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Zelda Horror Stories
I'm thinking about applying to Blood Moon Rising, a Legend of Zelda horror zine (on Twitter here). I've been feeling very shy and anxious about my writing recently and sort of want to disappear into a hole, so I'm not sure if I'll actually apply, but I put together some pitches.
The Pillar of Hyrule
Zelda II: The Adventure of Link, starring Impa (and Link)
There is a legend in Hyrule that a sleeping princess lies behind the door of locked room deep under the castle. When the princess rises, so too will the ancient evil sealed within her dreams. Impa knows the legend is true, and she will do everything in her power to ensure that the princess never awakens. The choice she must make is terrible, but such is the cost of preventing the calamities of ages past.
This is a story about maternal love, political sacrifice, and the dark secrets hidden within the labyrinthine dungeons in the depths of Hyrule Castle.
This story is inspired by H.P. Lovecraft’s novella At the Mountains of Madness, which dwells in the geometric terror of monumental architecture build by strange hands. It will have a serious and unsettling “ruined grandeur” vibe similar to Dark Souls and Ico: Castle in the Mist.
The Power of Gold
A Link Between Worlds, staring Princess Hilda (and Ravio)
Lorule is falling apart, and no one knows this better than the kingdom’s princess. Hilda has despaired of finding a solution to Lorule’s crisis in the royal family’s library, so she ventures outside the castle walls to seek answers. As Hilda witnesses the dire consequences of Lorule’s decline, she herself is observed from the shadows by a reluctant hero who fears her increasing reliance on dark and forbidden magic.
This is a story about Hilda’s descent into villainy, but it’s also a story about how and why Ravio decides to stop her by taking the dimension-warping bracelet and escaping to Hyrule to find a “real” hero.
This story is inspired by Ursula Le Guin’s novel The Tombs of Atuan, as well as Stephen King’s most recent novel Fairy Tale, both of which recount the travels of clever teenagers navigating the dangerous remains of crumbling societies. It will have a creepy and suspenseful but still playful “postapocalyptic adventure” vibe most similar to the Legend of Zelda series itself.
Unfinished Research
Tears of the Kingdom, starring Calip (and Tauro)
After years spent investigating the mysterious statues near Fort Hateno, Dr. Calip has joined the Zonai Research Team’s efforts to study the Ring Ruins that fell on Kakariko Village. The ancient structures are fascinating, but what has captured Calip’s attention is the chasm in the forest on the hill. Odd things emerge from the darkness of its gaping mouth… one of which might be Princess Zelda herself.
This is a story about the Depths and Gloom Spawn, with guest appearances by Ganon’s Puppet Zelda and the creepy hand that comes out of the toilet in Majora’s Mask and Skyward Sword.
This story is inspired by the podcast The Magnus Archives, specifically “Episode 35: Old Passages,” which is a statement given by an architectural renovator who discovers an eerie system of tunnels under an old gentlemen’s club in London. It will have a “things are not right here” vibe of creeping dread similar to the Silent Hill series. This will also be a subtle love story in which Calip finally notices Tauro’s (canonical!!) crush on him.
TLDR: I ship Calip and Tauro. The two of them are my ideal m/m dynamic; and, after doing the Thunderhead Isles quest to enter the fifth dungeon, I'm 99% certain that Tauro is canonically supposed to be in love with Calip (who unfortunately only cares about research). These two characters are so precious to me that I would gladly commission fanfic of them, but I'm afraid that I'm probably one of the only people in the Legend of Zelda fandom who can properly write "I would prefer for you to call me Dr." Calip. Bless his heart.
The Pillar of Hyrule
Zelda II: The Adventure of Link, starring Impa (and Link)
There is a legend in Hyrule that a sleeping princess lies behind the door of locked room deep under the castle. When the princess rises, so too will the ancient evil sealed within her dreams. Impa knows the legend is true, and she will do everything in her power to ensure that the princess never awakens. The choice she must make is terrible, but such is the cost of preventing the calamities of ages past.
This is a story about maternal love, political sacrifice, and the dark secrets hidden within the labyrinthine dungeons in the depths of Hyrule Castle.
