#zeldapocalypse au

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Ruins of Hyrule: The Lost Woods

an apocalypse/horror loz au

Once a verdant, if misty forest, the Lost Woods has succumbed to a strange fungal infection, killing off anything else inside. Instead of mist, the air is now filled with spores, which can be deadly if breathed in, so Link must wear a specially made mask to enter. Some rumours suggest that on occasion, rather than dying from the spores, their victims will instead be overcome with madness, trying to flee the forest and die to spread the spores further or infect their own companions. Deep within the woods, Link encounters what remains of the Koroks— now shells puppeted by the fungi that infected them, bursting into clouds of spores when they come into contact with fire. The fate of the Great Deku Tree is unknown.

(please send asks if you’re curious about this au! it helps me work new stuff out!)

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Ruins of Hyrule (aka the Zeldapocalypse AU)

an apocalypse/horror loz au

Decades after the Kingdom of Hyrule was torn apart by a series of disasters, Hylians are only just starting to leave their underground homes, and returning to the Surface — but the land of Hyrule is very different to what they remember.

Death Mountain is a shadow of its former self, spewing clouds of toxic ash from the remains of the eruption that heralded the beginning of the end. The river at the base of Zora’s Domain is filled with bones, and the Lost Woods are avoided by all who wish to keep their life. The Gerudo have retreated into the desert, the Rito to the sea. Kakariko Village is silent until the night falls. Something is pulling entire parts of the land up into the sky. Hyrule Castle seems abandoned, but no one who goes in ever comes out and on some nights a light shines from the highest tower.

This is the world that Link, a young explorer born after Hylians descended underground, lives in, using his cybernetic enhancements to search the ruins of Hyrule for valuable resources. That is until he falls into an ancient chamber, exposed by chance, and meets an ancient Gerudo man trapped inside who claims to be a sorcerer — and to know a way to restore the land of Hyrule.

(please send asks if you’re curious about this au! it helps me work new stuff out!)

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Ruins of Hyrule: AU Zelda (the Younger) Design

Notes:

- A more traditional looking Zelda than her older sister as she’s the one who carries the Triforce of Wisdom.

- Design based on child Zelda in OoT and Minish Cap Zelda.

- Her hair is based on TotK Zelda though.

- Her magic naturally manifests itself as foresight, which results in her being able to know things she’s never learnt, often without realising it due to her lack of experience.

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Ruins of Hyrule: AU Zelda (the Elder) Design

Notes:

- Based on the possessed Zelda in Twilight Princess.

- She’s a wight or haugbúi created through human sacrifice.

- In Scandinavian literature they’re undead beings that usually live in their own graves, protecting their treasures.

- Both she and her parents are near-immune to most weapons, with only magic and items such as the Master Sword able to truly damage them.

- She has used her time spent trapped in Hyrule Castle to learn a range of magic from the books of the royal library, although as one of the undead she specialises in magic of darkness, death, and curses.

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Ruins of Hyrule: Hyrule Castle

an apocalypse/horror loz au

The Hyrulian royal family was comprised of the King, Queen, and the two Princesses Zelda. When the disaster began, the King and Queen tasked the Sheikah to find a way to stop it. When the Sheikah failed to do so, they instead searched for ways to preserve the royal family and the power held in their blood for the future. The King, Queen, and the Sheikah came up with a plan, and asked the leaders of the peoples of Hyrule to come to the castle to discuss how to handle the disaster. When they had all arrived, the Sheikah then proceeded to kill them all, alongside the castle staff, and then themselves, in a ritual to preserve the lives of the royal family. They became trapped between life and death — not quite one not quite the other, but an unintended consequence of the ritual bound them to the castle, loosing their immortality if they stepped outside the bloody grounds, now populated with the reanimated remains of their servants and the other leaders. The only survivor was the younger Princess Zelda — the Elder Zelda noticed her sister was not effected by the dark magic, golden light instead shining from her hand. Fearing how her parents would react, the Elder Zelda fled with her sister, hiding her in a Sheikah stasis chamber that would keep her safe and asleep until woken. When Link arrives at the castle, decades later, he must fight through the reanimated leaders and the King and Queen before facing the final boss before obtaining the Triforce of Wisdom — the Elder Zelda, still protecting her sister even after decades of her mind being poisoned by the dark magic that sustains her and her parents.

(please send asks if you’re curious about this au! it helps me work new stuff out!)

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Ruins of Hyrule: Death Mountain

an apocalypse/horror loz au

Death Mountain has erupted and continues to do so, a crater where its peak once was. Lava continues to flow from the volcano, but the real danger is in the clouds of burning hot ash that now surround the region, requiring Link to find and wear special equipment to get close. Within the region are found Goron Amalgamtions, the result of the stone skin of Gorons heating into liquid while touching. While the Gorons are familiar with the volcano and can usually predict eruptions (especially of such size) this one came unexpectedly, and many think it was unnatural.

