#originally from oracle of ages/seasons times.

[funsizedcrow]

i think its fun to think about ralph and nayru like nayru is this powerful oracle of the golden goddess nayru and she loves her pathetic little boyfriend ralph <3

[little-fae-hero]

Linked Universe, The Hero of Legend

My headcanons/aus

Art by Atro

Colored version.

Long talk/Ideas under the cut, warning for slightly dark topics. (Note: I may add stuff over time, but nothing will be deleted from the list)

Twilight. Wind. Time. Hyrule. Four. Sky. War. Wild.

Legend (A link to the past, Link’s awakening, oracle ages & seasons, A link between worlds). Other nicknames: The veteran, grumpy pants, Mr. Hero, Hylia’s bastard, Zelda’s Twin.

Hero’s title: Hero of the past, Hero of Koholint, Hero of the Oracles, Hero of Holodrum, Hero of Labrynna, Hero of Lorule.

God that has claim over his soul: Hylia

Part of First’s soul: Caution

History:

The first adventure was a Link to the past, after defeating Ganon it was revealed to Link that he was not only Zelda’s twin but the biological child of Hylia, the golden goddess. Link didn’t want to believe it so he hopped on a ship and left, leading him to koholint. The wind fish picked Legend for his divine blood to help wake him.

Both saving the orcales came from Link not wanting to be home, however after the second one he was convinced bad stuff would happen where he went so he opted to go home and retire.

Later, hyrule was attacked leaving Link alone to rescue it. He also meets a mysterious merchant called Ravio who basically becomes his roommate. It’s revealed Ravio and his sister, Hilda are Link and Zelda counterparts with their mother being a goddess, the Lorule version of Hylia. The humans of that world wanted to get rid of their triforce, basically destroying and corrupting the gods that once protected them.

Link uses the triforce and wishes for their triforce back, saving Lorule. Originally they destroyed their ability to travel between worlds. However, both Link and Ravio wishing for the other plus their demigod blood allows Ravio to travel back to Hyrule. Link tried to avoid doing another big adventure after that, just helping people like you should before he ripped away to LU. 

Death: Legend lives a longer life then most heroes because of his demigod nature, he’s able to see Fable’s granddaughter start to grow up. However his grandniece was curse and the palace taken over by a prince, hell bent on power. Legend at 70 years old ends up running away from Hyrule, taking many magical items with him. Eventually his age catches up with him and lays in a cave, where he passes.He stays as a spirit to give Hyrule his sword to help him survive.

Interest stuff/Headcanons:

Being a demigod is stained on Legend’s body, mostly by his hair which will flow like water when magic is used or high emotions, or faint tattoos that cover his face and body.

All gods have those tattoos when posing as humans, hence why their children have them. However, most are so faint, only about a shade lighter than their skin tone that they are unnoticeable unless in the right light. But they glow when their natural magic is used.

Because of this, Legend refuses to use any of his natural magic, often relying on magical items and jewelry, playing himself off as a lucky adventurer.

He loves jewelry also because of how shiny it is.

The mermaid tail he can get was because of his mother, as one of her domains is water.

Because of the Mermaid tail thing, he can’t really wear pants sense there's a risk of them being destroyed if he hits water.

Legend despises being Hylia’s son and technically a prince, especially since most see male children of the royal family as a curse waiting to happen.

Legend really loved Koholint, he wasn’t a demigod, he didn’t have any weird powers or random quest. It was so bad that if it wasn’t for his mother’s blessing he likely would have drowned.

The only reason Legend woke the Windfish and broke the pocket realm that he came to love was because of Marin.

Koholint was a pocket realm, populated by people that was close enough to the Windfish resting place. Legend doesn’t know this and spent his next couple of adventures looking for Marin, as he physically had some items given to him by her.

Because of Marin he actually uses what little magic leaks out around him and grows the flowers she kept in her hair, always keeping one on him. 

You can follow Legend’s path with ease as the flowers mark where he has rested.

He can play any instrument you hand him.

Legend form in dark areas, a pink rabbit, because rabbits are one his mother animals. He despises this of course.

Legend normally is very untrusting after his first two adventures, however something about Ravio made the hero trust him.

Ravio looks exactly like him, same weird faint markings, same face, same body. It’s just the colors that are wrong.

Legend keeps everything from his adventures with the mentality of ‘I rather have it and not need it than need it and not have it.’

Because of his mother, Legend picks up on languages and puzzles very easily. It only takes him about a week in a new area before he can speak and read it.

Despite having the Triforce of Courage, Legend’s counterpart Ravio, actually has the Lorule Triforce of Wisdom.

All his adventures have him plagued by nightmares; Legend has to use a bit of magic to get a restful sleep.  

He’s good at finding maps and keys, as well as places to eat.

While it’s really hard to poison him, he can still taste the food. So could he eat rotten food, yes, will he? no.

Legend has joint pain, mainly from refusing to use his magic to heal wounds and waiting until he had potion or fairies, the time left its mark.

He has a soft spot for rabbits and seagulls. 

Legend is the one who gave Hyrule his first sword. After his death is spirit remained trying to save Hyrule, and ending up looking after the hero as a merchant.

---

Legend is done, let me know you thoughts.

[armed-with-a-waffle-iron]

Bat Timeline vs Bat Publication Timeline

I kept my receipts and citations here. I felt canon ages are the best tool to track time. Also, I used cover dates.

Neat things I noticed:

Nothing much happened in Gotham until Robin arrived both in continuity and in print history. Sorry but your lone wolf Batman doesn't exist :P

Dick permanently becomes Batman at the same age Bruce was when he became Batman; 25. Kinda poetic if you ask me.

Babs was Oracle longer than she was Batgirl in both continuity and publication history!!

Completely forgot that Dinah was literally her own mother once upon a time. Weird stuff.

There's not enough Jason!Robin stories to fit the 3 years some fans claim he was Robin for. Also the 3 years idea doesn't work if you track Dick's age. My guess is he was originally younger than 15 when he died but DC aged him up so he could be an adult when he returned as Red Hood.

It's pretty clear that Helena's integration into the group began the expansion of this complicated "family unit". She set the precedent for those noirish vigilante work relations.

Tim has to be a vampire if he's meant to be 17 three whole very explicit in-continuity years after he had his 16th birthday.

Stephanie has basically been in this gig as long as Tim! And almost as long as Helena too. Proper seasoned ass-kicker who Damian should look to for pointers.

Also remembered that Cassandra's Batgirl run is the best thing to come out of Gotham in the early 2000s.

I dunno I think the One Year Later timeskip was just unnecessary.

Kate and Renee are almost as new to the vigilante gig as Damian!

Bat-adjacent Rose Wilson was said to be 14 during her first appearance around Year 15 so she's the same age Tim.

Not Bat related but Lian Harper's age works with my timeline so yay! Born early Year 14, she's 5 during Cry for Justice in Year 19.

