#yes I'm doing another Zelda fic

[respheal]

I'm deleting 649 words from my current WIP (which is a lot for me, a very slow writer) and I'm sad about it but it really does make the final doc stronger *clenching fists, gnashing teeth*

Here's a bit I liked because it went hard but I have to remove because after getting my notes straight it doesn't work with the Outline. Local man about to throw hands with his goddess.

“In each generation, we have selected a knight—our best and brightest—and taught them the old legends. We promised Hylia we would be ready to protect the maiden when she reveals herself.” Link swallowed, seeing an issue with that plan—after all, the Hero often arose from unexpected places. “What if the chosen hero is someone else?” Something dangerous flickered in Raven’s eyes. “Then Hylia has made a mistake.”

[rotisseries]

THAT’S SO COOL????? I’m not into video games but GOD they reincarnate and are in love every time??? princess and knight??? also I’ve been wanting to say this for ages but link is sooooo gender. you get it

so. they are in love in the sense that nintendo is queerbaiting me. queerbaiting me with a "straight" couple (they are lesbians). they are not canon they kissed only in the second ever zelda game when there was only the barest story and they were nothing more than pixel sprites and they have not been canon since. and because every game is technically a different link and a different zelda, each individual game varies on how shippable they actually are? like, I'm not very far through twilight princess yet but I've heard they're pretty much just coworkers in that one. the three latest mainline games though, they're like. they're pretty much canon in all but name like you could say it's platonic but like at that point you are running on loads of denial. the three latest mainline games are skyward sword, which is the first link and zelda, the start of the cycle. the plot ENTIRELY revolves around how much link loves zelda. cause they're best friends, hyrule as a kingdom doesn't even exist yet (they live on an island in the sky) she falls to earth and is running around having to discover that she's a reincarnated goddess (that's a whole angst factor btw bc the goddess (hylia) had to fight demise and she won but knew it was temporary and knew demise would have to be defeated again, and that he would need to be defeated with the power of the triforce, which can only be wielded by humans, so she decided basically that she'd need a loyal human knight, and so she reincarnated into a human girl because a girl is loved in the way a goddess isn't and she knew someone would love a human girl enough to save her WHICH HAPPENS so basically zelda gets to have an identity crisis was she just dragging link towards this destiny the whole time? did she truly love him? did he truly love her? are they puppets in this grand plan? "I'm still your zelda" she says to him, but is she??? drives me nuts) and he, ever loyal, keeps running after her to save her again and again and again (link is so dog coded there's a great botw fic about this), and then they defeat demise and he curses them and link is just some guy who went through ALL THIS SHIT cause he LOVED zelda. what if you were in love with your best friend and it cursed you and your descendants for the rest of time this is so francesca by hozier I'd tell them put me back in it I'd go through it again if i could hold you for a minute. and then the next two mainline games are breath of the wild and tears of the kingdom and breath of the wild involves an amnesia plot so you basically watch link fall in love with zelda a second time and then in tears of the kingdom they are. common law married. they share a house. there's only one bed. do NOT get me FUCKING STARTED on the hateno house. and nintendo still plays FUCKING COY zelda's english va has to be like "they... have a really close bond...." this is how I know they're queer you wouldn't do this with straight people. and then people also ship ocarina of time (most popular and well known game of the series most praised for its story) zelink a lot but that's an older game I haven't played yet so I can't speak on them. zelda is so transmasc in that one though this I know. I talk about link being genderqueer a fair amount and everyone on this internet knows link is trans but trust. zelink is t4t

[bokettochild]

Demon In A Bottle

Took me bloody well forever, but I'm off work now, so here we go!

Febuwhump: Day 1 - Helplessness

Word Count: 5,395

Summary: In the wake of a battle with a demon, one that's abilities allow it to dredge up old miseries, Sky must hunt down their straying captain to try and stop him drowning said old miseries in whiskey.

TRIGGER WARNINGS: Alcoholism and Substance Abuse

notes: quite frankly, the theme of this fic is in no ways lighthearted, but while the title jumped out at me from the story, I find it also makes me laugh. I can’t help thinking of the tweetle-beetle-bottle-puddle-paddle-battle-muddle from Fox in Socks and I don’t know if I hate myself for it or am just glad I can giggle about something related to this story! 

  If there’s one thing heroes are supposed to be able to do, it’s save people. By definition, a hero is someone who helps others, but in meeting the rest of their chain of heroes, Sky has since learned that the title of hero means something else too. 

  The Hero is a man or child clad in green who appears when Hyrule is in danger to fight away monsters and evil and restore peace to the kingdom. The fashion in which they do so differs of course, as he’s slowly learning, but the fact remains that a hero still has a duty to his people and his country, and while it’s not always something thrust upon them, each one of his brothers bears that burden. Some of them let it drag them down, the weight of the world on their shoulders an inescapable duty, others shoulder it as a life purpose, a defining role, something that they’ve built their whole being around, and others, like Wind, regard it as a natural course of action. 

  It’s strange, learning that the title is so commonly used, that so many men and boys have borne it since it was given to him what feels like ages ago. In a way, it’s nice knowing that there are others, that there are people like him who understand things, yet in the same breath, they’re all so different, and with such varying experiences that really, in the long run, they’re as different as night and day sometimes. 

  As if to prove it, Legend’s blatant lack of trust in knights clashes with the fact that so many of them bear the honor of knighthood with pride. Warriors is a polished, well-spoken soldier, trained in the ways of combat, and Twilight is a ranch hand hailing from the country village of Ordon, brash in many ways that clash with the captain. Time is quiet, distant at times, and Wind is warm, welcoming and an ever-present ray of sunshine at their sides. Where Hyrule is unpolished and unassuming, the majority of their group stand out in a crowd. Wild can cook. Truly, there is such variety among their number that it’s a wonder they can all be classified by the same singular word: a hero. 

  But just because the title is there, doesn’t always mean it always feels like it fits. 

  Sure, Legend’s whole being is built around his life as a hero. They're not sure how long he’s been doing it, but they don’t call the young man “veteran” for nothing. It’s clear he owns his title without shame, living out each day in the effort of following the destiny given to him. Sure, Wild has taken to heart the burden bestowed on him, striving to be the best he can be and own the title. Sure, Wind accepts it like it’s just another truth about himself, just the same as his golden hair and ocean blue eyes. Yes, the old man seems to characterize what any child might think of when asked to describe a hero. But Sky is not Legend or Wind or Wild or Time or any of the other heroes. They are of the same spirit, and some of them apparently share blood (why had Twilight and Time told no one?) but they are each their own separate selves, each with his own life and person, and unlike them, Sky feels the weight of their shared title acutely. 

  It was his duty to save Zelda. The weight of the future was on his shoulders. His duty was protecting the people of Hylia and restoring peace and safety to the surface. His whole world expanded in one day from a smattering of islands high above the clouds to a whole huge land full of people and animals and duty. 

  Duty. What a heavy word. 

  It follows him. Even with the sword now silent, Fi having gone to rest with the assurance that he has accomplished what he must and no longer requires her aid and guidance (even though he does, he still does, please, Fi, some advice would be great from time to time) his mission isn’t over. No, because now that he’s defeated the god of evil, now that Zelda is safe, now that Impa is dead, he is the one Hylian out of all of them who knows enough about the surface to guide the other in surviving there. Yet, in the same breath, he’s still the youngster who barely graduated Academy, never mind being properly knighted. He’s still young enough that the elders sometimes doubt him, but experienced enough that they know not to treat him like a child. He’s ‘too young’ to understand the Knights of Skyloft, but has seen more of the world than they ever have. 

  It’s strange, being caught in such an imbalance. People expect so much and yet so little of him. They want him to know what’s happening but doubt that he does. They ask for advice but question anything he gives them.  

  It’s exhausting. He knows Zelda used to tease him before, but the nickname “sleepy-head” never felt so accurate. 

  At least with the chain though, he doesn’t need to worry about it. Call him selfish, but there’s a certain kind of relief that comes from allowing someone else to take the lead, knowing that everyone else understands the world around him better and knows what to do. He doesn’t need to babysit them around new species or warn them about dangerous conditions or fauna. He doesn’t need to even be on guard, instead free to drift along at the center of the group, knowing that Twilight’s sharp ears and Legend’s acute sense of danger will provide ample warning if anything does come upon them. 

  He’s free to sleep for the first time in what feels like forever, without someone busting through his tent in a panic because they heard keese for the first time or realized that rain existed. In fact, he’s allowed to even sleep in sometimes, no plans or defenses or responsibilities waiting for him when he wakes up, just simple easy to follow orders of get up, get ready, walk, fight, and make camp. 

  Call him crazy, this adventure has been almost a vacation if it wasn’t for the fact that Twilight almost died on them a month ago! Or then again, there’s been a lot that happened since then, but even with that in mind, at least he’s not the sole one responsible for the safety, care and guidance of his fellow heroes. More often than not, actually, they’re the ones looking out for him. Honestly, he doesn’t know how he’ll thank Legend for teaching him about the poisons on the surface, or Wild for letting him peek at the champion’s slate to read what he can about monster types, weaknesses and whatnot. The other heroes have this and that to add, of course, but those two have been the most helpful, seeking him out in order to show him things first hand when they can, so that while Wild and Hyrule often go to muck about, he and Legend find their free time typically spent with the veteran teaching him everything he knows about the surface world, survival, and even matters beyond that; matters beyond being a hero and more about just being. It's nice learning things for the sake of learning, not for the sake of staying alive, and Legend talks with a similar cadence and manner to Fi when he’s caught up in expounding on this point or that, uninterrupted because Sky very much appreciates both the effort and the guidance. 

  For all Legend has to share with him though, the vet isn’t exactly someone he can turn to when it comes to problems with people. Honestly, sometimes it feels like he returns the kindness shown to him by the younger hero by covering Legend’s ass when it comes to social interactions, at least among their group. The vet’s left a terrible first impression on most of them, and since it seems everyone else is equally bad as he is when it comes to communication, there’s still many in their group under the impression that their vet is a total asshole. 

  So yeah, Legend is not the best person to ask for help when it comes to people issues. Time either. Time and he aren’t close by any exaggeration of the word, and while the older man is willing to offer advice here and there, Sky’s not certain he feels comfortable seeking it out. Typically speaking, he’s found that Warriors is the best person to ask about these sorts of things, being as he is a man and not a child and possesses the social skill necessary to address this sort of thing, only.... 

  Only, it’s terribly hard to ask someone for advice on how to handle their own stupidity. 

