#and the green skin + red hair is very Ganondorf

[phykoha]

I know nothing about Mr Ancient Hero but he is blorbo coded

like dude, what even ARE you?

[majorproblems77]

Taken by nightmares

TW - nightmares, Cia being creepy, warriors gets bullied by his own brain 101, warriors get his soul stolen (in the dream F), Sky gets a little present, but its not pleasant, blood

Running running running

He was running out of time

Time ticked forward. The flames rose higher. The pain in his soul turned sickly.

"LINK!"

Turning around he found a monstrous beast.

Ganondorf.

The glow of the stolen fragments of the triforce shone from his head as the beast stomped forward. But he felt frozen in place.

Impa lay still on the ground nearby. He was too late to save her.

He raised the master sword in front of him, her glow reflecting in the beast's eyes. A final light in the darkness that was consuming the world around them as it fell away in pieces. The screams of his fellow soldiers echoed through the abyss as the wind picked up into a torrent of pain and destruction.

"You have failed."

A sickening voice echoed from behind him. Female....

Cia...

Unable to move he found hands tracing up his arms as nails dug into his flesh. slow steady footsteps filled his ears as she came into view. Her eyes glowed crimson as she tilted her head and smiled.

"You caused this pain." she smiled. Plaicing a hand to his chin as she drew herself into his face. He could feel the blood rushing to his ears. "You should have given yourself to me. It would have made this so much easier..."

He couldn't speak. He couldn't get away.

Trapped.

Alone.

"My chosen one, my perfect soul. Give yourself to me."

He struggled, he cried, but no noise came out.

Let me go! Let me go!

"Your gods can't hear you now..." She giggled, as she took a step back from him, "By my guiding hand, you are mine to the end!" Turning to him she raised her staff, a dark red mist emanating from its gemstone. Stretching across from her and ensnaring him in its grip.

Gold light begain to stretch across his body, "I will manipulate you into my image. And together my hero we shall rule this world."

Nonononononononononono

Let him go!

"..nk"

He could feel his very essence being drawn from him as the darkness began to seep into his bones.

"....ink..."

Just another sacrifice for her war.

Just another one converted to her perfected image...

"LINK!"

Bolting upright the first thing he did was grab the thing in front of him. Turning it around as a scream of pain left it. Green and red filled his vision as gold joined it.

"Link it's okay!"

"NO! NO I WONT BE A PUPPET! I WON'T BE PART OF YOUR PERFECT IMAGE!" He gripped tighter. forcing the object into the green fabric. Another sound reached his ears. Another yell. More pain more suffering.

"Sky can you get free?"

Sky?

"No."

Sky? Sky... Sky...

The next thing he registered was a knife in his hands. A blade pressed against skin. Panicked voices.

"Step back. You're scaring him." A calm voice, unwavering and unafraid.

Who were they ? They wanted to kill him. They were going to kill him or take him to Cia or or or...

"Link. It's okay. The threat has passed." He pushed the steel against the man's neck. "Put the knife down. No one is going to hurt you."

Dusty blond hair filled his vision. As he registered the wrist in his hand roll slightly.

"Who do you work for?" His voice was low, and the knife pressed tightly against his neck. "You have five seconds."

"I work for Hylia. My name is Link. Like yours. I'm a hero from an age before yours." The man spoke plainly and slowly.

Other Links? Other Links...

the chain...

He moved the knife away slowly but The man did not relax. "Put the knife down, captain. It's okay..."

"Its okay... ITs okay.... Its okay..." Slowly repeating it to himself he moved the blade ever so slowly away from his neck. Watching for sudden movements.

The shift of grass from a boot...

On instinct, he turned the blade and stabbed quickly. Finding his blade stopped short of the man's neck by his own arm. Which was now dripping crimson red blood.

Pushing the man to the ground he jumped on top of him, removing the blade from his arm and trying to space it into the neck where it would be safest.

If they can't talk they can't tell. If they can't tell they can't find you.

The man below him pushed away at his arms, pain ghosted his features as he found leverage and twisted his body sending him to the ground. The man above him pinned him down, his arms placed above his head as he felt something heavy collapse across his legs.

"Warriors! It's me! Sky!" The piercing blue eyes looked down at him.

Sky... Sky....

Sky!

He let out a gasp before looking towards the skyloftian again. "Sky?"

"Yep. Thats me. You back?"

Everything came rushing back to him. He'd attacked Sky. He'd almost killed him.

Dear hylia....

"Sky?"

"You had a bad dream, that knocked your senses for a bit." The skyloftian smiled. and offered him a hand.

He offered him a hand?!

His eyes fixed to the skyloftians bracer where blood pooled around some damage. He didn't say anymore. Turning away. "I'm sorry..."

He felt a pat on his shoulder. "I'm okay." You could hear the grimace in his voice. Trying to hide the pain. "Get some rest, we can talk in the morning."

Why would he want to talk to him in the morning?

"I almost killed you!" He spoke to the air. His voice filled with shock as a hand raised to his lips.

"You were taken by a nightmare. That is not your doing." Sky's voice was unwavering and calm.

How could he be so calm at a time like this?

"I...." He tried again.

"No. Get some rest. We will talk in the morning."

Curling up on his side he spoke no more, but he would not sleep either. The threat of nightmares returning too close for comfort.

[rawliverandgoronspice]

Gantober #10 - Depths

Today, a short snippet of a vague TotK-adjacent story about this Ganondorf's childhood escapade! And including an arbitrary headcanon I played with, aka: Sage of Lightning being Ganondorf's younger sister.

Enjoy!

---

“Hey, slow down! I’ll tell mommy if you don’t wait for me!”

Ganondorf ignored his sister’s worried squeaks. She had bugged him all morning when he had tried to enjoy some rare alone time: she had wanted to know what he was reading, pinched his sides with weak jolts of electricity when he had refused to answer, and despaired at his cold disinterest in a shared play time. At the height of his annoyance, he had snapped his book shut and offered her his very worst smile. Do you want to go play explorers? he had asked, and of course the stupid brat had seen nothing concerning about that.

He would have gladly lost her in the upper layers of the ruins near Gerudo Town if she hadn’t been so insistent, following his long strides with a clumsy resolve he admired just as much as it drove him up the wall. Not losing her for real, of course. Just a little scare. She was the only child who wasn’t at least a bit afraid of him —and in the palace, her tears were so quickly comforted. Their mother the chieftain would throw some harsh words his way: that he was to be king and so ought to act with even more self-control than the noblest of their sworn personal guards, that power should never make room for cruelty. His sister would be hugged, and he’d be called callous in a way that itched.

But here, there was only him and the dark. If she cried, she would need to wipe the snot off her nose all on her own.

“Wait for me!”

He didn’t. Hopping past fallen rocks half-submerged in the sand, Ganondorf took a sharp turn left —froze.

The floor dropped into a hole.

It wasn’t a large hole. He could easily fit in, but his mother might have gotten stuck if she had tried to squeeze through. Underneath was pitch black darkness. Faint red, maybe. Or faint green?

Ganondorf knelt, and plucked a stone from the floor before dropping it in. The pebble was swallowed, its fall completely silent. Nothing ever echoed back to him.

“What is this?”

His sister loomed over his shoulder, nosy as always. He stared at her: her green pupils blown wide, mouth agape. Pointed ears. The kind he did not have. For a brief instant, he imagined pushing her down there, or rather: plummeting himself. There was an alluring call to that long drop. A chill ran down his spine. Something down there... yearned. The knowledge was both visceral and unquestioned. And somehow, the fear that should accompany that knowledge refused to take hold.

His sister’s fascination, however, took up a different shade. A paler one.

She gasped, plunging her tiny nails in his arm without thinking. He clenched his jaw in response. “It’s so deep! You shouldn’t get so close!”

