#but i'm so excited i love love love LOVE zelda so much and the last uni group i was in she was only an npc

[lovelybrooke]

My Forgotten Love (Yandere BOTW x reader)

Link often wonders if he's better off without his memories.

As he explores across the distant land of Hyrule, he's constantly bombarded with echoes of the past, of the person he once was.

He was a hero, a knight who wields the master sword, the sword that seals the darkness. He protected the princess of Hyrule, the one who carries the power of the Triforce of wisdom. He was strong, courageous, brave. Thats what everyone told him anyway.

He never felt strong, courageous, or brave. In fact, he was afraid most of the time. Afraid of dying, afraid of his past, afraid of what lies ahead of him once his journey is over. He was always somewhat afraid, but as the last protector of Hyrule, there was no place for fear. So, he buried it all down, never acknowledging it, in the hope it would disappear.

The fear bubbled up and almost spilled out of him when he found an abandoned house near castle town that caused his head to spin. It was lonely, Link would've missed it if it wasn't for the pain it caused. it was small, only a single person could've lived there, but it felt homey, and strangely warm as he walked inside. It was a single room decorated with a desk, bed, and fireplace, a pot hanging above it. The walls were covered n maps, notes, and other little writings that were worn to time.

The desk was in the far corner of the room, a single, unlabeled book, on top of it. It called to him, like a distant friend you haven't seen in a while, filling his body up with warmth that drowned out the pain he previously felt. His body moved on its own, quickly opening it up, reading note that was attached inside the back of the cover.

"(Y/N) (L/N)'s personal diary. Please do not read if your name if Purah or Robbie."

(Y/N). (Y/N)? Why does his chest hurt when he reads the name? Ignoring it, he flipped the page, absorbing the words on the page.

Entry 1:

"I don't know how to start this. Purah had suggested starting a diary log to record my day to day. Why you ask? I never got a straight answer from her. Purah's like that, bringing things up quickly and dropping them just as fast. Either way, I guess recording my thoughts isn't that bad. As long as it gets, Purah off my back for a while, I'll do whatever she asks. Speaking of Purah, Impa (her younger sister), recommended her to the Princess to study the recently excavated Shaikah tech. Is it bad to say I'm jealous?

Entry 2:

Purah can definitely tell I'm jealous. Maybe she's been reading my diary? I don't know. It might be because I'm kinda avoiding her, but it's only because I've been busy with my studies, nothing else. Either way, she's been talking nonstop to me and Robbie about her studies of the shrines. Speaking of Robbie, Purah put him in charge of the guardians, which he seems very eager about. It was then when I asked her if I could help out. She didn't give a straight answer, like always, but I could tell she was holding something bad, like she was thinking heavily about something.

Entry 3:

I'm very excited! Purah came to me and said she talked to the Princess, and she agreed to let me study the Divine Beasts! I could barely contain my happiness; I ran write home to start writing this (sorry about my handwriting). I plan on thanking Purah properly after I meet the Princess. Apparently, she'll bring me up to speed on somethings I need to know about the Beasts before boarding them. I'm just so excited, I need to take a nap before I write off this page.

Entry 4:

Princess Zelda was very kind, but that was to be expected. She was more than happy to listen to my hypothesis about the Divine Beasts. She was accompanied by her sworn protector, Link. He was, quiet, to say the least. He didn't really, do that much, just listened to our conversations quietly. It was sort of awkward, but I got over it quickly. It was weird though, it felt like his gaze was on me more than it was on the Princess. Even when I left, his stare was almost imprinted on me. Maybe it was my fault, probably. Anyway, on the Princess's request, I'll be traveling to the Devine Beasts with him. I won't be able to write then, so see you soon!

Entry 5:

I'm happy to be home. The journey around Hyrule took a little over a month, and it was very tiresome. There's lots to talk about. Firstly, I met the Champions, at least most of them. I was unable to meet Daruk, Champion of Vah Rudania. Death Mountain is too dangerous for Hylians, and it would be dangerous to bring it down the mountain. Hopefully I'll get to meet him soon, I've heard a lot of great things about him. The other Champions were great, well most of them. Revali, Champion of Vah Medoh was...very boastful. He talked a lot, mostly about himself. But I guess I would be boastful if I could pilot a Devine Beast.

I think I got closer with Link. I say think because it was really hard to tell. It took a while to get him to talk, he was silent most of the time I tried. It got to the point where I just talked about everything, just so I wouldn't have to sit in silence. Eventually, when he reached Zora's domain, he started to talk. It was sparce, but he would talk about what life was like as a child. I learned he liked to cook (his cooking is very good). He also let me talk about my findings and while it was obvious he didn't understand most of it, it was nice for him to listen to me.

I had a really great time. I hope Link did too.

Entry 6:

I think I'm being watched. Zelda has been requesting my appearance at Hyrule Castle more and more, I practically live there. Every time I step foot there, I can't help but feel like someone is watching me. I never bring it up, since I'm with the princess most of the time and I don't want to bother her. I have some ideas on who it could be, but no concrete answers. I sometimes catch Revali staring at me whenever he has business at the castle, but even when he's not there, I can feel someone's eyes on me. Honestly, I think Revali might just be hung up on me visiting Vah Medoh with one of his least favorite people (sorry Link). There's also one of the men within Hyrule's royal guard, I believe his name was Thomas. He’s pretty shy, but he had a bunch of questions about my research. We talked for a while before I was pulled away by the princess and Link. Speaking of Link, he’s been a little on edge lately, especially with the other members of the guard. He says it because they’re “distracted”. He’s even become a little, clingy? I don’t know, it’s probably just my imagination, I’m going to bed.

Entry 7:

I haven’t seen Thomas in a while. He hasn’t shown up to the castle in weeks. Link said he was slacking off and he got what he deserved, honestly it was kinda scary. I even brought it up to the princess, but she really didn’t seem to care. I hope he’s okay.

Honestly, I haven’t seen really anyone in a while. Since Zelda is nearing her 17th birthday, she’s been up at the shrine of wisdom trying to awaken her powers. Link has been with her, same with the champions, and Purah and Robbie have been busy with preparing for Ganon. It’s been really stressful, all I can really do is try to help them, and pray to Hylia that everything turns out okay.

The rest of the pages, which are slightly burn and blank, fill Link with dread. You were someone he knew, someone he cared for, someone he loved, how could he forget you? This journal is the only thing he has to remember yoh by, and it makes him want to lay down and die. Out of all the people in all of Hyrule, why wasn’t he able to protect you. This was his fault.

Link doesn’t acknowledge the tears that runs down his face as he pockets the journal with immense care so to not damage it. He doesn’t wipe them from his face as he leaves the house that brought him a fleeting sense of comfort and warmth. And Link doesn’t flinch as the tears continue to steam and hit the grown as he walk away, heading towards Hateno.

[llannasvsp]

Dragons Rising Season 2, Episode 3: Beyond the Phantasm Cave

We are baaaack!! Honestly, I like spreading out my rewatch because I binged all 10 in one sitting. Spreading out my rewatch makes the excitement last longer. Not that I'm running out of excitement. I will never get over this season and it's not even done AGH. ANYWAY. On to the episode!

So, Cinder is Link from Zelda?

You feel the gong what?

Jordana and Cinder beef so real.

Awh, Kai. Glad they didn't forget his anger issues.

Arin is definitely not okay.

LLOYD MEDITATED ALL DAY AGHHH POOR GUY.

Lloyd has every right to be upset and frustrated right now.

Little source dragons!

OH MY GOSH the Netflix subtitles tell us which source dragon symbols correspond with the element!???!?

LIFE SYMBNOL CLAIMS LLOYD EVEROYNE. LIFE SYMBOL. DID ANYONE KNOW THIS?!?! YHHELLO. THIS IS MY FIRST TIME LEARNING OF THIS SO THIS IS A GENUIINE REACTION OH. MYGOSH.

Soooo Strength is a hater.

"He is no ordinary mortal". Okayyy so are we going to talk about him literally having Dragon heritage???

LEVITATING LLOYD CLIP!

Once again, Sam is literally serving. He portrays anxiety so well.

KAI + WYLDFYRE CLIP!

I am literally obsessed with this moment between them. Wyldfyre doesn't want to be left out. Kai wants her to stay safe and be okay. He's so kind and gentle with her. I love them.

