#also this is...sort of oot timeline?

[revelisms]

All Gilded and Golden

I've been getting back into Zelda a bunch recently, so I've thought about sharing this fic here. It's an oldie and a big prosey braindump on Zelda/Link and gender identity, but it's become a bit of a personal favorite of mine :-)

Full story below and cross-posted on AO3.

Rating: M | WC: 2.9k | Zelda POV | Oneshot Even a lifetime of constructs can still find ways to be freed. Or: Zelda and Link, as the night sees them. CW: Mentions of war, blood and violence, themes around gender identity and sex, implied sexual context

The boisterousness of men had long dissuaded her: a vile, sordid thing; each galumphing footfall and splatting hand caking the walls with blood-thirst and sweat—but the coffins of seams and satin fared no better, a confine equally damning. On this night, one of countless predicated on ceremony, she is trapped between both.

Throughout the hall's great arches swelters the sweet of mulled wines and meads, roast hog and wild hare, holly glimmering gold with the light of a thousand pyres. She, the Head of their kingdom's exuberance, sits with a chained elegance: a witch burned for her beauty: a dismal observer to a joy numbly felt.

Boots on tile, shields, swords; metal gleamed and glistening. The banquet roars with the fires of a war freshly won. Blood still stains the silver of her soldiers' armor. The stench of it is suffocating. It spears the air like a tainted stream, and she—queen-becoming, highness of wisdom-born, yes—she is meant to take it in with grace; chew on its rotted flesh and sip down the wine of its poisoned fruit, gleefully.

(She will not—and, were it not for her namesake, the ritual itself would never be demanded. But the fates of ones birthright are ineludible. To tear away the vines of their becoming would be as foolish as attempting to split steal with bare hand alone.

She is not the first in this long line of magic, jeweled crowns smothering, to resent the title she was born with. She will not be the last.)

The thought is a dismissed one, spit into the moon-red of her wine and swallowed down. She has too many hours more to go to slip into such loathing already. But it will pass—it will always pass.

(Come star-rise, the men will scatter: to boast the tall tales of their kills, to drown their sorrows, to fuck—and she will retreat to the night; strip down the shackles of her womanhood: a crumpled, silken corpse, discarded upon the stones; be reborn, rebound, in steel and linen, if for a moment.)

That time is yet to come. She cannot think properly of it, now.

"My lords." Her voice carries clear; her posture lifted, with poise. The long wings of her dress unspool from her seat in a glistening tide. "My ladies." A smile blossoms, demure. "We have, yet again, struck down the forces of our enemy." Cheers, stamping, ripples of applause. "We are richer." A scepter drums raucously. "We are stronger." A chorus of agreement. "We are Hyrule, again."

Such pretty little words, for such blood-hungered hounds. Even the guise of nobility could do little to hide their banquet's unashamed victory.

And yet—one wolf in the pack does not cheer. In a sea of rubied armor, he stands, still as a slab of valley rock: blue-fire in his eyes, blood on his cheek. His mouth does not turn at the graze of her stare.

(He, alone, is the very reason for their triumph; he, whose holy blade had cleaved the filthen head of a demon embodied from the loom of its shoulders: plunged into the cursed light of veins throbbing still, any final shreds of beating life stripped red in a feral slurry.

He had torn into their enemy like a mauling bear, and slipped away like a fox to the shadows. None had chorused his name for celebration. None would. He preferred it, that way.)

Her eyes skip across the mud-streaked wheat of his hair, a knot in her throat. She swallows it down. "Now," she presses on, and raises her hands in a bright flourish, "we celebrate!" The hall erupts to a violent symphony, gauntleted fists pounding glinting steel, great cups filled and cheered. A bard strikes up a rousing jig. The shimmer of a fiddle strings starlight through the laughter's glimmering.

She sinks back to her seat, to the rattle of her chains, and lets the smile fall, gently. It is caught, tender as a fallen bloom, by a single voyeur—as it always is.

(It is improper, for him to keep his eyes on her so. But the wildness of them is like a wash of ocean foam to a blistered wound.)

She dares to let her attention lift, if only for a moment. The bow of his head stirs a quiet warmth beneath the twist of her palms. 

He turns in a flush of dark velvet, gold sweeping about the steel at his shoulders, and is swallowed by the crowd.

⚘

Behind the castle walls, she is royal-born; within them, he is a pawn of war. There are expectations for what can and can't be—consequences, explicitly penned, for any lines one may dare to cross in the presence of those whose forgiveness could not be earned, with even a lifetime spent atoning.

But beyond these cursed stones, she is infinite—and he, well...

Outside of the armor, she's never quite sure what to make of him.

He carries himself as though identity itself had failed to settle cleanly about him; as though any christening could not dream of capturing the soul strained against it; as though the wilds of the Green-Valley River and mountain hearths alone knew which name to speak, by the light of the blood moon.

He is the binding of a chain in a great line of prophecy. He is tethered to her. In these moments alone, that is all the clarity she demands.

The night strips their titles to frayed fragmentations; buries their divinity beneath the eaves of the palace's outer gates. He approaches her, always, with the stars held on his back: lays a kiss at the bend of her knuckles, the silk of his hair warm at her hand: leads her, with silent, knowing strides, about the forests' brush, to the great unknown of the world beyond.

There is something comforting, strange though it comes, about the grand insignificance of one's life, when faced with the beauty of it all—miles upon miles of wilderness untamed: the eyes of the great mountains and endless reach of the wide-glittered sea the only ones privy to a history time could not dare to contain.

It should be a damning weight, to a typical mind. But, for her, it is freeing, in a way nothing could have prepared her for.

In the dark, rough earth bruising against her legs, she can breathe—heaving lungfuls of damp, mist-chilled air, eyes closed to the night. Can let her hair fall, rain-wet about the cave of her shoulders, without the burden of its inherent femininity. Can drag muddied fingers about the firm, battle-hardened heat of his own, to be lifted upon the stones' rugged slopes, canopied beneath the valley pine and blessed unquestioning.

(Sometimes, fingers slipping free about the cracks of her shell, she will find herself sobbing; and sometimes, shivering with the cold of the lake's shallows, she will lay a pale hand about the water-beaded slope of his waist and find herself envious; and sometimes, she will pull the heat of his tunic upon her, and hold it to the flat of her sternum with an ache she cannot (will not) name—not yet.)

Most times, they find points of conversation in the quiet. But he is one of few words—and she is one of too many—and the lull that bubbles between the scrape of their heels on dark earth and the claiming of a space wholly theirs, for a time, drifts through touch as much as it is spoken.

Tasting his spirit is enough, in any of its forms. It is the one thing that grounds her, these days.

⚘

"Were you always sure this is what you wanted?" she murmurs, against the tide of his breath.

The night air is cool with a storm across the way. His fingers shift the drape of his cloak about her shoulder. "Hard to say," he says, after a long moment. The cluster of weeds that thistle and sigh about the cliff's edge are frowned upon, thoughtfully. Beyond them, valley settlements lost to the pitch flicker with fireflies of flamelight. "I'm not sure I ever had a choice."

She twists her fingers about the heavy cloth wrapped upon them. "Why do you say that?" She glances up to find the soft angle of his jaw, the sharp line of his nose: golden lashes turned blue to the night: the deep of his eyes—sodalite, in the sun—now a blackish sea: swallowing, and moonbeamed.

