#the legend of zelda: true persona

[hopeymchope]

I'm curious, what do you imagine a Persona style Legend of Zelda would look like?

Ooh, I love a weird geeky mental exercise like this. So here's my concept for

The Legend of Zelda: True Persona

(......see 'cause the "Shin" in "Shin Megami Tensei" is written as "真" which means "True," so like... I did a thing there.)

Maybe this is stating the obvious, but: We play as Link. Of course. The Persona default has long been to play as a male protagonist who we control dialogue choices for but rarely hear them, and that's totally in line with how Link has been portrayed recently, so there's no need to reinvent the wheel. (If we wanted to do a later "The Legend of Zelda: True Persona Golden/Royal/Whatevs, we could always introduce the wrinkle of playable Linkle.... omg, I didn't even realize what I was doing before I typed that. The WRINKLE of LINKLE. Fuck?)

Persona and SMT have always had turn-based combat, but TLoZ has always had real-time action combat. Since this is first and foremost a Zelda title, I think it's important to maintain the latter. HOWEVER... ! That doesn't mean we can't have RPG-like stats for our hero. Zelda II even gave us a precedent for that in the series. Think something like "Ys" — action role-playing where you can still get stat boosts from equippable gear/weapons + can level up through your battles. And yes, this DOES mean we won't have an RPG-style party with us.

We're going to include the emphasis on side quests and side characters that the most recent all-ne Zelda games, but now we can turn them into social links/confidants! It'll be fun to guide Link through bonding activities with various recurring Zelda characters. We're going into combat ALONE, though, so there's going to be extra emphasis on how certain Arcana will give us special powers/boosts and stat increases for our Link.

Balancing your time and schedule is a core component of modern Persona that's hard to replicate if we stick with the current Open World structure in Zelda's newest games, because Open World games typically have an always-moving clock whereas Persona is heavily dependent upon having the clock only advance when you do an activity. And being Open World also means you can inherently do TONS of activities while just wandering around, so uh... let's dial back to before the era of "BotW/TotK" a bit. MEANING: Each day will include, say, four blocks of time? You start out at Link's house, and you can use your blocks of time however you like, choosing from your available activities.

BUT WAIT! What are those aforementioned "available activities" each day?

I see options including:

Working Out to increase physical stats

Studying to increase magic stats. Yes, we're studying magic my lads, because we're bringing back magic spells from Link to the Past/Ocarina of Time and such + integrating those spells with the ability to equip a "rod"-style weapon to help us casually throw magic as in BotW/TotK. (Using the TotK system of magic being either fire, electric, ice, or water also lets us apply elemental weaknesses to our enemies, just like in Persona.)

Spending time with confidants. Just imagine: Princess Zelda as Empress, Malon as Priestess, Impa as Temperance, Tingle as Devil, Purah as Moon, Kaepora Gaebora as Hierophant, Linebeck as Sun, Mutoh as Hanged Man, I could do this all day!

Fighting through the dungeons. Of course there's going to be eight major dungeons, and these will be focused on providing some of that good ol' Zelda-style combat; the kind we used to see in OoT, Majora's Mask, Wind Waker, Twilight Princess — you get the jist. Puzzles to solve and enemies to beat on, but these dungeons will probably have to be larger than your typical Zelda dungeon because, well, we want them to be able to last multiple days. The new emphasis on RPG-type stats means that enemies will obviously scale up in stats whenever you move into a new dungeon. And completing a given dungeon will ALSO unlock the ability for you to explore new floors within.... *drumroll*

Exploring the giant multi-level "dungeon." You know the drill: Persona had Tartarus and Mementos. Zelda had stuff like The Tower of the Gods (Spirit Tracks), Temple of the Ocean King (Phantom Hourglass), and even The Depths (TotK). So it stands to reason that having a gigantic multi-level dungeon to explore would work here. I'm thinking we're leaning more towards the Temple of the Ocean King/Tower of the Gods template; a huge multi-level facility that either spirals into the sky or down into the Earth, probably going about 100 floors. At the end of it all? Our final boss showdown.

Of course we'll earn rupees + new equipment and weapons throughout our dungeon excursions. And we'll be able to visit Beedle's Shop, where we can find gear for sale that we might've missed out on in the dungeons as well as spare arrows and bombs to carry. There'll also be Rohan, the Goron blacksmith who can refine our weapons and shields, making them stronger... given we provide him with adequate money and materials.

The hardest thing for me to figure out has been how to use Personas on Link himself. I mean, sure - we can have enemies randomly drop cards for their own Personas, and each standard Zelda enemy is tied to an Arcana of course. But what then? I think you can summon one of these at a time as "familiars" in dungeons, maybe. Sorta like how Symphony of the Night or Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night use familiars, y'know - characters near you who can also deal damage but can't take damage. They exists similar to the "Vows" in Tears of the Kingdom.

Aaaaaaaaaand that's probably enough for now. I've already gone on too long, lol. I hope you enjoyed this concept, though.

[bulbagarden]

Opinion: Scarlet and Violet are Pokémon's Queerest Games Yet (Bulbanews)

Hi it's Lisia here!! The following is an opinion piece from one of our staff members, Torchic W. Pip!! Blanc and I both loved this and like... we had to share it here LOL.

Pokémon was my queer awakening. I had silly little crushes on male and female characters alike, and I resonated with many of the designs of the series’s more gender nonconforming designs. Pokémon has always had a wink and a nod to queerness: Jessie and James’s genderbending antics, Beauty Nova in X and Y, Blanche from Pokémon GO… the list goes on. But with Scarlet and Violet, queerness shines bright as celestial stars.

“But wait!” you might say. “Scarlet and Violet has no canonical gay or trans characters! How can this thesis make sense?” Well, queer representation need not be explicit to be impactful. Sometimes, the stories queer people resonate with most are told through metaphor, from the misfits in Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer to X-Men to Luca and Gwen Stacy. The roots of this trace back to a history of censorship. LGBTQ+ stories have been historically censored, such as with the Hays Code. Queer people have long been unable to see stories with explicitly queer characters, so they instead turned to metaphors and symbolism. Gender nonconformity is also nothing new to the scene of video games. Metroid, Legend of Zelda, Final Fantasy, and Guilty Gear are just some of the games that play with our expectations of gender. It’s also nothing new to Pokémon. East Asian media tends to depict transness and gender nonconformity differently from the West, but for more on that, I'll direct you to this video.

Even before the release of Scarlet and Violet, gender nonconformity shined through. Take a character like Grusha, for example, who many mistook for a girl when he was first introduced. It goes a little deeper than that, though. “Grusha” is Russian for “pear”, but it’s also a diminutive for the name “Agrafena”... a female Russian name. Whether or not it was intentional, it does add an extra layer of nonconformity to Grusha. Another character with some queercoded elements is Iono: Her color palette evokes the colours of the trans flag, and her Magnemite headpieces evoke an explicitly genderless Pokémon. Baggy clothes are common among many transgender people. Her friend Bellibolt is a frog, and many frogs in real life can change their sex. In Japanese, she speaks with a Bokukko speech pattern (a girl using the masculine “boku”), which is often used for plucky characters, but also nonconforming characters. All of Iono’s names across translations evoke themes of questions. On top of all that… well, the Vtubing scene is, from personal experience, very queer. All of my friends who watch VTubers are queer in some way. More seriously, creating a persona where you can let your true self shine in a way that regular society won't allow you to... that's pretty queer.

With the release of the games, we’ve seen a wide array of characters—Rika, Saguaro, Penny, and all of the leaders of Team Star, among others—showcase a wide range of gender expressions, either in their appearances, their personalities, or their hobbies. And all of these characters are seen as heroes, as role models.

As with games before, there are two characters with queer subtext in their relationship. Hassel and Brassius have been seen by many as being in a gay relationship, bonding over a love of art, supporting each other in dark times, and giving each other pet names. Even if it's not outright stated that they're in a romantic relationship, their care for each other is a beautiful thing. Many gay coded relationships are often of younger men or women, and while these relationships are important, it's also important for older gay couples to receive some of the spotlight. After all, queer people have always existed, and it's important to remember our past and honor those who came before us, who helped paved the path to acceptance.

For the first time in a mainline game, the player character can choose any clothes, hair style, and so on regardless of gender. While the player can still only choose between being referred to by masculine or feminine terms, this is a step in the right direction, and it opens the door for many opportunities never seen before. Boys can be feminine, girls can be masculine, and both can be anywhere in between. The world of gender expression is as big as the open world of Paldea.

But back to Team Star. The whole Team Star path is one big, queer metaphor. Think about it: kids are bullied for how they dress or act, these misfits band together and retaliate against their bullies, finding a sort of family in each other, villains who turn out to be just the opposite… It’s a story that, in some way or form, can resonate with many kids who have, sadly, dealt with homophobia or transphobia in school. The path is a story about righting what’s wrong, about making the world a more accepting place.