I gotta admit, I'm an elemental mech hater.

"Would Master Wu take us on a mission based off of half understood dreams?" Oh he absolutely would.

KAI ASKING FROHICKY TO WATCH OVER WYLDFYRE RAGH.

I don't know how I feel about the Cloud Kingdom having a motor buuuut okay.

They really decided that this was the episode to upload clips from.

I love this moment because it addresses that Lloyd is doubting himself, it acknowledges that Lloyd and Nya have been through way too much stuff, and it shows us that Lloyd does not want to put Arin and Sora through something horrific. He doesn't want them to experience "the horrors" too young like he did.

Kai being mad that Wyldfyre stowed away but not in like an angry way but in a "I don't want you getting hurt" way is just sooooo.

Sora is so right to be concerned. I would be too if I were her.

I get what Sora was trying to do with the grappling hooks, but I also feel like this isn't going to bode well for Arin. She made his thing something "cooler" because their elemental powers are involved.

EWWW TENTACLES.

AGHH Arin and Sora complete each other my hearrrt.

Okayyy so visions.

Arin: Fear of letting his parents down. Guilt that he "replaced" them with the ninja.

Sora: Something to do with Imperium?? I don't really understand hers I'm gonna be so honest.

Lloyd: Being an inadequate teacher. Leading everyone to their destruction. "You will never be good enough." Dang.

Nya: Jay not remembering her.

Wyldfyre: The wasting thing that's talked about later.

KAI: WE DON'T FREAKING GET TO SEE IT. LET US SEE IT.

I feel like we just need to remember all of their fears because it's absolutely going to be important to all of them later.

"I know the real Jay could never forget me." Oh, honey. Don't say that.

Egalt is ugly.

GRRR THIS EPISODE IS AMAZING.

I think we didn't see Kai's vision because they're going to bring it back later. I know some people are saying that it was of a corrupted version of himself, and honestly, I'd say that's a very likely assumption, given his history. He used to have a lust for power, and maybe he still does, it's just more subdued. If anything were to happen to him (pretend we haven't seen ep10 yet), he could likely succumb to that temptation for power.

ALSO I'm such a Lloyd "life" truther, so learning that it was the LIFE DRAGON who claimed him?!??!? Yes. I'm so excited to expand more on that.

[majorproblems77]

Sacred realm, Sacred realm, Sacred realm!!!!!

OH BOY, I AM EXCITED ABOUT THIS ONE

Prepare yourself for the most excited screaming you've ever heard because this update is wonderful and I love it and I'm so excited about it that I'm writing this instead of sleeping and it will be worth it.

Set the clock its 12.45am lets see if I can do this before I have to go to bed for the morning shift.

Alright, now for the important stuff! Sacred realm belongs to @zelda-the-sacred-realm, and all art from the comics belongs to the comic artist. I've got their permission to do these!

Link to the comic can be found here! :D

Now, get some popcorn and if your like me probably an energy drink too and lets goooooo!

Firstly...

HI

HELLO THERE

OH MY

Big evil big bad. Who's hair is stunning i could never ngl.

(Investigates)

It's awesome to see the black knight like this. (I believe that's right? Correct me if I'm wrong.)

Though im trying to figure out what he found unexpected? Is it Sky? Is Sky the unexpected thing? Good, No body expects the blorbo to come out of the medallion and whoop ass.

Self-sacrificing boy please you are in pain

Cinnamon roll link please i know you're not used to this, but he's got this

He's so damn pretty dammit, pretty boy right here. Hylia chose him for his looks first, 10/10.

Yesssssssssss

GET THEM! GET IT!

THE FACT THAT THEY JUMP IN FRONT OF HIM IS GIVING ME SO MUCH LIFE THEY ARE LIKE PROTECTIVE UNCLES OF THE SMALL CINAMON ROLL.

Like low key look how Sky is moving he's pushing towards time but moving more to the right to do so then time is. Which would indicate that he's moved rather quickly to get in front of this thing.

They have to protect the small hero and it gives me life.

Okay, this all but confirms this isn't the first time they've done this.

Oh and it has to be said

BY THE POWER OF STUBBORN FRIENDSHIP!

That's a practised spell

(using a few panels from this update here) Chapter 4 - part 1

So, I think that the last time the spirits gathered was sometime around when Twilight was still alive, we know that Time had direct contact with Twilight because of the comic panels in the last update.

We also know that Time recognised Sky when he first appeared in the last update.

So there one of two explanations

The medallion or something akin to it has been used in a previous hero's journey. And so some of the spirit already know each other

Or being a spirit grants them foresight that they can just fight with each other like this.

Im more inclined to lean towards the first one at this stage because of that recognition from time but to be honest I think we need to meet Twilight first before we get any answers about that.

I am also going to assume the element that time yields is Electricity (Or time haha.)

It looks like lightning, but we've also seen him use a time spell so I'm not entirely sure at this stage.

Gonna lean towards lighting tho, it suits him

YEAH GET HIM!

He looks so tired, and the lines against him have been growing longer. I assume its more and more of the barrier sucking his energy away.

Pretty boy alert

i am once again an advocate for the Sky is the Best Bean Club he just needs a nap he's going to be fine

Also, Medalion jails for Sky because he's eepy.

I assume this is how we are going to keep Sky out of this arch, he is too tired and is resting from doing this now. I hope we see you soon blorbo!

HA

This made me chuckle, Time just grabbing him by the waist like the child he is brings me joy (Im aware Link isn't a child but he is in the cinnamon roll outfit right now so he is a child)

And time is older than him and is at current the only one who can help with the current predicament.

We interupt the end of this post for a Sky appreciation segment because he is the best bean and is my blorbo and got a bunch of great panels this update

He

Being the hero

Jumping into harm's way

The face of determination

He

Sleepy

Sleepy boy we got sleepy sky and I love him

Okay im done, We shall get back to the end now.

That's everything from me! :D

I hope you enjoyed my rambling please do let me know if you spotted anything I didn't! Thanks for hanging out with me and for uhh, also hanging out as I yell excitedly about my blorbo because, to be honest, I love him and it wouldn't be something from me if I didn't soooo....

Yeah!

Thanks again to the artist for letting me do this! I really appreciate it!

Have a great night!

[grifff17]

Audiodrama Sunday 04/28/24

So much stuff this week! I think this is going to be my longest writeup yet!

@camlannpod what the fuck? Trying to avoid spoilers, but the ending of that episode was wild. The sound design for the last scene was so good. Also “You're good with an axe, right?” was brutal, I audibly said "oof". Only 1 more episode in the season, hopefully they get funding for a second one.

The first episode of @wanderersjournalpod came out this week. This was a promising start to a new show, I'm excited to see where it goes from here. The setting feels very mystical, I can't wait to learn more about the world.

@worldsbeyondpod was so tense. Suvi and Ame had the most awkward conversation in existence. This story has so much nuance, neither of them are clearly in the right, though I feel inclined to take Ame's side due to the "Geas + Alter Memory" double espionage scheme. Meanwhile Ursulon discovers that Orima of the Reaching Green is a short queen and gets a cool horse.

I'm now up to date with @lostterminal. Season 15 was great. I love Nia, and Daphne and Raffi were really interesting new characters. Also, the dragon was terrifying. This show doesn't usually have very much action, so the confrontation with it really stood out. The description of the automatic turret going "click, click" as it locked on to Maddie was so intimidating.

@worldgonewrongpod I loved this episode. The storytelling felt so natural and real, like someone telling me a story about a weird road trip they went on. I think I said this about the last episode too, but this was my favorite episode yet. It also sets up the backstory which was never really explained as to why Jamie and Malik are separated at all.

In @midstpodcast we finally had a nicer episode. No horrible fucked up Weep/Trust stuff happening, just Lark reunited with Zeila and Sherman. However, there's so much tension between these characters. I was surprised that Lark forgave Sherman for selling her out. Something to remember is that Lark and Sherman had been hooking up before everything went to shit, which was mentioned once and I think really changes their relationship.

New @keepitsteadypod! This is the first new episode of this show since I started doing these. This was a really cute episode. For how popular fake dating is as a trope in fandom spaces, you don't see a lot of it in audiodramas.

