#legend of zelda tickles

[fluffyfantasticducky]

[ link + zelda - tears of the kingdom ]

i was craving lee zelda bc she's just so cute 😭❤️

[memoryjoule]

happy release day 🎉🍃

also available as a print at my online store ^^

[skyloftian-nutcase]

TotK DLC idea!

The screen is black. You don’t hear anything for a long time. Then, faintly, in the distance, you can hear it.

Link. Link. Open your eyes.

While the line echoes familiarity, the voice does not.

Or. Well. It does. Because while it isn’t Zelda, it’s a familiar man’s voice speaking gently, so gently you almost don’t recognize it because there’s no way he ever spoke like this in the main game.

But he is now. And instead of a golden light being the first image you see before the screen shows Link awakening… you see gloom floating in the air. The image cuts to a Hylian waking up who… doesn’t look like Link from TotK?? He’s different, still small in stature, with slightly tanner skin, platinum light blonde hair, and red eyes. But… something’s wrong with his forehead. There’s a weird line on it.

This new character you apparently are gonna be playing in the DLC blearily blinks his eyes open, clearly groggy and too weak to really move. But then that line on his forehead moves a hair, it splits apart, and you realize it’s a freaking eye, red and yellow and it’s like the ones on gloom hands and oh gosh what the hell is it doing on his forehead—

Link realizes something is off and his eyes blow wide, his hands reach for his forehead and he screams in agony and terror, only for someone to scoop him into a hug to soothe him.

And suddenly you realize why that voice was eerily familiar.

It’s Ganondorf. He resurrected you from the era of the Imprisoning War. You, who have a history with him and his family. You, who he wants to protect, who he views as his kid, who he calls a prince and says he’ll keep you safe by controlling your body with his dark magic if he has to.

Welcome to Tears of the Kingdom: Hero’s Shadow.

You have to play a long gone Hero who was resurrected. Ganondorf, who is still recovering his strength in preparation for killing the current Hero, tasks you with finding your betrothed, his daughter, as well as his wife. They’re buried somewhere in the Depths like you were. He wants you to find their burial sites so he can use his secret stone to resurrect them like he did you, and control them as well. Which is doubly bad when you realize his wife was the original Sage of Lightning. He gives you free reign to wander once you go through a tutorial (he tests you to see if you’ve recovered enough strength), because he knows you love wandering and collecting things. Your own personal objective, however, is trying to help Hyrule from the Depths, to break free from Ganondorf’s control, because Link would rather set himself on fire than let Ganondorf resurrect and control the love of his life and his mother-in-law. Your best hope is to find shards of the shattered Master Sword to try and stab the eye on Dark Link’s forehead and break the control Ganondorf has on you. Until you can, though, the monsters are your allies, you can teleport across the Depths by manifesting out of the gloom created by gloom hands (just like what Phantom Ganon does), and the world below is your oyster. If you get too close to sword shards when gloom hands are nearby, Ganondorf can see your attempt and immediately takes control of your body, and no matter what button you press Link just walks back to Ganondorf’s location and stays there until you get a chance to try again.

You start with three hearts, all empty looking like when gloom hurts you, and if you get injured they just shatter. Whenever they all shatter, you respawn at Ganondorf’s location because his gloom hands came and rescued you from dying. The only way you can get more hearts is by collecting poes and offering them to the statues in the Depths. You can communicate with the spirits of soldiers, who may give you combat tips or info about the area. If you gain enough of Ganondorf’s trust, he’ll let you command monsters, and he might even let you wander the Surface (under his supervision) during a blood moon.

You learn of Link’s and Ganondorf’s history through discovering ancient relics/texts that trigger memories. This connection between you and Ganondorf stems back to time before the war, well over ten thousand years ago. Link was engaged to Ganondorf’s daughter, but during the Imprisoning War the family fought against the demon king. Ganondorf did love his family, but he loved power more. Link sacrificed himself, letting himself get mortally wounded to save Rauru from a killing blow. Gan held him as he died, and it allowed Link to both beg him to stop and stab him in the heart with a light shard. The shard didn’t kill him, but it was what Rauru connected with when he hit him in the chest, allowing him to seal Ganondorf away. Ganondorf still wants the world, but his love for his family is still present, though now twisted, so he thinks he can control Link and everyone else with his dark magic in order to keep them safe and in line. Once the threat of the current Hero is eliminated, the world will be his, and his family will be safe. As such, he treats you, Link, the player, like a stubborn child, reeling you in, but does so in a horrific way, torturing Link by controlling him.

