#the complicated feelings Zelda must have

[smolavidreader]

Saw your tag. Maybe this puts a damper on other ZeLink hopefuls but not for me. Can you imagine what a friendship would be like post game? They saved each other without even knowing each other. The potential for a relationship there is so fun and interesting. Ugh I haven’t finished the game but I hope some fantastic fanfic has been written already or else I’ll have to get brainstorming.

Honestly so sweet (in a sad way) that Link was getting sucked into Eeby Deeby and his last action was making sure to crack Zelda's prison so she at least had a chance to escape :')

[aragaki]

Zelda & Hylia, Praying Was Never the Answer

This is probably incoherent but I'm having thoughts on Zelda and Hylia's relationship and how I don't feel that Zelda's frustrations with the goddess are completely warrented.

I don't think Hylia is the detached, cold figure that a lot of BotW fan content presents her as. The goddesses in the Zelda universe exist, they're not just theoretical or mythological and they do intervene when they have to and no goddess is as present and active in protecting mortals as Hylia.

People point out that Link is able to communicate with Hylia whenever he wants at the goddess statues and that means she must like him more than Zelda. I don't feel that's exactly the case. I doubt Link was able to hear the goddess before he pulled out the Master Sword, and wielding it to protect Hyrule is his sacred duty. Thus, his connection to the goddess is established.

Zelda ends up able to hear Fi's voice from the Master Sword when she unlocks her sacred power so it's reasonable to assume that she would be able to hear the voice of the goddess now. And I know that's fairly obvious but what I'm trying to get at is without the sacred connections, either through divine power or being the wielder of the Master Sword, you can't hear the goddess. Zelda was never going to be able to hear Hylia until her powers manifested and I don't think prayer was ever going to be how she got them.

Even if Zelda has complicated feelings about Hylia because she couldn't communicate to the goddess through prayers, Hylia was desperately trying to speak to her. One of her diary entries pretty much confirms this:

"I had a dream last night... In a place consumed by darkness, a lone woman gazed at me, haloed by binding light. I sensed she was...not of this world. I don't know if she was a fairy or a goddess, but she was beautiful. Her lips spoke urgently, but her voice did not reach me. Would I have heard her if my power was awoken?"

So it feels like the idea that Hylia is ambivalent or choosing to ignore Zelda when she prays at the springs to unlock her powers is wrong. I honestly don't think Zelda was ever going to unlock her sacred powers that way because introspective prayer is almost the antithesis of Zelda's nature, and that's true for almost all of the past Zeldas.

Zelda was a pirate, Zelda was a Sheikah warrior, Zelda was a monarch trying to lead during the darkest hour of twilight. The only reason Hylia's mortal reincarnation went to those sacred springs was to purify her body and regain her memories of her life as a warrior goddess and protector of the Triforce.

Zelda doesn't sit and pray for power when Demise's curse revives evil into the world. BotW Zelda was on the right track when she was trying to figure out the Sheikah technology, because that was the drive and the weapons she chose. Sitting and praying didn't do anything. She only gained the sealing power when she chose to protect Link, when she stepped into the role of a protector.

King Rhoam was a bad father and it's obvious and easy to blame everything on him but I really feel like it was his fundamental misunderstanding of how the goddess' sacred power worked that caused Zelda to have have such a hard time unlocking it. She was never going to awaken anything through prayer because neither Zelda nor Hylia sit on the sidelines during a crisis.

Zelda blaming Hylia for being "deaf to her devotion" when Hylia is meeting her in dreams, urgently trying to speak to her is misplaced anger. Hylia isn't ignoring her, she isn't the statues with their placid smiles, she's near screaming for her mortal self to hear her.

I'm not saying that Zelda doesn't have the right to feel like she does or people's angsty interpretations aren't good but for me? I like this idea a lot. Zelda feeling like the goddess isn't listening while Hylia feels the same way about her.

[golvio]

So I've got...some complicated feelings about this. Some of them more analytical, some of them more personal. I get pretty long-winded when I think out loud about this guy, so I'm putting my thoughts behind a cut.

On the one hand, I definitely noticed that TotK's Ganondorf was more preoccupied with his appearance, not necessarily in a stereotypical "vain villain who never shuts up about how beautiful they are" or a "gym bro who spends more time checking himself out in the mirror than actually working out" sense, but in a "he's very conscious about the image he projects and wants to maintain careful control of how other people see him at all times" way. I'm glad I've got confirmation that I wasn't just seeing things. Also, that TotK discusses how he uses attractiveness to manipulate people, as implied with how he portrayed "Princess Zelda," had some really interesting implications about his life as the Gerudo king and his personality and skills in reading people that Nintendo never followed up on, because god forbid we give this character any recognizable traits that could inspire curiosity about who he is as a person or discussions about gender roles in ways that aren't "He pretends to be a cute little white girl because he's an Evil Degenerate."

On the other hand...it kind of contributes to the way I've been weirded out by how the game itself treated him and how certain fans treat him. The game itself made a lot of effort to dehumanize and un-person this man as a character even while making his human form visually appealing. The fans themselves are celebrating this a validation of their seeing him as a sex symbol, calling him "a bi icon" because both men and women are attracted to him, etc.

Like...there's all this discussion about Ganon's appearance and how sexy people find him, but not much consideration of what *he* might want, or how he feels, or what he's attracted to. I know that's kind of a goofy question to ask about a fictional character who can't really have opinions on things beyond what the writers give him, but...it's just kind of...objectifying?

For example, I don't take any issue with headcanons that Ganon might be bisexual, or at least enjoys the attention he gets from people of any gender, since I've got my own headcanons about him being queer, but I do get weirded out by the assumption that just because both men and women find him attractive that means he *must* reciprocate their desires and be bisexual. It's the same thing that weirds me out about fan art pre-release that portrayed him as this airheaded himbo jock because fans wanted to ogle his sexy body without having to deal with his intelligence, his anger, his negative qualities, or his potential dangerousness.

There's this tendency to objectify him in both the game, whether as a "monster" to slay to prove the player/Link's mettle as a hero, or as a trophy to symbolize Rauru's dominon over the frontier territories of his kingdom. And then there's a tendency to objectify him in fandom, presenting him as a pinup devoid of his original personality, or trying to shape him into a "good Ganondorf" that the fans would actually like to be friends with by sanding off all his sharp edges so they can access his body, which they find beautiful, without having to deal with the parts that might complicate that or that they'd dislike.

Fandom as a whole seems to have a blind spot when it comes to the objectification of masculine characters, particularly because it's like, "Oh, BOYS can't be objectified! Only pretty (white) ladies can get objectified!" Nevermind that objectification is a phenomenon that's super commonly done to nonwhite men in tandem with the more overt and violent dehumanization that comes with racism, especially men with darker skin. And there doesn't seem to be much of an interest in exploring what that might mean for Ganondorf as a character, whether just as discussing double-consciousnesses and exploiting expectations to manipulate people, or to explore how being treated like a piece of meat or a pretty ornament who exists only for other people's pleasure can really warp a person.

I guess...this is something I've been thinking about since playing Slay the Princess, which asks a lot of questions about objectification, how people's complexity can be dismissed and ignored when they're shoved into the Love Interest archetype, and how being limited in this way in the eyes of others can seriously hurt and warp someone even if it's being done in the "nicest," most paternalistic and "benevolent" way possible. It presents the core relationship as being a fundamentally unequal power balance; no matter how fearsome and terrifying the imprisoned party becomes, she is always at your mercy, she lives and dies based on the choices you make, and the "nicer" routes are potentially just her saying what she knows you want to hear and auditioning for your sympathy because like it or not you're her warden. It also forces you to ask yourself what makes you come to love somebody, and to consider the possibility of loving somebody while also acknowledging their thorny, messy, contradictory, and dangerous parts. I wish I could see more works considering this for Ganon, as opposed to regurgitating tired old "Destroy This Mad Brute" tropes or turning him into a "safe," palatable, easy-to-digest love interest.

[paragonrobits]

There is something Link does, whenever he passes near Lurelin. His legs seem to move on his own, and a sudden feral surge presses him on. Something old speaks to him: Hurry! Do not wait! Go!

It happens, again and again, when he is freeing the Divine Beasts, and it happens again after the islands of the Zonai rise into the sky, and the sages of the modern era must be united. He does not like using the instant travel of either Sheikah towers or Zonai relics; it feels... inappropriate, like walking naked across tombs and empty, sad temples.

He did not have company before, but he does now.

The Sages, as he understands it, might not physically be around him unless he summons their Wills to him as avatars, but they are still there. He can feel their presences around him, and he can feel their minds in contact with his own. They can see what he sees, feel what he does. He speaks to them, sometimes, when he feels the questioning rise; Tulin is loudest of all, and Riju tries to be more genteel and wait, but she is still a child, and less patient than she wants to show. Yunobo has learned the value of waiting and listening, and Link can feel the weight of him pondering the things Link tells him, silently or otherwise. And Sidon makes his presence known only when he seems to think its needed.

Sometimes Link wishes he was less cautious. Sidon is a friend, and one of the last remnants of the times before the Calamity; being around him is a complicated thing, full of loss and grief and lingering memories of everyone that was gone now. But he's still familiar, and a friend, and even if Link and Mipha had never been married, he still feels like Sidon is his brother-in-law.

Link is not the kind of person to go out of his way to seek counsel. He is definitely not the kind of person who needs constant social interaction. Nonetheless, he does need his friends, and he certainly needs it now.

They are with him, their presences clustering around him as he approaches the Mirror.

He doesn't know why his hands shake.

He doesn't know why he feels wetness on his face.

And Link does not know why the sight of the Mirror of Twilight feels his heart with longing, so sudden and so fierce that he wants to squeeze his arms and let the loss out.

Behind him, he knows, there are countless lifetimes of being the Hero; a thousand lifetimes of battling evil (whether it was Ganondorf in one guise or another, and sometimes it was not), and a thousand lifetimes of losing someone in some way. Somehow, this hurts worse.

He doesn't know why the mirror hurts so much, or why he keeps feeling compelled to come here. He knows that once, he stood before this mirror.

No, he realizes with a dull and unhappy certainty. He had not come there alone.

Two people had come there.

Two people had left, he supposed, but not together, and they never saw each other again.

For a long moment, he wondered. Did that hero (did he, Link thinks suddenly) find a way to open that mirror, just for a moment? Did he find a way through?

He thinks about how, in all the scant records Zelda had found pouring over the stories of their ancestors, the Hero of Twilight's stories simply... stopped. After the princess of Twilight vanished from the world, so did he.

He stares at the broken mirror. He thinks about broken hearts, too, and that responsibility can be a chain.

He wonders if, perhaps, the hero of Twilight had crossed that border, never to return. And he thinks about how the Zonai look so much like what the people of Twilight were said to look like; than another hero, born far later, had carried both the hero's blood and the Zonai, and the red-orange hair that the twilight princess had, at least in the stories he found.

Maybe the hero had found a way to cross the border this mirror marked, somehow.

Link stares at the broken mirror, and he thought about broken engagements, and promises never to be fulfilled.

It was nice to imagine some other hero finding his princess, and remaining with her once his role was fulfilled.

He tries not to think about it much.

The presence of the sages, of Tulin and Riju and Yunobo and Sidon, stand there with him.

Link remains surrounded by loss, and here in this reminder of an ancient loss, he thinks about the time of twilight, and that shadows can feel so much like a caress, and he thinks of how it felt when he realized Mipha had planned to propose to him before she died.

He thinks about the feeling of a vast rift tearing open inside him, raw and weeping and awful.

He thinks for a while about cycles, and repeating elements, and he just feels very, very tired.

[totkdaily]

Day 88: Into the Temple of Lightning

I emerge from the shrine and realise I don't remotely remember what way round it was when I approached… which means, in the sand shroud, I have no idea how to get back to the pillars.

I remember gliding in over a couple of bokoblins. It's the only lead I have, so I find them again and glide out over their heads.

Thankfully, I'm not too far off. After a minute or two running through featureless sand, I catch sight of the mechanism to my left. I get back to the top of the tall pillar and gratefully breathe free air.

Looking back at the shrine, it doesn't seem so terribly far. But it felt miles away down there, unable to see anything. 

What now? Should I go to the third pillar, or back to the Palace to fetch Riju? I feel like I should at least see the third pillar in case of clues. 

There are no convenient updrafts on this route. I dodge a couple of packs of gibdo, and do eventually find an updraft which gets me onto the pillar. On the glide towards it, I see a mechanism at the top, but I don't quite have the altitude to reach it. 

