#malice/gloom both literal and as a metaphor

[starlight-eclipsed]

"Infiltrate the group of heroes," Demise had commanded, "and destroy them from within."

This was supposed to be a doodle.

Anyway, I sincerely recommend reading A Dark Among the Lights by LuckyLectio on AO3. It's a wonderful story in which after a long and arduous journey, our snarky protagonist has finally gotten a hug. Two of them, even!

[aikoiya]

LoZ - The Shrines of Light & Monsters

Personally, given the choice, I think that I'd make it so that the Shrines of Light could only seal away monsters made of pure malice. Not Malice like from BotW. But malice like what we learn about in Skyward Sword's Ancient Cistern.

See, in Skyward Sword, there's a lot of Buddhist theology & iconography going on.

The dungeon is separated into 2 sections. The paradisal above & the hellish below.

This somewhat reflects Buddhist ideology. (That isn't to say that I follow Buddhism or believe in it's ideologies, but I try to be informed regardless.)

In the below, you see something that is implied to be pure malice & it's further implied that monsters are manifestations of this malice.

Malice being a sort of representation of the impurities of life & the Ancient Cistern is thought to act as a sort of processing center for it both literally & figuratively. Literally, it is a place to separate impurities from water. Figuratively, it is a place where one can meditate & be rid of one's impurities in order to achieve enlightenment.

However, just like how when you filter water in real life, when you filter the impurities from your spirit, something is left behind.

Malice is this byproduct.

Though, here, this metaphore becomes very literal.

Anyway, I think that while the Shrines of Light took care of most of the monsters in Hyrule, they couldn't seal away the more powerful ones. Nor the ones that weren't made of malice.

As I feel like there are 2 types of monsters in Hyrule: the ones made almost entirely out of this evil magic or mortal impurity, that poof away but leave pieces & the organic ones that are alive & actually leave a body behind that you need to butcher to get parts from.

The ones made of energy are technically the corpses of actual monsters reanimated by the centralized power of an evil entity.

You know, whichever random asshole is tormenting Hyrule this century.

In this way, they're reminiscent of the Heartless from Kingdom Hearts, but anyway!

As such, the malice monsters are much like the Cursed Bokoblins in the Ancient Cisterns even though they don't look like it.

And, yes, I am aware that Malice Monsters already exist. Though, in this situation, I think that those are very specifically monsters that are so thoroughly infested with malice that it shows physically.

Likewise, I believe that Shōki (瘴気, Miasma, which is the Japanese translation for Gloom, which I honestly like more) is just an undiluted form of Malice.

And that Malice & malice are essentially the same thing.

I also have a bit of an origin for where monsters come from.

It isn't true, but it's something that I made up & I rather enjoy it.

We all remember the Tree of Life Seedling from Skyward Sword, yes?

Well, my hc is that it isn't the true tree of life. The one we see in the game is a lesser, but no less exceptional, form of the original.

Whereas the Fruit of Life from Skyward Sword only acts as a cure-all panacea, the true Fruit of Life from the Mother Tree of Life has the potential to grant immortality & godhood.

However, it would only do this for those that were worthy.

You know, those who have either reached enlightenment or completed a set of trials/a journey of spiritual growth.

If one who has done this eats of the true Fruit of Life, then when they die, their soul will ascend & either manifest a body of pure life force or that life force will reanimate the body so that it is alive again.

In the case of a body manifested from pure life force, you become a lesser deity or higher spirit. In the case of your body being resurrected by life force, you become a higher god.

No one knows what exactly determines this. Not even the various pantheons of Hyrule's world. But it is very rare that a mortal becomes a higher god, as most are the product of a union between a god & goddess. Or the manifestation of a pure, cosmic force exerting its own sense of self.

The Satori is actually an example of a mortal becoming a lesser god. In such situations, the new deity takes on the form that their soul most identifies with.

Anyway, why does all that matter?

Because what do you think happens if you eat of the true Fruit of Life without being worthy?

You likely already guessed it.

Well, I suppose that I should clarify. The Mother Tree of Life is somewhat sentient, but not in-so-much that she can "think" in the traditional sense.

Either way, she "judges" you & depending on what she finds inside, she changes you into something that reflects your insides. That isn't to say that she decides for herself if someone is good or evil. More so she holds a mirror to the person's soul & allows them to change themself to reflect that image. Part of that image is influenced by how you view others & life itself. If you see the world as a rotten place full of people trying to get ahead & are willing to step on anyone to do it, then that will influence how you're changed. Another thing that influences it is On'nen. Which is the Sheikah word for feelings of hatred, malice, resentment, & grudge. It's what fuels demons & monsters alike.

So, someone who runs purely on selfish impulses & desires or is just filled with selfishness, pride, greed, resentment, malice, or hatred is turned into something not much better than a feral animal. In other words, a monster.

