#the ganondorf link remembers didn't look like that

[caramel-catss]

rewatching episode five of hero's purpose... noticed this about how link looks at ganondorf as he appears before him

vs how ganondorf sees link when he realizes who he is

[pocketramblr]

AU where Ganon surprise adopts toon Link the first time they face each other.

1- Link tells Tetra to free the girls while he focuses on Ganon and the Helmaroc King to keep them from being seen. But as he's fighting, the bird isn't really trying to hurt him- just grab him, which is admittedly difficult with the kid swinging the Master Sword at it, but eventually it manages and takes Link up.

2- Upon being deposited in the broken ship atop the fortress, Link quickly learns that the Master Sword will not bring down Ganondorf- who corrects him on the name- and doesn't even seem to touch him. Instead of explaining why, Ganondorf sits down and pats the floor, and begins using one of his secret skills: lying. Ganondorf is like "look, boy, I don't know who told you that old sword would kill me, or how you even found it, but they were using you. Was it those pirates? You should stop trusting people who shoot you out of cannons." Link is offended on the King of Red Lions and Tetra's behalfs, and his reaction tells Ganondorf enough.

3- "Ah, well, I suppose I can respect that. You know, long ago my people kept a fortress not in a sea, but a desert. Some hylians, fleeing the civil war or their kings' cruelty, would make it though the desert. Those who could survive that were granted protection, and those who could break into our fort were welcomed as warriors into our tribe. Not the first time they did, but if they continued trying after that first failure." Link is like "uh huh" and only half paying attention because he's trying to figure out if Tetra got all the girls out before he books it himself.

4- he does start paying attention when Ganondorf then says, "Welcome to the Gerudo tribe, vevko." At Link's confusion, Ganondorf just asks "Well, as the newest son of the Gerudo, who else could be your parent but me?" Link then has many protests, some about his grandmother but most about his sister, and Ganondorf nods. "I will let you decide then, if you agree to stay. Will your sister stay here with us, or would you send her away?" Link just wants Aryll safe at home, so Ganondorf nods and the Helmaroc King goes to frighten Tetra and Aryll to the ship, as the younger girl was trying to run to her brother instead of following the pirate. Ganondorf says it's very wise of Link, sending Aryll away means she can return to be welcomed into the tribe as well, as a warrior sister. Link does not want his little sister in danger or fighting at all, and Ganondorf recommends he get over that, because as much as he once felt the same about his kinswomen, reality demands more. The Ganondorf claps him on the shoulder and orders a few monsters to start helping prepare a proper child's room, discussing how they're going to get to get Link into some proper clothes, and eat some real food, because he can't imagine a child ate all that well on his own. Link protests that he's of age, and wears the hero clothes as custom. Ganondorf is like "hmm yeah no twelve is not adulthood, let's go vevko." and ignores Link's five attempts to attack him as he figures out a room situation for the kid.

5- Ganondorf's motivations are not as pure as he claims, as always. He does feel some gratitude for Link drawing the Master Sword and unsealing his full power, while also being sure the boy himself isn't a threat as the Sword didn't have the power it did in the hands of a true hero. Keeping the boy and the sword here might draw the Princess and the Real hero out, however, allowing him to collect the Triforce. Especially since the "collect children" plan didn't work, so the current daughter of the royal family might be an adult and harder to narrow down. Also, the kid genuinely impressed him with his breaking and entering skills and doing all of that for his little sister, so it's not like it's babysitting some crying brat all day. The Ritos', Valoo's, and pirates' attempts to get him away or hurt so they can grab Link also make Ganondorf dig his stubborn heels in: this crazy kid is his vevko now, if they wanted him they should have done better with the sword situation.

[linzerj]

Just getting this idea out there so that maybe I'll actually finish writing it one day, but -

I've been on a Legend of Zelda kick recently. Currently replaying BOTW. Never played AOC but I've watched gameplay and all the cutscenes so I know what happens. Planning to play that and TOTK again soon. But I've got this idea cooking in my head.

Theres a post that talks about "what if you could find the Divine Beasts in the Depths", and another funny post that was just "what if Teba was the sage of Wind and not Tulin?" And I remembered when BOTW had just come out, and then AOC after, and people were speculating about the characters, like Teba, being the New Champions and getting to bond to the Divine Beasts.

That didn't happen in canon, but. Hear me out. What if even just one of the Divine Beasts bonded with a New Champion... like say, the one who doesn't become a Sage?

Teba, Sidon, Riju, and Yunobo return from their adventure in the past/alternate timeline/whatever, having saved those Champions and that Hyrule from destruction. Their own timeline is still the same, but they continue on as they do in canon.

Except they all meet up shortly after returning home, and one of them (Sidon or Riju maybe) asks "hey did anyone else try going to the Divine Beasts only to get rejected" and while the rest are like "yup wonder what that's about, sad" Teba is like "no wtf are you all talking about I was settling back in with my wife and kid."

But something about it sticks with Teba. He goes home, looks up at Vah Medoh, and thinks, 'it probably won't work but I may as well try just to confirm.'

...Vah Medoh accepts him as its new pilot.

I'm unsure as to whether or not Revali's spirit will still be there for a quick hello - but if he is, he'd be like "whomst?!" And Teba would be like "if you were still alive I'd definitely adopt you because thanks to some time travel shenanigans i know that you desperately needed a parental figure in your life".

Mostly everything else proceeds as is canon up to the start of TOTK - except for the other Divine Beasts continuing to chill at their resting places, because upon hearing about Teba successfully bonding with Medoh, the others want to keep trying.

But, for whatever reason, Hylia decided that you cannot be both a Sage and a Divine Beast pilot, so the Beasts acknowledge them but never quite accept them as their pilots.

Then, TOTK. Then the chasms. Then, the other 3 Divine Beasts taking a plunge into the Depths.

Teba freaks out a little bit, but Medoh is circling Rito Village and is fine, except now there's these random floating islands but also a fuckass blizzard that's making it almost impossible to keep everyone fed, and Teba's just been saddled with Elder status so he's super in charge and Tulin is in a bit of a "I can do anything let me prove it let's go" phase and is trying to convince Teba to use Vah Medoh to fly up and stop the blizzard, but Teba is way too busy trying to keep the village from falling apart to go right now -

Then Link shows up, and Tulin runs off, and Link follows him, and the two go up and find the Stormwind Ark and fight Colgera and as the magical blizzard finally ends, Teba is just like "what the fuck".

Tulin tells him he's become a Sage, and isn't that cool dad?! And Teba is like "you're 12 and you're going to help fight a demon king?!?! Wtf?!"

But then at some point, Tulin (who knows the other Sages from that time he was in AOC, and meeting them a few times with his dad after) one day looks up from his breakfast and says "oh hey Sidon just became the Sage of Water! I saw it through my connection with Link!" And that's when it clicks into place for Teba why the Beasts never quite accepted the other "New Champions" - because they were destined for something else.

But Vah Medoh is still here. And it's pissed that it's fellow Beasts are gone and it also wants to blast Ganondorf in the face.

Unfortunately, Teba can't let it blast the castle when Link and co go to confront the Zelda illusion, because Tulin is there, Link is there, Sidon and Riju and Yunobo are there, and it's not the real demon king yet anyway.

Teba is grumpy about it, about letting Tulin go off and risk his life when he's a child and Teba is an adult, but then a huge dark dragon explodes out from the chasm below the castle and Vah Medoh is all too happy to fire upon it, knowing it's Ganondorf and wanting some sweet revenge of its own.

Teba's just surprised he can see the dark dragon, it's huge but he'd heard tales of only the young, or those chosen by thr goddesses, could see dragons. Maybe it's because of Vah Medoh that he can see this one, and the little light dragon that comes in and - hey is that Link?!

Maybe it ends with Teba going down to the Depths with Link to visit the other Divine Beasts, and suggesting that the locations stay known so that future generations may try to awaken them. They don't really need the Beasts anymore since both Calamity Ganon and Ganondorf have been defeated, but Medoh doesn't want to turn off and is happy just chilling at Rito Village with Teba. The end.

I have like 2.5k of this already written, I just wanted to use this post to write more of the ideas for the fic structure before I go to bed lol. And this idea probably doesn't make a hell of a lot of sense canon-wise, but it doesn't need to because the only reason this exists is because i love Teba and wish he'd gotten more screntime (or at least some spoken dialogue in the cutscenes!) in TOTK.

[flowering-thought]

Part fourrr-

Lowkey not sure how my insane simping for Ganondorf when TOTK came out would lead to this

This is the final part but maybe I'll make more stuff about it one day just probably not anytime soon-

Hehe welcome to part 4! Drama and reunions and an ultimatum as well. I wonder what will come to pass hm? Part One | Part Two | Part Three | Part Four

WARNING - MINORS DNI

AFAB reader and reader is described as feminine and chubby/plus sized.

Yandere themes, slight gore??, angst and tears, eventual fluff, pregnancy and birth-

Yandere Ganondorf x Archeologist Reader (part three)

Just when you thought you wouldn't feel that familiar sensation of falling, that light that blinded you and took your consciousness appeared once again.

You felt like you were in a dream. Visions of Zelda becoming a dragon crossed your mind, her tears falling to the ground and those visions were soon combined with the sight of Ganondorf being sealed away.

You wandered through what looked like red fog, the sounds of monsters and the clashing of swords echoing in your consciousness.

You were dreaming, you knew that, and yet you didn't know what you were dreaming of.

Apart of you wanted to forget everything, you wished that nothing had gone wrong. And the whispers echoing in the red fog along with the constant sound of fighting affirmed that.

You heard his voice, the voice of the man you fell for in an Era you never thought you'd experience.

"Why? Why did you leave?"

"We could have been happy together!"

"If you had just let me protect you-"

The constant whispers became louder but suddenly went silent. Erie silence until the fog cleared, and what filled your vision was the sight of the man you love hunched over with his knees on the ground.

"Can't we just go back to what we were?"

You were about to touch him, to beg and plead with him. You wanted to cry as you reached out, using your arms to cover him and bury your head into the crook of his neck.

You cried as you held tight, never wanting to let go.

"I wanted to be with you forever." You whispered, "I wanted to live peacefully with you, just you and me." You confessed between sobs, your hands balling tight.

"But you wanted power. You wanted authority. I would have done anything to stay with you if you had just believed in me." You confessed.

And as sudden as the fog disappeared, it came back, rushing your senses as everything went black.

You suddenly woke up in a bed that was all too similar to Purah's in Lookout Landing. You noticed how tightly you held the sheets, letting go to wipe the tears from your cheeks.

Link sat by your bed, shoulders, and head drooped as you guessed he probably fell asleep while watching over you. Purah sat at the small desk she had set up, writing in her own journal until she realized your movement, getting up before she checked on you, her brows furrowed in worry as she felt your forehead.

"Where have you been? I've been worried about you." She asked, her hands running through your hair, "Link told me you and Zelda were still missing. That you both disappeared.".

Upon looking at her you burst into tears, your lips pressed together in an attempt to stifle the cries coming from your throat.

She hugged you close, pulling you up to sit up with her, she felt you burrow into her, all the comfort made you feel safe, you felt like you could finally just rest.

But when Link woke up and more people came to check on you finally you told Link everything that happened on your end. You told him of Ganondorf, you told him of Zelda and how her power returned you due to the secret stone.

And then you remembered how Zelda turned into a dragon, a lump filling your throat as your mouth opened but no words came out.

Link told you of what happened while you were gone, how he found memories from a dragon's tears, ones that showed him visions of the past. He told you how Rauru gave him his arm and how he led him to shrines of light to regain the strength he lost. And as well as the secret stones that are now in the hands of four sages.

You wanted to tell him about Zelda, you wanted to tell the truth but something in you couldn't say it.

So instead, "Find the rest of the memories. I don't think I should be the one to explain the rest. What happened is too hard to explain." You said. There was a slight frown Link showed but he nodded and agreed with you.

You got up and went to see the four new sages, and watched as Link explained that they would have to wait to rescue Princess Zelda whom they saw in the castle as things weren't adding up. And yet many of the sages disagreed, trying to convince Link that it couldn't wait.

You picked up what was going on and knew that it had something to do with Ganondorf. You watched as they argued back and forth, Link mostly silent as he listened to their advice and suggestions.

