#first version of zelink technically

[sciencelings-arts]

“He asked for no pickles”

aka my entry for @rottencandyapp1es DTIYS

aka the reason I was looking for to redesign these aqua sword wielding war gods

[currantlee]

Get Your Tissues ready! We're Analyzing the German Dub of Zelda's Awakening (BotW)

Translation: Enough... It is useless. English Localization: Link, save yourself! Go!

As a Zelink shipper, I actually really love the English version of this line, where Zelda tells Link to not die for her. However, as a writer, I prefer the German version. See, in the English version of the game, Zelda strikes me as almost blind to the reality of the situation. Meanwhile, in German, she is desperate because the situation is, quite frankly, hopeless - note how she even states that it's useless (to fight) here. I'm going to come back to this later, so keep it in mind. For now, let's move on.

Translation: I beg you... You mustn't die too... English Localization: I'll be fine! Don't worry about me!

Zelda uses the expression auch noch here, which technically means too. However, it implies something happening on top of everything else, in this case, after everyone else has already died. This also serves as a transition from the previous memory, in which Zelda states (in German) that everyone is dead because of her.

Again, my Zelink heart loves the English version, but I think the German version has its own appeal. Considering that Zelda blames herself for the deaths of the four Champions, and that she doesn't want Link to die too might not sound Zelink-y at first, but consider for a second. The Champions were Zelda's friends, and one of them was her mother figure. Her father is also dead. She pretty much has only Link left at this point - and we can guess from the other memories (as this is the final once you find in the game) that even though they had a rough start, he is extremely important to her. Even though it's not as explicit as in English, I think it's still a really nice moment that shows how important he has become to her, as more than just a bodyguard.

Translation: Run away! English Localization: Run!

I really like the contrast between the scene in which Link protects Zelda from the Yiga, and this scene. There are some obvious parallels, only that in this scene, Link is too severely injured to save Zelda anymore (and in the end, she saves him instead). He tries his best though. I very much appreciate the effort that was put into his expression in this entire scene!

Translation: No!!! English Localization: No!

... Three exclaimation marks, guys. Three. Exclaimation. Marks.

Okay, but seriously, I kind of love his moment where Zelda throws herself inbetween Link and the Guardian. It contrasts nicely with how Link protects her from the Yiga earlier in the game's backstory, and also with how he tries to defend her (even though he's gravely injured) in this scene.

Translation: Was... Was that me...? English Localization: Was... Was that...

I really love that Zelda's Lullaby is sung by a choir after she purifies the Guardians. Also, the fact that she is shot from bottom view here, which makes her look greater, and also reminds me personally of the Goddess Statues a bit. All of this invokes awe, and really conveys that something very powerful and important has just happened.

On the localization note, I like that Zelda specificalls asks if she herself just did that in German. After blaming herself for pretty much everything that went wrong throughout the entire backstory and feeling useless, this is a very important moment for her, and the German localization makes it about her, both as the wielder of the sacred power to seal the darkness, and Zelda as a person.

Translation: What...?! English Localization: The power...

I like that we get a shot of the back of Zelda's hand too, showing that the triforce that appeared earlier has disappeared again.

I like that Zelda is more stunned and confused as to what just happens in the German version. In English, she seems to know what's up right away, but I actually like that she seemingly needs some time to process (which she won't get unfortunately - someone give this girl a break!) what just happened. Really helps reinforce the gravity of this event!

Translation: Oh no... Oh no, oh no! English Localization: No, no...

Despite the fact that she would need time to process what just happens, Zelda immediately looks after Link when he collapses 🥺 If that doesn't show you how much she cares about him at this point, I don't know what does.

Translation: You can't die! English Localization: Link! Get up!

Zelda uses the same phrasing (darfst nicht) as before, but this time, it's much much desperate. While before, she was trying to get Link to run, she is scared for his life now. Before, she used the phrase more in a sense of "if you keep going, you're going to die like everyone else, and you must not do that" in an attempt to get Link to run. Here she is using it more like "this can't be happening", desperate and unwilling to accept Link's impending death.

Julia Casper's (Zelda's German VA) voice acting is also phenomenal here. You can hear a little sob when she says this line, and it really conveys her despair.

Translation: Please, don't die... English localization: You're going to be just fine...

Again, same phrasing as before, only that this time Zelda is explicitly begging Link not to die in the German line. I think it's both impressive and authentic that they used the same line three times, but each time with a different connotation. Zelda is completely exhausted and stressed in this scene, so she wouldn't have time or energy to think about how she expresses everything she wants to, so she just repeats the same core thought over and over: she doesn't want Link to die.

In the English version, she seemingly tries to calm Link instead. While on its own, I do like this line (especially as a Zelink shipper!), I do not like it in the context of this scene.

