#just these three menacing guys who have alone done Alot in regards to Hyrule's state

[scrawnytreedemon]

For the character asks, Zant! You had a really good analysis of him and I'd like to know more of what you think about him :)

OH you know how to me going, don't you?

As you wish!

First impression: SEE, this one's complicated, actually! First time I heard the name was actually from a Sunday-meeting friend who'd been playing Twilight Princess alot at the time-- We were like, 8-9, 10? Fairly young. I'd gotten the impression from him that Zant had actually been a superior sort-of to Ganondorf-- Namely, older, and someone that would befitted the inspiration of my friend's bizarre Zant-being-Ganondorf's-father headcanon. I don't know what that was about, but I am ever in awe. The shit we as kids do. However most of my exposure was during my Zelda hyperfixation on Youtube at around the ages of 11-12, and beyond. I'd learned the whole story about how at around launch everyone initially thought Zant was this cool, menacing guy that seemed to exude such an Aura, always seeming to have the situation under control-- In other words, the fault here would have been that he played the Zelda villain schtick too close and ended up boring --But instead what happened was the sudden breakdown, and everyone in the fanbase losing all their respect for the poor sod. Didn't help that by the time Hyrule Warriors came out, that sentiment of him being a pathetic, childish, whiny, limp-wristed disappointment had not only solidified, but been fed. Now, I personally didn't take nearly as cynical of a view, and I was deeply endeared by him, his proximity to Ghirahim serving ample fuel, but I definitely didn't take his character seriously in any meaningful way-- For that to happen, I'd have had to build his character myself, which I did when I wished. In short, I had most people's impression.

Impression now: I. Where do I begin? Alot of it I'm just sad, like, really sad. It feels like his opportunity to be a character with worth was fucked over by Nintendo and thereafter the fanbase. Zant is so much more interesting than people give him credit for-- There's a serious underline of bitter tooth-gnashing envy he has for Midna, for the world of light, for anyone that has something he feels he rightfully deserves and won't lend it to him. There's a real sense he's genuinely upset at his lot in life, like all his hard work has come to naught, and he'll do anything to regain his lost dignity-- Dignity, which I realise, funny enough, is gratuitously ripped from him during and after the bossbattle? I think the guy in his everyday life is alot more like the stone-faced, affirmative yet calm facade he puts on in the game-- It makes sense, the guy was high up in the political hierarchy, the political hierarchy of the Twili no less; a race notorious for their even tempers and rejection of wrath. He probably came from an important family and had that drilled into his head since birth, making the ceaseless rage he possessed nonetheless something of an Achilles heel. Midna doesn't dispute his claim of deserving the throne based on his merit-- No, she goes straight to "we all thought you were shady as fuck and were reminded of our ancestors' lost king"(more on that thread later). She could've gone right in and went "no, I won it square and fair, you're a whiny entitled little brat" but she doesn't, and I think that at least says something. I think Zant's got alot of issues genuinely unpacking his emotions and handling them with care; he's lived a lifetime of repression, and I do believe there is a part of him that's internalised this idea that he's broken and unlovable, unadmirable, because that's what happens! That's what happens when enough people say a thing about us, no matter how hard we try to rise above it. And I think he did try. Zant in the original game comes off as someone who's tried doing that, who's lived doing that because it was the only way he could live and not completely shatter. And hot take--! I think he's far more akin to a calm, collected gentleman than Ghirahim has ever been, despite the poor dear's attempts. Ghirahim's verneer falls almost instantaneously, and constantly, while Zant's is one that breaks at the very end. I think there's such a lovely compare and contrast to be had here beyond "this one's the pretty little bitch and this one's the useless clown of a man who's brought dishonour on his whole family, rogue's gallery and series", you feel? I still think he's honestly a bit of a goof, but it's alongside everything else. I'd love a scenario where he learns to loosen up and not take him so seriously, of his own accord-- Have the other villains slowly coax him into something more comfortable, less... All that. I think Zant's goofiness works in contrast to his uptightness, not really as a replacement-- I just, don't like it when characters are there to be humiliated and nothing else. Get's my empathy going way too much.

