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mistresslrigtar · 5 months

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I Belong to You - Chapter Twelve - Falling Away With You

It's here! The final chapter of my grad school au I Belong to You!

I’m posting the final chapter early because today is a special day. This is the day my RL one true love and I went on our first date and by the end of the night we were hopelessly in love. We are proof that true love can happen in a moment with one look, one gesture, one touch. He’s my reason and my life, the father of our children, and to this day, through all the ups and downs, I love him with all my heart. This is for you, @thisgeekyweek.

Excerpt:

“Okay. Just remember you asked for it.” His fingers glided over the keys, and as he softly sang, the sun rose, brightening the room from gunmetal gray to rosy pink. Link painted a picture of the moments they shared and then recklessly threw away, if only briefly. Zelda closed her eyes and let the lyrics and music wash over her.

‘Staying awake to chase a dream, tasting the air you’re breathing in. I hope I won’t forget a thing.’

The earnestness that tinged Link’s voice quickened Zelda’s heart, and she wanted nothing more than to soothe him. She rested her hand on his knee, giving it a reassuring squeeze.

‘Memories I will never find, memories I will never find.” Link’s hands stilled, but remained curled over the keys.

“What does that mean?” Zelda asked.

Link shook his head, wrapping an arm around Zelda’s back, pulling her closer. “Oh, it, uh, means all the moments we could’ve lost if we hadn’t worked things out.”

Zelda relaxed against his side, savoring the peaceful moment. If only they could stay like this forever and forget about everything outside these walls. The rising sun and the fading shadows however were a reminder that the world continued to turn around them. They could only move forward, but the last two days had proven that she and Link were better, stronger together. She blew a shaky breath, feeling something subtle and unspoken shifting between them.

“I’m so glad I met you.” Zelda pulled away to look at Link, searching and finding what she felt reflected in his bright blue eyes.

“Me too, Zel. Me too.” Link tugged on her hands, pulling her to stand with him. “Let’s go back to bed, and I’ll make you breakfast when we wake up. Do you like pancakes?”

“I’ll like anything you make.”

Many, many thanks (which will never be enough) to @zeldaelmo and @hyylia for their outstanding beta work. Thanks so much, friends!!

If you liked this story, I'd really appreciate a reblog. Thanks!

#legend of zelda #zelink #the legend of zelda #tears of the kingdom #breath of the wild #college au #loz college au #grad school au #inspired by muse #songs by muse

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zeldaseyebrows · 11 months

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Chapter Four of Sacrilege and Sororities is out!

Summary: After an assassination attempt, Link and Zelda must live together and navigate the impending Calamity, grad school, strange dreams, and their complete disasters of personal lives. One of those things is more difficult than the others.

Pairing: Link/Zelda, OG Link/Hylia

Rating: E (earned it this chapter haha)

Excerpt from Chapter 4 (Dreams of the Divine):

Link dreams.

Stars that he’s never seen shine above ancient trees whose names are forgotten. Warm night air rushes against the skin of his arms that his light tunic doesn’t cover. The woods smell like summer and blooming life and everything he’s been yearning for in the last four years trapped in a dank dungeon. And the woman glowing in the moonlight in front of him is everything that he’s been yearning for since he first learned how to want. As she approaches Link in the center of the clearing, her bare feet brush against flowers that emit their own blue glow.

“Link,” she greets him as she does every night, her voice speaking his name like an instrument he can’t quite name but that he knows deep in some ancient part of his mind. “It’s lovely to see you again.”

It’s both his name and not at the same time; it isn’t really Link here, but it is still somehow his name. And aside from the difference in names, Link realizes that they’re speaking a long-passed dialect of Hylian that is forgotten to even history books. But he somehow knows and remembers it as well as his own language.

For Link, sometimes dreams, memories, and memories of dreams are one and the same. But this is the first time he’s ever dreamt of her, the Goddess.

“I fell asleep as soon as I could, My Goddess Hylia,” his past self replies, unable to help the grin that breaks his face whenever he sees her. Now that’s Link’s gotten used to smiling again, his facial muscles ache less.

They’ve met in his dreams every night after Hylia arrived on a crimson loftwing and gave him the divine sword, gave him his life back, gave him purpose again. He knows it’s not normal for mortals to converse with goddesses, let alone for hours every single night for months on end, but he can’t bring himself to care. Link would give anything to spend all of his daylight hours with her, too.

Hylia laughs but then grows quiet at the sight of his bare arms in the moonlight.

“Oh, Link…”

Link almost chokes when the Goddess takes his hand in hers and brings it up to her face, examining his wrist and forearm. Her touch is fire and lightning and everything dangerous and powerful.

It’s been months since his release from prison and he’s had hardly any human contact, aside from help during his relearning to walk. Though he supposes this doesn’t exactly count as “human” contact.

As her gaze focuses upon the heavy scars encircling Link’s wrists, Hylia speaks, her voice full of sorrow, “I’m so sorry for what you had to endure. I’m so sorry for all of your suffering. I fear that there is still so much more you’ll have to bear, and I can’t protect you from it.”

Hylia’s words sink into his mind with a dull sort of horror. After years and years of suffering, Link is still not done. He’s never done. Perhaps he’ll never truly know comfort or peace. Though her touch is an absolution Link never even imagined he’d know, either. And if pain is the price he has to pay for her touch, he’s a willing sacrifice.

#zelink #zelink fanfiction #tloz #the legend of zelda #botw #My writing #Sacrilege and Sororities #Hylink

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ladyhoneydee · 1 year

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Of Anguish and Apple Fritters

zelink | Modern AU | <1k

It’s 4:53 in the morning. The corner donut store won’t even be open for another hour. But he keeps the door unlocked for her.

