#the spirit of the hero
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So for the longest time, I refused to think of the original Hyrule Warriors as canon. It was a fun little hack-and-slash side bit and I adore Link with his blue scarf, but I didn't actually add it to my mental timeline when it came to the LoZ games.
Then I made the mistake of thinking too much about the game and its implications on the overall timeline, especially the implications regarding the Spirit of the Hero. Stay with me on this. (Yes, it is once again time for me to put far too much thought into video games, because why not?)
Arguably, the Spirit of the Hero became entangled with everything due to Demise's Curse in Skyward Sword: "Those like you... Those who share the blood of the goddess and the spirit of the hero... They are eternally bound to this curse. An incarnation of my hatred shall ever follow your kind, dooming them to wander a blood-soaked sea of darkness for all time!" Thus the Cycle of Hatred is introduced.
In dissecting it a bit, it shows three permanent players: an incarnation of Demise's hatred, the Goddess's bloodline (note not Hylia herself, but her bloodline) and the spirit of the hero (note in contrast to the previous line, not the hero's bloodline, but the "spirit of the hero"). So we have an incarnation of a demon god's hate, a divine bloodline, and... some dude. Sorry, Link. You really got the short end of the stick here.
Obviously, he's not just "some dude," but he is a mortal tossed into an immortal war. Even as the Goddess's bloodline is mortal, they forever hold divinity within them, descended directly from divinity. Arguably, the Hero's Spirit holds some divinity itself through Hylia's blessing, arguably Farore's blessing, and playing emissary to multiple deities and powerful spirits through the games, but it relies on external sources instead of being inherent. The root of the Hero lies within the mortality of the Hero. That mortality probably provides a great deal of flexibility, as LoZ seems to follow along the popular concept that immortal beings are stuck to certain rules and mortals can go places and do things immortals can't. Biggest example is the Goddess Hylia needing a mortal Hero in the first place to fight Demise.
Okay, so where does Hyrule Warriors come into this? Because while the concept of the Spirit of the Hero comes up in multiple games, it's usually through inheritance, stepping into the role of the Hero, etc. When Cia comes into play, her target isn't the latest Hero: her target is the Spirit of the Hero itself. Not the concept. Not the implications of the role. The identity of the Spirit of the Hero. She didn't look at Link in HW and become obsessed with him: she became obsessed with him specifically because he possessed the Spirit of the Hero. It changes things a bit when looking at his character in the game.
First, there's the question of what awakens the Spirit of the Hero. In the other games, there's a great evil on the horizon -- the incarnation of Demise's hatred, which doesn't necessarily mean Demise or even Ganondorf but the awakening of an evil influenced somehow by Demise's hatred -- which leads to a Hero being born. Evil stirs, the Hero is born, Evil acts, the Hero awakens to their destiny. In the case of HW, though, the only reason Cia attacks that era is because there was a Hero present. So what sparked the birth of this Hero? If this Link wasn't born, then Cia would have targeted another Hero. Considering she was interested in the Spirit, not the person, I don't think age would have been a factor, so any of the other Heroes would be open targets. Cia didn't need to go after an awakened Hero, though. Instead, this specific Hero was born (looking remarkably like the Hero from the SS comic with his pretty scarf and such) and becomes Cia's target. So does more than the curse cause the birth of a Hero? If so, was this particular Link set up as a target? Or are the Heroes set up with specific destinies? Just Like OoT!Link is connected with Ganondorf and Majora, was this Link's soul somehow connected to Cia's? How does it work?
Which leads to the next issue: the challenges and pros inherent to mortality. In most cases, the Heroes have a choice in their destiny. Can they be pushed? Guilted? Strongly encouraged? Yes. However, in the games, one of the first things you do is choose to pick up the sword. You pick up the weapon. You start on your path. Link in almost every other scenario gets to go, "I want to save these people. I want to save the princess. I want to save Hyrule." In HW, while Link has the option to choose to fight or not, he would be targeted by Cia regardless because he was born with the Spirit of the Hero. He does choose to become a Knight and fight, though, which awakens the Triforce and puts him right in Cia's path. Pro to mortality: freedom of choice. HW-specific con: even with that freedom, being born with the Spirit put a bullseye on Link's back.
