#linked universe discussion

[luna-lovegreat]

So... Warriors

It is obvious by now he's not ok. He's irritable and tense.

I've had thoughts and ideas on this for awhile, so I think now's a good time to speak them. Very important detail at the end.

There are some really big and some small things adding to his stress

The drama with the sword. Wild went against the agreed plan, and lashed out in anger fear for twilights injury. From things Jojo said, Wars is mad about it for a while.

I have said this in other posts, but based on things Jojo has said and some details, I do not think Wild likes wars. He has not really gotten close to him, which adds on to the negativity between them

But Wars... is a captain. This journey is different, and he's doing amazing at setting aside expectations of how to work with rank. But that is still a clear stressor- to him that was unacceptable in battle

^this is one big thing we watched go wrong and has clearly been upsetting since

Another thing is

Wars has been taking on too much. We've seen him break up a fight at the inn, comfort Time (time!), and tell him he'd take care of the others.

Twice he said "let them", and "let him be"-making others have space they needed. He asked Four what was wrong and followed up with helping with smithing.

^^These are all small things. None of these are huge- practically tiny tasks. But they add up- all the attention to others feeling but not his own

... and

Wars has not smiled. Yes, he smiled, but it was not his smile. Since Twilight went injured to the inn, there has only been smiles in a way expected, but not much beyond when he found out his friend wasn't dead. (And when he helped Four at the blacksmiths)

In the updates, I have seen others saying how cool/pretty he looked. Which he did! But emotion wise, I only thought he looked angry. Even when teasing Twilight...

^Not his smile

But here's the biggest thing that I believe is bothering him...

I've wanted to point this out for awhile. The thing is, Wars was really hurt when he found out Twilight didn't tell him about Wolfie

It's small details. A few sentences and facial expressions. But they add up over the chapter, and I don't think he felt trusted or trusting when he found out

He tried to find out who else knew

And why he was one who didn't

*read the blurred words:

"No one said anything to me, I'm just left out of the loop. Who else knows? Just us?"

Wolfie being secret wasn't necessarily about trust, but wars took it personally. He really didn't understand or want to accept that Twilight would have told some of the others but not him...

Wars is distinctly closer to the ones his age, who the younger ones often turn to. And as someone who's been through war, who bonds closest with those he feels he works with best?

Twilight having a major secret he didn't share with Wars, but did with others,

Felt like a knife to the (back?) chest.

And it hurt him

Look at his face when saying "we couldn't do a thing for him". He's looking away, directly after asking four and wild if they knew. I don't think he felt trusted. Or trusting. From thinking someone wasn't who he thought he was, and maybe was closer to others...

^^this is what I think is perhaps the biggest stressor- yet most unnoticeable

Wars never spoke to anyone about his feelings. He pushed it aside and went and helped.

This is ok. Between people so close, anything can be worked out. This is very revealing of how much Wars cares about twilight and the others

As far as Warriors pushing aside his needs and focusing on others... it's hard.

But I can confidently say this: Warriors would never want to not help all he could, when the others needed him

Here's this screenshot that makes me laugh (and somehow sky is just chill with this?)

Wars: oh my god my friend just came back from a wolf what the Hylia who can I even trust I'm having an invisible crisis

Sky: oh yay the sword helped he's back :)

Twilight: I'm fine *currently dying*

Wars is stressed right now. He's taken on too much, he's probably still mad at Champion, and... he feels betrayed (god wars should never have to feel betrayed) and untrusted

Like literally everyone ever others, wars deals with his hurt. Sometimes he can't deal with it alone, and sometimes he can. It will all work out, and I love how much he loves his brothers.

But nothing, I repeat nothing

Will be ok

IF HE DOESNT START WEARING THE DAMN SCARF SOON CMON WE HAVENT SEEN IT IN LIKE TEN UPDATES

PUT ON YOUR EMOTIONAL SUPPORT SCARF CMON MAN

Ok I'm calm <3

.

Art and comic by Jojo @linkeduniverse :D

#petition to bring the scarf back 2024 #linked universe #linkeduniverse #no hate towards any for accepting Wars help #they were all overextended. now for recovery #my fanfic authors know what I'm talking about with trust and betrayal #he's not ok #I cannot make a post only exploring the dark sides of relationships #with love strong enough to hurt- how is there not beauty to be found there? #I only like the scarf to want it back. but. I have given up. have at it wars simps #Lu wars #I feel like some of my wording was too harsh- perhaps from just discussing an uncomfortable topic #but if I have said anything offensive let me know I want to learn :D

[skyward-floored]

fic idea for lu where all of the Links dead bio parents are chilling up in the sacred realm or wherever and they all get together and watch all of their sons meet and goof off and are basically just the unseen cheering section

#smiles this is slightly you and lofty’s fault you made me too invested in Link parents #I’d write it but we all know the state of my overflowing wip drawer #rambles from the floor #linkeduniverse #linked universe #Warriors dad and legends dad both making bets on who gets more monsters between their sons like gimli and legolas #the moms discussing who was the cutest baby #winds parents seeing him kill all those monsters after wild got hurt: YOU GO SWEETIE #all of them watching quietly as Twilight lays near death and they wonder if he’s going to join them #and then cheering when Hyrule’s spell works and TWI IS OKAY

[breannasfluff]

A sword wields no strength unless the hand that holds it has courage. You may be destined to become the hero of legend…but your current power would disgrace the proud green of the hero's tunic you wear. You must use your courage to seek power…and find it you must. Only then will you become the hero for whom this world despairs. - Hero's Shade

So Twilight is quoting back the Hero's Shade here. Ironically, the Hero's shade could then quote a future Twi to a past Twi, making a loop.

But then we have the letter from the ranch. Did Time get a letter that Malon is pregnant?

"You have at last mastered all of the hidden skills. Although I accepted life as the hero, I could not convey the lessons of that life to those who came after. At last, I have eased those regrets. You who have marched through countless foes, each mightier then the last… You who now gaze to the future with vision unclouded… Surely you can restore Hyrule to its stature of yore as the chosen land of the gods. …Farwell! - Hero's Shade

Given the Shade's line about those who came after...Time may have never gotten to pass on his skills to his son, leaving him with regrets. Will this story end with Dink's defeat at the cost of Time's life?

Or will it come after the story is over; ala Tony Stark style where he gets a few years with his kid, then dies?

Any way you look at it, it's pretty grim.

image of comic belongs to Jojo @linkeduniverse

#linked universe #linkeduniverse #lu update #lu time #lu twilight #discussion #it could be that there's monsters in that era #but Time's demise is still an issue at some point

[magpie-lu-aside]

What are some songs that you guys associate with the chain/specific LU characters? I want to expand mine (cuz it's mostly Four and Time) for when I write fics, but I'm also just genuinely curious.....

#linked universe #linkeduniverse #ill drop the playlist if yall want but its so obvious i have a bias to them #also 90% of it is regina spektor cuz i love her music #lissen.... older and taller is such a time song and tornado land is big four vibes #feel free to discuss in the tags and or comments!!! i would also be willing to rant about my list #< has very specific thoughts and will not shut up fair warning

[thepinklink]

#discord discusses Legend’s fate #I am not kind to my son #linked universe #linkeduniverse #lu legend

[linksfandomgmxreblogs]

The mailman's face when he realized there are 9 of them

#love the including of each different hyrule language #the mailman's face had me #the guy at the counter face was great too #linked universe #lu update #lu discussion #linkeduniverse #lu meme

[unexpectedstormy]

Memory

Ask word game???????

