#THE HOUSE THAT HAS PICTURES OF HATENO ALL OVER IT WHEN YOU BUILD IT?

[verieas]

“erm actually 🤓👆 there is only one pillow on the bed and none of the villagers recognize link so he lived somewhere else”

and hardly anyone with the exception of some zora and some notable botw npcs remember link so what is your point!

[neverchecking]

Hi!! I just wanted to say that I love your work and I find your rendition of Sage/Totk Link absolutely AMAZING!!

And this isn’t specifically a request or anything I just wanted to comment

(and idk if this would count as a spoiler for TOTK but just in case I’ll say it: just talking about Link’s home in botw and Totk)

But as much as I love Link’s new home near Tarrey Town…

I MISS MY COTTAGECORE ONE IN HATENO!!!

And this just might be me projecting but I feel like Sage would miss it at times too.

Especially since a certain princess took it over and made it her own home.

And just passing through Hateno and hearing all about how “how this is Princess Zelda’s home” and how there’s literally villagers who will go in and clean the place while Zelda’s gone like?!?!?

Where was this hospitality for Link?!

Honestly I somewhat headcannon that Sage would begin to start avoiding Hateno simply because of how prominent of a figure Zelda became there for the citizens and how all the citizens seem to forget that HE used to own that house, that HE worked hard to but said house and completely fix it up when it was going to be demolished.

I ALSO MISS MY HATENO HOME I LOVED IT SO MUCH THEN I HAD TO USE MY IMAGINATION AND CREATE MY OWN HOME??? wHICH, BTW, COST SO MUCH MORE?!?!?!?

I think that's where a lot of Sage's resentment towards Zelda would come from, if not where it started. Imagine, you wake up with no memories whatsoever, suddenly have an entire kingdom on your shoulders, find out your friends are all dead, forced to rescue this kingdom and save someone who treated like absolute shit, but still manage to find a life for yourself only for her to then take it over.

Idk about yall, but I would be LIVID.

And yk what? Sage is. He is fucking boiling alive with his anger. When he first moved in, to a house that was fucking falling apart mind you, the villagers of Hateno all avoided him. None of them, save for Bolson and his company, offered their help. Bolson's help came at a price too, so he barely even counted that.

But here's this brat with the palm in her hand, getting all the credit for something he did. He fought Ganon. He saved her pathetic life. He did it all. When he finds out that the Mayor's wife is personally seeing to it that his home is being kept clean for her?! He has to leave the village and find a monster camp to cool down.

He probably only goes to Hateno for Cece. Bc we love Cece here. She did as all a favor with that Hylian hood (Iykyk). Or milk up at the farm as the farmer's family also love Link. They probably don't care too much for Zelda as she's all about modern this and technology that, while Link is much more comfortable with the slow life.

The only good thing is that now, he can let Reader design their dream home! A place with no memories of Zelda, or the Champions (The bitch took his picture too), just him and Reader, and the family they'll build there. :)

[the-hero-of-jk-its-len]

A Flower by Any other name. - Chapter Four: The End Begins.

A.N: So, it's been a while, uhhh, listen, I'm going through a legal process rn so, writing at all kind of, well it got hard, but now that I'm the waiting part of that well, I got enough time to finish this chapter, I'm trying my best to make them at least 5-6 pages long, and hopefully longer. but uh, yeah. anyways. enjoy.

Reminder: Aster uses he/him pronouns!! You can exchange his name if you want and i won’t mind, and also this isn’t beta’d at all because I have no friends in the LOZ fandom.

Disclaimer: I don’t own The legend of zelda (gods I wish), the linked universe au or any of the franchises and works I may reference in this fic, this is a work for fans by fans and all credits go to the respective owners.

Summary: Aster has feels, Link has a duty and The beasts awake.

Word Count: 2231 (oh hey new record)

Warnings: Angst, mentions of death,

So, here’s what people won’t tell you when reading about characters in new worlds, it’s basically going cold turkey from all of those little vices you used to have back home, and it’s even harder to remember you are not at home in the mornings.

Which is why every single day I wake up looking for the glasses I don’t need, feeling around on my bedside table for a phone that isn’t there and waiting for the steady noise of a nonexistent computer turning on, I have the sheikah tablet of course, but I can’t very well read the latest instalment of my favorite fanfiction in it, nevermind the fact it’s been well over a decade since I came here, and if time flows back home like it does here then it has definitely been wrapped up for ages now.

So yeah, being Isekai’d is not all that fun.

And that was just things i have had to get used to going without, another matter entirely is the fact every morning a whole team of maids wait for me to wake up and then work themselves to the bone trying to make me look good, mind you these are all people who were assigned to me as a kid so I don’t actually worry too much about it but still, sometimes it’s just…

“So what do you think, your highness, should we add gold thread to the new coat, or just order a silver one instead?”

A bit much.

After clothes there is breakfast, which I take with the king, the only meal we actually spend together, afterwards I take my lessons, have luncheon and then just disappear into the garden.

So many years have passed since my mother passed away, and yet, her rose garden is as lively as when she took care of them. For my part I’ve mostly settled on the other side of the greenhouse, a place forbidden for any servants to enter.

Unlike me who has spent most of their life around these plants, building up a slow immunity, the servants have never been exposed to poisonous plants and flowers like these, and I would much rather keep it that way, no need to give the king one more reason to shut down more of my pastimes.

There is of course still a lot more to do but, at least, looking at the steadily growing berries of the nightshades gives me a bit of hope, even if I know that these will all be destroyed in the future, my flowers, my mother’s roses, all withering away, their watering canals full of malice.

It isn’t a pretty picture.

It’s one I’ve been thinking of more and more often though, the truth is up until now despite measuring things I had just lived freely, naively even, the calamity afar thought, now? Not so much, the talk with Hylia only a month back reminded me of it, reminded me of the fact I had to make it so an entire kingdom was evacuated in under a day, of the fact my closest friend would have to wither away on a battlefield, The death of the champions I had not even met, that of a soldier who would answer to a call from the castle in the next year and would die leaving a house in Hateno vacant for a council of people to demolish.

Every so often I couldn’t even look at Link, much less his father or the little sister I had seen hiding behind her grandfather’s legs every time we visited Deya village, the fact was that the place would be in ruins next time Link went through it, without memories, and without knowledge of what would be lost to him.

