Zelda Art Legend University

[Tatl Tael Link]

Legend University​

The year is 2000, and Hyrule is a thriving civilization ruled by the righteous King Darnio. Its people are happy, its army is strong, and its colonies are loyal. Legend University, a prestigious college in the center of the country, celebrates its 25th anniversary. The school teaches young men and women the art of swordplay, magic, and the lot. Three unlikely friends and more unlikely heroes find their fates at this school. The legend has become a reality.

Legend University is a unique fanfic idea I've had for years. It's a long-term project, probably stemming multiple books (my plan is to have 4 books; one for each year the hero is at the University). Along with the main story, it will feature multiple "Sidequests" which are basically stories that don't quite fit into the main story, but include important character development or plot elements. It's a rather different approach to a fanfic, but I'm sure you'll all get used to it. I only have a few sidequests written at the moment, so tell me what you think!

Sidequest: Rivals​

The breeze flowed through Len’s hair as Epona zipped along the plain of Hyrule Field, the scent of fresh, clean air flowing into his nostrils and the sound of birds chirping through the rush of wind put Len at peace. He closed his eyes and enjoyed the moment. He listened to the beating of his heart against his trusty steed’s, and thought of his escape: Legend University.

Just a few short months and he would be away at school, away from the bullies, from the misunderstanding neighbors, from the curse of his rotten reputation. He would have a fresh start, a new chance to make a first impression. He could make new friends, have a new career, and finally prove himself as something more than just being “Bad Luck Len".

But more than anything, Len feared he would somehow screw it all up. He never meant for bad things to happen, they just did. It wasn’t his fault that people had gotten hurt when he was around. Things just always seemed to happen around him.

Len opened his eyes and rounded a corner, riding for at least another couple miles before pulling Epona’s reins, screeching her to a halt. In front of him stood a set a large, golden gates. The beautiful world around him seemed pale in comparison to these gates, towering over him with glowing omnipotence. Through the gates, he could see the campus, still busy despite the summer. Professors in long robes and pointed hats carried stacks of tomes hurriedly across the courtyard. Warriors in bright, silver armor dragged swords and axes and spears into large, cathedral-like buildings. Students in both robes and armor and street clothes alike chattered as they walked to the cafeteria.

It was his favorite spot. Len’s excitement grew as he approached the gates, gripping the cool, metal bars and peeking into his future. His teeth shone like a Rupee in a shopkeeper’s eyes. Just a few more months, he told himself; just a few more months, and you’ll be one of those armor-clad students, chatting with friends and learning all about what it takes to be a hero.

With a beaming face, and a hero’s heart, he climbed back on his horse and rode for home.

The sun was starting to set, and Len knew that his mother would worry if he stayed out much longer. As he raced for home, he became suddenly aware of another presence. Epona scampered to a stop as Len glanced around. There didn’t seem to be anybody else around, but still, something felt different. Len felt a pair of eyes burning into his skull. “Who’s there? Show yourself." Len managed to say confidently. He was scared stiff on the inside, but he wasn’t about to let that show. Heroes show no fear.

Len glanced around again. There was nothing around for miles. Just grass, a few trees, and some bushes. Everything looked still and calm under the setting sun. Len turned back around and when he saw the man garbed in black, he nearly jumped. He wore long, loose-fitting black robes etched in deep purple, with a hood over his head, clothing his face in shadow. One thing was for certain, he was not there a moment ago. “Who are you? What business do you have with me?"

The figure raised its head. Blonde strands of hair escaped the hood. It took a few paces forward, but remained silent. Len was extremely frightened by now, but he was determined not to let this hooded figure onto this. “I demand you tell me who you are."

The man scoffed. “You’re barking commands now, little hero? I wouldn’t be so valiant if I were you." He lurched forward, and Len pulled back on Epona’s reins, dodging as the man charged at Len. A split second before he would have collided with the spot Len was riding, he shimmered and disappeared, reappearing twenty paces to the left, next to Len and Epona. The man raised his arm and, before Len could react, he was shot off Epona and on the ground. “Who are you?" Len coughed. “And what do you want with me?"

The man blasted Epona and sent her off running before appearing before Len. He threw his hood back, revealing the attacker’s face. Spiked blonde hair flew out of the hood, and ice cold eyes glowered at Len. The man’s cheekbones were straight and solid, creating an air of elegancy about the man while imposing a disposition of strength and discipline. “I am Chase Banner, from the lands of Labrynna, and you, little man, are responsible for everything?"

“What? Responsible for what?" Len coughed up some more dust.

