#vaati demon form

[dearchose]

Vaati

I had started this concept for a irl painting, but at the end, I didn't like it enough and went with another design. I still like it though so I'm posting it here... after more than a week

[vvyvernicus]

I love him so much. He's so friend shaped in this form.

I worked longer on these than I should have lol. ANYWAYS here have 15 Vaati emojis based on your expression meme requsts! :D I started working in 2024 and finished in 2025 so uh first drawings of the year???? I guess??? XD

please credit me if you use them btw!

[linkedspirit-fanartfunart]

[Image Description: A series of drawings of Legend of Zelda Demons for the Linked Spirit AU. LA Dethl, "Master of Nightmares" is a dark mass with 2 blobbed arms and a single large eye. Beside it is a "Nightmare form" which is a golden-eyed flame-like dark shape. PH Bellum "Devourer of Souls" appears as he does in canon, a squid-like monster with a single eye. FSA Shadow "Prince of Darkness" is very small next to Vaati, wearing a black and white tunic and grinning. FSA Vaati "The Wind Mage" is a multi- winged orb with one red eye, and a series of small winged orbs make up an arm with four clawed fingers. SkSw Demise "Demon King of Destruction" appears as he does in canon, a humanoid man with fire hair and black scales. MM Majora "Lord of Chaos" in its Majora's Wrath form, a humanoid creature with venous limbs, the mask on its chest, with whips in each hand. Finally, ST Maladus "Demon King of Evil" is a lion-bodied teal creature with the face of a man with horns, and tusks. His back is stripped with red and his arms and legs are white with red stripes. He raises one clawed hand up with a snarl. End ID]

Demons of Hyrule & Beyond.

The comparative sizes are all wack because paper size, but Shadow acts as a comparison point for Vaati's row + Maladus.

Botw Calamity Ganon probably fits into this group but I. Did not want to draw it at this time lol.

[princeoferror]

Zelda Snatched!

I haven't drawn Vaati in a while but I wanted to draw his demon form :p

Commission info | Buy a Print! | portfolio | Twitter | insta | Discord server

Progress pics below if you're interested!

Sketch:

The layout for this piece focuses more on Zelda but does have that secondary focal point on Vaati but I want the eye resting on Zelda more. This is already done just as Vaati's bat wings hand and Zelda's design is more detailed than the ball of fluff Vaati's body is

Line art:

I made Vaati's line art thicker cuz he's bigger and the line difference helps suggest that, I could have outlined Zelda a bit more but it didn't matter that much in the end

Flats:

Colours are just from the official character art, the purple background just matches where all the colours I've used already are. I did try a yellowish colour but it stole the attention away. The gold on Zelda helps for that contrast and pop of colour to bring the focal point onto her.

Finished render:

For shading the light source is placed in a way for the focal point as well, I also tested pushing gradients a bit more and I do like the look.

A more specific detail I enjoy about this piece is Zelda's dress I think I got the fabric on the skirt pretty well with all the different folds. Her hair also has some nice motion to it, as mentioned in the last post of my Oracle of Ages/Seasons fanart, motion is something I'm looking to get better at.

Feel free to leave your opinions below as they can be helpful to me, if you wanna help out reblogging would do wonders. I also do commissions if you wanna message me about that

My next post is of Tingles Balloon fight because that's clearly the best game in the franchise come on, everyone loves tingle! So make sure to follow to not miss it!

Oki bieee

[weepingtalecowboy]

Fanfic prompt: Vio travels back in time to the moment shadow tried to recruit him to the side of darkness

And joins this time around with the intention to win him over at all costs and with all means necessary so that the other doesn’t have to die again

He will do everything to prevent it this time

The second he joins he immediately starts to aggressively push at shadow with any and all things he can to make him switch sides

Gifts

Compliments

Even straight up flirting (he is desperate enough to do anything by that point)

But shadow with his single overworked braincell is incredibly dense and it flies all over his head except that Vio obviously wants to be friends with him

Vaati at the other hand is creeped out to hell and back as in fully disgusted and disturbed by Vio

Like that is just messed up

He is so uncomfortable by it that he tries to shield shadow from him (because shadow is his and ganondorf's weird magic baby/thrall/demon/ thing and nobody else should be allowed to look at his property like this)

Because what the heck is that supposed to be

(The second Vio found out he got worse on purpose just to piss him off)

And he can’t even kick him out because it is a weak reason for getting rid of a useful player

Shadow finally gets some form of affection in this timeline (good for him bad for Vaati and Vio because they are both fighting about shadow by this point)

Vaati decides against sending Shadow anywhere alone with Vio

Vio tries hard to convince him (as in nearly begging him because he needs to keep the timeline predictable )

It somehow makes him even more uncomfortable with shadow being anywhere near him

Vio then just straight up starts begging him on his knees and everything

After the most uncomfortable hours in his entire life he agreed (but he definitely will be breathing down his neck because that was just unsettling)

When the confrontation happens between Vio and the colors at the fire temple

He doesn’t tell the lie of how he understood darkness or something he just straight up tells them that he went because of shadow

The colors are concerned

The colors are also weirded out by the way Vio acts because from what they remember Link never was a degenerate

So why is Vio so obsessed and unsettling about literally everything (he has decided to troll everyone and also can’t change his role on the whim because Vaati is probably watching him )

It ends up interesting to say the least

[blackstarchanx3new]

If asks are still open I would like to ask if dark can cry out the eye on his chest (it’s ungodly random I know)

Because he can make expressions with it

Also does it hurt if someone pokes it

(Yeah that one came out of nowhere but it has been bothering me for days whatever or not it functions like an actual eyeball)

Yes, it functions like a normal eye

I'm pretty sure it cries early on when Dark is stalking Vio and shadows past memories and when he tries to leave and blue stops him.

It would hurt if you poked it. Which is why it closes when he does stuff like cross his arms or when people hug him. I imagine that'd be his weak spot if he was a Zelda boss fight. Though I don't blame anyone for being incapacitated by getting stabbed in the eye.

Other stuff he can use it for: it can pop out and fly around like a drone. Whether or not this will be relevant in the comic is up in the air, but I know he can do it lmfao.

Vaati can see through it like a fucked up Webcam.

Dark can also see things beyond hylian vision with it and feels blinded if he has it covered by clothes. He'll rip holes in clothes that cover his eye.

Though it's a good time to point out Dark's, hylian form is nothing more than a physical form for him to move around in the real world with. Which is why his facial expressions and physical features can look monstrous and mimic vaatis demon form with claws and wings.

Since his true form is the shapeless curse inside Link’s mind. (This is why when Blue sliced his shoulder with the four swords, he is still injured in reality.)

His eyeballs are just about the only thing he shares in common with his true, shapeless curse form.

[rastea]

Random Vampire + other supernatural stuff AU where Vaati is mistaken by the general populace as a Vampire but he's actually a Seelie type fairy who left the courts (the unseelie don't like him either) because he was fascinated with the dark magics humans could wield and had no interest in being nice to them, and was much more selfish than his brethren. He learned their magics and other human sins and has left his fairy life a long time ago to live amongst humans for his own fun and gain. (more au ramblings under cut)

He's spent at least 200 years in the human world and is a bit notorious amongst other long living beings as being a huge flirt and having many girlfriends at once. In truth he prefers the chase than actually having the prize so he's seen as very fickle and has broken many hearts who actually fell for him.

At some point one particularly plucky girl ended up having children with him. Even now he carries a locket of paintings of his kids when they were young even though they are all in their twilight years now (though having fairy blood in them they are longer lived than humans). He will gush about them if given the opportunity. He may not be as involved in their families as he used to be but their bloodlines are blessed by him.

His default human form actually looks about 12 (to his annoyance) but he is a skilled shapeshifter who likes to keep his appearance anywhere in the range of 18-25 because it's easier to flirt with people that way.

