#link squared

[milocelium]

Link's list of aliases on his wikipage is fucking unreal

[kh-heritage-posts]

In case anyone hasn't seen this yet. Missing Link has been cancelled

[intotheelliwoods]

FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST <- <-

Fullmetal Alchemist

My entry (well, entries) for this weeks theme "Heros and Villains" for the @tmntfashioncompetition !!

Its Sprout! Dressed as the guy I might have taken inspiration from back when I first designed his prosthetic- I mean automail-

My opponent is the lovely one and only @bluesgras <3 <3

Bonus:

References:

[luna-loveboop]

Ooook I think this needs to be done

My bet is 16 wins the poll (<Not indicative of my vote)

I wanted to include 11 for both extreme sides of possibility, I ran out of options and I've seen a lot of people suggest he's in the twenties and didn't want to exclude those. If you vote eleven/twelve, or twenty three plus, feel free to specify which in replies or tags or whatever.

Looking in the notes of my posts, I didn't realise everyone in this fandom liked math so much. But a very mention of the number 4, and everyone likes square numbers and math puns. Go figure.

Edit/update section: Hmm I meant to add this

Jojo's words thus far on Four's age- 'not too far off in age' from Twilight (Four's theoretical words?), and grouped in teens with Wind. A bit confusing, there.

Anyways have fun! Maybe the whole fandom can be the apollos dodgeball meme if we get it right :)

Legend

masterpollst⛓️

[joshuamj]

The Links (+ a Zelda!) from all the LoZ games I've played

[parasolladyansy]

I have a question about your LoZ AU.

LoZ as a series has a bit of a weird depiction of humans. Hylians are almost always portrayed with pointed ears, although humans with rounded ears do show up sometimes (notable example is Wind Waker, where it's an actual plot point). I know this is a weird question, but would Ingo's, and by extension Ansy's, round ears be a point of interest to the inhabitants of Hyrule? I don't remember if BotW or Totk ever mentioned any area outside of Hyrule, and since everyone there have pointed ears, no one would have any idea as to where those humans came from.

Also, if I remember correctly, I think that pointed ears are a sign of a connection to the goddess Hylia. And given the generally polytheistic society in (most) Zelda games, then that could be another odd thing about Ingo and Ansy.

At the very least, their round ears would be a very clear indicator that both of them are not from Hyrule.

I know this is a weird question, but for some reason this topic has always been an interesting one for me. Especially since I remember my first reaction to Totk Ganondorf being that he's the only character in Totk and Botw with round ears. (Me : yeah sure his character design looks cool and he looks swoll, but LOOK AT HIS EARS-)

Pardon me, a flood of Zelda lore just rushed into my head lol - I’ve been a Zelda fan EVEN LONGER than I’ve been a Pokémon fan.

Okay, so round ears, our isekai-ed friends in Hero of Bombs, & Ganondorf! (Lore dump ahead!)

It’s as you said - round ears have been a minor topic of interest in Hylian history, regardless of the timeline. I remember reading the booklet that came with A Link to the Past when I was little, about the creation of Hyrule & the Triforce. In there, they talked about how Hylians heard messages from the gods with their elven ears. One of the townsfolk in Ocarina of Time says the same thing.

Meanwhile, the earliest instance of round ears I can remember appearing is Ocarina of Time: ALL of the Gerudo (including OoT Ganondorf) had round ears - more on that in a bit. Another example came a little later in the Oracle games with the inhabitants of the other countries Oracle of Seasons / Ages Link visited (Holodrum & Labrynna), then again in Twilight Princess with the residents of Ordon Village (technically just outside Hyrule’s border).

(OoT Nabooru to the left, OoA Bippin & Blossom in the middle, & TP Colin to the right)

“Oh, okay. Gerudo & these folks from neighboring countries / villages just have round ears - easy!…Right?”

Until Breath of the Wild happened, reintroducing the Gerudo people after all these years with pointed ears like Hylians (not to mention different skin tones).

The Gerudo being an all female race (except for a male born every 100 years, often some incarnation of Ganondorf), they reproduce via men from other races (Hylian, Sheikah, etc). Stands to reason they would get traits from their fathers. Why, then, didn’t they have pointed ears back in OoT? Maybe round ears & darker skin used to be a stronger gene? I couldn’t tell you.

