#it does bring up some problems I have with the gerudo

[theorangestar]

I finished the quest “Mattison’s Independence” yesterday. I’m not crying you’re crying!!

[askfriskandcompany]

Oh yeah, i don't think anything have asked this in a while. How's tge Legend of Zelda TTRPG going? Has it been put on hold, have anything interesting happened? Have there been any additions of subtractions to certain elements or lore stuff?

Also did anyone play Yiga and how did that go? And how does it work seeing how they kinda are followers of ganon "betrayers" of the Shieka

It kind of petered out, as most tabletop games do eventually if you don't quite reach the end. It's a shame, but I'm still happy how it went. I've thought about rebooting it some day, but I'd need to change more things since Tears of the Kingdom introduced a lot of juicy lore that could come into play.

If you're asking how the Yiga were handled in that setting/lore? Basically, when Ganondorf was confirmed to have been reborn, the moment the Yiga Clan found out about it, they all rushed to swear fealty to him. Ganondorf was maybe a little surprised at first, but was happy to have a bunch of loyal minions right out the gate. After that, the first order of business for Ganondorf was the earn back the loyalty of the Gerudo, who, understandably, weren't super happy about him being active again. But they were also dealing with some problems from a bunch of demons, so they didn't have time to fight Ganondorf. So Ganon's like "Oh, are those guys giving you trouble?" then he and his yiga boys essentially swoop in and save the day for the Gerudo. After that the Gerudo are more willing to see Ganondorf in a positive light. (This all happens before the player characters rolled up)

Pictured below is the illustration I did of that particular incarnation of Ganon. The mark on his chest is a birthmark.

Ganondorf eventually marries the queen of the gerudo, a woman named Arwa. They have a daughter, Shayla, who is talented at shadow magic. Shayla spends some time learning about shadow magic with the Twili who are also there (a long complicated story).

Depicted below is Princess Shayla.

During that time she meets the current incarnation of Midna, who is a teenager slightly younger than Shayla. She also meets Midna's older brother Noct, who is secretly a reincarnation of Zant but he doesn't tell anyone about that including his own sister because he's ashamed.

Pictured below is Queen Penumbra, Prince Noct, and Princess Midna in their incarnations for that game.

Then later Queen Arwa dies under suspicious circumstances and a rogue demon is blamed for it, but Shayla believes the twili were involved, so she ghosts her friends Midna and Noct because they're suspects.

She recruits the player characters into her investigation. Eventually they discover that Midna and Noct's mother, Queen Penumbra, is the real murderer, and has actually kept Queen Arwa's ghost trapped in a crystal so that she couldn't tell anyone the truth.

The party retrieves the crystal Arwa is trapped in and bring it back to Ganon, who is now in their debt. They (with Arwa's help) convince him not to fly off the handle and immediately try to kill the twili queen. Instead they take Queen Penumbra to court. We full-on had a Phoenix Wright style Court Episode about it. It was amazing.

And that's a small fraction of the stuff that group got up to.

-TQ

[majorasnightmare]

Inevitable Gerudo Headcanon Posting

i spend too much time thinking about the gerudo like genuinely theyre one of my favorite recurring tribes in the zelda series, which as we all know is a form of suffering because god forbid nintendo stop relying on racist tropes and caricatures.

keeping in line with this nintendos portrayal of the gerudo tends to either be 1) why theyre bad, and/or 2) how a culture of all women has kids. like thats an oversimplification of ALLL the problems present in the gerudos portrayal but thats a different post for another time. in general i bring this up because it means, for me as well as any others interested and invested un the gerudo, that there is a kind of generalized lack of pre botw characterization or cultural concepts to work with, esp when compared to the other tribes of hyrule. (looks pointedly at how theres no gerudo in the gerudo desert but there is a prison slash execution site where their king was held. LOOKS AT WHO SURVIVED THE PROLOGUE CUTSCENE IN WINDWAKER)

ANYWAYS. botw was really fun because, while it had plenty of its own issues with the gerudo, they were at least non hostile! so with that in mind, the headcanons and worldbuilding i write primarily apply to the wilds era gerudo, which spans the timeframe between ganondorfs reign as king to totk (suspending disbelief because that timeframe is. by all accounts. longer than recorded human history. friendly reminder ganondorf does All That before we even get sheikah wifi towers. christ.)

anyways. second verse same as the first, core assumptions and then a readmore

Some core assumptions:

The BotW branch of the timeline is chronologically set AFTER the previous timeline, ie the events of ToTKs ancient past is set AFTER the last event of the Hyrule Historia timeline. essentially they all come back together to form one line that makes up ToTKs ancient era

The biggest effect on Hyrules topography was the flooding in Wind Waker. after an unknown point, the flooding ocean receded leaving behind the ruins of ancient Hyrule. at some point after that, the zonai settled parts of it and made the buildings wed see as ruins by the time of BotW. slowly the various tribes of hyrule immigrated back

all peoples within the setting of hyrule are loosely grouped into categories called tribes. in this sense, tribe refers a collection of peoples with shared traits, without anything concretely set in stone (for example, hyrule includes the tribe of hylians, the tribe of gorons, the tribe of koroks, etc etc). the main six who show up repeatedly can be considered the sage tribes (gerudo, hylian, sheikah, rito, goron, zora), and the various types of enemies can be considered the monster tribes (the blin tribe of bokoblin, moblin, bulblin, etc)

so. starting at the beginning. near entirely headcanons

in ocarina of time, we see the spirit temple, where Nabooru awakens as a sage. this temple features a MASSIVE statue of a woman adorned with a snake and its primary mechanic centers around mirrors and reflected light. while the mirrors return, we dont really get that same kind of implied spiritual/religious focus again. so instead im going to make a mountain out of a molehill and position her as the primary spiritual figure here. im running low on name ideas tho so suggestions are much appreciated. for right now ill refer to her as the serpent goddess

the gerudo are culturally a people of function over form, practicality over whimsy, but when circumstances allow for it, are drawn like any other to arts and music and decoration. they have a long history of bloody, brutal battle, and while the war has long since ended, its kings buried and its warriors naught but ghosts, the desert remembers. its sands haunted by the bloodstains of conflict past, and echoes of ancient tragedies. the gerudo here in the era of wilds may have lost their records of their ancient history of conflict, but some aspects, preserved by the sands, have managed to survive the onslaught of time

surviving all this time is the ancient creation myth of the gerudo people. as legend tells it, long ago in the time before myth, there existed a goddess whos power was transformation. she was possessed of two forms, one a proud humanoid figure, the other a striking serpentine form twisting through the heavens with ease, her scales glittering with mirror sheen. to shift from serpent to human, she would shed her skin, and grow it back again to embrace her serpentine form anew

seven times she shed her skin, and from these shed skins rose the first gerudo, each embodying a key aspect of their sacred mother. the serpent goddess's scales are each a nascent soul of a gerudo, and when those scales are shed and fall to the land below, a new gerudo is born. likewise, when a gerudo dies, their soul returns to the scales of the serpent goddess, to await until they would descend again and reincarnate once more. the seven daughters of the serpent goddess led these gerudo as their guardians, leaders, and protectors. but, away from the seven heroines and their new people, the goddess shed her skin an eighth time. this daughter was born alone, and while her sisters embodies the strengths of spirit, flight, endurance, knowledge, motion, skill, and gentleness, the eighth was born with insatiable wanderlust. learning of this, the seven sisters cursed her name for leaving them and their people behind, and despite their shared ancestry, the eighth was forbidden to be spoken of. this suited her just fine, and the eighth was free to walk the land and learn all of its hidden paths

in time, war came to the gerudo, as it often does. though they were united, and strong, they were a small collection of people, and thus despite their proficiency were threatened nonetheless. it became clear at last that they could not stand and fight, and that to survive, they could not remain in place for long. but the enemy had pushed them deep into their home, and knew all the paths back. as hope seemed lost, as if summoned by call, the eighth sister at last wandered home. calling her seven sisters to her, she proclaimed that every hidden step was known to her, and while she lacked the power to guide them on her own, together they would escape unseen into the night, their enemy none the wiser. thus, skillfully guiding the skills of her sisters, the eighth heroine led the gerudo into safety, and the seven were humbled from their pettiness. seeking to apologize to the sister they had banished and forgotten, the seven sought to make amends, but the eighth was content merely to have a place of remembrance among them. to wander is not a sin, as long as one remembers where their home lies.

the eight heroines have long since passed and returned to their mothers scales, but the virtues they embody are cherished by the gerudo family they left behind, seeking to hold their memory close even as the years wear on

to the gerudo was bestowed the blessing of the element of Spirit, embodied by their iron wills and manifesting as crackling lightning. this spirit lightning is the gerudo's will made tangible, arcing out towards their target as an extension of their focus and sheer determination. to a gerudo, nothing is impossible until one has devoted themselves entirely to it, giving it their all, and only then may it be conceded

a long history of persecution has resulted in the gerudo being increasingly insular and isolationist. their admiration of the art of combat and how it can bring forth an individuals talents, achieving a perfect harmony between body and will as the weapon became an extension of ones limbs, was often perceived as aggression by outsiders, who would react as if to defend their own interests. the gerudo have suffered much at the hands of hyrule at large, and have pulled further and further away.

as the gerudo pulled away from hyrule, and hyrule from them, they devoted most of their attention to themselves. cooperation amongst themselves is seen as paramount to their survival, and familial affection often extends well past ones blood relations.

the gerudo value family, and loyalty, alongside independence and cooperation. everyone should have the opportunity to pursue their goals, but if someone is struggling, it is the responsibility of everyone to help. children are raised by as many people as are available, and even in the times of monarchy, the palace was less a formal dwelling place belonging to the gerudo ruler and more a public forum that the ruler simply happened to live in

most of the palaces amenities are fully public, a tradition that has carried on to riju's time. meals are communal and the kitchens open to all, and the palace has no strictly dedicated servants, merely a collection of amenities the gerudo people are free to use at will and often do so together. what this means is that there is no servant, for example, dedicated to preparing riju's meals but instead a collection of people willing to cook and willing to eat making meals riju partakes in, and this applies to most other menial tasks as well. the throne room is where the leader of the gerudo engages in their job as public servant, attending to the needs of the gerudo at large and responding to crises as they arise.

as nintendo is keen to point out, the gerudo are a people that are predominantly "all women", and thus spends plenty of time going over dialogue wherein people wonder how they have children and including a plethora of sidequests in the wilds era about acquiring partners. im ignoring all of that and instead going by lizard rules, in part because here theyre descended from a serpent dragon goddess, wherein a population of all female lizards were able to successfully maintain a stable population and have children without major issue. gerudo like ganondorf are the equivalent of a rare genetic mutation that flips some other genes on and has a different result, that really doesnt affect anything besides this one kid and doesnt have any major effects or differences in their life. two gerudo are perfectly capable of having kids together, having relationships as usual, and on the topic of "how do the gerudo have kids", thats all i really feel like exploring that topic

with an insular, isolationist culture that appeared for all intents and purposes to be all women, the gerudo were often a source of major culture shock when interacting with the other tribes of hyrule, most notably hylians

bonus hylian lore: hylians experience an even greater lack of sexual dimorphism than irl humans do, so gender presentation is near exclusively presentation based, with a heavy emphasis on clothing. showing skin is considered an act of emotional intimacy, and most hylians opt to cover as much as they can. the intensity of presentation scales upwards with their role in society, with the royal family having the most extreme form of gender presentation. gender is presented through clothing style and hair length, with ornamentation, jewelry, and piercings serving as a kind of intensifier, and hylian culture at large tends to operate on a sliding scale of masculine to feminine, with the middle androgynous zone being a weird gender spot for them

the gerudo, by contrast, never really developed a concept of masculinity versus femininity. gender pronouns in gerudo are based on personal proximity, occupation in society, and familiarity. these barely translate at all into hyrulean.

as the gerudo, by circumstance or by choice, interacted with hylians and the tribes of hyrule more and more often, some kind of understanding had to be reached with regards to translation. as relations were already terse, making an attempt to fully translate the gerudos understanding of gender to your average hylian was considered a fools errand, and thus translation was done in broad strokes, giving hylians the simplest root form of gender pronouns (and none of the increasingly specific declensions). loosely, the term vai is closer in concept to "us" and voe is closer to "not us" "foreigner" "outsider", and has taken on a connotation of " forbidden" or "taboo" (leading to wilds era gerudo secret clubs often imploying translatable Adult Puns regarding their catering to voe and the overall titillating atmosphere they tend to put on for customers). with regards to hylians, the feminine princesses and queens had more in common with the gerudo and were thus "vai", but the masculine kings and soldiers, who were often the main figures pushing aggressive efforts into conquering or otherwise absorbing the gerudo into hyrule, were "voe". this was then distributed in various guides to understanding the gerudo language as " vai" meaning "woman" and "voe" meaning man

gerudo town, as the capital of their people and general hub, has a law banning the entrance of voe. at the time if its writing, this was a fairly obvious law, because most "people who are forbidden" are forbidden from entering. as time has passed, hostilities cooled, and relations warmed, this law has been the subject of a long struggle of interpretation. it doesnt translate well into nearly any other language, and thus who counts as "voe" and "vai" is subject to endless debate. the differences in gender perception are most clearly on display with the admittance of the gorons. one might assume that the gorons, being a monogendered people who typically use masculine terms of identity and endearment in hyrulean, to thus qualify as voe, but the gorons cooperative nature, near uniform monogendered culture, and emphasis on hard work and independence has enough in common with your average gerudo that considering them as vai is a no brainer

ganondorf thus is also, clearly, considered vai. the specific pronouns he uses in his native gerudo include declensions regarding his position as royalty (one that has since gone out of use and is fairly archaic now, only really being used as a kind of neo-pronoun by current era gerudo as a rebellious self identification thing), his relation as the only child of koume and kotake, and are conjugated based on relation between the speaker and him. in the ancient era, calling ganondorf voe would be so confusing as to not even read as an insult. if one really wanted to refer to ganondorf with a tone of insult, theyd substitute the declension of familiarity with one used for strangers

ganondorf achieved his position as king the old fashioned way: a gift from his moms. ancient era gerudo practiced typical monarchy with a line of succession, and koume and kotake named him as the next royal of the gerudo as their heir. the hyruleans, seeing a masculine gerudo of royal birth, referred to him as "king", and correcting a culture of people he had little respect for was just a waste of ganondorfs time. after ganondorfs sealing, the gerudo changed to the current system of chiefs, wherein the current chief names a successor, or by default passes it onto their living heir. a system is in place to democratically install a new chief if the current one passes without naming a child their heir, or naming a successor in their place, a system drafted and then used in ganondorfs absence. riju thus inherited the mantle from her mother, but could opt instead to force a vote, or have such a vote forced on her due to her age, leading to much of her insecurity seen in BotW. this system has proven to be relatively stable, especially coupled with the continued tradition of keeping the palace an open public forum

the first chief of the gerudo was nabooru, advised by the sage of lightning we see in totk, following ganondorfs sealing

the gerudo are very familiar with the souls of the dead. poes, souls lost and aimless, wander the desert after millennia of bloodshed. thus their funerary customs have persisted, even as the folklore behind them fades in and out of memory.

