#Picori Blade

[nerdyperday]

Day 2620 Divi

[majorasmask-headcanons]

The Fierce Deity, being the blacksmith of the Gods, forged not only his great sword, Demise's Broadsword and the Goddess Sword, he also forged the Great Fairy Sword, Lokomo Sword, Koholint Sword, Magical Sword and he taught the Picori and Zauz how to forge magic imbued weapons. The Sword of the Six Sages was an attempt to replicate The Fierce Deity's work.

[twin-chains]

In the Four Sword timeline, the goddess sword that Fi was meant to protect over becomes the Picori Blade.

Mighty (the hero of men) grants the sword spirit her freedom when he is gifted the blade and uses it to defeat the Remnants of Demise alongside the leader Valorie. Mighty doesn’t know much about Valorie outside of her combat skill and that her ancestor was a reincarnation of Hylia. Fi, however, seems to resonate with Valorie and pledges herself to the leader with her newfound freedom. (This is likely because of the remnants of the triforce lying dormant within the young Hylian descendant, aka the light force that grants Valorie her combat power, courage in battle, and strategical wisdom).

Meanwhile the Picori Blade, without its sword spirit to embody and take care of it, diminishes slightly in strength over time. This is unbeknownst to the Minish that gift it to Mighty nor the hero who uses it to bind the Remnants to the Bound Chest. Thus when Mini (hero of the Minish) has to reforge the blade into the Four Sword next, he has to drawn upon the sacred light of the four Elementals. This grants him the power of four and the ability to create three fragile, temporary clones of himself. But it doesn’t last forever…

Without a sword spirit to regulate its power, the Four Sword must rely on the nearest source of strength it can find. So by the time Four (hero of the four sword) draws the blade, it relies on their Hero’s Spirit to fuel its power. As a result, it splits Four’s soul into pieces, an attempt to maintain the light clone ability. Each split Link is represented by a different aspect of Four’s person and this is how Red, Green, Blue, and Vio Link come about (he’s not the best at coming up with names). It absolutely fractures Four’s being. As much as he tries to piece himself together and avoid splitting, his patchwork soul can never be fully mended and restored. It gives him splitting (ha) headaches and pain that he desperately hides to resemble some sense of normalcy again.

Four is having the absolute worst time adjusting to his new life but he’s taking it in stride for now.

[fourswords]

ACTUALLY. it is really fun to me that the hero of the minish can canonically see ghosts without needing an item or anything because it opens up the avenue of him having a very real chance of being able to meet the hero of men. like he's poking around the royal valley after the events of the minish cap and the hero of men just materializes behind him like "lmao who the fuck is this kid" and the hero of the minish jumps like twenty feet in the air and instantly tries to stab him with the four sword. which leads to a whole thing about "WHAT DID YOU DO TO MY SWORD" "IT'S NOT YOUR SWORD ANYMORE STUPID YOU'RE DEAD!!!!!!!"

[vainartisan]

Happy 20th Anniversary to the Minish Cap! To celebrate, I've released the cross stitch pattern for the 5th "stained glass" as seen in the intro...

“A long, long time ago...

when the world was on the verge of being swallowed by shadow...

The tiny Picori appeared from the sky, bringing the hero of men a sword and a golden light.

With wisdom and courage, the hero drove out the darkness.

When peace had been restored, the people enshrined that blade with care.”

Here's "Enshrine the Blade", available now as a cross stitch pattern.

[raycatz]

Something about Four fics set in his Hyrule!

The Minish Cap world being small and detailed enough to be intimately understood. The characters all having their own figurines with fun descriptions and secrets. Four's comfort and seamless integration and understanding of Hyrule Town and the people. The bakery. A library which he frequents. The school he went to. He and Dot being childhood friends. How close he is to her in both friendship and physical proximity like the castle is Right There it's so easy for them to visit and for Dot to be included in fic. The Picori Festival. The whimsy of the Minish and their presence and magic being something Four often and happily interacts with. The little traditions that make his world his. Having a home to return to that he finds comfort in. His Grandfather being there for him. His job at the forge. All of the people he has in his life who offer him genuine guidance and support. Something about FSA and The Minish Cap drawing so faithfully from the games before that there is an item or person or oddly specific scenario that uniquely ties Four to many of the other heros- the palace of the four sword, the origins of the picori blade, the dark mirror, the dark world, FSA drawing from the style of WW and alttp (and the headcanons that result from this like the shield that's Wind's family heirloom being Four's originally).

Something about stories set in his world are so comforting. I love fics where Four is the last to join the chain, signaling the true start of their adventure together, and fics where Four sets in motion what, or is, the first to bring them together again after the adventure is over. Fics that explore Minish Cap and FSA's worlds and how Four is connected to it, and how it connects him to the others. It's just a Minish Cap appreciation kind of day tbh.

