#Link grows up and goes back to zelda au

[ovegakart]

I want them to find each other again. Link! Your princess is in another timeline!!!! Shes lonely over there!!!

[gx-gameon]

Okay show of hands who’s played skyward sword?

Spiritshipping Skyward Sword Au

Brief overview and spoilers

The game starts with Link and Zelda and childhood friends who are obviously in love.

Zelda falls from their home I. The sky to the world below and link goes to find her.

Zelda is rescued by Impa, a servant of the goddess, who shames link for being to slow to save her.

Later we come to find that Zelda is the goddess Hylia reborn and that she needs to travel back in time and seal herself away so that her divine power can keep the Desmond king at bay.

Link forges the master sword, defeats the demon king x2 and saves Zelda.

Okay so now that we are roughly on the same page how do we make this spiritshipping? There are two ways.

1st option: Jaden as the hero

Let’s be honest Jaden is always the hero. If we follow this path Jesse is taken and Jaden goes to find him and you get a story that’s very similar to cannon but with a new flavor.

Make the Crystal beast fill Impa’s role as guardian and protector to their god.

Jesse fills the role of the reincarnated god either Crystal Protector or the Rainbow dragon themselves.

Jaden and Jesse go to hang out and Jesse is take down to the surface below. Jaden follows later after getting his own guiding spirit. In the game it’s a sword spirit named Fi. Here you could make it Neo but maybe a lower level Neos like Neos Alius as he will grow into his power later in the story. Or you could make it Yubel, again unlocking new levels as the story moves forward. You could even make it winged Kuriboh if you wanted.

Jaden and his partner go to the surface to look for Jesse. The first temple they are two late and run into Trueman, the servant of the demon king darkness.

Again the story continues with Jaden looking for Jesse. You could swap dungeon items with the Neospaianis. Instead of getting digging mits in the second dungeon Jaden finds Neospacian grand mole.

By then end of the story Jaden has his team of hero’s and a fully powered up partner (be it Neos, Yubel, or Winged Kuriboh and is ready to save Jesse)

2nd option: Jesse as the hero.

I really like this option because it’s a fun twist in cannon.

The start is the same with Jaden and Jesse going out but this time it’s Jaden who is taken.

Jesse worried about his friend goes to give chase. But first he receives a gift from the god. Ruby Carbuncle. A creature who can help him search for Jaden and guide him on the right path.

The two head down to the surface meeting many strange characters and entering the first dungeon: Skyview temple. An underground labyrinth found in the woods that is filling with water. Here Jesse finds his second companion: Emerald Turtle. Creating shield and walkways for Jesse as he moves and fights through the dungeon. Jesse also encounters Trueman for the first time. Jaden is not here anymore, but he was here at some point.

The next place Ruby guides them to is Elden Volcano. Here they enter the Earth temple. A place full of Magma and find their third companion: Amber Mammoth. He’s able to use his size to ram into the walls knocking down pieces of the ceiling to make new walkways over the magma and to aid Jesse in combat by taming enemies. They find chains in the dungeon that have been broken and Trueman tells them he had Jaden but the servant of the king came and saved him before Jesse arrived.

After defeating Trueman’s monster Jesse runs to the back of the temple where he finds Jaden and Yubel. Jaden is excited to see him but Yubel stops their reunion and shames Jesse for taking so long. That if Yubel hadn’t been there Jaden would have been killed by Trueman. Yubel then opens a portal to take Jaden to the next place they need to go. Jaden follows because he knows he has a role to play. Even if he wants nothing more than to stay and reunite with Jesse.

The third place they go to is the Lanayru Mining Facility, found in the dessert. There are time stone here that allow you to switch between the present dessert and the past oasis. Here Jesse finds Cobalt Eagle. He has the ability to create gusts of wind that clear the area of sand/debris. He can also grab Jesse or Ruby and fly them up. Opening up new mobility options and combat options.

Jesse completes the dungeon and runs out just in time to catch up with Jaden and Yubel. Once again their reunion is interrupted by Trueman. He goes to attack Jaden but is stopped by Yubel. Trueman is able to push Yubel back but before he can attack either Yubel or Jaden Jesse jumps in. Asking if he’s late again? Teasing Yubel for their earlier harsh comments. Yubel grabs Jaden and the two flee to the past while Jesse holds back Trueman. Yubel blows up the gate behind them so neither Jesse nor Trueman can follow.

Jesse’s now at a loss for what to do next Jaden and Yubel are gone, and there is no way to follow them. Ruby guides him once again and he learns about a second time gate and sets off to find the missing pieces

The next dungeon is the Ancient Cistern. Based on the Buddhist story of the spider tread there is a heavenly side to this dungeon and an he’ll side of this dungeon. The vibes best fit Topaz Tiger. He definitely helps in combat and is big enough for Jesse to snag a ride either on the ground or in the water. Tigers are great swimmers and this dungeon has a lot of water.

The next place is the Sandship. Another place with time stones allowing the sandship to be a rundown ship in the middle of the desert or a battle ship floating in the middle of the ocean. The corridors are tight and are a great place to as Amethyst Cat to the party (I wanted to add her in the first three dungeons but use and theme wise she works best here) she defiantly helps with combat and sneaks up on enemies to get double damage. Her and Ruby work together to find hidden parts of the ship and get Jesse into them.

The final dungeon is the Fire Sanctuary. A place that fills up most of the crater of the volcano. It has giant gaps between locations and either has to be carefully traversed from the inside of flown over. Finally Sapphire Pegasus is here. Once again a big help in combat. But also opens up so much mobility. While Cobalt could fly Jesse for shot distances and blow enemies and debuts away, Sapphire is made for long hauls. Jesse can ride on his back indefinitely. Making traversing the dungeon and other areas easy. Paired with a bow and Jesse and Sapphire are a real problem as Sapphire keeps Jesse at a safe distance while Jesse can just pick off enemies.

Together the 7 beasts and Jesse are able to travel to the part and meet up with Jaden. Jaden tells Jesse what happened in the past. How the Supreme King kept the world in balance, using the power of the Gentle Darkness to keep the Light of Destruction and the Darkness at bay. But then the Darkness took human form as the Demon King, also just know as Darkness, and waged war against the Supreme King. The King was able to save the world but at the cost of not only his life but that of the Fabled Rainbow Dragon. Jaden is the Supreme King reincarnated and it is his job to hold Darkness back. The Supreme King gave his life to seal Darkness away and now Jaden must stay in the past to maintain the seal.

After telling Jesse the legend of the Supreme King, Rainbow Dragon and the Demon King. Jaden reveals that if he is playing the Role of the King he will need the help of Rainbow Dragon to defeat the Demon King. He asks Jesse to find/free/resurrect Rainbow Dragon. (This will take the place of the triforce quest)

With a tearful goodbye the two separate and Jesse and the Crystal Beast are off to find Rainbow Dragon.

So those are the two ways you could play this au. Obviously I have one way more thought out than the other.

Which one do you guys like?

[skyward-floored]

Volga gets some spotlight for a change (hdw au)

Comes after Volga confronting Cia (and Link on Skyloft, but it’s slightly less necessary to understand this)

...

Volga seeks out and fights the strongest. That is his objective.

He goes where the sorceress tells him, leads monsters into battles as she deems fit. He sees others only as adversaries, evaluating them solely on the threat they pose, the strength they wield.

Nothing else matters.

Only his orders, and strength.

The Hylian army is at their gates, working steadily through the valley, and despite the sorceress increasing Volga’s power, they’re still advancing, calling upon the Great Fairy to aid them. Volga himself is forced to retreat back to Cia’s side, and he stands silently beside her, waiting for her orders.

She’s watching the battle with a look in her eye that grows steadily more enraged, her knuckles whitening on her staff. It isn’t long before she orders him back out, commanding him to find the princess and crush her.

Volga nods, preparing to obey, when the sorceress stops him, a manic look in her eyes.

“This time you will destroy them,” she snarls, and thrusts her hand against his chest.

Power rushes through him, greater than what he had received before, and Volga roars as it fills his veins, turning into a dragon and leaping into the air.

This time he will be the strongest.

Volga glides across the valley, making a beeline towards the army’s leader, the princess’s sword flashing across the battlefield. He lands with a roar, and she quickly turns her attention to him, eyes widening as she leaps out of the way of his first attack.

Volga is merciless, using his weapons of both spear and claws, shooting fire and dive bombing with his dragon form. The princess is annoyingly stubborn though, avoiding nearly all of his attacks, parrying blows and dodging flames.

Some distant part of Volga is impressed.

He snarls as she avoids yet another thrust of his spear, and the princess looks at him, something odd flashing in her gaze.

“Volga! Come to your senses!” she suddenly shouts, parrying an attack. “I know you to fight with honor! What glory is there to be found in using dark magic to win all of your battles?”

“Don’t mock me!” Volga snarls, slamming a clawed hand towards her. How dare she?

“Open your eyes!” Zelda shouts as she dodges, still not giving up. “I believed you to be a proud dragon warrior, not a mercenary for darkness!“

Their weapons clash, and Zelda looks up at Volga without fear, her blue eyes bright.

“Think of your family, Volga. Look past the darkness clouding your vision.”

Volga falters just a hair, a snarl dying in his throat. There is certainly no darkness clouding him, merely the extra power the sorceress provided, but Zelda’s words of family carry a spark of something different. Something... important?

Volga shakes his head, frowning.

...What had she said again?

The spark fades, and Volga roars, hitting her backwards with a clawed hand. The princess is thrown to the ground with a cry, but before Volga can press his attack, there’s a flash of blue and green, and the Hero stands in his way, sword raised.

He has a stricken expression on his face, but Volga barely registers it, roaring again as he goes to face the both of them. The princess regains her footing as the hero slams his shield up to block Volga’s spear, and the three of them resume the fight.

Other monsters join the attack, and the hero’s attention is drawn to keeping them away from his princess, mostly leaving her and Volga to fight alone. Volga draws constantly on the sorceress’s power, and it’s soon obvious the princess begins to flag against his brutal attacks.

