#he's like this almost every time EXCEPT in twilight princess

[rawliverandgoronspice]

ok but, I think one thing I love about the Main Angry Guy (and basically almost all of the characters I enjoy ever) is how unapologetic he is about what he wants and doesn't want in a world where self sacrifice is very often considered the highest value of all. So many characters sacrifice their lives, their relationships, their achors, their connection to their communities, their individuality, and that submission to being absorbed into a greater whole is narratively seen as holy and good in a lot of cases (was thinking of impa of course, who is incredibly devoted to serving her purpose completely and exactly --except in totk!! good for you totk impa!!!-- but honestly almost every "good" character of note in the series will have to give up things to self-actualize)

and then you have ganondorf, who's like lol fuck that noise

[parasolladyansy]

I have a question about your LoZ AU.

LoZ as a series has a bit of a weird depiction of humans. Hylians are almost always portrayed with pointed ears, although humans with rounded ears do show up sometimes (notable example is Wind Waker, where it's an actual plot point). I know this is a weird question, but would Ingo's, and by extension Ansy's, round ears be a point of interest to the inhabitants of Hyrule? I don't remember if BotW or Totk ever mentioned any area outside of Hyrule, and since everyone there have pointed ears, no one would have any idea as to where those humans came from.

Also, if I remember correctly, I think that pointed ears are a sign of a connection to the goddess Hylia. And given the generally polytheistic society in (most) Zelda games, then that could be another odd thing about Ingo and Ansy.

At the very least, their round ears would be a very clear indicator that both of them are not from Hyrule.

I know this is a weird question, but for some reason this topic has always been an interesting one for me. Especially since I remember my first reaction to Totk Ganondorf being that he's the only character in Totk and Botw with round ears. (Me : yeah sure his character design looks cool and he looks swoll, but LOOK AT HIS EARS-)

Pardon me, a flood of Zelda lore just rushed into my head lol - I’ve been a Zelda fan EVEN LONGER than I’ve been a Pokémon fan.

Okay, so round ears, our isekai-ed friends in Hero of Bombs / Isekai-ed Artist, & Ganondorf! (Lore dump ahead!)

It’s as you said - round ears have been a minor topic of interest in Hylian history, regardless of the timeline. I remember reading the booklet that came with A Link to the Past when I was little, about the creation of Hyrule & the Triforce. In there, they talked about how Hylians heard messages from the gods with their elven ears. One of the townsfolk in Ocarina of Time says the same thing.

Meanwhile, the earliest instance of round ears I can remember appearing is Ocarina of Time: ALL of the Gerudo (including OoT Ganondorf) had round ears - more on that in a bit. Another example came a little later in the Oracle games with the inhabitants of the other countries Oracle of Seasons / Ages Link visited (Holodrum & Labrynna), then again in Twilight Princess with the residents of Ordon Village (technically just outside Hyrule’s border).

(OoT Nabooru to the left, OoA Bippin & Blossom in the middle, & TP Colin to the right)

“Oh, okay. Gerudo & these folks from neighboring countries / villages just have round ears - easy!…Right?”

Until Breath of the Wild happened, reintroducing the Gerudo people after all these years with pointed ears like Hylians (not to mention different skin tones).

The Gerudo being an all female race (except for a male born every 100 years, often some incarnation of Ganondorf), they reproduce via men from other races (Hylian, Sheikah, etc). Stands to reason they would get traits from their fathers. Why, then, didn’t they have pointed ears back in OoT? Maybe round ears & darker skin used to be a stronger gene? I couldn’t tell you.

Why TotK Ganondorf has round ears might be an example of that gene coming back in the rarely born male, though honestly I just feel like they were just making a design choice to refer back to OoT Ganondorf, the very first depiction of him we saw in the games (though he was mentioned by name in A Link To the Past) as a love letter to us older fans.

(OoT Ganondorf to the left, TotK Ganondorf to the right)

I don’t think Nintendo wanted us to think too hard on it, or why some versions of Ganondorf actually does have pointed ears, even when it was the same Ganondorf (eg. OoT Ganondorf > WW Ganondorf / TP Ganondorf). All I know is that when ToTK Ganondorf stepped into the frame, my inner 10yo saw the villain from her nightmares (in the very best sense! 878)

As for Ingo & isekai-ed me (lol), the Hylians would probably just think of us as foreign visitors, maybe from Labyrnna / Holodrum. Link & probably some other key characters would know the truth, either by being told straight out, or intuition.

Side note: as Ingo muddles with his memories & ends up spending time with isekai-ed me, he wonders if we come from the same country / world (not quite, Ingo!)

—

(Editing to add maybe it was also a symbolic thing - pointed ears symbolizing communication with the divine, maybe it’s to say “he refuses to listen to heaven”? Who knows.)

[bokettochild]

What is your favorite obscure piece of legend lore?

There is so much freaking lore about Legend in the mangas! and the old games! I know the mangas aren't cannon and stuff, but I think non-cannon is the peak of obscure, so I'll just go off!

The violet eyes thing is very precious to me, but that's a headcannon, so let's just... yeah

I think it would be his connection to Fi. There are very few heroes who actually hear the voice of the Master Sword, and many never do. In most of the stories we actually see the hero striving to be worthy of the blade! Sky fights so hard to be enough, to prove himself, if not to Fi than most certainly to Impa and himself. Warriors' journey features his own struggles with the blade, his hubris and folly. While I haven't played the game, the Twilight Princess manga does show Twilight undergoing a similar struggle of achieving the worthiness of holding the Master Sword, even finding it too heavy to lift at times when his heart is not in the right place or his pride is getting in the way.

But Legend never faces that. Granted, his stories are all so much simpler than that of the others, at least, as far as game play is concerned, and the manga creators didn't really go too nuts with his personal journey like they did with Twilight, but still! Legend finds the Master Sword in decay and ruin, and she speaks to him. She's not strong, she's not harsh, she's nothing like she is in any other game ever (except TOTK sort of) and she looks at this little kid who wanders across her and says "yes, that one".

The kid who has nothing to gain from saving the world. The kid who's already lost everything there is to lose. The kid who is repeatedly giving of himself and what little he has to help others in his journey, even though in the long run it means nothing. She looks at him and when he draws her blade she welcomes him

Legend is one of the only heroes to not only have Fi's full approval before he ever wields her, but is also the hero who just....has so much connection with Fi. Their fates have been intertwined for nearly as long as he's lived. She's the only comfort he's consistently had at his side.

I love that he never had to fight to be enough. Legend has so many struggles; being a good enough hero, especially when he never set out to be one, isn't something he needed to face. Legend is a pure-hearted person (which is even pointed out by others and displayed many times in the manga) and was already worthy. His rabbit soul tells us he's probably fighting his own fears and worries, anxieties and terrors, all through his adventure. To have Fi's security and strength to lean on, to compliment his own, rather than cold indifference, disapproval or expectation, was something he needed.

I also love the fact that Legend went out of his way to ask Farore to go and get Fi for him when he went out on his other adventures. he didn't know he needed her, but when he did, he asked for her so he could be at his best. Legend is most complete with the Master Sword beside him. He's not fully himself without a sword (hence why every adventure after ALTTP almost always features him searching out a blade first thing) especially without HIS sword.

Fi is Sky's sword. The Sword that he completed. First forged her, but left her unfinished. Sky perfected her. But Legend took her at her weakest and strengthened her again. Sky may be her Master, but I like to think Legend is her boy. They've been together for so long. He's been without people for so much of his adventures, and knowing she can speak, that she has a soul, I image he speaks to her when he's lonely. We see him speak to her in LU, fondly calling her "old girl" with a sort of familiarity that's singular to him. He probably shared everything with her; his fears, his hopes, his insecurities. She's Sky's sword, but she's Legend's friend.

I've joked about it before, once even put it in a fic, but Fi is the only being Legend has consistently had in his life. The only one whose never left him, no matter what happens or where he goes. She's his guide, his help, his strength and assurance and the one thing he knows will never fail him.

Honestly, if you haven't noticed that Legend smiles more at the sword than at any one of the heroes, you're missing out. And it's such a beautiful smile too!

There's warmth, familiarity, recognition- so much in that smile.

Fi is important to Legend, and I like to think he's important to her too.

Anyways, this is all to say that I love how Legend is one of the only ones to hear the blade speak, and how it implies that he and she are connected in a way that Wild, that Flora, that so many heroes and princesses before and after have striven to be, and I think it's beautiful that it comes naturally to him. Legend deserves to have had at least one thing easy!

[fairly-linked]

Nightmares ✨ (Time x GN!Reader)

Whew, okay. I feel like everyone needs a break from the dark ass yandere shit (especially after that Twilight one, my god)

So here! Have some fluffly shit instead! ✨✨✨✨

Enjoy!✨

✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨

Darkness.

That was all he could make out, other than laughter in the distance. It was pitch black, to a point that Time could hardly see the outline of his hand in front of his face no matter how close he held it; but somehow, he could tell by the whispering of the wind in the trees that he was in a forest.

The laughter he hears is not a voice he recognizes. At least, he thinks it's not. But he isn't too sure. It almost sounds like...

A very familiar scream sends a freezing chill down his spine. One that sounds just like you...

His heart drops into his stomach and it suddenly becomes hard to breathe. This laughter from the other person, twisted and maniacal...

Was that Zelda's voice...?

As panic and confusion begin to course through him, he rushes to the source, fighting away stray branches and bushes and stumbling over his own feet a couple times.

He reaches a clearing, one with water nearby. He can hear the water of a stream, although he can't see it; but what he can just barely make out is two figures against a tree.

That voice has to be you. It has to be. There's no one else it could be...

...And the height of the other person matches Zelda's. As he catches a glimpse of her crown and the blade in her hand glittering in the starlight, it confirms his suspicions.

"Zelda? What is happening here?" he questions, trying to mask the fear in his voice as he speaks to the woman he once thought was an ally and trusted friend.

He'd better not have to choose between you two, but if it's necessary...

...He determines then and there that his choice would be you, in any scenario.

"They're a problem, Link," Zelda states with disgust bleeding through her voice, pressing the blade against (Y/n)'s neck.

"Zelda, hang on. Tell me what's going on," he demands, trying to hide his anxiety and confusion. He unsheathes his sword, should the princess make any sudden moves.

But he's so confused...

...The princess was normally so levelheaded, so calm. As far as he knew, she'd never even met (Y/n); but before, he'd had no doubts that Zelda would adore them.

(Y/n) was a wonderful person. He and the princess had the same senses when it came to telling a good person from bad...

...Or at least, he thought they did, which is why he couldn't wrap his head around her motives.

"...They're a distraction for you, Link. For you and every one of your little apprentices..." she hums condescendingly, pressing the blade more. (Y/n) lets out a hiss, and even with as dark as it is right now, he knows Zelda's hurting them.

"Zelda, enough! Step back, and let's talk about this."

Zelda pauses. She doesn't move, but he just barely catches the glint in her eyes as she glances at him.

"...There's nothing to talk about, Link."

Zelda draws the sword upward, preparing to strike. Sheer terror courses through his entire being as he lurches forward, screaming as he reaches for (Y/n), who reaches back for him in their final moments.

