#i think about that koholint island now

[nbclover]

I never finished link's awakening

[hotcheetohatredwastaken]

What are some head canons you've been wanting to share, but haven't had the chance to? (Yes, I AM asking you to ramble about the blorbos)

Here’s my head canon (as I told you earlier): Legend and Sky are related. Not only in blood, but in unique ability to relate to the Goddess through dreams.

If we begin with the assumption that Legend and Fable are indeed twins, or at least brother and sister—this is still heavily debated, so take of it what you will, but that is how I read that bit of lore—then obviously, Legend is in the Royal family. And the Royal family was founded by whom? Sky and Sun. So, they’re related. By blood. YAY.

I love this for a lot of reasons. Their opposite temperaments. Their opposing views of the Goddess, of their adventures, of their teammates now that they have them. Add in the fact that they’re blood (like Twilight and Time) and you can get a fun dynamic, especially when that mentor-protege relationship just isn’t there like it is for those two. Sky isn’t a leader or a teacher, at least not amongst the Chain, and Legend isn’t exactly a student or a follower (though I will note he’s very good at stepping up when need be). Anyways, juicy, juicy dynamic, imo.

Anyways, now more into real head canon territory. Next, we can notice that both Sky and Legend experience dreams in their adventures. Sky has multiple warning dreams about his Zelda, Sun, throughout Skyward Sword; Legend starts at least? one of his adventures with a dream, not to mention his whole deal with Koholint dream island. And, someone can correct me if I’m wrong, but some of the Zelda’s have had forewarning dreams, too, or just general dreams of Hylia. Therefore, I think it isn’t too much of a stretch to imagine that the ability to perceive prophetic dreams has been passed down through the Royal family, not through Sun, but through Sky. So, since Legend is a part of the Royal Family, he has it too.

Anyways, I think this could also play out into their sleeping habits. In canon LU, Sky is noted to sleep a lot. And (in fanon, mostly, but I HC it) Legend is a night owl that barely sleeps. I think it very possible that they could still have prophetic dreams, probably about the Chain or their goals or enemies. And their different ways of dealing with those prophetic dreams tie into their characters, too. Perhaps the prophecies exhaust Sky, or he instead wants to make sure that he doesn’t miss a warning from Hylia—so, he sleeps. A lot. Legend, on the other hand, doesn’t want any more of that nonsense after Koholint—so perhaps he wakes himself up from those dreams before he gets trapped, or avoids sleeping entirely, to escape them. This makes him the grouchy, sleep deprived veteran that we know and love.

Anyways, head cannon presented. I love the idea of Prophecy!Sky and Prophecy!Legend who are also related by blood through the Royal line. That is all.

[aoikitty]

List of LU/general LOZ things I’m working on in hopes that telling people about them will actually motivate me to finish them-

(Also because I want to yap)

Current Wips:

- Ref sheet/Height chart of all the boys, currently 3 of 9 boys are done.. (technically 4 including Time- but I actually freestyled his design in my first post so I still need to add him to the lineup)

- Finalize & properly illustrate Rulie’s fairy design because I’ve been thinking bout him for MONTHS

- The Chain + horses. That’s it, I wanna give them each a special horse. :3

- Animated compilation of The chain as Vines & other stupid clips, because those videos are peak fandom content LMAO

Ideas:

- Legend animatic inspired by “Ruler of my heart ALNST” featuring “Marin”.. 🤭😇 (if you know you know)

-Self indulgent character study fic written as like a diary from the perspective of Marin on Koholint island + how the fuck she ended up in hyrule warriors because I think about her a lot.. (Writing really isn’t my strong suit so this one is unlikely but I wanted to share)

-Temple of Souls/ Valley of Seers Illustrations, but in the artstyle of a witch’s labyrinth from Madoka Magica because I made the connection whilst looking up the temple and now I can’t stop thinking about it..

- Hyrule Warriors Cia animatic to “You’ll be back” from the Hamilton soundtrack because it’s ACTUALLY ABSURD THAT NO ONE ELSE HAS DONE THIS YET. LIKE HOW?! It fits the games story and Cia’s fucked up perception of Link SOO WELL- like if no one else makes this a thing by the time I finish the other things on this list, I’ll just have to do it myself 😭

[snowstories]

One of my favourite moments in the entirety of Link's Awakening is the meeting with the little ghost. Before entering the fifth dungeon, a ghost will start to follow you. When you talk to it, it asks you to bring it to the house on the beach. In a corner of the beach sits a dilapidated house; you've probably found it by now and wondered what it was for. You bring the ghost to the house, after which it flies around, sighing about nostalgia, how it's unchanged. Then it says that it's enough and asks you to bring it back to its grave. When you do, it thanks you. Afterwards, the Owl appears and points you towards the fifth dungeon, the Catfish's Maw.

This encounter is one that really stands out to me in the game, for a variety of reasons. Why is it in the game? It's mandatory for progressing the game, seemingly without reason; the ghost does not point you towards any dungeon key or other requirement for entering the dungeon, so why is this little quest mandatory? What's the purpose of its inclusion?

The purpose is symbolism. The little ghost is a miniature of the game's themes.

Death is something that pops up surprisingly often in discussions about Link's Awakening. Surprising, because such a morbid topic is seemingly at odds with the game's tone, but also unsurprising, because of the very premise of the game. Koholint is a dream, and dreams end. The whole game is structured around you coming to care for the island, and then having to say goodbye to it as it disappears. While I do think interpreting that as a literal death is oversimplified, the fact that people frame it as such and make this connection is not strange or even unwarranted. Maybe it's not a literal death, but the fact remains: there was an island, and then there wasn't. There were people, and then there weren't. Grief is the natural reaction.

But it's important to remember that Koholint's end is, at no point, framed as a bad thing. A sad thing, yes, but not a bad one. The little ghost is one of the many ways the game shows you what it wants to say.

The ghost has one last request for you, to let it indulge in nostalgia for one last time before finally helping it rest, and it is thankful that you did both things. Ghosts are not intended to linger in the realm of the living, not permanently; there are a lot of stories about ghosts being guided back to rest, and putting a ghost to rest is nearly always considered a good thing. I doubt many people felt as if they were killing someone when they helped the little ghost to rest, or felt as if this was a bad thing. It's melancholy, for sure, but not a bad thing. Ghosts are not meant to linger on; they are meant to leave.

As is Koholint. By the time you come there, it's already been here for too long. The Wind Fish is forcibly kept asleep by the Nightmares, malicious outside intruders. Like the ghost, it's been kept lingering when it should've left a long time ago. Your journey throughout the game is comparable to bringing the ghost to its home, though not 1:1; but both are last trips, necessary to find peace. And like you put the ghost to rest, you wake the Wind Fish, granting both Koholint and the little ghost the end they deserve.

This little moment is here to tell you that it's okay. That it's sad, but that in allowing the ghost and Koholint to find peace and leave this world, you are doing a good thing. Nobody is meant to live forever. Dreams are meant to end. Finding a peaceful end, rather than clinging to it beyond its time, is a good thing. That's what you are giving Koholint and the little ghost.

Link's Awakening is a game that asks you to appreciate transience. It wants you to know that you are doing a good thing by waking the Wind Fish, because it's not the ending that is bad; it is refusing to accept it. The little ghost is here as a metaphor for the game's themes, which is why it's an unskippable part of the game that's necessary for progression: the game wants to make sure you've seen it, because it wants you to understand what it is trying to say.

[occasionallyprosie]

"A Song On Repeat"

Chapter 2

Legend may have passed out, but he was also now accustomed to staying awake for three days straight. He didn't stay down long, and he wasn't going to sleep until he knew for certain that the loop was over.