a person perceives reality through their body. they know the sky is above them both by craning their neck up, and by the sensation of ground beneath them. in death, one is bodiless, and sensation becomes a confusing, directionless onslaught. it is so easy for a spirit to become lost, unable to orient themselves. the gerudos funerary rites seeks to aid these souls in their journey towards returning to the serpent goddess, as without guidance they are liable to become poes. the body after death is merely an empty receptacle, and on a practical level is a potential draw for dangerous desert scavengers seeking an easy meal. the shifting sands and hard soil makes burial difficult to impossible, so instead the gerudo burn their dead. smoke is ephemeral and thus able to be seen by spirits, and even as the wind rushes, smoke will still travel upwards towards the heavens. a spirit will linger by its body for a time, and thus cremation helps provide guidance to the dead. unable to feel the earth beneath them, the dead can follow the trails of smoke to orient themselves upwards, and dispel lingering confusion

as the body is burned both to guide the departed's soul and to ward away scavengers, the gerudo inter their belongings into gravesites instead, usually one or a small collection of items that the deceased valued or were considered emblematic of them. having a proud history of warriors, many gerudo consider their weapons extensions of themselves, and thus many gravesites will consist of a single weapon.

the sage of lightnings temple served as the primary gravesite for many gerudo, and in its heyday was decorated with love and care as befitting its role. torches burned bright in its sconces and the walls painted with care in massive sweeping murals. here in the temple, a foreigners idea of the gerudo as austere and practical would fall away, as the halls shone with warmth and color, taken from their desert home

lost souls that become poes often end up becoming consumed by their regrets and despair at their inability to find their way back to reincarnation through the serpent goddess's scales, and from there turn to rage and aggression. the sunlight glinting off of the goddess's mirror scales will blind and disorient the dead who have lost their way, as they try in vain to rely on their half forgotten senses, and thus poes eschew the day in favor of the cover of night. though incorporeal, poes move as fast as the desert winds, and try all they can to cause mischief and havoc. usually the end result of their shenanigans is light injuries and scratches, but it isn't uncommon for a waylaid traveller or adrenaline seeking youngster to suffer fatal consequences. despite this, poe hunting tends to be the go-to act of rebellion for antsy teenagers with a taste for danger. in general, one of the only things fast enough to strike a poe is a fired arrow

as the sands grew and the desert expanded, it grew more and more difficult for the steeds of the gerudo to gallop across the dunes, and they were driven further and further back until the gerudo phased out their horseback traditions entirely

and as an AU specific trivia tidbit

after ganondorf's sealing, nabooru grieved the loss of her childhood friend by constructing a dedicated tomb to house ganondorf's gravesite. even though he wouldn't die, nabooru would never live to see him again, and in traditional gerudo fashion, his gravesite is marked by his signature trident, further imbued by nabooru's blessing of lighting (in a similar fashion to urbosa's fury, despite urbosa not being a sage).

[hestusjamsession]

I’ve been depressed so I decided to do what normal people do when they’re depressed and make a list of my favorite Legend of Zelda fanfics thus far. I think I’ll make a Linked Universe one next.

Almost all of these fics are finished and most are multi chapter. Some are quite long too. I also tried to include a variety of ships and stuff. I’m a multi-opportunity shipper, what can I say?

I know a few of the authors are here on Tumblr but I can’t for the life of me find them. So if anyone knows the usernames of the authors so I can tag them I’d appreciate it.

Anyway…

*cracks knuckles*

1. Make a Wish, Make it Count by LiliansMalice

Three very different people get forced to work together to find a powerful relic that can grant them wishes and solve their (admittedly pretty bad) problems.

It’s got angst, it’s got humor, it’s got found family vibes. And demons. Lots and lots of demons. Such a good read y’all need to check it out. Also, if anyone knows of any more fics like this let me know!

2. Honor Among Thieves by DawnTheRithmatist

The Master Sword has been stolen and as things start to go missing around the castle Zelda decides to do some digging which ends up with her becoming pen pals with a wanted thief.

Zelink fic which Link goes full rogue and koroks are eager accomplices.

3. Beating Around the Bush by Umbreonix

Revali retires from the air force and becomes a remote bush pilot. His life is all well and good (if boring) until a slightly feral researcher from the University of Central Hyrule derails his entire life.

This fic is genuinely hilarious and also heartwarming. Umbreonix writes Revali so well. Revlink fic with a modern spin. (Side note, the fic “Finding Link” by the same author is also really good)

4. Displaced by Socksock

What do you do once you’ve saved the day? Yeah, Link and Zelda don’t know either. But Link has monsters to kill and cool new outfits to find and Zelda has massive bridges to rebuild and loyal knights to smooch so they’ll be ok.

This was one of the first fics I read after beating BOTW. Novel length Zelink goodness with lots of humor and healing and Link dressing up like Tingle because he’s like that.

5. K.K. Love Song by Socksock

Anything by Socksock is gonna be great but this fic literally kept me sane while I was working on site during the Pandemic. Oklahoma be like that.

Modern Zelink fic where the hot new Shiekah Slate game Animal Crossing brings a Princess and a cook closer together. Link apparently does a good KK impression.

6. Nothing More, Nothing Less by Farbsturz

Ravio, Bearer of the Triforce of Wisdom, must head to Hyrule to help it’s Hero defeat the Calamity. Ravio, Bearer of the Triforce of Wisdom, is not sure about this.

Ravio plays Breath of the Wild. Or- the Ravlink fic you didn’t know you wanted.

7. The Queen’s Tournament by AshleysWrittenWords

In order to become Queen, Princess Zelda must marry. Zelda’s plan? Part 1: Host a tournament were the winner gets her hand in marriage. Part 2: Enter said tournament in disguise so she can, to quote Merida from Brave “shoot for her own hand”. And it all goes according to plan until Link decides to enter the tourney as well.

I THINK I might have read this, or something very similar, once upon a time on Fanfiction.net. Twilight Princess-ish Zelink.

8. Branded by Embyrinitalics

In a land haunted by war, two lonely people find solace within each other.

This one’s got a somber vibe to it, but it’s beautifully written and it hits me in the shipper feels so yeah.

9. The Wolf of Farore by Wayward_Chronicler

The Legend of Zelda meets The Witcher in a fic that is technically not finished but has 71 chapters and more character cameos than you can swing a sword at.

Long fic fam this one’s for you. 😘

10. Interim by Starkraving

Link and Zelda have just defeated the Calamity and are wandering Hyrule when they meet a strangely familiar Gerudo who wants to buy Link’s giant horse and has no idea what he’s about to get roped into.

The Link/Zelda/Gan fic filled with angst, humor and lots of Gerudo grammar lessons.

This was the other fic I read right after beating BOTW. Fair warning- its rated E so it’s got spicy parts to it. But if you don’t mind that it’s a fantastic read.

11. Re-Domestication by AnthemXIX

The description says it best: “A semi-feral amnesiac and his wolf guardian try to get along with the locals.”

A really good BOTW Link and Wolf Link fic that isn’t Linked Universe related (Though the author has written several really good LU fics as well). It’s part of a series and they’re all really good.

12. Secrets of the Shadows by @skyloftian-nutcase

When Link goes missing, Rusl finds a wolf instead of his adopted son and ends up making a terrible mistake. Hopefully he can make it to Kakariko in time to rectify it.

Papa Rusl angst because it’s good for the soul.

[dumpster-lizard]

For the ship opinion bingo, you know I'm gonna ask for VaaGan

Hell yeah I have. THOUGHTS

I love these two. You have Ganondorf, a man with complicated motivations- Trained by his mothers from a young age, growing up in a nation where his people are seen as either theives or commodities by their neighboring nation. A nation which, by the point of OoT, has the shadow temple to answer for. Even if he lost sight of his original intent down the line, theres no doubt he was driven to defy the gods in the name of his people.

Then you have Vaati. A man who deliberately separated himself from his people, whose actions against Hyrule were not fueled by malice, but rather a consequence of his actions that he gave little thought to. He wanted to be a god, he wanted to abuse his power for his own entertainment later... what happened to Hyrule and it's people never mattered.

Both have died multiple times in pursuit of their goals. They are as similar as they are different.

They simultaneously have potential for mutual respect and mutual loathing. Any power imbalance and one coukd very well try to control the other. Both have problems with authority. Both have the ability to act as the sole antagonist of their story, and neither bows to the other.

...At least, until Four Swords Adventures. The first game Vaati's in canonically that takes place after Ganondorf enters the picture. Even ignoring the timeline, it's still the first one with Ganon and Vaati working together.

My "specific scenario" tho? They met in OoT in an uneasy alliance- both intended to take the triforce, but only Ganondorf realized the sacred realm opened early. Cue the "power imbalance leads to control" thing. Vaati is essentially forced into assisting Ganondorf create the hyrule we see after the 7 years. Thus the "i can make this so fucked up" square.

Especially cause. At some point during those 7 years they're basically alone. Ganondorf is separated from the other Gerudo from what we know, and it's just them. Its a toxic environment that gives rise to a lot of complicated feelings that culminates in all sorts of awful and interesting ways. They make up and break up every other week, it's great.

And of course, Vaati being as impulsive and revellious as he is, never gives up the chance to be a little shit.

Past OoT, i havent really put much thought into it (aside from my ToTK AU) but the idea is that Ganondorf tries to bring back Vaati each time he comes back. If he can't, he finds someone else. Generally when he does he holds something over Vaatis head to do it. (Like the dark mirror in FSA)

In ToTK, Vaati has all the memories of the past Ganons, but Ganondorf doesnt. So that in and of itself is an entirely different dynamic that STILL doesnt end too well. Though I suppose that really deserves its own dedicated post.

Also uuhh my multiship ass has the "They're fucking the same guy" one circled purely cause im also a sucker for shipping Zelda with either of them, in multiple games.

[heather-chandlers-weirder-cousin]

pride themed ask game, for the soul trio from loz: sott

1, 2, 4, 6, 9, 11, 13.

:)

1. What's your oc's gender identity? What's their relationship to their gender?

Link is a trans man, although he certainly doesn't call himself that. It's not really a part of his identity tbh, it's just sort of a quirk to him that he used to be a girl when he was little, no big deal. (at least until he got to the castle.) He's pre-pubescent right now, and I feel like it's going to be much more of an issue when he gets more intense gender dysphoria.

I feel like Zelda is just a plain cis woman. She's definitely overperforming her gender expression right now, though less as a matter of "I need to act hyperfeminine" and more "I need to act like the princess I need to act like Hylia wants me to-" and that vision in her head is feminine, because that's what she's been raised with. I imagine if she was raised in a more healthy environment she would have a bit of a tomboy streak.

Ganon... I hesitate to call him agender, just like I hesitate to call him intersex, because it's not an individual thing. By our standards, all of the Gerudo would be considered agender and intersex, it's a societal/species thing. He's normal by his society's standards. He simply has no gender, because it's not a concept he was raised with.

2. What's your oc's orientation? (Romantic/sexual/platonic alterous ect) Do they have opinions about it?

Fun fact: all three of the soul trio are A-spec!

Link is aroallo. I think he hasn't even noticed, he just thinks that everyone feels the same way he does. If he did, I feel like depending on what time he found out, he'd either treat it similarly to his gender or just sort of be sad that he can't fall in 'love'.

Zelda is demirose and at least a little M-spec. (Both demisexual and demiromantic) She's wondered once or twice if it's normal to not have crushes, (because she really isn't close to anyone who isn't family or who se doesn't see as familial,) but it's just not one of the things her OCD latched onto. It's mostly flown under the radar, I don't think she ever really is cognizant that something is different, even when she's married and not attracted to her husband she just thinks its a personal failing rather than anything inherent.

Ganon is aroace. I think he's noticed, and I think it's something he tries to ignore, because it makes him sad. He hasn't ever really been cared for, and his idea of a romantic relationship is just... affection. The idea that he can't have that makes him feel bad, but at the end of the day... it's just not relevant. His ability to be attracted to people will never interfere with his being king, and that's what matters, so he just doesn't address it. It doesn't matter in his mind.

4. Is your oc's environment supportive about their identity? How does this impact them?

The Kokori had a sort of 'oh that's interesting. Anyway, back to frolicking.' attitude to Link's queerness. It's a cool little fact, mildly notable, not something to linger on. I feel like he didn't immediately pick up on the fact that Hyrule is violently queerphobic right away, but after an incident in which he mentioned he used to be a girl to Impa and she promptly had a small crisis (which ended with her telling him to never bring it up to anyone again,) he learned to keep it private. I think he feels just kind of... self-conscious about it later in life.

Zelda, like I said, doesn't ever really reckon with her sexuality. But I imagine if she, say, had a crush on a girl at some point, she would become acutely aware that yes, she is part of the group of people she and everyone she knows considers degenerates, and no, there is not any way for her to justify it. This does not lead to her being any less homophobic and quite possibly makes her worse.

In the event Ganon is open about being aroace, it's regarded as weird, but... it's not a problem, and probably the least of their concerns. There's simply no point in worrying about whether the king is going to have kids when you're not sure your kid is going to have enough water. This just sort of reinforces Ganon's view of it.

6. How does your oc feel about labels? Theirs, or in general?

This is sort of an aside, but I feel like there is not the same understanding of labels in their world as there is in ours. Like, I feel like they do have words for it, but it's less "I'm a transfemme non-binary lesbian" and more "Those girls are awful close... are they, eh... sisters of Beatrice?" or something like that. There's not really a collective 'queer community' as we understand it, no flags or anything.