Scarlet and Violet is a game about shining bright in the sky with other stars, about being your true self. Its themes are deeply resonant with the queer experience. At the end of the Team Star path, you battle Penny, whose ace Pokémon is trans flag-coloured Sylveon, and as she Terastilizes her partner, she says, “Shine bright like the starry sky and become who you really want to be!” So shine bright, trainers, and be your true self.

Oh, and of course, Quaquaval is the queer icon of all time.

[Torchic W. Pip is a Bulbanews writer with a focus on music, merchandise, and spin-off games. They're also a fanfiction author and moderator of the Writer's Workshop subforum. Outside of writing, Torchic is studying music theory and linguistics, and his favorite games are X/Y and Omega Ruby/Alpha Sapphire.]

[wizard-finix]

Ao3 tag game!

THANKS @ragecndybars FOR THE TAG I APPRECIATE IT

*cracks knuckles* lets do this

How many works do you have on AO3?

24 works! I would have never expected to have that many 5 years ago, hahaha

What's your total AO3 word count?

186,291! oh wow, almost 200k!! (unsurprisingly PT minato takes up over a third of that LMAO)

How many fandoms have you written for, and what are they?

10 fandoms! I'm counting Persona 3, 4, and 5 and separate, but I'm grouping all the Zelda fandoms together since it's all Linked Universe fic.

Here's the breakdown!

The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms (6)

Persona 5 (5)

Persona 3 (5)

SPY x FAMILY (Anime) (3)

Wizard101 (Video Game) (3)

SPY x FAMILY (Manga) (3)

Runescape (Video Games) (3)

Pirate101 (Video Game) (3)

Persona 4 (2)

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild/Tears of the Kingdom (2)

Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood & Manga (1)

Star Wars - All Media Types (1)

The Legend of Zelda: Hyrule Warriors (1)

Top five fics by kudos:

The Ghost of Mementos/Stygian Ringlet (Persona3/5) - to the surprise of absolutely no one, since this is currently my longest fic. I'm very happy with Stygian Ringlet being the top because I love my boys :)

True Crime Special on the Midnight Channel (Persona 4/5) - my Ren has a TV Dungeon fic! also very proud of the dungeon concept for this one, I really need to finish the last two chapters

Dark Clouds on the Horizon (Linked Universe/TOTK) - I feel like this one got a lot of momentum partially because it was directly in the wake of TOTK's release, but I'm happy with how it turned out :)

Strangers Are Just Friends You Haven't Met (Persona 3/SPY x FAMILY) - this was a collab series with mewrose and a few others in the marigolds discord! we were throwing ideas at the wall to see what stuck and I really had a lot of fun with Shinjiro-related prompts, because I LOVE him and hitting him with the isekai baseball bat into a universe with Anya brings me great joy

Salt Tears and Raindrops (Linked Universe/TOTK) - directly related to Dark Clouds, and I'm glad people enjoyed good ol' fashioned angst >:) (I do need to post more of my wips, I do have a couple more roleswap AU wips that I want to post)

Do you respond to comments?

Yes! I almost always do because I really appreciate them and its my way of saying thanks for the comment! If I don't comment it's because I lost track of it or because I can't think of a response.

What's the fic with the angstiest ending you've ever written?

Probably Salt Tears and Raindrops. I was in a Mood and decided to go for the tried-and-true method of putting fictional characters I like through the emotional wringer. That's how I got the rough draft for this fic :)

Do you write crossovers?

*looks at my persona fics and recent LU fics*

...I think it's safe to say most of my fics these days fall under crossovers lmao

Have you ever gotten hate on a fic?

I wouldn't say I have? One or two comments that came off as rude, but no actual hate, thankfully. If I did, I forgot about it. I've been blessed by wonderfully nice readers <3

Do you write smut?

Nope. I don't read it, so I wouldn't know how to write it anyway.

Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I know of? I sure hope not.

I have seen a couple short fics slightly imitate Ghost of Mementos though, which I thought was really sweet that they liked it enough to inspire their own writing.

Have you ever had a fic translated?

Nope, but I'd definitely be open to it!

What’s your all-time favorite ship?

RYOMINA. Hands down. I love them so much, I am so mentally unwell about these two

What’s a WIP that you want to finish, but don’t think you ever will?

My two Runescape fics, Whispers in the Temple and Welcome to the Jungle. I absolutely loved going hogwild with rewriting old quests in Runescape, but I psyched myself out of Welcome to the Jungle because I got overly anxious about accidentally doing bad representation.

(in hindsight, it probably wouldn't have been as big a deal as I thought; it's hard to make it worse considering how bad Legend's Quest was with the british-african stereotypes. that quest DID NOT age well.)

I also want to finish Snake in the Grass; that was my first attempt at a genuine mystery plot and I really liked playing with Warriors in that fic in the context of the gang trying to figure out who the heck is trying to murder him.

What are your writing strengths?

I feel like I'm pretty good at dialogue! I try to make sure it matches the character's speech patterns and personality. Really well-written dialogue can tell you who's speaking without actually telling who it is. (For example, the way I write them: Minato speaks as few words as possible and has very little filter with his observations when he does share them, and Shinjiro is pretty rough around the edges, with shortened words and the occasional swear. Warriors is good with words and wit, but he has a certain military-esque directness and doesn't dance around the topic.)

I do try hard to keep the plot clear and understandable over everything else, so probably that as well.

Also, now that I think about it, maybe fight sequences? I don't do them much, but I do enjoy the challenge of making a clear sequence of what happens in a fight and trying to make it understandable. Fight sequences are easy to skip or gloss over, but I think of them like their own miniature plot. What happens? What surprises are there? What are their movesets? How do they get the upper hand? (and of course, what looks cool as fuck)

What are your writing weaknesses?

Time management. I tend to over-proofread since I beta my own work, and often I'll go back to tweak stuff if I had additional thoughts to add to it, or extra insight. Lately, it takes longer to write chapters than I'd like.

Also, dialogue-heavy scenes often get very chaotic in my WIPs because of the way I rough out fics. I'll throw together a bunch of dialogue bits I think would be cool to include, and sometimes they'll clash or get really messy, especially if there's lots of characters (looking at the latest two chapters of Stygian Ringlet)

What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fics?

I think it's cool! It adds flavor to fics. If it's more than one short phrase though, or if it's story important, then I do prefer that there is a translation in the author's notes. I haven't done any non-English dialogue in fics, save for one memorable adventure into trying to figure out how Latin grammar structure works for a character that didn't speak English.

What was the first fandom you ever wrote for?

Wizard101 and Pirate101. I was obsessed with those two for YEARS. I really, really liked pirate stories in high school, and having a cast of crewmates that accompany you throughout the game really inspired me to write my first fic featuring my OC. (I was also into One Piece at the time, but I never wrote for it.)

What’s your favorite fic you’ve written so far?

Stygian Ringlet. It's really dear to my heart. I have poured so much love and effort into that fic, and the reception on it has completely blown me away.

THANKS FOR THE TAG!! Uhhhmmm for tags I'm going to go with @skyward-floored, @catreginae and @breannasfluff (but only if you want to!! no obligation of course)

and of course any other writers that want to do it as well!! go forth

[tboyswagcompetition]

HERE IS OUR ROSTER!

EDIT: FINAL RESULTS (characters knocked out are greyed)

WINNER: SONIC THE HEDGEHOG!

There will be 80 participants in the tboy swag competition! I tried to pick a variety of characters from the nominations :) The bracket will be seeded (more popular characters will face off against less popular) and a list of character names, the series they're from, and the total number of nominations they received will be under the cut.

Voting will start tomorrow! (2/19/23)

EDIT:

here is the bracket so far:

