I liked somebody else's comment about Ravio seeing Legend transformed for the first time. Thoughts? What if it was Ralph?
Personally? I think it's two very different reactions.
Ravio's first response is to coo and probably scoop him up like Sky did, calling him adorable and wanting to pet his ears (because who wouldn't? let's be real!) He's a bit surprised but doesn't really consider the implications of what being a rabbit means, he's just thrilled that they match now, and Legend is ALSO a bunny! This is amazing, Mister Hero! Oh my goodness look at your widdle paws!!!!!
He's insufferable about it, but just accepts it at face value as "Mister Hero turns into a bunny". After all, with the War o Eras being a thing he's probably heard Midna talk about her heo and how he turns into a wolf, so he just figures that this is something Hylians do and it's just kinda random what animal they'll end up being.
Ralph though? Insufferable in a whole different direction! His and Legend's dynamic is built on mocking and making fun of each other, constantly picking at the other, but also being willing to die for the other. They're toxic besties, or maybe rivals with a complex, who knows. Either way, he IS going to laugh at Legend for being small and weak, and then probably regret that when he gets hit in the face with the full force of all 6 lbs of Legend's beastly form.
Deep down, he probably does think it's cute, but he's 'too much of a man' to call stuff cute. Maybe maybe maybe he tries petting him, but only if Legend is conked out already, because as long as the vet is awake, he is going to pretend that he thinks this should be embarrassing for the other. He is resisting the urge to pick him up like this though, because let's be real, everyone also wants to do that; Legend's small and cute and fluffy and frankly adorable like that, so yeah, even Nayru's personal knight is fighting the impulse to SCOOP.
He’s Nayru’s childhood friend and sworn protector— a bit hardheaded and very reckless, but a good guy at heart. I won’t spoil Oracle of Ages for folks who haven’t played it, but he has a neat character arc there.
Imo, Ralph and Nayru are as close to a canon couple as it gets in the Zelda series.
As always, I don’t mind at all if people ship my characters with whoever they want— feel free to ship Wis Fable with Nayru or anyone else.
But I personally ain’t about to split up the Ages pair. They’re very cute together :).
Ladies and gentleman may I humbly introduce you to one of the trusted ones of the chain (and also another yandere for Ava): Ralph <"3
(To those who dont know him, he's a guy Legend met during one of his adventures on the road which was Oracle of Ages. He actually becomes a very important character later on in the story!)
I gave him a redesign too, he deserves to look the part he was meant to play! And ofc I didnt forget the lore or ideas coming along w this! Or at least why he looks extra fancier here.
Details under the cut! And naturally, spoilers for OOA of you havent seen the game! <33
Now I'm still gonna have to revisit OOA cuz its been a while since I came back to LU 🥹 meaning things may change or be added here. But unless theres some details I have to adjust or improve, the ones ill talk abt here wont change!:
After the adventure in OOA with Link (Legend), Ralph grew worried for Nayru's safety (his childhood friend who is apparently the oracle of ages). I mean sure, there is the maku tree and even the princess Zelda or Impa who will be ready to help at a moment's notice. But even with all that, it may not be enough: cuz even with them Veran managed to get them all compromised and he couldn't do a single thing about it cuz he didn't know how to fight back then! He felt useless and definitely carries guilt over it 😭 Not to mention, Nayru, with her powers, is ageless but he and everyone else isn't. She'll live for a long time but who will protect her when they're gone? Ralph gets worried sick at all this, and figured no: becoming physically strong won't be enough.
So I had a thought (supported by Madra):
Now, Labrynna is a city state instead of monarchy, cuz Ralph's ancestor Queen Ambi probs wanted her subjects to live independantly with freedom (they also probably suffered from the time she got posessed or controlled by Veran so shes doing this to set them free). Does this mean his family or bloodline doesn't have much power anymore? Well, while he doesnt have formal power, I like to think he still has enough support that could make it count.
Lemme explain: Ralph is a fool with a gold heart. He may be naive, a lil reckless and hotheaded but he's really kind and sweet. I like to think even now, there will be folks around Labrynna who generally genuinely like this guy even with some flaws or shortcomings of his cuz he helped them out in some way or at some point in time even though he's a lil clumsy. The epitome of 'hes a little confused but he got the spirit!' kind of thing. It helps also that, during OOA when he was stuck in the past, he legit risked his life to uplift the spirits of the villagers when the place is on thick negative energy (or basically everyone being hopeless and probs depressed over their fate). He wasn't exactly able to save them, but after the adventure was over the villagers remember how he went over and rlly tried to help out. And ever since then they couldnt forget his kindness 🥹 so u can imagine that some descendants of the peeps who met Ralph in the past may look at present Ralph and think of that guy their grandparents told them abt u know?
