#psychopathonadiet
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I am extremely interested in the sheikah!wild bullshit, do you have like a whole au fleshed out?
Hi, hello! Yeah I do! Thank you for giving me an excuse to ramble about it. Some of these headcanons are courtesy of @transzeldas
Buckle up because I have a lot of thoughts about this :) There's also a good heaping of headcanons about Sheikah culture in this as well.
Spark notes version:
Wild is half Sheikah and half Hylian. His mother was a Sheikah warrior, and his father was a Hylian knight.
He was raised in Kakariko by his mother, and his father wasn't really involved. His mom eventually married a Sheikah man and had his little sister
Like most Sheikah children, he was trained in the art of Sheikah fighting when he was young. He was very good at it, and liked fighting, and it was assumed that he would likely follow his mother's path and become a warrior. He earned his mastery in swordsmanship very young, which technically made him an adult in the eyes of his people.
Wild found the Master Sword when he was 12. The Elders of Kakariko decided to keep this hidden. He was considered too young to go serve the royal family. The Sheikah kept a sharp eye out for the return of Ganon, though. They thought he was too young, but they still expected him to do his duty as the hero when it came down to it.
The Sheikah have a tradition that teens go on a journey around the country before they're named full adults. Wild visits Castle town when he's 14 as part of this journey. He saves Zelda from the rouge guardian, which brings him to the attention of the King, who wants him to come serve as a guard at the castle.
After consulting with his mother and the Elders, Wild presents himself to the king as the hero soon after that, wielding the Master Sword. He's appointed Zelda's personal guard, and the rest of the story goes pretty much the same after that.
He forgets his culture when he comes out of the Shrine, and works to reconnect with it.
Dorian is actually his sister’s grandson, so that means he's related to Koko and Cottla.
The Yiga have major beef with Wild, even more than before, since not only is he the hero, but he's also Sheikah, and the Yiga and Sheikah have been at war for generations.
In-depth Version:
Wild's parents met when his mother was stationed as a guard in the Palace. They never married, and Wild's bio father was never super involved in Wild's life. He sent money, and was a little supportive, especially once Wild became a knight, but he was never interested in having children. On top of the fact that his father never wanted children, it was seen as a little shameful for Hylians to be involved with a Sheikah.
I've always really liked the idea that Sheikah were discriminated against by Hylians, based on the time when the monarchy commanded them to get rid of their technology. Some of the Sheikah resisted giving up their technology, and joined Ganon, and some yielded to the monarchy. Seems simple, right?
But history is never as simple as that. Ordering the Sheikah to give up such a huge part of their culture smells a lot like cultural genocide. The prophecy about Ganon's return may not have been the only thing that caused the monarchy to order the Sheikah to abandon their technology.
Anyways, I digress. The rest is under the cut because it's long af:
By the time Wild is born, the Sheikah mostly keep to themself in the secluded Kakariko village, (which used to be much bigger than it is in BotW.) However, many of their warriors go to serve the royal family.
This is nominally because of the Yiga. The Yiga and the Sheikah have been at war with each other for generations. Because the Yiga are technically a branch of the Sheikah, and are so dead set on killing the royal family, the monarchy demanded reparations in the form of protection. Hylian fighters have difficulty countering Sheikah fighting techniques, especially since the Sheikah, and the Yiga by extension, can do shadow magic. (Teleportation, invisibility, glamours, being able to float, etc. In rare cases, some can read minds/communicate telepathically)
Wild's mother was one of the Sheikah that served the monarchy. She moved back to Kakariko after she found out she was pregnant with Wild, and never really left after that. Sheikah are a matriarchal society, and since Wild's mother was Sheikah, both other Sheikah and Wild himself considered him to be fully Sheikah. Hylians, on the other hand, consider him to be both Hylian and Sheikah.
Wild's hair is technically blonde, but it's a far cry from the golden locks of his father, more wheat in color. His eyes are blue, and not the red of a Sheikah. If someone met him, they wouldn't say he has a Sheikah parent, but would probably guess at some Sheikah ancestry. Wild cannot do full shadow magic because of his Hylian blood, but his Sheikah blood does allow him to do some cool stuff. (Slow down time a little bit)
Wild had a pretty average childhood for a Sheikah child. When he was four, his mother married a Sheikah man, and when he was six, his younger sister was born.
The Sheikah are a warrior people. Most Sheikah children are trained in the basics of fighting. After that, at about the age of ten, they can choose to continue to train as a warrior, or become an apprentice in some other specialty. They earn their mastery in their chosen field, which signifies that they’ve mastered their profession and have become an adult.
Wild was no exception to the training. He starts when he’s eight, and it takes very little time for it to become apparent that he’s a prodigy. He’s very good at it, and he likes it. Most people assume that he’s going to follow in his mother’s footsteps and become a warrior.
He does choose to continue his training, and earns his mastery at the age of 12, which is incredibly young. Most get their mastery at ages 15-18.
While this technically makes him an adult in the eyes of his people, he’s still mostly treated as a child, only with more freedom and respect. People now address him as “Master Link” (Side note: “Master” is a gender neutral form of respectful address for someone who has their mastery. Women are not called Mistresses, simply because I hate that)
Shortly afterwards, Wild feels a pull in the middle of the night. He leaves, and causes a great deal of panic in his family. His mother even ends up sending a message to Wild’s bio father to see if Wild went to him. A week and a half later, Wild shows back up, pretty beat up, with the master sword concealed on his back.