You have to break free of this and stop him, and the only hope you have is the distant call of a sword spirit…

[asktheritochampion]

If you had Link's voodoo doll, what would you do with it?

[tickly-trashcan]

Aftercare {Zelda x Link}

“Zehehelda!! No mohohohore, plehehease!!”

Zelda laughed and finally ceased her tickling, pulling her hands away from Link’s hips. He wheezed, gratefully breathing in as Zelda tucked some of his now messy hair behind his ear.

“Sorry, I got carried away. You’re just so cute when you laugh like that!”

“I am nohohot…” Link’s residual giggles still bubbled over, but at least he was coherent.

Zelda smiled. “Oh yes you are! The way your nose scrunches, the way your cheeks get all blushy, and your little hiccups… You’re positively adorable.”

Link groaned and covered his face with his hands. “I am not adorable! I’m a knight, Zelda, I’m not supposed to be adorable.”

Zelda hummed. “Well, I think you’re the best knight there is because of how different you are from the others.” She curled up next to him and traced her fingers lightly over his stomach, making him giggle softly again. She quickly stopped and instead rested her palm in the center of his belly. “Sorry. You’re different from the other knights because of how kind and considerate you are, and I think that being able to be a bit softer and let loose is really important. It’s what I appreciate about you.”

Link’s cheeks were flushed at this point, but Zelda did not seem to notice. She began to trace his tummy again, and he giggled, but this time she did not stop. “See? You’re fun and wild and free, even if you can’t be all the time. There are some people who let who they’re supposed to be consume them, when really, it’s how you affect other people that really matters. And you have quite the effect on me, if I’m completely honest.”

Link tried to grumble, but his giggles made it less annoyed and more… well, cute. Zelda chuckled and kissed his cheek. “You’re just trying to come up with reasons to tickle me.”

Zelda hummed. “Perhaps… Speaking of!”

Link shrieked when Zelda resumed squeezing his hips, sending him back into the frantic mess of giggles that she loved so much.

[lovelymessybubbly]

A h e m May i humbly point out the lee potential of gerudo link :3:

"hero of hyrule, huh? you make a better plaything..."

ufufu, he is quite cute, huh ? i am always eager to destroy link; gorgeous hair, pretty face, cool and collected, stoic, quiet... i just wanna make him scream ! ↑_(ΦwΦ)Ψ so i did not hold back with this one.

to be completely trapped and helpless, at the mercy of a group who eagerly indulge in his tormented laughter... poor link ! but surely the great hero can handle it ?? \(★ω★)/

tama's little gerudo outfit is cute.

please enjoy ! and thank you for your continued support !!

edit: i forgot to mention ! this drawing was heavily inspired by a different tickling pic, by a dA member named bebob4999. here is the link !

[tklpilled]

sunshine riptide

(sidon/link)

summary: link is careless, but sidon is more than happy to be of assistance.

a/n: commission for @slyscribbles !! biting you /pos i love these two ..

[this is a sfw tickle fic!!]

・・・・・・・・・・・・・・

Link is smart, Sidon thinks to himself, but that doesn’t mean he’s not an idiot.

It’s not as if he expects Link to be invincible, immune to all kinds of danger. He knows that’s not the case; it never has been, it never will be. It’s just that there’s a difference between brave and reckless, and Link more often than not falls into the latter end of things. This is, of course, one of those cases.

He trails a claw down Link’s spine, near the now bandaged scrape. It’s not too bad, but still, it’s deeper than it looks. He wishes he had his sister’s healing powers. Nursing isn’t his strong suit.

“Honestly,” he murmurs, and Link shifts guiltily in his seat.

“I’m alright,” he signs, smiling sheepishly. 

Only because I noticed your injuries, Sidon muses in his head. You certainly wouldn’t have taken care of them yourself.

Despite his scolding, Sidon really doesn’t mind. It’s always a pleasure to see Link, even if it means having to bandage him up all the time. He’s taken to keeping some extra supplies around just for when Link drops by. He playfully pokes at a spot on the boy’s lower back that he knows is sensitive, just to show that he’s not really upset. Link jolts, his back straightening as he tries arching away with a huff of laughter.