The only thing left behind, a diary of a thief, telling him the location of the tunic another hero wore in ages past rescuing his own family.

“..ster, Aster!” Well, that was a nice voice to come back to reality for.

Link was in front of me, closer than had been in a month, holding back my arm from where I was definitely going to over-prune the plant closest to it, several branches of it already laying on my feet.

“You are back.” I said, putting down the scissors and taking off my gloves.

“You say it as if we didn’t see each other daily.” he tried to say jokingly, that face of his relaxing into a sad smile.

“Certainly didn’t feel like it.”

“Aster I-”

“Look -” I interrupted him, “I understand, It couldn’t have been easy to look at me after that, I can’t blame you for needing time,” Hylia knows I often have the same problem. “But I have a feeling things are going to keep changing and I-”

I looked at him then, really looked at him, with all his scars and beauty marks, to the hero I had so devoted myself to in a past life, the last true link (and wasn’t that ironic) to whatever I could remember of who I used to be.

“I can’t lose you, so please, please, next time something like this happens, yell at me, rage if you want to, but don’t just disappear for a month”

To his credit, Link did seem a bit regretful even as I got closer to him, my height short in comparison to him, much to the discredit of the actual height zelda had in the game, still enough to hold his face and make his eyes look to me instead of the floor. “But I don't blame you for doing so, please know that it was my mistake that forced you to such a sight.”

“Now, how about we get out of here, the smell can’t be good for your lungs, and I am rather hungry” I said taking a step towards him, eyes wet and emotions wild, holding the face of a surprised knight, close enough should anyone see us a scandal would arise, but comfortable enough neither of us wold back away “besides, we are late, and our beloved cook won’t stand for it.” The smile in my face didn’t offer a hint of lies, Giovan would undoubtedly try to get food to us if we didn’t get there soon, and Link knew it too, smiling at the memory of the old man running all the way to the training grounds the one time we had been two hours late for a meal.

We left the poisonous garden together, and as we walked there was this feeling of loneliness between us, not everything was resolved, but knowing what would happen, it was probably better that way, as it was, the fact I was so close to Link worried me sometimes, the original Zelda and Link had nowhere near as much a friendship as we did, Link bound by duty to protect the ungrateful princess, and even when it’s hinted at the fact Zelda might have had feelings for the knight, the closest friends from the flashbacks were more than likely Mipha and Daruk.

But I knew for a fact Link only ever saw Mipha on rare occasions, even as a childhood friend whe barely ever spoke of, between training and aiding me on other experiments I doubt he had enough time to keep up with something like that, and it worries me, what if this meant that because of the lack of closeness Mipha never made him the zora tunic he would desperately need to defeat ruta in the future?

Was two years enough time? The efforts to uncover the divine beasts would bear fruit soon, and by this time next year I have no doubt the champions will be chosen.

By the time we had reached the kitchens where a grumpy chef gave us our food, relieved but angry at us for our lateness, I had made a decision, if the reason Link and the others had grown so close was the lack of companionship in the form of Zelda then there was only one choice.

I had to start making more space between us, an emotional barrier, and unfortunately for my heart and mind, I knew exactly how to do that.

So when the meal was over and Link went off to do something or another I stayed behind, a visit to the king was in order, and I for one couldn’t dread anything more than that.

.

.

.

.

.

.

It went well, surprisingly, though weirded out by the sudden request he had indulged me after seeing the benefits, starting tomorrow I would be seen by priests and priestesses, trying to channel the holy power inside me to the best of my ability.

But this would also mean something else, the new lessons and teachings would leave little room for leisure, room I would use to care for my plants and little more, there would be no time for Link anymore, actually going through with it hurt, watching Link’s face fall as I explained we would not see each other regularly anymore though, was heartbreaking, but ultimately goodnights were said.

And If I cried myself to sleep that night well, that’s my business isn’t it?

But let me tell you this, and I never thought I’d say it, but meditating can be exhausting, over the last week of lessons I’ve been put to meditate most of the time, trying to find that magic which guided the princesses of the past to their destiny, but by goddesses it was just not working out.

Day after day, week after week, nearly three months passed when the slightest bit of progress had happened, a small shine from the joint hands on my lap, and while the priests and priestesses celebrated, a knock came, a winded out soldier saying the king called for me.

The Divine beasts had properly reappeared.

And in a small room where only my father, his advisors and I had been previously welcomed, there was the golden hair of link, who looked as tired as I felt, sporting a new scar on his cheek still red from healing, I hadn’t seen him in weeks now, sent away with the rest of the knights in some hunt the king ordered, by the looks of it, it hadn’t gone too well.

By the end of the meeting, letters were being drafted, one to each of the free people of Hyrule, so that the riders of the beasts could be chosen.

But I knew who it would be already, and went to bed that night with the knowledge heavy on me.

Not one week later the four candidates had arrived to the castle, and for the first time since the funeral of my mother, I was face to face with her best friend Chief Urbosa of the Gerudo, and Princess Mipha of the Zora, who in ten years hadn’t changed a single bit.

Alongside them was Daruk of the Goron, a great strong man with a fatherly voice, and Revali, the Rito’s greatest warrior

And though I welcomed them with a gentle smile, my leather-clad hands shaking their own, as I saw them talk and interact not only with each other I see only the teal and fiery versions of them, spirits trapped into the vehicles they had been brought to ride, in a year and a half’s time, all the people in front of me will be dead, and in Link’s case, asleep.

But I can’t save them, I know this much, though sad, and one of the things I knew would forever haunt me, saving them was just not something I could do, how could I? Even with my all powerful player knowledge I knew no future where things went well for these champions, certainly nothing short of a miracle.

But there was work to be done, and moping around people who I couldn’t afford to be attached to wasn’t going to make it go away.

So I left them alone, walked away, the feeling of cerulean eyes watching me as I did, knowing if I turned around to meet them I wouldn’t be able to go.

So I did as I had for the last three months and a half, I didn’t look back, and ignored the stare of the one person I actually loved in this whole world, knowing every minute like this would just bring more strain to a frail relationship.

It was necessary, this, this was for his own good, for Hyrule’s own good, in any case, he wouldn’t remember this in a hundred and two year’s time, too occupied by trying to figure out how to get a good photo of the dragons to bother with trying to remember the silent prince who yearned for his company.