Febuwhump 2024 | Alt Prompt 7: Last Words

<<Previous | Next>>

Event Masterlist

Read On AO3 Warnings: Panic attacks

----

Legend couldn't sleep the night after he woke up. The magical exhaustion had knocked him out to start with, but once he could wake up he did and falling back asleep was a hard no.

The others didn't question him immediately, clearly he looked worse than he thought if they were all shooting him concerned looks.

They made camp in the same place as the night prior, and Legend ended up staying vigil the whole night despite the clear reservations and opposition.

"You need rest, vet," Sky told him softly. "You passed out, we don’t know what's going on but we know that something happened... at some point, and the Old Man knows what, even he says you need to rest."

"I'm fine," he said in an equally low voice. "I just... I need to make sure."

What if the moldrum wasn't the answer? What if that horde was a distraction? What if--

He startled as a weight settled around his shoulders and another presence took up the place on his left, opposite of Sky.

"Then let us keep you company," Warriors said, Legend realized it was his scarf that was settled over his shoulders and he couldn't help but stare before huffing softly.

He redirected his attention to the wider area, letting out a steady breath and just waiting, watching.

He knew it wouldn't prove anything to himself, this was a defendable camp, there was a reason why he never had to fend off the ambush within the first six hours of the seventy-two.

He'd stay up tonight, and he'd let them get to the original second night camp, the original scene of the slaughter. He'd stay up then too, none of them could or would stop him.

Nayru may have released her hold on him, Farore may have promised that it was over, but Legend wasn't going to let his guard down until these three days were up.

He wasn't sure if he'd dare explain anything beforehand, he wasn't sure he could share it multiple times.

Warriors stayed by his side, Sky too, Sky got up and woke Twilight and Time before he returned to his side and slipped into a half sleep. Warriors did well at staying up, settling in a restful state that wasn't quite sleeping. Twilight shot Legend worried looks but Time was the one to approach.

"Veteran," Time crouched down in front of him, drawing his attention, "is it over?"

Legend gave a bitter smile, he felt Warriors shift at bit at his side. "We'll find out, won't we?"

"What can I expect?"

"We'll find out," he repeated because he didn't know. He slaughtered the horde, they killed the moldrum, but was that enough? Did the Shadow have more up in the wings to drop on them through a portal? Would another battle begin that didn't count for the three days? He didn't know what would happen.

All he knew was that he had to make sure they all survived the next 54 hours.

"Will you rest?" Time asked this time.

"When it's over," he promised. "When it's done, I'll rest and then I'll explain, I promise."

"Alright," he agreed quietly. "I'm sorry--"

"If you say you're sorry for cursing me with this terrible fate, I'm going to stab you."

Time startled, he stared at him in surprise before he laughed weakly. "Why am I not surprised."

Legend glared. "I don’t think you realize how many "terrible fates" I've been apologized to about. I've experienced worse, even if this is up there."

Koholint and it's un-reality would continue to be the worst experience of his life, the ideality of it, he would've loved that life. Koholint and Marin, living on a quiet island but maybe having a ship to go and explore with, an ever-changing and ever dangerous ocean to traverse, a lover who would voyage with him, who had just as much wanderlust as he did. Koholint had been perfect, but what made it the worst thing he'd ever experienced was the fact that he experienced it and it wasn't real.

He had been given what he wanted only to have it stolen from him. Even then, this time loop thing also didn't compare to the people who he had lost and couldn't save. 

The second day, Time spoke to everyone individually, quietly, and nobody demanded answers from Legend, they only pestered him about his health.

He let that slide, he ate the food Wild shoved into his hands every hour of the day, he let Hyrule cast diagnostic spells and Sky hover. Twilight would appear often and Wind hadn't left his side, but he was chattering on about various stories that Legend always enjoyed listening to.

Warriors hadn't taken back his scarf, and Legend wasn't going to give it back at the moment. He'd seen the captain get strangled and killed for it more than once that he didn't mind seeing it absent from his shoulders... it was also extremely soft, comfortable, and warm, he found he couldn't fault the Captain for always wearing it.

The day went by smoothly, as Legend was used to at this point, and they made camp in the questionably defendable grotto.

Legend took up vigil again, much to the dismay of his companions but Time somehow had stopped them from bothering him.

The night went by the same way the previous had, quickly, quietly, and surrounded by the other heroes.

The day repeated and Sky told him he needed to rest when they stopped for lunch.

He didn't have the energy to argue, he just shook his head. Twelve more hours, only twelve more.

Legend found himself beside Warriors and Time that night during second watch. Time seemed a bit anxious but as nothing happened. He counted down to midnight.

"How long, old man?" He muttered, head dropping against Warriors shoulder.

"It's midnight now, veteran," Time reported. "Is that it?"

His body said yes, that it stayed awake the whole time like he'd asked of it. It begged for reprieve, to finally rest.

"It better be," he huffed. "I don' think I can stave off the rebound of cutting off how much rest I got after getting magical exhaustion much longer."

"You can get some rest then," Time told him. "Time's up, you’re done."

Legend hoped it was, because he couldn't keep his eyes open anymore. He passed out on Warriors.

Legend woke up to being carried. He tried to move only for whoever was holding him to tighten their grip.

"It's alright--I got you vet, it's okay. You can sleep."

He was frankly too tired to actually make a coherent response, much less be coherent, and just hoped his curl tighter into the warm arms and chest translated to: I'm trying.

The chest rumbled as they laughed. "Alright--hold on then, we're headed through a portal."

He didn't get the chance to process that before he was hit by the dizzying slam of a portal and its magical drain.

The next time Legend woke up, he was someplace soft and warm and listening to murmuring and chatter.

They turned out to have arrived at Time's Lon Lon Ranch by noon after Legend passed out.

Malon all but force fed him a meal that he willingly ate, although a bit reluctantly considering how much meat filled the plate. He held back the usual nausea that came with that and just sat back as she went to let the others know he was up... and that dinner would be ready soon so they better clean up.

Soon enough, everyone cleaned up and fed, Legend sat perched by the warm hearth and waited until they settled.

They did so quicker than usual, which wasn't too surprising to be honest.

"So, do we get an explanation now?" Wild asked. "Because I really want to know about the giant worm in the ground and why you jumped into it."

Legend blinked and realized... did they even know about the horde inside the moldrum?

"Yes," he said before anyone could comment on Wild's choice of focus. "It's... simple, honestly. Temporal magic is very powerful and provides a lot of options. Certain items are good focuses for temporal magic, I have a harp that is one, and I used an item that allowed me to travel back in time and retry after... after things went wrong. I did it to such an extent that it set a loop, seventy-two hours from midnight to midnight, that would remain until I achieved what I aimed for."

"Which was?" Warriors asked.

Legend faced the fire, the burning hearth and its warmth was welcomed, it also let him hide his face from the others.

"Making sure everyone survived."

Someone made a strangled noise, Wild--Twilight too, Legend was fairly sure. Sky inhaled sharply.

"How many times?" Time asked.

Legend hummed. He pulled out the three journals, flicked through the one of everyone's last words.

"I... I'm not sure. I lost count at some point, and... And I never tried to track how many."

He worried that if he knew how many, then he would lose hope of it ever ending.

"What's that?" Wind asked, he had moved the closest of everyone.

Legend glanced at him, then the page in front of him.

"I promised Aryll I'd teach her how to fight with a sword. I'm sorry..." -Sailor, axe in side pierced spine.

Legend let out a shaky breath. "I... I don’t know if you want to see this one, Sailor."

Wind frowned, more confusion than indigence. "Why?"