Jesse Pinkman | Breaking Bad: 15

Danny Fenton | Danny Phantom: 10

Sonic | Sonic The Hedgehog: 10

Barney Guttman | Dead End Paranormal Park: 10

Dipper Pines | Gravity Falls: 8

Hunter | The Owl House: 8

Link | The Legend Of Zelda: 7

Apollo Justice | Ace Attorney: 6

Herbert West | Re-animator: 6

Mettaton | Undertale: 6

Kurapika | Hunter X Hunter: 5

Gomez Addams| The Addams Family: 4

Kim Kitsuragi | Disco Elysium: 4

The Scout | Team Fortress 2: 4

Will Graham | Hannibal: 4

James Bonde | Moriarty The Patriot: 4

Edward Elric | Fullmetal Alchemist: 4

Caspar Von Bergliez | Fire Emblem: 3

Peter Parker | Spider-Man: 3

Pete Conlan | Dimension 20: 3

Zuko | Avatar: The Last Airbender: 3

Dave Strider | Homestuck: 3

Mafuyu Asahina | Project Sekai: 3

Naoto Shirogane | Persona 4: 3

Leonardo | Rise Of The TMNT: 3

Leon S. Kennedy | Resident Evil: 3

Saiki Kusuo | The Disastrous Life Of Saiki K: 3

Reigen Arataka | Mob Psycho 100: 3

Miles Morales | Spider-Man: 3

James T. Kirk | Star Trek: 3

Len Kagamine | Vocaloid: 2

Casey Jones | Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2012): 2

Robin | Teen Titans: 2

Guzma | Pokemon: 2

Felix Hugo Fraldarius | Fire Emblem: 2

Chip | Just Roll With It: 2

Adam Faulkner-Stanheight | Saw: 2

Julian Bashir | Star Trek: 2

Alphonse Elric | Fullmetal Alchemist: 2

Shadow | Sonic The Hedgehog: 2

Shin | Dorohedoro: 2

Akito Shinonome | Project Sekai: 2

Ash Williams | Evil Dead: 2

Columbo | Columbo: 2

Benoit Blanc | Knives Out/Glass Onion: 2

Tsukasa tenma | Project Sekai: 2

Michael The Distortion | The Magnus Archives: 2

Robin | Fire Emblem: 1

Zagreus | Hades: 1

Yamato | One Piece: 1

Prompto Argentum | Final Fantasy XV: 1

Vash The Stampede | Trigun: 1

Vax'ildan | Critical Role: 1

Vanitas | Vanitas No Carte: 1

Blue | Pokemon: 1

Johnny Joestar | Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure: 1

N | Pokemon: 1

Shatterstar | X-Men: 1

Party Poison | The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys: 1

Ryuji Sakamoto | Persona 5: 1

Warabi | Splatoon: 1

Keaya | Genshin Impact: 1

Mont Leonis | War of the Visions Final Fantasy Brave Exvius: 1

Soren | Fire Emblem: 1

Teruki Hanazawa | Mob Psycho 100: 1

Percy Jackson | Percy Jackson & the Olympians: 1

Jotaro kujo | Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure: 1

Chai | Hi-Fi Rush: 1

Goro Akechi | Persona 5: 1

Dabi/Touya Todoroki | Boku No Hero Academia: 1

Laios | Dungeon Meshi: 1

Heinz Doofenshmirtz | Phineas And Ferb: 1

Puss In Boots | Shrek: 1

Galo Thymos | Promare: 1

Beast Boy | Teen Titans: 1

Ingo | Pokemon : 1

Emmet | Pokemon: 1

Ford Pines | Gravity Falls: 1

Stan Pines | Gravity Falls: 1

Luke Skywalker | Star wars: 1

[yippeetournament]

Yippee

The TBH Creature. Autism Creature. Yippee. Whatever you would like to call it. A creature on all fours, fuelled by Fortnite and Coca Cola. It has an ethereal vibe to it. A vibe that can also be found on many characters in media, be it described as "skrunklies", "goobers", "silly little guys", "runs on 2 braincells". All trace back to Yippee. But many have asked, who is the most skrunklo? Who's the silliest? Who has the most Yippee Energy?

Let's find out.

The Yippee Tournament

32 silly goobers. One absolute SKRUNKLY. Throughout this tournament each set will be voted by YOU (the viewer) as we find out together who has the makings of a true Yippee. Round 1 has ended. Go here to see round 2!

The contestants are:

Left side (from top to bottom):

Ty Lee (Avatar The Last Airbender)

Heropon Riki (Xenoblade Chronicles)

Blue Pikmin (Pikmin)

Luz Noceda (The Owl House)

Kuneko (Cassette Beasts)

Penny (Pokemon Scarlet/Violet)

Futaba (Persona 5)

Alula (Oneshot)

Gustavo (Pizza Tower)

Lancer (Deltarune)

White Seal Crew (A Hat In Time)

Klonoa (Klonoa)

Bunny (Zoobe.com)

Uee (PaRappa The Rapper Anime)

Sophie (Persona 5 Strikers)

Bridget (Guilty Gear Strive)

Right Side:

Mabel (Gravity Falls)

Espurr (Pokemon)

Medli (The Legend of Zelda The Windwaker)

Jerry Attricks (ScottTheWoz)

Kel (Omori)

PaRappa (PaRappa The Rapper)

Tiff (Kirby Right Back At Ya)

Nijika Ijichi (Bocchi The Rock!)

Sora (Kingdom Hearts)

Sena (Xenoblade Chronicles 3)

Super Mario

Papyrus (Undertale)

Chiyo Mihama (Azumanga Daioh)

Marcy Wu (Amphibia)

Hatsune Miku

Cassie (Five Nights at Freddy's Security Breach Ruin)

[geminiskulleta]

Fable - the mage

Link: The hero of Legend

Age: 19

• The most confident in herself, though sometimes can be seen as insensitive or stuck up.

• The most skilled in magic out of the group, but definitely not the most powerful. Knows a lot about how magic works and helps to teach Flora who struggles with harnessing her power since her magic is so incredibly strong.

• Like Legend, she has a strong personality and can come across as abrasive. She found it very hard at first to work with a team.

• She and Athena are very close. They usually plan out battles as they would be the most strategic Zeldas, but they would often butt heads as they can both be quite stubborn.

• The healer of the group. One of the physically weaker zeldas but when it comes to magic she can hold her own in a fight.

• she has a secret soft spot that comes out rarely, but would much rather keep up the confident and snarky persona as she isn’t a very emotional person and gets uncomfortable showing her true feelings.

• She rules her eras Hyrule all by herself and looks up to Lullaby, as in her time she was taught about how great a queen she was in school.

• figured out that she, Dusk and Tetra are all direct successors of lullaby but doesn’t understand how it is possible as she was unaware of the split in the timeline.

• Finds tetras antics hilarious much to suns dismay.

• Can sometimes take things such as banter too far but she will always own up to her mistakes and do all she can to apologise.

• Has telepathy, she can hear the others thoughts and communicate with them in their minds. Comes in very handy in a fight.

• if there is a secret in the group she’ll know about it, but will always keep her mouth shut. Nothing ever gets past her.

• She doesn’t appreciate Hylia very much for putting Link through so many adventures and causing her and the others so much suffering. Unlike the others she isn’t afraid to bring up the subject around sun.

Relationship With Link

• She and Legend are best friends and are extremely close, When they’re together they’re basically joined at the hip.

• They constantly have banter and get into silly arguments and debates (eg: is a tomato a fruit or vegetable?), to anyone else it would look like they hated each other but they care deeply about one another - even if they don’t show it.

• The two know everything there is to know about each other and if they sleep over at each others houses they will stay up late into the night and have deep and emotional conversations.

• Legend is the only person that Fable allows herself to fully open up to.

• She and legend will constantly steal each others clothes, and sometimes she even steals legend’s magical items. She gives ravio rupees every time to help with business (and to make sure he stays quiet)

• If they argue, no matter how heated, they’ll get over it in a day or two and apologise. She can’t stay mad at Legend.

• Sometimes Legend lets her paint his nails and do his make-up. She made him model her dresses once and he found that he liked it. Legend once caught her trying on his old hero outfit after calling his hat dumb. He has never let her live it down.

• When one of them finds a new book to read they will both get copies of it and geek out about it whenever they see eachother. They’re actually both huge nerds but pretend not to be.

[a-bit-too-much-of-a-zelda-fan]

What’s the evidence for SS/BOTW/TOTK/ST Zelink being the most canon? I firmly believe in all of them myself but I like hearing other’s takes on this topic so I’m just curious

Ooh, yeah, I'll get into this.

Skyward Sword: This is such a slam dunk. It's as explicit in the text as it can be without Zelda saying "Link, you are my boyfriend, I love you." Groose is jealous of Link for his closeness to Zelda. Throughout the series, Link has gone through hell and back to save the people he cares about, not necessarily love interests (his sister in Wind Waker, the Ordon kids in Twilight Princess, etc). However, consider what Zelda says to Link when they talk in the Sealed Temple:

"I knew that if it meant saving Zelda, you would throw yourself headfirst into any danger, without even a moment's doubt."

She groomed him to be the chosen hero by baiting him with the person he loved most. Then, later:

"While it's true that I am Hylia reborn, I'm still my father's daughter and your friend... I'm still your Zelda"

She does say "friend," but this is the fledgling start of their romance. After the wing ceremony and Link and Zelda are flying together, she was a hair's breadth from admitting her true feelings for him. That's right there in the text. And come on, tell me "I'm still your Zelda" isn't loaded with deeper-than-friendship meaning. This is the kind of language that is absent in most Zelda games.

BotW/TotK: This is the next biggest slam dunk. Zelda could not for the life of her awaken her divine powers through prayer and practice. What finally activated them was a moment of desperation to save the person she loved: Link. Further, her journal details how close the two are personally. Closeness does not necessarily mean romance, but it is conducive to it. Link is comfortable enough are her to actually speak, which was originally nearly impossible from the trauma caused by the pressure to be her appointed knight and the Hylian Champion. Let's also not forget the look she gave him after he saved her from the Yiga assassins.

Now, that's all just in BotW. TotK easily cements it. Link and Zelda live together. They're in their early 20s living in the same house, a house with only one bed. Come on. That's solid proof right there that at the very least, SOMETHING is going on.

