#zelda justifying just not sleeping Ever

[neverchecking]

More Sage Hc's

Because I miss him :(

And this is a wonderful half-collab with @angry-trashcan. I love you so very much and thank you for letting me yell ideas at you.

CW: Mentions of child abuse, child soldiers, Zelda slander, Sage

・❥・Welcome back. :)

・❥・So, we've established Sage as his own character at this point. I think it's safe to say he is not Wild. They are similar but two very distinct characters. That is something I'd like to clarify.

・❥・But we'll step into that later.

・❥・For now, let's talk about his entire timeline from start to finish.

・❥・So, Bailey and I talked about his parents and this is the conclusion we came to:

・❥・As everyone knows, Link in the AoC/BotW/TotK timeline was in the knights by a staggeringly young age. Either four or twelve or fourteen. I've seen them all, but I'm not sure if there's a canon age.

・❥・For Sage, we're going with four.

・❥・Now, let's start with his father. Sage's father was in the knights as a commanding officer, which is why he was okay with Link joining the knights. However, because of this a lot more expectations were placed on a very young Sage. And if he failed the punishments were much harsher and much less justified.

・❥・There were nights when Sage/Link was left on the ground outside because his father didn't deem him worth the effort and forbade people from helping him.

・❥・He'd walk past and spit on this terrified child because he didn't live up to expectations. "Your mother would've been so disappointed."

・❥・(shout out to Bailey for ripping out all of our hears with that line.

・❥・Because of this Sage finds much more comfort sleeping outside. Even a a century later, he prefers the comfort of a constant rather than a bedroom he was never allowed the privilege of knowing.

・❥・When he gets his house in Tarrey Town, he builds the stable extension first and slips outside with Epona.

・❥・We also agreed that his mother most likely died during the birth of his sister, which is probably why they had to move out of the Hateno house and closer to the castle, if not on the castle grounds.

・❥・If I had to make an assumption on his mother, she was probably a timid woman that never stood against his father.

・❥・This is really just my lil tidbit but because of that headcanon it's why I made Aaliyah such an abrasive character because I feel Sage would feel too much like his father with someone who reminded him of his mother. Or the little bits he remembers of her.

・❥・Anyway, his mother was probably a seen rather than heard woman,

・❥・Now, you're probably asking about his sister. We decided that she would've ended up as a maid/servant in the castle.

・❥・This is for two reasons:

・❥・One) It adds to hatred Sage has for the Royal Family. As a knight he would've had no choice but to watch this happen and would feel that burning guilt as a bystander, ignoring the fact that he has no choice in the matter. Maybe that's why he fought so hard pre-Calamity. Of course, he still fought because it was his duty, but I also like to imagine he was trying his best to protect his sister before it could ever hit her. Even if it was a fruitless endeavor.

・❥・Two) When Sage remembers this fact, it's probably before Tears of the Kingdom. The bridge between TotK and BotW probably is Link/Sage unravelling a lot of the trauma he tried to ignore regarding the royal family. So this is almost a catharsis to the entire feat. Moreso with Zelda/Natura's reaction.

・❥・She'd be flippant and almost ignorant to the entire ordeal.

・❥・Before anyone comes for my throat, let me explain Natura's character okay?

・❥・So, as far as I'm concerned, Natura hasn't learned anything. She's very much still the same character she was in AoC which is a spoiled individual with little regards to the woes others are facing. She had a tough time, yes I understand that and she was young, but she had no reason to act the way she did with Link. I don't care, argue with the wall.

・❥・She went digging around in the remains of what was left of her people post BotW trying to figure out how the guardians worked. She puts more emphasis on her studies and research rather than her people. Remember this is Natura. Not Zelda. This is my characterization in the same way that Sage is my characterization of Link.

・❥・Anyway, she didn't go looking for a way to solve the Gloom issue, she went looking for a way to capitalize on it. Like the pharmaceutical industry.

・❥・So you can imagine her reaction knowing that.

・❥・"We kept her off the streets like a worthless rat. You should be thanking me."

・❥・Yeah, it's not great.

・❥・So then TotK happens, yadda yada.

・❥・Sage loves animals. Let me get this straight. He's not heartless, he's angry and he's vengeful. Animals never wronged him. He finds comfort with animals as they can't lie to him. He can earn their trust and they'll remain loyal.

・❥・Because Sage is a dangerously loyal man. He still carries the loyalty of the hero's spirit, but it's amplified. Once you're his, you're his forever. Nothing can drag him away from you as he won't let it.

・❥・He's so loyal it turns from a positive attribute to a flaw. :)

・❥・He's possessive and protective and doesn't see an issue with it. Everything else has been torn from his hands but his fingers will be broken and bloody before he lets what's his go.

・❥・I bring up the animal thing just to say Sage gets a dog. You know that stable that closes down in the desert? And how all the stables have stable dogs? Well, this one follows Sage all over Hyrule. And if he goes in the depths thinking he's lost it, the second he's out the dog is sniffing his ass out.

・❥・Yes, he keeps the dog and feeds it the nicest cuts of meat, don't worry.

・❥・It's name is Droolius Caesar.

・❥・Timeline wise, let's talk about that.

・❥・So again, Bailey, and they're gorgeous fucking brain, brought up the idea of him being on a different timeline then Wild. I ran with it.

・❥・I don't see TotK falling on the timeline nicely no matter what we do. Not with the Zonai and not with the other game.

・❥・So what if it doesn't fall on the same timeline as BotW? The same events happen but now it's different.

・❥・Here's how it goes:

・❥・So when Time splits the timeline we get the normal one where, yay! he saves the day! and the other one where he doesn't. Call it the downfall timeline, the fallen timeline, the failure timeline, I don't care. For the sake of argument it's the Fallen Timeline here.

・❥・So there's an idea that the timelines merge somewhere between Wars timeline and Wild's. But let's say they don't. Because the Fallen timeline goes to Legend, then Hyrule. Then what if it doesn't fix itself and just continues. which is where it then leads to Sage's era.

・❥・Only this timeline is on hard mode at all times. Legend's adventures were difficult, Hyrule's era is absolutely brutal, so it makes sense that Sage's is just as hard.

・❥・We toyed with the idea that because this timeline is so hard, the heroes that reign from it are just that much more advanced. It's shown through Legend and then Hyrule, both of whom have wielded the full triforce at one point or another (I think). Somewhere between Hyrule's world however and Legend's, the goddess' didn't like this idea. They didn't like the idea of the hero having this sense of power, so they stripped it away entirely. They knew that somewhere the hero's spirit would be tainted and took away the power that could be used to dethrone them before it could manifest with Sage.

・❥・In turn, the hero's spirit carried on and grew stronger to overcome this. Sage still has the hero's spirit, but it's not like an actual spirit. No, it's more like the fallen hero carrying on and trying to amend for his sins.

・❥・Which Sage hates. He hates it so much, but it propels him before he can stop it. In the beginning of TotK? It's what propels him to jump in after Zelda. After however? The gloom is what finally kills that spirit. Rauru can save him, but fails to save the spirit.

・❥・And from there Sage evolves and arises into the rat we all know and love.

・❥・All of this to give my own lil headcanons on Epona.

・❥・So there's a theory that Malanya (Horse god) Is actually Malon and I like that. (Because she gave Link Epona OG and they sound similar) So in Sage's Era? Guess what?

・❥・Anyway, I imagine Malanya and Sage had a better connection because of this. Malanya goes out of their way to care for Sage and his horse because they feel they failed their Link.

・❥・So Sage gets an Epona in a way to apologize for their first failure.

・❥・Epona is a very good horse <3

・❥・So in the wise words of bailey to end this off,

The hero's spirit is dead. Long live whatever the fuck Sage is.

[narbevoguel]

AoC deserves better.

I think enough time has passed for me to rant about the current status of BotW, AoC and TotK.

I'll start by saying TotK is a really fun game, I enjoy playing it way more than I ever did a portion of BotW, they actually found a good balance between old dungeon design and trying to revamp it somewhat, it still needs work but defo a step in the right direction; but the reason I believe people feel BotW was better for them, is because of multiple factors:

1.- The novelty of exploring wore off. First, you get to explore the same Hyrule from BotW, and while the overly needed addition of caves was a thing, the depths and skies added little to no substance, contrary to what the trailers made you believe.

2.- While the story, standalone at least, is not that bad, it isn't a big of a deal either, and while I believe the premise for it is better than BotW's, at least BotW bothered sticking to it with a strong foundation, whereas TotK story is glued together with nothing but tape and tears (no pun intended).

3.- The characters. BotW gave us amazing characters that sadly the plot didn't let shine (which is where AoC comes in, but that's for later), TotK gave us characters that are just... there. Even if BotW did little to nothing with its cast, at least they had their moments in the cutscenes; what do the likes of Rauru, or Sonia, or the past Sages have? Nothing. It's almost like they left out important plot points out on purpose and somehow thought not elaborating on them was a good idea? I bet not a lot of people know about Rauru's sneaking out antics, or Mineru not getting enough sleep because of her research, or Zelda liking to help Mineru with her research because that's just the kind of nerd she is, or the fact that Rauru and Mineru would perform together in the form of song and dance respectively. These are things that would have been cute to see in the form of cutscenes like we did with the Champions in BotW. You can summarize plot and characters to an extent in BotW, but not in TotK, sadly. That said, I don't mind Ganondorf being evil for the sake of being evil, but them choosing to make him less of bound to the curse and more the curse itself can get disappointing at times. What's the point in making him sexy with zero substance? (Yes, they made him sexy on purpose, they said in an interview). But back to the Champions, can I mention how little respect they had in TotK? Like, I understand passing on the veil of destiny to the now sages, but disregarding them almost completely like that was a decision I can't understand, you take the best of BotW and almost discard it completely in the sequel?

AoC, on the other hand, took everything BotW and just added the "what if" fanfic 'fix' where everyone lives and it's a much better, happier outcome, but as a result, it lets the best part of BotW (the characters) properly shine and be fleshed out, it's a game that was clearly developed with care towards the source. The hate it gets it's because it was marketed as a prequel to BotW, yet it wasn't (and tbh, I'm sorry but thinking a musou game was gonna have perma character death was kind of a naive thought), and thus has no place in the timeline, but we are somehow okay with TotK liking to play the game of "Let's pretend BotW didn't happen"? Where do we draw the line then?

If you think there's nothing wrong with how TotK handled BotW's retcon, but don't like the premise of AoC, you owe AoC an apology.

That said, if I were to recommend someone who really enjoyed BotW what to play next, I would recommend AoC 100%, as much fun I have with TotK, AoC is more respectful.

I don't want to hate on TotK entirely, because I stand by what I said, I still have lots of fun with it, I never enjoyed playing BotW, but I do TotK, but it's being praised for things that people used to justify hatred towards AoC, and I won't allow it.

[zelda-without-a-licence-plate]

Hyrule warriors Zelda official redesign! Full name Zelda Belloa Hyrule.

I know Hyrule Warriors isn’t a canon game, but honestly that’s what makes our rewrite of it so interesting to me. It’s both very different from the original and also kind of not that different, depending on if you’re looking at a surface or core level. We’ve made it a sort of sequel to Oot, inserting it in the child timeline between Oot and TP.

More info and thought processes on this design under the cut:

One of the things that is technically different but also sort of not really: Zelda is the main villain of the story!

Seriously, she‘s a genuinely awful person with hate in her heart. It does not matter what she destroys or who she hurts, it is all justified in her relentless quest for power. Yes she is very beautiful I know-- I did that on purpose. Traits commonly viewed as beautiful, such as thinness and fairness, are not indicators of goodness, just as traits commonly viewed as ugly are not indicators for badness. I wanted to use this common bias to further demonstrate Zelda’s deceptive nature. She is manipulative and dangerous. She is evil elf Barbie. 

I initially wanted to keep the main colour of her outfits pink, to go more in on that evil elf barbie vibe, but unfortunately making her whole dress pink made me have a severe allergic reaction and break out into hives, due to an instinct that has been deeply ingrained in me ever since I was but a wee bairn and got pissed off when in disney’s sleeping beauty the pink dress won out over the blue one even though the blue is objectively better. Nintendo needs to stop putting Zeldas in pink because blue is always objectively better especially for the blonde ones.

Her castle clothes are pretty much completely invented, but her armour is slightly more based off her canon design. Just barely, but there are some elements there. When actually going into battle, she would put her hair fully up.

Lemme tell you, this Zelda goes into battle a lot. There’s a whole section on our timeline called the age of war and it’s pretty much just her running around doing whatever she wants and totally trampling anyone to tries to stop her.

Will the heroes of the Hyrule Warriors rewrite be able to stop her bloodthirsty rampage? You’ll have to wait and see...