9. Are there cultural or lore specific aspects to their identity? If applicable, does their species affect it?

I feel like I should mention that the Gerudo in this AU have only one sex, and any of them could reproduce with anyone else. If they were human, they would be considered intersex, although they definitionally aren't. They also have no concept of gender, and though Ganon appears to present as male and most Gerudo appear to present as female, it's more of the difference between how an artist and a laywer might present than anything pertaining to gender.

11. Is your oc open about their identity? Are they more lowkey or more blunt about it? Why or why not?

They're all closeted by the end of the story, and they never come out.

13. Would your oc be open to a poly relationship? Why or why not?

Link, I think, would try it if he liked all the people involved. I feel like he would have problems with jealousy at first, but I could see him in a healthy long-term poly relationship.

I'm sure you can guess Zelda's reaction to the idea of a poly relationship. She considers it unfaithfulness.

I think poly relationships are fairly common among Gerudo, or at least committed monogamy isn't considered the gold standard. Ganon, of course, with his skewed perception of what romance is, would love the idea of having multiple people who cared about him and vice versa, but I don't think he really wants a romantic relationship, period.

Thanks for the ask!

[voeisme]

So I've been playing Breath of the Wild lately and I can't stop thinking about how delightfully weird the whole Gerudo situation is.

Because like, from a Doylist perspective, it can all be explained in a pretty simple way: a mix of islamophobia / xenophobia and wanting to cut down on design costs.

The Gerudo being all women would then just be a harem joke and making them all women except for Ganondorf simplifies things (you can reuse models and/or designs).

Everything else is just Nintendo not paying a lot attention to the lore and making shit up as they go.

That works, but from a Wattsonian perspective, it's kind of fascinating how weird things are with the Gerudo.

They can have children with Hylians, which means that they're the same species, so "only one boy a century" is either magical interference from one of the many gods / goddesses or just a really strong genetic quirk.

Also "one boy a century" has to be metaphorical for just "it's just very rare". If it were once every 100 years, that's what, every third ~ fourth generation basically? There'd be one male Gerudo in living memory (if not actually alive) pretty much at any given time if that were the case.

They implemented a "no boys allowed (except our king, maybe?)" law somewhere after Ganondorf did a few crimes against humanity - in OoT you can enter the city if you prove yourself worthy -, but they seem to let Gorons into their city.

Gorons are, if not explicitly all male, all-male coded so do the Gerudos just have a problem with men they think are breedable / might have some kind of sexual interest in them, or did the Gorons lie to get into the city?

Or maybe the Gorons are just doing something very gender and the Gerudo aren't enbyphobic? Would they be transphobic to people that aren't androgynous enough or who don't pass easily as "vai" or "voe"?

In OoT, it was stated that Gerudo went out to Hyrule to get "boyfriends", which made sense, they need some way to gain numbers, but Breath of the Wild states that they go out to find husbands (and we can even see a Gerudo - Hylian marriage going on in the game).

How does that work? Because they can't bring the husband back to the desert, and when they inevitably have children do they just ... ship the kid across the continent to get to Gerudo Town? Get a divorce and take the kids?

Their most likely oldest known ancestor is Groose which ... is certainly something.

Breath of the Wild (and by extension, Tears of the Kingdom) are somewhere in the bottom of the timelines. I personally think it's the Adult Timeline (because it's the only timeline so far that has Ritos in it among other things), but no matter which timeline you put them in, the Gerudo just kinda fucked off for a while before coming back for Breath of the Wild*, and I find that very funny.

* unless you want to place Breath of the Wild in the child timeline ... In which case they fucked off for the entirety of Twilight Princess (which has a desert called "Gerudo Desert" to come back for Four Swords Adventures living in a place called "Desert of Doubt", only to them decide to call their desert "Gerudo Desert" again).

[fanfiction-fantasies]

Hiya! Real big fan of your x reader works!! I was wondering if you do BOTW x Readers. If so, perhaps Sidon, Link, Zelda, and Buliara?

Sidon

Anyone who knows Sidon knows that he is an incredibly supportive and strong person. If you have a problem you need help solving, he’s the one to talk to. This sweet fish prince loves helping those around him.

And that goes double for anyone he is romantically interested in!

If you need help with something, he will do everything in his power to help. If you need help coming up with an idea, he will listen to you and pitch in with his thoughts on how to proceed. If you need to vent, he will listen and offer comfort.

His love language is words of affirmation and physical touch. He always has a compliment on the tip of his tongue, and he is always ready to hold your hand or scoop you into a hug at a moment’s notice.

What can he say, he thinks you’re simply amazing! He figures that if no one else is going to tell you how great you are, he should be the one to do it! It is a job he will take on with pride and honor.

Despite how confident he seems, he can be rather bashful. Compliment him, initiate physical contact, or give him a gift? He will turn away to try and hide his smile.

This sweet fishy boi loafs you

Link

This boy is chaos incarnate, and his affection reflects this.

He’ll bring you a beautiful bouquet of flowers, smiling at you despite having just fought a mob of monsters.

Either that, or he will give you some mundane trinket after having ran across Hyrule because “It reminded me of you!”

Since Link is mostly nonverbal, he uses sign to talk to you. Don’t know sign? He’ll teach you! It doesn’t matter to him if you're a fast learner or if you struggle, he is infinitely patient when it comes to you.

As you might have already guessed, his love language is giving gifts! Because of how often he travels, Link will have no shortage of things to give to you. Jewelry and sand seal plushies from Gerudo desert, cool lava rocks from Death Mountain, luminous stones and unique plants from Zora’s Domain, maybe even a bow from the Tabantha region!

Link is not only chaotic, he’s also a dork. He will make an absolute fool of himself to make you smile and/or blush.

He definitely does the eyebrow thing.

Zelda

Oh honey, you managed to catch the eye of the sweetest cinnamon roll this side of Hyrule.

In public, she’s curt and impersonal with you. In private, or when she’s out exploring? A total 180. She is sweet, excitable, and loving. She could talk your ear off with all the cool tech knowledge she’s got in her head!

She’s a princess, so you know you’re gonna be a lil’ bit spoiled. Nice jewelry? New clothes? Any and all tools needed for any hobby you may have? You don’t even gotta ask, she will provide.

No, she won’t try and make you eat frogs. That ‘privilege’ is for Link only.

Her love language is quality time! Spending time with you and sharing her interests is her way of showing her affection. She has to trust someone quite a lot to be able to open up about her interests, so this is also her way of showing trust.

Your relationship with Zelda would have to be a secret at first. Her father hardly even lets her study relics, so a relationship? Just another distraction according to him.

Don’t worry, he’ll come around once he sees how genuinely happy his daughter has become since knowing you.

Buliara

Strong, loyal, protective… What more could you want?

She is honestly a great choice for a romantic partner. Sure, it takes quite a bit to impress her, but once you do, it’s really just a matter of time.

If Riju approves of you, you can bet that she is gonna be the best wingman.

Although Buliara dedicates herself to her job, that doesn’t mean she won’t have time for you. She will absolutely take time out of her day to spend with you! (Riju definitely messes with the schedule to ensure this)

Her love language is quality time and acts of service! She enjoys spending time with you, whether it’s training with you or watching you do something you enjoy. If you ever need help with something? You hardly need to ask, she’s already up and assisting you!

She will definitely want to train with you. Teaching you how to defend yourself will be something she enjoys, because not only does she get to see you improve, it also takes away some of her worry. If you can defend yourself, she won’t need to look over her shoulder to make sure you’re okay. She’s a warrior, and a worrier.

Her ideal date is a picnic out on the cliffs at the edge of the desert at night. Good food, stunning views, and you? Dream come true for her.

[bluesdesk]

how abought some time and/or twi heed canons

OOOOK!

Time and Twi are NOT over 100 years apart! Twi is his son and he only pretends to be a distant relative cuz he doesn't want Time and Malon to get worried.

But really his dream is to hug his dad he had never met alive. This contrast between wanting to spill it all out and keep it hidden for their safety makes him anxious and he probably has panic attacks too.

Time and Lullaby have a strong brother-sister like relationship! Time calls her lil' sis and he's big bro! (even though they have the same age). Malon and Lullaby were also really close already, and after the marriage they started calling each other sis too. Also Lullaby is nothing like an elegant princess. Imagine them all on the sofa, with dungarees or sports clothing, eating chips or popcorn, being a crazy trio.

Time still uses catchphrases and quotes used by the Kokiri sometimes, making everyone confused as heck. "You're a Deku Tree" for someone old, or tall, or slow, or wise... (????)

Both Time and Twi have a cowboy accent, thanks to Malon. Farm girl has a heavy cowboy accent.

They both have really long ears. Don't question why, I don't know neither uwu.

Time secretly eats Epona's carrots. He still thinks Malon hasn't noticed it yet.

I have an headcanon I've never really talked about. The heroes all have the same age as their last adventure, except for Time. Even Wind who's 13, he isn't 12 because after WW we have PH. Four isn't a kid anymore in FS, we notice their growth because Dot is clearly older, and so he's a teen in LU. Also Time had both his eyes and no marks in his teens, how did he get them? He must have used the mask another time. Soo...

Time has had another full adventure!

As for the plot... After OoT Ganondorf is accused by the kids and put under surveillance for some time. He does nothing wrong. In the meantime Majora's Mask happens and all the attention goes to the salesman. Ganondorf is free, and starts thinking of a new plan...

Now Time is 30: Ganondorf has aged too, he has the TP appearance. The sword is in the Temple of Time, the stones are in the hands of their rightful owners. One day hordes of enemies attack Hyrule. Time fights them, but everyone knows it's a diversive. He has to get the stones before Ganondorf again, and kill him, now that everyone knows he is indeed a problem. Now the Master Sword won't make timeshift because he's old enough. He has to take that sword away from the Temple of Time and bring it in a more secure place. The sages suggests the forest. The Gerudo who support Ganondorf are defeated, the others create a sort of resistance, hiding in Castle Town or Kakariko or so, a young Telma is with them. After collecting the stones he takes the master sword and fights Ganondorf for the first time but he escapes. He reaches the forest, Ganon has already been there and it's a mess. Memories, fear, desperation. There's no sign of the kokiri. In the entire game, Time goes periodically back home to Malon. Being home restores a quarter of heart per second, also Malon can cook things, and there's cows... WELP. OK SO. Time has to kill Ganondorf, but he's nowhere to be found. The adventure now is all about following Ganon in lots of little boss fights... at the end Time reaches him and is ready to fight, but Gan is so strong! Link decides to use the Fierce Deity mask. Ganondorf has learnt about the twilight world and its powerr in the meantime and even if Time can hurt him badly, he doesn't die! While Time gets his eye injury and his marks. Time falls unconscious for the exhaustion, and the sages send the evil to the dark world. Ruto dies. When Time wakes up, he's at home with Malon, and learns he didn't do what he was asked to and the sages had to take care of everything. Now... the feels. The regrets. His only salvation is Malon. He loves his wife! The game would have a mix of Zelda and HW mechanics owo

[salemorbit]

Little Lynel Man (part 14; BONUS)

[Tigo the Lynel AU]

MASTERLIST

~~~~~~~

hi!! so thank u so much @thebattlecats2001 for this extra request fleshing out more of tigo and reader and their place in the alternate timeline w the champion successors

i wanted to make it a little different since you've got such a great idea and this is wrapping up this version of the tigo au! the request is summarized down below :)

all credit to @thebattlecats2001 for the ideas presented in this!!

~~~~~~~

The fight with Ganon is over, so the warriors gather for one final banquet while they swap stories. The successors from the future tell about the brave efforts of Tigo and the reader from their timeline, and how they paid honor to them over the years.

~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~

Calamity Ganon was sealed away for good, which meant that it was time to celebrate!

The king arranged an impromptu banquet in what was left of the castle, gathering food and supplies and whatever they could. The heroes of Hyrule deserved only the best, of course.

You were ushered away from helping clear debris and aiding the injured by Zelda, intent on telling you about the celebration that would happen later. Once everything was tended to, you met with the Champions, their successors, Zelda, and Tigo in a courtyard lit by lanterns.

It was a truly beautiful sight, the worn and weathered smiles of your colleagues gleaming in the lamplight. The food on the spread makeshift table looked absolutely wonderful, making your stomach growl in anticipation.

You settled in next to Link with Tigo on your other side. You looked up at your Lynel, smiling at his bright eyes taking in the bountiful food and anxiously awaiting the chance to dig in.

"Before we begin," King Rhoam announced from the head of the table, "it would be my absolute pleasure to congratulate the Champions of Hyrule on their success at defeating Calamity Ganon!"

There was a loud round of applause as the Champions, including Tigo, nodded in acknowledgement.

"Lest we forget the wonderful help from their friends, as well!" Zelda stood up and gestured to the successors, most of whom looked bashful. "Without their strength, we would not be here to celebrate together."

There was another round of applause for the successors, and then the feast began. You and Tigo feverishly dug into the food in front of you, filling the cavern of your stomachs. It wasn't until you were well into the second course that Sidon spoke up from across from you.

"It's truly amazing that I have gotten to see you again, dear [Y/N]," he said, watching you as you dabbed a napkin around your mouth. "It's been quite a long time."

"So you've said," you smiled at him. "Tell me, Sidon, does anyone else remember us from your time? It's still weird to know that Tigo and I...well, we didn't make it in your time, right?"

"Correct," Sidon nodded solemnly. "You and your Lynel sacrificed yourselves alongside the princess and Link to stop Calamity Ganon. And when Link came back, we wished that perhaps you had survived the same fate as well. But we learned that such was not the case."

Tigo paused from eating, tuning in to Sidon's change in demeanor. Tigo purred softly, catching Sidon's attention and bringing a smile to his face. Sidon reached forward and patted one of Tigo's paws affectionately.

"Fear not, old friend," Sidon offered, "we still remember you. The Zora greatly appreciated everything you and [Y/N] did for the Zora and the entirety of Hyrule. There's a grand statue at the front of the Zora Domain to pay homage to you both, spear and all. The elders that fought alongside the two of you tell the young guppies of all your valiant efforts! Your memory will never be forgotten."

"That's absolutely admiring," Mipha looked up at her brother. She turned to you with a sure look in her eyes. "I'll make sure that construction on that starts right away. You two have done so much for the Zora, and we have only begun to thank you."

"Oh, that's not necessary," you blushed, waving the praise off. "Tigo just loves the Zora, and it was all no problem! Really."

"Don't the Gorons have something as well?" Sidon turned to Yunobo who blinked up, startled. All attention turned to the little Goron, making him sink into himself a little with a shy smile.

