#Information About A Princess and A Sage ; Headcanons

[atimelesslullaby]

I will be reblogging this later today because it's 3AM but

I've made a big decision on how interaction will go, and will be done at my discretion in terms of Zelda's identity as a Princess/Sage/Triforce Wielder.

Taking inspiration from the new Zelda game that stars her, she will no longer just so happen to be by herself, as herself. Unless it is a royal meeting, a reprieve in Castle Town, or an interaction in the castle itself, she will don a disguise.

The Time Mage, Elizabeth. She will not give a last name in any form of introduction. She dons a blue robe, that hides everything about her body, including her jewelry, items on person, all of it. Special gloves are worn, to hide the mark of the Triforce of Wisdom. The only people who can see through her disguise naturally are others who bear the mark of a Triforce piece, as they resonate with each other.

I will NOT be retconning any interactions I have going on where she's meeting people in various places, nor will I be dropping those threads. This is just from here on out.

I added it to the verses, and about page. I feel this is a more proper way to write the character, given her status.

I will not be using icons in replies done in her disguise, but don’t let that stop you from using icons if you still want to! 

[sammie-scribbles]

LoZ Gender Ideas

Note: These are my headcanons! I just like to take details from the canon and run with them as far as they will take me. Feel free to use these ideas if you want! Also only the OoT Link and Saria one has images because I’m tired. Put some Subway Surfers on if you get bored of all of the text /lh /j

Zelda/Sheik (OoT) - he/him

In Ocarina of Time, Zelda disguises himself as Sheik for seven years. That is a very long time to purposefully disguise yourself as a different gender. I don’t believe he even knew how long it would be until Link woke up. For all he knew, Link might never have come back.

He could’ve disguised himself as a Sheikah woman, but seems to have chosen to be a man.

The manga version is a little iffy, but Zelda seems to agree to Impa’s plan of having his conscience rest to “become that of a Sheikah boy”.

“Now, what about when he reveals himself as Princess Zelda and stays that way for the rest of the game?” You might ask.

I think it might’ve been to quickly relay information to Link.

He revealed himself as Zelda in the Temple of Time right before Link was to go defeat Ganondorf. It would’ve wasted valuable time to explain that he had transitioned from Zelda to Sheik. (Also, he was immediately kidnapped by Ganondorf)

He is also the one who sends Link back to the Child Timeline, so he probably knew that  they wouldn’t stay to get to know this particular version of himself.

Zelda/Sheik (HW) - they/them

In Hyrule Warriors, Zelda seems to disguise themself as Sheik for no apparent reason.

They are constantly referred to as the “Sheikah youth”, no gender being assigned to them.

My headcanon is that Zelda saw a chance to temporarily escape the shackles and expectations of “Princess Zelda”, and that they could truly explore themself for a little while.

Sheik has many lines talking about how they will be playing some sort of music, or even historical uses of music. Zelda’s lines mainly focus on the others around them. So, maybe their dream was to be a historian or bard?

Link (BotW/TotK) - he/they

In Breath of the Wild, Link is very androgynous.

However, I noticed that he doesn’t seem to identify as a woman in any way.

They seem to like traditionally “girly” things (ie. nail polish, being called “pretty”). But, when someone asks him if he’s a woman (Riju wonders about the Hylian Champion being a vai), he seems to become possibly uncomfortable and corrects them. They also seem shocked and scared when someone realizes they are not a vai (the one Hylian in Gerudo Town, the shopkeeper in the secret shop).

He doesn’t even keep the Gerudo Vai set in Tears of the Kingdom.

Fado (OoT/WW) - he/him

In Ocarina of Time, Fado is a Kokiri that seems fairly cryptic during the medicine quest.

In Wind Waker, Fado is the Wind Sage.

Interestingly, even though they share the same name (and in my opinion, look similar) they use different pronouns.

Lots of people (myself included) see this and head canon that they are indeed the same person, but he transitioned to a boy between the events of Ocarina of Time and Wind Waker.

Bonuses!

Or, more accurately, fun things I noticed that I have no clue how to interpret, lol

Link (FSA) - idk I avoided assigning pronouns cause I can’t decide

In Four Swords Adventures, Link is able to go into Gerudo Town without any problems whatsoever.

Granted, this seems to be a point in time where the Gerudo are trying to forge relations with the rest of Hyrule, and they could’ve gotten rid of that law. But, that law is in effect in BotW, and I doubt that the Gerudo would get rid of the law only to bring it back later. So, it would make sense that the law is still in effect during Four Swords Adventures.

So, either, the Gerudo assumed that Link was not a boy (possible) OR that Link is not a boy in this incarnation (also possible). I don’t know which of these options I will be using, but feel free to use this as you want to!

Link and Saria (OoT) - they/them?

In Ocarina of Time, the Kokiri all wear very similar clothing.

The girls wear a tunic with a brown belt, brown boots, and a headband. The boys wear a v-neck shirt with shorts, green boots, and a cap.

Interestingly, Saria and Link both don’t follow these rules.

Saria wears shorts, green boots, and a headband. Link wears tunic with a brown belt, browns boots, and a cap.

This seems to suggest that Link and Saria don’t fall into the gender binary. What gender does this make them? IDK, this is just something interesting I noticed.

Link (AoL) - he/she?

In the Adventure of Link, Link is able to transform into a fairy. This fairy form looks identical to any other fairy, including the feminine body figure.

This seems to suggest she’s genderfluid to an extent? Since it’s only when she is a fairy?

He also seems (relatively) fine with becoming the king of Hyrule? (though, I guess that Elizabeth Swann from PotC was a king as well, lol)

IDK. Just an interesting thing I noticed.

[neverchecking]

That is a Galaxy Brain idea. Aaliyah and Tia switch.

Because on the one hand, if Sage has already skip-de-do-dah-ed into Full Yandere for Aaliyah, Tia is going to have to do some really quick talking (and possibly shielding) to get Sage to at least humour her when they figure out that it was a switch. (Her resemblance to Natura isn't helping at all.)