Chase raised his right hand, and the world seemed to grow darker around his palm. A flurry of dark violet and pitch blackness swirled around his hand into the form of a ball, and shot from his fingertips straight at Len, who rolled to his left and leapt from the ground, unsheathing his sword with his left hand. Chase chuckled. “Do you really think your puny sword is enough to stop my dark magic?"

Chase shot another ball of magic from his fingertips, and Len dodged and swung at Chase, who disappeared moments before impact, and reappeared behind Len, firing another ball of dark energy into Len’s back. Len grunted and fell to his knees, only to recover by backflipping up over Chase and slicing his shoulder. Chase roared and disappeared again. Len looked furiously around him, finding that Chase had materialized a few yards to his left. He charged at the mage, who, still gripping his shoulder, slightly raised his wounded arm into a fist, and snapped his fingers outward at Len, and Len felt his limbs grow stiff and freeze in their position. Wincing, Chase discharged another magic ball at Len, breaking the grip the last spell had on him and sent him flying yards back. Len quickly scrambled to his feet only to find another ball of energy being shot at him, and he instinctively raised his sword to protect himself, and the magic shattered Len’s sword into a million tiny pieces.

Chase warped further away from Len, breathing heavily. “You’re stronger than I anticipated. Perhaps we’ll meet again, Len Smith. I do look forward to it." And with that, he was gone.

Len picked himself up off the ground and brushed the debris off his legs. His father would not be happy to find that he had broken the sword he had made him. But he would worry about that later; right now, Len only had a single thought going through his mind: he had to find Epona.

But the sun was just about set, and his parents would be worried about him. Len silently cursed the fact that he hadn’t bothered asking for a cell phone from his parents. Epona was gone, at least for now. He wouldn’t rest until he had found her and returned her home safe and sound. But Epona would have to wait for another day. With a heavy sigh of discontent, Len trudged his way back home to face his parents.

[I suck at writing fight scenes I'm sorry! I always feel like I'm being redundant. Let me know what you think of the first installment! More coming soon!]

 

[Ventus]

With a quick skim, I noticed minor hiccups like

Len was extremely frightening by now,

(should be frightened)

but otherwise it reads pretty nicely in my head. I love it thus far, and I really want you to keep it coming if at all possible! There are a couple writers on the site who may give you a hand if you need it!

 

[Tatl Tael Link]

That would be great! Thanks for your feedback! Changed it! And since I'm excited and want to post the next sidequest, here it is! Take a look into the princess' mind. You'll probably notice she's a bit different than the Zelda you're used to.

Sidequest: Dear Diary​

People always ask me why I hate my given name. “Zelda is such a pretty name," they say. “It was your grandmother’s name, and hers before." “The name Zelda has been in your family since, well, ever." “Just think about all the history behind the name." Give me a break.

The name was given to me by people I hadn’t known for more than a few minutes. The decision was made without any attempt to get to know me, without any input from me. Granted, I wasn’t exactly the most mature or intelligent being at four minutes old, but that shouldn’t mean anything. A girl’s name should reflect her, not her lineage. Who cares what some crusty old prince decreed centuries ago. I don’t want to be named after some cursed chick. That doesn’t really seem lucky, now does it?

They always ask the same questions, in the exact same order. “Why don’t you like your birth name? Why did you choose the name Ella?" Ella just sounds so, you know, elegant. That’s where I got the name from, actually. My friend Garrett commented on how “elegant" I looked, the first time we met. I mean, I was four, so I didn’t exactly understand what “elegant" meant, and I thought he was calling me a name, until he explained it, and I decided it was really pretty, and that I wanted to be elegant all the time. Garrett smiled at me and pushed the blonde strands of hair out of my face. I’ll never forget those words. “You will always be elegant to me, Ella."

The words rung in my head for years. I think they really described my relationship with Garrett. We’d been friends forever, since that moment. Garrett was the only person I could ever be informal around. With my parents, it was, “Speak kindly and respectfully to your elders." With my tutors, it was, “Do not speak your mind or you will be struck down." In town, it was, “A Princess must carry herself with poise and rationality. She must never show weakness. She must stand as a symbol for the country." But with Garrett, it was “Hey, whatcha doin’? How’s it going? What’s new in your life?" And it was wonderful. Naturally, it took me a few years to get comfortable speaking informally; I had never known any other form of speech before that. Once, I called my father “dude." Let me tell you, he was not happy about that. When I told Garrett about it, he told me that we should probably keep the informality speech between us. And since then, it was our thing. Whenever Garrett and I hung out, I felt like I could really be myself, instead of the me that my countries believes is me.

The real me is not Princess Zelda, sole heir to the throne of Hyrule. The real me is Ella. The real me is the person I am around Garrett, the only person who knows the true me.

That is why I hate my birth name.


