#before majoras mask...obviously

[caffinatedvic]

little link art dump

[atlas7seo]

Hear me out: A Zelda Game where Link pulls the Master Sword and tells no one. And when I mean no one, I mean no one. So imagine this Link comes home with a funky sword wrapped in fabric, his family asks "what's that?" And he just shrugs. Like we can have actual family dynamics like Wind Waker. GUYS REAL PARENTS. Meanwhile everyone in the castle is freaking the f out because the master sword is gone. Did Ganon take it?! How did he manage to?! IT WAS SO WELL GUARDED!

And Link just kinda doesn't want to deal with the pomp and grand displays he knows he'll have to suffer through so he just kind of tells no one, but he's still the hero at heart and he knows he has to beat Ganon eventually so he kind of just goes around fixing random problems the entire game while waiting for Ganon to show up. And he gets like fun equipment from it. So a kid he helped find his parents gifts him a slingshot. A random soldier lends him a shield. The Zora he helped with directions gives him a helmet to breathe underwater. Stuff like that. And with more quests he unlocks more places where he can just fix more problems.

Like we can have the standard combat stuff and dungeons but he could also solve like mysteries or stuff all while trying to avoid Zelda and the royal family. So a game that's entirely a stealth mystery level. And along the way these random side quests he does actually ends up culminating in beating Ganondorf. Like these random gifts are useful tools. I know botw you can beat up Ganon with a mop and I feel like doing it again would be very funny. Like some nice lady just gave you a mop to clean her floors and she says to keep it and Link is just like "thanks ig but idk what I'll do with it," and proceeds to wack Ganon with it.

And not all the quests are required and there could be gimmicks like in Majora's Mask where two tasks happen at the same time so you can do one or the other so everyone will have a distinctly different playthrough. We could also have a day night cycle where different quests happen at night or in the day.

Also if people wanted we could bring back Sheik. Link doesn't know Sheik is Zelda and it'd be funny if Zelda didn't know Link was...Link ig and at the end it's like this really funny like "WAIT A MINUTE YOURE THE PRINCESS/HERO?" moment. Like obviously the audience will know but the dramatic irony yall. I live for dramatic irony.

I just want more story and interactions yall. I really enjoyed the concept where people knew Link was the hero already in BOTW so I think it'd be interesting to watch more heroes who just already knew before the critical incident. Most of the time Link is kind of just thrown into the plot and he trips into becoming the hero.

[babbletaels]

Before tears of the kingdom came out, I was watching a video on youtube that talked about volcanic signs around hyrule. As they pointed out what different structures around death mountain and akkala could've been, I started seeing those kinds of structures and shapes everywhere and I realized..

Hyrule is on top of a very large volcanic area

I started looking for signs. I realized there were hot springs in tabantha, and hot springs is not just something that cold regions have, no, it's something volcanic regions have.

When tears of the kingdom came out one of my top priotities was to get to the depths and see if there's lava underneath these hot springs, and sure enough there they were! Not only that, I found volcanic shapes in the depths themselves, as well as lava in other places I didn't know about.

Why am I talking about this?

Because they're not just there as decorations, at least not to me.

Look at Hyrule great forest. It obviously used to be a big forest spanning from above hyrule castle all the way to the top of the map, covering the west part of death mountains foot. Now the trees are all burned down from a volcanic eruption, except for in two regions that have strangely moat-looking "rivers" around them.

I'm not going to pretend I believe these are rivers. I'm 100% sure they are man made. These moats were dug in order to protect important land marks, because the people knew that they live on a volcanic region. It's no coincidence that the castle has a huge moat around it as well. They are trying to be safe from their inevitable doom.

But it's not just this. Moats don't always save you, and volcanoes eventually go dormant.

I imagine if you're the least interested in zelda lore and the zelda timeline, you've asked yourself the question, "Why does the map change so drastically?". Well, here's your answer.

Death mountain isn't just any mountain, it's always the most recently active volcano and the place where the gorons live! The gorons move around, when there's a new volcano they move there!

Towns safety become threatened, and so they move. Look at the ruins on the sides of death mountain, they're not burned, they're abandoned. So the people move around, they literally have no choice but to do so, unless they take to drastic measures, like raising your town high above the ground and building a wall around it, like the great plateau.

Why are the sheikah towers buried under ground and designed to shoot up with incredible force? Why not just build them in place and why do they need to be so tall? Maybe they were preparing them to be able to function even after lava has covered the ground.

The extremely mountainous nature of all of hyrule is honestly the best sign we have of this. By looking at the mountains we can conclude where the latest volcano was, and I think it was in Hebra.

So when trying to piece together how the maps work together, you can't look at things like a town, a castle or a volcano, because those things are constantly moving. I'd say maybe the desert could be the way to go, but we've seen very clearly that deserts used to be oceans. If you look to the horizon in gerudo desert in botw, you'll see water.

I think that the gorons migrate when their volcano gets too cold. If we look at majoras mask and assume that termina is in fact a real place, this is the first time we see gorons living in a cold place, and they don't seem to be thriving. Gorons like the warmth that the volcano provides.

So why does death mountain switch places?? Because it's not the same mountain! Death mountain is always the volcano! So one volcano goes dormant, another one pops up and the gorons move there. And this also explains a loooooot of other geographical questions. The people of hyrule are living under a constant threat of destruction by volcano, and that's why they need to move their castles and everything. If we were to assume the temple of time from ocarina of time is the same as in breath of the wild, we clearly see they moved/abandoned the castle and castle town because of the close proximity of death mountain in ocarina of time. It all makes a lot of sense and makes me feel like the map changing isn't such a big problem to me anymore.

[rawliverandgoronspice]

I think what particularly annoys me with the "zelda was always gameplay before story" is that... it's not true? At least I don't think it's true in the way people mean it.

Zelda games were always kind of integrating story based on the standards of the time. When game stories were in game pamphlets, Zelda's stories was in the pamphlets. ALTTP tried to tell a pretty complicated stories with the limitations of the time. OoT was actively trying to tell an epic, cinematic tale packed with ambiance and expand what 3D could offer that 2D games struggled with. Majora's Mask is deeply character-driven in many, many ways. Wind Waker and Twilight Princess are both pretty concerned about their stories, down to the point that some people were bored by TP's cutscenes in particular. Skyward Sword, from what little I have played it, is very very invested in its characters and their journey (and 2D Zeldas have Link's Awakening, Minish Cap... None of them are visual novels, but they are concerned with emotional journeys, character arcs, mysteries about their own world...)

What is true is that the narrative wraps around the mechanics, and not the other way around. The mechanics drive themes, aesthetics, emotional beats and character journeys; and that's great. The world is a puzzle, and the world is delightfully absurd when it needs to be, full of heart when it calls for it, dark and oppressive when it suits the player experience.

That does not mean the games aren't invested in their stories. Even BotW has a pretty complicated story to tell about an entire world rather than one specific tale or legend --all of it at the service of the gameplay, which is exploration and mastery of your environment.

So. Yes, none of the Zelda games are million-words long visual novels that care deeply about consistency and nuance; but stories don't need consistency or deep lore to be meaningful and serve an emotional journey. Again: gameplay is story. The two cannot be so easily parsed from each other.