Here's some fic recs!

Close Encounters of the Fourth Kind by Blueskullcandy

A Little Bit of Minish Magic by glowingjellyfishtreelights

New Hands on Ancient Hilts by TimeturnerJay

After, or "Fuck it, refounds your family" by cerame

[clowns0up-felix]

Coming back to tell you how much I love that little comic with the Chosen Hero and the Hero of Men. There's no dialogue, but it still has a strong sense of sadness and hope. And the parallels between the two are fantastic, I really wish Nintendo gave us more information about what happened between Skyward Sword and Minish Cap because now I'm really thinking about it and how whatever happened had to be pretty scary if the Hero of Men decided it was in everyone's best interest for him to yoink the Chosen Hero's sacred sword from its temple.

All those words to say your art is wonderful and I'm thinking about it and the piece of LoZ lore it represents. ❤️

Ohhhh my go yesssss I would give my life to know more about the hero of men,,, its literally crazy to me that there’s a link that’s just. There. No game no story no nothing. WHO IS THAT TELL ME?? Thinking about who he could’ve been is one of the joys of life but it tends to feel more like writing an OC than expanding on known lore, bc be barely have any,,,

Actually, Ill use this to ramble about what I do tend to think for him here, hope that’s okay!!

I love love love that u said that what was happening during the hero of men’s time had to be pretty scary, bc YEAH. To pull the sword of the first hero and first king of Hyrule (^.^) who probably would kill to not have fi be woken up is CRAZYYYY,,, either he’s oblivious or in a really bad situation,,, What is known about him leaves to believe that he was a knight tho, and they 100% knew about fis resting ground,, It is said that the world was about to be swallowed by evil, which makes me think Botw final cutscene or sksw final girahim type severity of monster floods. So I think hom (ill refer to the hero of men like this for now) link probably saw getting the sacred, legendary master sword as his only chance at saving hyrule.

Idk if he would’ve know himself to be the legendary hero reborn due to triforce mark, maybe he just stumbled across it in an attempt to hide some injured knights in the temple of hylia,,,, Side note on the temple of hylia, love the abandoned look in the comic but it doesn’t really make sense, does it? Bc why would sksw Link want fis resting place to not be well kept? Would he visit before his passing?

Anyway, he takes the sword defeats the monster hoards and gives hyrule a brief moment of safety. He’s made into a high ranking knight or maybe head of the knights (he’s probably rather young still, as that seems to be a theme for the chosen hero and priestess, so maybe late teens, and before having the master sword he was a knight in training?) and then, when the picori/minish come down to earth (i dunno from where, was that ever said? Just from the skies i thiinkkk,,,) he gets the picori blade and I think the light force from them. It’s similar use does bring up the question why hom link would use the picori blade over the master sword,, maybe because its a gift and the master sword is like this sacred sword meant to rest and that got him feeling bad hahaha,, Hom link trapped the monsters rather than killing them but I can’t remember if the trapped them in the sword or the chest or somewhere else hmm,,, the sword later turns into the four sword right? (I’m so sorry im too lazy rn to do research 😭) I don’t think hom link would’ve been able to use it as this tho, i think he never got it to a point like this, just used it to save the world once and then gave it away for the contest ^^ In one of the stained glass the sword he gets DOES look like the four sword but i am going to ignore that bc I think i can.

Also, for reasons that I can’t (don’t want to) talk about rn I personally would change it being the 50th anniversary of the Picori Festival instead of the 100th ^.^ also I think hom link would stay a close friend to the royal family partially to protect the holder of the light force which was sealed into his Zelda i think and passed down to her children and their children yk,, and don’t tell anyone I said this but he is alive during minish cap and ezlo was one of the minish that gave him the blade during the Force era ;)

I also think the minish weren’t really ever introduced to the public but instead kept in strict contact to the royal family and those they trusted, which is why during mc basically no one knows about them, and those that once did are already fairly old or dead.

I’m not gonna read this over, hope everything makes sense and is coherent

Thanks for the ask !!!!! Drawing the comic was so fun I’m happy u like it :D

[hyde-nseek]

Link never liked attention.

Most of the time, he scraped by in classes and did just enough to move on in the academy. He was the son of everyone, but enjoyed his time alone on his loftwing. But after the Wing Ceremony, he gained more and more attention, first from Headmaster Kaepora (the only one who knew about the sacred sword choosing Link), then the rest of the knights, and eventually all of Skyloft. It became too much after rumors spread about him being the Youth from the Goddess's prophecy. "The Hero of Earth and Sky," they called him. That's when he and Zelda decided to start anew on the surface.

Link never liked attention.

