#Linked Universe analysis

[batrogers]

Okay, fine, revisiting my “Time has PTSD” arguments in light of the most recent updates.

I’ve previously analyzed the question of Time’s reaction to the letter in Dawn pt. 9 here, and established my baseline that – what we do know about Time’s backstory strongly implies that there has been conflict in his Hyrule post-Ocarina of Time and Majora’s Mask which may have predisposed him to have strong, negative reactions to recent events like Twilight’s injury. I also did a revisit of that in the first part of Moving Forward, where Wild and the others were playing and Time seemed disconnected and out of it.

After the past few updates, I admit it’s striking to me that we’ve now gotten three sets of double-panel reactions where Time is blank for several seconds before actually displaying an emotional response (if he does at all.) It’s a really interesting choice on Jojo’s part.

This is literally every update except for “Enter...” since Dawn pt 9 (an update in which nobody talks at all.) Ever since the letter, Time has had a marked lack of response to the others. He’s reserved; he’s pulled back from treating them as comrades but he’s also retreated from giving orders. I noted in my last analysis that it looked like Time was calling the shots – but he’s not actually continued doing that. Once they set out, it seems like he’s just.... stopped.

Stopped engaging with them, and stopped reacting until something drastic (like the skultula, or bewilderment about the Epona comment) forces him to react, as happened with the likelike ages back.

A brief repeat of my prior analysis: while it’s been three years for us, between the last time Time smiled (when Sky asked him about Malon in ‘Miss Her’) to now, in-comic it has been maybe a few days, depending on how long Twilight took to recover. In that time, they battled Dink (who they don’t yet understand) Twilight ran off alone, showed back up and was taken out in seconds. Time made the split-second decision to save Twilight rather than battle an iron knuckle ala his era, and now we’re here.

Something I noticed on revisiting analysis is that we have seen Time get upset and off-balance before: when Wind began asking him about the Hero’s Legacy as well. Some of what people say when they analyze Time & Twilight stuff is how Time acts towards Twilight, as his son/descendent – but Wind is, in a sense, also Time’s successor and he reacted much the same way to him, too. Notably, Twilight in the midst of his injuries explicitly states some of his stubbornness is about his feelings about said legacy – both when he refuses to rest in the immediate, and while delirious in bed.

Whatever Time’s own burdens, Twilight very well may have actively made Time worse without realizing it. Knowing that someone looks up to you and has pushed himself to nearly dying would upset anyone, nevermind someone who possibly has been a commander (and, therefore, responsible for other people's safety) before too.

The tension of the Chain struggling to to sort themselves out in the dungeon is not helping, although I don't think everyone is oblivious to it. Warriors attempted to reassure him when they discussed the Iron Knuckle's survival, and they do still defer to him (Sky looks for his approval before entering the portal) even if they don't let his bad mood ruin theirs. (eg. Despite his scolding over the skultula, Entrance pt 2 is a playful scene.)

Time was not always like this. He’s playful, teasing the others and showing off his masks; he’s not nosy or controlling– he lets Legend refuse to explain his hair – but not entirely closed off, ala Sky asking him about Malon. I don’t think Jojo intends him to be a grumpy no-fun asshole (she drew this dayglo nonsense in the middle of Twilight taking forever to die), so I wonder.

What is the reason for his stress? And where is Jojo going with it? I’m deeply curious to see how the dungeon is going to play out, when someone who should be among their strongest members is so compromised. I don't think it's gone unnoticed, and my prediction (and, tbh, hope because I like the dynamic) is that Warriors may step in and try to get Time to calm down...

But mostly I wrote this to reiterate my feelings: I don't think this is "a bad mood." Time is legitimately upset, possibly triggered, and I am very sure -- as much as Twilight may have caused it -- it's not just about him.

(And, let me repeat bc I'm sure someone will try to take this and run with it: Twilight is not responsible for this.

He is not guilty in any way with respect to Time's trauma or subsequent behaviour; there's no way he could've known this would happen. I hope if it does keep coming up someone steps between them to cut it off... but acting like Twilight did nothing to set this off downplays how the group dynamic affects everyone and has the potential to cause conflict all on its own.

