#''but there's no master sword in triforce heroes'' triforce heroes doesn't take place in hyrule it gets a pass

[jheselbraum]

Nintendo is stupid here's my new better timeline:

Skyward Sword

Legend of Zelda

Adventure of Link

Minish Cap

Four Sourds

and it's sequel Four Swords Adventures

A Link to the Past

Link's Awakening (edited, whoops)

A Link Between Worlds

Ocarina of Time

The Hero is Defeated Timeline: Oracle games and Triforce Heroes that's it.

Child Timeline: Majora's Mask and Twilight Princess, as usual, easy peasy, for once no notes Nintendo

Adult Timeline: Wind Waker, Phantom Hourglass, and Spirit Tracks once again pretty easy, no notes

11. Breath of the Wild 12. Tears of the Kingdom

[phoenixcatch7]

Things tloz has not been consistent about that you'd think it would be:

Everything. Buckle up.

The hero being called Link. He's Link in the same way Frisk is the character. The player chooses the name in every SINGLE game up until botw, and that only happened because of the voice acting. It's just shorthand for the link between the player and the game.

The princess being called zelda. Wind waker, she was called Tetra.

The princess being in the game at all (links awakening)

There only being one princess (the hero of either hyrule or legend had two)

There only being one hero (hyrule warriors had three and also linkle)

The princess not being a playable character (hw, aoc, and upcoming EoW. There's also non canon games like cadence and smash bros).

The master sword being in the game (four swords, minish cap, triforce heroes (?), ooa/oos only have it as a linked game post story unlockable, zelda 1,2 and la it was the magical sword).

Ganon being in the game (basically the exact same as the last point minus the 1st 3 games)

Ganon being a bad guy (hyrule warriors and generously, GENEROUSLY aoc, where he's playable as an ally post game).

The master sword being needed to defeat ganon (in botw aoc and totk the master sword is entirely optional, and totally inverts the traditional 'zelda weakens and link deals the final blow').

Link being the main character (upcoming eow which I'm cackling about)

The existence of humanity

Link being in green (abotk made him blue :( and took his hat >:((().

Zelda being in pink (abotk)

Zelda being blonde (she's anything from blonde to brown to ginger)

Link being blonde (tp and lttp (why is he pink?! Zelda is blonde! There's brown haired people! Why neon pink??)

Gerudo having rounded ears (up until abotk)

Nintendo making the games (hw and aoc, cadence lol)

Teen/kid link (totk is the only Link over the age of 19)

Link having a companion (it's pretty evenly split)

Zelda having the companion (aoc and eow)

Link having two companions (hw with basically all of them)

The nature of humanity vs hylians

The story taking place in hyrule (literally so many... La, mm, ooa, oos, technically ww, technically ss, half points for lttp and lbw, tfh)

Just the one triforce (lbw)

Just three separate pieces of the triforce (ww)

Any triforce at all (okay this one is complicated bcz depiction/hand marks/Actual Wish Granting Triforce but hylia alone knows where the triforce was in abotk. I'm counting ooa/oos because opening cutscene. La has zilch and I'm pretty sure mc too.)

Literally any religion has come and gone INCLUDING IRL CHRISTIANITY

Knowledge of the triforce

Knowledge of hylia (it's literally just ss abotk and maaaybe lbw)

The existence of hylia (^^^

The general populace being useless (totk) (that's it)

Link being left handed (in ss and abotk he's right handed. Tp is 50% right handed because they flipped the controls (and world) for the wii).

Link being able to swim at the start of the game (only in the 3d games minus lbw and la remake)

Link succeeding in his quest (botw) (I'm not counting failed hero oot because it's a meta attempt at a working timeline)

At least a tiny bit of time travel (loz 1/2, la, fs, lbw, lttp, botw...)

The hylian shield (only appears in the 3d games! (-la remake and ww and mm))

Link using a bow! (surprisingly 50/50)

Epona!! (literally just oot mm and tp. Botk she's noncanon amiibo and she's in mc but doesn't belong to Link T-T.)

A tutorial (varying subtlety, yes, but there's a difference between the great plateau and a 'press x to open menu :D' prompt five minutes into the game while a knight is trying to kill you (lttp)).

Link having the hero's spirit (ww. I personally disagree but hey)

The hero being a hylian! (totk hero's aspect)

Sleepy boy link (botk he has power naps On Lock)

Link being masc presenting (linkle, hw)

The symbolic elements (3/5/7 combos, lightning/ice/water/fire/wind triforce, boar/owl/dragon/whatever tf)

Things tloz has been consistent about in every game:

Link being a gnc short king (tp is the beefiest he ever got and that was 4'9 male gymnast build at BEST).

Him not telling anyone anything important ever.

[marte-14]

Ravio Universe AU

Context:

It has taken a while for everyone to understand who was whose counterpart's.

But Sky spotted his mirror version immediately, after all he was carrying the Master Sword.... At least his version.

He couldn't take his eyes off him, and he noticed that Astral couldn't either.

On the Lorulian Hero's back there is Ghirahim, in his sword form. He is identical to the last time he saw him: blade of a dark crimson, the strange rhomboid form and the black handle.

The only difference is that the upside down Triforce is gold, not red like blood.

Sky is feeling a familiar sensation of fear in his stomach, images of escaping that swords strike at the last second, before it split open his head in half.

"Are you ok?" Wars asks, Sky nods quickly:"Y-yeah." He manages to look away:" Just surprised!" He tries to justify:" Didn't expect to meet heroes from a parallel universe!" Wars doesn't look convinced:" Yeah! We already have our time travel shenanigans, this is even stranger!" he doesn't question further, luckily.

-----

Everyone settles down, waiting for the dinner to be ready.

Each Link and Ravio are with their counterparts, asking questions and confronting adventures.

While around the fire the chattering is very lively and calm, on the other hand, at edge of the camp, the tension is rising between the two Chosen Heroes.

"You were cursed as well..." It's not a question, Astral tone is firm and direct to the point:" Yes..." Sky glances to the side, where they have placed their swords.

"You have him..."

"And you have her..." There is a touch of resentment in his voice.

Sky eyes return to Astral, frowning:" Fi was my companion during my adventure." Astral stares him in the eyes:" Must have been a really boring adventure."

"Fi helped me a lot. She was always kind and patient, answering all my questions about the surface. She made sure I got back home."

Astral rolls his eyes, scoffing:" Sure. Kind. Of course." Sarcasm is dripping from him.

Sky, logically knows that the Fi that Astral is talking about is not his Fi. Just like Astral's Ghirahim is not the one he met.

Still his blood is starting to boil.

"As if that demon was a better company." He says, without measuring his words.

Astral's posture is tense now:" He was of amazing company. Always with a ridiculous joke, trying to make me laugh. Always full of confidence that I would get Hilda back."

"On the other hand-" he waves in Fi's direction:" That cold hearted monster doesn't care about anything but her beloved Master!" His tone is louder.

Sky gets up:" That creepy bloodthirsty freak isn't better!"

There is no way to tell who jumped on who.

Sky only knows that he is on the ground, wrestling Astral and blind rage is the only thing driving them now.

"Sky!" One of his brothers shouts, but he completely ignores him.

Astral has a stronger grip than Sky, he pins him to the ground ready to punch him.

Astral may be stronger but Sky is quicker. He grabs his scarf, pulling him and headbutting him, as hard as he can.

Astral loses his hold of Sky, but still manages to punch him in the face.

Sky tries to attack back, but he is pinned back down again:" Cut it out!" This time by Warriors and Twilight.

"Astral! Calm down!" In the meantime, Minus and Midday are holding back Astral.

Hope and Time are standing between them, both concerned:" Sky! This isn't like you!" "Friend, deep breaths."

Finally, the two stop and accept to be treated for the wounds they inflicted on each other.

"What happened? You were acting strange even before." Wars tries to get answers but Sky stays silent, same Astral when Hope asks questions.

He just gives Hyrule the time to put badges on the worse injuries before getting up:" Sky!" Astral dies the same:" Astral!"

"If you-" Sky points a finger on his chest:"-Talk about Fi like that again. Not even your goddess will be able to save you."

Astral grabs his wrist tightly:" Try to even say Ghirahim's name and you will beg to face the Demon King again, instead of me."

He lets go of Sky.

They both turn in the opposite directions and leave to take a walk.

Their companions don't try to call for them.

-----

As already said under Astral's original post, Sky and Astral don't get along.

This is just the first of many fights between the two, even if they restrain themselves from punching the other, only for their brothers' sake.

