weaving starlight into stories
a tapestry of shining strands
I will make for you
cat's cradles out of aether
and a net to catch comets in.
Art
My art is tagged with #my art . Art that is not mine is tagged with #not my art .
I primarily do #traditional art . If you want to see how I do it, look for the #time lapse videos I post sometimes.
Writing
I currently have 2 longfics:
Guiding Lights
War Games
I also have several short fics:
Offer Him Your Children
Almost Lost You (Found You Again)
Falling Fast, Fading
Deluge (Can't Hear My Heart Beat Over All This Rain)
Countershock
With Everything You Have
Green
Wolf of Hyrule
Sprite (Home is what we've left behind)
Appellation (What Are We To Each Other?)
Myriad
Quarrel
Roots (At The Root Of All Things)
Stifle (Don't Make Me Say It)
Actual writing is tagged with #writing . Metatextual musings are tagged with #writing about writing . Also, sometimes I write #poetry .
Other
If it involves my thoughts or opinions, it's under #stars speaks .
My askbox is open.
Poem background: a photo of the shooting star Mira (Latin: "wonderful") by NASA in 2007.
Chapter 1: Twilight and Warriors (are forced to) practice their communication skills.
~~~~~
Once again, I have gotten unexpectedly lucky with a serendipitous quirk of the English language vis a vis the title of this fic. Parts of the fic have been sitting in my drafts for a year; the title came to me last night, and Chapter 2 now has a new section because of it.
And yeah I said I was going to get better at writing summaries, but I made no promises as to when.
No, like an actual real life physical book with my bare hands, from start to finish. I had never bound a book before, but Roots (At The Root Of All Things) by @weavingstarlight grabbed me by the throat and would not let me go until I made art about it.
So, me being me, I decided to try not only an entirely new medium, but to do so with the intent that the finished product be the author's birthday present. Stars has now gotten their (belated, thanks to shipping) gift, so I can finally share the project with the class.
I really hope that I did this phenomenal work justice, and that Stars likes its non-traditional fanart.
For details about the project and the process, see below.
So, because I had no idea what I was doing, I initially did the typeset to print an A5 (aka stock-standard) sized book, and then realized that it wasn't enough pages and had to reformat it all as an A6 (smaller), which is the sizing for the finished book. I began this the literal day the fic was posted, and finished within twenty four hours. (Have I mentioned that you should go read the fic?)
The rest of the binding process followed that pattern. I was pretty sure I knew what I was doing (I live with a very good fan binder, and was extrapolating off of watching her work) and then was promptly proved wrong by the constraints of the bind itself, having to pivot.
And much like with my usual medium, the changes that the project demanded ended up changing the project for the better. I ended up with a far nicer book that I initially conceptualized. Next time I will dream a little bigger.
In the end I had an A6 size book, bound with a velvet suede-like bookcloth over a non-rigid spine. The cover design was meant to mirror the impression of a fairy pinned in a shadow box, and is metallic heat transfer vinyl for the gold, and iron-on strip flock for the wings.
The result is very nice to pet, I want the record to show.
A lot of little mistakes were made along the way. I actually gave Stars a list of said mistakes hand written into the back of the book itself, for the laugh. I will say though that sewing the signatures was way easier than I thought it would be, and putting the book in the paper trimmer was infinitely scarier than I thought possible.
Thank you for reading this far, if you did. And please, for the love of Hylia, go read Roots. (And uh… read the tags before you do, the tags mean business.)
And not just any fanart (though all fanart is wonderful), I got an honest-to-gosh, physical book that I can hold in my hands. And it's the artist's first book. My friend went out and learned a whole new skill in order to make this.
Dear readers, this is the first fanart that anyone has ever made for my writing. The feeling is… incredible. I'm so indescribably grateful.
I decided that this art deserved as good a photo shoot as I could manage. I'm just an amateur photographer, but I gave it my best shot (pun intended). And so the cycle of art-for-art continues, I suppose!
*
Roots is a very special story to me, in ways that I didn't expect or intend when I started writing. It challenged me in ways that I think really made me grow as a writer. I planned for a lot less depth of meaning when I started than where it ended up—at first I was mostly just concerned with successfully writing some really harrowing horror/gore. But the more I worked at it, the more I found there were things that I wanted to say.
The prose itself also challenged me—the narrative "voice" I wanted to use was very specific, and it was hard to capture sometimes! But I think it was the right choice, even though I struggled with it for long periods.
And, even while I was writing it, I knew that many people would not be comfortable reading it, and that it would always have a very small audience. In fact, I wasn't sure that anyone would want to read it—except not-freyja. I got through a lot of my doubts and struggles with this story by telling myself, "Do it for not-freyja. Write it for them."
So receiving this book from them means a lot to me. More than I can say.
I truly think Roots is one of my best works so far. If you are inclined to read it, I encourage you to give it a try. As for myself, the next time I revisit this text, I'll be reading it in book form, knowing that each page was stitched and bound by a beloved friend.
I was invited to a LU meetup at Emerald City Comic Con, and I had such an amazing time hanging out with everyone! The cosplays were incredible up close with such fine details and not to mention no character was missing! I was even gifted a LU ribbon 🥹 "show us courage can fight in every sort of way"
Such a lively group and plenty of shenanigans inspired some of these sketches here. Thank you! All you guys are amazing!
Time: @midnightcass + MidnightCassCreates (Instagram)
Warriors: jennyblaze.bsky (Bluesky)
Twilight : RosiaCosplays (Instagram)
Sky: @raviosrupees
Wild: maxgoat8 (Instagram)
legend: @cloudyskies48
Hyrule: capn_makes_things (Instagram)
Wind: @bugybug500
Four on the left: @weavingstarlight
Four on the right: maddiecakesinacostume (Instagram)
When I told @cloudyskies48 that I was making a Four cosplay, they immediately asked if I was planning on going to ECCC and would I like to join a Chain cosplay group. HECK YES I WOULD!
I had so much fun meeting everyone and making new friends! And everyone looked ~amazing~
And, Jojo, it was so special to meet you! Cloudy told me that you would be there only the day before the meetup XD
I'm so glad we got to share a little bit of our love for your universe back to you!
Here's a timelapse video for this drawing of TotK Ganondorf ~
I used only two pens for this, both brush-tip ones. It’s “fun” to set challenges for myself like that (by “fun” I mean I like it, but why do I do this to myself?)
2.5 hours of inking compressed 20x.
Music: “Feel Good” by Ty Segall and Denee Segall, and “Devil’s Nine Questions” by Mishra and Deepa Nair Rasiya.
This, uh, was supposed to be a warm-up sketch. What happened next was entirely predictable.
5.5 x 8.5. Black brush pen.