It's ten times more interesting to see that Time is reacting to something Twilight actually did, than some nebulous attachment to an idea of "family" that overrules sense, reason, or having met each other literally days or weeks ago at best.)

[bokettochild]

Thank to rub salt in the wounds, Twi.

Not only your timeline was perfectly FINE, not only the hero before you isn't DEAD but he left you a sword in a perfect condition.

Twilight didn't have to fight, as a child, to survive in a cruel world. The hero before him did'n't fail, he didn't leave the sword in a horrible condition.

I wonder if Legend has guessed that the hero before Twi was Time, seen Twi's smile. (it's kinda obvious seen how close they are)

Did he guessed that Time was the hero before him too? And he chooses to stay silence to not hurt anyone? Time has never been the hero of time in his timeline after all and is probably died as a child.

But outch Legend's face....it's a mix between "Yep you are a lucky boy" and "if only you knew about the hero before me or maybe "thank to remember me how much a tragic mess my timeline is"

Because Legend is too nice and patient to say "how nice for you, the hero before me died against Ganon, his sword was in a horrible condition with still his blood on her, so much that i have had to reforge her myself! As a CHILD."

No Legend is too nice to take his bitterness on Twilight who did nothing wrong and didn't know. He'll shallow it and says nothing about the sword's condition in his timeline.

I think that's a big part of who Legend is actually! He comes off as really bitter and cold, at least as far as Twilight is concerned, and I wish there was more focus on that interplay.

Twilight met Legend and, based off of a few limited interactions, mentally labeled him as a bully and a jerk and thus treats him accordingly. Not without reason of course, he's drawing mental parallels to actual bullies and Legend is unintentionally checking the boxes, but I think it's sort of sad that until this point, Twilight has still not bothered to get to know Legend at all beyond his initial observations .

But the fact remains that Legend IS from a world that was in shambles, a world where everyone is a threat, if not to everyone else than at least to him. Legend is a prey animal trapped amongst predators with little to no guidance. The cards of fate are stacked against him as far as his world is concerned, and while the goddesses may have granted him additional blessings and favor to make up for that, his world is still magically a mess, physically a mess, and just generally a mess.

The vet has no legacy of proud heroes to look back on. The First Hero died. The Hero of the Four Sword is a raging lunatic who tries to murder children and is sealed beneath the castle. The Hero of Time died in combat. This is the legacy he gets to follow in. Legend doesn't have the hope of becoming like those before, he has the fear of meeting a similar fate because life is never kind to heroes.

Legend's world was left in shambles, and he's had to be the one to help rebuild it, only to watch it get torn down again and again as enemies undo all his hard work. But on a more personal note, Legend has tried again and again to establish himself in the world just to have all the people he loves hurt or harmed on his account.

His Uncle died, and even though he was brought back, he disappears from the timeline shortly after, leaving a kid hero alone in the world. Legend's grandparents have high expectations and aren't the best at listening when he says that their wishes make him unhappy or uncomfortable, and instead push him to follow them anyway, only to themselves disappear from his life once the Oracle adventures are over. Din, Ralph, Raven, Nayru, Moosh, Ricky, Dmitri, all these are people Ledge befriended and was close to and had to say goodbye to again for one reason or another.

Marin.

Legend is always losing the people he loves most, watching his work get thrown in his face and receiving little to no thanks for his work. He's still actively treated like a nuisance and a threat by some people in his kingdom and no doubt there are others who simply don't believe him.

The whole world is against him, and yet the only thing it's done is made him defensive. Ledge isn't cold or cruel, you can see that he actively cares for and worries about the other heroes, he's just guarded more than they are about it. Still, in times of high emotion the walls fall and he's his true self: that kid who's got a heart too big for his own good and is going to get it broken again.

And Legend knows this. Legend actively knows that Twilight isn't fond of him, and that the other heroes regard him as an ass, but rather than correct them, stand up for himself, provide even one of the thousands of reasons he has to guard and defend his heart like he does, he just lets them have their peace because what good would it do to tell them about the losses he's suffered? The world he grew up in? The legacy he has to bear? The terrible fate he no doubt expects to one day meet? What good would it do to make them love him if that will just make their inevitable parting all the harder?