Oops I wrote a long thing (824 words) (and I made myself cry writing it). It's called Legend's Grace.

******

Legend sat at Wild's bedside and held his limp hand tightly, willing him to hold on, willing him to pull through.

They'd had a rough week; lots of fighting and lots of injuries. Legend himself sports a bandage around his head and a mild concussion to match. Wild was a trooper, he'd taken an arrow to the ribs one of the days, and though it was healed with a potion, it still bothered him, but not enough to slow him down. That is until yesterday when he collapsed.

The running theory was that the injury was healed but with an infection sealed inside and now here he was sick in bed in a random kind stranger's house with a dangerously high fever and an entrenched chest infection that didn't seem to be responding to any medicine.

"Come on, stay with me," Legend murmured fervently. To his surprise, Wild opened his eyes. He looked up at Legend blearily and giggled.

"I know you," he said softly. "I know that red anywhere."

"Oh thank the goddesses, Champion, you really have had us worried."

"Mipha," Wild exhaled and closed his eyes. Legend froze, his heart racing. He knew what Mipha was someone very important to Wild but exactly how he didn't know. And he knew he did not have the emotional fortitude to have this sort of conversation with him right now.

"I guess if I'm seeing you that's not a good thing," Wild said opening his eyes once more.

"You're going to be fine," Legend said squeezing his hand.

"If you say so."

"I do. Say so." Legend said awkwardly, wishing Wild would go back to sleep. Should he fake being this Mipha person? Or tell him he was Legend? Would that confuse or distress him too much?

"You're still here," Wild said after a minute or two of staring up at Legend's face.

"I'm not going to leave you," Legend said.

"Since you're here..." Wild started then took a rattling noisy inhale and wincing with pain. "I just wanted to say that..."

"Shhh. It's alright. Don't talk, just rest."

"I want to. I need to tell you... I'm sorry."

What for? Legend wondered but he couldn't bring himself to ask. He waited as the seconds ticked by, dreading the answer, already feeling his eyes prickling with tears. Damn concussion making his skin thin and emotions fragile.

"I know you loved me--" Wild started but a wet coughing spell left him struggling to breathe. Legend hovered over him with worry unsure of what to do, wishing literally anyone else was there to help, but everyone else was sleeping in the barn.

"Sidon said you wanted to propose," Wild continued once his breath returned enough for him to speak.

Tears pooled in Legend's eyes. Nononono he did not need to know that information. So Mipha had been Wild's girlfriend, his almost fiancee? Legend didn't know much about her, but he knew she was dead.

"And... I'm sorry," Wild continued, oblivious to Legend's struggle. "I'm sorry, but... I lost my memory. I don't remember you... not much anyway."

Legend wiped his eyes on his sleeve and put on a brave face.

"I don't know if past me loved you, but... I don't now--not in that way--but... I do feel some love for you...? I don't know. My emotions are confused."

"It's okay. I understand," Legend said trying to keep his voice strong and unwavering, but all he could see in his mind was his own lost love, all he could see was her her her--her red hair in the breeze, her cheery smile, her blue dress...

"Your father was right... it really is a shame we'll never know what could have been."

It was a shame we'll never know what could have been. Tears streamed down Legend's face and his shoulders shook with silent sobs.

It was a shame Legend didn't have more time with Marin, it was a shame what happened wasn't real, it was a shame he could never see her again, hold her again, speak with her again, except in his own dreams. How he yearned for her, how he wanted her in his life again more than anything in the world. She was his beloved and he was once hers.

"One thing I do remember... before the calamity..."

"What?" Legend uttered roughly with emotion.

"You wanted to spend more time together... Let's do that. I want to get to know you again."

"Yes," Legend said his heart heavy with grief. "I would like that very much."

"One last thing... before I sleep," Wild said in a fading voice.

Legend wiped his eyes and nose, forcing himself to take a deep breath and regain some semblance of his shattered composure.

"Thanks for being there for me, through everything."

Thank you for everything, Link!

Legend smiled through the tears and the pain and he said it, he meant it with all his heart:

"It was my pleasure."

#been wanting to write this for a while #linked universe #lu wild #lu legend #Legend's Grace #whump #discussion of Wild's relationship with Mipha #legend/marin #miphalink #but not really

[spooksier]

now that im done with my “education” i can get back to my real passion—writing way too complicated meta takes on things i like where i just start saying shit 50% of the way in

#text! #anybody here want to discuss beholding as a vulture to the other fears? #anybody want to discuss jon’s ties to the web and tape recorders? #anybody want to consider steven q universe as a transgender character? #anybody want to hear me scream about link and zelda’s development pre/post calamity and post upheaval? anybody?

[mothfables]

Modern Day Chain Work at a Christmas Market

so i work at a seasonal christmas market and had this idea today while we were doing set-up. time to induce my misery (lighthearted) on my favourite characters lmao

under the cut so it doesn’t take up your dash haha

Time is the closest thing they have to a manager. he does not like this. Warriors is a close second

Twilight + Four are in charge of physically setting up the tent/stall

Legend, Wild, and Four are in charge of displays (well, when Four isn’t fed up from setting up the tent)

Wild works in the back/warehouse, Time the register with regular breaks on the floor, Legend on the floor (he refuses to even touch the register), Hyrule the floor, Twilight on the floor and occasionally register, Sky’s the greeter and occasionally works the floor or other things, Warriors is mostly on the register, and Four does a bit of everything. Wind is technically, on paper, on greeter duty (cause, yknow, child labour) but he sticks his nose into everything, much to literally everyone else’s chagrin

Time tends to put Sky on greeter duty because he knows the other man tends to tire easily, but he does surprisingly well at whatever he’s assigned. that being said, whatever he does, he passes out immediately upon getting home

they tried the ‘My Name is Link’ nametag thing exactly once. they lasted two days before everyone was sick of it

Hyrule is still shy + uncomfortable around crowds, despite working there for four years. Time has tried putting him on the floor to try to boost his confidence, but he still escapes to the back at every opportunity

Legend flat-out refuses to work their busiest weekends. he told Time they’d have to drag him kicking and screaming into the store if they absolutely want him there. Time has yet to test this

Time + Twilight are physically intimidating, which tends to be a deterrent for most shoplifters + Karens. when that doesn’t work, though, they have a secret weapon: Hyrule

shy he may be, put him in front of a Karen and you’re in for a show. more than one of them have stopped what they’re doing to watch things go down. Time has berated them for it but they don’t pay him any mind considering he’s guilty of the exact same thing

also, Hyrule has a sixth sense for potential shoplifters, no matter where in the store he is. Four + Legend have been trying to figure it out but after four years they still don’t have an explanation

Time asked Mallon once if she wanted to work at the market with them. she laughed and told him she’d rather stay on the ranch. there are many days where Time regrets not doing the same thing

Wild does not work the floor. he has stated in no uncertain terms that if he’s put out there he will bite someone. to this day Time doesn’t know if he means a customer or one of them

everyone has their own organizational system that directly contradicts everyone else’s. they all hate it

Wind works the least hours out of all of them (considering he’s fourteen). he’s pouted about this many times, but the rest of them agree he should save his back + knees while he still can

Ravio is perfectly happy with his own shop. he does pop in sometimes to say hello, though, and on occasion brings treats for everyone

#linked universe #linked universe au #lu the chain #lu time #lu twilight #lu wild #lu wind #lu legend #lu hyrule #lu sky #lu four #lu warriors #i’m so sorry wars i dont have any ideas for you #other than youre very charming and good at directing people to specific areas #hmm #maybe they put him on crowd control when it gets especially busy #feel free to discuss if you have any ideas

[batrogers]

Febuwhump Day 20: Truth Serum

Fandom: Linked Universe

Approx 1300 words

Rated T for alcohol consumption and mature themes (politics and violence, not sex)

(References a lot of my own backstory ideas for the boys from other headcanon posts I've made, and other writing.)