And Zelda as a franchise obviously care deeply about story, characters and setting (and still does right now --otherwise there wouldn't be a movie), even if it doesn't try to imitate prestige narrative-driven games, which is great and part of why I love this series so much. Doesn't mean it couldn't have done better in the past, it obviously could have, but I feel like pretending that nobody ever cared about story or character is just... false? It's a huge disservice to the devs too. Some of them obviously cared immensely.

The "gameplay above story", at least in the extent to which it is paraded today to defend TotK, mostly, is a really recent development. And I think it's one that deserves to receive some pushback.

[sleepingdayaway]

GAGGGRGRGRG IMMEDIATELY RUSHED TO THE ASK BOX WHEN I SAW UR REQUEST WERE OPEN I LOVE YOUR WRITING SO MUCH IM FOAMING AT THE MOUTH, WOULD IT BE ALRIGHT TO ASK FOR A PART 3 TO THE PLAYER HAS YHE FIERE DEITY MASK??? IF NOT JUST IGNORE THIS REQUEST!!! HAVE A GOOD DAY

HSDFBAEJRBFUHVFDB HOLY CRAP??? I DIDN'T EXPECT FOR YOU GUYS TO HONESTLY LIKE THE FIERCE DEITY STORY.

Once again! It's short so my bad. When I first wrote this it was supposed to be just 1 part lol didn't expect y'all to genuinely like it. :)

Characters: Time, Fierce Deity, and Reader

Warnings: None

The silence was so loud after those words were spoke.

The group of blondes all looked at the eldest in fear that the man would just pounce on the poor individual who, quite obviously, has no idea on what is going on. Who has just simply grown attached to the first thing that showed them kindness after being woken up in a place that wasn't their home.

"What in the actual fuck?"

Time is regretting even trying to bargain with the individual as they hold one the most dangerous mask, in their hands.

Every fiber of his being is screaming at him to simply lunge for it, but Time's rational part of himself is refusing to submit. It would be unfair to them. Really, the person looked exhausted, their body tensed as if they were fighting moments before they arrived. There was also a slight hint of fear and caution in their eyes as they scanned him and his friends. Subtle signs that they might've used the mask before they arrived, which surpised him that the young adult is still standing.

Said person flinched back at his words. Unconsciously fidgeting with Fierce Deity in their hands. "He says your name is, Link," they continued with a look of hopefulness as they made eye contact with Time's eyes.

"That you could help me? That you were taken by this freaky shadow thing-" [Name] ranted on as their posture slowly relaxed. In return, Time's shoulders slumped slightly as he stares at them.

Eventually [Name] drifted off and stared hesitantly at Time. Searching for any more signs of hostility since he did look like he was going to fucking tackle them into the ground earlier. If they were to even move an inch.

A familiar chuckle echoed in their head. "You aren't wrong there, little one" Fierce Deity teased. "The young hero used to always dive head first into situations without a plan." The Deity merely found this entire thing amusing, and was he going to enjoy it as much as he can.

[Name] tenses up. Okay, they may not know what the fuck is going on, and it's really unfair that the Fierce Deity mask? Person? Has a really hot voice.

"I swear to god, if you say shit like that unannounced I'm going to throw you-"

"Excuse me?"

A noise of fear escaped from [Name's] lips at the acknowledgement. Their hands loosened for a moment before squeezing as if they were warning the entity in the mask. A hesitant smile appears on their mouth as they look up at the older man.

'Holy fuck- if I'm holding the Fierce Deity mask then that means I'm speaking to Link-'

[Name] does a double take at the blonde. He's quite tall, no longer the small hero that ran around helping the land of Termina and Hyrule. The young boy is nonexistent but they believe he hasn't been that youthful optimistic child he once was for a long time.

When did their precious boy get freaking tall??? Wasn't most versions of Link smaller than the average Hylian?

"I wasn't talking to you! The mask said something stupid so I-"

"He can speak to you?? What- you can hear him??"

"My brother in christ if you interrupt me again, I'm walking the other direction."

A smooth deep laugh echoed in their head at the short responses. Fierce Deity relished in this moment; the familiar bickering between the older hero and the young guide.

It brought him back to the moment during the Hero of Time's journey. During the final fight with Majora, the Fierce Deity was conscious during the entire battle. Giving his strength to the young hero and his guide. A moment where the both of you were panicking. Which then caused a stressed conversation between the two of you.

"Link- Link I swear to god if you take off this mask because you think it'll be funny. I will make sure Majora punches you so hard you blackout for the rest of this fight"

"Oh come on! It'll only be off just for a moment."

"NO-"

Oh yes. The God could only wait and enjoy on how everything will go. He will refuse to speak up and explain on what is going on. In his eyes, why not let the children piece everything together?

Besides it fine to let himself be a bit selfish in knowing who you are. It has been a long time since he's seen you. You can't blame him, can you?

[the-moon-files]

Linked Universe / GN!Reader - Random Headcanons abt the Chain! :)

Part 1 / Part 2 (ur here!) / Part 3

Sun: Reader (you/they/them)

Orbit: Headcanons-ish

Stars: Hyrule, Time, Fierce Deity, Twilight, Warriors

Comets & Meteors: Content Warnings: light cussing, & Trigger Warnings: none known.

☆

Hyrule (The Legend of Zelda - OG game, Zelda II: Adventures of Link):

Lost easily, obviously, you know this

What you didnt know was that its very easy to get lost with him

Bc he's so excited/curious for new sights he doesnt give any fucks abt where he is, so it devolves into that "wait, I thought YOU were leading us there?? Then where tf are we??!!" very quickly

Does feel bad he stressed u out smtimes but he somehow manages to get into such wild shit that Hyrule's kinda preoccupied being confused/amazed/finding his way out, or any combo of these situations (once again, usually with you unfortunately)

Is the luckiest when it comes to getting lost or anything to do with "natural" things

Like he heard u rlly like this one fruit? Accidentally gets lost all day and panics all the Links + You until he shows up at midnight with a shirtful of them

("I found a few fruit trees/plants in the woods while wandering! I tried to grab a few for you and before I knew it, it was dark, sorry...")

Likes learning little skills from other people, like learning how to do makeup from Legend, or how to spot collections of rupees the Minish have left somewhere from Four, or how walk on any terrain from Wind (good at walking on a ship, on land, climbing etc)

More of a "sunset" hiker than a "sunrise" one

Likes to do your hair! Whether that be braiding, putting accessories (he handmade shhh) thruout it, or helping with hair maintenance, likes how strangely intimate but domestic it feels together with you (u return the favor ofc)

(All the other heroes are looking at you both like kicked puppies jfcccc🙄)

Time (Ocarina of Time, Majora's Mask):

Gets anxious if he's late to things, likes being fashionably early (or ungodly, when u let him get away with it)

Has absolutely been that meme from Parks and Recreation where he's like "Alright. I'm not mad, I just wanna know. Who broke it?"

(Abt the coffee pot for the camp)

Knowing full and well-

"I broke it. It burnt my coffee for the 3rd morning in a row, so I punched it. I predict 10 minutes from now they'll be at each other's throats with war paint on their faces and a moblin head on a stick. ...good. It was getting a little chummy around here."

MF LOVES GOSSIP (wouldn't admit this even at swordpoint)

Wars has absolutely been the person in the meme of:

Wars: "...why would you tell me this??"

Time: "Bc no one will ever believe you."

