In our final community-led memory roundup for Zelda Universe’s 20th anniversary month, our users and followers share stories of settling into the greatest forum Clan, finding a much-needed escape at Zelda Universe, and of unforgettable friendship.
If you missed them, be sure to also check out part one and part two.
EmptyStar
I joined Zelda Universe when another forum I had been a part of years prior had closed down. I don’t remember how exactly I ended up on ZU of all places because I wasn’t an avid Zelda fan, and I didn’t exactly “click” with a lot of the other users here just by virtue of the type of content being discussed across the forums. I was looking for a close-knit community to be a part of, and I wasn’t sure if I had found it in ZU at first.
That all changed when I joined a Clan and instantly hit it off with what I expect to be some lifelong friends in the Farore Clan. We bonded over mutual interests beyond Zelda. It was such a creative and funny bunch of people that I wasn’t exactly expecting to find in such a short amount of time on the site. Farore instantly became my new home and my main reason for continuing to remain on the site, all these years later. Friendships here evolved past ZU, and we have at times remained connected over the years across social media even when leaving ZU behind.
The Clan Wars, an occasionally occurring site event that took the form of a manic talent show from years prior, was the perfect outlet for the Farore Clan. Although competition was stiff, Farore managed to pull ahead every year, which I like to think is a testament to how in-sync we were as a unit of friends. The competition managed to highlight each individual users’ unique talents and demonstrated that ZU was greater than the sum of its induvial parts. It was among the most ambitious and memorable site features and truly showcased how the entire ZU community can be at its best when pitching in and getting involved.
I’m not really sure what the other clans on here have to offer, but I’ve never been eager enough to find out: I know I already ended up in the perfect place in Farore!
Munching Yellow
My favorite memory of ZU was finding it. I was a Zelda-obsessed 13-year-old with literally nothing better to do than pour over Hyrule Historia and come up with random headcanons and theories spun from whatever ideas I had in my brain at the time. After months of this, I was finally starting to run out of ideas and thirsted for more.
Then came the seventh-grade seminar. I had no work, had finished everything in class, and was bored out of my mind. So I went searching for more on the internet and found ElectricGoose’s “Truth Behind the Temples” theory saga. I read all three, noticed there was an entire theorizing board for this kinda stuff, and with zero hesitation created an account.
None of my friends were into Zelda at the time so the idea of finding such a huge community centered around my favorite video game franchise seemed absolutely mystical at that time, and still does. For the next couple of months, I was all over the boards, scouring thread after thread, enveloped by this land where everybody liked a thing I liked. I cringe at some of my older posts, but I do look back on those days when I first discovered the site with a lot of nostalgia.
Megan Jones
I share the same birthday as Zelda except I’m gonna be 27. I’m autistic and Zelda was a massive obsession for me as a young teen. I was struggling with a really traumatic childhood at the time and Zelda was a beautiful escape, so I was madly obsessed.
Your website was one of the main places where I would obsess over every little Zelda detail I could get my eyes on. I remember when you had the Zelda cartoon episodes up and watchable, and yes, I loved the cartoon and I’m not ashamed to say it!
Okami Takahashi
I think my favorite memory is of my earlier days on the forum. It was circa November 2015. Depression was settling in again. I’d lost a friend, was struggling a bit in uni, and the world around me felt like it was falling apart (the news on TV and the internet didn’t help very much either). I needed a change. Something I could relate to again. I thought about it and came a conclusion: “When was the last time I was on a big Zelda fan forum?”
I’d jumped from forum to forum in years previously, mostly smaller ones that would change names regularly or die out pretty quickly; that tended to happen after Twilight-Princess.org, my OG Zelda home from my high school years, fell into ruin and disappeared into the void. I was into theorizing and writing to a degree and wanted to cobble together my own vision of the timeline (this still holds true today, too). I felt that looking at other theories would help to shape and grow my own, which it still does. My fire had also been rekindled by the likes of A Link Between Worlds and Hyrule Warriors. So, without much second thought, I joined. I’ve made many friends and even lost some along the way (through my own steps and missteps). I’ve grown and changed a lot as a person, and I still make mistakes from time to time.
But there’s one friend that stands out above the rest. Our former resident historian, Linkle (the forum user of course, not the character, though the character is important to the both of us). I say “former” because she’s mainly retired from the forums, though not from theorizing; it’s just mainly done off-site and also not strictly Zelda anymore. But regardless of her quiet leave of the forum, she still remains my greatest treasure from Zelda Universe. That first time we met, after reading her still incredible “History of the Shadow Temple” theory, was magical. We clicked immediately and even were a thing for a while. That didn’t last terribly long, and yet again, mistakes were made along the way — and a lot of them at that — but as much as I wish I could go back and undo those, in retrospect, I probably shouldn’t trade them for the world. But boy, what a ride we had. Brainstorming and chitchatting away, getting to know each other better, and whaddya know? Even now, with her quiet presence on the forums, she’s still by my side outside of ZU. Despite all the mistakes I made over time, she never once felt compelled to call it quits. She’s my muse, my rock, my companion, even. I wouldn’t be the person I am today if it wasn’t for meeting her all those years ago. I’m a better person because of her. Even at my lowest points, she was there to help me back up from my own self-destructive tendencies of the time.
I, too, have mostly retired from formal theorizing; for the both of us, the introductions of Encylopedia and Breath of the Wild had changed the nature of theorizing for the worse — things got rockier to say the least. I still dabble in it on-site here and there, if there’s a thread that catches my interest, and thankfully those haven’t been really so bad. There are a lot of good conversations going on with less of the vitriol I’d come to expect. But mostly I theorize and work on my own personal timeline. I still get a lot of feedback and input from Linkle, as well — she’s been a significant influence on me. I’d have dropped out of the game entirely if not for her ongoing support and feedback. I think it’s safe to say that, out of all the friends I’ve made online over the years, she’s at the tiptop of the pile. A shining beacon of hope that fills me with light and joy, and that’s not just me being corny. She’s a godsend to me, and a real saint reincarnate. She’s talented and smart, one of the absolute most thoughtful and creative people I’ve ever met in my life, online or otherwise, and I admire her immensely.
So, in short: meeting Linkle is my favorite memory and one that continues ever forward. She is my best Zelda Universe memory, and I’ll always treasure that.
Zelda Universe is now celebrating its 20th birthday! Be sure to check out more of our memories from the site’s two-decade history.