“Let go,” he hissed.

“But...”

“If you can’t handle this, you should have played on your own.”

Her skin darkened in childish anger. “Stop being so rude! I’m gonna tell mommy you’re going to places you’re not allowed to go!”

“Go tell her then.”

She hesitated. Her long braid was powdered with dust and sand. A messy spectacle that would immediately betray she had gleefully followed her brother in forbidden, dangerous places. Ganondorf bared his teeth.

“Go!”

His sister jumped, hissing back at him like a stray cat. She turned around and ran off, the tapping of her soles echoing in the caves underneath the city they were born to inherit. He watched the wildfire of her hair disappear in the dark, then turned back to the hole.

Blowing between his palms, he invoked a small flame —blue, soft, the kind to bounce off its shrine across every sort of stone. The walls of the drop were jagged enough for him to climb down. He brushed his palm across its mineral skin, felt its coldness espouse the calloused bumps he managed to claim for himself in the midst of his life’s luxuries.

He didn’t even think. Blinked. Found himself several meters in, surrounded by rocks that wanted nothing more than to watch him fall. He considered forcing himself back up, out of vague concern for his sister and his mom, before deciding he didn’t really care. Something beckoned him deeper.

And he wanted to know what it was.

Long, long minutes later, far too long, the hole opened to a larger cave. Ganondorf’s magic indicated some sort of base floor waiting for him underneath, covered in moss, which he hoped would be enough to break his fall. Strange, unknowable flowers glimmered in what seemed like an infinite void.

He let himself fall.

The impact wasn’t kind to him. His ankles screamed, but he did not. When Ganondorf opened his eyes, all he could see was blackness, and the roots of immense structures of stone erected straight and far up. These looked nothing like gerudo architecture. Old, decrepit machines stood frozen and dead. Cold furnaces.

Ancient, silent, unwelcoming.

Ganondorf stood up and carefully made his way through the ruins.

[eternazrael]

the ancient hero is NOT a gerudo/zonai.

i've seen this theory thrown around a lot and i feel it's time i threw my two cents into the ring.

i am personally under the belief that the ancient hero we see in tears of the kingdom is part of their own species that we haven't seen yet, and not a member of the zonai or gerudo like a lot of people seem to believe.

some people believe that the hero is just outright a reincarnation of ganondorf, while others believe that the hero is just straight up a gerudo. but then there's the OTHER crowd that believe that the hero is in fact a zonai. both of which i will attempt to debunk in this post.

first off, i want to address the whole "ancient hero is a gerudo/ganondorf" thing.

no.

there's no proof that the ancient hero is a gerudo. you could argue it's because of their red hair, but that's not the case.

by this logic, then characters like malon, groose, and din (specifically the one from the oracle games) would ALSO be gerudo. do you see where this theory begins to fall flat?

see the gerudo argument towards DIN could make sense. din represents power, which is the same piece of the triforce that ganondorf holds, and din is very clearly dark-skinned in oracle of seasons' cutscenes.

but then we see the hero's green fur, and assume that by proxy, they are ganondorf because ganondorf has green skin. that doesn't even make sense. how would you assume that the ancient hero is ganondorf just because they have red hair and green fur. but here's one thing i should bring up that debunks this entirely.

the ancient hero has BLUE eyes. ganondorf has YELLOW (and in some cases, red) eyes. but never blue.

considering demise's curse is still very much a key player in how the reincarnations of the main three are, given the links to the previous games, there would be no reason why the fuck this new ganondorf would suddenly become a good guy just to fight himself, and wielding the master sword nonetheless.

and now we reach the second part. the "ancient hero is a zonai" thing.

for a while, i agreed with people on this! i thought that they were from some offshoot branch of the zonai, but then i thought about it for a while, and everything fell apart relating to that theory.

first off, given what we've seen from the games, the zonai appear to be tall dragon-like goat people, with long torsos and short legs. the ancient hero, on the other hand, has a normal build like that of a hylian. (excuse the bad photoshops, but you get what im trying to say)

the zonai have more defined capridae features, while the ancient hero has more defined feline features, such as a lion-like tail, cat-like ears, and a feline snout. i should mention, given the tail, that zonai do not even have tails.

not only that, but the zonai we've seen have human feet, with five toes and all. the ancient hero, on the other hand, has more animalistic feet, with only four toes.

most capridae have a snout that angles inward, while most felines have a snout that angles outward.

given rauru and mineru are the only zonai that we have seen ingame, it's safe to assume that all other zonai follow this similar structure.

"but azzy! what if the hero was a distant offspring of sonia and rauru? they could very well be a zonai and hylian hybrid!"

i have a few things to say regarding that.

who's that standing across from the hero? the ancient princess. if we're going by what the tapestry is depicting, then she would have had the same skin tone, if not similiar, to that of sonia's. not to mention the dress, being near identical in color to that of sonia's dress.

so the ancient hero wouldn't even have been a zonai or descendant of rauru and sonia either.

not to mention the biology behind a zonai and human hybrid would NOT result in whatever the ancient hero is.

a human + dragon-goat-thing would NOT equal a cat-like creature.

i rest my case, your honor.

[author-main]

Tell me about the character design for Wild, Shad and Twi.

Let’s just do one character per ask. You’ll see why. This is gonna be for the baby, Wild.

Note: Wild’s current pronouns are they/them. Some stuff from 2020 use he/him for Wild, but Dec 2020 onward, Wild’s pronouns have changed. There may be a time in the future where they use she/her or something else.

GENERAL

I should start off with the original idea for Wild back in 2020. Due to my own artistic limitations, Wild and the other Links were a lot thinner back then. They also looked very similar to each other. Now I make it a point to have the Links look as different from each other as I can. That way when they do look similar in some way, it’s on purpose and not because of any skill issues.

At the time I started Ask-LU-Wild, I was still very new to the fandom. But I had written a fanfic series before the Ask blog that I call Poe!Wild. So my original idea of ALUW Wild came from what I imagined Poe!Wild looked like, but with a completely different personality. 

When they first met the chain, their hair was heavily singed and their eyebags? Bad. Their scars were also pretty different, along with the length and look of their ears. But everyone’s ears have changed drastically since 2020, that’s an artistic preference turned into actual world building. All of these things have changed over time. Their hair will always change length and look. It’s very fun giving them different styles to wear. Ever since I’ve changed my original brush, I’ve had a hard time figuring out how I want to draw Wild’s eyebags, but they’re still pretty terrible. Their scar pattern has changed and I sadly can’t add the amount of detail to them that I used to without making Wild’s face look cluttered. I'll talk more about their features later.

It was on purpose that Wild looked older than they actually were. Back in the day, I remember Wild acting as if they were an old man, because they kind of feel like one despite being 17. Not only are they 100 years older than they look but Wild IS in a lot of physical pain and is very tired too. But ever since Checking Courage, they’ve looked much younger. Style changes + character development, I suppose.

QUICK NOTES

Wild is the median height of the Links, 4’10 (147.32 cm). They’re very muscular, but also very light.

Straight, thick, blonde hair with white streaks, azure blue eyes, pale. Roundish face. Very sharp teeth.

They have second-third degree burn scars all over their body, mostly on their left side. These are guardian blast scars and have a completely different texture to other burn scars. Their left ear is almost completely black and barely hangs on.

They also have a big scar on their right side caused by a lynel. Malice entered that wound.

There are 2 burn scars on their left shoulder caused by a flame blade

Cautery wound on their right leg

Rough soles and palms, and chipped nails from climbing and running.

Diamond motif, sheikah motif

COLOR SCHEME, THOUGHTS ON THEIR COLORS

I won’t ever use #000000 or #FFFFFF for a character unless they are meant to look uncanny.

