#so this was actually what i was working on before linktober

[luna-loveboop]

Maybe I should do. Linktober? A bit? I would post egg carvings on some days

Egg carvings! :D it's an area of art I do a lot and would want to grow in... it's wierd tho ':D I hollow eggshells and engrave on them or carve them into shapes... I did this one quick today for examples

If yall want me to do it a bit I will... and that top photo would count for day one- mirror. The reflection setting in the sksw final boss is so cool to me and also I love drawing lightning, tho this isn't my favourite egg I've ever done. Anyways. I could do some days? What do y'all think?

.

Edit: well I guess I'm doing it then! Happy October yall, this should be fun :D

[summertimemusician]

Linktober Shadow, Day 4

Lost

I feel like we really need to talk more about how the Lost Woods are a concept as beautiful as it is terrifying actually.

Wild/BOTW/TOTK Link fans, this one's for you and brought by my severe sleep deprivation, enough caffeine to kill a grown woman with less spite and my medieval literature/narrative/poetry teacher who motivated me through the entire creative process via helping me throw ideas at the wall even as all of the essays I gotta turn in are going to make me late in posting Sage. *laughs hysterically, immediately collapses*

As always can be read as romantic or platonic, and it's up to interpretation what's going down on this one. And can also be read in or outside of an LU context, I'm leaving it vague both on purpose and because of sleep deprivation lol.

Of all places you could say you most intimately did not wish to be alone after being separated from the Chain, the Lost Woods of literally any era but specially Wild’s would definitely be on your top three at a pristine number one.

Really, if you weren’t currently being stalked through the darkened, shadowed weald of the once welcoming evergreen home of both the Minish and Kokiri, whom you knew could be much, much more beautiful lovely (it did aid in raising a good chunk of your beloved heroes, after all) and with your heart working with all the urgency of a wounded deer being chased by a wolf. You’d almost commend it for it’s choice in setting this time.

Keyword being almost, for it compared naught to the sheer and utter terror that burned through your every sinew, marrow and veins at the accuracy of that statement, and the implication that your nebulous and hauntingly familiar current hunter grew ever more clever each passing second of your adventure.

You ran, ran and ran through the living woods, trying desperately to find any possible landmark, an oddly shaped tree, one of the torches or the remain of the skeletons from the old, ruined iterations of the Temple of Time from long bygone eras that the forest had reclaimed, or the hint of the breeze soft whispers from the echoes of the Kokiri or the elated branch rattle giggling laughter of the Skull Children. At this point you’d take even the the mad, beast like howling of the Stalfos or the tortured wailing of Poes, somewhere between vesania tainted laughter and the primal, feral pleading for one’s survival that shook you to the marrow.

There was no such symphony now, the woods as silent as a grave.

(The hauting ground of so, so many that it did not love or could not hold onto anymore, whispered a corner of your mind, and it sounded like the Shadow, with it’s ominous phlegmatic hissing, twisted amusement and sadistic brutality all in one.)

Your arm had long gone numb, broken under the impossible force held by the beast of sulfur and obsidian that the world itself rebelled against warring at it’s very existence as it roared it’s wrath back at it, the Goddesses, Hylia and Demise and your heroes and princesses caught in the middle of divine design, your legs giving out under the weight of your exhaustion, you tasted copper from the wound on your head dripping down your lips but that did not stop you. Would not stop you, couldn’t stop you.

You grit your teeth so hard against the shout that wanted to tear it’s way out of your throat as you barely kept yourself from hitting your head, diverting your momentum against an old, lonely tree. Your blood sinking into the wood, good, better it than Dark Link.

You were tired, you were exhausted, you swore you could hear a growl among the melancholy of the mist. You hoped the shade did not manage to track you down as you made sure not to leave a trail of blood, but something tells you that it wouldn’t need it to track you even with the faint moonlight barely giving enough aid in your own quest to find it before it found you with your only, laughable weapon being an old arrow you’ve pilfered from a long decomposed corpse almost falling from your white knuckled grip.

You didn’t want to die, you needed to survive.

You though of the Chain, your lovely, chaotic, kind boys, of Sky’s ever ecompassing kindness and Four’s brilliant cleverness, Time’s quiet comfort and Legend’s fierce hidden gentleness and Wind’s trailblazing joy, Hyrule’s tender sweetness and Warrior’s warm protectiveness and Wild’s beautiful adoration for life.

You missed them, and it was likely you wouldn’t see them again, that more than anything hurt more than all of your wounds combined.

You try to push yourself up, to move, to live, to keep moving forward, caring not for the stillness of the glade. Barely noticing the sudden silence as you almost pitched forward once again, stumbling onto the earth as your grip onto your makeshift weapon finally gave out-

Only for a pair of arms to catch you, steady, magnolias and rosemary, petrichor from untamed, ancient Hyrule. A bright Sheikah cerulean tunic and a navy cloak falling over darkned boots.

You freeze, hands twitching, it couldn’t be an illusion. You’ve seen plenty in the corner of your eye as you traversed through the woods, attempting to lead you astray. None of them were solid, many of them weren’t quite as cold as this, whoever was holding you.

But it couldn't be real either, it shouldn't.

“Link...?”, came your tired rasp, you felt as if you’ve swallowed sand (briefly, you wondered if the taste of flowers on the back of your tongue mixing with the copper of the liquid of life in your veins was the reason. Then resolved yourself not to think about it), your traitorous body succumbing to exhaustion as the stranger gently held you up (friend, friend, but it couldn’t be, Wild tried to hold onto you, the memory of his desperation scorching under your eyelids like a brand and his howl of denial mixed with self loathing would haunt your for days to come, maybe months, he was far away and hopefully safe, it couldn’t be him).

The figure merely steadied you against themselves, silent as they swung you into their arms, you briefly struggled. It was instinct to put up a fight, to push against the liminal illusion cruelly meant to haunt your possible last moments as another soon to be lost souls chest, or heck for all you knew it could be the Shadow, dragging it out, playing with your torment as it gave you scraps of hope before taking it away. The figure paused, only to gently readjust you -painfully careful as the memory of the gentleness belonging to your Champion but oh so wrong made your heart ache-, the figure lowly speaking, their tone the emerald eternity of the kingdom’s fields and like setting stitches against your wounded self, like the soothing nature of early autumn rain. Almost a whisper, cracked like the wind through the leaves.

“... Rest. You’ll be alright.”

You wanted to protest, wanted to claw and fight and bite his throat off just in case even if you weren’t sure it would take, as with your head in the crook of his hood you couldn’t hear a heartbeat, but your exhaustion won out in the end. Held in the warmth of the sun over Faron Woods with the glimpse of fierce cerulean blue, the gaze of a reynard whom a part of you knew wouldn’t give you up without a fight and safer than you felt since getting pounced through that cursed portal.

When you next came to, it was to Wild’s frantic worry at the edges of camp, his hair like a frazzled shroud as he dropped everything in hand of his watch to check on your now wrapped wounds. Hugging you tight as you held him just as close back.

This time, you found a heartbeat, and you could almost weep with relief, and in the darkness of the woods a shrouded shade smiled.

Returning to the mist unseen and unheard. But content you were home.

[bahbahhh]

20 Questions For Fic Writers

Tagged by @novantinuum and @marimbles. thanks friends! <3 I loved reading your responses.

__

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

ten!

2. What's your total AO3 word count?

108,441

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Legend of Zelda. I like what I like. I have dabbled with FFX, too.

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

the killing moon

begin again

desire path

like someone would

windows

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

I try to! Honestly, it means so much that people take time out of their day to let me know their thoughts/reactions to my stuff. I love the interaction, and I've shared this story before, but it was @embyrinitalics outreaching to let me know she enjoyed the killing moon (which had been on hiatus for YEARS) that help spring-boarded me into creativity again. A lot of these comments keep me motivated and energized, so I want to let people know I pay attention and care.

6. What's the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

LOL this is hard. Angst is my jam.

I'm tempted to say the Killing Moon but probably almost beautiful? It's the death memory from botw and it's a oneshot without any resolution whatsoever.

7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

This is a tie between begin again and desire path.

8. Do you get hate on fics?

I've gotten some coldish comments, but not direct hate. I don't understand it. If you don't like something, just move on by? It's free content. It literally takes so much more of your previous energy to generate hate. Put it somewhere else. Find something else you actually like and pour love into that. Or as my kid's favorite book right bow Teeth are not for biting (send help) says "Try this instead: take a break, drink a cold drink, take a rest, get a hug!"