"Because..." Legend tried to take in a steadying breath but all it did was hitch and make him shudder. "Because it's your last words. I... I wrote them down."

It let him cling to sanity, keeping track of their unfinished promises, their wishes, making note of things asked of him, of goodbyes to make...

Of people to take care of if it happened to end without everyone surviving.

"Oh," Wind breathed. "I... Can I see mine?"

"I don’t think that's a good idea," Warriors intervened.

"No, it's not," Wind agreed, but he met Legend's eyes. "But I know you, and I know you'd feel responsible for anyone and anything we said. So I want to know what I said, even if it might be a bad idea, because I don’t want you thinking you can take my responsibilities from me."

Warriors faltered from pulling Wind back.

Legend stared at him, then he let out a laugh. "You’re not supposed to call me out like that, Ocean."

"It's my job dumbass. Now tell me."

Legend shook his head. "I can't. It's not just your words."

"Does anyone have a problem with anyone else reading theirs?" Four spoke up, eyes flashing blue.

Legend was quick to speak before anyone else could. "I-I didn't include secrets in that one."

They all looked at him, confused.

He moved his hand to one of the other journals. "I kept things separate... just in case. This... This one is more carefully partitioned and I was going to share it with everyone individually, but--This is of secrets, information, that I didn't previously know but that got revealed at some point. I... I figured you'd want to know exactly what I do, but it's also sectioned off so nobody else might read yours when reading their own. T-The last words doesn't really include much of that kind of information aside from names and vague references... goodbyes and the like."

They stared at him, all of them, varying degrees of surprise, concern, and some guarded wariness.

Sky was the only one with pity, somehow that made it worse.

"We'll do that one later," Sky said gently. "Individually, like you said. How about we all work through the other one together?"

"What for?" Hyrule asked.

"Trust, and so we aren't sitting here for ages just reading the same things over and over. It saves time, and then we can all address anything that needs to be addressed with everyone."

"Of course you're willing," Wild breathed shakily. "You don't have any secrets."

Sky didn't react but Legend snorted.

"Throw whatever idea you have about everyone here and how many secrets they have out the window, Champion. I promise you it's inaccurate. Everyone surprises you, in quantity and quality. There's no ranking."

Wind promptly burst into laughter. "Why did three people look at me?!"

Legend snorted while Hyrule, Four, and Twilight all startled.

"You're always telling us stories! I figured you'd run out of stuff to tell us!" Four protested.

"Well if that's how this will go," Time spoke up, "then I am fine with it."

"Me too," Hyrule agreed. "I... I have a feeling I know what mine are."

Legend bit his tongue. He moved over to the coffee table and dropped the journal onto it. Everyone shifted to gather while Sky took the book.

Legend moved back to the fire, other two journals tucked close and away.

""You better fix it this time," from the Smithy," Sky read. ""Please save them next time?" also the Smithy... "Please burn my body, please.""

Hyrule flinched.

"That one was the Traveler, and there's a tally underneath it... five--ten--seventeen sets of five."

Legend watched them, Hyrule looked at him and he just looked guilty.

"I'm sorry," Hyrule said softly.

"Everyone has a right to a final request, and to dictate what happens to their body after they die," Legend responded. "Keep going, Chosen. We'll be here all night at the rate you’re going."

He did, Legend noted he adjusted his position and everyone was leaning to read with him as he spoke one from everyone every now and then.

Legend could vividly remember every single moment.

"I don’t want to die." Spoken by Wild, a blade impaled in his chest and blood filling Legend's vision.

"Take care of the Champ for me?" Spoken by Twilight, he was the first down. Wild survived that time.

"I'm sorry, Malon... I'm so sorry." Time, he didn't know Legend was there, he was already too far gone.

"I'm sorry, Zelda." Wild again, thirty-seven times. 

"If you keep going, tell my Grandma I'm sorry. And tell Aryll that I'll watch her." Wind, his whole arm cut off and legs mangled, the blood loss had take him.

"I've cursed you with a terrible fate, haven't I?" Time, eighty-eight times.

"My world isn't your fault." Hyrule, fifty-three times.

"Tell Zelda I'm sorry." Sky, one-hundred fourteen times.

"One more. Just one more, come on Link." Warriors, three arrows in his back and one in his chest. He took out seven more before an arrow to the throat took him down.

"I'm not done yet!" Twilight, a deep cut in his side and his guts threatening to spill out. He did manage to take out a few more before he was decapitated.

"Come and get me!" Hyrule, he charged the horde... Legend didn't see how he died.

"Fucking try me you sons of bitches!" Wind, he took out fourteen more before he was overwhelmed... and screamed when he was killed. A lot of Wind's last words were spoken with a lot of profanity.

Voices and scenes echoed in Legend's mind, Sky reading the ones that Legend had actually written down faded to the back of his awareness while the ones he never wrote down came to the forefront.

"Please--Vet please, I can't."

"Sailor no!"

"CUB! NO--GET AWAY FROM HIM!"

"I can't die--I can't--I can't leave Malon alone with this."

"H-Hey, Scholar? I-I don’t think... I don’t..."

"Mi...Mipha?"

"I-I promised Ilia I'd come back, I promised, vet." A bitter laugh. "I should've known better."

"Shit... Linkle's gonna kill me." Blood fall from his mouth. "Well... She might not have to."

"Link! No! Don’t--" an arrow through the skull.

"S-Sprite?"

"Hey--Hey no, don’t cry. It'll be okay, you did so well just now. You've done it before, right? You're our veteran, I... I'm sorry... I'm sorry we had to... leave you to finish the job. But... But I know... I know... you... you can do it."

"No, no, why are you crying? I'm fine. It's okay--O-Oh... I-I guess it... I guess it isn't okay, is it Vet? Huh... adrenaline's pretty insane, isn't it? I didn't... I didn't... even..."

"GET OUT OF THERE!"

"No--SMITHY MOVE--"

"There's a Hinox! Look--"

"You’re repeating... That sounds like hell. Have we really not survived? ...Not even once? Oh Hylia..."

"Linebeck? What are... oh..."

"Link! Captain, no, no, no-- where's my-- ...Vet?"

"VETERAN MOVE!"

"Look--Look, you g--you go back and... and you... You kick their asses, you hear me?"

"Make sure you win this one."

"N-Navi?"

"YOU WANNA FUCKING GO?!"

"Alright... Alright. One more time, let's go."

"Please, for once in my life I'm begging you... make it stop."

"Th...Thank you."

"I'm so sorry, I'm sorry, please--Please, I don’t--I'm sorry."

A thousand apologies.

A thousand battle cries.

A thousand names whispered with last breaths.

A thousand last words left unwritten because it explicitly revealed a secret.

Suddenly, something was touching him and his mind snapped into gear.

He jerked back, knife in his hand and he moved blindly, on instinct--

"Gah!" That voice--

Legend dropped his knife, horror shooting through him as he realized it was Warriors who'd touched him, it was Warriors who now had blood dripping from his cheek from Legend's blade. He had drawn blood from his brother.

He tried to move back but painful heat shot up his palm, his hand hitting the heated stone of the hearth and burning him. He yelped and jerked away.

"Oh s--Scholar no!"

He hit his head against the stone fireplace, and against everything, tears welled in his eyes. A damned head bump just made it all boil over, voices in his head growing loud but at least the visions to accompany them only flickered.

"No, no, hey." Warriors took his hand from the heat and wrapped a hand around the back of his head. "No, it's okay. You’re alright--ohhh, Sky? Hey, he burned his--Scholar, it's okay, just breathe, you’re alright."