"Uh, yeah!" He squeaked. "Yeah, we do. Tigo has this huge statue right up by the statues of the other great Gorons!" His face fell momentarily: "From what I heard, the Gorons were devastated to hear of the passing of Tigo and his tamer, [Y/N]. He was a beloved warrior and strong soul, so it wasn't a question about paying some sort of homage to him."

Tigo brightened up, growling kindly and urging Yunobo to go on.

"There's this legend that Tigo's spirit gives the Gorons their fighting spirit," Yunobo explained, looking around animatedly. "It's the only reason why the Gorons survived as much of the Calamity as they did. Legend has it that we owe Tigo a lot, and from fighting next to him I can see why! Every half-moon we hold a ceremony and offer up the best rock roast to the statue of Tigo so that he gives us our fighting spirit to live on another day. It's a really cool time."

"That definitely sounds like something the Gorons would do," Daruk smirked, reaching over to pat Tigo on the back heavily. "You deserve it, little Lynel man!"

"It's hard to believe that the Rito would ever be as showy as that," Revali scoffed, crossing his feathers. He looked over at Teba. "Please tell me you're more refined than that."

"Actually," Teba began, making Revali throw his head back with a soft groan, "our statue for Tigo and [Y/N] is arguably the most attractive out of the others in Hyrule."

There was a moment of arguing between the successors, which just made you laugh and look over at Link who was also smiling at his friends. Tigo gave a soft roar, telling Teba to continue.

"First of all, it's made of the finest wood surrounding the Hebra Region," Teba leaned forward as he got into the story. "It's decorated with flowers and stands right at the entrance to Rito Village. Tigo's bow was recovered from the Calamity, and it's still kept with Revali's bow and the Rito Elder. Every year there's a competition between the younger Rito that takes place at the archery range, and whoever wins gets to take home Tigo's bow and is tasked with taking care of it."

"I'd have to argue that the Gerudo have a much more glamorous statue," Riju jumped in excitedly. "It's this massive stone statue in the middle of Gerudo Town, and it has the most lovely gems decorating it! I've heard such wondrous stories of [Y/N] and her bravery and strength when it came to raising and taming Tigo." She turned to you and Tigo, smiling widely. "I'm so grateful that I was able to witness your bond in person! It's much more amazing than just the stories. We have you riding Tigo's back and wielding your sword and shield, of course. It's the most adored object in the entire town, and I will make sure it stays that way."

You smiled, patting Tigo's hide and leaning on him. You were so glad that even though you had to sacrifice yourselves in the other timeline that it was done and acknowledged. You would have done it even if it wasn't praised, of course, but it was amazing to see how many lives you and your Lynel had impacted and for such a long time! Your heart warmed at the thought.

Sidon went on to continue how the rest of Hyrule took the passings of you and Tigo. You sadly learned that many of the surviving Hylians thought that you and Tigo were simply myths. They didn't seem to believe that taming a Lynel was even possible, mainly because the monsters had gotten so much more dangerous in their 100 years of Calamity.

The Sheikah, however, still tried to keep your memory alive. Sidon told you about Impa's attempts to pass along the stories of you and Tigo through the ages. Many of the elders in Karkariko were solely responsible for keeping your memory alive, and you had much to thank them for. You half wished that you could go back to their time and tell Impa how much you appreciated her efforts even after so long.

Sidon also told Tigo how he was a legend among blacksmiths in his Hyrule, and how Tigo's skills were incredibly sought after and the goal of many blacksmiths. There was even a myth that if you were a young apprentice to a blacksmith and were exceeding in your skills, you would get visited by the spirit of Tigo and given a blessing of strength to become one of the best blacksmiths in the history of Hyrule.

Of course there was no concrete evidence to this myth, but it made Tigo exceptionally excited nonetheless.

And that was that. You may have suffered a terrible fate in that separate timeline, but in this one you didn't. You were still alive to see another day with Link, Tigo, and Zelda, and surrounded by the best friends you could ask for.