Wars: ...😦

Has a resting bitch face and knows it, actively cultivates it, scary dog privileges for you,

Type to take ur side in whatever situation ur in, even when Time has no idea whats going on, always, without question <3

The same height as First, (Twi's a close 2nd), and feels most secure when the 3 of you are at the front of the group, but First/Time are slightly in front of you

Like ur literally the person walking their 2 huge scary doobermans/mastiffs one leash in each hand basically 💀

(Once again, Link is deeply comforted by ur voice just over his shoulder/just hearing u even without seeing you)

Very subtly sarcastic, u dont even know he made a dig at you until 3-5 business days later

Likes ur sarcasm more than anyone else's in the group, or even his own lol

Fierce Deity (Majora's Mask):

Likes music, any music (amused at drunk karaoke)

Casually cradles ur arms or back whenever ur falling asleep/tripping/being clumsy near him

Very warm and smoothed calloused hands

Thinks abt what he's about to say so hard/long, that the conversation's moved on by like, 3 rounds/subject changes by the time he's actually ready to talk

Scolds ppl (in like a sentence) who neglect their needs, like sleeping/eating/hygiene

Finds peace in nature, if hes ever upset, u can bet he's already taking a walk by a stream

Likes teaching u/other Links little skills he has, its nice to feel appreciated/needed for something other than fighting or big moments

He falls in love with small moments, like the first time u made them all a dessert recipe from ur world, or repaired First's scarf (for the millioneth time) and bc everyone had gotten their clothes scratched up, everyone needed repairs so most Links were sewing smth lol

Enjoys watching ppl experience smth for the first time, or even himself exp smth for first time

Fierce smiled fully for the first time when you got into the mountain hot springs in Wild's Hyrule for the first time and were super excited

Also the type to hold ur hand while stepping in to make sure u dont fall, or just subtly boost a Link that was abt to fall from climbing smth

Like for being the tallest, he's surprisingly sneaky, the energy of the biggest cat in the house yet somehow also the quietest

Does that thing where someone takes ur hand and like massages ur fingers, palm, wrist and shakes them out kinda for you <3

Twilight (Twilight Princess):

Trips UP the stairs.

Cold start LMAO

ok ill be nice to him,, sike

Easy to bully?? U mean that kindly, he's just such a golden retriever sometimes u cant help urself (tho u make sure to reign it in and not take advantage of it so as not to genuninely hurt him)

Lol likes to "herd" his favorite people, like those dogs livestock farmers have u kno that they say end up herding their owners/their family lol

Like making subtle circles around the Chain, wrapping an arm around Hyrule and teasing him to quietly bring him back into the group before he gets lost,

Tugs on Time's armor to slow him down, mf may be in armor head to toe but he'll outpace all of u 💀

Likes to put his hand on ur lower back to guide u back into the group from whatever scenic thing u got distracted by

(so sue you, ur literally in The Legend of Zelda's Hyrule, surrounded by pretty blondes, why tf wouldnt you be distracted all the time??)

The only time he doesnt herd actively is in Ordon, just subconciously lol <3

Terrible sleep schedule, but sleeps like the dead when he does, has collapsed with a limb on top of you and u couldnt escape

Hard time waking up in the morning despite being country boy, who usually have to do chores first thing in morning on a farm

hates/envious of Wild (up at 5am even on days off?? Foul.)

Runs warm, but complains abt a slight breeze?

Would sleep with no covers if it werent for morning dew

Wishes cats liked him more (its the wolf smell)

Twi has the constant energy of a tall person carefully maneuvering around cluttered/low doorways while someone a head shorter runs by him and bounces off of him

U get onto/scold the Links and he's immediately the first to just sit on the ground, or put down whatever he's holding no matter what he's doing LMAO 😭😭

Keeps his eyes on u too the whole time lol

Warriors (Hyrule Warriors):

Cries over romance novels/dramas

A virgo in all stereotypes of the word tbh

Invented the red-string conspiracy theory board before the red-string conspiracy board existed in Hyrule

Also likes to take care of your hair! (What?? He and 'Rulie don't fight over ur hair, that'd be childish, he's not a foolish boy- Hyrule, hand over the brush.👹)

Remembers the little things abt u type of person, like ur favorite drink, ur favorite stories like tv shows/books even if theyre from ur world, ur favorite clothing pieces like shorts vs. pants, etc.

The only Link who can single handedly claim he could take your closet and dress you in something you'd actually wear.

Honestly once he got the hang of it, would get better at dressing you, than you

(Another domestic thing he adores, picking outfits for u/finding that perfect piece of clothing you've been needing lately)

Born to night-owl, forced to morning-bird 😔

Wars wakes up stiff sometimes bc soldier training is sleeping on ur back, hands to ur sides, laying straight in ur bed, so as to fit into bunks/bedrolls close together

It got better as he was promoted to Captain, so he could have his own quarters but its still a hard habit to shake

One of the few Links who works up the courage to genuinely pitfully ask if you'd mind massaging his shoulders again? He slept badly last night, please?? 🥺👉👈

(Ur so weak for pathetic hurting pretty blonde twinks lol)

The most lowkey abt taking care of Chain, but u make sure to take care of him as a gift back, and you've definitely caught him tearing up abt it 💖

☆

Debated writing smth else first but figured this was easy and short and i started it first so youll have to wait like one more post before more Masc Reader stuff guys 😔

Dw its coming, i havent abandoned u my homies out there 🫂

Let me know what u think in the comments of my slight characterizations here!

Im struggling to conceptualize their personalities so thats acc part of why i started to write smaller stuff like this first! :)

Peace out,

🌙

[doktor74]

Recently i remembered that the Happy Mask Salesman appeared in Oracle of Ages and this just spawned a bunch of ideas and theories that i'd like to just dump here:

aight so, i'm sure we're all familiar with the Zelda timeline, OOT being of course where it splits into three (let's ignore BOTW and TOTK for a moment)

HMS (i'm calling the mask salesman this for simplicity) appears in two timelines The Downfall timeline where the Oracle games take place and The Child timeline where Majora's Mask take place in

the origin of Majora's Mask is shrouded in mystery, but we know that it was created by an ancient tribe, and at some point the HMS heard about it and found it

what if the ancient tribe that created Majora's Mask was from Labrynna, that's why the Happy Mask Salesman is there, HMS doesn't really have that big of a role, he's just... there, being hangry then gives you a mask if you give him food, and nothing else, what if this Mask Shop is just a temporary thing he set up while he was out looking for the mask

which brings me to my next ramble, Majora's mask is still out there, the mask is an ancient item that existed before the timeline split and obviously still existed after it, we see it in the Child timeline where it was rediscovered by the HMS until it was stolen by the skull kid then *insert events of Majora's mask* where it was defeated by the Hero of Time, but what about the other timelines?