"I think maybe you should go." You stated, watching as everyone halted their rising voices of frustration. Link looked to you to let you explain, "It won't be easy to get into the castle but I think there may be something I can do to stop this mess." You say, your fists clenching by your side.

You knew it would be risky, but maybe if you could convince Ganondorf, you could stop this nightmare. But you didn't want Link to know how far you'd be willing to go to prevent bloodshed, so you weren't going to try to talk to Ganondorf until Link couldn't try to stop you.

"I can stay out of the way but I think there might be something in there that could help get Zelda back." You added, trying to seem convincing. Not to mention since you now know that the castle was built on top of the place of the final battle this entire time it might be true that something hidden inside the castle could help. But for now, you just needed to convince Link to bring you along while the sages secured the property since you prolonged Link going into the castle to see what was happening.

You kept a hand over your stomach unconsciously, your mind wandering to what to say. "I'm going with you Link. I'll stay out of the way just like I did when we traveled! But please I need to be there with you just in case." you insisted.

Link shook his head, his brows furrowing as you took his hand, "Please Link you don't understand. There are things I can't yet explain so please just take me with you." you begged, giving his hand a squeeze.

Link didn't want to, you could tell in his expression but he could also see something in yours. He could see a desperation he had never seen before adorning your face and as much as he wanted to keep you safe a part of him knew he had to agree. So much to Links' displeasure, he nodded, giving you a squeeze back before he let go of your hand.

Before long the sages stayed near the entrance to the castle, mentioning a plan in case things go wrong and that they would survey the castle for any signs of something going wrong.

Luckily you and Link were used to traveling together. You knew to stay a few paces behind at all times and help carry most of the inventory except for certain elixirs that were better staying with Link if he ever got into a pinch.

You held onto the food and medical supplies, often you also carried the map and extra arrows as well. You and Link figured out early on in your travels that it was best that he didn't carry too much and way himself down when fighting. You also tended to help remind him when the sun was about to go down or when the weather was about to turn.

Somehow you were better at certain things while he was better at others. Staying a few paces away tended to make sure Link was in control of the situation if a monster appeared out of nowhere.

But as you gathered some supplies and eventually joined Link on his way to the castle. He reminded you that the castle itself is filled with more powerful creatures; so to stay as away as possible and if he has to check out a room to stay behind in the already cleared room.

Which honestly sounded the best. According to everything that went on with the leaders/sages of the others who informed you about things happening around Hyrule you came to understand that Ganondorf was not only trying to make things more advantageous for himself but also seemed to me looking for something.... or someone..

It unsettled you that the castle felt the same as before, just as dangerous and dark as it felt when Link had gone to rescue Zelda all those years ago. You stayed paces behind as rooms were cleared and as you watched Link battle monsters. And as "Zelda" appeared and words were left behind by "Zelda" you were more certain this was a trap and you were wondering if Link knew that too. After all, Zelda never had this kind of demeanor and Link knows Zelda just as much as you do, maybe even better than you.

You watched as he fought and would toss health elixirs if you thought that he was getting too hurt. You hated that you could only watch but still tried to provide as much as you could.

But unknown to you, a familiar figure watched on, his fists clenched at the sight of you and that damned Link.

You looked the same as the day you left, the same as the day he was sealed. And he knew you had to have come back recently, as at the beginning he saw it, the sight of you and Zelda falling and reaching for each other.

And he saw the light that enveloped you both as you disappeared.

He only realized it too late that you were there. But he knew that he couldn't reach for you then, if he did it risked something changing. He didn't know fully what would change, but he knew better.

And he saw it from a distance, the sight of your form descending from the skies in a pool of light, the same clothes you wore back then, the Gerudo attire you wore around the village. He can still remember the sight of you with that precious sun umbrella the kids made you, your feet having a light spring in their step, and the bright smile you had as you walked around the village in front of him.

He watched carefully as both you and Link made it through the castle, all the way to the final destination.

The throne room before the hundred years of sleep was beautiful as you heard from Link. You once asked him to describe it to you and you sketched it out on your notebook. You also would look at the paintings for the place used to look.

You both knew that the sanctum only had a few entrances and exits, so instead of following Link to a place you couldn't help you asked if you could hide in the place above, the place where the big hole in the ceiling allowed access to the throne room, where you could freely drop health elixirs or aid should he need it. You could also see if you could signal to Tulin if needed as he was patrolling the skies of Hyrule castle.

So you found a place where the gloom couldn't reach near the hole and sat down, keeping low to the ground made you feel less like you'd fall over and more hidden.

You watched Link enter the throne room, watched as Zelda appeared and approached, her voice echoing off the walls of the castle;

"Link! At last... I've been waiting for you to arrive... There's something I want to show you.." was what you heard as you leaned over the edge to get a better look, a glamour coming over the castle as though by magic appeared, the throne room that Link had once described to you now appeared before your eyes, the same floor you were on transformed to the castles former glory.

You watched as "Zelda" grew closer, never knowing where she would appear next, Link stood on guard, feeling as though he definitely wasn't safe.

"Hyrule castle.. Perfect and glorious... Does it bring back memories of our time here?" She asked, you thought for a moment you could hear the malice in her voice. "Take a good look Link... for it's the last thing you will ever see."

You listened and peered over the entrance from the ceiling, watching as the form you had seen below Hyrule castle appeared like a puppetmaster above the fake Zelda, her body going limp as though the strings that held her were cut.

You watched her body disappear and held your breath, watching as Ganondorf spoke to Link, you couldn't help but clench the edge of the ledge. You wanted to cry at the sight, your mind going blank before Ganondorf summoned what looked to be shadows of himself to attack Link.

You watched carefully as Link fought, your heart beating anxiously. What you had yet to notice was the figure of Ganondorf behind you, his weakened form watching you carefully before pulling you away from the ledge.

Startled you whipped you head to see who on earth was there only to see him.

The love of your life, the only person you had come to love in your short life. Tears welled in your eyes but you refused to cry in front of him, rapidly blinking and trying to think of something else, "What are you doing? Stop this!" You yelled, moving away from him quickly.

You saw the hurt in his eyes quickly be subdued, his form standing there eerily silent. "Stop this? You cannot be so foolish my love." He spoke, his voice nearly making you tremble as he grew louder.

"This has to be done. You ran away, you ran and let me be sealed for nearly ten millennia. Was our love so fragile that you could dare to do such a thing?" He shouted.

You watched as he took a few steps closer, his hands reaching for your shoulders. Despite how angry he was, despite how much you had hurt him, his grip was only tight and not painful. You thought for a moment you could feel his hands trembling.

"And now you've carried the fruit of our love all the way to now. Haven't you little vai?" He added. Your hand unconsciously reached down to your stomach, your eyes blown wide open.

"Had I known you would not stay in the past after allowing me to be sealed away I would have come to greet you. The sight of you falling into that abyss still haunts me but I understand that you had not yet known who I was when you fell." He states.

You didn't think he knew as much as he did, how could he know you hadn't birthed yet? How could he know that when you and Zelda fell you had yet to know who he was? Or had he truly pieced it together with a few guesses?

You shut your eyes, thinking of how to respond. And then a thought popped into your mind. So you shook free of his grasp, staring straight at him with determination.

"You're right Ganondorf. Watching you get sealed away was one of the worst things I could have ever witnessed. I regretted it. I wanted us to be happy." You confessed, watching as he grew impatient at your words.

"Then how could you stand by! How could you watch?!" He yelled, his hands clenching into fists at your words. "Because you left me no choice." You claimed.

"Because if you could so harshly kill when things were going so well then how could I know our future would be secure? You didn't trust me. You didn't trust that I wouldn't stay, you didn't trust me in the slightest."

You watched as his eyes widened and his shoulders hunched over, his hands clenching at his sides.

You moved closer to the entrance in the center, glancing over the side to see that Link was still occupied with the Phantom Ganons', he looked worried when he caught a glimpse of your figure up above.

You then looked straight again at Ganon once more, taking a breath in and out before continuing with your words, "I want this to end Ganon. I want us to live together once more." You confessed.

You watched as his features turned hopeful, stepping closer to you with excitement that could make him nearly burst. "Yes! Yes! I want that too!" He beamed.

You smiled a little, seeing a glimpse of the man you loved. "Then you must do something for me. And if you do this we can be together with no one else to interfere." You persisted, weight added to your words and Ganondorf nodded eagerly, "What is it? I'd do anything my love!" He stated, outstretched his arms to reach for you.

"Throw away the secret stone and stop this. Throw it away and come with me to live somewhere. We could have a home in the plains! We could live near my hometown or even far away from a village! Just as long as this does not continue. This cannot continue." You begged.

You watched as he hesitated, as his hands stopped and his eyes filled with uncertainty.

Tears filled your eyes once more, a rough laugh leaving your lips, "Can you truly not throw away power? You cannot do that to live with me in peace? To live in a place to call our own and raise our child together?" You scoffed.

You held yourself tightly as tears fell down your cheeks, Ganondorfs' mind quickly trying to come up with words to say.

You took a step backward towards the ledge, staying on the edge as you glanced at him, "A week." You stated.

"I will return to the castle in a week and if you do not have an answer for me then..." You gulped before speaking again, "Then I'm afraid I'll have no choice but to never let myself love you again."

Ganondorf reached out for you only for you to yell out Link's name, you tilted backward and allowed yourself to believe Link would catch you. And luckily he did.

At that moment the rest of the sages burst in, helping Link defeat the Phantom ganons and allowing you to stay safe.

You had only wished that you were not crying at that moment.

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It was soon that you made it back. And you didn't know how to answer any of Links questions. So you merely told him to finish gathering the dragons' tears. That when he collected them all he would come to understand what had happened.

You didn't have the heart to answer what happened to Zelda. And hopefully by forcing him to look for the memories he wouldn't be back before the weeks' end.

You were sure he would also try and do the tasks that Purah had wanted him to do as well, such as checking Kakariko village now that it was confirmed that the Zelda everyone had seen was a fake.

You decided to get a carriage ride back to your village, soon arriving at the entrance to Hateno Village.

You wanted to meet with the village chief wanting to discuss about your home and the wish to sell it. While it was the last thing your parents gave you, the memories you had there weren't something you wanted to keep. You often felt rather lonely in that house. Maybe that was the reason you could so readily leave.

The reason you wanted to sell was so you could build a new home elsewhere, hoping that Ganondorf would say yes to your proposal.

So that's what you ended up doing most of your week, looking for places on the outskirts of villages, including your own, where you and Ganondorf would not be bothered. You even looked at just land itself, knowing you had enough money left over to hire someone to build your house should there be the need.

While you were hopeful that Ganondorf would say yes you were also preparing yourself for him choosing power over all else.

What you didn't know was about a singular Phantom Ganon hiding in the shadows watching your every move.

While Ganondorf wanted to trust you and your words he wasn't sure at the beginning when you proposed such an ultimatum to him. What if it was a trap? What if you truly despised him now?

Yet with every move you made you only showed hope about him accepting your request.

He watched as you traveled quickly from carriage to carriage, often sitting with food storage in the back of a wagon to travel fast enough. He saw how you looked at every house and land, taking into consideration how you thought he would feel about each one.

You never looked at places in Gerudo nor in the northern regions, always looking to the southeast or towards the central region. He also saw you consult with a midwife on the best things to eat and what to not do.

His only dilemma was wondering if he could throw away such power.

He loved you, yet that dark part of him wanted both you and power, telling him he was strong enough to take both. But then he would remember the look on your face at every bad thing he did. That look of sorrow and distrust made his heart squeeze.

He slightly wonders what would have happened had he believed in you, had he asked what your wishes were. And had he listened to you, would you both still be wrapped around each other? Would you both be lying in bed preparing to welcome the child growing within you?

But it was too late to have regrets. He had to focus on the now, as the decision he made could allow him to lose you forever.

He knew that Link was remarkable. As much as his pride didn't want to admit it, he had to, or else he'd end up dead. Link was not only strong but extremely skilled. If he were to fight with Link? He's not sure who would make it out of the two. Not to mention that the goddess Hylia strongly supports Link, and with the help of the sages it is likely Link could make it to him unscathed.

