link ♪ hero of time (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
songoftime) wrote2022-07-02 02:28 pm
songoftime) wrote2022-07-02 02:28 pm
songerein ➸ application
Player: mala
Age: 31
Contact:![[plurk.com profile]](https://plurk.com/favicon.ico)
Malathyne, Malathyne#3688
Current Characters: —
Character: Link
Canon: The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time/Majora's Mask (post-Majora's Mask, Fierce Deity ending)
Age: Around 10 or 11 at most
Background Information: Comprehensive Link article | Ocarina of Time | Majora's Mask | Hero's Shade | Interpretation Notes
Personality:
The first thing that people notice about Link is how incredibly quiet he is. He'll speak when spoken to and answer questions, but he just doesn't talk much. He's the kind of person who only talks when he has something important to say, and then, when he does, he speaks concisely. Often times, part of the first impression that Link leaves with people is just how serious and mature he is for a kid his age. While he does have his carefree side, this usually manifests in a go-with-the-flow kind of attitude, happy to engage in friendly competition and go exploring, but just as happy to laze around (and take naps). The kind of abundant energy that people normally associate with ten-year-olds seems to almost be muted with him.
This has everything to do with the hardships in his life. Ever since he was a child, he was an outsider — The only one among the Kokiri without a fairy, never truly fitting in, never truly one of them. This planted a seed of loneliness in him, and the feeling that he has to work to earn kindness and friendship — to prove himself worthy. This also means he highly values the friends he makes, and rewards their friendship with unwavering loyalty. He deeply treasures his friends, showing this in his steadfastness and willingness to come running to help them whenever they need it.
At the age of ten, the weight of the world fell on his shoulders. Not only this, but he was then locked in a stasis until he was physically seventeen so he could wield the Master Sword, and he was expected to behave as an adult. In that time, the kingdom had been covered in darkness, as the only person who could wield the sword that would stop it — Link — wasn't there. As if that wasn't enough pressure on such a young mind, his adventures to set things right forced him to grow up in a big hurry. He had to mature and leave his childhood behind far, far too early.
And his success in saving Hyrule didn't resolve his personal struggles. While he was returned to the happy, bright timeline of his youth in an attempt to grant him the rest of his childhood, it quickly became evident it wasn't that easy to give him a happy ending. In reality, this deepened his feelings of isolation, as, of course, no one in that timeline knew what happened. This meant he remembered hardships no one else did... and friendships, too. While he wouldn't wish for the friends he made to suffer like they did in the darker timeline, it meant that, for them, those friendships never existed. When his guardian fairy left, too, he truly had no one who understood what he'd been through. And, of course, these feelings persisted through his adventures in Termina, where he had to repeatedly travel back in time to save this new land and these new friends, putting him in the same situation again and again. He was a hero, but he was still an outcast everywhere he turned.
The effect all of this has on Link's personality is apparent not only in his maturity, but in the difficulty he has with expressing himself. When he has troubling thoughts, or even thoughtful insights, he struggles in sharing them with other people; he just hasn't had the experience in doing so, or even much opportunity to. He keeps a lot of things on the inside not because he's secretive, but simply because he doesn't know how to let them out.
Most of the time, when Link speaks up, it's to ask questions. He wants to understand what's around him — people, events, history, ideals, you name it. Despite everything he's gone through, there's a lot he doesn't know about life and the world around him. Even though he's had to grow up fast, his curiousity has never been stifled. This desire to learn helps connect him to his surroundings and those in it in a way that's much easier for him to grasp. Knowing things means he'll be better suited for whatever problems come up, which means he'll do a better job helping people.
And helping people is one of his key motivations. Link just genuinely wants to help, no matter the cost to himself — It's the root of his good nature. It's why he never turns down someone who is in need, even when he's tired to the bone, even when it's hard. This is what wins over everyone — He goes out of his way to help people, and, being naturally empathetic, he always makes sure to listen to them. He follows through, and he almost never asks for anything in return. Perhaps most importantly, it's all done sincerely. He doesn't know any other way to live. When he looks around and sees someone suffering... If there is the chance that he can bring them happiness and alleviate their pain, how can he say no?
But this strength is also a weakness: Link is most often a doormat in social situations. He doesn't speak up when something hurts or troubles him, so he gets steamrolled, even by well-intentioned people. This means he doesn't stand up for himself when someone speaks badly about him, too, even if it happens to his face. He prefers to put his head down and do the work that prove himself, even if the people hurting him never see or acknowledge his efforts.