“Ticklish, are we?” Sidon teases, and Link turns to glare at him before his eyes are widening as he focuses on trying not to laugh. Sidon’s claw trails in circles around Link’s back, dangerously venturing towards his sides but never quite going there. Link manages to sign the first letters of Sidon’s name in protest before he’s wrapping his arms around himself protectively, ears reddening as he squirms.

Truth be told, Sidon had no idea Link was ticklish beyond the one spot. He’d only found that one out on accident, anyway; he tends to care for the injuries on Link’s back, since Link himself can’t reach there, and it had simply come up. So, now, you can’t really blame him for wanting to investigate a little, alright?

“My, this can’t be good,” he hums, gently scratching around the sides of Link’s back and making him arch forward with a gasp. “The hero of Hyrule surely shouldn’t have such a weakness like this.”

Link shakes his head, blushing. “Stop,” he tries to sign shakily, his hand curling into a fist halfway through.

“Consider this a punishment for not telling me you were hurt,” Sidon continues, trying to hide the fond smile showing in his voice. Without warning, he jabs both of Link’s sides at once, and Link yelps before finally beginning to laugh.

His laugh has always been quiet, for as long as Sidon has known him. It’s breathy, and he can barely hear it if there are other noises around, but Sidon thinks he’s absolutely in love with it.

There’s nothing else now, though. Just them, not even the waterfalls of Lanayru loud enough to cover Link’s giggles. Sidon is eternally grateful for that.

Sidon curls around to Link’s stomach, sending him into a new fit of giggling as he doubles over. His hands bat weakly at Sidon’s, and if Sidon didn’t know better he’d think that Link was trying to make him stop. Link is much stronger than this, though, Sidon knows firsthand. 

He’s tempted to dig in a little harder, make Link laugh even harder, but he decides against it in the end. Small, soft giggles are enough for now, and besides, Link is injured. Sidon doesn’t want to be too rough on him while the wound is still fresh. Link’s laughter is a bit raspy, likely due to his voice never being used. Sidon thinks it adds charm.

“You really are ticklish, then,” he hums. “I didn’t think it was possible to be so ticklish.” Link turns a pretty shade of pink, darkening every time Sidon says that word. Sidon won’t abuse that information—not yet, at least. He’ll make no promises regarding the future. He stores it away instead, only lengthening the list in his head of what makes Link so special. The items on the list are odd and mismatched, ranging from “saved the kingdom” to “will eat rocks without a second thought”, and maybe they don’t all make sense but that’s besides the point—the point being that Link is cute, and he’s pretty, and Sidon is absolutely enamoured by him.

Link raises his hands weakly, shaking with soft laughter, and Sidon stops tickling him just long enough to let him sign without interruption.

“Stop,” he manages, before he wraps his arms back around himself and continues to giggle. Sidon thinks he means it this time. He does look rather tired, and it’s nearly dark out. Sidon pulls away and waits for Link to regain his composure. Link turns and reaches out in an attempt to poke him, and Sidon doesn’t even know if Zora can be ticklish but he’s holding Link in his arms before either of them can find out. Link sighs quietly in defeat, resigning himself to getting his revenge some other day.

And get his revenge he does, days later when he’s fully healed and more energetic than ever, but it ends quickly because that also means that Sidon’s not scared of hurting him anymore.

“Please!” he frantically gestures the best he can, considering he’s on his stomach and Sidon’s got him pinned while he’s tracing Link’s back again—just to make sure it’s really healed. Nothing more, of course.

Sidon tilts his head as if genuinely considering the request. “Oh dear, is someone a bit too ticklish?” As intended, Link blushes brightly, quickly turning to hide his face but not before Sidon gets a good look at the red spreading across his freckled cheeks. It’s adorable, and Sidon thinks his heart is going to burst with adoration and affection.

It really is a shame that Mipha beat him to the Zora armour a hundred years ago.

[bambinella]

Sulking

A/N: I have, like probably everyone else, been obsessed with Tears of the Kingdom, and while brainstorming a little with @otomiyaa​ I thought of this cute idea! Enjoy!

Summary: Link is depressed after being separated from Zelda yet again, and Rauru wants to motivate him a little.

Word count: 2186

Link was sitting on the ground in front of the Temple of Time, and he was sulking. One moment he had been exploring the ruins underneath Hyrule Castle with Zelda, the next moment his entire world had turned upside down. Zelda was gone. The Master Sword was gone. Ganondorf – or rather, the Lich King??? – had returned after being imprisoned for who knows how long. He had almost died, again. But worst of all? His whole right arm was gone. His fighting arm. All his abilities, skills, everything he had trained for, all of it was gone. And it had taken zero effort for the Lich King to do so. So in the end, he was just weak. Link clenched his fist tightly and bit his lip. He looked down at his new arm, which Rauru, the very first King of Hyrule, had given to him after saving his life. It felt… foreign. And while it was supposed to be powerful, it seemed to have lost its power as well. Perfect.

