#paya as a crush on both of them

[sheikfangirl]

Post-BotW - When Paya met Zelda 😅🤷‍♀️

She's hot for them BOTH! Paya is the ultimate Zelink shipper representation lol.

Cheers!

[cloudninetonine]

Hey so as you guys know I've been playing Tears

So I finally decided to write something for it!

WARNING TO EVERYONE, MAJOR TEARS OF THE KINGDOMS SPOILERS DO NOT READ IF YOU DON'T WANT TO BE SPOILED!!!

“I need to reach my friend!”

The world that was once Wild’s Hyrule had changed- drastically. Not anymore did the guardians lay dormant, nor did the Sheikah towers stand tall- the Divine Beasts had been laid to rest and while the lands stayed the same, the skies seemed to become home to more than the native Islander hawk.

Changed for better or for worse, you didn’t quite know. The growling patches of gloom circling chasms to a world beneath the surface wasn’t really all that fun to you- nor were the claws of concentrated evil that crept up from nowhere to try and snatch you without a second thought. But to see how Hyrule seemed to prosper with more life. The settlement by the castle was bigger now, a fort that stood proud to the floating pinnacle that was Hyrule castle and with more warriors seasoned to fight for the place that was their home.

Purah was amazed to see you again and you didn’t know how to feel about being smaller than her now.

Felt wrong in the more comedic sense.

All across the land you had come to find new people, make new friends! Tulin had grown so much! As had Riju! Sidon’s finacée, Yona her name, was a beautiful and cute manta ray! (Never in your life had you been jealous about both partners of a relationship that badly) Paya was now chief! Yunobo had a beard! And you had met the most amazing Rito reporter named Penn! A man who had named your new best friend in these trying times.

And trying times they were- you had no idea how you were keeping up with Wild. A little older now, an inch or two taller with a stronger build and more of an mature edge to him- well, that’s what you thought when you first woke up here in Lookout Landing, a teary eyed Wild looking down at you before he near crushed you underneath his weight, Flora just as teared and happily embracing you once you were finally stood.

You had no idea what happened, not how you got here nor where the rest of the Chain were- but you were glad you at least had the Champion by your side.

Sometimes.

This time was one of those times you were ready to toss him.

“If you connect that fucking rocket to that baby’s backpack I will shove a bomb flower down your throat.” Rauru’s hand was glowing with power, frozen along with the Zonai rocket it was lifting as you stood just a few paces away. “I mean it, Link, if you send them flying we’re duking it out.”

You looked so intimidating with the Glide suit, you just knew it. (Oh internal dialogue, how sarcastic you could be)

The korok shook, little sniffles catching your ears as they gazed at the device just inches away from being glued to the material of their rucksack before sighing in relief as the rocket was dropped with a heavy thud just beside them, Wild turning with an ‘oh-so-innocent’ smile. 

“They need to reach their friend-” He pointed a thumb behind him, “A few hills over- I was just helping.”

You frowned “I don’t know what happened while you were away but you’ve become more sadistic.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“You never do.” Both sharing a look, you shook your head. “Hand them over to me, I’ll get them to their buddy.”

Wild’s hand fell to his hip, watching you waddle over excitedly as he side stepped, your hands out in a grabby motion as the small forest child threw their little stubby hands up with an excited “Guide!” that made your heart soar as you hauled them into the air with a similar excited “Forest baby!”

“You know we still need to get to Rito village- it’ll get dark by the time we arrive if we do this.”

“Don’t care, forest babies come first.”

He smirked, “Koroks are older than you.”

“Your mum.”

“Very mature.”

“Who are you, Twilight?” A pang went through your heart. “Ah, no, sorry that was rude-”

Wild’s face had curled in a more comedic way when you turned to look at him, sour and betrayed in the way the skin folded. “Am I really turning into him?”

Pausing, you looked him up and down- “I mean…you kinda do remind me of him right now.”

Wild raised a brow; you grinned. “You remember when Wolfie fell into that bush?”

When you burst into laughter he rolled his eyes, letting out a “hardy-har” while the korok still wiggled happily in the confines of your arms, it’s bag now over your shoulder to relieve some of the weight. (You focused on the spirit and missed the way the Champion desperately pawed at the sticks in his flowing hair)

“I’m not going with you this time- we’ve already lost a lot of hours.” Crossing his arms, the blonde continued. “If you go I’ll head towards the village.”

You shurgged. “Alright, I’ll see you there.”

The Champion narrowed his eyes. “I’m serious, (Name).”

“I’m sure you are.”

“...I don’t like your tone.”

Clearing your throat, you raised it an octave. “I’m sure you are!”

Wild did not laugh when you did.

If there was one thing you knew about the Champion it was that he was attached to your side. Stuck stronger than the fuse of the Zonai magic, the blonde followed you around like a Hylian retriever followed those that held food towards them. If you strayed too far, he would get you, if you paused mid journey, he paused, there was so many occasion that something had caught your eye mid ride on one of the many vehicles he had created and the man would slow down to let you go study it- lest you hop off, something you had almost done once when he refused to stop.

You really did appreciate all he did, you knew he had a lot on his mind, but with all that was happening didn’t you both deserve to have some moments not caught up the drama of the end of the fucking world???

“I’ll see you in a little bit!” Daylight was falling and it would be harder to find the campfire smoke in the night. “Keep the bed in the inn warm for me, pretty boy!”

And thus began your hike. Your little companion happily chattering your ear off as you walked away from the hero, hearing his heavy sigh and impatient foot tapping loose volume the further and further you got.

You had made it past the first hill, Wild’s form out of your sight as you glanced back when the sound out wheels caught your attention. The korok let out a noise of confusion at the strange noise but you merely spared a giggle, standing aside as the beam cycle (minus the beam) slowed to a stop beside you- your hero refusing to look your way as he waited.

“Get on.”

“Aren’t you gonna ask me on a date first?”

He grunted and you gave him the grace to leave him be, being careful balancing the korok in your grasp as you hopped onto the odd bike and wrapped an arm around the man’s waist, another still holding the forest spirit tight. 

“You ready?”

“Aye, aye, captain.”

You missed the small smile that grew on his face, the Zonai devices lighting up with its phantom green glow as the hero started the machine back up and headed towards the direction of the smoke. Without a second thought, you gently kissed his nape, unable to reach his cheek and nuzzled into his back with a relaxed hum.

Wild straightened proudly.

“You still have sticks in your hair.”

“Don’t ruin this for me.”

[randoimago]

Day 9 - Fake Dating

Fandom: Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

Character(s): Link

Type of Request: 31 Days of Oc-Trope-R

Note(s): The requester wanted Reader helping Link fend off his suitors and I love this idea so much. Also, I make Link talk a tiny bit in this (like only a few words at a time) Also Also I felt so bad for Paya while writing this ngl (sorry Paya!!)

You blamed it on how nice he is to everyone. Oh, you need ten apples? He's doing it. One hundred crickets to impress a girl? Done. It's insane what he'll do (you're still annoyed that you watched him cut grass for hours to get the crickets to only actually give the guy ten).

But then he was going to Karkariko Village next. He seemed nervous as you two traveled on the new horse he tackled and won over. Usually, he liked using his Sheika sleight, but you both quickly found out that you are not transported with him, and he had to hurry to get back to you before the Guardian shot you. It was not a fun time.

"What's wrong, Link?" You ask as your arms are wrapped around his waist while he directed the horse. He's quiet for a bit as he ponders the question. Or maybe he heard you and was choosing to be quiet like he sometimes does. A sigh is heard from him as he looks over his shoulder. You did not realize how closely you were holding him and tried to put some space between you.

"Be my girlfriend," he says. No lead in, no 'hey I have a favor', just a flat-out proposal and your jaw dropped. Link quickly realized his mistake and pink crossed his cheeks as he shook his head. "Pretend! Pretend to be my girlfriend!"

You had a million questions and were starting to ask before Link filled you in. Apparently almost every girl and woman (some men too) in Karkariko village has a crush on Link. Well, maybe not Impa, but that's still a large number. And Link does not know how many excuses he can give so he wants you to pretend to be his girlfriend just to keep them off of him.

And you agreed.

You don't know what came across your mind to agree, but you did. You and Link talked about things like how you started dating or other couple questions that might be asked. It was a bit weird, but ended up being fun? Mostly because he's a dork and you teased him quite a bit when he talked about how he didn't realize a lizalfo tail couldn't be used as food for some reason and a fairy had to save him after eating the dubious food.

When you make it to the village, you don't quite understand what Link needed help fending off. The people seemed nice, some kids wanted to play tag (and you found it adorable how Link did so), and there was a shrine that Link stole the apples from. It wasn't until you and Link went into a shop that you realized.

"Why hello, Link, here to fill up your quiver?" She practically purrs and your jaw drops at how much confidence she has while Link pushes you forward.

"Um, actually, we would like some arrows please," you say, and she glances to you in disappointment at you being between her and Link, who she still tries to eye as a piece of meat.

"And you are?" She asks, her tone a bit bored, but you can tell she tries her best to be nice to a new customer. Even if you're a bit annoyed with how she's treating you.

"His partner," you tell her, and she pauses as Link breathes a sigh of relief. She glances between the two of you and, without thinking, Link holds your hand.