On bad brain nights, Zelda finds refuge in the quiet comfort and warmth of her local donut shop, and its owner, Link.

This one goes out to all my homies whose brains hate them anytime past 11pm lol. It's the polished version of a previous post, if it seems familiar to you!

Read it on AO3, FFN, or under the cut!

The bell jangles hollowly above her head as Zelda yanks the door open. One bare, quivering hand on the metal handle, the other braced against the doorframe to counter the late-winter wind. A bone-chilling gust, speckled with snow and dashed with the urban bouquet of cigarette smoke and exhaust, joins the squeaks of her damp sneakers against the vinyl tile floor and drowns her in a sensory cacophony of overstimulation as she pushes the door closed behind her with a heavy exhale.

It’s 4:53 in the morning. The corner donut shop won’t even be open for another hour. But he keeps the door unlocked for her.

The desperate knot of loneliness and fear winding through her chest and threading her organs loosens when she leans back against the door and takes a deep breath through her nose. The fragrance of warm dough; the must of yeast. Chocolate, sugar, cinnamon. At least five different fruits boiling down into thick jam fillings. The scent would be delectable and heavenly on its own for any customer, but for her, it carries a different, deeper comfort. Classical conditioning.

Link pokes his head out of the doorway to the kitchen. He clutches a stainless steel baking sheet clamoring with eclairs in his oven-mitt-clad hands. “I heard the bell,” he says. It’s unnecessary; they both know he did. But she appreciates it regardless, because what he really means, she knows, is I hear you. “Take a seat, Zel, I’ll be out once I’ve set these on the rack.”

In addition to a handful of small tables, Link’s little donut shop has a bar: five stools lined up along a laminate counter. It joins up to the left side of the massive display case, which glimmers half-full with maple twists, glazed donuts, a small mountain of cinnamon-sugar donut holes, and a dozen other varieties of the best way to eat fried dough. The bar thing certainly isn’t common for a donut shop, but Link makes it work. Sometimes she imagines that he used to be a bartender before he opened this place, and missed the longer talks with customers so much that he added in a place where they could linger.

She plops herself down on the rightmost stool, the one closest to the kitchen door. Her snow-damp hoodie nearly strangles her upon its strained removal, but she breathes a little easier with the fabric covering the seat beside her, rather than her own clammy skin.

It takes five minutes, but Link eventually pops out of the kitchen as promised. This time, the wooden tray he holds is populated by sausage kolaches. He uses a flour-dusted hip to push the sliding glass out of the way, and slots in the tray next to the fruit-filled kolache variants.

“It’s good to see you, Zel.” He throws her a smile through the display pane as he kneels down to rearrange some chocolate cake donuts that have fallen just slightly out of alignment.

Seven visits ago, he would have led with a sympathetic Rough night?, to which she would glumly nod. Twelve visits ago, it was a Hey, sorry, we’re not open ye—oh, honey, take a seat at the counter. No, go ahead, it’s okay. It’s okay. I’m just getting set up. I’ll be right back out. Stay as long as you want. Now, he just knows: the night is rough, and she is here, and in half an hour or so, she’ll be okay.

His hands are never empty, and he hardly steps out of the kitchen for longer than two minutes at a time. Their conversation comes in stops and starts and stutters. But every time he’s behind the counter, they talk.

He follows up on how her grad school applications are coming (poorly, given the gaps in her resume from four years of unrelated experience). She asks him what seasonal flavors he’s planning for when spring finally comes (kiwi, with peach coming later in the season). She learns that he has indeed bartended, but left the field for “sweeter digs—get it? Sweeter?” when he decided to go sober.

On his fifth pass, he hands her an unglazed apple fritter, still piping hot from the oven: her favorite. They both laugh as she juggles it between her fingertips and litters the bar with crumbs despite her best efforts.

By 5:47am, the only thing still weighing her down is the increasing heaviness of her eyelids. Her traitorous, poison-spewing brain has moved on to happier pursuits. The deep-seated fear that she will live a very long life and she will spend it alone and unloved, and that the few people that have ever cared for her will forget her and find better relationships than she could ever offer them, has settled. She knows it will return; knows that by now, the existential dread is a part of her. Still, as long as she can find refuge and give herself grace, she thinks she’ll be okay.

As Zelda pulls her hoodie back on, Link tells her to take care and that he looks forward to seeing her next time, and she knows from the look in his eyes—warmer than his ovens and deep-fryers combined—that he truly means it.

She exits the shop at 6 on the dot as the first impatient customer of the day enters, and the bell chimes her a hopeful goodbye.

---

Author’s Note

Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed.

This fic was borne from a Twitter thread, originally posted by the user @pochaccobebi, which said "weird but long time ago when i felt scared alone during 2-4 am i always think about bakers in their bakery who are already up during that time doing their thing", with a reply from a former bakery employee confirming that "if you are sad or scared at 3am just remember that we're up preparing donuts, and the donuts are warm for you". I found this to be such a compelling idea--the donut shop as a place of personal comfort–I I turned it into an entire oneshot. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did.

Much thanks to my beta readers, Ace and pastels-and-pining! They are lovely friends and wonderful creators, and I recommend checking out their own LoZ fanfic and fanart!

#my fanfiction #fanfic #loz #zelda #zelink #platonic zelink #mental health hurt/comfort #modern au

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colleencrossingg · 4 months

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Happy New Year 🎉

I do have some goals for this year related to Animal Crossing and gaming in general.

I hope to play more New Leaf and GCN, one of my goals is to pay off my debts in GCN. I will try to play WW and City Folk a bit more often, but I want the majority of my focus to be on New Leaf.