Why TotK Ganondorf has round ears might be an example of that gene coming back in the rarely born male, though honestly I just feel like they were just making a design choice to refer back to OoT Ganondorf, the very first depiction of him we saw in the games (though he was mentioned by name in A Link To the Past) as a love letter to us older fans.

(OoT Ganondorf to the left, TotK Ganondorf to the right)

I don’t think Nintendo wanted us to think too hard on it, or why some versions of Ganondorf actually does have pointed ears, even when it was the same Ganondorf (eg. OoT Ganondorf > WW Ganondorf / TP Ganondorf). All I know is that when ToTK Ganondorf stepped into the frame, my inner 10yo saw the villain from her nightmares (in the very best sense! 878)

As for Ingo & isekai-ed me (lol), the Hylians would probably just think of us as foreign visitors, maybe from Labyrnna / Holodrum. Link & probably some other key characters would know the truth, either by being told straight out, or intuition.

Side note: as Ingo muddles with his memories & ends up spending time with isekai-ed me, he wonders if we come from the same country / world (not quite, Ingo!)

—

(Editing to add maybe it was also a symbolic thing - pointed ears symbolizing communication with the divine, maybe it’s to say “he refuses to listen to heaven”? Who knows.)

[haido]

Scala 🌌✨

[shawcl]

everyone on insta suddenly posting that "all eyes on rafah" picture in their stories after being quiet for half a year and then calling it a day, thinking they did smth is pissing me off man

[bluewerrr]

[artifexvigen]

Happy 120 days of radio silence

[wellwornworldwalker]

Someone should sit them down with a therapist and tell them you can’t compare yourself to anyone, even yourself. Knowing more and doing better now doesn’t mean you failed in the past.

Anyway these two should move past the angst and sit down together to cook a big feast for all their friends.

Twin Stranger

(CW: temporary character death)

“Champion!”

Link twists as much as he can, cursing under his breath as his arms wobble violently and the piece of rubble presses down harder onto his ribs. Wild drops into a crouch beside him, one hand squeezing Link’s shoulder. Link can't shy away from the touch like he usually does, but thankfully Wild doesn't let his hand linger.

“Are you hurt badly?” He asks.

Link shakes his head, gritting his teeth. The question, the implication of incompetence, stings. “Get it off.”

“Already on it.”

Wild reaches for the Sheikah Slate at his side but pauses, ears twitching. He twists on his heel, a shield quickly stitching itself into being from ribbons of Sheikah blue. A Guardian beam slams into the metal not even a second after Wild raises the shield, and the force of the blast makes his heels dig into the dirt.

Link strains his neck the best he can to look and kind of wishes he hadn’t. Several Guardian Stalkers – infected with malice, great – are scuttling across the grassy field towards them. The toxic magic drips off their legs and leaves burning pools in their wake.

Wild curses, hunkering closer to the ground so the shield can cover Link better. His eyes dart between the Guardians.

Link tries very hard not to look at the burns that cover his alternate self’s face. Everyone has been reticent to talk about just what, exactly, had happened to Wild, but the scars on his face and body say more than enough.

He’s been wondering if he and Wild – and every other version of them that may exist – are always doomed to fall to the Guardians. It’s something that’s been in the back of his mind over the last three days, ever since the stranger with his face arrived and helped free Mipha and Vah Ruta.

He doesn’t know if he’s ready to learn the answer to that question, to learn what fate has in store for him.

Wild breathes out hard through his nose and squares his shoulders. “Ah, fuck it.”

A Guardian beam slams into the shield, causing him to snarl. The metal begins to buckle and strain from the force. Link can feel the heat of the blast ripple through his hair.

Another Guardian starts to line up its shot; Link can hear it beeping rapidly.

Wild jams his eyes closed.

“I know you guys are there, and I know you can hear me.” He says softly, speaking to someone Link can’t see. “I need your help. Please.”

The air around them thickens. An unseen presence brushes kindly against Link’s forehead, and moves on to settle onto Wild’s shoulders.

When he opens his eyes, they glow slightly, illuminated by something inside him that hadn’t been there before. He grins at Link. “It’s gonna be okay, Champion.”

