#if you enjoy Wild and Hyrule getting lost

[zolanort]

Hyrule licks an evil mushroom for science, circa Jun 2022.

Opening scene from Hyrule and Wild Have a Hard Time by UnexpectedStormy on Ao3

[breannasfluff]

Safety and Frogs

AO3 Link

Malon hums to herself, combing her fingers through fluffy brown hair. The screen door to the house swings open; squeaking on the hinges. She should oil it later.

“Got room for one more?”

“For you Fairy Boy? Always.” She smiles up at her husband as he settles onto the wide porch swing on her free side.

“How’s Hyrule?”

“Ran out of energy helping with the fairies. Now we’re both enjoying a nice break.” At her side, the traveler is fast asleep against her shoulder. She’s eased Link to sleep with the same gesture many a time.

“Well, I think I could do with some rest myself.”

“Finished with the horses?”

“The boys are still moving grain. Wild is…helping.” Causing chaos, comes the subtext.

“And Wind?”

“…hm.”

So, instigating said chaos. Well, as long as they don’t set the barn on fire. Link sets the porch swing rocking with a foot and she leans into his side. Even after 10 years of marriage, her favorite place is next to him. They’ve been together long enough that they can be apart, but it will never be her choice.

Link is…different, the more time he spends with the boys. Oh, sure, he’s changed a lot from the young boy who wandered out of the forest. Even more so since they started dating or got married. Those were drastic changes, borne out of struggles and pain.

Now, he changes subtly each time he comes home. Link grows comfortable in his role as the temporary leader of the group. He knows when to keep the boys out of trouble and when to let them learn their own lessons. With so many diverse backgrounds and ages, he deals with all sorts of oddities.

Malon can’t help but look at him with the boys and imagine little ones of their own. Her fairy boy would be a wonderful dad because he already fills that role for eight others.

At her side, Hyrule shifts slightly and she resumes combing through his hair. He settles with a little sigh. Glancing at Link shows a fond smile at the motion.

“How are they doing?” she asks.

Link turns his attention back across the ranch, eyebrows furrowing slightly at the racket in the barn. “It’s good. Everyone’s grown more comfortable with each other and their role in the group. Friendships are still being made but…there’s a lot more trust than when we started.”

He presses a kiss to Malon’s hair. “I love them. Even when they drive me up the wall. All I want to do is see them go home safe.”

“You’re doing that already.”

“But…I feel like I should do more.”

Malon knows this mindset; they’ve battled it for years already. It’s a product of the hero’s spirit; the insatiable need to help. “Link. You are already doing that. Do you let Wild blow up everything he sees?”

“No.”

“Did you let Wind steal Warriors scarf and dye it?”

That gets a snort; one of the funnier stories he shared with her. “No.”

“Do you let Hyrule wander off and get lost?”

“I think that’s impossible to stop, but I send Wolfie after him.”

“What about traveling all night? Not checking for dangers? Eating unknown foods?”

“Okay! Okay!” Link holds up his hands, waving her off. “I get it, I do a lot.”

She smirks and kisses his shoulder. “You do a good job, fairy boy. You’ll get them all home safe. I promise.”

“How do you know?”

“Because with you? There is no other option.” Link will do everything in his power to protect the boys. She’s made her peace with it, even if it raises his chance of injury. He wouldn’t be the man she loved if he was different.

The racket in the barn dies down, and there’s little sound but the odd whinny of a horse and the creak of the swing. Malon lets her eyes close as she leans on Link, taking a deep breath of the warm summer air.

“I can kill 16 bokoblins with thunder.”

Her eyes pop open and she glances over at Hyrule. He’s blinking sleepily up at her.

“…what?”

He just nods and yawns, showing white teeth. “Chu chus are edible if you are desperate enough.”

Well, that’s…worrying. Malon glances at Link, hoping for some help.

“Go back to sleep, traveler.”

Hyrule yawns again. “Legend’s got a pair of red underwear he stole from Wild…” and then he settles back on Malon’s shoulder and falls asleep again.

Malon presses her lips together, trying to stop the laughter from shaking her shoulders. Link rolls his eyes. “Hyrule says the weirdest things mid-nap. He gives me a run for my rupees; I’ve got no idea if what he says is true half the time.”

She arches an eyebrow. “And the underwear?”

“You’re welcome to ask.”

The silence stretches, and then they both break into quiet giggles. The gentle motion of the swing lulls her into a doze. She should go inside and start on dinner. Maybe bake some rolls? What would the boys like that she can make in a kitchen? Wild deserves a break from cooking, especially over a campfire.

Perhaps…she can make… ~

Malon wakes to whispering. She doesn’t move at first, although her ear flicks as she listens.

“Take the picture,” someone hisses. Legend.

“I did! Look, they’re all conked out.” There’s Wild.

A pause. Then Four asks, “Hey, what if I tickle the old man’s ear with a feather.”

“Don’t do that!” A light slap and some shuffling.

“Hey—”

“Shh!”

Someone else has joined the trio and Malon works to feign sleep.

“Why are we whispering?”

“They are asleep. Hey, whatcha got, Sky?”

“A frog! Look, it’s a small one.”

“Can I hold it?” Wild asks.

“Sure, here you go.”

Silence. Suspicious silence. It’s a silence that points to a prank in action.

“Hello, boys.” Link’s voice has Malon opening her eyes to take in the situation. Wild stands directly in front of Link, hands cupped around the frog. There’s a slight look of panic.

“Have a nice nap, old man?”

He ignores the question. “You weren’t going to put that frog on me, were you?”

“O-of course not! I would never!” Wild glances back at the other boys, looking for backup. Four edges away. Sky is confused, and Legend has a highly insincere smile on his face.

Next to her, Hyrule wakes up and blinks, looking around. “What’s going on?”

“Wild has a frog.”

“Cool, can I see?”

Wild passes the frog over, relieved at the distraction. Hyrule examines the frog and then pops it in his mouth.

Did he just…eat…a frog? Is that something these boys do? Goddesses, is she not feeding them enough?

“Hyrule.” Link’s voice is cool and he’s making use of his disappointed face. “Spit it out.”

The traveler does; the frog none the worse for its sudden journey into a mouth. Sky swoops in and saves it before anyone else decides they want a snack. Hyrule gives her a sunny smile. “Frog legs are excellent cooked.”

She manages a faint smile. “I’m sure they are.”

No, her fairy boy will have no trouble with children in the future.

[airplanned]

By popular demand:

Don't get me wrong, I'm really enjoying Tears of the Kingdom.  Parts of it are fun in ways that I never felt during Breath of the Wild.  And I really like the story itself, just not the execution of that story.  And actually the storytelling is fine, but Breath of the Wild did some narrative things that I have been praising for years, so to have less than stellar storytelling in the sequel feels jarring.

I have three points.

Point 1: Amnesia and the Time Skip

In Breath of the Wild, Link begins the game with amnesia.  Therefore, even though this is the country that Link grew up in and has explored, it's still understandable that he has no idea what kind of environment is going to be around the corner.  You the player are able to discover the world along with Link. 

Meanwhile there is also a 100 year time skip, which means most of the characters you meet have never met you before.  (The characters you did meet in the past completely understand that you've been gone a while and have amnesia.) You start knowing no one and are able to build relationships from the beginning.

Tears of the Kingdom has something like a five to six year time skip.  But instead of being in a comma during that time, Link was apparently up and about, helping to rebuild Hyrule.  Link ought to know significant portions of what's going on, but the player does not.  So we have our first disconnect between game play and story.  It's hard to tell what's a new development since the upheaval and what has been an ongoing process that Link ought to know about.

This is muddled even further because Nintendo wants the game to be accessible to people who haven't played Breath of the Wild.  They made the decision that instead of having all the NPCs greet you like an old friend (which all of the Zora do, so this is a thing that is possible), most NPCs will greet you as if you've never met before.  So what am I the player supposed to know?  What is Link supposed to know?  It's unclear.

And as funny as it is to think that Link is like Tony Hawk and no one recognizes the Hero, or that Zelda drew so much attention that no one noticed Link standing behind her, it's strange to me because Link made friends with these people not as the Hero, but on a personal level.  Link introduced couples.  Link attended a wedding.  Link helped a guy move out of his mom's house and start his own business.  Link helped couples in rough times.  These people should greet you with a, "Hey, Link!" even if they don't know that you're over a hundred years old and defeated the Calamity.

The theme of botw was isolation, so it made sense that Link started the game alone.  The theme of Tears of the Kingdom is working together.  So there's a disconnect, because instead of starting the game with a boatload of allies, Link begins the game having apparently lost a lot of the friends he made in the first game.  Once again, he's isolated, which is not what the game play and the co-op fighting is implying.

Point 2: The Stated Objective

The story in botw was straight forward.  At the very beginning of the game, Rhoam’s ghost tells you how that story ends: Zelda is using her powers to hold back the Calamity.  Rhoam also gives you the game's objective: Defeat the Calamity.  The memories that you collect fill in the story of Zelda’s struggles to activate her powers and her changing, growing relationship with Link.  They deepen your understanding of where Link come from and what happened, but none of it is plot essential and none of it affects your objective.  There’s no shocking twist.  There’s nothing that would change the way you play the game (other than maybe not picking the silent princesses).

TotK on the other hand at the very beginning presents you with the objective: Find Zelda and solve the mystery of what happened to her.  Learning what happened is not presented as some deepening of understanding, but as the point of the game.  You don’t get the objective to defeat Ganondorf until much later on.

There are several story threads working at the same time, all of which lead you to where Zelda is. The hyroglyphs tell you what happened and where she is.  One of the sage quests tells you what happened and strongly hints where she is.  The Deku Tree strongly suggests what happened and where she is.  You know where she is.  You know what happened. 

And you cannot tell any of your allies.

There are other characters who are “helping” to solve this mystery.  With the theme of working with other people, it would make sense that I would share my breakthrough findings with them and we would work together towards the next step.  I’m thinking specifically if Purah (who explicitly tells you to search for Zelda by doing X even after you know where she is and that that while it would be nice to get another sage, it won’t solve the "find Zelda" problem) and Paya (who won’t let me into the floating ring even though she’s clearly working with bad information), and to a lesser extent the sages (Looking pointedly at Yunobo, who has apparently usurped my himbo throne???). 

Even if you've done all three of these quests, the game play treats you as if you don’t have this information.  It’s frustrating in a game that advertises itself as open play where you can do anything in any order.  It’s another disconnect when achieving what is expressly stated as the goal of the game is not acknowledged within the game.

Part 3: Lack of if-else statements

Honestly, this is the thing that pushed me over the edge into writing this. 

I went and helped the monster squad with a mission.  We killed some monsters.  It was a great time.  Side adventure achieved!

At the end, the team leader pulled me aside and said that he noticed that I didn't have my legendary sword.  In fact, my equipment looked less than legendary.  Har har.

...My good sir, not only do I have the Master Sword, but I am holding it in my hand, and I used it to defeat the monsters we just fought.  Maybe you don’t recognize it because I have fused a dragon part to it.

Why is there no if-else statement coded into this event to prevent this from happening?  There were if-else statements in the dialogue in botw when people talked about the sword.  They responded differently if I had it. Elsewhere in totk, there are elaborate conditionals about the weather.  Having the Master Sword is kind of a major plot point.  But the game is uninterested in if I have done the plot, even while directly addressing that plot point.

Again, it's fine.  Just disappointing after botw worked so well.

[weepingflowerbonkcop]

I'm trying to finish these headcannons before moving on. I'd be more than happy to answer any questions about the headcannons. Enjoy reading!

Warnings: Wild being Wild, nothing else.

What the Chain thinks about a Modern! Reader using slang/meme references:

Part 2

Sky

• Sky has some basic education for Skyloft. I'd say he finished high school standards for them, but elementary in our standards. He's still pretty smart but just doesn't show it as much as Four does.

• Sky didn't know what to think of when he first heard modern slang.

• He's one of those people that pretend like they know what you're talking about. Reader would be talking casually and Sky would nod his head, listening intently even if he really doesn't understand.

• He likes it when reader goes to talk to him, but sometimes he'd like subtitles to exist.

• He goes to Four and Wind whenever he doesn't understand a word, hoping that they'd be able to give him some indication/translation of it.

• Memes on the other hand - he's actually pretty good at understanding them. He might not find all of them funny but he does manage to catch what they're about.

• He's that person that hears a joke and goes into a full detailed interrogation of the joke. Something like, "Yeah nah, the bro took his cuzy out to the pub. After he met this nice sheela and got a nice rootin' only to find out the day after it was no sheela." Him not knowing what's going on just goes, "So, you've told me before that a 'she - lah' is a girl, yes? And you've also said a 'bro' is a shorter term for brother. So, what does 'cuzy' mean and what does the root have to do with the story?"

• After you do a break down of the slang he just lights up with a 'ooh' and does a little giggle to himself.

• It's cute but ruins a good story when you have to go into another full explanation of said story.

• He's also an 8/10 at least he'll laugh at memes even if he doesn't find them funny.

Wild

• Thinking about him losing his memories some of his schooling had also been lost since his resurrection.

• I believe Wild is the most adaptable of the Heroes. He had to be adaptable out in the wild in order to survive.

• So, he'd be the quickest - next to Wind - to catch Modern! Reader's slang.

• He would also interpret it into his own day to day talking. His Hyrule is more flexible in my opinion to different ways and languages than other Hyrules.

• Him along with Wind and Four are your main translators to the others. So, when someone is in doubt they run to Wild to ask about a certain word or abbreviation then run back to reader and continue the conversation.

• However, Wild does radiate chaotic energy and sometimes whenever the others try to learn, he'd casually tell them the complete opposite of what it means for shits and giggles. An example, "Wild, what does 'Yo - lo' mean?" "You only lick once." The person would thank him and run back to you, "Indeed only one lick." "What the -"

• This annoys the living daylights out of Twilight, Time, Warriors, First, Calamity - basically all the serious Links.

• Wild appreciates memes from Modern! Reader's world. In fact he sometimes tries to recreate them with readers guidance.

• Other times he would try and create an entirely new genre of meme little does he know he already is with some of his really cursed selfies on his Sheikah Slate.

• Overall 10/10 best boy cause he gets it and screws with people that don't.

Hyrule

• In my honest opinion I don't think this boy had any type of schooling. Most of the things he knows comes from pure experience. He might've been taught more about magic, curses and things more related to the fae since he was raised by them, but no school system like ours.

• Hyrule much like Twilight thought it was just an accent rather than the modern day and age talk when he first heard it.

• Someone had to sit him down though to tell him it's not.

• Hyrule learns from Wild about the terms and their meanings as Wild starts using them more frequently in his own speech. So, Hyrule starts picking up that habit as well and sooner or later you got two four in actuality people talking like anyone from your world!

• I believe he would purposefully go to Legend and start telling him some of the slang that he's learned through either you or some of the others. It's similar to a kid running up to their parent to show them a picture that they drew. Legend actually appreciates this and finds it cute but wouldn't admit it.

• He does surprisingly catch on to memes quick.

• His brain works in mysterious ways as well so he'd instantly understand Modern! Reader's references.

• He does go and have little back and forths with Wind when referencing memes that reader uses the most. It's turns into a challenge between Hyrule, Wild, Wind and Four of who is right with Modern! Reader as the referee.

• He genuinely believes its interesting to hear how different the people in Modern! Reader's world talk in comparison to any of their Hyrules.

• Overall he's an 8/10.

[yourlocaltreesimp]

dang that puppet idea you had and okami's bit gave me shivers! What do you think the chain's individual reactions would be?

These have admittedly been sitting here for a while…. Sorry! Based on this, and this. Hope you enjoy!

TW: mentions Kidnapping, hallucinations and malnourishment, murder, does this qualify as yandere? Putting it here just in case

Also i’m trying out a new format so yeah

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*

Time

At first he blames the shadow. It’s convenient. It’s easy. He knows that your kidnapping was logically not his fault. There was nothing he could’ve done. He kills without remorse until he finds you. The blood dripping from his blade is the last thing he’s aware of when he finally sees you. He’s more keenly aware of the gnawing guilt as he sees how badly you’ve been treated, clothes ragged and that apathetic thousand yard stare. His heart was ripped from him, leaving him to bleed out slowly, to wither away without you.