Sure, he's held hands with you before. Mostly so you didn't fall off a cliff or when the wind was really bad. But this context felt different. Well, you're fake dating so it really shouldn't be that weird, but the issue is that you liked it.

You hear her mutter something about "typical men breaking a woman's heart" but you ignore it as Link buys up about every arrow in the store. You thank her as he drags you outside and sighs.

"'Fill up your quiver'." You are so quick to tease him, and his face goes a dark red as he puts his hands over his face to hide. You're interrupted from your next teasing as you hear a gasp and you glance over and see a, well, a very pretty girl.

"Hello Paya," Link greets politely to the girl while continuing to hide his face and her face gets redder than his is. And you realize that she likes him too. It's difficult not to realize it as Link gives you a look for help and you smile gently at the girl, Paya.

"Hi," you say, and she looks to you in confusion as her eyes glance between you and Link and how close you stand together. And you watch as her heart seems to shatter, but she keeps giving a smile. Your own heart aches with her reaction.

"Hello, I'm Paya. It was nice seeing you again, Link." It was sweet how she greeted you if only tears weren't forming in her eyes as she quickly walked off and Link sighed, muttering that he'll have to talk to her later.

You keep walking through the village with Link, continuing to be his fake girlfriend but the smile on your face felt faker. Your mind kept going back to the shattered look on Paya's face and you imagined yourself in her shoes. Link is your friend; one you've traveled with for so long. How would you react if he suddenly showed up with someone he looked really close to? You didn't like those thoughts.

Eventually you and him walk out of the village, going to where the fairy shrine is so he can catch some just in case. And you see the shining lights surrounding him and how handsome his face looks as he glances in the pool of the fountain. And you realize your "just friends" thoughts are full of crap.

You're silent as you two walk away from the fountain, following the path to a little overlook. Link sighs in relief as he sits on the ground, taking a break from the excitement while you stay standing and overthinking.

"What's wrong?" Link asks and you hate how perceptive he is. Or at least, when it comes to you, he seems overly preceptive. You force a smile and sit next to him.

"I was thinking of Paya, she looked heartbroken," you tell him and Link sighs at that.

"I know." Is his reply and you can hear the heaviness in his tone, as if he also feels guilt, but he doesn't say anything afterwards. Nothing about telling the truth or even hoping she'll be okay. You know earlier he said he'd talk to her, but you don't know what that entails. The only thing you're thinking of right now is, you don't want to end up like her, the poor girl.

"It'd be unfair if she learned that we are lying about dating," you say and Link glances over at you, giving a slow nod. "So, we should actually date." His eyes look like they'll pop out of his head.

"What?!" You wince at his reaction and are about to apologize and start to think 'maybe I will end up like Paya' but then you see the massive blush on his face again.

"Well, we've traveled together for so long and-"

"Let's date." He cuts you off from the long speech you're about to give to explain your feelings. You're a bit annoyed by how quickly he recovered, but that goes away as you sigh and lean against him, something you did as friends but now it feels different, but a good different.

[wild-dagon]

TOTK Role-reversal (part 2)

I know I’m late to the party but this idea has been floating around in my head for months. (Also spoilers for the game)

The classic role-reversal with Link and Zelda in TOTK.

Finally my last idea. Link gets the Spirit stone.

I don’t know about you but it bothered me at the end of the game that there wasn’t a new Spirit Sage. They brought Purah up there and then didn’t give it to her? (I was also expecting Paya to get it as all the other Sages were leaders (or the child of the leader) of their respective races. I really wanted to see Paya go from being unsure how to lead her village to an amazing warrior surrounded by other leaders for support but thats a rant for another post)

Anyhow Link.

Let’s tie this to BOTW. Link can see the Koroks (spirits of the forest) he can see the dragons (not everyone can) and in BOTW he talks to multiple ghosts. Heck even in TOTK he is able to interact with the ghosts of solders in the Depths to get weapons.

What if when Link goes back in time, his stone just won’t settle on a specific power. This is weird to Rauru and Sonia as they have never seen some one with so many different kinds of magic. Link is super confused as he doesn’t have magic. The other champions and Zelda have mystic abilities. He doesn’t.

You can stretch this confusion out to them going back to the castle and or you can make the next part happen on the way to the castle.

The one day they get attacked and Link goes to fight (he’s used to protecting people.) but he’s weak from the interaction with Ganondorf.

He’s about to get crushed when his stone turns red and a familiar crystal shield forms around him. “I gotta little buddy” He turns over his shoulder and sees Daruk. He’s in spirit form but he’s here, talking and fighting with Link.

Then the stone turns green. Air burst forth and Revali is up in the air shooting down the foe.

The stone turns orange and a bolt of lightning rains down on the remaining enemies as Urbosa steps forward.

Finally it turns blue as Mipha appears and heals Links wounds.

They are here. All of the champions are here. Link’s stone finally settles on purple.

Mineru explains that Link’s stone couldn’t settle on a color because it was sensing the remains of the champion abilities inside him. But now that the champions spirits have been released his stone has settled on his powers.

This leads to a lot of Mineru and Link bonding as she helps him master his powers. Maybe he can make the other champions corporeal if he focuses hard enough or if he masters his powers. Maybe he can give them a second chance at life. (Here’s where you could have some fun with shipping making it zelink, miphlink, or revalink)

Anyhow. Mineru is Link’s mentor. They both are a little crazy about building questionable contraptions. She starts to view him as her’s. Rauru was always going to have kids, she never expected to have one but Link is precious to her. As is he to Sonia and Rauru. They love hearing about their descendent Zelda.

Maybe Link and the champions are able to save Sonia from Gannon but he still gets his hands on a stone. Either stealing Sonia’s (without the murder) or by killing Rauru or Mineru. Or you could go super angst and have him get Link’s stone cutting him off from the champions (once again Ganon has taken them from Link)

In the final battle Rauru/Mineru/Sonia (who ever is alive) traps Gannon. Link either swallows his stone or stone give to him by another survivor.

Personally I like the idea that Gannon gets Links stone, Sonia seals him promising her descendant will come to stop him (I think Sonia’s faith in future Zelda could be super sweet) Rauru realizing his wife is gone and there is nothing he can do, gives Link his stone allowing Link to become the dragon and heal the sword. Mineru still builds her contraption knowing that Zelda will need a sage of spirit as Link will be preoccupied being a dragon.

Zelda gets guidance from Sonia and Rauru.

When it’s all said and done and Mineru is ready to leave, her stone goes to Zelda becoming the time/light stone. Meaning Link has a spirit stone Zelda covers time and light. The other sages are still around and the champions are back.

Zelda’s journey

You can also make this really fun by having the spirits of the champions guide the sages on their journey.

Maybe while spirit dragon Link is hanging out in the clouds that champion spirits hang out with him. When it’s time for the new sages to awaken they go to their home villages and appear to the new sages. So instead of just hearing a strange voice they see the champion of old.

When Tulin is out on his own he is struggling with a enemy that is suddenly shot from behind. When he tracks the shoot Revali is flying there. Their eyes lock before Revali flies off. Zelda arrives right after this moment, Tulin to tell her about the strange Rito that flew off. Tulin feels like they need to follow him and they do, all the way up to the sky arc. (Picture the Zelda chase scene in the castle but with Revali and sky boats.) Once Tulin gets his sacred stone Revali appears again (allowing for a sweet reunion scene between Zelda and Revali) and offers to stay near and train Tulin on how to use his powers as Revali had trained with the sage of old.

When Zelda arrives in Goron city it’s weird. Why are people talking about Link giving Yunobo a mask. Then she sees Link and chases after him only to find an enraged Yunobo. After getting the mask off of him the two talk about Link before seeing Daruk’s Spirit. Once again they chase him to the fire temple. Things play out much the same with Daruk as it did with Revali.

Arriving at the Zora domain Sidon doesn’t see Mipha until he fights the first sludge monster with Zelda. Mipha had tried to appear earlier but Sidon thought he was just seeing things from over working himself. It isn’t until he lets Yona help him and fights along side Zelda that he finally is open to seeing Mipha’s spirit. She leads them to the underwater cavern and to the water temple proper. Again always just out of reach never a word is spoken until after the sage is fully awaken and the boss is beaten. Once Sidon has his sacred stone Mipha is able to appear and have her reunion with her brother.

In the desert Urbosa is seen many times by other warriors but she cannot directly help them. Once Zelda arrives she appears to both Zelda and Ruji before disappearing. She appears again after they successfully defend the town. After they defend the bazar they see Link walking into the storm. Both girls go to chase after him but Urbosa appears and shakes her head No before disappearing without a word. Urbosa leads Zelda through the sand storm to the different light pillars, and lead them to the light temple. She doesn’t appear again until after they defeat queen gibdo and Riju awakens as a sage.

This build trust between the reader and Zelda and the spirits that are appearing. Which means when Zelda sees Link up on Hyrule castle she rushes to him. He’s leading her through the castle the same way the champions did. It’s unnerving as the champions moved like that because they were spirits and Link should be alive but Zelda is going to ignore that tidbit for now.

She follows Link to the throne room where it is revealed that he is Ganondorf’s puppet.

As they fight the sages and champions appear to help Zelda defeat the phantom Ganondorfs

After this they got to find the fifth sage. Mineru tells Zelda about the Dragon tears and how to view them using the purah pad. This is when Zelda does the dragon tear quest. Up until this point they were just weird geoglyphs but know she can view Link’s memories. She realizes that Link is the Spirit Dragon.