At the bottom, I find a cache of Zonai platforms and some sticks. Assuming they'll all be useful, I lug them all up to the top.

And I was right. I need the platforms to get there in the first place. And when I look off the edge, I'm glad I didn't head straight back to Riju. The triangle isn't as aligned as it looked. 

So. These sticks look like handles - I glue them to the mechanism, and turn the light until it aims properly. 

A perfect triangle of light forms.

It focuses on something at the centre. And then something emerges. Some kind of lightning totem - didn't Riju say something about the lightning stone? That was a couple of days ago. Should I report to her? Or head straight to the stone, assuming she's seen the light and will meet me? 

I decide to head to the stone. If I need to collect Riju after all, I can always take the Purah Pad back to the Palace. 

Back into the sand shroud.

I find the stone. And Zel- no.

It can't be her. She doesn't even face me when I arrive, nor does she greet Riju when she arrives just after me. This is that strange doppelganger again. Which means we must be on the trail of Riju's destiny - Sagehood. 

Riju and I use her power on the lightning stone - and something massive emerges from the desert beyond.

The Lightning Temple. It's guarded by three gibdo hives. I'm glad to have her with me. 

We head towards the front of the temple, and shoot open the central hive. An enormous creature bursts forth, and suddenly I understand that the gibdo are more insect-like than I realised. This, like ants, is their queen. 

We engage. 

Riju's lightning damages it, and it retreats up to the top of the temple. I'm sure we'll find it again soon enough. 

We defeat the remaining gibdo guards, and head inside. There's a pressure plate inside the porch to open the main door. Beyond that, a dark passage heads down. 

It's just like the tunnel that led below Hyrule Castle, where this all began. I can't shake my unease. 

I find a gibdo, walled up, and dispatch it. Then we head towards some kind of fire trap. 

But the centre of the room drops beneath us! We scramble to safety just in time. We'll need to be more careful. 

I find a switch to turn off the fire trap so Riju can join me. Then it's fireballs! This is a complicated place. I think I can use Zelda's rewinding ability… there. And another switch turns them off. 

What's eerie is that none of the gibdos that we find are getting up. They all just… lie there, waiting to be destroyed. 

The next chamber is larger. There's a square pit with a gibdo hive planted in it. It seems like a trap… but I can see some kind of panels down there that maybe hide something…

It's a Gerudo bow, excellent. And Riju's lightning quickly dispatches the gibdo which emerge. 

Onward. 

The tunnel leads upwards, to a room with a large light beam - and a vicious construct. How far inwards does this temple go? Where is this path leading? We go upward again, following the tunnel. 

And then we find it. A tall room, with the familiar lock that responds to Rauru's hand.

We activate it. 

The platform beneath our feet lifts - and drops again. This will take us to the top of the temple to confront the Gibdo Queen - but it needs power. Fortunately, Riju. We just need to find those batteries - and this place is already such a maze. 

The first one is relatively straightforward.

The others, I feel, might be another story… 

[blackstarchanx3new]

FSR Rambles 13 reasons why Dark is the best character

I need to make a follow up to that "Blue's 13th reason comic" lmfao.

Dark is just a master at obliterating people I love him.

Vaati still has a lingering piece of Zelda's soul from Minish Cap...Makes his seemingly infinite life make more sense. Also why he survived a blast from our current Zelda.

And again: Dark isn't saying this from a place of "This is what Dark Link thinks of Vaati"

He's just saying what Vaati FEELS about himself already. X'D

Vaati is insecure as HELL.

What Dark ACTUALLY feels: He finds Vaati sporadically interesting but overwelmingly boring as hell.

"I wonder what Vio's up too..." Dark you simping freak

and as if on que his hair gets more purple as he ponders if he should make it such. XDDDD

Vaati's gotta come to terms with the idea he made a huge mistake with this curse.

Vaati, please stop physically abusing Dark.

Dark might have ACTUALLY gotten angry at Vaati with that 2nd panel.

Dark can just...poof. Assumably into the headspace.

Vaati reveals a horrifying truth about Dark: He's not SUPOSED to be able to read HIS OWN emotions. But can.

Oops.

Mistakes were made. UwU

...Uh Dark...Having a moment of self reflection?

Like it's pretty obvious he's speaking how he feels about himself to some degree through Vio's emotions.

Dark also casually forgets he has all the context he could ever want via everyone's emotions he can read's memories...

He's talking to Vio here without directly speaking to him which is...funny.

It's funny he continues to label Vio as "Smart" and wishes Vio would give him answers to things.

Dark cuts himself off before he expresses how he feels about Vaati's behavior. Most of what you glen about Dark's feelings on stuff is through context clues.

On some level he WANTS Vaati to be happy but he just can't achieve it and it's making Dark feel...a certain type of way, considering he calls Vaati "Annoying" it seems Dark is feeling annoyed and exasperated with Vaati at this point.

He even compares Vaati to Blue but justifies Blue's anger with "At least he can't control it".

And then he ponders on who's having those thoughts about Blue. XD

It must be very confusing to be an entity constantly scanning and feeling other's emotions to fully understand your own.

His reaction to Green is very funny because he's 100% copying how Blue responded to Green's behavior towards him...Also we know Vio and Green are CLOSE so his response to blush at the deeper thinking about Green isn't surprising. XD

Him whining and kicking that he "Wants to get hugs in bed too" is a direct reference to Green comforting Vio after the Shadow Link debacle while in bed together lmfao. Who's position he wants to be in exactly, Green or Vio's is left open.

I swear the further we got into this comic the more people got utterly confused by Dark's character.

He's complicated.

I think a question to ask: Why is Dark eating flowers?

For a few reasons: Him eating the flower here is meant to be funny, it's such a bad choice that results in him coughing up pollen and crying.

Alt answer: Flowers are beautiful symbols of innocence, purity.

And our villain for the evening is EATING them. literally consuming, destroying and in general just not caring about them. XD

Him eating something he's not supposed to also just shows he doesn't have the understanding some of the other characters do.

He remembers he has smth to do.

He mildly wonders if Shadow and Vio are gonna kiss and then gets...angry...at the hug that's happening.

Sitting back down and sighing.

Which, his breath is still got pollen in it. XD

Our boy got jealousy DLC.

Symbolism~

GO BRRRRRR

The cloak Shadow is wearing to shield himself from the sun has a Greudo pattern on it.

You can either take this as a flashback to him looking around the area he dropped Green in or a Gannon memory take your pick.

"Shadow, your Gannon is showing." sums up this entire page.

Dark's also sitting over there, seething. Lmfao. You can tell he's pissed.

Heheehhehehhe

Okay reason the flashback was shown to Vio not saying sorry:

Makes his apology mean way more here with context.

Rewriting Shadow's death meant a few things:

I could make it feel more "unfinished" because...The sequel is right here lmfao.

It wraps up in a nice pretty bow because: Holy shit we have two volumes and we can't make the audience feel TOO bad lmfao. We got Gannon to fight still.

Lol Vio's so emotionally constipated.

Fun note about Vio: he hasn't cried at all in this comic despite getting very close. XD

in OG FS He only cried when he got his foot almost broke. I just like to think it's hard to get him to cry.

Shadow was not expecting an apology.

Hah. He was mad at the fire temple...OBVIOUSLY after the attempted murder lmao. But he's over it Vio. Totally. It doesn't bother him at allllllll-

Shadow's question's a fair one to ask lol.

HONESTY FINALLY. VIO FUCK. IT'S TAKEN YOU THIS LONG!

Things to note: Vio's method of "I can only rely on myself" lined up with Link's original ideals at the start of the manga TILL he literally couldn't do it by himself anymore.

Which...Was interrupted because of stupid reasons lol.

I really wish Vio's plan of working alone and how that ultimately FAILED was centered on Vio's fucking up. But he was messed up by TINGLE. And Vio's response to him being ANGER. Impatience isn't exactly a character trait Vio needed to grapple with before that point, and ironically: Someone ELSE fucked up Vio's plan.

Which still feeds back into "Other people fuck up what I'm doing"

Which had nothing to do with Vio's arc of learning he can't work alone. Vio would have killed Vaati and Shadow if TINGLE hasn't shown up. Like...Idk I wish somehow Vio would have messed up revealing he needs the other 3.

Idk how to describe Tingle being the thing that fucks up Vio's plan feeling cheap to me. Like I can't quite articulate why that annoys me to the degree I'd like to. It feels so "Comedic" and out of place for what the tone and vibe we were going for, doesn't feed back into his arc of learning to work with others, (Vio is the MOST stubborn in this area story wise.)

Anyway back to FSR and the dialogue in it:

Vio just vents his frustrations working with the other 3.

Vio's "I'll give us a 50/50 chance" is a sign of his pessimism (At least in the translation lol.)

He just wanted to save Zelda, which is a goal they all inherently shared and was the thing that brought all four together.

...Zelda's fine...so they don't HAVE THAT anymore as a motivator lol. Like in general they don't have a REASON to be the four heroes and not just Link right now. So their unifying goal doesn't exist at present.

Haha okay we as humans who DON'T split into four people wouldn't understand this struggle...But

"Who the hell is Vio actually" is a reasonable question.

I stand by he's a character you gotta make a LOT of assumtions about.

He lies most of the manga or just doesn't state how he feels.

The four being so removed from Link after their journey as people is smth else I like the idea of.

Like at what point do they stop being Link and their new personalities begin? How much of Link is in all of them?

For Vio I surmise: Not much.

Art wise: Vio's bug eyes were a request to keep in from @james-p-sullivan who reads these in advanced often. XD

In the 3rd panel: You can actually see Dark's hand on Vio's shoulder hehehe.

Freakin' the goopy ass face is representivie of a few things:

Vio's identity is literally suphocating and non existent at the same time.

He has, NO FUCKING CLUE WHO HE IS.

But also, the identity of Link weighs so heavily on him and he cannot escape that he doesn't line up with it.

...This panel lines up REALLY WELL with what Shadow saw Vio as in the mirror.

They reflect on this moment in a very similar way considering all the context they BOTH have.

Vio would have KILLED HIM there.

Anyways, Shadow laughing his ass of at Vio being genuine was smth I was gonna implement way earlier in the conversation.

I don't see it as Shadow being mean on purpose. Their entire situation is ludicrous and insane.

They're both stressed out and emotional.

Shadow cracked in the way of laughing.

Lol Shadow could never be sure Vio just wasn't being cruel to him. Ouch.

Tho considering his relationships with Vaati and Gannon: He's used to being treated this way.

Hehehehe. Song quote go BRRRR.

It's from:

"I DONT KNOW HOW BUT THEY FOUND ME - From The Gallows"

Because I defy you to listen to that and not hear Shadow singing to Vio.

If you're curious:

Band wise I associate FSR with songs from Artic Monkeys, IDKHOW, The Hoosiers, Conan Gray, Gorllaz, and Hozier just to name a few.

Dark Link specifically here's some recommendations:

Christmas Kids, Haunted House, and Digital silence.

Anyway, Shadow's promise. It's nice.

Shadow's comment about hurling them both in lava is so awful but it gets Vio to make THAT FACE.

That face is hilarious.

Shadow just wants to move on, to his detriment lol.

Buddy there's a lot you guys still need to work on.

Vio you're gonna get kisses.

His response here to just vigorously pat Shadow's face is hilarious.

Vio...gasps...Acknowledges his mistakes.

Not so subtly admits he was running from his issues by being Link for so long...which just caused MORE issues...

Shadow comforting him is just nice. I like them.

Hah. He still wants to be Link...

Smth to consider: It's not like Shadow could TELL Link there was no Gannon in that sword lol.

The Master sword being brought up is just funny. Because the CHANCE they had to pull a different sword and not free Vaati was an option...Lol.

Shadow's obvious nervous face at the idea of the Master Sword is pretty telling imo.

Shadow asking what Link/Vio would do after they're whole again just to conform:

Yes Vio 100% still wants to be Link rn. He just accepts putting off splitting was a bad idea.

Hey he's learning.

Vio acknowledges trying to just shove the sword back at this point is stupid as hell, also that he needs to apologize to the other 3.

Shadow being in Vio's court for his emotional turmoil is just nice. Vio can actually rely on him, and as we've pointed out they have similarities.

Hehehe...He's BOTHERED.

Vio hasn't been alone, like TRUELY ALONE in 7 years so his hesitance to let Shadow leave for a sec makes sense.