[spinbreon]

I could make a PowerPoint presentation abt the intricacies of The People Who Can Read My Mind and the ways my brain just decides to justify the existence of The People Who Can Read My Mind despite the fact that people cannot, infact, read my mind. Like. They're tiny ghost things that can read my thought and can judge my every move and know everything I've ever done and or thought ever and they're actually people I care about irl or characters I like(but that works slightly different and they're reading my mind for different reasons) and people say they can't read my mind because they don't perceive themselves as reading my mind but that's because the little ghost spirit thing version of themselves just makes them subconsciously know that I thought bad or did something embarrassing . The characters on the other hand show up when I am engaging in the source material or fan content and judge me for that as well as everything I say or do or think because the characters are actually watching me to see if I'm cool(?) Interesting(?) Whatever enough to be brought from this reality to theirs for some prophesy or some shit but I'm never cool enough because I thought, said ,or did something embarrassing. Like imaginary friends but scary. It was the super friends when I was like 4-7 idk exact ages but I distinctly remember talking to myself about how I wasn't actually in the corner because I was bad it was actually because my nose was glued(?) There(and the thought process of I can't let them know that I know they're watching because that would ruin it) then it was like link and zelda and then various pokemon characters over the years. Basically I would find a character I would like and then they would start watching like I summoned them and if I was good enough they would take me away . Idk man like I know it's not real but my brain doesn't and I still end up blocking windows incase there's secret cameras and read things under my blanket because that stops? The mind reading? For some reason? And like I'll be watching yt and I'll have to have whole fake conversations with the people who can read my mind to explain things and justify why I'm watching something because otherwise I'm to cringe to be taken away, the few times I can draw characters I like without the people who can read my mind commenting on it and hating it is the few times I can share a drawing without destroying it . Yes they have conversations with me but I have to interpret vague thoughts and feelings instead of words . Anyways can I sleep now please please please please

[zeldahime]

Well there's your problem: Star Wars has "Only One Girl" disease and LoZ characters basically only ever interact with Link.

In general for femslash in SW, you're going to find mostly Ahsoka/Bariss and Padmé/handmaiden, especially since the Queen's Shadow books came out a couple years ago. This is a very recent development considering it's a 50-year-old IP, but diehard Padmé fans will probably keep writing it, you've just got to figure out where they hang out. The Queen's Shadow series fandom is a good place to start. There's probably some very fun hatesex Phasma/Rey too, I just haven't gone looking. My personal tastes run to the whumpy and tragic, but here's some more lighthearted ones I've enjoyed:

Overreactions, T, Padmé/Sabé. 5+1. Summary: Or: Five Times Padmé Amidala Was Perfectly Safe And Didn't Need To Be Protected, And One Time Her Double's Paranoia Was Entirely Justified.

like little girls who've discovered a soulmate, G, Padmé/Sabé. Summary: It was the last night before the election—her last night as the First Naboo Royal Handmaiden to Queen Amidala—and Sabé could not sleep.

Across the Frozen Sea, T, Ahsoka/Barriss/Riyo. Summary: Ahsoka, Barriss, and Riyo find themselves stranded in the Pantoran Taiga. They must get back to civilization, but the wilds are more dangerous than they realize. If the cold doesn’t get them, the locals will. COMPLETE!

Passing, G, Ahsoka/Barriss. Summary: Barriss claims she's dating Ahsoka, Ahsoka agrees to go along with it, and both of them spend the next 6 months worrying the other will discover their crush on the other. Nobody is really surprised about this fact besides them.

a much better dream, T, Rose/Zorii. Summary: Zorii Bliss joins the Resistance. (Zorii is a character from the Poe Dameron book, mostly.)

The main femslash ships in LoZ are going to be Zelda/(female character she interacts with): so, Impa, Midna, Mipha, or Urbosa. Zelda doesn't really interact with anyone except Link in most of the games. The Zelda fandom's also mostly on FFN, not AO3. What winds up on AO3 tends to be either extremely kinky E-fic that'd be deleted from FFN in a heartbeat or a kid's first foray into fanfic. Even so, here's a couple you might like:

A Crown For My Queen, G, Mipha/Zelda. Summary: Zelda and Mipha go out to look at the blue nightshade around the great fairy fountain near Kakariko... And maybe have some fun along the way.

parting is such sweet sorrow, G, Midna/Zelda. Summary: “I promise you, Zelda. She’ll expect nothing of you that any boorish Hylian man might. You’ll owe her nothing, except…” With that, Midna stood, tugging Zelda up with her in one fluid motion. “A dance,” Midna finished, with a wink.

The one downside of this glorious tournament is that now I'm having to explain to my friends who are new to fandom that 90% of all fanfic is written by straight girls fetishizing gay men and there was never any chance of a femslash ship making it into the Top 4 😅

While M/M is definitely overrepresented in the AO3 stats, I don't think this is wholly representative of fandom. Even just looking at this bracket, out of the 5 femslash ships we started with, 4 of them have made it to this round, typically with wide margins and little competition. The userbase here is very attached to the few lesbian couples we got, and I think many are trying to get these pairings as far as they can.

This doesn't mean that there isn't an issue with fandom pushing white M/M pairings - this is in fact something which the creator of the data we used has written about! However, the common "straight girls fetishizing gay men" narrative is no longer very representative of the community. This is actually one of the reasons why we're planning to run our own demographics poll after the bracket ends, we want to see who our voter base is.

[lightumbra-a]

“there is nothing to be lost in sleeping only one night a week. in fact, it allows me more time for important work. this can only be seen as a net gain.”

[airplanned]

Trill AU Part 17

It gets WORSE!

Master list...part 16

***

Ruto convinced Link to lie down.  Convincing him that it was for his health didn't work, but telling him that it was annoying dealing with all his different hosts all the time and if he went to sleep maybe she and Zelda could catch a break--that got him to take a nap.

Ruto definitely wasn't happy, but she was better.  Her anger at Zelda was no longer misplaced fear that Zelda was evil and playing the long game.  It was now justified, that she and Link had hidden some rather pertinent information from her when they were supposed to be friends and Ruto was supposed to be helping with Link's horrible memory issues.

"You didn't think to share this with his doctor?  No wonder the Symbiosis Commission doesn't let people do this."

"Could we not go there, please?"

Ruto clearly wanted to say, and it was clearly going to be invasive and offensive, but she squeezed her lips together and kept whatever it was to herself.

A while later, Zelda suggested Ruto go get some sleep.  Zelda would keep watch.  And the air was so thick with awkwardness that Ruto hastily agreed.

Zelda sighed.  The Symbiosis Commission didn't let people do this. And maybe if they hadn't they would have avoided a great deal of pain.  But it was hard to stay away from Link.  As was painfully evident today, it was hard to stay away from any of Fi's past hosts. They just worked together.  She wondered if Link would have been drawn to all of her past hosts too.  Or if it was just her being absurd and ruining his life.

She needed to distract herself.  Hopefully, both Link and Ruto would sleep until morning and she would have time to figure out where her head was at.  She pulled up the results from her latest engine simulations on her pad, twisted so she could prop her feet in the other chair, and turned on some quite music.  

Every so often, she'd look up to check their course and check that nothing strange had popped up on the sensors.  In the early morning, she checked, and then looked back towards the back of the shuttle, and there was Link, leaning against the doorway, watching her.

"Oh!"

His blank expression gave away nothing.  All she knew was it wasn't Link.

She smiled anyway and said in a soothing voice, "Hello.  I'm Zelda.  What's your name?"

His eyes swept around the shuttlecraft, narrowing.

"You're in the body of one of your future hosts.  You're experiencing some problems with your symbiont, and we're taking you to get medical treatment."

"You're Starfleet," he said.  His voice almost curious, but cold in a way she'd never heard from Link.

"Yes."

His head listed to the side as his gaze turned appraising.  A shiver crept up the back of her neck as one side of his mouth pulled into a smirk.

"Interesting."

"Oh?"

"I wouldn't have expected him to survive long enough to join Starfleet."  Then he was moving, lazily stalking towards her. He looked longer somehow, more liquid.  She stiffened as he braced a hand on the back of her chair and leaned in close.  "Where are you taking me to get medical treatment?"

She did not like this at all at all at all.  She swallowed down her fear and carefully said, "I'll tell you, if you tell me your name."

"Ahhhh. So you don't know."  His grin stretched, and he leaned in closer to whisper in her ear.  "Looks like I won."

She jerked away.  But he was still close, smirking at her.  He traced the line of her jaw with a finger, and hot, righteous anger boiled in her chest. 

"And who are you, so small and lovely? I bet I can guess."

She slapped his hand away and glared, which only seemed to delight him.

"Feisty as ever."

Whoever this was, she didn't want them here.

She took two shaking breaths before she grabbed his face in her hands, gasped against his lips, "I love you, my dearest," and kissed him with enough urgency to press all her fear and pain and love back into him.

He startled, and struggled, but she held him tight, gripping at his hair until something switched in him.  He sighed and warmed and covered her hand on his face with his own, gentle and slow.  He pulled back softly, and she couldn't help that she was crying, that she was shaking.

"Don't cry, my dearest."  He brushed the tears from her cheeks.  She didn't want to open her eyes.

"Rav?"

She felt him nod, his thumb still working against her cheek.  "I'm sorry to interrupt again."

"No, It's...it's o--"  

A sob racked up her throat, then another and another, and he slipped to the floor in front of her so she could bury herself in his arms.

[scrawnytreedemon]

Can’t sleep, mind going precisely 56 miles an hour, so I think I’ll finally get around to writing this.

Couples days back, I went ahead and finally psyched myself up to do the Zant bossfight.

Because I’d picked up where I’d left off yesterday, which was just before the boss room, obviously I was taken back to the beginning of the area. This gave the whole ordeal a trek, if a short one, what with the Palace of Twilight’s laughable length, and me more time to think.

I didn’t want to do this.

It sounds stupid, but I really didn’t want to do this. I’d cried the day before trying to psych myself up and failing, and I’d cried then, before the boss door, stalling by sweeping away the crystal-fog as best I could-- A meagre attempt at housekeeping, and a futile one. Of course I couldn’t. This isn’t that sort of game. This isn’t a game for failed attempts at kindness, at least trying to clean this awful, awful place for an awful, awful man going through awful, awful things. I was supposed to be a hero.

Heroes don’t make beds.

They don’t wash dishes, or hang laundry, or hold a rival’s hand,

They kill.

The trek didn’t stop past the door, either.

We still had to walk up the stairs. To the throne.

To him.

And I was there, laugh-crying, wishing I didn’t have to. That I could skip this pathetic ordeal.

I tried to turn around and leave.

Despite it only looking like a larger one of the many, many doors we’ve passed through this awful, nonsensical, poorly-designed excuse for a palace that no one could ever live in, it didn’t budge. There wasn’t any turning back. I had to go forward, because this is an action game, and violence is key.

The game takes the reigns. Link walks up to the throne, sword drawn, despite my deliberate decision to sheathe it. The narrative begins again. Midna sneers, and throws a taunt at him.

Zant sits, and smiles. Smiles like he thinks he still has some form of control, or knows full well he’s lost it.

You know, when I was working through the Palace of Twilight, I’d come to the realisation that... Zant locked himself in the throneroom. From the outside. Logistically, despite the good laugh I had over this guy locking himself in from the fucking outside, where his opponents can grab the key, he could get out easily-- teleportation and all. But even that aside, it still spoke to a level of hasty panic, that he would even keep the key outside, behind a waterfall of yet more shitty fog-crytals in the hopes that would deter them. Deter us.

How long had the guy been here, alone in that room?

We all know what happens next. Despite this being my first playthrough, I’ve probably seen this cutscene a dozen times. Zant has what amounts to an overly-dramatised autistic meltdown expositing himself and his motivations. That he was upset and felt like everything he’d worked for had been taken away from him. That he was angry, angry and fed up of being relegated to a half-existence. Midna retorts, Zant wails some more.

What gets me is that, when Ganondorf visits him, engulfs him in this flaming ball of fucked-magical-fuckery, he just. Stares. He doesn’t say anything, doesn’t do anything. Ganondorf speaks as though he’s already decided that, yes, you will do, we will make a pact and rule Everything together; I will live on through you.

Did Zant even agree to this?

I think, subconsciously or not, he accepted it, but it begs the question of whether or not Zant was capable enough to partake in it.

Whatever the answer, he’s clearly not capable enough to partake in this. This fight.

It’s laughable, that I’m expected to find victory in this.

The fight was a fucking slog, 90% of the time. Some of these boss-battles I hadn’t played in nearly two years thanks to the impromptu hiatuses I’m so fond of taking, so I didn’t know what the fuck I was meant to be doing half the time-- And when I did, it lagged to shit everytime this poor bastard fired projectiles, because I was playing on the gamepad, because why on earth would I play this on the goddamn TV? It was a sad, pitiful encounter that I had to laugh my way through and also mumble “what the fuck“ on several occasions because I guess somebody at Nintendo ate cheese before bed and the dev team were so desperate to patch something together for this guy’s sudden crisis that they threw it in-- I’m obviously having a good laugh, but What The Fuck.