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

I have written ONE smut fit. I was possessed by an idea. It is not my wheelhouse for sure. It was porn with plotish and I had more fun with the dialogue between the side characters than the actual sexy stuff. And I'm me, so it was sexy yet depressing LOL

10. Do you write crossovers? What's the craziest one you've written?

I wrote a FFX x BotW oneshot a few years ago that I actually took off my ao3.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I am aware of!

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Not that I am aware of!

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

No, but I feel like this would be fun with the right idea. I really like doing collabs for events.

14. What's your all-time favorite ship?

Zelink!

15. What's a WIP you want to finish, but doubt you ever will?

I'm a little worried about currents. I love the idea in my head, but its very VERY specific writing and of course I started it right before linktober and now my brain is all about the depths au. It's hard for me to switch gears.

16. What are your writing strengths?

I love a good turn of phrase, man.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

I get BIG ideas and a lot of them and a lot of the time, I get lost in them. This happened in The Killing Moon. Of course, it was my first stab at fanfiction and I decided to write a massive multichapter monster, and perhaps, that is evidence enough for you, but I had so many ideas for the story/conflict/direction and I didn't spend enough time organizing it and weeding out what I don't need. I think it translated okay because of the mystery leading up to TotK and the fact I was working with characters that were trying to make sense of lost, incomplete, and inconsistently reported history over 10,000 but

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic?

I think the most important question a writer can ask themselves when doing this in a fic is "why am I doing this?" And then close follow up to that is "how can I do this correctly and respectfully?"

19. First fandom you wrote for?

LoZ

20. Favorite fic you've ever written?

I really, really love like someone would. I love the complex characterization of Link and have carried it forward into other pieces. It's one big love letter to botw side quests and zelink and was also written in tribute to two of my favorite fanfiction pieces by others.

_

tagging: @embyrinitalics @fioreofthemarch @zeldaelmo @flutefemme

[link-eats-rocks]

Linktober Day 10: Zelda

Zelda in Brat-Mode, more specifically

Modern Day Chauffeur AU

Notes at the bottom, please read!

Lonely Girl - Chapter One

Ocean blue eyes met hers in the rear view mirror.

Zelda squinted. "Just so there's no pretense here, I know exactly why you're really here. You are a spy for my father. I hope you understand that makes you my enemy. There will be no pleasantries between us from now on. Mark my words."

Looking back and forth between the road and the rear view mirror, Link had no reaction. "Enemy, huh? Is it as bad as that?"

"Oh, it is and worse." She crossed her arms and huffed, slumping back in her seat. "I suppose he's told you of his rebellious, ungrateful brat who sneaks off like a typical teenager? You have no idea what's actually going on, so tell him my every move, collect your paychecks, but don't you dare think your job is noble."

Link had the nerve to grin. "Uh, I don't think you know why people have jobs. I'm not trying to be a hero here."

"I know you're doing it for the money, of course. I'm just saying there's no reason to feel good about it. My father is out of his mind, spying on his own daughter. There's nothing to spy anyway. You won't have anything to report."

"If that's true, why are you so upset about having a driver?"

"Because you're meant to be a spy!" She cleared her throat, embarrassed to shout at this stranger. "His suspicions are hurtful and unfounded."

"So you weren't secretly taking evening classes at the community college?" He sounded so nonchalant.

Zelda's mouth fell agape and childlike shame rushed through her veins. "H-How dare you?"

He shrugged. "Sorry, you're right. I run my mouth, Miss. I'll try to nip that."

"You do that," she said in amazement.

He really was brainwashed by her father. To speak to her so bluntly, with no respect, his only job was as her prison-warden, and he obviously meant to play that role to perfection.

Day two was uglier.

Zelda rushed past Link before he had the chance to open her door. She got in and slammed it shut.

She watched through the tinted window, hungry for a reaction.

He didn't even pause, didn't jump-scare at the loud slam of the door; he turned and walked to the driver's side as if he had shut the door himself. He got in the car, looking utterly pleasant.

Oh, Zelda was seething. "So, you're back for another day as a watchdog, I see."

"You don't need to be surprised to see me from now on, just so you know. I'm very dependable, Miss."

She could've spit. "With your obviously low standards and willingness to do dirty work, couldn't you have any old job? Why choose to be a professional stalker? Unless you're sick."

He feigned ignorance at her meaning. "I'm not sick. And this is an excellent job, much better than anything else I might find. It's not easy finding work." There he went again, looking at her through the rearview. It gave her the creeps. He should be keeping his eyes on the road anyway. He was going at the very top of the speed limit. If Father knew of this recklessness would he even care?

"Is it so difficult to find work?"

He smiled. "It was."

"Why? Are you a felon?"

Finally, she got a reaction, even if it was far from the one she wanted.

"Hah!" His eyes lit up in amusement. "No, Miss. Your father didn't hire a felon to drive you to school. Your relationship must be worse than I thought."

"If not a felon, what? Some small-time criminal record? Did your weed get confiscated?"

"Good Lord," he grinned, shaking his head in amusement. "I'll tell you just to stop your guessing. I didn't get to finish High School. It's almost impossible to get a job without a diploma."

"Ah. That does make it hard to get rid of you. You'll prefer this to being a pizza boy or a sign spinner, I suppose."

"Yes. Sorry, Miss."

She rolled her eyes and turned her attention to her phone, scrolling through pictures of people she barely knew who'd only asked for her socials to say they had a senator's daughter for a "friend". "May I remind you that your job is pointless? He may be frustrated with me but it is an obvious waste to make sure I go to school. I have a perfect attendance trophy sitting on my desk."

"That is weird. I wonder why he'd go so out of the way in this specific aspect if you never miss school."

"Don't you dare speculate with me as if you're on my side. This has nothing to do with you and if you knew what sort of man he was, you would not wonder about his erratic behavior. He hates me and wants to punish me. You are the punishment. Is your curiosity satisfied?"

"I apologize."

"You can let me out here." They were a block away from her school and she didn't feel she could stand to be in this tiny box with him another second. His presence was stifling.

"I can't do that."

Zelda nearly broke a sweat at the extra thirty seconds it took for him to halt at the entrance. Again, she refused to give him a chance to play "Gentleman Chauffer" as if this was some luxury. She opened the door, got out, slammed it, and marched away without looking back.

Notes:

This is actually a scene from the novel, Lonely Girl, I'm writing!

I'm about 65k words in and I'd say about 3/4s of the way done. It's the biggest project I've ever tackled and the furthest I've written. I'm so excited to one day share the finished project, but for now, a little preview 😁

[ghostcryptid]

pretty bois with pretty earrings, thank you for coming to my ted talk

[supereffectiveartblog]

Linktober 2022 was an interesting month of art. I didn't restrict myself to any one artstyle, and rather than trying to make each piece part of a set, I tried to make each piece distinct so that it could stand alone. Every art wasn't just a day of Linktober, it was Zelda fanart, my style.

Unlike last year, I had made plenty of time beforehand to get a head start, and the results were fruitful. The first eleven pieces were done in 2 days. I actually finished 30 days before October even began, and then I made a smart decision on Day 31's art... I waited until I was ready. And if that turned out to be October 31st, then that's what happened.

I can't really pick an absolute favourite piece for this year, but I'm happy with my work as a whole. 2022has been a really awful year for artistic motivation for me, for a variety of reasons. But as usual, October is a time for artistic flow, and I'm hoping I can keep this creative stream running for the rest of the year.

[lyrabythelake]

Ghost Wind AU Part 3

I figured the LU Linktober prompt ‘Ghost’ would be a perfect opportunity to post the next of this AU (+ an extra sad autumn themed section at the end)

part 1 | part 2

“—and so I was trying to tell her, ‘Hey, Zelda, my loftwing’s missing,’ but when she’s in that kind of mood, there’s no stopping her, and she pushed me right off the edge! So, there I was, falling to my death, and…”

The Links have just woken up and the camp is filled with the sounds of light, early-morning chatter interspersed with the occasional sleepy grumble. The sky is already a cloudless blue, but a chilly wind signals that the last of summer has been and gone, the occasional orange leaf fluttering delicately to the ground. The fire crackles merrily as Wild finishes cooking breakfast and the others clatter around as they clear up camp for the day’s travel.

Sky sits with his back against a tree, whittling a block of wood that has not yet been formed enough to distinguish a shape. He blatantly ignores the early morning chaos and is the picture of calm, his voice a low rumble as he tells his story. Wind is listening with rapt attention, sitting cross-legged on the floor opposite with his elbow on his knees.

“Agh, it’s too early for your pining, Sky,” grumbles Legend from nearby, interrupting Sky’s flow. His hair is still sleep-mussed, and he is tiredly trying to stuff his blanket into his already bulging bag.