He lifts one brow, with an absent sort of smile. The crook of it dimples his cheek. "Well." The smirk loosens, and his stare shifts to steel: hardened, unforgiving, where it wanders through the valley's shadows. "I had to keep going." It is not spoken like an explanation. It is a living fact: present, as much as past. "You take whatever hand you're dealt."

Her eyes slip away, far beyond, steady on the roughened peaks of the cliff's edge. She forces liquid down her throat. Lets her lashes fall. "Did you ever regret it?"

His lungs fill beneath her cheek. "Living?" he breathes out. He turns his eyes to the stars. His fingers burn against her shoulder. "No."

⚘

They are not caught (wine-red eyes ensure of it, though she has yet to be made privy to the silent promise her shadow has made to her)—but wandering eyes stir suspicion, nonetheless.

(The court elders may presume, at the simplest of grievances, that she has found an unsuitable lover—and that, perhaps, could be contested. She will not be so brazen as to display her affections in plain sight. But the palace's inner walls knew the shivers of her pleasure: knew she cradled a carefully-wrapped memory of the taste of his mouth, with every instance the touch of his lips had been given.

That scandal, in itself, is such a simple one. There are far greater grievances to be held by men drunk off priest-magick and blood-rites—but those, she takes care to never shine a light towards, at all.)

In the moments closed off from the prowling of their palace's royals, he shares worn tunics with her, unasked; shows her how to thread shut their daggered weaves with a surgeon's stitch, in place of embroidery. His fingers are gentle, so gentle, through the strands of her hair: the long coils of it plaited and smooth. In a mirror that glistens with the flicker of a single flame, she stares at the bared hollows of her cheeks through her fringe, and fights to put a name to the soul she sees.

(She will not keep those beautiful fabrics, no matter how her heart longs to pull them close. Their evidence would be incriminating to scavenging elders yearning for proof of a sentence yet to be made.

Still—there are things she can keep hold of, in her own ways. She gathers them into the empty space of her palms, locks them away in the small boxes of her being, with as much affection she can muster; tries, fiercely as she can, to not let the gleam of their treasure dim with resentment.)

When he leaves, the scent of him lingers—oiled leather, and sweet hay, and the damp green of a forest path before the light.

She drags her fingers about the bared slope of her shoulder, and aches for that hollow warmth to be her own.

⚘

"Ride away with me." The offer is laid into her hair with utmost reverence: one fully aware of its futility. It is no different than asking a long-lost spirit to return to mortal land, once more.

She twists the pale petals of a gardenia within her fingers. "I can't," she whispers, after two breaths. "You know I can't."

He does—and the crease that slides within the sun-kissed hollow of his cheek is accepting of it. His eyes take her soul by the hand and lead it into the shallows of possibility, no matter. They are the sea's green and the blue of dusk wrapped into one: enchanting, and fierce, and quiet.

"You can't, forever," he affirms. He tilts his head, the line of his weight an easy shift upon his palms, pressed to the marble at the empty space beside her. The garden whistles with the tune of a roving nightingale. A breeze sweeps the dark honey of his hair about his cheek. "But—" (Always, this—and, always, she waits: dreading, longing, for where his reason will get the better of her) "—I don't think an hour or two will hurt you that much."

Damn him. "You're determined, again, aren't you?" she sighs.

The flash of his teeth is sly, and lovely.

⚘

Slowly, she begins to resent the dawn.

The sun's glow spiders a scalding hand about the twist of her sheets: snares about the linen that puddles upon her bones, speckled with long-faded stains of bloodspots and grime. It draws him away, like the tipping night pulls the constellations down with it.

Drowsily, she will let the heat of his clothes be reclaimed: sway into the roughened care of his touch, the kiss of his breath upon her breast.

He will dress with the morning light simmering through the fibers, golden through the long frays of his hair. His touch will haunt her: knuckles pressed warm to the back of her shoulder, brow brushed upon the loose curls of her plait.

The birds will chitter through the open window, long after he is gone. Sitting up in a bare, chilled slump, she will lift a weary hand: begin the slow process of unweaving the ties of her hair, a ripple of moon-yellow about the slope of her back. 

Across the room, costumes of royalty will catch the sun's glimmer with lace-clotted teeth.

⚘

Eventually, Impa, reddish eyes downcast, reveals her actions to keep them hidden from prying councilmen—shared simply upon the steps of their chambers, a bottle of mead set between them—and there is little she can do, to wrap her heart around the countless things this woman has always been to her, whether bound by blood or not.

(Most of all, it is her shadow's very being—her strength, her rage, her power; it is beautiful, and it is unforgiving, and it is warmer than any flame.

It eases out confessions long sheltered from the daylight, like a poison drawn from a wound: small, shivering, horrid things. Once she has started, she can't find the will to stop.)

"I wish it wasn't like this." Her heart feels heavy—so heavy. "I wish another life could have some to me. That I wasn't spending—spending so much time, trapped between words—"

Impa's mouth is thin. Her eyes are kind. "Why?"

"Because I don't—" The words shake: incredulous, enraged. "I don't know why I feel like this—"

"Highness." And surely Impa, herself, knows—for she wears her authenticity upon her sleeve; carries her presence without any possibility of burying it. "I understand. I do." The bottle hangs over the great slope of her knee. "But you do not have to crawl through the pages of a life you were not present in, to a find a reason for why you feel the way you do."

If only it were that simple—oh, if only—

"Your story has not been predefined—Crown, or not," Impa continues firmly. It crumbles any scraps of denial to measly things, forgotten. "We are living; oral histories and songs—our existence transcends language." Vermillion eyes turn with gentle focus down a strong shoulder. "Our tales do not have to fit into the words of men."

⚘

Perhaps, indefinability in itself is the answer to it all—and what a freeing, terrifying thought that is.

It is what he has embraced. It is what she has yearned for. 

(But it is not an explanation enough—and she is searching, searching still.)

⚘

The banquets arrive and depart in grand flourish, one after another after another, harkening the seasons like a vile overture.

They will never end, so long as a kingdom is here to lay claim to them. She is not so foolish as to forget that. Battles will still be fought, and lost, and won: blood will still be shed in her name: and, contained within the clamor of their noblefolk, they will appear in their assigned roles—allow their eyes to find each other, as they always do; one affirmation of countless unspoken others, no matter the wilds that surround them—and carry out their respective duties, in silence.

It is a routine time will not abandon; one she is unable to avoid.

But it will pass. It will always pass. That, she has not forgotten, either.

⚘

Dusk blooms violet and pink across a blue-blackened streak of rolling hills, her breath sharp and cool between the galloping—and for this moment alone: eyes sinking closed, pressed to his back, to the warm furs of his steed: they are flying.

She tightens her hands about the curve of his waist. Turns her eyes to the sky's settling dark, far beyond the horizon.

He turns over his shoulder, hair fluttering against her cheek. "Where to?"

It is an endless host of possibility—the chance to run across the farthest edges of the world and dip down to the lowest rocky points of the southern shoals—and she could let him ask her, for a lifetime. A smile curls across her mouth, absently, where she tips her chin into his shoulder.

"As far as you want to go," she murmurs. A grin creases through his cheek.