in the adult timeline, wherever it was hidden away, it's now most likely at the bottom of the ocean after the world was flooded, HMS probably never found it, heck, he probably died during the flood, the legend of Majora's Mask was forgotten and the mask itself lost to history

but as for the downfall timeline where HMS makes an appearance, well as mentioned before, we saw him WHILE he was still looking for the mask in Labrynna, setting up shop along the way, at some point during or after the events of oracle of ages, he most likely found the mask, i like to think things went normally after that, either staying in Labrynna or leaving going from town to town again, no skull kid to steal the mask that almost causes the apocalypse

or maybe something similar like that DOES happen and he's forced to get help from the Hero of Legend again, maybe some kind of sequel that takes place after Link's awakening (the last game where we play as the Hero of Legend)

but WAIT there's more! i've still got more to yap about, in OOT during the time skip and when Ganon took over Hyrule, HMS was nowhere to be found UNTIL the end credits where we see him dancing, meaning he survived, but what did he do during that time? my idea is that he fled to Labrynna because 1. he's familiar with it because he heard that's where Majora is and 2. it's in general relatively close to Hyrule (i mean Link managed to get there)

after Ganon was defeated he went back to Hyrule and did his little dance but if Ganon won (leading into the downfall timeline) he stays in Labrynna where we see him in Oracle of Ages

alright time to talk about BOTW and TOTK, they're their own timeline, apparently the two games are at the very end of the timeline (doesn't matter which three) it takes place so far into the future and that all the events that happened in previous games are considered myths and legends (really puts the "legend" in "legend of zelda")

but somehow after all that time Majora's Mask still exists, which further proves my idea that "Majora's Mask is still out there"

why is it in Hyrule and not Labrynna? simple, a long time has passed and the mask got moved around a lot by different people including HMS

interestingly Majora's Mask also appears in a Link Between Worlds, which takes place in the downfall timeline but after the events that featured the Hero of Legend

anyways that's about it, thank you for listening to me ramble if you got this far, this isn't really meant to be taken seriously as an actual theory but just a bunch of random ideas and headcanons i came up with, the Zelda timeline is just so fascinating, now that the Hero of the Wild's story is finished the next Zelda could be anything honestly not to mention the movie that's coming at some point, i'd be interested to see them experiment with other genres like BOTW and TOTK, like a side scrolling Zelda Metroidvania, that'd be cool

[the-carnival-of-time]

......all the lil dudes running around the moon kinda look like a child version of the Happy Mask Salesman, the only other model I find them similar to are the bombers.

And the moon is obviously heaven like who wouldn't want to go there when they die personally that tree makes me think "tree of life" but this is me blabbing

But with all that said and a theory I once heard about the Happy Mask Salesman being a deity (also considering he resides in a place unaffected by time and isn't tempted by an evil mask, the children of the moon also mention him) has me at a hmmmmm now.

Like the children are angels and the Mask Salesman is a moon deity. The moon is symbolic of healing, magic, and wisdom. The Mask Salesman is aware of Link's "terrible fate" of being turned into a Deku, and heals him through magic of song, and passes this along. Not only does he heal Link, the song gives the ability to turn broken souls into masks. He states it's magic and healing. The Mask Salesman knows every mask in Link's possession and its powers. He notes Link possesses "tremendous courage". He's able to tell by holding Majora's Mask that it's purified. He always knows how much time Link has, despite residing in a place unaffected by time. Why is it unaffected by time?? The moon is of water element. Water is fluid, moving, easily changeable in form. This is personified in just about every interaction with him. As a Cancer rising, the Mask Salesman is quite the erratic and emotional character.

Link, Skull Kid and the Mask Saleman are all from Hyrule. (Confirmed through in-game text) They all traveled into the Lost Woods and found a parallel world, but before Link followed Skull Kid to Termina, Skull Kid found the Saleman first. Every event in the game was due to Majora's curse, likely even to the point of it getting snatched off the Mask Salesman, causing him to follow Skull Kid and bump into the Hero of Time, following him to Termina.

The Mask Salesman had the mask because he knew its powers. What better person? He's wise and passionate. Majora's Mask misfortuned the Mask Salesman by pure karma of being a cursed object, drawing Skull Kid to cross his path, causing the Mask Salesman to seek out who he already knew just saved Hyrule, the same boy he sold masks to in the Hyrule market. But where was the Mask Salesman after Link went forward in time 7 years? No where to be found in Hyrule, yet...SKull Kid is still in Lost Woods blowing blow darts at adult Link. But

As I said, when the Happy Mask Salesman meets Link in Termina, he's already aware Link saved Hyrule. "Is this not a simple task? Why, to someone like you, it should by no means be a difficult task" And what a condescending tone a frustrated, but knowing, mother would use. (Sun=Father Moon=Mother) Zelda turned back time, but the Mask Salesman knows Link saves Hyrule. He also knows before Link takes his first step into Clock Town, Link has a 3 day time limit.

AND all the Sages in Twilight Princess have masks we just gonna act like that's a coincidence ok. What about every concept design of Midna having a mask and landing on the one that has the EXACT SAME EYE as Majora's. The Mask Salesman says himself that Majora's Mask comes from an ancient tribe.

I mean wtf is all this.

[marenwithanm]

Unhinged Zelda theory of the day: I think that before a link between worlds, Link already had a adventure. Now, maybe not a world saving adventure, nor one where he met princess Zelda, but something. He just has such an air of confidence throughout the game, like he's done something similar before. Now, maybe he's just a confident person, sure. But if that's the case, where did he get Majora's Mask?

Yes, obviously it's just a cameo by Nintendo, BUT ITS IN THE GAME SO I GET TO SAY THERES A STORY THERE! this is the downfall timeline, so ocarina of time link never lived on to save termina. Maybe this Link had his own termina adventure. Maybe he found it in a dungeon of some kind. Maybe the happy mask salesman, in all his strange cryptic magic, appeared in the downfall timeline and sold it to him. I don't know, but it's fun to think about

[beardedhandstoadshark]

Ok but what‘s the deal with the Howling Stones

very obviously Sheikah made despite then being practically nonexistent for a century or two

the Gossip Stone‘s wonky looking cousin; yet the actual stones were gotten rid of, so why are those things somehow still around?

if they were made before the gossip stones were destroyed, they probs would’ve been destroyed too - so they were only made afterwards? But why was that okay again?

they’re connected to a whole ass parallel soul dimension owned by a dead guy

said dead guy is only around because he regrets not being able to teach his skills to anyone while alive, yet that means he couldn‘t have had the foresight or time to set those stones up with the express purpose to help as a dead guy in the first place

the dead guy also doesn‘t actually need whatever magic is in those stones to appear or unlock the realm, so what is the purpose of the stones if it‘s not a key or call? What exactly do the stones do that make them necessary for Link to visit them first, instead of the wolf waiting for him directly like he did the first time?

the dead guy doesn‘t even do Sheikah magic

seriously, how did, of all characters, the spirit formerly known as Link Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time and Majoras Mask gain apparent access, ownership and control to a fantasy-ninjutsu powered stone info network and pocket dimension, and most likely only after he kicked the bucket

speaking of, the secret 7th howling stone that‘s placed in the Lost Woods, is the only one not sending you to the spirit dimension, calls skull-kid instead, by using zelda’s lullaby, all implying that regardless of the other howling stones’ creation, this one comes from stalfos grampa at least

and it has a triforce on it instead

anything that uses Sheikah/information/whatever magic, had, at this point in the series, always the eye incorporated into its‘ design somehow, further implying the triforce and eye stones weren‘t made by the same people

so once again, who made this server for what purpose and gave the skeleton man sole admin rights

There is probably even more but its 4am here and I need to sleep, if this entire ramble wasn‘t evidence enough of that already

[writerwithbrainrot]

Chapter Four: Nine Allies

Waking up in a strange camp alone, [Reader] Meets 9 familiar faces.