If there’s one thing to know about Legend, it’s that he’s not a morning person.

“I’m talking to Wind,” Sky replies defensively.

“He doesn’t want to hear about your infatuation for your Zelda.”

“Do too,” Wind counters.

“How do you know?” Sky asks. He looks put out and self-conscious, and Wind lets out a huff of annoyance. For someone generally so in tune with people’s feelings, Legend can be needlessly brash at times.

“Funny you say that, actually,” Legend replies with a sly smile, “Wind and I have been working on something.”

Wind perks up as Legend rummages through his bag before bringing out a large piece of rolled up paper. Sky approaches him curiously whilst Legend kneels down and unrolls it on the ground, smoothing it until it lies flat.

“What is it?” he asks, studying the numbers and letters spaced evenly throughout the paper in no discernible language. Wind notes that even if they had spelled something, Sky wouldn’t be able to read it anyway as his language uses a different script to the majority of the others, including Wind’s own.

“Ouija board,” Legend replies.

“Eh?”

“Ravio tried to sell me one once; it’s meant to help you contact spirits. It was a complete scam, of course, because the last thing you want to be doing when you come across the majority of ghosts in my world is inviting them to engage in small talk. But anyway, I remembered about it the other day and, give Rav credit where it’s due, I thought it would be a good way to speak to Wind.”

“So how does it work?”

“Watch,” Legend replies. He picks up a piece of dried leaf from the ground, courtesy of the steadily turning season, and drops it onto the middle of the page.

“Wind,” he begins, a dramatic flare to his voice that makes Wind want to roll his eyes, but clearly has Sky enthralled, “Do you enjoy listening to Sky drone on about his sickening love stories?”

Sky makes a faint wounded sound and Wind reaches out with a hand, putting all his focus onto the leaf. He still finds it difficult to move objects, even ones as small as this, though it usually gets easier once he’s started.

If he had to describe the feeling of moving solid objects as a ghost, Wind would liken it to trying to focus his vision on something while wearing his grandmother’s glasses, except with his hand rather than his eyes. It takes a lot of focus and leaves him with a headache more often than not, but once he gets the hang of it, it becomes a little easier.

It only takes him a couple of tries before the crisp, flaky texture of the leaf becomes apparent under his forefinger, and he smiles in triumph.

He slides the leaf across the paper to where Legend has written ‘YES’ in neat, bold ink. He pauses for a second before sliding it again towards the ‘D’ and then the ‘I’ and then gradually to ‘C, K, H, E, A, D’ before sliding it back to the middle and taking his finger away with a smirk.

Legend continues to stare at the page with a frown, even after the leaf stills.

“What did he say?” Sky asks curiously. Legend says nothing.

Sky smirks.

“He said yes, didn’t he?”

“Whatever,” mutters Legend, pushing himself to his feet. He brushes the leaf off the page and rolls it up again, stuffing it roughly back into his overflowing bag before stalking over to where Hyrule is conversing with Wild next to the fire.

Sky chuckles.

“Thanks, Wind.”

Wind smiles contentedly as Sky delves back into his story, the happy, rhythmic sounds of his knife against the block of wood lulling him to serenity.

 ________

 Wind pings a branch as they pass, the single leaf still clinging to its twig loosening and tumbling gracefully to the ground. The nine of them are silent as they walk through the mild woodland, though it is a comfortable, cosy silence of those who are content with the mere presence of one another. Wolfie walks beside him and Wind smiles at him every so often, just because he can.

Wind can’t smell much anymore, but he can imagine the distinct, spicy scent of rotting leaves and autumn air. He can almost feel the dry chill that bites noses and fingers and reddens the cheeks of the other Links.

Where spring is the beginning of life, autumn is the ending of things, and despite Wind’s lack of senses, he feels that same melancholy sweetness that comes with the ending of summer and winter looming menacingly on the horizon every year.

He’s never had any truly bitter feelings towards it, though.

“My Grandmother’s favourite season was autumn,” he tells the wolf who looks up at him for a moment to show he’s listening. His voice is the only sound among the crunching of leaves underfoot, yet the others have no way of listening.

“She always made me and Aryll pumpkin soup on the day we lit the hearth for the first time when the weather got cold. I would always have been out sailing for the day and I’d come home chilled to the bone, but that always warmed me up…”

He trails off as he thinks of those days and the true contentment that came with them. He had felt safe in that house with his family in a way he hadn’t since.

“I don’t really feel the cold anymore,” he muses aloud, “or warmth,” he adds.

Yes, autumn is a bittersweet season. More so these days, but it always has been, even when he was alive. Those many autumns alone had been tinged with more sadness and longing than most, but he supposes this one will be better.

Wolfie walks a little closer to him and Wind loses himself to his thoughts and the crunch, crunch of the others’ footsteps.

[cavalierious-whim]

Zelda is a witch, but that isn't anything new.

#

I really wanted to do Linktober this year, so let's go! Day One, the prompt is 'Witch'. Read here on AO3 for better quality, and follow me here on Twitter!

#

Witch, they’d called her, back when she was a little thing, too young to understand hatred.

They still do and it tastes a little sour. But, they aren’t wrong; she is a witch. Perhaps the most powerful of her kind. Zelda was born blessed by the Goddesses, pink-tinged with the glow of Wisdom before she ever understood what that actually meant.

And even if it stings, it’s a title that gives her a shred of hope, personifying the power that she holds so innately in the palms of her hands.

The dreams haunt her. Darkened skies and Hyrule Field burning. An olive-skinned man with hair that glows red like embers. The end looming before them, far more realistic than a kind future. Dark and foreboding images that rack her brain, certainly not for a budding child.

But Zelda is a witch and she has no choice but to see these things. It’s willed by the Goddesses, and all of her brethren that came before. A veritable coven of Zeldas and Heroes, and Villains as well, over and over again in a forever-destined loop.

Zelda knows of the boy. The boy hasn’t heard of her, not yet.

Because she’s a witch, and while it isn’t the future she sees, she still knows these half-truths, bitter-tasting glimpses into the possibilities of what can still come. Cognitive wistfulness bleeds into fear, because if they don’t do something the only option left leads to their doom.

Her father never listens. Still doesn’t now. Doesn’t want to think of the worst in people. Doesn’t think that his daughter is old enough to know anything of import.

Zelda is a witch, though, and perhaps the worst of her kind. Weighed down with the expectation of the world because everyone else sees a fresh young thing that’s still green in the knees. Never mind the wisdom that’s been tattooed into her blood just like the dimly lit marking that sometimes finds the back of her hand.

Impa knows better because Impa has seen the worst-- a darkened, evil thing that had to be sealed at the bottom of a well.

“It must be true,” said Impa to her when she came back, though it wasn’t as though she ever doubted.

Because Zelda is a witch, and some people know better than to question such powers-- especially ones bestowed by destiny itself. Visions and quests, dreams and the future: these are nothing but child’s play when real evil rears its ugly head.

Zelda watches as the man bends the knee to her father, her nose pressed against the tempered glass. He doesn’t mean it, not with the way he’s stiff-backed and sneering. Zelda is young but she isn’t stupid. She can hear the whispering of the Goddesses in her ear.

Evil. Doom. The End.

Destiny.

Foretold.

Do something.

When the man leaves the throne room and steps into her garden, he pauses. They meet gazes. He looks at Zelda as though she is a small fly under his boot. He’s heard the rumors of course, just like everyone else. The frightful child who’s constantly chased by the demons underneath her bed.

“Witch,” says Ganondorf to her with no propriety.

Zelda can’t find it within herself to even be offended. The only thing she expects from this man is how his hand will bring flames to Hyrule.

Instead, she holds her head high and says nothing. Only watches him with a gaze far too old and wise for one so lacking in years. Except that she doesn’t feel young, she feels both aged and ageless. Both and neither.

Witch and Princess.

He watches her for a moment longer and then loses interest. Says nothing else as he flips his cloak and saunters away.

And Zelda watches him back, her faze calculating and severe. Impa says nothing, waiting for her to make the first move.

“Impa,” she says, “tell the bird to find the boy. I do believe that it’s time we meet.”

In a flash, Impa is gone. Zelda is left with only her thoughts.

She is a witch, though, a fiery thing who works best when left to her devices. She listens to the whispers and pulls at the strings of fate like she’s the one who alone wove the tapestry of all that there is.

This is a game she’s played before, in the ages of old.

What’s another turn in the Goddesses grand game?

[sparkylurkdragon]

(This is for my creative works sideblog but posted to main whoops)

I posted 88 times in 2021

83 posts created (94%)

5 posts reblogged (6%)

For every post I created, I reblogged 0.1 posts.