But who would win? It's an answer he's not sure he wants to know.

He needed his strength back. If he's going to answer his lovely little vai, he should at least look the closest to himself as he was back before he was sealed.

Soon he would have to make a decision. And let's hope for his sake he makes the right one.

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As the week past you made sure to always have a ride back to lookout landing.

You made it back just before the deadline and started the trek to get up to Hyrule Castle.

You wondered how you would even make it up without running into any monsters but you were sure if you took some secret paths through the castle you'd be able to make it through.

So you embarked on your journey, slowly finding different paths to take if you run into any moblins or bokoblins or even lizard kin.

Most paths seemed to be oddly cleared out and it didn't take long for you to reach the sanctum without a scratch.

You wished it had been this easy the other day but you pushed that thought to the back of your mind before gazing at the entrance of the sanctum. You took a breath in and out and then walked in, finding that the sanctum looked as it did when "Zelda" had made it look new again.

You glanced at every corner, taking in how gorgeous the castle once looked. To think that such a glorious castle once stood here tall and mighty, yet 100 years without care and monsters running rampant was enough for it to fall into such disrepair.

And a certain tall man leaned behind you, wrapping you in his arms tightly, his once sickly form restored to what he once was. You hadn't even heard him or detected him, and now you stood there being held in his arms.

As much as you wanted to stay there, to let the warmth of his body comfort you, your anxiety would not stop until you heard his decision.

You took his wrist gently in your hand and guided his arm away from you, taking a step away from him before turning around and lifting your head to face him.

You saw it on his face, that look of love and warmth that you weren't able to see for what felt like such a long time. Those eyes that looked at you with kindness and warmth.

Your heart beat fast, the anxiety pooling in the depths of your stomach and creeping around your heart continued on despite how much the sight of his love for you made your heart ache for him.

Before you could even speak, his hand rose to the secret stone embedded into his forehead, his fingers fixing themselves around the stone before grasping it tightly. You watched in shock as he tore the stone from its place, a scar left behind by its place before he took your hand in his and placed the stone in your palm.

You could feel tears rushing down your cheeks, your fingers clenching around the stone and your palm tightly, the relief flooding you as sobs escaped your lips and your knees gave way from shock.

He caught you as you sobbed, his face worried as your other hand clenched at his robes and broken sobs of words you struggled to get out escaped your lips, "I... didn't think!" You sobbed, your sentences broken between heaves.

Ganondorf watched as you tried to form words before he eventually took you into his arms. He hated making you cry but the relief that you showed at his actions was worth it

He carried you out of the castle, a certain hero arriving at Lookout landing only to watch as soldiers and others gathered towards the gate, their enemy holding one of their comrades close to his chest and standing tall in all of his glory.

Link instinctively drew his sword, his hands wrapped around the hilt tightly, his teeth clenched as he prepared to fight. You quickly wiggled out of Ganondorfs' grasp, making him let you down as you presented the secret stone that once belonged to Sonia.

When the shock of Ganons' willingness to give up the stone vanished what filled you was a certainty that if you took the stone to the temple of time that you would be able to get Zelda back. Something in you just knew and after everything that had happened, you knew it couldn't wait.

"With this, we can get Zelda back. We need to go to the temple of time right now." You asserted. You could tell by the look in his eyes he had seen all the memories. And that while he knew the relationship between you and Ganondorf could be skewing your judgment, he saw something in you that knew something he didn't. And he trusted you just as much as he trusted Zelda.

So after telling everyone that Ganondorf was no longer an enemy and to stay put for you would explain in detail later, you and Link used the Purah Pad to go to the temple of time.

Standing at the decaying temple felt unreal as just a short time ago you had stood at its gate with Zelda, it's decayed form such a staggering difference to its current form. You allowed Link to lead the way for you through the temple, shaking your thoughts as you stelled your mind. Soon, coming to the place where Zelda had once pushed you back to the present time. For you it was only a little over a week, but for others, it's been longer since they've seen her.

So with Links' help to the platform where he once laid his sword, you slowly approached, a familiar dragon appearing suddenly wind rushing as you held the stone over the altar and finally placed it atop the surface. There was a light quick to blind you until you and Link were floating amidst what looked like clouds of green, the Dragon of Light floating before you.

You see Links' hand glow, Rauru and Sonia appear behind him, lending him the power needed to restore Zelda, the dragons' form slowly disappearing and Zelda's form returning.

And as just as quickly as Rauru and Sonia had appeared, they gave a sad look towards you before fading away.

And as everything unfolded, another blinding light appeared, revealing Zelda on the alter where you had placed the secret stone.

And it's as though you could finally let out a sigh of relief.

┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈

Soon you would explain everything to Zelda, who would in turn explain to Link and the rest. Many felt uncomfortable letting Ganondorf go unpunished but considering the possible alternative of him attempting to rule all of Hyrule made them allow it under certain conditions.

He wasn't allowed anywhere near the Sky Islands nor Hyrule castle. It was decided that he could not travel to Gerudo either. Most of the southeast of Hyrule he could travel to. And after lots of talking with your husband, he agreed.

Zelda and Link would help make a system of precautions about where the secret stones would be held and who could access them.

And you had asked for a home to be built north of Zelkoa Pond on the outskirts of Hateno Village. In the end, you wanted to remain close but at arms' length.

The home took time and You and Ganondorf would stay at the lab atop the hill. He would often go down to chop wood for materials and began talking with a few of the villagers about farming.

As the months flew by and your home was built and furnished, Ganondorf made a bassinet himself for the nursery and slowly became more open to the villagers. You had started feeling more and more comfortable around Ganondorf as you watched him become his old self. The man you loved.

As your pregnancy advanced you watched him become more protective. He'd worry over every little thing you carried and if you ever showed any hint of discomfort he'd force you to sit down in a plush rocking chair he had built himself. He had started to work a lot with wood outside of farmwork so he had made much of the furniture inside your home.

Ganondorf had formed a habit at night where he would help you get nice and comfortable, fluffing up pillows and making sure you were pampered before bed. And once you were comfortable he would lay down carefully, adjusting himself till his feet lightly dangled off the bed so he could position his ear next to your stomach.

The grin that would adorn his face in these moments always made you happy.

And blissful moments would come often now that you had no worry about time traveling or Ganondorf getting ahold of the secret stones. You had made a point to Zelda before that you did not want to have the knowledge of what would be done with the stones.

It wasn't only so you wouldn't slip up or maybe tell him accidentally. It was so you didn't get comfortable and think that it was safe enough to tell him. You knew that you were incredibly weak when it came to Ganondorf, just as he was for you. So you would help with any other research, just never the secret stones.

It made things more peaceful and less stressful in your mind, never having to overthink it.

And then your water broke.

Ganondorf was outside working on something in a shed he built to work on things to make in when he heard you calling for him, the panicked tone in your voice made him drop everything before sprinting and slamming open the door nearly off its hinges.

He saw you holding onto the dining table, using it for support as you stood in a pool of liquid and held the bump on your stomach tightly, contractions beginning to become painful.

Purah who had been staying in the village for a short time arrived quickly, already sending word to Zelda and Link about the state you were in.

And every step of the way you clenched Ganondorfs' hand the tightest you've ever held it. He hated seeing you in pain, his body hunched over the bed you laid in and the sweat forming on your forehead.

He hated that all he could do was sit there. It's why he held onto your hands and let you squeeze him.

All you would hear from him were loving coos and encouragement, the occasional dab of a wet cloth across your forehead before a kiss followed.

And with a certain push brought one life into the world, one that cried the moment they came into the world.

You cried as you held your child, a boy with Ganons' distinctive red hair but with your lovely eyes. And when he looked down at the bundle in your arms he was so glad they had inherited your eyes. His hand carcasses your hair, tucking strands behind your ear as he leaves kisses on your forehead and cheek, leaving one across your sons' forehead as well.

It was a fresh start, a completely new beginning.

You and Ganondorf could now let go as the babies' cries stopped and everything finally felt peaceful.

That lingering thought in the back of your mind would later come into question. As your son was now the first male born to the Gerudo in quite some time..

But as you gazed at the loving child in your arms you put away all those thoughts that would make you anxious, you decided no matter what to protect them. Ganondorf came close, enveloping you both in a hug, smiles, and tears of relief adoring his cheeks as everything settled into place.

You hoped this peace would last for a long time.

[candy8448]

I was thinking about the stakes in tears of the kingdom:

(A small analysis essay)

(Ill be using words that will hopefully not out any spoilers)

In breath of the wild you had to defeat ganon, the stakes were that if you didn't defeat ganon in time zelda would be too weak to hold him any longer and the kingdom of hyrule will be doomed.

However in totk, there is nothing like that. There is no urgent stakes for defeating ganondorf. Everything is almost at a standstill, everything has been waiting since the begining of this Hyrule and there is no time limit for fighting ganondorf. In fact, ganondorf is kinda just waiting for link at the end.

And then i remembered, this game isn't about saving Hyrule, Hyrule is fine, everyone is actually kind of excited at these turn of events. There is no current evil they should be concerned of other than the gloom which is easily dodged.

This game is about finding and being with Zelda.

It's been that from the very start.

From the moment you wake up on the geat sky island you are given the objective to find zelda

Everyone who is close to you is asking where is zelda, you are told to investigate each region because zelda was spotted there, not because a great evil has arrived and they are in danger (even though that is also the case, zelda is still at the forefront of your concern)

It's only later in the game, once you have almost everything done that the goal becomes defeat ganondorf but even then, it is because you now know what happened wih zelda and need to make sure her efforts were worth it. Once you know that zelda's goals are to defeat ganondorf, that is when you join her in her goals rather than looking for her.

Even until the very last second of the end credits scene it is about getting to zelda, saving zelda, making sure zelda is okay, standing by zelda...

Breath of the wild was about regaining your memories, doing what you can and gaining forces to aid in defeating ganon because that is what you are told to do by the king at the begining, a role told to someone who has no memories, no way to make a decision of what he wants to do. This is even so in the memories, he is a soldier that must do as he is told, no choices made by himself alone. The game is about rebuilding and defeating an evil before it can stop that healing. He, We are a slate that has no job to do other than save everybody in time.

In tears of the kingdom, we have those memories, we have those experiences, he has the connections and emotions to decide for himself what he wants, not a duty to the kingdom. He got to chose what is important to him and he got to put that front and center in his life, above duty, above a role, above anything else,

And he chose Zelda...

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

Guys. Why is there even a debate here. Some of the games were explicitly written to be connected, some of them weren't. Not everything has to fit into one cohesive timeline. As a matter of fact, they can't. Now, there is some more nuance to it. Read below for my explanation (infodump) plus a more nuanced chart.

Red and blue lines are canon within the games' text. Ambiguities are filled in with green. I'll get more into that later. Let's first explain the two completely separate mini timelines.

The Four Swords miniseries stands mostly alone. The Master Sword and the Triforce are present in every other game or (mostly--looking at you, Master Sword in LoZ and AoL) have a good reason not to be, but they are not present at all in these three games. Instead, we have the Four Sword and Light Force. The only wrinkle is that Ganondorf shows up in FSA... so I don't know about that one. I don't think anyone does.

As for BotW and TotK. Oh brother. What do we do with these. Skyward Sword is intended to take place seemingly millennia, or at least several centuries before Ocarina. We see the founding of Hyrule with the first monarch and her chosen knight, the cycle of recurring evil and heroism being established, and the forging of the Master Sword

Wait. What about Rauru and Sonia? I thought they were the first rulers of Hyrule. And if the Zonai were around long before Hyrule, where is any of their presence in Skyward Sword? Huh. Alright. We don't know how much time passed between the first Calamity and the second, but from the past era of TotK to its present, we can account for at least 10,105 years of history. We don't even need to get into how Zora and Rito coexist or anything smaller like that. There's just no fucking way these two games fit with any of the others. Fine, that's fine. Moving on.

There's also a little hiccup around the Oracles. Nintendo seems to go back and force on whether the Oracles feature the same Link as in ALttP and LA, but if they do, it probably makes more sense that Oracles happen before LA (the linked Oracle game ends with Link boarding sailing off on a small ship and LA starts with him on one). So like... I guess they fit there?