Of course, Princess Zelda was a good friend, so he didn't mind her. But everyone else in Hyrule Town? He couldn't care less about. But when the Picori Festival arrived, things started to change. He set out to restore the Picori Blade, and along the way, he found friends. He even fused Kinstones! The whole town knew him and wanted to help him out however they could. It was too much for him. So after saving Zelda and sealing Vaati, he went into the woods to find some kind of peace and quiet.

Link never liked attention.

Looking back, someone else could have pulled the Four Sword and saved Zelda just as well. He shouldn't have volunteered to go to the sanctuary. Now, every fairy in Hyrule knew his name. They showered him in rupees and other gifts. It became too much for him. Sure Hylians were annoying, but fairies were so much worse. He never saw another fairy after his adventure. He kept himself company just fine, thank you very much.

Link never liked attention.

He enjoyed being just another Kokiri, living a normal life in the shadow of the Great Deku Tree. Instead, he was called by destiny to travel across time and the entire Kingdom of Hyrule. Everything depended on him, and everyone was watching. So when Zelda offered to send him back in time, he agreed.

No one in Termina knew his name, and he liked it that way. He could wear any kind of mask, disguise himself as much as he wanted. No one knew the true Link, the tortured soul behind the most powerful mask in the land. Until he called the giants. Then everyone knew him. He was the Hero of Time once again. So he left. Partings came more naturally to him than greetings.

Link never liked attention.

His first taste of it was when he helped Zelda escape Aghanim. All of a sudden, he went from the nephew of a knight to Hyrule's most wanted. Of course, he had a mission to save Hyrule from Ganon. That problem could wait.

Before he knew it, he was the Hero of Legend, and was sent away by the Triforce to unknown lands. He enjoyed anonymity for a couple of days before saving the world twice, three times, and once again for good measure.

The one place that truly felt like home was Mabe Village, but it was too good to be true. All of it was merely a figment of imagination. Not even his own dream. And the one he truly started to love was gone. No one saw Link return to Hyrule.

Link never liked attention.

Honestly, he never imagined getting any sort of fame. He was just some kid on an island far from the center of the Great Sea. But after saving Aryll, he knew that someone would have to get rid of whatever was lurking under the waves. He became the Hero of Wind because no one else would. And he left the Great Sea as fast as he could.

The pirates treated him like family. He liked Tetra a lot too. They never treated him as anything more than another member of the crew. And he liked it. So when they founded New Hyrule, he was okay with being a King, but only because he was never seen as one.

Link never liked attention.

And Ravio kept giving it to him. So he left his own home and didn't come back except for the few times he needed to "rent" an item. It was annoying, but at least Lorule was saved. And he didn't need to see him in his house again.

And when the rest of Hyrule began calling him the "New Hero of Hyrule," he left for a new land. But once again, adventure followed him and Link got caught up in the dealings of Hytopia. He never thought there'd be an escape from the attention. He tried to never be heard from again. Maybe both kingdoms would eventually forget him.

Link never liked attention.

He enjoyed being a part of the small Ordon Village. But when Twilight came, he seemed to be the only person who could do something about it. So he followed Midna and saved Hyrule. He went from a farm hand to the Hero of Twilight in a matter of weeks. After saving the Princess, he could never be anonymous. The only place that felt safe from peering eyes was Ordon.

Link never liked attention.

All he wanted to do was be a conductor. And then he was called to the castle. And then he had to keep Zelda safe. And then he had to save New Hyrule. And then he had to defeat a demon king... None of that was what he liked. He didn't ask to be a hero, not really. All he wanted to do was be a conductor.

Link never liked attention.

Attention was dangerous. He survived by being a shadow. But when Impa was in danger, he couldn't stand by and watch. And when he heard about Zelda, he couldn't let Ganon get away with it. That's when Ganon's army noticed him, and things got dangerous.

With a target on his back, he had nothing to lose. He left the Eastern Palace and looked for the Triforce of Courage. And Ganon's followers were as persistent as ever. He feared that it would be like this forever.

...

Link never liked attention.

And yet everyone had their eyes on the Princess's chosen knight. The one with the darkness-sealing Sword on his back. The pressure was too much for him. Everyone knew, everyone expected him to defeat a Calamity that hadn't even arrived. And when it did...

He was free to be whoever. Except for a few people, he was only seen as another traveler. Of course, he had a mission. There was a darkness to seal and a princess to save, but who was really watching? No one but the wild.

All of that changed when Zelda fell into the Depths. Everyone was looking for him, and he didn't care at all. Sure the attention was overbearing, but the wild was still there. He had friends that saw him as more than the Hero of Hyrule. As long as Zelda was safe... he could handle it just a little longer.

Still, Link didn't like the attention.

[onesunofagun]

I will now yell about Fi and Ghirahim as symbols of their respective creators, please stand by:

So, the biggest slap addition the lore that Skyward Sword gave us was (Her Grace) Hylia and (the Bringer of) Demise. Entities who, regardless of confusing localisation choices, exist as two sides of the same coin and are locked into a mutual karmic cycle.