[IMG: A pen and ink drawing of Ganondorf from Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. He is sitting with his right knee up, the other bent underneath him. He is facing left and leaning back on his left hand. His right arm is resting on his right knee, and he is displaying his black fingernails and metal jewelry. He is wearing soft pants with metal cuffs, foot wraps, and no shirt. His long hair is pulled back in an elaborate ponytail. He is smirking at the viewer. The paper is slightly speckled. You can see the spine and the red cover of the book on the scan.]
I took video! Timelapse here.
I did not set out to draw Ganondorf. I set out to test a blank book that my Sibling made as an experiment, which has weird linen-finish pages. I wasn’t sure how the paper would accept any media, so I picked a random pose and started sketching.
[IMG: The pose sketch with no features.]
Got to this point and said "hey chat, who should I pose like this?" And, well...
[IMG: The detailed sketch of Ganondorf, moments before inking.]
I had to bulk out the original sketch and I still didn’t push his physique far enough, but I was running out of space on the page.
Results: the paper took the ink marvelously! Still a little nervous to do fine line work or very “wet” inking due to the paper texture, but that’s an experiment for another day. Also the paper surface is so hard that erasing was super clean. You can’t see any pencil residue at this point. And I like the aspect ratio of the pages for some reason.
Hey guess what! I'm participating in Fandom Trumps Hate this year! I've never done this before, but I've donated to other charity auctions in the past, so I'm really pumped to be part of this one.
What is FTH? Fandom Trumps Hate is an online auction of fanworks that generates donations to progressive nonprofits that are working to protect marginalized people.
What are you offering, Stars? I have TWO contributions this year!
One Fanart: I'm offering (depending on bids) up to a full, multi-character traditional art painting. This art can be from the Legend of Zelda (and related fandoms), Lord of the Rings (and related fandoms), or Tamora Pierce's Emelan world. Check out the details here!
One Typeset: I'm offering to typeset one book for digital delivery. (Note that this is not a physical book!) This can be… pretty much anything! Check out the listing, and feel free to ask questions.
Not the kind of thing you're looking for? Browse around the other amazing creatives and their listings! There's surely something there you'll like. And remember, all donations go to good causes!
Browsing is open from now until the auctions open. Auctions are open from March 3, 8am EST to March 7, 8pm EST.
Read the fic on AO3 here. FIC WARNINGS BELOW THE CUT!
So this was all @somer-writes ' fault. All of it.
Somer, you see, posted the reference image (see below) and said, I quote, "Do this to Rulie." And I took that and ran with it.
I got halfway through the drawing when @hotcheetohatredwastaken asked, "Whose hands are those?" And I said, "Hold on, I have an idea. Give me a month to write a fic for it."
Dear readers, it took me the better part of a year to finish the fic.
Okay so maybe it was mostly my fault.
Things I regret: doing this drawing on cheap printer paper instead of tracing my sketch onto nicer paper. Things I don't regret: everything else.
8.5 x 11. Alcohol markers, colored pencils, micron pens, gel pens, and a liiittle bit of digital for the background & glow effect.
Reference image by McMike @slumberlands . See the original drawing here:
https://slumberlands.tumblr.com/post/780017168336207872/taxidermy
[IMG: A drawing of Hyrule from Linked Universe in fairy form, in the middle of being pinned to a box like an entomological specimen. He is being pinned in a small, flat wooden box with a dark blue mat. Two hands, gloved in dark blue, hover over him holding pins. Four more pins hold down his wings. Hyrule is wearing layered brown and green tunics and brown pants, leather bracers, and boots. His wings are translucent and shaped a little like dragonfly wings; they have white veins that stand out. Hyrule has brown hair, pale skin, and green eyes. He has a horrified, frozen expression, his eyes are empty, and there are tear tracks on his cheeks. He is giving off a pink glow, which is reflected on the gloved hands, the pinheads, and his own wings. The background is black.]
FIC WARNINGS: vivisection, drugging/anaesthesia, paralysis, pins/needles, medical procedures, gore.
And because I love them, here are some process images!
[IMG: The same drawing, but without the digital elements. This is how the drawing looks in person! The background is white, and Hyrule's glow is less vivid.]
[IMG: The lineart for the drawing. Heavy contour lines give implications of weight and distance.]
Oh god. I was tagged by @ziskeyt and people do tend to like it when I do this so I guess I'll do a top twenty or something out of my files (excl. a fic for an ongoing exchange.)
Rules: Make a new post with the names of all the files in your WIP folder, regardless of how non-descriptive or ridiculous.
People can send an ask with the title(s) that most intrigues them, then you post a snippet or tell them something about it!
Tag as many people as you have WIPs.
Mother of Monsters (nsfw)
Dionaea Majora Fic
Fingering Snippets (nsfw)
LU de-aging
PF Warriors n Callistria (sorta-nsfw)
September WAT
Nothing and the Admiral (nsfw)
HV Oak and Regent (nsfw)
Gloom of the Moon
Perfect Omega Guide (nsfw)
TR Time n Vida (nsfw)
Legend Neopussy (not as nsfw as it sounds!)
Dead Dog - Wars POV
Son of the Bonebreaker
Dead Dog - Wild
Kishin n Demise (nsfw)
Time n Deku Babas (nsfw)
Time n Prince
Echo Zelda (nsfw)
TOTK Story Analysis
Tagging @not-freyja, @zarvasace, @sister-dear, @irenkaferalkitty and @toyouhellohowareyou plus whoever else wants to make up the last 15 I'm not coming up with names for.
Okay you bastards, you asked for it
(And so did @lele5429 and @not-freyja )
Rules: Make a new post with the names of all the files in your WIP folder, regardless of how non-descriptive or ridiculous.
People can send an ask with the title(s) that most intrigues them, then you post a snippet or tell them something about it!
Tag as many people as you have WIPs.
Special rules: I'm listing all the stories in my WIP folder, because some of them live in the same document, or are spread across multiple documents. Don't worry about it.
Posted Works:
Guiding Lights
War Games Volume 1
Wolf of Hyrule
Unposted Works:
Ataxia
Panic (Not At The Disco)
Fangs In The Dark
[censored]
Pareidolia: BEACHES
3b (Pinned Down)
26 + 27 + 28
Conclave [original work/series]
これは頼むこと [translation project]
Chicken Scratch:
4a (Herbal Remedy)
5a (Hold Me)
6a (Spoon Feeding)
10a (Just A Dream)
11a (Burning Up)
12a (Role Reversal)
14a (Falling Asleep)
17a (Making Things Worse)
1b (Vocal Cords)
2b (Holding Back Tears)
5b (Not Trusting Reality)
6b (Forced To Stay Awake)
7b (Alternate Timeline Self)
8b (Bleeding Out)
9b (Necromancy)
10b (Magic Exhaustion)
11b (Demonic Possession)
14b (Becoming The Monster)
17b (Power Instability)
18b (Living Weapon)
19b (Death Wish)
21b (Put On Display)
23b (Gunshot Wound)
24b (Forced To Beg)
Lovers' Pond
Fairy Quest
There! All of these have some words on the page, but how many words (and the quality of the words) varies widely. Sometimes it's just notes.
