#and the relation to the title of Twilight Sword

[reginrokkr]

𝐗𝐗𝐈𝐕. Origins lost to time of a celestial being: Hesperus, bringer of light.

It is said that seraphs stand the closest to the Creator in the hierarchy of angels and these, known as the Shining Shades created in the image of the One were four. These may also be known as luminaries, which are also four and are emanations of the Supreme Entity. Together alongside the individual the four of them create are passed through history as the Five Saints.

Among these four, one of them —Hesperus— descended to the moonlight kingdom nearby the realm of night with the intention to save these people from the clutches of night's darkness and bring them to the other side of the moon. Hesperus, known as the evening star but also known as a light bringer possessed a solar aura that made him akin to the sun made flesh and bone, the Light Prince. Alas, before he could do his bidding he suffered betrayal from the pygmies and was left in a death-like stance by the Night Mother, a stance that is reversible if the adequate individual comes to save him.

This has occurred before the invaders came and their dark poison caused plagues and arose delusions left and right, before they warred against the Seelies and the Four remaining Saints alike. Hesperus, with the remaining strength he had, he transmigrated his soul to a newborn of the heavens from a different era, believing that his siblings and his Creator would continue dwelling the kingdom of the skies only to realize that the heavens have become demonic.

This newborn is the prophesized by the Night Mother whom would put a stop to her reign and that would be the only contender she would fear, taking advantage of this fact so that this newborn one day would save him too— which is the only speck of hope he had in an era where the Saints no longer existed and were erased from history.

Though the spirit of Hesperus remains dormant within the prophesized prince of the heavens —Dáinsleif—, during his childhood he had dreams which in truth were glimpses of memories of the Shining Shade that represents logos and whom brought light via thoughts put to words. These dreams are the precursor of curiosity satiated via Irminsul that gave him limited wisdom at the time— wisdom that he was not meant to know in the eyes of the higher entities of Celestia.

It is thanks to Hesperus' spirit that Dáinsleif was born with a solar aura, though those who believe that it is the only light that stems from him are wrong. The solar aura merely opaques the inner light he possesses, only noticeable when the solar and later on lunar aura wear off byproduct of the curse and corruption and passage of time.

Hesperus has another name only unique because he never became a fallen angel, as the heavens had yet to become demonic at the time he was put in a death-like stance. Reason why he lacks a name within the Ars Goetia, but a name from the Shem HaMephorash which collides with the former: Haziel is his alternate name, angel of secrets and mysteries.

Though in essence Dáinsleif is no angel —these stopped existing altogether with the coming of the demonic skies, the fall of the Saints and the true angels: the Seelies—, he is a celestial being whose level of reality was heightened by Hesperus' spirit within him and Irminsul's connection. As his memories were erased by Celestia upon his descent to Khaenri'ah, he has no knowledge over the fact that he's a celestial being, even less about the presence of a divine spirit within him.

However, there is the sentience and acknowledgement that he is no ordinary human in view that the modifications done to Irminsul's data and thus the world's memories do not affect him. The most evident clue remains within his Realm of Consciousness: where his voice has the might of a seraph and his appearance changes slightly. His platinum blond hair, turning whiter as the corruption and the curse advance as well as whenever he performs a purification, is completely white as a signal of the multifactorial weathering of his soul, but also as per his connection to Irminsul. A celestial blue sheen bathes his hair and his sclera becomes the color of his irises while his irises invert to white, the Star of Bethlehem-shaped pupils remain icy sapphire as they are originally, thus giving him an ethereal appearance.

[slothcapsule]

a collection of things kaeya foreshadowed

(copy pasted directly from reddit) one of the main appeal points in Kaeya for me is just how much potential his character holds, and how that gets proven with every new main story-centric update. Everything Kaeya says holds a certain double meaning, and we only get to find them out when we know more, so I thought I'd compile all the things (that I know of) that Kaeya has foreshadowed or teased in one way or another because I feel like I never see anybody mention how many things he's said before started making more sense after we knew more things?

starting with his story quest (1.0) predicts a couple of things! the first one being the first three nations' plotlines. Dvalin being the 'wicked abyss dragon' and Osial being the 'hydra', then in Inazuma signora being the 'silver-haired banshee' (for those who don't know Signora's lore centres around her actions being motivated by grief over the loss of her husband I'm pretty sure, so she can vaguely check the banshee title off)

These connections were proven further in Sumeru! During the Aranyaka (3.0) quest, specifically in a section called 'The Children of Vimara Village' the traveller is asked to tell three kids stories. Paimon references Kaeya directly and they follow the template of telling the children stories about our feats by following what Kaeya has said.

I won't include the whole dialogue section because it would be too long. But essentially: they tell Iotham about Dvalin, Kavus about Osial, and Sudabeh about Ei and Yae Miko. I believe that might be because Signora's story and ending aren't exactly suitable for children, given that she got executed by one of the 'distinguished ladies' after losing a match to the death against the traveller.

Later in the Caribert quest we meet Kaeya at the start and find out he's the descendant of the Abyss Order's founder, Clothar. Now, stay with me please, I admit that this might be a stretch on my part but I do believe if you squint your eyes it makes sense, but what if I tell you that was also foreshadowed in his story quest?

In his story quest, he talks about his grandfather and the sword he had. at the end of the quest, Kaeya does give us the harbinger of dawn to make up for him tricking us. now, if we take into account the time loop theory (which has been proven to at least some extent with the Aranara and all) and the fact that since Kaeya is a descendant of Clothar and our sibling is the prince/princess of the abyss order which Clothar founded, you could kind of say they're vaguely related, and since all that happened like centuries ago and Kaeya is in his alleged 20's, heck, the abyss twin is basically their grandparent!

It's also worth mentioning that the sword harbinger of dawn could also be tied to Dainsleif, otherwise known as "The Twilight Sword." the description of the sword could be vaguely tied to him as well as one who "failed in his duty".

Of course, that piece of dialogue isn't the only thing that foreshadowed the reveal of Kaeya being related to the Abyss Order's founder or even him being some sort of vague royalty. (Regent, I know, but still they're regents that stepped up and took charge)(For the sake of having consistent sources of where I got info from, the regent thing was confirmed in the 2.7 Hidden Strife event). However, before we knew he was a regent, the Kaeya prince theory was by no means unpopular, and there's a collection of things that allude to it. He has a voice line about Fischl in which he teases how appropriate it'd be for him to be a descendant of a royal person. he's the only blade-carrying Knight of Favonius whose normal attacks start with 'Favonius Bladework'. Instead, his normal attacks are titled 'Ceremonial Bladework'.

I cannot find photos for these which saddens me, but I can swear that his second passive talent was named 'Heart of the Abyss' before it was changed to 'Glacial Heart', and his first constellation was 'Royal Blood' before it was changed to 'excellent blood' both of which were great contributors for the theory. I'd greatly appreciate it if anyone who has the photos could provide them I feel like I'm going crazy, I'm sure I saw photos before but I can only find people talking about it.

and personally, the craziest one in my opinion is his 'More About Kaeya IV' voice line, which actually teased the five sinners of Khaenri'ah that Dainsleif told us about in Bedtime Story (4.7 !!?)

there was some suspicion about the voice line back in 3.5 when we originally met one of the sinners through our sibling's memories, but I thought nothing could be proven by one guy who goes by sinner because well, maybe he called himself that because that's what they're viewed as! and kaya saying that could be coming from a similar place of talking about Khaenri'ahns as sinners because that's the view that led to their downfall or something. but no there's a kind of group actually titled the sinners that mess with things, that Kaeya seems to be fully aware of.

honorable mentions for things that I personally think will also gain relevance at some point:

possibly relating to a Khaenri'ahn tradition about their right eye? he isnt the first one we've seen with something covering his eye.

Owls are closely tied to the Ragnvindr family actually, and I'm pretty sure that the owl of Dragonspine is supposed to like either a fictional made-up thing or something that's never supposed to be seen, i cannot for the life of me remember where i got that from i might be lying but i remember something like that (maybe the dragonspine gliders?)

Not a screenshot because it's just my personal idea, but I will die on this hill: Kaeya's vision backstory states that after Crepus died, Kaeya was overwhelmed with guilt about it, so much so that he actually went to Diluc's doorstep and confessed everything. Diluc was enraged and the two of them fought. Seems straightforward, except it isn't like, at all actually.

There was a side to Kaeya that he kept hidden from the world: In truth, he was an agent of Khaenri'ah, placed in to serve their interests. His father had abandoned him in this strange and unknown land to fulfill this mission, and it was Master Crepus and the city of Mondstadt that had welcomed him with open arms when they found him. If Khaenri'ah and Mondstadt went to war, which side should he support? To whom should he offer his assistance: his birth father, who had ruthlessly abandoned him? Or his adoptive father, who had loved him and raised him? For the longest time, Kaeya had agonized over these impossible questions, caught between the opposing demands of loyalty and duty, faced with an impossible choice between truth and happiness. But now, Crepus' death upset this delicate balance. He felt liberated, but also ashamed of how selfishly he was responding. As an adopted son, he should have saved Crepus, but he had arrived moments too late. As a brother, he should have shared in Diluc's grief, and yet as their father lay dying on the ground, he had hung back behind his brother, that ancient plot running through his mind.

I have two main points that don't make sense to me about this:

He felt guilty about not showing up on time to help Crepus and Diluc, and Crepus dying made him more conflicted than grief-filled because Crepus was one of the main things tying him to Mondstadt. He found himself deliberating 'that ancient plot' literally right there and then, not even as an afterthought. That guilt then made him confess all his secrets to Diluc, literally in the same day. What I think doesn't fully make sense is the fact that Crepus dying doesn't really feel like enough of a reason for him to go spelling all his secrets. I get that he felt guilty about not feeling all full of grief and instead thinking about a personal conflict, but imo that doesn't seem like enough of a reason to spill secrets of the gravity that Kaeya seems to be holding on to, especially on the same day that it happened in the first place. He spent almost no time mulling it over and thinking about whether or not he should tell Diluc or not, it's almost like not telling him right away would've made everything even worse somehow. Which brings me to my second point.

Why was Diluc so upset over what Kaeya had to say? Kaeya said he anticipated his anger, but what could he have possibly said to make Diluc in his state of grief be angry enough to immediately fight with full intent to harm and possibly even kill his brother, the closest person to him other than his father? Kaeya being an agent of Khaenri'ah doesn't seem like enough of a reason for all that I think. Maybe anger and being really upset, especially considering the timing of it all, but drawing their blades against each other? instantly? you could argue the response was that extreme because Diluc wasn't thinking clearly and was mourning, and the fact that Kaeya was lying about his whole identity ever since he stepped foot in the manor might've set him off, and I'd agree honestly. But I still think both of their reactions were incredibly extreme, even with their heightened emotions.

His vision! every faithful Kaeya enthusiast knows that his vision is slightly different from other Mondstadt vision holders, i don't buy that it was just an honest design mistake honestly, it's an easy fix and a weird mistake to make in the first place, and considering who the vision belongs to I think it was very intentional. maybe his vision is fake and his cryo is actually abyss powers or something ooo (also kind of a joke I have no clue)

I made a whole extensive post about Kaeya's design and all the little details in it (check it out you want to soooo bad it's pinned in my profile) but I think one of the things that could be a subtle foreshadowing and tying into the whole paragraph I made is that Kaeya has some vague fatui elements in his outfit! which is a crazy thing imo

This is all I can come up with at the moment. There might be more that I'm forgetting or unaware of, but I think all this is worth keeping in mind. I love Kaeya and he's been my main for three years, ever since I started playing, but I'd be lying if I told you I don't think he's lying to everyone about a whole bunch of things. I think he might be genuinely conflicted about whether he should stay loyal to his origins or the people who have actually raised and taken care of him, but that does not mean he's not privy to a lot more information than he lets on. Kaeya kind of seems like he knows how everything will turn out, everything he says and does is intentional and thought out. I need him dead, or a 5*.

I'd love to hear anything else you think is suspicious or might take on more meaning in the future from Kaeya! also please correct me if im wrong about anything, a lot of these are thoughts that have been circulating in my head for like years atp but i might've forgotten technicalities on some stuff.

[das6]

Some danganronpa 2 re-designs and hcs ↓

Pekoyama: I thought her schoolgirl outfit was kinda weird and that she would look more professional, i thought of her wearing a suit but that would make her link to fuyuhiko too obvious so I decided on a less formal outfit. I also think the pigtails don’t really suit her, but I think she would have some ribbons on her sword case and some cute keychains.