Remember how I said I was going to come back to Zelda seemingly not understanding the severety of the situation or being in denial about it earlier? Yeah, this is where the scene becomes... Weird to me in English. See, we never see her realize that actually, things do not look well, and no matter if you're going with the not understanding interpretation or the denial one, this causes a break in the narrative for me. Her view on their situation seems to change in-between lines, without an actual indicator of the change. It very much comes off as unnatural to me, especially with what happens next.

No text here, just sobbing. I wanted to note this because Julia Casper's voice acting in this particular bit of the scene sounds like she is actually crying. You can hear her sob and whimper (the really quiet one she does right after Link falls unconscious always gets me the most), and it's absolutely heartbreaking. It actually had me cry too every time I saw this scene in my playthroughs of Breath of the Wild.

Translation: There... Is still hope?! English Localization: The sword...

Julia Casper makes this line (and the next one) sound like Zelda is still processing things once more, and I think it is very fitting.

Translation: Link can... Be saved? English Translation: So he can... He can still be saved?

I do like how this line and the previous one feel completely different in German and in English contentwise.

While the implication in English seems to be - at least in my opinion - that Zelda sees that the sword is still glowing, and comes to the conclusion that Link can still be saved by herself.

Meanwhile, in German the implication seems to be more that the sword tells her that Link can be saved, and she somewhat confirms this in her conversation with the Great Deku Tree later.

Translation: Princess! English Localization: Princess!

... I do not like this line. It sounds like they're playing hide and seek, not like they just found the princess who has probably gone missing in all the chaos and who probably a lot of people were worried for. In both German and English (it actually does sound a little bit better in English IMO). Kinda disturbs the scene a bit.

I do like that they actually have Zelda gasp in response to this though.

Translation: Princess! Are you alright? English Localization: Princess! Are you all right?

Yeah, that line is better.

Also, look, Zelda still has her hand on Link's chest 🥺

Translation: I have an important mission for you! English Localization: Take Link to the Shrine of Resurrection!

Zelda sounds suddenly really confident and serious with this line in both languages. My guess is that it's because she knows that if she doesn't act, then Link will die, but also because she has trouble opening up. We learn this from her diary, and we know from both that and from other memories that she feels comfortable to show her true feelings and worries around Link (who is unconscious).

Translation: Take this man to the Shrine of Life as fast as possible! English Localization: If you don't get him there immediately, we are going to lose him forever!

The Shrine of Ressurrection is called the Shrine of Life in German, possibly because the localizers thought that Schrein der Wiederbelebung or Schrein der Auferstehung sounds too complicated or too much like Link is a zombie now.

Also, Zelda calls Link a man in the German dub at this point, which actually caught me by surprise when I first played the game since Link just looks so young. I guess it's a reminder that they are already around 17 in this game, and that Link is a full-fledged knight. I also think it shows respect for Link on Zelda's part.

I actually prefer the German version of this line, simply because I think it works better in tandem with the shot we're shown. The delivery of the English line is great too though (and I say this as someone who usually doesn't like Zelda's English voiceacting that much).

Also, look how Zelda is supporting Link's head 🥺

Translation: Hurry! English Localization: Is that clear?

Two different lines here, but I think both work. I also like that we get to see the reaction of the two Sheikah guys.

Translation: Before his light of life... English Localization: So make haste and go!

Lebenslicht (Light of Life) is a more poetic way to say someone's life in German. It's not the same as light of someone's life.

Translation: ... goes out for all times! English Localization: His life is now in your hands!

Using the plural of the word time like this is actually quite common (even though using the singular wouldn't be incorrect), and I will admit that I have never really thought about why we do this before. I think in this particular case, it might be to emphasize the gravity of the situation, but this might be interesting to look into in general.

That being said, I actually prefer the English line over the German one here. I think it just provides the better ending to an overall very grave, very serious scene, that's pretty much the direct leadup to Link waking up at the beginning of the game.

In general, I think this is definitely one of the most impactful scenes in Breath of the Wild, and both the English and the German version do a great job at conveying this. The camera also works with the localizations (more or less) to improve its impact. Overall, analyzing it was very interesting.

What are your thoughts on this scene? Tell me in the comments, reblogs or tags if you want to 🙂 Thank you for reading!

[rakkiankh]

Redesigned my zelink house that I've posted before, notes under the cut on my thought process for this

Kitchen and dining room front and center, of course. I imagine Link could cook a killer meal for everyone. Table situated for easy viewing of the door from sitting down

Back door moved to the second floor, I found myself just climbing over the pond to get out in the first version and that caused issues

Used a foyer to both create a hallway and allow a more closed off room that would function as a guest room. I assume Link and Zelda would have guests sometime, and it would be best to have some privacy

Room at the end of the hallway allows for a bit of privacy, minus the guest room but it's not an everyday occurrence to have guests. Bed has its own study as well. Could technically function as a second guest bed but when I made it I was envisioning a fankid

Gallery placed more inward because 1) I hate leaving an empty space to just fall down the stairs and 2) allows more privacy for Link and Zelda's bed

Picture is of the Champion's Ballad picture. You can't hang up the real thing so I made do