Fun episode of Mission Rejected this week. It was cool to see Bowden go from "vain actor" to "badass spy" when the stakes ramped up. We don't get to see him take charge very often, it was neat for him to be a competent leader. I wonder if the gang lying to Zelda(who definitely saw through it) and Chet(who probably didn't) is foreshadowing for more of a conflict with the new Secretary of Defense later in the season. Also I loved the squabbling gay couple running an illegal mining operation as the villains of the week.

@breakerwhiskey episode 200 wow. A letter from Harry! We learned that Harry has been listening to most of Whiskey's broadcasts, which recontextualizes a lot of the previous episodes. Also, the end was heartbreaking.

I started season 2 of @longcatmedia's Mockery Manor! I'm 2 episodes in and really like it so far. JJ and Bettie are employed in different parks, JJ is on the run from an organized crime ring, and Bettie became a monk? Also, it's clear that neither Hilda nor Jenkins stole the shipment, neither of them have motive. But I don't know who else would have motive either. Lots of mysteries this season.

Spout Lore had a great planning episode. I'm excited for the "saving Highspear" arc, the Highspear is so cool as a concept. A reverse Tower of Babel, that lets the whole world talk with each other. A literal monument to wizard hubris, which feels destined to fall. However I doubt it will, because, as the players mentioned, it would be really annoying from a storytelling perspective if everyone suddenly spoke different languages. This has actually made me realize I really want a story set shortly after some sort of "fall of the Tower of Babel", where communication is a struggle, but that's just because I think linguistics is cool. Anyways, the buffet talk had me rolling.

What a great week! However, it did not help my queue, which continues to grow instead of get smaller. I'll reach the end of it one day.

[nocturnalfandomartist]

💛 I Remember You 💛

Time Elapsed: 1 hour, 11 minutes

Program used: Ibis Paint X

(This doodle is me coping with the Tears of the Kingdom trailer and pretending they aren't about to be traumatized more).

BotW/ToTK will forever be my favorite version of Zelink. They've been through a whole lot together, and seeing them reunited at the end of BoTW is so sweet (especially in the context of the diaries outside of the English translation)! Such a shame everyone's probably dead. Oh well, it was nice while it lasted...

I cannot express enough how agonizing it has been to wait for more news on TotK! So when I saw a Nintendo Direct was coming up, I was unable to focus on anything else. I knew we were bound to get info, but I was NOT READY FOR THIS

Everything about that trailer was so well done, it makes the wait for May seem even longer! A few thoughts I had personally:

1. Ganondorf is pretty decent casting. I'm admittedly surprised he doesn't sound hoarse or anything considering he's a reanimated corpse, but it's still menacing!

2. I'm convinced Ganondorf and Zelda are going to take the forms/powers of Demise and Hylia at this point with all these parallels...

3. POSSIBLE MORE RUNES MAKE ME SO EXCITED! We thought Link getting a motorcycle gave us too much power... Now we have cars and mechanical gliders.

4. It doesn't seem Zelda is getting damseled! That makes me so happy. I figured she wouldn't be playable (unfortunately), but it at least seems she'll have a presence throughout the story! Perhaps a Skyward Sword situation where she must go on a journey of her own? Maybe in the form of flashbacks to the previous Zelda from 10,000 years ago? If it goes with a SS route, maybe that leaves room for a playable Zelda in post-game.

5. All the monsters look stronger than before, and there are even new ones! I tried to see if those dino bird things matched up with any classic enemies, but they didn't seem to be so. Either way, they're awesome!

6. I can't wait to explore where all the characters are after a potential time skip. Zelda especially! She got so much character in BotW, and I am going to love seeing more of it!

7. If Zelda doesn't end up becoming Hylia, I'm also wondering if the previous Zelda ends up being revealed to be the same one (same with Link) due to time travel shenanigans like in Skyward Sword.

8. If Zelda and Link don't kiss or address Zelda's feelings for him at least once I will be very sad (but I'll love the game anyway).

9. I hope to see the cycle broken here. That seems to be where this is leading! It would be great to watch Zelda and Link finish off Demise's curse once and for all and finally have the peace Hyrule has been fighting to have for eons.

10. Hopefully Link's diary won't be lost in translation this time! Adding those little details like that made BotW even better than it already was.

11. LINK THREW THE MASTER SWORD ASIDE TO CATCH ZELDA I CAN'T- But poor Fi. Hope she's doing okay with the whole Malice infestation thing. This is a stretch, but perhaps there will be a return of Ghirahim or his sword form. That'd be cool.

12. It looks like there's potential for more old-school dungeons! With the Divine Beasts seemingly inactive, Link may have to travel through monster-ridden ruins to drive them out of Hyrule.

13. I'm excited to see details on the time between BotW and TotK, like how Zelda got her hair cut! It'll be nice to see which NPCs changed and which haven't (Beedle is probably the same and will be the same even as all of existence crumbles around him).

14. Maybe the memory mechanic will be implemented again by Link recalling his past life 10,000 years ago?

Alright, sorry for the ramblings here. I'm too excited. I have lots more thoughts, but I'll share them in the future. May 12 can't come fast enough!

Reblogging is fine, but please don't post this anywhere else without linking the original post. Thanks!

[zeldaelmo]

I’d like to know more about the OOT masquerade scheme ☺️

Aha, thanks for asking, it's one I'm very excited about. So, I noticed a severe lack of light-hearted fics in the OoT zelink fandom. Longer ones with plot, anyway. It's always hero's shade this and trauma that... Yes, I know my own isn't exactly all sunshine either, but I'm here to fix this terrible situation!

The premise of this story is that Zelda begs her father to arrange a betrothal between her and Link before he leaves for Termina. It's a child's castle in the air, but her father loves her very much so he agrees. Under one condition: Link must come back and ask for her hand until her 21st birthday or the betrothal will be resolved.

The story somehow leaves the castle walls and becomes some kind of fairy tale legend. It helps to keep up the mysterious air that Link never comes back.

By now, Zelda's 21st birthday is approaching rapidly. Someone suggests a festival of three days of masquerade balls. The idea is that she either accepts the hand of another man that she has met on the balls or that Link might come back to fulfill the betrothal.

Of course, the people are thrilled about this. A month before the festival, Castle Town fills up with country knights, noblemen, and other important people. Zelda's ladies-in-waiting are especially excited about a handsome young nobleman who ignores all their approaches because he's certain he can win Zelda's favor.

The festival approaches and the Sheikah provide their magic of light and shadow to give Zelda the chance of getting to know her suitors without worrying about decorum. Their magic lets the mask become one with the face of the wearer so that only they can see the true face of the visitors. It's truly anonymous!

Zelda is indeed enchanted by one of the guests; it happens to be the nobleman who was so sure he had a chance. She uses her own magic to become Sheik for one of the evenings but unfortunately, the Sheikah magic doesn't work for her, so she still can't tell who he is.

And what about Link? Will he really wait until the very last second to surprise her like the rumors say? It's just gossip. It must be! He has never been seen again since that fateful day ten years ago...

[writingnocturne]

Warm Smile

A Link to the Past

Expand to Read!

Warm Smile

"Is your uncle here, Link?" A young woman with a dark cloak peeks her head through the door of a small home. It is a small, quaint building amidst a collection of trees. In the summer daylight, every treetop is speckled with red.

"No, he's out in Hyrule Town with his apprentices. Left me in charge of the orchard for today." From within the home itself, a boy in a purplish pink tunic is holding the door open for her; having left something he was hard at work on not long ago. He continues, "It's just… us two, for the time being, Princess."

The princess gains a slight grin, before walking inside– giving Link a small peck on the cheek as she enters past him. His face becomes as red as a honeycrisp, growing hot with embarrassment. He's not exactly shocked, but it left him stunned. Link nearly feels as though he's swaying on his own feet. He shakes his head and brushes this off, however, taking her cloak and hanging it. Princess Zelda and himself have been… close for quite some time, but they've had to get used to keeping it from becoming public. In the times where they can truly be as affectionate towards one another as they wish they could always be, he tends to find himself flustered.

Link rubs the back of his hair with his dominant hand, glancing around to try to feign cluelessness, "Do you know what that smell is?"

Zelda wasn't very far from him, but now stops anyway to glance back to him. She spends a moment taking in the sweet smell that wafts in the air, "...I almost didn't notice it. It smells delightful! Are you baking something?"