Meanwhile, Sweetpea (which is Tia's favourite nickname for her Link alongside Gremlin) is happy to have a new fellow feral friend, but is also deeply concerned about her because she's confronted with the fact that in a different timeline, a timeline without her and a 'different' Princess, all of the champions survived, Hyrule itself wasn't nearly as damaged, several people that died are alive (including Link's sister who I've named Ariel) and there are still Divine Beasts here. (An extremely stressed Sheikah who bites and blows things up and is possibly on the edge of tears at any given moment is a bit beyond his still redeveloping social skills. Would she like a snack? Or some tea. Tia always makes tea for situations like this. He'll make some tea!) (Pray for him. He's usually more self-confident than this, but he is so out of his depth rn.)

(Tia learns about Aaliyah, thinks about the whole situation and starts wondering if she could commit interdimensional kidnapping.)

(Tia to Natura: If you can't play nicely with others, you don't get to play at all.)

Thank you, thank you <3 I was bound to have one eventually.

Okay, so, the best thing about Sage and Aaliyah is that they have been so broken ( I promise her backstory is coming soon so you guys don't have to guess what's going on in my head), that they can't recognize what a healthy relationship is. They understand what they have between themselves, and what they want from each other, but their relationship is probably dangerously co-dependent. They rely on one another to keep going. They have no care for doing things for themselves, but if bandaging a cut sets the Sheikah at ease, then Sage will do it. If eating more than just whatever scraps she finds settles him, Aaliyah will make time to eat a full meal. So when one half of that co-dependency is broken, the other is panicking. And when they panic, they get violent and unpredictable. Primal in the sense that they're missing such a big half of themself. Like a caged animal wound up, ready to strike.

And now, instead of his other half, he's faced with this imposter who looks so close to that witch that had damned them to start with? Yeah, she's going to have to talk fast and get to the point quicker. He's stalking towards her like a vengeful spirit, Master Sword dragging against the ground as it glints dangerously. He is a machine. anything to get what was his back. After she explains the switch and what it entailed, he's probably a little less jumpy. He's giving it some merit because it's what gets him back Aaliyah.

That doesn't mean he likes it though.

Sweetpea (AHHF I LOVE IT-) is deeply concerned. He's actually wondering if he can get her into therapy with the time he has her, because, like I said, Aaliyah is deeply co-dependent. So she's on edge and frazzled and so out of her depth she's freaking out. She hates not being in control and this gives her none. Not only that, but she's face with the Champions and the divine beasts and a kingdom that didn't fall.

I imagine with her title as the Sheikah Champion (Back in the Calamity days), she was privy to a lot more information than anyone else. Because there is no way the Sheikah didn't know more than they let on. My personal headcanon is that they know everything. They keep records of past generations. Of past Links. They know the prophecies and the stories foretold. They know it all. And they keep it locked down. Not even the average Sheikah knows. Just those in positions of power. Impa, Purah, Aaliyah. However because of this, she was trained from a young age. Groomed to be this weapon for this generation's Link and Zelda. She deviated however. She followed her duty in the sense that she died and fell for them (Only being kept alive by the Sheikah, who's loyalty lied with her rather than the crown), but after her death, it was like she was rewired.

Anyway, so being faced with her trauma once more hits her hard. The Calamity was something she was punished for mere moments after getting out of her own life preservation device. She didn't even know what she had done and they were holding her down. She couldn't even tell them her name before her back was being marked with lines that haunted her to this day. And it didn't happen here. Because their princess was worth so much more than the one she was faced with.

Sweetpea truly lives up to his name because just like Tia, he takes it in stride. He's following her at an appropriate distance, apologizing to those she snaps at and making sure she doesn't give anyone lasting trauma. He has no idea where she keeps pulling bombs from, but he's Stressed. But again, like Tia, he understands it comes from a place of grief. She's hurting and lost and this is just how she's been taught to handle it. And when the loneliness sets in and she's struck by just how far from home, from her Link, she is, she just shatters. It's a burst of destructive anger that leaves at least one forest in flames before she's just sitting there and crying.

Sweetpea is there the whole time, approaching when her flame shield finally shatters. He's offering tea and snacks because that's what Tia would do in this situation and she would for sure know what to do here because he doesn't and he does not wanna get skewered.

He's just as out of his depth as she is and is treading as carefully as he can. Her accepting the sweet bun he offers brings him a little ease even if he knows she's still wildly unpredictable. She trusts him just a bit.

(Interdimensional kidnapping could happen but she'd have to fight Sage. And he fights dirty.)

(Natura loosing privileges faster than she can blink-)

[guideoftime]

HC + Sheikah Stone

▴ — @sapientiiae send me  ‘ hc ‘  + a word and i’ll write a headcanon about it regarding my character.

   We’re going to get weird with the Sheikah facts here. 

   So, the gossip stones as they are in the game, are a bit weird. They’re basically alive, they talk to Link, but they’re obviously not technology. Not yet, not in the way we have Ancient Sheikah Tech in BOTW. So, personally I do think they’re very much filled with the Sheikah tribes magic and the less Sheikah there are to handle the upkeep of them (there’s only Sheik and Impa left and then only one of them), they continue to decline rapidly from lack of care. However, before that, I believe they were created by the Sheikah for the Royal Family to monitor Hyrule during the Great War. The information it gives Link is useless at most, but if an actual Sheikah talked to it–they probably passed war details and information from other Sheikah Tribe members to them. In a time of war, they’d be incredibly useful. 

   The Enchanted Gossip Stones came into existence during Wind Waker, but the way they’re described in the game implies they’ve been in function for a while. Which makes me think they were created during Sheik’s time and I imagine it was Impa that created them. A couple of them, based off of the magic that was used for the Gossip Stones themselves. The upkeep of them probably got to be too much, but as a war strategist she couldn’t deny the usefulness of them. Especially what having them during Ganondorf’s reign would have. 

