I'm not a ship person but Cia/Linkle has been eating at my brain. Mostly bc I think it'd be both very interesting narratively and bc it would be funny.
Here's the pitch for their meet cute: during the Wind Waker DLC, Linkle wanders onto the 'Save Cia' battlefield before Lana & Co get there, sees a woman in pain, and goes "Don't worry! As the legendary hero, I will save you!" Cia's brain short-circuits for like ten different reasons; it's the first time someone other than Lana has cared for her well-being, this girl looks a lot like Link but is very very obviously Not Link and also DEFINITELY not the legendary hero, and huh she's very good with those crossbows actually.
I think Cia/Linkle is genuinely interesting narratively because of Linkle's relationship to the concept of destiny, heroism, and Link. Linkle looks like Link in many ways, but is completely different from him in most other ways. Their only real commonality is their desire to help others, their heroism, which Linkle embodies as much as Link. At the same time, for all she claims to be and believes she is the legendary hero, she certainly isn't. She has no destiny, she is not divinely chosen, she could not wield the Master Sword. She's a hero, but not The Hero; in fact, she was rarely even present in the war, and consistently missed the major battles. She's a side character; she likely won't be more than a footnote in history, if that.
Cia, as the Guardian of Time, has watched eternity unfold. She's watched story after story, and in doing so, has clearly become attached to Link, the hero of those stories. This makes sense, because he was one of the few recurring characters. Hyrule Warriors clearly uses a direct reincarnation approach to the legendary hero, Link. He would have been a constant in a sea of transcience, the hero always coming in to save the day. It's no wonder she latched onto him, really.
But it's also obvious that in her hyperfocus on Link, Cia has discarded the other characters. I think after ages of watching time she has forgotten people have lives outside the Grand Story, or at least has ceased to care about it. This makes sense for an observer here to watch that story. But she is not merely an observer anymore: she is a character, and could do with some reminding that the protagonist isn't the only one who matters.
Enter Linkle, side character extraordinaire, similar enough to Link to get her attention, but in no way mistakable for him. She bursts in with all the gusto of the biggest hero and goes to save her, and she's winning.
Link was not the only recurring character in Legend, but he is the one Cia latched on to. Playing through her story, specifically as she breaks down, it becomes clear why: his heroism. As she's self destructing and her commanders leave her, she creates Dark Link clones and starts talking to herself about how the hero will protect her. The legendary hero, unwavering in defense of those he loves; an attractive concept to a girl stuck alone in a tower, don't you think? Of course, though, it doesn't work that way. Cia is the villain, and Link will never choose her. She knows this too, deep down.
So I think it would mean a lot, seeing someone entirely unconnected to the threads of fate burst in to save her. (Lana is the only other one who's ever really tried, but Lana is... complicated. That's a whole different post.) I think it could really fry her brain in a very fun way. Cia deciding to place her love and faith into a hero without a destiny or legend would be something really poignant.
Plus Linkle gets an incredibly cool, beautiful, powerful, and romantic girlfriend. Win/win.
Also the whole idea of this ship is hilarious to me. POV the weird chicken girl with delusions of grandeur leaves your village and comes back with the hottest woman you've ever seen who is also apparently one of the most powerful people on this planet. Her and the bad bitch she pulled by being autistic.
snowghoul
titsay
izzy806
kianamaiart
2087