This reaction feeds into Link's reliable nature. He is a very hard worker, and not one known for giving up, even when facing seemingly insurmountable obstacles. Over the course of his adventures, he has learned that if he cannot do something, he simply needs to step back, re-evaluate, perhaps leave and learn some new tricks, and come back again. Adaptability and planning are both things he has come to be adept at handling. He is always keenly aware of what's riding on him, and what's going to happen if he doesn't follow through. Given the stakes, failure has never been an option for him. His work ethic often serves as a coping mechanism for this pressure. He has to believe that there's a way forward, even if it's hard, even if it takes time. And he's always willing to put in that effort and put himself on the line. This is such a deep, lasting trait in him that he lingers on after his death as a spirit, unwilling to give up in fulfilling what he feels needs to be done: passing on his knowledge, so that his suffering continues to have meaning after he's gone.
Which brings us down to what Link is best known for, which is, of course, his bravery. Link is not the type of hero who makes flashy displays, and his type of courage follows suit. He is courageous in the quiet way that he continues to try, again and again, even if it means he's going to suffer, even if it means he'll receive nothing in return. It must be done, or else everyone else will suffer, too — and Link would do anything to protect those who can't protect themselves.
Abilities & Inventory:
Link has latent magical power that he can channel through items, such as his sword. This power is used as fuel for several abilities in his items, as well. (Thanks, Great Fairies.) He also has at least a small capacity for precognition, and is stated to be very sensitive to negative energies in the world around him, shown in canon as restless dreams and nightmares about Ganondorf prior to the start of Ocarina of Time. (Headcanon is that the previews that run if you let the start screen sit are also precognitive dreams that he had, and that the drawings on his treehouse of himself fighting a giant dinosaur are related, too.)
Link is a lot physically stronger than anyone his size has any right to be. He can push around giant heavy blocks and carry a lot of equipment without breaking much of a sweat. He can also hold his own in battle against giant monsters and crack through their armor with his sword. Strength is definitely a thing, here. So is endurance. This kid is talented at long-distance running, and he can take hits like nobody's business. He has his limits, but again, when you'd expect an average adult to go down, he's still picking himself back up.He has a lot of hearts. He's talented in archery and use of slingshots and boomerangs. He's also extremely agile, thanks to his combat experience. Flips, dodge rolls, and the like are a part of his daily life. His other skills include: fishing, swimming (including diving), animal handling, horseback riding (with and without a saddle), critical thinking, demolitions, navigation, time management, playing musical instruments, and bowling.
The majority of his capabilities in canon, though, come from his expansive inventory (addressed below). He also has access to songs with magical powers, which are summarized here for Ocarina of Time and here for Majora's Mask. The Song of Time and its variants will have no time travel powers in the game, for obvious reasons. Whether or not the Song of Healing works as it did in canon should probably be handled on a case-by-case basis, though, as it could provide interesting player plot opportunities, but other times its effects may be undesired. Many of the other songs have canon-limited uses (like Zelda's Lullaby and Epona's Song), or would have their area limited (like the Song of Storms creating only a small radius of rain), or would do nothing outright (aka the Sun's Song definitely won't be able to flip the game's day/night like a switch).
It's likely Link's dreamotion abilities will take on forms similar to these songs or items, due to being the most familiar to him. It'd be neat if he'd end up with new masks created with dreamotion magic and having dreamotion effects, based on his experiences in the game (both events and CR). I could see maybe swinging some dreamotion-ified versions of items or abilities from the other Zelda games, too, for funsies.
Inventory: This is a hefty kinda list because Link has hammerspace (which isn't ever really explained in lore, it just Is That Way).
Kokiri Tunic
Gilded Sword
Mirror Shield
Hero's Bow
Regular, Fire, Ice, and Light Arrows
Ocarina of Time
Fairy Ocarina
Goron's Bracelet
Golden Scale
Great Fairy's Sword
Hookshot
Bombs and Bombchus
Lens of Truth
Deku Nuts and Sticks
Magic Beans
Six Glass Bottles
Giant's Wallet
Pictograph Box
Boss Remains
Bomber's Notebook
Note: All masks were given to the Happy Mask Salesman before Link left Termina. But I'm interested in him regaining them over the course of the game.
Suitability & Plans:
Goals & Character Exploration — My primary character goal for Link is to begin his own healing process, after spending two games healing other people's sorrows. This is going to happen in stages, ranging from acknowledging his situation, to allowing himself to grieve, to learning how to express his feelings, to beginning to process his trauma. He'll never really be able to reclaim his innocence, but that doesn't mean he can't reclaim what's left of his childhood and learn how to grow in a healthy way. He's still going to be more focused on other people's struggles than his own and want to help people — Link's gonna Link. But really, I want this game to serve as a stepping stone and divergent point towards a happier path than the one that ends in him becoming the Hero's Shade.