"No!!!"---

Time jolts violently as if he'd hit the ground. Scrambling to sit up and take in his surroundings, his heartbeat begins to slow as he realizes he's back at camp. All the other boys are asleep, with the exception of Sky, who'd taken watch.

Time places a hand to his chest, bowing his head as he tries to steady his heart rate and return to the present.

Goddammit, another nightmare... It was all just some horrible nightmare....

Sky frowns, walking up to him slowly.

"Are you okay?" the meek hero says softly, concern in his gaze as he stands next to Time.

The old man, still breathless, nods as he looks up at the younger hero.

"I... I am alright. Simply a nightmare..."

...Time says nothing more on the subject.

Sensing that the old man didn't want to talk about it, Sky nods. Time looks down, sighing in relief as he sees you lying next to him and beginning to stir. He places his hand on your head, rubbing your forehead gently with his thumb.

"...Time?" you mumble, rubbing your eyes.

"Shh, I'm here, dear. Sorry for waking you."

"...Are you okay? I felt you tossing and turning..." you say so sweetly the old man thinks he might melt.

...Had it been so bad that he was rolling over in his sleep? He sighs a little.

"I am alright, my love. I'm here. Everything is okay..."

You pat the spot on the ground next to him, urging him to lie back down with you. He obliges, his body still exhausted from broken sleep; but he's slightly confused when he sees you scoot upward, to where his head lies by your shoulder.

You let out a yawn, opening your arm for him to come closer and rest on you. His eyebrows raise in surprise; but he doesn't deny you your wish.

He moves closer, allowing his head to rest on your chest. Your arm on the side he's lying on comes up to cradle his head, your hand stroking his hair, while the other holds his hand.

He rests one of his arms over your waist, and for the first time in a long while, he allows himself to relax against you, sighing contentedly as your hand in his hair causes him to feel like drifting off again.

This... feels nice. Now he knows why you love it so much when he does it...

It isn't long at all before sleep overtakes him again. In his half-asleep state, he hears you mumble a soft "Sweet dreams".

The last thing he feels before he drifts off to sleep in the warmth of your embrace is your lips on his forehead.

[myfavlinkistwilight]

Okay, so I've been writing this fanfiction where the chain meets villain versions of themselves, and I I just love them so much, so here is my villainAU chain!!

Gloom/ Villain Twilight

As his name suggests he's a rather gloomy soul, serious, and vicious in combat. He's tall, with a mask that Feral gave him, and with heavier tattoos than Twilight, though not overboard. He's an assassin, though mostly working for Gen, as he's not one to be hired easily. He uses his wolf dorm quite a bit, as nobody would suspect him for any maulings, and he can get away faster. He despises Azure for hurting someone he cared about, and hopes to one day get his revenge on the man. He doesn't hate the royal family as much as most, having interacted the least with them, but still considers them dirt scum, and even assassinated one of the princesses. While Twilight is kind and steady, Gloom is cold and rude at times, however if he cares about someone, then there's nothing he wouldn't do to keep them safe. Most wanted ranking #3

Feral/ Villain Wild

Anybody would say if Wild were a villain, he'd be an arson, and thats very true in this case. He doesn't hate the royal family nearly as much as the others believe, and even might kinda like some of them... While some may break laws for survival, or for revenge, he does it for fun. His strange obsession with lighting things on fire usually ends up with mad dashes from forests so that the group doesn't burn with it, but usually he tries to resist. His redeeming trait is that he can cook, and quite well for their standards, though he burns almost every dish, and only really can make two dishes. With an illegally smuggled fire rod from Tetrad, his job became a lot easier, much to Glooms chagrin. While Wild is honest and brave, Feral is unreliable and shifty, though is good for a joke. Most wanted ranking #6

Tetrad/ Villain Four

Out of the whole group, along with Hyrule, he is the one who doesn't want to hurt people in his feud with the royal family. So, he smith's, and smuggles illegal items to sell on the black market. Often times he buys from Myth to resell stolen wares, though many things he creates himself and distributes. He extremely dislikes the royal family, and if anyone were to start a coup, you could bet he'd support it with his stocks. Very mature, and with a business mindset, he's likely also the least loyal to the rest of the villains, and is the least morally skewed. While Four has strong common sense and loyal, Tetrad can be a bit greedy, and if paid enough, maybe he'd be willing to switch sides... Most wanted ranking #8

Myth/ Villain Legend

He is one of the ones who hates the royal family the absolute most. After they cut off supplies to his home island, despite all the hero work he did for them, he grew resentful. Having to watch someone close to him slowly starve without being able to do much, he wanted to take away from the royal family. Deep down inside he was never blood thirsty or a killer, so he stole. From the two years, it's estimated he stole over seven million rupees worth of stuff from their armory, treasury, and general palace. Most of which he has stored up or sells to Tetrad or his friend Ravio. A master thief, he's high on the wanted list, and has never been seen stealing, except once by a certain hero... While Legend is sharp and good deep down, Myth is hardened with tribulations, and rather callous to others. Most wanted ranking #4

Realm/ Villain Hyrule

He holds almost no personal resentment for the royal family. But hearing the hardships from Myth, he questioned if he was on the wrong side. He decided to join Myth on his stealing ventures, helping pull off nearly impossible stunts, like stealing princess Dusk's rapier, and princess Flora's slate. Desperate to prove himself to his friend, he's willing to go to far lengths to prove his worth, as often times he feels he doesn't belong in their group. He eventually was good friends with Feral, and the two got into many scandals. He's by far the most trusting and innocent of the group, but not naive. While Hyrule is humble and reliable... so is Realm! *gasp* Most wanted ranking. N/A

Gen/ Villain Time

He holds the most resentment out of all of them for the royal family. Having been exploited and used for their purposes as an orphaned kid, they experimented with magic, trying to lasso time itself. Instead, he ended up as a kid in an adults body. The project was called off, and he was given a small fund of compensation. Fueled by a want of revenge, he plunged into the underworld, and with ruthless measures became a crime lord. Known from the petty thieves to the blood thirsty killers, his reach is everywhere. He has knowledge of much, and his plans involve over throwing the royal family, though that would come in due time... having pitied Twilight, he mentored him and occasion hires him to take out competition. While Time is mature and wise, Gen is rather immature, and manipulative. Most wanted ranking, #2

Azure/ Villain Sky

Likely the most different from his counterpart, Azure is a blood thirsty killer. Many said his heart died with princess Sun, which may as well be true as that triggered his first mass murder. Having no goals, instead to kill anyone he wanted, his sanity is questionable. On his figure he wears a torn bloodstained clothe around his neck like a cape, a gift from his lover. He hates Gloom with a loathing, and the two cannot be left alone or he may snap and attack the man. He hates the royal family for their lack of response for the death of his lover, and partially blames them for it. He's a talented musician though, his harp playing a soothing melody. While Sky is gentle and joyful, Azure is unstable and sadistic. Most wanted ranking #1

Legion/ Villain Warriors

Holding a large grudge against the royal family, his most famous move is the attempted coup of the royal family. It is said he managed to get the princesses at sword point, but was convinced by an old friend to spare them. He now considers it a moment of disgrace, and works as a mercenary, doing jobs for money. He eventually met Gust, taking to him like a younger brother, and funding the boy's pirate crew. He's intelligent and a genius in strategy, the main reason the group managed to evade the royal family for so long. He can kill very casually, and isn't afraid to get a job done. He was once revered as a military leader, he felt disposed of when the royal family forced him to retire after a war many considered to be his fault. While Warriors is prideful and charismatic, he's rather blunt, but still prideful lol. Most wanted ranking #5

Gust/ Villain Wind

Just a young lad, yet having been through as much as most of the other villains, he's a bit unhinged at time. He hates any and all authority, but will listen to Gen, as he looks up to and adores the man. Deeply tanned with scars that tell of his trials, and a hook he wears because he thinks it makes him look cool, his time of being a pirate have worn on him. While he travels with his friends, his friend Tetra watches their group. He doesn't despise most of the royal family, though thinks they are annoying. When his home island was in trouble he needed to save it himself by grouping with a pirate crew. After being chastised by the royal family, he decided to screw them and join a pirate crew. An absolute menace on the seas, he raids any royal ship, surprisingly successful often. He will raid villages if he needs food, but that's it. While Wind is outgoing and care-free, Gust is unhinged, but surprisingly thoughtful at times. Most wanted ranking #6

hehe, doubt anyone will see this, but I've been thinking about them alot...

[pico-digital-studios]

Into, Across and Beyond! Scripting: Canon Aversion Attempts

(Shadows in the mockups by @becdoesthings)

Dimension EV-2019 - Memorial Park, Calteron

One day following the full memory restoration of Team Sonic, Nitro and Amy were just out by Calteron's memorial park to pass the time together.

Amy: Ahh... Such a wonderful day today!

Nitro: Heh, yeah. And it's definitely more wonderful with what happened to change our dimension to be better.

Amy: I agree. Is Melanie doing okay, by the way?

Nitro: Yeah, he's getting there. It's just gonna be a couple more days until the seizures he's been having die down.

She sat on one of the park's benches.

Amy: Wanna have a sit down?

She noticed Nitro was a little worried about something.

Amy: Nitro? Are you feeling alright?

Nitro: Amy, I...

Nitro: I think it's about time I admitted something important to you while we're alone together. It's related to the whole timeline shebang.

Amy: Oh?

Nitro: You know those alternate versions of myself we've come across before? Well... most of them ended up being of my OWN making.

Amy: Huh? How?

Nitro: I'll explain as best as I can to you. So, following the whole reset, me, my family and Amelia retained our memories of the old timeline, and I wanted to do what it took to ensure all of us could live through that fateful attack that cost my dad his life. However, it seems to be a locked-in "canon event" for me... Nothing I did could keep him safe; only my mom and siblings made it through again to this timeline. However, with each alteration I made, something changed each time; where I went in each alternate universe.

(MLP cast sprites by urimas on DeviantArt; custom Nitro Platinumheart sprite by me)

Nitro: One iteration was when I ended up in Equestria, which became my home after I befriended the Mane Six. Nitro Platinumheart mentioned that he was found by Twilight and Spike in a storm, and after she and Princess Luna uncovered the harsh past, Twilight phased through into my world with NP following, in a bid to ensure those close to him were alright. He didn't take long to settle in as his new self, however, when he took time to get used to Equestria in general, alongside the adjacent human world Twilight had visited before.

Nitro: The second one I remember most was a counterpart of myself ending up in an alternate Philly. I think I remember his nickname became "Nite-friend", since, in that universe, Daddy Dearest managed to kill Boyfriend, though he passed on his mantle to the guy before the finishing blow, which caused DD's family to drift apart from him. I'm happy they were able to take him in for safety, as he would've been homeless otherwise. Ever since, feelings began to blossom between Nitefriend and Girlfriend, and, well, the rest is history there.

Nitro: The third one I remember was a version of myself who ended up in a binary world of horrors, Sonic.EXEs included, thanks to Toxinfect almost stopping his escape. Having been infused with dark matter energy, he developed an immunity to regular lethal attacks from monsters like an alternate version of Exault he came across, but it came at the cost of giving him a glaring headache every time. Nitro.DLL, as he became known, was out to help survivors from other realms, including alternate Earths where Sonic.EXE was conquering the land and claiming people's souls, with all survivors being taken to an out-of-bounds space base for medical care and accommodation.