Sonia: her dress is based on traditional Norwegian dress, it’s longer and more princess-like I think. I kept her bow. she definitely has the longest hair out of everyone. her dress would have red and yellow embroidery on it I just got lazy

Teruteru: the only way I could cope with him is completely rewriting his character along with redesign, he’s just a very sheltered momma’s boy, who’s very passionate about cooking. he’d probably still have a rarity complex about his background and have accent slip ups. He might easily get lil crushes on his classmates at most, but he’s not weird about it

Mahiru: I feel that mahiru’s original design is overlooked, and she was basically just used so they’d have a camera in the first trial, and a background murder in the second trial. I made her a masc lesbian bc I feel it suits her character a lot more for various reasons, from her relationship with hiyoko who has complex trauma, to creating more background as to why she was the target of so much aggression in the twilight murder case. I feel like it would give her a deeper background because presenting as a masc woman or trans masculine person is often responded to with hostility or ostracism. her relationship to hiyoko makes me think she’s someone who understands her trauma.

Hiyoko: I didn’t like how hiyoko is basically a l@li in the game, so she’s the same age as everyone in my version, she’s just more petite and groomed into behaving certain ways and lashes out due to that trauma and not fully understanding her upbringing. I got rid of her weird pigtails, otherwise not much changes.

Mikan: with mikan’s background, I think it’s more natural and reasonable for her to wear nurse scrubs.

Akane: her redesign is based on a sprite edit I saw, I’ll add credits here once I find the source. akane is my favorite I think they did her horribly wrong oversexualizing and dumbing down her character, and i think being the ultimate boxer or something related to combat sports would suit her much more than gymnast, so she would be working towards gaining that title as she only became a gymnast as a means to make money. I also hc akane as maybe bi-gender or trans masculine

And I just drew fuyuhiko and nekomaru because I like them 🕴️nekomaru’s outfit is kinda toned down and he’s wearing a chain necklace instead of lugging around a giant one

[manitschilly]

My notes taken while reasearching the Zelda Timeline lol, mostly cannon a little headcannon in places. Also my Zelink rating aren't how much I like them it's how likely they are in the narrative.

Power: Din ->Demise->Ganondorf. The Gerudo give birth to a male every 100 years, and it's only ever been Ganon. The 100 year system got screwed though because Ganon keeps not actually dying. Pigs. Fire. Red.

Courage: Farore-> heros spirit (fierce diety?)-> Link. Only the hero's spirit is reincarnated in Link, so he's not the same person. Not related at all, except for Twilight Princess where Link is a descendant of Ocarina of Time Link. Wolves and horses. Lighting. Green.

Wisdom: Naydra -> Hylia-> Zelda. Every Zelda is actually Hylia reincarnated through a consistant bloodline. Loftwing. Ice. Blue.

-there is a void called Null

-The three goddess create the earth and the triforce, and that's their only relation to Demise, Hylia, and the heros spirit. They're not reincarnations at all, more like patrons. (Unwillingly in Dins case). Din created the land, Farore created life, and Nayru created order.

-possibly Zonai and Sonia and Rauru founding the first kingdom of Hyrule. This would imply there is a Ganon unconnected to Demise sealed for the rest of everything and a dragon Zelda floating around. Rauru and Sonias light and time magic start off the royal family.

-a long undisclosed time with robots for some reason

-A battle between the Hylia, Demise and the races in Hyrule breaks out over the Triforce. Hylia takes the Hylian kingdom into the sky to protect them, then becomes a Hylian to protect the triforce. She also created a sword with a spirit named Fi with her godly power. With Demise sealed for now, she waits to be born.

-Sheikah are probably started around here, as like a Hylia cult.

-Skyward Sword: First incartion is Skyward Sword, when Hylia chooses to be born as Zelda and chooses Link as her champion to hold the heros spirit. They fight Demise who then curses them to reincarnate forever, and establishes his own incarnation, kicking off the rest of the series. Hylia, now Zelda, is shown to use her time powers. Link, Zelda, and a few Hylians from Skyloft restart the kingdom on the surface.

Link and Zelda are in love, Zelda chosing Link specifically for that reason. This could imply that Hylia and the heros spirit are soulmates in some way, and every incarnarion after is an extension of that. They don't end up together every time, but that makes it even more beautiful and heartrenching. (Just to specify, Links aren't related so don't worry about it) 10/10 Zelink potential this shit is cannon.

Kikwi present. Impa is there as part of the Shiekah. Impa seems to be either a repeated name or a title given to Shiekah warriors meant to protect the reincarnation of Hylia, not their own incarnation.

-another very long time gap

-evil sorcerors are after the triforce which is hidden in the sacred realm. A new temple of time (after the one in Hylias time used to hide the sealed Demise and Zelda) is built around the master sword, which has been holding in Demise this whole time.

-Another long time passes. Zelda's descendants have become the royal family. Princesses are named Zelda after the original incarnation (note, they aren't all reincarnations, just named after her). There is still a lot of magic floating around the bloodline.

-sheikah are sworn to Hylias blood and therefore the royal family.

-Hyrule is again in danger, a special species called the Minish come from the sky to protect them with a special sword, which was then wielded by an incarnation of Link.

-Minish Cap: a bitch named Vaati wants light powers, turns the current Zelda (actually an incarnation, you know because there's a hero) to stone, and that times Link turns the Minish's sword into the 4-sword. Zelda is the light power source, as the light power is still in the royal family. 8/10 Zelink potential

Gorons present

-Another time skip

- Four Swords: the four-sword is used to defeat Vaati again by another Link and Zelda incarnation. 6/10 Zelink potential

- time skip

- Giant ass civil war

- shiekah go into hiding but are still used by the royal family for sketchy shit. (Queue shadow temple 'nam flash backs)

- the first actual Ganondorf is born, or the second depending on if the Zonai are before or after.

- Ocarina of Time: Ganondorf is born as king of the gerudo, and pretends to be allied with the king to gain access to the triforce which is still in the sacred realm, sealed with the master sword. This Link incarnation pulls out the master sword as a child and opens the sacred realm, allowing Ganandorf access to the Triforce, the triforce of power attaching itself to him forever. This also gave Link the triforce of Courage and Zelda the triforce of wisdom. The sacred realm becomes evil and Ganondorf is sealed in it. There's a lot of time travel and it ruins just everything.

Zora, Kokiri, Gerudo, and Gorons present.

Great deku tree dies and is reborn.

and now shit hits the fan

Fallen hero time line

- Ocarina of Time: Link freaking dies and Ganondorf wins, taking the while triforce for himself. He still gets sealed in the corrupted sacred realm, but now he has the triforce. 0/10 Zelink potential long term, as Link is dead, but like 8/10 short term.

- time passes and homies keep going into the sacred realm to get the triforce but they never come back and monsters keep coming out. The sealed it again, at great cost of life and resources

-Echoes of Wisdom: a dark being called Null that was the nothing before the three goddess's created Hyrule starts taking over Hyrule with Rifts. Zelda gets kidnapped and Link is called to save her, but immediately after gets dragged into a rift and Zelda saves Hyrule from Null, who for a second owns a piece of the Triforce. At the end Null is defeated and the Triforce is restored. 10/10 Zelink potential it was glorious

- A Link to the Past: Agahim, some bitch, takes over the kingdom and the remaining sages to break the seal on Ganon. This reincarnarion of Zelda magically contacts the new Link. He kills Ganon and uses his newly acquired triforce to put everything back to normal. Now the royal family has the triforce. 7/10 Zelink potential. Same Link then has Links awakening acid trip. I'd knock down the Zelink potential but Malin like isn't real so.

Zora present

-Oracle series: same Link then has another acid trip but this time it's real, ending with Ganon being brought back to life as a mindless force of chaos. Ups Zelink to like 8/10, and confirms existence of other kingdoms beside Hyrule that aren't in another dimension.

- triforce splits again somehow, power returns to beast Ganon

- time skip

- A Link Between Worlds: new Link, new sages, Lorule exists so that's fun, opposite Hyrule dimension without a triforce. Ganon is freed and eats a man probably. Confirms this Link and Zelda have their respective triforces. Upon returning to Hyrule, the triforce is again in 1 piece and peace is restored to Hyrule and Lorule. 8/10 Zelink potential and like 9.5/10 Hildio potential.

- same Link goes to Hytopia, yet another kingdom in the same dimension.

- time skip. Great time, royal family again has the United triforce.

- King breaks up the triforce and sends Courage to the next Link incarnation, hiding its physical location from all except his daughter Zelda. New King puts that Zelda under a sleeping spell and regrets it. Tries to rule with just power of Wisdom but it doesn't go great.

- time skip

- The Legend of Zelda: same Ganon steals the triforce of power, new Zelda and Impa. New Link, without triforce of Courage, again postponed Ganon

- Adventure of Link : same Link is helping Hyrule not burn down, when suddenly he is given the triforce of Courage mark. He wakes up the old Zelda. I'd say the Zelda born in his time is the actual incarnarion, the older Zelda just a princess. 9/10 Zelink actually but like also he's a little weird with old Zelda to little odd but okay.

Child timeline

- Ocarina of Time: Link defeats Ganondorf and is sent back in time to relive the childhood he didn't have. He warns the royal family before Ganondorf can gain any power and therefore the events of Ocarina of Time never happen. Link leaves on a horse to look for Navi and has a Majoras mask acid trip. 10/10 short term Zelink and like 2/10 longterm, but also one of my favorite dynamics. This is one of the tragedy timeliness, where Zelda loved him before sending him back in time (Sheik was a simp). He could have ended up with this Zelda, but he probably didn't because his descendant in the next game isn't royalty like at all. Scrodingers Zelink, if the next Zelink happened then this one didn't, but we don't know if it does.

-Twilight Princess: Ganondorf is banished to the Twilight realm, where the wizard sent there a Hella long time ago got busy. He gains power with a guy named Zant who takes over the Twilight realm and breaks out to Hyrule. The princess of the Twilight realm named Midna finds the new Link incarnation, an actual descendant of the last one and holder of the triforce of Courage.

Link is trained by the like ghost of the hero of time, who is an adult and missing an eye. The hero of time means nothing to this Hyrule because Ocarina of Time never happened.

They kill Ganondorf finally holy shit and the Twilight mirror is shattered, forever separating the two places.

Like 8/10 Zelink potential, frick Illia freaking hate her. I follow that Zelink both had a crush on Midna but she's gone sooooo

Gerudo, Gorons, and Zora.

-big ass time skip

-Four Sword Adventure: new Ganondorf is born finally, but is like immediately sealed with the 4-sword by a new Link. I don't think there even is a Zelda so 0/10 Zelink potential

Adult timeline

-Ocarina of Time :This is what's left when Link gets sent back in time. Ganondorf is sealed in the corrupted spirit realm and the triforce of Courage shatters into 8 pieces, master sword is returned to the temple of time. 10/10 horribly tragic Zelink poor Zelda good lord.

-time passes without any reincarnations.

-Ganon escapes his seal in the sacred realm but there's still no Link or so Hyrule is effed. The gods flood Hyrule, society continues on mountaintops that are now islands and Hyrule is frozen underneath a giant ocean. The Triforce of Wisdom is split in two between Zelda, who stays on land, and her father, in the frozen Hyrule.

-Time passes badly

-Windwaker: Gannon escapes to the surface and kidnaps "girls with pointed ears", or descendants of Hylia. A new Link appears and gets the master sword from the frozen Hyrule, but it doesn't do shit until he fixes the triforce of courage. The king appears and bestows Links pirate captain the other half of the triforce, as she's reveled to be this time's Zelda. The triforce is restored and the old Hyrule gets genocided. Ganon is sealed, not dead, and Link and Zelda/Tetra go to establish a new hyrule. 10/10 Zelink potential this is some good shit. Rito, Kokiri, and Gerudo present

-Phantom Hourglass: Same Link and Zelda have a bit on their quest, no lasting consequences except for 11/10 Zelink potential. They discover New Hyrule.

-Spirit Tracks: some train shit in New Hyrule, new Link and Zelda have a soft romantic adventure with no lasting consequences except no more trains. 10/10 Zelink it's the whole plot.

Gorons present

After or before

-all the three timelines get just apocalyptic and society is just like gone, so the Zonai come from the Heaven's and with their arrival comes the merging of the three timelines.