Rauru noticed Link’s sour mood and sighed. He couldn’t exactly blame him for it, though. The boy had had one hell of a day. He sat himself down on a rock next to Link, not sure what to say. “Are you alright, Link?” He asked. He could tell that the Hylian was depressed.

“...” 

“... Right, that’s about the answer I expected,” Rauru said with another sigh, and Link let out a grunt. He should be more amazed that the literal ghost of the very first King of Hyrule was talking to him, but he couldn’t get himself to care right now. After finally being reunited with Zelda, he had lost her yet again. What kind of knight was he, as he had failed to protect her for a second time now. Rauru looked at Link for a long second, almost sensing his worries. “You shouldn’t beat yourself up like that. Zelda’s going to be alright, Link. She’s alive,” He said, causing Link’s head to snap up. 

“Are you sure?? How can you know?” He asked, looking straight into Rauru’s eyes. There was an ancient wisdom in those eyes, and secrecy. And for some reason it gave Link some hope. 

“I just know.” Rauru said with a smile, and Link felt like he had been holding his breath for far too long. He let out a sigh and mustered a small smile. If Rauru said Zelda was alive, then he was willing to believe him. He was willing to do anything at that point.

“... Thanks, Goat Man,” Link said, his smile growing a little wider as he saw Rauru’s eyebrow twitch.

“Goat ma– ahem, you’re welcome Link. Now you must focus on what’s in front of you. You need to strengthen your new arm, by visiting and conquering the Shrines to seek out the Sacred Light,” Rauru said, and a frown reappeared on Link’s face. He was about to face about a thousand trials again, he realized. 

“Right… no time to waste, then,” He said, standing up as he made his way towards the first Shrine. He had done something similar a few years ago, it couldn’t be that hard right? Apparently it was that hard. While easily mastering half of the shrines and gaining new abilities, Link hated the Sky Islands, and they seemed to hate him just as much. He had lost count of how many times he had almost fallen off the edge at this point. He had been climbing on boxes, and suddenly those boxes had turned into a giant monster. And he didn’t even want to think about all the times he had created items, to help him on his way, only for them to flow off the edge by a sudden gust of wind. Needless to say, by the time he had reached the third Shrine, his sour mood had returned. Rauru, who had been waiting for Link there, raised an eyebrow. “You really need to smile more, you know,” He casually said, earning another grunt from Link who just walked towards him. “Shut up Goat Man,” He grumbled, stopping next to Rauru. “You didn’t fall off a boat made of logs, to swim after it while it sails away, only to fall off of it again at least three times in the past ten minutes.”

“I understand what you’re going through, truly. But you’re going to be alright, you just need to gain a little more control over your new arm and become stronger,” The King assured. Link rolled his eyes.

“Not to be rude, but I don’t think you know what I’m going through right now, Goa–” Link started, only to be interrupted by Rauru.

“Call me a goat again, see what happens,” He said, and it made Link look up for the first time. There was a serious look in Rauru’s eyes, but there was also a smile on his lips and a hint of… playfulness in his voice. And it sparked something within Link, who was usually known for being a menace with his childlike behavior from time to time. While Link hadn’t had the best of days so far, he couldn’t resist the little challenge in that sentence as a smirk tugged at his lips.

“Or what? I don’t think there’s much you can do as a ghost, you know… Goat Man,” Link said while putting his hands on his hips. Rauru shook his head while giving him a once over. The boy in front of him was naked except for an old skirt and some wear-down sandals, and he decided to push his luck? He had to give it to Link, he was courageous.

“Well… I did warn you,” He said, before making a single move with his arm. Link immediately felt, and saw, his new arm react to it, and before he knew it he was laying down on his back, his new arm attached to a boulder. Wait what.

“H-hey! Wha– how did you do that?!” Link cried out in surprise, tugging at his arm to free himself. Nothing, it didn’t budge at all. Rauru chuckled at that, kneeling down next to him. “Did you, perhaps, forget that this arm once belonged to me? I may no longer have a physical body, but that doesn’t mean I no longer get to control it. At least, control it enough to do that,” He said, casually pointing to Link’s position.