So when the months passed on, and I saw behind glass windows my childhood friend turned hero be healed not by me but Mipha after training I was happy, prouder than I had ever been, I swear I was, so then, why is it I can feel water dripping from my face, why was it that it was this what finally brought me to tears.

Why did I have to fight for a future I was never meant to be part of, to give up the one person I’ve ever loved to the hands of a fate so cruel I choked up even thinking about it.

Why?

[siderealscribblings]

If anything, Zelda seemed to be growing quieter and more withdrawn by the day.

At first, she had gleefully donned the mantle of diplomat, charming the Goron and Zora with years of practiced diplomacy. Her rambling, disjointed speeches on Hyrule’s reconstruction grew less animated and more insistent as time passed. As though she were convincing herself as much as Link that her scheme to reunite the fractured land post-Calamity would succeed.

There was a kind of quiet desperation to the way Zelda spoke that made Link a little uneasy. When pressed she would laugh, brush him off, and busy herself with her journal or a book she borrowed from Purah. Trying to reach her when she had so clearly withdrawn was like chopping the Deku Tree down with a butter knife. At least that would yield some progress; the more he pushed at Zelda, the more withdrawn, deflective, and forcibly cheerful she seemed to get.

In some ways, Zelda was like a great oak tree; immovable and unbreakable until it very suddenly was not.

ao3

“Tarrey Town?” Zelda asked, brow knitting in confusion. “I don’t seem to recall a town like that anywhere in my records.”

<It’s new,> Link signed with a small smirk. <Helped put it up myself.>

“You?” Zelda’s brows nearly cleared her browline. Link’s journey outside the Calamity’s influence came to her in fits and bursts; usually flashes of combat or lonely nights spent staring out over Hyrule’s expanse. The fact that he had a life in the few months he had spent taking down the Calamity’s forces was known to her...she just didn’t think he had time to erect an entire town.

<When I came back...I had to get stronger,> Link said, tapping the Master Sword with his fingertips. <She didn’t want me at first...I had to prove myself to her again. Trained with Hudson; hauling lumber and stuff.>

“Efficient,” Zelda said, privately cursing the fact that she had missed snippets of Link working out. “I didn’t think people were constructing new settlements after the Calamity.”

Link shrugged. < At some point, I think they had to move on.>

“Mm,” Zelda said non-committedly, polishing off the last of her riceball and dusting her hands on her pants. “Well, I suppose that’s…that’s comforting then.”

Link frowned, raising his hands as Zelda fished the Sheikah Slate out. “Alright, which shrine gets us closest?”

__

It would have been faster to fly, but Zelda still hadn’t gotten used to diving off cliffs with only a flimsy piece of fabric to protect her from smashing against the ground. So the walk to Tarry Town gave her plenty of time to see what the people of Hyrule had done without her.

Around the edge of the island where the center of town had sprung up, the bare-bones structure of houses and farms were under construction, people coming and going with supplies or weaponry to fend off any oncoming attacks. A ring of stones on the valley floor created what looked to be the foundation for a wall that would one day rise to circle their growing town. As they grew closer, Zelda’s hands eventually found their way to his arm, gripping on to him for support or comfort as they made their way down the path towards the city.

A city .

Zelda had pictured a few ramshackle buildings; the beginnings of civilization, not civilization itself. She had thought she could be of help getting the town up on its feet only to see it standing high above her, casting a cold shadow on her as they passed under the rock formation.

“Did the local governor permit this?” Zelda asked before she realized the absurdity of her statement. Lady Seres and her family had all likely perished in the Calamity; the place where their stately manor once stood swept clean by the passage of time. The concept of property, policy, and propriety seemed somehow absurd in a world where everything had gone to hell; as though titles meant anything after Ganon struck.

<Do they need to fill out paperwork?> Link asked with a teasing smile; a question that sent chills running down her back to pool in the pit of her stomach. Zelda stopped in her tracks, arm tugging free of Link’s grip as they approached a small crowd of workers milling around a pile of lumber. Her eyes were wide, breath coming in short bursts as she took a step backwards.

“I’m...I’m sorry, I think-” Zelda swallowed, shaking her head as she noticed the clear concern on Link’s face. “Sorry, just needed to catch my breath.”

Link’s frown only deepened, taking a step closer to her as a familiar looking Gerudo woman approached them, hand resting on a clearly pregnant stomach.

“”Hoy!” Rhondson called, waving them over with a smile. “We hoped you were coming!”

Rhondson’s eyes drifted from Link to the strange Hylian vai that somehow looked like she was torn between introducing herself and running like a startled doe.

“Your friend?” Rhondson asked, raising an eyebrow as Link shook his head.

“Um...n-not exactly…” Link said, voice strained and quiet from disuse as he glanced at Zelda.

“Zelda,” Zelda said bluntly, smile plastering across most of her face and stepping past Link who didn’t fail to notice the lack of Princess on the front of her name. “I’ve, uh...heard about your settlement from Link and I wanted to see it for myself.”

Link’s stony silence did nothing to mask the suspicion and confusion in his eyes as she saddled up alongside him, gripping on to his arm as Rhondson sent Link a teasing smile.

“Well, a lot has happened since you were last here, Mr. Hero,” Rhondson said, leading them through a ramshackle construction site as Zelda took everything in quietly, eyes flickering over the faces of Hylian, Goron, and even a few Gerudo workers. “We had to relax the naming convention a little; Hudson finally relented after we reminded him there wasn’t enough people named like us in the world. I think part of him was hoping you’d put roots down here one day as well.”

Link glanced at Zelda, clearing his throat as she took the lead. Link despised using his voice unless absolutely necessary; his silent method of communication spoken only by Zora and only then underwater.

“Do you have plans to expand much further?” Zelda asked, following Rhondson across the bridge into the center of town proper. “It’s only that...well, with Castle Town free of the Calamity, I would think building there would be easier, wouldn’t it?”

“Even if the Demon King is gone,” Rhondson said, spitting as most Gerudo did when mentioning the Calamity. “The land he held for over a hundred years is bound to be stuffed with curses by now. I wouldn’t birth my girl there if you drowned me in Rupees. Not to mention those creepy statue things are still over there.”

“Freed from the Calamity’s influence,” Zelda said, coughing as Rhondson turned to look at her. “I’m sure...so I’ve heard.”

