#fs headcanon ramblings and adjacent

[lunavagans]

In my interpretation of a post-manga Shadow, he‘d be fully hylian, with all that comes with it. Today, I‘m for some reason wondering specifically about what would happen with his hair growing out. Have the almost literal convo with myself on the matter before I‘m off to draw it.

Me: okay, so he‘d need a haircut eventually. Would he cut his own hair? That wouldn‘t end well.

Brain: would anyone trust him with a sharp blade?

Me: not at first. Okay, so someone else would cut it?

Brain: would shadow trust anyone with a sharp blade?

Me: …

Me: ponytail?

Brain: ponytail, headband, hair band, braids, hair clips-

[lunavagans]

So I had a thought the other day about Ganon‘s and Shadow‘s canon dynamic and how I’d describe it:

The owner who‘s too harsh with punishments after perceived failure and too lenient with the leash vs the dog that’s too afraid to bite his owner so he resorts to doing every trick demanded of him flawlessly no matter the cost and biting everyone else within reach.

Just. A thought yknow. I know cats and dragons/reptiles are more associated with him but it does fit.

[lunavagans]

We all agree Vio reads a lot, right? He‘d probably need at least reading glasses fairly soon if his luck and that glorious Hero‘s Spirit let him down (shh, we ignore how that fits into him and archery for the sake of the bit). But (according to personal experience) before one gets dearly needed glasses, they typically run around doing… expressions. Just imagine that „calm and collected“ (to quote Red: „cool“) guy going

Blue: … This is getting embarassing.

Red: Don‘t insult his efforts, Blue :( You can do it, Vio!!!

Vio: At least I possess the reading proficiency required to have a chance at deciphering this sign.

Blue: WE SHARED A BODY THROUGHOUT SCHOOL!

Vio: That we did. And we‘ve established that not all memories are shared, didn‘t we?

Green: Alright, that‘s enough, guys. The sign reads „Do Not Keep Going, Visitors Unwelcome“, by the way.

Red: Oh, we should continue! Whoever‘s at the end of this path must be lonely from not getting any visitors :D

Vio: I agree, we should send Red ahead. That lonely person will be overwhelmed by his demeanor enough to not harm him and we can look around in the meantime.

Green: Maybe you‘ll go instead, your charming disposition today is sure to brighten up their day, as well.

[lunavagans]

If Shadow‘s magic goes beyond the manipulation of his own body and travelling through shadows and includes just shadows in general, then he should technically be able to paint with shadows anywhere at any time.

That‘s it that‘s the post.

[lunavagans]

I‘m one of the people that assumes Shadow didn‘t automatically gain Link‘s memories and skills upon his creation. This sometimes presents me with a dilemma like: When did he learn how to speak and understand hylian? Did Ganon teach him, since Vaati wasn‘t freed until Zelda‘s kidnapping? If so, then that‘s just another hint towards the interpretation of them as father and son. If he didn‘t because he might not care to, then how did Shadow learn?

We know that through the mirror, other places can be watched. As such, picture this: Shadow watching Link inside the mirror and trying to imitate the sounds he hears, because he knows they have meaning, but unlike his original, he doesn‘t know how to make use of it. It‘s yet another flaw in him, to be incapable of something so fundamental as language. So, as a being not requiring sleep or food, he simply sits in front of that piece of glass day in, day out,and makes carefully crafted but ultimately incorrect sounds, trying to catch up in a race Link doesn‘t even know of.

And it just gets sadder the later you think Shadow was created, like if he‘s existed for a few years by the time the manga takes place, then I‘d think it‘s as familiar to him as it is to anybody. But if he‘s younger than that, then just how might he feel if he has to meet that picture-perfect heroic counterpart of his and he himself barely knows how to speak? (Obviously, he does, but canon divergence territory ig.)

[lunavagans]

Do you think Shadow knew that the chance of his death was bigger than of his continued survival anyway, no matter if Ganon had won or lost?

Like. There are four (hah) scenarios in which he could‘ve died ignoring his sacrifice which nobody expected. 1. To the colours somewhere along the way. 2. In the big bang-boom-pow battle in the end between Ganon, Vaati, the colours and Zelda. 3. If Ganon lost, to the light side because he is what he is and why would they even keep him alive? (Spoiler for the sake of himself, his actions and his potential for good.) 4. If Ganon won, to Ganon himself because Shadow could be practically useless at that point, depending on how you interpret his position and responsibilities under him as well as their relationship.

And I mean, I can understand why he went apeshit with future prospects like that once he got the opportunity to wreck Hyrule. Doesn‘t make it right, but I do kinda like the thought for hc purposes and general angst.