Either way, let's take a second to look back at where this idea of a timeline split happened. Remember that WW and TP both clearly take place after OoT. That isn't theorizing, that's in the actual text of each game. The thing is, they're mutually exclusive. TP has Ganondorf being executed, as he would have been after the Hero of Time goes back to his original era and warns Zelda that her plan to get to the Triforce first isn't going to work (which is implied to be what happens at the "The End" screen of OoT). WW has Ganondorf coming back by breaking the seal put on him, and the Hero of Time didn't appear to stop him again (as would happen if Link was sent back in time). Fans started theorizing way back in 2006 that OoT created separate timelines, with WW and TP being mutually exclusive sequels to it as the evidence.

Some fans have asserted that Nintendo just "took" the fan theory. But come on, put everything together here. The texts of OoT, WW, and TP HEAVILY imply the timeline split. The only reason we called it a theory is because the writers didn't literally say "And then the timeline split in two". The texts are pretty clear though. It's the only thing that makes sense. That isn't to say that there needs to be a cohesive timeline, and that the split is the only way to fit it together. No, OoT is connected to both WW and TP no matter what. That was the intent. It's just that the explanation for OoT to have mutually exclusive sequels actually fits neatly into the texts of the games.

And now we come to the tricky part. Put yourself back into the 90s real quick. ALttP seems to have been written as a prequel to Zelda 1, showing Hyrule before its period of decline. Alright, let's just accept that because it may as well be true. The lore at that point was so thin that it made enough sense. I kinda slapped Zelda 1 and 2 at the end there to show it, because we do have a cohesive timeline from ALttP to TFH. That's fine, all well and good.

Likewise, OoT seems to be written as a prequel to ALttP. We see conflict over the Triforce, the origin of Ganon, the seven sages, and an earlier iteration of the Master Sword. Back in 1998, we had no reason to not believe it. These are tenuous connections that are not explicit in the games' text, so I've paired them with green lines to show it.

But wait. ALttP is ALSO mutually exclusive to TP and WW. Oh brother. What do we do about this? Even after figuring out the timeline split in 2006, fans didn't know what the fuck to do with the first four games of this franchise. They could go after TP, but that's even messier than putting them right after OoT. Yuck. This doesn't feel good at all. Oh yeah, and then there's the Four Swords games that don't fit anywhere.

Now you can imagine the position the writers of Hyrule Historia found themselves in when they were tasked with creating an official timeline. Some of the games have certain explicit connections, as detailed in my first chart. But they had to cram everything into one timeline. Well. They knew they had a timeline split in OoT, because that's what the texts of OoT, WW, and TP collectively say. The lore of ALttP also mentions seven sages (or wise men, but let's call them sages), but not a legendary hero. So... if you really stretch your brain out here... it kinda makes sense that there's a timeline where the Hero of Time died fighting Ganon. Maybe. Kinda. Not really, but kinda. And then there's the Four Swords miniseries. Fuck it, throw them in randomly.

The two-way split doesn't disagree with OoT's text at all, which said that Link won. The three-way split does disagree with it by asserting that Link lost. But if we're really trying to fit everything into one timeline, that is the cleanest place to put them. Some people really hate this, but it does seem that those are the same people that demanded that there be an official timeline in the first place. ie the same people who were gonna be pissed off with anything Nintendo gave them that wasn't exactly their own theory being confirmed.

Alright, real talk. The producers of the Zelda series have said time and time again that they think of what would make a fun game then write a story that fits around it. The Wind Waker devs wanted you to sail around the ocean. Then the writers decided "oh, we could put this after Ocarina! After all, weren't they left without a hero? What if Ganon came back with no one to stop him? How would that problem resolve itself? What if the gods just flooded the world?" Then the Twilight Princess devs wanted a spiritual successor to Ocarina, with an epic adventure on horseback across the traditional Zelda kingdom setting. So the writers went "hey, in Ocarina, Link warned Zelda about Ganon, right? What if he was executed then, and then the world was never flooded?"

We have to realize that trying to put games with this design philosophy into a neat little timeline is a futile effort. It's never gonna work because it wasn't designed to. More so than any other storytelling medium, video games take so many approaches to continuity. The Halo games were all meant to be sequential and fit neatly into a strict timeline. Pokemon is all canon within itself but the ties between games are less important than the stories of each game. Mario essentially has no canon except for recurring characters and settings. Zelda is gameplay first, canon second. That's why the two most recent mainline games don't even try to fit in the canon of the previous eighteen. That's just how it works and we're gonna have to accept that.

[wayfayrr]

Here is the menace with your chosen word Farewell. So gather 'round, sit back, relax and please stay in your seat. Kick your feet up and grab some popcorn. Oh, and of course, lest we not forget, enjoy the show.

Now here is a Reader, that one of the boys is looking for, what seems like for millennias. This is Navi!Reader.

Instead of Navi, Time called them Reader.

They have blue wings and they change colour depending on their emotions.

Their glow also changes it's colour depending on their emotion.

Red is anger/ worried.

Yellow is focused/ determined.

Green is happy/ sick (like when you spin to often).

White is fear.

Blue is calm.

Pink is embarrassed/ flustered.

With that they are one of the very few fairies that doesn't have white wings and glow pink. And now the only one.

Beneath the light Reader wears a blue toga with green ends and a Sakura petal pattern, that petals 🌸, with golden a vein-like belt and pair of shoes, which looks more like an accessory than shoes.

They are the last fairy of the Kokiri and knows what happened to them.

They also saw how the Kroks came to life.

They hide inside the Deku Tree since they left Time as a child.

Sage found them as he slept inside the Deku Tree, since then he always has them around.

They call him "my little Zonai".

He knows that they went through something horrible and they told him about the time travels, the Kokiri, the Kroks. But they left Time out, as he maybe wanted to keep his privacy.

They feel incredibly guilty for leaving Time behind, but they had to.

If they wouldn't come back to the Deku Tree after their purpose was fulfilled they would've died in Time's hands.

I'd like to believe that Reader is Time's first love. He only got along with Saria for as long as he can remember, but then there comes Reader. His very own Fairy the very thing that caused him of being an outcast as he didn't had one.

Since then Reader was with him, nevermind if it was underwater or in a volcano. Reader was by his side and is the only one who REALLY knows how Time feels as they also got kicked back in time before Ganondorf attacked.

Reader was his partner, friend and guide. They teached him how to hold the sword and shield properly. They told him about the monsters around him and how to kill them easily or their weaknesses or helped him focus by flying around the monster's weak points. So he can kill them easier or that his shot is more accurate.

As a fairy they are immortal as long as they have a purpose they don't die beyond the borders of the Lost Woods, if their purpose allows them to cross it.

They love sweets and kinda act like a hummingbird as they normally ate/ drank(?) sweet nectar from the forest flowers.

They are scared of Skulltulas and they got stuck in their webs a few times in the Forest Temple and the old Deku Tree.

Time was their very first friend and so they always hope that he lives a good life.

If anyone would've told them that he went into the Lost Woods to look for them. They would be happy and disappointed as they don't want him to hold onto them.

They were his mouth for the first instances as he was too overwhelmed with everything, from being destined to purge the evil to stepping outside of the forest. He was just shy at first as he never met adults so they talked for him until he got the courage to do it himself!

They call him "my Kokiri".

Their Song is "Airplanes" from BOB feat Hayley Williams and Eminem.

How they met/reunited.

Reader's PoV:

I flew around searching that idiot who put me in a bottle! I flew around and saw him, Link. I was seeing red and completely disregarded the group that was talking to him.

„YOU IDIOT LINK! I APPRECIATE YOUR CONCERN BUT DON'T PUT ME IN A BOTTLE!! I ALMOST DIED AS IT SHATTERED!! I AM IMMORTAL BUT THAT ONLY MEANS THAT I CAN'T DIE OF AGE NOT INJURIES!! YOU IDIOT! MORON!! FOOL!!!“ I stomped with my foot the air in anger and he looked at me surprised and shocked.

„Sorry? But how should I protect you?! You are a frail and tiny fairy!! I thought you are safe in there!!“

„I WAS WITH ONE HERO ALREADY!! I WAS WITH HIM THROUGH HIS WHOLE JOURNEY!!! I KNOW, HOW TO DODGE ATTACKS AND AVOID MONSTERS!!! I DID IT MULTIPLE TIMES!! YES, I'M SMALL BUT DOESN'T MEAN I'M HELPLESS, LINK!!!“ I screamed at him but he didn't budge.

„But you don't know how the monsters here are you hid inside the Deku Tree for millennias! You saw more of the changes of Hyrule than all of Hyrule together! And You where only inside the Lost Woods! In your little house!!“

„Uhm... Excuse me?“ Our heads snap to the interrupting Hylian and screamed unison.

„WHAT?! DON'T JUST INTERRUPT OUR CONVERSATION!!“ but the Hylian just looked at me.

„Reader, is that you?“ he came nearer to us.

„That's my name how do you know... Wait a minute...“ I flew around him and his eyes looked so hopeful and scared at the same time.

But this sparkles in his eyes as he looked at me. I immediately knew who it was and hugged his cheek.

„Link?! The little Link!? My Kokiri!!“ he held his hands carefully around me, in fear to hurt me or that I will disappear any second.

„Reader it's really you! I thought, I will never see you again!“

„Me neither. As my purpose was fulfilled, I had to go back to the Woods or I would've died in your little hands and I didn't want that! So how have you been? You look so tall compared from the last time I saw you and I see you have sons! Many of them.“ one of the hero's children spit out his water or whatever he was drinking and was coughing roughly.

„They are not my children, Reader! Twilight is my descendant but the others aren't mine.“

„Twilight? You were never good with name giving were you?“ I shook my head disapprovingly.

„It's not like that! We all are called Link and Twilight is the Hero of Twilight that's why he has that nickname!“

„Ohhh... Sorry, just thought as they look a bit like you, especially the young one, his eyes promise that he is a gremlin like you.“ the man before me began to blush.

„Stop that!“

„Wait! You were with Time as he was child?“ asked one of the boys, he had a white cape with the Master Sword on his back.

„Well, kind of. I heard much about him from other fairies but also witnessed it myself. I was with that little Kokiri since the beginning of his journey and travelled through time with him.“ I looked at my now hero who looked shocked at me.

„You never told me, you were the guide of the Hero of Time!“ I tilted my head.

„Well, I wanted to respect Link's privacy and I was confused as I didn't know if you knew him as the Hero of Time or not. As we got send back in time and it was before Ganondorf tried to get the Triforce. So I didn't know how to explain that part very well. I'm really sorry, my little Zonai!“ I flew towards the young man with difficulty as my Kokiri didn't want to let me go but he just hugged me.

„I'm not mad and never would be. You've been through so much so I forgive now come we have to go. Hyrule doesn't save itself.“ he smiled something he did very rarely nowadays but it seem off like their was something sinister and possessive behind it. But my purpose was to travel with him and help him open his heart!

„Okay... See you again my Kokiri. I'm sure of it and it was a pleasure to met the other heroes and your descendant!“ I waved with a green yellow glow before following my Zonai who walked away but I didn't see his smug smirk or the glare that Kokiri gave the Zonai.

After the Zonai defeated the Demon Dragon I was about to fly back to the Deku Tree as my purpose was fulfilled but Link put me into a bottle again.

„Link! Let Me Out!!“

„I can't do that you will leave me again!!“

„Please! I have to go back to the Woods! You can visit me but please let me go!!!“ I sounded desperate as I felt my strength dwindling.

„NO! I WANT YOU WITH ME!! YOU WERE WITH ME!!!“

„This time you don't pack up and leave like back then Reader! I should have put you in a bottle back then.“ My Kokiri... His voice sounded so stern...

My consciousness disappeared more and more that I would wake up and fall back in the black every now and then.

„Reader...?“ I didn't know who spoke but it was like I could hear the bottle opening but I already lied there on the bottom of the bottle I was to weak.

I only felt how I fell out of the bottle into a hand. „Woods... I... Need... To... The... Woods...“ I whispered and suddenly I hear the two which normally fought the most running for their or my life.

Then I got snatched into the hand of another hero he gave me sugar water but that only kept me alive for a little while longer. Then he took of running again. He was definitely faster than the other two. But I didn't know if we could make it to the Lost Woods in time. Then I felt the familiar fog around me and I got my strength back.

