Garo
Boy Wonder
Warning: This is an incredibly unorthodox story. I wanted to do a Zelda story, but in the confines of Hyrule I couldn't tell one very confidently. All attempts became descriptions of essentially what one would do in a game, and any attempts to remedy that began to distort the spirit of Zelda. So, I decided to find a way to free myself from the confines of Hyrule, while still being able to remain true to the Zelda spirit and tell a story about Hyrule in a new, exciting way.
A Link to Reality (Rated PG for mild violence)
Contents:
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Prologue: Creation
Jack was no writer.
For years his teachers, readers, peers and casual acquaintances told him such. No matter which genre he tried his hand at, he was unable to bring substance to the worlds and characters he tried to build, instead breathing life into carbon copies of popular tales with some names exchanged for others. Never disheartened, however, he continued to write. All good things in time, after all.
What Jack lacked in writing capability he made up for in spirit, and in imagination. In his mind he could see fantastic worlds rife with living creatures never before seen. Characters with personalities that would belong at home in the real world, with stories that ought be told made themselves clear to him in his mind's eye. His problem lie not with conception, but with transferring thought to paper.
It wasn't until three years after graduating high school that somebody finally told Jack what he needed to do. Jack was no writer - Jack was an artist.
Jack was skeptical at first - he had never drawn anything in his life. But Sarah was adamant that Jack would make an excellent artist, with time. Despite his trepidation, Jack enrolled in a few art classes - partially out of his own curiosity, and partially to please Sarah. With time, Jack found that he had some natural talent - he was drawing basic humans within a few days, with impressive realism. Satisfied, he began to take the initiative himself, and attempted to transcribe the worlds he envisioned onto canvas.
In the comfort of his own home over the intimidating entrapment of the classroom, Jack allowed his thoughts to flow freely as he set his pencil to paper. He sketched several of the creatures from a recent attempt at a fantasy short story as a warm up. First, a bizarre pig-like creature took shape. Wielding a spear, it certainly looked intimidating - yet, at the same time, its boar qualities lent it a great deal of whimsy. Next, Jack drew an octopus-like creature that spit rocks at its prey. Somewhat displeased with this creature's design - it was essentially just an octopus - he pushed it aside and decided to give form to the hero of his story.
Jack had never been a fan of the typical elf - tall, lanky, pointed ears and immortal didn't appeal to the failed author, fledgling artist. So his hero had been a cross between a small, child-sized human with a few elfin features - namely, the pointed ears and starry eyes. Suiting the character in a tunic and a long, sheath-like cloth hat, Jack was pleased with the look of his character. The midnight oil nearly exhausted, Jack placed his sketches in a pile and retired for the night.
1: The Rabbit Hole Opens
Sarah paid Jack a visit the next day, to ask him about the art classes. Much to Jack's chagrin, she brought Mitch along. Mitch was a casual acquaintance that the two of them had in common, but Jack didn't care much for him, and he got the impression that the feeling was mutual. Jack handed the pile of sketches he had made the night before to Sarah, very calmly and very relaxed. Jack liked to hear her reassurance, and acting highly modest and diminutive about his work - in his mind, at least - seemed like a good way to get it.
Sarah flipped through the sketches, offering praise to both the pig-man and the octopus. To Jack's surprise, she was very thrilled by the octopus for some reason, though the pig-man seemed to give her pause. The pause was somewhat bizarre - Jack thought that it was the same sort of pause that one experiences when their eyes pass over somebody they know in an old photograph. She quickly moved past it, and Jack did as well.
When she got to the character sketch, her eyes lit up, and the same odd pause was present. After it passed, she poured praise on it, saying that she loved the realism, loved the look of the boy, and loved the green coloring of his suit.
At that comment, Jack froze. Green coloring? Jack had only made sketches, no colors. He swiftly moved over behind Sarah - shoving Mitch aside gently as he did - and glanced at his own sketch. As he did, he had an odd sinking feeling.
The sketch was in full color. The boy was clothed in a green tunic and hat, the latter of which covered a head full of blond hair, some of which was still visible beneath the brim, and was now holding a small sword in his left hand. Jack looked at Mitch, thinking perhaps this was his doing, but Mitch only gave Jack a look of typical enmity - nothing suspicious.
Rather than question the oddity in front of them, he simply thanked Sarah for the praise. Sarah assured him that he was doing really well and should continue with his art classes, and then left in a hurry. Jack didn't put much thought into it; stranger things were happening, and he had plenty else on his mind.