He slipped into a ball held by who he assumed was the powerful and infamous Cia but turns out she had been long killed by Colonel, who was turned against his will and took his revenge. The ball was to celebrate a curious new addition to the household. A massive, handsome man named Ganondorf with curious stitching scars and the scent of curious magics about him (tldr: my witch Ravio did a Frankenstein) and despite the many other beauties at the ball became absolutely enraptured by the man. And after the ball he decided he MUST know more about him. Thus the courting began. The others at the mansion are suspicious but his intentions are very innocent.

(AU tldr:) (Hyrule Warriors Link as the Vampire Lord of the house, Twilight is a werewolf and was once a monster hunter, a totk Link is HW's beautiful vampire bride, Ravio is a witch who traded protection from persecution (long story) to being the maid/butler of the house and allowed to explore his craft, and another totk Link is a angel/demon hybrid who was also a vampire hunter and knew Ravio when they were children. They are one big happy family and definitely nothing bad ever happens to them and they will all definitely live for a long time.)

[sinfulauthorwrites]

It’s Best to Keep Me Pleased - A Vaati x F!Reader Fic

You find yourself locked in an unfamiliar castle, unsure who took you there. That is until your captor asserts himself as your new husband.

The idea of Vaati raping one of the maidens he captures during the events of FS/FSA was suggested by @dumpster-lizard, and I was excited to fill the prompt! I also got some additional help (and fun commentary) from another friend of mine and Liz's, so many thanks to her as well! The title comes from the song “Don’t Mess With Me” by Temposhark, too!

Rating: Explicit

Ship: Vaati x F!Reader

Word Count: 1.9k

Applicable Tags: Rape/Non-Con, Vaati Reborn, Kidnapping, Castles, Reader is a Hylian, Forced Marriage, Magic, Spells & Enchantments, Curses, Pet Names, Flashbacks, Mentions of Myth & Folklore, Teasing, Emotional Manipulation, Death Threats, Physical & Verbal Abuse, Asphyxiation, Wedding Rings, Medieval Wedding Vows, Polygamy, Harems, Crying, Teleportation, Implied/Referenced Mind Control, Non-Consensual Voyeurism & Exhibitionism, Tentacles, Loss of Virginity, Painful Sex, Orgasm, Vaginal Sex, Creampie

You awake from your slumber to a migraine pulsing through your head. You screw your eyes shut and clench the sides of your head, trying to ease the agony as it slowly begins to fade away. As the pain dissipates, you slowly open your eyes and take in your surroundings. You find yourself in a lavish four-poster bed draped in swathes of purple and gold brocade fabric, the walnut wood canopy carved into intricate patterns depicting various monsters native to your homeland of Hyrule. This… this isn’t my beautiful bed! You panic, unsure of where and when you are. You race off the bed and scurry around the room, looking for a way out. There’s no door in sight, and the ornately decorated metal grates where windows would typically lie give you little view of the world outside. 

You feel hopeless, ready to fall to your knees and sob. Just as you lose the power to hold your weight, the roar of two clashing fronts of wind fills the room, and black matter swirls around itself in front of you, warping into the form of some… creature. What stands in front of you is no man, looming above you with gilded horns and claws, its pale skin and blood-red eyes contrasting with the embellished dark purple robes. You scream and dart behind the bed from the demon. It tuts at you, coming around the bedpost almost as if it floated instead of walking. “And here I was trying to welcome you to the waking world. You slumbered for five days, believe it or not. Is that any way to greet your new husband?”

 The monster reaches for your hand, causing you to recoil in disgust. “I will have no demon be my spouse!” You cry out, all the alarms in your head blaring to run, run, run, find a way out.

The towering creature chuckles. “It’s not like you have a choice, my pet. I am your husband and master now, your dearest Vaati.” 

Vaati… Vaati… The name sounds oddly familiar until the memory hits you like a ton of bricks. You were back in your home village, and the town gossip between women at the laundry basins was the sudden disappearance of young women from villages across Hyrule.

“I heard it was called something like Vaalni, capturing maidens in the middle of the night!”

“With wings like a Keese and as furry as a Wolfos!”

“And with all the storms lately, maybe it’s got something to do with that!”

“I’ve heard it go by Vaati and that it’s a master of disguise!”

The rumors caused you to roll your eyes. Nothing but old wives' tales spread to stir up the village. The history of Hyrule was long and storied, and it was inevitable that, in one way or another, some small portion of history would be made into a grand fairy tale. “Just quit it already. There’s nothing to be worried about,” you had muttered under your breath, returning to the safety of your cottage.

That night, you stirred in your bed. You couldn’t stay asleep for longer than an hour, and you instead opted to sit under your favorite tree to see if fresh air and a change of scenery would do the trick. As you settled in, staring at the waxing moon above, the women's words echoed in your head. You dismissed them, trying to clear your mind of all thoughts so you could relax. But something was off. As you closed your eyes, you heard foliage rustling in the distance. You paid it no mind, but the wind soon became a speeding gale. As you stood up to rush back inside, you could feel something on the back of your neck. Watching. Waiting. As you whipped around to see what it was, you were greeted with horrors beyond your comprehension. A shadowy behemoth with wings and fur precisely as the older women described. Its clawed appendage reached for you, and you screamed in terror as you fainted.

That was the last thing you could remember before finding yourself locked in this room. “I-it’s you! You’re the one who captured me!” You shake in fear, accusingly pointing your finger at your captor.

“What a clever one you are,” Vaati teases. “Though, I feel like I did you a service. Taking you from that quaint, boring village and instead offering a life of luxury.” He motions to the room around you, intricately decorated with golden candelabras, carved wooden furniture with miniature engravings, and a floor-to-ceiling mirror that puts the modest one in your own home to shame. “I offer you a life among the clouds, but if you refuse, I won’t hesitate to… dispose of you.” Vaati picks you up by the collar of your modest, linen chemise, lifting you to view through the windows. The height gives you a better view, and you witness the horrors below. 

Among the clouds was not hyperbole, as the infinite blue of the sky and clouds as light as cotton rest just below the castle's tower. You had heard of the Palace of Winds in an ages-old history book but presumed it to be a myth. But here you are, held captive in one of its many rooms. You could feel your chest tighten, and your feet dangling above the floor gives you the sensation of your inevitable doom if you choose your words poorly.

“L-let me go!” You cry, desperate to feel the stone floor under your soles again.

“Let me go, what,” Vaati hisses.

“Please! Please let me go!” Vaati frees you from his grasp, making no effort to cushion you as you hit the ground with a thud. The wind was kicked out of you, and you cough and wheeze as you struggled to calm your breathing. 

Vaati towers over you still, his eyes boring into you. “I suppose now is as good a time as ever to make our marriage official,” he sneers, whisking you into his arms. You open your mouth to object, but the air that had finally returned to you is sucked out with a motion of Vaati’s hands. “Ah, ah, ah, I get to do the talking.” Vaati clears his throat, his eyes glowing red, and a third, piercing eye along his torso opens up and shines like the two upon his face. His voice reverberates through the room, the sound of wind whipping around you. “This mæden dost belong to thee! This mæden dost belong to thee! This mæden dost belong to thee!”

A flash of red light emerges from his eyes, blinding you momentarily. Once it subsides, your breath returns again, and you find a ring on your right finger. It’s golden, just like Vaati’s horns and claws, with a ruby as red as blood in the center. The gold arched to meet the gem in the middle, almost like a crown. You immediately try to pull it off, but to no avail. Vaati laughs manically at your feeble attempt. “Don’t bother trying, my pet. It’s charmed never to leave your hand, no matter how hard you pull or twist.” Vaati leans in close, whispering in your ear. “I think it’s about time we make our marriage… official.”

“No, please!” You scream as he tosses you onto the bed, his form prowling over you. You desperately try to crawl away, but his elongated arms pull you back under his body.

“There’s no escaping, my darling. It’s much easier if you give in.” Vaati rips your chemise off of you into shreds, exposing your bare body to him. You begin to sob, nothing to protect you from the monster preying on you. He takes one of his claws and gingerly caresses your cheek with it, almost as if he took pity on you. “Don’t cry, my pet. Your woes are arbitrary. Find more contentment in your marital bliss, would you?” He puts his hand around your throat, not enough force to choke you, but enough to threaten. “I won’t hesitate to shut. You. Up.” You choke back your tears, not wanting any further harm to occur. “Good.” Vaati removes his hand from your neck, opting to trace down the curvature of your body. “I feel like something is missing, however.” 