I have a theory, based off of Batman #416, that Dick graduated high school at 17. He says he was Bruce's partner for 6 years and that after he was fired; he left college after the 1st semester, then moved around the country, had his own adventures, and "eventually" ended up with the Titans. Also, he was 21 during the Titans' 3rd anniversary (New Titans v2 #71) and 19 when he became Nightwing (Tales of the Titans #44) so the Titans (re-)formed when he was 18. This means he probably only turned 18 in the academic year he began college (or has a summer birthday). So he was Bruce's partner from ages 11-17, did his own thing for a while as he did in the 70s, eventually joined the Titans at 18, and became Nightwing at 19. Jason comes into the picture soon after Dick retires the Robin identity.

[cokoakeostuff]

yeah i get anons confusion, the lore can be pretty vague and a lot of old misunderstandings or fanon are still presented as truth on a lot of forums for anyone wondering, this is my understanding of the full list of heroes:

-The Hero of the Sky/ the chosen hero: Link in Skyward Sword (they are the same guy! The manga is non-canon!).

- The Hero of Men: Appears in the backstory of The Minish Cap

-The Hero of the Minish: Appears in The Minish Cap

-(might be another weilder of the four sword between these two from the four swords prolouge/manual or that might just be the hero of the minish, its not clear)

-The Hero of the Four Sword: Appears in Four Swords

-The Hero of Time: Appears in Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask Child timeline:

-The Hero of Twilight: Appears in Twilight Princess

-The Hero of Light: Appears in Four Swords Adventures

Adult Timeline:

-The Hero of Winds: Appears in Wind Waker and Phantom Hourglass

-The Hero of Spirits: Appears in Spirit Tracks Downfall Timeline:

-The Hero of Legend: Appears in A Link to the Past, Oracle of Seasons, Oracle of Ages, and Link's Awakening

-The New Hero of Hyrule: Appears in A Link Between Worlds and Triforce Heroes (no I don't know why he has such a stupid title. he comes before the original lol)

-The hero of...rifts? Echoes?: Link from Echoes of Wisdom (sorry i don't know his hero title)

-The Hero of Hyrule: Appears in The Legend of Zelda and Adventure of Link Wild Era Timeline:

-The ancient hero: Mentioned in BOTW having lived 10,000 years prior

-The Hero of the Wild: Appears in Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom

YES, YESS.

That’s exactly what I understood too, very clever to point that sky is the same hero, he was just hearing legends about himself in the past, or al least thats why I think ?

Also I like to call EOW Link “Hero of Might” :]

You definitely did your homework, I love seeing zelda lore enjoyers fr.

[weepingtalecowboy]

Names have power some names destiny can’t let turn into myths

I am in a mood so legend gets it again

Fanfic prompt :

We have no idea where cadence of Hyrule fits in timeline wise as it potentially can be whatever

But since link is a toon in that one I kinda want him to be a lil teen still when it happened

So I had this very horrifying thought

Since link can die literally endlessly

What if he can’t truly age as well like every few decades he will come back being a lil guy and it will literally not stop

Any death brings him back to being a lil teen a few years short of his age during linked universe

Be it a quick death or a very slow one

Even dying from old age won’t be his end

But that gets even more horrifying when we consider that the theory of which link is in link between worlds

Because the Zelda from the original games canonically has a different appearance

But the Zelda in link between worlds also looks different initially which made many people wonder what timeline this games belong in

So what if link to the past along with oracle of seasons and link between worlds have literal decades between eachother

Because that way the Zelda kidnappings will not even be ridiculous

Like link to the past was one Zelda

The final oracle game Zelda was a descendant of the other who was kidnapped much later

and link between worlds was the descendant of the descendant

And fable is actually the great granddaughter of the first Zelda that legend met

(If we go with the legend is related to Zelda theory it gets even worse because that is his great grand niece.. the angst)

And he is centuries old and Ravio had no clue that he moved in with a centuries old being

Because that would be hilarious if Ravio is like 20 at most while legend barely remembers the joy of being just twenty

A romance between them would literally be both the worst most painful thing because legend knows Ravio will leave as well one day

And they will never truly grow old together and he will just be alone again after a few decades

And the most bitter sweet thing in existence

As legend cherishes every moment he has with the people he still has left knowing that hylia will never let him leave this earth

He once wished to end his life because after Marin he thought he deserved to join the women he killed

Only to realize living on without this closure was the punishment he so desperately sought for

To live on and on knowing that he will never get to explain himself to all the people he lost

His uncle he will never get to tell how he felt

Marin he could never hope to explain why he killed her or even apologize to her for that

Zelda and her little girl are long gone he cannot tell them how much he loves their little girl how much he wants to protect the newest Zelda just as he protected all the others before her

Din and her troupe , Nayru , Ralph , styla and his fellow heroes from hytopia are long dead and….

He is the only one still there all alone

And that way all the Zelda re designs would make a tragic amount of sense like all of them being different people reminding him of his sister

Fable knowing that her great grand uncle has been hanging around since her birth and therefore relying on him despite not truly knowing him because he keeps a distance she tries to break so much

Ravio who has such happy memories who knows that his life with link is very very short, knowing that one day he will die as well yet link will never follow he will wait for all eternity but his husband will never come join him

The chain who eventually became more people legend loves so dearly who legend grew to love he knows that some he will never see because they are in different timelines.

Yet he has his very vast memories of all those people

Remembering fighting time and Wild for the title old man (he unfortunately didn’t win)

Remembering teasing twilight , skyand warriors (and totally losing half the time)

Remembering when wind wanted to sail with him claiming they were pirates together

Remembering so much fun and excitement

hoping that he will meet hyrule some day if he just keeps living on (knowing he has no real choice)

That there is one thing worth looking out for when he already lost so much over and over…

Yet hyrule never fell like rulie said it will instead of it falling down , somehow it persisted

And he met a new descendant the granddaughter of fable's

For all his hope of meeting hyrule ,he met echo instead

And a new adventure began for him once again

But for all his hopes where crushed he at least know that at least in this timeline another boy wouldn’t have to fight his battle

For as often as he fell in battle

Hylia brought him back to keep fighting them

His battles will not fall on another child this time

For he was the hero of legends

And legends never die

[ivaalo]

Introduction

This is a fan analysis about the results of 24 polls posted on Tumblr by the user @zeldatourney. Huge thanks to them to have organized this tourney.

(Keep in mind my first language isn't English, so I might make some minor mistakes)

This is a long post with multiple graphs, so I'm putting a "Read more" button here!

For each game, the question asked was "How high does [game] rank?" with 7 answers possible to choose:

S tier (One of the greatest)

A tier (A favorite)

B tier (I like it)

C tier (Meh)

D tier (I'd rather play something else)

F tier (AWFUL)

I haven't played this game

The poll started on the 2nd of December 2024 and ended the 9th of December 2024.

Disclaimer: This is not a representation of the Zelda community as a whole, but a result of people who saw and voted for the polls between those previously quoted dates.