Furnished square room in the center looks the same as the dining room, but there's no options for any type of couches, figured that sitting at a table would be better than the previous empty room. This table probably never sees anything outside of tea, and is more for looking over documents and books for a group or just sitting around and chatting

I had the furnished square room placed that specific way so that the stove is closest to Link and Zelda's room, since the second floor has an open section of wall I'd assume it would be a bit colder so they'd probably like a heat source

I've seen some people put the pond lower so you can just walk into it, but I prefer to put it up more. That way it acts as a barrier between the inside and the outside, and makes a place to sit to look at the view or the pond

Foyer for the back door doubles as an entrance to Zelda's study. The first version had the study connected to their bedroom, but I wasn't a fan of it for them specifically since Zelda had her well built for privacy. This way she has some privacy and even her own entrance, but it's not completely separated from the house

I removed the horse paddocks. Mostly because I'm already at room capacity, but also I basically never use horses in games ever. Just know I'd add them back if Nintendo upped the room limit in dlc or something

Room count:

Foyer x 3

Furnished Square Room x 2

Kitchen x 1

Indoor Staircase x 1

Bedroom x 3

Study x 2

Gallery x 1

Garden Pond x 1

Outdoor Stairs x 1

[michpat6]

20 Questions

I was tagged by my wonderful friends @novantinuum and @wanderingnightingale to participate in this ask game! thanks for the tags 🥹🥹

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

The number says 81 but that’s because I have a series version of aftermath from when it was supposed to be just loosely connected one-shots, before it spiraled into the monster it became. I kept it up along with the chapter-by-chapter version because I had people following along with the story that way, and I didn’t want to get rid of my very first comments on ao3 by deleting them.

Taking those out of the equation, I only have 29 🤣

2. What's your total AO3 word count?

With the series version of aftermath, 486,278. Without it, 380,218. Either way, holy shit.

3. What fandoms do you write for?

My main one is the Legend of Zelda, obviously, but I also dabble in Attack on Titan, Chainsaw Man, Jujutsu Kaisen (wips only rn lmao), Final Fantasy XVI, and even Batman!

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

1. cost of living (747)

2. aftermath (716)

3. that parting need not last forever (it’s dangerous to go alone) (605)

4. with every drop of rain singin’ (450)

5. trying (358)

these numbers are crazy to me I haven’t looked at my stats in FOREVER!

the fifth one, “trying”, is so funny to me because it’s technically chapter five of “aftermath”, coming from the series version way back in 2020 when I was only in my sixth day of writing fanfic. I don’t know what possessed me back then that I was able to write five chapters in six days (possibly the small word counts and my freshman year of college being zoom university LOL) but I did it!

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

Yes, though I never really say much other than a “thank you for reading and commenting!”

I sometimes wish I could be like other authors and spark conversations in my responses, but I never know what to say other than the thank yous! I’m much more verbose in dms/discord servers 😂

6. What's the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

either my newest zelda fic, avatar, or a thing that doesn’t change with time.

immortal beedle is weird, thoughc because it’s not angsty in the sense that it’s all that sad, it’s angsty because of the Implications.

7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

this is a tough one, because so many have happy endings! I think the happiest is tied between my post-totk fic, something borrowed, and with every drop of rain singin’, where link rescues zelda from the calamity but she has amnesia after.

8. Do you get hate on fics?

I’ve only ever gotten three instances of it, but one of those times was someone connecting evil zelink to communism and covid vaccines for some strange reason?? I still don’t know what the hell that was about 💀

I tend to just delete any “hate” comments from my inbox but keep them on the fic itself (except for the communism person because what, though I have them screenshotted to laugh at because it’s so bizarre), because I don’t like to erase what anyone’s said.

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

I do! It tends to be on the, uh, rougher side, because I’ve grown tired of soft fluffy lovemaking in fics, but when it needs to be soft and sweet I can do that as well 😆 the only instance where I’ve written smut with the intention of not being sexy is my chainsaw man fic, ignorance is bliss, where it’s more of a warning sign about the relationship as the fic progresses.

10. Do you write crossovers? What's the craziest one you've written?

I don’t write any crossovers! I haven’t felt the inspiration to, and I don’t even know what I would crossover in the first place.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not to my knowledge!

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Again, not to my knowledge, but if someone would want to translate any of my fics I would just like them to ask for permission! They’d definitely get it 😂

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

No, but I would like to at some point! It’s been a while since I’ve done collaborative writing, but when I did do it as a writing exercise it was fun.

14. What's your all-time favorite ship?

In terms of fic writing, zelink of course. In terms of reading, I’ve been on a satosugu (a jujutsu kaisen ship) kick lately thanks to, um, Recent Events in both the anime and the manga. if you know you know 😭

15. What's a WIP you want to finish, but doubt you ever will?

god I hate to say I’ll never finish something but honestly it’s either “a memory of younger days” or “faded into legend”.

