#elegy of emptiness statue

[nebula--dreams]

first i sillied, then i serioused

smash melee versus brawl graphics

my only gripe is the boots, on the 3d texture one is shorter than the other when it should be equal. my ocd-esque autism cries for my baby.

they like, tried to tim burton-ify it or something, goof-ify it, nice try but it fell flat on being charming and just fell into the category of kinda frustrating.

[moons-harmony]

When the hyperfixation becomes TOO much😭

[phewgitoid]

never went over the creepypasta stories since i first read them as an itty bitty unrestricted internet access kid so it was a surprise to me when i only recently discovered canon ben drowned isnt the one 12 year old kid that died and also has a green bob ??

[urgohthewanderer]

uh oh! he drownd

[cambriancutie]

[duke-daemon]

my childhood sweetheart

[crownshattered]

|| holy shit I forgot how downright CREEPY the statues are in Majora’s Mask—

[dismembered-narrator]

i finished playing ocarina of time and majora's mask for the first time and i have so many thoughts....... one of the themes of oot is about growing up too fast and the world becoming dark around you, and losing the innocence and happiness of childhood. link doesn't belong in kokiri forest, he will grow old while the others stay the same, he can't remain a child forever, and he's forced to grow up in the time skip. he's a child in an adult's body pushed into a huge responsibility he isn't prepared for, but by the end of the game he's an adult in a child's body, sent to go live out a childhood that he's already lost. so in the beginning of majora's mask, he's searching for a childhood friend that he never reaches, and he's plunged into a surreal nightmare where this disconnect between his body and mind becomes literal with the transformation masks. the elegy of emptiness creates statues of the dead characters who gave link the masks, and a dead version of link himself, that child that is long dead and he's only wearing the mask of. the dialogue at the end of the game references this, with one of the moon children asking link what his real face looks like. it's only with the fierce deity mask that link appears as an adult again, but it's filled with a horrible dark power, maybe his trauma overpowering him like majora's mask overpowered skull kid. but at the end of the game, things are at peace, and it finally seems like link will be able to move on

[lady-arcane]

The Shape Of God Left Unfinished :

_________________________________________

Before he was legend, he was a boy abandoned at the temple gates.

They left him at the temple like a broken offering, too afraid to name what they had made.

But even gods begin somewhere. Even monsters once had empty hands.

(A study of Sukuna, before he was Sukuna. Before the world remembered his name in fear.)

_________________________________________

He was abandoned at the temple the way people leave things at riverbanks.

Softly. Quietly. Like the act of abandoning was somehow a prayer in itself.

A last attempt.

A gentle kind of cruelty, dressed up as hope.

The villagers didn’t even accuse him out loud.

They didn’t shout curses.

They didn’t shake their fists at the sky and demand an answer for the wrongness they saw.

No — they just looked at him.

Like he was a crack across clean porcelain.

A small mistake in an otherwise perfect creation.

“He has something wrong in him,” a woman whispered. Maybe his mother. Maybe not.

Or maybe no one spoke at all.

Maybe their silence said it better.

The monks accepted him.

Like they accepted stray dogs and broken tools and dying birds.

With open hands and quiet eyes.

Not kindness.

Not cruelty.

Just a terrible, bottomless kind of patience.

The boy was six.

Or seven.

Thin.

Quiet.

Too quiet.

When they shaved his head, he didn’t cry.

When they poured the cold wash water down his spine, he didn’t flinch.

When they gave him a name — Reien—

("Distant Flame.")

he didn’t react at all.

He just stared at the stone floor like it had whispered something to him,

in a language no one else could hear.

-----

The temple was kind.

In theory.

They rose at dawn.

Washed in silence.

Chanted in circles that never really closed.

Everything smelled like sandalwood and cold air and damp robes.

Things were clean here.

Predictable.

But Sukuna?

He was not a creature of clean things.

He learned fast.

Too fast.

By the second week, he could sit longer in meditation than boys twice his age.

By the third, he could recite the Heart Sutra backwards.

By the fourth, he could mimic the elder monks’ chants so perfectly it sounded like mockery.

Not cruel.

Not playful.

Just... empty.