In this moment, she is winged, and golden, and glittering. 

In this moment, she doesn't need a definition.

[three-bunnies-in-a-trenchcoat]

Personally I think in a zeldas meet au SkSw Zelda would not be the leader just because she's Hylia, because Hylia does not strike me as someone who was regularly a commander, if at all. The opening of Skyward Sword says that she "joined forces with the land dwellers", which to me sounds like Hylia (by herself, no one under her command) combined her power with people that had already started fighting back with their own leaders. Now, with Hylia being an actual literal goddess, it's more than likely at least some of them started to look to her for orders, which is why I say she had little (if any) experience in command.

I would instead suggest TP Zelda (current ruler of Hyrule, as no king is mentioned, has combat training and likely at least somewhat leads Hyrule's army) or HW Zelda (I don't think I need to explain this), with maybe Tetra (due to her experience as captain) or SkSw Zelda if absolutely necessary

[thebleedingeffect]

REMINDER FOR FUTURE ME, write the introduction for Sky's capture and the destruction of skyloft please and thank you

[figofswords]

together (as they should be)

planning a zelda dnd game with some friends yknow how it is

[blueskittlesart]

-wildly fishing around in a hat for lore topics- hmmm any thoughts on what exactly fairies are? Cus the games are just like.

They're bugs that heal you. Nevermind, they're tiny people. Actually no, bugs again, but now they can talk and boy do they like to talk. They can no longer talk. There's great fairies and they have massive badonkers. Patch update! Badonkers removed. They have a queen. The queen is now a ghostly looking child with a doll. The queen can be split into two zora?? Most people might not even know fairies exist. The great fairies are now out on the side of the road but people mostly just stop by to ask for blessings or to play music. Also they have badonkers again and interesting voice lines. The world is falling apart and every fairy simultaneously goes "wow. not my problem" and either skedaddles or goes into the equivalent of a nuclear bunker. There's goddesses but apparently these beings are not one of them

my catchall explanation for weird differences in races between games is evolutionary change--since there's no real reference point for how much time passes between games, i think major design changes can generally be chalked up to natural change overtime. but with the fairies it's a little more difficult because like you mentioned, it's not just major aesthetic change but also major change in like. intelligence and consciousness and visibility and a whole host of other shit. so my working theory irt the fairies is that the catchall term "fairy" in hylian language actually refers to several different species of creature, and those creatures phase in and out of visibility and public consciousness over the probably millions of years that the zelda timeline encompasses. So like, the little buglike fairies that the kokiri have in oot and the fairies you can catch around fairy fountains in botw are the same species of creature, which are different from the um. well-endowed great fairies of oot (who i think are probably the same species as the botw great fairies,) and the sort of childlike wind waker fairies are a different species entirely that just happened to be given the same name because of their functional similarities to the other species. this is the only explanation i can think of that makes any sort of logical sense

[cafecourage]

Late to the party but can I request just- spoiling the Chain with love and affection and care (including First!) because these boys deserve it

- Softie, who can't remember if this has been asked for already

I think these can combine nicely. 😊 Because all of these boys have a lot of trauma I am going to make a Hc’s to cover everything.

Time:

This man crumbles when you care for him. He is literally always the person that take's care of others so having someone care for him is new. Even if he knows your not flirting he is still receptive to it. Though Time is going to try to give back everything.

Making Time flustered is actually fairly hard. Yes, I just said he crumbles when cared for. However, he more or less soaks it in. Getting him to go all red and mushy and just flustered is extremely hard. You can pull out all the stops and he will not stray from that calm exterior. Maybe he would be blushing but its not as bad as you when he goes to fluster you.

The most nightmares that he would have are from OoT however the most comforts he needs is more from the Majora's Mask adventure.

Because most of the things he has been through was when he was a child, he probably has some sort of childhood memory lost from it. But its more of he knows what happen but the memories he would have just aren't there. It's not like he can see it in his mind eyes. Though I would imagine he would have nightmares of the future hyrule he saw in the adult timeline. That part of the adventure was more horrifying to him then the child portion of the adventure. When this happens he tends to not go back asleep unless you urge him to. He really doesn't want to wake up in a future with out those he cares about.

Time, I would think still has some anxiety towards not being able to keep track of the days. It's mainly because he did lose track of the time while in Termina and he does flinch every time when a clock tower bell chimes. Time has kept most of his masks including the ones with spirits inside, though he assumes they had moved on to the afterlife at this point as even he can sense the lack of magic. Honestly on days that he is more anxious, you would need to ground him. Hold his hand. Give him a hug. Quiet reassurance.

Twilight:

Twilight's suffering comes from abandonment. I am just gonna call him out. He might have a body horror fear, aiming on himself as transforming into a wolf is disgusting and painful.

Honestly even though it hurts he will still become Wolfie to feel some comfort from the other boys. Just as much as he goes wolf to help the others with comfort. Twilight isn't one to ask for physical affection mainly because he was used to just receiving it

What he wants for affection is hugs and kisses. He needs that reassurance that everything is going to be ok. That your not going to leave him as well, also that everything is going to be ok. He really just needs the love and attention.

Twilight's second worse fear is that he will be left alone for the rest of his life. He has abandonment issues which mixing with his wolf protection instincts is just a complete mess of emotions. Just sit his butt down when he gets overbearing a hug him. From that moment on just ban Twilight from moving. If he needs to walk he is gonna have to carry you.

Sometimes you would also need to drag Twilight away to a more quiet location. Being turned into an animal also heightens your senses. We both know the boys are loud. So if its pampering time. You two wont be seen for hours :D

Warriors:

Warriors will rather die then let his demons be known. Which is really good that you know about his adventure! But seriously, Link hates his weakness showing even in private. The man has bad anxiety, he consistently feels like he is being watched. It's not just because of Cia, but knowing that she was always watching him the whole time didn't help, he also had to deal with traitors.

That being said Warriors is another Link that needs the silent affection and comfort. He might twist it on you. That just so he can twist what it looks like to other people. He will 100% take advantage of 'comforting you' to comfort himself as well. Don't point it out, don't even mention it. He will stop and get defensive.

That being said if he is hurt, then call him out on it. Warriors is more willing to be comforted because he is already hurt. He loves his hair being played with, its an instant relaxer for him when he isn't on high high alert. For example, at bed time he is out like a light, but if you play with his hair while walking through town he will tease you.

Warriors is going to need reassurance from time to time. He doesn't think anyone in the chain is going to betray him. But his brain just tells him to always be on edge just incase of an attack. I think when you get to know him better you would be able to notice it. In case of this emergency. There isn't much you can do, other then hold his hand through it. Distracting him wont do much but when he focus's on you he feels a bit better.

All this to say he doesn't get much sleep. He actually is a nightmare when it comes to nightshifts and wont wake people up because he is to anxious to not be awake and on watch. You might just have to throw him down on the bedroll and lay on top of him.

First:

First is hard to read. No matter how long you've known him. It's hard to know if he is ok. You just know that sometimes First comes up to you, hug you and not say anything. You can be in full conversation with someone and he just hugs you from behind. Face in your hair as he takes in your present.

He really doesn't want you to disappear on him. First lost a lot of people then almost lost his life. So let him just seek you out when he is feeling a bit... out of body.

