#i do not care about the champions or this zelda i'm SORRY

[lucky-clover-gazette]

i love breath of the wild but ngl its zelda's voice is so ridiculously annoying to me... girl stop telling me quest shit via telepathy i'm trying to find my 754th korok seed

[narbevoguel]

AoC deserves better.

I think enough time has passed for me to rant about the current status of BotW, AoC and TotK.

I'll start by saying TotK is a really fun game, I enjoy playing it way more than I ever did a portion of BotW, they actually found a good balance between old dungeon design and trying to revamp it somewhat, it still needs work but defo a step in the right direction; but the reason I believe people feel BotW was better for them, is because of multiple factors:

1.- The novelty of exploring wore off. First, you get to explore the same Hyrule from BotW, and while the overly needed addition of caves was a thing, the depths and skies added little to no substance, contrary to what the trailers made you believe.

2.- While the story, standalone at least, is not that bad, it isn't a big of a deal either, and while I believe the premise for it is better than BotW's, at least BotW bothered sticking to it with a strong foundation, whereas TotK story is glued together with nothing but tape and tears (no pun intended).

3.- The characters. BotW gave us amazing characters that sadly the plot didn't let shine (which is where AoC comes in, but that's for later), TotK gave us characters that are just... there. Even if BotW did little to nothing with its cast, at least they had their moments in the cutscenes; what do the likes of Rauru, or Sonia, or the past Sages have? Nothing. It's almost like they left out important plot points out on purpose and somehow thought not elaborating on them was a good idea? I bet not a lot of people know about Rauru's sneaking out antics, or Mineru not getting enough sleep because of her research, or Zelda liking to help Mineru with her research because that's just the kind of nerd she is, or the fact that Rauru and Mineru would perform together in the form of song and dance respectively. These are things that would have been cute to see in the form of cutscenes like we did with the Champions in BotW. You can summarize plot and characters to an extent in BotW, but not in TotK, sadly. That said, I don't mind Ganondorf being evil for the sake of being evil, but them choosing to make him less of bound to the curse and more the curse itself can get disappointing at times. What's the point in making him sexy with zero substance? (Yes, they made him sexy on purpose, they said in an interview). But back to the Champions, can I mention how little respect they had in TotK? Like, I understand passing on the veil of destiny to the now sages, but disregarding them almost completely like that was a decision I can't understand, you take the best of BotW and almost discard it completely in the sequel?

AoC, on the other hand, took everything BotW and just added the "what if" fanfic 'fix' where everyone lives and it's a much better, happier outcome, but as a result, it lets the best part of BotW (the characters) properly shine and be fleshed out, it's a game that was clearly developed with care towards the source. The hate it gets it's because it was marketed as a prequel to BotW, yet it wasn't (and tbh, I'm sorry but thinking a musou game was gonna have perma character death was kind of a naive thought), and thus has no place in the timeline, but we are somehow okay with TotK liking to play the game of "Let's pretend BotW didn't happen"? Where do we draw the line then?

If you think there's nothing wrong with how TotK handled BotW's retcon, but don't like the premise of AoC, you owe AoC an apology.

That said, if I were to recommend someone who really enjoyed BotW what to play next, I would recommend AoC 100%, as much fun I have with TotK, AoC is more respectful.

I don't want to hate on TotK entirely, because I stand by what I said, I still have lots of fun with it, I never enjoyed playing BotW, but I do TotK, but it's being praised for things that people used to justify hatred towards AoC, and I won't allow it.

[summertimemusician]

Linktober Shadow Day 7

Gloom Hands

This goes out to the way I cackled hysterically once seeing these things in TOTK, well done Zelda Team. They're a terrifying concept and I really feel exploring that could be fun, even if this prompt gave me a headache and a half.

Bit late today because we've been pelted by way too many storms/lightning and writing on mobile with lightning shaking your house is generally a bad idea, so I spent most of the time writing this and the Linktober prompt by hand, then transcribing it back onto mobile as soon as I could touch eletronics without the major risk of being zapped and picking a god and praying that my internet wouldn't be too funky so I could get it out on time. Short one again though because I still need to finish the Linktober prompt so it should come out later today or fully tomorrow, sorry folks.

Anyway, as always can be read as romantic or platonic, also Sage is here both because of the prompt and because the mental image of Wild Reader and Sage trauma bonding over the extremely twisted nature Gloom/the Malice have compared to just dark magic in general in LoZ was too funny to resist, if Nintendo won't talk about the many variations of Dark Magic in LOZ and how it affects any who come in contact with it then lord darn it I guess I'll just have to do it myself (or as much as I can without breaking out the companion essay to the Realm of Darkness and Realm of Light essay which I'm already having trouble digging out).

TW:

Technically graphic descriptions of decay, gore and eldritch horror, and Reader just not having a good day in general, don't recommend reading I'd you're highly squeamish.

When you’ve first met Sage, as the Chain temporarily dubbed him, you and Wild didn’t miss the way he looked so, so haunted. Emotions warring like a storm as he looked Wild over in a mix of disbelief and the weariness of a wounded fox getting ready to bite just to escape, at the Chain with such longing ache that made one’s heart break, the way the first time he met Wolfie he didn’t hesitate to throw himself atop the canine and hug him so close like he was trying to melt into the fur, and looking at you like he didn’t know wether to cry, scream or to shut down before he buried it under the mask you knew your resident Champion could use when trying so desperately to keep it together, hands shaky as he signed in a way that set your teeth on edge and felt like you had taken a dozen of ice arrows to the back, urgent, 'It’s not safe. None of you should be here. You need to leave. Now.'

Needless to say it was alarming, even as you all knew just how ferociously untamed his and Wild’s Hyrule could be, with being overrun with so, so many types of divinity through each crack, root, drop and flesh of it’s beings. From Hylia’s cold calculating care, the Three Goddesses blood, tears and breath of life, to the Malice’s howling self sustaining fury, The Lost Woods ever overgrowing freedom and even the remnants of the Fierce Deity’s hunt in Satori’s and Malaniya's savage display of cyclic eternity, it wasn’t any surprised that apart from the Traveler’s Hyrule it was the most aggressive one with the smorgasbord of energy so thick it made even you choke on it everytime you stepped foot in it. Beautiful and free in an echo of it’s once untamed state in the age of myth even before Sky.

Over time, you and the Chain learned how to adapt to it. To listen to the warnings Wild gave about the Guardians and about the remains of Malice in his monsters, of how the moon had been forever tainted with it and how, until Sheikah tech was fully repurposed it would be best to avoid the castle all together it was difficult but manageable, and even if Sage’s reaction was alarming (and he seemed even more troubled once Wild passed onto him from Sky that, while he wasn’t to come with them yet due to how things were apparently ‘fated’ to happen, there was no way you all could leave quite yet, distantly sticking by Wild and Twilight when possible and checking on everyone’s health when not doing so), you’d though it would be much the same for his own, and in parts you were right as the Chain had taken to the new environment like fishes to water even if it took some adjustments.

Though you were quickly proven wrong, and you could have laughed at your past self’s naivety.

It was meant to be a quick run to clear a black blooded monster camp, and while decently challenging, it was over quickly between the Chain getting more apt at fighting the enemy, Sage’s addition as the man fought as ruthlessly and ferociously as Wild, switching between deadly marksmanship and feral combat on a dime and the absence of the unnaturally inteligent black scales lizalfos, you’d rest and be on your way quickly. Or so you all thought.

Twilight had been the first to smell it, the bubbling of dark but distinctively twisted magic, even more so than Zant’s brand of madness. Wild the one to spot it, the rot black and blood crimson building up at the edges of camp from his vantage point but it was Sage who had tensed, eyes snapping to the faint glow the Master Sword emmited just as the sky darkned before his frantic, alarmed howl swept over the Chain, the sheer desperate, protective panic making all of your boys still, because Sage never used his voice unless he absolutely had to, “IT'S NOT OVER! MOVE!”

It was all the warning any of you got before reality twisted, straining, and then finally screaming, the heavens staining with crimson as if gutted open, the eyes of a sin against nature itself cutting through your relief and infecting your veins with terror. It shakes you to the core, freezing with indecisive flight or fight as you spotted the tide. Heart in your throat as you tried to comprehend what you saw.

“WHAT THE-“, Legend cursed, looking ashen as his grip on his fire rod tightened. Really, all of your heroes look disturbed and you can’t blame them.

“Get to high ground if you want to live! We can’t fight these things.”, snapped Sage, much more composed, but no less frenzied.

None of you hesitate to listen.

(There were some unspoken rules, when in Wild’s Hyrule the first time around. If there is something the Champion, the most reckless of all Links, wasn’t willing to fight head on or said wasn’t worth it, the best course of action was to listen, specially if the group was vulnerable.)

The hands screech, the tide rolling over the land with an reality splitting clamoring, a sound so filled with fury and so, so twisted it made your Hylian’s ears friends bleed and you lift a hand to your head in pain as Wild pulled you along, Sage leading the charge for the nearest cliff face as Warrior’s threw Wind over his shoulders and Twilight didn’t hesitate before doing the same to Four, the frost from Legend and bomb arrows from Time and Sky barely doing nothing to slow it’s relentless charge, merely taking from it a distorted, pitched crescendoing belt of pure rage and the overlaying of many tortured souls screaming all at once, of Hyrule rejecting this existence from the world but wounded at being unable to vanquish it, the sound it makes as it spreads and drags itself across the ground with uncanny speed with it’s many, many arms like something in between sludge and smacking, wet, rotten flesh.