She fights on though, tenacious as ever. Soon enough Volga finds their weapons locked again, her eyes fixed on his face.

“Knight Volga, I thought you a protector, a dragon of honor,” she says, voice breathless but earnest. Blood drips across her eye but she doesn’t loosen her grip to wipe it away. “This isn’t who you are, drawing on dark power, fighting in wars for a cause you don’t believe in!”

That persistent spark of something comes back in Volga’s mind, flickering in his thoughts, buzzing in his memory. It makes him falter, just a little.

“Please,” Zelda repeats, still straining against his spear. “For Link’s sake.”

The name rings familiar, and Volga stumbles as a face flickers in his mind, blue eyes shining through the murk. Looking at him in trepidation as information spills from hylian lips, scales glittering in places they have no right to be.

What is this memory?

He can’t recall the events that led to it, or what came after, or even where he was when it occurred. In fact... all he can really recall is the sharp urge to fight the strongest, destroy the enemy, do as the sorceress commands.

Who is the boy with scales on his arms, and hair nearly the same color as his own?

“Volga,” the princess speaks again, less strained now, and Volga belatedly realizes he’s stopped fighting. “Fight past this darkness. I know you are more than what Cia is letting you be.”

Cia.

The name is like a clap of thunder in his head, and suddenly the darkness he’d denied was choking him is all too evident, coursing through him alongside his fire, constricting his thoughts and twisting his actions. Its influence is overwhelming, and Volga clutches a hand over his chest, thoughts whirling as memories rush back.

Cia invading his home and forcing him under her service, ignoring his wishes to be left alone. Using her magic to make him fight, starting a war over lust for his son, putting him on the opposite side of his own kin.

Purposely obscuring the fact that he had a son.

Volga snarls, anger rising as flames drip from his lips. Cia used dark power, foisted upon him without his say, using him as nothing but another pawn in her game and his son—

“No... no!” Volga shouts, gripping at his head with both hands. “I won’t be ruled by darkness!”

He won’t remain Cia’s puppet for another second.

Volga lashes out at the darkness coating him, tearing at Cia’s influence in his chest. He can feel her power fight back the moment he pushes against it, darkness reaching up to claw at his mind, but Volga tears back with claws of his own, refusing to succumb to it again.

He pushes back with his own power, not that of the sorceress, fire clashing with darkness.

A roar builds in his throat as he gains a solid foothold, and he pushes it out, Cia’s dark power leaving him all in a rush.

And he is free.

Weakness follows the loss of power, but even as Volga drops to a knee, he feels more clearheaded, more alive, then he has in weeks.

And it’s overwhelmingly refreshing.

Volga curls his fingers into the dirt as he regains his bearings, clutching his spear as he raises himself up off the ground again. The princess stands a few feet away, watching him with a hopeful look on her face, and Volga huffs, looking away.

...right into the eyes of the hero.

His son.

Volga stares, the boy staring back with an uncertain look on his face. The hero’s gaze is interrupted by a monster slashing at him, and Volga shakes himself, then looks around the battlefield, taking in what he’s missed.

His gaze falls on the princess again, and something burns in his chest, a need to finish what he started. Volga raises his spear in challenge, pointing it at her and the hero.

“This time I will duel you properly. I will win this fight under my own power,” he declares.

He has other business, important business even (Cia will pay, he swears it), but his pride insists he finishes this fight. He wants to show the two of them how he really fights, no dark powers, no false strength.

To finish the fight he began in an honorable manner.

The princess hesitates at his request, exchanging a loaded look with her hero. But he nods, and she nods as well, pointing her sword back.

And they start the fight anew, dragon, princess, and hero.

The fight is invigorating, to say the least. Volga’s very scales seem to buzz with excitement as he battles the two, the old fire coming back to his blood. They’re an incredible team, truly powerful, and fighting them helps immensely with continuing to wake him up, forcing any remnant of Cia’s power from his bones.

They weave in and out in tandem, one of them striking, and then darting out as the other attacks. Despite the remaining weakness from the loss of darkness, Volga matches them blow for blow, his blood singing as he duels the two.

He hasn’t had a fight this challenging in years, and it reminds him of older days, of other duels.

A smile on a tanned face, ruby-red eyes, hair the color of new-fallen snow...

Volga promptly pushes that image aside. He needs to focus on the here and now, and his strength is fading, the hero and princess still pressing their attack.

As much as he hates to admit it, Cia’s actions have left him low on strength, and as enjoyable as this fight is... he’s fading. Rather fast.

And suddenly, he finds himself on his knees, a sword pointing at his neck.

Volga looks at Zelda, then over at his son, both of them breathing hard. An odd feeling of pride runs through him as he looks at the boy, and he almost smiles. Only one other person has ever been able to truly best him in battle, and it’s clear both of them learned from her.

Impa taught them well.

...It was no wonder Cia wanted one dead and the other her captive.

Anger courses through him at the reminder of the sorceress’s treachery, but his energy is spent. Too spent for him to reasonably mount a successful attack on her.

His vengeance will have to wait.

The princess opens her mouth to speak, but Volga beats her to it, closing his eyes as blood runs from a cut over one of them. “I accept my defeat with honor. I lose, but I do so without regrets.”

He exhaled and looks up at the two of them, and his son meets his eyes again, blood and dirt smeared on his face.

Volga gives him a singular nod, then despite his weariness, turns into his dragon form and takes off into the skies. He needs to rest, and recover from his wounds before figuring out what to do next.

And... process the ramifications of having a son.

Impa...

Link and Zelda watch him go in silence, Volga’s wings bright as a comet as he glides away. They’re both breathing heavily from the battle, small injuries bleeding, burns stinging. Zelda is smiling though, and there’s a hesitant sort of hope in Link’s eyes as they watch the dragon grow smaller in the distance.

Zelda squeezes Link’s shoulder as Volga finally disappears from their sight, but they don’t have time to dwell on what just occurred.

Cia still needs to be taken care of. But then...

Link supposes they’ll figure it out.

[wizerdbattle]

Give me some directors cut on your laruta keeps the secret fic? 👀 maybe something on your writing process or those headcanons for the au you mentioned before.....:^)))))

YAY thank you for asking! Here's some misc headcanons, mostly about the main three :) Too tired to get into lore right now, but these still probably apply to the Laruta-verse

Mipha read a lot of fantasy growing up (PROJECTION) but Sidon got really into sci-fi and she got into it as a result. I think she would really like The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (and as a sort of introduction to that surreal sort of comedy... I think she would be giggling out loud reading it and as a result develop a slightly indecipherable sense of humour for a 13-year-old (possibly? I haven't been a 13-year-old in ages so I'm a little out of touch lol)) and she would start carrying a towel around in her bag as a nod to that. It would come in useful one time and she would be unbelievably happy about it.

Zelda is the type to cycle through take up a lot of extracurriculars and electives - and then drop them when she can't get anything more out of them. A lot of people think it's because she's indecisive but she just really likes learning and trying new things. This makes her the school admin's worst nightmare!

Zelda and Link have an art class together - Link reads a lot of comics and likes trying to cartoonify things, and Zelda goes as realistic as she possibly can. They're both perfectionists who abuse their eraser privileges. Each of them admire each other's work, though, and they try and make it a priority to work side-by-side on projects.

Dorephan is a language teacher (teaching the Zora language, I don't think it has a name in the games 😬). He speaks some at home with Mipha and Sidon, but Mipha and Sidon aren't exactly fluent becuase they speak more Hylian and regular conversation. They do, however, have enough practice to get a little ahead in classes 😋

Zelda likes paleontology, Link likes history, and Mipha likes biology, so they go on museum trips together (longstanding Link and Mipha tradition but Zelda fits right in). They go completely ham on the interactive expeditions and Mipha gets sucked into the gift shops and ends up with a million socks and t-shirts and pens.

In general I think she's a bit of a hoarder (PROJECTION) and loves collecting little things. Unfortunately they take up a lot of space in her room and she struggles to tidy after a while (... PROJECTION...)

Link only likes sweet things for the sugar hit he gets from them, but he has a select few desserts he actually likes for texture & flavour. He mostly cooks savoury dishes, but sometimes he bakes because he likes sharing the things he makes. Mipha loves desserts but is picky about flavour.

Mipha would get really into metal music as a bid to make herself more mature and then her and Sidon would blast it in the loungeroom and give Dorephan a headache.

Zelda Senior works in a cafe as a baker but has an extensive prior education.

Mipha and Sidon's mother is still dead ;-; sorry.

More specifically, I feel like Zelda's mother's death was more tied to the plot and her identity and the Calamity, but I think Mipha grew around her mother's death from quite an early age, and while it still saddened her, it was already a part of her, which is why I changed one but not the other.

Revali still puts a lot of pressure on himself to be better than everyone else, and in turn ends up putting pressure on Mipha because he's nervous for her. Sorry to lump the bird guys in together but they're very Noelle and Berdly Deltarune to me

Urbosa is one of those teachers that always has a coffee. She get's it from Zelda Senior's cafe.

Zelda and Purah are in a robotics club together. Initially, Zelda joined to get closer with Purah and Impa but it's one of her favourite things now.

I don't have the energy to write out much more -_- but come back for more later if you want lol! I'm having lots of fun with this.

[crazylittlejester]

I can yap about anything? Sweat. So I have this LoZ AU I’m slowly making, it’s set post TotK. I’m calling it Royal Depths and let me tell you most of the plot I have for it. This is so long but I must ramble.

TotK!Zelda and Link went missing a few years after the end of the game. Link died and Zelda was captured by a dark force, who was somebody who was close to her. They became “king,” bidding their time in a slow process to reinstate the monarchy back to its formal glory over several Hylian generations. They made sure to have 7 children each generation, becoming the 7 maidens who each oversee different parts of the kingdom. Later in the king’s years, there would be a “chosen successor” to the king voted by the people, but the dark force would always replace the successor after they “died.” After doing this around 3 time already is when the story starts.