I am not sure how much time I will have this year for games, I graduate in May but my last semester will be extremely busy between classes, working, and running a student journal at my school. I am also doing some independent research projects that will take up a lot of time. After I graduate, if I have a break between then and when I start grad school I will have more time to play, but I will likely be subbing in schools full-time. This year is full of uncertainties because I haven’t applied to grad school yet and my fiancé is still waiting on his applications.

Some of my other goals for this year are to finish at least 3 Zelda games (most likely Zelda 1, Link to the Past, and Ocarina of Time) but I do have a goal of eventually completing them all. I also recently got into Splatoon and I’m having so much fun, so I’ll post anything relevant about that. As far as other games, I want to finish the Kingdom Hearts trilogy, and maybe start Pikmin? My backlog is HUGE and I’m trying to play more games, but I rarely have time and I always gravitate towards New Horizons and MK8.

Looking forward to what this year may bring, I’m scared because I might have to move to a big city or move somewhere close to a train station so we can take the train into NYC for school. I’m always used to having a plan for at least 2-3 years in advance but anything after May this year is completely up in the air. Here’s to hoping I get an actual engagement ring and proposal before next year too. I also turn 22 this year and it’s kinda sad because I feel like I have no "big birthday" milestones to look forward to, because 18-21 felt like a significant birthday milestone every year. I don’t know.

I have some screenshots and pictures from New Year to post, so expect those soon!

#personal #long #essay

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sibyl-of-space · 1 year

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As of today I have accomplished two things:

* got straight A's this semester of grad school while taking 17 units, writing 3 pieces for a zine (complete with organizing recording sessions!), and running monthly online art events for a discord server

* beat Zelda II: The Adventure of Link

you may be the judge of which of these two feats is more impressive

#i didnt even do the dark link cheese strat #anyway zelda ii was good and fun but also a bit frustrating #the same could be said for this semester though lmao

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cooking-with-hailstones · 1 year

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Tag Game

Tagged by: @ladyhoneydee @bahbahhh and @drsteggy (thank you!! I am finally able to sit down while I have half a functional brain cell)

Rules: Tag nine people you want to get to know better

Three ships: Zelink of course, Zelimpa, Revalink

First ship: The first ship that ever consumed my life was Stucky.

Fave color: I have an abiding love for pale turquoise

Last song: I've just been listening to the opera I'm learning on repeat so probably the finale of Suor Angelica

Last movie in theaters: I literally cannot remember?? The last movie I saw was Dune and I thought it was great.

Last show: Mock the Week reruns. Dara O'Brien is a TREASURE and a DELIGHT.

Currently watching: Explosions and Fire (If you are or have ever been in grad school, this one's for you and I recommend clicking it)

Currently reading: I just finished reading chapter 1 of What Remains, a sequel to the absolutely delightful pre-calamity Good Ganondorf/Link fic No Matter What, which I highly recommend.

Currently working on: Surviving my stupid ass decision to be in three different shows simultaneously. Like I'm genuinely having a great time but also my stress level is astronomical.

Current obsession: Obsession feels like the wrong word but I'm just loving hanging out in the various Zelda discords and connecting with people on tumblr.

Tagging: most of my mutuals have already been tagged, so apologies if this is a repeat! @hejmaja @anadorablekiwi @that-one-loz-nerd @mistresslrigtar @evsanchez-1

#tag game #getting to know you #mutuals #pals!#The fact that I get tagged in these kinds of things now #the novelty has NOT worn off #emily talks

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newtsnaturethings · 3 years

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Friday movie nights.

Bonus: what they’re watching

#zelda #zelink #botw #loz link #loz zelda #newtsdoodles #is this based on my reactions to anything narrated by Sir David Attenborough #who knows #I get invested in every crab that shows up in that series #link and zelda are in grad school #so they just have a large beanbag chair #better for cuddling

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skyview-temple-spring · 3 years

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I keep meaning to draw this but never get around to it so!!! Modern Zelda AU where HW is an elaborate series of DnD games. (a lot of this is just random modern au hcs lol)

They're all college or grad school age so 18-24 and go to the same school/live in the same city if they're not studying

(for instance Ghirahim dropped out but it's cool he got a modeling contract at the same place Midna works)

Lana is the DM, she's great at it. She got Link, Proxi, Zelda, and Impa to join her party and they're the core group. Midna and Fi also frequent sessions.

Ruto, Darunia (who's older and a professor not a student), Agitha, Ravio etc. come and go for oneshots

Cia, Lana's sister, is the DM for the other team made up of Volga (had no choice), Wizzro (also had no choice), Zant (forced into playing), Ghirahim (surprisingly, willingly), and Ganondorf (also willingly). Cia is a terrible DM and Gan takes over eventually

Ghirahim, however, considers it beneath him to actually learn the rules. He only plays as dark elf sorcerers and refuses to try anything else

Fi made her own homebrew class/race combo of sword spirit and tried to get Ghirahim to join her but he called her a nerd

Volga sticks to dragonborns of course

Volga and Wizzro quit when Gan took over and there's a whole bunch of drama about it

Sometimes they all join to make one large party and it's hell

Gan, Link, and Zelda have a side game but they don't tell anyone about it

Link has a shit ton of cousins and they're all the other Links. yes they are all named Link it's a family name. HW is THE Link to his friend group and the rest go by nicknames, but his cousins call him a nickname as well (Hyrule)

Linkle is Link's twin but she's not into DnD, she just likes making OP Mary Sue type characters

Link and Linkle are adopted but still look a lot like the rest of their family

(other non canon games are also adopted)

Various Links (i.e. all the alt costumes) visit. Wild sometimes joins their DnD group but he's got his own back in his home town (the champions)

There is only one Zelda who is also Sheik but Tetra and Hylia are separate people. Hylia is Zelda's mom and Tetra and Hilda are her cousins