The successors were summoned back to their time soon enough, and the goodbye was tearful but sweet. Both sides had gotten closure, and all there was to look forward to was tomorrow.

~~~~~~~

:,)

[daughterofsarenrae]

taz botw au

Lup wakes up in the Shrine of Resurrection with no memories to the sound of a painfully familiar voice calling out to her, telling her it’s time to wake up. She has no idea what’s going on, but she’s Lup. She’ll figure it out on her own. Even though she’s pretty sure she’s not supposed to be alone. 

Lup roams the Great Plateau, completing shrine quests and getting runes for her IPRE Slate, at the insistence of a strange old man. When she climbs to the top of the Temple of Time, the old man reveals himself to be none other than King Merle Highchurch, the last king of Hyrule. He explains to her the basics of what’s going on- Prince Taako used his magic to trap The Hunger inside Hyrule Castle, but he has been trapped there as well. Lup... almost died? maybe did die? And Taako’s last act before trapping the Hunger was carrying Lup to the Shrine so she could survive. King Highchurch asks that Lup travel to the Castle to save Taako and the rest of Hyrule by defeating the Hunger. He gives Lup a paraglider and disappears.

Lup looks at the castle, which is surrounded by black and red malicious seeming smoke. She looks at what she’s carrying. Her armor right now consists of a warm shirt and some ratty pants. 75% of her weapon arsenal is tree branches. She has no memories. Lup decides not to go to the castle right now. 

She eventually makes her way to Kakariko Village and speaks to Lucretia, the elder of the village. Lucretia is surprised that Lup doesn’t remember her or...anything else, really, and explains in more detail than Merle did. Lucretia sends Lup to Hateno Village, to find a lab.

In this lab, Lup finds Angus, who at first seemed to be a child, but was later revealed to be just as old as Lucretia. He has devoted his life to study, and he is very eager to help Lup remember her past. 

Lup wanders the world, completing shrines, climbing towers, eventually making her way to free the divine beasts. During this quest she meets the spirits of the former champions who fell 100 years ago.

There’s Sildar (”Please just call me Barry...”), the Zora, who (luckily for Lup), acts just as flustered around her as she does around him. Sildar’s grace brings Lup back from the dead, should she fall. Barry insists that he is happy to help, but insists that she avoid dying in the first place. He seems pretty put out that Lup doesn’t really remember him, and encourages her to try to recover her memories.

There’s Kravitz, the Rito, and he’s...kind of a jerk, in Lup’s opinion. Kravitz’s Gale lets Lup...jump super high? Whatever. Lup preferred Barry. The two do have a heart to heart after Lup frees his divine beast, and turns out Kravitz is just really worried about Taako, and he blames himself for dying, and seeing Lup again has reopened those old wounds (do ghosts have wounds??). Lup says whatever dude, we all have trauma. Things are slightly better between them. Lup still is slightly antagonistic towards him though, just to keep things fresh. He WAS supposedly dating the twin she doesn’t remember having, after all. Can’t let him off easy.

Magnus, the Goron, is much easier to get along with. Magnus’s Protection helps shield Lup from even the strongest hits, and Lup is very thankful for that. Magnus and Lup immediately vibe together, despite Lup not remembering him. 

Davenport, the Gerudo, is the last champion Lup meets. Davenport’s Fury lets her make a super powerful attack with lighting which, super cool, in Lup’s opinion. (Would’ve been cooler if it was fire but, whatever.) Davenport is definitely not what Lup pictured when imagining a Gerudo champion, but Davenport doesn’t seem to care about expectations. He, moreso than the rest of the Champions, feels responsible for what happened 100 years ago. 

Lup continues wandering around Hyrule, catching horses (and naming them all Garyl, for some reason), helping people with their mundane problems, getting attacked by the Yiga Clan incessantly, and stumbling upon a super sad Rito named Johann who always seems to be standing in the weirdest places, playing his violin, giving Lup quest hooks to follow. She slowly regains her memories until, at last, she’s ready to take on The Hunger and save her brother. Armed with the Master Sword and the Hylian Shield, she mounts her attack on The Hunger.

She wins, of course. Lup is a badass.

And then they live happily ever after... or, well. “Live” might be stretching things a little bit. There is the whole thing about how Kravitz, Barry, Magnus, Merle and Davenport are all ghosts. Barry has a plan, though, and he consults with Angus about modifications to Sildar’s Grace. They’re not quite alive anymore in the traditional sense, but it’s better than being ghosts. Barry and Lup smooch. Taako and Kravitz smooch. everyone is happy.

“Well...what now?” Lup asks.

“I think it’s my turn for a 100 year nap,” says Taako. 

[volganic]

If that is what you wish (1/?)

[AO3] || [discord]

my friendship with volink is over, kohga/sooga is my new comfort ship now jk i’ll always love volink

now i have to actually write more of them uhhhhhhhhhH

Sooga was born to serve; it was all he knew in his blood, a long bloodline that once served the royal family who feared their technology; now he served his clan as their general, their leader, second-in-command to the Top Banana himself.

Whatever Master Kohga wanted, he always got it in the end.

As absurd as some of his requests might have been, Kohga’s wishes were fulfilled in a timely manner. Sooga made sure of it — without question or objection. With any order that came, Sooga would only answer, “If that is what you wish.” Kohga was easy to please as long as his needs were met, and Sooga kept his master as a priority over himself. He was there at Kohga’s beck and call, coming to his master’s aid at precisely the right time—

“Sooga, you’re late!” Kohga thrashed in his corner against the wall of rock. His plans had fallen through the last of its cracks. “I nearly got peeled like a banana!”

The assassin ignored the tantrum from him, kneeling before Kohga to carefully cradle him before hauling him over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. Kohga’s thrashing ceased almost immediately, his body going limp over his shoulder. It wasn’t the first time Sooga had held the clan’s leader like this.

Sooga craned his neck to stare at the Gerudo Chief and her entourage. “Forget these cowards.” And cowards they were, the four of them against one. Gerudo, two Hylians, a Sheikah — despicable. His free hand reached into the pouch in the backside of his belt — after shooing away Kohga’s wandering fingers. “It’s time to retreat.” He spared no second smashing the bomb into the Gerudo sands, shrouding them in a thick cloud of smoke to make their escape. Urbosa’s curses were drowned out by the sound of Master Kohga’s giddy laughter.

Once they were safe away from any prying eyes in an abandoned outpost beyond the Molduga’s dwellings, Master Kohga finally wiggled his way out of Sooga’s grip, both of his feet sinking into the desert sands.

“I almost died, Sooga!” he exclaimed, throwing his arms up in the air dramatically before clutching the sides of his face and shaking his head. “Gods, the amount of stress they put me under nearly burst my bubble, I can’t believe they made me use the secret technique! My perfect, perfect plan failed, and if you had showed up even a second later—“

“I apologize, Master.” Sooga’s voice was cool through the heat of Kohga’s anxieties, but even if his master was in the clear, safe from any obvious dangers, there was a pang of guilt that still struck through him. The idea of losing Master Kohga by his own mistakes was not an option. Sooga bowed his head. “I will make sure it does not happen again.”

The desert breeze filled the seconds that passed between them. The gravity of the situation was beginning to sink in: there was an uprising beginning to brew, and the Yiga definitely weren’t up to par like they had imagined.

Kohga let out a long exhale. “I know you won’t, big guy.” He turned his head to study the long, deep crack in the mask that hid Sooga’s true face. Kohga knew that underneath, the assassin’s words held truth; his loyalty was unmatched by any other member of the clan. Sooga was wrapped around his finger. “I know you won’t.

“Even if it did,” he started, bringing a hand up to comically rub at his chin in deep thought, “I think you’re more than over-qualified to take my place. Problem is, you’d gotta take my name. ‘Master Sooga’,” he enunciated with air quotes, “doesn’t have quite a nice ring like ‘Master Kohga’.”

Sooga’s posture stiffened at the idea. It thrilled him to know that Kohga recognized his strength and leadership skills — the consequences, on the other hand…

“... I could never, Master Kohga.”

“Lighten up, will ya?” Kohga barked a laugh as he gave his second-in-command a playful shove to his shoulder. “I ain’t ready to retire yet! With you by my side, I know you won’t let that come to pass, hmm?”

The assassin’s head bowed even lower despite Kohga’s praise. His hands balled into tight fists at his side. No, he could never allow his master to fend for himself alone, putting his life at risk again — he would make sure of it.

“If I may, Master Kohga?”

Kohga nodded and waved his hand nonchalantly. “You may.”

Sooga stood back to his full height and kept his eyes fixed on Kohga. “To guarantee that you are spared from an unforeseen demise where I am not present, I suggest that from this point forward, I shall take your place in orchestrating our efforts to bring Hyrule to its knees. Or, at the very least, you are not alone.”

His master carefully considered his words. Kohga hummed lowly in thought, back to rubbing his chin as he always did. “Not a bad idea, I’d say…” He trailed off to stare off in the distance. He paused too long for Sooga’s liking. “It’s a deal I can’t say no to, but that’s not my choice to make.”

“Understood, Master Kohga. Wherein the circumstances may allow it, I implore you to consider the offer.”

“Good talk.” Kohga clapped his hand on Sooga’s shoulder. “Now get us outta here! The sun’s making me sweat, and we’ve got an audience to entertain.”

“If that is what you wish.”

——

“So, you turned and fled, is that it?”

Astor was seated at the opposite end of the table from where Kohga sat and Sooga stood. Though the curtains were pulled, sealing out the setting Gerudo sun, and the candlelight cast dark shadows over his face, Sooga could see that this so-called “prophet” was not pleased. Kohga didn’t seem to care too much; he sat sideways in his seat, idly humming a tune that didn’t sound like an actual song.

Sooga wondered if Kohga was able to take matters seriously.

“Hm-hmm, hm-hmmm….” Kohga shrugged. “Well, if they hadn’t interrupted me—“

“It seems that, as low as my expectations of you were, I was overly optimistic.”

Both pairs of Yiga eyes fixed onto Astor as he stood from his place. Kohga jumped to attention, insulted that the prophet would see him as anything less than competent; Sooga’s hands were already wrapped around both hilts of his blades, ready to strike if need be.

“Well, no matter.” Their pale guest paid them no mind as he moved around to the middle of the table with the likes of a glowing ancient core in his hands, stopping at the front of the altar where their destiny lay among the piles of bananas.

With the imminent threat gone, Kohga relaxed instantly and threw himself back into his chair, folding his arms behind his head and crossing his legs, humming his little tune. Sooga, on the other hand, was slower to let his guard down, but complied with a wave of his superior’s hand. His glare remained on Astor’s back.

Sooga despised him.

Astor held the core outward as an offering to the guardian that hid among the fruit, idly flashing a strange orange light through its purple smog. “My harbinger,” he cooed, “show me the future!”

The guardian screeched in only a language that Astor seemed to understand, unfazed by the thick clouds of dark magic that spiraled in the room. The Yiga stood mesmerized by it, Kohga left completely awestruck. The core lifted from Astor’s hands to glow its eerie purple energy, bursting forth into a cloud of space, shrouding the three of them in stars and constellations that the Yiga weren’t familiar with.

“Ah, yes…” Through a tear in the clouds, a glimpse of Hyrule Castle falling into darkness could be seen — the Calamity and their destiny achieved. “The future as it will and must be. I will not allow anyone to alter its course.” The clouds slowly dissipated into the air, the ancient core slowly winding down and back into Astor’s hands. The guardian grew silent and still, leaving only the orange glow from its singular eye as a signal that it was still listening. “No one at all, not even you two.

“Now then… there are matters from this point forward that I need to discuss with you, Kohga.” He turned his head to address his underlings. His eyes briefly met with Sooga’s. “Alone.”

Quick to detect foul play, the assassin took a step forward to put himself between Kohga and Astor. “Absolutely not. Whatever you can discuss with Master Kohga, you can discuss with me. I stand by him wholeheartedly.”

Astor’s lips twitched into a snarl. He wasn’t used to being told “no”. “I admire your dedication and nobility, truly, but your time to play your part will come. As I said, these are matters not concerning you.” His eyes narrowed. “I will not repeat myself. Leave.”

Sooga didn’t have much time to even move so much as a muscle before Kohga’s elbow met his midsection.

“Sooga!” He snapped loudly, surprising the both of them. “Leave us alone. We’ll be alright for a little bit, won’t we? No need to worry your pretty little head.” Kohga motioned for him to lean down, pulling him closer by the chin to whisper into his ear. “I’ll fill you in on the details when it’s all said and done.”

The taller Yiga held his doubts, but complied with a curt nod. “If that is what you wish.”

Sooga stood and eyed Astor guardedly, watching his thin lips curl into a smug smile as they traded places, the prophet now skulking to Kohga’s side. Sooga had barely stepped out of the room before his master called out, “Don’t forget to shut the doors behind you!”

He turned to seal the doors behind him, seeing that Kohga had waved him off and leaned ever closer to Astor. Just above a whisper, Kohga asked, “Ain’t he a dandy?”

Astor grimaced. “Indeed.”

The doors shut behind him.

[arahul-abyssia]

The Endless Cycle

My second story for @starprincesshlc and @jklantern ’s Nintember event! This one sees another entry in story as ancient as a certain kingdom, but there’s... well, let’s say a few twists...

~~ Treasure, Sword, Adversity, Growth, Evil ~~

All his hard work was being undone right in front of him. As far as the eye could see, the storms were clearing and the waters were brightening, the mountains were becoming calm again and the trees were regaining all their bright colors. The day before, the shadowy miasmas that emanated from his fortress were spread from border to border across the kingdom; now, all that remained of them was a thin mist around the walls, and they were still visibly receding as the sun shone brighter and brighter. It was clear to him that his defeat was fast approaching.

Hmph. As if that’s at all surprising… 

He was no mere would-be conqueror of the Kingdom of Hyrule; he was Ganondorf, one of a long series of incarnations of the ancient Curse of Demise, and it was his destiny to fight against and be defeated by one who bears the Spirit of the Hero and wields the Master Sword and one who carries the Blood of the Goddess. Such was their never ending cycle. Such was the way it always had been, was, and always would be.

It was not as though he had not tried to find an alternate route, but no creature can win against the hands of fate. He had tried to cast aside the shadows that lingered around him wherever he went, he had tried to guide away the monsters that watched him from the wilderness, following him in hardly-veiled secret and prostrating themselves before him when no civilized creature was looking, and he had tried to ignore the dark impulses within him that told him to bring destruction and ruin to the land.

He had tried, and he had failed. Eventually, he realized that it was no use trying to avoid his fate, and so set about casting his incarnation of terror upon Hyrule, so that a Hero and Princess may arise and bring his downfall. If he could not have peace in life, perhaps there was peace in death, or banishment, or being sealed away or turned to stone, or whatever his incarnation of defeat was to be.

To some extent, he regretted the problems he had caused. He knew firsthand the consequences of using tainted waters and having one’s home and shelter destroyed. Were things truly up to him, not one of his blights would ever have been manifested. But, fate and the Curse had other plans for him and the kingdom, and he could only hope that, after they brought his downfall, the Hero and Princess could make things right again.

The steadily loudening tapping of boots upon stone told him that his adversaries had passed every obstacle he had laid for them within the fortress and were now rapidly ascending the wholly unblocked spiraling stairwell that led to his room at the top of the highest tower.

In five… four… three… two… one…

With much unnecessary force, the door to the chamber burst open, revealing the two who were to be his end, their eyes filled with the fires of determination and quiet-yet-righteous fury. In the Hero’s hand, the legendary Master Sword, glowing with a power that could banish and strike down all evil that dared cross its path, and in the Princess’s hand, the mythical Bow of Light, glowing with a divine radiance that could pierce the shadows themselves.

“So, the saviors of Hyrule have finally arrived… to defeat the source of the evil that plagued your land, to bring about the return of peace and prosperity, to—”

An arrow of light grazed his shoulder, exploding into a gleam burst upon the wall behind him.

“Cut the crap, Ganondorf! We didn’t just march our way through your uninventive puzzles and rehashes of dungeon protectors for you to spew some fancy words about what we already know. Shut up and ready your weapons already so we can fight you and defeat you!”

Ganondorf closed his eyes and sighed. It seemed this Princess Zelda had not changed in the slightest. He had come across her once before, on a trip to the castle in the early days of his fall to the darkness. He did not remember the exact details of the event, but he remembered vividly that she did not care one bit to act like royalty, much less one who is said to hold divinity in her veins. Her gait was casual, her language was coarse, and she had nearly no respect for the norms of nobility. Though she cared for her subjects, no one would think her a princess if not for prior knowledge or her clothing.

“If that’s the way you want it, so be it.” He thrust his hands out to his sides, a double-ended trident materializing in his right and a long curved blade in his left, then moved into a fighting stance. Though he had no formal training whatsoever with one-handed wielding or dual-wielding, something told him that he would find no struggle in doing either.

The two heroes shifted their stances as well, and their battle began. The dark powers within him allowed Ganondorf to shift through the shadows in the room, throwing blasts of dark energy at his opponents between profanely empowered strikes of his weapons. However, their skills and coordination far outmatched his own, and within a short few minutes, he could feel their blows beginning to take their toll. He felt a change in his darkness, as though the curse itself demanded a change in his tactics and spells, and he moved to the room’s center, taking a defensive position and wreathing himself in shadows.

“It seems you two are quite powerful indeed. What a shame it is that we must fight…”

“If you’re so uninvested in this battle, why not just admit defeat now and make this a whole lot easier on all of us?”

Ganondorf began channeling dark energy into a great sphere of shadow. “Because fate does not work that way… I have no choice but to stand before you two as your enemy, in another incarnation of the eternal cycle. No Link, no Zelda, and no Ganon in all history could avoid their place in their incarnation, and each and every time, no matter what it put before the heroes, the darkness always fell to the light in a climactic final confrontation. Why should our story be any different?”