Nitro: I know there's many iterations of me in alternate universes, but there was always a few things in common between them:

The places of residence me and my siblings camped at before the split were Royal Woods, a town where Isabelle (AC) lived, and the WNA Academy in Eagle City.

My father, Marc Smith, was always doomed to die, no matter what. The only timeline he DIDN'T die in was that one where the attack never happened to begin with, and the one where me and Amelia started our family.

All of my counterparts except my adult self contracted EXE blood at one point, either from a sustained injury or following a first EXE encounter. It... must be why I'm able to sustain energies like the Sacred Ring without my body breaking under pressure.

The two had been having a small walk while discussing this, stopping by the park's sunflower field.

Amy: To think this all happened because you miss your dad so much... Oh, I'm so sorry to hear, Chris.

Nitro: Yeah, I really appreciate your concern for me. It's just... trying to play God to find a definitive happy future is just so hard for me. I really wished we could've had it all completely worked out before this point, but it's just so difficult...

Amy: Hey, look at me. If anything, your self-awareness of the old timeline actually did a LOT better than you may have realised.

Nitro: Wait, you really think that?

Amy: I don't think it, I know it. I mean, think about it. You coming into my life helped me see myself in a new light, and gave me a chance to just step back and not intrude on Sonic's love life. Plus, even in this timeline, you saved all of Mobius from Toxinfect's tyranny, and we all remain grateful to you for that!

Nitro: And... what else?

Amy: Well, the fact your actions in this timeline snapped Seak out of his insanity, kept Wade and all his newer friends out of that sentient virus's grasp, and even ensured we still have an Eggman to take on at the end of it all. Besides, no matter what iteration of yourself you may be, there's one thing I know you've always maintained.

She stepped closer to him with a smile on her face.

Amy: The kind heart you've always had, which I'd never trade for anything else.

Nitro smiled back.

Nitro: Thanks, Ames. I... I'm really happy you're here for me.

Amy: No problem.

The two shared a quick hug with each other.

Amy: You know, why don't we head to the Fish-n-Chips place after that talk?

Nitro: Heh, that's a wonderful idea!

Amy: Brilliant! Let's get going!

They started walking off.

Nitro: You know, I'd really like one of those jam and cream doughnuts for dessert.

Amy: Sure! We'll see what we can do about that.

[fudgecicles]

So there is news that they are making a live action Zelda movie. Now, I am a little skeptical how it's going to turn out, not gonna lie. Now, I won't touch on the logistics of live action or who I want casted or why I would prefer animated TV series. What I do want to talk about is what I am looking for in a Legend of Zelda movie.

What I do not want is some typical medieval fantasy epic that is like the Lord of the Rings. Yes, Zelda games are epic, medieval fantasy, but I want is for the movie to stand out as something that is recognizably Zelda.

So first thing, the vibes, mood, however you want to call it. It should be a bit surreal/goofy/weird with an undertone of melancholy. The Zelda weirdness was made prominent by Link's Awakening, and ever since then, it's been a core part of the series's identity. I can't imagine anything Zelda without it. But all of that is balanced by a sense of underlying melancholy and wrongness, something present at least from A Link to the Past, but which Link's Awakening made great use of. There is always a quiet tragedy underlying almost every Zelda story, especially those that are memorable. Majora's Mask exemplifies that aspect the most clearly, an extremely whimsical game with bright colors and crazy characters, but also the world is ending and everyone is dealing with their imminent mortality. Spirit Tracks is sort of the exception to this when it comes to the melancholy part, but also it's a weirdly off beat, self aware entry to the series where the main character is actually Zelda even if you control Link.

Secondly, the theme, it should not be just a battle between good and evil, or some metaphor for war or whatever. Zelda games typically focuses on the following:

-The cyclical nature of things. Heck, it's what Zelda is all about, with the whole timeline and reincarnation shenanigans. The most recent Zelda, Tears of the Kingdom was all about that, what with the whole ourobouros thing as part of the cover symbol. And of course, we literally have the three days cycle in Majora's Mask.

-Fate, Zelda characters often time struggle with their duty that was preordained, or their eventual ending. Breath of the Wild's Zelda is the clearest example of that, where she is tasked with obtaining the divine power as fated by her bloodline, but that is not who she is. She is a scientist, and has zero guidance on what to do. In Link's Awakening, the inhabitants of Koholint struggle with the fact that they are ultimately doomed because they are dreams. In Link Between World, Lorule is doomed, but Princess Hilda is tasked with guiding the inhabitants of this doomed land.

-Growing up and lost innocence. It's a given since they start out like typical adventure stories, most of the Links start as just living their lives like normal, and then something is snatched away and they have to quickly grow up to meet the challenge. It's the part of Zelda that most resembles LotR. Ocarina of Time's Link most exemplifies this, who grew up among the Kokiri children, but is ostracized in his community because he is not like the rest of them. He had to quickly grow up to meet the challenge, with the sword transforming him into an adult, and of course, turns out he is not a Kokiri at all, but an orphaned kid. In Twilight Princess, Link is a farm boy who helps around the community, and hangs out with his friends. But then they are attacked and his friends are snatched away. And there is a focus on these side characters having to find their own inner bravery and stuff.

-Nostalgia, learning from the past, and looking towards the future. I mean Ganondorf is a villain who just can't freaking stop coming back. Wind Waker is the game where this theme is most prominent, as Ganondorf wishes to turn back the clock and restore the flooded Hyrule kingdom to the way it once was, while the ghost of the former king of Hyrule wishes for the next generation to create something new. Majora's Mask is also a game that tackles nostalgia really well.

These are some of what I could think of that one could draw as inspirations for the script of a Zelda movie, but done so in a digestible 2-3 hours format. I would personally go for a wholly original story with a new Link incarnation, but it could also be a new adventure for an already existing Link.

[toffee-hammer]

Ganondorf isn't in a lot of the zelda games. Like count on one hand amount of games. Most games hes not even human, just a giant pig called ganon

And it's almost always its the same guy every time. He gets revived instead of dies and be reincarnated, with maybe one or two exceptions.

Oh damn, really? I've only played Ocarina of Time, Wind Waker, Twilight Princess and Breath of the Wild and he's in all of those. I guess when I said "Ganondorf" I also meant to include "Ganon" as well. Thanks though, that's kind of interesting. I'd assumed he was in most/all of them.

[summertimemusician]

Thinking about The Original Attempted Calamity Hero and Ganondorf again and the implications of the Calamity even existing in the first place.

(Warning, this post has spoilers for basically all of the Zelda franchise and is pretty long, if there's a game or thing you did not read but would like to like the manga then please turn back, or stick around if you don't care lol)

I know there's a lot of theories about him floating around, that either he was half Gerudo, part of the Zonai tribe or at least half Zonai and Zonai raised or even Ganon himself because for some reason something might have happened to that era's Link, but that's a fairy better released at another day. But can y'all imagine being the guy back then? I don't think we discuss this enough to be honest.

So far, almost all of Ganon's incarnations have been at least somewhat mortal before BOTW, with the exception of obviously Demise who was a deity, and the whole thing with the Four Swords Adventures portion of the timeline that kind of itches at me that it has time travel involved though that's yet another fairy, but almost every single one of them started as a human even if they do get more and more animalistic over time. What with Ocarina of Time and Wind Waker's Ganondorf being by far the most human, but during the second part of Ocarina of Time and later on Twilight Princess they descend into Beast Form, which is a power boost yes but definitely a downgrade as it doesn't leave him as sane or cognitive, given that at the end of Twilight Princess Ganon returns to human form to fight Link rather than remain in that form. It's telling that he much prefers being human to being a feral boar.

Then we have OG Zelda's Ganon, the general downfall timeline Ganon that is, from A Link to The Past to Oracle of Seasons/Ages to A Link Between Worlds to the very first Legend of Zelda and Link's Adventure, it's clear that Ganon has fully descended into a feral state and that whatever bit of humanity there and cognition as a result was, he very rarely talks in LTTP, in a LBTW he's at his most coherent when Yuga fuses with him, by the OG Zelda he doesn't speak at all and twice in that time frame he had to be revived rather than come back on his own like his more human like iterations can if they wait and chill for a couple hundred years. He's basically no more than a feral animal, he isn't interested in ruling Hyrule, he's very darn interested in destroying the hero and making Hylia herself suffer and definitely doesn't care about burning Hyrule to the ground and killing anyone in his path if that does the trick, whatever sanity there was is too far gone.

Stick with me here, I'll get to the point.

It's an interesting descent and detail to pivot and follow after. It's obviously a result of Demise's corrupting divine fury and curse, you know what's technically a similar case? Zelda.

I think we can all agree that Zelda isn't Hylia, she's Hylia brought to earth or at the very least her vessel if we go by Breath of the Wild, because Zelda praying for herself wouldn't make any logical sense otherwise even if by order of her father, with no memories or rememberance of what she was, just that she is the holder of Hylia's divine power and her will and responsibility to protect the people and specially the Triforce/Light Force the Original Three left behind. No Cost Too Great you could say in the words of the Pale King from Hollow Knight, the only time she remembers in full is in Skyward Sword, it's confirmed that Zelda gets Hylia's knowledge and maybe even her memories after praying in the springs and it doesn't matter if she's just a vessel to her power or a reincarnation or if this is a Cú Chulainn situation where she is Hylia yet isn't (Schrodinger's Deity?), and her behavior shifts a bit then, not by much but it's definitely noticeable if you look at the text.

What if it's a similar case for Ganon? Zelda is what you get when you don't have the memories, when you take something barely comprehensible with a though process you can't even begin to understand with an intense capability for emotion that's practically suffocating and compress it into a mortal form to start again as a blank slate and it mostly remains that way. Ganon is what you get when the memories slowly seep back in as well as the intense, overwhelming, all consuming divine rage and fury and wish for vengeance seeps into a mortal vessel that very obviously can't fully hold it, couple that with Demise's curse and you have a cocktail for disaster, Ganon was doomed from the start just by being Demise's vessel, man never stood a chance. Though there's no way to say wether he fought against the influence or not, that's something we are unlikely to ever know since we only play and read from Link's and Zelda's perspective.

The Calamity and Malice is the result of when that divine fury breaks out, when there's a break in the already spilling over and cracked goblet. But it couldn't have broken on it's own you know? We see that cursed enemies were always a thing in Zelda games and as far back in the timeline as Skyward Sword it already existed, remember that corrupting and harmful 'water' at the Ancient Cistern's basement? The cursed enemies and dark crystals there? Possibly a leftover of Demise's power after the original break through the surface as seen in the First Hero's manga, a prototype of Malice, hence why Ghirahim was sniffing around there for a way to bring him back, it's the only other place in the franchise after BOTW we see a prominent number of cursed enemies, and the Malice is clearly a thing that can learn and evolve, it can possess enemies and technology, it can revive the dead and control it and possess people too and create beings from it (remember the Phantom Ganon in OOT and PH guys), but it's not a discernible pattern, we didn't know much about it at all until recently and that right there? Is some terrifying lovecraftian/ancient mythology thing.

