#day 10 prompt Zelda
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Her Voice in Far-off Water
A totk fic for Linktober 2023 Day 10 Prompt: Zelda. 800 words. Bittersweet.
Link didn’t slide down the well-ladder this time.
The last time he had, Zelda’d scolded him.
“I come here to concentrate, Link. As precious as you are to me, it’s difficult to do so when you’re about.”
“I’m about anyway!”
“Yes, but I cannot interact with you while alone belowground.”
He made a lopsided grimace, fists on his hips. “Here I was thinking you needed time away from high pitched little-kid voices.”
“That, too.”
“You know they don’t leave when you disappear, right? They climb on me and catch frogs in the pond instead.”
“Yes,” she said with a millimeter of smirk.
“Maybe I should have Bolson dig me a man-cave.”
“Perhaps you should!”
“We could both disappear at the same time.”
“Indeed!”
“Mine wouldn’t be as nice.”
“It might be if we locate a suitable location with respect to the water-table.”
“What would I do in there?”
“That is entirely your business,” she said with growing laughter.
“What?”
“Perhaps you could practice remaining still.”
“I can stay still!”
“Link, you cannot even crouch for a few minutes without fidgeting.”
“I can if I need to. It’s just uncomfortable.”
“What about standing without rolling your shoulders or flexing your muscles?” She poked his bicep. Then she wiggled her finger.
“PFF-“ he caught her hand and pulled her in at the waist. “I can do it if I need to.”
“Hmm. Hmhmhm.”
He tickled her ribs.
“AAH!”
He heard her laugh echo in the soft, unbroken whoosh of some far-off, subterranean brook, carried through the surface of the clear well-water.
His lower lip curved up—just for a moment.
His boots scuffed their way to her desk. She’d left her journal open, a frog-shaped paperweight on one corner.
“Go on. Taste it!”
He shook his head. The top pages felt the tiniest bit warped from moisture. He moved to close it, not at all expecting the words he caught; he couldn’t help but read them. She’d hidden a gift for him in the castle’s ruined throne-room. She’d meant to take him… after they studied the gloom.
She’d probably have said she meant to find places to display the champions’ weapons—places of honor for them. He’d have gone along with that. The constant reminder had been too much in their home, but it didn’t feel right to ignore them, either.
He shut the book and his eyes at the same time, overcome with an exhaustion he had no name for. He dropped into the wooden chair and rested his arms on the desk, crossed—then his head on those.
He stayed a long time.
The circle of sunlight had strayed from the well’s floor to a crescent of gold just below the entrance’s rim when he roused. Laughter and a splash issued from somewhere above him.
Catching frogs.
He stretched his sore neck and back with a deep breath, eyeing the drawings she’d pinned to the right. He had a huffed laugh in him somehow.
Aster’d included Zelda’s clips, bright blue like his hairband.
He missed his hairband.
He shook his head, scrubbed his face, stood and resolved to sleep in a less awkward position that night. As he turned to go, he caught sight of her storage chest.
He really shouldn’t leave her journal out. She shouldn’t have either, but small things slipped sometimes with so much on her mind.
He picked the book up and flipped the chest open-
-and there it was, right on top: his hairband. The old one.
He swapped it for the book without a glimmer of thought.
It had faded to a blue-gray. It didn’t complement his eyes, and it would no longer match his champion’s tunic or Zelda’s clips.
He put it on anyway, just like he used to.
“You do this on purpose,” she’d said.
“What?”
“Your messy bangs and long locks to frame your face.”
“Locks?” he said, each of his laughs heightening in pitch.
“Yes!”
“No one says locks anymore, Princess.”
“You’ve deflected.”
“Nah.”
“You could easily pull all your hair back. It’s long enough.”
“Eh.”
“Doesn’t it get in your way during battle?”
“Nope.”
“May I see it the other way?”
Link shrugged. “Sure.”
She styled it for him, smoothing his hair as he kept his breathing slow and even.
“You look handsome.”
“Thanks. Do you… like it this way better?”
She considered him, her hand beneath her chin, her index finger pushing at her upper lip. “Hmm.” Her head listed sideways. “I think I prefer your usual style.”
He snorted and took the band out.
“Only because it looks more like you,” she said softly.
“I’m me no matter what my hair looks like.”
“Of course—though you act in a considerably different fashion with your hair entirely down.”
“That’s because of what we’re doing when you take it out.”
“I know,” she said, her eyes twinkling.
He shut the chest with a quiet tap and rose from crouching. He hadn’t fidgeted at all.
He left with a promise to return the memento with her.
With Zelda.
#linktober#linktober 2023#zelink#day 10 prompt Zelda#mini-fic#bittersweet#totk spoilers#for sure this time#tears of the kingdom#loz#fanfiction
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Linktober day 10: Zelda
the second tumblr poll prompt! the final winner was my original zelda, but tetra won the original poll before the recount so you also get a bonus tetra doodle:
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Linktober 2023 – Day 9. Deity
The White Goddesss Hylia, as seen in the Skyward Sword short manga. I added the wings as a reference to her statues and made her look a bit more like Skyward Zelda.
I'll have to do the Golden Goddesses someday (Farore my beloved). Kinda miss them and the Triforce too!
I might fall behind a bit for the next prompts as I won't have as much time to draw tomorrow. I'll try catching up later (I have next week off!!)
Previous (Day 8. Constructs) | Next (Day 10. Zelda)
Linktober 2023 Masterlist
Linktober 2023 Hylian religion
#linktober#linktober 2023#zelda#the legend of zelda#loz#loz fanart#skyward sword#hylia#goddess hylia#skyward zelda#skyward sword manga
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Ao3 tag game!
THANKS @ragecndybars FOR THE TAG I APPRECIATE IT
*cracks knuckles* lets do this
How many works do you have on AO3?
24 works! I would have never expected to have that many 5 years ago, hahaha
What's your total AO3 word count?
186,291! oh wow, almost 200k!! (unsurprisingly PT minato takes up over a third of that LMAO)
How many fandoms have you written for, and what are they?
10 fandoms! I'm counting Persona 3, 4, and 5 and separate, but I'm grouping all the Zelda fandoms together since it's all Linked Universe fic.
Here's the breakdown!
The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms (6)
Persona 5 (5)
Persona 3 (5)
SPY x FAMILY (Anime) (3)
Wizard101 (Video Game) (3)
SPY x FAMILY (Manga) (3)
Runescape (Video Games) (3)
Pirate101 (Video Game) (3)
Persona 4 (2)
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild/Tears of the Kingdom (2)
Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood & Manga (1)
Star Wars - All Media Types (1)
The Legend of Zelda: Hyrule Warriors (1)
Top five fics by kudos:
The Ghost of Mementos/Stygian Ringlet (Persona3/5) - to the surprise of absolutely no one, since this is currently my longest fic. I'm very happy with Stygian Ringlet being the top because I love my boys :)
True Crime Special on the Midnight Channel (Persona 4/5) - my Ren has a TV Dungeon fic! also very proud of the dungeon concept for this one, I really need to finish the last two chapters
Dark Clouds on the Horizon (Linked Universe/TOTK) - I feel like this one got a lot of momentum partially because it was directly in the wake of TOTK's release, but I'm happy with how it turned out :)
Strangers Are Just Friends You Haven't Met (Persona 3/SPY x FAMILY) - this was a collab series with mewrose and a few others in the marigolds discord! we were throwing ideas at the wall to see what stuck and I really had a lot of fun with Shinjiro-related prompts, because I LOVE him and hitting him with the isekai baseball bat into a universe with Anya brings me great joy
Salt Tears and Raindrops (Linked Universe/TOTK) - directly related to Dark Clouds, and I'm glad people enjoyed good ol' fashioned angst >:) (I do need to post more of my wips, I do have a couple more roleswap AU wips that I want to post)
Do you respond to comments?
Yes! I almost always do because I really appreciate them and its my way of saying thanks for the comment! If I don't comment it's because I lost track of it or because I can't think of a response.
What's the fic with the angstiest ending you've ever written?
Probably Salt Tears and Raindrops. I was in a Mood and decided to go for the tried-and-true method of putting fictional characters I like through the emotional wringer. That's how I got the rough draft for this fic :)
Do you write crossovers?
*looks at my persona fics and recent LU fics*
...I think it's safe to say most of my fics these days fall under crossovers lmao
Have you ever gotten hate on a fic?
I wouldn't say I have? One or two comments that came off as rude, but no actual hate, thankfully. If I did, I forgot about it. I've been blessed by wonderfully nice readers <3
Do you write smut?
Nope. I don't read it, so I wouldn't know how to write it anyway.
Have you ever had a fic stolen?
Not that I know of? I sure hope not.
I have seen a couple short fics slightly imitate Ghost of Mementos though, which I thought was really sweet that they liked it enough to inspire their own writing.
Have you ever had a fic translated?
Nope, but I'd definitely be open to it!
What’s your all-time favorite ship?
RYOMINA. Hands down. I love them so much, I am so mentally unwell about these two
What’s a WIP that you want to finish, but don’t think you ever will?
My two Runescape fics, Whispers in the Temple and Welcome to the Jungle. I absolutely loved going hogwild with rewriting old quests in Runescape, but I psyched myself out of Welcome to the Jungle because I got overly anxious about accidentally doing bad representation.
(in hindsight, it probably wouldn't have been as big a deal as I thought; it's hard to make it worse considering how bad Legend's Quest was with the british-african stereotypes. that quest DID NOT age well.)
I also want to finish Snake in the Grass; that was my first attempt at a genuine mystery plot and I really liked playing with Warriors in that fic in the context of the gang trying to figure out who the heck is trying to murder him.
What are your writing strengths?
I feel like I'm pretty good at dialogue! I try to make sure it matches the character's speech patterns and personality. Really well-written dialogue can tell you who's speaking without actually telling who it is. (For example, the way I write them: Minato speaks as few words as possible and has very little filter with his observations when he does share them, and Shinjiro is pretty rough around the edges, with shortened words and the occasional swear. Warriors is good with words and wit, but he has a certain military-esque directness and doesn't dance around the topic.)
I do try hard to keep the plot clear and understandable over everything else, so probably that as well.
Also, now that I think about it, maybe fight sequences? I don't do them much, but I do enjoy the challenge of making a clear sequence of what happens in a fight and trying to make it understandable. Fight sequences are easy to skip or gloss over, but I think of them like their own miniature plot. What happens? What surprises are there? What are their movesets? How do they get the upper hand? (and of course, what looks cool as fuck)
What are your writing weaknesses?
Time management. I tend to over-proofread since I beta my own work, and often I'll go back to tweak stuff if I had additional thoughts to add to it, or extra insight. Lately, it takes longer to write chapters than I'd like.
Also, dialogue-heavy scenes often get very chaotic in my WIPs because of the way I rough out fics. I'll throw together a bunch of dialogue bits I think would be cool to include, and sometimes they'll clash or get really messy, especially if there's lots of characters (looking at the latest two chapters of Stygian Ringlet)
What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fics?
I think it's cool! It adds flavor to fics. If it's more than one short phrase though, or if it's story important, then I do prefer that there is a translation in the author's notes. I haven't done any non-English dialogue in fics, save for one memorable adventure into trying to figure out how Latin grammar structure works for a character that didn't speak English.
What was the first fandom you ever wrote for?
Wizard101 and Pirate101. I was obsessed with those two for YEARS. I really, really liked pirate stories in high school, and having a cast of crewmates that accompany you throughout the game really inspired me to write my first fic featuring my OC. (I was also into One Piece at the time, but I never wrote for it.)
What’s your favorite fic you’ve written so far?
Stygian Ringlet. It's really dear to my heart. I have poured so much love and effort into that fic, and the reception on it has completely blown me away.
THANKS FOR THE TAG!! Uhhhmmm for tags I'm going to go with @skyward-floored, @catreginae and @breannasfluff (but only if you want to!! no obligation of course)
and of course any other writers that want to do it as well!! go forth
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Welcome to the fifth annual Reddie Week!