Link, the hero, had been reborn as a Zora to King Sidon. He is cursed to be a middle child. He has an older brother named Blueberry(TotK!Link named him) who’s based on a shortfin mako shark and a little sister named Mipha who’s based on a lion fish, like actual Mipha’s concept art. Link is a white tipped shark. He has singing magic, because I like the musical magic in the previous a bunch. Whenever he starts to speak or sing something else, the magic is ceased. After the Zora equivalent of his 16th birthday, he received the Triforce of Courage on his left hand. The spirit of TotK!Link(im just going to be calling him Tears from now on) also appeared, and tries to act like the Hero’s Shade in TP. Link though, is utterly horrified and doesn’t want to even think of being a hero. Hyrule has been peaceful for so long already. Ganon and Zelda have even been born yet. So he traps himself in his room most of the time. He trains and studies in preparation for the worst, but he doesn’t want to make any more connections. People call him the Hermit Prince, and his family is very worried about him. He also has a habit of slipping out of the Zora Domian in the middle of the night.

Zelda hasn’t and will not be reborn, because she is still alive and is being kept as a power source for the kingdom. Yeah. But, she is able to use some of her magic to contact someone, anyone, and to be able to give the Triforce of Wisdom to them. Enter Helix, a mostly regular adult human living in Lodrum. They’re a friend to the Oracles, who only recently appeared this generation, and they are cast out as heretics by the Hyrulian monarchy. Helix doesn’t really care about that, he’s a human after all. Until they receive Zelda’s message and power. In a dream, she tells them that they must go to the castle and stop an evil king with the help of Link. Very vague. Helix goes to the Oracles and they send him off the Hyrule Castle. Suddenly she’s now crowned as the “true” successor of the long missing Princess Zelda. Her name is now Zelda “Helix” Hyrule. They still like to go be Helix, that is their name after all, but they tolerate being called Zelda by the Hylians. His only goal and focus while he’s here is to find the hero, and kill the evil king. He thinks that it would be Ganon, based on the legends.

Ganondorf, or just Ganon, is only like, 10 years old in Gerudo years, but like 12 in human/hylian years. He’s a child, and is trapped within his home and garden by his mother, who believes she’s doing the right thing. She is not, she’s sealing her own demise like this. Everyone believes that he would grow up to be the demon king, just like he did every other time he’s been reincarnated. He’s lonely and scared, scared of himself and what everyone’s telling him he will become. He’s not doing well. Then, one day, an odd bird appears in his garden. It has a long, sleek white body, with pale blue wings. It cozies up to him pretty quick, when all other animals seem to be afraid of him. Soon after that, an oddly dressed purple-cladded Hylian jumps over the garden walls, calling for his bird, Sheerow. Enter Ravio, the main character of this story.

Ravio is the secretary for Hilda, the Prime Minister of Lorule. Lorule is further along in industrial progress compared to Hyrule, Lorule having 2010s vibes while Hyrule is in its equivalent of the Victorian Era. Ravio has magic, but he prefers to do magic tricks rather than actual magic. It’s more fun for him. He was named after Ravio the Merchant, aka AlbW!Ravio. Ravio is obsessed with the story of the Merchant and the Hero, the story of how Lorule was saved with the help of a hero from another world. One day, he receives his world’s equivalent(I’ve been using this word so much)of the Triforce of Wisdom, which looks like where the Hylian Triforce of Courage would be if you turned the Triforce upside down. So when Hilda shoves Ravio in the now open portal to Hyrule, people think that he could be the new hero. He constantly says he’s not, but is his counterpart and is searching for him. He first gets dropped in the middle of Gerudo desert, and a couple of Gerudo help him get to Gerudo Town, since he looks enough like a vai and he also doesn’t know what the words “vai” and “voe” even mean.

But yeah, he goes to Gerudo Town(which is much larger than it was in TotK), and basically adopts Ganon and brings him with him to Hyrule Castle. Well, it’s more like Ganon brings him along to the castle since there is this royal meetup between the kingdoms of Hyrule. Ganon and his “””””mother””””” are representing the Gerudo, Old man Tulin(he’s so old guys but he’s still full of energy) is representing the Rito, Yona and her children-including Link-are representing the Zora, and Helix is also now the main representative of the humans and hylians, along with the king.

Ravio and Ganon have gained permission to explore the castle, and the eventual reach this big garden with a long river at the end of it. Ganon loves it, he loves gardens, and is having such a good kid with the biggest smile on his face as frolics around the place with Sheerow by his side. Ravio’s known this kid for less than a week but is more than willing to kill someone for him I’ll have you know. The garden is also the place where Helix goes to relax and de-stress, which is not happening when she sees the future demon king she’s convinced she’ll have to kill running around in it. She’s very confrontational, only calming a bit once Ravio reveals his mark of the Lorulian Triforce. She’s convinced for a hot second that he’s the hero, but he’s not, just his counterpart from another world, which Helix just can’t seem to get. Another world? How crazy is that?

Then, they both hear a scream coming from Ganon, near the river. A corrupted, monstrous looking thing that looks like it’s made of fire crosses over it in one step, and the battle commences. They’re trying their best, Ravio trying use ice magic(not very effective), Ganon trying to use his own fire magic(not very effective), and Helix doesn’t even know how to use his newfound light magic properly yet(again, not very effective). She pleads to Ravio to go get the Master Sword, since he’s the only one who has a chance of pulling it out of its pedestal. Then, someone is singing. It starts to rain, it starts to pour down hard. Ravio drapes his cloak over Ganon so he doesn’t get hurt by the harsh rain, and the three watch as the monster screams and quickly dies right there and then. On the ground there is this odd, clearly evil, glowing sphere, which gets hit with a Zora spear, shattering it. Link jumps down from the castle roof, says hello, and the rain almost immediately stops once he speaks. He walks directly towards Ravio, while the group are just staring at him with wide eyes and agape mouths. Link introduces himself to Ravio and only Ravio, asking if he really is from another world. Ravio asks back if Link has been there the entire time they were fighting, and Link enthusiastically says yes. Ravio punches Link squarely in the face.

Uh uh, that’s enough of direct storyline for nowww. The Happy Mask Salesman is also here, and Tears lead Link to him to get a Hylian mask. So he can also transform into a Hylian. During the night, he runs off to the circus, and is a semi-famous acrobat. And he can’t speak while wearing the mask, since normally when he speaks the magic he casts stops. But the mask’s magic is way too powerful for him, so he just can’t speak.

Also Ravio, Helix, and Ganon can see Tears, thanks to the Triforces they have. Link has to pretend he can’t see or hear him while in his normal Zora form. And because he’s a Zora with a Hylian soul, he has maybe gender(species?)envy of Ravio. He thinks he’s in love but he’s not, he’s aroace, he just wants to be him not be with him. Ravio also hates Links because of aforementioned stuff above, and also because Link acts very suspicious around him. Ravio has major trust issues. He also is obsessed with the hero, which is also Link. Isn’t that fun? Oh, and everyone calls Link “Herm” because he’s a so called hermit.

A good chunk of the story is focused on the Depths, and the group exploring it to figure out why these monsters are appearing. Eventually, they find Zelda underneath the castle, Tears just breaks because he didn’t know where she was and that she was being used as a power source, and the king finally reveals themselves as the big bad. To the heroes he does at least, but he manages to convince a good chunk of the public that they are the bad guys, because Ganon.

And that’s about it for now haha. 1,708 words, ho boy. Wanted to talk about this for a while, feels great.

Sorry this took me so long to respond to, I wanted to really make sure I had the time to sit down and read it all, and I finally did so YIPPEE!!!

Link died and Zelda was captured by a dark force, who was somebody who was close to her <- GOD DAMN.

They made sure to have 7 children each generation, becoming the 7 maidens who each oversee different parts of the kingdom <- this sounds like a fairy tale almost and im OBSESSED.

Link, the hero, had been reborn as a Zora to King Sidon. <- LETS FUCKING GO ZORA LINK?????? OH MY GOD!!!

BLUEBERRY. PERFECT.

The spirit of TotK!Link(im just going to be calling him Tears from now on) also appeared, and tries to act like the Hero’s Shade in TP <- WOAAAAAAAAH.

Link though, is utterly horrified and doesn’t want to even think of being a hero <- he’s so real for that actually, i adore him

People call him the Hermit Prince, and his family is very worried about him <- Okay so I’m completely obsessed with your blorbo. I am holding him so gently rn

Zelda hasn’t and will not be reborn, because she is still alive and is being kept as a power source for the kingdom. Yeah. <- DAMN.

Enter Helix, a mostly regular adult human living in Lodrum <- OOOOOOOH

Suddenly she’s now crowned as the “true” successor of the long missing Princess Zelda. Her name is now Zelda “Helix” Hyrule <- WOAAAAAAAAAH

Ganondorf, or just Ganon, is only like, 10 years old in Gerudo years, but like 12 in human/hylian years. He’s a child, and is trapped within his home and garden by his mother, who believes she’s doing the right thing. She is not <- OUGH???????? HE’S TEN????

Everyone believes that he would grow up to be the demon king, just like he did every other time he’s been reincarnated. He’s lonely and scared, scared of himself and what everyone’s telling him he will become. He’s not doing well <- you are so evil. you are so so evil (im clawing at the walls screaming btw, holy SHIT!!! /pos /pos /pos)

Enter Ravio, the main character of this story <- FUCKING PLOT TWIST??????