...That's 38 stories. I don't think I know 38 people who haven't been tagged yet.
Rules: How many letters of the alphabet have you used for a fic title? One fic per line, 'A' and 'The' do not count for 'a' and 't'. Post your score out of 26 at the end, along with your total fic count.
( @believingispowerfulmagic had open tags and this looked fun!)
I went with the oldest fic by latest update. The emojis at the end are kinda iykyk.
A- Always Remember (the burning embers) 🏴☠️❤️🦢
B- Blanket Fort Fluff 🏴☠️❤️🦢
C- Critical Fail! 🦢🩷📜
D- Dreams of Adventure ☀️💜🪮
E- Emma's First Perfect Christmas 🏴☠️❤️🦢
F- Five Life-Changing Words 🏚️🩵💰
G- Golden Girl Volume I: The Trust Issues 🦢🩷📜
H- How The Vicar Says "I Told You So" 🏚️🩵💰
I- It Now Belongs To You 🏴☠️❤️🦢
J- Just The Way We Roll* 🏴☠️❤️🦢
K- Kingdom Trap** 🦢🩷📜
L- A Little Bit Brighter ☀️🥽
M- The Monsters 🥽🧡🐺
N- Need a Player 2? 🧡😻💜
O- Operation Lunchbreak 🏴☠️📕
P- Poor Little Orphan Eugene Fitzherbert 🪮
Q-
R- Road Less Traveled 📖💛🖋️
S- Seventy: Audacity Under Opposition 👮♀️🤍👨✈️
T- This is (kinda) The Way 🧡😻💜
U- Um, Actually... 🦢🩷📜
V-
W- When Duty Calls 🗡️❤️🏰
X-
Y-
Z-
*fic posted under the title "That's Just The Way We Roll," but appears on cover art and doc with the first word omitted **unposted but still a fic title
Final count: 21/26! I have a total of 66 fics on my ao3 account, so that's kind of a slay ngl.
tagging: @kanerallels @jessicas-pi @kmomof4 @jeru-skyrider @starryrants @ana-cantskywalker and anyone else who wants to join in!
Rules: How many letters of the alphabet have you used for a fic title? One fic per line, 'A' and 'The' do not count for 'a' and 't'. Post your score out of 26 at the end, along with your total fic count.
I put the first fic I came to alphabetically, first of the posted ones and then of the unposted if I still had letters available. The posted ones are linked to, if they sound interesting to you.
A) Accidental Hero
B) Bloodlust
C) Cake Fight
D) Dark Beginnings
E) Elemental
F) Feathered Friend
G) Game Over
H) Hylian, Fairy, Monster, Hero
I) Interlude
J) Just Friends?
K) Kurt (temp title)
L) Light After Shadows
M) Minori
N) Nameless
O) ?
P) Party For Five
Q) Queen's Guidance
R) Relaxation at Its Finest
S) Secrets of the Library
T) Through a Brother's Eyes
U) ?
V) Vio's Legacy
W) Writer's Sight
X) ?
Y) ?
Z) ?
I will warn that I locked my fics so only Ao3 members can read them, after a few too many issues with folk who aren't on the site. If you can't read them, that's probably why.
Got 21/26, and with 53 fics posted I call that a good score. I think I can come up with more for the last five letters later. O U X Y Z, should be fun figuring out titles with those letters, it's a challenge now. :)
tags... well. I have trouble thinking of who all I follow on a good day. will tag who I can think of and if you think it sounds fun have at it.
@ssschrodingers-cat @ahrva @trinbluephoenix @vixiyne @katwriteszeldathings @queensilver @quasar-crew @silvermistanimelover @the-scoreboard
Whelp. This is gonna be fun. XD I don't see any rules about posted fics only, soooo.....
Fic ABCs
Rules: How many letters of the alphabet have you used for a fic title? One fic per line, 'A' and 'The' do not count for 'a' and 't'. Post your score out of 26 at the end, along with your total fic count.
A—Answering Breeze (Atla)
B—By the Light of the Lantern [Zelda, Unposted]
C—Can You Really Call it Kidnapping When they're Skeletons? (Undertale)
D—The Dreams We Die For (Bnha)
E—Eyes of the Forest (HP/LotR)
F—A Flickering Light (Zelda)
G—Gem of the Desert (Zelda)
H—A Hero's Spirit (Zelda fic)
I—Instinct (Bnha)
J—A Journey's End (Zelda)
K—The Kid with the Notebook [Bnha, Unposted]
L—Lifeline (Bnha)
M—Monochrome Rain (Bnha)
N—Not A Damsel (Zelda)
O—One More Light [Bnha, Unposted]
P—Pasts and Secrets (Hetalia)
Q—Quondam Indemnity [UTMV Unposted]
R—Reminiscence of a Shattered Future (Undertale)
S—Soul of Steel (Zelda)
T—Tapestry of Traditions (Zelda)
U—Until We Meet Again (Zelda)
V—Viridian (Bnha)
W—Where Home Is (Bnha)
X—
Y—You'd Best Start Running [Undertale/HP, Unposted]
Z—
Final score: 24/26 Of which, 19 are posted
Unfortunately, I had no fics that began with X or Z. I will aim to fix that at some point in the future.
I currently have 79 fics posted on Ao3.
I have a total of 263 fics total (just counted them) including posted and unposted works across all fandoms (Zelda alone has over 120 fics, jeez)
Tags... mmmm... uh.... I'm not overly active on social media, so uh... @bokettochild @quasar-crew and whoever sees this and wants to take it as a challenge. XD
Oh dear me, well, here it goes! (and since Silver declared that WIPS count....)
Fic ABCs
A - Anklebiter
B - Bare Basics
C - Chronic
D - Deity, Fairy, Prince
E - Even Hylia's Chosen Need A Little Love
F - For Whom The Bell Tolls
G - Ghost Of A Rose
H - Hiding From Her Gaze
I - I Am My Master's Sword
J - Just Keep Swimming
K - Knight's Wings
L - Lay Your Armor Down (Bare Your Heart)
M - Memorial
N - Notes
O - Of Minish and Men
P - Pup Of My Pup
Q - N/A
R - Rock Soup
S - Shimmering Scales
T - Through A Wolf's Eyes
U - Unknown Face
V - Violet
W - Warm, Safe, Known
X - N/A
Y - You're Not Alone
Z - Zvezda
All of these are LOZ/LU fics, so I'm NOT tagging them idividually, because mama is a one-trick-pony, cepische? (LOL)
All around, that's 24/26, not bad!