Fi and Ghirahim are siblings

Midna and Zant are cousins

Zelda/Sheik and Impa are girlfriends. Zelda is genderfluid they/she girl/agender but is okay with fem language

Fi and Midna have crushes on each other but there's nothing there yet

Midna and Ruto are exes

Zant is in love with Gan but it's weird to the point of obsession and extremely unrequited

Cia thought she had the biggest crush on Link but that was her choosing the hot guy at school and decided she had a crush on him but she's a lesbian and ends up with Linkle instead

Ghirahim is a whore and has dated/hooked up with (including but not limited to) Zant, Volga, Gan, 2 different Links, and Cia before they both knew they were gay

Link (HW) and Ghirahim HATE each other they are bitter exes that cannot be in the same room

He did not know Link and Sky were cousins. "oh great my ex's cousin is my other ex fml"

Link also has a long list of exes but they were mostly amicable relationships. Ghirahim makes enemies

#i drew it once #dnd au #i think that was my tag?#anyway #Hyrule Warriors #skyward Sword #breath of the wild #link #zelda #ghirahim #fi #cia #lana #midna #zant #ganondorf #volga #wizzro #ruto

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deiliamedlini · 3 years

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I did this Tier Ranking the other day of Zelda’s with the most to least amount of agency in their games, and I’m going to be honest... I’m still thinking about it. I was getting so annoyed when I played SS the other day because of something that happens that made me mad. So now, I’m going to rant about every single Zelda because she deserves better.

This is my short essay on which Zelda’s have agency in their games and why. Omg if only I could have done that topic in grad school.

So this was my list.

Before you keep going, this is just spoiler central. So, if you haven’t played, say SS yet, heads up.

I’m going to start by saying I’ve never played the Four Swords games nor watched a playthrough. IDK why there are 4 of her, but maybe it’s just ironic to have 4 of them? But that’s my ‘don’t know’ pile. Maybe she’s epic, but I remember her being captured by Vaati in an intro to the GBA game, so I doubt it.

~~~

Most Agency: Wind Waker Tetra, Sheik, and Spirit Tracks Zelda

I almost feel like this part of the list goes without saying. Tetra (WW) is a queen. She’s a captain, has a crew, goes where she wants, helps Link, hurts Link, literally, queen.

Sheik should also go without saying. We don’t see a lot of Sheik actually doing things, but we know she’s doing them. She’s been all over Hyrule for 7 years training, and keeping the world spinning. During the game alone, we know she’s out there rescuing Ruto, trying to fight the spirits in the well, etc. So we don’t see it, but we know it.

And Spirit Tracks Zelda! SHE’S YOUR LITERAL COMPANION!!! SHE’S WITH YOU THE WHOLE GAME, FINDS A WAY TO FIGHT, HELPS, IS FUNNY, IS ACTIVE IN THE KINGDOM, AND IS AN ALL AROUND UNDERATED ZELDA. She lost a little agency because she has no body, but she didn’t let it stop her.

~~~

Good Agency: OOT Zelda, BOTW Zelda, TP Zelda

This is the “I’m in danger of being smited for including these three here” pile. OOT Zelda isn’t in it for long as adult Zelda, and she does get trapped in a crystal almost immediately, but you know she was training for years and managed to stay out of sight of Ganon. And at the end, she holds up an entire castle for you to escape. I want her on my team, but I’d prefer Sheik. Plus, this Zelda is one in SSB sooo does that count? I don’t think so but whatever. I wanted to put her lower, but I was thinking of her off screen and she managed to make it up into the ‘good’ agency pile.

BOTW Zelda. She’s got a lot more agency in AOC than BOTW because she just runs around and basically commands the whole kingdom's army after a while, but in BOTW, she’s held back by everyone! She had the potential! She wasn’t a damsel, she was a smart cookie, she had character, but everyone was like nah girl. Go wander Hyrule doing stuff. And she did! Not because she had agency, but because everyone told her to. She wanted to work with the tech! Let her work with the tech!

And TP Zelda, my girl, I love the thought of this Zelda SO MUCH!! SHE HAS A SWORD!! SHE COULD HAVE USED IT IN THE GAME!! THE CUTSCENE WAS RIGHT THERE!!!!! But you know she defended Hyrule off screen anyway, literally fought with her soldiers to protect her people. Gave her literal life of her own accord, took full blame for things, like, no one told this girl no. She was full blown agency... except that she was locked in a tower for the whole game, then went poof, then got turned into a puppet, then only managed to show off her battle badassery in ONE SCENE aka one of the best multi-stage final boss battles. Just could have pushed her further.

~~~

Okay Agency: Child OOT Zelda, SS Zelda, ALBW Zelda

Child Zelda. She’s a child. She gave Link an instrument and was forcibly (but thankfully) spirited away on horseback. She doesn’t really DO much at this point. But she WILL! So she’s cool, but she’s just a wee sprout still!

SS Zelda: Don’t hit me! I love her, her general plot, and her relationship with Link. But she isn’t even allowed to hug him. She is dragged everywhere, captured MULTIPLE times, stuck in a big old amber crystal thing FOR I DON’T REMEMBER HOW LONG, nearly sacrificed, and is bombarded with memories of a life that wasn’t technically hers and she has to sort through being Hylia and not just Zelda. Poor bean. She’s not at the bottom because you can tell that before the game, she was top tier agency queen.

ALBW Zelda is just... meh. She’s not as bad as ALTTP Zelda, but she doesn’t really do much and then gets stuck in a painting for most of the game. Points if we’re counting Smash Bros again though!

~~~

NO AGENCY: ALTTP Zelda, Oracle Zelda, OG Zelda, Minish Cap Zelda, WW Zelda, PH Tetra, Zelda II Zelda.