"I'm sorry--I-I--"

"No, it's okay. I'm fine, I swear. I shouldn't have touched you, I'm sorry." Warriors stopped him from trying to pull away again, instead gently moving him away from the fireplace and making him give his hand to Sky, who'd appeared with a cold rag in seconds.

He was shaking, why was he so shaky? What was wrong? Why was he wrong? Why did he break from a touch? Why--

"Link," Warriors said firmly and he looked up fast. "Breathe... Do you need to take a break?"

Break--No.

"No, sorry," he forced out, struggling to wrangle his emotions back. His hand hurt. He hated burns. "I'm fine. I'm sorry, I just--zoned out."

"We noticed," Sky said, a note of softness to his tone. "But that's alright, we don’t mind. How about we all just head in for bed now? We can pick up the secrets tomorrow. I don't think we need to read the rest of that book."

"So many names," Four muttered in a voice that Legend barely heard. "I hadn't even thought of half those people in years..."

"You were about to die," Time said in equal volume. "Being so close to death puts things into perspective."

Legend nodded shakily. "Tomorrow, yeah--If that's what you want, okay."

Sky gave him a soft smile, Legend was distantly aware of the worry behind it but that wasn't what was keeping his attention as he stared at the two older heroes trying to help him.

He was more focused on the blood trickling down Warriors' cheek. If he blinked, the blood was coming from eyes that had been gruesomely carved out by keese.

If he listened, the screams of his brothers still plagued his thoughts. Their last words echoing in his mind.

Next>>

[layraket]

How old are exactly the Links?

This is a question that has hunting me since i first read the whole comic, and now with the little info that we got with the Jojo Q&A on the LU discord i tried to put it together and get something more solid

[These are only what i think may be the canon ages! not everything is completly official (except Wind and Wild), this is just the result of a bored me who is trying to have an idea about how to characterize the boys when makes an attempt to write]

Time

Probably around his 30 physically, more exactly maybe 33 or 34?

Warriors

24-25, this makes him the second oldest of the group

Twilight

22-23

Sky

18-19

Hyrule

Around 18

Wild

17, almost 18. Physically around 117

Legend

Here i have my doubts, is more confusing taking in count that we dont have an exact age set on LA, and im not sure if ALBW was after or before the adventure on the island. Let's say that he was around 15-16 when the whole Koholint thing happend, and a year passed since that when ALBW takes place. So, taking this in count, he may be in his 17-18. This takes more force on the panel where Warriors calls him with Wind 'young heroes'

Four

Around 16 or 17 maybe? i dont have very settle what age he might had when FS happend

Wind

13, almost 14 (maybe his birthday is very close on the time of Dawn? party boy???)

This is just my interpretation after the little info and calculating the numbers while bored, you are free of considering this canon or not! thats something that makes it funny, play with the boy's ages

[karaloza]

What If They Rebooted the Zelda Cartoon?

I recently binged the entirety of the 1980s Legend of Zelda cartoon on YouTube over the course of an evening. It's basically as cringey as I remember, though there are the occasional genuinely funny zingers. The thing is, it was entirely standard for cartoon series in the 80s--cheap animation, low-effort, repetitive writing, so episodic that you could play the episodes in any order and it would still make just as much sense (in fact, we suspect that the last two episodes were swapped for airing), and 100% comedy with no actual tension or real stakes. The amazing thing is that the production team clearly cared about what they were making--they just didn't have the resources or freedom to make it well.

So what if someone tried again, now, with another ~35 years of Zelda lore to draw on for material AND the corresponding advancement in the medium of TV animation? Think of the possibilities!

I'm envisioning not the same tone as the original, but the equivalent tone for this decade--still generous with the humor, but with genuine stakes and a more serialized story line. Also less blatantly horny--Link constantly demanding kisses from Zelda is both annoyingly repetitive and makes him look like a creeper by modern standards. There are better ways to portray teenagers who are into each other but too proud to show vulnerability and too stubborn to admit that they don't know what they're doing.

It would not be Individual Zelda Game(s): The Cartoon, but its own thing that uses ideas from any and all games as appropriate.

Spryte could still be in it, but now she'd have a Navi-like role of identifying monsters for Link (who can be new to the hero business) and spotting for him when he fights them. And she can still have a thing for him...in fact, go ahead and make Link a chick magnet who's too young and inexperienced to know how to handle it gracefully, which is a source of friction between him and Zelda. That gives us ready-made plot complications for characters like Malon, Ruto and/or Mipha, Nabooru, Midna, maybe even Saria.

Three words: Link's Awakening episode. (Or few-episode arc.) Link goes missing during a storm at sea and the action is split between him, navigating Koholint Island, and the rest of the gang back in Hyrule, trying to find him.

We also need an episode introducing Zelda's alter-ego as Sheik. But not "Everyone tells the girl she can't do the thing because she's a girl, so she disguises herself as a boy and does the thing, and then unmasks herself at a dramatic moment and they all eat crow." That sort of thing went out with the 90s. Maybe more of a Breath of the Wild situation where the king insists Zelda needs to spend more time developing her magical princess powers at home and can't go on adventures with Link, so she develops the Sheik persona in order to sneak out.

Link gets to say "Well, excuuuse me, princess!" once in the entire runtime of the series, as a throwback gag.

I could probably keep going, but you get the idea.

[telemna-hyelle]

SO

Uh 

Gonna put this one under the line real quick for peeps who don’t know the plot of Link’s Awakening

*coughs nervously*

I know this may not be the most popular take, and I want to state that this is me stating my own opinion/trying to hammer out my thought process for myself, but I was thinking about Legend and the Windfish, and the bottom line is... I don’t think Legend hates the Windfish? 

Nor do I think the Windfish is a jerk. 

Now, to be fair, I have not played either version of LA and therefore was not emotionally gutted by the reveal so I have less of a stake in the discussion. 

But i do know the plot, and I’ve given it a bunch of thought. 

First, Jojo has gone on record to state that they don’t think that Link could really, truly intently hate any person with the sole exception of Ganon--hence Time’s bitterness towards the Master Sword, as he sees it as a soulless, unfeeling tool that stripped seven years of his life away. But by definition that dismisses the possibility that Link would truly hate the Windfish. 

Secondly, I, uh... I don’t see why what the Windfish did was wrong?

Not saying it was all roses and daisies for Legend, he’s definitely got some trauma to deal with. 

But the Windfish was a victim. He was under siege, being attacked in his own mind! Can you imagine how terrible an ordeal that must be for him? And he fought back the only way he could--by creating a dream to protect his mind. But the dream could only shore up so much. Bit by bit, the nightmares were beginning to break through the wall.

And then Link almost drowns. And the Windfish saves his life. He was knocked unconcious, but was somehow floating on a barrel when eventually he wakes up back in the real world. That feels like giant flying skyfish magic to me. 

Also--and this part I’m not certain about--but it’s not like Link was forced to wake the Windfish. He could have just stayed, right? But if he wanted to leave the island, he needs to wake the Windfish. That’s Link’s choice. But Link is a good person, and he can’t just ignore the monsters--but again, that’s his choice. The Windfish didn’t trap him for the purpose of killing the monsters. As far as I can tell, at the very most, when he realizes the poor boy he’s saved is a hero, he’s like ‘would you mind helping? i’m in a bit of a fix. Also I saved you from drowning, but unfortunately i’m trapped in your own mind so you’re trapped too unless you wake me’. Which, yknow, would you rather he just left Link to drown? 

Perhaps he could have saved Link without pulling him into the dream--but we don’t know that. And again... if you’re in danger, if you’re dying, is it bad to cry out for help? 