It's a bit short, but I think it covers the point of what I wanted to say.

 

[Ventus]

Another one,

Who don’t you like your birth name?

(should be Why ;p)

By the by, I'm sorry for being super grammar nazi or whatever. It's just, I'm a poor writer and I find that looking at other peoples' work that I can - consciously or not - improve my own writing from there. If you want me to stop, just say so. xD

---

I really like the personal relationship that I have with Zelda. That is to say, the way you wrote this Sidequest just felt like Zelda was not writing in a diary, but was talking to a window or something, and the words leaked into my ears.. It's great. Again, keep them coming.

 

[Tatl Tael Link]

By the by, I'm sorry for being super grammar nazi or whatever. It's just, I'm a poor writer and I find that looking at other peoples' work that I can - consciously or not - improve my own writing from there. If you want me to stop, just say so. xD

No, no! It's quite alright! I'm awful at proofreading, so it's good to have somebody do that for me! We'd make a great team!

I really like the personal relationship that I have with Zelda. That is to say, the way you wrote this Sidequest just felt like Zelda was not writing in a diary, but was talking to a window or something, and the words leaked into my ears.. It's great. Again, keep them coming.

Thanks so much! That's kind of what I was going for when I wrote that sidequest. I wanted to give the reader an inside look at the princesses' mind.

Okay, so I have ONE more sidequest, what do you think? Should I post it now or wait until tomorrow? lol

 

[Ventus]

Thanks so much! That's kind of what I was going for when I wrote that sidequest. I wanted to give the reader an inside look at the princesses' mind.

It's also kind of bad, because I'm now attached to Zelda on some level. If something bad happens to her, I might get upset.

Okay, so I have ONE more sidequest, what do you think? Should I post it now or wait until tomorrow? lol

I might not have enough time to read it over and comment, but you should post it regardless. I'll recommend it to a couple of the writers here and try to get them to comment. They have much more succinct comments than my own anyway

 

[Tatl Tael Link]

It's also kind of bad, because I'm now attached to Zelda on some level. If something bad happens to her, I might get upset.

Don't give me any ideas.

I might not have enough time to read it over and comment, but you should post it regardless. I'll recommend it to a couple of the writers here and try to get them to comment. They have much more succinct comments than my own anyway

That'd be great, thanks! Alright, I'll post it. You can also read all of these on my blog, along with character bios and stuff, link located in my signature.

This one's my personal favorite so far. I think you'll enjoy it.

Sidequest: A Wise Fool​

"Epona!" Len’s cries echoed all across Hyrule. He’d searched the entirety of Hyrule Fields before giving up for the night. There was no sign of Epona, and no sign of the mysteriously powerful Chase Banner, either. Len was grateful for the latter. He had already lost his sword and his horse; he wouldn’t have stood a chance if he had to fight Chase empty-handed. Len silently planned to take some martial art courses on top of his weapons training classes at LU.

With a sullen face, Len began to make his way back towards the Kakariko suburbs and his home. He had just about given up hope of ever finding his beloved horse, when, out the corner of his eye, he spotted something he was positive wasn’t there before. To his left was a hole in the side of the mountain, a cave opening. Epona was a smart horse; maybe she’d found her way into the cave for shelter to wait for her owner. With nothing better to do, Len decided to venture into the cave, with his hopes held high but his expectations low.

The cave was not what Len had expected. The walls were decorated with tiny electric lights, illuminating the cave in a dim brightness. The cave was not very deep, descending slightly and only long enough for Len to see to the end. Near the back wall of the cave sat an elderly man in red robes, with a pure white beard and moustache. His eyebrows were thick and nearly covered his eyes, or were they simply closed? Len couldn’t tell from so far away. Beside the man on either side were torches, with amber fires burning brightly, and behind him, a small chest that seemed only large enough to carry a few possessions. Len approached the man cautiously. “Hello, do you think you can help me?"

The man remained still and silent, as if he hadn’t even noticed the young warrior. The flicker of flames crackled and gently snapped at Len before dissolving into ashes at his feet. Len continued to pace towards the old man. “Uhh…Hello?" Len attempted to get the man’s attention. “I’m searching for my horse, Epona, she ran away…" Len stood in front of the old man, who still seemed oblivious to his presence. He simply sat on the cave ground, eyes closed, with his hands in his lap, meditating. Len didn’t want to disturb him in his meditation, but he was desperate, and he would have felt silly spending all this time in the cave without at least speaking to the man. “Excuse me, sir?" Len knelt at the man’s foot. “I could really use some help, and you seem like a wise fellow—"

“It’s dangerous to go alone." Len looked up at the man, whose eyes had suddenly opened, alerting him to the presence of the stranger in his cave.