Huh so he DOES remember he has the triforce of power and just isn't saying anything...Alright.

He's got a friend waiting for him outside.

Idk what he EXPECTED this night to be like but, considering how fucked everything has been who really knew how this would all go.

I just wanna point out how fun dialogue wise Dark can be.

Bro just starts this conversation in a way that makes no sense.

Like, no introduction no sense of them not knowing each other is given cause HE knows who Shadow Link is.

Shadow Link has no fucking clue who Dark is and has never seen him before but Dark knows Shadow pretty well at this point so doesn't really act like they've never met.

Also: Dark sat outside picking flowers because Vaati's vague instructions of "Go away" wasn't very specific.

Dark continuing to eat flowers despite choking on pollen shows he really just does not care about his own safetey lmfao.

Reasonably: Shadow's fucking flabbergasted by this weirdo.

One of my favorite visual details is how Dark put a flower in his hair which I'll get more into in a moment.

Dark continues to let his actual personality slip a little through his dialogue: he says Shadow Link "has so much" but "So much" in comparason to who?

Reasonable answer: It's Dark.

Showing Dark's jealous of what Shadow's obtained in terms of life/character development.

Dark's already becoming unsatisfied with his life and situation it seems seeing what Shadow and the Links have.

Dialogue wise: Dark says a LOT here that he REASONABLY shouldn't know if he were normal so from Shadow's perspective here's things Dark shouldn't know but does:

He states he knows Shadow Link is "The Demon King" and considers Shadow a liar for not saying anything about it.

He seems to have further knowledge on the dynamics between everyone with how he describes Shadow "Taking" Vio from everyone.

Shadow instantly recognizes this guy as a demon, which is all he knows about this dude at the moment. The imbalance of information is staggering.

Okay visual motif to keep in mind: Dark's physically mimicking Shadow Link in these pages.

His hair turns a diffrent shade of Purple, one matching Shadow's way more than Vio's.

Vio's being more blue undertoned and Shadow's being red undertoned respectively.

Smth I've stated about Dark before: His teeth are flat typically but they are sharp in panels 1-2 here.

Talk about the flower time:

Dark looked very cute and sweet with the flower in his hair, but it drops off his head the second he states with full certainty Shadow Link is NOT fine.

Dark's childish mocking of Shadow's insistence everything's fine really cements the dude as seeing through everyone.

Dark's creepypasta expressions seem to jar Shadow cause he takes a step back from him lmao.

Smth I've seen people bring up "Is Dark making creepy faces on purpose or is that just his face"

Is a hilarious question to me to think about.

Personally: I just think it makes him more visually distinct from the others. In a comic where everyone's a Link and therefor have very similar faces having a character who has no bounds to how "unattractive" their face can look is really fun. Shadow gets to do this as well but to a lesser degree I feel.

Design notes for Dark's creepy expressions:

Mouth needs to be waaaaay to wide if he smiles. Teeth typically need to be human with too much detail. Human teeth are uncanny and uncomfortable to most. A similar creepy vibe can be used if his teeth are just, not there. Pitch black mouth looks creepy depending on how you use it. Pupils: Blown the fuck out. The white being in the center gives a "Camera" look that personally creeps me out lmao.

His features in general can just contort in a way that are unnatural. His eyes going way to large, squinting like in panel 4 here being weirdly squished.

My personal brand of Dark Link face horror: Uncanny valley.

Back to the comic itself:

Dark laughing at Shadow questioning who he is is pretty funny since you can almost assume Dark assumes Shadow knows who he is already since he doesn't answer the question.

Dark often talks like the person he's talking too isn't even responding or their responses don't matter.

Since he doesn't bother letting Shadow respond to HIS question "Why'd you lie"

instead making up his own idea why Shadow isn't telling the truth which...isn't fully off. XD

Dark's assumption Shadow wants people to like him is pretty on the money.

Visual wise:

Dark hugs himself here and then makes a face very reminiscent of the one Shadow made after he flung that sword at Blue.

Dark lets his jealousy slip once again. He says "other people" but you know he's talking about himself when he says "Other people want to hang out with Vio too"

Shadow takes great offence to him stating very plainly "I like him too you know..."

Shadow tries to stay focused but considering this entire nonsensical interaction it's hard to pick what to focus on XDDD

Dark not so subtly eats a flower while staring directly at Shadow Link while blushing.

What I intended from these two panels is that Dark is gauging Shadow's response to him eating the flower since Vaati responded very poorly to him doing that lmfao.

Shadow doesn't respond at all to him eating the flower (Likely not knowing what the fuck you do with those either X'D)

Smth to note: Dark Link doesn't look QUITE like Link. He's different enough for Shadow to just say he "Kind of" looks like Link. This is a comic with same face syndrome everywhere so if you're thinking from an IRL situation:

If they were live actors Dark would be played by a completely different actor than Link if you catch my drift. Vaguely look alike but not quite.

Since Shadow's not responding to his crap, Dark switches to focusing on his hands. Which he changes his nails to match Shadow Link's.

Shadow's figured Dark out at this point, asking point blank if Dark was the entity Vio spoke too.

At the time Shadow assumed Vio wasn't talking to anyone/anything in particular but since Dark's made his presence known the ability to assume is there.

Okay I don't remember if I've gone into this on tumblr at all:

Dark tends to use honorifics to fuck with people.

If you've ever wondered why he sometimes calls Vaati "Master" it's because that's what Vaati called Elzo.

Here, he's calling Shadow Link "Your highness" and "King" because he knows it bothers the absolute fuck out of him.

Because despite being mostly blank slate: Dark has a personality and it shines through in how he has no TRUE respect for ANYONE.

Sticking his tongue out while making THAT FACE at Shadows prodding about Vio.

Dark continues to let his true personality show: HE LAZY.

Okay not really, but he doesn't WANT to be doing work right now and chastises Shadow for not doing his job while Dark has to work. Showing he's jealous of Shadow's ability just to do fuck all.

Dark visually circling Shadow Link like an orca matches with how he's the meanest most sadistic behavioral wise fucker in the comic at the moment. He even matches orcas in color scheme sooo-

Motifs motifs: Dark touches people way to much lmao. He has no personal space boundaries.

This whole interaction makes me laugh because it's so silly.

Dark just, hugs Shadow Link no warning and Shadow has no idea how to begin responding to that shit.

He always initiated hugs and physical touch in the flashbacks with Vio, to an extent, that's STILL how it is. So Dark initiating hugs while saying incredibly mind fuck shit is just the kind of dichotomy between Dark's words and actions that make him a fun character.

Smth to note: The "ineffectual" line Dark's referring too is smth the ORIGINAL PIG GANNON said. Not Shadow Link. Dark seems to think they are 100% the same person with no separation.

Which either implies Dark would act this way around Gannon, or just knows he can mostly get away with this behavior around Shadow Link due to what he's seen of him.

His line about Shadow "Wearing the skin of Link" really pisses Shadow off since: This is just Shadow's identity lmfao.

Dark is objectively wrong in his assumptions as Shadow lived his whole life assuming he WAS just Link's shadow.

More mimic fuckery:

Shadow's pissed off so Dark mimics his pissed off nature.

The punch was so ineffective that Shadow's not even sure if it hurt by the "?!?" after his "OW!" XD

He threw that punch by the way BECAUSE Shadow pushed him. Dark just made him hurt the same way he hurt him.

Dark throws a temper tantrum and the aftermath of said temper tantrum is one of my favorite shows of his character so stay tuned for that.

Freakin' reached the image limit on this post.

[bunnybird-afk]

ㅡTo: Magister Senaㅡ

Please excuse my bizarre question sent in such a ridiculous hour. I have been writing this after a certain trial commission by an aristocratic family, and it was only after it all ended that I wished to find someone to ask about one trait I saw within mortals.

The reason why the aristocratic family visited them was because of their child: Due to their daughter's shy and introverted personality, it was said she was an outcast in her class, what would classify as "School violence". What surprised me was how the family dealt with the situation: Not only did they immediately took the issue to court, not even caring how much money it cost to commission me in person, but also they brought their child out of the school and decided to homeschool her instead.

I cannot specify any more, as any more specification will lead to private information leakage. But I found out that even mortals kept their child under their wing did they realize their child was in trouble, why didn't my parents do so before? Well, I do not mean to sound ungrateful, I fully acknowledge what my mother does to protect Esperia from Hypogeans and other adversities. It's just that peculiar sensation that while my logical brain accepts them without second thought, the other part is shouting that it is unacceptable. After all, I haven't seen her face personally in the past fourteen years. Until one of her best friends brought me out of my hiding and introduced me to founding this firm.

That's all I need to say for today.

Thank you for having read this much of my rants out of curiosity during late hours.

ㅡFrom: Turtledove premier lawfirm partner, Jinㅡ

(Warning: Mentions of parental neglect).

Sena turned the letter over in his hands with great interest, a mix of confusion and curiosity present on his face.

"You said this just appeared on my desk on its own with no warning?" he asked, turning his attention to Dolly.

The redhead nodded. "Yes, that's correct. It doesn't seem to be from one of your fellow Merlins either, though I don't sense anything malicious about it..."

Sena nodded in acknowledgement, opening the letter and allowing his eyes quickly skim over the words, his brows furrowing slightly as he read.

An interdimensional law firm, huh? Well, this ought to be interesting.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dear Jin,

I believe I've heard about you from one of the other Merlins I've met named Magister Zelda. I do hope you've been taking better care of yourself since then, considering the concerning state you were in while writing to her.

I assume you are writing to me about this topic due to my previous title as The People's God here in my own version of Esperia. And while you may assume that makes me an expert in understanding people, I must inform you that that assumption is only true to a certain extent. If there's one thing I've learnt over the millennia it's that mortals are fundamentally complicated, especially in regards to their families. The different types of dynamics that mortals experience with their kin are as plentiful as the grains of sand in the Ashen Wastes. And while I cannot speak to the family you mentioned in your case files, I can provide you with my personal opinion.

From my personal experience raising my own son in this universe, I believe that it's only natural for parents to want to protect their children. And while I disagree with the notion of completely sheltering them from the consequences of their actions, I can understand the instinctive urge to shield them from the things that might hurt them.

You spoke of your own mother in your letter, and while I cannot pass judgment on the Archon Talene of your universe, I can tell you that your own feelings on the matter are perfectly normal. From what I know of you, you were still a child when she left, and for that, you have every right to be upset. At the end of the day, her actions were her own, and whether those actions were 'justified' or not is of little consequence to you considering that they still impacted you negatively. No one can blame you for being a child who wanted to be loved and protected by his parents, and you have my deepest sympathies for the fact that you never received those things in your youth.

Do not fault yourself for having emotions, Jin. Good or bad, they are a fundamental part of being a person.

Kind Regards,

Magister Sena.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Authors Note: Thank you so much for sending this in, Iris! I had alot of fun trying out this type of ask. Also, poor Jin! I just know Sena immediately went downstairs and gave his own son the biggest hug ever after reading that letter.

Also, should I make Sena his own blog like Violyste and Zelda??? Like I'm considering it but haven't really thought it through much.

[that-vexaholic-cryptid]

I love the fan creations of Zelink for BOTW/TOTK Link and Zelda, especially the cute domestic stuff.

But personally I want to explore these two with a bit more complexity. These are two people who, realistically, barely know each other and barely know themselves. What they have most in common is an enormous amount of trauma, which also can't be escaped from because it's effects are all around them in what's left of Hyrule. And there aren't many who would be able to counsel them.

The idea of them both jumping into each other's arms is absolutely fun, but I think more realistically these two would have an awful lot to process. Link's memory is still probably fuzzy, and I imagine he struggles with his identity a bit between his past life and post-Calamity. Zelda is only just beginning to blossom as a person, only now being able to actually persue her own interests, plus the poor girl has been fighting for a century and watching her people suffer.

These two have to reconcile with the failures and burdens of the past, who they are now, and who they want to become. That can be a very emotionally messy endeavor. Normally a person would require some processing time alone, but it also can't be ignored that they're uniquely bonded through their experiences.

I feel like in the years between BOTW and TOTK that a good chunk of their relationship was probably describable as "it's complicated" and really only understood by themselves before they'd both be ready to call it romantic, and that's what I'd love to explore.

Zelda still is the Princess, she still has that identity and the burdens and responsibilities that come with it, and now she must balance the reconstruction of Hyrule with the healing of herself - forgiveness, growth, embracing her passions as a person.