Twilight

I mean when I say that he goes feral. Just a smidge if we’re sticking with the not yandere Twi, but hoo boy if he is that is a feral man. He has no care for the bodies he leaves in his wake to finally get back to you and is beyond pissed to see that you’ve been not only harmed, but taunted with the image of you. But that rage falters when you don’t notice them and when you grow sorrowful… he can’t imagine what they’ve done to you so that your very mind is different. But when he gets a hold of that shadow he swears his death will be merciless.

Wild

He’s absolutely beside himself after you first disappeared, and perhaps they all were. But He couldn’t snap back so readily, no matter what it takes. The others give him a hard time, their stress getting the better of them, but all he remembers is 100 years ago and the constant pressure to be good enough. Twice now he’s been a disappointment. He spirals in on himself when he sees hollowed cheeks and dull eyes that hold no warmth of remembrance. The you in front of him is not enough to ease his worries.

Warriors

One of the most level headed after you first disappeared, making good enough plans until they could find you. But he places all of the blame on himself. He’s supposed to be better than letting comrades be stolen and taken to their deaths. He’s supposed to be a better leader than that. And the consequences bear on him when you do little more than stare at the wall and him to yourself. He’s seen soldiers walk out of war less haunted than how you looked. And to think he was supposed to shield you from the violence.

Hyrule

He lost himself a little in the beginning. He’d become so used to the company, to having you there, that he’s acutely aware of the missing spot. He tries to fool himself into believing you’re there, setting out your bedroll and leaving a spot where you’d usually sit at dinner, but it only serves to make him feel worse. It takes everything in him to restrain himself when he sees you. The barrier shocked him when he tried to reach you and his magic couldn’t get through. He wouldn’t last much longer without you there.

Sky

He’s incredibly quick to resort to isolation. He caves in on himself at the fact that another he’s loved so dearly has been so violently taken away from him and lot to suffer. But the first time around the surface was safe enough, and Zelda had Impa… but you were not given the luxuries of safety and protection. He was going to rescue you if it took everything from him. Because you were his everything. If killing another god is what must be done to get you back then his sword is in hand.

Legend

Yeah he didn’t take this well. He isolates himself out of pure frustration, with both himself, the others and the shadow. And to whatever poor soul gets in his way, I truly am sorry. He downs more bodies than probably reasonable, but it’s methodical. It keeps his focus off of you, what they’ve rendered you down to, the husk you’ve become. He takes so many lives so that yours may be returned to you.

Wind

He tries not to stress, to stay laid back and to glue the group together. He tries to pretend like nothings wrong, because he knows that it’s what you’d want. He knows you wouldn’t want him to worry. But he has half a mind to go off and find you on his own. He already found and saves Aryll, so what’s another Sibling to save? But that determination wilts at how hollow and broken you look, unwilling to acknowledge them as anything more than hallucinations. But he knows you’ll get better soon. You’re tougher than this… right?

Four

He finds a hard time keeping himself together, physically and literally. There’s so many conflicting orders in his mind that it’s difficult to breathe. You used to calm him, to ease his nerves and soothe his mind. But to see how mistreated you were, to see how his carelessness harmed you, that only served to make his already scattered mind shattered.

[skyloftian-nutcase]

The crisp, cool air and bright sun heralded the death of winter, a welcome reprieve from snowy patrols and freezing in metal armor. Abel enjoyed winter, honestly - snow brought a beauty and silence to the world that he rarely experienced, and both he and Tilieth could get lost staring out at the white expanse until they were both dragged indoors by her parents because they were shivering. Nevertheless, spring brought new life to the world, and it was Tilieth’s favorite season, so Abel liked it too.

Most importantly, though, the eve of springtime was when Abel was given a break so he could return home.

Breathing in the scent of flowers, Abel guided his horse from the Dueling Peaks Stable, feeling his heart swell with excitement as he headed towards the fort. He hadn’t been home in nearly six months, and he couldn’t wait to see his family. He glanced to his right to see wild horses grazing in the distance, giving him comfort and making him smile. This area was the most beautiful in Hyrule, in his opinion. He remembered when he was first stationed near Hateno Village, and he thanked Hylia every day for that blessing.

Movement up ahead caught his attention, and the knight squinted as he saw someone riding his way at a full canter. Abel moved his steed towards the right side of the road to make way, senses alert for trouble, when he recognized the white spotted mare and his heart sped up in eager anticipation.

Tilieth’s smile was as bright as the sun, but the way she held herself was strange. She slowed her horse’s pace, one hand hidden under a cloak that she had tightly wrapped around her while the other guided the reins. Her light blonde curly hair was in its usual half up style, frizzy but carefree in the breeze. Abel sped up to cover the distance, and within seconds the two were side beside and in each other’s arms.

“What are you doing out here?” Abel asked as Tilieth giggled in his embrace. He didn’t let her go, he couldn’t, not after being away from her for so long, but something felt strange. Tilieth seemed in high spirits, but he didn’t like how he picked up on a change in atmosphere. Was it simply because it had been six months? What was wrong?

Tilieth looked up at him, face radiant, eyes sparkling with anticipation and tears. She kissed him first and foremost, and he returned it in full, enjoying the texture of her lips, the smell of her skin, the way his body melted under her touch, the way he felt safe and loved. Whatever was different, surely it couldn’t be so bad.

When his wife finally pulled away, she gave him one last kiss on the tip of his nose, giggling. “Oh, honey, it’s so good to see you.”

“I missed you,” Abel admitted with a soft sigh, pressing a gentle kiss to her forehead before continuing with his earlier questioning. “But how did you know I’d be here today? What are you doing out here?”

“I spent yesterday planning out your route,” Tilieth answered with a little shrug. “You’re pretty predictable, you know, once I knew where you’d last been stationed based on your letters.”

Abel chuckled. He supposed he was predictable. His wife certainly wasn’t, though - he hadn’t expected her to meet him at the fort rather than waiting in the village.

“I just couldn’t wait to tell you!” Tilieth continued, squeezing him tightly as their horses waited patiently alongside each other.

“Tell me what?” Abel asked good naturedly, nuzzling her with his cheek.

“Oh, honey,” Tilieth gasped, pulling away, too excited to contain herself. “I’m—here, look!”

Abruptly, his wife reached forward to grab his hand, pushing her cloak off one shoulder to reveal her clothes underneath a little more. Abel wondered if perhaps she’d made something new, knowing she enjoyed to sew, when he noticed that her body shape was different.

Her abdomen was…

Tilieth guided his hand towards her belly, letting it rest there. Abel froze up entirely, his mind very quickly coming to the conclusion she was hinting at.

The little movement underneath his touch confirmed it.

“You—you’re—” He couldn’t even finish the statement, brain stopping short of the words, entire being reeling at the realization. Then the anxiety immediately hit. “You shouldn’t be riding, Til, what if—we need to get you home, and—”

Tilieth laughed outright now, kissing him again to silence his worried words. “I just had to see you, Abel! But come on, we can go home together.”

Abel stared at her, worries and happiness and relief and terror mixing together to the point that he didn’t even know what to say. So he just held her again, never wanting to let go, never wanting this moment to end, never wanting to get over the realization that he was a father now.

I’m a father.

What did—how could he be—what was he going to—the baby—there was a baby.

Tilieth was pregnant.

Abel laughed. He laughed until he cried, he held Tilieth as he trembled, and she rubbed his back lovingly, and he didn’t know what to say or do but by the goddess he would do everything he could for his wife and child. He would. He promised.

The couple moved side by side on their horses, the sun bright, spring in the air, new life all around them, and despite the silence that hung between them for the moment, their eyes spoke far more than any word in any language ever could.

And for one, beautiful moment, everything was perfect.

[legend-of-thyme]

