Line #35 Fanfic/TheirBond


1	''Their Bond'' is a series of ''Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda'' fan-fics by [=HermioneSparta=]. It consists of ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/10710567/1/The-Legend The Legend]]'', ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/5775108/1/Lotus-Jewel Lotus Jewel]]'', and ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/11540585/1/Between-the-Realms Between the Realms]]'' (also [[https://archiveofourown.org/series/155399 available here]] on Website/ArchiveOfOurOwn).
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3	''Lotus Jewel'' is the main story itself. ''The Legend'' is a short introductory to ''Lotus Jewel'', while ''Between the Realms'' consists of outtakes from ''Lotus Jewel''.
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5	Hyrule has been at war with King Ganondorf for many years now. However, the war is almost ending. A teenage Princess Zelda, her surrogate brother Link, and her Guardian Impa live in relative peace together at Hyrule Castle. Zelda and Impa have a special bond that goes beyond what is expected from them, but neither are initially open to their lingering mixed feelings. After the war's bloody end, Zelda - now Queen Zelda - must deal with the aftermath. Even more-so, there are secrets she's been hiding from her Guardian for years that threaten to be let free.
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7	''Lotus Jewel'' is a DarkFic that takes place in a nondescript mix of ''Zelda'' titles that uses elements from various incarnations. It uses Impa from ''Ocarina of Time'', Zelda and Link from ''Twilight Princess'', and King Daphnes from ''Wind Waker'' but exists squarely in its own universe, with its own backstory and characterizations for the characters. ''Lotus Jewel'' is a Zelda/Impa fanfic but its plot does not solely revolve around their romance.
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10	!!''Their Bond'' provides examples of:
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12	* AdaptationalSexuality: In this fanwork, [[spoiler:Link, Zelda, and Impa]] are homosexual whereas their incarnations in canon have only ever shown heterosexual interest.
13	* AdaptationalVillainy: Ganondorf in canon is pretty vile, but he hasn't gone to the extent of his ''Their Bond'' version. Ganondorf in ''Their Bond'' began torturing Princess Zelda at age twelve.
14	* AdoptedIntoRoyalty: King Daphnes took in Link at ten when Zelda found him sick by the castle's lake. Link and Zelda are as close as siblings, though Link refuses the title of "prince".
15	* AgeLift: Link is seventeen in ''Twilight Princess'', while Zelda is twenty. Here, Zelda is only a few months older than Link and both are eighteen. This is likely due to Zelda being a CompositeCharacter of the younger ''Ocarina of Time'' Zelda.
16	* TheAlcoholic: [[spoiler:Shad]], who himself is a recovering alcoholic, decides to force his boyfriend [[spoiler:Link]] [[GoingColdTurkey cold turkey]] without his knowledge by throwing away all their liquor. [[spoiler:Link]] refuses to believe he even ''has'' a drinking problem.
17	* AmbiguouslyHuman: Twili are descended from humans but it's unknown if they're a separate species yet. They're humanoid and have the same blood as Hylians, but they look extremely inhuman.
18	* AlphaAndBetaWolves: Wolfo packs have a hierarchy system ruled by alphas. Goro assigns these ranks to "two-leggers" as well, with Link being an alpha and Zelda being an omega (later upgraded to a beta-omega).
19	* BrotherSisterIncest: There's a NotBloodSiblings version between Link and Zelda. There's no sex involved but they do kiss. Neither one [[spoiler:particularly enjoy it]] but Zelda uses it to [[spoiler: cope with her trauma]].
20	* BrokenBird: Zelda doesn't easily "get better" after she tells Impa about her past. Her recovery process is difficult and she frequently relapses. Even though Zelda trusts Impa, years of abuse make her rethink things constantly and act negatively.
21	* ChildSoldiers: Link and Zelda are a mix of the "precocious" and "tragic" type. They were forced into a war as young as 12 and spent the majority of their teens fighting in it.
22	* ColdBloodedTorture: At age 12, Ganondorf began physically torturing, [[spoiler:sexual abusing, and {{Mind Rap\|e}}ing]] Zelda. He threatened her with her peers deaths if she told anyone. Zelda didn't want anyone, especially not Impa, to get hurt because of her, so she didn't tell anyone for years.
23	* CompositeCharacter:
24	** Zelda uses her ''Twilight Princess'' design but, like her ''Ocarina of Time'' incarnation, she has an adult Impa as her guardian and escaped with Impa after Ganondorf attacked. She also takes from the ''OOT'' [[Manga/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime1999 manga]] as Zelda met Link similarly to it.
25	** Link is based on his ''Twilight Princess'' incarnation but met Zelda as a child like his ''Ocarina of Time'' incarnation and is the Hero of Time as well. He has a similar backstory to his ''Ocarina of Time'' incarnation, except he left the forest not because the Great Deku Tree died but because he needed medicine to heal a sick kokiri.
