#Allow me to show you... your future. :: [THE KING OF HYRULE]

[thecagedsong]

I think why I dislike Zelda’s story in TOTK is that on paper it initially reads as a do over of her arc in BOTW. She finally meets supportive parents who encourage her to research instead of sacrificing herself. Rauru sacrifices himself so that Zelda won’t have to. But instead of Zelda researching a way to help her kingdom in the future, she sacrifices herself again. What’s the takeaway? She learns to kill herself better? To me, she basically reaffirms Rhoam’s toxic beliefs that her intelligence, curiosity, and desire for knowledge were all worthless and embodies a misogynistic holy maiden archetype.

There are parallels, meant to show how much Zelda has grown, but I disagree that the point is to reaffirm Rhoam's teachings and disregard her own mortal strengths.

Zelda was allowed to explore the ways her knowledge, curiosity, kindness, and intelligence can help her kingdom. That was the nearly earliest things Zelda did. It was those traits, not any powers, that made everyone in the kingdom love her. Being herself and walking her own path. It was her love of recipes and ancient ruins and animals and hiking and painting and teaching that built her a home in Hateno and in post-calamity Hyrule. All the peoples of Hyrule see her as she is, no holy powers, and they use her title of 'Princess' as a sign of love and respect, not because of societal scaffolding of the monarchy. Link searches for Zelda because of who she is, because of the relationship they are shown to have through Zelda's diaries, and that's why Zelda's not found until she's in his arms with all her memories, because finding the source of the holy power to help him defeat the demon king isn't enough.

If the sacrifice to restore the master sword was enough, where the holy maiden archtype ends, the quest to find Zelda would end when Link saw the memory of her turning. If Link was a new hero, a blacksmith, a boy raised by forest spirits, it would be enough to honor Zelda's sacrifice by defeating the demon king. If a new hero had nothing but the memories and the dragon. But by looking at everything Zelda did during the time skip, by seeing mortal Zelda for who she is, by looking at the relationship between her and Link then it is in no way enough.

It's kind of funny that you limit Rauru's purpose to a father figure in Zelda's arc. Rauru does not sacrifice himself not so Zelda won't have to, Zelda sacrificing herself to contain him a la botw isn't even on the table.

Rauru's arc is one of humility. He welcomes Ganondorf and the Gerudo into his castle because he believes that it is better for him to be there so Rauru can keep an eye on him. Zelda warns him that Ganondorf is dangerous, but Rauru's arrogance lets him in. Why shouldn't Rauru be arrogant? He has secret stones, his people are worshipped as gods, he's built a kingdom, his wife controls time itself (though in a limited capacity compared to Zelda, who is also on his side). Like every other king of Hyrule before him, Rauru ignores Zelda's knowledge of the future and doesn't trust her word, being Zonai does not change this fault among the kings of Hyrule.

Rauru underestimates Ganondorf. We can fill in some of the blanks that Ganondorf was able to replicate Zelda because he had interacted with her, that he knew the layout of hyrule castle because he had been invited in. Both things that allowed him to kill Sonia. Even to the end, when Zelda tells Rauru of the future (you're going to die in this battle, it's how I got your secret stone, you seal him not defeat him). Rauru still has a shadow of that arrogance when he tells her not to worry, Zelda changed the past by coming back, we'll kill him for sure. We see Rauru accepting his fate to die being the lock on Ganondorf, accepting that Zelda was right, accepting that his role is not to be the one to avenge his wife, and he has to do that for HYRULE, even though he himself doesn't want to. A theme of self-sacrificial love. If you label Zelda's sacrifice in botw as the holy maiden archetype but don't label Rauru the same way, that's misogynistic btw.

Zelda's kindness and ability to bring people together, her mortal traits, are what keeps the sage's spirits tied to their secret stones until the time comes again for their successors to use them against the demon king. They swear themselves to help someone based on Zelda's faith in Link, because they trust her as the leader of the sages (a role that would more naturally fall to Mineru, but Zelda takes it instead because that is part of who she is as well.)

In botw, Zelda unlocked her powers because she had learned to love one person: Link. She locked herself with the Calamity so Link would have a chance to live again and come rescue her. Hyrule distinctly does not love Zelda in botw, her own court gossips about her failures and Zelda presumes that everyone hates for her failures just as much as she hates herself.

In totk, Zelda swallowed the stone because she had learned to love more than just Link. She had learned to love all of Hyrule, and she because she was once again taking up her mantle as Protector of Hyrule (not Link) and so would sacrifice herself for it, something she could only do because she had come to love it as she had and because Hyrule had loved her in return.

The take-away from Zelda's story is that with great power comes great responsibility. That in being a good leader means sacrificing for your people. (Can you imagine if politicians today had a fraction of this kind of self-sacrificial love?) That love comes when you are yourself and reach out to others. That there will be times when you are the only one capable of acting, and that action requires a leap of faith because you cannot achieve great things alone. All these themes are unique to totk and present in more stories than just Zelda's character arc, which is part of good writing. If you reduce her to a sacrificial maiden, that's your misogyny, not the writing.

Stories are often about giving up the things that you want so you can achieve the things that you need. And if you have a problem with a story presenting self-sacrificial love as a need that people must give up the things they want to achieve, that's a personal dislike, not a sign of bad writing.

Zelda has almost ALWAYS been connected to her role as a leader/protector that must give up her own wants for the greater good of her people, which might be where the sense of misogyny is actually coming from. That it is Link that gives the final sword stroke and Zelda that needs to be rescued, but the fact that the story of Zelda and Link overcoming evil is told over and over again doesn't mean its bad writing, the story telling basic blocks are the same to connect the games within the greater franchise. Self-sacrificial love is always a part of Zelda's theme because of her role as a leader, just like exploration and growing up are always a part of Link's themes as the player character of humble origins.

The Kingdom must fall to have a story about saving it. Zelda must demonstrate what a good leader is supposed to do when the kingdom falls. Link must leave home and find a way to conquer evil to have a story about saving it and because we all have to find a way to save our homes when something in life threatens it, and the solution to the problem is found outside and from the courage within yourself.

OoT gave up her identity, then gave up Link (the story acknowledges this when you need silent princesses to upgrade the sheik mask AHHHHH!). SS is literally based upon a goddess giving up godhood for the sake of preserving Hyrule against Demise. TP gave up her kingdom to the shadows of Twilight to preserve it, then gave up her body to help Midna. Tetra gave up the freedom of being a pirate to rebuild her kingdom. It's about what it means to be a good leader, what it means to love, and yeah, what it means to touch divinity. I find Zelda inspiring.

#totk meta #ask thecagedsong #totk spoilers #Zelda #zelink #loz meta

[jheselbraum]

Another thing I'll say about oot ganondorf is that I underestimated the bones of that man.

I came into botw having only played albw, which I loved but didn't really have ganondorf in it at all, just ganon and even then he was kinda the 11th hour power up for the actual villain of the game. I knew of Ganondorf but I'd never played the games he was in, at least not all the way through. So when he showed up in totk I was like "oh neat, hope they're not racist about it" (we all know how that turned out) but I didn't really have context for like... what people who had played oot and tp and ww all the way through were really expecting, if that makes sense? And when the game first came out and all the "holy shit totk retconned oot?" video essays followed suit I looked at oot ganondorf and totk ganondorf and went "no there's no way they're the same person, any more than zelda and sonia are the same person" and I still think that's true but for a different reason now.

Cause as someone who quit their first run of oot halfway through the shadow temple because I have no nostalgia for that game and the revelation that on top of all the bullshit link was going through, the royal family you were helping put back in power used to black bag people they didn't like to be tortured in their torture dungeon before ganondorf's coup proved too high a cost for 17 year old me to justify the time spent slogging through the dated gameplay.

And at that point in the game, you haven't been to Gerudo Valley yet, and you haven't seen what Ganondorf actually looks like now, and I think those two things are really important.

Cause, the orientalism of the whole concept of the 'save the carpenters' sidequest aside, the first thing you as a player learn about the Gerudo now that you've actually gotten to interact with them is that they're... actually pretty chill. I hate the stealth sidequests in the early zelda games because they're fucking difficult and the Gerudo Valley one in particular is fucking racist as shit (other people have explained why a lot better than I ever could but having your society of all brown women suddenly start respecting the white male protagonist after he proved himself in combat is fucked up) but they never actually hurt you unless you're in direct combat with the guard minibosses and, connotations aside, I think that given the context it's important to note that. Because your fight is with Ganondorf, yeah, and he's a Gerudo, yeah, but as far as we can tell, the Gerudo don't have any particular ongoing beef with the Hylians, and if I had to ascribe real-world terms to it, I feel like the implication buried under the orientalism inherent to the situation is that the Gerudo view the Hylians as citizens of a vassal state that is ruled by their king, and not as enemy combatants in an ongoing war. To them, Ganondorf assassinated the Hylian king, took control of Hyrule, and that was that. They're not allowed in en masse but if they can prove they have a half decent resume then they're fine, it's whatever.

Additionally, there's the part during the Spirit Temple where Navi is a racist little shit. When you enter the room with the giant Sand Goddess statue as an adult, she says that the face of the statue looks "evil." And you've already seen this room as a child so when I got to that dialogue I expected her face to actually be different in the future and it wasn't. She was still just sitting there, minding her business. Nice one, Navi. And what that line of dialogue is in a Doylist context is a hint that you're supposed to desecrate the Gerudo's temple in order to progress. Nice one, Link. (Side note, were Koume Kotake and Nabooru just... locked in that back room until someone came in and desecrated the temple? Cause like. There wasn't a fire exit or anything that I could see). But what it is in a Watsonian context is a reflection on the general Hylian view of the Gerudo and their gods, despite the fact that Navi is a fairy and not a Hylian.

So in the Gerudo Valley, the Gerudo aren't really all that hostile towards you, and you endear yourself to them pretty quickly. Link and Navi are more hostile than the Gerudo as a whole. And most of this interpretation is buried under implications and orientalist writing, but it's still important context for later.

So, progressing on to Ganondorf's castle and the final fight, we the player see that Ganondorf looks different than he did in the child timeline, and even looks different from the phantom version of him from the forest temple, before he put on his mask. And you see that his ears are pointy now. And I don't put a lot of stock into the ear racist in Castle Town in the child timeline, I don't think Hylians have pointy ears literally to hear the voices of the gods. Maybe that's just me, because I came from botw where the plot was Zelda the Hylian woman with pointy ears who is literally the incarnation of a goddess cannot hear gods despite her pointy ears, and totk where Link is the only one at Lookout Landing who can speak to the Bargainer, and only Link and Jerrin are able to hear the voice of the Horned God, both of whom are gods and despite the fact that Lookout Landing is crawling with pointy eared Hylians, so obviously whatever's going on with all that it's got jack shit to do with ear shape. But I do think the ear racist guy is, dev intended, just spouting racist bullshit the Hylians came up with to make themselves feel superior. So the choice to make post-triforce-acquisition Ganondorf's ears pointy is an interesting one, because the only thing about Ganondorf that we know changed in the past seven years was that he went into the sacred realm and acquired a piece of the triforce. And I'm not the first person to say that the triforce gave Ganondorf divine madness. Hell, I even knew about that interpretation going in to the game, but what the choice to alter Ganondorf's ears in the future does is it implies a reason for why everything just started getting bad in the adult timeline recently.

Cause you can go back to the child timeline in oot and everything's... fine. Like Ganondorf is in power, we haven't gone back to before that happened because the Deku Tree is still dead af and Zelda isn't in the courtyard, and occasionally the people in Castle Town will mention some sort of commotion at the castle that happened recently, but he didn't gain the Hylian throne and immediately start freezing Zoras and terrorizing Kokiri and genociding Gorons.

And none of this is ever touched upon directly by the narrative, it is entirely within the realm of implications, but at the very least it was enough to change my opinion on oot era Ganondorf from "Look at how he's designed, how compelling can he be?" to "oh, wait, actually there is something really interesting in here under all the racist writing"

Oot ganondorf is not a character that is particularly well written, Nintendo dropped the ball from his inception to the present day, but even if I don't necessarily share that disappointment, because my expectations were different, now that I've played oot and know what the quality of this character's bones really is and have a better picture of what kind of character people were expecting I can at least understand why people were disappointed when totk ganondorf was nothing like oot era ganondorf.

#theres two kinds of racism in oot #the kind the devs had themselves and the kind the devs put into the game in service of the story they were trying to tell #oot is a masterclass in how a writers own racism can completely bury their intent #the ''are totk ganondorf and oot ganondorf the same person'' thing is mostly here to help explain the conclusion #ive said it before and ill say it again #oot is the speed racer the next generation of zelda games #there are bones here and we can do things with the bones

[ashwolffe]

Request from the prompt thing - ❛ i’m the problem . and there’s nothing i can do about it . ❜ with Wind. LU, one of his games, you can pick. Time to angst a kid.

Hello Anon! Thank you for the prompt :) I’m going off of my Dad! Ganon au. So there is context for that before the actual prompt. The prompt is under read more! 

❛ I’m the problem.  And there’s nothing I can do about it.  ❜ Wind

Wind didn’t defeat Ganon after his adventure because all the man wanted was to make a wish. Ganon wasn’t a good person, but he wasn’t evil either. He desired to combine the great seas with the old Hyrule from below.

The King had been surprised at the request and realized maybe he was wrong about Ganon. Perhaps, the sea wouldn’t be covering the lands below, if he had allowed the Gerudo to live in the green fields of Hyrule. He smiled at Wind and Tetra. “I leave the future to you. My soul can rest now.” The ghost smiled softly as he gently wiped away Wind’s tears. He stared at Ganon, his former enemy. 

“Take care of them for me.” the man’s golden eyes widened. He hesitated before giving the nod. The spirit laughed and felt peace for the first time in years! 

Fast forward a few months, Wind had been exploring the great seas alongside Tetra when he awoke in a dream world. Again, Wind didn’t start his journey just to save the world. He was just trying to find Tetra. He ended up saving the world and Tetra again. Linebeck belonged in the dream world. He was forced to say goodbye. 

Ganon didn’t want to become the leader of the settlement. But it ended up happening anyway. He was a natural-born leader. No one knew of the crimes he committed. Wind and Tetra promised not to say a word as long as Ganon kept his promise to the king. And slowly over the years, they became a family. 

Wind wasn’t surprised that Granny accepted Ganon into the family. What surprised him was how fast Aryll started calling Ganon ‘Dad’. Tetra called him gramps or old man, depending on her mood. It took Wind a year before he accepted Ganon as his Dad. 

Wind was 14 when the portal appeared. Ganon was angry. He knew the gods were probably doing this because Wind forced them to acknowledge that he was the hero. But his child was excited to go on another journey. He packed up his things and told everyone he was going on an adventure. Ganon forced himself to smile. 

“Good luck, my son. Come home safe.” He quickly hugged his son. Wind’s ears turned ruby as he hugged back tightly. He waved goodbye as he walked through the portal.  

A few months later

Wind was excited to go home. Tetra, Granny, Aryll, and his dad were waiting for him on his island. He would talk for hours about his family with a playful smile. But Wind left out detail to the rest of the chain. That Ganon is his dad. 

When the portal opened up, it deposited them in his backyard. It was late evening, the sun setting. Annnnd his dad was sitting on the porch reading to Aryll. Or was. Once she laid eyes on Wind, she jumped off his lap to go hug. Wind hugged her back. It was then he could feel the tension coming from his brothers. Specifically from the ones who had faught Ganon- crap.

“Hello, you must be the heroes Wind mentioned in his letters.” Ganon set aside the book and stood up. 

“Yep!” he chirped answering for them. His dad chuckled before gesturing to the house. 

“Come inside! You must be tired from your travels. I’m sure Granny will be able to whip up some soup for you all.” His father smiled, never once wavering. Even though hostility was thick in the air. 

“I’ll go help Granny! Come on Wind, you and dad can show them around.” Aryll took off towards the house, unaware of the trouble she just got him in.

“Dad?!” Warriors questioned Wind, causing him to recoil from the Captain. He backpedaled before speedwalking over to his dad.

“He is my dad. Please don’t argue.” Wind spat at the chain, fed up with nasty auras. His dad gently squeezed his shoulder, comforting him.

“Enough.” Time’s voice cut off any agruements. 

“This is exactly why he didn’t bring up who is dad is. I am too tired to deal any arguing.” Time glared at them before walking over to Ganon.

“Thank you for allowing us to stay here.” Time ruffled Wind’s hair before entering his house. Soon afterward everyone followed suit. Once everyone was inside, Wind let his tears fall. 

“I’m the problem.  And there’s nothing I can do about it.” Ganon hugged his son tightly.

#lu wind #lu warriors #lu time #the chain is mentioned #ww ganon #dad!ganon au #angst #anon #my writing

[divineprank]

tag dump; feel free to ignore. rules are up, too! also, askbox is open. Sorry about that lol 

#Out of time. :: [OUT OF CHARACTER] #Know too that this world shall also be visited by one of my blood. :: [QUEUE] #Comfort songs swept across stirring sands. :: [MUSIC] #A burning wind scorched my lands; searing the world. :: [AESTHETIC] #The Triforce parts are resonating... :: [PROMO!] #So you choose and so you shall feel my wrath! :: [SELF-PROMO!] #From the void between realms. :: [DASH COMMENTARY] #Kneel. :: [INQUIRIES] #You cover your face but I know who you are. :: [ANONYMOUS] #The winds that blew across Hyrule brought something other... :: [HEADCANONS] #Shadow has been moved by light it seems... :: [MUSINGS] #As long as the Triforce of Power is in my hand... :: [ABOUT] #The history of light and shadow will be written in blood! :: [LEGENDS] #He who wields such power would make a suitable king for this world... Don’t you think? :: [THE DEMON KING] #“Hero?” I’ve outlived more “heroes” than you could possibly imagine. :: [THE HERO OF LEGEND] #So be it. Hyrule’s blood will be on your hands. :: [THE PRINCESS OF DESTINY] #To defy the gods with such petty magic... Only to be cast aside. :: [THE TWILIGHT PRINCESS] #Allow me to show you... your future. :: [THE KING OF HYRULE] #These toys are too much for you! I command you to return them to me! :: [THE TRIFORCE] #A most wretched little key... :: [THE BLADE OF EVIL’S BANE] #Would you hear my desire? :: [THE GOLDEN GODDESSES] #How amusing. :: [MEMES] #! ? ! :: [CRACK] #Welcome to my castle. :: [OPEN RP] #Land of Myth :: [OCARINA OF TIME] #Forgotten Legend :: [THE WIND WAKER] #Shrouded in Darkness :: [TWILIGHT PRINCESS]

[gale-gentlepenguin]

BOTW/AoC: A King to a Hero

-King Rhoam was disappointed to hear that Zelda had failed to unlock her powers yet again. The Spring of Courage did not yield any results.

