#claraaeri

[clara-aeri]

Not trying to pry or pressure you or anything like that. Just out of curiosity, is Crown discontinued?

Hi! This past year has been nuts, a lot’s happened that’s kept me offline completely and from fanfiction.

HOWEVER recently my schedule has changed and I’ve started working on Crown consistently! 😄 I am excited to share more soon!

[dizzy-miss-lizzieeeeee]

I'm re-reading Roots by @clara-aeri and I think I have a crush on Link's dad

[dizzy-miss-lizzieeeeee]

I read the fic for this illustration and omg how do I recover from something so beautiful?????

Molduga hunting from Roots by ClaraAeri! Zelink being little shits to each other was A+

[airplanned]

Ah thank you so much!! I would love some author or story recommendations!! I’ve been away from tumblr/the fandom for quite a few years now, so much of what I was aware of have gone quiet now. I’m looking forward to jumping back in!! :)

Okay...oh, now IDK where to start. Everybody I link has more stories you should check out. And I really don't mean to leave anyone out, but most definitely will.

I'm going to start with some oldies that you might have read, but the first two are much less sweeping and modern AUs.

*Wavebreeze's Girl at the Museum (Modern AU)

*CrazygurlMadness' To Those Who Wait (TP modern AU), but they also have a Long BotW story

*Lyxie's Into the Woods (AU fantasy setting)

These are some pillars of BotW fic. The first tow are sweeping, but the last two are one-shots:

*Starkraving's Interim (post BotW, and Ganondorf is there. Note that this is incomplete)

*Meriandr's Rise (Pre-BotW. Unfinished, but still so good. I actually like their story Strand more tho.)

*Honest Ground's Practical Anatomy (post-botw funny smut. All their stuff is good)

*Advocaat's On Propriety and Unconventional forms of Communication (Post-BotW)

Some newer stuff that isn't getting enough attention:

*ClaraAeri's Bolt from the Blue (Post BotW. All their work is lovely)

*Wildly Breathless' Reckless (Post BotW with himbo!Link and Grumpy!Zeld)

And then here's a big list of authors who are cool people, and I'm out of steam, so go explore:

jenseits-der-sterne, bhujerbanwrites, intangiblyyourswrites, spacebeyonce, ashleyswrittenwords, SpicyChestnut123, deiliamedlini, OmegaZeta5, Embyrinitalics, Lonelylorena, Zeldaelmo, aquaticpal, drsteggy, snidgetwidgeon

Also, you should follow newtsnaturethings. They don't write fic, but they draw vine fan art. And mistress-light does rad mods and posts .gifs

[runtedfiction]

also do you have any zelink fic recommendations 👀

ah, i really need to make time to read more fic--my recs are basically the only ones i've read 😅 if you (or anyone) have any pls lmk!!

a bird in your teeth by rushvalleys (@mercymorns)

gorgeous. the amount of thought that must've went into crafting the recurring dog story and the interwoven timeline and the dialogue is crazy! i love how melancholy and loaded the zelda/link interactions are, and there's always something bubbling beneath the surface that eventually leads to emotionally payoff. also i love phoebe bridgers

a line that stabbed me through the heart is: "Imagine: you're the hero. Imagine you sleep for one hundred years, and still have something worth waking up for at the end of it all." (fk!)

All the Trashy Novels by socksock (@airplanned)

so fun and funny! the tension and the dynamic is dynamite, and zelda has such distinct characterization in it--love that drama queen brat. also the whole pulling-the-master-sword-hilt kiss (captured in this legendary art by @aquaticpal) is iconic. i stayed up late to read it and i hadn't done that for such a long time; it made me feel like a high schooler again.

there's a line referring to "it might have been from the souls of heroes past" that's so good. also the comments on part 28 are so funny they made me laugh out loud

Roots by ClaraAeri (@clara-aeri)

saw this fanart from @eerna that convinced me to start this one! i'm only on ch. 3 but i really like it so far; already this feels like it's going to have a thoughtful, fleshed out backstory, and sad but tender post-calamity moments. it gives me the same feeling as when i go through game of thrones lore. love link's dad and the description of his fighting skills and his time as a little twerp

great line: "When he looked up at the Deku Tree again he was awake, looming over him with a heavy sorrow."

[omegazeta5]

'In the depths of ZDR, she finds she's not alone. She finds someone wearing the same armor as her. Someone she doesn't remember knowing.