[lace4forest]

The Legend of Zelda Forgotten Songs

We've recently been drawing on Stream, so we ended up making a Legend of Zelda AU. (I'll post the stream vods on my channel later)

Basically Din and Farore decide to mess with Nayru, and shuffled the Triforce pieces.

Anyway! Zelda, the Hero of Songs, needs to search for the Forgotten Songs lost to Hyrule, to bring light back to the Kingdom. She teams up with Link the bard and the two travel together. The Scholar King Ganondorf of the Gorudo is trying to take over the Kingdom of Hyrule and bring silence and darkness to keep the Kingdom under his control.

The Nicknames Zelda - Song (Songs) Link - Lute Ganondorf - Cacophony

Rabbit hole time!

Zelda is the Hero of Songs. She has the Hero's Spirit, and was given the Triforce of Courage!

Zelda is a menace to society. Yes. She fights in this dress, and she is GOOD AT IT. Her "Roll" is a little jump and spin. She also is a very physical character, she doesn't use a lot of magic Items, and don't let her looking frail fool you, she is very strong. (Yes Zelda has the Master Sword)

Link has been nicknamed Lute. He isn't fully Hylian, he is only half! The other half is Siren! He is a Bard. He also has the Triforce of Power! (Think of Zelda 2 btw) So the Northern Palace? Everyone remember that place? Yeah, Link's house is on the beach north of there, he has a cute little beach house, and also has an under water one (Because Siren/mer fun stuff)

Now Link here is a little Uncanny, right? Well, literally EVERYONE in town think's that. That's why he lives out by himself on the beach. He does go into town and play music for money, and he's really good! (Because Siren) and people ALWAYS PAY HIM- (Because SIREN) He doesn't do anything bad tbh. Lastly, Link uses the magic Items here, he is also holding onto the Interments and sheet music they get from the Dungeons! (Looking for the Forgotten Songs of old to save Hyrule)

Now, Link and Zelda are besties, Zelda was traveling past his house, and she just wanted to see who lived there, met Link, liked his weird vibes (Literally all her guards were like NOOOOO SIREN BOY- But Zelda doesn't know) Also, Zelda gave Link Anxiety. (Zelda "No Fear" Hero of Songs traveling with the Siren Bard Link the Lute player)

OH! One last thing, Zelda doesn't know Link is half Siren. She just knows he has funky vibes and she likes the funky vibes. Someone (Villager) will be like "That is a Monster" and Zelda will be like "THAT IS MY BEST FRIEND" (Holds Link's face) "NOW SAY SORRY TO HIM" Villager - "....sorry" Zelda doesn't care.

(another link thing, sorry, that hair? that short hair? Yeah, No. That's an under cut, he has long hair, its just brained and stuffed into the hat)

LASTLY we have Ganondorf! He is cousins with Zelda, and he holds the Triforce of Wisdom! Ganondorf want's to take Hyrule, and he knows he is right behind Zelda for the throne, so all he needs to do is Kill Zelda! (He tried to just hire a guy to shoot her with a cross bow, the guy shot, Zelda cause the arrow, AND THREW IT BACK- NO BOW- and Killed that man.) Ganondorf had to think a little outside the box. His list of Priorities goes 1) Kill Zelda, 2) Kill Link and 3) Take over Hyrule.

Now, Ganondorf here is SMART. (Nicknamed Cacophony) Ganondorf and Zelda are Cousins, and they are pretty close. Their relationship is VERY complicated. Like - Someone talking crap about Zelda in front of Ganondorf "HOW DARE YOU SAY THOSE THINGS!" Person - "That is your Mortal Enemy!" Ganon - "THAT IS MY COUSIN!" (Zelda does the same thing)

Link and Ganondorf also have a complex relationship, they have an emotional support group for talking about the crazy things Zelda did and the two just need a moment to reassure they are normal and it's just Zelda being weird.

Also Ganondorf is a magic user in this AU. He tries to outsmart his opponents when need be. And in this game he is fighting Zelda and Link, who share a single braincell. (I love those two so much oh my gosh XD)

The Dungeon's in the game would be actually kinda hard, relying on your ability to remember things and a LOT of Puzzles. The beginning you can just switch between Link and Zelda to figure stuff out, one being in another room and yelling the answers to the other type of thing. But as the game goes on (After Dungeon 3) Link will become unable to get into the Dungeon without Zelda finding the Interment inside and summoning him inside. (There will also be a Dungeon where you do mainly play as Link in, it's the water temple.)

Now, Dungeon's 1 through 6 you can get Link inside to help, but less and less. By Dungeon 7 Link is unable to be summoned inside. Again, you would need the Dungeon Item to summon Link, BUT Ganondorf is SMART. He figured this out, and went and TOOK THE ITEMS OUT- They are now in other Dungeons (You may find 2 Items inside one dungeon) You might need to return to a Dungeon for a Door you were unable to unlock with a new Item/song/sheet music.

But During Dungeon 7, when Zelda leaves she can tell a fight happened, the area is destroyed, and Link is nowhere to be seen. Ganondorf and his men ambushed Link, and Kidnapped him. (Along with all your stuff.) Zelda heads to Dungeon 8, learning that Link is somewhere inside.

(Our reasoning on why Link get's Kidnapped- "WELL ZELDA GETS KIDNAPPED ALL THE TIME! IT'S LINK'S TURN!")

Now Dungeon 8. Ganondorf is Smart. Zelda and Link Share a SINGLE Braincell. Each room is one of three things. 1) A previous Mini Boss (Link Dungeon 8(?) in Link's Awakening) 2) A Puzzle to get a key or something (Normal Dungeon stuff) OR 3) A Puzzle from a previous Dungeon, but the hint isn't in the Dungeon and Link isn't here to yell the answers for you.

So you will have to do one of three things for those rooms, Look up a guide online, Have a good memory and know what to do, Or go back to the Dungeon it was in, and write it down.

But if you leave you'll have to restart/run through the Dungeon again! AND THIS ONE DOESN'T HAVE A MAP- HAHAHA-

WELCOME TO DUNGEON 8 HELL.

We wanted to create the hardest/funnest Dungeon. (Ganondorf is SMART, HE WANT'S ZELDA DEAD.)

Also, Ganondorf convinces the King to send Gaurds after Zelda and Link. (Kinda like Lttp, but instead of "YOU KIDNAPPED THE PRINCESS" It's more like "Zelda Please, You Need To Come Home!" and Zelda is like "GANONDORF IS EVIL" "No HE ISN'T!" "HIS VIBES ARE RANK!")

I might draw some short comics of them later tbh! (I think it's fun to make stories with everyone on stream, it was good, 10/10 will draw on stream again XD)

If you have any questions, just ask.

[fwoosheye]

*sighs* Not again

Okay so it's another LU idea and can someone please adopt it so it will leave me alone? Anyone? I have too many projects already. Someone please save me!

Anyway. This is a "Legend is the last one to join the chain" idea. He was practically raised by Fi after he pulled the Master Sword for the first time (was it @bokettochild who came up with that? I know I've read some really good fics with that but I'm not sure I remember by who correctly. Please correct me if I've mixed people up), and it takes place on Lorule's Death Mountain. Link is a regular at the Treacherous Tower, because it's an easy way to earn money and with the Triforce restored the monsters aren't as mindless as before so he actually befriends them (though I hc the monsters in the T-Tower were the least mindless to begin with (at least the ones in the audience, maybe the ones one fights were caught mindless ones), probably around the level of Blind the Ex-Sage the Thief, and that they just became more "stable" and better att communicating when the Triforce was restored). Anyway when the story takes place, Link is actually filling in for the final boss because the Purple Moldorm is sick and their new Union demands sick time or something.

When the chain appears in Lorule it's fairly near the T-Tower and when they ask the Devilish Girl about the Hero and learn he's the final boss, they realize someone will have to get up there and defeat him for his shift to end. She will only let one of them enter, so Sky, Warriors or Wild traverse the Tower with the Master Sword in hand (and I'd pick one of those three because they're aware of Fi's presence. Wild might be post-TotK Wild).

When Sky/Wars/Wild finally makes it to Legend there's some brief chatting, and when they attempt to attack each other they simultaneously get their hands burned and Legend accidentally hisses an undignified "Mom!" at Fi making the other Hero realise this teen was practically raised by a sword (and yes this is the scene that gives me the urge to write this, please save me). It becomes a sword-less battle, because Legend shift won't end if he's not defeated and his (magical?) contract don't permit him to hold back more than making it non-leathal. Tri-Force Heroes might've taken place before ALBW for this fic so Legend actually can use doppels/doppel medallion/etc so there 3v1 for a bit. Surprising move from Sky/Wars/Wild eventually sees Legend defeated and he meets the rest of the chain. He probably offers to guide them to the Castle to talk with Princess Hilda, if it doesn't turn out they've managed to get the information they want from the monsters on the audience while they watched. Maybe the chain are chatting about different friendly/civil monsters they've met during their adventures while descending the mountain. And/or Sky/Wars/Wild asks Legend why he addressed his sword as mom.