ALTTP Zelda is just a sad, sad tale of ‘can you be more damsel in distress if you tried’? She: starts the game in a cell, hides in a sanctuary, is kidnapped again, is sacrificed, is stuck in a crystal, and finally, is chilling in the end credits. Girl. I’m so sorry for you.

Oracle Zelda is apparently the same Zelda as ALTTP and it shows. She hangs out in a house and tells you the weather and then (you guessed it) is kidnapped and nearly sacrificed. This poor bean has gone through too much.

OG Zelda literally pops up at the end of the game and is like HEY you’ve been trying to save me this whole time, in case you didn’t know. And Link’s like omg I have?? Because I don’t even remember her being mentioned outside the info pamphlet and the ending.

Out of order, but Zelda II, she’s the most relatable, because she sleeps the whole game. She’s under a curse, wakes up, sees Link and is like damn you’re cute, and kisses him. If we use the info booklet, it gets worse and her brother used a spell to blah blah. She sleeps. That’s all she does.

Minish Cap Zelda is so precious at the beginning of the game and you can tell her and Link are besties and I wanted more of that! AND THEN SHE’S TURNED TO STONE THE WHOLE GAME. But no, wait, she’s...... almost sacrificed in the process. Deja vu.

Wind Waker Zelda was cool in the final scene, but she spent her entire portion of the game trapped in a basement against her will for her protection. No agency. That’s really all the poor thing gets to do as Zelda.

THEN THE DIRTIEST OF ALL DONE DIRTY CHARACTER MOVES IS PHANTOM HOURGLASS TETRA! ONE OF THE BEST ZELDA’S REDUCED TO NOTHING! SHE IS CAPTURED IMMEDIATELY AND SPENDS THE ENTIRE GAME AS A DAMSEL IN DISTRESS WHO HAS BEEN KIDNAPPED AND TURNED TO STONE. I’m still salty and will hate Phantom Hourglass forever for many reasons, and Tetra being done dirty is one of them.

I feel better now. If anyone actually read all this and has other thoughts on this, I’m fired up and ready to talk because who needs to sleep at 1:30am? Not me!!

#legend of zelda #zelda #princess zelda #ranking things #rant #Zelda's agency #why do some of these games just HATE her #I was not recovered after ranking these Zelda's the other day #agency #zelda series #gaming

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artimus-maora · 2 years

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hi there umm idk if you were perhaps artemis-maora on deviantart in like 2013 who posted a ghirahim/link comic back in the day or not, but if you are that person..

I got a deviantart account Just so I could see the next page of that comic one time. being on the site inspired me to start drawing. It’s started off as shitty anime legend of Zelda fanart, but I kept with it. Throughout the years I got better at it to the point where people told me I should go to art school. I have now submitted applications to graduate schools to become a professional medical illustrator.

but yeah I only started drawing when I was in middle school because of your(?) ship comic and now it’s my career! Thank you

I sure was (and am still technically) artimus-maora on DA!!

Wow, good old GhiraLink on DA.... so many years ago. I can't say enough how excited I am for you!!! Professional medical illustration- that's amazing! I'm so happy to have been the springboard for your art journey - a good friend of mine did the same for me, many years ago, so I completely understand how wild the journey can be. Never thought fandom art could lead to a career, huh?

Once again, I can't emphasize enough how excited I am for you! I'm so, so happy to have been a directing force in your art journey! Thank you for sharing this with me- wishing you all the best on your grad school apps!! You're gonna be great!

#ngl i've had some horrible news today and haven't been feeling so hot #so your message is a welcome spot of light!#may or may not be getting a little teary here #maoras stuff

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mistresslrigtar · 6 months

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(star emoji) for the director's cut <3

Thank you, belly! 😀

Today I want to talk about some of the settings in my current story I Belong to You being posted on AO3. It's a grad school au, and is obviously set in the Castletown of BotW Hyrule, but what my reader's don't know, is the buildings and layout of the college and town are actually based on the college where I attended grad school. Here are a few examples:

Milk Bar is the club Mipha and Zelda attend in chapter one. All the descriptions of it's interior are taken from a club in my college town, called Styx. At one time, it was known as a massive party school and Styx was THE hot spot to go!

In chapter five Zelda meets Link at the Temple of Time Foundation, witnesses his piano jury in the recital hall and after, he shows her his basement office. Those locations and descriptions are based on the recital hall and my office from grad school in a building called the Old Baptist Foundation.

When they need to 'discuss' their relationship status in chapter six, Link asked Zelda to meet him at the Swallow's Roost. There was a stuffy bar in my college town called Mississippi Flyaway that looks exactly how I described it in the story - taxidermy animals, heavy wood-paneling and all!

And the setting they've actually spent the most time (Link's apartment) is the exact layout inside and out of my college boyfriend aka love of my life aka life partner aka husband.

#legend of zelda #zelink #the legend of zelda #ask games #friends!

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zeldaseyebrows · 11 months

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Chapter Three of Sacrilege and Sororities is out!

Pairing: Link/Zelda, OG Link/Hylia

Rating: E

Excerpt from Chapter 3 (Hangovers and Hair Bands):

Zelda wakes and thinks that Ganon must have appeared, razed the entire kingdom, and killed her. And then tap-danced on her skull. With spiked platform heels. Since she’s obviously dead and being punished for eternity.

Taking stock of the situation, Zelda realizes that she’s laying on her side in her bed, a wastebasket positioned right over the edge and a glass of water, litre bottle of pedialyte, and a suspiciously pink elixir on the nightstand. A gentle spring breeze blows through the large bay windows, causing the curtains to sway and carve sharp patterns into the light wood floor. On Link’s nightstand, the obnoxious alarm clock announces to the world it’s 1639.

Well, Zelda realizes, at least it’s a Saturday and I won’t miss any class because of my idiotic indiscretion.