I added 240 tags in 2021

#art - 43 posts

#legend of zelda - 39 posts

#fanart - 35 posts

#linktober 2021 - 32 posts

#linktober - 32 posts

#metroid - 17 posts

#sparky vs - 13 posts

#metroid dread - 12 posts

#link - 9 posts

#ocarina of time - 8 posts

Longest Tag: 64 characters

#neither strikes me as tonally inconsistent with the zelda series

My Top Posts in 2021

#5

So, how about how Metroid Dread handled Adam Malkovich, huh? (Spoiler thoughts and Other M negativity under the cut)

The thing about Adam is that I genuinely really like him in Metroid Fusion. He’s an interesting character who has a fun dynamic with Samus that you can read in several ways, as well as being the source of a lot of background worldbuilding for the Federation at large.

So, I absolutely hated him in Other M. Not just because he was a dickhead to Samus, but because, fundamentally, he was not the Adam I knew from Fusion. Adam’s character assassination in Other M pissed me off almost as much as Samus’ character assassination.

Since Dread is a post-Fusion game, out of universe it had to deal with two completely different characters sharing the same name, and that’s a tall order. This was one aspect I was really worried about, and I intentionally looked up how the game handled both Samus and Adam before I played it. I didn’t want to be burned again, you know?

So, I knew going in what the deal with Adam and Raven Beak was, and I think that helped me enjoy the game more than if I hadn’t. As “Adam” started getting more dickish, I probably would’ve just sighed and had grumbly Other M memories: “Well, at least they got Samus right this time.” 

On the other hand, I think it was a hilarious and even brilliant move, at least for Dread itself. I think the pop cultural osmosis image of Adam - the basic idea that players who are coming to Dread as their first Metroid are going to have - is based more than anything on his horrible Other M incarnation, so “Adam” being kind of a jerk wouldn’t set off any alarms for new players.

And for series veterans like me who didn’t like how he was portrayed in Other M? Going in, we’re in a kind of limbo where we’re not sure what the heck Nintendo is even doing with this series anymore, so him being written as a jerk would have been somewhere along the spectrum of annoying to infuriating, but because of the cynical expectation that he was going to be written out of character, his out of character behaviour also wouldn’t have been suspicious.

I’m sure Samus knew much, much earlier than even the savviest player did.

I do hope Adam can get a chance to redeem himself in another Metroid game, if we get one, but as is him being impersonated by the villain was probably the best thing the game could have done given everything out of universe surrounding him. What little we saw of the real Adam encourages me; him snarking that the Federation isn’t paying Samus enough was great, as was him staying completely calm when Samus barged into the ship all Metroided up after several hours of no contact and with a Chozo X copy onboard.

27 notes • Posted 2021-11-08 08:55:00 GMT

#4

Ganondorf: Ah, you mean the technique of volleying a magic spell back and forth?

Bowser: No! I mean we play actual tennis!

30 notes • Posted 2021-10-09 01:22:57 GMT

#3

Linktober Day 7: Spirit Place!

The bit in Hyrule Castle where the ghosts of the guards point the way is one of my absolute favourite parts of Twilight Princess. It's a very powerful moment, I think.

34 notes • Posted 2021-10-07 07:13:52 GMT

#2

Linktober Day 23: Hylian Place!

The Hero of the Wild's house! Again, very interesting challenge since I don't draw architecture much.

The sign says "Link's House" "And Zelda's" in Twilight Princess' Hylian script.

36 notes • Posted 2021-10-23 07:06:52 GMT

#1

I don’t think I’m done talking about Other M!Adam and Raven Beak.

The more I think about it, the more encouraged I am by Dread’s story. I have a few nitpicks, perhaps, but on the broad strokes level Dread seems to prove to me that the reaction to Other M was really and truly taken to heart, and that they understand enough of why people were so angry to not do it again. The way Samus overcomes Raven Beak feels, in a way, like a heartfelt apology.

One of the central failures of Other M for me was that it asked us to buy its version of Adam as a good father figure for Samus. He isn’t. In so, so many ways, he really, really isn’t. But the game doesn’t seem to know that, and Samus outright thanks him right after the scene where he shot her in the back because he didn’t think she’d listen if he talked to her as an adult, which this version of Samus actually might not have.

Raven Beak, on the other hand? The game, and Samus, is completely and fully aware he’s a terrible father/father figure. Samus doesn’t even give him the time of day: her reaction to him trying to pull rank as one of her sources of Chozo DNA is, basically, “eat a missile, asshole”. And when he lords himself over her at the end of his boss fight, belittling her efforts and rubbing in that he has already won, her reaction to that is to get a second wind and completely demolish him while belting out a roar of righteous fury.

Imagine that horrible Sector Zero scene from Other M if Samus had reacted to OM!Adam the way she reacted to Raven Beak.

51 notes • Posted 2021-11-11 03:05:32 GMT

Get your Tumblr 2021 Year in Review →

[fatefulfaerie]

Ancient

Linktober Prompt Day 21/31

Incarnation: Breath of the Wild 

Word Count: 2,036

Triggers: None

She was brimming with excitement.

Link couldn’t keep his eyes off of her giddy smile, like at every second she was about to chuckle or laugh. She was absolutely bursting with anticipation.

Until, of course, her smile was out of his sight completely, Zelda rushing forward at the very sight of the Akkala laboratory.

“Come on, slowpoke,” she said, turning around to face Link while still walking backwards up the hill. Link caught a glimpse of her smile before she turned and ran up the hill. It warmed his heart as he continued to walk.

He caught up to her at the door. Her hands were behind her back and her feet were teetering her weight back and forth. Link wondered at how she wasn’t out of breath running up that hill.

“It’s unlocked, you know,” Link said as he came up next to her. “You can go in.”

“As excited as I am, Link, I’m not about to close the door in your face.”

Skies, that smile was ethereal. No wonder she was descended from a literal goddess.

“I appreciate the sentiment,” Link said before looking between her and the door. “Well? Go ahead.”

Zelda bit her lip with a quiet daring in her green eyes, talking two steps forward and knocking on the door.

“Robbie!” A woman exclaimed. “We have guests!”

After only a couple footsteps, the door opened to reveal a middle-aged woman with a neighborly smile. She looked to Zelda first and, not recognizing the Princess in the slightest, focused on Link.

“Why Link!” She exclaimed. “If you’re here to use Cherry, you don’t need to knock. Come on in!” 

She stepped aside, Zelda entering first, but very slowly, spinning around and taking in the whole room of messy research that matched so much the inside of her brain. Link perched himself in the open doorway, crossing his arms and feet and leaning against the frame, of course with a smile of adoration towards his Princess.

Before the woman could even inhale to introduce herself, Zelda had rushed towards the Ancient Oven, standing on her knees and studying it with a hand on the head.

“Oh, Miss, I wouldn’t touch that if I were you,” the woman said with a step forward. “Robbie isn’t too fond of strangers touching Cherry.”

Zelda turned her head.

“He named it Cherry?”

“Yes,” the woman said, her voice taking on a slight frustration at the reminder. “After his—“

“First love,” Zelda finished, to the woman’s surprise. “I remember.”

Zelda turned her head back to studying the furnace.

“She must have perished in the Calamity,” Zelda said quietly, before her mind started really focusing on the technology. “Remarkable. I was there when he drew it up. I never thought it would actually work, but he must have found a way around the interface incompatibility. Does it really repurpose ancient energy? How did he contain the power of the blue flame? Unless it’s rerouted through the conduits like a guidance stone. But even then, creating an intelligence able to take and receive orders is a feat on its own. I wonder how he managed it considering the margins of error.”

She beamed a smile back at Link.

“This is incredible.”

“Incredible, huh?” She heard a much older voice spout, standing up. “Has my wife finally come around to my precious Cherry?”

He came about to Zelda’s sights, looked up and his jaw dropped.

“Your Highness!” He exclaimed suddenly, his arms extending outwards and making him look like a starfish. “What a surprise! And a miracle! You have no idea how many specs I wanted to run through your brain over the years. I almost took up a sword and rescued you myself!”

“Your Highness?” The woman asked with a step forward.

“Yes!” Robbie said, placing his hands up his hips. “This is none another than Princess Zelda herself. Wrestled from her prison with the Calamity by none other than our Link!”

“I apologize for not recognizing you,” the woman said, shaking hands with Zelda. “The Calamity was long before my time, thirty years before I was born to be exact. My name is Jerrin.”

“It’s nice to meet you,” Zelda said.