I haven’t thought about either of those fics in soooooo long, and part of me wants to take them down but another part of me has hope that one day I’ll get the spark for them again. the aftermath cinematic universe series as a whole is something im constantly rotating in my brain and adding little things to, but it takes so much of my brainpower that I need a Break from it for a bit 😂

but I will finish the Urbosa fic. that’s a promise to myself, because I do love it so so much.

16. What are your writing strengths?

I always get comments about my dialogue and characterization, and I always enjoy those parts of writing, so those!

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

I cannot describe a setting to save my life 💀

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic?

I would love to, but I only speak English! If I could do it properly without relying on something like Google Translate I would do it in a heartbeat.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

The Legend of Zelda!

20. Favorite fic you've ever written?

GOD that’s hard. I really love all of my fics, but I got a comment on with every drop of rain singin’ last night which made me reread the whole thing, and something about the Emotion and pure Vibes that fic has still gets me sometimes, because the whole thing was inspired by Pink In The Night by Mitski. a bookmark on it says “gets sappy quick” and it’s the truth, because I really did just have link think about his love for a zelda that doesn’t know who he is for 33k.

[sobdasha]

i'm no longer confident i'll ever get a fic out of this

and I would like to purge the papers/I don’t think I’ve put this on tumblr yet. I generally think of the concept as “Three Days Later” despite every version I've found having Link pass out for less than 3 days, and based on my notes it’s kind of a jumble of ponderings following the end of A Link to the Past.

Roughly, the idea is that after touching the Triforce and setting all to rights, Link goes immediately home and passes out in bed for maybe a couple of days, then wakes up to a letter from Princess Zelda who wants him to come to the castle to actually chat, which is awkward because she knows so much more about Link (having been watching him for most of the game) than Link knows about her. And then a little Twilight Princess callback, as a treat.

In the intro a feeling I really wanted to capture is one of those things drawn from life. Having lived in the same house with the same bed in the same position for 20 years, waking up in my new bedroom after moving out for probably the first half-year was occasionally very surreal. In the very brief window between waking and awake, the moment before my eyes opened, I would have a very vivid sense of where I was located in my bedroom and which walls I would see when I opened my eyes, and often simultaneously a very disorienting sense of not being sure I knew which room I was actually in. The weirdness would clear up immediately after I opened my eyes and saw where I was, but that didn’t make the moment any less intense every time it happened.

I just think it would be a very likely sensation for a Link to have, having spent an entire game not-sleeping or passing out wherever and very rarely stopping in at home to sleep. Being convinced that when you open your eyes you’ll be in your childhood bedroom, knowing that you actually have no clue where you went to sleep at, and then realizing upon opening your eyes that you are actually home. Emphasis on home because Link’s uncle is alive again! It’s not waking up to an empty house, it’s waking up to the sounds and smells of someone who loves you cooking a meal.

The letter from Princess Zelda is probably something very official, nice heavy stationery and royal seal and polite wishes for Link to be recovering well from his ordeal. The crown would surely like to give him some sort of commendation or boon as thanks for his services.

Link is a bit bemused by that part as he did, after all, lay his hand on the Triforce and have it look into his heart and mind and grant all his wishes. He’s not entirely sure what he wished for because he was really tired at the time but he’s pretty sure it was fine and he doesn’t have any desires left unfulfilled. The Dark World was supposed to have dissolved with Ganon’s defeat, Princess Zelda and the sages are safe, the King of Hyrule is alive again and so is his uncle–it seems the Triforce did a bang-up job of interpreting Link’s brain fog and sincere desire for the world to just be right again.

He supposes he’ll go to the castle anyway because it would be rude not to after Princess Zelda specifically asked.

And then, per my usual, I wanted to end with some feelings of pre-Zelink. While Link and Princess Zelda may have gotten in some Friends Bonded By Trauma during the flight to the sanctuary, I think it just wasn’t that conducive overall to becoming close friends. And I don’t think Link was technically an official Knight of Hyrule yet, so he probably didn’t even have a business relationship established with her yet? Plus I feel there’s some inherent awkwardness to Princess Zelda feeling like she knows Link very personally–having witnessed all his trials ~as if in a dream~ while prism’d–while Link knows very little about her and didn’t get to choose to reveal everything she saw about him.

So I wanted to have Princess Zelda acknowledge that and try to convey her desire to start becoming friends going forward, on an equal footing, using their words and not sage powers.

Because I’m me, I also thought: yes, this should touch on Twilight Princess.

So I pictured Princess Zelda getting up and standing away from him, giving him the decency of not being stared at or feeling scrutinized for reactions while she gives a little speech. And telling him that when she first learned that the Dark World had transformed him into a rabbit, she thought it was a mistake.

How could the hero she depended on, the young man who’d answered her plea on that horrible night and fought their way to the Sanctuary, have the heart of a hapless and helpless bunny? She thought it would be more fitting for a hero to be reflected as something like a wolf, a beast that would drive out Agahnim and Ganon, beasts themselves with their jaws around Hyrule’s throat. 