For the rest of this post, I will simplify each game's name by its abbreviations. For example, "A Link To The Past" will be named "ALTTP". The polls didn't specify if it contains the original games or both the original games and the remakes. They will be named as such:

[TLOZ] The Legend of Zelda

[AOL] Adventure of Link

[ALTTP] A Link to the Past

[LA] Link's Awakening (DX) (+ the unnamed 2019 remake)

[OOT] Ocarina of Time (3D)

[MM] Majora's Mask (3D)

[OOS] Oracle of Seasons

[OOA] Oracle of Ages

[FS] Four Swords (Anniversary Edition)

[TWW] The Wind Waker (HD)

[FSA] Four Swords Adventures

[TMC] The Minish Cap

[TP] Twilight Princess (HD)

[PH] Phantom Hourglass

[ST] Spirit Tracks

[SS] Skyward Sword (HD)

[ALBW] A Link Between Worlds

[HW] Hyrule Warriors (Legend / Definitive Edition)

[TFH] Tri Force Heroes

[BOTW] Breath of the Wild

[COH] Cadence of Hyrule

[AOC] Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity

[TOTK] Tears of the Kingdom

[EOW] Echoes of Wisdom

Collected data

Each poll being independent from each other, the number of votes varies from one poll to another.

For each games, I added the percentage (as picked up from the HTML for a better precision). The result is either 99.999, 100 or 100.001, so I sometimes cheated to add or remove 0.001 somewhere. Tumblr doesn't give you access to the exact numbers of vote per option.

So before ranking the games, I have to show you first what games are the most played. Adding all answers and doing:

Played (%) = 100 - "I haven't played this game" (%)

I'll use colours to differentiate 2D games (in terms of gameplay) to 3D games. I'll also highlight spin-off games and multiplayer games.

Here are the games played by more than 75% of players:

We can already see a huge pattern. All the 3D games are there. And the only 2D Zelda game to be played by 75% of players is ALBW. BOTW and OOT are the most played games of the sample, as those were huge turning points and both cultural and commercial success.

We can also notice the difference of 5% between the least played 3D game (MM) and the most played 2D game (ALBW).

Let's continue to look at the other played games:

EOW is most likely low as it's the most recent game, at this time, but also because it's not a 3D game. And the hype train was low compared to TOTK. (3 months of anticipation compared to 4 years)

And finally, the multiplayer games are the least played games, excluding COH. Also worth noting that all the spin-off games cited can also be played with another player, but it wasn't the main focus of the communication. COH being a musical tactical rogue-lite only appealed to a specific part of Zelda fans.

If these polls contained the CD-i Zelda games, Link's Crossbow Training and Tingle games, the score would probably be under COH, but we never know!

I'll keep these colours as labels, to recognize them better in the next images.

Alright. Time to share the ranking. Here is the global result, sorted by release date in North America:

It's kind of a lot to see! Overall, the games are pretty liked. So first, let's take a look at the disliked games:

Please note that the X-axis was zoomed, so we can see the result better.

We can already notice that AOL makes a huge contrast. As this game is considered as the black sheep of the franchise because of how different it is, its reputation mostly came from the difficulty of that game.

Almost a factor of 0.5 divides the first disliked game to the second. TFH the second disliked and the original TLOZ follows.

ALBW is the least disliked, with under 1%, counting D tier and F tier.

But notice the F-tier (red) line. It varies a lot, so let's take a look at the most hated games:

Yep, TOTK is third, this time. As I don't personally think it's awful, it definitively disappointed many by being too close to BOTW and having a lot of issues BOTW didn't have.

Nobody voted "F tier" for ALTTP nor OOT. Same for OOS but keep in mind this game was the least voted one too!

Alright, enough for the hate! Let's look at the most appreciated Zelda games.

Yep, the majority of Zelda fans like 22.5 out of 24 of the games! (TFH being exactly 50, I half-counted it!)

TWW is being almost unanimously appreciated, with almost 97%, and the second one to get this score is TMC, a 2D game, with more than 96%!

You can notice some gaps, like between ST and COH, and then between the Oracle games and TOTK.

Now let's look at the most loved games:

5 3D games are in the top 5, except for SS and TOTK. TMC is very close to beat BOTW and remains the most loved 2D Zelda game. Notice how SS and TOTK make a huge gap between the game before and the game after, like voters use them as references. The two Hyrule Warriors games are, in a funny way, between the Oracle ones.

Let's add a step forward and look at the S tier only:

Nothing changes for the top 9 games. However, EOW seems more nuanced and is less considered as best than TOTK.

Final results

And finally, let's rank them using the Majority Judgment:

The Majority Judgment was created to propose a more democratic way to vote. Each candidate has multiple mentions, and you (the elector) must attribute one mention to each candidate. Since this poll uses this exact method of vote, I decided to rank them all using the Majority Judgment. To count using the Majority Judgment, you must focus on the 50% axis, and look at the category that crosses it (more than 50%). That gives you the tier, and the best tier wins.

When two or more candidates get the same tier, there are multiple ways to rank:

The first way is to put a line at the middle and see which line has the higher percentage. (Less precise but more simple)

The second way is to divide it into multiple tiers by doing the first method again and again until each candidates has a unique tier. (More precise but less simple)

But since I didn't want to compare B++++ to B+++-, I used the first method. It's my democracy and I do whatever I want!

Just keep in mind that depending on the way to count these games may be swapped:

ALTTP and LA

OOA and PH

AOC and HW

SO, for the data. Top 5 is TWW, MM, TP, OOT and BOTW. To be honest, I imagined MM to be a more nuanced game, or at least more controversial, since it has a unique concept.

The A tier only contains 2D games, except SS. TMC, ST and ALBW are the favourite 2D games. ALTTP and LA are always very close. The last one of the tier is EOW.

Only mainline games are in the S and A tier.

The first game of the B tier is a spin-off game, followed by TOTK.

TFH was one vote away from being in the B tier. And no surprise, AOL is the last one.

To sum up, according to the participants who voted for these polls:

S tier

🥇 The Wind Waker

🥈 Majora's Mask

🥉 Twilight Princess

⭐ Ocarina of Time

⭐ Breath of the Wild

A+ tier

The Minish Cap

Spirit Tracks

A- tier

A Link Between Worlds

Skyward Sword

A Link to the Past

Link's Awakening

Echoes of Wisdom

B+ tier

Cadence of Hyrule

Tears of the Kingdom

Oracle of Seasons

Oracle of Ages

Phantom Hourglass

B- tier

Age of Calamity

Hyrule Warriors

Four Swords Adventures

Four Swords

The Legend of Zelda

C+ tier

Tri Force Heroes

C- tier

Adventure of Link

Thank you for reading! ~

[2004hitalbumsevenswans]

I really enjoyed Batman: Caped Crusader. I was worried (like everyone else) that Bruce Timm would push his Bruce/Barbara obsession, but they barely interact when Bruce is out of costume, and he’s all business as Batman. Barbara is (presumably) about the same age as Bruce in this adaptation, she’s a young public defender, who still lives at home with her dad. Commissioner Gordon is mentioned to have 30 years on the Gotham police force at one point. And the series is loosely based on Batman: Year One by Frank Miller, and has Matt Reeves as a producer. It’s definitely an interpretation of the early years of Batman.