It's hard to lose those you love, but it's easier if you convince yourself they never actually loved you, so you're better off.

So yeah, Twilight is over here unintentionally rubbing salt in the vet's many wounds, but Legend keeps his mouth shut because it does no good to speak up, and in the long run, at least as far as he thinks, it's better to let it be.

I kinda hope Twilight will come to understand the vet better though, and maybe get a peek at what has hardened up the younger hero enough that he comes across the way he does. I'm pretty sure his whole outlook would change if he did, and his respect for the vet would definitely increase.

[skyward-floored]

Dawn part 4 analysis, here we go! At it again with my ramblings.

Starting off with THE GLORIOUS RETURN OF THE MAILMAN! The moment I saw the flag I was like :O HE’S BACK!!!

(I also got the blue’s clues mail song stuck in my head)

Hey look, it’s Warriors’ money! And the inkeeper who’s happily admiring the ridiculous amount of rupees Warriors now does not own!

Rip Warriors’ money. It will be dearly missed.

Also no vacancy?? I mean, it’s possible there’s other people staying there, or it’s just a small inn, but... it kinda looks like Warriors literally bought every available room there was. Mad lad.

I (like everybody else lol) took a crack at figuring out who’s signature was who’s, based on their respective game’s Hylian texts/scripts, order of when they got there, and the OG tags on the comic. So here’s my best guesses—

1. Time is first, which makes sense based on him being the one to take Twilight to the inn

2. Hyrule appears to be next— his games don’t have a written script, but the hylian here is close to Legend’s, so I’m assuming it’s his, based on the fact that he was part of the next group to get to the inn.

3. Four is who I’m least sure about I’ll admit, but seeing as how he came with Hyrule, (and he’s the only Link left I couldn’t identify at all), I’m assuming it’s his.

4. Warriors we know for sure, since the tags say this signature is his. He gets a shout out for being the only Link who can actually write in the lines.

5. Wind seems to be next, as his hylian is very close to what’s here (his signature partially obscures Warriors’ XD)

6. Legend is who I’m going with for this one, but I’ll admit it could be Wild’s since their script is pretty darn close. But once again, based on when they all got to the inn, Legend would make the most sense to be here.

7. Sky is definitely here. His hylian is very unique compared to the others (I think it’s my favorite)

8. Wild is probably next, but same case as Legend, they could be swapped. But once again, probably not, since Wild was the last to get inside.

9. Twilight bringing up the rear! His hylian is unmistakable, and it makes sense that he’d mark his name last. I don’t think he could handle it until he woke up that morning, though I do wonder which arm he wrote it with...

(Rip Mr. Mailman in trying to figure all this out)

Moving on!

It’s gotta be close to mid-morning by now based on the light, but Sky obviously does not handle waking up at dawn well. It’ll be interesting to see if he stays sleepy during the rest of this arc, or if he'll wake up a bit.

(Side note, Sky looks so soft and fluffy here, I want to hug him)

Sky is so relatable in this update, he’s got some serious “I have no idea what’s going on” vibes. That first one he's got such a deer in the headlights look XD

The mailman is just like “you! I’ve been looking for you! Great to see you!” and Sky’s just “I have never met this man in my life” (probably forgot he actually did see him once (because he’s sleepy))

Four letters, all different languages and dialects... I’m guessing at least one Zelda based on the seal on that blue letter (it seems fancier to me), but I don’t know about the rest. I would guess Malon for one, and maybe another Zelda? Warriors or Wild or Four’s Zelda maybe? Maybe Twilight got a letter from someone in Ordon, or the Resistance!

Only thing I do know is that there’s probably not one for Sky, since he wasn’t immediately like “letter for me! :D”

Four trying to do something nice and fix Wild’s sword and this guy just laughs at him, rude 😤 At least he didn’t make a short joke, which was honestly what I was expecting. I mean I get knowing that your equipment won’t be enough for the job, but sheesh.