But as she came to know him better, she realized that what Agahnim needed to fear most about him wasn’t the bite of his sword, but the staunchness of his kind heart.

I’m reminded again that I failed to write this up properly because I still don’t have a clue how to pace it such that the above line really has a punch since it is kind of the core of the thing to be conveyed. Instead it is just dangling there, not sure it’s impactful at all, no clue how to let it sit with you and breathe, and then it would just be like “that’s the kind of person I’d like to know better as a friend” so good talk pls come back to the castle again soon

but hey now I can recycle those papers and not keep shuffling them around in the clutter!

[sunnylaurels]

Anata-あなた

@tortilla-of-courage @squid-ink-personal @musashi

Anata ultimately means ‘you’ but it can have several implications. I’m going to focus on two of them.

1. Intimacy. It’s so intimate that some people even translate it to ‘dear’ or ‘darling’

2. Hierarchy. It can mean that the person speaking sees the other as inferior, or equal at best. Like when a parent speaks to a child, or a teacher speaks to a student. 

You don’t use anata for someone you’ve just met. That’s... rude, as it should imply the latter. In fact, you should generally avoid using second-person pronouns in general when speaking in Japanese. Just use names.

Zelda

Zelda first calls Link anata when they’re rescuing Link’s Loftwing. She doesn’t call him ‘anata’ in the first scene together, though. Probably because Gaepora is there. She uses a more intimate version of ‘you’ once they’re alone. 

She also calls him anata when they’re together on the Goddess Statue, and when they’re flying through the sky together. 

Notice how they’re always alone, with no chance of being interrupted. Shows just how much anata means. When it’s used intimately like this, it does a great job of showing how close this particular Link and Zelda are.

Not to mention that anata is also commonly used between married couples...

(Did anyone need proof that sksw Zelink is canon? Because here’s your proof.)

Fi

Fi, on the other hand, doesn’t sound so intimate. Even if you excuse her in Link’s dream (since they aren’t technically face-to-face) she immediately calls him anata when they first meet. As I said before, that’s rude. 

Fi is... not very polite in her introduction scene. She apparently refers to Link as her inferior and when she does use his name, she just says “Link.” Without the  -san. (It’s okay for Zelda to do that because they’re close. Fi is not close.) Upon meeting Gaepora for the first time she hears how he’s missing half of Hylia’s message and pretty much says- “Fi expected this.” She doesn’t think highly of humans, it seems.

Hey, one anata(or two) could have been a mistake, right? Nope. Fi calls Link anata again. You can even see Link go on guard, he doesn’t exactly trust her. (She doesn’t stop though. She tells him Zelda is alive and that guard goes right down, and she continues to call him anata.)

Link draws the sword and she recognizes him. Then calls him “My Master Link.” In katakana, so that’s English. This is where Fi starts to call Link “Master” (she dropped the “my”) but there are moments when she still calls him anata.

Impa

Impa and Zelda use anata for each other. It really goes to show how close they are, even though Impa also uses -sama for Zelda. It makes them feel like they’re equals, rather than master and servant. Impa also differentiates between Hylia and Zelda.

Oh, and she calls Link omae. Which is generally very rude.

Hylia

Oh boy. Hylia calls Link anata too. The reasons aren’t exactly clear. But it hurts. I differentiate between Zelda and Hylia for a reason. In that one scene (you know which one I’m talking about) Zelda makes it obvious that she’s not really Zelda right now, but Hylia. And yet... she still uses anata. Maybe it’s because of the closeness between Link and Zelda. Maybe it’s because she’s the goddess, and sees Link as inferior. Maybe it’s both. But it feels wrong, because everything else from her watashi in kanji to the -desu is not Zelda.

Back to Zelda

Once the honorifics are gone and watashi is in hiragana rather than kanji, you can tell that this is “still your Zelda.” Time for yet another anata. 

“I’d always be the one to wake you up.”

Farewell Fi

Fi wasn’t very close with Link at the beginning, but the ending’s a different story. That occasional anata leans more towards intimacy now. She tells Link to place the Master Sword in the pedestal, and he does so, albeit reluctantly after getting confirmation from Zelda.

The ‘contract’ is now broken, so to speak. Link is no longer Fi’s master. Fi is no longer Link’s servant. Fi doesn’t wait to make a point of this. She calls him “Link” again, without the ‘Master.’ And then, anata.

Then comes her last line.

Despite not needing to, she says “my Master Link” again. Like when she first recognized him. But this time, it’s by her own volition. 

“Thank you, my Master Link... To be with your soul again someday...”

[dappercritter]

Legend of Zelda for the ask meme!

(Based on this meme.)