Lorule having 2010s vibes while Hyrule is in its equivalent of the Victorian Era <- Fucking obsessed with this btw

Ravio has magic, but he prefers to do magic tricks rather than actual magic <- HE’S SO ME OH MY GOD

basically adopts Ganon <- OH GOOD, SOMEONE NEEDED TO

Old man Tulin <- TEARS IN MY EYES

Ganon loves it, he loves gardens, and is having such a good kid with the biggest smile on his face as frolics around the place with Sheerow by his side. Ravio’s known this kid for less than a week but is more than willing to kill someone for him I’ll have you know <- Ravio im right there with you

Then, they both hear a scream coming from Ganon, near the river <- LEAVE THAT LITTLE GUY ALONE /ref

Ravio drapes his cloak over Ganon so he doesn’t get hurt by the harsh rain <- i hate you so much for making my heart hurt over this mental image what the fuck (i love you. /p)

Ravio asks back if Link has been there the entire time they were fighting, and Link enthusiastically says yes. Ravio punches Link squarely in the face. <- I LAUGHED OUT LOUD

During the night, he runs off to the circus, and is a semi-famous acrobat <- WHAT A LEGEND

He thinks he’s in love but he’s not, he’s aroace, he just wants to be him not be with him <- OUGH.

Tears just breaks because he didn’t know where she was and that she was being used as a power source <- i am shaking you rn, but so gently and with so much kindness. But also how could you do this to me

Wanted to talk about this for a while, feels great <- IM FUCKJNG INVESTED

I have no idea if you’re writing this, drawing this, exclusively letting it live in your mind, but if you do like produce it physically anywhere… PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF GOD SEND IT TO ME IM EATING THE DRYWALL IN EXCITEMENT RN THIS IS SO FUCKASS /POS I LOVE ALL OF THIS OH MY GOD GOOD LORD I LOVE UR BLORBOS I AM HOLDING THEM SO SO SO SO GENTLY RN OH MY GOD!!!!!!

as you can see i am god’s most normal man. Anyways, THANK YOU FOR SHARING!!!!!

[science-lings]

random fact about my totk role swap au (Spirit Sage Link edition):

You know how the light dragon stays above ground? She never goes into the depths like the other dragons. It's the other way around for the Ghost Dragon. They stay exclusively in the depths bc of their connection to the afterlife.

Also, the dragon itself is given a job, like how the main three are the 'guardians of the springs', the Spirit Dragon is meant to lead the souls of the recently departed into the afterlife, like the ferryman in Greek mythology. They're surrounded by ghostly blue flame and often dips down close to the ground where poes get sucked up into their essence.

The spirit dragon can phase through the walls of the depths (and when Zelda is on their back she phases too) and frequents places right under civilized areas and the underground cemeteries (beneath the arbiter's grounds and the spirit temple). Another place it visits is the part of the depths beneath Hyrule Forest Park, an island connected to Hyrule Cathedral with the 'Boneyard Bridge', which in my mind feels like that place has major graveyard energy.

I also like the vibe of them being partially translucent so while the depths are completely dark, they're almost impossible to see but they grow brighter as the depths grow brighter. In the beginning, you can only see their eyes or how their horns/ spikes flicker in the darkness. Like the light dragon and all the other dragons, they start to glow as you get closer to them (as long as you haven't recently shot at them) and become more completely visible at a certain distance.

okay that's it for the little lore dump of the day, thanks for reading if you did

[amiharana]

Okay, so I've read a couple of Revalink soulmate AU fics but I can never get through them because honestly I've never really liked the concept. And honestly, I feel like there's a decent chance Link would feel the same.

I mean, you've got a guy who didn't really get to choose almost anything about his life - he's a knight because his father was, he's Zelda's guard because he was selected by the King, he's the chosen hero because he's destined for it - and then he doesn't even get to choose who he falls in love with? And in most soulmate AUs probably has a literal physical mark on his body constantly reminding him of that fact? That's not romantic, that's existentially horrifying!

This idea might already be a thing but I've never really read fanfic before about a month ago when I got the Revalink brainrot so I don't know, but here's an idea I call the anti-soulmate AU.

Basically Revali doesn't have whatever soulmate-identifying mark exists in this story, and Link does, which is part of why Revali resents Link while Link is in some ways envious of Revali for the opposite reason. Somehow they end up actually talking to each other and grow close, and eventually Link basically decides "fuck it, I don't care that there's some destined perfect partner for me, I'm choosing to be with this guy." And even though they provably aren't soulmates and their relationship maybe isn't perfect, they still love each other and are happy together.

There can be some angst about Revali feeling insecure since there is someone out there who objectively would be a better partner for Link even though Link doesn't actually want to be with them, and about how this is basically depriving Link's soulmate of their perfect partner. Who that person is doesn't really matter, but making it Mipha would add even more to her whole "tragic one-sided pining" thing. Or it could just be some random person, like I said it's kinda unimportant.

Anyway the Calamity happens, and since Link kinda-sorta-dies whatever soulmate mark he has goes too and he's finally totally free from it. I have no idea if that's a thing that happens in these AUs, like I said I don't really read them much, but it kinda makes sense and fits this story so whatever. Maybe have Revali be revived after Ganon's defeated so there can be a happy ending.

Revalink as a concept is always just a little bit contrived. You have to mess with the timeline of the backstory if you want them to be a thing pre-calamity, you need to change how the Champion ghosts work to have them be a thing mid-game, or you need to have all the champions come back from the dead in order to have them be a thing post-canon, and you almost always need to mess with their personalities to have it be even slightly plausible. It's always kinda messy and doesn't totally make sense, and in this story that would basically be true in-universe and that's exactly why Link wants to be with him. He's pretty much the exact opposite of a perfect, destined partner who fits together with Link flawlessly.

Sorry for basically writing the entire synopsis of a fic that doesn't exist and probably isn't even that good of an idea, but as I mentioned I have the Revalink brainrot and I have no friends who I can send ideas like this to and I need to tell them to somebody.

so first of all, NEVER apologize to me for writing a whole fic synopsis in my askbox. my friend, are you familiar with my blog? all i do is write the longest fic rambles in the world here instead of writing full-fledged fic to upload to ao3 ☝️😭 so please do not even worry!!! i like ur fic idea a lot and it's good!!! and if you'd like, we can be friends and u can do what crow cryiling (affectionate) does and spam my inbox or messages w your ideas whenever you want 🤍 i luv to hear about revalink always

i honestly really love soulmate aus because i'm a hopeless romantic 😭🤍 SORRY but i do agree that to write a really good soulmate au for revalink, you can't just put any soulmate au template on them. like revali himself will actively break the fourth wall to fight against it because it just doesn't fit their dynamic; their whole relationship is built off of defying fate, re:your second-to-last paragraph. canon botw doesn't outline a clear path for revalink to ever be together in the way it might for zelda, mipha, or sidon even, so we'll always have to bend or break the rules of their universe for even a glimpse of future where they can be happy together 🥹 but it's the best part of their dynamic: they weren't supposed to be together, but goddamn it do they look good together.

i remember reading a fic where link and revali did have soulmate-identifying marks (i forgot what it was called but link's soul mark was revali's entire monologue in the revali's flap memory, and link hated him for it LMAO), but the idea that link would despise seeing the mark is so 🥺💔 i'm imagining maybe link was so excited to have one as a child, but after pulling the master sword and becoming a knight of hyrule, he now sees how he's doomed his soulmate to being tied to him and how he's responsible for their future or whatever. link has gotta develop some sort of altruistic complex about how he has to serve the people even at the cost of himself, i can't articulate it well right now, but i hope you get what i mean??? but that influences his resentment at the existence of the soulmark — not that he resents the person who is his actual soulmate, just the fact that he has one because he views himself as a burden on his soulmate as a result of his current position in life.

revali being born without a soul mark makes me so sad 😭 mixing this with my hc about him being orphaned, but revali getting bullied for not only not having parents but also not having a soulmate 💔💔 some of these rito kids are dickheads talking about "the goddesses wouldn't grant you even one person who would love you, haha!" and it definitely influences his workaholic tendencies training to become to most powerful warrior ever. he copes by saying he thinks soulmates are ridiculous and that there was no way there was another person in the world who could be perfect for you, that you should be given the ability to choose who you wanted to be with (but deep down, revali wants to know who the goddess would have chosen for him, if he did have a soulmate ㅠㅠ)

what do you think the conversation between link and revali would be like when they decide they want to be together, soulmates or not? what about the moment they fall for each other? who falls first? would it be mutual pining and trying to resist at first, because revali knows link has a soulmate who he deserves more than revali and link holding back because he knows what revali feels about the whole soulmate thing? or do they fall in love without holding back anyway, with link not caring for his soulmate at all like you mentioned? making mipha link's soulmate........ so tragic i feel bad for her fr if link resented her for being his soulmate kJDFKJD 😭 i lowkey wanna write these scenes tho idk HAHAHAH

the soul mark disappearing after link "dies" and is put in the shrine of resurrection is a really interesting idea though! like what's the mechanics behind that? i feel you'd have to go back and decide how the soulmate system works; is it a mysterious magic that no one can figure out? is it decided by some god of fate or love, hyrule's counterpart to aphrodite/eros? how did the magic decide that because link was "dead", he can't have a soulmate anymore/disconnected him from his soulmate? or what if link's soulmate died during the calamity before he was put in the shrine and soulmate-logic was like 'if your soulmate is dead, the mark disappears' so link's mark fades mid-battle and he doesn't realize it? and furthermore, link waking up in the shrine a century later and looks at his hand or some shit where the mark used to be and either (1) feeling a strange sense of melancholy at the empty spot on his skin or (2) looking at it but feeling nothing at all, and continuing with getting out of the shrine.

you could also explore how soulmate dynamics change throughout the hundred years he's gone. i'm sure plenty of people died during the calamity and lost their soulmates, so how does that alter the whole societal norms and culture surrounding soulmates? are people still born with soulmates after the calamity? do you think it becomes a taboo, that it's dangerous to meet your soulmate because what if you lose them? or do they see it as a mark of fortune, that love still prevails even in this near godless world after an era of tragedy? and then how does link interact with the world following his awakening, to find out that people have soulmates and look back at the empty, unmarred part of his skin and wonder, did he have one too? who were they? did he love them, and did they love him too?