  He is not blind. Okay, well, maybe, and to some things, but missing Time and Twilight’s relationship is likely more a matter of him not being close enough to either to really put much stock in their interactions. Their leader’s fondness for one of their number wasn’t too shocking considering how attached he himself has become to all of them in such a short time. He'd just assumed that Time moved slower and had begun to warm up to them one at a time, starting with the rancher and moving on to the sailor. He'd thought they’d all follow in time, not that Time just ultimately had favorites. 

  Despite missing that though, he’s not entirely incompetent. He sees his brothers, and much as they might have all assumed he was simply the tired, quiet one, just because he doesn’t speak up doesn’t mean he’s not paying attention. No, he sees what happens in camp. He sees Legend’s tentative bids for connection, Wild’s withdrawn attitude that hides behind the smile and the laughter. He sees Wind’s worry and Time’s stress. He knows Twilight is wrung out and confused after his secret was exposed and the rest of them have had to accept the fact that their silent, furry companion was, in fact, one of their brothers.  

  He knows that there’s a breach of trust there, or at least a perceived one. Those who didn’t regard the beast as a threat have often sought the company of their wolf companion in order to express troubles or thoughts that they didn’t wish to share with anyone else, including the rancher himself. Not knowing, they’d told him things, thinking he was just an animal and incapable of sharing them, told him things they didn’t want Twilight to know, things they thought or felt. Now, knowing that Twilight is privy to so many of their secrets, it’s perhaps natural that their barriers have been thrown up, their brothers guarded and wary of what he’ll do with the forbidden knowledge he possesses. 

   He knows it hurts the man, but he understands. He’d never shared his own feelings with their wolf companion, but if Crimson were to one day take hylian form, he’s sure he’d be at least the slightest bit worried about it, maybe even betrayed. Not knowing a dear companion could speak if they so wanted, could be like yourself, would be hurtful. To know they didn’t trust you when you poured out your heart to them... 

  Yes, he understands. 

  Unfortunately, that also means that Twilight is, very much, also not in the category of people who he can come to about things that are worrying him. Sadly, it seems none of them are. He’d never dream of asking the younger ones; Wind is a child and should not be burdened with such things, Hyrule is still struggling to make his own connections, Wild may or may not understand and most definitely has enough on his plate already, Legend is Legend, and he’s never been very close with Four. 

  Which leaves Warriors, who is, again, the course of his frustration. 

  Because, unfortunately, despite being a hero, and despite killing an actual god, Sky finds himself helpless to face a mere vice, a common demon that seems to have taken hold of one of his brothers. 

  It started simple. A night after a tough battle, one where he couldn’t sleep and had wandered downstairs from the inn-room he’d shared with a few of the others, a room where Wind was being kept awake for the sake of his earlier concussion from a battle. Stress was high across the whole group, and he’d needed the space so it was natural that he’d wandered downstairs, hoping to sneak outside and catch some fresh air like he used to on Skyloft. 

  Like on Skyloft, the awful visions that woke him up that night were also cause for his slipping from bed. 

  His intention had been to step out, to catch the breeze on his face and maybe watch the stars for a bit. Legend often says that the stars hold comfort and assurance, and while he doesn’t know nearly as much about them, or the stories and figures the vet can pick out from the heavens, he does know that cloudless nights remind him of home, and bright lights twinkling above had quickly become the only familiar thing between every place he’s gone. 

   Maybe that’s why Legend likes them so much; they’re an unchanging constant no matter where you go. 

  At any rate, he’d needed the space. He hadn’t expected to find any of the others up as well though, much less the captain. In the end, he never made it outside, instead sitting up and talking with the other. 

  He’d thought little of the nearly empty bottle of whiskey at the man’s side, too busy with his own thoughts and worries. 

  He’d thought nothing of it either when, after a terrible battle that nearly saw the loss of the traveler and ended with a passed-out Legend and a very bloody Four, he’d found the captain up stewing quietly over ill thought-out plans and reckless behaviors. The off-handed “I need a drink” had been something to just smile and shake his head at. 

  But then he’d begun to catch on. Rough battles, difficult nights, sleeplessness from worry, from pain and in his own case; from visions. It had resulted in many a night spent up in each other’s company. More worrying still was the constant presence of a little silver flask, held tight in fainty trembling hands as dulled blue eyes would linger over their younger ones. 

  He’d thought it strange, but it was Wind’s worried “has the captain been drinking again?” that really caught him by the ears and shook him. He’d thought it a passive thing, hadn’t paid it much attention because there was no true way to know what was in that little flask (Legend has one too, but it’s got some kind of sweet, spicey juice in it). The sailor asking about it though had changed that. It had revealed that, no, it wasn’t simply a passing thing and was very much a longstanding issue. It was not at all what he was hoping to find out. More so, the youngest can’t even say anything about it, because the captain knowing that his former charge is aware of the vice apparently would have some very, very bad results. 

  So, Wind can’t say anything without potentially making it worse. None of the others know or have seen it enough to realize the weight of the issue, and he’s left the only one who not only knows and witnesses it but has nothing he can do about it. 

  Long nights, dark eyes and pain, so, so much pain in the captain’s face and voice have left him stumbling. The quiet admission of how their elegant captain’s own stepfather was a miserable drunk isn’t any help either, although that conversation had rather quickly turned from him trying to bring up the issue and into the both of them commiserating on the lack of decent father figures in the world. 

  From there. It just... keeps happening. 

  He’s watching, trying to say something and so, so easily letting pretty words and prettier eyes distract him into talking about something else. Quite frankly, it would be terrifying if it wasn’t so impressive how the captain manages to dodge his every quiet attempt by redirecting him onto something else, turning the matter around or simply accepting his concern with a smile and an easy, gentle, so very believable dismissal. Yet, he sees the results. He sees the stress and the tension. He sees the misery that before had hidden so prettily behind a polished mask, but which now spills from time to time into a slippery mess before him, catching him in its mire and leaving him floundering, breathless, and scared. 

  He’s the hero, the one meant to save those around him from trouble, but he’s failing a battle with a bottle that’s he’s not even touching. 

  Watching the result of that failure, the downward spiral, it hurts. It hurts more than blades or arrows or even poison. In a way, it is a sort of poison; a slow working thing that, while he never touched it, has infected not only his own life but those around them. 

 As chaos sows itself across the kingdom, poison spreads within their own number. The attention of their brothers, and indeed, most of his own, is fixed on the protection of their home, on defeating the newly risen foe, on ending things so that their lives can return in some small manner to a semblance of normalcy. And somehow, he lets his worries fall to the background, let’s his mind turn to the struggles spawning up around him with the others, with himself, with things that are ever so much more prominent than a little silver flask. Even the yelling match that sprung up between the vet and druken captain hadn’t refocused him, his attention more fixed on other things in the aftermath; Legend’s behavior, his own aggression when shouting at the captain to just cease and desist with beating the dead horse before he’d marched off after the vet.  

  Fighting and travel have kept him busy since, but failure is as sure a trigger as anything, or so he’s learned. Even now, he watches as the others retreat to lick their wounds, to hide away in their inn rooms, silent and mournful, blood still staining their clothes. He’s sore himself, tired, weary, too worn from the events of things over the last couple of months to actually want more than to lay down himself and sleep, but he doesn’t. 

  No, because when the rest of them go to hide at the inn, the captain goes off alone, a cold, dangerous, dark look in that drawn and tired face, and worry gnawing at the skyloftian’s own heart will not allow for him to even entertain thoughts of sleep, not when he’s learned to know what that look means. He lingers only as long as he must to ensure all the rest are settled, safe and stable, before darting back out onto the streets. 

  Watching is hard. Seeking is harder. 

There’s an awful sort of feeling that comes over him at the realization that the nearest bar is mostly the new location of his straying brother but finding it in the dark is nearly as difficult as dragging himself towards it, knowing full well what he’ll find inside. He does though, he does because he has to and because it’s the right thing to do. He does it because it’s what a hero would do.  

Heroes save people when they’re drawn into danger, and the devil in the bottle is slowly urging his beloved brother and friend in. A steady hiss or whisper or however it’s call manifests for the captain, and one that, if he doesn’t make it in time, he won’t be able to stop from taking hold. 

He can whisper a begrudging thanks to the heavens that Warriors is a gentle drunk most of the time. 

- 

The bar-room's floor is shockingly clean when he enters, considering it’s a farming town they’ve stopped to stay in at Time’s suggestion. Faint, dusty footprints from one or two people scuff in and out, but he can see where thick ash and dirt have clumped and marched across the floor, and following the trail is the easiest thing he’s done today after fighting a far larger, far more terrifying demon. 

In his mind, Sky steels himself; if he can fight Demise and come out alive, he can face up to the captain about this most worrisome coping technique. The key is simply not to let Warriors distract him with something else, so at the first mention of anything that’s not the man’s own issues, he needs to start to redirect. 

Hylia above, why couldn’t those cursed goddesses have granted him even just the smallest piece of Wisdom? Charging in is the easiest part, getting through the battle with a silver-tongued soldier is the thing it seems he can’t do properly. 

Glass taps on polished wood, a heavy and familiar sigh following. Trailing his eyes towards the back corner of the room, he can easily make out the bloody and worn form of his brother, slumped against a small table and already with a hand ploughing through his ash dusted hair. Warriors looks like hell. Dark bruises beneath darker eyes, face drawn and still stained with the remains of their defeat. The usually proud appearance has been crippled, uniform torn and filthy, and blood still spattered over armor, leather, and skin. The man doesn’t so much as spare him a glace as Sky settles across from him at the table, keeping the barrier between them for both their sakes. 

“Hey.” 

A long, drawn-out sigh sounds off the wood of the worn bar table. 

Sky waits. Pressing any of his brothers is counterproductive. Sitting quietly, taking in the situation, is the best approach, letting them determine whether or not they’re ready to speak yet. He won’t push either, he just sits and rests his arms on the table, glancing the empty glass and the blessed lack of a matching bottle.  

“What d’you want, Sky?” Still not even a flick of dull eyes up towards him. “Shouldn’t you be with the rest?” 

He shrugs, stiff, as though he’s not being eaten up a bit with guilt at leaving them. The other adults can keep an eye on things though, and Wind was already doing a marvelous job of talking them out of their heads. It’s up to him to handle the captain though, as the sailor may or not have even been allowed inside the bar. The kid shouldn’t be here anyway, for the captain’s sake and his own.  

“I didn’t feel right about letting you go off alone.” 

“The kids need you right now.” 

“They need you too,” he challenges, leaning a bit closer and trying to catch the turned away eyes of the other. “And I think you’d do yourself some good to be around them.” 

