Profile (Omphalotus)
For use at omphalotus
CHARACTER
Note: Because the pure canon is so sparse -- making it impossible to arrive at an indisputably "true" and reasonably complete game-based characterization -- nearly everything in here is headcanon, or else heavily extrapolated or selectively chosen from various non-canon yet still reasonably "official" sources, most of which conflict greatly with both each other and with the games.
THE BASICS
NAME(S): Linkshaia Adennos dal'Brisby al'Silva, A.K.A.: Link, or Linksha
CANON & TIMELINE: post-Zelda II: Adventure of Link. Pulled out of the timeline roughly a year after the end of the second adventure and developed further by several months in zelda_dressing.
CHARACTER TYPE: slightly AU
AGE: 17
THE CHARACTER
APPEARANCE:
Height: 5'-5"
Weight: about 140 lbs
Build: broad-shouldered, well-muscled but not bulky, and quite short for his age
Complexion: medium tan, with warm undertones; fairly resistant to freckling, though a few come in high summer and then fade out in winter.
Hair: reddish-brown, layered, and often messy. The are bangs long enough to just cover the eyes. Chin-length forelocks frame his face on either side. The rest tapers down to the top rim of the shoulder blades. Has a thick, slightly wavy texture and tends to curl, when damp. It's often worn in a ponytail, a braid, or twisted, flipped up, and pinned flat, then hidden under his hat. A few stray strands always manage to escape the bottom of his hat, no matter how tightly he binds it.
Eyes: color-shifting green, ranging from green-gray to bright emerald, but usually dark forest green (not uncommon fare for green eyes).
Scars: claw marks on the right breast, just missing the nipple, going up from chest to collarbone; bite marks along the top of the right ear; a thin, horizontal slash on the right cheek; a run-through stab wound near the gut, 4" to the right and 2" up from the navel, just to the side of the middle set of ab muscles, with a matching exit wound on the back, a little below the originating point; fairly large burn scar along the anterior left thigh; a horizontal gash just above the left hamstring; several other minor, less visible cut and burn marks, most on the back, arms, and lower legs, and a few on the fingers.
Birthmark: Golden Triforce symbol on the back of his left hand, with a slightly etched quality; will sometimes glow brightly.
Piercings: Left earlobe; wears a single silver-blue hoop
Clothing: Comfortable brown breeches (laced at each side from a hand-span down up to the waist, for fit, with a zipper fastener in front), long-sleeved, turtle-necked brown shirt, a much-repaired green tunic, a floppy green hat the same shade as the tunic, brown leather belt, and sturdy brown leather boots are his standard attire. To accommodate all his gear, he has various packs and pouches strapped at various points. There's an ornate sword sheath belted over the right hip, a pouch strapped to his belt to the left of the buckle, another, thinner one on the right, and a larger pack slung across his hips behind him. A Quiver with two chambers is belted across his back, the straps crossing over his chest.
Jewelry: One small, thick blue-white metal hoop on the left earlobe. The Power Bracelet, which looks like a bright, copper-colored cuff bracelet with a twist design and pyramidal endcaps, on his left wrist. A Blue Ring -- a simple-looking gold band with a high-mounted, cabochon-cut blue gem of indeterminate mineral composition -- on the middle finger of his left hand.
Alternate forms: He can cast a short-duration spell called Fairy, which turns him into a fairy for all of about two minutes, letting him flit across wide gaps and through small openings... with the unfortunate side-effect of being RIDICULOUS-looking, since his Fairy form is vaguely reminiscent of OoT Great Fairies: wild red hair that spikes above his head like flames, ivy and flowering vines wrapped around his limbs, and a toga made of flower petals and red-tinged grass blades.
PERSONALITY:
Kind-hearted and self-sacrificing, he will risk his life for a stranger. Contemplative and reserved, but with a mischievous streak and a love for silly pranks. Tends to be a worry-wort, worry more for others than for himself, and is often too harsh on himself. Tends to go with his feelings first and his brain second. Quiet, but passionate and opinionated. And though he rarely shows it, he's quite smart, witty, and quick on the comeback. Harbors a slightly higher than average competitive streak.
He likes being around people, but rarely says much unless he knows the other person quite well, or there's something about that person that makes him want to open up. When he's around people he's comfortable with, he gets very animated, and is prone to rambling or being an outright dork. Can be quite flirtatious, if you catch him on the right day, though he quickly turns shy if it starts getting serious. He's easy to goad or frustrate, but slow to truly anger, and quick to forgive once apologized to. He's fiercely loyal to those he cares about. His body language and especially his eyes are very expressive. He's a very affectionate, physical person, though he knows how to tone it down depending on the company.
He's a sucker for children, and they tend to like him back. In many ways, he is still a child at heart, enjoying sweets and comic books (especially action/adventure and horror, and -- though he won't admit it -- particularly if there's a decent love story side-plot), and though he typically downplays it, he loves plush toys and animals -- anything vaguely "cute".
Perhaps it's a side-effect of worshiping all-female deities, or having a strong-willed mother, or of the uniquely close relationship he had with his twin sister, but Link values women at an almost devotional level. ...Not that he's beyond dirty thoughts, or commiserating with other guys on how frustrating women can be.
Blame the teenage hormones, but Link is a HIGHLY sexual being, and tends to have a one-track mind about it. It should also be noted that he might have a hard time differentiating between lust and love -- he generally operates under the notion that if he wants the person bad enough to want to sleep with them, then it means he's in love (although he sees a great distinction between merely finding someone attractive and actually lusting after them). Perhaps he's in love with the idea of being in love. Regardless, once he believes he loves someone, he'll dote on them and give himself over to them with all his heart, with a penchant for not really thinking over the practical feasibility of such a match until much later, if at all.
He is a man of deep faith. He prays regularly and observes the tenets of his faith as carefully as he can.
HISTORY & WORLD-BUILDING:
Born just outside Ciella, the capital city of Calatia, which is a small, relatively peaceful kingdom west of Old Hyrule. Calatia lies just beyond Hyrule's south western mountain range, and is accessible only through a few narrow trails.
He's the eldest son of Arn Brisby -- a native Hyrulean, retired captain, and war veteran -- and of Medilia al'Silva -- a Calatian warrior woman and war veteran of low noblesse. He has one twin sister, born less than 15 minutes before him, with whom he shares an almost psychic link. He also has a 4-yr-old brother, Haddeh, whom he has not seen since the boy was little over a year old. His grandfather, on his dad's side, lives in the Lake Hylia region of Old Hyrule. According to Grandpa, Link's family is descended from some great hero or other, who brought the Triforce out of the Golden Land about a hundred years back. He has three rarely-seen uncles (father's older brothers) and a few cousins scattered around Hyrule, and his mother's adoptive family clan in Calatia (she's a foundling), which include his adoptive grandparents. Because of Calatian conventions of Kinship, he is also considered a "nephew" of sorts to his mother's two best friends, whose children are regarded as cousins to him and his siblings.
Since childhood, Link's been a deeply devout member of the Trinity Church, an ancient religion which believes that The Three who created the world were the sister deities Din, Nayru, and Farore. Nowadays, this religion is practiced almost exclusively in Calatia, having phased out of Hyrule and the bordering kingdoms in favor of male or gender-neutral deities, and some fairly new monotheistic sects. Because of his birthdate, his patron Goddess is Farore, Goddess of Courage, and he often wears the color green in reverence to her. As a child, he sang in the Temple choir, and was a junior prayer leader. Though he no longer has access to a Trinity Church or Shrine, he observes the customs as best he can, finding a secluded, private space in which to strip down, lay all his burdens at the threshold, and pray for guidance, or simply try and feel closer to them.
An excellent student, if a bit quiet and too fond of pranks, Link developed an early love for the ancient ruins dotting the landscape near his parents' home (mostly abandoned temples to The Three and other deities), and a thirst for exploration. At 14, he was admitted to Hyrule's prestigious Rauru Academy, and asked to participate in a summer studies program to dig up artifacts around an old temple in the Tantari Desert. He was SUPPOSED to go through the mountains, veer south a bit to meet his grandfather along the shores of Lake Hylia, spend a couple weeks there, then take the ferry to Rauru Town, in the Northern Continent. Unfortunately, the proverbial feces hit the fan and, due to a collapse in communications, Link headed into Hyrule not knowing he was stepping into the middle of a silent war. Thankfully for Hyrule, Link's luck (or maybe Divine Intervention) stepped in, protected him from the dangers (he narrowly missed the burning down of both Kakariko and Hyrule Castle Town), and allowed him to reach Impa just in time to stop her from being captured by Ganon's minions: a fateful moment which set Link on his path to becoming a hero. Although Impa never told him why she chose to ask him for help, the fact is, at the moment that he saved her, the symbol of the sacred Triforce glowed for a few moments on his left hand. Familiar with the prophecies and old legends, Impa recognized this as the sign of the Chosen Hero, and knew he'd be the only one capable of surviving the trials ahead.