Sage switches between shooting arrows to helping the other Links up the cliff and shooting at it’s eyes with the strongest bow he has,making as many arrow fusions on the spot as he dares. The others quickly taking as many ranged weapons from their sides to do the same. You help Hyrule up the clifface, while Wild swipes Cryonis over the field, climbing up himself, being hauled to Sage’s side.

You are almost there when one of the hands latch onto your ankle, and you go down with a scream, Sage all but dropping the bow in his hand in favor to latching onto your hand with snarl. And

It.

Is.

Agony.

(It burns through you like your very atoms have been set on fire,bthe hands take the opportunity to sink into you, long long unnatural fingers sinking into your flesh in a unhurried blanket of darkness, the Demon King’s will is roaring, growling with abyssal rage, if it cannot rule Hyrule, it would kill everything in it instead. Gloom sinks into your cells, raptures the membranes and makes the skin slip, frantically invading, you taste rotten flesh on the back of your throat and the scent of wither and ash choke you as it sinks into your flesh, marrow, breaks down your bones bit by bit, cracking and infecting and breaking down your very essence with the fury of a dead deity which refused die, decay on an accelerated rate all over where the hands clutched like a vice as the Links trunfo pull you out or attack it and it is painful and it’s excruciatingly wretched and make it STOPCEASEITHURTS-)

A well aimed Skyward Strike severs the connection, the pain stops and you fall into Sage, breathing hard and unevenly, grasping at him like a lifeline, clawing and counting at Wild’s arm on your other side like a wounded animal, your taste blood on your throat from the screams that were ripped from it, Hyrule falling to his knees on your side as healing magic washes over you like a shroud, trying to get you to respond.

Reality howls along with you, before all is silent.

It barely took a second.

“... Just what were those things?”, rasps Sky, horrified, a sentiment echoed through the Chain, though you can’t focus on it, trying not to choke on your own blood and to pull yourself together, Wild’s hand unconsciously settling on your pulse, shaking, and Sage’s tense tone cuts through the air as he scans the area. Still tense, tone hoarse.

“... The reason why I wanted you to leave.”

Later, much, much later, before you all leave, you learn they are called Gloom Hands.

It’s unanimously agreed that all you hold loathing for those abominations, even long after you’re forced to leave Sage.

He whispers something to Wild on the way out, hugging him close, trembling. Your Champion nods, you can’t make out the words, but you make sure to hold him as close as you can before you go, indulge him in checking for your pulse even long after you’re healed.

You hope he’ll be safe, he hopes that the next time you all see each other again, it’ll be under better circumstances.

[amiharana]

Okay, so I've read a couple of Revalink soulmate AU fics but I can never get through them because honestly I've never really liked the concept. And honestly, I feel like there's a decent chance Link would feel the same.

I mean, you've got a guy who didn't really get to choose almost anything about his life - he's a knight because his father was, he's Zelda's guard because he was selected by the King, he's the chosen hero because he's destined for it - and then he doesn't even get to choose who he falls in love with? And in most soulmate AUs probably has a literal physical mark on his body constantly reminding him of that fact? That's not romantic, that's existentially horrifying!

This idea might already be a thing but I've never really read fanfic before about a month ago when I got the Revalink brainrot so I don't know, but here's an idea I call the anti-soulmate AU.

Basically Revali doesn't have whatever soulmate-identifying mark exists in this story, and Link does, which is part of why Revali resents Link while Link is in some ways envious of Revali for the opposite reason. Somehow they end up actually talking to each other and grow close, and eventually Link basically decides "fuck it, I don't care that there's some destined perfect partner for me, I'm choosing to be with this guy." And even though they provably aren't soulmates and their relationship maybe isn't perfect, they still love each other and are happy together.

There can be some angst about Revali feeling insecure since there is someone out there who objectively would be a better partner for Link even though Link doesn't actually want to be with them, and about how this is basically depriving Link's soulmate of their perfect partner. Who that person is doesn't really matter, but making it Mipha would add even more to her whole "tragic one-sided pining" thing. Or it could just be some random person, like I said it's kinda unimportant.

Anyway the Calamity happens, and since Link kinda-sorta-dies whatever soulmate mark he has goes too and he's finally totally free from it. I have no idea if that's a thing that happens in these AUs, like I said I don't really read them much, but it kinda makes sense and fits this story so whatever. Maybe have Revali be revived after Ganon's defeated so there can be a happy ending.

Revalink as a concept is always just a little bit contrived. You have to mess with the timeline of the backstory if you want them to be a thing pre-calamity, you need to change how the Champion ghosts work to have them be a thing mid-game, or you need to have all the champions come back from the dead in order to have them be a thing post-canon, and you almost always need to mess with their personalities to have it be even slightly plausible. It's always kinda messy and doesn't totally make sense, and in this story that would basically be true in-universe and that's exactly why Link wants to be with him. He's pretty much the exact opposite of a perfect, destined partner who fits together with Link flawlessly.

Sorry for basically writing the entire synopsis of a fic that doesn't exist and probably isn't even that good of an idea, but as I mentioned I have the Revalink brainrot and I have no friends who I can send ideas like this to and I need to tell them to somebody.

so first of all, NEVER apologize to me for writing a whole fic synopsis in my askbox. my friend, are you familiar with my blog? all i do is write the longest fic rambles in the world here instead of writing full-fledged fic to upload to ao3 ☝️😭 so please do not even worry!!! i like ur fic idea a lot and it's good!!! and if you'd like, we can be friends and u can do what crow cryiling (affectionate) does and spam my inbox or messages w your ideas whenever you want 🤍 i luv to hear about revalink always

i honestly really love soulmate aus because i'm a hopeless romantic 😭🤍 SORRY but i do agree that to write a really good soulmate au for revalink, you can't just put any soulmate au template on them. like revali himself will actively break the fourth wall to fight against it because it just doesn't fit their dynamic; their whole relationship is built off of defying fate, re:your second-to-last paragraph. canon botw doesn't outline a clear path for revalink to ever be together in the way it might for zelda, mipha, or sidon even, so we'll always have to bend or break the rules of their universe for even a glimpse of future where they can be happy together 🥹 but it's the best part of their dynamic: they weren't supposed to be together, but goddamn it do they look good together.

i remember reading a fic where link and revali did have soulmate-identifying marks (i forgot what it was called but link's soul mark was revali's entire monologue in the revali's flap memory, and link hated him for it LMAO), but the idea that link would despise seeing the mark is so 🥺💔 i'm imagining maybe link was so excited to have one as a child, but after pulling the master sword and becoming a knight of hyrule, he now sees how he's doomed his soulmate to being tied to him and how he's responsible for their future or whatever. link has gotta develop some sort of altruistic complex about how he has to serve the people even at the cost of himself, i can't articulate it well right now, but i hope you get what i mean??? but that influences his resentment at the existence of the soulmark — not that he resents the person who is his actual soulmate, just the fact that he has one because he views himself as a burden on his soulmate as a result of his current position in life.

revali being born without a soul mark makes me so sad 😭 mixing this with my hc about him being orphaned, but revali getting bullied for not only not having parents but also not having a soulmate 💔💔 some of these rito kids are dickheads talking about "the goddesses wouldn't grant you even one person who would love you, haha!" and it definitely influences his workaholic tendencies training to become to most powerful warrior ever. he copes by saying he thinks soulmates are ridiculous and that there was no way there was another person in the world who could be perfect for you, that you should be given the ability to choose who you wanted to be with (but deep down, revali wants to know who the goddess would have chosen for him, if he did have a soulmate ㅠㅠ)

what do you think the conversation between link and revali would be like when they decide they want to be together, soulmates or not? what about the moment they fall for each other? who falls first? would it be mutual pining and trying to resist at first, because revali knows link has a soulmate who he deserves more than revali and link holding back because he knows what revali feels about the whole soulmate thing? or do they fall in love without holding back anyway, with link not caring for his soulmate at all like you mentioned? making mipha link's soulmate........ so tragic i feel bad for her fr if link resented her for being his soulmate kJDFKJD 😭 i lowkey wanna write these scenes tho idk HAHAHAH

the soul mark disappearing after link "dies" and is put in the shrine of resurrection is a really interesting idea though! like what's the mechanics behind that? i feel you'd have to go back and decide how the soulmate system works; is it a mysterious magic that no one can figure out? is it decided by some god of fate or love, hyrule's counterpart to aphrodite/eros? how did the magic decide that because link was "dead", he can't have a soulmate anymore/disconnected him from his soulmate? or what if link's soulmate died during the calamity before he was put in the shrine and soulmate-logic was like 'if your soulmate is dead, the mark disappears' so link's mark fades mid-battle and he doesn't realize it? and furthermore, link waking up in the shrine a century later and looks at his hand or some shit where the mark used to be and either (1) feeling a strange sense of melancholy at the empty spot on his skin or (2) looking at it but feeling nothing at all, and continuing with getting out of the shrine.

you could also explore how soulmate dynamics change throughout the hundred years he's gone. i'm sure plenty of people died during the calamity and lost their soulmates, so how does that alter the whole societal norms and culture surrounding soulmates? are people still born with soulmates after the calamity? do you think it becomes a taboo, that it's dangerous to meet your soulmate because what if you lose them? or do they see it as a mark of fortune, that love still prevails even in this near godless world after an era of tragedy? and then how does link interact with the world following his awakening, to find out that people have soulmates and look back at the empty, unmarred part of his skin and wonder, did he have one too? who were they? did he love them, and did they love him too?