I knock the guy down in the last phase of the battle, the only one where he isn’t mimicking something else and dizzies himself spinning like a hyperactive child, and the game takes the reigns again. Midna prepares her hair. I look away-- I’ve seen it before, many times before, and it’s cartoonishly grotesque for a game that relies heavily on somber semi-realism. Midna has her own crisis-- And yeah, yeah bossbabe, I feel it.

It cuts back, and there’s a Heart Container on the guy’s throne.

I.

I killed a guy, and now I’m collecting his lifeforce. I stormed into the bunged-up attempt of a fortress conjured up as a last defense by a man who’s fallen head-first into insanity, tore through any meagre security measure like butter, murder the guy when he’s having an episode, he dies a fucked up death, and then I collect his lifeforce.

Is that fucked up or what?

For all of Zelda’s endless violence, rarely do you actually kill “people.“ It’s the kind of stuff reserved for the end, for Ganondorf, or some other corrupted nigh-demigod on the brink of losing their humanity, or never having possessed it.

We kill Zant.

Zant barely puts up a fight, and we kill him. Zant gets summoned from the netherworld by Ganondorf in Hyrule Warriors; we put him there in the first place.

If we were to view this from a literal, like this shit actually happened and these characters are to be held accountable standpoint, then what we did was justified-- If not wholly, then mostly. Zant got power-hungry, committed what amounts to a bio-terroristic coup on the government, disfigured his rival, a woman notorious for her beauty, then proceeded to attempt the same thing with Hyrule, leading to the indirect death of at least the people who got transfigured into Shadow-Beasts in Kakariko, and attacks you first, then yeah, no biggie?

But I’ll be fucking real with you chief, I don’t find it... I don’t know, persuasive? Effective? Compelling, would be the best word, to think of it that way?

What Zant is, is a narrative tool. One that was set up to be this big, bad interloper who you need to Take Down and Save Everything, as per usual Zelda format. The justification for why we should hate him, if I’m going to be honest, feels contrived, most of the time. He does some bad thing off-screen, Midna gets pissed, Midna and everyone within a 12-mile radius explains why we should be pissed in a way that often feels borderline developer-hand-y-- And that’s. Well that’s how Zelda usually is.

It’s justification to commit violence.

--To be clear, I don’t say this in a political sense. I mean it in the very literal “hit/kill a guy“ sense. And in all honesty, that’s kinda inherent to the ethos of action games. We enjoy catharsis-- We enjoy taking down big things, it’s satisfying! I’ve played a little Hyrule Warriors-- Loved the feel of it. Violence is inherent to even the most benign of action games, and it is what it is.

Where it falls short for me, is that with Zant, I don’t feel like I’m taking down some great foe that I should justifiably hate.

I feel like I’m a clearly more equipped person breaking into a room, and bludgeoning a mentally ill person.

I’m autistic. I may slot in easier to NT society than most, but I am autistic, and it makes me deeply uncomfortable to see something I’ve fucking gone through be used carelessly as flavour for a prelude to violence. I have meltdowns. They’re relatively rare, and mostly in my room, alone, but I’ve also experienced one out in public. It was only sobbing, but there’s a special kind of horror, of humilation in knowing other people, strangers, family, what have you, are seeing it, and all you can think is how much you failed.

I can’t fully articulate why I cried so much during this, quite frankly, menial ordeal. I’m half-embarrassed to even talk about it-- Because then that means caring too much, and I can’t care too much over a poorly-justified character that wasn’t even intended to be sympathised with and that most of the fandom laughs at. And I can’t say I blame them.

I guess at the end of the day it comes down to the ever-present pity; some strange, childish commiseration I’d indulged in ever since I was six and cooing over Bowser and how awful everything was for him, that despite my continuous efforts, I can’t ever seem to explain.

I didn’t like the Zant fight. It felt empty,

And all did was sweep cobwebs and try to turn back.

[wolveria]

Crucible - Ch 2

Pairing: Link x Reader

Prompt: For the Bittersweet Mini Bang!

Series Warnings (18+ only): Eventual smut, slow burn, violence, mild body horror, lots of whump, angst with a happy ending

Chapter Summary: Tarrey Town's always full of surprises, but nothing could prepare Link for this one.

AO3

It had started with darkness swirling around the castle, his companions reacting with either fear or determination.

It ended with darkness taking the form of a giant boar, his friends dead, or worse, trapped within the beast itself.

With the Calamity defeated and the darkness banished, the kingdom freed from evil and the princess restored to herself, Link should have been happy. He’d fulfilled his destiny. His purpose. There was nothing left for him to do.

And that was the problem. There was no duty to distract him from the knowledge he’d been a little too weak and a little too late. So many lives lost and a hundred years of monsters roaming the land to butcher and slaughter even more innocents.

All because of Link. How could anyone call him the Hero after that? Yet, they did, and in droves. They celebrated his victory and the return of the princess.

It felt so hollow at times, the appreciation of the people misplaced, that he began to long for the elder Zora who had despised him. That bitter anger had been honest, genuine, and entirely justified. They were kinder to him after he calmed Vah Ruta, and that was the beginning of the end in many ways.

Five long years had passed, in which Link did all he could to aid the princess in rebuilding the kingdom. At least, for the first four years. The last year, all he did was wander Hyrule, revisiting the places he’d been and retracing his path faithfully from start to finish. He was horrified to learn others did the same, an homage of his journey. A dark pilgrimage they mimicked but couldn’t understand.

They stayed in camps and stables. They didn’t huddle for warmth, bellies empty as they tried to survive on nothing but acorns.

They didn’t cower in the darkness as monsters howled nearby. Link had scoured the land of their kind within the first year.

And they didn’t flee from the Stalkers, spotted so far away he could barely see their roving eye. The Guardians had collapsed along with their dark master, and Zelda’s team of scientists were rebuilding them.

Link wanted no part of that. He was purposeless, and so he wandered.

Zelda was worried for him, he knew, especially since their disastrous expedition several weeks earlier. Link didn’t talk about that. Didn’t want to relive the nightmare of that tomb, especially when actual nightmares plagued him every time he laid down to sleep.

So when she suggested he scout the way before the royal procession celebrating the fifth year anniversary of the defeat of the Calamity, Link knew it was busy work. He also didn’t say no.

Which brought him here. Link shaded his face with one hand, lamenting the scorching midday sun. Tarrey Town bustled around him, now a large city where before he’d help build it when it was nothing but dirt. He could hardly believe how much had changed in just five years’ time.

He moved through the crowds, watching as vendors and patrons haggled over prices, dodging to avoid the carts of fruits and vegetables as they sped by. Denizens from all over Hyrule made their home here, and it was one of Link’s favorite things about this place. Gorons stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Gerudo. Rito and Zora, who would normally never interact, were often found doing business together, haggling over their wares or exchanging gossip.

And of course, there were many Hylians. Link blended in amongst them well, unrecognizable to the average townsfolk. He’d grown taller, a late growth-spurt that had hit him just before adulthood. His hair was longer and let down during his travels, and his Champion’s uniform was gone, replaced by a dark Hylian tunic. Even the Master Sword’s scabbard and hilt were wrapped in black cloth so as not to be identified by its extremely recognizable design.

He looked very little like the boy who saved the world, and that was the point.

Link was already tiring—the nightmare hadn’t let him rest long, but then again, he never slept well—so he found a spot to sit by one of the market fountains. Zora children played in the sparkling water, splashing each other and laughing, and he watched them with a faint smile.

The smile turned into a grimace as he rubbed his right forearm. The ever-present ache was strong today, and he stared at the specialized glove he wore. Purah said it would help with the pain, but it didn’t. Link didn’t blame her. No one understood what had happened to him, least of all him, and he’d been there.

Link tried not to let the pain show. The times he had, Zelda would look so heartbroken, and he hated worrying her after everything that had happened to them both—

A splash of cold water hit him in the back. When he looked over his shoulder, the Zora children shrieked with laughter before apologizing and running away. Link’s smile returned. Despite his rough night, he was glad the goddesses hadn’t listened to his prayers. Prayers in which he’d begged the goddesses to end his cursed existence, and do it in a way that would hurt Zelda the least.

It had been a shameful thought, but some part of him wondered how long until he was granted his morbid wish—

Pain shot up his arm, and Link clenched his teeth as he clutched at the offending limb. Another jolt of pain sizzled up his nerves, and it took everything he had not to scream in agony.

He stumbled to his feet, unable to see through the crowds, his vision fuzzy and too bright. Hylia, it was bad this time, and panic rose in his chest. He half-reached for the Sheikah Slate on his hip before he remembered he’d given it to Zelda years ago, and then a third spasm ripped through his arm.

Link closed his eyes when the world spun around him. Perhaps he was getting his wish, after all.

“Stop! Thief!”

It was the only warning Link received before something shoved him hard and he was knocked off his feet. Landing on his back, the air whooshed out of him as his eyes flew open.

The person who had run him down was also in a jumbled pile on the cobblestone, their tattered cloak open and spilling several apples from within.

Link stared at the face within the hood, eyes narrowed and then widening in disbelief. His heart hammered in confused fear, but his limbs remained frozen.

The would-be thief stared back, eyes also wide, before a second shout of thief! was given from somewhere in the crowd.

That got the other Hylian up and moving, sparing a hostile look at Link before taking off at a sprint.

Link was still flat on his ass, mind reeling as he tried to understand the impossible.

The other Hylian… had his face.

“What are you doing!” someone yelled in his direction. Sure enough, an out-of-breath Hylian merchant appeared, identified by the rich clothing he wore and the indignant fury in his eyes. “You’re letting the thief escape!”

Link would have continued to stare dumbly at the merchant, but the truth of those words smacked him square between the eyes. He couldn’t let the strange Hylian get away.

But try as he might, searching through the crowds and using his rusty skills as a tracker to find which way they went, Link lost their trail with embarrassing quickness. He might have been met with failure, but for the first time in as long as he could remember, Link was wide awake. A new determination filled him, a self-appointed quest forming in his mind.

He was so focused on deciding his next steps that Link didn’t notice the pain in his arm had entirely vanished.

Next Chapter

[agoldengalaxy]

A Quiet Moment

read on Ao3

Zelda and Link sit together, and she notices how exhausted her poor knight looks.

--

Zelda sat beneath the tree, looking down at the Sheikah Slate with a small frown. Her study of these runes seemed to be getting her nowhere fast, but she wasn’t going to give up, either. Besides, she rather enjoyed learning.

Leaning back against the trunk, she placed the slate in her lap, looking up to take a small break. Not far away from her, Link stood by himself, practicing with his sword. It wasn’t as rushed as he was when facing a real monster - no, today, he was allowing himself some slack, practicing his form much slower than before. His back was to her, so she allowed herself some selfish time to watch him. He moved so swiftly, so easily, as if that sword was an extension of his own body. She yearned to be more like him - but she knew her own time would come. It had to. She wouldn’t let Calamity take her friends from her.

Calamity, though, had yet to present itself. Today was a beautiful day in Hyrule, and they were a little ways from the castle so that she would not have to face her father. She knew she should be training, but she’d been training relentlessly this week - an hour or two of studying runes certainly wouldn’t hurt. But of course, Link would never allow her to go on her own, so here they were.

Link slowly lowered his sword, his shoulders rising and falling with each breath. He turned around and she met his eyes, as blue as the sky above them, and her ears reddened a little. “You seem to get along quite well with that sword.” She wasn’t sure what else to say, but thankfully, something else caught her eye, and a hand flew to her mouth as a quiet giggle escaped her. “Somehow, a few twigs have made their home in your hair. Come here, I shall help you.”

The boy frowned, sheathing the sword and reaching to grab one of his bangs, before slowly nodding. Perhaps he realized it would be more efficient for her to do it instead of picking through it himself. Kneeling down in front of her, she reached forward, trying to steady shaky hands to pluck the twigs and grass that had somehow gotten into his blond hair. Somehow, though, it was still soft, though many knots had gotten into his ponytail. It didn’t take long, and she hesitated a moment before pulling her hands back.

As he lifted his head, she realized how close they were, and she felt her heart begin to race. He smiled a little in thanks, but she found herself just studying him. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d seen him smile, and...had those dark shadows beneath his eyes been there all along? He looked so tired.

Somehow, she found her voice again, after what felt like an hour. “Perhaps...you would let me do something with it?” she asked, tilting her head a little. “It may be easier to manage, and maybe you will get less nature in it.” She smiled again as he considered her offer, then gave a slight nod, moving to sit in front of her.

Tucking her legs underneath her, she gently grabbed onto his hair tie, carefully pulling it out of its place and rolling it onto her wrist. As gold hair fell in messy waves around his shoulders, tension seemed to leave him. She wondered if he ever took his hair out.

With that, she began gently combing her fingers through it, working their way through the knots he had accumulated during his training and fights. Parting his hair, she couldn’t help but pause as she noticed a large amount of scars along the back of his neck and shoulders. It was like she had seen something she shouldn’t have - and she knew better than to ask. It wasn’t like he would tell her, either. He didn’t like to speak, and so she knew virtually nothing about his past.