And because I am utterly incapable of keeping a story idea short, I was also considering to make it so Link is stuck in Lorule because the bracelet only had enough power left to send one of them home to Hyrule and both Link and Princess Hilda agreed Princess Zelda should be the one to return. Ravio would in that case likewise be stuck in Hyrule because he didn't have enough magic. He had probably managed to sneak into Hyrule's Sacred Realm trying to go home and met Zelda as she came back so he knew Link had won, though he might've left before Zelda made her wish (or even woke up?) and thinks Lorule and Link is gone. Maybe. It has some sweet juicy angst potential to let Ravio think his home and hero are destroyed. But also including this would for sure make it a longer fic...

[hyde-nseek]

Theory Time!

(TL;DR, Hylia foresaw the Fallen Timeline)

Let's talk about A Link to the Past. Some people consider it the best Zelda game. Although that is false, after playing the game, I honestly enjoyed it! More than I thought.

So, as one would do, I looked into the lore of the game.

There's not a lot of things mentioned in the game specifically, except for some lines about the Knights of Hyrule and their connection to the Triforce (that's a theory for another day). I did, however, find some interesting things in the game manual regarding a lot of other topics.

So, now let's get into the juicy topics.

The Master Sword in A Link to the Past is essential to break the seal Aghanim places on Hyrule Castle and defeat Ganon. According to the game manual, this is because the Seven Wise Men forged a sword that could fight against the power of the Triforce. That's actually really cool!

"But Hyde," I hear you say, "Hylia and Link forged the Master Sword, not the Seven Wise Men!" And that's a good point. Actually, it makes a lot more sense that way.

Hylia's mission was to protect the Triforce from the forces of evil. That's her whole job. So what happens if she fails? There needs to be someone who can take the Triforce back and keep it in good hands. That's where the Master Sword comes in.

The Master Sword has 2 qualifications: the person must be pure of heart, and strong enough to use it. (OoT child Link didn't meet one of those exceptions so the time thing happened). That means that the only person who can fight the Triforce is someone who is pure of heart. So, if Hylia can't protect the Triforce, a hero with the Master Sword can take it back from forces of evil!

But what if there isn't a hero yet? Or what if the hero isn't ready?

That's where the Moon Pearl comes in. In A Link to the Past, this is what protects Link from turning into a bunny in the Dark World. From the game manual, we learn that this transformation happens because of the powers of the Triforce in Ganon's hands. So the Moon Pearl is actually protecting Link from the Triforce. The manual confirms this by saying that the Moon Pearl was used in the Imprisoning War (not TotK) to protect the Seven Wise Men.

Unlike the Master Sword, the Moon Pearl can be used by anyone. It can't be used as a weapon, though. It's a shield from the Triforce's powers.

So, someone who doesn't meet the qualifications to take the Master Sword can still be protected until they can take it, or until the evil is sealed away.

Hylia, the guardian of the Triforce, is probably the only person who could have created an artifact that could attack or block the powers of the Triforce. Therefore, she must have seen there would be a need for it. Not during the Hero of the Sky's time, but long long after in the Fallen Hero Timeline. She saw what would happen and created two failsafes in case it ever came to it.

And how did Hylia foresee the Fallen Timeline? I'll explain that in another post. This one's already pretty long. I have a few answers for that, though.

[gensnix]

I'm gonna combust if I don't get this out

Totk rant underneath

I know I did review and I put a small rant in it but I got more shit to say and yes I might be repeating things because I have the need to point shit out

The writing is bad a lot of characters I loved in botw have turned into stale biscuits

I can't take the fact that the game goes against its own lore multiple times

"to become a dragon is to lose oneself" K. why tf was Ganondorf still fighting us in dragon form.

Also Zelda knowing when to join the fight or the fact that she cries her memories into the ground and the fact that she's perfectly fine at the end. Zero repercussion

Link your arm is fucked beyond repair... jk lol it's fine

Everyone talks about the shrines and sheika towers but no one talks about the giant sheika pillars that surrounded Hyrule castle I miss them :(

Link would you please react to something besides food and horse points I know you can, especially in a place where you were completely alone

Nope I'm not accepting that the ancient hero is part Zonai cause 2 things. there were only two zonai left that I don't see Mineru having kids and wouldn't that mean that hero and princess would be related or why isn't it just the princess. That is NOT A ZONAI WTF IS THAT IT IT LOOKS NOTHING LIKE THE TAPESTRY mf got blue skin and clearly wearing boots in the pic and I know that Hyrule can be racist but if the zonai were sooo important why would they make him look like a hylian(gerudo?) it really just feels like they just put Zonai stuff everywhere without actually thinking

I like the idea that the three dragons were once Zonai and went through with swallowing secret stones but shouldn't they have three eyes? Idk that's just a nitpick In fact, who even made the secret stones we get no explanation why do they do that.

another nitpick I have is that they should not be speaking the same langue in the past. Zelda shouldn't be able to understand a word of what they're saying

If Zelda gets her light magic from Rauru and time from Sonia why in botw does the triforce appear when she seals Calamity Ganon Sonia is the one with a triforce tattoo and yet they don't even talk about the triforce once in this game and correct me if I'm wrong but don't Sonia and Rauru not know what the master sword is

This game is trying way to hard to convince me that the Zonai were good people. An entire race of good people doesn't die out like that. They also don't have robots that kill everything on site. or doors that drain the life out of people. Or not correct anyone when they are called gods. Or have mining facilities everywhere underground. Or have a gerudo cemetery near all their underground shit

I want this game to stop trying to be Ocarina of Time it's not working.

Why are the labyrinths different especially the one that had all the guardians down there. All of them are gone. Who even went there to get them was it Link. The Zonai researcher makes it seem their the first one to ever go there

I usually see this on twitter saying that the missing sheika tech was stated to be decommissioned in Purah's diaries. Except what the FUCK are you talking about like is it different in other languages or are twitter people just saw one person say it and decide to spread it around. Please ya gotta tell me I know how bad American Nintendo translates their games

also about the shrine of resurrection I see a lot of people say that the yiga took it down. but uh... the whole reason the yiga started is cause one of the old kings banded their tech shouldn't they y'know use some of it and at least fuse it in some designs I know they can

As much as I love them I don't think the yiga really fit in this since everything sheika related got pushed off a cliff

I love the depths but there really isn't much there Like I feel like there should be some sheika stuff down there all destroyed and stuff. cause a lot of chasms are where old sheika shrines were wouldn't it be cool to go down there and see an old sheika shrine in ruins

demon king??? Secret stone????

Idk why I seem to be the only one who wants to know where the actual thunder helm is. I looked high and low for it. I even wore the replica to see if I'd get a reaction and I did but it's only for the speech bubbles above the gerudo's heads Most of them being "that helm..." one being "I want a helm!" Even RIJU with the fucking "That helm..." GIRL WHERE IS THE ACTUAL ONE. This game makes me confused about which side quests are apparently actually canon. Did Link lose it?? Why would they react like that?

Yunobo I love you please please please use your shield why are you not using it

Yunobo why won't you question why Zelda gave you a mask that possessed you please my baby boy don't let people treat you like a doormat be mad you are allowed to be mad that you got possessed

I will never not be mad they sidelined Teba. I didn't spend all those years convincing my friends that Teba was a crazy bastard cause they don't talk to npc's like I do and then proven right in Age of Calamity for him to not even get a redesign. Hell, he's fucking bored as an elder and he doesn't say the injury he got while fighting Medoh was lethal he shouldn't be standing if it was. In botw his wife, best friend, and elder all talk about how Teba acts without thinking and has been like that since a child. Who are you what have you done to my crazy speaks his mind bastard. It's hard being one of so few Teba simps but hey at least I'm not a Sidon simp who had to go through with his marriage.

Saki didn't even want Tulin to be a warrior why is she so ok with him being a Sage

Once again cause this pisses me off the most. In her diary Zelda says that Link follows her everywhere in there attempt to rebuild Hyrule. Everyone and their mothers knows Zelda she's the princess. But they don't recognize Link..? Does she not talk about him to them. Strange since she was so happy to share about him with her ancestors. They should know him he carries the fucking master sword and is always with Zelda. Hell I believe that they live in the same house but I guess Link's not important to them. Even though he's the reason that Zelda was able to seal away the calamity away.