The Elders of Kakariko Village know that if it comes out that Wild is the hero, he would likely be conscripted into serving the crown, whether he wanted to or not, so they agree that they’ll keep it a secret for a few years. Even though he’s earned his mastery, he’s still considered too young to go to Castle Town and serve in the military. (The Sheikah start paying more attention to the signs of the Calamity resurrecting after that. They may not like the fact that Wild has the master sword, but if the hero is needed, they expect him to do his duty.)
Most Sheikah teenagers go on a trip around the country after they’ve earned their mastery, sort of like taking a gap year between high school and college to go see the world. Wild’s mother doesn’t allow him to go on one for a few years, because he's still too young, but when he’s 14, he finally goes. He stops in Castle Town to see his bio father for a day, and while there, he saves Zelda from the rouge guardian.
This brings him to the attention of the king, who sees potential in him, and wants him to become a knight. Wild is taken aback by this, as he always thought he was going to join the Sheikah section of the military, but even though he considers himself fully Sheikah, his father being Hylian means that Hylains consider him to not be fully Sheikah which allows him to become a knight.
The Elders and his mother agree that now would be the best time to present himself as the hero. He does so, and the king appoints him as Zelda’s personal guard and grants him a knighthood ship that same day.
The story plays out mostly the same as it does in the game from here on out. His heritage is known among the nobles of Hyrule, although not much talked about in “polite” company. Wild is quietly a little annoyed that Zelda doesn’t ask him for help with the Sheikah slate, both because it's meant for the hero in the first place, and because he is Sheikah.
When Wild gets out of the shrine, he remembers nothing of his family or culture, although he still instinctivly remembers some things, like how to meditate. His fighting is still obviously Sheikah in style, although it’s taken on a much more savage edge. Wild doesn’t care about honor or fighting dirty. He’ll do whatever it takes to win.
Impa’s the one to inform him that he’s Sheikah. He becomes determined to learn as much as he can about the culture. He wants any connection to his family he can get, and wants to feel like he belongs some where.
The Yiga are super invested in killing Wild, not only because he’s the hero, but also because he's Sheikah, and the Yiga and Sheikah are still at war. Yiga mostly leave Hylian travelers alone, but even though Wild is Hylian passing, everyone knows he’s Sheikah.
Dorian is actually the grandson of Wild’s sister. Dorian doesn’t tell Wild this for a while, but everyone else in Kakariko knows. Wild finds out that Dorian is giving information to the Yiga, and the trust between them is broken. Wild agrees not to tell anyone about Dorian’s betrayal, because Wild believes that he really won’t do it again, that he can deal with Dorian if he does do anything, and most importantly because Koko and Cottla need their Father.
Dorian doesn’t want to tell Wild they’re related and make him feel pressured into forgiving him. Impa eventually gets fed up with Dorian stalling and tells Wild herself. Wild, who doesn’t remember much about his family, is ecstatic to have that connection, although still wary of Dorian. Wild dotes on Koko and Cottla so much.
After the fall of the Hyrulian empire, many of the Sheikah traditions were widely adopted by the populace. Because most Sheikah children are trained in fighting, the average Sheikah was better equipped to survive in the post-apocalyptic world. The gossip journals that are in all the stables are actually a Sheikah tradition. (The gossip journal in the general store in Kakariko) Most of the sign posts that you can find in BotW are made by the Sheikah. The signs are written in Sheikah as well, which means most travelers know a little bit of the language nowadays.
Additional thoughts:
I am still on my Paya/Flora bs as well. Wild is a great wingman who tells Flora all about Sheikah courting traditions. (Also Wild/Flora QPR because I love that dynamic)
Wild’s Sheikah training didn’t wear off while he was in the Shrine. He’s the stealthiest one in the chain and the most flexible. He stretches every night and morning if he can
He likes to wear the Sheikah stealth clothing, or at least the mask a lot. Because he looks Hylian, this gets him some weird looks in other eras where people don’t know who he is.
Wild's bio father had a house in Hateno, which Wild visited a few times, although he never stayed long. This is the house that he eventually buys in BotW
Jojo said she considered giving Wild a Sheikah tattoo around his eye but didn't, as that would make his face too busy. I propose he has the tattoo somewhere else. Maybe his upper back? The Sheikah eye tattoo is another signifier that a warrior has earned their mastery and has become an adult. He losses the tattoo when he’s killed. (It’s blown off by Guardian lasers.) He gets another one done after he defeats the Calamity.
Wild knows how to speak, read/write, and sign in Sheikah. He can speak Hylian, but he doesn’t know how to read or sign. The other heroes think Wild is completely illiterate for a while, because of a misunderstanding when he told them he couldn't read Hylian.
Warriors knows a little bit of Sheikah. Not enough to be fluent, but enough to catch scraps of a conversation. He also knows some battle commands in Sheikah sign.
Wild re-learns how to cook traditional Sheikah dishes together with Koko
When Wild sits, he kneels instead of sitting criss-cross-applesauce as kneeling is considered more polite/mature
When you use the “Sit by the fire until…” option in game, Wild isn’t sleeping. He’s meditating with a Sheikah technique that allows him to get a little rest while still being aware. It’s not as good as sleeping, but it’s enough to get you by if you’re in a dangerous environment.
Wild loves to meditate, even when he doesn’t need to. It helps him clear his mind, and organize his thoughts. (Unrelated headcanon: because of his lack of memories, Wild is very susceptible to any kind of mind magic)
Please ask me questions about this AU if you have any, I’ve been thinking about this for ages.
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