Fitting In - This will be the third land Link has been to, and that it has its own magic and own rules won't be strange to him. The idea of a world of dreams where emotions affect magic is not one that sounds horribly out of line with what he expects from magic. There'll be a learning curve, of course, but he'll adapt just fine.
Castmate & CR Reliance - Link is fairly independent in these terms, having weathered different types of loss over the course of his adventures. Losing close CR would be a blow, of course, but it wouldn't render him unplayable. Due to the nature of loss that's especially prevalent in Majora's Mask, it would bring him back around to those themes again, instead of shutting him down.
Test Drive Sample: Sample
Questions: —
Age: 31
Contact:
Current Characters: —
Character: Link
Canon: The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time/Majora's Mask (post-Majora's Mask, Fierce Deity ending)
Age: Around 10 or 11 at most
Background Information: Comprehensive Link article | Ocarina of Time | Majora's Mask | Hero's Shade | Interpretation Notes
Personality:
The first thing that people notice about Link is how incredibly quiet he is. He'll speak when spoken to and answer questions, but he just doesn't talk much. He's the kind of person who only talks when he has something important to say, and then, when he does, he speaks concisely. Often times, part of the first impression that Link leaves with people is just how serious and mature he is for a kid his age. While he does have his carefree side, this usually manifests in a go-with-the-flow kind of attitude, happy to engage in friendly competition and go exploring, but just as happy to laze around (and take naps). The kind of abundant energy that people normally associate with ten-year-olds seems to almost be muted with him.
This has everything to do with the hardships in his life. Ever since he was a child, he was an outsider — The only one among the Kokiri without a fairy, never truly fitting in, never truly one of them. This planted a seed of loneliness in him, and the feeling that he has to work to earn kindness and friendship — to prove himself worthy. This also means he highly values the friends he makes, and rewards their friendship with unwavering loyalty. He deeply treasures his friends, showing this in his steadfastness and willingness to come running to help them whenever they need it.
At the age of ten, the weight of the world fell on his shoulders. Not only this, but he was then locked in a stasis until he was physically seventeen so he could wield the Master Sword, and he was expected to behave as an adult. In that time, the kingdom had been covered in darkness, as the only person who could wield the sword that would stop it — Link — wasn't there. As if that wasn't enough pressure on such a young mind, his adventures to set things right forced him to grow up in a big hurry. He had to mature and leave his childhood behind far, far too early.
And his success in saving Hyrule didn't resolve his personal struggles. While he was returned to the happy, bright timeline of his youth in an attempt to grant him the rest of his childhood, it quickly became evident it wasn't that easy to give him a happy ending. In reality, this deepened his feelings of isolation, as, of course, no one in that timeline knew what happened. This meant he remembered hardships no one else did... and friendships, too. While he wouldn't wish for the friends he made to suffer like they did in the darker timeline, it meant that, for them, those friendships never existed. When his guardian fairy left, too, he truly had no one who understood what he'd been through. And, of course, these feelings persisted through his adventures in Termina, where he had to repeatedly travel back in time to save this new land and these new friends, putting him in the same situation again and again. He was a hero, but he was still an outcast everywhere he turned.
The effect all of this has on Link's personality is apparent not only in his maturity, but in the difficulty he has with expressing himself. When he has troubling thoughts, or even thoughtful insights, he struggles in sharing them with other people; he just hasn't had the experience in doing so, or even much opportunity to. He keeps a lot of things on the inside not because he's secretive, but simply because he doesn't know how to let them out.
Most of the time, when Link speaks up, it's to ask questions. He wants to understand what's around him — people, events, history, ideals, you name it. Despite everything he's gone through, there's a lot he doesn't know about life and the world around him. Even though he's had to grow up fast, his curiousity has never been stifled. This desire to learn helps connect him to his surroundings and those in it in a way that's much easier for him to grasp. Knowing things means he'll be better suited for whatever problems come up, which means he'll do a better job helping people.
And helping people is one of his key motivations. Link just genuinely wants to help, no matter the cost to himself — It's the root of his good nature. It's why he never turns down someone who is in need, even when he's tired to the bone, even when it's hard. This is what wins over everyone — He goes out of his way to help people, and, being naturally empathetic, he always makes sure to listen to them. He follows through, and he almost never asks for anything in return. Perhaps most importantly, it's all done sincerely. He doesn't know any other way to live. When he looks around and sees someone suffering... If there is the chance that he can bring them happiness and alleviate their pain, how can he say no?