In which the Chain tries to relax, and a few lips get too loose.

“Frankly some of you should be grateful you don’t have a Queen,” Twilight said, and Link leaned back in his chair and reconsidered if he really wanted to keep up with the amount of liquor the others were having.

They were already a pitcher of arkhi and two bottles of wine down, most of which had gone into the older men’s glasses. Link was drinking, but he’d been drinking kumis and beer most of his life because the water wasn’t safe. It was getting better, slowly – as far as he could tell, monarchy and Hyrule seemed to make the world repair itself when they were aligned – but that wasn’t Twilight’s experience.

Wasn’t the rest, either.

“Why not?” Wind retorted.

“A queen’s at least better than a King,” Time said. He spoke over the smaller boy, his chair tilted back and a small smile on his face as he looked into his nearly empty cup.

“There’s no reason a Queen’s better than a king. Rusl doesn’t trust her, and he did know the old King.”

Link frowned. “Is it usually a King causing problems for all of us?” he asked. It was true a King had been why the younger Zelda was put into a centuries long sleep, but...

“King Daphnes did what he could to save Hyrule,” Wind insisted.

“I know King Rhoam was trying...” Wild added.

Warriors – sitting between Twilight and Time, and Link was beginning to suspect this was for the best – chuckled. “We haven’t had a King in a long time, but everyone does say it was a Queen that set us up for where we are now.”

Time raised his eyebrow. “That sounds like a bad thing.”

“Oh, it is.”

Link looked desperately at the bar. Legend and Sky were getting more food for their table, but they’d gotten caught up talking and didn’t seem likely to return soon, but by all the Gods Link hoped they would before this got any further.

“I told you,” Twilight continued. “A Queen isn’t better!”

“Does your Zelda know you think that?” Four asked.

“Yes!”

Time burst into laughter. “I imagine she takes that well.”

Twilight slapped one hand on the table. “She doesn’t have to take it well. It’s not like she can argue, they haven’t found the path into the castle grounds.”

“Is your Rusl one of the Sheikah?” Warriors asked, and Link rapidly tried to remember who the Sheikah even were. Judging by the look on Wild’s face, this was bad.

“No. Why?” Twilight made a face. “The Sheikah nearly died out, their village was destroyed.”

“Did the Royal Family kill them off?” Time asked.

Wild put his face in his hands. “Hylia’s fucking tits,” he muttered and pushed his chair back from the table. He got up, and the other three didn’t even notice. Wind followed. Four, seated next to him, continued to watch with a look of near fascination. Link was pretty sure he was drunk as well, given his size.

“Why would you guess that?” Twilight retorted.

Time shrugged, as if it didn’t matter. As if there was nothing unusual at all about his guess. As if he wasn’t about the say the worst thing Link could imagine: “I’ve seen what they did for the Royal Family.”

Warriors reached for the pitcher of wine again, and Link debated if he should take it away before they dug the hole deeper. “For them or to them?”

“For them.” Time blinked and offered his cup. “Why would you ask about what they did to them?”

“Zelda spent nearly four months not revealing herself again in case Impa was working with the Witches to try and kill her. It wouldn’t be the first time one of the Sheikah killed a King.”

Link’s throat caught, but that, of course, was the moment Legend and Sky returned. He waved for them to sit down and Legend shut his mouth on the obvious question and laid down the basket of bread before sitting to whisper in his ear.

“What the fuck are they talking about?”

Link swallowed. “Their royal families and the Sheikah, now.”

Time, unhelpfully, laughed again. “Did someone start telling that story then?”

“What story?” Sky asked.

“That it was a Sheikah who killed the King.” Time took a long drink and wiped his mouth. “I mean, I know Twilight comes after me so I suppose the distrust of the Royal Family would stick after what Zelda’s father did.”

“What did he do?” Legend asked. He looked like he wanted to regret it immediately, but stuck it out and kept his face even.

Time stared blindly into his cup and shrugged. “He tried to change Hyrule to suit himself. He killed Zelda’s mother and sisters and left her alive thinking she couldn’t inherit the goddess’ blood because he considered her a son. He was wrong, obviously.”

“Didn’t you say he was still alive?” Twilight asked.

“Oh, he is, but he can’t do anything.” Time gestured broadly with his glass, drunk enough he nearly spilled. “Zelda would hardly let him try even if he could. He narrowly survived an attempt on his life and stays in his rooms now.”

“By the Sheikah?” Warriors guessed.

Time, unnervingly, laughed again. “Well. Sort of. What about yours, Twilight? Did Rusl kill the King?”

Twilight sighed. “Yeah, him and a group of his friends. They were helpful when Zant took over, because that meant they could get me into the castle and help out but Zelda knows they exist now so it makes it harder.”

“So better for them you’re with them and she can’t retaliate,” Time pointed out.

“Can’t she just tell you to stop?” Warriors asked. “Like – wait you’re not in the army are you?”

“No, of course not.” Twilight rolled his eyes and shot Warriors an annoyed look. “Why are you?”

“What?” Warriors blinked from him to the rest of them. “It’s not like I had a choice, I’m the eldest son. All of us belong to the army.”

Four sat up straight. “Wait, belong to, like you’re stuck there?”

“Yeah, like that.” Warriors toasted the smaller man. “You’re too young still, aren’t you?”

“For another year or so, but I’m not sticking around for it.”

“Who would?” Legend muttered. “Hylia’s cunt, Wars, just leave.”

Warriors’ cup hit the table heavily and he spread his hands with a dark smile. “I can’t, Legend. It’s not allowed. If I go anywhere, my mother and sister goes to jail, and me too if I’m anywhere they can find me.”

Time put his hand on Warriors’ shoulder then. He closed his eyes with an almost pained look, and Link swallowed the lump in his throat.

He knew of people trapped like that. Usually young women in the cities, caught by charity that turned into demands they work off the debt before they could leave – but what debt had Warriors had? Was it something about the war?

He couldn’t ask. Wouldn’t. He could already tell the question had left him cross and angry, and Time pinched the bridge of his nose.

“We all have duties we can wind up trapped by,” Time said. “Fuck this...”

“Sure you’re trapped by loyalty. Not all of us get hung up on that,” Twilight snapped. “Did Zelda buy you off?”

“She gave me Lon Lon Ranch, if that’s what you mean,” Time said. He turned a deceptively mild smile Twilight’s way. “Mostly because I needed some protection after she blamed her attempt on her father’s life on me.”

“On you?” Warriors’ chair hit the ground with a snap. “Why?”

“It was convenient. Everyone already knew I’d lost my mind in the last battle.” He touched his face, over his scarred eye, then shook himself off. “Excuse me, I should go to bed. You, too.”

Warriors didn’t need more convincing. Twilight muttered something rude under his breath, and left not for the bedrooms upstairs but the stables. Link let go of a breath he didn’t realize he was holding and swore.

“How much of that do you think they’ll remember in the morning?” Legend muttered. “Fuck. Hyrule, what the fuck else did they even say?”