First in general wont tell you what's the matter with him because he doesn't know what's wrong half the time. I image first is a bit no brain cell type. So like when there is a out of body moment it just confusion. Also it doesn't happen to often.

If he does look bothered by something or maybe a bit more out of it then normal. Hugging typically works. Kissing works as well. But he adores hugs and will pick you up so he could cuddle.

Either way you want to spoil first? Cuddle or hugs. Just make sure your touching him that's all he wants. Adores it even.

[crazylittlejester]

Saw the post about the Chain and their god domains and my greek mythos obsessed brain got scritched so here is the Chain as Greek gods/mythos:

Time: The old man gave me such a hard time. absolutely going insane over him. He’s Hades. being one of the big three (this fucker split the timeline (almost like how the underworld is split)). Ive never finished MM or OoT but i believe the lore is that all the masks are possessed to put it simply, thus the spirits granting link his power, making Time a maestro of the dead. Many interpretations of hades also depict him as cunning, a trickster, while also being stern, much like our resident little shit (affectionate). Hermes was a big contender here for that reason.

Sky: This was a toss up but im gonna have to say Zeus honestly, mister Godslayer himself. less of a connection between their personalities honestly and more just focusing on their similar dynamics, skills, and symbolism. Obviously we have our favorite lightning motif, plus the position of leadership they both share - in the sense that zeus is more or less the leader of the gods and sky being the ‘leader’ so to speak of the timeline. Plus the parallels between demise and kronos, and zeus/sky’s respective roles there. It was between the big man or persephone.

Twilight: Artemis!! Our very literal leader of the pack. Goddess of the hunt, patron of animals, domain over the moon (cough twilight cough). Though, Demeter and hestia were fighting me here, the fursona won over the country bumpkin sadge.

Warriors: You are Athena! badass in the arena! /ref. Honestly, i feel like i should be assigning them their ‘obvious’ gods and then give them one that attaches to them more symbolically. Yes, everyone’s favorite captain is THE captain goddess. Cunning, strategist, warhead, intelligent, and alot of people forget that Athena is both charismatic and incredibly physically beautiful, in most adaptations. she was in the lineup for paris and guided the trojan war. I forget who it was on here that is a big “wars = helen of troy” truther but theyre absolutely so correct.

Legend: Also a tricky toss up, but i ultimately landed on apollo. Apollo’s known for being a sort of jack of all trades god, between his dominion over the sun, medicine, music, archery, and more. With the vet’s all encompassing experience, with his multitude of instruments and proficiencies in different magical items it made sense. Me, personally, I loved the stories of apollos shape-shifting mortal ventures more than say zeus or any of the other gods. Also, depending on your characterization of the vet, their supposed personalities line up quite well, with apollo being charming and somewhat arrogant/snarky with others

Hyrule: This feels left-field but rulie gets to be Persephone! Adept with magic, goddess of fertility and the harvest and just general growth (of nature), with the double edge of being the queen of the underworld. Ugh im so obsessed with downfall duo rulie is so tragic. left with a desolate wasteland, yet (depending on characterization) ushering in and doing his damndest to nurture life and growth. I love the headcanons where rulie is a survivalist through and through, proficiencies in botany and herbology, respect for the land and its inhabitants. 

Wild: Demeter! Wild is of the land, they are one and the same. The way his world is absolutely teeming with life, and the way he is molded to adapt and live with the land to complete his adventure,,, ugh its too good. He is the most in tune with the wolves, the bees, the cows, the reeds, the flowers, the dragons, the spirits, they ARE him. he woke up with NOTHING, except a vast land full to bursting with life and lessons. 

Four: Hephaestus, obviously. dont get me wrong, I love four so much, but anything else felt blasphemous (The way i could write essays about it—). He is the god of blacksmithing, if i assigned him anything else i fear he may just manage to kill me. 

Wind: Notos! God of the east Wind, known for the bringing of summer, cyclones, and warmth. love that funky little whirlwind hes so fun and spunky. being a god of wind was so on the nose it was too good. I didnt ever consider poseidon, winds too squishy and fluid for that. this kid is bouncing around like a cat 5 hurricane he is the wind, he is free (to cause chaos).

Ugh i love yapping about the mythologies. i may do this again except with minor gods/demigods (i will get back to that legend-achilles parallel i swear). I hope this was amusing to you

OKAY OKAY GO OFF!!!!

(I’m a huge Wars = Helen of Troy truther, I ain’t the only one, but I’ve yapped about it a lot akdkkdk)

you absolutely ate this up on my god i agree i agree i agree i agree. LEGEND AND ACHILLES?? SIGN ME THE FUCK UP IF YOU EVER FEEL LIKE YAPPIN ABOUT THAT THE FLOOR IS YOURS AND THE ASK BOX IS OPEN ID LOVE TO HEAR IT

[cackled0g]

An interesting aspect of the Gerudo that I don't see explored a lot is the way that their society, despite having one (1) man is still patriarchal in nature. For a race of almost exclusively women, the Gerudo are like pretty obsessed with men. They have a genetic line of rulers passing from mother to daughter for generations...unless some other random Gerudo has a son. Gerudo Fortress is off limits to all men, but in excluding men it places an awful lot of focus on them. Gerudo are raised to grow up and seek out a male partner [1][2], Gerudo are raised to recognize their incompleteness without a man, Gerudo are raised in a culture that venerates the concept of men so much that to be born male in their culture is to automatically be deemed superior to all other Gerudo.

Do you know that thing where someone hates something so badly that it kind of becomes their whole personality? The sort of person who puts "anti h//t//l h@zb1n" in their bio because to them one of the most important things to know about them isn't their interests or hobbies but instead the thing they hate most fervently? That's the Gerudo. The Gerudo as a culture can be summed up as 'men dni (except for our one super special once in a lifetime guy)'. To be a Gerudo woman is to grow up hating and fearing men, who are outsiders and encroachers, but also to dedicate years of your life preparing for a husband. To be Gerudo is to be a powerful woman until you have a more powerful man at your back.

To me, this is vital to any reading of Ganondorf. Ganondorf is entitled. He feels entitled to rule Hyrule, he feels entitled to the Triforce, he feels entitled to the lives of everyone in Hyrule, and yes, you can make an argument that he does what he does for his people, he steals and lies and murders because the Gerudo are being crushed under the boot of the monarchy, but at the end of the day Ganondorf treats his people as poorly as he does the other Hylian races. The only named Gerudo in OOT who isn't literally one of his mothers, Nabooru, fucking loathes him, and does so because she finds what he is doing to be deeply dishonorable. "I'm completely different from Ganondorf. With his followers, he stole from women and children, and he even killed people!" [3] Given that Nabooru is highly respected [4] by the Gerudo, I find it hard to believe that she's literally the only Gerudo with reservations about the new king.