It's Breanna's birthday today, and she's requested as much Ravioli as possible. Happy birthday @breannasfluff! I hope it's been everything you hoped for and that you enjoy this little bit of fluff. <3

~~~

"Mr. Hero," Ravio whispers quietly, pulling Legend from sleep. "Mr. Hero, wake up. I have something to show you".

Legend grumbles and closes his eyes more tightly. His partner doesn't sound upset so maybe he can get away with pretending to sleep a while longer. He must have slept more deeply than he has in years because it feels like only moments ago he'd crawled into bed relishing the feeling of being in his own room, in his own house, with his own husband at his side.

He rolls over to bury his face in Ravio's side and wonders with a sleepy sort of distance why the normally late riser is up at all.

A thin, frigid finger pokes him insistantly in the cheek and Legend jolts the rest of the way to wakefulness with a yelp. Ravio yelps too as he overbalances and tumbles over on top of Legend. They barely miss knocking their heads together but Ravio still laughs and kisses his cheek before pulling back just far enough to grin at him through the dark.

Wait. Why is it dark?

"What time is it?" He yawns and blinks trying to clear the fog from his mind.

Ravios grin only grows as he sits back upright pulls Legend with him. "Midnight," he says, far too brightly. "Happy birthday, bun!"

"Ravio" he say slowly. "Why am I awake at midnight?"

"Well I had to make sure I was the first person to wish you happy birthday, didn't I?" Ravio asks propping his hands on his hips and feigning indignation. It fails immediately as he disolves into laughter.

Adoration sweeps over Legend like a wave so strongly it would have knocked him off his feet if he were standing. Any residual disgruntlement at being woken in the middle of the night washes away in its wake. Ravio hides his face in his hands to muffle a snort and Legend hopes he can start every birthday this way for the rest of his life.

He pulls Ravio's hands away from his face and kisses him softly. "Thank you, Ravi. What was it you wanted to show me?"

Ravio brightens at the reminder and, distressingly, pulls his hands out of Legend’s own and moves to get up.

"Where are you going? It’s cold".

"I'll be right back," he calls over his shoulder. "Don't fall asleep!"

Legend grumbles but sits up straigher inching over towards Ravio's empty spot to chase his lost warmth.

Ravio doesn't keep him waiting long. He practically skips back into the room managing to avoid every creaky floorboard despite the plates in his hands.

The smell hits him all at once, warm and nostalgic. "Is that apple crumble?"

"Yes! It’s birthday tradition after all," Ravio hands him the plates and gently nudges him back over to his own side of the bed.

"You know Wild's going to be making a real cake later, right?"

"Of course, but you heard them all planning over dinner last night. Between Fable and your brothers today's going to be packed". Ravio hums contentedly as he digs into his crumble. "I wanted to have some for just the two of us," he finishes through a large mouthful.

Legend stops spoon half way to his mouth. "Do you not want to go out today? I can tell them all to free up this afternoon. They'd understand".

He hopes they would understand. Planning his birthday had turned into a bit of an ordeal as each of his brothers wanted him to experience their own birthday traditions. Hyrule turned out to be a goddessend, gently mediating and reminding them all that Legend would be happiest if they avoided surprises and let him take an active role in organizing the day.

His heart sinks wondering why Ravio hadn't said anything earlier. "If you want we can ditch the whole thing. You know I'd be just as happy to read by the pond with you all day".

"What? No!" Ravio shakes his head furiously seeming genuinely surprised. "I know we usually do quiet celebrations, but I couldn't be happier to spend the whole day with your family". He bites his lip in a way Legend knows means he's thinking carefully about what to say next.

"Link," he meets his eyes soft and sure and sincere. "I wanted time for us and time with everyone else, not instead of time with everyone else". His smile is as sweet as apples and as warm as cinnamon. "You are so loved by so many people, my heart. Let us celebrate you the way you deserve".

[mushroomwoods]

the prettiest?

the hero of koridai, clingy, dramatic and very much comical. still, he was the prettiest in the world for you... not that you would ever tell him, but hey, it's not like your eyes didn't already say as much.

character — koridai, romantic.

cw — none, pure fluff.

this man makes me silly and i am NOT normal about him, but it hurts me physically when i have to write golly. btw, i made this one with a hc that reader was taller than koridai, but this is never explicitly said or described, so read as you may.

Cheerful laughter resounded through the inn, a few voices tagging along with the bard who sung and played at a dimly lit stage of the bar. It was possible to see Courage dancing along with a lady near the stage as Koridai cheered him on. Legend and Time both tapped their leg in sync with the music, probably wanting to play along, but also not wanting to interrupt the performance, Warriors on the other hand seemed happy enough while talking to the both of them, possibly trying to make them go in the stage for a play too.

Unexpectedly Hyrule and Four could be spotted on a far corner, arm wrestling with a few men who seemed a little surprised when neither of them lost a single round.

The rest of the group was either outside enjoying the festival happening around the town or already sleeping in their own room, but it was enjoyable even if all you were doing was watch over them while leaning against one of the inn more secluded walls.

You absentmindedly hummed along the song, which was familiar from Wild's constant singing, eyes closing as you wondered if you should get ready to go to your room too, when suddenly someone tapped at your arm.

You opened an eye, looking at the new presence, quickly spotting Koridai usual cheeky grin.

“So, my dear... Would you allow me for a dance?” He winked, smile spreading even more as he offered you a hand, which you took with a huffed laugh.

“Why, of course, milord.” He laughed unabashedly at your answer, quickly pulling you to the place where the people made a makeshift dancing ground, hands smoothly settling onto your waist.

It was nothing planned, just twirling and moving around as you heard the hero ramble about something you could barely focus on while you watched his pretty smile. It seemed however that he noticed how your mind was elsewhere when he asked you something and you made no move to answer.

“You're really pretty, Link.” The words topppled out without as much as a second thought, and his face reddened comically.

He looked around as if searching for another one named Link, and while there were at least ten other around who shared his name, none were in the least interested in the little shenanigans the both of you were up to.

A proud grin spread over his features as soon as you nodded when he pointed at himself in question, his warm cheeks looking like it would rip at any second if it stretched any further.

“Golly! The prettiest?” He asked and you laughed, lightly tapping at his shoulder.

“Don't push it, hero.” You returned, grin as wide as his.

The rhythm of the music changed to something more cheerful and the pairs were exchanged, your body twisting until you met with the girl that was previously dancing with Courage, her hands tangling with yours as the both of you swung around the makeshift ballroom cheerfully. With a single glance you could see both of the heroes dancing with each other, face plastered with disgust while they bickered with each other, even if they didn't release the other hand.

The moment it had come for the couples to switch back, Koridai swiftly got your hands again, his face leaning closer to yours with a soft glare.

“If I'm not the prettiest, then who is it?” His voice was demanding, even with the lilt of a joke permeating it.

You hummed in thoughts, eyes flitting to the side with a devilish glint as your eyes crossed with Courage's. When Koridai noticed your line of sight he gasped dramatically, hands almost falling from yours, if you hadn't gripped it tighter the moment he pulled back.

“Don't you dare!” He hush shouted, eyes thinning, which only made you laugh more.

“Oh please, darling, I have to be honest after all.” You made a move as if you were getting farther from him, but the moment he stepped closer to you you moved right back to him, faces now only inches away. “Prettiest or not, you are the one I like the most.”

You smiled fondly, giving him a quick kiss on the cheeks, then unraveling from his touch and going out of the dance hall, watching from the corner of your eyes as the blonde stumbled over his own words, the blush creeping from his neck to his ears.

He followed you to the stairs, almost tripping over his own feet a few times and you laughed when he invited himself to your room, taking up your bed space as he opened his arms for you to cuddle with him, which you promptly took.

“So... who is the prettiest? Ain't no way it is Courage.” He pushed yet again.

“I thought we were already past it?” You rebuked.

“'Am not. Now spit it out.” He insisted yet again.

“You may not like it, but since you insist so much...” You drawled, getting closer to his ears which twitched at the contact of your hot breath. “It's Wolfie.”

An ear piercing "what" made you wince as he sat up, now looking up at you incredulously.

“I lost my place to a dog? No way, this isn't fair!” His arms encaged you in the bed, to which you only pulled him back to lay down, this time his weight flopping into you.

He continued whining for a few more minutes, but sleep naturally overtook his body as you ran your fingers through his hair, his breath coming out in short puffs, making you smile to yourself.

“Rest well, pretty boy.” You placed a soft kiss at the top of his head, watching his frown unfurl into a dumb smile.

[adrift-in-thyme]

@chaosfantasmic at long last, the fic you asked for is here! (the one about aro/ace Warriors and the Chain supporting him.) And today of all days too XD. I hope you enjoy

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

Warriors should have seen it coming.

It’s only a logical thread of events, after all, for the others to see him with Artemis, observe their closeness, their surprisingly easy way with each other, their trust in a world that seeks to crush anything resembling such an emotion…and to assume that they are together.

Romantically.

It is the way things work in this world. Most people believe romantic love is the strongest of all loves, the deepest, the most potent, the one that matters more than anything else. They think that to feel it is to heal wounds and make oneself whole. 

Yet…they forget that there are other forms of love. They ignore the fact that there are other ways to make oneself whole. 

But Warriors has no desire to get worked up about it. Perhaps, the vast majority of people do feel such an emotion toward another. Perhaps, some must feel it to truly connect. Who is he to deny them that?

That doesn’t mean, however, that he needs it. He doesn’t, to be truthful. What he feels toward Artemis is stronger than that, different than that. 

He has never yearned to love in the way others speak of. He has never wanted to be touched in the same ways, to walk the same path to the same destination, to be linked to one person in the way his parents were or Time and Malon are.

Years ago, when he was young and naive, that had bothered him. To be set apart is to be lost amongst the crowd…

Or to be noticed for all of the wrong reasons.

(That, at least, had prepared him for being a hero.)

And though this…difference had been relatively easy to hide, that hadn’t simplified things all that much. It had always managed to slip out anyway, to make itself known. 

But he had kept it buried to the best of his ability. Still, he keeps it buried. Still, he has those broken parts tucked neatly away, safely hidden behind a pristine facade and winning grin. 

And that is not so bad. It’s simply what one does, isn’t it? Only those you trust completely are allowed full entrance to your heart. 

He can count those people on the fingers of one hand. And only one of them stands amongst the group of heroes he sits with now. 

Time has not said a word about it since they reunited. And that is something Warriors takes comfort in. The Hero of Time possesses secrets in droves. He knows how to keep them. He knows how to earn someone’s trust and hold it close, lock it away so that none can shatter it.

Even the rambunctious boy he parted with only recently had held that quality. Warriors is thankful for it.

It cannot, however, save him from the prying questions of the others. It cannot shield him when, one rainy night, as the group huddles beneath a cave in Wild’s Hyrule, Wind leans in and teasingly asks if Warriors is in love with his Zelda.

It’s not as though the boy singled him out specifically. The conversation had been about the heroes and their relationships with the Zelda’s present in their times. But Warriors feels his throat grow tight anyway. 

“Come on,” Wild pipes up, a dry chuckle on his lips as his eyes form a quick upward arc. “Of course, they’re in love. Have you seen those two together?” 

“Can’t separate ‘em, the two loverbirds,” Twilight teases. His elbow bumps against Warriors’. 

Wild laughs. Sky smiles, warmly, and Wind beams. Warriors’ heart clenches. 

It would be so easy to play along. Just as he always does. So, so simple to pretend again. Put on the cloak of “normalcy”. But…

Across the fire, Time catches his eye. Though he keeps his face carefully expressionless, Warriors can see the reassurance shining there. He swallows, ducks his head. A chuckle breaks free – an attempt at bringing some levity to the situation. 

But…they are his brothers. They already know more about him – hell they’ve already broken down more of his walls – than a good portion of people he has known throughout his life. 

They have, he realizes with sudden shock, even come close to making it into the circle of his most trusted. 

“I’m – ” 

His voice must sound less easy than he thinks it does because Wind’s eyebrows dip. Time’s lips lift just slightly. He plows on.

“What I feel toward Zelda isn’t…it isn’t what you all are thinking it is.”

The words come out in a rush, like a waterfall busting through a collapsing dam. In the wake of it, all eyes are on him.

“What’d you mean?” Wind asks. “You don’t love her?”

Warriors swallows. “Of course, I love her,” he says, cheeks heating as he echoes Wild. “Just not…not like that.”

“Oh, so you’re friends, then,” Hyrule says, the sentence part question, part statement.

“No.” It’s Legend now. He has been uncharacteristically quiet for most of the conversation, but his voice is steady, calm. His violet eyes are sharp, boring into Warriors’ soul. “You’re more than that, aren’t you? More than friends, more than lovers. Somewhere in between. Soulmates without the romance.”

Warriors can only stare at him for a moment. “Yes,” he replies, dumbly. “Exactly.”

Legend smirks. “Takes one to know one, pretty boy. I’ve suspected from the start.”

Another chuckle escapes, this one slightly less choked. Warriors feels a smile start to form across his face.

Of all the ways he expected this to go, finding someone like him is not one of them. But it is wonderful, absolutely wonderful. A breath of fresh air after a lifetime of staleness. 

He hadn’t realized how deeply he had yearned for it.

“So…” Wild looks between the veteran and the captain, head cocked like a curious dog. “You’re both not in love with your Zeldas. Romantically. Right?”

“I’m not in love with anyone romantically,” Warriors says, slowly, tasting the words and the sweet relief they leave behind. “I don’t feel that kind of attraction.” 

“Um, what about the other kind of attraction?” Hyrule asks, somewhat nervously. Four snickers.

Warriors laughs as Legend rolls his eyes. “No, not that one either.”

“Weird,” Wind breathes, grinning. “But a good weird! A cool weird!”

“Yeah,” Wild agrees. “It’s interesting.” He smiles. “I met a couple in my Hyrule who had something like your more-than-friendship thing going on. But I never really gave it much thought. And I definitely didn’t expect for two of you guys to feel the same way as they did.”

A chorus of voices rumble echo throughout the group in wonder and support. Heads nod in encouragement and understanding. 

Twilight sets a hand on Warriors’ shoulder. His expression is kind. “I’m glad you told us, captain. And I apologize if our teasing offended ya.”

“Not at all.” 

Warriors smiles at them all and they smile back. No disappointment colors those faces, no condescension or contempt. Only love. Not quite like what he feels for Zelda, but just as strong. Yes, just as strong. 

Time catches his eye again and gives a slow nod of approval. Warriors’ smile grows. 

He sits back, breathing a sigh of relief, ruffling his fingers playfully through Wind’s hair as the boy snuggles into his scarf. And he listens as the conversation turns gracefully toward other things – weapons and battle stories and strategies – thankful for this moment and the comfort it has brought him. Thankful for those who understand, and those who are willing to listen and accept even when they don’t.

Thankful, most of all, to feel so very loved.

[uniquevoidflowers]

Four's Birthday part 3!!!

“Hurry, hurry!” Wind urged, a grin on his face.

The colours obliged and went into a building. “Happy Birthday!” All the chain cheered.

Red gasped and his eyes sparkled with awe as he looked around. Blue yelped before softening and smiling. Green was stunned for a second before wrapping an arm around Red and grinning as well. Vio crossed his arms with a smile and a blush creeping up on his face.

“Thank you!” Red said, with tears in his eyes.

“No need to thank us, you did a lot of the planning.” Hyrule piped up.

The room was decorated with red, blue, green, and violet colours, lights dancing across walls and the ceiling. Tables were littered with various foods and beverages, a birthday cake standing tall in the back. Vio inspected the cake, eyes glimmering. Red dove for the snacks and drinks, giggling. Blue inspected the many gifts sitting on another table, smiling genuinely. Green stood there, glad to see his brothers grinning and enjoying themselves.

The sailor ran up to Red and began babbling about how amazing Wild was at cooking and baking. The cook in question scratched the back of his head as he flushed and the rancher laughed and clapped him on the back. 

Legend looked soft for once, and he turned on some background music. Blue wandered off and ended up beside the veteran who started teasing him. “Seems you got soft.”

“Same to you.” Blue shot back, although didn’t deny the vet.

“What? Me? Soft? Never.” Legend shook his head.

Blue rolled his eyes and grabbed a beverage. “You know you were supposed to go clothes shopping earlier, right? Something about not being in a dirty tunic during a ‘special event’ like this.” Legend huffed.

The blue link blinked and then scowled. “No. Wind never told us.” 

Legend sighed. “Of course he didn’t.”

“What’d you expect?” Blue huffed.

The vet gave a soft snort. “Anyways, I saw you staring at the gifts.”

“Oh I don’t know, maybe I was simply admiring the wrapping paper.” Blue said, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

“Nice isn’t it? You can thank me for that.” Legend retorted.

“Well thank you for all your kindness, and softness, and care.” Blue smirked.

Legend sputtered. “Not what I meant!”

Meanwhile the old man wandered over to Vio. “The champion certainly has incredible skills.” 

Vio startled a little and then nodded. “Indeed. I must get a recipe from him as soon as possible, and the design just fascinates me. How he knows exactly what me and the others enjoy and incorporates that in a cake, is beyond me.”

“Make sure to tell him that later.” Time chuckled.

Vio smiled. “I will. I’m glad you guys did this. Blue is smiling for once, Green isn’t trying to be more than he is, Red isn’t crying…”

“You all deserve this.” Time said.

“That’s…Thank you.”

“Well, this is your birthday too. What are you hoping you get?” Time wondered.

“Oh! Well, some books on dark magic and maybe mirrors would be helpful. Other books of course, none that I can name of the top of my head though.” Vio answered.

Time chuckled. “Is that so?”

“Yes. I have a project I’m working on, to…put myself at ease I suppose.” Vio responded cryptically.

Time hummed. “Dark magic is not something to be meddled with unless absolutely necessary.” He stared at the violet link with piercing eyes. “You better have good intentions.”

“Y-Yes it’s…not just for myself. For one of my friends.” Vio looked away.

Time sat there for a second before nodding. “You said mirrors? Interesting.”

Vio said nothing. Time sighed. “Well I can worry about that another day. Tell me more about your friend.”

“He wasn’t my friend at first but he had a change of heart.” Vio murmured.

Time listened as Vio continued. 

Wind gasped. “So you had a fairy on your adventures too?!”

“Well for a little bit! She helped me!” Red responded in between mouthfuls of food, grinning.

“I had one on my second quest. Her name was Ciela. She had lost her memory but she embodied courage.” Wind explained.

“Was she nice?” Red asked.

Wind nodded. “What happened to her?” Red asked bluntly.

“Oh uh I guess…I lost her.” 

“I’m sorry to hear that.”

Wind shrugged. Red wrapped him in a hug instantly. “Anyway, that’s enough about me.” The sailor grabbed a pastry. “Do you have any fun stories from your adventures?”