Through many dangers, the boy prevailed, defeating monster after monster, sleeping in trees or caves when night fell, gathering information, slowly building and getting to know his arsenal, to gather the scattered pieces of the Triforce of Wisdom.
Eventually, he reached Ganon's tower, in Death Mountain, and fought and defeated the hideous and huge man with his boar-like face and his wicked trident and fearsome magic. To his surprise, Ganon showed what seemed like a moment of humanity toward the end, reaching out toward Link in what appeared to be supplication or a plea for mercy as he lay dying. What he was doing, in fact, was reaching for Link's shadow as it stretched across the floor, to dip his fingers in a few drops of Link's blood spilled within; from those, using his final strength, Ganon made a Shadow-creature that would later torment Link in hopes of destroying him and thereby enabling the resurrection of its fallen master.
Link spent about a year living in the Royal Palace, helping the kingdom slowly rebuild and trying (unsuccessfully) to woo the beautiful Princess Zelda, whom he believed he had fallen head-over-heels for. His once-dreams of going to school and becoming an archaeologist were put aside and eventually forgotten, having learned that he was having far more fun rummaging through old temples and playing with priceless ancient artifacts than he ever would have had crouched under a hot sun tediously sifting through dirt for fragments of broken pottery.
On his 16th birthday, the Triforce symbol manifested itself once and for all on Link's hand, in the form of an unusual birthmark, and Impa once again used her knowledge to guide him to his destiny. This time, not only did he need to save his beloved Princess from a curse of eternal slumber, but also recover the long-lost Triforce of Courage, which had been hidden by the previous Hero the moment he brought it out of the Dark Realm, by order of Zelda's great-grandmother. This involved a months-long trek across the entire span of Hyrule -- several small continents and islands, separated by everything from mountain and sea to magical barriers -- in order to replace a set of eight crystals into their pedestals deep within a series of monster-infested ruins, so as to unlock the gates of the Triforce's resting place, the Great Palace.
The final round was a battle with his living shadow -- the last legacy of Ganon -- which haunts him still, the creature seemingly able to read his mind and play upon his deepest fears, taunting him over the course of the battle by giving voice to Link's darkest thoughts and twisting them into a promise of what the Shadow would do to Link's loved ones once it had killed him. The Shadow very nearly succeeded in killing Link, permanently scarring his body, but did succeed in making Link fly into an animal rage, brutally slashing and pummeling the creature into a pulp. The creature's parting gift, before dying, was running Link through with its sword, through the gut. Although, he managed to slay it, Link would have died of his wounds had he not soon after found the Triforce of Courage, which, upon choosing him as its own, restored his body. Once awake, he reverently wrapped up the gently-glowing Triforce shard and made the arduous trek back to the North Palace, then watched with relief as the Triforce's presence broke the spell laid on Zelda.
Afraid for Zelda's life, since Ganon's minions continued to hound him, Link eventually decided to leave the Royal Palace -- and civilization, in general -- and spent about 3/4 of a year living in a small shack he built himself, deep in a seldom-visited forest, with only his horse, Catherine (Cath'ren, in Calatian) to keep him company, and the masses of monsters still trying to kill him and revive Ganon to keep him occupied.
Winter came, and after a miserable three-day trudge through the snow (his horse was in a stable, awaiting the birth of her first foal), Link came home exhausted, having fought off a minor invasion of low-level monsters (not hard to kill one by one or in small groups, but a NIGHTMARE when they get numerous enough to swarm), and dropped dead asleep without even bothering to remove his gear. He awoke... in a tree. He had somehow been transported to an alternate Hyrule, empty save for a few souls who, like him, had been plucked from their respective Hyrules, from various points in history. By listening to other people's stories and comparing them to what little Hyrulean history he remembered, Link eventually came to the conclusion that this Hyrule was at least a thousand years in his past.
Although he missed his family and the people he'd met in Hyrule, he made new friends, actually somewhat relieved to find himself in a place where he WASN'T a liability to people just by being in the general vicinity. One of the first people he met was a strange sorcerer named Vaati, who had dominion over the wind. Link found him very intriguing, having never encountered a member of Vaati's species before. Before long, they were trading stories and showing each other off their magic spells. Eventually they parted ways, and only after the strange magician was gone did Link realize: he'd been so busy socializing that he'd completely forgotten to ask the mage where he was! Along came a pretty young brunette, who called herself Princess Zelda, but said there were several women by that name here, and so he should simply call her "Jewel". Thinking he'd stumbled into some sort of role-playing game (embarrassingly enough, it was not not uncommon for people in his Hyrule to have costumes and even dolls of him and the princess, since his adventures had become well known). He played along, not seeing the harm... until his Triforce began to resonate with hers, at which point he had no choice BUT to believe her and her wild tales of an alternate Hyrule. Stunned, but at a loss for what to do next, he escorted her home to the nearby town of Kakariko and began searching through the available empty houses for a place to spend the night.
Time passed, with Link (now calling himself by his childhood nickname, "Linksha", to distinguish himself from the various other Links in this Hyrule knock-off) eventually settling down to live in a spare room at the abandoned inn Jewel and some friends were staying at. He'd almost decided to live with Vaati, as he'd grown fond of the snarky sorcerer and his dry sense of humor, but decided against it in the end for fear of what Vaati would think about Linksha's state of undress during prayer.
One night, at a summer festival, after much fun, Linksha and Vaati settled down and ended up having a very serious conversation. Quite by accident, Linksha ended up goading Vaati into spilling the beans about his past. Which, it turns out, was NOT as innocent as Linksha had assumed. Vaati was a villain. He'd tried and failed to take over his version of Hyrule, nearly killed the princess there, and turned several people into stone (and one guy into a talking hat, thought Linksha couldn't honestly take that one as seriously). Though normally Linksha would be appalled, for some reason he found himself unable to think ill of Vaati. Had Vaati been evil, the Triforce of Courage would have warned him in some way, right? Like it always did? He figured there must be some reason for that -- perhaps something that the Triforce saw in Vaati that could be redeemed -- and so, instead of turning him away, Linksha tried to council and console the mage. Unused to encountering kindness, Vaati broke down into tears, and Linksha held him until the tears stopped. Afraid to leave Vaati to his own devices for the night after being so visibly shaken, Linksha concocted a scheme to take the sorcerer's mind off his troubles: a tour of Hyrule via Warp Whistle. He was certain that Vaati -- the Wind Sorcerer -- would be unable to resist studying how the whistle's warp magic manifested as a whirlwind. He was right.
The tour ended up lasting several days. During its course, the two found out they worked rather well together, even in battle. They got in fights with each other. They pushed each other's buttons. They got to know much of each other, the good and the bad. Through a potent combination of their mutual guy-crush, teenage hormones, some embarrassing questions with very frank answers, and some rather graphic wall decor, they found themselves drawn into a (pun fully intended) whirlwind romance. By the time they'd come back from their tour, they were lovers.
As the months wore on, Kakariko became a more dangerous place, a wizard named Ganondorf having decided that he was going to place Kakariko under his dominion. A series of battles ensued. Monsters poured out of the town well and from the mountains to the north. Poor Jewel was kidnapped. Finally, Vaati decided they needed to increase security, and set off to work some (Linksha assumed) potentially-dangerous magic up on Death Mountain, away from the town. He left only saying he'd return when it was done, and Linksha did feel the magic gathering up there, and felt it wind down. That meant the spell was done, right? But as the days passed and Vaati still didn't come back, Linksha got worried. Not knowing what he'd find up there, he grabbed supplies and weapons and headed off to try and find his mage.
It's a mountain. It's a mountain housing a volcano, and it's notorious for earthquakes and rock slides. It's winter. It's cold. It's snowing. He can barely see 10 feet ahead. He calls out in the hopes of hearing Vaati answer, but none is to be had. At some point, he hears a loud rumbling, and the earth shakes. He feels a burst of pain in his head, and before he can formulate the question, "Did I get hit?" he passes out on the snow.
He wakes up at the bottom of a dried cenote, his head pounding and a few snowflakes floating down around him.
THE DETAILS
STRENGTHS/SKILLS/ABILITIES:
He's very physical, preferring to think on his feet and to tackle problems that he can see, hear, and touch. As an adventurer, you couldn't ask for much better: he's ambidextrous (able to write and wield weapons with nearly equal ease with either hand -- though he favors his left), has a natural affinity for figuring out how things work and teaching himself by trial-and-error, his mind easily wraps around 3-dimensional things like mazes and puzzles, he's quick and light on his feet, has powerful legs able to jump high enough to put most basketball players to shame, is hard-hitting due to years of sword-fighting, and has unusually high stamina and endurance. Taught to use a variety of weapons at an early age, he's an excellent swordsman, as well as gifted in the use of various ranged weapons, including boomerang, bow and arrow, and toss-able items like bombs and rocks, as well as the use of other, miscellaneous gear that he's taught himself to use.