With a snap of his fingers, a group of maidens is summoned into the room in the same manner he entered, and each is decorated in dark purple chemises that are much more revealing than yours, with red and gold stays that match the ring you’re cursed with. The maidens fawn over Vaati as if they were under his control. “Rejoice in your newfound sisterhood!” The maidens direct their attention to you, watching you like owls and breathing heavily as Vaati caresses your body more. “I find it much more alluring if we have an audience, my sweet.” 

Dark, indigo-colored tentacles shrouded in dark energy emerge from the void in his robes, gripping your ankles and wrists to firmly hold them in place. You weakly try to shake them off to no avail, as your strength is no match for Vaati’s. Vaati chuckles darkly, his hold only tightening. “There’s no use fighting. You are mine to take.” Another long tentacle emerges from below the eye on his torso, thicker than the others and coated in fluid. It worms its way into your sex, slowly at first, as it stretches out out. You yowl in pain, the appendage deflowering you. Vaati could tell by how your canal tightened around him, delight appearing on his face. 

“Oh? It seems my luck has finally arrived! As much as I adore your fellow wives,” Vaati pulls you by your hair, staring at you through the mirror before you. “You’re the first one who’s still chaste.” You try to wrestle your head out of his grasp and away from the mirror, but his claws are firm. “I want you to watch me take it from you, petal,” he punctuates it with a thrust. “By petal.” Another thrust. 

You watch tears stream down your face, each thrust of Vaati’s appendage sending another course of pain through your fragile womb. Vaati growls as he thrusts harder, bending over you and placing his other claw around your neck. “I need you to take every last inch of me. To consummate as we become one.” You cry harder as he thrusts into you at a breakneck pace, with your virginity stolen from you more by the second. Against your wishes, you feel a heat boil up at the bottom of your stomach, and your core tightens more and more, like a coil wound up. Your body betrays your mind, and you pray to the Goddesses one last time for a release from this mortal plane before all is lost.

Your prayers are met with silence, and you let out a long, languid cry as you reach your treacherous climax. Vaati’s grip on you tightens, and he throws his head back and yells as he fills you to the brim with his seed. As the ropes inside of you slow, he lies down on the grand bed and pulls you closer to him, caressing your cheek with an eerie softness. “Rest, my bride. There will be more for us to enjoy tomorrow.” The other maidens gather around you and caress you and their communal husband, welcoming you into their clan. With a wave from Vaati, the candles in the room go out, and you softly cry yourself to sleep.

Liked this and want more? Check out my AO3 here!

[izunias-meme-hole]

My Top 5 Favorite Zelda Villains (outdated)

Number 1. Ganondorf/Ganon - Honestly after so many years, Ganondorf still holds up as a villain. Ganon was the biproduct of a curse created by Demise to ensure that his hate is reincarnated just so he can destroy Link and Zelda’s descendants, and Ganondorf himself was born as the only male in a desert that belonged tribe to warrior women known as The Gerudo, eventually ending up as their king thanks to Gerudo traditions. Ganondorf had a huge presence in Ocarina of Time, manipulating you into locating the Triforce and immediately took over Hyrule during your time skip. In Hyrule Warriors, Wind Waker, Twilight Princess, and A Link To The Past, he adapts in some form either that be because of genuine character development, an ego increase, or a desire for revenge. However in Breath of the Wild, the end of all three timelines, he fully succumbs to Demise’s curse and uses his hate to create an entity known as Calamity Ganon. In short, Ganon started out as an intelligent and ambitious king, a man to be exact, but eventually he turned into a beast fueled by hate. Then in Tears of The Kingdom he returns, and not only so we learn that he DIDN’T succumb to Demise’s curse after all, we learn that 1,000 years ago, he reincarnated and began to EMBRACE it becoming the new Demon King in the process, and he came back to life to continue his reign. Overall Ganondorf is a surprisingly versatile and interesting take on a evil king, combining power with intellect, tragedy, anger, class, and pure EVIL which is why he’s the greatest villain in gaming history and fiction in general.

Number 2. Majora - When Nintendo was making Majora’s Mask, they KNEW that they couldn’t just make Ganondorf the villain again, so the developers cooked up a pretty great and just as iconic substitute. A batshit insane and mysterious mask that wants to hurl a moon into the planet and cause chaos! Majora is basically a childish eldrich abomination, and much like Ganondorf, he appears rarely throughout the story, yet we see the damage he’s pretty much caused to the land of Termina. Overall this insane cryptic is deserving of the number 2 spot on this list.

Number 3. Vaati, The Wind Mage - The king of underrated villains. Vaati could easily be compared to Ansem/Terranort from Kingdom Hearts 1 & 2. A young, ambitious, and curious apprentice explores the darkness in the hearts of men, becomes power hungry, and then becomes an insane creature of darkness. He’s also the only major Zelda villain to canonically appear in 3 games, a feat not even Ghirahim has achieved. Also I find it hilarious and sad that he basically went from “I need power” to “Hmm, I shall kidnap maidens and the Princess.” Bro really became lustful after he got his ass bear and lost his mind! In all seriousness though, Vaati is a Ganon tier villain, and I wouldn’t mind seeing him again. Such a shame that Nintendo ignores thie guy.

Number 4. Yuga - Yes, I know this guy is Lorulean equivalent of Ganondorf. Yes, I know that he hijacked Ganon instead of it being the other way around, but if I’m being honest… Yuga is a breath of fresh air when it comes to the classic timeline games, both as a concept and as an actual character. A Link Between Worlds is nowhere near perfect, but Yuga was an excellent villain, purely because he’s basically Ganondorf without the status as royalty, muscle to back his mind, commanding appearance, or the overwhelming power he’s known for. Yuga is a simple sorcerer and an “artist” who looks like a clown. The only things they share is they’re both manipulative, cunning, ambitious, and pure evil. In short, Yuga is a perfect subversion of Ganondorf, while still carrying that same sense of danger, and in terms of 2D Zelda villains he’s great.

Number 5. Ghirahim - The only Zelda villain who won succeeded in carrying out his plans, and it had serious consequences for the rest of the series. Ghirahim as a character is vain and flamboyant, but he is not a pushover in the slightest, which makes sense since he’s the literal sword of Demise! Still the fact that he did indeed free his master is impressive, and the best part is that is feels earned. What a magnificent bastard.

[blackknightax]

I’m sorry I haven’t posted in a while… I am running very low on franchises that don’t require research. This includes. But based on my check list, I’m very close to done. I swear I haven’t forgotten about you all. So let’s get to this.

The next franchise I wanted to talk was the Legend of Zelda. Now, I’d argue Legend of Zelda doesn’t need another representative, it needs to make the ones it has more unique with one another. We have 3 Links and they play almost identically. The three Links can be very easily made more unique, Young Link could, and SHOULD, be a reference to Majora’s mask and not OOT and Young link would be instantly interesting and unique from the other two. Toon Link doesn’t even need a sword, Toon Link has other options, i can’t think of them currently but he has options. And then there’s Ganondorf… goodness gracious Ganondorf, I’ll make this rant short, Ganondorf in every game he’s in, is either a sorcerer, a swordsman, or a mix of the two, why is he a bruiser in smash?! I just don’t get this! Just, WHY is Ganondorf not something he’s EVER been?! Rant over, let’s figure out how I’m adding into smash because the question s who do I add if i have to add someone. I’ve chosen…

Wind Sorcerer Vaati! Specifically as he appeared in Legend of Zelda the Minish Cap. I chose Vaati because he’s fan favorite villain who is just, kinda cool. Now I will admit, the move set I’ll be presenting is mostly custom, but i will occasionally include his demon form if i think it makes sense. That being said, let’s do this!

For Neutral B he places an eyeball that is facing the direction he was facing in when he placed it. It will fire projectiles at a slow rate.

For Up B he makes a tornado below himself and pushes himself upward like in his demon form.