The red link though for a moment before nodding. “There was the time we thought Vio betrayed us.” 

The sailor gestured for him to go on, looking surprised. “Well, before that the four of us got split up. The fairy I was talking about earlier helped me save Blue from being frozen forever. We went and found Vio…or an illusion of Vio..? and he told us that Green was dead, but we found out quickly that it was fake. Then we almost got eaten by a monster. Then we found Green and went to Vio who was at Death Mountain, sitting on a throne. He was with Sha-err our shadow and Vio pretended to betray us, saying we were drowning him? I dunno. But anyway, Green and Vio fought, it was quite scary, and then Vio knocked him unconscious. We all thought Green had died, and so did our shadow. So Vio left, and the fairy told us Green was alive. Green awoke and then told us that Vio had used the not pointy end of the sword to defeat him, and he was really trying to get more information from the enemy.” Red explained.

Wind blinked a couple of times before nodding, barely comprehending what was being said. “Yeah it was really scary, but we got Vio back in the end and…never mind. Do you have any cool stories?” Red asked.

“Well…”

After awhile the traveller approached Green. “How’s it going?”

Green startled but saw Hyrule and laughed a little. “Good, good. You guys really know how to party.”

The traveller laughed too. “Well, that was mostly the others.” 

Green doubted that, the traveller often thought he was doing less than he really was, but he didn’t say anything. “Do you wanna dance?” Hyrule blurted out, pointing to the spot near where the background music was playing.

“Sure.” Green shrugged and Hyrule led him there, a little embarrassed.

Green began dancing along to the music, grinning. Hyrule looked a little nervous but then as the green link laughed at his moves, Hyrule joined. Green saw Legend notice and turn up the volume.

The traveller was great at dancing, actually.

The veteran hero looked proud. Green saw Blue staring at him and gestured for him to ‘come here’. Blue instantly shook his head no. “C’mon Blue!” Green called.

Blue scowled and muttered something before walking up to the dance floor. “I hate you.” Blue hissed.

“You love me.” Green smirked and Blue began cursing under his breath as he danced.

[Insert Green telling corny jokes to Hyrule while Blue covers his ears dramatically]

“You’re absolutely horrible.” Blue snapped.

“Mhm. I bet you secretly like my jokes.” Green joked.

“Shut up.” Blue replied.

Green laughed and Red bounced over with the sailor. “You want to hear my awesome jokes, Red?” Green teased.

Red’s face scrunched up. Green gasped dramatically. “Are you implying my jokes are bad?!”

“Yeah.” Red said.

Green gaped. Blue snorted. “I thought they were brilliant.” Time sighed. 

“Of course you would think they were good old man.” Legend drawled.

Red giggled. “I don’t know what you mean.” Time insisted and whispered something in Green’s ear. Green stifled a laugh. “Oh, come on!” Blue growled.

“It was a mistake coming over here.” Legend lamented. 

“Agreed.” Blue mumbled.

“Hey guys, what do you call a—“

“NO! No, just no.” Blue yelped.

Time snickered, mischief glimmering in his eyes. “Y’all let’s open gifts now!” Wild demanded.

“Perfect timing.” Legend stopped the music and they all gathered around the gifts. 

“Uhh, Green first.” Sky declared.

Green was handed a box wrapped in his colour, and tore the wrapping paper off. He saw a new sword, the Triforce engraved near the green hilt. He made sure he was out of the way and swung the blade around. “This is powerful…” he muttered.

“It’s from all of us, but the old man got the blade.” Sky informed him.

“Thank you so much.” Green said and put it on the table.

Sky picked a random gift off the table and handed it to Vio. Vio carefully ripped the wrapping paper off to reveal a woodcarving of a mirror. “This is incredible!” Vio exclaimed, examining the piece with awe.

“He’s going to be asking questions about it later.” Green whispered into the traveller’s ear.

Hyrule giggled slightly. “Thank you.” Vio murmured and set the piece down on the table next to Green’s sword. 

“Next is…Red!” Sky decided and handed Red a bag.

Red took his time setting the tissue paper down nicely and then pulled out a knitted blanket. The blanket was red of course, and it had hearts all over it. Red gasped happily. “This is so cooool! Thank you, thank you!” Red squealed and then asked, “Who made it?”

Warriors nudged Legend who rolled his eyes and said, “I did.” 

Red ran and hugged the veteran who froze and then hesitantly hugged him back. Then the red link hugged all the others. After he was done the skyloftian handed Blue a gift. Blue tore off the wrapping paper and Green leaned over to see a hammer, the Triforce engraved on it and blue cloth wrapped around the hilt. “Fuck yeah!” Blue cheered.

Red giggled at his reaction. "Language!"

“Thank you I guess.” Blue mumbled and set the hammer on the table next to the other items.

“You guess?” Time teased.

Blue rolled his eyes. “If you keep rolling your eyes like that your eyes are going to get stuck.” Green said jokingly. Blue blinked slowly and then scowled.

“Next we have a gift for you all.” Sky announced.

The colours perked up curiously. They saw four woodcarvings of the Four Sword, knitted ribbon wrapped around the wooden hilts, each in different colours. Red was crying with tears of happiness, Vio looked soft, Blue was grinning, and Green examined it in awe. “Thank you!” They chorused.

The chain chuckled. “It’s all thanks to the chosen and the veteran, actually. They worked very hard at the gifts.” Hyrule chimed in.

The chosen blushed and the veteran scratched the back of his head. Red pulled them in a hug and then they all began talking about the gifts, and how much fun this whole thing was. Wild handed out cake, saying “Y’all better eat this.” 

“Woah this is really good!” Green exclaimed and shoved the cake in his mouth.

“It’s just a simple vanilla cake since the town didn’t have anything else.” Wild shrugged.

“Doesn’t mean the cake isn’t any worse.” Blue retorted.

Green took that to mean the blue link really liked it as well. “Ah yes, I definitely need the recipe.” Vio said to himself.

“I’ll write it down!” Wild called and scrambled to get a pen.

Time chuckled. “Well boys, I think this day has been pretty successful. However there’s still something to be done. The party will go on longer.”

Green remembered and swore. They had to give the old man the bottle. Who had it? Wind. Wind did. The sailor looked at Vio who facepalmed and whispered something to Red. Red nodded and then started wailing at the top of his lungs, tears gushing out of his eyes. Green tapped Time on the shoulder and pulled him away while the chain tried to see why Red was crying. Vio hurried over but the veteran noticed. “What are you doing?” He called, narrowing his eyes.

“We need to talk to Time because…” Green trailed off.

“He wanted to know what our favourite foods were before the party ends.” Vio finished, elbowing the green link slightly.

The veteran seemed to accept that answer as he nodded and turn back to the commotion. “What have you got?” Time whispered.

Vio pulled out the golden bee. The old man stifled a snort. “What does this do for me?” He asked quietly.

“The shopkeeper said monsters don’t stand a chance to the bee.” Vio hissed.

The old man contemplated this and then nodded. “It’ll do. Now go comfort your brother.” He said, winking.

“Green get your ass over here.” Blue growled.

Green ran and hugged Red whispering reassurances before the red link sniffled and “finally” calmed down. Red and Green walked away and the chain relaxed. Legend turned up the music and they danced until Time deemed it time to go. The colours collected their gifts, Wild and Twilight collected the leftover food and the others collected decorations. They retreated to the inn and Time left to go get supper for the chain. “That was one awesome birthday party.” Red murmured.

“Yeah. I’m going to be using this sword soon.” Green smirked and slashed his new sword around, being careful not to hit anything. “Don’t get me wrong the Four Sword’s great but I could use a new weapon.”

“This hammer will be pretty useful. My other one is damaged.” Blue hummed.

Red was nestled in the blanket on the bed. Vio had the wooden mirror sitting beside him, and there was a glint in his eye. The only reason the colours were split right now is because it was their birthdays and they had needed to split in their last battle. It felt refreshing though. 

Time returned and handed everyone slices of pizza, and soon everyone was laughing and chatting. Warriors strategized with Vio. Sky chatted with Red, making sure he was okay. Legend and Blue stuck together again, bantering playfully. Time and Green chatted amicably, just about the day and the old man asked abruptly, “Do you know why Vio is interested in dark magic?”

Green stiffened. “What?”

Time repeated himself. “Do you not know?” He questioned.

“No, I know…” Green hesitated then said, “He wants to get a friend back.”

The old man softened. “Just make sure he doesn’t go too far, okay?”

“I won’t let that happen.” Green assured him.

[faroreskiss]

the mailman in LU? yeah. hurt no-comfort linguist reader somehow gets a letter from their world. contents of the letter could be up to you, or it could simply be the stereotypical notice that someone they cared for has died. really puts it into perspective that they’ve been gone for over 2 years (if you count the time they spent in BOTW’s world)

Oh my Hylia anon, thank you for this request, it really gets the juices flowing. And no comfort? Damn, the dark side is really calling for you, eh? This ficlet is here to ruin the Isekai!Reader inserts.

There is Hylian in this ficlet!

I'm making it extra dark by placing this on a time where the linguist reader is still NOT able to communicate so expressively with the Chain in Hylian.

This can still be read stand alone.

Realities of being an Isekai!Reader. Is that even a genre?

For anybody wondering, "The Power of Understanding" the Cheat Sheet is here, the main fic is here.

CW: Hurt/no comfort. Not proof-read, mention of death, dark basically. Maybe don't read it at night.

Ended up longer than I thought.

Ao3

The Void / The Power of Understanding Short Story

Spending time with your favorite heroes, hell, even being involved with them romantically to an extent, was amazing.

Of course, only if you didn't count the fact that you could get killed any time, attacked by a random monster and suffer a horrible death.

...Or the fact that you have been away from anybody you have ever known in your life, for over two years.

At some point, you accepted the fact that you were just going to be living the rest of your life humbly in Hateno, in your little cottage. Before that, it had been terrible for a while, right after the honeymoon stage ended. The depressive episodes, sobbing at night, the nightmares, the guilt. In the first year, you were barely able to function due to your grief. Even when Link and Zelda were there for you.

You felt guilty, even though it wasn't your fault that you had been thrown in there. You felt guilty that you enjoyed it sometimes, going for hikes in the morning, hanging out with Link, decorating your cottage, learning a new language, playing the scholar. You felt guilty you didn't try hard enough (if at all) to get back to your world. What could you have even done?

Then your mind had been occupied, busy with trying to build a life for yourself, trying to communicate with people in the post Calamity Hyrule. Then, you settled in, just started to have a new routine to your life. Time has passed fast, oh so fast. And these people didn't even have the same calendar system over here. You didn't even know when your birthday was in the Hylian calendar!

Later, you had been thrown into yet another world and met the rest of the Links. So much for settling in, huh.

You usually actively tried to push the thoughts of your loved ones in your world away. At some point, it became second nature to you. The world here was different enough, not a lot of reminders.

Except when you saw the Sailor with her sister... Or Rancher with his adopted family perhaps. The Old Man with his lovely wife Malon. You still pressed on.

_____

You just departed from the Lost Woods and a sense of rejuvenation courtesy of the swarm of fairies you came across, after the boys killed the huge moblin.

It was a bit before Wild's era, you were guessing. The existence of the Captain really confused the shit out of you. You assumed he was also on a merger timeline or something, like Wild.

Then, your attention was drawn to a lanky individual with an exceptionally prominent nose and a rather comical hat. Could that be the postman once more? The mystery of how he managed to consistently locate your group, deliver letters, and then depart as if it were the most ordinary task continued to boggle your mind. Yet, given that you had ventured across various dimensions more times than you could count, you opted not to dwell on it extensively.

You were more curious about how he was able to read all those different scripts from different eras in the first place. Or how Links could sometimes tell which one belonged to which hero. Not like some of them were that different...

"Hireulu!" he greeted your group, holding only one letter in his hand this time.

As lost in thought as you were, you couldn't have missed the next thing you heard:

"(Y/N) tiyu? Ti riemun nia kubela."

He... had a letter for you? The others also seemed a bit perplexed. Nobody in your era wrote letters that much anymore. You silently held up your hand. He gave the letter to you, and as the boys were trying to somehow talk to him, he already rushed away, shouting "Hilay su aduerin!" You smiled. You knew at this point that it meant "Goodbye" in a sense. "May Hylia protect you" was the literal translation of it.

Sounded almost similar to the story behind the phrase "Goodbye" in English. God be with you.

Seated by the roadside, you carefully examined the letter in your hands. Strangely, a wave of unease washed over you. It had been ages since you'd last encountered something written in Latin script that wasn't written by you.

While curiosity tugged at your thoughts, it also stirred memories you had long sought to bury, bringing forth a flood of thoughts you'd rather avoid.

Wild sat next to you, he had curious eyes as the script looked quite unfamiliar to him.

As you started reading the letter, the blood drained from your face. You were only in a few sentences in, yet you knew exactly what it meant, and who it was. You dropped the envelope to the floor, it got stuck in the grass.

No.

"We lost her. After three days in bed, on her fourth she became one with the earth."

More than two years ago now, when you were first whisked away from your world, she had only recently been diagnosed with a sinister disease that affected the communication between her brain cells, making her forget things. But she was okay. Even though the doctors said they were slowing it down significantly, the end was inevitable. She would end up forgetting the most basic body functions towards the end.

But she was okay.

She had been the most badass person you had ever known in your life.

She would ride horses and scare off the corrupt shepherds in her time. Even though she was denied education above basics, she had been a fierce advocate for it. She had always been a fierce, strong woman. She planned everything.

Including her death, it seemed.

You remembered how she would say she wouldn't want to be bedridden and taken care of for months on end. How she even bought a place in the graveyard around 10 years ago, which caused a huge family drama. She even told her children what to announce once she died. What to wear.

As you read the rest of the letter, tears were streaming from your cheeks, yet your expression was still neutral. You weren't sure if you deserved feeling sad.

Were you sad because you lost her? Or were you sad for your own parent who lost a parent? Were you sad for yourself because one day you would have to do it also for a parent? For a loved one? Or were you sad because once again you were reminded of the bitter reality of mortality? Or were you sad because you couldn't even bid her a proper farewell? 

Even if you were still in your world, you weren’t sure if you could make it on time for her funeral anyway. According to the traditions you were raised with, it had to happen within 24 hours. You lived quite far away already, and this had been one of your primal fears.

Not being able to spend enough time with them, not being able to say farewell.

Wild (and everybody else) noticed the tears streaming down your cheeks, and said something as he put his hand on your shoulder, only lightly pulling you to him. You were frozen, you really weren’t in the mood to try to understand anything.You didn’t move a millimeter. 

Everything came back, everything you tried to hold back. You wondered what they thought, did they think you were lost, kidnapped, dead? What about your partner? How were they doing? Your sister? All the other loved ones? How were they feeling?

Too much. It was too much. It was crashing down upon you. You were scared, the guilt was too heavy. Your vision was blurry. You were rocking yourself back and forth as you pulled your knees to your chest, mumbling to yourself. You held them always back, but it seemed like your defenses had finally given in. They broke. You broke.

You were in a void, where the only sound you could hear was your heart beating as if it was going to escape your chest and the screeching sound ringing in your ears. It was hard to breathe. You felt sick to your stomach. Your hands and feet felt as if ants were walking on them. Cold, but also too warm. You were shivering,

You couldn't hear the sound of the boys chattering, trying to figure out what to do. How some of them understood exactly what was going on, but for the moment how confused they were. The Rancher was mumbling something to your ear, something soothing maybe. Wild’s hand was still over your shoulder, but you did not feel it anymore. 

The void was the only thing that embraced you.

You wailed in pain.

_______________________

The Sailor picked up the envelope from the ground noticing there was something sticking out of it. It was a... picture? Black and white.

It felt really brittled and old in his hand. It had some text he didn't understand. Two relatively young women were in it, smiling. To him, it looked like weird clothing, but they gave off a fancy air with how they posed.

One of them really looked like you.

He put it in his bag for now, to give it to you later.

01/01/1955

[summertimemusician]

Linktober (Shadow) 2023, Day 11

Monsters (Dead Hand)

Summer Stop Giving Reader/PoV Character and the Chain a Hard Time and Trauma Challenge (impossible) /j. But really I'll probably write something lighter for Linktober or Linktober Shadow later to compensate for this one lol. Probably a sequel to this one that has Reader actually having a nice time with the Links for once.

Technically since unfortunately studying for future exam season in like a couple of days has been kicking me in the ribs and thus my time was highly cut and unfortunately I don't have an Ocarina to give me more, this is actually a mix of prompts! The ones in the title, Keese, Wolfos, Wizzrobe, Lizalfos, Redead, and Boss, although they are not the focus here, mostly just mentioned but technically checking out the boxes, maybe next time I'll go more in deep on that (Like the original idea that basically was Reader taming a pet Wolfos as a guard hound that I will not elaborate on at least not this year), instead y'all get this with the boss that gave a lot of people childhood trauma and was never seeing again since because we really don't talk about just why Dead Hands are terrifying much, just that they are, really missed opportunity to use them more in an LU context lol.

As always any relationship between Reader and any of the Chain can be interpreted as romantic or platonic, and Reader is Gender Neutral on Purpose. And First is here because again, this would have been longer if exam season wasn't kicking me in the ribs and I have some really evil ideas involving First, Reader and Time bonding over having trauma of enclosed spaces, but thankfully y'all don't get that today lol, or not, it would be a really fluffy scene so up to y'all if it's a win or a loss.

TW:

Don't think there's anything too heavy-ish? But I'm a horror fan so I'm not someone who can accurately judge that. I'd say graphic descriptions of violence and gore, and being restrained/pinned in place and the entire deal that is the Dead Hand's existing, so please don't read if you're squeamish or uncomfortable. Health is important and specially mental health and I always leave these warnings on Linktober Shadow related prompts or heavier stories, so just a heads up so no one is caught by surprise.

Anyway, enjoy reading!

It was an almost unanimous agreement that no hero liked to pass through a cemetery in Hyrule.

From the restless Gibdo, to the mischievous yet usually cruel Poes and the lost Ghini, to the ever wandering Stalfos and the ghastly agonized Redead and ever determined ghoulish Garo, nothing good ever came from entering in areas where dead things roam. You can't be sure if it's because of the magic in Hyrule, the living force of light and shadow and the divinity coursing through the land, or simply the will of the undead or the consequences of Demise attempting to claim the Triforce, graveyards and desolated fields meant silence, they should be where those who are gone should finally acquire their final catharsis, not to roam endlessly without release, solemn as these places are they are still places for a peaceful end and to be denied such due to the whims of the Shadow... You can think of very few awful fates that can compare.

