#Impa's mother

[alabasterpickles]

Some more random Botw/Totk/Aoc sketches I WILL post on instagram once I’ve finished another handful I have sitting on procreate!

I’ve got it stuck in my brain that following the events of Age of Calamity the Yiga clan work closely with the castle and I like to think Kohga prides himself on his new promotion

Though he’d never put himself in harm’s way, so I definitely see that third drawing happening on the castle grounds where Zelda is definitely not in any danger

(Also? Daruk and Mipha? Definitely gossip buddies)

I JUST *LOVE* THEM ALL SO. MUCH.

[sokkas-first-fangirl]

Well now, you sure know how to keep a woman waiting, Urbosa laughed. She appeared before him and immediately began to scan him for injuries. None that she could see, but that never meant much with Link; he always had a habit of hiding when he was hurt.

She could see burn scars creeping up his neck. The old scar on his forehead and the other, smaller one on his chin. He looked nearly exactly the same as he did one hundred years ago. The Master Sword was strapped to his back, already shining like a star.

He stared at her, the vague blur of her, with wide eyes. He’d always had such a poker-face before, rarely letting anyone except the Champions see his emotions.

“I’ve got a lot to tell you,” he blurted out. That alone was a surprise; her Link was speaking freely.

Urbosa had vowed to protect the younger Champions. Even before the inauguration ceremony, as soon as she heard how young they were, she vowed to herself that she’d keep them safe. She and Daruk frequently worried about them. How could they keep these teenagers safe during what promised to be an apocalyptic event- if they couldn’t stop it.

They didn’t stop it.

She didn’t protect them.

Urbosa floated closer to Link, reaching out to ruffle his hair, but her hand passed right through him. He twitched and she pulled back, sighing.

I can’t wait to see you take Naboris back from Ganon, she told him. We Gerudo hate unfinished business.

So did Link. She knew that very well.

*

With Riju's help, Link boards Vah Naboris and reunites with Urbosa. But the Thunderblight lies in wait, and freeing the last Champion won't be easy.

[skyward-floored]

okay I played hw all is right with the world again

[1tsjusty0u]

actually wait how does being the chieftain for kakariko in botw work

[rawliverandgoronspice]

Thralls has the already pretty complicated objective of making Ganondorf's perspective a compelling (if very flawed) one, but the even taller order and my real agenda here is to convince people that Impa is a compelling character u_u

[avatarskywalker78]

Chapters: 1/1

Fandom: The Legend of Zelda: The Ocarina of Time

Rating: General Audiences

Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply

Relationships: Impa & Zelda (Legend of Zelda), Zelda & Zelda's Mother (Legend of Zelda)

Characters: Zelda (Legend of Zelda), Impa (Legend of Zelda), Zelda's Mother (Legend of Zelda)

Additional Tags: Pre-Canon, Anxiety, Worry, Mother-Daughter Relationship, Family Feels, Zelda's mother isn't in the fic because she passed on years ago but her presence is still felt

Series: Part 10 of comfy-vember 2024

Summary:

Zelda's been plagued by visions of darkness, but it's the stress of trying to convince people they're true that's causing her to lie awake at night, and though she has distant memories of her mother singing to her, she can't remember the exact words...

But Impa knows everything, so she decides to ask her.

[watermelinoe]

It's not a waifufication and Impa looks different in each game anyway, she's not like Link and Zelda. Impa tends to be an old lady anyway and as for the ship, at least in AoC Zelda and Impa are around the same age, unlike in the first HW, where she's a mother figure to Zelda, making a ship weird.

anon beloved i love you but you are sooo so wrong on this sorry NOT a waifuification??? MOTHER FIGURE IN HW????? 😭😭

[linkedspirit-fanartfunart]