Link I personally identify with a lot, and it's my reading of him that he may have had very little idea who he ever was. He subsumed so much himself for the sake of duty that he stopped speaking, but now that duty is over and yet he continues to uphold it. Is it because of the same sense of duty, because he knows nothing else? Would he be something else if he could, as Zelda herself once asked him?

I can see why Nintendo would stay vague and lean more into fairy tale simplicity, but part of why I love this iteration of Zelink so much is because to me both Link and Zelda are imperfect, damaged, and more complex than other iterations in the franchise. They're so human.

[skyward-floored]

Are you still taking incredibles au suggestions? If so, can I get a scene of one (or more than one 👀) of the boys when they're all grown up?

EXCUSE TO USE SOMETHING I WROTE A MONTH AGO FOR FUN YAY

This one is probably canon eventually, but just in case-- *sets in the ambiguously canon pile* There. Now I have an excuse if I someday drastically change things XD

------

Wild gunned the motor of his bike, tapping it into his super speed and going almost blazingly fast down the highway. He knew he was pushing it a bit much, especially since he’d already used his powers a lot today, but his worry was speeding him, fear that he’d be too slow.

He’d been assigned as a special guard to Zelda precisely so this wouldn’t happen, her father a politician who had several enemies around the globe. The threat to Zelda’s safety had gone up sharply in the past year, and so Wild (as an aspiring hero, and due to a rather complicated string of events) had been asked to be her personal guard of sorts.

She’d hated him at first, which he understood, especially regarding her circumstances. She was barely allowed to leave the house, and he could tell having him hanging around only made it more unbearable. But over the months as he’d shadowed her, and they’d run into a few close calls together, she’d switched from cold animosity to genuinely enjoying his company... and him hers.

Which was why he was pushing himself harder than he should be in order to catch up to the men who’d kidnapped her.

Wild’s heart jumped as he finally caught sight of the car he’d been following in the distance, a white van that would have been nondescript but for the notably absent license plates and a couple suspicious dents that looked like bullet marks.

Heart in his throat, Wild reached the back of the van, setting his bike to remain at a constant speed as he stood up on the seat. He jumped the short distance between it and the van’s bumper, and quickly grabbed a tool from his belt, prying at the handles of the door with it.

A banging sound was coming from the opposite side, a regular pounding against the door, and he felt a flicker of relief. He smiled a little to himself as he gave the door an extra wrench, and the lock broke open with a resounding crack as the doors flew open.

Wild deftly avoided being flung onto the pavement, and swung himself inside, meeting the wide green eyes of Zelda Floriana Hyrule.

A gag covered her mouth and she’d been tied up rather tightly, but she was obviously the source of the banging sound he’d heard, her legs facing the door. She must have been trying to escape on her own, but apparently hadn’t gotten far.

Wild quickly kneeled beside her and pulled at the gag, Zelda staring at him in surprise and relief as he gently tugged it off.

“Champion!” she gasped once she could speak, and he gave her a warm salute in greeting. “How did you... never mind, I’m sure you figured it out quite easily.”

“Decoy wasn’t half bad, it took me a couple minutes to realize what was up. Did they hurt you?” he asked worriedly, getting to work on her bonds. She twisted herself around so he could better pull them off, and he quickly freed her, watching in concern as she sat up and gingerly rubbed her wrists.

“No, not really. I’m fine,” she said, wincing at the sight of her rope burns. “All they did was tie me up and gag me. Mind you, it was with the most foul-tasting rag in existence. Ugh!”

Wild smiled as she she spat to the side with a disgusted look on her face, then twitched an ear at the sound of a faint click.

He abruptly grabbed her and threw them both down as several loud gunshots crashed through the back of the van, pulling their heads down. Peering forward through the small window to the front seat when they paused, he saw the smoking barrel of a gun, and this time Flora yanked him down out of the way as more shots were fired.

“I get the feeling they know we’re trying to escape,” Flora breathed, her eyes wide. Wild adjusted his mask, then extended his gloved hand towards hers with a smile.

“In that case, time to go.”

She took it, and he deftly stepped off the van and onto his bike before helping her do the same, shielding her all the while. Once he knew she was seated and holding on to him, he tossed her a helmet, then swerved away from the van, angry yelling and more gunshots accompanying him.

“Hold on,” he warned his passenger, and Flora tightened her hold around his waist as he accelerated, letting his powers speed them along. He couldn’t go quite as fast with a passenger since his speeds were a bit much for anyone but himself (he was still a little mad at Wind for puking on the seat that one time), but he had other tricks up his sleeve.

“Champion!” Flora warned with a squeeze, and Wild looked behind him at the motorcycles now chasing them, red insignias glaring menacingly.

Ah, just what we needed.

A sudden bang made his ear twitch again, and he deftly swerved out of the way of the bullets being shot at them, taking an abrupt turn onto a side street. From there he went down a couple alleyways, putting a little distance between them and losing a few of their pursuers, but he could still hear motors roaring behind them, and occasionally a shot blazed past his head.

“That way!” Flora’s voice suddenly spoke up, pointing a hand towards the docks. “You should be able to lose them there!”

Wild swerved towards the area, heading for the tightly packed buildings and docked boats. A few workers were milling around, but quickly got out of the way when they saw the bikes screaming towards them.

Wild tried in earnest to lose their pursuers in the maze-like area, taking odd routes and turns, but they were smarter than they looked, and since he couldn’t reach his usual speed, they stayed on his tail. He continued to swerve and take sharp and unpredictable turns, but he just couldn’t shake them, and Wild suddenly found himself running out of dock.

He glanced around him one more time, then revved the engine and sped forwards right towards the edge.

“What are you doing?” Flora gasped, tugging on his arm. “Champion!”

“It’ll be fine!” he shouted back, going even faster. Flora gripped his waist in an almost constricting hold as they streaked along, and her breath was fast in his ear.

“It’s a dead end!”

“Not really.”

“You’re going to drive us straight into the river!”

Wild grinned in spite of himself, and looked reassuringly back at Flora.

“No I’m not.”

Then he truly tapped into his powers, the engine roaring beneath them as he felt a euphoric buzz zip through his bones. The edge of the dock sped towards them, and Flora let out a shriek as they went up a pile of discarded boards and flew into the air.

They hung for a few glorious microseconds, silhouetted against the moon as water rippled below them.

Then they just barely landed on a barge that happened to be going by.

Flora gasped and Wild kept up their momentum and continued going, revving the engine as he launched them off the end off the boat. Flora let out a yelp, but they landed safe and sound on the other side of the river from their pursuers.

Wild paused for a moment, pulling to a stop a bit aways from the bank so they could look back, and Flora let out a breathless laugh in his ear as the bikes that had been chasing them were forced to a halt. He smiled at the sound before getting back on the road so he could be sure they were safe, and Flora gave him a small squeeze.

“You’re insane!” she shouted over the wind, but there was a thrill in her voice, and she laughed again as Wild continued to streak down the road.

Wild grinned in return. “People have been telling me that for years.”

[rawliverandgoronspice]

"And I genuinely don’t think either of you understand HOW Zelda turns back to a Hylian at the end of the game.

I’m sorry but these are exceptionally poor analysis and criticisms of the game and it’s cut scenes." As the anon who wrote the ask who started this, I'll just say... nah. Also, pro-tip, don’t be angry, eat a banany. 🍌 You say that all the elements give a lot of insight into Zelda, her relationship, and all that… and then just explain it in the most barebones accusatory way possible, instead of just giving a polite counter and constructively explaining WHY you disagree. Since you apparently just wanna be angy that someone doesn’t like what you likes, and explains why they criticise it, I don’t think there really is a point to argue.   Honestly, my best tip is: Eat nanner, shhhhhhh, touch grass, go sleep. Move on. Ps: Banana’s are the worst.

Also, lemme add, add some spice to your salt: “It reveals Zelda’s feelings for Link which have clearly significantly changed since Breath of the Wild.” I did not feel like they changed much at all, Zelda still feels like she’s simping for Link hard, it's just a few years later now. 😜 Extra bonus: Yeah we know why Zelda got turned back into a Hylian with no repercussions. Bc it had to happen, bc reasons-McGuffin.

Hey!

Yeah, sorry this thing escalated on your ask anon. It got significantly worse after that, so I did block the person because at some point it becomes clear they were having an argument with someone who was simply not in this virtual room and might probably not exist at all anywhere, so there was no point in engaging with a brick wall who was hurling insults based on half a paragraph taken out of context. Pretty sad way to use your free time or deploy love for the media you enjoy, but! To each their own I suppose.

But yeah, I did look it over to see if I missed something, because somebody's tone being inacceptable doesn't mean their arguments also are, but. Yeah. Zelda had her arc of going from being cold and angry with Link to learning to rely on him in Breath of the Wild already, and then literally holds the fort for a hundred years just holding on to the desperate trust that he will arise and become a hero and be capable of defeating the scourge if only she can buy him as much time as she can, which is *crazy* devotion-wise (and also active! in TotK she mostly talks about how much she trusts Link --I guess she turns into a dragon to restore the Master Sword for him, but again I don't believe she really has any other choice and it's not a struggle she must maintain over a hundred years always relying on her own resolve all the way through, so it doesn't translate as hard in my opinion). It's literally her affection for Link and her urge to protect him that awakens her powers! This arc worked great in Breath of the Wild! But TotK loves nothing more than to rethread every character's arc, except again, but less compelling and complicated and without emotional rises or character changes.

Also: a kind tumblr user out there who did not play any game but TotK, believing the marketing that you could basically jump in blind, pointed out to me that there is *no way* to catch onto any of that complexity of their relationship if you haven't played BotW (not that I think it particularly helps). Same deal with the parental thing: they did not bring up the relationship between Zelda and her dad at any point, which makes it a non-information for newcomers. While it is fine to lose some degree of nuance and be a little confused if you jump in a second videogame after the first videogame, you still need to provide something for people to hang onto, and, as I feared, the refusals to expand on BotW backstory didn't seem to help the newcomers familiarize themselves with Hyrule particularly well. Even in extremely well known IPs, it is important to re-establish the bases: jedis are sensitive with the Force, the Ring corrupts its bearer, etc etc. And this was not particularly well done here (for example: it is never explained that Ganondorf is a sorcerer on top of being a Huge Guy that will break your spine with a punch, which makes the appearance of Puppet Zelda *before* he grabs the stone extremely confusing --this relies on pre-assumptions about Ganondorf and a familiarity with the series and its tropes to make any sense, and this is yet another example of what I mean by: this game is awfully self-referential while not really standing on its own two feet).

As for the argument that Zelda was returned to a hylian because of Rauru's arm, Rauru again but ghost (??? hello again?) and Sonia (??? WHY are you here) are actually using recall on the Secret Stone? It's a cool headcanon, and honestly that would have been great and made sense (I mean, a little empty thematically again but at least a cool setup and payoff), but I see nothing that supports that in practice beyond that the power deployed is the color of gold, which, yes, is the color of Recall, buuuut it's also the color of Light and good things and the Triforce and divinity and a billion other things.

If this was what we were meant to take away, then: 1) the actual particles and sound effect of Recall should have been used instead of a vague halo of magical sparkles and 2) the Secret Stone should have hovered and glowed above her chest Laputa-style (thinking of Sheeta from Castle in the Sky, which I'm 99,9% sure was the visual inspiration anyway).

This does not happen. If them using Recall was the intent, then it's badly conveyed. But I see no textual reason to believe this is what's going on.

[dreamdepot]

Dreams of the Kingdom - Chapter 21: Dusk and Dawn

Previous < First > Next

AO3 Wattpad or below!

It is never comforting to wake up somewhere unfamiliar, especially when waking up in an entirely different plane of existence, in a body that was unfamiliar to you.

The entire room was obsidian black, made of unnaturally smooth, square stone. Everything just felt wrong, sending your new fur on end. At the very least, the bed was warm and comfortable – save for the woman sitting at the end. “Hmm, two and six but fifteen spaces…” she muttered, looking down at a puzzle of some kind. She then looked up, noticing you.

She was a gorgeous woman, but just as unsettling as your new surroundings. Her skin was black and pale blue with glowing tattoos. Her fiery orange hair and equally bright eyes were the only burst of color in this monochrome room. Just one look felt as if she was able to read your deepest thoughts, and her mischievous smile seemed to hold secrets of her own. “Ah, you’re awake. That’s good, not many of your kind handle the trip to my realm so well… considering most are reduced to a shade, but you became a beast. Who are you?”