(Also the blacksmith’s goggles look a bit like Gondo’s in skyward sword’s, plus the ones the rescue knights wear, thought that was interesting).

(Cool pose mode: engaged)

I love this panel!! They all decided to follow Four and help him out just like they did last time, fix the sword and get Wild a good, reliable weapon.

I’ve also never noticed how similar these guy’s hair looks before, especially Warriors and Hyrule’s— if Rulie’s hair was a little shorter and blonde, it would be pretty near identical. Very interesting...

(Plus Wind has the funniest expression, he's so cute)

We interrupt this rambly analysis to bring you a brief moment of me yelling about Warriors' smile ABHDGFSFKHSBBG LOOK AT HIM that stupid cocky grin and the way he's rolling up his sleeve I'm *swoon*

Four absolutely losing it over Warriors’ jab about teamwork is SO funny, Captain you have no idea how good your joke was. (also Four, bud, you good? Little hysterical there pal)

Also he looks so happy!!! Compare that to any of the faces he was making the night before, he's doing so much better. I’m so glad he’s happy and smiling now, even if it was just at a dumb joke :)

I don’t even have anything to say about this panel. Just look at it. Glorious.

And one last thing...

MULTILINGUAL WARRIORS HOLY CROW that's such a cool trait to give him, I am in love with it now that's awesome.

An amazing update as always, it was fantastic all around <3

[lace4forest]

In the new LU chapter, we cannot see the very front of the Temple, but we do see these pillars and the weird thing on top of them as we normally enter dungeons-

HM, Some of those pillars don't look Identical, but we can always say artist interpretation!

This is from Zelda 1

OH! Also-

Screaming Owl?

Same Pillars.

I think we are in Hyrule's time, and this is one of his dungeons.

We are in danger.

Art by Jojo, go check them out!

[hero-of-the-wolf]

What are your thoughts on each LU hero?

cracks knuckles long post incoming!!

I feel like a lot of people forget about how much of a gremlin Time really is. He's cryptic for the bit, because he thinks it's funny, but he's absolutely willing to talk about things when asked (like when he told Wind about his entire adventure). Yeah this man's got trauma, but at the point he's at now he's healed a lot. I also think that he's just incredibly awkward, and it makes him come across as aloof and ✨mysterious✨

Twilight is the softest dorkiest Link by far and I will DIE on this hill. He's the biggest big brother to ever brother, and he vibes like someone who feels most useful when he's taking care of other people. It's very important to him. My boy is also so so stubborn like who the heck thinks it's a good idea to try and walk off an axe wound to the gut 😭 also I know in my heart that he gives the best hugs ever and I think a hug from him would fix me actually

People like to make Warriors this shallow jerk??? and he's NOT. He's really really not. He's just a big brother and he loves to tease. He's also really smart too, esp with battle tactics and working with other people. Also this man def knows field medicine like look at him whenever one of the others is downed in a fight, he's always right there making sure that they're okay.

Four is so so clever and really good at teamwork (obviously lol). but like!!! I love how throughout LU you can actively see him working really well with the others and accounting for their skills and where they are in battle, like in The Shadow arc he ducks down so Time can land a hit and it's a really cool scene. I also love his inside jokes with himself lol. He keeps his secrets just because he's waiting for a big dramatic reveal and I respect him for it.

Wind makes the best facial expressions HANDS DOWN. He's such a big brother too, and even tho he's the youngest Link I'm sure he still big brothers all the others lol. Also!!! This kid literally made the gods choose him as a hero. At every turn literally nobody took him seriously and he proved himself and killed Ganondorf!!! I'm so proud of him. ALSO Wind is so smart. He's the first one to start piecing together the timeline(s)!!

Wild is honestly super hyper competent?? Boy knows how to live off the land. He's smart. He chooses to be silly bc he enjoys being silly, not bc he's stupid. Also he was literally a prodigy!!!! That doesn't go away just because he lost his memories. He basically started out with the master sword (as in he started his knighthood with the sword already in hand), he defeated a guardian with a pot lid, also he knows how to cook lol. He's fine vibing by myself, but he's also happy to hang out with the others too :) also yeah he has a lot of trauma and guilt over everything that happened :(

Legend's harshness to me is def a projection. A coping mechanism, if you will. Boy's got such a soft heart (bunny hehe) and he wants to protect it from getting hurt again. That doesn't stop him from loving and caring about the others, he's just more guarded about it. And despite everything he's been through... he still loves adventuring. He really does.