„Ah... You came back, my child of the past.“ I sat up in the hands and looked at the Great Deku Tree.

„Sorry... For the delay... Had some... Challenges to conquer...“ I breathed in and out before turning to my hero, which was the Hero of Legends.

I kissed his cheek before circling around him. „Thank you! You are my hero!! If you wouldn't got me here, I would have died!!“

He got little red in embarrassment as the heroes didn't get much gratitude and appreciation but he nodded. So I flew to the Deku Tree.

„Purpose fulfilled, Great Deku Tree. The evil was purged and the hero is save and sound with the princess! So mission was successfully accomplished!!“ I said cheerfully.

„Can I ask something?“ said the hero.

„Of course, young hero. What can I do for you?“

„Is it possible that Reader can come with us? They know more about the shadow than any of us. They just have to see him and know as what he is hiding. We really need that help.“

„I understand. Reader get the light.“

„Really but Deku Tree that should be kept hidden until the world needs it again!“ I called out to him.

„I know young one, but you are the only being here old enough to use it and move. So your new task is to help this heroes with the light.“

„Understood, Deku Tree! I will go and get it!“ I disappeared into the Deku Tree and up to the crown, where I found the Minish hiding like me.

I didn't have to say anything. The little creatures gave me the Force. It may be not as strong as the Triforce but its for use for the heroes. I hoped, that these two calmed down by now. The light disappeared into my body and my body lighten up as I grew. My wings were bigger same with my body. It was strange but my shine was now dimmer, that means they would be able to see my toga I HAVE NO UNDERWEAR!! Good, flying is now forbidden Reader!! I stepped out of the Deku Tree and only saw the heroes standing on the resting place of the Master Sword with their jaws dropped, wide eyes and red.

„Seems like you still have a guide my dear heroes. I'm Reader, your fairy guide! If you have any questions just ask away!“ I said with a wink and a mock salute.

That's how they got Navi!Reader in their group until they fulfilled their task. But the Chain will find a way to keep them with the group until then. That's also the only Chain where Sage kinda listens to Time. Well, mostly because of Reader as Time was their partner in the past and they wouldn't be happy if they would fight. But as soon as all of them fall in love they will also notice that Reader doesn't fly as much as usual. Well as soon they find out the why, they are red with a nosebleed while Reader is screeching in embarrassment and explain that as a fairy they never needed things like underwear. Well, Wild hopes for a try again for his camera, Sage too. Wind wants them as his guide like Time, maybe with a little puppy crush. But at the end they try to solve the issue with the Triforce that Reader doesn't die when they leave the border of the Lost Woods. But Reader doesn't understand courting traditions from the Hylian as they are a Fairy. But Hyrule as a half Fae so he has more modern versions of Fairy courtship. So he is the only one who gets Reader to understand that they are being courted. But the others will see that and do the same, which confuses them dearly as it's a very sudden change in their opinion.

Navi!reader is an interesting concept, seeing as there is going to be one hero with a giant attachment to them first and foremost.

Time, if he gets the chance is never going to let them go ever. especially now that they have a more hylian form and can

[fourthcupofrice]

in an attempt to explain why totk is a circle game that didn't need to be open world and why botw is a wandering game that HAD to be open world, I drew this w/computer mouse on mspaint. enjoy. I was thinking about the differences between the two games, and had to draw a diagram to make sense of the way the two games tell a story. I thought breath of the wild had a more organized story all together, and that the memories were such a big part of that.

I think that totk was really lacking in it's story compared to botw, and I really wish they had a different way of showing the main storyline then using the tears. 6 years of development, and they couldn't bother to put more story in the game? Compared to the memories of the previous game, the tears just don't fit right in my mind. Botw's memories were very well done in my opinion. They don't have a "correct" viewing order and you aren't given the context of the memory, so the colorful characters and their bright emotions in these intimate moments stand out all the more. They didn't tell you what to feel or what the scene was, they just presented Link and the player with a glimpse of the person he was and the people that died for him. While all the memories happen with different people and locations, they are all united by the same loom sense of dread of the calamity. They point Link towards the same goal that he had back then while still allowing you to interpret the scene and see the characters. The brightness of the champion's emotions contrasted with link's stoic face sets such an interesting tone, and makes for such an interesting atmosphere as the now-dead champions guide Link through their tombs, encouraging him and sharing their powers with someone who doesn't remember them beyond a single encounter. Even if you choose not to find the additional memories, there's still a connection formed between the present and the past with the required memories.

When held up against botw, I think the tears just don't hold up. For one, I didn't think it was clear if the magic puddles were intentional on dragon zelda's part or not. Zelda's memories don't require any context to understand, and the clear cut and dry message of each one doesn't inspire a desire to look further into the scene like botw's memories. As much as I want to look more into Ganondorf's appearances in this game, there's not much to look for. As soon as he's introduced, even if you don't recognize the parallel to Oot's oath of fealty, the message is obvious from just one watch- this is the villain, they don't trust him, and he shouldn't be trusted.

And the linear style of the memories really suffers from an open world style game- instead of stumbling across a faintly familiar place, there's a giant glowing glyph with a floating tear smack in the middle. The scenes have a clear order, and the player is encouraged by multiple npc's to seek out the tears- so it doesn't make sense to me to have Zelda's story be in this wandering-open world if it's clear that the developers want you to find this story. Botw's appeal was it's open world and lack of directions besides "Defeat the Calamity" . In contrast, totk almost feels like there's too much instruction. even though the world is physically bigger with the addition of the sky and the depths, the world is more crowded and seems to be designed to herd you back to the main story and the tears. Going back to the unavoidable memories triggered by the champion quests- totk's were severely lacking. The repeated glimpse of the same scene with the same phrases over and over every single time, [demon king-secret stone- so that was the imprisoning war- the secret stones- the imprisoning- this SECRET stone- the demon king gan-] And there's no connection between link and these past sages, or even zelda and the past sages, we don't even know their names, much less their faces. Any emotion from those scenes comes from the awe from the new sages, meeting an elder of their people and being honored by the gift of power, and the recognition of the responsibility that they now carry- Link is not the main character here, even though the gameplay is built around him- the story certainly isn't.

and full disclosure, i enjoyed both games a lot! and I like the circular narrative at the end of tears. Zelda becoming human and Link getting his arm back at the end fit in with the ouroboros theme, so even though its less satisfying for link to just magically get an arm back and have no consequences, I think it fits with the story. in a "its a bad story but I like it" kinda way. These are my thoughts on the two games, what are you guy's thoughts?

@rebornofstars @sunny-porridge @rrainydaydreams

[novantinuum]

in other, OTHER news i almost burst into tears at work today listening to some TotK, particularly phase 5 of the Construct Factory background music bc like

the strings are just so... my god. their melody just cuts through what was otherwise nothing but endless incomplete note patterns and somewhat unsettling ambient sounds in the depths

this plays once you've finally awaken all four construct factory depots and carried the parts to the center of the complex to complete Mineru's construct. it plays once you... in a way... finally bring a piece of that ancient era back to life.

and like... when i listen to it, i just can't shake away the sense that the depths hold far more hidden beauty and history in them than first meets the eye. there's such loneliness in this place, but it wasn't always that way. there's ruins of what could be a city down there. (just look at the structure around the lake that's directly beneath the shrine of resurrection...) there's a whole observatory down there, ruined fortresses... there's ART down there. people LIVED here once.

lost souls still dwell here. and the frox. not much else.

now, it's mainly just lots and lots of monsters... smothered with gloom.

but what ELSE existed down here before ganondorf was sealed away... before his influence choked the ecosystem and brought rise to his OWN creatures

what was this place like at the height of new construction? at the height of Zonai culture?

Link himself will never truly know.

but Mineru does. Mineru remembers. she didn't live during the height of Zonai civilization, but surely the depths weren't as unforgiving then as they are now. and so Mineru's spirit follows Link through this dim underworld while on the hunt for her secret stone and just.

she's walking through the literal ruins of everything she used to know. this otherworldly, breathtaking place... rich with a dark beauty so unlike the sunrises of the surface, but just as stirring... absolutely ravaged by ganondorf's greed and lust for control.

and all these constructs... they don't even understand that anything's different. that's almost the worst part. the lightroots were smothered by the demon king's darkness and the local fauna hunted down and there's not a soul remaining down here anymore but the poes, and yet they still continue their work, not ceasing unless by sheer force of rust.

it's a tragedy. it's nothing but tragedy.

and yet...

there's still fireflies.

even in the darkest, most hopeless void, there's still light.

and if Mineru had a physical body at this moment, this sight alone would've been enough to bring her to tears

[daisy-daze17]

An aspect of totk that I've come to realise really bothers me is its tendancy to take bits and pieces of elements from lots of places and slap them into a game. Don't get me wrong- im aware the zelda games constantly include Easter eggs and call backs to reference older titles, and Totk is jam-packed with it. You search the depths to find a bunch of classic armours and shit from like every single game, the paragliding fabrics, and so much more.

But this game ALSO has a lot of story related or basic game structure that is tied to other zelda games.

1. Wind temple for example is practically oozing with reminants of wind waker-- you're climbing up to this MAGIC BOAT with the RITO (a prominent species in ww) by controlling and managing your wind powers all to make it to a boss with a name and theme song screaming out the most iconic parts of ww (God bless colgeras theme music we will never forget the music).

2. Lots of people found that the main aesthetics and storyline of this game was similar to skyward sword: you wake up on an ancient sky island that is the biggest one in hyrule before finding your way to the surface and descending down to start a search for zelda. I remember it was so similar some even started questioning if totk takes place before ss?? (I do not have the brain capacity to discuss that rn lol). Ganondorf looks extremely reminant of demise with his hair, main sacrifice of the game centres zelda giving up her body for a long long time so she can fight the evil that will come in a long long time, etc,etc.

3. As we all know, this game is a sequel to botw (omg rlly?? Who would have guessed) and it definaltly shows by the amount of game structure taken from botw to put in here. The four tutorial area shrines, the memories, the four main dilemmas for each reason, and ya know, the whole entire map. Totk makes changes to this map but essentially, it is a better version of the map we got in botw. Now it's obvious that nintendo would do this, but sometimes it feels like... they didn't have to?? The main one for this is the memories. The thing is, breath centred around our hero losing his memories and exploring unknown lands to receive bits and pieces that tell him what life could have been like pre-disaster. Totk, however, centres around zelda being in the past and showing link episodes of heavy plot driven cutscenes with every geoglyph he finds. Botw are little fragments of info that you can pieces together in any order to imagine what the main story was. Totk shoves a bunch of plot down your throat in any order because they don't give a shit if your spoil the story for yourself. Both games are non-linear. See where I'm getting at? One set of memories strengthen the nonlinearity of the game and rewards you for finding them. One... doesn't. There have been countless arguments made about this glaring issue that discuss it further, but my main point here is that maybe we didn't have to follow botw's structure to a tea if it doesn't work out for us sometimes.

Zelda games constantly reinvent themselves. Notice how no matter what nintendo does, some people always complaining about a new addition to the series while others love it? Wind wakers cartoonish artsyle, skywards motion controls, major's masks 3 day cycle, botw's open world gameplay? It seems like tears of the kingdom doesn't do that. I'd argue that its main purpose is taking breath of the wild and fixing major complaints made about the game, most of them usually about how untraditional to zelda botw was. That's why this game feels like a weird combination of the two. Nintendo tried to marry open world zelda with elements of older zelda games. It tries to have an episodic plot with major twists and emotion... but forgets that I'm allowed to watch each episode in any order I want and can end up screwing myself over. It tries to have traditional looking dungeons... but doesn't have any linearity to it and gets rid of the mechanics these used in botw, so it ends up being short aesthetically pleasing 4-part puzzles. It tries to have a LINEAR STORY in a NON-LINEAR GAME by making us constantly on our toes about finding zelda and understanding why she's trying to scare the locals shitless by commiting felonies like attacking the zora king, telling the gorons to do drugs, and appearing and disappearing every 5 seconds... but again, it forgets that I can spoil myself and know what the fuck is going on WAY before I'm supposed to.