“... And why exactly did you do ‘that’?” Link managed to ask, raising one eyebrow at the former King. This earned another chuckle.

“Because you dared to challenge me, and you really need to smile more,” Rauru said, before using both his ghostly hands to dig into Link’s sides. The Hylian let out a strangled gasp and tried to hold his laughter, one of his arms immediately reaching down to grab Rauru’s wrist, only for his hand to go straight through it. Oh that was so unfair.

“W-wait! No stop! Hohohohow?! You’re a damn ghohohost!” Link almost growled as he fought to hold back his frantic giggles, his free hand hitting the air where the ghost was sitting. And for the first time Rauru grinned widely at him.

“Who do you think you’re talking to, boy? I have been here for much longer than you can imagine, I do have some tricks up my sleeve. Besides, I was sitting on a stone earlier without falling through it, you really should have noticed,” He smiled, moving his large hands up and down Link’s flanks. The ghostly touch was feathery light, and it made Link’s skin tingle wherever it got touched. 

“Bwaahahaha! S-stohohop! Dohohon’t tihihihickle mehehehehe!” Link had no chance of holding back his laughter any longer. His skin was on fire because of the phantom tickles, and a blush spread on his cheeks. He had been ticklish for as long as he could remember, and while Zelda discovering this little fact had been one of the happiest moments of his life, right now it was biting him in the ass.

“Oh but I strongly feel like you need this,” Rauru countered, moving his hands under the swordsman’s arms. Link let out an undignified shriek and burst into loud laughter, his arm immediately wrapping around himself. This, however, did nothing to stop Rauru, although it felt weird to squish a ghost’s hand.

“NOHHOHOHOHO STOHOHOHOP! IHIHIHI’LL KIHIHIHILL YOU!” He cried out while thrashing on the ground, realizing a little too late it was probably a stupid thing to threaten him. How did one kill a ghost in the first place? None of his thoughts mattered as the ticklish sensations continued to bombard his brain, sending him into a helpless fit of renewed laughter.

“Oh? Kill me, hm? Did you also forget that I’m a ghost? And how exactly are you going to kill me if you can’t even get up from the ground, Sir Giggles?” Rauru asked with a teasing smile, scribbling his ghostly nails a little faster into his armpits. When Link couldn’t properly threaten him anymore due to laughing too fast, he pulled his hands away to grant the boy a break. “Ohoho fuck… ahaha… you suhuhuck!” Link whined with a giggle, panting slightly as he caught his breath. Stupid goat. The King let out a laugh at that and shook his head again.

“Even in this position you’re still throwing insults, huh? Guess you don’t know when to quit, although that seems to be a positive side of you,” Rauru said, earning another eye-roll of the Hylian. He took a moment to take another good look at the Hylian in front of him, especially his shoulder and chest. While it had only been a few hours, Link’s body had already completely absorbed and adjusted to the new arm, despite Link not having full control over it yet. Link didn’t look tall or strong or intimidating, but his ability to adapt and overcome was his true strength. Rauru was pulled out of his thoughts by the sound of giggling, only then noticing that his claw was gently tracing the dark lines on his chest and ribs.

“Stohohop! Dahahamn you gohohohoat! Thahahahat tihihickles!” Link cried out in protest, embarrassed about the fact that a simple, light touch was enough to make him burst into giggles. Rauru noticed and smirked.

“My my, you really are ticklish, huh? This is enough to make you laugh? What if an enemy learned of your sensitivity, however would you survive?” Rauru teased, speeding up his fingers to really tickle him. Link cackled and threw his head back, attempting to wiggle his new arm side to side to try and dislodge himself from the boulder. However, whenever he got close to freedom, Rauru snuck his claws into his helpless underarm and tickled him until he lost concentration. The tips of his ears were red from both laughter and blushing at the teasing.

“Yohohou’re– AHAHAHA! You’re kihihihilling meehehehe! Lehehet me uuuuhuhuhup!!” He shrieked, once again reaching for one of Rauru’s hands with his free arm. Before he managed to do so, though, he felt his wrist being pinned.

“Hm, should I let you up? I might need to think about this for a while longer,” The King pretended to consider it, while raking his claw up and down Link’s taut stomach. If Link had been laughing and struggling before, it was nothing in comparison. The knight let out a roar of laughter while arching his back, kicking his legs wildly as he tugged at both his arms. Zelda loved to randomly tickle his stomach, since it was his most ticklish spot and it would send him into a giggle-fit if caught off guard. He usually never fought back, because he enjoyed being tickled, but now he was fighting for his life.