(You can also have a moment where she yells at the champions for not telling her. But how do you tell someone that new?)

She needs to find the Master Sword so she returns to the lost woods hoping Link returned it there in the past. She doesn’t know if the blade will let her pull it but she has to try.

After freeing the lost woods she realizes the sword is with Link. Maybe she goes to get it maybe she leaves it but either way she will be able to use it. It’s with Link and if he’s going to let anyone wield his sacred blade it would be Zelda.

[the-au-collector]

Random Things I forgot to add in my braindump for my Radio AU:

Twilight is Time and Malon’s nephew. I think I’m going to make his relation through Uli, so that makes Uli and Malon sisters in this AU

Legend used to go to college in Mabe City, but moved away after his Koholint Trauma happened. He still has friends there, like Ralph, Din, and Nayru, but he rarely visits

Sun races cars. Not professionally or for sport, no. She’ll just drive at 80mph down some old country road for the hell of it. Sky and Groose often join her

Sky, Sun, and Groose all came from Sky City. That said, they somehow never met until college. They find this very funny and will call each other “strangers”

Legend and Fable’s biological father is Raven, but he was very inconsistent with his job and eventually left them with Alfon, his adopted brother (and I am realizing I need a family tree for this AU😵‍💫).

Time is an orphan. He was never adopted growing up, but he was closest to the Kokiri family. They had a daughter named Saria who he still calls his older sister. She’s an ecologist now

Time secretly spoils Wolfie

Twilight will take Wolfie for “walks” (aka, he will sneak Wolfie into his and Wild’s house despite there being a strict no dogs policy. Revali has tried getting them in trouble before but hasn’t succeeded yet)

Wolfie is the favorite whenever Wild hosts a party

Time has somehow become emotionally attached to these radio kids. He was not supposed to get emotionally attached

Sky and Sun hope to get married sometime after graduation, preferably sooner than later

First is everyone’s favorite when he’s around. That said, he’s still the oldest and most responsible when having fun.

Crimson swears

Ravio has tried reaching Sheerow to talk

Legend doesn’t drive (anymore)

Warriors has the gaudiest car, according to Legend. Legend’s right

Styla and Legend are like BFFs. They also met when Legend did Fashion Design. Styla often makes costumes for the school plays as well

Shadow hung out with a bad crowd in high school. He’s doing better now.

Where are the colors you ask? Four’s genderfluid so he uses them to indicate his gender. Vio = she/her. Green = he/him. Red = they/them. Blue= any, they don’t care.

Vaati is Shadow’s biological father, who married Four’s mom when Shadow and Four were 12. Four’s mom died when they were 14, then Vaati went into prison when they were 15 (they really are unrelated incidents). They began living with Grandpa Smith after that.

Yuga is Ravio and Hilda’s dad. He’s really strict and not a good person. He wants them both to go into business. Ravio is playing his hand until he can be totally independent. Hilda is a high school senior and wants to major in fine art. Yuga hates this. He especially hates that Ravio is completely supportive of Hilda… and also that Ravio never comes around anymore.

Hilda’s started being invited to Legend’s uncle’s house for holidays. She can’t come to all of them because of Yuga but she does come to Thanksgiving now

Alfon refuses to let anyone be alone over the holidays. He will force Legend and Ravio to bring their friends over if they have no one in the area or anywhere to go

Flora and Fauna grew up under a lot of pressure from their dad. Fauna feels it more since she’s older, but Flora definitely feels it too. They’re both perfectionists

Impa and Purah are Paya’s cousins in this AU. Paya’s very shy so they try to get her to go out more. Paya has a huge crush on Wild and is teased endlessly for it

Flora has this huge crush on this one guy in her anthropology class. His name is Tauro

Age and Wild didn’t get along for a long time after the house fire. Wild got his burns and amnesia from protecting Age but obviously doesn’t remember this. As a kid, Age thought Wild was purposefully forgetting everything. Wild honestly feels horrible for forgetting and is trying to get his memory back, but he hasn’t had much luck

Age and Wild are both named Link. It’s a family thing. They go by their middle names. Wilder is Wild’s official middle name. Age’s official middle name is August.

On the other hand, both Flora and Fauna’s middle names are Zelda. Flora’s full name is Florence Zelda Hyrule. Fauna’s name is just Fauna.

^ this is the same for Dawn and Aurora too

Hyrule, Dawn, and Aurora come from a very small town named Mido. Hyrule would play “Knights of Hyrule” with Dawn in the farm fields all around them. It’s where he gets his nickname from

Hyrule’s friends in high school were Bot, Error, and Bagu

[razzithold]

Totk spoilers and speculation ramblings as I've just completed a main quest and am emotionally wrecked from it.

Zelda after her mom died when she was so young and her father Rhoam crushed her under the weight of his expectations and responsibilities finally found a mother and father figure who loved and cared about her and wanted the best for her. Sonia and Rauru did what Rhoam never could, they supported Zelda in what she wanted. And when Zelda gushed about Link, that look in Sonia's eyes and both her and Rauru's faces conveyed the intrigue and concern and doting love of two parents hearing about their daughter's clear crush on her best friend. Sonia saw Zelda as her own daughter and held so much love and warmth for her.

And then it was all too soon snatched away from them when Sonia was murdered by Ganondorf (what the fuck was that face he made tho like seriously wtf body horror alert). Zelda and Rauru had to bury the first queen of Hyrule and the first mother figure Zelda really had after the Calamity a century prior (because I absolutely think Urbosa also was a mother figure to Zelda too). The amount of grief and strife and trauma Zelda continuously goes through, the number of times she bonds with someone and they're killed or otherwise taken away from her, poor girl is Not Okay.

And Link, seeing these memories of Zelda and discovering her Fate in the distant past and having to hold that information close. He so far hasn't told anyone the truth of where Zelda went - who the fuck is going to believe him if he tells them the princess turned into a Dragon? Sure most people are willing to believe some wild claims coming from Link knowing who he is and what he deals with - Paya is quick to believe the claim that the Zelda seen across Hyrule giving strange orders is a demon king imposter. But the princess being a dragon feels like it may be a bit too far fetched even from Link.

The emotional pain Link must endure every time there's a lead on Zelda to find it's for naught, or worse, that it was a trap to try and kill him via the Yiga. The Yiga having the audacity to impersonate Zelda to get at Link must be so incredibly nerve-wracking for Link because all he wants is to find Zelda and bring her to safety and these bastards are using it against him. I wouldn't blame Link for turning evil in the way of not caring if the world burns if it means he can get Zelda back. I know the game implies the Yiga don't die and always poof away without actually dying but I know in my heart Link would kill the Yiga without mercy especially if they made the decision to impersonate Zelda or use her as bait. The Yiga are people, choosing to sew destruction, and the reformed Sheikah man in Kakariko is proof they have the capacity to be reformed, but I doubt that's at all on Link's agenda when he sees a Yiga blade master poof out of a disguise as Zelda and laughs at Link.

Master Kohga and the Yiga clan may largely be comic relief but their actions are so dark when you look beyond the slapstick and banana jokes.

And throughout it all, the real Zelda is robbed of her agency for the sake of her responsibility once again. She's so selfless that she literally gave up her sense of self and identity to save the world she knew. I'm sobbing. So is she, perpetually crying dragon.

[novantinuum]

Fandom: The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Rating: G Words: 1.4K~ Summary: A dozen days past, Aryll still remembers exactly where she stood at the precise moment of the Upheaval’s rising… at the precise moment she realized something terrible must have happened to her brother and Zelda. (Minor spoilers for TotK initiating events. Set in the future of a slight canon divergent AU where both Link and his younger sister Aryll wake up on the Great Plateau.)

First TotK fic! This is ridiculously self indulgent and basically written just for my entertainment, lol. If anyone else happens to enjoy this, then cool! That’s simply a bonus.

This fic is a sneak peak at a young adult Aryll. She’s around eighteen or so here.

Also a big F you to tumblr formatting, which no longer allows me to underline text, or even copy underlined text in. Ughh. Y'all just gonna get bolded text where it's supposed to be underlined, sorry.

______

Unspoken Upheavals

A dozen days past, Aryll still remembers exactly where she stood at the precise moment of the Upheaval’s rising.

Everyone does, really. How could one blame them? The mortal psyche does love internalizing such damning, horrifying moments of dread, after all. And over time, with enough traumatic exposure, it simply becomes easier to remember the tragedies and the hardships over life’s gifts and delights.

In those early years of reconstruction after the Calamity’s end, Hyrule’s joy was swiftly undercut by this crushing aura of… unease. Of disbelief. This lingering hunch that their burdens had not truly ceased, not forever. So when people started mysteriously falling ill after venturing near Castle Town’s ruins and the ancient tech excavation sites… when Purah and her new young protégé began looking into that troublesome ‘gloom’ they detected wafting up from the newly unearthed catacombs… when— mere days after her brother and Zelda ventured underground to investigate— the whole castle itself rose up upon a monstrous plume of malice and chunks of ruins began plummeting from the sky… it was hard for people not to fixate on the worst possibilities… to allow this singular, terrifying, historic occurrence to sear itself into their memories forever.

