#but it would really make my day because I love both Vio and Shadow so much

[asofspades]

I'm making a list of my favourite Four HC

- He has a necklace made from a shard of the dark mirror to remember Shadow and a strand of his hair is dyed purple in his honour.

- I like to count Four swords and Four swords adventures as separate adventures, so he's been on 3 adventures.

- Four Swords personally would be literally Link and 3 copies of him, I like to consider this as if the clones you can make in Minish Cap just had a solid body and thinking ability but Link does go back to being the same at the end of the adventure

- Obviously I like to incorporate the FS manga to his last adventure and this time Link splits into four different beings each a main part of his personality but over the course of the adventure they sort of become their own person

- That's why I headcanon that Four isn't really link as he was before his last adventure, for me all of the colours went back together into one body but remained separate, they usually work together and that would be Four as we know him.

- Obviously I love the HC that we have seemed to collectively agree on that Four's eyes change colour depending on who's more dominant at certain points.

- I do think that sometimes not all of them are driving the wheel together and that might be because they just went through a moment that required a lot of one of the specific colours or they're in disagreement

-That leads me to the HC that Four gets migraines when the colours are not in sync, which is another one most of the fandom seems to share.

- I'm also a fan of the "dark portals scramble the colours and thus Four" collective HC

- particularly I like to think that Four is both distrustful of dark magic because of the whole Vaati resurrecting and Ganon thing, and the soldiers and his father being controlled by that magic but also it makes him sad because it reminds him of Shadow's magic

- Also, while I HC that Vio was the closest to Shadow for obvious reasons I think when they merged into Four their memories and feelings were instantly registered by each other and now the other colours also appreciate Shadow for more than just sacrificing himself for them and Hyrule.

-I like to HC that he was almost the same age as Time was in OOT for his first adventure, as a bonus I like to think his bday is on the Picori Festival day which adds an extra layer of depth to both the beginning of his first adventure and his relationship with the Minish

- Following that logic I like to HC him as being freshly 8 y.o for his first adventure, around 11 for the second and almost 14 for the 3rd, and as such I love the idea that Vio and Shadow kind of developed crushes on each other.

- On that same note, since we can see Link as a soldier in the FS manga, but obviously there's only his Grandpa in MC, I like to HC that his father was deployed somewhere far away from Hyrule for diplomatic reasons (he's the captain of the royal guard after all) and he comes back after the first adventure. He gets told about what his child did and decides him joining the Royal Guard would be a good idea

- Following the previous HC, I like to think Link is not really enthusiastic about joining the Royal Guard because my boy got raised by his very cool blacksmith Grandpa who loves him very much and he's a little blacksmith at heart. Which kind of explains why he looks a bit done about being part of the royal guard, aside from the fact that he's literally saved Hyrule on his own before. That is also the reason he's so proud to be a blacksmith but never talks about having been in the Royal Guard.

- This is a more niche HC but since Four's era is way before OOT and way after SS I like to think the legal age changes a lot and so I HC that in Four's Hyrule you're considered an adult at around 14 so he's already working an paying taxes and is of marring age by the time he joins the chain.

- That brings me to another point and it's that I HC Four to be 16 in linked universe (I think that one's also pretty much shared by the fandom) but since legally he's been an adult for 2 years he gets thrown off by people calling him "kid" despite technically being the second youngest, he's a kid in basically everyone's time but his and I find that idea hilarious.

- Another commonly shared HC, four hasn't grown or has barely grown a cm since his first adventure because he overused minish magic, I like to add a twist and since you also turn into a minish in FS I like to think he grew a tiny bit between his first and second adventures but the overuse during the 2nd one was what did him in.

- Another HC is that four can in fact use the minish magic by himself, making him one of the Links with innate magic ability. Going a step further I think both Hyrule and Time can detect some Fae magic emanating out of him due to his entrenchment with the minish and his earring and sword (after all the four sword was forged form the remains of the Picori blade), Legend can sense some light magic coming off of him (he can canonically use innate magic and is attuned to magic artifacts) and Twilight can sense something similar to Midna's magic and the twilight mirror due to the dark mirror shard necklace Four carries.

Technically Wind can use light magic just because but I like to think he senses magic but really doesn't know what he's sensing at all because nobody bothered to explain magic to him even though he uses it a lot and often.

- okay, the shield think, we know the Shield in WW and MC are quite literally the same shield. And while I support people who have the whole "wind is Four's descendant" HC, for me personally I think people just knew it belonged to a hero and the people who found it after the great flood decided to keep it and it ended up becoming a family heirloom. Particularly they just mention that it belonged to a hero, and it's the first and only time that they don't mention that hero being the Hero of Time like they do in every other instance.

- the Palace of the Four Swords is a tricky one because me personally, I like to think that Four's soul is tied to his sword not only because he forged it but because of his second and particularly his 3rd adventure. Thus, when he dies he turns into a sword spirit and in the downfall timeline the sacred realm becomes the dark world and all inside it becomes corrupt and the sword that has been resting there for eras along with it's spirit gets corrupted as well prompting the events that happen at the FS palace in ALTTP.

- personally I like to think that since the Sacred Realm gate never opens in the child timeline the sword just rests in it's palace (built out of the elemental sanctuary that became the four sword sanctuary) along with it's spirit. And for the adult timeline it just rests underwater along with the rest of the old Hyrule forever undisturbed.

I find it really tricky that the splitting of the timeline ends up affecting previous heroes in the long run but it makes sense.

-Also, because SS takes place way way before MC I like to think the story of Sky is barely known outside of the Royal Family who might know a bit just because it's tied to their very existence. However I find that I like the idea that the people of the sky do know a version of said story and are descendants of the skyloftians who never took to the surface and that's why after living on the surface for a while by themselves they decided to go back to the skies and build a city on the cloud tops. Coincidentally since the Minish did come form the sky as well they might know about those stories. I think the molemits found in the wind ruins might be a version of the mogma mits from SS and the gust jar might have been inspired by the gust bellows from SS.

- Take I like, the blue ocarina in OOT that seems to be an heirloom of the Royal Family is in fact the Ocarina of Wind from MC, timeline wise it is the earliest apparition of that ocarina. My personal HC is Four gives it to Zelda either as a parting gift before parting on a trip where he ends up dying or he simply has it on his will to give Zelda that ocarina when he dies. With time the Royal Family unknowingly or knowingly infuse it with the power of the Goddess giving it the abilities we see in OOt and then in MM but, by the time it gets found by Legend in ALTTP is has basically lost all abilities except for the one to call a bird to bring you places. Personally I like to think that in the fallen timeline since the ocarina is in Link's hands when he fails it gets lost after being used to open the sacred realm and a regular someone ends up finding it prompting the side quest you do in ALTTP to get it.

- I also think that Four's relationship with his father is a bit rocky since he left the Royal Guard to become a full time blacksmith.

Some Colour headcanons

- Red enjoys using the fire rod but he doesn't like when people mess around too much with fire in forest because it reminds him of the third adventure

- Blue hates the cold because of the time he was encased in ice during the 3rd adventure

-Green has a need to save everyone because he still feels like he failed people during his 3rd adventure

- Vio likes to act all smug about his traitor act but he actually feels very bad about having tricked and betrayed shadow and he feels guilty that Shadow sacrificed himself after having been betrayed.

- Green also blames himself for Shadow and he finds it hard to be around their father because of the whole 3rd adventure.

[durudurururu]

Linked Universe Vtubers Au

So I like Linked Universe. I also like Vtubers. The result? LU vtuber AU! This has refused to leave my brain ever since it came up and now you shall live with this too!

It's a basic modern AU but everyone is a Vtubers instead of any normal job they could have. Their Vtuber lore is the same the actual chars, but their Irl counterparts are different. I'll talk about the agency the characters are in later, so have some fact about them!!

The chain

Sky

Married to Sun.

The one's who's been a Vtuber the longest.

30yrs (may change)

Was a pilot before becoming a vtuber due to his wife thinking he would like it.

Was indie before being recruited by the agency (Was called Crimson).

Time

Oldest in the Chain

46yrs

Was still raised in the forest, but not by a tree

Has a teenage daughter named Navi (had her at 31, she's now 15yrs)

Learnt her to speak Kokiri.

Married to Malon

Only have a few cuckoos and some horses instead of a whole ranch.

Only became a Vtuber since his wife and daughter likes them and he wouldn't mind some extra income.

Has a toggle in his model to turn into the Fierce Deity.

In a April fool'd stream he has a 3D model of Time as a kid which he used the whole day.

Warriors

25yrs.

Twins with Linkle and lives with her in an apartment in Castle Town.

Used to live out in the country but moved away since he doesn't have the best relationship with his dad.

Hides his accent, uses a quite posh one.

Worked full time at a make up store in the morning and did night security shifts at 3 times a week before becoming a Vtuber.

Quit because it was making his health way worse and he had more wiggle room when Linkle moved in as she (supringly) also had a job.

Became a Vtuber due to the extra wiggle room. Wanted to be one since they helped him through some tough times.

Wind and Arryl (his cousins) visit him on occasion, and he loves them.

Wind found out his Vtuber identity immideatly, but is not a snitch.

Dating Arthemtis.

Crazy ex Cia that he still had traumas from.

Wild

24yrs

Married to Flora

Used to date Mipha before the accident.

She lived in another country and though she wanted to give him her support, she often couldn't, and since so much about him changed with the memory loss, she sadly had to cut her losses and break up, even if Wild technically didn't know it at the time.

Still looses his memories, but now because of a car crash. His parents died in it and though his sister survived, she didn't go in a coma but went to an unknown relative. Happened when he was 19, awoke when he was 20.

Wheelchair bound but can technically walk and stand, just not good.

Does his best to hide the fact that he's disabled.

His model does not have any scars because of this as he wants it to be perfect, unlike himself (yes, he is in therapy, because who thinks he isn't perfect?)

Became a Vtuber as it was difficult to find jobs he could do whilst wheelchair bound that doesn't pay like shit or force him to move away for college. He also really liked them regardless.

Trans (FtM). Had surgery before the accident and didn't know until he was 21.

Most popular of the chain.

Four

4 streamers in one channel.

Green, Blue, Vio, and Red

Blacksmiths, but has some extra jobs as it doesn't pay too well.

Quadruplets.

20yrs.

Became Vtubers because of Shadow and since they wanted the extra money.

All their desks (+Shadow's) are right next to each other.

Both streams alone and with each other. Rarely all 4 unless it's a special occasion.

Has a model that all four can control at once. Yes, it absolute chaos.

Their individual models are just coloured differently than that one ^^, otherwise looks the same.

Streams at least 4 times a week, one day for each of them.

Green

Dating Dot.

Works part time at a café

Helps with planning their streams and any collabs that their manager doesn't do for them.

Blue

Works at an animal shelter when he's free.

Has almost ruined his set up too many times to count due to gamer rage.

Vio

Dating Shadow, but hiding it...kind of. They're playing up their relationships for jokes and the community ships them to all hell.

Has a Shadow body pillow that doesn't exist Irl (yet) that their model sometimes holds during streams.

Non binary (they/them).

A bit goth.

Works at a library.

Red

Aromantic and Asexual!

Calls his fans his Rubies.

Everyone—including the rest of the chain—will protect him with their life.

Works at a a cat café. It is a different café than Green, and he hides that he's jealous about being able to work there.

Hyrule

Lives in the middle of nowhere and does not know where anything is.

Somehow lives off of hunting (don't worry, he has a license) and the instant noodles etc he buys from the store that's very close to the middle of fuck who knows where.

Somehow still used Internet Explorer when he started. Did not know what Firefox was until Legend explained it to him.

Refused to use Chrome as he didn't know how to change his browser.

Still shocked at being a functioning Vtuber.

Became one because money was getting tight and since he grew up in a village in the middle of fuck who knows where, didn't have too many good jobs he could have.

Legend

24yrs.

Married to Ravio.

Still refuses to wear pants.

Puts even more of a tsundere act when on camera.

Has quite a posh accent but hides it and uses one that's actually normal.

Twins with Fable

Twillight

25yrs.

Dated Midna, but she suddenly broke up with him and he's still slightly heart broken.

Time's (technically Malon's) nephew.

Got a country accent.

Sadly had to move out of Odinia because of college. Now works part time at a veterenarions clinic.

Became a Vtuber because it sounded fun even though he wasn't the biggest fan of it at the time.

On his debut stream he found a toggle to turn his model into a wolf and Legend send a donation just to call him a furry.

Wind

15yrs/18yrs

Doesn't join the agency until he's 18, and he's 15 for most of the stories that I have planned. This may change.

Warriors' cousin. Often visits because his Grandma can't take care of them every day, especially Aryll.

Slowly starts to join streams even though Warriors is very reluctant. Warriors' fans love him.

About the agency and some lore:

The agency is called Fates and their theme is good vs evil. Their first wave was called Inception and had four members: First, Fi, Hylia, and Demise.

They were suprisingly successful, but after 1 year, Demise took a break because of some bad rumours about him started to spread, and not long after, First graduated due to personal issues.

Fates was already in the progress of adding more members, and eventually the new wave by the name of Clouds came out, having 2 new members: Sky—a former indie Vtuber by the name of Crimson—and Ghirahim, who was also an indie before joining the company.

Everything went great, Demise coming back to streaming...but then the rumours came back, and they found out that they weren't just rumours. Demise was quickly terminated as he had been harrasing fans on an alt account, then Ghirahim got terminated as he had been meeting with his fans Irl and given them special bonuses, which even went for outside of his streams.

As a way to save their image, Fates let out a new wave by the name of Destruction shortly after, having 3 members: Vaati, Dark, and Shadow.

Both Sky and the members of Destruction got a fair amount of hate, mostly from people saying that the company is simply trying to replace First and Demise with cheap knock offs.

Fates has open Vtuber auditions for the first time since the agency started, and recruit 7 people that joins a wave called The Chain: Time, Wild, Legend, Hyrule, Twillight, Warriors, Four.

Later they would open auditions again, and have a new wave by the name of Mortality with 4 members: Impa, Calamity, Majora, and Ganondorf.

Other important characters:

First

Most popular member when he was still streaming

Hand picked Sky as his succesor

Fi

Though she technically didn't graduate, rarely streams any more. Now is a higher up in the company.

Helped Sky find his footing at the start.

Sometimes holds Vtuber game shows with Shadow

Hylia/Zelda

The most popular streamer in the agency.

Often has collabs with Indie Vtubers and Impa.

The best at the game show Shadow hosts.

Was re-named to Zelda because of continued harrasment for sharing a name with the goddess.