-OR potentially Rauru and Sonias time is actually before Skyward Sword, as Ganondorf isn't actually a reincarnation. This would imply that every other game happens inbetween Rauru and Sonias time and Breath of the Wild, which i like better but it makes some leaps in logic, however it also explains the existence of both time and Light magic in the royal blood line.

-time passes

-Hyrule is once again reformed OR formed for the first time, by the last of the Zonai, Raruru and his Hylian wife Sonia. The incarnations are still going strong, so Ganondorf is born but their kind of hosed because there isn't a Link or Zelda OR the incarnations havent started yet and this is the first Ganon, before he was tied to Demise.

Luckily, either way, a Zelda comes from the future, and after a battle ending in the death of Sonia, Rauru uses himself to seal Ganondorf away and Zelda turns into a dragon.

-Time passes, the kingdom grows and hyrule castle is built over Ganondorf.

-Time passes and either all the other games happen or nothing happens, either way Zelda is still a dragon.

Definitely after

-a Link and Zelda are reincarnated to fight Calamity Gannon, whatever is left of the monster Ganon that was never killed in the other timelines. They, with the highly technogically advanced Shiekah, build weapons and postpone his return. We don't know much but like 8/10 Zelink I don't know could be cool. Shiekah go off, creating shrines and all types of shit.

-abreak off of the shiekah called the Yiga form, which is like the shiekah but for Ganon instead of Hylia.

-Breath of the Wild: a new Link and Zelda are born. They are so far ahead that they no longer have a grasp on the incarnations before them besides a few sparce legends. They know Ganon is coming back but they don't know who he is. They know Zelda is suppose to have powers, but they have no idea how she's gets them. Link finds the master sword in the lost woods, guarded by the great deku (the 2nd actually the first one died somewhere).

So they fail, whoops. Link dies and gets put in a Sheikah shrine for healing while Zelda holds of Ganon for 100 years.

-hyrule collapses and turns into almost a tribal society very unconnected.

-Link wakes up, wrecks havoc, and defeats Calamity Ganon, freeing Zelda and starting the reconstruction of hyrule.

10/10 Zelink potential. We got the before when Zelda cononicly loved him but we don't know Links feeling, and then Link might remember her and its like a reuniting thing and it's lovely or he doesn't and they fall in love again. Or possibly he didn't love her before and either way its a saga and his rubber band was in her study in "her" house thats all I'm saying.

-7 years, hyrule is being rebuilt by Zelda.

-Tears of the Kingdom: A sickness is spreading through Hyrule, Zelda and Link go to investigate and find what's left of the Ganondorf Rauru fought, who is either the first ganondorf or the most recent one. Zelda is sent in the past to Sonia and Rauru, along with the destroyed master sword.

Zelda is turned into a dragon and lives out thousands of years as one, potentially during every other game in the series. If so, the cloud layer established by Hylia was probably around until the upheavel, hiding her.

-The Upheavel happens and the world gets a little more cracked out, but Link defeats the Ganondorf and Zelda is turned back to her Hylian form. 11/10 Zelink potential and the dragon bit is so upsetting.

The three goddesses are present as dragons. Are they dragons? Are they just manifestations of their power? Idek but it's sick.

What the hell is Beedle? I read a fanfic once that he never dies because he helped Hylia once and it was really good so I highkey stand by that.

Sages kinda hop around, usually there's 7, one for each major group, even though not every race exists in every game. Are they extensions of the gods somehow?

(Rito, Zora, Gerudo, Gorons, Hylians, Shiekah, and whatever weird shit they got going on that game usually just Zelda)

One main issue with the Zonai before theory is that there's all the races when the Rito specifically doesn't seem to exist outside of the adult timeline.

There is a possible Kikwi, Kokiri, Korok pipeline.

I prescribe to the fierce deity as the original hero incarnation because it's just fits well and I'm obsessed with him, but it it doesn't really matter either way. I also read a fanfic once where the Fierce Deity loved Hylia and fought with her against Demise, but he died and the hero's spirit in each Link is what's left of him. Also read one where he saved Farore once from Demise and that's why he's specifically blessed with courage. Might have been the same one. I cannot remember it is 5:30 am and I haven't slept yet.

Ears are cool and plot relevant. The closer they are the Hylia the pointier their ears are, they get less pointy over time. Which adds to the Zonai being before because they got the pointiest ears. Also Gerudo ears get more pointy as time goes on.

Din gerudo pipeline? That's interesting. Farore and Nayru don't really have anything like that. Hylia has the Hylians but that's it.

Great Deku tree? Who? How? Why is he still kicking? Kind of adds to the Before Zonai theory or else he would have had to survive whatever apocalypse destroyed everything

In summary, somebody off me and therapy is probably a good investment.

[neverchecking]

I have a brain rot for sage, hes challenging the chain for their time with player/reader, he basically wants all His/Her/Them's attention, of course none of the chain and sage are going to "play" fair their going to cheat no matter what. the only ones he might not win against is time, FD and maybe twilight. wind, four, Hyrule, and sky would do sad puppy eyes to get cuddle time, twilight and legend turn into their animal form to get pettings, sage and wild would cook food to get points for being delicious. (etc.etc.) just some yandere shenanigans for attention. the challenges he did were sword fighting, bow and arrow targeting, sparing, arm wrestling, and so forth.

-Eevee

Okay, last one for the night! I figured since this isn't really a request, I could spitball some more of my headcanons for our beloved Sage.

Jk it delted itself so I gave up and went to bed bc last time I tried to push through I wasn't happy with the end product, so sorry for the delay!

For those of you who don't know, Sage is another name for the Tears of the Kingdom Link--dubbed Hero of the Zonai-- should we decide he is not in fact Wild.

For the Wild and Facesitting request, it's in progress I promise! I try to go in order with my requests, but like I said, this is more headcanons versus a scenario. It should be out tomorrow later today so look out for that ;)

ANYWAY-

Y'all. The amount of Sage requests in my inbox right now? You guys are feral for this man and I love it. So I'm here to feed you guys.

TotK spoilers below!

・❥・Okay, so lemme start this off by saying. I have done you all wrong. And for that I apologize.

・❥・Because our wonderful @wayfayrr has opened my eyes to new possibilities that I would've never even thought of. So everyone say thank you rn >:(

・❥・So let's make some amendments!

・❥・First off, let's talk about nicknames. I love the idea that Reader, and only Reader, can call him anything other than Sage. And calling him other herb-related nicknames? Kills me. He is a flushing red mess the first time it happens. You had deemed him worthy of a nickname? You considered him person enough to have a moniker that wasn't also a title? If he was down bad before, it's so much worse now. Because you see him as a person. He's sure the others just see him as a means to the end. The second one of them, maybe save Wind, try it, he's shooting them daggers and snarling at them for even daring to try and impeach your privilege. (I also love the Calm, Wild and Feral thing, I thought that was so freaking clever.)

・❥・And you know how each of the hero's have their own 'sword' right? Well, what if Sage's was the Master Sword Remastered? Like Sky's (Like most of their Master Swords actually) but now it's been boosted by ten thousand years worth of direct light magic. (Does the Zonai time fall before Skyward Sword or after? I have no idea where they fall on the timeline tbh.). Just a thought. It could also be a gloom sword which probably wouldn't effect him as hard in other timelines because there's no demon king to power it, but it probably does hurt the others if they try to touch it.

・❥・Now, the juicy part. Let's retouch on Wild's and Sage's relationship. I originally said that Sage was okay with him? I lied. Wayfayrr has opened my eyes.

・❥・Sage probably can't fucking stand Wild. As they said, this is a version of him that didn't have this second adventure. Got to rest and distant himself from the Hero Title. And that just pisses him off. Why did he get the shittier hand? Why did he have to do it all over again? Why when this failure got to get off easy? Why couldn't he have the same grace, huh? What made them so different?

・❥・And if we're using the past oneshot (Here!) as they're 'canon' meeting, this filth let you get hurt. You were hurt before meeting him, which means that they can't be trusted with you. Especially Wild. So Sage cannot stand you being near Wild. At all. It eats at him and he doesn't last long before splitting the two of you up.

・❥・Calamity is even worse. There is probably an active hate towards Calamity (In this Yandere world, in a normal, not toxic world? They probably work out their differences a little better). This was a version of him who didn't even have to die to complete his quest. And this just shows that Fraud has favorites and it's not him.

・❥・You know who else he probably doesn't like? Twilight. Now, hear me out. This is purely me just spitting this out, but Sage has to be aware. He listens when they don't think he does, he's awake when they think he's not, he's watching when they don't even know he's there.

・❥・So he probably picks up on all of their little secrets. Meaning he knows Twilight is Wolfie. And (I think this is Canon is LU but I'm not sure) Wild had Wolfie as a guide. Which means Sage had Wolfie as a guide. The difference? When he needed him the second time, left stumbling around like a newborn fawn crawling out of the shrine all over again, he was left alone. He was fighting robots with a fucking Stick. He fused a mushroom to a shield just to buy himself more time. At one point, he was fusing a long stick to another long stick just to fight from a distance to save his battered body. Rauru did as much as he could, but there were some times he wished he was left for dead.

・❥・Not anymore as that means he would've never met you, but then? different story.

・❥・They also brought up that Sage probably doesn't stop at just cooking your food and I agree. When on the road, he for sure goes straight to the source. If he doesn't know exactly where it came from, it's not going anywhere near his Goddess. Nope. Not a chance in the gloomy depths from hell.

・❥・He's going to farmers themselves rather than merchants for produce, hunting any protein himself, climbing trees for eggs, he probably even makes his own butter. Now, because he's also cooking savy this for sure makes the rivalry between him and Wild widen. Wild is set in his cook for the chain, not you. Sage can't trust them to not hurt you again. Whose to say they don't over spice the food? Or undercook the fish? Or drop shells into the egg?

・❥・He can't trust them and may force you to pick one of the other. Depending on who you chose, he'll either hold his victory up high or work even harder to separate you from the chain. Can't you see, Reader? They aren't good for you.

・❥・When it comes to the Gloom, he for sure uses to his advantage. You know he's been infected, but you don't know how much light he's gathered to dispel it. At this point, he's probably gotten most, if not all of it, out, but you don't know that. And he preys on that fact.

・❥・Oh, the Traveler wants to down to the river with you? But, Reader, there's something rotten in his chest and he's stumbling against trees, exaggerating his steady steps just in case to really sell it. He needs you by his side, can't you see?

・❥・Oh, the captain is trying to get you to settle with him for the night? But, Reader, he's tossing and turning, feigning sleep and acting just enough to catch your attention. He's listening, ears pricked, just to hear you swiftly apologize before your gently hands are laying on his shoulders and he's won again.

・❥・And because his Hyrule is one of, if not the most dangerous Hyrules, he's given so much ammo to keep you tethered to him. You can't trust anyone, don't you know? The Yiga uptake has skyrocketed and they are everywhere, along with Ganon's new ability to make puppets? Can't you see how you can't trust any of them?

・❥・He even entertains you when you come up with the idea to have a secret saying between just the two of you as a fail safe. (It's probably something like 'Deforestation Enthusiast' because of how the two of you met.) Anything to have you pulling further away from the Chain and into his arms.

・❥・If it begins to take longer than expected, Sage is not above letting you wander just enough in his Hyrule. Maybe you set off a bit of Gloom hands (Or maybe he nudges them in your direction, hard to tell, really) and they go charging at you. The others don't know how to deal with them, but he does. He saves your life before the others even know what hit them. He's cooing into your ear, reassuring that where the others fail, he would never dream of it. He's whispering that he knows how scary the feeling of those hands are. He knows how freezing the feeling of sudden restriction, only accompanied by the burning sizzle of malice, is. He knows and he understands, but he's right here. He'd never let anything happen to you. Not like the other frauds.

・❥・Now, all that being said, Sage for sure does not play fair. Oh no. He does challenge them in his own ways, but does it in a way that can only reflect badly on them should they call him out on it.

・❥・He's fighting (Picking apart) with Wars and Calamity on their sparring routines, angling it in just a way that should they snap back he can turn on the innocent little look with a 'But I'm just trying to protect you. I don't know how any of you fight, I'm still learning.' Just in time for you to catch them barking at him to 'Learn faster' and it just falls perfectly into place.