“Not taking that chance,” Rhondson said with a shake of her head. “No point in trying to resurrect an old town full of ghosts and bad memories; best to leave the past buried with the old royals that lived there.”

LInk glanced at Zelda out of the corner of his eye, waiting for her to say something. But where he was willfully silent, Zelda seemed to have been deserted by any argument she wanted to make, mouth hanging open and eyes glazed over as Rhondson steered them around town. The more they saw, the more unsettled Zelda seemed to become, breath coming in slow, deliberate breaths that seemed to be forestalling something awful.

He turned his back for a split second, and she was gone, a flash of light on the hill overlooking the town catching his eye.

__

He found her bunched under a tree overlooking the valley, knees pulled up to her chest and back pressed against the rough bark as red-rimmed eyes stared mournfully out in front of her. Wordlessly, he approached her from the corner of her eye, making her aware of his presence before he sat down on the other side of the tree.

“I’m sorry…” Zelda muttered after a moment, wiping her eyes with the heel of her hand. “That was foolish of me…”

“Mm,” Link hummed as though he were reluctant to agree with her.

“I just felt like I was...coming apart,” Zelda sniffed. “And I didn’t want to do it in front of strangers.”

“Mm,” Link hummed again, shifting around the tree until he sat by her side, hips touching as she reached out to him for reassurance. Their custom of sharing a bed had lowered some of the physical boundaries between them; it spoke of something they each knew but weren’t ready to address just yet. Not when so much was uncertain outside of their little nest in Hateno Village.

“They’re doing beautifully, aren’t they?” Zelda said with a watery chuckle. “All of them...they’re all doing so well. And it’s good...it’s better than I could have imagined but…”

Link reached out, giving her leg a reassuring squeeze as she tried to piece together her thoughts.

“I thought…” Zelda let out a deep breath, shaking her head. “I don’t know what I thought...I didn’t think my kingdom would dry up and die without my family to lead it but…”

She drew up her knees to her chest, blinking back tears as she watched the world move on without her in the valley below. “I thought I would at least be needed...or wanted. I thought I would have a place in the world I had helped protect but…”

Link watched her deflate as she finally confronted the thing she had been running from for weeks. “Maybe Hyrule doesn’t need Princess Zelda anymore...maybe it never did. Maybe it’s best to let the old kingdom just...lie”

Zelda took a deep breath, looking at him with such a lost and scared look that he felt his heart ache on her behalf. “I just wish I knew what was to become of me…”

The wind rippled past them, sending flower petals tumbling through the grass as Zelda seemed too lost and tired to properly cry anymore. Link stumbled for the right words to say for a moment, starting and stopping several times before crouching down in front of her.

<What if one day you realized you weren’t meant to be a princess?> Link signed, watching Zelda’s red-rimmed eyes trace the motion of his hands. <Would you choose a different path?>

Zelda let out a weary chuckle, looking away in embarrassment. “You shouldn’t use my own words against me like that…”

<Even if you’re right?> Link countered. Zelda was silent for a long moment, listening to the revelers carry on down the hill with a wistful look in her eye.

“It feels like...giving up,” Zelda said slowly. “Like I’m just...walking away from everything my family has ever done; letting my parents down, I expect...even though they’re gone and there’s no one left to be disappointed in my choices I still feel...obligated to try and set things back to the way they used to be. As though I’m some sort of failure if I don’t…”

Link started signing something. “I know,” Zelda chuckled. “I know I’ve done something nobody else in the world can do; I know I’ve helped save the world from the Calamity and ensured that Hyrule lives to see another year, but-”

<It’s hard to become someone else,> Link signed, watching Zelda nod distantly. <Even if that’s someone you want to be.>

“And if I don’t know what I want to be?” Zelda asked, watching Link stand up and brush his trousers off.

<Then we can figure that out,> Link signed, offering her his hand as the last word left his fingertips. Zelda looked at his rough, calloused fingertips for a moment, head tilting to one side as she reached out and took it, hauling herself to her feet with a sigh.

“Impa won’t be happy,” Zelda said, eyes widening as Link signed something exceptionally rude. “ Link!”

Grabbing her hand, he tugged her back up the hill towards the glowing Sheikah shrine above them. “Wait, what about Tarry Town?”

Link shrugged, holding the Sheikah slate up to the eye on the front as the doors opened, the elevator rising seamlessly from the earth beneath her feet. He watched her eyes widen in curiosity, taking a step forward before glancing at him with an uncertain smile.

“Isn’t it dangerous?” Zelda asked. Link tapped the sword hilt on his back with a smile that could almost be mistaken for smug. “Of course…”

<You don’t want to?> Link asked, taking a step backwards. <I get it; it’s nerdy stuff. Probably not interested.>

Zelda’s brow creased into a scowl that didn’t reach the stubborn smile on her lips, marching into the cool, dark elevator and insistently looking back at her would-be guardian. “Well?”

Link stepped into the elevator, nudging her with his shoulder as the door closed and the elevator took them deeper into the earth. Surrounded by ancient technology she could spend the next hundred years studying, with Link’s shoulder brushing up against hers, Zelda felt a little less unsure of her place in this new Hyrule she had helped save.

[sandytree1]

Really great analysis of Zelda Breath of the Wild. I love his thoughts on exploration and environmental storytelling.

Reduced focus on narrative due to simplistic story

Maximize freedom - early Ganon kills needs to be possible

Not capitalizing enough on the backstory other than the main quest

At first the Forgotten temple seems like just the kind we’re looking for, but once you come over the shrine the place feels tainted a little. Instead there could have been some kind of mural on the back wall which visually explained another version of the backstory. 

Zelda could have chimed in more often every time we found a relic of Hyrule’s history. Voice acting without interrupting the gameplay. 

The map itself was just a generic terrain overview 

Place names appeared only after they’ve been visited

Prevents lazy players and developers from relying on it too much

Destructive trend: entering an area causes its place name to appear in bottom left corner. 

If the temple of time didn’t say “Temple of Time” down here, how would you know it was the temple of time? First it was the piano theme. Link could only discover this was the temple of time by opening the Sheika slate map. There’s nothing visual cues, items in it or anything around that even suggests it was somehow related to time. In other words, it’s actually not a temple of time. It’s just a generic cathedral with a name attached. 