For Side B he performs a magical lightning spell that stuns enemies briefly.

For Down B he will create a duplicate of himself that imitates what the player does but doesn’t move from the spot you created it. Pressing Down B again causes you to switches places with the duplicate and dissipates,

All in all I like Vaati as a character and design and I hope. He can be in without mischaracterizing him, like Ganondorf…. I also admit I almost chose Ganon here, but i think in smash that might be confusing.

[gust-jar-simulator]

I do not understand Vaati so I’m putting him in a centrifuge and breaking the on switch.

I love him as a villain, I really do. According to the timeline, he’s one of the first real threats to Hyrule that isn’t Ganon. He’s not even a member of the powerful races in the country, he’s effectively a magical mouse. He’s never seen the Master Sword, nobody in later history has ever heard of him, and yet he is Notable because wind magic is so goddamn rare in this series. He has ambition, an aesthetic, and comes from the one culture I would argue as least likely to spawn villains.

He’s got an eye motif, which tends to go hand in hand with both the pursuit of knowledge as well as paranoia. He chooses to become a Hylian, and then he chooses to become an eyeball demon. Hylians might seem like a boring default race when surrounded by Gorons and Zora, but they’re specifically labeled as having a high magical aptitude, as well as ears that are pointed to hear the gods. Eyeball demon form seems sort of self explanatory, but I would like to note that there’s another symbol in there.

The circle of the golden sun, and the crescent of the silver moon, which combine to make the alchemical symbol for mercury. Mercury, as one of the three prime materials, represents the mind and life force, as well as transcendence of death due to its ability to change easily from solid to liquid. This is the abridged explanation because I don’t feel like doing citations on a fandom post.

Vaati himself is color coded purple, which is associated in the relevant games with the Earth element, the foundation and source of all life. Since most of the Minish are color coded, what that means for Vaati’s origins and interests is something to dig into. Ezlo being green, and green being associated with wind (possibly even the Wind Tribe?) in diametric opposition to Vaati’s earth is fascinating. Especially since it’s Vaati the Wind Mage wearing earth colors.

I need to finish playing Minish Cap so I can properly analyze him, but the details I have so far give me some interesting puzzle pieces.

[randomwriteronline]

“Where is that kid.”

“What kid?”

“That kid. You know-- that one. The repulsive one. With the mask. They’ve been out there on the battlefield for too much time now. If he’s dead we’ll have to collect the pieces of that damned wooden body.”

“Ah.”

Zant peers into a small globe - only contribution Vaati was willing to make to the team (thrown at them through a space-time portal accompanied by a very clear “I’m not getting stabbed by some green bastard for the fourth time, get out of my house”) - and gazes into it for a few minutes.

“If you could figure that puppet’s location out before next month it would be most convenient,” Ghirahim sneers.

“Shut up. It’s searching.”

“It’s being awfully slow in your hands. Give it to me.”

“I said shut up. It’s working just fine. Here, I can see the mask.”

“And?”

“... I can’t see the kid.”

“What.”

“The kid. The one wearing it. I can’t see him.”

“What does that mean.”

“That the kid is not attached to it. I can’t see them.”

The demon lord snatches the globe from the usurper and looks into it himself, since clearly he either can’t make it function correctly, has gone partially blind, or is too stupid to recognize a wooden child behind a mask.

Hm.

Alright.

So the mask is indeed there.

‘There’, however, is face down on some rocky terrain of sorts.

So distinctly not on the would-be-face of that pest.

“I told you,” Zant nags him.

“Shut your mouth.” Ghirahim hisses back. “You should have just asked it where the blasted menace of a puppet is instead of wasting precious time.”

“You can do that yourself.”

“Not when the thing is in your useless hands I can’t!”

“It’s in yours now.”

“It wasn’t before!”

“Now it is. Get to it.”

“If you value your tongue you best never speak to me like that again.”

The Twili bows deeply, twisting his body in a wild disgusting way.

“Oh, Demon Lord! Prized sword of my master!” he caws out, “Please, find the kid whose absence so vexes you at once!”

The Sword Spirit glares literal daggers at him, but says nothing. The blades are already bothering him by anchoring his gaudishly large clothes to the floor anyways, so he can consider his revenge executed.

Alright, look for the damned child.

The image forms a little too slow for his tastes, but at least form it does.

In roughly five seconds he wishes it had not formed.

Zant peers into the crystal curiously after managing to pull the various throwing knives out of his pants and sleeves.

He stares at it for a good minute, all will to bicker dying out completely as they both attempt to decode the image in the clear orb and either briefly fail or ruefully begin to accept the reality of the situation.

“Disgusting,” Ghirahim decretes.

Sure he’s a sadist who enjoys playing with his prey before properly gifting them the worst most painfully excruciating death he can offer them, but he has to draw the line somewhere. And he’s going to get that line and draw it right at abandoning both a perfectly good bloodied battlefield and the source of ancient horrendous power you’re meant to employ whilst fighting to instead repeatedly kiss your supposed nemesis on the mouth between giggles while laying face down on top of them kicking your feet like some kind of lovestruck youngster (which regrettably both marionette menace and green-clad pest are).

“What are they doing?” the Twili asks, seriously at a loss.

“I think this is meant to be a ‘date’ for them.”

“... I was under the impression they were enemies.”

“So was I.”

“Willing to kill each other, even.”

“Indeed.”

From the globe they see Skull Kid smack his beak back on the young Hero of Time’s lips again, causing a little laugh to come from them with a blush.

“This is horrid.”

“Absolutely grotesque.”

“What would be so repulsive to make you comment on it in such a way?”

Both freeze.

Ganondorf looks down into the small globe from well above both their heads, brows furrowed in an expression that’s annoyed, tired, and so not up for any crap that is not in any way related to him overwhelming hyrulean forces and finally getting what he damn well deserves.

He stares for a few seconds, just enough.

The sigh that leaves him is so deep and exhausted.

He waves a hand in the air with a harsh motion that says ‘whatever’ and just walks away.

-

“We should take a nap I think. The weather’s nice.”

“Won’t you get in trouble if you’re late?”

“They can’t hurt me in a way that matters. And they can see where I am and what I’m doing whenever they want anyways.”

“That’s not a very good thing.”

“Yes it is.”

“How?”

Skull Kid grins mischievously: “They think kissing is so gross.”

The Hero of Time looks at him intrigued: “Do they?”

His friend nods.

He kisses them right on the beak; the imp kicks their feet in the air with a gleeful cackle and kisses him back.

[lunavagans]

||Back to the masterlist||

Pre-manga set-up

The Dark Mirror

After the events of Twilight Princess, the Twilight Mirror was mostly forgotten by everyone except for the Yiga, but they only kept it in memory because that‘s where a former alteration of Ganon „was born“. They didn‘t know that it still contained a trace of magic, although after centuries of neglect and Midna sealing the passage it wasn‘t enough by far to enter the Twilight Realm anymore.

Once Ganondorf (the FS version) was exiled from the Gerudo and gained a name as some sort of hermit monster warlord, the Yiga correctly saw the next Ganon in him and brought what remained of the Twilight Mirror to him, now dubbed Dark Mirror in lieu of not knowing its original name anymore. Ganon made them repair and fashion a frame for it, which explains why it looks so different to the TP version.

While it‘s true that the mirror contains an infinite amount of magic(/force) to feed from, it‘s like a spring: only a limited amount can be drawn from it at a time, which is then divided up between its users (Shadow and Vaati, maybe also Ganon). Another way of looking at it is that it isn‘t a reserve of magic, but a generator of it. But the magicks involved aren‘t fully hyrulean and, with the Twilight Realm inaccessible, may never be fully understood by anyone, especially not with it broken now.

Force Gems

So force gems are, according to the manga, found in certain places, and it‘s canon that monsters contain them. As I really dislike the idea that monsters aren’t just animals (with exceptions), I take „certain places“ to mean „in every living being“.

This means that Shadow contains them, as do Vaati and Ganon. In fact, the glimmers that Vio gathers after Shadow‘s death are the force gems left behind by him when his body faded.