Has been a Vtuber for (at least) 3yrs.

Vaati

Graduated after 2 years due to the continued hate.

Still talks with Shadow and Dark.

20yrs when he graduated.

Shadow

21yrs.

Lives with the Four gremblins and is dating Vio.

They are way too gay for each my Lord.

From Lolrule.

Darker skinned.

Used to work at the same library as Vio. Only there because no other place would accept him.

Was with the bad boys in High school, is getting better now.

Likes holding game shows for other Vtubers.

Dark

23yrs.

From Lolrule.

Darker skinned.

Quite shy but doesn't show it much.

Can be very childish.

Dyselxic. Why? Because I say so.

People always said he was a teaser for another Vtuber, which was technically true, but he still didn't like hearing it.

[russeliarat]

Please give us your Four thoughts! We'd love to hear them!

@bloodybloob @factorialrabbits so this turns up in your mentions

I'm evilly tapping my fingers together right now because this took a few days to write (also I don't know if you mean physically not with it, but if so, hope you get better soon hun!)

Shadow works a bit differently too, so I might make another post for him if people want.

Post gets a bit long-ish so I’ll put it under a cut. Might as well.

So back when I first joined LU, there was some discourse over whether Four could have had Dissociative Identity Disorder or not - I think most of the fandom's chilled out by now tbh it was like a year ago at this point. But basically, after reading a fic that featured Four and a few other characters having DID (Atmosphere on ao3, I'll link it if I can find it), I looked at both sides and said ‘why not have both?’ and made two version of Four.

I think for now I’ll only get into the version of Four that doesn’t have DID and maybe make another post about it if anyone wants to hear. I think I’ll have to plan it out a bit more to coherently get all the ideas together and do last-minute confirmations.

The non-DID version of Four basically has a bit of a symbiotic relationship going on with the Colours residing in Four’s head just chilling until the Four Sword’s pulled. So essentially, to sum it up because it’s very complicated; Four is a blank-slate reflection of the original Link before he split into four pieces. Link unknowingly lent duplications of his body to the Colours and shared aspects of his personality between them to allow them to function properly as human beings. This is because the Colours are a bit like vocal fragments of personalities and impulses when inside Four’s mind. They were quiet at first like little whispers of vague sounds and voices but once finding their humanity after splitting, they kind of found their voices too. Once the Colours eventually re-merged for the first time, they thought Green was the original Link due to Four taking on most of his traits, though realised otherwise when this new Link actually seemed to take on more of Vio’s traits and privately expressed some of Red’s and Blue’s. This was actually because he knew he had to hide away that he was now a person of five in order to not be called insane or something. 

There was a lot of anxiety and finding themselves at first - a lot of the fear came from rejection and it still seeps through to the more recent parts of the story. He was so fearful of rejection and the notion of the anxiety that came with it, he moved away from his father to live with his grandfather. Vio provided a heavily locked emotional and mental barrier that prevented anyone from getting close enough to figure it out essentially - Green was far too loyal and outgoing to keep it secret for as long as they all planed, Red was far to friendly and really bad at keeping secrets because he trusts people so easily, and Blue is very brash and short-tempered, too much to handle his own emotions sometimes. 

So because they all realised Four is a separate human, they decided to call him by a few names. In his mind and in their split bodies within privacy, they’d call him ‘Light’ due to light being comprised of an entire rainbow and his previous hero title of Hero of Light. Within public and split, masquerading as friends or the like, he would be known as ‘Link’ like everyone else knew of him as. Shadow liked to call him ‘Rainbow’ because he eventually grew a fondness for the Colours but still had a deep-set fear of light and hated being reminded of it. When eventually joining the Chain, Four took on the name Four to keep his secret safe until the right time.

I also have a bit of an idea of a headcanon for his familial situation. It’s a bit messy (is it because we all secretly love to rattle around our favourite characters or am I just projecting? Who knows!). Four’s mother never really wanted him and neither did his father, he was basically an accident (same) and so for a lot of his pre-teen years, he spent more time with his grandfather than his bio parents. His dad swiftly vanished for reasons Four knows not of other than he wasn’t wanted, and his mother rarely spent much time with him. Though one day, his grandfather told him that his mother had found and was going to marry another man, who served as a knight. Apparently, his soon-to-be step-father asked to meet with Four despite his mother not wanting to. Four’s grandfather encouraged him to meet his step-father and stay with them a short while, to which Four reluctantly agreed, but to make sure, his grandfather told him he was always welcome to come back at any time. As it turns out, Four’s new step-father was actually an incredibly kind man and genuinely loved to be around Four, considering him his biological son. Four quite liked his step-father and soon just started calling him father. Throughout a lot of Four’s life he was passed between staying with his grandfather at the forge and his parents in a quaint house in Castle Town, but one day, Four’s mother just up and left, divorcing his step-father and leaving Four in his guardianship. Later into his life, Four would be told by his father that his mother was suffering some pretty bad mental issues and felt so guilty about not treating Four right that she couldn’t take it and left entirely without warning. No one actually knew what happened to her since she just abruptly left and couldn’t be found no matter who attempted to find her.

Pretty messed up, I know.

My personal favourite part is thinking of the mundane, different lives each boy would live - all five of them.

Blue is brash, short-tempered, and overall has an almost protector role within the group, though goes about it by being very loud and a bit demanding. But he’s also very meticulous when it comes to things such as physical appearance, clothing maintenance, and general wellbeing of the other Colours. He’s very much the stern mother-hen of the group and kind of defaults as a secondary leader once Green isn’t around (obviously once he’s learned to work more in sync with the others, he had barely any leadership skill beforehand), though at first he was very hurtful as he thought by going about leading the way he was, he was toughening up the others and getting shit done properly to protect them. Yeah, they didn’t like it very much and he knew it later on. But he’s also terrible at looking after himself, very much prioritizing the others over himself. As a way to calm down, he does general sewing and embroidery tasks; patching up tears in clothing, fixing loose embroidery thread, washing clothing, repairing damaged boots etc. It’s a craft he finds very therapeutic and sometimes he just grabs a random bit of fabric to embroider into. Red has at least three other tunics just covered in embroidery Blue has mindlessly done and Red refuses to unpick the threads or bin it.

Red is a lot more capable than people give him credit for - he’s very good at fighting and is quite the peacemaker, though prefers not to fight at all, gets scared very easily and has a hard time expressing how he feels before it all topples over into sobbing. He’s the one trying to find himself the most since he’s the most impressionable person in the group bar Four, but was recently introduced to painting and artistry by Vio to help control his emotional issues. Vio introduced it as a way for Red to get down and let go of his feelings before they bubble too much and simmer over, or he could give the artwork to him and he can find a way to get through to the inner meaning with Red, sorting out the issue directly. It’s helped quite a lot since he’s actually improved his mood tenfold, and it’s directly helped with the Colours learning Red’s boundaries and emotions so he doesn’t start furiously weeping for seemingly no reason. Though, Red likes to focus a lot more of the creation of pigments and paints because he’s a very tactile person and likes the feeling of mulling paint.

Vio is the most calm of the group and often masquerades as keeping the Colours in line when really, he’s doing whatever stupid shit the others are doing but quieter. He’s incredibly academically smart from all the time he spends with his nose buried in a book, but he’s also street smart, yet not in the way that Green or Blue are. He’s street smart in the way that he can bullshit himself out of any situation fairly unscathed and then do whatever he did to get into that situation again. He’s emotionally constipated by choice. He’s totally not dating Shadow. He’s a master of Uno. He makes the decision to read upside-down What can this boy not do, other than act normal for two seconds? Joking but I’m not, he’s generally just a real devious boy disguising himself as a collected, sane person, but he’s just as stupid as the others. He’s a master of the languages (he writes upside-down and very fast) and does a load of calligraphy in his spare time, generally because he always hates the way his handwriting looks when he writes the right way up (maybe because he writes upside-down all the time). Vio also dabbles in art and painting occasionally and it was how he introduced Red to it. 

Green is very adventurous, there is barely a single place he hasn’t slept other than inside his grandfather’s kiln. He’s got quite the strong personality and tells himself as a go-getter, energetic kind of person. He openly welcomes pretty much anyone, but is extremely loyal and can hold a grudge for years if left unchecked on and not worked through. Though, he feels a lot of pressure on his shoulders. He’s seen as both the ‘original Hero of Light’ from his adventure with the Minish and as the sole leader of the Colours because people can’t really ever get how he and his friends work. There’s a heavy weight on his back to be the perfect knight and hero, though he’s barely 16 years old of LU (oh yeah I didn’t mention that did I?). He secretly struggles the most with self-esteem issues from it and attempts to hide it away even from the other Colours. It’s hard though when everyone can tell where the impulsive thoughts about not being enough and thinking you aren’t living up to expectations are coming from when merged. The others have been trying to comfort their primary leader of the group. Green, being the active sort, gravitated heavily towards becoming a knight like his step-father and it just so happened that his blacksmithing interest from back when Four stayed primarily with his grandfather came in very handy. He focuses more on knight duties than smithing, but it still contributed greatly in forming Four’s shared interest in the craft. Similarly to Blue, Green does weapon maintenance and his favourite part is decorating the hilt, pommel, and guard of weaponry. He often lets Red come up with ideas for swords during his spare time and he works on them between commissions and repairs.

Four is a bit of a mish-mash man. He’s basically taken on the unwilling role of mediator and ‘the responsible one’ just through the nature of how he works in tandem with the Colours. He doesn’t consider himself a Colour - moreso an extension of them. He can’t physically be in the same space as the Colours at the same time, which is kind of an upside and a downside, because on one hand he’s sick of these guys and wants them to split from him so he can have a quiet mind, on the other he can easily feel lonely and anxious when it does get quiet because he’s so conditioned to having them there. That being said, he takes a lot of interests from combining the others. We all know his main job is a blacksmith - which he tends to whenever he isn’t being a knight thanks to Green - and he takes a great amount of literary and artistic interest in the topic too. He isn’t burying his nose in books of nothing. He has to focus on practicality of his weaponry, but a lot of people don’t know that medieval blacksmiths worked with all kinds of products made of metal; pottery, shields, ornamentation - the entire lot. Thusly, Four is an artistic guy and just fucks around with metal art in his spare time for the fun of it. It gets his hands busy and keeps his tiny body warm.

[105ttt]

Hey why is Vio a better fit for Shadow than Shadow Link, since Shadow Link is the obvious choice. Hes literally named Shadow. What a missed opportunity.

Okay first off hi Noot

Second off, I used to have a million reasons for why I always thought Vio was a better fit for a Shadow the Hedgehog role instead of Shadow Link, but since that was ages ago and I’m tired, I’ll just sum up my thoughts as best as I can.

Most people would assume that Shadow Link fits Shadow the Hedgehog’s character better than Vio because they think of Shadow the Hedgehog as a stereotype mostly promulgated by Shadow the Hedgehog (2005) that isn’t really true to all of his character: they think he’s an edgelord who loves shooting guns, riding around on motorcycles, and being violent and cranky and mean for no reason. Vio’s thing isn’t really violence, but Shadow Link has been shown on multiple occasions to be easily angered and violent to the point where he acts animalistic. For people who aren’t really invested in the Sonic franchise, they would see Shadow Link as a better fit for Shadow the Hedgehog because of the name similarity, color scheme similarity, and shared grounds for potential violence. They would see Vio as more fitting for someone like Blaze or Espio, calm purple characters who act cool most of the time. And that makes perfect sense! There’s nothing wrong with interpreting those characters in that way. It’s just a silly manga and video game franchise crossover.

However, I feel like people who are more invested in the Sonic franchise such as myself know that Shadow the Hedgehog isn’t just your typical violent edgelord. He’s so much more than that, and it gets overlooked because he hasn’t had a major role where he really got character development since Sonic the Hedgehog (2006). If you look back at the Dreamcast Era games (Sonic Adventure 2 to ShTH, since he wasn’t in Sonic Adventure) and Sonic ‘06, however, you realize that there is so much more to Shadow’s character than just what we see in ShTH. He’s loyal to a fault to those he loves. He’d do anything for his loved ones, even if it puts him in danger. He feels personally responsible for the bad things he did and initially felt guilt over it. He’s very clever and driven by his passion for his loved ones and his desire to protect them. After ShTH, he doesn’t let anyone manipulate him or make him stray from the path he sets for himself (see the famous cutscene from Sonic ‘06 where he tells off Mephiles for trying to get him on his side), and he pursues his goals by any means, even if that means doing morally grey things at times. And he’s a great actor, actually (see the cutscenes in SA2 where Shadow the Hedgehog pretends to be in on Eggman’s plan when first explaining the Eclipse Cannon to him). And if you read all of those and compile them together, it really sounds a lot more like Vio than Shadow Link, doesn’t it?

Yes, I admit Shadow the Hedgehog does have many similarities to Shadow Link: besides what’s obvious, both were misguided and manipulated villains who turned into heroes after some truth about themselves was revealed to them by a wise girl who cares about them that made them release what they had been doing to achieve their goals was wrong the whole time. Both also have some sort of innate power most people don’t have that can be likened to magic (Shadow the Hedgehog has Chaos powers while Shadow Link has dark magic), which makes them powerful (though I’d argue that Shadow the Hedgehog is way more overpowered in his universe than Shadow Link is in his). Both also had an identity crisis where they felt like they had to prove they weren’t mere copies of someone else and got defensive if anyone tried to imply they weren’t who they said they were or otherwise threatened the validity of their identity.

However, the reason I still say that Vio is a better choice for an AU role where he takes the place of Shadow the Hedgehog is because of the part of Shadow the Hedgehog’s personality that is quiet and gentle. He does brood quite a bit (not in a I-hate-everyone way, but he still does it), and that’s simply because he’s not as expressive as other characters. He has a resting frown, and he’s not as outspoken as other characters unless he wants to be. Shadow Link isn’t the type of person to brood and be a loner. He wants attention; it’s literally part of his character arc. He makes sure he’s heard and that everyone knows his thoughts and how he’s feeling. He’s very expressive and quick to get angry, excited, or sad. Vio, on the other hand, is more reserved, but like Shadow the Hedgehog, if he shows his rage or excitement, it really shows and is deeply felt. And Vio had to learn it was okay to show his emotions, just like Shadow the Hedgehog did after SA2 and later in Sonic Heroes. He’s quieter in those games because he doesn’t know who he is and is learning about his place in the grand scheme of things, but after he’s developed bonds with his loved ones, he learns to be himself and not bottle everything up and hide his feelings or thoughts from people. Sound familiar?