Ocarina of time had the same issue

Tons of details scattered around the world, big and small

You can tell these Bokoblins have been practicing their archery

Arrows in the entrance gate of Kakariko village hint at either a bored villager or something even more sinister 

These guys are delighted to have found some durians

Riju’s seal plushies wordlessly hint at her immaturity

Robbie’s lab used to be a lighthouse 

The three hinox holding the keys to this shrine couldn’t have possibly been alive when the Sheikah erected the hint tablet, but they also happen to live inside massive rib cages which were the actual giants referred to in the text. 

Many NPCs have quirks and moments to be discovered

Koko struggling to stay awake so she can protect her sister

But Hyrule suffers from the sense that there’s not much definitive history to be found

Next to Hateno village, there’s a dilapitated horseback archery course. A nearby house holds some arrows, which presumably would have been sold to customers. Even it’s location on the main road makes sense for a business. All these things paint a picture of better time when the owner would solicit passing travelers. Riding a horse through it while picking off a few neglected targets sells the post-apocalyptic setting because it tells a story and even allows the player to become a part of it in their own way. 

Not many ruins like this to come across though 

Most relics of the past just seemed like generic stone structures or burnt out houses. Makes sense that not EVERY place should be meaningful. But some places that should be aren’t. 

Lake Hylia’s bridge is bookended by two towers complete with arrow slits and battlements, but there’s no way for guards to enter them. There’s no doors, no interior, and thus no sense that this was ever actually in use. 

Lanayru Promenade, the Coliseum, and Akala Citadel give off the same hollow impression

Guardian husks are well utilized in a couple of places, most notably Fort Hateno. But they crop up a bit too often for their own good, robbing them of some of their importance. 

This might be an underlying problem in how all of these ruins ultimately stem from a single event, leaving you with little to learn from their downfall. 

Considering the focus on exploration, archaeology seems like a fitting inclusion. 

So some decorative artifacts could have still been lying around in a few places waiting to be sold off or be displayed in Link’s home. 

Nintendo is family friendly, so there’s a lack of human corpses in the overworld, although they could be used to great effect in storytelling. 

Flashbacks, voiceovers, murals, architecture, corpses, spirits, artifacts ... All these avenues for fleshing out the world remain largely underutilized. Probably because of the extra resouces it would take, but maybe also because the area text engendered some complacency about how severe this problem was. 

If discovery is a reward for exploration, then another detrimental trend is the reuse of Hyrule. 

You don’t need to be a Zelda expert to identify Death Mountain and figure out that’s probably where the Gorons are. Try to remember back to that first Ocarina of Time playthrough. Gorons were a new addition in that edition and entering Goron’s domain resulted in a bunch of discoveries about them: they can roll around, they eat rocks, they have a chieftain, they’re having troubles, and they have a unique culture to be experienced. 

These renditions of familiar faces are superb in their execution though.

Zora’s domain looks beautiful

Korok forest looks more lush than ever

The Rito bird nest is an inspired design

Fantasy races are often homogenized, but here each race has tons of variations within themselves. 

Completionism and sense of permanence

If not for the blood moon, clearing out enemy camps might have been: the satisfaction of taking back Hyrule. Presumably this isn’t possible for technical constrains and ensuring the world remains filled with combat encounters and resources no matter how long the players take to explore. If they felt that their actions had an impact on Hyrule, it might be enough to motivate them instead of more combat engagement, not less. 

Tarry town quest is weak. Essentially it involves talking to NPCs until you find the right one, gather rewards, then repeat times five. At least nice to have gathering wood to be the focus for once -- more purpose to the mechanic. Relaxing to be working towards building a town and the mundane way than usual for a Zelda title. But repeat too many times, it can feel like a slug. 

900 koroks to find -- to make sure an average players will stumble across a reasonable amount

Standout areas to appreciate even if they lack permanence or distinct rewards. 

Thai flow forests reduced visibility

Lost woods: entry puzzle, three well-rounded distinct side quests, a cave of ordeals, most lively rendition of a forest town yet

Yiga clan hideout has enforced stealth plus unique boss

Eventide island

All these places have something in common: they’re restrictive

Just look at the path to Zora’s domain: 

more restrictive gameplay can lead to more memorable outcomes

It rains here and its a mountainous region. So the most reasonable option for progresss is to follow the path, which makes the player run into several enemy encounters. Given the choice you might be the player who fights them just because, but if you’re the type to go around, placing them right here in your path makes them more of a threat, which encourages you to take them out. 

Nerf the paraglider a bit

Won’t work if Link can continue to effortlessly glide over so much terrain

Should function more like Skyward Sword where it was simply used to break falls. Would make a fast way to descend without being so easily abusable. 

Shield surfing would then be a more feasible way to cover distance by speeding down sllopes. 

Actually more satisfying to cut down trees to cross ravines

Their camouflage is too easy to notice. 

So such ambush tactics is just what this kind of open world needs. 

Others have similar tricks: Octorocks, Koblins, minor talus, Yiga clan members. 

At worst they feel like random encounters

Problem: easy to run away after they reveal themselves 

Lionels and mounted bokoblins are the only real cases where fleeing might result in death

Deku scrubs, Bodongos, and the likes are missing - but also present due to octorok vairants accomplishing much the same thing

(... TBC 32:33) 

Something addictive about trying to grab that perfect shot of wildlife (photographer) 

BOTW doesn’t have enough variation given its size

Eventide island: people value every equipment and food they can obtain

Players can make it harder for themselves by sticking to self-proposed rules

making an experience feel real (reality) vs making it simply look real (realism)

Pro mode simply hides the menu items ➡ more immerssive

[the-world-of-illyas-james]

1 hour ficlit batch 1 #2

The second prompt is for Anonymous. They asked Mistletoe Sidlink, how could I ever refuse. 

Mistletoe kisses

Link looked at the invitation that was deliver by a small Rito at his Hateno village home. Sure since people realized that he was the real hero, and that this was his home for when he wasn't going around helping people, or at Kakariko helping Zelda piece back Hyrule, he was no stranger in getting mail delivered.

The reason he was looking at this invite so oddly was because it was clearly written by Zelda, who he had visited only two days earlier, but the location was clearly listed as the Zora palace. But he had seen Sidon no less than two weeks prior and he had said nothing about needing to send out invites for any parties.

Plus why would his two best friends sneak behind his back to organize a party and not have him help along. Neither had shown such issue when they had made Link work on the menu's for both the feast held to honor his victory over the Calamity, or even his birthday that turned out to have been only a short month later.