Rules | F.A.Q. | AO3 Collection
Posting period: 04 June 2023 - 10 June 2023
This year we've decided to give Reddie Week a theme using a tried and true trope we all know and love. This year's theme is Alternate Universe!
Prompts:
04 June: Mythical Creatures: witches/wizards/warlocks, werewolves/werecreatures, vampires, dragons, etc.
05 June: Occupation Swap: tattoo artist, flower shop, mechanic, barista, doctor, musician, baker, etc.
06 June: Meet-Cutes: online, speed-dating, looking for a roommate, boarding school classmates, etc.
07 June: Soulmates: red string of fate, seeing in black and white until you meet them, feeling each other's emotions, etc.
08 June: Books/Games/Movies/TV: star wars, twilight, the uglies, percy jackson, bones, skyrim, zelda, etc.
09 June: (Post-)Apocalypse: natural disasters, solar flare, nuclear war, zombies, etc.
10 June: Canon Divergence: eddie in the deadlights, richie doesn't want to return to Derry so eddie has to come get him, eddie did the carving in the kissing bridge, pennywise was a figment of their imagination, etc.
Although there are suggested AUs for each day, any alternate universe work is acceptable! Just be clear about what type of AU it is in your tags or author's notes!
Additionally, this year we will be accepting works that are inspired by any past Reddie Week prompt. Please make it clear which prompt you are using. Here is a list of possible, related tags you might use for past and present prompts. Specific past prompts can be found in each year's sub-collection on AO3.
You can share your work by tagging it with #reddieweek or tagging @reddieweek in your post.
Any questions? Concerns? Ideas you want to share? Send this blog an ask or message the mods: @eddieeatsass and @frankchaudhary
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💙 Linktober 2023- Day 10: Zelda 💙
๑
Definitely one of my best pieces this Linktober and this year as a whole! Obviously I picked TotK Zelda for this years prompt, as well as TotK Ganon and Link for their own respective prompts! I was hugely inspired by Alphonse Mucha's artwork to create an art nouveau-like triptych of Zelda, Link, and Ganon! I can't wait to post the other ones 😊
#GuYS I AM SO HAPPY WITH THIS#EVEN THOUGH IT SUCKED MY DAMN LIFE AWAY FOR 16 HOURS#my art#art#artist#illustration#artists on tumblr#illustrators on tumblr#female illustrators#illustrator#artists#fanart#princess zelda#legend of zelda#the legend of zelda#zelda tears of the kingdom#zelda totk#zelda#totk#loz totk#tears of the kingdom#light dragon#stained glass#linktober#linktober 2023#inktober#inktober 2023#art nouveau#alphonse mucha#my artstyle
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Waiting
In which Link has it bad.
For @zelinkcommunity 's Zelink Week 2023 day one prompt: Yearning. Read on AO3 here.
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"What do you think?" she asks.
Zelda sits at the table as he prepares their dinner in advance. She's removing rice from the stalk to complement the humongous mushroom cap he's fileting in their kitchen. It's a nice afternoon in Hateno Village, and she is here, living with him like it was the most normal thing in the world.
He's still not used to this. She's asking him what he thinks? Even after one hundred years it still amazes him. She is one of few people who takes his thoughts into consideration and values his words, whether they be eloquent or otherwise.
He ponders her request for a moment, and switches to a smaller knife to remove the woody ends of the mushroom stem. "I think that's a proposition for Purah."
"I respectfully disagree. You've had far more practical field experience with the Sheikah Slate than she has. But if you truly think so, I will ask her."
Zelda wants to implement "stress tests" to the slate. Not the actual body of the slate, mind, but the potential and scope of the runes.
The conversation lulls for a short time. Then, she says something he doesn’t expect: "In all actuality, your observational skills are beyond my own when it comes to kinetics. Of course, your skills as a warrior are a factor. Your inherent ability to manipulate a multitude of objects with such precision over distances great and small is absolutely fascinating."
He scrapes the sliced mushrooms into the cast iron pan with the unsharpened edge of the knife. They sizzle enticingly and absorb the oil as he tosses them around the pan with a wooden spoon.
He's a bit taken aback by Zelda's commentary. It's not that big of a deal, it's just something he does. Things move all the time. With enough practice, she could fell a deer across Retsam Forest with the right equipment or skip a stone across Hateno Bay. She's a quick learner, a trait he greatly admires.
But he doesn't know what to say, so he shrugs. She gives him a long look. He knows she's planning something by the way her eyebrows shift. Then she grabs a dinner roll from the basket on the table and tosses it to him. Unthinking, he catches it.
He gives her a dry look, but she has other things in mind. "How fortunate that the door is open. I challenge you to hit Karson in the head with this from the doorframe."
"Do you have something against Karson?"
"Not at all! He does tend to laze about our front lawn, though. Maybe a delicious surprise will do him some good."
Something in his chest flutters at the sound of "our front lawn." So, he acquiesces. He takes the pan off the heat. Then, he gives a playful smile as he struts to the door and eyes his target. Karson sits cross-legged near the cooking pot by the towering oak tree. 10 meters, perhaps? That was manageable.
He yeets the bread perfectly—too fast to make a clear, sailing, parabolic arch, but not hard enough to leave a bruise. He hears Zelda gasp excitedly (Oh!) as the roll bounces with a thonk off of Karson's forehead.
"Hey!" he shouts. They both freeze in anticipation. Uh oh. He sees the both of them standing dumbly in the doorway, obviously watching.
He looks down, seemingly in slow motion. Then, his face lights up like a child at winter solstice.
"Thanks for the bread!" he calls, giving a friendly wave. Amusingly, Bolson attempts to snatch it from him as Link gives a half-hearted wave and shuts the door. Satisfied, he returns the still-hot cast iron pan to the stove and continues sautéing the mushrooms.
"I cannot believe you actually did that," Zelda says, heaving the rice pot into place on the stove. Anything for you, he thinks. He moves out of the way as she stokes the coals within, shutting the door with a clang. Then she brushes her hair out of her face. It frames her chin beautifully. "It was a perfect throw. Excellent work!"
"I try," he says, flustered by her continued praise, and extinguishes the urge to kiss her cheek.
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He wants to kiss her all the time.
Goddesses, does he want to kiss her.
He wants to kiss her when she finishes writing in her journal and beams at him from the loft. Or, when she makes tea in the morning and groggily places a cup on the end table near his armchair, made just how he likes it. He'd love to after she makes a sudden breakthrough with her research, or when she is always surprised to see a cup of water after she cuts firewood. He wants to kiss her when she gives him that look, like she's been gazing at him for a while over a book cover but tries to be nonchalant. He wants to when she is reminded of something from before and she clings to him as proof he's still here and breathing. He wants to after their ancient tech hijinks and she's laughing maniacally after something of Purah's inevitably breaks or explodes. Or when she leans on his shoulder after listening to him share his thoughts and feelings. Or, when she holds him after he remembers something from before or has a fleeting, vivid nightmare. But especially when she smiles warmly at him while he cooks, and just does his thing.
But the moment never seems right.
He fears that it may be the wrong time, or she doesn't want to, and a whole other list of reasons that involve her comfort and boundaries. The few times they had were brief, either on the cheek, forehead, or the exceedingly rare chaste goodbye kisses they share when one of them leaves on a journey somewhere. Besides the one wonderful time on Tuft Mountain where he confessed and she reciprocated, it's been slow. Which is fine, truly. He's happy to have her in his life at all, so he won't complain. He doesn't want to, or even need to complain. He is happy, but he's also curious at the same time. Those two ideas can coexist, right?
Was it the right time to be more romantic for her? How does he even go about this, the whole idea of kissing her?
What would it be like, though?
He's pondering this as they walk back from the Hateno ancient tech lab. The nights are growing chillier as they enter autumn proper.
"Can you believe it? Purah was thrilled to have the data we collected from the slate. We're one step closer to making another one! Oh, I'm so excited—"
She's sunny, a contrast to the dusk which settles around them. They pass a blue flame lantern, and it casts wonderful shadows on her face that emphasize her jaw. He'd like to kiss her there too, if he's allowed.
"We'll have to gather more, of course. Are you alright with that? It may be more extreme, like hurling boulders and the occasional moblin, if there are any left."
Any left? She sees his confusion. "You're incredibly thorough when it comes to pest control."
He supposes so. The tangible delight of freezing moblins mid-swing with Stasis and watching them careen through the air by their own club is entertaining, to say the least. Or, that one time he blasted a boulder from Hyrule Plateau all the way to the desert. He'd like to see her do that, why hasn't he thought of mentioning that yet?
"That'd be fun." He means it, and she is delighted. "But make sure I'm not a test subject this time."
Her entire body cringes. "That pains me still. I've never regretted anything more in my life."
"I mean, it was only a few feet. I've had worse." He shrugs, remembering the small explosion after an ancient tech malfunction. One time he slipped while shield surfing Mount Hebra and fell for nearly a mile. He still wonders how he's still alive, Mipha's grace or otherwise—
She's oddly quiet. "I bet you have."
Oh. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to—"
"No, it's quite alright. Forgive me," she says gently. Then she smiles to herself. "Even before, you took heavy hits. You tend to fly like a rag doll. It's still a shock to see, but you're unfathomably resilient."
He laughs. That was true. Again, he wonders how he's not dead but stops as she shivers.
This is one of the rare instances where she actively walks in front of him instead of by his side. So, he closes the gap, concerned. She stares off into the distance for a moment.
"Are you alright?" His voice is soft.
"Yes, why?"
"You were shivering."
Her expression before was one of remembering. He can tell something's bothering her, but what?
"It's a bit chilly this evening, that's all," she says while rubbing her hands together. "I was so excited to get to the lab, I forgot my cloak." Her tone is lighter, so she likely means it. "But yes! On my life—" his heart pangs at that, "—you will not be an accidental test subject. Unless you want to be a test subject, but that is your sole decision and we will have to adjust the experiment to keep you safe—"
She pauses as his cloak settles over her shoulders. "Here." He can't have her being cold, she's sensitive to it. Besides, they're not far from the house. He continues walking and stops when she doesn't follow.
Several scenarios come to mind as to why she hasn't. He instinctively checks their immediate surroundings. His hand itches for the sword on his back. Focus. No humanoid shadows in the trees. No monsters in the field or above their heads. He angles his head and sees nothing suspicious. Then, back to her.
Is she blushing? It's hard to tell. For one so open with her thoughts, she can be hard to read at times. Maybe there's a hint of one at the corners of her cheeks. But maybe he's wishing for it. Who knows. If he places his hands on her cheeks like he's been wanting to for months, he could find out...
"Thank you? That's very kind of you. But won't you be cold?" she asks, hesitant to adjust it properly around her.
Seeing her in his clothes makes him feel far warm enough. So, he walks back to her and fastens the cloak around her neck—another place he'd love to kiss—bundles her up and turns to continue forward toward home where stew should be ready. He hopes she likes it. It's a mix of lentils and roasted mushroom, with a gravy made from the unsweetened milk of a palm fruit. It's savory and filling, which is something they both tend to enjoy. "I'm fine. Besides, we have a warm meal waiting for us at home."
"Ah yes, priorities." Her steps are as light as her demeanor. To his complete surprise, her hand wraps around his own as he watches her settle into the cloak. Satisfied, she matches his pace, and they continue the walk home in comfortable silence.
She's been quiet since they arrived. The kitchen is bathed in golden light from the overhead lanterns. Their home is far more comfortable since her arrival. Well, his home. He'd like to call it theirs, but he'll have to ask her about that at a later time. For now, he hums part of a tune that Kass would play in the evenings at Rito Village as he stirs the stew, waiting for the rolls to warm again in the clay oven.
He turns, and the table is set. "Thank you for loaning me your cloak," she says, placing down a final dish for some butter. "I'll hang this up."