One of the older monks said, almost reverently,

“He’s gifted.”

Another muttered, almost afraid,

“He’s hollow.”

Both were right.

-----

They named him Reien, but he never used it.

When called, he looked up slowly, like surfacing from somewhere deep underwater.

He didn’t smile.

Didn’t play.

Didn’t cry when the other boys whispered things like

witch-child

thing with teeth

born wrong.

Once, during morning chores, a boy kicked over the water bucket Sukuna was carrying.

Sukuna just watched the water spill and said, almost conversational,

“I think people hope temples make monsters polite.”

The boy blinked at him, stunned.

Sukuna shrugged.

A soft, almost gentle movement.

“But I was never rude," he added. "Just honest.”

-----

They thought maybe structure would save him.

Routine.

Compassion.

Years of stillness pressed into the ribs of a bad thing, until maybe it softened.

It never did.

He lit the incense with perfect fingers.

Poured the tea without spilling a drop.

Knelt in the meditation hall so still he looked like a statue left behind by a god who had gotten tired of waiting.

When he whispered the sutras,

they didn’t sound like prayers.

They sounded like elegies.

Like grief, recited backward.

-----

There was one monk.

Old.

Kind.

Tired in the way that made you trust him.

He brought Sukuna extra rice on cold mornings.

Helped him knot his robes when the others wouldn't get too close.

Once, he said, with a strange sadness,

“You remind me of a bell before it rings.”

Sukuna looked up.

“You’re waiting for something,” the monk said.

“I don’t know what. But I hope it’s peace.”

Sukuna didn’t answer.

But later that night, he buried the monk’s prayer beads under the snow.

Not out of malice.

Not out of disrespect.

Just because he didn’t want anyone to believe too much in rescue.

-----

Years passed.

Sukuna grew.

Not into someone better.

Just into someone more.

More silent.

More watchful.

More wrong, in ways nobody could name.

His eyes started to scare people.

He never raised his voice.

Never raised his hand.

But once, during chores, a boy shoved him hard enough to make him stumble.

Sukuna only leaned in and whispered something into the boy’s ear.

Soft. Calm. Almost kind.

No one knows what was said.

But the boy never spoke again.

-----

Sometimes, at night, Sukuna sat under the old Bodhi tree.

He would stare at the stars, muttering broken fragments of the sutras.

Not the full prayers.

Just scattered syllables.

“Form is emptiness..." he’d murmur, half-laughing.

"...emptiness is form.”

It wasn't madness.

It wasn't joy.

It was a boy telling a joke no one else understood.

-----

Once, a traveling girl came to the temple with her father, a rice merchant.

At lunch, she sat beside Sukuna and offered him a peach.

Bright-eyed. Fearless.

“You don’t talk much,” she said.

He blinked at her.

“Are you sad?” she asked.

He didn’t answer.

Just took the peach, holding it like something he didn’t deserve.

She grinned. “I think you’re pretending to be a monk.”

That night, Sukuna didn’t sleep.

He just stared at the peach pit in his hand for hours, wondering why it made him feel anything at all.

She never came back.

And that was the first time he realized—

Even kindness leaves.

-----

The breaking didn’t happen all at once.

Not like a sword through the ribs.

Not like a shout in the night.

It was slower.

Like water over stone.

Like moss growing over something sharp.

Small cracks.

Soft erosion.

A boy watching compassion become something

quiet and useless.

-----

One winter evening, Sukuna found a dying bird in the courtyard.

Shivering.

Mouth open.

Tiny heart hammering too hard.

He sat with it for an hour.

Didn’t touch it.

Didn’t help.

Didn’t look away.

When it died, he buried it with his bare hands.

And for the first and only time, he whispered the full Heart Sutra over its grave —

voice low,

steady,

almost tender.

-----

Later, when the elder monk was dying of fever, Sukuna sat beside him.

The monk clutched his prayer beads like a drowning man clutching driftwood.

Through cracked lips, he asked,

“Do you believe in rebirth, Reien?”

Sukuna stared at him.

Soft-eyed. Almost gentle. 

“Maybe you’ll come back as something… softer,” the monk whispered.