Spirit Tracks: This is less solid than the other two but still more explicit than the other 18 games in the series. The very first time Link lays eyes on Zelda, he blushes and audibly gasps. He is straight up taken aback by how attractive she is. He also blushes later when she hugs him. Oh yeah, the hug. The first thing she does once she has her body back is hug him. Then at the very end, as they watch the Lokomo depart from Hyrule and ascend to another realm, they hold hands. The devs specifically modeled hands for Zelda so they could hold hands. Come on. Confirmed.

If anything, I feel more strongly that other Zelinks aren't likely. Note that these are predicated on the idea that Link going to great lengths to save her is not necessarily indicative of romantic feelings. Skyward Sword is different because Hylia targeted Link for it. Anyway:

The Legend of Zelda: Zero chemistry. They only meet at the end.

The Adventure of Link: Zero chemistry. They only meet at the end.

A Link to the Past/Oracle of Seasons/Oracle of Ages: Barely any interaction, no indication they're more than acquaintances or, at best, friends.

Ocarina of Time/Majora's Mask: Okay, this is maybe the strongest case here. Link does spend a fair deal of time with Zelda/Sheik. In Link's later interactions with the Sheik persona, he actually tries to chase after her. Is this because he simply wants a friend? Or has he developed feelings for this mysterious young man? Man, OoT is startlingly sparse on textual evidence for Link's feelings. The writers get closer to establishing something in MM, what with Link and Zelda spending several months together following his return to his home era.

But I headcanon it a specific way, largely because of a particular video essay. In this interpretation, Link is desperate for companionship from someone who truly understands who he is and what he's been through. That's why he goes to such lengths to find Navi. She was his sister in arms and the only one who witnessed his heroism. Zelda was the closest thing to someone who understood, but not quite there. So, less than likely.

Also, they're 10. I was interested in romance when I was 10, but I still consider my first serious relationship, at 19, as the beginning of my true understanding of romantic love. I don't attribute much value to the *very* young love 10 years may have for each other, no matter how traumatized and mature for his age one of them is. That actually raises another question. Is Link mentally 17 by the time he slays Ganon? Or was he mentally a child the whole time? Because the 17/10 thing actually does make a difference here. Um. Moving on.

Wind Waker/Phantom Hourglass: There is also something to be said here in that Link and Tetra actually do have chemistry. She's seems to be a bit older than him, just enough that she initially looks down on him as a stupid kid. Then again, at 14 and even to an extent 13, I did see most 12 year olds as being much less mature than me. Then again then again, I was a very pretentious preteen. Okay, so maybe Tetra is initially just as pretentious in that sense. Anyway, she does view him as an equal by the end and fights alongside him like a badass. Hm. Right so there's some stuff here. Like how Link goes to such lengths especially in Phantom Hourglass to save her. At that point they aren't playing parts in a legendary conflict, he's just trying to save her. But once again, that doesn't really mean romantic love.

Four Swords: No chemistry seen, barely any interaction. That's a nah from me.

Four Swords Adventures: There's a TINY bit more here, because Link and Zelda are childhood friends. Still not much here. The Minish Cap: Barely more than FSA. Childhood friends, more interaction, but still not much chemistry.

Twilight Princess: Okay this might be my hottest take here. Not only do I not think it is evidenced by the canon text, I actually don't like this one. Even ignoring that Link has infinitely better love interests in Ilia and Midna, he has no chemistry with her at all. They barely interact. On top of that, and this is the biggest thing for me, she is 20. He is 16/17. A three year age gap at that point is uncomfortably large. I've dated people three years younger than me, but we were both adults. It's just a little icky.

A Link Between Worlds: I feel like a broken record. Barely any onscreen interaction, no chemistry. Just ain't there.

Echoes of Wisdom: Not to get too into spoilers here, but I agree with that post going around that Zelda probably has a big crush on Link. But that's just a headcanon and not really evidenced by the text.

All of this said, I don't think you're wrong or bad or anything for liking more Zelinks than I do. These are just my opinions and frankly I'm too old to be engaging in shipping wars. Then again, hey, you asked for my opinions. Oh yeah, and sorry for taking so long to respond. Whoops.

[ragecndybars]

AO3 tag game :3

thanks so much for the tag @mvshortcut !!!!! much appreciated, this was a blast to fill out :D

How many works do you have on AO3?

86! Damn, that's more than I remember 🙀 I have been writing pretty fervently since I was pretty young, though, and I transferred all my old fics from fanfiction dot net to AO3, so it's a long stretch of time. All my old wattpad fics are still rotting somewhere though lmaooo I can't even access them anymore bc I forgot my password and I can't reset it bc I used a school email 😔

What's your total AO3 word count?

443,734! When I get to half a million I'm gonna have to throw myself a party. With boba and everything

How many fandoms have you written for, and what are they?

Oof, okay, here we go. A lot of the fandoms I have tagged on AO3 don't really "count" because they're just aggregate tags for the same fandom, so even though AO3 says the number is 48, I'm gonna count the TRUE number as 17. (It got cut down so much because of how many video game series have different games with different fandom tags on AO3, lmao)

Here's the breakdown of the list:

Persona (Mostly Persona 3)

Fire Emblem (Mostly Shadow Dragon and Blazing Sword)

Legend of Zelda

Pokemon

Professor Layton

RWBY

Kid Icarus: Uprising

Earthbound/MOTHER

Red vs. Blue

Voltron Legendary Defender

Naruto

Final Fantasy XV

Harvest Moon

The Mysterious Benedict Society

The Avengers

Animal Crossing

Care Bears (despite having never actually consumed any Care Bears media to my knowledge)

The worst part is that this stupid list would be much, much, MUCH longer if I finished even a quarter of my WIPs 😭 Hell, even just my "Video Games" subfolder in my "Fanfiction" subfolder has more than 17 subfolders in it...

Y'all don't understand how many random fics my ADHD spares you from ever seeing I have no focus

Top five fics by kudos:

Ash and Emotion (Zelda) - Not surprising, I knew this was my most popular fic. It was for a ZeLink zine full of beautiful work :)

Resemblance (Naruto) - bro I always forget people really liked this one. Literally an unedited drabble I did in an hour for a "pride month drabble challenge" which I immediately abandoned. Trans rights I guess

Always Wanna Play (But You Never Wanna Lose) (Persona 3) - This one isn't surprising either, and I'm very proud of this fic so I'm quite chuffed to see it get so much attention... thanks everyone :')

The Beat of Your Heart (Zelda) - Now this one surprised me a lot. This was just a little piece for ZeLink week... Another unedited one, I literally was writing it on the toilet in church so I could get it out in time 😭

Comfort (Zelda) - Another ZeLink week piece, but I knew this one was popular. Also unedited, lmao. I was writing it on the day of my AP Calc finals and I rushed through the exam so I could have more time to work on the fic 😭 I made some Choices that year

Do you respond to comments?

I try to! But I get very anxious about it and tend to work myself into a tizzy, so I often put it off for later and then forget, haha. Then I'll go and respond to all my comments from the last few months and feel even weirder about it... T_T

What's the fic with the angstiest ending you've ever written?

Oof. That's... a hard one, haha. I've written a couple of fics without happy endings, though I typically don't. At least three fics which end on a canonical character death, for instance. But I'd say the ending which made me the most emo writing was Butter, a Mother 3 fic. It ends with Lucas, who's like 9, recently lost his mother, then lost his twin brother (and thinks it's his fault), and is now being neglected by his father, crawling into bed and crying. So yeah, pretty bleak, lmao... but at least he doesn't die I guess?

Do you write crossovers?

I do, but I haven't posted many yet. I'm not always huge on writing them, but I do think about them a lot. I was working on this one Persona 3 x Fire Emblem Awakening crossover but I lost steam on it, and now there's a really lovely crossover on AO3 with a similar premise that I was SO delighted to come across!!! Hope y'all don't mind me taking a break from linking my own work to shill for this one, hehe

Have you ever gotten hate on a fic?

Unfortunately, yes, about six times, I'd say. Even more unfortunately, most of those times happened earlier on in my fanfic writing career, and I was pretty sensitive to hate back then, so I deleted many of the relevant fics, and some of them I don't even have access to myself anymore.

Not gonna talk about the ones that are still upsetting, but I will talk about the funny examples: on a (since deleted) RWBY fic, I said in the author's note that I "wrote them as platonic, but the fic can be read as WhiteRose", and then I got a glowing comment gushing about how good the story was which ended with "but then you had to ruin it by shitting all over WhiteRose, how about you [long suicide bait]". Third most baffling comment I've ever received.