They reflect each other like a mirror, and also represent an antithesis of each other, seemingly existing as consequence to one other. They were presented as the penultimate deities of the physical and metaphysical realms of their world since the advent of its creation by the departed Golden Goddesses; twinned yet opposite, and each both inevitable and necessary.

Shadow; Light. Chaos; Order. Indulgence; Restraint. Upheaval; Stability. Primordial; Designed. Spite; Grace. Hidden; Seen.

Ghirahim; Fi.

It goes right down to the blades that Demise and Hylia would level at one another. The spirits of each are a representative of the principles and philosophy championed by their creators.

Now, the closer you get to the works and relics of the Gods/Gods Tribe in Zelda, the more you see divine constructs that blur the line of spiritual magic and advanced technology, and are ostensibly both. This was a direction that really bloomed in Skyward Sword, taking a running start on it that games hereafter have followed. The caveat is that only certain special people chosen by Gods or otherwise given permission to use this kind of Magitech can interact with it or produce things like it (either at all, or without punishment).

Even the Sheikah, who have closely served the intentions of the Gods/Spirits of Light (Hylia and her aligned) all throughout history, make the mistake of getting too comfortable in their inspiration and cross the line into imitations. Despite the successful utilisation of, and later recovery of, certain Sheikah Tech such as the Divine Beasts to positive effect, the tragedy of both the Sheikah's Divide and the Calamity's hijacking of Hyrulean defence systems is still played as a cautionary tale of hubris and knowing one's place in the natural order of things.

The Sheikah were effectively making unauthorised knockoffs of Divine Magitech and it bit them on the arse.

Can't have shit in Hyrule.

Pretty much every significantly advanced tribe in Zelda has a stated closeness to 'the Gods'. Either by being adjacent to or descended from deities and spirits collectively known as the Gods (specifically the Gods Tribe in JP), they are still distinctly subordinate to and separated from entities such as Hylia and the three Golden Goddesses.

Confirmed to be included in this special grouping are the Zonai and the Oocca, for instance. Speculatively, the Wind Tribe are an example of people who ascended (with permission or worthiness) from the surface-- they are an arguably Gerudo adjacent tribe who may even be precursors to the Zonai or related to the Twili.

The Picori, at the very least those in their native realm, also certainly count as part of this grouping. Though it could be argued whether those descent Minish living on the surface still do.

The Sheikah, it should be noted, have never gained entry to this Gods club. Despite their proximity in worship and service to Hylia, historically, they've also done some pretty shady things-- like the Shadow Temple and the general murder and espionage stuff -- that may have otherwise excluded them from ascending like the Wind Tribe did. They walk a grey line, and they have a duty in the eyes of the Powers That Be that apparently prefer they stay put.

Not Turtle-y enough for the Turtle Club.

Another example of this Icarus flying too close to the Sun type cautionary tale, and a far more egregious offender in the eyes of the Gods Tribe, are the 'Interlopers' who would eventually become the Twili. They were a tribe of people that, while squabbling with others, tried to take dominion of Hyrule (referred to itself as the Sacred Realm/Holy Land in TP) with powerful magic that more or less gave them a winning advantage. Specifically, the Crystal Stone of Shadow (the Fused Shadow) which greatly amplified their magical power.

Banished by the Spirits of the Light whole cloth into an underworld (lit. A Realm of the Dead) that we also know as the Twilight Realm, they have been shunned from the land they tried to conquer and transformed by shadow so much, they're now allergic to the light (without sufficient mystical power to bolster themselves).

Basically, the intended message is this: any earthly people who have advanced themselves without approval by the Gods Tribe-- especially by using Divine Constructs as inspiration or means-- have therefore disrupted the order of things, and stacked the deck too much in their own favour. Even if the intent was primarily a fixation on preserving Hylia's bloodline, and by extension her sacred land, it is still possible to elevate oneself above your contemporaries (especially the capacities of the Royal Family line in Hyrule) in such a way that you impose too much independent influence upon the the natural world.

No longer following 'the way of the Gods' (the Gods Tribe law) or respecting the order of things (ala Shintoist inspiration), you are labelled a disruption to harmony and peace, and therefore seen as corrupted and pollutive, and generally negative in your impact. You will then be chased off, at the very least, unless you renege-- for fear that you will bring in demonic influences or be used by them. This has canonically happened to both the Gerudo and the Sheikah, now.

But you know who Magic Constructs on par with the Gods Tribe, except it's more eldritch and organic-looking and primordial in form? It's the other club, the one that the disenfranchised Sheikah went and banged on the door of, hoping to be let in if they started wearing cool red and black outfits and changed their name and stopped worshipping Hylia.