This is me drawing from 220 published Fics on Ao3 and who knows how many additional ones from Tumblr and my own personal files :)
Tagging @silvercaptain24 @anadorablekiwi @telemna-hyelle @mermain123 @winedimples (only if you want!)
And anyone else who wants! I forget the names of all my writer friends, so just consider yourself tagged if this looks fun!
this will be fun seeing as I don't yet have 26 fics up on A03 XD (going to use wips for sure to see how many I can get hehe) early guess is i'll have around 10
A- Ambassador Twilight
B- The Blush of Dawn
C- Chimera Twilight
D- Dad Squad minus the Dads
E-
F- Fangs for the memories (even if they weren't so good)
G-
H- A hero hiding in Wolf's clothes
I-
J-
K-
L- Look at this (pitco)graph
M- Minish moments
N-
O-
P-
Q-
R-
S- Scales Wings, and Split dungeons
T- Time regrets none of this
U-
V-
W- Who built this weird dungeon?
oooh I got 11! WHY DO ALL MY FIC TITLES START WITH B, M, or W??? wild that that's the biggest issue here
anyway I want to see what some very cool writers like @somer-writes @aeghina @skyloftian-nutcase @toyouhellohowareyou get
Also tagged by @winedimples but Nan got in first so I'm reblogging this version. ❤️❤️
I need more fics, but not a bad effort.
A - An Incident
B - Blupee
C -Constellate
D
E
F - Fortuity
G
H - Hero of Hyrule
I
J
K
L
M - Mandatory Puppy Pile
N
O - Ocarina, Oracle
P - Post Mortem
Q
R - Reasonable Assumptions
S - Snippets & Shorts - LoZ/LU
T - Two Moon Pearls and the Master Sword
U
V
W
X
Y
Z
Score = 11
Total fics = 13 (F and R have two each)
Who's not tagged yet that has a few fics, how about: @not-freyja @zarvasace @tashacee @batrogers
Oh, this is actually an interesting question. I am, for the purpose of this game, not going to count unposted WIPs, even if they have a locked in title. I started with my most recent works, and worked backwards, so any repeating letters will default to the most recent fic. Okay, let's see:
A - Abandon
B - Behold
C - Cacophony
D - Dupe
E - Efficiency
F - Fairytale
G - Gale
H - Haunt
I - In Media Res
J - Just a Little Explosion
K - The Kids Are (Not) Alright
L - Land
M - A Moment Alone
N
O - On Talons
P - Pitchpole
Q
R - Resonance
S - Shadowed
T - To Thunderous Applause
U - An Unremitting Ululation
V
W - We Need To Talk About David
X
Y - You've Got Mail (From Your Brother's Brother)
Z
21/26 Which is pretty good! The temptation to cheat by using the second word in titles to get at pesky letters like Q and N was high, but I resisted. I have a total of 74 works on the archive, so that means that every letter averages out to having three titles starting with it. Fun!
Fandoms presented up there are LOZ (BOTW, ALTTP. SkSw, LA, FS, EOW, and LU), Star Trek AOS, The Walking Dead, and The Boondock Saints.
I get around.
Tag game be upon: @hotcheetohatredwastaken @gia-d @weavingstarlight and @needfantasticstories
Rules: How many letters of the alphabet have you used for a fic title? One fic per line, 'A' and 'The' do not count for 'a' and 't'. Post your score out of 26 at the end, along with your total fic count.
Well, sure, I've only got 14 fics posted and none of my WIPs get their official titles until they're complete, so this is going to be a poor showing. But I've got a few! I went from "oldest updated" on Ao3.
A - Almost Lost You (Found You Again)
B -
C - Countershock
D - Deluge (Can't Hear My Heart Beat Over All This Rain)
E -
F - Falling Fast, Fading (I should get extra points for alliteration)
G - Green
H -
I -
J -
K -
L -
M - Myriad
N -
O - Offer Him Your Children
P -
Q - Quarrel
R -
S - Sprite (Home is what we've left behind)
T -
U -
V -
W - With Everything You Have
X -
Y -
Z -
Only 10/26 but with only 14 fics posted I don't feel too bad! And I got Q which, if we're going by Scrabble scoring, is 10 whole points.
@cloudyskies48 @undertheopensky @mrsmusica get got
I’m down so horrendously bad. I’m even more obsessed with this character than I was before drawing his design. (Art is by me, design is by the author).
For those that love a good Zelink FD fanfic, it’s “End of Time” by Makuro767.
i am,,, withering away but ITS DONE ITS DONE IM FREE FROM THE CURSE (<<< still haunted by wips) clocking in at 32+ hours, this sucker has been getting pushed around for 10 months-
while theres some things i would have done differently if i could redo this from scratch, i still had a BLAST cramming in as much detail as i could tolerate >:) some highlights / cut ideas / ramblings are below the cut, but please zoom for details! (if tumblr doesnt shred it to bits)
gonna be real i locked so hard onto drawing ripped jeans that i forgot i could have just shoved legend into a skirt and called it a day
SOCKS. SOCKS. the amount of Joy anytime i figured out how to personalize them with game references: legend (hibiscus), twilight (ordon goats), and four (force gems)
i WAS going to put time in a turtleneck, but had an epiphany and started digging for the most obnoxious hawaiian shirts i could find,,, ft. a sea flower (wind waker) and a saturation boosted plumm (twilight princess)!
yeah so warriors got the sweater instead of the skintight shirt, sorry gang
speaking of if i ever say im going to draw a cableknit sweater again, somebody PLEASE shake some sense into me- warriors sweater was a NIGHTMARE since my art program has an astonishing lack of good brushes (and yet here i am still using it)
MOST of the text has been modified using the twilight princess cipher because yeah. i was procrastinating shading. also the other ciphers were in japanese- times shirt is cropped, but reads "its 5 oclock somewhere"
winds lobster shirt :) that is all i just think its neat
wilds jacket :) link w(ild) 2017, aka the release year of botw
jewelry! sky has the fireshield earrings, and wild has the amber earrings~ could barely squeeze the bombos and quake medallions onto legend, and wind got the joy pendant
hyrule :D embroidery on his sweatpants because i was struck by whimsy- also i 100% thought his shield was purple tinted for weeks while drawing this because the page i used as reference was set at night, and i was originally basing his sweater on his shield- scrapped the cross pattern after several failed attempts but kept the color ^^
the chips are bbq because im biased (reads "crisps" in twilight princess cipher for no real reason except whimsy)
bless my dearest homie for game reccs because the og plan was to have them all be loz games! titles include wii sports resort, elebits, super mario party, smash bros ultimate, just dance 2016 (its box art is colorful ok), and myth makers orbs of doom (I HATE THIS GAME WITH EVERY FIBER OF MY BEING, as i should, anyways i should play it again). four is suggesting orbs of doom, buddy aint even playing,,,
kinda was hoping to play around with hair colors and skin tones a bit more, but again, see the hour count- ill get em next time surely,,, also blue vs violet eyes for legend already had me in decision paralysis
the whole gang was gonna have friendship bracelets with color combos based on dynamics i found neat but oops! didnt finish the layer :')
thats a wrap! didnt yap about everything but im curious what yall catch onto- anyways surely ive learned something about biting off more than i can chew (<<< lying liar who lies)
the expressions that you drew for all the LU Links on the cover art….those are some insane details! Sky and Wild are both grimacing, Warriors looks almost displeased and Time looks so CONTENT aaksjsbhahqhah
Hehe thank you so much!! Time is definetly the only one that's actually having any degree of a good time LOL.