Because we clearly see it puppeteering scattered pieces of Sheikah Tech in the form of the Blights, possessing the Divine Beasts and the Calamity Ganon form in BOTW, Tears of the Kingdom shows us how Ganondorf's corpse is still around and clearly was revived, like a lich being corrupted from it's own energy. It's not Ganondorf doing anything anymore, it's the curse, it's Demise's Will, and as his corpse has not fully perished yet it likely is but a puppet to it.

It was not a pattern anyone could have predicted much less the hero back then, would he and his Zelda have an inkling about the pattern of Ganondorf always reincarnating and maybe have tried to do something about it early? Absolutely, heck maybe Ganondorf was even sane enough to fight back and try to go off script. Would they have predicted that some kind of freaky kill switch would actívate to keep his reanimated corpse going only powered by the original curse Demise set up, which is basically fueled by pure divine will for vengeance on the one with the spirit of the hero who bested him not once but twice and the goddess that twarthed him at every turn from throwing that little green glad bastard at him with a sacred sword to seal him to basically sabotaging the Triforce so divine beings cannot use it and fury so strong it transcends time and space if we count games like Cadance of Hyrule and Hyrule Warriors (which we are doing here by the way) being a thing and presumably happening in different worlds? Absolutely not.

Honestly I see people compare BOTW and AOC Link to the guy back then and how they should have done better in game and that BOTW Link failed not living up to the standard he set up and how he stopped talking under the pressure and I'm just, y'all ever pause and think he wasn't anymore prepared than you people? Maybe I'm remembering it wrong due to sleep deprivation, I haven't slept well in months and woke up in a cold sweat at 3am to start writing this down but just- He didn't have Shrines to prepare him, he didn't have the Divine Beasts back then to weaken the Calamity before they were built by the Sheikah with presumably Zonai aid (and oh boy to I have thoughts and headcanons on that) and that would have taken time, it was basically just him, Zelda, the other races and Fi as the Master Sword (or heck even without her, we all know it always takes any Link time to get the Master Sword in the games, he likely didn't pull her out straight away like how presumably BOTW and AOC Link did) holding the fort against Malice enhanced monsters and likely revived undead because we know even while sane the previous Ganon's were definitely not above doing that.

So it was most likely a Phyrric Victory, the few times we hear about things that happened to previous heroes, is that we either don't know what happened to them at the end of the story (which is extremely concerning if you ask me because something should have been recorded right? They should have at least recorded how Zelda got her powers to give other Zelda's a better point of reference that just stay in a spring and pray to yourself apparently) Or that they just straight up died (The Hero's Shade being OOT Link, The First Hero being left behind rather than being able to ascend with the other humans to Skyloft, OG Zelda's previous Link most likely being killed in an attempt by Ganon's cult to revive him or to seal him away again), and we don't hear what happened to him or Zelda or the original Champions. History is written by the victors after all, Hylian history has a tendency of erasing details, take from that what you will.

TL;Dr My headcanon is that him and his Zelda were unwittingly cataclysms to the Calamity being unleashed in the first place, and that's why we don't hear much about what happened to them and, since 10000 years have passed there was likely a lot of time for erasure and cover up to happen by the crown. And that the man himself would be very proud of his descendants for being able to deal with at least part of the problem he unintentionally caused and surviving even with worse odds in spite of being better prepared unlike him who most likely died even if BOTW Link and AOC Link should get at least one sucker punch in if they're told that wasn't even the original goods they thought they dealt with as a treat if we go the LU route, in this essay I will-

[nonokoko13]

Child!reader being adopted by spy x family characters Pt. 2

As I said in the previous part, these adoption headcanons are really specific, including your hypothetical pronouns and name; these two are extra so you can imagine yourself with your name and desired gender. You can ask for less specific headcanons if you want too. Part 1 here

Enjoy!

Sylvia Sherwood

How you met

She carries the responsibility of WISE, she needs to be committed to it. More than ever now that the peace was threatened every day by those who wanted war to arise again

She missed her family, but she overcame it. Just like the HQ she had to be impenetrable

At least, that's what she thought

Because right in front of her there was the question which answers she wanted to hear. A kid.

It would be normal to see one if she wasn't at the HQ

It didn't help no one knew there was a kid there until you spoke up

The camera system didn't record you and there wasn't any entrance to the agency that had been forced. You weren't any employee's kid either

After scolding them and order to search your parents she met you again

"Hello little one. May I ask you how did you get in here?"

You smiled, seeming to have been waiting her to ask

"Because I like to play and explore! And I'm really good at hide and seek"

Sylvia raised an eyebrow. No matter how well someone was good at hiding there was no way you could break into the HQ; it sounded surrealistic

"But how did you find this place?"

"Because it was easy to find"

"Don't you think you could end bad breaking into unknown places?"

"If I don't know what isthis place how I'd know that?"

Fair enough

That conversation wasn't going anywhere, yet she was angrier with the security staff than you. You didn't look worried though

You gave her an idea

"Do you want to play with me?"

Both entered in the nearest police station, she talked with the officers before telling you to count until 1000 while she was going to hide. You started the count facing a wall

She felt bad, but there were some traffickers she had to catch before they made the exchange

She was following their car; everything fine until she believed to see a small hand greeting her from the car's trunk

She returned to the police station to find out that moments later of her departure you disappeared without anyone realizing. She went to the point where the delivery would be made

Outside the abandoned warehouse there was no signal that you were there until she saw you getting out from under the car on the other side

Something caused a shooting that would make the police come and caught her at any moment. The bands kept shooting at each other while you were behind a transport container

"What were you thinking?! I told you to stay with the police!"

"I'm sorry, I counted until I know, then I saw you following the car, so I followed too. But before they caught me I hid in there...I'm sorry..." You pulled out a walkie-talkie

"I got two from the police station. I left one in there so the others thought the guys of that car were betraying them, it should have worked to scape with no bad guys seeing us"

She was impressed. However, there was no time to ask where you learn that from

Analyzing the situation the principal scape was blocked, fortunately they hadn't noticed you yet so–

You pulled her shirt, pointing somewhere else

"Let's get out"

General headcanons

Sylvia was still surprised that your plan of exiting through a rear window she hadn't seen and walk away without hurry could work

She stopped walking to watch you smash the walkie-talkie and take out some matches to burn it

"Now they can't find footprints!"

The police may not get answers about it but she had many questions for you

She lied to you about the HQ, after the shooting her lie was on the floor. Thenceforth Sylvia's not able to tell if you were playing along and keeping her secret or you have no idea what's all about

You thought her name was Handler. When you knew she was called Sylvia Sherwood you pointed your hoody logo and say "S of Super, you're superman–Superwoman!"

That's how she begun to be mistaken with an endearing mother and her son. She was superwoman and you "kid", because you said that's how you were called, along with child, shrimp, demon...

"That's unacceptable". She handed you lists of names to choose, unfortunately no one convinced you

It wasn't until you two went to a jewelry store that you found the name

The casual way you break in HQ when you want still frustrates her, how do you do it?? You don't see big deal though

Fullmetal lady didn't remember how tough was motherhood

Anyone would freak out if they found out about spies. Yet there you are, admiring flying guys in underpants

Sylvia asked you about your family, but you always tell the same: you lived with dad until he left you with a woman that he said was your mom

The Handler found out your father is a repeat offender, currently on a maximum security prison in another country. Both him and the woman without offspring legally

"Please, don't tell me one of his criminal records is jailbreaking"

The informant doubted "Actually, that's the main one"

"..."

The Forgers

Scenario where it's up to both of them to adopt you. To keep Loid's mental sanity safe it will be independent of the timeline where Yor has a kid on her own, feel free to imagine both kids being Anya's siblings at the same time. You can ask me to include that idea if I write more about this

How you met

As I said before Twilight wouldn't adopt anyone due his job, only one kid for Operation Strix and that was Anya. For now Yor didn't want more kids, she loves Anya and that's enough for them

Not for Anya. She wanted a little sibling

All started talking with Becky when Damian mentioned his brother. Back at home she brought the topic and neither Pa or Ma were giving her an answer of where babies come from

That's when she begun to feel like being a sister. Any plan helped her to convince her parents though

Anya remembered something Mr Henderson told them. "If you want something, take it into your own hands"

And she took it too seriously

Next day Anya and Bond disappeared, she was in the dogs park with Yor

While Mrs Forger panicked Anya had returned to the place she met Twilight

As the time passed the Forgers worried more. When they found Anya and Bond at their building's door they felt relieved

Your presence didn't make things better

They asked Anya where she had been and where did you come from. She said she adopted you

Of course Anya wasn't going to say she broke into an orphanage and took you

Loid's scolding made you cry

"Anya, we aren't adopting–"

"If she's not my sister I won't go to school ever again!!"

"Just for a trial period" that's what Loid hoped

General headcanons

Loid thought babies were easy because it's unnecessary (more impossible) communication with a living being that can't talk; after all babies only have basic needs. He was wrong

It would be easier if you could talk. Why are you crying? You have eaten! Are you sad? Cold? You dislike him?

Yor is not better either. Because her parents died when Yuri was a kid Yor didn't have experience with changing diapers, or anything related with babies

She was more scared than Loid to the point she didn't want to hold you. She broke Yuri's ribs with a hug when he was a toddler, what if she kills you with few contact?

In less than 24 hours you already had a crib and all kinds of things a baby would need. However, having three bedrooms and parents sleeping in separate rooms meant all your things ended in Anya's room

You cried at night until they discovered you calmed down when Anya let you a plushie to hug

She can't wait for the day pa and ma share bed to take back her bedroom

The second night Anya had an idea

Ma is scared of being your mom, solution? Leave you in her bed while Yor is asleep imagining that would work

Thanks God Yor doesn't move much when sleeping. On the other hand Yor is a light sleeper due not being used to sleep with someone so she woke up minutes later

She almost jump out of the bed, realizing that would make you cry made her contain. You groaned, did she wake you up? Yor wasn't sure of holding you, instead she laid down again and approached you to her chest

Seeing you so peaceful by her side melted her, thinking about it you looked a bit like her and Loid.. She blushed at the embarrassing thought

Bold of them to not imagine that's why Anya chose you

In the morning Loid discovered what happened and had a little words with Anya during breakfast before she went to school

Yor went to work and he decided to take a day off from his work to spend the morning with you. The Handler said the first days you should see them to recognize faces

Walks with Bond, buying toys, trying to teach you sign language...Normal stuff

Loid is glad you don't do anything but sleep and eat, except your obsession with munching. When you first kissed Yor he found it normal until you munched her cheek and now you do that to everyone; probably you're teething

Yor found it really cute, but you shouldn't go kissing and chewing cheeks. Anya thinks is funny just don't try to chew her hair again please

Another problem came with names. Loid was going through a list of 850 names in alphabetical order, meanings included; Yor didn't take it to the extreme

"Hum, what about Rose? I think it's a cute name, I mean it's both decision and I'm not good with names Loid–"

Welcome to the family Rose

A spy, an assassin, a telepath and... Well, a baby. Seems like a good mix

Yor Briar

As we know Twilight only would adopt for Operation Strix's sake. Yor became mother by marrying Loid, but what if she had already a kid before being Mrs Forger?