Pushing those thoughts away, she scooted over to the right to work on that side of his hair, mostly trying to figure out what she wanted to do. A braid may be nice, and keep it out of his face. She needed to figure out what to do with those bangs of his, but as she continued to run her fingers through, she noticed his eyes were closed. Brows furrowing, she slowed her pace, watching his chin dip down for a moment before returning to its normal place.

The poor boy was falling asleep sitting up. She couldn’t help but wonder - how long had it been since he’d rested properly? She knew she hadn’t been sleeping very well, but he…

Some guilt pushed its way through her chest. Not only was he chosen by the sword, he had to spend every waking moment worrying about her - and he worked hard to ensure he would not fail. She wondered if he sacrificed his own needs to do so.

Zelda swallowed, letting her hands slowly fall from his loose hair, knowing she ought to nudge him and tell him to return home. But she knew her sweet knight, and she knew he would refuse. Instead, she found herself gently grabbing the opposite side of his head, carefully guiding him to lay down. His head lay in her lap, and perhaps he was even too tired to realize what she had done, because his eyes did not even so much as open.

Link’s hair splayed out behind him, and it didn’t take long for the tension to leave his body. She hadn’t ever seen him so relaxed before - his lips parted just a little, one leg straight and the other bent, face turned in just slightly toward her. And he looked so young ; it was easy to forget when considering his skills and talent, but he was still just a boy. And her age, at that.

All she could do was stare, knowing she shouldn’t be doing this, that he might even be angry with her when he woke. She didn’t even want to think of the possibility of someone finding them here like this; Hylia forbid it be her own father. But how could she allow her knight to continue on without rest? That was, at least, how she was justifying it to herself.

Because...he was adorable like this. Handsome, even. She was seeing him in a new light - seeing past the stoic exterior of the hero, and seeing the boy within. Slowly, she began threading her fingers through his hair, now knot-free, in an attempt to calm him - and maybe herself - a little further. And for just a moment, she saw him smile, before his face relaxed again.

Her heart pounded in her ears, and she felt herself melt a little. Goodness, she was in so much trouble.

“It’s alright,” she whispered, cupping his cheek lightly before she realized what she was doing. He leaned into the touch, and she smiled fondly in a way she wouldn’t be caught dead in. The feeling blossoming in her chest...she didn’t want to dwell on it. “You must allow yourself this time to rest. I won’t be going anywhere.”

And she kept this promise for as long as he had needed it; simply sitting with him, playing with his hair to ensure he had a restful sleep. When his brow finally furrowed and his eyes blinked open sleepily, it was almost dusk. Upon meeting hers, he went completely rigid and sat up so quickly that they almost bumped heads.

Zelda couldn’t help but laugh. “It’s alright! Please don’t worry, Link.” He was staring at her wide-eyed, and even with the waning sunlight, she could tell he was incredibly red. It was adorable. “You needed the rest, did you not? You really ought to take better care of yourself. You aren’t invincible, you know.” Despite the words, she found herself sounding quite fond, and she was pretty sure she was still smiling. He seemed to relax a little, though he looked away sheepishly. He opened his mouth, but she shook her head. “There’s no need to apologize. I don’t mind.”

Getting to her feet, she brushed herself off, then took a step closer as he also stood. His hair still fell loose around his shoulders, but he either didn’t notice or didn’t care. Still, she smiled wistfully and rolled the hair tie off of her wrist, placing it in his hand.

“Here you are.” As she pulled away, their fingers brushed for a moment, and she felt heat rise to her cheeks. Clearing her throat, she nodded. “Come along, I’m sure my father must be wondering about our whereabouts. He will understand when I tell him we went to the Spring of Power to train all day.”

Link stared blankly, then the ghost of a smile appeared on his face again. He closed his eyes for a moment, nodding in what she knew was his way of saying thanks.

Her own smile grew, and together, they headed back to the castle. Rather than paces behind her, he stayed by her side - and quite frankly, she preferred it this way.

[lorelylantana]

Compulsion

Ao3

This oneshot was inspired by this post by @snooze-zzz

Oneshot rating: G

His father wasn’t happy when Link was called to his office, a scowl etched into his brow. Link stepped in and stood at attention, expecting his father to grumble about some last minute change to the guard’s rotation before assigning him to a troop to fill in the gaps left by such shifts. Link had been knighted only recently, and as the most junior member in his unit he was expected to pick up this sort of slack. Link didn’t mind, a little sleep lost was a small place to pay to quiet that writhing feeling in his chest. It wasn’t silent just yet, but he was getting closer. When his father got up to walk around the room, Link made no move to maintain eye contact, standing at attention. It was a test of sorts, teaching Link to hold his position until told otherwise. It took some practice to tamp down the instinctive urge to turn towards the speaker, but he was getting it. So when his father walked behind him, he thought he was just checking his form.

“Do you think this is a game, son?”  the Captain’s words were cold, dripping with the kind of disappointment that would make any child’s blood freeze. Link’s pulse began to race. His face flushed, but his training held and he stood rooted to the spot.

“Sir?”

“Do you know how many fourteen year old knights there have been in recorded history?”

“One, sir,” Link answered, bracing for a lecture.

“Right, one. You are the only knight to ever be sworn in so young,” his father continued, coming around to face him again. Link almost flinched when he saw the quiet rage in his father’s eyes. This wasn’t going to be the ordinary scolding for being late to the mess hall or having a spot on his armor.

“I had to jump through a lot of hoops for you to be allowed to swear in early. I stuck my head out for you because I had faith in you. You told me you could handle the responsibility and I believed you. I don’t appreciate you dragging my name through the mud with this little stunt and I definitely don’t appreciate you going back on your word.”

Link racked his brain, still completely at a loss to the ‘stunt’ the Captain was referring to. He’d looked after his armor meticulously, arrived early for morning drills, he even took time out of his break to have a barber crop his hair to match Hyrule’s military regulation, leaving his neck uncovered for the first time in years.

Then again, he did break one of the sparring dummies yesterday, a swing of a sword that landed a bit too hard. The drill sergeant laid into him for that, sending him to run laps while everyone else got a water break.

“I can fix the dummy, sir.”

That was the wrong thing to say apparently, because when his father’s face contorted even further. The Captain shut his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose.

“You knew perfectly well that tattoos visible in uniform aren’t allowed, let alone one blatantly disrespecting the royal family, so what possessed you to undermine the sacrifices made to get you here?”

Link’s hands were shaking behind his back. He couldn’t remember the last time his father was so angry with him, and he still had no idea what he was being reprimanded for. He didn’t get a tattoo as far as he remembered, and he didn’t drink, so it wasn’t a memory lost to wine. 

Justified or not, the Captain’s anger stung after Link tried so hard to uphold the high standard his father held him to. He had been proud to meet that standard, but it was hard to hold his head high when his captain and his father looked at him with such disappointment, whatever the reason turned out to be. He felt his face heat with shame and his throat close. 

The Captain sighed when his son failed to answer, and Link knew that he had fallen in his father’s eyes, and that thought alone was enough to bring tears to his eyes. 

“I don’t understand,” he whispered, his knight’s countenance cracking at long last, “What did I do?”

His father shook his head, refusing to look him in the eye, “If you can’t be honest and own up to your own actions, then I have to put you on probation. Pack your backs and come back when you’re ready to stop treating the knight’s oath like a joke.”

Link saluted, maintaining his silence in a desperate attempt to regain his composure, though he couldn’t stop a few childish tears from leaking out in what would be his last show of emotion for a very long time.

The sun was setting as Link started down the road south to Castle Town where he’d stay the night, wondering what he’d tell his mom. His stomach twisted in dread. He didn’t want to see the inevitable disappointment on his mother’s face. He still didn’t know what he’d done wrong, but whatever it was had to be so obvious that any denial would read as insubordination, so he doubted she would believe any defense he could muster.

He wanted to scream that he didn’t think knighthood was a joke. In truth he wouldn’t even consider it an ambition. He supposed it was an instinct, if anything. Perhaps it was because he was the son of the Captain of the Royal Guard, but that answer tasted wrong in his mind, like it was far too trivial an explanation for the growling dissatisfaction in his chest. 

He’d always had fun swinging the wooden swords his father brought home when he was small, but time and again Link would be overtaken by some deep set sense of urgency to learn and hone any skill he could use in battle. He would be seated at the dinner table or doing his chores when something that tasted like an elegant, tempered version of panic would consume him and demand he rush outside to practice his sword forms. His mother scolded him for it at first, but couldn’t bring herself to reprimand him after she saw how distraught he would be if she stopped him, so she left him be, only calling him in if it was bedtime or if he scraped a knee.  If he couldn’t find a sword, he’d pick up a broom and pretend it was a spear, or he’d make a claymore out of an iron hammer. He’d go hunting even though he’d have to drag a buck along on the ground because he was too small to carry it himself because standard targets simply wouldn’t cut it. Anything he could use to practice he would.

At first it was just repeating basic swings and perfecting technique, but after a few years passed there chime began to sound in the distance when he took up his arms, and soon after that ring grew into words reverberating in his head. At first, Link had thought the voice, ancient and vaguely feminine, was that of the Goddess. He didn’t think that now though. She, if the voice was, in fact, a she, felt isolated, personal. Link had the distinct impression that the voice was interested in him and him alone, and he didn’t think the White Goddess Hylia would play favorites, least of all with him. There was no praise or scorn from the voice, only instruction flavored with an odd sort of affection that felt older and steadier than the land itself, and Link, still driven by a baseless devotion, did as he was told. 

When she told him to hone his agility by shadow sparring on a fence, he obeyed. When she told him to climb Mount Floria to strengthen his body and spirit he obeyed. And when he was told to visit the Spring of Courage to pay homage to his predecessors he obeyed, whoever they may be. Then old and forgotten combat arts were whispered in his ear, and Link began to fight unlike any man or beast in thousands of years. 

It wasn’t long after that his father returned to Hateno on leave and took note of his progress. The Captain made a blithe comment that Link could hold his own against a royal guard, and once again the urgency rose, not to take up arms, but to head towards Hyrule Castle. He’d begged and pleaded with his father, swearing up and down that he would uphold the knight’s standard both in and out of combat, the voice reassuring him all the while.

When he was sworn to Hyrule’s service and he settled into the Military Training Camp the voice quieted down. He felt a tad lonesome without her, though he didn’t miss the mind numbing sensation so close to terror that always preceded her voice. It had been relaxing to train and talk and go about his life without a sense of foreboding shadowing his every action. He was where he needed to be.

As he walked further and further south he could feel it growing again, pulling him back the way he came. Link thought back to his childhood, wondering when this feeling, so much like a sickness, first came to him. Now that he thought on it, he was quite certain the first taste of this compulsion came to him at the late Queen’s funeral. 

Yes, he remembered it clear as day. He had been outside the cathedral in Castle Town bearing lilies on his family’s behalf, since his father was guarding the ceremony and his mother had taken ill that day. Once the priestesses had concluded their rite there was a bid for all those in attendance to leave their offerings if they so wished, and when it was Link’s turn to approach the coffin he caught sight of Princess Zelda.

She was so small, smaller than he was, and though no tears fell Link saw her quivering ever so slightly. The sight of her green eyes and sun bright hair was so familiar even though he’d never seen anything like it. She looked up to meet his gaze, and within her green eyes Link found a fleeting epiphany tinged with nostalgia. In that moment Link could feel something deep within the earth beginning to rumble awake, dark and devastating. He’s certain that’s where his fixation began, and after years of contemplation he deemed the swell in his chest at the sight of her protective, though the nature of such devotion was lost on him. 

Link had come up on Hyrule Cathedral then. He stood there a moment, wondering if he should seek Hylia’s guidance before heading on his way. Who knows, perhaps the voice would return to him and give him an objective to work towards, something to drown out the devastation in his chest.

“You are not to leave that spot until dawn breaks, Zelda. Do you understand?”

“Yes, Father.”

And there she was again, all snow white and burning gold in the light of the setting sun. He could see her glowing faintly in the firelight of the torches around her, kneeling in the middle of the Cathedral’s garden to pray. Possessed, he stepped closer to the wrought iron fence that separated them, drawn to her like a moth to any warm, bright light.

 It had been years since he’d seen her shaking at the loss of her mother, but she somehow looked more hopeless and alone kneeling there in the grass. That observation tore at him, momentarily eclipsing his own desolation. In that instance Link wanted to be there by her side, if only to provide a moment’s reprieve from the storm they were trapped in.

His wish struck through him light a flash of lightning as though granted by a higher power.

Link spun around on the street and walked right back to the gate, retracing his steps, though he had no intention of returning to the Military Camp. He didn’t know where he intended to go, only that there was a white hot tether curled around his heart and soul dragging him back north, relentless and daunting. 