But what are force gems? As the name says, they‘re force; more precisely, life force. It‘s generated in a body during it‘s development and dissipates after its death. Thus, living beings are the only method of storing them that‘s commonly known among those that practice magic. The only other method is the Four Sword, or rather its handle. Expansion on that somewhere else.

But magic can take on so many different forms, while force only gives life, so how does that happen? These seemingly different magicks all spring from an impulse, a manipulation in the amount of energy somewhere else. The trick is to expend the least amount of force to get the biggest reaction without letting go out of control. And the danger is that if you try to correct your spell by expending more force, eventually you‘ll have none left. Then you die.

This is why, even among those that have had the basic education for magic, there are so few practicing mages - it‘s fucking dangerous - and why there‘s such an emphasis on proper preparation before action by absorbing force from certain sources. There‘s a big debate on how to ethically do that, and the consensus is that mages take the force from sick and dying animals and sometimes people to store it over months at a time, sometimes years.

(If the mirror generated force, does that mean it was alive? I genuinely don‘t know, y‘all. Interesting question, nevertheless.)

The cult/the Yiga

The Yiga worshipped Ganon already way before this alteration appeared, and continues to do so after his defeat. As much as it‘s the belief that their origin lies in a group of Sheikah that dissented and betrayed the royal fanily centuries ago, the truth is that this group was only a fraction continuing the Ganon cult. Still, it spawned many prejudices against the Sheikah in addition to their image as cynical assassins in service of the crown.

The story that the religion behind the Golden Three tells is that Ganon is a demon king and God of Hatred that wants to take revenge on the hylians for being imprisoned deep underground by the Goddesses way back after his very first attempt to break the borders that had been established before and conquer the world, and occasionally some of his power manages to seep out and sow chaos. So far, no Hero had had to face the true God of Hatred, and with the help of the Goddesses, it won‘t come to pass, either.

Meanwhile, among the Yiga it‘s said that Ganon was wrongfully imprisoned by the Goddesses out of fear of his power, that the attack on their realm was merely Ganon‘s troops retaliating, and that the reincarnating soul of the Hero is their tool to ensure Ganon stays a prisoner; a warden, basically. However, one day Ganon will inevitably break out and take his revenge, and then the only ones he will spare are those that worked to fulfill his goals all along, while all others will be forced to be essentially his work stock, suffering until he allows them to die.

They mostly target people with a crisis of faith, people afraid for their future both immediate and beyond the grave and the closer social circles of those who are already members. Some people they helped with personal issues with their funds and troops, then suggested they take part in their meetings, through which these unsuspecting victims were roped more and more into the cult‘s affairs, all the while being probed for their use.

What the Yiga mostly did was to build resources and a network for the eventual arrival of Ganon, implementing their people in the trade, the military, regional politics (they couldn‘t make the jump to the royal court just yet). Once Ganon was actually there, they brought him the Dark Mirror, cleared out the Tower of Winds, advised him to find and create more allies. Since their specialty is less outright combat and more undercover manipulation, they stayed discrete during the manga, however, deciding to abandon this alteration of Ganon and wait for the next one.

Shadow‘s position in the cult was a weird one, in that he was both revered as the ‚Prince‘ of their god and his son of sorts, since he was created by him, and demeaned and objectified as a weapon, a means to an end. Shadow had a clear purpose with a clear-cut end, and if that purpose was fulfilled, nobody knew what Ganon would do with him. Nobody really cared all that much, either.

Considering that Vaati was 1. only present at Ganon‘s side for a very short while and 2. not all too involved in the cult itself, merely seen at their god‘s side, the most they thought about him was that he must be yet another monster Ganon made an ally. He wouldn‘t be the first one.

Ganon, naturally, was the one in power, so everyone including Shadow and Vaati did their best to appease him because he had a habit of ‚making an example‘ out of those he disliked most, and rewarding the others. Some traits that would inspire rewards were few questions, quick execution of orders, little time wasted on flattery or gifts, while the opposites would get you fed to the wizzrobe, the dragons or used as bait and training target.

[somasoa]

The History and Creation of the Four Sword

Note: This article describes a flow of chronological events that goes contrary to the Legend of Zelda timelines as described in Hyrule Historia, the Hyrule Encyclopedia, and Zelda.com. The timeline utilized in this article is the Extended Child Timeline, a graph of which can be found here.

Hello everyone, today we’ll be discussing the legendary blade from The Legend of Zelda, the Four Sword. While the most iconic legendary blade in The Legend of Zelda is undoubtedly the Master Sword, a close second is the Four Sword, the weapon which The Minish Cap, Four Swords, and Four Swords Adventures revolves around. The most significant trait of the Four Sword is its ability to fragment its wielder, splitting them into four separate individuals, allowing for the wielder to achieve greater feats than they would otherwise achieve alone. 

Chronologically, the Four Sword first appears in The Minish Cap. In the introduction of the game, we’re told about a great war, in which a horde of demons invaded the land of Hyrule, nearly bringing the kingdom to its ruin.

とおい とおい 昔 世界が ふかく くらい闇に のみこまれようとした時

A long, long time ago, When the world was about to be swallowed into a deep, dark blackness…

Introduction (The Minish Cap) - Translated by Sidier

However, the Picori, a race of diminutive people the size of a thumb, were said to have descended from the sky into the land of Hyrule. They then passed magical treasures to a man who we can clearly observe is an incarnation of the Hero, who is dubbed as the Hero of Men. One of these treasures was the Picori Blade, a magical blade that didn’t look dissimilar to the Master Sword. It possessed great power and was capable of dispelling evil curses.

The Hero of Men used this blade to defeat the demonic invasion, and the monsters were sealed away in a bound chest, with the sword maintaining the seal.

勇者は ちえと 勇気で 闇を ふりはらい

The hero dispelled the darkness through wisdom and courage.

Introduction (The Minish Cap) - Translated by Sidier

言い伝えでは あの宝箱には 剣の力で たくさんの魔物が 封���されて おるとも いわれておる

The tales say that the sword's power keeps many monsters sealed inside that chest!

Minister Potho (The Minish Cap) - Translated by Sidier 

Decades later, the sword was broken by the Minish sorcerer Vaati, or, in the Japanese release, Gufū (グフー), in an attempt to undo the seal on the bound chest, as he believed that the Light Force, a great concentration of magical energy and also the other treasure given by the Picori to the Hero of Men, was present in the chest.

Vaati then cursed Princess Zelda, turning her into a stone statue, as he suspected she would be a future nuisance in his search for the Light Force. Link is then tasked by the King of Hyrule to restore the broken blade, by meeting with the Minish and having them reforge it, as they were the original creators of the blade in the first place.

ピッコルの剣を 作ったのも 彼らピッコルだ彼らなら 折れたピッコルの剣を もとにしてあたらしい聖剣を 作ることが できるはずだ

They are the ones who made this blade, too. They should know how to restore this blade and make a new Sacred Blade.

Daltus (The Minish Cap) - Translated by Sidier

Link visits the Picori who reside in the Minish Village, and speaks with their elder, Gentari. Link learns from Gentari that to restore the broken blade, he must return its power by infusing it with the Four Elements, which are crystalline forms of the natural elements of the world. This would allow the blade to recover the original power it had once possessed.

なるほど剣を あたらしく作りなおしに こられたワケですなしかし あたらしく 聖剣を 作るには４つのエレメントが 必要ですじゃエレメントとは この世に みちているせいれいの 力の けっしょうその力を やどして はじめて 聖剣がうまれるのです今から ワタシが数える場所に エレメントがあるハズですじゃ

I see. So you came to remake that sword, is it? But to make a new Sacred Blade, you need the 4 Elements.

The Elements are crystals of spiritual power that fills our world. It is only when that power is lodged that the Sacred Blade is born. I will tell you the locations where the Elements should be at.

Gentari (The Minish Cap) - Translated by Sidier

After taking the broken sword to Mt. Crenel and meeting with the Minish master blacksmith Melari, he and his seven apprentices repair the broken blade, forging it into the White Sword.