AND ANOTHER THING, if mipha was his soulmate back then, does she still have her soul mark on her ghost?????? what if she did because well. it's her spirit and not her actual body, so when link meets her again post-waterblight, she's saddened by not only link's lack of memory of her but also the fact he's lost his soul mark. and also remembering that link would still probably resent her if he had his memory.

furthermore, there's two scenarios that instantly come to mind when i think about post-calamity revalink here. (1) revali seeing link post-windblight but link doesn't remember and revali having a similar reaction/feeling to mipha, but is having an internal conflict about whether or not he should be happy that link no longer has a soulmate he's bound to or sad that because of that, he'll never have another chance with link again because he's dead </3 or (2) champions are revived but link still doesn't remember his time with revali pre-calamity so revali is trying to give link an out and let him go to be given the chance to love someone else in his new life, but for whatever reason link is still drawn to him, moving to rito village and practically living in revali's shadow. it's another slow-burn of them falling in love all over again and maybe link gets his memories back?

if you ever plan on writing this, my friend....... feel free to send it to me because i'd Love to read it. like fr. there's so much potential for this one

[trollamulet]

legend of zelda au - extended information

as a general rule of thumb, jim is a knight that ends up under a curse, and depending on the secondary ‘world’ of the time the thread takes place in, he’s either a demon by night, or while he’s in that world.  he can be defined as either a monster or ‘some kind of goron’ due to being rocky.  over time, he tends to start blurring the line between forms, as they are both him, one and the same, and has more control of the fluidity of transformation - world allowing.

sealing war / pre-skyward sword - #we'll sing a song of days gone by

a demon on the surface of hylia's precious lands - jiki is one of the few that revolted against demise and is in hiding. he lives outside of the faron region, bordering on the ancient lanaryu region. relatively human-shaped, jiki bears three fingers and a thumb on each hand, nails like dark claws and darkening from knuckle down in a gradient.

he's happy to talk about the past - about the war, however certain topics make him uncomfortable. those that were important in the army make him skittish - after all he was one of the few that rebelled, seeing the value in human life. he wants peace and somewhere to have a quiet life without worrying about the king.

little does he know, a curse was placed on him personally, bound to reincarnate to the same cycle as the mortals he loves, and upon his death, he is fated to continue to reincarnate as a mortal that will eventually find themselves in a cursed form, one of living stone. he doesn't know that this happens when he dies.

if encountered, jiki has a trinket lost in the lanaryu region, and as it becomes a desert, it's buried under sand on the docks before the lanayru sea. it's a strange watch-looking amulet, and upon the return to jiki, the demon gives five gratitude crystals.

skyward sword - #ear to the memory of a golden age

a student of the knight academy, in the same class as most of the other kids. acquaintances with link and zelda, as it's a small town. he and his mom live on another sky island nearby, but travel to skyloft for his classes daily. life is peaceful, until zelda is pulled from the sky. jim pays no mind to link leaving, until he himself feels a compulsion to follow him down.

and he does, finding his way through faron untill he stumbles an old cottage, rundown and somehow standing - covered in moss. it's familiar, impossibly so. opening it up, he finds the interior is still.. alright? he can't find his way back to the surface before night, and he spends the night there. it's the first night he changes - no pain, a foot taller with horns and fangs. it spooks him.

ocarina of time - #have you heard the story of the rabbit in the moon

wip

twilight princess - #lift up the evening ; just for a while

a resident of kakariko village that has since moved to castle town to seek out an apprenticeship with the knights of the castle. after learning more about corruption within the knights, he ends up joining telma’s band, frequenting her bar. 

he’s rather ordinary - just a swordsman who likes cooking and talks to telma about food there. that is, until zant takes over and twilight covers hyrule. he watches in horror as he transforms into a monster with skin as hard and unforgiving stone. 

once the twilight is clear from the region, jim still changes at twilight, and back to human at dawn - eventually getting used to it, but the condition never goes away, and he fears someone finding out about the dual life and hating him, or worse.

breath of the wild & tears of the kingdom - #and what if they should falter

jim strangely finds acceptance among others in a world full of oddities. malice corrupts the landscape, yet a young man who shifts between human and inhuman like day does with night is a little concern when the moon can grow red and revive the dead beasts.  he doesn’t know what caused the change - it has happened since he was ten, but he would like a way to stop changing forms, or at least as frequently. he has no control over when he changes, and it’s painful and sore for him. he’s often found during the morning and evening after he changes on death mountain in the pools, soaking away the pain.  he sides with link, and will hand over crafting materials he’s found on his travels, ranging from gems to various bugs. he’ll trade for rarer objects he’s found, such as weapons and star fragments.  he has a personal sword that he uses the most - a one-handed weapon named daylight.  in areas of darkness, jim has a habit of transforming anyway. his other body has a better night vision, as well as a general sturdiness against unpredictable threats, as well as the fact malice tends to affect that in the dark a little more. 

hyrule warriors - #so hold on ; or we'll all fall down

pulled from the era of twilight, jim stumbles across the army while they fight with the twilight realm and cia’s fight. he’s pulled into the battle when all he wanted to do was have a small break from the mystery occurrences being unraveled in the era. ultimately, he returns home with agitha and midna. 

[pebletz]

Tell use about your story!

Hello Anon! Nice to meet you! I’m so glad you are interested in hearing about my story ideas! :D

The real question is WHICH ONE? I have so many in mind that I don’t know exactly which to explain, but I’ll give you one for now and give the options of the others if you guys wanna know more about them!

The first one I’m going to start with is an South Park comic I have been very slowly working on, and there is no name for it! (You’ll see why in a moment) I based it a bit off of Omori, South Park (duh), and the Undertale Alternate Universe character known as Core Frisk :) Actually, as I was writing this, I may call it something along the lines of Error404 but I still am not sure! If you have suggestions let me know!

Basically, the idea was that when Stan burned down his fathers farm, it caused a malfunction in his “Universe” and caused it to implode into itself. However, Stan made it out alive, yet without memory of his past whatsoever, and somehow ends up in an alternate universe different to his own, a world without a Stan Marsh. Once discovered by some kids his age (Kyle, Kenny, Cartman, and Marjorine), he learns of how their world works and discovers true happiness once again. However, there’s a twist to this tale. Stanley can see everything, and I don’t mean within his vision-span. He sees way more then he is supposed to, he is a glitch, and what do you do when you notice a glitch? Try to eradicate it.

I can’t say much else, because it would be spoilers, but let me know what you guys think! I really am interested in continuing this idea, and I hope to be able to do so in the future!

My other South Park story ideas are as follows:

- South Park SOT/Zelda style AU

- When The Leaves Fall (a spStyle focused AU where Stan is a band nerd and Kyle plays basketball!)

- Sportz Kidz (Psychological Horror using those off-brand South Park plushies as characters lmao)

- Gem AU! (Just them with gems growing on them, sort of Steven Universe like)

- Apocalypse AU similar to Resident Evil

- Bruised Knees (Stan and Heidi start getting along out of the blue and Kyle is super confuzzled and jelly idk)

- The Distance Between Us (a sp Style endgame au based on celestial bodies in space and the fantasy kingdom storytelling!)

- FNAF/South Park AU (I did start this already as a comic on Instagram but I’m in the process of rebooting it with a better story timeline since I didn’t exactly have one when I first made it oopsie poopsie)

Non South Park AU’s:

- Chromophobia (the first video game idea I had, based on colors, ghosts, trauma, psychological horror, and of course the indie game style lore!)

- Undertale Multiverse: The Story of Crayola

- Undertale Multiverse: The Origins of Diamond

- Blue Skies: The story of how Opal (my OC) and Ember (my friends OC) met and became super cool lesbos

- Jungle Safari adventure between my two OC’s, the siblings Ky and Jacob

- Cloud City

- Etc., the list goes on and on for all of them :3

Anyways, the last thing I wanted to add was the original title and poster(?) of the Bruised Knees story, the covers of some of these other stories, and the link to my FNAF South Park instagram! Check it out if you want to see the original ideas of this story! (The Blue Skies Picture was actually drawn by my friend @sanowsiri , the creator of Ember!) :3

[lozriftsintime]

Name: Link Ravenloft Hyrule

Alias(es): Mural

Nickname(s): Veteran, Vet, Collector

Birthday: (I am currently working on a calendar system for this AU, so this will come later.)

Age When Introduced: 24

Pronouns: He/they

Height: 5'3

Source/Game(s): A Link to the Past, Oracle of Seasons, Oracle of Ages, Link's Awakening, A Link Between Worlds, and Triforce Heroes

Sexuality: Polyamorous, Biromantic, and Gynosexual

Favorite Color(s): Mural loves the color green. Not grass green. Or Forest Green. Not even Rupee Green. Their favorite color is Emerald Green. They didn’t have any particular fondness for Green growing up, but these days they do. They couldn’t tell you when the change happened. (Their Zelda can. She can tell you the exact moment Green went from a color Mural didn’t think much about to one they couldn’t get enough of. It was the same time Ravio came back into their life).

Disliked Color(s): Mural doesn’t like the color red. Once, years ago, they gained some fondness for it, but now it’s painful to look at. Even ignoring the trauma of Marin red is the color of blood, infection, swelling, fire, burns, and so on. So many unpleasant and dangerous things are red.

Skills: Mural is very much a jack of all trades. They may not be the best swordfighter in the Chain, but they don't need to be. If they can't get through an enemy's defenses with their sword they have a number of other items they can pull out to use. And they're pretty decent, if not really good, at all of the items they have.

Thanks to their good chunk of experience, as well as their vast array of items, Mural is a quick thinker. And they're very good at thinking of creative ways to use their items to solve an issue or a puzzle. That is, if they haven't seen it before already and therefore already know the answer.

Outfit/Design Notes: Mural's outfit base is the red mail from A Link Between Worlds, but with the purple cap from A Link to the Past's red mail. They generally don't like to wear pants, so they don't. Their tunic goes down far enough and their pegasus boots come up far enough from the bottom. So they're plenty protected.