Yeah. It's the Demon Tribe-- who are pretty much just the inverse reflection of the Gods Tribe and its set up. Their Magitech equivalents, and what they can do, only serve to further cement this.

Specifically, if you could suggest that the Gods Tribe's main objective is maintaining a status quo of shared prosperity that provides an ordered and peaceful existence through conformity and tradition, the Demon tribe is an ever churning well of opportunity where winner takes all. It is a hierarchy built on brutal meritocracy, honed by constant challenges and hard won continuation-- survival and status fought for and maintained by individualistic influence and innovation.

Many various little bastards exist in the Demon Tribe. Bosses in charge of sub-tribes of monsters are commonly seen, but they have their minor Deities ad Spirits, too. The head honchos are called Demon Kings (plural, because it doesn't describe a single position, but rather just very powerful Demons who have clout). Demise is both a Demon King, namely the most powerful one, and also the 'Chief' of the Demon Tribe; just as, in this case, Hylia could be considered the 'Chief' of the Gods Tribe. So, Demon God-King, really.

While Demise is incapacitated by Hylia's seal, his role as the Chief of the Demon Tribe is actually the position that Ghirahim fills in for as his (literal) right hand man-- the very extension of his arm, as his blade.

Both the Master Sword (Fi) and Ghirahim himself are, perhaps, some of the most advanced forms of this sort of Magitech we've actually ever seen.

Ghirahim goes above and beyond in his role, even going so far as to cultivate his full persona as a Demon in his own right in order to maintain his authority as the effective Regent while the big boy is incapacitated. He disguises his true form and nature, and with a surprising level of autonomy and self-transformation for what he is, sets about attending his duties with great devotion.

He seems to have an incredibly intuitive and flexible mode of operation. His sentience is full of creativity, emotionality, and genuine potential that he has the capacity to explore and shape with great freedom, for the construct that he is.

He is flamboyant and attention grabbing, highly expressive. He entertains great personal indulgence, even going so far as to toy with Link in a manner that borders on vicious training for a while. Though in part due to his undeniable sadism, Ghirahim almost can't help himself but to continue to test and push against the potential as a swordsman that the Hero has, inadvertently cultivating its growth.

This depth of identity and adaption he's capable of was either an intentional part of his design, or specifically not prevented by it-- both of which stand to represent something of Demise and Demonkind. The lengths to which Ghirahim is allowed to wield himself when not in his creator's hand is remarkable and, though he is shown to be unable to override actual commands from his master, it stands in an interesting contrast to Fi.

Where Ghirahim is able to radically redefine his own presentation and function to best suit his Master's needs in a way that mimics the organic, Fi's evolution is far more linear and streamlined, never really deviating from systematic updates. Though the sword itself is subject to physical restorations, Fi's personal appearance is unchanged and reflective of her true shape, indicating that her tempering in the Sacred Flames is either a slow return to previous form or a pre-programmed and permanent upgrade set into motion by Hylia. It is also an evolution that is entirely dependant upon the actions of others, largely lacking the individual agency and flexibility that Ghirahim possesses.

Not to suggest that Fi is any less devoted to her purpose, however.

She is, quite unlike Ghirahim's aspect of individual advancement, wholly geared toward a model of mutual enhancement with a partner. She is built with a singular and clear objective in mind, perfectly designed to suit the needs of the one wielding her as a supplement to their ability, rather than an autonomous servant. She defers entirely to her Master's decisions at all times, though does make informed suggestions, and does not appear to be able to relocate the physical sword on her own. Many of her abilities are things that must be directly requested of her.

Even when she is given to performance, such as her singing or her ballet, these are seemingly dispassionate affairs that are precisely executed, preprogramed displays for Link's benefit. Absolutely nothing, not even particular inflections of emotionality, must risk the distortion of her relayed messages and guidance to Link-- these displays may also be something analogous to morale boosting rewards or a really weird form of reverence to the musically inclined Hylia. Either way, Fi is highly logical and presents herself foremost as an instrument and a tool. She does not indulge in a persona or otherwise engage in anything not directly tied to her assigned mission-- she does not get distracted or indulge personal whims as Ghirahim does. But critically, a large part of her design is geared towards an awareness of her surroundings. Fi has a visible consciousness for the living things around her at all times, contrasting to Ghirahim's seeming negligence of them and open disdain.

Fi's orderly efficiency and lack of cultivated personality to detract from her purpose make the fact of her construction obvious. Unlike Ghirahim, her true nature and her task is almost painfully undisguised. She exists in a simple sincerity, almost austere, seemingly unwilling or unable to seek function beyond her designation without being updated by another. However, her concentrated application seems to achieve concentrated results, strengthening both herself and her wielder in a near impenetrable mutual reinforcement.