The two most baffling were on different fics, but both were making the same weird accusation??? One was on a ZeLink fic (actually, on Comfort, my fifth most kudos'ed fic of all time now), and y'know I think I'm just gonna show you the comment in question:

The other one was on a long-since deleted fic which focused on both a romantic ship, as well as a fatherly relationship between one member of the ship and the other member's father. I guess having a fatherly relationship with your father-in-law makes your boyfriend actually your brother (and therefore you can't date him anymore). IDK man people are crazy. (tbf the commenter in question thought I was setting it up so that he'd get adopted by his boyfriend's parents, which would give them more of a case, but like... that didn't happen in the fic and wasn't going to. they just guessed at a future plot development and got angry about their guess)

Do you write smut?

I do, but I've never posted any. I've posted one fic that was very suggestive, I'd even call it "NSFW" in a sense, but never anything explicit. Maybe I will in the future? We'll see if I can ever finish anything smutty, lmao.

Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Yep, I had Ultimatum, my longest chapter-fic (and by far my most popular fic in the ff.n days) stolen and posted on another site by somebody. I reported it but never checked back up to see if it got taken down.

I also feel that I've had my work plagiarized pretty damn blatantly in another fandom (I was browsing a certain AU tag and read one which contained all the exact events and sometimes word-for-word dialogue from a fic of mine, just very very slightly rewritten) but the poster had no other works and their writing was definitely extremely juvenile, so... I figured they were a dumb kid and just decided not to raise a fuss. Checked back later and they deleted it, hopefully because they realized they shouldn't do that, so I figure there's no need to start shit over it. Honestly, if that person used that experience as a jumping-off point to write their own fics, then I'm glad it happened, imitation being the highest form of flattery and all.

Have you ever had a fic translated?

No, though I had someone reach out to me on fanfiction dot net a long time ago and ask permission to translate An Unheard Goodbye, which was super exciting! I agreed, but I don't believe they ever got around to it, or if they did, they never posted it. Still very flattering, and I think about that a lot, hehe.

What’s your all-time favorite ship?

HOW COULD I POSSIBLY ANSWER THIS. UM. UM UH. UHHH UM UH I. UM.

I'm.... gonna say Zelda/Link? I haven't written it in FOREVER but it was such a huge part of me coming into my own as a fanfic author, so I have to give it credit for that.

What’s a WIP that you want to finish, but don’t think you ever will?

.......all of them 😭 god I have so many of these damn things. But for the prime example, I'd point to Ultimatum, an old Pokemon fic that I started in middle school. I got all the way to the climax and I feel bad leaving my readers hanging, but... at this point, if I did continue it, I would honestly have to rewrite the whole fic first just to be in line with my current understanding of the characters.

What are your writing strengths?

Y'know, I think I get character voices down extremely well in a way which elevates my dialogue and narration. That's probably the thing I'm most proud of in my own writing, at least.

What are your writing weaknesses?

BREVITY. Or the utter, glaring lack of it. I have also been known to muddy up my writing with an overabundance of A) adverbs, B) unneeded clauses tacked onto perfectly good sentences, and C) em-dashes 😭

What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fics?

I think it's dope as fuck, but I currently can't really accomplish it because I'm monolingual (NOT FOR LONG IF I HAVE ANYTHING TO SAY ABOUT IT, I'M COMING FOR YOU, JAPANESE FLUENCY!!!!). I will also say that I don't like when authors will write characters having a story-important conversation in another language, then put the translations in the end notes or something, requiring you to either read the chapter confused or else keep scrolling back down and back up.... I think even that's totally fine to do if what's being said isn't plot-relevant, though.

What was the first fandom you ever wrote for?

Naruto. I hadn't read or watched Naruto btw, I had only read other Naruto fanfics. I have spoken on this topic many times, but it remains hilarious to me. Also, so many of my old Naruto fics are lost to the Wattpad times, but I will take this opportunity to once again share a quote which I recently managed to unearth from my long-lost unsung magnum opus:

Never ever will I intentionally attain the level of comedy gold that I managed while writing completely dead serious Naruto fanfiction on Wattpad in 2012.

What’s your favorite fic you’ve written so far?

See above. How could I ever top that fic.

In all seriousness, this question always makes me sweat, but I think I'm gonna say Oil, a slightly older fic from my EliHec days which I absolutely obsessed over for months before finally managing to finish. And, unlike most of the fics that I obsess over, I think the obsession actually made it come out better rather than worse, haha.

thanks again for the tag!!!! as for me, I'll tag uhh, hm, @wizard-finix @dreamedge @misty-wisp @flyfish1999 and any other AO3 writers who see this!!! (idk how many of you use AO3 and most of the MBS authors I know have probably already been tagged hehe but anybody who wants to should absolutely feel free!!!!!!!)

[royalrambler]

Writing Commissions!! Now Open!!

hihello royal here !!! uhm life happens tbh and i just lost my current source of income, sooo

i’m opening writing commissions !! just dm me here or on discord (moriensstellarum) to start !!

my rates: (cashapp only)

semi cheap since i really do need commissions right now! my cashapp info will be given once the planning process is over!!

$5 usd: every 1k words

+$5 usd: fandoms i am not in or completely original

+$2 usd: for oc, self insert, or x reader works (mc from twisted wonderland doesn’t count!!)

current fandoms:

fire emblem three houses

genshin impact

my hero academia

identity v

bungo stray dogs

haikyuu

demon slayer

good omens

star wars (all movies and shows)

legend of zelda (breath of the wild and tears of the kingdom)

twisted wonderland

project sekai

voltron: legendary defender

pokèmon

danganronpa (in progress)

jujutsu kaisen (in progress)

kingdom hearts (in progress it’s a lot of games)

Persona 5

please be through in explaining what you’d like (i.e. pairings, au if any kind, plot, etc) and allow for 5-8 days from the end of planning for writing to be completed

will do:

fluff

angst

action/violence(to a point)

mild gore or body horror

legal non toxic pairings of any kind(including poly)

if it’s not listed i probably won’t write it. you can still ask since i think i missed a couple of things, but this is your warning you might get denied. i also only write ragbro’s as platonic/familial.

writing sample:

this piece is reposted from my flufftober writing !!

This was a scene that Byleth could go on without repeating over and over again, but alas, the flow of time is a fickle thing, and the loss is necessary. Countless times, they had tried other ways to snap Dimitri back into reality, only to fail in the end. This was the only way to succeed.

The rain was warm, unusual for this area, but it made it seem like the heavens were weeping for the loss of such a great man and knight. Perhaps they were. Byleth certainly had the first few times they lived through it. But now their grief has been replaced by a determination to end this cycle. To have this be the last time they watch as Rodrigue sacrifices himself in order to save Dimitri. Let this be the final version of this particular encounter.

The sky grew darker as Byleth waited, the rain soaking them to the bone. They would continue to wait as long as needed… He would come. And soon, just as many times before, the soon-to-be king rounded the corner, and they stepped out of the shadows into his path.

“What do you want?”

His voice was harsh, almost intentionally so, as if Byleth’s mere presence was an annoyance. The first times they heard it, they flinched and held their tongue to placate the prince. The times after they had responded with anger or indifference. They all worked out in the end, but none were right. But now…

“I know where you’re going. You don't have to do this, Dimitri.” Their voice remained calm, even as anger flashed across his face.

“This isn’t your concern!” Dimitri spat out. “Get out of my way. Now.”

Byleth simply glared as he menacingly stepped closer. If one thing remained true, it was that Dimitri would never harm them. He could act like it was all he wanted, but they knew the truth.

“Going to Enbarr will not fix anything! Do you really think it will appease the dead? Or will it simply add Edelgard’s corpse to those that haunt you?"

“Do not speak of that vile woman as if she is a friend! It is their voices that demand her head! Only then will they finally get to rest peacefully. Don’t speak of matters you could never understand."

Dimitri took a moment, seemingly to compose himself. His anger had faded slightly, making way for something else. Something different. Grief? Was he perhaps finally letting himself grieve for his losses after all these years? Or was it simply resignation?

“Death…” He continued, his voice becoming thick with emotion. “Death is the end. No matter how much lingering regret a person has, after death, they are powerless. They cannot even wish for revenge, much less seek it out. Hatred. Regret. Those burdens fall on the shoulders of those who are left behind. They fall to me. I must continue down this path! And it is far too late to stop... You know this much already."

Byleth’s gaze softened as they watched his anger bleed into resignation and acceptance of his self-imposed fate.

“But you don’t have to do it alone. You’ve got me and so many others! You don’t have to throw your life away in the pursuit of revenge! Surely there is-“

“There is no other way! That is merely the logic of the living. It's meaningless. Those who died with lingering regret... They will not loose their hold on me so easily.

“But you seem to have all the answers... So tell me, professor. Please, tell me... How do I silence their desperate pleas? How do I... How do I save them? Ever since that day nine years ago... I have lived only to avenge the fallen. It is the only thing that keeps me alive... My only reason to keep moving forward...”

Byleth let out a soft huff of laughter, mainly out of nervousness. “I haven’t been your professor in a long time, Mitya... I was hardly qualified to be that in the first place, but even I know to not deny the Archbishop. But you’ve suffered enough. You must forgive yourself; move towards accepting the past and embracing the future.”