Warnings: Mentions of injuries, swearing,

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Warmth. That's the first thing that [Reader] noticed when they slowly regained conscious. But the warmth was only on one side. The other was cold, and a little damp even. They opened their eyes, and winced.

The sun was out, ans blinding them. and [Reader] had a throbbibg headache. causing them to hold their head in pain. feeling bandages instead of their bandana. They slowly sat up and allowed their eyes to adjust before looking around.

It was obviously a camp. The fair was out yet still giving warmth and things were littered around. Bags full of curious items with designs of travelers on them were in their own spots with some a little different than others. However, one bag caught their eyes.

"Is that?" [Reader] asked themselves, approaching a familiar mask. . . "Can't be. God, everything is so- unreal!" They exclaimed, picking up the Fierce Deity mask into their hands. The wood felt heavier than steel, as of [Reader]'s very being knew the weight this mask had-

"If it is the real mask." They huffed suddenly. "From what I've been through. I think this may be the real deal. The DarkHammer, the Kargarocs. . .Only one was ever made, and given to Link in Majora's Mask." They gasped, standing up straight in realization. "The Kargarocs!" [Reader] exclaimed, looking around in fear, holding the mask close to their chest in a pain. "What if this is an enemy camp?! What if I'm being watched?!"

A sound pulled their attention to the forest where they saw a very dirty person, with brown hair and a a green tunic and brown underclothes. He looked alarmed. covered in dirt and a few cuts. "Hey-"

[Reader], in panic, grabbed the closest thing to them, a rod with a red orb atop it. "Stay back!" They exclaimed as the guy jumped back and grabbed his sword hilt when [Reader] pointed the rod at him, a look of alarm on his features as it started to make sounds and little rods started to float around it. "I've got a rod and I'm not afraid to wack ya like a piñata!"

"Woah woah woah!" The man? boy? said in alarm, both hands now up in surrender. "I'm not your enemy! I swear! We'"

"Theres more?!" [Reader] exclaimed in total panic, swinging it around, looking for enemies making the person look more panicked "Oh god oh god!"

"We saved you from the Kargarocs!" he exclaimed to [Reader], who turned back to him. Their attention turned onto the boy, he pulled his sword out and tossed it near [Reader]'s feet. "See? My weapon. I'm unarmed. I promise. I'm not your enemy."

Silence lingered for what felt like an eternity before [Reader] slowly lowered the rod, allowing the boy to approch, "I'm gonna take this." he said gently, taking the rod from [Reader], "Can't have you setting everything on fire." he said.

[Reader] looked alarmed again. "Fire?!" they exclaimed. "That's a fire producing rod?! I could have burnt the forest down?!"

The boy placed the rod, now deactivated, down and took his sword back, making sure to show no intent on attacking. Yet [Reader] was still in shock. They didn't want to see it, see a dead forest with little color, dull like dust, drained of anything. They felt guilty, a part of them didn't want to think of their dying world while they were surrounded such lush colors, trees full of vibrant green and grass, fruit growing full of goodness on trees, blue skys full of birds.

A hand waved in front of [Reader]'s face, snapping them out of their thoughts. "Hey, you had a pretty bad head wound when Twilight caught you." he said, helping [Reader] sit down.

"Twilight?" [Reader] asked, confused, immediately thinking of Twilight princess. The boy gave a nervous grin, handing [Reader] a glass bottle of water, to which they started to drink suddenly realizing how thirsty they were.

"Oh, right, you don't know." he cleared his throat. "I'm Link, but the others call me Hyrule."

[Reader] choked on their water, some of it being spat out to the side. The boy- Link. or Hyrule- looked alarmed again, even more so when [Reader] stood, grabbing his hands and stared in his eyes with stars in their own. "Link?! are you serious?! you're link?! Oh my God! Are you being real!? Are you real?! like Link as in the hero?! That Link?!" The sudden chance in attitude threw Hyrule off guard, the sudden closeness and excitement making him go red in embarrassment. not entirely sure what to do

"I have been looking up to you since I was a child! Holy shit! I can't believe it! You're here in the flesh! Am I high?! Oh I hope I'm not high-"

"What's happening?" another voice came, snapping [Reader] out of their excitement as they backed up, looking over where Hyrule was, who was still red. A tall, blond man in armour stood with a scarf blue as water, dirt on his clothing and some on his face, standing next to a pair of small boys, one with blond hair that looked as bright as the sun and a blue shirt and a sword on his back and the other one with his tunic in four different colors.

It took everything within [Reader] not to fan girl, eyes wide seeing them as the tall one looked from Hyrule to [Reader]. "You're awake, that's a relief. Traveler, are they alright-" He paused, seeing how flustered Hyrule was "Traveler? Are you alright?"

"Hello!" The one with sun shine hair said, already over to [Reader]. "I'm Link, but my friends here call me Wind. Why are you grey?"

[Reader]'s face dropped to annoyed "It's a skin condition." they said, sounding irritated. Wind looked guilty, seeing the change of emotion of [Reader].

"You said something about knowing me." Hyrule said suddenly standing. [Reader] looked over, face turning with embarrassment. Wind and the other two looked over. "Are you from Hyrule? You don't look like someone I've seen before."

"They know you?" The tallest of the ones currently in the camp asked. Hyrule nodded, "Yea. They thought I was an enemy at first but then started to. . . uh. . ."

'I can't tell them the truth.' [Reader] thought. 'I mean, they'd think I was an enemy or some kind of a psycho if I just said "you're from a video game in my world" and how I got here!' They thought to themselves, biting their lip.

"I'm not from Hyrule." They said, making Hyrule and the other one look at them. [Reader] gulped. "I'm from [home]." They said, wanting to keep it a bit vague.

"You're not?" the shortest one asked. "But Legend found a book on your person. It had drawings of places some of us have been too. Why and how?" he asked. [Reader] stiffened a bit.

"uuuh." They started, trying to not look suspicious "I'm a historian." they stated "I. . . if he's-" [Reader] pointed to link "Link, then I don't know how to say this. . ."

Shortie tilted his head "Say what?" he asked, sounding suspicious. "

[Reader] gulped. "Hyrule. . . Isn't around anymore." They straightened up, seeing All four of the men pale and look confused. Clearing their throat, [Reader] continued. "Uuh. I've been to a place that clearly isn't my home. A tall mountain covered in ice and snow, had my spine shattered, got healed in a 'Castle Town' then kidnapped by Kargarocs, which dont excsis- are extinct. There is some much more. . . life everywhere than my home. From what I've peiced together. . I'm in the past. I. . ." They swallowed again "In my time. . . Hyrule doesn't exist. Not anymore."

The tallest one dropped the bag in his hand. all looking quite distraught, the one who looked least upset was Wind. 'If I remember right, Hyrule was already underwater, this doesn't effect him much I don't think.'

"You can't be serious!" the tall one yelled, grabbing [Reader's] shoulders hard, making them jump, a broken look in his eyes that scared [Reader]. Hyrule pulled him off, despite being a pale himself.

Guilt welled up in [Reader]'s stomach. they regretted saying that. Seeing them all in shock. . .

Silence encased the group, before the shortest one spoke. "Um . . . I'm Link. But call me Four."

"Are you all Link?" [Reader] asked. Four nodded. 'he must be from Four swords and Minish cap.' they thought to themselves.