That said, maybe Ralph isn't a prince with absolute power like during Queen Ambi's reign. But hes generally loved enough to have support and have some power. I also imagine his family or parents at least also had their own admirable achievements and well loved by folks too. Theres no mention of Ralph's family but he IS born nobility, and while his wealth may come from former Queen Ambi, I like to think that his parents or family helped stay relevant or be some backbone power for their city's society by supporting whatever they could. So he would have some default connections, resources and loyal allies within Labrynna that his family already made ties with (or heck, maybe they even managed to bramch off connections beyond Labrynna too? You never know!).
I'm sure Ralph wpuld take advantage of his preset/default ties, but I imagine he still goes out of his way to build his own connections, networks, and loyal allies within Labrynna. Link/Legend really inspired him to be more than be content with what he has— in a way that he could be be able to get his own strength and power and do what he can to help others, especially Nayru.
So he gathers his own ties independant from his family's. Maybe even goes farther than Labrynna and make times with other kingdoms or places like Holodrum, Hyrule and Hytopia. The more the merrier! And he won't just stop there: he hasn't forgotten about getting physically stronger for Nayru too, you know? He did train under Legend before he left for his next adventure! I imagine he tries to learn all he could about wielding a sword, practicing techniques and maybe going abt looking for more than one teacher to really up his strength. It's hard, both looking for mentors, and training under them especially when there are times he's afraid. But he thinks of Nayru, and then he steels himself. He can't falter! Not when his childhood friend's safety depends on him!
So, how did he go about meeting Ava and whats he like as a yandere?
Well, I like to think they met at Hytopia SKVSJSBEK It was a kingdom of style and fashion and Ava LOVES fashion or at least seeing the craftsmanship and beauty of it and so the chain and her dropped by to stay for some days while they gather resources and also mayhaps have some dates or spoil Ava with something. Meanwhile Ralph is out looking for pretty dresses for Nayru cuz his childhood friend deserves the BEST he says! That said, they kinda bumped into each other when they were inside a boutique of sorts. Ralph asked for Avas opinion about the best dresses there could be here, maybe thought she worked in this shop 😂 Ava helps out anyway, telling him her thoughts and they basically talked bonded over dresses and Nayru. In the end, as a thank you, Ralph for some reason bought all the dresses Ava was interested in. To say she was shocked is an understatement, but regardless of her protests, Ralph insists and legit payed for everything so Ava has no choice but to take them all.
When the chain found her, you can bet they were quite jealous on the mysterious fellow who bought her all of this, gave them near murdery vibes but for darling's sake they won't do anything... (and it probably invoked a competition between them like: who could provide the best/most gifts for Ava? Much to her fluster/dismay) She also didnt catch his name when they met earlier, so it slipped past Legend's radar.
But that's really all it took XD they meet in shops around Hytopia, Ralph is buying stuff for Nayru and Ava is either enjoying the sight or looking for materials. They bond, and geek out over the stuff at shop, before Ralph ends every meeting with buying her stuff she liked. And every single time, the chain's eye twitches or smth cuz at this point theyll KNOW it was the same guy cuz WHO BUYS GIFTS IN BULK THE WAY THIS ONE GUY DOES?? They would insist on going with her next time and some may even want to follow her a distance away— but this is Ava: they wont be able to stay unnoticed no matter how silent cuz her senses and magic is too keen 😭 she'll disappear in a blink from their sight in one second, and when the chain turns around they'll see her right behind them like 💀 they CANNOT follow her without her prior knowledge guys 🙏
And rn? Ava likes her geek buddy when she goes out shopping or looking for stuff. Shes still quite flustered and cant easily accept when he buys her stuff as a thank you, but she really enjoyed Ralph's company. So she'll keep his identity a secret from the chain for now KDHVBSUDNSUC At some point she legit went LOOKING for him to treat HIM cuz Ava cant accept all these gifts without giving him SOMETHING in return for it, and also his pleasant company 😭 and u know what Ralph laughs but accepts.
It got to a point that when Ralph introduces Ava to Nayru, Nayru was the one feeling like a third wheel between him and Ava bcs of how much they vibed and excitedly get along so well. Does she mind? Not at all! Shes so happy and relieved Ralph had a new friend he genuinely enjoyed talking THIS much to other than focusing so much on her. She really appreciates his devotion and concern but he also deserves to enjoy or have fun with other people's company, you know? So she laughs, teases Ralph that he might have a new crush or smth which Ralph thinks is like, unthinkable bcs, Nayru he rlly thought u were IT. Even if he now thinks of her as a sister to care for he never rlly thought theres someone else he could possibly fall for cuz, in his eyes SHE was perfect.