AND ANOTHER THING, if mipha was his soulmate back then, does she still have her soul mark on her ghost?????? what if she did because well. it's her spirit and not her actual body, so when link meets her again post-waterblight, she's saddened by not only link's lack of memory of her but also the fact he's lost his soul mark. and also remembering that link would still probably resent her if he had his memory.

furthermore, there's two scenarios that instantly come to mind when i think about post-calamity revalink here. (1) revali seeing link post-windblight but link doesn't remember and revali having a similar reaction/feeling to mipha, but is having an internal conflict about whether or not he should be happy that link no longer has a soulmate he's bound to or sad that because of that, he'll never have another chance with link again because he's dead </3 or (2) champions are revived but link still doesn't remember his time with revali pre-calamity so revali is trying to give link an out and let him go to be given the chance to love someone else in his new life, but for whatever reason link is still drawn to him, moving to rito village and practically living in revali's shadow. it's another slow-burn of them falling in love all over again and maybe link gets his memories back?

if you ever plan on writing this, my friend....... feel free to send it to me because i'd Love to read it. like fr. there's so much potential for this one

[some-internet-stranger]

botw for the fandom ask game!! :>

That ask game⤴️⤴️⤴️

Also hiii!!! Thank you for the ask!

(( Here's me actually replying to one, so sorry man, I Always procrastinate answering, I have Like three Other ask Games Just rotting in my inbox)))

Anyway, this was really fun!

Favorite Male Character: Revali!!!

Favorite Female Character: ahhh, this is a lot harder mhhhh..... Zelda, Mipha, Urbosa.... Ummmmmm ah??? I really wanna say Zelda, but totk........ Can be ignored. My answer is Zelda, she's the best and I Love her.

Least Favorite Character: I dont think I have one of those if we're only talking about botw... If we're expanding to age of calamity and tears of the kingdom, however, I would say Terrako and Rauru

Favorite Ship: revalink, all the way!! But I doubt thats a surprise for anyone following me😅���

(Zelimpa and Zelpha are amazing aw well, so I wanna mention them too)

Favorite friendship: I'm very biased and this is 100000% influenced by the fanfiction finding link (my favorite, If you havent read it, do it!! Its so good!!! Omg!!)(😱😱😱) but I like Zelda and Revali as best friends. Their friendship would Go so hard guys.

Favorite Quote: I used to have a quote as my blog name! "[Link] Du bist der Schlüssel... Du warst es immer!" (eng: You are the key... You always were!), which is what Revali says at the end of the vah medoh quest after Link is teleported away. I'm Not sure If its my favorite quote, but it Sounds oddly romantic Out of context, heh

Worst Character Death (if any): all of them, man :-(

This made me so happy you have no idea Moment: mhhh the entirety of the Champions ballad dlc, which isnt excactly a moment, but do we care about that?

Saddest Moment: that one memory were Zelda cries, breaks my heart every time (Go listen to the german dub of that Scene, zelda's voice actress is KILLING it. Rent was due. 10/10 crying snot and water)

(Honorable mentions to Mipha telling Link to save Zelda as he's teleported away at the end of the vah ruta quest. Her voice?? Hello? Very Zelpha, Go watch it!)(If you feel Like it)

Favorite Location: ohhh also hard... I really Like akkala, (probably because I like fall🍂🍂🍂) but theres honestly Not much going on there haha😅 ACTUALLY NO WAIT A MINUTE,.vah medoh! If that counts as a Location (i think it does)

Attacking vah medoh with Teba is one of my favorite parts of the game, its so fun! (And maybe a Bit easy too😅)

[savimatteo2810]

LU MLP au (part 1)

Is this cringe? Probably.

Do I care? Nope.

Do I also do whatever the hell I want? ABSOLUTELY! I know technically speaking, all of these boys should be alicorns due to Divine Intervention, but... that's boring and I want diversity! Lol

Disclaimer: I haven't drawn horses since I was like 7 years old so these drawings probably suck and I'm not even sorry about it, I just wanted to draw ponies lol

Cutiemarks will be covered in a separate post since that gets a bit complicated. This post will cover Hyrule, Legend, and Wild.

HYRULE

Yarrowtrek - Pegasus

It would probably make sense for Hyrule to be an earth pony, but being a pegasus would make it a lot easier for him to get around (and also get lost). His nickname is quite literally traveler, so I figured being a pegasus would work quite well since, y'know, he likes to go places.

Hyrule does still possess magic despite not being a unicorn. When he casts a spell, it takes a lot more energy than it would for a unicorn - and much more concentration as well.

As for his name, yarrow is a herb often used to heal cuts and other lacerations, and trek is just very fitting. Lmao.

LEGEND

Trinket Thief - Unicorn

I'm not explaining why Legend is a unicorn. I promise I will explain the green magic aura thing at some point.

Due to my inability to draw bracelets on a horse, I have simply opted to give him those horseshoes. He's slaying.

As for his name, this man lives to steal all the magical trinkets. He just didn't expect to be stealing them from dungeons at the young age of like, ten or something lol

WILD

Wildberry - Alicorn (but it's complicated)

For someone whose entire personality is hating Wild (/j) I sure do manage to give him a lot more content than the rest

Originally, Wild was a pegasus before he died. The shrine of resurrection was initially created by mighty unicorn sages, but it was never adequately tested. After his one-hundred-year sleep in the shrine, he was regenerated, but doing so infused him with unicorn magic. However, the shrine did not have the ability to heal one of his wings due to the damage from the guardian blast, leaving him grounded. Furthermore, the shrine changed his magic aura from green to light blue, making him an exception. So while he is technically an alicorn, he is unable to fly. Maybe one day Flora or Purah can make him a suitable prosthetic.

His hair is dyed the colors of the champions, + an extra one for Zelda. He just likes to feel like they're with him and be able to remember them, even if their spirits were freed, y'know?

Originally Wild was gonna be named Wildflower, but that was more fitting for his Zelda. Instead, it got changed to Wildberry, due to his love for cooking.

Other characters will be covered in future posts

[clockwise-works]

Idk if you've answered these yet, but 17 and 22 for the ask game?

Thanks for the ask Sky, and don't worry I don't think I've answered these ones! And sorry for the late answer, these one's genuinely had me thinking at work lmao

17. There should be more of this type of fic/art

This one is a... little difficult to answer. In terms of fics, I generally only stick with the Mipha/Link tag, and once sorting and curating it to my liking I can honestly say I so very rarely run into fics I don't like. It's the same with art, granted I'm a little more general with my art. Like yeah I love Miphlink and Mipha art, but I also like general non ship Zelda art, Sonic, Kirby, Mario, Pikmin, you can show me art for something I've never engaged with and I'll probably like it! Line technique, coloring styles, backgrounds, even ui and video game menu designs get my brain going!

So in terms of stuff I think there should be more of, as in there's grossly not enough? I guess I'll go with Miphlink fics that involve ALL the champions + some extras like Impa, Purah and Robbie, the Brigade members. Don't get me wrong, I love lovey dovey "the two idiots are together, watch them fumble until being together", but the one's I really love? I love the fics that include the other characters, give them their own arcs and dynamics with one another, AND the miphlink is there but not the "central focus" of the plot, if that makes sense. Like, it can be a pivotal part of their individual arcs, to allow themselves to express and accept love, but in the grand scheme of things there's OTHER arcs and plotlines going on! I love ALL the Champions, I love pretty much most of the characters! I wanna see Miphlink sure, but I especially love seeing Daruk like overcome a fear of harming people, pulling from his fear of dogs. I love seeing Revali learn to be more open and humble, more confident in his EMOTIONAL strength and not just his technical strength. I love seeing Zelda finally learn that people DO care about her, that she IS loved and can love in return in which THAT gives her at least a step towards unlocking her power.

I don't know if that made sense, hopefully I did. And I'm hopefully not dismissing the fics that ONLY focus on the Miphlink, like I said I eat that up! It's just that I really do love groups with MULTIPLE dynamics and relations and arcs, and oh it just so happens the two childhood best friends happen to love another and are happy and together, but in a semi lowkey way where they focus on one another, but also the other plotlines :)

22. Your favorite part of canon that everyone else ignores?

This, once again, is a little hard to answer since as of now I've only played through the Wild Era of games, So I'm not super knowledgeable of the Zelda canon. I know the general stuff, but the more minute stuff? A little harder for me to answer.

I guess I'll be biased and say that people sometimes undermine Mipha's strength. Now don't get me wrong, I'm not fully convinced she's the strongest Champion when you have Urbosa who literally wields a Zora's weakness, and Link, who's quite literally "built different", but a LOT of people make the gap between her and her peers a little too wide. Especially considering that out of ALL of the BotW characters, the only one's who have canonically defeated a Guardian are Link, King Dorephan, and Mipha herself.

It is stated in game during The Champion's Ballad DLC that each Champion underwent Divine Beast Tamer Trials, and are the exact same one's that Link undergoes in the DLC. That means Mipha has canonically taken down FOUR Guardians at the same time, three flying ones and one ground mounted one.

Now, there is the argument that the Guardians may have been of lesser aggressive programing then the one's Ganon overtakes, but given that the one's Link fights in the DLC don't actually glow red, they aren't taken over by Ganon much like the one's in the shrine, meaning Mipha fought them at the EXACT same capacity Link did.

Another argument that could go against this that I'll address is Age of Calamity. In that game EVERY playable character can take out even the strongest of Guardians, and while I'm willing to believe some characters like Daruk, Urbosa, and maybe even Revali can take them, I think this falls more into gameplay mechanics to ensure every character has the overall same capacities, and therefor no character is at an utter disadvantage if a mission has Guardians. I approach this the same way as the flurry rush, in Canon I think only Link can actively do that move, as it is his special trait, but every playable character can do it mechanically just so they all have the same general controls. You cannot tell me in canon characters like Yunobo, Kohga, and Purah and Robbie can perform the EXACT same micro second dodge that Link can.