He nods. "Dinner's almost ready," he announces after eyeing the stew.
"—Oh! Right." Confused by her tone, he turns, but she's already in her seat across the table. Two patches of red hint at the corners of her jaw as she draws her hair behind her ear, fidgeting.
...Cute.
He gives her an eyebrow and sets the stew on the table. He savors the look on her face when she takes the first bite, nodding slightly with her eyes closed. She gestures with her spoon, then digs in. Success. They enjoy a quiet dinner.
He hums again while they do the dishes. He places the iron pot back on the stove for it to fully dry. He's charmed to see Zelda with her sleeves pushed up, scrubbing away. She has nice arms. She has nice...everything. Something's on his mind, though. Zelda has been notably quiet since the walk home.
"What are you thinking about right now?" he inquires. She's the one who usually asks that question.
A dish is placed in his hands. She's digging at the stubborn film of dried gravy that lines their bowls. Her eyebrows knit in concentration.
Then a wonderful smile graces her face. "Honestly? I'm incredibly happy to be here with you."
It takes a moment to process this. By now, she's finished with the dishes and hauls the water outside.
Upon her return, she takes the towel from his hands and dries her own. She's so close and he just wants to…
—What she just said was so nonchalant, like it was a definite fact, a universal truth.
"Same here," he says far too inarticulately. She looks down at him in vague confusion as he stands directly in front of her. "I'm happy that you're here too." And her smile returns. So lovely. He can't spit the rest out. He's getting better at saying what's on his mind, but he stumbles when he wants to most. I'm happy to be anywhere with you. She squeezes his wrist with her slightly damp hand.
She's up in the loft now, continuing her mission for the past few weeks—pouring over several years of Purah's research notes. He can tell that she was itching to get back to work. He doesn't know how she can do that for hours. Sure, ancient technology is fascinating and filled with secrets. Purah's handwriting, on the other hand, while flawless, is tiny and the pages are dense. Reading that for hours would give him a migraine. He’s happy that he researches the ancient histories instead.
He watches her from below as she writes. He visualizes the ancient gears turning in her head. How she fits so much knowledge in there, he doesn't know. She is like a sponge, soaking up information from anywhere and anything. He's only seen brief glimpses of her journal, but it's just as detailed as their long conversations as they travel, work, and live. There's a word for people like her, and like her mother. Was erudite the term Mum used for the Queen? He frowns, trying to remember. Zelda definitely has her mother's brains.
She brushes her hair behind her ear again, contemplating for a moment. He's drawn to the elegant slope of her neck. What would it be like to kiss her there, just below her ear? Would he be able to discern the subtle notes of fragrance from the soap she uses? Would he hear her heartbeat? The sound of her sighing?
...He needs to empty his head.
"I'll be out back," he calls upstairs.
"Have fun!"
He heads outside, taking his cloak to fend off the chill. He goes to put it on but stops as he realizes that it smells different. It smells like her. Clean, fresh. Floral, like blue nightshades. Before, it didn't smell like much of anything. Now, he can't stop thinking about it. Every time he moves he can smell her. It's really nice, actually.
He goes to the small stable by the house and checks on their horses. Epona is out grazing near the small pond behind the stable. Equs, the chalk-white descendant of Zelda's old horse, mows down his pile of hay. He gives his snout a pat and continues on. He was a pain to tame, but now he's a likable and reliable horse. Epona likely whipped him into shape. She's a good influence.
He returns to the yard. Epona trots over and butts her head into his chest.
"Hey! Whoa, girl—" it's almost like he can read her. She's sniffing around his pockets. "No apples today. But I do have this for you and the big guy." He presents a humongous, tasty looking carrot. She takes it happily and chomps away. She follows him back to the stable as he stocks it up for the night, giving the other carrot to Equs in the meantime.
"Goodnight," he calls. They look at him, almost like they know the meaning behind his words. It's a nice thought, but they're still horses.
Next, he investigates the apple tree behind the house. It looks like he picked most of them, but he wants to be thorough before the frost sets in. He finds a few up on the highest boughs. Then, he clambers down to a lower, sturdier branch and sits.
It's quiet. It's a bit chilly. All in all, a beautiful night. The air is crisp, making a wonderful rushing sound through the leaves that will likely begin to drop in a week. He can't smell winter in the air. He can only smell the traces of her lingering on his cloak. He wraps it around him a bit more, closes his eyes, and listens.
Nights like these are great for clearing the head. It's easier and also harder to bring his mind to the earth, especially since Zelda lives with him now. They're living together and experiencing what "normal life" is like. He never would have dreamed of this a century ago.
Not even in his wildest fantasies did he ever think of peaceful domesticity. He didn't have much time, if any, to fantasize about any sort of future with her. He could only replay scenes in his head where she gave him affection, like the time on death mountain where she pushed his bangs back, and when she held his hands after giving him custom made gloves for his birthday.
His other fantasies involved a life outside of fighting. He once wanted to own and run the pub with his grandparents. Or be a ranger, like Mum. Or be in the royal guard, like Dad. Well, he was the latter, in a way, but with Zelda as his Queen. Maybe he would settle down with a husband or a wife outside of his duty in that future that is now the past.
He finds himself reminiscing. He had a partner once, a fellow knight named Pietr a few years before he became Zelda's chosen knight. He was from Lurelin, his first kiss, and his amicable (and only) ex. They were young, still children, and they were happy. Pietr was wise to break it off because of their changing duties. Not even a year later he found himself becoming Zelda's chosen knight. At least Pietr survived the Calamity. It sounds like he had a good life, actually: his great-grandson Tauro is living proof of that.
But if Mipha knew about Pietr or his feelings for Zelda before the Calamity, she would have been devastated. But there's nothing he could do. She was his calm, poised, and far cooler partner on the battlefield and childhood friend. He loved her too in many ways, yes, but marriage? He's thought long and hard about this before during his travels. Not marriage. He wouldn't be able to provide what was required by her birthright. He would have died far before she did. She was his first love, but that changed as soon as the sword called to him at 13. Why Mipha is on his mind, he doesn't know. It's not painful anymore. She's gone, it's the past, and he's moved on. He hopes, wherever she is now, that she's happy and at peace along with Urbosa, Daruk, Revali, and his loved ones.
About a half hour later, he drops down from the tree, his thoughts released to the earth and the wind. He feels a bit lighter.
After practicing some swordsmanship, he investigates their firewood reserves beside the house and is proud to see Zelda's handiwork. They'll be set for several weeks. The stars glimmer above him and he spots a shooting star.
He doesn't wish on it; he has everything he could possibly want. Someone else can have that wish.
It's very dark now. He heads back inside.
"Hullo," he says, kicking his boots off near the door.
"Hi," he hears from upstairs, her tone less enthusiastic and more tired. She’s always one to keep busy.
He hesitates before removing his cloak, wanting to smell her for a little while longer.
He relaxes in his reading chair and reads a heavy book that Paya loaned him on ancient Sheikah tales. The lore of Hyrule has always fascinated him. He's glad it also helps Zelda with her research. Her specialties are within the royal family, while his is broader. It's the opposite with ancient technology: he’s all too familiar with the royal guard class of weapon while she knows practically anything about everything. He's glad that they find ways to help each other to solve some ancient mysteries.
The candle is burning low by the time he finishes a long chapter about a third Yiga invasion several hundred years ago. He's a bit tired, but not enough to sleep. 100 years of sleeping will do that to someone, he supposes.
It's nearly silent in the house now. His ears strain, trying to pick out the faint sounds of Zelda's wax pencil or beloved green ink being scratched against a page. He turns down the lanterns from the ceiling (the contraption Zelda made to do this is genius) after getting ready for bed.
He heads up to the loft.
Zelda has fallen asleep at the desk. Her face is squished against the open pages of her journal, and her wax pencil barely stays within her relaxed grip. The flicker of the candle gives her hair and face a warm glow. His heart melts.
Her hair is woven gold, a crown upon her head—even though she refuses to wear her birthright.
…Just like she refuses to rest when she needs it most.
He's hesitant to touch the gentle slope of her shoulder, but he does anyway.
"Zelda?" His voice is soft. She doesn't respond. He gives her a tiny shake. "It's getting late."
"Hm?" Her grip on the pencil returns.
"It's almost midnight," he says.
"Just a bit longer—" she slurs, rubbing her face with her arm and righting her posture. "I have to get this done."
"Don't push yourself too hard," he adds, squashing the urge to kiss her cheek.
He goes to his Kakariko-style futon on the floor, with Zelda's nearby. Part of him wonders if her bedding smells like her too.
...He's more tired than he thought.
It's kind of funny. Even though they live together and have confessed their feelings to each other, they don't share a bed. They don't share much affection, really. He doesn't mind, though. In fact, his actual bed hasn't been used since the few days before they defeated Ganon together. He wanted her to have it when she moved in from Kakariko, but she adamantly refused. Neither of them would budge, so this was the best compromise: two comfy futons on the floor. The bed is for guests. Besides, if she took the bed, he wouldn't be able to see from a distance how serene she is when she sleeps, just like a century before. It might be nice, though. But that's for a future time.
He takes out his hair tie and brushes his hair back, putting the comb back on top of the bedside table. He hears a thud.
Ah, she's fallen asleep again, judging by her posture. She jolts awake, shakes her head, and stubbornly continues to work.
"You should sleep," he says, resting his forearms on top of his knees. He perches his head on them to watch her.
"There's still so much—" she replies after a while. "The more I do, the closer we are to understanding things."
Something in her tone reminds him of before. It's the same determination that almost made her freeze to death or drown in the sacred springs. Her tone is the same from those quiet nights in her study, using the little time they had to try to stop Ganon's return. Is their project eating away at her?
"I'm losing time," she says, picking up her pace. This confirms his worries.
He pads barefooted across the floorboards to the desk. He's tired too, but not as much as she is. She was up before dawn this morning. He allows his fatigue to lessen the iron grip on his affections.
He's standing to her right. He drapes his left arm across her shoulders and lightly pulls her into his side.
"There's always tomorrow."
He drifts his thumb across her shoulder. He's delighted when she relaxes into him. He can catch hints of her floral soap from here. It's a comfort. He stares at the stack of books and the flickering candle, enjoying the warmth and the closeness.
"There's always tomorrow," she asserts after a time.
He continues drifting his thumb, trying to memorize the feeling of her weight resting against him. She sighs, relaxing even more, almost as though she melts into him.
"Come on, time for bed," he says, but she doesn't respond. He looks down at her.
She's asleep.
Aww!
He makes a mental note to keep an eye on her on late nights like these. He doesn't want her late night working to become a bad habit.
"Zelda," he says playfully, giving her a little shake. She doesn't awaken. Her breathing pattern confirms it. He's learned to keep an eye on that during the nights he doesn't feel like sleeping. Usually her breathing changes before a nightmare. Since the project started, she's had more than usual, the ones where she tosses and turns, but never enough to wake. The waking ones were far worse—the first few months after Ganon's defeat were brutal on her. He's been worried, but they don't seem to affect her when she wakes. He secretly fears that they do.
Fortunately, her breathing is slow and measured. It would be a shame to ruin this rare chance at deep sleep by waking her.
She's completely out. So, it wouldn't hurt for him to try something he's been wanting to do for over 100 years.
He moves the chair out from the desk as gently as he can. Carefully, he scoops her up into his arms. Her head rests between his collar and shoulder. Her breath flutters on his neck and all he can smell and feel is her and wow—he can't help pressing his face into her soft, sleek hair.
He stands there, just for a moment, and takes everything in.
This is far better than he imagined.
As much as he wants to, he doesn't overstay his welcome. He takes a few steps over to their futon and kicks out her comforter with his foot. He begrudgingly rests her down on the mattress. She's still in her day clothes. He tucks her in, admiring the delicate curves in her wrists, the shadows under her eyes, and the serenity on her face.