But she does.'

My first writing foray into Metroid! And my first OC I've ever featured in a fanfic 😅

I really have to thank ClaraAeri so much, not just for feeding me the initial inspiration for this fic, but also for making art of my OC!! Here's James, everyone, I love the shit outta him

If you read, hope you enjoy!

[incoherentbabblings]

If you don’t mind, 20, 46, 70? Have a nice day 💕

Hiiiiiii! Thank youuuuuuu!

Fanfiction Writing Asks

20. Do you prefer writing AUs or canon fics?

Hmmmmmmmmmnn. I think AUs? But I'm including canon divergence in that. Completely off the wall AUs I've done a couple of times, and they are fun, but I'm also a big fan of what if... You know?

46. If you could only write one type of AU for the rest of your life, what would it be?

The New 52 never happened AU? Ha ha! As much as I love that it gave me the Rebirth stuff, I wish we'd gotten just a few years more out of Pre-Flashpoint. A lot of hanging threads to be explored!

70. Are you subscribed to any writers on AO3?

I am I am I am! Not a huge amount for DC, I'm only really interested in reading fics which have Dick as the focus, particularly with regards to his relationships with Damian and Bruce. I tend to just read as I find them, but a couple that I am subscribed to are:

partingxshot aka wufflesvetinari on tumblr

ScarlettSwordMoon

scpnightwing

vlrnlr aka batphobique on tumblr

I'm also subscribed to a bunch of Legend of Zelda authors, but embyrinitalics, intangibly_yours and ClaraAeri in particular are my three favourites of favourites.

Otherwise I'm a browser! Whatever takes my fancy really.

[bokettochild]

Fic recommendation time!!!!! Roots by ClaraAeri. one of my absolute favorites. Please have a look if you've got time.

I think this is actually on my reading list, LOL

Thank you for the suggestion, Anon! I have it open now, and while it might take me a bit to get through all 28 chapters (school starts again next week) I will certainly give it a try and a taste!

[clara-aeri]

Do you have any preference in POV? Link, Zelda, or something else? Ps. Your latest work is AMAZING

Ooooooof, this is a hard one. I enjoy Link a lot because I get to write some very flat humorous prose to match his soldier personality. But I have grown a soft spot for Zelda because she lets me write more flowery and also has a lot of baggage and grim memories that are perfect for angst 😂

But I wound up so used to Link’s POV after Roots that it definitely comes out more naturally lol and I prefer to default to it when I’m not feeling up to tons of editing, at least the specific way I interpret his character. I’ve seen some people interpret him to be much more sensitive and thoughtful instead of “bokoblin kill 👹” which is just as valid.

(If anything I’d love to emulate the way @jenseits-der-sterne portrays him in her work “Before and After” on Ao3 which is wonderful and everyone should read it. I would be using that POV nonstop if knew how to write in second person lol!)

But thank you!! I’m so happy to hear that 😭 I hope that answers your question!

[enduracarrotchips]

That feeling when your eventually-girlfriend steals your sword and yells at her dad about being a literal goddess...yeah I feel you link. (This is from Roots by ClaraAeri! I reccommend giving it a read!)

Ok I just noticed this lady in the backgrounds expression wth. I don't remember drawing this. Her name is Lady Felicia and I love her.

[legendofzeldasilentprincess]

I know that after Age of Calamity comes out I will be fully on a Zelink lockdown. Even if we only get very few content I will eat it.

ANON I COMPLETELY TOTALLY FEEL YOU LOL. I’ve been in complete Zelda mode basically spending almost everyday on this blog again LOL but yeah after Age of Calamity comes out, ZELINK FANDOM IS GONNA GO INSANE. I MEAN EVERYONE IN LEGEND OF ZELDA FANDOM AND OTHER SHIPS IN BOTW TOO LOL.

I don’t wanna get my hopes up too high but I mean- Zelda is canonly in love with Link and it was confirmed through Kass’ song in BoTW. We thought of how awesome it would be to see more detail of the story 100 years and they’re actually giving us a prequel for it. ALSO A SEQUEL. The team for Hyrule Warriors basically made the plot based on Zelink and with the BoTW team who created the story also hinting at Zelda’s feelings for Link, I’m positive there’s gonna be some amazing great scenes in Age of Calamity. 