A Link to Reality (Rated PG for mild violence)
Contents:
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Prologue: Creation
Jack was no writer.
For years his teachers, readers, peers and casual acquaintances told him such. No matter which genre he tried his hand at, he was unable to bring substance to the worlds and characters he tried to build, instead breathing life into carbon copies of popular tales with some names exchanged for others. Never disheartened, however, he continued to write. All good things in time, after all.
What Jack lacked in writing capability he made up for in spirit, and in imagination. In his mind he could see fantastic worlds rife with living creatures never before seen. Characters with personalities that would belong at home in the real world, with stories that ought be told made themselves clear to him in his mind's eye. His problem lie not with conception, but with transferring thought to paper.
It wasn't until three years after graduating high school that somebody finally told Jack what he needed to do. Jack was no writer - Jack was an artist.
Jack was skeptical at first - he had never drawn anything in his life. But Sarah was adamant that Jack would make an excellent artist, with time. Despite his trepidation, Jack enrolled in a few art classes - partially out of his own curiosity, and partially to please Sarah. With time, Jack found that he had some natural talent - he was drawing basic humans within a few days, with impressive realism. Satisfied, he began to take the initiative himself, and attempted to transcribe the worlds he envisioned onto canvas.
In the comfort of his own home over the intimidating entrapment of the classroom, Jack allowed his thoughts to flow freely as he set his pencil to paper. He sketched several of the creatures from a recent attempt at a fantasy short story as a warm up. First, a bizarre pig-like creature took shape. Wielding a spear, it certainly looked intimidating - yet, at the same time, its boar qualities lent it a great deal of whimsy. Next, Jack drew an octopus-like creature that spit rocks at its prey. Somewhat displeased with this creature's design - it was essentially just an octopus - he pushed it aside and decided to give form to the hero of his story.
Jack had never been a fan of the typical elf - tall, lanky, pointed ears and immortal didn't appeal to the failed author, fledgling artist. So his hero had been a cross between a small, child-sized human with a few elfin features - namely, the pointed ears and starry eyes. Suiting the character in a tunic and a long, sheath-like cloth hat, Jack was pleased with the look of his character. The midnight oil nearly exhausted, Jack placed his sketches in a pile and retired for the night.
1: The Rabbit Hole Opens
Sarah paid Jack a visit the next day, to ask him about the art classes. Much to Jack's chagrin, she brought Mitch along. Mitch was a casual acquaintance that the two of them had in common, but Jack didn't care much for him, and he got the impression that the feeling was mutual. Jack handed the pile of sketches he had made the night before to Sarah, very calmly and very relaxed. Jack liked to hear her reassurance, and acting highly modest and diminutive about his work - in his mind, at least - seemed like a good way to get it.
Sarah flipped through the sketches, offering praise to both the pig-man and the octopus. To Jack's surprise, she was very thrilled by the octopus for some reason, though the pig-man seemed to give her pause. The pause was somewhat bizarre - Jack thought that it was the same sort of pause that one experiences when their eyes pass over somebody they know in an old photograph. She quickly moved past it, and Jack did as well.
When she got to the character sketch, her eyes lit up, and the same odd pause was present. After it passed, she poured praise on it, saying that she loved the realism, loved the look of the boy, and loved the green coloring of his suit.
At that comment, Jack froze. Green coloring? Jack had only made sketches, no colors. He swiftly moved over behind Sarah - shoving Mitch aside gently as he did - and glanced at his own sketch. As he did, he had an odd sinking feeling.
The sketch was in full color. The boy was clothed in a green tunic and hat, the latter of which covered a head full of blond hair, some of which was still visible beneath the brim, and was now holding a small sword in his left hand. Jack looked at Mitch, thinking perhaps this was his doing, but Mitch only gave Jack a look of typical enmity - nothing suspicious.
Rather than question the oddity in front of them, he simply thanked Sarah for the praise. Sarah assured him that he was doing really well and should continue with his art classes, and then left in a hurry. Jack didn't put much thought into it; stranger things were happening, and he had plenty else on his mind.
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I was struck by the inspiration today so I knocked out a few chapters while the idea was fresh; here is the second one. I'm very happy with this one, but the next few I'm only reasonably content with. They need tinkering. But for now, enjoy the second chapter, 
Thank you!
