#Link's characterization his relationship with Midna

[blood-starved-beast]

honestly going into the twilight princess manga nobody ever told me it was gonna be shoujo as hell and that Link and Midna's relationship would be very clearly sub/dom dynamic. Or that there would be massive amounts of Link whump. Or that Zelda and Ganondorf would have their own humanized version of the Hylia vs. Demise rivalry. The ending where Link rides into the sunset following the Hero's Shade that is simultaneously sweet, nostalgic, sad, and all around ambiguous?

People were saying it was good, didn't expect it to be good and catered to me personally that's what I'm saying.

[adel-memes]

3 and 17 for the fanfic ask game!!

Hiii! Thanks for the ask :D

3. What’s a fic idea that you have but haven’t written yet?

YEAH!! I got many answers for these so if anyone is interested just ask I got monster hunters au, e-rivals au, cyberpunk (PLEASE-) and royalty au. Here I'll talk about royalty :)

SO it's a fic that has all the colors from different regions as different roles. So for example, I'll start with Blue who we follow. He's a prince, Zelda's twin specifically, and they're the children of Nayru ruling Lanayru in a monarch type of system.

Green is Farore's chosen hero, she's the 'chief' of Faron where it isn't exactly ruled by 'royalty' but she does have selections of 'soldiers' who go through her trials to deem as her 'chosen heroes' (think Hylia's chosen hero now make it Farore's)

Vio is actually a rogue count. He was part of Farore's chosen heroes (think child prodigy) and then was like actually I don't wanna be here and left. Do we know where he went? Nope :] Will we find out? Maybe :]

Red is ??? cause I'm still thinking on it. Though he's from Eldin and rn Din & Ganondorf are at war over there with Din + Hyrule + Twilight on one side and Ganondorf + Lorule + Termina on the opposing side rn they're tense around each other but that's the reason Din is MIA most of the time. I'm thinking Red is her son OR Midna's son tbh

Shadow is kinda my favorite, he's lorule's bastard lmao. Hes hilda's younger brother who is adopted but people keep spreading rumors that he's Not and is actually a bastard lmao "who let the bastard speak?" - majority of other princes & princesses at Shadow

Anyway the story follows Blue and his bond with the others. (Yes he meets all of them and has separate dynamics with each. Example: Childhood friends to enemies with Green, bodyguard with Vio, opposites attract with Red, for once idk his dynamic with Shadow but the vibes in my head are pointing to unrequited mutual pining lmao)

I can ramble in more details about the idea and all but :) up to you guys

17. Are there any writers and/of stories that you consider an influence?

Definitely changeling-rin's dimensional links for links meet AUs. I feel like if I ever committed and wrote my links meet au I'd probably be more inspired by dimensional links fr

Also silversage elements fic with Blue, I feel like a LOT of how I characterize Vio's & Blue's relationship with each other is inspired by her fic and especially their relations with their respected elements

Other than that I'm not much of a reader atm (reading slump)

[themattress]

Ranking Link+Zelda and Ganon Incarnations

1. Hyrule Warriors - The more time has passed, the more I realize just how fucking good Hyrule Warriors was as a celebration of the Zelda series, which includes how superbly designed and characterized its Link and Zelda are. There are aspects of many past incarnations mixed in them, but they still manage to stand out as their own individuals. I especially love how Link is given actual character flaws, growing arrogant and believing himself to be the great lone hero of the story only to recognize that he, like all Links, never save the day purely on their own, and how Zelda is an absolute badass in combat as both herself and as Sheik, something that’s rarely seen outside of the Super Smash Bros. series.

2. Skyward Sword - Chronologically the first Link and Zelda, these two are some of the most human feeling. You really connect with them in all of their expressiveness and vulnerabilities. The relationships they forge with the likes of Impa and Groose only add to the sensation. It feels like they were written to be relatable people first and mythical figures of legend second.

3. Breath of the Wild / Tears of the Kingdom / Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity - There’s been much talk of this version of Zelda and how interesting, endearing and relatable she is in all of her scientific nerdiness and feelings of inadequacy when placed with heavy burdens, and how admirable she is in her courage and self-sacrificial nature, and all of that is true. But I think that across all three games Link also shapes up into a surprisingly complex character that was unexpected given his initial stoic front in Breath of the Wild. And give both of them credit: they’re the first Link and Zelda to have a radical design overhaul in three decades.