She was in Kakariko at the time, visiting Paya and all the others for a little while before her upcoming trip to the Gerudo region to see her girlfriend. A few hours had passed since Zelda’s last communication, but she wasn’t worried then. After all, Link retrieved the sword from its pedestal under the Great Deku Tree before their departure on this quest. The Blade of Evil’s Bane at the zenith of its power and wielded by the most talented swordsman in all Hyrule simply shouldn’t fail.

Yet fail they did.

Aryll doesn’t have any way to prove her hunch yet, but she fears the Master Sword was destroyed that morning.

As she rushed out from Impa’s home where she was having tea and caught her first glimpse of the massive stone rings careening down towards the village like comets vying to collide with the very skin of the earth— pulsating tails of green energy tracing their calamitous journey towards the surface as her friends and neighbors screamed at their approach— her first instinct as one talented with sight beyond was to tune her mind towards the ancient spirit who dwells within Link’s weapon.

She felt nothing. Nothing but silence, when on any other day she could at minimum pick up on her warm, quiet hum. 

As reliable as ever, Kakariko’s citizens spun into a charitable frenzy after the ruins’ landing, immediately rushing to aid anyone who might’ve been injured by this unexpected upheaval, or to console and assist those whose homes had been destroyed. No fatalities were discovered, thank goodness— not even a wayward cucco’s— but as the hours ticked ever onwards… Aryll simply couldn’t ignore that sinking, grief-stricken feeling that something terrible had happened to her brother. To Zelda, too.

Because if that blade were to be broken, the very spirit within silenced, then— 

__

“Aryll!” the voice before her prompts with a snap of her fingers. “Focus! Stay with me, here.”

She inhales sharply, shaking away all thoughts of the recent past. “Sorry, sorry— what were you saying again?”

Purah huffs, clearly just as stressed and frazzled as she feels right now.

“I was trying to tell you that— based on our current lack of intel— I think it’s time that we officially declare Link and Zelda missing.”

Aryll freezes in her tracks, the very words echoing within her mind unchecked. It takes all of her strength to even halfway retain her composure, to not break down right here and now. 

“Wha— y’mean, this soon?” she says, voice catching a little in her throat.

“Come on, now. Be realistic. It’s been twelve days since the Upheaval. Twelve days with zero contact and zero clues!”

“But— the chasms, if you’d just let me go, let me search down there, I could—“

“Could what?” she returns, tapping her pen against her opposing hand. “Almost die from gloom sickness, like everyone else who’s walked even a few minutes in that pitch black hellscape? I’m telling you the exact same thing I’m telling Josha, and that’s no. You’re too damn valuable to us to go galavanting off into the dark with nothing but your own recklessness to guide you!“

She crosses her arms, reluctantly resigning to this command. 

(For now, at least. She’s sure she’ll find a moment to sneak off sooner than later.)

“What would you have me do, then?”

“First, we’re gonna circulate these missing posters all over Hyrule,” Purah says, slapping her hand upon the thick stack of papers resting on the table beside her. “Every town, every stable… I want every single soul on this gods-forsaken continent to be on the lookout for our princess and your brother. Then, once you’re back, I’m assigning you to Captain Hoz, and the rest of his search party.” She gestures towards the troop in the middle of their drills at the other side of Lookout Landing. “Since you’ve got a real talent with spirits the others don’t have, I’m kinda hoping you might be able to like, y’know… pick up on the subtler details.”

Aryll sighs, knowing exactly what she’s alluding towards. “I’ve already told you— I can’t feel the Master Sword at all. It’s like… that day, a string was cut, and then- poof! Its spirit gone, entirely void from my awareness. I haven’t felt it since.”

“Well, I still haven’t lost hope that it’ll resurface. So let me know the second you feel any differently, will ‘ya?”

“Yes, ma’am,” she nods, and strides forwards to pick up a pile of flyers, as well as a carton of nails and a mallet. “I’ll start my journey at dawn.”

Purah’s expression bends into a faint scowl, that well known glimmer in her eyes betraying a woman deep in thought. “Y’know, it’s a shame ol’ Linky and Zel had our best Purah Pad prototype. Otherwise, I could fit you up with a paraglider and send you on your way in style,” she says, gesturing towards the recently completed Skyview Tower shading the deck from behind. She hums, pressing a lone finger against her chin. “Although… we do have that old spare hanging about in the Hateno lab… it would certainly take a few days, but if I installed all the appropriate driver updates, it should still be able to interface with the terminal…”

Her stomach lurches at the very notion of being launched Din knows how high just for one of Purah’s experiments. “I think I’ll take my horse, thank you.”

“Pah,” the scientist rolls her eyes. “Where’s your spirit of adventure? If Link were here, he’d try it in a heartbeat!”

“Yeah, well… unlike my brother… I don’t actually have a death wish,” she retorts, slipping all the missing poster supplies into her satchel and slinging it over her shoulder. “I’ll take all the stables and villages on the west side of Hyrule, okay?”

“Sounds great! And, hey…”

Aryll pauses right at the edge of the stairs, her hand brushing against the wooden rail.

While it’s simply a fact that her and Purah have never been particularly close, there’s nevertheless a spark of fondness evident in her tone that injects a bit of much needed warmth into her troubled, forlorn heart.

“Be careful out there, will you?”

The faintest echo of a smile whispers across her lips. “You too, Doc.”

__

A dozen days past, Aryll doubts she’ll forget the exact crossroads she passed through when she finally resigned herself to the reality that her brother is missing, possibly dead.

She’s trembling so hard when this belated wave of despair hits that she has to dismount on the side of the path. As patient as ever, her beloved Makk remains still as she leans against his side, sobbing sloppy tears into the thick, soft fabric of his saddle pad. The satchel upon her back grows heavier and heavier, its contents damning proof of the future she was dreading:

A future without Link. Without Zelda. Without the swordsman and and goddess-blooded princess Hyrule relies on to remain intact, in such times of struggle. But moreover… a future without the people she dearly loves.

“Promise me, you stubborn idiots,” she prays aloud, her voice cracking amidst the rawness of her grief. “Promise you’ll come back to us alive…” 

[zarvasace]

I'm not much of a shipper normally, but if you're still taking requests, how about something with Link and Paya?

(In my first BotW playthough I thought that they would be a cute couple because they're both in parallel learning to become more courageous, but I don't think a romantic relationship would have worked out long term. Even still, it's fun to think of them being silly teenagers with shy crushes on each other while Wild is still early in his journey.)

I entirely agree! They're cute, even if they're not really endgame material. I think Paya needs a little confidence, and a healthy relationship, even if short, could do a lot for her. Anyway. She's cute. Here's like 350 words, no warnings other than shyness. 💖

---

"Link!" 

At the call, Link turned from the pond, only to see Paya absolutely stop in her tracks as soon as he saw her, despite the fact that she'd actually called out to him. She turned red, but to her credit, she started forward again. She'd gotten over a lot of her shyness the last little while, and he was proud of her for it. 

"Before you left—I mean, I made this, a little while ago—and I want you to have it before you head out again." She held out a small, paper-wrapped package, not quite meeting his eyes. 

Link took the package with a smile, then scooted over just enough to make his invitation clear. Once she took off her shoes to dangle her feet in the fish pond next to him, he gently pulled the paper off. He unwound a long strap, woven with a colorful but unified pattern, predominantly featuring black-and-orange koi fish. 

"The shoulder strap you have for your slate right now is a little worn down," Paya explained, brave enough to reach over and pluck at it now that she sat next to him and had broken the ice. Their feet bumped together in the water. "I thought you could use a replacement, or a second strap to layer, if you don't want to get rid of this one."

He inspected the bright colors for a moment longer, then pulled off the strap that held his slate at his hip. He rarely removed it, but this seemed like a good moment. It didn't take long to take off the old, braided leather and replace it with the bright new strap. He held it out to Paya for inspection. 

"You like it?" she asked, still not very confident. 

"Yes," Link told her firmly. He put the strap back on and leaned in closer to her, just a little. Their hands fell together without any real conscious thought. It was nice to have someone to sit next to and share quiet moments with. Link soaked up every bit of the peace.

[arysthaeniru]

Hi !! For the ask game, breath of the wild for fandom and zelink for ship 🧐

Breath of the Wild!

Favourite character

I love Riju! I can't help it, I see a child forced to be a leader of her people, left with the burden of the dead on her shoulders and unable to do her task without help, but it too proud to admit it to her people, so she has to rely on an outsider....and I adopt them. It's the same reason Taya and Capella are my faves in Pathologic, haha. But also Riju's remarkably good-spirited about her whole deal, her oracle sand-seal Patricia who only speaks in puns, and a town of adult women who are entirely reliant on her.

Least Favourite Character

Revali. I wish there was a little more going on with this bird to justify his attitude beyond simple jealousy/rivalry, and I've seen some great fanon elaborations on him that I've really enjoyed (esp. regarding his friendship with Zelda, which I've fully accepted into my wheelhouse), but if we're going strictly off canon, he's not got a lot going on, and I wish there was a little more!

OH, but also Purah. Not in terms of her characterization necessarily, but how much she's coded to appeal to the worst types of gamers. First she's my beloathed trope of immortal loli, and then she's THE main fanservice in ToTK as aged up basic sexy girl, and everything about her design and everything squicks me out terribly. She and Robbie are so much fun in Hyrule Warriors, but I hate interacting with her within the BOTW/TOTK timeline, because you always have to deal with all that nonsense.