[Image Description: A lineart 7 panel comic of Ocarina of Time Young Link (Forest) and Zelda. Panel 1: Forest sits with Zelda in the garden. "We have to warn my father. But how? He doesn't believe me, I doubt he'll believe you." Zelda says, looking to the side skeptically. Forest frowns slightly, holding his arm. Panel 2: Forest looks up, thinking. Panel 3: Forest holds out the Kokiri emerald on a necklace. Zelda exclaims "Oh! That should prove you're from the Forest!" Panel 4: Impa stands beside Zelda, Forest hiding behind her slightly, holding her hand. Impa says "Sire, I have an emissary of the Great Deku Tree, who wishes to speak to you." Panel 5: Forest looks up, brows furrowed worriedly. "Come closer" says the king. Panel 6: The King kneels in front of Forest, looking intently at him. "You say your name is Link?" Panel 7: "You..." The king says. Forest's eyes are colored blue, looking forward intently, holding the Kokiri emerald. "You look so much like your mother." End ID]

Ya know those moments when a character kinda just runs away with you and you can't stop them from jumping into a headcanon? Yea this is one. Forest is, apparently, the lost prince of Hyrule, and knows it. And yet he's still wandering around instead of like, living in the castle so there's that.

[redundantz]

Ancient Loz AU Story

10,000 years before the events of BOTW the Princess of Hyrule and the Hero who wields the sword that seals the Darkness first fought off the Calamity. With the help of the Sheikah, Guardians, Champions and the Divine Beasts. However, the hero and her best friend; the Prince of the Gerudo, were now missing. The only one to return from the fight was the Princess… Bloodied and bruised. She emerged from the castle alone. No longer the energetic, and free spirited person she used to be. Now, she is filled with a sole dedication to her Kingdom. But cold, and filled with deep sorrow. She orders the Sheikah to create shrines to train the next hero.They prepare the towers, store the Guardians under the castle till they are needed. Research started on the slate where it can be used for building infrastructure and even battle. Anything to help prepare for another Calamity.

The Gerudo Prince wasn't seen again and the heroes identity was forgotten But, the Royal blood of Hylia lives on….

Link is from a traveling caravan. His family has blood from the ancient Zonai tribe. He travels with a decent size troupe along with his sister, father and grandmother.

He meets Zelda during a festival where he was entering an archery contest in castletown. Zelda, who was disguised as Sheik, was also entering. She beat him at the contest(barely), but was extremely bothered by how good he was.

The festival goes on for about 3 days and at the end there is the sword ceremony where all the people coming of age(18) can attempt to pull the sword. She was presiding over it and witnessed him pull the sword and his whole life change. Not long after they meet officially and Link is appointed as her Knight; She introduces him to Ganondorf, her best friend from childhood.

And the chaos and comrade-ere ensues~

Over 3 years they travel, train, fall in love and wait for the day when the evil is supposed to show itself. With no sign of the great evil, they start to relax a bit. But that is when it strikes. Ganon travelling by himself at this time. Explores a cave in the Gerudo desert and encounters something ominous. Whispers in the dark speak to him and his fears and wants and his distaste for the King of Hyrule…. The voice is familiar, much too familiar, and before he can fight back it consumes him. When he awakes he is alone. He isn't instantly ‘evil’ but over time it twists his thoughts and actions. His closest friends and mother grow concerned. He becomes harsher and radical. Cruel. During a secret meeting with the King, Ganon assassinates him. Zelda happens upon Ganon covered in blood. She thinks he's hurt and is concerned by his behavior the past year. He snaps. He tells her every dark thing he has been thinking, and that he killed her father. In shock, and devastated, she can’t move as Ganon is about to strike her. But Link manages to get to her in time because the master sword was glowing, something he has never seen before but an instinct so old took over him. He races to escape with her. Ganon takes over the castle. But only as a steward because the King and the Princess are nowhere to be found. No one is the wiser to his malevolent plots. Yet. He knows she has to act fast since Zelda and Link escaped.

Zelda and Link make it all the way to Kakariko Village and Impa and they are all Informed that the Calamity is upon them. No one can believe it is their Ganondorf who is doing this but it is undeniable. They grieve, but they must act fast. With the help of the Sheikah they gather the guardians, monks and send word to the Races and Champions to prepare for battle. Zelda listens as Link hums an old Zonai Lullaby his mother used to sing to him. And it makes her remember something she read about. A story about there being an ancient Zonai device below the castle that would help defeat the Demon King.

Impa knows the tunnels She can help them sneak in. So they prepare to infiltrate the castle.