There's actually a lot more symbolism to the back cover than it may seem >:) Please allow me this opportunity to yap about it below~ (spoilers for the Willow Bark and Chamomile fic!)
Although the placement of the links has no regard between each other, I deliberately placed them in specific spots relating to their dreams, most specifically, in regards to light and shadow.
In this artwork, the sunlight means good, warm, comfort, but also the truth, and to an extent, the goddesses presence (most specifically for Sky more than the others). The shadows represent the nightmares, the windfish's control, and even bad feelings in general.
Time, Wind and Four are fully in the sun, the ones with the most peaceful dreams. While Time basks in it, Wind is almost confused, he is facing the truth, looking for it, but can't quite grasp it, whereas Four is turned away from it, he doesn't want to look.
Twilight is the only one fully divided into light and dark, probably the most obvious of the metaphors. He physically can't choose sides, to the extent even his dream is split in two.
Wars and Hyrule are in the shadows, but the sunlight is there, just barely reaching its fingers to their head. They know something is wrong, but the windfish is messing with their mind, making it harder to think.
Sky and Wild are the ones with the worst luck. Completely in shadows, Sky just barely close enough to the sunlight, almost reaching for it, but no goddess will appear in a made-up land. Wild, almost struggling to breathe in fighting the weight of his memories, where even good memories are bittersweet, and bad ones are even worse to bear.
Of course, Legend is the only one standing, yet his face is not visible at all. That's kind of what he felt like in this fic, an outside agent, a secondary character to the other's problems, yet still the one active player. Distant, yet vital. We don't know how exactly he feels, and that's kind of the point. This isn't at all alluded to in the story, but wouldn't it be fair to think he, too, fell into a dream when they arrived? What would've been in the veteran's ideal reality? Was it painful for him to wake up of his own volition? Or was it only natural, for verily, it be the nature of dreams to end?
In truth, none of these things were present in the fic, I drew them like this explicitly for these metaphors, perhaps a bit too obviously. I wonder If I am reaching too far? That's the kind of lines you cross when you go 30 hours in a paiting, lol. But those were my thoughts working on it anyway. I hope they sound cooler outside my head XD
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
As he picked his way down the slope in the fading light of sunset, Warriors tried to sort out his thoughts. He knew the others needed him to be on top of his game right now; he couldn’t afford to be distracted, couldn’t let his emotions get the better of him. Or at least, he couldn’t let his emotions affect how he handled the others — they were already dealing with enough, all of them were. He needed to stay calm and collected.
But by the Goddesses, he wished he had time to crawl into a hole and cry.
~~~~~
In this chapter, we get a new POV character! Didn't expect that, didja? Yeah, me neither, honestly.
I wrote this fic because I wanted to join in the trend/enrichment activity of shooting Warriors with arrows. XD
I believe the originator of this was @mirensiart 's post here! I debated briefly between drawing something or writing something for this little game, but once I started writing it took me only three days to draft and edit the whole fic.
I'm also very, very pleased with the title. I got lucky with the English language, there.
➴
Prompt (Febuwhump 12): Used As Practice
A non-canonical part of the War Games AU.
Tags: War Games AU, Graphic Violence, Blood and Injury, War, Hurt No Comfort
War Games is a collaborative AU created by Team Tactics, based on the premise "What if Spirit was in the War of Ages... and what if that wasn't a good thing?" It is a branching-timeline story that is currently being written into a longfic and multiple side stories. The main themes are the meaning of the "greater good," the worth of pyrrhic victories, love as both a destructive and regenerative force, grief and recovery, and the ways people react to pressure. Remember: war does not forge good people.
➴
quarrel (n):
1. a square-headed bolt or arrow
2. a usually verbal conflict between antagonists; altercation
➴
Spirit stared down at the battlefield from the keep’s walls. The breeze up here was heady, scented as it was with bomb-fire and dirt, and it made him feel weirdly floaty as it ruffled his hair and tugged at his cap.
Below him, the Hyrulean troops boiled across the terrain like blue marbles scattered from a jar. His eyes tracked back and forth across the field, trying with all their might to keep everything in his awareness at the same time. Every few seconds, his gaze flicked up to the relay tower, watched its flashing lights for a moment, then returned to the field.
Anxiety clawed at the pit of his stomach, but he held his post, even when monster roars and bomb-flower fireworks climbed through the air directly below him.
Mabine, his aide, nudged him with her elbow, and he quickly looked where she pointed.
The relay flashed again, red this time. The operator had changed the light lens to the emergency color. Spirit’s scattered attention snapped to it, and he watched the message come in seemingly at a crawl—far, far too slowly for his pounding heart.
Before the message was half-sent, he felt a chill wash over him. Bombchu. A mobile, mouse-shaped explosive machine with enough power to knock down fortress walls. Aimed of course at their operational base here, in the south corner of the field, and they were barely holding this area in the first place—
His eyes wandered back over the field, wondering Quick, quick, how should I deal with this? How can I keep this location from falling completely?
How do I prevent disaster?
Beside him, Mabine held up her signal lantern, ready to send. “Orders, sir?” she said nervously.
Don’t call me ‘sir,’ he wanted to remind her, but right now he didn’t have time. He looked at the pieces he had on the board, and made his decision.
“Send Captain Link,” he said firmly. “Tell him: Bombchu, East Field Keep, destroy it immediately.”
“Which route, sir?” Mabine asked, starting to flash her lantern. “There’s two.”
“The east bridge.”
The aide hesitated, halfway through her missive. “That’s right into the sight of the enemy keep. Their archers will turn him into a porcupine.”
“I have faith in the Hero,” Spirit said past the dryness in his mouth. “Don’t you?”