・❥・He's calling out Twi and Four every time they try to wander off (Probably to bring out Wolfie or split to relieve a headache of sorts) because 'The woods are dangerous, what are they doing going off alone?' and now they can't leave because all eyes are on them and he's restricting their movement without even really trying. They wanna go foraging? But he and ...Wild were their best foragers and they were busy with dinner (That was something bitter to get out).

・❥・And wow, Time, Legend and Fierce have so many secrets, can you really trust them? Sage has laid down his entire adventure to you, and regardless if Reader is a LoZ player and knows of them regardless, Sage told you. Those two are trying to hide from you. He would never.

・❥・Wind, Hyrule and that filthy disgrace want to drag you along to go Shield surfing? Reader, do you know how dangerous that is? Especially with someone's track record. Here, you wanna go riding on this motorized wagon he just happens to have on hand? (Between the Zonite in his Purah pad, he can build any component necessary.)

・❥・Not even Sky and First are safe as he uses carefully laid words to sully their once golden image towards you. Afterall, they're so close to Hylia, whose to say they aren't behind all of this?

・❥・Now, you said that the only ones he may not win against are Time, Fierce and Twilight, but like I said, I can imagine him loathing Twilight, so instead, may I suggest First.

・❥・Time and Fierce are both pretty burly dudes that demand some semblance of respect and while Sage has muscles, he's not overly tall. So while he doesn't bow, he may just back off from their forefront for a while.

・❥・Now, First. He's probably the only one who can put Sage back in his place of the hierarchy. It's the first in the timeline, versus the last (As of right now). And it's not pretty. They probably go to blows a few times when you're out of ear shot.

・❥・The problem is that First can only push him back when you're out of ear shot and Sage makes it a point to keep you as close as humanly possible.

・❥・And while yes, some of them may use puppy eyes, Sage is not above using pity to get what he wants because he just hurts so badly don't you know?

・❥・He unfortunately can't do anything about wolves or rabbits. If they manage to disappear before he can call them out on it, he's left bitterly sulking as Wolfie laps at your cheeks or dumb rabbits nose at your hand. He may know who they are, but not even he's cruel enough to call them out (Yet) because that would just pit you against him. They weren't his secrets to tell, you would scold, and he just couldn't handle that possibility.

・❥・The biggest difference between Sage and Wild, one that the chain will fail to realize right away, is that Sage is much more experienced. He is on his second, THIRD if you count the pre-calamity, adventure. He knows everything Wild does, and more. Wild knows how to improvise and adapt, Sage can do it faster. Wild knows how to forage and concoct incredibly potent elixirs? Sage can do it tenfold with half the ingredients. He knows all the little tips and tricks and is not only backed up by the champion's gifts-- should they have remained-- but now he has the sages with him.

・❥・Like imagine their mid-battle, they had forced you away from Sage just to create some distance (At long last) and mans comes rolling in a giant fucking robot. He's using Sidon's sage to shield you over and over again and decimating a battle field using nothing but Riju and an arrow. Hell, the bigger enemies are struck down by Yunobo crashing into them. Sage alone is enough to cut the enemy hordes in half through recall and sending their own attacks back at them or fusing together weapons they wouldn't have ever dreamed of with new abilities. Even his outfits give him benefits far beyond anything they could think.

・❥・You saw him as someone more than just Link. He wasn't just the Swordsman to you when that was who he was to everyone else. You dubbed him something far beyond what a damned sword made him.

・❥・And he would have to be four days dead before letting you go.

・❥・And as he's proven before, Not even death could truly kill him.

I am so glad I waited bc I like this one so much more than the one that was deleted.

[mmelete]

Four had a loose tooth.

Surely it would come out any time today. It had to! The last time Four looked at it, it was all clear and purple-y and stuff. Thank goodness it was a molar, or he would’ve been screwed if anyone noticed. 

Not like his crooked teeth made it any more obvious…turns out having the hero’s spirit doesn’t mean having a perfect, heroic smile. Grandpa already discussed getting braces the last time he was home, which was a downright next level of embarrassment. 

Imagine saving the entire kingdom of Hyrule three different times by the age of 11, and then going to the dentist for some braces. 

What if the dentist framed a picture of Four on the wall—the hero of Hylia, wielder of the Four Sword, with goofy braces on? As some sort of… sales tactic?

Four shuddered at the thought. 

“Let’s set up camp here for the night,” Time declared, glancing at the sun. “Four and Twilight, go collect some firewood while we set up the rest.”

Twilight nodded, gesturing for Four to follow. Four kept fidgeting with his loose tooth whenever the rancher wasn’t looking, praying that it would just fall out discreetly. Now is the time! Come on, come on!

“Everythin’ alright, smithy?” Twilight called out, peeking over his shoulder as Four trailing behind. 

Four nodded. “Yup. Fine.”

“Ya seem distracted.” 

“I’m fine, Twilight,” Four replied, keeping his tone even. It was already weird enough that he called adults by their first names, not like they knew the truth. Instinctively, Four resisted the urge to give out titles, especially for Time and Malon. 

Mr. Twilight…that just sounds weird! Mr. Time, Mr. Warriors…or would it be Captain Warriors? Mr. Captain? 

____ ____ ____ ____

The fic in which Four is actually 11 years old with wayyyy too many secrets on his plate. Brotherly shenanigans, crack treated seriously, hurt/comfort and a whole lot of chaos <3

Incomplete, 1/2 chapters. 4,532 words, General Audiences and Part 3 in my Age-Shuffle series!

Main relationships: Four & Twilight, Four & Warriors, Four & Everyone

[batrogers]

So, which Links pay their taxes, for real?

This is a somewhat fast and loose approximation of my recall of historical taxes, who paid them (or didn’t) and how, how they were collected and from whom, and what kind of taxation was even possible under different governments. This is pulled from a couple decades of study into historical society and books I’ve read on feudalism, the social duties of knights, and government structure and instability in both medieval Europe and the Ottoman Empire, among others.

Notes on organization:

1. While this is a response to a Linked Universe post, I am going per game not per Link because a few games must be split. The implications about taxes are drastically different between LttP & LbW, and Minish Cap & FSA. I also wished to include Spirit Tracks bc it’s fun. I am not linking the inspiring post, because I don't believe in attacking people for a ten minute list just because it twigged my history brain.

2. I am excluding games in which Link is not implied to be a tax-paying resident of the country he’s in, so Majora’s Mask, Oracle of Ages & Seasons, and Phantom Hourglass are not included.

3. There are usually overlapping taxes in a society. Here I will mostly address taxes on residents, on vocations or landownership, whether they can pay in coin or in kind, and if they have a household that would pay tax for them.

4. I have placed Hyrule Warriors in Child Timeline here for a few reasons, mostly related to army structure implications, the martial norms of the game and the two preceding ones (large standing armies in FSA and HW; mentions of “prolonged wars” and very military flavoured royal regalia in Twilight Princess.) Obviously this doesn’t strictly mean anything or oblige agreement, but its my habit to do so and I wished to explain the choice.

I apologize so much for how long this is. If you wish to read it in a different format, it's also on AO3. This is 2000+ words. I suppose if you click, I hope you enjoy.

A note on Knighthood:

Knights were a specific, highly trained profession often (but not always) associated with landownership, either someone who was in the household of the landowner, or who was the landowner themself. The trappings of knighthood (weapons, armour, and horse) were quite expensive and belonging to a family of knights implies a specific degree of social status in and of itself.

While a sovereign can in theory bestow any title they want on anyone at any time, usually this requires that there be some service rendered for which this is a gift. (Fucking them, or just being hella attractive, counts.) Because of this, there is a wide variety of things “Knight” can mean, but here we will presume it means some degree of professionalism and attachment to a social status that is both someone who collects taxes from subjects and pays them to a sovereign in turn.

IIII

Skyward Sword =

There is no evidence of centralized government in Skyward Sword, therefore the taxes are going to whoever is in charge of the settlement. They were likely paid in kind (material goods), although Skyloft does have coin. Given we know who’s basically running Skyloft, we can guess they were paid to Gaepora, and at least one tax-funded organization: the Knight’s Academy.

Did students pay taxes? Graduates might be exempt from some taxes if still in service to the city. Afterwards, given he’s usually presumed to be married to Zelda, we can say Link is either paying taxes (or hearing about it personally at dinner), and/or helping collect and distribute taxes to others.

Or, even funnier, setting taxes on the new community because they need supplies to build it.

Minish Cap =

There is a central government in Minish Cap, because they have a monarch! This is probably a small territory: some “kings” have a few villages and fields and that’s it, but it is a castle which requires taxed goods to function because it’s not producing its own.

Link’s grandfather is a blacksmith, and also alive therefore if the census tax is paid per household, Link has nothing to do with it. If its paid per business, he’s an apprentice or employee so it’s still paid by his grandfather. Depending on which taxes were being paid when, they might pay coin or in kind (eg. Labour or goods produced.) While people absolutely did lie and cheat and not pay taxes, I expect the con artistry didn’t involve “refunds” in a modern sense, but that’s probably tax history specialization territory...

Four Swords =

This game doesn’t have enough of a framing story to comment on its social structures, but is superficially similar enough to Minish Cap we can assume the situation matches.

Ocarina of Time =

We literally see Talon paying his taxes in kind in the game. Like, you can’t pay milk as a lump sum so delivering it reliably to the castle could be counted towards his taxes, or he’s getting paid enough for it that will be paying for it later. Either way, supplies are delivered from Lon Lon Ranch by its owner who is still alive after the game and presumably will continue to be responsible for it until he is no longer owner of Lon Lon Ranch.

(Malon likely is a valid heir to Lon Lon Ranch. There is no reason to assume marriage affects her legal claim to Lon Lon Ranch. It is not common for a woman to lose her property in marriage – British law is the exception to historical norms – so even if Talon died she could still be sole and/or primary owner of Lon Lon Ranch, whether or not she is married.)

Link starts out the game not even on a Hyrulean census, with no property to his name, and no social connections. He is not paying taxes because he does not legally exist. Until he is counted on a poll as a resident of either Castletown or Lon Lon Ranch, and until he’s considered an adult (usually by means of acquiring personal property or skill of any value) he’s unlikely to be taxed.

Now, if we include into the assumed connections to the Hero’s Shade who died in elaborate plate mail we get a very different answer. Someone who owns elaborate plate mail of that sort has significant money. He may have received it as a gift for service to the crown, but if so it likely wasn’t the only gift. Plate mail is often associated with knights; a knight of some consequence is likely attached by some means or another to property. Knights under a King usually collected taxes for them... So, in a world where Link has platemail and is a valued knight of the Hylian Crown he may also, like Skyloft, be the person collecting taxes to pass them on. Whether or not that means he now technically owns Lon Lon Ranch by means of owning the land it’s on.... I leave that up to you.

Wind Waker =

Outset Island most likely operates like Skyloft: there is a headman or prominent family who collects surplus to give as aid, either in terms of money or food or services. Within that space, Link living with an invalid grandmother and also underage sister was probably one of those families receiving surplus as social support, possibly on top of whatever his grandmother was still capable of in her old age.

However, Link is implied post-game to leave with Tetra. What taxes did a ship and its crew owe? Harbour dues, customs, and other duties! This varied a lot and was usually addressed whenever someone docked at a controlled port. Often questions were asked about where the materials came from, more or less scrupulously. Sometimes people cared if you just happened to have something without a sound origin, that you had taken from someone else... like we see Tetra’s crew doing in-game...

It may indeed be possible Tetra (and her crew) are wanted for tax evasion and Link gets to be included in that, whatever his age.

Spirit Tracks =

This boy works for the centralized government’s transit system. If he doesn’t pay taxes, it’s because he doesn’t owe taxes because he’s working a tax-funded job and likely has been since he was an apprentice. He is possibly also union and knows the local tax law in extremely nuanced detail. He will judge you for not paying your taxes.

Twilight Princess =

The start of the story is also framed around the village blacksmith making some kind of tax-like offering to the royal family and setting Link up to take it. This is likely not a normal tax, but it does tell us that Ordon Village is considered a designated social unit within Hyrule and therefore we may assume that “Ordon Village” is a taxable entity in its own right. Link, as a resident of Ordon Village, would pay his portion of the village’s tax to the Mayor who arranged for its delivery. If Link marries Ilia, you can expect once again this is someone who either hears about taxes over dinner, or is helping collect them.

If Link leaves and moves to Castle Town, he’d have the joys of all the things large city residents pay for, up front or not, that village residents who are not transporting food and goods long distances but those will be sales and customs taxes, not per-person taxes based off the census or his vocation.