A twitch of the fine-featured face before him is his only answer as sooty fingers toy with the empty glass between them. It’s lifted briefly, before the other man seems to check himself and realize it’s empty. 

 Sky needs to prevent it getting refilled. Hopefully, he can drag the captain’s ass out of here and back to their brothers before then. The key is just getting through to him, and though it feels like ages since he’d looked at the other man and found only unreadable smiles and perfection, there’s still a barrier that stops him really understanding what the captain might be thinking. Goddesses above, how is it that even Legend is easier to read than this man? 

“Wars, you’re worrying me.” He tries. Slowly, softly enough that no other patrons in the place will hear him, but it seems the captain doesn’t hear it either. 

No, the man just taps his glass against the table-top, distracted, and sigh so heavy he seems to shudder. “Go back, chosen.” 

“No, captain.” 

In battle, maybe blue eyes hold the flames of the goddesses themselves, but in the dim light of the bar, there’s only a dullness and flickering darkness that makes him want to shift and draw away. He doesn’t though, doesn’t dare. Instead, he sits under that stare for the brief second it's spared, and then the soldier is shutting his eyes with yet another heavy sigh. “Rest, you need it.” 

“I can’t.” You’re here, he wants to add. You’re out here and you’re worrying me, and I can’t sleep easy until I know we’re all safe. 

Fine features twitch, shifting into a frown that would be very terrifying indeed if Sky hadn’t gotten used to all the harsh looks of his team over the last while. Time’s dark looks and Warriors’ disapproval aren’t nearly as weighty all things considered, and he carefully doesn’t respond when the other looks up at him again, brows drawn low and tightly together, jaw twitching slightly. “Sky-” 

“Link,” he returns, sharp to match the look he shoots at the other. Their given name slips strangely off his tongue and earns a twitch of the brows in answer. “No. I’m not letting you sit alone a stew.” 

“Even if I want to?” The glass taps loudly against the table, a sharp contrast to their low voices. “Does that matter at all?” 

Okay, that’s just a bomb-burr waiting for him to walk too close. “Link, please,” and the use of their shared name seems to have fingers closing tighter over the mouth of the whiskey glass, “we both know what will happen if I leave.”  

His words are proved by the lack of verbal answer, instead the tapping of the glass back onto the table as dark eyes meet his. They’re blank again, impossible to read past that closed off, stern expression. It's not one he’s used to facing much these days, but he’s seen it turned on the younger ones plenty of times. 

“I leave,” he presses, “and you’ll drink.” 

There’s the faintest tightening again around the glass still clutched in sooty hands. “It could be worse.” 

“You’re right,” he agrees, nodding slowly, “it could. I could keep ignoring it and you’ll keep getting worse.” He steels his own jaw, folding his hands if only for something to do with them before he meets the stare now fixed, heavy and harsh, on his face. “When we all met, you hardly touched the stuff save maybe after a bad battle, and I mean a really bad one.” The same as Time here and there. The same as any man likely might. A really bad day is fair enough excuse for one drink, but Warriors used to stop at one, and now he doesn’t. “Now it seems every time our backs are turned...” he motions to the glass, watches as blue eyes dart down to follow his gaze. 

The captain’s hands aren’t shaking like they normally do. They’re perfectly still as he clutches hold of the empty cup.  

He doesn’t like it. The tremor is normal, it is a sure sign of ease. He knows the after effects of their last battle, the magic in it, the illusions cast around them of the worst they’ve seen, worst they’d imagined, used as a distraction shook all of them, but seeing the man still so tightly wound, still so caught up in his head that his body is still responding as though he’s in immediate danger, it doesn’t sit well with him. 

“Come back to the inn,” he begs. “We all-” 

The sudden shriek of the chair as the soldier stands might be what cuts him off, the cold look in closed off eyes definitely is though. “I don’t know what that demon showed you, chosen, but know this: you can fight gods and you can win, but some of us have fought men and believe it or not, there’s something quite different and more terrible about that.” It’s the clipped soldier’s voice that speaks to him, resounding enough in the bar that everyone else present has fallen silent and tense, looking up from their own conversations to stare. “So go back to the inn, get over what you saw, and let me do the same here so we can face the demon again in the morning.” 

“Wars-” 

The other turns, heading back to the bar and no doubt with full intent to refill the glass he holds. 

Sky darts after him. “Please, Link! This isn’t good for you!” 

“Well, it isn’t exactly hurting you now, is it?” Is the sharp answer as barkeep approaches the two of them, wary. 

 For a moment, Sky debates between telling the barkeep to not serve his brother and telling the captain to just walk away. Caught betwixt, he misses the opportunity for both, too distracted, too unfocused, to slow, and when his brother motions for the bottle in the hands of the barkeep, it’s only then that he gets his wits about him enough to catch hold of the thing himself. 

The barkeep darts away, no doubt eager to avoid the mess as snapping eyes fix on storm cloud blue as Sky’s voice rumbles low like thunder between them. “You doing this hurts everyone that loves you. We can’t stand to just sit back and watch anymore.” 

“Well no one asked you to watch,” the captain bites, “or care.” 

“But we do,” he answers back, trying desperately to catch those eyes again, “we chose to be your brothers, and thus we chose to stad beside you.” 

“Then don’t blame me when your choices get you hurt.” The hand he’s set on the bottle is knocked away as, once more, Warriors turns his back on him and heads back to his table.  

He’s not sure if he should chase or walk away or give up. He’s left standing for a moment before darting after, again, unable to stop the other as a finger of amber is poured and knocked back without so much as a flinch. Well, not a flinch from Warriors, he finds himself recoiling just the slightest bit as he watches. 

 He tries again, this time not daring to push further by touching the forbidden poison, but instead trying to break through and get the other to just look at him. “Link, please, you’re killing yourself like this.” 

Dark eyes are empty, lifeless, as they turn upwards to look at him, like visions of the sealing grounds were once, thousands of years ago; barren and ruined by battle and death. “Good.” 

And then it’s gone, another glass knocked back and Sky left standing, only able to watch. 

What else is there to be said? What argument is left to beg, to plead, to convince? He’s the hero, he’s good with his hands, his blade, his strength. He sees foes and he crushes them. He sees allies and he aids them. But when an ally embraces the foe, what then? What’s left for him to do? What course of action is there left save to beg? And when even that fails there is nothing. 

Nothing but watching, unable to go back without fulfilling his mission and unwilling to let his brother be left alone in the weakened state the quickly emptying bottle will leave him in. All he can do is watch as golden poison flows, as sooty, bloodied, burned hands lift and toss back, as glass clacks against the tabletop again only to be refilled once more. There's nothing else he can do or say. There may be other arguments, but they’re lost to him, buried instead under that horrible stare and the cracked and shattered soul that had glinted through on that single, devastating ‘good’. 

It’s not the first defeat he’s faced today, but between the two, this is the one that leaves him truly helpless in it’s wake. 

[links-in-time]

Wild Visions - Chapter 8

Anyone writing LU or just zelda fics based in the BOTW Hyrule, I highly recommend downloading the interactive map. It's free from Google play and I use it all the time to find interesting locations for setting my stories. See if you can find where this fic ended up.

🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿

Deciding not to travel along the main road, Wild made for the quarry ruins to the west of Castle Town. Clambering over rocks and squeezing between trees made it difficult for Wild to keep his hand on Hyrule. Coming to a compromise, he pushed Hyrule ahead of him and ordered him to walk.

Head hanging, hands gripping his arms for comfort, Hyrule marched on. With Wild’s knife at his back, Hyrule began to try and think his way out of his predicament. There was no doubt that the being who awaited them in the castle ruins was Dark Link. No matter what happened, Hyrule could not allow Dark to get hold of him and release the curse on his blood. He would throw himself into fire or water before he let that happen.

“Wild, please, I am begging you to see reason.” Hyrule insisted “This isn't you, you don't want to do this!”

“You don't understand,” Wild replied, his voice sounding strained and a little croaky. “It's not what I want. But if I don't, he's going to make me drink that vial. I don't - I don't want to die again.”

“You don't have to,” Hyrule tried to reason with him.

At that moment the pair of them stepped out of the trees and were faced with a small lake. The water reflecting the black stillness of the sky. Hyrule had had enough, if he didn't try and help his brother now, he may as well slit his own wrists and be done with it. He stopped abruptly not far from the edge of the lake, fists clenched, boots digging into the muddy ground.

Wild almost collided with Hyrule's back, but managed to stop short. His knife was up and pointing at Hyrule at once, panic flooding through him in a cold wave as he feared what Hyrule might do next.

“What are you doing?” Wild demanded, struggling to keep his voice from shaking. “Keep walking!”

“No Wild,” Hyrule said quietly.

For a moment he squeezed his eyes shut and took several deep breaths. The traveler had faced many foes in his time. He'd sealed Ganon away twice and rescued two princesses. He'd faced monsters and evils that threatened to destroy his adopted home forever. But as Hyrule turned to face his brother, he felt his courage falter for the first time.

Wild looked scared and stricken, whatever Dark had done to him was clearly weighing on his soul. He looked exhausted, dark circles had appeared under his eyes where they had never been before. Though he was clearly trying to keep Hyrule under his control, the hand gripping Wild's knife began to shake imperceptibly.

“I'm not going any further. And if you want me to go to that castle, you're going to have to kill me and carry me there,” Hyrule said calmly. Much calmer than he felt at that moment.

“What?” Wild huffed, on the verge of hysterical laughter. “Come on, you don't mean that.”

“Yes Wild, I do. I'm deadly serious. I cannot let you take me with you. If it is your mission to take me to who I think you are, then I will die before I let that happen.”

Wild opened his mouth with another order on his lips. But he closed it again without letting it loose. For the first time that night he actually looked at Hyrule. The young hero seemed utterly calm and resolute. He stared back at Wild with eyes full of pity, not for himself, but for his brother.

“Please Wild. Link, please, try and fight whatever it is that has this hold over you.”

Hyrule's softly spoken words sent shock waves through Wild's frantic thoughts. Dark's threats and orders boomed loudly in his head, as though fighting with Hyrule for control.

Get Hyrule to the castle.

Drink the poison should you fail.

Contrasted with Hyrule's soft demeanor, Dark's harsh warnings were too strong to be ignored. Wild's grip hardened and his features contorted into a scowl.

“No, I can't!” Wild growled, low and dangerous. But his voice cracked on a sob the next time he spoke. “I'm sorry Rulie.”

Wild lunged, closing the distance between them in two long strides. Hyrule had been expecting the attack. He waited for Wild to swing his arm before blocking and twisting his wrist to make him drop the knife. Unarmed, Wild tried to make a swing at Hyrule's head. His fist connected with Hyrule's ear, leaving a piercing ringing echoing in his head.