Wild’s main colors are blues and yellows, with some white. This is mainly because I wanted Wild to have an aesthetic similar to Sheikah Technology. Their champion’s tunic helps with this, along with the hylian trousers as they are mainly composed of blues, whites, and browns. But they of course wear other clothes so… yeah

Their skin used to be a lot peachier pre-calamity than it is now. This is something that they share with Wars. I decided it was because they both lost their battles against Ganon/Ganondorf and it changed them physically. 

Something I added to Wild’s character design during the Checking Courage arc: White streaks in their hair. I think this is a good time to mention that WIld’s middle name Punica means something and was chosen based on things from BotW.

THE HERO’S CLOTHES Full of Greens, Browns, and Reds. They fit in a lot with the other Links visually with it on. I decided that most/all heroes will have a Farore symbol on their hero clothes, and that started with the Set of the Wild (SotW). Most of them are on the back, close to the collar.

The SotW was a reward from the sheikah monks after completing all 120 shrines. Therefore, there are some sheikah tech symbols on the fabric and leathers. And a metal sheikah eye hangs on the top of the hood. Cap was turned into a hooded cape with braided tassels. Farosh is embroidered on the back. There’s a triforce pin that holds the cape together.

The tunic is made up of several layers: Brown long tunic, green shawl (?), leather breastplate, dark green sleeves, leather arm braces. Their belt has a pouch design for the sheikah slate.

For the pants, they’re just brown shorts. Wilds normally wear bandages on their legs because they chafe. The boots were fun to draw and actually look pretty comfortable to wear?

The set of the wild has to be one of my favorite side projects related to ALUW.

WILD'S FAMILY Wild is the only Link with a thought-through family history. I’ll just draw them all here.

Note: These portraits are obviously not contemporary. -Caeras: 29 -Sonya: 39 -Misko: 22 -Wild: 17 -Milo: 66 -Liliaz: 65 -Lucy: 34 -Othinn: 70

[girlballs]

I keep seeing your posts about Ganondorf. What are you even talking about? How is having GREEN skin with bright red hair racist?

i want you to really think for a minute about what i could be talking about re: a very goblin-esque villain character whose entire motivation is "seizing divine gold" whose parents are a pair of witches

[margindoodles2407]

The first of several infographics I'm planning on making. Full disclosure, I meant to upload this like a week ago but I couldn't finish the Gerudo Men section until today. I'm also about to post a poll for what race I should to next. You can read higher quality notes below the cut. Enjoy!

THE GERUDO (According to Margin)

SO! You wanna know about the Gerudo? Well you're in luck! I have headcanons galore!

The Gerudo are the most physically diverse of the people of Hyrule.

Skin tones can have a wide variety of shades- from sandy and pale to as dark as a desert night- but most are somewhere in the middle.

Hair is always, ALWAYS, red, but the shade varies from woman to woman. So does texture- some have hair straighter than the Master Sword's blade and others' is so curly that it can hold its shape with little to no help.

Eyes can be any color but are most often some shade of yellow. Green is also common.

Body type varies but height is always TALL. 6 feet at least, with most being 7 1/2 to 8 feet in height.

Jewelry is a huge part of Gerudo culture. Each piece they wear carries a special or sentimental value to the woman, and any jewelry at all will only be sold as a very last resort in case of emergency.

Though in the Era of Time they were thieves, the desert women had a strict code they were bound to (and this is why Nabooru gets so upset with Ganondorf; this is canon). They never stole from anyone who couldn't afford it, they never killed anyone, and they never, ever, targeted children in any way.

Vibrant clothes and colors are abundant in Gerudo clothing, because it's important for traveling caravans to be able to see their members so no one gets stranded or left behind in the desert.

Music and dancing are popular traditional pastimes. Many Gerudo communities have a music festival every full moon. The closest real-world analogy for Gerudo music and dance would be a blend of Spanish Flamenco and traditional Middle-Eastern and Northern African dances.

Since they're (mostly) all women, communities are very close-knit. A whole caravan will band together to help one struggling woman raise her children. This generosity also extends to women of other races; because one of the traditional Gerudo philosophical beliefs is the idea of belonging to a universal sisterhood.

Gerudo worship the Triforce just like Hylians; however, in the old days they worshiped it as as one artifact instead of the Hylian trinitarian belief system and thus worshiped Hylia (as the Sand Goddess) instead of the Golden Trio. Centuries before the Era of the Wild, however, many Gerudo fell away from their traditional beliefs and began to venerate the Seven Heroines instead.

HIGHLIGHT SECTION: GERUDO MEN

Though the sole male born every century is called the "Gerudo King", the race didn't actually have an established monarchy until a few centuries before the Era of the Wild.

This is because there was no way to track which woman would bear the next king. It was a random genetic dice roll.

The reason all Gerudo men are named Ganondorf is because it's actually the only male name in the entire Gerudo Lexicon- they have no need for any others since only one is born every century. Literally translated, it means "Great Power" (it says "Great Ruler" on the infographic but I changed it while writing these notes).

To explain the absence of Gerudo Men in Breath of the Wild: They were born but exiled from the town after their birth. Sadly, many were just left to die in the wilderness, though a lucky few were found by Hylian or Sheikah travelers and raised by those respective adoptive parents. It was rare for this to occur, however.

[matriarchsdevotee-archive]

Twinrova theory:

Okay so the promised twinrova conspiracy theory. This comes with the standard caveat of I don't expect this to be played out on here and it seldom comes up anyway, but the jist of it is that, when I was beginning the Gerudo historia project, I made peace with the fact that Ganondorf probably wasn't going to be consistent with tribal trends and it was in my better interest to push it away and leave it to the gan stans to worry about. The Gerudo are one of the very few self-consistent tribes in Zelda, it's part of what attracts me to them as a writer, so I was decidedly unbothered if I found discrepancy with Gan's philosophy/customs/religious foundations, and so on.

The thing is, though... He's really not terribly inconsistent with them. Physically, he is of course very different than his sisters, but he does functionally look like what a male Gerudo would be expected to look like - extremely well--muscled, broad shouldered, red hair and yellow eyes (which, while uncommon, are seen among other Gerudo across games - it's essentially the human equivalent of Blue or green eyes). If Nintendo canon heights are to be believed, he's shorter than his countrywomen, but given that there's in-game flavor text that suggests Gerudo men tend to be sickly or weaker than their counterparts, that also tracks. He wears the same makeup that a Gerudo chieftain does across all his appearances as a man and even some of his later appearances as his monstrous form, Ganon (Red eyeshadow, black garb, and golden lipstick, gold being the color of religious figures amongst the Gerudo (see also Maike in botw and Nabooru)). He's certainly an extremist amongst his people, but it's not like the Gerudo are pro-Hyrule. Even Nabooru seems to be in the camp of "get Ganondorf out but so help me god if Hyrule tries to colonize us." Realistically, the most out of character trait that Ganondorf has as a Gerudo is his massive magical capabilities. Some Gerudo are minor prophets and they're often seen with magical weapons, but trust me when I say I have scoured the source material and Ganondorf is the only one who can wield traditional magic...

Except for his mothers. His white-haired, magical, extremely long-lived, surrogate mothers who have names that are intensely un-Gerudo, both at the time (Koume and Kotake don't share any phonetic similarities with Nabooru, Ganondorf or Aveil, and are blatantly just. Japanese names) and with the help of the Gerudo phonetics in Four Swords Adventures and Breath of the Wild (And acompannying breath of the wild companion games). His mothers, who have an even greater animosity for Hyrule than the rest of the Gerudo put together. Who have a distinct hatred for the royal family.

Anyway, what I'm alluding to is that the Twinrova are Sheikah.