(Well, the more humanoid monsters, anyway. Those like Gleeoks, Octorocks, Lile-Likes, ect, were never human in any way. Some monsters really are just monsters. By people, I of course mean sentient beings such as Hylians, humans, Sheikah, Gorons, Zora, Gerudo, ect.)

In this way, the consumers curse themselves by reducing themselves. Often making them incapable of higher thought patterns. While many Bokoblins can be seen living in tents, wielding weapons, & even wearing loincloths, it'll never really go far beyond that into anything intricate. It's mostly just instinct. In a lot of ways, imagine it as having been locked into the pre-tribal, caveman stage for eternity. Or until something happens to make them less monster, thus releasing them from their curse.

Though, in such a situation, they'd take on more humanoid forms & would behave in a similar way to how Tarzan did upon meeting Jane in the animated movie. Just more bewildered & confused due to just now achieving sentience. This change is brought on by a desire to become more. Whether it be a desire for family, friends, a society or culture of their own. Things like expressions of empathy or compassion will bring this on specifically. Because all things are capable of compassion, but that doesn't matter unless you actively use it.

Because, like a muscle, compassion must be exercised.

This doesn't mean they have to become good. Just better than what they are.

Otherwise, they'll remain as little more than animals.

After all, you can teach an animal quite a few tricks & a cat can even learn the basic concept of trade via observation, but they'll never be able to understand intricate concepts or build complicated machinery.

Notice how in Skyward Sword, the Bokoblins in the Lanayru Desert, despite wielding more advanced weapons, they're attack patterns are exactly the same & they still attack Link instantly even if he'd just gotten finished killing 20 other Bokoblins before that right in front of them. In this way, they are much like the propagandized idea of lemmings. (Which isn't actually true, but the falsified idea behind it is accurate in this particular situation.) Just blindly pursuing an instinct until their eventual demise.

The most intelligent monsters tend to be Lynels, Darknuts, & Iron Knuckles & this is part of the reason that they are so dangerous. Along with having been people or descended from a person who was transformed in ancient times. Lynels being all that's left of the ancient centaur peoples.

Many of the humanoid monsters that plague the world today are likely descendants of unworthy people who had stolen & eaten from the Mother Tree eons ago.

After all, think about it. If you're stealing a sacred fruit said to grant immortality & godhood, you likely aren't gonna be a very well-adjusted person.

On the other hand, if you're not evil, but haven't reached enlightenment, & you eat from the Mother Tree of Life, you will be granted longevity, but no godlike power to go with it.

An immortal mortal.

They can still die by murder or disease, but not by old age.

This tends to happen when deities grow especially attached to certain mortals. As was the case with the Goddess of the Sand's 7 concubini (male concubines).

LoZ General Masterlist

[h-hewings]

**Tearful Memories (fanfic w/headcanon)**

(Perhaps not all revenants are evil, spiteful versions if their former selves after all. Maybe they resent what they’ve become and long to be restored…)

Being the most trusted friend and ally of Kitana, Empress of the Netherrealm, it was to nobody’s surprise as to why Jade was appointed as the leader of the Netherrealm army. She would walk onto the frontlines, flanked by thousands of demonic Onis, ranging from lumbering tanks to skilled flyers, and guiding them into battle. One of which was from a group of Outworlders, sent by Kotal Kahn, to retrieve Shinnok’s head and destroy it, preventing any possible attempts to resurrect him. The Osh-Tekk forces collided with the Netherrealm Demons, where blood and viscera painted every inch of the battlefield, with the Kastle looming in the background. And Jade was in the midst of it all, alongside Kitana and Kung Lao, using her staff to strike down any Osh-Tekk fool that dared oppose her. In addition, she also utilised her glaive, throwing it like a boomerang and managing to slice through multiple enemies at once.

The battle continued to rage on as the Netherrealm forces began to outnumber their enemies. It was then that Jade encountered a foe that made her stop dead in tracks, not because of the intimidation or their skills, but because she was curious about something. Her glaring red eyes were focused on what the male soldier wore and she made it out to be a mask of some sort, but a sort that seemed extremely peculiar. Nevertheless, she ended up dominating the foolish warrior in battle, slaying him with a decapitation, using her glaive. The head rolled off the shoulders, spurting out blood, and Jade reached down to retrieve the mask. Unfortunately, she did not have enough time to view it.

“Our enemies are getting some backup.” Kung Lao said to her. “We must be ready for them, Jade.”

“Understood.” Came the Assassin’s response, she pocketed the mask behind her chest plates and unsheathed her staff, ready to finish the job. More and more Osh-Tekk soldiers charged into battle, towards the mass of demons, and more blood was spilt, turning the scenery of the Netherrealm even redder than it was before. However, Jade’s curiosity about the mask from earlier is seemingly having an effect on her confidence in battle, as she was unintentionally letting her guard down more often. It got so bad to the point where she was knocked down and almost killed multiple times, before she had to be saved by her peers. Luckily, the Osh-Tekk forces were driven out, and were sent retreating from the realm, carrying their fallen allies with them, as the demons around them roared in triumph. Jade groggily stood up as Kabal dashed over to check on her.