And I’d argue that the level of devotion Shadow the Hedgehog has for his loved ones and the lengths he goes to to do things for their sake is a lot like Vio’s devotion to his teammates and princess. Shadow the Hedgehog was literally willing to die for Maria in SA2 if it meant he fulfilled his promise to her, and in both SA2 and later games, we see Shadow the Hedgehog put himself in harm’s way or do drastic things for his loved ones (like jumping in front of Sonic when Silver was beating him up in Sonic ‘06, or catching Rouge as she fell to the ground after being shot down in one cutscene in Sonic ‘06 knowing that he would lose something critical to the mission at hand, or when he pushed Rouge out of the way of Omega’s deadly fire at the beginning of Sonic Heroes even though he didn’t remember her at all). That kind of innate heroism, that desire to protect innocent people, doesn’t seem as easily associated with Shadow Link as it is with Vio. Vio is a literal hero of Hyrule. That kind of kindness and selflessness was always inherent in him, even if he seemed like a jerk at first because he was so full of himself originally. This cockiness is another trait he shares with Shadow the Hedgehog, who often bragged about being the Ultimate Lifeform just as Vio often bragged about being self-sufficient and not needing teammates. Both started as loners, but they eventually became devoted to their loved ones. By that same token, they both were willing to deceive people if it meant helping the ones they loved (though it had different implications for their true characters). Shadow the Hedgehog deceived Eggman in SA2 in order to get the Chaos Emeralds faster and get access to the Eclipse Cannon that could destroy Earth and satisfy his need for revenge for Maria’s death. We all know what Vio did as a double-agent for his teammates that ultimately led to him hurting Shadow Link (and while that wording may tempt you to associate him with Rouge instead of Shadow the Hedgehog, don’t let it). Both Vio and Shadow the Hedgehog felt guilty for the bad things they had to do to accomplish their goals (we see this less with Vio, but there is the infamous panel where he says Shadow Link’s name while looking sad as if he regrets hurting him, so we can assume he feels guilty), but they also try to right their wrongs by doing only heroic deeds after coming to realize that what they did was wrong in some way. They may do morally grey things to accomplish their goals, but they ultimately do them for the greater good (or at least for Shadow the Hedgehog, in games after SA2), and they don’t let anyone lead them astray.

I would also like to quickly note that the way Shadow the Hedgehog saw Maria and the way Vio sees Zelda is very similar. It is clear that Vio is very close to Zelda since Link was close to Zelda, and Shadow the Hedgehog canonically saw Maria like a sister according to ShTH. Both parties felt a deep connection to their sister-figures, and they would do anything to protect them (with Vio going on a journey to save Zelda and Shadow the Hedgehog trying to run away from the G.U.N. soldiers on the ARK with Maria, though unsuccessfully). Their devotion, as well as the way they talk to and act around their cherished sister-figure, are quite similar. In fact, Shadow the Hedgehog almost seems like Maria’s knight despite not formally being so as Vio is to Zelda. In ShTH alone, we see that Maria was always able to call on Shadow the Hedgehog for help with anything, even if it there wasn’t any personal benefit that would come out of it for him, and he talks to her in such a gentle, caring way that lets you know they’re the closest of friends. Vio’s knightly and brotherly devotion to Zelda is similar in the sense that she can always call on him for help if she needs to (both because it’s his job and because he loves her), and he would do anything to keep her safe. It makes for a neat, sad, bittersweet relationship in any Sonic Four Swords AUs where Vio takes Shadow the Hedgehog’s role and Zelda takes Maria’s role.

“But Fanta!” you say. “Rouge is literally a double-agent like Vio!! It’s a perfect role for him!!”

Well, there’s a few good reasons you could choose for Vio to take Rouge’s place instead of Shadow the Hedgehog’s, such as the double-agent thing and their high self-esteem as well as their love of showing off. Both can also be snarky and use their charms to get what they want. But, in a surprising twist, I would actually say Shadow Link fits Rouge better than Vio. Yes, this has many weird implications seeing as this basically swaps the relationship they had in canon, but if you ignore that, I believe that Shadow Link really does fit Rouge better. Rouge is more outspoken and quick to take the lead. She’s a master manipulator when it comes to getting people to work with her, and she really does want it all - just like Shadow Link. I honestly can see the fun-loving and rambunctious Shadow Link acting a lot more like our favorite bat girl than Shadow the Hedgehog, who is known to be reserved. Again, the idea that Shadow the Hedgehog is a violent edgelord is a misconception, and so while it would seem obvious for the two edgiest characters to match each other better, it’s not as simple as it seems. I could write a whole separate post about why Rouge is a better fit for Shadow Link than Shadow the Hedgehog, but this is about Vio right  now.

Case and point, I’d argue without hesitation that Vio is best suited for swapping roles with Shadow the Hedgehog in a Sonic Four Swords AU of any kind (my favorites being SA2 and ShTH) instead of someone who is less important in most games such as Blaze or Espio or someone like Rouge. Having Vio as Shadow the Hedgehog and Shadow Link as Rouge allows them to be on the same importance level as the typical matchups for the rest of the Links (which is usually Green as Sonic, Blue as Knuckles, and Red as Tails). That isn’t to say that assigning Vio to Rouge and assigning Shadow Link to Shadow the Hedgehog is wrong or bad, but I personally just have it the other way around. I’m probably missing some other points I’ve thought of over time here, but I hope this is enough to make sense and be convincing for the moment.

[changeling-rin]

(Kingdom Anon) Hello! I wanted to ask if we could get a post on how the Links interact with each other?

Like who they spend more time interacting with, whose powers are the ones they think are more interesting than the others, etc.

Thank you and we hope you have a nice day!

Okay so like. This is absolutely a thing that exists in my head, but I've never had to put it into words before (ironic, I know), so bear with me this might get a little ramble-y.

Mask and Ocarina are, of course, a matching set, and you will almost never find one without the other. At most, they're maybe ten feet apart if they can help it, and if they can't help it then they spend most of their effort trying to correct this. It should be noted that this is, most of the time, completely subconscious on both of their parts

Wind and Steam drift together pretty often, but especially more after they figure out that they're actually closely related. Wind likes to get updates on how his Hyrule is doing, and Steam just likes to feel close. Wind and Sketch drift together fairly often too, on account of each having met the other first, and of course Sketch and Steam are the mechanic duo, so they can be found talking shop at least once or twice a day. Somehow this all ends up blending together, and all three of them can usually be predicted to be clustered together

The Four are self-explanatory. So are RGBV. And so are the Four and RGBV put together. Four Sword Sets gotta have each others' backs

Dusk, Gen, and Lore are obviously and usually found with or near each other, for leadership reasons.

Speck and Shadow are an unlikely pair, but Speck's ability to seemingly pass through all Shadow's antagonistic traits and Shadow's inability to cope with this somehow ends up combining to form a... friendship? Maybe? At any rate, Shadow is least sarcastic when Speck is around and that probably means something

Lore, Blue, and Mask are all massive fans of messing with people's expectations, and so can occasionally be found laughing their collective heads off while plotting pranks

Realm and the Four are known to pair off, because they collectively have the best luck in keeping Realm in one spot

Speck and Red actually vibe together pretty well, due to them both thinking that small creatures are adorable and deserving of pets

Gen is overly protective of Sketch, specifically, ever since the Panic Attack, and can sometimes be found hovering a plausibly-deniable distance away

Sketch and Speck are the stealth duo, and they swap tips and advice with each other on going unseen

Everyone thinks Dusk's transformation ability is Actually Really Cool, and Dusk is still mildly confused as to what's so interesting about it

Vio is slightly jealous of Lore's ability to just. Pick up new languages like they're sticks or something. He would love to have that kind of affinity.

Once he finally shows off exactly what he can do with the weather, Wind's expertise is instantly in high demand

Mask would trade a lot of things to be able to see what Steam can

Steam is firmly of the opinion that his Train Summons is The Best Thing

Oni... is jealous of all of them. Not anything specific, and he'll never tell, but. They're free. (...it's been so long...)

It's generally agreed that if Realm could actually control where he's going, he'd be terrifying in his effectiveness.

And lastly (because this post is getting long, whoops), Lore makes absolutely no secret of the fact that he wishes he could make bombs the way Shadow does. It's not jealousy, exactly, it's more like he complains in the general direction of the sky about how cool that would have been

[bokettochild]

I posted 5,331 times in 2021

1904 posts created (36%)

3427 posts reblogged (64%)

For every post I created, I reblogged 1.8 posts.

I added 5,884 tags in 2021

#linked universe - 1314 posts

#linkeduniverse - 1279 posts

#asks and answers - 906 posts

#lu legend - 680 posts

#fox cub - 407 posts

#lu twilight - 283 posts

#lu warriors - 268 posts

#lu time - 266 posts

#lu four - 245 posts

#lu wild - 236 posts

Longest Tag: 139 characters

#instead of adults who only really tell me what to do and otehrwise let me be on everything else because all their other kids need them more

My Top Posts in 2021

#5

Soooo...... I’ve seen a few Twili Realm fics an I just...why?

Like, I love the ideas! Don’t get me wrong! But why does everyone seem to think that Four would be a mouse or something? Like, yeah, it’s like minish, but the Twili realm reflects your soul, not what you can do. Legend is a BUNNY for pities sakes guys, that doesn’t have anything to do with his abilities! (The mermaid suit/tail would make him a Twili fish if we went off abilities). 

I say we change things up and not reach for the obvious, but dig a bit deeper.

Four is small, granted, but he’s also strong, quick on his feet and primarily quiet. Four is a quieter individual and while he appreciates company, he’s quite comfortable on his own. He’s okay alone or with help, and is highly adaptable.

Guys, I think Four would be a cat.

This is not at all inspired by Tongs the Benevolent, not at all! Nope! It isn’t!

Nevermind that Four is scared of cats (giving us angst content, whoo!) or that the minish are too. Who ever said that your Twili form was convenient or pleasant for you? Twilight gets hate from all of Ordon for his animal form!

And also, for reasons, I say that Four is a calico with grey(blue), orange(red), yellow(green), and black(vio and Shadow) splotches.

Thank you for coming to my mini-rant. 

187 notes • Posted 2021-06-29 18:56:36 GMT

#4

So... I just finished reading In Which Wild Avoids Meeting the Gang by CuteButAlsoStabby on AO3, and I had a thought; why does everyone only do ‘the whole chain is thrown together over the course of a couple of weeks’ OR ‘the entire chain has been together for a while and then comes to BotW Hyrule and meet a feral arson baby’?

Don’t get me wrong! I love both of those fic tropes, but I was wondering, why do we never focus on someone else being last in the chain?

Like, Hyrule is just as feral.

Wind is a pirate, the chances of being dumped on his ship are very low, what if the gang end up fruitlessly trying to chase down a Pirate ship in order to get Wind to join them?

Legend has been on SIX adventures, and while I love the idea of him either slamming his door in their faces or just rolling with it like ‘What does Hylia need this time?’, it’s also funny to think of him noping out and leading the Chain on a wild goose-chase through Hyrule AND Labyrinia, Holodrum, Hytopia, the Drablands and maybe even Lorule.

Time stoicly trying to ignore the camp of loud teenagers outside his farm while he tries to do his chores for a couple days is a HILARIOUS concept to me, and Warriors avoiding the others by hiding all throughout castle town to avoid another inter-dimensional, likely highly traumatizing event, makes me wheeze!

Like, keep writing you Chain-Meets-Wild fics guys, they’re awesome! But how about the Chain meeting someone else every so often, please?

232 notes • Posted 2021-06-17 17:43:54 GMT

#3

I wonder if @jojo56830 just writes and draw their stuff and posts it, and then sits back to watch chaos unfold as we all inevitable go nuts about their work and start theorizing and analyzing every little detail.

Such power is a thing to be feared....

238 notes • Posted 2021-09-11 05:52:29 GMT

#2

request: sometimes time likes to be alone underwater. with his iron boots and zora helmet, it's easy to just take a stroll at the bottom of a deep enough lake, away from the rest of the world. he did not expect, however, to find legend relaxing inside a small hole in the stone. Mer Legend.

Oh boy! I was vibing with this one for a while, I just wanted to make it perfect!

I'm pretty happy with what I made too, but man is it long!

(I hope this makes you happy, anon!)

When he and Malon have kids, he hopes they don't have this many.

Nayru knows he loves his boys, but they can get a bit much sometimes. They can get loud and overwhelming, and as a man who’s used to traveling primarily alone, with maybe a fairy trailing behind him or his trusted mount, it’s a bit overwhelming. He’s not used to being around people so much, Malon and Talon are his only consistent company and even then, the work they share means that often times it’s only him and his thoughts as he mucks, mends and tends things around the ranch.

Sometimes, when the boys get especially rowdy and playful, it’s just nice to get a moment of quiet to himself. Between Sky and Twilight he knows that nothing overly chaotic will go down, and he trusts the boys to keep each other in check.

So, when they come to the Pup’s Hyrule, their battle in this world over and most of their number restless as they wait for the next portal to arrive and whisk them away, Time allows his boys their space, and with a quick exchange with the only two he can trust to not burn something down (at least while the younger ones can still see them) he heads off into the forest to get a little space to himself.

Of course, he can’t really go far, not if he needs to hurry back, but he doesn’t really need to. His destination is Lake Hylia, which is only a short distance from their camp, maybe ten or fifteen minutes, and, when he gets there, he allows himself to actually breathe for once.

Wild, Warriors and Wind had been locked in a game of cards when last he left, the champion soundly beating the other two both at cribbage while Wars bemoans his poor luck, and Twilight and Sky were discussing wood carving with Hyrule, with the occasional comment from the smithy, who is only too happy to throw in something related every so often as he looks up from his book. That leaves himself and Legend, and he’s long since learned that the vet was one to disappear for his own space when possible.

He’s not overly worried. Legend has items and experience that far outmatch most of their group, and if he runs into trouble Time has little doubt that he’ll be able to get himself out of it to at least gather reinforcements, if not handle the issue by himself.

A deep breath of relief escapes him as the eldest of the heroes pulls a few items from his own bag. The boots are a familiar if not welcome weight as he slips out of his armor and dons the tunic and cap of the Zora, his breath bubbling softly as he steps into the lake before him with a contented sigh.

The cool water floods over the top of him, tugging at his hair and bubbling in his lungs, but it’s doesn’t burn the way that it should. He breathes easily beneath the rippling surface of Lake Hylia, the Zora tunic granting him freedom beneath the waves.