Why does all of Hyrule just accept she's the princess? You guys haven't served under a monarchy in 100 years. You guys are so skeptical of Link but not her... and you're not gonna question anything she does. Even if it seems evil cause yeah that was a plot point in game that was completely dropped. the evil zelda thing could have been great. Get people questioning shit but you know whatever I guess

I don't know how true it is but I saw someone on twitter say that botw and totk take place in different universes (not from the timeline who cares about that but from each other) as stated on an official Nintendo site, even showed a picture, but it was in Japanese so I wanted to try and find this website cause it's easy to be fooled but couldn't cause once again it's Japanese I can't understand Japanese and I don't remember where that tweet was. And at this point I am going to believe that proof or not cause what is this story I know Nintendo is gameplay over story but I have never been upset at a plot like this before.

[three-bunnies-in-a-trenchcoat]

who are ur links??? names and games and gun facts maybe???

!!!

First, we got First, aka Link from the sksw manga. Sad pathetic wet cat. Wants to go back home to his husband, but is STUCK HERE. He's the tallest Link (by an inch)!

Then Feather (sksw)! His fun fact is that he has the full Triforce, but no one knows that for, uh, plot reasons ig. He also regularly practices the harp, because Fi taught him and well- she's not there anymore. My dearest friend here, Godslayer Fulltriforce, does not understand why the others think he's one of the strongest. Anyway, hey, look at this cool sword he uses! It's a double helix blade, isn't that neat?

Then we have my personal little combo Link- MC/FS/FSA. His fun fact is he never used the four sword to put the colors back together (permanently), and they're all just. Y'know. There. (and Shadow. Freeloader.) The FSA comes in with this cool and fun thing I call CONVENIENT TIME TRAVEL

Then oot, aka Mask, because I am incredibly attached to the name and also that's just how the Links named each other. First notable unique trait. His was the masks, which just chill on his belt and offer mostly unhelpful advice. AMAP (assigned male at princess). Physically the youngest, but oh boy. Who even fucking knows what his mental age is (it's why he doesn't talk).

Then we have TP, who, like most of them, still doesn't have a name. His fun fact is that he's trans, but only because I wanted to make a really bad joke. He's friends with Zelda, but only because he uses her magic fountain to talk to Midna, and after a while it got kinda awkward to just walk into her house without knowing her

Wind Waker, aka Patch! Yes, his name is that for exactly the reason you would expect (he doesn't need an eyepatch, he just has a conveniently placed scar)! He's one of the three Triforce Links (Triforce heroes, one could say-), with both Courage and Power. He doesn't know about Power, and could care less about Courage

Spirit Tracks! Idk. He may or may not be in, depends on if I can find a good playthrough to watch

alttp/oos/ooa/la Link, aka Apple! Hermit apple farmer guy after he (willingly) left Hyrule once and got his heart broken (thanks, Marin). He and his Zelda are good friends (or maybe more idk). Doesn't talk, just stares piercingly into your eyes until you start getting uncomfortable because he looks about one bad thing away from breaking down sobbing

albw/th, Paint- he's a little guy :) half of the storage in his house is Ravio's stuff, and the other half is his wardrobe from Hytopia. I also need to find a playthrough for him.

loz 1 & 2, Wanderer, named thus because he doesn't stay in one place, much to his Zeldas' annoyance! The oldest Link (thats a coincidence, I promise). Everyone is like, wow, [botw], your Hyrule is horrible and filled with monsters, meanwhile he's just fucking crying because it's so nice here, look, the water isn't poisonous and the grass isn't trying to kill us and I can see the sky

HW! My most specialest guy :) I gave him Issues. Your token pyromaniac Link, fell in love with Sheik a la OoT- now both he and Zelda have things they need to think about for a good long while!

Lastly, botw! Truly does not understand what a gender is, even among the many other "has lived in the forest half their lives" Links. Whether or not he's experienced totk depends on whether I like it lol. Takes the advice of his own personal peanut gallery (the Champions' spirits) seriously, even when it's just Revali telling him to do something really fucking stupid. Talks a whole lot, especially to the master sword (he heard about Fi and figured hey why not). His glorious purpose in life is to cook, and if he wasn't so distracted sauteing vegetables he'd be one of the most powerful

[pumpkinsouppe]

More art about a role reversal TLOZ AU! My original art is here.

I’m still thinking up some fun plot things and designs for Link and Zelda but the gist of the AU is:

-Link is a fairy prince, he is the product of an alliance between the fairies and the hylians. He is sheltered from most of Hyrule and is used as a bargaining chip during conflict.

-Zelda is a top commander of the hylian army, she specializes in battle strategy and diplomacy. Although her mother came from a long line of knights who were the hylian royal family, her father is Sheikah.

(More notes, below!)

(Same notes below just typed)

Link -Fairy Prince as a result of a Fairy-Hylian Alliance -Miracle child -- mother begged a Great Fairy to bless her with a child, was granted but only if the child were to be raised by the fairies (current idea) -Link is sheltered, only makes a rare appearance to the top Hylian nobles - Used as a bargaining chip esp during war -most likely a musical magic user -mute (signs) -thinking he/they -problem child/sassy (wind waker - like) -around 23 - extra: Link wears a mask when in presence of people other than the fairies

Zelda - Top Commander of the Hylian army -specializes in battle strategy and diplomacy - fights alongside her battalion - Not the sole "hero" of Hyrule but a highly revered knight of war (like achilles) - Mother's family --> long history of Hylian knighthood, mother was also a top commander -Father's family --> Sheikah, specifically the warriors who aide the Hylian Royal Family (Father is Impa) - Due to her upbringing, she has learned multiple forms of combat - Off duty, has a soft spot for sweets, animals, and festivals - Very kind but takes her job seriously. Very intelligent (still connected to the wisdom triforce) - thinking genderfluid/changes pronouns and appearance (similar to Sheik) -around 23 years old

General Plot -Role-Reversal AU - Link is the prince and Zelda is the knight. They both keep their respective triforce aspects (Link with courage and Zelda with Wisdom) - Takes place before Ocarina of Time and after Minish Cap - Pre-ganon, the "villain" of the story is about war, not sure if there will be a big bad and who that will be -Master sword zelda and Bard/Lyre Link?? -Due to rising tensions with *insert enemy here*, the Hylian Royal Family formed an alliance with the fairies through a "miracle child" (check Link's notes). However, the faireis forbade the fairy prince to be used as an object of war and is kept sheltered in the Lost Woods -Maybe: as top commander, Zelda is ordered to kidnap Link so his magic can be used to help the Hylians win the war? (Obv Link doesn't want this but also hates being confined in the Lost Woods)

[loregoddess]

i dont think ppl bitch abt it anyways but share a reverse unpopular opinion abt wind waker

I have been in the LoZ fandom long enough to see people bitch about literally every single game, and guess what I do have a strong opinion about something a lot of people hated.

I actually love the sailing. Like I get where some people are coming from when they say it's tedious, but I liked it so, so much better than having to roll across a large field bc I hadn't gotten a horse, it was so chill and relaxing. I also really loved the exploration aspect a lot, I remember the very first time I played the game I didn't even know I was supposed to be looking for Triforce shards, I just Really Wanted To Fill In The Entire Map, and hit a point where I didn't know what I was supposed to do and figured "eh, I can fill in the map finally" and went and bought a ton of fish bait and went to town, ironically unlocking the final area of the game despite my not knowing how to do that. I really loved how unique every island felt, and I loved getting off the boat and exploring all the different little islands not knowing what I'd find.

Also to this day WW's soundtrack is one of my all-time favorites. I don't actually have top x number lists or anything, but if I did a few songs from WW would definitely be on the hypothetical top LoZ songs list. The music is just so full of life and adventure, I can't help but love it.

ALSO ALSO, this was the first LoZ game that gave Link like, more than one family member! I loved Aryll, and I loved Grandma, it was so exciting to have a family for Link, and it made the whole "call to adventure" portion of the game where Aryll get's kidnapped actually feel like a call to adventure that would drive someone to leave their cozy little island. There's so many good characters in WW actually, like I loved that Link was literally Just Some Kid--according to official lore he's not actually like, destined to be the hero or anything, he doesn't have the hero's spirit, he's literally Just Some Kid who wants to save his sister so bad he impresses the gods (sorta on accident) into giving him the Master Sword and title of Hero of Winds. WW is also my favorite variation of Ganondorf, since he feels a lot more fleshed out in his motivations and overall character, and also his design is my favorite Ganondorf design as well. I really love Tetra and her band of pirates, she's such a refreshing and novel spin on the Zelda character, and I love her absolute chaotic energy and gumption. Also the Rito and Dragon Roost in general are some of my favorite additions to the LoZ universe, and I really loved all the Rito characters a lot.