What a marvelous gift it is to have her here. How wonderful it is to share each day with her in peace and safety. All the hardships they faced over a century were worth it. Everyone in Hyrule can rest as easily as they can now. All thanks to her. He just tossed Ganon around a bit before she obliterated and sealed it off for eternity. The thought makes him smile.
He's stretched his luck far enough today. He could stand to stretch it a little more.
Sneakily, he places a kiss upon her hairline.
I love you, he wishes to tell her. He thinks about it instead. She'd never hear it, even if he said it aloud. She must know by now. He doesn't know why he hasn't said it to her again after all this time. Maybe because the time wasn't right? Anyways—
Satisfied, he blows out the candle on the desk and returns to bed. He watches her chest rise and fall as moonlight emphasizes her silhouette. His eyes close.
--------------------
When they open, it is still dark outside, likely just before dawn. There is a low, golden glow beside him. He rubs his eyes. Did he leave the candle burning? No...he's immediately suspicious and worried, and turns to Zelda.
Her breathing is ragged. Her bedding is a twisted, constricted mess around her. She's curled on her side with an arm partially extended toward his mattress. Her hand flickers with golden, holy light.
Oh no.
He hasn't seen her like this in months, since the springtime right after Kakariko at the very least. Alarmed, he immediately crawls over to her just as she begins whimpering under her breath. He has to wake her up. Not doing so prolongs her suffering. He catches whispers of phrases and her hand glows more intensely. She looks sickeningly pale, the thin sheen of sweat on her brow worsening in the washed out moonlight.
She tosses and turns, lying supine. Her jaw is rigid and her face does not hide her distress. "Link—" her voice is filled with despair as she thrashes and shudders. "—Save yourself." He falls to his side, supporting his weight with his elbow, and leans near her in an attempt to reach for her shoulder. He doesn't quite make it—she jolts awake with a pained gasp. "NO!"
Her eyes darted frantically around the room, disoriented and terrified.
"Are you–augh!"
She crushes him against her chest.
She clutches blindly and a trembling hand lodges itself in his hair, keeping him against her. It does not hurt. The side of his face rests on her pillow, away from her own. She shudders, holding him like he might be snatched from her arms at any moment.
"Link." Her voice is utterly broken.
Tension radiates from her. Her shoulders shrink inward. "You're really here," she asserts, seemingly trying to convince herself about reality. His heart breaks.
"You're really—"
She begins to cry. It's barely audible even while he's against her. Her grip tightens, and he’s thankful that his entire body weight isn't on her. Her free hand grips and bunches fistfuls of fabric from his shirt.
He lays there for several moments. He's worried about suffocating her, so he pushes himself up with his left arm and she follows, refusing to let go. He wraps his other arm around her and sits them up. She pushes herself into the empty space within his lap instinctively, draping her legs together across his thigh to lessen her weight on him. Her chin rests over his shoulder as he adjusts them. Finally, she's secured in his arms, and he relaxes a fraction.
"You're safe," he breathes. "It's over now."
He feels the fabric on his shoulder become damp with her tears, and it pains him that she's had to endure so much. He rests his head against her own and holds her, shielding her from the world as long as he can. She’s done the same for him when he has nightmares. He can't shield her from her past experiences, as much as he desperately wants to do so; he hopes this is good enough. It's seemed to work so far since she returned from her imprisonment.
"Thank you," she weeps bitterly. He ignores her thanks and holds her tighter. She's safe. He will do anything to keep her that way. His own anxieties lessen as he holds her.
Someday, he will tell her how much he loves to hold her—not just when she's crying. It makes him feel relied upon, trusted, and like he's providing for her somehow, even though they are equals. But now isn't the right time.
At some point, he starts running his hand up and down her back. It's something she has always done when he's in a similar state of mind. It seems to help. Her shuddering slowly subsides.
Her breathing relaxes just as the sky begins to lighten, turning from deep purple to that particular shade of blue green. Soon, she delicately removes her fingers from his hair and nestles her face into his collar, completely exhausted.
"I'm alright now," she breathes into his neck.
He nods as best as he is able. He assuages his anxieties about not helping her enough by continuing to run his hand along her back.
What must she be feeling right now? He can't imagine the horrors she had seen during a century of isolation with the embodiment of evil. Her grip on his shirt returns.
"I was doing so well," she says dejectedly. She releases her grip, continuing to hold him. "It's been so long since I…" her voice fades for a moment, "...since I reacted this severely."
"You are doing well," he affirms.
"I don't want to be doing well if it means I'm watching you die in my dreams."
His hand pauses halfway down her back. "Since when?"
"Since Ganon. I hadn't been remembering my dreams for quite a while."
Since Ganon? Damn…he remembers her saying that they had stopped happening a few months ago. It’s a shame they returned to haunt her.
Something else is weighing on her. He's determined to find out what.
"Do you know why they came back?”
She shakes her head. "I don't."
He sits and ponders their conversations from yesterday, rubbing her back again, trying to find a source that triggered her dreams.
"Did you put me to bed?" she says after a time, drawing him from his thoughts.
He nods. "You work too hard."
"I don't work hard enough,” she says, deflated.
He frowns. "That's not true."
"It is, Link. The last time I didn't work hard enough you died. And now, you could easily die again if I'm not careful. You were already injured with the new Sheikah slate project. I must work as hard as I can to achieve our goals and keep you safe."
With that, he remembers their conversation on the walk home from the lab. It all clicks in the span of a second.
"I am safe."
She freezes in his arms. "I know, but…"
"I don't want you to die again," she professes. "I could barely handle it before. I don't know what I'd do if it happened now." He can feel the tension and panic building within her. "But what if it does? What if everything goes to pieces again? What if you get hurt? Hurt enough to die? What if you can’t be healed? What if I'm the one who hurts you? The person I care for most will be dead and it will be all my fault—"
"Stop."
She jolts a bit at his tone.
He cuts her off before she can apologize for her words by adjusting her head to rest near the center of his chest.
"Listen," he says, pressing her into him. "I'm alive.” He taps his chest, and breathes slowly, keeping his heartbeat as steady as he can.
He doesn’t plan on dying anytime soon. Staying alive makes her happy. And he likes making her happy. It’s a win-win scenario.
"—And I'm not going anywhere. I'm certain of it."
"How?" she interjects. "You can't possibly know that."
He releases his grip around her. She sits up and stares at nothing in the general direction of his mattress. Her eyes are glossy and irritated red.
The words come naturally to him, as though they are plain as day. He thanks the goddesses for that.
"Zelda, you kept me safe for over one hundred years." He takes her hand and holds it to his chest. "I know that you will never stop protecting me, just like I will never stop protecting you." He hopes this statement is the most obvious thing in the world.
She seems to move to object. To his surprise, she stares at his hand and nods, swallowing thickly. Then, she takes a long, slow, and deep breath. When she opens her eyes, he continues. She's listening—she always is.
"Yesterday, you told me that on your life, no harm shall come to me. I said the same thing about you to your father and Urbosa when I became a Champion at your side, an oath I still hold to this day."
He stops, thinking for a moment. "I can't promise that I won't get hurt. You can't promise that to me either, before and now. I almost died...a lot. You were tortured by Ganon. It gave you actual scars." He takes his spare hand and brushes the white scar that's like shattered glass across her collarbone. "As much as we tried, we couldn't keep each other completely safe. But your determination to keep me safe regardless is exactly why I am certain, just how you are certain with me."
He briefly squeezes her hand for emphasis.
She seems despondent, then sighs. "That's fair," she says after a moment. "I didn't think of it that way. You described it so eloquently."
This strengthens his resolve. "And besides," he continues, "you said it yourself: I'm unfathomably resilient."
She smiles the smallest of smiles. "That I did."
"I'm not going anywhere," he affirms, gently and assuredly. "And neither are you."
They sit quietly for a while. She sits with her eyes closed as she collects herself. He watches her carefully, taking in every minor detail, like the tiny movements in her shoulders as she breathes, how her hair barely touches the neckline of her tunic as she slouches, and how warm her hand feels against his chest.
He breathes in slowly, deeply, and feels her hand press back against him.
The sun begins to rise, casting warm beams of light throughout the house.
Her hand slips from his grasp. She rearranges both of his hands and holds them, resting them on her lap, and stares intently where they meet. Her hands are warm, strong, and lightly calloused, something he's never had the opportunity to notice before. She's always wearing gloves when they travel.
"Thank you, again." She runs her thumbs across the rippling scars on his hands. There's a wonderful softness to her expression; the deep orange hues of dawn cast over her face and mollifies any traces left from the evening. He's captivated. "I appreciate you more than anything." Her sincerity is undeniable to him, an expert in second guessing.
Warmth blossoms in his chest at that.
"You must really like me or something," he muses.
She looks up at him and her eyes are stunning, like emeralds in the morning light. "Love," she amends, and it takes his breath away. "I really love you."
He rests his forehead against her own and breathes her in.
"I really love you too."
Her hands remove themselves from her lap and rest on his cheeks, her thumbs drifting across his cheekbones.
How badly he wants to kiss her.
But she's had a rough night, and could use some sleep.
"Are you up for a little more sleep?" he asks gently. Her hands withdraw from his cheeks, and he already misses their warmth.
"I'm a bit scared to. But if I do not, it will just get worse."
She eyes her futon and sighs. "I should change, too." She gets up and walks across the loft, shrugging off her blouse in the process. Part of him would be startled to see her in her sheikah underthings but that didn't matter at the present. He's seen them before in plenty of different mundane contexts. How many times has she seen him shirtless? How many times have they swam together or spearfished in only their underthings, the only clothes they owned that were waterproof? And besides, it doesn't matter anyways. People need to change before bed. He needs to stop being weird.
While she's gone, he eyes her futon, thinking. When she returns, she wears a thin, dusty blue tunic that he got her in Lurelin, and she stops short.
Their mattresses are pushed together. He adjusted and turned down her linens while she was away.
"I thought it might help," he says sleepily.
"That's kind."
She crawls into bed. To his amazement, she continues crawling until she's right beside him, nestling into his chest. Luckily, his arm is already underneath his pillow. He gets a lungful of her—
"Is this alright?" she whispers.
Goddesses, yes it was. He pulls her closer and promptly falls asleep before he can second-guess himself.
--------------------
His eyes open briefly, and he sees her peaceful, sleeping face. Relieved, he closes them again as sleep beckons.
--------------------
He's somewhere between dreaming and waking and it's pleasantly warm. His comforter is the perfect weight, and there is a wonderful smell around him. He doesn't want to wake up. The pillows are so soft, and something's gently caressing his cheeks.
…Someone is caressing his cheeks. It feels nice. He remembers the circumstances, and opens his eyes to see her.
"Good morning," Zelda says.
"Morning," he responds groggily, thoroughly pleased.
“More like afternoon, now,” she adds sheepishly, removing her hands from him. “Did you sleep well?”
She is golden in the sunlight. Her smile could make flowers grow. The shadows under her eyes have returned to their normal shade, much to his relief. He can’t hide the smile on his face. He hasn’t moved the entire morning, apparently, since she’s exactly where she was when he fell asleep: in his arms. But she smells even better, and her hair looks slightly damp and towel-dried. She must have washed up, then. She runs her thumbs across his cheeks again. He leans into her touch. She makes a quiet noise of content at that.
He nods, not knowing how to sum his feelings (I slept very well and maybe we should sleep like this every night and I love to hold you and—)
If he could paint, he’d paint a portrait of her right now, with all her beautiful hues of gold, apricot, green, and the dusty blue of her tunic. He’s still a bit sleepy. He’s lost the want to hold a grip on his affections.
Then, she seems to realize what she’s doing with her hands. She removes them and glances at him cautiously.
"What are you thinking about right now?" she inquires, staring into his tunic and echoing his own question from the day before. She's avoiding eye contact for some reason. It's a shame—he could easily get lost in her eyes, as sappy as that sounds.