I say this because, as consistent as Ganondorf is with his people, Koume and Kotake simply aren't. As we discussed, magical ability is very uncommon amongst the Gerudo, and their names share much more in common with Sheikah phonetics than they do (as the Sheikah names in botw often borrow Japanese phonetics) than they do Gerudo or even Hylian names. There are no other Gerudos with white hair. Very old Gerudo in Botw go pink and Ashai, who we can reasonably assume has a melanin issue of some kind due to her very light eyes and skin, has pink hair instead of red or white. In Four Swords Adventures, the Gerudo chief is pictured in her character art with red hair, though she's clearly aged elsewhere.  Even when they transform during their bossfight, they don't have red hair, as their youthful form would suggest. (This is weaker evidence, as it's pretty clear their design was more meant to mirror the fire/ice archetype, but the fact that the only Gerudo trait their son retains consistently when he transforms is his red hair leads me to believe this isn't entirely invalid).

Speaking of the transformation, that's something of an odd power, isn't it? Ganon doesn't transform as a disguise, but you know who does? Explicitly into a Gerudo?

This motherfucker.

During the Age of Calamity mission in which you recruit Urbosa, Kogha distracts the chieftain and is able to slip into Gerudo town in magical disguise in order to try to kill Zelda (Frankly, even if Urbosa hadn't arrived when she did, this wasn't going to end well as the Gerudo were already becoming suspicious, but I digress).

In conclusion, we have a pair of sisters with little relation to the tribe they allegedly belong to who raised a child specifically to violently despise Hyrule's royal family and train his power so he can destroy them, who phonetically, canonically, and in terms of design share much more in common with the Sheikah tribe than they do the Gerudo. Was this the intent? I'm willing to bet money that it absolutely was not, but you can pry it from my cold dead hands.

[astrumavis]

Hello I just found your post about the ancient hero’s aspect and thought Oh good I finally found someone who doesn’t think the ancient hero was hylian or zonai and share the same brainrot with me! I totally think he’s Gerudo because look, he has red hair and green skin, like Ganondorf, albeit he’s the only sample we got of male Gerudo BUT the jewelry on his head plus hoops earings are all pretty much Gerudo imo. I couldn’t make a connection with any other race in the game atm so I just consider he’s a mix between Gerudo and some unknown race. Interesting how he was still serving the Zonai at the time. I feel like we’re beating ourselves up over this very tiny detail in this big big game and nintendo would probably just scrap everything in the next installment but he’s just so interesting to me hzbxbzn because the thought of having a Gerudo being the hero? Or a second male Gerudo coexisted alongside Ganondorf? Or even (I’m reaching here) Ganondorf being anything but Gerudo for a change during that period. The ancient hero lives rent free in my head seriously

We are holding hands fr anon and going insane together about this.

I definitely agree that the ancient hero has a lot of Gerudo jewelry on him, which would suggest that he is some kind of hybrid of Gerudo and another unknown, Zonai adjacent species, like you said. His hair could be connected to Gerudo heritage, though I wouldn't make a connection based on his skin color, since it is a notably different shade of green than Ganondorfs.

He couldn't have been serving the Zonai at the time, since he lived long after the last two had disappeared. The easiest explanation for this would be, that the Zonai armor which the ancient hero wore (which I believe was meant for a royal guard), could've been passed down through the royal family and given from hero to hero who served as knights.

Perhaps this race of people were the ones who lived in the Faron region. In Botw, the Zonai were described as a tribe of barbarians (ex. Barbarian armor) , but we know that the "true" Zonai we see in Tokt are... very much not that. For a godlike race that's said to have come down from the sky, the occupation of warloving warriors doesn't quite fit the picture. That raises the question of who tf lived in Faron until 10'000 years ago.

but who knows at this point like I hope that the dlc is gonna shed some light on this mess but for now we stay brainrotting ✌️

[askganondorftobadragmire]

{𝓑𝓪𝓼𝓲𝓬𝓼}

Name: Ganondorf Toba Dragmire

Alias Title: Demon King

Gender: Male

Age: 1,000 | 47 {Physical Body}

Species: Gerudo [50%] | Demosian {Demon} [50%]

Zodiac: aquarius / aries / cancer / capricorn / gemini / leo / libra / pisces / sagittarius / scorpio / taurus / virgo / unknown

Abilities/Talents: (long ass list in coming) Power Negation, Hunting intuition, Weapon proficiency, Enhanced heat resistance, Enhanced disease resistance, Accelerated healing, Efficient combat, Bestial form(s), Dark Magic, Black Magic & last but not least, he's an excellent singer

{𝓟𝓮𝓻𝓼𝓸𝓷𝓪𝓵}

Alignment: lawful/ neutral / chaotic /good/ neutral / evil / true

Religion: Vayrevism

Sins: envy / greed / gluttony / lust / pride / sloth / wrath

Virtues: charity / chastity / diligence / humility / justice / kindness / patience

Languages: Hylian, Sign Language, Gerudo, Demochian, Monstish, and some Sheikah, Goronian, Zoran, Rito, and Draconic

Family: Umill (Father), Imife (Mother), Tokos (Half-brother), Azin (Half-brother) & Nevina (Sister)

Friends: Ajax, Nabooru, Zelda, Link, Cerifina, & Delilah

Sexual Orientation: heterosexual / bisexual/ pansexual / omnisexual / homosexual / demisexual / asexual / unsure / other

Relationship status: single /dating / married / widowed / open relationship / other / verse dependent

Libido: sex god / very high / high / average / low / very low / non-existent

{𝓟𝓱𝔂𝓼𝓲𝓬𝓪𝓵}

Build: twig / bony / slender / average / athletic / curvy / chubby / obese

Hair: white / blonde / brunette / red / black / other

Eyes: brown / blue / green / black / other

Skin: pale /fair / olive / light brown / brown / very brown / other

Height: under 3 foot / 3-4 foot / 4-5 foot / 5-6 foot / 6-7 foot / above 7 foot

Weight: under 100 pounds / 100-150 pounds / 150-200 pounds / 200-250 pounds / above 250 pounds

Scars: A knife slash on the back of his neck

Facial Features: Birthmark on his forehead, Thick eyebrows, rhombus-shaped pupils, gray sclerae, prominent facial hair & sharp teeth

Tattoos: N/A

{𝓒𝓱𝓸𝓸𝓼𝓮}

Dogs or Cats?

Birds or Hamsters?

Snakes or Spiders?

Red or Blue?

Yellow or Green?

Black or White?

Coffee or Tea?

Ice Cream or Cake?

Fruits or Vegetables?

Sandwich or Soup?

Magic or Melee?

Sword or Bow?

Summer or Winter?

Spring or Autumn?

The Past or The Future?

Tagged by: @warriorsofxwild Tagging: Whoever wants to

[benevolentbirdgal]

Hello, recently the new Legend of Zelda game came out and it made me think about the main villain Ganondorf again. I’ve always kind of though he tends to fall into some harmful antisemitic traits such as the red hair, green skin, large nose (his race of people are portrayed with large noses, he is from a desert race of people but I thought it was important to mention), his goal is to take over Hyrule and has the Triforce of Power, and his early depictions re of a large pig-like creature. I am not sure if this was done purposely to make him a harmful stereotype or not, but with how many people are talking about him I thought it would be important to ask.

Hi Anon!

Honestly, this is not an element of discourse that is familiar to me personally. After looking at some images and whatnot (it's been a long time since my NintendoDS has seen the light of day), I can see where people are coming from.

I think it's unfortunate - especially with how aggressively white and western and not remotely Jewish or Jew-coded the protags are - but I don't (personally) think it's intentional nor am I terribly bothered by it. I get why it gives people the ick (esp the pig one), but Ganandorf also hits a lot of general folklore/adventure/fantasy tropes writ large (which TBF, often have antisemitic roots in contexts where Jews have been persecuted). There's legitimately a read that maybe the uber-white-and-western-good-rulers vs the thief who has a big nose has some bad coding TM, but I don't think it's the only read. I also honestly hadn't thought about the visuals that hard, because I've encountered pixel art versions of Zelda stuff on pretty small screens previously and well, those have limited visuals.