The setting is vaguely and aesthetically set in the 1940s, mirroring the original Batman and riffing on DC comic stories and character interpretations from that time. Clayface’s story and appearance is based on the original interpretation of the character, which I really enjoyed - especially as someone’s who’s read the first couple years of the original Detective Comics/Batman stories. (There’s also a lot of great references to the Adam West show, and a couple of its themes are reimagined for this more noir story.)

I could see the series setting up something between Bruce and Barbara potentially, but their interactions are really blink-and-you’ll-miss-it. There’s a moment where Bruce’s is climbing back onto the Iceberg Lounge yacht and he uses a pick up line on her, which she scoffs at, then he proceeds to use the line on two other young women. There’s another moment that you could say is pre-flirting, or is at least setting up a foundation to further a relationship between the two. Where Barbara makes a comment about Batman letting himself into her office unannounced whenever he feels like it, and she tells him she needs a way to contact him, and he gives her the Batphone number. At this point I think you could make more of an argument for a Harleen/Barbara pairing than her and Bruce.

I think the characters would both individually need a lot more development to be in a romantic relationship. I’ll say this even though I know it will be an unpopular opinion: in this interpretation I wouldn’t mind putting Bruce and Barbara together. I know that’s practically sacrilege coming from someone who’s favourite character is Oracle but hear me out.

My main issues with Bruce and Barbara together (especially when it comes to Timm’s work) is the age difference. It’s often debated but Barbara in most iterations (including current comic canon) is around the same age as Dick, usually a couple of years older, 2-3 at most. Bruce is depicted as having at least 15 years on her, if not more. And most stories that have Bruce and Barbara together also fixate on her being batgirl. Then there’s the tendency to make a Nightwing-Batgirl-Batman love triangle which I don’t want to get into but I hate completely.

None of that is happening here. Barbara has her own storylines that are just as prominent as Bruce and Harvey’s. She’s an adult with agency and flaws and is just as fleshed out as any of the other characters are. I wouldn’t be surprised if the show takes a season or two to develop a romantic relationship between the two of them. Bruce is completely focused on being Batman and sees Bruce Wayne as a persona. He’s callous with peoples feelings (Harvey, notably) and is shown to struggle with smaller acts of empathy, opening himself up to people, and honestly, social skills. The last of which doesnt doesn’t affect him too negatively because he’s a rich and well known man in Gotham.

Compared to the Bruce Wayne of BTAS it was a smart choice to show a Bruce/Batman who struggles with people and emotions. It reminded me a lot of Reeves’ the Batman. In wider Batman media you usually see two types of depictions: a compassionate Batman (which is where I would place BTAS) or a more emotionless, be-stoic-and-punch-the-bad-guys-and-look-badass version that is usually just a male power fantasy.

This version of Batman sets up the foundation for a storyline that is relatively unexplored, and I’m sure they’re going to explore it more in the next season (which has already been greenlit).

I was surprised at the lack of adult themes in the show, it was marketed for an adult audience but could easily fit into a PG13 rating, but that was probably on purpose. I was impressed they managed to have so many strong, fleshed out storylines in only 10, 30 minute episodes. But I wouldn’t expect anything less of Bruce Timm, or some of the other names I recognized attached to the project in various ways (Greg Rucka, JJ Abrams, Matt Reeves, and Ed Brubaker).

While there are a lot of critiques of Timm I agree with, I generally enjoy his work and the care he puts into it. I love Greg Rucka and was really excited to see that he wrote the episode that was more Renee Montoya centric. And while I have my issues with Ed Brubaker, I do enjoy his work.

While the series is visually and technologically based around the 1940s, the politics are more modern. Harleen asks Renee out on a date and she talks about it with Barbara openly. I saw one review call the show “race blind” which I would not agree with. Most of the racism is implied through euphemism (the scene with Lucius Fox and Gentleman ghost), but it’s still felt as a point of friction for multiple characters, it affects how they interact with the world around them. There’s also a line spoken by either detective Flass or Bullock that implies no one in the GCPD wants to follow Renee because she’s gay. It’s cut off before the last word, but again, the meaning is implied.

An issue I always had with the Timmverse is its depictions of female characters. They always feel less real than their male counterparts, less important and less visually stylized. All the important (read: desirable) women have the same body shape. They’re thin and extremely, unnaturally curvy. I’m aware that these characters are supposed to evoke that 50s comic pinup imagery but I always thought it was a bit much. Male characters - even before the animation downgrade in BTAS season 4 - were always way more unique from each other than the female characters. That wasn’t something I felt with Caped Crusader. The three most prominent female characters (Barbara, Renee and Harleen) were all different from each other, with different heights, body shapes, hair and clothing styles. They also all had 3 distinct personalities that were built up through the series. I would argue that the show was as much about the “supporting cast” (characters like Harvey, Commissioner Gordon, Renee and Barbara) as it was about Batman.

Overall I was really impressed by the show. I was disappointed with how short it was. I hope that Renee’s personal life gets a focus with the next season, and I hope they bring back Greg Rucka to write it. I love how he wrote her in Gotham Central. I was a little annoyed that they introduced the Joker at the end of the series (as a peak into the next season). I think he’s too over saturated as a character, and sometimes his introduction into a Batman story takes over everything else, and he’s depicted as Batman’s Moriarty. I do have hope that this won’t happen in Caped Crusader, because it seems that villains will be reoccurring, but there’ll be a large cast, just like in BTAS. That aspect did remind me of the way characters were introduced in those early Batman comics, it really has the same vibe. I also really really do not want Harley to be involved with the Joker in any way. Please keep her as a separate character, this new interpretation of her is great as is, he doesn’t need to be involved.

I would also be interested to see if the show develops Barbara’s character into Oracle. I could see that happening with the introduction of the Joker at the end of season one. Maybe they’re going to rework the Killing Joke? I couldn’t see them having her as batgirl, but I would be interested to see how they worked Oracle into a world with 1940s technology. I’m thinking back to her as Oracle in the Doom that Came to Gotham, and how clever that was. I’m sure they could do something just as interesting with her here. Something more supernatural feels like a long shot, because Timm usually sticks to the more “realistic”, street-level versions of Batman, but they did introduce Gentleman Ghost. So it’s a possibility.

One thing I did think could have been better was some of the voice work. Not the voice acting itself, but the design. It felt too polished alongside the score and the animation. I wish the voice acting had been more atmospheric, had more depth. It felt too clean. Hamish Linklater was great as Bruce/Batman. Following Kevin Conroy is no small feat, and Linklater’s performance felt reminiscent of Conroy without sounding like an impression. It was quiet and unassuming, yet strong.

I’m not usually someone who watches things more than once, but I’m definitely going to be rewatching Caped Crusader soon.

[loz-cah]

Welcome to the world(s) of Chains Across Hyrule!

In the cycle keeping the Hero’s Spirit alive, there are 10 heroes now, each with their own abilities and experiences. From the first of the heroes to the most recent, they all share a name and destiny.

These heroes call each other by their titles, as none seem fit to hold the name when they’re together.

They all now travel together, brought together by ties of blood and spirit.

These are their stories.

Come around the campfire, and meet the cast!