His more notable sword techniques are:
Down Thrust (After jumping, he turns the blade downward and bears his weight on it, like mounting a pogo stick. Can be combined with the Handy Gloves to create what he calls the Rock Breaker, or with the Jump spell for greater impact)
Upward Thrust (Also called Jump Thrust. A powerful jump with the blade aimed upward, to skewer or slice targets overhead.)
Sword Beam (A laser-like wave of energy emitted from the tip of his blade, which can damage its targets. This is a special skill carried in his father's bloodline, which is produced by channeling a small amount of magic through metal objects, producing a blow that is about as powerful as a hard punch. Certain metals are more conducive to this than others, and the shape of the blade can affect the form the wave takes.)
He has innate magic ability, being able to sense energies related to spells being cast in the vicinity, able to be used by others as a magical conduit (an ability he keeps secret, for his own protection, and which temporarily opens an empathic link between himself and the person he's channeling into), and he is capable of surprisingly potent spells. With the use of an artifact or other focus item, like certain stones or his sword (the metal acts as a conduit and the point concentrates the energy), he can gain better control of his magic. Some focuses, like amethyst or quartz, even amplify the potency of the spell by reducing what would normally be energy wasted.
Altogether, he knows these eight spells:
Life (Heals non-lethal wounds and restores some vitality. Cannot be used on others.)
Jump (Allows him to jump one time as high as 14')
Fairy (Lasts for two full minutes and can be re-cast to increase the duration. The downside: it makes him frailer, and re-casting saps his limited magic. Plus, it's an incredibly embarrassing spell. Note: while he can fly as a fairy, he does not have access to other spells or weapons while under the effects, and he does not have the powers of a healing fairy.)
Reflect (Deflects many spells by temporarily strengthening his shield. Some spells will simply be neutralized, while others, like beams, fire, and Wizzrobe enchantments, will be bounced back at the caster. The duration of the shield decreases with the strength of the spell being reflected. Without being hit, it lasts about two minutes.)
Shield (Enhances his physical defenses by temporarily strengthening his shield, cutting all damage in half for approximately two minutes.)
Fire (Shoot a short sequence of fireballs from his weapon hand.)
Thunder (he most expensive spell, in terms of Magic depletion, -- two summonings will drop Link's Magic to nil -- it calls down a series of wild lightning bolts. Without a focus stone, the only thing Link can depend on to NOT be hit with this spell is himself and anything directly touching him; all else is fair game: monsters, people, buildings, etc. Each bolt hits with enough force to do as much damage as a critical hit from Link's sword, which is enough to fell most monsters in one blow. Using a focus stone such as amethyst or quartz, Link can exert better control over the spell, allowing a greater "safe zone" around himself -- roughly five feet all around him. Using a focus means the bolts all aim straight down into the ground, hitting with more force as less energy is wasted, as opposed to veering sideways and forking, which means not all bolts hit with equal strength and some barely do damage at all.)
Spell (A mysterious and often unpredictable -- thus, it's seldom used -- spell. If there is a magically hidden passage, it undoes the cloaking spell. If there is a magical lock, it unravels the protective ward. Best Link can figure, Spell's function is to unravel existing Magic, revealing the truth under the enhancements. Strangest of all, on some enemies it has the power to transform them into easily-eliminated Bots. As Link found out by accident, these creatures secrete a viscous blue goop that, when swallowed, temporarily transforms some people into Bots and Bits of various colors and sizes. Each transformed person can then be squeezed -- a harmless process, as these creatures have no bones to break -- to extract Potion, lantern oil, and other liquids whose effects vary by the color of their transformed state. When the person transforms back, they will feel rejuvenated, though some may exhibit additional temporary effects based on their transformation.)
Being the Chosen of the Triforce of Courage, he has certain unique gifts:
He has some protection from the Triforce of Courage, the spirit of which dwells within him and will occasionally send him messages in the form of highly sensory dreams and gut-feelings, such as alerting him when the land is tainted, or when someone's harboring evil intentions (the Triforce's interpretation of "evil", in any case). He's learned to trust these feelings, even when they seem to make little sense from a traditionally logical stance.
He can read, speak, and understand ancient Hyrulean languages, even pre-Mudoran languages. However, there are limits to this skill, such as not being able to write in these languages, or begin speaking them at will.
Among his more mundane skills are:
Some artistic talent: his preferred style is boldly colorful, geometric, and heavily lined, with most things stylized to be a bit squat and chubby (see the sketches in the old game manuals, for samples), though he can capture a much softer feel by using watercolor washes, and he can draw more naturalistic proportions if he wishes (though it will still have a blocky, heavy-handed feel).
Some musical talent. He has a decent singing voice (by no means a virtuoso, but he can carry a tune and his voice is quite pleasant, if rather soft. He can play the recorder (the poor man's flute) and the panpipes.
He's good with horses, his father having a small but successful horse-breeding ranch, which Link and his sister used to help with. He can ride and tame and look after most horses.
LIMITATIONS:
He's often socially awkward. His propensity toward listening to his heart first and jumping in without really thinking things through tends to get him in trouble. He's hot-blooded, somewhat impatient, stubborn, and thus fairly easy to goad. He also vacillates between extremes, being talkative and playful or even flirtatious one moment and then becoming shy and reserved the next. This is basically due to him being completely overshadowed by his mother and sister, growing up -- the women ran the house, with Link and his father allowing it in the interest of keeping the peace. Growing up Link chose to be almost completely dependent on his more outgoing twin sister to do all the talking for him. He then got to Hyrule and was left on his own, wanting to be more outgoing but not quite knowing what to say (as a result, he said a loooooot of stupid things, especially in his attempts to woo Zelda). But just because he's not speaking doesn't mean he's not communicating! His eyes and body are very expressive. Unfortunately, this means he also makes a lousy liar. He might try and spin you a tale and perhaps even sound convincing, but his eyes tend to give him away. Same goes for when he's excited or frightened or worried or completely besotted: he tends to ramble and give away more than he should.
While he may be good at solving puzzles and improvisation in the heat of battle, he is NOT necessarily good at planning ahead (though he generally does better if he approaches the task from a military operations p.o.v.) In other words, you might consider asking him to organize your upcoming war, but not your wedding, your birthday party, or even any meals farther away than tonight's dinner, because he WILL forget or leave out important details.
While his magical potential is high, his control is poor. Without proper concentration, even the simplest spells run the risk of having unexpected results. Trying to start a small fire to light a candle, for example, may turn into a fireball that shoots out of control and ignites anything in its path. His Thunder spell is ridiculously overpowered and dangerous, even with a focus stone. And while his healing spell can be used on himself, he can't pour it outward onto others. What's worse, if his magic is drained too far, it WILL start leaching his Life Force (physical health).
Although his link with the Triforce enables him to understand ancient languages, he has no conscious control over it: if he hears or reads something in one of these languages, he'll naturally lapse into it, often without even realizing he's doing it. If asked to consciously analyze the language, such as teach it to someone else, or to put together a codex for the symbols, simply he can't; the skill works strictly as a translation mechanism.
His magic, while powerful when unleashed, is often wild and severely limited in the number of spells he can cast each day. Without Magic Vials or Purple or Green Potion, it takes him 24 hours to recover his magic, once completely depleted.
His channeling ability makes him a prime target for any unscrupulous magic-user who learns of it: Link CAN be drained faster than he can absorb energy, and while his ability can be used to recharge another person, it cannot recharge his own magic any faster. Considering that once his magic is drained past a certain point it starts sapping his Life, being overused as a channel could outright kill him.
The temporary empathic line that opens between Link and anyone he's channeling magic into, while giving him some insight into the person he's attached to, can be used against him, his emotions laid completely exposed. The person channeling through him might be able to somewhat block him, but he currently has no way to block them.
Unless some loz monsters start pouring into Ompha, his Spell spell will be nigh useless, being incompatible with the natural magic and monsters of the place. This also means he has no way to acquire Potion.
He's so religious, it's easy for him to second-guess himself and feel guilty. Example: when Ganon seemingly showed a moment of humanity toward the end, Link feared it meant that perhaps Ganon was actually a person rather than the soulless pig-monster he and everyone else assumed. Were that the case, Link would have committed murder, which is anathema to his faith. Even though he's been told over and over that it was a war and he had every right to defend the land that hired him by whatever means necessary, Link has never been knighted, and has a hard time considering himself a soldier of any sort, and so he doesn't feel he has the right to claim a sentient life. As a result, he lost his conviction for a while, certain that his Goddesses couldn't forgive him for such an act. When the mark of the Triforce appeared on his hand about a year later, he was relieved, but he still carries the lingering fear that his blessing will be taken away at any moment should he prove unworthy.