The beeping of the Guardian reaches a fever-pitch. Link knows Wild’s shield will not hold this time. He takes a breath, wanting his last one to be peaceful, and whispers an apology to Princess Zelda and to his family. He thinks of his little sister, remembering her bright, toothy smile.

The Guardian lets its beam loose.

Someone very familiar yells.

Fire erupts around them as the world turns teal and orange.

Link stares as Daruk appears out of the teal fire, his Protection closing around them. The Guardian beam ricochets off the barrier and sets the meadow to their right ablaze. Smoke and burned blades of grass eddy into the air.

Daruk looks down at Link, eyes solemn and sad, and vanishes.

Wild, on the other hand, lets his shield fall to the ground with a dull thud, and takes off in a full sprint, pulling the Master Sword from his Slate as he goes. The blade chimes loudly, glowing a bright, divine light.

For a moment, just like it’s done every time Wild has held it, Link hears a soft whisper of “Master,” on the wind.

It’s hard to watch from this angle, but Wild streaks across the meadow, cleaving straight through one of the Guardian’s legs. As it topples, unbalanced by the sudden loss, he leaps up and buries the Master Sword to the hilt in its eye.

As the Guardian begins to flash and shudder, Wild drops into a crouch. Five targeting lasers lock on and spirit flame dances around him once again.

This time it’s Revali who appears and launches him skyward with barely a second to spare. As the five Guardian lasers destroy the ground where Wild had just been, he plucks a bow from the Slate and pulls the drawstring back.

The world slows to a crawl, the sudden deprivation of sound making Link’s ears ring. He watches as Wild lets ancient arrow after ancient arrow fly all while Revali’s ghostly form swoops around him, using his Gale to slow Wild’s descent.

Each arrow finds its mark, striking the Guardians’ blue-fire eyes. Revali turns his head, barely slowed by the Champion ability Link and Wild share, and meets Link’s gaze head-on. Just like Daruk, Revali looks solemn, but he still throws a mock-salute Link’s way.

Wild lands in a roll as time snaps back to normal. The Guardians around him explode, purple smoke twisting up towards the blue sky. As he gets to his feet, another Guardian laser flies towards him and slams into Daruk’s Protection a second before it would've hit Wild. He still staggers from the surprise of the hit, and the three remaining Guardians close the distance rapidly.

Daruk doesn't vanish this time. He murmurs something, inaudible over the clanging of the Guardians’ legs, but Wild nods. The Master Sword chimes again, the sound almost vicious, and Wild raises his free hand, snapping his fingers.

Daruk’s figure is replaced by Urbosa's. She tosses her hair and bares her teeth as lightning strikes all around them. As the Guardians freeze, circuits shorting out, she turns to seek Link out, and her proud expression softens into one of sympathy.

She snaps her fingers again, raining more lightning down onto the Guardians. Wild darts around her, a blur of blonde hair and divine light carving through the Guardians’ legs and chassis with ease.

The Guardians crumble beneath the Master Sword’s blade, malice wisping up into the sky above as they explode, and Urbosa’s form gently fades away.

All that’s left behind is Wild standing amidst the destroyed husks. He begins picking his way towards Link, carefully stepping around the puddles of malice strewn across the grass. Link watches him, a million different emotions swirling around inside him, with frustration and bitterness chief among them.

It’s not the first time Wild’s saved him, but he still doesn’t know how he's supposed to feel about it. He's not given the chance to decide though, because two things happen in quick succession.

The first is the Master Sword, sheathed on Wild’s back, lets out a furious chime that's so loud it echoes in Link’s ears. The second is one final Guardian comes charging over the crest of the hill.

Its targeting sight finds Link’s pinned body, blue energy already gathering around its eye as it beeps rapidly.

He sees Wild whirl around to face it, mouth open as he yells. Instinctively, both he and Link pull on their Champion ability in a vain attempt to stretch the seconds out, but the world only stutters, time tripping for a moment before carrying forward undaunted.

The laser flies true. Link thinks he manages to scream before everything goes black.

He floats within oblivion, surrounded by nothingness until someone's hands reach out to cup his face. Teal light dances behind his eyelids.

"LINK!"

He chokes on a cough, wheezing, and feels hands roll him onto his side.

