The Chains That Link Us

A legend of zelda fan comic by @amberstone-16 13 boys and men from throughout time are taken from their home eras and wake to find themselves in dungeon cells, each with a collar and chains on their necks all connecting to the one held in the centre cell. It doesn't take long to spot the similarities, notably that they are all named Link and are all considered heroes in their times. As a few start to slip their collars and cells and attempt to aid the injured and unconscious amongst them, they notice the steady flow of water. The structure is built below ground on the coast and is designed to flood at high tide. This isn't a prison; it's an execution ground. It's a race against the clock to escape with their lives, solve the mystery of how and why this happened, and seek help in returning home.

[the-chains-that-link-us]

<<<Master Post >>>

(& Progress updates)

--The Plot--

13 boys and men from throughout time are taken from their home eras and wake to find themselves in dungeon cells, each with a collar and chains on their necks all connecting to the one held in the centre cell. It doesn't take long to spot the similarities, notably that they are all named Link and are all considered heroes in their times. As a few start to slip their collars and cells and attempt to aid the injured and unconscious amongst them, they notice the steady flow of water. The structure is built below ground on the coast and is designed to flood at high tide. This isn't a prison; it's an execution ground. It's a race against the clock to escape with their lives, solve the mystery of how and why this happened, and seek help in returning home.

--The Characters--

{I am currently in the process of finding a 3D artist to model each of the characters as I redesign them (I wasn't happy with the first versions), or I will re-learn 3D modelling myself. This will help me produce more consistent panels at a faster pace. Reference Sheets and models will be posted here as they are completed.}

--Progress updates--

[the-chains-that-link-us]

starting to get the hang of this.... i think...

[the-chains-that-link-us]

i-is sky okay? what have you done to him?

Who, Sky?

He's had better days, that's for sure, but he's doing better than some of the others right now. Not the final art style or design. This is just a concept sketch.

[the-chains-that-link-us]

If Tetra gets to have a gun, then so should Link

[hyrule-library]

Tww/ph Link with a gun supremacy !

[amberstone-16]

Too right! Wave looks so cool, can't wait to see his full reference! your watercolour stuff is great.

[the-chains-that-link-us]

Does anyone else (beside themselves and whoever put them there) know where they are? Or is it just "Huh, I guess Link is off doing Hero stuff again."

(I suppose, depending on one's definition of hero stuff, that may be an accurate statement 😅)

Nope, as far as eveyone who knew them is aware they just went missing.

The ones who were traveling at the time never made it to their destination, which caused panic and a search party. The ones who lived with loved ones were the same.

Some, like Time, Legend, and Four, were already isolated from society, so they only fell further into obscurity when they were captured. (At least one of them is happy with that result.)

Light, Wild, and Hyrule are presumed to be at varying levels of "doing hero stuff," although the lack of contact is proving concerning.

Then there's Wind.

Yeah, Tetra and crew are fairly sure they just watched Link drown at sea and spent the next few days mourning and trying to recover a body that doesn't exist. Let's just hope he can get back before Tetra can deliver the news to granny...

Thanks for the ask anon! Please send more!

[the-chains-that-link-us]

Who is the oldest and youngest links?

The eldest are Wild and Legend, both in their mid 30's. (130's in Wild's case lol)

The youngest are Minish and Four, both 12, almost 13

Thanks for the ask, Anon! Please send more!

[the-chains-that-link-us]

What game is each Link based on/from? Some are kinda obvious but who is Light?

fair question.

I did assume everyone was familiar with all the games and their acronyms, which wasn't fair of me. I should have guessed people didn't know when Light came dead last in the poll, oops.

to list them all:

The hero of the sky/ the chosen hero - Skyward Sword (named for obvious reasons)

The hero of the minish - The Minish Cap (named for obvious reasons)

The hero of four/ the hero of the four sword - Four Swords (named for obvious reasons)

The hero of time - Ocarina of Time & Majoras Mask (named for obvious reasons)

The hero of the winds - Wind Waker & Phantom Hourglass (named for obvious reasons)

The hero of Spirits - Spirit Tracks (named for obvious reasons, but I have seen people call him the hero of trains or the hero of new hyrule (his game takes place in New Hyrule, a separate kingdom established by Wind and Tetra))

The hero of Twilight - Twilight Princess (& links crossbow training lol) (named for obvious reasons)

The hero of Light - Four Swords Adventures (and a little of the manga) (the title is voted on by the players at the end of the game for the link that was the most helpful (they can also vote the worst player as the hero of darkness))