('Terrible fates, you could say.' The grimly bemused part of your mind whispers, as you walk alongside Time further down into the crypt that you and the Chain had followed the shadow into, silver, prisitne armor briefly blends with old, rusted, bloody gold and you think you hear the rattling of bones in the distance, the draw of a rusted, but still serviceable sword. You shut it away with a snarl as you cut down the Stalfos attempting to ambush Wild from the rear, and it goes down and back into the darkness with a screech alongside the chilling knowleged and the sick cracking of broken bones, not on your watch, never on your watch, you refuse.)

"Of all places why did it have to be a bloody crypt?" Grimaced Warriors, casting a weary glance towards the skulls decorating the walls, their empty sockets empty but silently cutting, as if sneering at the fact you lot had dared disturb the dead, as if it wasn't the Shadow's mere presence making what would otherwise be a place for rest into a possible death trap.

Legend smirked, though you could tell he wasn't anymore pleased from the way he marched through the cold, cracked stone floor, steps flighty and eyes darting around corners, "What, a bit too much for you, soldier boy?"

"No," came the prim answer, although the twitch of the hand near his scabbard as you stepped into an open chamber gave him away, as well as Wind being kept at his side rather than near the wall, "Just don't generally like fighting the undead in closed spaces. It's a recipe for disaster."

"On that I believe we all can agree on." Came Time's voice, cutting through the banter, tense as a drawn bowstring, you knew being back in a crypt wasn't easy for him, with the way his jaw tensed, you both had the same awful memories of a similarly buried, abandoned place where dead things roamed without cease, frantic, hungry for the warmth of the living, "Keep your guard up, and stay close together."

Almost as if on cue came the monsters from the open corridors, you didn't hesitate in drawing your blade to cut through the enemy, keese were easily dispatched by Four and Legend's swords, you spun to slit the throat of a growling Wolfos from Twilight's era going for Sky's back just as he mercilessly chased down the Black Lizalfos, the beast clearly avoiding the glow from the Sword of Evil's Bane. Time's back to yours as you cleared the path for him and blocked the Shadow's exit through the left corridor, it had already proven that it would not matter if you did or not, but you refused to not let it work for survival.

The jolt of magic being used crawling up your spine was your first warning. Like the build up of lightning in a storm, the taste of rust and a feeling like tar  slithers up your throat.

The second was Wild's warning shout as the chamber shook with the grating, chilling, blood curdling howl of the Redeads, Time lunging away from your side to slash the beasts away from Wind and Warriors with all of the fury of a wolf defending it's pack, before you had to throw yourself back, slamming your back against the arch on the right as it caved in, lest you be crushed alongside the Wolfos coming for your neck the second the older hero moved.

You were separated.

You were alone.

A really, really bad spot to be when in Hyrule's catacombs.

"Are you alright?!", Came muffled from the other side of the stones, the hint of an actual wolf's growl and the distinctive Ordonian cadence, Twilight.

"I'm fine! Keep fighting, I'll find my way to you guys!", You yell back, heart racing, trying not to think about what you could find on your way back, you didn't have any bombs on you, it wasn't feasible to use them in a place as old as this, not without risk bringing down the ceiling on you and the Chain. But most catacombs have interconnected hallways, if you moved quickly, you might just avoid finding anything that you won't be able to handle on your own.

You think Twilight replies, but it's muffled by another Redead's yowl, you wince, your muscles lock up and you feel something warm drip from your ears, but thankfully you are not rendered immobile due to the involuntary wall, you swallow your trepidation and get moving.

The further you get away from the fallen stones, the more silent the catacombs extending from the crypt you were dropped in became, shadows twist oddly by the torches upon the wall with only your breathing and the cold, unfeeling remains of the dead to keep you company, the lowly burning flames bringing you no warmth. The corridors blended together in the darkness cast by the faint light, the shades contorting themselves in the crevices of your paranoia the longer you went on with only your own hurried footsteps to make any true sound.

Not one monster had found it's way to you thus far, though, and according to the copy of the map Legend had made the second you had acquired the original from a very unfortunate Wizzrobe from Wild's era. You just needed to pass one more open chamber to find the corridor leading to your boys, You couldn't keep them waiting, who knew how long it would take for the fight to finish if Redead's were involved? And staying still when the Shadow could turn itself intangible was practically begging it to switch it's attention, it usually didn't pay you as much mind as it did the heroes, Time specially (it seemed to hold a grudge against him more than any of your boys, you noted bitterly), but it would occasionally target you if it meant getting a rise from any of the Link's or if it felt you were too  secure in your safety, it was better if you found your way back first to the hunt before you became hunted.

You grit your teeth, by Hylia's dripping gash, you were so. darn. tired. of. being. hunted.

Of watching your friends being led into a wild hunt with no end in sight, dragged by the noose by a remnant that refused to stay dead, you never thought you could burn with so much anger, with the desire to see if fire would scare it sober into ceasing in it's infection of all of Hyrule's Eras. But unfortunately you knew it didn't work like that, so you had to survive, you would survive, because someone had to protect the heroes when the heroes protected everyone else and if no one was going to step up to the job, you'd just have to do it yourself.

Shaking yourself from your thoughts, lest you end up drowning in them, you breath in relief as soon as you come upon the metal door with the symbol of the royal family, faded and rusted with age, there. You just needed to pass through this chamber and the corridor next to it, and you'd be back with Link, all of them, and hopefully out of here. You push it open, grip tightening on your long dagger, almost a sword, good enough to cut and hide. The thick and pungent combination of old, congealed blood, sick and decaying flesh, something like rotten eggs dipped in alcohol and withered flowers hits your nose, making you nauseous but you press on, the chamber is circular and dimly lit, with a long cracked, soft stone from a leak in the walls. You studiously do not look at the far corner of the dungeon or the pillory's and shackles scattered around near the cells,  there's a second door to the other side, as soon as you pass through it you'll be in another corridor.

... It's silent, too quiet. Unease slithers and twists around you like vines, but you can't delay, you won't, so you keep walking-

Until you can't.

Something has grabbed a hold of your leg. You look down, and your blood freezes, spotting a long, sickly, pale arm and a bright crimson, elongated nails, claw-like, digging into your ankle, having dug itself up from the fragile ground.

You don't hesitate, slashing down violently at the offending limb, frantic terror spreads through your blood, you knew what was here. It featured in your nightmares for a long, long time, you knew it still haunted Time's, the limb goes slack as it is severed, and you barely note the way it starts bleeding black and green at the stump, thankful for Four's expert craftsmanship and maintenance hints as you dive to the exit. You don't make it far, it's companion limbs  bursting in front of your path like a snake emerging from the ground, it makes a solid grab for your  arms, one of them grabs you by the scalp, firmly digging as you dodge and weave between, a stabbing pain upon your skull from the indomitable grip of something fueled by fury, twisted magic and rigor mortis and makes you cry out, your slight moment of hesitation allowing two more hands to latch onto your legs and arms, nails slicing through your flesh like easily and digging, tearing like a rabid hunting dog's teeth upon an unfortunate deer, leaving deep gashes upon your arms and ankles, it's not unlike being pinned and held to a torture rack, in hindsight, ironic given just where in the crypt you ended up.

Your hear the ground below shifting below you, a groan carrying through the air, awfully monstrous, coldly human. You struggle harder like a desperate butterfly upon a dissection board, from your peripheral, you see the form of the thing unhurriedly dragging itself over, it uses the sharp and bloody ends of where bone was broken to slice it's hands off to shuffle out of the grave, using it's stubs as support. Long long neck barely supporting it's elongated head, the scent of rot intensifies and you feel like gagging as it settles it's empty, frigid, hungry eye sockets on your bound form; it's broken jaw contorting itself in a mockery of a human smile over rotten gums and exposed teeth, stretching unnaturally and bringing emphasis to it's rotting, bloodied sunken features. From behind it's bloated, putrid shape, barely obscured by the bloodied white cloth and the grotesque vision of the undead you swear the crimson eyes of the shadow, watching you coldly, the hint of a knife sharp, serpentine smile as the sound of wet meat slamming across the ground rings in the chamber.

Fury mixes with your panic as you snarl, trying to twist the dagger in your grip as best as you can to drive it into the arms, pain and blood drips from the open wound but you don't care; you need to get away from the Dead Hand. A monster like that feels no pain when struck for it is not human, not any longer, and you couldn't hope to face an infected one alone, it shuffles over the floor, unhurriedly shuffling like a predator that knows it's prey can't run away, it moans and groans with hunger as it approaches and you have no intention of giving it a meal, you grit your teeth as the nails sink deeply into your shoulders and arms, using your blade to saw through rotting flesh and hopefully break bone with every single inch of strenght you have, the blade is slick in your hand with your own blood and the poison-tar of the Shadow's infection burning through you but you do not mind, can't. You need to get away-

The undead's teeth sink into the hollow of your collarbone, blunt, human teeth that shouldn't have half the strenght it does to rip through flesh, blood and crack bone, and you caterwaul with pain, skin crawling and numbing and set aflame with curses sent from the dark reflection of the hero, darkening, veins blackening, your eardrums vibrate with the force of your own agony and you are sure you could rival a Redead on pitch alone of your tortured howl. Struggling even more ferociously, attempting to disloged it, kick it off, your blade sucessfully slashes through the arm from your reverse grip, pushing away from it with the savegery off a cornered predator you sink your long dagger into the undead's eye sockets, tearing through it's cheek with animal ferocity, it keens high and chilling, you're losing blood quickly and it (for it's not a human, not anymore, you can't feel sympathy for it, won't. You can't hesitate.) knows, for it tries to chomp down onto your vulnerable neck, your arm being the only thing keeping it from biting it out as you growl with pain, although you can't be sure it just won't bite through, it's teeth are bared, the pitch of it's blank eyes locked onto yours in stalemate, you have the advantage of not being weakened by hunger and decay, not sluggish like it but that will not help for long, the clammy being determined to bleed you dry and feast on your corpse and you are drowning drowning drowningDROWNINGWITHWRETCHEDTORMENT MAKE.THE.PAIN.STOP-

A scream of your name, sword calloused hands yank you away from claws and fangs (because nothing with blunt teeth and nails should be able to wound someone so throughly), you waver on your feet, swaying, supported by a warm, strong body and pulled away. A sword slashes the foul being away from you and you go lax, numb with pain.

First, First was supporting you. Keeping you steady, stopping you from falling, snarling at the corpse with a lion's fury, holding you protectively. Time tears by him like a man possessed, frenzied with the look of a man looking at his worst nightmare and growling in denial. The Links, wounded but alive, the Chain had met you halfway.

The last thing you remember before losing conciousness as adrenaline leaves your body and everything goes dark, is wishing that they'll burn it to be sure it's gone for good. It's the kindest thing that can be done for a such a wretched existence.

You'd be okay.

[breannasfluff]

Sprint with Time and Legend please! <3

[ SPRINT ]:     seeing the receiver across the room, the sender sprints across the distance between them to give them a hug.

Time is being suspicious. Oh, he acts innocent enough pacing at the other end of the room, but Legend watches from the corner of his eye. Hyrule is explaining one of his spells and it’s interesting. 

Four joins Time and they chat, casualness oozing off them. They’re trying so hard to not be suspicious that they put all of Legend’s senses on red alert. Time likes to act like the stoic leader who has it all together, but he’s not above a prank. He’s just better at keeping his mouth shut about it.

“And then I reach out for the magic lines,” Hyrule says, and Legend drags his attention back to his friend. “They tie everything together, moreso in some eras. Mine are pretty faint so I had to practice, but the fae blood helps.”

“Could I do that?”

Hyrule taps a finger to his chin. “In my era? No, I don't think so. In yours, maybe? You could try in Wild’s next time we get there; it’s brimming with latent magic. No one’s tapping into it.”

“Why aren’t they–”

Legend’s question is lost, because Time barrels into him, wrapping the vet in a vice grip. “Hug time!”

“Get off of me, old man! Nayru’s ass, what are you doing?”

“Giving you a hug!” Time squeezes tighter, apparently taking pleasure in listening to Legend wheeze. 

From across the room comes giggles that could only be from one infuriating short person.

“Four! I know this is your fault! When I get a hold of you I’m going to shave an inch off your height!”

The giggles turn into full on laughter. 

Legend wiggles in Time’s arms, trying to get free. Not too hard, though…because honestly? He enjoys a good hug. It’s not the worst thing to relax into someone else.

[luimagines]

Warrior Soulmate Au

Another commission!

They wanted a different type of soulmate au. The concept is explained in the fic. It’s going to be Warrior centered although other are mentioned. I hope you enjoy!

Masterlist

Content under the cut!

Warrior wasn’t sure what to think about this endeavor. When he was visiting Skyloft again for the second time in his life, he was sure that it would have been less confusing than the first. He wasn’t sure how many times this would happen. 

If he had a rupee for every time he went through a portal and ended up on an island in the sky, he would have two rupees. Which isn’t a lot, but it’s weird that it happened twice.

Or well…. They’re well past that point, aren’t they?

Sky explained the concept simply enough. 

There’s a magic cave where you enter it. That’s step one. It’s the easiest and frankly, the only part.

The second part is where he’s already lost.

What’s supposed to happen is that you walk into the crystal cave and see the reflection of your soulmate along the walls. Occasionally you can hear them speak to you but usually it’s sight alone.

That’s not what happened to him.

When he walked in, there was nothing in sight. Things were silent and the only reflection he saw was his own. That was mildly disappointing- heartbreaking if he was being honest with himself. Warrior liked to consider himself a romantic at heart and he had always wanted to have someone to love. The idea that there would have been someone for him was enough to get his heart pounding and his hopes soaring.

Only to have them dashed.

Trying to get his emotions in check before he  met up again with the others, he started to look around. He wouldn’t have been able to tell you why. Warrior could see that there was nothing there for him of interest.

There were stalagmites above him and stalactites coming up to meet him. Many were chipped and others were slowly regrowing. One was already broken and shimmering- beckoning him closer to it. It was suspicious.

He steps closer and he looks around again. There’s still the screaming silence around him- it’s almost agonizing to be near it. The only thing to puncture this otherwise rising sense of panic is a steady drip drip drip of some water bubbling from a crack in the wall he can not see. It silences only after he picks up the stone.

Feeling only marginally unsettled and otherwise heart broken, he turns on his heel and walks out of the cave.

“Did you see anyone?” Wild asks him first. He gets to his feet, bravely stepping forward to see if Warrior could provide any answers to their questions.

Warrior gulps- trying his best to keep the emotions off of his face. “I did not.”

Sky tilts his head. “You probably already met them then.”

Warrior’s head snaps in his direction. Hyrule flinches from the corner of his eye. It seems as if the crack in his bones was audible to more than just him.

Sky nods back at him, undisturbed by the developments. It appears that this has happened before. “If you’ve met them before, then you don’t see them since you technically already know what they look like. There’s still ways for you to find them even if you don’t know by now.”

Warrior grips the stone in his hand a bit tighter. He hasn’t mentioned it and Sky didn’t mention it in his explanation. Slowly, Warrior begins to hold his hand up with the stone. He wants to ask about it. He wants to know if there’s any chance for him to have the family and love life he actually wants.

“It’s ok, Warrior.” You say, softly. He turns to you and his heart melts at the sight. You looked so lovely in the sunlight. You looked at him kindly, a look he’s grown starved of, and you smiled. You smiled and it’s beautiful. “If you’ve met them already, then that means that they're out there for you. They’re probably already waiting for you to come home.”

Warrior could cry. He pockets the gem. “Thank you.”

Legend goes in next and it’s clear that by the time he comes out that he is not ok. His eyes are red rimmed and blood shot. “I heard her….”

“Oh!” Wind shoots up, happy to hear the news before he realizes the context of that statement. “Oh.”

Warrior can feel his own emotions become hard to swallow as a result. Legend sniffles. “It’s been so long since I heard her…”

Sky gets up from his comfortable and amused position. “Legend…. What happened?”

“...She’s dead…”

Soulmate exploration stops shortly after that.

Warrior fiddles with the stone as he rests his head for the night. The thoughts are thundering, racing and catastrophizing within his head.

He’s already met them. And he didn’t even know. Granted, his world, his era, doesn’t have soulmates- at least, not in any way they would be able to tell that they exist. Perhaps they did and merely lost the way to tell who belonged to each other in a way that compliments them best.

But Warrior has met so many people. He’s lost so many people. He doesn’t know what exactly happened to Legend for him to react the way that he did. But Warrior certainly didn’t hear any voice. Even then, where would the voice come from? It’s not like would have had-

“Link…” Warrior freezes. The blood in his veins goes cold, even as his heart begins to race. That’s… That’s your voice. Is this what Legend heard? The Vet wasn’t crazy?

“Link… Hold me. Let me love you.” You say quietly. “Let me shower you in the love that you deserve. I just want to be within your arms. I want to know your hopes and dreams.”

Warrior can feel the blood rush through his body. He can’t help the agonized groan that leaves him as you continue speaking sweet nothings only to him. How is he going to look you in the eye after this?

If he was in denial over his feelings for you before, this was the final nail in the coffin that this was something he wanted to hear. From you as well.

Warrior can feel his mind racing with ideas and fantasies already. He doubts he’s going to sleep at all tonight.

***

You found yourself in a similar position.

“I want to kiss you softly.”

“I want to run my hands through your hair.”

“Your skin looks so soft… softer than anyone else I’ve seen.”

“If I had only a moment to run my hands over your body.”

You squealed with that one. Loud and high pitched. In an attempt to save face and shut off the voice from continuing, you had smothered yourself with the pillow from the inn you were in, thankful that you had one to yourself for the night. Your face has been beat red the entire time since you’ve returned.