Under the castle they find the Zonai Artifacts that were left behind for sealing the great evil.

Ganon's followers saw them enter however and informed him. Knowing this is his chance he stops all pretenses and releases his power. Unleashing a mob of monsters and a cloud of malace into the castle and across Hyrule. But the Champions and Shekah are prepared to meet them.

Looking around for any clue. Trying to think of anything they read or that Link heard from his family that could be used to turn on the sealing jewelry. They don’t know how to activate it, but Ganon is going to be upon them soon as they had to fight through hordes of monsters beforehand.

Out of the dark behind them he emerges.

Zelda and Link manage to avoid the surprise attack. They both go on the defensive. They fight and try to reason with him. They can’t believe this is their friend, their lover. The fight is tough, because they all know each other's moves after training together for years along with the emotional turmoil. Zelda tells Link he needs to figure out how to activate the artifact if they are to succeed. She will hold him off. But by this point they are both exhausted.

Ganon manages to cut Link, spraying blood over the floor and the statue. Link falls to the floor and Ganon towers over him ready to strike him down, but Zelda blasts him away. Ganon turns his attention to her. Annoyed with her meddling and manages to land a blow on her also. Cutting the tip of her right ear off.

The statue lights up from the blood. The blood of a zonai. That  was another part of the Lullaby from Links family Zelda realizes. The Jewelry glows and expands before flying off the wrists of the statue to Link. He is surrounded by a green glowing light that blasts Ganon and Zelda back. The bands constrict around his arms and legs disintegrating the clothing underneath. He screams. Zelda watches on in horror as Link transforms before her. His skin is turning black and his bones and skin stretch until he is 6 ft tall. What did she get him into? This was supposed to help them what was happening… She is living in a nightmare. What else will she have to give up. She cries as she looks at him, feeling his pain and fear. His hair band she had given him falls from his hair. Rolling across the floor towards her. “..Zelda….” He says 

She picks up the hair band and goes to him! But he is not really responding. He is restrained and struggling within himself. His head is filled with the spirits of the Zonai he knows what he must do…he knows this is the last time he will see Zelda and Ganon. To seal the Demon King he must sacrifice himself. He says the last part of the Lullaby to Zelda and she knows. This is it. She kisses him. Though a bit strange now that he's so tall and his lips are cold. Ganon is getting up across the cavern from them, laughing. He mocks them and their weak attempts at thwarting him. One last clash. Zelda manages to get his weapon from him and Link plunges his arm into Ganons chest activating the sealing power. Glowing green. They both freeze in place and all is quiet. Entombed under the castle. The malice and monsters disappear. Zelda cautiously goes up to them. She doesn't touch them lest she break the spell somehow. The only thing she does is grab the hair bangle that fell to the floor in the final fight. It was the one from Ganon’s hair. And she left for the surface.

Alone.

Thanks for Reading! <3

[legendofmorons]

Your honor, I humbly request that the Chain find out that reader has tattoos.

Some are easy to see and explain, “this is my mother’s favorite flower,” “I just like butterflies.”

Some are harder to explain, quotes from video games, references that are really important to reader but mean literally nothing to the Chain.

One is kept hidden pointedly. Just behind their ear on one side is the triforce, tattooed carefully. It’s covered up by hair most of the time (because let’s be honest, your hair hasn’t been cut in a bit since joining the chain, so if it was short before it’s kinda grown out by now) but one day the wind blows in just the right way or someone tries to braid Reader’s hair or maybe Reader just pushed it out of the way because it was annoying them. In any case, one of the boys sees this and recognizes it and now they have a *lot* of questions.

-VS

Tattoo or taboo?

Oooooo I love this idea! The boys would definitely be interested in tattoos AND ypur triforce.

Reader is assumed to have hair long enough to tuck behind their ear and cover a tattoo behind their ear.

Your tattoos aren't something you've been hiding, you just weren't sure that the boys would even know what they were.

What if the boys wanted a tattoo? You don't have the proper equipment! (Assuming you even CAN tattoo.)

But for whatever reason it hasn't come up until now.

An injury has revealed the top half of your body to the world, which includes some tattoos.

"You have such odd markings." Twilight says, leaning closer to a floral tattoo

"You mean my tattoos?"