The Hero of Legend - A Link to the Past, Oracle of Ages, Oracle of Seasons & Links Awakening (and a little manga but basically just the orchard lol) (other Links are labelled as the hero of legend or the legendary hero by their games but Legend was the first and has also been on twice as many adventures so its fitting that he keeps the title) The Hero of Worlds - A Link Between Worlds & Triforce Heroes (seen some people call him the new hero of hyrule!? they seem to say its because he has the same map and lives in the same house as legend but these legend and not hyrule?! also he's before hyrule in the timeline?! idk lol Worlds fits better)

The hero of Might - Echoes of Wisdom (all of his weapons are called might. the sword of might, bow of might, bombs of might. and they are made from might crystals. I've seen a lot of different names but Might sounds best to me)

The hero of Hyrule - The legend of Zelda & Adventure of Link (and a little of the comics) (zelda calls him this at the end of the very first game and hes had nothing else since)

The hero of the Wilds - Breath of the Wild & Tears of the Kingdom (named for obvious reasons)

they'll all have nicknames too of course but this post is long enough.

I'm sure if more people new then Light would have done quite well in the poll since i know the manga is popular.

Thaks for the ask anon!! Please send more!!

[the-chains-that-link-us]

sneak peak

River:So lets just kill him now to be safe! NO!!NO!!NO!! Ash: Thankyou! Terra: Not yet, He's our only lead out of here Gale: Only if he tries something funny. We don't know what he's plotting yet. Ash:Or how about not at all! Look at him. Gale: He looks... Ash: Sad? Terra: Distressed? River: Scared. Ash: Maybe he's broken like us

[the-chains-that-link-us]

Does Hyrule have his dolls with him in this story?

Yes!

Of the 6 he collected on his second quest, he has 2 left when the story starts.

Let's hope they are both there when he wakes up.

Thanks for the ask, Anon! Please send more!

[the-chains-that-link-us]

Assuming the Links fought back when getting yoinked (unless it was done sneakily?) How badly hurt are they?

An injury report? Sure, but I will be vague about causes. (though you can try and ask or guess if you think you know how it happened)

From least to most injured (ish. how do you compare stab wounds to starvation?):

13- Wild: no fight. no struggle. no accident. no injuries. :)

12- Spirit: I still don't know what happened to him, just that he can't be injured because his cell mate needs help now.

11- Might: maybe just a little tipsy... just a little... (okay, he's black-out drunk) But he's not injured!

10- Legend: a little poison never killed anyone :) (he's fine, just a little nauseous)

9- Light: His attackers left him with heavy bruising but otherwise caught him without much of a fight.

8- Minish: Breathed in toxic smoke and accidentally branded himself in the process.

7- Time: his attacker/s got two lucky hits in. one to the eye and one to the crown of his head.

6- Twilight: bruised and likely broken ribs, head injury and likely concussed

5- Wind: bruised abdomen, water in lungs; risk of secondary drowning.

4- Hyrule: near starvation and weakend from longterm malnourishment.

3- Sky: Heavy bruising and cuts from fight. He now also has a dislocated shoulder and 2nd degree burns to his ankles, wrists, neck, head & face.

2- Four: Concussion. multiple cuts, bruises, and sprains. wrist potentially broken. The adults are worried about potential spinal injuries and malnurishment.

1- Worlds: slash to his jaw and multiple stab wounds to his chest and abdomen. bleeding out quick. He's got about 5 minutes. Thank Lolia, Royal engineers are required to take first aid training, huh

[the-chains-that-link-us]

If:

A - "The Picori do not show themselves to anyone but children." and "Why is it that children can see the Picori and the doorway, but I cannot?"

AND

B - We assume Link in Minish Cap is 12 years old, like the other Toon Links

then...

At what age can hylians no longer see the minish/picori?

under 12, link is just special.

12/13

14/15

16/17

18/19

20+ (tell me in the tags)

it has nothing to do with age but actually your soul/inner child

the minish decide

adults CAN see them, they just hide

other (please explain in the tags)

🧀 (this poll isn't for me but i wanted to vote anyway)

Voting ended onJul 29, 2025

[the-chains-that-link-us]

If:

A - "The Picori do not show themselves to anyone but children." and "Why is it that children can see the Picori and the doorway, but I cannot?"

AND

B - We assume Link in Minish Cap is 12 years old, like the other Toon Links

then...

At what age can hylians no longer see the minish/picori?

under 12, link is just special.

12/13

14/15

16/17

18/19

20+ (tell me in the tags)

it has nothing to do with age but actually your soul/inner child

the minish decide

adults CAN see them, they just hide

other (please explain in the tags)

🧀 (this poll isn't for me but i wanted to vote anyway)

Voting ended onJul 29, 2025

[the-chains-that-link-us]

If:

A - "The Picori do not show themselves to anyone but children." and "Why is it that children can see the Picori and the doorway, but I cannot?"