Hyrule's got SO much grit and sheer determination. And he's so powerful too, even if he doesn't think that he is. He's got spells!!! That's something none of the others really have. Boy's got the toughest enemies in the entire franchise, too. He survived the Adventure of Link. That's insane lol also he's got SUCH just a little guy energy fr and I love that for him

I think people also forget what a troublemaker Sky is. And he absolutely gets away with all of it too bc like just look at his face. Is that the face of someone who's ever done something wrong in their entire life? yes. yes it is But he's also genuinely so so sweet too and yeah he def gives really great hugs. Also he's an insanely talented swordsman??? Like there's a reason he's called the Godslayer™️ lol. Sky is SCARY when he's angry. He just doesn't get angry all that easily.

[luckywolfsbane]

Okay, so we know Twilight survived because the Shadow was arrogant enough to underestimate the Chain's connection(my theroy at least). So I'm now going to take a look at the two little beasts that have been plaguing everyone's minds since their spat: Four and Wild.

Both of them look better in this chapter, but claiming they're "okay now" would be a huge stretch. Let's look at Wild first.

Despite sparing some smiles, he looks pretty deflated emotionally. Boy is definitely tired. I personally think he looks somewhat alright because he's putting up a front for the others. I think it's either going to coast like this until he feels better for real or his little wall will come crashing down the moment there's more trouble from the Shadow(considering he thinks he killed the Shadow, guess which I think is more likely. Hell, we might get a combination thereof). Just a guess, really. But an educated one.

Now... Four. Sweet boy, good boy. Warriors, please give him a hug. Wild got one, and Four is LITERALLY RIGHT THERE. It would be so easy.

Okay, seriously though. Four is eating himself up inside. Not only did he draw a weapon on Wild, he divided himself as well. This implies he was approaching Wild as a real threat, which I'm certain isn't lost on either of them. Look at this boy:

He's hurting considerably. It's pretty obvious he intends to fix the sword for Wild, especially given the circumstances of why it was broken in the first place. Considering his expression, I don't expect that to be the end of it for Four or Wild.

They're going to need to rebuild their trust. Wild and Four will both have to put in effort. Not just because they were both involved, but because they were both at fault for their spat. This has to go beyond words.

Neither were truly wrong, don't misunderstand. Emotions were running so high, both were just trying to help in the only way they could think of. And their methods just happened to clash. However, they'll need to acknowledge that, or something akin to that.

But with their weakened relationship(I think they'd still die for each other, but they are hurt), seeing turmoil come from them trying to rebuild their bond wouldn't come as a surprise. I don’t expect more than one of two chapters of turmoil before they fully make up. But if we get more, I won't complain.

Also.... uh... is Wild the only one that knows about the colors?

We all remember this. I think these expressions from them both in these panels will help to lay out how they move foward.

Wild is freaked out by Four's ability here. Four(especially Vio) expected that and used that to their advantage. Which kind of lends itself to the question: does Four view himself as a sort of freak? I think so. I hope this internalized shame gets addressed, and I hope Wild is able to help him feel accepted. It's part of what makes Four himself, he should be allowed to feel safe when split.

Personally I believe that until they talk about that; until Wild and Four acknowledge what happened, they won't be able to heal. Once Wild knows what happened there, I'm certain he'll accept Four and the colors without batting an eye. I would hope they'd talk about telling the others to clear the air, but that's Jojo's choice. It would be interesting either way, really.

Also, with Tears of the Kingdom less than 100 days away.... uh, yeah. I'll tackle that in another post.

[layraket]

i love Four he's such a mood

thank u @amyred for giving ideas and being an accomplice of my weird shitposting

Art belongs to @/linkeduniverse

also the spanish one says "GODDAMN IT THE MATH PROJECT"

[nyastri]

I want to highlight the difference in Legend's attitude from last update and this update.