And it’s not like the Windfish lied to Link--he leaves a message and tells Link the truth of what’s going on. Maybe not right away, but he does. He didn’t have to do that. He could have just kept it a secret. 

And, well...

Koholint is a dream. Dreams end. It was a lovely dream, but it wasn’t real. What would have wanted--Link to drift asleep on the ocean forever, perhaps sustained by magic, perhaps until he dies in his sleep of dehydration or something. All his friends in Labrynna and Holodrum and Hyrule--they would never know what happened to him. 

The Windfish needed to wake--but Link needed to, too.

And it was sad. We can see it’s affect on Legend. He was falling in love with Marin, after all, and even if she wasn’t really real, his feelings for her were. You don’t just bounce back from that.

But I just don’t think he would blame the Windfish for that. If he blames anything besides himself it’d be the Nightmares that caused the situation in the first place by attacking an innocent sky-whale-fish-thing. 

And for my final thought...

at the end of the game, Link sees the Windfish, and looks so happy to realize the Windfish is alive and well

These just don’t seem like the face a boy would make if he hates or even resents the Windfish

He just seems... glad the Windfish made it out okay

Course, I wanna make it clear that I don’t think it’s wrong or bad to think that Legend hates the Windfish. A lot of y’all have made really great fics with that good angsty stuff, and I’ve enjoyed all those that I have read! It’s an interesting way to explore the game and the affect on Legend’s emotional state post-koholint.

This is simply me wanting to write out my own character/game analysis for Legend, and to present an alternate view than the general fanon. 

[phoenixcatch7]

Biting biting biting I've got the BEST totk fic idea EVER and I'm NOT going to share it because I can't put it into WORDS.

But it's a totk au and kass and wolfie are there (naturally). If you think this is going to be self indulgent you're right. But I think I want it to be like, expanding on the nature of the zonai and their sky islands vs the hylians and sky loft and the cloud barrier. I want to incorporate all the theories I have about totk I've gathered over the past half year or so. I want to see the crimson loftwing again.

And I also want link to be a sage using ganons stone but I want him to get it before defeating him but that means even more finicky time travel and its already complicated enough ToT.

And I want link to resurrect the great skeletons. And get trapped in koholint. And befriend the baby wind fish.

And iI have this overarching theme so clear in my head but I can't describe it :(. It's like.... Free will and prophecy being the same thing? Schrodingers narrative. Cycles of hatred but you never perpetuated the hatred and you're dubious of the other guys free will but you're kind of sick of him anyway because he got a clean slate and started right back on his old bs and you're pretty sure he saw a lack of you in the past and started causing trouble unaware that fate herself was deeply unimpressed and about to read him for filth.

And there's a third party who gave herself to basically death and didn't expect you to save her over a sword you've never actually needed in either game and she's technically a newcomer to the cycle but she's always the newcomer and aren't you in the same boat anyway? It all comes back to the cycle and you're precisely as young as you are old and there's always a library of Alexandria that gets destroyed and it could all be so easily stopped if evil just knocked it off but free will means it won't and so you'll always respond because honestly screw that and thus free will becomes fate. Because even if he stops someone else will take the mantle and it's always you who responds because you promised. But you never had to agree in the first place because you'd do it anyway and so fate becomes free will.

And it's all a freaking CYCLE and the ground is in the clouds because you were here once ages ago and now you're here all alone because people used to be unable to reach the surface and now they can't reach the sky.

Like how am I supposed to put that in a fic where wolf link tries to eat a stam bulb and makes himself sick like an idiot because dogs can't eat garlic.

[socialc1imb]

Hi sky! Not sure if you've explained it in a post before or not, but I wanted to pick your brain about the scars on your Legend design's face. Is there a story behind them or a reason why you chose those specific places? I really love your art btw! Top tier👌

I’ve explained it before, but when I first explained it, I didn’t really have a story as to why, or how he got that scar. but now I do, so let me explain again!

The thing is, he’s not really sure where he got it! He has memories of getting the injury while on Koholint island. He remembers that he got it during the big final battle before waking the windfish. However, he woke up from that whole endeavor, and still had the scar and was told that he had gotten it from the shipwreck he was in, and if he thinks real hard, he has vague memories of a shattered piece of wood from his ship slicing his face too.

As for which one is the real story? He doesn’t know. He likes to assume he got it while still on the island so at least he has some physical proof of Koholint’s existence, but he really doesn’t know.

[ourrechte-blog]

Without a Link in Hyrule

This is spawned from a discussion about Link deciding to stay on Soul Calibur earth and his kid going to Hyrule in his place. I said that the idea also works for Termina and Koholint, so…

------

The world shook. The heavens boomed. And a child cowered in her mother's arms as the waves crashed against the boat they occupied. "Mother, I'm scared," the child cried.

Her mother just held onto her as tight as she could. "I know," the woman soothed. "I know things are scary, but you need to be brave," she says, gently rubbing the child's back. "Right now, your father's fighting to save you."

"You mean us," the child corrected. The woman held a sad smile and shook her head, there were slight tears in her eyes. "No, just you."

The child was confused, before her mother elaborated to the child, despite the raging storm around them. "Human. Monster. Sea. Sky. A scene on the lid of a sleeper's eye. Awake the dreamer and Koholint will vanish much like a bubble on a needle…" her mother spoke.

"W-what?" she asked after hearing it.

"This island… no, this entire world exists within a dream,” the woman explains. “Link explained it to me his plan. And I agree with it. Your father and I won't survive this. But if everything goes well, you will," she says forlornly.

"Mother!" The girl screamed, pointing at a mountain shattering. The woman turns her gaze towards the cataclysm before returning her attention to her child. "Your father and I love you," she says, as she braces for the finale.

"Wait!" the child cried. "What is it?" her mother asked. "Sing. One last time," she begged.

"Of course," her mother says soothingly and, taking the child's hand in her own, sang one last time. "Sleepers wake…"

The child closed her eyes as her mother's song drowned out the world ending around them. The rocking of the boat no longer registered as she succumbed to darkness.

When she regained awareness, she found herself clinging to driftwood. Among her mother's last words were to be brave. So she tried her hardest to not cry.

She failed, but salty tears were hardly noticeable among the salty waters of the sea, and still managed to collect the supplies that had fallen overboard.

"I'm scared," she whispered to herself. "I want them back," she wept. "I can't do this without you. Mother, Father," she begged as the sky darkened around her. Surprised, she looked up, dreading another storm only to find a large fish like creature flying above her and a familiar melody echoed through the air. Her eyes were wide as the Wind Fish soared through the air, its ballad-no, her mother’s song-accompanied it.

She sniffled and a sad smile formed on her face. "I won't forget either of you. And I'll think of you," she promised, imagining her parents looking down and watching over her.

“I’ll make you both proud. I’ll be a union of your songs,” she says to sky. “That’s why isn’t it?” she ponders. “That’s why you named me Medley.”

------

I have no plans to continue this since it’s not part of my actual fic

[sky-squido]

For the ask game: Q, X, and, Y?

HI YES THIS ASK IS FROM SEPTEMBER—ANYWAY MOVING ON

Q: Do you have any discarded scenes/storylines/projects?