Then, she peeks at him over the edge of his bedsheets endearingly. It’s rare for her to act like this, so shy and meek. While she is quieter now in general, she’s much more self-assured than she was before the Calamity. She’s so cute!
"I want to kiss you," he thinks automatically. He goes to say something innocuous but stops when he sees her eyes widen.
Her face blossoms into a light shade of pink.
Wait...shit. Shit. Did he just say that out loud? The one time he needs to moderate his thoughts he doesn't. He instinctively covers his mouth with his hand. He just ruined everything oh goddesses someone execute him shit shit shit shit shit SHIT
He's still panicking when she meets his eyes again. The corners of her jaw are the most flushed he’s ever seen them. Their gaze holds for an agonizing and overwhelming moment.
"By all means," she breathes, her meekness immediately changing into relief.
No way. Is she serious?
"Are you sure?" he questions, immediately doubting himself, suddenly very nervous. He doesn’t want to overstep or make her uncomfortable or be selfish or—
"I wondered if you'd ever kiss me again," she responds ruefully. "So yes, I'm quite sure."
He registers her words and the guilt sinks in. She waited for him? Didn’t she wait a hundred years for him already? And now he’s unintentionally withholding something from her that makes her happy? He just wanted to respect her wishes and not overstep any bounds!
He wants to hold her tight, but she continues speaking, likely finding something in his expression to comment on. “You are not required to do so if it is against your wishes, or if it makes you uncomfortable. Or if you don’t see me in that way. I have a tendency to jump to conclusions.”
Comfortable? Jumping to conclusions? Of course she”jumped to them”, he literally confessed his feelings to her! He’s been going insane trying to hide his affections. It was easier a century ago, but definitely not now. Definitely not when she’s in his arms and she wants him to kiss her. He definitely owes her an explanation. He does his best to do so. Of course, it doesn’t come out the way he intends.
“I was waiting for you.”
Zelda’s absolutely astounded. She makes a choking noise and grips into his shirt near his shoulders. “I’ve been waiting for you!” she asserts, giving him a little shake as she speaks. “I assumed that you were not partial to physical affection or still becoming used to it.”
The sheer ridiculousness of all of this comes to a head. They were waiting for the exact same reasons, for each other's comfort. It’s kind and considerate on her end, really, but…
“I like physical affection,” he finds himself saying, “if it’s from you.”
Zelda’s eyes light up, and it’s his turn to feel relieved. “Thank the goddesses,” she says. “It has been a challenge to get by without your affections,” she adds honestly.
Now what does that mean? “Get by?” he says, intrigued, and pulls her the tiniest bit closer.
She's incredibly and adorably flustered at his question and their increased closeness. "Well, I suppose I—"
"Suppose what?" he goads, pulling her in just a bit more, feeling bold enough to tease her.
“I…was not the most expedient in preparing the table for dinner last night.”
That doesn’t matter. The table was set, wasn’t it? Who cares about speed? He raises an eyebrow at her, and her blush deepens.
"I only wanted to smell your cloak one last time before I hung it up!" she admits.
He feels his eyes widen, remembering as she fidgeted at the table just before dinner. He doesn't have time to ask for an explanation. She gives one readily.
"I didn't know the next time I'd be able to wear your cloak." She hurriedly continues: "And it smells like you. You smell absolutely wonderful. So I did, but I thought you caught me in the act! Goddesses this is embarrassing—"
Her ink stained hands cover her face for a moment as she curls into his sheets, avoiding his eyes.
She’s never been like this before. Normally, she states things plainly, kindly, and somewhat literally, refusing to conflate her ideas with subtle emotional cues that are hard for him to catch and vice versa. They both take things literally. So, he takes this literally. She is literally so cute. And intelligent. And beautiful and wonderful and a whole bunch of other adjectives.
"What? That's adorable!" He can actually feel the heat casting from her. The thought of her sneaking away just to smell his cloak doesn't help his constant need to kiss her. She's still panicking. He can't help but laugh. "Zelda, seriously, it's fine."
"But don't you think it's odd?" she says, shamefaced, clouded by his bedding.
Why is she mortified by this? "No way. It makes me really happy." He gently takes her wrists into his hands. She looks at them, then back up at his face as he continues. "Wear it whenever you want, I don't mind."
"Alright." Her response is meek but accepting.
He feels an urge to squeeze her for some reason. "I don't mean to say this to invalidate your feelings, but you're adorable when you're flustered."
She makes an indignant sound, her face still somewhat flushed. "What if I do feel invalidated?" she says playfully. "What if I desire retribution?"
"I'd be terrified."
"Terrified?"
"Well yeah," he runs his thumbs across her knuckles. "You could easily grind my bones to dust."
"I could not!"
He laughs and pulls her even closer. “You really could, though,” he insists softly. She’s the only one who could ever curb-stomp the embodiment of evil. If her powers worked against him, she could handily beat him, without a doubt.
He’s been a chatterbox this morning. Holding her wrists should shut him up for a bit. She half-heartedly wrestles away from him, just enough to look at him.
“And you could easily kiss me,” she counters, bringing the conversation back on track.
His heart sprints in his chest as he stares at her, the weight of her request pinning him to the floor. He can't move. Why can't he move? He's never been unable to move, not even when he was terrified for their collective safety on the battlefield.
He just stares at her, dumbfounded.
No way. No way. Seriously? He has permission? She wants this? He wasn’t overstepping? AaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAA. Of course, he knows his face is completely blank. He wishes it weren't so she could see that he's trying to move—
But then she grins. "Come here. Please?"
Well, she asked nicely. She laughed, too. It must be alright then. He gets a grip on his senses, and wraps his arms around her, pulling her even closer to him. He sees the anticipation on her face.
Like all the best things in life, he will savor this. He's here with her, safe, and the world isn't burnt to ashes. She wants this. She wants him.
He's imagined countless scenarios where this happens, where he finally gets to kiss her again. This is far more than ideal. There are so many ways to go about this, though, but it's all what he desires.
"This is—" he stammers,"—Is there any way you want me to?" he asks.
"Hm…" she supposes. "Will you kiss me how you've been wanting to kiss me?"
Oh boy, would he! He's surprised how level his voice is. "Gladly."
She’s a work of art. She’s quite literally a goddess in the flesh. But beyond that, she's just Zelda, a normal person, who's just letting him kiss her.
He tucks a loose piece of hair behind her ear. Wow, it's so soft. How does she make it like that? No matter. Savor this.
Now that he's here and he has permission, it's still hard to allow himself to do the things he's been wanting. To do the things she directly asks of him. He takes a deep breath.
His thumb trails across her cheek. She leans into his touch along with a quiet hum of content. Heat radiates into his palm, centered from the corner of her jaw. So she is blushing. Her eyes flutter closed as he places his other hand on her cheek. She's so close.
Goddesses, does he want to kiss her. All he has to do is lean in.
He finally does.
He's slow, kissing her like he's wanted to for months: gently, languidly, reverently, learning the feeling of her. He's never loved anyone like he loves her. He wants to show that. She makes a relieved sound, and he feels the tension throughout her ease a fraction.
They break apart for a moment. She's speechless, dazed, and the most beautiful person in the world. Their foreheads rest against each other as he continues to trail his thumbs across her cheeks. Her breath graces his skin. Zelda.
Slow, but deeper. He tries to show her how he feels, his yearning for her, all those secret emotions he’s hidden away until now. He angles her head, and he feels her sigh into him. Her cheeks are ever warmer. The pressure and softness of her lips against his own, that electrifying feeling tingling in his chest—especially since she's completely in his arms in his futon—is amazing.
He doesn’t want to stop, but he does anyway, just to see her. Just to ask her a question.
He looks at her shyly, adjusting her in his arms so her face is level with his own. It's easy since she's taller than him. "Was that…?" he trails off, unsure.
She just makes a quiet, needy noise, and pulls him in for more.
…Well then.
"Weren't you going to the lab today?" he finds himself whispering dizzily near her neck a few moments later. She shivers in response.
"There's always tomorrow," she states plainly. He can't help it, he laughs. But then he's absolutely touched.
Ancient technology and helping others is her passion. She's willing to put off her work for an entire day?
"Are you sure?" he asks quietly, with a smile on his face.
"I could do this all day," she says earnestly. Perfect, that makes two of them.
She glances over him. “Your hair—” she grins, running her fingernails through his fringe. A shiver runs down his spine at her touch. Her hair is askew, and her tunic is wrinkled from sleep. Basically, she's absolutely gorgeous. He's holding a brilliant, yet completely normal person who could turn him into ash. He loves that about her. He eyes her blush, wondering what it would feel like against his hands, or more intriguingly…
He moves to the corner of her jaw, finally being able to feel her flush for himself.
"Link, that tickles!"
He smiles against her skin, kissing her again. He can feel her laughing in his arms. Carefree, he places his lips on her neck, right beneath her ear.
She gasps and makes a faint, incredible sound he's never heard before.
He's very relaxed at this point and exceptionally intrigued at her response. It'd be nice to hear that again. He kisses her there once more, and she quiets, her hands gripping to his head a tad.
"Good?" he whispers against her throat.
"Wonderful," she breathes. “Consider my retribution waived. Unless…"
He looks at her. She's planning something, isn't she?
"Unless you're a glutton for punishment," she speculates.
He beams at her. "I am a glutton."
He cuts off her resulting laugh with a kiss.
And with that, any productivity they planned for the afternoon practically flies out the window. They spend the rest of the day making up for lost time. And if there’s not enough time today?
Well, there’s always tomorrow.
#zelink week 2023#yearning#one-shot#fluff#hurt/comfort#mildly suggestive but nothing too serious#post botw#pre totk#they're idiots in love your honor
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10 fic for International Fanworks Day. Here are some fics from my bookmarks that need more love, in no particular order.
Those Who Come Closest (30325 words) by dagas isa Chapters: 11/11 Fandom: Final Fantasy X
Summary: How do ordinary people become Fayth? It takes a certain amount of desire, dedication and desperation. These are their stories.
Propaganda: You want worldbuilding? This fic has got worldbuilding out the wazoo.
Apprentice of the Beast (1651 words) by JetBlackKobold Fandom: Final Fantasy XV
Summary: On their journey to the Disk of Cauthess, five men stop to rest and, bound in each other's company, talk a little. Ardyn is a strange man with a fondness for old stories, poems, songs, and rhymes. With a little prompting, he shares a story about a Beast and a Soldier whose good intentions are corrupted by power.
Propaganda: Backstory, in Ardyn’s own words.
The Endlings (664 words) by TheBrightestNight Fandom: The Sandman (TV 2022), The Sandman (Comics)
Summary: end∙ling /εndlŋg/ n 1 the last known individual of a species or subspecies.
Once the endling dies, the species becomes extinct.
Propaganda: Extinct animal feels.
at the last trumpet (9830 words) by liesmyth Fandom: The Locked Tomb Series | Gideon the Ninth Series - Tamsyn Muir
Summary: the line of the Tomb-keepers demands an heir, no matter the cost. Featuring a small-scale genocide, the breakdown of a marriage, an angry ghost of the MILF persuasion, and a normal amount of bones.
Propaganda: Yes more worldbuilding. Glorious cursed necromantic worldbuilding.
freedom so liberating that we call it magic (2566 words) by EtchJetty, FlaringK Chapters: 2/2 Fandom: The Legend of Zelda: The Ocarina of Time, The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Summary: People don’t talk about Sheik that much. It must have been hell for Zelda, to pretend to be a gender she wasn’t. Especially if she had done it before.
(or: what if zelda was a girl?
Propaganda: TRANS GIRL ZELDA
setting sail, coming home (5989 words) by beaufort12 Chapters: 2/2 Fandom: Hades (Video Game 2018)
Summary: In which Zagreus escapes the underworld, keeps running, and never looks back.
Propaganda: Shameless fix-it fic.