"Tatt-whos?" Wind echoes with the wring pronunciation.

"Tattoos. They're ink."

"You draw on yourself? This one is on your shoulder balde!" Hyrule is now examining your tattoos.

"Someone else did them."

You then have to explain what tattoos are, how they're done, and the importance of the right artist with proper equipment.

Wind is IN LOVE with tattoos. He's probably seen them and just thought they were makeup/marker. He does spend time with pirates

Wild probably knows what tattoos are. If I understand the lore right his Impa has tattoos and so do other shiekah. He's just glad you

Legend and Four are also pretty interested, but they're not nearly as obvious

Twilight, Hyrule, and Sky want to know EVERY meaning (to you) behind each tattoo. They're all very intrigued.

Warriors and Time aren't against tattoos, but they figure that's your buissness. They're happy to help you with upkeep, though.

However, you are still hiding the triforce behind your ear. That one is one ypu ate keeping from them. Explaining that one would be a nightmare.

Wind is definitely bouncing tattoo ideas for himself off of you.

Unfortunately, your secret tattoo is found out one day after having to pull/pin your hair out of the eay.

"What is that?" Warriors asks, the first to see it.

Well, fuck yo.

Well fuck indeed

"What's what?" Wind asks helpfully, turning his full attention to you.

"Uhhhhh-"

One by one, each of the boys notices it.

And they have questions

Mostly why, how, and are you a hero too?

You choose the easiest route.

"My world is really far removed from any of your's. Your stories have ended up part of pop culture."

"People think we're pop culture?" Legend asks, looking upset.

"Yes. But none of us knew you were real. We thought it was all made up."

"You must live in a peaceful time." Wild says.

"Uhhh- there's no ganon or demise or anything like that."

"Good." Sky says, something in his face softer.

It takes some explaining, but you avoid telling them that not only are they not real to your time, but that people play as them through their adventures.

That seems like the kindest thing

Sometimes you have to leave things out

You also have to promise not to treat their stories as fiction anymore.

[sokkas-first-fangirl]

“Zelda?” he repeated. “What is it?” This was something bad, this was something terrible. But why had Impa only addressed the letter to him? Was it something she didn’t want Zelda to know?

“Link, I…” Zelda looked at the letter again. Her eyes flashed with utter fury. “There is- something’s happened. A family has arrived in Kakariko, from Lurelin. They asked Impa for your whereabouts.”

“Oh,” Link said. “Is that all? Do they need help?”

Zelda took a deep breath and put the letter down. She took Link’s hands.

“Link, darling,” she said, much softer now, as if trying not to spook him. “Their matriarch claims to be Aryll.”

*

One hundred years ago, unknown to everyone, Aryll survived the Calamity. Unknown to her, Link was brought back from the dead.

Now, with Ganon gone and news of Link and Zelda's survival spreading through Hyrule, Aryll goes in search of her big brother alongside her family. But how to prove herself? How to confirm that she's exactly who she says she is?

Or: Aryll lived. Link lived. After one hundred years, it's time to reunite.

[skyward-floored]

“General?”

Impa looks up from her papers at the question, seeing Link standing uneasily in the entrance to her tent. She knew he’d come here sooner rather than later, and inwardly steels herself, levelly meeting his gaze.

“Captain,” she acknowledges, and he enters her tent at the unspoken permission, looking oddly nervous as he stands a respectful distance away. It’s quiet between them for a moment, and Impa waits for him to speak first.

She already knows what he’s going to say.

“General, I... did... did you know my mother?” he asks quietly.

Impa blinks, slightly taken aback. Not the exact question she was expecting. “Why do you ask?”

Link shifts, looking uncomfortable.

“I heard some of what Volga said when you fought. It seemed like you might...” He trails off, and looks at his boots. “...You know that Cia said he’s my father. But I know nothing about my mother, and... I’d like to know more. If you know.”

Impa sets her papers aside, and turns, gesturing for Link to sit down with a sigh.

“I’ll tell you what I can,” she says carefully, watching as he sits. “I apologize you had to find out about Volga from Cia. She had no right to be the one to tell you that.”

Impa swallows, and folds her arms.