#Linked Universe #LU Time #LU Twilight #LU Warriors #LU Hyrule #alcohol #discussions of murder #politics #questionable authority #rebellion #Everyone has a bad time #LU Hyrule POV #Febuwhump #FebuwhumpDay20 #damn I was tired but oh well

[arecaceae175]

Whumptober Day 27: Matches, Scars

AO3 link. I'm still working my way through whumptober :D.

AND!!!! THIS IS MY 50TH WORK POSTED ON AO3!!!!!! :DDDDD

Summary: The chain relaxes in a hot spring, and Wild notices Sky has a scar that matches one of his. 1052 words. Sky & Wild.

Warnings: scars, discussion of scars, lightning scars, Sky starts to feel very uncomfortable because of discussion of scars (not graphic, doesn't reach panic attack stage)

Whump rating: 1/5. Very light-hearted vibes

Sky lowered himself into the hot spring with a long, content sigh. The heat immediately soothed his aching muscles, and the pressure of the water felt incredible. Sky sighed happily again, letting his eyes slide shut and his head fall back to rest on the rocks. The angle made the pain in his neck more pronounced, Sky realized with a wince, but he didn’t have the energy to hold his head up. 

“Sky, here,” Wild said. 

“Hm?” 

“Lift your head for me?” Wild asked. 

Sky lifted his head without opening his eyes. He heard Wild shuffling behind him. 

“Okay, good,” Wild said.

Sky dropped his head again and made a surprised noise when it landed on something soft. It kept his head raised enough that the angle didn’t put pressure on his neck. Sky smiled widely as he reached up to adjust the fabric into the perfect position. He opened his eyes to meet Wild’s above him.

“Thanks, champion,” Sky said. Wild beamed. 

Sky finished adjusting the fabric then let his arms splash back into the water. He let them float on top, making small waves with careful motions. 

On the other side of the spring, Wind and Hyrule were taking turns being thrown into the spring by Twilight. Their laughter was like music to Sky, and he relished in the sound. Sky could see Four watching closely, and Sky hoped he would set aside his maturity for long enough to play, too. 

A comfortable distance away from the splashing, Time, Warriors, and Legend were reclined comfortably in the water. Warriors and Legend were playfully arguing about something. Although Sky couldn’t hear, he suspected Time was antagonizing them on purpose, based on the man’s mischievous smirk. 

Sky chuckled softly to himself. It was a perfect day.

There was a small splash as Wild flopped into the spring. The water lapped up against Sky’s chest. The heat stung comfortably. 

“This was a great idea,” Sky said. “The heat feels so nice.”

“It has healing properties, too,” Wild said. 

“Oh, really?” Sky asked. 

Wild nodded as he pulled his hair tie out and began combing his fingers through his hair. “Yeah. The science is pretty cool, actually. Yunobo explained it to me once. The water here is connected to the great fairies springs, but there’s also a reaction that happens with some chemical I don’t remember the name of because of the heat.”

“Cool,” Sky said. They fell into comfortable silence as Wild worked on his hair and Sky worked on relaxing.  

“Hey, Sky?” Wild asked. His voice was soft and hesitant. Sky looked at him in surprise.

“Yeah?” Sky asked.

“Those lines,” Wild said. 

Sky followed his gaze. The bright lightning scars started on his hand and branched up his arm, then down the right side of his torso and all the way down his right leg. 

“They’re from lightning, right?” Wild asked. 

“They are,” Sky pushed the words out through tight throat. The nerves in his hand tingled. He kept his gaze on the water. 

“Look, I have some too! We’re matching!” Wild said. Sky blinked in surprise at the change in his tone. 

Wild jumped up in the water and pointed to his hip. The same marks arched across Wild’s hip and down his leg. Sky had never noticed them before. Wild’s body was a mosaic of scar tissue more so than the rest of them. It all blended in Sky’s mind. That was what Wild looked like, and he had never paid any more attention to it than that.

“It’s from Thunderblight,” Wild said. “Made it through rubber armor and a shock resistant elixir.”

Sky didn’t know what rubber was. He decided to focus on that, rather than the shock of the lightning coursing through his body, and the blood-boiling anxiety of I have to get this shot right- have I held onto this one for too long- is this going to fry my heart- am I going to win.

“What’s rubber?” Sky asked. He thought his voice sounded remarkably steady, considering. 

Wild paused, blinking blankly at him. “I… don’t actually know.”

And just like that, Sky felt the tension in him break. He huffed a laugh and tried to force his muscles to relax, his heartbeat to slow. 

“You used it even though you don’t know what it is?” Sky asked. 

“Course I did. I didn’t know what anything was, at first,” Wild said with a grin. Sky nodded in acquiescence. He supposed that was true. 

Wild looked at Sky’s scars again, and his expression made Sky think he was going to ask another question. 

“Can, um,” Sky asked, swallowing thickly. “Can we change the subject?”

Wild’s eyes went wide. “Of course! I’m sorry, Sky, yeah. Of course. Sorry, I shouldn’t have asked. I was just- we matched, and-”

“Hey,” Sky said. He put his hands over Wild’s to still their rapid movements.

“It’s alright. You didn’t know,” Sky said. “But we’re here to relax, and I’d like to do that.”

“Yeah, totally. Sorry. We’ll do that,” Wild said. Sky smiled again, and leaned back on the fabric below his head. 

“Sky!” 

Legend’s yell came from across the spring. Sky groaned light-heartedly and reluctantly raised his head. Legend and Warriors were both rushing towards him in the water. They looked ridiculous, Sky thought, trying to move quickly through the spring. He stifled a laugh.

“You need to settle this for us. The old man can’t have a serious discussion for more than two seconds at a time,” Legend said, shooting a glare in Time’s direction. “You’ll be impartial.”

“There’s no way you’re winning this one,” Warriors said. 

“Shut it, pretty boy. Here’s the thing. I’m obviously the most fashionable hero, here-”

“Bullshit.”

“I said shut it! And since I’m obviously the most fashionable, I-”

“How are we deciding that? I think I should be in the running,” Wild said. 

“What? There’s no running, I’m just trying to make a point-”

“I dunno, I think I could give you a run for your rupees,” Wild said, complete with a shrug and a shit-eating grin to match Time’s. 

Sky stroked his chin in an imitation of deep thought. “Wild makes a good point, Vet. What’s the criteria here?”

Legend let out a strangled, frustrated noise and splashed backwards into the water.

#whumptober 2023 #no.27 #matches #scars #ace writes #linked universe #lu sky #lu wild #lu legend #lu warriors #in which everyone is a little shit (affectionnate) #and wild tries his absolute best #tw: #scar #lightning #lightning scars #discussion of scars #tw: scars

[gammija]

btw im using U1 as 'the universe from the original tma' and U2 for 'the new universe that protocol takes place in', because otherwise referring to characters that could appear in either takes for fucking ever

#tmagp #tmagp s1 #esp when you want to specifically discuss whether someone originated in tmas universe or in tmagp's #cause we don't know yet how they are linked exactly #just in case that wasnt self-explanatory

[undertheopensky]

Moorhaunt 1

Whumptober Day 4: “You in there?”

Characters: Legend, Four, Hyrule, everyone’s kind of there

Trigger warnings: Discussions of suicide and self-harm

Read on Ao3!

-----

It takes them way too long to realise Legend is missing.

This is Hyrule’s Hyrule. They should never have lost track of one of their own, not in a place this dangerous. How could they have lost someone, lost Legend of all people? Not even Wild goes wandering alone here, there are so many monsters, traps and poisons and people who aren’t. How could he have lost someone?