The first character I first fell in love with: Zelda (any version). It might be cliché but considering the first Zelda game I ever played from start to finish was Skyward Sword, I was spoiled graced with quite possibly the most intimate, romantic, and overall enchanting introduction to the legendary princess of destiny. She may not be the strongest Zelda character-wise (that honour is a toss-up between TP and BOTW Zelda) but SS gave her the most time for character development and to establish a strong bond with Link (ie. YOU, the player). Thus, I got a pretty good reason care about the franchise namesake. The character I never expected to love as much as I do now: Beedle. I kinda liked the one we were introduced to in Wind Waker. Just a humble shopkeeper and his boat who occasionally offers great deals and wears a neat little helmet. The Skyward Sword version (technically the first that I met) was a real charmer too with his flying shop, love of bugs, surprising secret vocabulary, and his method of dealing with window-shoppers. But I really fell in love with him was in Breath of the Wild. I liked his little scarf and his very big beetle (heh)-themed backpack, he’s got a great selection of items, deals in good prices, and has a wonderful little crush on Link. While that last one doesn’t go very far, I always looked forward to visiting his shop. The character everyone else loves that I don’t: Mipha. I don’t hate her or anything—nothing of the sort!—but I do think that she’s not as interesting as the fanbase, or at least in her debut game. (Note: I haven’t played or read/watched anything about the Champion’s Ballad or Age of Calamity yet, so I can’t comment on any developments made in those games.) As you may have already guessed, or soon will, while I love a good Zelink love story, I love it when Link gets to be close with someone besides the princess and even get to take a sweet little detour on the way to their destiny. The thing is that either way, I like it when the love interest has her own distinct personality, and their relationship gets a healthy amount of development. I don’t feel either of those things with Mipha. She’s a very shy, demure, and gentle who plays the “childhood friend with a hidden crush” role in the love triangle with Zelda and Link. Maybe it’s that she’s a very reserved character and Link is the most reserved character; maybe it’s that she’s already dead and you only learn about their past while nothing changes in the present; maybe it’s just how compared to her brother and her father’s big personalities and bigger builds, she and her more human-like feminine traits feel more boring… but to me she just doesn’t feel that interesting. I do like the bond between her and her (admittedly more appealing) brother, Sidon. The character I love that everyone else hates: Zant. Call me crazy but even his character is either inconsistent or has a rushed arc, I find Zant to be a pretty interesting villain with a lot of untapped potential. I love his design, even when he takes off his cool evil helmet of darkness, which I also love for it’s abstract appearance and retractable features. While I would have liked to explore an AU where Zant was the one true villain of Twilight Princess and old Ganondorf got to take a backseat, I do think that for the most part Zant is an effective villain with a disturbing aura, vendettas against all three of our heroes, and an interesting twist of an arc. Even after you realize that he’s just a pretender to the throne relying on a legacy villain for power, it’s fascinating to see how much his entitlement feeds into his character. When he finally breaks down like a spoiled brat, you still get the impression for just how dangerous his instability makes him. A letdown he might be, but there’s no denying just how dangerous someone with great power and no restraint can be. Heck, there’s something to be said about his fervent devotion to his dark god, Ganondorf as well—and the fatal turn it takes for them both when, in what is my opinion, what happens when the pawn realizes they’re

king is as a big a disappointment as they are. The character I used to love but don’t any longer: Fi. With Skyward Sword being my first game, I had a soft spot for all the characters, but Fi is the only one where the nostalgia was the only thing that made me like her for the longest time. Once I started looking at the game objectively, I realized just how truly annoying Fi was. Despite the feels the game attempts to invoke, you never grow close to Fi and she never comes to understand what it’s like to be human from travelling with Link. (Ironic given that SS Link is one of the most expressive versions of the character.) All Fi does is either point out the obvious or over-analyze the obvious as she tells you where to go in painstaking detail. Every time she popped up, it ground my subsequent playthroughs to a halt. That, along with the amount of backtracking in the game, is what keeps me from revisiting it. The only good thing I think I could say about her is that she helped inspire Toby Fox to give us the best goat mom in Undertale. The character I would totally smooch: Midna. Oh yeah. Are your surprised? But in all honesty, I do love Midna’s character …yes, and her design. (Now shut up.) Anyways, I love mischievous characters in general and, what else can I say really? Twilight Princesses’s story did a great job at making you care about Midna. She’s my favourite in the series beyond a shadow of a doubt and she deserves all the genuine, non-horny love she can. The character I’d want to be like: Kass. Being a travelling singer who brings his accordion everywhere who studies legends and aids the travelling hero of legend (even if I don’t recognize them at first) would be the coolest thing ever. Being a big ol’ parrot-man would be neat too. The character I’d slap: Tingle. It’s Tingle. If he’s not behaving inappropriately around… well, everyone, he’s charging ridiculous prices to decipher your maps. He might not be a total creep but he is a shifty little bugger. A pairing that I love: TP!Link X Midna. Oh yeah. You know how I said Midna was my favourite companion, thanks in part to all the time we got to spend with her? Well, that goes double for all the time she spends with Link throughout the game. The way Link slowly earns her trust and convinces her to change for the better, and how she opens herself up to him. They way they put their trust in each other… Golly gee whiz, it’s enough to make my heart melt no matter how many times I play through the game or how many time I’ve gotten stuck on the guardian puzzle seen the ending. A pairing that I despise: Can’t think of any, thankfully.