It is perhaps of no coincidence that, despite Fi's seeming inflexibility and clinical pragmatism, she also expresses something of a fondness for Link at the end-- in many ways, mirroring her Divine creator. She does this very robotically, by correlating her collected data time spent together and their completed task with what she's observed of human happiness.

Skyward Sword seems to argue that Ghirahim's main flaw is spreading himself too thin, or trying to be so many other things, that he falls short as a sword in the end. It suggests that his sin, like others in the franchise, is getting too big for his boots scabbard and letting his pride become his downfall. His individualism gets presented with a great cost, as he has only enhanced himself in ways that seemingly do not apply when he returns to his primary function as a sword. The emotionality he has, such as the frustration and cockiness and bloodlust he indulges, are also shown to lower his successes-- reducing the sense of his efficiency and precision beside the ever level, measured Fi.

When he returns to Demise's hand, Ghirahim is already weakened and spent. Despite all he's done for his Master's revival, Demise is left to fight with a paling version of the blade that once fatally wounded Hylia-- not unlike a Master Sword in need of restoration to its full power.

There's a legend regarding Gorō Nyūdō Masamune, widely regarded as the greatest swordsmith in Japanese history, and Sengo Muramasa, who is famously known for creating unique and terrifically sharp blades that are considered cursed.

It starts when Muramasa challenges Masamune to see who can make a finer sword. When the work is done, they go down to a river, and place the blades in the water with the cutting edge towards the current.

Muramasa's sword, which he named Ten Thousand Winter Nights, cuts everything that floats its way-- leaves, fish, even the wind that happened across it. It is so sharp that nothing escapes unscathed.

Masamune's sword, named Tender Hands, is placed in the river and cuts the leaves that go by so seamlessly, they reform on the other side. Fish swim up to it and seem to be repelled by its aura, avoiding death. The wind kisses the blade gently with a pleasant whistle.

Muramasa isn't impressed by this. He thinks the blade is useless, barely cutting anything at all, and starts to remark on the lack of skill. Masamune smiles at the criticism, but merely compliments that Muramasa's sword is indeed quite sharp.

A monk who had watched all this from nearby approaches at that point, bows, and interjects with his own observations.

Though he too observes that Muramasa's sword is technically very finely made, he notes that it's a bloodthirsty, wicked blade. It cuts anything in its path indiscriminately, he says, and would just as soon cut a butterfly in half as remove somebody's head.

Masamune's sword, however, was the clear winner in the monk's opinion-- a gentle blade that did not needlessly cut that which was innocent or undeserving, tempered by grace. It is a benevolent sword, and so far finer made.

In popular culture, Muramasa's blades have held onto their violent reputation. There's a superstition that they can compel their wielder to murder. It has even been said that, once drawn, they can't be sheathed again until their thirst for blood is sated-- even if it has to drink from its own wielder.

They also had a weirdly consistent habit of maiming or killing members of the Tokugawa Shogunate, and so became an anti-Tokugawa symbol synonymous with the rebellion. So that's fun.

But Masamune was considered to be a very calm man, who was controlled and reserved and quite spiritual. Muramasa, though, was depicted as an aggressive man, who was a bit wild and kinda unpredictable. As far as the folk stories go, Muramasa is depicted as having been quite envious of Masamune. Unlike Masamune, who approached his craft as the art of achieving clean death, they say Muramasa needed to transfer his unhinged energy into his blades to keep from being overwhelmed by it himself.

Because their natures bled into the swords they created, it was believed that Masamune and Muramasa imbued them with purifying and demonic power, respectively.

Just as with Demise and Hylia and the swords that they created-- as inspired by such a legend-- the spirits inside of them represent their natures, as well.

[meet-again-in-another-life]

Character Peek

Vessel of the Light Force

Since there has been a lot of time going into the main character art posts, I've decided to do these to at least get some consistent posting in the meantime! :) Closeups and more details under "read more." Click them for better quality!

Her Radiance, Princess Zelda. This is the princess seen in the stained glass windows of Minish Cap, paired with the Hero of Men seen in the prologue. Along with being a princess, she takes on a priestess sort of role in her Hyrule (which is young, and although prosperous is very set back in terms of development thanks to the Era of Chaos). She is the daughter of King Gustaf. Her mother was from the Wind Tribe; Zelda originally had her red hair, but it was turned golden by absorbing the Light Force. Her birthday is April 28th.

Amidst the Era of Chaos, when Demise's armies resurfaced in vengeance for their fallen monster, she was overheard pleading for guidance by the Picori on the other side of a hidden, mystical door. They revealed themselves to her (it was believed that they were creations of Hylia in her era, so they believed a descendant could see them - and she could)! They pledged to help the people of Hyrule in their darkest hour, and Zelda has been an ambassador to them ever since. She is close friends with some of the Minish who have decided to stay.