“I should have told you sooner.”

Her words take a moment to sink in, but once they do, Link snaps his gaze up and stares at her in shock.

“You knew?”

“Yes. Since before you were born.”

“Well wh— why didn’t you tell me? Why keep it a secret?” he asks in a hurt voice, then catches himself and steadies his tone. “...General.”

Impa lets out a long, careful breath. She bows her head and gathers herself, finding the sense of calm she learned how to harness in her training all those years ago. Words she’d considered speaking for years now grow heavy on her tongue, and a sudden lump wedges in her throat, full of old hurt. But she swallows it down and looks up at Link, meeting his eyes that are just as bright as his father’s used to be.

She studies his features, then sighs, and closes her eyes.

“Because I am your mother,” she whispers.

Link doesn’t move.

“What?” he croaks after a minute, his face pale as chalk.

“I am your mother,” Impa repeats, refusing to let her voice crack. It does a little anyway.

“And Volga is your father.”

[skyloftian-nutcase]

All right, here's my ask for the prompt event

"Link, you are loved."

Your choice of which one and how to show them that but it's one of my favorite things in your writing so here we go. ❤️

Congratulations on the milestone

The wind chimes hummed gently, their song carried in the breeze that generated it, warm and gentle and comforting. Crickets accompanied it softly, a lullaby to the world as night swaddled the sky in its midnight blue embrace.

Two figures moved silently in the grass, their footsteps lost in the symphony of the night, quiet with trained precision.

Impa inhaled slowly, taking in the scent of honeysuckle, guiding her ward along. Link’s hand was warm in her own, callouses a rough reminder of all the times he’d held a blade, making her stomach churn a moment as she redirected her mind from—

Link, staring at her, covered in blood, knife slipping out of his slack fingers as he collapsed—

Impa paused a moment, and Link stopped with her. He glanced at her, just barely moving his head, eyes tired, a glimpse of how worn thin his spirit truly was. Impa took a breath, asked for strength from Din, and walked ahead.

It had been a few days since everything. Link hadn’t been outside that entire time, and Impa had decided that needed to change. The boy needed fresh air. They both did.

Eventually, Impa found one of the many benches scattered across the castle gardens. It was one with a backing, which was nice, dark metalwork intricate in how each strand interwove with the other to form a patterned design. Impa guided Link gently, and the pair sat down.

Impa waited a moment before speaking, eyes roaming across the garden. She was looking for something specific - Link was quiet in his tastes, but she knew for certain that he loved a certain summer bug that came out at night. There didn’t seem to be any here quite yet, though. She half wondered if they should keep wandering in search of a better spot, but at this moment this seemed the best place to settle. Link didn’t have much energy to walk around a lot.

Pulling out cloth from the bag she’d brought along, she gently wrapped it around Link’s shoulders. It was light blue, soft, with frayed edges and different stitches mending bits and pieces of it. It was well worn, cared for with love and bloodied hands, treasured since it had been first gifted to the young Hero many years ago.

His mother’s scarf. Link had worn it into battle time and again during the war. He hadn’t touched it since the royal wedding. He’d grown into it over the years, using it more as a shawl when he’d been younger. It was still a bit wider than a scarf for his size, but it made it a great little blanket on an evening like this one when unfolded entirely.

Link tugged sluggishly at the ends, staring down at the cloth between his fingers. He bit his lip, the distance between his eyebrows closing.

“I remember when you were born,” Impa said quietly. “Your mother had been so excited to meet you. She told your father while she was in labor that she couldn’t wait to tell you how much she loved you.”

Link swallowed thickly, turning his face away from her.

“I’m sorry she never got the chance,” Impa continued, slowly resting her hand on his back. “And I am certainly no substitute for her. I haven’t been there for you when I had promised you I would be. But Link…”

Impa faltered here, her own voice getting caught in her tightening throat. It wobbled as she said his name, displaying a vulnerability she rarely showed anyone.

She remembered painfully during the war when Link had joked around, inebriated as he’d been, calling her “mother.” She remembered the way the little one always looked up to her when he’d been growing up in Kakariko, the way his eyes had immediately sought hers out after he’d completed his trial, seeking approval. She remembered the faith he’d placed in her during the war, the way he’d smiled at her when she’d hugged him at its end, just before everything had fallen apart.