“You look rough.” He pointed out, noticing a few bruises on Jade’s arms, as well as a noticeable tear on her tights.

“I’m sure I’ll be fine, Kabal.” She said back.

“What happened out there, anyways? You weren’t looking your usual self.”

Jade hesitated before answering, as she wanted to keep the mask she found hidden from the others.

“Perhaps my mind wasn’t in the right place today.” She responded.

“Ah, I see.” The speedster nodded. “I think you oughta get some rest to clear your head. Here, I’ll help you back.” And with that, he carried her in his arms and used his Nomad Dash ability to zip away from the bloodied battlefield and over to Jade’s Chamber door.

“Thank you very much.” Jade smiled under her own mask as she stood herself up.

“It was the least I could do.” Kabal returned before he dashed off, leaving Jade alone to enter her quarters. Once she was inside, she immediately locked the door and removed her own mask, showing off her ash-grey face, a mere remnant of her past, yet still just as beautiful as the day she was slain. She had a brief look around her chambers, a dark, gothic room with not much to it, apart from relics hanging on walls and shelves, from her past battles in the Netherrealm. Jade unsheathed the mask she collected earlier and sat on the floor, giving herself a chance to inspect it better.

The colours of the mask itself were not very vibrant or eye-catching, but what made it stood out the most was the shape itself, of a human face, as well as the way the green was painted onto the silver body. Jade made it out to be an old funeral mask, originally made in Edenia. They were typically worn for important events, permanent looks of gloom and melancholy as a vessel moves on to the afterlife. The fact that the mask itself was made in Edenia brought back memories from within Jade’s mind, flowing around like an old film being played on repeat. She smiled as she reminisced about the time she spent in King Jerrod’s council, and her eternal friendship with Kitana, beginning from a very young age, to the point where she knew the Edenian princess for her entire life.

However, one memory soon led to another. Jade’s mind then flashed forward to a terrible event in time, where Shao Kahn invaded and conquered Edenia, murdering Jerrod, forcing Queen Sindel to marry him and taking Kitana and Jade as his captors, where they were forced to serve him, with Kitana as his adopted daughter. The look in Jade’s eyes soon turned from wonder to sadness, remembering the carnage she saw unfolding around her, as well as the murder of her parents, as the realm was purged and left in unrecognisable ruins. Soon, the train of thought in her mind soon turned dark, as another horrific memory flowed into her mind.

And that single memory was one that she had relieved almost every day for years now.

She remembered the hand of a corrupted Sindel thrusting through her chest and ripping her heart out.

She remembered the final gasps of air leaving her lungs as the life drained out of her.

And finally, she remembered air inexplicably filling her lungs as she awoke in an evil setting. And what happened next stuck to her mind like a deadly tumour.

She remembered looking around, her mind in a complete state of panic, having died not too long ago. How was she still alive!? Suddenly, a tremendous burning pain was felt through her entire body, as she raised her hands up, seeing her mocha-brown skin decay into a zombified grey colour. Her eyes widened in horror as the pupils became colourless before flashing a dangerous shade of red. All of a sudden, she dropped to her knees, letting out a spine-chilling scream of pure agony, feeling her mind being corrupted and drained, as a result of Quan Chi’s dark magic. It was like her positive and kind-hearted feelings were being disintegrated to ashes, whilst feelings of evil, spite, negativity and malice took their place. This was a pain that Jade could never have imagined was possible and was far worse than her quicker, and even more painless death. Eventually, the pain ceased and the Emerald Assassin, Jade was no more, for a Revenant doppelganger had taken her place.

As the nightmare played out in her mind once again, Jade stared into the distance, traumatised and full of despair. Her eyes widened in stress as she heard screams of “SOMEONE HELP ME!” and “PLEASE...END THIS PAIN!” Unlike most of her fallen allies who accepted this new form, she absolutely despised it, both before and now. She did not want to be seen as a heartless monster, whose only function is to kill, as it completely went against her own morals. She felt less like a deadly assassin and more like a vessel for carnage.

Tears began to form and well up in Jade’s eyes, upon being reminded of her horrific fate, before she began weeping uncontrollably, her head lowered and her arms clutching the mask, as if it was a treasured relic. After all of the stress that has been packed onto her for years, Jade had finally reached her breaking point. Looking past the negative views on Revenants, she was still Jade by heart. A fallen hero who longs to have her life put back together again, but to the current circumstances, it was impossible. When all is said and done, she is merely the tragic heroine who just wants to go home…

Her cries were louder than usual. Typically, when she had her occasional emotional meltdowns, she would keep it quiet, smothering her noises through gritted teeth or a nearby pillow. This was because she feared that her peers would berate her for being weak. Her fears were about to come true when she heard the door creak open, and she tried to pull herself together, but she failed and continued sobbing in grief. The person at the door was Kitana, who heard her friend’s cries, but rather than admonish her for it, the Empress wore a look of concern on her face as she stepped in, closing the door behind her.