This is turning into a little hater rant but. What I'm saying is, totk is trying to mix little parts of every game to make all of us happy, but it ends up becoming a confusing soup of unoriginality and "what the fuck in going on with this story". Its trying to make a traditional zelda game in an open world format. The most insulting part is that it tries to honour past games with taking all of their ideas,but totk's main purpose clashes with what those games are about (especially wind waker and botw) which is reinventing yourself to fit with the new generation and not holding onto the past/not obsessing over games that you got really big for (cough cough ocarina of time cough cough).

Anyway it's late and this is literally my first time trying to write out a critique about something on tumblr, so if this makes no sense pls tell me haha :)

[skyloftian-nutcase]

Hey guess what it's more Good Ganondorf content!

@silvercaptain24 <3

The party had long since finished. Link had been escorted back to his room and left in peace. With food in his stomach and some water, he felt his strength returning. His body trembled as he stood tentatively, alone in his room, but he managed to stay on his feet nonetheless.

Stepping quietly to the door, Link put an ear to it. There had to be guards outside, but he hadn't seen any when Nabooru had brought him back here.

This entire situation was making less sense, but he wasn't going to stick around long enough to parse it all out. Nabooru had claimed Ganondorf was holding him hostage to keep him safe. Ganondorf himself had tried to make himself look like he wasn't the villain, like the entirety of Hyrule hadn't been ripped apart at the seams because of his corruption and desire for power, like he hadn't torn the Triforce from Link and Zelda in battle while his army slaughtered their men.

It didn't make sense. What game was the monster playing? Link would have to figure it out when he made it back to his own people. Zelda and his army were waiting for him. The queen was no doubt trying to get a rescue operation together, and Link didn't want to risk anyone's lives over himself, not when he could find his own way out. He wasn't some helpless fool, he could handle this, and he would get the Triforce pieces back that the queen so desperately guarded.

He'd seen the crazed look in Zelda's eyes when they'd lost the Triforce the first time. He didn't want to see that again.

There was no other way out of this room than to use the door. It felt stupidly simple and reckless. He had to open it quickly, to catch the guards by surprise, wherever they were stationed. He needed some kind of weapon. He'd managed to sneak a knife in from dinner, slipping it into his boot, but he wasn't sure how useful it would be. He gripped it firmly in his hand and took a steadying breath.

It was now or never.

Link threw the door open, quickly taking in his surroundings, and saw... nothing.

No one... was there.

Well, he couldn't stop to think about it. The noise he'd just made would attract attention.

Trying to remember the path Nabooru had led him through to get outside, Link ran quickly, ignoring the chill that sank into his bones as he moved. When had it gotten so cold? His fingers felt like they were getting numb already as they gripped the knife.

The hallway opened up to a larger room. He remembered that. This was where--

A hand grabbed him by the back of his tunic and yanked harshly, sending him to the floor with a yell. Link kicked blindly, eyes focusing on his target.

It was Ghirahim.

Snarling, Link rolled to get away and swiped with the knife to create distance. Ghirahim caught his arm by the wrist, watching him with a sadistic smile.

"I figured you wouldn't sit still for long, sky child," he purred.

Something in Link roared in response, and he let out a battle cry as gripped the demon's arm with his free hand, bringing all his weight down to drag Ghirahim to the ground. The demon gasped a little at the increased weight he was holding, but he caught the hero by the shirt instead of letting them both fall.

Link spat in his face next, and that worked brilliantly, making the demon hiss and pull away immediately. Free from his grasp, Link began to run, knowing this was not a fight he was going to win with a knife. He heard a snap and Ghirahim appeared in front of him.

"Now, now," Ghirahim said, brushing some white hair out of his face. "I have strict orders to keep you here."

"Over my dead body," Link snarled.

"Oh, I wish," Ghirahim replied. "You see, that has been a point of contention lately. My master wishes you alive and it is so dreadfully taxing on me. But I trust his judgment. He has a way to address the true matter. And then your little vassal can be safe and sound while I deal with you."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Link snapped, eyes searching for another escape route as he spoke. The demon lord certainly loved to talk, so if Link could use that to his advantage, he would.

"It's amazing how dense you can be," Ghirahim grumbled. "Honestly, an entire war fought for you and you don't even understand it. Cia may have fallen in love with you, but she desires your vassal. Nevertheless, this has always been about eliminating you. My master understands that. It will be my highest honor to serve in that capacity for him, to be the one to deliver the killing blow. I cannot wait for that momentous occasion."

"You're out of your mind," Link replied. Another hallway was just to the left, and if he ran fast enough... "I am the Hero. I don't know what you're talking about with vassals. I serve the queen as a--"

"THIS ISN'T ABOUT THE QUEEN!" Ghirahim screamed, face contorted in rage. "This is about you, sky child, about revenge, about eliminating the one threat in my master's way! Her Grace isn't here, and her descendant doesn't have a fraction of that power, the Triforce is all my master needs now, and I will finally be able to kill you!"

The conversation was about to end and Link knew it. He tore off in the direction of the other hallway, managing to round the corner when he heard a snap again. He was prepared this time, grabbing the nearest pot and throwing it just as diamonds materialized in front of him. Ghirahim grunted as it made impact as soon as he appeared, shattering into countless pieces while Link quickly backtracked and went a different way.

By the grace of the goddesses, that had given the captain enough time to at least outmaneuver the demon lord, who wasn't sure which part of the compound Link had ended up by now. He was grateful for it, his heart racing and pounding in his ears as he rushed to find an exit. Fighting Ghirahim in the heat of battle felt far more... controlled than this. Here he felt like prey, and Ghirahim's rage and power over him was...

He wasn't going to say he was scared. He wouldn't.

Link felt a breeze and it gave him hope. That had to mean he was close to the outdoors. But where were all the Gerudo?

A door was up ahead, sand trickling in from beneath it, a promise of freedom and safety. Link threw it open with relief.

And ran right into Ganondorf.

Gasping, Link scrambled backwards, losing his footing and his balance as he fell unceremoniously to the ground. He continued to scoot away, trying to find a way around the towering figure. The man was enormous - it could give Link the advantage of scurrying around him if he was fast enough, but the world was spinning and--

"I figured you might try this," Ganondorf sighed.

Okay. Okay, fine. So they were talking. That would give him time to catch his breath. All these fools and their monologues - and people said Link was arrogant. At least he didn't usually give his enemies time to formulate a plan while they were actively standing in front of him.

"Your strength is returning," Ganondorf noted, walking towards him. "But that doesn't mean you're ready for a fight."

Well, Link might as well try to get some answers while he was here. "Where's the Triforce, you monster?"

"Where it needs to be," Ganondorf answered simply, closing the door behind him, much to Link's dismay. He stared at Link for an uncomfortably long time, making the captain squirm.

"Nabooru said you want me alive. Tell me why," he demanded, trying to make the man talk again.

Ganondorf was silent for a moment longer and then shook his head. "You're not in a state to accept my words."

"Try me," Link goaded. He had to admit, at this point he was curious. And it bought him more time to figure out what the heck his next step would be.

"I know your type, Hero," Ganondorf said, tacking on the title as if it were a curse. "You follow the queen like a puppy that doesn't know any better. Your heart is filled with a sense of duty, a desire to help and do good, and it is fixed on that woman. You'll do whatever Zelda tells you."

Link bristled but bit his tongue. Whatever slander Ganondorf was about to say didn't interest him, but the man hadn't made a point yet.

"You don't see the mess you're in," Ganondorf continued, shaking his head. "You don't understand. I'm trying to protect you, Link."

Link blinked. Then he blinked again. Nabooru had said as much, but hearing it from him... well. She had said keep him safe. He'd interpreted it as keep him alive. "Protect me from what?"

"Everything," Ganondorf muttered in a low time, voice rumbling in his chest. He bent forward, as if to grab Link, and the captain took that as his cue.

Link bolted, rushing to the left to get out of the reach of the man as he tried to run around him, using his small size to his advantage. He reached the door and immediately realized his mistake.

It was locked.

The ground vanished beneath him, and Link felt his stomach lurch as he was held in the air by one of his arms. The strain of having his entire body weight pulled into his shoulder joint made him grit his teeth. Then his world twirled as he was tossed against the man, his back to Ganondorf's chest, held in place by an arm wrapped around his torso.

"Let me go!" he yelled, kicking his legs as much as possible.

"I told you that you were not ready for this conversation," Ganondorf said, almost chidingly. "I'm taking you back to your room so you can rest."

"You think I'll be ready for a conversation that isn't true?" Link snapped. "You're holding me hostage for a reason, stop lying to me!"

Ganondorf said nothing, walking down the hallway with Link his helpless prisoner dangling in his grip. His waist and stomach ached from the hold, though at least pressed against someone else warmed him enough that he wasn't shivering and numb. His body was screaming at him at this point, wounds he hadn't even realized existed suddenly flaring up. He supposed the battle that had gotten him captured had left more marks than he'd realized.

That didn't matter. Escaping mattered.

Link felt so utterly helpless and he hated it. He'd never felt so out of control in his life. When he was plopped back on the bed and left alone to his own musings, he curled into a ball, suddenly shivering again.

He felt so, so alone. And suddenly, with the thought of Ghirahim's twisted, demented, enraged face, with the thought of how easily Ganondorf just manhandled him, he felt...

He wasn't going to say it. He wasn't going to say it.

Damn it all, he was scared. And he hated it.

He was the bearer of the Triforce of Courage and he was scared.

Burying his face into his knees, Link hugged himself and cursed himself at the same time. The tears fell silently at first before little hiccups started to accompany them. He was too tired for this. The only mercy the goddesses provided was that he was alone. He didn't want anyone to see him like this.

His body felt impossibly heavy. The room felt like it was closing in. He was exhausted. His head hurt. His stomach ached from how he'd been held. Something on his back seared like fire. His knees were bothering him. He was freezing. He felt so unbelievably overwhelmed. He felt so unbelievably unsafe.

He'd always been the one to save the day. He'd been invincible with the Master Sword, though he'd learned that having others to help him was equally as important. But he had no Master Sword here. No friends. No hope of anything.

In the darkness and cold of the night, his fears consumed him, and he gave into despair. Link cried, so desperately alone. He just wanted to feel safe.

Warmth enveloped him, and he sank into it willingly, his hiccups turning into sobs. Something ran soothingly along his back, soft cloth was pressed against his face, and he found himself clinging to it desperately like a lifeline.

He needed to get himself together. He didn't care. No one was here anyway.

Then what's... why am I...?

He was too tired to process it anymore. All he knew was he felt safe.

"You'll be okay, child."

The voice was deep and gentle, whispered into his hair. Gentle pressure pressed him against whatever softness was in front of him. He heard a heartbeat.

A heartbeat. Pressure. Words. This was... he wasn't alone.

Hiccupping, Link opened his eyes, hands still clinging for dear life to patterned cloth in front of him, red hair spilling into his face as it slid over the person's shoulders.

A deep voice. A man's voice. A man wearing Gerudo--

What the hell.

Alarms rang in Link's mind as he put the pieces together. This couldn't be right this couldn't be right--

"You're safe," the voice said gently, continuing to run a hand along his back.

Link was so lost and confused and hurt and why the hell didn't anything make sense what was happening--

"I'll fix this," Ganondorf promised, and Link gave up entirely, falling apart.

[nocturnalfandomartist]

💛 I Remember You 💛

Time Elapsed: 1 hour, 11 minutes

Program used: Ibis Paint X

(This doodle is me coping with the Tears of the Kingdom trailer and pretending they aren't about to be traumatized more).

BotW/ToTK will forever be my favorite version of Zelink. They've been through a whole lot together, and seeing them reunited at the end of BoTW is so sweet (especially in the context of the diaries outside of the English translation)! Such a shame everyone's probably dead. Oh well, it was nice while it lasted...

I cannot express enough how agonizing it has been to wait for more news on TotK! So when I saw a Nintendo Direct was coming up, I was unable to focus on anything else. I knew we were bound to get info, but I was NOT READY FOR THIS

Everything about that trailer was so well done, it makes the wait for May seem even longer! A few thoughts I had personally:

1. Ganondorf is pretty decent casting. I'm admittedly surprised he doesn't sound hoarse or anything considering he's a reanimated corpse, but it's still menacing!