   However, she didn’t finish them in time before Sheik had to leave and just continued to work on them during her time hiding away with Zelda, perhaps even getting her help in crafting them a bit more, including them with her light magic and making them far stronger than they she would have managed on her own. The glow they give off is much more bright than what a Sheikah would have managed to just do with shadow magic. 

   It’s also how the Royal Family ends up with them during the reset, bits and fragments of the things they’ve done surviving. Such a powerful, small object with the magic of two sages in them would undoubtedly survive the reset. Zelda would cherish them quite a bit and Sheik would let her keep them since it isn’t as if they would do him any good now, and he can clearly see how important they would be to Zelda. The Enchanted Gossip Stones are useful only in very specific situations and Sheik doesn’t think the Princess really needs him carrying them around, much less on stealth missions. 

   And then when he goes to the Shadow Temple and Zelda gets Impa back, the improvements to the Enchanted Gossip Stones are definitely given. 

[gerudospiriit]

Headcanon: Sage Consciousness

[I've been meaning to ramble about this for a while now because I have ideas about how sagehood works and this will obviously come into play with how I write Nabooru. I'm not sure how much SENSE it will make, as I feel even my thoughts are incomplete on it, but I wanted to try and regurgitate it here.

My thought process is based around the the ideas of "awakening" as a sage and what that means. In OoT, each of the sages has to be awakened to become the sage of their respective element. None of them are aware of this potential destiny beforehand, most of them, Nabooru notably, showing surprise in becoming a sage at all. Outside of that and gaining whatever powers this new awakening grants to them, there isn't much information on what becoming a sage all of a sudden means. Tack on how different the sages appear in other iterations, from being completely different people to the ghostly apparitions we see in Twilight Princess. All of this brought me to this conclusion: basically, there is a "sage consciousness" that awakens in those chosen to carry the title of sage.

What does that mean, then? For this, I'll just use Nabooru as the example. Basically, after she awakens as a sage, there's a sort of second consciousness active in her mind. In a way, it's like having memories and knowledge that isn't hers. She knows and understands things she knows she shouldn't, from Hyrule's history to even memories of past Sages of Spirit. It's basically what gives those who become basically vessels for this consciousness the knowledge and power they need to carry out their new (perhaps unwanted) duties.

Going back to Twilight Princess, my HC on why they look that way is because that's basically the "consciousness" for lack of a better word in a physical form. It is the purest form of what the sages look like when the don't take on a vessel. In other words, if sages existed in whichever era is considered the first one now--I still lean on Skyward Sword because, for any of this to make a lick of sense after TotK, this Hyrule must be a new one founded later on--this is how they would look. And I know the timeline was always problematic and has I think even just been tossed in the trash by the writers themselves anyway, I think it's still safe to say that Twilight Princess must be after Ocarina of Time, and, continuing the idea of the timeline splitting which does makes sense, the Sages of Ocarina of Time would not have been awakened in the Child Timeline which is why we see the Sages in this form rather than seeing Nabooru, Ruto, Darunia, and the rest. They weren't awakened as sages in this scenario/timeline/whatever we're calling it now.

So tl;dr: People who become sages are vessels of the first, ancient sages. When they are awakened, they not only inherit their abilities but their knowledge and memories as well.]

[stressed-bird]

Four-Eared MK AU

Act 1: Macaque accepted the baby but... now what?

.

Listen... I have ravaged the tags and aus and blogs of so many people and eventually made my own to satisfy my insatiable hunger for more monkie family content—ahem

This is very summarized, there’s lots of small details I’m not including for the sake of getting it all laid down and on the board /lh

We (Stressed) believe in keeping the trend going about monkies being born in mystical ways.

There’s Sun Wukong, who I am electing to have in this au born from a rock—yes—but it was a rock that over many hundreds of years was collecting magic in it that one day during a storm was hit by a bolt of lightning which is why it cracked in half and surrendered the stone egg that a monkie promptly escaped from with some pre-existing celestial magic properties (Heaven created its own problem /lh)

And you know I am 100% behind the headcanon that Macaque was born from a hurricane/storm and the remnants of said heaven-sent storm (his canonical title from somewhere of “Great Sage of the Informing Winds” only further sold me on this hc)

Meaning of course that MK must have his own mystic monkie origins—and you are right

MK was born of a crystal-encased rock that was initially infused with the magic of swk, swallowed by accident by Macaque, and promptly left for a few many years to soak up the shadow and demonic-celestial magic of Macaque’s dead body that was 6 feet under

.

But this isn’t a face-hugger situation where he bursted from mac’s chest—no, what happened os that Macaque was casually revived by Lady Bone Demon and sent on his way by her... and after a day or so of being alive and having something in his throat, he takes a moment to try and cough it out and nearly coughs his lungs out in the process but successfully spits out a crystal (rock)

And has the incredible idea of... breaking it. See what happens because this sussy little thing was in his chest and he needs answers

.

But once the rock is broken, out of it seeps shadow magic (that could easily be recognized as like mac’s not but exactly his) that materializes and coalesces into a baby monkey demon

Macaque is watching this happen with deep confusion (and a lot of denial)

But he can’t escape fatherhood as baby mk has seen him and already instinctively recognized their similarity and is clinging to the older demon like a... well, a baby monkey—

So several attempts to leave the child behind later (from walking away (baby mk hitches a ride in mac’s shadow for this) to handing it away to a human village to be raised (baby mk learns the word Ma from this and shadow teleported to mac’s location for this)) eventually Macaque gives the child a chance

.

So now Mac has a child... but what do you do after?