AND

B - We assume Link in Minish Cap is 12 years old, like the other Toon Links

then...

At what age can hylians no longer see the minish/picori?

under 12, link is just special.

12/13

14/15

16/17

18/19

20+ (tell me in the tags)

it has nothing to do with age but actually your soul/inner child

the minish decide

adults CAN see them, they just hide

other (please explain in the tags)

🧀 (this poll isn't for me but i wanted to vote anyway)

Voting ended onJul 29, 2025

[the-chains-that-link-us]

While I attempt to clean up my mistakes...

Do you guys have any ideas or headcanons for the Links' last names?

This is not important, I just think it's cool

[the-chains-that-link-us]

Here's what I got so far. If you disagree or can fill in the blanks, I would love to hear!

Sky: Link

(No last name. Skyloft is a small community, so it's unlikely to have two people with the same name. In the rare case that there is one, a descriptor will be used, such as their profession or parents' name. These will eventually become family names. examples; Zelda, Daughter of Hylia. -> Hyrule Luv and Bertie the Potion makers -> Potioner -> Potner Link's descendants will take the descriptor of "child/blood of Hylia" and later the family name "Hyrule")

Mini: Link Smith

(Speaking of professions becoming family names, this one's fairly obvious. Link is born the grandson of a blacksmith and becomes one himself. Smith is derived from blacksmith in real life too.)

Four: ???

Time: Rinku Deku

(Adopted son of the Deku Tree)

Legend: ???

Worlds: Link Viora

(anagram of Ravio. Ravio's last name is Kiln.)

Might: Link De Southorn

(Link from Southorn Village. Hyrule expanded greatly since the last two games, so when the kingdom took a census of these new small communities for the first time, the residents referred to themselves by their hometowns, which the bookkeepers used in place of their non-existent last names. This happens IRL too.)

Hyrule: Link Stead-Fast

(likely just a mistranslation or typo (missing punctuation seems most likely), this French magazine accidentally implies Link's last name is Steadfast. I hyphenised it for flavour)

Twilight: Link ???

Light: ???

Wind: Rinku Semifu

(phonetic shift of Link Smith that can be written in the Wind Waker alphabet. Yeah, I'm going with the descendants shield theory.)

Spirit: Rinku ???

Wild: Link ???

[the-chains-that-link-us]

While I attempt to clean up my mistakes...

Do you guys have any ideas or headcanons for the Links' last names?

This is not important, I just think it's cool

[the-chains-that-link-us]

Here's what I got so far. If you disagree or can fill in the blanks, I would love to hear!

Sky: Link

(No last name. Skyloft is a small community, so it's unlikely to have two people with the same name. In the rare case that there is one, a descriptor will be used, such as their profession or parents' name. These will eventually become family names. examples; Zelda, Daughter of Hylia. -> Hyrule Luv and Bertie the Potion makers -> Potioner -> Potner Link's descendants will take the descriptor of "child/blood of Hylia" and later the family name "Hyrule")

Mini: Link Smith

(Speaking of professions becoming family names, this one's fairly obvious. Link is born the grandson of a blacksmith and becomes one himself. Smith is derived from blacksmith in real life too.)

Four: ???

Time: Rinku Deku

(Adopted son of the Deku Tree)

Legend: ???

Worlds: Link Viora

(anagram of Ravio. Ravio's last name is Kiln.)

Might: Link De Southorn

(Link from Southorn Village. Hyrule expanded greatly since the last two games, so when the kingdom took a census of these new small communities for the first time, the residents referred to themselves by their hometowns, which the bookkeepers used in place of their non-existent last names. This happens IRL too.)

Hyrule: Link Stead-Fast

(likely just a mistranslation or typo (missing punctuation seems most likely), this French magazine accidentally implies Link's last name is Steadfast. I hyphenised it for flavour)

Twilight: Link ???

Light: ???

Wind: Rinku Semifu

(phonetic shift of Link Smith that can be written in the Wind Waker alphabet. Yeah, I'm going with the descendants shield theory.)

Spirit: Rinku ???

Wild: Link ???

[the-chains-that-link-us]

While I attempt to clean up my mistakes...

Do you guys have any ideas or headcanons for the Links' last names?

This is not important, I just think it's cool

[the-chains-that-link-us]

Well I'm a fucking idiot

gotta switch around some things in the first chapter because I stupidly had them talk to each other before they got the item to allow them to do that

shouldn't be that big of a rewrite, just means minish cap link will be the first introduced so he can get the jabbernuts to all the others

(minus one or 2 because drama)