Her face twisted, nose wrinkling. “Support?”
“He doesn’t need it.”
“Are you sure—”
“Stop wasting time and relay the order!”
She sent the signals. Spirit’s fingers gripped the stone battlements so tightly his hands cramped. The pain was welcome.
“Done,” Mabine said finally.
With an effort, Spirit straightened. “Okay, next…”
➴
In the midst of carnage, Captain Link’s battle focus was suddenly interrupted by Proxi’s bell-like chimes.
“New orders, Link!” she alerted him. “Top priority!”
Link destroyed another aeralfos while Proxi parsed the lantern message for him. “There’s a bombchu at the East Field Keep,” she said hurriedly while he caught his breath. “Let’s go deal with it!”
“On it,” Link promised. He flicked his scarf back over his shoulder, since it had been coming loose. Then he lit off across the battlefield, Proxi zipping along near his shoulder.
Link charged forward without pausing, knowing that bombchus had short fuses. Knowing that they had thick armor. Knowing that a single one could take down a keep’s walls and leave the floodgates open for monsters. They had to be taken down swiftly, and preferably—due to their explosive tendencies—far away from one’s own troops.
The grass under his feet was already trampled into mud. The low walls of the destroyed village served, now, only as cover for Hyrulean troops. The air was thick with the iron tang of blood and the sharp scent of lightning magic.
It seemed strange to think of something like a building as sneaking up on him, but the rounded stone walls of the East Field Keep sprang out of the chaos suddenly and unexpectedly, appearing over the heads of bulblins and darknuts like a thundercloud forming on the horizon. The short bridge that led to the gates rolled out before Link like a royal carpet, and he turned his steps to it.
Proxi’s warning chime made Link skid to a halt, and it was only through that grace that he dodged the arrows that thunked into the ground in front of him.
“What the hell?” Link said, staring up at the walls lined with archers. “Did command really send me into this mess?”
Proxi zipped back and forth uncertainly, peering ahead at the open keep gates. “There’s definitely a bombchu in there,” she said unhappily. “Oh! Oh no, it’s starting to move!”
Link adjusted his shield on his arm and backed up, hoping he was out of immediate range. “Can I wait for it to come to me? Will I have enough time to destroy it?”
Proxi hesitated, and that was all the answer Link needed. He had to move forward. I have to trust that Spirit has a plan.
He dove forward, shield raised to protect his head and shoulders. Arrows smacked against the wood, feeling like pellets from a child’s slingshot as they tapped out a rhythm that would be deadly if Link wasn’t completely focused on defense. Every few strikes a bolt would lodge in the wood, forcing him to adjust his grip or angle to account for the change in weight.
Link growled in frustration. “I’m being used as target practice here!” he snapped. “Proxi, go ask Spirit what the hell he’s doing!”
“I can’t, Link, you need me here!” the fairy protested.
He cursed, but she was right. Without fairy magic, he doubted he would survive the next five minutes, let alone the day.
Then an arrow pierced his ankle, catching behind the greaves of his left boot. Pain bloomed in his leg, darting up to his hip quick as lightning. Blood welled immediately in his boot and dripped unpleasant warmth into his sock. In his shock and surprise, Link lowered his shield for half a second—
Half a second was too long. Another arrow slammed into his right shoulder, below the joint, in the meaty part of his upper arm. He felt it scrape against bone on its way in.
He hissed through his teeth, and his brain stalled when the second burst of pain made his vision go red. Instinct and training took over and certainly saved his life in that moment and he lashed out blindly, executing a weak but passable spin attack. He heard monsters shriek as they disintegrated under the Master Sword’s glow.
That arrow was in his shield arm, damnit. He had to raise the arm again, despite the way the arrow scratched inside him, the way the muscles tore around the sharp arrowhead. He had to keep moving and get to the bombchu.
Proxi chimed again, bringing his attention back to the present—and oh, good, the bombchu was coming to him. It had exited the keep now, trundling along on its little wheels, squeaking and squawking as it went.
He felt both relief and dread as the armored tank made its appearance. He was glad he didn’t have to chase the thing down. On the other hand, his time to destroy the machine before it caused irrevocable harm was dwindling. It was surrounded by an entourage of monsters who were guarding it. And it was still very much an explosive.
He took a step forward on his wounded ankle, but the arrows were still coming down. He lifted his shield to block more and they hammered him, they shattered and clipped against his shield. His shield became heavier and heavier as arrows stuck in its surface. His arm burned and screamed trying to hold it up.
Until—CRACK—a lucky shot, or simply one too many, and his shield broke in twain.
“Link!” shrieked Proxi, but there was nothing either of them could do. The little blue fairy darted over to huddle in his scarf, suddenly much more exposed than she had been a second ago.
Link cursed under his breath. Well, nothing for it but to try to get rid of the bombchu as fast as possible. He descended on his target with as much speed as he could muster—which wasn’t a great deal, due to his ankle, but he tried.
The next arrow to find its mark landed in his thigh muscle, making him stumble. He lunged on his good leg and got himself close enough to fall against the bombchu, his hands striking its metal surface, feeling all the rivets and rough edges, and scraping his fingertips bloody on the burrs in the metal. From this close, leaning against it, he felt the subtle whirr and click of mechanisms inside, and the heat radiating from it like a camp stove—mild now, but he knew that heat could become a terrible explosion.
Another arrow thudded into his hip on the opposite side. The new burst of pain was almost muted, swallowed up as it was by the flood of other pains and the adrenaline coursing through him.
Now that he had stopped moving, he was a much better target for the archers.
He had better start stabbing.
Normally, Link would take bombchus apart by simply hammering them until their welded carapaces broke. He didn’t think he could get away with that this time. Arrows pinged against the metal hull itself, sending splinters into the air, and he ducked down to keep the bombchu between himself and the archers.
Using the bombchu as cover worked for a moment to keep the arrows off him, but he couldn’t keep his head down low enough and still attack it, and he found himself scuttling around behind the thing like a crab. He would have laughed, if his heart hadn’t been hammering in his throat.
Another arrow hit him, this time in his side, between his lower ribs. And Link knew he was out of time.
He slid down against the bombchu’s side to sit on the ground, feeling his scarf and tunic catch on the rough metal. Sweat was beading on his forehead and under his collar, he was panting, and his heart was surging in his chest. But he steeled himself, Proxi’s warm glow beside his cheek lending him strength.
He gripped the arrow in his side and ripped it out harshly, trying to suppress a scream in the face of the zinging pain of the arrowhead tearing through him. With bloody hands, he did the same to the arrow in his hip, then the one in his thigh. Darkness climbed in from the corners of his vision, nausea swelled, his head pounded, but he held his grip on awareness with grim determination. The heat of the bombchu against his back kept him oh-so-aware of what was at stake if he passed out now.
