#TOTK roleswap

[keylimesiren]

crack idea no one asked for:

yona ends up being to zelda what sidon is to link, and zelda and link agonize together over their shared confusing feelings and wonder if all zora royalty are just Like This

[ordon-shield]

TotK roleswap AU except no one ever questions the fake Link going around and doing weird stuff because the regular Link is just like that normally.

[vivinavina]

Sage of Swords: A TotK Roleswap AU

Edit: This AU now has a fic, read it here:

https://archiveofourown.org/works/48501826

Basic Roleswap AU between Zelda and Link, with the twist being mostly on Link’s side of things after he gets sent back in time to ancient Hyrule. Lots of people have Link’s Secret Stone be like the Champion’s Blessings, or Time powers in an echo of canon. In this AU, Link’s Secret Stone enhances his resilience, forming an arm brace to keep the gloom at bay, keeping it from killing him but leaving the arm mostly usable, though not strong enough to wield a sword.

Cue Link having an existential crisis as the thing they spent the last five years of their resurrected life and most of their pre-Calamity life training for: being a soldier. Link does not take it well, kind of rejects Sonia and Rauru for a while, training to try and overcome the literal demon energy in their arm even though it’s awful and painful and self-destructive, despite them trying to get him to rest and heal.

Sonia and Rauru take Link to ask Mineru for advice, but they go to her before and go like, “Hey Sis, this feral child will kill themself at literally a 0.1% chance of going home. Maybe don’t mention draconification.” This leaves Link with no hope of going home (Zelda had the hope of improvising her time powers, Link doesn’t even have that), and has to come to terms with figuring who Link is without the sword.

After much tears and bonding with Sonia and Rauru, Link finds out a lot of things about herself, most crucially that she’s a girl. Adjusting and becoming happier with herself, learning little things and hobbies she missed out on.

(Meanwhile, in the present, instead of chasing visions of Link like you chase Zelda in canon, Zelda is chasing sightings of a mysterious “Thief,” a woman in archaic dress and an arm brace like Link left her in the Temple of Time. A “Thief” who carries the Master Sword and might know what happened to Link.)

But of course, things have to end tragically. Ganondorf plans on taking a secret stone, and Link, Rauru and Sonia’s little… adopted daughter? advisor? confidant? Ganondorf’s not sure but she would be the easiest to overpower and steal a stone from. No magic or martial skill to stop him from getting what he rightfully deserves. And he almost succeeds, but (Sonia? Rauru? Unsure which atm, both are juicy drama) step in to take the blow meant for Link.

Link realizes, “Oh, this is what happens when I don’t be a soldier, people die,” and almost all of her character growth gets undone. She fuses her Secret Stone to the Master Sword and uses its evil-sealing properties to forcibly and violently purge the gloom from her body, swearing herself as the Sage of Swords, and begins a self-destructive vengeance that lasts the Imprisoning War.

Will link a Part 2 if I decide to continue this.

[duecedoesart]

totk roleswap thoughts.

-link is not able to imbibe the sword with divine power in the same way that Zelda is. Instead, he takes it to the heart of the great deku tree in the depths, and is able to charge it up down there...somehow. hes able to construct a shrine or something, mirroring the one on the surface, and it allows him to turn his dragon/hero energy into divine energy? I guess? Whatever.

-this means that the unnamed dragon has been guarding the sword in the depths for ten thousand years. He has never once left his post since he began.

-during the story, there is gloom completely surrounding the area he guards. If one of the gloom pools/shadow Ganon gets close enough, the dragon will kill it immediately, then coil back around the sword.

-he doesn't attack Zelda when she gets within his area, and he will go around her to attack gloom. It is not possible for him to hurt Zelda.

-im envisioning a how to train your dragon moment to claim the sword. Once you claim it, the gloom swarms you. Link occasionally gets one for you, but you have to defeat most by yourself in a mini boss fight.

-seeing a new dragon in the depths would have been cool as fuck but also terrifying before you knew who/what it was.

-i also think he's got a crystal leg that grew in place of the arm he lost at the start of the game.

-i think the final fight would have gone in much the same way though I DO believe that the link dragon would have bit the demon dragon at any given opportunity.

[sokkas-first-fangirl]

Have a brief "Iridescent" sneak-peek

Mild spoilers ahead (sort of?)

As they finally neared the Skyview Tower, Zelda became aware of the sound of footsteps and the sound of something- or someone- grumbling. The Skyview Tower was atop the hill but, much closer, there was a faint huff, a growl, and Zelda gestured for her friends to slow their approach.

"Another monster?" Gaddison fretted, clutching her spear. Sasan, unarmed and untrained, lingered behind Torfeau. Zelda nocked an arrow. They rounded the corner and-

"Yona!?"

There she was: Lady Yona, Sidon's fiancée, all alone. She had a water skin strapped to her hip, and carried a large sack, which she was carefully placing splash fruit into. Her large gold eyes widened further when she saw Zelda.