Four Swords Adventures [Game + Comic] =

Link’s family is explicitly positioned as either a knight family, or a legacy castle guard family with close personal ties to the royal family. He also has a living father, who is implied to survive the game/comic. As such, with Link a minor, he’s not paying taxes because he’s not liable for taxes. He also may be paying taxes by means of collecting taxed goods from the lands over which his family has ownership and paying a portion of that income to the Crown themselves.

Interesting, this could also tie into something I’ll mention in more detail below but one form of “evading taxes” can be “refusing to do labour.” If he is from a family whose young men are supposed to provide service to the Crown in the form of military labour, “leaving” is a crime.

Hyrule Warriors =

In this game, Link explicitly starts as a base soldier. It is possible for soldiers to be a form of population tax (and/or control) especially in larger kingdoms or empires. He likely did receive regular pay, but he might also have been considered legal property of the Kingdom, eg a slave. Either way, his upkeep was entirely from the taxes that went into the coffers, whether it was in food or kind. Post-game, he’s likely been involved in rebuilding which again would be in large part executed by taxed goods and labour. He might even be part of the apparatus collecting or setting taxes, especially if he becomes close with Zelda herself.

Link to the Past =

Link is explicitly stated to belong to a knight family, with an adult family member who is (arguably) alive at the end of the game. If he is paying taxes, he’s paying them from taxes paid to his family. Not paying your taxes as a knight family is infinitely more suspicious than not paying them as an individual, because then your monarch wonders what you’re using that money for. Is it rebellion? It better not be rebellion.

Link Between Worlds =

THIS Link is a Blacksmith apprentice. He does not have any known adult family. He may be assessed as part of the household he is apprenticed to; he might be assessed as independent depending on his age and where he is in his training and what the local tax law looks like. If there is a guild he may be assessed by means of his membership... but that may also be a separate tax from what he’s paying per the census. He could likely avoid it altogether, because he’s not exactly important at this age and social rank.

Ravio, on the other hand, is in some way involved with the Royal Family of Lorule (Hilda is personally betrayed he left.) However, Lorule is a failed state. There is no means by which they can collect taxes, nor distribute them... which is likelywhy Hilda has no control over her guards. (People aren’t very obedient when not getting paid.) Recovery to a state where taxation is reliable and people feel it’s worth doing will be a long road.

Zelda I & II =

Same as above: Hyrule is a failed state, at best in the process of recovery in Zelda II. People likely do not trust the tax collectors who do exist to pay their dues to the Crown vs keeping it for themselves. This is a matter of power rules. Link, a minor with no property, is likely of zero interest to anyone unless they sell children. In Zelda II, where he lives close enough to approach Impa with a question, he may be paying taxes if he has a vocation or he may be helping work in the castle, which brings us back to he’s collecting, distributing and/or paid by taxes.

BOTW & TOTK =

Hyrule here is NOT a failed state because they do not have a central government attempting to exert control. Here, things are more like Wind Waker or Skyward Sword: village mayors or prominent families control local taxation. There is limited intercommunity interactions, which are likely a matter of market tax. Link, if he settles in Hateno village, would be accountable to them.

In TOTK, we do see some kind of centralization: there’s the joint effort to construct Lookout Landing and the monster patrols, both of which would require outside support until local agriculture begins. Which communities contribute is hard to say, but most villages at this time are more than prosperous enough to spare the means. A new settlement would reduce overcrowding, increase the land available to farm, and so on: all good things for a prospering world.

(This does NOT imply they are re-establishing the monarchy. None of these groups call themselves “royal”. They’re monster patrols, not royal guards, and Lookout Landing, not a new Castletown. The location has access to already-quarried stone and trade routes going for it, after all.)

Given how Link behaves in both games, it seems likely he would contribute whatever surplus he acquires to these efforts. Out of every Link, I think he is the most likely to be cooperative with taxation... although there may be some arguments about what his taxable means is. Should this be paid in rupees or bokoblin guts? Let’s negotiate!

TL;DR =

Taxes vary wildly across time, space, regions, and forms of government. While some Links live in similar social circumstances, we have at least four really distinct categories: the Knights, the failed states, those with vocations, and the villagers. Similarly, many forms of taxes are for social support, things that Link tends to be characterized as valuing in the games. When people refuse to pay, they either do not see the request or authority as legitimate, or do not have the means to do so.

IDK it’s just infinitely funnier to me to say “Wind Waker Link is wanted for tax evasion because Tetra has never paid a harbour duty tax in her life” vs stating the evasion without cause. All the best!

[links-crosses-multiverse]

Whumptober Prompt Challenge

Whumptober Prompt Challenge #10

Title: Legends Reclaimed: The Curse of the Four Sword

Warning: a bit Graphic Depictions Of Violence

Summary: In the fading light of twilight, the Heroes of Legend follow Four deep into a forgotten forest, led by whispers of an ancient ruin. Within its crumbling walls, they uncover not just a relic of the past, but Four’s own haunted shadows—twisted echoes of his former selves. As dark forces stir and familiar bonds fracture, the ancient Four Sword calls once again, offering both salvation and doom. Yet, what has truly awakened in the shadows remains a mystery, and the battle they thought long over may have only just begun.

[anicomicqueen]

Zelda Theory: Fi the Fairy Queen

Okay, so this post by @twilight-linkess inspired me to move forward with a theory I had. This got way too long. Ye who travel onward beware. Here there be theories.

The gist of my theory is that Fi is a fully matured Fairy Queen and that Fairy Queen is a specific species of fairy. I also think Fi and all fairies (Fairy Queens, Great Fairies, Fairies, etc.) are  raised to help heroes with their magic.  With Fi, I think she excelled as a fairy which ended with her earning the title of “Sword Spirit.” And maybe was specially chosen for her particular set of skills to be the Fairy that would inhabit the Master Sword for thousands of years.

If this is of interest to you, I have some more to say...A lot more to say. 

So first things first.

Here is a Fairy Queen from The Wind Waker:

And here is an image of Fi from Skyward Sword:

These two look so so so so similar. Everything from base color palette to hair and nearly unreadable facial expression, with solid color eyes. The biggest difference being that the Fairy Queen from Wind Waker looks like a child but is apparently “much older,” according to the ZeldaWiki.

But if Fairy Queens were a specific subspecies of fairies, they could potentially have a lifespan of tens of thousands of years, meaning even if she is “old” by Hylian standards or Zora standards, or what have you, she could theoretically still be a child by Fairy standards.

The Fairy Queen and Fi also have similar powers.

The Fairy Queen in Wind Waker has weapon based abilities. I have yet to play WW, but according to the wiki, her specific ability is she imbues arrows with ice or fire powers.

Maybe each type of fairy has their special magic category. Fairy Queens are weapon/item related. Great Fairies are health or armor related, depending on the refinement of their ability. Regular Fairies are healing powers only. Etc.

And going off that, maybe at a young age, Fairy Queens would still have elemental or weapon-based magic, but would only be able to supply a smaller bit of magic to weapons and items such as adding elemental attacks.

Then as Fairy Queens age, they refine their subset of powers and undergo some form of coming of age ceremony where they are finally able to adopt a weapon form or are able to more powerfully perform elemental attacks. Like I dunno, harnessing the wind perhaps? Which takes us to the Gale Boomerang.

First, take a look at some details on the Gale Boomerang:

And some details on the Master Sword:

And some details on Fi’s body:

These inlaid gems are notably missing from the child-like Fairy Queen from Wind Waker, supporting the theory that she has yet to undergo her coming of age to become an item or weapon meant to aid the hero.

Fi on the other hand would have already undergone her coming of age, and based on her very terrible social skills and obsession with percentages, she was probably a prodigy even among Fairy Queens, resulting in her being specially chosen by Hylia to be a Sword Spirit. Tasked with assisting Hylia in creating one of the most powerful type of weapons heroes will use: A blade that seals darkness.

In Fi’s case, she was to become the Goddess Sword/Master Sword. But maybe the Four Sword, Lokomo Sword, Phantom Hourglass Sword, Great Fairy Sword, and Fierce Diety Sword are also Sword Spirit weapons crafted by a god and a Fairy Queen.

Anywho, that was a bit of a tangent, so what about the Fairy of Winds? What do they have to do with this again?

Well, Fi is a spirit that inhabits the Master Sword, which can talk to Link (and Zelda).

And the Gale Boomerang is another weapon with a spirit that can also talk to Link (and probably Zelda).

If both of these items are weapons with spirits bound to help the hero and they can both talk to the hero who wields them, (given that they still have enough strength and energy to do so), isn’t it possible that the Fairy of Winds and Fi are the same type of being? In this case, Fairy Queens?

If so, the Fairy of Winds may have at one point been able to manifest a physical body like Fi’s does in Skyward Sword after they inhabited the Gale Boomerang. Which I think is a pretty neat idea.

And I like to think that if the Fairy of Winds were able to manifest, she would have similar diamonds on her chest and head, she would probably be dressed slightly different, and she would probably have different base colors.

And—

Wait...

There is another weapon that can do all these things as well now that I think about it.

I’ll be right back.

Okay.

Look ye upon Ghirahim:

Did you notice he also has those diamonds? And the hair? And the eyes? And he can turn into a weapon? And he can talk to the hero as well as the person who wields him?

Because he can!

Which means...

That’s right! 

Ghirahim would ALSO have to be a Fairy Queen. Or a Fairy King, perhaps? 

Ahhh! 

((Okay, future Ani here. This all starts to devolve into pure insanity and  headcanon from here on so like, if you’re anybody is still around and still reading, feel free to stop reading now. Or carry on. Thanks for reading this far. 😅 ))

Okay hear me out. But like, what if Fairy Queens/Kings are all inherently good from the beginning? Because their purpose is to help heroes. That would mean there is a chance that Ghirahim was at one point good. Possibly really good at performing Fairy Queen/King magic even. Maybe even a contender for being chosen as the spirit for the Master Sword. Maybe he resented the fact that Fi was chosen over him and Demise saw the opportunity to act, corrupting Ghirahim forever.

Or maybe Ghirahim was the first Sword Spirit, but was eventually forgotten after Fi came into being centuries later. The new and improved Ghirahim. And then Ghirahim and Demise both fell to the darkness of envy, corrupting both of them forever as Fi and Hylia took center stage among the gods.

Man, I have many new headcanons about an entire race of Fairy Queens and Kings that I need to make more notes about now. 

All I can think is that they train for millennia to hone their skills as children, then as they get older they must undergo their own trials, just as Link must in the various games. This is turning into an anime in my head now...I have a problem. 

But seriously! 

Maybe the better they perform in their trials, the more glorious the weapon they turn into. 

So for the Fairy of Winds, they weren’t the top of their class like Fi or Ghirahim who earned the Sword Spirit title, rather they earned the opportunity to be a magic item that would forever be passed down among heroes to aid them in their quest. Maybe they couldn’t be a Sword Spirit because their elemental magic was too good to be anything but an item tied to their area of expertise. 

And like, what if as the years go by, the magic drains the fairy of their vitality?

Everything gets more difficult with age. 

Even for fairies. 

That’s why the Gale Boomerang speaks only once to Link in TP. She is old and tired, but still willing to help, even if this is the last of her magic. 

The same problem can be seen with Fi in BOTW. It’s why Fi can no longer manifest a physical body and can rarely speak anymore. 10,000 years was a long time, even my Fairy Queen standards. She finds herself resting more frequently and for longer intervals, but she has a duty. What if she feels like Link falling was her fault in her old age? (I’ve seen fics on this and they have been great, btw.)

Maybe in the next game, Link will have to put Fi to rest and transfer a new Fairy soul into the Master Sword. Or maybe another sword will need to be forged with a new Sword Spirit. 

Ya know....just some thoughts I’ve had. Definitely revamped after that comic. 

I’m hyped. 

Thanks for reading!

[acourtofthought]

hi! idk if u’ve read cc3 or not—if no do ignore me as this would be spoilery but if u have I’d love to hear your thoughts…

so Bryce gives nesta back the sword and tells nesta to figure out why she had the eight pointed star tattoo right… and well it’s my thought that nesta would need to do research… meaning she’d be spending a lot of time in a library… who else works in a library… gwyn… but who else is tied to cc3 and the sword… azriel

idk it just makes a lot of sense to me for the next ACOTAR book to kinda be smth along those lines maybe not that specifically but smth similar but I haven’t really heard anyone else talking about it so wanted to know what you think about it!