The Moonstone (21266 words) by Vriah, gisho Fandom: The Sandman (TV 2022)
Summary: Morpheus finds a way to avoid killing a vortex - he gives Rose his own heart, forcing her to take his place as Dream. The new Dream has to deal with a life she never expected and try not to repeat her predessor's mistakes.
In the waking world, the people she left behind grieve and wonder. And when Roses's little brother Jed is offered the chance to switch from superhero to questing knight, with some help from an old friend, he leaps at the opportunity.
Propaganda: My boy Jed!
Lampshades on Fire (5739 words) by ostreatus, stellarators Fandom: Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018)
Summary: Or, How Dr. Olivia Octavius Stopped Worrying and Learned to Love the Morally Unambiguous Nature of her Violent Actions.
Summary A review of the scientist-to-supervillian pipeline, based on a longitudinal case study.
Propaganda: The villain origin story we were so cruelly deprived of in canon.
built a lot of castles (12055 words) by basketofnovas Fandom: The Old Guard (Movie 2020)
Summary: In the eighties, Quynh is rescued by a marine archaeologist, and finds herself in an alien world with no easy way to contact Andromache - or even know she's alive.
Propaganda: In which Quynh receives some much-needed comfort in the form of random human kindness.
Inferno Seized (14726 words) by MuseofWriting Fandom: Hades (Video Game 2018)Relationships: Asterius | The Minotaur/Theseus ( Hades Video Game)
Summary: The monster went to Tartarus. The hero went to Elysium.
Or, depending which storytellers you asked, and which songs you heard, maybe the Underworld got it backwards.
Or maybe neither of them were monsters or heroes. Maybe they were just imperfect beings, tied together, messily, terribly, inescapably.
This is the story of how they found each other.
Propaganda: Look its the most eloquent Minotaur/Theseus fic I’ve ever seen.
#fic recs#IFD2024#Final Fantasy X#Final Fantasy XV#The Sandman#The Locked Tomb#The Legend of Zelda#Hades Supergiant#spider man: into the spider verse#The Old Guard
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Day 10 of misusing the fish-uary 2024 prompts and clownfish won the impromptu poll (technically. since you can't make them shorter than a day.)
I had this idea of using the little tentacle enemies from Link to the Past as the anenome stand-in, because I've always been sort of fascinated with them (and I kind of like how the various slime and squiggle enemies in the old Zelda games almost felt like they were there because dungeons are nice and dark and damp).
I think it's sort of neat to play with the monstery creatures of a setting and kind of just imagine how they might interact with the people of that setting (kind of like Slime Rancher but just as a fun little background element).
Here, in my head, the popo are being kept as big ol' pets that just sort of wander around as they please, but the problem is that any visiting Hylians should proooobably keep their distance due to a poison sting, lol.
(Obviously not all Zora would see this as a negative.)
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Hi all! 31 fics are finished for this year's Tickletober: Miya & Mia's Tickletober, prompt list together with @ticklygiggles! An overview of my finished fics can be found below. Thank you to everyone who participated and used our list. I hope you didn't struggle too much, or curse our names like a certain @lovelynim did 🤭
Special SPECIAL thanks to precious @wertzunge 💕 for helping me retrieve my fics after I lost my account. I didn't back them up, and thanks to his help I could get them back and post them on AO3.
Note: not all fics are uploaded on tha tumblrz.
Day 1: Trap | Rengoku x Tengen (Demon Slayer)
AO3 | Tumblr
Day 2: Claws | Josh x Lucy (The Hating Game)
AO3 | Tumblr
Day 3: Villain | TodoBaku (BNHA)
AO3 | Tumblr
Day 4: Mask | Itto x Heizou (Genshin)
AO3 | Tumblr
Day 5: Disguise | Rei x Kazuki (Buddy Daddies)
AO3 | Tumblr
Day 6: Movie | Sawako x Kazehaya (Kimi ni Todoke)
AO3 | Tumblr
Day 7: Playtime | Miyo x Kiyoka (My Happy Marriage)
AO3 | Tumblr
Day 8: Haunted | Dani x Jamie (The Haunting of Bly Manor)
AO3 | Tumblr
Day 9: Mirrors | Hobie & Miles (Across the Spiderverse)
AO3 | Tumblr
Day 10: Cloak | Peter 1 & Peter 2 & Peter 3 (MCU)
AO3 | Tumblr
Day 11: Pumpkin | Beidou x Ningguang (Genshin)
AO3 | Tumblr
Day 12: Wolf | Garu x Eiden (NU: Carnival)
AO3 | Tumblr
Day 13: Prank Call | Enola x Tewkesbury (Enola Holmes)
AO3 | Tumblr
Day 14: Roleplay | Lyney x Wriothesley (Genshin)
AO3 | Tumblr
Day 15: Babysitter | Sengoku & Miyamura (Horimiya)
AO3 | Tumblr
Day 16: Sweets | Ariel x Eric (The Little Mermaid 2023)
AO3 | Tumblr
Day 17: Closet | NSFW - Yiyoung x Daehyung (Work Love Balance)
AO3 | Tumblr
Day 18: Spiderweb | Jean x Marco (AOT)
AO3 | Tumblr
Day 19: Dark | Tokoyami x Shoji (BNHA)
AO3 | Tumblr
Day 20: Cursed | Suzume x Souta (Suzume no Tojimari)
AO3 | Tumblr
Day 21: Horns/Fangs | Sariphi x Leonhart, King of Beasts (Niehime to Kemono no Ou)
AO3 | Tumblr
Day 22: Tail/Wings | Tighnari x Albedo (Genshin)
AO3 | Tumblr
Day 23: Party | Momose x Shirosaki (Atarashii Joushi wa Do Tennen)
AO3 | Tumblr
Day 24: Spell | Maleficent & Aurora (Maleficent)
AO3 | Tumblr
Day 25: Boo | Reader x Solomon, Barbatos, Simeon (Obey Me)
AO3 | Tumblr
Day 26: Thunder | Scara x Childe (Genshin)
AO3 | Tumblr
Day 27: Monster | Link x Zelda (TOTK)
AO3 | Tumblr - Collab with @dokidoki-muffin
Day 28: Silence | Wade x Ember (Elemental)
AO3 | Tumblr
Day 29: Zombie | Hinata & Miya Twins (Haikyuu)
AO3 | Tumblr
Day 30: Fantasy | Simeon x Solomon (Obey Me)
AO3 | Tumblr
Day 31: Halloween | Neuvillette x Wriothesley (Genshin)
AO3 | Tumblr - Collab with @ticklygiggles
#miya&mia's tickletober#tickletober2023#otomiya-tickles#tickle community#tickletober#tickle fic#masterpost
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Chapter Ten: Melody - (written for @zelinktines24 day 10 prompt)
Read below or HERE
Link’s heart pounds as he races through the house looking for Zelda. The visit with Robbie and Jerrin and her subsequent breakdown has exhausted her, and Link had been hesitant to leave her that morning. However, they needed supplies and she insisted she’d be fine for the few hours he’d be gone in Tarrey Town.
His panic rises to epic levels as he calls her name and checks the last room, only to find it empty. Sprinting downstairs, he rushes outside, hands in his hair, and turns in a slow circle wondering where she could have gone. He forces himself to scan the sky above, but it’s thankfully clear of any celestial body, clouds, dragons, or otherwise. Grantéson’s voice cuts through Link’s whirling thoughts, informing him he saw Zelda heading up the path toward the Rasitakiwak Shrine not long ago.
Link shouts a harried thanks as he runs up the hill to the shrine that overlooks the house. He cleared out the constructs long ago, but he hurries all the same. His body vibrates with tension as the elevator descends at what feels like an agonizingly slow pace. Jumping off the platform before it completely settles, Link moves into the dimly lit, cavernous space.
After the machinery’s rumble ceases Link can hear a faint melody echoing through the large hall. That’s new, or he never noticed it before. Once his eyes adjust he follows the sound of the music, looking around pillars and in the darkened corners of the room as he progresses.
Approaching the doorway that leads to the cella, relief floods through Link when he sees Zelda standing in front of Rauru and Sonia’s statues. Her hands are clasped at her breast and she softly sings. Link strains to make out the words, but it sounds like she’s singing in an ancient Hylian dialect. Mesmerized, he pauses at the threshold to observe. As she sings, her hands begin to glow and she opens them, revealing her secret stone.
Link’s heart seizes in his chest, as he holds back a gasp. How can she be so calmly holding it? Doesn’t she remember the physical pain it caused her and the mental anguish him? It takes all his willpower not to charge to the altar, knock the cursed stone from her hands and smash it to smithereens with his sword.
Instead, he clenches his fists and tries to even out his ragged breath while Zelda continues to weave a sorrowful melody that floats in the air around them. The golden light she holds pulses in time, casting eerie shadows over Rauru and Sonia’s stony visages as she draws to a close.
When the last of her echoing voice dissipates and the glow fades from her fingers, Link straightens up and steps inside. His voice comes out in a trembling rasp when he speaks. “Why do you have your stone?”
“Oh!” Zelda startles, eyes darting to the side when she turns and sees him. Her cheeks redden, but she quickly regains her composure, and clasps her hands in front of her, hiding the stone from sight. “I thought maybe if I came here… with the stone, I’d feel their presence. But, I suppose they’re truly gone.”
Sighing, she pockets the wretched stone as she approaches Link, and holds out her hand. He hesitates, wanting to pursue her reasoning behind using the stone. Despite her melancholy, she seems content. He’ll ruin the moment if he voices his misgivings. Link shoves his trepidation to the side and focuses on trying to enjoy the time with her he’s been given.
Hoping she won’t feel how much he’s shaking, he takes her hand and leads her out into the large antechamber, leaving the ghosts of the past behind them.
Zelda looks over with worry in her eyes. “I didn’t mean to frighten you.”
He nods, looking into her emerald green eyes, shining with unshed tears for her long-lost mentors. Link longs to kiss away all the pain and remind her of what they once had.
Zelda must sense the direction his thoughts have taken, since her flush deepens and she ducks her head, twisting away to gaze at the ceiling. “What was the puzzle in this one?”
Link’s disappointment is tangible, but maybe he deserves to feel this way. He can’t help thinking if only he’d been better, stronger, none of this would have happened. He’s to blame for her being lost, and forced to swallow the stone.
“Running over constructs with a concrete slab and shooting them with a cannon.” Link points where the vehicle he’d modified still rests against the wall. She used to love studying the Sheikah technology and had come more alive helping Robbie. If she wasn’t ready for a kiss, perhaps… “Want to see if it still works before we go?”
“Of course! I imagine you enjoyed that immensely.” Zelda releases his hand to pull her journal from her pocket. “Mind if I take notes?”
“How are you going to do that if you’re steering?” The way her eyes light up makes up for his fear, her distance, and is the best reward Link’s ever received inside a shrine.
Many thanks to @floraunderground for betaing this!!!
#legend of zelda#zelink#the legend of zelda#tears of the kingdom#zelinktines24#dailyprompt#prompt melody#secret stone
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October Prompts
There are all sorts of fun prompt lists bouncing around October this year. So I'm gonna, just, pick and choose from all of them.
This post is just a combined list for my brain. Feel free to use it if you want. (Alternate Prompts will be listed at the bottom)
W-Whumptober
AW-AI-Less Whumptober
F-Flufftober
L-Linktober
LS-Linktober Shadow
LQ-Linktober Quest
Day:
Prompt(List);
Prompt(List);
etc.