Pain stabs through Zelda’s temples in time with the beat of her heart and her mouth is drier than the Gerudo desert during a drought. The underwire of her bra cuts into her ribcage and the buttons on her pants dig into her stomach. At least she kept her clothes on and was spared that humiliation. Though she doesn’t like him, she trusts Link’s professionalism and knows he would never take advantage of her, even if she tried to strip down whilst sloshed out of her mind. He even averted his eyes and took off his own shirt to give her when she got hit in the chest by a rouge water balloon on the quad. Though him going to lecture topless almost incited a disgusting hormonal riot.

The person here she can’t trust is herself, since she can’t remember most of what had happened since the ill-fated dinner last night. She knows she had a strange dream as well, but she can’t hold onto it, and any memory of crimson and gold slips out of her mind like water through her hands.

Taking a deep breath for strength, Zelda drags her eyes up from where the Master Sword, in all of its glory and ostentation, is propped up on his headboard to the wide-eyed stare she knows awaits her.

Dark circles cling under his bloodshot eyes and an emotion she can’t quite parse is stuck on his face. Concern? Disappointment? Disgust?

Tiny bits and pieces come back to her: Doing body shots off a beautiful woman’s abs, dancing very badly around the spinning living room of the sorority house, Urbosa steering her into the bathroom, a stunning blonde woman picking her up, and something with a storm ditch and a hedge. But there’s hardly any detail and nothing to tie it all together. The night is a big swirl of confusion and questionable decisions.

How can I stop the Calamity and protect anyone if I can’t even keep it together for a night?

Zelda breaks the eye contact and silence first, clearing her rough throat.

“I apologize for my conduct last night,” she tells Link, voice scratchy and strained. “I’m afraid I don’t remember what transpired, but I hope that I wasn’t too much of a burden and that I didn’t do anything unbecoming.”

Link’s eye almost twitches before he shakes his head and responds, “No,” much too fast.

Right then, Zelda realizes that Link is not good at everything. Since Link is apparently a terrible liar.

#zelink #zelink fanfiction #botw #tloz #the legend of zelda #Sacrilege and Sororities #My writing

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cyraclove · 4 years

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Higher Pursuits

BOTW Grad School AU

“...so, if you do decide that you’ll be writing a thesis in lieu of the comprehensive examination, I’ll be the one you’ll need to speak with.”

Zelda scribbled furiously in her notebook as Dr. Kaneli continued to speak, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose every few minutes like clockwork. He’d come to Dr. Teba’s diagnostics lecture that morning to speak about research opportunities, accompanied by several of his current research assistants.

“No need to decide right this moment, of course,” he said, “but we will be needing your name and thesis topic by the end of your first year if you do select that track.”

Thesis by end year one, she scrawled onto the paper.

God, a thesis. She’d dreamt of this moment.

Had Zelda ever wanted anything more than to write a thesis? What greater pleasure was there than to delve so completely into research that you know every facet of it like you know the letters of your own name? The plethora of potential opportunities was exhilarating, her mind running rampant at the very notion of selecting one.

A hand suddenly covered hers, causing her pen to scratch to a halt.

She glanced up to see Link staring at her, an eyebrow cocked in her direction.

“What?” She whispered, “I’m taking notes.”

‘Just listen,’ he signed, ‘You don’t have to write down every word he says.’

She felt a smile tug at her lips as she rolled her eyes. “We’ll see who’s coming to who with questions in a few weeks.”

Link grinned brightly, waving a hand at her in dismissal.

“My personal field is neurological disorders,” Kaneli explained, recapturing Zelda’s undivided attention, “and if you have any interest in my research, do let me know. I am always in need of hardworking graduate assistants. It’s not easy work, mind you, but we do have fun.”

The professor then paused to smile at a young man seated amongst the other second year students In the front row.

“I’m sure you can attest to that, Mr. Medoh,” he teased cheerily. A few of the others around him chuckled lightly.

From where she and Link were sitting in the lecture hall, it was impossible to see his face. Even when craning her neck a bit, Zelda could only glimpse locks of raven hair that dusted the man’s shoulders, several strands pleated into delicate braids while some was piled atop his head in a haphazard bun.

Medoh, she wrote hastily in the margins.

Link tapped the table to get her attention before furrowing his brow and asking, ‘Why?’.

She shrugged. “Might be good to have second year connections. And quit reading over my shoulder.”

Link’s face took on a sly expression as he eyed her curiously. With two fingers, he gestured a circle around his face before pointing to the man in the first row.

“Handsome?” Zelda scoffed, “How can I think that he’s handsome when I can’t even see him? You hush.”

He waggled his brows at her. ‘I’m not talking,’ he signed.

“You know what I mean,” she said. “You can make that joke all you want and it still won’t be funny.”

“Ah, does someone there in the back have a question?”

Zelda’s face prickled hot as nearly everyone in the room swiveled around to look at her. She froze, damning her immoveable tongue for not immediately coming to her rescue with a response. She barely heard Link sniggering beside her as she stared blankly at Dr. Kaneli, an expectant look on his face.

Her gaze was drawn downward to a pair of green eyes staring up from beneath thick, dark lashes.

The young man that Kaneli had called Mr. Medoh was now looking directly at her, incredulity marring his brow. His sharp, almost bird-like features gave him a stern appearance, the strong cut of his jaw curtained by wisps of hair. The striking emerald of his irises was offset by the deep, rich tone of his bronzed skin.

Oh. He was handsome.

Someone cleared their throat.

“Ms. Farore,” Dr. Teba prompted from his seat in the corner, “did you have a question or didn’t you?”

“Oh, no. Uh, sir. No, sir,” she stammered, “I didn’t...um, no. Sorry.”