What does Ganondorf meaningfully do for the Gerudo? In the adult timeline of OOT, the Gerudo aren't living it up in Castle Town or controlling the agriculture in Hyrule--they're back at home being brainwashed with black magic [5] [6] [7] into being obedient foot soldiers by Ganondorf's mom(s). In TP Ganondorf is more motivated by petty revenge than by any love for his people, and although he may wax poetic about the cruelty of Hyrule in subjugating his nation in WW, he certainly didn't seem to be that bothered about the living conditions of the Gerudo back before they all got drowned. His whole wind monologue [8][9*] in WW is either meant to be understood as a lie, an attempt to manipulate Link, or is a rewriting of his motivations. In OOT Ganondorf seems purely motivated by a thirst for Power with a capital P, and I think that being raised in a culture that literally worships you as a god [10] might tend to have that affect on you, yeah. Ganondorf is like a distilled version of male entitlement, he's 100 proof fantasy misogyny. Ganondorf is king because kings are men and men are kings because men are superior. Ganondorf is special because he is male. Ganondorf is not the most powerful sorcerer of the Gerudo (pre-Triforce of Power, at least), he is not the most fit to lead (good leaders don't need to brainwash their followers), and he certainly isn't the best at combat, as his main attacks are throwing fireballs and going hog mode. It is his masculinity which makes him fit to lead and nothing else, and it is ultimately his culture's reverence of that masculinity that leads him down the path of evil.

On a Doylist level, this is because our real society is misogynist. The Gerudo are obsessed with men because OOT was made by men for boys. The Gerudo are all women because they're an orientalist stereotype--the Gerudo are the ultimate harem, an entire race that consists of one man and his many wives. Ultimately, no Watsonian reading of the text (playing of the text?) can overcome that. You can't separate the Gerudo as a race from real life racism and misogyny and imperialism.

On a Watsonian level, it compels me though. Feel free to check me on this--I am always willing to talk about Ganondorf and the Gerudo. Note that most of my text sources come from dialogue in OOT, and I am primarily talking about OOT-era Gerudo/Ganondorf.

[9*]- You can find the plaintext of this monologue on this site, the video linked in a fan made dub by user @mintchocolatechimp. (Sorry for the tag, I didn't want to post your work without credit. Nice video btw.)

[powdermelonkeg]

Okay but the sheer amount of unique worldbuilding and lore in Cadence of Hyrule.

Link as a fully realized, fully recognized hero, despite never getting the Master Sword. He knows what he's doing without destiny yanking him around by the collar.

Zelda able to operate singlehandedly, with as much dungeon-crawling ability as Link's often given.

Shadow Link also having a Shadow Zel counterpart, implying that it's a sort of magic mimic rather than a specter haunting the Hero specifically. Not just that, but a mimic with AGENCY that can choose to help you.

A canonical reason for Link being able to respawn after death, without breaking immersion.

The oracles? Possibly? Their colors suggest so, but who are these ladies? Where do they come from? How do they know the future?

Gerudo with designs that make sense for the desert!

And a knack for technology! Which is really sick!

Prince Ganondorf! Meaning that not only was he raised in Gerudo Town with his fellow Gerudo, but Link got his hero status WITHOUT taking him down!

Branching timelines? That are referenced in-game? And can be averted depending on which side of the game you want to play?

In fact, it's complete mix of the three canon timelines' placement. River Zora (called "evil Zora") exist. The overworld theme takes from Wind Waker's great sea. Deku scrubs and the Great Deku Tree are around. Sea Zora (aka the "friendly Zora" of OoT onward) are sharks. Zelda, Link, and Ganon have Downfall timeline designs. Octavo references Vaati in his design. There are BotW Bokoblins and Keese, Wind Waker kargaroks, Iron Knuckles and Darknuts both, Taluses and Lynels and Hinoxes... Where is it in the timeline? Who knows? Wherever your heart thinks it belongs.

Then there's how the Triforce calls to Cadence, like it did to Link in the Oracles games. How they have the power to isekai whomever they want, Link just happens to be the nearest fit 99% of the time. How Cadence has as much a claim to Power as Ganondorf is usually given.

And the ITEMS. The SWORDS. Where did Caladbolg come from? Where did Fragarach? Why does the Jeweled Dagger look Sheikah-made? Why can I put Link in glass slippers?

Also Yves my beloved. My little hero sprout. I love you.

[skyloftian-nutcase]

I love you writing and I want to know what you see oot Zelda and her husband’s relationship being like and what is her relationship with link and Malon and t one point did she and link ever have any romantic feelings for one or the other

I’m very happy to hear that you love my writing! :D And what fun questions! :D

I feel like OoT Zelda is a force to be reckoned with, while kindhearted, so she’d never let herself be put in a position she doesn’t like - ergo, no arranged/political marriages that she doesn’t approve of first. She’d probably scope out the scene of eligible bachelors, hone in on one she likes and be like “yup that’s the one” and sweep him off his feet LOL. It could be a noble from Hyrule, or someone of importance from another country.

Seeing as there’s only like, three or four other countries that Nintendo has created, I feel like someone from Labrynna would be the most appropriate - its land is a republic by the Hero of Legend’s era, but that’s far in the future of the Fallen Timeline, and it was known to have a monarchy at some point, and it’s known for a control of time, which seems appropriate for her. So I’d say her husband is from there. I’d like to think they have a decent relationship; maybe her husband helps reel her in from being too brazen, and her kind heart soothes him as he might be used to being ignored, like maybe he’s the youngest royal child in the family and therefore kind of just tossed aside. Zelda very much tries to just do everything, from ruling to being a good mother to being a sage, and her husband (and friends) sometimes has to step in and tell her to chill out. (I’ve already written one arranged marriage that’s rocky as all get out, I might as well make this one kind of work haha)

As for her relationship with Link and Malon, boy do I have some thoughts! I feel like initially Zelda and Link were on friendly terms, but Link, having gone through OoT, did not know how to separate Child Zelda from Adult Zelda and it makes things complicated for him. He starts to avoid Zelda, on his search for Navi anyway, and when he’s a teenager he’s angsting hard and having all sorts of feelings. Zelda doesn’t understand what’s wrong, and while she never got to know Link too well, she recognizes he saved Hyrule and wants to be his friend, at least. Was there an attraction there at some point? Probably, but it was definitely skewed/one sided; Link’s more mature body with his insanely messed up development/mind made him attached to Adult Zelda, but he knows this isn’t the same person, and Zelda thinks he’s attractive and all but can’t get a read on him.

As Link struggles, he reconnects with Malon, and they become friends once more. He has difficulty differentiating her too, but it’s not quite as bad because he wasn’t as directly connected to Malon from the Adult Timeline. She serves as a safe place for him to process and hang out, even if he doesn’t stay for long periods of time. Their feelings for each other would be gradual, going from friends to an attraction (Malon always did love a knight, and while Link doesn’t wear the armor he does fit the bill), and by the time they’re in their twenties they start to court. By this point, Malon also helps Link reconcile his feelings with Zelda, and he reconnects with her too, eager to continue helping Hyrule and rekindle their friendship.

Eventually, I think that would make them all friends. Link, Malon, Zelda, and maybe even Zelda’s husband could all be on good terms.

[hyrule-in-a-pokeball]

THE RE-WRITTEN TIMELINE

!!!WARNING!!!

Spoilers for Tears of the Kingdom ahead. Shut your eyes and scroll for a sec if you don't want to see.

No seriously I'm going all in.

Alright now that those nerds are gone, lets talk about how my suspicions that all past games are no longer canon turned out to be 100% correct. Also grab some coco, we're gonna be here for a minute.