Yeah, actually! I never post anything to Ao3 unless I’m 100% sure I’m going to finish it (even if it takes me literal years). That means both that I’ve never gonna perma-hiatus/abandon a fic if it’s on Ao3 and also that there are a lot of things floating around that I’ve actually put some legwork into that haven’t really gotten anywhere and I doubt I’ll get around to, so they've never really seen the light of day.

i was gonna permadeath hyrule and then i didn’t, details here

i did some light drafting and outlining of a story where the Four Sword splits Sky. it’d have to be long to do it justice and i didn’t wanna commit to that with two active WIPS on Ao3 at the time. i have just finished To Isolate, but i have 30k words of celestial navigation nonsense to now balance with hey four so i doubt i’ll get around to this one

i’ve got 4k words of legend slowly opening up to sky and telling him things and growing much closer and then very belatedly realizing that he knows next to nothing about sky himself. i started it in someone’s discord dms, but it wasn’t really going anywhere that excited me so i dropped it. if people want me to slap what i do have of discarded sketches-but-writing like this one on tumblr, let me know, though i warn you that they’ll all cut off partway through and be deeply unsatisfying

i’ve got 2.5k words of outline for something that’s kind of the same idea i mentioned in bullet 3 but it pulls wind into the mix and instead of being an i-just-dove-in-and-started-writing, it’s a pretty solid outline of something i just didn’t feel like fleshing out. the working fic title was “don’t look at me, i won’t be able to smile for you.”

i have another doc titled “haha lol legend is a punching bag.” this is a very apt title. legend gets nabbed by a baddie, puts up a heck of a fight tryna get away, almost manages, and then gets caught for real, bonked with malice, and unleashed onto his friends because we love to see link v link combat and the old i-know-you’re-in-there-somewhere fight. kind of an extension of that Malice!Legend ficlet i slapped on here a long while ago, but it does way more things. this one’s just an outline.

i’ve got 1k words of legend on koholint talking to marin after realizing the island was fake. had a cool take on marin, but wasn't really the vibe

i have this vague, very fluid concept that’s just “five times legend was helpless and one time he refused to be again.” what those five times are vary every time i try outlining it, but it’s just a lot of legend running into different kinds of The One Problem He Can’t Solve and struggling to cope with not being omnipotent. might actually revisit this one cuz i still like it a lot and i think there were some good ideas in here. my biggest problem with it is the “and one time he refused to be again” because i don’t like the implication that the solution to not being omnipotent is just to Try Harder but “five times legend was helpless and one time he accepted it” just sounds depressing. i’m very open to suggestions on this one!

i’ve got 2k words (written, not an outline) of four coming back to camp one night with red Very Much In Charge so his eyes are very red and then hyrule thinks he’s possessed and draws his sword on him and red freaks out and ditches and the other three have to figure out what’s going on. i didn’t really think it was going anywhere interesting but what really stopped me from continuing was that i started writing four Very Much Like A System and it was cool but then i started researching the neuroscience behind it and psychologist brain went wheeeeeee and now thinking about the fic just makes me want to do research instead of working on it oop

this one venty thing of hyrule just having no energy whatsoever and not wanting to talk to anyone. then he climbs a tree and feels a bit better. that’s literally it, and this one is actually complete, i just didn’t feel like posting it anywhere, though i can plop it here if y’all want.

then i have a silly AU outlined where all of the LU boys are either students or instructors at a flight school (like for airplanes and pilots n stuff). it would have to be really infodumpy though and i’m doing enough of that with my celestial navigation fic. the characters and world are fun but i also didn’t really have a storyline i liked so this hasn’t gone anywhere

there are probably more kicking around but i can’t find them right now

as for discarded scenes and storylines within fics i have actually written, there definitely are some, but i don’t really have any way of keeping track of them. the one i remember most vividly is that there was gonna be a part in to isolate ch.8 where sky overhears legend playing ballad of the wind fish and wind asks him about it and legend says he was hoping this was all some bad dream he could wake up from, but it didn’t really fit in the flow of the narrative we ended up with. there are actually a lot of deleted scenes from chapters 8 onwards because the outline and the actual thing are virtually unrecognizable as being part of the same fic.

X: A character you enjoy making suffer. All of them, obviously, but Wind and Four have been climbing that particular ladder! we need more content of them being deep and interesting and mature together (and wind especially, solo) and what better way to explore that than through strategically deployed angst and suffering!! this bodes well for Hey Four >:3

Y: A character you want to protect. all of them, believe it or not, but right now it’s mostly Legend, shockingly! he’s been my favorite punching bag for a while, but i’ve also noticed myself growing increasingly gentle with what i put him through and how i have him take it lately because these days it's actually way more interesting for me to be kind to him than to bully him

thank you for the ask and i hope you don't miss my reply considering it's been several months sfkghskghsdlfgjsdkl take care!!

[snowstories]

I think post-Link's Awakening Link absolutely will not shut the fuck up about Koholint. Tells everyone who stands still long enough about the magical island he went to and how he met a mermaid and a nice talking owl and the coolest girl in the whole universe! Sees honey and starts talking about that time on Koholint when he had honey and also met a talking bear who was a chef. Except he rarely if ever informs anyone that Koholint was a dream from a giant flying whale and also gone now, so at some point among sailors a rumor starts about this magical island with talking animals where the sun never sets, but nobody can seem to find it. Legend has it that if you see seagulls on the open ocean, you should follow them, for they will lead you to Koholint. In the distance, you might be able to hear one of them singing. And anyway that's how I think Koholint will be remembered.

[matthew-converse]

Zelda Story

It had originally been a struggle for Link, starting his new adventure on Koholint Island. But finally, he was beginning to get a grasp on things.

At first, when he awoke in that stranger’s home in this place, Link was beyond overwhelmed. But then, slowly and surely, things changed. Link recovered his wooden sword, at the same beach location he supposedly washed up on. In a mysterious forest, he turned a raccoon back into a human being through the power of magic. And, most recently, after traversing a frightening dungeon, Link was able to defeat a great snake monster and win a great treasure, an instrument that supposedly will help him return home.

This in addition to the magical Roc’s Feather, a powerful tool that can cause Link to jump his entire height in distance midair. All well and good. But now, things were different. Link felt disoriented.

It’s all that wretched owl’s fault, Link thought to himself. Having no direction before, a magical, talking owl had flown to Link earlier and took it upon himself to be Link’s guide. “Collect eight instruments and you will be free!”, Link was told. “Through the power of the instruments song, only you can awaken the slumbering Wind Fish! Poor creature! Trapped in an egg, tortured by the great Nightmares!”

Link was upset with the owl before because the last time they spoke, Link accidentally told the owl that he wanted him to repeat everything that he said, and this frustrated Link. But there was more to the story. It was from him that Link received his most recent directions. North of the mysterious woods, a great swampland lies. It is near here that a great ally named Bow-Wow lies trapped, and it is in here where the next instrument is to be found. Link was told all of this.

But that is not what Link is seeing. He travelled all this distance. He travelled north of the woods, using the powerful Roc’s Feather to traverse this far. He emerged from the woods. But no swampland was to be seen.

Geographically speaking, all Link could see was a vast clearing, with a mountain range off in the vast distance north. But the most interesting sight for Link was not geographic. Somehow, a large ship was here. It was very unusual, because at the mast of the ship there was what appeared to be a giant visor as if it was part of a suit of armor. And more, two large wings that stuck out from each side of the ship. Link was overwhelmed by this sight at first, but his emotion quickly changed to hope.

Could this ship… fly? And if so, could I catch a ride? Could this be my ticket home? Can I skip all of that Wind Fish stuff?

Link ran to the mysterious ship and entered it. Inside of the ship, Link saw all kinds of very impressive industrial equipment that powered the ship, but no signs of life anymore. He made it all the way up to the bridge of the ship, which appeared to be empty. And then he heard a voice.

“Greetings, warrior.”

The entity dove in from above and landed in front of Link. Link thought that this creature looked very strange. He was only about half of Link’s height. He had a purple cape the size of his whole body. And on his proportionately massive face was a large visor, which looked similar to what was at the front of this ship.