Last update he's playful, he's comfortable. He knows dungeons better than anyone and was excited to go through this one.

Even at the beginning of the new update, he's just as energetic and excited.

But the second he realizes that the others are in danger, he's stressed. He knows he can handle the dungeon by himself but now he's worried the others can't. As the veteran, he probably feels responsible for keeping the others safe now that they're going through his "domain". (Art by @/linkeduniverse)

[alasse-earfalas]

Guys wait... I think I just figured out something very important about this panel.

Y'all remember how protective Twi is of his village kiddos?

Yeah, threatening Twi's village kids is like threatening Sky's Zelda. If you're smart, you don't. Because their respective Links will hunt you down and murder you in protective rage.

Now then... what, exactly, did Wild do, again?

Oh. That's right.

He hunted down Dink and tried to murder him in a protective rage.

And Twilight knows that.

Prior to all this, Twilight was more serious and stern with Wild, attempting to model Time, which Wild never jived with.

But now Twilight understands where Wild is coming from. Wild doesn't view Twilight as a mentor: he views Twilight as a friend.

As a brother. As family.

Wild has lost so much that he is murderously protective of anyone he has left. And now Twilight sees that. Viscerally, he understands what it means to go into a blind rage because that person you just hurt is mine and I will not allow it. He knows that because he's been there. And now, he knows that that's how Wild sees him.

And so now they can be brothers.

[runecatwrites]

Wind was very intent on bottling this fairy!

At first I just saw it as cute/funny background action. But then I started thinking…

What if this is foreshadowing?

Now I might just be looking into things too much, but part of me wants to think that maybe this whole fairy business isn’t just filler. It could be telling us that the boys are going to need to use that fairy in the near future.

If that is in fact the case, that brings me to my question: who’s gonna get whumped so hard that they’re gonna need a fairy? Well, it’s been demonstrated that Dink will zero in on whomever took him on in his previous encounter. And right now? That person is Wild. Last update, his propensity to act without considering the consequences was on full display, and I think that’s gonna be his Achilles Heel in this dungeon. It doesn’t bode well for him at all.

Entrance pt.3

[sleepy-the-loz-enthusiast]

Seeing people talking about the tension between Wild and Warriors, and something just clicked.

In his journey, Wild was forced to work and explore alone. Like, yeah, he temporarily works with Riju, Sidon, Yunobo, and Teba to get to the Divine Beasts, but other than that? He only has himself to depend on, he's only responsible for his own safety and wellbeing. Whereas Warriors fought in a war surrounded by people. He was forced to be responsible for so many lives, but it taught him the importance of teamwork and that he could rely on others.

This shows in how they act in a team, and how they interact with others and the dungeon: Wild is ready to go off and explore everything by himself, leave everyone behind and throw caution to the wind. Because that's what worked for him on his journey, that's how he figured out the world around him and made it through his adventure. But Wars has no experience like this, he only knows teamwork and takes a slower approach. He thinks of plans, and asks questions to get a good idea of what exactly might happen so that he can reduce damage. Because that's probably how he operated in the War, and that's the point of reference he has.

So they're complete opposites in that regard.

Not to mention, Wars is still pissed at Wild for diregarding the plan and beating up Dink. That's the first indication of just how different their experiences were, and who knows? Maybe Warriors expected Wild to know better, considering his past life as a soldier. Maybe that's why he might hold Wild to a higher standard. He probably subconsciously sees Wild as a soldier under his command who's disobeying orders and putting lives at stake, and treating him as such because he knows the danger of when that happens. And part of Wild probably sees Wars as a commander, someone he must obey or fear, though he may not fully realise because of his amnesia. Or maybe he sees Wars as a threat to the freedom his second chance at life has granted him? Someone that could send him back to being that stone cold soldier boy who needs to be perfect?

I don't know, I can't say anything for certain. I'm just rambling vague ideas.

[batrogers]

WRT the most recent LU Update, I think I feel like this is kinda confirming what I hoped was going on in the last update but wasn't sure of until this one came out: Time is currently very stressed.