-He told his daughter that she needed to stop with her hobby and focus all of her effort on unlocking her powers.

-Link was kneeling, silently watching the exchange. This was not the first time he had seen it.

-Zelda tried to explain herself, that she has been giving it her best. But her father wouldn't listen.

-”Your powers are the only way we will be able to stop the Calamity. Those guardians, those Devine beasts, they are at best slight improvement in our odds of holding things back. But its only when YOU have your powers that we will stand a chance. Go to your room, and prepare to go to the spring of Wisdom.”

-Zelda quietly conceded. “Yes Father.” She said softly, doing her best not to breakdown.

-She turned around and began making her way to her chamber.

-Link followed behind. But Impa intervened. Saying she wanted to help Zelda, and asked if He could give the report to the King. Impa hand Link a scroll with her writing. 

-Link took the scroll to the King’s Throne room. The King told his men to go take a rest, he was very much safe with the Hero with the Key to seal the darkness.

-”So what brings you here Link?” His mood less serious then he was with Zelda. Seems he had calmed down.

-Link handed the King the scroll.

-”Still a man of few words. I appreciate that. Many people talk too much, often left with action that can not match their speech. But you are the opposite. Your actions are your speech.”

-Link said nothing.

-King Rhoam read the report. “I see. Thank you for protecting my daughter and the royal advisor during that perilous trek.”

-Link nods, and prepares to leave.

-”You know, you remind me of my younger self Link.”

-Link stops. He turns around.

-”Yes, back in my youth. I was no knight of legend, but I was decently skilled with a blade. I fought hard to protect Hyrule. I know you are fighting, giving it your all in every moment of every day. Vigilant, never losing focus.”

-Link lets the king speak.

-”I wish I could say the same about my daughter.” The king sighed.

-Link’s eyes went wide at that comment. His fists tighten.

-”She is obsessed with this ancient sheikan technology. Yes, I understand its fascinating from what the guardians are capable of. Her mother was just as enthusiastic about them. But these gadgets won't stop the calamity. Perhaps you can be an example to her. I am sure that...”

-A beam from the master sword struck the side wall. Leaving a slash mark across the stone wall. Another strike like that would surly cut through.

-The King felt himself snap out of his babbling to see the knight had drawn blade of evil’s bane.

-”Link what happened? Was there a threat I missed.”

-Link puts his sword back into its sheath. He looks up at the king, his eyes showing a fire that the King recognized. The rage of a warrior.

-”Link? As your King, I command you to explain yourself.”

-”You know nothing of your daughter’s efforts.”

-The king’s shock turned to rage.

-”You dare say I don't understand my daughter?”

-Link Nods.

-”Perhaps it would be best if you were no longer the Princess’ Knight. You have your role to play, and clearly you are a distraction to her.”

-Link shakes his head slowly. Denying the king’s order

-”You are a knight of the Hyrule Kingdom. You have no right denying the king’s order.”

-Link takes his sword out of his sheath and moves just in front of the king. He stabs it into the ground, onto his Royal cloak. He removes his hand, leaving the blade there. He stared at the king, as if to say. ‘Prove you’re worthy.’

-The king went to grab the blade before being zapped by the magic of the blade. It wouldn't let him touch it. The King realized he would need rip the royal cloak to be free.

-Link waited, watching the king of Hyrule trapped like a mouse with its tail in a trap.

-”Remove it.”

-Link didn't move.

-”If you remove it... I will take back the order.”

-Link still doesn't move.

-”What more do you want? Are you actually an agent of the Calamity.”

-Link took the scroll and wrote it down on a the back.

-The king read the scroll and sighed.

-”Very well, I will cease berating my daughter over her unlocking her powers. She knows well enough the consequences should she fail.

-Link removed the sword, allowing the king to move without worry. He put it back into his Sheath.

-”Should we survive against the Calamity, We will be discussing your future as a knight of Hyrule.”

-Link turns around heading back to Zelda.

-”Knights of Hyrule serve the King.” The king called out.

-”I am at the knight of Zelda.”

#botw #zelink #king rhoam #link #zelda #impa #aoc #headcanon #Link calling out the king #king Rhoam is a bitch #botw zelink

[fatefulfaerie]

Broken Heart (Last Christmas)

Day four of the 12 days of Christmas prompts orchestrated by @zelink-prompts

Incarnation: Breath of the Wild AU where they were victorious over the Calamity and everyone survived

“I understand that the young Prince Sidon has taken an interest in learning to fight.”

“Yes, Father,” Mipha said with a single nod, her intricate Zora crown jingling only slightly as she returned her yellow gaze to the Zora King. “Although I must admit it makes me worry. He is still so small.”

The Zora King gave a resounding chuckle that shook his large chest.

“You must remember, Mipha,” the King said. “You weren’t much older than him when you kept grabbing the spears of our soldiers. They humored you for you irresistibly adorable looks. I fathom all our people had little choice in the matter of loving their dear princess.”

“I suppose you have a point,” Mipha said with a slight blush at the flattery. “I suppose he is better off trained than injured, and since there seems to be no more monsters plaguing the domain, I--”

Mipha was interrupted by the growing flapping of wings, looking over to see a Rito, the messengers of Hyrule blessed with strong wings and known for their skills in archery. Zora’s Domain got dozens of letters daily from various parts of Hyrule inquiring about trade and various other correspondence, yet this Rito in particular had a royal blue sash tied diagonally around his torso, which meant he brought news directly from the Royal Family.

“Thank you,” Mipha said with a polite nod as she took the letter into her smooth, red hands, the Rito departing for what was surely a busy schedule. She faced her father as she elegantly opened the envelope, somehow leaving no tear as she prepared to read it aloud.

“It’s from King Bospharamous himself,” Mipha said, looking at the very top of the letter. “But it is not specifically addressed to you. He likely sent the letter to all the leaders of Hyrule.”

“What does it say?” King Dorephan asked, Mipha preparing to project her soft-spoken voice.

“Fellow Hyruleans, trusted comrades, and long-lasting friends,” Mipha started reading. “I hope this letter reaches you with good health in your bodies and and good spirits in your hearts. Before my seal brings you worry, I must tell you that I write to you of good news. Here in Hyrule Castle we very much have been reeling with happiness, as it seems we have been given a great glimpse into the future of our kingdom! Our very own princess, my very own lovely daughter, is now…”

Mipha had trouble voicing the next words, scanning ahead and almost not believing what she saw. Her heart sank and again broke into a million pieces. It was as devastating as exactly a year ago, when Link politely declined her proposal. It was like no time had passed at all and her voice weakened because of it.

“…engaged,” she continued, “to be married to none other than high-ranking General Link.” Mipha attempted to swallow her heartbreak but it was deeper and thus harder to get rid of. “He is to be Prince Consort within the week, their wedding scheduled for this coming Saturday, and when I step down as King in the next few years, the royal couple will rise to their titles of Queen Zelda and King Consort Link.”

Mipha cleared her throat and denied the watering of her eyes.

“You and your people are more than welcome, in fact, encouraged to come celebrate the festivities with us. There is indeed a place at my table for champion Mipha and you may bring as many of your denizens as you see fit to celebrate the occasion. Let us celebrate together an entire year free from the calamity with this exciting prospect of our kingdom’s future! Signed King Bospharamous of Hyrule.”

“What great news!” The Zora King exclaimed with a large smile as Mipha folded up the paper, meek and demure and forlorn and disappointed and so many other things that contradicted this news the was indeed great. “We must make preparations immediately!”

She kicked herself for thinking things may still work out in her favor and she kicked herself for not being more happy for her dear friends, who had suffered so much and deserved their happiness more than anyone else. Mipha hated herself for her sadness. How horribly selfish she was.

——————————————————————————————————

It was incredibly awkward for Mipha to be a guest at the wedding of the man she knew she would still swoon for if she allowed herself to. Somehow, a year had passed and she still hadn’t gotten over her feelings for the blue-eyed knight who still caught her eye. She thought herself a fool, and even more so considering that one kiss like the one in her fantasies and he would be able to fool her again.

However, during the actual ceremony, sat next to her good friend Urbosa, Mipha’s heart was much more occupied with happiness for Link and Zelda. The way they looked at each other was with a deep love that made Mipha smile. 

Mipha couldn’t help the thought that Link never looked at her like that and yet, the thought afterwards seemed to liberate her from her seemingly eternal prison of non-mutual pining. 

Mipha never quite had that connection with Link either. 

Perhaps a childish infatuation that had grown fonder over that web of lies created by distance, Mipha felt for the first time that her crush on Link perhaps wasn’t what she thought. Gradually, as the night passed, Mipha felt herself less in love with the fantasy of Link and more determined to find love like the one he shared with Zelda.

Mipha revved up her courage and finally approached them, wishing them congratulations for their nuptials. To her surprise, they both insisted on hugging her. Mipha was thankful she had such friends.

Mipha had in fact garnered enough courage to be completely honest with them. At first she was hesitant, thinking Link would judge her crazy for the way her feelings had lingered, but Link smiled in the way only Link could smile and told Mipha that he, of course, understood, and that it was okay. Mipha told them of her wish to find love like theirs and Zelda blushed, Link scratching the back of his head. Zelda told Mipha that her and Link’s love was much more complicated in its growth than it perhaps should have been, so they maybe aren’t the best to ask for advice, but Zelda declared herself matchmaker nonetheless.

Selflessly, Zelda and Link spent a portion of their wedding night helping Mipha be brave talking to all sorts of eligible bachelors, all the while assuring Mipha not to lose hope if she doesn’t find her soulmate tonight.

However, Link and Zelda left Mipha to her own graces when the Zora princess seemed to forget about them completely, deep in conversation with a male Zora. Link and Zelda smirked and hastened to the dance floor, peppering each other with kisses and hugs and every little gesture and word that could show their love to the other.

Last year, Mipha gave Link her heart. But, the very next day, he gave it away. He was in love with Princess Zelda and although he said he appreciated Mipha’s honesty, he could not reciprocate her love for him truthfully. This year, to save her from tears, Mipha gave her heart to someone special, someone new and exciting, like a safe version of electricity.

And soon, Mipha was glad Link didn’t say yes last year.

#zelink #zelda #link #mipha #twelve days of christmas #broken heart #last christmas #botw #breath of the wild #tloz #the legend of zelda

[lorelylantana]

A Blindsided Engagement Chapter 1: Blindsided

Next

Chapter rating: G Overall rating: G

Ao3

Calamity was soundly defeated, and the Kingdom of Hyrule was at peace, but King Rhoam knew something dark was afoot. He sat at his desk, eyeing the tray of incoming documents. Of all the missives and appeals, he had the sinking feeling that today would be yet another day passed without a request for his daughter’s hand in marriage. King Rhoam had many regrets for his actions toward his daughter, and he didn’t want to rush Zelda into marriage. He couldn’t undo the years of neglect, but he could do that much.

His resolve in the matter didn’t make the lack of suitors any less disconcerting. He was baffled. Even if his daughter was homely, which she most certainly was not, the King would have received several letters from young nobles and their parents eyeing the throne before Zelda even came of age. Before Calamity’s defeat, he figured it was another facet of the extenuating circumstances that darkened those years, and had expected a cascade of offers after things settled down. After losing sleep over it, he could only think of one explanation.

A coup was brewing. One intent on wresting Hylia’s bloodline from the throne.

The moment the thought ran through his mind Rhoam summoned the Sheikah forces, the researchers took center stage in the last decade, but the stealth units still existed. This meant that the crown still had a robust intelligence agency, which he wasted no time sending them out to sniff out the traitors and drag them out to face justice.

The Sheikah were efficient, and more importantly they were accurate, so when they returned empty handed, the King knew it was because there was nothing to find.

Still, he couldn’t help but ask, “Are you certain?”

The agent nodded, “There’s nothing but glowing praise for the royal family in the wake of Calamity’s downfall, the recent events have highlighted the need to preserve the bloodline.”

Then what was it? Why didn’t anyone want to marry his daughter? 

Confused and more than a little offended, he summoned the son of a noble house that was known to be particularly opportunistic.

“You wanted to see me, your Majesty?” 

The young man squirmed  under the King’s stare. Rhoam shuffled some papers around to look busy before beginning his ruse.

“You know my daughter, Princess Zelda?”

The man gulped, “Yes, sire.”

“And you know she is of marrying age.”

“Yes,”

“I’m considering Zelda’s groom to be, future of Hyrule and all that, and since you are fairly high on the list of prospects I want your thoughts on the matter,” King Rhoam said, staring at the young man as he shifted on his feet and looked down. As the silence dragged on he prompted him. “Do you want to marry my daughter?”

The young man took a breath to brace himself before looking the King in the eye, “No, Your Majesty.”

“Why not, then?!” Rhoam’s voice came out louder than he’d intended, offended on his daughter’s behalf. The young noble flinched at his tone. A minute ran long, silent as the man gathered himself and gave his answer.

“It wouldn’t feel right, sir,” the nobleman shrunk under Rhoam’s gaze, and he began to lose his thoughts, “It’s just, Sir Link saved my little brother’s life. I can’t betray him like that after he’s done so much for my family-”

“Wait,” the King held up a hand, baffled, “What does the Hylian Champion have to do with this?”

The young noble stopped, his face reflecting the king’s own confusion.

“He loves her, as I’m sure you noticed.” 

He had not noticed. Yet this young man’s voice rang with the certainty of one talking about the blue sky or the chill of winter, and yet it gave the King a pause. He leaned back.

“Come again?”

“Sir Link is in love with Princess Zelda,” the young man said.

“And he told you this?”

He shook his head, “He didn’t need to, it’s as plain as day. Everyone knows, just ask around.”

With that the nobleman was sent away, and King Rhoam sent the Sheikah out to gather information once more. This time, his suspicions were confirmed.

Every single noble house in Hyrule received critical aid from the Hylian Champion, and subsequently held him in high regard. That verified one half of the young man’s theory, but what of the other?

As a knight bound by oath, Link adhered to a strict code of conduct that governed his every waking hour. He wasn’t to deceive frivolously, he was to extend a helping hand whenever possible, and he would never, under any circumstances, presume to declare his undying love to Princess Zelda. It was unprofessional, if not unethical. He was tasked with her safety, and that included sheltering her from the burden of his emotions. And so, Zelda was kept in blissful ignorance to the heart she held in her hands.

The chivalric code was strict, but it wasn’t unforgiving. There were allowances. Small things Link could do to express little shreds of his love, if only to keep from exploding. To keep from shouting out his devotion for Zelda, her fierce determination and her unbreakable spirit. He kept his silence for so long, he thought restraining himself would be natural, but then she would laugh, or look his way, or hum if he was lucky, and he was a beat away from saying ‘I love you’. It was too much to hold in. Too much to hide, so he began giving Zelda small tokens of his affections. Subtle gestures, unnoticeable, and easily misconstrued as a part of his duty to the Princess’ safety.

Link brought her flowers, but only those with medicinal purposes. To aid in her research, he insisted to those who questioned, to ensure she had medicine of any kind should she need it. He would take every opportunity to take her hand, only to ensure she wouldn’t fall. 

The gesture that brought him the most relief, however, was simply bringing her hand to his lips and leaving a small kiss against her knuckles. It was perfectly acceptable because it was selfless. A kiss upon the hand was a show of respect, of reverence, and expected absolutely nothing in return. It was his greeting and his farewell  When he first became Zelda’s appointed knight, she would rip her hand away as soon as was polite. Yet as the esteem she held him in rose she was much more indulgent of his wishes, reaching for his hand at times. He’d grown so bold recently, bowing over her arm no longer. Instead, he was reckless enough to raise her hand to his lips so he could look her in the eye.

It was no cause for scrutiny, of course. All very honorable and above board, so when Link was called to the King’s office one fateful day, he was fully under the impression that his affections were a secret to all but the knight himself.

Sir Link stood still and stoic before his King, looking for all the world like the hero he was. He’d been called into the King’s office a few times, all to report on his daughter’s wellbeing, so when the King asked his question Link was taken aback.

“I’ll get straight to the point, Sir Link. Do you love my daughter?”

Link didn’t say anything. He didn’t need to. The nobleman was right, it was plain as day. Written in the blush on his cheeks and the way his breath caught, highlighted by the slight panic in his eye.

Hylia save him, the boy wasn’t subtle at all. Quite surprising in the face of Sir Link’s reputation, but young love is a strange force indeed.

Although, now that Rhoam considered things, perhaps Sir Link’s blatant heart could help solve this issue quicker. The King wasn’t going to pass up a stress free wedding, without all the yapping of disgruntled nobles trying to match their own sons with his daughter. Yes, the king was certain that this was a very good sign indeed. His dear Zelda was the brightest of her generation, renowned for her keen eye and discerning mind. There was absolutely no way his daughter could look upon this young man and not be immediately aware of his feelings for her. This, along with how well she got along with Sir Link, could only mean that she accepted his feelings. Surely, if Link loving her was a cause for discomfort, Zelda would have sent him away. She had ample opportunity, and after her triumph Rhoam would deny her nothing. 