The entity in front of Link spoke with a strange accent that Link had never heard before. “For the longest time,” he said, “ I have been looking for a mighty warrior who could challenge me in strength and skill. I began to think that I could only meet such a person in my dreams. But now, at long last, I have found you. Behind you is your weapon, warrior. Collect it and we will fight.”

Link turned around and saw a sword dug into the bridge of the ship. This new sword was clearly stronger than the wooden one that Link was previously using. This was clearly a noble gesture from Link’s opponent. Link walked over to the sword and collected it. Link immediately felt stronger as he picked up his new weapon, but also believed that the sword felt very familiar.

The fight lasted about fourty five seconds, but it felt completely one sided. What surprised Link’s opponent was clearly the sheer agression with which Link fought. Link never gave his opponent any time to breathe at all, and was more than willing to take a blow if it was necessary to give one. Link was battered by the fight. But he was clearly winning.

Injured by the battle, Link’s opponent leapt back into the air, in an attempt to give himself time to recover. But it was no use. Using his Roc’s Feather, Link leapt up to meet him, and there laid in the final blow. His opponent’s visor cracked and shattered. For the briefest of moments, Link could see his blue, soft face. And then, his opponent covered himself with his purple cape and darted away.

Any idea that Link had about using this mysterious ship for himself was quickly put to rest. His sight was overcome by a blinding white light. By the time he could see again, he was back alone in the vast clearing, and the ship was gone. His new sword was gone, too.

Two items were there now in front of Link, though. One was a bracelet, with the words “POWER L-1” notched into it. The other was the instrument, glowing with a radiant glow. Link collected both.

The melody of the instrument soared, a powerful melody. But Link was not happy at the moment. The melody came to a stop, and Link was thinking to himself. Link was angry.

“That wretched owl,” he said aloud, to himself. “He better not lie to me next time.”

(Island, Feather, Gesture, Radiant)

[margindoodles2407]

He shall accept your hug! And he was raised by Kaepora at Zelda's behest; unfortunately poor Groose was just kinda left on his own :'( but they both lived in the Academy so it wasn't like he was out on the streets, he just... didn't really have a family for the next 5 years (and that's part of the reason he kinda hated Link, because Link was always chosen over him even though Groose had to work MUCH harder to stay afloat).

I am too! That's also part of the reason that he became the Guardian of the Four Sword, because he had re-forged it so the kingdom saw it as "his" sword. And Yes! An intact family!

I know, I feel this need to explain every game mechanic even when it might seem superfluous and I'm SO GLAD you like hearing about it! Also now I can't help but think of Little Sonata trying to teach him to play (and then Sheik trying to do the same when they're in the future) and just. MY HEART

He was born with it, and it's actually quite important because I also hold this idea in my mind that, prior to Twilight Princess, he had this horrible, debilitating phobia of wolves (and dogs, to a much, much lesser extent) because that's how his biological family died, and even though he was only thee years old and repressed the actual memories, he couldn't even see wolf pelts without going into a panic attack, so of course when he and the Kids disappear and Rusl learns that there's a lone wolf prowling around Ordon that may or may not have had something to do with their disappearance and that has LINK'S EXACT EYES, he is absolutely disgusted by what he can only assume is a cruel twist of irony.

ANYWAY

I'd like to think that the Great Sea has its own, unique shanties telling of the legends that came before, but if I were to pick a real-life shanty, I'd pick "Leave Her, Johnny". I think the melody would calm Aryll more than she'd care to admit, and during her stay in the Forsaken Fortress she'd hum it to herself to remind her that her brother was not gonna leave her for dead. Speaking of, I think that post-game, she's toughened up and gotten much stronger, having been inspired by her brother's courage, and is able to stay on the island until she turns twelve, when she is *officially* admitted into the Pirate Crew at Awakener's behest :)

I think he's a perfectionist (even more so than Paladin, if that's possible) and very mechanically gifted. I think if you gave him enough time he could single-handedly invent planes. However, I also think he's a goofy goober and despite being SCARILY INTELLIGENT, it doesn't make him overly serious and he still knows how- and likes- to have a LOT of fun.

Haha yessss come get your alttp zelink juice :) And since she's blind it means even more to her because even though she can't see him she knows he's always by her side... and more than offering her protection, it means that he's safe.

I think for a while, the trauma did get to him. It took him a LONG time to move on from the pain of Marin's loss. However, I am personally of the camp that Link's Awakening happened before the Oracle Games, and I think this because I believe that the Triforce put him through the trials of Holodrum and Labrynna as a way to heal him from his painful memories of Koholint. To help him realize that he's not a failure, that Koholint wasn't his fault- in fact, through the figures of Din and Nayru (who, respectively, look similar to Marin and sing just as sweetly), that Marin forgives him.

Yes, his gardening actually does lead to cooking! Apple dishes are his specialty, of course, and HIBISCUS APPLE TEA? HELLO?!? YES??!?

And actually, Genesis is his blood descendant (it's been many a century and in fact the details of his life have been mostly forgotten by the time of The Hyrule Fantasy, but Genesis does know that he's descended from a great hero of old), so they would TOTALLY bond over tea! In fact perhaps it's hereditary :)

YOU. YOU GET IT :)

I like the idea of them being like brothers from different dimensions. Even after ALBW ends I'd like to headcanon that there's still a gateway between Hyrule and Lorule and they visit each other ALL THE TIME. (I hold similar headcanons about Termina after Majora's Mask.)

He totally would. Dawn would fall on the floor laughing. He'd have tomate ALL OVER HIS FACE.

YES. SHEIKAH EYE REPAIR MY BELOVEDDDDD

Yeah when I first got into Linked Universe (and zelda as a whole I uess) I latched onto him and I was lie YOU. YOU'RE THE HUMBLE ONE. and then i was promptly very surprised. but HEY that's what headcanons are for :D

And the TWILIGHT PRINCESS MANGA OH MY WOrDDDD that scene made me cry. okay don't talk to me about all the oot references in that book especially not the skullkid scene okay. just. just let me sob away in peace

Also you totally got your point across :D I LOVE that you love my stuff. Every time I get a notification about you screaming over my posts it MAKES MY DAY. :D

Rando Link Headcanons: ft BACKSTORIES!!!! WHAT???

Forger: When he and Goddess and Groose were 12, there was a horrible fire on Skyloft. Being a small island, and with all the houses being made of mostly wood, pretty much his entire block was ENGULFED with flames. It claimed the lives of both his parents, Zelda’s mom, and Groose’s grandmother and older sister (who had been raising him), and left all three of them with moderate, but not life-threatening, burn scars- Link’s on his left arm, Zelda’s on her back, and Groose’s along his legs. The lung damage caused by smoke inhalation also gave Link moderate to severe asthma, which is why he has to consume Stamina Fruit and Potion so frequently to replenish his gauge.

Fractal: During his Hyrule's era, it was customary for children training to become knights to apprentice for 5 years under a Blacksmith, because it was considered honorable to wield a sword of one's own forging (and it was practical and more cost-effective to know how to repair your own sword in case it got damaged). That's why he is living with his Grandfather in Minish Cap, even though his father (and his mom okay i want there to be at least ONE link with a healthy intact family) is alive and well. During Minish Cap, he is on his 4th year of apprenticeship and is 15 (alrighty look i know he's a toon link but it's MY headcanons and I can age him up if i need to. which i do.)