I apologize ahead of time because my perspective is a bit different from the direction you're leaning though I know many others feel like you do! Personally, I don't think Az will have anything major to do with the sword for two reasons. First, he was extremely uncomfortable when TT and the Starsword were together. He was able to hold them both because TT "wanted" to be next to Gwydion but he was extremely twitchy outside of that and I think it would be a bit odd to see Az walking around constantly agitated. Second, the Starsword is meant to reach it's full power when held by a Starborn fae and from what I'm gathering, Az is not starborn since we got confirmation that the Asteri created their kind (the Illyrianss). As for the events of CC3, so far neither Bloomsbury, Sarah J. Maas or bookstores have made it clear that the Crescent City series needs to be read in order for us to understand the next ACOTAR book. Though I do think the events of HOFAS will eventually work their way into the ACOTAR series on their own, I'm not sure they are going to play a major factor in the next ACOTAR book. If someone ended their SJM reading experience with Silver Flames as many have, and never picked up CC then their focus is going to be where things left off in that book. It might be a bit odd for them to pick up the next ACOTAR and have the focus be on a space traveler who left them a magical sword and now the main characters are worried about threats to their world from other planets. I think most ACOTAR only readers are wondering about Koschei, Beron, the Elucien bond, the state of Spring and the treaty since those were the unresolved issues at the end of Silver Flames. Will the reason Nesta was left with the sword become a focus in the future? I think it definitely will and my guess is that has to do with them turning the "Dusk Court" into Valkyrie territory. But I think that any major crossover related plots are not going to take place within the ACOTAR series as we know it and instead is building up to the new series Bloomsbury spoke about in one of their meetings. Sarah once had a work in progress titled Twilight of the Gods and the Valkyries in the Dusk Court defending against threats from outside their world (which would include other crossover appearances) makes more sense to me than anything time travel related taking place in the book after SF. I think for normal readers who aren't in the fandom, going from the end of SF right into Bryce having landed in Prythian and warning them about otherworldly threats which would now be the characters focus is jumping ahead too many steps. Defeating Beron and Koschei, securing the peace and THEN dealing with what exists beyond their world? That seems a more natural progression (in my opinion).

[blackstarchanx3new]

FSR rambles PT 2

FSR rambles PT 2

More stuff I like about my own comic (Head cannons about why stuff is the way it is too)

So like, yeah Vio had a panic attack. He’s relatable to me. UwU (I write shit I can relate too. Lmao. Deal with it. X’D)

Also Vaati’s curse: Dark Link, I won’t say too much about his “Powerset” or what he does since most of yall can deduce so far what he “Can” do atm.

Smth about Vio/the four swords gang that has always struck me is:

HOW EXACTLY ARE THEY SPLIT UP? (Not physically, I think they’re magical bodies and Link’s body is somewhere in the spiritual realm but that’s a head cannon)

Like, it’s not just “They reflect emotions” that breaks down after Blue and Red. Anger and “sad/emotional” respectively. Green’s like a weird husk of the original Link. (Like…Idk he basically acts like any other Link in any other manga but bland. X’D which is why I gave him depression in FSR. He's infamously the most under- memed character in FS. He’s effectively bootleg/dollar store Link. Worse without the other 4 and bare bones Link by himself. Flavorless Link if you would. Watered down fountain soda because you added too much ice Link.)

Vio, at least, is really hard to pin down what part of the link he IS. (At least imo)

Let’s break down Vio’s traits:

At the start of the manga, he’s selfish, lowkey, rude/blunt, the ‘Smart” one (All of them are smart in their own ways tho so that’s not ALL.) He’s cunning, manipulative, rather cold, and generally “Negative” traits.

I think he’d be insecure about that. Identity crisis. Because well, he IS mostly “negative” traits. Or at least ones that are SEEN as negative and it’s obvious to ME at least, he feels alienated from the other 3. He comes off as lacking empathy too.

Basically: Vio’s own moral ambiguity makes him very uncomfortable. Because there’s no outrunning it.

This frame is fun, because Vio was reaching for his sword which, because he’s in the “Headspace” , wasn't there. But as Shadow Link mentions later, Vio was reaching for it in reality too.

I’ve gone on my rant, but imo this was a bold faced LIE. X’D

WHY DID YA DROP THE SWORD THEN FUCKER???

Lol so this is a headcanon: 

But basically: Why the hell would Vio formulate a plan with Shadow Link (One that even guarantees Zelda's safety as if he was REALLY trying to make it work…), just to drop it in favor of a “Quicker” solution?

He was uncomfortable as hell by Shadow Link’s confession, so decided “Yup, mirror shattering time.” Emotions make him uncomfortable. Especially Shadow Link’s because the very act of manipulating Shadow Link is very Un-heroic of him.

He couldn’t play the long game because it made him realize his own “Failings” as a hero, but that was the OG plan after gathering his thoughts in the woods. (At least to me.)

Infiltrate/get friendly with Shadow Link, find out who or what is behind Vaati after learning of “Gannon”, destroy Vaati, save Zelda and defeat Gannon.

He went with Mirror shattering because: 1. It makes the most logical sense. Cut off Gannon’s power supply AND destroy Vaati. Shadow link is an unfortunate victim but “It’s worth it”

I find it funny BLUE is said to be the one who’s “Willing to do anything to win” When I feel that is WAY more applicable to Vio. X’D Bitch was willing to do a LOT to save Zelda and defeat Vaati. And...similar to how he states at the beginning of the manga "Team schmeam I don't need any help". He goes off to invade the enemies ranks ALONE.

Art wise the Vaati wings on Dark link block out and make fire lol. Which I imagine makes Vio uncomfortable after that whole “Almost getting burned alive from lava” thing.

This is smth brought up in the twilight princess manga, which is fun because Vio’s outfit is very similar to that Link’s. X’D

The weight of being a hero and it's title being a heavy burden for whoever is "Link" at the time.

Now that Vio isn’t “The hero” doing something towards a hero goal, “Who the fuck is he?” FSR is kinda a thing where it's like "Okay sure Vaati's here...but he's like...a non issue lmao" they're kinda aimless. Who are they if not THE HERO. LINK.

Hahahaha

Okay these frames are so pretentious but here we go:

Dark Link is literally his insecurities being suffocating. X’D

Specifically: Considering Shadow’s words and his status as a hero.

Also all the eyeball imagery, so many people watching him fail/judging him.

Fun things art wise: Human teeth are scary as fuck.

I like the panel where Dark Link hugs him. Because an embrace can either be VERY UNCOMFORTABLE or very comforting depending on the context. Here it is very much NOT a comforting hug.

Also side note: Dark Link might come off as “Confusing” as a character…He’s very INTERESTING as the series goes on.

Vio snapped out of it but he’s still ain’t okay lol. Shadow Link didn’t hear Dark Link’s part of the “conversation” so he really just heard Vio mumbling utter nonsense. That would be scary as hell. Especially when he’s reaching for his weapon like dayum I’d cry too Shadow.

~Shadow Link blames himself~

He still feels like he’s on eggshells around Vio, he's aware their relationship atm isn't very stable. 

Lol so this is some of that sexy “Character development” i keep joking about with Shadow Link.

He’s still  a creature of darkness but he cares very deeply about Vio. 

Lol so smth you may notice is how: I fucking love how SINCERE Shadow Link is as a character. Like bro puts on a spooky act, but he’s just a sweet little guy that wants friends and he’s super open with his feelings. (I think he was just talkin’ his feelings in the woods too but that’s a head cannon. X’D He’s so weirdly soft with Vio out in the woods like…Bro)

It was a trait that bit him in the ass as a villain but I think that it shows that he is a good boy on the inside.

Lol so we all know how much Shadow Link hates pity, he doesn’t pity Vio, he emphasizes. And i think bro just really wanted to be hugs (HE’S SO TOUCH STARVED LMAO)

Even lines like “They’re all a big happy family in the dark world” (Paraphrased) show to me Shadow just REALLY wants a support system/family/SOMEONE he can rely on. X’D

So he says shit he wishes someone had said to him.

Also he hasn’t been able to physically HOLD someone in 7 years, Shadow Link misses physical touch like crazy.

Hug didn’t work lol.

Vio’s still frazzled.

I fucking love Shadow Link’s face “CURSE WHA-” like Vio’s really talking utter nonsense and it’s kinda funny ngl.

Vio didn't mention Dark Link so, to Shadow Link: Vio brought this up just because he's spiraling atm.

*cough cough* “You’re guy’s house” *cough cough* he doesn’t consider it HIS house too…

Continues to apologize for…nothing. Ouch.

Still blames himself for setting Vio off- oof.

Lol. Everything Vio says in the library is very telling of how he feels the pressure to be the one to come up with a plan to fix things. Because “He’s the smart one”. Even when LITERALLY NO ONE has put said pressure on him to fix things as Blue and Green outright don’t wish to be Link again, and Red complained back in the headspace

*Dies* Shadow Link is best boy. He tries to hard. TTuTT

Also Vio continuously gripping Shadow Link because he wants Shadow Link close to him. 

You can tell he isn’t trying to hug Vio anymore because that didn’t work lmao. He touches Vio a lot less and only in comforting ways (Patting his arm, his head, rubbing his arm ex), Vio’s actually the one who keeps pulling him closer.

Vio is correct here: He’s TECHNICALLY in no physical danger.

Dark link choking him in the headspace didn't do squat to him. It’s Vio’s own thoughts that are fucking with him.

Lol that statement is very bloated. Vio realized “Holy shit, he’s still here after EVERYTHING.”

The manipulation in the past, the panicking. 

Shadow Link’s just, still there for him. He isn’t leaving, and shows no sign of wanting too.

100% accurate. Shadow has no obligation to be helping Vio rn in any way. At all. Especially after how Vio’s treated him. Shadow's even looking for books to help with the curse that MAY OR MAY NOT even be affecting Vio for all Shadow Link knows.

Cause Shadow link: Is cool.

Lol so he DOES wanna be touched.

Okay funny story about pages 63-65 : These look so sketchy because I literally was like “doing line art for these expressions would ruin them” So they’re sketches. X’D

About the panels themselves: Shadow Link’s response to getting thanked in the manga makes me think he REALLY wants to do good things and get complimented for them. So when Vio thanks him (Smth he didn’t expect) he gets embarrassed.

Vio is FINALLY HONEST WITH SOMEONE ABOUT HOW HE FEELS.

He can’t run from it anymore lmao. So he has no choice but to tell him.

Lmao funny story: OG draft Shadow Link laughed at the "I'm a bad person" line. X’D

I’m glad I cut it but it also would have been very funny because like…Objectively no. Vio you’re not a “typical” bad person. And from Shadow’s perspective Vio is anything BUT a “Bad” person. He’s the “Hero”.

While not directly apologizing, Vio does admit to feeling like utter shit for what he did. Which is, SOMETHING. “Sorry ma i goofed up” vibes. XD

Lol. Of course you don’t. Simp- I say as a joke. But fr, from Shadow's perspective, this is kinda a weird admission. Vio's "Naughty" if you'd word it that way- X'DDDDD

*Implodes*

Okay fr out of ANYONE he could have shape shifted into during the vaati fight…Shadow Link chose VIO.

We know he can look like Green, so…The choice to look like Vio was very…deliberate. X’D

Almost like he looks up to him or smth...

Vio being utterly bamboozled by this information. X'D "YOU WHAT!?"

Fun thing about this being a fan comic: I can make them explicitly gay. X’DDD SO THEY ARE.

And that's all for now. I might do more later with more pages. X'D

It's fun to just, go off about my own crap. Cause I only get to do that with my friends usually.

[faroreskiss]

Latest Work: The Pioneer

I like world building and thinking about those details nobody cares about, reader inserts & AUs. Anything that relates to languages/lingustics/translation.

And yes, as the blog title indicates, also sometimes smut/+18 content, tagged with #smut or #nsfw (So please mind the warnings at the start, there is also SFW content here!)

Unfortunately, I publish first and proof-read later.

*shrugs*

You can call me Farie.

Misc sideblog: @farie-meta

If something is tagged #raw fic it means it has been just typed on a whim and that I clicked on the "Post" button without using my brain as much.

ALL HAIL LINKE

05/08/2023

Master list below.

Regarding Linkcest/Incest, click here.

Ao3 for more polished content. (Still not the best versions unless stated otherwise)

28/07/2023

Hi there to whoever that will ever see this,

After many years of writing (and not publishing much) fanfics and reading a plethora of them, finally decided to post them here.