“If you’re the Princess,” she said. “That means you knew Robbie when he was…what…about twenty?”

Zelda nodded.

“Yes, all of them,” she said. “Purah, Impa, Cherry. We worked closely together on studying sheikah technology.”

“And we’ll be happy to catch you up,” Robbie said. “Although I can’t help but obsess over the fact that you called Cherry incredible. She doesn’t get a lot of appreciation around here.”

“Robbie,” Zelda insisted. “Cherry is absolutely marvelous, how did you…”

They emerged into what Link would describe as incoherent technobabble between the both of them, finishing each other’s sentences and poking and prodding every inch of the ancient oven. Link watched amused as Jerrin sauntered over to him, the words flying completely over his head but Zelda’s smile shooting straight into his heart.

“She’s an interesting one, isn’t she?” Jerrin asked, stopping next to Link. “Not what I would expect of a Princess.”

“No, not at all,” Link said, watching Zelda.

“You saved her from the Calamity but before that, you were her…?”

“Knight attendant,” Link answered, Jerrin nodding.

“Do you know if she plans to rebuild the kingdom?” Jerrin asked.

“I’m not sure,” Link said, finally turning his head. “She mentioned something about it last week but she seems so much happier here in the wild that I wouldn’t be surprised if she just let it be. The people of Hyrule have gotten used to life without a centralized kingdom and although it could help unify it, I think Hyrule can prosper either way with the Calamity now gone. Really, I think it’s up to her as to what she wants her future to be.”

Jerrin nodded.

“And you’ll continue to protect her?” She asked. “Without being sworn to by a standing kingdom?”

Link almost laughed.

“I can’t imagine myself not,” Link said. “I plan to protect her and love her as long as me being by her side makes her happy.”

“That answers my next question,” Jerrin mused before Link felt Zelda grab his arm, pulling him further into the lab and in front of the oven.

“Put something in!” She exclaimed. “I want to see what we can get!”

“All that are available are weapons, Your Highness,” Robbie said. “Link already purchased the guardian armor a while ago.”

Zelda’s head spin to Link was quick.

“What?”

“Oh, right,” Link said, clearly forgetting.

“Are you serious?” She said before taking his hand with both of hers and pressing up against his arm. “Armor made from repurposed guardian parts…how could you keep this from me?”

Link looked into her face with a blushing smile. 

“Oh? Did you want to see it?” Link asked teasingly.

Zelda nodded quickly.

“Yes, please.”

Link pecked her lips.

“Okay.”

He stepped a bit away from Zelda, rummaging in his seemingly endless inventory before he realized that Jerrin, Robbie, and Zelda were all staring at him expectantly.

“I know I took my shirt off in here once, but maybe a bit of privacy?”

They quickly realized their error, Robbie returning up the stairs to peer up at the encroaching stars of the approaching night and Jerrin leaving to find a merchant at the nearby stable to collect ingredients for dinner.

Zelda waited outside impatiently for Link to emerge, and it seemed the longest five minutes she had ever experienced. She was even surprised at her lack of patience, keeping Ganon at bay for one hundred long years.

The door opened and her heart quickened, pushing away her immediate thoughts as she really studied him, Link stepping out with a slight spin.

“One guardian-covered significant other ready to be studied.”

“Fascinating,” she breathed, stepping forward. She touched the inactive guardian eye on his helm first. She walked around him, her hand grazing along his shoulder, his back, before she stopped at his left hip, kneeling, her fingertips tracing the orange lines of the greaves.

“How does it do against Guardian attacks?” She asked.

“It isn’t impervious,” Link explained. “But I take less damage. The burns are less severe, barely even showing up. If it hits directly it only burns the armor.”

Zelda nodded.

“Just like they are to each other,” she said. “Their lasers can harm each other, but not as easily as flesh.”

She looked up.

“In an early stage, Robbie mentioned auto-regeneration. Does this have that?”

“Auto regeneration?” Link asked.

“He talked about channeling the type of energy from the Shrine of Resurrection, the energy that healed your injuries. If you took damage, the armor would slowly heal you.”

“No,” Link said with a shake of his head. “Nothing like that.”

Zelda nodded as she sat up.

“Again, the compatibility issue,” she said. “Different types of sheikah technology don’t transfer well without a proper conduit like a guidance stone, to funnel the flame into a different phase of matter. But the Shrine of Resurrection isn’t powered by any flame we could find. To this day, we still don’t know how the ancient Sheikah repurposed the energy to heal wounds.”

Link loved the way she went on and on, happily standing still to prompt it.

“This armor really is amazing,” she said with a chuckle. “I can tell what type of guardian each one of these parts came from, even since they’ve been repurposed.”

Her eyes shifted to the helm, noticing Link’s unrestrained hair.

“I imagine you took out your hair because the ponytail wouldn’t fit under that helm.”

Link nodded.

“It was pretty uncomfortable otherwise.”

Zelda stepped back, placing her finger on her lips. Link expecting her to make another scientific observation with the way her green eyes scanned him.

“That blue fabric underneath is made by the Sheikah, isn’t it?”

“Yeah, why?”

“It’s pretty tight,” she said with a smile.

What Zelda could see of Link’s face flushed red.

“Turn around again,” Zelda commanded, with a swivel of her finger.

“I thought you were interested in this for research purposes,” Link said as Zelda tipped her head.

“Oh, I am,” she said. “But it just flatters you so well. It’s an added bonus”

“Okay,” Link said turning around. “Now you are just looking at my butt.”

“I got distracted,” Zelda said. “You can pull off anything. Usually you aren’t wearing what I’m studying. I’d never get anything done.”

“I suppose I see what you mean,” Link said. “If I had you along on one of my adventures, I’d lose my head completely. If we had to save Hyrule again, it would end horribly because I’d be so distracted by you.”

“Link,” she said with a smile and shakes of her head. “You say the absolute worst things with the absolute best intentions."

Zelda walked forward and tipped the helm up so she could she his blue eyes. 

“Although, I do agree with you that the end of Calamity Ganon being the end of our troubles is a good thing. Nothing lurking, nothing waiting for our death, or for its next move, just us.”

Zelda took off the helm completely before seeing him with his hair down for the first time. She ran her fingers through it slowly as Link’s eyes flitted to her lips. Zelda’s hand stopped itself on the back of his head, clutching his golden locks and bringing his forehead to meet hers. Her other arm was around his neck, with the helm dangling off her fingers

“Kissing me in guardian armor must be…”

“A turn on?” She breathed, finishing his sentence. “Yep.”

She kissed him, only after a couple seconds their heads tilting to let each other in, their mouths opening and their kiss deepening.

Link picked her up with his next breath as they continued, her body pressed up against his as he leaned back, holding her tight. He set her down gently.

“But honestly, Link,” Zelda said breathlessly. “It’s mostly you. Technology or not, I’ll always love you no matter what you wear…or no matter how little you understand my…what did you call it? Technobabble?”

Link nodded.

“And I love you for it."

[drabbledragon]

Linktober: Pumpkin

Hi guys, it’s been a while, hasn’t it? I’ve been having some trouble with personal matters for like the past year and a half and of course the virus has shaken up  everyone’s lives for the worst but I believe now I’ve gotten a chance to start writing again and finish all the WIPs as well as requests I still have in progress.

Regardless, the LinkedUniverse discord is holding a prompt challenge for artists and writers alike and I decided to join in on the fun and get back into the swing of writing and posting again. So expect daily posts from me all the way until the end of October (unless another monthly challenge pops up)!

By the way, I have an archiveOfOurOwn account now so if you feel that you would like to read the story there, here’s the link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26749021/chapters/65257171

Summary: On the way to Malon’s house, one of the Links could have sworn they saw a familiar enemy.

Warnings: None

Day 1: Pumpkin

It was a blessing that Hylia had shifted the Links close to Lon Lon Ranch this time; it had allowed them the perfect opportunity to finally relax and free themselves from all the physical and mental tolls countless battles had put on them. The group trudged forward in a disarrayed line with Time eagerly leading them towards the approaching farmhouse. 

“It’s always nice to see the Old Man so happy.” Twilight smiled in Time’s direction, and from his peripheral, he could see Four nod in response.

“Yeah, it’s not very often that you see the guy crack a genuine smile.”

They were just at the foot of the doorstep when a sudden yelp and draw of a sword caught their attention. Each swordsman swiveled on their heel in an instant, with some even going so far as to pull their weapon of choice out; as soon as they saw the scene before them, they all froze.

“Legend,” Time called out, one eyebrow raised in quiet confusion. “ What are you doing?”