Staggering with his head spinning from Wild's punch, Hyrule turned his momentum against him. The young hero threw himself into Wild, knocking him over.

“Oof!” Wild sputtered, as Hyrule knocked the wind out of him.

The pair fell against the damp grass in a tangled heap. Hyrule's legs became intertwined with Wild's and he struggled to get to his feet. Meanwhile, Wild attempted to recover from Hyrule's surprise tackle. In their struggle, Hyrule’s hand slipped over the pouch at Wild's hip, breaking open the clasp. It took Hyrule the length of a breath to make a single decision.

Digging his hand into Wild's pouch, Hyrule closed his fist around the tiny bottle.

“No!” Wild screamed.

With a kick of his left leg, Hyrule managed to wriggle himself free and stumbled upwards to his feet. He kept the glass bottle firmly gripped in his hand as he took several backwards steps away from Wild. As he did so, he kicked something with the back of his boot. Looking down, Hyrule found Wild's knife. However, as he stared he watched as the blade faded and disintegrated into black dust.

“Hyrule stop!” Wild shrieked.

He reached out a desperate hand to Hyrule, still kneeling on the wet grass, his knees starting to grow wet with dew. Everything in Wild's mind was screaming at him to lunge at Hyrule and tackle him back to the ground. But something in his soul said otherwise.

Hyrule was his brother.

Hyrule had to go to the castle.

Wild didn't want to die.

He had to take the poison.

“I know this was meant for you, but I can't get through to you. So I suppose I only have one choice left. And I'm sorry Link. I'm so, so sorry.” Hyrule said, lifting the bottle slowly and pulling out the cork.

The pair were so engrossed in their own situation, that neither heard the approach of voices, or the brush of leaves on the edge of the woods. Neither saw the gleam of Time's armour in the moonlight, or the speed with which Wind drew his sword. They never knew how quickly their brothers tried to reach them as Hyrule lifted the vial to his lips.

The poor teen’s hand was trembling, as his tips brushed the edge of the bottle. Hyrule closed his eyes as he tipped his head back and took a deep gulp.

“No!” Wild yelled, his voice echoing a hundred times over, though to him silence had descended.

In a mad panic, he scrambled forwards and caught Hyrule in his arms as he began to fall. Despite Wild's extra feeding, the younger hero still felt too light and small in his embrace.

“Rulie no, oh Hylia please no,” Wild whispered manically.

He gripped Hyrule's wrist, but his own heart was beating so fast he struggled to find a pulse. In a desperate attempt to save him, Wild pressed his mouth to Hyrule's lips to try and remove the poison. But no matter how he tried there was no trace of the amber liquid left.

Hyrule's body felt limp and slack between Wild's arms. His torso rested heavily on Wild's legs. He tried to cradle his head so that his neck didn't strain or flop about. Hyrule wouldn't like that, it would be too painful.

“What have you done?” Wild hissed, venom spitting from his tongue as he spoke.

“Me?” The soft, innocent voice of Dark Link replied.

The entity slithered out of Wild's shadow and materialised before the two heroes. He stood with his hands loosely clasped behind his back, head slightly cocked to one side.

“I have done nothing. It is you who failed in almost every way possible,” he said, gazing down at Wild with indifference.

“No, that's not true. It was your poison he took,” Wild bit back.

“True, but he needn't have taken it. If you had done what I asked, his end could have been more comfortable,” Dark sighed, switching his gaze from one boy to the other. “Shame.”

Wild could feel hot tears burning behind his eyes. A lump formed in his throat as he tried to form words strong enough for the creature before him. But the weight of Hyrule's body in his arms made his grief stronger than his rage.

“He was the best of all of us,” he sobbed.

“What's that?” Dark asked, irritated by Wild's mumbling.

But Wild wasn't speaking for Dark's benefit.

“Hyrule, he was the bravest, the kindest, and most selfless one of us all.” Wild continued.

“Whatever,” Dark scoffed, growing increasingly bored by Wild's eulogy. “Right hand him over and I can finish what I came here for.”

The callousness with which Dark treated Hyrule's sacrifice, finally made something snap in Wild's mind. A shadow, which had soured his thoughts and his sight was blown away, as if by a summer breeze. He stared down at Hyrule's face, still flushed with life.

As Wild lifted his gaze, he met Dark's scarlet stare and sensed his impatience. He stood hands on hips, expecting Wild to obey his last command. But it no longer tugged at Wild's self control. The link between them had been severed. Hyrule had given his life to save Wild from being forced to do it himself. His sacrifice had been the jolt Wild needed to free himself of Dark's control.

“No. He's not going anywhere with you. And neither am I,” Wild said, resolute in his conviction.

At once all of his confidence and courage came rushing back to him. Like heat being blown into a furnace Wild felt himself come alive, despite Dark's best efforts.

The trampling of boots and the sound of swords being unsheathed finally reached Wild's ears. His lips curled as he locked eyes with Dark.

“I'd start running if I were you. You thought they hated you when you injured Twilight. You don't want to find out what they'll do when they realise Hyrule is gone,” Wild warned. Wishing he could explain in detail, what he wanted to do to the shadow in recompense for Hyrule.

“This is not the end. You know that, don't you,” Dark hissed, warily eyeing the approaching heroes.

“I know. But you haven't won today, and that's a victory for us,” Wild replied firmly, his grip on Hyrule tightening slightly.

Dark bared his teeth, but Wild wasn't afraid. The shadow had already put him through the worst he could suffer. The power he held over the Champion had faded like the shadow of night at the coming of dawn. Wild stared up at Dark defiantly, as he watched the creature take a few nervous steps back.

In an instant he vanished. Slipping through the shadows of reality as though he had never been there at all. Wild let out a sigh of relief, however, it soon turned to tears as he turned to look down at his brother.

< Part 7 : Part 9 >

[nolongerapileofashprobably]

Still playing through ToTK and I get a *BoTW* fic idea because of course I do; I'd repurpose it for ToTK but it doesn't quite fit, yet nonetheless I gotta share it before it leaves me (still gonna try to write it though) --

So, it's always bugged me a little bit that Link would go out of his way to do Korok puzzles and extra shrines and whatnot when they all take a fair amount of time and Zelda's whittling herself down in the castle, and Link generally isn't one to mess around while her wellfare is endangered.

BUT I present another theory; that the first time Link decided to pass one up as not worth the time, he felt that little ember of Zelda in the back of his mind wilt a little bit, and realized that she actively looked forward to each and every one of them. After a century of monotony, her mind is starved for stimulation, and fuck if Korok puzzles aren't the kind of brain teaser she would actually kill for (or, as the case goes, sacrifice another week or two cumulatively for).

And bonus points if he starts soliciting her commentary for some of the harder ones.

(Idk I think it's the fact that I'm reading BoTW fic while I push through the end of ToTK so I don't spoil myself but this came to me and I'm like, 'Ah, this resolves so much ludonarrative dissonance for me.' Thought you might appreciate the idea haha)

Yo. Yes.

I do appreciate this idea oh my god

I always wondered like “okay so link canonically did all of the shrine quests and side quests… so like… Zelda had to wait? Through all those quests? Ig homie did it all bc he knew he had to help and get as strong as possible so he knew he wouldn’t lose again”

And just adding that Zelda DOES have a connection to link through the spirit realm… and that she WOULD definitely get a kick out of the puzzles link goes through… oh I am so here for this idea

[forabeatofadrum]

It's Wednesday My Dudes! Thank you @that-disabled-princess, @nausikaaa and @cutestkilla tagging me. Time is an illusion.

I was out and about, not doing much, since it was my birthday. I watched the digital ticket of Starkid's new musical Cinderella's Castle, and I enjoyed it, and I played some viddy games, namely Cult of the Lamb and Splatoon 3. Splatoon 3's come to an end with the great Grand Festival. I hope Kurt and Blaine are bopping to ANOTHER version of Ebb & Flow. Off the Hook keeps releasing new versions of that song and it still slaps.

And after last week's poll, I started The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker. So far, it's not going well for me, up to the point I'm looking into cheats. I can't believe I am unbelievably stuck on the first dungeon.

But because of Wind Waker, I have returneth to writing with the thing no one asked for, me included, namely a Zelda fic!

A little background, but back in 2021, I wrote Any way the wind blows, a fic that's set in Breath of the Wild and it's about Link reuniting with his sister after a hundred years. Then, fast forward to 2023: Tears of the Kingdom came out and the character of Purah has been doing scientific fuckery with her age. Maybe some of you remember this, but after that game came out I spent some of these SSS/WW posts talking about a possible sequel for Any way the wind blows. Welp, seeing the Link and Aryll of Wind Waker interact brought all of those thoughts back and last night, underneath my blanky, my mind started writing it. So under the cut there's some words of Easy come, easy go, will you let me go, because yes, I even came up with a title.

Kiana knows Aryll is old. Everyone in Lurelin knows Aryll is old. She's called the village elder for a reason. She'll be turning a hundred and twelve. If she manages to make it. Everyone's noticed that Aryll's grown even more tired than before. She spents most of her days inside, even though the villagers have made the outside more accessible. A few weeks ago, she only went outside when her brother came to visit. The two of them would sit by the ocean. But now, that's also stopped. To be fair, now that the Calamity is over, Link spends more time at Lurelin. Before, he would only visit once a week. After, he practically moved here. But Link and Aryll spend most of their time inside Aryll's hut and Link's also started roaming around Lurelin without her, because she's often asleep when he's around. Kiana knows Aryll's lived a good life without regrets. If it hadn't been for Link returning, she'd be at peace with Aryll slowly fading away, but Aryll's had to miss her brother for almost a hundred years and it feels cruel to have it end. Sebasto argues that maybe this is the way it is. The Goddesses have kept Aryll alive so that she could be reunited, but now that's happened, and it's time to move on, but Kiana cannot accept that. Kiana knows she can't stop death. No one can, not even the most advanced scientists in Hyrule, but when she overhears Zelda and Link discuss the aging experiments of one of their friends, Kiana starts to think.

I'd like to write this fic in the same style as the first one, which alternated between the present and Aryll's stories about the past, but I have no clue how to do that. Ah. We'll see. I gotta finish it first.