“But then who…or what…should should I live for?”

“Live for what you believe in. Live for yourself, and if you can’t do that, then make me the reason to keep on living.”

“What I believe in..." Dimitri shook his head slightly and turned his face up towards the sky. “Rodrigue said the same thing. But is it possible? I am a murderous monster. My hands are stained red. Could one such as I truly hope for such a life? As the sole survivor of that day, do I... Do I have the right to live for myself?”

Byleth placed a gentle hand on Dimitri’s cheek and turned his face back towards them. “No one’s hands are ever truly clean in this world. Asking that would be the same as asking me if I deserved the life I live. Each day you continue to live serves as proof that you deserve to live and live for yourself. And if you ever forget that, you will always have me to remind you.”

“I’ve got you…” Dimitri whispered as the professor pulled him into a gentle embrace. As he returned it, Byleth began to softly hum an ancient and gentle song. “You’re… You’re so warm… Have you always been?”

[links-crosses-multiverse]

Hey everyone!

I recently decided to create an illustration where I reimagine myself as a Hylian, inspired by the iconic race from The Legend of Zelda series. Meet Kaze (formerly Nova) — my Hylian persona!

But why am I doing this well I got inspired by @zelda-the-sacred-realm . So I thought why not do it to but with Info, Backstory and more.

I kept a lot of my real-life characteristics while adding a fantasy twist. Kaze is a nice and playful character with dreams of becoming a knight. However, in his world, his family restricts girls from learning how to fight, so he's caught in a struggle to pursue his aspirations while pushing against traditional expectations.

I had a ton of fun designing this character and blending my own traits with the fantasy of Hylian culture! Let me know what you think of this Hylian version of me, and if you’d like to see more of Kaze's story!

Character Profile: Kaze (formerly Nova)

Birth Name:

Nova

Chosen Name:

Kaze (meaning "wind")

Age:

21

Pronouns:

He/Them

Appearance

Kaze is a young, slender elf with pale pink hair that falls just above his shoulders, often slightly tousled, as if shaped by the wind itself. His large, expressive eyes are a soft blue-gray, reflecting both kindness and an inner strength. His pointed ears, a signature of his elven heritage, peek out from beneath his hair, giving him an ethereal quality. He dresses in simple, practical clothes, often in shades of earthy green and violet. His outfit usually consists of a sleeveless purple tunic layered over a cream blouse with billowy sleeves, paired with brown trousers that allow for easy movement. His footwear is simple, suited for long journeys and quiet training sessions. He always carries his handmade sword, a treasured family heirloom with a unique hilt that gleams with sapphire inlays. This sword is both a reminder of his ancestry and a symbol of his determination.

Backstory

Born as Nova in a small, secluded village at the edges of Hyrule, Kaze was raised in a family that valued tradition above all else. From childhood, he was enchanted by tales of knights in shining armor, loyal to the royal family and dedicated to protecting the kingdom. He would often gaze into the distance, dreaming of one day joining their ranks as a royal knight himself. However, there was one obstacle he couldn’t ignore: his family’s rigid beliefs.

In his family, there were firm rules about who could learn to fight and who couldn’t. Fighting, they said, was a duty for men, while girls were meant to serve the village in other ways. Kaze’s family viewed his dreams as unrealistic and even improper, attempting to steer him away from such ambitions. To them, Nova would always be a girl, bound by the village's roles, and they could never imagine Nova as a knight.

However, Kaze always felt his true identity lay beyond his family's expectations. He didn't just want to be a knight—he wanted to be seen and accepted as male. For Kaze, being a man was closely tied to his dreams of knighthood and the values he admired in warriors: honor, bravery, and loyalty. Embracing a male identity was a natural step for him on the journey to becoming the person he was meant to be, a person fit to protect the kingdom.

At 18, after years of struggling with his family's limitations, he chose the name “Kaze,” which means "wind," signifying his desire to forge his own path. With this name, he claimed his independence, honoring the self he always felt he was. Secretly, he trained to fight, learning techniques from travelers who passed through his village and practicing alone under the cover of darkness. Over the years, Kaze grew stronger, refining his skills and crafting his own style of swordplay.

Now at 21, Kaze has reached a critical moment. He feels ready to step forward and live as his truest self, but the path is fraught with challenges. If he is to realize his dream of becoming a royal knight, he must not only overcome his family’s prejudice but also earn his place in a world that still holds tightly to tradition.

Personality

Kaze is kind, playful, and compassionate, with a cheerful demeanor that draws others to him. He’s often seen helping those in need, especially children, and he has a way of putting people at ease with his warm presence. Despite his gentle nature, Kaze possesses an inner strength and determination that drive him to constantly improve. His sense of honor and loyalty to his ideals is unwavering, and though he hides it beneath his friendly exterior, he has a fiercely competitive streak that pushes him to reach his goals.

Hobbies and Interests

Sword Training:

Kaze devotes countless hours to perfecting his swordsmanship. He practices every day, whether it’s by swinging his sword through imagined foes or by sparring with willing travelers. His style is agile and graceful, like the wind itself, favoring speed and precision over brute force.

Storytelling:

Kaze has a knack for telling stories, often sharing tales of knights and heroes with the village children. His love for storytelling connects him to his dreams and allows him to inspire others, especially those who, like him, feel limited by their circumstances.

Nature Exploration:

Kaze finds peace and inspiration in nature, often wandering the forests and fields around his village. He feels a deep connection to the natural world, especially the wind, which serves as a reminder of his own free spirit. Nature not only rejuvenates him but also allows him moments of reflection.

Crafting and Repairing Weapons:

While he doesn’t have the training of a blacksmith, Kaze has learned to repair his sword and maintain its sharpness. He enjoys tinkering with weapons, and he dreams of one day crafting his own unique blade, one that embodies his journey and ideals.

Loves

Knighthood Values:

Honor, bravery, and loyalty are ideals he holds close to his heart, inspiring his pursuit of knighthood.

Freedom and the Open Sky:

The wind is Kaze’s symbol of freedom, and he often gazes up at the sky, dreaming of exploring the world and making his mark on it.

Children’s Laughter:

Nothing makes Kaze happier than bringing joy to children, whose innocence and belief in dreams remind him of his own aspirations.

Training and Improvement:

Kaze loves the feeling of accomplishment after a hard training session, knowing he’s one step closer to his goal.

Simple Village Life:

Though he longs for adventure, Kaze has a soft spot for the simple life of his village. The familiar faces, quiet mornings, and rustic traditions are a part of him, even if he doesn’t always feel fully accepted there.

Hates

Prejudice and Closed-Mindedness:

Kaze despises the narrow views that confine him, especially when they come from those closest to him.

Being Called “Nova”:

The name reminds him of a past identity he’s left behind, a label that doesn’t reflect who he truly is.

Idle Gossip and Judgmental Looks:

Living in a small, traditional village means that word travels fast, and he’s often judged for his ambitions and self-identity.

Helplessness:

For Kaze, there’s no worse feeling than being unable to help someone in need. This drives his desire to become strong enough to protect others.

Cruelty and Injustice:

Kaze believes deeply in protecting the weak and innocent, and he feels a burning hatred for anyone who abuses power or hurts others.

Current Struggle and Future Hopes

As Kaze stands at the threshold of adulthood, he faces the hardest choice of his life. He’s trained in secret, honed his skills, and is more determined than ever to follow his dream of becoming a knight. But pursuing knighthood, especially as someone who wishes to be seen as male in a family and village with traditional views, comes with risks. He knows he may lose his family’s support, and the path of a royal knight is daunting.

Still, Kaze’s spirit is unbreakable. He hopes to prove to himself and his family that knighthood is not just about birthright or gender but about the courage in one’s heart. His ultimate goal is to stand proudly as a royal knight, not just for himself but for anyone who’s ever been told they couldn’t follow their dreams. Kaze is determined to become a symbol of resilience and change in a world that still clings to the old ways, carving his own legacy as a true Hylian knight.

Ending/Fazit

Creating Kaze as my Hylian alter-ego has been such a fun and meaningful experience! By merging elements of my real-life personality with the fantasy and culture of The Legend of Zelda universe, I was able to explore new aspects of myself in a unique way. Kaze’s journey—navigating family expectations while pursuing his dreams of becoming a knight—reflects the balance between who we are and who we want to become, a theme that resonates with me deeply.

This project allowed me to bring my creative vision to life, mixing personal identity with the magic of Hyrule. Designing Kaze reminded me that, like him, we all face our own challenges in staying true to ourselves. I’m excited to keep developing his story and exploring more of this world through his eyes.

Thank you for checking out this Hylian version of me! I’d love to hear what you think, and if you’re interested in seeing more of Kaze’s journey, stay tuned—there’s definitely more to come!

[emeraldthelynx]

Ah, Fandoms

Pet peeves I have with the fandoms of franchises I like:

Sonic: All the ships. Every. Single. One of them. I'm okay if the ship is officially canon in some media, like SonAlly, or Tailsmo, but all the other non-canon ships drive me up the wall. (Especially Sonadow. WHO THOUGHT OF SONADOW!?)