Back when Sky confirmed the portal was still active upon pursuing the Postman, Time responds to that confirmation with a very grim expression and words: "Remove any thoughts of concluding this journey. This is far from over."

From there, the entire next sequence up to their letters is rehashing the battle and, in many cases, blaming himself for stepping aside when facing an enemy he understands (styled after his, specific, Iron Knuckles) in favour of protecting Twilight. Despite Warriors reassuring him that his priorities, to protect over fight, were correct and ones he supports, Time is shifting from play and teasing into taking command of everyone in a very literal sense: he's focused on weapons, abilities, and preparations. He's obviously the person they're following the orders of, and he acts like it.

I don't remember the comic ever being this explicit about Time calling the shots before. Whether this is because Jojo started in media res, or because this is an actual change we may not know for sure, but the grim tone in Time's behaviour may be part of his reaction to Twilight when he asks him about the letter. I already did an extended analysis of that here, in which I point out that all the hints we get could be interpreted as PTSD, and frankly I think the newest update supports that.

The closest Time has come to smiling in the past few updates was when he was admiring Wild's new sword -- a practical question ("I need everyone to be properly armed. Is this resolved?" -- a commander's question, not a father or friend's, there!) and a compliment that would boost morale to be visibly approving of.

In the newest update, clearly a ways into the woods and away from the inn, Time is still as focused as Sky on their task. Literally everyone else is relaxed and playful, teasing each other as they reminisce, but Time (who, in previous portions of the story has played along with such things!) directly responds to Wild approaching him by telling him "Leave me out of--"

Explicitly, he's not in the mood to play. He doesn't actively stop him, but it's also obvious from his later statement ("What sort of conversation is taking place back there?") he's absolutely distracted by something else in his head. It's not because he can't hear them -- he responds to Warriors comment about his Zelda on the next page, so he's obviously in hearing range. He just wasn't listening.

Why? We don't know. I don't really buy the pregnancy thing, because while Time says the ranch is fine, again, he has not smiled since. I'm not sure the letter had anything to do with it; he's been grim since before then.

But clearly something's on the old man's mind.

[bokettochild]

Odd Groupings

Anyone else find the pairings in the Divine Dark Reflections arc interesting?

In New Time, New Place Warriors suggests they all split off to scout around, but that implies that each member of the group willingly chose to go with someone else. And the groupings?

Wind and Time is an obvious one. Time is Wind's idol, his hero, and the Old Man clearly has a soft spot for the youngest hero.

The rest though?

Twilight chose to be with Four. As we see in their conversation, he needs a break from Wild, so of course I suppose it makes sense he goes with the most calm and collected team-mate, one he doesn't feel responsible over, but still trusts (Four knows his secret after all).

And then there's Wild and Legend. Two heroes who you wouldn't expect together: the most experienced and by the book hero and the still adjusting to existing and doing it off the top of his head hero. Why them? Why choose each other? I think it's because Wild and Legend are more similar than either wants to let on, and while they clash on different things, they still feel more like equals with each other than they do with the others in the group.

And then there's Warriors, Sky, and Hyrule. And while Hyrule clearly is fond of Wars, and Wars respects Rule, I am curious how Sky ended up with them. Maybe he just realized the others all had a sort of balance or something going on and just decided to tag along with the two who seemed most welcoming? The only team with not one, but two extroverts?

What do you guys think?

[skyward-floored]

I’ve got a big mess of thoughts so here we go, analysis time!

First of all may I just say I love the siblings vibes in this entire update?? Wild is so happy Twilight is alive, his little brother energy is positively off the CHARTS here, and their bickering (while Legend looks on awkwardly) is hilarious. Peak sibling behavior.

Moving on!

I find it interesting Legend is grabbing his own scar here (you can just baaaarely see it) after it shows Twilight’s arm injuries. “I would have been done for,” huh? What do you mean by that Legend? How did you get that scar..?

The font change here has me cackling, Wild does NOT believe him a bit. It’s so funny.

“Uh-huh,

Friend”

Another thing to mention though, I’ve seen a lot of people agreeing with Wild on the whole “there’s no way she was just a friend” thing, but Twilight’s relationship with Midna is complicated y’all. It’s not just a broken romance. Twilight is probably hesitant to put a label on it, and Wild is pushing him a bit. Plus he was just thinking of Midna the night before... no wonder he’s cranky.