He walked on into the night, after the people of Hyrule settled in to sleep and doused the fires lighting his way. The darkness mattered little, because whatever drove Link’s feet, it wasn’t his sight. He walked past the Camp he’d left not hours before, keeping out of the nightwatch’s range. He didn’t know what he was doing, but he didn’t need interruptions, and the guard would just get in his way. No one entered the Lost Woods without a death wish, at least, not before tonight. The fog of the ancient forest was potent, laced with an old magic, but it parted for Link, yielding to a more powerful, primordial force. It was a familiar feeling, Link realized as he passed between two seas of swirling white. He could hear her chime as she led him into the warmth of the Korok Forest. He didn’t hesitate to walk up to the sword where it lay in stone. The massive tree before him began to shift, but Link paid it no mind as he took hold on the blade and pulled. 

The blade came free effortlessly, but Link tumbled back, overtaken by visions of death and destruction and ruin.

He’d heard whispers of a fabled apocalypse brewing beneath the land, but Link hadn’t listened too closely. They were only rumors, inconsequential when compared to the mind consuming drive to become a better warrior. Link had trained himself for years, mastering every weapon he could find, all in preparation to wield this sacred blade of evil’s bane.

But it wasn’t enough. It was nowhere near being enough to stop the horrors the voice in his blade spoke to him of. 

Link didn’t return home after that. He couldn’t, because he knew that if he faced his father and mother just once he would break down, and that wasn’t an option anymore. He needed every hour he could get, and with the Calamity looming over the horizon he couldn’t justify something so selfish. He had to protect the Princess, he had to protect all of Hyrule, and weak as he was now he didn’t stand a chance. With the blessing of the Great Deku Tree he remained in Korok Forest, learning skill after skill. He trained dawn till dusk, sleeping in the Deku Tree’s hollow and cooking meals from the mushrooms and herbs the Koroks gathered for him. 

He appreciated the little forest spirits, their antics helped cheer him when the weight of it all began to crush him.They were helpful in small but essential ways. They mended and refreshed his clothes, told him their stories and sang their songs, and when his hair grew long they found him a band to tie it with. He asked them to send messages to his family that he was still alive even though he had no idea if they were successful. They would listen to the whispers of Hyrule and tell him which monsters were causing the most trouble so Link could gain some real battle experience. Hestu helped him pack enough provisions to make a pilgrimage to Thyphlo ruins, where he stayed day and night until he had mastered fighting blind, and then he returned to the Korok Forest to fine tune his skills until his seventeenth birthday.

He could slow time, and move faster than an arrow in flight, but he still wasn’t satisfied when the Great Deku Tree spoke, his voice painfully similar to his father’s.

“You must leave now, Hero, go and face your destiny.”

Link didn’t look up from his swings, the sword humming in his hand, “I’m not ready.”

“No one ever is, child,” the tree said, sadness and affection melting into one another, “you must go nonetheless. The princess needs you to be her strength. The land of Hyrule calls for your aid. You must answer their call”

The sword whispered in agreement, so he sheathed the blade and said his goodbyes to the forest children before emerging from the fog for the first time in months. He stopped to look at the Military Training Camp, wondering if he should visit his father. He thought better of it, continuing on his way. Even if they allowed a deserter within the barracks, Link didn’t think he could hold himself together in the face of the family he had left behind.

Link’s father stood at attention behind King Rhoam’s throne. He was Captain of the King’s Guard, which meant he had to watch over the weekly constituency. The King sat on a throne while the Princess occupied a plush, though less ornate, chair placed to the right of her mother’s vacant seat. He’d received the promotion a year after his son went missing and he accepted, since he no longer had a reason to stay at the Military Training Camp.

It took him three months to realize his son had disappeared.

When his wife asked after their Link’s whereabouts upon his return to Hateno on leave the Captain had been annoyed, at first. It was easier to believe that his son was simply acting out, surely to return once he’d felt he made his point, then to face the truth. That flimsy belief didn’t hold out for very long, because deep in his heart he knew better. Link had made a mistake perhaps, but he’d never run from the consequences of his own actions. The tears of his distraught wife hammered home the heartbreaking reality. 

Whatever had befallen his son, he wouldn’t be coming home.

There wasn’t a day that went by that he didn’t regret how he’d sent his son off that final time. He should have told his son that he loved him, protocol be damned. 

There were countless reminders of his son that tore at him. Small things. The Captain would be on patrol and he’d see a doodle of a young man wielding a winged sword that the children of castle town must have scrawled on a wall. He opened a drawer to find a scrap of fabric from the tunic Link was wearing when he left the Training Camp, and he would return to his office to find honeyd apples and other treats his son loved the most. The universe seemed intent on haunting him, and he knew he deserved it. 

He was so proud of his boy, but his final act as a father was to push Link to tears.

A chill went down the Captain’s spine, and he snapped to attention, kicking himself for letting his mind wander when he was supposed to be protecting the most important people in the kingdom. His time as a soldier had tempered his instincts, and he could sense a quiet, oppressive strength that would make a Lynel cower spread throughout the room at the sound of light footsteps padding towards the center of the room. A quick glance around the room revealed that his subordinates felt the same, shifting from foot to foot and hand twitching towards their weapons.

“State your business, boy,” came the King’s command, loud but not enough to drown out the ferocity leaking out from the diminutive hylian standing in the center of the Sanctum, his feet planted on the royal family’s crest.

Link said not a word, only reaching over his shoulder to pull the Master Sword from its sheath. The guards moved to intercept him, but he drove the tip to the ground before they could come close. The Captain stepped forward, swallowing his fear while he drew his sword to face the intruder.

“Stop!”

 The Princess’ voice rang out with an uncharacteristic authority, bypassing the King himself to halt the guards’ assault. The adrenaline seeped from the Captain’s blood, and he took a good look at the swordsman. 

He knew those eyes, their tearstained image had been burned into his memory for years. His son was taller now, though still on the shorter side. His hair was longer, much longer and swept back in a ponytail. The scrap of fabric the Captain had taken to wearing around his wrist was a perfect match for the tunic his son wore. The Captain’s sword clattered to the ground. Link was alive.

His son was alive!

But as he looked at the man his son had become, he felt some of that joy slip away. It was still there, but it was tainted by the realization of just how much Link had changed. Children grow, the Captain was well aware of this fact, but his son wasn’t just grown, he was distant and restrained. He stood less like a man and more like a statue carved to scare off malevolent spirits and sinners.

“Go to him, Zelda,” the King’s voice barely registered as the Captain struggled to reconcile this stoic, intimidating figure with the giggling, infectiously bright child he had raised.

Link hadn’t expected to run into his father so soon, his resolve was beginning to crack at the sight of the hesitant, regretful joy on the Captain’s face. He clenched his fist around the Master Sword’s handle, suppressing the urge to throw himself in his father’s arms and never leave. But then Princess Zelda stood before him in all her gentle radiance, fate given flesh, and he held onto her. Her presence banished any doubt within him. Link could feel her slumbering power, pulsing softly with the rise and fall of her breath. She felt like sunshine, and looking at her reminded him that this is where he needed to be. She too had destiny woven into the very fabric of her soul, the only other one of his kind.

Link knelt on the stones before her, laying the magnificent blade he commanded at her feet.

“That’s it then,” the King said, and the Princess nodded.

“Yes, it’s the Sword that Seals the Darkness,” she said, voice shaking, “We’re running out of time.”

“Not necessarily,” Impa piped up, “the fortune teller stated that the wingcrest would appear on the Hero’s body when the time drew near, I see no such mark.”

The Captain made a choked, distressed sound, but no one paid him any mind. All focused on Link. His hand was indeed blank, but after a moment’s confusion the Hero lowered his head before his princess, brushing his hair to one side so she could see the back of his neck. Her fingers brushed across his skin, sending a warm shiver down his spine. Link found himself relaxing under her hand, the touch felt like sending water from a hot spring rushing down his back and soothing the restlessness writhing inside him.

“How long have you had this?” she whispered, her fingertips lingering on the crest. Link could feel them shake slightly and felt a surge of protectiveness course through him. 

“Two years, eight months and six days,” the Captain answered. 

The King turned to his Captain, nonplussed, “You know this young man?”

“He’s my son,” was his broken reply. King broke into a smile.

“Well what do you know? You must be very proud of your boy today!”

“I’ve always been proud of him, your Majesty,” the Captain replied, “Always.”

Link took a shuddering breath as he felt some of the guilt from the last three years melt away, but his face remained stoic.

“With such a son I imagine you’d have little choice in the matter,” the King laughed, deaf to the thick emotion in the other man’s voice. Link felt the Princess’ hand stiffen before she drew away, a chill replacing the gentle heat he was already starting to miss.

“Rise, Hero,” she commanded softly, and he obliged without a word, sheathing his sword and taking his place by her side, the disquiet that had clawed through him since childhood finally satisfied. The Captain followed the divine pair as they declared the constituency over and the arrival of the Hero of Hyrule was announced, hopelessly at a  loss.

The night was quiet when Link was headed to his assigned quarters below the Princess’ tower, much like the evening he was called to draw the Master Sword. He had put his hand on the door’s handle when he heard steps approach.

The Captain approached his son with caution, consumed with hatred for his own cowardly hesitation. After years of grief, his son stood before him yet again, and here he was, trying to dredge up the courage to give his boy the apology he deserved. He didn’t know how to approach Link like this. He wasn’t his son anymore, it seemed, but the Hero of Hyrule, the answer to the prayers of thousands. Here stood the Knight who Seals the Darkness, the paragon all aspired to the second they took up a sword.

Looking at his son felt like looking over the edge of a cliff, but it was his eyes that concerned him most. The blue eyes passed down from his mother lacked the good nature and mirth once found there, a trait shared with her. Instead there was an emptiness, a great void between the Captain and the Hero far too wide to cross.

No. Now that he looked closer, it wasn’t a void, it was a wall, and that broke the Captain’s heart all the more. Deep down he knew that he couldn’t reach his son like this, but he owed it to his family to try.

“I’m sorry,”

He’s not sure what he expected, he still hadn’t heard his son’s voice, and drawing Link in for a hug felt like crossing some unspoken but no less potent boundary that legendary blade had cut around the Hero. The Hero of Hyrule nodded in acknowledgment of his words, and the Captain didn’t feel like pushing further would be fair on his son, so he nodded his goodnight and walked further down the path with a heavy heart to write a letter to his wife, not sure what exactly to tell her happened to their little boy.

[mrneighbourlove]

A King to a God: Chapter 1. Change in the Wind (Preview for Ganzine)

Preview and first chapter for my full entry for the @ganzine2020. What would happen to Ganondorf if he had won outright against Zelda and Link at the end of Ocarina of Time? How would the events and antagonist of Majora’s Mask effect him? Find out in “A King to a God”. I hope that you enjoy this first chapter and consider contributing towards the Zine and its charity to have early access to the full story. My favourite and best work yet I feel. 

Lightning snapped against the blackened sky, illuminating the landscape in bursts of flashes. Fire crackled and spat wildly, shuddering with each step the mighty figure took. A roar thundered out, and clash of metal echoed far. Amidst this battlefield stood a man in green, battered and bloody. His courage was faltering. A princess stood not too far. Her wisdom unable to help her. And towering above the man, a monster with a red mane snarled down at him. His power burned and he felt victory beat like a drum. With one last swing, the beast threw his sword at the man in green. A sickening slice grated against the ground, the man falling to his hands and knees. A mighty roar filled the air, overtaking the scream of the princess. This day, Ganon, King of Darkness, had won.

His hand glowed with the Triforce of Power as he reached down to the boy known as Link. He could feel the boy’s life drain as he pulled the light from him. It was like a toggle being brought down when Ganon took the Triforce of Courage from Link. The Hylian’s heart stopped as soon as the Triforce transferred to the mighty King. Ganon felt a surge of strength flow through him. It appeared as if fate favoured him this day, as a beam of light struck him from behind. It burned his flesh, but due to the mighty magic of the Triforce of Courage, Ganon persevered against the magical attack. Raising an open hand, the King of Darkness opened fire a beam of malice at his attacker, entrapping Princess Zelda in a wave of pain.

The Princess’ body bled from the attack, as the darkness attacked her physically and mentally. She fought with all her will, but it was too late. Her body succumbed, and she felt the Triforce of Wisdom leave her. The King of Evil merely had to will the last of his treasure to him in her weakened state. Clenching his fist, Ganon felt the last piece of the Triforce enter his being. Waves of energy rippled through his body, and the King of Darkness felt a state of nirvana. After all his sacrifices, he finally felt true, unlimited power.

Zelda screamed in fury, using every fiber in her being to stand. Both hers and Link’s efforts couldn’t end like this. She’d drain her own lifeforce if it meant killing Ganon. Channeling all her spirit, she unleashed all the holy magic of the gods she could.

To Ganon, her effort was useless. He countered with his blast of darkness. His own newly acquired power was overwhelming, a surprise to even him, and his attack devastated Zelda, overcoming her final assault and erasing her from the world.

All that remained was the broken body of the boy in green, the seared scar lines in the earth of where the princess had once stood and standing in the middle of the battle field was Ganon, Master of the World.