The answer is no one knows and Macaque just puts his new demon infant in the shadow of his scarf close to him and feeds him (names him eventually Xiaotian, Qi (firstname, surname) mangoes (it’s tragic he doesn’t love plums too but at least it wasn’t peaches, mac would’ve never coped nor recovered) regularly and they travel the ancient world as it modernizes

The shadow demon no longer really chasing after the Sun anymore, he now has a child he has to look after and he gives him the unconditional attention he deserves (mac is projecting but it’s helping him cope and if spite to be better to xiaotian than swk was to him is what he needs to become a better man, you go girl i guess)

And 200 years have passed more or less, 200 years of Macaque bringing what is now essentially a child and not really a small baby demon anymore with him as they roam the land and live a nomadic life. A life is that is promptly shut down after Macaque wanders close to the territory of the Iron Bull clan and is met by Princess Iron Fan that looks at the two monkies and calls out that Mac has no clue how to be rearing a child

She’s right, and the demon has to eventually concede to her point, to which she gives the demon a deal (because that was her intention this entire time, she sensed a powerful demon nearby and sought to make an ally of them since... well, her husband’s land is being nipped at and eaten up by opportunistic rival demons since he got sealed under a mountain a few years ago and she can only defend so much land alone while also having child red son under her care

Discovering the powerful demon is the six-eared macaque (who she does know of since her husband and swk were bond-brothers before they disowned each other and swk always had the other monkey close by) who also has a little demon child only made it easier for her to make a deal on the spot that would help them both

Macaque gets a safe territory and new home (she suspects the demon monkies have drifted apart since there’s no swk in sight and mac probably lived on flower fruit but ffm is of course owned by swk) AND a safe place to rear his own demon spawn

And she gets a competent and strong demon as an ally to help her defend the Iron Bull clan’s territory)

.

Macaque agrees and Iron Fan is now technically his Land Lady as he stays in her territory semi-permanently (this does make Red Son and Mk now childhood friends—they’re something else and their friendship looks so dysfunctional but is actually reasonably functional.

I mean, red son is a literal hothead and mk has been a wild feral child and is raised by Macaque—mk can be snide and a little shit and biting with his words but still a good empathetic person that understands what red son says and what he means)

(Example being like in the season 3 episode where red son is yelling at mk if he wants milk and an extra blanket in what sounds like a sarcastic tone but is actually a genuine tone since he does get mk that milk and extra blanket)

They have nicknames for each other—Red Son calling mk well.. “Monkie Kid” and “Monkie Boy” and “Pebble Brain” (MK has taken the Monkie Kid nickname in stride)

MK calls Red Son many things from “Sparks” and “Firecracker” to “Hot Head”, he does still use Red’s name—his name isn’t long enough to warrant the constant use of a nicknames unless to be teasing

.

And that’s the pre-episode 1 content because... it goes somewhere it does- >:3

.

At the end, we have established a baseline for this AU now:

- MK is the child of Shadowpeach, Raised only by Macaque (and SWK is unaware of his existence, likewise MK is unaware he has a second dad)

- Princess Iron Fan and Macaque are proper allies (friends even? neither care to elaborate beyond “ally”)

- MK and Red Son are childhood friends (this is indeed set up for Spicynoodles, may become Chimerashipping eventually)

- Macaque is semi-redeemed (the monkie animosity is still there but he’s not trying to be actively antagonistic nor helpful to LBD’s plans, his sharp anger tempered by parenthood, very open to proper “redemption” under the right conditions)

[the-musical-cc]

You're like the first person I've seen who shows genuine appreciation towards Auru from Twilight Princess. Whenever I see someone talk about The Resistance from TP its usually about Shad, Ashei, Telma, and maybe Rusl, but barely even mention Auru. Your headcanon of him being this incarnation of Zelda's Impa is so sweet.

I have been salty for over a decade now that Zelda didn't have an Impa in this game and I had to do something about it, finding out that those of us who got the english version of TP got cheated out of the info that Auru was her tutor growing up was the final straw XD. No more lonely Zelda, badass grandpa has her back.

That said, him having the information about the sages (And the name connection to Rauru.) already made him very interesting to me, it's exactly the kind of thing I would have loved to have explored in another Twilight Princess game (Hey, the guys that told Miyamoto it'd take to long and to just make the crossbow game instead? Kindly screw you.) but it's like- fine, if Nintendo isn't going to do anything with him, then at least I can.

[giriduck]

I haven’t read the Twilight Princess manga yet, and I played the game when it came out in 2006(!), so the details are super fuzzy.

Twilight Princess supposedly sits on a timeline created when Ocarina of Time Link was sent back to the past by Zelda at the end of the game. Armed with the knowledge of the future, little Link immediately ran back to the castle to warn young Zelda about Ganondorf’s intention to seize the Triforce and conquer the kingdom. She took that information to her dad--who somehow believed her--and Ganondorf was captured and prepared for execution.

That execution scene is in Twilight Princess. Ganondorf was chained to the Mirror of Twilight and the Sages lined up like a firing squad and ran him through with a magical sword. As Ganondorf teetered on the brink of death, the Triforce of Power sort of just appeared within him, he was revived, and he woke up pissed. He killed a Sage in a quarter-boar rage before the other Sages activated the mirror and vacuumed him out to a parallel dimension; the Twilight Realm, a place where they used to banish criminals and enemies of the crown.

Is there a canonical explanation why the Triforce was granted to Ganondorf like that? Or was it only written off as a “divine prank?”

I have a vague headcanon of young Zelda deciding that she wanted to secure the Triforce and protect it—and the future of Hyrule—from Ganondorf; to prevent the catastrophic stories she heard from her time-traveling friend. So she grabbed little Link by the hand and they jogged across town to the Temple of Time. Link provided the Sacred Stones, she opened the Door of Time with her mystical ocarina, Link pulled the Master Sword from its dais, kid Zelda marched into the Sacred Realm, where she found and touched the Triforce…

And it splits.

That’s the divine “prank:” that the Triforce will always split and the pieces will always be granted to the same people chosen by the Goddesses to have them.

Zelda had no idea that her rival was scheduled for execution that day. She later learned about how badly the whole thing was botched; how they hurled a light-infused sword through the prisoner’s chest and Ganondorf just would not die.

She quickly put the timing together and determined that the failed execution was her fault: Zelda had unknowingly resuscitated him, that she accidentally served as the conduit that granted him an insane amount of power, and that she herself was a puppet of a much larger destiny.