Frantic barking distracts Hyrule from his panic. Wolfie comes barrelling out of the woods and skids to a stop on the trail in front of them. He yips twice, as if to make sure he’s got their attention, before diving back into the underbrush the way he’d come.

“Wolfie’s got something,” says Time, unnecessarily; everyone’s already racing after the wolf.

They follow the sound of him more than anything. The undergrowth here is dry and sickly, and makes a lot of noise when a hundred kilograms of anxious wolf goes crashing through it. Dead leaves drift to the ground in his wake, only to be stirred up again by seven pairs of boots. How far off trail did Legend go? Why?

By the time they make it to Twilight, Wolfie has vanished, job done. Hyrule gets a good look and stops dead.

Twilight’s wrist deep in the black haze hugging Legend’s upper body. “I can’t - I can’t touch it,” he’s saying, panicked. “I found him like this and he’s still breathing, but -”

“Oh no,” Hyrule moans. “No no no no no -”

He’s only seen them twice before. But the creeping black fog, too cohesive to be anything but alive, clinging and crawling and strangling -

“It’s a moorhaunt.”

“You know what it is? Great! How do we kill it?” Warriors is all business.

“We can’t, we - it’ll hurt Legend, we have to get it off first -”

“How do we do that?”

“I don’t know!” Hyrule wails. “It’s not - it should already be - be drifting between us, trying to feed from all of us at once, they don’t just - they’re opportunists, not true predators, this makes no sense -”

“Hyrule, breathe,” Time interrupts. “How much time do we have? How long before this is fatal?”

Hyrule bites his lip. “It’s - it’s not. Not directly. Moorhaunts don’t kill their hosts.”

That ratchets the tension down - somewhat. It looks bad - like Legend’s wearing a thick hood of shadows - but he is breathing, steady and strong, and he’s sitting upright without aid. They’re not running on a deadline. Warriors just narrows his eyes.

“If it’s not lethal, then why are you so scared?”

Hyrule flinches, mouth wobbling, then firms up his shoulders and makes himself say it. “About seventy percent of people commit suicide, within a week of the attack.”

Everyone jolts. Twilight casts a horrified look at Legend, still sitting placidly on his knees with a black haze shrouding his face.

Hyrule continues, “About ten percent recover okay. The rest of them… seem to recover, but within a month or so, as soon as someone takes their eyes off them -” he cuts himself off with a grim twist to his mouth. “Well. There’s a reason they were hunted almost to extinction in the Hero of Legend’s time.”

“Okay, so what do we do about it now?”

The noise Hyrule makes is somewhere between distress and despair. He doesn’t know.

Warriors breaks into his panic. “Hyrule. You said, ‘host’, and that it should be trying to feed on us, too. What exactly is its food source?”

“They’re… a kind of energy parasite. That’s why we can’t just - cut it off, it’s all up in Legend’s life force, it might - it could hurt him if we do anything to it, I don’t usually deal with them when they have a - have a person already, or if they do they’re willing to jump for me and then I can kill them -”

Again, Warriors stops him. “Hyrule, what’s its food source?”

“It’s - pain. Not physical pain, but -” Hyrule scratches at his ear, then his neck; his skin is prickling all over. “They don’t - cause pain. They just - trigger it. They infiltrate the host’s mind, and force them - make them relive their worst memories. And they feed off the pain it causes them.”

Warriors isn’t the only one to jerk back. Hyrule’s shaking like a leaf just standing next to the thing. All of them have things in their pasts they don’t like to think about. To have those things come alive again - trapped in your own memories, unable to escape -

“That’s why the suicides,” Four says, eyes dark. “And why it’s so fixated on Legend, I bet. He’s been through a lot. Why abandon a high-value food source for a less certain one, or one that’s less concentrated?”

Wind makes a high-pitched noise. “We gotta get it off him!”

“Think maybe we can intimidate it?” Twilight asks Warriors.

“I don’t want to -” Hyrule waves his hands and grimaces, struggling for words. “I’ve never dealt with one that’s so - entrenched. It’s wound right through Legend’s life force, and if we hurt it, or shock it, it might hurt him.”

“Well we can’t just leave him like this!” says Wind.

Theoretically, they could. The moorhaunt wouldn’t kill Legend. But what it put him through in the meantime - no, there has to be a way. He just has to think.

Four’s thinking too. “Hey, Hyrule. It took time to get this way, right? So that it’s hard for us to remove?”

“Yeah.”

“So if we can convince it onto someone else, there’s a window where we can kill it before there’s a risk of damage to the host. Is that correct?”

“Yes, but - it hasn’t reacted to any of us at all.”

“Oh, don’t worry about that.” One small hand pulls the feather earring from his ear and tucks it away. “Just get it off me as fast as you can.”

Then before anyone can protest, he’s kneeling right next to Legend.

The response is immediate - the moorhaunt visibly loosens its grip. It’s not like an octorock, with distinct, visible appendages; it just - expands in space, becoming slightly more transparent, like the black fog is lifting, or spreading. Then a tendril reaches out, light and fine as black silk fibre, to stroke Four’s face, almost curiously.

Four doesn’t flinch.

The moorhaunt shifts to Four in layers of gossamer black. Dark haze peels away from Legend to wrap around the smaller smithy, and it’s terrifying to watch his face disappear under the dark veil, but Legend’s becoming more and more visible as it eases free of him.

The last few wisps linger, reluctant to leave behind their last meal, but Four takes a deep breath and draws them in.

Like its psychic grip had been the only thing holding him up, Legend slumps sideways. Hyrule grabs him, sends a useless pulse of healing through him - he knows it won’t do any good but it’s instinct when Legend is so pale and drawn.

Dried tear tracks trail from unseeing red eyes, tight with pain. With the moorhaunt gone, they start to flutter closed, exhaustion draining the last of his strength. But his heart is still strong, and his breathing is steady - for now, for now, he’s okay.

“Hyrule - is he clear?”

Hyrule triple-checks. There’s nothing in Legend’s aura but his own tired energies.

He nods. “Yeah - kill it.”

Sky wastes no time. He draws the Master Sword, and almost delicately flicks it through the moorhaunt, as close to Four as he dares.

The scream is warping metal and wind through hollows. Sky slashes again, chasing the shadow’s retreat, and this time, it fades away to nothing; burned to ash in the light.

Four falls.

Legend is stable. Hyrule leaves him with Twilight and bolts for Four, supported against Time’s armour and tears coursing down his face. No, no, no, it was only a few seconds, he’ll be okay, he’s got to be okay. “Four? Four, talk to me. Do you remember where you are?”

Four’s jaw is clamped shut, and he’s making no move to answer. A faint tremble is starting to make itself known in his hands where they hang loose at his sides. He’d only been under a few minutes, but he’s in the same empty-eyed state as Legend.

“Fuck,” Hyrule mutters, “fuck.”

He scrubs his hands over his face, then runs them up through his hair and pulls. Two people down. In the middle of a dead forest. Black-blooded monsters yet to be found. They’re all tired, and stressed, and desperately worried.

Hyrule hates being in charge. But nobody else here knows the wastelands of his kingdom like he does.

“We need - we need to find a safe place to stay put for a few days.”

“The fairy fountain?” Time offers. It was where they’d been headed originally, before Legend went missing.

“No.” Hyrule’s refusal visibly surprises them. “No, that’s too enclosed, too much chance of an ambush.”

Warriors scowls. “Then why were we going there in the first place?”