There are a couple specific items that Mural tends to have out on them at all times. The two main ones are their mirror shield and the Golden Master Sword. Outside of those two things they typically have the Cane of Byrna.

Outside of items that have a practical purpose Mural wears a number of things to remind them that the people they care about aren't ever completely separated from them. The belt, bracers, and collar decoration that they wear line look nearly identical to the ones that their sister, Zelda wears. The dagger on their waist was made for them by their husband, Ravio for their wedding. The pin on their chest looks like the harp of ages and the rod of seasons to remind them of their friends in Labrynna and Holodrum. The bag on their belt has a cucco and an apple for their grandparents and uncle. And the hibiscus necklace they wear is for the dream girl they lost, Marin.

Along with their colorful ensemble of clothes and items Mural's pink-tinted golden hair and honey-brown eyes make them quite hard to miss even in a crowd.

Other: Mural is agender, but does accept the use of he/him pronouns, mostly due to them not caring enough to correct people. They used to think that they were only attracted to women. But they realized that was wrong sometime after Ravio came back from Lorule when it suddenly hit them that they had somehow fallen in love with their best friend/roommate. They don't have any sexual attraction towards their now-husband, but they still love him very much.

Please excuse the fact that the straight flag is on the image for them. I fear that some part of my brain was still defaulting to the societal norms and went 'well they use he/him pronouns so straight works'. No. No it does not. They're gynosexual, not heterosexual. But I don't currently have a way to fix the image. I shall look into a way to do so.

[theaviskullguy]

OKAY SO

SPOILERS FOR TOTK BTW- UNDER THE CUT

So, Rider takes the place of our link, here. He's the royal knight to Princess Zelda.

now i kinda lied- the story is gorai-centric (not even goraichi. cute ship but lets give our gays a chance). Because Rider and Zelda, in their trek under the castle, are acompanied by Rider's childhood friend and local Shieka Warrior, Goggles.

Anyways we all know how the beginning goes- Encountering Ganondorf's festering corpse, Master Sword gets almost killed, Link looses an arm. Here, it's a bit different.

Rider doesn't loose just an arm. The Gloom hits him much harder, and he ends up loosing strength in pretty much all his body- arm included, but also his very core. Goggles tries to rescue him, but is also got by the Gloom- for him, in his eyes (blind goggles anyone??)

So Rider wakes up in the beginning area, arm replaced by Rauru's and a zonai core in place of a heart. Not only can he use the Zonai abilities, but he can overexert himself and power the zonai devices a lot more- but at risk of passing out.

Goggles is also on the island, being cared for by steward constructs working on healing him. When Rider encounters him, Goggles has some of his eyesight back, but barely any- his eyes are still caked with gloom so he wears a bandage around them. Luckily, the gloom isn't hurting him beyond his lack of eyesight- in fact, it allows him to see and recognize patches of gloom all across hyrule.

But I'm getting ahead of myself. The two go down from the islands and head to Lookout Landing, where they're given the task of helping people all across Hyrule. Now, for the sages!

Disclaimer, I've only beat the Wind and Water temples and I'm working on the Lightning temple now. So, grain of salt.

-Army is our Sage of Wind. He's a proud half-Rito (looking like a Hylian despite the feathers growing all over him, a bit like a Harpy. Anyways, Rider and Goggles help him save Rito Village from a blizzard. And to thank them, Army travels with them.

-Aloha is Sidon's younger brother ("by like 2 years!!!" "zora years, maybe") and is the Sage of Water. The gang help him purify the waters of Zora's Domain and get rid of all the sludge around it- and he aids them with his powers of water manipulation (and he's kinda crushing on army ngl,,,,)

-There is no proper sage of fire. Mainly cause I love the Gorons, but for an AU they're hard to like. make people take their place. Anyways, for lack of a sage of fire, the gang are joined by Avi and Skull- Avi being a scientist who created a cannonball similar to what Yunobo's vow is, and Skull being an expert hunter and marksman- and a refugee from Lurelin Village.

-We got some transfem Mask as the Sage of Lightning. Chieftess of the Gerudo, the gang aids her in making sure the desert is safe again. As thanks, Mask joins them and is the source of snark of the party.

I'll talk about the Square Gang if asked :D

heyyyy i have a coroika totk au if people wanna hear it

its rider-centric

[ghirahimbo]

What do you think of the title: "Passing Glances"?

Last one! I like it a lot, actually :D

This one's gonna be... revalink, Zelda+Link+Champions Succeed AU, gay runaway with me trope :D Everyone lives, Zelda's powers unlock just in time, Calamity Ganon is defeated. There's all the hubbub of success—feasts, celebrations, processions—and though Revali drinks it all in, he keeps a close eye on Link through it all, allegedly out of spite. Link doesn't seem to be enjoying any of it—looks more shell-shocked than anything—and Revali becomes gradually convinced that Link is trying to catch his eye, even if he only has the same blank stare he's ever had.

A couple weeks later, the news is made public: the princess and the hero are engaged. Zelda seems happy enough, even if Link’s expression when they're together is the same blank face he always wears—but without quite understanding why himself, Revali reacts resentfully. Refuses to meet Link’s eye now each time Link tries.

He can't keep from watching when Link isn't looking, though, and finds Link growing more wooden by the day. The night before the wedding, Revali’s walking through the Champions' quarters (they've all been invited, of course), and overhears Zelda crying in Mipha's room. She's certain that Link doesn't want this and feels like she's trapping Link, but her father won't be persuaded otherwise, and Link himself will never go against the king. Mipha, sad herself, is comforting Zelda... but Revali goes stalking off towards Link's room.

Sure enough, when Revali bursts through his door, Link is curled up in the corner all alone, panicking. Revali confronts him—accuses him of going through with a marriage he doesnt want, and asks why he's been trying to catch Revali’s eye. Caught with nothing to lose, Link reluctantly speaks. He doesn't have a problem with Zelda—he likes her just fine now, actually—but he felt like a trap was closing shut. From then on, he'll always be on display, always beneath the public's eye. Revali asks why he's still going to follow some old man's whims, reminds him that he's already (helped) save Hyrule, asks if Link doesn't deserve something after all that... but Link is resolute. Then Revali asks again why Link has been trying to catch his eye, and when Link looks him in the eye again... Revali understands. Realizes he reciprocates.

So the accusations become an invitation. Revali opens the window, offers to carry him away. Rito Village is out of the way, or Lurelin. They could even leave Hyrule entirely. Link protests that neither of them will be able to return once they're found out. Revali doesn't care to ever come back... does Link? Link, weakly: "you don't even like me." Revali, leaning in closer, nuzzling his beak along Link’s neck: "You're absolutely right. In fact, give me a chance to show you just how much I don't like you." Link is, in the end, convinced. He gets on Revali's back, Revali summons his Gale, and they fly off into the night.

[thesilentgothitelle]

Au Info(Updated)

So what is this AU? Well, both LoZ and PLA have a character who gets separated from someone they care about, and also complete retrograde amnesia. And we’re big fans of both, so the content basically writes itself. Here’s the rub:

Backstory:

In this timeline, sometime after Unova was founded by the twin heroes of Truth and Ideals, but before the original dragon split in two, the region was laid asunder by a mysterious beast from beyond their world called Necrozma. The dragon gifted two heroes the means to defeat it: the Hero of Ideals was gifted a sacred blade, and the Hero of Truth was blessed with a sacred power. The twin heroes oversaw the construction of four mechanical beasts, imbued with the souls of the four sacred Pokémon that gave their lives to protect the Pokémon of Unova, designed to be commanded by four individuals of exceptional skill. Artificial Pokémon known as Goletts and Golurks were also crafted. It was through these efforts that the twin heroes were able to defeat Necrozma, Sealing the beast away. Millennia would pass and Unova would go through many changes,and the history of Necrozma would fade into legend. Until one fateful day, when a prophecy was uncovered. Necrozma would one day return, and the twin descendants of Unova’s founders would be the ones to seal the beast away once more.

Basic rundown:

the story is set in a sort of Unova/Hyrule combo, using the B&W region map but, like, more fantasy

the Divine Beasts are Cobalion, Terrakion, Virizion, and Keldeo

the Master Sword is a dormant Hohnedge, or it’s modeled after a Hohnedge, depending on how you wanna interpret it

Emmet and Ingo fill the roles of Zelda and Link respectively, but since they’re twins they’re both princes

the king is Drayden, who is their Uncle and took over as regent when their parents died in their childhood

Elesa takes Impa’s role as the twins’ former mentor and is chillin’ 100 years older in Anville Town until Ingo gets there. She gets de-aged post-story through that handy de-aging rune so that she can live out her life with her besties

the champions post-Calamity are the Unova Elite Four from B&W, pre-Calamity are some original characters based on existing Pokémon characters

original Elite Four are: Hildegarde (ancestor of Hilda/Hilbert, the B&W protagonists), Alba (ancestor of Marshal), Peyx (ancestor of N), and Maelen (ancestor of Caitlin)

Reshiram, Zekrom, and Kyurem are worshiped as deities. each has their own sacred spring where their followers can offer their prayers. the three dragon Legendaries guard their respective springs, though they are believed to be the only creations/emissaries of the dragon gods, and not the gods themselves

Ingo after waking up is selectively mute both from anxiety and his fatal injury, but he can still talk out loud sometimes, he gets better at it as time goes on

Emmet can talk to him telepathically like Zelda can to Link in the original game

Ultra Beasts replace the monsters that you fight on the overworld

in this world, humans fight with weapons on their own, but keep Pokémon as sort of fighting partners/familiars who aid and defend them in battle

Ingo’s original Pokémon team is being held somewhere else and he does get them back at the end, but during his quest his team consists of Unova-native Pokémon that he catches (Mienfoo, Sigilyph, Tirtouga, Venipede, and Staldash which is an original Ghost/Fire-type variant of Rapidash and also the ghost of his former Rapidash)

Chandelure is the one who brought the Master Sword to Lostlorn Forest for repair and she chose to wait there for him instead of returning to the village

Ingo frees all four Divine Beasts before retrieving the Master Sword

his memories of Emmet and his previous life come back slowly, but they do come back

also. very important. yes trains do exist in this world, of course they do, and you’re welcome

More detailed order of events under the cut:

- While the twins are growing up, it wasn’t known which twin would have which role so they trained for both. After Ingo pulled out the Master Sword, they weren’t able to spend as much time together due to being pushed to focus on their individual training. - Ingo gradually became quieter after obtaining the master sword because the weight of his role forged him into the stoic, silent knight type. Emmett was increasingly upset at this.