Happily nodding, Link steps beside Zelda and gently takes her hand to lead her to the fireplace he and his uncle double as a stove. "It's an apple pie. It's something my father would make for my uncle when they were kids… I learned the recipe when I was little. Would you… like to try some of it? It should be about done."

The princess blinks, eyeing the finishing dish with a sense of childish awe, "I've never had one of these before. I would love to try your baking, Link!"

Link is careful to remove the pie from over the fire, gently setting it down upon the table to watch it cool. The scent dances in the air to a pleasant tune of cinnamon, making his stomach growl just from its presence. He would have no problem eating the entire pie by himself, but he would much rather have some company every once in a while… especially with how little he had been home before he washed back up on Hyrule. The boy doesn't really talk about that sort of thing, though. The princess just being here is enough.

"You're gonna love this, I promise. I'm not exactly a professional, but it's hard to go wrong with this recipe."

"I never took you for a chef." Zelda jokingly comments, moving over to stand at the table beside him.

"Well, I sort of had to learn a thing or two when I headed off so far from home." He tilts his head a little as he thinks about it. He's not all that good without a recipe…

"...Do you miss it?"

"Huh–?"

"You know… getting to see the world. It sounds exciting."

"...It– it is. But it… gets lonely, after some time." Link mutters, peering down to his wrist as he holds one hand in the other. He wears a string of foreign seashells as a bracelet. It isn't the most well-made. He crafted it himself.

Zelda seems to notice his subtle change in expression. It's one she's seen before. Link… doesn't discuss what burdens him with her. Not often. She knows she must respect it, so she chooses not to ask. Regardless, there's an effort to comfort him. The girl brings her hands over his, looking to him now. "I understand. You know, I don't mind seeing you. After everything that's happened the last couple of times I've gone anywhere outside the castle, I have a hard time going anywhere without getting… a little uneasy." Surprisingly, being sacrificed nearly twice will do that to a person, "But… I know you're passionate about getting to make your life an adventure. If… you ever need someone else to be there– whatever it is you do from here on out– I would be happy to be that person."

Her smile brings a warmness over Link. Not the hotness he gains in his embarrassment or the heat from the fireplace. Not something that may burn him at all… but something comforting.

"...I'd like that, Zelda." Link returns the soft expression, staring off as he is lost in her gaze for a pause. Until, of course, he snaps out of it, "Anyway… it should be cooled off now." He pulls out one of the chairs, offering Zelda a place to sit. She nods as a "thank you" and does so, Link beginning to cut the pie.

He'll let her take the first slice. Not only would it be the courteous thing to do, but… he hopes it'll make her smile linger a little longer.

Notes:

Other:

Nothing better to rebuild my mood than writing two goobers having a wholesome time together. :)

I love the manga and how they're portrayed in it so much, please go read it if you haven't.

If you like my writing, here are a few other things I've done!

The Mage's Lantern - Prologue + The Wizard

Stone Fate - Destined Encounter

My main blog is mostly for art: @nocturnalfandomartist

[capncococharms]

Games I Enjoyed in 2023

I did a big blog post last year where I listed all the games I enjoyed playing and gave my short thoughts about each of my experiences... and I'm doing it again!

Since 2018 I've kept a digital sticky note to keep track of all the games I've played AND finished throughout the year. For 2023 lots of folks claimed it was the "BEST" year for gaming and to some degree... I guess??? Depends on who you ask, but to me I only enjoyed like a handful of new releases and played a lot of older games (or remakes of older games). It was a year of reflecting back on what made me love video games more than looking forward to what's "new".

In 2023, I've finished 32 games. That's 10 more games than I finished from last year but out of all the games I played, here are the ones that stood out to me and left a pretty positive impression.

LIVE A LIVE

I never had a chance to play the SNES version, but I was very familiar with the game to some degree from the old days when I use to browse forum threads about RPGs I've never heard of. I knew I would get around to playing it one day and thankfully it got a remake on the Switch (and then it got a PC port later this year). I didn't get to properly play it last year, but after sitting down to play LIVE A LIVE... it's a game with a really powerful soundtrack, engaging characters, and a unique story that left me wanting more games like it.

I could type up many reasons why I like this game, but I feel it's something you have to experience more than anything. I don't want to spoil anything about this game. If you love Chrono Trigger then you will have a great time with LIVE A LIVE.

Final Fantasy VII- Crisis Core Reunion

I love FFVII and FFVII Remake. When they announced they were remaking Crisis Core I was excited to finally see what the deal was and by the end of this game... it left me a very broken man sobbing my eyes out. As a stand alone game it works very well even if you're not familiar with FFVII. It's a touching and contained story about a man striving to be a hero. Zack is a person I wish I could be in terms of confidence and wanting to do what's right. He's also a goof ball and I am very happy I got to know him more through Crisis Core. I don't want to say much about this game either, but PLEASE play it if you haven't! It made me finally understand why people love Zack so much.

Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater

I've put off this game for way too long. I had the chance to get into it when this game came out on 3DS, but I was too busy in college then. I ended up playing the PS3 version of the game (this was before the MGS Master Collection came out to every platform). At first... I wasn't a fan of this game. I struggled to play this game and felt like an idiot when it came to sneaking. I got stuck at the Volgin fight and out of spite, I started over on "Very Easy" to better equip myself. After working my way back to Volgin, I enjoyed my experience more and was engaged with what was happening around me. Once the game was finished, I was tearing up and couldn't help but think about how often true heroes are forgotten and how history is retold.

Thank you for the heartrending experience, Hideo Kojima.

The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask

I had a weird experience with Zelda games this year. Tears of the Kingdom released and I went in hoping it would be a great follow-up to Breath of the Wild. I wasn't the BIGGEST fan of BotW. I had some faith going in that TotK would be a better experience. Unfortunately, after making it back to Hyrule my fears sort of came true. It felt like the same game I played almost 7 years ago except you can use bubble gum to craft and make things which is... fine I guess.

I kept pushing on hoping the story was going to set up something great and for a while, it did! The BIG twist was interesting, but once I got to the final scene I wanted to chuck this game out the window. The newer Zelda games just weren't doing it for me anymore so I decided to replay some older Zelda games (Wind Waker HD and Twilight Princess HD which was a TON of fun to replay) and decided it was time for me to give Majora's Mask another chance.

I ended up playing this on NSO and after a month or so, I 100%'d the game and greatly appreciated what this game had to offer in terms of setting, story, soundtrack, and characters. The setting is dark and terrifying yet it still keeps a goofy demeanor. I just fell in love with exploring and seeing how human this game can be (especially the finale). This is what I want to see with future Zelda games. I miss having ACTUAL dungeons and linearity, but we won't get that again. I hope that there will be another 2D Zelda game or Nintendo goes back to its roots with 3D Zelda games, but here's to all the indie devs out there trying to recreate that GOOD Zelda magic.

The Great Ace Attorney (Adventures)

I love this series but fell off during the 3DS era with AA6 (I still need to play that...). Since this game is more of its own thing I thought I would give it a shot and MAN! This game took the AA formula and dialed it up to 1000. In Ace Attorney fashion I love the characters, I love the puzzle-solving, and the mystery aspect where everything is tied together (especially that finale omg). My only irk is that the cases tend to go on a bit too long compared to AA 1-4, but I can let that slide because I was streaming this game, and having to voice and read EVERY bit of dialogue was exhausting (I plan to play Resolve on my own time next year so I can get through it much quicker). Ace Attorney still rocks and I hope to catch up and play more in 2024 (looking at you Apollo Justice "Trilogy").

Ranko Tsukigume's Longest Day

One of the shortest games I played this year. I love SUDA 51's work and wanted to give this a shot and it sure was an experience, to say the least. The gameplay is simple and difficult at weird times, but the one thing that sticks out to me about this game, in particular, is the absurdity and goofy humor (which is... basically expected with a SUDA 51 experience) with its visuals and jumping to different art styles and animation. Something about this small game makes me want to start working on my own projects more than anything. You can tell this was made with a creative team and the devs from Tokyo Jungle worked on it to so maybe that's another game I should look into as well... Overall, this was like a fun snack to chew away at left me with my heads in the clouds.