Zelda braced herself to dodge or deflect the attack.

“...It already is…”

This was enough to give them both pause. The dark warrior dismissed his spell and the princess loosened her posture as both turned to stare at the latter’s companion, his infamous silence broken.

“What do you mean ‘it already is’?”

“Our story… is very different… from the legends…” It was clear to Ganondorf that this Link was not accustomed to speaking longer thoughts or giving extended explanations. “Like… our bodies… we are not… what the legends… say we should be.”

The boy gestured at the three in the room. The dark wizard looked down at himself instinctually, realizing that the boy was right; in the legends, the Hero and Princess were Hylians, and Ganondorf a Gerudo, with flaming orange hair and skin tinted a sickly green by the evil within. But it was he who was Hylian now, with untouched dark skin and hair the color of the night sky, and his adversaries showed no signs of Hylian blood; the boy before him held the Master Sword in a scaled, clawed, webbed hand, a trademark trait of the Zora alongside the fish-like tail attached to each of their heads, and the girl glared at him down a beak that could only belong to a Rito, her bow held in hands that much resembled the feathers on her wings.

“And… the legends… have little technology… compared to now. Even the times of the Divine Beasts… we have so much more than them.” He turned his head to look out the window at the sprawling Kodai City, its staggering towers glowing with blue and orange lights. Even Ganondorf’s own fortress and tower incorporated some amount of the splendors of Sheikah technology.

But it doesn’t matter… It can’t matter… right?

“So what if things are a bit different from the legends? That doesn’t change the fact that there’s an evil person, right in front of us, that we need to defeat, so things can go back to normal! I’m getting tired of having to be ‘Zelda.’”

Ganondorf stared at the girl. If her name wasn’t actually Zelda, then that meant that—

“Don’t give me that look! I’ll bet your name isn’t even Ganondorf! Mine certainly isn’t ‘Zelda’, and his isn’t ‘Link’!”

The Princess was correct; he had taken the name as a sort of title when he realized what his purpose was, what the shadows of fate wished him to do. It hadn’t crossed his mind that the same would apply to the two sent to defeat him.

“Ugh… now that you’ve mentioned this, all I can think about is all the other stuff you’ve told me from those musty old books of yours. Wasn’t there something about a previous incarnation having the genders or roles all mixed up, or whatever?”

“Yes… one version of ‘Zelda’ was a prince, and his ‘Link’ was a girl. Another one had a Hero who only wielded the Bow, and the Princess held this Sword.”

“And no one talks about this?!”

“People don’t like to talk about the legends these days… they think it’s dwelling on the past…”

The dark wizard stared in awe as his adversaries discussed the history of the Curse, and the many apparent changes from the very first legends that far preceded his own oddities. If the Curse had deteriorated so, then perhaps…

Perhaps I do have a chance… 

The two turned their attention back to Ganondorf. Perhaps they had come to the decision on their own, or perhaps they saw some change in his eyes or posture, but they began to approach him, Link slowly extending his hand. “So, Ganondorf… would you like to return to the light?”

“Obviously you won’t be forgiven immediately. There’ll be a long list of reparations for you to do, since, you know, you blighted every single region in the kingdom and caused harm to countless innocents, and those reparations mean a lot paperwork for me, which I really don’t want to do…” she stopped for a moment and took a deep breath, “...but I was taught to try to avoid solutions that involve violence and murder, so if that’s the trade off, I am all for it.”

Maybe it was as though they had pierced and torn down a veil in his mind, or perhaps flipped a switch he thought broken beyond repair, but he, almost without thinking, stretched out his own hand to the Hero’s, prepared to join them in a life of light.

And then a burning pain filled his chest.

Surprise and panic filled the eyes of the two before him, the Hero’s hand faltering. As a fiery haze began to build in his vision, he was dimly aware of the wreathing shadows beginning to writhe, not only covering his flesh and clothing, but passing into them, too. He collapsed to his knees, dimly aware of Zelda shouting something at Link and him responding frantically in return, but in far too much agony to properly comprehend it.

You will not escape your destiny.

The voice that filled his mind was old and cruel, like the very concept of darkness and evil given a voice. He tried to shut it out, but it wriggled its way through every tiny weakness in his defenses, growing ever louder and drowning out the shouts of the youths. Now on all fours, he lifted his hand toward them one final and desperate time, then collapsed as a golden light, brighter than anything he had ever seen, shone before him, and the haze and voice gave way to utter silence.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

When his senses returned to him, Ganondorf found himself lying prone on the stone floor of the chamber, his head aching. After a few seconds, he attempted to push himself up, but he found that his limbs felt far weaker than they had only moments ago. He tried and failed several more times before other hands, two far smoother than his and two far softer, pulled him into an upright position on his knees. Slowly, he looked up, and found two familiar faces staring back at him, their mouths twisted in bright smiles that anyone could mistake for mocking glee.

“What… what… just happened to me?”

“Well, if the dark stormy figure outside is anything to go by, I’d say we just expelled the shadows from you.”

“...Stormy figure?”

The two proceeded to duck under his arms and lift him to a proper upright posture, supporting him on their shoulders, then guide him onto the tower’s balcony. Above it was a great storm made of darkness, shadows, and evil he could feel permeating the air. A black whirlwind twisted down from it to the field below, where at its base stood a humanoid form with glowing red eyes, glaring up at the three in the tower with nothing but hatred and malice.

Ganondorf looked between the two. “But… how?”

At this, Link and Zelda merely smiled and pointed to his hand. On each of the three was a fading golden triangle composed of three smaller ones.

“The power of the treasure of the Golden Goddesses... the legendary Triforce… it can work miracles when united, and directed, toward a common goal…”

“Most think the power is lost, buuut the versions of us seem to have a knack for stumbling across it again and again and again.”

The former dark wizard looked from his hands, to those of the heroes, to the heroes’ faces, to the storm, to his hands again. He felt like his mind was trying to process this sudden turn of events at high speed while he couldn't even think at normal speeds, and having weakened limbs and a lingering headache was far from helpful.

“Alright, rest here, you’re way too weak to help us in this fight right now--Link, come on, we have an ancient evil to defeat, once and for all!”

And as the two vaulted off the balcony and glided to the field below, Ganondorf--no, that was no longer his name or title--the newly purified man could not help but let his face drift into a peaceful, genuine smile.

[ashleyswrittenwords]

How to be a Queen [Part 20]

Summary: Princess Zelda is at a loss. Her handed royal responsibilities have begun to weigh heavily on her and she is eventually backed into a corner. Live a life she loathes or run away from everything she’s ever known? Navigating life is hard, and Link forces her to learn that she doesn’t have to do it alone.

Previous

Next

Part 1

How To Be A Queen

In total, it amounted to three months of attending war cabinet meetings to make my presence known.

The first month spent shadowing the men with the decorative swords before running off to my uncle’s room to make sense of their terms. At first it was intimidating, they paid their respects in short bows yet didn’t acknowledge my being for the long duration of each gathering; ranging from two hours to an entire day. It was as if they were hoping if they hadn’t looked at me, I would disappear into the background.

The room was a matter in itself. If a stranger to the castle had no prior knowledge and mistakenly walked in, its purpose would make itself known immediately. To glorify a place known as a war room would be as to what it was known as and was. It was a recessive area of the castle, tucked down underneath any luxuries I had come to know. Maids and servants were replaced with decorated officers and veterans. The doors were forbidden to remain propped open, even on the most humid of days, and nothing inside was ever to be divulged. This was the only hall of the castle untouched by renovation for it was the place where every war began, and every war ended. The war room was Hyrule’s trigger.

Walls dripped in colors of ancient Hylian war paint; red, black, and gold. Weapons of all kinds were decorated, gilded within a frame. Their owners ranged from daring knights to heroes of old. In the center was a table that spanned the length of the room with intricate carving of legends, although on top was the most important piece. It mirrored an old map on the wall, but this one had black pawns to represent all potential threats. They stood like towers against the terrain with wooden carvings to imitate cavalry and foot-soldiers. Red pawns mirrored these dolls, which stood east of the Gerudo sands.

By the month end, I had every rank of command memorized and each division under each admiral written neatly in a leather-bound book.

It took two weeks for the admirals to meet my eye. The evenings were brimming with careful studies, and once Impa returned, I stole her sleep as well to fill in the gaps of political history that were closed off to me as a child.

Three weeks of my questioning went by until they recovered from the fact that a woman was speaking; an additional week before they had the gall to answer their high princess.

The creases under my eyes were deeper and a newly returned Anju complained about the amount of stress I was putting myself under, but – goddess – the feeling of autonomy was a welcome one. As far as royal propriety went, I was free to do what I pleased and choosing to be included was one I picked easily. Though, this newfound freedom came with its own restraints – its own guilt.

Father was becoming scarcer. With the making of amends between us, he drew more distraught over Uncle Nathaniel’s decaying health. Rarely would I find him outside his bed chambers or his study. Soon, I was asked to bring food to his room, so much so that it became apart of my newfound routine. Most of the day was split between Uncle and his war cabinet. In some sense I was his liaison and he was my mentor. Though, I hoped desperately he would continue to be once he overcome this illness.

My evenings were visiting Father. Some days were better and he would change into proper clothes, others were darker and he hardly had the strength to get out of bed. The latter where I would eat supper in his room and watch over him, hoping he would finish his meal.

Tonight, I suspected, would pose to be darker.

Uncle’s cough was raspy and guttural and his nurse withdrew the spoon of stew. Once it subsided, she fluffed the pillows that propped him up to a seat and scooped a spoonful again. I thumbed the pages of my book between my fingers, distracting myself with the rough texture.

Finally fed up with the doe eyes he was giving the women, I let out a noticeable sigh. “I don’t understand it,” I said once he looked away. Truly, the nurse was beautiful and at last he has found a woman to dote on that wasn’t twenty years younger, but did this flirtation need occur with his niece present?

“Trust me, little one,” his voice was weak and didn’t carry the volume it once had, “If I knew my brother’s mysteries… well, I dare to think I would solve the secret to life itself.”

His light laugh sloped into a coughing fit.

“Dear Tressa,” he put a light hand on the nurse’s arm who smiled warmly at him. “Would you mind fetching me a bed warmer? I fear I will catch a chill.”

She set the stew on his nightstand and excused herself. I took the chance to take her seat as he looked at me with a face that seemed a decade older than when I left the castle. My heart sunk with fear for him.

“You were but a child when your mother passed, and I suspect you took notice in your father’s absence during that mourning period,” he stopped to smooth out his night shirt as if it were his formal wear, “Rhoam is an intelligent man. He holds pride in his crown, as any king of this great country should, but there is a price to pride. Gold is as beautiful as it is blinding. It will confuse you when you lose focus and drag you down. His way of closing off is a form of this.”

I sat with a strained expression that made him pressure me.

“Between your condition and, and Father’s,” irritation sank into my voice, “I feel this is my fault for leaving. Somehow… somehow a punishment of sorts.”

He watched me fold my hands over themselves, “It is not.”

Uncle Nathaniel waited until my hands stilled, “It is not because of you.”

“But-!”

“I won’t hear it,” the sternness in his voice was not what a sick man would possess, and it silenced me. “What you did with that boy was invaluable, Zelda. Did you meet people?”

“Y-yes.”

“Did you face struggles?”

“Yes.”

“Did you have fun? Find beauty in your country? Find beauty in your people?”

My smile wobbled, “Yes. I did.”

“Then your only regret should be that you hadn’t been gone longer.”

I nodded, folding my hands once more in my lap and leaving them.

We let silence fill in and he eventually sighed against his pillows, “It is more than Rhoam has done. You will find that every action in these suffocating walls have their own set of consequences. Without the right people around you-” Uncle stopped and lifted his brow at me, “The throne will pull a veil over your eyes.

“When Mariam died, it did just that. Grief subdued him and the whispers of his advisers wormed in. Fear of a calamity. Fear that he would lose not just a family, but a kingdom. With all the good intentions the priests had, they forced Rhoam to abandon values your mother upheld for him.”

I pressed him, “What do you mean?”

“He was harder on preventing Hyrule’s vulnerabilities from showing. Our pacts with neighboring regions were nullified in effort to create a semblance of self-sufficiency. With that created new problems that he didn’t acknowledge,” he hardened and swallowed dryly. I saw frustration in my uncle.

“The rural Gerudo tribes,” I said suddenly, dread burrowed into me. “Father caused the food shortages.”

My uncle’s eyes left me, but a thin smile met him, “Yes. I remember, years ago when I traveled, going to the far reaches of the desert. The people there were kind, amiable. They saved me from dehydration at a small oasis they build their villages around. I was introduced to their culture, their norms.” When he looked up, the smile gone. “Twenty years later I would be ordering the slaughter of their people.”

A moment strained and I witnessed the anger in his eyes. Slowly, it devolved into remorse and then resolve. “Zelda,” Uncle Nathaniel said, “These people are not primitive. Stereotypes be damned, every man who was there knows that.”

“I-I was under the pretense that they were fanatics, that they-”

“They are a scorned and abandoned people. Try going hungry for months on end,” he sighed, but his anger was present. “Seeing children shriveled up on the side of roads and passing mourning women. Hungry people grow desperate and whoever can bring comfort to that and create the confidence I saw on that sand…”

He grew quiet and looked on to the window where the sun was high. Somberly, he declared, “I fear such a man.”

  When the day drew to a close, I had surprisingly found Father in the parlor of his chambers. I returned his polite smile when I placed a plate of meat and vegetables before him and sat on the loveseat across from him. The hearth between us glowed warmth.

He bookmarked his novel and put it aside, “You’ve been busy today.”

“I keep myself busy,” I said, glancing up to him.

We ate in silence where he would make the occasional comment about the food and I would agree. Once we finished, I let him know about my day. It was something that I hadn’t done for years and within the last couple months has become the norm. As happy as it made me, I wished it was born of different circumstances.

Another new routine between us was reading through requests, filtered by Impa the day before. I picked them up from the cushion beside me and began reading them to my father. He sat silently, sometimes asking me to make notes on responses.

“King Dorephan has written condolences for the general and sends his prayers,” I said, going for the pencil.

“Write back saying great thanks and how we hope for the best,” he paused, “Then give kind regards for the Zoran prince and princess.”

When my writing stilled, I looked up to him. My fingers sealed the envelope with the letter inside to draw out a reply later when Impa was available. “Father,” I started, “May I ask something that is out turn?”

My father blinked in surprise but nodded. “Please do.”

“Why haven’t you seen Uncle Nathaniel?”

There was a beat of quietness that settled as he thought, “Somehow, I suspected you would eventually ask me something to that effect.” He readjusted in his seat and brought his hand to his beard. He breathed in slowly, then out like he did during stressed conferences. “I’m afraid for him.”

I tilted my head in confusion and he took notice.

“The physicians keep saying that he will be on the mend in a matter of weeks. It’s been almost four months, now,” he frowned, in his words were distress. They grew taunt. “It is startlingly similar to what they said about Mariam.”

At that, I looked away and to my skirts. “Oh.”

“I know it’s selfish. It’s just… false hopes are more difficult to lose.”

“Father,” I shook my head. “I understand how you feel, but he asks about you often.” I trailed off, trying to give voice to my feelings and shake off my old fears of overstepping. “I do love you very much and I perhaps if you saw him, it will lift your spirits as well as his.”

The lines in his face were deeper than I remember, then he laughed a laugh that reminded me much of his brother. “Will it quell your worries if I see him at noon tomorrow?”

“Enough to stop me from pestering you further,” I said, warmth growing in my chest at his smile.

“Very well then,” Father glanced at the clock. “I trust you to look over the rest of those papers there for me, Zelda. I must retreat to my bed.”

The warmth grew to the blossoming smile I tried to repress at his words. He trusted me.

“Thank you, Father.”

Promptly, I bid him goodnight and once he was in his bedroom, I took leave as well. In my head, I ran through the list of notes he had given me, nearly running into a servant in the hallway.

“Your Highness, my deepest apologies,” he said, bowing shortly.

“It’s no matter, sir,” I nodded politely.

“May I inquire if the king is in commission? Reports for him and the general have just arrived.”

“I’m afraid he has retired for the evening,” I replied lightly, “But I am working with him and his cabinet to alleviate the workload. I can take them off your hands.”

As I stacked the ribbon tied pile of letters underneath my current load, a question took hold of the tip of my tongue, “Um, sir, does there happen to be anything requested to me?”

“Nothing for Her Highness. This is mostly correspondence with the front lines,” the servant bid me a good evening and ran off with piles for the admirals. I stood there for a moment, disappointment ebbing. I carried on through the halls and heard no footsteps behind me. It wasn’t as if I should have been expecting it, though it was the first time I had someone this month. Father had been somewhat right about how false hopes hurt.