There is little sound beneath, only the muffled noise from above the surface, the flow of the water and-

Time’s ears prick forwards as a single blue eye turns to search the space around him.

Someone is singing.

It’s a haunting sort of melody, one that draws you in and makes you dazed, and Time finds himself stumbling over his own feet as he searches for the source. It is not a Cursed song, nor anything powerful from what he can recall, in fact, it’s almost familiar. It sounds similar to something he hears hummed about their camp at night while the boys take watch. He’d never been able to place which of the young heroes hummed the lilting melody, but he’s let it carry him off to sleep many a time before. Only this song, the one that twines about his head and whispers in his ears and makes his feet trek closer and closer to its source, this song is different, it’s haunted and Broken, and it is sung in a Voice.

Not a voice like most of those above the surface have, but a Voice like a fairy or spirit might have. One that pulls at your very soul and sings in your mind, un-hampered by wind or waves, able to carry across miles to be heard by those that it Sings too.

Heavy feet trod faster.

He’s under no spell, but he is a Link, and by now he has learned that all of their kind are blessed or cursed with courage and curiosity both, and to be without the latter is simply unthinkable for the young-at-heart hero. Something –the forest imp in him maybe- tells him to find the Voice, find the Singer.

He’s only made it part of the way across the lake, hasn’t even left the shoreline properly, when the song stops. Unease creeps over him as he looks around, alert and ready for trouble, only to see nothing but the peaceful stillness of the lake bottom around him.

There! His mind supplies as something pink flits in the corner of his vision, and he’s whipping around to come face to face with-

Long tangled hair drifts in the waves as glistening scales reflect the light pouring down through the waves. Too deep, too dark eyes stare at him in shock for a brief moment, and then-

The creature, the thing, is gone in an instant. Whipping away as it’s glimmer fades into the waves around him, speed no doubt granted by the brilliant tail of the thing sending it rocketing out of his grasp before he even has a chance to speak.

He tried to follow it. He does! But quite soon the adult part of his mind is reminding him how dangerous the thing could be, and that he still has his boys to return to back on the surface. It’s been exactly thirty-two minutes and thirteen seconds since he left them at their camp, and by now they usually would have sent someone to check and make sure that whatever member of their party had strayed off was alright.

Removing his boots is all it takes to float to the surface, despite the fact that he still holds the things in his hands, and it’s with no small amount of relief that he realizes that the bank of the lake is free of other heroes.

Time gathers his things together, wringing out his hair and clothes before returning to his normal gear and heading back to the camp.

Smiles and chuckles greet him as the young heroes tease.

“Go for a swim, Old Man?” Legend quirks a brow, staring up from his place by the fire.

Time doesn’t answer him, but he does shake his head violently enough to spray the younger heroes with water, earning shouts and shrieks from them as they try and shield themselves from the wet. “Seriously, Time?” Warriors moans, wiping lake water from his face. “What are you, a dog?”

Time smirks at the captain and, to everyone's surprise (which produces no small amount of delight for him), he barks.

“What sorts of people have you met in your adventures?” Sky asks a couple of days later, head cocked to the side as he watches his brothers. “You all talk about so many races, but I don’t think I've heard of most of them.”

“Well,” Wild smiles, there’s a glint in his gaze that isn’t quite mischief, but it’s a warning to be wary anyway, because they all know what a crack-pot their cook can be at times. “There’s Hylians, of course, and Sheikah, Yiga, Gerudo, Rito, Gorons, Zora and koroks! You’ve probably already met the Sheikah, since you mentioned knowing an Impa during your journey, and the Yiga are an offshoot of that group.”

Twilight blinks and stares, Warriors furrowing his brow as he two older heroes stare at the younger, but Wild seem entirely unaffected.

“Gerudo are a desert people. They’re really tall, and extremely strong! Most of their race have long red hair and slightly darker skin than the people around Hyrule. They are a society of all woman, with only one man being born to them every hundred years. They worship the goddess Din for the most part, and live out of an opulent city set in the desert where they specialize in the crafting of weapons and jewelry, and the farming of exotic plants.” The champion then proceeds to run down traits and knowledge about the other races, matter-of-factly, as if the details he is sharing are things that everyone from the surface knows.

“Wow.” Sky laughs as Wild finishes. “I had no idea.”

“There’s also the minish.” Four adds. “And the Wind Tribe, who are sky people, of course.”

Sky looks curious, but Four says nothing more, instead gesturing to the other heroes to share their thoughts, which they do.

“Terminans.” Time offers. “Very similar to Hylians.”

“Ordonians.” Twilight adds with a fond smile. No explanation is needed.

The others all nod along, but Legend rolls his eyes. “Humans, like, non-Hylian humans, Shifters,” The vet stares upwards with a light scowl as he ticks the races off of his fingers. “Technically they’re humans too, but Wild counted the Sheikah and Gerudo, so there’s also the Lorulians, Labrynninians, Holodrumese folks, Hytopians, Drablanders, Subrosians, Catalians-” Legend frowns. “I could swear there are more but I can’t really recall.”

Time, for whatever reason, he can’t really say why, cocks his head. “Any water people other than Zora?”

The vet snaps his fingers. “Mer-folk! Thank you, Time. I guess fae and animal folk count on that note.”

There’s a scoff and Warriors is leaning forwards with a smirk. “Fairies and animals, sure, but mer? Seriously, Legend? Have you even met a mer before?”

“Many times.” The veteran drawls, cocking a brow in the captain’s direction. “On multiple adventures. What about you, cap? Jealous you couldn’t snag one for your guild of brides?”

Warriors blusters about indignantly, earning laughter from the others as Legend smirks, but the man recovers quickly enough. “I do not have a guild of brides! That is- that is utterly disgusting!”

“Could have fooled me.” Legend teases, sipping some water from a flask.

“Give him a break.” Twilight snickers, shoving the vet playfully.

The unfortunate thing about Twilight’s shoves though is that the ranch hand doesn’t seem to know his own strength, and Legend is small enough that the light push is enough to send him scrabbling to not hit the ground. More laughter rings about their camp, but this time at the vet's expense, as Legend topples over into the dirt, spilling his drink and failing his arms as he goes.

“Yeah, yeah, laugh it up.” Legend huffs, pulling himself back up and dusts off his clothes, scowling at the water spilled on him. “Great.”

“Oh, come on, you came back soaked to the skin earlier, what’s a bit of water going to hurt you, huh, vet?” Warriors ribs, smirking.

Legend shoots him a half-hearted glare.

“Legend,” Time starts slowly. “How would you describe the mer?”

The vet pauses, gaze resting maybe a moment too long as his hands as he brushes off the hem of his tunic. He’s already done so and there’s really no reason for him to do it again, but he does anyway. “What you’d expect.” He shrugs haltingly. “Hylian on top, fish beneath. Tail, long hair, that sort of thing.”

The old man hums. Legends ears twitch, nose shivering slightly as violet eyes flit over their group. “Care to expand on your sky people story, Four?”

“I’m good.” The smithy replies lazily.

Time would pass it off as a strange one-time thing, he would, but there are... other factors at play.

They’ve traveled to Four’s time, fighting off monsters and solving puzzles the same as they’ve always done. The boys are taking some downtime, playing hide and seek, and just like the last time, Time takes himself down to the river they’ve made camp ear and dons his Zora gear.

He isn’t expecting to see the creature, the mer, again, much less hear them singing -after all, this is a Hyrule far before his Pup’s- but there the creature is. It- or they- frolic in the water, chasing fish and singing softly. The tune is lighter than the last one he heard, a different song entirely, but there is no denying that it is the same mer.

Gold flecked, petal pink scales shimmer beneath the twisted lights that invade the water, hair of the same colors flowing in the current as long fingers, tipped with pointed claws, reach out to swipe at the fish swimming wildly away. They don’t catch anything, but Time hears it giggle anyways, the tune of its voice bubbling in merriment as it rolls like and otter and turns to explore some other part of the river bed.

The cursed curiosity of a hero niggles in Time’s mind. How is the same mer from before in this timeline, ages before Twilight would even be born? And why do they play and explore as if they’ve never seen this river bed before in their life?

Long claws pull through sand, and although their hair blocks their face from his view, he can still hear the warble of delight as the creature removes something sparkling and bright from the river bed. The mer floats in place, turning the item over in their hands curiously before whisking it out of sight and returning to their search.

A mer that likes treasure, huh? Why is he unsurprised?

His own soft laugh startles them, and for a half of a moment, golden ringed, violet eyes, wide and bright and full of shock, meet his own.

The mer is gone before he can make a move.

He asks Legend about it the next day. As they travel along the path towards the nearest town, Time falls back to ask the vet more about mer.

“Do mer like treasure?”

Legend starts, eyes wide as they meet his own, and something in the back of his mind is nagging him that the look in the vet’s eyes is somehow familiar. “What?”

“Do mer like treasure?” He repeats himself.

Legend stares at him, blinking slowly as they continue along the path, but eventually the vet shakes his head and answers. “Depends on the mer. They’re people too, Time, they can have varying interests and hobbies. There is no standard for mer. None.”

“Don’t they all swim at least?”

Legend’s gaze is flat. “There are disabled Hylians aren’t there? Not all Hylians can walk, and not Mer can swim. Some just choose not to because they don’t like it!”

Time frowns. How does the vet know so much about mer culture? “How do you know this?”

The vet shrugs, eyes darting away. “I’ve been a lot of places and met a lot of people. Mer are no exception.”

“I thought you hated swimming and the water?” Wind breaks in, falling back to join the two of them with an odd look on his face. He looks like a puppy and it’s killing Time not to ruffle the kid’s hair.

“Didn’t always.” Legend returns, smiling wryly down at the sailor. “But enough of that. The real question here is if you’ve ever met one, sailor.”

“A mer?” Wind furrows his brow, looking away with a soft sigh. “The water in my world isn’t safe for the people who lived in it. There’s hardly even any fish in most places. The Zora in my time had to adapt to the air instead in order to survive.”

Awkward silence falls over them, the vet looking guilty for a half a moment before he settles a hand on the kid’s shoulder. “The goddesses aren’t always fair, Maliit, it’s not your fault.

Time hums his agreement, heart aching for yet another young hero and a world that suffered for Time’s failure to have properly saved it.

He sees the mer again. Not just when he’s in the water himself, but when he’s keeping watch during the night or on occasion when he goes fishing with Twilight. The Pup says nothing about seeing gold and pink beneath the water, but Time finds himself watching it all the same.

It darts beneath the dock they’re fishing on one time, and when Twilight’s line gets a tug, the rancher pulls it up only to find the one of his boots dangling from the other end.

Time can’t help it, he laughs.

So, this mer is a prankster, huh?

He takes to seeking them out, trying to catch their attention or try to talk to them, but nothing works. The minute that gold and violet eyes meet his own, petal pink scales flick deftly in the waves and the mer is swimming away.

But Time isn’t dumb.

He knows that the same mer cannot reasonably exist across all of time, not with all the changes that come to the world with each hero. He knows that this being is somehow following them, and h’s got a rather good idea exactly how it’s happening.

It’s a long shot, but he knows for a fact that Legend is always gone from camp before he sees the creature, and enough times startling the vet when asking about mer has taught him that the expressions between the two are the same. All he knows on the mer’s face is shock, but the vet’s eyes glimmer the same shade of violet, even if they are different in size and shape, and the petal pink hair that the vet comes out of the forest with one evening after their group was separated is uncannily similar to the shade of the mer.

They’ve made camp again, and rather than climbing into the water when he catches a moment alone, Time settles on the shore, not in the mood to be in the water but in need of its calming song. The air has been tense the past few days, and Time welcomes a brief moment to relax, forcing himself not to think of the gaping wound in his Pup’s side or the ragged breath that wheezes between the rancher’s lips.

Twilight will be fine, he reminds himself. Hyrule and Warriors had worked together to tend the wound and while it would definitely leave a scar, the danger of losing their beloved friend and brother (and maybe son?) is not so high anymore.

He welcomes a free breath, away from the hurt gazes of his boys as they try and process that their beloved canine friend and the rancher are one and the same. A chance to think without having to stop those who were out of the know from bombarding those who were in it with questions.

He’s glad to be free of the questions himself.

Legend seems to be too, if the glint of pink beneath the waves is to be believed.

He doesn’t approach this time, doesn’t try entering the water to speak. He’s tired and he wants his spae, and he imagines Legend would like his own too. So, instead, he sits on the bank, feet trailing in the water and ocarina on his lips as he plays softly.

The tune is a sweet one, one he’d written himself that lilts and dips softly, very nearly perfect for a dance, but far more suited to a night by a fire or watching the sunset. And sunset it is, fading light stretching out across the water, glinting of the surface and reflecting off of gold and pink-

He stops, eye wide as he turns towards the flash in his vision.

Gold and violet stare back at him, framed in curling pink as Legend freeze half-way through pulling on his tunic again.

Gold fades just as the scales dissapear and leave the vet siting on the shore, tunic still bunched around his shoudlers and violet eyes wide with fear as he regards his leader.

“I won’t tell.” Time forces, turning away his gaze and returning his focus to the instrument in his hand. He doesn’t play, but he doesn’t look up either.

“It’s an item.” Legend forces, strained. His voice is still tainted with whatever power had shifted him between forms, and it’s sweeter and more melodious than normal. “I found it on my third adventure. Got cursed.”

“Like the rancher?” Time hums softly, not having to look up to know that Legend is shifting nervously, foot tapping madly at the ground beneath him.

“Yeah.” Legend huffs.

“Okay.” And he does look up them, calm and as open as he can make himself seem as he meets the vet’s gaze.

“Just okay?” One brow cocks as Legend crosses his arms.

“Just okay. It’s your secret, Legend. I can’t change what I’ve seen, but I won’t tell the others either.”

Legend nods, wary bit willing to accept the words, if only for now. “If you say so.”

They’re on their way back to camp, Legend carrying an armload of fish and Time carrying both of their bags when the vet stops and glares at him. “I don’t want to hear any jokes, alright? I get enough of those from Twilight and Sky.”

“They know?” The old man tilts his head in question.

Legend flushes, ducking his head and setting off again at a speed some might label a scurry. “No. Hurry up, these fish are gonna rot!”

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Waves lap around his head and it’s all Time can do to break the surface, coughing and hacking as he struggles to remain above the water.

The portal had come at the worst time ever, and no one had been ready to be dropped into the center of the ocean.

Lightning crackles overhead as waves swirl and crash about him. The ocean rages and Time is again reminded how small Hylian’s are in the face of Mother Earth herself.

