Sometimes I wonder how the Age of Calamity's Hyrule is faring in terms of The Upheaval, because if you think about it... The Upheaval takes place one hundred and some years after the Calamity has been sealed, until Rauru's hand no longer has the strength and vitality to hold Ganondorf and his Gloom in place.

Our Princess Zelda and her chosen knight, Link, have long since passed. They served their purpose in turning the Calamity away, a wretched evil that was the one and only of its kind. No one ever thought to question why the Calamity came from the castle, no one ever thought to look underground. Instead, everyone dedicated their lives to the mysteries the Sheikah technology held. It was an era of sacred peace and scientific progress.

But imagine: A princess whose stubbornness rivals that of her grandmother who sealed the Calamity, who refuses to listen to the warnings her father gives her and decides to go underground alone to satiate her burning curiosity about the Gloom plaguing their people. Was she not to seek wisdom, like all the women before her? She will not stand to let either her ancestors, or her citizens, down.

It's all a blur after that, really. The murals, the hand, the stone, the man. And now she's thrown into a different world, alone, and at the mercy of two strange figures. The founders of Hyrule they tell her, and really, she should be more excited. So much to ask, so much to know! But all she can think about is going back home, because what has she done? Her father is still in that castle. The last thing she remembers is the ground crumbling under her. Hylia help her, she must go back.

We don't know what becomes of him, or the people in that castle. All we know, is that the Impa we know and love and her family are still alive to deal with this fallout of a different calamity. This time, there are no instructions on what to do, no leads. Just another myth of the past turned to fact; this one, however, speaks of seven sages, which vastly differs from the four champions Hyrule has grown to dignify.

But where could they find sages, the Sheikah elder wonders, in a world where neither princess nor hero are to be found?

okay I’ve been inspired, time to list all my versions of botw/totk/aoc link lets go

Wild (He/They): Nonbinary, LU Wild adjacent, generally who I write whenever I write for LU, kind of his own thing bc I feel as though I tend to stray when it comes to lu characterization to fit my own wants. Has the most trouble with memories and their past, has the least control over his emotions. Things like sorrow and anger hit really hard for them and they have more trouble regulating it. Still silly and GNC though, just not as confident about their gender presentation yet.  

Sage (They/She): Genderfluid, HSFR botw/totk Link, really leaning into the whole death/rebirth/reincarnation thing with this one, accidentally picks up a spooky vibe because they have a skeleton horse and a big comfort cloak and is extremely good at making potions. This whole vibe what I’m leaning into for Another Second Chance, even though in that one the botw Link is still called Wild lol. 

Guardian (He/Him): Too anxious to think about gender rn but is a aroace queen. HSFR AoC Link, half sheikah and it is important to his story. His life is kinda dictated by his dedication to the throne by being descended from a long line of royal knights and sheikah who have vowed to serve the blood of the goddess. Also he’s betrothed to his Zelda and on his way to becoming King/Prince Consort.  

Aryll (She/Her): Cis woman (but with complicated gender feelings as she was discouraged from being feminine for a long time and has trouble feeling valued while enjoying typically feminine things, you know the vibe) My Fem!Wild/ Link AU, is the most likely to commit regicide. Had an easier time recovering memories during botw bc of her large amount of shared moments with Zelda. 

Linkle (She/Her): Trans woman Link au, has a bit of an egg cracking moment when she was getting into gerudo town, don’t have much for this one, it might be where I put all my Link being close to the Gerudo hcs. Like, after sealing the calamity, she and Zelda go to live in Gerudo Town instead of Hateno and they’re real close buddies with Riju and Linkle goes to the nearby great fairy to get her gender magically transed. idk i love the gerudo and think they deserve better. (also her name could be changed i kinda made this one on a whim...) 

Spirit Sage (They/Them): Fem leaning enby, totk role swap au where Link gets sent back with the spirit stone instead of Zelda, they lost their arm but the stone lets them summon a ghost version that they have to learn how to control (a feature also seen with HSFR Sage), trained under Mineru and tries to assasinate Ganondorf a few times. 

Time Sage (They/He): Masc leaning enby, pre-calamity was a trans man but then their gender got pickled for a century and their ideas on gender changed a little. They lose their arm but don’t get a replacement. The secret stone they had with them amplifies their time manipulation abilities (bullet time/ sitting by the fire, that kind of thing) They have to learn to fight just as will with their left side and not wield any sort of shield. The story is closer to the canon version than the Sage of Spirit version of the au. 

Gladiator (He/Him): trans man, ssbu Link, pulled from his quest pretty soon after botw. Older brother/babysitter to Young Link (MM) and Toon Link (WW), Eyes have been opened to the multiverse and he’s kinda just vibing with being kind of immortal and meeting the strangest people. ssb lore is wacky so he’s at least allies with all of the other characters, including ganondorf at in the end. Has the least amount of fashion sense and cooking ability but at least he has little brothers and is buds with Kirby.