(please send asks if you’re curious about this au! it helps me work new stuff out!)

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Ruins of Hyrule: AU Link Design

Notes:

- In-universe it’s based on Sheikah-tech and clothing so I took inspiration from both Sheikah and Yiga clothing in Breath of the Wild.

- The symbol on the chest plate is a simplified version of the one on the Hero’s Shield in Wind Waker.

- The blue screen on his left arm functions similarly to the Sheikah Slate, although it lacks most of the runes.

- Link can use his left eye to scan the local area and detect monsters, items, and mark interesting locations in the distance.

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Ruins of Hyrule: The Elder and Younger Zelda

an apocalypse/horror loz au

Zelda the Elder and Zelda the Younger are the daughters of the King and Queen of Hyrule, and the descendants of the Queen Zelda who defeated the Calamity. Prior to the disaster, it was assumed that the Elder Zelda was the one who held the golden power of her ancestor, however during the ritual ordered by the King and Queen so the royal family could survive the disaster Hyrule was facing, while both they and the Elder Zelda became wights — beings between life and death, empowered by the deaths of their servants — the Younger Zelda was protected by that power, the Triforce of Wisdom. Knowing their parents would seek its power if they learnt if it’s existence, the Elder Zelda acted quickly, hiding away her young sister in the royal crypt, using a stasis chamber such as those that were once used by ancient Sheikah monks to send her into a decade-long slumber. The Elder Zelda remained in the castle with her parents, defending her sister against any intruders.

Raised to rule, the Elder Zelda is formal, and often seems cold to those around her due to this — the truth is that aside from her younger sister, she has had very little opportunity to interact with her peers. If given the choice, she would prefer not to rule, instead having more of an interest in the powerful magic written of in the royal library. The Younger Zelda is much unlike her older sister, being more cheerful and open, but also incredibly curious about everything and anything. As a result of her decades long slumber, she has a lot of excess energy, which is pretty annoying for everyone else.

(please send asks if you’re curious about this au! it helps me work new stuff out!)

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Ruins of Hyrule: Ganondorf

an apocalypse/horror loz au

The former King of Evil, sealed away, trapped upon an eternal throne for thousands of years, Ganondorf is very, very bored and very, very old. Old enough to have met multiple incarnations of the young man who falls into the ancient cavern he’s been sealed in, and to recognise him as the latest reincarnation of the Hero. After almost loosing all hope from being trapped underground, his chances of being freed next to nothing, and knowing that Hyrule is currently a deadly wasteland, Ganondorf takes no time in convincing this version of the Hero to find the Triforce, and use its power to restore Hyrule and free him from his prison.

He offers Link a deal where in exchange for helping find the Triforce, Ganondorf will use some of his power to revive him if he falls in battle, infusing his cybernetics with some of his power. He also has a tendency towards smugness and a weakness towards good food, as he has not eaten any in millennia.

(please send asks if you’re curious about this au! it helps me work new stuff out!)

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Ruins of Hyrule: Link

an apocalypse/horror loz au

One of the few Hylians willing to venture up to the Surface, Link usually spends his time searching for resources in the ruins of Hyrule and making deliveries between different Hylian bunkers. His chances of survival are increased by his rare cybernetic implants, designed using ancient Sheikah technology, which increase his strength, stamina, and senses to above that of most Hylians. It’s on one of his journeys across the Surface that he meets Ganondorf — while he’s initially suspicious of the old man's claim that he can restore Hyrule, he figures that things can’t exactly get much worse, and he’ll be travelling all over Hyrule anyway as he’s been hired by some Sheikah-tech researchers to help them set up a teleportation network across the kingdom.

In terms of personality, he’s fairly paranoid with a prickly attitude, but once he gets to know someone, he’ll open up some more. He also takes his word very seriously and tries to avoid having to lie about things.

(please send asks if you’re curious about this au! it helps me work new stuff out!)

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Ruins of Hyrule: The Sky Citadel

an apocalypse/horror loz au

This city, built on floating island high above the surface of Hyrule is home to the Wind Tribe, descendants of ancient Hylians who rose to the sky so long ago that their language is now completely different. As a result, Link must find an item that lets him understand and speak to them before venturing into the Citadel. The Wind Tribe believe that they are chosen by the Godess, and see their longer-than-usual Hylian ears as proof of this. Isolated from everywhere else, and assured of their superiority, the Wind Tribe gradually became obsessed with their Goddess, banishing any doubters by banishing them off the edges of the Citadel. In order to get through the Citadel, and retrieve the Goddess’s Harp, Link must disguise himself as one of them, and avoid breaking any of the Goddess’s Laws while in the Citadel. They’re behind the disappearing bits of ground, since the islands they’d on are eroding and they feel entitled to it. There are also stories told sometimes in Hyrule about giant birds that fly down from the sky and steal children…

(please send asks if you’re curious about this au! it helps me work new stuff out!)