So, my little canon detail a lot of people overlook? Mipha's a LOT stronger than she appears. And while people who gravitate towards preferring her like the Mipha fans here and on Reddit may agree, most sites, which reminder YouTube for example has a MUCH larger userbase than us, most people tend to place her as the WEAKEST Champion. And I just can't agree.

...Maybe I'm just salty that I saw a YouTube poll of her being in dead last in terms of strength...

[hisuianhellion]

//Top ten other Zelda characters you would like to see as fallers? Asking for a friend

((... oh dear christ this is gonna be a THING HUH??? Okay uh... hmm.

Let me be frank. I'm biased here. I like characters with a lotta pull in the plot. Side-characters... nnnyeh, not so much? So I hope this list includes someone you've been thinkin' about. Also this list is not in order. I would love any of the below... okay maybe Linebeck, Navi or Skull Kid are at the lowest priority but I just wrote these as they came to my mind I'm sorry--

Tulin. My boy. Tulin. My son. Tulin. I love this child with my whole heart and the BOY is my BOY and this BOY is the BOOOOOY. He would do so damn good in a Pokemon setting. My only gripe is that he'd kiiiinda prolly not be all that happy. Unless he ended up with Link/Lianka. He'd be chill then.

Revali. However. This has a giant asterisk attached: because there's ALREADY A REVALI BLOG. So I can and will suggest they smash into each other at mach 3 and make things start happening. If there wasn't? I would put him at 1. No joke. Him and Lianka being actual rivals would be fantastic, genuinely, it would fit so PERFECTLY. He's honestly my favorite of the four Champions... at least the Japanese characterization of him that isn't... kind of a dick, the localization team did him a bit dirty imo.....

Ganondorf. This man... this goddamn man. He just steals the show any game he's in, doesn't he? Ocarina of Time? A basic interpretation, but a THREATENING one. Wind Waker? THE HIGHLIGHT. OF. THE GAME. Twilight Princess? Shows up at the VERY END and proves he is every bit the force he's portrayed as (final boss being cheeseable notwithstanding). Tears of the Kingdom? My fuckin' guy. My. Fucking. GUY. HE KICK... SO MUCH ASS........... perfect villain blog character, GOD he'd be so good.

Ganondorf, but NOT EVIL. Or, perhaps, reformed in some way! I want you to blame Growing Up Gerudo for me becoming enamored with the idea of a Ganondorf that breaks the cycle of hatred Demise forced upon him. The internal AND external turmoil that could cause, the feeling of loathing for himself and those that harmed him at odds. My man in Wind Waker wasn't as clear-cut as you think. He WAS evil, despite the "coveting that wind" excuse he gave. But what if he was being SINCERE--

Navi. She deserves a chance. She does! Don't you tell me she doesn't! She is not annoying, she was their very first attempt at a companion that could help! My girl got done dirty by the fanbase and if she ended up capable of being a Trainer or Eebydeebied and needed some help? I'd be all for that. Girl's a floating encyclopedia anyhow, she'd be perfect for Pokedex research.

Skull Kid. POST-MAJORA'S MASK. Let them have their character development. They are allowed a happy ending as a treat, okay? Besides! We already have a "Shady Mask Anon", so like... c'mon. It fits better than you think.

Linebeck. The sniveling, cowardly "real man of the seas" himself. My guy is absolutely deserving of a good, great, FANTASTIC delve into potentially no longer being a sniveling, cowardly, actual real man of the seas. Prolly in Hoenn, considering things!

Urbosa. If I had to pick a non-Rito champion, her. OR... OOOOOORRRRRR... for much the same reason?

Riju. Both of these girls deserve all the time in the limelight, and I adore both of them as characters. Strong, commanding women with literal lightning powers? H'oh. They can kick SO much ass.

Tetra. My favorite Zelda. The game did her dirty by shafting her into a role of just being a damsel in distress the moment she learned who she was. She deserves to be a fuckin' Pirate Queen. She deserves every damn chance to be a swashbuckling, secretly caring, absolute badass of a hero as much as anyone else.))

[deep4ried]

003: urbosa, mipha, sidon, zelda, teba (no revali bc i know you will rank him first)

I mean you're not wrong-

I wrote whole essays, sorry. I've just been in a zelda mood recently, for no reason, no reason what so ever,, totally

No. 5, Urbosa

I'll be honest here, I'm not a big fan of Urbosa. Nothing against her, it's just nothing about her character really appealed to me. I also really hate the Gerudo Desert, so that probably isn't helping.

No. 4, Sidon

I haven't played through botw in a while, so I've probably forgotten or overlooked something, but his character always felt so dependent if that's the right word? idk. But I think his story relies a lot on Mipha and his grief, which does make sense thematically, but makes him very one-note. It's also why I'm not big on sidlink, since the pairing is rather dull in my opinion. Just say you think Sidon is hot, why bring link into this? (of course, no hate to sidlink shippers)

No. 3, Teba

It physically hurts me to place him here, but the Vah Medoh quest was very underwhelming compared to the others, which made Teba's character feel disappointing. Not bad, but disappointing, considering the other companions. But that's not to say there's nothing there. I'm fond of the connections between him and other characters, which was scarce with Yunobo and Riju especially I feel, (less so with Sidon but it doesn't hit the same). I think that's also what drew me to Rito Village instead of the other towns in game, that sense of community and closeness. His relationships with the other villagers are great worldbuilding, like his rocky yet caring relationship with Saki, his "friendship" with Harth, the obvious love and proudness he feels for Tulin, and his admiration for Revali is really cute. I hope totk brings more life to these characters (same goes for Sidon), but I'm not hopeful. Still! Love me some bird men!

No. 2, Mipha

I would put her in 1st, but that would make me a hypocrite :) Most of her true characterization comes from aoc to me, because just like Sidon, her character in botw is mostly based on her love for Link, which turned me off for a long time, especially considering the difference between zora and hylian aging, which I usually decide to ignore or change in some way (which on a side note, was originally fine until the english localization which turned Finley and Sasan's relationship from platonic to romantic?? guys what the fuck). I would've put Mipha lower on this list originally, since I have the same qualms with her character in botw as I do Sidons, but aoc kind of saves her for me. She feels more realistic now, because real people definitely do not make their one personality trait about another person, definitely not. I really like aoc as a whole, because it was basically $60 for champion content with a free fighting game attached. The interaction she had with Daruk about sparring made my heart soar, I really hope we get some champion content in totk, even if it's just a memory or two.

No. 1, Zelda

Zelda hits all the right marks for me as a character, with her personality and actions in the games feeling very real and personal, to me specifically. Her storyline is not only great worldbuilding for the franchise as a whole, being the first time we've heard of her failing to unlock her sealing powers (to my knowledge), but also relatable. She is a teenager, and has lots of pressure on her. She acts out and is frustrated with the world around her. She is basically reduced to a vessel for the sealing power, and it must do wonders for her self esteem. She takes this frustration and anger out on the people close to her. I can only speculate on what this must have done to her mental health, and let's not even talk about post-calamity. As I said before, her character hits very close to home for me, and that's why she has the top spot on this list. This is actually the same reason I like Revali so much, as both of them feel very personal to me. I also think her dynamics with the other characters are *chefs kiss*. You know she was besties w/ Revali. I'm very curious to see what they'll do with her in totk, considering choices revealed in the trailer I'm not too happy about.

This was a fun one to write, even though my fingers hurt now. It's not often I get to write out my thoughts, so thank you!

[zeldaelmo]

Here you are! AoC shy Zelink where Urbosa loves trying to get them closer together (Teen and under rating). Congratulations Zeldaelmo!

I'm sorry that this took me so long! Since @chimpukampu requested shenanigans in the Gerudo Desert, I cheated and made this 800 words long. 😁

Thank you @zeldadiarist for looking it over! 😘

Matchmaker's Worries

"What is that?" Urbosa gaped at Riju who tugged at the reins of her sandseal that had Zelda and Link tied together like a package. 

"You said I should bring them together, so Patricia and I—"

"I said nothing about tying them up!" Urbosa hissed and whistled her to her guards. Together, they untangled the unlucky Hylians and sent them off.

"But—"

"Hylia above, I thought Daruk clashing their heads together was bad." She cocked her hip and leaned forward. "I need help to stop this endless circle of mutual pining."

"Let me handle that." Revali entered the conversation, lifting his bow, but Urbosa rolled her eyes. "PINING not pinning them to a tree."

"What—what is pining?" asked Riju.

"Pining is what this menace here is doing with Mipha. Staring dreamily at someone and making no move."

"Excuse me?" Revali fluffed up his feathers. "I don't stare and I'm surely not too cowardly to make a move."

"Then prove it."

"Fine." And off he went.

If only Hylians were so easy to provoke, but no, the two dorks didn't even get the message when they held hands. For Zelda's safety, suuuuure. Tell that to the King, but not to Lady Urbosa, the big matchmaker. 

Urbosa had already asked all the Champions for help. 

Mipha and Sidon managed to lull them both to sleep with a presentation about the proposal traditions throughout Hyrule. Teba waved off, telling her they would figure it out on her own. 

They clearly didn't! 

Yunobo of all people made the only proposition worth considering: Persuade them to gift each other something from the jeweler. Unfortunately, they didn't know how to follow through so she was back to square one.

Maybe… a dinner?