Another con of mortality, one presented in multiple games: the dangers of corruption. Link is a mortal, albeit a powerful mortal, who through his role as Hero regularly deals with divine objects. In most games, he deals with at least one piece of the Triforce and the Master Sword. The Triforce is not a symbol of good: it is a symbol of harmony: Power, Courage, and Wisdom in balance. If it had some sort of inherent morality, then someone like Demise reaching it wouldn't be such a big deal. Unfortunately, that's not the case. Link's Triforce is just insane power. Combine that with handling the powerhouse of the Master Sword, among all of the other things Link deals with, and you have a mortal who is dealing with one hell of a threat and burden. The Hero is repeatedly warned against falling to that darkness and has to fight against symbols of his darkness, ie, Dark or Shadow Link. This is a vulnerability most others won't have to deal with. He is a mortal struggling with the weight of immortal, powerful objects and needs to not lose himself to them.
Now combine that threat of corruption with the emphasis on the Spirit of the Hero which occurs in HW. With the other games, the threat is Link being corrupted. In HW, Cia's target is the Spirit of the Hero. Link's just the pretty package. If she succeeded, Link would be corrupted, but so would Cia's target: the Spirit of the Hero. There are a couple implications connected to that: what happens when you corrupt something as ancient and powerful as the Spirit of the Hero, something blessed by multiple spirits and deities and something literally older than Hyrule itself? Something which has the ability to turn the tide of battle against impossible odds? When no Hero arose once, the Goddesses responded by flooding the world. When Link slept(?) for a hundred years in BotW, no one, no matter their ability, was able to replace him. The Calamity remained unchallenged and untouched for that century, with even Zelda's powers limited to just holding the Calamity. That's a lot of power to corrupt... and that can also be one hell of a boon to Ganondorf. If not just Link but the Spirit was corrupted, how would that affect the Cycle of Hatred? Cia would have her obsession and the Spirit could not be incarnated into a new Hero to fight against Ganondorf. One hell of a win there... literally.
WW proved that if it came right down to it, a Hero could forcibly step up by fulfilling their own Hero's Journey. After all, even the initial Hero had to come from somewhere. But that would be an insane blow against Hyrule and the Royal Family. That would also be an insane amount of power available to Ganondorf. No opposition and all of the power inherent in a corrupted Spirit of the Hero. Oof.
If you view HW as canon with its focus on the Spirit of the Hero over the Hero himself, it does lead to some interesting questions regarding the role played by the Spirit, what happens if something happens to the Spirit, and the the lines between the Spirit and the Hero himself.
...hey, The Legend of Zelda and Philosophy book, why don't you focus on these questions instead of the stupid ones you went over? Bastards.
#meta#legend of zelda#loz: hw#hyrule warriors#i can't casually think about things#ever#in my life#i think this poor link got nailed though#hw was a great example#of how just possessing#the spirit of the hero#transformed his life#made him cia's target#he went from trainee#to a commander#damned quickly#just thrown into the fray#although he did do some running#charging into it. really#but i still think#link deserves a break#link deserves a hug#and hw link#deserves some credit
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Spirited away falling scene but make it bkdk
#my art!#mha#my hero academia#bnha#boku no hero academia#izuku midoriya#bakugou katsuki#deku#bkdk#mha bkdk#spirited away#they make me so emotional
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my favourite zelink and current zelda game obsession (im going crazy)
#the legend of zelda#zelink#link#princess zelda#spirit tracks#tloz#tloz st#loz fanart#zelda#link tloz#zelda fanart#loz spirit tracks#hero of spirits#hero of trains#legend of zelda#link legend of zelda#link the legend of zelda#zelda st#link st
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My page for @sheikahzine; about Impaz's duty to her village, empty of people and full of memories.
[id in alt text]
#legend of zelda#loz#twilight princess#loz tp#i'm still reeling that someone sent me an ask about this one.. that they took the time to find my tumblr and tell me they liked it#it really meant a lot; thank you to anyone that stops to leave comments like that. they make me happy#but yeah! here's the usual symbolism ramble:#i thought it'd be cool to have the 'spirits' flowing one way and the cats walking through them the other way#to kinda show the difference in life inhabiting the village in the past and present#link's face is covered because impaz was just waiting for 'the hero' so his clothes are what matters; not his face#and it (hopefully) gives a surreal and intangible sense to 'the hero' she could only hope would actually show up#you can feel free to interpret the glowy blue sheikah as ghosts or just as memories of the past! i couldn't decide either way#the one on the bottom left is oot impa since she's implied to be the village founder. so i guess she would be a ghost actually?#fan art#my art#project stuff#and ahhh the book-- everyone's stuff is so beautiful!!#especially the writing. some of the fics made me really tear up and some were so fun and clever. i really love them#a lot of them captured the sheer burden of the role of the sheikah; all of the time and grief and doubt#i know i always say this stuff about every project but. the people i get to work with in these are truly so skilled every time
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#zelda#the legend of zelda#link#breath of the wild#wind waker#twilight princess#Nintendo#tears of the kingdom#hero of men#minish cap#four swords#four swords adventures#ocarina of time#majoras mask#phantom hourglass#spirit tracks#a link between worlds#a link to the past#oracle of ages#oracle of seasons#links awakening#triforce#triforce heroes#lgbt#queer#bi#trans#nintendo switch#meme#zelda meme
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Fight Knight is the Spirit of Halloween.