2. I'm convinced Ganondorf and Zelda are going to take the forms/powers of Demise and Hylia at this point with all these parallels...

3. POSSIBLE MORE RUNES MAKE ME SO EXCITED! We thought Link getting a motorcycle gave us too much power... Now we have cars and mechanical gliders.

4. It doesn't seem Zelda is getting damseled! That makes me so happy. I figured she wouldn't be playable (unfortunately), but it at least seems she'll have a presence throughout the story! Perhaps a Skyward Sword situation where she must go on a journey of her own? Maybe in the form of flashbacks to the previous Zelda from 10,000 years ago? If it goes with a SS route, maybe that leaves room for a playable Zelda in post-game.

5. All the monsters look stronger than before, and there are even new ones! I tried to see if those dino bird things matched up with any classic enemies, but they didn't seem to be so. Either way, they're awesome!

6. I can't wait to explore where all the characters are after a potential time skip. Zelda especially! She got so much character in BotW, and I am going to love seeing more of it!

7. If Zelda doesn't end up becoming Hylia, I'm also wondering if the previous Zelda ends up being revealed to be the same one (same with Link) due to time travel shenanigans like in Skyward Sword.

8. If Zelda and Link don't kiss or address Zelda's feelings for him at least once I will be very sad (but I'll love the game anyway).

9. I hope to see the cycle broken here. That seems to be where this is leading! It would be great to watch Zelda and Link finish off Demise's curse once and for all and finally have the peace Hyrule has been fighting to have for eons.

10. Hopefully Link's diary won't be lost in translation this time! Adding those little details like that made BotW even better than it already was.

11. LINK THREW THE MASTER SWORD ASIDE TO CATCH ZELDA I CAN'T- But poor Fi. Hope she's doing okay with the whole Malice infestation thing. This is a stretch, but perhaps there will be a return of Ghirahim or his sword form. That'd be cool.

12. It looks like there's potential for more old-school dungeons! With the Divine Beasts seemingly inactive, Link may have to travel through monster-ridden ruins to drive them out of Hyrule.

13. I'm excited to see details on the time between BotW and TotK, like how Zelda got her hair cut! It'll be nice to see which NPCs changed and which haven't (Beedle is probably the same and will be the same even as all of existence crumbles around him).

14. Maybe the memory mechanic will be implemented again by Link recalling his past life 10,000 years ago?

Alright, sorry for the ramblings here. I'm too excited. I have lots more thoughts, but I'll share them in the future. May 12 can't come fast enough!

Reblogging is fine, but please don't post this anywhere else without linking the original post. Thanks!

[huh-1260]

Fine intrusive thoughts you win. I'll do an "Evil Artemis/Athena" storyline. But with my own twist.

Its more fucked up than anything if we include the Spirit tracks Wars headcannon. because Artemis wouldn't recognize Wars at all, with a potential falling out on their friendship or Artemis pushing him away to keep him safe because she's the reason he went on that adventure and it was her mistake. So when Hylia's hero is discovered she's sighs in relief/a tiny bit of disappointment that it was her Link. (Even though it is) And the only reason she didn't hand over Wars is because Link would have fought to keep him safe, he would have thrown himself in danger for a stranger, so she does just that, but she doesnt trust him. So during the War of Era's as Sheik, she hears a song that only she, Her Link would know. She follows the noise praying that her Link wasn't a soldier, but her heart sinks:

Because the one who was humming the song was no other than Hylia's hero, singing the two out of time Hero's to sleep. And that just shatters her. Her best friend, the whole reason why she was fighting was on the front lines himself, holding the Master Sword that was suppose to remain in the Great Sea because her Grandfather had killed Ganondorf with it, was her best friend she pushed out of her life to keep him safe. She made the hero kill some traitors himself because she distrusted him, and knew that he could turn at any point like every other soldier. It's her fault again, she dragged Link into her mess again, Link is sacrificing his happiness by basically being the hero, because the Lokomo spirits entrusted New Hyrule into their hands so he's sacrificing any way back to his normal life as a Royal Engineer, and Zelda cracks bit by bit with every battle. And it just so happens that there is some little tiny bit of Madallus's magic in her that starts to flow through her.

Now how does this tie into "Evil Artemis", instead of a corrupt Artemis, you may ask, now let's introduce LU events. So because of time anomaly with the portals, Wars ends up getting separated by the chain, because the Chain is in another Hyrule, while Wars is in his own. Now for Artemis, she had just called Wars in for a discussion, but for Wars it's been months for him traveling around time with other Links. So when Wars goes to meet up with Artemis, they talk for a moment and it goes like this:

"The War wasn't the first time we fought a Demon King." Queen Zelda says softly, she doesn't look at him, only her back facing him.

"You finally remember me? He asks, it was almost like a childish response, how did she not see the signs. "I...I was afraid that I did something wrong, that you pushed me away back then. Zel, I...I was afraid that you forgot about me."

She's about the tear up, her best friend really thought that? She just wanted to keep him safe. Just like what's she's going to do now. She hugs him tightly.

"Link, you did nothing wrong, it was me." She says, "I'm sorry for dragging you into this mess."

"It's fine Zel! Really it is, the Lokomo Spirits entrusted New Hyrule to us, we're both supposed to protect it." He says, trying to comfort her.

"Link." She starts, looking up at his eyes, " I'm sorry for what I'm about to do."

"What-" He never got to finish his sentence, as Lana was the one to knock him out.

"Do you really want this Queen Zelda?" Lana asked.

"I do, and I want nothing more but him out of the way of harm." She growled. "Even if it means erasing everything from the War of Eras and anything time magic related.

________

Now that might not be really Evil Artemis, more like morally gray at first. But hear me out! With Wars out of the way, basically returning to train life, and with Artemis keeping him close, aka having hours dedicated to hanging out with him. But she is slowly slipping because she loves him. She realized she loved him more than a friend. And she can't be with him, because she's not the same Zelda he would have love, she can't be with him because she could weaken the seal on his memories, so she only dedicated an hour to him because of a certain Dragon knight had weaken the seal on Link's memory, (Oh no my brain tricked me and you it was actually Wars x Volga in the background happening under our noses. I do have other evil Spirit Tracks Artemis ideas that aren't the uh Wars x Volga) because of a rematch for the war taht had turned to something else. So it's fine, Lana is watching over Volga to make sure he doesn't weaken it even more, because Link only remembers Volga out of the entire events of the War of Eras. It's fine as long as the dragon doesn't want to disappear and never see Link again.

Until the chain appears.

Now for this AU, Wind already went through thr War, he just doesn't remember it, unlike Tike because when Mask vanished first, so they (As in Artemis and the timr guardians) established the spell to make everyone forget when they leave, which is eventually the same spell used on Wars. Time, being aware of the rules of this Hyrule immediately goes to Artemis to help them find Wars. Which before Time could ask, Conductor Wars enters smiling at Artemis:

"ZEL!"

Time's eye widen. He knows that voice, he slowly watches as Wars, his big brother, almost walk up to the Queen like nothing, like she was a equal. This never happened in the War.

"Oh, you have visitors?" Wars asked, "I thought you were done with visitors already?"

Visitors? Why are you treating us as strangers? Were those months nothing to you? Legend was burning holes into War's back, thinking the same thing.

Artemis smiled fondly at Wars, "These gentlemen were a special case, Link theses are Heros across time. Heros, this is Link, the Hero of Spirits."

____________________

Now is that rude of Artemis to basically gas lighting Wars into not remembering, and treating the chain as strangers, hell yeah it is. Now there some confusion in the Chain with Wars about the other Hero title, but its very much established, that Wars does not remember them. But here's the thing, which potentially would cause Time or Wild to go talk to Artemis in private. Now for Wild's stand point that doesn't make sense, but Wild connects the dots with how Wars looked at them with how he firs woke up from the shrine and how Flora would talk about how lighter his eyes are, which Wild was confused then until now, how he looks Wars in the eyes, on how much more lighter they are without whatever was weighing him down in his life during his adventure that earned him the title of "Hero of Warriors". Cant really come up with a confrontation with Wild and Artemis, except that Wild was very angry with her reasoning and was going to try his hardest for Wars to remember them and Wind and Time during the War, but I can come up with a confrontation with Time and Artemis.

You see, Time's confrontation with Artemis is basically where the "Madallus fragments"come into play, as this is also betrayal for Time/Mask because this was a trusted adult you put your faith in and they shatter it into pieces. You see when Time talks with Artemis, Artemis gas lights the fuck out of Time:

"Is this why Tune doesn't remember? You can't change memories by force!" Time yelled.

"But he's happier isn't he?" Queen Zelda asks. "Link is happier without the memories of the War."

Time's eyes widen, this...This wasn't the Zelda he fought along side with.

"He's happier not remembering you." She says, "You care about him, so let him live in ignorance of the War okay?"

She placed her hand on his shoulder. " Don't let Link remember, and make sure the others have the same message, okay?"

When Time looked into her eyes, her eyes were yellow, her sclera was red, before she blinked and they were normal, as she walked away. That wasn't Queen Zelda anymore.

Only a puppet of something else entirely.

_______________

So uh yeah, is basic move to bring back Madallus, but hey, if Ganon can come back this demon Lord can come back too, especially because magic should definitely leave a fucking mark. And it just so happened to be parts of Madallus's soul because he was wearing his skin suit- I mean body around for like majority of Spirit Tracks until the final battle where she got it back. So yeah, Artemis is doing it for Wars sake, but for Madallus, as long as the person who would know what to look for his possession is memory wiped and is about to get dragged off by soem other Heros, under Zelda's orders to remain loyal to the crown due to a war started over her best friend. Which sadly leads to when the chain comes back to War's Hyrule, Madallus is already in place and with the tri-force of Wisdom in his hand along with a body that has the blood of the goddess flowing through it's veins.

The image is last this time.

[occasionallyprosie]

Devotion - Chapter 9: "A Kingdom Over Light & Time"

The Era of the Wild comes to an end, Dev is very impressed by Dragon Ganondorf

Read On AO3

First

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Dev didn't know how it happened, but next thing he knew, he was inside the sword and with Fi. He had been forced into dormancy… that wasn’t new, it had happened before, once with… with his sprite, and again not at all as long ago, with his cub.

He couldn’t remember, was Link okay? Was he hurt? What about Zelda? Did they defeat that… thing?

Then he noticed that there was someone nearby, a presence they could access internally. Fi led the way there, she was stronger than him at the moment.

Zelda, she had been startled by their presence, but had greeted them warmly.

“It’s okay,” she said after he asked what had happened. “Link had used his magic on me.”

“His… magic.” The minor time manipulation he used to speed himself up, so he could strike multiple times in a single moment? “The flurry rushes?”

“The exact same,” Zelda confirmed. “He used the Secret Stone, the gold gem from the hand and it increased the power in his natural magic. I don’t believe it was intentional, but I had taken you when you reverted to sword form, Dev, and I fell.”

“You fell?” Fi repeated, Dev could almost see her frowning. “Master Link watched you fall?”

Zelda nodded. “He almost caught me, but I fell from reach. That’s when a golden light came from him and engulfed me. Next thing I knew, I was in a field and met an ancient ancestor of mine, an ancient queen, her name was Sonia, did you ever meet her?”

Dev thought back, through every woman of the royal bloodline he had ever met. “I knew a couple Sonia’s,” he admitted. “It was a popular name just before the first time Calamity Ganon arose. If I remember right, that was an ancient name even by then. Not as old as Zelda or Link, those transcend time and never reach popularity.”

“She and her husband, Rauru, fought a evil Gerudo king known as Ganondorf. That was the man in the cave. He killed her, but before she died… she taught me more about my sealing power.” Zelda held her hand to her chest. “I used that power to seal us, myself and the Master Sword, in a stasis of light far, far above Hyrule Castle. This way, you can regain power through my own.”

“I cannot track the passage of time within this seal, my lady,” Fi spoke.

Dev frowned. Normally while dormant, he had a vague sense of the passage of time. “Wait, she’s right. How will we be able to help Link?”

Zelda smiled fondly, clearly thinking of Link. “He will find us. I’ll sense him, and I’ll release the seal then.”

So, basically, it was time travel and then waiting… his least favorite things in existence. Great. 