At the beginning of Tears of the Kingdom, Link and Zelda are separated, with Zelda being transported into the distant past thanks to her latent time magic going nuts when exposed to a sage stone (NOTE:

Sage stones greatly amplify the holder's powers and while Zelda possessed both light AND time magic due to her ancestry, it seems her time magic was stronger and so was what the stone amplified)

Zelda finds herself in the era of Hyrule's founding and meets the first king and queen of Hyrule, her ancestors, King Rauru (A Zonai possessing light magic) and Queen Sonia (A Hylian possessing time magic). Both are not only the King and Queen, but are the sage of light and time respectively. It is made very clear that these two are the first king and queen of Hyrule. None came before them. All came after them.

Now, I hear you saying "This doesn't make all the old games non-canon!" Yeahyeah, shush, keep reading. The adversary the first king and queen face in Hyrule's first era is none other than Ganondorf, the demon king of the Gerudo tribe

Before, Ganondorf first appeared in OoT's era (which was not, nor was it ever stated to be Hyrule's founding era), but now here he is, right at the beginning of it all with the first king and queen. In fact we even get a sort of recreation/Overwrite of a certain OoT scene

A moment in both games in which Ganondorf is swearing fealty to the King of Hyrule. Of course, in OoT, Rauru isn't the current king, but an ancient sage dwelling in the light temple And also a Hylian. And also an Owl... This has been re-written, he';s a Zonai and the first king now, and also not an Owl.

Ganondorf ultimately betrays the king, echoing his actions in OoT, but in this timeline, there's no little princess Zelda, there's no Sheikah, there's no little forest boy. Nobody to meddle in Ganondorf's plans. He murders Queen Sonia and steals her stone, taking it for himself and amplifying his powers to insane degrees, and truly becoming The Demon King.

Rauru rallies the leaders of the regions of Hyrule, A Gerudo woman, A Zora woman, a Goron, and a Rito man, as well as his older Sister Mineru. Aside from Mineru, all the others remain nameless, but all wear helmets/masks that are reminiscent of the divine beasts that would be created thousands of years in their own futures and be named after them.

Thats right. I strongly believe these four to be Nabooru, Ruto, Darunia, and I guess "Medo"(?). Rauru gives them all sacred stones, naming them sages. Nabooru becoming the sage of lightning, "Medo" becoming the sage of wind, Ruto the sage of water, and Darunia the sage of fire. Mineru is already the sage of Spirit, Zelda, having a sacred stone, is named the sage of time, and Rauru, also possessing one, is the sage of light.

Together, with their own powers jacked up, they confront the demon king and his army of monsters. And lose. In a last act of desperation, King Rauru; the sage of light, uses his light powers, apparently fueled by his own life, to seal Ganondorf and drain away his magic.

Ganondorf knows this seal won't hold forever and taunts Rauru that this is ultimately a futile act, But Rauru, having knowledge of the future thanks to a time traveling Zelda, tells him that by that time, someone wielding a magic sword that destroys evil will appear to oppose him, and that person's name is JACK- I mean LINK. Ganondorf, fascinated by this prospect, says he looks forward to this, and then succumbs to Rauru's sealing magic. And there the two of them stay for thousands upon thousands of years.

This conflict between the seven sages and the Demon King Ganondorf became legend, and is known in present day Hyrule as... The Imprisoning war

Now according to all official Zelda media released before this point, the Imprisoning war happened before A Link to the Past/Twilight Princess/Wind Waker, and was the name for the events that took place in OoT. OoT and the events shown in Tears of The Kingdom cannot exist side-by-side. TotK overwrites the ancient legend that is OoT.

BUT WE'RE NOT DONE YET

OH NO

See. Ganondorf stays sealed there until present day. He doesn't break his seal and get into mischief. He doesn't kidnap girls on the high seas or puppet an idiot wannabe king. He stays sealed in that spot for thousands upon thousands of years. The event of 10,000 bbw (Before Breath of the Wild) take place while he's still sealed away. "Calamity ganon", while born of Ganondorf, is a different entity just sort of spawned from him. I have my suspicions now that Calamity Ganon is actually Ganondorf's magic that was drained away by Rauru, having coalesced and taken on a sort of conscious form. But then, how did the people of the ancient past know that "ganon" would return? How did they know they needed a hero with a magic sword? How did they know to build divine beasts to help fight this monstrously powerful foe?

Because Zelda, from present day, kept saying in the founding era "Yo this guy is gonna come back in the future and a dude named link with a cool sword is gonna fight him so be ready to throw down" She told this to each individual sage, and in turn, each sage made sure that when that time came, their people, the Gerudo, the Zora, the Rito, and the Gorons, would be there to help the hero. So for generations, they waited. They planned. And then one day, "Calamity ganon" appeared. It was defeated and sealed away by the princess of that era, a nameless hero, and big ol' mechs. And then it appeared again for the last time, because that time it was destroyed 100 years later. Then 5-8 years later Ganondorf woke up, Zelda went back in time and- Oh look a time loop

Suddenly the logo makes a lot of sense

BUT THAT REMAINS TO BE ALL, MY FRIENDS

The tapestry shown in Breath of the Wild depicting a nameless ancient hero wielding the master sword, standing against Calamity Ganon along with the guardians and divine beasts? Remember that?

We always thought he looked very odd. Very "not-Link" like. And thats because he didn't. Your reward for finishing all 152 shrines in Tears of the kingdom is an unusual single piece of armor called "Ancient Hero's Aspect"

These three pieces represent the Owl, the dragon, and the boar. In Zonai tradition, the Owl represented Wisdom, the Dragon; Courage, and the Boar; Power. This item's description reads as follows: "This item is said to contain the spirit of a hero who once saved Hyrule. That hero's aura will envelop the wearer" So what happens when you put this armor on?

Link takes on the form of that ancient hero. An individual who appears to be half Zonai (Full blood Zonai have much longer ears). Who has a snout, and long flowing red hair. And once, long ago, he wielded the master sword in opposition to Calamity Ganon.

Too long; didn't read? The events of Tears of the Kingdom directly and brutally contradict the entirety of the Legend of Zelda franchise and now only Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom should be considered canon

[skyscratch-wc]

The Skyfall AU Masterpost

This post will be an archive of sorts for the information posts for the Skyfall AU.

The goal of this AU is to hammer out a solid timeline for warrior cats, emphasize the downfall of Skyclan and the aftermath as key drivers in the plot, and better flesh out the characters and clan culture(s)! Additionally, I hope to address some of the more problematic elements of the canon text to make a narrative that is more satisfying and lives up to the potential the warriors world has. I also want to pin down a setting (at the moment I am leaning towards SW Scotland) for the books in order to make the names and environment consistent and accurate.

This AU will focus primarily on the the time frame from the fall of Skyclan to the end of OotS, since those are the books I read as a kid/teenager and are the books I have the best grasp of. I stopped reading the series consistently several years ago, but have re-read TPB recently. As such, I probably won't do much work on anything post-The Last Hope. Perhaps later, but certainly not anytime soon.

I hope to tackle DotC at some point, since I got about halfway through that arc before stopping reading the books.