Pizza Tower

I don't need to say much about Pizza Tower. If you've played it, then you get it. Go play Pizza Tower! The OST and crude cartoon art style is what gives this game... uh as the kids call it... "soul". It's the Wario Land game that Nintendo will never make. It's 25% off on Steam! GO PLAY PIZZA TOWER!

Hypnospace Outlaw

Had a rough time playing through this game at first because it would crash pretty often. Turns out the game would connect to the wrong graphics card so after I got that sorted out, I finally got to play this game in peace, and... man... there's nothing else like this game in terms of telling a story/ narrative through faux web browsing. It's a game that perfectly emulates the experience of the late 90's internet browsing. There's a particular joy in exploring page after page to learn about all these characters and their hobbies. Letting the player take a small peek into their lives is a treat. As you get deeper into the game, you start learning about some of these people and who they are underneath their online persona. Without going into spoilers, the game went in a direction I didn't expect with its tone. The final arc of this game left me with some tears and a HUGE respect for what once was before what our current internet has become...

Hypnospace is really really cool.

Undertale Yellow (Pacifist Route)

Kinda unexpected that a fan game would end up on my list, but I'll make the exception. From what I've read, Undertale Yellow was in development for 7 years and that dedication and work shows in terms of presentation, story, and new characters. For a fan game, it doesn't heavily depend on needing the cast of characters from the base game of Undertale to tell its OWN story. Like Undertale, you fall in love with these new casts of characters and go through many vignettes in each part of the Underground where you get to learn about how these monsters live, and just like Undertale you'll laugh, you'll cry, and wish that the journey would never end. Once again I don't want to spoil anything, but for a prequel to Undertale's story... it's surprisingly more powerful than I thought it was going to be. Congrats to the entire Undertale Yellow team who worked on this. It was a pleasant December surprise that made me want to work harder on my passion projects.

I feel to some degree, I love this game probably a little more than Undertale itself...

Probably...

One thing for sure is that this game is helping me tide over until the new chapters of Deltarune come out.

2023 was a great time to play my backlog and give games another chance. Also trying out new stuff in the process despite my current feelings on the gaming industry at the moment...

I hope in 2024, I can continue to dedicate my time to slowly chip away at my backlog and try out new games (or older games I missed out on). Video games inspire what I want to do creatively and I love seeing what people can create and put out there.

[nosydogsoaps]

Hello, Tina!!

I get so excited whenever you open your shop, and I was really wanting to get soaps for my parents this time around. You have a lot to choose from, and I was wondering if maybe I could ask for help with my parents' preferred scent profiles. I have some soaps in mind, but my scent memory is poor and I'm not sure if the ones I have my eye on are actually what my parents might like based on what they told me. I'm not nearly as picky with getting my own soaps, so I'm hoping asking the expert will help.

Do you have two soaps you could recommend for both of my parents based on their preferences? I'm hoping to get them two each.

My dad said he likes clean, musky, and herbal scents the most. If it's floral, he'd prefer that note to be gentle and not prominent.

My mom prefers clean and flowery scents, and does not want it to be spiced. She said "maybe" to sweet and musky.

Thank you so much!

Anne

P.S. I'm currently working through your Matcha Milk Tea soap from my last order and the cat face stamp is such a delight each time. It's so cute, and the scent is really pleasant.

Ooh thank you so much for reaching out, Anne, there's nothing I love more than making scent recommendations!!

For your dad, I'd recommend Lord Shen Qingqiu (a salt and bamboo smell) and Githyanki Warrior (sage and mint cologne), and possibly Garden Fresh Tomato if he's the kind of person who likes the scent of being out in the garden!

For your mom, I'd recommend White Peach Bun (delicate peach blossom with a fruit and clean wood finish) and either Zelda (Hyacinth and clover, a fresh floral) or Honeysuckle Clementine (predominantly a floral green scent with a sweet orange base.)

SORRY that's three soaps for each, but I hope some of those sound like good matches for your parents' preferences! <33 I'm so glad you're enjoying the Matcha Cat soap, and I'm excited to bring back more cat faces of all sorts, hehee~

[zelda-photography]

TOTK Trailer 3 Analysis

Alright, let's do this. There was a whole lot in this trailer, and just so you know i'm not going to be dissecting every second or everything that made me go 'oh cool!' Like, the rocket is way cool but I won't be providing a picture. Anyway, without further ado, here we go!

I really liked seeing the little robot guys doing stuff on the island, especially this little one fending off a chuchu :D I think it adds a lot to the understanding of the role of these robots

Not sure what's up with all the mushroom stuff but I love it! I like seeing that the villages are going to be changed :D

Yay, settlements! People trying to move into this area! A shame that the castle is gone now. I also really like the birds on the old fountains.

Big round rock is very interesting. It reminds me of the speed boost things in skyward sword, so that's my theory on what this one does.

Big thing rising from the Gerudo desert. It's probably going to end up just being Ganondorf's castle, but I really hope it's Arbiter's Grounds because that place horrifies and fascinates me.

Presumably a back shot of Ganondorf, and I gotta say I love his hair all glowing and crazy like that. He seems to be watching something explode, but I'm not sure what? Baby theory with the only proof of 'idk it'd make a modicum of sense', maybe it's the great plateau he's destroying?

Putting these two together since they seem to go together - ways to get below ground? Very interesting. Not psyched about having to wear the lame lava armor again, though. (and when I say go together, I realize this is probably an underground cavern in the Eldin area and not in Lanayru)

Flying ship flying ship let's go!!! Looks way cool and makes me wonder who is manning it. Robots? Monsters? The Zonai???

Floating balls of water are cool, but more than anything make me wonder if there will be a better swimming mechanic, maybe even diving?

Mostly took this picture because I like the red bird outfit Link is wearing. Presumably it'll slow his fall more than other clothes, but I also like the reference to the crimson loftwing.

Finally, the being we've been seeing on the wall carvings and ruins. What's her deal? Is this what all Zonai look like? She looks rad that's for sure. I've heard some people say she looks like a lizard, but personally I think she looks more like the three dragons.

At first, this is kind of a boring shot, until I remembered that Hyrule castle probably was very much destroyed in the final battle of BotW. Was it repaired? By the little magic sparkles around, I'd guess either Zelda is repairing it with magic, or this is some kind of memory.

Finally, the girl. Strange dais she's standing in front of, I'm so worried for her.

The Baby! Teba really said 'I'm too old for this shit' and is having his baby fill in for him! Rip Teba you were, well, a normal guy opposed to all the other champions. Here's to your cool kiddo.

I think I said this in my analysis of the last trailer, that I thought Link's vehicles would be able to transport Hylians, and I feel soooo vindicated right now! Yes, helping the citizens! I love it!

This is ridiculous and I love it. Just us with our dumb machine against a bunch of monsters. Reminds me of that woodcutting machine from beauty and the beast, I think because of the little arm making kind of chopping motions

BIG FUCKING MONSTER ATTACKING THE LITTLE BABY! I'M SO EXCITED FOR BOSS BATTLES NOW!

No idea what the little magatama is still other than 'probably what they mean when they say tears'

I have mixed opinions on ganondorf's design, but overall I think I like it :) He's green still, which is a little weird, but I guess he is technically a zombie, and damn did he rehydrate well.

Putting these two together to make a point (may also make it it's own post too) that I think Zelda isn't just wearing the above woman's outfit, I think the above woman is Zelda, the one from 1000 years ago. (I'll also mention now that what if the male voice talking to Zelda is some version of Ganondorf?)

At one point I was going to make a video about TotK theories, and one involved getting to fight with civilians. It was more of an escort idea in there, but hey, still looks exciting! I love all these people who are stepping up to the plate and aren't just going to let another calamity hit them!

Riju haircut! Sidon is King! Kind of weird that we say three of the four races, really hoping the gorons are doing okay. I'm really excited to see how the powers and strengths of the allies have evolved. From the footage, you already get the idea that Riju has started to use Urbosa's lightning powers.

Gleeok! We've all seen him coming, but hey, he's officially here! That's pretty rad!

Hard to see, but we're getting more of the wall mural thing, this time featuring ganondorf. I hope this thing will be, like, a physical thing in game so we can look at the whole thing.

And finally Zelda. My bets are that she's a) going to be found sleeping on that thing, very similar to Zelda 2's ending or that b) she's going to end up being sacrificed on it :(

[lu-enthusiast]

You can read it on AO3 or under the cut!