Inspired by this post of @say-seira

How you met

Long ago before Twilight adopted the identity of Loid Forger, the Briars moved to a flat in Berlint

While the eldest sibling had recently become an adult Yuri was only a kid, Yor decided to move to the city so he had nearer his school. It was possible due her proper salary as Thorn Princess

This change would make her job easier too. She had a new client which death could pay Yuri's entrance to a good university

There was a politician who negotiated with terrorists, helping them to get into Ostania and providing them with weapons in exchange to gain good propaganda abroad and getting rid of competition

Knowing this was enough to make Yor's blood boil. He deserved to die, she was sure of it

Struggling with the security around him, Yor finally killed the target without leaving trace

The only inconvenience was a bad injury made by a bullet that she received. After removing the bullet the wound got worse

She went to the hospital to avoid an infection. In the waiting room she met a kind lady, Yor swore that she had seen her before

The woman was scared, but Yor reassured her she will wait her

While Yor was attended the girl was taken to another room. As she promised, Yor waited in the hall after her wound was treated; with a buttoned medical gown on because she didn't want to attract more attention due the bandaged wound in sight

Time passed and many people enter and exit from the room, but she didn't. A nurse carrying something mistook her for one of the staff and scolded her for standing there

"Here, take the baby to the nursery"

"Me? But— wait! What about the woman? Is she okay?"

From afar she heard the answer, but before Yor could explain the error the woman had left. She was shocked, how? She seemed fine

Against her will the dark-haired looked at the lump she was holding: rosy cheeks babbling in dreams, you were in peace

Her shock grew when she saw you shared the username that the man she killed had. That's why the woman was familiar: she was the politician's daughter

Yor searched someone who hand the baby when she recognized the doctor that guided the woman to the room, he was talking with a masked nurse

The fact they went to a private place and maintained their voices low made her suspect

"Did you take care of the mother?" the nurse asked

"Yes, they got ahead of us with her father but I think they will pay us anyway. When they found it was a medical negligence we'll be far from here"

Yor understood they were assassins as well, probably paid by a rival. Luckily they hadn't seen her yet

"Heh, do you they will pay more if we got rid of the baby?"

Yor left the hospital with you, unsure of what to do. Did you have more relatives? The widowed politician didn't have more kids, and your mother came alone. What if they wanted to kill the rest of the family?

A small hand grabbed hers, and every fear disappeared. Looking at each other, she knew you were safer with her. Perhaps it was only guilt or sympathy, but she would try

General headcanons

The moment Yuri saw Yor holding you was in disbelief. Yor said she found you in the streets and he believed it

At first he tried to convince her sister to leave you in a orphanage but once scolding was enough to cease

Still disliking you for the first months. It took some time until he saw you like one of his family

Yuri helped, although they had a rough time because you refused to eat Yor's purees. Your endurance might grew up to make you the only person who can eat her food without bleeding but it doesn't mean you like its flavor

She viewed you as a sibling until you were two, being called mom made Yor too happy to correct you. Yuri was just Yuri, you never feel like using formalities with him or addressing "Uncle" everytime you talked

Yor decided to let your belongings, it was better that way. When you were older, and only if you wanted, she would tell you the truth

She's bad with names, Rose was the only name she could think of but you're a boy. Yor's parents loved that Yuri and her had matching names, therefore you would be the sweet addition to it

The only name I could think of is Yuu because it's gender neutral and means "you" sorry

During the first year of your life she didn't try to hide the blood of her clothes from you. Yuri never suspected either and you wouldn't remember it when you grow up

Your lack of childhood amnesia was something she didn't have in count. Not that she knows you know anyway

Yor has been training you since you were able to walk, if she wasn't there when you needed at least you would be ready to defend yourself. Proud to say you're her strong boy

That said, if the assassins that tried to killed you found were you lived it's something you ignore. Being the protective mother Yor is they could be dead by now

Six years later, it was still Yor and you against the world, with Yuri being the only paternal figure you had. Before one day she met a man and everything changed

She said he will help her by accompanying her to a party so Yuri stopped worrying about her. She said it would be one night, and the next morning you woke up with Yor waiting to talk with you

In part she accepted because of you; you passed the Eden exam before knowing you needed a dad for it. That requisite seemed stupid for you, as you reassured her you could go to any other school; now you would be accepted into the best school!

You agreed and started packing. What else you could do? The decision was made before you were asked anyway, and you didn't want to argue with your mom because she was doing it for your future too

Of course it affected you. No matter how nice they were it was a huge change; in one day you had to move to a new place which didn't feel like home and live with strangers who you'll have to share mom with isn't easy

Anya was nervous too, but for different reasons. She was so excited to meet her soon-to-be sibling! For her, who was an orphan last week, having a pa, a ma and a friend to play with was great

Her expectations went down when she read your mind. You didn't think bad of them, but excited wasn't the word to describe your emotional state either

Loid may not be good at understanding children, but it was clear for him you wasn't comfortable. For him would be weirder if you didn't seem affected at all

On the contrary, Yor seemed cool with all of this to you. Even without any idea of how to be a wife or mother for Anya she enjoyed her time as Forger, which confused you a bit

Yor is happier, not only because she didn't have to worry about the SSS or Yuri anymore. They make her happier, it's just matter of time she could fall for Loid and have a baby that was her own, real kid

Being sure Yor loves you and your new family want you to feel welcomed doesn't make disappear the feelings you carry with. Still, if mom is happy you prefer to keep it to yourself and try to maker her smile too

If it wasn't because Yuri hates the idea of her sister hiding her marriage for a year and sympathized your situation he would have laughed at the irony when you told him during your uncle-nephew walk the next day of his meeting with "Loiloi"

He doesn't know they got married before you attended school so he assumed you had been holding it for a long time. He passed his fingers through your hair

"I understand it's difficult, but I'll be for you whenever you need me"

+ Honorable mention to compensate you for the mild ansgt without warning

Daybreak

We don't know much about him but I included this dork for fun

Thinking about "Daybreak" and "parenthood" makes anyone's mind stopped working

Mainly because it's difficult to say which one would be the child

Not "How you met headcanons" because he wouldn't be able to adopt to begin with

From what we saw in chapter 27 he seems to live alone, depending on his amazing spy career to afford pork steak for dinner. So he must not live too good given that after his first mission he was fired

If he had a child, it would be likely because of a previous relationship he had and didn't end well

He didn't adopt you. You're his biological kid, the only not adopted of this gang

Sorry we can't choose our family good luck ig

Not necessarily ended bad, even remaining as friends, your mother took a different path and is happily married with another man

If she knew he wanted to be a spy either thought "it's a joke" or *sigh*

She was who brought money in the relationship, now you live with her and your step-dad but at the beginning you didn't want to

Daybreak talked with you and promised you could visit each other and even live with him when he could afford it

They don't get it

Who would take care of him? The idea of living on his own was frightening to you

Imagine being father and is your kid who worries about whether pops know how to pay taxes without mom

You took after him in terms of appearance. Any signal of intelligence was from your mother

Average smart but surely smarter than him

Probably he thanked God that you were a boy. He will love whatever you are but he was relieved of saving himself of buying female products when you were on that time of the month and guide you through puberty

As much as he says to be a charming man he's not good with women either so

Your name is Sunny. Guess who chose it

Probably you see him more on weekends than during the week

Until you showed him Spy Wars he didn't have no idea that existed such good series

Of course not cooler than the legend he is but Daybreak jokes about how reading that and seeing your cool pops in action would make you half as good spy as he is someday

Quite sad is that your common sense along with the things you see on TV are enough to be better spy material

You try to watch it with him to see if he learns something

Unsure of what you'll be in the future but in the mean time you had fun watching cartoons and liking kids stuff like dinosaurs and skateboard

Current status: Busy with your first year at school and getting him out of trouble

[louwhose]

A Matter of No Small Importance

AO3 Link saw the Princess, looking down at him from where she was standing, every inch of her posture perfect, not a line of her expression untoward. Every inch the perfect Princess fulfilling her duties. Except for her eyes that betrayed her, looking at him, or rather the sword strapped to his back, in the look that any child would have as they complain that it isn’t fair. And Link couldn’t blame her. - Written for @zelinkcommunity's weekly prompt Significance

Zelda hated the Hero before she ever even saw him.

She worked for years upon years upon years upon years with nothing to show for it while he was lauded with attention for pulling a sword out of the ground and it stung.

And it was worse when she did see him, from afar, talking to her father. His back was turned from her. She wanted to be grateful that he didn’t see her, but it was so much worse instead.

Because her eyes latched onto that sword strapped onto his back, seeming to tell her, over and over and over again, I’m here, I’m ready, Why aren’t You?

“Princess?” Impa, her bodyguard, asked. Right. She had better things to do. Only now was she able to appreciate that he had never turned and seen her seething.

Zelda turned and followed Impa to her next appointment. There was no need to care about that Hero that made her feel so inferior.

They may be the Hero and the Princess destined to fight off evil together in their time, but there was no significance to their relationship beyond that. And that was how it would remain.

-

"Hero of Hyrule…” There was a hesitation in her voice. Her voice, icy, colder than any he had ever heard before. She said Link’s title with more spite than he would have imagined possible. The Princess took a shaky breath before continuing the next line of her speech. “Chosen by The Sword That Seals the Darkness.”

Now that, she said with pure venom in her voice.

Link cautiously looked up, dispersing with his decidedly-maintained blank expression and dutifulness to his position for a moment in order to look up at that expression, so full of hatred, no, frustration.

And he saw the Princess, looking down at him from where she was standing, every inch of her posture perfect, not a line of her expression untoward. Every inch the perfect Princess fulfilling her duties. Except for her eyes that betrayed her, looking at him, or rather the sword strapped to his back, in the look that any child would have as they complain that it isn’t fair.

And Link couldn’t blame her.

“You have shown unflinching bravery and skill in the face of darkness and adversity. And have proven yourself worthy of the Blessings of The Goddess Hylia.” Her words were sharp and uneven, as though she was barely able to stop herself from scoffing at them. She felt she couldn’t mean them, so she did the best she could in her position; she made a mockery of them. “Whether…” The princess faltered, tone softening. “Skyward bound, adrift in time, or steeped in the glowing embers of twilight… The sacred blade is forever bound to the soul of the hero. We pray for your protection, and we hope that… we hope that the two of you will grow stronger together as one.”

But it wasn’t until she finished that part and gave that brief, almost insignificant sigh that he understood. She quieted, because as much as she might think she hated him, she really just envied him, and only wished to fulfill her role, if she must be held to it.

Which made it all the more significant.

The Princess lowered her hand, and lowered her head for a moment in her own personal mourning of her loss. If something never gained can be considered a loss. Now, as her personal guard, she would have to be constantly constantly reminded of what would continually feel like her failure, and she was preemptively despising him for it. And he could hardly say he looked forward to it.

She raised her hand again, and lifted her head once more until her eyes met his, ready to continue with this sham of a ceremony.

Link quickly bowed his head back down into the proper position, finally realizing that look had not taken a mere moment.

-

Perfect.

Zelda couldn’t stand how perfect the Hero was. Nothing a step out of line. He hardly ever talked, so she was able to forget his presence blissfully for hours on end. But he did respond when circumstance required, which was rare. Perfect.

Oh, how she hated it.

No. Hate was too strong a term. Hate was what they were trying to fight against.