If you're asking about this (fanart I believe by an unrelated artist that people had Opinions About on reddit) then yeah that particular drawing was Big Yikes and IMO, intentional or not (artist did release a pretty detailed apology postfact), did emphasize the most problematic/antisemitic/caricature bits of the character.

Re: intention in the original character: given that Zelda originally came out in' 80s (and Ganandorf was introduced in the '90s?) and was produced by a Japanese company (i.e. with designers not from a culture that has historically had interaction with or oppressed Jews pre-WW2), I'm inclined to believe it was more a case of "cool western fantasy elements" without necessarily interrogating their origin or coding or possible harmful impacts. If I had to hazard a guess, I don't think that Japanese designers in the '80s and '90s had any considerations for Jews (so.much.kabbalah.appropriated.in.anime.but.discuss.another.time), much less intentions to create antisemitic caricatures or necessarily even awareness that it could be read as such.

As is increasingly (and delightfully) the case with my asks, this is very much my personal opinion territory, and I'd love to hear what other Jews have to say

[rawliverandgoronspice]

You kno, I always (since I started playing LoZ 20+ years ago+additional ideas that came later) assumed Ganondorf is green bc of Koume and Kotake's influence. They're two powerful witches, and the occasional depiction of witches being green has probably also spread to Japan, so from that to show Ganon's ties to them, they were all three turned shades of green bc magic. It also sounded in-game like those two were a big reason for why Ganondorf went power mad and pushed war, even tho the other Gerudo didn't want him to go that extreme. Doesn't explain totk Ganondorf since there's literally no reason or backstory for him, but maybe it's like "tradition" by now. I also know there's a Chinese saying "putting on a green hat" which means the same as being green with envy, so I could imagine smth similar exists in Japanese, smth that could have worked with Oot's Ganondorf's envy of Hyrule's life giving lands. Since TP and WW, and HW Ganondorf are all the same guy, that kinda still works? I know it's really being viewed critical why he looks like he looks w the green skin, so thought I'd share a thing I basically came up with as a kid. (Except the green hat, only found out later, but the green with envy thought I did have back then.) Green hat works more for Link in the literal sense, so maybe Ganondorf has a figurative green hat. 😩

Hey! Yeah, I assumed the same for a very long time, and I'm pretty sure it's still the intent today.

I still think it's worth mentioning the trend has been really exacerbated with time; even back in OoT, his skin tone is not... that off the charts. Like yes, it does lean green, but after doing some color picking, it still stands reasonnably in the brown. It is a little sickly/olive, and there is a big gap between the concept arts and the model in-game already then (and in Smash, he's pretty much in the browns in his default model too), but it *could* be somebody's skin color. It's the same thing for WW Ganon btw, where his skin is definitively brown in the concept art and got much greener once modeled in the game. TP Ganon is the one where the difference between concept art and in-game skin is the least noticeable, but he also has the darkest shade by far so it doesn't read super green, even if it is quite there if you color pick. TotK Ganon is the color of a spinach smoothie in comparaison; even in the concept art itself, which might be even greener than the model in-game (a first!)

To be generous and fair to the whole thing, I think it used to be a case of what looked the most dramatic in-game, and a green hue does look less natural, colder, deader and scarier than a red-base one, especially in extremely intense lighting situations where Ganon often finds himself in, where it is easy to use that base color for contrast, especially with the red of his hair or the gold of his eyes and his little forehead jewel. This coupled with the influence of Twinrova and the association with envy probably pushed this direction even further every time.

But again, it is also hard to extract these choices from the history, in fantasy and sci-fi, of how to still dehumanize archetypes of PoCs without actually having them "being PoCs", or using excuses of inherent evilness to make their treatment by the narrative more acceptable. I am not mad at this choice inherently, but I am critical of it in the light of every other choice made in the year of our lady Hylia 2023 and the fact that I *so often* see this being used as protection against criticisms of both orientalism and a lack of care for what it implies about the worldbuilding of Hyrule. In OoT there was the connection to dark magic and the Twinrova; but in TotK, the Twinrova are easter eggs at best, not an active part of what shaped our antagonist and made him who he is. His evilness is made profusely clear the second he grabs the stone and becomes basically Satan with very cool hair, in a design that does lean super red and black anyway; one would think he'd rather try to hide his true nature before this?

(there is also history of PoC being turned green to avoid direct critique in fantasy/sci-fi worldbuilding, I think Star Trek is one of the big culprits but don't quote me on that)

Again, it's the package that is weird; and even more than the package, gradually changing PoC features over time in a way that, while not maybe being the only reason for the change, does allow the heroes to clearly identify the source of evil as Unlike Them while also distancing themselves from the more direct racist implications instead of... kind of allowing this to complicate the conflict, and accept that the conflict *is already complicated* no matter what is retconned or emphasized or changed. But the priority is simplicity and cleanness, and so Ganon and the gerudos do bear the blunt of these choices more often than not; the green skin being one of the more visible examples.

[running2redemption]

{𝓑𝓪𝓼𝓲𝓬𝓼}

Name: Ganondorf Dragmire

Alias Title: Esquire

Gender: Male

Age: 34

Species: Gerudo

Zodiac: aquarius / aries / cancer / capricorn / gemini / leo / libra / pisces / sagittarius / scorpio / taurus / virgo / unknown

Abilities/Talents: Strong, highly intelligent, decent cook, practically invincible, super strength, natural magical inclination

{𝓟𝓮𝓻𝓼𝓸𝓷𝓪𝓵}

Alignment: lawful/ neutral / chaotic /good/ neutral / evil / true

Religion: Agnostic | Culturally Teppist

Sins: envy / greed / gluttony / lust / pride / sloth / wrath

Virtues: charity / chastity / diligence / humility / justice / kindness / patience

Languages: Hylian, Sign Language, Gerudo, Monsterian

Family: Koume & Kotake (adoptive mothers)

Friends: Link, Aryll

Sexual Orientation: heterosexual / bisexual/ pansexual / omnisexual / homosexual / demisexual / asexual / unsure / other

Relationship status: single /dating / married / widowed / open relationship / other / verse dependent/ aromantic

Libido: sex god / very high / high / average / low / very low / non-existent

{𝓟𝓱𝔂𝓼𝓲𝓬𝓪𝓵}

Build: twig / bony / slender / average / athletic / curvy / chubby / obese

Hair: white / blonde / brunette / red / black / other

Eyes: brown / blue / green / black / other

Skin: pale /fair / olive / light brown / brown / very brown / other

Height: under 3 foot / 3-4 foot / 4-5 foot / 5-6 foot / 6-7 foot / above 7 foot

Weight: under 100 pounds / 100-150 pounds / 150-200 pounds / 200-250 pounds / above 250 pounds

Scars: None

Facial Features: Birthmark on his forehead, thick eyebrows, rectangular glasses, beard, rounded ears, sharp teeth

Tattoos: Cobra that goes up his back with the hood spread across his shoulderblades

{𝓒𝓱𝓸𝓸𝓼𝓮}

Dogs or Cats?

Birds or Hamsters?

Snakes or Spiders?

Red or Blue?

Yellow or Green?

Black or White?

Coffee or Tea?

Ice Cream or Cake?

Fruits or Vegetables?

Sandwich or Soup?

Magic or Melee?

Sword or Bow?

Summer or Winter?

Spring or Autumn?

The Past or The Future?