With the blade now restored as a vessel for its original power, Link quests to recover the rest of the Elements. Each time Link acquires an Element, he journeys to the Elemental Sanctuary, a location that exists between the world of the Minish and the world of men. Link imbues the power of the Four Elements into the White Sword, and upon imbuing the power of the Wind Element into the blade, he completely restores the original power the Picori Blade once held. This process returns the sword to its true form - the Four Sword.

ホワイトソードが ４つのエレメントの 力を やどして４人に 分身できる フォーソードに なった！剣に 力をためて ビームを 撃とう！魔人の呪いで 石にされた人を もとに戻せる！

The White Sword lodges the power of the 4 elements, and became the Four Sword that allows you to split into 4! Build up power in the blade and shoot a beam! You can restore people turned to stone by the sorcerer's curse to normal!

Flavor Text (The Minish Cap) - Translated by Sidier

 The presence of the four elements in the sword allows Link to temporarily “split” into four by creating three copies of himself using Copy Panels.

It is also capable of breaking curses, as the Picori Blade originally could. Link uses this great power to undo the curse on Zelda and the others cursed by Vaati, and puts an end to the evil sorcerer. 

From The Minish Cap, time flows by, until the era of the backstory of Four Swords and Four Swords Adventures, in which Vaati has somehow been revived, taking a form similar to the one he took after absorbing a substantial part of the Light Force. He kidnapped young maidens from across the land and resided in his Palace of Winds, which is likely a reconstruction of the original Palace of Winds used by the Wind Tribe from the era of The Minish Cap.

Suddenly, a young boy appeared, carrying naught but a sword. He claimed he would put a stop to the sorcerer. When he drew his sword, his body split into four. The blade had undergone a dramatic change in function since The Minish Cap, as instead of allowing the wielder to create copies using Copy Panels, the sword now just splits its wielder and their life force into four separate fragments. Using their combined strength, the four Heroes trap Vaati into the blade. The Hero then plunges the blade into the ground in a region of southern Hyrule, and vanishes without a trace. Vaati was sealed within the depths of the earth, and the seal was maintained by the sword. The people of Hyrule christened the sword, calling it the “Four Sword.” This would mean that the original history of the sword, as well as its name in The Minish Cap, was likely forgotten by the era we learn of in the backstory of Four Swords. The people also constructed an elaborate shrine around the sword, which would be known as the Four Sword Sanctuary. 

その昔　ハイラルという国にグフーという風の魔神があらわれ美しい娘を次々とさらっていきました

人々が困り果てているとそこへ一本の剣をたずさえた旅の勇者があらわれました

勇者が剣をぬくと体が4つに分かれ力を合わせてグフーを退治したといいます

その後　勇者がグフーを封印（ふういん）した剣はフォーソードと名付けられハイラルの奥地聖域（せいいき）にひっそりと　まつられていました

A long time ago, in a country called Hyrule, a wind demon called Gufu appeared and kidnapped beautiful girls one after another. 

When the people were in trouble, a traveling Hero carrying a sword  appeared . 

When the hero drew his sword, it is said that his body was divided into four, and they combined their powers to exterminate Gufu. 

Afterwards, the sword with which the hero sealed Gufu was named the Four Sword, and was quietly enshrined in a sacred area in the depths of Hyrule. 

Introduction (Four Swords Adventures) - Translated by Sidier

After this event, ages flowed by, at which point the events of Four Swords occur. Link, the childhood friend of Princess Zelda, is called to the Four Sword Sanctuary. Zelda suspects the seal on Vaati is weakening, and she is correct, as the sword weakly falls over in its own pedestal, freeing the wind sorcerer. Vaati kidnaps Zelda, intent on making her his bride, and flees to his Palace of Winds. Link draws the Four Sword from its pedestal, splitting into four, just as the Hero who sealed Vaati in the first place did.

The four Links venture through Hyrule, gathering the keys to Vaati’s Palace of Wind from the fairies throughout the regions of Hyrule, and seal him using the Four Sword again, placing the sword back into the pedestal. 

風の魔神グフーはフォーソードの封印をやぶって復活しハイラル国の王女ゼルダ姫をさらってしまいました

ゼルダ姫と幼なじみの少年リンクはフォーソードの不思議な力を借りてはげしい戦いの末再びグフーを封印することに成功しました

Gufu, the Wind God, broke the seal of the Four Swords, revived, and kidnapped Princess Zelda of Hyrule.

Princess Zelda and her childhood friend Link, with the help of the magical power of the Four Swords, succeeded in sealing Gufu once again after a fierce battle.

Introduction (Four Swords Adventures) - Translated by Sidier

A few months later, dark clouds gathered over Hyrule, and Zelda telepathically communicated with Link, asking him to accompany her to inspect the seal of the Four Sword, as he originally did in Four Swords. Link and Zelda attempt to travel there via a portal at Hyrule Castle, but are stopped by a shadowy doppelganger of Link.

Shadow Link kidnaps Zelda, as well as the Shrine Maidens associated with the Four Sword Sanctuary, and Link, in desperation, ends up drawing the Four Sword again. He splits into four as he once did, but in the process also unseals Vaati, who sends the Links hurtling through the air using his wind magic, blowing them all the way to eastern Hyrule. Link learns from Kaepora Gaebora that the blade has been drained of its energy due to Vaati’s power, and he must continuously gather Force Gems to retain its ability to break the effects of evil magic - specifically, the evil barriers created that drain energy from the land.

だが、お前の持つ剣はグフーの魔力によって闇を打ちくだく力を失ってしまった。

剣に力を取り戻すにはその源であるフォースを剣に集めなければならない。

この世界のあらゆる物に宿るフォースを剣に集め巫女を、そしてゼルダ姫を救うのだ。

But the magic of Gufu caused for your sword to lose its power to destroy the darkness. 

To regain its power, you must gather the Force, the source of the power, into the sword. 

Collect the Force that resides in everything in this world into the sword and save the maidens and Princess Zelda.

Kaepora Gaebora (Four Swords Adventures) - Translated by Sidier

 However, the sword only regains its power for so long, and Link must continuously acquire Force Gems after the sword has lost its charge. This shows that the sword is in a very unstable condition where it can barely keep a magical “charge.” Link eventually rescues the maidens and Princess Zelda, entering the Palace of Winds again, and, in a fateful battle, slays Vaati once and for all. 

Ganon then reveals himself as the true mastermind of the dark events that have been affecting Hyrule, and engages with the four Heroes in combat. Using the power of Zelda’s sealing abilities, Link is capable of sealing Ganon in the Four Sword, just as was done to Vaati twice before. After Link places the sword in the pedestal, the maidens reinforce the seal as Link and Zelda leave the sanctuary, marking the final time that the Four Sword would be used by a Hero.

リンク。あなたが守ってくれた私たちとこのハイラル…。

ハイラルの民は手を取り合いまた歩き出すでしょう。

あなたが４人で戦ったようにみな力をあわせて…。

さあ　フォーソードを…。闇の王を封じた剣を台座におさめましょう…！

Link.

You protected us and Hyrule... The people of Hyrule will join hands and together we will march forth once again. Just as the four of you fought together... 

Now, the Four Sword... Place the sword that sealed the Dark Lord on its pedestal..!

Zelda (Four Swords Adventures) - Translated by Sidier

While it can’t be known for certain exactly what happened between Four Swords Adventures and A Link to the Past, it can be determined what most likely happened. As the sword was in a very weak state during Four Swords Adventures, the seal it held on Ganon after the events of the game was also likely very weak, even with the fortification of the maidens. Ganon likely eventually broke out of this seal, and, in the process, he would shatter the Four Sword, separating it into four, which is why we see it shattered in A Link to the Past.

 Then, whether out of fear that the weapon would be used against him or out of sheer avarice for the blade that once sealed him, Ganon then takes the pieces of the Four Sword with him. As we later see in the Dark World, Ganon dedicates a section of his Pyramid to serve as effectively of prison for the broken sword, dubbed the Palace of the Four Sword.