"We gave ourselves different names to not cause confusion." Four explained. "That's Warriors." He said, pointing to the still slightly shaken Link- Warriors. "And you've met Wind and Hyrule." Wind waved with a grin.

[Reader] paused "Are there more of you?" they asked "This mask doesn't belong to you, I'm assuming. There's far more things than you can carry here too." They said, and Four nodded. Warriors perked up hearing what [Reader] said.

"Mask?" He asked, and [Reader] raised the Feirce Deity mask. He winced "Put that back. Time would be pissed if he saw that on you."

"Time?" [Reader] asked, moving and placing the God mask back where they grabbed it. "Is that another Link?"

"He's our leader, in a sense." Warriors said, and Four nodded. Hyrule looked at the forest, now all cleaned and patched up. "They should have returned by now. . . Did they get lost?"

"We should probably get a fire started." Four stated "So Wild can make food."

Wind stood up. "I'll get some wood!" he said. [Reader] stood up aswell, making Hyrule look up, confused. [Reader] spoke. "I'll help. It's the least I can do to help. Since you helped me from death and stopped me from setting the forest ablaze."

He smiled. "You don't have to."

"I want to." [Reader] said. "I'll be fine. Besides, I wanna see the forest." Hyrule nodded as he started to move stuff in his bag.

The forest was more beautiful than any of the pictures she'd ever seen. Holding an axe, [Reader] couldn't help looking at everything in awe. Wind spoke up.

"Are you amazed too?" He asked, making [Reader] look down at him. "In my time, it was nothing but small islands, not many forests except for the Forest Haven and Forbbiden woods. The first time I came into the other's forests, I was blown away, I still am!"

"I still do technically have forests." [Reader] said, making Wind raise a brow. "Poor excuses. There are barely even forests in my time now, and the ones that are protected by law? They're shadows of what they used to be, drained of color and life. Like someone stuck thin twigs in dryed soil."

"That doesn't sound good." Wind said, concerned.

"It isn't." [Reader] said "My world, to put it simply, is dying. But it's too depressing to think about. So I won't tell you about it." They said, making Wind frown.

The two spoke more as they collected woods, [Reader] surprising Wind by telling him about facts about his time, laughing at his surpise.

When they returned with good woods. the rest of the group was there, getting patched up by Hyrule and others trying to relax a bit. All heads turned when Wind yelled to the group.

Warriors took the woods from [Reader] as one with brown- dirty blond hair approched, and [Reader] Recognized him as the hero of Twilight. "Are you okay? You took a pretty nasty fall."

"I'm assuming I fell?" [Reader] said, and he nodded, holding his hand out.

"I'm Link, but call me Twilight. Or Rancher." [Reader] nodded, shaking his hand. "I'm [Reader]" Reader said.

"Hyrule told us what you told the others earlier." One with familiar face markings and a scar on his face approched. [Reader] was taken aback by how mature and old the hero of time had become. "Is it true? About Hyrule."

[Reader] looked down, guilt welling up. Time sighed "I see. Then what has become of your time?"

"Fire, pollution, war, chaos. The normal." [Reader] said in dismay, before holding their hand out "I'm assuming Hyrule told you my name? I'm [Reader], it's an honor to meet you."

"Ah, I'd like to ask some questions. If I may." He said "I am Time. And thank you for assisting with the fire."

[Reader] nodded, turning and watching the hero of the wild and the chosen hero try and start the fire. They walked to their bag and rummaged a bit, catching Hyrule's and the Link with a red tunic attention. [Reader] pulled out a lighter and walked over to the two struggling with the fire. "Here." they said, as they squat down and flicked it to life, making the boy from the sky gasp at the fire created at the little device and the one in blue look interested as the wood cause ablaze.

" What is that?" The link with the sailcloth ask, [Reader] smiled at his curiosity. "A lighter. It creates fire. Can't you guys use magic?"

"Some of us can, and they're low on magic after a nasty fight." the other link said.

"So. . . any names? Other than Link?" [Reader] asked.

"I'm Sky." Sky said, giving a kind smile and the other one gave a cheerful. toothy grin. "I'm Wild."

"I'm [Reader.]" They said, turning to see the one in the red tunic, Glaring at them.

"That's Legend." Wild said. "Hes grumpy when he meets new people." he said, laughing a bit.

"I can tell." [Reader] said with a chuckle, before seeing Time beckoning for them to sit down. They obliged, sitting down, catching the groups attention.

"Do you have any idea how you got here?" Time asked, and [Reader] nodded.

"It's quite a long story, I think. But It's hard to believe in all honesty. I'm still trying to come to terms with everything myself. . . " [Reader] admitted, looking down. Four patted their shoulder, and Time spoke up. "We have time. Do indulge us."

[Reader] inhaled, and began to retel the story. "I'm a historian. My home is in the middle of a war, and it's causing a lot of damage to my world. It's making the already global crisis worse, there's no meat anymore, grass is dead and life is barely hanging on by a threat, and the people are wasting what little natural resources we have left. That's where I and my fellow colleagues come in. In my home's past, a thing called the Waterworks was created to heat the capital city and palace and its suspected weapons were made down there. My team and I, we got clearance to research it, up close and personal, to find a way to create clean energy to try and stop the use of fuels and stuff. Well. from what I found, it may have been used for more than what we believed."

[Reader] pulled out their camcorder and opened it, making the group look curiously at it as [Reader] turned the screen part to them. Time leaned in to see the place holder made of copper with plug ins.

"Well, as me and two others- Marco and Serena are their names- were examining this placeholder, Marco saw what we thought was a child in black running away. I chased after him, and found myself in I believe a main control room, and I noticed that he- one, wasn't a child and two, was entirely dark. with peirceing red eyes, like a shadow."

This made the nine links stiffen, all familiar with dark link.

[Reader] rummaged in their bag and pulled out the device they grabbed from him in the Waterworks. "He was after this. I snagged it from him and fell through a portal and woke up in a mountain and got attacked by-" they stopped, grabbing their notebook and flipping through and showed them the page with darkhammer on it "This and ran out. and got my spine broken. I passed out in the snow and woke up in a nice woman's home who healed me. I was informed of a person who had something similar happen to him who was in Kakariko and was traveling there when I got kidnapped by those Kargarocs. Then I woke up here. . ."

Twilight took the book from [Reader] and looked at it, confused. "I deafeted this in snowpeak ruins. . . why was it back?"

"Perhaps the bloodmoon is now effecting all eras of Hyrule." Wild suggested. "With everything going on."

"The shadow brought you here?" Four asked. [Reader] frowned. "The what?"

"The shadow." Time reaffirmed. "It's what brought us together as well. Are you perhaps a hero?"

[Reader] snorted. "Hero? Please. Heros have been dead in my home since. . . since forever. And I've been at the docters more than I have been outside. I can't be a 'hero'."

"I think you're a hero." Four said making [Reader] paused, looking at him. "I mean, it sounds like you're Era is on the brink of collapse. You've volunteered to explore an area that is most likely a danger now, all for the sake of saving others. I think that's a heroic act. And whatever that-" he pointed to the starbge device- "is, the shadow clearly wanted it. And you prevented it from falling into its hands. I think you did a heroic act."

[Reader] smiled at the kind words. "Thank you."

Time stood up. "Whatever your situation is, you're clearly in need of help. You can stay with us until we can get you someone safe." [Reader] stood with a smile.

"You mean it?"

Time nodded. "Yes. I mean it."