She remembered the look on his face, broken and pleading and terrified, as he’d fallen to the ground, blood pouring from his throat.

Impa took a shaky breath, closing her eyes and grabbing firmly to her resolve. “Link, you are loved. By so many. The people of Hyrule adore you, the Sheikah are proud of you, and I…”

A hiccup threatened to escape, and she held her breath to stop it, eventually looking at the teenager as he slowly returned his attention to her. Whatever tears that had been trying to leave him before had dried, emotions buried under a blanket of bone deep exhaustion. His lip no longer trembled, eyebrows heavy over his eyes, red eyes dull and seeming to look beyond her.

Impa felt her heart break once more, but it also spurred her to speak again, and she moved her hand from his back to his cheek, making him look at her. “I love you dearly, Link. And I… I will take care of you. All I ask is that you… you live. Please, love. If for nothing or no one else, for me. Just… just live.”

Link’s eyes roamed from whatever void they were lost in, looking at her, questioning her words, debating them. He looked worn thin all of a sudden, empty at the mere thought of listening to her words, and for a heart stopping moment, she was afraid she couldn’t reach him anymore.

But then his eyes watered, and he looked down to avoid her gaze, leaning towards her just a hair, a subtle, pleading request.

Impa pulled him to her in an instant, holding him tightly. She felt him go boneless under her touch, trembling, her shirt steadily staining with warm tears. He didn’t have the energy for outright sobs, spirit utterly depleted, but occasionally she’d feel a little sniffle shake his body. She ran her hand through his hair, detangling little knots as she went, disregarding the brittleness of it, the split ends that indicated how little he’d been taking care of himself lately.

The wind chimes continued their gentle serenade. As Impa continued to soothe the teenager, light caught her eye, and she finally saw what she’d been hoping to find by bringing him out here.

Impa shifted, repositioning Link with her, letting him scoot closer but turn his head so he could look out at the garden. Slowly, the environment started to glow gently, fireflies filling the space like silent fairies. Link’s eyes never left the sight, tears quietly falling down his cheeks, bathed in the warm light of the little creatures he used to seek out at night.

Impa kissed his head, closing her eyes and saying a prayer, begging for blessing and mercy on the poor child. She felt her resolve strengthen as Link let her hold him, as he weakly lifted a hand to grip her wrist in return.

The Sheikah chief took a deep breath. It would get better. He would get better. She’d make sure of it.

[crazylittlejester]

more wars headcanons because i started a trend apparently and he’s very important to me so i gotta add to it

- Zelda keeps trying to promote him to general and he keeps refusing, which frustrates her to no end because he deserves a promotion and SO much more, but he never did any of this for the glory or recognition so he’s content staying a captain. He has a group of hand picked soldiers he trusts who serve under him and they love and respect him, he’s trusted them all for years and takes care to know all of their names

- Generally well liked by everyone who knows him. His soldiers would all gladly give their lives for him (he would be terrified to know this), they love and respect him. OTHER soldiers who DON’T serve under him and other citizens of hyrule however still blame him for the war and treat him terribly. They assume he’s cocky and arrogant and want to see him punished, but anyone who’s ever held a conversation with him loves him pretty immediately because he’s kinda and easy to talk to

- The assassination attempts have gotten much fewer and far between, but they never completely stop. He always keeps at least three knives on his person at any given time, and Mask/Time is the only person alive who know where all his knives are

- Well liked as he is by the people who know him, he doesn’t have many actual friends. Most of the friends he made were people from other eras so he can’t really talk with them anymore. He still has a very close relationship with Proxi, Impa, and Zelda, but aside from them he doesn’t feel like he has any other friends

- Proxi took ONE look at this sad pathetic litte guy and was like “I guess I have to adopt him now” and has been a mother figure to him since the day they met

- The War of Eras spanned three years (he was 17-20), and by the time LU happens, he’s around 27. He will never let Legend find this out, because 27 is NOT old, but Legend is nine years younger than him and won’t let him heard the end of it if he finds out he’s in his late twenties