I tried pushing the plaguing thoughts away, only for him to return to them. I wasn’t foolish, I knew where my former knight attendant was. I took small notes when his unit was discussed in the war room. He couldn’t be in immediate danger and I kept reminding myself that no war had been declared.

There would be war, though. Today the Gerudo aristocracy had requested reprieve at Hyrule Castle. Rebels were launching attacks on the borders of their capital and Hylian troops were mobilizing. They were proving to be more strategic than our opponents in the Uprising, leading the war cabinet to suppose that we were in for a far longer fight than ever before.

“By the goodness of Hylia, where did that come from,” Impa said, ripping me from my worries. She stood outside my chambers and opened the door for me as I approached.

“The messengers from the desert had come in when I left Father,” I laughed, somewhat incredulous myself. “And honestly with the state Uncle Nathaniel is in, I’d like to at least go through it for him.”

Impa continued staring as we continued to the hearth of my bedroom. Pillows and cushions riddled the floor as well as a small coffee table to write on. I threw the stack on the bed and Impa pulled some of the ties to my dress so I could slip into something more suitable for the floor.

“That little maid will kill you if you’re up for long,” she chided, making me laugh once more.

“Yes, I do think she will.”

We got to work quickly, reading through and sorting the parchments from level of importance. The most important meant that they needed to be answered and delivered first; for example, Father’s letter from King Dorephan. The second level varied from requests for assets by noblemen to simple reports from officers; these didn’t need immediate response and typically waited a day on this table. The third level was littered with letters that need no answer at all yet still could yield value to Father – or more commonly now, myself. It was incredibly monotonous, but it proved to be efficient.

“Chief Gor Coron wants King Rhoam’s consideration to betroth you to his son,” Impa mumbled. “Again.”

I closed my eyes and let out a long sigh, “He’s a very sweet boy, but he’s also fifteen.”

“Do you think it requires a reply from the Crown?”

“I vote for fourth pile.”

“Fourth pile it is.”

The fourth pile – the fire – was everything that His Majesty didn’t need to mind at all.

I placed a letter a lord who couldn’t gather an audience with the king into the second pile. Impa handed me the opener and announced she was going to chase down a kitchen maid for a strong pot of coffee. I had barely acknowledged her declaration by the time she had left. With the opener in one hand and the next envelope in the other, it slid across the paper cleanly. At least through this I got the pleasure of hearing the straight tearing of paper.

Absently, I wondered what time it was as I scanned the paper and stopped abruptly. The handwriting was scratchy and precise, resembling one that had been sitting under my mattress for months. My knees drew up to my chest from my relaxed seat.

General Nohansen,

In the hopes that this letter finds you well, I write to you my routine update of the state we’re in.

Currently, we’re stationed at the coordinates given by Admiral Fierlin the month prior. Gerudo Town is only ten leagues from our camp. My contacts within have alerted me that every tenth night there is some form of attack within public places on the outskirts of the city. Obviously, they are organized and deliberate. For weeks, at your request, I have pushed the Gerudo officials to request protected travel from their capital to our own…

The letter derailed into specific numbers about supplies and increasing men still arriving.

…Again, in regards of your health, we all pray to Hylia for your steady recovery. Until then, I’m at your disposal as usual.

Cpt. Forester

 I read his letter thrice before putting it down.

Mechanically, I let it fall into the second pile so that I would remember to share it with Uncle the next day. For whatever reason, it hurt worse each time I read it. I knew Elian had delivered my letter. He was at the castle last month, doubling for a messenger. Goddesses, I had spoken to him and asked if he had. Even then, my heart pleaded that he hadn’t. Surely, because Link would have written back.

Maybe… I was misled.

Impa opened the door with a maid in tow. She placed a tray of coffee on the table beside the mess of papers, poured the pot of coffee in two cups and quietly left. The older woman sighed, sitting cross legged on the pillows before taking a sit. As she did, she watched my silence to the letter sitting neatly at the top of the pile.

She swallowed the bitter liquid, “Zelda.”

My heart tried to steer my mind. “Yes?”

“You’re upset.”

I went to shake my head, “No—I.” I laughed quickly to cover my uneven breath, “I’m simply tired.”

My hands went for a new envelope and the letter opener. Impa repeated my name.

The curved blade of the opener missed the slip of the envelope, making me curse to myself until it made it in. He hadn’t even referenced me. Inelegantly, I retched it upward. The tear ended halfway down the envelope and hands stilled my own at my wrists.

“Zelda!” she said, carefully taking the letter opener from me. By then, I was reduced to shuddering gasps and spilling tears against her. “Af… after everthing-” A wail that fell to a sob escaped, “Three months of…  of nothing!”

Nothing of his condition or his whereabouts. How many letters has he bothered to send while I waiting patiently for anything from him? What has changed so drastically? I wasn’t so dull to forget that at the end of the day he had a job – we both did! Still, it didn’t stop me from thinking about him at night. It hadn’t not worried me when his commanding admiral made passing comments of bomb threats. The feelings I had thought we shared were still present and very much alive in my heart.

Then, in other bouts of his silence, it made me irrevocably angry. After all, he had left.

And, perhaps, that was it. That was all there was to it. The note he left at the inn had no remarks about wanting me to write to him. There was nothing to be said about wanting to see me again, not in the way I wanted to see him.

We sat there as she smoothed out my hair and whispered my name among shushes. It could have been hours or the entire night, but eventually I came to. Exhaustion overtook me and I slumped in my seat. Impa pulled away, tucking a strand of blonde hair behind my ear.

“I know you are grieving for much right now,” she said, “but you cannot lose sight. Whatever… whatever transpired between you two – I won’t inquire.” Impa looked forlornly at me with ruby eyes, “You should understand that what happened in your reprieve from the castle mustn’t continue.”

My stomach dropped at the thought. I saw his face from the inn, one of longing and regret. The feeling of heated cheeks when he’d look at me. His smile at my silly comments. I saw my ring in his hand and the resolve in his eyes and the callous of his fingers. The tender needs of a man who could put up a stone front so convincing that you’d thing he had lived his entire life without speaking a word and break it down just as easy – just for me.

Then, I saw the letter addressed to the general.

“With your coming of age and the current state of the Crown, Zelda,” she pulled my attention again. “You should consider the possibility of assuming the role of acting Queen of Hyrule.”

I sat quietly, neither confirming or negating her. It had been a thought that seemed more imaginary than plausible, but now Impa gave it life. Six months ago, I would have laughed at the notion and chalked it up to an implausible prediction; now it felt startling.

“I have,” I sniffed, brushing my wet cheek with my nightgown sleeve. “If my country needs me, I will not run from it.”

[drabbledragon]

Anon ideas again! I loved the last thing you wrote!! It was so cool!! I love it! Oh I have another thing if you want to think about it! Ok so they all shift from world to world in the LU AU right? Maybe making one were Wild shifted BEFORE meeting them and he is alone trying to survive in a place that he do not remember and is almost like getting out from the shrine every time, only that right know he remembers

Glad to hear that you liked the last prompt! This one took a bit longer to write and twice the size of the previous prompt but rest assured, it was fun to write! This one falls heavily onto the angsty side but it does have its brief moment of fluff.

Anomaly

Summary: Wild struggles through constant changes in environments and yet, he is still able to find times of solace.

Warnings: A moderate amount of violence, near character death, as well as temporary character death.

In the midst of a sea of sand and large rock outcroppings, Link ran for dear life. His breaths came out in shallow pants as he sprinted across the unstable ground of the desert, letting out frustrated whines every time his long hair would fall into his face and stick to his sweaty skin. What he would give to still have his Desert Voe or Gerudo Vai outfits right now; too bad they were both torn to shreds a few shifts ago. He briefly glanced behind him, eyes widening in both disbelief and exasperation as he saw five large birds still pursuing him. 

Link let out a curse. How long has he been running for? Five minutes? He’s had Bokoblins and Moblins chase him for a few seconds at a time but this was ridiculous. All he did was walk by the green birds’ nests and that alone seemed to send them into a spiraling rampage. He winced as their angry screeches only seemed to grow louder overtime, most likely an attempt to discourage him and slow him down. Enemies in this desert - ‘ Gerudo Desert with Bird Statues’, he deemed it - appeared to have the shortest of tempers and would attack at the slightest of provocations.

This had all started a few weeks ago. He wasn’t sure what caused it in the first place but the familiar feeling of being transported by the Sheikah Slate - or what he assumed to be the Sheikah Slate - brought him to a neatly - cut field teeming with wildlife. At first, Link thought he had shifted to Hyrule Field by accident but upon taking a closer look, he noticed that there was something … off about it: the field was surrounded by tall overhangs, the weeds and overgrown trees were kept to a minimum, and he could even see a few travellers directing a friendly smile his way. It was all very bizzare - like nothing he’s ever seen before and for a second, he believed he was in a completely different Hyrule. A check of the slate revealed nothing but text reading ‘no signal’ and a static screen, indicating that he was out of the Sheikah Towers’ range. Despite how confused he was, he waved it off as a simple malfunction and went on his way. As soon as he grew accustomed to his surroundings, he felt the feeling of weightlessness again and in the blink of an eye, he was transported to a dark cave filled with tall, orange reptile - like creatures hissing for his blood. Then just a day later, he was on a coastal island, and then a dense forest a few days after, and then only a few hours later, he was dropped into a village that resided in the sky with strange people that looked oddly like him. 

The shifts happened randomly and constantly and it was disconcerting that no matter how many times he checked his Sheikah Slate, its screen would always show the same message. He tried to live off what little of the land he knew but he would rarely find edible food or durable weapons and the amount of unfamiliar monsters he encountered made him think the Goddess up there really hated him. It was chaos, plain and simple, and he was stuck in a never - ending loop of hostile monsters and dwindling supplies.

Out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of one of the birds swooping down towards him. It’s getting ready to attack, he noticed, and without a moment’s hesitation, Link hastily pulled the sword from his back and moved it about in a messy arc, smirking as the enemy let out a strangled cry before collapsing in the sand. Even with only one weapon left, he still put up a pretty good fight. 

The chorus of screeches suddenly grew in pitch and Link looked up just in time to see one of the remaining enemies getting awfully close to him. He moved his arm to attack again but was caught by surprise when the large bird hastily ripped its claws through his skin instead before choosing to tug madly at his tunic. It was clearly enraged at the stunt he just pulled off and judging by how the other three birds seemed to follow its lead, there was no chance he would be shown a shrivel of mercy. In a matter of seconds, all four enemies surrounded him like hungry vultures, claws catching onto his hair, skin, and clothes and leaving deep angry gashes in their wake. His blade was ripped from his hand before he had the chance to use it again and all Link could do now was hope that he could outrun them.

However, he came to an abrupt stop when he felt the claws and feathers disappear from around him. He glanced back to see the four enemies flying away from him, one bird in particular clutching his sword. His eyebrows furrowed in silent confusion. They … they weren’t chasing him just for the sword, right?

Realization suddenly dawned on him as he felt the sand start to envelop his worn boots. He had ran directly into quicksand without noticing … and the birds had left him to die.

Link could feel the panic start to overtake him. There would be no problem if he completely sunk into the sand - Mipha’s Grace would easily bring him back to life - but the real problem lay with how he was going to make it out once he was revived; he would still be stuck underground with his limbs barely able to move and would be forced to die again once he ran out of air. The cycle would repeat again and again and again until Mipha couldn’t provide for him anymore, leading him to his final death.

He forced the thoughts away with a shake of his head and instead focused on finding the nearest sturdy surface. Yes! There was a bird statue not too far from him that he could grab onto and pull himself out with; it was a few meters away and judging by the rate at which he was sinking, he wouldn’t make it, but he still needed to try - he was never the one to turn away from danger anyways.

Each step brought him agonizingly closer to his goal. The sand was impeding him and each movement was met with startling resistance that only furthered his dread. No matter how little he moved, he was only drawn in closer to the ground. His legs, his waist, his chest - Hylia, he was barely a meter away from the bird statue and even he was starting to doubt the legitimacy of his plan. He reached a hand out in a desperate attempt to grasp onto any part of the statue but he was only met with empty air. He took one deep breath before his head inevitably sunk into the ground, eyes squeezed shut as he waited for death to take him.

Then as if the Goddess herself had heard his silent pleas, the familiar weightless sensation filled his body. In a matter of seconds, the hot desert sand surrounding him was suddenly replaced by freezing - cold water.

Link couldn’t help the gasp that escaped his lips. Within the brief moment that he had been plunged into the water, his enter body had already grown numb due to the temperature and he was already beginning to feel weighed down by the water seeping into his tunic. 

He started to quickly kick his legs in a feeble attempt to swim. The rippling image of the moon taunted him above the water, meaning he couldn’t be too far away from the surface. Despite how dark his vision was getting or how much his body begged him to rest, he still swam with all his might, knowing that his only chance of survival would immediately disappear the moment he stopped.  

Air stung his lungs as soon as he broke through the surface and each gulp of breath sent him further into a state of hysterical euphoria. He caught sight of a sandbank not too far ahead and his arms immediately started to pull him forward with newfound energy. Once on land, he collapsed onto the ground in a shuddering heap and he couldn’t stop himself from heaving up mouthfuls of dirty water that dribbled back into the river like little snakes. He’s okay, he told himself between each shuddering gasp, he made it out alive. He curled in on himself once the adrenaline subsided into a bone - deep chill, his harsh coughs piercing the night air. 

Link stared at the moon through half - lidded eyes. It was well into the night wherever he was, and it would certainly be smart to find shelter before any monsters could find him. His tunic was thoroughly soaked and barely provided him with any warmth too, so he would definitely need to take that off before he could fall sick.

He weakly pushed himself onto shaking arms and knees and was able to catch a glimpse of a dimly - lit village not too far away from him. Perfect, he would be given a chance to find a warm home with a hopefully decent meal; maybe get some directions after he took a long nap, too. Slowly but surely, he brought himself to his feet and sluggishly made his way over to the small town.

Link couldn’t believe how much of a crowd there was. Yes, the amount of people made him anxious but he couldn’t help but smile at the families ambling around with small children or the cheerful salesmen wildly waving around their product. Lantern light lit up the air and illuminated the street and despite how cold Link was, he felt himself ease up as the warmth of the light embraced him. It was a quaint village that he had never been to before but the bustling street seemed to invite him in like an old friend.

He quietly followed the flow of the crowd, eyeing the small stands and little shops lining the street: they seemed to sell everything from an assortment of fruits and vegetables to different styles of clothing and weaponry. He could stock up while he’s here; he only has a day’s worth of apples left in his Sheikah Slate anyway. Maybe he would get the chance to make a meal for the night and a few more in case he gets stranded on his journey again - Cream of Mushroom Soup sounded really good right now and his stomach seemed to grumble in agreement. He should hopefully have enough Rupees to buy him all the ingredients and if not, he could always ask if he could do any extra work as pay -

“Did you hear that the Hero of Legend has returned from his adventure?”

Link came to a sudden stop and discreetly tilted his head towards two men who stood at a table outside a bar. ‘Hero of Legend’, huh? That was certainly a title he’s never heard before. He’s heard things like ‘Hero of Time’, ‘Hero of Hyrule’, and ‘Hero of Twilight’ but ‘Hero of Legend’ was something brand new to him. Now, he wasn’t sure where exactly those titles were derived from or if they’re somehow connected to him at all but that was a problem for a later time; right now, he wanted to know what these men knew. He quietly shuffled to a nearby fruit stand, mindlessly inspecting an apple as he eagerly waited for the conversation to continue.

“Ah, Link’s back already? His last trip lasted two months so I’m surprised he came back this early.”

“Yeah, well, rumor has it that he fell sick again; he’s even worse off now than he was when he returned from sea. I heard from one of the soldiers that he fainted as soon as he stepped foot into Hyrule Castle and he’s been holed up in his home ever since. The Princess even sent out a message to all of Hyrule saying that no one’s to go in or around his house except for a select few. I’m not exactly sure what he’s been up to but it looks like he pushed himself too far this time.”

“The poor kid. Who’s taking care of him now?”

“Not really sure. A friend of mine saw a few soldiers posted outside his door courtesy of the Princess but there was also this weird guy with a purple rabbit hood leaving and entering the house at will. I’ve seen that boy stop by for food and potions here, too, so I guess he’s the one out shopping for Link while he’s out of commission. Still, it’s a little weird that the Princess would send someone like that of all people to take care of Hyrule’s hero.”

Link frowned when the conversation dissolved into quiet murmurs. So there is another Link here - and he might be able to speak with him. He’s gathered from murmured stories and dedicated monuments that when there was a ‘Hero of Something’, there was a Link, but the problem of never being able to find said hero always arose. Yet now was his chance: the resident Link was home and he could finally get some answers. He would ask what was happening with the various titles that have been floating around, ask for access to Zelda, and hopefully resolve the problem with his Sheikah Slate once and for all.