[lunavagans]

Actually, what was up with that one throwaway scene just before The Vidow Moon Scene in the forest?? The one where the dekus build a temple for Ganon?? I can‘t believe that‘s just not discussed or expanded on? Because usually, when the dekus are a civilization and not just monsters, they‘re the good ones (or at least don‘t try to actively murder Link like in MM). But here, they‘re intelligent! They know architecture and shit! They chose to worship Ganon!

I want to write a fic about that so badly but I don‘t know whatttt…

[lunavagans]

Another rambling thing: the dekus. In the dark forest that Vio ends up in. Why did they start worshipping Ganon?

What would a people made of essentially plant value? Sunlight, maybe? What if, in addition to the ‚being seen as monsters‘ thing that exists in some games (Oot at least), he promised them to bring them MORE sunlight in exchange for their loyalty? Maybe he spun a narrative where the sunlight is being kept from them by the hylians (I‘m thinking by banishing them to the forest, or some sort of magicks barring it from reaching into the forest), and he will defeat them and give it back to them?

Why would he bother to do so anyway? They don‘t seem to ever really put up a fight against anyone. Ganon has their devotion, but not their troops, as far as the manga shows. Do they have any, or do they just build? Maybe their one strength is building, but why would Ganon need it, anyway? Does he just want temples? Am I imagining that the dekus told Vio they were too busy building a temple for Ganon to help him? I‘m too lazy to look it up.

And if the dekus really do follow Ganon for the sunlight thing, and Shadow thinks that with Ganon‘s victory, the darkness will fall over Hyrule completely, then one of the two would have had a rude awakening; I think, since Shadow wouldn‘t have had a purpose by then anymore and assuming the thing with using the dekus as tenple builders to satisfy his vanity - persisting beyond his victory - is true, it would‘ve been Shadow. Only one of the two can be kept happy, after all. Priorities and all.

Did Shadow and the dekus ever interact? How would that have gone?

Why is Vaati following Ganon? By the logic that being loyal to the biggest monster will grant you some safety? Does he think he can betray Ganon and get his own victory that he was denied in minish cap?

I‘m thinking too much about this, aren‘t I.

[lunavagans]

Shadow is probably closer to inventing the concept of movies and animation in Hyrule than probably anyone else in LoZ lore except for some of the ALbW cast in another timeline.

[lunavagans]

Hi! I wanna talk about Erune wanting to give away her doll and how the action is kind of weird to me.

Yes, she does it with a main motive of cheering up someone else, someone younger than her and thus ‚allowed to still have toys‘, and this motivation proves some level of emotional maturity by denying herself something so someone else can be comforted who needs it just as badly. And ultimately, (this goes into speculation) I think her wish to stop being a child relates to wishing she could do something to help, something that children can‘t do because the invasion of the monsters etc. is something adults deal with (as a child might perceive the situation); she wants to be equal with them in some regard (for a few possible reasons (‚growing up quickly‘ due to current situation, feeling patronized and mocked by their treatment of her, being ashamed for still having them, etc)).

But these two wishes - to comfort someone and to help with the adults - result in something that I personally find a little sad: that it might be a widely-held notion in Hyrule that when someone grows up, they should stop having toys. She herself explains her plan to Green with ‚she’s getting a little old for toys‘, which makes sense because ultimately it‘s based on the medieval ages where children were viewed as (as far as I know, not gonna do research for a fandom blurb) either already little adults or human-shaped animals to raise. Green tells her to keep it, but I honestly think it‘s simply because he‘s infatuated with her and wants to make her happy, even after hearing it would still be put to good use by that relative of Erune‘s.

And my opinion that there‘s nothing childish or immature about owning toys or stuffed animals as an adult (hell, I still have some and I love them) is of course shaped by this decidedly not medieval age, so someone might only care about things like this for reasons pertaining to maybe loyalty to the ‚inspirational roots‘ of LoZ, because it’s definitely not realism. I don‘t even know where I‘m going with this, except that I think that small tidbit of giving up toys as you get older is sad and interesting and I haven‘t seen it mentioned here once before.

And then I start thinking about Link, fighting actual criminals with a sword and only reprimanded for the way he does it, not that he does something so dangerous so young. His mother isn‘t present, his father‘s the captain of the knights (or something?), he doesn’t seem to have any other parental figures and he‘s about the same age as Erune. If he had to give away his own toys (because c‘mon, children always had stuff to play with, he must‘ve had some, maybe even just a wooden sword(which would also be sad but for different reasons)), then it must‘ve been even sooner than Erune. What must his childhood have been like? And what about Zelda‘s? As the crown princess, did she even have any at all?