The sages looked onward, but knew they could do nothing. They would need to evacuate before Ganon sent his minions into the sacred realm. Nabooru looked to what was once the man known as Ganondorf. Even if he took human form again, and took the title of Ganondorf, she knew that the darkness that was in Ganondorf’s soul had forever changed him. Gathering with the others, she and the rest of the sages decided to formulate a plan of resistance in order to give the world sanctuary from Ganon’s evil. With Zelda gone, they had lost their leader and the power needed to seal Ganon away.

Looking around, the mighty Ganon felt the air change. The only bloodlust he felt came from within him, but it was slowly dying down.

In his mind, the man and the beast conversed. The Beast promised unlimited power, so long as it remained in control. It’s malice and terrifying might could bring the world to its knees faster, in the name of Ganon. The man, still in control, gave it a thought, yet ultimately, decided against it. He would be the face of the world, and not this beast.

Squeezing his fist, the dark beast used the power of the Triforce and his body glowed with a powerful light. The silhouette of his form shrunk and, out from the blinding light, Ganondorf emerged anew.

He was surprised to still have his scars from previous battles, despite acquiring his complete power. With a clenched fist, Ganondorf took a deep breath and, following an exhale, his body relaxed. The King of the Gerudo looked to where Zelda stood her final ground. “A shame Zelda. You could have been my queen for this world had you shared my vision. You were formidable, but not wise enough in your scheming to defeat me.”

The man turned to the body of Link and judged his formidable adversary. “And you… well boy, you did well. I can relinquish a little pride to admit that you almost had me. But in the end, you fell. You were nothing but a kid after all, playing with toys too much for you. It was inevitable that you would die at my hands. My struggles far surpassed yours after all. And you lacked the vision to ever kill me.”

Ganondorf glanced back and forth between Link and where Zelda once was. “You had strength, and the princess held vision. But I was the one to have both. I was the one to be perfectly balanced… No.” The King looked down at his hand, watching the glow of the Triforce with a twinkle of pride in his eyes. “I wasn’t before. My mind was clouded with power. Now that I hold the last two pieces, I know what I must do. This world will find peace and prosperity under my singular rule.”

Ganondorf walked by the ruins of his destroyed tower. Perhaps a palace could be constructed to replace it. “First, I bring a final order to Hyrule. Then, I will march onto the world. They might call me King of Evil, but I am the King they will deserve.”

The King of Darkness lifted his hand and commanded the Triforce to enhance his magical might. With this new power he could raise entire armies of monsters to follow his command. From the shadows, Ganondorf willed into creation artificial Moblins and undead Stalfos. In time, he’d train legions of Darknuts and Iron Knuckles as his vanguard. Monsters and dragons would spread fear to his enemies. However, for now, these simple monsters would do.

“All of you, get to work on raising my palace anew. A king such as I will need a throne.” For now, Ganondorf lifted a stone slab from the earth to sit down upon. As his minions immediately set out to collect and carve away stone slabs, Ganondorf thought about what he wanted and why he had set out to acquire his power in the first place.

His people, the Gerudo, toiled in the desert. They had to steal just to survive the heat of the land in the day, and the blistering cold of the night. So why did a land like Hyrule, full of ungrateful slobs, have such comfort? It maddened Ganondorf, filling him with greed and envy. His enemies called him the King of Thieves, but he justified his actions well enough. He needed power, the kind of power that would raise him and his people to prosperity. And as he began his quest, he came to the most logical conclusion. The world needed a singular will, a being who would be willing to make others sacrifice to bring everyone together. By becoming King, he could make a world united under his protection. As King, he’d bring peace and security to people like the Gerudo. If any resisted, then they’d be wiped away, making room for only those who would accept his utopia.

The Goron, the Zora, and the Great Deku Tree had resisted seven years ago, what with them being blinded by their loyalty to the royal family. Had they simply given the spiritual stones to him, he’d have spared them. But instead they spat in the face of the Great Ganondorf. That was the last mistake they’d ever made. Feeding the Goron to a dragon had amused Ganondorf, similar to how he had fed crickets to the desert scorpions as a child. The Zora would remain frozen now that he had defeated the Princess and her little ‘hero’. As for the Kokiri, Ganondorf considered sending a horde of monsters to wipe them out. He carefully thought over the option, finally deciding the wiser course of action might be to give them one more chance as citizens of his new empire. The surviving Goron tribe, if they hadn’t grown a back bone, would become slaves. Every empire needs strong labour after all.

But his own people … Ganondorf winced just thinking about what to do with them. Nabooru, his second in command, was supposed to lead the Gerudo in his absence. Yet, she had stabbed him behind his back. He had caught her treachery over seven years ago, but her freedom at the hands of the hero had set her loose in the world and free to plot against him. How many of the other Gerudo could be wishing to see him fall? The king squeezed his hands on the cloth above his knees. Taking a deep breath, he shook his paranoia away. Even neglected, his people still adored him. Any negative feelings they’d have toward him would be erased once he moved them out of the desert. Nabooru was simply a virus, an isolated incident. A mistake of putting too much trust in one person, one that he’d never fall for again.

“I’m so tired…” Ganondorf gave a light chuckle. In the seven years looking for the Triforce, he had barely slept. Now, he felt like he could take a moment to breathe. Pulling himself slowly upright, Ganondorf decided his first course of action would be to raid the lost woods to secure wood for building supplies. He could at least build himself a new bed. For the time being, he’d settle his eyes on Kakariko Village. His minions would clear out the inhabitants so he could have a safe night’s sleep.

As Ganondorf slowly walked out of the ruins of his crumbled tower, he took note of the environment around him. The winds of Hyrule that he coveted were still. Why did the wind not blow in his direction this day, on the finality of his victory? Was fate not satisfied with him just yet?

~

The Sacred Grove was devastated. A group of Hylians made their last stand in defending the Kokiri and evacuating the defenseless. From all sides, monsters and spirits of evil intent swept through the undergrowth, overtaking all who fought against the enemies of the Great Ganondorf. They killed everyone from soldiers to civilians who came to aid the evacuation and bring comfort to the forest children.

One of those who escaped the carnage was a single Imp. The Skull Kid, the last of the Skull Children, rose from a pile of shrubbery. His head was aching like nothing he felt before. His feet shook as he tried to pick himself up. Why did everything hurt? How had he gotten here? What had happened to him? How could he -

Slowly, Skull Kid started to recall the events of the previous two weeks. He remembered finding Link’s body floating down a moat towards Zora river; the fairy boy who showed him kindness when only one other would. The Hylian kid had even gave him a new face to wear in the form of that cool skull mask. When Ganondorf first appeared and declared himself as King of Hyrule, no more fairies came from the Great Deku Tree. Skull Kid hadn’t seen any fairies nor Link for seven years. Link said he was going to put a stop to Ganondorf, that he was going to make up for the loss of those seven years. But now Link was dead.

With Link gone, Skull Kid remembered Saria telling him to keep an eye out for monsters. He didn’t want to, as a happy looking man was giving out masks to the Kokiri. It looked like fun and he wanted to join in. It was then that Skull Kid had been suddenly attacked by a Poe, which smashed its lantern against his head. If it wasn’t for the mask he wore taking the brunt of the force, his head would have cracked open instead. The Skull Kid heard the sounds of screaming in the distance before he lost his vision.

Skull Kid didn’t know what to do. His head wouldn’t stop hurting, and every time he reached with his hand to touch it, he felt a stickiness on his forehead. Why did his head feel wet and sticky? The imp stumbled past the hacked-up pieces of other Skull Children when he stopped in his tracks. Among the bodies was the still image of a girl with green hair. “S-saria? Saria, are you-!”

She only had one wound, a small red circle that stained her green sweater. A single spear thrust was what fate had dealt her for her ending on this earth. Her eyes were like a glass doll’s, looking longingly into the distance. Immediate guilt hit Skull Kid. He couldn’t protect the last good thing in this world that mattered to him. His friends were dead.

“Oh……… I guess you’re gone now.” Skull Kid reached out to feel her face. Cold. Someone as kind as her shouldn’t be so cold. His body started to shake as he felt emotion leak from his shattered heart. What was the point of living in a world like this? Ganondorf was going to take everything for himself. Make a world of cruelty. The world had shown him cruelty before Ganondorf had come along, so Skull Kid assumed it was only fitting.

A gust of wind from the north caught Skull Kid’s fragile attention. Feeling the cool air hurt his head wound. He needed a new ‘face’ now that the one Link had given him was gone. Stumbling away from Saria, he came across another body. The Happy Man who was giving away masks to the children laid dead on the forest floor. He had his giant backpack still on him, with masks thrown about everywhere around him. One of Skull Kid’s eyes grew dark as the liquid from his forehead dripped down over it.

Skull Kid wanted the perfect face. He wanted to put all his worries behind him. Going through the bag, he felt a pull towards something. Discarding the faces useless to him one after the other, the Skull Kid eventually found the perfect mask. Wiping away his eye to see, he looked into the eyes of a heart shaped mask. This was it. This was what he wanted. What’s more, he felt he needed it.

He carefully turned it around, and placed it on his head. The mask was a perfect fit. As soon as he put it on, Skull Kid giggled to himself. This giggle turned into a laugh. His mind was clear, and he knew exactly what he wanted. This cruel world took the things that mattered to him, and it wanted to give a monster like Ganondorf everything in return. Such a world didn’t deserve to exist, and Ganondorf deserved the suffering tenfold that Skull Kid had faced. The Mask’s eyes gave an eerie glow, and with the last of Skull Kid’s laughter, it vowed to give the King of Evil a new taste of terror.

[sternenteile]

wrapping things up with some closure  on the ty/cho situation. this is the last time i will be bringing it up. if you’re wondering what i’m talking about, you can see the receipts and the files here. massive content and trigger warnings here include, and are surely not limited to, gaslighting, abuse, sexual harassment, ableism, antisemitism, racism, and most damning of all, literal and actual rape. i’m telling you, it’s bad. take my word for it when i say to avoid ty/cho at all costs. this is not some meager drama; this is a legitimately dangerous individual. what’s worse is there are even more details i know now (not included in the callouts) that i cannot divulge, as they do not involve me, as if this scum of the earth could be any worse. just know that this is a very terrible person and to not read the receipts if you don’t think you can handle the contents. in such a case, please just take my word for it instead and block him, avoid him, all that jazz. he is an actual rapist. avoid.

that being said, the theme i’ve noticed with all of this tomfoolery of his and actual crimes and traumatization of people is the domineering of an entire group of rpcs using intimidation tactics, including over those he’s hurt the worst, in the most reprehensible, objectively inexcusable ways ever.

the rpcs tycho played prominent roles in are beyond just pokemon and sonic. the way i met him was through the smash brothers rpc (which, unlike the general smash fan base, is a darling and kind community). smash is rather all-encompassing for video games even outside of nintendo, and he is plenty aware enough of the fandoms within that umbrella. mario, zelda, fire emblem, pokemon, sonic, metroid, castlevania... you name it, he knows it, and he will therefore have association with it that makes him a danger to these communities as is. his influence cannot be understated. he was a huge influence for a lot of people and groups.

the way he weaponized anything he could get his slimy hands on left so many people fearful and in silence. the worst i’d gotten were some jitters about how... out there and volatile he could be, but i’d otherwise not been suspicious of anything too egregious, especially nothing like what has come forth. i really didn’t get the brunt of it. however, the subtleties were there, and they had unfortunately lulled me into a sense of security that he, in all of his flaws, was a fine person and an admirable man. of course, we all know now how horribly wrong that is... but it goes to show that his charismatic nature had been used expertly to harm many people for his own selfish gain.

he left entire communities and groups of people mum on the situation. no one, no one was able to speak up in fear of retribution, not to mention the fact that his smooth way of manipulating people made it seem like he was on this untouchable pedestal. it was quite the opposite, and we all know that now. the only reason he was on a pedestal was because he brute-forced everyone else away from his level, threatening the worst if anyone so much as dared to find stable ground with him. in reality, though, his pedestal was a farce, a pillar filled with cracks that was destined to fall. it didn’t just crumble, though, no. it collapsed and was promptly blown to smithereens. once that one hunk of rubble came loose from that pedestal, his world came crashing the fuck down. it was an inevitability, and i’m sure he knew it was.

why would i make a statement that bold? simple: when i caught wind privately of what had gone on, i’d blocked him on all fronts. it hadn’t been more than perhaps a couple of hours before i realized that i’d still had him on my twitter, too, but he’d blocked me already before i got to do so myself. it often takes some time to realize a mass-blocking has happened, at least from what i can imagine (as i’ve not been mass-blocked like, ever before in this rpc i think?), but ty/cho was on it fast. it was almost as if he was watching and waiting for the shoe to drop. it was like he knew. it happened so quickly that it gave me whiplash. he was waiting for this.