26	* DarkFic: ''Lotus Jewel'' is not a lighthearted fanfic. It deals with a lot of tough topics such as war, torture, and sexual abuse.
27	* DeathByChildbirth: Zelda's mother died giving birth to her. Zelda herself almost died because her umbilical cord was wrapped around her neck.
28	* DomesticAbuse: [[spoiler:Link]] sometimes acts physically and emotionally abusive towards his [[spoiler:adopted sister Zelda]] and lover [[spoiler:Shad]], especially when he's intoxicated. Later in the story, he is sent to rehab to help him with his various troubles.
29	* DrivenToSuicide:
30	** In an attempt to rid herself of her guilt and pain, Zelda runs off and tries to kill herself with her sword. Impa finds her just in time and takes her to the Twilight realm for help.
31	** It's mentioned that Zelda's been suicidal for years but she either would never go through with it or [[InterruptedSuicide Link would always stop her]].
32	* GenderNonconformingEqualsGay: Malon was able to tell that Link was gay due to his knowledge of fashion.
33	* HappilyAdopted: Link is an orphan who was taken in by King Daphnes as a child. He views Daphnes' advisor Mikal as his father.
34	* HoldYourHippogriffs:
35	** Impaz damns Ganondorf to "to the Lightest of the Goddess' realms", which would be a loose equivalent of {{Hell}}.
36	** "Who'd conned those two into bridal showers? [[labelnote:Silver rupee]]Five bucks[[/labelnote]] said it was Link…"
37	* EvilIsDeathlyCold: Zelda associates Ganondorf with cold multiple times. Ironic as he comes from a dessert.
38	* MentalHealthRecoveryArc:
39	** The main story is about Zelda recovering from her past abuse and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.
40	** [[spoiler:Link]] suffers from mental health issues, worsened by his drug and alcohol usage. Part of his story is recognizing his illness, understanding he needs help, and learning that YouAreNotAlone.
41	* MindRape: Ganondorf used his mind-link with Zelda to his advantage by torturing Zelda with it.
42	* MistakenForRomance: There's a long-standing rumor that Link and Zelda are a couple. It's not true. They're LikeBrotherAndSister, plus [[spoiler:they're both gay]].
43	* MysteriousPast: Link's past is shrouded in mystery, even to himself. All that's mentioned is that he's probably Ordonian but also lived in the Kokiri Forest for a while.
44	* NamedByTheAdaptation: Impa's surname is given as "Se'al".
45	* ParentalAbandonment:
46	** Link is an orphan. His past is alluded to but it's unspecified what happened to his biological parents.
47	** Zelda lost her mother to childbirth and her father dies near the start of the story.
48	* ParentalSubstitute:
49	** Zelda's mother died in childbirth. Impa was the closest thing to a mother she had growing up.
50	** Link mentions that Saria raised him like a mother.
51	** Once Link began living at the castle, Link's father figure became Mikal.
52	* PatchworkFic: Different characters from different ''Zelda'' eras are mixed together. The fic takes from ''Ocarina of Time'', ''The Wind Waker'', and ''Twilight Princess''.
53	* PowerfulPeopleAreSubs: Used darkly with Princess Zelda. She uses being submissive [[spoiler:as a way to deal with her sexual abuse]].
54	* SlashFic: The main focus is Impa/Zelda. Impa and Zelda have always been close, but their relationship becomes romantic several chapters into the story.
55	* SelfHarm: Zelda began cutting at fourteen but hid it using potions.
56	* SuicideWatch: Impa keeps an even-closer-than-usual eye on Zelda after her InterruptedSuicide.
57	* RapeAsBackstory: Zelda's torture always involved a sexually abusive element. It started with forced kisses and by age fourteen escalated into rape. The plot of the story deals with Zelda's trauma over the events.
58	* RelatedInTheAdaptation:
59	** ''Wind Waker'''s King Daphnes is the father of the ''Twilight Princess'' Zelda.
60	** Link and Zelda are adopted siblings, instead of friends at best.
61	** In ''Twilight Princess'', Impaz is implied to be Impa's distant descendant. ''Their Bond'' makes her into Impa's grandmother.
62	* WiseBeyondTheirYears:
63	** Due to being the bearer of the Triforce of Wisdom, Zelda has always been wise for her age. This is mentioned several times by her peers.
64	** Even at age ten, Link behaved more precociously than others. His wisdom was a reason why he was allowed to become a soldier at only twelve. Lin also held a lot of trauma for a boy his age, which added to his precociousness.
65	* {{Xenofiction}}: Parts of the fic are from the POV of Zelda's pet wolfos-dog, Garo. He doesn't understand humans well and tends to refer to people by rank (beta, alpha, etc). He's also more scent-oriented than humans.
66	* WouldHurtAChild:
67	** A few people beat and robbed ten year old Link while he was trying to get to Castle Town. Link was only rescued by Zelda, who found him unconscious.

Context Fanfic / TheirBond