[triforcesiblings-fanartfunart]

[Image Description: two sets of drawings of Legend of Zelda AU character designs, lined up to compare their heights. The first set: Ganondorf is 9, hand on his hip, wearing a black headscarf that covers his hair with a red center gem on his forehead. He has dark skin and brown eyes. His mouth is covered by a black shawl with gold patterns that wraps around his waist. He wears a loose, long-sleeved red tunic that goes to his ankles. His sleeves go past his hand. He wears black flat shoes. Link is 8, eyes wide and holding his hands in front of himself. He wears a dark blue tunic, a green wrap and pants and brown boots. He has lightly tanned skin, his hair is a short messy blond ponytail. One of his ears is floppy and he has freckles. Zelda is 10, one hand on Link’s shoulder as she smiles. She’s got dirty blond hair with bangs and the same skintone as her brother. Her eyes are brown and she has freckles. She wears a pink and blue dress with white sleeves and wrap. She wears dark brown boots. Link and Zelda’s Father, Link Senior is 34 and 5′ 7′‘. He has blond hair that’s parted in the middle and tied in a small ponytail in the back. He wars a dark green tunic with a cream colored long-sleeve undershirt and wrap. He wears brown pants and boots. Ganondorf’s mother, Nabaru is 40 and 6′ 5′‘. She wears a red and gold patterned headscarf that covers her hair with a tie that mimics a high ponytail, accented with gold stones and pins. She wears a loose purple shirt and baggy dark blue diamond patterned pants. She wears gold and teal bracers on her arms and legs, and gold shoes. The second set: Ganondorf, now 16, is 6′ 4, wearing a loose long-sleeved black tunic with tulip-style cuffs. It has gold floral patterns with red and blue accents. He wears a black sheer shawl with gold trim and the imagery of a dragon. He wears a red sash around his waist, blue pants with knee-length black socks and blue and gold accented shoes. His deep red hair is long and curly, half-up, and he wears a gold crown-like headpiece with a red centerstone. Link, 15 and 4′8, looks down, wide-eyed, hands put together in front of his mouth. He wears a green Hero’s Tunic and hat with blue accents. His hair is loose and shoulder-length and his floppy ear now stands up, but is shorter than the other ear. Zelda, 17 and 5′ 2′‘ now has her hair swept back, with the bottom half of her hair braided. She wears a pink top with a blue dress and a teal wrap around her waist. Princess Zelda, 17 and 5′ 5′’, is a much paler girl with very light blond hair parted down the middle with dark roots. She wears a gold diamond-shaped tiara with a blue center gem. She has light blue eyes and glares, arms folded behind her back. She wears a deep purple dress with a white center and puffy sleeves with light blue longer sleeves. She wears a black belt from which hangs a light blue piece that is patterned with Hyrule’s royal crest in gold and red. End ID]

Height Chart/Color Reference/ect ect. Really it’s an excuse to show off how short Link is.

[luminnara]

Flying On Wings Made From Feathers And Wax | Ganondorf x Gerudo!oc chapter 2

Part one | Part two | Part three

Growing up in the Gerudo Desert is hard. 

The sun is merciless, especially to the small. For someone like Ilula, it is draining, seemingly determined to exhaust her as it beats down on her during the day. It will never stop doing so, but at a young age, she learned how to deal with it. 

The others called her lazy, but she considered herself clever. Just like the lizards that liked to snooze while they sunned themselves, she took naps during the day. It wasn’t that the other Gerudo didn’t—naps were almost a necessity in such a hot environment, and it was common to see be back in an hour signs hanging on merchant stalls—but Ilula simply napped more than the rest of them. 

It concerned her mother greatly. 

Kiluki took her daughter to the best healer in town, the one who looked after the chief and royal family, hoping to find answers about Ilula’s small stature. Just like the Hylian healers, though, this one declared that Ilula was, for the most part, fine, she was just...small. Small, and a bit weak. For Kiluki, a tall, strong vai, who had once been a member of the Chief’s guard, Ilula’s relatively tiny stature and shortcomings were cause for major concern; she knew that many Gerudo never joined the guard, and to keep Gerudo Town running, they needed all sorts. But she wanted Ilula to follow in her footsteps, to become stronger and braver than even she, and Kiluki feared that it was a dream that could never be.

Ilula knew that her mother worked, but what could she possibly do about it? It wasn’t anything that she could control. She spent her days playing or helping Uvira sell her produce while her mother advised the Chief, trying to forget the way that she couldn’t reach things the other girls could. As she grew older, it became obvious that she would never hit a growth spurt, and while Ganondorf shot up like a weed, Ilula stayed at least a head shorter than the others her age. 

“C’mon, pipsqueak!” Ganondorf scooped her up one day, interrupting her midday nap.

“Gan!” She yelped in surprise as he threw her over his shoulder. “Put me down!”

“Not a chance,” the prince grinned as he ran towards the palace. “I’ve been looking all over for you. I’ve got something to show you.”

Even at twelve years old, Ganondorf could carry her easily. He spent his days studying and training, his mother keeping a watchful eye over him and ensuring that her son would become strong and capable. While Ilula had already finished most of her schooling, knowing how to read and write and do simple math, the prince had many years of studies still ahead of him, his chambers lined with shelves full of thick books. Being royalty meant that he needed to know everything about the world, and he enjoyed reading about Hyrule and its politics and history. Ilula didn’t share quite as much appreciation for the Hylian kingdom neighboring the desert, but whenever he was reading, she had a chance to take a nice nap in his incredibly soft bed, and that was something she could absolutely appreciate. 

“It better not be stupid,” she grumbled with a yawn. “Interrupting me on my day off…”

“Day off from what?” He snorted. “You can’t even start real training until you’re twelve. That’s a whole month away.”

“So?” She argued.

“So you can’t possibly be too busy for me,” he rolled his eyes. “Sav’aaq!” He called to the guards at the top of the steps as he passed them. 

“Sav’aaq, my prince!” They snapped to attention, bowing their heads. “Ilula, sav’aaq.”

“Sav’aaq,” Ilula mumbled. She was used to the guards keeping watch over her and the prince, and they had all developed a certain fondness for Ganondorf’s runt of a friend. 

Ganondorf carried her through the throne room, past the chief and her advisors as they pored over a map of Hyrule. They bowed to him as he walked by and he grunted in acknowledgement, too focused on his task to stop and ask what they were doing. 

They allowed him to rush by without interruption. He only had a few years of childhood left before the burdens of leadership would fall on his shoulders, and his mother wished that he enjoyed his time as much as he could. He was growing into a fine young voe, the Sheikah prophecy a distant memory now, and As any voe, he should be enjoying the years of his youth as much as possible.

When he reached his chambers, he threw Ilula down onto his bed. She laughed as she bounced, sitting up to look at him as he grabbed a wooden box from his desk.

“Here,” he said, slightly out of breath as he pushed it into her hands. 

She took it, hearing something rattle inside. “What is it?”

“Just open it!”

With an inquisitive glance up at him, she slid the lid off the box. Inside, something was glimmering, reflecting the light of the desert sun that streamed in through the windows. As Ilula reached inside, she picked up a set of earrings, a teardrop-shaped sapphire hanging from each hook. 

“Oh, Gan,” she breathed, holding the jewelry in her palm as she stared down at it, “these are beautiful…”

He was watching her anxiously. “Do you like them?”

“I do!” She looked up at him with a wide smile. 

The prince let out the breath he had been holding, relieved. “Oh, good.”

“Did you have these made?” Ilula asked, peering closely at the stones. 

“I did,” he smiled. “Just for you. Well, actually, they were going to be a birthday present, but Amira finished them early. I couldn’t hold my tongue for an entire month.”

“This is the best early birthday present I’ve ever gotten,” she beamed up at him. “Thank you, Gan.”

“Oh, they’re not a birthday gift anymore,” he laughed. “I figured out something else for your birthday. These are just normal gifts now.”