Sure he knew they were in correspondence with one another, as Zelda still only saw herself as heir to the crow of Hyrule. Maybe something blossomed bewteen them when he wasn't paying attention.

He ignores the sting he feels between his ribs. Giving his chest a quick rub to get rid of it, maybe one of his scars is acting up again. He should ask Paya if she could make something to get the strain out of some of them as they can really hinder him during fighting sometimes.

Link places the invite on his table next to the plant he had dug up on his last trip. He loved the flowers on it and had even sent Zelda a picture of it asking her if she knew which plant it was. She had gone overboard with her response and after spending three pages filled with text and still not a pronouncable name for it, he had simply responded a thank you and that he would call it Sidon's delight as it had the same color as his Zoran friend. She had set him an image back of the name being scribbled down in her ledger with a drawing of the plant underneath it.

He was forever grateful for the second Sheika slate they had discovered, because this way they could keep in contact far better while Link was going around the lands. But now he was also able to make a picture of the invite and simply send it to her with a confirmation of him attending.

On the day of the party he finds his house turned up side down as if a band of bokoblin broke in and ransacked the place. Except he knows fully well that he is the only one to blame for the current state. Zelda's response to his confirmation had been so cryptic he had to read it twice to get it.

She was apparently planning to make some arrangements for him and needed him to look representative. He really hoped she wasn't going to try and find him a nice wife. Sure he knew a lot of people hoped he and Zelda would end up together and produce the next generation of Kings or Queens of Hyrule, but he never saw Zelda like that. In fact with all the memories that he did have returned to him he was certain he would never consider a girl like that.

People had told him about Mipha's infatuation with him but he truly believed that it had been one-sided. Thinking of Mipha makes him think of Sidon, was he in on Zelda's plan, had he helped pick whoever it was going to be that Link would have to turn down tonight. He really hoped not, disappointing one friend was bad enough, he really did not want to disappoint both of them.

Finally deciding on wearing his old royal guard uniform, it was after all the most representative clothes he had, only having a small debate if he wanted to original white boots or wear the awesome brown ones that came to over his knees. In the end he goes for the brown ones, puts them on, picks up the sheika slate and sets out for the Zora domain.

When he walks over the bridge he first met Sidon he feels his chest tighten, is it odd he hoped Sidon was going to like his outfit especially as the Zora aren't really big on clothes at all. But he remembered his friends reaction when he had shown him all his different outfits.

He checks the location on the invite again only now realizing it's not the actual palace but a smaller residence almost build against it. When he approaches he can see the place buzzing with people, mostly Zora, but he spots a few Rito, Hylians, Goron, and even two Gerudo, so it seems they invited almost everyone again.

Link turns when he hears somebody call his name, sure enough he spots Zelda and Sidon together at one of the side balconies of the residence.

“Come up Link. Don't bother going through the house, it will take you hours with all the people that showed up.” he laughs when Zelda pulls a face as if she wasn't the one that invited them all to come in the first place.

He takes a few quick looks and simply scales the walls towards the balcony getting up in mere minutes. Yet it turned out that was enough time for Zelda to have left the balcony. The doors into the residence are closed making a good buffer for the sounds of the party.

The only thing that really surprises Link more than Zelda disappearing is seeing Sidon wobble his feet as if he's forgotten how to stand still. A sudden thought hits Link and it makes him a bit queasy in his stomach, what if Sidon is going to ask Link permission to pursue Zelda. They are after all both royal heirs to a throne, it would make for a great union. Why had he ignored this thought when it had first popped up.

He is so preoccupied he actually misses when Sidon starts talking, having to ask him to please start again. Sidon looks at him a bit startled but slowly nods.

“Okay my friend, as I was saying. Me and Zelda have been talking about this a lot and she convinced me that you are not going to be opposed to this. So I was hoping...”

There is a white noise that goes up in Links ears making him shake his head and he motions for Sidon to stop talking for a second. Once he has his ears cleared he straightens his back, certain he knows what he'll be asked, motioning to Sidon to complete what he was saying.

“As I was saying, I am hoping she did not lead me on. But...uhm… may I kiss you?” Sidon's cheek turn a shade Link never saw before, and he's certain his own have tinted up too. Link's to surprised to even respond, Sidon's shoulders drop down. “I see that she was wrong. I'm so sorry, please forget I ever asked, enjoy the party and just ignore the decorations. Please my friend.”

Link blinks and looks around, finally seeing that the entirety of the balcony is overhung with Mistletoe. It must have taken them hours to decorate it like this and he had missed it, missed it completely as he had only been able to see Sidon. Realizing that that was his answer he grabs Sidon's arm pulling the Zora prince back to face him.

He then motions the taller man to lean forward a bit. Sidon looks a bit suspicious but he leans in as asked, only to find his headfins grabbed by the Hero and his lips crushed in a very crude kiss. This kiss leads to another, and another, and another, till they have shared a kiss for every piece of mistletoe hung on the balcony.

[sscolariwords]

It begins with smoke.

This is nothing new from the old house with the flaking paint and overgrown lawn, at the edge of Hateno village. The youth that owns it is widely known as eccentric. A soft-spoken, polite, and very helpful young man to be sure, even if rumors that float back with the peddlers are odd to say the least. And it isn't uncommon to see smoke rising from the chimney, given his predilection for cookery in all its facets.

However, it seems to be rising from the windows as well, heavy with the stench of char.

One or two folks look up when the door bangs open, Link rushing out with a blackened skillet towards the drop-off that encircles his property, but don't investigate further. Not their business, that. Nor do they pay any mind when that girl he'd brought home a week prior rushes out after him, begging forgiveness with every with every step.

“-swear that I will get you a new one, Hylia as my witness!” she's crying, cheeks flush with mortification, “I had no idea that oil reacted that way when exposed to water of that temperature!”

“It's fine,” he replies urgently, before hucking the entirety of the skillet's contents into the river below.

“I didn't! Goddess have mercy, just once I wish something would go right for me!”

“It happens to everybody.”

“Not to you! You can just throw ingredients in a pot and all but dance themselves into lunch for-”

Her point is cut off as the door swings shut behind them both. Folks stare a moment longer, until they're satisfied that there'll be no smoke. Eccentric, those two. But again: not their business.