5 Favourite Ships

This is hard! I don't really ship too many people in Breath of the Wild? I find the world so much more interesting, but like.

Ganon/Link/Zelda - The beating heart of the series and their fascinating/godly destiny/duty ties them altogether, and although BOTW/TOTK outright refuse to give Ganon anything even vaguely resembling a character, I still think it's intriguing! I have so many ideas swirling in my head about how you could only have to tweak a few memories to make Ganon a more justified villain in TOTK that would actually make this compelling.

Cece/Lasli - Fashion lesbians! I think Lasli's practicality would clash interestingly with Cece being a diva, it would be a disaster, but also quite cute, I think! There's of course, the tragedy of Lasli's dead ex inbetween them, that's always fun to explore.

Riju/Yunobo - This is my weird crackship that I really developed while playing the spinoff, Hyrule Warriors, Age of Calamity. Their relationship to their mentors is very similar, their hangups about leadership and their place in their community is very similar, and they both love zooming across the game map. They are also very similar in age! If you play the games in Japanese, where we don't have the weird surfer dub for Yunobo, Yunobo and Riju are both 13 years old, and they're both very endearing.

Paya/Tauro - I love how genuinely positive and cute they are in ToTK! I'm so glad that Paya moved on from her crush on Link and instantly found somebody who actually validates her scholarly and leadership skills everyday, and encourages her to be her best self. They have a fun banter.

Koltin/Loone - Another fun little crackship! The girl who's obsessed with leviathans and guardians, and Koltin, THE monster guy. He knows everything about monsters and thinks they're misunderstood! I feel like they would get along. It's a shame we can't hook them up in-game.

Character I find Attractive

Ganondorf. Duh. He's a handsome man.

Character I would Marry

Teba seems like a good husband and dad. Also he's just very cool, haha. Or maybe Purah? I feel like we'd probably get along.

Character I would be Best Friends With

Gosh, probably Sidon! He's very supportive and nice. I feel like I would thrive with that sort of energy in my life. And I could help him be a better leader. Or Purah and/or Robbie, they're very hectic and manic but real dedicated to their work, and I am nothing at heart, if no a workaholic myself, lol.

Unpopular Opinion

I've seen more consensus agree with me lately, as the hype around ToTK has started to fade away, but I'm very frustrated by the Zonai and the way they handled that! It's so frustrating to see Zelda, whose lesson in BoTW was that her Father was wrong, the kingdom and its tenets were wrong, blind faith was wrong and that it was her love for her friends that saved her in he end--then learn the lesson in ToTK that monarchy is fine, everybody should just attempt to emulate the past, and that everything in the past was good.

I think constantly about the fact that Rauru's four sages, the people who swore fealty to him--have no identities. No names, no faces, no real agency or personality beyond their duty to the sacred stone, and their species. There's something very unsettling about that, and something very unsettling coupled with the Depths, this creepy, hollow, empty place that the Zonai mined out and left nothing in return. The Doylist explanation is, of course, that there are no writing credits on ToTK and they just didn't have the time to flesh out the Sages or the Depths, because they had to move on to making the new Zelda game for Switch 2. But the Watsonian explanation could have been really fascinating, it could make the Zonai more morally ambiguous. These aliens who came to Earth to mine the Earth for power and pulled people into their thrall for that power--which they saw as ultimately a tool to progress everybody's society, but also can be seen from Ganondorf's perspective as something horrifying. What is the worth of progress if it comes at the expense of identity?

But that would involve the writers having to grapple with the colonialism inherent to the premise they are creating here. And they want Rauru to be good, Hyrule to be good and Ganondorf to be straightforwardly evil. And that's sad to me, because Wind Waker and Twilight Princess, to an extent, are about the failures of the old rulers and their approaches, and how our heroes have to do better. And the fact Nintendo refused to do that here thematically makes me sad!

Most badass character

Urbosa! I LOVE fighting as her in Hyrule Warriors, and she's also just such a fun design and cool and supportive at the same time.

Pairing I am Not Fond Of

Sidon/Link. Not that I hate it or anything! I can see it, it's a very plausible pairing, but often a lot of people sideline Zelda entirely when they write it, and that's annoying to me. I don't like when yaoi shippers discard the most important women to a man's life to make it gay.

Characters I feel the Writers screwed up

Ganondorf! Evil brown guy is just evil because he's brown. Very annoying to not even try to make that feel more nuanced in the year 2023, but whatever.

Favourite Friendship

Robbie and Purah! I love their dumb banter and bickering in all of the games. Inventor duo, they hate each other and would die for each other, and when they work together, they can make the impossible happen. I love how much they both fight for credit on petty things, but they do always say the other was instrumental to their success. Their fighting style in Hyrule Warriors, where Robbie is the one piloting their mech-suit, while Purah just perches on the shoulder and shows off when they do their special attack--everything to me!

Zelink beneath the readmore!

When I Started Shipping It

Probably as SOON as I got to that memory in BOTW, where they're in the rain, and Zelda asks him if he had a chance to be anything else other than a knight, would he have taken it? And the look he gives her as he turns back, and the way the scene is framed when he's jolted out of the memory...argh, that's when the brainworms really started. But also I really did like that moment where she tries to get him to eat a frog, after complimenting his ability to tame horses. It's just cute, idk! They're the thematic core of the story. It's about the inevitable destiny of it, and how Zelda bucks against their fated destiny, but Link embraces it, because he is a man guided by devotion and courage, and her wisdom means she knows it's a bad idea--but how can she do anything but love it/him? There's something just a bit doomed to all of their interactions, and it makes me go insane!

My Thoughts (Good/Bad)

I find it bad for worldbuilding as a whole, but fascinating for their dynamic, that Skyward Sword makes Zelda the living incarnation of Hylia, because then you're constantly left with the question: is Link simply extending his devotion towards the Goddesses by loving Zelda, or does he love Zelda and the Goddess separately? Is that even possible to separate Zelda from the Goddess? What does it mean for your temple of devotion to be a person? And in BOTW/ToTK where they are haunted by failure and loss, where there's unspoken resentment towards each other they both have to let go of, Zelda in the past, and Link in the present, that infuses their dynamic with such fun tension, even when they do wholeheartedly love each other and do just get along. I find it tragic, and fun, and sweet and sad all at once. I love a good destined lovers, where neither is entirely sure if that's a good idea, or there's a certain exhaustion to it, because it's inevitable anyway...

Things Done in Fanfic That Annoy Me

When in post-botw fics they have kids, rule the restored kingdom of Hyrule together, and don't seem to have any trauma. They're both feral, they're of the Wild now, and if Link actually loved Zelda and Hyrule, he'd never support her remaking Hyrule Kingdom ever again. They're just not capable of having a happy nuclear family in that way, sorry!

People also make Link SO masculine in such a weird way sometimes in fanfic--no??? Even if you don't headcanon him trans, he's like...so distanced from the kind of daddy dom masculinity that so many fanfic writers seem to default onto a lot of sex?? He's very gender-fluid and I just can't ever see him in that kind of aggressive way. It's always very jarring and unpleasant. I also think people really overplay the enemies-to-lovers of pre-canon BOTW, which sometimes leads to fics where they're like...doing petty revenge on each other or like having dramatic blowouts--which always feels a bit unrealistic to me? I'm very picky about the zelinks I like ^^;;;

I also just hate modern AU in general. They don't make sense outside of the feudal system and those external pressures/divine pressures!! Bodyguard/celebrity will NEVER hit in the same way as knight/princess.

Who I'd be Comfortable With Them Ending Up With, if Not Each Other

Link has vibes with a lot of people! Honestly, in Windwaker, I don't ship Link/Tetra at all! Link and Medli is far more compelling to me. And TP, Midna and Zelda are so in love, and Link's just kind of there, he doesn't even know Zelda xD In BOTW, I feel like Impa/Zelda makes a lot of sense, and Link has chemistry with all sorts: Sidon, Paya, Beedle, all the random NPCs that flirt with him. I'm so rarely a single shipper, haha.

My Happily Ever After For Them

Wandering through the world as travelling diplomats/adventurers, with their home in Hateno whenever they're taking a break, and vacationing everywhere, as Zelda slowly writes her scientific 1000 page dissertation about the nature of the world, and Link writes the ultimate cookbook. The Triforce calls them to duty, but they mostly ignore those urges. They're done with divine duty--they only have duty towards each other and the world now.

[minty-mumbles]

Underrated ship: Flora/Paya. Please. I want Paya to get over her hero crush. I want her and Wild to have a ride or die friendship. I want Flora and Paya to spend a lot of time together after Flora and Wild defeat the calamity. I want Paya to learn how to keep her cool and deal with some of her anxieties via helping Flora reacclimatize to the modern world, and Flora to find a sense of normalcy through Paya.

Give me them being bad ass!

I want Paya and Wild teaching Flora how to fight, a mix of Sheikah techniques and Wild's fighting style, and Flora just despised it, would much rather read a book

The three of them teaming up to clear out the remaining monsters, who will never be reanimated via the blood moon. I want them, as the former princess, the hero, and the granddaughter of the Kakariko's elder, to go around and better the relations between the races.

Give me them being domestic!

I want to see their first date, and Wild running back and forth between where they're both getting ready, to help one of them and calm their nerves, then have to run back to the other of the pair to help them.