Sukuna leaned closer, voice light and cruel as snowfall:

**“This is my second life. I think I was something softer before.”**

The monk wept.

-----

Sukuna left the temple not long after.

No one remembers how.

Some say he disappeared into the snow.

Some say the temple doors opened once and never closed again.

Some say he burned it all.

But here’s what’s true:

He carried the chants with him.

Not because he believed.

Not because they saved him.

But because belief was the first lie anyone ever told him.

And lies are harder to forget than gods.

_________________________________________

(The gods see not with mercy, but with memory.)

[goon-account]

in the original story BEN canonly prbly had the capability to meddle with fourchin since yknow infected files and all that, but alexander hall still had the limitations of fourchin not being easy to meddle with so no meddling happened. however if someone did an au rewrite they wouldn't be held back by real life fourchin. they could make like. fake fourchin screenshots or perhaps even a fake fourchin x board and fake fourchin archive websites that, after jadusable decides to partake in novel cyberbullying methods, start getting some parts edited.

poasting to your tungle blog on a puter you avoided infecting by not downloading shit from people that claim to be haunted just in case about the fourchin archives of the haunted guy's posts suddenly having a different name in place of BEN.

could you use a flipper zero to give a computer ghost gender dysphoria or are those not code enough

[cybercasket]

I get mad thinking about green haired BEN sometimes because it's literally just an image of the Elegy of Emptiness statue thrown into an AI portrait generator.

Guys we don't have to respect this. This doesn't have to be canon BEN if we don't want it to be 💔

[fricc-darn]

HEEYYAAA it's me again with the cross-over asks 😋😋😋 Soo lately I've been getting a little (A LOT) into the linked universe AU, and along side with that, I found out about the self aware au! (Which is basically where Link from any game realizes that he's in a game and there's someone controlling them, which mostly results to them messing completely with the game to communicate and then breaking the screen to be able to be with the player/reader) What would be B. E. N's reaction to that?? Would they get some flashbacks from the cartridge (or even from themselves)???

Hii! To be quite honest, I don't know much about the Linked Universe or the self-aware au, but I definitely get the gist of the latter!

If Link became conscious in the ARG, it would be during the early stages of when the Eternity Project was experimenting with digitization! All of that messing around with the code must've clicked something in his brain. Slowly, Link realizes things are getting weirder. The NPCs aren't acting by their usual programming, and the Elegy of Emptiness is following him around.

However, because of how the game resets, Link doesn't remember everything, only bits and pieces. The only thing he can remember is a heart-sinking dread that something bad is happening. During the time frame of when Link becomes self-aware, there's only a handful of people in the cartridge. It is also before Jad gets his hands on the game. Meaning it is just Kelbris (The Father), Ben, and BEN in the world.

Link isn't one to judge, but he does not get good vibes from certain characters, the Moon Children especially. They're off-putting. Link says/does nothing for two reasons.

One: He won't go antagonizing people based on a hunch. Besides, many of the characters he feels this way about are very cordial! He feels bad for feeling such a way.

Two: He hasn't seen them do anything bad. Only weird behavior, like being in the wrong area or talking freely. To his knowledge, these characters discuss nothing questionable.

Another thing to note is that, at this time, BEN has limited sentience (similar to Link). The members of the hive mind are aware and angry even if they tend to fall in line with their programming. They also know Link isn't supposed to be free-roaming, since there's no one who ascended that got his body.

The group keeps an eye on Link. Be nice; he may be of good use. A key to escape. They also have to play it safe; they're weak at this stage, and who knows what would happen if they died again?

The rage and malicious tendencies eventually boil over. We know once BEN gains full consciousness, everything goes from bad to worse.

When Jad gets the game, Link is at the point where he realizes the statue that's been following him around isn't a threat. That the statue is trying to talk to him. Link and Ben's attempts at communicating with Jad don't go too well. Link can only communicate when he isn't being controlled, and no one can understand what Ben is saying.

Now there's a new issue: BEN is tampering with their attempts at communication and stealing Ben's identity. I feel like BEN would try to get rid of Link indirectly!