ITS GONNA BE SO ANGSTY BUT WE HERE FOR IT LOL

and while we talking about Zelink I just wanna link (badum-tsss) this amazing fic I’ve been binge reading called Roots by ClaraAeri. Link’s POV during some moments 100 years ago leading up to Calamity Ganon (from what I’m reading so far lol) but my god honestly one of the BEST characterizations of each character. If anyone knows her tumblr pls tag her so I recommend her properly!!

but yes lol anon we’re gonna die when the game is out

[st-hedge]

You should team up with ClaraAeri on Ao3 and make her fic “root” into a proper book with full illustration like the one you made with link and Zelda riding the horse in snow field and Hyrule castle in the background. People would pay for that for sure 😊😊

If I get approached I'd consider it 🤷‍♂️ but it's not for me to chase down the client since I dont know anything about the fic for this to be like a passion project collab with the only payment coming from the sales

[daughterofhylia]

I am on my knees begging people to read Displaced by socksock and also Roots by ClaraAeri on Ao3

Displaced (And its sequel, How To Build a Bridge in Eight Thousand Easy Steps) picks up immediately after botw ends and goes through Zelda and Link recovering, getting closer, and attempting to rebuild Hyrule. Their characterization is incredible and this fic really embraces Zelda’s scientist side and it’s so fun to read. Displaced is finished and the sequel is in progress!

Roots is mostly a pre-calamity fic, and details Link’s childhood and his journey to becoming a Champion. The characterization is again phenomenal. The Champions are a joy to read and Link is the Most chaotic and Zelda is fascinating and just. ugh. it’s so so good guys. And it’s almost finished!!

both of these fics have made me cry on multiple occasions and I need other people to know about them

[bahbahhh]

I was so happy to find this thread! I can’t wait to follow it and bookmark(: I only have the one I’ve written to share but its had a grip on me for 5 years.

WIP, revisited after a long hiatus. The Killing Moon. Memory trauma, hurt/angst, botw2 theories. Rated E

As for top recommendations for zelink:

ANYTHING by @honestground if you want some good spice.

Interim by @punishandenslavesuckers is one of the best fan fictions I’ve ever read. Period. There are lines from this fic that still haunt me years later.

Calm Waters Run Deep by @marydragon. Literally *chef kiss* took the memories and diary entries and expanded them into a fic. It’s part of a 3 part series which also dives into memory trauma and ptsd.

From the Ground Up by fioreofthemarch. Brilliant take on post-calamity and the politics.

WHEN THE WAR IS OVER AND I AM LYING QUIETLY AMONGST ANGELS, WAITING FOR YOU TO FIND ME by perennials. Age of Calamity Hyrule Warriors fic. BEAUTIFULLY written, very unique

Advent by ClaraAeri. I’m EAGERLY awaiting the continuation of this one. Give me link conflicted, give me link needing to figure himself out. ✨ Angst ✨ also love Roots and the Undertow

Fic authors self rec! When you get this, reply with your favorite five fics that you've written, then pass on to at least five other writers. Let’s spread the self-love 💖

Thank you for tagging me @deiliamedlini and @zeldaelmo! In no particular order:

there are many things that I would like to say to you (but I don't know how). I wrote this for Zelinktines 2022, for the "Galentine's Day" prompt. All I knew is I wanted Zelda having a good time in Gerudo Town with her friends, but not how to make it zelink. I was also watching the Zelda cartoon at the time and I think Cartoon Link and BOTW/AOC Link are two of my favorite versions of the hero, and that they would probably *not* get along. This was so much fun to write and I was doubly blessed by a lot of writing help from and artwork by @aquaticpal, which was a dream come true.

"Good. You're Finally Awake": this was a prompt for Whumptober 2021, and I had been inspired by something my pal @pastelsandpining wrote, an idea of what went on in Link's mind while he was in the Shrine of Resurrection. When I first started writing fanfic I was convinced I would be a whump writer, but I discovered I wasn't very good at it. But I am really proud of this one.

Sweet Little Lies: I don't remember what our conversation was about, exactly, but @alwaysunderwaterocean has a knack of giving me my best fic ideas. The idea of Zelda trying to retcon her pre calamity history with Link (without being truly deceptive or cruel) was very fun, especially if Link catches her out on her bullshit.

Every Time I Itch I Wind Up Scratchin' You: I have a feeling this is how I have cemented my legacy, as being responsible for Sex Ants. And it makes me so happy. I wrote this for the Kinktober 2021 "sex pollen" prompt. I struggled to find some way to write something similar without having to juggle the usual dubious consent aspect of sex pollen. I'm not sure why ant bites was it, but it worked in my mind. And now this includes original artwork!