I want Flora and Paya to move to Hateno, and get a house near Wild's, for Flora to work in the Sheikah lab, and Paya to spend more time with her aunt.

And they go on dates. Wild packs them a nice lunch or dinner, and they go up to the broken heart pond behind Wild house, or go truffle hunting together in the woods, or relaxing on the beach.

I want them to go on a double date with Wild. Either with someone who Wild really likes, and he wants to introduce them to his best friends, or someone he's just met, and who he want's their opinion on, and they go ""Oh, no, honey, they're a jerk. End it." Or them helping him get ready for a first date, just like he did for them.

I want winter to hit hard one year, and Wild shows up at their house, carrying some rabbits he just caught. They cook some stew, and all cuddle in front of the fire, keeping warm together in one house.

Give me them with kids!

I want them to leave their future kid with their uncle Wild to go on dates, who gets them so hyped up from teaching them how to make monster cake and then letting them eat half of it.

I want them to have squabbles over how to raise their kids, navigating the cultural conflict between Flora's royal upbringing, and Paya's Sheikah heritage. I want them to travel back to Kakariko of some festival or another, for their kid(s) to climb all over great-grandma Impa (Impa isn't dying until her great grandkids have kids. She's stubborn like that, lmao.) When the kids are old enough, I want the two of them and Wild to take them to ruined remains of the castle, now empty of monsters, and tell them the story of the battle that took place well over a hundred years a go, now.

I want Wild and Paya to team up to teach the kids how to defend themselves, and then chuckle to themselves when at least one of them just wrinkles their nose and always wants to go back to reading books in the corner of the Sheikah lab, just like Flora did when they taught her. I want them to go through puberty like five years after their Great Aunt Purah did (Purah jokes about their cracking voice, and for the kids to snap back about hearing Purah have a similarly squeaky voice just a few years ago.)

I want the kids to sneak out their house in the middle of the night to go jump on Uncle Wild's bed, and insist that he takes them for a midnight snack up on a Sheikah tower.

Please, this ship and their dynamic with Wild consumes my thoughts when I think about post adventure!Wild and Flora.

[loaf-of-cheese]

Hating on someone for a ship they have is weird in almost any situation.

Like, if the ship is really problematic, like it’s hyper toxic, abusive, incest, pedophilic, or something else that is obviously bad, I get it, but I feel like when I have a ship in a fandom, and I go to look up fan art by tags, I see a bunch of toxicity about a ship that isn’t toxic or controversial, or in some cases, is literally so sweet and chill.

An example is that of some of the popular ships within the BotW fandom, specifically, with Link. I’ve pinned down four more popular ones, that get a lot of chit chat going, good or bad.

Now, there is probably a statical analysis that I could do and stuff, but I’m lazy, so just from what I’ve observed, four of the more popular ships with Link in BotW include; Miphalink, Zeldlink, Revalink, and Sidlink.

I ship one of those, BUT, I have absolutely no beef with anyone who ships anything else, including ones that aren’t on the more popular and talked about side. However, for conciseness, I will be specifically talking about the four mentioned earlier.

I’ll get this out of the way now, I personally ship Sidlink. I think it’s wholesome, adorable, and frankly fluffy as heck. Those two work so perfectly as a couple in my opinion, which is why I ship them.

But that doesn’t necessarily mean I hate the other three.

I think Miphalink makes complete sense, one-sided, or going both ways, and I think it’s fair to like to, due to it probably being closest to canon. Mipha canonically had a major crush on Link, and I think it’s fair to ship the two.

Zeldlink is also fair. It is referenced a few times that Zelda had strong feelings towards Link, and it is specifically stated at least once by Kass when he is singing his teacher’s song in Rito, that Zelda loved Link. So again, completely fair to ship it.

Now onto Revalink. This one I think is more likely to been seen as more toxic, but I think also has complete potential to be great if you understand how to ship a rivals-to-lovers ship. Being rivals involves respect, and I think it is evident Revali saw Link as a rival. Being romantically involved also involves respect, which makes a rivals-to-lovers work well.

In short: Miphalink most correlates with canon, and makes plenty of sense. Zeldlink also correlates with canon, and also makes a lot of sense. And I love a rivals-to-lovers any day of the week, and Revalink is a great example of one such dynamic.

All four of these ships are completely fine to ship, which is true for most any ship in most any fandom. And you shouldn’t send hate to people for shipping something that can be reasonably argued, is perfectly okay to ship. People are allowed to have opinions, especially when it comes to shipping fictional characters, so before you make that hate post on Franmaya, or send a rude dm to someone because they like Link and Paya together, ask yourself, ‘why is this ship so bad? Why should I get to tell someone that they can’t ship it?’

(If I made some sort of mistake in this post, grammatical, spelling wise, or just go something factual wrong, please tell me. Constructive criticism is important, and I will take any of it completely seriously and fix the issue as soon as possible)

Anyway, if you read that whole thing, thanks, means a lot that someone looked at my attempt at addressing a topic like this.

[sheikfangirl]

Welcome to Hateno❤️

Post-Botw / Pre-relationship fluff

After a few days in Kakariko Village, Link brought Zelda to his house in Hateno. She was so eager to finally see it but on the other hand Link was nervous and did his best to hide his insecurity. He was a little embarrassed and wanted to know what Zelda would think of the house before admitting that he had actually bought it for her.

"Zelda is a Princess" he told himself. "She is used to castles and luxury... This house is smaller than her royal bedroom! "

But no. Zelda's reaction surprised him. Pleasantly surprised him. In fact, his nervousness level cranked up quite a bit 🤭

Little did Link know that Zelda's most secret wish was to share a cozy little house...with him ❤️

And the best thing about Link's house? Yes, you know what it is... There is only one bed 😉

[ofcowardiceandkings]

Zelda? I want to know what opinions you have about her since you talk lots in tags LOL

lets see if i can actually answer the questions because i have Opinions but theyre a mess LMAO

favorite thing about them

where do i start !!! hfskjfke

she's just so enthusiastic about finding out information its adorable and also a mood, but also she's DAMN SMART to match !!! she could absolutely run circles around anyone who tried to outwit her without trying i have NO DOUBT, but instead she's just out here being an information sponge, doing hooligan science experiments with frogs and digging up ancient tech to tinker with :')

shes so jfkdjfAAUGH when research happens adorable wow angel

least favorite thing about them

this is so hard lol i dont think uh ... ?? hm

EH its more of a nitpick than anything and ideally this gets fixed in BotW2 but listen, let my girl have a bow. Zeldas are archers so let her do the thing please Nintendo i know you let KT do it in AOC but can we see it in game proper too ;3;

favorite line

this was SO HARD TO PICK ... its a toss up between;

"I am not a child anymore! I may not be much use on the battlefield, but there must... there must be something I can do to help!"

.. because ouch, she tries so hard and im hurt OR

"... but courage need not be remembered, for it is never forgotten."

... hummm she knows Link would never back down aaannnd hummmmm im Hurt....

honourable mention to the exchange she has with the Great Deku Tree where the Tree tells her to keep the message to tell herself because 👀👀👀

brOTP

this is hard to pick lmao , i actually think she and Purah as Science Nightmares is truly hilarious and i love it

also let her be friens with Paya please that'd be very sweet

OTP

Link !!! Link Link Link !! always and forever but even more so than even Skyward Sword , like , This 👏 Shit 👏 Is 👏 Textual 👏

nOTP

pttthb again im a boring person so to me there is Zelink and then theres Nope SORRYYYY [flies away]

random headcanon

this is kind of random but i stand by my bizarrely specific idea that she's probably a fair bit more roughed up than the average Zelda lol.

she was probably an utter demon as a small kid and did all kinds of nonsense like bothering people while theyre working and asking too many questions and getting in places she isnt meant to be, at least while she could still get away with it - gotta have resulted in some bumps and scrapes ! after that ? science injuries !! the occasional burn, maybe a wonky finger from crush damage, scalpel accident, that kind of thing mostly on her hands and arms,, and she definitely has tool callouses on at least the sides of her fingers lets be real ...

during the Calamity she probably got a good few bumps too, theres some evidence of that in the memories its just Nintendo doesnt roll Like That lol ,, no where near as bad as Link of course , but it would have been basically impossible to come away without ANY marks at all ..

that is to say that like ... she's definitely not in any way delicate and unblemished , she's out there Doing Junk !!! she's her own person !! with actually a very strong personality !!!!

unpopular opinion

again Im New Here so i dont knowbfkejdje whats unpopular lmao .... erm i dunno ive kind of made peace with the choice of voice casting she wouldnt have been my choice but thats fine

i think what bothers me now is that like ... if you want someone to do an accent then hire someone with that accent lol .. i dunno if its just me but i can tell nearly every time if a canadian or american is cast with a british accent or visa versa looool

song i associate with them

what do i even PICK theres so many fuck uh ... ill go with my initial instinct and say Breath of Life by Florence + the Machine, partially because i discovered said song at the same time i finally got my mitts on BotW lol , but i could say the same thing for the entire Deluxe edition of Ceremonials , particularly right now Strangeness & Charm .... ughnngh just go listen to both of them now

favorite picture of them

there's a lot of good art out there with her looking epic, but this cap from Champions Ballad is sickly sweet its got a buppy in it and she's adorable and smiling i cannot not love it

.... my Angel Gorl ...........