It's been two months since I disappeared from my world. It's been two months since I've seen or heard from Zelda and I hate that fact.

It's been two months since I joined the chain and I'm still adjusting. It's weird waking up and not seeing you next to me. It's weird not knowing where you are or if you're safe. I hate the fact that I can't protect you right now. I hate the fact you don't even know where I am right now. I hate the fact I had to leave without saying goodbye or at least saying where I was going.

I know you wouldn't read this and that's fine. I'm not sure why I'm writing this, but I think it will make me feel better about not seeing you. I know you wouldn't read this but I at least want to explain where I've been and how it's been.

If you haven't already guessed it I got sucked into another adventure! Wooo! I'm so excited about this, it's not like I died on that last one or anything but I don't think hylia cares about that. On this adventure I'm traveling with eight other past heroes. You'll probably recognize a few of them! I would too if I paid attention to your ranting but sometimes it just goes on for too long and I stop paying attention. Not my fault.

There's Time, Twilight, Warriors, Sky, Legend, Hyrule, Four, Wind and me. Those are nicknames. In reality we're all named Link. And that's why we're called the Chain. Wind came up with it. Everyone's nickname is their hero title. So like the Hero of Twilight or the Hero of Time. Mine is the hero of the Wilds. Fitting right. I know if you were reading this you would be uncontrollably laughing right now because of my title.

Time is the oldest. He's like the leader of the group. He  seems very stoic and serious on the outside. The chain goes to him when they need advice or have some sort of problem. Even though he's the oldest he still acts like a child on the inside. If you look close enough you can see the mischievous glint in his eye. Especially if he's about to play a prank on one of the boys. He has said some weird things at times also. Once in casual conversation he said that he fought the moon. No one could tell if he was being serious or not. I haven't really talked to him that much but he seems like a good guy, if not a little bit mischievous.

Twilight is unique. I don't quite know what to like about him. He apparently grew up on a farm in a place called Ordain, which is outside of Hyrule. Since he grew up on a farm he has a lot of experience with animals and horses. It seems he loves being around farms and urban places. I don't blame him though since I'm the same way. I've talked to him more than I have Time but still not a lot. Thinking of it I haven't really talked to the chain lot. Oops.

I don't really like Warriors. I don't know why but I just don't. Whenever I'm by him I don't talk and I flinch whenever he tries to touch or talk to me. I feel bad that I do this but it's not like I can change it. I think before the calamity there was a person like him, who I might have feared. I don't know. I don't have any memories of anyone like him though. Warriors is a Captain in his Hyrule army. Wasn't I a Captain once? I can't remember. He is good at making decisions. Him and time usually are the ones making the battle plans.

Speaking of battle plans, I forgot to write why we are even on this quest. To be honest I don't know. I don't think any of the chain does either. We have some theories though! Not very good ones.

One theory is that Hylia just hates us and likes to see us suffer. It's a very compelling theory, probably the best one yet! I know I haven't written about him yet but it was Legend that made this theory. Which isn't surprising if you knew him. He probably has the most hatred for Hylia out of anyone.

Which I'm not surprised with how many adventures he's been on but that's for a later section.

The second theory is that we're getting together to defend a villain or something like that. A "big bad" if you would. This theory was made by Warriors. I'm not surprised cause Legend and Warriors usually are the opposite; they fight a lot. Being honest this is the most logical theory. There is some evidence against this theory though! One thing is what villain would need ten of Hylias heros to defeat? We all have defeated separate villains by ourselves, so what villain needs all of us? And why can't Hylia do it BY HERSELF!

Anyways! The next person I will talk about is Legend, seeing as I already talked about him. Legend has a very interesting personality. He acts like his is really mean and doesn't care but I feel like know it's an act. He and Warriors fight a lot. They are just very opposite people. He also has A TON of rings! They are all magical too! He also doesn't wear pants..... He only wears shorts. Even if it's freezing. He's also been on the most adventures. I don't know how many but when Time said he had been on about 3 before, Legend muttered and I quote "That would have been nice." I don't think anyone else heard it but I was right next to him and I have really good hearing.

Wind is next! He is the youngest of all of us. I think he is sixteen. Which sucks! He said he started his journey when he was fourteen and finished it when he was fifteen. So he had a year to rest, which is not a lot but it's better than nothing. Some people like Time had a lot of time between their last journey and this one. Lol, I didn't even mean to do that! Anyways Wind is very energetic and curious about everything. He likes exploring and well, the ocean. Seeing as his world is all oceans with islands. He talks about his world all the time! And he's really loud, so you can't ignore him! He also talks about his family a lot, he lives with his sister and grandmother. I can't remember if I had a sister. Or a family. Huh? I can't remember anything about a family. I'll ask you next time I see you. If I ever do.

Without further ado is Sky! He is the one who holds the master sword! Apparently he was also the one who forged it. Which means either him or Four is first because everyone else has had the master sword on their journeys. Except for Four, he says he had a different sword but didn't elaborate when we asked him about it. Sky said he thinks he was the first but didn't say why. Sky talks about his Zelda a lot. I think they are together but I don't want to ask. He also does woodworking. He likes to randomly start carving wood. He just sits down and starts on a random thing. He mostly does animals like birds. They are always really pretty!

Anyways the second to last is Hyrule! And yes that is his title The Hero Of Hyrule. It kinda sucks that we have to call him a kingdom and it has gotten confusing before when we are talking to someone that's not the chain. Let's just say it takes a while to convince them that's his name. He is an adventurer at heart. He also is terrible at staying on the path. Legend has to drag him back whenever we are walking. He gets distracted very easily and doesn't even realize it. He loves exploring and he's also the group medic! He has more training in that medicine than most of us. I don't have much to say about him to be honest. He seems like a very fun person!

Last but not least Four. Yes, like the number. I have no clue why that's his title but I wouldn't ask him. He talks to himself a lot. He's also really short. Like he's shorter than Wind that's why everyone thought he was the youngest. He did not like it when we assumed that. He's also really smart, but he doesn't really talk to other people that much. I don't know, I haven't really talked to him. I've probably talked to him the second least, other than Warriors. That's all the chain!

Another thing I forgot to mention is they all suck at cooking! I'm the designated cook! Which I'm fine with but if I'm sick or injured, everyone will get food poisoning! I swear four burns all the food he makes and Hyrule adds bugs and random stuff, so it's uneditable! Twilight can make stew and that's it! He doesn't even add enough spices or he puts too much spices! There is not in between! Sky can only make pumpkin soup! That is the only thing he knows what to make! Like yeah it's good, but pumpkins are hard to find! And in the one who gets ALL the ingredients! Legend just doesn't know how to! Before he just ate the separate ingredients! Like he cooked the meat and ate it, then ate the carrots, and ate the cooked potatoes! Not even together! And not spices! And it's all over or under cooked! He doesn't know when it's actually cooked! Warriors can make food but it's ONLY military food. With no seasonings and it's two meals. And that's it. Time is the best between everyone besides me. He knows how to cook very basic food. Probably because his wife taught him. Oh wait! Oops I forgot to mention he is married! The only one of the chain, I think. He speaks the world of her. Late nights when I'm making dinner he just sits and talks about her talks about her to the air or anyone listening.

Well that's all I have to say right now. I wish I wish with you right now. I really miss you right now. Sky and Time aren't helping when they talk about their partners. I wonder how you're doing right now. I wonder how you're doing without me. I hope you're doing well. I hope I see you soon!

Love you, Hero of the Wild.

[tirsynni]

Years ago (crazy to think about how many years, honestly), I started Sands of Time as writing practice to see if I could get into the practice of writing on a regular schedule (it failed). I had a bunny inspired by thinking too much about Ganondorf and his role in OoT and WW, decided it was as good as an excuse as any to work on writing regularly (failed so hard), and it ended up becoming a love letter to a game series which I've loved almost my entire life.