Ever since the battle with his Shadow, there's a part of Link that distrusts himself, and tries to overcompensate by being the ever-vigilant hero, and does not easily forgive himself for perceived failures. What's more, because the shadow-creature emerged from a mirror and moved like his living reflection, Link's had a phobia about mirrors ever since, and refuses to allow a mirror near him that cannot be tightly covered or securely stowed away. At night, especially, he can't stand his own reflection, which often invites vivid nightmares about the event.
Also, anything resembling arachnids (Deelers, Aru Lowders, Tektites, Geldarms, etc), roaches (Lowders), or detached body parts (such as Moas and Stalfos) squick him something awful. Seriously. He'll fight them and beat them, but the first time he sees them he's likely to whimper or outright scream like a girl. After the fight is over, the first thing he wants is to get very far away, take a hot shower, and curl up in bed with a piece of candy and a plush. He may not get to do that, of course, but if there's a town within a five-mile walk and there's no particular rush, he'll definitely try. And if that's not to be had, he'll get somewhere safe and curl up next to his horse until he calms down.
EQUIPMENT/PETS:
Being a Hero, he has a whooooole lot of arsenal at his disposal. His gear is as follows:
A magical pouch strapped to his belt to the left of the buckle magically shrinks rupees and specially-made boomerangs, bombs, and rope to portable size. It currently contains: 9 bombs (about the same explosive power as a stick of TNT), 3 cheap Goriya-made boomerangs that break after a couple of hits, no arrows, a blue rupee and 3 green rupees (total value: 8 rupees), a 30' length of rope, and a 15' rope ladder.
A larger pouch attached to the back of his belt, across the hips, carries bulkier, non-shrinkable items. It currently holds: a blanket (rolled and strapped to the top of the pack), an incomplete map of Death Mountain and Kakariko Village, a spare shirt for himself (long-sleeved white cotton, with a high neck), a spare pair of pants for Vaati (gray, and much too narrow to wear himself), two pairs of warm boot-length socks, some durable but mostly-perishable foods (bread, cheese, jerky), a canteen of water, and, in a separate pouch, his first aid supplies: rolls of linen bandages, flexible bamboo splints, a bottle of Blue Potion, a square tin filled with burn salve, a packet of fresh-cut aloe leaves, a small suture kit comprised of curved needles, forked thread puller, and waxed thread, a pair of metal tweezers, and a thin vial of antiseptic.
A thin, highly compartmentalized satchel on the front, to the right of the buckle, holds his focus stones (amethyst crystal, small ruby, rough quartz point, citrine, and rose quartz), the Red Candle, the Warp Whistle (useless as anything but a flute, in Ompha), a whetstone, a small chamois, a thin knife (mostly for cutting rope or slicing meats), a small bottle of oil for his sword and shield, and basic writing instruments (charcoal stick, wooden stylus, dry ink tablet).
A pair of Handy Gloves hang from a loop at his belt at the right side, next to the narrow satchel. These are able to send shockwaves through rock and wood, shattering rock and slicing clean through more pliant wood.
He carries the Magical Sword (which he calls the White Sword -- the name of his previous sword, which he'd grown fond of) in an intricately-adorned blue and gold leather and metal sheathe across his hip. This sword is a sanctified weapon, capable of breaking curses, channeling magic, and doing extremely high damage to anything aligned with Black or Dark magic (although it will tolerate Shadow or Gray magic).
A Quiver with three chambers is slung across his back via a strap that crosses over his chest. It holds twenty regular arrows, ten Silver Arrows (reusable, if he can recover them), and his Bow.(OOC Note: for the sake of the mun's sanity, we are ignoring the whole "eating up rupees instead of arrows" bit and giving him a proper quiver and limited number of arrows). Silver Arrows are blessed with the power of Light: they do bonus damage to those affiliated with Black or Dark magic and can break through magical barriers.
The Cross Shield (with the Cross artifact affixed to the backing) can be slung atop the quiver and bow when not in-use. Otherwise, it is held secured to his right arm. The Cross artifact can be used to reveal hidden things to his own eyes, though it won't actually undo the magic. The shield is sturdy metal-reinforced wood and can be used as an anchor for Link's Shield and Reflect spells.
He wears a Blue Ring on his left hand's middle finger, and the Power Bracelet on his left wrist. These give him added physical protection and the strength to pick up and hurl boulders and other things as big as he is and many times his weight.
THE WRITING
SAMPLE - LOGS:
[This is stupid, isn't it. If Vaati were here, he'd be giving Link that Look that says, "You might, quite possibly, be too dumb to breed. Ever." ...Well, then, he supposes it's a good thing neither Vaati nor him can have children, because dammit, he's GOTTA try it, now.
[Reaching out, he plucks up the tall, thin purple mushroom from its cluster and, cautiously, takes a small bite. ...It doesn't taste bad. Not good, but not bad. Not like much of anything, in fact. Maybe he didn't try enough? He tries a bigger piece.
[...Nope. Nothing. Disappointing, really, because the way it gleamed in the light really reminded him of grape-flavored candy, and since so many other strange mushrooms around here have ended up tasting like food and his sweet-tooth's been acting up, he was really, really hoping-- WHOA! Why's... his... stomach--!? Owwwww!
[There's a line of fire across his waist, and he thinks he's about to be violently ill, or is having some allergic reaction. He feels bloated! Hunched over in pain, he feels his belt buckle jabbing into his stomach and, figuring that's one more irritation he REALLY doesn't need right now, scrambles to undo the clasp. He thinks the difficulties he's having with it are merely do to his shaking fingers, but when he finally gets it open, the belt whips and flies off, the ends slapping his hands as the band snaps away and lands several feet away. For a moment, the relief as his stomach stops hurting is enough to override the surprise. He laughs nervously, wondering what the heck THAT was about, but glad he;s suddenly better.
[Clumsily, he turns to reach back for his belt and realizes what the problem was: that pain wasn't coming from his insides, it was coming from his waist, which was being crushed by his belt... because his midriff is now HUGE!!! And we're not just talking potbelly, here!]
AAAAH!!! I'm a BEACH BALL!!!
[He can hear the seams on his pants and shirt and tunic tear at the waist and hips as he keeps getting bigger, rounder... and more wobbly!] WHOA! [He loses his balance under the new weight distribution and falls forward with a dull thud and a slight bounce, arms and legs (still normal-looking, strangely enough) dangling helplessly in mid-air.
[He struggles, trying to move, but only succeeding in gaining a few inches toward his pack, and that only after much flailing and grasping and kicking at the ground. He whines, knowing there's nothing in his pack to undo this. And he's torn, because even though he needs the help, he'd be mortified of anyone finding him like THIS. ESPECIALLY Vaati! He'd never hear the end of it! ("Not only are you too dumb to breed, but now you couldn't even find the parts to do so if you tried!")
[He looks, he's sure, like one of those toys where it's just a ball with little pegs pushed in for joints. Or a skinny kid in a fat mascot suit. Or-- ...Damn. THAT'S what he looks like: those tacky, chubby plush dolls that creepy merchant tried to get him to sponsor, once. The ones with the green shirts and rope arms and legs and scratchy yarn hair that the creep insisted was, "an adorable likeness of the famous hero! Every kid will want one!". Link had declined, on the grounds it was shoddily made, looked nothing like him, in fact looked more like a chewed-up dog toy, and besides, "Who'd wanna play with a doll of me, anyway?"]
Great. So, obviously, the bastard's dead and watching from whatever hell he went to. Terrific! Well, I hope he's having a grand old time. [He grouses for several minutes, slightly wobbling on his belly.] ...Okay, fine, then! Since I'm not going anywhere soon, anyway-- [Hope that merchant is getting a REAL good look, now, 'cuz that rude gesture Link's making? That's aaaaaall for him.]
SAMPLE - MESSAGE:
[There's a clatter of various objects, of differing weights and materials, being set upon the floor, singly or in small clusters. Someone -- male -- mutters "no", "nope", "nuh-uh", and other similar dismissals under his breath, each one soon followed by the setting down of yet another a new and mysterious something.]
[Sporadically, just under these sounds, is the soft shifting of fabric and leather and metal, the frequency building until, loudly, much heavier objects -- dull thuds and metallic thumps -- are finally lowered, and the near-constant fidgeting stops with a sigh.]
[A momentary silence, like a deep and welcome breath...]
[Then:] Where the hell IS it? I KNOW I packed it...
[With another flurry of movement, the seemingly endless production of smaller objects, each scrutinized and set aside, continues, like the sounds of careful rummaging at a small yard sale: short, light staccatos, dull, heavy rustling, high-pitched clanks clanks, and low, echoing clangs.]
[It really begs the question: just where is so much (apparent) crap even coming from?]