[anony-mouse-cartoon]

Almost every Link in the Linked Universe chain has siblings...and I felt the need to bring that up.

So lets do dis

In reverse time-line order, starting with the flooded time-line.

Warriors - Linkle

Maybe they're parents only thought of a girl name and when they had a boy they didn't know what to do, so they just recycled. I like to think they're twins...because that would make them the same height and I like to imagine Linkle is a swol tall lady :)

Wind - Aryll

It's caaaaaaannnooon

Legend - Zelda

In A Link to the past, just before Legend's uncle dies, he says something along the lines of "Princess Zelda is your..." he didn't finish his sentence, but most people (myself included) believe he was going to say sister. Also princess legend can step on my soul.

Hyrule - :/

He is one of the few who quite honestly had absolutely nobody. I think that he and his Zelda had a strangers -> friends -> sibling energy -> crushes -> confused -> ??? -> lovers kinda relationship. Cause the Zelda from his first adventure and Zelda from his second are two different people. The first time he sees the second Zelda, she's in a coma, the first time he actually meets the second Zelda is when his adventure is over...but they kissed so...idk. the point is, no siblings for Hyrule :(

Wild - literally everyone

There's a lot of fics and headcannons that Wild is touch deprived as all hell, and while I completely agree with that, he could get his fix of physical affection almost anywhere. In the Zora's Domain especially. If Wild and Mipha were to be married as they planned, Sidon was going to get a big brother-in-law. Not to mention Sidon seems very touchy. In the Rico Village, Saki signed the hypothetical adoption papers as soon as Wild and Tulin got along. If he spends enough time in Kakariko, Wild and Paya could have that sibling energy. Long story short, he could get that sweet sweet brotherly/sisterly love from almost anywhere.

Twilight - the Oridon kids

This is also cannon, and by laws of adoption, Twilight and Colin are actually related...moving on

Time - Saria, Zelda/Shiek, Warriors

Saria was his big sister no questions asked. Time got left, as a baby, in a magical forest with immortal children. Saria saw an opportunity to be a caretaker and was like 'frick yeah!'.

Shiek was a mentor to teenage Time, they had many encounters and I like to think that Shiek slowly became more and more attached to the kid and worried more and more for him. Shiek and by association, Zelda sees Time as a little brother. But Shiek gave Time his bisexual awakening without even trying.

During the War across the Ages (Hyrule Warriors) sweet little Mask and his Skull Kid friend were kicking butt in battle. At the time, sweet little Mask was 10, maybe 11 (maybe both, he coulda had a birthday). Warriors did not like that a literal child was fighting people...and winning. So he kept a close eye on him, signing the hypothetical adoption papers with almost every other adult there. Lana, Zelda, Midna, Impa, Ravio, Marin, and every one of the soldiers were now these kids guardians. Kids being; sweet little Mask, Skullkid, Tetra, Wimdy, and Medly.

Four - ???

I'll be perfectly honest, I haven't finished either of his games. I've started Four Sword, but I haven't even seen Minished Cap so...I have no idea.

Sky - :/

Sky is kinda a toss up, the people of Skyloft either seem like the friendly parent friends or the neutral, we're friends but we're not, teens. Sky and Zelda probably had a friends -> sibling energy -> crushes -> lovers relationship, but the sibling energy phase lasted...maybe a week, before they secretly loved eachother. You could say that Groose gave Sky that sweet, sweet brotherly love after his adventure (and if you do, I fully agree) so he's got that. In conclusion, Sky has a bunch of mutuals, but not a lot of real friends, and only a little sibling energy with one person, but he's got a cool af girlfriend to balance it out.

I should say that this is before any of them meet eachother. Hyrule obviously gets his brotherly love from Wild and Legend. Sky gets it from Four and Warriors. And everyone else gets it from everyone else. Twilight is the big brother of the group, Warriors is big brother to Twi. Dad is the Time. And everyone loves everyone (including Legend and Warriors).

[venomlion3]

Second batch of Pride 2021 HC doodles! More info under the cut!

Midzel

💙 Princess Midna - Agender lesbian who uses any pronouns! Very snarky and sarcastic, loves teasing their wife but has moments of genuine tenderness. A good leader of his people, a good parent to its children, and the type of person who would knock out a homophobe/transphobe without question (and with a smile on her face). A big ol lesbian birb 💙 Twilight Princess!Princess Zelda - Cis pan woman who uses She/her! Dunno what else to really say about her? She’s a chill wife, mom and queen and is the shortest family member inbetween her tall partner, her hulking child and her daughter who wins by an inch or so. Much like Midna, she has a no-nonsense policy when it comes to discrimination, and uses her power to protect the helpless/those in need

Lunaflashburst

💙 Princess Luna - Nonbinary demisexual bi alicorn who uses any pronouns! Very tall compared to its golden hubbies, but still shorter than its sister. Writes flowery love poems about their partners, often in Old Ponish, and is known to belt out a sonnet or two comparing them to flames of passion and the like. Used to be very awkward about giving affection but has grown more confident as time went on. Probably flirted with Sunburst by comparing them to a Gazania, more specifically a Sunburst Gazania, and tucking one of the flowers under their ear (which I would LOVE to make a mini comic about one day). Also, she’s a royal alicorn, which means she has 2 sets of wings (shoutout to lieutenantcactus on dA for the wonderful HC), but it would take up too much space if I drew both pairs open, so imagine the other pair is on her back somewhere :] 💙 Sunburst - Demiboy pan stallion who uses He/they! The Royal Wizard of the Crystal Empire, met Flash via Twilight as he was previously one of her guards, and was later restationed to be one of Luna’s. Got a big goofy crush on him the instant they met, and did so with Luna as well. He’s still as flustered around them as he was when he first met them. Prior to getting with Luna and Flash, he was Shining Armor and Princess Cadence’s boyfriend for a period, and their eldest child, Flurry, is very fond of him still! 💙 Flash Sentry - Trans bi stallion who uses He/him! A chill guard who occasionally plays the guitar and has a very lovely singing voice. A big ‘ol himbo who loves his partners and their kids, and is especially close with Luster Dawn, daughter of Luna and Sunburst. Is rarely angry and often solves fights inbetween his kids and niblings. A notable ex of Twilight

Zelpaya

💙 Paya - Trans demisexual bi gal who uses She/her! Paya being a trans girl came to me in a vision so I’m going with that. Crushed on both BOTW!Link and Zelda but was too shy to approach them about it. In my verse Link gets with Prince Sidon and Gaddison (a Zora guard NPC who I’ve always been fond of), so while her crush on Link didn’t fade her heart focused on Zelda since she was the only one still single (she never expected anything to happen between them though). That of course changes when Zelda begins coming to her about artifacts and they form a closer bond. Is still flustered when her wife gives her attention but has grown more confident with her help :]

💙 Breath of the Wild!Princess Zelda - Cis bi gal who uses She/her! A grease monkey scholar who loves learning and tinkering with things, and who just so happens to be a princess as well. Very much in love with her wife, even though she initially came to her for educational reasons. Despite Paya’s confidence boost over the years, she’s still the one who gives the most physical affection (although Paya is bold enough to initiate a kiss between them every so often). Loves her family and never stops thanking Paya for blessing them with their child, Zaidee

[pastelsandpining]

Santa Baby (Christmas List)

The second prompt in 12 Days of Christmas by @zelink-prompts​

Prompt List

**Note: For the stories actually involving Christmas, I and a few other authors changed the holiday to Hylia’s Day (credit to @fatefulfaerie​ for this) so that it’s more relevant to Hyrule

Cover Art: @neezlebums​ be sure to show some love to the original here!

Words: 2264

Summary: For their first Hylia’s Day together after everything that happened, Link just wanted to gift Zelda something special.

**If I don’t have explicit warnings, read with caution. It simply means there’s nothing I could think of that could be potentially triggering, but I could’ve just missed something. In that case, please let me know and I’ll be more than happy to put a warning!**

BotW, post-calamity with angry child Eggbert because I said so

Zelink-mas 2020  l  Masterlist

Relearning everything about his past and about Hyrule was no easy feat. A world that was so familiar yet so foreign still left him unsettled at times, because he was a young adult trying to understand the things that nearly everyone else grew up with. It was fascinating to learn about traditions and holidays and how they came to be, and he did genuinely want to know everything he once knew and more.

It was how he’d ended up awake until the break of dawn, listening to Zelda tell stories of Hyrule’s past. She was in her element when she got to research or explore or teach. Watching her was something he felt incredibly lucky to do, much less sit so close to her on the bed while they poured over books. He wanted to be as prepared as possible.

He’d heard of Hylia’s Day before, but it would be his first time experiencing it (that he could remember). Zelda explained it as a celebration of love and giving, of friendship and of victory. She told him of the festivals they used to hold, and the balls they’d been forced to attend, and of the parties they used to have. She told him of the traditions of gift giving and of family gathering.

And when they finally settled down to sleep, Link asked her what she wanted for Hylia’s Day. She replied just as she always did—that she already had all she could ever want.

It didn’t stop him from trying, though. He brought it up at the most nonchalant of times, during breakfast or trips across the kingdom. He would listen intently every time she spoke, more so than usual, and tried to pick up on any instance of an “I want”. Only once did she give a direct answer, saying she wanted a Silent Princess. 

Link was not satisfied with that. It wasn’t special enough, so he took it upon himself to fill Zelda’s nonexistent Hylia’s Day List.