His fumbling hands blindly sought his blue potion, and he downed it, more guided by muscle memory than conscious will. The darkness and pain receded. He felt the hole in his lung heal and he knew he wouldn’t bleed out.
Link stumbled up again, circling the bombchu, looking for openings.
He found a chink in the bombchu’s armor, a tiny seam that he could wedge his sword into and start prying. Yes, this would work much better than exposing himself to more bolts.
He used the Master Sword as a common prybar, and although he was sorry to treat her that way, it had to be done.
It was the work of a minute, at most, for him to split the bombchu’s carapace, like cracking a walnut open. He peeled the sheet metal off the top of the machine and exposed its inner workings, all gears and belts and gunpowder.
As soon as the insides were exposed to the air, the device began sparking, and Link lunged away. Agony erupted in his hip and leg as he tried to escape the inevitable explosion.
He didn’t get far at all before more arrows thudded into his back.
He didn’t even know how many hit him—it felt a little like someone had thrown a thick pillow at him, and a little like getting hit with a bucket of ice water, and a little bit like his lungs stopped working. He suddenly felt heavy, the way his shield had felt heavy before, and he could tell he was falling but he couldn’t see the ground—his eyes had gone blurry like he was underwater.
Link hit the ground and what little breath was left in him escaped him in a sigh. He tried to inhale but it felt like there were iron bands around his lungs, holding him immobilized, keeping him from drawing in any air. His ribs grew tighter and tighter and his back muscles started to wail at him, agony flickering through his chest. He felt like there were embers in his lungs.
He heard Proxi’s shrieking chimes like they were echoing inside a giant bell. The warmth of her magic dusted over him in a familiar fizzing heat, and he knew that it was only a temporary measure, but at least he had a few more minutes of life in him before the enemy reached him.
Behind him, the explosion he had been waiting for went off. A warm rush of wind ruffled his hair and the fletching on the arrows embedded in him, making them shift slightly and dig in. He was peppered with ashes and dirt as the world spun and faded to black.
I did it…
Spirit had better have a plan…
➴
Link was not surprised when he woke, groggy and aching, in a medical tent, but he wasn’t happy about it.
In fact, before he even came fully conscious, a simmering anger made itself known, smoldering in his heart and burning away the fog of pain. He pushed his way past the haze of pain-dulling medicines and the disorientation of magical healing to take stock of his body, and from there, his surroundings.
He was lying on his belly on a metal cot, and that already was odd enough to make his breath hitch in his dry throat. His torso, back, and shoulders were wrapped in thick bandages, stiff and tight, and he could tell his back was padded with extra material.
I must have bled a lot, then.
His face was smushed into a thin pillow, and as he stirred, and the pain reared its head fully—a beast ready to bite—he thought longingly of returning to that dark abyss of unconsciousness.
But he had probably slept long enough already, and he had duties to perform. So Link prised his eyes open and let his gaze roam around the dimly-lit tent until his vision cleared.
Wind was sitting vigil by his bedside, but it was an inattentive vigil; he didn’t even notice Link stirring, lost in his own thoughts. The teen looked… haunted.
Link wished he could do something for his little brother. Wind had been saying less and watching more as the war dragged on, and Link was worried about him.
“Hey,” Link croaked in greeting. He tasted blood in his mouth. He’d have to wash that out soon.
“Oh,” Wind replied, coming back to the present, “you’re awake.” He arranged his face into a look of relief, and Link frowned.
“That sucked.”
A spark of humor ignited in Wind’s eyes—quickly doused, but Link would take it as a victory. The teen moved from his stool to sit on the edge of the folding cot, brushing his hands against the bandages on Link’s torso.
“Does it hurt?” he asked. “I can fetch Lana…”
Link sighed, his face still smushed against the pillow. “Yes, it hurts, but it’s okay. How did the battle go?”
Wind was silent for a long moment, and Link’s heart sank into his stomach. Nightmare scenarios flashed in his mind, imagination illuminating every possible horror—
“...We lost.”
Link felt like he had been plunged into Lake Hylia. “What?” he breathed.
He had been counting on his sacrifice, on the destruction of the enemy weapon, to be enough to turn the tide. He had been counting on his allies to be able to handle the rest of the battle without him. He had been counting on Spirit to have a plan.
Wind continued, oblivious to the way Link’s thoughts were spinning. “Impa and I got you out, but we had to retreat soon after. We’re about four miles south of the battlefield.”
Link tried to kick his sluggish brain into gear and process this. The pain of his wounds flared and ebbed in waves, making it difficult to think, speak, breathe—
“I need to talk to the Tactician,” he said through gritted teeth.
Wind bit his lip. “Sorry, you can’t,” he told the Captain. “Zelda said he’s not allowed in the medical tents right now.”
“Why not?”
“Um… well he did give the orders…” Wind looked like he had a great many thoughts on the subject and was locking them all behind his teeth. “She’s not happy with you being injured… or with the retreat…”
Link groaned and buried his face in his pillow. He wanted to go back to sleep. He was in pain, he could barely move, and he was going to have to go back to it all soon. And he didn’t even know why.
Did Spirit make a mistake? Or did I fail?
Finally Link gave in. “Send for Lana,” he said. I’ll pull Hero rank just this once. “I’ll ask for her healing. I need to see Spirit.”
➴
Spirit was holed up in the study in the village mayor’s house, which had been commandeered for the army’s use. When Link found him, he was curled up in an armchair by the window. Papers covered the coffee table in front of him, a book of diagrams lay open on his lap, but he was staring out the window instead of looking at any of it. He was chewing idly on the red handkerchief around his neck—a habit Link had noticed he engaged in when he needed comfort.
Link was still moving stiffly, so he wasn’t exactly quiet when he entered the bookshelf-lined room. And yet, Spirit didn’t seem to notice him.
Link knocked on the wood paneling to get the teen’s attention.
Spirit’s expression lifted slightly when he saw who it was. “You’re up sooner than I expected,” he said, and those words immediately put Link on edge.
Does he not realize how that sounds?
“You… expected?” Link pushed the door closed with a foot. “Just how much did you expect?”
Spirit bit his lip and looked away. He stayed silent. Link squashed the urge to go over and shake the teenager.
He walked a little closer, limping slightly on his still-healing leg. “Spirit, why did you send me in there?”
Spirit had the grace to look back, and seemed to see Link for the first time that day. His face went even paler, and he jumped out of the chair. “Sit, sit,” he urged. “You shouldn’t be standing…”
Link wanted to protest, but his injuries were aching, and the phantom pains that accompanied too-fast magical healing were sparkling along his nerves in a distracting way. So he took the offered chair, and if he let out a small, pained whine as he lowered himself down, Spirit was kind enough not to draw attention to it.