CHARACTER
Note: Because the pure canon is so sparse -- making it impossible to arrive at an indisputably "true" and reasonably complete game-based characterization -- nearly everything in here is headcanon, or else heavily extrapolated or selectively chosen from various non-canon yet still reasonably "official" sources, most of which conflict greatly with both each other and with the games.
THE BASICS
NAME(S): Linkshaia Adennos dal'Brisby al'Silva, A.K.A.: Link, or Linksha
CANON & TIMELINE: post-Zelda II: Adventure of Link. Pulled out of the timeline roughly a year after the end of the second adventure and developed further by several months in zelda_dressing.
CHARACTER TYPE: slightly AU
AGE: 17
THE CHARACTER
APPEARANCE:
Height: 5'-5"
Weight: about 140 lbs
Build: broad-shouldered, well-muscled but not bulky, and quite short for his age
Complexion: medium tan, with warm undertones; fairly resistant to freckling, though a few come in high summer and then fade out in winter.
Hair: reddish-brown, layered, and often messy. The are bangs long enough to just cover the eyes. Chin-length forelocks frame his face on either side. The rest tapers down to the top rim of the shoulder blades. Has a thick, slightly wavy texture and tends to curl, when damp. It's often worn in a ponytail, a braid, or twisted, flipped up, and pinned flat, then hidden under his hat. A few stray strands always manage to escape the bottom of his hat, no matter how tightly he binds it.
Eyes: color-shifting green, ranging from green-gray to bright emerald, but usually dark forest green (not uncommon fare for green eyes).
Scars: claw marks on the right breast, just missing the nipple, going up from chest to collarbone; bite marks along the top of the right ear; a thin, horizontal slash on the right cheek; a run-through stab wound near the gut, 4" to the right and 2" up from the navel, just to the side of the middle set of ab muscles, with a matching exit wound on the back, a little below the originating point; fairly large burn scar along the anterior left thigh; a horizontal gash just above the left hamstring; several other minor, less visible cut and burn marks, most on the back, arms, and lower legs, and a few on the fingers.
Birthmark: Golden Triforce symbol on the back of his left hand, with a slightly etched quality; will sometimes glow brightly.
Piercings: Left earlobe; wears a single silver-blue hoop
Clothing: Comfortable brown breeches (laced at each side from a hand-span down up to the waist, for fit, with a zipper fastener in front), long-sleeved, turtle-necked brown shirt, a much-repaired green tunic, a floppy green hat the same shade as the tunic, brown leather belt, and sturdy brown leather boots are his standard attire. To accommodate all his gear, he has various packs and pouches strapped at various points. There's an ornate sword sheath belted over the right hip, a pouch strapped to his belt to the left of the buckle, another, thinner one on the right, and a larger pack slung across his hips behind him. A Quiver with two chambers is belted across his back, the straps crossing over his chest.
Jewelry: One small, thick blue-white metal hoop on the left earlobe. The Power Bracelet, which looks like a bright, copper-colored cuff bracelet with a twist design and pyramidal endcaps, on his left wrist. A Blue Ring -- a simple-looking gold band with a high-mounted, cabochon-cut blue gem of indeterminate mineral composition -- on the middle finger of his left hand.
Alternate forms: He can cast a short-duration spell called Fairy, which turns him into a fairy for all of about two minutes, letting him flit across wide gaps and through small openings... with the unfortunate side-effect of being RIDICULOUS-looking, since his Fairy form is vaguely reminiscent of OoT Great Fairies: wild red hair that spikes above his head like flames, ivy and flowering vines wrapped around his limbs, and a toga made of flower petals and red-tinged grass blades.
PERSONALITY:
Kind-hearted and self-sacrificing, he will risk his life for a stranger. Contemplative and reserved, but with a mischievous streak and a love for silly pranks. Tends to be a worry-wort, worry more for others than for himself, and is often too harsh on himself. Tends to go with his feelings first and his brain second. Quiet, but passionate and opinionated. And though he rarely shows it, he's quite smart, witty, and quick on the comeback. Harbors a slightly higher than average competitive streak.
He likes being around people, but rarely says much unless he knows the other person quite well, or there's something about that person that makes him want to open up. When he's around people he's comfortable with, he gets very animated, and is prone to rambling or being an outright dork. Can be quite flirtatious, if you catch him on the right day, though he quickly turns shy if it starts getting serious. He's easy to goad or frustrate, but slow to truly anger, and quick to forgive once apologized to. He's fiercely loyal to those he cares about. His body language and especially his eyes are very expressive. He's a very affectionate, physical person, though he knows how to tone it down depending on the company.
He's a sucker for children, and they tend to like him back. In many ways, he is still a child at heart, enjoying sweets and comic books (especially action/adventure and horror, and -- though he won't admit it -- particularly if there's a decent love story side-plot), and though he typically downplays it, he loves plush toys and animals -- anything vaguely "cute".
Perhaps it's a side-effect of worshiping all-female deities, or having a strong-willed mother, or of the uniquely close relationship he had with his twin sister, but Link values women at an almost devotional level. ...Not that he's beyond dirty thoughts, or commiserating with other guys on how frustrating women can be.
Blame the teenage hormones, but Link is a HIGHLY sexual being, and tends to have a one-track mind about it. It should also be noted that he might have a hard time differentiating between lust and love -- he generally operates under the notion that if he wants the person bad enough to want to sleep with them, then it means he's in love (although he sees a great distinction between merely finding someone attractive and actually lusting after them). Perhaps he's in love with the idea of being in love. Regardless, once he believes he loves someone, he'll dote on them and give himself over to them with all his heart, with a penchant for not really thinking over the practical feasibility of such a match until much later, if at all.
He is a man of deep faith. He prays regularly and observes the tenets of his faith as carefully as he can.
HISTORY & WORLD-BUILDING:
Born just outside Ciella, the capital city of Calatia, which is a small, relatively peaceful kingdom west of Old Hyrule. Calatia lies just beyond Hyrule's south western mountain range, and is accessible only through a few narrow trails.
He's the eldest son of Arn Brisby -- a native Hyrulean, retired captain, and war veteran -- and of Medilia al'Silva -- a Calatian warrior woman and war veteran of low noblesse. He has one twin sister, born less than 15 minutes before him, with whom he shares an almost psychic link. He also has a 4-yr-old brother, Haddeh, whom he has not seen since the boy was little over a year old. His grandfather, on his dad's side, lives in the Lake Hylia region of Old Hyrule. According to Grandpa, Link's family is descended from some great hero or other, who brought the Triforce out of the Golden Land about a hundred years back. He has three rarely-seen uncles (father's older brothers) and a few cousins scattered around Hyrule, and his mother's adoptive family clan in Calatia (she's a foundling), which include his adoptive grandparents. Because of Calatian conventions of Kinship, he is also considered a "nephew" of sorts to his mother's two best friends, whose children are regarded as cousins to him and his siblings.
Since childhood, Link's been a deeply devout member of the Trinity Church, an ancient religion which believes that The Three who created the world were the sister deities Din, Nayru, and Farore. Nowadays, this religion is practiced almost exclusively in Calatia, having phased out of Hyrule and the bordering kingdoms in favor of male or gender-neutral deities, and some fairly new monotheistic sects. Because of his birthdate, his patron Goddess is Farore, Goddess of Courage, and he often wears the color green in reverence to her. As a child, he sang in the Temple choir, and was a junior prayer leader. Though he no longer has access to a Trinity Church or Shrine, he observes the customs as best he can, finding a secluded, private space in which to strip down, lay all his burdens at the threshold, and pray for guidance, or simply try and feel closer to them.
An excellent student, if a bit quiet and too fond of pranks, Link developed an early love for the ancient ruins dotting the landscape near his parents' home (mostly abandoned temples to The Three and other deities), and a thirst for exploration. At 14, he was admitted to Hyrule's prestigious Rauru Academy, and asked to participate in a summer studies program to dig up artifacts around an old temple in the Tantari Desert. He was SUPPOSED to go through the mountains, veer south a bit to meet his grandfather along the shores of Lake Hylia, spend a couple weeks there, then take the ferry to Rauru Town, in the Northern Continent. Unfortunately, the proverbial feces hit the fan and, due to a collapse in communications, Link headed into Hyrule not knowing he was stepping into the middle of a silent war. Thankfully for Hyrule, Link's luck (or maybe Divine Intervention) stepped in, protected him from the dangers (he narrowly missed the burning down of both Kakariko and Hyrule Castle Town), and allowed him to reach Impa just in time to stop her from being captured by Ganon's minions: a fateful moment which set Link on his path to becoming a hero. Although Impa never told him why she chose to ask him for help, the fact is, at the moment that he saved her, the symbol of the sacred Triforce glowed for a few moments on his left hand. Familiar with the prophecies and old legends, Impa recognized this as the sign of the Chosen Hero, and knew he'd be the only one capable of surviving the trials ahead.