[midzelink]

I hate to send two asks consecutively but Navi from the Future has me enticed. Spill the beans.

(Additional context: I was asked for my thoughts on many things in this post, among which included what I think happened to Navi at the end of Ocarina of Time.  My answer?  That she was sent into the future.  I must stress that this is not a theory, but a headcanon, as it is based on almost nothing in canon and in some places even contradicts it.  But I digress.)

All right.  So.

I don’t remember exactly when I first conceptualized this; it’s one of those things that’s been floating around in my head for quite some time, but I only started taking it seriously a few months ago, to the point that I decided it would be a plot point in a fully-fleshed out and realized novelization of Twilight Princess, if I were ever to write such a thing (I almost definitely won’t).  It’s ridiculous and ham-fisted and fanservice-y, but the emotional payoff for me is worth it, so I’m willing to let all of that slide in the grand scheme of shoving it haphazardly into my ever-growing non-existent binder that would presumably be labeled “Basil’s Expanded Zelda Universe”.  Now, I may not remember the when, but I definitely remember the why - so now that I’ve got all that prattling out of the way...

...let’s actually talk about Navi.

Her departure is as abrupt as it is heart-wrenching, and it’s to be assumed that Link feels the exact same way that the player does.  He doesn’t know why she left or where she disappeared to, as his entire journey in Majora’s Mask is built on the premise of him leaving Hyrule in order to find her.  And based on how much regret he felt upon his death - regret enough to live on in the mortal realm as the Hero’s Shade - we can assume that he never found her, for all of his searching.  (All of this is a given, and isn’t exactly particular to this headcanon, but I felt it was worth saying nonetheless.)

But let’s go back to the moment she actually leaves Link.  After Zelda sends him back into the past so he can live out the youth that was robbed from him, he places the Master Sword back into its pedestal, and in the moments that follow, she flies up and away...towards a rear-facing window in the back of the temple.

It’s completely inconsequential.  It doesn’t mean anything.  It is simply a sign that their time together has come to and close; that their journey to save Hyrule has ended, and Link no longer needs her to guide him.  But if you spend as much time as I have putting the same games under the same microscope over and over ad nauseam, you start drawing connections where none should rightfully be made, and in this case, the whole why of the matter...

...is this freaking window.

It’s stupid, right?  But there it is again.  And it’s not just any window - it’s a portal to the rest of the Temple of Time, a temple that is filled from top to bottom with the symbol of the Sage of Light.  But what’s significant about its appearance in Twilight Princess is that this isn’t how the temple actually appears in this time - in fact, it’s completely fallen to ruin - and we as the player have to go back in time in order to even access the inner depths of the temple at all.  It’s never specified exactly how far back in time that is, so we’re free to use our imaginations here - like, say...around the time a specific fairy companion left her dear friend without a word or warning.

I’ll just cut to the case.

After the events of Ocarina of Time, Navi ventured into the depths on the Temple of Time, where she awaited and eventually met up with the Hero of Twilight.

Y’see, Rauru was aware that something awry would happen - was happening - in the depths of the temple he himself had built, a small piece of a much larger puzzle that would take at least another century to come into view.  As a Sage, he Knows Things - and in Knowing Things he was able to know that Navi had at least one more role to play in saving the Hyrule of tomorrow.  Navi never had any intention of leaving Link at the end of their journey; she didn’t want to say goodbye, and in a way I suppose that’s why she never did.  When Link - her Link - drew the Master Sword from its pedestal and slept for seven years, Rauru was able to talk to her throughout all that time and inform her of what was going to happen and what she needed to do.  Because, as it turns out, if not for Navi’s help, Link and Midna would have never been able to make it out of that place alive...and Hyrule would have, once again, been doomed. (I’m fuzzy on exactly what role she plays in helping them, but I’ll figure something out soon enough; I always do.)

So, she leaves him. The Hero of Time.  In the sword chamber.  And she doesn’t say goodbye, because she doesn’t want to, and it’s painful, but it won’t be forever, right?  Once she finishes what she has to do, she can go back and be with him again, explain why she left, why she had to leave.  Except...

...something goes wrong.

And she can’t go back.

After Link and Midna retrieve the third fragment of the Mirror of Twilight, they’re forcibly removed from the temple - they don’t belong in this time, after all - and once the door to the past closes behind them, it closes for good.  And Navi...gets swept up with them.

She’s a nervous wreck, of course.  So much about Hyrule has changed in the years she’s been gone.  (”I’ve seen the future before, but not like this!”) But, nervous and fretful as she is, she’s also quite resolute, and no matter how much time has passed, there’s still something she needs to do.  Or, rather, someone she needs to find.  She bids the Link of this time farewell, and goes on her way.

Sometime shortly after the events of Twilight Princess, we know that Link returns the Master Sword to its pedestal in the ruins of the Temple of Time; we see as much in the final credits.  I’ve always liked to think that, when he did so, he got to see the Hero’s Shade one...final time.  For all the regrets the spirit had eased - Hyrule was safe, now - there was still...one thing he had left to reconcile.  It was here that he last saw her, after all.  Of course he would find his way back to this place.  And maybe - maybe she would, too.  Maybe...

...she could find him waiting for her...

...right where she left him.

[loopy777]

I love your two Ursas analysis! If we ignore The Search and take the hints from canon, like her laughing at the siege of Ba Sing Se, do you have a HC for the night Azulon died/where she was all those years? I almost think it’s most plausible that she died or was otherwise incapacitated. And do you think she ever had a “the FN is evil” epiphany or it was limited to “you can’t kill Zuko”? Do you think Ozai abused her, or was just unloving? Maybe he saw no purpose to abusing her, unlike the kids

Ah, Ursa headcanons. Everyone’s got a set. For me, though, it was less about headcanon than it was about trying to solve the mystery I thought the AtLA cartoon had been setting up. Since ‘The Search’ revealed that there were no real answers to be had, I’ve speculated a bit on what I’d like to see, but I haven’t done much with those ideas since they by their nature contradict canon.