1:
“But now this room is spinning while I’m trying just to fill in all the gaps.” | Safety Net | Swooning | “How many fingers am I holding up?”(W);
Drugging/Sick/Poisoned(AW);
"I've Got You"(F);
Merchant(L);
Gibdo(LS);
Master of Ceremony Zelda(LQ);
2:
“I’ll call out your name, but you won’t call back.” | Thermometer | Delirium | “They don't care about you.”(W);
Overworked | Insomnia | Exhaustion(AW);
Family, Friends, Loved Ones(F);
Temple(L);
Dodongos(LS);
Festival Location(LQ);
3:
“Like crying out in empty rooms; with no-one there except the moon.” | Journal | Solitary Confinement | “Make it stop.”(W);
Sensory Deprivation | Overstimulation | Isolation(AW);
"Wait you love me?" "I always have"(F);
Friend/Helper/Companion(L);
Twilight(LS);
Monster Motif(LQ);
4:
“I see the danger, It’s written there in your eyes. | Cattle Prod | Shock | “You in there?”(W);
Hiding an Injury | Betrayal | Lying(AW);
Cinderella Moment(F);
Sage(L);
Lost(LS);
Cultural Host(LQ);
5:
“You better pray I don't get up this time around. | Debris | Pinned Down | “It's broken.”(W);
Hostage | Kidnapping | Held at Gunpoint(AW);
X+1(F);
Species/Race(L);
Master Khoga(LS);
Uncommon Participant/s(LQ);
6:
“Do or die, you’ll never make me; Because the world will never take my heart.” | Recording | Made to Watch | “It should have been me.”(W);
Conditioning | Mind Control | Forced to Hurt Somone Else(AW);
Corn Maze(F);
Mask(L);
Shadow Beast(LS);
Cultural Tool(LQ);
7:
“I paced around for hours on empty; I jumped at the slightest of sounds.” | Alleyway | Radio Silence | “Can you hear me?”(W);
Flatline | Restrained | CPR(AW);
Porch Swing(F);
Sky/Sky Islands(L);
Gloom Hands(LS);
Cultural Finale(LQ);
8:
“I’ve got soul, but I’m not a soldier.” | Overcrowded ER | Outnumbered | “It’s all for nothing.”(W);
Panic Attack | Disassociation | Seizure(AW);
Rainy Day(F);
Constructs(L);
Majora(LS);
A Problem to be Solved(LQ);
9:
“Learning everything ain't what it seems, that's the thing about these days.” | Polaroid | Mistaken Identity | “You're a liar.”(W);
Scar Reveal | Interrogation | Presumed Dead(AW);
(...) at First Sight(F);
Deity(L);
Wall/Floor Master(LS);
Scientific Host(LQ);
10:
“Can’t you see that you’re lost without me?” | Broken Phone | Stranded | “You said you'd never leave.”(W);
Branding | Scarring | Collar(AW);
Love of My Life(F);
Zelda(L);
Puppet Zelda(LS);
Massive Machine(LQ);
11:
“All the lights going dark and my hope’s destroyed.” | Animal trap | Captivity | “No one will find you.”(W);
Fainting | Paralyzed | Adrenaline(AW);
Sweet Tooth(F);
Monsters/Beasts(L);
Deadhand(LS);
Cheapest Solution(LQ);
12:
“I haven't slept in days but who's counting?” | Red | Insomnia | “I’m up, I’m up.”(W);
Self-Harm | Sacrifice | Character Death(AW);
Fire and Ice(F);
Princess(L);
Keese(LS);
Cucco Solution(LQ);
13:
“It comes and goes like the strength in your bones.” | Cold Compress | Infection | “I don’t feel so good.”(W);
Earthquake | Flood | Crushed(AW);
Wrong (...)(F);
Ghost/Spirit/Phantom(L);
Poe/Spirit(LS);
Science Judge(LQ);
14:
“Feed me poison, fill me ‘till I drown.” | Flare | Water Inhalation | “Just hold on.”(W);
Bleeding Through the Bandage | Feild Medicine | No Anestesthia(AW);
"I hate it." "No you don't."(F);
Ganon/Ganondorf(L);
Wolfos(LS);
Best Disaster(LQ);
15:
“I don't need you to help me I can handle things myself.” | Makeshift Bandages | Suppressed Suffering | “I’m fine.”(W);
Experimentation | Muzzle | Transformation(AW);
Emergency, Confession, Adventure(F);
Favorite Character(L);
Lynel(LS);
Food Cart(LQ);
16:
“Would you lie with me and just forget the world?” | Gurney | Flatline | “Don’t go where I can’t follow.”(W);
Amputation | Cronic Pain | Hospital(AW);
Singing One Another to Sleep(F);
Dragons(L);
Dragon(LS);
Chef Host(LQ);
17:
“You’re the lump in my throat and the knot in my chest.” | Collar | Touch Aversion | “Leave me alone.”(W);
Hypothermia | Heat Stroke | "You look a little pale."(AW);
Encouraging S.O. to Achieve a Goal(F);
Prophecy(L);
Redead(LS);
Strange Food(LQ);
18:
“I tend to deflect when I’m feeling threatened.” | Blindfold | Tortured For Information | “Hit them harder.”(W);
Fever | Vomiting | Warm Soup(AW);
"Didn't you plan for this to happen?"(F);
Boss(L);
Final Boss(LS);
Hot/Cold(LQ);
19:
“I’ll take one final step, all you have to do is make me.” | Floral Bouquet | Psychological | “I’m not as stupid as you think I am.”(W);
Taken For Granted | Left Behind | "Why wasn't I enough?"(AW);
Keeping Someone Safe(F);
Zonai(L);
Gohma(LS);
Potion Vendor(LQ);
20:
“People don’t change people, time does.” | Blanket | Found Family | “You will regret touching them.”(W);
Dehumanization | Stolkhome Syndrome | Master and Servant(AW);
Pumpkin(F);
Fire/Lava/Heat(L);
Gleeok(LS);
Main Course(LQ);
21:
“See the chains around my feet.” | Vows | Restraints | “Don't move.”(W);
Blood Loss | Shock | Near Death Experience(AW);
Swoon(F);
Link(L);
Shadow/Dark Link(LS);
Food Fight(LQ);
22:
“They never saw us coming, ‘til they hit the floor.” | Glass Shard | Vehicular Accident | “Watch out!”(W);
Whipping | Punishment | Stress Position(AW);
Picking(F);
NPC(L);
Yiga Clan(LS);
Arena/Field(LQ);
23:
“It’s gonna get me by the end of the night.” | Shadows | Stalking | “Who’s there?”(W);
Begging | "Take me instead." | Forced to Watch(AW);
Trinket(F);
Child/Children(L);
Wizzrobes(LS);
Processional(LQ);
24:
“I’ve got a head full of chemicals; mouth full of ridicule.” | Goodbye Note | Neglect | “I thought they were with you.”(W);
Failed Escape | Hunted Down | Too Tired to Keep Running(AW);
(Melting Face Emoji)(F);
Korok/Kikwi/Kokiri(L);
Lizalfos(LS);
Link Joins In(LQ);
25:
“You’re not delivering a perfect body to the grave.” | Storm | Buried Alive | “They’re not breathing!”(W);
Nightmares | Flashback | "Why didn't you save me?"(AW);
Nook(F);
Fairy(L);
Girahim(LS);
Mini-Game(LQ);
26:
“Sometimes I get so tired; I don’t even know myself.” | Seeing Double | Working To Exhaustion | “You look awful.”(W);
Magical Exhaustion or Injury | Curse | Came Back Wrong(AW);
Overgrown(L);
Fireplace(F);
Skull Kid(LS);
Unlikely Character(LQ);
27:
“You drew stars around my scars; But now I’m bleeding.” | Matches | Scars | “Let me see”(W);
Forgotten | Locked Away | Immortal(AW);
Plants/Forest(L);
Outdoor Event(F);
Large Enemy(LS);
Rival(LQ);
28:
“We might not make it to the morning; so go on and tell me now.” | Bloody Knife | Sacrifice | “You'll have to go through me.”(W);
Whumpee Hair Pulling | Oxygen Deprivation | Sweating(AW);
Soothing Touch(F);
Light/Sparkle/Bright(L);
Gloom/Malice(LS);
Clash(LQ);
29:
“I only sink deeper the deeper I think.” | Scented Candle | Troubled Past Resurfacing | “What happened to me?”(W);
"The easy way or the hard way." | Bargaining | Forced to Choose(AW);
"Hey wake up!"(F);
Aquatic/Water(L);
Nightmare(LS);
Trophy(LQ);
30:
“It’s okay, just to say, ‘I’m not okay’.” | Borrowed Clothing | Bridal Carry | “Not much longer...”(W);
Possession | Mind Game | Coma(AW);
Self-Worth/Self-Love(F);
Favorite Game(L);
Volvagia(LS);
Cleanup Crew(LQ);
31:
“I thought that I was getting better.” | Emptiness | Setbacks | “Take it easy.”(W);
PTSD | Headaches | Crying(AW);
Dreams do Come True(F);
Free for All(L);
Free for All(LS);
Commemorative Dessert(LQ);
Alternate Prompts:
Betrayal(W)
Aftermath of Failure(W)
Brass Knuckles(W)
Decoy(W)
Body Modification(W)
Playing Cards(W)
Examination(W)
Hunting(W)
Drugging(W)
Shaking(W)
Panic(W)
Broken(W)
Miscommunication(W)
Lab Rat(W)
Reluctant Whumper(W)
Bloody Knuckles(AW)
Gunshot Wound(AW)
Separated from Loved Ones(AW)
Drowning(AW)
Blackmail(AW)
Crying to Sleep(AW)
Disowned by Family(AW)
Electrocution(AW)
Forced Feeding(AW)
Bullied(AW)
Suffocation(AW)
Abandoned(AW)
Grief(AW)
Human Shield(AW)
Self-Defense(AW)
Lab Rat(AW)
Memory Loss(AW)
Misunderstanding(AW)
Hypnosis(AW)
Mutilation(AW)
Mouth Stitched Shut(AW)
Nerve Damage(AW)
Nervous Breakdown(AW)
Words Carved Into Skin(AW)
Stalked(AW)
Non-Consensual Touching(AW)
Paranoia(AW)
Peer Pressure(AW)
Prison(AW)
Silent Treatment(AW)
Truth Serum(AW)
Hot Chocolate(F)
“You told your parents?”(F)
Wearing Each Other's Clothes(F)
Candles, Lanterns, Fairy Lights(F)
“Oh no, you’re a morning person!”(F)
Reverse all the Roles(F)
Fairytale Retelling(F)
Give your Character a new Occupation(F)
Crossover of Two or More Fandoms(F)
Have your Characters Share the Last Table at a Cafe(F)
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#csp is making this linktober so easy ive got 7 prompts done already and its not even september yet#<< this statement is going to become untrue the second classes start. but. whatever
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Linktober (Shadow) Day 10
(Puppet) Zelda
Summer Stop Showcasing Your Love for Twilight Princess and Sleep Deprivedly Writing when Exam Season is Right Around the Corner Challenge (Impossible) /j
Look, we don't talk enough about the Zelda's (or as I affectionately call them, Valkyries) and certainly not about Dusk, whom I am still so bitter that they gave her such a good design but never did anything with it, hence this is my attempt to fix that by giving her the spotlight and some love and give homage to the original Puppet Zelda, Dusk walked so Flora could run it (or well, TP Ganon did so TOTK Ganon could), hence I smashed these two prompts together lol, might make it a two parter after the others are done, but for now as always it's left to interpretation.
As always anything can be read as romantic or platonic or in and out of an LU concept, though the names are used for convenience and to give a rough idea of which kind of scenario we're working with here. Though it's less one of the boys and reader and more one of the ladies and reader this time, if that's not your cup of tea then kindly scroll by, again, this is just something very self indulgent before I pass out and work on the rest lol.
Anyway, good reading!
You slowly but surely came to adore festivals in Hyrule.
No matter the era, it filled you with so much joy whenever your group would come to a new Hyrule during the Hylian holidays, from the Picori Festival in Four's Era, to the Harvest Festival in Legend's, the Pioneering Celebration's in Wind's or the Spring and Summer Equinoxes in Time's and Warrior's, it usually meant your heroes would get the chance to unwind and relax, to eat good food with little worry for a portal (as they strangely didn't appear directly during festival days), you could see the Chain's family and friend's and have such a good time eating or dancing or learning the tradition's from your boy's. Such a stroke of luck came the next time you landed on Twilight's Era, as well as an invitation letter from Dusk to come to Castle Town and celebrate.