The voice only seemed to be quiet when you were near the Captain himself. It was a blessing in disguise. Your raging crush on the man seemed to be the only thing you managed to hide from him. He had the ability to read you like an open book otherwise.

It was both endearing and infuriating.

He seemed to always be two steps ahead of you and was always making sure you were both taken care of and comfortable. It was more attention than you were used to and it was.. Nice. Pleasant, even.

It helped that he was also effortlessly charming. And strong and dependable and handsome- god, he is so handsome. Gorgeous some might say.

You got him to open up and you can’t say that to him. Not when it could cause problems. You have to be quiet. You have to help him. Make things easier for him. He already does so much.

“I want to ram you against the wall with my hands in your hair and my lips against yours-”

You scream again. Silence is no longer an option.

How is this possible? Is this what’s been going through his head? Is this what he’s thinking about you right now? Is this what he’s going to do when you see him again?

Your saliva feels thick in your throat. Your entire face is on fire and you can’t bring yourself to keep your head up or so much as take your hands away from your face. You can’t even bring yourself to toss the stone away.

Instead, you stretch your arm out and put the stone on the bed side table. You slide down from the bed and sit down with your back firmly pressed against it. The stone makes a quiet and almost innocent click as it hits the wood from the table.

“Let me hold you close. I want to feel your heartbeat. I want to hold you with your legs around my waist, simply getting lost in the way you taste-”

“Oh my god! Shut up!” You cry out, going so far as to cover your ears with your hands.

Warrior calls out your name and you hear it despite your efforts. You’re not sure if your heart can take much more of this. You want to shut him out and want him to stop. But you also want to hear more. You want him to continue and you want to hear more about him and what he thinks and what he yearns for…. And what he wants to do to you.

Because of that you find yourself staying awake even as the sun begins to rise. You have no idea how the others of the group are faring or if they can hear the same thing you can but sleep does not come easy for you. Sleep evades you at every turn and Warrior is right there whispering sweet nothings into your ear.

The sun comes much too quickly and not fast enough.

You pull yourself out of the room and run your hands over your face. You feel light headed and dizzy. The smack of reality had thrown you for three loops and continued to smack your face until you couldn’t see straight.

“Hey good morning-” Four raises his hand to greet you before his entire demeanor changes. His face drops and so does his arm. He almost stands in his chair to get a better look at you as he turns around fully. “Oh my god, you look horrible.”

You glare at him and tear a chair away from the table the group sits at. “Thanks. Good morning to you too.”

“Are you ok?” Wind leans over the table, concern written all over his face. “Did you even sleep?”

“Nope!” You reply with a false chipper attitude, even popping the ‘p’ as you speak. “I mean… I think I slept a total of one hour and had to just give up.”

Sky passes behind you and you can feel him drape his sailcloth over you. “You know… I can talk to Time. And we can have an easy day today. Maybe stay here on the surface? A lot of the others aren’t necessarily faring any better than you are. You can try and go back to sleep if you’d like.”

“I’d like that.,” You admit. “But I’m also very hungry since I’ve been awake and haven’t eaten since last night.”

“Let me take you in. Let me be encompassed by you. I want to see your future. I want to make your dreams a reality. I want to make you mine.” The stone starts up again and you give up. You slam your head on the table. Multiple plates clink and jump a bit from the impact but you’re undeterred. You don’t lift your head up.

Time can see it from the end of the table. Looking over the other boys, Time is keenly aware that at least half of them are out of commission of the day and maybe tomorrow as well if things continue as they are. He sighs. “We’ll stay here. Try and gather more information. And more supplies if they’re available.”

“Oh thank god.” Wild sighs and also lets his head hit the table, just not as hard as you did. “I did not have the energy to fight today.”

“I know.” Time says quietly. “I can see that.”

You resist the urge to groan alongside Wild. Such a valid point. He makes so much sense. What year is it again?

Warrior comes down the steps.

You can tell because Legend announces it. “About time you finished up your beauty sleep, pretty- good god you look like hell.”

“Thanks.” Warrior sits down somewhere at the table. “I just got back.”

You swear you can almost feel when his eyes land on you. It’s almost as if the whole table is waiting for your interaction even if you know the boys couldn’t care less. Judging by their previous reaction, you figured they can’t hear the stone like you can. Which is both a blessing and a curse.

Warrior tilts his head and pokes the top of yours. “Hey…Are you ok?”

Your heart begins to pound against its cage and you consider not raising your head and just ignoring the man of your fantasies for the rest of your life. But he speaks quietly and sincerely. He doesn’t know any better and your avoidance wouldn’t be fair to him. And if you were being honest with yourself, it’s not a notion you would be able to survive.

You sigh and lift your head up. Warrior looks just about as tired as you feel. With dark circles under his eyes, his hair sticking up in multiple places and a heavy sag to his shoulders. Everything about him gives way to exhaustion. You cough and rub your eyes. “I’m fine. I had a bad night. I barely slept at all. So I can’t say I’m functioning right now.”

You don’t know how you manage to do it- your own exhaustion must outweigh your shame. “I also heard you all night so that was fun.”

YOUR SHAME IS OUT THE WINDOW. WHY DID YOU SAY THAT?

Belatedly, it clicks in your head that it was the wrong thing to say and now everyone is more or less looking at you.

Wind tilts his head. “You…could hear Warrior?”

“Yup.” You at least have the decency to blush. Through pure determination alone, you managed to avoid eye contact. Wild takes mercy on you and places your breakfast in front of you. You begin to busy yourself with that instead.

“How?” Twilight frowns. “He was three doors down from you and on the other side of the hall.”

You shrug. “He wouldn’t shut up, that’s for sure.”

Warrior glares for a moment before he huffs and sags down completely. He pushes his fist to his cheek and looks back at you, unamused. “Well I couldn’t hear as well. I heard all sorts of things.”

Now you look back up, only beginning to feel the minor mortification of whatever he’s implying. “Oh yeah? And what did you hear exactly?”

Now Warrior blushes and he looks away. He takes a moment to think about it before he swivels his gaze back to you. He meets you head on. “Do you really want to run your hands through my hair?”

You jump up, standing out of your chair and hit the table in the process. This is bad. This is bad. Act fast. Get the attention off of you. “Do you really want to pin me to the wall?!”

Multiple gazes turn toward the two of you now. Even from those outside of the group who just happened to be in the inn at the same time. Warrior’s face falls and he blushes beautifully. You have half the mind to remember that face. Maybe you can get him there again at a later date. Right now though, you’re too mortified at the thought that he went through the same thing you did.

Warrior coughs and actually covers his face. “Hey now…”

“Oh my god….” Your voice comes out scandalized. “You do!?’

“Hey! You’re the one who said that you love to bite my neck!” Warrior also stands up, getting louder as a result of his embarrassment and subsequent call out. “This isn’t all about me here!”

“I did not!” You screech.

“Oh yes, you did! Among other things I had to hear all night long.” Warrior points a finger at your face. 

“You were not any better!” You fired back. “If I wouldn’t be embarrassed on your behalf I would say them right back to you.”

“Well thank you for that kind consideration!”

Sky starts laughing and you both calm down enough to look at him. Looking around you see Wind and Four with their faces in their hands- their ears tipped with a bright pink color. Legend and Hyrule look mildly horrified at the information they learned about their friends, which they did not ask for. Wild is taking pictures. You elect to ignore it. Time and Twilight look both amused and even more tired than before if only marginally disappointed in the two of you.

Sky takes a moment to calm down as he wipes a comedic tear from his eye. “Congratulations you two!”

You feel dumb struck enough to slowly sit back down. His reaction was one you were not expecting and it’s closer to a bucket of cold water dumped over your head. You feel dizzy and sobered up enough that you can feel a headache coming on already. “What-...what do you mean?”

Warrior stays standing.

Sky grins. It’s bright and blinding and you feel dread slowly pool in your stomach at the thought of it. He’s enjoying this too much. He coughs once, to clear up his throat before he speaks once more. “You’re soulmates. That’s why you can hear each other. Not that we wanted to hear that but there you go.”

Some people clap and it rings in your ears. Warrior blushes again.

Now what?

[thegeminisage]

So You Want To Get Into The Legend of Zelda But Don't Know Where To Start: A Masterpost

this discussion came up in my zelda stream the other week so i thought since i'm a longtime fan and Extremely Normal i'd make a guide to people who are just now getting into the series because of breath of the wild/tears of the kingdom. there's a lot of games and it can be confusing on how they're connected, where to start, etc. this is going to be an EXTREMELY LONG guide, sorry - if you want a short version you can check out this post i wrote a long time ago.

The Timeline

so the good news is that the zelda games were published non-linearly, meaning that the game that takes place first chronologically was not necessarily the first one ever made. they didn't even HAVE a timeline until like 2011 or so. for that reason, with a few exceptions*, you can jump in pretty much wherever you like. most zelda games (or pairs of games*) are spaced hundreds or sometimes even thousands of years apart, featuring different links and zeldas and other characters, which means you don't need to know anything about zelda to start with any game. the series is deliberately made so that each title works perfectly well as a stand-alone game.

*the exception is that a very few games have direct sequels - for example, majora's mask takes places just a few years after ocarina of time, phantom hourglass takes place after wind waker, etc. luckily even with these games, you can still jump in without having played their other half and have a good time without getting lost.

The Introduction

that said, the zelda series is extremely eclectic. while they all have the undercurrent of "zeldaness" that makes them special they can be as different as night and day. 2D or 3D, happy or edgy, mainline or spinoff, story-heavy or story-light...which game is best for you to start with will depend heavily on your own personal tastes.

the short version: if you haven't yet, i recommend most people new to zelda start with either ocarina of time or breath of the wild. these games, released almost 20 years apart, were both completely revolutionary and redefined their genres (or, in oot's case, the entire industry). they usually have something to offer everyone and they're both games with standout tutorial sections that teach new players the lay of the land with ease. there's a reason most people start with one of these two - which one you prefer depends on whether you can enjoy an older game or would prefer something newer. for brand-new gamers, i might also recommend skyward sword because of how much the game holds your hand - it's frustrating for more experienced players, but for those just getting started in gaming in general it might actually work out well.

the long version: OBVIOUSLY i'm going to do a game-by-game write-up. sue me. if you're looking for information on a particular title, ctrl+f it. otherwise, settle in. time for a cut!

The Games

how to read this guide:

which games: most of them. this guide is long enough as it is, so i'm not doing a whole ass writeup for REALLY niche spin-offs like the tingle games, the crossbow training game, the bs releases, or the much-loathed cdi games, even if i think the crossbow game ruled. i will do hyrule warriors and cadence of hyrule because they're properly fleshed out games. ports and remakes are gonna get grouped together with the originals to save time and space. if there's something missing from this list you want to know about, the wikipedia article with the complete list of zelda media is right here and it's a genuinely fascinating read. have fun!!

release date: self-explanatory. using japanese release dates for overall accuracy, and the games are in order of release date as well, but you DO NOT need to play them in that order - that would be madness

console: original console, other consoles it's available on (not including the weird experimental stuff like satellaview, c'mon), and whether or not it is available for switch. why? the switch is the latest console, how many new fans got into zelda, and because of nso, it will be the easiest access point for people who can't or don't want to buy new consoles/emulate on pc. nso stands for "nintendo switch online," which is a the online membership you can purchase from nintendo. the basic plan allows, among other things, emulation nes, snes, and gameboy titles. the expansion pack tier adds emulation of n64, sega genesis, and gameboy advance titles. i think nso is a good service with great value if you can afford it - read about it here. virtual console is just buying the game, usually for a low price, and downloading it digitally to play on newer consoles, but most of those services have been shut down now. there's also backwards compatibility - the wii u can play wii games, the wii can play gcn games, the original ds (and ds lite) can play gameboy advance games, and the gameboy advance (and gameboy sp) can play gameboy and gameboy color games. the snes can also play gameboy and gameboy color games with the super gameboy, and the gcn can play gameboy, gameboy color, and gameboy advanced games with the gameboy player.

average playtime: this comes from howlongtobeat.com - if it seems off, take it up with them

mainline game: this just means whether or not this game was a "big entry" into the series - typically, mainline games are devloped by nintendo directly (though nintendo develops side-games too), and they have a higher budget and a longer dev time, but this doesn't necessarily mean they're better - some mainline games are received more poorly than the ones that aren't mainline. also sometimes people argue about which games count as mainline games so take it with a grain of salt

sequel: whether or not a game is directly tied to another game in the series - again, even if they are tied to another game, you don't HAVE to play that other game first

story-heavy: how many cutscenes/cinematics/character stuff is going on

edge level: how much grimdark and serious stuff is present and how "on-screen" it is. zelda games are infamous for a careful balance of cheerful and dark stuff in all games, but some games are more forthright about the darker elements than others. i prefer those, but you may prefer it the other way!

the premise/the good/the bad/the verdict: the actual write-up. unfortunately not even i have played/finished every zelda game (someday...), so for the games i can't speak on personally, i will make a note on it so you can seek a second opinion.

now let's get started!

The Legend of Zelda (1986)

original console: nintendo entertainment system

available on switch: yes, with nso (basic)

also available on: gcn & gba (ports), gcn (gameboy player), wii, wii u, 3ds (virtual console), original ds (backwards compatibility), pc (emulation)

average playtime: 8-10 hours

mainline game: yes

sequel: no

story-heavy: no - in fact, for games in this era, reading the instruction manual is a must if you want story content; because the file size had to stay small, story content that couldn't fit was often added to manual instead

edge level: low

the premise: explore hyrule to find and put together eight fragments of the triforce so you can rescue princess zelda from ganon, prince of darkness.

the good: a solid introduction to the series, you can waste HOURS exploring this game, which is kind of a miracle considering the whole thing is only 128kb. (if you enjoy emulation, any computer will be able to play this. like doom, it could probably run on a microwave.) it's charming enough for when it was made and the music is all catchy as hell, even though it contains only a dozen or so tracks. this game is pretty light on puzzles, but most of the fun comes from the exploration - in fact, it was this game that the dev team for botw drew inspiration from when they were trying to figure out how to "reinvent" the zelda series - what they actually did was take it back to its roots.

the bad: well, it's that you can waste HOURS exploring in this game. back when it was released, the intent was to get players talking to one another - you would get one piece of the map explored and fine one secret, your friend would find and explore a different piece and find other secrets, and you'd trade! many people even had their own hand-drawn maps put together one screen at a time. since it really isn't possible to play this way today unless you get a bunch of friends together to do it blind, you almost certainly need a map or guide for this game when you're doing it on your own, otherwise you're never going to get anywhere, because there aren't usually indications that certain walls are bombable or bushes burnable.

the verdict: if you're a veteran who liked alttp (particularly the combat), if you have a high tolerance for aged games, or if you wanna see what this series looked like during its humble beginnings, you will like this game. if you're looking for a more guided experience or something with a lot of cinematics or puzzle-solving, pass. don't forget to read the manual!

Zelda II: The Adventure of Link (1987)

original console: nintendo entertainment system

available on switch: yes, with nso (basic)

also available on: gcn & gba (ports), gcn (gameboy player), wii, wii u, 3ds (virtual console), original ds (backwards compatibility), pc (emulation)

average playtime: 11 hours

mainline game: yes

sequel: yes, to the original legend of zelda

story-heavy: no - ditto for story being in the manual, like with the original loz

edge level: low

the premise: dive into six ancient palaces to place crystals there to wake princess zelda from an era long gone, who has been sleeping for hundreds of years. avoid being caught by ganon's minions, who want to use link's blood to revive their master ganon.

the good: because this game began life as an independent title which eventually got zelda-fied, it's quite different from most games in the series. it has side-scrolling combat and rpg elements. the soundtrack is very catchy, and this game also introduces dark link, an extremely cool popular doppelganger of our beloved hero. the map is HUGE in comparison to the original so there's tons more to explore here.

the bad: this game is HARD. not, "challenging," like, "bordering on impossible." i've never beaten it. i got just a couple of dungeons in and i was so miserable i had to give it up. even playing the "special edition" on nso (which is with all the unlockable upgrades to make it easier), it's a fucking slog. that's it! that's the only flaw.

the verdict: even with all its good qualities, even with how fresh it feels, it's so damn frustrating that only gluttons for punishment and very unique souls will truly find joy here. if you do decide to brave it, remember to read the instruction manual.

A Link to the Past (1991)

original console: super nintendo entertainment system

available on switch: yes, with nso (basic)

also available on: gba (port), gcn (gameboy player), wii, wii u, 3ds (virtual console), original ds (backwards compatibility), pc (emulation)

average playtime: 15-17 hours

mainline game: yes

sequel: no

story-heavy: medium. this was the first game to actually HAVE a proper story with named characters and extended dialogue. it wouldn't be considered story-heavy by today's standards, though.

edge level: medium, but like, on the high end of medium

the premise: one stormy night, link and his uncle receive a telepathic message from zelda begging for aid. link's uncle goes out into danger and doesn't return, so it's up to lik to go rescue her in his stead. from there you'll have to explore hyrule to locate the master sword, and explore the mysterious golden land behind the seal of the seven wise men to locate their missing descendants.

the good: alttp set the blueprint for the rest of the series - we finally have our first dungeon-crawler with proper puzzles, real dialogue from zelda, named bad guys, a huge array of funky items, and jammin' tunes still used in the games today (hyrule castle anyone?). plus, link has pink hair! the opening to this game is utterly iconic in every way, and traverse through not one but TWO world maps that overlay one another makes exploration even more exciting.

the bad: truly, no complaints here. it does require some patience. it's a little aged, and it's always possible to get lost without a guide, but so is it true for every game with a big overworld like zelda's.