But still, his footsteps following her grated on her ears each time she tried dismissing him, despite knowing full well that he was only fulfilling his duty. At least hate would feel like a better excuse for not liking someone for simply existing.

(Sometimes, she wished that the Calamity would just hurry up and come, so that they could all be doomed already. Perhaps the previous Heroes and Princesses had developed a unique bond with each other strong enough to ward off the evils of their times, but it seemed obvious to Zelda that such a thing would not happen between them.)

-

Link felt lost, floundering in his duty and all the expectations everyone seemed to have for him, when truthfully, he only ever felt like a boy that got in way over his head.

So it was all he could do to try and fulfill his duties as Princess Zelda’s personal knight, and hope that he couldn’t mess that up.

It was lonely. Incredibly so. Others couldn’t understand the pressure that came with being expected to save the world.

And the one person who could refused to talk to him.

Sometimes Link considered trying to initiate the conversation with Princess Zelda, sometime when they were alone, to let her know that she wasn’t the only one who felt like she was drowning. But then she would turn to look in his direction and her eyes would narrow as she saw the hilt of The Sword peeking over his shoulder and didn’t continue to his face.

And Link knew. He knew.

She would never understand. To her, he was the Hero.

She would never see him as someone more than the Hero whose presence she was fated to stand long enough to fulfill her destiny with.

-

For all the time she had spent with the Hero, Zelda couldn’t tell you about a single feature on the Hero’s face, because she could never look past the sword on his back.

Until now.

Because now, The Sword wasn’t on his back, and she was mesmerized by his blue eyes looking back at her with dozens of lines of worry framing it as he looked at her.

Zelda just sat there, staring.

After a split second, he seemed satisfied that she was alright, and a quick glance further upward must have confirmed that there were no enemies behind her, because then those eyes were gone.

The Hero was moving quicker than her mind could keep up with, as fast as lightning as he dealt out death to the Yiga that were after her.

Zelda had been foolish to venture off on her own. But for once, she was grateful that her knight had done what he had always done, and found her.

He turned back to her, relief evident in his eyes.

Oh.

She couldn’t say he was just fulfilling his duty. She had no idea how he had managed it with how horribly she had treated him, but somehow, he cared.

Maybe they weren’t doomed to be nothing but a legend of only duty fulfilled. Maybe they could be something more, something important. Starting now.

He reached a hand down to help her up, and she took it.

“Thank you, Hero.” Zelda paused. That wasn’t quite right. “Or rather, thank you, Link.”

-

Link has had friends before. But it is very different to have friends to play with in the village as a boy than to have a friend as the Hero.

Not to mention that the friend in question was his charge, Princess Zelda.

“Zelda.”

Link looked at Pri— er, Zelda, in confusion. They had become close enough that she was beginning to understand that he preferred silence and interpret his expressions, but not enough that he felt comfortable breaking protocol those few times he did speak.

“I have enough people who follow protocol around me,” she argued. “Certainly, due to our respective positions, we cannot have a typical friendship, but I’d like to hear my friend speak to me informally, at least.”

Link smiled. “Alright, Zelda.”

Certainly, they couldn’t have a typical relationship, but it was nice to hear someone tell him he didn’t have to push himself after a battle, even though it wasn’t true. It was nice to hear her ramble on and on and on about plants or the technology that he couldn’t even begin to understand, but to be glad if only because it made her happy.

It was nice to have someone else who understood how hard a fate it was to be expected to give up your life so that no one else had to, even if it were only for a few years. It felt nice to have someone who was willing to simply just console you, without needing to ask why, just willing to wrap you in their arms and ward those sorrows that plague you both away.

Even if it never became anything more (Link might want it to become something more), that was good enough for him.

-

A silent princess.

Zelda lowered her slate, wanting to appreciate this sight with her own two eyes. She got down on her knees, wanting a closer look at it. The rustling of the grass behind her told her that Link had done the same.

“This one here is called the silent princess,” she said for his sake. It was nice, knowing that he would always listen to her about everything. “It’s a rare, endangered species.”

She leaned forward and let her hand brush against the petals, if only for a moment. She didn’t want to unintentionally bring any harm to it.

With a wistful sigh, Zelda sat back on her haunches, only allowing herself to stare at it more. “Despite our best efforts, we can’t get them to grow domestically yet.” She turned to look at Link, purposefully leaving “silent” out of the next line. “The princess can only thrive out here in the wild.”

Her gaze was returned with his silent, all-telling blue eyes. But only for a moment, because this was one of those few instances where he did respond. “I know.”

Zelda froze for only a second before rapidly turning around to escape that too-sweet gaze and hide the light blush forming on her cheeks. Yes, Link was handsome, and Link was sweet, but it was foolish to harbor this crush on him that could never be more than that.

They were friends and partners in this extreme fate they shared, no matter how it turned out. That was more than important enough.

But why couldn’t she get his soft smile out of her head?

-

Link breathed hard, not able to do any more than put one foot in front of the other, clutching at the hand in his as he looked around for threats. His heart was beating rapidly, from the adrenaline, and that was from more than just the exertion of running.

Fear.

That's what it was. It had been a while since Link had ever really felt fear for his own life, having been skilled enough with the sword for as long as he had. But even more than that, he was afraid for—

His hand was jerked backwards by Zelda's as she stumbled, falling to the ground. He turned around to face her, and sheathed his sword.

They were safe enough here. At least he hoped so. And they needed a break, regardless.

“How…” Zelda choked on the words. “How did it come to this?”

Link slowly lowered himself onto one knee. Clearly she needed someone to help comfort her. And even if all he could do now was lend a listening ear, then at least he could offer that much to her.

She buried her tear-filled eyes into muddy hands, the next words slightly muffled for the action. “Our only hope for defeating Calamity Ganon is lost all because I couldn’t harness this cursed power! Everything— everything I’ve done up until now… It was all for nothing…”

Zelda lowered her hands, tears still filling her eyes. “So I really am just a failure!”

Link was about to protest, say that was never true, even now. But she kept on speaking, taking on a softer, more tragic tone. “All my friends… the entire kingdom… my father most of all…” She breathed in shakily. “I tried, and I failed them all…”

Zelda looked up at him, tears streaming down her dirty cheeks in earnest now. “I’ve left them… all to die.”

Her face contorted, and all out of words to say, she finally started sobbing in earnest. She fell forward, and he moved just in time to catch her in his arms.

Link looked down at Zelda, knowing how difficult this must be for her. This was one thing he couldn’t quite empathize with her, an unusual feeling since they became friends.

But what he could do was hold her in his arms as long as he could, and stroke her hair and hope it comforted her. One thing he could do was try to convey to her that it was never her fault, even if he couldn’t find adequate words to do so. What he could do was let her know that she was loved.

Because yes, he loved her. Yes, perhaps it was beyond that of love friends felt for each other, but what mattered was that it was love, and he wanted what was best for her, is all.

Link had never been good with words. But that didn’t mean he couldn’t show Zelda he loved her.

“Zelda,” he finally said as softly as possible after they had been there a while. She peeked up out of where she had buried her face in his chest. “We need to go soon, otherwise the Guardians will catch up with us again.”

Zelda nodded, and they both stood up. He offered his hand to her again, and she took it.

Hand-in-hand, they walked off to neglect their fate together.

-

The Guardian’s tracker beam was on Link’s chest. He couldn’t avoid it. He couldn’t even deflect it off of something even as basic as a pot lid. All he could do was stand there so that he was the one who took the hit.

And Zelda had never been more terrified in her life.

So, Zelda, for once in her life, didn’t think. She just acted, moving around Link so that she could stand in front of him, and be the one to take the hit for him, even if it only prolonged his life for a few moments. Because she couldn’t stand to do nothing as he died. So she held up her hand.

And light filled her vision.

Once it faded, Zelda saw the Guardians fall, red lights flickering off and the malice evaporating out of them.

She staggered a couple of steps backwards, staring at her hand. “Was that… the power…?”

She halted in her tracks at a thud behind her. She turned around to see Link, lying limply on the ground.

Zelda dashed over there, as quickly as she could in half-ruined sandals chafing at her feet and knelt next to him, rolling him over until be on her lap.

“No, no… Link! Get up!” she pleaded. He wasn’t close enough. She put her arm under his shoulders so that she could lift up his torso.

Link coughed, and Zelda held him closer to her. She fervently whispered in his ear, “You’re going to be just fine…”

Maybe she didn’t say it for his sake. Maybe it was to try convincing herself of it.

Somewhere during all that time she refused to have a crush on him, Zelda had gone and fallen in love with Link. And it scared her more than anything that he was probably dying.

Link turned his head towards her, eyes ridden with pain. “Zelda, I…” His choked, dry words faded out of sound as his voice gave way, but his lips finished the soundless syllables. And maybe she was being too hopeful, looking for something to see, but she thought he finished it love you.

But she didn’t have so much as a chance to ask him about it, because as soon as his lips stopped moving, his head fell back.

Maybe he wasn’t quite dead yet, but Zelda already knew. Knew that he was close enough to it, knew that she would never get to talk to him again and see that little, comfortable smile as he listened to her go on and on about any subject as if it were the best experience in the world.

Zelda had already had everything else taken from her, everyone else. Now must Link be taken from her, too?

So Zelda just lowered her head on his chest and sobbed. Sobbed and sobbed and cried and cried and just mourned all those who had died that she loved. Daruk, Revali, Mipha, Urbosa, her father, Link.

So what if she really did have her sealing powers now? If losing everyone she ever cared about was the cost to gain them, then she wished they never came until the end if only so that she could die with all the rest.

Zelda clenched at Link’s tunic, missing him, mourning him. Mourning the Hero, her partner in fate, her knight, her friend, her love. She wove her fingers through his hair, remembering her initial hatred and conviction to never like him when she first saw him. If she had known what would happen anyways, she would have tried harder to keep her feelings back, to not let him become anything more than a stranger she was doomed alongside.

What was the point of having such a meaningful, significant bond if all it led to was tragedy?

Even if she did talk to the sword, and create a plan, and prolong hope, it didn’t stop the tragedy of the moment.

Link was dead, even if it wasn’t forever now. And she couldn’t help but wish that she had done something more to stop it.

But… Zelda thought, taking one last look towards the Great Plateau from the entrance to Hyrule Castle, Link might live again. And then this story would no longer be a tragedy, would it?

She turned towards the Castle. Then it would be all that much better to have such a meaningful bond in the light of a victory.

-

…

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

…

Void

Light

…

…Open your eyes…

Blue

Open your eyes…

Focus

Open your eyes.

Things strange things

Wake up, Link

Blinking. Open eyes. Breathing. Water. Water gone. Eyes look. Look around.

Up. Sit up. Turn. Look at room.

Room strange.

Strange? Yes, strange… a word. Strange. Words.

He had words.

He? Link. Link? Link.

He had words. He might have a name. But he had nothing else.

So Link crawled out of the strange… he didn’t have a word for it.

What to do next?

-

You must hurry, Link, the woman pleaded. Before it’s too late…

She stopped speaking to him. The light from the castle stopped, but so did the strange black stuff, so he hoped that was okay.

Link didn’t know a lot about himself before he lost his memories. But maybe emotions had carried over from before, because he knew that voice in a way much deeper than knowing her name.