This project is roughly broken into a few categories that are subject to change:

History of the Clans and Timeline Work:

Timeline from The Skyfall to Modern Day [DRAFT]

Clan Culture:

Skyclan's Cultural Evolution

Clan Ranks and Structure

How to Become Deputy by Clan

Plot:

Skyclan's Downfall

Thunderclan Civil War (aka The Skyblood Conflict)

Disbanding of Skyclan

Characters:

ThunderClan Cats

ShadowClan Cats

RiverClan Cats

WindClan Cats

Ancient SkyClan Cats

Modern SkyClan Cats

Rogues, Loners, and Housecats

Family Trees:

Power of Five

Skykin Foundations

ThunderClan

WindClan

RiverClan

ShadowClan

Modern SkyClan

Clanmew Posts:

SkyClan Ranks in Clanmew

Geography and Ecosystems:

Flora and Fauna of SW Scotland

The Forest Territories

Allegiances:

Into the Wild: ThunderClan

Into the Wild: ShadowClan

Into the Wild: WindClan

Into the Wild: RiverClan

Skyfall Asks + Responses:

Can Clerics have mates/kits

Will I write this?

Goal of the rewrite

This AU is inspired not only by the canonical warriors books that I read as a kid/teen but also by the work of @bonefall and @cryptidclaw, both blogs I absolutely love reading through because the ideas in their respective AUs/rewrites are superb and get the creative juices flowing. In particular, I plan on using the clanmew language system developed by bonefall and @troutfur and drawing from the clan culture bonefall has numerous posts about. This is also inspired by other animal fantasy books I read in my childhood, including Tailchaser's Song, Guardians of Ga'hoole, and Wings of Fire.

[babbletaels]

The triforce..

Power, red, related to fire, the godess Din, and the gorons.

Wisdom, blue, related to water, the godess Nayru, and the Zora.

Courage, related to wind, forest, lightning, the godess Farore, the kokiri and the rito.

The colours of the triforce are very deliberate.

Look familiar? This is RGB, the primary colours of optical colour mixing. There are three additional colours from the triforce colours, and though it varies through the different games, I don't think these colours are too unfamiliar to us.

Magenta, represents shadow in ocarina of time.

Yellow represents lightning in tears of the kingdom, and could easily be switched out for the orange we see representing the sage of spirit in ocarina of time.

Cyan is a tricky one, but honestly I think that this is actually a better representation of water, because I think blue, aka wisdom, is more related to time.

I would probably categorize it like this:

Red = Fire

Blue = Time (or water)

Green = Forest(oot)/Wind(totk)

Magenta = Shadow(oot)/Spirit(totk)

Cyan = Water (or time)

Yellow = Spirit(oot)/Lightning(totk)

This would also place Fire and Water as opposites, which they technically are, so that fits well. But this doesn't actually really matter, because there are only three godesses, and by that I mean that these abilities of the secondary colours are contained within the three godesses!

I would suggest that the triforce of Power contains both Fire and Shadow(oot)/Spirit(totk), the triforce of Wisdom contains both Time and Water, and the triforce of courage contains both Forest(oot)/Wind(totk) as well as Spirit(oot)/Lightning(totk). This also fits very well because in botw/totk there are three types of elemental enemies: Fire, Ice (ice is just frozen water, remember), and Electricity. These abilities mirror the three dragons, and it's extremely clear that lightning belongs to Farore in a way.

Anyway, you probably understand what I'm building up towards, because you've noticed that there's something missing, haven't you? There's this thing where if you mix Red, Blue and Green, just like in the picture above, you get..

White light.

Okay so, I don't believe in the tetraforce, however..

The thing is, in rgb, white isn't a primary colour. If we were talking about the primary colours of paint that would be CMY and if you mix them you get black, and white is the lack of colour, but now we're talking about RGB, in which white isn't the lack of colour but is Red, Blue and Green mixed together! This means that Hylia - the godess of light - could very well be seen as a godess but also not one of the main godesses, because she was created by the three godesses powers working together.

The three golden godesses also created two other things together; The planet which hyrule is a part of, as well as the triforce.

We have never actually seen Hylia exactly, so what if Hylia is.. kind of like mother earth? What if Hylia is the personification of the planet?

I was also thinking that Hylia could be the personification of the sun, However if the sun is a godess then it wouldn't be one, but be the three golden godesses together, because they are the ones who created the earth and gave it life, like a sun would, and Hylia would be more like a ray of sunshine sent by them to the planet. Every time we see the triforce itself, it is shining as if it's emitting light, which is extremely appropriate for it to do in this theory. So what if Hylia might be the triforce in a way that she is a misinterpration of a princess of sorts that once held the complete triforce inside her, like the kings of the fallen timeline, as well as zelda from breath of the wild.

I guess this series might be more symbolic than we think.

What do you think? Does any of this make sense? Feel free to add to the speculation!

[sammie-scribbles]

LoZ Gender Ideas

Note: These are my headcanons! I just like to take details from the canon and run with them as far as they will take me. Feel free to use these ideas if you want! Also only the OoT Link and Saria one has images because I’m tired. Put some Subway Surfers on if you get bored of all of the text /lh /j

Zelda/Sheik (OoT) - he/him

In Ocarina of Time, Zelda disguises himself as Sheik for seven years. That is a very long time to purposefully disguise yourself as a different gender. I don’t believe he even knew how long it would be until Link woke up. For all he knew, Link might never have come back.

He could’ve disguised himself as a Sheikah woman, but seems to have chosen to be a man.

The manga version is a little iffy, but Zelda seems to agree to Impa’s plan of having his conscience rest to “become that of a Sheikah boy”.

“Now, what about when he reveals himself as Princess Zelda and stays that way for the rest of the game?” You might ask.

I think it might’ve been to quickly relay information to Link.

He revealed himself as Zelda in the Temple of Time right before Link was to go defeat Ganondorf. It would’ve wasted valuable time to explain that he had transitioned from Zelda to Sheik. (Also, he was immediately kidnapped by Ganondorf)

He is also the one who sends Link back to the Child Timeline, so he probably knew that  they wouldn’t stay to get to know this particular version of himself.

Zelda/Sheik (HW) - they/them

In Hyrule Warriors, Zelda seems to disguise themself as Sheik for no apparent reason.

They are constantly referred to as the “Sheikah youth”, no gender being assigned to them.

My headcanon is that Zelda saw a chance to temporarily escape the shackles and expectations of “Princess Zelda”, and that they could truly explore themself for a little while.

Sheik has many lines talking about how they will be playing some sort of music, or even historical uses of music. Zelda’s lines mainly focus on the others around them. So, maybe their dream was to be a historian or bard?

Link (BotW/TotK) - he/they

In Breath of the Wild, Link is very androgynous.

However, I noticed that he doesn’t seem to identify as a woman in any way.

They seem to like traditionally “girly” things (ie. nail polish, being called “pretty”). But, when someone asks him if he’s a woman (Riju wonders about the Hylian Champion being a vai), he seems to become possibly uncomfortable and corrects them. They also seem shocked and scared when someone realizes they are not a vai (the one Hylian in Gerudo Town, the shopkeeper in the secret shop).

He doesn’t even keep the Gerudo Vai set in Tears of the Kingdom.

Fado (OoT/WW) - he/him

In Ocarina of Time, Fado is a Kokiri that seems fairly cryptic during the medicine quest.

In Wind Waker, Fado is the Wind Sage.

Interestingly, even though they share the same name (and in my opinion, look similar) they use different pronouns.