“I feel like I should be asking you the same,” you said. Talking felt strange with your new mouth. You looked down at your body. While you were foxlike now, you were at least still somewhat human shaped.

“You should be thankful I stopped the transformation before you turned fully into a fox. The last Hylian I knew that became a beast was stuck on all fours.” She narrowed her eyes. “Now, again, who are you?”

You decided to yield, given you were in no shape to fight if things went south. “My name is [Y/n]. Now who are you, where am I, and…” You stopped, suddenly remembering what she said before you blacked out. “I’m in the Twilight Realm. But wait, yeah, I should be a shade, not a fox! A-and last Hylian would mean…” You looked back up at her. “Princess Midna?”

“Queen Midna, ruler of the Twilight Realm,” she corrected. She studied you. “And you are still hiding things from me. The way you sit, the way you look like you’re on a mission… you remind me far too much of Zelda. So what? Did she finally get hitched and have a kid or what?”

You sputtered. “What? No, I’m not…”

She suddenly burst into laughter. “Can’t you tell when someone is messing with you? You really must be related to her if you’re this up tight.” Your new fur bristled, which did not go unnoticed. “Oh, no, you are?”

“It’s… complicated.” You were about to explain when your hand fell to your bare wrist. Your heart turned to ice. “Wait, where is it, where is it?!” You patted around the sheets.

“You mean this?” Midna held out Link’s hair band. “The strap snapped. Here, one second.” She ran her hands through your fur, carefully combing it back and threading it through the band. As she brushed and braided, you told your story. She quietly listened as she took one of her own hair sticks and locked the band in place. You looked up into the mirror, seeing the hair band glinting against your red fur. “Hair bands are meant to be worn, not sure why you’d wear it on your wrist.”

Your face fell. “It’s not mine, it belongs to my boyfriend.”

Her gaze softened, if for a moment. “Then I’m sure he’d rather you wear it to keep him close to you, than on an old bit of leather.”

“It felt a bit weird to wear it, but… kinda feels nice now. Like he’s here.” Your fingers brushed the band. “Guess being a fox isn’t the worst thing to happen to me.”

“Like I said, you’re lucky,” Midna said. “Lingering light energy was enough to give you a form here in the Twilight Realm instead of becoming a shade. However, without my power, it would have been snuffed out. The Twilight eventually warps anyone from the Light World without proper protection. Be thankful you didn’t become a monster.” She stopped, the mischievous twinkle in her eye again. “In fact…”

“Uh oh.”

She shrugged. “Well, I did stop your transformation and you’re clearly some kind of warrior. Therefore, I’d say you owe me a favor, don’t you think?”

You swallowed hard. “What kind of favor?”

“You’re not the only visitor I have from Hyrule today, though I can’t explain how he got here – let alone with an interesting present…” She looked you up and down. “First though, you should change.”

She was right. Your Sheikah armor was torn and unsuitable for battle, partially from the transformation and partially from your constant battling without a chance to do any maintenance in the previous eras. You made your way behind a privacy screen and started to change. “So, if you’re in need of a warrior, what kind of ‘present’ are we talking about?”

“You catch on quick. My people were cast out from Hyrule many years ago. Our ancestor’s shadow magic was considered dangerous and for good reason: their anger, hatred, and sorrow created several dark artifacts that threatened the light.”

You simply hummed in agreement; you had heard stories of things such as the Fused Shadow, the vessel that held the bound shadow magic that once was used to try and steal the Triforce.

“I’m afraid one of these artifacts has found its way back to us after it was long thought destroyed. I simply need you to… get rid of it. I really don’t care how, I just want it as far as possible from my realm.”

“You don’t want to destroy it? Or maybe seal it away?”

You could feel Midna’s judgmental glare through the screen. “Prince [Y/n], you obviously have studied the history of Hyrule. Explain to me how many times sealing something away has gone well for the people of Hyrule.”

“Point taken, but what about destroying it.”

“Not an option. Doing so would likely release all of the bound magic and make things worse. You’re a time traveler, take it somewhere where no one will ever find it.” Midna sighed. “Are you done yet?”

You decided not to comment on the unease in Midna’s voice. Now in your Royal Guard armor, you followed her down the halls. Your new tail slipped out, thankfully without needing to tear a hole in your old uniform. “Oh, I’m going to need a weapon.”

“Suppose that would help,” Midna stopped off at an armory, pulling down an old box. She tossed something to you. “Here, use this old thing.”

A shiny ivory and gold crossbow landed in your hands. “Oh hey, always wanted to try one of these.”

“Just make sure to give it back, it belonged to an old friend.”

You tested the crossbow’s weight. “You wouldn’t happen to have a sword too, would you?”

She grabbed a longsword from one of the Twili guards as you passed toward one of the courtyards. “This good enough?”

You held the twisted blade. It was unlike anything you’d seen before but looked deadly as any sword you’d used before. “Oh yeah, this is perfect. So, what’s the target?”

“That.”

You looked out at the courtyard where a grotesque scene lay before you. Several Twili guards were dead. The body at the center thankfully appeared to be clinging to life. What wasn’t so great was that the body was definitely from Hyrule, a Zora. To make matters worse, the Zora was almost completely enveloped in a mass of gloom tentacles, all feeding up to the source, firmly fixed to the Zora’s face – a terrible nightmare you long thought merely a story.

“Majora?! You want me to fight Majora?!” Midna shrugged. “Majora should be dead. Hero of Time destroyed all the evil in the mask!”

“Yes, interesting, isn’t it? It’s as if another evil has resurrected it.”

This voice was new, and Midna seemed rather tired by it. “Oh yes, there’s him too.”

A strange man sat near the edge of the courtyard, seemingly ignored by the other Twili guards and he ignored them. The oddest part was that he simultaneously looked Hylian and yet not, as if it was someone or something pretending to be Hylian. Unlike with the others, he looked at you with a smile that was just a little too wide, wringing his hands. “You… you’re an interesting one, aren’t you?”

A chill crawled down your back as he almost scuttled closer to you. “Yes, yes, very interesting indeed. You’re an intruder too. Not quite an Interloper, no, no, but you really are someplace you don’t belong.” An unsettling laugh dripped out his grin.

“Who are you?”

“No one important as a prince,” he snickered, instantly raising your guard. “Just a salesman, selling his masks far and wide. But one day, that very important mask of mine was stolen away and infested by an evil hand. Of course, a mask needs a wearer, so it decided to grab the nearest body strong enough…”

“Okay, get it yourself, it’s right there.”

“Oh no, I’m not a fighter. Quite the contrary, just a humble mask salesman. Someone will need to tame the evil within.”

“What happens to the Zora?”

“I can help you restore that poor Zora to his rightful self, if necessary. All I ask is that you get back my precious mask, and we all avoid a truly terrible fate,” he said, suddenly behind you. His eerie grin was so fixed on his face, you half-expected that he was wearing a mask right now. “Deal?”

You clenched your jaw. “Deal.”

“Good, and good luck…”

The writhing mass of tentacles lifted from the ground, weaving itself into a body around the comatose Zora. The mask and its mutated host was twisted beyond recognition, the gloom forming limbs. Where the mask once was had transformed into a chest. The arms grew and deformed into long whips. With a shrill shriek, a head emerged from the mass, its eerie eyes locking in on you. Before you was the demon of legend, Majora’s Wrath.

The monster was deadly quick, lashing at you. Your body moved without thinking, leaping and rolling to safety. You drew the crossbow and took aim at the eye. With an almost silent thwip, the arrow sailed through the air, narrowly missing the monster. “Damn, wish I had a chance to practice with this one first.” You rolled out of the way of the whips again, reloading and trying again.

The whips snagged you, holding you as the monster flung you across the courtyard. You skidded on the ground, narrowly avoiding a fall into the void. The monster cackled as you reloaded the crossbow again, feeling a surge of energy rising within you. This time the arrow struck true, stunning the demon for a brief second. You ran in with your sword, getting in a quick strike before dodging back as it tried to wrap you in its whips. Again, you loaded your crossbow and fired before charging in again, determined to keep Majora on the defensive.

With each swing you felt strength beyond your own. Warmth flowed down your arm, as if another hand closed over yours on the blade, guiding your strikes. At first, you thought it was Link, but then you realized the invisible hand was much larger than his. Your sword began to glow faintly, channeling a forgotten power.

You…

The deep voice nearly made you jump. It sounded like it was in your ear.

You… are…

The rest was cut off as Majora shrieked in agony, its body contorting as it turned into light, before bursting into gloom mist. The mask fell to the ground with a dull thonk, lifeless once more. You ran to the Zora. “What… happened?” He wheezed. Kneeling at his side, you could see he was a regal looking Zora with pale pink scales. “Holy Nayru, are you a fox?”

“It’s complicated. Are you alright?”

He coughed. “I will be. I’m Ralis, you?”

“[Y/n].”

He gave you a wink. “Then I thank you for saving me, from the bottom of my heart.” A blue glow filled his chest before disappearing into the ether like the others.

“Well done, well done!” You turned, half shielding Ralis from the salesman. “Record time might I add, and your Zora friend is none the worse for wear!” He reached down and picked up the mask. “Hmm, yes, the evil is gone once again.”

He turned back to you. “Since there is no need for my end of the bargain, I believe I owe you something of payment.” He held out a package wrapped in old rags. Gloom seemed to seep out from the cracks. You carefully unwrapped it, careful not to let the gloom touch you as dissipated in the Twilight.

“The Fierce Deity Mask?”

“I think it’s fitting, don’t you? Or perhaps you don’t know yet. Isn’t time fun?” He turned to leave but you stopped him.

“Can I really trust you with that mask?” You asked, brandishing your sword.

He merely laughed. “If you have to ask that, you should never have let me pick it up. Now, I must be going, I have a long way to travel still.” Before your eyes, he disappeared, fading into the Twilight. A disembodied voice echoed around you. “Oh, and Prince [Y/n], shouldn’t you be getting home too?”

You could only groan.

Frustration and rage boils within you. Intriguing.

You froze, looking down at the mask. The voice again whispered in your ear as the mask seemed to glow. Slowly, it floated before you. The hollow eyes somehow still piercing you.

You fight bravely and with honor. I understand now why he chose you.

“What?”

You may have freed me from gloom and from that man, but you are not the one I seek. Farewell. We will meet again.

“Wait!” But it was too late, the mask too disappeared. Thinking to where you found the mask in your time, you could only wonder if you accidentally changed the future for the worse.

“Thank the goddesses they’re gone,” Midna muttered, strolling up to you. She looked you and Ralis over briefly, making sure you were both in one piece before relaxing. “My things please?” You, regrettably, returned the crossbow and Twili sword – much to the guard’s happiness. “Now, let’s get you two back to the Light World.”

You frowned. “I thought the Mirror of Twilight was destroyed?”

“It was, and that was for the best. That said, Zelda and I have had ways to speak with each other over the years. Being a queen does have its privileges.”

“Okay… then how are we supposed to get back?”

Midna simply smiled.

==============================

You and Ralis tumbled out of a mirror onto the cold stone floors of Hyrule Castle. Two gasps met you as you tried to stand. You looked down to your hands, happy to see they were back to normal Hylian hands. You then reached back to feel Link’s hair band, still braided into your hair.

“Well, this certainly raises some questions.” You then remembered you had two people watching. You looked up to see an older man peering at you through his spectacles, helping Ralis to his feet. He was dressed formally, though the fashions were very different from the ones of your Hyrule. You half-wondered how Cece would react.

“Ah, so you’re the one Midna mentioned.” You turned to find an older Zelda, standing tall and regal with the scarcest hint of a smile. By your guess, she must have been in her late thirties, well after Zant’s invasion. “I am Queen Zelda XIV, and from what Midna suggested, you are my future successor. That uniform of yours certainly helps seal it.”

“I’m sorry, it’s the only armor I really have right now. It’s better than my torn set.”

“That would be quite unbecoming for our family,” Zelda replied, stifling a laugh as she helped you up. “Shad, would you be so kind as to help our friend? I would like a moment with our new guest.”

The scholar bowed. “Of course, your majesty. I will see to it that King Ralis is escorted safely back to the Domain.”

Before he left, Ralis clasped his hand on your shoulder with a bright smile. “Thank you friend, I and the Zora people owe you a great debt.”

You laughed. “Believe me, your descendant would do the same for me any day of the week.”

As they left, Zelda moved to her desk and took a seat, motioning for you to do the same across from her. Her expression was unreadable. “You have me at a disadvantage.”