[Reader] smiled, looking at the other faces with glee, excitement rushing in their veins. With no idea what fate had in store for them . . .

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Omg- finally! Didn't mean to take so long with this just had a lot on my plate. Hope you enjoyed this! Have a nice day/night!

[achillean-knight]

LETS GO!!!!!! MY BROTHER AND I BRAINSTORMED SOME IDEAS FOR MY FINAL FANTASY x UNDERTALE AU >:D We decided to call it FinalTale just bc Undertale AU's kinda retain Under or Tale in the title? And also, it just kinda reminds me of Final Fantasy with Tale's usually being fantasy :> (Oh and this is under the cut so casual scrollers don't get bombarded with a WHOLE ASS line of text)

The barrier between the humans and monsters extends to the hole that Frisk/Chara fall through. There have been no other instances of humans ever falling down as it is INSANELY rare to ever fall between both worlds

Each of the crystals are summons that Asgore wants, so he can use their powers to become an all-powerful god to take revenge on the humans (maybe they invaded the underground once and killed MANY monsters.)

Ruins gets Ramuh, just based on the fact that he is usually the first summon you get/considered the wise guide of sorts (plus I didn't know where TF an electric type would go but that doesn't seem to matter for some final fantasy games anyways so PSHHH)

Snowdin gets Shiva, bc obviously, ice elemental LMFAO

Waterfall gets Leviathan because... water

Hotland gets Ifrit bc- ok yes Fire.

Including the Wild East from UT Yellow bc I remembered Titan and I needed him in the story so the crystals would equate to 7 in total lol but yeah he's an earth elemental and that was the only idea that came to mind for him KLSDKJGHSD

Frisk somehow has the Bahamut summon with them (light element), which renders them able to go into trace! :D And was also the reason they fell into the underground and was able to bypass the barrier unlike other humans.

Asgore already has the shadow/dark crystal (Odin), which means all he needs is Frisks light crystal + the Thunder crystal to become an all powerful god cause' he has most definitely already taken every crystal in the underground save for the ruins bc NOBODY goes there.

Chara and Asriel are not present as enemies in this story-- aswell as Flowey not being a thing? I imagine they're sorta the angel that's sealed between the barrier and human realm. Maybe Chara was the ONLY human without a crystal that stumbled into the underground, and being human, Chara couldn't survive there, long term. Honestly, seeing as I've given Asgore Odin by default, and somehow Toriel has Ramuh in the ruins, I can see maybe Asriel had Phoenix as a crystal? And used some of its rebirth abilities for Chara, but he had to use his own soul to actually harness it due to Chara being human and not monster-- And in a last ditch effort, Asriel did the sorta-- Monster absorbs humans soul and turns into a god-like being sorta deal but using Phoenix's rebirth abilities instead and so they became a being in itself, rendering them far too dangerous to keep in the underground. Maybe Asgore seals them away, fearing what they can do and not knowing that whatever they turned into is an "Angel" of sorts. Absolutely 100% someone who can revive you if you completely die btw JJHSDGSD I can see you able to obtain them as a summon if you do a SPECIFIC side quest throughout the game, kinda like how you can get the Fierce Deity mask in Majora's Mask by doing certain side quests (yes, ik, totally different game series but it gets the idea around >:3) Aswell also sorta the snowgrave route but not messed up KJHGDSD just a... very long and convoluted side quest that gives you major benefits in the long run.

Due to this angel-like summon being sealed away, they're located between the barrier and human world. You WILL see them anyways, even if you don't earn them as a summon, just bc you'll see them after defeating Asgore and returning to the barrier to go home, but gaining them before then, would hypothetically give you an alternate scene-- maybe you can use the Angel summon to destroy the barrier in its entirety and let the humans and monsters finally live in harmony. So YEAH!

There's technically still a good and neutral route, but no geno bc-- idk how that'd work in a Final Fantasy sense UYGSDDSGHJDS

Oh yeah, more stuff I wanna add!

Each of your party members are the boss fights you actually fight throughout UT, so Toriel, Papyrus, Undyne & Mettaton with Alphys being another party member + being the sorta... spiritual successor of Cid bc she'd be that crazy mechanic that you see in EVERY Final Fantasy LMFAO And Sans is a secret party member that, like how the Summon is OP, Sans is a powerful ally you can only earn by doing an optional bossfight. That way, there doesn't have to be a geno route to get the sans fight >:0 Oh and Mad Mew Mew would also be an optional party member, but like, she's a sorta normal levelled party member like everyone that's not sans JHDGHDSJH I can see her having pretty frequent banter with Mettaton specifically if you have them both on a team LMFAOOOOO

This is sorta what I have right now! :D If I design the summons, I'll 100% make them more monster than human (Shiva for example would not be human like she usually is. More monster like Ifrit!)

BUT YEAH! Final Fantasy 6 has given me alot of ideas so far >:3

[kitkatt0430]

I'm in a Zelda mood at the moment and I wanted to ask you something about Ocarina of Time - do you agree with Zelda's decision to send Link back to his childhood? I mean obviously stopping Ganon from rising up in the first place ISN'T a bad thing, but I remember being gut-punched at the time because Link and Zelda had gone through so much together and then Link's sent back without even being asked whether he wants to be and while I also get Zelda's sentiment of wanting him to actually have a childhood and get to grow up properly...I wonder whether he really could, and whether it was the right thing to do in that regard.

I actually kind of find Zelda doing that to be a selfish decision.

Like you said, it's not really a bad thing to want to prevent Ganondorf from conquering the kingdom, killing her father, and wiping out a significant part of the population. But what she does both does and doesn't achieve that.

We see in the credits sequence that the Adult Timeline remains even as Link returns to the past to create the separate Child Timeline. It's unclear if Zelda knew the timeline would split - did she know she'd have to continue to live in that timeline without Link? But by sending Link back he does save the new timeline from this round of Ganondorf's evil, but she has no way of knowing if that's truly a better life for him or the rest of Hyrule. But the timeline she remains in is unchanged. She does not actually save her people - her Hyrule - from Ganon.

And while the sentiment of wanting Link to have his childhood back is a nice one, I do think it comes from a place of looking back on her own pre-Ganondorf childhood with rose colored glasses. And not really understanding how different Link's life already was even then. And because she doesn't really ask, we never really know if Link was okay with what she did. He'd have had to already grieved for and accepted his lost childhood by that point. While he was able to revisit and even manipulate the past to affect the present, once he awoke as an adult that became his present day.

While Zelda might have believed she'd be over-writing the current timeline with a new one - up until that point, Link's time traveling to the past did affect the present... but that was time travel using the Master Sword, not the Ocarina of Time. And I suspect she knew that her timeline would persist.

So if Zelda wasn't trying to overwrite her timeline and wasn't sending Link back because it was what he wanted, then why'd she do it? I think she was projecting what she wanted for herself on to Link. There's good reason to think she blames herself for not stopping Ganondorf. For not knowing the right words to convince her father, for not seeing enough in her prophetic dreams to know what was coming... she wanted a second chance for herself. To do things right this time. But she couldn't give that to herself, so she gave it to Link.

Whether he wanted it or not.