another fun little detail i found was that he, as he had done to many other people who treated him with nothing but kindness, shit-talk me behind my back. let me tell you that the smash fan base is a terrible place where you can be harassed just for liking your comfort character, thinking they would be a good fit to the roster, even if your behavior is innocent and without harm or annoyance to other smash fans. those who have been here long enough will know that i’ve undergone a lot of bullshit because of my love for geno, and so have other geno fans who have done nothing but innocent speculation. one person i know personally had even gotten his and his elderly parents doxxed with death threats launched his way. i’ve seen people state that they want to, ah... let’s just say knock the wind out of geno’s fans and cover them in flammable material. let’s just put it that lightly. it’s very bad.

ty/cho knew this. i’d vented to him about it once. i praised him for being a competitive smash player that wasn’t as vile as any of the trash in that community (an as an addendum, there are some good comp smash players! the bad ones are just very prominent and very loud!). i praised him for accepting people of their comfort characters, emotional support through way of a character i connected with, not to mention the cases for many other folk, as well.

turns out, he used that information to shit-talk me behind my back, whining and complaining about me daring to like a character that ‘nobody cares about’ as if i was some fucking smegma gremlin on the face of the earth. you know, ty/cho? he did that, yeah? the guy who played nack the fucking weasel? the guy who knew i was sensitive about this shit because of what the smash fan base put me through? the guy who obsessed over and loved his own comfort character, too, and should have understood what that felt like?

needless to say, i’m pretty reviled about that. i entrusted him with this information, and he knew how much it hurt me... so he weaponized it. he specifically picked out what pained me and utilized it for harm when i trusted him. my case is a whole lot of NOTHING compared to everyone else’s, to be sure, but the core concept is chilling. he will find out what hurts you the most and attack you unprovoked with that knowledge. thank god it was just about my fucking comfort character and nothing worse, because others were unfortunately not as lucky. i got out totally unscathed by comparison.

the way he used puppet strings and played people like fiddles to keep his image pristine was beyond fucked up. he tarnished the trust of so many people. he made entire communities drop and leave because they were terrified of ty/cho ruining their lives even further. they felt unwelcome around excellent people who had done no wrong to them because of ty/cho, when said excellent people more than likely felt the same and feared them because of ty/cho. it poisoned the entire well for these communities and made everything go so quiet. the sonic rpc and smash rpc, in my experience, suffered the most. a lot of my sonic mutuals and sonic mutuals of friends either left or went awfully silent. the once-hopping smash rpc became practically like a ghost town. all. because. of. ty/cho.

he is a danger to both individuals and to entire communities alike. he doesn’t care about what we as people think, though, so how about i pull the nasty, petty card and hit him where it hurts? considering all that he did, i think it’s more than justified. ♡

ty/cho, you objectively will never live a fulfilling life where you make an impact on the world. you will never do anything medically if you can’t find it in yourself to empathize and care. you will never do anything for the people you supposedly ‘care for’ if you throw them under a bus at any and every opportunity. you will never do anything for racial justice if you use the movement and Black lives to abuse others, lie (nice to know that protest i feared for your life over turned out to have never happened in your area to begin with, LOL, i want my lost sleeping hours back) and better your own image. your image will never be a pristine, perfect image. you are not a god among men and never will be. you are not hot shit. you will not leave a positive legacy on the world. rapists don’t do that, you son of a bitch. go to hell where you belong and burn for eternity, where deviants like you become fucking rump roast. enjoy your unfulfilling life that will never amount to anything for yourself. :)

[mamichigo]

just gonna feed the fire really quick. revali

ugghuugughhggu

First impression:

At first I was very skeptical of his character, the very first memory we get of him is just him being cruel to Link (though the eng version exaggerated what he was saying, but we don’t talk about that). I warmed up to him immediately after when I boarded Vah Medoh because his voice is so melodic and smug and playful, I felt more like I was being playfully teased instead of picked on.

Impression now:

I still think he has such a nice voice, but now I also notice how boisterous his gestures are. He’s always moving around, striking a pose, he gets up in Link’s face. He’s very dramatic, like everything is performed for an effect, and that is super interesting to me.

Favorite moment

My top favorite is when you use Revali’s gale and he circles around you to get you up, and at very end he spreads one wing like he’s just finished an act, or maybe a dance. Effervescent, wonderful. I’ve stared at it at least a hundred times.

Also literally anything he says ever, that’s it.

Idea for a story

“Oh, it’s you,” was Revali’s announcement of his presence as he joined Mipha at the Castle’s garden. She would be lying if she said the sudden voice didn’t startle her, and Mipha was relieved that at least it was one of the Champions, instead of an unknown Hylian.

“Good evening,” Mipha said and looked up at Moon, which indicated it was much later than her usual bedtime. She sighed, and Revali’s eyes snapped to her, watching her face carefully. “Are you having trouble sleeping?”

“I could ask the same of you,” Revali replied dismissively. When silence fell upon them with awkward tension, he clicked his beak and finally stepped forward to join her--he didn’t sit at the bench, but he stood by her side and Mipha deemed that enough. “I suppose we are in the same predicament, then.”

*

Late night was the perfect hour for the homesick and the insecure. 

Unpopular opinion

I personally don’t think he’s had a Tragic Past to justify why he’s so cruel upon their first meeting (and only then in my eyes, from the dialogue and the voice acting, he seems a lot toned down in every other scene he’s in). He’s prideful and he has worked for a long time to be recognized as the best archer and flier in a village of archers and fliers. In his position, I wouldn’t be happy to be support for some guy I just met, who is destined to be great because fate and sacred swords.

Also, I find it hard to believe the champions hated him. He never spoke the way he did with Link to any of the others, and to me it seems he got along well with Zelda, Mipha and probably Urbosa too.

Favorite relationship

 God this one is hard. As indicated above, I really like the idea of his friendship with the female champions, especially as two out of three contrast him so starkly. Quiet and gentle Mipha, formal and serious (to an extent) Zelda. Also Urbosa and him would be such a chaotic duo.

I also dig imagining Revali meeting Teba and Kass because, again, contrast. Teba would balance out Revali’s showy personality so well, and Kass would be the spoon of sugar to top it off. Wonderful.

And of course I’m a basic bitch and I love revalink and the idea of the two of them growing closer, especially since Revali doesn’t have hero worship for Link.  

Favorite headcanon

Revali had just started seeing the Champions as a weird family (kinda like having rascal cousins) when the Calamity came. He looked out for them, picked up on their mood and took action to act accordingly (like distracting Link to keep him away whenever Zelda was in a particularly foul mood), and even cared for them though he won’t admit. He misses them, and seeing Link after so long was a relief.

[myssamyss]

Everything Stays, Part 2 of 6

Featuring the first two panels of “The Bet” by Jojo.  Part 2: ...It’ll Cause You to Drown Link rode into the heart of Lon Lon Ranch with a single-minded purpose: his visits needed to end.

He dismounted and fought against the comforting familiarity that rose to meet him as he approached the ranch house. Even this small stretch of yard held sweet memories. Once, in a fit of playful frustration, Malon had upturned an entire jug of milk over his head in this very spot, laughing melodiously all the while. They’d both gotten in trouble with her father at the time. Now, he smiled to recall the refreshing shock.

If he stepped just a little further onto the grounds to the main corral, he’d come upon an older memory. His favorite memory of her, but one that only he knew:

“I can’t believe it, but peace is returning to this ranch! It’s all because of you! I owe you so much! Thank you! Thank you, Link!”

He clung to that memory like a candle in darkness after returning to his childhood, for though he’d been forced to reforge many friendships, rebuilding Malon’s trust had frustrated him the most. At first, he hadn’t thought much of that frustration. The memory of their first meeting burned brightly in his mind: she’d been the only child in a sea of strange adults filling a strange town, back when he was fresh out of the Kokiri forest and utterly overwhelmed. But she seemed safe, so he was drawn to her like a moth to a vivid red flame. Years later, she’d somehow remembered him after he emerged from the Temple of Time. Losing such a meaningful history with any friend was bound to be frustrating, or so he’d justified. But then their relationship grew beyond what had been lost, and he found himself thinking of her constantly. He hadn’t realized until too late–she'd become his haven.

The weight of his feelings for her hadn’t struck him until his last visit, when she confessed to thinking of him often, too, before delicately pressing her lips to his cheek. Her kiss blindsided him with happiness. But that euphoria lasted only until he was back in the saddle and leaving the ranch. Once he was out on the open road, he’d finally been able to think. He’d been so caught up in joy that he’d almost forgotten his most painful lesson in trusting others; he knew what inevitably happened to the people he placed his comfort in...

Link sighed loudly to shake away his thoughts, turned to the ranch house, and forced his hand to knock at the familiar wooden door.

Just say what needs saying. Then leave, he coached himself as he waited at the threshold. He could even leave the message with her father. She was usually out with the horses at this time of day, so he could just speak with Talon and leave her undistracted. But the stifling heat must have interrupted her daily schedule, because when the door flew open, he found himself face-to-face with Malon.

“Link!” she exclaimed. Her eyes shone with excitement and her lips–the same soft lips he now felt in his dreams–broke into a huge smile. Distracted, he couldn’t get a single word out before she pulled him into an exuberant hug, trapping his arms by his side and scattering his thoughts completely.

“I’ve missed you, fairy boy! Looking for some more work?” she asked. He smiled at the nickname. He’d grown taller than ever before, yet she still teased him as she had when he was a boy.

“You picked a heckuva day to do some farm chores,” she warned him with a teasing smile. She pulled the back of her hand across her glistening brow.

He focused on fixing this memory of her in his mind: her blue eyes full of laughter, one hand still clutching his arm, her vibrant hair framing her flushed face.  If he walked away now, he could remember her this way, always.

He took a deep breath.

“I actually... came to say goodbye,” he told her. “For awhile, at least.”

Malon’s expression turned wooden. “What do you mean…?” she asked.

“I probably won’t be back for a long time,” he told her, staring at the yellow kerchief draped over her shoulder so he wouldn’t have to meet her eyes.

If she was upset, she hid it well, and Link silently thanked the goddesses for Malon’s gracious spirit.

“Where will you stay tonight?” she asked, her voice becoming surprisingly cheery. “Won’t you stay with us, just for one night? The spare room is made up already, you can sleep warm and cozy there.”

She peered up at him and he nearly drowned in her blue eyes, brimming with hope beneath deep lashes. Link didn’t know how to refuse.

“Fine,” he agreed.

One night. In the morning, he’d say goodbye.

***

Wild carefully nocked three arrows onto his bow. He glanced down from the low cliff he stood atop to mark his makeshift leaf targets knifed to a tree nearly fifty meters away, then he leapt from the cliff and drew back the bowstring in a single fluid motion.

He exhaled steadily as he fell, seeking the familiar state of perfect concentration when the wind in his ears would quiet and the world would stand still.

Instead, the wind roared and the world blurred around him. He felt a surprising twinge of pain as he let his arrows fly, before rapidly stowing his bow and switching his hands to grab the handles of his glider in well-practiced coordination. His left forearm stung. As he floated back down to the ground, Zelda’s voice echoed in his mind:

“May I ask, do you really remember me?”

A second voice followed. Warriors, this time, from the night before:

“...and a guy like him? He’s well collected, acts like he’s always on duty.”

Wild’s feet touched down in soft grass and he stowed his glider, glancing at his forearm which sported a red, angry welt where the bowstring had whipped across it. He hadn’t made that mistake since the Great Plateau—and even then, the muscle memory of pulling a bow had quickly cured him of the habit. It was amazing how much his subconscious remembered; if only his consciousness could have followed suit.

He marched to the target-tree. Two of the arrows had at least met the trunk, though the third was nowhere to be seen. He peered into the forest and tried to catch a glimpse of the fletching amid the dull green grass.

Footsteps crunched from behind him.

“You missed?” Legend called out incredulously as he emerged from deeper in the forest. The man’s red tunic stood out against the dark greens surrounding them, though the contrast was less striking than usual. Wild realized with a slight start that the light in the forest was waning.

Legend stared at the targets. “We may have to revoke your ‘Greatest Archer of All Link-Kind’ title,” he said with a chuckle. “I’m surprised you’re still out here, I thought you were heading back early to cook.”

Wild sighed and said nothing. Legend took the hint.

The soft clink of armor and the nearly imperceptible pad of a second pair of footsteps against the forest floor met Wild’s ears. He turned to see Time and Twilight making their way through the underbrush from the direction of camp. Twilight smiled and raised a gauntlet-covered hand in a casual wave as he approached. Wild managed to twitch the side of his mouth into a half smile for his friend, but the slight darkening of Twilight’s expression told him that he hadn’t been very convincing.

“We’re heading out next, thought we’d come find you two since, uh...” Twilight trailed off.

“We weren’t sure if you were still cooking,” Time picked up smoothly, turning to Wild, “or if you wanted someone else to? If you need more time training, any of us can step in, the job doesn’t always have to fall to you.”

Wild dropped his gaze and nodded. “I’m fine. Let me grab my arrows, I’m done,” he replied flatly. He turned and started off in the direction of his lost arrow, acutely aware of the telling silence from the other heroes behind him. Did they really find it so strange that he’d lost track of time?