 Very interestingly, the pieces of the shattered Four Sword have very similar designs to the phases the White Sword goes through in The Minish Cap, likely meaning that each of the shattered pieces is representative of one of the Four Elements, and contains its power.

Eventually, once the Hero of A Link to the Past arrives in the Dark World, he enters the Palace of the Four Sword, where he locates the shattered pieces of the Four Sword. He takes them to the deepest part of the temple, and when the swords attempt to re-unify, four Shadow Links appear, one by one, clearly being reminiscent of the four Heroes who sealed Ganon using the Four Sword. Link dispatches them and the shattered pieces finally reunify as the Four Sword.

Unfortunately, this is where our knowledge on what exactly happened to the Four Sword ends. It’s possible the sword was left in Link’s basement as shown in Ancient Stone Tablets, tucked away along with the rest of the treasures and artifacts Link finds on his adventure. It’s also possible Link left it to remain in the Sacred Realm, serving as a kind of peaceful afterlife for the sword to reside in, its purpose in the world complete. While we may never know exactly what happened to the blade, its influence on the history of Hyrule and the conflicts with the Wind Sorcerer and the Demon King of Darkness isn’t easily forgotten.  

[blackstarchanx3new]

FSR rambles 18 dreams about being gannon

Direct parallels to Gannon/OOT.

Sweet time to mention Shadow can play the piano haha. I have a plan for a comic on HOW he learned but that's a later date type thing.

HERO OF TIME HIIIIIII. 💖 Also Naavi.

He's here to murder shadow. Noice.

Seems like Shadow's just getting haunted by this guy considering his appearance earlier in the comic in page 290 -

Seems like Hero of Time just isn't a fan of him or smth. XDDD

Ouch. That looked like it hurt.

Also hi who are you.

Also considering I know who you are...Why are your eyes Blue buddy? :D

"Aw shit. I got sliced"

"Also I'm younger"

Ah dream logic.

Hi Perry-

I mean uhhh

Totally mysterious purple clad hero.

This is a character from the planned sequel of FSR. and I can't speak much about him. You'd know a decent amount about him if you've seen the FSRA posts.

Also his eyes changed...Again...

When I dream I have nothing but nightmares too shadow. Smh.

Oh Hi Link. Why are you wearing white and black. Basically the reverse of Dark Link's fit? Not weird at aaaaall considering that wasn't what he was wearing before he pulled the sword...

It's been around for awhile NOW but Shadow's hair changing to have a red streak...much like a certain gerudo man we know isn't odd at ALLLLLL.

Also nice Malice eyes Shadow.

Yeah I'm sure the magic demonic 8 ball will have the answers you seek Shadow.

Considering the Gannon flashbacks we just saw...Who's "him" Dark? Because Dark could just as easily be talking about Vaati here. But really it's up in the air on who he meant exactly.

Dark keeping his horns from his vaati convo and it appearing on his human ish form was a fun detail to add.

Random note to think about: Dark had to put himself back in Shadow's hat after sneaking off to vaati's house and that imagery is funny so I'm sharing it with you.

Dark's hair is still vaati colored as well and his behavior is reflecting him still.

Link talking about food and sleeping is just about the most link thing ever so Dark gives absolutely no shits about it.

Haha you should have chosen your words more wisely shadow...

It ALMOST sounds like you don't WANT Link here...which Dark can pick up on pal-

Oh shit. You repeated it you meant it.

Yeah don't shout Link could wake up.

Dark kinda SORTA seems to know what's happening...

But he's using "I think" and uncertain language. (You know he's not sure of smth if he's using phrasing like that hah. Since he's usually so self assured in his assumptions.)

Lol ignore how often my dumbass forgot to keep Shadow's hair right. Mistakes happen. 😅

Hey Shadow, abusing the nutcase isn't gonna get you very far.

Especially because he hates your guts.

Dark's kinda right here tho. Shadow's being selfish as hell rn.

The phrase "Does the word "HERO" just have no meaning to you? You disgust me" specifically gets a chuckle out of me considering who's mouth it's coming out of.

Dark continues to miss identify Shadow as Gannon when he said "you're as old as time" (More of a reference to demise depending on how you look at it but same diff)

Dark sweating visibly showing he's still very much scared of Shadow.

Shadow pulled his head out of his ass for a second and realized Dark's acting weird. (Like Vaati)

Dark's instant snap back is amusing but also sad. Like. Shadow doesn't "know him" not in any meaningful way. But he does yield and admit he was looking at memories for... YEARS in the head space.

Which is just a level of horror beyond comprehension.

Imagine spending YEARS looking at other people's memories just to get yanked out of it randomly by mr root of all evil himself bitching at you about smth you don't even know about, some guy you had a single conversation with YEARS AGO. But oh yeah. It's only been maybe 8 hours in the real world and all perception of time and reality was thrown off and you're being accused of being a different person after all that shit.

To say Dark Link isn't having a fun or good time would be an understatement.

I touched on it in a fic where Link and Dark bang of all places but Dark's existence is an existential nightmare.

Dark Link's EXISTANCE isn't fun for him. He's gonna mention it later too but he's MISSERABLE and vocal about his misery and pain just being alive.

Something weird to think about: Who's memories was he even looking at?

Really from his vague description it could be ANYONE.

I personally like to think it's vaati's considering he still has his hair shifted to be vaati's tone, is acting like vaati and mentions shadow being "Annoying"

though Link and vio are high possibilities too haha.

A mix of all of them aren't off base either.

Identity crisis how fun...Dark struggling to separate himself from the memories he's witnessed is concerning to say the least.

At least he's willing to be helpful with what he thinks is going on.

Really he could have just said "Fuck off figure it out yourself" but he offers to try and explain shit to Shadow from his perspective.

Dark's openness to cooperate despite everything is smth noteworthy.

He has literally no reason to do shit like this (Even if it fails) ESPECIALLY considering his distaste for Shadow. He just does shit that's helpful or nice cause he can.

Just little characterizations that Dark Link is more like Link than you'd first think considering his introduction.

Also OOT reference again with Ganon entering the sacred realm to steal the Triforce of power.

The second Shadow mentions them splitting is a relief, Dark cosplays Vio. XDDDD

Even Shadow thinks that was Vio like haha.

Dark's avoiding Link is the funniest part of this. "Oh shit he's waking up, gotta run. Don't wanna talk to him." XDDD

Don't do it Shadow.

It's a terrible idea.

Last time Link was here he was wanting to off himself so he might not be the most mentally sound individual!

Also who's happy to be woken up...

Dark Link being the voice of reason here about the pros and cons to waking Link up or even listening to him haha.

Considering what happens HAPPENS, that probs would have happened REGUARDLESS of if he was woken up or not. The change really is down to whether or not Shadow would A. Even be around for it. B. Be the one to wake Link up and have that burden on his mind or C. Just let shit happen.

Shadow is putting a ton of pressure on Dark to give answers or be helpful AND CORRECT but like...dude Dark doesn't know, he's guessing too lmfao.

Shadow makes what I consider a very foolish choice which was waking Link up.

Dark held back the explosion aspect but he is here to have fun first so uhhhh...Well he DID say it'd be funny to him and not Shadow.

Shadow defaults to blaming Dark Link "Damn demon" which...Shadow learn some accountability.

Panel by panel breakdown cause stuffs getting jucy:

1- Interesting outfit choice Link. It's the one he wore when he was a bit younger. So he's got a younger mindset when waking up. Which is just sad.

2- his outfit changes to half blue half green with a purple sleeve, his hands are all sorts of wrong and mish mashed with red and purple nails. His eyes also have the wrong color. His body is distorting all over the place...Interesting.

3- Shadow you shouldn't have said anything. The coward's hiding too lmfao he knows he fucked up.

4- Safe to say he's not very happy.

Link's distorting and glitching is based on video game glitches. Which is fun because: LOZ is a video game.

There's something distinctly haunting and uncanny about buggy/glitchy game assets and I wanted to capture it here.

Like the reality of four people being forced into one body is quite horrifying and the idea of them just bugging out unable to process how many thoughts there are is overwhelming. Literally like overloading a computer or gaming system.