He nodded a quick farewell to the salesmen before hastily striding towards the two men, hands already poised to sign; however, a shriek shattered the lively atmosphere and Link couldn’t help but turn towards the sound. 

Just a few blocks away stood a petrified woman, arms gripped deathly around her bag of groceries as a large Hinox towered over her. 

Link’s instincts automatically kicked in. With an annoyed ‘tch’, he snatched a bow and a handful of arrows from a nearby vendor before breaking into a mad dash towards the scene. Of course this had to happen now of all times - he was so close to having his life returned to normal but despite how strongly he felt about the matter, his morals deemed that the life of one person weighed more than a lifetime of peace for him. He drew back the bow with trained precision and let the arrow loose from his grip where it directly pierced the beast’s eye in a matter of seconds.

It was a perfect shot.

The ground shook as the Hinox let out a guttural roar of pain as it stumbled back into a group of buildings. The houses crumbled under the sudden weight and inevitably became a mess of stones and plaster that spilled onto the crowded streets. Flames were starting to trickle from the fallen lanterns and villagers were in a state of disarray as they pushed and toppled over each other trying to get away but Link stood his ground, already notching a few more arrows and lining up his shot. 

Despite how chaotic the battlefield was, Link was in his element. He was used to fighting among rubble and open spaces against monsters that were way too big to take on alone; he felt at home again and he couldn’t help but smirk with the utmost confidence as each arrow wedged itself into the Hinox. The enemy was undeniably strong - probably stronger than any he’s ever encountered before - but that didn’t discourage him; it just meant he couldn’t be as reckless as he usually was. He supposed he could attack closer with a sword or use some of his Champion abilities but despite how many people have fled, there was still a substantial amount left cowering behind stones and nestled into corners; he didn’t want to hurt anybody in case they happened to fall in his line of fire. The risks far outweighed the benefits so attacking from afar it was, giving him the advantage of longer reaction time and more supplies at his disposal.

Just as he readied another arrow, his eyes widened when he saw the creature suddenly crouch down to eye a trembling boy beside it. That entire monologue of being careful and planning ahead was thrown out the window as soon as Link broke into a sprint. That boy was seconds away from death and it fueled him to run faster despite how much his legs ached or how much the smoke burned his lungs; he couldn’t let any more people suffer because of him. As the Hinox raised his hand to swipe at the child, he lunged forward, successfully pushing the boy to the side and taking the full force of the hit. His body flew lifelessly through the air and finally smacked into a concrete building, his head making a sickening crack before his vision faded to black. 

There was nothing after that: there were no sights, sounds, sensations - anything to tell Link that he was still alive. In short, he had simply died.

That is, until a sudden bright green light filled the empty void. Within the green wisps of air that filled his vision stood a beautiful Zora princess, eyes filled with so much fondness and love that it made his heart flutter. She gently moved to place her hands on either side of his face before leaning her forehead onto his, eyes closed as a quiet “ it was my pleasure” escaped her lips

Whatever pain he felt instantly vanished along with the light and he could feel days’ worth of wounds slowly heal. He opened his eyes to destroyed buildings and blazing fires surrounding him with a particularly large creature facing away from him - a Hinox - and before he was able to register it, Revali’s Gale had took him into the sky. 

He wasn’t sure how he got into this situation; the high of being revived from Mipha combined with the adrenaline coursing through him made his body lithe and agile and his mind hyperfocus  on the enemy, unable to recall any recent events that took place. To him, nothing in this world existed but the Hinox and himself and once he caught sight of the enemy, he had the overwhelming urge to kill it. Just moments away from the ground, he let his fingers snap and numbly watched how lightning seemed to pour from the sky directly to the lone enemy on the field; it was burnt to a crisp within seconds and Link could have sworn he heard Urbosa’s haughty laughter ring faintly in the distance.

As soon as his boots touched the ground, he felt the surge of euphoria slip away into an eerie calmness and he was suddenly aware of the creature’s lifeless body falling towards him. He quickly sidestepped and watched the burnt form roughly hit the ground before silently disappearing in a puff of black smoke.

“H - How…” 

Link curiously looked over his shoulder to see an old man shakily pointing a finger towards him, his face unnaturally pale.

“I saw it…” He stuttered. “ I - I saw you die with my own two eyes and yet you - … You were brought back to life within mere seconds… l - like one of Ganon’s monsters.” His expression suddenly hardened and his eyes were filled with a blazing rage. “ … You’re a monster.”

Link stilled at the statement. Terrified gasps sounded from all around him and small murmurs of “monster” and “death” seemed to float through the air like dying leaves. They thought he was a … monster? He frantically brought his hands up in a feeble attempt to explain himself but was abruptly silenced by another woman.

“Get out!” She shouted as she waved around a steel hammer. The crowd seemed to agree with her, joining in with threats of their own and raising their respective weapons.

“Leave us alone!”

“Get lost!”

“Monster!”

He felt like a cornered animal. They were all screaming at him with harsh voices and every person he looked at seemed to glare back with a mix of horror and disgust like he was some sort of abomination. He shrunk back under their gazes and any attempt to argue back was lost to panicked thoughts. They thought he was a monster - they thought he was a monster. He let these people down, he let this whole village down, he let Hyrule down, he let Zelda down - he let everyone down.

Link suddenly bolted, leaving an outraged crowd in his wake. His feet pounded heavily against cobblestone pathways and no matter how far away he got from those villagers, their taunts always seemed to echo right behind him. He heard everything from the aggressive shouts of older men to the despairing wails of small children; everyone was against him, no matter who they were, and he needed to get away from them - he needed to be anywhere but here. 

His legs carried him through rock solid ground and small puddles of water to overgrown grass and soft dirt floors. He didn’t know where he was going but Hylia, he needed to get as far away from that village as he could. It wasn’t until he felt his breaths coming out in short gasps did he finally stop to lean himself against a tree and vainly tried to suppress his overwhelming emotions. He was known as one of the strongest and courageous knights in all of Hyrule so why was he letting a few insults get under his skin? It was clearly a misunderstanding among the village but why did their scorn and hatred hurt him so much? He let his legs give out from beneath him and buried his head into his knees. Was he that much of a failure?

He sat curled in on himself for an indeterminate amount of time, unsuccessfully trying to banish the mocking voices from his head. None of the cricket chirps or owl hoots seemed to alleviate the loneliness like they usually did and no matter how much he tried to calm himself, echoes of “monster” would always come back and haunt him. He felt hopeless, pathetic, and alone among the dense forest. That is until a sudden tune caught his attention.

His ears perked up at the sound that seemed to drift with the wind, its notes faintly distinguishable but definitely recognizable. The song was the one the Koroks would sing from time to time whenever he visited the Great Deku Tree; it was a happy tune and their voices were always filled with joy and cheer whenever they sang. He couldn’t recall the name of it but he knew it was one of the Seven Sages’ songs - ‘Sophia’s Song’ or something like that? Regardless, it was a tune he was familiar with and maybe if he followed it, he could find a few Koroks to comfort him. 

Link easily wove his way through the trees, turning his head every which way to find the source of the song. He was getting closer with each step and he could feel a sense of longing bubbling inside his chest.

However, his hopes were dashed when he found the source of the song to not be coming from a forest full of virtue and life, but instead a makeshift campsite comprised of a few travellers. There seemed to be three of them: a young man wrapped in a blue scarf sound asleep on his side, a snoring young boy wearing a blue tunic sprawled haphazardly across the dirt, and an older - looking man propped against a tree, eyes closed in peaceful bliss as he let his fingers glide effortlessly across a blue instrument. The eldest played the song he’d been hearing without hesitation, almost as if the tune was ingrained in his mind.

Although not exactly what Link was hoping for, he couldn’t help but watch and relax. It wasn’t home, but it was the closest to home he’s gotten to in a few weeks and Hyrule be damned if it thought he was going to let this opportunity slip. Content, he decided to settle towards a hollow tree trunk but quickly froze as twig snapped beneath his feet.

The older man immediately stopped playing and peered into the dense foliage. The hero held his breath as the stranger moved closer to investigate, trading the blue instrument for a rather large - looking sword that was nearly the size of Link himself; and despite the immediate danger he was in, he couldn’t help but notice how similar the man looked to him - even with the bizarre markings on his face and the scar over his eye. It was strange to say the least but for all he knew, the other could be an enemy and he didn’t want to be thrown into combat after all that’s happened tonight. What did Link have left to defend himself with anyways? Daruk’s Protection?

He was more than grateful when an owl suddenly flew into the clearing and perched on one of the long branches, drawing in the man’s gaze. The animal and Hylian stared at each other for a long few seconds before the latter lightly shook his head and smiled fondly at the creature; that seemed to ease the tension in his shoulders. He soon after walked back to his spot, letting the sword rest against the tree and bringing the instrument back to his lips to play the same soft tune again; in fact, the owl seemed to chime in with soft hoots here and there as if singing along. 

Link was alright for now. He was somewhere off in a strange forest, exhausted and hungry, a small village not too far away demanding for his death, and probably moments away from being transported to yet another strange part of Hyrule, and yet, he was able to find a small semblance of home anyways among a group of strangers, a soft tune unknowingly being the start of their inevitable meeting. 

[ganymedesclock]

Very great analysis on how bleak the cycle can be. What’s your take on how the cycle works regarding other villains, like Vaati, or Majora?

So I know you asked about the cycle in-universe, led here I would guess from this post, but there’s a noteworthy followup I made in that vein here, and that’s important context to how I feel about a lot of the Zelda rogues’ gallery.

Because the thing is, if you go looking for qualities to hate, you’ll always find them.

Ghirahim invades Link’s space in a way that feels- to me- very gay panic. He talks in luscious detail about wanting to do violence onto Link’s person. He threatens to run through his subordinates.

Zant creeps on Midna at a major part. And, Zant’s very easy for me to relate to and want to defend, because the big other thing used to make Zant seem “scary and off-putting” is his literal autistic meltdowns. They may not be called that by name, but Zant thrashing, bending weirdly, the noises he makes and slamming his head on the floor when frustrated and overwhelmed, as an autistic person, I recognize intimately. I can’t even say it’s that much of a caricature of stimming and meltdowns.

Vaati kidnaps “beautiful maidens”. We’re given plenty of reasons to hate them.

My beef is, a lot of these issues feel petty- not in their in-universe damage done, but petty in a writing sense. 

Hearing that Ghirahim controls the bokoblins through threat of force is basically meaningless. We can’t really be all up in arms that Ghirahim is threatening to stab bokoblins because in that cutscene alone we tear them apart en masse ourselves. We can have the excuse that they’re our Enemies, but they’re Ghirahim’s subordinates, but really, how much of an excuse is that? Yes, there’s a difference between stabbing enemies and stabbing allies, but The Legend of Zelda is not a work that has any kind of moral high ground to point fingers about dehumanizing people. We’re not even dignified a response from the Bokoblins. You could omit Ghirahim’s threat entirely and nothing about that scene’s weight or context would change.

Zant getting uncomfortably up in Midna’s space is just supposed to be a cruelty that make us feel more justified when Zant dies in a comparatively graphic and painful-looking manner. They are not used as meaningful characterizing moments. It doesn’t illustrate that Zant wields cultural power over Midna, because in their dynamic, both make clear that Midna was the favored one- she was chosen to rule- while criticizing Zelda, she alludes to having a life of luxury herself (since she’s projecting her own issues onto Zelda in that scene) while Zant at least perceives himself as having lived a tortured life and Midna doesn’t contradict him or call him a liar, merely insists that he was power hungry and that’s why “everyone” felt justified turning away from him.

It doesn’t indicate Zant really wants Midna because it seems to just exist as an opportunity to set up Zant attacking her for siding with the light world. It doesn’t even really indicate Midna’s character growth because she doesn’t seem to seriously consider Zant’s words and she never suggests in the past she might’ve gone along with him.

The thing about The Cycle and it’s cruelty is that it’s something that exists halfway in and halfway out of the fourth wall. Hyrule can’t stay at peace. It can’t be stable and happy. It has to be imperiled because they want to keep making games.

The villains in the Zelda series are created to fill a role. They’re boss fights. In that sense, they’re trophy bucks to be hunted down for our entertainment. You could arguably say the same thing about any video game boss, but, I would argue, a well-written game gives you reasons to find opposing this character meaningful.

The Zelda series does not do this.

The Zelda series mostly gives you some cheap heat excuses and a lot of vague words about how someone is Evil or Diabolical. Next time you fire up a Zelda game, just, stop and pay attention to the cutscenes and look at just how much of a given character’s crimes are: 1. vague, 2. only ever stated by other characters who already hate that character, 3. make no sense as a strategic move unless you intuit or assume a lot of information the game never tells you.

It’s really easy to assume in the average game that Ganondorf- or Vaati, or Skull Kid, or Zant, or Ghirahim- is running wild killing people and burning the countryside. But if you actually look at it, there doesn’t seem to be a clear thesis to who’s hurt and who isn’t.

Why do the Zora get frozen? Why is Valoo’s tail attacked? Why does Zant attack Hyrule’s light spirits but doesn’t seem to spread the twilight to Snowpeak or the Gerudo Desert when they’re seemingly unprotected?

So the end result is you get split one of two ways. You either trust the Experience of the game- that tells you the entire countryside is suffering because of Vaati- and thus, you come up with explanations and cruel attitudes Vaati has that clearly explain all of his behavior- or you don’t, and then you sit there going “man Ezlo I know you’re salty over being turned into a hat and all, but isn’t it a little fucked up that you’re this willing to talk about your underage orphan apprentice like maybe it was an inevitability he’d go mad with power and there’s nothing to do but forge a sword and kill him?”

The game wants you to assume there’s no way to talk down or negotiate with any of these people. It tells you that there will be Dire Consequences if this person’s actions are not stopped.

But Vaati’s a child who wants power and doesn’t even seem to have a clear thesis of what he’s doing with it besides that he just vaguely wants to be ‘in charge’. 

But Ghirahim seems to have never thought of himself as anything but an instrument and his parting comments to Link suggest that he is only, just, starting to actually feel any real standout emotion towards him beyond annoyance, and that emotion is not rage or revulsion but curiosity. He only really acts out of loyalty to an entity that on-screen, hurts him and literally dehumanizes him- turns him into an immobile object. Something we’re told is a tragedy when it happens to Fi.

But Zant talks at great length about how miserable he was, and Midna insinuates “everyone” hated him and thought he was shifty and untrustworthy, and in his own memories, he was sobbing alone and immediately latched onto and literally worshiped Ganondorf, for... telling him he was important and offering to give him power.

Much is made of Skull Kid’s loneliness and ultimately they’re just a kid, go easy on them, they were tempted by Majora- but we have no idea what Majora itself is, besides that they’re a mask, and in the entirety of Majora’s Mask, many discussions are made about how masks are the product of spirits filled with regret, and one must work with them to bring them peace- and Majora itself speaks in a childish manner.

Chancellor Cole, you can argue, even looks more like a “real evil” in that he’s a scheming bureaucrat who uses his position as a respected adult to talk over and endanger Zelda and Link, and even he’s thrown away by Malladus when the latter needs a free body.

The most in-universe explanation, going by just what Nintendo’s official lore tells us, is that Demise’s hatred seeks a suitable vessel, and Ganondorf is just its ‘favorite’, and it’ll happily latch onto anybody else in a position to screw over the heroes. But that raises a lot of questions and leaves a lot of things unaddressed.

So it comes down to a question of, what do we decide here that we trust? How many of these guys would stay enemies if we had any capacity to talk to them and understand their problems? So many of these guys feel like they’re trapped or hurting or miserable or just had a completely unspecified “hunger for power” because that sounds threatening, but the people who desperately want to feel strong are usually people who, for some reason or another, feel denied, repressed, or looked down on.

Basically, the characterization is vague, and mostly, we’re assured they’re evil by other people in the game. To me, this comes across untrustworthy, especially when, in effect, a lot of these characters talk or act like they were (or are shown to be) wronged somehow, and when the game seems to act as if your only options are “let them do whatever they want” and “kill them where they stand” with a clear insinuation that the murder is the right and proper choice.

Which is kinda the whole problem. The average Zelda game spends however much time it dedicates to the main villain, trying to tell you to kill them. This is at odds with Link as someone who engages with and helps a lot of people. And often “however much time it dedicates to the main villain” is not that much time at all! You’re often just, like. having a fun little happy adventure with a scattered handful of interjections of “so everything is the fault of this one guy, and, uh, you should stab them.”