[siderealscribblings]

20 Fanfic Writer Questions

Tagged by @midnightstarlightwrites

How many works do you have on AO3?

65

What’s your total AO3 wordcount?

1,023,735 (jesus) 

How many fandoms have you written for and what are they?

Thirteen (Miraculous Ladybug (40), Breath of the Wild (5), Digimon (3), Homestuck (3), RWBY (3), Percy Jackson (3), Avatar (2), Fire Emblem Awakening (2), Fire Emblem Three Houses (2), Soul Eater (2), Teen Titans (1), BlazBlue (1), Persona 4 (1)

What are your top five fics by kudos?

Satisfaction Brought It Back (12169) 

The Ladynoir Diaries (2475)

Truth and Consequences (2251) 

Mint Two-Lips (1845) 

Good Hands (1613) 

Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

I try to reply after the fic is done but I avoid it midstream. If there’s confusion or clarification needed, I’d prefer to address it in the next chapter. 

What’s the fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending?

T&C ended on a pretty dour note but it’s technically one half of a larger story. I think 

What’s the fic you’ve written with the happiest ending?

Jingle All the Way had the overall happiest ending (except for Gabriel but who cares)

Do you write crossovers? If yes, what’s the craziest thing you’ve ever written?

The one and only Blazblue/RWBY crossover

Have you ever received hate on a fic?

Quite a few angry replies but I can’t decide if that’s “hate” or not, since they were just passionately pissed off about some character choices I made. I take it as a sign of investment if someone fires off a few paragraphs ripping into my choices; it gives me a chance to re-evaluate my trajectory as well (or just reinforce my point of view) 

Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Seriously though, it’s been a hot minute since I’ve written smut and I think it’s because I’m a wee bit burned out on it/lacking fresh ideas. I don’t think I’d ever do a multi-chapter smut fic again but I might do some one-offs in the future. 

Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I know of; I think the whole concept is sad, especially since it can be easily proven that you didn’t write it. How anyone can take pride in something they stole is beyond me.

Have you ever had a fic translated?

A few Russian translations of my fics (SBIB, Ghost on the Dance Floor) exist!

Have you ever cowritten a fic?

@bullysquadess & I co-produced Every Ladynoir Fic Ever and honestly it’s overdue for a dramatic reading

What’s your all-time favourite ship?

I think for me SoMa, Zelink, and Ladynoir top the charts but I can be easily convinced of most ships

What’s a WIP you want to finish but don’t think you ever will?

Hat Trick would be fun to revisit at some point, but I fell out of a Digimon rut as I wanted to devote more time to MWD

What’re your writing strengths?

Dialogue, action, sex scenes

What’re your writing weaknesses?

Verbosity...perfectionism...repeating myself....not really beta-reading very carefully...stubborn refusal to scrap chapters that don’t work and start over...overusing...ellipses...more...than...nec...ess...ar...y

What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in fic?

I do a “translated version” in italics with some loan-words thrown in. I avoid writing in languages I don’t understand. 

What was the first fandom you ever wrote for?

His Dark Materials in 2006

What’s your favourite fic you’ve ever written?

Truth and Consequences is my first “grand” fic and I still enjoy the little cosmos I’ve built on. I really like that the comment to kudos ratio is skewed in comments and really like seeing the regular commenters return to give their opinion on the latest chapter. (I’ve even gotten to the point where I can predict how certain reviewers will react ;)

Tagging @chronicallylatetotheparty @abadmeanman @insanitysscribblings @bullysquadess @noblechaton

[kekeslider]

I am not into zelda but anytime anyone talks about zelda i get 👀👀👀👀👀 so would you explain to me (if you want tho!!) The story about link and zelda?? Im just a simple bisexual i see a nonbinary character i go wild

Gonna state right from the beginning that neither Link nor Zelda are canonically or textually non-binary, both just have periods of... essentially “cross-dressing” in a few games, so don’t give Nintendo credit for that. HOWEVER, I personally love the hc that both of them are non-binary, or one or the other depending on the game

Buuuuut really, idk if I CAN tell you the zelink story? The pairing and their dynamic is wildly different across games because (for the most part) every game is a different reincarnation of them. But I can highlight some bits I think are especially important. As far as zelink goes, the games with the most meat to them are Skyward Sword and BotW. Botw gets talked about a lot currently, so I’ll just tell you a bit about skyward sword because it’s FOUNDATIONAL. I’m doing it all from memory though so if anything isn’t up to Zelda Nerd Standards, oh well.