“PLEHEHEHEASE! I CAHAHAHAN’T! IHIHIHIT TIHIHICKLES!” Link howled with laughter, yet genuinely looked happy as he had a massive smile on his face. While Rauru was starting to feel a little sorry for him, he couldn’t help but smile at the expression and decided to keep going for a little while longer. When Link no longer had the energy to struggle and was simply laughing his heart out, Rauru finally pulled away.

“Now, I hope this taught you a little lesson. Are you done sulking?” Rauru asked with a smirk as he moved his hand, releasing Link from the boulder. The knight didn’t move and let out a huff, yet still smiled.

“I guess… thanks, Rauru,” He mumbled with a blush. The King blinked, before smirking a little wider.

“You take a minute to recover from this vicious attempt to kill you,” He playfully jabbed, earning another huff from the Hylian. “I’ll be waiting at the next Shrine for your arrival. Oh, and Link?” He said, turning around to face the knight, who had stood up.

“Hm?”

“I gave you that arm for a reason, you know. I truly believe you will manage.” He said with a smile, before vanishing. Link stood there for a moment, carefully considering those words, before moving on towards the next Shrine. Yet this time he wore a smile and a look of determination. 

[belladonnakimdracula]

Tauro can’t wait to examine all of Tallon IV’s Chozo Ruins but Samus is annoyed considering she had to save his dumbass 15 times already & they’re barely at the Main Plaza.

[feathergail]

collab with @sinead-writes, based on their amazing fic! please go check them out!!

[random-tkl-shit]

SFW Zelda (BotW/TotK) TK headcanons

Lee

-She hates when tickling is mentioned or if someone else is being tickled (she’s ticklish and gets really nervous knowing she might be next).

-Always asks if they can change the subject when it gets brought up which usually makes her a target (she genuinely doesnt do it on purpose).

-She mostly giggles and snorts, though if you’re attacking a death spot she’ll shriek occasionally.

-The death spots in question are her tummy, sides, and ears, in that order. Though her thighs are also really bad.

-Pinching her belly fat drives her *insane.* And there’s quite a bit to pinch.

-“PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE NO NO NOHOHO!!!”

-When she’s had enough she’ll completely curl up, making it hard to tickle her anywhere but her back.

-Her tickle drunkness lasts a *while.* She’ll be completely out of it for like ten to fifteen minutes.

Ler

-She isn’t super rough with anyone but Link. Anyone but him she’s pretty soft with.

-Mainly just scribbles her fingers but sometimes she’ll use light scratches with her nails.

-Loves giving neck kisses and nuzzles.

-Overall very cuddly while tickling any lee really.

-Apart from a strong hug to make sure you can’t get away she doesn’t restrain you at all.

-Little chuckles and occasionally an “oh, are you ticklish~?” here and there.

-With Link she’s ruthless. She targets his death spots and gets pretty rough (it’s the best way to get him laughing).

-Fantastic aftercare. She gives the best cuddles, it’s so cozy. Plus, she’ll give more neck kisses.

[ganymedesclock]

Curious what do you think of a Veteran Link ( in late 30s or early 40s) going up againast a Teenage/Young Ganondorf ( Late Teens or early 20s) ?

My knee-jerk answer, which may seem a little weird to you, is that you've successfully uncovered one of the central conceits of my original project, Chiaroscuro, which is in no small part inspired by Legend of Zelda itself, though certainly its own beast.

The longer answer which is more in the spirit of your direct question is, that would get... interesting. Because switching Link and Ganondorf's age brackets around does not merely suggest to me a 40-year-old Link, but a Link who has done this song and dance before- who has faced a previous Ganondorf- vs. a Ganondorf to whom this is all new.

And once you get there... it becomes very difficult to view Link's actions as those of an unambiguous hero.

Because in every game, Link's starting aspirations are more or less the same- he is worried about his loved ones. Be that his family, or friends, or community- he is basically always motivated by that someone else is in danger or has already been hurt and he wants to stop it from happening. Motives that are imminently understandable and that we have easy compassion for.