But Link wasn’t going to let the Tactician off the hook. “Surely there was another way.”
Spirit bit his lip again, and he looked so similar to Wind that Link almost barked a laugh. There would have been no humor in it, though.
“If I sent troops in,” Spirit said slowly, “they would be slaughtered, and might not even be able to take out the bombchu in time. But a Hero could make it through. A Hero could survive.”
“I almost didn’t.”
“But you did.” Spirit turned away, hiding his expression by pretending to examine the curtains. “I knew you would. But I’m sorry if you were scared.”
“I wasn’t scared,” Link replied softly. Even though I was.
Spirit didn’t seem ready to look at him. Link wished he would, if only so the anger and hurt that was building in his heart would have somewhere to go.
He needed to know if Spirit regretted it. He needed to know if Spirit was sorry.
“Why didn’t you send Wind or Mask?” he demanded instead. It came out more harshly than he intended.
“Do you wish I had?” Spirit responded immediately, as though he had expected the question. As though he had been waiting for it.
“Of course not.”
Spirit nodded, hesitated. Still hadn’t looked away from the window. “I needed them to pull you out of there.” He lowered his head, eyes far away. “Wind, Mask, Impa—they would risk everything to keep you safe. They do it every day. I couldn’t guarantee they would do the same for anyone else.”
Link tried to swallow past the sudden lump in his throat. He tried to envision the scene—the Hero, downed and dying, fallen well within an enemy-controlled area, and far from aid. Anyone who had gone on that rescue mission would have faced the same arrow storm that he had.
He made a note to give Wind a big hug when he saw him again.
When he had his voice under control again, he said, “I heard we lost.”
“Yes.”
The anger flared, finding tinder. Link grit his teeth. “Then it was all pointless. You sent me into a hail of arrows, and for what?”
Spirit finally turned halfway to face him. He looked… scared, eyes wide and face pale. “Is that what you think? Is that what they’re saying?”
Link stared back. Gears churned in his head until they clicked. “We were already losing, weren’t we?”
Spirit turned his back fully to the window and slid down until he was sitting on the floor. He put his head in his hands. At that moment, he looked very tired, very small, and very young.
“We couldn’t lose the South Field base, we needed to maintain our retreat path. I needed that bombchu gone. We would have lost so many troops if that keep had fallen early.”
It should have made Link feel better, hearing that. Knowing that he had been chosen as a sacrifice for the benefit of many. After all, he was a Hero, and that was the role of a Hero. He should be used to it. He should be proud.
But instead the hurt in his chest flowered into its true form—betrayal. He felt betrayed.
He breathed in slowly, wincing a little as his ribs twinged. Another reminder of what Spirit had put him through.
Spirit looked so pathetic right now, sitting on the floor with his fingers twisted in his shaggy hair, and for some reason that made Link even angrier.
I’m not in the right state of mind to be having this conversation right now, he decided. With an effort, he pushed himself up out of the chair and started to make his slow way towards the door.
“I should go back to camp,” he said as he weaved his way around the coffee table. “Do you want to come with me?”
Spirit hummed noncommittally. “I’m not supposed to leave this house,” he said. “Impa is… worried. A lot of people are unhappy with me right now.”
Link paused with his hand on the doorknob. “Bad enough that you’re in protective confinement?” he asked in disbelief.
“It’s just a precaution,” Spirit said. “It would probably be fine.”
The tone of his voice indicated that it would not be fine.
“Because we lost one battle?” Link pressed.
“I gave the orders that nearly killed the Hero. That was a bad mistake on my part. I nearly destroyed the hope of Hyrule.” Spirit said it like he was reciting a letter.
Link felt the hurt stirring in his chest again, and before he could stop himself, he asked the question that was burning on his tongue.
“Do you regret it? Are you sorry?”
It looked like it took a great effort for Spirit to face him. The teen stood slowly, and seemed to be gathering his words. Link waited impatiently.
“I am sorry that you got hurt,” Spirit said when he was upright. He spoke clearly and precisely, each word carefully measured. “I’m sorry that you’re in pain. But I don’t regret it. I made the right call.”
And hearing that—all Link’s hurt blazed up into flames, a pyre for his sympathy.
“You used me like a tool,” he said tightly. “And you don’t even have the courage to apologize properly. No wonder Impa wants you to stay hidden. There are people out there who have lost friends, comrades, even family… and you wouldn’t be able to look them in the eye and offer honest condolences.”
“You don’t care about our pain,” he continued, yanking the door open without looking. He needed to get out of here. “You don’t care about the hurt that we suffer from your little games. Because that’s what we are to you, aren’t we? Game pieces, pawns on your playing board. I wonder if you ever had the guts to face the reality.”
Before Spirit could respond, Link stormed out. He shut the door gently—no point in making a scene, and he knew how rumors could fly—and he leaned against it, taking a few deep breaths to calm his racing heart.
I should go back to the medical tents for more painkillers, he thought dully. Everything ached, and he knew it was affecting his temper. But he was also too tired and sad to care.
There was a shuffling sound from the room he had left behind, as though Spirit had sat down on the ground again. And then…
Crying.
Link felt the blood drain from his face. He hadn’t meant to…
But the hurt in his chest curled with the smallest amount of satisfaction. And he found he couldn’t regret what he had said.
Link was ashamed. He couldn’t face Spirit again right now. So he quietly pushed away from the door and walked away, his ankle throbbing with every limping step, and left Spirit to his guilt.
I wanted to do something nice for @cloudyskies48 for Yule/Solstice/winter-celebration-of-your-choice, and what does that mean for me? A painting of course! Because I cannot be normal about friendship ever.
Cloudy, you’ve become such a dear friend to me in a short period of time. Thank you for everything you do and how much grace you’ve given me since I awkwardly stumbled into your life. I’m looking forward to many adventures with you!
This painting is based on this photo from Cloudy’s Legend cosplay photoshoot:
I originally wanted to render it in soft watercolors, but I fell prey to the siren song of highly-saturated colors yet again! It was also my first time painting on a 300gsm paper and I love it. I will have to do more of that.
4 x 6. Watercolor paint, micron pen, white ink.
[IMG: A watercolor painting of Cloudy cosplaying as Legend from Linked Universe, standing in an apple orchard. They stand on the right side of the frame, visible from the lower half of their face to their knees. They are holding a sheathed sword whose brown scabbard is decorated with gold. They wear a red tunic over a pleated dark green tunic, a belt with gold decorations, several gold rings, and have blonde hair and light skin. The background is a brightly-lit green and yellow field with white flowers. Their face is mostly hidden behind an apple tree branch in bloom with white flowers.]