4. Ocarina of Time / Majora’s Mask - The first 3D Link and Zelda were also the first to truly showcase some semblance of characterization and character development, as we watch them go from children to adults and gain great strength at the cost of losing their innocence.

5. The Wind Waker / Phantom Hourglass - I greatly enjoy these two in The Wind Waker, where they are very expressive and funny and sympathetic. But they lose some points due to Phantom Hourglass, which did them kind of dirty in favor of becoming the Linebeck Show.

6. Spirit Tracks - They look the same as their ancestors from The Wind Waker, but they’ve got a different, unique feel to them, with Link being a working class guy instead of some island bumpkin in over his head, and Zelda being a sheltered princess who has to learn to come into her own rather than an Action Girl from the beginning. They also have one of the tightest (and cutest) bonds of friendship out of any Link and Zelda given their circumstances.

7. Twilight Princess - Both of them are in service of the real protagonist Midna, whom they share an excellent bond with, but they still have distinguishing factors that make them stand out, with Zelda being more of a Queen than a Princess this time around and Link having his own arc of going from simple farmboy to Hero of Hyrule carrying forth his ancestor’s legacy.

8. A Link Between Worlds - Virtually clones of the next Link and Zelda pair on this list, but with somewhat more personality and agency, helped along by their Lorulian counterparts.

9. A Link to the Past / Link’s Awakening / Oracle of Ages & Seasons - The “classic” Link and Zelda who provided the template for the others. No real personality to speak of, sadly.

10. The Minish Cap - These two, who are childhood friends, have slightly more personality than the above...but I’m sorry, the “toon” designs do not fit beyond The Wind Waker and its direct follow-ups. It’s a freaking Game Boy Advance game, why give them these expressive designs if we aren’t going to actually see any expressions? Also, Link’s birb hat is distracting. 

11. The Legend of Zelda / Zelda II: The Adventure of Link - Basic blank slates that existed before the franchise truly got solidified on the SNES. Zelda especially just looks wrong now.

12/13. Four Swords & Four Swords Adventures - These are technically two separate incarnations of Link and Zelda, but they’re essentially carbon copies of each other. I can’t find myself giving the remotest shit about Link when there are four of him, and what the fuck is up with this different “toon” Zelda design? That giant red bow she’s wearing looks hideous!

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1. Hyrule Warriors - Again, this game nabs the top spot and gives us the definitive version of the character. Ganondorf in this game has it all: the active villainy and terrifying chimera beast form like in Ocarina of Time, the capacity for self-reflection and self-awareness like in The Wind Waker, the manipulative usage of other villains as pawns like in A Link to the Past, Twilight Princess and Four Swords Adventures, and even the mastery over his Demise rooted elements before Tears of the Kingdom. We even get three whole chapters of him as the playable protagonist, where he gets to show off his non-inherently evil qualities such as his tactical brilliance, good leadership skills, and sheer determination to achieve his goals.

2. Tears of the Kingdom - The latest Ganondorf, who is also the first in the series’ timeline, has been met with great acclaim, and rightfully so. Not only does he (mercifully) usurp Demise’s position as Demon King whose hatred fuels almost every great evil in the series, but he feels like Ocarina of Time’s Ganondorf on steroids: an active, omnipresent villain despite not being on screen that much but this time not even needing to be mobile to do so thanks to the horrific Gloom ecosystem under his control. And like the corresponding versions of Link and Zelda, he bucks tradition hard design-wise by having a dragon as his beast form rather than a giant pig. Add to this Matt Mercer’s epic voice and you’ve got a fantastic villain.

3. Ocarina of Time - The first ever Ganondorf created, this is the character that took Ganon from an average villain to one of the greatest villains in video game history. He actively drives every major crisis over the course of the game, lending him an aura of omnipresence despite his actual limited screentime, and is shown to be as cunning as he is powerful by tricking Link and Zelda into helping him conquer Hyrule, turning it into a dystopian nightmare. He’s also deliciously theatrical - the man plays his own theme music on a pipe organ, for crying out loud! The cherry on top is his horrifying Ganon form taken in an unforgettable final boss fight.