And now, the weather: @quizasvivamos @coffeegleek @caramelcoffeeaddict @raenestee @tectonicduck 

@nightimedreamersworld @urban-sith @you-remind-me-of-the-babe @bookish-bogwitch @confused-bi-queer

@special-bc-ur-part-of-it @larkral

@artsyunderstudy​ @facewithoutheart​ @shrekgogurt @rockitmans @bitbybitwrites 

@whatevertheweather @shame-is-a-wasted-emotion @esilher @kurtsascot @blackberrysummerblog 

@nightimedreamersghost @ivelovedhimthroughworse @thnxforknowingme @martsonmars

[zeldaelmo]

Aha, so I said I'm working on the Advent Calendar for this year, right? I do! I started chapter 13 today, so it's coming along and I'm halfway through the first draft.

It's going to be a post Echoes of Wisdom story! I really enjoyed the game. I talked about fic ideas with my friend @bahbahhh and told her that I was surprised everyone had them have a mutual crush on each other. Because of course that's too boring for me. 🤣

This is from chapter 1 of the story "Of Fading Echoes"

At the ball, the musicians played music that hardly qualified for more than some round dances in walking tempo, unlike the jovial songs they had at the parties back in Suthorn Village. The wine had been sweet and smooth, too. Back home, when he and Lueburry celebrated some progress they made, they drank tart beer, homemade and honest. He had shaken so many soft hands, too! Everyone wanted to congratulate them on their victory over Null, and everyone knew at least one person who had been swallowed by a rift. The thanking part was okay, Link mused, rubbing patterns into the velvet on the arm rest with his fingers. Closing the rifts and bringing the victims back was of course Princess Zelda and Tri’s work, mostly, but before that, he had saved a lot of people by predicting where a rift would open, too.

And then, there was the part where he had fought alongside Princess Zelda and they had made sure no rifts would open ever again. So, yes, thanking him was alright but honestly, by now, he had had enough of it.

They had even put him in a soft, white-golden tunic! He looked like some kind of prince! He couldn't wait to slip his green clothes back on and go home, but first he was expected in Princess Zelda's study for tea. Which, he knew it already, would be sweet and weak, too. 

With a sigh, he sank deeper into the plush chair. It had been so exciting to fight alongside someone. Princess Zelda hadn't batted an eye at the obstacles they had faced, and had solved puzzles with wit and wisdom. Never once had she flinched, not even when the hit of a Lynel got a bit too close and she sustained a slash across her cheek. She had grinned at him in the face of the onslaught of monsters, the adrenaline pumping through her just like it pumped through him. They were like-minded, he had felt it then, clear as day. 

And now?

Nothing of that thrilling feeling was left. It was as if she had left her adventurous spirit behind in the still world. Sure, they didn't have much time to talk due to the celebrations. She seemed to have to stay an awful lot in her study, too, when there weren't hands to shake and flowers to receive. Paperwork, she had muttered, lots and lots to catch up on after being away for months. 

Hmpf. He wasn't sure what he had expected, of course she had another job to do. Unlike him who just stared out of the window of his guest room and watched the (soft) clouds passing by. 

[dreadfutures]

Fanfic Writer Questions

Tagged by @plisuu and @rosella-writes - and tagging the whole rest of the DA FanFic server crew:

@warpedlegacy @rakshadow @effelants @bluewren @breninarthur @ar-lath-ma-cully @ir0n-angel @inquisimer @crackinglamb @theluckywizard @nirikeehan @oxygenforthewicked @exalted-dawn-drabbles @melisusthewee @blarrghe @agentkatie @delicatefade @leggywillow @about2dance

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

49

2. What's your total AO3 word count?

1,645,298

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Maximum Ride, Pokemon, Spirited Away, Zelda, Pathfinder CRPGs, Elden Ring, Dishonored, and of course, Dragon Age

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Dead Pasts and Dread Futures (Dragon Age)

Hero of the Wild (Legend of Zelda: BOTW)

When the Wind Whispers (Legend of Zelda: BOTW)

The Brave Guide (Dragon Age)

Light in the Dark (LOZ)

5. Do you respond to comments?

Yes! I try to. I fall behind very frequently but I always try to say thank you. So many people tell me why these stories touch them, and to share that with me, is such a gift that deserves acknowledgement.

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

Probably 'The Hope of Fen'Harel' (on AO3) or the scene where Solas finds out that young Ixchel is dead (here on tumblr).

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

the road seems too wild for mixing it with blues (Dragon Age) - literally it is a Solavellan happiest of happy endings. There are brown butter donuts.

8. Do you get hate on fics?

Yes. Not infrequently.

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

Sometimes! I do try to write titillating smut but if it's in my longfics, it's got to be for character reasons and serve the plot. But I have more than one smut oneshot that's just there to get people hot lol.

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

No.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

I have had ideas copied wholecloth.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Not that I know of, but you are free to do so as long as you tag me and properly credit via the "inspired by" on AO3

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

Yes! ALL of my Maximum Ride fics were co-written. Literally sending passages back and forth over *yahoo instant messenger.* It was an absolute fucking joy. Those fics are gone now though lol.

14. What's your all time favorite ship?

Prooooooobablyyyyyyy Haku/Chihiro. I will read absolute drivel if it's got them in it.

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

I WILL ABSOLUTELY FINISH MY BOTW FICS I AM WORKING ON THEM OKAY?! The one i don't think i will ever do is my young!Ixchel fic. It's too fucking sad. But it lives in my head and calls to me.

16. What are your writing strengths?

Dreamy prose, evocative horror, and really motivated plots.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

I'm verbose, I have a hard time connecting scenes / passing time without it feeling like it's dragging.

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

So, for fantasy languages that you have to conlang -- I think you should just write it in English. Especially if you're not making up YOUR OWN conlang and instead relying on the work of a notorious jackass. I have taken to "[[brackets and italics]]" to indicate when dialogue is happening in Elvhen. In real life languages, such as Spanish, the current movement in ownvoices communities is to include the dialogue in its original tongue, with no italics. Readers are smart. They can look it up. And they need to get used to languages other than their own without it seeming other, alien, or magical. In my original novels, where Spanish is often used, I stick with this rule.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Maximum Ride or Spirited Away.

20. Favorite fic you've written?

it ends or it doesn't (Dragon Age), my Felassan-as-Benoit-Blanc arlathvhen murder mystery!

blank form below:

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

2. What's your total AO3 word count?

3. What fandoms do you write for?

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

5. Do you respond to comments?

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

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

8. Do you get hate on fics?

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

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

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

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

14. What's your all time favorite ship?

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

16. What are your writing strengths?

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

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

19. First fandom you wrote for?

20. Favorite fic you've written?

[have-kake]

Distant Times [LU Fic]

Summary: Destiny, Zelda had called it. A cycle of hatred, Impa had called it. A curse spanning the ages, Link had considered it.

After the war ends, Link finds hope again. Years later, he meets others who are part of the cycle. Though, not all cycles have to be bad. Maybe a small cycle of hope, perpetually locked in a period of a few short years, is just what he and a friend need.

[Warriors & Legend centric] [Ao3 Link]

Link is one more insane conversation away from picking up the table and throwing it. He doesn't understand how Zelda puts up with all these dignitaries. The Marquises all act like Zelda herself wasn't out there on the front lines protecting the kingdom and their land herself! They don't understand the level of sacrifice and pain they had to go through on the front. Even his father, an Earl, knows! As the son of a Knight, hailing from a long line of Knights, he knew combat was nothing to scoff at, even as a child. He'd seen the tremors in his father's hands on bad days. He saw the way he couldn't relax on worse days.

"Link," Impa says sidling up next to him. "Lana requires your assistance. I'll stay and watch the Princess in your stead."

Link nods his gratitude. He bows to Zelda and the Marquis—even if they don't pay him any attention—and quickly makes his escape.

He lets out a relieved sigh when he turns down an empty hallway. He's not used to this. He's not used to being a symbol.

Out on the field, he was just a soldier. Then he became a Captain. Then he was The Hero.

He should still be out there. Fighting. Clearing out stray monsters. Helping villages rebuild.

"Oh, thank the spirits!" Lana says the second he opens the door.

He pauses, casting a quick glance around the room. It's just Lana and the red haired girl– Mary he thinks her name is. What's she still doing here?

She ushers him into the room. "We have a problem."

Link's instantly on high alert. The adrenaline hits him so fast it almost makes him dizzy. A hand lands on his wrist and he swings.

Lana jumps back with a flash of magic and a startled squeak. "Sorry, sorry!" She rushes. "I probably should have worded that better!"

Link quickly sheaths the sword. "Lana, Spirits, I'm so sorry!"

"You're fine, you're fine!" She's quick to reassure. "We're all still a little jumpy."

Link winces. It's been over three months. He shouldn't be jumpy.

"Anyways!" She says grabbing his hand and dragging him further into the room. "I was having trouble sending Miss Marin home, but I think we've located the Hero's Spirit of her time. We just need you to go check first before I send her there."

"Whoa whoa, hold on," he interrupts, immediately wincing at the informality. Impa and Zelda's advisors would kill him. Lana grins at the informality. He pretends not to notice as he gets himself under control. "We were informed that all visitors had been sent home."

"Well... Yes..." Lana says guiltily. "But..."

"You lied to the Princess."

"I can't find her world okay!"

Link blinks, caught off guard by the statement. Whatever excuse he was expecting, it certainly wasn't that. "What do you mean you can't find it?"

She motions for him to look through one of the mirrors in the room. "Okay, so this is Marin's world from before she left," Lana explains. Link nods as the view constantly moves and he gets a good look at the island. "This is what happens when I try to find it after she leaves."

The image blurs and suddenly the mirror goes black. Link startles.

Next Lana pulls a magical device off a shelf and sets it on a pedestal. "We can't send someone back to before they left, otherwise we unbalance their reality." The device activates and Link's greeted with the sight of another Soul Gate. As soon as it blinks into existence, it vanishes. "Any time I open a Gate from the moment she vanished from her world, the connection breaks."

The Gate opens again only to vanish a moment later. Lana does it three more times, before turning to him. She raises her hands in a vaguely helpless gesture.

Link glances at Marin where she sits at the far end of the room. She stares down at her hands with her shoulders hunched. Even from this distance Link can see the frown on her face and the tears in her eyes. His heart breaks for her. A stranger pulled into a war not her own, and now she can't even go home.

He turns back to Lana with a frown of his own. "Can you send her to a time before her?" He asks quietly. "It's not the same, but it's close."

Lana shakes her head. "That's the thing! I can't find that either!"

He winces at her volume. He resists the urge to glance back at Marin. Should they really be having this discussion in front of her? "What do you mean you can't find it?"

"I mean it's not there," Lana says. "No blur then black, no open then close" she says pointing at the mirror and the plinth. "It's solid black from the start and a Gate won't even manifest. It's like her world began and ended in the blink of an eye."