It was a simple question, really, but somehow, Legend was still sputtering to find a proper answer. With half of his sword buried in a pumpkin, he titled his head up and panickingly yelled out, “Idiots, don’t just stand there! Come over here and help me kill these spirits!”

The Links stood there in varying states of confusion and amusement and Legend was more than sure Warriors was chuckling at his expense. He watched as Wild crouched on the opposite side of him and experimentally gave the vegetable a poke.

“It doesn’t look like a spirit to me,” He frowned, and he silently directed a worrying glance towards the veteran. “ You didn’t get sick from my stew last night, did you? I know there's a couple of plants in there that are known to cause hallucinations but I didn’t -”

“What? No! These are all Pumpkin Heads! Don’t you guys recognise them?” Legend said as he slashed through a couple more of the vegetables. When he looked back at the others, he seemed to deflate a bit when all he received were blank stares. “ Really? Big spirit that possesses a pumpkin as a head? No, nothing?”

“Just looks like regular old pumpkins to me.” Time drew back and let his shoulders drop in relief. Good, no real danger here, and he was especially happy that he and the group didn’t lead any real enemies towards his wife and home. A sudden thought came to mind and he pressed his lips into a tight frown. “ Although once Malon finds out, she most likely won’t treat it as such.”

As if on cue, Malon rounded the corner of the Cucco’s coop with a bucket of water in hand, absentmindedly humming a familiar tune. She lit up as she saw her husband and her self - proclaimed sons waiting by the door, but her expression dropped to unbridled horror once she saw what the Links were staring at. The bucket she was carrying slipped from her grasp and thudded mutely to the ground.

“My pumpkins!”

All faces turned to her in alarm with Legend’s expression harboring the most guilt and panic out of all of them.

“Ms. Malon, I -”

Whatever Legend tried to say was completely lost to the commotion as the redhead rushed to the scene of the crime, hands trembling as she slowly lifted up one of the destroyed pumpkins.

“These pumpkins were raised from the few seeds I was able to get this year; now all them are completely ruined.” The quiet sorrow was quickly replaced with barely - contained fury as she directed a glare towards her husband. “ Link, explain.”

“I believe it was a misunderstanding,” Time began calmly, but underneath that facade, Legend was more than sure their leader was just as frightened as the rest of them. “ Legend thought the pumpkins were an enemy that only seemed to appear in his Hyrule. I doubt he was truly trying to ruin our crops, but rather trying to protect all of us.”

“Is that so?” Malon drawled. 

There was a moment of pause between the group and for some reason, the air seemed thicker to Legend. All throughout their time together, Malon has been nothing but hospitable toward them. Whenever the group stumbled into Time’s Hyrule, she was always there to cook them a fresh hot meal, always there to patch up their wounds and provide them with as many potions as they needed, always there to provide them with warm and comforting beds in a house that was free from Moblins and Keeses. What would happen now that Legend single - handedly destroyed that trust? Would Malon openly show her hatred? Would she kick him out of her house? The millions of panicked thoughts began to make him dizzy.

The silence ended with a long tired sigh. 

With hands placed on hips and a small pout on her lips, Malon said, “ Well, then I guess it can’t be helped. You boys have been on a lot of adventures and whenever something strikes a bad chord in you, you just can’t help but go and defend yourself.” She crouched down to the Hero of Legend’s eye level and smiled warmly. “ It’s alright to mess up, hon; I know you didn’t mean anything bad by it and I’m not gonna hold this little mishap over your head. What’s done is done, and the only thing to do now is move on.”

Slowly but surely, the feelings of dread plaguing Legend seemed to disappear like a fog clearing up. He hadn’t destroyed Malon’s trust; he hadn’t lost one of the few people he had met that was willing to love and care for him like their own son. He hated the Goddess and everything she stood for but maybe once, he could offer her a little thank you for making sure that this trivial situation didn’t ruin one of the places and people he had to call home.

Malon rose up and crossed her arms over her chest, surveying what was left of her pumpkin patch. “ Now it looks like the only thing left to deal with is all these destroyed pumpkins.” She frowned in thought. “ I guess I can just turn these into compost.”

“Actually,” The group turned to see Wild with pieces of pumpkin held in each hand and Twilight right beside him picking at the flesh and seeds of another large piece. The Hero of Wilds’s eyes seemed to twinkle with a particular shine, one that usually came whenever he was about to cook. “ I think these pumpkins are just ripe enough to be used in cooking. We could make stuff like pumpkin stew, meat - stuffed pumpkins ...”

“Pumpkin pie,” Twilight added in between mouthfuls. “ Pumpkin muffins.”

“Pumpkin soup, pumpkin bread - really, anything you can think of, we can make!”

The group rose up with quiet murmurs of agreement and some were even so bold as to shout out more recipes they could make. Legend carefully removed his sword from his latest vegetable victim and sheathed it, listening silently to the excited words from the others around him. He quietly let out a sigh of relief; perhaps the situation wasn’t as bad as it seemed.

“Then it’s settled,” Malon proudly announced with a smirk on her lips. “ We’ll have a pumpkin feast tonight!”

The group erupted into cheers.

Next>

[krystledraws]

So... I can’t in good conscience support Inktober this year, based on the recent and continued actions of it’s organizer. (Not going to get into the ‘why’ in this post; there’s plenty of information available online, but I do encourage my fellow artist friends to really do their research this year and make an informed opinion first before diving in without the facts.)

I know there’s a lot of hot takes on this drawing challenge, but I actually enjoyed it and wanted so badly to be able to 100% complete it one year... However stressful it may have seemed at the time, it was also really motivating to be be part of such a large event. It so was inspiring and interesting to see what such a large pool of artists interpreted the different prompts as - and to see so many others working hard alongside you. Idk, I just feel let down?? I know there’s other lists and events, but everything feels so disjointed now. I’ll miss the sense of community and ‘common goal’ I felt with that particular challenge. This just sucks. Why does every good thing have to get ruined? 😔

(Sidenote: All the artwork I created under that challenge is still definitely staying up and I still encourage people to still like/share it if they feel so inclined! I’m so proud of those pieces, especially given the time constraints I made them in. <3 At the end of the day, the artwork is mine and mine alone, so hashtag or not it doesn’t matter.)

BUT ON TO HAPPIER NEWS! My intent is to still participate in an October art challenge -- but of my own creation! I’ll be tagging these drawings as “Krystober!” lol!

*cough* Okay, so they will actually consist of a combination of "SinfullyNalu”, Linktober, and OC-tober! Something else will be sprinkled in, but those will be surprises. Still gunna use that tag though, cause I love it. ;D

I’ll try to do the full month but no promises due to work/irl obligations.

[elvishprincess25]

#Linktober day 13 quest calendar prompt "Choose or create a Rival" So I actually came up with a rival/new race of my own :D The Mantidae who live slightly above the base of the Deku tree, are a humanoid/Mantis race that includes many different species of Mantid in the race itself. They are considered a rival to my OC and to Link and Zelda in; They desire to eliminate the cause of the curse that is causing the Deku tree to rot. They believe that it is their calling to act and did so before they knew there was anyone else champion the cause. They are a patient, and slightly proud race; mostly that they pursue all things with great intention and intend to finish what they start. They are not enemies in any sense with the Hylians nor any other race, they will work with anyone as long as they can keep up to their standards. There is a different species/design of mantis in each region on the tree so including the Mantidae Civilization there are at least 9 distinct designs you will see (10 if we count the possessed version; which I will.) I came up with this idea and design all on my own please dont steal, I think it came out pretty well :D Thanks Guys

[fatefulfaerie]

Princess

Linktober Prompt Day 2/31

Incarnation: Breath of the Wild Calamity Victory AU

Word Count: 721

Triggers: None

“Thanks for agreeing to meet with me, Link,” Mipha said, looking at how her red fingers clasped into each other. “I know with your triumph over the Calamity, you’ve been quite busy. The King even organized a special commendation ceremony in your honor.”

Their legs dangled over the cliff of Ploymus Mountain, the precipice one only fools dared jump off of. At this height, the water would turn into the toughest stone floor and betray its boasted softness.

“I was…afraid,” she continued, softly and timidly. “Afraid you wouldn’t have the time to meet with me.”

Link looked over, from gazing out at the gorgeous view to looking upon the graceful Zoran princess. He shook his head.

“I’ve known you so long, Mipha,” he said. “Of course I have the time for you.”

Mipha smiled as her heart warmed. Perhaps this would work out the way she thought.

“That’s good to hear,” she said. She finally looked at him. “I’m actually quite nervous.”

Link’s eyes danced with intrigue and Mipha swam in those blue waters as she stared.

“What are you nervous about?” Link asked.