He didn’t expect to feel as nervous as he did when the day actually came around.

“How does this look?” came the voice of Zelda from behind him. Link paused the stirring of his soup to turn around and answer her question. She’d been adjusting the decorations all morning, no matter how many times he’d promised her they looked fine.

“It looks perfect,” he replied. “Just like everything else.”

“Well, good, because I want this to be perfect,” she said, making her way to his side. “It’s the first Hylia’s Day we’ve had since—the first I’ve had outside of a castle. Getting to decorate and set everything up however you want is incredibly stressful. I want our friends to be comfortable and happy.”

“You worry too much,” stated Link in return, bumping her with his shoulder.

“I happen to worry a perfectly healthy amount, for your information.”

He chuckled and turned back to his task at hand: finishing up their dishes for the celebration. The traditions called for a family gathering, and their family was large in both number and size. A little extra wouldn’t hurt, even if their friends were all bringing their own dishes.

“You look beautiful, by the way,” he continued. Zelda’s cheeks flushed, even after a hundred years, and it made him want to smile. He loved when she wore things that were too big for her, including the white sweater that she had to keep pulling the sleeves up on because they were too long. The golden linings made it look fancier than it really was, but she called it comfortable on more than one occasion and it was soft to the touch, so it was one of his favorites too. 

“Thank you,” she replied, hugging his arm. “I dressed myself and everything.”

“Wow, impressive,” he stated, pulling his arm free so that he could take the bread out of the oven. He didn’t miss the roll of her eyes before she turned back to the tree tucked into the corner. 

“I can’t help thinking something’s missing,” she said. Link placed the pan on a rack before turning to face her again, reaching for one of her hands.

“It’s perfect,” he repeated, spinning her to face him. “The only thing missing is a star at the top, but I don’t think you’d fit.”

She gave his hand a gentle swat and huffed.

“You’re ridiculous.” But she was smiling anyway, and that was enough of a gift for him. He considered pulling her closer, spinning her around and trying to get her to laugh, but there was a knock on the door before he could. Link let go of her hand so she could answer it, and he was unsurprised to see Purah bouncing on her feet at the door, with Symin behind her carrying a far too large bag, probably full of presents. 

“Check it!” she exclaimed--her form of a greeting, apparently. “Happy Hylia’s Day, you rascals! I’ve been looking forward to this all year!”

“Purah,” Zelda greeted. “It’s lovely to see you again!”

“You can put the bag down here,” Link told Symin, gesturing to the area under the stairs after shutting the door, keeping the cold outside. Now that Purah had stolen Zelda away for some excited conversation about Sheikah technology, Link had an opening. “Did Robbie manage to.. do the thing?”

“Fix it up? Yeah, I heard he and Purah talking last night. He was able to restore it, but I don’t know if it’ll have all the same functions as before,” Symin answered, his voice lowered to keep anyone from hearing. Some tension in Link’s shoulders relaxed. That was one thing checked off the list—the one thing he was really nervous about.

“I’m gonna owe Robbie an entire decayed guardian for this.”

“He’ll take payments in increments.”

Link snorted and shook his head. As eccentric as Robbie was, he was positive the Sheikah would try and refuse payment. But Link didn’t exactly need his permission to haul a decayed guardian up to Akkala’s Tech Lab, so it would turn out either way. He just hoped, with a glance towards Zelda, that it was the right gift.

“Is there anything I can do to help?” Symin asked. 

“You could take coats by the door,” Link joked as another knock echoed through their house. 

He was pleased to see Sidon, Impa, and Paya were the next to arrive. But he didn’t get much of a greeting out before Sidon, crouching to get through the door, lifted him from the floor in a crushing hug.

“Happy Hylia’s Day, Link! Lovely to see you!” 

All Link could really do was pat Sidon’s shoulder in return until his feet were returned to the ground. 

The arrivals began increasing faster than he expected, with Teba and his family arriving next—with Kass in tow, of course.

“I’m worried we won’t have enough space,” Zelda stated suddenly, scaring the living daylights out of him. “We could move it outside, but we’d need a fire. I’m sure the Rito are fine with the cold, but we could give everyone else some blankets and coats. Do Zora get cold?”

“I don’t think so,” Link replied, furrowing his eyebrows. “The water in East Reservoir Lake wasn’t exactly warm, and Ruta hurling ice blocks at us didn’t make it any better.” He was still bitter that he didn’t think to use Cryonsis until he’d already been knocked off of Sidon twice. 

“But the Zora are used to water, so perhaps they’re used to the cold as well.”

“Why don’t we just ask?” Link pointed out, bumping her with his shoulder. “We have a Zora.”

“You say that like Sidon is a pet,” Zelda scolded, crossing her arms. 

“He’s basically a huge Hylian Retriever, yes.”

“Besides, would it be rude?”

Link grinned and ruffled her hair as he said, “Nothing is rude in the name of science.”

“Except eating a frog, apparently,” Zelda bit back, swatting at his hand.

“Oh, let it go,” he laughed. “I ate tons of frogs.”

“And?” she asked, lifting an eyebrow with a smug smile.

“You were right.”

“What are you two love birds talking about?” Sidon asked, and Link jumped for the second time that day. How could someone so large sneak up on him so easy, even if there was a good bit of noise in the house?

“Sidon!” Zelda said quickly, her cheeks flushed with pink. “We were just discussing moving everything outside.”

“Brilliant idea! Do you need help moving anything?” 

Link thought of assuring Sidon he was a guest and didn’t need to lift a finger, but apparently those gears in Zelda’s head were turning.

“No, but we have a few extra strings of fairy lights,” she replied, tapping her chin. “We could put lights on the tree outside!”

“You,” Sidon said as he picked her up. “are a little genius, Princess! Everyone, outside!”

Link hardly got a word in before they were out the door. All he could do was laugh at them with a warm smile. This was more than he ever could’ve wanted.

“It’s good to see you happy.”

Kass was smiling at him, just in that way where he looked like he knew all he was thinking. 

“Holiday cheer,” Link replied with a shrug, but Kass hummed.

“Ah, yes. Holiday cheer and nothing to do with dear Zelda.”

“Well,” Link sputtered, glancing towards the door everyone else had gone out of. “She helps. How’s, uh, how’s your song coming?”

“Rather well, actually. I think she’ll be pleased with it. Come, we’re missing all the fun.”

And Kass was right. Riju and Teba’s son were chasing each other around the pond, occasionally being joined by other village children, and Yunobo was being used as a rock pile to climb over in the process—not that he looked to mind it much. Buliara was observing carefully from her perch on the ramp, discussing something with Teba and Saki, and he was pleased to see they were all smiling. 

Impa was busy scolding Purah for something, and Robbie was coming to her defense, and whatever Symin had interrupted with made them all laugh. 

And then, to his (pleasant) horror, he found Zelda and Paya up in the tree, wrapping strings of lights around the bare branches. Sidon was underneath, wrapping another string around the trunk. They were having far too much fun with it.

Zelda spotted him from her perch and waved, and he had no choice but to join them in the decorating.

A little later into the evening, they sat around a campfire that turned out to be a joint effort and swapped various stories while they ate—stories about the Champions, who were there in spirit, about troubles they’ve solved, and other funny recalls of their lives. Link tried to listen, but his attention shifted every time he saw Zelda next to him with a smile on her face.

A gathering so wonderful wasn’t complete without swapping gifts. They’d given and received so many things, but Link chose to wait until everyone was finished to approach Zelda with his gift. Upon seeing the big box, she lifted an eyebrow.

“Alright. I know a Silent Princess isn’t this big, so what could you have possibly gotten me?” she asked, sitting in front of the crate. Link only shrugged and gestured for her to open it up. 

Her careful fingers pulled the ribbon apart and she took the lid with both hands. He watched her closely, nervous for what her reaction would be. 

Zelda was quiet for a moment, her eyes locked on the contents of the box. When she lifted her head to look at him at last, there were tears glistening in the firelight. 

“Where did you find him?” she asked, her voice shaking.

“He was in that same crate on a shelf in your study. I brought it to Robbie and he was able to restore it,” he explained as he pressed the Sheikah Slate into her hands. Zelda tapped the screen with trembling fingers, and he bit back the urge to take her hand. 

A soft beep filled the air and a blue light burst from the crate. A metal claw gripped the edge of the box, then a blue eye appeared and flipped its lid in greeting. 

Zelda pressed a hand over her mouth and reached the other out towards the little guardian they’d found and studied all those years ago. It beeped again, pleased with her recognition, then scuttled out from the crate.

“It’s in near perfect condition. How did it get..?” But she decided she didn’t care and instead wrapped her arms tightly around Link, whispering out a million thank you’s. All he could do was press a kiss to her head and hold her close.

There were so many things he’d wanted to give her. There were so many things he wanted to say. But he knew of her love for the ancient technology, and he knew of her love for him. 

Even if her list hadn’t truly existed, he wanted to give her something special. He wanted to give her everything and more, but for now, he was okay just giving her comfort that he remembered. 

He remembered her, and he remembered their adventures, and he remembered her interests.

He remembered.

And by the kiss she’d given him, to the delight and cheering of the others, he thought it turned out to be the perfect gift after all.

Well, until the little guardian butted in with its opinion in not so polite beeps, but some things simply couldn’t be helped.