Also also also, for lore reasons this is one of my favorite games. Like there's this somber undertone to the setting of a flooded Hyrule, where Hyrule no longer truly exists, and that doesn't get reversed at the end. There is no "restoration" of Hyrule with Tetra taking her "rightful place" as the lost ruler, there's just...a quiet, watery end to it all (also breaking the cyclical curse which got retconned into the series later), and then the characters move on with their lives and Hyrule remains in the past. It doesn't even feel like a true tragedy, because we as players spent the entire game seeing how alive and thriving the world is, having moved on from being Hyrule, and know it will continue to do just fine--there is no stagnation, no sense that something is cosmically wrong with the world just because it's ceased to be Hyrule, but that it has healed and grown and will continue to do so. And I dunno, there's something very poetic and beautiful about that.

Anyhow I love LoZ a lot, but WW is one of my top five favorite LoZ games on those hypothetical lists, and I love it so, so much.

[tired-sky-lian]

Hero of the Dreaming Worlds, Ravio and Hero of The Waking World, Link.

Mirrored counterparts from Lorule and Hyrule respectively. The game would take place a majority of the time in Lorule, following Dreamer/Ravio. It would follow Ravio as he beings to learn of all the corruption festering within Lorule, and how its also affecting his Princess Hilda, who he's sworn to guard as her personal knight. He, in an act of desperation, uses his magic to brute force his way into the Spirit Realm where he uses the Lorulian Triforce to ask for the Goddesses help. This... *doesn't go as he had planned*. The Goddesses take everyone from Lorule and basically trap them all within three different Dream Realms. So now he's all alone. In Lorule. And the only other thing around is Ganon and his malice infecting the world. He hears the voice of another Goddess in his head, Lolia (Lorule's Hylia ofc) and she tells him to make his way to the Sword Of Dreams, draw it, and she'll... *summon someone to help*. It takes him a while to get there because of all the monsters jacked up on rage who won't actually *die* and all the Lorulian technology just keep trying to *Kill Him*, ***Lolia I could use some fucking help here***. He gets to the sword placed in a pedestal in the middle of a garden and he wastes *no* time in pulling it out. At the same time, this bright ass light appears and another person falls right on top of him, oh shit it's Awake/Link!!! They take a bit to introduce themselves and Ravio apologizes for a good solid ten minutes before he realizes Link has the Hylian Divine Blade, the Master Sword! Link can actually fucking kill things and purge Ganons malice from everything and Ravio can just breathe for a few minutes. Together, they get to Ganon, and Ravio in a fit of his own spite and rage, uses the Sword of Dreams to subject Ganon to waking nightmares for everything he's done to Lorule. As the guy writes on the ground, Link is just.. "Ravi? Do you need a hug? A glass of milk? A kissie on the top of the head?"

They have a good hug, Link reassures Ravio that everything will be fine after Ganon is gone again. Together, they raise the Master Sword, and if it burns Ravio's hand a little bit he doesn't mention it, as they strike the blade between the Gerudo's shoulder blades.

After Link dissappears back to Hyrule in a shower of golden light, Ravio is alone in the final battle room, covered in his own blood and Ganons and Links. He's not really used to this whole "fighting a great evil" thing so he just kinda walks home(hah, home. His room in the castle.) and promptly passes the fuck out on his bed. It isn't until a few hours after he wakes up that he realizes that the world is still so quiet and *fuck everyone's still trapped in the fucking dream worlds.* ***Are you fucking kidding me.***

So Ravio has to find a way to get into where the Goddesses has trapped the rest of the lolians and it really does take him a little longer than it should to think of their temples with worship springs in them. He breaks his way through because there isn't anyone around who can keep him out and he makes his way through the first temple to find the spring of the Goddess of Wisdom. And as he places his sword in the pedestal in the spring, something glows on the back of his hand. Oh wow, has that been there this entire time? Maybe. He's got the Triforce of Wisdom!

Now, he has to venture inside of the Dream Worlds.

Inside the Dream Worlds, he has to fight off monsters called Nightmares and convince the Goddesses to let the Lorulians go back to their homes in the real world, no matter how amazing the Dream Worlds are and no matter how carefree everyone can be. They need to back to their own lives in the real world. The Goddesses are all like "Wait a second, you *wanted* this. You *wished* for this. Why are you trying to take it back now." He has to admit he couldn't save everyone when Ganon was around and he was too much of a coward to do much else than beg for divine intervention. He gathers pieces of the Triforce back every time he returns to Lorule from one of their dream worlds. In the Spirit Realm, as he reverts everything back to normal as the Triforce reforms, he can distantly see, if he looks down through the glassy floor, another golden Triforce. He returns sometimes to the Spirit world after he realizes this is the only connection he'll ever have to Link. He never sees him again. Ravio goes back to normal life as personal knight and newly appointed advisor to her grace Princess Hilda. The other Royals and Lords don't like him because he keeps undermining their schemes to exploit more money or land from her highness. He's attacked and sedated one day one of the more temperamental lords, Ghyrheim who *sews his mouth shut*. Hilda cuts the strings herself the next day because neither of them trust the castle doctors yet, which ends up leaving scars all around his mouth. He takes to wearing a mask around in public after that.

[And now, from the top]

Link/Awake is the sole Heir to a small fortune and the lordship title from his parents, who died a few years ago. The Haten manor not to far from the beach was his once he reached the age to claim it. Princess Zelda is holding the keys hostage to keep him in the castle because they've been roming the castle together since they were toddlers. He gets the same tutors as Zelda and they eat at the same dining table with the King. Link does sneak around the castle with Zelda sometimes while they were young children, watching the knights and practicing sparring in her quarters with hidden legs of one of her old dressers. It wasn't until he was 15, sneaking into the royal guard caravans that he found himself somewhere outside of castle town. They were escorting someone with dirty blonde hair in lose tunics to somewhere in the middle of deep forests. It isn't until they get to the Master Sword's pedestal that he realizes that the dirty blonde man is probably also named Link and they're here to see if he's the Hero of the era. The man tries to pull the sword, to no avail, and all the guards sign and turn back around and the man in heartbroken. Link watches as they all turn to leave and, very slowly, he drifts into the treeline until everyone else is gone. If he's wrong, he doesn't want anyone else to see this.

He pulls the sword, and in a blinding light, he's somewhere else. He's holding the Master Sword, he's wearing royal guard armor on top of his lounge wear, and there's an extremely haggard looking kid with dark purple hair, bags under his eyes, cuts and bruises and he's *bleeding*, but he's looking at Link in relief. Then Link realizes he's holding the Master Sword, *Then he realizes he has no idea where he is.* He plays 21 questions with this Ravio guy who's very literally the same age as him (same birthday, who knew?) And he finds out that this entire world is empty because of *Ganon*. Holy shit he never thought he'd see the guy in person because all the stories of his are *fucking terrifying*, but here he goes, he guesses.

He follows Ravio, who is *fucking amazing* with that sword which looks so cool, btw. They watch eachothers backs, and Link's pulls up the most fake bravado and courage he can because Ravio looks like he's going to shatter if one more thing goes wrong right now and Link definitely just wants to help him. Most of the minor monsters they have to face are quickly dispatched by Ravio who sends them into waking nightmares with his blade and Link quickly learns how to purge corruption with the Master Sword which is kinda cool.

They face Ganon.

Link almost throws up.

Ravio is outsmarting the scariest monster in the universe and Link barely gets some swipes in before Ganon falls to his own nightmares from a seething Ravio. And wow, the guy is going through a lot right now, and given the moment to breathe, Link makes Ravio look him in the eyes as they breathe. Just for a bit. Link hurts, he was thrown across the room a while ago, he's pretty sure he's got a few broken ribs, but Ravio needs grounding. They look down to Ganon. Link offers the Master Sword to Ravio, because the guy could really use it and kill him for all he's done to Lorule, but Ravio just curls his hand around both the handle and Link's hand and together they seal Ganon's soul back into the blade. Link doesn't have long and he can feel his body getting lighter but he rushed forwards to hug Ravio anyways.

When he gets home, most of his armor is gone, he's bloody and bleeding, and there are tears on his shoulder.

He makes it back to the castle after wondering in the forest for a while, the Master Sword hanging from his back, and he's barely two steps inside the castle walls when he's tackled by Zelda who looks likes she's been pulling her hair out for weeks.