Mipha took a deep breath before looking out at Zora’s Domain, at the Hyrule beyond it.

“Legend tells of a Zoran Princess,” Mipha started. “Who fell in love with a Hylian. She was even willing to marry him, willing to outlive him and live the rest of her life grieving him, just so that she could spend as much time with him as possible. It is unknown whether the Hylian felt the same, but the legend goes that she constructed armor from Zoran scales to propose the idea of marriage. That is why it is customary for female Zoras to propose marriage by crafting armor for those they wish to marry.”

With shaky hands Mipha pulled out the blue armor, adorned with silver scales, she clutched the folded cloths before looking at Link, whose expression had dropped and paled at the sight of the armor.

“I love you, Link,” Mipha said before offering the armor forward. “And I would like nothing more than to be bound to you, even if it means I must grieve you.”

Link took the armor slowly, staring at how intricately it was crafted, thinking upon how much time it must have taken.

“Mipha, I…” Link started. “I’m…honored, I truly am…and I do love you, but…”

Mipha’s heart dropped.

“I can’t accept this,” Link said as he looked up at her.

Mipha’s chest deflated before she bowed her head.

“Oh,” she breathed.

“Mipha, this…” Link tried to explain. “This is something truly special. Please hear me when I say that I am flattered beyond words, and that I am truly glad you told me of your feelings. But for me to say yes…I care too much about you to promise you my heart when it already belongs to someone else. It wouldn’t be right.”

Link watched with concern as Mipha bowed her head, his heart lurching when he saw a tear roll down her cheek. He took no hesitation before embracing her, Mipha crying into his shoulder.

“I’m sorry,” Link said.

“Don’t be,” she replied between sniffles. “Love means wanting someone else’s happiness. In the same way that you know I wouldn’t be satisfied with the love you can give me, I can rest easy knowing that you are at least happy with someone.”

Mipha rescinded from Link’s hold, wiping away her tears with a slight chuckle.

“I’m sorry, I…I didn’t expect to cry,” she said.

“No one ever does,” Link said, his voice calm and soothing.

Mipha nodded, her eyes trailing up to meet his.

“Can I at least ask,” she started. “Who has the pleasure of providing you with such happiness?”

“Are you sure you want to know?” Link asked.

“Of course, Link,” Mipha said. “We’re still friends, aren’t we?”

Link smiled.

“You couldn’t shake me off if you tried,” Link said before he truly thought upon his answer, his heart warming and his face flushing. “But the truth is…I’m in love with Princess Zelda.”

It was Mipha’s turn to smile. She took Link’s hands into her own.

“Then I wish you two all the best,” she said, noticing the sadness in her heart, and yet trying to keep in mind the happiness in his.

[drabbledragon]

Linktober: Fall

Still a few days behind but I’m catching up! I’ll be up to date in no time!

AO3 link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26749021/chapters/65731681

Summary: One of the Links is always changing, just like the leaves in fall.

Warnings: Swearing

Day 6: Fall

This forest was unlike anything the group had ever encountered before. Tall Aspen trees towered over them and created a mosaic of red, orange, and yellow up in the treetops, and a small stream trickled peacefully by small river rocks. The dirt ground beneath them was laden with hoof tracks and piles of leaves, with no indication that humans nor Hylians have ever stepped foot in this very forest. The place was wild, breathtaking, and absolutely beautiful in all its untamed might.

“It appears that we’re stuck in between eras.” The Hero of Time had concluded. The group discussion they had had a little while ago turned out to be inconclusive, with their best guess being a time between Twilight’s and Wild’s eras - but even that claim was a bit shaky.

Sky stepped forward and curiously looked at the trees around him. “ We haven’t seen any monsters here yet,” He turned back and regarded the other heroes with pinched brows, “ So do you guys think we’re in a time where Ganon doesn’t exist?”

“We very well could be.” Warriors chimed in.

The heroes had broken out into another murmured discussion about the matter, each one of them trying to figure out why exactly the Goddess would send them to a timeline with no destruction and no one to save. Among those several heroes was Four, eyes distant as his four personalities argued in his head.

C’mon, Blue, it’ll be fun!

Red, I’m not going to act like a five year - old and jump into a pile of leaves.

Awww, please? They’re so colorful and pretty and they make a cool crunch sound when you step on them! And this might be our only chance to relax and have some fun! Plus you heard Sky: there are no monsters here so we don’t have to worry about getting attacked or anything!

One, that’s not what Sky said; Sky said that we haven’t seen any monsters yet, meaning that there could very well be monsters, but just hidden. Two, how do you think the others would react? They’ll most likely treat us like little kids after, and I don’t want to be teased all the time like Wind.

But Vioooo, it’s just a little pile of leaves. Maybe everyone else will join when they see us jump in first! The corner of Four’s lips twitched.

Guys, Warriors is talking to us.

The Hero of the Four Sword was startled back into reality, and nearly shrunk under the captain’s expectant gaze. Struggling to find his voice, he stuttered out a quick, “ H - huh?”

“I asked you what you thought about the situation.” The Hero of Warriors frowned. Then with a placement of hands on hips and a raised brow, the man questioned, “ Were you even listening to a thing I’ve been saying?”

“Oh, um ...” The silence between them was palpable, and no matter how much of four’s personalities tried to rack their brains for the captain’s recent words, all they could think about was Red’s excitable personality bubbling to the surface. Green could feel himself quickly becoming suppressed under his red counterpart’s desire to let loose and have some fun, and he could feel his gaze flickering more and more to the piles of leaves rather than Warriors’s face. Three - quarters of him begged Red not to give in to his impulsivity, but they were fighting a losing battle, and Red was clearly the victor.

Four was pushing past Warriors before he even knew it.

Seven curious faces and an offended Warriors watched as their smallest hero leapt into the pile of foliage, giggling and smiling as colorful leaves fluttered around him like winter’s snow. His face was alight with newfound joy as he mindlessly tossed red, orange, and yellow leaves into the air, and for once, he felt like just another child enjoying a crisp autumn day. He idly wondered how long it had been since he was last able to be his exuberant self - to just abandon his duty as a knight and enjoy the small joys in life. He abruptly froze.

Red! What did you do? Everyone’s staring!

Oh my Goddesses, they’re never gonna let us live this down.

If we have to explain ourselves, you’re the one who’ll have to do it.

Red looked to the remaining heroes with tears in his eyes. Oh man, what’s he going to say?

He startled when a rush of blue and blonde jumped into the pile of leaves next to him.

“Woohoo!” Wind shouted when he popped his head out the pile, leaves and twigs tangled into his hair. He looked to the Hero of the Four Sword and beamed, “ That was really fun! Let’s do that again, Four!”

And the Hero of the Four Sword glowed, his red eyes bright with elation.

Not long after, Wild, Hyrule, and a newly - transformed Wolfie had joined in, each one of them caught in a fit of giggles and whoops as they hopped from leaf pile to leaf pile. It appeared that the heroes' concern about being dropped into an unfamiliar Hyrule had slowly dribbled away, giving way to amusement as they watched the five heroes let loose and enjoy themselves. With a warm smile, Time decided,

“I guess we’ll be staying here for the night.”

Dusk had quickly approached soon after, causing fading rays of sunlight to shine weakly through the trees. The Hero of Twilight and the Hero of the Four Sword walked purposefully through the forest, the former remaining in his Twili form as the two scoured the area for food.

The smaller of the two heroes took out his makeshift - shopping list Wild had given him, and scanned it over for the umpteenth time.

Well we have the mushrooms and apples the cook asked for, so we’re really just missing the honey.

We know, Vio. Can you just stop looking over that thing every five seconds? It’s starting to piss me off.

Wolfie questioningly looked back as he heard the paper crumple in the other’s hands, but Four simply ignored him.

Blue, it’s okay! I’m sure Vio’s doing his best! Plus it’s hard for us to remember things, right? So it’s okay for him to check back every once in a while.

Sure, but every five fucking seconds? None of us have memory issues that bad; Vio’s either messing with us or actually has amnesia like Wild. 

Hey, look!

Red, Blue, and Vio all looked to where Green mentally motioned. There it was: their last ingredient was hanging on a high branch just above them, the bee’s nest swinging idly in the cool breeze.

“It’s really high up,” Twilight pursed his lips, his form now that of a Hylian’s. “ Maybe I can grab it with my Clawshot.” He was just about to search for his aforementioned tool when a sudden snort caught his attention.

“Really, Wolfboy? You need something like that to get a little bee’s nest? I can get that with my bow and arrow in one shot, no doubt.”