- Meanwhile, Emmet practiced his permanent smile, learned to have refined control over his expressions and be the diplomat he was meant to be. He still kept his sentences clipped, but tried to maintain a sense of peace about him.

- They remained close, but it hurt to see how much each other was changing due to the pressures of their roles.

- - - - At some point the Golurks and Gollets are discovered and reactivated.

- Four of the most skilled individuals from across Unova were chosen to command the Divine Beasts, and were dubbed “the Elite Four”. - Upon Necrozma’s sudden return, it took possession of the Divine Beasts and the Golurks, killing the Elite Four and bringing devastation to Unova.

- Emmet finally awakens his sealing power, but too late: Ingo had been mortally wounded and has to be taken to the Shrine of Ho-oh. - Emmet faces Necrozma alone and seals both it and himself in Nimbasa castle.

- - - - 100 years later, Ingo wakes up with no memory in a ruined Unova. Now it is up to him to free the four Divine Beasts, find the sacred sword once more, and defeat Necrozma, while also trying to recover his lost memories.

- Ultra beasts have infested Unova due to Necrozma’s presence there, catching Pokemon became more widespread and mainstream over the 100 time gap, due to the protection they offer from the UB.

- The first Pokemon centers have popped up along roads people travel down.

- Some of the few survivors of the calamity are Elesa, who was friends with the twins 100 years ago, who now lives in Anville Town and is very old now; Professor juniper who is currently stuck as a teenager due to experimenting with an anti aging rune 10 years ago; and Professor Fennel, who is also very old.

- Despite, or maybe even because of the destruction it brought, Necrozma gained a following of its own, calling themself “Team Photon”. This villainous team has persisted for a century, despite their mediocrity.

- Team photon has two admins, Beryl and Spinel. Spinel was recruited into the team while Beryl was born into it.

- Beryl is eccentric, loud, and easily angered, while Spinel is generally apathetic, gloomy, and tired of listening to Beryl blabber.

- When Ingo first meets Prof Juniper in Nuvema Town, she fixes the Pokeslate’s camera and Pokedex features by putting a Rotom in it. This Rotom is an agent of chaos, it shouldn’t be trusted with bombs.

- - - KELDEO QUEST - Liberty Gardens survived the calamity, but due to Maelen’s death and the failure of the royal family to stop Necrozma, Maelen’s family shut Liberty Garden off from outsiders.

- During Ingo’s journey in the present, he finds a bunch of guardsmen searching for Caitlin.

Ingo ends up accidentally finding her, who ran off. - Like her ancestor Maelen, She also possesses uncontrollable psychic powers, but on a much more dangerous level. She also snuck off from her home because the Divine Beast vah Keldeo has been producing torrents of water, which threaten to sink the island, and her parents refuse to look for outside help.

- Ingo agrees to help Caitlin with Keldeo, and journeys to Liberty Harden. The residents of the island don’t really have a high opinion of the defunct royal family, but luckily do not recognize Ingo as a member of said family.

- Caitlin’s parents are stubborn and don’t want to accept help and they won’t allow Ingo to use the only boat that can get close enough to Keldeo, so Ingo has to prove himself by taking out the Xurkitree that have holed up in one of the coves. - While clearing out the cove, ingo finds a neat rock and keeps it (psst…that’s Tirtouga).

- Caitlin manages to get them to allow Ingo to use the boat. Ingo uses the boat to board the divine beast and free both it and Maelen’s spirit by defeating Aurora Sabre Necrozma.

- - - VIRIZION QUEST - After returning to the mainland, Ingo travels to Aspertia Village on the advice of Professor Juniper, where he meets Professor Fennel. - While he’s there she notices the rock he picked up and realizes it's a Cover Fossil. Using an ancient device, she is able to resurrect the fossil and Mink the Tirtouga joins the party.

- Divine Beast Vah Virizion is causing Pinwheel Forest to overgrow, turning into a mess of vegetation that threatens to overtake and consume Nacrene Village.

- Ingo ends up in Nacrene on his journey, meeting Lenora who upon realizing he has a Pokeslate, believes him to be a descendant of the old royal family. - since Ingo needs to board Virizion, she points him in the direction of Shauntal, a local novelist who accidentally figured out how to get close to the divine beast without getting hit with its sleep spores, while wandering the forest for inspiration for her next book.

- Ingo finds Shauntal near the outskirts of Pinwheel Forest, she is injured. She had gone into the forest, gotten ambushed by a swarm of Kartana, and been separated from her partner Pokemon. - Ingo enters the forest to help find her Pokemon, and while searching catches a runt Venipede, and BB the Venipede joins the party. - He eventually finds the Chandelure, which triggers some faint memories of his own partner.

- After reuniting Chandelure with its trainer, Shauntal shows Ingo the key to getting close to Virizion, a mask made of Petilil leaves. It’s crafting one of these that triggers a memory of Peyx for Ingo.

- Using this trick, Ingo is able to board Virizion and free it and Peyx’s spirit by fighting Twilight Rapier Necrozma.

- - - - At some point, while visiting a Pokemon center, Ingo hears a rumor about a ghostly steed wandering the hills, few have seen the skittish specter, though others claim to have been saved from UB attacks by the strange Pokemon.

- He ends up encountering this mysterious Pokemon one night, a skeletal Rapidash with purple-blue flames. Unexpectedly, the Pokemon seemed very fond of him. - Though very confused by this behavior, Ingo allows the Staldash to tag along.

- Much later, ingo begins to remember that before the calamity, he had had a Rapidash named Louis that he got separated from at some point. - Unbeknownst to him, Staldash and his old Rapidash are one and the same. After being separated from her trainer at the start of the Calamity, Rapidash wandered the region and died, but her desire to reunite with its trainer allowed her to cling to the world as a ghost type.

- - - TERRAKION QUEST - Desert Resort has become untraversable, due to the sandstorms Terrakion generates. - Ingo arrives in Alba’s hometown and learns that she used to own an artifact known as the go-goggles which could allow someone to withstand sandstorms, but it was stolen by Team Photon. They say another wanderer had offered to get them back from Team Photon but had yet to return.

- Ingo travels to Team Photon’s HQ in Relic Castle, and finds some Team Photon grunts harassing a wild Sigilyph. After defeating the grunts, Railway the Sigilyph joins the party.

- Afterwards he meets Marshal, the other wanderer. Marshal is a descendant of Alba and had grown up hearing stories of his ancestor, which spurred his quest to get stronger.

- Ingo and Marshal enter Relic Castle and separate to try and look for the go-goggles. Ingo faces the Team Photon admins one last time before facing the team leader Moissanite. After defeating Moissanite, Ingo retrieves the go-goggles, which triggers a memory of Alba.

- Using the go-googles, Ingo is able to board Terrakion and free it and Alba’s spirit by fighting Comet Claymore Necrozma.

- - - COBALION QUEST - After the Calamity, the people of Lacunosa had to build walls to protect their town from UB, which would go into a frenzy at the sound of Cobalion’s cries. - With no one able to look after the spring, Kyurem ending up getting possessed by Necrozma and cutting off Victory Road with ice and without knowing what befallen the dragon, the town began to fear the creation of their god.

- Ingo travels to Lacunosa Town and is told that Cobalion is at the end of Victory Road, but the way is blocked by ice. - another traveler by the name of Grimsley, son of a merchant family that went bankrupt, tells him how to get to the Spring of Absolution. Ingo frees Kyurem from its possession, which triggers a memory of Hildegarde.

- While traversing Victory Road, Ingo finds a lone Mienfoo facing off against a Naganadel. After saving the little critter, it runs off, but later returns to help him fight a Guzzlord. Talgo the Mienfoo joins the party.

- After reaching the summit, Ingo is able to board Cobalion and free it and Hildegarde’s spirit after defeating Nova Falchion Necrozma.

- - - The Master Sword rests in Lostlorn forest and is looked after by Alder, a cryptid of a man who has been around for millennia, who is supposed to be watching the sword but sometimes wanders off, leaving his Volcarona to guard it.

- Ingo enters the forest to retrieve the Master Sword and finds his Chandelure there waiting for him; Emmet had asked it to take the sword there 100 years ago, and it decided to stay and wait for its trainer. They are happily reunited.

- Now the only thing left to do is make the journey to Nimbasa Castle, face Necrozma, and free his brother.