That fic kept going and going and taught me so much about writing, both in general and fanfic-specific. It ended up being far longer than planned, more detailed than planned, and even when I was distracted and tired and side-eyeing this massive WIP, it reminded me of how much I loved the Zelda games and the many details, overt and subtle, in them. Writing was more than just putting words on paper: it was translating the things I was passionate about. Even if there are some definite issues in the fic due to the many distractions occurring during its creation and how sometimes I wrote less because I was passionate to write and more because I was just stubborn about seeing the fic through, it's still a fic I'm very proud of. It is also, without a shadow of a doubt, my most popular fic. It is a fic that someone refused to rec because they wanted to hit lesser known Zelda fics, and holy shit, I preened when I read that.

I have been struggling with fic and fandom in the last year for many reasons, including some serious RL stressors. The other big reasons have to do with the evolution of fandom itself. I'm not talking about the rise and fall of the popularity of certain things. For example, while I'm not a fan of "reader" fic, I feel like it's a fantastic example of the things that can be done with the fanfiction medium and also a way to explore how tropes/genres/random things in fanfiction reflect different cultural changes in the same way horror movies do. What I hate, though, is the rise of negative feelings and negative takes in fandom, transforming it from a fun, collaborative atmosphere into an arena full of witch hunts, deliberately bad takes, and people terrified to write because they are afraid of being attacked for their content, pairing, writing styles, grammar, etc. I love fandom as a love letter to canon, an exploration of canon, an exploration of self and writing styles, among other things. Now it feels like it's no longer that.

Back in the Old Days, people put disclaimers on fics because they didn't want to be sued. Now people put disclaimers on things assuring readers that of course they don't advocate these things, these things are bad, they know it, they aren't a criminal, they aren't a pedophile, they aren't a Bad Person. Now I see people skip summaries just to tell people to stop attacking them for their pairing and to just let them write what they like.

I see people indulging in deliberate bad takes of the original content, of the original creators, of other writers in fandom, of different tropes, of game mechanics... fucking everything. Sometimes it's just a nasty circle. Sometimes it's done to elevate something else, because we all know the only way to elevate something is to put something else down. I understand vent sessions. I understand going to a friend and going "Holy shit, did you see that summary??? Wow!" It should stop life as a quick vent. It shouldn't make up the person's entire personality. It shouldn't require a full online presence. Hate should never be detailed in the comments. Call-out posts should be left to actual nazis, terfs, etc., not to someone who wrote a "gross" or "unhealthy" or whatever pairing. Seriously. If you waste so much time on that, you need to look into some self-exploration and therapy. In all sincerity.

Fanfiction is not a published work. It should be fun. It is put online to be shared with fellow fans. It is something where someone gets excited about something or has an idea about something or wants to explore something or just wants to write some kinky porn and then share it with fellow fans. That's why writers post work and then sit eagerly .02 seconds later waiting for people to comment on it because they want to share their thoughts and love and happiness and excitement and sadness and grief and their general emotions with others and they want those others to respond and share their thoughts and reactions, too!

I just saw a post tearing into Moffat's Sherlock series because it lacked sincerity for the audience and source material and instead indulged in its arrogance, contempt, and self-righteousness. My immediate thoughts turned to the Lord of the Rings movies. If Sherlock is remembered, it will be purely in the critical sense, an example as to how a popular series was forgotten and dismissed. LotR remains loved. It is a classic. It is something people repeatedly marathon despite the lengthy watch time. LotR was a love letter to its source material. It wasn't just the writers and directors: everyone involved was sincerely, fiercely passionate about it, and it shows. It drags the watchers in, prompted people who had never read the original to pick up the books, inspired so much fanfiction. It was sincere and passionate and loving and, in turn, its fans are sincere and passionate and loving.

The LotR movies explored and loved the genre, the characters, the message. Even when characters faltered, it didn't make them terrible people. It made watchers hold their breath, it made watchers cheer them on, it made watchers hope. Check out people who do bad takes of Frodo and his struggle with the Ring and watch how many people come out of the woodwork to defend Frodo. There was no tongue-in-cheek humor mocking the source material. There was no critical analysis of "Well, you see, this is how the hero was actually stupid." No. It was sincere. It was loving. It still makes people cry and cheer and happy even when they're wiping away a sad tear or two.

I've read fanfics where the writers insist on the worst takes for the characters. It isn't done out of humor or a teasing love or an exploration into the characters/writing styles/etc. The writers want to drag the characters down, put themselves on a pedestal, and do it not through sincere analysis but by doing the worst possible takes on the situation. This usually relies on going into the source material with a negative mindset and desiring negativity in return, feeding primarily on the negative takes of others rather than looking into the source material or looking for positive takes, or just having a "bad faith" mindset. They go into it with an axe to grind and want to drag everyone else down with them. It isn't one or two fics: it's a growing, poisonous movement which is one of the things driving people out of fandom. It isn't a love letter to the source material. It is hate and disgust and contempt and Moffat writing Sherlock, patting himself on the back all the while and surrounding himself with people doing the same exact thing.

I'm a strong believer in people writing whatever they want to write. You want to write this character being evil? Sure! You hate this character and want to make them OOC to bash them even more? Go for it! I've written so many things testing how far I could go or feeling angsty and wanting others to feel angsty or even feeling happy and grinning like a feral gremlin as people wrote comments talking about how the angst in the story made them bawl. Want to write vore? Want to write character death? Whatever! It is fucking fiction, and it should be something you can enjoy doing. Hell, an asexual person can write two people fucking without wanting to get fucked. A lesbian can write two men fucking. A pacifist can write a murder mystery. It is fiction. Write whatever you want, and I hope that you feel better after doing so, even if it is only in the catharsis way of having a bad day and getting it out by making characters bleed.

Already, I can fucking hear people insisting that all of this makes you a bad person. No. No. If you truly believe that, it means you don't understand writing. You don't understand art. OR it's not a misunderstanding but a deliberate Bad Take, an extension of the poison I described above, because you want to attack someone and you want any opening. See: Republicans going after Drag Queens now, probably not actually believing that Drag Queens are harmful but recognizing vulnerability and knowing they can manipulate others through hatred. If you truly believed that, you would be wondering about Stephen King and other writers, but instead, you use conservative attacks and uncritically promote purity culture and are oblivious to the day when the leopard turns around to eat your face.

It's exhausting. It's a growing trend that is poisoning the water that is fandom and is not only playing a part in driving people out, but is keeping people from ever trying their hand in the first place. It is keeping people from enjoying what should be a fun thing. It is fucking poisoning minds, because this is a damned slippery slope. Hammer/nail and all that. It is seeing one thing as "problematic" and knocking over one tile and then seeing a full domino effect because they never bothered to analyze what "problematic" meant or why they found that "problematic." It is people grabbing a torch with the hope they won't find themselves on the stake.

Let people enjoy fandom. Try having positive takes. Let fanfiction and fanart and fanworks in general be something enjoyable again. Maybe some people use it as a way to vent current political issues. Maybe some people want to explore certain sexual kinks and writing these two (or three or five or seven) characters going at it is a great way to do it. Maybe they had a funny thought and want to share it via fanfiction. Whatever. We can't go online and bash people like Moffat and then casually do the same exact thing. We can't bitch about conservative politicians attacking people and then use the same exact thought processes and methods to attack others.

Let people be sincere in their enjoyment. If you don't like it, find something you do like. Maybe take some time with some tools and explore things which make you happy instead of indulging in deliberate bad takes to tear others down and use those takes to bind yourself to others and their bad takes like barbwire. Remember why things like LotR lives on and makes people so happy and why Moffat's works are going to be used in classes in the future as to what not to do.

[majorproblems77]

Bonus links is back which means so am I! Welcome back to my Comic analysis corner :D

You liked my rambling last time so here I am to once again ramble about this comic I love.

Its a wonderul comic and always so well made. Please go look at it if you haven't, it's well worth it. :D

All comic panels and art belong to @bonus-links and the artist @ezdotjpg. Please go and look at their other stuff too!

Grab some popcorn and a drink, and let's get started, shall we!

First these two, I love this frame right off the bat.

Give me more of these two please I love them okay

Loft looks so worried can you hear the fear i can hear the fear. Poor man give him a break.

Oblatory obsession with SKSW link in various links meet aus.

I love him a healthy amount. I love his design and think about him often.

Oh this frame

This frame is very pretty

I love the golden light in the middle, and how she basically makes up the lower part of the symbol. It reminds me of ribbon. Which is fitting considering we get red string all over this comic. (I still need to go into that at one point)

It makes me wonder if we see the other Zelda's more in this context if they too will get the golden ribbon rather than the red string. As I'm seeing it as a way to show how they are connected like how the links are connected.