And he knew he had to go save her, whatever it took.

And that was all that mattered.

[skyward-floored]

I’d like a tour of the Courage of Ages Links, please!

Lemme just preface this by saying I LOVE QUESTIONS LIKE THIS THANK YOU!! I think I made a post like this awhile ago, but it needed to be updated so this gives me an excuse to

And now a very very long list of Links :D

Cloud — Skyward Sword Link, he’s a nice guy at first glance but has an exceptional ability to go from pleasant to terrifying in about two seconds flat. Has some white streaks in his hair from channeling Demise’s lightning, and his eyes are a little extra bright during storms. Married his Zelda less then a week ago, he’s rather upset his honeymoon got interrupted.

Mini — Minish cap Link, he’s the youngest of the crew at 10 (and a half). Polite and pretty mature for his age, he’s like the epitome of “small but mighty”. He’s horribly superstitious though, and has a mighty fear dislike of cats.

Kaleidoscope — original Four Swords Link, he got nicknamed after the way the colors in his eyes shift around and swirl, kinda like a kaleidoscope. He’s a quiet guy and keeps to himself, but he’s also a great listener when he’s not having... issues. The seamster of the group, he usually ends up darning everyone’s socks.

Sprite — Ocarina of Time, Majora’s Mask (and sorta Hyrule Warriors) Link, he puts on a grumpy face but is actually a pretty sweet kid underneath. He’s on this little adventure with a mix of intense annoyance and grim acceptance. He thought he was done with time travel shenanigans, this’ll be the FOURTH TIME—

Gloam — Twilight Princess Link, he’s the big brother of the group, maybe is a little overprotective of the younger Links. Calls pretty much everyone younger then him “puppy” as well. He’s a huge animal lover, he’s almost always got a hawk on his arm or a cat or dog following him. Misses Epona, but knows Ilia is taking good care of her (also misses Ilia. Never takes off her charm).

Light — Four Swords Adventures Link, one of his eyes is red and blue, the other is green and violet, and his mood sometimes swings a bit sporadically. Despite all this he’s a great team player, and he’s definitely in his element having all these other fighters to work with. Really hates being alone.

Windy — Windwaker and Phantom Hourglass Link, he’s got a big mischievous streak and is very upbeat. His big brother-ness make him worry sometimes about the younger Links, but he’s not that old himself so he tries not to be overbearing. Rough-and-tumble, but he’s actually pretty polite despite being a pirate (it’s his grandma’s fault).

Spirit — Spirit Tracks Link, he’s not exactly the greatest fighter, his strength lies more in, well, trains. That isn’t to say he can’t fight, but he doesn’t prefer it, and injuries bother him a lot. Likes drawing and tinkering with stuff, the sheikah technology in botw fascinates him. He can see ghosts without any aid and is very close with First.

Hibiscus — A Link to the Past, Oracle of Ages/Seasons, and Link’s Awakening Link, he’s definitely the most experienced of everyone, seems way older than 18. Won’t admit it but Koholint screwed him up, enough that he was in a really bad place for a while (maaaybe kinda still is). He’s also a really good medic, one of the best out of the Links, and adapts very well to new skills.

Hue — A Link Between Worlds and Tri Force Heroes Link, he’s got an outfit for every occasion. Literally. Any occasion. His red and blue link buddies convinced him to dye his hair green and he maybe regrets it a little but it’s mostly grown out anyway. He’s a blacksmith apprentice like Mini, and likes making blades as useful and stylish as his clothes.

Brownie — The Legend of Zelda and Adventure of Link Link, (heh) he’s a little anxious, kinda paranoid, but a really good fighter with both magic and blade, and knows a lot more then the others might think. Tends to get underestimated due to his appearance but he’s the most magically powerful of all of them.

Era — Hyrule Warriors Link, sort of the leader, he seems like he’s got it the most together (he does not) but he’s good at faking it. It’s what got him through the war anyway. Technically the oldest only by a year or two, he may or may not have adopted Sprite during the war and is kinda the dad of the group (oh no shoot shoot when did that happen—). He’s got a weird relationship with compliments and his appearance.

Slate — Breath of the Wild Link, he’s quiet, but cheerful. Sometimes gets caught up in his head which can end badly, (even worse if he gets stuck in a memory) but he’s trying. Crazy good archer, and master of silent movement, when he’s not trying to be quiet he’s nearly always quietly humming some tune or other. Also loves food with a passion.

First — Link from the manga at the end of Hyrule Historia, First is a ghost. He’s not quite sure how he’s here. Also Spirit is the only person who can see him and actually knows he’s here. He’s actually okay with only Spirit seeing him, and he’s able to do a few things to help out (fight ghost enemies). Has a distinct sort of sadness about him though, and Spirit wishes he wasn’t dead and could hug him. He seems like he could use it.

[science-lings]

So because I like to be really complicated, I've decided to throw my favourite part of pretty much every Link's design (ofc the ones that actually change the design - looking at you Toon Links) at you. Idk, I'm an overachiever and I love gushing about one of the best character designs in video game history.

Obviously with the 8-bit designs, all there really is are artworks and the manuals to go off of because Link is a collection of tiny squares with 4 max colours. TLoZ and AoL are the same character so to be honest, I just love his earthy tones and facial features. Big nose rep. Goes for ALTTP, LA, and OOT as well tbh.

Speaking of ALTTP, that pink hair he has in-game is literally one of the best thing Nintendo has ever done.

A lot of child Links have this, but the baggy boots introduced in OOT are literally everything. I want to wear them every day of the rest of my life. The Oracle games also give him the flared lining and I would die to have them. Peak footwear. And the bracers Adult Link gets add so much to such a simple design, it's literally unreal.

The Four Swords games were cute with the bright colour swaps. I'm so mad they drew the artwork for the game in the Toon Link artstyle. Seeing artwork for it in ALTTP's art would have been so cool like what came on the European box art. The Wind Waker/Phantom Hourglass came and introduced the most adorable Zelda artstyle. Like he's just a cylinder and I love him so much. It's a bit like FS(A) where he just got so much more colourful too. Spirit Tracks gave Link this cute engineer uniform that I cannot get over. Ever.

Twilight Princess. I'm sorry but he's just a whole hunk of man right there. The darker graphics went so far for him, his outfit was so detailed at the time and he's got such a masculine presence if you know what I mean. Oddly enough, there's so much I like about the design, it's so hard to put what I like into words other than 'a lot'. Sorry, I know it's not very helpful ^^;

Skyward Sword Link had such an amazing emotional range. He said absolutely nothing, but you could tell exactly how he felt, but unlike WW/PH/ST etc Link, his facial expression were really toned down and gentle. The most intense emotion he's ever had was fighting a god. Love that about him.

So I know ALBW technically shares ALTTP/OOA(/S) design, so I want to highlight the one thing that's different which is the giant, chunky bracelet he wears. Something about that makes me so happy for some reason.

Triforce Heroes' biggest accomplishment was the alternate outfits. Those boys literally strutting around in a forest in full gowns and costumes like it's nothing is literally peak fashion. Style over practicality any day.

BotW was literally a game-changer for Link's design in almost every way. I have no idea how Nintendo managed to completely change the design down to the fundamental GREEN of the Links before him to this cerulean blue and still keep the essence of what made Link a Link. And although Nintendo loves to go back on it in other material, I absolutely ADORE that they made his features so round and softly shaped, especially his eyes, compared to other Links. Nintendo will never take away how absolutely gorgeous that man is now they've achieved it. So we don't know much about TotK yet for obvious reasons, but he now sports literally the most revealing outfit in the franchise (other than him literally being half naked in BotW) and the fact it's paired with long hair is literally what I've been waiting my entire life for.

So yeah, I've probably made this so much more complicated, but there is literally so much I love about each Link, it's hard to choose my favourite overall features (except the boots, I love the baggy boots).

This is actually incredibly helpful thank you! I think one of the things I'm struggling most with the design is his hair, like he goes from a medium dark brown to pink to platinum blonde to bright yellow to almost orange and like... it's hard to make a decision lol. I do want to include bits of every game, whether that be with little accessories (like kinstones or belt buckles or jewelry) or more major features.

I am absolutely convinced on his schnoz though, he deserves a big pointy nose. It's going to be fun to try to balance some of his more harsh features with a lot of the softness we see in many other games, like he always has intense eyebrows (even in toon mode), but he also tends to have a baby face.

[hylianhistorian]

who is link?

for the first real post on this blog, i thought it would be best to cover the main character himself, link. link is, of course, the character the player controls in every installment of the legend of zelda. but there's a lot about every incarnation of link that is far more nuanced than that. the first thing to note about the hero of hyrule is that the protagonist is in fact a different person in almost every game. this means that when a new game comes out (unless it is a direct sequel of a pre-existing game in the timeline) is a completely new person with his own life. the only thing "link"ing (ha) these people is the fact that they all have the same spirit, the spirit of the hero. think of avatar: the last airbender. every avatar shares the same spirit, but they are all independent people. this spirit differs from the avatar's spirit though in that it is not immediately reincarnated once the previous body dies. therefore, the spirit can go years without being reincarnated into a new hero.

why is this and why is this spirit reincarnated again and again anyway? this brings me to the first and original incarnation of the hero's spirit: skyward sword. (im not including the hero from the pre-skyward sword manga from hyrule historia as it is not canon) also major spoilers for skyward sword ahead. in this game, link is chosen by the goddess to carry out her mission to defeat demise, the demon king. at the end of this game, after demise is defeated but before he is sealed away into the master sword, demise places a curse on link and zelda. this curse is arguably the most important piece of hyrulean history and is the key to understanding tloz lore. demise states, "Those like you... Those who share the blood of the goddess and the spirit of the hero... They are eternally bound to this curse. An incarnation of my hatred shall ever follow your kind, dooming them to wander a blood-soaked sea of darkness for all time!" now i'll get more into the details of that curse in a later post, but the thing we need to highlight right now is the part where demise curses the 'spirit of the hero'. This curse sets into motion a continuous reincarnation of link's spirit, dooming it to an eternity of struggle against demise' hatred. this is the reason every hero is a reincarnation of the same spirit.

this curse is also why link and only link is able to wield the master sword. as we also find out in skyward sword, the master sword is sentient; a being named fi resides in it. fi is able to recognize the spirit of the hero and allows itself to be wielded by the same spirit shared by its original master.

the one and only exception to this reincarnation cycle is windwaker. windwaker link is the only hero who does not actually hold the spirit of the hero. why is he able to wield the master sword then? note that this is the only hero who has to go through trials specifically made to prove himself worthy of wielding the master sword. instead of automatically being capable of wielding it, he proves himself to the goddess and the sword, and only then is able to pull it from hyrule castle. i'll also go more in depth on windwaker link and what sets him apart from the rest later.

of course, we know that none of the heroes have any kind of memory carried over from their previous lives. in fact, the only time we see anything even resembling that is in twilight princess, when the current hero of hyrule is able to meet with the spirit of the hero of time, who passes down useful moves and wisdom. therefore, every hero is effectively an entirely new consciousness, with his own unique experiences.

there's so much more to learn about link but for now i'll leave it at this. if you have any questions pertaining to this, my asks are open and i'd love to answer them :D thanks for reading!