Link scowls. This war keeps becoming crueler and crueler with each passing day, even long after it's been over. If only he'd done better. He could have ended this before Marin got dragged into his conflict. "I can see why you lied about sending everyone home."

Lana winces. She reaches out to him, but he jerks away before he can remind himself he's not supposed to. She brings her hand to her chest, cradling it over her heart. "I think I found the Hero of her world," she says.

Link's greatful she doesn't call attention to his blunder.

"I need you to go check out the place first. Make sure it's safe, and the right person was found. He's more likely to believe you than me."

--

Standing in front of a small unassuming home, Link suddenly has second thoughts. He doesn't belong here. He's a total stranger in this world.

The brooch carefully hidden under his scarf vibrates.

Swallowing the last of his nerves, he approaches the house. It's somehow even more unassuming up close. He knocks on the door.

There's movement on the other side of the door. "If you're here to complain about something you bought, I don't wanna hear it!"

Link knocks again. He can hear the exaggerated groan the person makes.

The door is thrown open by a man with sandy blond hair. The sharpness of his features puts him a few years older than Link despite the man's shorter height. Link squares his shoulders in preparation. This is going to sound ridiculous. "Are–,"

The man's face instantly lights up in recognition. "Wars! It's been ages!"

The man steps forward and envelops him in a hug. Link locks up at the contact, but the other man is already letting him go.

"I see you still have that pretty boy face in tact," he teases. "Though, the hair could use some work."

Link's suddenly all too aware of the fact he hasn't cleaned his hair in over a week, and even then he used his armor soaps last time. He clears his throat trying to push the thought away. "I think you have me confused for someone else," he says politely. "I'm not from around here."

The smile falls from the man's face. "Hey, are you okay?"

"Of course," the response is automatic. "What is your name?"

That gets him a raised eyebrow. "Legend," the man says drily. "Or Vet. Or your personal favorite, the Hoarder."

"That's... An unusual name."

Legend snorts. "Better than having to explain why we're both named Link, don't you think."

Link reaches for his sword in an aborted motion. Legend tracks the movement with his eyes, but otherwise doesn't react. "Sorry," he winces. "It's been tough since..." He hesitates. Surely there's no harm. They're ages apart. "Since war's end. I fear I'm still primed for battle."

Legend's demeanour instantly softens as he gives Link another quick once-over. He runs a hand through his hair with a weary sigh. "Shit, Wars. I'm so sorry."

Legend reaches for him but doesn't touch. His hand remains a good distance from his arm. Link is unbelievably greatful for the space.

"Do you want to come inside? I have some tea I know you'll like. Zel– Fable was here yesterday too, so I still have some cake left."

The brooch vibrates again. "I'm sorry, I can't. I still have many duties to attend to after this."

Legend lifts a finger to interrupt him. "Tell whoever's rushing you," he says waging a finger at the hidden brooch, "to fuck off. I'm trying to catch up with an old friend. Even if he only just met me."

Link steps back. How did he know it was there? "I can't. Look," he sighs. His patience is starting to wear thin. He doesn't know this man, and his familiarity with Link is freaking him out. "If you really know me as you claim to, then you should know of the weirder parts of my war."

Legend raises an eyebrow at him. "What you mean the part where other people started showing up?" Link nods. "What's that gotta do with me?"

"We've been trying to send someone home, but we can't find her world anymore," he explains. "We believe you're the Hero from her era."

"Ugh, lemme guess. You want me to take her home."

Link nods. "We'd greatly appreciate your help."

Legend runs his hands over his face. "Number eight here we go," he grumbles before looking up. "Alright, what's her name?"

"Marin of Ko–,"

"Marin?!" Legend shouts. His face is pale as he desperately searches Link for a hint of a lie. "As in red hair, blue dresses, and likes to sing, Marin?"

"Er, yeah– yes," Link corrects. "I take it you know her?"

"Yes!"

Link reaches for the brooch under his scarf. The moment he touches it, a Gate opens behind him.

Legend watches it with rapt attention. The fear and excitement are clear to see on his face.

Marin steps out and Legend exhales in a big whoosh. Like he'd been punched in the chest.

Marin looks around, blinking the bright light and dizziness from her eyes. The moment her eyes land on Legend she freezes. "I... Link?"

Legend rushes forward, nearly tripping in his haste. Marin runs to meet him in the middle. She squeals in surprise when he picks her up and twirls her around. He sets her down and only pulls back enough to get a good look at her. "You're real," he says, voice cracking in the middle. "You're really real."

Marin raises her hands to cradle his face with a disbelieving laugh. "You look so much older."

Legend smiles at her. His voice is still thick with emotion. "It's been a few years."

Marin smiles back at him. "I saw you almost a year ago."

He leans down to press his forehead against hers. "I thought I–," he whispers voice horse, "you died."

Both their attention snaps to Link when another Gate opens. Link tries not to wince. He'd been hoping to leave without disturbing them.

"Where the hell do you think you're going, Captain?!" Legend shouts at him. His eyes are still bright with tears as he stomps closer. Marin's hand is held firmly in his.

"I was giving you privacy," he says.

"Hell, no! You don't get to leave before I say thank you!" Legend shouts. He drops Marin's hand and reaches for Link's.

Even though he's watching, he still jumps at the contact.

"Warriors–no, Link," Legend stresses clasping Link's hand in both of his. The grip is firm, but still loose enough for Link to pull free. "Thank you."

The sincerity in his voice instantly makes Link uncomfortable. This isn't something he should be thanked for. If Legend knew the reason Marin was there, he'd hate Link. "There's no–,"

"No, shut up I'm not done!" Legend cuts him off. "If this really is the first time you're meeting me, then I know you have no idea how much this means to me," he pauses to take a breath. His voice is still impossibly thick with emotion. "Nothing I do could ever come close to showing you how greatful I am. I–," he stops with a watery chuckle. He brings a hand back to wipe at his eyes before any of the tears can escape. "Din smite me, I get why you always called me a closet softie now."

Link can only stare as Legend pulls back. He watches as Legend slips a necklace with a simple swirling stone over his head. He holds it out and Link tentatively holds his hand out. 

Legend drops it in his hand and covers it with his. "I know I'll never get what you went through," he says fiercely, "but I know the type of man you are. Nothing that happened was your fault. Not her, not the war, and not the tragedy. You did what you could, and it was enough. You deserve to have people you can trust unconditionally. And it may take some time, it will be difficult, but you'll get there.  Because above all else, you're a good man. I'm proud to call you my friend and brother."

Link tries to reply, but his words fail him. His throat is too tight and all he can do is push out a quiet, "thank you." An anxiety he didn't realize he had in his chest loosens. He can't quite believe Legend, not with all the blood on his hands, but it gives him hope.

Legend lets go of him after that. He takes Marin's hand back in his. She steps forward and raises her free hand over Link's still outstretched hand. "May I?" She asks.

Link nods, a little too shocked to say no and walk away. Marin gently lowers her hand over his and starts to hum. He doesn't know the song, but he swears the grass hums alongside her.

When she pulls back, he's left with a feeling of comfort. A comfort he hasn't felt since the first attack. He didn't think he'd ever recover it.

After another choked thank you and equally emotional goodbye, Link finds himself standing in Lana's study in the castle. The necklace is still in his hand, and Lana bustles around putting her magical equipment away.

Legend's laughter as he walked through the gate still rings in his ears. 'So this is what the lucky eight joke was about.'

"Link, are you okay?"

Link comes back to himself with a sudden gasp. Lana stand in front of him, a worried look in her eyes as she looks at the thin chain falling from his hand.

I'm proud to call you my friend and brother.

"What soaps do you use for your hair?" Link asks.

Lana blinks in utter confusion. He can't blame her, he feels just as confused by his sudden question too. "What?"

"Your hair," he says. "How do you get it to look so shiny and nice?"

"Oh, well um," she gives him a basic rundown. It seems horribly complicated to him. Especially for how often he'll sweat and get dirty, but he listens anyways.

By the end, he decides he'll try it at least once. If he sat through all that, he may as well.

Lana looks happy as he leaves. Happy in a way Link's never seen her before.

You're a good man.

He still doesn't quite believe it. But maybe, he can become the man Legend thinks he is.

It's not until years later, when a strange portal opens, that he meets a young man with bitter eyes and a sharp tongue. He looks the same as he had all those years ago. He even gets the scar on his cheek a few weeks into their adventure.

It's slow going, but they eventually become friends. He learns that Legend was right. He found people he could trust unconditionally. He found people he could call family without any sense of guilt.

He's left with a sense of peace he never thought possible. He cradles the pendant in his hands when he has the realization. He feels just as chocked up now as he did all those years ago. Legend had given him so much hope that day, and now the thought of becoming the man Legend is proud of doesn't seem so impossible.

When questioned about the pendant, he tells them the truth. A good friend had gifted it to him and a singer offered to bless it for him. The pendant is a symbol of hope he thought lost to him.

--

Later, after an especially bad few days for Legend, they stand on the rickety bridge behind Wind's home. Wars has the pendant clasped in his hand. It's become harder to not hold lately. It holds memories he was too young to understand the significance of. It brings him hope and a sense of peace.

As day turns to night, he learns of Legend's adventures. Of a young boy who's kingdom turned against him thanks to dark mind magic. Of saving his older sister in spite of it all. He learns of the neighboring kingdoms of Holodrum and Labrynna. Of the Goddesses' avatars and how they're willing to suffer just as much as their heroes are. 

He learns of a shipwreck that left a seasoned hero on an island that never existed. Of people who never were. An adventure that never happened. Of scars that still remain. And when Legend finishes his story, Wars feels his heart break anew.

'I thought I lost you,' he had foolishly assumed to be the words Legend couldn't say. Now Wars knows Legend couldn't bring himself to admit, 'I thought I killed you.'

Wars wants so desperately to tell Legend what he knows. He bites his tongue knowing he can't interfere with the course of events. Instead, he offers comfort. It'll be tough he knows, Legend still has the rest of this adventure and maybe another year after it. But it'll get better. He knows Legend will get his happy ending.

It'll be difficult, and it might feel impossible, but there's always hope in the tomorrow. That's something he knows to be true. Not because of destiny or strength or even courage. But because simple men like Legend have shown him hope can always be found.

"And who knows," Wars grins as Legend wipes the tears from his eyes. "Maybe your next adventure will be Lucky Number Eight."

Legend barks out a surprised laugh. It's still watery, but it sounds genuine.