“My dear friend!” She said, her tone sounding worried. “What on earth is troubling you?”

Jade sniffled a bit and leant her head to the side, giving her a look at her broken face. Her eyelids were all swollen and puffy from crying and there were clear wet lines going down the sides of her face, from the tears. Her lower lip wavered before she resumed weeping, causing Kitana to kneel down to her level and comfort her, raising her head up and wiping away a few tears.

“It is alright to cry, Jade.” She attempted to console her closest friend. Despite being viewed as a strict, spiteful and heartless ruler, Kitana clearly showed that she still has some space left in her heart for the one person who’s been by her side her entire life. “Now, I’d really appreciate it if you speak your mind to me. I promise I will hear you out.”

After having literally all the tears drained from her eyes, all Jade could do was let out a depressed sigh.

“Everything is wrong, Kitana.” She explained, sorrowfully. “Through all of these years, I have despised what I’ve become, and not just me, but all of my friends. None of us deserved to be sanctioned to a fate far worse than death.” She looked down at her hands. Physically, they were changed to an undead grey tone, in contrast to her living dark skin, but metaphorically, she knew that they were stained with the blood of innocent people she had slayed throughout the years as a vanguard in the Netherrealm. “I know deep down, that this is not who I’m supposed to be.”

Jade shifted a bit before revealing the mask that she had retrieved from the battlefield. And immediately, Kitana noticed that is was an Edenian relic, worn by some of the maids during funerals. It was a tradition that carried over to Outworld, following the demise of Shao Kahn.

“When I found this mask,” Jade continued, “I was curious about it and had a look, reminding myself about how happier we were, before Edenia was conquered. But then those same nightmarish memories of when we became revenants filled my mind once more, something that has troubled me for years now.” Her voice began to waver off a bit as she continued to speak her mind. “Oh, Kitana. You don’t know how much I despise it here, living as an undead beast for all eternity...I- I just want to go back home!” At this point, she was close to breaking down once more but this time, she barely managed to keep control of her emotions, but not without letting a few tears loose, as Kitana comforted her, placing an arm around her shoulder. She waited until Jade faced her because she, too, had something she wanted to get off her back.

“I know the pain that you feel, Jade.” The Empress began to explain, as Jade looked into her glowing, ruby-like eyes.

“You do?”

“Indeed. I fully agree with you that none of us deserved this fate and deep down, I had even regretted my actions against innocent people. In fact, I used to gently cry myself to sleep for a few nights, whenever one of those situations occur, because I knew that the real Kitana would never mercilessly kill.” As Kitana continued to speak, Jade perked her head up, beginning to understand a bit more about her ally.

“But alas, this is what we are now.” Kitana said, solemnly. “I’m afraid that there is no possible way to restore Edenia at the moment. But this is why we need to try and resist looking at the past and towards the future. Because with enough hope and motivation, I’m sure that we will have it brighter than any moment in our past.” She leaned her body down a bit further to look directly at Jade. “And trust me when I say this, Jade. When it does happen, there will be nothing to worry about. There won’t be any reason to be ashamed of what we are, no more bloodshed to cause around us, no more nightmares about the past. In the end, it will just be the two of us…together.”

Upon hearing Kitana’s heartwarming monologue, a smile formed on Jade’s face as she leaned towards her Empress to lovingly embrace her. Kitana returned the hug, gently wrapping her arms around Jade’s body, smiling and knowing that through hell and back, there will be no separating them. Eventually, they had to split and Kitana returned to her own Chambers as Jade prepared herself for bed and laid down on the soft mattress.

Before she drifted off to sleep, she wanted to take in every word that Kitana said. She had been taught that in order to progress in life, she needed to try and not let the past haunt or shame her. She knew that eventually, the nightmare will be over and she, Kitana, Liu Kang, Kung Lao and others will be free from this curse, able to live their lives. But until then, all she can do is be hopeful, and that is more than enough to ensure herself a better future.

(Thanks for reading! Basically, my hc for Revenant Jade is similar to Kung Lao’s ending in MKX, in that she despises her life as a revenant and longs to be restored, along with her allies. I wish NRS added something like this to give the Revs more personality rather than jobber minions. I imagine Jade & Kung Lao leaving the gang and finding a way to change them back, Liu Kang embracing the evil and planning on invading Earthrealm whilst Kitana is torn between choosing her boyfriend and her best friend)