#twilight princess

[neurotoxic-yuri]

waaaaaaaaah I finished replaying Twilight Princess it's so good and fun

[kill-dj]

Wild and Twilight being brothers

(Still trying to practice digital art)

Here’s the sketch and inspo photo

[the-carnival-of-time]

"Love you, uh..." "Uh, love you, too..."

[kill-dj]

I’m thinking about Twilight and the Hero’s Shade again (Twilight princess manga spoilers btw)

Thinking about how Link was struggling with the repetitive feeling of loss, so when he held the master sword and felt powerful— he was really just relieved he wouldn’t have to experience that loss again

And how his shadow not only came from him feeling drunkenly powerful with the master sword BUT his fear and guilt of not being able to help those who are close to him

Also these panels of the hero shade saying he has felt what Twilight is feeling and if he could take the burden away he would

Oh Ocarina of Time Link I think about you everyday. You didn’t deserve anything you went through

And how after Time confessed he had wielded the sword, HE is who handed it back to Twilight

The fact the same man who wished to take the burden away is now HANDING it back to him because he HAS to bare it. But at least Twilight knows he doesn’t have to bare it alone

ALSO

Time is so funny for this. Twilight just got his ass kicked by his own shadow, and was denied by the master sword. His best friend (Midna) just ditched him for not being himself. He’s laying in a barn injured and Time walks in saying, “You lost to Zant? What a poor state you are in.”

My funny hero of time I love you

[can-of-w0rmz]

itty bitty Midna warmup doodle

[zeldaelmo]

I neeeeeed to know about TP zelink trust issues

Hehe, I'm pretty sure you'll like this one.

Do you ever think about the fact that TP grew up with stories about the hero and the princess being childhood friends (Skyward Sword, Minish Cap, Four Swords, and of course Ocarina of Time) ?

She has learned from history books and legends that her hero either will be someone she's close with or at least will show up in times of need. She fully trusts that the Triforce that showed up on her hand means there's a hero out there and that the strong bond they'll form will help save Hyrule.

And then, the invasion begins. The first villages fall. Soldiers die like flies. People disappear. The reports of the few survivors coming back tell stories of dread and never seen horror.

Zelda prays. She knows she can't face this unworldly foe alone, but she doesn't have to, right?

The front line draws nearer and nearer. Hyrule's army has no answer to the dark magic clouding the land in shadow. It's a matter of hours now, but Zelda still holds hope.

It's only when she's alone in the throne room with a handful of scattered soldiers and the usurper asks her the question of life or death that she finally realizes: Her hero didn't come.

*

The story starts with a prologue that translates the above into a premise that haunts the following story.

We jump to the aftermath of the game. Hyrule is free again, but it suffers from the effects the war had on everything. There's a food crisis, people lost their homes and their jobs. The political situation is fragile because a lot of people blame Zelda for the current problems. There are even rumors she's holding back food for the castle.

Council members or people close to them begin disappearing.

Surely that's Zelda getting unpleasant people out of the way, right? It has happened before.

The resistance, having their headquarters at Telma's bar, hears of all of these rumors and decides to investigate in their social circles. They come up empty handed, so when Zelda asks Auru for a list of potential suitors, they push Link into signing up. His relationship with Zelda is barely existent, but he is the Hero and as such better qualified than the rest of them. Mind you, that he's still grieving for Midna and barely keeps it together, but the kingdom needs him, so he's going to follow through. He already lost everything, so what's there to lose now, anyway?

So now we have Link trying to gather information about what in the three goddesses' names is going on and Zelda who's so incredibly lonely that she just longs for someone to share her life with, all while the kingdom stears into a conspiracy to put the power into hands that aren't Zelda's.

As you can see from this premise alone, this is going to be a novel-length story. It's rich in details that all weave a bigger picture together, exploring Link's aversion against his own magic, his grief for Midna, but also his relationship to other characters and how he runs the risk of being used. He doesn't know who he wants to be, he just knows he can't be the one he used to be. It's about morally grey decisions for the greater good.