The bitterness doesn't disappear but it lessens. The sorrow doesn't cling as tightly as before. And by the time their adventure comes to an end, Legend freely admits how much the others mean to him. Wars makes the split second decision to give the pendant to Legend.

Legend doesn't want to take it. He says he has one just like it and he doesn't need another one. Wars doesn't quite believe him, but he tries not to think too hard about it.

Instead, he assures Legend that they're different. That this one is special, and when the time comes, he's sure Legend will know what to do.

Afterall, hope still blooms in the wake of war.

[vicmillen]

Yes, I binged another long fic well into daylight hours again. Yse, I'm already regretting my bad life choices.

No, I'll absolutely do it again.

Here's the amazingly gut wrenching fic by the way. Absolutely a horror to read, 100/10

[griseldabanks]

20 Questions for the Writer

Tagged by @rainintheevening

1. How many works do you have on Ao3?

131

2. What is your total Ao3 word count?

822,681

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Mostly Captain America/MCU and FMA these days, but I also have fics on AO3 for Daredevil, Dororo, Star Wars, Supernatural, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, and Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle.

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Make Me Whole (Captain America), Back from the Brink (Dororo), of skulls and secrets (FMA), Shards of Me (Captain America), and Your Arms Feel Like Home (Captain America)

Still boggles my mind every time I realize my second-most kudoed fic is the random Dororo fic I wrote for a Christmas present one year @_@

5. Do you respond to comments?

I make a point to reply to every comment I can! ^_^ I just really want to share my stories with other people and talk to them about them!

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

Hmm...of the ones posted on AO3, I'm not sure. Maybe "Rejected?" It's an FMA fic where Ed gives up his life to bring Al's body back, so that's pretty angsty ^^'

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

Pretty hard to beat the ending of Make Me Whole ;) Reunions of old friends, heartfelt confessions, sobbing on each other's shoulders, followed by an overjoyed birthday celebration! The "epilogue" of sorts of Shards of Me might be even happier, though, because you get to see how good things turn out for them a few years down the road <3

8. Do you get hate on fics?

I don't think I have on AO3. I did very occasionally on FFNet (mostly from one particularly weird guy who had other issues besides the quality of my fics).

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

Nope!

10. Do you write crossovers?

Yes! I love the kind of crossover where, rather than characters from different stories meeting each other, you just replace the characters from one story with the characters from another. My most recent, a FMA/Firefly crossover, is coming to mind - FMA characters replace the Firefly characters and go through the same basic plot as the first episode of Firefly. Another one I'm really proud of is "All We've Got to the End of the Line," where I put the Elric brothers in Steve and Bucky's position, and vice versa.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not to my knowledge.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Years ago, there was one fic of mine that got translated into Spanish, I think.

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

Yes, though unfortunately most of the co-written fics I've worked on have not gotten finished before the relationship fell apart :/

But a huge shout-out to @sergeanttomycaptain, who helped me brainstorm my Whole Shards series and even wrote large chunks of it herself, though she's not "officially" a co-writer.

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

My longest running OTP is Royai <3 I'll always love them and what the understated subtlety of their relationship has taught me. A very honorable mention goes to Staron - though admittedly, a lot of the stuff I love most is stuff I had to come up with myself because of how the canon ruined Sharon's character -_-

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

Years ago, I started writing a Haibane Renmei fic with a full cast of OCs, just because I wanted to explore that world more and try my hand at writing a story even halfway as uplifting and wholesome as that. Unfortunately, there was never really any plot to speak of, so while I really like the characters I came up with, I have no idea where to go with it, and probably never will because I have too many stories to write that I do know what I want to do with. Alas, Kabe the Sin-Bound Haibane will probably be consigned to the dust forever.

16. What are your writing strengths?

I think I'm good at writing endings, and judging from people's reactions, I'm pretty good at making people cry! But like...in a healing/comforting sort of way. I also think I have the strength of tenacity (or stubbornness, if you'd rather), to finish what I set out to do even if it takes a really long time.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Fights/action scenes. Intentional humor. Differentiating dialogue/thoughts so it really sounds like the character.

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

I'm always paranoid about doing that, even if I have a decent enough grasp of the language that I'm completely sure I know what they're saying ^^' But then, I'm the kind of person who will write something in English, my native tongue, and then second-guess whether that's actually the way to say it or whether I sound like an idiot. I'm trying to loosen up about such things, though, because more diversity in a fic makes it more fun.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Final Fantasy X. I started writing a novelization of the game before I even knew what I was doing was fanfiction!

20. Favourite fic you've written?

Ohhhh, that's really hard to narrow down. But one of the fics that's nearest and dearest to my heart is the fic I'm currently in the process of posting, Take Me In. Please consider reading it if you like Captain America!

Tagging @dairogo, @x-i-l-verify, and @x-rainflame-x if you'd like to do this!

[themarydragon]

WIP

A not-yet-edited segment of my TotK, Zelda POV fic that extends the CWRD universe, below the cut. Working title: Still So It Flows For context, this is how I'm dealing with the continuity problems I talked about in the rant-post I just made.

MAJOR spoilers for TotK and my own WIP below the cut. I'm serious, don't click if you don't want to be spoiled.

[Set before meeting with Mineru but after arriving in Sonia's era and spending a night recovering and getting new clothes. Zelda is hesitent to speak of her era to Sonia, not wanting to damage the flow of time. Sonia, who was knitting, holds up a ball of yarn, and asks Zelda if she knits]

“Oh, you should. It really helps with figuring out some of the things Mineru talks about, with ones and zeros. Regardless, take this ball of yarn. There is an end buried somewhere in the middle, and then this end, here. And the two are connected, through hundreds of meters of fiber. You could move from one end to the other by unwinding the entire ball, or-“ she poked her finger into the middle and after a moment withdrew it, the other end looped around her knuckle “-some of us, like you, can jump from one place to another and skip the in-between. It might even be possible to move the yarn to the place you want it, but that is beyond my knowing.”

“So, your belief is that, rather than traversing backwards through the entire stretch of Hyrulian history, I hopped across a narrow point in the stream?”

Sonia smiled warmly at me. “More or less. History repeats itself. Events recur, kingdoms rise and fall and rise again. Perhaps in other realities, other worlds, the loop is longer. Perhaps there are places where the coils are more regular, the flow is a lazy river rather than a roiling ball of yarn. This, though, is the point at which creation is protected; entropy is pushed back, creation is reaffirmed, and then it happens again. And again. Endlessly, while the rest of creation whirls around us and grows and changes, we fork and split and merge and wrap back upon ourselves, every possible outcome explored on the way through.”

“And therefore anything I tell you about my future, you might have already heard, as a legend of a time long past.”

Sonia nodded at me, pleased. “When was the great flood? The seas covered the land, and the zora fled to the surface, eventually soaring through the air as they once did through the water. Countless years later, they are the rito. When was this flood?”

“The… what?”

“The zora and the rito are both here, now – are they in your time, as well?”

“They… yes. Yes, we have zora and rito both.”

“The zora yet live, so the flood is in the future. But the rito are with us, so the flood is in the far past. Do you see?”

“I… I think… I might?”

“When something is created – the rito in this instance – it becomes another ply in the yarn, another stream feeding into the river. Hylia becomes human, another ply in the yarn, and all the many events of our times are run through with this new added weight. Perhaps at one point there were no Gorons, no Zora even. Perhaps once the only race upon Hyrule were the Hylians. That makes it seem like you didn’t travel very far at all.”

“How…? How do you know all this?”

Sonia winked at me, and then flicked her tea spoon to the floor. While I watched, she frowned at it, and then it glowed yellow and rose back to its place on the table.

“You play with the flows of time long enough, you get a feel for it.”

[kitkatt0430]

I have another Zelda question! One thing I remember from my FFN days about ten years ago is that there were...a lot of Link/Sheik fics except that Sheik was always 1) male and 2) a separate character from Zelda, which kind of defeats the entire point. At the time I just thought it was weird, but looking back I'm convinced that it was just plain old misogyny. I've since found out that there's apparently been a debate about not only Sheik's gender but their identity and since you've been around longer in this fandom than I have my question is why? Is it just sexism - stripping Zelda of her agency by flat-outing ignoring that she survived the seven years as a Sheikah - or is there something more to it?

Ah, the great 'is Sheik really Zelda' debate, I do remember that pretty strongly too, though it's been quite some time since I last ran into it.

So back when OoT came out in 1998 in North America but I don't think I played it until 1999 or 2000? Probably 1999, I have strong memories of playing it when I had the chicken pox and I think I was 10? Anyway, I wasn't particularly active in fandom at the time, but a few years later as I started getting more internet savvy and finding relatively safe for preteen me fandom space, I encountered what was basically an ongoing debate over whether Zelda and Sheik were the same person.

I do think there was some genuine confusion in there and belief that Zelda switched places with Sheik due to them having different eye colors and the argument being made that Zelda used the triforce to swap their places? It's been a very long time so I've forgotten a lot of the debate points that were made. I'm sure there was some mentioning of the quick change clothes and Sheik's lack of boobs (this honestly could have been when I first learned what binding is? look at his outfit, Sheik is totally binding) but, yeah. There were a lot of people in strong denial that Sheik and Zelda were the same person.

You would think, quite understandably, that the introduction of Zelda into the second Smash Brother's game - Melee, for the Gamecube, released 2001 - would have laid this debate to rest. Part of Zelda's moveset was that she could turn into Sheik mid fight. And part of Sheik's moveset was that he could turn back into Zelda. If you wanted to play as Sheik then you had to choose to play as Zelda. Same character - literally - case closed. But, well... *rolls eyes*

in hindsight, yes. There is a lot of misogyny in how the Sheik is secretly Zelda plotline gets rejected or otherwise ignored by some of these 'fans'. The people who do this are, as you said, stripping away Zelda's agency in the OoT plot line, flattening her out into a damsel in distress who is ignored by her father as a Cassandra-like figure and whose only real contributions to the plot are writing the letter that gets Link access to Death Mountain and throwing him the Ocarina of Time. They are saying only a man could work as Link's partner as an adult, giving Link the information he needs to access temples while Sheik is also doing his own part to protect the people of Hyrule (such as trying to protect the people of Kakariko when Bongo Bongo escaped the well). All Zelda was good for is sitting around looking pretty, waiting for her people to be rescued.

But I think there's also a lot of transphobia wrapped up in there. Specifically towards the idea of a bigender, nonbinary, or otherwise transmasc reading of Zelda. Sheik seems very comfortable identifying as a man. Zelda seems similarly comfortable identifying as a woman. Princess Zelda is the character for whom the game is named and while it's a traditional trope for princesses to disguise themselves as men in stories, it's also traditionally a very genderqueer and trans friendly trope.