With her help, the descended Minish crafted the Picori Blade with the inspiration of the ancient Goddess Sword, intended to vanquish the evil in the same way. They sought a hero to wield both it and the Light Force, a pure embodiment of their realm's energy. Zelda was chosen to protect it after the war's end, as her divine blood made her capable of doing so. Her absorbing the Light Force is actually what made Hylia's bloodline (her reincarnations) from then on capable of wielding her ethereal power even without the use of a relic.

She will not appear as often as her counterparts, but she plays a vital role in understanding the history of early Hyrule and the legacy of the Picori Blade. (For example, fashions! The wing accessories in her hair are meant to resemble lesser versions of Hylia's wings, and her casual clothes ended up inspiring the dresses of other toon counterparts).

Closeups + Alts:

AU Info:

In Another Life follows a fued of the Goddesses. Tired of the cycle caused by Demise's Curse, the three come to an agreement: they will break the boundaries of space and time and allow the fued to be settled by their Champions. If one seeking destruction, chosen by Din, holds victory, then the world will be erased and built again without the demon's influence. If the heroes blessed by Farore and the princess blessed by Nayru succeed in returning their foe to their seal, then the world will live on. Farore hopes too to end the cycle, but Nayru believes it not to be her place.

The eternal bond between Hylia and her chosen hero will be tested as Hyrule's branches in history reach out to them through broken mirrors. They have found each other in every lifetime - but will their unbreakable connection be enough to save existence itself?

Pinned Post:

Info

[little-akuma-0ni]

“About that…”

I AM BACK AND I HAVE SKETCHES! I’ll post the stuff about Mens items and gimmick in a few days probably. I have to draw them out and I might take a bit, after that I will show his Zelda! (She’s really cool and I hope I can show her soon)

Also, Men forged the Picori blade like Sky did for the master sword. Let’s just say he wasn’t happy when he heard a certain wind mage broke it in the first five minutes of being near it.

Also if you want to ask about him feel free! I’m opening the ask box so I can answer questions about him.

[ultimate-sword-showdown]

Round 2, Match 16: sord.... vs. The Four Sword

sord....

From: Homestuck

Wielder: Dave Strider

Sord…. Is a sword creating by combining a mall katana with an ms paint drawing. It is such an abysmally shitty sword that it costs negative money and the jpeg artifacting is so bad that it hurts to hold. It can turn things into ms paint drawings, including the wielder.

Four Sword

From: The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap/Four Swords/Adventures

Wielder: Link

The Four Sword, also known as the Picori Blade, is a legendary magical sword with the power to repel evil. It can only be wielded by someone who is pure of heart. It can split Link into four copies of himself, and he used it to seal away Vaati and later Ganon. Legend has it that the Four Sword was created by the Minish and bestowed upon the Hero of Men, who used it to save Hyrule. The sword was then kept in the care of the Royal Family of Hyrule.

[tamamita]

Vaati in Minish Cap: once a Minish and an apprentice to Ezlo, he was tempted by the evil of men, cursed his master and turned him into a cap. He began his ambition to seek for the Light Force/Triforce/whatever and take over Hyrule. He ultimately destroyes the fabled Picori blade, causing all the evils of Hyrule to manifest. Zelda is petrified into stone and Vaati's plan are put into motion, putting Hyrule at stake.

Vaati in Four Swords & Adventures: Horny

[mango-unit]

post number three will be kind of a two-for-one zelda theory post. theory one is the placement of minish cap on the timeline. theory two is the connection between the lanayru desert, the wind tribe, and the gerudo.

look at these maps

(relative to hyrule castle) forest with lost woods magic to the northwest. village to the west. big lake to the southeast. river leading from castle moat to big lake. desert to the southwest.

(relative to hyrule castle) forest with lost woods magic to the west. graveyard to the west. big lake to the southeast. river leading from castle moat to big lake. new river leading south, and southwest, into a forest. the further south you go in said forest the more dehydrted the grass looks.

(relative to central lake/moat) forest with lost woods magic to the southwest. graveyard to the west. small lake to the southeast. no river leading from central lake to small lake. river leading south.

i should probably get to the point now.

i believe that minish cap takes place between alttp and tloz. the lost woods began moving progressively further south into kakariko, so hyrule town was built in order to prevent people from being lost. the village was repurposed as the graveyard. by the time of tloz, the lost woods have moved fully south, and the graveyard is just a regular non-lost graveyard.

as for the rivers. the hylians dug a channel from the moat to the desert in an attempt to terraform it and add forests. this was largely successful; this is why the lost woods were able to move into the area, but it isnt fully complete, which is why the grass further south (around the wind tribe ruins) looks almost dead. there is more full desert off-screen; this is where the gerudo live, so i doubt the hylians would encroach on that land.