"Hey, hey, you're okay, just breathe." A high, panicked voice chatters above him, holding him steady.

Someone else is talking too, someone Link recognises. He struggles against the hands holding him and manages to end up on his back again.

Wild cradles his head carefully, letting Link come to rest in his lap. His face is bloodless and pale. Mipha sits beside him, shimmering with teal flames.

She smiles when his gaze lands on her and reaches a hand out to rest against his cheek. The touch is so cold it burns against his skin, and Link barely suppresses his flinch.

Mipha's eyes are so, so sad.

"Rest, Link." She tells him, voice distant as she begins to fade away. "You're safe now. You're going to be okay."

Link stares at her disappearing form, swallowing back another wave of bitterness that clogs his throat. He doesn’t look at Wild.

Mipha’s grief-stricken eyes are the last thing he sees before fatigue pulls him under.

[tagarilaghost]

After a memory-recovered Darkrai decides that 'Third time's the charm' to create his dystopian future, he finds himself defeated yet again.

Bound by shackles and forcefully hidden in the depths of zero isle east's dungeon, his only company is the totodile who agreed to seal him away in the first place.

As the human visits frequently, clinging onto hope to change Darkrai's mindset, her friends beg her to stop. To leave him to the darkness he chose.

She cannot bring herself to look away.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

LINKTREE to all current comics in chronological order

(All the art for this AU is tagged with "zero isle au"!)

[elleastic5]

Kingdom Hearts Missing Link

My Freya cosplay is FINISHED!!!! Can’t wait to bring her to ReConnect!!

[linkito]

to supplement the art I posted on my spicy blog— here’s an attempt at an infographic for the messy queer-platonic-romantic nonsense that’s going on within the ribbon gang! 🎀💕

Hurray!

[unicornpopcorn14]

*Gasps* I AM ALIVEEE

Gift presented to my first donator on Ko-fi, and absolute sweetheart @sonatana!! So sorry for the late delivery, I appreciate your patience so muchh 🫶🏼🫶🏼 Hope you enjoy it <3

https://archiveofourown.org/works/63886900/chapters/163848148

Chapters: 1/4 || Words: 4.7k || Category: 15!skk whump

Also big thanks @ay-masakali for beta-ing this chapter and coming up with the title <333

[the-fandom-crossroads]

So Kingdom Hearts Missing Link is Dead

Square just announced they were cancelling development and focusing on kh4.

I'm going to discuss why this might be a good thing.

The reason they gave is quote "we determined that it would be difficult for us to offer a service that players would find satisfactory over a long period of time, leading us to the decision to cancel development."

The obvious answer is GPS walking mobile games only work if you are pokemon in the west.

Either they had too much story and so you'd have to walk miles over months to unlock all the story cutscenes.

Or they didn't have enough story. So would have to stretch it out to have the game live long enough to cover the cost of development.

Khux had months of no new story updates. But the grinding was just logging in and slide your finger across the screen to fling medals. If the grind is walk a quarter mile a day no one's going to do that unless there is a story cutscene to work towards.

Third option is after the play tests complained about how much walking was involved to level up your characters. The dev team tried to pivot to minimize it. Unfortunately the core gameplay loop required you to walk or spend premium currency. They realized it was impossible to rework the gameplay loop without just cutting out the GPS part. Which is like 70% of the code of this mobile game. Meaning completely reworking the game and they just didn't have the time and budget for that.

4th possibly best option. They are getting closer to wrapping up kh4 and realized if they staggered the release of missing link cutscenes. The important plot beats you need to know for kh4 wouldn't be out before kh4's release. Remember how the Elrena and Darkness reveal happened in khux like a week after kh3 came out? they had that stuff timed perfectly.

The good news is it sounds like a lot of the story cutscenes for the game have already been made. And since some of this is supposed to tie into kingdom hearts 4. They might just release it as a movie like Backcover. Or they will rework it into a console only game like everyone wanted to begin with and that will just have to come after kh4.

So yeah I'm sad we won't be getting any new kh content anytime soon. But it makes me hopeful they are getting close on kh4. At the very least the next kingdom hearts news we get HAS to be kindgom hearts 4 because Missing link isn't in line before it anymore.