Ilula raised an eyebrow. “You really shouldn’t be spending so much time spoiling me, you know…”

“Or what?” He laughed. “You’re my best friend, Lula. You deserve gifts.”

“Well, it’s not like I’m not going to accept them,” she grinned at him as she stood and walked to the mirror on the wall. 

“I put a spell on them.” he blurted out. “To help you stay cool in the sun. Sapphires are good for that.”

She glanced back at him. “Really?”

“Yeah,” he nodded. “I had the jeweler make them and then I enchanted them. I’m supposed to be practicing, and I wanted to try it out…”

“I can’t believe you know magic,” Ilula said as she faced her reflection. “I wish I could put spells on things.”

“It’s not that big a deal,” he shrugged. 

“Shut up,” she laughed. “It’s a super big deal!”

He watched with a serene smile on his face as she took out the big gold hoops she was wearing and replaced them with her new earrings. Just as he had hoped, the bright blue sapphires contrasted perfectly with her fiery red hair…though the thick green band she used to keep it up off of her shoulders didn’t match at all. He made a mental note to add a new, nicer one to the small pile of birthday gifts he would be giving her in a few weeks. 

Ilula admired the way the sapphires hung from her pointed ears. She had to admit…Ganondorf had an eye for jewelry. Maybe it was because he had so much of it himself; as she looked at his reflection behind her, she could count no less than ten incredibly expensive precious stones on his head and arms alone. The perks of being a prince, she supposed.

When he noticed her watching her, he suddenly shuffled his feet awkwardly, glancing away for a moment before looking down at his hands. 

“I’m, uh…glad you like them.” He mumbled. 

“Gan, don’t be sheepish,” Ilula laughed, turning to face him.

He looked up at her, hoping that she couldn’t see the blush on his face. She was the only person who ever made his skin heat up like that, the only Gerudo he ever wanted to be around, the only vai whose hand he wanted to hold. It confused him, the way he felt about his best friend, but he was headstrong and determined not to shy away from whatever he was beginning to feel. 

“I’ve never seen a sheep,” he chuckled. “What does sheepish mean?”

Ilula’s laughter grew louder as she plopped down on the edge of his bed and looked up at him. “They’re soft. Hylians cut their hair and make things with it. They look like fluffy little clouds with legs.”

Ganondorf grinned. “I can’t wait until I’m king and I can see all of Hyrule. I want to go to the castle, see the Hylians.”

“It’s a long walk,” Ilula said. “…well, Mama carried me most of the way, I think. I don’t really remember much of it. I know it rained a lot before we got to the outskirts, though.”

Ganondorf suddenly sighed and turned to the window. He walked towards it, placing his hands on the cool sandstone and leaning on them as he looked out over Gerudo Town and the wide, flat desert outside the gates. 

“What is it like there?” He asked, gazing towards the distant mountains that marked the Gerudo Highlands and the edge of Hyrule. 

Ilula frowned at his change in demeanor and stood to join him. “It’s…green. Everything is green, and you can smell all the plants. And there’s so much water, everywhere…when it rains, it isn’t like here. It just rains for a few hours, and then the sky clears up again, and the birds come back out.”

“It sounds…nice.” He admitted.

“It is,” she agreed. “You can just lean down and drink out of a stream if you’re thirsty. And if you’re hungry, there are apple trees all over! And fish in the rivers, and boar in the woods…”

“I like boar,” Ganondorf laughed.

“Yeah, they taste pretty good, I guess. When you add enough spices.” Ilula shrugged.

“No, not to eat!” He looked at her like she was crazy. “I like the way they look. Those big tusks…there are drawings of them in some of my books. I’ve always liked them.”

“Yeah, I guess they’re pretty cool.” Ilula giggled. “There are lots of other animals, too.”

“Life there must be easy.” He commented. “The Hylians have it all.”

“What do you mean?” Ilula frowned. “I thought you liked the desert.”

“I do, I just…wish we had things like grass and trees and forests. I wish we lived more comfortably.”

“You live very comfortably.” Ilula snorted. 

“What do you mean?” He looked down at her, nose wrinkled slightly. 

“Uh, all of this?” She gestures to the room around them. “The palace? You’re royalty. You hardly have to worry.”

“I have to think about our people!” He argued. “What’s Castle Town like?”

“Busy and big.” Ilula shrugged. “The streets are all made of stone, and there’s a big market where people from all over sell things. Mama didn’t let me go there very much, because of the way the Hylians are sometimes.”

Ganondorf looked down at her in surprise. “What do you mean?”

“They don’t really…trust Gerudo that much.” She folded her arms, hugging herself lightly. “They don’t treat the Rito or the Zora like Hylians, either, but they like them more than they like us.”

As Ganondorf listened, he considered her words. “I’m going to change that.”

“You’re going to change how they think?” She asked skeptically.

“I’m going to show them that they should respect us.” He said. 

“How?”

“Maybe I’ll…send them aid, if they have a natural disaster.” He thought out loud. “Or take a big delegation to visit the castle, or invite them here.”

“The king can’t enter Gerudo Town,” Ilula laughed. “You’re the only voe allowed. Remember, you spoiled prince?”

“Oh. Right.” He chuckled. “Well, I’m going to be in charge someday. I’ll have to figure out this whole diplomacy thing.”

Ilula smiled softly as she looked up at him. “I’m sure you’ll be good at it.”

He grinned down at her. “Only if you help me.”

She returned the grin. “Deal.”

“I don’t think I could handle the throne without you,” he bumped her with his shoulder, nearly throwing her into the wall. “I still have so much I have to learn.”

Ilula stumbled, but she didn’t fall like the last few times he had forgotten how big he was. “That’s why kings always have advisors. Nobody can run everything by themselves.”

“Yeah, I guess you’re right.” He sighed, his attention returning to the world outside his window. “I’ve got six whole years to figure it out, though.”

“Yeah, and it’ll be fine.” She tried to bump her shoulder into his arm with the same force that he had, but he didn’t budge. “Hey, seriously, are you made of rock?”

He barked a laugh. “No, I’m just bigger than you!”

“Well stop it!” She snapped, only half serious. “If you keep this up, you’re not even going to be able to see me!”

“Maybe you should just start catching up!” He retorted.

“I would if I could.” She rolled her eyes. “My mom keeps making me go to the healers to figure out why I’m so short. I keep trying to tell her that it’s not that big a deal, but she won’t listen.” 

As she spoke, her tone grew more serious, until it had Ganondorf frowning. “You’re fine.”

“That’s what I keep saying, but it doesn’t matter.” Ilula sighed. “She’s always worrying that I’m going to get hurt because I’m fragile. I always tell her that I’m not, and I know I’m not because you’re always throwing me down off the walls or into the aqueducts or whatever, but she just always gets mad and tells me to be more careful.”

“Do I ever hurt you?” Ganondorf asked, his eyes wide in alarm. 

“No, you don’t,” Ilula shook her head. “I’m serious, I’m not that fragile, but all she ever sees is me lagging behind everyone else. That’s why I want to start training with the guards, so I can show her that I’m fine.”

He narrowed his eyes slightly. “You know, if you start training, you’ll be busy all the time…”

“Gan, they train literally right outside your window.” She rolled her eyes. “You won’t miss me. I’ll be right there.” 

“…oh. Yeah, I guess you’re right.”

“But I bet my mom is going to be all worried about me training, too.” She sighed. “Until i show her that I’m not some fragile little flower. You know, back in Castle Town, I was always the biggest kid. She didn’t worry as much back then.”

“Do you ever miss it there?” Ganondorf asked, studying her face. 

“Sometimes. I miss everything I could get at the market, and I do miss my father. But…I didn’t fit in there. I guess I don’t really fit in here, either.”

