed his head. “The school of defeat in brutal, but a swift teacher.”

“Shouldn’t have broken formation, man.” Mike said.

“Whatever. God, ugh. Whatever. I’m going to the vending machine. Gonna clear my head.” With that the hellfire club member stormed off into the shadows, a beam of hallway light cutting across the theater as he pushed open the theatre door in a huff.

“I want a root beer!” I called to his retreating form as he left.

“Dos root beers, por favor!” Eddie tacked on. He shot me a secretive grin, lips all quirked up on one side, and I shook my head, smiling down at my book. He took far too much pleasure in this. 

Teamwork makes the dream work, right?

“Now.” Eddie turned back to his remaining mid-combat with a devious, dark smile on his face. “Where were we?”

[pandapupremade]

Pearls

WORDS: 648

SHIP: Sidon (LOZ) / Ifea (S/I)

CONTENT WARNINGS: Mentions of flooding, implied sister death, spoilers to BOTW

SUMMARY: Sidon often presents gifts to the one whose life he saved, and they vaguely discuss the reason why.

NOTES: This is my first time writing Sidon...gay people :'] reblogs appreciated but not required!!

-----------

"Another pearl?" Ifea blinked with surprise as they gazed down on the shiny orb, revealed once Prince Sidon's fingers unfurled. It was small, but undoubtedly an object of beauty.

"Ah...Are you not pleased?" Sidon became concerned. He averted his eyes, indicating a notably rare sense of anxiety from the normally courageous zora. "Perhaps I should have brought you an opal this time? Or...."

"Nonono, please don't fret." Ifea gently reached for his hand, gently taking the pearl from it. "I quite like it." She shook her head. "I just...I'm not used to getting so many gifts. A-and...Especially not from a Zora Prince."

"Oh, of course...Yes, of course." He relaxed now. Together they sat on the bridge leading towards the domain in which zoras dwelled, although Sidon was very, very tall by comparison to Ifea even as both sat. "But I have assured you many times, have I not? You need not hold me so high."

"I know, but it's...a hard concept. You've been ever so kind to me, after all, during my stay." Ifea sighed lightly and put their hands in their lap. They held the pearl in their palms, though, gazing down softly at it. "And you are a prince..."

Sidon watched them, tilting his head a little and causing his head's bang-like fins to sway to the side. "...I would be truly shameful if I were to be anything but my best towards an esteemed guest. If I turned you away...That would be a foolish action of bigotry."

"I...don't know if I'd call myself esteemed." Ifea gave a small and halfhearted chuckle. "I would more assume I was imposing."

"Imposing?" Sidon's eyes widened. "Never! It is exactly the opposite. I welcome your company. That has been so from the start."

"...I appreciate that." Ifea smiled a little. This was more genuine. "You saved my life, and if I were to be hated for that..."

"You are not hated, dear Ifea." Sidon looked towards the domain entrance. "...I do not deny some of my people aren't fond of hylians. But that is of no personal grudge towards you..." He paused, then looked down at them. His eyes were sadder, but his expression soft overall. "...And it has never been a viewpoint I have agreed with, either. How could I, when my own sister..."

Ifea gazed upon him and heard his voice trail off. Although he held himself proudly, it seemed the zora prince was showing a brief moment of vulnerability. He began to push it down after said moment, shaking his head.

"No matter the reasons the zora may dislike hylians, I still have to seek one out who can be of help." He looked towards the reservoir not far off. "The rains continue, and I must seek a hylian who can help us put an end to it."

Ifea followed where he looked. Indeed, rain was flooding. Soon, should that reservoir overflow thanks to a monstrous being known as a divine beast, more then Sidon's home could be endangered. It was a mission all would need to put aside differences for.

"I'm sorry I couldn't be the hylian of choice." Ifea spoke quietly, "I can't even swim, let alone can I fight."

"Fear not. I do not intend to put you in harm's way." Sidon met their eyes again as they both turned to face the other again. "I should resume my search, as well, but..."

Ifea rolled the pearl in her palms. "...Um, before you go...Might I make a request for you to bring back?"

Sidon blinked, but nodded.

Ifea smiled. "...Can you bring me another pearl?"

The prince seemed surprised at that, but quickly jumped to his feet, fists raised excitedly. "Ah, but of course! I shall, I shall. In fact, I shall bring you two of them."

Ifea gave a laugh, and this time with heart. "I look forward to it, dear prince."

[manxden]

Hi there, sorry for making you all wait! Here’s the next chapter of my giftfic done for my fellow Zelink-crazy Sidon-fangirlling friend, @alkturos ! We both participated in Hateno Hideout’s (on Discord) Midna’s Merry Mixup Gift Exchange.

So without further ado, here’s more luxuriously self-indulgent Masseur!Link AU ZeLink!

Summary: Zelda shows up to her massage appointment a little worse for wear; public relations is not without its pitfalls, and Link takes pity on his attractive customer.

————— Hold My Hand on AO3 (Chapter 2) ——————

Chapter 2 preview

Zelda’s next appointment brought her to the plush sofa of Link’s waiting area of the office feeling like a pestered mess.

In common Hylian one might say she was bedraggled, with strands of hair escaping her carefully-pinned updo and her suit jacket was fastened with the buttons misaligned. The morning had started well enough with greeting students and speaking for the opening of a new school bearing her sister’s name, but the ‘simple’ brunch appointment planned at midday was simply a disaster.

The small locale has been flooded with well-to-do’s oohing and aahing over quaint, but boring modern art, and their harried waitstaff were quickly embroiled in a defensive battle to preserve a woefully underestimated supply of canapes. Zelda had managed to snatch just three in a crowd of bourgeois who were preoccupied with banal details about the artists on display.