Pokemon: Ash Ketchum actually knowing exactly what he's doing, Ash having ledgendaries, and Ash betrayed. Basically anything that makes Ash not have eager excitement he does in canon. (For a side note, I don't like how dumbed-down Sun and Moon made this, but anything further than what Ash was in Kalos is going too far.) There is a slight exception to this list, because 'Legendarily Popular' on AO3 and FF.net do a wonderful job keeping the charm and absurdity of the anime while still making Ash ridiculously overpowered.

The Legend of Zelda: Sheik and Zelda as separate characters, or making Sheik male. I know that the manga heavily implies that the latter is true, but it could also be interpreted as Sheik wakes up in the mind of a young boy. As for the Sheik and Zelda as different characters, it doesn't make much sense. Zelda is Shiek, and Sheik is Zelda. I'm not saying I haven't found a couple of interesting takes on this idea, but at the same time people seem to forget that Zelda was in her Sheik persona for seven years. That's plenty of time for a person's personality to change, especially that of a young girl.

Mega Man: X/Zero. Can I please, please, read a story with X and Zero being buddies without somebody tainting their relationship by making it romantic? I also get frustrated with Reploids getting the 'just an advanced machine' label getting slapped on. Reploids, while robotic, think and feel like a human! Also anything having to do with existential angst. Zero's the only one who canonically gets this label.

Detective Conan: I haven't really delved too deep into the DCMK fandom, but that's because I'm still investigating the canon material. I will say, again, it's the non-canon ships. So far the fandom treats their little detective pretty well, but again, I haven't looked too far into it.

Fullmetal Alchemist: Do I need to say it? Parental Roy Mustang anyone? The funny thing is that there was a fairly canon time that Edward called Mustang dad, but he meant it entirely as a joke, and later a cover story, and when the rumor got back to Mustang, his team accused him of having a secret child. I also don't like stories where the Elric brothers cave in to using a Philosopher's Stone/other people/self-sacrifice to restore what they lost. That just compromises the whole story, and every moral the two have yelled at other people all through the story.

Ecco the Dolphin: There's not much here, but what is here feels like an Erin Hunter story, but Ecco is too fantastical to be shoved into this niche. Also, Ecco is a young hero. Everyone calls him 'little singer,' so he's basically Link. If Link was a dolphin. So yeah, there's not much here, and what is there is usually angsty and doesn't really capture the magical feeling of the series.

In short, my pet peeves are non-canon ships, failure to recognize the traits that make up the character and their world, and ignorance of canon. Shippers, don't come after me. I recognize your ships, it doesn't mean I need to appreciate them. If anyone else has a pet peeve with their franchise's fandom, please leave a comment or a reblog it in the tags.

[allrandomfandoms]

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Sheik —Aesthetic

Sheik's Character & Personality

Sheik appears to be a male Sheikah. He's known as a musician and warrior who's fighting style is similar to a ninja. Additionally, Sheik is able to wield a bow and dual kunai. However, he's in fact a persona of Princess Zelda. She disguises herself as Sheik for most of the game, but reveals her true identity at the end. She did this to hide from Ganondorf and to protect her Triforce piece until Link returned. As a musician, Sheik uses his harp to teach Link several Warping Songs throughout the game.

[deliriumsdelight7]

Top 5 or Top 10 vidya games!! (whichever is easier for you to do)

Top 10 is easier because then I don’t have to narrow down my picks. In no particular order:

1.) Odin Sphere: Leifthrasir. A completely unhinged soppy anime fairy tale retelling of the myth of Ragnarok. With bunny people who cook you tasty food, and a death goddess with tits bigger than my head.

2.) Journey. Gorgeous visuals, quick playtime, a whole story told without using a single word.

3.) Persona 5: Royal Edition. This game features well-fleshed-out characters and a Pokémon style battle system where the “monsters” are mythological creatures who represent your innermost self. The gameplay is fun, the soundtrack bangs, and the themes of rebellion and being true to oneself are hilarious when juxtaposed with the pressure to fit in at school.

4.) Final Fantasy VI. This game features just the right blend of fantasy and steampunk. The cast of playable characters is… maybe too big… but most of them are fleshed out so you really care about their struggles. Having to learn to navigate the world all over again because of Kefka’s shenanigans with the Warring Triad was a brilliant move, and the endgame side quests honestly make the whole game.

5.) Heavy Rain. Not quite video game, not quite visual novel, Heavy Rain tells the story of Ethan Mars, a man who lost one son to an accident and faces the very real possibility of losing his other son to a serial killer. I definitely didn’t see the killer’s identity coming!

6.) Undertale. Listen. I still tear up any time “His Theme” comes on. Enough said.

7.) Transistor. Basically a loose retelling of the Little Mermaid fairy tale using a sort of cyberpunk-esque setting which may or may not just be a computer program. Never did I expect to fall in love with a sword with a voice and a woman with none, but here we are. I wonder if there’s good Red/B fic out there…

8.) Pyre. The closest I will ever get to playing a sports game. A story of an idealistic justice system gone wrong, of overcoming the odds stacked against you… or failing. I still kinda wanna Rumbelle this game but that would be a TASK.

(Fans of Supergiant Games will notice that I included two entries by them, but not their most popular one. This is simply because I haven’t gotten around to playing Hades yet.)

9.) The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess. Is it the biggest Zelda game? No. The best? Debatable. But it’s the most atmospheric, with the one “assistant character” in the series who I didn’t want to strangle by the end of the game. Plus… shipping.

10.) Chrono Trigger. Time travel shenanigans that cover everything from cavemen to the end of the world and beyond. Characters given the opportunity to right their mistakes (or those of others) through side quests. A broody mage-dude with a skin condition and dark affiliations. I like what I like.

[giigil]

𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐲'𝐬 𝐅𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐨𝐦𝐬 •ᴗ•

aka: things that i can comfortably make bots for. character.ai profile ʚ bot queue ɞ masterlist

⠀𝐕𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐨 𝐆𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐬

✦⠀Final Fantasy 7, 10, 13, 15 & 16 ✦⠀Persona 5 ✦⠀The Legend of Zelda ✦⠀Assassin's Creed 2 & Odyssey ✦⠀Fire Emblem: Awakening, Fates & Three Houses ✦⠀Red Dead Redemption 2 ✦⠀Life is Strange: Before the Storm, 1 & 2

⠀𝐎𝐭𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐆𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐬

✦⠀Obey Me! ✦⠀Tears of Themis ✦⠀Code: Realize

⠀𝐖𝐞𝐛𝐭𝐨𝐨𝐧𝐬

✦⠀Who Made Me A Princess ✦⠀Eleceed ✦⠀Siren's Lament ✦⠀Mom, I'm Sorry! ✦⠀Edith ✦⠀Lost in Translation ✦⠀True Beauty

⠀𝐒𝐡𝐨𝐰𝐬

✦⠀Miraculous Ladybug ✦⠀Young Justice S1 & S2 ✦⠀RWBY ✦⠀Helluva Boss ✦⠀Teen Titans

⠀𝐀𝐧𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐚

✦⠀Jujutsu Kaisen ✦⠀Fairy Tail ✦⠀Naruto ✦⠀Yuri!!! on Ice ✦⠀Haikyu!! ✦⠀Blue Exorcist ✦⠀Magi ✦⠀Fruits Basket ✦⠀Shugo Chara! ✦⠀Heroines Run the Show ✦⠀Yamada-kun

⠀𝐌𝐨𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐬

✦⠀Rise of the Guardians ✦⠀Big Hero 6

[tboyswagcompetition]

ROUND 2 FINAL RESULTS:

Jesse Pinkman | Breaking Bad VS. Teruki Hanazawa | Mob Psycho 100

WINNER: Jesse Pinkman

Casey Jones | Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2012) VS. Robin | Teen Titans

WINNER: Robin

James Bonde | Moriarty The Patriot VS. Zagreus | Hades

WINNER: Zagreus

Edward Elric | Fullmetal Alchemist VS. Robin | Fire Emblem

WINNER: Edward Elric

Apollo Justice | Ace Attorney VS. Heinz Doofenshmirtz | Phineas And Ferb

WINNER: Heinz Doofenshmirtz

Leonardo | Rise Of The TMNT VS. Shadow | Sonic The Hedgehog

WINNNER: Shadow

Herbert West | Re-animator VS. Puss In Boots | Shrek

WINNER: Puss In Boots

Naoto Shirogane | Persona 4 VS. Shin | Dorohedoro

WINNER: Naoto Shirogane

Barney Guttman | Dead End Paranormal Park VS. Warabi | Splatoon

WINNER: Barney Guttman

Miles Morales | Spider-Man VS. Chip | Just Roll With It

WINNER: Miles Morales

Kim Kitsuragi | Disco Elysium VS. Emmet | Pokemon

WINNER: Kim Kitsuragi

Pete Conlan | Dimension 20 VS. Benoit Blanc | Knives Out/Glass Onion

WINNER: Benoit Blanc

Dipper Pines | Gravity Falls VS. Ryuji Sakamoto | Persona 5

WINNER: Dipper Pines

Reigen Arataka | Mob Psycho 100 VS. Adam Faulkner-Stanheight | Saw

WINNER: Reigen Arataka

Gomez Addams | The Addams Family VS. Ingo | Pokemon

WINNER: Gomez Addams

Zuko | Avatar: The Last Airbender VS. Columbo | Columbo

WINNER: Zuko

Danny Fenton | Danny Phantom VS. Percy Jackson | Percy Jackson & the Olympians

WINNER: Danny Fenton

Len Kagamine | Vocaloid VS. Guzma | Pokemon

WINNER: Guzma

Will Graham | Hannibal VS. Yamato | One Piece

WINNER: Yamato

Caspar Von Bergliez | Fire Emblem VS. Michael The Distortion | The Magnus Archives

