The FAQ

Please read all these questions before contacting any of the website staff! If your question has not been answered here then please contact Mandy. Q: What is Diamond in the Rough and how did it start? A: Started in 2003 on a simple Proboards forum, Diamond in the Rough (DitR, for short) is a collection of online fan-created information and support for other pairings, traditionally concerning Malon and Marin of Ocarina of Time and Link’s Awakening fame with the hero, Link. DitR represents a hub for other fans that do not cater exclusively to the vastly more popular pairing of Zelda and Link (coined ‘Zelink’ in fandom terms). It also represents the fact that not all fans are created equal; not everyone favors Zelda/Link. What DitR aspires to be is a site where fans of alternate pairings like Malon/Link, Marin/Link and others are welcome to express their opinions and joy of being a fan of a pairing that deviates from the fandom norm. Q: What's DitR's purpose/mission? A: DitR's main purpose to give Malinker/alternate pairing fans a website where they can find alternate pairing fanart, fanfic, graphics, images and a community with fellow fans. We're not here to bash, to flame characters or fans, and to convert people into "seeing the light" when it comes to pairing debate and what's "canon" in the Legend of Zelda video game series. We just want to have fun like everyone else! Q: So, why Malon (or Marin, Ilia, Midna, etc…)? A: A complex question! Each fan that likes the character Malon, or another character in the games, can give a different answer to this question. Maybe it’s simply due to how cute the character and Link look together? Or perhaps it simply makes “sense” when comparing Link and the character in question when considering their roles and how they play upon one another? The complexity and level of opinions expressed in each reply to this question varies from fan to fan but what must be considered first and foremost is respect in this regard. Bashing, be it on a character or pairing, has a history in the Zelda fandom and each side in pairing debates has been faced with it. DitR is not a bashing site; there will be no ‘anti’ material or trash talking of any characters or fans. Q: What does ‘Malink’ mean and when did it originate? A: ‘Malink’ is a pretty obvious term. It’s simply taking ‘Ma’ from Malon’s name, and adding the name Link to it. Saying this term in fandom is implying Malon/Link content or pairing preference. There are other terms too for pairings like ‘Zelink’ mentioned earlier as well as ‘shipper’ names for certain pairings also exist. Examples include ‘ranchshipper’ (for Malon and even more recently, Ilia), ‘sageshipper’ (for Zelda mostly, but can potentially mean other shippings for different sages), and so on. The origin of the term ‘Malink’ is unknown, most likely began shortly or sometime after the release of Ocarina of Time when the first Malon/Link fans appeared. Q: So will DitR support other alternate character pairings just as much as ‘Malink’? A: Yes! Twilight Princess has given the fandom a great addition of new female characters and pairing possibilities, namely with Ilia and Midna. Although traditionally DitR has been a very pro-Malink site and forum the importance of these two newer characters cannot go unnoticed by the site. Fan-created content such as fanart, fanfic, articles and more are accepted for debate and discussion on our forums as well as being submitted to the site as content. Q: You’re all just a bunch of crazy pairing fans, aren’t you? Don’t you guys have lives?! A: Yes, we do actually which pretty much explains why such a website took so long to come into creation in the first place! For years the DitR forums staff wanted a website filled with content to go with the forums and it has finally begun to take shape. So give us some credit, we finally took the time to do it! And for the record, the DitR staff is not crazy…dedicated, but not crazy ;) Q: So…what about Zelda and Link fans? Are they not welcome here or something? A: DitR welcomes all pairing fans including Zelda and Link fans; nothing created and posted here is made strictly to exclude them. However! When it concerns site content Zelda/Link will not be the focal point in material. This is a Malink site, after all! Q: How can I contact you guys? A: Just use the contacts listed on the ‘About Us’ section of the site that tells about the DitR staff and how to reach them. Pretty simple, ey? Q: How can I report a problem on the website/something is missing or not working? A: Please send an email to Mandy, at ferowyn [@] hotmail.com with a detailed description of the problem and she will do her best to fix it as soon as she can.