“I- I assure you, Your Majesty, I’ve made no untoward advances. I swear on the sword I carry.”

The young man’s shaking voice snapped Rhoam out of his train of thought.

“What?” he asked before waving a dismissive and, “Of course, of course. Sit, Zelda will be here soon enough.”

Sir Link’s eyes widened, and he opened his mouth to speak before shutting it tightly. Sitting rigidly in his chair, the young man waited with bated breath while the King sent for his daughter.

She arrived only a few minutes later, never far from the library and the surrounding offices.

“You called for me, father?” she asked, tilting her head to the side. She had just finished going over her itinerary, so she didn’t know what this meeting was about. The king gestured for the second chair across his desk. And waited for her to sit down before answering.

“We are here to discuss Sir Link’s love for you,”

In his seat, Link made a choking sound, almost hyperventilating. Rhoam pitied him, but he knew that the sooner Link learned of his place in Zelda’s heart he would feel much better. Zelda on the other hand, seemed to be caught completely off guard. Her cheeks red and hands brought to her mouth as she whispered. She looked at her knight, who sat still and resolute, yet blushing all the more.

“His what?”

Well, it was understandable that she would be a tad confused, after all, it wasn’t every day that one spoke of love so bluntly.

Link was mortified, but said nothing in his defense. This was clearly his penance for having impure thoughts of his charge. He had deluded himself into thinking the dreams that haunted him were out of his control, and thus undeserving of reproach. The present situation swiftly disabused him of any such notion in short order. 

Still, King Rhoam had to keep the ball rolling. There was no use wasting time. 

“In light of this recent discovery, and since you are of age to be married, I thought it wise to consult you on the matter, dear Zelda.”

At the mention of her name, she turned back to her father, still a bit disoriented in the face of her revelation, “Yes?”

Rhoam spoke plainly, as he always did, “Would you like to marry Sir Link?”

Zelda was frozen. She was completely unaware how Link felt about her, but now that she was told, everything fell into place. How she found her hand in his several times a day. The softness in his eyes. She’d thought them expressions of duty, but when she looked at the flush in his cheeks as he stared at the floor she knew her father’s words were true. 

Before Zelda knew it, “Yes, I would,” fell from her lips, breathless and sincere.

Link’s head snapped up, looking up at her with a furrowed brow, disbelieving.

“Yes,” she said again, and her heart leapt at the way her knight’s skepticism melted into pure joy, smiling brighter than she’d ever seen him. She found herself giggling at the expression.

“Well then, it’s settled,” the King declared with a grin, “The two of you shall be wed in a year’s time. Now go, I won’t keep you two any longer.”

The young couple raced out of the room, and Rhoam heard the two explode into conversation, no doubt eager to celebrate their upcoming union.

#zelink #loz botw #botw zelink #link #zelda #botw link #botw zelda #loz aoc #engagement #rhoam bosphoramus hyrule #legend of zelda breath of the wild #legend of zelda #aoc link #aoc zelda #fic #aoc zelink #humor #botw

[misterewrites]

I get by with a little help from my friends (and Link)

Hey everyone! E here with a random story popped into my head! I needed to write this for practice for another project but I still had a lot of fun with it. So this story takes place in the wild timeline between Age of Calamity and breath of the wild. Like that weird middle ground where the champions were getting ready. Upfront I did as much research as I could cuz it has been a while since I played BOTW and I did use a wiki with some references to the game and such, avoided spoilers I think and I did kinda go with my own conclusion in some places for the sake of story cuz the wiki only knows so much and I can't replay the entire game again. Well I can but not in a short time for this story. Also some Light Zelda and link cuz they’re cute and if nintendo wont canon them, I will! 

So I hope you enjoy! have fun, stay safe, wear a mask and wash your hands! E is out! have a great week everyone! If you want to leave me comments or just have an easier time reading this story, it has been uploaded to Ao3. My user name is MrE42

“He’s still there, isn’t he?”

Impa shrugged, unsure what the princess was expecting her to say “You know he is.”

Zelda huffed, irritated at her father’s watchdog who silently kept watch just outside, stoic and stalwart in his duty to an annoying degree.

Zelda, princess of Hyrule and aspiring scholar, trained from birth to be poised and refined in the harshest situations, made a face towards the library door.

“I do not need a babysitter.” Zelda fumed as she filmed through the bookshelves “You are here Impa and far more suited to the task than my father’s knights.”

“Your knights” Impa corrected “And normally I would agree but with Yiga clan beginning to cause more and more trouble, you and the kingdom need my Sheikah to prevent their tricks. I am their leader and I have to lead. Same as you princess.”

“I know” Zelda replied, unable to keep out the frustration out of her voice “But I wish my father chose a...different person”

Impa rolled her eyes “We both know that Link is the most capable solider in the kingdom. He is without equal and you are only mad at him because your father chose him.”

“I am not a child Impa.”

“No but you are the magical princess whose power would help keep the calamity at bay. I can’t fathom why your father would want you protected at all times.”

Zelda glared openly at her best friend “Your sarcasm is noted and ignored.”

“Excellent” Impa beamed “But in all seriousness, these are dangerous princess. Your father caused quite a ruckus choosing a country bumpkin instead of the nobles lovely, incompetent children.”

Zelda shifted guiltily at the mention of the nobility. They were not pleased that the king of Hyrule had decided to entrust the safety of his only heir and future ruler of their kingdom to a nobody from Hateno Village. It did not matter that Link had come from a long line of knights whom had been protecting the land for almost as long as Zelda’s family had been ruling it. Nor did it matter that he was their most fierce and well trained warrior. He was not of nobility and it angered her that someone who simply wanted to do their best was being mistreated.

Even if she was guilty of the same crime.

“I just wish he appeared more human.” Zelda quietly admitted, hoping Link could not hear “He is emotionless. His gaze is entirely steely and he has not spoken a single word to me. He simply stands, watching and waiting.

“Judging?” Impa added.

Zelda glanced to the side shamefully “Judging. Judging that his talents are wasted on a princess who cannot even perform the single duty that has been entrusted to her.”

“I think you’re projecting.”

“And you are far too calm.”

Impa giggled cutely “Appearances. I’m as nervous as you princess but I know better than anyone how uneasy people get if their leaders show panic. Your powers will come when they come. You will figure it out.”

Zelda turned to the ninja leader fearfully “And if they don’t?”

“Then I’ll protect you.” Impa answered truthfully “Link will protect you and the champions will kick some ganon butt! You’re not alone so stop acting like it.”

“Thank you Impa.” Zelda moved in for a hug.

“Nope!” Impa took a step back “No, no, no! That’s not proper.”

“I order you to give your princess a hug.”

“…..sigh, yes your highness.”

-----

Zelda’s eyes twinkled with a rare softness as she, Link and Mipha watched the young zora prince Sidon swim so carefree in the deep blue waters of the lake. Link was further ahead of the two princesses, standing at the shore of the lake vigilante for any signs of trouble.

“He certainly takes his duty seriously.” Zelda murmured under her breath.

Mipha laughed softly “It is nice to see how age has calmed him.”

Zelda tilted curiously to the champion “Mipha, you’ve known Link since you were both children, correct?”

Mipha nodded in confirmation “Yes ever since he arrived with a group of knights on orders of King Rhoam. Even then he was courageous. Impossibly reckless however but I suppose that is simply who Link is.

Mipha’s soft laughter grew into a playful chortle. Zelda quizzically stared at her fellow princess.

“Sorry your highness.” Mipha waved her hand in embarrassment “I was just thinking to myself how much healing practice Link has gotten me. I suppose I am as proficient as I am thanks him.”

“Oh?”

“He was always getting into trouble.” Mipha began, her voice taking on a hue of nostalgia “Always injured after throwing himself head first into danger. He hated sitting still, allowing others to suffer for him. His shell might be more silent and stoic but he is still the kind boy I knew. That I…”

Zelda caught the slight longing in the zora princess’s tone “Mipha?”

“It is nothing.”

Mipha slipped into a comfortable silence but Zelda bristled uneasily at a sudden realization.

“Mipha….”

Mipha faced Zelda, worry and concern etched in the scholar’s face.

“Do you think…” Zelda spoke slowly “Link hates me? That his talented and training is wasted watching a princess who cannot even produce a glare of light. I drag him everywhere, fuming at his presence all while he watches with an endless vigil.”

Mipha gently placed her hand onto Zelda’s shoulder. Zelda felt a calming presence fill her body and a quiet peace that came with it.

Mipha gave a soft smile “Link knows better than anyone how hard you are trying. He knows how desperate you must be. He does not disdain your loathing. He simply is giving you the space you desire. His duty is everything to him and he will perform it to his dying breath. You are his princess. He will ensure your safety.”

Zelda said nothing and despite the calming peace she felt, the twinge of guilt began to eat at her.

“LINK!”

The tension broke as Zelda and Mipha glanced back towards the lake. Sidon giggled and chuckled at a full swim, rapidly heading for the shore and Link. Link, caught off guard in a rare moment, began to panic. He moved this way and that, frantically searching beyond the approaching zora in search for a nonexistent threat.

He realized, too late, what Sidon was up to.

With a mighty push, Sidon flew out of the deep blue waters and sailed through the air, hands outstretched as he collided with Link. Link flailed backwards, struggling to keep his footing but ultimately losing it. He fell backwards onto the shore, Sidon embracing him tightly a bone breaking hug. Even young, a zora was strong.

“Sidon!” Mipha chastised but before she could move closer, Link stood up with the still embracing prince, an evil glint in his eyes.

“Oh dear.”

“What is happening?” Zelda asked, unsure what was going on.

Link picked up Sidon, holding him high into the air as the young prince chanted “Do it, do it, do it!”

And just like that, Link spun around. Around and around, once, twice, five times building speed with Sidon’s cheers filled the air. Without warning, Link chucked the young zora through the air and back into the lake.

Sidon dove in wholeheartedly and broke the surface with a triumphant yell.

“20 feet! A NEW RECORD!”

Mipha rubbed her eyes tiredly “Boys.”

Zelda giggled softly as Link rose his arms in victory.

-----

“Daruk?”

“Yeah tiny princess?”

“Is that...a rock?”

“Yeah it is!”

“And why...is Link….eating the rock?”

“It’s prime rock roast! He got a real taste for it after the first time.”

“Oh. Right. I recall that now.”

Daruk bellowed with a hearty laugh “Dontcha worry princess, little guy might a hylian but he’s got the stomach of a goron! I bet he’d eat anything. Even some kind of dubious food that’s just too gross to look at. KEEP IT UP LINK!”

Link raised a thumb as he continued to chew on the rocky texture of the roast.

Zelda couldn’t help but smile the Daruk’s presence. His good nature and cheeriness were too infectious for even the royal princess to resist.

“Now what brings you out here tiny princess? Did you finally want to try out the roast? I can have cooks whip up a fresh, steaming one for ya.”

“What? Oh no.” Zelda quickly responded “No. I ate at home before we arrived so I am quite full. Perhaps next time. I am actually here to see if you needed anything.”

Daruk rubbed the back of his neck shyly “Aww thanks tiny princess! I appreciate it! Though if you don’t wanna eat the roast, you can just tell me. I know it isn’t everyone’s taste.”

“Oh. I am sorry I simply did not want to hurt your feelings.”

“Not to worry, I can’t be hurt!” Daruk beamed, posing heroic as an orangish translucent dome appeared over the goron chief for a moment, shielding him from the outside world.

The pair broke into a joyful laugh.

“Thank you Daruk.”

“Think nothing of it tiny princess. Though, now that you mentioned it I might need a little favor from ya.”

Zelda eagerly listened “Name it Daruk and I shall do everything in my power to ensure it done.”

“It’s about Rudania.”

Zelda’s heart sank “The divine beast? Is something amiss?”

“Oh no no no.” Daruk raised his hands as if to physically stop that line of thinking “Nothing serious. It’s just that that wonderful fantastic machine is able to have some alterations. The controls aren’t exactly goron friendly, ya know?”

“Oh! Hmm, I shall talk to Purah and Robbie. If anyone can alter Rudania, it is them.”

“Thanks tiny princess!” Daruk patted her back in a friendly manner. Zelda had to brace herself to make sure she didn’t fall sprawling to the floor.

Rudania.

Zelda glanced upwards Death Mountain, the divine beast in question clinging to the side the volcanic mountain as if keeping an eye out for the calamity.

The divine beasts, ancient Sheikah machines made of stone and an unknown source of power. Her father claimed these machines had been around since the dawn of Hyrule. Though information on these and other Sheikah made devices were contradictory at best and nonexistent at worst. Even Impa, clan leader, knew next to nothing about their functionality or purpose. Luckily for everyone Purah and Robbie had devoted their lives to the study of these machines and it was only thanks to the pairs ceaseless work (and Zelda would say sometimes obsession) that the champions could practice and grew proficient with their individual machines.

“How is your training with Rudania going Daruk?”

Daruk scratched the back of his neck anxiously “I wish I could say it’s going good but it’s not exactly a stroll in the lava, ya know?”

“Of...course.” Zelda nodded slowly, unsure what a stroll in lava would entail “Perhaps we can search for some sort of manual or instructions.”

“Nah” Daruk waved her off “We both know nothing like that probably exists but that’s alright. I’mma going just go for it and do my best!”

Zelda stared at the goron with admiration “I wish I could be as confident as you are.”

“I’m not!”

Zelda watched as Daruk’s face beaming grin melt into an uneasy smile

“I’m not confident” Daruk admitted “This is hard. This is a piece of technology unlike anything else in our little home. I have no idea how to use it or even if I’m doing it right. Heck, I don’t even know if what I’m doing is working. I’m a goron and I’m good at that but this? This is something else.”

Zelda felt that. Her inability to draw on her powers. Her failures and her father’s growing desperation pushing her to extremes, to find an answer regardless of the cost.

“But, I’mma gonna try all the same.”

Daruk’s smile returned. Not with happiness but with determination.

“That’s all we can do, right tiny princess?” Daruk chuckled “Do our best. Maybe it’ll be enough. Maybe it won’t but we gotta at least try.”

Zelda smiled “You are right Daruk. We must at least try. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome! Haha, for what?”

-----

Zelda could feel Link shift his weight back and forth ontop of the snow bank. The pair were bundled in winter gear, huddled close in an attempt to stay warm in the frigid chill of the snowy breeze. Though Zelda knew that wasn’t why Link was unhappy.

“You still here knight? Go home. You need to train some more if you want to keep up with me.”

Link’s face remained as impassive as ever but Zelda could see by the tensing of his cheeks that he was fuming: Revali had that effect on the knight.

She was unsure why the Rito had such a deep disdain for Link but it made it difficult to plan training exercises between the two. Even visits to check on Revali were scarce given the fact Link followed his orders diligently. Nothing would dissuade Link from his task, not even insults and mockery.

Zelda had been softening her stance on Link over the last few weeks. True she hadn’t reached the point where she completely accepted his presence but she no longer loathed him for it. It was not his fault her father was so stubborn and final in his decrees. He did what he was told and he did it with as much respect as he could muster. It was oddly comforting to have him near in the rare moment she was being honest. Whether it be researching any leads to unlocking her powers to her hobby of cataloging the various flora and fauna of Hyrule, he did not judge her. He watched in a quiet reverence, his eyes darting about for signs of danger so she would feel safe enough to focus on her task. And the more time they spent together, the more she realized he was more expressive than she previously thought.

His emotions were far subtler: A twitch of the ear, a raised eyebrow, clenching of his jaws. This is how Link spoke. This is how he displayed his emotions. Little signs easily missed unless you had been searching for them.

Not that Zelda was looking. That would be silly for her to simply stare at the knight accompanying her all across the kingdom, protecting her from the various threats found throughout. She was merely making observations like the good scholar she was. Link was no different than the flora and fauna she studied. Granted he was a much more interesting subject but….

“Princess.”

Zelda snapped out of her thoughts, her face flushed with embarrassment at her trailing thoughts.

“Are you well?” Revali cocked his head sideways “Your face is red. I rather you not get sick simply because you wish to stand in this cold.”

“I-it is nothing Revali!” Zelda stammered out “Perhaps a small chill. It will pass. I am here to…”

“To see if I need anything” he finished for her “No princess, unlike certain people” he eyed Link distastefully “I am fine.”

Link said nothing but rather shifted the weight on his feet once more.

“Link” Zelda turned to her knight “Perhaps you could patrol the area. I fear the winds are growing more fierce. I would not want to walk back to the castle among an ambush if there is a storm.”

Link remained silent but gave a rigid, steely nod. He caught Revali’s gaze for a moment then trudge off into the snow.

“I don’t why you bring him” Revali sneered “He’s a worthless knight.”

“If he’s so worthless, why do you waste your time berating him?”

Revali turned his head “Hmmph, if your knight is so fragile that a little mockery scares him off, he has no business being with us.”

“Revali!” Zelda began but was silenced by his outstretched wing.

“I am the best princess.” He spoke matter of fact “I am your greatest warrior. My skill is unrivaled across the kingdom.”

Zelda fumed but allowed him to continue.

“I have overcome many challenges and challengers to my title” Revali’s looked out to the various snowy hills and slopes of the mountain, the Rito village barely visible among the snow flurry “I bested them all. When you are so talented, many eyes will fall upon you and their expectations as well. They will say whatever they wish. You must ignore them. You must not allow their pitiful jealousy distract from your task, your goal. I am here to protect my people and for that, I must be the best. I must work with the best and I must train with people with some skill.”

“Revali, what are you…?”

Revali scoffed “You have kept me from training princess. Your knight might be the best among you but he certainly is no match for me. How is he supposed to survive the upcoming fight unless he fights with his all against a superior opponent.”