I did want to focus on one shots, but some of the stuff I wrote ended up having a potential of expansion, even though the whole primary reason was to write a juicy fic!

Then I realized I ended up with at least 10k word background to what was supposed to be a "juicy one shot".

So now, I have this page to see what other people think, maybe I publish both SFW and NSFW versions, maybe somebody is interested in the story potential...

(Also, not a lot of ENM or threesome Zelda x Reader x Link fics in the market lol)

I am open to requests & feedback too!

Master List

Anons: ✨anon

SFW Content:

The Power of Understanding Ongoing Translator!Scholar!Reader random snippets of adventures with the Chain within the Linked Universe AU, pairings possible. Same "You" from the NSFW Fics. Poly/Bisexual Pairings. Read on Ao3

The Power of Understanding shorts in my profile can be found with the tag #the power of understanding shorts or #tpos Do you think I'm a cheater? (Shorts) (Ao3) The Void (Shorts) (Ao3) Triforce of Mischief (Shorts) (Ao3)

_________

Resurrection Gone Wrong Ongoing Read on Ao3 A couple of short fics about what would happen if Link's resurrection took more of a twisted turn.

Requested Content:

For Tonight (Zelda x Fem!Reader) (Angst, no comfort) The Void (Power of Understanding Short Story) (Hurt/no comfort) Can be read stand alone Ao3 Acceptance of the Waves (Linke x Fem!Reader) (Angst) The Pioneer (Skyward Sword Link, Angst, hurt no comfort)

_________

Headcanon (?) Content

The Information You Never Knew You Needed

NSFW Content: (MINORS DNI)

Unnatural Coincidences (Zelda x Fem!Reader x Link) (+18) (Experimental writing in third person. Not super proud tbh) Parts 1 2 3 4 Epilogue

_________

Make me a pie (Warriors x Fem!Higher Ranking Officer!Reader) (+18) Ao3

________

A Little Quick(ie) (+18) -Alternate Version 1 (Flora x Fem!Reader) Coming soon -Alternate Version 2 (Twilight x Fem!Reader)

---------

Harp Lesson (Pedal Harpist!Sky x Fem!Reader) (+18)

Ao3

[heros-shade-fanclub]

How'd your sillies get their names? Both in AU and on paper :]

AAHHH that's a good question....lemme think. wall of text time>>

Wolf: I think he was just referred to as Wolf a lot while in wolf form (ex. by Midna before she knew his name, etc.) and he got attached. You can probably guess how I decided on it LOL. even though it's basic i like it a lot!! like yeah that's him!!

Fish: a nickname given to him by Tetra's crew since he's always up to something........fishy!! He's a slippery little scamp. (he also probably smells like fish most of the time. stinky guy) His other nicknames are Fry or Small Fry.

I don't remember exactly but I think I got the idea from the fishmen in windwaker calling him Small Fry??

Lucky: I don't know who exactly gave him this nickname yet. Maybe the villagers in his hometown? He's gotten through a lot of narrow scrapes via quick thinking/just sheer luck and so earned the nickname Lucky.

I came up with it due to his bunny form (or in Lucky's case, his hare form). Like a lucky rabbit's foot yaknow?? It's also a reference to the dialogue in Link's Awakening after you get a kiss for the Bowwow quest or a potion from Crazy Tracy ("L-l-lucky!")!

Cloud: my distracted ADHD fella. my beloved brain fog warrior. He got this nickname from Zelda and the other students at the academy since his head is always up in the clouds.

I actually got this nickname from his design though! Each Link has a different shape motif and his particular shape is like a puffy cloud (you can see it in his hair, the hem of his pants, and the collar of his shirt!)

Blue: he gets this nickname from the other Links because he's wearing his blue champion's tunic. ermmm that's it. No relation to Four Swords Blue

Funfact: two other ideas I had for Blue's name were Bow and Armoranth :] He no longer has a bow in TL so that's why I scrapped that one.....I could probably still be convinced to keep Armoranth though tbh.

Ghost: a title he got due to his status as an urban legend in the Twilight Princess era. When Hyruleans swap spooky stories, you might hear tell of the one-eyed specter someone saw roaming the field one night. Also, Ghost refers to Wolf as "Link" but doesn't really think of himself as "Link" anymore, so i think that cements the nickname. I don't know if Wolf even knows Ghost's real name until he meets the other heroes and realizes they're all named Link.

I don't remember how I chose this name....I wanted it to stem from the Hero's Shade but always found "Shade" kind of weird. So Ghost it is :] I feel like it sorta hints at his character themes in Terminian Lullaby too

[notmuchtoconceal]

verily, verily, i say unto you -- so yeah. i don't need to do this part.

the only way the zelda downfall timeline makes sense to me is if you treat the production order as a chronology in its own right.

let me explain.

(so) the legend of zelda (the original, which is always best) takes place at the end of a later-to-be-revealed fallen timeline, yet even in the stated status quo of the original game, the kingdom of hyrule is in ruins.

ganon has seized the triforce, of which there are now only two.

zelda divides the second piece, pertaining to wisdom -- into eight pieces, which the hero link must find to prove himself worthy to ender the secret 9th dungeon, the sprawling underground skull rock which you enter through a recurrent formation in the shape of an eyeglass.

link, in the sequel, must then locate the hidden triforce of courage.

he does this --(in a mysterious northern isle actually the main body of the previously glimpsed southern aisle) through a dramatic shift where the poles of his awareness are flipped to a narrow and unnatural side-on perspective, necessitating steep grinds and a mastery over magic and the vertical axis, he renders inert an enchantment by placing six crystals in six statues to open the gate to a palace hidden on the most-distant near-proximity of the new continent ;-- where he must thenface-off against a vaguely deco-inspired monster of Native American myth before overcoming his own dark side and claiming his place as rightful inheritor and possessor of the final enchanted triune artefact.

(this is also the first (and only) time there seem to be two zeldas in existence at the same time ;-- the rescued maiden and the awakened beauty.)

so, yeah.

that's the classic NES duology and that's where it ends.

the north american title of the SNES prequel is particularly relevant, for though a significant upscale in terms of graphical fidelity and precision of control, the narrative posits itself as deliberately backwards looking ;-- this is an attempt by the now unified kingdom of hyrule to reckon with its history. in the intro cinematic to this story about a good king assassinated and usurped by a conniving enchanter, we hear of the imprisoning war, seemingly the source of all this cute lil redneck kingdom's seemingly endless woe. it tells of how the triforce was first bloodied by human hands, perverting the sacred realm and contaminating the magickal-psychic matrix of the land's consciousness.

After a detour where Link realizes that life is merrily, merrily but a dream and collects the Eight Instruments of the Sirens in what is not-at-all a deliberate mirroring of his future-forerunner's collecting of the 8 Shards of the Goddess's Wisdom, he cracks the world egg atop a mountain by playing live an extended lullaby for the Wind Fish who is more accurately a Land Whale, and slays the Nightmares who held him to slumber, incidentally liberating the only freedom-loving soul from its illusion --

After that brief detour, what seems to occur -- you being jaunty enough to continue to humor this, among my many other thought experiments -- is this hypothetical backwards looking perspective (related to Zelda's later archeological ambitions...? I haven't played either BotW, do allow your own knowledge to fill-in or contradict as necessary) which deigns to witness the Imprisoning War (I suppose they could be so direct as to ask the Triforce itself?) seems to split the timeline by observing it (Butterfly Effect, quantum fluctuations, the atomic weight of consciousness) in effect erasing the original from existence as it creates the two.

If this seems absurd, do be aware -- Ganondorf receives the Triforce of Power in Twilight Princess seconds before his death by execution at the Light Swords of the Sages. This is a deliberate deus-ex-machina which the narrators refer to as a "divine prank" and seems to rely on the player's familiarity with the events of the previous games (so much of what, in Twilight Princess's narrative seems to be nostalgia points simply reinforcing -- it's eerie familiarity. This land's status as the shadow of a former (or estrange contemporary's) glory.

That is -- the knowledge that Ocarina of Time ends with Link possessing foreknowledge, his meeting with Zelda in the post-credits will ensure that a change will occur.

The Triforce is a Divine Object belonging to the Sacred Realm and so Exists Above and Outside of Time.

If Ganondorf possesses the Power of the Gods in One Timeline, he possess them in All Timelines -- even one's where he's a loser convict on death row about to get iced by elderly nerds.

How do the two interact?

If Ganondorf does something in one timeline, does it effect what he does in all timelines? Do the two newly introduced split timelines somehow feed into one another? Perhaps Ganondorf's brief ascension in TP -- his feeding off of his symbiosis with Zant and the associated corruption of the Twilii people -- is enough to give Ganondorf in the Wind Waker timeline the strength he needs to break free of his bindings? This would, in effect, make TP as much a prequel to WW as sequel to MM!

Does this imply -- do indulge me this detour, let us see together to what fruitful avenues it may lead! -- that the more Hyrule's history is revealed, the more its awareness of itself seems to diverge and fragment into dead-ends, side-roads, alternate possibilities, predecessor upon predecessor, past upon past, coming to accrue as much as it clarifies -- bouncing like a ping-pong ball ball (by which i mean that more exquisite art -- the energy tennis match between hero and villain) as the chaos gives way to shape and the chaos to some deeper form?

Conclusions in one windswept corner in time, from bouncing back and forth from some fairy tale past about an enchanted cap and a world of little people and a blade which divides one into four ... and a land where your kingdom was drowned for good, your patriarch renouncing his entitlements, to bless you to open and terrible freedom to not repeat the mistakes of your ancestors, setting sail for a distant land you will make you own ... which you discover is spider-webbed with train-tracks which were already there. designed by a more mechanically advanced-prior civilization. train-tracks. across the entire-continent. already there.

not connected to some heartland city, no -- of course not. simply another variation on the tower of babel and wasteland motifs you've already glimpsed in that other other timeline's alternative alternate world.

i confess, on my first and only playthrough of Spirit Tracks (despite or perhaps precisely because of its inoffensive nature) i found myself so bored, i put it down halfway through and didn't pick it back up for six months, and when i did it was only because -- there would be a new game soon.

skyward sword was yet a glint on the horizon. there were no plans yet announced for a zelda on the wii which wasn't already on the cube.

i had a dream where i was in a sprawling floral-lattice work of a stream-shrouded 1920's train station and there was an inkling i needed to finish that last zelda there would be another one soon.

i needed to finish it, there would be another one soon.

i can't recall if there were skylights, yet i seem to suspect.

skyward sword, it is my regret to feel, though not openly repeat -- was so bad, i fear despite being intellectually open to another zelda, it left me feeling i had outgrown video games as a general hobby and this was a good place to stop. i feel it was giving me a dreadful warning.

all technology from this point on is simply training you to play fetch for the AI girlfriend who is submissive waifu masking claustrophobic smother-demon timesink. It was telling me get out all now. All further digital games will simply be coded nanny state propaganda.

i feel the entire series Zelda herself has been slowly transitioning from Mother-Sister to Sister-Wife and Now Link Has to Put His Dick In Her and It's Repulsive. I don't want it. I understand why infinite access to bitches and bling turned Ganondorf into an insipidly hunky blue swine beast.

I do not wish to wed the nanny state through a symbolic incestuous union with the machine. I can't imagine the level of loneliness and feelings of personal disempowerment would could ever possibly drive one to wish to own, let alone interact with an Alexa. I have no idea why anyone would consider this histrionic. I suspect most are half-aware, barely alive.

The first Demon to which I ever bore witness was the Microsoft Office Paperclip and I immediately knew it was evil; a withering force of infantilization which yearned to strip me of my savvy and I rightfully shunned it! I do not wish for my interfaces to have personalities or crack jokes! I want machines to be machines! A machine with a soul should be cathartic only for it reflects a solitary intellect's capacity to endure.

If you've ever seen The Film Simply Called Moon by David Bowieson, they did it right in that. That was a good AI companion. He was one step above Wilson from Cast Away. He was basically a totem comfort object with a short term data cash which functioned as semi-authentic short term memory. He was a simple machine, but it was real. That was honest.

Why would anyone ever love a son? It takes a saint to love a son. Autism is basically Son: The Personality cause They're All Like That. That's what it is to be a Boy, which is why it is so confusing when you are an Autistic Girl who is also Heterosexual! Being An Autistic Lesbian makes everything hilarious, oh my God. That level of natural detachment, if properly harnessed -- constant lazer vision. Carve microchips into people's faces. Rub your swampy crotches together to create fungal blooms live-erupting out of hot spring geysers scarring lily-white flesh!