(I’ll also remind you that lu sticks very much with game canon and NOT manga, so don’t expect anything in the tp manga to be true in the comic y’know)

Warriors, putting on a happy face as he gears himself up to stop what he thinks is yet another fight: is somebody being cranky-wanky

(Also looking pretty fine there Wars 👀)

Makes me wonder what everybody else is doing... arguing? XD (also the little elbow cuff! They’re brothers your honor (Legend does not appreciate this))

This is one of my new favorite panels. Warriors being so stern and still annoyed at the sword thing (give it a rest buddy...) in comparison to Legend slapping his knee and making a truly ridiculous face as he laughs at Wild’s joke, it’s fantastic. I love it.

(Sorry this is basically about Warriors now)

I mentioned this in some tags, but I really like how Warriors calls Ilia by name. He doesn’t just say “your family” or “your girl”, he calls her Ilia, and I think that’s really sweet. It shows he’s been paying attention. (Also Legend’s little nod <3)

THEY’RE SO HAPPY TO HEAR HIM LAUGH look at them smile ooogghgh (And Twilight talking about Ilia! He talks about her a lot like how Time talks about Malon :)

And finally....

He’s laughing even though it hurts. The others, (Warriors especially) cheered him up, even after Twilight admitted himself he was grumpy, and I love that. He’s laughing even though it hurts. Man.

[raycatz]

You ever think about how the chain has to change their step sizes and like general gait in order to stay together as a group?

Like, I imagine Four walks with purpose. He's a focused lil guy- he's got places to be. But Time's strides have got to be much larger than his. When traveling as a group they must have all had to readjust.

Four and Time side-by-side walk animation but every couple steps Four has to do a skip hop or a lil jog to catch up. Also consider Four walking normally but Time is taking itty bitty steps.

[adrift-in-thyme]

Despite how obviously chaotic the other boys are I think that two things are actively disadvantaging and maybe even endangering Time rn

1) his worry for Twilight’s welfare and that of the others

2) his penchant for distancing himself from others.

He’s healed a lot from his adventures and the trauma of them thanks to time (heh) and Malon’s kindness, patience, and unconditional love. HOWEVER the things we endure remain with us even if they do not hurt quite so badly anymore (especially when they occur in such drastic ways during such formative years). Somewhere inside (perhaps not so deep now) is that terrified little boy who won’t allow himself to trust or love again. Who doesn’t want to get too close cause “nothing ever lasts”

He’s used to going it alone. He’s spent longer being solo than he has being married or teamed up with the other Links. His approach to tackling dungeons — whether chaotic or organized or somewhere in between — has always been the same.

Alone.

He’s the one who plummets down endless abyss.

He’s the one who bleeds and breaks and gets lost.

He’s the one who figures it out in the end.

And that’s okay. Because it’s lonely. It’s scary. But it’s only him who is in danger. And he can deal with that.

“You laugh because you know it’s true”

“You laugh because when it’s you who drags yourself home half-dead, it’s ok, it’s under control, but when it’s one of our boys…”

When it’s only him he doesn’t have to worry so much. He’s got a certain degree of control (real or imagined). And that is what he’s grappling for right now. Control to change a terrible fate he still sees looming. Control to keep his boys from suffering the way he has.

But now, with this last update, he realizes he doesn’t have it.

And while his expression here makes me laugh, it also saddens me. Four’s right and he knows it, he’s trying to resign himself to it.

Them remaining together — remaining with him, under his watchful eye — will end in their deaths at this point. It’s just not working.

He’s virtually powerless to keep them all safe. He’s the Hero of Time and he’s virtually powerless.

And that might just break him. Because the fear is still there. The fear that something will happen to one of his boys and he should’ve been there. He should’ve been there to stop it.

But he wasn’t.

Like he wasn’t there to protect the others from the Iron Knuckle

And that will consume him, weaken him. Until the Shadow can exploit it

Image credits @/linkeduniverse