“I see” Zelda slowly caught on.

“Good. I will be at the castle tomorrow. Make sure your knight is ready for bruises and sores. I won’t have him die on us because he was being lazy.”

“Of course Revali. I’m sure Link will appreciate your concern.”

Revali huffed “I don’t like deadweight is all.”

Zelda said nothing but remembered that Link had won the champion’s last archery contest a few weeks ago.

-----

The desert was colder than you would expect at night but Zelda was not stranger to it. She loved coming out to the Gerudo desert with her mother, spending all day among the Gerudo and its splendor. It was quiet out here, bringing a rare peace not found in the city. The distant sound of thunder boomed but it was soft and enlightening more than frightening. It comforted Zelda.

“Thinking of her again little bird?”

Zelda nodded honestly, the desert stretched out before her as the twinkling stars glimmered beautifully overhead.

Urbosa, champion and her mother’s dearest friend, stood watch nearby.

Zelda turned back to Link, unable to keep the grin off her face as he remained slumped against the wall, his riding hood and cloak turned into a makeshift blanket. His breathing was slow and steady and while it was clear he was sleeping, she also knew that with one word from her lips he would awaken, ready for whatever awaited him.

She was glad he was resting at least. This had been his first trip to the desert and he had not quite been prepared for the intense heat nor the attention he received from the town. A male within its walls was a rare sight. She knew Link disliked attention above all else, except perhaps Revali.

She giggled at her joke.

“You seem more comfortable with Link than I remember.”

“Oh.” Zelda cleared her throat, willing her blush away “Well y-yes. Some of my conversations with the others have led to some interesting insight. Perhaps I had not been considerate towards Link. He is just performing his duty.”

Urbosa leaned in teasingly “Link now is it? Not the knight or he?”

Zelda’s blush spread rapidly throughout her cheeks.

Urbosa laughed loudly “You are far too easy to fluster little bird.”

“I am not flustered!”

“I don’t blame you” Urbosa glanced at Link’s sleeping form “He is quite handsome and not like most men.”

“Urbosa!”

Urbosa laugh once more “So it worked then?”

Zelda was confused “What did?”

“My distraction.”

“Distraction? From?” Realization washed over Zelda “Oh.”

Urbosa gave a solemn nod “I miss your mother terribly. She was an amazing woman and I feel her loss deeply now as I did then.”

Zelda tucked her legs under her arms “I feel like she would be disappointed in me. Not having unlocked my power. Chasing down lead after lead with nothing to show for it.”

“Don’t be absurd!” Urbosa scolded “She would be proud of you. Her beautiful daughter, a natural leader. Especially between Link and Revali. Hylia’s miracle you managed to wrangle them into line. I thought they were going to murder each other at their last training session.”

“I admit I was worried I was about to have to arrest one of them for murder.” Zelda admitted.

The two shared a laugh.

“Do not fret little bird.” Urbosa cupped Zelda’s cheek lovingly “She would think the world of you. She would want you to do your best, not hers.”

“I miss her Urbosa.” Zelda shed a single tear “I just miss her so terribly.”

“Me too little bird. But she lives on in you.”

Zelda clenched her fist, holding it close to her heart as she closed her eyes “I suppose I’ll just have keep at it.”

“That a girl. Now want to see something funny?” Urbosa grinned mischievously, a snap at the ready while she approached the slumbering form of Link.

-----

Link was unsure what to make of princess Zelda’s request to ask him some questions. It had been a few months since he was first assigned to her guard detail and while it had been rather rocky start, she grew to tolerate his presence and was almost friendly with him.

Almost.

Today started off no different than any other: Princess Zelda wanted to stretch her legs out in the fields. Link was used to this particularly outing. He noticed the princess often wished to leave the castle on the days her father was being forceful about her training her powers. Something that was happening with increasing occurrence nowadays.

Despite his lack of talking and general stoic disposition, he enjoyed his time with the princess. True most of it had been at a distance, carefully watching out for her safety but these last few weeks had been a nice change of pace. She allowed to walk closer to her, hadn’t scoffed or turned up her nose at him trailing behind her and became more visibly relaxed when alone with him.

Though she had also become more distracting to the young knight. Everyone knew the princess was beautiful but Link still hadn’t gotten used to it even after all this time. Every morning he would face that same beauty and every morning he would be thoroughly flatfooted at the sight of her. It was easier when she forced him to watch far away, when she spoke to and about him with a quiet disdain. She didn’t like him and he was just here to do his job. Nice, done and easy.

But lately the princess had been asking him to stay close regardless if they were traveling through the countryside or to the frigid Rito Village or the blazing furnace that was Death Mountain. She smiled often now, especially when she found a new plant or animal about. Link would be standing, vigilante when the princess would call for him and when he whirled around, sword at the ready, he found not monsters but the sight of the princess mid-smile and holding out some new thing for him to see, excitement twinkling in her eyes.

It was getting really hard to focus on his task.

“Link, are you alright?”

Link flushed, nearly tripping over himself as the princess broke him from his stupor.

They were sitting at peaceful meadow not too far the castle, the princess’s notebook at her side filled with her various observations and musings.

Link must’ve spaced out because he had not noticed the princess approach him, her face inches away from his.

“I am sorry.” She apologized “I did not mean to startle you.”

Link shook his head in disagreement, raising a hand to tell her not to worry.

“I-if you don’t feel comfortable answering my questions, you do not have to.”

Link gestured for her to continue.

“Link” the princess composed herself “Why don’t you speak?”

Link was caught off guard by the question. No one really questioned why he chose not to speak. Most assumed it was some strange choice by some stranger lad from the country. Or perhaps he could not speak. As long as he stabbed the bad guy, no one seemed to care beyond that and the more renown he gained, the more Link felt he needed to maintain the illusion, the stoic unflappable hero of Hyrule.

Well, until the real hero of Hyrule appeared.

Link mused for a moment, wondering how to best explain his situation to the princess.

“I’m sorry.”

Link was taken aback by the princess’s shameful tone.

“I….I did not mean to be so personal.” She began, eyes cast away from him “It….it just occurs to me I have known you for a few months now and yet I have never once heard you speak. I know I have not been most friendly person to you and I understand if you find me rude or perhaps annoying. I know watching me wade through the fields is not the most effective use of your talents.”

Link could feel panic setting in. He couldn’t let the princess blame herself! Especially now that she was making an effort to open up to him. Link licked his lips, willing the words to form into existence.

“I am sorry Link” Link’s heart fluttered at the sound of his name. She said his name! She said his name! She’s never said his name to him before!

“Perhaps I should just remain silent.” the princess went on “I am truly sorry for mistreating you and taking my frustration about my father out on you. You did not deserve that.”

Wait! No no no no!

The princess sighed dejectedly, turning away from Link.

Link bit his lip, taking deep slow breathes as he tried to form the words in his head.

-----

Zelda was disappointed but not surprised by Link’s lack of a response. She knew it might’ve been a little too late given her treatment of him but she had been hoping perhaps she could convince him that she was not as nasty as she appeared to him. Alas, it seems it was for naught.

“W-wait.”

Zelda blinked, unsure if she really heard what she thought she heard. She turned slowly to Link, surprised to see him with a hand outstretched, sweat forming upon his brow as he awkwardly moved his mouth as if trying to get it to work.

“D-did you say something Link?” She asked quizzically.

Link gave a short nod.

Zelda whirled around, knees against the grass as she leaned in closer, unable to get Link’s voice out of her ears.

Link gestured to himself, touching his chest with an open hand.

“You.”

Link nodded, wincing as he struggled to speak.

“I. Don’t. Like. Talking.”

Zelda was in awe at Link. For a warrior so fierce, so steely, so loyal his voice was soft. It was gentle and quiet like a breeze yet still lingered in her mind.

“You don’t like talking” Zelda repeated “I understand.”

Link nodded once before breaking into a toothy smile.

Zelda’s heart raced at the sight of the indifferent Link forming a full smile on his face. She pulled back, trying to will the red out of her hair.

Link tilted his head curiously towards Zelda before he closed the distance.

Zelda’s heart thundered in her ears as Link placed a cool hand upon her forehead, his face returning to its stony indifference but his eyes filled with worry.

“I’m fine!” Zelda waved him off, pulling away before she turned any redder “I...just thought of something.”

Link looked unconvinced but let it go. He stood to his feet and offered his hand to the princess.

Zelda stared up, the sun glowing brightly behind Link’s form as he waited patiently for her. She took his hand and he, firmly but gently, pulled her to her feet.

Link gestured to her horse.

“Yes.” Zelda nodded in agreement “Perhaps it is time to go home.”

Link gave a thumbs up and went to retrieve their horses.

Zelda pinched her cheeks with all her might.

“Urbosa was right. He is handsome.”

#Link #zelda #Mipha #Revali #Daruk #Breath of the wild #Age of calamity #Legend of zelda #Zelink

[loruleanheart]

Desired Fate, Chapter 2

Read on ff.net

Read on AO3

Zelda, Princess of Hyrule, moved about her bedchambers. It was a vast room with grey stonework walls and old furniture that had been in the royal family for generations. One corner held a grand writing desk where she often carried out her research into ancient relics late into the night. Affixed to the wall above were her most treasured research notes.

The princess was dressed for bed, her thick golden hair in a protective side braid, but she wasn’t feeling too tired, her nerves shot by the day’s earlier events. It was the first moment of rest she’d had all day. She had been constantly in the presence of Impa and the knight her father had assigned as her guard. The knight, who she’d learned was named Link, was odd. He barely spoke a word, yet Zelda couldn't disregard that he had saved her that day when a large Guardian that had been unearthed at the Breach of Demise had activated somehow without warning. This, along with the increasing number of monsters throughout the kingdom made their trip to the Royal Tech Lab an arduous one.

Zelda turned over many thoughts in her mind. How the little Guardian that seemed so attached to her had traveled from a Hyrule of ruin. Her father had seemed so vexed by the Guardian’s appearance, although Zelda was not surprised that he would try to discern whether the Guardian could be trusted. The little one did feel somehow familiar in a vague way…. Not to mention, it brought with it a look into the future of the destruction the Calamity would bring. 

A heaviness was descending upon the princess. Impa’s sister, Purah had managed to extract visual data from the little Guardian’s memory - true to life images that showed what the future would hold. Zelda had taken a cursory look through a few images but had quickly become overwhelmed. This was the destruction that would befall Hyrule should she not be able to harness her divine power. But, perhaps the pictures might also hold clues on how the Calamity could be averted.

She powered on the Sheikah Slate, wanting to give the visual data a more thorough analysis before turning in for the night. She scrolled through the horrific images of destruction, this time not having others around whom she had to put on a brave, composed face for. As much as she loathed wallowing in self-pity, she had at least managed not to break down earlier in front of the others. The princess had sensed the understanding of her plight in Impa’s voice earlier as they looked through the images together. 

Not only was Hyrule Castle pictured, but the destruction seemed to be widespread. Akkala Citadel... Fort Hateno…. The Divine Beasts…. All in ruin or corrupted somehow, and the fate of the entire kingdom and its people were bearing down on her.

I will not allow this to come to pass… I’ll do everything I can to stop this… But without the power, how will it ever be enough?

Despair and dread were starting to set in as it often did more and more over the years. She’d already tried everything she could up until now, and still, the power that should have come so naturally seemed to be impossible to find within herself. And the longer her power remained dormant, the more frustrated and cold her father grew. Zelda shut her eyes, holding her hand over her face, trying to calm herself, but it was too late as the tears she’d been holding back for hours broke forth. She quietly sobbed, hoping to not alert the attention of any of her attendants who might hear her cries. She scrolled to the next image and then there was not a location or a Divine Beast, but a picture of a strange man and she went silent. Her green eyes moved over the image. There on the Sheikah Slate was a hooded man in a tattered purple robe, but she could tell he was very handsome, even if not by typical Hylian standards. She couldn’t help but stop and stare. He was very pale and had dark, collarbone length hair. There was a long braid that hung in front of his left eye and was tucked behind his ear, and another that was decorated with gold beads.

He wore a gold circlet and a thick gold collar that draped over his shoulders that reminded her of jewelry worn by Gerudo royalty, although this man clearly wasn’t Gerudo. No male had been born to that tribe in ages. There was an oddity about the circlet though, in that the red stone had what appeared to be a stylized yellow iris painted on it - sort of symbolizing a third eye.

Who was this mysterious man? He must have been on the slate for a reason. The slate’s screen went black, and she realized she’d zoned out. Her mind was flooded with so many questions and speculations. Could someone like him really be out there, somewhere? He looked more like he belonged in some distant past foreign to her. Were they destined to meet? Should she seek him out? She didn’t know, nor did she know how to raise the subject to anyone else. Her father, dear sweet Hylia, her father…. Would almost certainly chastise for wasting her time with images discovered on Sheikah technology which had been banned up until the recent past instead of dedicating every waking moment in prayer to unlock her dormant power. But to Zelda, this felt as crucial as researching relics, perhaps even more so. And then it occurred to Zelda who she could confide in - Urbosa. Based on the jewelry the man wore, maybe she might know something.

And just like that, the heaviness that had pushed her to the edges of despair had lifted, even if only a little bit. Zelda laid the slate on her nightstand before climbing into her stately canopy bed. She found she was able to drift off with relative ease, all things considered. Tomorrow, she was sure, would be another demanding day, and she was eager for the respite sleep would bring.

In her dream that night was a woman in a resplendent white dress, and Zelda sensed she was connected with her. Was this Hylia, the goddess whose blood was said to run through her veins? The goddess smiled to herself in a dreamy way, absorbed in her song as her fingers moved along the strings of a small harp. The goddesses appeared to be singing as her lips moved silently, Zelda not being able to hear her words. Perhaps it was a lullaby. Zelda wished she could hear the goddess’s song. The goddess seemed so passionate about…. something, but all she could do was watch and hope this dream to be a harbinger of good things to come.

oOo

His harbinger turned and left, having imparted to his disciple how it had come to be and how it planned to counter what its “twin” from a ruined Hyrule had set out to do. It was fate that Ganon’s hatred had followed that Guardian through time to possess the one from this era. 

And now, Calamity Ganon’s will can be fulfilled in this time as well… The Prophet of Doom thought. This was all a part of Lord Ganon’s plan to annihilate his enemies completely, leaving no room for victory, even in a separate path in time.

That Guardian by the princess’s side had the means to set this path on a different course, and the prophet knew he couldn’t let some meddlesome piece of junk alter fate’s rightful course. He would subdue the princess and her newfound ally. The thought of destroying the Guardian had already crossed his mind, even before Lord Ganon’s new directive. Now he just had to make those two degenerate, banana-eating goons do his and Lord Ganon’s bidding.

The prophet was elated that he could now receive such clear directives and revelations from Lord Ganon. Had he not met with the harbinger, he would truly be on his own. The harbinger was proof to potential allies that he had indeed been chosen and could know the will of Calamity Ganon, not just interpret it through the constellations or prophetic dreams. Gaining the trust of the Yiga Clan didn’t feel like much, but things were coming together. The Calamity would return and reign down its hatred on Hyrule, and the kingdom would come to its end, at long last.

oOo

“I have selected the candidates for the Divine Beasts. Zora grace, Princess Mipha; Goron vigilance, Daruk; Rito confidence, Revali; and Gerudo spirit, Chief Urbosa. You will go meet with each and explain their role to pilot their respective Divine Beast.” King Rhoam’s voice carried through the main foyer from his place on the balcony.

Zelda looked up at her father and responded. “Yes, I suspected as much… I will meet with Chief Urbosa first. I am... looking forward to seeing her again.”

Rhoam nodded. “Understood. It has been some time since your last meeting with her.” The king’s voice held a respectful tone, perhaps thinking of his late queen who had been close friends with the Gerudo chief. His gaze moved to the little Guardian, and his voice became cold. Zelda stiffened as the words left his mouth. “And? You’re taking this relic with you, I presume?” Rhoam narrowed his eyes at the small Guardian that was currently hiding behind his daughter.

Zelda could sense an admonishment incoming, yet she managed an explanation. “Yes. After talking to Purah and Robbie, we thought it would be best.”

Rhoam took a seat on his throne, considering this. The Guardian moved out from behind her as if emboldened by her voice. “I will remind you once again. Above all else, your duty is of the utmost importance. Are we clear?” Rhoam said, sternly.

For the briefest moment, Zelda thought of the hooded man she’d seen on the Sheikah Slate. “Yes, we are clear. I understand... And I will honor my duty.”

It wasn’t a lie, per se…. Zelda thought. After all I’ve been through, who can say what honoring my duty looks like. Prayer hasn’t worked. I’ve spent over a decade dedicating myself to prayer. If I could just focus my attention elsewhere, perhaps the power will find me in a way nobody could foresee.

Zelda, Link, and Impa departed the castle with the new Guardian in tow. The Princess breathed a soft sigh of frustration as she felt her father’s eyes boring into her, which didn’t go unnoticed by Impa and Link. And in time, the three were laughing and bonding over the little Guardian that acted as if it were a knight in the princess’s service.

#Age of Calamity #Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity #Astor #fanfiction #Mostly Zelda centric chapter here #Zelast

[mysterious-prophetess]

Review- Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity

I’ll admit this here: I’ve never played a regular warriors game. 

I played the previous Hyrule Warriors, but I’ve yet to beat it. I’ll get around to it...eventually.

I also played the CRAP out of Breath of the Wild. It’s now my favorite Zelda game, knocking poor Ocarina of Time of its pedestal.

Ok, they share it, to be perfectly honest. 

Twilight Princess  has sentimental position up with the others because it was the first Zelda game I ever beat. 

The first one I played was A Link to the Past and I was far too little to understand it at the time. 

I digress, I’m here to talk about Age of Calamity. 

I’ll go through a non-spoilery section and then move on to the spoilers in the next bit.