So, my Ursa...

A noble by birth, with her relation to Roku known but not discussed. Sozin and Azulon could have very easily made a pariah out of the family by simply ignoring them and allowing the rest of Fire Nation society antagonize them in a display of performative loyalty. However, Sozin instead reached out to Roku’s family, explaining that Roku was a traitor but surely his family is loyal to the crown and looking to prove it to avoid any unpleasantness. They agreed, and so Roku’s family became almost entirely dependent on the Fire Lord’s goodwill and protection. The one alliance they maintained for themselves was with the Fire Sages, as the family had been honored by them for producing the Avatar, even after Roku and Sozin had their falling out. Sozin had been politically pressuring the Sages throughout his life, trying to make them a tool of the crown, and the Sages in turn maintained good relations with Roku’s family to try to keep some independence. Quite a few of Roku’s family had even become Sages, over the decades.

(This didn’t really work, but it left enough ‘good’ Sages in the organization that when Zuko becomes Fire Lord, he doesn’t have to disband the whole organization, just purge the leadership who had been tools of his father. It very much helps that he’s a distant relation to a lot of these better sages, and that is one of the few smooth elements of his first few years in power.)

When Azulon suggested that the youngest daughter, however, would make a good match for Ozai instead of wasting her life in some dusty temple, they readily agreed and handed her over. Ursa herself was fine with this, as she appreciated the Royal Family’s protection as much as the rest of her clan, and preferred noble society anyway. Plus, back then Ozai made an effort to be charming. Ursa herself was happy as a Fire Nation heiress, and was known to argue passionately about the need to liberate the poor oppressed women of the Water Tribes, who were owned as property by their husbands! My Ursa was a Firebender, and had trained at the Royal Fire Academy for Girls, but the strength of her flames was never matched by her skill or technique. She just never had the stomach for duels or fighting, hence leaning more towards a scholarly education and perhaps a future as a Sage. But getting to be a princess is even better, especially since the war would probably be over soon. She could help raise the Prince(ss) Governors who would rule over the colonies, influencing the world for the better. And she also found Ozai very attractive. Rawr!

Ozai himself I consider to have always been narcissistic jerk. When he was a kid and young teen, this was readily apparent. As he moved into adulthood, he learned how to hide it behind a facade, but more discerning folks could tell that he was just using friendliness and flattery to win allies. Ursa, sadly, was not that perceptive, so she rather liked Ozai, even into the first few years of the marriage.

Then Zuko came along.

Ozai was consistently disappointed in Zuko, and he blamed Ursa for that. He wasn’t a full-on monster to her, and never laid a hand on her, but he no longer went to the effort of charming her. Ursa managed to fool herself about this, making excuses for Ozai’s behavior even as their marriage cooled. She managed to stick it out long enough to produce Azula, which initially placated Ozai. Azula was everything Zuko was not. However, this did not save the marriage, because Ozai now had what he wanted, and saw no further need for Ursa. Again, he didn’t bully her, but he made no effort to hide his lack of real interest in her. The marriage was soon in name only, with little interaction between them. Ursa began to see Ozai for what he was, especially with his treatment of Zuko, and began to fear the influence he was having on Azula. This distance did help shield her as Ozai grew crueler and more of a bully as his efforts gain power were thwarted by his clumsiness. The palace and Caldera City are big enough that Ursa was able to avoid him most of the time, and they never shared a suite unless actively trying to have children, even early in the marriage.

However, there was little else Ursa could do. Ozai was not favored by Azulon, but challenging the authority of anyone in the Royal Family would have brought swift and terrible reprisal. Ursa tried to shield Zuko as best she could, and continued to play the part of Wife and Princess in official appearances like social gatherings or audiences with the Fire Lord. She sometimes went over the line in trying to protect her children, which Ozai would punish with cruelties, to the point of mental and emotional abuse, and sometimes physical intimidation, but he was too careful (so far) to risk his reputation by attacking his wife. For that, Iroh was indirectly the one to thank, as he had been a loving family man before the death of his wife, which Azulon approved of, and Ozai was trying to look better than his brother in the eyes of their father.

It all eventually came to a head in events portrayed in the flashbacks of ‘Zuko Alone.’ I headcanon that Ursa outright stabbed Azulon to death, to the point where she ruined a good set of her clothes with bloodstains. And then she confessed her crime to the Crimson Guard and Fire Sages. She should have been put to death for treason and murder, and she was prepared for that, but she and Ozai had concocted a better scheme. Ursa called in every favor her family had earned from the Sages to talk to the leadership in the middle of the night. She and Ozai pointed out that Iroh had taken a dim view of the corruption of the Sages and had battled them politically, and told them bluntly that Ozai was their best bet for surviving as an organization. They suggested the Sages should lie about Azulon’s last wishes and pronounce Ozai as the next Fire Lord. In exchange, Ozai would merely banish Ursa as failure of a wife and cover up her crime, so that her family would not have to suffer shame or even outright execution for producing a regicidal traitor. No one would speak of what had happened, no one would get in trouble, and Ozai would be Fire Lord and keep the current system running smoothly. Everyone agreed.

I always figured that Ursa had to have been banished, because in the scene where she says goodbye to Zuko, she’s wearing a dark hooded cloak. That’s universal visual language for “This character is fleeing into the night.”

I also assumed that everyone (important) knew Azulon had been murdered because of the fishy way Ozai was made Fire Lord by the Sages. Even if they believed Azulon had died of natural causes, where did it come from that he had named Ozai as the new crown prince shortly before his death? I doubt a forged note that no one had ever seen before the night of the guy’s death would be considered very reliable. So I thought there had to be a conspiracy that included the Sages; they were at least in on faking Ozai’s claim, and so why wouldn’t they also be in on the murder? And once all the people in power are perpetrating a conspiracy, the evidence doesn’t matter; the truth becomes whatever they want it to be.