A son is a little whelp you fuck emotionally until it's manly.

It's horrible. You have to actually love that to do it right. Look at yourself and see how hard it is to love you, apparently. It doesn't make any sense to me when you're repulsed by yourself. Why would you find either you or me repulsive? We're having fun maybe you should get that checked out.

[darthstitch]

fic (history class cryptids): how do you justify I'm mystified by the ways of your heart

Hob Gadling likes to cook.

In the beginning, it was, obviously, a survival skill. He still has memories of helping his Mam prepare the rabbit he'd caught for dinner for a tasty stew or a pie. He remembered walking into the woods with his sisters to look for wild vegetables and herbs, even mushrooms, Mam having taught them what was safe to eat.

"Old family recipes these are," she would tell them. "Passed on from me own mum and from me gran." Her brown eyes, the same ones Hob had, would twinkle. "Did ye know that it was the little folk who'd taught our family to cook? Sensible creatures they are, knew the important things were a warm hearth, a good meal and a full belly. They'd eat seven times a day, they would."

Seven times a day was bliss for all of them, when sometimes they could barely scrape up three.

And she'd gather them round, Hob and his sisters, with even the baby listening in rapture from his cradle, as she made dinner, all of them helping.

Hob still knows how to make his mother's best stews and pie. A fine spring day was usually the best time to make them.

Another kitchen-related memory was being with his dear Eleanor, who'd learned to cook at her Gran's knee. The scents of certain spices and herbs were enough to send him back to Eleanor's kitchen, of her stories about how Gran had perhaps charmed her Granddad with a certain dish and how Eleanor would be serving that for dinner, a toast to that redoubtable lady's memory. How Hob had laughed at the naughty twinkle in his wife's eyes, caught her by the waist to her not completely indignant squeals, silenced her with kisses that she had eagerly welcomed.

Their Robyn had been born nine months after that dinner, to the very day.

Eleanor had hoped to pass her Gran's recipes own to her children, to her own daughter but she had been absolutely delighted that her husband had wanted to learn everything as well.

As it turned out, Hob would be the only one to remember the recipes now. And the stories.

Eleanor would not be the last cook that Hob would learn from. There was Yasoda, with her naan and her wonderfully fragrant curries. It had been one of those times he did not regret being a hired sword, protecting their merchant family from thieves and brigands as they traveled on the Silk Road and on the seas.

Hob had also spent some time in New York, with his war buddies Fredo and Michael, who'd shared with him the best Italian dishes they'd learned from their Mama who had originally come from Sicily. There was also Ruyi and her family recipes from Canton and Szechuan, just before she'd been carried off to the Forbidden City to be an Emperor's bride. And he'd been there in Japan, of course, joining Kenshin and his family as they had all discovered sukiyaki for the first time at the Akabeko, as it had just been a recent invention for Japan's Meiji era.

Hob remembered them all, every tale, every memory, each time he decided to cook something he'd learned from them.

And to be honest, that was really how he went about feeding Dream of the Endless.

Unavoidably detained, Dream had said at first, when he'd finally shown up at the New Inn, 33 years and a few odd days late (Hob wasn't counting them to the minute, obviously not). Those beautiful twilight eyes had dimmed and Hob knew all the signs of trauma and distress when he saw them. It had been Dream's turn to tell him his own tale, dragged out at first one word at a time, beginning with his own name.

Dream of the Endless. Morpheus. Lord of Dreams and Nightmares.

(Hob would learn about the Prince of Stories title much later, but that was a tale for another day.)

Over a hundred years spent naked in that glass cage, without air, without water to drink or food to eat, with nothing except for the slow torment that his own mind could devise for him. Unavoidably detained, with the barest hint from Dream himself that somehow Dream had deserved it for his own stubbornness and pride.

Hob didn't know what infuriated him more.

He'd taken one look at his friend, who had looked even more gaunt and thin than he'd been the last time they'd seen each other, and had to visibly restrain himself from dragging Dream into his kitchen, sit him at the dining counter, and make him something to eat.

Feeding Dream was an alternative from trying to find Roderick Burgess' grave, so Hob could dig up the rotten bastard to bring him back to life and kill him all over again. What? Hob had favors he could call in, even if he mostly kept away from any else that smacked of the supernatural and the occult.

"I can survive without sustenance," Dream suddenly said, watching Hob's hands clench on the table. "And those who had me imprisoned have been suitably punished."

"I'm that obvious, eh?" Hob's lips twitched into a wry smile.

"Your daydreams were a little…colorful."

"God's teeth, man, warn a fellow before you do that."

"I do not make it a habit to peer into your dreamscape, Hob Gadling. Only that they're a little … loud … at the moment." Those blue eyes darkened just a little bit, the color of the ocean under a moonlit sky (God's wounds, Hob was turning into ruddy fucking Shaxberd, horrible prose and all). "Also rather bloodthirsty."

Hob huffed. "Well, that I'm not sorry for, duck." Christ, he'd barely swallowed back the urge to actually call him love, a word that was just aching to trip itself out of his careless tongue. "It's either the sword or the kitchen knife and since I can't avenge you anymore, I'll just feed you instead."

"I have eaten something since I've gotten out," Dream protested. But Hob almost had him, he could tell.

"This would be…?"

Dream looked properly abashed. "A bucket of fried chicken from a dream. It said… KFC, I think? I was not inclined to be discerning at that point."

Hob facepalmed. "No. NOPE. Not fucking dreamspace KFC. Instead, I'm going to cook you something. Maybe some congee to start, the way I'd learned it from Ruyi or she'd haunt me and say I bring shame to all her ancestors if I don't do it justice."

"And who is Ruyi?"

And that was how Hob Gadling, entirely by accident, discovered how to get Dream of the Endless to actually eat something. A story, along with whatever he was cooking, and watching Dream adorably wrinkle his nose before trying whatever it was that Hob set before him.

He liked the congee, redolent with ginger and green onion.

Soon enough, it became their own thing. Dream would visit, Hob would make him something and there would be a story to go with it. It soon became shared tasks in the kitchen, handing His Darkness a kitchen knife and something to chop. Or maybe it was dishes to wash and dry.

Hob was very pleased when his darling friend soon lost the gaunt look, color dusting across those fine cheekbones.

Somewhere along the way, duck and friend became love, dove and darling. In between curries and fragrant rice, pies and sorbets, stews and soups, there were kisses exchanged, gently chiding his owne hertis rote to stop that nuzzling at his neck or dinner would be ruined, but oh, gods, fine, yes, love, let me turn off the stove before we burn the house down and let me kiss you proper, hm?

Here were more kitchen memories to make, a tiny precious smile to coax out of his beloved, delighted laughter when Dream presented him with his own culinary creations, ridiculously proud to have mastered this skill as well, love in every bite.

There were new stories for them now, in Hob's own kitchen. And they'd be creating more, endlessly, if both of them had their way.

They would.

-end-

Footnote the First: Obviously, Hob's family had absolutely no relationship to the Little Folk who hid in comfortable holes in the ground, ate seven delicious meals a day, and had small magics that would help them hide from the Big Folk in a pinch. Whatever are you talking about?

Footnote the Second: It must be stated that Dream of the Endless took to domesticity like a duck to water, despite popular opinion. It drove his sibling to utter frustration, all that delicious want and need that had been bottled up with its matching plunge to despair and grief once thwarted, was now simply answered with equal fervor, causing a certain contentment and joy that had not been seen in millennia. It was nauseating. To say nothing of this whole fandom that had sprung around their ridiculous broody older brother, who was supposedly not the beauty of the family! And to top it all off, this fandom of desire-crazed humanity had been caused by their own grandchild, who shared her uncle's affinity for stories! This was an offense that could not be borne!

Footnote the Third:

Obviously, Hob Gadling has heard of Twilight. Who hasn't?

(Fine. He read the first book. It was not high literature but who didn't enjoy silly romantic stupid fluff every now and then?)

So he gets all the Edward Cullen jokes his students make when they first clap eyes on Dream. It's hilarious. Of course he thinks ol' Eddie-boy doesn't hold a candle to his darling.

And then, for once, jolly old England decides that there is SUCH A THING as sunlight and he gets to see Dream in the glorious sunshine.

Oh.

Oh.

OH.

Goddamn Eddie Cullen can keep his sparkles; Dream of the Endless glowed in the sunshine. And obviously, that was excuse enough for Professor Hob Gadling to steal some kisses.

Professor "Thomas Murphy" would like to point out that there was no need for kiss-stealing, as he was perfectly happy to bestow them upon his ridiculous husband whenever he wanted.

Footnote the Fourth:

Even Dream of the Endless needs to rest.

Once, he used to retreat to his own private chambers in the Castle. A bed, sheets softer and silkier than a whisper, coolness and calm and peace within. Alone and with no one to make demands upon him, no duty or burden to carry.

He contented himself with that, for a very long time.

Now, he find himself stumbling into the Waking, instinctively setting foot into a place that had been built for him by loving hands, where offerings of flowers and food and wine had been provided, where songs and stories were shared.

Dream seeks out a certain warm presence, smiles when he is coaxed to sit down. There are arms to hold him, kisses pressed to his hair, to his nose and lips. He nuzzles into a familiar scent, presses a kiss over a lovemark he had made just that morning.

"Hullo, love."

"Hello, husband mine."

Dream is home.

[ixtaek]

I know I’ll probably get killed for this but I have a theory why LU is the most popular Link Meet AU.

First off, if an AU is drawn instead of written, it’s going to be more popular, because strong visuals give people more stuff to latch onto. Especially if the art is really cool, colored, and distinctive. Each Link in LU has a distinctive design that makes them visually easy to tell apart and a unique skill-set they bring to the table. I know some folks don’t like that Wind and Four are composites of multiple games which are spread over several canonical centuries, but part of why it works is because the games they encompass have very similar looking Links (I’m sorry Spirit sweetie). Every character wears something that naturally exists in their game, but is visually distinct as “them”. Even Four, who looks the most different from his in-game sprites, is still modeled after the stained glass window from Minish Cap. An outsider to Link Meet AUs but a knowledge of Zelda games (like myself) can easily walk into the AU and say “oh ok that’s the Link from Twilight Princess and that’s the one from Skyward Sword” pretty much at a glance.

But there are lots of really cool well drawn distinctive Link Meet AUs out there, so why is this one doing numbers? I think it’s also because there’s very little extra headcanon attached to the LU boys in the comic itself. Everything about them is pretty closely tailored to their games, from appearance to skills to personalities. The only completely canon relationship in LU iirc is Malon and Time are married and Sky and Sun are dating. Most AUs I see add in some of the artists own flair or ships or identities into the Links, which is great, but it can create a more limited sandbox for others to play in. Like if an AU has RavioLi as canon or it’s definite that Link and his Zelda are related, then people who ship ZeLink can’t put their own spin on things. If you’re adding a gender identity or disability or something to your AU, then people feel uncomfortable trying to change that in fanworks, and may not engage as much because of it. And especially if you have like, a big extra non-game mechanic going on that runs how the Links are meeting that people may be intimidated by. Fandom lives in the ability to adapt and project a little. The more you make “canon” to your AU, the fewer wild ideas people will run off with linked to it.

Another reason, and I say this with all the love in my heart, is that because LU has become so intrinsically linked with the hero titles (ie the game names), some people wanna differentiate by giving their Links different names than Time/Twilight/Wind/etc. Which is totally fine and honestly really fun, but it’s not as immediately identifiable for some as the game names, which can be a barrier. And sure, if you know the lore well enough some are obvious—the one with pink hair is the one from ALttP, the one with a fairy name is probably the OG Link, the one with any sort of body of water referenced is probably Wind Waker—sometimes there are overlaps. Like OoT Link and OG Link could both be called fairy boy. Wind Waker and Link’s Awakening could both be island names. This isn’t insurmountable, but it’s a barrier that LU doesn’t really have.

This ain’t to say other Link Meets AUs aren’t great, cuz they are! I follow a few of them and enjoy them immensely, and several get a lot of engagement! This is just my theory as to why LU has become kinda the Ur example of the Link Meet AU, and why the fandom is so big compared to other options.

I’m not tagging this because I honestly don’t want to discourse. I just want to ramble.