Manners aside, you felt it important to be honest. “I am [Y/n] Daltus Hyrule, ma’am.”

“I see. I am glad to hear that you were able to assist Midna in securing the safety of the Twilight Realm.” She poured you a cup of tea. “I hope you don’t mind Ceylon tea?”

“Not at all.” Your posture straightened as you accepted the teacup, a bit surprised how quickly castle etiquette came back to you after all these years. You took a sip, almost instantly feeling your aches and pains soothed.

Zelda savored the tea as well. “This blend is a particular favorite of mine; it’s unique as it uses a pinch of dried mushrooms. It’s a gift from a dear friend from a distant kingdom. You aren’t the only one who has seen other worlds and other times. I should write her a letter…” She seemed lost for a moment before turning back to you. “I apologize, it’s a bit daunting to meet a descendant when… well, I haven’t exactly been interested in anyone.”

“Your majesty, believe me, I understand the awkwardness.”

“Then perhaps an icebreaker. Do you play?” She asked, pulling out an intricately crafted chess set.

“Not for some time I’m afraid, but I used to play with my sister.” Given your military mind and Zelda’s analytical prowess, the matches would often go on for hours.

As the two of you started to play, you explained the situation, and Zelda opened with her pawn. You blocked it as you told her about the Calamity. Zelda would nod, casually moving her bishop. By the time you explained how you found the Gate of Time, her queen was in your back row, moments from locking you in checkmate. “Wow, I can’t believe I fell for that.”

“That’s alright, Shad and I play often, and you did outlast him.” She took another sip of her tea. “I was thinking of giving you something if you won, but I think you’ll need it regardless. Your uniform is very nice, but hardly what I’d call a strong armor.” She stood, walking to a chest in the back of her office, returning with a large bundle. “Perhaps you should try this.”

The armor in question was gold and silver, inlaid with a gemstone in the center of the chest and carved details of the Triforce. Under the plates was a scaled hauberk, partly covered by a tunic, not unlike the Links of the past. However, instead of green, this tunic was wine-red. All of it was topped off by a circlet, serving both as protection and crown. “This armor was designed for a prince,” Zelda said. “Of course, I’m an only child, so think of this as a gift for a future grandson.”

“Thank you.” You held the armor, the sturdy weaving and hefty plates were oddly comforting.

“I should mention,” Zelda added, “this is technically a copy of a different armor the Link of my time has, called the Magic Armor. It isn’t impenetrable like that armor, though I will say that this set doesn’t carry the rather significant drawback that one has. It wouldn’t do for you to run out of protection the second you run out of rupees.”

“No, not at all,” you muttered, considering you rarely carried many rupees if you knew you were headed into a battle. Still, holding this armor, something so regal and nice felt strange after years living in a Hyrule struggling to recover. “Are you sure it’s okay?”

“Of course. If you are to face the Ganondorf of your time, I would want to give you every advantage. Never hesitate to stack the deck in your favor. Even if you must make sacrifices, you have a responsibility to yourself and your people.” She motioned back to the chess set. “I used to think fighting against Zant and Ganondorf was like a chess game. I admit it’s not quite a perfect analogy, but you must consider where to make your gambles and where to make your sacrifices. And,” she said, picking up the king. “If someone was going to give you a few more knights on your side, why would you ever disagree?”

You laughed. “Maybe I shouldn’t play against you anymore.”

“You just need to learn the better way to play,” she said with a smile. “No holding back, but no rushing in blind either. Look at all of your resources, [Y/n]. Which reminds me… I do have one more gift for you.” She took a cloak off her coatrack and draped it over her shoulders. “Come along, the gardens are quite lovely this time of day.”

==============================

Zelda led you to a part of the grounds that was walled off. She pressed in on a brick, and a small secret doorway folded inward. “This way please.” As you followed, you noticed the grounds grew colder and colder. Mist rolled in around you as the doorway closed behind you. This section was poorly maintained and overgrown, despite the trees seeming dead. “This is the old graveyard,” Zelda explained. “It has been sealed to hide one of our greatest secrets. Thankfully, even when he attacked us, Ganondorf never fully understood what was hidden here.”

She stopped before an old grave, marked with the Triforce. Time had long worn away the writing. “This is where I leave you, future grandson.” She smiled softly.

“But what am I supposed to do?”

“Just be patient. He has never let our family down before. I doubt he’ll start now. Good luck.” With that, she left you standing alone in the eerie graveyard.

You waited, half expecting a Poe to leap out at you, but you were alone except for the wind. Some of the stones in the graveyard were notched or carved with holes, reminding you a bit of the odd stones Kass once showed you near Jeddo Bridge. The wind whistled through them, playing different notes. Soon, you realized they were carefully designed to play a song, each stone contributing a different note to each chord. You started to sing along, easily placing it as the Song of Time.

The third time you sang with the stones, you realized your voice was accompanied by an ocarina. The wind shifted, seeming to blow in reverse as a blue glow appeared before you. The light steadily glowed brighter and brighter until a figure emerged from the light before you. He was tall and strong, a seasoned warrior – but the blond hair and blue eyes were unmistakable.

“You’re a hard man to track down.” You stared at this other Link. It was like looking into the future, seeing this thirty-something version of your boyfriend. He had a scar over one eye, and wore a set of armor and chainmail with a heavy broadsword strapped at his waist. Most eye catching was the royal blue ocarina in his hand. “It’s good to see you again, Prince [Y/n].”

“Y-you’re the Hero of Time!”

He grinned. “You’d be surprised how rare it is people notice me right away.”

You looked him over, enjoying the idea of what your Link might look like in a decade or so. “So, I guess this means you ended up finding the Fire Sage?”

“I did. Gotta say, I was pretty disappointed you never came back to visit after. Need to give you this back.” He reached into his pack and pulled out a glass bottle, the same one you used to heal him.

You couldn’t help but laugh. “Honestly, it’s fine if you want to keep it.”

“Suit yourself,” he shrugged. “Can’t imagine anyone willingly give up these things, but maybe that’s just a difference in generations.”

“Sure, grandpa.”

“Hey, I’m not that much older than you, and you were the old one when we first met!” He tried his best to look upset, but a smile cracked through. “Well, if you won’t take the bottle, at least I can help you out a different way.”

“I wouldn’t mind a ride to another time.” Your face fell. “And maybe some advice. You’re the time travel expert.”

He held up the ocarina. “I have been doing this for a bit. I don’t usually get involved in the other Links, but… well, you’re a bit of a special case. Ganondorf has been messing with time itself.”

“Yeah, Link and the Sages turned to stone, and I know Ganondorf is doing everything he can to make himself more powerful in my time. I know if I fix the problems in the past, it’s a step closer to beating him, but trying to figure out which Link will help my Link…” You finished with a groan. “Honestly feels like my brain is going to pop.”  

“I know the feeling,” he said, patting you on the back. “How about we start with the simple stuff first. Just call me Time for now. I think it’ll help with the confusion, not thinking of me as a Link and all.”

“Alright, Time,” you said, “you wouldn’t have any ideas, would you? I don’t suppose it’s as easy as just jumping back in to stop Ganondorf while he’s still mummified?”

He sighed. “No, it doesn’t work like that. My hands are tied in many ways. I can’t change the events of past to stop Ganondorf’s rise to power, in your time or mine. Believe me, I’ve tried.”

“What do you mean? You beat Ganondorf!” Suddenly your head swam. “Wait… did you?”

Time gave you an uneasy smile. “That will be you getting used to the timestream. Ganondorf shattered time in my era, leading to three possible outcomes. Unfortunately, I only win in two of them, which in the long run was a net-win for Ganondorf.”

“Wait, what do you mean you failed? I remember every book I read saying you won?”

“The timestream heals leading to a future filled with anachronisms, the Hyrule you come from. Your Hyrule is an anomaly, but that really isn’t saying much when you look back at our history. I guess in one way, you wouldn’t exist without Ganondorf’s meddling.” He stopped to think for a moment. “Actually yeah, you wouldn’t exist at all, considering your ancestors come from the timeline I failed in.”

“But in the timeline, you succeeded in, you-”

“Let’s keep it simple,” he said, holding up his hand. “Ganondorf shattering time only gave him more chances to gather his strength. Even with the other heroes stopping him, he always got one step closer to his goal, getting the Triforce.”

“And I practically delivered two pieces to him on a silver platter,” you groaned.

Time shrugged. “It wouldn’t be the first time. What worries me more is that all of us in your past only fought incarnations of Ganondorf or Demise – or on occasion another dark wizard. The Ganondorf you face in your time is the source of all evil. That doesn’t mean he’s undefeatable though.” He thought for a moment. “You already found two pieces of the Triforce, so where is the third?”

“I… don’t know. It’s not with my Link. Do you have it?”

“My piece of the Triforce returned to the Sacred Realm. And since that time, the Triforce seems to have been moved somewhere else.” Time frowned. “I haven’t been able to track it at all across any era. At some point or another, the Triforce simply disappeared. Besides, even if I did have it, I couldn’t give it to you, given how often it is needed between our times.”

You thought for a moment, back to your dreams and Sheik’s message. “The answer is nothing but silence.”

“Pardon?”

“It’s what Sheik said… it’s some kind of hint to where the Shadow Temple is in my time. Maybe it has the final piece. Maybe it means the temple is hidden somewhere so far in the past, it’s before Hyrule ever existed?”

“Perhaps,” Time muttered. “Though that does get a bit messy with Demise and Hylia.”

It was as if the puzzle solved itself, jingle and all playing in your head. If anyone would know… “Time, what can you tell me about the cycle?”

“The cycle? That thing Sky and Wild rode in that race?”

“What? And who?”

“Never mind. I’m sure you’ll meet Sky later, and Wild’s what I call your boyfriend.” Fitting. “What do you mean by cycle?”

“The cycle, the whole reincarnation thing. Sahasrahla said it was the cycle of a hero, a princess, and an evil, over and over throughout our history. My friend Sharpe said I have to break it, but I don’t even know how or why. Not only that, when I was in the Era of the Great Sea, it was pretty obvious the cycle doesn’t always work. I’m not sure where any of this goes.”

“Ah, that cycle…” He sat on his gravestone. “Listen, Sahasrahla knows his stuff, but he doesn’t know everything, especially with the Curse of Demise.”

“Curse? But Sharpe called it a cycle?”

“Most people see it as a cycle, a never-ending loop of hero, princess, and darkness, fighting as long as Hyrule exists, but it’s not really accurate to say that.”

“So, what is it?”

“Like I said, it’s a curse, and most of us will tell you the same. Where to start…” Time thought for a moment. “Long ago, before Hyrule, before the Zonai, there was a great war between the forces of Demise and the mortal races. Demise was defeated by the Goddess Hylia who imprisoned him, but at great cost. Hylia gave her life to be reborn in a time when her chosen hero would be strong enough to fight and destroy him forever. You probably know this as the Legend of Skyloft and the First Hero.”

“Yeah, mother used to tell it to me, She said that Hylia rose our people into the sky before being reborn as the first Zelda, and her chosen hero came back to slay Demise.”

“Yes, but when Demise was struck down by the Hero of the Skies, he vowed to return, laying a curse upon the three, starting what Sahasrahla and your friend call the cycle. There would always be three, forever reborn and forced to fight over and over until the end of time itself. Demise just never anticipated there being a greater evil than him – the Demon King of your era.”

“Okay I get that part, what didn’t Sahasrahla understand?”

“First, like you said, the curse isn’t ironclad. There are times when there’s been no hero, and times when Ganondorf didn’t actually bother to bring about a great evil, the evil just managed to worm itself in regardless – like in Hytopia. Second, the curse is really about a legacy instead of true reincarnation. While many times Ganondorf or whoever would return, it was because of your Ganondorf’s meddling. On the other hand, the Link and Zelda were always different. I am not your Link, but he carries my spirit with him, as well as all of the other heroes.”

“And me?”

“You’re not part of the cycle, but I think that’s a good thing. Ganondorf may have forced you – or your past self, Sheik – to reincarnate in the future so that he could have his revenge, but that makes you different. For the entire history of Hyrule, the three have been locked in replaying this curse on and on, three forces forever balanced, unable to overtake the others. And now, here comes you, a new force who has already disrupted balance by carrying two pieces of the Triforce. You’re the fourth force that will destabilize the curse.

“This war is finally going to come to a close soon, and I think you are the deciding factor, Prince [Y/n]. You are the one who stands a chance to break the Curse of Demise and end this forever.” He stood. “My greatest regret was that I could only seal Ganondorf away, and in doing so, the curse continued. The good news is you’re outside the cycle, so you can change time more easily than I can. You’re the only one that can undo what Ganondorf has done, and you’ve already made great headway.”