Where Ursa goes after that, though, is a lot more nebulous. The way the cartoon finale had Zuko confront Ozai with, “Where- is- my- mother?” implies that Ozai might actually know, or at least have an idea where to start looking. I also think it would cheapen the power of that scene to have Ozai wiggle out of giving any information. So Ozai has to give Zuko something to go on there, but he also said, “Perhaps,” when Zuko asked during the Day of Black Sun if Ursa lives. So I figure Ursa had to have been banished from the Fire Nation, and Ozai knows either where she left from or her initial destination, but nothing else.

I never formed a solid headcanon about whether Ursa is still alive, though. This is the point where my interest ends, since the comics gave us a completely different Ursa character and mystery, and I expect many Avatar fans are interested in fic that outright contradicts canon. If she lives, I think it would be more interesting if she is indeed a typical Fire Nation imperialist, but I don’t think she would actively oppose Zuko’s agenda. It would simply inform their dynamic and create conflict between them. It would be a new challenge for Zuko to overcome in terms of his family. And it might even be a vector for Azula and Ursa to hash out their problems, with Ursa considering that she might almost prefer Azula to have become Fire Lord. But ultimately, Ursa could realize that Azula’s ways are only destructive, and see that the kindness she always liked in Zuko has to extend to all people of the world, not just the Fire Nation.

But there’s also a compelling story in Ursa being dead by the time Zuko tracks her down. Perhaps she died in the war, somehow. Whether Ursa is a racist or not doesn’t matter as much in this scenario. But It could fuel Zuko’s desire to somehow reconcile with Azula, since there’s nothing else from his past that he can save.

So that’s the stuff I came up with.

[atimelesslullaby]

name. Zelda Elizabeth Hyrule

nickname(s). Zellie ; Zel

title. Princess of Hyrule ; Sage of Time ; Leader of the Seven Sages

P E R S O N A L .

morality. lawful/ neutral / chaotic / good / grey / evil

religious belief. The Three Golden Goddesses. Each represent different blessings, she offers prayer to each regularly.

sins. lust  / greed / gluttony / sloth / pride /envy/ wrath

virtues. chastity / charity / diligence / humility / kindness / patience / justice

primary goals in life. To keep Hyrule safe. To make up for the mistakes she made, and bring forth an era of peace between all who reside in Hyrule. To give every single person an equal opportunity to follow their dreams, achieve their goals. She also wants to be a mother, she absolutely loves children.

languages known. - Fluent in Hylian & English. She's learning the Gerudo language, she knows enough to speak it, but she wouldn't quite say she's 100% fluent.

quirks. She'll sometimes randomly twirl while doing something (with perfect grace, mind you), especially while moving around the kitchen cooking

savvies. Magic ; Enchanting ; Cooking ; Gardening ; Jewelry Making ; Just about anything music related

P H Y S I C A L .

build. slender/ fit / athletic / curvy / herculean / babyfat / pudgy / obese / other

height. 5'0"

weight. 100 lbs

scars/birthmarks. None

abilities/powers. Her most powerful magic, is her element as a Sage. The power to control time itself. She can enchant armor, or weapons with light magic, giving average items the power to resist darkness. She has control over ice, wind, and fire, as per the magic of the three Goddesses. While skilled with a rapier, Zelda's true weapon expertise is that of the bow and arrow. She can enchant her arrows with any of the magic she has power over. Zelda has a novice's knowledge on potion brewing. She's learning.

F A V O U R I T E S .

favourite food. Eggs. Doesn't matter how they're prepared. Scrambled, fried, she loves eggs.

favourite drink. Pure Spring Water

topping. Black olives and extra cheese

favourite colour. Blue

favourite music genre. Classical.

favourite book genre. Adventure novels. Romance novels, too.

favourite movie genre. movies don't exist yet but if they did she'd think the same as novels. Adventure, action, and she'd love cheesy romcoms.

favourite season. Summer. The heat of the sun, the vibrant green of the grass and trees, the flowers that bloom. It all inspires her to work even harder than any other time of the year.

favourite curse word. pls a princess doesn't curse

favourite scent. Lavender

F U N S T U F F .

bottom or top. naughty puppy BT

loud burper or soft burper. pls

sings in the shower. yes /no

likes bad puns. yes / no

their opinion on the mun. "So much potential, just waiting to break free."

Tagged by: @red-man-of-mustache (thank u <3)

Tagging: You! @ me when you do it so I can see, mutual or non mutual!

[gleeinthesuburbs-blog]

Congratulations, BRE! You’ve been accepted as SUGAR MOTTA! Go ahead and make your acount and send it in within the next 48 hours! Make sure you check out the NEW MEMBER CHECKLIST! We look forward to playing with you!

✔ NAME/ALIAS, AGE, TIMEZONE.

Bre, 24 (my as well put it now even tho it’s not official for another week :p), EST

✔ EXPERIENCE

lmao. I’ve been RPing around 8 years now, and on Tumblr for 3 or 4 now I think

✔ ACTIVITY

I’ll say I’m a 7-8/10. I work a lot, but I can get on at least once a day.

✔ CHARACTER DESIRED, AGE, & BIRTHDAY

Sugar Briann Motta, 20, August 22nd

✔ CHARACTER’S BIRTH ORDER & FACE CLAIM IF NOT CANON

She’s a twin; Youngest born; Canon FC of Vanessa Lengies

✔ SECONDARY CHOICE

I can’t stress this enough, please only fill this in if you’d play another character happily.

✔ WHY DID YOU CHOOSE THIS CHARACTER?

Sugar is my baby, that’s why. She’s a riot to play and she’s just got that energy that’s refreshing to play out.

✔ BIO OF YOUR CHARACTER

TW: Cancer & Death

Sugar Motta: to some you could say she’s literally “Sugar. spice and everything nice,” but there’s more than meets the eye when it comes to the budding designer and Motta Hotel heiress. She was born on a hot summer day in August to her parents Al & Sage Motta. Sugar and her twin were adored by everyone from the moment they arrived. Being born to a family where the family business was the huge hotel chain named for them brought in only the best things possible for the Motta children.