the verdict: again, this game isn't story-heavy by today's standards, but back then it was more story than we'd ever gotten from a zelda game. as long as you don't go in expecting it to have an rpg kind of story, you'll probably enjoy it. if you don't like 2D zelda combat or need shiny graphics to keep your attention, give it a pass.

Link's Awakening (1993, 2019)

original console: gameboy/gameboy color, and a switch-exclusive remake

available on switch: yes - you can play the original with nso (basic) or the switch-exclusive remake

also available on: snes (super gameboy), gcn (gameboy player), gba, original ds (backwards compatibility), 3ds (virtual console), switch (remake), pc (emulation of any version)

average playtime: 14-19 hours for the original, 14-21 hours for the remake

mainline game: yes for the original, no for the remake, technically

sequel: technically a sequel to a link to the past, but they truly have nothing to do with each other

story-heavy: medium - similar story style to a link to the past. smaller cast and less overall dialogue, but more character work on marin specifically

edge level: usually pretty low, but in the rare moments when it jumps out it REALLY jumps out

the premise: while sailing, link becomes shipwrecked, washes up on shore of a remote place called koholint island, and is rescued by a girl named marin. with his boat in pieces, he has to go on a bittersweet adventure exploring the island and getting to know his rescuer in order to wake a mysterious being known as the windfish so he can go home.

the good: a tiny yet vast map, foreboding dungeons (hello, face shrine), a strange and quirky world that's impossible not to love with a small but charming cast to match (though, of course, the real stand-out character is marin), fun minigames, and a soundtrack that only got better in the remake. this game has it all! the story will surprise you by leaving you weeping at the end. there's not a huge difference to the gameplay between the original and the remake - it's mostly a graphical update, though they did add some side content.

the bad: it's one of those games that's different from the rest of the zelda series, which means it's not for everyone - there's no zelda, no ganondorf, no hyrule. also, getting the best ending is absolutely painstaking.

the verdict: what a wonderful game! the story is sparse but rewarding. if you don't like 2D zeldas, story-light games, or don't want to cry through the credits, you can give it a pass - but everyone else should love it.

Ocarina of Time (1998, 2011)

original console: nintendo 64, and a 3ds-exclusive remake

available on switch: yes, with nso (expansion pack)

also available on: gcn (port), wii, wii u (virtual console), 3ds (remake), pc (fan-port or emulation of either version)

average playtime: 25-40 hours

mainline game: yes

sequel: no

story-heavy: yes, medium-high. it wouldn't impress by today's standards but back then it WAS the standard

edge level: medium-high. it's horrifying in some respects, but overall very wistful and bittersweet

the premise: link, the local outcast, is ousted from his idyllic home after tragedy strikes in the form of ganondorf murdering his forest's guardian spirit. from there you'll explore hyrule to open an ancient doorway, and go on a time-traveling adventure in a last-ditch attempt to prevent a terrible future and heal a broken world that didn't always want you.

the good: what can i possibly say about ocarina of time that hasn't already been said? critically acclaimed as the best game of all time when it was made and still 25 years later (with only breath of the wild threatening to unseat it), this game is everything. this is the game that taught me to love stories, to love gaming, to love zelda. the world is full of secrets and places to explore, there's a kind of dual-overworld thing happening the way there was in alttp, there's a lot of collectibles and sidequests and TONS of minigames, there's a huge cast of characters with real depth, you can RIDE A HORSE, and the quite literal coming-of-age story has actual plot twists that affect the gameplay. this game defined the official timeline for zelda (massive spoilers at the link), it defined the series itself, it defined the genre and even the industry - games everywhere are still using concepts introduced (or made popular) here, like targeting enemies, context-sensitive buttons, dynamic soundtracks, and day-night cycles.

the bad: one of the dungeons is a shitty goddamn motherfucking royal pain in the ass. you know what i'm talking about. unless you don't, in which case i'm sorry. maybe it's less horrible in master mode, i don't know. also, like, it's not that the game has aged poorly, it's still a solid adventure, but it HAS aged. since basically every game you've ever played has emulated oot with stuff like lock-on targeting, these features won't feel as revolutionary and special to a new player today as they did to new players in 1998. that's not bad, but it has caused some people to get excited to look into the hype, pop the game in, and then go "wait, i don't get it."

the verdict: unless you absolutely cannot deal with playing a 25yo game, pick this up - for the historical value, if nothing else. i cannot more highly recommend any game that ever existed than i do this one. that said, for people who are new to GAMES IN GENERAL, it may not feel as intuitive as it did to new players in 1998, because speak a slightly different language now. new gamers should definitely still play this, but they should either use a guide or consider not making it their very first game. more experienced gamers should still be fine making this their first zelda game.

bonus verdict: as for which console to play it on - the 3ds version has a lot of quality of life adjustments, including gyroscopic controls and a master mode (gcn version also has master mode), and the graphical improvement is absolutely astounding...but it's on a teeny-tiny little screen. i think the best way to play ocarina of time, if you're able to, is to emulate the 3ds version with the fanmade 4k upgrade. of course, this requires a good pc, emulation skills, and a properly connected controller (i haven't done it yet myself) - so don't feel bad playing anyway you can access it.

Majora's Mask (2000, 2015)

original console: nintendo 64, and a 3ds-exclusive remake

available on switch: yes, with nso (expansion pack)

also available on: gcn (port), wii, wii u (virtual console), 3ds (remake), pc (emulation)

average playtime: 20-38 hours

mainline game: yes

sequel: yes, it's a direct sequel to oot. the opening may be a little confusing if you haven't played it but otherwise you're fine

story-heavy: yes, VERY. the character-work alone is unparalleled even by modern standards

edge level: EXTREMELY HIGH. this is without a doubt the darkest and most haunting game in the series

the premise: link, trying to escape his problems back home, gets thrown into an unfamiliar world where the moon is going to fall and destroy everything in only three days. with the help of multiple forms (link can shift into a deku, goron, or zora), and time travel, link relives the same three days over and over again, exploring clock town and the lands around it, and getting to know its people, so he can find a way to help everyone and prevent the oncoming apocalypse.

the good: holy cast of characters, batman! as with every zelda game, there is exploration and dungeon-crawling, and these are phenomenal here - of particular note is how the use of 4 different forms plays into puzzle-solving - but the real meat of this game comes from its incredible cast. near the beginning of the game you are given a journal, in which to note the schedules and habits of each and every resident of termina as you learn them. you play the same three days over and over, so while the clock is always ticking, there's an infinite time to get to know them. each character reacts to the upcoming armageddon differently: some are resigned, some are frightened, some are brave, and some are in denial. (notably, one minor character who appears brave crumbles in the final hours, begging not to die.) who these people are and the sorrows they carry around with them to the end of the world define this game and make it like no other.

the bad: look, it's a game about an upcoming apocalypse. you're on the sinking titanic and the clock counts down every precious second and no matter what you do there will ALWAYS be that time limit, which not everyone likes. it's stressful, and it can be sad and tragic, even upsetting at times, which is kind of a requirement for the powerful catharsis it also offers. it's very different to the usual zeldas - no zelda or ganondorf or hyrule - which also isn't everyone's bag. it's also a huge timesink - you really miss a lot of the point if you don't 100% it or at least get all of the masks, which takes a long time and a guide (although it is fun as hell the whole time).

the verdict: some people really hate the time limit and find it imposing. i mostly don't have a problem with it - sometimes i have to race to finish a task before i run out of time so i HAVE time to travel back before i get blown to bits, but without this mechanic, the game wouldn't work at all. famously, this game was made in only one year (hence the reused assets), so the pressure the devs felt really came out in their work. i think it's a fucking masterpiece, but it is a game about death, among other things, so if you need a feel-good title this one probably isn't your stop. that said, the incredibly powerful cast makes this game timeless - if not for the graphics you'd hardly know it's aged at all. even newer gamers should enjoy this one, but use a guide! for a game this complex it's more important to find everything than it is to do it blind.

bonus verdict: while the graphical improvements on the 3ds are wonderful, and the added fishing minigame is great, i mostly preferred the controls of the original. new players may not notice the difference, though!

Oracles of Ages & Oracle of Seasons (2001)

original console: gameboy color

available on switch: not at the time of writing, but nintendo has confirmed it is coming to nso (basic)

also available on: snes (super gameboy), gcn (gameboy player), gba, original ds (backwards compatibility), 3ds (virtual console), pc (emulation)

average playtime: 16-25 for oracle of ages, 15-21 for oracle of seasons, leading to about 31-46 hours total

mainline game: no

sequel: not linked to any other games in the series, but they're technically both sequels to each othjer - more below

story-heavy: no, about medium-low

edge level: low

the premise: link hears the triforce calling out to him, and when he investigates, is thrown into one of two words, depending on which game you're playing. these two games stand alone, but they can also be linked via a code so that your playthrough on one can be transferred over to the other (like golden sun, if you've ever played those games). you can choose which game to play first. at the end of your playthrough, you can get a code, which can then be entered on the other game - complete both and you get a secret special grand finale. somewhat like pokemon games, the games complement each other in their differences, thoguh the differences here are much more drastic - they have different overworlds and dungeons, a slightly different set of items, and a different way of interacting with the world (by either traveling through the ages or by changing the season). oracle of ages is focused on puzzle-solving, while oracle of seasons is focused on combat and action.

the good: what a dense and detailed little adventure these games are! with a double of everything from items sets to overworlds, there's a ton to do. the worlds have a ton of variety and can feel endless at times. and since they were built on (i think) the link's awakening engine, gameplaywise it's kind of like getting to play a really good sequel to that game for the first time...twice. the lore is fun, the lands are fun, there's a couple of unforgettable tracks i still listen to. since you can play the games in either order, there's a good bit of REplayability involved, because hardcore fans will want to experience it both ways - leading to two playthroughs of each game, meaning four total playthroughs, for up to a whopping total of 92 hours of gameplay. talk about bang for your buck!

the bad: the codes are a real pain in the ass to work with, and you really can't get by without them. not only is it essential for moving your file from one game to the other, but you can also use them to get special items from one file to another. it's SO EASY to enter these codes in wrong and SO TEDIOUS to have to check them character by character. here's hoping the nso version has a better way (though i'm not holding my breath).

the verdict: an absolute must for any 2d zelda fan. first-time players, i HIGHLY recommending playing ages first. there's an important side-character in ages whose story gets resolved in seasons, but not if you play seasons first. of course, if you really like the games a lot, you can always start over and play them in the other order for different cutscenes.

Wind Waker (2002)

original console: gamecube

available on switch: no :(

also available on: wii u (hd port), pc (emulation)

average playtime: 25-60 hours

mainline game: yes

sequel: technically, this is one POSSIBLE sequel to ocarina of time (which splintered the timeline, leading to multiple possible branching paths), though it takes place hundreds of years later. it has the same ganondorf from that game, but you should understand everything just fine whether you've played oot or not.

story-heavy: yes

edge level: medium-low - there are some more serious moments, and this is technically a post-apocalypse story, but overall this is one of the more bright and joyful games

the premise: this is a hyrule that was flooded by the gods when the hero of an ancient era could not show up to defeat ganondorf. people live on former mountaintops, now islands, interconnected by only the sea, and sailing is very dangerous. when link's younger sister is kidnapped, he has to leave his little island and go on a sea-faring adventure with pirates in order to get her back and unlock the mysteries of the hyrule beneath the waves.

the good: the game is vibrant, colorful, beautiful, and full of life. even if you don't like the cartoony art style (and i have mixed feelings), you can't deny the ambiance. there's a new combat system where for the first time you can pick up the dropped weapons of enemies, and the cast is stand-out - the "zelda" of this game is more hands-on than in any other title, and ganondorf is at his most sympathetic here, not to mention all the minor characters and their various sidequests. the characters are truly some of the funniest and most endearing yet - this game will make you laugh out loud. the enemies and bosses are unique and fun to grapple with (special shoutout to helmaroc king) and there's no shortage of stuff to do.

the bad: firstly, we have to mention the art style, which has been a little divisive over the years. it won't be for everybody. i like it for the most part, because you couldn't get the same vibe without it, but i do wish it was just a little less stylized - just a little! secondly, the game is just not finished. the development was rushed, leading to the cutting of an entire dungeon and a poorly-implemented second half where the focus shifts from exploration and dungeons to a near-ENDLESS fetch-quest for triforce pieces which involves a LOT of incredibly tedious and time-consuming sailing. (as kids, some trips were so long we could just set the direction and leave the controller on the floor while we took a bathroom break.)

the verdict: overall, the flaws aren't enough to ruin what is a truly great adventure. fans of the more serious games (hi! me!) may find themselves wishing wind waker had leaned into its post-apocalyptic setting and mysterious drowned world aspect more, and fans of lighter zeldas will find themselves wishing the damn thing was finished, but overall, everyone should find it's worth at least one playthrough, unless you absolutely cannot tolerate the visuals. fans of lighter zeldas, combat, and pirates will all love this one.

Four Swords (2002)

original console: gameboy advance

available on switch: no :(

also available on: 3ds (single-player remake), potentially pc (idk if emulation of the original is possible considering the connectivity, but you could almost certainly emulate the remake)

average playtime: 3-17 hours

mainline game: no

sequel: technically, it's a sequel to minish cap, but minish cap hadn't been made yet, so whatever

story-heavy: not at all

edge level: non-existent

the premise: link pulls the ancient "four sword" in order to defeat bad guy vaati and becomes split into 4 selves. this game was the first multiplayer zelda, and you had to have three friends, all with their own gameboys and link cables, to even play this bad boy. from what i understand in most of the game you just compete to see who can get the most rupees? a single-player version was released on the 3ds a few years later but i don't know if you can still buy it legit or if the 3ds store was shut down. since it was so inaccessible, pretty much no one played this, including me, so i can't give it a proper writeup. probably nobody reading this will ever get a chance to experience four swords how it was originally meant to be played either, but you can find this game's spirit in similar titles like four swords adventures or minish cap, which are much more accessible.

Four Swords Adventures (2004)

original console: gamecube

available on switch: no :(

also available on: uh yeah that's it. just the gamecube. you may be able to emulate it on pc though - i've never tried

average playtime: 15 hours

mainline game: no

sequel: teeechnically a sequel to the original four swords, but nobody played that, it's fine

story-heavy: not at all

edge level: very low

the premise: a sequel to four swords, this was intended to be the sleeker and (somewhat...) more accessible version. you can play this one as a single player, but my brother and i did it on co-op with a link cable and a gameboy sp - just the two of us, and no need to find two other friends - we each controlled two links each, to simplify it.

the good: the game is FUNNN as hell. the graphics are sleek as fuck because it's a 2d game running on a system capable of rendering 3d ones (just look at those flame effects!), the gameplay is addictive, and co-op puzzles are a blast. nintendo has always come out strong when it comes to in-person multiplayer (even if they have yet to catch up with online multiplayer...) and this is no exception. for anyone who ever wished they could sit on the floor and play zelda with their siblings the same way they played mario kart or smash bros, this game is a dream come true.

the bad: this game is still so GODDAMN inaccessible. we were lucky enough to have the gameboys and link cables we needed, but i don't have any idea how you'd go about playing it with other people now without some extremely tedious emulation or buying some extremely old (and expensive) gaming equipment. sure, emulating the single-player version on gcn is no big, but the game really shines in its multiplayer aspect, which is all but impossible for most people to enjoy now. it's incredibly frustrating.

the verdict: if you're lucky or rich enough to own a gamecube, a gameboy, and a link cable (multiple gameboys and link cables?) in 2023, AND you have a friend or three to play it with, please pick this one up. unless you just hate 2d zeldas, it is a FUCKING blast, and zelda fans the world over are probably envious they can't experience it for themselves.

Minish Cap (2004)

original console: gameboy advance

available on switch: yes, with nso (expansion pack)

also available on: original ds (backwards compatibility), 3ds, wii u (virtual console)

average playtime: 15-27 hours

mainline game: no

sequel: no, but it is a prequel to the four sword series (made well after those games were released)

story-heavy: medium-light - about the level of most 2d zelda games

edge level: very low - this is such a bright and cheerful adventure

the premise: in an adventure meant to explain vaati of four sword fame's origins, you meet teeny-tiny people known as the minish, who live in teeny-tiny spaces all over hyrule. they mend shoes, use pots and old boots as houses, fight dust mites, and leave surprise gifts such as rupees and hearts beneath pots and the like to help adventurers. by shrinking and growing you explore various nooks and crannies and solve a ton of puzzles, and through fusing items called kinstones with strangers you can change or uncover more of the overworld and unlock even more secrets

the good: the game is beautiful, bright, and fun. the soundtrack is catchy, the gameplay is addictive, the puzzles are very fresh, and the kinstone fusion feature means you'll be doing a lot of backtracking and replaying to see all this game has to offer.

the bad: besides zelda, i didn't find myself terribly enthralled with most of the cast. the reused sound effects from other games can be nostalgic sometimes but sometimes they feel a bit cheap, since they had to be downsized; they're the audio equivalent of a pixelated jpg. and as great as the soundtrack is, it suffered from the same thing.

the verdict: my nitpicks with this game are minor - i think it's a wonderful and fresh entry into the series, and probably one of if not the best 2D zelda. if you like 2D zelda at all, you'll want to pick it up.

Twilight Princess (2006)

original console: gamecube AND wii (i know)