He gets patched up and nothing really happens for a while. He's officially recognized by Hyrule Castle as the Knight who Seals The Darkness and he doesn't really want to mention how he's already killed Ganon because *Lorule feels like such a dream*, so everyone's nerves are on high end waiting for an attack by anyone. Any evil sorcerer or person from another dimension, or someone with a grudge against the Kingdom or Royal Family, but nothing really happens for weeks. Link gets formal training and life moves on. He does visit the spirit realm sometimes, and just below his feet he can see another Triforce, but no reflection kof himself. He thinks Ravio would be down there if he was real.

It isn't until a year later that shit starts getting real again.

Link gets attacked by his own fucking shadow, which, what the absolute fuck. It leaves his room in the castle a mess and all the guards on high alert. Link is hesitant to fight his own Shadow because *one* that shouldn't be happening in the first place, and *two* his shadow looks.. well, familiar. Which makes sense because he's sees that face in the mirror every morning... but it's also. It just. Well, it could just be that he misses the guy but his own fucking Shadow reminds him of Ravio. He wonders how he's doing. (He's clawing at thick cords laced through his skin).

He keeps fighting the Shadow and sometimes the shadows of the other guards or random civilians and it really feels like the world is out to get him for a while there. He meets his Shadow who's planning on merging this world with another and it isn't until the guy starts fucking explaining things that Link realizes the guy is trying to combine this world with Lorule is order to retrieve Ganons corpse and also something called a Demon Blade. It hurts because Ravio was *real*, Lorule *exists*, and he can't fucking go see him because this Shadow is trying to get Things on Ravios end. And while they're fighting, Link does realize that the Shadow really is *his* Shadow because it screams "*Don't you want to see him again?*" in his distraction, his sword arm is loped off. He grabs the Master Sword with his right and seals his shadow away.

Princess Zelda finds him in the Temple of Time, the Master Sword placed in the pedestal still covered in blood and something black, and Link only half conscious, crying, and missing a fucking arm.

He learns how to use his right hand to fight, how to write, how to button his shirt with only one hand. It takes a while but he's not helpless. He practices writing again by writing letters to someone he will never see ever again.

[sonicasura]

SonicAsura Doodles #60

Based on this idea.

Apparently October is the month to just torture any character with angst, tragedy, and hurt with a bare chance of comfort, aka Whumptober. Here's my take with the first Link I officially played as out of all the games: Spirit Tracks or Spirit.

Yeah. Spirit Tracks was my first Legend of Zelda Game that I funnily won with tickets at the prize section of Dave N Busters way back. Despite my hatred for the Ocean Temple specifically that one part with the boulder, I had a lot of fun. Plus I love it when Zelda isn't the helpless princess whose ass needs to be saved and actively helps.

Back on the topic at hand, I thought why not mess with this train conductor in the worst way possible? Welp, thank Madness Combat for this. In short, our Hero of Spirits gets yeeted out of his world at the end of Spirit Tracks. (RIP Zelda who was already traumatized considering what happens after the final boss is defeated.)

Stuck in unfamiliar territory, his gear displaced except for the whip and tons of enemies around Spirit is forced to hide. Hiding spot he picks being the worst place ever: a Magnification Chamber. You know the Super Soldier schtick often seen in media?

This is one of the worst options since it's fueled by crystalized Madness. (Don't know if it's as bad as LoZ's Malice but it's still very bad.) Thanks to faulty wiring the machine activates with poor Spirit inside. The Magnification Chamber is also the type of machine where bringing foreign objects with ya inside is BAD.

Thus our hero ends up having the whip merged with him as he's forcibly mutated. Normal MAGs are very aggressive, quite violent and usually need a handler to hold them back. However Spirit's mind and personality is kept mostly in tact takes to the blessing from the Triforce of Courage that every incarnation bears. Everything else had been altered.

Now Spirit is supposed to be 12-13 years old at the beginning of Spirit Tracks. Thanks to the Magnification however, he looks at least 17 or older standing around 12 ft. Baby boy got big. I'll be drawing an adult version later. Did I forget he's STUCK like this?

This Link doesn't have the Master Sword but the Lokomo Sword. Spirit does get his equipment back and can use the Spirit Flute still but it won't be able to restore his true form. He may have the Song of Healing but it isn't the same like Time's.

There are some perks to being a MAG such as enhanced strength, ridiculous pain tolerance, enhanced durability and acquiring light manipulation. Spirit will return to his world although there'll be a lot of obstacles thrown in his way.

His tail 'Whip' is fully sapient and a snarky smartass. Spirit often bickers with Whip on a weekly basis. Spirit's jaw can unhinge freely which makes his lethal bites even more dangerous. Green crystals grow around his shoulders and on Whip that can absorb any ambient light in a way similar to photosynthesis.

His face cheeks aren't what they seem to be. Spirit has an cracked mouth similar to a jack-o'-lantern but they close in a way to mimic said facial features. Most of his clothing had been improvised using both his conductor clothes and hat.

Will he interact with the Chain and other characters? Oh yeah.

That's all I have for now. Until next time folks, I'll see you back at Hyrule.

[anarchopuppy]

It's time for another one of my long-ass Zelda posts that no one actually reads but that's okay because I'm just posting it for myself. The topic today:

The Zelda Timeline Actually Makes Perfect Sense If You Just Think About It For A Minute

Casual fans and non-fans will take any opportunity to mock the Zelda timeline, with their criticism often starting and ending with "Look, there are three whole branches! Three!" followed by not inspecting it any further. Even big Zelda fans who know the lore extensively will still claim (without giving evidence) that the developers never intended for there to be a timeline or shared story at all while they were writing the games, and just made it up post-hoc to put in Hyrule Historia. But is that true?

Even as early as 2003 (around Wind Waker's release), Miyamoto and Aonuma confirmed that they had an official document with the entire timeline laid out in it, and that claim was reiterated in several other interviews following that. So, there's that idea put to rest right away. Straight from the horse's mouth, there has always been an official timeline

Fun fact: Did you know that back when Ocarina of Time was still called Zelda 64, around the same time that the very first ingame footage was being shown to the public, before the time travel concept was even decided on - we're talking very early development - Nintendo reportedly told IGN that its story took place after Adventure of Link? Now, you may say that that proves that they don't care much about the timeline if they're changing it up partway through production, but to me it says the opposite. Even in the experimentation phase, before they had even come up with the central concept of the game, they were already considering where it would fit into the timeline

But the claim I made at the top wasn't that the timeline was considered beforehand, but that it makes "perfect sense"

The Official Timeline Is The Only One That Works

Let's consider the games in the Zelda series in release order and see how they fit with each other

First was Zelda 1. After that came Zelda 2, an obvious direct sequel with the same Link. Then LttP, which the devs clearly stated was a prequel to Z1 - and it couldn't really have been anything else, since Z1 ends with Ganon being killed and AoL ends with his resurrection being prevented. Link's Awakening is just a dream and could go anywhere on the timeline. Ocarina of Time is a clear prequel to LttP, exploring the origins of Ganon and the beginning of his life as a man, as established in LttP's manual (I'll talk more about OoT and the Downfall Timeline further down). Majora's Mask is a direct sequel to OoT

After that comes Wind Waker, the first seemingly ambiguous placement. The game begins with a legend of the Hero of Time, the player character from OoT, sealing Ganon and then disappearing forever. It's clear that this is referring to the timeline that Link left in OoT. And since in LttP Hyrule hasn't been flooded and abandoned along with the Triforce and Master Sword and Ganon's corpse (which is how WW leaves it), we can be pretty certain that this doesn't come before any of the previously released games. Nor does it come after, since it makes clear reference to the events of OoT and explicitly states that no hero like the Hero of Time has appeared since. So it must be a new timeline split from all that time travel stuff. Cool

Then is Twilight Princess, which also doesn't fit with any of the other games we've seen. In its backstory, Ganondorf was stopped before taking over Hyrule or even touching the Triforce, which doesn't match with either of the two histories that have been established. It does match perfectly with the timeline the Hero of Time returned to at the end of OoT, though, and there's other evidence (such as the Hero's Shade, which is heavily hinted in-game to be the Hero of Time) that supports that. Again, can't come before anything else we've seen since Ganon dies, and can't come after since Ganon never got the Triforce. So the only option that makes sense is for this to be another timeline branch following from OoT

After Twilight Princess comes Phantom Hourglass and Spirit Tracks, both of which are explicitly sequels to WW. Then Skyward Sword, which is heavily established as the first game in the series chronologically and came with an official timeline to prove it. Then Link Between Worlds, a sequel to LttP (in Japanese it's even a numbered sequel), and finally Breath of the Wild which has its own nonsense going on and effectively soft reboots the timeline

Ok, so where's that famous ambiguity and arbitrariness? Everything locks in pretty solidly, there's just no other option that makes sense. This is supported by the fact that the Zelda fanbase came to the exact same conclusions before there was ever an official timeline. There were some people who were so attached to a unified timeline that they came up with wild and varied theories to fit it all together, but among the people who recognized that there was a timeline split, they effectively all put the games in the exact same order that would later be revealed as official. But with one major difference - everyone agreed on the order of the 2D games, but no one could figure out whether they belonged at the end of the Adult Timeline or the end of the Child Timeline, with some even arguing that the split timeline "merged" somehow before the 2D games. No one had even considered the Downfall Timeline as an option

What's Up With The Downfall Timeline Anyway

The DT is the most controversial part of the official timeline. There are two timelines that are clearly explained by the events of OoT, and then a third that splits off at the same point that just exists for seemingly no reason. Before the official timeline was released, the fanbase couldn't make sense of the 2D games and how they fit into everything. So what gives?