The Hero of Twilight looked over the other with obvious skepticism. “ Blue eyes, huh? So I guess Blue’s the one doing the talking.” Then with a taunting smirk, he asked, “ Hmph, up for a little challenge?”

Blue, just please say no.

“You bet your furry ass I am!”

Green mentally facepalmed.

“Then it’s settled,” Twilight said, taking out an orange Rupee and waving it around. “ First one to get the beehive gets 100 Rupees.”

100 Rupees? Blue gawked, that was going to be an easy win! With Vio’s precision and Green’s coordination, the four of them were guaranteed to win! Blue reached down to his bag to find his Bow, but paused when he felt that something was off. With a slow glance down, he was slightly horrified to find that his tunic was completely blue.

He quickly swivelled on his heels and frowned to see his three counterparts smiling right back at him. “Hey, seriously?! You guys are quitting on me just like that?!”

“Well you’re the one that wanted to challenge Twilight, not us.” Vio shrugged. “ So if you want to win, then do it fairly.”

“Yeah,” Red chimed in. “ I wanna see you win!”

Blue gritted his teeth. Really? His three other counterparts were bailing on him just because of something so stupid as playing fair? They were all part of the same person, for Hylia’s sake; using each one of their abilities was totally fair! He shrunk when he felt Twilight’s shadow looming over him.

“Well, Blue?” His eyes darted over to the Ordonian’s smirk. “ Is our competition still on? Or do you just wanna hand me my 100 Rupees now?”

There was a moment of hesitance from Four’s blue counterpart until he finally shouted back, “ You’re on, Furball!”

The two heroes each positioned themselves on either side of the tree, bows readily aimed at their  unsuspecting prize. Blue did his best not to tremble under the pressure, but after taking a glance at the cool, calm, and collected Ordonian standing right across from him, he couldn’t help but feel his confidence wane like a dying fire. 

“Ready ...” Green drawled from a distance, hand raised readily in the air.

Blue took a steadying breath. He could do this; just one little hit at the bee’s nest’s stem and those 100 Rupees were as good as his.

“Go!”

The call caused two arrows to fly simultaneously through the air like a quick gust of wind, both projectiles aimed at the same target. They both sliced through the air at an amazing speed but just as Blue had feared, Twilight’s arrow had reached the nest first, easily nicking the stem and sending the hive falling towards the ground.

But Blue wasn’t done yet. He may have lost the battle, but he’ll win the war.

Four’s blue counterpart broke into a sprint almost immediately after, arms strewn out in an attempt to catch the nest. He had successfully caught it when it was just a hair’s breadth away from hitting the ground, and he couldn’t help but cheer out in victory; but he had poorly miscalculated his win, because the next thing he knew, his degree of momentum had sent him tumbling towards the ground with a roll, and the steep decline of the hill only seemed to spur him on. He eventually ended up in a nearby stream not long after, with arms raised above his head in order to avoid the beehive from getting wet while the rest of him was currently drowning underwater. When he was finally able to gain his bearings, he sat up and looked to his three counterparts and the Ordonian looking back at him from the top of the hill, Vio and Twilight doing their best to hold in their laughter while Red and Green didn’t even bother.

Wild was cooking later that night, the smell of Glazed Mushrooms and Honeyed Apples wafting through the air in a tantalizing manner. Four sat blissfully next to the small campfire, and watched quietly as the group’s resident cook stirred the pot once again.

The Hero of Wilds pursed his lips as he said, “I honestly thought there would be more honey in that hive, but since we’re in a weird sorta Hyrule - limbo, I guess it would make sense if everything was a little bit off.”

Yes, Blue, it is weird that there wasn’t much honey in there.

Blue’s sudden flare of anger caused Four’s jaw to stiffen.

Y’know what, Vio? How about you go get the honey next time? I can sit there and supervise you while you do it and after you’re done drowning in a river, I can go over and laugh at you. 

It’s your fault for challenging Twilight like that; you knew he would win.

Hey, doesn’t that smell like dad’s cooking?

The four of them sharpened their focus to the warm smell that was coming from the pot, and each one of them hummed in agreement.

Yeah, you’re kinda right, Red.

I wonder what he’s up to, him being the head knight and all.

Oooo, you think he’s drinking hot chocolate right now? I bet that vendor in Castletown is already selling some!

Idiot, he’s probably working his ass off protecting the castle! He doesn’t have time for stupid stuff like that!

“I miss him.”

Every personality within Four inwardly gasped at Green’s sudden words, and none of them missed the confused side - glance Wild gave them.

The cook’s brows pinched together as he said, “ You missing someone?”

“I, uh -” Green, who was now forcibly shoved to the front to deal with their situation, racked his brain for a way to explain himself; but when none came, he eventually settled on a wistful sigh and said, “ Yeah, I just miss my dad.”

“Oh yeah? What’s he up to now?”

“Well, he’s the head knight in my Hyrule, so he’s probably off protecting Zelda and stuff like that.” A nostalgic smile crossed his lips. “ When I was a little kid, my dad always used to make me fresh - cooked eggs and honeyed fruit for breakfast, and just before he headed out, he would always tell me how much he loved me even when I was a little brat, and I would always give him the biggest hug back. It’s been awhile since I’ve last seen him, but I know he misses me a lot, and he’s eagerly waiting for the day I come back home.” He nonchalantly shrugged. “ I guess you’re cooking just reminded me of him.”

Green sucked in a sharp breath through his teeth. What was he thinking telling Wild of all people about his family?! He knew the Hero of Wilds’s was very sensitive about the matter, and for Green to just go on and practically brag about how his family was still alive and well? What an idiot!

But to Four’s pleasant surprise, the cook simply answered back with a longing smile. “ I got a few people I’ve been missing, too: my Zelda, Impa, Sidon - I know they’re all their wits end trying to figure out where the hell I went, so hopefully we’ll be able to stop by my Hyrule soon and I could explain to them what’s going on.” He propped a cheek on one of his hands and wondered aloud, “ I wonder if we could visit Sidon first. It’s been a while since I’ve last seen him and I did promise him that we’d go swimming at Palmorae Beach soon.” 

Green smiled. At least they all had someone to go home to.

The full moon casted a beautiful light across their camp tonight, and the peaceful and quiet atmosphere seemed to compel the heroes into talking about their adventures again.

“Okay, but did you really fight the moon?”

“Perhaps, but that’s for me to know and for you to find out.”

“Jeeze, Old Man, you’re such a tease.”

The camp seemed alight with cheer and good banter, but one of the Links was quiet, plate in hand and eyes glued onto his shadow.

Warriors. Sleep. Snore.

Vio’s eyes lit up with mundane amusement. He had figured out what his shadow was trying to say: Warriors was caught snoring one night, and to be honest, it was pretty hilarious to watch in Shadow’s opinion.

Out of the four personalities that resided in Four’s body, Vio had become the best at deciphering what Shadow was trying to say, and that was pretty impressive considering the latter had to use some modified form of sign language so the four of them could actually see the signs he was trying to make. Having your shadow hold a hand in front of its own body did make it impossible to pull any kind of meaning from it, after all.

“Your shadow: it’s facing the wrong direction.”

Red, Blue, and Green all startled at the Hero of Time’s sudden observation, but Vio was good at keeping up appearances in tense situations. With a flash of disinterested violet eyes, he glanced to Time and explained in a hush voice, “ It’s a side effect of the Four Sword; the magic held by it seemed to change everything about us.”

The leader of the group regarded him for a few more tense seconds before tiredly sighing, “ Ah, the things you poor boys went through. If I could’ve prevented any of your adventures from ever happening, I would.” And with that being said, Time turned back to the rest of the Links, an amused smile on his lips as he watched their antics. 

Hylia, Vio, you just saved all of our asses.

Yeah, did you see that scary look Time was giving us?! I almost couldn’t breathe for a second!

Do you think he’ll just let us live this down? Like do you think he’ll ever bring this up again?

Thank you. Vio.

Vio smiled at Shadow’s gratitude. He had saved all of his counterparts from a terrible interrogation and from a chance of being casted away from the group just because he was technically some derivative of a Dark Link. 

A sigh blew through his nose.

Sure, Shadow may have been an enemy hellbent on killing every single one of Four’s personalities before but he had changed, coming to the realisation that Vaati’s wish to plunge all of Hyrule into darkness was beyond cruel, and he had taken to sacrificing himself all for the sake of making sure that Red, Blue, Green, and Vio were able to save the kingdom in time. Shadow was on their side - every one of Four’s counterparts were sure of it - but the rest of the Links wouldn’t understand.

But things change, just like the leaves in fall, and just like Four’s personalities.

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