“Boys!” The shout rasps from his throat as he spins to look about, praying to every deity he knows that he’ll find the rest of them safe and sound, or at the very least together. Never mind that Twilight still can’t walk, much less swim. Never mind the smithy’s shattered arm and Wild’s fear of the water. He can’t panic about those right now, he has to find them!

“Over here!” Sky’s voice answers him. The Chosen Hero clings to the shivering form of the smithy, both are soaked and trembling, but they’re managing to stay above the waves.

“My Hyrule!” Wind calls out as Time strikes out towards them, and the sailor continues once he’s close enough to see that at least five of his boys are safe. “We’re near land,” Wind nods in a random direction and Time wonders briefly how the sailor even knows that. “It could be a challenge in these waves, but we can make it. Have you seen the others?”

Hyrule looks up at him hopefully, the water-logged traveler fighting madly to stay above the water but succeeding despite the waves. Time reminds himself to help the boy learn to swim more effectively later, and more importantly how to properly tread water, but for now he focuses on answering Wind. “You're the firsts. We’ll have to hope the others are alright, getting y’all to safety is my first concern.

“But Wild!” Hyrule splutters, choking on some water as Time swims over to give the traveler someone to cling to. Freezing fingers latch ahold of his armor as teeth chatter, the waves are neither kind nor warm and with their health as it is he’s certain someone is going to end up with a cold when this is all over. “And Twilight! A-and Legend and Wars! They’re out there somewhere!”

“We have to hope Legend and Warriors can elp the other two. We can’t do them any good if we’re fighting to stay above ourselves.” He tries to same calm, but his own mind and heart scream with the same message that Hyrule’s voice does, and its all he can do to push it down.

Thunder rolls overhead and waves beneath as they push off towards the shore, each of the older heroes aiding a younger one as Wind guides them all towrads the supposed island.

Time hs never been so relieved to see sand in his life, and as Hyrule pulls himself up the bach and Wind helps Sky to settle Four, Time can only pray that he’ll find his way back again. “I’m going to look for the otehrs. Wind, stay and help Sky.” The sailor looks as if he wants to hesitate, but he knows better than anyone how a small body can be lost to the waves much easier than an adult. “Make a fire, warm up as best you can. Keep an eyes out. I’ll come back if- when I find the others.”

He stops only to shed his armor and don his Zora gear, but a single dive beneath the water is enough to tell him that it’s for naught. Wind wasn’t joking about his water being toxic, and a single breath of the stuff leaves Time heaving as soon as he breaks the surface.

His chances of finding the boys have lowered considerably.

Nayru above, don’t let anyone have sunk beneath!

Time swims for all he is worth, pushing past weariness as he battles each and every wave. And he’s just beginning to lose hope when he catches sight of something silver reflecting in the water as lighting flashes above.

“Time!”

Blue whips around to meet its twins as Warriors comes to swim beside him. “Have you found any of the others?”

“Wind, Sky, Hyrule and Four.” he breathes back. “You?”

The captian looks rueful but nods to his side. “Legend.”

Time can’t help but start as Legend’s eyes peek above the surface. Golden and violet are glassy in the pale ace of the vet, but they’re there and that means that Legend is alive.

“I’ve officially met my first mer.” Warriors sighs, but there’s worry in the captains voice and face both.

“Split up.” Legend’s voice rasps, and there none of the melodic song that Time is used to hearing from this form of the vet.

Legend is pale, far too pale.

“What’s-”

“Wind’s world.” Warriors tells him. “Water here is toxic.”

The water is toxic. The water, which mer have to breath to stay alive, is toxic.

Time’s gaze shoots to the vet but there’s only a flick of gold and pink as he disappears beneath the waves. Warriors groans.  “He keeps doing that! I swear, I have no way of knowing if he’s even still there, but he still insists on disappearing like the little shit he is.”

Usually, Time would scold his brother for such a tone, but he knows that Warriors is just sacred. He’s terrified, and it leaks into his voice and his actions, and the only way that the soldier knows how to hide the fear is by biting back with venom, not dissimilar to the vet’s own actions.

They swim together, searching and calling out for the two missing heroes. Hope is beginning to fade and Time can feel a gnawing fear eating away at his heart as he thinks of the gaping wound in his Pup’s side and the likelihood that Twilight would even be able to swim with it.

His pup’s chances aren’t high.

“Look!” Warriors shouts over the storm, jerking him from his thoughts as his eyes follow the captain’s pointing hand.

Pink bobs on the surface, backed by bedraggled and soaked black fur as Legend hauls Twilight’s limp form through the water.

“Pup!”

He’s taking the lad from Legend as soon as they’re in reach, and Legend seems to sag in relief as the weight is removed from his shoulder. “Was with Wild. Bring him to-” The vet wheezes and ducks beneath the water for a moment, coming up with a pained expression on his face. “Bring to shore. I’ll get Wild.” He gives them no time to respond, tail flicking as he disappears beneath the waves again.

Time and Warriors exchange a glance and head back to shore, supporting the weight of the rancher between them.

Wind and Sky have managed to get a virtual bonfire going on the shore, and the sailor has laid what blankets and bed-rolls he’s found of their equipment in front of it, allowing their dampened things to ry as he and the other three heroes bundle together for warmth.

It’s with a cheer that they al; greet Time and Warriors as the two emerge from the ocean, and Time can’t help but smile a bit in relief at seeing them all safe again. Only a little longer and Legend will be back with Wild, and then he can rest easy knowing they’re all out of the storm.

Rain still patters against already soaked skin and cloth, but with the fire flickering before them Time can’t bring himself to care over much.

Hyrule’s fingers shiver as they slide over the wound in Twilight’s side, cleansing it from the poisonous water that has soaked into the bandages, and while Twilight grits his teeth and winces, he’s at least conscious enough to do so, and that alone brings some peace to the others.

Warriors informs the others of the whereabouts of their two missing brothers, and Time helps to settle Twilight on one of the warming bedrolls. It made still be wet, but it’s better than getting sand in the pup’s wound.

They wait in tense silence, bundled together to share heat as nervous gazes watch the shore. Wind hasn’t stopped muttering under his breath and Four isn’t doing much better with his half formed sentences and steady murmurs.

It’s only when Wild’s golden hair can be seen on the shore that they all release a breath of air.

Cornflower blue is wide and glazed, likely from shock, but it doesn’t stop the champion from reaching back into the waves to pull out his companion.

Legend is a mess.

The veteran gasps and splutters for breath once he’s free, skin a sickly shade of white and eyes just as glazes as Wild's own as the two clings to each other, and when the two stand together Legend is leaning heavily against the shaking champion, and it’s only through sheer luck that Time and Sky get there in time to catch them before the duo collapses back into the waves.

Wild curls against Time’s chest, fingers shaking and eyes blank as the man carries him back to the fire. Legend doesn’t even stir, lying limp in Sky’s hold as the Skyloftian bustles back to join the other heroes.

Nothing is said about the glistening tail that fades into legs once Legend is warmed and dried, and even if anyone had dared the stern gaze of the first of their number would have been enough to silence them.

Violet blinks hazy and distant beneath the warmed fabric of Sky’s sailcloth, but they are all safe. They are all safe and they are alive.

“Thanks to Legend.” Wild whispers when he comes back, head resting against Times collar bone. “Without him I would have never got Twi back to shore.”

“Three cheers for the vet.” Wars forces a smile, and while the cheers are heartfelt and thankful, they do nothing to lighten the mood.

Legend doesn’t even seem to hear them.

254 notes • Posted 2021-08-14 07:37:44 GMT

#1

Concept

Your standard Eldritch Wild story. He’s different. He was crafted, a new soul, to inhabit the body left behind and dead in the shrine. He was crafted by the higher powers of the universe and when he awakes he is not quite Right.

He goes on his adventure. He saves Hyrule and the princess. He returns to the wild because society is just too confined for the Hero of Wilds.

He’s pulled into an adventure with eight other heroes.

But here’s where we break from the formula: They’re all Eldritch heroes in their own right.

Hyrule is half fairy and carries the full power of the Triforce. Golden power leaks through his eyes and his skin is crisscrossed in golden scars from where power leaks, this power and strength was not intended to be fit into a Hylian body. The mere brush of his fingers is enough to heal a wound. Fairies buzz about him and cling to his aura, any mystical being is drawn to him and while they will respect him, they will also shower him in love and devotion. Hyrule’s world is in wreckage, but it sings with power and strength from wherever the Hero has walked.

Wind’s eyes carry the depths of all of the oceans. He can hear the words carried by the wind and the sea seems to calm at his mere presence. The Zora people look to him in awe, they can See the power and Oddness in him. They revere him as a god when they meet him. There is never a lack of water around Wind, and somehow the wind whips fiercer when he’s angered, and it falls still when he’s sad. No one has ever seen Wind cry without rain falling and the ocean itself seems friendlier when the sailor smiles.

Animals flock to the Hero of Twilight and the Hero of Legends. The very forest seems to welcome them into it’s depths and their hands can tame any beast that they meet. The storms and weather seem to bow to Legend’s hand, the wind around him is warm even in the cold of winter, and a light breeze follows after him and Wind both when the rest of them sweat along the trails. Din’s breath breathes from his lungs from when the Goddess incarnate herself breathed life into him, and the seasons bow to his will. 

The darkness seems to lick at Twilight’s heels and wrap around him like a cloak when it falls. He’s soundless and silent in the night, and monsters give him a wide berth when they meet him. His eyes glint in a way that’s almost savage, and even if his laugh is the softest and sweetest, all who see his smile find themselves shivering at the feral look of it. Yet even so, animals are drawn to him, and while the forest does not welcome him with open arms, it shows it’s kindness to him in memory of his forefathers.

The trees themselves welcome Time as their own, and while Legend is greeted with fondness, the forest does not seem to sway to his word and actions. Grass grows thicker where Time has slept. Blossoms follow in his steps and the boughs of trees always seem to be brushing through his hair with fondness, but he’s never caught in them. The old man can never be lost in the woods, and the people of the forest, no matter how shy or bold they may be, are drawn to him and will shower him in favor when they can.

The fire always dances towards Four, no matter which way the wind blows. The smithy is never hurt when he hits the dirt. It’s as if the four elements themselves seek to protect him, and he has an uncanny ability to always get the fire just warm enough to cook, the perfect heat to work with when he’s in the forge, or keep it burning throughout his watch with no need to feed it (he still does though, as if he was sympathetic to it). Like Wind, the air and the water dance to him, they reflect the emotions that burn in his swirling gaze. If green flickers than you can expect the wind to blow stronger, if blue shimmers than the water will fall still and rage, the fires warmer when his eyes glimmer red. The emergence of violet as they walk can be related to when the earth seems springy and soft under their steps, and while he’s nothing like Twilight, the shadows dance after him with a playful air.

Sky? Sky is gentle and sweet, but no stranger dares approach him. He looks like any average Hylian (save for the silver that shines in his crystal blue eyes), but the aura of power that rolls off of him is enough to terrify all. Fires roar when he’s angered (as rare as that is), and lightning snaps in the distance when he’s irritated, even if there were no clouds to be seen a minute ago. The earth itself seems to cower in fear of him, but the sky, the winds and the clouds are open to his reach and will make merry in his presence. The sky is dim when the Hero of Sky sleeps, but once his eyes open the sunsets are always more beautiful, their rises all the more sweet. It was as if the sun itself was courting him, putting on a display of her colors just to please him.

And then there’s Warriors. Nature does not sing to him, it does not trail after him, it does not obey his commands. But never has a blade dulled when in the hand of the Hero of Warriors. Never have any of his weapons broken, and for every blow he takes the next that he deals will be stronger. War is a song that sings in his blood, and when they battle he is a force that all fear. Even Sky’s strength cannot compare to the clean cuts and swift actions of the captain. Every drop of blood on the earth adds power to his actions, and the cries of the enemy only add to his fervor. In Wild’s time, there is no record of a Hero of Warriors, but may can tell you about the Hylian god of war.. 

Just a few thoughts :)

349 notes • Posted 2021-08-03 20:22:40 GMT

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[bringingtherain]

Do you have anymore headcanons for Ravio/Shadow? I absolutely adore that ship now that you’ve got me hooked on it 🥺💗

Ahhhhhhhh thank you!! Of course I have more headcanons! 💕💕

Ravio may be a coward, but he is very protective of Shadow. He got really mad when the Links got weary of Shadow.

"So what? He looks like one of you guys so he is a 'Dark Link'? Am I one too? What if I called you all 'Albino Ravio'? Stupid right?"

Shadow is too dumb to realize he likes Ravio. He will definitely need help to deal with it.

I usually don't like drama but... Shadow still feels hurt for being betrayed, and he tells Ravio about it. He says that, even tho he understands why Vio did it, it still hurts, and how badly he hates traitors because of that, and how much he appreciates Ravio's presence. Ravio technically betrayed Hilda when he run from Lorule to ask for help, so hearing Shadow's story makes him afraid to tell the truth, for fear of being hated by him. (And also the horrible feeling that this is how Legend feels about him)

More of a general headcanon... Ravio and Shadow (and Loruleans) have dark magic, meanwhile Hylians have white magic. Because of this, healing magic (like Hyrule's) not only don't work to them, it's also dangerous. To use white magic to heal someone who have the opposite magic is like giving sea water to someone dying of thirst. Potions work fine tho.

Shadow sees the mentor/protegee dynamics going on with the chain and immediately claims Ravio as his protegee. He also takes every opportunity to brag to the other "mentors" about how much better his protegee is.

After seeing Time calling Twilight "pup" and Twilight calling Wild "cub" Shadow decides to call Ravio "kit" (baby bunny). Legend hates it but Ravio loves it (he never had someone call him by a nickname before!).

Ravio have a crush on Legend, and Shadow is totally against it (he's not jealous, of course. What the fuck you talking about? He's just looking out for his protegee....). In his mind, Ravio deserves someone who loves him with all his heart and is not afraid to show it, and apparently Legend is way to much of a bitch to show feelings.

Legend is also protective of Ravio, and weary of how close he and Shadow are. So yeah, Shadow and Legend have beef with each other and it's the most annoying and funny thing.

Meanwhile,Ravio is living that annoying troupe of being happy that Shadow have Four, then being jealous of their relationship, then realizing he feels jealous, then feeling bad for feeling jealous. (This is me projecting lmao).

Four is just so, SO tired. All the colors have different opinions, and Four never had all his colors being so loud at the same time before. Someone let him sleep, please.