The gameplay was actually pretty fun. Hyrule Warriors could get repetitive, something I’m given to understand is an issue of the main Warriors series. 

Age of Calamity is actually more fun. Yeah, it’s still a similar game style but they implemented enough of Breath of the Wild and Zelda into it that it doesn’t feel anywhere near as same-y to play as Hyrule Warriors could be. 

I’m not saying that Hyrule Warriors had too much in the way of same-y game play but it definitely felt way more repetitive to me. 

Each character has their own way they play and if you don’t click with them, you’re not going to enjoy playing them but those you do click with can then be a lot of fun in Age of Calamity.

The Divine Beast sections were not a highlight for me. I just am not a fan of them. Three out of four felt epic. The fourth was not.

Yeah, I’m talking trash about Vah Rudania. Would not recommend that Divine Beast. Which is a shame because of the Champions, he is easily the one I handle the best in combat. Or he was untilI figured out how to play Mipha. 

The story is much more a Zelda story this time. The other story just kinda felt....not. 

Hyrule Warriors’s story just sort felt like a massive crossover fanfiction. 

And, this won’t be the last time I reference fanfiction either but that’s for the spoiler section.

The game was pretty cohesive and the incentives for 100% the side quests (aside from leveling) are nice enough and easy enough to obtain that it’s not a total grind to do it.

Speaking of leveling, I did have a bit of an edge for that. You see, I got the demo and it transfers save data and I’d max-leveled Link for that demo (level 20 in case you were wondering) which meant if I found enough rupees, I could instantly get most of my crew up to that level. Zelda and Impa were mid to high teens whenever I was done with the demo btw. 

In Hyrule Warriors, it did feel a bit grindy at times but I didn’t have that nice 20 levels from my demo advantage. 

There are relatively few buggy moments in this game but once when I was playing as a character I can’t mention without spoilers, they got caught in a sort of loop where they’d do a move and I couldn’t get them to stop.

Sometimes the camera angles would fight me when I was up against bigger foes like the final boss or Hinoxes. 

Beyond that, the game runs fine. 

I enjoyed it but for those looking for a straight up prequel to Breath of the Wild, the only non-spoilery thing I can say is-it’s not this. It does touch on a few things and we do get to play the Champions but it’s not the game you think it is if you want to see what happened before Link ended up in the Shrine of Resurrection in the game this spun-off of.

Tl;Dr-I do recommend this game if you like Zelda and want a game where your weapons don’t break every five minutes and you like feeling like a BAMF as you mow down enemy after enemy. 

If you don’t like Warriors games or wanted that dark prequel-you might want to pass on this.

Now leave if you want to avoid spoilers.

Ok everyone who wants to avoid spoilers is gone?

Good. 

First, I’m just going to say it: This is a total Fix-It Fic of a game with its plot.

As Nine’s gif said, Everybody lives.

The Champions and the King and the soldiers (whose asses you’ve been saving this whole game so really no big deal), Hyrule in general. 

Everyone lives. 

This was already in AU territory with the little guardian-it’s name is Terrako- time traveling back to fulfill Zelda’s wish that she could have saved everyone. Parts of Calamity Ganon go with it and posses its past self. 

That means this isn’t just a Fix-it Fic, this is a Time Travel Fix-it Fic.

That’s one of my favorite kinds of Fix-it Fics, so naturally, I was biased to like this plot.

It is a bit schmaltzy that everyone gets to live? A little but a Fix-it Fic tends to be more on the sweet and fluffy side of things. 

I did not see the future champions coming. Yeah, I knew the little egg-guy was a time traveler but I thought Link and Zelda together were going to save each champion one by one. When out of left field, here comes the future Champions.

I was very happy to see Adult!Sidon appear. 

I was just expecting this

and got this too

It does, however, confirm this is a total Alternate timeline. 

Wouldn’t be the first time for the Zelda series.

The Four Future Champions were pulled from Canon Breath of the Wild, and likely Post-Canon or Near the End of Canon since they know Link. 

I knew it was an AU from the fact Link didn’t have the Master Sword when he should have. I own the book Creating a Champion and it mentions that Link of Breath of the Wild found the sword at some ridiculously young age. I’d look but that book is in a pile of stuff and I don’t feel like digging it out.

Best I can figure is Zelda’s wish also affected the whole timeline beyond when Terrako arrived allowing for her and Link to form a bond without resentment on her end. Which, we actually don’t know when Terrako and the Pieces of Calamity Ganon arrived in the past. They could have showed up five years prior with Terrako inactive and Harbinger Ganon using his crazy proxy.

Would explain why Astor was so bat-shit insane at that point.

Since I’ve mentioned him, this would be a good time to talk about Astor, or Not-Vaati as I called him before I learned his name. 

Astor is every evil cultist serving some destructive force that is shocked that betrayal comes. 

Especially, after he backstabbed the Yiga Clan causing even their leader to switch sides after the Yiga clan served Ganon for 10,000 years.

Astor is boring. He’s just another purple wearing evil dude who is serving a dark master who doesn’t actually need him after a point and gets a sort of comeuppance. 

In this case, it was possession/assimilation. 

I just beat Monster Boy and the cursed Kingdom and -spoilers-, in it there is a purple wearing evil guy who backstabbed others and was then backstabbed by the evil entity he served. He was just cursed into a ridiculous form instead of assimilation, though.

So, yeah. Astor was boring. The VA did what he could but Astor was just not compelling to me.

I did like the form that resulted of Harbinger Ganon absorbing him, though. 

It was a very nice change of pace from the Blight-like form Calamity Ganon had in Breath of the Wild. I actually almost wish this was his form instead-though with the stringy hair all the Blights and Calamity Ganon had. Maybe as a between form? Either way, I liked it. 

And that’s my opinion of the whole game; I liked it. 

There were times I’d get frustrated (mostly having to do with time limits and characters I don’t enjoy controlling). I may not have liked the Divine Beast Sections but they weren’t enough to ruin the game nor was their inclusion to the point that it could ruin it for me. 

The story, while a bit over-the-top with the wish fulfillment of everyone living, was still enjoyable for me and had its poignant moments. Especially with the Future Champions going back to their own(likely the canon) timeline where the Calamity wasn’t averted. Getting this glimpse of what could have been but isn’t for them.

All the younger Zelda flashbacks were bittersweet since we sort of saw how happy she was before her mother died and saw her father start his terrible parenting routine.

I don’t care that it was for her that he did it, it was still bad parenting. I sympathize with Rhoam, but that won’t excuse that he wasn’t a good father. 

He loved his daughter and was trying his best but he still did damage in his attempts to defy destiny.

I just have a lot of feelings about this game. 

I’ll just end this post here.

Age of Calamity was worth it, in my opinion.

#age of calamity #hyrule warriors age of calamity

[consentaclecthulhuwrites]

Free Bird, Chapter 6

The next time Revali saw her was at the informal ordination of Link as her sworn protector and chosen knight. The ceremony had supposedly been crafted to be uplifting, and a symbolic beginning for the dangerous journey upon which they were all about to embark. However, if this ritual was meant to set the tone for the entire mission, Revali could only dread the outcome of the plan.

The commentary while Zelda stood above her chosen knight suggested Revali was not the only one with this sense of foreboding.

“Gee, this is uplifting.” Daruk sounded disarmingly sarcastic. “She’s making it sound like we already lost.”

Revali piped up, “Wasn’t this your idea? You’re the one who wanted to designate the appointed knight with all the ceremonial pomp, grandeur, and nonsense we could muster. And if you ask me, the whole thing does seem to be overkill. I think I’m on the same page as the princess regarding… this boy.”

“Oh, give it a rest,” Urbosa sighed. “That boy is a living reminder of her own failures. Well, at least that’s how the princess sees him.”

Her own failures? Revali didn’t understand what Urbosa could have meant. From what he knew of her, Zelda was an accomplished scholar and the pride of the Hyrule legacy. She had modesty, charity, and chastity. She was elegant, well-spoken, truly kind, and carried the weight of royalty like it were gossamer. There was something weighing her down to be sure, but Revali couldn’t imagine it had anything to do with her royal lineage.

Especially around the boy, she seemed more distraught than ever. What was it about this chap that got so under her skin? All the boy had was a stupid destiny. Unlike some people, the champions actually had to work for their skill, for their place in this league of future legends. It was apparent that Zelda had more than earned her reputation as one of the foremost scientific minds Hyrule castle had to offer, as well as a devoted acolyte. Sure, the murmurings made her sound more fanatical and eccentric than anything, but Revali chalked that up to shallow minds with shallow thoughts. It was the squabble of the little people, and what did they know or matter? It was their ignorant hides that needed saving.

After the ceremony had concluded, the champions were allowed time to explore the grounds of the castle. Link had gone to the stables with Mipha, Daruk was off near the armory, Urbosa was in the dining hall carousing with some of the younger soldiers, and Zelda had supposedly returned to her quarters. Revali observed that the princess had slipped out of sight rather swiftly, and none seemed eager to attend her despite what was clearly a downtrodden appearance.

He wondered...

Zelda hunched over the desk in her lab, scowling down at her journal. Why did she ever listen to Daruk? He was such a blockhead sometimes. She appreciated his sentiment; for a man of stone, he certainly had a warm heart, but the ceremony had been an absolute disaster. All the muttering amongst the champions while she spoke the ceremonial script… She caught bits here and there.

“Already lost…”

“Overkill…”

“Failure…”

Her face burned with shame. She wanted the ceremony to be meaningful, positive, and give hope to everyone. She should have known that endeavor would fail. Zelda had no hope herself. Since childhood, the inkling of the goddesses, the innate sense of their presence, just did not exist for her. Her prayers were answered with silence. Her fasts were met with ravenous spiritual hunger. She even offered up plants as sacrifices, then cried with guilt for wastefully plucking them without result. For whatever reason, the goddesses found her… unworthy.

She scribbled hastily, trying to put down the words as fast as they entered her brain. On the verge of tears, she noted, “It is as if there is a great chasm between the goddesses and I. I shout and shout for them to hear me, but only my voice bounces back from that deep, unending void.”

She heard a noise and snapped her journal shut. Someone was clearing their throat. She whipped back to the doorway, but no one was there upon opening the door, nor waiting at the end of the bridge that led from her scientific tower to her bedchamber.

She began checking the windows and at last, she saw a fierce green eye surrounded by blue feathers floating within the frame of one of the slit-sized windows.

“Champion Revali, I believe it was you who reiterated that it was rude to eavesdrop when we first met.”

He hoisted himself up to where he was fully visible in the window frame, flapped his wings, and gave a bow. “My sincerest apologies.”

“Also, do you not think it inappropriate to come see a member of the royal family in their private chambers?”

“But I’m not in them, now am I?”

Zelda laughed. “Are you in need of something, master Revali?”

He offered a gallant smile. “Perhaps your majesty would care to join me for a walk on the grounds. I can see everything up here, but I’ll admit… Hylian structures are baffling to me. I wondered if perhaps you would be willing to educate me.”

The warmth of the smile that grew on her face told Revali he had succeeded in breaking her out of whatever dismal reverie she’d been in when he peered in at her, scowling at her journal.

Zelda met Revali at the base of the stairs. They began to explore the walkways leading down the primary battlement of the castle with a leisurely gait.

“Here we have the entrance to our library.”

“Library?”

Zelda blinked in surprise, then ushered Revali inside.

“What in Hyrule…” His eyes widened as he glanced around the massive room filled wall-to-wall with books.

“Surely you know what a library is, Revali.” Zelda giggled.

Revali rolled his eyes and ruffled his feathers, then said, “Of course I know what a library is… I’ve just never seen one this massive. There is no actual library in the Rito village.”

The princess’s head cocked to the side. “Why not?”

The Rito raised his wing up to the princess’ field of vision and wiggled the most controllable, dexterous portions of his wing, which still looked wildly unwieldy.

“Oh… penmanship and flipping pages must be difficult!”

“Only disciplined Rito, dedicated to the art, actively pursue reading and writing beyond a primary education. We are creatures of oral tradition and have little use for books, though some of the oldest legends are inscribed on tablets of stone.”

“Is it mostly birdsong?”

“Yes. Why would we speak about the legends of the Rito when we could sing the ballads of heroes, the laments of our tribe, the lullabies our fathers learned from their fathers?”

Zelda pondered this for a moment. Then asked: “Do you sing, Master Revali?”

“I can, but I generally do not.”

Zelda had led Revali up a cascading set of stairs and was clearly determined to show him a specific volume. She was scowling and tracing her fingers along titles as she walked along the upper level of the library.

“I could have sworn it was in this section… Found it!” She pulled out a broad but thin volume, clearly weighted, almost square enough to be used as a breastplate for armor fitted to the girl. A harp was crested into the volume’s cover, gilt in gold.

“This is a musical volume of songs from Hyrule’s history. Do the Rito use notations like this?”

She showed him a page with a simple melody. The notations were similar but…

“We use lines like this but typically our musical staves are much larger…” He squinted at the page and then pulled back. “Our notes are not all round. We use shapes and lines to indicate different note lengths…”

“Fascinating! Could you read a melody like this?”

“I am not well-versed in musical notation. We received basic training in childhood, but after those initial years, my studies were dedicated elsewhere. However, this melody is similar to one we learned as nestlings. The Ballad of the Goddess, I believe?”

Zelda laughed with excitement. Revali could not help but notice her laugh was high and sweet, almost birdlike with a chirpy nature.

“Would you sing it for me, Revali?”

“I would rather not.”

The disappointment that fell across her face was immeasurable. It nearly ruined Revali’s day to see her so put out; he felt he had to explain, even if the reason was made up on the spot.

“I do not like the way I sound when I sing from prescribed notes; the planned nature feels stifling. I would rather you not insist.”

“Oh. I would never dream to impose upon you. I’m sorry!”

Revali turned very stern, and gazed at her directly. “Do not apologize. It is not for someone of your position.”

Zelda was a bit taken aback by this admonishment. Most did not speak to her in this blunt fashion. No one but her father had spoken in unfiltered directives. She understood the Rito were a singularly bold people; perhaps tact was not really part of their vocabulary. Her facial expression betrayed her utter bafflement. She nodded sharply.

“You’re right, Revali.”

At that moment, a member of the royal guard emerged at the top of the stairs and was clearly headed in their direction. Revali moved from the princess’ side just as the guard focused his attention on her and said, “Your presence is requested by his majesty King Rhoam.”

Zelda turned to speak with Revali, but he was already taking a bow.

“Till we meet again, your highness.”

The guard extended his arm, and Zelda passed him by, where he took up her rear as he escorted her from the library, following her quite closely.

Revali watched as she disappeared down the staircase, the royal guard following behind her. Why send a guard? Why did he follow her with so little space between them? What an incredible sign of disrespect. It’s as if they expected her to give chase if they even dared to blink. He hoped nothing was amiss. But he couldn’t help to wonder, yet again…

~*~*~*~*~

Link to Chapter 5 HERE

Link to Chapter 4, Part 2 HERE

Link to Chapter 4, Part 1 HERE

Link to Chapter 3 HERE

Link to Chapter 2 HERE

Link to Chapter 1 HERE

#revali #legend of zelda #zelda #breath of the wild #botw #revali x zelda #zelda x revali #free bird #free bird chapter 6

[junnie133]

so you HAD to date a princess don't you.

A fic about my version of the Modern with magic Linked Universe AU for your Modern with magic Linked Universe AU needs. Available in ao3 too. Relationships: Sky/Sun. And practically all the LU boys. 

{+}{+}{+}

“You two look terrible”

“You look terrible. They look like shit”

“And you two aren’t helping at all”

Honestly, Sky couldn’t care less about Warriors and Legend’s banter, or Four shutting them up for his and Hyrule’s sake. Sky only wanted to sleep, even a short nap was fine, but of course, he wouldn’t be complaining if he could actually do it.

It was movie night at Legend’s house- err, well, more like Ravio’s Shop’s basement. Legend was never around these days, not since Marin anyway, so the place was practically Ravio’s now, with their semi-pink haired friend dropping by every once in a while to provide some rare merchandise for the magical shop (mostly monster parts and weird artifacts Ravio managed to restore and sell for ridiculous prices). But as it was said, it was movie night, so Legend absolutely could not miss this. If he did, Wind would search him in the boiling depths of the Death Mountain or among the creepy mist of the Lost Forest, only to drag him over and see Pirates of the Caribbean with them. Again.

He groaned, if he fell asleep during the movie, Wind would kill him, so he stopped trying to get comfortable enough to sleep on Ravio’s couch and opened his eyes, his sclera blood-red thanks to many nights without a proper night of real rest.

“Dude, you look like you’re high,” said Wild next to him.

“You sure know a lot about it, Wild'' scoffed Warriors.

“You bake brownies one time...” he sighed exasperatedly. “I only did it because ‘Rule asked me to!”

“So now I am the addict” Hyrule groaned. “There’s a difference between being a junkie and experimenting with medical herbs because you’re a freaking med student”

“Yeah, sure, keep telling yourself that” Warriors rolled his eyes “Be glad Artemis didn’t send you two to jail. Where did you get so many hyrule herbs anyways?”

“They grow naturally in the Faron Forest” Wild shrugged. 

“And anywhere else all over Hyrule. That’s why they’re hyrule herbs” said Hyrule matter-of-factly. “They have a lot of medical uses, it’s not entirely recreational like the media makes it look like,” he said with sarcasm. 

Usually, their gentle friend wasn't this… Legend-like salty, but if anyone understands Sky's lack of sleep and craving for a good rest night right now, of course, it was the med student among all of them. 

“I heard it helps to sleep, too…” slurred Sky, trying to keep himself awake enough to keep up with the conversation.

“No way Sky,” gaped Warriors, as Legend wheezed to his side. Wild and Four were laughing as well, but Hyrule seemed too tired to do more than a smile, slightly amused. “How is that you, future King of Hyrule, smoke weed?” 