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Ruins of Hyrule: The Great Sea

an apocalypse/horror loz au

To the east of Hyrule lies a great ocean, scattered with islands. On some of these islands live the Rito, cousins to the Zora. Seeing what was happening to the Zora, the Rito chose to flee to the ocean, where the toxins in the water of Hyrule became diluted, and fish still thrived. Compared to the Rito of previous games, these Rito resemble sea birds such as gulls much more. They favour islands with steep cliffs that they can easily fly over, which offers a challenge to Link when he tries to find them without wings of his own. However, even these remote islands are not completely safe, as the eruption of Death Mountain sent out shockwaves that woke the great beasts that slept deep in the sea off the continental shelf. The Rito are split on how to handle these monsters — while some claim that they can be appeased via sacrifices, most prefer to keep the existing system of alarms and hiding, and only a handful believe they can be fought. Those taken by the beasts are never seen again, not even as bones washed up to shore, and some among the Rito whisper that those who are taken are trapped in the deeps, their feathers falling out as they transform into monsters of the sea.

(please send asks if you’re curious about this au! it helps me work new stuff out!)

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Ruins of Hyrule: Gerudo Desert

an apocalypse/horror loz au

The Gerudo saw everything going on in the rest of Hyrule and decided to get out as fast as they possibly could. Retreating further into the desert and splitting into small and hidden communities far out in the sands, they’re now a rare sight in Hyrule outside of a few descendants of Gerudo who chose to go underground with their Hylian family. Those who went to the desert however, adopted a new way of life, using the giant insects of the deep sands to move around, and living in the abandoned homes of giant ant-like monsters that they hunt for food. When Link arrives to ask for their help, they’re at war with a colony of these monsters. They’re struggling against them due to a lack of unified leadership since their last chief was assassinated at the same time as the Zora royals.

(please send asks if you’re curious about this au! it helps me work new stuff out!)

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Ruins of Hyrule: Kakariko Village

an apocalypse/horror loz au

This town was once the home of the Sheikah, a clan dedicated to protecting the royal family of Hyrule above all else. With the eruption of Death Mountain and the infection of the Lost Woods, the royal family tasked them to find a way to protect the kingdom. Once all conventional means had been attempted, the Sheikah determined there was no way to avoid the consequences of the coming disaster, only mitigate them. In order to do so, they began to experiment with the magic of life and death, seeking a way to preserve the royal family. Over time, this magic began to seep into the land of Kakariko itself, bringing back the dead in both physical and incorporeal forms, who, angry at the meddling with their eternal rest, turned on the living inhabitants in anger. Today, Kakariko village is silent during the day, but as the sun sets it becomes a dangerous maze for Link to try and escape. The only living inhabitants are a small group of Sheikah researchers hidden beneath the well of the village, still carrying out their experiments with whatever subjects they can find.

(please send asks if you’re curious about this au! it helps me work new stuff out!)

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Ruins of Hyrule: Zora’s Domain

an apocalypse/horror loz au

When faced with the results of the Death Mountain eruptions, the Zora probably fared the worst of all the peoples of Hyrule. The volcanic ash sept into the waterways, poisoning their homes and main food source of fish. This was made worse when their royal family was assassinated at a meeting held by the Hyrulean royal family to try and find a solution. Before anything could be done, the domain fell into a state of total chaos, with most of the Zora fighting over the remaining food among themselves, not helped by the illness becoming common among them as the poison spread through their waters. The Zora, however, are known for their adaptable nature, both physically… and mentally. In the absence of their usual prey of fish, they turned to the next best thing — each other. Over the next few generations the Zora rapidly evolved to prioritise acquiring food over all else, adapting to a range of different and deadly forms to achieve this goal. Link needs no special gear to enter Zora’s Domain, but he must be careful because danger lies above, below, and around every corner, even from those who claim to be friends.

(please send asks if you’re curious about this au! it helps me work new stuff out!)

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So, may have come up with a Legend of Zelda apocalypse/horror AU where a cyborg Link and decaying Ganon(dorf? Based on the TotK trailers) end up teaming up to find the Triforce and save Hyrule from the multitude of apocalyptic events that have occurred over the last few decades, although they both have very different reasons.