Shadow is awkwardly innocent. He tries to act like he is experienced in romance and 18+ stuff but he is not. God, he is not. Where do babys come from? He has no idea. He might try to copy Warriors in his quest to be popular with girls. Someone save him.

Random headcanon but, one day Wild gives Ravio a bunch of money because "I have way to many of it, and you care more about this stuff anyway". Ravio's immediate answer is "Are you single?" Chaos ensues. lmao

Shadow and Ravio usually end up holding hands. It's something really natural to them. They always end up close together, since they both miss human touch and they trust each other to share this closeness with. It's actually pretty cute.

I will stop now because otherwise this will get too long. Thank you for asking, I never thought people would be interested on my little crack pairing. 🥺

[aiden-png]

hey dude i know you're not writing a high school au BUT if you ever did then I would 110% read it

I am loving all those ideas, they are fantastic!!! of course Vio would be an overachiever, and I love how the teachers don't like him 'cause he hangs out with Shadow XD Blue getting flustered over his creative side is beautiful! and Red is a total art/drama student, fits him so well! Green being top of class as well, I wonder if that leads to some (hopefully friendly) competition between him & Vio. Shadow being smart too is great, one of those types with big brain little effort XD

in summary, it sounds brilliant & I love all your ideas for it! (don't feel under any pressure to write it though!)

Iddhhreeennn!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! you are sooo kind omggg thank you!!!! aaaaaa it’s just that there are so many amazing FSA high school AUs already >u< Permission Waivers and Total Discord got me into the fandom for real and I feel like high school AUs need a more lighthearted edge that I have a hard time writing myself XD I also know someone planning an FSA high school AU too so it’s just been on my mind ig, coming up with ideas and such :O

but YES Vio is that smart kid the teachers don’t like bc he’s likely pretty blunt about it, maybe doesn’t even respect his teachers XD Vio in the manga definitely had that air of ‘I know better than you’ going for him lol. Red and Blue being creative together would be funnn (and stolen kisses in the art closet ;) Blue hanging out with the wrong crowd so he’s got some internalized issues and he’s afraid to be open about his relationship with The Art Gay gjdkjfdk). Red just being the out and proud ball of sunshine he is. he probably only gets flustered around Blue and it’d be sooo cute! Green and Vio working together to cause chaos for admin >:3c I don’t think Green would try to academically compete with Vio though, he’s got a life outside of school and a healthy work-life balance unlike some overachievers XD and Shadow’s just coasting, I mean, why bother trying when you can pass without putting in much effort? Vio and him would definitely clash on it and I think it’d be an enemies to lovers situation for sure XD Shadow and Vio both ‘corrupting’ each other into caring more/having a life outside of school. omg, Vio’s character arc ending with him being second in class to Green because he let his grades go in his final semester a bit. Shadow making A/B honor roll XD and then they all go to prommmm yayyyy XD

I have ideas for an AU but no plot really, and I hated high school so that would probably leak through if I wrote a whole fic about it XD it would wind up having a lot of serious themes since that’s what high school was for me; more like The Breakfast Club than Ferris Bueller’s Day Off lol. I might be able to write a oneshot but then again, I don’t wanna open the can of worms of writing shipfic with minors no matter how sfw it is. so yeah, lots of reasons why I probably won’t write a real high school AU. talking about ideas and maybe writing some short things or drawing for it is possible tho! :D

[certainempatheticturkeymuffin]

LGBTQ Headcanons

Hi, I’m jumping on the bandwagon, I have solid headcanons for a few of the group, but finally mapping them all out will be great.

Sky: Cassgender, Demiromantic/Gynesexual, He/Him This is mostly because I don’t see him putting much thought into gender, and he just goes with the flow, he’s used to He/Him, but won’t complain if other pronouns are used. He’s only attracted to women, but it does take him a long time to actually fall in love, it’s why Sun is really the only one who’s ever captured his heart.

Four: Aro/Ace, They/Them Because Four is a literal mess of genders and romantic orientations they default to AroAce, because anything else is just weird when they’re all shoved into the same body and they��re all ace anyway. They/them pronouns mostly work for everyone, so they’re a somewhat stable person when fused. Here are the headcanons for each color:

Green: Male, Hetero/Apothi, He/Him Green is your standard straight cis male, but he’s also apothisexual, which is just an extreme version of asexuality that means he is actually repulsed by sex, not just lacking sexual attraction. He’s usually the white bread of my headcanons, but he’s got a crush on Dot so I usually run with that. He doesn’t like they/them pronouns, but he’s gotten used to them so he can make his siblings more comfortable when they’re stuck as Four.

Red: Demiboy, Bellus/Ace, He/Him, They/Them Red is, as usual, a cinnamon roll. He’s just standard asexual, feeling no sexual attraction, and he does enjoy traditionally romantic things like cuddling and kissing, but not in the context of a romantic relationship (hence Bellusromantic). He uses he/him and they/them, but some days he will have a preference and he won’t be shy about correcting you.

Blue: MtF, Aro/Ace, She/Her And you wonder why Blue is always angry. She can live with They/Them pronouns, but absolutely prefers she/her. I tend to flip flop between making her a demigirl or full on female in the context of my stories, but in headcanon form, she’s always a trans-woman. Poor Blue is always suffering since she can’t yell at people to use she/her when she’s stuck inside Four’s body.

Vio: Demigirl, Demi/Apothi, They/Them, She/Her Vio prefers they/them pronouns, but won’t object to she/her. They don’t necessarily take a long time to fall for someone, but you need to have a really deep friendship with them, no matter how long it takes. Unfortunately for Vio, they fell for Shadow and still haven’t really gotten over the heartbreak even though they knew it wouldn’t end well the moment they realized what was happening.

All in all, Four is just a mess. Especially Blue, because oops i made her suffer.

Time: Male, Demi, He/Him Hey, a cis guy. I make him full on Demi because why not, and also him and Malon don’t have children yet which could be considered odd depending on the time period. Normally you’re supposed to have kids like immediately, and both Time and Malon look to be in their mid twenties, which isn’t old by modern means, but definitely was in ye olden days.

Legend: Genderfluid, Bi, He/Him, She/Her, They/Them Pronouns change from moment to moment. They’re solidly bi, and despite leaning more towards women, Ravio managed to capture his heart and they have already gotten married-for tax purposes, of course ;)

Hyrule: Agender, Aro/Ace, He/Him Poor Hyrule didn’t even know what gender was until it was explained to him. He’s too used to He/Him pronouns for anything else to feel normal, so he just goes with it. He also didn’t understand the whole romance thing until he saw Time and Malon. To be honest, he still doesn’t understand the whole romance thing. The woes of being aroace.

Twilight: Male, Demi/Hetero, He/Him Look, another cis! He was good friends with Midna, and it wasn’t until near the end of the journey that he actually fell in love with her. He’s dealing with it rather well, but he’s still salty that his heart would betray him like that.

Wind: FtM, Pan/Ace, He/Him He hasn’t told any of the group that he’s trans, mostly because he doesn’t want them to think of him any differently, even if logically he knows Four is kind of going through the same thing. Tetra’s Crew all know and vehemently defend him when others try to misgender him. Aryll loves her big brother and will also jump to his defense, and Wind is just happy he has such a supportive grandmother, because puberty hit him like a truck and he hated it because it was all wrong. The moment he had a breakdown because of his period was the moment his grandmother knew that she needed to do something because she wasn’t going to allow her grandson to suffer because of her inaction.

Warriors: Male, Bi, He/Him He keeps it on the downlow, mostly because he has horrible taste in men: namely, they’re usually the bad guys, like Girahim, or super fucking weird, like Girahim. He was very conflicted over it and has never brought it up, even if he’s sure Fi has told Sky because it was Girahim. Not to mention he found Volga hot and he’s had a crisis to this day, because which villain will he fall for next, Zant!?

Wild: Bigender, Aro/Apothi, He/Him, She/Her Wild didn’t think anything of it when he actually enjoyed parading around Gerudo Town as a woman. He didn’t think anything of it when he felt only mild disgust when he was told that Mipha loved him. And he felt bad but also a little grossed out when he had to reject Zelda. He genuinely didn’t think anything of it until Teba explained that it wasn’t exactly normal to not ever want a mate. And he was a little embarrassed when Riju explained that no, men usually didn’t take active joy in parading around as a woman. Still, he has a free pass into Gerudo Town now, so he’s good!

And there we have it: Sky’s apathetic about gender and also really in love with Sun, Four’s a mess, Time loves Malon, Legend is pure bi energy, Hyrule is a confused bean, Twilight is salty, Wind is happy now, Warriors has terrible taste in men, and Wild is also another mildly confused bean. 

And yes, I shoved as much ace representation in there because Asexuals Need Good Representation and Asexuals Are Part Of The LGBTQ Community.

oh right!

Linkle: MtF, Lesbian, She/Her We need a lesbian on the team, and trans representation while we’re at it? Awesome! And also, her grandmother telling her that she’s the legendary hero when all the heroes are known to be men makes a lot more sense if her grandmother mistook her for a boy when she was younger.

[universal-kitty]

   I see nice tags from @blackquills-wife, I want to keep writing ideas. So have a bunch of headcanons/fun facts about my SI-OCs for LoZ!!! Cause I’m thinking a LOT about this series rn. Obviously.

The very first incarnation of Ethel in the timeline- during the wars of Demise and Hylia- was a sickly young woman. Separated from humanity when Skyloft was formed (she didn’t get on the land in time to ascend with the rest of them), that is what made her within reach for Orona to obtain her soul.

This implies that she died just as young as the First Hero.

Originally, Ethel was supposed to be the “failed” heroine for Orona, where Aquaria was supposed to succeed. Over the years, they’ve both grown to have their darker moments and their brighter, happier moments.

Ethel is the name for most of the incarnations of Orona’s heroine. However, there’s also Evadne (Majora’s Mask and A Link Between Worlds), Aquaria (toon series), and Saorise (Link to the Past + The Legend of Zelda & Adventure of Link).

Ethel (and her incarnations) typically are paired with one: Link. However, this romance is typically unrequited...

Aquaria- when in a Four Swords deal- typically falls for Purple/Violet Link, addressing her connections to Orona. The only time this changes is in Tri-Force Heroes, where she ends up dating Blue. (Due to her name connection and the fact Vio isn’t canon to the game...for some reason...)

She’s also had a crush on Vaati. Again, with the purples.

In Skyward Sword, Ethel moves on from her crush on Link thanks to Groose, who also had moved on from his feelings for Zelda during the course of the story. They end up married and with kids...who would one day become the Gerudo race.

(Fi is just a major AU bc I think that sword spirit is really dang cute.)

There’s also Princess Ruto of the Zora from OoT... In one timeline, that sure happened.

Ganondorf is a minor crush throughout the main storyline, but Ethel’s incarnation in Hyrule Warriors has it for the King quite badly. (As well as a small crush on the hero, as usual.)

BotW sees Ethel fall for Link and Sidon...because really, who wouldn’t? (As well as a Gerudo OC I’m still trying to make, whoops.)

It’s said that- some 10,000 years ago- she also was deeply in love with a certain king from the desert..... Hmm! (BotW 2, help me.)

Over the years, various weapons and steeds have been bequeathed to these cursed heroines. Here are some notable ones:

Arion: A black and white pinto stallion from Ocarina of Time and BotW. A horse with attitude, he’s known to be rather troublesome and sassy, but does his best to make room for that and assisting his rider, Ethel.

Ghost Reaver: Ethel’s destined sword (the Master Sword to her Link) and originally introduced in Skyward Sword, with a sword spirit by the name of Castalia. Though now dormant for centuries- much like Fi- her being still echoes through the blade with a comforting, assuring warmth... Legends like to say the Ghost Reaver can cut down any foe- alive or dead- with ease. Thus, the blade’s name.

Raim: Aquaria’s bird companion in Wind Waker and Phantom Hourglass. Large enough to ride, Aquaria can ride him instead of using a boat, which makes her seasick. He isn’t one for strangers, but adores Aquaria and is very protective of her.

Shadow Bow: Detailed in Hyrule Warriors, this bow allows Aquaria to shot arrows coated in black-purple malice at her enemies. The bow glows in the same energy. Tales say this bow and it’s supply of arrows feed off of anger and darkness to power it...

Celestial Cleaver: Named in HW, this is Evadne’s secondary weapon. It’s a blade that shines like an opal, with a decorated hit and guard. There seems to be a language on the blade, but none but Evadne, Fierce Deity, and the Giants can read it.

Trident of the Giants: A rare, four-pronged trident built in reverence to the Giants of Termina, wielded by Evadne, named in HW. This is her primary weapon. It’s a rust-red color (matching the giant’s skin color) except for the tips, which fade into a light green color.

Unnamed Loftwing: Ethel’s Loftwing in Skyward Sword. Though given no name (or perhaps, one that is lost to history), they made themselves remembered through time with his coloration: black with purple sheen in the light. Tailed, with red eyes, too; worried as a bad omen, but was simply Ethel’s temperamental partner. Over time, that became that. A calm creature, nurturing and sweet... Though nervous around strangers.

Honestly, pretty close to Impa, through the timelines. Sort of like a distant relative, where they’re awkward around each other, but do care, when it comes down to it. Impa is an inspiration for Ethel, and she has a motherly sort of view on Ethel, wishing her the best for the journey ahead.

Ethel once had a crush on Sheik. Never lived it down when the truth was revealed... (Though was one of her own incarnations earliest realizations of, “Oh, I am...not straight, actually.” Especially considering- in one timeline- she’d later fall for Princess Ruto.)

In Twilight Princess, Ethel takes on the form of a panther in the twilight. (It’s because I’m cat obsessed. We know this.) Alina is her companion of the twilight. (A Twili banished from her homeland many years ago. She’s survived by staying out of the sun, hiding in caves and tunnels.)

In OoT, Ethel has a fairy named Thera. Like how Navi is short for “Navigation”, Thera is short for “Therapist.” Because damn she be needing one...

Modern AU Ethel is a Mess. Orona gives her no peace.

Speaking of the Fourth, Exiled Goddess-!! She had a lover, once. Not Demise, but a being named Ryleh. Her powers influenced his creation- much in a similar way of Demise and the other three with Hylia- and the two ended up falling in love.

Orona- in my view- is a representative of Darkness and Shadow. And though there is some evil tied in there, it is not ALL of who she is. A misunderstanding that’s only gotten worse over the years, to the point where her existence has been denied in later years. (For an idea of this, by OoT, it’s but a little known myth. By the first of each three timelines post-OoT, it’s essentially gone from all records.)