“What?" Len stammered. He wasn’t actually expecting the old man to say anything. Len wasn’t sure how to respond. The old man rose from his seated position and rummaged through his chest behind him, pulling out and putting aside object and object, some that seemed to be far too big to fit in the tiny chest. Finally, he pulled out an object he seemed pleased with, set it aside, and began replacing items in the chest.

When he had finished, he closed and locked the chest, and pulled out the item he had taken out: a long, glittering sword, with a strong blue hilt. He unsheathed the blade, which shone in the dim light of the fire. On the blade was an engraving of Hyrule’s national symbol, the Triforce, three triangles intersecting to form a larger triangle. The old man waved the sword, running his finger along the metal blade before finally placing it back in its sheath. He kneeled down before Len and held it out to him. “Take this."

Len stared at the sword in the old man’s hands for a long time, before slowly reaching out, grabbing the blade and holding it in his hands. “Are…are you sure?" he stammered. The man simply nodded in response. “Who…who are you?"

“A man. A sage. A friend." The man sat back down in the same position he was in early, but his eyes remained open this time. Len stared at the man in astonishment. To give such a beautiful weapon to a complete stranger.

Len lowered his head in respect. “Thank you, kind sage."

“Do not thank me, young one."

Len raised his head in confusion. “What do you mean?"

The sage rose again and turned his back on Len. “A sword only brings upon death, it does not give out life. A sword is a burden. A responsibility. This is no gift, it is a curse." He turned around and knelt before Len, placing a caring hand on his shoulder. “I hope one day you can find it in your heart to forgive this foolish old man." Len closed his eyes and bowed his head to the old man, unsure of how to respond. He wasn’t sure if he would ever see this man again to be able to forgive him, even if he knew what he meant. “Go now, Len. Your horse is in Castle City. Be careful, and be wise."

When Len’s eyes reopened, he was standing outside the foot of the cave, and the entrance was sealed. Len silently and carefully inspected the rock where the cave used to be. It showed no signs of ever having been there at all. Had he imagined the whole thing? Len glanced down at his waist. The sheath was hooked around his belt against his right hip, perfectly aligned to where he usually keeps his sword. Len gripped the hilt of his sword with his left hand, slowly pulling it from its prison, the crisp shiing of the blade ringing in Len’s ears. His eyes studied the blade, as real and tangible as his own hands, yet its place of origin was nowhere to be seen. Len glanced around him. The sky was beginning to darken, and he still had a long way to go to get home. The sage had told him that Epona was in Castle City. How could he possibly know that? How did he know Len’s name? Nothing seemed to make sense at the moment. Len looked to the darkening sky, prayed to the goddesses that Epona would remain in Castle City until tomorrow, and dashed off for home.

 

[Sydney]

It's not bad, but then again I kind of skimmed a bit, hehe. First of all, all dialogue should be separated. Meaning it must be spaced out. For example: if one character starts talking, add a space, and when another character interjects, add another space. Something like this:

"blargh blargh blargh," said the man.

"huehuehue," responded the woman.

Secondly, you need to watch where you use punctuation in dialogue.

“Who are you?" Len coughed. “And what do you want with me?"

"'Who are you?'" should be "'Who are you,'"

In addition, I'd just go back and re-read your story again. Look for awkward sentences, typos and other grammatical errors. A tip to help spot these more easily would be to read backwards. Instead of starting with first paragraph and reading down, do vice-versa. :yes:

 

[Tatl Tael Link]

It's not bad, but then again I kind of skimmed a bit, hehe. First of all, all dialogue should be separated. Meaning it must be spaced out. For example: if one character starts talking, add a space, and when another character interjects, add another space. Something like this:

"blargh blargh blargh," said the man.

"huehuehue," responded the woman.

I usually do that. The only time I didn't was in the diary sidequest because it was more a list of things people have said. I think it looks neater that way, rather than line spacing between all of them.

Secondly, you need to watch where you use punctuation in dialogue.


"'Who are you?'" should be "'Who are you,'"

I always thought that if it was a question it still ends in a question mark. That's what I've seen in novels anyway. If I'm wrong, I'll go back and change that.

In addition, I'd just go back and re-read your story again. Look for awkward sentences, typos and other grammatical errors. A tip to help spot these more easily would be to read backwards. Instead of starting with first paragraph and reading down, do vice-versa. :yes:

Thanks for the tips!! I'll definitely do that!

 

[blue-eyes]

Great story! From what I've read, I can tell your a great writer, and I really like it!

 

[Tatl Tael Link]

Great story! From what I've read, I can tell your a great writer, and I really like it!

Thanks man! More should be on the way. I'm feeling inspired from all this feedback!