After a quiet moment, he heard the distinctive steps of the mentor-and-student pair as they walked deeper into the woods. Wild crouched among the forest foliage and tried to find a piece of broken grass or skid-scored dirt that might announce his arrow’s path, but the day’s light was failing fast. Besides, he reasoned, he had hundreds of arrows in his Sheikah slate, what point was there in collecting this one? He straightened up, dismayed, and turned to find Legend waiting for him.

“No luck, huh?” he asked Wild, raising his eyebrows in a rare show of genuine concern.

Wild shook his head and strode to where Legend stood, then they started back toward camp together. The only sounds between them were the quiet jostling of gear and the swishing of Legend’s tunic.

“Hey, Legend,” Wild said softly as he pushed aside a low-hanging branch. “Thank you. For what you said last night.”

“Hm? Oh, yeah, anytime.” Legend shrugged. “I was getting damn sick of it too. Plus, I have a feeling that I’ll win this bet.” He smirked.

Wild wasn’t so sure, but he gave Legend an amused smile in return. He wasn’t necessarily sick of the Wife Debate. But the conversation at camp last night had stirred a deep realization inside of him, leaving him unsettled.

Ever since the heroes had learned of Time’s mysterious wife, they had taken to swapping theories about her identity each time the Old Man left camp. Everyone was curious. Well, everyone except Twilight, who likely knew more than he let on, and Legend, who had kept uncharacteristically quiet during the discussions, until last night:

“My money’s still on Zelda,” Warriors reiterated. To no one’s surprise, Sky nodded his hearty agreement.

Legend stood up suddenly and joined the banter for the first time. “You think he’s married to Zelda?” he asked Warriors, sarcasm dripping from his voice.

“He speaks so highly of her,” Warriors explained, “and a guy like him? He’s well collected, acts like he’s always on duty. It’s got to be the princess herself.”

The pair had bickered lightly until Legend finally ended the discussion by throwing down a bet. Still, Warriors’ words had already stuck in Wild’s mind like a splinter he just couldn’t pick out. They poked at his conscience, and he found himself running over the words again and again long into the night, becoming increasingly frustrated. Because Warriors’ reasoning about Time was sound; the older man never quite seemed at ease. Was that the price to pay for winning the princess? Though, Legend apparently disagreed...

Wild glanced at the other Link walking beside him. He hadn’t realized it before, but he and Legend had something in common: the ability to listen and see. So maybe he’s right, Wild considered. Legend did a great job of feigning indifference behind fast words, but his actions betrayed his insight. Like now, as they walked through the forest, sharing the comfortable understanding that nothing more needed saying.

Later that evening, Wild sat beside their campfire and halved mushrooms with a short paring knife while his mind still spun. After last night’s talk of partners and princesses, couldn’t help but replay that final evening with his Princess Zelda–the night he’d been whisked away. He’d returned from his upsetting encounter with the orphan in the swamp, but said nothing about it to Zelda. Instead, he sat beside the fire and listened. Zelda spoke ceaselessly of Zora’s Domain which lay ahead, her eagerness to meet with Prince Sidon after so much time, and her relief to be traveling Hyrule once more. Wild had been quiet. She was so captivating, and passionate, and he couldn’t bear to break her excitement.

Deeper, unspoken words still hung between them, but Wild had always struggled to voice the unsaid. In honesty, he wasn’t sure what she needed from him. With only a few scraps of memories to work from, he didn’t dare hazard a guess at her deeper thoughts. Still, he’d seen enough in his memories to guess at what she expected of him, and he fell easily back into a half-remembered regimen of simply listening and doing his job.

He’d gotten up to stoke their campfire when the scenery around him shifted abruptly and he found himself standing barefoot in an entirely different Hyrule with no way back, despite how desperately he tried to return to her. So, he kept moving forward. He’d done a fair enough job of keeping her out of his mind, at least until the Wife Debate began.

A rustling noise rose behind Wild. He automatically turned away from their brightly lit camp to peer out into the forest, but his eyes couldn’t see much in the darkness. He turned back to the stew pot and continued slicing, unbothered. The woods were teeming with wildlife, plus he trusted in Wind and Hyrule’s ability to keep their watch. And even if enemies lurked out in the forest, Wild had probably fought worse.

But what about his Zelda, alone and a world away? He tried not to worry. After all, she was clever and resourceful, and the monsters across their Hyrule had lost some ferocity since Calamity Ganon’s defeat. Not to mention she proved a quick study with a sword. She slew her first bokoblin with a scimitar near the Hylia River in a flashing gleam of steel and ruby. He suspected that she’d been secretly practicing long before he began teaching her. Wild had full confidence in her abilities.

The matter of her safety aside, half of his heart still ached to return to her, and to their journey across Hyrule. His own Hyrule, the one he had worked so hard to rescue. Yet as he journeyed instead with the heroes of ages past, he began to realize something else, too: he felt happier here, adventuring, than he’d ever felt back home. His heart was conflicted. He knew what he should want–but he was altogether sick of ‘shoulds’. He’d had enough of duty for duty’s sake. Sure makes things easier though, he reflected. A duty was clear, while his own desires were proving fickle.

Wild shook his head and threw the heaping pile of mushrooms into the boiling pot, then he thumbed the painful welt on his forearm. Stewing over stew, he mused to himself with a quiet chuckle. At least some things never change. ___________ Author’s Note: thanks as always to @clumsydarknut for beta-reading. 

[nolongerapileofashprobably]

Whenever my sister plays BoTW, she utterly confounds me.

She never did the Memory Quest. She never got to know the Champion’s or Zelda. After she played it the first time through, she thought Zelda was still DEAD.

And I... just don’t understand that.

How can someone not want to watch the memories? Especially in BoTW where the majority of the story takes place in THE PAST.

How can someone not watch that first memory, with Zelda doing a ceremony for Link with so much annoyance in her voice? Or how the Champion’s all saw this contempt, the only one understanding it being Urbosa.

But it leaves the player with so many questions. Why does Zelda dislike Link so much? They’ve just recently been bound together in their fate. What could have happened for her to be so cold? Why does Revali feel the same way? Why does Urbosa see right through Zelda?

And the second memory, as the pair makes their way to Goron City. The distance, the pure annoyance and distain in Zelda’s speech. The two are far from friends. More like forced acquaintances. You can smell the trope at this point. But, it has yet to really get you. They have no bond yet. It isn’t deep enough.

The third, oh this one is a doozy. First, Zelda explaining something very vital to the game. Then, Link riding up which means Zelda literally escaped from the castle and fled to this shrine so far away. Why? There’s a shine right outside Hyrule Castle. One inside as well. Why would she want to be away from the castle? And away from Link’s protection? And Zelda freaks out. She establishes their relationship as everything but a relationship. They have had to form a reluctant bond with each other to fulfill this prophecy. Link is intent on keeping up his role. Zelda is refusing to cooperate with him. It builds angst. It gives Zelda some background, as we learn her contempt is not only at Link, but also at her father.

The fourth one. The one that literally changes everything. It’s one that sets up the rest of their relationship. It mirrors their fate. Zelda is being CHASED so there’s the action appeal. And then Link, the ever loyal knight, manages to step in last second and save the Princess. Cue the slow music and Zelda’s stare that shows emotions from disbelief to adoration. It’s a mix of everything but it gives them a turning point. How can someone not want to see if they use it to move forward or use it to again block their development as Princess and her knight?

The fifth bad boy. Oh man. The sudden shift is BLANTANTLY OBVIOUS. Zelda is seen actually interacting with Link, scolding him for being reckless, and assessing his wounds. She’s begun to care about Link. Not caring about how his role hinders hers in some way. No, instead caring about Link and his own safety. She shares her concerns, letting us see a little more of Zelda. She is quite aware of the threat and can sense the omens that keep popping up. She’s set herself to stopping him. And she used plural terms. She’s accepted Link. The distance between them has lessened greatly. How am I not supposed to go hungrily searching for the next location to see them interact with each other?

Boy does the sixth bring some smiles. This entire memory establishes Link and Zelda as friends. They’ve become much closer, now just hanging outside the castle in a field. Zelda should probably be training. Instead, she establishes the importance of the Silent Princess. The symbolism is huge. It also gives us an insight on how close they actually are. I don’t know about anyone else, but I would have to be pretty comfortable with someone to try and force feed them a frog. How were my shipper senses not suppose to kick in and go into hyperdrive?

The seventh one is another one of my favorites. It gives a domestic vibe as the pair are forced to delay their travel to wait the rain out. Zelda is sitting down, just watching Link and the nature around her, rambling about her thoughts. Link is training, not unaware of her stare, but comfortable enough to not be hindered by it. Zelda reveals a piece of herself by relating it to the limited knowledge she has of Link. We see some true development and get to really see Zelda as who she is. The princess with a bad temper is really just a girl forced into a destiny that she can’t seem to fulfill and this cannot he truly dedicated it as her interests lie elsewhere. Character development? Checkkkkk

This one. This eighth memory that really clues in two things for the player. Zelda and her father have a very strained relationship due to the responsibilities that weight down both their shoulders. The way the scene is set up allows the player to see that Link is the reason she gathers the courage to stand up for herself. Ultimately she concedes, taking in the failure she must be in her fathers eyes. And, Link’s presence is only explained by the simple fact that he was there for Zelda. Not as her knight, though that has become a natural state for him, but as her friend. He is there to keep her company as she researches and to listen to her thoughts. They have gone from unwilling companions to wanting to be near each other even if there is no need for it. Am I suppose to stop now?

The ninth scene. Oh this one really tugs at my heart. We see the true frustration and toll Zelda has been enduring. Though it doesn’t justify it, this scene really makes the player understand her cold attitude towards Link in the beginning. But this scene gives us so much more about them. Though subtle, Link obviously reacts to Zelda’s pleas and later her cries. He turns his head, more interested in hearing her words, than watch the Spring for any enemies. And then, he turns around as she blames herself for something being wrong with her. This just gives us a glimpse into Link’s own feelings and that he won’t stand for anyone doubting Zelda, even if it is herself. He’s no longer just her knight, but someone who cares deeply about her and can’t stand when anyone degraded her. How was I not suppose to notice that?

Tenth scene and they’re riding almost side by side. They have come so far from the distance in the second memory. This memory confirms Link can speak, but it also confirms that he’s a softie when it comes to horses. PLUS this memory gives us Zelda’s little speech about her last Hope on Mt. Lanayru. Zelda has reached her end point and tomorrow Link will be the only one truly supporting her as he makes his way with her to the Spring.

Ooohhhhh and this one. The one where the entire threat of Ganon arrives in the eleventh scene. Zelda and Link walk back, everything clear on their faces. Link, is utterly focused on Zelda. He knows her personal disappointment in herself and how she’s surely beating her self up mentally at that moment. No one else there really matters. Just Zelda. Even when Mipha is talking, giving advice, Link’s gaze never wanders from Zelda. Then, Ganon appears. Link doesn’t let Zelda even STUMBLE because his hands are already there supporting her. She is his entire focus and this memory really highlights his shift from just a knight, to someone who cares so deeply about someone who is experiencing so much pain. This memory gives us another look at the Champion’s too.

And this last one. The twelfth memory. This entire memory sealed the deal when it came down to these two. Running away together from death machines? Check. One slipping and falling and the other having to stop and go back? Check. The one having a breakdown. Check. The other comforting them. Check. Zelda breaking down, Link letting her get it all out... It truly shows the depth of their relationship. It has surpassed being mere friends at this point. Zelda is completely distraught. Link is endangering them both by sheathing his sword. But he needs to let Zelda her her feelings out. He needs to be there for her. So he fails his duty and comforts her. Even he is surprised as she embraces him, but it quickly settles into one of compassion and endearment. They’ve truly accepted the other. They are not the princess who holds the power to seal Ganon or the knight who wields the sword that seals the darkness. They are Link and Zelda. After than emotional toll? How can I NOT go get the last one.

And this one..The thirteenth memory. Boy is this one’s heart wrenching. Link is gravely injured, Zelda begging him to run. But Link doesn’t because it is his duty and he would never leave Zelda is there was danger around. Not a chance. And she unlocks her power, as she is forced to protect the one she loves, the one who understands her in a way no one else can. The boy who showed her more to life than Sheikah Tech and sealing powers. And Link, he’s completely aware that he’s going to die. He’s even giving her a “we both know that’s not true” when Zelda swears that he’ll be fine. And he isn’t. It’s heartbreaking, watching her spb over the boy who made her feel more than the princess everyone looks at her to be. A soft lullaby, casually breaking my heart in the background. Then, the moment where it all goes down. Zelda can save Link. Her fingers curl against his chest as she realizes he can still be saved. She can’t cry. She has to be determined. And she is.

How was I not supposed to fall into this story head first? Not fall in love with Link and Zelda’s relationship. The entire plot and trope it follows. It’s angsty, it’s soft, and it is HEARTBREAKING.

How wasn’t I suppose to fall into an obsession and write posts like this at 2 in the morning when I should be sleeping?