“Because it is safe, briefly. But the entrance is a bottleneck, and if monsters realise you’re there, all they have to do is camp out by the entrance until you leave. And we’re going to need somewhere to make camp for several days at least.” The healer’s face is grim. “These two won’t be fit to travel for a while.”

Everyone’s gaze slides sideways.

Legend almost looks like he’s dozing, collapsed into Twilight’s side. There’s no way to make the same mistake with Four - he’s crying, shaking. Every now and then he shudders, and swallows, gaze fixed on something none of them can see. He’d done it to save Legend, without demand, without complaint. Hyrule still feels sick with guilt.

“It’s okay,” he whispers through the tightness in his throat, “it’s okay. You’re safe now. We’ve got you.”

Through it all, Four doesn’t make a sound.

-----

Read Part 2 here!

#whumptober 2023 #linked universe #lu legend #lu hyrule #lu four #lu fic #this one fought me EVERY STEP OF THE WAY #so if it feels unpolished that's why #hyrule you are really fucking hard to write when you're panicking #skies writes #tw: discussions of suicide

[gingerest-ale]

We’ve all heard of the spirit in the sword, but what if there was a spirit in the sheikah slate?

#botw #the legend of zelda #breath of the wild #sheikah slate #the legend of zelda breath of the wild #my art #inspired by a discussion in the lu discord #linked universe

[needfantasticstories]

Feb 1, 2024: I split chapter 1 into two chapters, and added chapter 3 and 4.

CHAPTER 3: CHAIN REACTION

Storms in Wild’s era moved quickly. Lightning struck close behind them. As the thunder faded, no one dared speak. The rain trickled, then stopped as spears of sunlight broke through the clouds, dispelling the forest’s deepest shadows. Dew glittered on the leaves. Nothing moved in the woods but a light breeze.

Sky stared into the rain-washed forest, standing by the trees he’d felled with his skyward strike. Smoke still curled lazily from the fallen trunks. 

“They are gone,” Warrior stated sharply. 

Slowly, the others wiped and sheathed their swords, and tried to make sense of what happened. Four silently gathered Hyrule and Legend’s fallen weapons. Wild passed out the last of his stamina potions. Sky stood staring ahead at the place Ghirahim and Hyrule disappeared, but he could not see the forest, only flashes of marble walls, black stone floors, and dim torches.

“Sky?” Wild approached the knight carefully.

Sky didn’t answer, only muttering what Wild guessed was a prayer. The cadence was smooth, and repeated over and over  

Wild left the elixir at his feet.

Sky didn’t respond. He couldn’t. His legs barely held him upright already, shaking too badly to take even one step. His heart still raced. Branching scars on his right hand pulled taut over his clenched fist. His fingers ached as they locked around Fi’s hilt. Sky willed himself to let go, to relax, but how could he ever let her go again? Last time he’d left her, in the war of Ages… 

But he didn’t deserve her.   

Sky lifted her pommel high. Gripping her braided hilt in both hands, he slammed Fi’s blade into the muddy grass. 

He knelt before her, stomach fluttering and threatening to empty as he moved. Heavy eyelids closed, blocking out the woods and seeing only red, black, and white flashes dancing in his vision. Chills crawled over his arms and down his back. His throat was squeezing closed...he couldn’t breathe…were the others watching? Of course they were. Why couldn’t he be alone? Why couldn’t the demon leave him alone? His ears rang with chilling laughter. They all knew now. They all could see, and now they’d watch him break like a coward. Nevertheless, he bowed his head, and he prayed.

“Hylia, Goddess of Light,” he mumbled, “Hear my prayer and guide my blade. I offer my heart and strength to your service. Grant me courage, wisdom, and strength. Hylia, Goddess of Light…” 

Crossing blades with the demon had sparked a fire in him. At long last, he could fight back! It gave him focus, purpose, direction. He would right that horrible wrong. 

But he’d failed again. Haunted by new memories.   

So he prayed all the more urgently before Fi, the Goddess’s divine blade that he wasn’t worthy to hold. 

“Hylia, Goddess of Light, hear my prayer and guide my blade. I offer my heart and strength to your service. Grant me courage, wisdom, and strength. Hylia, Goddess of Light…” 

He prayed again. And again. And again.

Wild watched Sky kneel and pray with a mixture of pity and worry. It wasn’t that the goddess never answered prayers, she’d answered many of his own, if somewhat mechanically. But if asked, she always answered the first time without any oblations or prostration on his part. But this, he’d seen before. 

It wouldn’t work. Not for Sky, not for Zelda. He wished he knew why. Goddesses, he wished he knew. Zelda still didn’t know how the goddess so easily opened her blessing to him when she had tried so hard. Perhaps she only answered specific requests.  

He wanted to stop Sky, bring him back, and make sure he wasn’t too cold or too wet; but as with the princess, he dared not interrupt. TOo bad they wre so far from any of Hylia’s statues. 

Wild walked away from the sky knight and handed a green elixir to Four, who was brushing mud off Hyrule’s enchanted sword. 

“Wild, where would the Yiga have taken them?” the Smithy asked, finally breaking the heavy silence hovering over the group.

Twilight dismounted and soothed Epona while he checked her for wounds, and listened in. The others moved closer as well. 

Slate raised, map glowing, Wild answered, “Here, most likely.” A blue symbol near the outlines of a canyon glowed at his fingertip. “In the Gerudo Highlands, just on the inside of those.” He lowered the slate and pointed to the highest ridge in a row of snow-capped mesas, all hazy in the distance. “There’s a canyon where they hide out. They’ve kept prisoners there before, though not many since I cleared them out.” 

“You know the layout?” Time asked, and grimaced as he sipped a bitter elixir.  

“Yes.” Wild couldn’t help but grin a little. He knew how to handle the Yiga base, having snuck in and out dozens of times. It was easily the best way to gather bananas while reducing the enemy’s supplies whenever they inevitably crawled back into the place like roaches. Wild laughed without mirth, “Legend isn’t one to go down easy. Good luck to the Yiga who grabbed him.” And good luck to the Yiga that stand in my way .

“We can’t afford to underestimate them. They can reach our worlds now, our homes , and impersonate anyone. No matter how foolish they may have been in the past, they’re a deadly threat on those two facts alone. So for once , Wild,” Time chided with a glare, his voice low and harsh, “take the threat seriously.”

Wild stepped back quickly and busied himself with his slate, eyes wide .   

“Time…” Twilight growled. 

His mentor ignored him. Time was so thrice-damned tired of not knowing what was ahead; what the black blood meant, what the goddesses had in store for them, and if they’d all make it home alive. Above all, he was tired of not knowing if Malon was really safe . Surely Wild could at least think about what this meant for all of them, if not for himself. 

Warrior looked around the group. Each of them slouched where they stood despite the stamina elixirs. Fighting after two days without rest put them all at risk if they jumped into action once more; yet the stable was close. It would have to be enough, for Legend and Rulie’s sake, and for the hope of the others. They had to try. “So there’s still a chance we can find them. How fast can we get there?” 

“Instantly, if it’s just me.” Wild lifted his slate. “I can’t teleport you until you register with Purah, but I can scout their base, then meet you at the stable. There’s a shrine near both locations.”

“You shouldn't go anywhere alone,” Warrior countered. “We should at least stay in teams.” 

“I can take Twilight and be there in a heartbeat. Otherwise, it’s a five day journey at least.”

“You can teleport him?” Four raised an eyebrow. 

“I can take one passenger, and Twilight is the best option.” Wild’s face and ear tips flushed.