As I said above, OoT was conceived of and established as a prequel to LttP. But even before the timeline split nonsense, that didn't really make sense. In the backstory of LttP, Ganondorf acquires the entire Triforce before being sealed by the sages - and in-game we do see Ganon in possession of the completed Triforce, even able to wish on it - but in the events of OoT Link and Zelda retain their pieces at all times. OoT is clearly intended to be the events of LttP's backstory, but the ending is changed, like a "what if" scenario where Ganon loses instead of winning

And I argue that's exactly what it is. The Zelda team wanted to flesh out the stuff from LttP's manual, but a game where you lose at the end no matter what you do isn't fun, so they had to make it so you can win. The DT doesn't make a lot of sense when you think of it in timeline order, in terms of how it came to be in-universe, but it becomes a lot more clear when you think of it in development order, in terms of why the developers made the decisions they did. Ocarina was a reboot, a "what if we won instead" story in the same vein as Age of Calamity

In other words, the Downfall Timeline split isn't something that mechanically exists in-universe like the Child/Adult split, and it becomes very confusing if you try to think of it in those terms. Instead, it's another story being told by Nintendo where a different version of events happened, like an alternate history. And when you realize that, the entire timeline starts to make perfect sense

Hold On You Left Out Like Half A Dozen Games

Yeah, you caught me

The other most controversial part of the Zelda timeline is the placement of third-party games. This is the source of the only retcon in the official timeline, which was moving Link's Awakening from after the Oracle games to before them. It also results in the "Vaati trilogy", which was clearly meant to be one continuous story, being split up by thousands of years across multiple timelines. Surely, you say, I can agree that that's confusing and arbitrary?

And I would respond, yeah. Trying to fit games and stories from third-party devs into a timeline with the mainline games post-hoc was a bad idea, and the Vaati trilogy, the Oracle games, and Tri Force Heroes fit into the history about as well as the CD-i games and the Nelsonic Game Watch do. They're great games, by and large, but they're spinoffs and should've been treated as such - trying to include them is the only thing that screws with the timeline. Throw them out, and everything makes sense

[spirit-tracks]

HEY BABES NEW LINKED UNIVERSE AU JUST DROPPED!

Welcome to Linked Universe: the B-Team. After all, with portals opening up across time and space, you can't expect everyone to end up in the same place.

Here's the breakdown:

Mask (young Time) fresh out of Hyrule Warriors. He's very mean and very quiet and will probably bite you if you get too close. Probably has rabies. He's older than he lets on; years of pain and experience in an unassuming child's body. He's very depressed and kind of angsty and never takes off his mask unless he has to. He's kind, though. Even if he won't admit it. (There is a reason young Time is here just trust me)

Spirit (Spirit Tracks Link) about a year after the engineer ending of Spirit Tracks. The youngest. He's kind of flighty but is willing to work with the others if they're willing to work with him. Looking at all these other heroes, he thinks he doesn't deserve to be here. He can see ghosts and souls and spirits-- it's the Lokomo in him. He's got tapetum lucidum and it freaks everyone tf out. Doesn't know what the triforce is.

Linkle (Hyrule Warriors). She genuinely, 100% thinks she is a reincarnation of the spirit of the hero. Spoiler alert: she is not. No one in the group can be sure she isn't, though, so she's along for the ride as the team's long distance archer. Happy go lucky, determined, and optimistic! Also couldn't find her way out of a paper bag. She claims to the group that she knows where she's going so they follow her directions. Not the best idea.

Hero (TV Show and CDi Link). CDi adventures first, TV series next, and now he's here! I don't even need to explain him to you, you know exactly how cursed this guy is-- but essentially, he's Gaston. Thinks he's better than everyone, is not as charismatic as he thinks he is, and kind of an idiot. Calls everyone else a 'poser' and generally makes everyone just. Dislike him. But he has his moments, certainly.

Rhythm (Cadence of Hyrule) two years after the end of his adventure. Rather chill dude. Hard to piss off, but his pal Hero knows exactly how to push his buttons. Very particular about teamwork, is probably the only one keeping this mess from falling apart. Works with a rhythm, and can quite literally get 'thrown off his groove' if he's overstimulated, particularly by rough noise with no rhythm. His heartbeat is a constant metronome that keeps him focused.

And lastly is First (Skyward Sword manga). I had to wriggle the manga's story a little to fit canon, so instead of the Master Sword, he's just got the Goddess Sword. (Fi does not exist yet!) His hylian shield is actually the very very VERY first of its kind, it's the one Sky gets from Lanayru in Skyward Sword. ANYWAY, First is the oldest, but he's less the dad of the group, more of a typical drill sergeant. He's been really soured from his time in jail, rightly so. He'll boss the others around if they get on his nerves, he was a captain (general?) after all, but typically he hangs at the back of the group and keeps an eye on the surroundings. Funny enough, he gets along best with Mask. It's that cynical, jaded air they both have that allows them to brood in solidarity.

The punchline is that these guys are literally always like. One left turn away from the regular Linked Universe gang. That's why they never meet. But they encounter Dark Link here and there as well, and get into their own shenanigans on their journey to find and finally join up with the A Team.

This has been in my drafts for a while, but lemme know what you think! 👉👈

[ibrithir-was-here]

I'm bored and wanna post something so here, have some of my Zelda Headcanon Word Doc, including Timeline and Character Bios that include each Link and Zelda's parents name along with possible siblings cuz I don't know when to stop

My timeline:

Creation of world by 3 Goddess, creation of Triforce

Era of Hylia (3000 years)

Chosen Hero battles against Demise's forces, loses life. Hylia chooses to be reborn as a human

1,000 years later Skyward Sword

300 years of peace then

Era of Chaos/Interlopers War--Banished to Twilight Realm/Raru builds Temple of Time and seals the Sacred Realm. 

Era of Prosperity --Hyrule Kingdom and royal family established (300 years)

Force Era --Demons rise again, and  the Picori/Minish descend from the sky to grant the Hero of Men the Picori Blade

100 years later --Minish Cap, Vaati becomes a Demon and the Picori Blade is made into the 4 Sword. Later this Link faces Vaati again as an adult, sealing Vaati in the 4 Sword 

4 generations laters/100 years 4 Sword happens, new Link seals Vaati again in the 4 Sword

Labyrinna ruled by Queen Ambi (Sir Raven around--son of 4 Sword Link? --his descendents include both OOT Link and ALttP Link? )

(300 years later ) The Hylian Civil War

10 years later first part of OOT

Child Timeline 

After MM happens, Several years (6) later Ganondorf is banished to the Twilight Realm 

100 years later Ganon Escapes and Twilight Princess happens 

(100 years later) a new Ganondorf was born, grew to adulthood and sought out the forbidden trident. A few years after 4 Swords Adventures happens where both Vaati and Ganon are defeated and Ganon is sealed in the 4 Sword

Adult Timeline (starts 10 years after OOT part 1)

After 100 years Ganon escapes the Spirit Realm (Same time give or take as TP/ALTTP in other timeline) and Hyrule is flooded by the Gods (Zelda in portrait is same as TP her hair just hasn't darkened yet)

100 years after that WW takes place and Ganon is killed(Same time as ALBW and 4SA (Ganon turned to stone with Master Sword in him, sinks to bottom of sea)

1 year later PH/New Hyrule is founded

100 years after that SP takes place 

Fallen Hero Timeline

Link is defeated in the 7 year future. Ganon rules for a while but 4 years later is finally sealed away with the Triforce in the corrupted Sacred Realm, now the Dark World 