Urbosa pinched the bridge of her nose — but it was the best she came up with. She called the guards to prepare everything in the inn of the bazaar so that they talked it out over dinner after they had recovered from… whatever Riju's plan had been.

When she passed the location on her security round, laughter rang through the room lit with candles. Good. She would take care of those nasty Lizalfos outside the bazaar and check again later.

It was already dark when she returned, and the Gerudo guard greeted her by slamming her spear to the ground. "My report, Lady Urbosa: they fell asleep after dinner."

Sighing, Urbosa called it a day. 

The next morning, she awoke to the sound of a playful brawl. Was that Zelda's voice???

Swiftly, she swung her legs out of her bed and made her way down to the throne room. Leaning on the ledge of the windows facing out of town, she observed the scene unfolding in front of her.

Link, his long-sleeved voe armor covered in monster blood, chased the princess and tried to catch something from her hands. Zelda didn't look much better — the fine silks protecting her from the sun were ripped and soaked with purple gore. 

Zelda seemed to have the upper hand in the fight, literally, as she held something above her head, taking advantage of the few inches she had on Link.

"Come on, Zelda," Link pressed out between laughter and gasps for air. "I need it so that the Great Fairy can upgrade my armor."

"And I need it to make a potent elixir! I never had Molduga guts!" Zelda cried, bouncing to lift her arm higher. 

Ah, the two early birds had been Molduga hunting, therefore, the monster's blood. 

Link came dangerously close to snatching the part from Zelda now and with a nearly smug expression, he spoke directly into her face. "Weren't you worried for my safety just the other day? It only makes sense if you'll give it to me, then."

"The elixir is to keep you safe, too, you doofus, but fine, it's yours if you can get your hands on it." Zelda grinned and stood on her tiptoes. There are better places to tiptoe than shifting sands, so she wobbled, but Link, always the attentive guard, steadied her by grabbing her waist and pulling her flush against him.

Wait, what?

Zelda's eyes went wide but she kept her hands with the treasured item high up in the air — until he smirked and pressed his lips to hers. She made a surprised noise but melted into the kiss, tangling her arms around his neck and kissing him back. 

Urbosa awoke from her stupor and turned to leave. Teba had been right, after all, they had figured it out alone. 

Or... maybe not. 

"Hey, that's cheating, give it back!" Zelda's voice rang through her window. 

"Is it? We don't have to kiss it again if you didn't like it."

"I did like it and that's not what we're discussing here!"

Chuckling, Urbosa went for breakfast. 

[salemorbit]

Hi, sorry if I'm overwhelming you with Requests, but I had an idea for an Imagine that I'd really love to see you write!! Could you please write some Headcanons for how Link, Zelda, Sidon and Revali (Age of Calamity timeline for Sidon btw) would react to a young woman who has a very strong connection to the Spirits being sent to teach Zelda how to unlock her power? Like it's a young woman, around 18 years old, who has a natural ability to communicate with all manner of Spirits, maybe even is part Spirit in some way, so she gets appointed by the King of Hyrule to teach Zelda how to do the same? And maybe she's super nice and excited too? Thanks so much, I really appreciate it!!

oh darling you're totally fine i really appreciate it :D

i hope i did this justice! it's a really neat concept

i also made it an x reader with those attributes if that's okay :)

~~~~~~

Hylia's Guide

[BOTW x fem!Reader]

Headcanons (Link, Zelda, Revali, Sidon)

warnings: none

takes place during Age of Calamity!

also for headcanon's sake,,,,,being a descendant of hylia in this case doesnt mean that you're of the same family? if that makes sense? okay so like reader is descended from hylia and technically so is zelda but they aren't blood related in any way HAHA hope that makes sense

~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~

Let's set the scene, yeah?

You were one of the descendants of Hylia from centuries past, now a ghost in the afterlife as part of the universe itself.

Naturally, you would be surprised when you became sentient once more and blinked open your eyes in the middle of Hyrule Field. In your head rang a soothing voice that you both heard in your head and felt in your bones. In an instant, you knew it was Hylia communicating with your physical form again after years of dormant sleep.

The voice instructed that you were to aid Zelda in her studies of connecting to her powers. Hylia could not intervene directly with Zelda, of course, but the most the Goddess could do was send someone in her place. And that was you: a descendant of Hylia's own bloodline resurrected from the dead come to help the princess in her efforts. Easy enough, right?

Convincing the King and his guards of the situation was difficult, let alone trying to get him to allow you to assist his precious daughter with her practice. The only proof that you had of any story that you told were the markings on your hands and chest.

Three distinct triangles etched themselves on your body: one on the back of each hand and the third on your chest. Your powers had long since been passed on to the next descendant of Hylia, but you were still full of the knowledge of how to use Hylia's gift and how to communicate with the spirits.

•••

Link

Link was wary of you at first, being the princess's appointed knight and all, but he soon figured that you weren't as much of a threat as he initially thought

You were kind and excited to meet someone else who also held Hylia's gift (albeit not necessarily awakened, but still) and Link knew that Zelda would be safe in your hands

While going on spiritual treks with Zelda and Link, you almost always made the meals because both Zelda and Link can't really cook lmao

Coming from an entirely different era, you had a big book of recipes in your head that you brought into reality with every meal you made, and Link definitely wasn't complaining

He appreciated your wide breadth of knowledge of different foods, plants, and wildlife that you might encounter on your travels

It made planning protective measures for the princess all the easier

Sometimes the ventures to connect to Hylia didn't bear any fruit (and that's okay because the gift takes plenty of patience!) and the mood could become solemn quickly

But you were always determined to lift the mood and lighten everyone's attitude, and it always worked!

You would excitedly ramble off stories about where you grew up or what you liked to do on your own travels back in the day, and it would always make Link feel warm that you had such fond memories you were willing to share with him

When Zelda needed time to herself to try to connect to the spirits and Hylia, you and Link would hang around each other and bond

Link would listen attentively as you talked about the cultural and time differences between your world and this one, sharing sympathy when you expressed nostalgia over your time lost

But you would quickly turn it around to the positives, which is what Link thought was a wonderful quality that you had

If you ever got caught off guard while on ventures by the Yiga Clan or rogue animals, Link would fight just as hard as he would in larger battles to keep you safe

Over the time you spent together, Link grew very fond of you and always was at your side if he wasn't immediately attending to the princess

Once your guidance and knowledge finally broke through to Zelda and her power awakened, Link was so proud of you for fulfilling your duty

He was worried that you would disappear from his life once you completed Hylia's task, but you connected to the spirits after the fact and bargained with them

At the end of it all, you were able to live your life through again with Link by your side :)

•••

Zelda

Goddess was Zelda relieved when she found out that she would be having a guide to help her unlock her powers

Upon meeting you, she was absolutely floored with your kindness and willingness to help her with her problems

You were a wonderful mentor to Zelda, teaching her things about the different spirits and how to harness the power that she never would have dreamed of researching on her own

And wow there was a lot of information HAHA

Zelda was also transfixed with the fact that you came from another lifetime, and you were more than happy to tell her all about your life before this one

She would also take very detailed notes about everything you said, enamored with the way you spoke and how excited you got about things you loved

Quiet study time in Zelda's room would often turn into challenges of you trying to make her laugh with small tidbits of stupid stunts you would pull

Of course Zelda couldn't hold back a smile when you were around, so the challenges would fall short but with you falling into fits of laughter

You always brightened Zelda's mood whenever she was down about a failed connection attempt, urging her to try more and be patient with herself

Zelda was thankful to Hylia for sending you because honestly she wouldn't know what to do without someone that was as kind and generous as you were with spreading knowledge about your gifts

And when they finally awakened, Zelda couldn't be more happy!

Hyrule was now safe with Zelda's power awakened and Ganon on the edge of being sealed away

She pleaded that you find a way to stay in her time and teach her more about the spirits and Hylia herself

Your heart warmed at the thought that someone wanted you to stay, and it warmed even more at the fact that someone loved you enough to want to keep you forever :)

•••

Sidon

Sidon met you when he was summoned with the other Champion successors

You were the first to greet him and explain what had happened with the time jumping and all that, and you helped to put his nerves at ease

His own excitable and boisterous personality bounced off of your own energy and buzz!

Fighting side by side with you, Sidon admired how you always had a strategy and were looking out for Zelda as if she was your own sister

He was surprised upon learning your story: never had he known that Hylia had the power like that to bring someone back to help those in the present

Sidon tried his best to stay by your side whenever he could, wanting to keep your blind spots covered just in case

In your time, you had known the Zora and actually knew King Dorephan when he was a young little guppy, and your stories of Dorephan never failed to make Sidon laugh

Sidon in turn shared his own tales of the evolved Zora Domain, and you found his storytelling absolutely captivating

Sidon felt a pull to you like he had to no one else before, and he nurtured that pull with his own heart

He made sure you had enough supplies, checked in on you immediately when you came back from a far off mission

Just an all around softie I think! Sidon has always been caring like that :)

When it was time for him to go back, you discovered a way that you could jump with him back to his own time

After all, your mission with Zelda from Hylia was over. Why shouldn't you be able to live your life through again?

You jumped back with Sidon to a world vastly different than the one you had just been in, and even more different than the one you were born into

But with Sidon, it always felt like home!

•••

Revali

Revali didn't want to be impressed, but he was Definitely Impressed

Your composure about the whole situation was amazing, and you handled all the questions everyone had with grace

And your kindness was overwhelming (in a good way) with the fact that you opened your mind to such possibilities of even being resurrected like that

Revali admired you through and through

He would be incessantly curious about what the afterlife was like, how the spirits communicated with you, what Hylia was like

You, of course, couldn't accurately answer most questions because, well, you couldn't remember, but you appreciated his desire to learn

You loved the way that he fought: with purpose and intent. There was little to no hesitation with Revali, he always had a plan

When you would go to treks with Zelda and Link to try to summon Zelda's power, Revali would make comments here and there insisting that he tag along just in case

Poor Rito really just wanted to spend more time with you, that's all!

If he did tag along, it would be to Lanayru with his knowledge of the cold weather

He would rattle off safety facts of mountain weather and gear you would need, and you would be happy to listen as long as he was talking to you

Revali would also love to hear about your old life, and since you could go on for hours about it all, he would sit and absorb everything that came out of your mouth

He was smitten in a matter of weeks!

He could see the care and sympathy you had for Zelda as she struggled and triumphed in her process of opening her powers, and he appreciated that you could care so much for someone like that

Revali subconsciously protected you even if there was a leaf that fell in the way of your path, as he was always on alert in case someone caught you off guard

As your time came to a close and Zelda awakened her powers, Revali demanded that you stay (with love, of course)

And stay you did, making a bargain with the spirits and living the rest of your second life in the company of the Rito warrior :)