“Yes you do.” He nudged her with his elbow, gentler this time. “You’re Gerudo. You belong here, with your people. With me.”

Ilula smiled up at him. “I know, Gan. I think it’s less about the place, and more about who’s there. You know?”

He looked down at her, his heart fluttering in a way he wasn’t used to. “Yeah. I know.”

000

On Ilula’s twelfth birthday, she woke to the smell of meat cooking over the fire. As soon as her eyes were open, she remembered what day it was, and she shot out of bed to investigate the main room of the home she and her mother shared.

“Sav’otta, my little desert flower,” Auntie Uvira greeted her as she prepared breakfast over the small wok in the middle of the room. “Sleep well?”

“Fine,” Ilula shrugged. “Where’s Mom?”

“Right here,” Kiluki appeared in the doorway, a parcel in her hands. 

Ilula eyed it. “Sav’otta, Mama.”

“Sav’otta, Ilula,” Kiluki smiled, holding the parcel out towards her. “Happy birthday.”

Ilula lunged for it excitedly, tearing the wrappings open while Uvira yelled at her to be mindful of the fire. 

As the brown paper fell away, airy pink fabric was revealed, and Ilula pulled out a bandeau top. Matching pants were next, made of a thin, breathable weave, and as she rushed back to her room to try the new outfit on, Kiluki smiled. 

“How do I look?” Ilula asked breathlessly when she returned, holding her arms out as she spun around to show it off.

“Oh, it’s stunning!” Uvira clapped.

“I think it suits you perfectly,” Kiluki nodded. “How is the fit?”

“I think it’s good. What’s for breakfast?” Ilula was buzzing with energy, bouncing over to look at what Uvira was cooking. 

“This is for later,” her aunt laughed as she sprinkled in some Goron spices. 

“We will be eating breakfast at the palace,” Kiluki informed her daughter. “That’s why I wanted to give you that gift first thing in the morning. You should look your best.”

Ilula grinned. Eating at the palace meant getting to see Ganondorf, and as she rushed to get ready, she wondered what sort of gifts he had in store for her. 

She found out soon after she walked through the impressive archway and approached the throne. The chief sat with her hands on its armrests, her back straight as she looked down at Ilula and Kiluki.

“The prince and queen mother are awaiting your arrival, Ilula,” she said, her voice firm and strong. “I would not keep them waiting. Kiluki, if I could have a quick word.”

Ilula glanced up at her mother in confusion, but when Kiluki waved her off, she was eager to run towards the dining hall. It was her birthday, after all, and she wasn’t going to allow herself to worry about anything. Whatever the chief wanted wasn’t of her concern, and when she saw Ganondorf waiting for her with a pile of gifts, any and all thoughts about what her mother could possibly be needed for flew out the window.

“Happy birthday, Ilula,” Ganondorf’s mother, Mira, said, a smile on her face as she watched her son shove a box into Ilula’s arms.

The Gerudo royal family spared no expense. Ganondorf had given her a sapphire necklace, one that matched the earrings, and a ruby wrist cuff that he said would keep her warm at night when the desert winds pierced Gerudo Town. His eyes lit up at the sight of her happiness, and though he had certainly given her birthday gifts before, he was especially glad to see that all of his hard work and pondering over what to get had all paid off this year. He gave her a new sirwal, the light, baggy pair of pants a bright white with golden accents threaded throughout. Then came an assortment of her favorite candied fruits, a beautiful sand sealskin journal, and the biggest breakfast feast she had ever seen.

By the time the unwrapping was finished, the table was covered in a plethora of delicacies. Everything from platters of sliced hydromelons, to gourmet meats hunted in the highlands, to rare seafood brought all the way from the coast, was piled up and presented to Ilula. It was a lavish celebration, the kind usually reserved for holidays or royal birthdays, and with Kiluki returning from the throne room to partake, the festivities were finally truly underway. 

The adults drank as the children laughed and played. They were nearly too old to be doing so, both nearing the age at which they would begin training for adulthood, and one last romp before it all started seemed to be in order. The day was full of merriment and their spirits were high, and as the two tore out of the palace to get themselves into trouble elsewhere, Mira turned to Kiluki with a sigh. 

“He will be devastated,” she said.

“As will she.” Kiluki raised her cup to her lips and drank. 

“How long do you have?”

“I do not know.” Kiluki lifted her eyes. “Ryla did not say…all I know is that we are to return to Castle Town when she deems fit.”

“Why is she sending both of you?” Mira asked. “I hardly see the sense in taking Ilula away from her training.”

“I believe she wants us to keep up appearances.” Kiluki sighed. “Perhaps by the two of us seeming to return home, the Hylians will be less on edge.”

“Still…” Mira sighed again. “I am sure we will all be focused on our tasks, but your absence will be hard.”

“I only wish I knew when we would be leaving.” Kiluki frowned. “Ryla told me that it could be tomorrow, or in five years.”

“And I don’t suppose you’ll be allowed to visit home…”

“I doubt it.”

“Not even if Ganondorf requests it?”

Kiluki pursed her lips. “Perhaps after he takes the throne, he will summon us back to Gerudo Town. I should hope he will see the value in placing me amongst the Hylians, though, and so close to the royal family…”

“Like a spitting sand cobra, nestled right within their own walls,” Mira chuckled. “You must do your job well, for Ryla to send you back again.”

“Yes, I suppose I must. Though it was easier back then.”

“Will you return to that voe?”

Kiluki wrinkled her nose. “Perhaps, if he is willing to see reason.”

“What did you even fight about?”

“Everything.” She shrugged. “Hylian voe have a single use. The rest of the time, they are wholly disagreeable.”

Mira threw her head back and laughed, the hearty sound echoing off the sandstone walls. “That they are! That they most certainly are.”

[fanartfunart]

[Image ID: 4 drawings of Legend of Zelda characters.

The first drawing is a colored drawing of Link as a Gerudo, with light brown skin, red hair and green eyes. He is standing with a questioning look, arms behind his back. He has his hair in a short ponytail and signature bangs. He is wearing a short-sleeved green tunic with the bottom pulled up on one side. He wears a patterned blue sash around his waist and brightly colored flourishes and white hyrule imagery are used throughout the outfit. He wears light brown trousers, brown boots and white half-gloves that go to his elbow. The Master Sword and a wooden bow are attached to his back.

The second drawing is lineart of Zelda and Link, Zelda is wearing a dress, and Link is wearing feminine Gerudo clothes. Zelda is on her tiptoes, holding a cut ponytail in one hand and a knife in the other with a smile. Link is sitting on a stool in front of her, with sholder-length hair.

The fourth is a two-panneled comic. In the first panel Zelda is in front, marching towards the viewer, looking angry. Link, in the tunic, looks on, confused, a question mark above his head. The second panel Zelda is looking up to an unpictured person, pointing up angrily. Link is running behind her, shown nearly two heads taller than her, looking concerned, an exclamation point over his head. End ID.]

Couldn’t get over the Gerudo Link idea I had…. *pats Link’s head* “This kid can fit so much Nonbinary in him”

Main ideas: Link met (King to be) Ganondorf as a kid, and they got along like a forest fire. (And Link saw one (1) Gerudo Voe and was like “You can Do that?” and stole some Gender for himself.) But, Gerudo Town, Link’s hometown with his aunt, is still Vai-only which means not many friend visits and no boy clothes. Link grows up to be a fierce warrior, while Ganondorf takes up his place as King of the Gerduo. Meanwhile, Zelda, Princess of Hyrule, prepares herself for history to repeat itself once more, but first has to figure out where the Hero is because he apparently is no where to be found in the immediate kingdom. So she expands her search with her friend and protector Impa. They get attacked when exploring the Gerudo Desert and Link ends up saving them and Zelda is just like “That One!!” On-sight adopts a Very Confused Link.