"Zelda?" she asked incredulously. For a moment, she just stared in astonishment before she jumped into action; still clutching the sack of splash fruit, she ran over and, throwing aside her usual propriety, threw her arms around Zelda in a tight hug. It was a welcome surprise in more ways than one. Zelda happily returned the embrace, relieved to see her newest friend was alright. Yona looked tired, but there was no sign of illness from her, no burns from the sludge.

"You're alright," Yona breathed. "Thank goodness. We've all been so worried." She pulled back slightly, smiling shyly. She looked around at the group and her smile faltered. "But where is Link? Surely he came with you, Zelda?"

"He's..." Zelda hesitated. How to explain everything that happened?

Gaddison saved her. She looked at Yona with narrowed eyes. "My lady," she said sternly. "Where are your attendants?"

Yona smiled sheepishly. She reached around Zelda and deftly plucked one last splash fruit from a tree, placing it in her sack.

"Please don't tell Sidon I'm here alone," she pleaded.

[flutefemme]

"The Minstrel and the Prince"

A Zelink Week Fanfiction for @zelinkcommunity

“What if this was the real me?” He began to move their dancing closer to the edge of the large open area. “Would it make you happier?” He spun her out, stretching their arms taught, fingers clinging to the others so as not to separate, and then whirled her back in, spinning, until she was coiled up inside his arms, her face so close he could feel her breath on his lips. She let out a keening sort of sigh as her chest hit his, and a switch flipped in his mind. His eyes grew wide, and he walked them backward until his back hit a tree, and he stopped with a grunt.

“I–I was happy with who you were when I met you,” her eyes searched his. “This side of you is not unwelcome, and I rather cherished you for who you were before,” she confessed, still a breath away from his lips.

 

The fic is now complete and available on Ao3! I had so much fun writing this!

Start from the beginning here!

[lilacstarvix]

TotK Roleswap AU, Courage of a Princess

A decision to protect the knight that protected her for so much of her life leads to an outcome that changes everything about her and Link's futures.

[orphetoon]

(roleswap au) stop staring at him with those big ol eyes

[keylimesiren]

I think about roleswap AU a normal amount

[verflares]

(click for higher quality!) draconified link concept ive been chipping away at this past week ..... here's my funny little compendium concept for him:

"A heroic spirit has taken the form of this bestial dragon. Unlike it's kin, this creature exhibits an extremely aggressive disposition. It appears highly territorial, and will relentlessly chase down those who disturb its skywide patrols - of which it seems to be endlessly searching for either a long-time vassal or foe. Unfortunately, it seems the spirit within has long since forgotten exactly who it was looking for…"

[nellywizard]

// TOTK Spoilers

Where Are You? (LU x TOTK AU Comic)

“Hours later, when the ground began to shake and rubble fell from the sky as they rushed outside to watch Hyrule Castle rising off the ground, malice flooding out of every crack in the land, and one of their members declared missing in the aftermath, Twilight found himself desperately wishing he had pushed a little harder.” — CubanCracker62. “Dark Clouds on the Horizon.” Archiveofourown.org, 11 June 2023, archiveofourown.org/works/47814853. Accessed 20 Jan. 2024.

The making of this comic and story was very heavily inspired by CubanCracker62 on AO3 and their Tumblr @wizard-finix , I highly recommend that you check out their story on AO3, send them your support and kudos, and boost their “The Chain in TOTK” and “Linked Universe fics” series!

This comic in itself was a one-by-one project that I worked on when I could find the time for it. So if you notice how my style changes on each page, it was from weeks to a month or so of improvements in my skills (which I’m highly proud of!).

Linked Universe © jojo56830

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom © Nintendo

Dark Clouds on the Horizon © CubanCracker62 on AO3

[its-roachii]

totk spoilers ///

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

"Where am I?" (part one)

★ next ★

roleswap au pages 1-4. these are some of the more boring pages so i figured i'd get them out of the way. expect more pages soon >:)

[featherlouise]

The day I stop being afraid to draw wrinkles it's over for y'all

[d0lty]

{MAIN QUESTS:}

○ FIND LINK

Photography by WorldofGwendana

Cosplay by me, decayed master sword & tattoos by @appycattcreations

[mylonelydreaming]

My jaw hit the floor from watching this trailer and seeing how spot-on it is with Nintendo's own trailer! This is incredibly impressive work by the mod team!

[sciencelings-arts]

Main Quest

~Find Link~

Complete

Fic: The Unironic Magical Properties of True Love

WC: 2561

Zelink heavy reunion fluff

Alternate versions (and LORE) under the cut!

First image without all the chrysalis effects, yassified master sword

No sword oh no, also better look at the clothes for fun fact time: I based his outfit on an Indian sari and just want to let you know that out of view they collect at his angles into some billowy pants. Everything else was me messing around and vibing. That amputated arm needed a pretty sheer sleeve yk?

Now, about the phoenix-ed Master Sword… idk she deserved a redesign and I adore Phoenix imagery and symbolism and the master sword already has some vague wings on the guard and I really wanted to lean into it somehow. I just liked the vibes idk.