“Should have led with that,” Four scoffed. 

Wind elbowed him, but the Champion almost sighed in relief. One skeptic down. Two to go. 

“Sounds like a plan.” Warrior nodded, and turned to watch Sky. 

Wild turned to their eldest.

Time pinched his chin in thought at the plan. Splitting up felt like risking them all. He ached to see his stolen boys. Five day journey? Ten days, more likely. Wonderful. Time shook his head. “You sure that’s wise? Just you two against how many Yiga, if spotted? 

“I know the area well. I know how to approach without being seen. Twilight’s one of our best scouts anyway. We’ll be in and out.” Wild hoped he sounded convincing. He did not want to explain why his slate would only work for Twilight. At least for future Twilight. “Purah is at the stable, and she can register the rest of you with the slate.” 

“And you sure it’s safe?” Twilight eyed the slate skeptically as he dabbed red potion over the worst of Epona’s scrapes. He’d never told them about his nightmares of being sucked into the slate, but Epona sensed his attention and nuzzled him. He kept picturing himself in it, somehow.

“Yes, I’m certain.” Wild sniped back more harshly than he meant to.  

“Fine. Your era, your rules,” Time affirmed. “Scout, but don’t be reckless. The rest of us will go on to Highland stable. We’ll gather supplies on the way.” He tilted his head forward toward a hearty radish just off the path. At least your world has one redeeming quality.

Wild nodded. “Zelda might have supplies waiting for us too. I’ll tell her what’s happened and make sure she’s safe.” Without further discussion or warning, he grabbed Twilight’s arm. 

“Wild, wait! I—” 

They disappeared in tendrils of brilliant blue light. 

Startled, Epona reared. 

Time hurried to soothe her. “He’s alright, girl. Let's get to the stable.” 

Four nudged Wind. “So who was that creep?” 

“Wish I f******* knew!” the sailor yelled as he cleaned the blood off his gear and scoured the woods for any signs of Yiga lingering nearby, as did the others. 

“He sure seemed to recognize you.” Four gave him a side-glance as he spun the last drops of rain off his hammer and put it away. 

Wind grimaced. “I know! But I’ve never seen him before!”

“Maybe you look like someone else?” Four theorized.

“I guess,” he replied lamely, examining his own muddy hammer. 

“Wars! Sky! Time!” Four planted fists on hips once the pair joined the others closer to the crossroad. “Anyone mind finally explaining just who in the dark world that man was?”

“Yeah! Or why he wants Traveler and Veteran, or why he called me a weird name, or why his tongue is so nasty and long?” Wind fired his questions all in one breath. 

“What did he tell you?” Time turned his sharp blue eye to Warrior and Sky. “Ghirahim seemed familiar with you and Sky.” 

Sky did not answer, still kneeling in the woods. 

“Sky? Can you hear us?” Four called.

“Is he hurt?” Time asked.

“No. I’ll explain about Ghirahim while we take a quick rest.”

“Warrior, we’re losing daylight. We should continue and meet with Purah,” Time insisted, and led Epona onward. “Tell us what we need to know on the way.” 

Wind and Four gave Sky a worried glance.

“Then you three go on ahead. We’ll meet up soon. I can see you from the trailhead.” Warrior affirmed.  

“We should stay together, Captain,” Time objected, and the younger heroes froze. “Sky, can you at least get to the stable? Before Ghirahim decides to come back.” 

Sky shook his head and clutched at the soft, damp sailcloth tighter around his shoulders. 

“Time!” Warrior shouted. “He already took what he came for. Just give us a little longer."

Time huffed. “I understand he’s shaken. We all are, but–” 

“No, you don’t understand, or you’d hold your tongue,” Warrior snapped back. And thank the goddesses you don’t, Mask.

Wind and Four flinched at the sharpness in his tone.

“Either move out and we’ll catch up later, or settle in and I’ll explain the basics.” Warrior stomped away and wrapped his scarf around Sky’s shoulders. The knight didn't move, stiff as stone. Warrior returned, arms folded, as he waited for Time to decide.

The elder little brother exhaled slowly, and relented. He draped Epona’s lead over a branch thin enough for her to break if she needed to, letting her graze on the long grass as he joined a small circle with Four, Wind, and Warrior. 

Where to start? Warrior wondered. The smaller heroes had never seen the demon before today, though Wind would someday face him in the War of Ages after this adventure ended. The knowledge that he would live to face that both comforted and haunted the Captain. 

They’d also never seen Sky like this. Kind, collected if a little impatient to get home to his Sun. A machine on the battlefield, and yet there he trembled. 

Warrior spoke quietly, “Ghirahim is the Demon Lord, and commands an army of monsters—or at least he did in Sky’s era. In my time, a powerful witch named Cia opened portals to other eras, including one in Skyloft and another below it.” 

Four gaped. “Wait, you’ve been to Skyloft?” 

“Briefly.” Warrior looked at Time. Mask had joined the war not long after that battle, but he’d told the Sprite much about the bright world of Skyloft and their battles there. 

“You met Sky before the rest of us? And you didn’t say anything?” Wind asked, shocked.

Warrior stifled a smile and shook his head. The irony. Forgive me, Wind, but back then, you didn’t tell me about all this either, he thought. “No. I’d always assumed the portal opened to a more distant time, long before Sky.”

“But he was there.” Four concluded for him.

Time looked taken aback. 

“We weren’t able to meet him.” He looked back at Sky,remained kneeling and repeating his prayer. Change the topic. “In my era, a witch named Cia and her champion, Volga, recruited Ghirahim to help her steal the Triforce and take over Hyrule. My Hyrule, that is. But the demon and Gannon’s other lackey tricked her into restoring Ganondorf as well. Once she learned he’d revived, she scattered the Triforce to keep it from him, and the gates closed. I faced Ghirahim in battle several times in order to defeat both Cia and Ganondorf. I never dealt with him beyond that. He’s stronger than I remembered. That bastar—”

“Wars,” Time interrupted.

“Language, yes. I know.”

“That’s—no, that’s not—If Sky was there, why didn’t the army ever meet him?”

Why didn’t he join the battle went unspoken. Time hadn’t heard Ghirahim’s mocking revelations in the fight. He also had yet to admit to the chain his role in the War of Ages, the little hypocrite. 

“He’ll tell us when he’s ready,” the Captain answered with finality. 

“Sky, can you hear us?” Four had called to him. 

Sky wanted to answer, but he couldn’t . They were watching him. He could feel their eyes. He couldn’t do this to them, hold them back with his pathetic fear. Not now, when they had to hurry! They needed a plan. They needed Wild to explain this. 

But his body was like stone. So Sky knelt, and stared blankly at the forest ahead as he prayed.  

“Hylia, Goddess of Light, hear my prayer and guide my blade…” Sky mumbled again. Loftwing statues across the surface displayed this prayer, and repeating it often had brought him strength on Hylia’s mission to end Demise. No such statues graced the land now, but the words helped hold back the sting of that laughter, the rustle of that cloak, the tinkle of chimes, and the ghosts of chains on his skin. 

He bowed his head against Fi, the sacred Blade that Seals the Darkness, so unnervingly quiet now, and begged Hylia’s forgiveness. He was still too slow. They were so close to completing the Skyward Strike when the demon had caught Hyrule! Electricity had danced on the young man’s fingertips just before—goddesses, hadn’t Legend and Hyrule endured more than enough already? 