WINNER: Michael The Distortion

Link | The Legend Of Zelda VS. Shatterstar | X-Men

WINNER: Link

Leon S. Kennedy | Resident Evil VS. Alphonse Elric | Fullmetal Alchemist

WINNER: Alphonse Elric

Blue | Pokemon VS. Mettaton | Undertale

WINNER: Mettaton

Mafuyu Asahina | Project Sekai VS. Akito Shinonome | Project Sekai

WINNER: Mafuyu Asahina

Sonic | Sonic The Hedgehog VS. Jotaro kujo | Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure

WINNER: Sonic

James T. Kirk | Star Trek VS. Felix Hugo Fraldarius | Fire Emblem

WINNER: James T. Kirk

The Scout | Team Fortress 2 VS. Ford Pines | Gravity Falls

WINNER: The Scout

Peter Parker | Spider-Man VS. Tsukasa tenma | Project Sekai

WINNER: Peter Parker

Hunter | The Owl House VS. Party Poison | The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys

WINNER: Hunter

Saiki Kusuo | The Disastrous Life Of Saiki K VS. Julian Bashir | Star Trek

WINNER: Saiki Kusuo

Kurapika | Hunter X Hunter VS. Beast Boy | Teen Titans

WINNER: Beast Boy

Dave Strider | Homestuck VS. Ash Williams | Evil Dead

WINNER: Dave Strider

[teaandinanity]

So I found a meme template for 'About You: Video Games' which I wanted to do except a) we all know I am incapable of Not Talking, b) the boxes were tall and skinny and that is Not Ideal for shoving game titles into because they generally need width to be legible, and c) what the fuck do you MEAN I can ONLY PICK ONE so I'm converting it into text form. Also I'm rearranging the order because all time fave should not be first that's what you wrap up with c'mon.

I am also hoping other people will steal this formatting and tag me so I can go 'ooh that sounds neat!' about other people's games lists.

[cut because this will probably go long]

1. Childhood Game

Cannot pick.

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time still holds a soft and nostalgic spot in my heart. Music! Horseback riding! Puzzles! I was terrible at it and did not beat it but I LOVED it.

Persona 2: Eternal Punishment, which I also did not beat but which also nonetheless did SOMETHING to my id which persists to this very day, because it is fascinatingly batshit.

The Longest Journey has also left imprints on my id; I think it was the first adventure game I managed to beat, maybe the first game I managed to beat at all.I’d tried some of the King’s Quest games but I kept getting myself stuck in unwinnable situations and/or dying which obviously was not that fun. But TLJ wanted you to see the story; as far as I know, it’s impossible to get yourself into an unwinnable worldstate, so outside the sections where you’re beating your head against a puzzle it’s just wonderful.

2. Best Soundtrack

I already mentioned Ocarina but honestly a lot of the games I grew up with had excellent music, perhaps because the system limitations (midi instruments on a shitty tube television) meant the songs really had to be able to stand on their own. Other stand-outs for me include Legend of Mana and Final Fantasy VI, each of which has more than one song I remembered well enough to hunt down the soundtracks more than a decade after I played them. Also obviously there's things like Bastion now, which has amazing music, and Dragon Age: Inquisition has tracks that (between the music itself and the associations) give me Very Large Feelings.

3. Best Art Style

I have to at least mention Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning here. I still can’t believe a game that is this lovely while playing got such unutterably boring box art. Who did that to you, KoA:R, you deserved so much better. It's got the punchy, amped-up kind of color palette you see in World of Warcraft (which I love; gritty realism and unrelenting brown are boring) but with higher-quality textures and better models than an MMO that needs to be able to run on a potato can handle, and honestly the whole thing is just Nice To Look At. 

Also mentioning Legend of Mana again because the art was cute as fuck. A lot of the older pixel stuff had so much charm!

Throwing Winter Voices in, too, because while the game itself is an incomprehensible clusterfuck like 40% of the time, the other 60% it is quite lovely. It remains the only game where the SKILL TREE made me go, 'oh gosh that's so PRETTY.'

4. Relaxing Game

Flow is a good one. Also Stardew Valley. And Spiritfarer. Roots of Pacha.

5. Stressful Game

When I saw this one on the list I was like 'but I hate being stressed' and that is true but also:

Long Live the Queen is HORRIBLY stressful but also kind of neat?

And bits of Scarlet Hollow have stressed me out but I am VERY MUCH having a good time with that. Delightful horror-themed roller coaster of a game; it wants me to be having a good time even when I’m going AAAAAH! and trying to make impossible choices.

6. Tons of Hours Played

Rimworld. We’re not looking at my time played on this. 

Also every MMO I have ever played but especially WoW (which I am emotionally invested in still, WHY) and SWtoR (because if you let me decorate a house I will spend SO MANY HOURS decorating a house).

Also Crusader Kings, which is basically a Telenovella Creator if you’re successfully avoiding combat and is therefore delightful - I usually manage at least two generations of absolute nonsense before someone murders me horribly or I lose against the rebellion my aunt has raised because oops there are too many branches of the family tree and some of them are overly successful and have turned into kudzu and are now here to strangle me to death.

Also The Sims, over the course of all of these games the hours played are definitely horrifying. The hours just on 4 are um. Bad.

Baldur’s Gate 3 has over 100 hours already. Oops.

Dragon Age gets this also although that’s also why I haven’t replayed Inquisition; too much of it is spent schlepping across the Hinterlands  a g a i n.

7. Favorite Protagonist

For more defined characters: The MC in Gilded Shadows. So relatable. So snarky. Love her.

For less defined, I ADORE the Dark Urge route in BG3 - set enough to feel really connected to the world, but still so much freedom for the player to go nuts. Also the things that are set are UNHINGED, it’s fantastic.

8. Favorite Villain

[nervous villainfucker laughter]

Solas probably counts as an antagonist. Manerkol from The Soulstone War. Sarevok specifically in BG2:ToB when you could Found Family/Power of Friendship him into being less of a dick yes this was partly because I thought he was Very Hot shut up it’s not my fault his VA was Like That.

TBH if I find the villain compelling I probably also want to kiss him it is a recurring problem.

9. Favorite Ending

To The Moon made me cry, but like, in a good way.

The ending of Fire Emblem: Awakening was pretty darn satisfying imo.

I liked Tresspasser very much but I’m still a little irked that DAI was like ‘the real ending is DLC.’

10. Favorite Boss Fight

The final conversation in Trespasser. No, shoosh, it counts and I DESPERATELY want to see more climactic conflicts in games that aren't solved with violence. I loved Planescape: Torment and Fallout: New Vegas for letting me circumvent combat with other skills but Trespasser is the only instance I can think of off the top of my head where you just... Do Not Fight the Final Boss. The POINT is that you don’t fight. I love that.

11. Game You Always Come Back To

I have replayed Choice of Romance SO MANY TIMES and 95% of the time it is with the same MC. Ana is now a comfort character.

7KPP, partly for the fandom, which is full of friends <3

12. Guilty Pleasure

This would require me to feel guilty about my games and I generally don’t? I mean, I have admitted to playing the homophobic horse game to people I work with.

That said the homophobic horse game probably counts because I’m constantly like ‘why are you like this’ about the company as a whole and most of the people who work there and also a significant chunk of the player base.

Maybe World of Warcraft also. ActiBlizz as a company is more than a little bit Yikes.

13. All Time Favorite

I think I’m giving this to RimWorld. The base game was solid and fun and I played a zillion hours. The updates have been good. The dev actually listens to the player base about what’s wanted and then builds it into the game. Modding is allowed and adds some awesome stuff too. The expansions are great and add a ton to the game. It creates very compelling little stories. There are a bunch of youtubers with amazing playthroughs. I found a perfect map seed.

Like, my ALL TIME favorite game is the one in my head, that’s like 30% Breath of the Wild, 30% UnReal World, 20% RimWorld, 20% the homophobic horse game, but unfortunately that does not actually exist. Maybe if I win the lottery.