[aliceyabusamesoneball]

i think there should be an au of witch’s heart where instead of being a game it’s a show like my little pony or sofia the first or something where stupid shit happens, mistakes are made, they learn their lesson, and then claire writes to zizel at the end about it or something like in mlp where twilight is like “dear princess celestia...........blablabla” and zizel is like haha humans are so funny

here are my really good episode ideas if this ever happens:

- somehow through magic ashe and sirius switch bodies. they are really mad about it and they keep fighting each other but then they learn that maybe the other one isnt so bad after all and they become friends (maybe) 

- i already did this one on my ask claire blog thing but one where noel and claire go on a date and every other character is spying on them all for different reasons and they all play pranks on noel and claire whether by accident or on purpose until its revealed at the end that everyone was there and noel and claire are like “come on guys really” and they all say sorry

- that one mlp episode where they all get cursed by that poison joke flower happens to all of the humans except wilardo because he already has a flower curse so he has to go find the cure while the other characters are just cursed around him

- the sleepover episode in mlp where applejack and rarity have a sleepover with twilight but theyre being passive aggressive to each other while twilight is unaware until they eventually are forced to work together when that tree falls through the window except with ashe sirius and claire

- claire goes dress shopping with all of the demons and they all yell and argue at each other and claire has to solve their fight because theyre all telling different stories about what happened.. investigation

- THERE SHOULD BE A CHRISTMAS EPISODE and noel gets to be the main character and theres a part where claire and sirius go shopping for a present for noel together and talk about how much they love him and they all throw him a surprise party and they are happy I JJST WANT THEM TO BE HPAPY PLEASE

- that one sofia the first episode where james breaks one of the castle rules and makes a crack in the window and then eventually makes it worse and shatters the window entirely while amber is distracting their parents but then sofia takes the blame for him and she misses the circus or whatever it was except its claire being stupid in the mansion while wilardo distracts sirius and noel takes the blame for her and ashe lectures them all in the end 

- there should be one where its like a fancy ball or dance or something and they all get dressed up and have a good time but maybe something will go wrong.. maybe not who knows

- ashe makes a claire for cake, but they have to leave and then someone takes a bite and then ashe and claire have to become detectives and figure out who took a bite (ashe is the lead detective and claire is his assistant) using their amazing detective skills (in an unexpected plot twist it turns out to be wilardo when they suspected sirius the whole time)

- claire and sirius do an annual brother sister race held in their town or something and they ALMOST get first place but they are beaten and sirius is a sore loser and claire has to teach him to not be

- a hide and seek paintball gun game thing where claire is the spectator/narrator person who calls out whats happening and all of the men get paired with their demon counterpart. there is brutal murder and violence(/j). sirius and lime lose immediately because they keep yelling at each other which gives away their location. at the end its a close battle between wilardo/zizel and ashe/charlotte and ashe and charlotte end up winning. all of this happens while claire is shouting out everything

- zizel hears about weddings and thinks it is a funny human tradition. she asks claire about weddings and claire excitedly tells her all about wedding traditions and proceeds to investigate everyone else about weddings and makes a huge list of everything about weddings ever to zizel. zizel then proceeds to ask rouge to marry her and have a wedding including EVERY SINGLE THING that claire wrote on the list. it is extremely long and tedious and eventually everyone begs zizel to discontinue the wedding and just to leave for the honeymoon, and then she does. in this one zizel writes to claire like “my dearest claire..... weddings are so funny” or something and it is like a reverse episode

- that one mlp episode where pinkie pie clones herself a bunch of times and then twilight has to kill all of her clones until she finally finds the real pinkie pie except its claire accidentally cloning herself a bunch of times and sirius and noel must discover the real one since they know their childhood friend best and after they do they all hug each other and go get ice cream 😊

i cant think of anymore but if you have ideas please tell me because this is very fun to think about

[aurathian]

Beauty and the Beast

For day 2 of @zelinkweek2021 ! Prompt beasts: wolves.

Read it here on AO3!

The soon-to-be queen was not a stranger to the sprawling forests of Hyrule. Zelda often made it a point during hunting excursions to purposely stray from her band of knights and ride off into the woods alone. It was her one reprieve from her royal duties and stifling bodyguards. She never much cared for the actual hunting, preferring the sights, sounds, and smells of nature over sitting for hours and waiting for some animal to happen across her path. This particular trip to Faron Woods was no exception.

Her knights weren’t the sharpest tools in the shed, so as the veil of night began to blanket the woods, she quietly slipped away from the crew and into the wilderness. Under the light of the full moon and stars, she navigated alone over fallen trees and messy forest floor, occasionally humming to herself every now and then.

She inhaled the smell of leaves and pine, sighing with pleasure. It was rare for her to be so relaxed anymore. Following Midna’s departure from her realm, Zelda’s plate had been stacked with duty after duty, treaty after treaty, ceremony after ceremony as she scrambled to piece her kingdom back together—alone. She was used to being the sole carrier of the royal responsibilities, but that didn’t mean she was immune to its crushing, dense weight. How nice it would be, she thought, to have someone by her side to help her.

Her ears twitched at the sound of rustling leaves, but she assumed it was the wind and paid it no mind.

Her mind drifted to the Hero of Twilight. Little as she knew him, he was also the only one who could begin to understand her despair, from Midna leaving to having your life turned upside down, only he could empathize. She never voiced such things to him and instead let him return to Ordon, figuring he would much prefer to return to normal after what he’d gone through. Yet part of her wondered how it could be possible to return to normal after saving the world. What was normal anymore?

She stopped dead in her tracks when she heard a low growl coming from behind the tree in front of her. She clutched her dark cloak tight around her, watching. From behind the tree, a set of piercing blue eyes emerged along with sharp, white teeth, bare and shining. The dark grey coat of the animal was barely visible under the roof of leaves above, but when she saw the silhouette of a tail, she knew it was a wolf.

Without hesitation, she whipped out a dagger from within her cloak, pointing its piercing tip at the beast. The longer she stared, the more familiar the eyes felt.

She remembered a time when a wolf much like the one she was facing now had nudged its way into her prison in Hyrule Castle, and she remembered a time when that same wolf offered up to her a withering twilight princess, for whom she sacrificed herself.

“Stay back,” she said, voice shaking slightly.

It sneered at her, baring its teeth even more as its paws spread into a fighting stance.

“Link,” she tried. “Link.”

It was almost as though the beast transformed before her eyes, stepping out into the light as he shut his mouth and the glare in his eyes receded. Instead, he tilted his head and approached her. Cautiously, he sniffed around her legs and pawed at her boots before looking up at her.

“Oh my Goddesses,” she breathed. “It really is you.”

The wolf whimpered and looked down at its paws. She swiftly sheathed her dagger as her gaze drifted down his back, covered in black and grey, spiky fur, but something matted it down. Gingerly, she reached out and dipped her fingers in the substance, only to recognize its color and consistency as blood.

Horrified, she stumbled back and rubbed it off on her cloak. “Did you get in a fight?” she asked, kneeling down to his level and taking him into her arms, and she almost chuckled at his eagerness to climb into her lap. He whined in response. Her hands travelled around his body, searching for wounds, until she finally found one on his back leg.

“I’ll patch you up,” she reassured him, reaching into the pockets of her clothes to pull out bandages. She carefully wrapped him, taking care not to harm him in the process. When all was done, a white bandage wound up his back left leg. “All better.”

He nuzzled her stomach in response.

“I have no duties to attend to tonight, so perhaps I should stay here with you, so you can recover safely.”

It was an excuse, really, to stay with him. His safe recovery was an added bonus.

Nonetheless, he nuzzled her stomach again and curled up comfortably in her lap. She leaned back against a tree, allowing his body heat to warm her, and fell back asleep.

At least, she tried to. It turned out that Link was, at least in his wolf form, a snorer.

When she reached down early the next morning, just as the sun was casting its first rays through the treetops, she was surprised to feel not fur, but skin. She flinched and looked down to be greeted with a mop of messy, dirty blonde hair and tan skin. With her finger, she prodded his cheek, forcing him to wake up.

“Huh?” he groaned, blinking the sleep from his eyes. He leaned up, shaking his head and scratching his chin, until he met the eyes of the princess and his expression changed to that of horror.

“Good morning, Link,” she greeted coyly, a mischievous grin painting her face.

“Uh. Um.”

She covered her mouth as she laughed, and he took the opportunity to remove himself from atop her legs. He stood up and dusted himself off, taking care to readjust the clothes he was thankfully wearing.

“I’m sorry,” he said. “I thought you’d be gone by now. Or I wouldn’t have turned back.”

“Don’t be sorry. How’s your wound?” She gestured to the bandage wrapping his left leg.

“Much better. Thank you, princess.”

“Zelda.” The name tasted sweet on his tongue.

“Zelda, yeah.”

He fiddled nervously with his thumbs, refusing to meet her eyes.

“I didn’t know you could still turn into a wolf.”

“I can, but not of my own will,” he explained. “I still have Zant’s curse, but I only change on nights with a full moon, for some reason. I don’t know why. When Midna was around, I could change whenever I wanted.”

“I see.” Zelda sat up. “Do you miss her?”

Link hummed, glancing down at the back of his hand. “Yes.”

“Me too,” the princess whispered. The silence between them was defeaning, so she asked another question. “Say, Link, why did you growl at me last night?”

“I did?”

“Do you not remember?” She stood up to meet his eyes, though she was ever so slightly taller than him.

“When I turn into a wolf, it’s like I’m not myself. I turn back and I feel like I lost my consciousness.” His gaze shifted away in shame. “But when you called my name, I gained my senses.”

“Well, even though you don’t remember, I’m sorry for pulling a dagger on you.”

“I forgive you,” he said with a smile. He began to walk as Zelda strode past him.

“What are you doing nowadays?”

“Thinking,” he answered. “Thinking of where to go and what to do.”

“Is it hard,” she asked, “to go back to normal when you don’t know what normal is anymore?” She circled a tree as he stopped to watch.

Out of the corner of her eye, he nodded. “The people of Ordon have been through things just as bad as what I’ve been through, but they… they don’t get it. They didn’t see the horrors I saw.”

“I understand,” she said. “My knights and advisors can’t begin to comprehend the things Zant said and did to me. But you… I understand you. When I gave my life to Midna, I became one with her. I saw everything she did.”

“That’s embarrassing,” Link chuckled. “You didn’t see me play the cucco game at the lake, did you?”

“I did, and I thought you were very good.”

“But, princess— ugh, Zelda, I don’t know what to do anymore. My purpose in life went from herding goats to saving the world and now it’s back to herding goats and it feels wrong.”

“Come visit me at the castle sometime,” the princess suggested. “Maybe we can figure something out.”

“Oh, okay.”

He was surprised when she took his hands into her own. “I have to go now. My knights are probably in a frenzy searching for me.” She laughed and flicked her head to move a stray strand of hair. “But please come by.”

“I will, prin— Zelda.”

She smiled, and it illuminated the forest more than it did the sun. “Thank you, Link.” And then she was gone, disappearing behind a tree, and he was alone.

“I’ll see you soon,” he said to no one in particular.

The first thing he did upon returning home to Ordon was pack his bags.