Sky grinned lazily and rolled his eyes. “I want to see all of you studying to be a king” he sighed. “Impa is cool and all, but she kicks my butt every time I slack off. I haven’t slept as I want since I began my studies with her”

Warriors suddenly grimaced at that. “Yeah, don’t mess with General Impa”

“That’s what you get as the fianceé of an actual princess I guess” shrugged Four.

“And sometimes Purah scares me” he continued with a haunted gaze lost in the void ahead of him. 

“She and Flora made me eat a frog once” Wild spoke up. “It was alive”

“Somehow that doesn’t surprise me” Legend deadpanned. 

“Only once, tho?” asked Hyrule.

“I actually cooked the other two, thank you very much”

“Ok, enough talking about eating raw frogs and smoking hyrule herbs” interrupted Four before someone said anything else. Sky and Hyrule glared weakly at him, and the shorty rolled his eyes “For reasonable and, uh, medical reasons, whatever”

“Medical knowledge” Hyrule corrected.

“That’s what I said. So can we please talk about something else before Time, or Hylia forbid us, Wind hears us talking about smoking weed?”

“What?” they all looked over the stairs, only to find, thankfully, just Twilight holding two big bowls of popcorn in each hand. He was glaring directly at Wild, who quickly shot his arms up, trying to look innocent. “Damn it Wild, you brought brownies?”

“That was only one time!” he shouted.

“There’s no weed here, country boy. Chill” said Legend. 

“Don’t do that kind of jokes here” he sighed, putting the bowls down on the coffee table right in front of the TV. “Time can take them very seriously…”

“As if Wind hadn’t tried hyrule weed already” scoffed Legend.

Sky grimaced. Thinking about the sweet, tiny, innocent Wind they all knew since he was born smoking weed wasn’t something cute to think about, and if it made him upset one could only imagine Warriors’ own reaction. The big brother in question, not only the oldest of three but Captain of the Royal Guard who only received orders from General and Princess Zelda the CXIV (or Artemis for short), spluttered and tried to smack Legend on the head at the same time, but the asshole only dodged the hit and laughed right on his face.

“He’s at that age!” he said as an excuse like he needed any to mess around with Warriors’ big bro mental sanity. “And it’s not that illegal. ‘Rule said it, the thing’s used for medical purposes”

“I will have to make sure you don’t have illegal amounts on this house then” War crossed his arms, narrowing his eyes at Legend in the Captain mode they rarely got to see.

“Oh c’mon pretty boy, it’s only a joke”

“If that’s so you wouldn’t mind me asking Ravio”

Legend glared back. “You wouldn’t dare”

“If he doesn’t talk I just have to threaten him to close the shop”

“You really want to see him kneel and pray, and possibly cry?” he raised a brow.

“Ugh dude, I feel awful when Ravio cries, he’s such a nice guy...” scowled Wild.

“Nice guy or not, the law is the law,” said Warriors.

“Arresting the nice guy who makes us lemonade and is the only one who can shut Legend up without restraining him physically?” Four raised a glass of lemonade as proof.

Legend blushed and his glare moved to him, as Warriors nodded, convinced. “You know what? I’m not even at service right now, and I’ll give you that only for the last reason”

“You also like the lemonade,” said Twilight.

“And I also like the lemonade” nodded the Captain again.

Sky knew the kind of blush dusting Legend’s cheeks right now. It was the same he got when he thought about Sun and her beautiful smile, or Sun feeding Crimson, or Sun while she was studying, so gorgeous with her hair pulled up into a ponytail and a tiny frown on her face as she tried to memorize legal concepts and the kingdom’s history… 

He could happily drift off with that blessed image.

...if it wasn’t because of his loud friends.

“Who’s ready for Pirates of the Caribbean: At the World’s End?!”

Wind showed up with a DVD case on his hands after jumping from halfway downstairs to the basement, raising the thing up over his head with one hand like he just found an amazing treasure from a chest. He could faintly hear a tiny triumphant tune in the back, something like dan-dan-dan-daaaaan!, but after a second Sky shook his head. It surely was only the lack of sleep finally hitting on him.

“Why didn’t we just watch it on Fairyflix or something? I don’t pay the subscription for nothing” asked Warriors, annoyed.

“It’s a retro movie night” the kid announced proudly, as Time walked down the stairs calmly after him.

“Since when CD’s are retro?” Time asked aloud to no one in particular, muttering under his breath about being old. He seemed to be personally offended.

“How did you get it, anyway? I thought you had nothing left from your allowance after paying your and Tetra’s last bail” War asked again.

“Tetra lent it to me” the kid answered easily (like it was normal for a fourteen-year-old to pay his own prison bails), taking a mouthful of popcorn on his mouth before kneeling down to Legend’s unused CD player, gathering dust on its place under the TV. “There’s no internet on the big open sea, you know?”

“He has a point,” said Four, who fell silent as Warriors glared at him with a loud but wordless ‘Don’t encourage him’ in his eyes. 

Wind’s obsession to be a pirate was well known by all of them, as well as Warriors’ desperate attempts to dissuade him away from the idea.

“Everything ok, Sky, Hyrule?” asked Time, sitting down on the armchair across the room, right next to the TV. He had that worried look on his eye.

“I have finals at school” grumbled Hyrule.

“I’ve been sparring with Impa every day this week” Sky sighed.

Warriors grimaced again. “Surprise training?”

“Yeah…” he answered, defeated. “She says I have to be always alert to protect Sun”

Time shook his head, with a pitying expression on his face. “She wasn’t so strict before,” he said.

“How are you even retired, Old Man?” asked Warriors. 

“Saving Hyrule when you’re a kid and being the Princess’s personal knight for a long time gives you nice retirement pensions” he shrugged. “Also Ganondorf doesn’t like me, he only got rid of me in a nice way”

“No one likes Ganondorf,” said Wind from his place in front of the TV, selecting the language of the movie with the control. “Not even Miss Lullaby. She only married the old fart to prevent a war against the Gerudo”

“Who told you that?” asked Time, amused.

“Tetra” 

“Obviously” huffed War.

If you asked Sky, the Royal Family was a mess. A very organized mess if anything, but a mess nonetheless. Princess Zelda the CXII, or Lullaby for short, was meant to be the heiress to the throne in the first place, but then things got weird with the Gerudo and she offered herself to marry Lady Nabooru’s brother and only male of the tribe. That was like, ten years ago, when the butterflies on his stomach every time he saw Sun didn’t make any sense to a young eleven-year-old Sky. 

“How many years do you have to keep studying, tho?” asked Time to Hyrule then.

“Like two, if Princess Aurora does me a few favors” the brunette answered.

Princess Zelda the CXVII, Aurora for short, was a fragile girl who gets sick very easily. Hyrule was a magic-talented boy who managed to wake her up from a curse (or a common coma, they weren’t really sure) some years ago with his curative magic (and a kiss, but he would never admit that). Ever since, Queen Hylia had been insisting on giving him amazing studying opportunities to take advantage of his wonderful abilities, but Hyrule being the humble traveler he was, declined over and over again, claiming he had no money to pay back. At least until Princess Aurora asked him personally to be her personal healer that’s it.

Like he said. A mess.

“Alright shut up everyone, I’m gonna start this” announced Wind, sitting on the floor near the coffee table, pressing the play button. Everyone made himself comfortable, ready to relax, and enjoy their weekly movie night.

The last thing Sky remembers before falling asleep was Wind and Wild fighting over a bowl of popcorn, Twilight trying to act as a mediator, Legend making bets on who would win with Four leaping forward to take the other bowl and Hyrule curling to his side, as Warriors screamed and Time looked at all of them with his Disappointed Look™. 

Falling asleep so soundly in the middle of their own apocalypse only spoke how much sleep Sky lacked lately. But as Legend would say, he HAD to date a princess, doesn’t he?

#They gather up to watch a movie #That’s it #that’s the whole fic #time #warriors #hyrule #sky #sky pov #legend #four #wind #wild #twilight #war being a big bro #linked universe #modern au #but with magic #*sparkles* #wind calls ganon an old fart here #wind also pays his own bails #he's 14 #warriors won't allow him be a pirate #mentions of weed #hyrule weed #hyrule herbs #yes #med student hyrule #soon to be king sky #wind likes pirate movies

[r95irth]

Finished Hyrule warrior age of calamity...

And i loved it so much, but if my heart (read : biggest crush on zelda) is satisfied, my brain can’t help but think of a way to improve it (as always) so here are my thought under spoilers x) Feel free to ignore me, it is purely to play with scenario in my head !

First thing first : the base story ; while i do love the idea of time travel (it would be hypocrite of me to say otherwise as 80% of my fics plays with it) I do think it could be played on better in this story. For me the biggest flaw is that they don’t play on the “will they, won’t they?” that comes with time travel fix it, by stating immediately that Terrako (tiny eggrobot) comes from the future and is changing the future by its mere presence.

How to fix that -> This is probably the change that would take most of the work. First thing first, i would make the jump back in time further in the past ; enough for terrako to be seen as the “seer” that predicted the Calamity ganon’s return. Which happens i think (if i recall the lore right, when Zelda is around 7 years old, right after her mother’s passing). I think it would be interesting for 1 small prologue chapter to be about this. It will change the “twist” in the story endgame but the twist is, in my opinion, less important than the tension we couldget from the “will they/ won’t they” throughout the whole game. 

In my mind it would go like this : we play King of Hyrule + Urbosa, background character Zelda’s mother and Hyrule’s chancelor (Astor but not you know, nt corrupted yet) as background characters not-playable (or maybe Zelda’s mother to show what it looks like to fight with the power?)/ probably having to protect them is the mission + maybe Link’s parents as PNJ solider battling alongside the characters and Cass’s master the Sheikah that sings balad in the Hyrule castle. 

1rst battle (somewhere in hyrule) : The chapter starts with the reports of monsters becoming more and more frequent, and so the royal family investigates it. As it could be a sign of the calamity ganon returning (says the queen) the chancellor is doubtful : how many monsters is a sign? Do they have records about it? How can they know? Won’t they just put themselves in danger for nothing? Of course his prediction rings true and the monsters surround the place. They have to evacuate the town and organize strongholds around the town to protect it. (Introduction to Link's parents as hylian captains in charge) + King asking the Sheikah to go ask for reinforcement Zelda’s mother saying Urbosa is close. Then once the stronghold are in place, the purpose is to hold it until the time limit ends, when Urbosa arrives with her troops as reinforcement and they eliminate the monsters completely. Demo at the end of the battle shows the queen is looking around the place and finds terrako lying on the ground / in the ruins + the sheikah plate. The king and her decide to bring it to inspect it / offer it to her daughter as toys (to make the King of Hyrule a little bit more likeable through his relationship with his wife and daughter first in between battle), against the chancellor’s wishes. 

2nd Battle (in the hyrule castle + castle town) : The Queen is teaching Zelda how to repair terrako with the help of the Sheikah chief (and maybe Purrah as kid and Impa?). Like in the story, Zelda repairs terrako and shows it to her mother, which says she is very proud of her. Terrako however runs away as soon as it can, and the battle is to catch it as it runs around the castle and causes havoc. Urbosa (who is here for a visit) has to catch it before the King of Hyrule notices it. Once the battle is over, the Sheikah can finally analyze the data within terrako. It brings the information that the calamity is indeed coming back. 

3rd battle : The chancellor advises the king and queen to be careful, as sheikah technology had been buried deep for a reason (maybe bring up the lore of the Hyrule family betraying the sheikah and so the birth fo the Yiga clan). He says he believes in the common way to predict the future and asks to use a ritual to confirm the queen + terrak + sheikah’s prediction. He says it could be a trap from the Yiga clan. To prove him wrong, Urbosa goes spying the Yiga clan. (Idk what it could be, a mix of infiltration, kind of mission and battles? To capture a Yiga?) Anyways it’s Urbosa again with one Hyrule captain as a guest. In the meantime we are on another battlefield, where the king assists the chancellor in his ritual in the time temple on the great plateau. He has to protect him until the end of the ritual? (With the other hylian captain) At the end of the battle, baby!Zelda is lead to the battlefield because of terrako, when he reaches the temple of time some corruption seeks in during the ritual, while the chancellor gives of the prophecy that beasts are buried beneath the ground and that could help fight the calamity. It is unclear what caused an explosion : terrako’s presence or the corruption, or the ritual, or maybe even a yiga? Anyways something happens the queen protects Zelda and the king with her power. We skip places : Urbosa gets the news that the Queen and the chancellor has been killed.

End of the prologue chapter with a funeral demo. Adding Zelda acting dignified through the funeral. Someone in the crowd says it is sad, as the princess is young, and will probably not remember her mother at all. (To justify Zelda forgetting Terrako) Maybe a scene with young Link (with baby mipha here near to show they’re friend, among the zora delegation) being told by his remaining parents that he has to protect the hyrule family like the parents that were as a temple (and implied that died too) did. 

Another addition i would put in the game is the possibility to go on inside the map without enemies in between battles (to look for korogu but not chest) ; and be able to purchase things here once the markets are opened/unlocked. It would allow people like me who like to see the landscape / comparison between breath of the wild and age of calamity to be satisfied. Of course it is optional you can go inside the map or purchase directly on the menu like you do today. 

Let’s go back to the game. 

So now after we go through the first chapter that is not changed one bit, Terrako appears like usual. The only difference is that during the first half of the battle, there’s a discussion between the King and an unknown soldier who says an old storage of the queen’s has been touched by the canon’s fire by accident (or maybe make a monster reaches the canon and adds a art where Link has to defend the canon from a monster waves). The soldier also says the magistrate impa went to check on the damage done and retrieve what can be salvaged (which explains Impa’s presence and her holding the sheikah plate) Which explains why terrako is lying on the ground later. You have access to missions in the hyrule castle. 

Another change i would do for missions : some of them lead to small demos as a reward that deepens the information you get on the characters. Each character has at least ONE serie of missions that leads to demos. Also, there’s two series of missions that leads to the retelling of breath of the wild + ballad of the champion dlc demos. I mean it it’s very important. Once you complete these missions you get to see again the memories you had in those two games, with almost no difference (except some alteration you can notice oly when your rewatch it, like not wearing the champion tunic yet / not carrying the master sword yet, or terrako being behind from afar, providing the outside pov we had in there (like seeing Link and Zelda’s backs). Also some mission are accessible within a certain time range. (and it’s showed on the map, terrako icon is up and saying until which chapter you have to complete).

Anyways the first missions you get are : 

(Epona serie) The king of Hyrule requesting says Zelda’s new horse is ready and to retrieve it to Malon’s ranch. >Later> Leads to Zelda having trouble with her horse and Link giving her advices (maybe leads to special mission where you are on horses’ backs, only being able to use Link and Zelda on horse’s back and later Revali, flying, and Riju with mme Patricia) >later> Leads to the demo of BOTW where zelda explains she will go pray to the wisdom source. 

Other missions you could get : 

(Link’s past serie) Adding a new quest for Link and his remaining parents to show the pressure he is under too.

(Zelda’s training) Adding new quest showing Zelda praying/meditating to show she tries. It makes Zelda prays in the temple of time, or other divine places (like the one in BOTW where there’s a giant goddess statue, or to ancient gods like Naryu..ect...), it ends at localizing the spring of strength.

(Romance serie optional) Adding a serie where the player can choose who Links ends up with. (Link has choices between Zelda, Mipha, Sidon) ; (Zelda can end up with Link or Impa -yes i’m sorry not urbosa, since urbosa knew her mom i think it’s for the best ><).

I have no idea for the champions, but you’re welcome to add/imagine one serie for them. Here are some other missions that could be added :

(Astor) -> This serie of missions is used to learn that astor = chancellor that has disappeared in the ritual on the great plateau. He was saved by the calamity ganon’s corruption. 

(Sheikah’s ballad) -> This serie of missions is about Kass’s master and his unrequired crush on Zelda / hatred toward Link. You would have missions like  helping him find inspiration for his songs, or protecting him while he travels with you. 

Other details/alteration : 

-OUTFITS are easier to get throughout the story and every character gets one. You cannot play the character in the zone until you get the right outfit for them and wear it (winter clothes for Zelda/Link/Impa in the Rito for example). That way people can customize their characters earlier. (For example Revali and Mipha need a special outfit in the field with lightning?) 

-Also in the gerudo town map, only female characters can enters the town, you’re automatically switched off the male characters if you do venture in. 

SO THIS CHANGE : the first half of the game is longer and makes sure the player wonders if the future of breath of the wild is going to happen still like it did. 

For that here is the order of the previous games memories put in order (and modification added) :

1)Memory of Zelda snapping at Link for following her by king’s order. (Change is Link does not carry the master sword and is in his knight’s outfit).

2) Memory of Urbosa being requested to help through by Zelda/ King of Hyrule at the end of her recruitement chapter + scene at the end of it. 

3) Memory of Darruk talking to Link at the end of his recruitment chapter (changes are Link does not carry the master sword and is in his knight’s outfit)

→ After Darruk’s recruitment there’s a quest that leads to Zelda’s discussion with Darruk featuring in the champion’s ballad. 

4) Memory of Zelda’s meeting with Revali at the end of the chapter of his recruitment (needs ; everyone’s snow outfit, zelda’s horse quest completed - no change)

5) MIpha’s memory with Link happens after her recruitement.

6) Mipha’s conversation with Zelda in the champion ballad is held after her recruitement battle and Link’s awakening of the master sword. (no change) after a mission. 

7) After Link gets the master sword, there’s a serie missions where zelda needs the ingredients to make the champion’s outfit. (You need to unlock the ability to dye armors too, and the blue color). it leads to two memories : the informal ceremony requested by darruk in BOTW, and the Ballad of champion demo where you are intronized by the king and later have a picture taken of the group. (Only alteration is that line where they say they have yet to unlock the other abilities of the sheikah plate, and you can see terrako looking at Impa taking the picture).