Well, until Ava 😂
He didnt realize it for some time, but Nayru could see it; shes never seen her friend talk so animatedly with so much joy when with someone else that isnt her. He wasnt even trying to shut down these strange feelings either; he welcomed it and actively engaged with Ava.
What really cemented everything was when he got kidnapped that one time JSUCNAUFNDJ
Idk who yet, but an evil force or some low fry sent on orders took him hostage cuz hes pretty valuable, but before anything malicious happens to him Ava finds him and defeats the guy. Did she know Ralph got kidnapped? No. She got separated from the chain and mayhaps got kidnapped too. So when she and Ralph each other both of their reactions were just "OO 🧍♀️🧍♂️" 😂 They were BOTH surprised. Ralph is very embarrassed he let this happen and WILL strive to never let this happen again, meanwhile Ava finds it funny they keep bumping into each other so often like this beyond shopping.
Either way, they both dealt w the kidnappers and got out fine. When Ava saved him and looked out for him, Ralph felt his heart thump against his chest while they fought together. And when they got out? Well, yeah, hes a goner now— Nayru u won. He DID fall in love and now hes kicking himself but also screaming like aaAAAAAAAAAAAAA
As for what hes like as a yandere for Ava... Hes obviously gonna be the guy who spoils her the most XD The chain would all want to do that but Ralph could buy off a whole estate if Ava even scraped her knee on a poorly designed pavement AND blame it on the pavement as if it was person 😭 he has it bulldozed, rebuilt and now itll be a building or place for whatever Ava or the chain needs.
Hes the type to buy everything she wants. He can buy SHOPS out of stock until they cant open for a month if she wanted everything inside the shop (but knowing Ava she wouldnt, so Ralph also wouldnt).
Also the type to NOT be calm over darling slander. He's ready to fight and defend her honor and Ava has to convince him every time to NOT duel with innocents or unarmed individuals. Doesnt mean he wouldnt try tho
Oh, and as nobility, he has the facilities and power that could provide Ava the comfiest, prettiest shelter. She could have her whole garden, has a walk in closet, her own sewing room, and everything else shed need in one place. She only needs to ask and she'll have it by a moment's notice.
Pssst *Walks over to the 3 other Ralph Oracle of Ages fans* *Slides headcanons across the table* You guys want these?
I know Labrynna technically isn't a monarchy anymore but I still like the idea of him being royalty. His parents do all the ruling but he's still a prince who hates all the responsibilities that come with it, and spends a lot of time sneaking out of the castle and making excuses to not attend ceremonies.
He also took after his great, great, great, great, etc. grandpa and became a part-time pirate. He's become a very experienced sailor.
Idk just him being a pirate prince who sails the seas not to rob people but just because he loves it. He visits Link frequently whenever he can.
He's an only child
ADHD and dyslexic
He can sing pretty well and plays multiple instruments. He and Nayru are both very passionate about music.
Speaking of Nayru, I know it's far from canon, but Ralph and Nayru are mlm/wlw solidarity to me
He's gay
He has a ton of freckles
He and Maple absolutely hate each other for no reason. Not sure they even know.
He has a very heavy Labrynnian accent because Hylian is not his first language (idk what a Labrynnian accent sounds like, let me know what you think)
This, coupled with the fact that he talks super fast and waves his hands around, makes him sort of difficult for most people to understand
Very loud. He does not have an indoor voice. But he can yap his way into and out of just about any situation
Mostly a silly goofy guy but he was raised royalty and knows how to act mature when he has to be. Excellent poker face if the situation calls for it. He can whip out insanely eloquent speeches and table manners from nowhere.
Link hates when he does that.
He wears tons of jewelry, multiple rings on each finger, lots of bracelets and necklaces. When he doesn't have that dumb pointy hat on, he has a few different crowns.
Gives short king energy but he's around average height
A year younger than Link
Gender nonconforming king. Could not give less of a shit about what pronouns people use for him, just there to have fun. Wears skirts and dresses to formal events.
He and Nayru are the bestest of best friends, secret handshake and everything. They met when they were really little and have been inseparable ever since.
He is also close with Din and Farore
This is basically canon but he can run really fast
Has improved remarkably at swordsmanship since the Veran incident. He can hold his own against most opponents (except Link) and hopes to become captain of his own royal guard.
Great with kids. Not great with animals, although he still loves them. He visited Link's farm once and probably will never go back. Don't ask him about it.
Despite being extremely chaotic, reckless, and immature for royalty, he can be a bit pretentious and snobby
Since they're both royalty, he and Zelda have known each other since they were young. She broke his nose when they were seven and he still hasn't quite gotten over it.