Some examples of that trope in action elsewhere: Princess Ozma from the Wizard of Oz is forcibly and magically disguised as a boy by her kidnapper; Léonide from the Triumph of Love (Le Triomphe de l'amour, originally from the 1700s but more recently remade as a musical) disguises herself as Phocion and romances people of both genders; various fairy tales including a rather interesting tale of Romanian origin about a princess who goes on many adventures, including rescuing princess Ileana, and is transformed into a man by a friar who cursed her for a theft... and so now a man he weds the princess Ileana. And there are so, so many more examples. And each one has some element of queerness - and, more often than not, transness specifically - running through it.

By treating Zelda and Sheik as separate characters, Zelda's association with transness and bigender/nonbinary identities is erased. She's made to be only a woman who has only ever identified as a woman and whose plot importance is as the giver of tasks alone. And Sheik is made to have always been a man, despite playing a magical harp - an instrument commonly associated with women and femininity - and the bandages around his chest that are a pretty blatant sign he's binding his boobs flat. So even if he's treated as a queer man in the fanfic, separating Sheik from Zelda is still a deliberate erasure of the character's trans aspects.

So to sum it up (TLDR time), while treating Zelda and Sheik as separate characters absolutely reeks of misogyny... it's also massively transphobic too. And given the way transmasc identities are still being treated today (particularly given the lateral aggression they receive), it's unfortunately not all that surprising that a transmasc/bigender/nonbinary reading of Zelda has been outright ignored over the years in a lot of Sheik/Link fanfics.

[aevallare]

tagged by @anosrepasi!!! i am only doing this for my main fandom account because the other one is between me and god <3

1) How many works do you have on AO3?

66

2) What’s your total AO3 word count?

802,941

3) What fandoms do you write for?

currently bg3 is everything all the time. i've also written for mass effect, arcane, league of legends, dragon age, legend of zelda, fallout, kingdom hearts, stardew valley, and genshin impact

4) What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

1 - kindred (baldur's gate 3 - astarion/f!tav)

2 - insinuations (arcane - jayce/viktor)

3 - doctrine (arcane - jayce/viktor)

4 - celestial (arcane - jayce/viktor)

5. a sycophantic, prophetic, socratic junkie wannabe (fallout - deacon/f!sole survivor)

5) Do you respond to comments?

when i can!! i'm posting three multi-chapter fics simultaneously so it doesn't always work out lol

6) What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

treason (fallout 4 - deacon/f!sole survivor) - sorry deacon lmao.

7) What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

i mostly write happy endings, but i think the happiest is probably doctrine because arcane s1 ended so sad that mine looks like a fairytale lol.

8) Do you get hate on fics?

haha

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

yeah. what kind don't i write at this point

10) Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you’ve written?

not really

11) Have you ever had a fic stolen?

i've had whole fics stolen and concepts plagiarized

12) Have you ever had a fic translated?

yes!

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

yes!! i've co-written with @caspercryptid and @the-neon-pineapple in the past and i hope to link up with both them and @dishsaop in the future. i will also be giving astarion TWO weed-smoking girlfriends with @again-please :3

14) What’s your all time favorite ship?

never ask me this question again

15) What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

i finish every fic i start nowadays

16) What are your writing strengths?

sheer word count lmfao

17) What are your writing weaknesses?

smut is by far the weakest part of my writing i think though it's been getting better since i've trial-by-fired myself with the white boy of the century

18) Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

i did it in sycophantic a fair amount because clara is danish but i also speak danish fluently. astarion also speaks elvish sometimes in kindred but it's purposefully not understandable.

19) First fandom you wrote for?

fullmetal alchemist or naruto

20) Favorite fic you’ve written?

every fic i've ever written is my favorite i shan't choose between my children (i love you pour one out)

i'll taaaaag @dwarfsized @again-please @caspercryptid @the-neon-pineapple @p-inkbrush @commander-krios @kittenintheden and @cursedhaglette <3

[weemssapphic]

hi, can I ask for your top ten favorite fics ? :)

hi! you absolutely can :) here are some fics that literally altered my brain chemistry. this is by no means an exhaustive list. some of these I have mentioned before, some I have not. the order is also completely random, as I would die if I had to rank these - they don't deserve to be pitted against one another and, in any case, many of them are so different from one another that it would be impossible to choose which is "better".

anyway, gonna put this under a cut!

Little Cat by @lady-dimimi when I tell you every single chapter of this fic has me giggling and squealing and kicking my feetsies - it's so sweet, the idea of Larissa turning into a cat (and having such gay panic) is something I never knew I needed but now cannot live without. so well-written and every time a new part comes out I literally drop everything to read it.

Life Eternal by @milfsloverblog I've linked the first part but there are 4 parts in total which can be found in her masterlist. oh boy. I have never sobbed this hard at a fic before. I cry quite easily anyway but something about the beautiful way this was written just had my stomach in knots and tears streaming down my face. but I would read it over and over again because it's just that good.

Hot Chocolate on ao3 by AllTheMoreSapphic, Yennefer Payne (madamspellmans_met_tet) Larissa Weems is a virgin and Zelda Spellman is a dominatrix and jfhlkjdshagkdj this fic has me in a chokehold okay I cannot explain it you just have to read it, you won't regret it I promise. it's so well-written and there's just something about it that scratches an itch in my brain.

Heat by @rippersz a (so-far) 2 part series with a third part perhaps coming. quite literally one of the hottest things I have ever read, dear lord. jaw-droppingly hot. but seriously all fics by @rippersz are an absolute delight to read, one of the most talented writers I have ever had the pleasure to come across. would devour anything they write.

Find What You Desire by @pro-weems-places super hot smut with a hint of fluff and just the best vibes overall, I re-read this one so often because it's absolutely amazing. @pro-weems-places characterization of Larissa always makes me fuzzy inside, one of my favorite writers truly <3

push me gently (into love) by @yourlocaldisneyvillain one of my fav fav fav writers, her writing is so unique and so immersive. and this fic is EVERYTHING. so silly, so much fluff, some of the most divine smut you'll ever come across. Larissa deserves her goth gf okay??

Anticipatory Grief by @wh0re4women such an amazing author, all of her fics are incredible. but god this fic HURT. had me bawling like a baby. and you know what? I loved every second of it. so well written that you can feel the grief coming off the page in waves. highly recommend if you need a good cry.

Warmth of Your Doorways by @alexusonfire and @daydream-cement have I mentioned this fic multiple times already? yes. and I will continue to do so until I'm blue in the face because I love Jane Murdstone and I love the writing and I love the plot and this fic will always have a place in my heart and my brain. <3

Shapes of Love by @dianneking Morticia x Larissa wherein Larissa is a sex worker and is hired by Morticia. this fic literally has everything I could ever want in a fic and it's finally (and kind of sadly tbh) complete - queue me re-reading this gem over and over again (all of their writing is fire though by the way)

Sugar Mama on ao3 by valda (need an ao3 account for this one) I have mentioned this one before but it will always be one of my favorites. Phasma x Rey sugar mommy AU that unfortunately I think has been abandoned, but I just love everything about it. rip never forget.

[popcorn-milk]

What did you look like? - Short Zelda fic

“What did you look like? While fighting Ganon?” Zelda blinked at the little girl who sat expectantly in front of her. She and a handful of other children had taken to following her around all day while she and Link were visiting Kakariko Village. When Link had gone off to run late afternoon errands, the children had taken to quizzing Zelda on random things about herself.

Zelda fell silent. How was she supposed to answer that? How would she even supposed to know? She remembered what fighting Ganon felt like, but not specifically seeing it. No; she remembered the claustrophobia of being trapped by tendrils of malice that were burning hot and ice cold at the same time. She remembered constant screams of agony, though half the time she wasn’t sure if it was the environment or her screaming. She remembered how dark and lonely and suffocating it was. But she couldn’t have told you what it looked like, let alone what she looked like.

“Why do you ask?” Zelda finally stammered out. Her gaze dropped to her lap. Moments before, the children had been asking her about her favorite color and her favorite book. She hadn’t expected questions about… this.

“I don’t know.” The girl whispered, clearly picking up on Zelda’s unease. “I’m sorry.” She said even quieter.

“It’s ok,” Zelda said quickly, taking the girl’s hand. “I just… wasn’t expecting something so specific. You’re very curious, and that’s a good thing.” Zelda took a deep breath as she decided how to answer. She looked up as she heard footsteps crunching on the leaf-covered floor. Link was approaching, but when his gaze met hers, he stopped walking and stood patiently back.

Zelda took another deep breath and focused on Link. “I don’t know.” She finally replied, gaze slowly trailing back to the little girl. “I suppose I wasn’t very focused on that.”

“Maybe you looked like an angel! Like the statues of Hylia!” A child called out. Zelda flinched internally. Another comparison to the goddess. As if she didn’t get enough of those pre-Calamity. She scolded herself. They’re just children.

“Maybe you looked like a giant bird or something.�� Someone else chimed, making giggles ripple through the crowd.

“Maybe,” Zelda laughed. “I think if I had seen myself, I would have forgotten. I was very… busy.”

“Duh, she was.” A boy piped up from the group. The girl spun around, pouting with half-mocking rage. “Shut up! I was just asking!” She dove for the boy, and the whole herd of kids started running away to go play elsewhere.

Zelda sighed, mostly with relief. Link finally approached, rising his hands to sign in Hylian. He smiled sympathetically. “You had you hands full. I’m sorry I didn’t step in.”

“It’s fine. I figure I need to get used to more… personal questions.” Zelda signed back before standing and brushing any dust off her pants. “Do you have any theories you would like to add?” She signed, half-joking, though curiosity pricked at her as well.

“Doesn’t matter to me. Maybe you looked like the you 100 years ago, maybe not. You were so brave- you’re still so brave. No need to bring your appearance into it. And anyway…” Link smiled widely, suddenly a little bashful. “You’ve always been very beautiful. Giant bird or not.”

“Oh, stop it.” Zelda replied out loud, huffing with a smile on her face. “Or else I’m going to start thinking too hard about the idea of me being a bird.”

Link grinned and interlaced his fingers with Zeldas. The two walked down the road to the inn with the setting sun warming their backs.

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Its a Thursday night and I'm really bored so I wrote this in like 20 minutes. Hopefully I'll be getting my ao3 account soon so I don't have to post on this blog, but I just wanted to share this for fun!

Also, yes, I headcannon Link uses sign language to communicate! I believe he has an anxiety disorder called "selective mutism." If you'd like more information on that, there's a whole association dedicated to it.