no pressure at all, but i was wondering how you think Zelda would react to a mute/deaf link? i bet she originally thought he was conceited but had the gut punch realization that he couldn’t help it and that she had spent all this time judging him

struggling to figure out how to word this but i think this is.. essentially what happens in canon? canonically, link is selectively mute, which essentially just means that physically, he can technically speak. there's no physical problem with his vocal chords, hearing, etc that makes him mute, it's a mental block instead of a physical one. that doesn't mean that it's something he can control, though. I've heard it described as being like your vocal chords just "stop working" in certain situations, whether due to anxiety, trauma, overstimulation, or some other trigger. meaning you still physically can't talk, there's just no anatomical reason for the mutism. so whether he's deaf, physically mute, or selectively mute, i think zelda still has the gut-punch oh shit, he couldn't help it moment and that she DESERVES to have that gut-punch, because that realization that she'd been projecting her own insecurities onto him and refusing to take into account his situation is an important kickstarter to her personal growth and development. But i guess what i'm saying is i don't think her reactions would change very much if you change the way he's communicating with her. With selectively mute link, i do like to think that he eventually becomes comfortable enough around her that he's able to speak for short amounts of time and begins to communicate that way, as is implied in canon (but that's never actually outright stated, just that he "opened up" to her eventually, so it's possible he never actually TALKED to her at all and communicated some other way.) sign language, written language, however he decides to explain what's going on to her, he still was physically incapable of speaking to her before, and she still judged him heavily for it. so tldr yeah, i think no matter what form of mutism you want to give him, she always has to have that moment of shock and realization that she was pushing her own insecurities onto him and that she was downright CRUEL to him. it's one of the most important moments of her arc!