Orona is sweet, just misled. Thinking she’s doing good when she is creating chaos and cruelty. Instead of being corrected, she was shunned and banished for her wrongdoing.

...Despite this, she took the soul of who would eventually become Ethel and waited. Because it didn’t take long for Orona to miss her sisters, and long to be with them again.

[singingvio]

Hi, so I was wondering if you have any headcannons about the Links in your soulmate au you'd be happy to share (I'm really curious as to how they each react to meeting their soulmates and would love to hear your interpretations!)

Okay, so my soulmate AU is modern, just fyi. not canon Hyrule. my version of modern Hyrule. got it? good, now let’s get to the fun stuff you actually asked for!

this PARTICULAR soulmate AU is the one when a sentence shows up on your arm at 9:00 pm every day showing something your soulmate has said that day. you can have more than one, but it’s very rare and is frowned upon by a lot of people, but not all. when your soulmate touches your soulmark, it disappears and is replaced with their name.

under a cut because this is long.

- Green lives with his father (Who I have named Leon because reasons) happily. he’s popular, part of the student council, and best friends with the most popular girl in school, Zelda, who’s treated like a princess and apparently has royal blood. he was pretty well-liked by everyone, but didn’t really have any friends. and no one questioned why he kept his arms covered all the time.

- no one knew Green had two soul marks for a really long time, not even his father.

- when they found out, Zelda was fine with it, his dad was just disappointed that he hadn’t told him, and the suddenly the entire school seemed to turn against him because he has two soulmarks.

- Blue and Vio are twins that are CONSTANTLY pranking each other, from stealing each other’s stuff and hiding it and other classics (Blue’s kind of pranks) to “accidentally” putting orange hair dye in the other’s shampoo (Vio’s kind of pranks).

- Vio is very confused about what his soulmate says. one time his mark read, ‘of course it’s ketchup, what else would I use as blood?’ he finds it entertaining, however, and they always make him laugh. he carries around a small purple notebook filled with these sentences when he wants to either A, try to piece together who his soulmate is, or B, feel better about something.

- Blue is very proud that he has two soulmarks, and his general neighborhood is accepting, lucky him. he shows them off a lot.

- Shadow hides his soulmark, not because he’s embarrassed by it, but because 1, his father and mother were a bad match and broke up, and his father despises soulmarks, and 2, he’s often confused by the long sentences that sometimes cover his whole arm that he doesn’t feel like interpreting, so he just covers it up anyways.

- Red’s family throws him out of the house when they find out that 1, he has two soulmarks, and 2, from the sentences he finds, they can guess that both are guys and they’re really homophobic.

- this leads to Red getting on a bus, using he little money in his wallet, and eventually making his way to DUN DUN DUN, Blue and Vio’s house.

- they take him in, but right as Red was about to leave for some reason (I haven’t figured it out yet, but it’ll have something to do with self-doubt of self-dislike or something), Blue found out and grabbed Red’s right arm (the one with blue writing), and this words on his and Red’s arms changed to read each other’s names.

- BOOM! also, this is pretty much the point when Red’s self-hate and just people being mean to him ceases, partly because Blue and Vio become his soulmate and older-brother figure, and also because Blue would probably… hurt… anyone trying to harm Red in any way.

- including his parents

- Green then meets Vio at school. Vio had been home-schooled by his request, but his parents practically tossed him at Blue and Red (who had started living with them because PARENTS and SOULMATE ONE), saying he had to interact with people other than family.

- so Vio is the new kid. Green get’s some relief from the teasing and bullying, it being directed at Vio instead. Vio’s a little… strange, by other’s standards.

- the Vio is saved from some particularly mean bullying by a purple-haired kid.

- I’m guessing you know who it is. Shadow helps him up (Because Vio was pushed to the ground at some point) and you can guess what happens.

- Blue is very surprised that Vio came back from school with his soulmate, he didn’t think the introvert would find his so fast. he was NOT AT ALL surprised that it was a guy, though. it was really obvious, even if Vio didn’t directly tell anyone, that he was into guys.

- then the bullying focused back on Green because there is no God. (there are goddesses. HA!)

- Blue saw this kid hiding in the theater with his twin and soulmate, all three of them eating lunch together, and he decided to join them. because, twin, and Blue knows what was going on. hiding from bullies. he had found out that Shadow also got bullied a lot, because of his race. he was a Lorulian, and Hylians DIDN’T GET ALONG WITH LORULIANS.

- Blue accidentally touched Green’s soulmark. boom.

- then Blue’s like, “COME WITH ME I NEED FOR YOU TO MEET RED” leaving a confused Shadow and knowing Vio in the theater with Green and Blue’s abandoned lunches. which they proceed to eat because they are little devils.

so, yeah, that’s kind of it, I need to start writing this, since I told you the basic storyline already. you’re welcome! :)

[four-swords-dub]

A gallant knight with an incredible talent for art and evil cackling! It is of course, Kaenith! (Kaenith couldn’t record their transcript so I’ve included one of my fav Shadow lines so far) Name: Kaenith Character(s) you voice: Shadow Link Are you in any way like those characters? We both wear a lot of black, and like dragons? :D  One of these days I definitely want to dye my hair purple, too. Favourite/least favourite thing about voicing your character? Favorite: Shadow’s so dramatic, voicing him is a lot of fun xD  Plenty of opportunities to cackle like mad, or snarl in anger, or act cajoling and sneaky. Least favorite: Sometimes if I try to do his voice for too long, it starts making my throat sore.  It’s not too bad, though - I just need to remember to take breaks and drink plenty of water ^^;;

Which characters did you audition for? Primarily Shadow, since I felt my voice was best suited to him.  But I also read some lines for Green and Blue, in case the director felt I’d be better in a different role. How did you react when you got the part(s)? I was thrilled!  Shadow’s one of my favorite characters, and the role I wanted most.  Plus, I was just excited to see this project happening at all! It’s great to see activity like this in the fandom ^_^ Who do you wish you could voice? Honestly I’m happy with Shadow!  Though I’ll admit a bit of envy over all the awesome creepy monster voices Alex can do – I wish my voice could do that too! Had you read the manga before taking part in the dub? Yep! Four Swords is one of my long-standing favorite fandoms. Any past voice acting experience? Not anything on this scale.  I’ve recorded a few voiceovers for a couple different school projects before, but nothing like this. Who is your favourite FS character (if any)? I can’t choose between Shadow and Vio, they’re both my faves!  (I love all the Links, really… but especially those two. How do you warm up/get in character before recording? I try to sing!  (“try” being the key word here, haha)  Shadow’s voice is fairly different from my normal speaking voice, so sometimes I have to use it for a while before it sounds right.  Singing’s a good way to get a bunch of words out!I also sometimes re-listen to my own parts of previous episodes, to try and stay consistent and not have my Shadow-voice shift over time. Along those lines: Asked by Grimm Fate FS Dub I actually would love to ask a question for Kaenith: How exactly she gets into the mindset when it comes time to voice Shadow Link. I'm curious about the process. I generally have the manga open in front of me as I record.  I look at Shadow’s expressions in the panels I’m voicing and try to imagine what he’s feeling and thinking, and why, and based on that, how he would say the lines.  Sometimes I even try to mimic his body posture and expressions.

Favourite chapter to voice so far? Favourite scene? Ooh, good question… I enjoyed voicing the confrontation with Link’s father.  I think that Link having a family and people who love him is one of the things Shadow is especially bitter and envious of, so I tried really hard to put as much venom as I could into “what a good father you are.” It’s also been a lot of fun collaborating with the other voice actors for bloopers and other projects – like the Monty Python parody that Riley wrote, or the time Swiss (and Riley!) responded to and built on one of the bloopers I’d recorded. Some of my favorite chapters and scenes in the manga are yet to come – I’m looking forward to Volume Two!Also: Asked by Anon What was the funniest/most humorous line you guys have had to say? Hm… not quite a line and more of a… vocal reaction? but I sure had fun voicing the part where Zelda slaps Shadow in the face xD  I even acted it out a bit, jerking my head to the side as though I’d actually been struck.  I really wanted to make sure it sounded like she hit hard; because, frankly, much as I love him, Shadow deserved it at that point in the story. (Karen: I was convinced Kae had slapped herself when I first heard this XD) Lines you dread voicing the most (screaming, crying, etc): Any time I have to laugh and speak in the same line xD  Getting Shadow’s laugh right can be tricky, so trying to switch from speaking to laughing or back very quickly is a challenge. What are your biggest worries when it comes to voicing your character? At first I was really nervous that people wouldn’t think my voice was a good fit for Shadow.  As I mentioned earlier, I hadn’t done much voice acting before so I wasn’t very confident in it.  But a lot of people have been really kind and supportive, which helps a lot! (Karen: I can’t imagine Shadow sounding any other way now!)

Would you date your character (if they were of age)? Nah. Shadow’s great – definitely one of my favorite characters, and if he were real it might be cool to be friends with him (post-redemption) – but I don’t like him that way.*cough*besidesI’mprettysurehe’staken*cough*   I mean what? I didn’t say anything. Do you have a favourite voice actor on the dub? I don’t think I could choose ^^;;  Many of the other voice actors are my friends, and they all do a great job!      

[odogaronfang]

Your shitposting is great my guy, that’s fun. Tell us some random non plot related bs about the BoTW au?

sorry for not getting to this sooner!! when i get asks like this i like to take a couple of days to gather my thoughts so i can give you a better answer!!

- out of the six of them, i think zelda is the most overall mature. i mean, sure, she’s still a kid like the rest of them, and she has her fun, but when it really comes down to it she’s the most responsible and the best at getting done what needs to get done. it comes as a bit of a surprise to people that don’t know them so well, because most of the time they look at serious boring old vio and think that he’s probably the tired and jaded supervisor but. not so.

- adding onto that last thing- people tend to assume that vio is the very dignified one. emotionally detached, won’t let silly little things like feelings and morality get in the way of a job that needs to be done, reserved and calm and all that superficial stereotype stuff. they half expect the trope of the sort of english-gentry type personality. and they could not be further from the truth. that’s how he is superficially, but, like, get close to him and spend some more time with him and you’ll see. he kind of swings between following his stereotype and being just as irritable and generally frustrated as blue and shadow get, and honestly it’s a roll of the dice as to what he is. also? he does curse a lot. he doesn’t always go around shouting fuck at everyone he sees, but if something’s really getting on his nerves for whatever reason, he can out-curse shadow. and usually it’s more under his breath, but that doesn’t mean he really makes much of an effort to hide it.

- vio and blue have a sort of legolas/gimli fighting dynamic going on when they get into the thick of it. “bet i can kill more of these bokoblins than you” “bet i can take down a moblin in less hits than you” “bet i’ll be the one to kill this talus” type stuff. honestly, if they had an encampment to clear and no one was feeling particularly up to the job, they’d just off-handedly mention the results of the last competition and that would almost guarantee another face-off between the two, and everyone else could just sit back and watch the two of them go at it. in these kinds of situations they both know they’re basically being used but neither of them care much. one of vio’s favorite things to do when this happens is to let blue think she’s racking up the points, and then the moment she’s about to strike the killing blow on something, he’ll take it out with an arrow. and he does it repeatedly.

- shadow is extremely lazy and will use his magic for the most mundane of things, once he gets comfortable using it around them. he won’t feel like getting off the couch to get the plate red’s offering him so he just magics it over. he doesn’t want to pack his things so he just uses magic to shove things in his bag. he doesn’t feel like climbing an eight foot hill so he floats himself up. and all the while everyone, and especially blue, is indignant. “if this magic is so important to your survival why are you wasting it lacing up your boots” “because what if i trip??? i could get HURT and i can’t risk it coming undone” (and then he probably gets swatted on the head with something)

- green is intimately familiar with gerudo religion and customs. in theory he’s a follower of hylia according to the hylians’ belief system, because it was mostly his dad who raised him and that was what his dad practiced, but he’s far more interested and in tune with the gerudo religion, despite spending a lot less time with his mom throughout his life. the breakdown of all that is here, but his favorite heroines are nailuk and imura, and even though technically he hasn’t been formally confirmed into their religion, he still follows it all as though he has. and it isn’t a closed religion, so technically he could go and request passage through the rites like any other devotee, but he’s an anxious child and always shies away from completing the devotional trials. of course, every time the subject comes up with his mother, she affectionately makes fun of him for it, and especially so once she learns of their quest- “oh, so you’re fine running around the continent trying to save the world, but one little molduga and you’re tucking tail?” (he does, eventually, gather up his courage and finally go through with it. he chooses nailuk as his patron heroine and gets a very nice devotional tattoo of a pink lotus on his arm. his mother is very proud of him, and they do make a special one-day exception to the No Men rule to celebrate his official integration into their religion.)

- unless my brain decides to take an unplanned detour through some weird plot point, you will never get to meet vio’s mother, even though she’s alive. this is because, to put it lightly, they are not fond of one another. it was already kind of rough on vio in his early years, because his dad, as a sheikah, lived in kakariko, and she, as a hylian, was forbidden from living there and so lived in tabantha. it led to a very odd and uncoordinated shared-custody situation, where he’d be living with his mother for a year and then out of the blue his dad would drop by and be like come on son we’re going on an adventure. and then he’d go live in kakariko for months with his dad. and it resulted in a confusing flip-flopping of cultures, and it also resulted in a lot of resentment on her part, towards his father. but because his father didn’t live with her (for a complicated number of reasons, one of which involving a pretty serious falling-out concerning the matter of vio’s mixed heritage) she was unable to express it towards who she actually really hated, and so ended up taking it out on vio most of the time, and it came to be that vio really just couldn’t wait for his dad to come back so he could go be in kakariko, which he liked infinitely better than tabantha. at some point she got REALLY nasty and bordered on actually dangerous, so vio finally put his tiny eight-year-old foot down and decided that he would take matters into his own hands, and hopped on his faithful and much beloved horse and just left. and one day he arrived in kakariko and went to his dad’s house and he just kinda walked in like hey old man how’s it been. after some mild concern and fear for his safety, they sat down and vio explained the situation and ended up living in kakariko from then on. after his dad died, he stayed for about another year and a half, because quite frankly he needed people to keep an eye on him, and after that he took to traveling, took up the trade of a merchant as a kind of excuse, and when he was about sixteen or so, used the money he’d saved to get himself a place in hateno, far far away from his mother but still close to the village he considered family. this one got kinda ramble-y but that’s the rundown on the situation, and anyone with any kind of sense won’t bring up the subject with him, because he’ll either get very withdrawn and avoidant or he will get very angry. you don’t want either of those things.