But like... ok. Either we have sixteen year old Ganondorf burning villages down enough that a whole adult man who surfs hinoxes downriver for fun is clenching himself about the idea- which verges into the silly and absurd- or... Link starts to look like a bad guy here, if an understandable one. A tragic, sympathetic figure who was traumatized by a previous conflict but cannot avoid seeing this past conflict in a new, uninvolved person who never hurt him and may never have intended to be his enemy.

We've seen Ganondorf as a child all of once, in a spinoff game (Cadence of Hyrule) where he is surly and introverted but also does not appear to have any particular ill will towards anyone, just lurking inside tinkering with a homemade instrument. Every depiction of him being violent or aggressive towards others suggests this behavior started when he was at least a grown man, if a young one (he certainly doesn't seem particularly wizened in the young timeline segments of Ocarina of Time) so it's fair to say a young Ganondorf would be living a fairly ordinary life, albeit one presumably being groomed by his culture to eventually take the mantle of king.

At that point, it would imply Link himself would become the inciting incident, so to speak.

[tickly-trashcan]

Wake Up! {Zelda x Link}

Zelda tapped her foot impatiently outside of Link’s door. She knocked for the third time but still heard no response.

“Link, don’t make me come in there! You promised to fly with me today!”

There was nothing but silence on the other side of the door.

With a sigh, Zelda opened the door. Link almost never locked his bedroom door, and Zelda had told him several times before that she would wake him up by whatever means she could muster. Whether it was her loftwing through the window or herself through the door, Link should have been used to waking up on time by now.

Zelda walked up to Link, who lay curled up in his bed. She pulled the blanket away, but Link was still asleep.

“Link!”

He stirred slightly, then turned over, mumbling. “Not yet…”

Zelda rolled her eyes and went to turn him back over, making him squirm. Raising an eyebrow, she poked at him a few times, noticing he stirred more when she did so. A smile crept up her face.

“If this doesn’t wake you up, I’m going to beat you with your own pillow.”

Link began to squirm as Zelda started skittering her fingers up and down his side. Giggles began to spill from his lips, and he turned over to push Zelda away.

“Nohoho! Thahahat tickles–!” Link finally started to wake up, peeking one eye open. “Zehehehelda!!”

“You promised to fly with me, but then you slept in! Did you stay up late whittling again?”

“I didn’t mehehehean to!!” Link squealed when Zelda found his underarms, still tickling him despite him being awake. “I’m up! I’m uhuhuhup!!”

“I want you out of bed!”

“I cahahahan’t– I can’t with yohohou tickling mehehehe!”

Zelda chuckled and folded her arms. She waited for Link to sit up in bed before she spoke. “I want you dressed and ready to fly in five minutes. I’ll go wait outside.”

Link waved a hand and nodded, rubbing his eye with his other hand. Zelda put her hands on her hips triumphantly and walked out of the room, closing the door behind her. She waited in the hallway for a few minutes, but she did not hear any movement from inside the room. She knocked once, then twice, then decided to open the door again.

Link was curled up in bed again.

With a playful grumble, Zelda walked back over and sat down on Link’s bed before tickling his tummy. He shrieked and squirmed, but Zelda did not let up.

“Stahahahap! I’m awake, I swehehehear!!”

“Nope, I don’t believe you this time. So, just to be sure, I’m going to tickle you until you can guess what number I’m thinking of. I’ll give you a hint: it’s between one and one hundred.”

“Thahahat’s not fair!!”

“Too bad! Start guessing!”

Link’s shrieks and giggles were heard throughout the academy for a little while after that, but Zelda eventually had her promise fulfilled. Link probably would not learn his lesson, but Zelda had a much more effective way of waking him up now.

[lovelymessybubbly]

requests?!? OPEN?!?

can i get uhhhh literally anything with legend of zelda LOL

this is so unspecific but HCFFHFIH just go wild i guess

kyaaaah i was really pumped about doing this piece o(≧▽≦)o the wind waker designs are sooo precious and cute so i knew a playful ticklish link pic would go perfectly with that theme. here is our hero under an assault of terrifying and dangerous piggies !!

hope you enjoy, sorry about such the long wait !! (o´∀`o)

[starpil0tblue]

the fact that there aren’t more “Teba highkey lowkey adopts Link” fics is killing me. i am wasting away. i crave family feels. Link’s been so alone in BOTW please give him some parental figures and a little brother. and if they’re already on it, they can take Zelda in too. please. please. fambily...

[dopameems]

Me when I’m playing Zelda Tears Of The Kingdom and I collect a red rupee:

“20 rupees. Its red luster tickles your heartstrings.”