But this strength is also a weakness: Link is most often a doormat in social situations. He doesn't speak up when something hurts or troubles him, so he gets steamrolled, even by well-intentioned people. This means he doesn't stand up for himself when someone speaks badly about him, too, even if it happens to his face. He prefers to put his head down and do the work that prove himself, even if the people hurting him never see or acknowledge his efforts.
This reaction feeds into Link's reliable nature. He is a very hard worker, and not one known for giving up, even when facing seemingly insurmountable obstacles. Over the course of his adventures, he has learned that if he cannot do something, he simply needs to step back, re-evaluate, perhaps leave and learn some new tricks, and come back again. Adaptability and planning are both things he has come to be adept at handling. He is always keenly aware of what's riding on him, and what's going to happen if he doesn't follow through. Given the stakes, failure has never been an option for him. His work ethic often serves as a coping mechanism for this pressure. He has to believe that there's a way forward, even if it's hard, even if it takes time. And he's always willing to put in that effort and put himself on the line. This is such a deep, lasting trait in him that he lingers on after his death as a spirit, unwilling to give up in fulfilling what he feels needs to be done: passing on his knowledge, so that his suffering continues to have meaning after he's gone.
Which brings us down to what Link is best known for, which is, of course, his bravery. Link is not the type of hero who makes flashy displays, and his type of courage follows suit. He is courageous in the quiet way that he continues to try, again and again, even if it means he's going to suffer, even if it means he'll receive nothing in return. It must be done, or else everyone else will suffer, too — and Link would do anything to protect those who can't protect themselves.
Abilities & Inventory:
Link has latent magical power that he can channel through items, such as his sword. This power is used as fuel for several abilities in his items, as well. (Thanks, Great Fairies.) He also has at least a small capacity for precognition, and is stated to be very sensitive to negative energies in the world around him, shown in canon as restless dreams and nightmares about Ganondorf prior to the start of Ocarina of Time. (Headcanon is that the previews that run if you let the start screen sit are also precognitive dreams that he had, and that the drawings on his treehouse of himself fighting a giant dinosaur are related, too.)
Link is a lot physically stronger than anyone his size has any right to be. He can push around giant heavy blocks and carry a lot of equipment without breaking much of a sweat. He can also hold his own in battle against giant monsters and crack through their armor with his sword. Strength is definitely a thing, here. So is endurance. This kid is talented at long-distance running, and he can take hits like nobody's business. He has his limits, but again, when you'd expect an average adult to go down, he's still picking himself back up.
The majority of his capabilities in canon, though, come from his expansive inventory (addressed below). He also has access to songs with magical powers, which are summarized here for Ocarina of Time and here for Majora's Mask. The Song of Time and its variants will have no time travel powers in the game, for obvious reasons. Whether or not the Song of Healing works as it did in canon should probably be handled on a case-by-case basis, though, as it could provide interesting player plot opportunities, but other times its effects may be undesired. Many of the other songs have canon-limited uses (like Zelda's Lullaby and Epona's Song), or would have their area limited (like the Song of Storms creating only a small radius of rain), or would do nothing outright (aka the Sun's Song definitely won't be able to flip the game's day/night like a switch).
It's likely Link's dreamotion abilities will take on forms similar to these songs or items, due to being the most familiar to him. It'd be neat if he'd end up with new masks created with dreamotion magic and having dreamotion effects, based on his experiences in the game (both events and CR). I could see maybe swinging some dreamotion-ified versions of items or abilities from the other Zelda games, too, for funsies.
Inventory: This is a hefty kinda list because Link has hammerspace (which isn't ever really explained in lore, it just Is That Way).
Kokiri Tunic
Gilded Sword
Mirror Shield
Hero's Bow
Regular, Fire, Ice, and Light Arrows
Ocarina of Time
Fairy Ocarina
Goron's Bracelet
Golden Scale
Great Fairy's Sword
Hookshot
Bombs and Bombchus
Lens of Truth
Deku Nuts and Sticks
Magic Beans
Six Glass Bottles
Giant's Wallet
Pictograph Box
Boss Remains
Bomber's Notebook
Note: All masks were given to the Happy Mask Salesman before Link left Termina. But I'm interested in him regaining them over the course of the game.