***

Link comes downstairs a couple days later, and finds Zelda has commandeered his table (and a large chunk of the floor) to accommodate a veritable carpet of literature pertaining to cookery and the mechanics thereof. He quirks an eyebrow.

“I'm doing research,” she replies without looking up from the three individual tomes she's glancing between, “On what exactly constitutes a 'pinch of salt'. Or 'golden brown'.”

Her host steps away for a moment, returning a moment later to set a ceramic jar before her. The princess pauses in her investigation to watch as he unscrews the cap, revealing a mass of granulated salt. She scowls as Link makes a show of offering his thumb and forefinger, pinches a small quantity of the mineral, and then presents it to his liege.

“But not everyone in the kingdom has fingertips!” she retorts, “If I were a Rito, I'd have been thwarted by the ingredient list!”

The Hero shrugs, not committed to dissuading her, before recognizing the book to her right. Not just the title; he knows its scuffed and battered cover, the missing top-right corner, from the kitchens of Hyrule castle. It had been utilized as a missile against him many times by the eternally frazzled head chef.

“I wanted something normal.”

Link looks to Zelda, who takes refuge from his inquisitive gaze in the depths of the manual. “Something familiar. Remember? When a company of knights accomplished something marvelous, slayed a Lynel or ran off a Yiga band, my father would commemorate their heroism with a great feast. After we destroyed Ganon, you cooked for me. I wanted to...”

She freezes as a calloused hand finds her shoulder, offering a comforting squeeze. “You're not your father,” he says kindly.

The Princess purses her lips and bristles, ready to give him an earful, though the words die on her lips when she whirls and finds such warmth in his eyes. She has gooseflesh beneath his hand and it lingers for a long while after he pulls away. The Hero explains bokokin have been sighted by the old Hateno Fort, and planned to “move them along”. He'd be back tomorrow. Zelda spends the rest of the night thinking on what he'd said, how such a dismissal could be meant as a positive.

When she finally happens upon the meaning, the books become pointless.

***

Link returns to find a furnace protruding from the side of his house. That's not to imply that it had been idly abandoned there, as a Hinox would drop a tree trunk. It's bolted into the wall and part of the chimney, familiar orange circuits threaded throughout the structure the stone. The Hero grimaces, scars across his body prickling in remembrance of the destructive nature of Sheikah technology.

He's even less enthused when the door slams open and Zelda comes scurrying out, making a beeline for the furnace.

The Princess has abandoned her finery, trading it for one of his shirts and a leather apron, hair in a bun and tied with the straps on a pair of goggles she must have pilfered from Purah, up the road. She's soot stained, glistening with perspiration, and whispering to herself with such manic fervor that Link wonders if perhaps he's looking at a stranger. He finds some semblance of familiarity, however, when he's able to approach within arms reach of the young woman without her even noticing him, until she whirls around and nearly barrels right into him. He grunts and she squeaks, beginning to offer an apology before recognizing her knight.

“Link!” she exclaims, face brightening instantaneously, “You're back! And with perfect timing; you need to see what I've made!”

He takes a moment to glance at the furnace again, before looking back to her, discomfort written in capital letter across his face.

“Oh shush,” she says, “You'll like this.”

Zelda leads him inside by the arm, and he would admit to being slightly relieved, if pressed. Despite the bulky addition to the building's exterior, the apparatus within is at least smaller than expected.  But though he recognizes the shape of a stove and oven, azure flames lick the bottom of the device. Curiouser still what appears to be a bugle suspended above the device, the nadir of which feeds into a container that is secured into a bellows, of all things. Before he can ask for an explanation, the Princess is shoving him down into a chair, and darting to and fro about the living, room, grabbing ingredients from his icebox, cupboard, spice rack and laying them beside her invention.

“I realized that my mistake was attempting to think like a chef,” she says, taking a skillet, laying it atop the stove, and coating the surface in oil, “All those books were written for people who think in terms of food: gibberish to me. But, once I considered the idea that I had to approach this conundrum like a scholar, then everything changed!”

She pulls a lever on the side of the oven, and the stove-top erupts in blue flames. Link hisses as the wall behind it blackens, but the threat of burning recedes with the fire and his princess reduces its spread by twisting the handle. Even at a simmer, the oil is hissing within moments, and she wastes no time dropping an assortment of mushrooms, meats and vegetables onto the pan. The heady aroma of seared beef swiftly fills the house, and the Hero cannot help salivating, despite Zelda's spiral into culinary madness.

“Artisans keep waxing poetic about the preparation of a dish,” she continues excitedly, “Using abstract terms like a 'pinch of salt'. But cookery isn't about flourish! It about knowing the liter to gram ratio before your ingredients become oversatured in oil! It's about knowing the precise temperature at which meat burns! The exact measurement of spices that produce the desired gustatory sensation!”

Zelda says this as she's loading the bugle with granulated salt. And pepper. And Goron curry spice. The list goes on, until Link is positive that the seasoning alone will be enough to burn his tongue off. But the Princess is utterly enraptured by her work, pumping the bellows like a woman possessed, chatter pouring over her lips faster than a Zora cuts through water.

“This is what I've been missing!” she cries, throttling a massive switch Link did not remember being there yesterday, “No magic swords, no divine intervention! I'm talking about practical solutions for everyday problems; I'm talking about SCIENCE!”

To say that she's laughing as she heaves downward on the massive handle would be too small thinking. The Princess cackles, a frenetic peal of mirth and triumph that drives hordes of nesting birds skyward in absolute terror. Of course, there's also the fact that the entire house quakes when she activates the bugle, the spices hurtling through the tube at speed, until they collide with the contents of the skillet with force equitable to a missile. The oven splits in half, the pan flips over, and the ingredients are catapulted everywhere with startling velocity. Zelda's laughter becomes a shriek of terror and Link avoids braining only by diving backward over his chair. The air cracks with the sound of breaking glass, breaking ceramic, weapons clattering to the floor along side pictures and pottery as the culinary projectiles hit everything. The scent of cooking food drifts off through the windows, and the room falls to stillness as both parties wait tenuously for another eruption. Then the Princess sinks to the floor, glowering at the room.

“Oh, that's right,” she grumbles, “ 'Normal' is synonymous with complete failure. Welcome home, Link.”

The Hero stands, regarding her silently, before bending down. When he rises again, he has a glistening mushroom held between his thumb and finger.