-------------

And thats the botw au! If you guys have anymore questions about this au, don't be afraid to send an ask

[cloudninetonine]

I have more thoughts, but first I wanna thank you for indulging in my crack mind, so thanks! I don’t expect fics, and I just enjoy expanding and creating more concepts since they’re vague and allow more creativity to flow in. Blasphemous, but have some Sympathetic Hylia agenda. I was thinking about the implications in the lore and manga. Hylia is canonically a goddess only in name. She didn’t create life, the worlds or anything; all of that falls under Din, Nayru, and Farore. Her only purpose was to protect the triforce, which she fails in doing so. I think that affected her in being more callous and cold. She can’t afford to fail even though her failure seemed almost unavoidable. She can’t use the triforce against a demo lord, and in the manga she’s looked down and isn’t exactly believed by others about what will occur with demons taking the land, which kinda makes since(but if an celestial being told me demons were gonna come then i would listen) The bond between The golden goddess seems very detached, as long as the triforce is protected and safe then everything is okay, not accounting for the lives of land they built. All the gods & goddesses are pretty apathetic to the pleas of people, and it’s surprising that Hylia even tries to save them, but I guess she got pretty attached to her “home” // Yandere starts when you fall into not-hyrule yet and meet the repressed and awkward first! link from the manga. Not yet chosen by Hylia, and you bond with this not hero guy, and he mostly bonds with you out of pity because clearly you’re just beggar who hit her head and starting spouting nonsense, probably insane, and it's also spreading because clearly this isn’t a logical choice, but Link has never a person of logic. You meet Hylia while wandering in this soon to be apocalyptic world (honestly imaging a large crack in ground as the Demise and his demon begin their conquest and quite literally come from the depths of hell to take over) and Hylia is attempt to spread word without being “do not be afraid” but it hasn’t really worked yet. You accidentally blurt out “Zelda” confusing her, since clearly she is not this “Zelda”. Hylia, in my opinion, isn’t exactly the brightest, but she tries her best. Link and Hylia meet, bonds grow, and life goes to hell when Link is left to rot in the dungeons, changing him to a more colder and repressed man. Hylia is more desperate and growing more tired and frustrated that everything against Demise is proving to be futile. The one person who seems to keep together is you, but their love is stifling and you're starting to forget why you’re even here—why are you even here? You bleakley realize that your fantasy life isn’t very great and that you might die or be stuck in this well intended gilded cage by your loved ones. You create, indirectly and unknowingly, an ocarina as a self indulgent gift that gets blessed by Nayru: the ocarina of time. In the end, you die and everything is futile, or you thought before you woke up. Regret is strong as you recall the fact that 1) you died 2) your love ended in bitterness and hatred 3) you’re apparently alive while your lovers aren’t. You never did find out why you were there in the first place either. Bittersweet, but Hylia thinks “Zelda” as name because you called her that, or “Lia” affectionately before your relationship turned cold and bitter.

Now I have an au for tethered au called Replaced hero/kill the hero au. You do get reincarnation but you look nothing like you first did, so imagine the angst and shock and relief when you walk around and see a link with a copy of yourself that hylian, and then they walk past you, never looking back. Maybe you were never enough. Sure you look nothing like you used to, but your ears are still round and maybe you do behave differently but you died! How can anyone behave the same after going through something like that? dirven hy spite you decided to fuck it and give hylia a piece of mind by taking and venting on her incarceration: Zelda… only to attached when you realize both of you have been abandoned by the same person. You take the place of the hero, while confusing him because where was his journey? only to forget because his “goddess” was next to him and took priority. Hylia is smug, but also internally panicking because who the hell is this odd human? You and Zelda are busy flirting and ignoring the fact that you were originally planning to kill her. It’s going to be a bit of a shock to both the Chain and Hylia, because if that's you then who are the “(y/n)”?

IT'S NO PROBLEM I LOVE PEOPLE SHARING THEIR IDEAS!

@yandere-linked-universe Because I gotta tag you for this stuff.

I love the concept of the Player (If you're not talking about the Player I apologise!) being a basic kick-starter to the story! A voice of reason for those who are losing to it! After all, it's just a game, right? Maybe the Player is just here to get the show going, help Hylia, help the hero, help Hyrule! Right?

But then it starts to get....dark.

The first hero had experienced a traumatic experience like no other. Their Goddess is now just a former husk of herself, this isn't supposed to happen, right?

They're up in the sky now, cold, tired, watching the clouds below as people weep In the background. Hyrule is lost, they're now on what will later be dubbed Skyloft and Hylia is just distant. All you really have now is your Ocarina.

You die,

But then you're not dead.

Thus begins the events of the Replaced Hero.

Honestly I love it!

[three-bunnies-in-a-trenchcoat]

@cosmetichorror sorry it took me so long, I had to decide if I wanted to tell you every detail or like. basic outline. (you get basic outline and me talking about the writing experience, sorry. fortunately, I will (maybe) have the first chapter done soon! she says, 6 months after starting it). I've spent so much time on it I don't want to spoil it (is that weird?)

my reincarnation au is... exactly what it sounds like. sksw link is reincarnated with all his memories. (unfortunately, it rapidly grew far beyond what I expected)

this is my most romance centered fic (easy feat. I dont write it) after fots, which means link spends half of his time missing groose and zelda, and also maybe the one with the heaviest topics

I hit Link with the Comedically Large Angst Hammer™️ several times (fun fact: this was the fic where I started using parentheses for angst! fun for me, anyway) while also making jokes every five seconds, because link is, at his core, kind of stupid. He's close to having a breakdown every ten seconds at the current point in writing

I get through minish cap and four swords fairly quickly (stopping only for worldbuilding and angst, as one does), and then ocarina of time, which currently has 6k words out of 7k and is only growing (help me)

oot and mm happen much the same (but fi is there), and then it seems like it's over! time for twilight princess!

HAHA, NO ITS NOT.

fierce deity shows up, and this is where I make up the headcanons I still use six months later. (not telling you, go read first of the sword if you want part of it (<<< blatant advertising))

fd travels with link for a while, and then we reach the part I call "forgot I dislike [spoilers], remembered it, and then immediately made him the asshole he is"

(this is a good thing, actually, because link acknowledges (some of) the negative emotions he's been holding in for 30 years! then he goes back to shoving them all down immediately.)

I continue dragging oot out for an unnecessarily long amount of time, which is what I'm currently doing right now (the end is close, i can feel it. I will probably get distracted again.)

brief explanation of the split timelines: adult and child are normal, Hylia-sanctioned timelines, downfall is what happens when you fuck around with the triforce and kill one of its bearers in already unstable situation

anyway, that's it (i actually meant basic outline)- if you have any questions, feel free to ask! (or suggestions, this is very much a no planning ahead fic)

[yugiohcardsdaily]

So despite never ever playing a Legend of Zelda game in my life (but I've watched playthroughs of the majority of them and read a lot of stuff online) my brain decided to create an AU that's probably not that unique and it's incomplete af but yeah

Zelda AU

Gerudo woman sees someone capable of seeing the future and discovers the child she's pregnant with is going to be male. Ganondorf's legend is well-known, she's scared for her kid and doesn't want him to follow that path or be persecuted just because he had the misfortune of being born with a penis, so she up and leaves the Gerudo people/desert and goes far from it.

She manages to pass for a Hylian (hair's not too red, she's not too much taller than the average woman, she has her father's nose) and winds up in Kakariko Village before she gives birth. The name I've been using for him is Ford (it's -dorf but not lmao so clever). He grows up without ever knowing his heritage. His closest friends are Link and Aryll, orphans in the village that Ford's mom all but takes in when she realizes they don't really have a home or family. Aryll in this continuity is Link's twin rather than his little sister and a mix of her namesake and Linkle.

Aryll wants to be a knight for the Kingdom of Hyrule and serve Princess Zelda someday. Link goes along with it, but when asked privately by Ford, he admits he'd rather just travel the world and see what's out there beyond their little village. Ford isn't sure what he wants. He's content with life in the village with his mother, raising animals (pigs especially love him :3) and farming and just living a simple life, but he feels a calling to go somewhere else. He once mentioned to his mother he has dreams of a sandy desert full of people who look like them, but her reaction was harsh and convinced him to keep such dreams to himself. She doesn't want him to ever go into any desert or respond to any voice that has no obvious source. Why? She would never say. She just made him promise to do what she said.

Somehow, word reaches Hyrule that a male Gerudo is alive somewhere in the kingdom. This doesn't sit well with anyone in power. The king is in poor health, so it's up to Zelda to decide what should be done. Knowing the tales and under the advice of her, well, advisors, she decides the male Gerudo should be found and taken into custody. Then they'll decide what to do with him.

The soldiers eventually come to Kakariko Village. Ford's mom sees them and manages to keep calm, because any action could draw their attention to her and her family. She had prepared for such a possibility when building her home, so there's a trap door hidden under the rug under her bed. She ushers Ford, Link, and Aryll through it, telling them to run and not look back. Ford wants to know why. She doesn't say as she hands them a bag with provisions and a map. They need to trust her. They need to leave, avoid any Hylian soldiers, and stay away from the Gerudo desert no matter what. Then she shuts the trap door on them and hides it properly, leaving her kids in the dark with only one option: do what she says. (The villagers love and accept Ford's mom and Ford himself as their own, so they didn't rat them out to the soldiers. The soldiers still pushed their weight around to search every home, and Ford's mom is recognized as a Gerudo. She claims to have no children, that she's lived here for nearly 17 years and never had a relationship, but they don't believe her and take her into custody since there's no sign of her son. Surely she'll be treated well :D)

Link has a bow and a quiver full of arrows he used for target practice as well as the occasional hunt. Aryll has a compass (a nod to Linkle, as well) and a sword she used for her self-imposed knight training. Ford has a couple of knives that were only ever used for practical reasons. They have no idea what they should do once they escape from Kakariko Village and exit the tunnel Ford's mom forced them down, but they know they can't go home again.

That's the part I have fleshed out. I'm not sure if Zelda's going to be rigid and fully believe in the legends and thus end up antagonistic, if everyone keeps their respective Triforce shard and/or Aryll gets one, or how Ganon himself will come into play. I do know Ford, Link, and Aryll will end up traveling to all kinds of places all over Hyrule, that Ford will learn his mother lied to him about being a Hylian and why, and all kinds of forces/people will try to convince them that Ford can never be anything but Ganondorf, host to the Big Bad, and he must be destroyed. But Ford will thwart destiny, somehow. Even if he does become possessed by Ganon at any point, he won't succumb to the darkness or fate or whatever. People will see him for him, not for the shit cycle he's been pulled into. Link and Aryll will never doubt him, either. They grew up together. They know him better than anyone. He's a good man. Their friend. Practically a brother. They won't ever turn their backs on him, because they know he won't turn his on them. Even if he starts to doubt himself, they'll be there at his side.

Anyway there's my Zelda AU. Thanks for reading if you did lmao