8) Revali’s memory with Link (botw) happens once Link has the master sword too.

9) The memory where Zelda asks if links hears the master’s sword voice happens in a serie where you improved the divine beasts + after a first mission with darruk driving his divine beast. 

10) I suppose the memory with Yiga pursuing Zelda can happens during the chapter we fight Yiga / infiltrates them. 

11) Same with Zelda’s sleeping next to urbosa. It happens once you’ve improved the divine beast + did the first operation with Urbosa using her divine beast. 

12) The silent princess memory is here with a serie of mission dedicated to save it, like there is in the game already and the frog mission. You also have to complete all the previous memories stated before this one. 

13) The Zelda’s training mission serie leads to localize the strength source and ends up with the memory where Zelda prays there. 

14) The memory of Link and Zelda having a heart to heart under the rain happens during Link’s personal serie of mission. 

15) The memory of Zelda helping Link after a hard battle on death mountains happens once you completed the serie of extreme fire missions that is already in the game. 

16) The memory of Zelda having a fight with her father happens after the spring of courage disastrous mission and a series of missions that started after the 2nd battle of chapter 1 (where you fist fight a guardian) that had the goal to be able to use guardians. Once you have this memory you cannot do the mission about sheikah technology for a while. 

Finally the last memory you have in this first half of the game is the one with the horse riding, right before the chapter where calamity ganon awakes. Where Zelda says she will go to the spring of wisdom tomorrow for her birthday. It is the end of the serie mission about epona and her white horse. (no alteration except terrako being seen at the end and maybe a skip to evil!terrako so we know why Calamity ganon is awakened sooner, because Astor saw this through him and so acted upon it)

Now that the first half is done, the game can continue like it had, with going full canon!divergence and the game is almost the same as it. The only changes i would do are : 

-Adding a serie of missions WAY BEFORE (like in the first half of the story) where they find the shrine of resurrection, maybe even a battle mission on it before where someone is injured and you have to carry them there to test it. 

-Altering Zelda and the King’s reconciliation :

1)When the castle is attacked, and the King is left behind : adds Link’s remaining parent by the king’s side and telling him to protect the princess at all cost to add a bit of emotion to Link too.  

2)Then making the runs outside the castle another battle mission leading to the memory where Zelda breaks down in Link’s arm like in BOTW but ends up with Impa and terrako finding them, out of the forest and the scene we had where terrako sing the song to Zelda (+ seeing Revali’s divine beast in the sky) at the end. 

3) Akkala’s fortress retaking takes place in the same way as before, once you rescued all the champions. But the reunion with the king happens right before the Hateno fort battle. He has been brought wounded there and you meet him mid battle while protecting the place. So the scene where the kind is already proud of his daughter BEFORE she gets her sealing power. The flash back scene happens here explaining he got saved by the metal part + adds a little bit of him saying he was afraid he would lose her to the sheikah technology the same way he lost her mother/ the chancellor...He is surprised by her leading the troop so well and retaking Akkala. Also it’s not sure he will survive yet it is said, and when she asks about Link’s parents he says they got separated and doesnt’ know if they made it. So the scene where Zelda panicks when Link is about to die and thinks of her father (and maybe adding Link’s parents) still happens. She unlocks her sealing power. 

4) After the Hateno battle a little bit more is expanded by Yiga’s chief recruitment, and we can see the king is better but sees his daughter leading the battle proud. The great plateau battle happens, and instead of a reveal of the king being okay, he saves zelda from an attack at the end of the great plateau (and same scene, with him saying he is proud of her). 

Here it is a satisfying reconciliation for me. The one we got suffers from the crappy redemptions arc tropes we always have “yeah now i’m okay since you got exactly where i wanted you to be and so i have little to change about my mindset” so nope. Nope. Big nope.

The rest i would change almost nothing, to the rest of the game. (Except maybe as i said missions quests where you learn more about Astor / About Kass’s old sheikah mentor who had a crush on Zelda / and a little bit about every character’s past, but that’s optional). The explanation for Zelda forgetting Terrako is the same as she doesn’t remember being called little bird or her mother’s face in te memories we have of her, as stated in the funeral scene.

And i’m done with “what i would improve in the age of calamity game” thanks for reading xD See you for the next game ! 

#hyrule warriors #age of calamity #spoilers #as always my brain won't let me alone #here is what i would change in the story #to make it slightly better #but don't get me wrong i loved it a lot

[ethien]

Ficlet of your recent arranged marriage answer? One where Link runs away from the marriage because he was already in love with another. 💖

You wish is my command ♥

Bittersweet Happiness

Words: 2.757

When hearrived at the castle, he didn’t know what expected him. No one could see thishappen. He arrived at the castle and went to the throne hall where the Kingwaited for him.

He went inand kneeled down.

“I hopeyour travel went well. I called you because I have some important news toshare”

He justnodded and continued listening.

“Themeeting with our neighborhood kingdom Elysium went well. We are on a good wayfor a stable friendship. We only need to prove our trust and effort. And that’sthe part you will become a part of it, Link”

He hadsuddenly a bad feeling about this. He continued listening.

“You’re ourbravest and strongest knight in the kingdom and a well-known hero. Youradventures went over the boundaries of Hyrule and reached their eyes. As asolid proof they will allow you to marry the crown princess of their kingdom.It’s such a big honor for a knight to marry in a royal family.”

The wordsstuck deep in his throat. He wanted to deny this offer but he couldn’t. It wasfor the kingdom which he served from the deepest of his heart. To deny wouldmean nothing good for him and in the worst case scenario, a war. He had nointension to trigger this. However, there was a small pain in his heart. Marrysomeone else…who wasn’t you? When he travels to the castle, his intentions wereto propose to you after it. Now he couldn’t. If it comes out, he couldn’t bearthe consequences you would get. You’re too precious for it.

“You willtravel in two days to their kingdom. So you can learn about the environment andyour future home. I hope you feel proud for this opportunity and accept thisfor the well-being of Hyrule”

“Yes…yourmajesty” he only said. He hides his frustration about it.

He standsup and left the hall. He immediately went to his room and jumped on the bed toscream in the cushion.

After sometime and he heard a knock on the door. He said nothing when the person entered.It was Zelda.

“I heardwhat my father wanted. I am sorry. I tried to convince him that you shouldmarry who you want and nothing arranged. He didn’t listen and also ignored thefact…you already have someone”

He sat upand looked to her. He could see she deeply felt sorry.

“You triedyour best. Thank you” Link only said and sighed. She left his room.

The nightcame and he still sat there without reaction. His mind was blank. The softknock on the door took him back and he opened it. You stand behind it.

Heimmediately saw your red and puffy eyes. So you knew it and also didn’t likeit. He took you in his arms and strokes your back while you cried in his arms.

“I cannotaccept this. How heartless can be the king?” you cried out loud. “I don’t wantthis. I don’t want to lose my man to someone else only for a silly friendshipwith another kingdom”

Both of yousat on the bed. During the whole night, you were in a deep embrace and justcried until you both fall asleep. It should be the last time you two were soclose.

The nextday, Link had to prepare a lot of things and couldn’t spend any minute withyou. He heard you were with Zelda. You were best friends with her and youneeded someone for comfort.

The daypassed faster than expected and the day of the departure came.

He wavedback when he rode with Epona out of the castle. He saw your sad face and yourshy wave. He touched his lips to remember your last shared kiss. He wanted tokeep it forever in his heart.

The horseride took 6 hours until he arrived at the castle from the kingdom Elysium. Thepeople were hylian like him. Maybe not fully hylian, their ears weren’t morerounded as his.

The sunstarted setting when he jumped from his horse and took her to the castlestable. “Good girl. You made a good job. Now rest”

He sigheddeeply and went out of the stable to meet some guards.

“You mustbe Sir Link. Please follow us. Your highness is waiting for your arrival” theysaid firmly to him, he just nodded and followed them.

The castlewas quite elegant and imposing. When he went through the halls, the decorationseemed highly luxurious. It was too much in his opinion.

He arrivedat the throne hall and saw the king of Elysium. He bowed deeply.

“It’s apleasure to meet the legendary hero of Hyrule. Welcome in Elysium. I amMahagonius vi Elysium, the ruler of this kingdom. We hope your travel was agood one.”

He justnodded and let his glance wander around the hall. There were some royal guards,the luxurious decoration on the wall and windows and the king.

“One of theguards will show you your room. Tomorrow, you will get to know my daughter andprincess Luka. Have a good night rest, Sir Link”

He followedthe guards to his room. It was fancy as expected. A huge bed, luxuriousfurniture and decoration. For him, it was too big for only one. He wished youwere here.

He madehimself ready for bed. He lay some hours wide awake. He only could think of youand your sad face when he left. How much he wished you would be by his side.

With thethought of you, He falls asleep.

The sunrose when he woke up. He watched them for a bit.

“[Y/N]would enjoy the view”

He imaginedyou were next to him. In his mind were pictures of your sleeping figure. Howsome hair strains were in your face, your soft breathing and your angelic likeface. He could watch it forever. Then he realized you weren’t there and sighed.

He standsup, getting dressed and tried to search for the dining hall for breakfast. Tohis surprise, he found it on his own.

“Goodmorning, Sir Link”

Heabsolutely hated it how everyone called him by his knighthood.  

“The kingand princess are waiting for you”

He noddedand followed the guard. This was a thing he hated. In Hyrule, Zelda always atewhere everyone ate. It made the royalty of Hyrule sympathetic.

Linkarrived at the room. He saw the king and right to him an unknown woman. Heguessed this had to be princess Luka…his fiancée.

“Goodmorning” he greeted them softly and sat down.

“Goodmorning, Sir Link. I hope, you had a splendid rest?”

“I had.Thanks for your interest”

He startedeating like the others. In his eyesight he saw how shy the princess looked athim. She had long black hair, her skin was pale. But it was more a ceramicsskin. Her figure was fragile and he had the feeling she was an elegant than aprincess. Her eyes were golden and seemed calm. All in all, she was a beautifulwoman he had to admit. But it didn’t change the fact his heart would beat forher. You had his heart. For everyone else, you were a simple hylian. For him,you’re the most beautiful person he ever meet and saw.

“And thisis my daughter Luka. You can have a chat after breakfast” the king said andpointed to her. Link nodded.

Thebreakfast was over and he was glad. It was kind of awkward for him. He had felther glance over him. He could feel how much she admires him. He had the urge tovomit by it.

He followedthe king and princess. They arrived at a meeting hall.

“I will nowleave you two alone. Have a nice chat and get to know each other”

It wentsilent for a bit. He avoided eye contact with her.

“Sir Link…Howis Hyrule?”

“It’smajestic. Every place is home even though you visit the first time the place”he said and smiled by his words. In his mind, he saw you in the grass fieldbefore the castle. How happy you jumped while searching for flowers.

“This soundsgorgeous. I hope there will be places here, you will like” she said. He didn’tknow a lot about Elysium. He only knew the rumors about a lot of dry places.

Link wentto the window and looked out. The places around the castle were green likeHyrule. But it wasn’t the same feeling.

“Say…Link”

He lookedthe first time in her face. It had a neutral expression.

“Yes?”

“You don’twant to be here, right?”

His eyeswiden by this statement. How could she know it?

“I am…”

“Please don’tlie to me. I saw it when you entered the hall. You had a smile on. But bothyour smile and eyes were full of sadness, anger and frustration. So I assumeyou’re not happy to be here?”

It wentsilent for a bit before he spoke up.

“You’reright” he only said. He heard how Luka sighed.

“I know it.When my father told me about the marriage, I was…happy. I admire your person.Brave and selfless. I thought you were here because you wanted to be. But thenI saw your face. You don’t like it?” she asked. He could hear her sadness. Hefeels worse to break her heart.

“I canunderstand the effort of this. I would accept it…if the circumstances weredifferent. But there aren’t. I feel betrayed from my kingdom I swear to serve”he said. “I am sorry. I didn’t want to hurt you”

“It’s okay.It is better that the truth is out. Maybe we can arrange things after ourwedding…who can make your life better…” she said and with every word, she gotquieter. She didn’t want it. But he knew she only wanted the best. She was akind woman. She deserved a better man than him. However, the decision was madewithout them. And they had to live with it.

The nextdays went unspectacular. He had some chats with the king and the princess, hewalked around the castle or just stare in the sky. The date of the wedding camenear. He feared the day. He went over the castle wall and watched how theguests arrived. Tomorrow was the wedding. He knew Zelda would come but it surprisedhim to see her arriving. He saw her new appointed knight who followed her. Hewould later talk to them. He hoped she had a message from you for him. Hewanted to see your handwriting and smelling your scent on the paper.

He wentback to the dining hall to simple eat. There were a lot of guests and he couldn’tZelda. So he needed to stay for himself.

After it,he immediately went to his room. This was maybe the last time he could havetime for himself. The last day of being free.

He satthere and just read old letters from you. His mind went back to these goodmemories. When he realized he fall in love with you.

You were atthe zora domain and talked with some guard. Then one wanted to make a dive completionwith you. You agreed and he watched how elegant you dive in. Well then herealized you couldn’t swim and he jumped after to rescue you. When you were onthe surface with him, he yelled with you how reckless you were. You justlaughed. You said you wanted to impress him. It hit him hard how sweet youlaughed. His heart started beating faster. He falls in this moment for you.

Or when youtwo had your first kiss.

It was anunromantic situation. You had an argument with him. It was a silly argument butno one wanted to lose. He remembered quite well how he talked and in the nextmoment, his face was in his hands and your lips on his. It took him off-guardand he immediately forgot what he wanted to say. He lost the argument, but wonyou.

There werea bunch of wonderful memories with you. But the strongest were your sad face.He thought he will never forget it.

A knock onthe door brought him back to reality.

“Is open”he said and it opened. Zelda came in and her knight.

“WelcomeLink. Nice to see you” she said. He could hear she was worried. “How it thelife here?”

“It’s okay.I will get used to it” he said and didn’t look at her. He didn’t want to seeher worried face.

“I am onlyhere that you can tell some things my new knight. They aren’t used to the workand some advices could be nice” she said.

“That’sokay. If it helps to get better, I will help” he said. He thanked Zelda forthis opportunity to forget for some minutes the wedding.

“Then, Iwill let you two alone”

She leftthe place. Link turned around to meet up with the knight.

“So, wheredo you ne…” he started to ask. The knight took their hat off and then he saw…you.

“[Y/N]!” hesaid and took you immediately in a hug. You return the hug and put your head onhis chest.

“How…why?”he asked confused. But at first, you kissed him deeply. You really took himoff-guard.

“You know…Ialso worked as a guard and after you I am the best one for protecting Zelda.And well…it was also Zelda’s idea so we could meet a last time.”

“I don’twant it to be last” he said. His voice trembled a bit. “I only want you to stayby my side”

“I wish itcould be. But this marriage is a huge thing for the peace. Without, there couldbe a war”

“Why? That’sridiculous”

“Yeah. ButElysium had more powerful weapons. It’s the best there is no war”

“But thismarriage is fake. The princess already know I don’t want this”

It wentsilent between you. Then you looked up to him.

“What doyou really want?”

He hesitatedwith the answer.

“A life whoI decide what I do. I did a lot for others and no thing for me. I…”

He lookedstraight in your eyes.

“I have theright to be selfish. So…[Y/N]…?”

You got awarm feeling in your heart.

“Will you…breakaway…with me…and then….marry me?”

You kissedhim as an answer.

You stayedat the room until the noon starts. You both sneaked out and went to thestables. You jumped in silent on your horses and rode out of the castle. Youhad the time on your side. It was deep in the night. They would realize he wasgone in the morning. It was the time you needed to travel back to Hyrule.

When thesun rose, you arrived at a small village. You two went to a stable to get alittle rest.

“You know…Lifewill be now more difficult. They will search for us. Is it this you wanted?”

He shook hishead. “No. But I want to live on my own. And if it means to hide…it’s okay. Aslong as you stay by my side” You kissed him softly and then went to bed.

You wereright with your assumption. It took some days for the news how he crashed thewedding. The king of Elysium was angry but he didn’t start a war. Zelda wasindeed a bit disappointed but she knew it was the best. But his reputation wasdestroyed. Of course, they searched for Link, the traitor of the kingdom.

You had tochange your location every two to three months. It was hard but you found someplaces with people how were on your side.

Yourwedding was a little one at the beach. It was cute and romantic. Your honeymoonwere in the near from the zora domain.

Sidonsometimes visited you two. He was one who understands your reasons. He alsooffered you two a little house, so you could thinking about a family.  He wasn’t sure about it. It wasn’t clear ifthis stay was forever. But with you by his side, he could stand everything.

Even running away from the kingdom he loved.

#tloz #loz #the legend of zelda #TheLegendofZelda #legend of zelda #legendofzelda #link #reader #linkxreader #link x reader #reader insert #zelda #hyrule #oot #botw #tp #mm #ph #st #alttp #albw #la #links awakening #breathofthewild #ocarina of time #phantomhourglass #twilight princess #majoras mask #spirit tracks #a link to the past

[dipshitcoyote]

Breath of the Wild Daemon!AU

Ok so! I’m working on an actual fic using these concepts and this version of the BotW world, but I thought that maybe some of you might be interested in my ideas so here! I’m putting pretty much everything under a readmore, because this is copypasted from my planning document, which got very long and doesn’t even have anything to do with the plot of what I’m writing ^^’

Enjoy!

Link’s daemon is a Hyrule Field Mouse (lol get it) named Firielore (fih-REE-ehl-ohr), Firi for short. From Fi, Ciela, and Farore. They settled early, when Link first drew the Master Sword. Historically, the Hero most often settles as a wolf, but other forms are not unheard of and he isn’t the first Hero to settle as something more unassuming.