“Oh, come now,” says Zelda, “You don't want-”

But considering how quickly he pops it into his mouth, he apparently does. Her knight takes a moment to regard the flavor, chew it a bit. Swallow. When it's gone, his smile could have melted Hebra.

“Yum,” he tells her, “Thank you.”

The Princess blinks, reaches for a reply but finds nothing, settling at last on matching his grin tooth for tooth. Link pulls two apples out of his rucksack, offers one to Zelda, and then drops down to sit beside her, both of them surveying the absolute mess the house is in. Maybe this isn't normal. But it might be better.

[jacebeleren]

botw zelink + 1

my headcanons for botw zelink having a kid :3c

link and zelda get married and have an adorable daughter also named zelda (affectionately reffered to aas baby zel). their daughter’s middle name/actual given name is the scientific name (yes i goddamn mean binomial nomenclature scientific name) of the silent princess flower.

they announce that zeldas pregnant and after the baby is born they celebrate for weeks and they have guests from all over hyrule come to their house to bring gifts and congratulate them. bolson and his employees gladly expand their house and build a new baby bed and a rocking chair for baby zel. they also, of course, add a fence around the cliff surrounding their house.

((on the condition that link and zelda name their child in accordance with the Bolson Construction Naming Guidelines. (and ofc they Dont) so everytime link and zelda go to visit bolson+crew link is like

link: your name is zeldson now toddler zel: okay!! ))

their daughter is bright and intelligent and has the same curiosity and passion for science that her mom does and zelda would often has baby zel seated in her lap while she works with tech, and baby zel always loves to help in the garden.

zelda and link are definitely the “let me show you 1000 pictures of my baby” type parents and zelda gets the sheikah slate storage upgraded so that they can save more pictures of her. zelda updates all of the pictures of flowers in the compendium so that they are all pictures of baby zel in the garden with those flowers. some of their favorite pictures of baby zel were taken when she caught her first frog in the pond behind their house. she had a huge adorable smile and she held he frog the same way zelda did when she tried to make link eat a frog. their daughter also has a combination of link and zelda’s naming conventions (link names pets after food, zelda names them after scientists)– she names this frog “Doctor Fruitcake” and link and zelda laugh about it. zelda also figures out how to get the sheikah slate to record video, and they have some adorable home videos of their daughter.

baby zel likes to ‘help’ link cook (he holds her in one arm while he cooks, and she might hold some things for him) and because link always hums when he cooks, she thinks you /have/ to hum when you cook (thats what makes the food taste good). zelda thinks its precious. they have a video of zelda cooking and holding baby zel the same way link does, and baby zel is like “mommy!! you have to hum!! thats how the food is good!!” and you can hear link cracking up in the background.

they take baby zel down to hateno beach every so often and mom zel and baby zel bury link in the sand. baby zel tries to put sand in links face and mom zel is like NOOO but link cant move bc hes already buried. baby zel just puts tons of sand in links hair and he cant do anything about it.

paya is baby zels babysitter when link and zelda have to go somewhere they cant bring her and paya LOVES baby zel so much like,, shes not only absolutely adorable but is also the child of her two favorite people. baby zel is very sweet and well-behaved but exhausts paya because she’s inherited her dad’s habit of running off and climbing anything she thinks she can climb.

aa thats all i got ‾\_(ツ)_/‾

ps. link and zelda would never name a child after zeldas dad because rhoam was an abusive parent and doesnt deserve to be remembered : )

[triforce-kun]

To balance out my continued bitching, a list of random things I liked about Breath of the Wild:

I’m watching Kage play right now and a Lizalfo was picking up Pebblits and throwing them at him

‘You dare bring hatred of bananas into my lair? YOU MUST DIE.’

THE GERUDO ARE BACK AND I’M GOING TO MARRY ALL OF THEM

“’I don’t like girls twice my height.’ What does he mean by that? I’m only eight feet tall!”

P A Y A

‘Where’s the birthmark’

Moblins picking up smaller enemies and throwing them at you

When you chop all the legs off a roving Guarding and they justkind of flop over pathetically

I thought I was weird for falling for Prince Sidon but I guess the rest of the fandom also has the hots for him

Beedle’s ridiculous like ‘YAY-EAH’ voice clip that Kage and I spout at each other constantly

Hudson’s fucking watermelon head is about the same height as Beedle’s but Beedle’s face isn’t fucking crammed down onto the lower half and Kage hates Hudson’s stupid watermelon head so much it’s hilarious

'Do you agree to name any of your future children according to the Bolson and co. requirements’

“I’LL STRIKE WHEN HE LEAST EXPECTS IT”

The drawing on the blackboard in the Voe and You class

The entire idea of the Voe and You class

GERUDO BABIES ZORA BABIES GORON BABIES RITO BABIES OH MY GOD

I really like the little old Gerudo ladies who no longer give a fuck about anything

Taking pictures of enemies while they’re on fire

Bomb fishing

BOLSON GET THE FUCK OFF MY LAWN

oh good he’s left for the wedding

WHAT NO NO NO DON’T GO BACK TO HATENO shit they’re on my fucking lawn again

“YOU HOUSING BEAST”

Bolson in his entirety

Muzu’s ray head is adorable

When it’s raining and you shoot a shock arrow and create a fucking dome of death [the only thing I liked about the rain tbh]

YOU CAN FEED WOLF LINK AND HE DOES THE HAPPY LITTLE HOP LIKE THE REGULAR DOGS

HE’S A GOOD BOY

DOGS DOGS DOGS

next game needs option to pet dog

Urbosa’s Fury is fucking great

How much Link likes his Gerudo lady outfit

Kilton thinks he likes monsters more than me [raucous laughter] look here buddy

DARK LINK OUTFIT [I mean I never wear it because the Sheikar outfit is better but I’m happy that it’s there]

Bolson and his associate planting me flowers. With hammers. LIKE MEN

The thumping, sawing, and yelling that happens while they’re building you stuff

I like the Rito’s more birdlike design this time around

One time Kage killed a Hinox so fast that only like the first five notes of the battle music played as it crumpled and we lost our shit

When you cook something terrible and there’s just the sound of crashing dishes

DUBIOUS FOOD BEING CENSORED

Goron massages end with Link screaming oh god

like these are just small, random things, but there’s just so much that I love