Sky (Skyward Sword): The former leader of the Links, and one who’s a bit distant due to his role as the first Link

Time (Ocarina of Time/Majora’s Mask): The leader of the Links, and one who prefers his privacy. The others know essentially nothing about his personal life.

Wind (Wind Waker/Phantom Hourglass): The best ocean navigator and the most sarcastic one of the bunch.

Wild (Breath of the Wild/Tears of the Kingdom): The resident prankster of the group and the designated chef.

Twilight (Twilight Princess): Eager friend and eager companion — nicknamed “Wolfy” by Wild.

Warriors (Hyrule Warriors): The bodyguard of the group. He’s quiet most of the time.

Legend (A Link to the Past/A Link Between Worlds/Oracle of Seasons/Oracle of Ages/Link’s Awakening): The most experienced and the most insufferable member.

Mind (Destiny of Mind — @loz-destiny-of-mind ): The youngest Link, and a master lie detector.

Four (Minish Cap/Four Swords [Adventure]): The blacksmith and the leader of his other three selves — Blue, Vio and Red.

Spirit (Spirit Tracks): Excellent navigator on land and can speak with ghosts.

Boundary List:

Please do not tag any posts as “Linked Universe”. While Mod holds immense respect for @/linked-universe and while they see the resemblance between LU and CAH, Mod made this au much earlier before they found out about Linked Universe. These characters are separate and have their own lore — and this world has its own lore that’s even detached from the original Legend of Zelda universe! Mod spent a lot of time working out things in this world; please don’t reduce it to “just a copy”.

Thank you and Mod hopes you enjoy! (And just for good measure, Destiny of Mind is Mod’s own au — it already has a blog about it, though there’s not a lot in there admittedly..)

— ✨

[pizzaronipasta]

You wanna know something wild I've been thinking about?

In almost 1/3 of all mainline Zelda games, Link doesn't have blond hair.

In the first two games, he has brown hair.

In the third game, A Link to the Past, he has pink hair.

The fourth game, Link's Awakening, was originally in black and white, and link's hair was made up of black pixels (so he might be blond, but probably not). I'm pretty sure those lighter pixels are part of his hat; his hair is sticking out from under there. (Note: in this game's most recent remake, Link is blond. However, in an earlier remake, his original sprite was mostly preserved, just with some added color, and with his hair still consisting of black pixels. So I think he was originally intended to have dark hair, and the majority of his depictions support this.)

Jumping ahead a little, the seventh and eighth games, Oracle of Seasons and Oracle of Ages, both use the same sprites for Link as the GameBoy Color remake of Link's Awakening. Again, his hair is made of black pixels.

That's 6 out of 20 mainline entries where Link isn't blond. Ocarina of Time, the fifth game in the series by release date, was the first time he was blond. Ever since, only the Oracle games have depicted Link as anything but. It might also be worth noting that all of Link's non-blond appearances are in the Hero is Defeated timeline. (By the way, Tri Force Heroes gets a special mention, since Link has dyed hair in that game. However, we know this Link is naturally blond since he's the same Link as in A Link Between Worlds. This is the only blond Link in the Hero is Defeated timeline, not counting Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom.)

Anyway, as we've seen with the most recent remake of Link's Awakening, Nintendo's brand image for link has been solidified as having blond hair, to the point where older installments are actively being retconned to feature it. I think that's a shame really. Different Links having different hair colors helps to differentiate between them and make each game just a little more unique. Oh well.

[gascon-en-exil]

Now that you've mentioned it, I'm curious how'd you'd rank the Zelda games minigames from best to worst

That would be entirely too many minigames to do individually, especially from memory since I haven't played most of these games in years. I can go by individual title though, ignoring the ones that don't have minigames in the usual sense (the NES games, both Four Swords games, Tri Force Heroes) and also Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom because I never actually played the latter and because my frustrations with both are on a much deeper conceptual level. I do recall BotW having some obnoxious minigames though, involving horses I believe. I'm not counting as well any minigames that offer only minor rewards that don't contribute to 100% completion, because those can be safely ignored.

Rating is out of 10 based on how obnoxious they are, with 1 being perfectly manageable and 10 being so annoying that they actively discourage me from replaying those games.

A Link to the Past - 2/10

The only really notable ones are the treasure chest game and the digging game, both of which are pure RNG and thus can be save-scummed. They're also in the Dark World so you shouldn't be strapped for money when you play them which is nice.

Link's Awakening - 1/10 for the original/DX, 4/10 for the Switch

On the Game Boy (Color) the fishing, crane, and river rapids games are all simple one-and-done affairs if you know what you're doing. The Switch remake however adds a bunch of new mechanics and rewards to all of them which makes them more annoying and time-consuming. There are rare fish to save-scum for, a realistic physics engine to make the crane more finicky, and a rapids race that requires precise maneuvering to get its best stuff. I'm not counting the Chamber Dungeons as a minigame because that's basically a separate mode unto itself...and also because they're usually pretty fun.

Ocarina of Time - 8/10

Not off to a great start for 3D Zelda. The gravedigging "tour" is pure luck, Bombchu bowling is also RNG-reliant, the treasure chest game is only not a nightmare because you can cheese it later on with the Lens of Truth, and the shooting challenges are serviceable at best. It's the fishing hole that truly lands OoT this score though, because it's the perfect storm of awful: partially luck-based, finicky mechanics, and actually physically painful at times on account of how hard and for how long you have to hold the analog stick to reel the big fish in. Oh, and you have to beat it twice, and the second time is harder!

Majora's Mask - 3/10

Surprisingly manageable and even fun in places, like the beaver races and the shooting galleries even if they require perfect scores. The horse and Goron races have issues with rubber band AI, the hitboxes in some of Honey and Darling's games can be stingy, the treasure chest game is (again) mostly RNG...but MM somehow makes all of these not so bad in their own ways, perhaps to compensate for the constant stress of the ticking clock. If I had to pick a worst one it might be the jumping minigame in Great Bay, because it takes a while to reach and the camera is liable to screw you over. The dog race is mostly luck-based, but at least it takes very little time and can be somewhat cheesed with the Mask of Truth. I am absolutely not counting the fishing hole added in the 3DS remake, because it's not required for 100% and because screw fishing in particular.

Oracle of Ages and Oracle of Seasons - 6/10

Sort of unfair lumping them together since Ages has all the really bad ones, but these two have always been a package deal. The baseball game is hard to get down precisely and also has a fair amount of RNG, the seed shooter game also requires some exact shots, and while both have dancing minigames Ages is the only one that takes into account timing. Making all this worse are the Oracle games' randomized ring system...plus a whole lot of randomized other things (Maple, Gasha trees) that aren't exactly minigames but still make these titles really annoying to revisit. Huh...I just noticed that "Gasha" sounds like "gacha"; were gacha games even a thing in 2001, or were Nintendo and Capcom just extremely ahead of the curve?

The Wind Waker - 5/10

Has some real nuisances, like the battleship game (RNG), the Flight Control Platform (precision gliding), and sword training (endurance). Much like my feelings on BotW however, it's not really the minigames that make me dread replaying WW so much as its various other headaches - many of which were addressed in the HD remake, granted, but they're still there.