4. The Wind Waker - Ganondorf is kept at a distance throughout this game, locked away in his tower and pulling strings, more of a McGuffin than a nemesis. After Ocarina of Time, this is a disappointment, but it could be made up for with good pay-off. And man, does the game ever deliver. When Ganondorf takes action, he is terrifying, both animalistically psychotic enough to do anything yet humanely wizened enough to control this madness at the same time, giving Link the worst of both worlds to contend with. And not only do we get yet another epic final boss fight against him, but he even ends up as a tragic figure: a wretched old soul full of regrets but too full of greed and pride to act upon them, desperately clinging to his dreams rooted in the past while raging against the future that threatens to leave him behind.

5. Twilight Princess - Being just the power behind Zant until the very end, Ganondorf is just here to be the final boss. Again, this would disappoint if the game didn’t make him a worthy final boss, and it more than delivers in this regard. You fight this bastard in just about every way you possibly could fight him, all while he displays a chilling malevolence in every word and action. He really does feel like what he is: an aged-up version of Ocarina of Time’s Ganondorf whose goal is still well in sight and thus he’s able to play the long game to get it.

6. A Link Between Worlds - As many others have observed, Yuga-Ganon of Lorule ended up being a greater menace than his Hylian counterpart who comes directly below him on this list. Not only does he have a unique design and personality of his own, but he is an even more formidable opponent in battle, full of tactical creativity that is difficult for Link to counter.

7. A Link to the Past / Oracle of Ages & Seasons - The “classic” Ganon. He’s big, he’s got magic powers, and he’s got a wicked trident. Unfortunately, you barely ever see him, much less get a feel for any personality beyond baseline evil. Oh well, he still gets the job done.

8. Breath of the Wild / Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity - He’s more of an evil force of nature than a proper character, especially in Breath of the Wild where he has been rendered mindless. What he lacks in substance he makes up for in style, as he is visually stunning.

9. Four Swords Adventures - The problem with this incarnation of the character is that he entered development as one thing and ended it as another. He was supposed to be the same version of Ganon as two spots above and this game would show his origin. But when Shigeru Miyamoto nixed that, we end up with a Ganondorf who is completely offscreen, and a Ganon who still just feels exactly like that version but with a different color scheme. The best that can be said about him is that he finally allowed there to be a truly gigantic 2D sprite of Ganon.

10. The Legend of Zelda - Ganon is one of video gaming’s greatest villains, but man would you not be able to tell that from his debut. All the build-up and mystery surrounding him, presented so well in the instruction manual (”no one knows how he looks like, for none have lived to tell”), and what do we get? A teleporting blue pig in a red jersey. That is SO LAME.

[sailforvalinor]

Fic authors self rec! When you get this, reply with your favorite five fics that you've written, then pass on to at least five other writers. Let’s spread the self-love 💗

Awww thank you! I don't actually have a ton of fics up right now, and they're all one-shots, but here are a few:

Legend's Innisfree: A Legend of Zelda fic in the context of the Linked Universe comic (which I highly recommend, by the way), a comic where multiple different Links get thrown into the same time and have to figure out what's going on. The fic follows the Hero of Legend (nicknamed "Legend," from "A Link to the Past," "Link's Awakening," and a few other games) and the Hero of Hyrule (nicknamed "Hyrule," from the original "Legend of Zelda" and "Zelda II: The Adventure of Link"), both the heroes from the Downfall Timeline. Because Legend's games come right before Hyrule's, Legend often gets characterized as his mentor. This fic kind of explores that dynamic, as well as reflecting on Legend's doomed (?) relationship with Marin in Link's Awakening. I also got to work in some of my favorite folk songs into this one, which was a lot of fun! It's been a few years now since I wrote this one though, so looking back on it I would definitely do some revising, lol.

"I Will Never Be Like You": Another Legend of Zelda/Linked Universe fic about Legend and the Hero of Time (called "Time," from Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask, also for reference he is a lot older than the rest of the heroes in Linked Universe and is married to Malon). The heroes find themselves in Hyrule's Hyrule, which is a desolate, ruined place, and Legend has to grapple with the realization that despite everything he did to protect Hyrule, it still inevitably falls to ruin. Also, his buried resentment of his Hero of Time (who fails and is killed by Ganon in his Downfall Timeline) bubbles to the surface. (The Hero of Legend isn't my favorite Link, he's just easy for me to write about for some reason? Lol.)