Lots of people (myself included) see this and head canon that they are indeed the same person, but he transitioned to a boy between the events of Ocarina of Time and Wind Waker.

Bonuses!

Or, more accurately, fun things I noticed that I have no clue how to interpret, lol

Link (FSA) - idk I avoided assigning pronouns cause I can’t decide

In Four Swords Adventures, Link is able to go into Gerudo Town without any problems whatsoever.

Granted, this seems to be a point in time where the Gerudo are trying to forge relations with the rest of Hyrule, and they could’ve gotten rid of that law. But, that law is in effect in BotW, and I doubt that the Gerudo would get rid of the law only to bring it back later. So, it would make sense that the law is still in effect during Four Swords Adventures.

So, either, the Gerudo assumed that Link was not a boy (possible) OR that Link is not a boy in this incarnation (also possible). I don’t know which of these options I will be using, but feel free to use this as you want to!

Link and Saria (OoT) - they/them?

In Ocarina of Time, the Kokiri all wear very similar clothing.

The girls wear a tunic with a brown belt, brown boots, and a headband. The boys wear a v-neck shirt with shorts, green boots, and a cap.

Interestingly, Saria and Link both don’t follow these rules.

Saria wears shorts, green boots, and a headband. Link wears tunic with a brown belt, browns boots, and a cap.

This seems to suggest that Link and Saria don’t fall into the gender binary. What gender does this make them? IDK, this is just something interesting I noticed.

Link (AoL) - he/she?

In the Adventure of Link, Link is able to transform into a fairy. This fairy form looks identical to any other fairy, including the feminine body figure.

This seems to suggest she’s genderfluid to an extent? Since it’s only when she is a fairy?

He also seems (relatively) fine with becoming the king of Hyrule? (though, I guess that Elizabeth Swann from PotC was a king as well, lol)

IDK. Just an interesting thing I noticed.

[blueskittlesart]

I absolutely ADORE your analysis about LOZ and it’s really made me think more about the franchise (and BOTW in particular, which I… may have a slight addiction to playing?)

You’re the Zelda Person to me, so I was wondering if you had any ideas on what would happen if Link or Zelda died before their cycle was complete. Would the world just… immediately reincarnate them? Would it be some sort of irreversible failure and Ganondorf would win?

(also, I’ve heard theories that there was supposed to be someone who isn’t Ganondorf who would get the Triforce of Power, but because of his interference they were just never found/never found the Triforce of Power and I was wondering what you thought about that)

Canonically this has happened! i don't even need to theorize because we have a genuine canon instance of a link dying before he defeats ganon lol. I don't know how familiar you are with the loz game timeline, but due to a time-travel mechanic in ocarina of time, the timeline splits into multiple potential outcomes after oot. there are three separate ways the confrontation with ganondorf in oot can go for the hero of time--he can win and go back in time, win and stay an adult, OR he can lose and fall at the hands of ganondorf. in the timeline where the hero of time dies, the next reincarnation cycle takes place during a link to the past. this game is a few hundred years or so after the death of the hero of time and oot's zelda, so we actually do know for certain that the reincarnation doesn't happen immediately. to keep hyrule safe after the hero of time's death, oot's zelda and the sages seal ganon into the corrupted sacred realm, but the damage to hyrule has already been done and it enters an era of decline. by the time alttp link is born, hyrule is a much smaller and less powerful kingdom than it was during oot. however, alttp ends with the new link and zelda successfully defeating ganon, so one link's failure doesn't necessarily mean the end for hyrule either!

as for your second question, there are a couple instances I can think of of someone who isn't ganon trying to get their hands on the triforce and/or generally fuck with hyrule, but usually these characters are secondary antagonists serving ganon somehow. the only instance i can think of of an antagonist who ISN'T directly a minion of ganon is vaati, who appears in minish cap & the four swords games. vaati explicitly wants power and goes after the triforce for this reason, but it's unclear if he's a demise incarnation or just some idiot who wants to be king. (i think he probably isn't a demise incarnation solely because he was originally minish, not human, but that deals with a bunch of lore stuff we don't need to get into rn.) so yeah, there are other people who occasionally try to get at the triforce, but if ganon exists in their version of hyrule they're usually serving him.

If you mean someone other than ganon inheriting the physical power of the triforce of power post-oot-triforce-split, most games that follow oot are still dealing with oot's ganondorf because for whatever reason he really doesn't like to stay dead. in a hypothetical instance where he DID reincarnate, i don't think there's any reason the triforce of power wouldn't end up with the "new ganon" (meaning the new incarnation of demise, whatever form it might take.) if wisdom and power have reliably followed around the same hero and princess's bloodine/spirits for hundreds of years, i see no reason why power wouldn't also follow ganon/demise's spirit around after being initially bonded to it. It's possible that a new ganon might not LIKE inheriting the power or choose to use it in a different way than his predecessors, but i think on some level it's always going to be a version of ganon who ends up with it.

[crazylittlejester]

DAILY BRAINROT

Thinking about the Fallen Hero again and the type of death he must have had. I haven't actually played OoT yet, but I assume Ganondorf was riding a warhorse at the time of the "grueling battle" he had with Link. Like, a HUGE warhorse. So if Link fought him all by himself (which I'm assuming he did), then he was really disadvantaged because Ganondorf was an experienced fighter with a massive horse, and to be honest, he could have just run over him. :[

And then... he didn't have any family left. He met a few people after leaving the Kokiri, but Saria is the only one of them I can really see organizing a funeral for him. :( Assuming they were even able to hold a funeral and that the body wasn't destroyed or lost. If things hadn't gone as well as they did (which... is a pretty low bar) then he probably would have died completely unknown. He's actually really lucky that people knew who he was and that his story was handed down through generations in some interpretations of canon.

I don't really know how this actually fits into the narrative of OoT, because the wiki isn't perfect, and I don't think it really even existed when the game was originally released? Like, the waited until after Wind Waker came out to talk about it. So it's been a bit difficult for me to sort out in my mind.

There's also the thought that if Time and the Fallen Hero really are the same person, then... does Time remember that timeline? I don't think he does in canon based on the dialogue about timelines, and when he talks to Wind, I don't think he's brought anything up about it. I'd have to check to make sure, but I feel like they're probably assuming there are only two timelines instead of three? It's hard to tell.

Anyway, the point is, I haven't seen people do much with the Fallen Hero in fics. Sometimes he'll be brought up, but it's usually because Legend expresses resentment towards him or because they're trying to figure out how the timeline works. And that makes me a little bit sad because his story is so tragic, especially if he was nine when he died. There's a lot of potential for angst and more tragedy, and now I have a desperate need to make at least one reference to him in my current WIP.

im about halfway through oot and i’ve done research and stuff on it so I can write Time well, but I don’t wanna know TOO much about it at the same time cos i wanna experience it myself, so I can’t quite tell you how well that would work, but my god I’m always so sad about the Fallen Hero. He was really just a baby, he was what, 9? 10? Shoved in the body of a 17/18 yo? And then he got fucking killed?? ough…

Playing OOT and thinking to myself “there’s a timeline where this kid, this character I care so much about, does not live at the end of this” is AWFUL. Like this poor, sweet kid tried his best but it wasn’t enough to save himself