Teba pursed his lips and hummed his disapproval, but said nothing more. He instead encouraged Kaneli to continue, apologizing for the interruption. Zelda’s pulse thundered in her ears as she caught a hint of a smirk on the dark-haired man’s face just before he turned back around.

She wanted to die.

And, maybe, smack Link.

The remainder of the lecture went quickly, though Zelda registered only a quarter of anything that was said. She still felt hot with humiliation, her embarrassment taking the uncomfortable form of sweat; she could think only of how badly she wished she had a stick of deodorant and a new blouse.

When Kaneli and Teba finally concluded and announced dismissal, Zelda slumped down into her chair and covered her face with her hands. She sat amidst the shuffling of papers and zipping of book bags, letting the rest of the class file out until she and Link were the only two left in the large hall.

When she finally peeked through her fingers at Link, she saw him looking just as remorseful as he could, signing ‘sorry’ on his chest.

Zelda sighed. “Oh, don’t look at me that way. I’ve already forgiven you, you know that.”

He beamed at her, and she suddenly remembered why it was impossible to ever be cross with him in any capacity. He stacked his fists then, twisting one atop the other as he raised his brows in question.

“Yeah, coffee sounds good. You’re buying.”

The Café Bar was bustling with students just being released from class, flocking in from outside to escape the chilly October air and scrambling for a place in line. Others stood idly by and scouted for empty tables, often to no avail. Though there were several places to go for coffee on campus, the little, locally-owned coffee shop that sat just near the university was by far the most popular.

The gentle hiss of milk being steamed and the pleasant gurgle of fresh coffee brewing could just be heard above the sound of light jazz mingling with idle chatter. Cups and saucers clinked as they were cleared from tables. Zelda inhaled deeply, the comforting scent of espresso a welcome respite.

“I have a vanilla latte with extra whip on the bar!”

She nudged Link with her elbow to get his attention. They had managed to procure their favorite spot; a small circular table over by the large bay window that sidled right up to the window seat. He looked up from his phone.

“That’s you,” she said. He nodded and stood with a smile, lightly touching her shoulder and giving it an affectionate squeeze as he slipped behind her. Zelda smiled to herself before returning to the article that she’d been perusing, a clinical research study on the affects of naturalistic treatment protocols on aphasic patients. She’d not even read five words when she heard her name being softly called from across the café.

“Zelda, over here.”

A petite, red-headed young woman came striding towards her, her arms piled with books. Zelda hopped up from her chair to lighten her load, carefully taking a few of the books off of the top.

“Oh, Mipha, let me help you. Where’s your--wait, here, set them on the table.”

She thanked her profusely as she plunked the remaining books on the tiny table, making it wobble sadly on its narrow legs. She slid onto the window seat, shrugging her blue sweater from her shoulders. Her cheeks were a pretty, wind-bitten pink as she smiled warmly, releasing a sigh of relief.

“I thought you’d already gone home,” Zelda said, “And what are all of these for?”

“Oh, these are my textbooks for this semester. I’ve just been to the bookstore to pick them up,” she explained. She screwed up her face. “They didn’t have the one I need for my biochem class, though. I preordered that one, too.”

“You need all of these?” Zelda asked, brows raised in awe as she mentally tallied the books.

Mipha nodded resignedly. “Yes, all of them. That’s what I get for deciding to get my master’s in marine biology, I suppose. I’m on my way to the apartment, but I thought I’d stop and grab a latte or so—” she paused, copper eyes shifting their attention from Zelda’s face to just behind her. “Oh, Link, hello.”

Link nodded cheerfully at Mipha with a mug in one hand and a plate holding the largest muffin that Zelda had ever seen in the other. She kicked out his chair for him with her foot and he sat, gingerly placing his coffee on the table. He signed ‘thank you’ with his free hand, the other still absentmindedly clutching the plate as his eyes swept the café. Mipha and Zelda gave one another a quick, knowing look.

“Sidon’s still at the rec with Bazz,” Mipha mentioned, a smile in her voice, “He told me to tell you ‘hi’, though.”

Zelda watched Link’s jaw visibly clench as he sucked in a breath through his nose.

‘He did?’

Mipha nodded.

Link bit the inside of his cheek, and then quickly shrugged and focused his attention on making a dent in the mountain of whipped cream on his coffee.

‘That’s cool,’ he told her, ‘Tell him hey, I guess.’

The redhead turned to Zelda for a translation; she was with the two of them so frequently now that she’d been able to pick up quite a bit of ASL, but still needed occasional help. Zelda found that Link was particularly difficult to understand when the subject of conversation was Sidon, simply because his hands moved twice their normal speed.

“He said to tell Sidon that he’s the most handsome man he’s ever seen and that he’d love to go on a date sometime,” Zelda answered casually, unlocking her phone to open up her article again.

Link nearly choked on a piece of muffin.

“I have an americano with cream on the bar!”

“Be right back,” Zelda chimed as she got up to get her drink, looking back briefly to see Link signing ‘wrong’ on his chin repeatedly. She chuckled inwardly and turned back around, only to collide with an oddly familiar looking green cardigan.

“Oh, I’m so sorry,” she said, backing up, “That’s my fault. I wasn’t even paying attention.”

“Evidently not.”

Zelda’s eyes flicked up at the foreign voice, her heart leaping into her throat as she realized with whom she was speaking.

Oh, shit.

Handsome braids guy.

“Uh, hi. Again,” she muttered, hopelessly lost for anything else to say.

He gave her a queer look. “Again?”

“Um. I mean, yeah. You were just in Dr. Teba’s lecture? You came with Dr. Kaneli. For the, uh, research. Thing.”

The corner of the young man’s mouth quirked up ever so slightly as he tucked a strand of hair behind his ear. “Right. You didn’t have a question.”