Ghirahim’s laughter rang in his ears, and his mocking words repeated in his mind. “Magic users… keep setting up those pesky spells at night…”  

How long had the demon been watching them from the dark, unable to reach them due to spells he’d never known were saving them all? Had the others known? 

“Hylia, Goddess of—” 

How is the demon still alive? How?

But suddenly the prayer lost it’s power, like paper in a gale, fluttering away. His own burning thoughts burst from his heart. “Goddess, I failed you again! Please forgive me for not protecting them! Please show me the way! I will not falter. If I had another vision I did not understand, reveal it to me. Guide us!”

Sky’s hands shook around Fi’s hilt. Why had Hylia forsaken him again–NO! She had a reason. But how had the demon returned? Barely eight hours in Wild’s Hyrule, and everything had fallen apart. Ghirahim lived, and he’d taken Rulie, disappearing into thin air. Legend had yelled something about blood… but why? Worse still, Ghirahim had convinced the Yiga to join him, and they had taken Legend with them in a cloud of red. But where? Why? 

He’d never broken apart like this, not since he had escaped. It had been nearly a year since then. 

Memories swallowed him.  He tried to clear his head of the demon flashing in his vision, the cold crawling over his skin, but his throat was closing...he couldn’t breathe… why couldn’t he breathe? Hands on his neck! Closing tighter! His breath turned into a gasping wheeze. Could the others hear? He tried to call for help, but his body locked up again, and refused to allow any movement or sound. He’d trained himself to do this, dammit, just to survive. Stay alive! Too slow, too late. Scream—no! don’t scream. Don’t give him that satisfaction! He found you. He knows where you are. He’s coming back!

Sky forced his eyes open and he stared at the tiny, gasping reflection of himself in Fi’s muddied blade. 

A tall figure approached behind him

“Sky! What’s wrong?” Warrior wrapped his arm around Sky’s shoulder. 

Sky lurched sideways in a panic and fell into the muddy grass. Throat still rattling, he scrambled up to one knee and sucked in air desperately, clutching his throat.

“Easy! Sky, I’ve got you. Breathe with me. Can you do that?”  

Sky nodded, but still clutched his throat. 

Warrior pulled him straighter and put a hand on his chest. 

“It’s safe now. You’re okay. Breathe slowly.” The Captain put his hand on the knight’s shoulder.

You’re alive, a whispered comfort settled over his thoughts. You survived . 

He gasped, finally pulling in air, dimly aware of the questions circling around him. 

Sky’s thoughts raced. Think of Sun, her voice, the vibrating harp strings. Groose’s deep laugh. Pipit chatting about loftwings, his mom cursing in professor Owlan’s face when he criticized her housekeeping… anything but the dark, the cracking fingers, the daggers—

“Good. Keep breathing. It’s alright. We’ll find them. He wants them alive, so we have time to plan.” When his breathing grew steady once more, the Captain whispered, “I told them the basics about the demon, so you don’t have to.I only told them my part, not yours. Take a break.”

Sky began to hyperventilate again, and he hated himself for it. He never wanted to think of that monster again, but it was all around him now, swallowing him like Demise had Swallowed Sun. He could not escape it any more than he could escape their eyes all watching him, seeing him at last for the fool he was. Goddesses strike me down for my cowardice .

“No, no. Sky! look at me.” He took Sky’s shaking hand and pressed it to his own chest. “We’re here for you. Watch me breathe. Just like this.”

Sky felt the ribs expand under his palm, and he tried to follow suit. His own ribs felt like iron, unbending, but he tried again, and his lungs opened ever so slightly. 

“You should—take her,” Sky gasped, looking at Fi. “I don’t—I’m not—”

“Can you walk, Sky?” Warrior’s smooth, calm voice stopped his dark train of thought.

Sky nodded.

“Then pick up your blade, Sky. She’s yours.”

Sky nodded in reply, but didn’t move; he only glared at his reflection on Fi. 

Failure .  Impa’s voice was cold and sharp. 

Pathetic . Ghirahim sneered. 

“Sky?” Warrior pressed a hand on his shoulder. 

Sky shuddered, but did not pull away. He would not let his fear win. He held still. Controlled.  

“Try again!” Knight Commander Eagus’s voice came to him, sure and strong. 

Sky wiped the mud from his hands and knees as best he could before wrapping his stiff fingers around Fi’s hilt. She was cold, but warmed quickly in his palm.

Will she still accept me? Am I really worthy enough to wield her again? Or has Hylia called Warriors once again to step in for my failures? He frowned, holding tighter. 

He pulled.

He expected her to fight him, but she slipped easily from the ground. 

Sky stood up, still shivering but the small rest had revived him. He brushed the mud off his sailcloth and held it close as he walked beside Warrior onto the path forward, as Time led the others ahead.

At long last they reached the crossroad where Ghirahim had first appeared. Turning left, they started up a steeply rising canyon up toward Highland Stable. The path looked more like a muddy stream after the rain. They carefully picked their way through the mud and loose stones as it grew ever steeper. The men and boys watched the canyon tops for the slightest hint of enemies. An ambush here could be fatal with only small boulders and a few little trees for cover. 

Warrior stayed at Sky’s side and accepted the young man’s vice-like grip just below his pauldron. Both held their swords drawn. 

The sun began to warm the land.

“Th-thank you,” Sky quietly stammered. His eyes looked sharper now, less haunted, and he scanned the clifftops on the right so Warrior could focus on the left. Whether he stuttered from a chill or linkering panic attack, Warriors didn’t know.    

“Any time, Sky.” He stole a glance back. Another line of clouds hung heavy in the distance. But something else, toward the West, caught his eye. 

“Sky.” He nudged the knight and pointed behind them. 

Sky turned, and gawked, his mouth open in a silent question, mesmerized by the sight.

#linked universe #linked universe fanfic #lu sky #lu warriors #lu time #lu wild #lu twilight #lu four #lu wind #discussion of past trauma #panic attack #religious guilt #religious trauma

[luciennelune]

Four didn't tell the rest of the chain so Wild could be given a character moment. Twilight, Wild, and Time are the main characters and the only ones who actually matter. No plot or or meaningful character growth will happen unless it furthers one of the main 3's stories.

It's like a fanfic that tags all the characters but only the authors favorites actually do anything. Everyone else is just side characters that help keep the plot moving. Yes they are side characters the author loves and wants to give a couple cool moments to but at the end of the day they are still side just characters.

So yeah Four is only going to do things that revolve around Time, Twilight, or Wild.

Mmmm, I'm gonna have to disagree with that. It's possible that the only logic behind Four not telling them was for the moment with Wild but that also feels... 1) really lazy and unlike Jojo and 2) unnecessary. That scene with Wild mainly highlighted his relationship with Twilight and how much he cares about his mentor. There could have been plenty of other chances to show that or work it into the scene. Would the scene have gone so much differently if Wild knew about Four's ability? Maybe Wild wouldn't have run off due to being overwhelmed, but Four splitting would still show that Four was serious about not letting Wild past him.

Also, I don't see Time, Twilight, and Wild being the only characters that matter. I guess that theory could be true for Twilight since he's kind of everywhere, but Time and Wild? They balance out with the other characters. They all have their moments, and there's not a lot of character growth yet because the story is still at its start. The LU comic feels more like a plot-focused story than one focused on character growth, at least for now. (It focuses on character interactions to be sure, but less on the individual characters and more on the group as a whole.)

#hopefully that makes sense #i'm bad at explaining myself #linked universe #linkeduniverse #lu wild #lu twilight #lu four #lu time #discussion