Suitability & Plans:
Goals & Character Exploration — My primary character goal for Link is to begin his own healing process, after spending two games healing other people's sorrows. This is going to happen in stages, ranging from acknowledging his situation, to allowing himself to grieve, to learning how to express his feelings, to beginning to process his trauma. He'll never really be able to reclaim his innocence, but that doesn't mean he can't reclaim what's left of his childhood and learn how to grow in a healthy way. He's still going to be more focused on other people's struggles than his own and want to help people — Link's gonna Link. But really, I want this game to serve as a stepping stone and divergent point towards a happier path than the one that ends in him becoming the Hero's Shade.
Fitting In - This will be the third land Link has been to, and that it has its own magic and own rules won't be strange to him. The idea of a world of dreams where emotions affect magic is not one that sounds horribly out of line with what he expects from magic. There'll be a learning curve, of course, but he'll adapt just fine.
Castmate & CR Reliance - Link is fairly independent in these terms, having weathered different types of loss over the course of his adventures. Losing close CR would be a blow, of course, but it wouldn't render him unplayable. Due to the nature of loss that's especially prevalent in Majora's Mask, it would bring him back around to those themes again, instead of shutting him down.
Test Drive Sample: Sample
Questions: —
notes on my interpretation
A major theme I play with Link in games is centered on a feeling of not belonging anywhere. In TP, the Hero's Shade lingers on as a spirit instead of passing on due to regrets of not passing on his skills... and that he was never remembered as a hero. While this is past the canon point I'm pulling Link from, it's relevant to my interpretation, since it's his canonical future. Personally, I don't think it's the fame or glory the Hero's Shade is missing, or even just plain old recognition — It's what that means for him when placed in the context of the rest of his experiences.
From childhood, Link never felt like he belonged — Among the Kokiri, he was the only one without a fairy. While one Kokiri picked on him for it, the others were very friendly and nice to him... But he was still never truly one of them. He was still an outsider. Then, when his body was aged to an adult, his friends didn't recognize him, and he learned he was actually a Hylian, further proving that he didn't belong in the forest. But he grew up isolated from other Hylians, and was an outsider to them, too — He didn't know their culture, and stood out with his Kokiri clothing and fairy.
Then you add in the fact that, because he was sent back to the Child Timeline at the end of OoT, no one knew of what he had done — and, more importantly, what he had gone through. The people he had made friends with had no memory of the things that happened in the other timeline, so those friendships didn't exist for them. These things would all be isolating enough, but then in Termina, similar issues cropped up as Link had to reset the same three days again and again, with only Tatl remembering everything that transpired with him.
For the Hero's Shade, this means that by not being remembered as a hero, he shouldered the burden of his experiences alone, leading to him keeping to himself, initially just emotionally, but then eventually expanding to include his skills, as well — The abilities he learned over the course of these alienating experiences. It's not about his accomplishments being lost to history — He doesn't know that the story of the Hero of Time echoes throughout the rest of the series, but he didn't embark on his journeys for the rewards. It's about his suffering being lost to those around him when he was alive, and the effect that had on him as a person. Talking about your trauma is difficult enough without stacking on his quiet nature or the extraordinary circumstances of his adventures.
So let's take these issues all the way back to when he's still young, in the earliest stages of these problems — aka, my canon point. He doesn't yet have a grasp on how much these feelings will stay with him for the rest of his life, let alone how to begin processing any of it. Right now, because of everything he's been through, in many ways he's just a kid who had to grow up way too fast, and has forgotten by and large how to be a kid. Since the different iterations of Link are often spiritually similar simply by nature of their connection, as well as the thematic parallels between them, I take inspiration from Breath of the Wild's take on his silent protagonist role. All of that pressure, all of that isolation, and a lack of the opportunity to socialize and grow up in a non-traumatic way result in Link having a difficulty in expressing how he feels, adding to the impression that he's odd for his age. In my portrayal, his experiences have made him very mature and serious for being so young, and while he still has a very childish outlook on many things (such as a black and white view on morality, since his adventures did little to encourage a deeper understanding of such a complex subject), and is still capable of acting like a kid, these behaviors look out of place compared to his usual demeanor.
I do borrow one trait from the Majora's Mask manga, which is shown towards the beginning — Link dislikes being treated as a kid and looked down upon by adults. Given how the Kokiri react to adults (based on how they react to adult Link, who they don't recognize as their old friend and treat as a stranger), and given everything he's been through and the advanced skills he developed through those adventures, I believe that's an entirely justified reaction for him to have, so I adopt it into my canon. Link's experiences put him in a situation where he doesn't feel like a kid any more, but he isn't an adult, either... and he also doesn't really fit the "teenager" mold — He has a unique relationship with his age, and it's just one more thing that showcases (and exacerbates) his feeling of other-ness among other people.