"Lead, and I Follow": Legend of Zelda (but not Linked Universe), a quick Twilight Princess character study from Midna's point of view. This was a fic that was meant to be a couple paragraphs and then got wildly out of control because my feelings about Midlink are varied and complex. (Also, the title is a line taken from Tennyson's "Gareth and Lynette," which reminds me a lot of them.)

Blindfolds and Treasured Words: A Kingdom Hearts fic, set during 358/2 Days, following Riku and Namine right before Riku leaves to retrieve Xion--and the last time they see each other as themselves before Kingdom Hearts III. Rikunami is very beloved to me (although admittedly this isn't a super shippy fic, you don't even have to read it as that, although the tone is meant to be romantic).

[hawkepockets]

Hello I am secretly Zelda Lore Nerd and I must know your thoughts on like. The story progression and plot beats and how it's all put together in Twilight Princess because I've only ever watched playthroughs I haven't played it myself and I'm invested in your liveblogging of this now.

omg hi yaaaaaan

^ u n me rn

ok so im ONLY on the death mountain dungeon right but so far in terms of story structure & level design i love this game. i feel like it hits a real sweet spot of being a little perplexing but never punishing yk like u get to use your noggin but it’s easy to progress.

like i mentioned already i LOVED the tutorial ramping you up for a horseback adventure to hyrule castle as a human guy with a sword & slingshot and the power of speech only to take it all away with the wolf transformation and hurl you directly to the twilit castle so the journey you were promised is instantly fulfilled, and stolen, and given back much harder, darker, more complicated.

you haven’t spent much time with/as link atp but it HITS like. his screentime as a guy has been so well spent in establishing his relationship with ordon village, both animals & people, and hyping you up for him to prove himself and see the world in a way that he then isn’t allowed to. the transformation feels authentically violating—it’s fun to play as the wolf, but the first time you try to talk to a familiar npc and they scream, or to open a door and find it’s an unnavigable barrier to you in this form, the realization that just as link doesn’t know how to move through the world in this body, you don’t know how to move through the game without most of the mechanics you just learned… like it hits it hits!

the spirit cleanse 🐺 -> dungeon 🧍 -> spirit cleanse 🐺 -> dungeon 🧍 pattern works really nicely. keeps things fresh, means you didn’t really waste your time in the tutorial, and also alternates the dimly lit, easier but utterly lonely wolf phases with the brighter, more social and challenging human phases in a way that characterizes the twilight itself as a threat imo? it’s melancholy, it’s peaceful, it consumes without killing, it’s vast and feels like a natural disaster… but it’s also easier to reverse than more mundane instances of greed, corruption, and violence. the motif of link with and without a community is repeated over and over. it’s yummy!!

i like that the dungeons seem to have their own characters beyond just the set dressings too. the forest temple felt a bit like a memory pair matching game with a lot of backtracking to previously explored rooms with new context for what you found in there. the goron mines seem to be a lot more timing based, with a lot of speed checks and, so far, more linear forward progress. so the elemental character of each region goes into like. what’s the most challenging quality of each dungeon, instead of just everything getting harder across the board. wood & air for flow, growth, renewal, return. metal & fire for enthusiasm, impulse, persistence, and rhythm. YUM!

midna of course is a nonstop delight. it’s not always clear when she’s available to help mechanically, like it took me forever to realize she’ll only warp during twilight phases, but that’s ok—i’ve never regretted hitting the button to talk to her extra times. (ㅅ´ ˘ `)♡ to me, she’s the perfect fusion of TP’s dark and silly elements. it was love from the first time she yanked on link’s ears and told him to be a good boy. um. mm. hhehe.

literally my only game design complaints are that the day/night cycle isn’t explained in game and isn’t very intuitive (time doesn’t pass in every map), and since it does determine enemy activity & merchant availability i feel like that shouldn’t be smth you have to ask reddit for… and on the wii soooo many things are bound to the A button, and the console is NOT good at interpreting which function makes the most sense for a given situation. it makes some tasks a lot harder than they should be. ah well. forgiveable!

#1 best feature without contest or dispute:

that’s my 2 cents up to this point!