Orpheus: Say what you want about "chosen heroes" and "destiny", you can't tell me that out of the blue one day his big sister hands him a flute and he's IMMEDIATELY amazing at it. In fact, he's actually quite terrible at the Ocarina until about right around the time he finishes the Shadow Temple, and until then he has to play every song he tries at LEAST three times before he gets it right because he keeps forgetting proper fingering. (by the time Majora's Mask rolls around though he is quite good at it because he's practiced so much)

Dawnbringer: HETEROCHROMIA. BOY'S GOT A BLUE EYE AND A BROWN EYE. YOU CAN RIP THIS HEADCANON FROM MY COLD DEAD HANDS.

Awakener: He is actually quite good at singing. Aryll is terrified of storms of any kind (which is reasonable, considering hurricane season affects Outset the HARDEST of all the islands), and she would only calm down if he sang to her, especially when she was little. He can also belt shanties like nobody's business. It has earned him considerable respect from Tetra.

Engineer: First of all, like what I said for Fractal: he may be a Toon Link, but these are my headcanons and if I feel the need to age him up then I reserve that right. He is 18- because you can't tell me that they're SERIOUSLY going to let a 12-year-old graduate from Train School; this may be a Hyrule but I'd like to think that Tetra would have had more common sense than that when she wrote the New Hyrulian Constitution- however, he is quite short and has a BABY. FACE. and people consistently think he's younger than he is, aging him at around 14. Which I think is hilarious because this technically makes him the physically oldest Link and yet people would assume that he's one of the younger ones. (Phantasma suffers from this plight too, though to a lesser extent).

Odysseus: After the events of his games- and after he has moved into the palace to be Visionary's personal guard- he keeps a small garden where he grows plants that hold symbolic meanings from his adventures: Apples to commemorate his uncle, Hibiscus bushes to remind him of Marin, Mystery Seed Plants from Holodrum, and a cutting from the plant Roperi was growing in Labrynna's distant past.

Graffiti: He and Ravio look identical, except for the colors of their hair and skin and eyes. In most incarnations, people would tend to portray them as hating this fact, however, MY versions of them find it HILARIOUS and will sometimes dye each others' hair and wear contacts and try to pass off as the other. Hilda and Icon see right through it, of course, but several castle attendants in both Hyrule and Lorule have been completely fooled by it until the boys can't hide their laughter anymore.

Genesis: My man is quite the survivalist and can and will go DAYS without eating because his body is just used to it (due to his childhood years of living in the wild on his own in a cave). It drives Dawn MAD. She has to force him to eat sometimes (but he adores her so all she has to do is ask nicely). However, he is an AVID tea drinker (and ind of a tea snob) so, though he might miss meals regularly, make him late for TEA TIME and he will END YOU.

Luminary: During his last stand 100 years ago, he was WRECKED by the guardians- much more than would have been appropriate to show in-game. In fact, his left eye was COMPLETELY destroyed. During his century-long nap, it had to be totally repaired by Sheikah Tech, and so it has these threads of orange Ichor intertwined with the blue of his iris. This is what allows his encyclopedic knowledge of the things in the game- like how the Champion's tunic lets him see enemy health gauges, the identification of item names and weapon stats after he's interacted with them once, and the names of locations when he enters them.

[wutheringmights]

After the last chapter, I was wondering if you had an idea of what the Chain's kill count is? If it's plot significant, don't feel like you have to spoil anything.

There is one other person's kill count that is relevant, but I can't tell you whose. It's a surprise ;)

Sky

Kill Count: 0

Okay so did Sky kill Demise? Yes.

Does Sky consider Demise a person? Absolutely not.

Demise is a cosmic entity. He is a concept. Sky did his job and walked away with no regrets.

Hell, he'll do it again if he has to. No hesitation.

Zero percent guilt.

Four

Kill Count: 9

It's explained in story but basically one of those kills is Vaati and the other eight are corrupted knights of Hyrule

This is one of those things where he knows he had his reasons and many people would say he's right about this, but he doesn't feel good about it.

It's complicated.

The best way to put it is that he chooses to be regretful.

Time

Kill Count: 3-ish

I don't think Time has ever gone into a battle choosing to kill another person, even if that other person is horrible and tried to kill him first.

Like, he sealed Ganondorf in one timeline then turned him over to the authorities in the other. And he hates this guy more than anyone else.

His kills are all instances when he defeated someone in battle (like a thief or something-- they picked the fight, not him) and they succumbed to their injuries some time after

He still feels terrible about it, but it's not crushing guilt

He's killed a lot of people under the influence of the Fierce Deity Mask, but those aren't his kills. It's the diety’s. There's a difference.

Legend

Kill Count: 4-ish

Let's get this out of the way: Legend does not think he killed everyone on Koholint Island. Sorry, like I know this is a popular headcanon but I hold true to that little hopeful smile at the end of Link's Awakening. He's wistful, but not guilty.

That being said, he's defeated the sorcerers and servants of Ganon who have taken over the kingdom, like Yuga and Agahnim.

The guilt involving all that is pretty low too. They had it coming.

He's in too deep to start feeling bad about it now.

(That being said, I am very tempted to ignore canon and declare that he's never actually killed anyone, just because it would be really funny if the guy with the most amount of world-threatening emergencies managed to solve all of them without any bloodshed. Like, he would make everyone else look terrible at their jobs.)

Hyrule

Kill Count: 0

This is another instance where Hyrule technically has killed, but like Sky, he doesn't think Ganon is a person.

That being said, Hyrule lived a pretty a dangerous life before his adventures began. The fact that he had gotten into so many fights without killing anyone before being roped into his first adventure is a testament to how good of a fighter he is.

That being said, he is prepared at any given moment to kill another human

He can't tell if any of the people attacking him for his blood are Ganon's minions in disguise until after he kills them

So far, none of them have actually been people

But he really doesn't care-- if someone is out to kill him, he's going to be the one who walks away with their life no matter what he has to do

Twilight

Kill Count: 1

Knock knock, Twilight. Who's that? If the fact that Time didn't kill Ganondorf himself coming back to haunt his descendants.

Twilight killed Ganondorf

He doesn't regret it. He made his peace with it long before he stormed Hyrule Castle.

But he's not itching to do it again.

The idea is still pretty unpalatable.

Wind

Kill Count: 1

Knock knock, Wind. Who's that? If the fact that Time didn't kill Ganondorf himself coming back to haunt the next generation.

I think Wind got in over his head during his first adventure and chose to cope by leaning into this idea of being the new hero

So he was able to justify killing Ganondorf in a black-and-white, good-always-wins kind of way

It’s only as he gets older and he starts thinking on that first adventure that he starts to feel sympathy for Ganondorf

At that point, would he start to feel bad? Maybe.

Perhaps he would, despite himself.

Warriors

Kill Count: 150 at a minimum

I mean, he fought in a war where he did end up having to fight other people 

86 of those kills were from the mass-execution of traitors, though he’s definitely had to execute more on an unofficial level

His feelings of guilt and self-righteousness are such a mess that it would just be easier to toss out the whole suitcase

Despite how complicated it all is, he would do it again

Wild

Kill Count: 3-ish

I think he’s killed some Yiga

I don’t think he intended to kill any of them, but sometimes those assassination attempts got really nasty

Most of the assassins would escape with their lives, but there were a few that were not so lucky

I think the first time it was a huge shock to the system. And I think a lot of his feelings about it got mixed up in what he feels now versus what he thinks he should feel

He definitely remembers a time where he would not have cared as long as it was in service of the Royal Family

Nowadays, he is more sympathetic towards the Yiga

He admits that if someone is trying to kill him, he has to be the one to who walks away with their life.

But killing someone is never easy for him. He will always try to avoid it.

But if pushed enough, he will reside himself to what he has to do.