Through many dangers, the boy prevailed, defeating monster after monster, sleeping in trees or caves when night fell, gathering information, slowly building and getting to know his arsenal, to gather the scattered pieces of the Triforce of Wisdom.
Eventually, he reached Ganon's tower, in Death Mountain, and fought and defeated the hideous and huge man with his boar-like face and his wicked trident and fearsome magic. To his surprise, Ganon showed what seemed like a moment of humanity toward the end, reaching out toward Link in what appeared to be supplication or a plea for mercy as he lay dying. What he was doing, in fact, was reaching for Link's shadow as it stretched across the floor, to dip his fingers in a few drops of Link's blood spilled within; from those, using his final strength, Ganon made a Shadow-creature that would later torment Link in hopes of destroying him and thereby enabling the resurrection of its fallen master.
Link spent about a year living in the Royal Palace, helping the kingdom slowly rebuild and trying (unsuccessfully) to woo the beautiful Princess Zelda, whom he believed he had fallen head-over-heels for. His once-dreams of going to school and becoming an archaeologist were put aside and eventually forgotten, having learned that he was having far more fun rummaging through old temples and playing with priceless ancient artifacts than he ever would have had crouched under a hot sun tediously sifting through dirt for fragments of broken pottery.
On his 16th birthday, the Triforce symbol manifested itself once and for all on Link's hand, in the form of an unusual birthmark, and Impa once again used her knowledge to guide him to his destiny. This time, not only did he need to save his beloved Princess from a curse of eternal slumber, but also recover the long-lost Triforce of Courage, which had been hidden by the previous Hero the moment he brought it out of the Dark Realm, by order of Zelda's great-grandmother. This involved a months-long trek across the entire span of Hyrule -- several small continents and islands, separated by everything from mountain and sea to magical barriers -- in order to replace a set of eight crystals into their pedestals deep within a series of monster-infested ruins, so as to unlock the gates of the Triforce's resting place, the Great Palace.
The final round was a battle with his living shadow -- the last legacy of Ganon -- which haunts him still, the creature seemingly able to read his mind and play upon his deepest fears, taunting him over the course of the battle by giving voice to Link's darkest thoughts and twisting them into a promise of what the Shadow would do to Link's loved ones once it had killed him. The Shadow very nearly succeeded in killing Link, permanently scarring his body, but did succeed in making Link fly into an animal rage, brutally slashing and pummeling the creature into a pulp. The creature's parting gift, before dying, was running Link through with its sword, through the gut. Although, he managed to slay it, Link would have died of his wounds had he not soon after found the Triforce of Courage, which, upon choosing him as its own, restored his body. Once awake, he reverently wrapped up the gently-glowing Triforce shard and made the arduous trek back to the North Palace, then watched with relief as the Triforce's presence broke the spell laid on Zelda.
Afraid for Zelda's life, since Ganon's minions continued to hound him, Link eventually decided to leave the Royal Palace -- and civilization, in general -- and spent about 3/4 of a year living in a small shack he built himself, deep in a seldom-visited forest, with only his horse, Catherine (Cath'ren, in Calatian) to keep him company, and the masses of monsters still trying to kill him and revive Ganon to keep him occupied.
Winter came, and after a miserable three-day trudge through the snow (his horse was in a stable, awaiting the birth of her first foal), Link came home exhausted, having fought off a minor invasion of low-level monsters (not hard to kill one by one or in small groups, but a NIGHTMARE when they get numerous enough to swarm), and dropped dead asleep without even bothering to remove his gear. He awoke... in a tree. He had somehow been transported to an alternate Hyrule, empty save for a few souls who, like him, had been plucked from their respective Hyrules, from various points in history. By listening to other people's stories and comparing them to what little Hyrulean history he remembered, Link eventually came to the conclusion that this Hyrule was at least a thousand years in his past.
Although he missed his family and the people he'd met in Hyrule, he made new friends, actually somewhat relieved to find himself in a place where he WASN'T a liability to people just by being in the general vicinity. One of the first people he met was a strange sorcerer named Vaati, who had dominion over the wind. Link found him very intriguing, having never encountered a member of Vaati's species before. Before long, they were trading stories and showing each other off their magic spells. Eventually they parted ways, and only after the strange magician was gone did Link realize: he'd been so busy socializing that he'd completely forgotten to ask the mage where he was! Along came a pretty young brunette, who called herself Princess Zelda, but said there were several women by that name here, and so he should simply call her "Jewel". Thinking he'd stumbled into some sort of role-playing game (embarrassingly enough, it was not not uncommon for people in his Hyrule to have costumes and even dolls of him and the princess, since his adventures had become well known). He played along, not seeing the harm... until his Triforce began to resonate with hers, at which point he had no choice BUT to believe her and her wild tales of an alternate Hyrule. Stunned, but at a loss for what to do next, he escorted her home to the nearby town of Kakariko and began searching through the available empty houses for a place to spend the night.
Time passed, with Link (now calling himself by his childhood nickname, "Linksha", to distinguish himself from the various other Links in this Hyrule knock-off) eventually settling down to live in a spare room at the abandoned inn Jewel and some friends were staying at. He'd almost decided to live with Vaati, as he'd grown fond of the snarky sorcerer and his dry sense of humor, but decided against it in the end for fear of what Vaati would think about Linksha's state of undress during prayer.
One night, at a summer festival, after much fun, Linksha and Vaati settled down and ended up having a very serious conversation. Quite by accident, Linksha ended up goading Vaati into spilling the beans about his past. Which, it turns out, was NOT as innocent as Linksha had assumed. Vaati was a villain. He'd tried and failed to take over his version of Hyrule, nearly killed the princess there, and turned several people into stone (and one guy into a talking hat, thought Linksha couldn't honestly take that one as seriously). Though normally Linksha would be appalled, for some reason he found himself unable to think ill of Vaati. Had Vaati been evil, the Triforce of Courage would have warned him in some way, right? Like it always did? He figured there must be some reason for that -- perhaps something that the Triforce saw in Vaati that could be redeemed -- and so, instead of turning him away, Linksha tried to council and console the mage. Unused to encountering kindness, Vaati broke down into tears, and Linksha held him until the tears stopped. Afraid to leave Vaati to his own devices for the night after being so visibly shaken, Linksha concocted a scheme to take the sorcerer's mind off his troubles: a tour of Hyrule via Warp Whistle. He was certain that Vaati -- the Wind Sorcerer -- would be unable to resist studying how the whistle's warp magic manifested as a whirlwind. He was right.
The tour ended up lasting several days. During its course, the two found out they worked rather well together, even in battle. They got in fights with each other. They pushed each other's buttons. They got to know much of each other, the good and the bad. Through a potent combination of their mutual guy-crush, teenage hormones, some embarrassing questions with very frank answers, and some rather graphic wall decor, they found themselves drawn into a (pun fully intended) whirlwind romance. By the time they'd come back from their tour, they were lovers.
As the months wore on, Kakariko became a more dangerous place, a wizard named Ganondorf having decided that he was going to place Kakariko under his dominion. A series of battles ensued. Monsters poured out of the town well and from the mountains to the north. Poor Jewel was kidnapped. Finally, Vaati decided they needed to increase security, and set off to work some (Linksha assumed) potentially-dangerous magic up on Death Mountain, away from the town. He left only saying he'd return when it was done, and Linksha did feel the magic gathering up there, and felt it wind down. That meant the spell was done, right? But as the days passed and Vaati still didn't come back, Linksha got worried. Not knowing what he'd find up there, he grabbed supplies and weapons and headed off to try and find his mage.
It's a mountain. It's a mountain housing a volcano, and it's notorious for earthquakes and rock slides. It's winter. It's cold. It's snowing. He can barely see 10 feet ahead. He calls out in the hopes of hearing Vaati answer, but none is to be had. At some point, he hears a loud rumbling, and the earth shakes. He feels a burst of pain in his head, and before he can formulate the question, "Did I get hit?" he passes out on the snow.
He wakes up at the bottom of a dried cenote, his head pounding and a few snowflakes floating down around him.
THE DETAILS
STRENGTHS/SKILLS/ABILITIES:
He's very physical, preferring to think on his feet and to tackle problems that he can see, hear, and touch. As an adventurer, you couldn't ask for much better: he's ambidextrous (able to write and wield weapons with nearly equal ease with either hand -- though he favors his left), has a natural affinity for figuring out how things work and teaching himself by trial-and-error, his mind easily wraps around 3-dimensional things like mazes and puzzles, he's quick and light on his feet, has powerful legs able to jump high enough to put most basketball players to shame, is hard-hitting due to years of sword-fighting, and has unusually high stamina and endurance. Taught to use a variety of weapons at an early age, he's an excellent swordsman, as well as gifted in the use of various ranged weapons, including boomerang, bow and arrow, and toss-able items like bombs and rocks, as well as the use of other, miscellaneous gear that he's taught himself to use.