Officially the meeting her secretary had first agreed to was to be a small interview with two of the up-and-coming families of the city, but the situation had evidently escalated out of hand. Zelda had several hard words under her breath while escaping with her guards helping her down the stairwell with a bad stain on her clothes and a broken shoe; she could text the secretary to blacklist those contacts later on.

It wasn’t unheard of for unscrupulous folk to try and use the royal family as an opportunity for social climbing and upwards mobility - the rush to prepare for Karane’s coronation must have given them the perfect opportunity to slip in under the radar.

The mess of the morning had left her feeling the worse for wear with a sore ankle, a growling stomach, and a frown to rival Castletown’s winter skies. Much of the city was enveloped in varying levels of fog since the weeks of snow had been broken for a warm front, but with distressingly few moments of sunshine.

Zelda settled onto Link’s couch in the waiting area with a groan of appreciation. It was a little haven of respite for her after the small labyrinth of hallways and the elevator; she slipped off her broken heels within the first two minutes of blessed uninterrupted sitting on the cushy sofa. If she was going to submit her near-naked form to the masseur’s fingers, then she had a fine excuse for slipping off her shoes in his entryway.

He had recently burned lavender incense, the perfume pleasant in the air to match the soft lilts and falls of piano music and violin strings. Zelda couldn't fault the man for his musical choices, and the floral scent had her subconsciously choosing a jasmine tea when her stomach got her to wander barefoot from the couch as she waited. Someone had already absconded with the last of his luxury chocolates, but she could try and sate her guilty belly on an assortment of pretzels and toffees.

Zelda had solidly refused to reschedule when her driver had suggested the idea; her visit to the masseuse was quickly promising to be her one sane moment in a brutally overscheduled week. She could afford to order something greasy, illegally fattening and immoral after her session under the pleasant attentions of her flirty blonde therapist.

——————- Read more on AO3! ————————

[evil-robot-cat]

He’s done. He’s done, he’s done, he’s done. 100% completely finished.  I wanted a Prince Sidon Nendoroid.  I’ve finally got one.

This has been my distraction and my obsession for the bulk of this year.  I was determined, no matter how ugly it would turn out, to have a Sidon Nendoroid to play with Link and Zelda.  "Even if it's terrible, it'll be mine!" was my motivation to never give up. There was a clumsy sort of a body before this, with straight legs and girly little ruffles over the shoulder.  But then I saw the legs on the Kirishima Nendoroid, and I scrapped the original body then and there.   With the new legs, I sought out parts that would get me as close to a bare, bald body as possible, and built Sidon's figure up from scratch. I had a little sketch of what I thought he would look like, and I kept that as part guide, part motivation.  Most of the parts I built up too big, then wet-sanded down into the right shape.   I had to compromise here and there.  I refused to give up his arm fins!   On a tiny, chubby figure like this, that's the easiest way to see that this is adult, not baby Sidon.  (You think it doesn't matter?  It will if I put alcohol on his dinner table!)  For obvious reasons, I couldn't give him his collar, but the whistle and cravat had to stay.  His sword and scabbard got the axe as well, so to speak.  They are only decorative, since when he's actually in battle he uses tridents.  

When it came to paint, I decided to go with pure white instead of greenish-white. (For photography purposes this is kind of a mistake. White doesn’t photograph well.)  I used Age of Calamity to make up my mind - I put Sidon and Mipha into all kinds of locations and lighting, and I'm fairly certain the green tone is just an effect caused by the blue light of the Domain.  I blended the red too dark, and in lightening it, ended up with five entire bottles of blood red paint.  That's okay - I used two of them to give him all his coats of red!  The rest, if they don't dry out, will be good for patching him up along the way.  Official or custom, Nendoroids chip when you play with them too much. 

In my excitement, I wanted to plate his silver with real metal, but other Nendoroids don't have metal finishes, and I needed him to blend in, not stand out.   His face was a challenge.  If you've seen my other customs, you know I'm not very good at controlling a tiny paint brush OR making things symmetrical.  Sidon doesn't have a human face, so I couldn't use another Nendoroid's faceplate.  One way or another, I had to make it happen.  I started with a handful of the noseless blanks Good Smile sells for custom contests.  I bought printable waterslide transfer sheets, but I didn't have the funds for printer ink.  Instead, I drew the eyes in by hand with a Staedtler marker, transferred them to the faceplates, and filled the lines in with paint. There were mistakes along the way, too.   His fins aren't symmetrical.  His right leg doesn't wiggle as much as it should because I made the hip fin too close to the joint.  His back is already chipping a little around the peg hole, and his shoulder fins are brittle.  They'll eventually need to be replaced entirely.  But not now.  Now I just want to celebrate. This is... by far... the most complex custom Nendoroid I have ever made.  To be honest, I didn't even tell people I was working on it at first, because I was so certain it would end in failure.  But when you're this excited about something, you've got to share it with someone!  Now that he's done, I can say he was worth all the struggle and doubt, all the time and concentration!

By the way...  my Sidon is not and never will be for sale. I can't make another one to sell, either.  He was very complicated and expensive to make, and I guarantee you could not pay what it would cost to do it again.  If you see photos of my Sidon somewhere offered for sale, that's a scammer!  Don't give them your money!   If you want to try making your own, though - you're welcome to use my photos as a guide (even if it's, "Ew, I'll make sure not to do what she did!"), and ask me for any tips or advice about how to do it.  I'll share all the information I have - probably more than you want, and you'll be tired of hearing it!