He was right, three sages were now free, leaving Yunobo, the Master Sword, and Link. Perhaps though, there was someone else you could save. “One step at a time,” you sighed. “If you can pick where to travel in time, can you take me all the way back? Back to the reign of King Rauru and Queen Sonia?”

Time shook his head. “I can’t take you to the Age of the Zonai; you’re too closely tied with the events then. One wrong move and you could be erased from existence. I might, however, be able to take you back to your Hyrule, prior to the Calamity.”

“Heh,” you said. “That was my original target.”

“Then let’s see if I can get you home, your majesty,” Time said, picking up his ocarina.  

==============================

A/N: While he only appeared briefly, I did have to include Shad as a cameo for a fellow Zelda fic writer. If you haven’t had the chance, please check out ShadyScripter’s stories on AO3, which also like to play with time travel in the Zelda universe.

Next time, we travel back to a Hyrule familiar to you and rescue a stranded friend.

[liv-andletdie]

Oh wow, I wanted to ask for puppy love and went to your Ao3 only to find out that I never left Kudos! I must have read it before I had an Ao3 account. 😅

Anyway, that's fixed now and I would like to hear more about Zelda's thoughts when she left for Castle Town again.

For anyone interested the scene can be found here in Puppy Love Chapter 5 "The Departure"

HELLO!! Sorry this is so late, Work has been kind of occupying a lot of my time recently (Christmas in Retail in not fun) but I'm really excited to finally answer this and to talk a bit about Puppy Love! so without further ado...

Zelda is going through a lot in this chapter, so let's break it down beat by beat.

At the beginning she is... I think the best word would be humiliated. Not as in "Link has maliciously made her feel bad." but in the sense of "She has made a fool of herself." During her time in Ordon she's sort of built up this romance in her head - or that's what she's telling herself. She always knew she was going to have to leave and go back to Castleton at some point because Work[tm] but she had been purposefully trying not to think about it. She has been indulging in playing out a little country romance.

Now I feel the need to clarify this by saying that Zelda has complicated feelings surrounding relationships and what's expected of her. I won't go too in depth because it'll come up in a future fic (if I every actually get round to writing it) so the TLDR is this: For the first time in a while Zelda has felt like she wants to pursue a romantic relationship with someone. However, she has convinced herself that Link doesn't actually reciprocate these feelings.

In her mind, she's let herself get comfortable with the idea of going on dates with the cute country vet. She's started to daydream about getting to know him better and getting to be known by him. She wants, for the first time in a long time, she wants.

But the timing is off.

So when we see her at the beginning of this chapter, standing in the rain and muttering to herself, she's actually giving herself a bit of a telling off. "So you don't get to be the main character in a cheesy romance novel. Grow up. It's okay. You're going to be okay"

(Also, just as we see that Link has a plan for their final meeting "Bring the medicine, check on the dog, see Zelda, say goodbye to Zelda, try to be charming so Zelda doesn’t think he’s weird, manage a suave goodbye so the last memory she has of him won’t be him having to run off to deal with a goat emergency, and then leave." Zelda ALSO had one. "Take Naru to the vets for a check up, see Link, show that I can be a normal person who doesn't start crying over my dog eating a chocolate cake or an earring, be cute and charming so his last memory of me isn't fumblingly trying to ask for his number, and leave" - only when Zelda went to the surgery she saw that he wasn't there and, well, that scuppered that plan.)

So she's a little preoccupied with trying to sort out her dog and her luggage and her emotions when Dr Wolfe shows up out of nowhere!

 “What an unexpected surprise” she said, feigning a smile “I’d offer you in for a cup of coffee but as you can see I’m…” she trailed off, eyes casting down to look at her feet.

She fully wasn't expecting to see him. She was dealing with the fact that she wasn't going to get a proper goodbye from him and then dealing with the fact that she maybe shouldn't be allowed to be upset about that because they've only met a handful of times and it's not like she means anything to him.

But he's here, with her prescription, which causes the little hopeful voice she's been trying to smother to pipe up and say "maybe he wants you to stay as much as you want to stay?"

And then he mentions that he's just doing his job.

Now we get to see Link's thoughts here but Zelda doesn't have that luxury. We know that it's just an excuse to see her again but... well.

“Of course,” she murmured, shoulders drooping a little as if the idea that he was only there for business hurt her in some way. 

It hurts. In the small moments before, she lets herself think that there is something else here, that maybe he might actually like her back, but those are dashed and the "reasonable" part of her says "of course he's doing something nice, he's a good person. You're not special."

After that they fall into their little back and forth before it's time to for her to actually leave.

“Link…” she started, [...] She looked like she wanted to say something more, her thoughts visibly dancing in her eyes. He wanted to ask her what was on her mind, to get her to open up to him. She worked up the courage to speak, a large intake of breath to steady her thoughts. And as she spoke he knew it wasn’t all that she wanted to say.

“Thank you.”

Zelda wants, in this moment, to stay. She doesn't want to go without at least making sure that Link is partially aware of her feelings. She wants to say "I'll miss you" she wants to ask "Can I come back?" or "Would you like it if I came back?" or "Is there a place for me here in Ordon with you? do I have something to come back for?". She wants to tell him that he's made her time in Ordon a happy one, that getting to meet him has made her feel things that she hasn't felt in years. But all she can make herself say is "Thank you."

Thank you for looking out for Naru. Thank you for comforting me. Thank you for playing fetch in the park with us and bringing us the medicine and just being so kind and lovely and You!

And then it's over. Link gives her the jar with the goat's milk and wishes her well and then it's goodbye. She gets into the taxi and drives off fully believing that she has missed her last chance at a romance with Dr Link Wolfe. Her biggest what if.

Thank you so much for this ask! It was a real pleasure to get to talk about Puppy Love and Zelda again. I promise I am working on the sequel but Retail at Christmas! so hopefully 2024 is the year we see these two finally go on their first date haha!

I hope you're having a wonderful time and Happy Holidays!!

[ladybellissima]

Forgotten Love

Botw Link x Reader

Peacefully birds flew across the wide fields of hyrule. No harm in sight since Calamity Ganon was finally defeated. Slowly the land was recovering from the damage, but their people were beyond happy and relieved of finally being able to travel again. And finally having their beautiful Princess back. It felt surreal for Zelda being alive. She felt overwhelmed to see her land bloom again and couldn't wait to start her new adventure. Much to her relief with her lovely guard, Link….if he was there. Quite ironic. Wasn't it the princess herself who prefered being alone, than having him following her. Chuckling about the thought she shook her head slightly of thinking about him. He didn't change in the slightest. Still got his head in the clouds, even more after having more freedom.

For Link, life should be better now, but honestly it wasn't. The heavy burden of clearing the land from evil finally fell off of his shoulders, nevertheless he felt intriguid. Like something was wrong, not right or maybe missing. An unfulfilled task? He started to travel again, focussed on gossip for informations, but everything was fine. Even if he should be happy about it, it honestly felt exhausting. Frustrated he stopped at a hill and watched the sunset at the distance. Sighing he took a seat to have a short rest, while his mind was racing with complicated thoughts.

''How beautiful…'', he whispered with a weak smile, trying hard to focus on the calm moment. Maybe he got it all wrong and it was just a missing memory that he didn't found yet. Making him restless and impatient to find it.

''I should ask Impa…'', he thought, while his serious gaze wandered across the beautiful landscape. Slowly the young knight prepared himself for his next destination. Kakariko Village.

Link was sure. Impa would be able to give him some advice about his worries. After all she was helping him with his memories in the first place.

''Maybe i am just imagine things and there is nothing.''

It took him quite awhile to get to the small village, aware that he again skipped his task at guarding Zelda.

"She will be angry. Definately.", Link chuckled to himself, while thinking of her endless complaining in not telling her what was on his mind. How should he talk about something, he couldn't really explain himself? On top she went through a lot and need recovery. "Better she stays at our new built base, than traveling around hyrule. I am sure she is fine.", Link whispered stressed, while going forward.

He trusted in her abilities and gave her more freedom. Something she always longed for and was now able to slowly experience. Still as a Champion and personal guard it was his duty to protect her and follow her orders. He felt bad for leaving her behind.

She was lonely.

Sure was afraid to lose him. He could relate how empty and terrifying she must felt after realizing that every dear one was now just a memory. He was the only one, she was able to talk to about the past.

And again he felt overwhelmed by his uncomfortable thoughts. ''Is it because i miss the company of the others?..their support…or do i miss something else…'', a starting headache let him push these thoughts aside, while finally reaching Impa's house. Slowly stepping before her, she gave him a warm smile of his visit.

''Link. What a pleasure. What brings you here? How is your life with the princess going?'', her raspy voice called out to him.

Uneasy he watched the old lady, while scratching his head in frustration. In an instant she could feel that something was wrong. ''Tell me.'', she ordered and watched him with curious eyes. Link sighed and sat down in front of her.

''Honestly i am not really sure myself. I thought that i got my memories back, but there is this feeling deep inside my heart that something is missing. It's quite bothering me.. I don't know…are there any unfullfilled tasks i have to finish?..did i miss something important?'', he whispered uneasy, while avoiding her intense look on him. Impa's eyes widened for a moment. Realization hit her hard, after listening to the hero's words. Her mind was racing, thinking of a way to explain him his situation.

''Impa? Is something wrong?'', Link watched her with an worried expression.

''Link…i am so sorry..how could we forget….'', she started, while a tear rolled down her face. Indeed there was still something unfullfilled. Quickly Link got back up to his feet with a horrified expression.

''Oh dear. What's wrong. Please don't cry!'', he stuttered helplessly. but stopped after meeting her sudden serious expression. Quickly she wiped the tears off of her cheeks, while sighing deeply. Pressing her hand against her chest to calm her racing heartbeat.

''(Y/N)…''

For a moment it seemed time stood still. Link's eyes widened for a moment, after hearing this mysterious name. ''(Y/N)…'', he whispered himself, thrilled how familiar this name sounded.

''I am not surprised that you feel a deep hole in your heart. A missing piece to get back to your old self. It was an order to stay quiet about her to protect her for any harm. (Y/N)… I am really sorry for that Link…We had to focus on saving Hyrule. This wasn't part of your mission..'', she watched him ashamed.

Link couldn't believe what he was listening to. The puzzle was starting to get solved and he was furious. How could they do that to him, after what he had been through?

''That's not a reason to hold back important informations. Getting my memories back was part of it..and not only the important ones….'', he said annoyed.

''I know Link…i know…but we didn't know if she would be in the same state as you and how her condition would affect you in your actions..so mamy things were troubeling us…it got out of hand..", Impa explained and made Link's look narrow slightly, but soon it turned frustrated. As hard as it was. To be successful was more important. They were right.

"Back before the war had started, you were announced to be the guard of the princess. You and the other Champions were the best warriors of Hyrule and we, the sheikah tribe were helping you in every way possible. There was this one girl of our tribe. She was helping with organizing your missions, caring for injuries to support Mipha and she was searching for informations to get better weapons. Her name was (Y/N) and if you would ask me, i would say you two were quite close. And you madly in love with her.'', she smiled softly, watching the shocked hero amused.

Link's face was burning. He would leave and hide somewhere of embarrassment, but he wanted to know more.

''How i missed those days, where you always came here to Kakariko Village and tried to speak with her or just be by her side. It was so adorable. You placed flowers at her doorstep and hid in the bushes, because you were too shy to confess. Hilarious.'', she laughed out loud and Link couldn't believe that he did that.

''And is there …..an happy end?'', he tried to change the subject, but Impa wasn't finished yet. She smirked. ''What do you think, young knight?'', she asked in a mocking tone. Link couldn't anwer and was a stuttering mess. It took him some time to calm down. How could he forget such overwhelming feelings for someone? Such precious memories? In a way Link felt kind of numb.

''Why does it matter…after forgetting such an important person in my life, i wouldn't deserve her anyway. I am glad that i was allowed to experience such feelings…'', he watched the ground hurt. Silently Impa let out a deep sigh.