His more notable sword techniques are:
Down Thrust (After jumping, he turns the blade downward and bears his weight on it, like mounting a pogo stick. Can be combined with the Handy Gloves to create what he calls the Rock Breaker, or with the Jump spell for greater impact)
Upward Thrust (Also called Jump Thrust. A powerful jump with the blade aimed upward, to skewer or slice targets overhead.)
Sword Beam (A laser-like wave of energy emitted from the tip of his blade, which can damage its targets. This is a special skill carried in his father's bloodline, which is produced by channeling a small amount of magic through metal objects, producing a blow that is about as powerful as a hard punch. Certain metals are more conducive to this than others, and the shape of the blade can affect the form the wave takes.)
He has innate magic ability, being able to sense energies related to spells being cast in the vicinity, able to be used by others as a magical conduit (an ability he keeps secret, for his own protection, and which temporarily opens an empathic link between himself and the person he's channeling into), and he is capable of surprisingly potent spells. With the use of an artifact or other focus item, like certain stones or his sword (the metal acts as a conduit and the point concentrates the energy), he can gain better control of his magic. Some focuses, like amethyst or quartz, even amplify the potency of the spell by reducing what would normally be energy wasted.
Altogether, he knows these eight spells:
Life (Heals non-lethal wounds and restores some vitality. Cannot be used on others.)
Jump (Allows him to jump one time as high as 14')
Fairy (Lasts for two full minutes and can be re-cast to increase the duration. The downside: it makes him frailer, and re-casting saps his limited magic. Plus, it's an incredibly embarrassing spell. Note: while he can fly as a fairy, he does not have access to other spells or weapons while under the effects, and he does not have the powers of a healing fairy.)
Reflect (Deflects many spells by temporarily strengthening his shield. Some spells will simply be neutralized, while others, like beams, fire, and Wizzrobe enchantments, will be bounced back at the caster. The duration of the shield decreases with the strength of the spell being reflected. Without being hit, it lasts about two minutes.)
Shield (Enhances his physical defenses by temporarily strengthening his shield, cutting all damage in half for approximately two minutes.)
Fire (Shoot a short sequence of fireballs from his weapon hand.)
Thunder (he most expensive spell, in terms of Magic depletion, -- two summonings will drop Link's Magic to nil -- it calls down a series of wild lightning bolts. Without a focus stone, the only thing Link can depend on to NOT be hit with this spell is himself and anything directly touching him; all else is fair game: monsters, people, buildings, etc. Each bolt hits with enough force to do as much damage as a critical hit from Link's sword, which is enough to fell most monsters in one blow. Using a focus stone such as amethyst or quartz, Link can exert better control over the spell, allowing a greater "safe zone" around himself -- roughly five feet all around him. Using a focus means the bolts all aim straight down into the ground, hitting with more force as less energy is wasted, as opposed to veering sideways and forking, which means not all bolts hit with equal strength and some barely do damage at all.)
Spell (A mysterious and often unpredictable -- thus, it's seldom used -- spell. If there is a magically hidden passage, it undoes the cloaking spell. If there is a magical lock, it unravels the protective ward. Best Link can figure, Spell's function is to unravel existing Magic, revealing the truth under the enhancements. Strangest of all, on some enemies it has the power to transform them into easily-eliminated Bots. As Link found out by accident, these creatures secrete a viscous blue goop that, when swallowed, temporarily transforms some people into Bots and Bits of various colors and sizes. Each transformed person can then be squeezed -- a harmless process, as these creatures have no bones to break -- to extract Potion, lantern oil, and other liquids whose effects vary by the color of their transformed state. When the person transforms back, they will feel rejuvenated, though some may exhibit additional temporary effects based on their transformation.)
Being the Chosen of the Triforce of Courage, he has certain unique gifts:
He has some protection from the Triforce of Courage, the spirit of which dwells within him and will occasionally send him messages in the form of highly sensory dreams and gut-feelings, such as alerting him when the land is tainted, or when someone's harboring evil intentions (the Triforce's interpretation of "evil", in any case). He's learned to trust these feelings, even when they seem to make little sense from a traditionally logical stance.
He can read, speak, and understand ancient Hyrulean languages, even pre-Mudoran languages. However, there are limits to this skill, such as not being able to write in these languages, or begin speaking them at will.
Among his more mundane skills are:
Some artistic talent: his preferred style is boldly colorful, geometric, and heavily lined, with most things stylized to be a bit squat and chubby (see the sketches in the old game manuals, for samples), though he can capture a much softer feel by using watercolor washes, and he can draw more naturalistic proportions if he wishes (though it will still have a blocky, heavy-handed feel).
Some musical talent. He has a decent singing voice (by no means a virtuoso, but he can carry a tune and his voice is quite pleasant, if rather soft. He can play the recorder (the poor man's flute) and the panpipes.
He's good with horses, his father having a small but successful horse-breeding ranch, which Link and his sister used to help with. He can ride and tame and look after most horses.
LIMITATIONS:
He's often socially awkward. His propensity toward listening to his heart first and jumping in without really thinking things through tends to get him in trouble. He's hot-blooded, somewhat impatient, stubborn, and thus fairly easy to goad. He also vacillates between extremes, being talkative and playful or even flirtatious one moment and then becoming shy and reserved the next. This is basically due to him being completely overshadowed by his mother and sister, growing up -- the women ran the house, with Link and his father allowing it in the interest of keeping the peace. Growing up Link chose to be almost completely dependent on his more outgoing twin sister to do all the talking for him. He then got to Hyrule and was left on his own, wanting to be more outgoing but not quite knowing what to say (as a result, he said a loooooot of stupid things, especially in his attempts to woo Zelda). But just because he's not speaking doesn't mean he's not communicating! His eyes and body are very expressive. Unfortunately, this means he also makes a lousy liar. He might try and spin you a tale and perhaps even sound convincing, but his eyes tend to give him away. Same goes for when he's excited or frightened or worried or completely besotted: he tends to ramble and give away more than he should.
While he may be good at solving puzzles and improvisation in the heat of battle, he is NOT necessarily good at planning ahead (though he generally does better if he approaches the task from a military operations p.o.v.) In other words, you might consider asking him to organize your upcoming war, but not your wedding, your birthday party, or even any meals farther away than tonight's dinner, because he WILL forget or leave out important details.
While his magical potential is high, his control is poor. Without proper concentration, even the simplest spells run the risk of having unexpected results. Trying to start a small fire to light a candle, for example, may turn into a fireball that shoots out of control and ignites anything in its path. His Thunder spell is ridiculously overpowered and dangerous, even with a focus stone. And while his healing spell can be used on himself, he can't pour it outward onto others. What's worse, if his magic is drained too far, it WILL start leaching his Life Force (physical health).
Although his link with the Triforce enables him to understand ancient languages, he has no conscious control over it: if he hears or reads something in one of these languages, he'll naturally lapse into it, often without even realizing he's doing it. If asked to consciously analyze the language, such as teach it to someone else, or to put together a codex for the symbols, simply he can't; the skill works strictly as a translation mechanism.
His magic, while powerful when unleashed, is often wild and severely limited in the number of spells he can cast each day. Without Magic Vials or Purple or Green Potion, it takes him 24 hours to recover his magic, once completely depleted.
His channeling ability makes him a prime target for any unscrupulous magic-user who learns of it: Link CAN be drained faster than he can absorb energy, and while his ability can be used to recharge another person, it cannot recharge his own magic any faster. Considering that once his magic is drained past a certain point it starts sapping his Life, being overused as a channel could outright kill him.
The temporary empathic line that opens between Link and anyone he's channeling magic into, while giving him some insight into the person he's attached to, can be used against him, his emotions laid completely exposed. The person channeling through him might be able to somewhat block him, but he currently has no way to block them.
Unless some loz monsters start pouring into Ompha, his Spell spell will be nigh useless, being incompatible with the natural magic and monsters of the place. This also means he has no way to acquire Potion.
He's so religious, it's easy for him to second-guess himself and feel guilty. Example: when Ganon seemingly showed a moment of humanity toward the end, Link feared it meant that perhaps Ganon was actually a person rather than the soulless pig-monster he and everyone else assumed. Were that the case, Link would have committed murder, which is anathema to his faith. Even though he's been told over and over that it was a war and he had every right to defend the land that hired him by whatever means necessary, Link has never been knighted, and has a hard time considering himself a soldier of any sort, and so he doesn't feel he has the right to claim a sentient life. As a result, he lost his conviction for a while, certain that his Goddesses couldn't forgive him for such an act. When the mark of the Triforce appeared on his hand about a year later, he was relieved, but he still carries the lingering fear that his blessing will be taken away at any moment should he prove unworthy.