available on switch: no :(

also available on: wii u (hd port), pc (emulation)

average playtime: 30-56 hours

mainline game: yes

sequel: technically, this is another possible sequel to oot, taking place 100 years later, and involving oot's ganondorf. (it has nothing to do with the timeline wind waker is on.)

story-heavy: yes, very - the cutscenes look great, the mocap for this game is wonderful

edge level: very high

the premise: 100 years after ocarina of time, darkness falls across hyrule in the form of "twilight," desolating every part of hyrule that it touches by turning its denizens into ghosts, and forcing princess zelda to surrender to zant, the king of the twilight realm. when link's village is destroyed by this twilight and he is turned into a wolf, he leaves to save zelda, save hyrule, and save his home. this game was meant to be a gcn title originally, but development was delayed for so long that they began co-developing it for the wii and released it as a launch title for that console.

the good: where do i start? this game was intended to be a return to oot's more realistic artstyle after many years of the wind waker art style in spin-off games, and was in fact a spiritual remake of oot in many ways. it is similar graphically, tonally, and gameplay wise - it's the oot they wanted to make in 1998, only with a more powerful engine, and fans loved it - check out this video of its announcement at e3 - it still gives me chills. famously, this game introduced horseback combat, which the devs had really wanted to implement in oot and were forced to give up on due to hardware limitations. the cast and the puzzles are all great on this one, and the world is huge and full of surprises, but of particular note is your partner midna, who comes with a better story and more personality than any partner before or since (sorry, king of red lions). lesbians and their associates will LOVE whatever the hell she has going on with zelda in this game. twilight princess also has the most fleshed-out swordplay of any zelda game - the various techniques you learn from the ghost swordsman are fun as hell, and every single boss battle in this game absolutely fucks.

the bad: despite its high moments, the story in this game is just a little weirdly paced. ganondorf was brought in kind of suddenly, and link's childhood friend from his village, whom the story focuses on a lot, is maybe not the most compelling character (sorry to ilia fans - she's okay, just not my favorite). not everybody liked this game's emulation of oot, and some people felt it was uninspired. personally, my gripes are mostly about the dual-console release; having played both versions multiple times, i think they both suffered from being co-developed. because the wii version uses motion controls and most people are right-handed they switched to a right-handed link for the wii (BLASPHEMY), meaning they actually flipped the entire world horizontally, and there are times when the laziness of this action is very apparent when playing the wii version. while the controls are superior on the wii (there's a mandatory shooting minigame that's all but impossible on gcn connected to a crt tv), the graphics just...look a little aged for a wii game, whereas they look damn good for a gamecube game. the hd remake fixes this, but since it's only on the wii u, fucking nobody has played it, and it remains inaccessible to most players except through emulation.

the verdict: if you can get your hands on this, do it. despite its flaws it's a classic meat-and-potatoes zelda adventure. fans of combat and more serious stories will especially love this one. personally, i preferred the gcn version because of left-handed link, but i do think the motion aiming on the wii (and wii u?) was a great addition, so it's a matter of preference as far as if you want the hd graphics and what controller feels correct in your hands.

Phantom Hourglass (2007)

original console: nintendo ds

available on switch: no :(

also available on: wii u (virtual console), pc (emulation)

average playtime: 17-31 hours

mainline game: no

sequel: a direct sequel to wind waker - not sure if you need to have played that to understand; from what i can tell there are actually a few plotholes

story-heavy: medium, i think?

edge level: low, as far as i know

the premise: after tetra gets sucked into a ghost shiop ad vanishes, link has to set sail on a new ship to find a way to free her. that's all i really know because, okay, up-front, i did not finish it. i did not give it a fair shake. it's got great reviews and they can't all be wrong, but i found controlling link with a stylus (the ds had no control stick) frustrating, the game hard to see (the graphics are trying to emulate ww's style on less capable hardware), and the story uncompelling (tetra? a damsel??). i know a lot of people really love linebeck and i wanna love him too one day, but until then, get your answers from the people who love this game!

Spirit Tracks (2009)

original console: nintendo ds

available on switch: no :(

also available on: wii u (virtual console), pc (emulation)

average playtime: 20-33 hours

mainline game: no

sequel: to wind waker and phantom hourglass, technically, though it takes place 100 years after those games

story-heavy: medium, i think?

edge level: low, as far as i know

the premise: 100 years after wind waker and phantom hourglass, a new hyrule has been founded above the waves and it has TRAINS. for some reason zelda gets zapped out of her body and can now follow you around as a cool ghost who possesses bigass statues to help you out. that's right, your partner for this game IS ZELDA. the main theme for this game is so catchy it's a crime. i never played this since i didn't finish phantom hourglass, but it looks so fucking cool that i wanna power through phantom hourglass despite my initial reservations just so i can take a crack at it.

Skyward Sword (2011)

original console: wii

available on switch: yes, as an hd port

also available on: wii u (virtual console & backwards compatibility), pc (emulation)

average playtime: 30-58

mainline game: yes

sequel: no - in fact, it's the prequel to every zelda, being that it's the very first one in the timeline

story-heavy: yes, very

edge level: mostly low, but it does have its serious moments

the premise: taking place at the very start of zelda's long and complex timeline, this game seeks to explain the origins of hyrule's creation and and some of its mythology. link and the other proto-hylians live in islands high above the clouds and attend the school for flying around on bigass birds, not knowing if there even is a world below, until one day zelda (not a princess but the headmaster's daughter) gets dragged down by a dark force, and link must venture into the land below to save her.

the good: skyward sword is oozing ambiance. a standout area of this game is lanayru desert, in which you can use a timeshift stone to shift the area directly around you back in time by 1000 years or so and watch it come to life with greenery. this soundtrack is fully orchestrated, we get to hear zelda sing (her first voice acting debut!), and when the motion controls are on, they're REALLY on. sometimes the swordfights feel like actual duels. the cast of side-characters all get a lot of development (shoutout to my man groose!), and the villains are creepy and quirky. the dungeons in skyward sword are especially good - the cistern in particular is one of the best in the game, but we can't forget the ghost ship or the sky temple either. minor spoilers for the story, here, but finding out WHY there are so many zelda games and the struggle against evil never ends (it's a literal curse) was really cool and really reframed how a lot of people saw the series and the characters - it's a lot more tragic that they have a fate they can't escape from so long as zelda fans want more games.

the bad: minor spoilers for the story here too. as far as prequels go it did not make a lot of sense. there's nothing about the three goddesses we've come to know and love, only about the minor goddess hylia, and the ancient hyrule features species that don't ever make another appearance mole guys and seahorse dudes. there aren't any zoras or gerudo or koroks/kokiri, there's only one goron, we only see two sheikah...it feels so far removed from the hyrule we know that it doesn't feel like a prequel at all. additionally, when the motion controls aren't good, they're REALLY bad - especially on the switch version, which has less precise controls than the wii. finally, while i personally didn't mind it (puzzles!), a lot of people disliked how linear the overworld was and complained there was no exploration. another common frustration, one which i share, is how much the game holds your hand. (this famously inspired toriel in the game undertale to LITERALLY hold your hand and do the puzzle for you.) this game will present a puzzle and then have the nearest npc (most often fi, poor fi, she undeservedly gets all the blame for this) explain how to do it before giving you even one chance to try for yourself.

the verdict: it has its flaws, but i still enjoy it a lot. i think more experienced players will be very frustrated with it at times, and people who hate motion mechanics or constant alerts/lots of useless dialogue will be miserable. (you can turn motion controls off in the switch version but it feels unnatural because of how sword-swinging works.) on the other hand, the game's linear and hand-holdy nature actually makes it a perfect start for brand new gamers, especially given where it falls on the timeline.

A Link Between Worlds (2013)

original console: 3ds

available on switch: no :(

also available on: pc (emulation)

average playtime: 16-23 hours

mainline game: no

sequel: takes place at least 100 years after a link to the past, and even uses the same overworld! you don't have to play that to understand this though.

story-heavy: medium, about the level you expect for 2d zeldas

edge level: medium-high

the premise: link turns into a little flat guy so he can go more places! this is a sequel involving the inhabitants of lorule, a parallel world to hyrule, one without a triforce. go back and forth between kingdoms to save hyrule from suffering the same fate, all while trying to kick a giant rabbit guy out of your house.

the good: the puzzles in this one are really fun and fresh, the old overworld map feels super nostalgic, the music is charming, and being able to tackle the dungeons in any order is a nice touch. i especially loved getting to know certain inhabitants of lorule.

the bad: the non-linear style won't be for everyone, and i wish i had been able to spend more time getting to know hilda in particular.

the verdict: this in my opinion is one of the best 2D zeldas - if you're a 2D zelda fan, especially a alttp fan, don't miss it!

Hyrule Warriors (2014, 2016, 2018)

original console: wii u

available on switch: yes, as a remake/collection

also available on: this is complicated. the game was originally released on wii u, then ported to the 3ds with new added content but i think mising some other content, and then FINALLY released on the switch with ALL the content. you can also emulate any version on the pc

average playtime: 17-38 hours, though people report up to a whopping 366 hours to 100% it

mainline game: no

sequel: no

story-heavy: medium-ish. there's cool cutscenes but it's not that deep

edge level: low, this shit is just balls to the wall crazy-ass fun

the premise: a crossover between dynasty warriors and zelda. turn zelda into a beat-em-up and add cameos from popular characters doing increasingly batshit anime fighting moves. what's not to like?

the good: this game is insane. the electric guitar soundtrack, the cameos, the nostaliga - it's all here. the gameplay is good mindless fun you can really sink your teeth into, and despite it not being the point i had fun running around and exploring all the maps. there's so, so, SO much to do (366 hours!) you will literally never see the end of it.

the bad: the OCs are maybe not my favorite people. i don't know if they come from other dynasty warriors games but they were a little annoying and truly, uh, underdressed. also, as someone who likes to 100% games, it annoys me that i'll likely never 100% this, just because of the sheer timesink/grinding required.

the verdict: if you like fighting games and combat, this is for you. if you're into zelda for the serious story stuff and the puzzles, give it a pass. completionists beware, 100%ing this game is NOT for the faint-hearted.

Tri Force Heroes (2015)

original console: 3ds

available on switch: no :(

also available on: pc (emulation)

average playtime: 14-26 hours, but up to 56 hours to 100% it

mainline game: no

sequel: takes place a few years after a link between worlds - not sure if you need to play that to understand this, but it seems unlikely

story-heavy: doesn't look like it

edge level: low. oh my god, he's in a little cheerleader outfit. look at him

the premise: i don't really know, i think you crossdress to gain superpowers and then solve puzzles with your buds. i didn't play this one because i didn't have 2 friends with a 3ds and a flexible schedule. apparently there's a one-player mode, but it just doesn't seem as fun, and the lack of a 2-player mode is sad because my brother and i could've rocked it. like the four swords series, this looks like great multiplayer fun, but it's inaccessible to people without the time or coordination to get 3 people together. it looks fun as hell, though.

Breath of the Wild (2017)

original console: dual launch on wii u and switch

available on switch: yes, obviously :)

also available on: pc (emulation)

average playtime: 50-100 hours, though to 100% everything and enjoy the dlc it could take up to 210!

mainline game: yes

sequel: technically, it's a sequel to everything, since it takes place at the end of (somehow) every timeline. but you don't have to have any prior experience to enjoy it

story-heavy: medium-heavy? this is the first zelda game with voice acting, and what cutscenes it does have are amazing, but you can expect to see only a very few of them

edge level: very high (this is once again post-apocalyptic), but not as high as majora's mask or twilight princess

the premise: link wakes after a 100 year sleep with no memory of who he is or what happened to the ruined world around him. explore a completely open world in your own way at your own pace, recover your memories, rescue zelda.

the good: this game hit the industry at a thousand miles per hour and six years later the hype still hasn't slowed down. this redefined the series and the genre in a way we haven't seen since oot in 1998. this game is revolutionary in the way that oot was revolutionary back then, but updated so that newer players find it just as surprising and refreshing as new players in 1998 found oot back then. the exploration, the physics, and the world are all totally unparalleled - three decades later, this zelda truly gets back to the original explorer and adventuring spirit miyamoto tried so hard to capture in the very first legend of zelda game all the way back in 1986.

the bad: as much fun as this world is to play around in, i found that most of my joy came from the exploration and not knowing what i'd find around the next corner. it's still a very, very, VERY good game, but i found that on my replay it just didn't have that same shininess that other games in the series do when i replay them. and, of course, because it's so different it's very divisive - there's no human ganondorf in this game, no dungeons - all your puzzle-solving comes in microdungeons called shrines scattered around hyrule. weapon durability is also a hotly debated feature - even i found it frustrating at times, although in many ways the forced improvisation it brings to the table is more than worth the cost of admission. and overall the enemies are all the same and have no real difference between them, even the bosses, and the boss fights kind of suck. it's a really good game, but it does have its flaws.

the verdict: this is the perfect starting point for anyone new to the series. many people have started with this game and learned about hyrule alongside the amnesiac link - i had an extremely interesting discussion once with someone on tumblr about how the game is different if you've grown up loving hyrule and see it get torn apart, vs if the only hyrule you know IS the one that's torn apart. both ways are wonderful experiences, and i think even non-zelda fans would find something to love in the freedom this game offers.

Cadence of Hyrule (2019)

original console: switch

available on switch: yes, obviously :)

also available on: pc (emulation)

average playtime: 6-11 hours, but you can add up to 12 more if you play the dlc

mainline game: no

sequel: no

story-heavy: not really

edge level: low

the premise: a crossover with crypt of the necrodancer, a roguelike rhythm game. there's no real story here except, notably, a brief cameo of a younger ganondorf, though his back is always turned to you. (if you could go back and kill ganondorf as a baby...)

the good: well, a rhythm game's gotta have good music, right? both the rehashes of the old songs and the new music are absolutely stellar here. i'm normally iffy on rhythm games but i found the gameplay addictive (there's a strong tactical element to moving around) and the exploration fun. getting to play as zelda (!!!) if you want is a great bonus, too. there's really nothing not to love.

the bad: the kind of movement you have in this game doesn't lend itself super well to boss fights most of the time. they weren't bad by any means but definitely one of the weaker parts of the experience.

the verdict: unless you hate rhythm games or hate fun, you'll like this one, especially if you're a crypt of the necrodancer fan or a fan of zelda's music in general. puzzle fans might be disappointed there aren't as many mind-twisters in this one, though.

Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity (2020)

original console: switch

available on switch: yes, obviously :)

also available on: pc (emulation)

average playtime: 25-40 hours, though it can take up to 76 hours to 100% it

mainline game: no

sequel: a direct prequel to breath of the wild and its eventual but as-of-yet unreleased sequel tears of the kingdom

story-heavy: yes

edge level: relatively low, i'm told

the premise: so this is a prequel to botw, taking place during the era just before the apocalypse. i didn't finish it because it came out right around nov 5 2020 (iykyk) and then someone spoiled the ending for me and i thought it sounded stupid, so i was less motivated to play. what little i did play of it was great, though - it was exciting and fun in all the ways the original hyrule warriors was but bigger and badder in every respect, and with a little more of that somber botw flavor. i intend to finish before totk comes out despite my reservations about the story.

The Conclusion

it's a great time to be a zelda fan because out of the 22 games on this list, only 8 of them are unavailable on nintendo switch, and only 2 of those are what i would consider to be mainline games. that means you can access two thirds of the ENTIRE SERIES, spanning almost 4 decades, on a single console! your only limits are your time and your wallet. most of the ones that AREN'T available on the switch can be played on a 3ds, so if you have or buy one, nearly the entire series is at your fingertips. (you can emulate the shit out of your 3ds, btw, and play a lot of these gameboy, gba, and ds games for free - nintendo isn't looking anymore so they don't care.)

sorry i couldn't fully cover all games - i welcome opinions from people who have played games i've missed in the tags. when i do get around to playing them, i will come back and update this guide! expect an entry for totk eventually too. thanks for reading and i hope it was helpful to someone!

[trippygalaxy]

Modern Jobs Headcanons

What jobs would The Chain have in a modern au! (dont ask, i came up with it while in the shower)

Wild was definitely a police officer or some sort of military personnel before he had a near death experience and lost his memories. After being discharged, Wild got a new job as a ranger/camp counsellor!

Warriors is also another military soldier! But unlike Wild, he has spent quite some time raising through the ranks and became a well respected captain.

Four would work as an apprentice at his grandfather’s forge! Even though Four is already a talented smith, he really enjoys working alongside his grandpa.

Legend works along side Ravio at a pawn shop! Neither of them own it but they both enjoy working there.(even if Ravio tries to scam people) And Legend gets to take some items home if their been on the shelves for too long

Wind...doesn’t actually have a ‘real job’ BUT! He does help around the neighborhood! Sometimes you could find him mowing the lawns of elderly neighbors or walking dogs! 

Hyrule has a couple of jobs actually. Some days you’ll find him working at the local floral shop while other times he’s tutoring kids at the library.

Twilight is obviously a ranch hand, but you’ll most likely find him working more with the cattle/animals than the crops. It’s also not uncommon to see him helping at the Lon Lon Ranch and making deliveries for the owners!

Time, (the milk man) the main delivery man for Lon Lon Ranch! During the day you can see glimpses of him as he runs/drives around town but at night he hosts self defense classes! And when ever he has some spare time, you can see- or well hear him giving ocarina lessons!

Sky is kinda hard to pick for.. I can totally see him as a wood carpenter but I can also seem him as pilot for the air force! Hmmmm...