''You see. There was this festival at our village. You and the other Champions visited and had much fun. I can remember it like it was yesterday. (Y/N) was wearing a traditional kimono like every woman at this time and she looked breathtaking. You couldn't speak without to stutter, because of her beauty. Defeated by your shyness you wanted to leave, but after watching that another boy was speaking to her and started to get close to her, you changed completely. Furious you took (Y/N)'s hand and told the boy that she belongs to you. And that wasn't all, you…''

''I dragged her away from the crowd and told her how i loved her…i remember…'', he finished Impa's explanation and touched his lips. The memories flodded back to his mind. Her beautiful eyes…hair…body…everything on her was perfect. The feeling of his jealousy, his anger and his deep love for her. The feeling of her lips on his…..the moment they confessed to each other…it was amazing…it was..

''What happened to (Y/N)…'', he asked with a demanding tone. Impa's expression got serious. ''Calamity Ganon appeared…you know what happened with you and the others. (Y/N) got hurt as well…it was terrible. I decided to let her sleep and regain her health like you..'', she explained serious.

''So she is alive!!!!'', Link shouted surprised, but stopped of Impa's serious gaze.

''I think so young hero.. Back then we found her hurt and about to die, but we were able to bring her to a shrine in hope to save her. Zelda ordered that we let her sleep, till the time is right. Sure Zelda was about to tell you soon, after handling the chaos out there…'', Impa explained and felt relieved that she was able to help with Link's memories.

''She didn't tell me anything…She always speaks about how beautiful everything is now and about our future..'', Link growled in frustration, but stopped in his tracks after feeling Impa's hand on his shoulder.

''Link…she knows about your love for her. But Zelda is frustrated, because there is still so much damage…so much despair out there….it's overwhelming. She needs your support..don't be frustrated…'', Impa tried to calm him down. Link thought about the new circumstances. She was right. He knew that Zelda wanted to rebuilt everything as fast as possible. Help everyone. On the other hand, he also had planned to find the last shrines. He would have found (Y/N) sooner or later by himself. Still keeping memories from him, even if they were overwhelmed by the destruction of the war, felt like a betrayal.

Sighing deeply, Link brushed through his blond locks to calm his nerves. He was glad that he knew the reason of his feelings now. It would have been awkard to find her at a shrine and don't know how to handle the situation. Now he was prepared. And kind of relieved. Excited, but also relieved.

''Yeah Impa, it's okay. I am glad that i know the truth… I am happy to hear that i am able to see her again. How can i find her?'', he asked ready to find his forgotten love.

Impa was happy to hear the hero's enthusiasm and explained him the way to the shrine. Impatient Link left to find her. Ready and burning with curiosity, he started to travel torwards his goal. Day, Night, rain or a storm, nothing was holding him back.

After days of traveling he finally reached a mysterious shrine, hidden, deep in the mountains of Gerudo Highlands. Exhausted of the cold weather at night he stepped into the tube and got inside. His heart started to beat faster and his mind was racing. Step after step he came closer. But also got more and more uneasy. He was curious to find his missing memory, his missing piece in life, but how would things turn out? Watching every detail of his surroundings, Link caught sight of a familiar blue light. Eyes widened and mouth agape he watched the young beauty before him. There she was, lying in a tub of blue elixir and sleeping peacefully. He couldn't believe that he kissed a girl like her. She was breathtaking. Even more beautiful in reality. And by her condition, alive and well.

"Thank the goddesses…she is alright..", he whispered slightly shaken of his next actions. Nervous he touched her cheek and felt the warm and comfortable feeling again. Link couldn't believe that he was able to have her back, but then he froze in the spot of realization.

Would she remember?

Would she still love him?

If he hadn't got his memory back and met her, he sure would have fallen for her again, but the way around? Chuckling and shaking his head slightly of his troublesome thoughts, he was more than motivated to find out.

"I will do anything"

Carefully he leaned down and whispered her name into her ear to wake her up.

"Keep you protected.."

The tension got unbearable.

''….''

Link's eyes widened and he stared at the young beauty, who stirred slightly of his presence.

Slowly she moved and he was met with beautiful irritated eyes.

He didn't care, if she wouldn't know him, if she forgot about their love and he was a stranger to her, he would do it all again. Presents at the doorstep. Visits to see her as much as possible.

''(Y/N)!'', he smiled brightly.

''You are awake!''….

Win her heart all over again.

[zeldaelmo]

20 Questions For Fic Writers

Tagged by my wonderful friend @bahbahhh.

__

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

77

2. What's your total AO3 word count?

484,215

My goal for 2023 was to hit the 500,000 and I'm positive I'll reach it.

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Legend of Zelda, all games apart from Zelda I, II, and Minish Cap (because I haven't played them so far)

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

How to name a royal child

Stolen Kisses

Strangers in the Night

It's in his Kiss

Flour, water, salt, yeast, love

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

Uh... in theory, I do. I love getting comments but I often feel stupid saying ten times 'thank you' in a row, so I end up answering mostly when I have something to say.

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

That would be Lonely at the Top. I don't really write angsty endings, but this one is hurt/no comfort as it tackles Link visiting the Light Dragon who doesn't even react to him.

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

Hm...I'm not too fond of the fanfic version of the perfect happy ending, namely, proposal, sappy wedding, and omg, twins!, mainly because I love the nuance life teaches us. What a happy ending for a fic and a character is, is so often much more different than the fairy tale version.

That being said, I'd still go with Strangers in the Night, just because the two worked so damn hard for their happy ending.

8. Do you get hate on fics?

Hate is a big word, but I get negative comments and sometimes they are even personal, yes. Most people are lacking reading competence and/or don't understand how stories work. I mostly ignore those. Sometimes I complain on discord if it's very annoying. If someone insults me, I block.

I don't think that has to do so much with me, though. I have 1,346 comment threads on my stories. Of course, there are some idiots among them, that's life.

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

Yes, occasionally. I think ten of 77 fics are explicit. Look, the thing is, I'm a story teller. So if the smut doesn't add to the story, I don't tell it. Rule of thumb is, that I keep it to a T-rating if possible to make the story accessible to most people. I only go for explicit stuff if I want to deliver some part of the character development/plot with the intimacy (or the lack of lol) that the smut offers.

Does that get me the most Kudos? No. But I'm not here for that or I wouldn't bother writing for 30 years old games. I'm here to tell a good story and have fun. :)

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

No. If you've read so far, I can tell you a secret as a reward: I find crossovers pointless. Ooops.

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! But I'd love to! Big fan of accessibility!

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

No. I've seen a few writing collabs end in fandom drama or otherwise go awry, so I decided that I only collab with artists. I might try with something short one day, but nothing novel-length.

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

Take a guess.

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

Ah, so I have a half-written novel in my drafts. A story about writer!Zelda and fanartist!Link who are also princess and beloathed bodyguard. I'm very determined to go back to that one after I finished The Promise, but I'm a little scared. The story is complicated and my thoughts are chaotic. I already asked @mistresslrigtar to help me work it out next year, so I hope we'll manage.

16. What are your writing strengths?

Dialogue and showing what's going on in the character's head who's not the POV character.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

I struggle with simplicity sometimes, mainly because of the language barrier. I write something that's horribly complicated and I just know there must be a better way to put it, but I can't figure it out. Grammar is hard, lads.

I also have a weird relationship with descriptions. I love having characters interact with their environment but I loath big chunks of description. I plan to work on this during my traditional holiday self-study break.

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

This is a weirdly specific question, but ok.

If you don't happen to write a book that's supposed to teach beginners the other language, then don't. You might end up othering the person who's speaking and that's something you don't want to dabble with lightly.

I already talked about accessibility: You will exclude people from your writing and you don't want that just to sound cool. If you must for plot reasons, make otherwise sure everyone is on board. Slightly different case if you actively hide something from your readers (and other characters), but that's probably not the most common case.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

LoZ

20. Favorite fic you've ever written?

I refuse to answer this. 77 fics are too much to choose from. I love most of them.

_

tagging: @mistresslrigtar, @airplanned, @jenseits-der-sterne, @silentprincess17, @deiliamedlini, @skyyknights

[linklewinklewoman]

Linkle BOTW drabble

You were born on a farm.

You raised cuccos. A small job, but important. You made your living selling eggs and cucco meat. Nothing glamorous. But you were happy. In your free time, you imagined fighting monsters and going off to great far off places.

Monsters attacked your village. You weren't helpless. Those games served as training. You were pretty good. You did so well that most the monsters were dead by the time the guards came. Not a single wound, not a single death. The guards were impressed.

It happens several times, monsters usually attacked fringe settlements. But you were the stalwart protector. You helped people without hesitation, fought with courage. Even the king has heard of your skill. He asks you come have an audience. Of course you don't say no. He was born as the ruler of Hyrule.

You were born on a farm.

And so you come. You are younger than he had assumed. He asks you who your parents are, but you say they are gone. The wolves got them. He explains that he wants to see your skill himself, a fight against guards of his own. You beat them a little too easily. Then he asks you to fight for him.

He assigns you as the guard of his daughter, Princess Zelda. The offer is exciting and terrifying. He impresses that he isn't doing this just because you are strong. it was because you had courage many lacked and a desire to help people without reward. He trusts someone like you with his daughter's life. How could you say no?

The guards don't like you. A young cucco girl guarding the princess? Does she think they are better than them? The princess doesn't have a high opinion of her either. She has other worries though so a single guard probably doesn't matter in all her worries. It's okay. You made a promise to protect her. You will do it. You aren't here for politics. You don't think of complicated stuff. You weren't born for that.

You were born on a farm.

The princess has been frustrated. Her father demands she focus on her duties and not the Sheikah technology she professes will help Hyrule. The princess is told she must follow destiny. She feels like she doesn't measure up. And she takes it out on you. She is sure you look down on her for all this. It's not true, but how could you explain it all? All you can do is follow and protect her no matter what.

It gets worse. Something happens. You'd think drawing the Hero's sword would be a cause of celebration, but the princess takes it hard. Here she is trying so hard to gain sacred power and you stumble across your own destiny. How dare you make her feel so worthless? You let her rage. You understand from your time with her how frustrating it was for her. You know she deserves more and wish you could help her.

Things started to change after you saved her from an assassination. She is softer with her words, fusses over your injuries. You even helped her have a little fun catching frogs. She is surprised you take part with your past of refusing to leave as she asked. But this is old hat to you really.

You were born on a farm.

You were asked a question. What if you realized you didn't want to fight. That you wanted something else. But you were told that you were obligated to use what you had to fight. What would you do? The words hit harder than you know. What if she wasn't meant to be a warrior? What if you were pulled from what you were best at? Unfortunately, doubt is long since passed. You are the protector of the princess. You made a choice.

The calamity comes before the princess is ready, but she faces it still. You are at her side. It's terrifying, but you must protect her. It's painful to see the other champions fall. But it's all you can do to protect the princess. You run with her, trying to find safety as you hear them coming.

You fought bravely. The only thing keeping you upright is your desire to protect her. She is scared for you, but she matters more. You won't fall until she is safe. The last thing you remember before falling back though is a bright light coming from the princess. She has done it. You are happy for her. Everything is going black. Dying in this end of days, how could you know you'd die here? After all...

You were born on a farm.

You wake up, but something is strange. How did you get in this cave? Where are you? Who are you? You have no memories. But as you leave the cave, you hear a voice. A voice that grips you by the heart. You don't know the name of this voice, but you have to save her. She is important to you, you can feel it. You will save her. You promise it.

Where are you from?

[totkdaily]

Day 101: The Dragon, and the Depths

Zelda - the Light Dragon - leaves me at the Temple of Time just as the morning bell is ringing. 

I watch her fly away. I hope she knows that her task is complete. I hope she feels peace. 

I suppose I should head to Purah. That final vision I was chasing seems less important now. I have found the Princess. I have found the Sword. What matters now is stopping the Demon King. 

Purah suspects he's hiding in the Depths - which means following up with Josha. 

Josha's research is pointing at the Eastern chasms, near Lanayru. She says that statues of the Zora will point the way. 

Time to go. 

I drop down the chasm at Kakariko Village, and fortunately land right next to a Zora statue. I begin to follow the trail. 

How can…? That giant crab monster that we fought in Death Mountain is down here. I give it a wide berth, and don't feel safe until I've made it to Takaruk Lightroot. There's a flying machine ahead - I remember that Josha's research had been tracking the Yiga. I bet they're here too. 

Not quite yet, though. This is just an outpost on a cliff, and they don't spot us passing. 

The trail leads past another Yiga outpost, and I consider stopping to destroy it - but it looks complicated, and I suspect I have bigger fish to fry. Onwards. 

I reach Kegopa Lightroot. I've been running in the dark for almost a day. Surely I must be almost at the end of the trail?