This story is inspired by H.P. Lovecraft’s novella At the Mountains of Madness, which dwells in the geometric terror of monumental architecture build by strange hands. It will have a serious and unsettling “ruined grandeur” vibe similar to Dark Souls and Ico: Castle in the Mist.
The Power of Gold
A Link Between Worlds, staring Princess Hilda (and Ravio)
Lorule is falling apart, and no one knows this better than the kingdom’s princess. Hilda has despaired of finding a solution to Lorule’s crisis in the royal family’s library, so she ventures outside the castle walls to seek answers. As Hilda witnesses the dire consequences of Lorule’s decline, she herself is observed from the shadows by a reluctant hero who fears her increasing reliance on dark and forbidden magic.
This is a story about Hilda’s descent into villainy, but it’s also a story about how and why Ravio decides to stop her by taking the dimension-warping bracelet and escaping to Hyrule to find a “real” hero.
This story is inspired by Ursula Le Guin’s novel The Tombs of Atuan, as well as Stephen King’s most recent novel Fairy Tale, both of which recount the travels of clever teenagers navigating the dangerous remains of crumbling societies. It will have a creepy and suspenseful but still playful “postapocalyptic adventure” vibe most similar to the Legend of Zelda series itself.
Unfinished Research
Tears of the Kingdom, starring Calip (and Tauro)
After years spent investigating the mysterious statues near Fort Hateno, Dr. Calip has joined the Zonai Research Team’s efforts to study the Ring Ruins that fell on Kakariko Village. The ancient structures are fascinating, but what has captured Calip’s attention is the chasm in the forest on the hill. Odd things emerge from the darkness of its gaping mouth… one of which might be Princess Zelda herself.
This is a story about the Depths and Gloom Spawn, with guest appearances by Ganon’s Puppet Zelda and the creepy hand that comes out of the toilet in Majora’s Mask and Skyward Sword.
This story is inspired by the podcast The Magnus Archives, specifically “Episode 35: Old Passages,” which is a statement given by an architectural renovator who discovers an eerie system of tunnels under an old gentlemen’s club in London. It will have a “things are not right here” vibe of creeping dread similar to the Silent Hill series. This will also be a subtle love story in which Calip finally notices Tauro’s (canonical!!) crush on him.
TLDR: I ship Calip and Tauro. The two of them are my ideal m/m dynamic; and, after doing the Thunderhead Isles quest to enter the fifth dungeon, I'm 99% certain that Tauro is canonically supposed to be in love with Calip (who unfortunately only cares about research). These two characters are so precious to me that I would gladly commission fanfic of them, but I'm afraid that I'm probably one of the only people in the Legend of Zelda fandom who can properly write "I would prefer for you to call me Dr." Calip. Bless his heart.
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This pitch is actually influenced by the HP Lovecraft short story "The Rats in the Walls," which is the one where an American inherits an isolated castle in England only to find that it has a secret sub-basement that leads to an underground world of horrors. It's a really good story, not to mention extremely well-written, but it has also the dubious distinction of the being the story in which the narrator's black cat has a truly unfortunate name.
I don't think the cat's name was meant maliciously, but older fiction sure does how its age in strange ways. It's actually kind of amazing to me that Jane Austen and her cohort have aged as well as they did.
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Jane Austen ages remarkably well.
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Like, Lovecraft will write: Foreign sailors of indeterminate ethnic origin have brought a secret and terrible religion to the Brooklyn slums. Could this be connected to the primitive worship of elder gods rumored to be practiced in the ancient world...?
Which is racist, sure. But meanwhile,
Robert Chambers will write: We need to kill all the Jews in New York, even the good ones. I recommend gas chambers! Let me tell you in exhaustive detail about how we can use science for ethnic cleansing.
Idk, I think maybe what people get upset about when it comes to Lovecraft has less to do with his actual fiction and more to do with how a certain subset of contemporary superfans glorifies these stories while refusing to accept criticism.
Although the name of that cat really isn't great. A situation like this makes me think that maybe "censoring" certain minor elements of fiction from a different era maybe isn't the worst thing in the world.