There's also something to be said about how he fully breaks after seeing Shadow Link.

This is brought up later so I'll expand upon it later but the fact literally the only words Shadow Link spoke to LINK was "I'm the hero Link" or smth like that is hysterical.

For living together for 7 years: They truly don't know each other well on a personal level considering their ability to communicate was stunted by Shadow being...Well a Shadow. And I wanna explore that more as the series goes on.

1- Lol Green hi thanks for trying to stay calm.

2- Vio's here too. Something tells me calming down isn't working considering your face is cracking more and the tunic is flashing different colors.

3- Shadow I swear to god, shut your mouth-

4- Yeaaaaaah we saw that coming. Ouch looks painful. Good thing that body is magic hahaha.

Link's just not having a good time at all. XD

I think a few people caught this but Link breaking down here was based on the forced gem fusions in SU also the distorted static version of the cartoons from learning with pibby XD

It was good inspo for how horrific this scenario is.

Really all of them are just kinda, shoved in there. Unable to truly escape and they're NOT HAPPY about it.

Blue specifically is trying to get out as we'll know later and we get more context on his thoughts about this ordeal from the Darkblue chapter... But visually you can see Link's got two faces and it remains consistent that that's Blue.

Which, is terrifying.

There's also the underlying horror that the "Why" Link is back in one body isn't truly addressed but we'll get more into that later.

Shadow running for his damn life haha.

I'd be scared too if that mess was crawling at me.

The sad thing is that Link's reaching out for help and Shadow responds by screaming in terror lmfao.

Cause Link seems monstruous at the moment but the reality of the situation is he's very clearly conscious and scared. He's reaching out to the only person he can, which is Shadow.

I think this might be my favorite design of Link in this state. It's just horrific to look at. The eyes bleeding onto both his faces which are cracked like mirrors so you can't tell what he's looking at. He has Vio and Blue's legs sticking out of his back, and entire extra head forcing its way off his main one, it's hard to tell from these but his skin is glitching in both Red and Blue's separate skin tones (Blue's being a bit darker and Red's being lighter)

His tunic is pitch black which, black absorbs all wavelengths of light and reflects none...Literally keeping it trapped haha.

Yeah. WHY IS THIS HAPPENING.

Anyway, Link/Green, Vio and red are all reaching out to shadow but blue is suspiciously absent haha.

Them grabbing onto Shadow is smth Vio would do...

The four sword's lil gem thingy is glitched to shit too. Each colored piece being a different size. Green's is noticeably larger while Blue and Red's are about the same size. Vio's is the smallest.

Shadow's hat is doing that thing Dark does when he's upset where it clings to his body.

Yeah feeling like you can't do anything would be a feeling you fall into frequently being trapped as a shadow.

Take that agency back Shadow it's been robbed from you for too long.

Blue: GET YOUR HANDS OFF ME!!!!

Jokes aside I love this moment. Link getting more stable as he keeps Shadow close to him is sweet.

Link just needed a hug. UwU

Or...Less cute option: Maybe...The triforce of power had something to do with it...

Link/Red crying immediately when Shadow says a single word lmfao.

Link's so pretty I love him. I'm glad he's back a bit.

"Shadow, stop talking." could apply to everything he says to link as of rn. XD

Link's still very much emotionally distressed and I'd be too after THAT SHIT SHOW.

I do think it's funny how Link is wearing black here and Shadow is wearing white. (It's just his usual underclothes without his tunic)

Yes shut up and please just hug him it's clearly what he needs rn Shadow. X'D

Perfect cut off point lmfao.

[ym-loreposting]

Ganon's corruption in Four Swords Adventures

Ganon and other major demons corrupting the land physically is a staple of the The Legend of Zelda series: from curses on the land due to evil energy flowing out of the sage temples in Ocarina of Time, to the eternal night that Ganondorf casts in the Wind Waker, to the chaotic seasons in Oracle of Seasons.

One game that is often overlooked when it comes to Zelda lore analysis shows this trope quite prominently: Four Swords Adventures.

Source of the corruption

This game is level-based and each level ends with a dark barrier that needs to be broken to end the level. In the first level of the game, Kaepora Gaebora explains that the barriers are siphoning power from the land via the use of darkness:

"Link, those black spheres form a barrier of darkness! The darkness that Vaati created is syphoning the power from the land. If these barriers are left intact across Hyrule, Vaati will grow ever stronger. Look! Already, the green fields that once grew here have withered to dust. It is unforgivable, what he has done to the land! The power of the Four Sword can destroy the barriers! Link, you must bring your light and pierce the darkness!" -Kaepora Gaebora at the end of Level 1-1: Lake Hylia

This can also be seen in this level, as the land arround the dark barrier is barren rock, with grass only appearing further away from it.

While the barriers look like Vaati, he is not the one solely responsible for siphoning the energy from the land. In Four Swords Adventures, Ganon is the true mastermind and is using Vaati as a scapegoat to hide behind. After Vaati's defeat in the final level of the game, he reveals he is responsible for stealing the power of the Hyruleans:

"This was all there was to the wind sorcerer Vaati, eh? Before the Four Sword, you were at your wit's end. Useless cur! I did not steal enough power from the Hyruleans." -Ganon after Vaati's defeat in Level 8-3: Palace of Winds

Examples of the corruption

As mentioned above, several areas in Hyrule during Four Swords Adventures are undergoing the effects of corruption by the darkness of Ganon. In the credits of the game, these areas are shown in their restored forms as Vaati has been killed and Ganon has been sealed. The first major example encountered in the game is in Level 4-2: The Swamp, where the water has turned poisonous, demonic Zoras inhabit those poisnous bogs and darkness covers the graveyard. In the credits, we see that the water has returned to normal, the graveyard is no longer dark and the Zoras with lily pads on their heads are gone.

Left: the uncorrupted Swamp in the credits. Right: the same areas of the Swamp as encountered in Level 4-2.

The second area that has been shown to have been thoroughly corrupted by Ganon is the forest in the northwest of Hyrule. According to Dampé, who tends the graveyard in the Swamp, the forest used to be one of light and is now one of dark:

"I understand it's supposed to be hidden now somewhere in the Forest of Light. The forest's been covered by pitch-black clouds recently. It's a Forest of Dark now. Yep, no mistake about it… Something bad's a-brewin' there." -Dampé in Level 4-2: The Swamp

This is repeated by the White Maiden when entering these woods:

"Link, this is the Forest of Light. Or rather, it once was. Now, the darkness grows deep, and the air stagnant. I wonder if some clue might reveal itself here. It seems that many foul beasts are gathering here." -White Maiden at the start of Level 5-1: Lost Woods

The forest is home to unnatural looking trees, but these appear to actually be natural as they do not disappear in the credits. Rather, what does disappear is the blue haze that covers the entire forest (note that this is different from the shadows of the foliage that remain in the credits). In Four Swords Adventures, this effect signifies darkness. Demonic skull rocks in the forest also disappear in the credits, marking these as another symptom of the corruption.

Left: the uncorrupted Forest of Light in the credits. Right: the same areas of the forest as encountered in Level 4-2. Note the darker, blue haze on the right.

The last example is also the most prominent one, as it can be seen as an anomaly on the world map: Frozen Hyrule, the seventh world in the game.

The six Shrine Maidens explain when entering the first level of this world that this is due to time freezing and winter lingering:

"The power of darkness has halted the flow of time here, and winter lingers on." -Shrine Maidens at the start of Level 7-1: Frozen Hyrule

Those less familiar with this game might point to this world as an incongruity with other depictions of Hyrule in the series, but the point is that it is unnatural and an anomaly. In the credits we can after all see that this frozen wasteland is supposed to be like the Fields directly east of it.

Left: uncorrupted Frozen Hyrule in the credits. Right: the same areas of Frozen Hyrule as encountered in Level 7-1.

Conclusion

I think it is very neat that the credits of Four Swords Adventures show these areas uncorrupted as even some of the series's bigger titles like Ocarina of Time have neglected to show all demonic corruption undone. A small, neat thing in an often overlooked game.