~~~~~~~~~

hope i got this good!! i thought the concept was really neat and i kinda wished they did something like that actually :/ zelda didn't deserve that angst

requests are welcome :)

[cinnamon-bunni]

For the headcannon ask game perhaps with any character of your choosing!! I’m sorry I’m tired and cannot think of names lol- but uh if you want a specific character tho I’m not sure if you know breath of the wild (legend of zelda) but if you do perhaps Revali? Sorry he’s all I could think of- but if you don’t wanna do him im fine hearing about any character!! :DD

ooo! I haven't thought about him for a while (*nervously looks over at my unfinished botw wips*) but I'll give this a try!

Realistic Headcanon: I feel like Revali definitely is sort of jealous and angry over how the other champions didn't have to work as hard as he did to gain his title. He understands and acknowledges that the others had to work hard as well, but he is the only one who wasn't born with a unique skill. He had to create it, learn it, and master it--while the others probably had to work hard to master their skills as well, he feels like he worked the hardest out of all of the champions, and gets angry over how he doesn't get recognition for the work he's accomplished. (On an unrelated note, he also gets quite angry when people point out how young he is, because he just immediately assumes they think he's weak for being so young).

Not realistic (but hilarious) Headcanon: He can't handle ice for the life of him. Sure, the Rito Village is very close to Hebra, but he could never handle ice well. The second he's on an iced over lake, he can't take more than two steps without falling. He refuses to go to Hebra with anyone like Zelda, Link, or the other champions because he doesn't want them to know that one of his main weaknesses is ice. One time he had to go though, and refused to step on any piece of ice, usually picking to just fly instead, even though it was hard at times to see through the heavy snowstorms at times. One time he gave a loud squawk because there was a minuscule piece of ice that made him slip, at his feathers were so ruffled after that the other champions never let him down for that (idk not really funny I'm tired lmao)

Heart-crushing Headcanon: Revali refused to ever acknowledge his feelings for Link. He only let himself feel jealousy (though of course he would never admit that he was envious), and he didn't let himself feel anything for him. He pushed everything down and focused on his duties of being the Rito Champion. He only realized that he loved Link after the Hylian had defeated the Blight and freed Vah Medoh. Of course, he couldn't do anything about it, he was dead. All he could really do was watch from above, and sit with him whenever he came to visit. He knows that Link doesn't remember him, and he regrets never getting to know him better back before the Calamity struck. He wished he took the chance to actually give Link a chance.

Unrealistic, but I don't care about canon Headcanon: He's the oldest of three total children; he has two little sisters! His father died when he was a young teen, and so he took up the role of being the man of the household. He's also a huge mama's boy and is very close to his little sisters because I say so <3

[gliphyartfan]

I genuinely adore when you start analyzing any of the boys! Though it does make me sad when you're done 🤭

It always bothered me that no one focused on Wild personally in-universe. I can understand the citizens of the era not knowing who he is, I mean why would they need to know of someone who was probably long dead or physically extremely old.

But other than Sidon and many of the zoras who didn't irrationally blame Wild for Mipha's death, the only other person who personally knew Wild was Impa, and even she particularly didn't even focus on him.

It was always Zelda, and this included when she sent Wild to search for his memories of the princess.

Logically, why didn't Impa feel more concerned that Wild lost his memories?

While I get retrograde amnesia is understandable given the extreme circumstances, but Wild was lucky enough to remember how understand Hylian, to read it , or even know how to fight! Especially fighting!

Impa didn't even try to keep anything that properly belonged to Link, not the Hylian champion. No photos or letters or even belongings from his long dead family.

Nothing that belonged to the person, just the tunic of the Champion.

Even the King focused more on Wild preforming his duties, while he was Zelda's father, I think we all agree he fucked up on the dad part. But the king can technically be excused from not caring much about Wild beyond what he was capable simply because now that he was dead and basically no longer king, he had all the time in the world to lament everything he failed to do to support Zelda.

But not even a mention of Wild's dad? Or a record of when he first met him? Nothing at all?

And the Zoras were an iffy bunch.

Sidon is always a sweetheart and even his dad is cool. But most every member of the Zora council hated Wild for GANON'S crimes.

And Wild had to accept their hatred without even understanding it. And speaking of not understanding it. Even the memories Wild regained of the champions were all from another perspective.

Each memory was just reminding him that he was seen as someone different by each person. Even with Mipha, we only learn a bit about their connection from her mentioning their childhood and even that was brief.

Going back to the Zora council, one thing I never liked was that the Zora council just said a quick I'm sorry and then Wild just let things go without another mention.

While in-game it's convenient so the story is wrapped up. In-universe, did Wild really let things go? Or did he simply not say a word because he felt like he deserved it?

The Zora council hated him, yet the ones who should have hated him, Sidon and King Dorephan, welcomed him with open and understanding arms.

But due to Wild most certainly already having a bad view of himself, he probably felt unworthy of their kindness when the rest of the older Zoras who remembered him spat in his face.

All in all, Wild was faced with the aftermath of his past self's life, and all the regrets and pain that he left behind. The worst part is, while he does wanna be him again, he also feels like he never wants to be him again.

I wonder how he felt when he saw each champion in the Divine Beasts? How they spoke to him with familiarity, how they spoke to their fellow champion.

In-game Wild's silence is the norm. In-universe, was he silent for a similar reason? Or was he silent because he didn't want to ruin their image of the person they once knew?

And that possibility leaves far more regrets for him to hold. That, in his eyes, he was not the champion they had waited for, he was just the stand-in.

Hey I’ve got something in the works for Halloween but it’s probably going to be late, so it’s going to be more like a mid-November thing. But I’ll at least whip up some tasty art because you guys deserve something nice for the holiday.

Anyways, in the meantime I wanted to share a line of thought I’ve had for a while about Wild’s memories and his attitude towards both himself and Flora.

It’s kind of an analysis/speculation type of thing where I look at the memories in “Breath of the Wild” and see how these memories could have affected Wild’s current mental state in the actual comic, so not explicitly yandere.

All art belongs to Jojo!

So first things first, something that I’m sure a lot of people have pointed out is that Link’s memories in Botw aren’t actually about him so much as they are about Zelda.

From a writing standpoint, this at least makes a little sense since Zelda is supposed to be an important character in the game and since she’s currently preoccupied with keeping Calamity Ganon at bay, using the memories to explore her character is a reasonable thing to do.

But from an in universe perspective, this doesn’t feel very fair to Link. We rarely get to see events from his perspective and instead see things from the perspective of Zelda or some other character. Plus, we get no memories that truly focus on Link himself before he became Zelda’s personal knight. Anything we do know about Link is derived from comments characters make(like Zelda mentioning Link’s father) or diary entries.

Logically, this would all make Link kind of alienated from his past self, a stranger to this “Him” he used to be.

And we know that Link only ever regains memories of the Princess and not of himself, because when Zelda talks to him after he regains the final memory, she says this:

Note how she says “of us” and not just “all your memories from 100 years ago.” So there aren’t any little gaps in between shown memories where Link collects memories beyond the time he was with Zelda, at least none that exist beyond headcanons.

Anyways, I want to talk a little about Urbosa because for as well meaning as she may have been, I think some of the things she says in two memories in particular relate pretty heavily to Wild’s self esteem in the comic.

There’s two things she says in particular that I think would’ve stuck with Link — and thus — Wild.

The first one is this:

We don’t know what order Wild collected his slate memories in the comic, but if we assume that he decides to collect them in the order of which photos came first on the slate then what Urbosa says would most likely affect Wild heavily.

He’s basically got no solid self image of himself or especially not the self he was 100 years prior. So one of the first things he learns about himself being that he was “a living reminder of Zelda’s own failures” when he goes on to recover more and more memories relating to Zelda and her failures just feels like unintentional set up for Link to develop some more self loathing issues.

But being fair to Urbosa, she is basically Zelda’s surrogate mother and by this point has known Link for maybe a day or two. She’s not obligated to worry about him. Plus at the very least she does add on that this is how the Princess sees him, not what he actually is.

The second comment from Urbosa is this:

Prefacing this with saying, again, Urbosa does clarify that Link doesn’t hold any blame for the way Zelda sees him at this point, so good on her for that.

But still this is almost the exact same sentiment being repeated, Link’s own struggles are ignored in favor of focusing on how his success is interpreted as Zelda’s failure. Even if Urbosa adds on that this isn’t his fault it’s just how Zelda is, from Link’s perspective that’s got to leave some kind of impact on him. Perhaps guilt?