So! A new Spirit Halloween location has opened up in Gotham, and the Batfam has decided to go shopping so they can prepare for Halloween.
Just because it's one of their busiest nights of the year doesn't mean they can't enjoy themselves while patrolling.
So the family walks in about a week before Halloween and spreads out to look for decorations or costumes to wear.
Its a fun trip, they buy their costumes, have a pleasant conversation with the manager about the holiday season, and go back home.
Then they actually put on their costumes and find out that they were either Cursed or Enchanted, because once put them on they are transformed them into the Costumes themselves.
Damien has become a Dog, after putting on a cheap dog costume at the insistence of his brothers. He's not unhappy at least.
Jason has been turned into a Zombie, though he has managed to restrain himself from eating his brother's Brains so far. He claims they look unappetizing.
Tim has been turned into Super Mario. He can't stop speaking in a bad Italian accent and has a huge mustache.
Dick has been turned into a Fairy Tale Princess after putting on the costume as a Joke. He has to admit though, he looks great as a Girl.
Even Bruce wasn't spared, and was turned into a Vampire after putting in some Plastic Teeth.
Taking off the costumes hadn't turned them back, leaving them stuck in their new forms.
Now they are all racing back to that Spirit Halloween to get answers as to what the hell just happened to them.
They hope Mr. Frank Knight has some answers for them.
#Dpxdc#Dp x dc#Dc x dp#Danny Phantom#Dc#Dcu#Fright Knight has a part time job#More like a hobby#He runs a bunch of Spirit Halloweens every year selling cursed objects to unsuspecting customers#The Curses break after Halloween so it's not harm done#The Batfam is not pleased#Wait till they find out that he has branches in multiple other cities#Like Metropolis. And Central City. And Coast City. And Atlantis. The other Heroes were not spared.#The Batfam and other affected are stuck in their new forms for a Week now#At least Dick and Damien are having fun in their new forms#Tim is too embarrassed to go back to work and Jason is mostly just sick of the zombie puns they keep tossing at him#I wonder what costumes the other chose?
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Hylian Game Titles pixel art project is complete! Please enjoy all 19 games in their respective Hylian script.
This was honestly super fun to do. I feel like I know so much more about the world of Zelda, and I've started to find small things in games I've never noticed before. I can confidently say that I'm fluent in Hylian now.
Which one is your favorite?
#legend of zelda#loz#adventure of link#link to the past#links awakening#ocarina of time#majoras mask#oracle of seasons#oracle of ages#wind waker#four swords#minish cap#twilight princess#phantom hourglass#spirit tracks#skyward sword#link between worlds#triforce heroes#breath of the wild#tears of the kingdom#pixel art
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Not exactly, Wind, tho Spirit at least keeps the little guy entertained
Concept: Part 1 || Part 2
#linked universe au#lu au#lu wind#fallen hero of time#fallen time#spirit tracks link#my art#sketches
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Twi link is my fav link so hereโs a bunch of twi links! :D
In order:
Twi from @linkbetweenlinksau by yours truly
Daybreak made by @ladye-zelda
Twilight from @recalled11 made by @l3ominor
Twilight from @linked-maze made by @frulleboi
Twilight from @zelda-the-sacred-realm
Ordon from @linkedspirit-fanartfunart made by @fanartfunart
Twi from @houseofheroesau made by @phoenix-arts7
And Twilight from @limited-hero by @kenxboi !
#a lot of farm guys#link between links#lbl twi#daybreak#recalled#recalled twilight#linked maze#lm twilight#Zelda the sacred realm#linked spirit#ls ordon#house of heroes#hoh twilight#limited hero#lh twilight#phew ๐ญ#hope I did everyoneโs justice :)
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But yes my plan was fem magazine pink link paired with game manual pink zelda, who couldve guessed this.