- Time was absolutely mortified when he met Warriors again and realized just how young the captain was during the war, because when you’re 10-13, the 17-20 year olds seem like they might as well be in their thirties

- Warriors took legal guardianship of Mask during the War because it was the only way to let a 10 year old fight in a war. He doesn’t try to parents him, he looks out for him of course, but he lets Mask make his own decisions for the most part (of course he tries to stop him from being an idiot, but he doesn’t have much control over it if the kid just doesn’t listen to him). When Tune showed up, he was 17 and considered old enough to make his own decisions so he didn’t need a legal guardian (he also lied and said he was 18, but it wouldn’t have mattered because Warriors joined the military at 16 and was considered old enough then)

- Link isn’t his first name, it’s his second/middle name but he goes by that instead because it’s shorter, easier, and he likes it better

[pumpkinsouppe]

Here's my interpretations of all the OOT sages!! I have closeups of each sage and my thoughts behind their headcanon design changes below ^_^ (im alsooooo thinking of selling these as stickers if i ever figure out my silhouette)

Zelda

I headcanon Zelda is half Hylian half Sheikah with Impa being their aunt (mother’s sister, mother being full Sheikah and died when Zelda was young)

I also hc Zelda/Sheik as either transmasc or gender fluid depending on the interpretation of OOT I’m using, in this art Zelda is gender fluid and since I’m talking about sheik and Zelda a lot here I’ll just use they/them

Combined Zelda’s design with Sheik’s to make it more believable that they’re the same person this includes:

A skin color closer to Sheik’s concept art

Heterochromia, which is why sheik was hiding one of their eyes (and Zelda was forced to wear contacts or use magic to hide being half Sheikah post civil war)

Hylian pointed ears, another characteristic sheik had to hide (more info under Impa’s notes)

Lighter blond hair to be closer to Sheikah white hair

Sheik’s eye shape and eyebrows

Textured long hair, sheik would have a braid like in smash bros

Not pictured but if sheik is broad shouldered and muscular, then so is Zelda!!!!

Big forehead Zelda truther

Impa

Shares some traits with Zelda since I hc them as being related such as similar nose shape, eye shape, and skin tone

Textured hair styled into locs, tied into a short ponytail

Sheikah pointed ears, since Sheik hides their ears I thought it would be fun to have another different characteristic between the human races such as differing ear shapes. If Sheik showed their ears it would be a giveaway that they are not fully Sheikah

The rest is basically the same

Rauru

Rauru is perfect as he is all I did was give him spots on his skin to give him more accurate skin of an older person

Saria

So one thing I hc about Saria is that she was Link’s caretaker/mother figure in OOT so my main goal was to make her look childlike but have a more mature face

So I gave her rounder cheeks and made her smaller compared to everyone else and gave her larger eyes and a button nose but I also gave her some lines around her eyes to suggest age, I also gave her thinner eyebrows similar to a kid

I changed her eyes to brown bc I’m tired of all these blue eyed characters, there’s a severe drought of brown eyed characters in tloz

I gave her freckles

Her ears are also pointed upwards. I think the great deku tree did his best to make the kokiri look Hylian especially for link’s sake but he couldn’t get the ears right and they turned a little more animal-like since they live in the middle of the forest and are used to animals than humans. So kokiri look identical to Hylian children except the one difference is their ears being a different shape

Everything else is basically the same

Ruto

RUTOOOOOO ‼️‼️‼️‼️💕💕💕💕💕💕💕‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️💕💕💕💕

Her size is much larger bc why are all the royal male zora 20 stories high but not the female zora, she would be almost as tall as Darunia at this age

I changed her eyes to be like all the other zora, it’s weird all the other zora have full color eyes yet she has human eyes 😭😭 you can tell the Zelda team was terrified about being called monster fuckers by committing fully to making Ruto have all the same traits as other zora

I also gave her freckles and added more spots on her to give her more texture and bc I love the way the Majora’s mask zora look

I haven’t drawn her body so I don’t have itemized changes but I’d make a couple more changes, other than that she’s perfect. Only smaller changes were made to just make her more zora-like than the design the devs used bc they were scared of idek what. Women can be beasts and monsters!!!! Cowards