It felt like forever, Dev had forgotten how hard it was to just wait. Normally, he had something he could do, be it drifting into dormancy and forgoing all senses, even the passage of time, or exploring and seeking out monsters to slay.

But no, this time, they just waited. Zelda probably became the most knowledgable person to ever exist purely due to how much Dev info-dumped as a way to pass the time, and Fi eventually joined in at their mutual prodding for information about times before Dev.

Then Zelda froze. “He’s here.”

“Master Link?” Fi clarified.

“And Ganondorf,” Zelda breathed, looking to them with wide eyes. “He’s powerful, more powerful than before. It’s… No. We must help Link.”

The seal shattered.

Dev watched. Zelda fell from the sky clutching the Master Sword—in pristine condition, he’d forgotten how long it had been to feel Fi beside him in equal strength. It was almost like when they first united, back with his lion kit, but she was even stronger than back then.

Link was in the jaws of a great dragon, one of pure malice and darkness. He was released from the jaws as it roared, spiraling through the sky. Zelda called out to him, trying to slow her own fall as he immediately dove toward her.

The dragon twisted in air. Link reached for Zelda, who reached back. The dragon turned down toward them, hatred radiating off it in waves, stronger than any other incarnation of hatred Dev had met before.

“Not stronger than Demise. This is a mere two-thirds of his power. Stronger still than any other I have battled, none of them reached one-half, but still weaker.” Fi informed him.

“My respect for your first master has skyrocketed, that thing is strong and Demise was still even more so? That…”

“My friend Link was powerful. I would have claimed him the most powerful of all the heroes throughout time, if it were not for you, the Link who was the Hero of Legends, and I wonder how strong your son and successor was, I would still accolade him as such.”

Link reached Zelda, taking her hand in his. He pulled her into his arms as the dragon lunged past them, only missing because of a sudden gust of wind throwing them to the side.

Zelda pressed the Master Sword into Link’s hand. “You can do this, Link. I will strike him with you.”

Link stared at her. “I’m so glad you’re okay.”

“Thanks to you,” she returned.

They fought the dragon during a freewill, Dev calculated them to be mountains above sea level, the longer and longer they fell. Link swung onto the dragon itself, Zelda doing the same. They would gain altitude as they did so, their combined power weakening the writhing, attacking dragon time and time again.

All until they were just above Hyrule Castle. Link grabbed Zelda’s hand and opened his paraglider as the dragon hit the tallest tower, leaving behind a large enough floor for them to land atop the stone.

It was a place Dev recognized a dozen times over, a place Fi showed him in brief images along their connection, a place constantly overtaken by darkness and always purified.

Zelda and Link stood side by side until Link stepped forward, Master Sword drawn to the side and Zelda placed her hands together, head bowing in some mimicry of prayer.

The dragon, dripping black ichor, turned to look at them both.

“Raise your sword skyward, Master Link,” Fi instructed.

Dev could almost feel her excitement. Link followed her instruction, and a lightning bolt of pure divine magic called by Zelda fell down to them, the Master Sword a conduit.

The dragon of hatred and darkness stood no chance to the strike sent by Link directly at it, shattering the stone that was slowly sinking into the dragon’s head.

Following promptly after was a flash of red light, disappearing into the golden horizon of the rising sun.

Hyrule had changed a lot since Dev’s time, but all the centuries between them meant those changes were gradual. Faster than they should’ve been, sure, but still much slower than the three years that now resulted in the—according to Fi—re-emergence of sky islands and deep chasms.

He called Spectrum back, or tried too, reaching out some of his magic as far as he could and hoped it would reach the kid. If it did reach him, it would update him on the newest hero and the absolute chaos involved with him. If it didn’t, Dev still looked forward to whenever he returned from whatever far off land he decided needed to be investigated and explored this time.

Not even a week after, Link was gone again, vanishing through a portal. Zelda had shaken her head while laughing fondly, before turning to Purah and asking what she could do to continue the rebuilding effort.

Dev was not waiting around again, not for a while, which meant he and Fi got to run off and do what Link would’ve been doing, which was hunt down all the monsters in Hyrule that they could find and kill them.

When Link came back, he returned a bit lighter, a bit older, and he hugged Dev as soon as he saw him. He lived until he was middle aged, Spectrum returned sometime in Link's forties having received Dev’s message and worked his way back.

Link had that knowing look on his face that Dev recognized from both his previous wielders. A look that still confused him, he seemed so much more familiar with Spectrum than he logically should’ve.

It wasn’t something he ever prompted, after all, his lion kit and his sprite had done the same.

When Link passed, and Zelda soon after, Dev was still very against sitting down and waiting until next time.

Next>>

[freya-howlett]

So, now that I finished totk, I'd like to share my insight of the game overall with y'all. Fight me or agree with me, I'd like to know other people's opinions

PROS

The soundtrack is amazing. Zelda has always been about awesome music and this is not the exception. The soundtrack plays exactly what the environment was to convey. You're exploring the sky islands? The music is then calm. You're in the depths? the music will help you shit yourself. Going even more down, looking for Ganondorf? coolest music ever, full of mystery.

World exploring. I feel like this time totk forces you to explore the world, in botw you could directly go to Ganon and beat the shit out of him with a stick, but definitely not here at all. You find yourself needing bombs so you'll have to look for caves, then you need Sundelion, so you have to go to the sky. In a certain way, I hated that for the first days because I was trying to finish the game as soon as I could, but now I appreciate it.

We have our first disabled Link! At least until the end. It was nice to see him different for once. It'd be cool if he had stayed that way.

World development. In botw, you have this whole piece of land that's mostly monsters and ruins, but in totk things have changed after the calamity disappeared. We have more people around who're in contact with each other. The places don't seem as lonely as before and even people help Link. And, did you notice there's less trees? It's a nice detail, since there's new buildings made of wood everywhere.

Fusing mechanic. Tbh, I didn't love Fuse at first, but then realized how useful it can be.

Link's clothing. There's more clothes available bc they used the botw DLC clothing, which is cool! And the new designs are... slutty.

Zelink. No one can tell me otherwise. All the signs are there, bitches!!!!

CONS

Overall, it doesn't feel like a sequel. And I hated that. Nintendo keeps giving preference towards new players and in this case, it's not worth it. I dare to declare that at least 80% of people who purchased totk played botw and knew exactly what they were getting. This especially has to do with the point below.

There's no mention of the Champions at all, the Sheikah technology is missing, and where tf are the Divine Beasts?? I get that, yeah, maybe the Champions shouldn't be thaaaaaat important anymore, yet what about everything else? Where's my Sheika Slate????????

We were promised a dark game and this isn't it, not at all. Maybe I'm tripping? But I remember clearly on the first years of development people mentioning this game would be dark like Majora's, and going back to the first two trailers I could actually see it was kinda the case. However, with the last trailer, I made a bet that they probs rejected the idea and I was right. I'd like to have something like Majora someday again.

The introduction of a new race out of nowhere. The zonai.... they weren't my piece of cake at first. It seems cheap for me, I'm not sure. I don't know if they intended to introduce something, anything, from them since botw but ended up scraping the idea, but overall the whole experience I have of them from both games is that they took the zonai out of their asses and were like "yup, we got this!"

The end was TOO happy. Like I mentioned before, I'd rather Link have his arm cut. Purah can make another one if Rauru really wanted his arm so bad. Zelda transforming back was okay, but what I didn't really get was why did Sonia and Rauru didn't turn her back before????? They instead waited until Link fought his ass hard, lol.

I hated that Zelda was thanking ME at the end instead of Link. Don't look at me, bitch, look at your boyfriend! This has to do with this other post of mine about how Nintendo can't let go of Link being an avatar despite they themselves providing depth to his character.

I may edit this longer but rn I'm out of ideas and I'm at work, lol.

[luimagines]

Hey Pinky, I love your work and please spare me for the hurt I will give you with this!

Imagine that Reader gets reborn like Link and Zelda and the Link always fell in love with Reader some met earlier, some later. But in the end Reader always dies, in the hand of the evil or even worse them. How ? Like that

Sky's Reader is his childhood friend and he loves them with his whole heart but they fall onto the surface two years before his adventure and as he met them Ghirahim had them as his captive. Sky just sees red, he didn't see his love for two long years and now his greatest enemy is holding them. He is the best swordsman and just attacks, attacks and attacks until he smells blood and only then he realises that he stabbed his love as Ghirahim used Reader as his meat-shield.

Four's Reader died as they tried to save Zelda! From the Shadow Link, but as they were not one of the seven maidens they were useless and killed. He found their body as he killed Vaati, relieved to finally see his first love again.

Time has a Gerudo Reader, when female, and he fell in love as they were so kind to him as he was held captive by them. They brought him food and talked to him or if Reader was a male, they gave him their food and talked to him. As he got transported back, Reader wouldn't recognise him, but Reader died. Hylia gave them the purpose that Time does everything to defeat Ganon and after he does they weren't for any use anymore.

Now to Legend and I'm SO SORRY! He met them as children, they often came to him and his uncle from Kakariko. He didn't notice that he fell in love with them and after his adventure with Marin he rejected Reader harshly. But after a while he was worried. Reader used to come to him at least once a week for food and look after him or to take care of his house, when he is travelling again. But they didn't come, it went so far that he jumped onto his feet when he just saw a shadow running past his window. So he went to their house and found them dead. They killed themself as Legend said, he would never be able to love any other person but Marin. Wake up, Reader... Please...

Hyrule's Reader was kinda like him. Here he didn't have the Lifespell from the beginning so don't question it. They travelled with him so that he wasn't alone! Reader was very confident and protective over Hyrule so of course they jumped into an attack for him. They gave him the Lifespell before they dissolved into dust.

Twilight one is tricky, similar to Legend would be boring so I levelled it up! Reader and Twilight were a couple! But Twilight fell in love with Midna and broke up with them. He said they could stay as friends but I mean, seriously man? You just broke their heart! They ran away from him, from Ordon, from everything, but to make it even worse. Reader is Colin's older sibling! And the oldest child of Rusl and Uli! So after his adventure and Midna's farewell, he learns that Reader disappeared! And he looks for them, nobody knows until this day if Reader still lives or died. But Twilight blames himself for it...

Now to Wind, and I'm kinda sorry to break that little man's heart. His Reader was on Tetra's ship but only to get back to their island. They lived with a Great Fairy! And Wind was smitten! They were able to do magic! So cool!! But Ganondorf saw them as a threat and kidnapped them and nobody knew! Wind learned that they burned down with the fortress by Valoo from Ganondorf. As he impaled that a**h*le he rushed towards the fortress to find a burned corpse, fully knowing who it was.

Warriors got it hard. Reader was a mage and put protection spells over Wars as he was chased down by a Yandere Witch, I mean What the hell!? Cia noticed how Warriors just had eyes for them and only them. So she erased their existence but thanks to Reader's spells, he remembers them! But he is the only one! Not even Cia and Lana remember them anymore!! He wants them back!

Now to Wild, Reader was with him as a medic! And he knows them since he was a kid! They were inseparable! But then he became an appointed knight and they didn't have much time together. Then the Calamity... His last thoughts were about them as they ran towards a child and pushed it away from the laser, the child was the ancestor of Ralera. He forgot about them and even though Zelda thought it was her moment to get Wild's heart. She can't. Someone is missing! But who?! Who is missing!?! Let me remember!! Please remember, who is missing!?!

Reader gets always reborn even in the Hyrule in-between the eras, but of course they don't remember any of them and this breaks them even more.

Interesting theory.

I think the only one that wouldn't make sense is Time's. (and it's purely just because of the way you phased it) If Reader was Gerudo, then of course they're female. Ganondorf was already born and grown and only one male is born to the Gerudo every 100 years. No need for the second part.

And for Wild's, now that I'm thinking about it, he wouldn't know how his Reader would have died. He was with Zelda the entire time and they were running from the Spring of Wisdom. They weren't able to get back before he exhausted himself to death protecting the princess. Coming back, after Wild remembers, he would probably just assume that they died in the calamity just like everyone else.

Warrior's actually hurt the most because of course Cia would try something like that in her temper tantrums. No one would understand why Warrior would be heartbroken over a an "imaginary" friend.