Panic mode engaged

I'm living for evil laser eye slate. Straight up looks like hes about to pounce on this man and kill him

Slates thinking face

Fangs?

I love it

I love these two. Interesting how dismissive Wolf is being at this stage. (currently playing through TP so I dont know a lot about the triforce in it but I assume it's still there)

Lots to unpack in this one and i love it

Wake vibing in the rain i can kinda understand.

Wolf just looks kinda done with it tbh and I'm here for it its a vibe.

Slate covering the little fairy pal from the rain is low-key giving me life I love him

And Loft, looking up at the clouds with just pure annoyance in his eyes. Like my man, I know you don't like storms but please the clouds didn't do anything to you. (Yet...)

HES A GRANDMA'S BOY AND I LOVE HIM SO MUCH

ALSO ALSO

I can hear the music in my head as these actions are being done. Like, they are ingrained into my soul after watching enough wind waker playthroughs.

It's awesome he gets to use it with the melody he's learned. More windwaker melodies please i love seeing them used more

Hold on tight indeed! Cause it's about to get HECKIN WIMDY

Such an excited bean i love him

Help him

Help him so much man has fear

This little picture has me cackling, im sorry loft but omg.

And Slate looks so damn excited for this and honestly he deserves it.

Just his little face

Goddammit linebeck, man is just so done with the shenanigans by now. Impressive he's managing to drink from a cup while they are spinning like that. Man has got some amazing arm control to keep it together.

Tetra and Aryll! Them!!!

Also, can you hear the splash as the ship hits the water? People must be used to hearing the sound of a huge gale, then a massive splash and are just like...

Oh, link must be back again.

Love it

Hope you had fun with me today as I went through this one. More rambling than questions this time around which is nice i love just being excited about characters I enjoy. :D

That's all from me tho, until next time!

[journalsouppe]

My Sheik spread dedicated to how much I love him! Also a little celebration post for getting to be a contributor in the Sheik zine (Harp in the Shadows) ^_^ Ngl this is just a massive ramble about Sheik lmao I did not plan what I was gonna say beforehand

The sticker is from MaridoodlesShop on Etsy! The Sheik letters are from a halloween sticker pack I found on clearance at Michaels

Typed text below! (plus a little extra writing)

My second favorite character right behind the Hero of Time. Sheik is the reason why I always knew I'd be a Zelda fan, and probably why OOT is my favorite Zelda game. My first introduction to him was in Super Smash Bros Brawl where he was my main. He was so well balanced in that game, I loved fighting with him. However, in Ultimate, they increased his speed and decreased his attack, so playing with him is so hard. Instead I became a Zelda (ALTTP/ALBW) main (also sometimes BOTW Link). One last thing about Brawl Sheik is that his design was updated for if he were in Twilight Princess which I absolutely love. When I got reintroduced to Sheik in Ocarina, he just became an incredible character in my eyes. The way Sheik and Link are able to communicate with just music is incredible. They share some of the most beautiful moments I've ever seen. Even though the music lasts for 30 seconds max, they have become some of my favorite tunes. I know others agree because they wrote full compositions for those songs. The intimacy between Link and Sheik is the reason why I do like OOT Zelink (more specifically Shink than Zelink bc I didn't know the ship name at that time lmao), but only in the adult timeline and if Zelda still treasures Sheik. I absolutely hated the manga implying Sheik was a personality due to a spell and that she will never be Sheik again. Sheik is so passionate about Impa's teachings and the Sheikah culture that no way in hell would Zelda toss that away. Zelda and Sheik are one, it just is up to Zelda for how she will present herself. I believe I also really love Sheik as this is a way for Zelda to express herself and live outside of being the princess. I have so much love for Ocarina of Time and Sheik, they defined the future of the TLOZ franchise especially with gender presentation. Sheik was definitely the shift of making the Zelda games devoid of hyper masculinity or femininity. All in all, Sheik is an amazing character who I absolutely love. I hope to see influences of him in upcoming games.

This is extra not written down but I'm also just such a fan of all the queer Sheik headcanons. Trans Sheik, genderfluid Sheik/Zelda, cis male Sheik who is a different character than Zelda, etc. I especially love characters like him and Tetra where Zelda just gets to live a life outside of the pressures of being the princess and really get to explore who she is. Those characters really just show SO much personality in Zelda and it makes me so happy. Sheik's such an important character to me I even commissioned my friend to crochet a little doll of him for me :,). He's also just a big inspiration for me beginning to journal and write as I get to express my feelings on certain topics, and he was the biggest topic I always want to talk about. So excited to be a part of the Sheik zine and I can't wait to share what I have been working on once the zine releases!

[jullbnt]

Hi there! I’m sure you don’t recognize me since I typically use my sideblog more than this one, (though you might’ve seen me liking posts XD) but I just have to say I really love your art!

Your ballet series was so fun and creative, and your art style is really pretty. You’re one of my favorite zelda artists, and I get excited whenever I see you’ve posted something. It always cheers me up if I’m having a bad time :)

I hope you have a good day!

Hello! Your message really made me emotional when I received it yesterday, and I'm saying this very seriously. I sat down and looked at my phone with actual tears in my eyes haha

You calling me one of your favorite Zelda artists means so much to me!! I don't know if I've said this already but I have loved Zelda since I was a child, for almost as long as I can remember. It's such an important part of my life and I've spent a lot of time enjoying and collecting fanarts through all these years, as I'm sure a lot of you have. If I can give back just one fraction of what I've received with my art and make people happy, well it means the world and I couldn't be prouder 💜

Also I've been feeling really tired this last few days and am struggling to get things done instead of just collapsing on my bed, so all these lovely asks I've received make me feel a lot better! Thank you so much!!

If all goes well I'm hoping to post a new drawing tonight, I wasn't that far from finishing yesterday :)

Have a wonderful day as well @arpeggiopeg!!

[zeldaelmo]

OoT masquerade festival !!!! Oh man oh man

I'm mildly hopeful to make this one work for zelink week but it depends a bit on the prompts we'll settle for. (I'm voting for the best prompts, not what would work best for me, I promise. Believe it or not, I'm a very responsible mod 😂)

I'm excited about it, so even if it doesn't work out for zelink week, I might at least begin writing it this summer. I have some other things on my plate so I'm not sure how much I'll get done on the writing front. We'll see.

The premise of this story is that Zelda begs her father to arrange a betrothal between her and Link before he leaves for Termina. It's a child's castle in the air, but her father loves her very much so he agrees. Under one condition: Link must come back and ask for her hand until her 21st birthday or the betrothal will be resolved.

Nobody is sure how it happened, but years later, everyone knows this story or some variation of it. Since Link never came back, suitors start approaching Zelda and she and her father face the reality that she has to settle for a candidate eventually.

By now, Zelda's 21st birthday is approaching rapidly. Someone suggests a festival of three days of masquerade balls. The idea is that Zelda either accepts the hand of another man that she has met on the balls or that Link might come back to fulfill the betrothal.

Of course, the people are thrilled about this. Bets begin to make the rounds if Link will show up (it's not looking good for him). A month before the festival, Castle Town fills up with country knights, noblemen, and other important people who want to join the fun. Zelda's ladies-in-waiting are especially excited about a handsome young nobleman who ignores all their approaches because he's certain he can win Zelda's favor. Zelda rolls her eyes at them. Someone who's so overconfident is surely not her type.

The festival approaches and the Sheikah provide their magic of light and shadow to give Zelda the chance of getting to know her suitors without worrying about decorum. Their magic lets the mask become one with the wearer so that only they can see the true face of the visitors. It's truly anonymous!

Zelda is indeed enchanted by one of the guests; it happens to be the nobleman who was so sure he had a chance. His masks are many and enchanting, but as a nobleman, he surely has ways to purchase only the best.

Zelda uses her own magic to become Sheik for one of the evenings but unfortunately, the Sheikah magic doesn't work for her, so she still can't tell who he is.

And what about Link? Will he really wait until the very last second to surprise her like the rumors say? It's just gossip. It must be! He has never been seen again since that fateful day ten years ago... How are the odds he'll show up? And... Does Zelda even want him to come now that the young, charming nobleman will surely ask for her hand?