Nabooru

Nabooru had the most changes besides Zelda but technically Zelda was a mash of two designs rather than fixing all of the issues with Nabooru’s design

My goal was to make her look like an actual person rather than a caricature such as changing her over exaggerated nose to be a hooked nose, removing the white on her lips, etc. If there is anything I need to change about my new design for her please let me know, I want to keep her recognizable without using the harmful designs the devs gave her

I gave her a darker skin color and gave her moles

I toned her red hair so that it looks more natural

I haven't fully decided on her clothes but considering she's in the desert i gave her long sleeves esp bc the area you find her in has crazy sandstorms

I'm still deciding if i keep her yellow eyes or not, i like their contrast and how it matches her eyeshadow but also I want more brown eyed characters

Darunia

The one big change about Darunia is making him more animal like by giving him more of a snout and a dog-like nose. I don't like how Gorons are designed in games like twilight princess and the white lips they have in majora's mask so my main goal was for him to just seem more animalistic and non-human

i also added lighter color around his nose area to suggest age similar to a dog

nothing else changes other than that

[kagoutiss]

So I am having SO MANY thoughts about the twinrova and how they’re a couple centuries old and so would’ve lived through multiple rulers before “serving” ganondorf.

Like they raised him, what was their agenda? Did they have plans spanning multiple sovereigns to secure their power over the gerudo? Did they have the Omni man “what’s another century we’ll just raise the next one” kind of feelings towards him if he didn’t become their puppet or weapon?

So much thot not enough brain space this rot is taking over me

ooooooogh twinrova brainrot is strong in me too…..yeah because if they’re ~400 years old and OoT ganondorf was still just in his twenties at the time, and a male gerudo child is born every century, then presumably they could’ve been in the position of raising said children multiple times? i think i remember seeing a take somewhere that considered the idea of twinrova’s role in the gerudo being similar to that of impa serving as an attendant/mentor to zelda, and i think that’s a really cool idea. there’s probably also a lot of potential angst to be found in these little old witches who may have cared for previous gerudo princes, and would have had the incredible responsibility of keeping them safe in childhood, while also training them in witchcraft and war strategy, and advising them in their kingship as adults. because if that’s the case, they would’ve seen those princes live and die multiple times too

it kinda makes you wonder if their love for ganondorf is so obsessive in part because they know firsthand how painful it is to lose a child, to live long enough to outlive to your children multiple times. tbh, i feel like them using ganondorf as their proxy for everything, and trying to make him an all-powerful being at any cost, is more a product of their love for him, than it is a litmus test of whether they‘ll love him or not? and by this i don’t mean they’re like,,, a healthy family by any means, like you can still easily apply terms like abuse and trauma-bonding to parts of their dynamic, imo. i think kotake & koume love ganondorf genuinely, and always have, and that the sentiment is mutual. it’s just that they’re willing to go to very extreme lengths to protect/empower ganon in the ways they believe are necessary, because they are very aware of how important he is, to them and the gerudo as a whole. and ironically, a lot of the time, this desperation ends up being not at all conducive to his safety, or sanity, or happiness

like…raising him with expectations and standards that are completely unreasonable for any human being, that turn him into an ambition-driven nutjob who invents lightning magic & masters all types of weaponry & plays a pipe organ, while also having virtually no ability to form genuine relationships with people other than his mothers. or them trying to make him into an impervious, all-powerful being by trying to take divine power, which sometimes inadvertently turns the rational parts of his brain into soup and sets them on fire. or them trying to revive him after death in the downfall timeline by sacrificing themselves, inadvertently bringing him back wrong, and sentencing him to an existence he never would’ve originally wanted

idk. they’re really fun and also heartbreaking to think about. he engraves their names into his weapons, they willfully die just for the possibility of allowing him to live again. their familial relationship seems to be the most important bond in the lives of everyone involved in it, at the expense of any other kind of connections in their lives. he’s their figurative puppet in a few ways, and will break himself over and over if it means meeting their expectations, but i doubt any of them see it that way. everyone involved gets extremely hurt in one way or another, no matter what, often in an attempt to do the opposite, out of love and fear. little fucked up witch fambly……it’s so much