I like the nuance reading Zelda like this gives her. She's a good person and the seventh sage (of time) but being a good person doesn't mean she's always going to do the right thing for the right reasons. And after spending seven years denying herself everything - her birthright as a princess, her very identity - it's interesting to me that the first choice she makes when her duty is done is a selfish one. An arguably good choice because she is trying to stop Ganondorf before he can truly start, but a selfishly motivated 'good' choice nonetheless. And one most likely fueled by seven years of grief.

Seen that way, the outcome of Zelda's grief carries over into Majora's Mask where Link is struggling with being a child again, with growing up the long way - the hard way - and losing friends along the way. Majora's Mask is a game about the grief of loss - Skull Kid struggles to let go of friends he's grown apart from, Link is searching for Navi who left him behind, and Zelda gave Link the Ocarina of Time in hopes that it might keep them connected even as he left her behind too. A whole world trapped in a loop as it mourns the deaths of its heroes and lost loved ones. And I like the way it all comes together, Zelda's grief leading to her sending Link back in time, Link's grief sending him away from Hyrule, and their shared grief across the timelines leading to the eventual healing of a grieving world.

[logarithmicpanda]

I kinda wanna ask all questions but. 1, 8, 10, 11? For the videogame ask thingy. And yes I wanna know all those haha though you obviously can pick and choose if you prefer

Haha thanks for the ask!

1.Top favourite games:

Sooo many haha but like, Zelda (Wind waker, Minish Cap, Majora's Mask and Tears of the Kingdom in particular, but really most of them are great), Dishonored, Dragon Age (the second one in particular for the characters), The Witcher 3, Spiritfarer, Heaven's Vault...

8.What is the game with the best story you’ve encountered so far?

I answered previously The Last of Us 2 for the games I've played this year before realizing the questions were not year specific haha. I think the best story I've seen was Horison Zero Dawn, which I can't believe I forgot to mention among my faves lol

10.Which game do you think it’s underrated?

Mmm to be honest I feel like most the games I love are fairly well loved. I'm gonna give a shout out to This Bed We Made because queer indie games can always use a boost, and I played it in a single sitting so it deserves it haha

11.Which game do you think is overrated?

God of War 2019, I started it in uuuuh March and still haven't finished because I keep getting distracted by games that interest me a lot more, whoops

[gust-jar-simulator]

Y’know what would be fun and fucked up.

Since I’m still full of spite about Dark being a costume gimmick instead of grabbing BOTW!Link by the throat and giving him the perfect identity crisis gut punch, I think I deserve to dial up the angst knob.

I already have an idea for how to write Dark as a satisfying, if still obviously gimmick fight, but I just remembered that the Palace of the Four Sword is a thing.

The Four Sword Sanctuary kind of moves around between games, but it’s meant to be in the center of Hyrule, that center just changes because the map is insane. In Minish Cap, the sanctuary is in a courtyard in the center of Hyrule Castle, behind an invisible door.

In Link To The Past, if I recall right, the Palace of the Four Sword is a secret dungeon in the base of the Pyramid of Power, which is the Dark World’s substitute for Hyrule Castle.

So.

Let’s play a game.

We could put this either in the undercroft of Hyrule Castle in BOTW, or roughly under it in TOTK, since I do like the idea of The Depths being used as that game’s version of the Dark World. Four Swords and Four Swords Alliance seem to depict the ruins of the sanctuary slightly open to the elements, so it might not be perfectly under the castle this far down the timeline- we could even move it somewhere closer to the Minshi Woods. The Palace of the Four Sword, to me, is either one of two things: the corrupted remains of the Four Sword sanctuary, or a separate location constructed specifically by the royal family to imprison all the loose ends. I lean towards the first option.

You want your gimmick gear? You want Majora’s Mask?

Fight the shade of the Hero of Time for it.

You want the Bow of Light?

Fight the shade of Twilight Princess Zelda and her wolf for it.

You want the sailcloth?

You’ll have to rip it out of the cold dead hands of the man who killed a god.

If you’re like me, and you want some Four Swords rep or even just a singular crumb of Vaati, I think having a location like that- a hero’s tomb of some sort under the palace where you do a boss rush to mug them for their stuff- is a fun reference to start with, but apparently in development they tossed around the idea of Minish Cap’s shrinking mechanic. I am pouncing on this idea like a feral wolf because absolutely nothing recontextualizes mob threat assessment like that first boss battle in Deepwood Shrine.

The reason I shouldn’t be put in charge of writing videogames is because I’d make a gimmick dungeon in the Minshi Woods where you get shrunk to Tom Thumb size and then have to fight a keese.

The reason they should hire me anyway is because in a game where weapon durability is a mechanic and yet there are No Blacksmiths, I’d make a questline where you have to visit the fae folk to bring back the secrets of metallurgy, just one sidequest of many to help rebuild what Hyrule has lost in the wake of the Calamity. The Minish are the ones who forged the Picori Blade, after all, you can play a whole game about it.

Also, just to round the whole thing out, while I like the fact that the Master Sword tries to murder you in BOTW I think it would have been cool to fight the shade of you from 100 years ago in the Lost Woods as a trial before you earned the right to wield her. Our lad has too many hangups and issues, make him stab them in the face.

[cutebutalsostabby]

12, 13, 14?

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12.

Mmm don't think I've shared this HC here before: Zelda I Zelda is about the same age as Link, but Zelda II Zelda is 10-20 years older (and for the avoidance of doubt: NOT romantically involved with Link). This comes down to the fact that of all the things AoL!Link (or Hyrule) could have used his wish on, Impa told him to awaken Zelda. Not to save the land, not to stop the Cult of Ganon, just to wake a legendary princess from long, long ago from her magical slumber. And maybe I'm reading into a simplistic Sleeping Beauty-ish plot a bit too much, but there must have been a reason for that, right? Preferably a reason beyond "16-year-old Link marries the 16-year old Zelda who literally just woke up, thus becoming King of Hyrule and fixing everything somehow".

So no: let's instead say that sleeping beauty Zelda, as the rightful successor of the king before her (which is I think canon? Or at least implied?) is the last great ruler of Hyrule who happens to be a tactical genius and received the power/knowledge to control the Palace Guardians that the king before her created. Or something along those lines. Give her some agency. And some life experience. Also that ending scene can be a totally platonic hug if you want it to be. There, I said it.

(Obvious disclaimer: ship and let ship, it's ok if your HC is different to mine.)

13.

ZORA. They're the coolest Zelda race imo. Especially the N64 Majora's Mask version. Swimming would be so much more fun if you could do graceful dolphin dives and also produce magical electricity, then pause to play underwater bone guitar while laying eggs and presumably not having periods. Fish life for me.

14.

Gonna be honest: I'm a fake fan who loves LU fanon (and LoZ canon) way more than the actual comic. But from what I recall, I don't think they've actually fought anything that's talked back yet? That'd be fun.

Not that fights with unintelligent monsters are bad per se, but the Zelda series has a lot of talkative baddies. Ganondorf, obviously, but also Ghirahim, Master Kohga, Veran, Onox, Vaati, Vire, Yuga, Blind, Zant, King Bulblin, Twinrova and more. Volga, Wizzro and Cia from Hyrule Warriors. Sohga from Age of Calamity. And all the sassy Nightmares from Link's Awakening, of course. Hell, wheel out the Moblin King and his cronies.

Idk. If the queer-coded monster isn't snapping out clever quips while they transform into a giant blobby turtle and/or bumblebee, what is even the point?

Thanks for the ask!! 💜