Skyward sword is the first game in the timeline (but not the first game made- think of it like a prequel) and it tells us the story of the first Link & Zelda. They’re childhood friends they grew up on an island in the sky. At some point, Zelda falls (or is caused to fall) from the sky island (skyland... jk it’s called Skyloft) and accidentally runs into her Destiny. The game follows Link as the playable character though, he also heads to the ground to try to find and save Zelda. Gameplay happens, over the course of which we learn that Zelda is on a journey of her own to reseal a horrible demon from ages ago, Demise, who’s on the brink of breaking free and ravaging the land. She has this power because, we learn, she’s the first human incarnation of a goddess named Hylia (recurring goddess through the series). She took mortal form because the triforce, an artifact of power created by greater gods, could only be used by mortals, and she intended to use it to permanently defeat Demise. There’s an added implication that part of her motivation to reincarnate was to be beside her Chosen Hero again, the warrior that is reincarnated into Link in every game. Or maybe that’s just wishful thinking from a shipper. The game ends when link defeats demise, however demise puts a curse on Link and Zelda to reincarnate in every age, always with an incarnation of his own “malice” hunting them. This game establishes the lore that fans have always wondered about, why are there so many versions of the same two people? Now we know every Link and Zelda (well, most of them) are a reincarnation of the Goddess Hylia and her Chosen Hero **

** at this point I’ll mention that this is in some part a headcanon. The technical words are the Zelda is of the Goddess’s bloodline and Link has the “spirit of the hero”. However due to the fact that this is a translation and we know some things are lost going from Japanese to English, I can’t state whether that’s what the original writing intended. For me, I choose to interpret it as meaning that every Zelda is descended from the first, and houses the spirit of Hylia, because it doesn’t make sense to me that the hero’s spirit would reincarnate but not Hylia’s.

I’ll also mention that there are arguably non-canonical comics following the story of Hylia and the Hero that definitely leans more into a romance than the games themselves detail.

[cookie-waffle]

002 with Erik and Christine or Link and Zelda :3c whichever one u want tbh

Oh goody my best ship and my worst ship at the same time! (Keep in mind I’m like REALLY specific with how I ship E/C)

when of if I started shipping it:I started shipping Zelink since I first got into LOZ tbh. Same thing with E/C. I was pretty young too :V

my thoughts: Both of these ships are really versatile. Erik and Chrissy are public domain so you can do anything you want with them and technically make it canon. And Link and Zelda have a soul mate thing going on so each version of their relationship is going to be a little different, which I actually really like.

What makes me happy about them: E/C: I am painfully empathetic towards Erik and I just want him to be in a happy stable relationship and not have to suffer FOR ONCE.

Zelink: One word, soulmates ❤️❤️❤️

What makes me sad about them:E/C: hgFGGhhhggGFFKL#|££MMMMMGSSHABANDNSNAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

Zelink: They can never truly be happy together forever. Every time they are reborn they (mostly) forget each other.

things done in fanfic that annoys me: E/C: Fics where Erik is WAAAAY too over the top abusive, fics where Christine is under 18 (she’s public domain and even in the original book she was in her 20’s, there is literally no need to be doing that), fics where Erik is all of a sudden magically not mentally ill anymore because of “the power of love”, fics that demonize Raoul to the point where he’s cartoonishly evil, and fics where everyone speaks like they do now despite the fact that they live in the victorian era (not including modern AUs)

Zelink: Fics where Link has hardly any personality or is just serious all the time, fics where Link and Zelda are written like mature grown adults who are always mature even though they’re usually kids (yea, I know they’re mature for their ages but they’re still teens. Let them act like ones once in a while sheesh.), Oh, and my least favorite: unDERAged SMut FiCS

things I look for in fanfic:E/C: Angst that makes me cry a fuck ton. I also really like fics where Erik is being comforted and finally getting closure for his trauma. What I really wish is that there were more AUs where they meet as kids.

Zelink: Angst, FLUFF, lots of comfort (especially for BOTW Zelink). I really want more fics where Zelda is pampering Link, especially Hylink fics.

My kinks: Link and Zelda are usually minors so I’m gonna have them pass on this one. But as for E/C, Erik is sub asf for Chris. He doesn’t like kinky stuff for trauma reasons but he will completely melt in Christine’s arms and let her do anything to him. But Chris knows his limits and she respects that and never makes him go out of his comfort zone.

Who I’d be comfortable them ending up with, if not each other: Christine: Raoul, obviously. (Or Meg)Erik: The DarogaLink: (Depending on the incarnation) Groose, Malon, Paya, and Mipha. Zelda: Midna, Princess Peach (for TP Zelda) And I never really thought abt till now but…. Linkle??????? Maybe????????

My happily ever after for them: E/C: A HAPPY STABLE RELATIONSHIP WHERE NO ONE HAS TO SUFFER ANYMORE GODDAMMIT

Zelink: They actually eventually get to find peace in the afterlife and Zelda returns to the heavens as Hylia again and Link gets rewarded godhood for defending the land against evil for thousands of years. Then they get to reunite with all of their friends and family and spend the rest of eternity together as a badass god power-couple. Link mostly spending his days getting endlessly pampered by Hylia hehe.