The Minish Cap - 2/10

Another one where it's not really about the minigames. The only mandatory one I can even recall was catching cuccos, and a lot of that comes down to item progression later in the game. Kinstones are the real pain in MC, but even they're not so tough to find that you have to rely on minigames to get them.

Twilight Princess - 2/10

Same rating as MC, but for very different reasons. For me it's quite similar to MM in that there are a bunch of minigames but most of them are either inoffensive or actively enjoyable, and without the in-game time limit they're less stressful too. Snow sledding, popping balloons, the Clawshot cage games...all pretty fun. The only ones that stick out in my mind as not great are either quickly handled (goat wrangling, sumo wrestling) or are just boring (bombing pots on the river). Note however that this ranking would have been higher if I'd gone solely off my initial impressions from the Wii version. Having played the Gamecube and later HD versions afterward, I can safely say that, as always, motion controls make everything worse.

Phantom Hourglass and Spirit Tracks - 9/10

The touch screen controls are bad enough, but I can distinctly recall both of these games also having some downright awful minigames. Hourglass has fishing and a merciless shooting gallery, Tracks has the whip race and the pirate shooting game, and both have stuff like another WW-style training endurance test and randomized part prizes making everything worse. I have very few good memories of either of these games, honestly; all their good bits get drowned out by the clunky controls and the miserable optional content.

Skyward Sword - 7/10

Again, motion controls suck - but at least the HD remaster fixed most of that, and in both versions a good number of the minigames are optional even by my standards. There are still some extremely bothersome ones here though. Fun Fun Island is very much not, the minecart race isn't the most responsive and the pumpkin shooting game can be very grating until you nail the exact way to (sort of) cheese it. I actually switched this ranking with OoT's as I was writing this, because I remembered how much losing the motion controls redeems the experience of this game. Still by no means a favorite, but at least I want to come back to it sometimes now.

A Link Between Worlds - 5/10 normally, 10/10 if you count the giant cucco

Fittingly, it's LttP but more of it - including more annoyances. There's still the RNG-dependent ones, but there's also now a racing game that requires some fairly precise movements as well as a finicky baseball game. The rupee-gathering games are now more about having a stopwatch on hand, but phones can cover that. The cucco-dodging game is a real pain and bumped the rating up a full point, but note that I am never in my life attempting to survive for 1000 seconds (that's over sixteen and a half minutes!) to get the giant cucco in the end credits. Even completionists have to know where to draw the line.

[skyward-floored]

if you don't mind me asking, what are the names of all your Links? they look really cute :)

bdhhdsbkhgsbskksg thank you Anon 😭 Here's a list of them all, and what games they're from! I can try and find the post I have that has more about their personalities too if anyone is interested.

Cloud is the one with white streaks in his hair, he's from skyward sword.

Mini is the youngest, he's from the minish cap.

Kaleidoscope is the one with the swirly eyes, he's from the original four swords game.

Sprite is mad he's being sucked into time travel things again, he's from ocarina of time and Majora's mask.

Gloam is a little overprotective of anyone younger than him, he's from twilight princess.

Light is the one who gets mood swings, he's from four swords adventures.

Windy is the resident pirate, he's from wind waker and phantom hourglass.

Spirit (or Dove) can see ghosts, he's from spirit tracks

Hibiscus is the most experienced, he's from a link to the past, oracle of ages/seasons, and Link's awakening.

Hue has an outfit for any occasion, he's from a Link between worlds, and tri force heroes.

Brownie is the most magically powerful of them all, he's from the original legend of Zelda, and adventure of Link.

Era is the oldest and somehow ended up being the leader, he's from hyrule warriors.

Slate is the one who hums a lot, he's from breath of the wild.

First is the ghost. He's not sure how he's here. He's from the manga in the back of the Hyrule Historia book.

[cutebutalsostabby]

Why are the oracles in OoA and OoS named after the golden goddesses? Are they actually the goddesses or just normal people or what?

Interestingly, the Oracles games are among the rare few entries in the Zelda series where you do (probably) actually hear directly from the goddesses! And with that being the case: the Oracles are expressly NOT the golden goddesses that they are named after, though they do have some related powers and may have some other connection.

Each game starts with Link riding his horse across Hyrule, then entering the castle and paying the Triforce a visit. This isn't really explained, but uhh just go with it.

The Triforce canonically has no will of its own, so it can't really be responsible for this next part, but SOMEONE then tosses our protagonist through space and time (seen below in a flattering cartwheel), and tells him, "Accept our quest, hero!"

Given the origins of the Triforce, the use of "our" and the meta knowledge that Hylia had not yet entered the Zelda canon, this definitely seems like it's the Golden Goddesses speaking! Which is I think the only time anyone directly hears from those goddesses in the entire timeline? Except maybe also in A Link to the Past, if we interpret the Triforce scene as also being those same goddesses speaking. Either way, the Hero of Legend sure is something special!

Anyway. Point is, shortly after this happens, Link meets either a dancer named Din or a singer named Nayru, and they act like they're only just meeting him for the first time. Except it's not an act, or if it is, they're super committed to it. They do recognise Link as a hero based on the triangle on his hand and based on his actions, but there's never a big reveal of them being the ones who collected him for his latest quest. So they are definitely not the same people as the goddesses. But I also wouldn't necessarily call them "normal people"?

Nayru is the Goddess of Wisdom and the Oracle of Ages. The Oracle version has the power to travel through time. Some of that could be attributed to the Harp of Ages, but she can travel through time even without it. This might also explain how all three oracles also show up in Minish Cap, several hundred or thousand (?) years earlier. Idk.

Din is the Goddess of Power and the Oracle of Seasons. The oracle version can change the seasons at will, and just the act of capturing her is enough to throw the seasons into turmoil and to make the Temple of Seasons sink into Holodrum's version of the Depths (which, by the way, is heaps cooler and involves far more dancing than Hyrule's version).

Farore is the third oracle you can meet, and the one who manages to evade capture. She is the Oracle of Secrets, meaning you can whisper cheat codes to her in order to hack into the fabric of reality (i.e. the linked game mechanic). The in-world lore explanation for this is uhh... not there? Idk. Makes sense that the Goddess of Courage gets an Oracle with as much chaotic energy as her hero.

They're all implied to be special in some way, along with Zelda as the final piece of Twinrova's ritual intended to revive Ganon. But they're not goddesses as such. Especially since the goddesses are actually present in those games, for once.

Hope that answers your question!

[ordon-shield]

Animated Zelda Adaptions

With recent discussion of an animated Zelda film to follow the Mario movie, I got to thinking about ways to adapt different Zelda games into animation. While a Zelda movie wouldn’t necessarily need to be an adaption of a specific game, with the variety of styles the series has gone through over the years, they’d need to pick one to go with — so here’s my thoughts.