Zelda on the other side fights with the heavy heritage of her father's reign. She's trying her best to stand by her values, but with the economy in shambles, the army down to a handful of soldiers, and nobody to trust, it quickly feels like swimming against the current of Hylia river. When Link finally seems to warm up to her, her choice is clear. Who else could she trust if not her Hero?

So... The whole thing is lined out, which is great because I haven't worked on it in a year but at least nothing major is lost when I pick it up again. I have written six chapters, so I have the whole premise down and now the fun and games part is supposed to start where they develop some kind of relationship.

I wrote this one right before I got hit with burnout and dropped into a Tatort Saarbrücken rabbit hole I have yet to come out. I want to pick it back up because I really love the idea, but I'm currently working on another long fic and I have to figure out the ending of that one before I can think about something else again. But I have picked up stories again after such a long time, so I'm not too worried.

All that rambling — if you've read so far, you've earned an excerpt. 😂

"But I happen to have the perfect solution to our problem, offered to us by Her Majesty herself." Auru's words had the intended effect. Everyone gaped at him how he pulled a worn envelope from his inner pocket and cracked the already broken seal open again. Link caught a glimpse of the signature and it looked indeed similar to the letters Queen Zelda had sent to Ordon. "Queen Zelda," Auru began and looked from one to the other, his smile bordering on smug. "Queen Zelda asked me for a list of potential suitors." Nobody moved. Link's gaze had fallen to his innocent notes that said things like "could dispel the rumor about the tree, was caused by lightning strike". He wasn't able to force his eyes back up, his movements frozen as if he had been hit again with the ice breath of one of those terrible Freezards. "How is that supposed to help us?" Rusl asked, twiddling uncomfortably with the handle of his crock. "I'm putting one of our names on the list, obviously. That way we have a direct source in the eye of the storm," Auru said with the same relaxed tone of sending one of them to buy a basket of bread on the market. Link finally blinked and sorted his tongue, then he said, "Suitors?" As if he hadn't long understood what Auru meant. Auru nodded. "Are you suggesting one of us is marrying her for information about something we aren't even 100% sure is a problem in the first place?" The words rushed out of his mouth now that he had found his voice. Auru couldn't be serious! "Courting doesn't equal marriage for nobles," Telma interrupted him softly and Auru nodded. "The late Queen had a dozen suitors over the years before she narrowed it down on a couple and eventually decided for the late King. That's probably why she's asking for a list—she wants a pool of candidates and goes from there." "Ashei? Shad?" Link asked hoarsely. "Please tell me I'm not the only one thinking this takes things too far." "I don't know," Shad answered. "The position of the Queen's husband is something that comes with great power so I understand she doesn't want to settle on the first candidate." "Not that part," Link hissed. "I couldn't care less how nobles are finding a partner. I'm talking about that part where we're channeling a goddess-damned mole on her list of suitors!" "Oh, uhm," Shad stuttered and fumbled with the arm of his glasses. Link scoffed. "Ashei? And what about you?" Ashei crossed her arms. "Be sure I don't like the idea. But I have to admit that a direct source would be handy. And I'm here to solve problems not to hear about bug theaters." "Link…" Rusl put his hand on Link's shoulder. "This has been fun and games so far but with people going missing, I fear we have to double our efforts. No matter who is behind that scheme, we can't stand by and watch." Link slumped onto the table, face buried in his hands. He should never have joined them. Why didn't he leave Hyrule entirely and journey to foreign kingdoms? Poe hunter, traveling swordsman, musician, the possibilities had been endless! Anything than this mess! "The way I see it, we're talking about half a year," Auru said. "Either we've found out more until then or things have escalated to a point where we can't keep up the ruse anyway." He turned to Link. "Sounds more doable, right?" Link's eyes widened with horror when he realized what Auru's lingering gaze meant. "What? Me? But—"

[cookie-nigel-dolan]

The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (2006) – Diababa Second Half

[cookie-nigel-dolan]

The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (2006) – Diababa First Half