Pre-Calamity, most people, even other knights, thought that Link and Firi’s behavior was odd. Neither of them ever spoke (Link is mute, but Firi can speak and just doesn’t), and Firi was just as stoic and inexpressive as her human. As a mouse daemon, she was always on his person, usually on his left shoulder as was uniform for smaller daemons of knights and soldiers, but was rarely seen out of that position except for when she would turn to increase their field of view or leave him briefly to scout stealthily around corners/over boulders and the like.

Relating to the issues that make him canonically selectively mute, Link’s lack of self preservation re: his Duty translated to Firi as well. Things like stretching their bond too far for too long for the sake of getting the scope of a situation or enemy, but not letting the pain show externally where someone else might be brought to their knees with it. Other things like Firi using herself as a distraction, running from Link’s arm to the Moblin’s to divide its attention and leaving them both exposed to give Link a chance to strike. The monsters don’t know the difference between hitting a daemon vs. its Hylian, and that makes the contact less bad, but not insignificant. There were rumors throughout the castle that Link and Firi had been separated traumatically or that the Master Sword allowed them the distance, but both are untrue- their bond was no different than any other Hylian, they just pushed it further in the name of duty.

Link and Firi’s character development (in the memories) is subtle just like in canon. Through the Yiga attack she is always on Link’s left shoulder, even when they and Zelda are just traveling. On the hill with the Silent Princess is the first time she’s not there- she hops off his shoulder when he crawls forward to look at the flower and she moves closer to it. After Zelda’s failure at the Spring of Power, Firi touches Zelda’s daemon to comfort him, just for a moment.

Firi had and has (Impa gave it to them with the Champion’s Tunic) a small set of custom armor for protection, but rarely wore/wears it; she’s fast enough that any attack that would possibly hit her in battle would probably kill Link as well. On the battlefield she would either deftly scurry around Link and warn him silently about attacks from behind, or slip into a small armored pouch that existed to protect her in one-on-one combat unless an opportunity to assist presented itself. In the present, she doesn’t participate in battle the same way she would 100 years ago (with the aggressive distraction and the like), moreso providing Link extra ears and eyes in a fight.

Post-Calamity, she is considerably more physically active, but she still doesn’t speak out loud- except very occasionally to Link himself. I.e when they first wake up in the Shrine of Resurrection, Link hears Zelda’s voice first and opens his eyes to Firi sitting on his chest, also saying his name. However, she’s still a very quiet daemon, especially considering that Link communicates via signing and it would be considered acceptable for her to talk for him. In Post-Calamity Hyrule she’s more outgoing towards other daemons and will greet them physically if appropriate.

Zelda’s daemon, Hylayrune (hih-LAE-roon), Layrune or Rune for short, is unsettled until the moment she awakens her power, when he settles as a Snowcoat Fox (Real life equivalent: Arctic Fox). His name comes from Hylia (all Zeldas daemons’ names start with ‘Hy’), (La)Nayru, Hyrule, and rune/ruin. Before he settled, he took atypical forms for the sacred princess’ daemon that were more representative of Zelda’s scientific pursuits, such as bugs (usually a bee), frogs, and lizards. Almost always, the Princess settles as a bird of prey (often owl, occasionally eagle or loftwing), or in some cases a small dragon (as the three dragons Dinraal, Farosh, and Naydra are said to be the daemons of the three Goddesses, with Hylia’s being most often depicted as a golden dragon or occasionally a huge, golden Loftwing).

Rune’s late settling, and his preferred forms before settling, were a huge cause of anxiety for him, Zelda, and their father. This is all tied into their self-doubt about awakening their sealing power and being able to fulfill her duty as the sacred princess, but it’s also personal for the King. His daemon is a Mountain Crow, which though known to be clever and resourceful are seen as a bad omen, even a curse, within Hyrule. It puts stress on his regime, and the idea that his daughter prefers frogs and lizards over forms that have become symbolic of the royal family and the sealing power is deeply troubling. Rune takes “appropriate” forms only at official appearances and ceremonies, and even then, usually a more wild hawk over an owl, eagle, or dragon.

Other characters:

The Old Man/King: Mountain Crow (real life equivalent: Raven)

Urbosa: Islander Hawk (with kind of a more desert coloration. real life equivalent: Harris Hawk)

Riju: Unsettled, usually a Sand Seal bc they love them

Impa: Blue-Winged Heron (real life equivalent: Great/Little Blue Heron).

Beedle: Hylian Retriever (A golden one, fight me)

Other random stuff/past Links:

- The Princess traditionally settles when she first unlocks/uses her powers, and the Hero traditionally settles when he draws the Master Sword. There are some exceptions, like the Hero of Twilight being old enough to have already been settled, and the Links in games without the Master Sword settling in other ways.

-Hero of Time and Twilight both had Wolf daemons. Their wolf forms are kind of a combination of them and their daemons’ appearances. Time had a lighter colored wolf and Twilight had a darker colored wolf.

    - BUT Hero of Time’s daemon is usually a mouse as a child, when he’s unsettled, alluding to past and future heroes.

    - The mouse thing (here and for the Hero of the Wild) comes less from personality and more from the feeling of facing an enormous dungeon boss as Link, like a mouse about to fight a lion.

-Both the Hero of Wind and Four Swords/Minish Cap Link also had mouse daemons.

    - For Wind this is because of the mobility he needed re: moving on a ship (also kind of like a ship rat? Disclaimer: I’ve never played WW)

    - For Four Swords/Minish this is because he shrinks down and is pretty much the same size as his daemon (she’d have to shrink a little bit too but not as much) and I just think that’d be really cute

-I’m not sure what Skyward Sword!Link’s daemon would be. Not a loftwing because it isn’t possible for anyone but a Goddess or a sacred princess (with Goddess blood) to settle as one, but I’ve never played SS so I can’t really say. It would have to be small enough to ride on a loftwing with him, or a bird of some sort- probably all of the people in Skyloft settled like that, now that I think about it. Maybe a beetle?

-Link from the original games probably has a wolf daemon, as well as LttP/LBW Link.

- Spirit Tracks!Link has a white dove daemon and she rides on his head like the birds in the game and its adorable

-Ganondorf always has a boar daemon in any iteration. When he transforms into Ganon they merge, similar to Wolf Link, but grotesquely instead of dissolving together in Twilight.

-Only the Hylians, Sheikah, and Gerudo have daemons

    -The Sheikah have mostly same-sex daemons, with opposite-sex daemons being about as rare as same-sex daemons among the Hylians and Gerudo. No one’s quite sure why.

    -The Zora have sort of a connection to their jewelry and weapons, but not necessarily a physical one. More of a literal “put your soul into your craft” type thing, which is why Zora armor is the way it is and most of the Zora have specialized livelihoods like sculpting and smithing.

    -The Gorons don’t have a physical Thing, they have a special brotherhood with other Gorons. It’s why you rarely see Gorons traveling too far from Goron City, and almost never alone. They can be alone, like a Zora can be without their craft and affects, but it negatively effects them after a while.

    -The Rito have their songs; though not all of them are musically inclined, its a cultural thing and not a physical requirement. Kass would be considered very spiritually aware and expressive, whereas Revali would not, but a non-musician Rito doesn’t suffer for it. There would only be an issue if there were no bards among the entire Rito race, and the songs faded from memory.

#daemon au #daemonverse #botw #breath of the wild #loz #legend of zelda #my post #id like to make one of those daemon au photoset things but #link is the only one with an animal not from the game and it would look wrong without him there :(

[ashanddreams]

Back in Time Glitch: Twilight Princess Wii (IDK about GameCube cause I don't have one and not for HD because IDK how to get back in time started)

So this is really me tracking down my progress with doing the back in time glitch with Twilight Princess. I'm doing this because no one else really has cause I think they get stuck at one part. So, here we go:

So starting this glitch is pretty easy; all we have to do is go to Arbiter's Grounds and die (fun amirite). We have to make sure that when we die, we only see the tip of Link's gauntlet (or fingers, since it's different than how I remember it). Now, there are two things we can do while performing the glitch: either take damage or get it on the first try. Getting it on the first try is good, but we can't push the a or b buttons (all other buttons are fine, the other two will crash the game and we will need to unplug the Wii). Taking damage (any amount is fine) will allow us to push a and b, which will bring up the title screen where we can push a and b together to go to the menu and select any file. Whether it's new or not will not change anything from normal.

(Here is the title screen without crashing the game)

The first thing that will happen when we perform the glitch is we will be taken to the title screen area with no map, health, music, or item/action abilities. Don't push a or b if we didn't take damage before (damage will not be saved between resets, only if we perform the glitch right). This is where we need to die again. Responding from this will give us the normal screen, but we will be at one heart. Now here is where things get kinda weird. We can save and quit here and we will be brought to Faron woods (this is the right way). However, dying again will result in a game over. If we continue, we will be brought to the King Bokoblin fight (IDK). Skipping the cutscene will allow us to fight him while letting play will get us stuck on the bridge. If we defeat him and save Colin, we’ll be taken to Kakariko. No matter what we do here, either skipping the cutscene or not will softlock us there and we cannot leave or do anything (side note: after having done this, I had a nightmare about twilight Kakariko and Barns' Bomb Shop, so now I don't like it there lol).

Going the Faron route, we will be in the save Talo sequence. Do what we’d normally do, save him and go to the next day. (Now this part is very fuzzy since I did this part a few months ago, so I'll come back later). Go through the day, heard the goats, leave and DO NOT SKIP THE CUTSCENE AS YOU WILL BE STUCK. Go about, go to the house, and if my memory is right there we can give the kids the sword (keep in mind we won't get the first bottle, fishing rod, sword, or slingshot- but we can still give them a sword). Before we continue, go into the mayor's house since the door is now open and get the iron boots. This will save us time later. Now, do everything as normal until we come back to the world of light. This is where people give up I think, as there is "no way to progress."

We cannot get the sword and shield as there are logs blocking the hole to get the sword, the area to get to the shield is closed, and there are no characters around. However, this can be skipped using the sword and shield skip (there are youtube videos showing how to do this on GameCube and Wii). We’ll need a Bokoblin from the are and DO NOT KILL IT AND SAVE OR YOU ARE SCREWED. We’ll need to bring it to the wall of twilight, align it with a black mark on the wall and do a really big double attack on it. If we do it right we’ll bypass the area where Midna will tell us to go back and she'll let us into the twilight. Please note: this glitch is the hardest thing to do (in my experience). It took me over a year to do this, as I rage quit a lot from doing it over and over and over again, and I got it cause I was very lucky.

So, after that long intro, it's all good. Progress as normal, get to the forest temple and prepare to think you're stuck. Everything was great and normal until the first room with the spiders on the vines. Remember: we don't have the slingshot. But, the solution is easy: find some Boko Baba seed things and throw it at the spiders. Easy peasy. Now before we leave, there is one thing to note: beating the mini-boss of this dungeon with jump attacks is a no-go, cause that will hard crash the game with a very fun sound playing. Beat him (and the boss) slowly and it'll be good.

Go to the Eldin province and we'll be at the glitchy part of the run (twilight and light). Go through normally until we get to the gate to Kakariko. Go through it and we'll be taken into a cutscene. Remember the King Bokoblin fight? Yeah, that's here now, just will no voices for the NPCs. Watch the cutscene. Now the world is weird cause it's the world of light with a twilight filter. Midna will tell us to help Colin and there will be no shadow monsters or dying spirit of light. To fix this, just leave the area (side note: this is where we go if we fight King Bokoblin right after doing the glitch and we'll be softlocked cause we're human, but now we're a wolf and can do things now). Going to a new area puts everything back to where it should, but we can go back to the gate and start the same cutscene as many times as we want, as there's no limit to this or the number of times we can fix it. When we're done, go on as normal, get the bugs, and save the land. Once we are done talking to the spirit, another cutscene will play, the one where we get our horse. The game most likely triggers this because we have the iron boots (remember?), and it has to play it for later, which starts the Epona scene. Get her and save Colin. Do that and go to death mountain.

(if we wish, we can go to Ordon spring to get the hidden skill from the stone we probably activated in the twilight, but we’ll be unable to do it because we need a shield. We can buy a shield, but we either lose the nice metal shield for a cheap wooden one that burns or we pay 200 rupees to tell the game "Hey, I have the shield now, even though I've had it the entire time," which is something I didn't want to do, so I'm not getting any of the hidden skills, which pains me cause I want the back slice)

(This is in the Arbiter's Ground area but it's the same thing) (Also grandpa Time is blind cause I GOT A SHEILD) (ok boomer)

Back on point, go up to death mountain and realize that we don't have to take damage from that Goron because we got the boots (we won't be softlocked so it's good).

Now play through the area normally. Actually, play through the game normally, as everything from here on out is just a normal playthrough. We just do get the slingshot, the Ordon sword or shield, fishing rod, two bottles (one from the shop in Ordon and the other in the fishing area since we need the fishing rod to get it), and six hidden skills (if we don't want to part with a FREE metal shield).

So, I bet someones thinking about a problem in the future part of the gameplay. Right now I am it Arbiter's Grounds. (I found out it is possible to perform back in time again (but I think the point of restarting is just a bit later than I remember, since past of Link's gauntlet had to be seen then, and now it's the tips of his fingers). I think everything will go fine until we get to Snowpeak, or rather, not get to Snowpeak. We need the fishing rod to get the reekfish, and guess what we don't have: the reekfish. I believe one of three things will happen-

1) The game will hard crash (or just regular crash) cause we don't have the fishing rod, and the game will get really confused and die.

2) Nothing will happen. What I mean by this is that we won't be able to accept the earing addition and either Ralis will keep the earing or it will vanish and we never see it again.

3) The game spawns a fishing rod for the player to have and we go on as normal. With this, we'd be able to get a third bottle.

With the first two points, we will be softlocked, as the game will put us back at the start if we go into the blizzard.

I'm not sure what will happen at that point, but no matter what happens, whether we get the rod or not, I'm going to keep exploring with this glitch; I'll find the do's, don'ts, and mega don'ts. When I find something new I'll add it here later. Hope someone has fun with this and wish me luck! 🤞

Edit: So there's actually a fourth option: the fish hook is a new item in your inventory and now we're stuck.

So.....not what I was hoping for but that's what we get for trying to kill the game. The sad thing is that if we go to Colin's house we can see a fishing rod on the wall. I even found out that we cannot buy the slingshot because it's not in the shop in Ordon and the wooden sword doesnt appear in our house. Another new piece of info: we dont have the Ordon Spring warp since we never got the sword and shield in the beginning of the game.

So I'm going to see if there's a way to skip snowpeak. However, this will definitely be a problem later on during the Zant fight since we need the ball and chain. Wish me luck on that!

TL, DR: go back in time and save Hyrule on hard mode.

UPDATE: So I saw a video on YouTube talking about having all of our items in the king bulblin fight. What we need to do is do back in time and take damage before doing so. I did it in Arbiter's Grounds and got there fine. Then we need to pull up the title screen and fall into a void. Right before Link starts screaming, we push a+b (or start since this works on the gamecube). If done correctly we should here Link screaming on the file select. Now we have to choose a game file. If we choose a new file, we go through naming Link and Epona and when we start this happens:

(I sat here for 10 minutes. We can't do anything except power off and press home, but pushing reset still keeps us at this screen and now we can't use the home button).

If we select a file that already has data, then we go to the bulblin fight with all the items we had before the glitch, including the master sword (I'm doing this on a file where I already did the back in time glitch so I still dont have the fishing rod).

UPDATE: THE RUN'S NOT DEAD

So, I was watching YouTube and looked up Twilight Princess glitches and saw a glitch for early City In The Sky. By doing this glitch, we can skip all of Snowpeak Ruins and the Temple Of Time. Seeing as how the ball and chain is not needed to finish the game after Snowpeak and the dominon rod is only needed for the search for the sky quest (which we can skip while doing this glitch), we will be able to progress without the fishing rod and skip three hours of gameplay. I was hoping we could find a way to get the fishing rod so we could 100% the game, but now we definitely can't do that.

Early City In The Sky glitch:

Requirements: Master Sword and visited the desert at least once (completion of of Arbiter's Grounds recommended)

As soon as we have access to the Master Sword, we need to head to Lake Hylia. We need to go to the desert. Once at the desert, I recommend completing the Arbiter's Grounds, but that's not necessary right now. Now we warp to Kakariko village and go to Renado's basement. By sliding with z-targeting into the space between the statue and the wall (right on wii, left on gamecube). The angle is kinda precise so finding a YouTube video is recommended for finding a good angle. Once we're positioned right, we need to turn into wolf Link. If everything is correct we will clip past the statue. Now, as wolf link, go up to the cannon and say you'd like to warp. Midna will say Shad is still standing there (even though he's not). We can still warp the cannon as long as we open the map right after Midna is done talking (spam the button it has to be right after she's done). Turn on portals and warp to Lake Hylia and Midna will warp Link and the cannon there (we have to be in wolf form. Also, DO NOT AND QUIT IN THE ROOM. Apparently doing this on the wii will trap us as Midna won't let us warp)

Now at Lake Hylia we talk to the cannon guy and cough up 300 rupees. Here we can do some side quests. I finally caved and bought the Hylian shield and got the four hidden skills I had yet to get. (Note: apparently if you dony visit the desert before asking the guy to fix the cannon the game might crash). I have yet to to to the sky so I will see how that goes later.

End of the game stuff: We will be able to beat the game with a max of 16 hearts, 43 poe souls, 23 bugs, 2 bottles, five hidden skills, no Ordon sword/shield, no fishing rod, slingshot, no ball and chain, and no dominon rod. This is the max amount of items we can get. I will attempt this run again but try and see what the least amount of weapons required to beat the game is.

Edit: oof speedrunners use this to go fast in the game. This is just a way if you want practice doing speedruns of this game so you can get gud

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