Link

Player Name: Malia
Age: 30
Contact: earthykitty
Timezone: EST
Other character currently in game: N/A

Character name: Link
Age: Technically about 117, but appears as 17
Canon: Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Canon point: All four Divine Beasts taken back from Ganon, obtained Master Sword, all non-DLC memories recovered. DLC memories not recovered.
History: Link's Wiki Page

Three key adjectives: Strong, Altruistic, Adventurous

Influential Events:
1. Training as a Knight: Link comes from a family of knights. It is stated that his father was a knight, though it is unclear how far back this lineage goes. In any case, Link was heavily influenced and very much dedicated to his duties as a knight, so much so that he became the youngest knight in all of Hyrule and was even given the privilege of being Princess Zelda’s personal escort. He takes his duties very seriously and uses his strengths and skills for the good of Hyrule and its peoples. As such, Link has a strong tendency to worry about the wellbeing of others before himself. He can also be reckless at times, so much so that Princess Zelda brings it up in one of the memories. He would rather risk his personal comfort and safety than allow the dark creations of Ganon to continue to exist and cause more destruction to Hyrule and its peoples.

Due to this background, Link isn't one to back down from challenges either. Tying in to his recklessness, he sees the monsters as challenges to overcome and become stronger. When coming across Lynels, arguably the most difficult foes in the game, they will draw their weapon as you approach, but only attack if Link gets a little too close or draws his own weapon. I personally like to see this as the Lynel offering a challenge and Link accepting it. The mechanics of the game further support this by allowing Link to be able to climb pretty much anywhere and everywhere, where the only thing stopping him is the amount of stamina he has or the weather, as rain makes surfaces very slippery and almost impossible to climb.

2. Amnesia: Due to the effects of being placed in the Shrine of Resurrection after being seriously wounded during the events of the Calamity, Link lost all of his memories. As such, he required quite a bit of guidance from others, most notably the spirit of King Roam, the elder Impa, and Princess Zelda. As he was still suffering from amnesia, he was more malleable under the influences of others, and while he regained his former sense of self after recovering his memories, this experience left him a bit changed from who he was before the Calamity. He was very much the ‘strong silent type’ before the Calamity, and for the most part it still holds true, though he’s more conversational and expresses a bit more emotion now. Link is more likely to inquire about other people’s personal thoughts and opinions than he was before. Without his memories of his time as a knight or the challenges he faced then, he's given a clean slate to re-socialize himself.

I'm unsure if this is applicable to this app, but there is a fancomic I came across that takes place post-game, and Zelda makes a comment about the changes she's noticed before and after the Calamity. Link follows this up by asking her is he himself has changed and I've incorporated it into my own headcanon a bit. While in game it tells you when Link has recovered all of his memories, we still only see those that are important to both him and the princess. We see nothing of Link's personal life, and it's just barely mentioned once or twice by other characters. While I think that Link regaining his memories with Zelda have also triggered his other memories, I think it's safe to say that those memories might be a bit fuzzy at best, at least throughout the time of the playable game.

3. New Friends: Link came into contact with all kinds of people on his journey through Hyrule, and while his friends from before the Calamity had a big influence on him, the friends he made after awakening from the Shrine of Resurrection also left their mark, the most noteworthy being Prince Sidon, Yunobo, Teba, and Riju. All four are in some way connected to the Champions who were killed during the Calamity, and they all directly aid Link in cleansing the Divine Beasts of Ganon’s control. They represent the unity between the different races of Hyrule and Link’s acceptance of the disastrous fates of the Champions.

The gameplay limits Link's interaction with these people, but all seem to have been positively impacted by Link and form friendships with him. Through the secret ending you get from obtaining all of the memories, Zelda mentions needing to go to see if Vah Ruta is still functioning as it should, and I like to think that Link spends whatever time he is able with Sidon to discuss what happened after defeating Calamity Ganon while also just getting to know each other better. I like to think this happens with all Yunobo, Teba, and Riju as well. Link also gains some sort of closure with this kind of interaction, as even though the Champions are gone, he can see their legacy being remembered by their respective peoples.

As for the Champions themselves, Link had widely different relationships with each. Mipha was particularly close to Link and it's even flat-out stated that she really loved him. Due to Link's stoic nature, it's argued about whether this was one-sided or not, but surely Link would have shown her some reciprocation due to how strong her feelings are for him.

Daruk was a good friend to him, and it seems that he had the kind of personality to be able to make friends with just about anyone. Their relationship isn't very flushed out, but we do see Daruk joking a bit with Link in the memory of him.

Revali's relationship with Link seems to be the most complicated of the four. He's clearly not happy about being pushed down to a support role and he's very clear about it. He knows he's the most skilled warrior of the Rito and his pride almost gets in the way of their plan to fight the Calamity. He has a one-sided rivalry with Link before the Calamity, and when going through Vah Medoh to free his spirit, he acts more and more surprised the more progress you make, as if unable to believe that anyone but himself had any chance against the possession by Ganon. By the end though, he comes to accept both Link's role and his own, though he still doesn't say any of the kind words he has to Link's face.

Urbosa is the parental figure that seems to keep everyone together. While she mostly shows this side of her to Zelda, she manages to give Link some insight into his relationship with the princess and tries to get him to understand Zelda's sour attitude towards him. From what little interaction we see, Urbosa sees Link as the skilled warrior that he is, but also realizes that even with his stoic exterior, Link has his own concerns and shows enough concern to ease his worries. I like to refer to this Champion as "Mama Urbosa."

4. Old Regrets: Link is constantly reminded of his failure to prevent the Calamity, whether it’s the discovery of town or village ruins, comments made by the people he meets as he travels, or the multitudes of monsters that roam the land. Whether he remembers the events or not, Link cannot escape the fact that he was responsible for the fall of Hyrule and the deaths of his friends. It is this regret that drives Link forward to save Hyrule and the princess from her imprisonment in Hyrule Castle.

There are a few memories that focus on Zelda's regrets, most notably the last memory that can be obtained in the forest near Bottomless Swamp and southwest of Wetland Stable. As always, Link doesn't show his own emotions during this, but it would be hard to imagine that he wouldn't be effected similarly to the princess. Just as Zelda was unable to harness her sealing powers, Link was unable to help her and unable to stop the ravages of the Calamity. Not only that, but he ultimately failed in protecting Zelda when he fell near Fort Hateno and forced Zelda to face Calamity Ganon alone. After clearing Vah Naboris and freeing Urbosa's spirit, she asks Link to make sure that Zelda knows that none of the Champions want her to carry blame for what had happened to them. I think the reason why it's not also directed at Link is because of how stoic he is and that Urbosa and Zelda had such a strong relationship in the first place.


Link to Samples: Link to Sample 1; Link to Sample 2; (please provide 2 samples of at least 5 tags from you each. TDM threads are acceptable here and encouraged!)

Chosen path: Fighter
3 Abilities:Canon power: Sheikah Slate (Chosen Rune: Bombs)
Path Actions: Athletics, Find Steed
Why this path?: I was debating between this path or that of the Ranger for Link, but ultimately decided that the Fighter was better suited to him, at least when it came to the most game mechanics that worked for him. Link is a highly trained knight and was made Princess Zelda’s escort. He can use a variety of weapons, including one-handed swords and shields, two-handed swords, spears, and he’s also skilled in archery. Being a knight means that he is also well trained in horsemanship and is capable of taming even wild horses in game to use as companions. What better path would fit the hero chosen by the Master Sword?