Being the youngest daughter, Sugar immediately had her father wrapped around her tiny little finger. Growing up, Sugar was given dance lessons, horseback riding lessons, all the best toys, and of course her very own pony, a puppy and anything else that a little girl could possibly want. To say that the Mottas lived a charmed life would be an understatement.

In addition to being spoiled by her parents, Sugar also took on the typical youngest child personality. She was often loud, abrasive, she even went as far as self-diagnosing herself with Asperger’s Syndrome in order to say whatever she wants and not be in trouble for it. She got away with most everything given her daddy’s pushover attitude for his little girl, her mom never being one to punish her kids and the Motta family nanny, Miss Hattie, being lenient as well when it came to discipline. One thing they all had in common though was the fact that all 3 adults constantly pushed and encouraged Sugar and her siblings to pursue their passions and dreams.

However, their world came crumbling down about 10 years ago right after the twins’ 11th birthday. Sage Motta felt a lump in her breast and went for a mammogram when she was diagnosed with breast cancer. She underwent a mastectomy, but unfortunately she never woke up. It was revealed that her cancer was stage 4 and that was ultimately what had killed her since her cancer was so far advanced and had gone unnoticed for so long. She was laid to rest a week later. To this day, Sugar definitely still misses her mom and hopes to make her proud.

Following in what her parents always told her, Sugar graduated high school where she was on the dance team and student council. She was accepted to the highly prestigious FIDM where she plans to pursue her passion for fashion and major in fashion design in hopes of seeing her passion and designs on the runways of Fashion Week someday. Now ready to start her Junior year, she still lives at home under her Daddy’s roof, rent free of course, and has everything still provided for her. She may be Daddy’s spoiled little princess, but honestly? She sees nothing wrong with that.

✔ FAMILY HEADCANON INFORMATION

Mother’s Name: Sage Motta (née Hawthorne) Mother’s Age: Deceased; Age 37 at death 10 years ago due to breast cancer Mother’s Occupation: She was a former model turned socialite Mother’s Hometown: Westchester, NY Mother’s Current Town: At time of her death it was Knollwood Mother’s Faceclaim: Elizabeth Reaser

Father’s Name: Al Motta Father’s Age: 51 Father’s Occupation: Owner and CEO of Motta Hotels & Resorts Father’s Hometown: Pasadena, CA Father’s Current Town: Knollwood Father’s Faceclaim: Rick Pasqualone

Playable Sibling Information : All the Motta children are named after spices; Sugar claims it’s because of their mother having a “killer spice addiction.” Open to older sibling(s), No younger siblings

Non-Playable Sibling Information: None; The family’s lifelong nanny is called Miss Hattie

✔ PARA SAMPLE

RFP

✔ ANYTHING ELSE?

Nope! Just that we’re freaking awesome!

[atimelesslullaby]

Chocolate is considered a high luxury in Hyrule.

Despite that, as princess, Zelda has plenty of it. She uses it moderately, mostly for treats given to guards, and construction workers. After all, something sweet is important for keeping your energy up! Zelda will also often spoil children with a chocolatey treat. She can't help herself, she loves children.

As for herself, Zelda does enjoy sweets. But she considers them a reward for a hard day's work, so despite how often she bakes, she actually doesn't eat sweets all that often. This changes as she grows older, and comes to realize that there's more to her worth than her status as royalty, or her status as a Sage.

Even when she does allow herself more sweet things, the smiles she sees on other peoples' faces, whether close, friendly, acquaintance, or strangers, it rejuvenates her love for experimenting in the kitchen, and working with various ingredients to see what she can make that'll be the next best thing the guards are talking about on off time.

[atimelesslullaby]

I think I touched on this in another headcanon post but I'm making a direct one about it now. Zelda's preference in men is pretty different from what's considered proper by society's standards.

Instead of a knight with rippling muscles, she'd prefer a well rounded man. Soft men are cute.

Instead of a noble career such as, most importantly, other royalty, she'd prefer a baker. Simple job, and who doesn't love a man who can make delicious sweet bread?

She wants a man like that, who will always call her by name, or perhaps, a pet name. None of that "Princess" or "Queen" once she gets older.

Maybe it's because she wants a sense of normalcy in her life, rather than all the royal work that was, essentially, thrust upon her when Hyrule was saved. Though she's accepted her responsibility both as a Sage, and as the Princess of Hyrule, she's still a hopeless romantic. It's just that she does not fall easily.

[atimelesslullaby]

Zelda can seal messages inside objects for a period of time. She's been able to do this since childhood. If there's something important she needs to say to someone, but she can't physically be there to say it, she can seal a message into an object, that will flood through the holder's mind as soon as they touch it.

We see this in canon, where Child Zelda teaches Link the Song of Time through sealing a message into the ocarina itself.

[atimelesslullaby]

As a Sage, she has the innate ability to travel to one of Hyrule's magical focal points, namely, the temples, with her voice alone. To do this, requires the song associated with that focal point. Her power over time works differently than Link's had, with the ancient artifact she bestowed upon him during the events of OoT. The Song of Time.

But for her, she need only play, or sing, her special lullaby to transport someone through time.

Music holds such a huge significance in Hyrule, both as a hobby, and as a way of accessing magic. but that's a deep dive for another HC post. It's not uncommon for Zelda to begin singing 'Zelda's Lullaby', as a means of traveling through time. She also has the option of playing it on the harp, the very same she used when in disguise as a Sheikah.

Then there's the Ocarina of Time. To use this magical artifact, is to control time in any way a person could want. Slow it down, speed it up. Go back, go forward. It's a dangerous power to have, and as such, she keeps it in a pouch around her waist at all times.

To Zelda, maintaining the proper flow of time is what's most important. Even if she broke that rule once before, to send Link back to his childhood. To this day, the princess isn't sure that was the right thing to do.