(Also translated as 'The nobles are probably hounding her about having 'The One Who Purged the Twilight' make at least one appearance in the castle and she couldn't stall them anymore' by Twilight, with tone tinged by exasperation and aggravation both, albeit much less than the poison of the sharp bitterness of Legend towards the nobility, Wild's tense silence that could mean a memory, or even Warrior's passive aggressiviness when it came to formal events.)
It would be the first time you'd truly meet a Zelda since joining the Chain, and Dusk was likely the most curious case, being crowned queen soon after the Twilight invasion was over and done with and only show during times of war and the only one to have an almost fully cordial relationship with Twilight until the coronation (even Time was closer with Lullaby according to Malon, likely due to knowing her future self). Neither you nor Twilight could say you knew much about her compared to the other's and their respective princesses (or queen's in Warrior's case), so it was a surprise to be invited at all though none of you could say you minded, the plaza of Castle Town was brilliantly decorated in the late autumn sun, with the decorations glowing orange, yellow and blue witth lanterns and banners all around Castle Town, with decorated shops many stalls rented out for food, games and people, from young children laughing as they played to couples stealing kisses to family and friend's reuniting, it was no surprise you and your boys also got lost in the excitment after having set off from Ordon's own festival, decked out in fall colors and the green many of them favored and paint made to mimic Ordona's markings , you and Twilight getting swept away in the dance at the center with one of the many traveling troupes of musicians, you couldn't help your bright grin to match his as you occasionaly had to dodge running children in between the spinning dancers, clapping along to the song, just a few dances before you had to head on to the castle and finally meet Zelda wouldn't hurt, right?
"Pardon me," Came the soft, musical tone of your new partner, spiriting you away from Twilight with a small smile as he excused himself to find WIld and hopefully some refreshments.
At least that was what you thought, before almost having your heart jump out of your throat by Queen Zelda Vespera Hyrule herself entering the ring of dancers, taking you as a partner.
"Your-"
She spun you around with a hum, you almost struggled to keep up in your shock thought thankfully she held you steady, dark, ash inked hair held steady in a braided crown, looseing around her shoulders and eyes vibrant with vaguely masked cerulean amusement as she shook her head, the lanterns casting burning gold upon her irises, "No need for that. I'd rather my presence not be announced. I thought I'd meet you and Link halfway, away from the court." Another twirl, and she sighs, understandingly, as regal as ever, her gloved palm upon yours warm as you are sure your face is, "He's expressed dislike for the castle in the past and I cannot blame him for such, it's only fair I find him first then, after all he's done for us."
You are briefly separated, as you digest the information and reeling from the surprise, it makes sense. None of the Link's were overly fond of Hyrule Castle and Twilight was no exception, with the nobles who minimally contributed to anything yet demanded reward or for their schemes to be enabled and the complacent knights, easily swayed by the honeyed words of vipers and who were useless in the face of true danger even during the invasion, none of your boys - even Warriors who learned how to swim or drown in that mess - felt comfortable there. You can't imagine it wasn't similar for Dusk, even growing up among them.
... She did seem very lonely, even back then.
You dance back into her arms, nodding easily as you take her in, with her hair braided in white ribbons and cream, ruffled poet's shirt and lightly heeled riding boots, she really did look just like any other young woman out for a night of festival fun, albeit breathtakingly beautiful just the same, "Alright then, would Zelda be fine then?"
Her smile was radiant, as bright as the lanterns in the plaza in contrast to her shaded lips, voice soft like the whisper of a breeze through autumn leaves, "It's perfect, I'm so glad to finally be able to meet you personally." She twirls you, and you laugh as it transitions into an unexpected dip, the disguised queen giggling in turn and it's soft and fluttering, "Link's letters don't do you full justice, the flesh is much more captivating than the imagination."
"Says the Queen of Hyrule," You snipe back, hoping to all being's holy in this land and the realms beyond that you are not flushing crimson enough to outshine the lanterns, you briefly catch a glimpse of Twilight, standing somewhere just beyond the dancers and sipping on an apple cider, you lock eyes and you briefly tilt your chin to Zelda, 'So. This is the Queen of Hyrule. HELP?!'
He briefly looks you over, seemingly studying the situation, then gives you a wolfish smirk at whatever he saw, 'Have fun.' He mouths, taking a long swig.
'Traitor.' You hiss in your thoughts because turns out you are NOT well equipped to handle Hylian Royalty suddenly sweeping you off your feet (literally) without ample preparation and your only hope of composing yourself clearly wasn't going to help, so you smile and continue on, "I'm hardly that much, but thank you, y- Zelda."
"Nonsense," She primly answers, before you switch partners once more, to the left, then back to Dusk, and back again, she tilts her head, humming contemplatively, "Would you mind showing me around the festival? I'm sure Link won't mind if I steal you for a couple moments."
You chuckle, "I hardly know Castle Town all that well myself, I doubt I'd be a good guide." And that's true, you've only seen it distantly, during Twilight's adventure, it could hardly compare to the real thing.
She smiles, somethibg soft and beautiful and sharp with amusement, eyes glinting like clouded aquamarine, rhodedendron eargerness and hydrangea beautiful, "Then I suppose we'll just explore it together then, shall we go?"
"We shall." You answer back, after all, it's not everyday you can say you went to a festival with a Zelda.
She links her arm with yours, grip tight and warm.
(Later, although not much later, Twilight will meet Dusk at Telma's.
She had not even seen you on the way, though she had been looking forward to your meeting.)
#linked universe x reader#linked universe dusk x reader#linked universe twilight x reader#albeit more implied#shout out to those who catch the hints and symbolism as to what's going on here lol#Twilight meeting Dusk later: Wait what do you MEAN Reader isn't with you?! You literally cut in our dance and started wooing them!#Dusk very confused: I did? I think I'd remember someone whom you described so fondly#Meanwhile Reader: *Having the time of their life and something of a panic*#It's a shame Dusk doesn't get more screen time. Like I get they didn't want to detract from Midna and Ilia but it's a shame#Twilight and Dusk would absolutely be besties with time after TP and in this essay I will-#Shout out to the OG Puppet Zelda and I have no shame in showcasing my bias for Twilight Princess lmao#summer writes linktober 2023#summer writes linktober shadow 2023#summer writes#Really tempted to write a continuation but gotta work on the other prompts and to fist fight exam season
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assuming youre asking for like general loz/totk thoughts, what are your thoughts/ideas that have sprouted from the light dragon?
No worries!
I actually got spoiled about the Light Dragon, literally on TotK's release day. Partly because of the YouTube algorithm and partly because my sheer curiosity was too strong that day. I essentially went into a singular state of TotK madness that day and the next 2 weeks afterwards. lmao
So I didn't get a strong emotional reaction like many other players did to the "reveal" once I knew what happened and why the Light Dragon exists. And as a result, I had a different gamplay experience as well as a different set of headcanons to how Link would comprehend the Light Dragon's existence.
And MAJOR TOTK SPOILERS AHEAD. Reader's discretion advised.
(and long post incoming....)
The whole plot twist about Zelda transforming into the Light Dragon to spend the next 10 000 years to repair and infused her Sacred Powers into the Master Sword. It actually reminded me a lot of Doctor Who and the story tropes they had in regards to time travelling and what kind of impact that would inflict onto the characters involved. Particularly their individual perspectives of time.
Zelda essentially had to take the long path to the future.
With no other options to time travel herself back to the future...along with the Master Sword needing to be repaired...with what little time she had left. Zelda chose to undergo draconification and in a way, the Light Dragon was her vassal to travel into the future.
And...dare I say, to describe Zelda's plan to - transforms into an immortal dragon and restore the Master Sword for the next 10 000 years and that Link will hopefully recognise her as the Light Dragon and retrieve the Master Sword from her - as "long shoot" would be an understatement.
Her chances of her plan to succeed is - in the closest real life terms I can think of - the equivalent of NASA launching the New Horizon satelite in 2006, travelling through space in hibernation until it reached Pluto in the closest range that they could get to, in 2015. And it worked! (There's probably a better analogy to this but this is the closest I can think of.)
AND THEN, at the ending when the Light Dragon was transformed back into Zelda and how she woke up with the "feeling of a warm hug". This indicates that despite the looong path to the future she had to take... Her time perspective felt so short!
One moment, she was in a state of pain-filled dread and hope before her draconifcation. The next moment, she was in the warm arms of Link.
AND THEN THERE'S LINK'S OWN TIME PERSPECTIVE.
For Link, it must be very jarring for him to experience the whiplash of the Light Dragon's reveal as he experienced each Dragon's Tear memory.
One day, Link's arm almost gets severely damaged along with the Master Swird and watches Zelda disappear in a flash of light. Then the next moment, he wakes up with a strange new arm and then watches the Decayed Master Sword disappear in the same way as Zelda! And then finds out that its been....a month I guess (they didn't really say how long were Link & Zelda were missing from Hyrule) and the Upheavel happened while Link was in a coma...again.
And then...a week or heck a month later...Link finds out that Zelda willingly sacrificed her own state of being and spent the next 10 000 years as the Light Dragon as a means to travel back to the future and strengthen the Master Sword....all for HIM.
That is so gut wretching for Link to find out.
Whether or not, Zelda was completely lost in the Light Dragon...or was in a "state of preserved slumber" is another question though. Especially after the Ending.
I don't know if other players think about what the Wibbly-Wobbly-Timey-Wimey perspectives would be like for these two. But this is my deep thoughts about the Light Dragon and the story plot around it.
--
I do have a couple of prompts and comic ideas in regards to Link and the Light Dragon. Including my headcanon on how Link would react it to the Light Dragon's reveal, based on my perspective. A comic idea of Link spending time with the Light Dragon.
Also noodle cuddles.
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Hi friends! Here's a thought that's been rattling around in my head for a minute
I was planning on using November to work on Astor-related projects I've been neglecting, and I thought I'd expand it into something everyone could join. More info below
I'm envisioning this working like a combination of Linktober and Astor Week, since Astor Week hasn't been announced for 2023. Make and share whatever you'd like! Art, crafts, photography, writing, memes, cosplays, etc. Each week has a theme and each day has a prompt, so feel free to create something for every day, once a week, one thing for the whole month, come and go as you please.
Week 1: Prophet of Doom, generic character/aesthetic prompts
1. Prophet
2. Celestial
3. Divination
4. Jewelry
5. Braids
6. Robes
7. Makeup
Week 2: Backstory, give us the info we should have gotten in the dlc
8. Malice
9. Astrolabe
10. Circlet
11. Hometown
12. Fortune Teller
13. Cult
14. Chosen
Week 3: Age of Calamity, fandom week for the game that gave us our cardboard man
15. Harbinger
16. Calamity
17. Demon King
18. Monster
19. Thread
20. Blood Moon
21. Doom
Week 4: The Future of Hyrule, headcanons and theories about Astor in the larger Legend of Zelda universe, plus less specific bonus prompts
22. Post-Calamity [Peace]
23. Time Travel [Crossover]
24. Breath of the Wild Universe [Wild]
25. Tears of the Kingdom Universe [Ruins/Zonai]
26. Victorious AU [Victory]
27. Redemption AU [Redeemed]
28. Barbie Astor [Headcanons]
Week 5: Wednesday 29 & Thursday 30, the final days. Show us your favorite companion. Canon, non-canon, and original characters all welcome! And a free day, do whatever you'd like or share your visions for what Playable Astor could have been
29. Companion
30. Free Day [Playable Astor]
All creative works are welcome, as are all subjects. Just make sure everything is posted on a platform that will host it, and make sure everything is appropriately tagged so other fans can avoid things they do not want to see.
#astor age of calamity#astor aoc#astor hwaoc#astor prophet of doom#age of calamity#hyrule warriors age of calamity#astorvember
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