Zelda felt her cheeks burn at the very mention of the incident, her chest tightening at the memory. The man raised a brow at her, an irritatingly amused expression on his face. She felt her eye twitch.

“Yes, well. If you’ll excuse me. Sorry, ag--”

A barista interrupted.

“Americano with cream to-go!”

Green cardigan stepped up to the bar to accept the coffee, thanking the woman who’d handed it off with an actual smile. Zelda watched him, dumbfounded, as he hoisted his messenger bag up onto his shoulder and glanced in her direction for a fraction of a second before heading for the door.

“Wait!”

The words had flown out of her mouth before she’d even had time to register them. Perfectly annoyed, he stopped to turn and face her, his eyes on her in silent query.

“About Dr. Kaneli’s research lab,” she began, “are there still spots open for new assistants right now?”

His demeanor changed at the question and he adopted a defensive, almost territorial stance. He studied her closely, eyeing her with an uncomfortable thoroughness; as though he were sizing up a rival.

“Yes,” he drawled, “Why?”

“I’d like to apply,” she responded, maybe too quickly.

He sucked his teeth. “Interesting. Well, come by the office at the clinic if you want an application. They’re due in a week.”

Zelda grinned, nodding excitedly. “Oh, that’s excellent. I’ll definitely be by, then. Thank you, um...” she paused, chewing her lip, “Sorry. What did you say your name was?”

“I didn’t.”

Making for the door once again, he left Zelda with her mouth partly open, staring after him in quiet disbeleif. His fingers brushing the handle, he hesitated, looking back over his shoulder.

“It’s Revali,” he said, and was gone.

Zelda stood in place for a while until he was completely out of sight, her mind fumbling with the entire interaction. Her stomach had twisted itself into a squirmy knot, a feeling with which she was unfamiliar. She felt like she’d somehow been both insulted and praised at the same time.

Revali, she thought to herself.

What a dick.

I hope you enjoyed this completely self-indulgent drabble of a Grad School AU that I’m considering. The more I think about this ship the more I like it. Thanks for reading! @botwrareships

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jenseits-der-sterne · 3 years

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4 and 14 for 'under the surface'?

Awe, Under the Surface :) This one has a soft spot in my heart, as you could probably guess, @bhujerbanwrites 💖

4: What’s your favorite line of dialogue?

So for anyone that hasn't read this story, there's an analogy made between Link and cicadas. This definitely the only BOTW fic on AO3 tagged with "Cicadas" - I just checked to confirm and I also learned there are only 17 works in AO3 for all fandoms tagged with this 😂 Way back after I posted it on AO3, I sent this story to a friend outside of the fandom who's read some of my stuff and he immediately saw that tag and was like "whaaaat, why is your fic tagged with 'cicidas'?!"

ANYWAYS, this is just the set up for me to get to this bit of dialog between Link and Zelda:

“I… I wanted to say that…” He stops and draws in a deep breath. “Once I learned about cicadas, I kind of felt… I felt a sort of affinity for these weird bugs.”

“Oh.” Zelda is a little confused. “Why do you…” Zelda trails off, the analogy clicking into place before she even manages to finish her question.

Link shrugs, the gesture small and unsure. His eyes slide away from hers. “Being underground, locked away… waiting for the right moment to emerge. It... struck a chord with me.”

Zelda stares at him. In the last three weeks, he’s never spoken to her about this. They’ve never spoken about this. Perhaps this is hard… Perhaps Zelda has made this hard for him, with the disappointment she’d felt in reuniting with him that very first day. “I see,” she says a little breathlessly.

He picks up a small pebble and fidgets with it, his eyes fixed on it as he speaks. “They come out of the ground and, boy, do they really make a racket with their singing.” He huffs out a quiet laugh. “Everyone knows they’re there, so there’s no missing it the year they emerge. And I… Well, I kind of felt like I was doing the same thing over the course of the last year. No one in Hyrule could mistake that something was happening… that someone was doing something with the Divine Beasts.”

It's hard to pick one single line of dialogue, but this little back and forth is at the heart of the story, so it's my favorite bit.

14: Is there anything you wanted readers to learn from reading this fic?

Hmm. Gosh. I don't know?

So... In the story, right after the Calamity, Zelda is disappointed with the answer that Link gives her regarding if he remember her. He's honest, because he's aware of how little he remembers beyond the memories, so he says he knows it's not enough. Zelda gets really upset over this and so they spend a tense-ish 3 weeks after the Calamity not really knowing how to interact with one another.

Eventually, the above cicada conversation happens and it helps them to begin to make progress with understanding one another.

So, I can't presume that my story teaches any lessons really. I think if there's there's anything to learn from it, it's that after a long time apart from someone, coming back together can be surprisingly difficult, even if you think you know that person really well. And in that coming back together, maybe you come into that reunion with expectations, but if the other person can't meet your expectations, then it's very easy for disappointment to drive a wedge between the two of you. If there's anything to learn from this story, I think it's to come in with an open heart and mind and try to understand where the other person _is_, not where you want them to be?

Heh. I had honestly not thought directly about this "lesson" until having to answer this question. I definitely faced a point in my life about ten years ago now that was like this, but it was worse than what goes down in "Under the Surface" and way more drawn out than 3 weeks. I came home after grad school and I expected things to play out a certain way, but when they did not play out as I expected, it was really disorienting. I felt pretty adrift and I was constantly at loggerheads over this. In hindsight, I wish that I'd been far more understanding than I had been and I wish I'd been able to roll with the differences rather than digging my heals in and being really disappointed and upset...

So, I guess that would be a lesson, if there is one to get from this story.

Thank you so much for the ask! 🥰

#ask me questions #my fic #my writing #under the surface #bhujerbanwrites

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