#tloz#princess zelda#link#female link#fem!link#pink link#art#my art#redesign#loz redesigns round 2#listen i needed an excuse to use both designs#and the semi-non canon art pairing just happened#zelda has a husband for lineage sake but link is fully accepted as legal sidepiece#spirit of the hero is just free game when it comes to hyrule royalty#i dont make the rules#zeldas husband is absolutely fine with it#he and zelda just drink wine and watch link work out from across the courtyard
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A bunch of wolves hunting together!! Different AUs Wolf links! they might seem similar but they are still different :D see if you guys can guess who is who
#linked maze#linkedmaze#tloz#zelda au#doodle#lm wolfy#linked universe#bonus links#heroes spirit#minas linkverse#limited hero
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Loz wheel
#I know I keep posting the same art over and over again but I havenโt been able to make anything new and Iโm feeling depresso about it#and I really like making collages#this is the last time I promise#legend of zelda#ocarina of time#wind waker#spirit tracks#twilight princess#majoras mask#loz#tloz#zelda#malon#tetra#medli#impa#ganondorf#oot link#heroโs shade#twinrova#fierce deity#my art
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maybe in another life
alternative title: the fault in our quirks (corny ik)
heres the individual portraits!
and heres one with yoichi upside
commissions
#possibly my biggest kdch piece ive ever made so far#kudoichi#ichinii#duo holders#my hero academia#boku no hero academia#mha#bnha#yoichi shigaraki#shigaraki yoichi#second one for all user#second ofa user#mha kudou#cw blood#first ofa user#this star crossed lovers shit gets serious#ive been wanting to draw smth with kudous death (and yoichis spirit staying with him until he passed).........#ive drawn it ALOT in my drafts since december but none of them came out good#glad this one came out decent#dahlia.art
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Dinner?
Feeling a bit Spirit Halloweenish.
Danny blinked, stared blankly, blinked again before slowly very slowly closed his front door.
A few seconds later Danny opened the door again and once again meet a certain tallish young man, around his age if maybe a few years older, in front of him...
Who was it?
Bruce Wayne....
Bruce freaking Wayne, someone according to what he heard from Sam telling him from what she heard from her parents had apparently just dropped out of med school and was 'in the wind' according to rich elite gossip talks, was at his front door.
........
Why?
Wait... Did he just ask Danny out on a date?
-x-x-
Bruce Wayne has just dropped out of med school and is beginning his training into becoming the person his city needs him to become. While looking into where he can he remembers how in his teen years the planet was almost destroyed but was saved by a ghost teen hero and looks into it. He digs deep to uncover what happened, uncovering impressive firewalls Amity Park has, etc and finds out about Danny Fenton/Phantom.
He decides to go visit the younger man, who is just about to start college himself, and ask a few questions.
He uhhh... Bruce just wasn't expecting to find Danny very cute (even though he was pretty certain Phantom had been his first male crush when he saw a photo of the teen years ago), and adorable with his owlish stare, and well the first words out of his mouth was
"Would you mind joining me for dinner?"
-x-x-
#danny phantom#danny fenton#crossover#dp x dc#blue rambles#danny phantom dc#writing ideas#random idea#dpxdc#spirit halloween#Danny x Bruce#Bruce had a crush on Phantom in his teens#and is now in front of Danny and accidentally asks him out#Danny agrees#cause its Danny he totally would#Bruce was suppose to ask hero questions but yeahhh#They do start dating#then have a off/on again thing going for a while#When Bruce starts getting kids does their relationship starts becoming more solid#Though Danny still lives in Amity. Despite Bruce trying to get Danny to move to the manor#Danny I think gets along with most if not all the kids#he's the emotional Dad(tm) those kids need. He has personal rooms for them too.#Whenever Bruce is being a hard/dumbass they go running off to their other dad#btw only Amity knows Danny is Phantom. They're keeping him a secret from the world tbh#Also personal head canon. Talia tried to kill Danny because she knows how much Bruce loves him but they became friends instead#and has a group chat with her and Selina where they talk about Bruce if/when he does dumb shit.#Danny is both their friends cause he has that midwest/Fenton charm
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Zelda 2 Link my beloved
#zelda 2#zelda ii#aol#classic link#loz#i love this link a lot#he's COOL!!!!#you just don't know him#The time when I was developing that zelda 2 comic I dove so deep into his character ACK#i was like. looking at all the character dialogues and enemies and reading and rereading the manual#trying to flesh out his character#it's all thanks to dark link honestly#also taking from zelda 1 since it's his character history#also from other links. hero's spirit stuff#that zelda 1 triforce comic was born out of my zelda 2 comic brainstorming
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โ โ โ โ โ
. . . disney movies
#icons#icons 120x120#spirit fanfics#disney#disney icons#pixar movies#pixar icons#pixar#disney pixar#movies#animation#up#bolt#zootopia#the incredibles#finding dory#finding nemo#toy story#monster inc#kuzco#inside out#a bugs life#ratatouille#luca#lilo and stitch#big hero 6#chicken little#turning red#wreck it ralph#miedit
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