So to summarize, because of the selection of memories we know Link collects in canon, it’s logical to assume that Link’s view of himself in the present and from a hundred years ago would be rather negative.

And this perfectly reflects how Wild acts in the comic.

I don’t know about you but to me Wild has always had a particularly toxic view of himself from 100 years ago. He barely sees his past self as himself, instead calling that past iteration “Him” like he’s talking about a separate person. And he’s always given me the vibes of both resenting his past self while simultaneously wanting to be him again.

The way he talks about his past self being capable of feats he could never see himself doing shows that Wild in part seems to see his current self as “lesser than” his past self, especially when it comes to how the Master Sword responded to him at different points in his life. So it’s not a stretch to say that Wild may want to “be” that person again, especially since we see him use the sword at least one time.

But because of his perceived “failure” and possibly how he made Flora feel, he also resents the gifted prodigy he once was, not seeing that he was and has always been a human person with his own struggles.

Anyways this is sloppy and messy but I wanted to get this off my chest because I think it’s really interesting.

[dragestilwrites]

The Things We Lost

Rated G ~2k words LoZ: BotW Hurt/Comfort; Nonbinary Link; Link/Sidon

Link continues to struggle with the trauma of their hundred-year sleep and all the memories they lost in the process. How can they save Hyrule when they can't remember their own past? But Sidon will not let them suffer alone.

It was dark and warm outside, the air thick with humidity and the palpable anticipation of a looming storm. When had it gotten dark? How long had they been sitting in hollow silence? Had another hundred years disappeared in an instant? Link exhaled slowly as their external senses came back to them. The grassy earth was soft beneath them and the solidity of the tree trunk against their back was a reassuring comfort.

"Are you alright, Link?"

Of course. They had gone outside to sit by the pond while Sidon soaked for a while. How had they even momentarily forgotten they were spending time with Sidon? The thought tightened in their throat and knotted in their stomach. Every lapse in memory felt like another personal failure, and of all the things they could have forgotten now, Sidon was the worst.

"Link," Sideon repeated, "you're still here."

Sidon's cool palm cupped Link's cheek, and they instinctively leaned into the touch. They blinked and exhaled again, a sigh escaping with the breath.

"I'm sorry," Link murmured, unable to keep the shame from their voice.

"For what?"

They opened their mouth, but an answer didn't come. They knew it wasn't really about this little slip, even if it was far easier to tell themself that it was that simple than to face the bitter truth. 

"You don't have to talk about it if you don't want," Sidon said, forever conscientious, forever attentive. Link knew he would see through an easy lie.

"I don't know," Link answered after a deep breath. "It's just...everyone knows who I am. Everyone remembers what happened a hundred years ago. Even if they weren't there, weren't alive yet, everyone knows. Except me. I'm the champion of Hyrule, and everyone is counting on me, but I can't remember anything."

"That's not true! You've retrieved the princess' memories."

"Maybe. But I don't remember them. It's like watching a performance. Even if I'm in them, it doesn't feel like me. I don't remember doing those things. Or all the things between the memories."

"I don't remember one hundred years ago very well either. I know it's not the same - I was just young, but I only remember scattered moments - watching Mipha train, seeing Princess Zelda for the first time, and..." Sidon trailed off, looking away for a moment. "Sometimes those memories feel strange to me too. It was a different lifetime."

"Why would you stick around me?"

"What? Why wouldn't I stick around?"

"If I had done my job right...Mipha, Zelda, the other champions..."

"You did everything you could, Link. How much more could you have given? You fought against Calamity Ganon to your last breath! And now you're back to fight him once again. Already you've freed my sister and the other champions from Ganon's influence and damaged him greatly in the process. What more could anyone ask of you?"

"I couldn't save them. I couldn't bring them back."

"They wouldn't want you to feel guilty after all you've done. Mipha wouldn't want that. They all knew what it meant to be a champion."

"But I lived! I'm here, I'm still here, and they're not. I should have-"

"Link!" Sidon surprised even himself with how swift his response was, but there was no taking it back. "Please, Link," he said, gentler now, "don't blame yourself for what happened. The only one to blame is Ganon. It's not your fault. None of this is your fault."

Link couldn't bring their eyes to meet Sidon's. Their fingers clenched around the grass and dirt beneath them. The tightness in their chest burned like a fire.

"You do know none of this is your fault, right?"

A silence grew between them, broken only by the faint rumbling of distant thunder and the soft patter of rain beginning to fall. Link wished the moisture on their cheeks was purely from the sky. But then again, this was hardly the first time Sidon had seen them cry. If they had any energy left in them for shame, they might've judged themself harshly for how quickly they fell into Sidon's arms when he opened them, but all they could feel was warmth and relief. There was nowhere they felt as safe as in Sidon's familiar embrace. Their breathing slowed and steadied as they relaxed against the prince's broad chest. Beneath their cheek, they could hear his heartbeat, and the intimacy of it all made their own heartbeat stutter.

"We should get inside before the storm hits. You Hylians aren't quite as waterproof as Zora."

A small smile crept onto Link's face, and Sidon could feel it in the shift of their lips against his skin. He felt a wave of relief. At least one of the storms had abated for the time. Still, despite his own words, he was in no rush to let go of Link. It took the bright flash of lightning and a sudden boom of thunder to spur him into action. He slowly released Link from his embrace and got to his feet. He offered them a hand, and Link gladly took it, pulling themself up. They swayed slightly as their body reoriented itself, and they realised it had probably been far too long since they had last eaten. Just another little tally against themself.

"Link, are you alright?" Sideon asked, arm wrapping protectively around their waist.

"I'm fine, don't worry," they replied, far too quickly to sound convincing, "just a little hungry. I think I missed a meal or two."

"Then there's even more reason to get back inside."

Link nodded, dusting themself off before following Sidon back into the house. The prince ducked low to fit under the doorframe, and Link habitually locked the door behind them. They began to head toward the kitchen, but Sidon stopped them, redirecting them to the table and pulling out a chair for them.

"Sit. I'll take care of you."

Link couldn't protest, couldn't honestly fight back when Sidon's words were so calm and certain. They nudgedd the chair to face the small kitchen before they sat just to keep Sidon in their sight. Had they ever seen Sidon cook before? Part of them wanted to ask what he was planning on making, but the other part of them didn't want to interrupt. They wondered if Sidon had watched them enough to know what was in their kitchen. They were interrupted as Sidon began to hum. The tune was unfamiliar, but soothingly spell-binding. They relaxed in their chair, eyes locked on Sidon as he set to work. From their position, they couldn't quite tell what he was doing, but they trusted him implicitly. It was shockingly easy to let their guard down around Sidon. They were more than happy to just watch him work.

If Sidon noticed his captivated audience, he didn't seem to mind. He knew what he was doing, even if it had been a lifetime since he had learned it. On his own, he rarely put much effort into cooking. Fish was just as good raw as cooked, but he knew Link needed a proper meal, something warm to fill their stomach. And he knew exactly what meal to make - a recipe simple enough for a child to learn and remember it, but satisfying and tasty. An eternity ago, Mipha had taught it to him, a meal for a tired champion, a meal he had made for himself on many lonely nights. Perhaps, even if they couldn't consciously remember it, the taste would be comforting and familiar.

"It's...it's not just the old memories," Link said, breaking their silence. "I feel like I'm always forgetting everything. I forgot why I was even outside before. What sort of hero can't remember whether they've eaten or not? Or why they're sitting outside? If I didn't have Zelda's camera storing those memories, I'd just forget them all over again. What if I forget everything again? What if I forget you?"

The last word came out quiet and pained, and it hung heavy in the air. Sidon set down the bowl he was holding and crossed the floor back to Link's side. He knelt down in front of them, settling one hand on their knee as the other brushed stray hair from their face and tucked it behind their ear. He took a breath to steady himself, feeling an unexpected weight in his chest at the pain in Link's voice.

"I know you won't forget me," he assured.

"You can't say that for sure. I forgot everything before - Zelda, Mipha, myself. What if I forget again? I couldn't forgive myself if I forgot you - but I wouldn't even remember that I forgot you."

"Link, you won't forget again. You...a hundred years ago you died. And I really don't understand how you were brought back, but that's when you forgot, right? Everything before then you forgot, but you've remembered everything since you woke up. You won't forget again because you're not going to d- nothing like that's going to happen again, I won't let it."

"Sidon, you-"

"Sorry, I'm sorry," Sidon said, shaking his head and glancing away. "I talk too much."

"No, you don't! But you...you don't mean that, do you? That you wouldn't just...That you would try to protect me?"

"Of course I mean it!"

"Even when I...when you know what happened before?"

"Of course," Sidon repeated, smiling softly. "Maybe it's hereditary then."

"Hereditary? What is?"

"Believing in the Hylian champion and vowing to protect them to the end."

"What if you regret it? What if she did?"

"Mipha? She'd never regret any time spent on you."

"How can you be sure?"

"The things she left behind. Her armour fits you perfectly. She taught her little brother how to make just one meal - a meal she learned for you. Mipha wasn't afraid at all when she knew she would be fighting by your side. She was glad to be able to help however she could."

"You really believe that?"

"I know I haven't had nearly as many moments by your side as she did, but I can't imagine regretting a single one of them. And she couldn't have regretted them either. Even now that you've given her peace she's trying to protect you with her grace."

Link fell silent again, but they moved one hand to sit on Sidon's where it rested on their knee. In the quiet, the sounds of the storm outside filtered in. Rain drummed heavily against the windows and the roof. Occasional thunder shook the walls, and everything hanging on them rattled. Sidon was half certain his heart was beating loud enough to be heard as well.