- it takes some time to get past the initial awkwardness of things, for a few reasons, and there will always be some bumps in the road, but out of everyone, shadow trusts vio the most with personal matters. some of it is because they share at least some heritage, and shadow knows that vio will understand his sheikah-bred tendencies a lot more than any of the others. but he also knows that vio will in no way be taking his shit- but he will constructively not take any of his shit. he thinks that red and green will be generally too lenient with whatever is going on with him, and blue will be far too harsh, and zelda lacks a few certain points of experience with his background that would otherwise make her fine to deal with. so if he actually decides to confide in someone or go to someone looking for advice or help, he will usually go to vio, because vio is certainly not going to excuse anything that he’s done wrong, and he will be very up-front about what he’s screwed up, but he’s also better at providing solutions or advice rather than just flat criticism and nothing else. and as much as shadow would like to be coddled and told that he is Perfect The Way He Is, he knows in his heart that that couldn’t be further from the truth, and he knows all too well that vio has no reservations when it comes to calling him out.

-this is a secret that shadow will take to the grave, but there were a few little parts of the yiga that shadow enjoyed and, at times, kind of misses a little bit. even though there were quite a few people in there that he held no love for, there were still others that were welcoming to him, and kind of took him under their wing, especially when he was just coming in as a young kid. he sometimes wishes he could see them again, just to see how things are, but he knows that if he ever does meet them again, it’ll probably be on opposite sides of the battle. and, even more secretly, he did kind of revel in the power that being in the yiga gave him. even as one of the lower-ranked members, he still had more power at his disposal than some of the highest of the high among the non-yiga. he liked knowing that the upper hand was always his and the situations were always his to control, and while some of that stemmed from being so thoroughly trapped under the thumb of his overseers, it was also, in some little dark part of his brain, just part of him as a person.

-blue’s favorite people in all of hyrule (aside from her village, of course) are the gorons. she just loves the atmosphere there. she describes it as an entire town full of bros, and even the most distant of them still share this sort of familial bond that she has yet to see matched among anyone else. the rough-and-tumble attitudes and general relaxed air and casually determined personalities just kinda resonate with her, and by the end of it she kind of ends up as an honorary goron. she also really likes their spice. so does zelda. their food becomes a little dangerous after trips to goron city.

-green’s dad actually used to be in the princess’s personal detail of guards. it was only for about two years, while they were in the process of searching for suitable champions, but it happened, and even through the calamity, he managed to preserve the uniform and the sword he was given. when green was little, he used to steal the clothes all the time and dress up in them and walk around acting like a guard. he’d stand in front of the door to the kitchen with his little wooden sparring sword in his hands and demand to know his dad’s name and business before he’d allow him to enter. and even though the hat was far too big for him, even when they went out to practice with their swords or tend their garden or go hunting, green would insist upon wearing it, and even though it fell in front of his eyes every ten seconds he refused to ever leave it at home. even still it’s an inside joke between them to ask name and business before letting the other go anywhere.

[four-swords-dub]

Next up we have our Green bean blooper machine! Riley!  (Karen: Riley couldn’t record his answers so I’ve included one of my fav lines of his) Name: rockriled Character(s) you voice: Green Link, Deku Scrub #2, Sound Director/Editor of the FS Dub Project Are you in any way like those characters? I think we’re similar in terms of wanting to help/protect the people we love.  As for Green’s personality…probably not? Green is confident, independent, and hardworking while I’m a bag of nerves and anxiety.  I could fit into the hardworking area, though. As for the Deku Scrub…we’re both short, squeaky, and flammable?  (I’m probably not gonna refer to the Deku Scrub for the rest of this since they only got…four lines, I think?)

Favourite/least favourite thing about voicing your character? My favorite thing about voicing Green is that I can just let loose.  I don’t talk much outside of the project due to shyness and how most of my friends live a long ways away, but when I play Green, I can feel powerful and confident even if it’s just for a few minutes.Least favorite thing about voicing Green is that depending on the chapter, he has the most lines.  I blame this on my lack of voice-acting experience, but both actor-me and sound-editor-me look through the script and think “dangit, Green, stop hogging the spotlight and let someone else speak!” Which characters did you audition for? I auditioned for Vio first, but I got nervous that auditioning for only one role was rude.  I figured I wasn’t cute enough for Red or tough enough for Blue, so I went with Green. How did you react when you got the part(s)? Hoo boy, um…settle in, this is a bit of a story.My self-esteem has always been in the pits—and combining that with my perfectionist needs didn’t help, either.  Whenever something cool came up, my brain would go “why bother, you’re gonna fail” and I’d do just that: give up without trying.So when posts about the Four Swords Dub Project started floating around, the same thing happened all over again.  Best way I can describe it… Brain: “Don’t even try it.  You know you’re not gonna get a part.” Me: “But it’s Four Swords, my favorite part of the Zelda manga series.” Brain: “And?  Your voice sucks.  Your acting sucks.  You won’t even get a minor role.  Do you really want to add another failure to your life?”   Me: “…look.  I’m really interested in this.  I don’t know if I’ll actually get a part, but I still want to send in an audition so I can say that I tried.” Brain: “…two main characters?  Really? Don’t get your hopes up.”(some time later) FS Dub Email: “Congratulations, you’re going to be our Green Link!” Me & Brain: “WAIT, WHAT?!” It was a total shock.  I was so convinced I wasn’t going to get in that it never occurred to me that I could get in.  Heck, it’s been a little over two years and I still can’t believe I got a leading role. As for the part of Sound Director/Editor…I can’t remember how, but I somehow got a hold of all the voice lines for all the characters in Chapter 1-1.  Even though I have zero experience in editing, I suddenly got curious and started mixing the files with background music and sound effects. I sent a copy of what I put together to Karen (our voice and project director) for fun. Next thing I knew, I was the BGM/SFX guy for the rest of the project! Long story short: this dub’s been full of surprises. ^_^ Who do you wish you could voice? Oof, that’s a tough one. @_@  It’s so hard to pick because everyone’s already perfect as their current roles...   Had you read the manga before taking part in the dub? Yep! :D It was around the time the internet became a big thing and when YouTube was first made.  Middle-school me spent HOURS scouring Google for Yu-Gi-Oh! content (fell in love with the show in sixth grade) when I stumbled across a website with Legend of Zelda comics  It had the manga versions of Ocarina of Time, Majora’s Mask, the Oracle games, and—my top favorite—Four Swords.

FS holds a special place in my heart for not only giving the Links such diverse eyes/expressions, but destroying typical color-personality associations.  I’d seen fan-comics of Four Swords with Red as the angry one, Blue as the smart one, and Purple as the newbie or the…um…stereotypically-gay one.  Akira Himekawa’s version of the Links blew my freaking mind and I LOVED IT. <3     Any past voice acting experience? At best, the only voice-acting experience I had prior to the FS dub was watching tons of anime and re-enacting scenes via talking to myself.  I still do this with anime, TV shows, movies, books, and video games. @_@ I’m not sure if this counts, but I…kinda got voice training in other areas?  I yelled my lungs out in Tae Kwon Do for two years, sang alto in a chorus for three years, was moved to soprano for one year, yelled my lungs out again in Judo for one year, and learned classical/opera singing techniques for a few months (a friend’s friend was studying to be a music teacher and they needed a volunteer to practice their teaching skills).  They might not count for this question, though… Who is your favourite FS character (if any)? Oh boy...I know younger-me’s favorite was Vio (I blame the eyes and ability to side with both Shadow and the other Links), but these days?  It’s hard to pick, thanks to the dub. @_@ How do you warm up/get in character before recording? Big thing for me is how I’m feeling.  Currently, I work six days a week (it sucks but I need the money/insurance DX) and I use the commute from work to where I live to figure out my mood.  If I’m down in the dumps to the point that music can’t help, I won’t be able to deliver as Green.  If I have some energy or so much energy that I can belt/rap to my music, I’m all set.  It means I’m all loose and confident to record. As for days when I don’t have work like days-off or holidays, I try to relax and get myself in a Green-y mindset. 

Little something I picked up from YouTube is gargling a mouthful of water.  I’m not too sure how it works, but I do this right before a recording session and it helps a lot. Favourite chapter to voice so far? Favourite scene? Um…it’s kinda hard to pick a favorite chapter or scene I liked voicing since I had fun with all of them.  Can I make this into favorite scene/chapter to do sound stuff for instead?  And can I pick multiples instead? >_>;; Favorite Chapter for Sound Editing: Chapter 4.  I had to compile different sounds that reflected Green’s desert, Blue’s snowstorm, Red’s forest fire, and Vio’s night in the woods. It was both challenging and fun. :D  Favorite Scene for Sound Editing: Every comedic scene, scenes where the background music slowed to a halt, and scenes where I had to improvise sound effects.

The slowed-down songs are in the scenes where Blue and Green fight on the boat, and when Red admits he lost his weapons to Blue in the Ice Cave.  Those were tough to do in Audacity (had to slow down the music piece by piece), but it was SO worth it.

As for scenes where I had to use nearby stuff for sounds…there’s a bunch of ‘em.

The door slamming while Erune talks about the missing children = me slamming my bedroom door.

The Gerudo Masseuse’ movements and the Gerudo Elder’s staff = me shaking my wrist while wearing my old belly-dance bracelets.

Deku Scrubs popping out of the ground = me smacking my lips mixed with the deku sound effect from Ocarina of Time.

Green’s sword hitting the labyrinth wall = me hitting a pot lid with a wooden spoon.

Green falling and sliding down the labyrinth wall = me falling and sliding down a bedroom wall.

Eerie shadow raising their sword to attack Green as the moon rises = me sliding a knife sharpener over a kitchen knife.

Shadow walking on clouds = me blowing into the mic mixed with footstep sounds from Ocarina of Time.

Big Poe screaming at Red and Blue = me banging pots, pans, and piano keys mixed with chaotic sound effects I found online.

Big Poe taking Blue’s soul = me breathing into the mic along with heavy editing.

Red clapping at Big Poe = me clapping my hands.

The Four Swords pulsing = me playing a four-note harmony (one for each Link) on the piano mixed with heavy editing and a wind chime effect.

(Karen: This guy is a genius when it comes to sound effects and the dub wouldn’t be half as good without him!)

Lines you dread voicing the most (screaming, crying, etc): As much as I love battle cries, my microphone and its inconvenient ability to make stuff clip bothers me.

And even though the chapter’s long gone, the part where Green remembers when he playing with Zelda as a toddler.  I’M NEVER VOICING SMALL CHILDREN AGAIN. DX

What are your biggest worries when it comes to voicing your character? *pulls in with a giant dump truck* um…

#1 – Is my voice too high or too low? Green’s age would be around early teens or so, and with my weird vocal range, I can’t tell if I make him sound younger or older than he is. #2 – Am I getting the personality right? Because of my shy-as-hell nature, it’s hard for me to pick up if my confident-Green-persona sounds genuine or fake. #3 – Is it bad that I can only voice Green with my natural voice? Many voice actors have a HUGE variety of voices they can do (ex. Tara Strong).  It’s likely because I’m still new to this, but part of me gets nervous that me voicing Green with my normal speaking voice is a sign that I lack voice acting talent. #4 – (Personal worry but it still bothers me sometimes) How will I sound as Green in the future?  I’m a pre-HRT transmale who hates how high his voice is. This year, I’ll be moving out and if I play my cards right, I can start the process to either get testosterone, top surgery, or both.  I love this dub to death, but after voicing Green in my non-HRT voice for so long, I get nervous that I could accidentally lower the quality of the dub if my voice changes if/when I start HRT (assuming the editing process for videos will be the same as it’s been). (Karen: i figure I should add this since people might be wondering how we’re going to handle it. As Green is right now I feel his voice wouldn’t hurt if it went a little deeper. However, if Riley’s voice becomes too deep, I’m going to edit the pitch of his lines. Don’t worry Riley, you aren’t going anywhere!) #5 – Do I make too many bloopers?  During recording, I either screw up or my mind wanders a lot, and I save ‘em for the blooper reel.  When the reel comes out, however, I’ll sometimes see my segment is a little longer than everyone else’s and I get nervous.  ESPECIALLY if Green only had two lines and I had nearly an extra 30 seconds worth of bloopers. Would you date your character (if they were of age)?I’m gonna sound horrible, but…I don’t think Green’s personality would stand out enough to me as a possible date.  If anything, I think we’d just end up being a weird duo of friends: the strong, confident soldier and the socially-awkward weirdo. *laughs*

Do you have a favourite voice actor on the dub?I don’t have a favorite voice actor, but I do have favorite lines/sounds from some of the cast (this is likely to change as more chapters are released).  The way the VAs say these lines, I LOVE ‘EM.  For now, I’m only going to list a few of them so this Q&A doesn’t go too long.

Favorite Carrottheluvmachine/Red line: “Oh!  And it [footprint] looks like mine!” Favorite Ashe/Blue line: “so that’s how you want to do this, huh?!” Favorite Swiss/Vio line: “Losing confidence? …it’s because I’m you too, remember?” Favorite Kaenith/Shadow line: “Shadow saying “you’re a creature of darkness now, don’t forget that.”

Asked by Anon: Riley, how do you come up with so many awesome bloopers? Aww, thank you. ^///^ Most of them are accidental, like me not saying a word correctly. Others happen when I try and fail to memorize the script: if I’m struggling with a line, I’ll have a physical copy of the manga and match Green’s facial expression. This helps me get into the mindset, but it does draw my attention away from the script and I’ll end up flubbing a line because I tried to say it off the top of my head. 

The mistakes where I either notice something weird either pop up on the fly or something I noticed a while back, and then suddenly remember during recording.  The part where I noticed the Four Sword “thrumming” happened when I couldn’t get Green’s “the four sword is pulsing!” line right and I had to keep looking at the manga for the proper face.  It was at that point I noticed the weird sound effect drawn in.  Also, the blooper where I sang a song from The Heathers as Green flees the Eerie Shadow? That was in my head long before the script for Chapter 5 was out and when the time came to record, I remembered that bit. 

Asked by Anon What was the funniest/most humorous line you guys have had to say? Not sure if this counts, but Kaenith had a blooper where they screwed up as Shadow, saying “you’re pretty—UM PRETTY SMART!”  They shared it with the staff and it was so funny, Swiss made a joke response as Vio going “I prefer handsome.”  I was given the two lines to put together and as a joke, I added some audio of a guy screaming “MAKE OUT!” 

The staff liked it so much, they asked me to add Green shouting “NOW KISS!”  It took a while to get perfectly, but I had SO much fun with it. ^_^