After 15 years the Dark World begins to leak out. People search for the Triforce and are turned into monsters 

This resulted in the catastrophic Imprisoning War

85 years later Ganondorf escapes disguised as Agahnim. (Same time as TP) After 3 years he managed to rule almost all the land, and Princess Zelda called out to Link, last descendents of the knights of Hyrule to save her (ALttP)

1 year later LA happens

3 years later OOA/OOS--Ganon is almost revived but it fails. And he is revealed within the Dark World with the Triforce of Power, leaving the Triforce split 

100 years later --ALBW happens, Yuga Ganon is defeated and Lorule (and unsaved Termina) is restored (Same time more or less as 4 Swords Adventures) TriForce is Recovered 

Golden Age Begins

200 years of peace

Decline--Wizard (possibly aspect of Ganon) appears, corrupts Prince, Princess Zelda cursed into sleep. Triforce of Courage is lost

100 years later Ganon Returns and LOZ happens

6 years later AOL happens and Sleeping Zelda is Awoken

(Ganon is ashes but could be revived with the blood of the hero--100 years later FOE/WOG.   or ZA)

 Hyrule Warrios happens at its own point and smooshes all the timelines together, eventually resulting in:

 Hero 10,000 years ago

Age of Calamity

100 years later BOTW

Character Headcanons

Hylia's Chosen Hero

Firstborn child given at birth to the knightly priesthood to specifically serve the Goddess Hylia, doesn't know who parents are (likely has some siblings through whom SS Link is descended). Imprisoned for treason by Lord Daiginas for "preaching blasphemy" after he foresaw the rise of the Demon King. Orville was his squire/charge before he was imprisoned 

Skyward Sword

Both Link and Zelda are only children. Zelda's mother Mia died in childbirth, Link's parents Sibyelle and Selik died of a sickness that passed through when he was a boy. Almost killed him too but Zelda pulled him through, first unrealized incident of Goddess power 

Hero of Men

King Gustaf was the father of the HOM Zelda, both he and her mother Lea are still alive

 This Link is a gardener who works at the palace, whose parents died as a child in a house fire, and doesn't remember their names. Friends with Zelda but doesn't end up with her

Minish Cap

This Link lost his parents as a child, doesn't know who father was and mother died in childbirth. Taken in by his grandfather, the grandson of the previous Link, and trained as a Blacksmith.

Zelda is daughter of King Daltus and Queen Zelda, who also died in childbirth, have been best friends since they were children as Smith and Daltus are friends. Don't end up together though, and Link later travels to find out who his father was and if he's still alive.

4 Sword

 This Link is the great grandson of Minish Cap Link, and has been training as a priest with Zelda. His parents are both still alive, Father also named Link though didn't have a grand adventure, and his mother is named Ethlinn

Zelda has been training as a priestess though her parents King Daltus III and Queen Seline would prefer her to focus on her queenly duties and not old legends.

Ocarina of Time

Link's Parents were Banzetta and Loretta, both killed in the Hyrulean Civil War

Zelda's mother Etain died during the Civil War as well, her father is King Cereus

Malink kids--Pola and Meino, daughter and son, TP Link is great grandson of Pola.

Twilight Princess

Zelda's father is King Daphnes Nohansen, but due to timeline changes he passed on peacefully a few years ago. She is an only child and her mother Zelda died when she was a young girl in a riding accident. 

Link's parents Panna and Teofil passed away due to an illness that came through when he was 14, and has been taken care of by the townsfolk since then. He ends up with Ilia and they have 3 daughters, Ninian, Ilta and Ria

4 Sword Adventures

This Zelda is the young Queen of Hyrule. Her parents, Zelda and Pyrus, died in a shipwreck a few years ago. Link is already known to be the Chosen Hero but is untested. His father Stefan was a knight and was killed by one of the monsters of Hyrule, his mother Agata is still alive and works as Baker in the palace.

A Link to the Past

Link's father was Rune, a knight at the  palace, and Queen Zelda. Zelda is his younger half sister. Queen dies giving birth, Rune dies fighting one of Ganon's Demons. Sigil, Rune's brother, also a  knight of Hyrule raises him

He and Zelda have an unfortunate Luke and Leia situation at first (nothing happens beyond that cheek kiss) but they get it sorted out eventually 

A Link Between Worlds

Link parents are Arn and Medilia, apprenticed him to a Blacksmith, still alive, has one younger brother Bram, still alive 

Zelda's parents, Zelda and Kai also still alive, has younger siblings, 2 younger brothers Abbe and Aldo

Legend of Zelda

Sleeping Zelda's brother named Gustaf, and is the great grandfather of LOZ Zelda, who is recently orphan by time of game, only child of King Harkinian 

Link is an orphan. Has been on his own since 7 years old, wandering the land. Ends up with Sleeping Zelda who decides to travel with him. First Zelda continues to rule and they come and visit her. 

Wind Waker

Link is 2 years older than Aryll, their parents Ari and Liann  ship went down in a storm when Aryll was 3. Grandmother is maternal. He and Tetra date for a bit as teenagers but then just end as friends

Tetra is a descendant of alternate TP Zelda, her hair will darken as she gets older like her mother. Her mother was Tercia and her father is unknown. Tetra is great granddaughter of antediluvian/tp Zelda

Spirit Tracks

Zelda is the granddaughter of Tetra and Link is the great grandson of Link. Zelda is an only child but Link has several siblings at home, an older sister Liane and 2 younger brothers Loren and Levin. Zelink does actually end up together.

Hyrule Warriors

Ganon's soul being split in four happened due to the 4 Sword in 4SA, that Link is the great grandson of 4SA Link who became a Knight of Hyrule. His twin sister Linkle was separated from him when their parents Tymon and Camma (both Knights) disappeared (sucked into the Twilight Realm) and their memories messed up a bit due to Cia's time manipulation but they'll find eachother again. He's just friends with his Zelda. He and Linkle eventually go on a journey to find their parents in the Twilight Realm)

Zelda is Queen, her father Daltus having died during a battle as a child, her mother Cairn was Queen regent for a while 

BotW 

Link's father is named Bayern, Knight of Hyrule, younger sister Farrah (12) Mother Ola died in childbirth with Farrah. Both father and sister die in Calamity release.

[powdermelonkeg]

hypothetically, where would the phillips cdi zelda games fit on your condensed timeline? if hyrule warriors and cadence of hyrule can be canon, why not wand of gamelon? (btw, this isnt meant to be rude or anything, ive heard people say im bad at conveying tone)

Nah, you're good. That's a good question!

So, the current order of games goes:

Skyward Sword

Legend of Zelda

Adventure of Link

Oracle of Ages

Oracle of Seasons

Link's Awakening

A Link to the Past

A Link Between Worlds

Triforce Heroes

Cadence of Hyrule

The Minish Cap

Ocarina of Time

Majora's Mask

The Wind Waker

Phantom Hourglass

Spirit Tracks

Four Swords

Four Swords Adventures

Twilight Princess

Hyrule Warriors

Breath of the Wild

Breath of the Wild II

Adding these two in wouldn't be too difficult; we know that the Triforce exists in full, so it's after Adventure of Link, and we know that the Sealing War hasn't happened yet (based on Hyrule's lack of war-like infrastructure and very open castle). I would probably put these two shortly after the Hero of Men makes his stand.

Neither games take place in Hyrule, so we have nothing suggesting that monsters exist in any decent capacity within its borders.

Now since we're talking CD-i games, it wouldn't be fair to leave out the lesser known Zelda's Adventure, either.

This game has some unique quirks that let us date it. For one, its Ganon.

(Apologies for the bad quality, this game did NOT age well)

Ganon, in this game, has his signature trident, and bears a monstrous form rather than a human one—that means he predates any instances of Ganondorf. However, he also lacks a pig-like form, his appearance here instead taking a shape more like a minotaur.

Then, we only ever see Link in the final ending of the game—no fighting to be seen, and a distinct lack of a Master Sword. Yet he still wears green, with brown sleeves; something we see in the original Legend of Zelda's Link.

So with all this information, it's safe to say that, like the other two CD-i games, this one occurs around the same era as Legend of Zelda/Adventure of Link. But since Ganon doesn't have his pig form yet, I'm going to place this one before LoZ, in the interim between Zelda I falling asleep and Zelda XV (LoZ's Zelda) being awoken.

So their final placement would be:

Skyward Sword

Zelda's Adventure

Legend of Zelda

Adventure of Link

Faces of Evil

Wand of Gamelon

Oracle of Ages