Favorite moment: God, here's the thing, canonically? Not a cutscene. I don't particularly jive with any one moment, and especially not that post-boss cutscene-- What even the fuck. However... When I'd finally psyched myself up to actually confront him, it was the long trek to the bossroom. Past all these empty, empty halls and their awful, slow platforms. And then I was before the bossroom, again. I hadn't gone far here, last time-- I'd maybe walked halfway across the room, beat the first, maybe second wave of Shadow Beasts, and ran back, unable to take the task ahead. I went forth, taking down wave after wave of beast with my sword alone in a way I had so rarely done before now-- The last defenses of a crumbling fortress. I tried sweeping away the crystals-- Tried making this place clean, orderly, just a little, but this isn't that sort of game. You don't sweep cobwebs for manic men on the brink of annihilation. You're meant to kill. I unlocked the door. And then I was in the bossroom. At the bottom of the stairs. The game had not taken over, as I had expected. It was here I made one final, frantic ditch-effort to make my way out the door and leave this-- Leave this for who knew when-- But despite it looking like every other door I'd been through in this tedious, miserable place we're expected anyone would ever want to live in, I could not. Onwards and upwards. Saw him there on the throne, waiting. Like everything was still alright-- Almost alright. Or maybe he was sneering. I don't know. What I do, though, is that the moment shattered as soon as I came closer. The game took the reins, and that was that.

Idea for a story: Too many. I come up with a new one anytime you leave me to my own devices. I am left to my own devices alot. Something exploring his and Midna's relationship, though-- I don't mean that in an inherently romantic sense, but as in just, everything. What it was like, giving your all against another? The envy, oh the envy-- Buckets upon buckets of it, sour, sour like vinegar, and just as acidic. What is want? What is possession? What does it mean to desire all another person has, and how much of that is them? Maybe I'll get around to it, in prose or poem.

Unpopular opinion: As you can surmise from the impressions section, I'm not a big fan of his Hyrule Warriors presentation. I'm sure there's some wonderful stuff in there, but what ended up happening was it cemented the image already laid out and left just, so little actual consideration for the guy?

Favorite relationship: WHY MUST YOU MAKE ME PICK??? The obvious ones are Ganondorf and Midna, both in how they pertain to what he wants, and how they serve as a reminder for the future and the past respectively? God, that sounds so pretentious I hate it BUT YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN? There's alot of meat there, and I think narrative-wise these are the strongest. However because I am also hero/villain trash, I love my Zant/Link-- I think it's fun to play around with their differing backgrounds(a high-minded aristocrat vs. a down to earth goathand), a kind of mutal curiosity, along with all the usual shit that comes with hero/villain dynamics? Alot of line-towing, sneaking out behind everyone's backs, muses that could be either affections, threats, or both. There's an inherent air of betrayal, whether in the sense that your dallaince alone is as such to your duty and all whom rely on it... or awaiting it. Awaiting destruction. And that's always the thing with villains, isn't it? Something will break, inevitably; it's just nature. It's not a question if someone cracks, but who, and if it's you, them, or both. It's usually both, in some way or another. Nobody walks away unscathed. Also i think Zant and Zelda should be friends. Not like, in canon-straiiight(there'd be alot of fuckery going on but you KNOW that'd add to it for mehgjggfhk), but as in just. Yeah their characters should sit together and cob their hair and paint their nails and throw meaningful glances. I think they deserve to. You can fight me on this but just know you'll be wrong. There's obviously his whole schtick with Ghirahim, but this is getting WAYYYY too long and I need to make a post just for that alone, honest to god. I could go on for miles more but I'll cap it off here.

Favorite headcanon: Aussie accent. OKAY WELL IT'S ALOT MORE THAN THAT, but if the relationships section was long than this would be a trip around the globe and a half-- Not to mention, I'd have retreaded alot of old ground, which you can hopefully scroll through at your leisure via the tags on my blog-- Barring any Tumblr shenanagens. One I can think of off the top of my head that I haven't shared on its own would be that the guy's autistic-- It just feels, like such low-hanging fruit, it's impossible for me not to. I don't even feel like I'm bullshitting, Nintendo legit gave the guy a full-on meltdown; that's on them. I think one I can retread though is the idea that him and Midna have Gerudo heritage, and that within Twili society that has its own complications-- It makes all this shit where Zant keeps trying to coax Midna over and accuses her of being a traitor, as well as her bringing up of their ancestors' old king all the more palpable, and so, so very personal. Just, augh. Again! I have alot more in mind, but I think these two shall suffice.

Thank you for asking! I have spent, quite a bit writing this, and I think I'll answer anything else tomorrow. As always, there's probably stuff I've missed, stuff I'll be itching to fill in later, but again, for now I think this ought to suffice.

Thank you again <3