Ever since the battle with his Shadow, there's a part of Link that distrusts himself, and tries to overcompensate by being the ever-vigilant hero, and does not easily forgive himself for perceived failures. What's more, because the shadow-creature emerged from a mirror and moved like his living reflection, Link's had a phobia about mirrors ever since, and refuses to allow a mirror near him that cannot be tightly covered or securely stowed away. At night, especially, he can't stand his own reflection, which often invites vivid nightmares about the event.
Also, anything resembling arachnids (Deelers, Aru Lowders, Tektites, Geldarms, etc), roaches (Lowders), or detached body parts (such as Moas and Stalfos) squick him something awful. Seriously. He'll fight them and beat them, but the first time he sees them he's likely to whimper or outright scream like a girl. After the fight is over, the first thing he wants is to get very far away, take a hot shower, and curl up in bed with a piece of candy and a plush. He may not get to do that, of course, but if there's a town within a five-mile walk and there's no particular rush, he'll definitely try. And if that's not to be had, he'll get somewhere safe and curl up next to his horse until he calms down.
EQUIPMENT/PETS:
Being a Hero, he has a whooooole lot of arsenal at his disposal. His gear is as follows:
A magical pouch strapped to his belt to the left of the buckle magically shrinks rupees and specially-made boomerangs, bombs, and rope to portable size. It currently contains: 9 bombs (about the same explosive power as a stick of TNT), 3 cheap Goriya-made boomerangs that break after a couple of hits, no arrows, a blue rupee and 3 green rupees (total value: 8 rupees), a 30' length of rope, and a 15' rope ladder.
A larger pouch attached to the back of his belt, across the hips, carries bulkier, non-shrinkable items. It currently holds: a blanket (rolled and strapped to the top of the pack), an incomplete map of Death Mountain and Kakariko Village, a spare shirt for himself (long-sleeved white cotton, with a high neck), a spare pair of pants for Vaati (gray, and much too narrow to wear himself), two pairs of warm boot-length socks, some durable but mostly-perishable foods (bread, cheese, jerky), a canteen of water, and, in a separate pouch, his first aid supplies: rolls of linen bandages, flexible bamboo splints, a bottle of Blue Potion, a square tin filled with burn salve, a packet of fresh-cut aloe leaves, a small suture kit comprised of curved needles, forked thread puller, and waxed thread, a pair of metal tweezers, and a thin vial of antiseptic.
A thin, highly compartmentalized satchel on the front, to the right of the buckle, holds his focus stones (amethyst crystal, small ruby, rough quartz point, citrine, and rose quartz), the Red Candle, the Warp Whistle (useless as anything but a flute, in Ompha), a whetstone, a small chamois, a thin knife (mostly for cutting rope or slicing meats), a small bottle of oil for his sword and shield, and basic writing instruments (charcoal stick, wooden stylus, dry ink tablet).
A pair of Handy Gloves hang from a loop at his belt at the right side, next to the narrow satchel. These are able to send shockwaves through rock and wood, shattering rock and slicing clean through more pliant wood.
He carries the Magical Sword (which he calls the White Sword -- the name of his previous sword, which he'd grown fond of) in an intricately-adorned blue and gold leather and metal sheathe across his hip. This sword is a sanctified weapon, capable of breaking curses, channeling magic, and doing extremely high damage to anything aligned with Black or Dark magic (although it will tolerate Shadow or Gray magic).
A Quiver with three chambers is slung across his back via a strap that crosses over his chest. It holds twenty regular arrows, ten Silver Arrows (reusable, if he can recover them), and his Bow.(OOC Note: for the sake of the mun's sanity, we are ignoring the whole "eating up rupees instead of arrows" bit and giving him a proper quiver and limited number of arrows). Silver Arrows are blessed with the power of Light: they do bonus damage to those affiliated with Black or Dark magic and can break through magical barriers.
The Cross Shield (with the Cross artifact affixed to the backing) can be slung atop the quiver and bow when not in-use. Otherwise, it is held secured to his right arm. The Cross artifact can be used to reveal hidden things to his own eyes, though it won't actually undo the magic. The shield is sturdy metal-reinforced wood and can be used as an anchor for Link's Shield and Reflect spells.
He wears a Blue Ring on his left hand's middle finger, and the Power Bracelet on his left wrist. These give him added physical protection and the strength to pick up and hurl boulders and other things as big as he is and many times his weight.
THE WRITING
SAMPLE - LOGS:
[This is stupid, isn't it. If Vaati were here, he'd be giving Link that Look that says, "You might, quite possibly, be too dumb to breed. Ever." ...Well, then, he supposes it's a good thing neither Vaati nor him can have children, because dammit, he's GOTTA try it, now.
[Reaching out, he plucks up the tall, thin purple mushroom from its cluster and, cautiously, takes a small bite. ...It doesn't taste bad. Not good, but not bad. Not like much of anything, in fact. Maybe he didn't try enough? He tries a bigger piece.
[...Nope. Nothing. Disappointing, really, because the way it gleamed in the light really reminded him of grape-flavored candy, and since so many other strange mushrooms around here have ended up tasting like food and his sweet-tooth's been acting up, he was really, really hoping-- WHOA! Why's... his... stomach--!? Owwwww!
[There's a line of fire across his waist, and he thinks he's about to be violently ill, or is having some allergic reaction. He feels bloated! Hunched over in pain, he feels his belt buckle jabbing into his stomach and, figuring that's one more irritation he REALLY doesn't need right now, scrambles to undo the clasp. He thinks the difficulties he's having with it are merely do to his shaking fingers, but when he finally gets it open, the belt whips and flies off, the ends slapping his hands as the band snaps away and lands several feet away. For a moment, the relief as his stomach stops hurting is enough to override the surprise. He laughs nervously, wondering what the heck THAT was about, but glad he;s suddenly better.
[Clumsily, he turns to reach back for his belt and realizes what the problem was: that pain wasn't coming from his insides, it was coming from his waist, which was being crushed by his belt... because his midriff is now HUGE!!! And we're not just talking potbelly, here!]
AAAAH!!! I'm a BEACH BALL!!!
[He can hear the seams on his pants and shirt and tunic tear at the waist and hips as he keeps getting bigger, rounder... and more wobbly!] WHOA! [He loses his balance under the new weight distribution and falls forward with a dull thud and a slight bounce, arms and legs (still normal-looking, strangely enough) dangling helplessly in mid-air.
[He struggles, trying to move, but only succeeding in gaining a few inches toward his pack, and that only after much flailing and grasping and kicking at the ground. He whines, knowing there's nothing in his pack to undo this. And he's torn, because even though he needs the help, he'd be mortified of anyone finding him like THIS. ESPECIALLY Vaati! He'd never hear the end of it! ("Not only are you too dumb to breed, but now you couldn't even find the parts to do so if you tried!")
[He looks, he's sure, like one of those toys where it's just a ball with little pegs pushed in for joints. Or a skinny kid in a fat mascot suit. Or-- ...Damn. THAT'S what he looks like: those tacky, chubby plush dolls that creepy merchant tried to get him to sponsor, once. The ones with the green shirts and rope arms and legs and scratchy yarn hair that the creep insisted was, "an adorable likeness of the famous hero! Every kid will want one!". Link had declined, on the grounds it was shoddily made, looked nothing like him, in fact looked more like a chewed-up dog toy, and besides, "Who'd wanna play with a doll of me, anyway?"]
Great. So, obviously, the bastard's dead and watching from whatever hell he went to. Terrific! Well, I hope he's having a grand old time. [He grouses for several minutes, slightly wobbling on his belly.] ...Okay, fine, then! Since I'm not going anywhere soon, anyway-- [Hope that merchant is getting a REAL good look, now, 'cuz that rude gesture Link's making? That's aaaaaall for him.]
SAMPLE - MESSAGE:
[There's a clatter of various objects, of differing weights and materials, being set upon the floor, singly or in small clusters. Someone -- male -- mutters "no", "nope", "nuh-uh", and other similar dismissals under his breath, each one soon followed by the setting down of yet another a new and mysterious something.]
[Sporadically, just under these sounds, is the soft shifting of fabric and leather and metal, the frequency building until, loudly, much heavier objects -- dull thuds and metallic thumps -- are finally lowered, and the near-constant fidgeting stops with a sigh.]
[A momentary silence, like a deep and welcome breath...]
[Then:] Where the hell IS it? I KNOW I packed it...
[With another flurry of movement, the seemingly endless production of smaller objects, each scrutinized and set aside, continues, like the sounds of careful rummaging at a small yard sale: short, light staccatos, dull, heavy rustling, high-pitched clanks clanks, and low, echoing clangs.]
[It really begs the question: just where is so much (apparent) crap even coming from?]