by the time of tloz, the southbound river takes over, and the river leading to lake hylia dries up. as a result lake hylia shrinks. then ganon shows up and destroys hyrule castle, turning the moat into a massive lake with fractured islands in the center.

i theorize that the reason the hero of men needed the picori blade is because somehow the master sword went missing or was destroyed. (i have a real crackpot theory on how that happened, roping in botw and totk, but thats a whole other beast to tackle. for now we can just chalk it up to it getting so lost in the woods it could never be recovered.) the picori blade was forged into the four sword, which was used to seal vaati and later ganon.

as for why link doesnt use the four sword in tloz… hes, like, 10 in that game. its very likely that he just didnt think of it. he just did exactly as impa asked of him: collect the pieces of the triforce of wisdom, and use its combined power to defeat ganon, permanently this time. no more half measures by sealing him away.

going back to the topic of the wind tribe. i mentioned them before in my first post, but i left things a little… unfinished, so ill present my whole theory on the wind tribe.

i believe the wind tribe are the hylians who lived in the lanayru province before skyward sword. first lets look at the technology:

the lanayru province has a clear red and blue theming, and most of their technology consists of levitating machines. as does mazaal, the levitating machine built by the wind tribe to protect their home.

this carries over to the wind tribe members themselves, who wear only red and blue.

and speaking of the actual people:

every member of the wind tribe have red hair. every member of the gerudo have red hair. since the lanayru desert in skyward sword has a bug called the gerudo dragonfly, its a given that the lanayru desert becomes the home of the gerudo.

the lanayru desert is also where link finds the gust bellows, which grants him control over wind.

now to fit all the pieces together.

in ancient times, the hylians in the lanayru province rapidly progressed sometime after the discovery of the timeshift stones. they also gained a powerful mastery over the wind itself, reflected in their technology and in their magic. their advancements came at a cost, though; the once lush region became a harsh desert. in order to escape the deadly environment they created, the lanayru hylians used their mastery over the wind to escape into the skies. while many went into the skies, becoming the wind tribe, many decided to stay on the surface, receding further into the desert and becoming the gerudo. eventually, during the time of minish cap, the reforestation efforts of the lanayru desert reach the wind ruins - potentially some of the same ruins that the link of skyward sword explores, albeit much more decayed.

so yeah theres my two for one theory post

[fourswords]

something i personally thought was really cool was the fact that the picori blade was still visibly glowing with power when it was brought out for the award ceremony in the minish cap. the master sword and the four sword both have been shown to be capable of losing their power to repel evil over time (wind waker, four sword adventures) even though the swords themselves still held a tremendous amount of power, but like. the picori blade was still GLOWING in its seal even after god knows how many generations had passed since the hero of men wielded it. do you guys get it do you see how fucking cool that is hello is this thing on

[nocturnalfandomartist]

Unnamed Heroes

💚❤️ Minish Cap and Four Swords Prologue Headcanons 💙💜

There are other heroes mentioned in the prologues of Minish Cap in Four Swords who remain unmentioned outside of these stories. I got to thinking about it and decided it would be fun to expand on them! So here they are, the Hero of Men and the First Hero of the Four Sword.

The First Hero of the Four Sword is shrouded in mystery, which I decided I actually really like and wanted to maintain somewhat. All that is known is that when Vaati began causing trouble after being reborn in a monstrous form, he appeared from the woods and simply said he would defeat Vaati. Then, he split into four with the blade he somehow already was in possession of and sealed Vaati inside of it. Then, he disappeared. None of the people who he rescued had any idea how he did what he had, and many believed it didn't happen at all! I headcanon that he was born in the woods and lived there alone for most of his life. He never minded it, and he surely didn't want that peace disturbed. However, when his childhood friend Zelda- who met him when she snuck out of the palace when they were younger- became one of the people taken to Vaati's new palace, Link set out with the Four Sword Zelda had told him was hidden away (likely in the Castle) prior with only the goal of rescuing her in mind. He never took much recognition or credit, preferring to stay distant from things as before.

The Hero of Men, the first holder of the Picori Blade, is given slightly more depth than the first Hero of the Four Sword in the way that he is actually given a design. It is implied he is a knight of Hyrule, as he is seen among them in the stained glass depicting the rise of monsters. We also know he knew Zelda in some way, as he gave the Light Force to the princess of his time. I like to headcanon that he met her during the worst of the Era of Chaos, and in his quest to help her restore Hyrule was given the Picori Blade and Light Force by the otherworldly visitors. Like the Hero of the Minish, I imagine he's pretty short.

Time Elapsed (slightly less lazy doodle page): 2 hours, 54 minutes

Time Elapsed (old lazy doodle page): 1 hour, 20 minutes

Program: Ibis Paint X

Reblogging is fine, but please don't post this anywhere else without linking the original post. Thanks!