Elixirs & Engagements: Last but not least! I was feeling a bit meh about my one-and-only long fic (so far), but my pal @farore-or-less just read it and left so many wonderful comments that I have a renewed appreciation for it! I was so surprised there were no other Regency Romance AUs for LOZ, and the way my brain continually comes up with them means I'll probably write a couple more. Probably not quite as wholesome as this one, though.

This was a fun way to revisit my works! I'm approaching my one-year anniversary of writing fanfic; I did not really see the path I would take, the WIPs I have abandoned along the way, and the dozens more that are still in play. Here's to another year! Thanks for coming along with me!

I'll tag @wanderingnightingale, @hyperphonic, @farore-or-less, @dawn-the-rithmatist and @alwaysunderwaterocean and anyone else who wants to participate!

[clara-aeri]

Love how you handled the different Zeldas in your Advent fic. And how you write Link in Rootsverse, it's exactly how I see him in this era. Do you have any thoughts about the other Links in other games? How they compare/contrast with botw/totk's Link?

Oh thank you!! 😊 Glad to hear that!!!

Boy do I have thoughts.

I guess- I should say that the way I wrote Link in Roots is definitely not how I’d imagine him to be in cannon. If only because I feel Nintendo values the self-insert aspect of the Zelda games too much to let the character stray very far from the “stoic hero” archetype. If anything, the Link I wrote in Undertow is the most similar to how I’d imagine his canon self to be- largely just due to how he doesn’t outright reject his responsibilities (pre calamity at least. I do subscribe to the idea that he’s much louder and funnier after losing his memories).

Agh- but anyway lol see my rambling below.

Starting with Ocarina of Time (OoT), that version of Link is definitely sadder than the others. He had a pretty good childhood, but his adult life fell apart in much more profound ways than the others’. He’d be as quiet as pre calamity botw Link. There might be a hint of the mischievous fairy kid still left in him, but very little. Lots of longing and disillusioned feelings that would maybe be best replicated in pre calamity Botw Link, yeah?

As for Twilight Princess (TP) Link, he’s a country guy 110%. I imagine he’d be too restless to go back to farming though- not after the world got so big. I assume he’d be a great guy to talk to, best with kids/animals, probably one of the most well adjusted after all his trials and a good pen pal to Zelda. He wouldn’t be as lively after losing Midna, definitely, but he’s doing leagues better than OoT Link. Probably has a much more dry, sarcastic sense of humor than Botw Link’s “He has a dumb belly” absurdist comedy.

Wind Waker (WW) Link- at a glance I’d almost say he’d get along with Botw Link, but after more thought I think WW Link would despise him. Botw Link would willingly eat rocks or stuff himself in an explosive barrel for jokes, but WW Link would either have to be tricked or forced into it. He seems… high anxiety. But also irritable. He has the most common sense out of all the Links and that is probably exactly what his problem is. I don’t know why, but I get the feeling that most animals would attack WW Link on sight because of his constant bad, exasperated energy.

As for Skyward Sword— lol I think he’s so funny. I think growing up with Zelda “the Goddess turned teenage girl” would have had an impact on him. By far he is the most stable, most extroverted version of Link, but I think there’s something about him that would make him unknowable. He’s so relaxed but upbeat at the same time, seems like he’s always up to something but nobody ever knows what since he’s always asleep. He doesn’t have a thought in his head but he’s so perceptive too just- he’s just odd. But cool. Botw Link’s extreme stoicism pre calamity and crazy behavior post calamity would both stand out a lot next to SS Link. Yet his relationship with Botw Zelda most closely resembles SS Link’s with his own.

I’m not very familiar with the other 3DS Links etc so I can’t say much about them. These are also the vibes I get from how I remember all these Links after 10 years of not playing their games, so I could be wrong in how I’ve described them for sure.

Lol either way thank you for asking! I was a fun question to think about! It makes me want to write a reverse Advent featuring all of them ugh 😭😂

[xwynn]

Cant send links through the ask box but these should be pretty easy to google search: Roots by ClaraAeri (ao3 and ff), the girl at the museum by wavebreeze (ao3) and the Cold Shoulder by Ghostgirl19 (ao3) for Zelink fic recs!

THANK YA KINDLY FRIEND :)