Zelda 1/Adventure of Link/A Link to the Past/Link’s Awakening

I’m putting these four together because I think they could all be adapted into animation the same way — based of the original official art, in the style of an 80s cartoon (just with a bit more of a budget). Each game could be a season of a TV show, expanding on the somewhat limited plot by making it episodic and using the extra time to expand on the characters and world within that format.

Ocarina of Time/Majora’s Mask

For these two, I think stopmotion in the style of Laika (known for Coraline & Kubo and the Two Strings) would work the best (or using 3D stylised to resemble stopmotion, like the Lego Movie). The OoT style doesn’t seem like one that would translate to 2D very well, and I think it would be fun to borrow some ideas from the Link’s Awakening remake for the Switch and have the character designs stylised so they look almost like action figures. While Ocarina of Time would have to be a movie, Majora’s Mask just wouldn’t work in that format, since the sidequests are so vital to the overall story, meaning a one season series would probably be the best way to adapt it.

Oracle of Ages/Seasons

I’ve never played these two myself, but I think going more ‘anime’ with them would work well, although it would be fun to work in the pixel art of the original games somehow. Like the other Downfall Timeline games, these ones would would work best as a TV series — maybe three seasons, one for Ages, one for Seasons, and one for the linked games ending but adding in extra story where Link travels between Holodrum and Labrynna. For an animation studio, someone suggested Toei Animation, who apparently did the animation for the LA remake.

Wind Waker/Phantom Hourglass/Spirit Tracks

Wind Waker, the one that got me thinking about animated Zelda in the first place! I think this is the only Zelda game that would work with Illumination due to its more cartoony style, although other studios like DreamWorks would also work. Although if it was done in 2D, based on the official art, Cartoon Saloon would definitely pull it off. Wind Waker would work pretty well as a movie with pretty minimal changes needed to the plot, and Phantom Hourglass/Spirit Tracks could make up a Zelda trilogy.

Minish Cap/Four Swords Adventures

Leaving out the original Four Swords due to its complete lack of story — I think these two would work with a similar style to the Wind Waker trilogy, although I’d definitely prefer them to be 2D over 3D. Minish Cap would definitely work as a movie, but I’m not sure about FSA, it probably depends on how much is pulled from the manga.

Twilight Princess

Much like Ocarina of Time, I don’t think the Twilight Princess artstyle as it is would work in 2D. Based on their work like Wolfwalkers and Screecher’s Reach, I think Cartoon Saloon could definitely replicate the vibes of the original game in a more cartoony style. Alternatively, they could go full anime with this one — although it would definitely work better as something more inspired by 90s anime and its more realistic proportions.

Skyward Sword

Initially I was leaning towards Ghibli and while it would definitely work, just doesn’t feel right to me. Maybe Toei again? I’m not too familiar with Japanese animation studios, but Skyward Sword is definitely a good fit for the typical ‘anime’ look. Also I don’t think 3D would work here.

A Link Between Worlds

While technically a sequel/remake to A Link to the Past, the differences in art style make me feel that this one should have its own look — preferably 3D so the contrast with Link’s painting form is strengthened.

Breath of the Wild/Tears of the Kingdom

These ones have got to be Ghibli, there’s no question about it there. The big question is do you make them each a series, or a movie with a number of timeskips? Either one has benefits and downsides.

[a-bit-too-much-of-a-zelda-fan]

What’s the evidence for SS/BOTW/TOTK/ST Zelink being the most canon? I firmly believe in all of them myself but I like hearing other’s takes on this topic so I’m just curious

Ooh, yeah, I'll get into this.

Skyward Sword: This is such a slam dunk. It's as explicit in the text as it can be without Zelda saying "Link, you are my boyfriend, I love you." Groose is jealous of Link for his closeness to Zelda. Throughout the series, Link has gone through hell and back to save the people he cares about, not necessarily love interests (his sister in Wind Waker, the Ordon kids in Twilight Princess, etc). However, consider what Zelda says to Link when they talk in the Sealed Temple:

"I knew that if it meant saving Zelda, you would throw yourself headfirst into any danger, without even a moment's doubt."

She groomed him to be the chosen hero by baiting him with the person he loved most. Then, later:

"While it's true that I am Hylia reborn, I'm still my father's daughter and your friend... I'm still your Zelda"

She does say "friend," but this is the fledgling start of their romance. After the wing ceremony and Link and Zelda are flying together, she was a hair's breadth from admitting her true feelings for him. That's right there in the text. And come on, tell me "I'm still your Zelda" isn't loaded with deeper-than-friendship meaning. This is the kind of language that is absent in most Zelda games.

BotW/TotK: This is the next biggest slam dunk. Zelda could not for the life of her awaken her divine powers through prayer and practice. What finally activated them was a moment of desperation to save the person she loved: Link. Further, her journal details how close the two are personally. Closeness does not necessarily mean romance, but it is conducive to it. Link is comfortable enough are her to actually speak, which was originally nearly impossible from the trauma caused by the pressure to be her appointed knight and the Hylian Champion. Let's also not forget the look she gave him after he saved her from the Yiga assassins.

Now, that's all just in BotW. TotK easily cements it. Link and Zelda live together. They're in their early 20s living in the same house, a house with only one bed. Come on. That's solid proof right there that at the very least, SOMETHING is going on.

Spirit Tracks: This is less solid than the other two but still more explicit than the other 18 games in the series. The very first time Link lays eyes on Zelda, he blushes and audibly gasps. He is straight up taken aback by how attractive she is. He also blushes later when she hugs him. Oh yeah, the hug. The first thing she does once she has her body back is hug him. Then at the very end, as they watch the Lokomo depart from Hyrule and ascend to another realm, they hold hands. The devs specifically modeled hands for Zelda so they could hold hands. Come on. Confirmed.

If anything, I feel more strongly that other Zelinks aren't likely. Note that these are predicated on the idea that Link going to great lengths to save her is not necessarily indicative of romantic feelings. Skyward Sword is different because Hylia targeted Link for it. Anyway:

The Legend of Zelda: Zero chemistry. They only meet at the end.

The Adventure of Link: Zero chemistry. They only meet at the end.

A Link to the Past/Oracle of Seasons/Oracle of Ages: Barely any interaction, no indication they're more than acquaintances or, at best, friends.

Ocarina of Time/Majora's Mask: Okay, this is maybe the strongest case here. Link does spend a fair deal of time with Zelda/Sheik. In Link's later interactions with the Sheik persona, he actually tries to chase after her. Is this because he simply wants a friend? Or has he developed feelings for this mysterious young man? Man, OoT is startlingly sparse on textual evidence for Link's feelings. The writers get closer to establishing something in MM, what with Link and Zelda spending several months together following his return to his home era.

But I headcanon it a specific way, largely because of a particular video essay. In this interpretation, Link is desperate for companionship from someone who truly understands who he is and what he's been through. That's why he goes to such lengths to find Navi. She was his sister in arms and the only one who witnessed his heroism. Zelda was the closest thing to someone who understood, but not quite there. So, less than likely.