"I'm sorry," Link said finally.

"What for?"

"For...I don't know. You probably have better ways to spend your time than listening to me. You don't need me dragging you down."

"Dragging me down? There's nowhere I'd rather be. Why would I want to be anywhere else? You shouldn't have to deal with this all alone."

"I...thank you."

Sidon smiled, squeezing Link's knee gently. He took a deep breath to reorient and ground himself.

"I think I've let you distract me long enough from making your dinner. I don't want your memory of me to be that I let you go hungry when I said I'd take care of you after all."

"You really don't have to. I can make myself something. I don't want to be any trouble."

"You've cooked plenty of food for me. Really this is the least I can do. And if it's actually good food, well you'll just owe me a meal later, deal?"

"Thank you, Sidon, really. And...deal. I won't forget."

[botwstoriesandsuch]

Have you seen the botw concept art with Link standing next to his (supposed) sister? Do you have any thoughts on that? Like, Link would bring her to visit all the champions and stuff. If you've already answered/heard of this, I'm sorry for the repeat.

Ah yes! Well for context, here’s the very blurry image. (It’s because the image is only present in the Japanese version of the Creating a Champion book, and is absent in the English version for some reason...)

While I think that they might have been close as siblings (because Link just radiates that caring brother energy) I’d imagine they wouldn’t be able to hang out as much as soon as Link became a Champion. Link has to be by Zelda’s side almost constantly, along with traveling with her from Goron City to the Gerudo Town. And he takes his job pretty seriously (consider, he canonically cross-dressed 100 years ago to try and find Zelda, he stuck by Zelda’s side even through the times where the princess was pretty rude to him) so if Link get’s so considered over Zelda’s safety, I doubt he would bring his sister along with him to areas that could potentially have Yiga assassins waiting for the right moment. 

On the other hand, as soon as everyone is back in Castle Town, you can 200% bet on Link running home to give his little sister a bear hug. The idea cracks me up because I’d like to imagine how someone like Revali or even Zelda would react, given that for most of their time, their image of Link was of this silent and serious warrior, and now here he is getting his hair ruffled by his dad as his little sister tackles him and the Champions are like, “He has a family????? This kid can smile???????”

Also makes the game sadder in the sense that Link pretty much forgot about his family, and they probably died, if not from the initial release of Calamity Ganon at the castle, then at the slaughter in the Akkala Citadel where many of the escaped women and children came to for they thought it was the safest place to be, and where soldiers (like Link’s father, the canonical Captain of the guard I believe) were killed. Happy days! :D

[ganymedesclock]

there's a post somewhere about how ganondorf's death is often presented almost as a holy death, deeply dignified and with appropriate silence. i think the term the person used was like a kind of anti-martyrdom, like. "a holy death, but not of something good". i'm not sure if i'm using the terminology entirely correctly, but that's something that's always hit me. like. i don't think that comes from just the general seriousness of the plot, but also that there's a quiet acknowledgement that fate

itself was against him - and the inherent tragedy of that. like. they're So Close to digging just a little further and questioning that concept of fate + supposedly inherent character weakness in the first place. this is present in oot - zelda acknowledges him as pitiful, someone who couldn't control the triforce. and in tp, zelda seems to do something like a quiet prayer. this aspect of zelda herself isn't present in wind waker (iirc), but is embodied by the king, who directly compares himself.

That’s a concept that a friend of mine talks about a lot ( @betterbemeta ) in almost those exact words but I asked her and she said she wasn’t sure of the specific post, just that she didn’t get it from someone else.

But, yeah, I feel like... there’s this interesting sort of counter-narrative within the Zelda series, I think? There’s the main narrative, which is the Legend and the Cycle and that it is Correct to perpetuate the Cycle and live out the roles people are given.

But there’s also a lot of counterpoints, of things making it clear that the Cycle is hurting people, that you will not be rewarded or kept safe for perpetuating it- and in Wind Waker this is very interesting, because, a lot of the evidence points to Ganon’s stance- “Your gods abandoned you!” being correct. 

Hyrule was destroyed. Most of its people were killed. Two young people who were active servants of the god at the time were murdered and nothing protected them. Ganon comes across as someone who’d know- because he’s acting as the Divine Opponent, here.

And there’s this scene, late in Wind Waker, where he reads Tetra’s dreams with his power.

This scene sticks with me, because it’s Ganon doing something unnecessary. He’s got no reason to treat Tetra hospitably at this point. He’s got no reason to tuck her into a bed, which he does, or acknowledge that she’s a child, or wonder who she is besides Zelda. 

And, yet, we have this. unexpectedly introspective soft scene, and while it’s followed by the puppet Ganon fight, the things he says there don’t seem just like villainous trash talk, but, nearly a plea for these kids to realize how messed up their situation is. They’re allegedly agents of the gods who are being chewed up by their Fates, used and cast aside, and while he has an agenda in not wanting this to happen (as their given Fate is to be parties in his execution) there’s a bleak humor Wind Waker Ganon has about the situation that, to me, has never actually been contradicted within the Zelda games. Words to the contrary ring hollow. In practice, we watch Hyrule desolated, we watch its executioners throw him on vulnerable populations (in Twilight Princess, the Sages know enough of the modern Twili to recognize Midna in her cursed form- so they had to have known the people they were leaving at the mercy of a wounded, panicked Ganon who was nonetheless fully capable of killing a person with his bare hands at that point).

In Breath of the Wild, which doesn’t even depict Ganon as a person who can argue his point (though the sequel may shed new light on that), he still nonetheless seems correct about the nature of the cycle; Zelda is unabashedly a survivor of child abuse who was forced to pray in sacred springs starting at age seven. 

BotW is basically the series’ most detailed thesis yet that the Cycle broke Link and Zelda and tore pieces from them they’re not getting back. Both of them lost a century. Zelda’s passions and interests were sublimated to force her into a passive role. People they knew and were close to died. Link’s habitual silence is depicted as a product of the anxiety that the hero role pressed on him, and he was also a human shield just to guarantee that of the Champions, Zelda at least could make it, that left him critically injured.

The only real coherent defense raised by the Cycle- which is meta-wise, “justified” by Skyward Sword, which establishes it as an unholy curse- is “this is the only way to save Hyrule” which is never challenged or argued or defended. It’s merely accepted. And we keep watching young, vulnerable kids following the paths laid out by their predecessors and being torn apart by these events.

Link and Zelda don’t look like people who are protected by benevolent gods that shine over them. Repeatedly, the deities of the Zelda setting are depicted as not especially loving. In A Link To The Past, the Triforce itself says it doesn’t care about good or evil, merely that Link has proven his worth and should now make a wish. Other characters in the setting describe it as fickle or a troublemaker. In Skyward Sword, Zelda, regaining Hylia’s memories and thus the clearest potential insight into how Hylia was thinking and feeling, states that Hylia obtained a mortal incarnation basically as bait for Link, who would be driven by compassion to protect his friend, and thus get functionally conned into acting as Hylia’s champion.

I think this is why fanworks that put the chosen three on the same side make sense, because, in this way, Ganon is more a contemporary to the heroes than the King of Hyrule, who, no matter how often he dies, never really has that sense of being a martyred hero who’s lost fragments of himself. Daphnes was able to choose his own death, and the death of his kingdom, on his own terms using the Wind Waker and then the Triforce; Rhoam controls the narrative at the beginning of BotW.

Ganon?

Just from what we know about BotW’s sequel (which is not much at all) Ganon is having a bad time. In a way, his fate seems to combine elements of Link and Zelda’s- he was confined for a long time in a death match with another force (Zelda), and he was heavily and brutally injured and may have lost consciousness (Link) only to awaken in an unfamiliar future where he’s been all but forgotten (both of them).

And part of this is the need that the games seem to have, to have everything be Ganon’s fault, but to never acknowledge or explore the relationships Ganon actually, has with the various entities he ostensibly commands. I love Wind Waker, but, as friends of mine have pointed out- there’s only flimsy excuses at best for Ganon to put the various boss monsters in the environments they’re found in. They’re themed to their environments so that they seem fitting elements, rather than something foreign placed there that’s disrupted an extant order.

It leads to this sense of Ganon more as a pariah than as a true Source Of Evil. Because he’s blamed for everything, including things that don’t actually seem to further any of his stated objectives and in fact, might even work against something he is stated to want (e.g. the withering of the Deku Sprouts in Wind Waker, which are stated to be a potential way to drain the Great Sea and leave the Land Below accessible once again- the big thing Ganon wants- but they’re stated to fail because of Ganon’s magic; or him outright saying he wants the sun to shine on Hyrule when earlier in the game Daphnes accuses him of cursing the entire sea into a state of darkness because he wants everything to be dark)

Ganon’s not blameless and harmless- like. he absolutely did shit and is rarely sorry for it or sorry but not enough to stop- but, it definitely feels like his role as Hyrule’s Enemy is a degree outside of his control, much as the Hero or Princess roles are out of Link and Zelda’s. This is a game series about people being forced into roles that cause them to suffer, and then the end takeaway is I guess It Was Worth It because the Bad Man Died.

It’s this situation where the narrative tells us we are dealing with a demon man who hates everything and the only holiness or justice can come from his death, and then at the same time we’re shown a guy who is a power-hungry jerk with a large list of offscreen and frankly mystifying crimes that don’t seem to add up with anything he seems to want or value or even his sense of humor. And it ends up leaving the whole Cycle... feeling rather bleak.