Also, they're 10. I was interested in romance when I was 10, but I still consider my first serious relationship, at 19, as the beginning of my true understanding of romantic love. I don't attribute much value to the *very* young love 10 years may have for each other, no matter how traumatized and mature for his age one of them is. That actually raises another question. Is Link mentally 17 by the time he slays Ganon? Or was he mentally a child the whole time? Because the 17/10 thing actually does make a difference here. Um. Moving on.

Wind Waker/Phantom Hourglass: There is also something to be said here in that Link and Tetra actually do have chemistry. She's seems to be a bit older than him, just enough that she initially looks down on him as a stupid kid. Then again, at 14 and even to an extent 13, I did see most 12 year olds as being much less mature than me. Then again then again, I was a very pretentious preteen. Okay, so maybe Tetra is initially just as pretentious in that sense. Anyway, she does view him as an equal by the end and fights alongside him like a badass. Hm. Right so there's some stuff here. Like how Link goes to such lengths especially in Phantom Hourglass to save her. At that point they aren't playing parts in a legendary conflict, he's just trying to save her. But once again, that doesn't really mean romantic love.

Four Swords: No chemistry seen, barely any interaction. That's a nah from me.

Four Swords Adventures: There's a TINY bit more here, because Link and Zelda are childhood friends. Still not much here. The Minish Cap: Barely more than FSA. Childhood friends, more interaction, but still not much chemistry.

Twilight Princess: Okay this might be my hottest take here. Not only do I not think it is evidenced by the canon text, I actually don't like this one. Even ignoring that Link has infinitely better love interests in Ilia and Midna, he has no chemistry with her at all. They barely interact. On top of that, and this is the biggest thing for me, she is 20. He is 16/17. A three year age gap at that point is uncomfortably large. I've dated people three years younger than me, but we were both adults. It's just a little icky.

A Link Between Worlds: I feel like a broken record. Barely any onscreen interaction, no chemistry. Just ain't there.

Echoes of Wisdom: Not to get too into spoilers here, but I agree with that post going around that Zelda probably has a big crush on Link. But that's just a headcanon and not really evidenced by the text.

All of this said, I don't think you're wrong or bad or anything for liking more Zelinks than I do. These are just my opinions and frankly I'm too old to be engaging in shipping wars. Then again, hey, you asked for my opinions. Oh yeah, and sorry for taking so long to respond. Whoops.

[skyloftian-nutcase]

Maybe this is a dumb question but I'm pretty new to the LU stuff and can't keep the Links straight! 😅 Some of them are pretty obvious, like Time and Twilight, but some of the others really throw me off! Which games are Hyrule, Warriors, and Legend from? My brain keeps thinking, well, Hyrule could be from HW, but Warriors could be too and they seem to be separate dudes. Maybe Hyrule is the Hero of Hyrule from the original NES game, but then who's Legend? Help a confused noob out please? 🙃

Also, it's fun reading all your EMT/healthcare type answers. Very educational! 😁

It's not a dumb question! I only knew about botw when I started reading LU, the comic actually got me interested in playing Ocarina of Time, and then my sister had Skyward Sword so I went to that next and it's been incurable brainrot since then XD

Hero of Time - Ocarina of Time, Majora's Mask (and Hero's Shade from Twilight Princess)

Hero of Warriors - Hyrule Warriors

Hero of Twilight - Twilight Princess

Hero of the Sky - Skyward Sword

Hero of Legend - A Link to the Past, Oracle of Season/Ages, Link's Awakening, A Link Between Worlds

Hero of the Wild - Breath of the Wild, Tears of the Kingdom

Hero of Hyrule - The Legend of Zelda (original game), Adventure of Link

Hero of the Four Sword - Minish Cap, Four Swords

Hero of the Wind - Wind Waker, Phantom Hourglass

@arecaceae175 has a post for introducing/explaining all the heroes as well, I believe!

[storiesfromylelmore]

Stories from Ylelmore Episode 1 releases tomorrow!! To celebrate here's a pamphlet about how magic works in universe!

It is literally the clearest description you will ever get because in story it is left up to Keryth, possibly the worst character to have explain any system much less magic.

Pamphlet text below

Front Cover: Magic and you! Are you interested in forming a contract with a spirit?

Interior:

Welcome!

If you've picked up this pamphlet you're probably at least a little interested in the fascinating world of magic. Whether you want to be a shifter, a seer, a necromancer, or just want to understand more about your local covens, this pamphlet should provide you with a basic overview of what magic is and some of the wonderful ways we can interact with it!

What is magic?

While we can't completely answer this question in a few paragraphs, it may be helpful to think of magic as a form of energy that resides in the world next to ours.

In order to access that energy, living creatures must make contracts with spirits, or beings from the world adjacent to ours. In most contracts the spirit will act as a conduit, allowing magic to pass from their realm into ours.

Once that energy is over here it can be used for many things: healing, seeing the future, shape shifting, growing plants, powering vehicles, and so much more!

Contracts

There are as many types of contracts as there as spirits and even spirits of the same type may vary drastically in their terms!

However, in most cases, a contract is an agreement between a spirit and their contractor that grants the contractor access to magic in exchange for providing the spirit with some sort of service. These services may include: taking care of a local forest, living in a specific place, taking bits of the spirit to travel, etc.

Contracts can even have time limits! Many spirits contract for singular seasons while others contract with bloodlines!

Blessings and Curses

Occasionally a spirit will take a liking to a contractor and will "decorate" them by giving them a small ability to show their favor. This ability will passively consume magic and will need no magic circle or spell or resonance ratio to work.

These abilities may range from being able to clearly see the future without any aid (oracles) to being able to hold one's breath for 15 minutes.

A curse is similar but often comes from earning a spirit's ire. Most curses are short lived and relatively harmless.

Free form curses/blessings

You may have heard of areas getting cursed or blessed without the intervention of spirits. It occasionally happens when magic pools and gathers in a specific location.

It is important to remember that not all curses are undesirable and not all blessings are "good". Curses occur when magic tries to defend itself from a perceived threat, while blessings occur when magic flourishes unimpeded.

Magic does not need a vessel to interact with our world, however, we need a contract with a spirit to interact with it directly!

Can all spirits make contracts?

Only bound spirits can form contracts. A bound spirit is a spirit that has settled into a pool of magic and has become bound to either an area, an object, or a belief. Remember all beliefs do not come from humans. Animals, plants, and even some places can bind magic to their beliefs.

Unbound spirits can be seen with the naked eye and make up the auroras! These spirits can not be contracted with, but we can still appreciate their beauty!

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FAQs

Can Magic Heal?

Yes! In certain cases magic can restore a body to it's "original" state! This means something different for each individual, so while magic may not cure a chronic illness, it may help alleviate symptoms! An individual's "original state" will change over the course of one's life due to things like aging, traumatic events, or simply being content or discontent with the people around you, so the effect of magic can be less predictable than science based medicine.

Can a spirit have multiple contractors?

Of course! Depending on the nature of the contract, multiple contractors may form an official coven, or a less official group or organization.

Can a contract be terminated?

Very few spirits want to maintain a contract with an unwilling contractor! However, it is important to make sure that your contract has a section that allows you to leave in a safe and efficient manner. Suddenly separating from magic may have undesired side-effects!