[disposableheros]

I love dumping my thoughts ermmmm anypoo

Only way I can ever imagine Ben is as a child. I'm fine with yall drawing him as an adult, but I saw him as a child when I was younger, and I cannot imagine him any other way like, even at the PEAK of the whole "PERVERTED DRUG ADDICT" Ben, I never saw him as that 🥀🥀🥀SO I will always draw him child - looking CUZ YKNOW...HE IS.

Plus the elegy of emptiness Link statue, was modelled after Link when he was 9 I believe?

[fagtainsparklez]

Ooo, I’m curious what’s the difference between BEN and Ben?

ben is the singular soul of ben (last name often thought to be lawman) trapped within the elegy of emptiness statue. he was the first person to be ascended and inserted into the majora’s mask cartridge. due to being trapped within the elegy statues, he can’t do much, only really being able to teleport around and speak to the main characters. he’s fully harmless, and although his teleportation is off-putting, he means no harm, and it’s implied that his sudden appearances in the first arc (the most well-known part of the arg) was not to scare the main character, but a desperate attempt to communicate with him.

BEN stands for Behavioral Event Network, and consists of multiple souls ascended into the cartridge after ben’s death. these are the antagonistic forces seen tormenting the main characters. they’re malevolent and sadistic and cruel, having had at least two victims (one the first arc’s main character, another one unknown). they’re implied to have named themselves after ben as a sort of tribute to his sacrifice, as they wouldn’t have become BEN without his death

[theplumblossomswordsman]

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Witch’s Herb Garden

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An earthy smell assaulted my nose, strong and unusual but it was somehow pleasant. Herbs and spices hung by the window sill, mixing its scent with the damp soil and morning dew. The forest sang its morning elegy, quietly gracing my ears with a melody so peculiar yet special for those who knew. A little hut stood amidst the silent clearing, surrounded by well-trimmed bushes and flowers of many colors that added delight to the greenery expanse.

“What are you doing here?” I heard her say, her displeasure evident on her small face yet it doesn't bother me one bit. It was amusing actually, for her to keep that grimace as if we haven't known each other for years. I know, I can feel her concerns. I heard the rumors, vile rumors that attacked her, hurt her, ruined not only her reputation but also her confidence, her self-esteem that I tried so hard to build and protect over the years. Who would've thought it would crash down in just a single event? Humans are indeed insufferable selfish creatures preying on the weak, on the uncanny, without a bother to seek understanding, just to feed their egos, their feeling of superiority. It was sickening, and to think I am one of them.

Maybe that's why she looks at me with hatred, with loath as if I were an enemy despite our past. I don't mind, I can take it. Though her trust is gone, I can slowly rebuild it. I don't mind how long it will take, I will endure. Won't it be futile? What if she refuses to yield? She has been hurt once, will she trust a human again?

“Shouldn't you be with the princess?” I heard her say, her sharp eyes softening for some reason and it eased the weight from my chest. I know, I can feel her emotions. She may be hurt but she knew it wasn't my fault, it was never my fault. I have always been honest with my feelings, true with my words. Will she trust me again? A person from a race that caused her pain and suffering. Wounds heal they say, yet leaves deep scars haunting a person's memory over and over again. It is fine, I will endure. I am her pillar, one she can lean on and cry when sorrow becomes unbearable, her shield, one who protects her brilliance from those who try to dim it, and her knight, one who she can embrace and keep her safe and secure in difficult times.

Is it worth it? Wouldn't life be more comfortable in the palace? It is fine, I will endure. Her smile never fails to brighten my day, her voice keeps me from insanity, and her touch can warm me up even in the coldest of nights. Comfortable? It sounds tempting. To be bathed in luxury, to be praised with empty words, and to be greeted with scheme-filled smiles. How comfortable that is.

My heart lies elsewhere. Somewhere far from the palace walls, far from the judging eyes and accusing mouths. A shame, they say, for a man of status to fall into the witch’s hands. But I beg to differ. I'd rather love a witch whose eyes look at me with care and worry than a princess who sees me as a mere trophy.

ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ

[tachvintlogic]

Rating: General Audiences

Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply

Category: Gen

Fandom: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms

Characters: Wild (Linked Universe), Legend (Linked Universe), Warriors (Linked Universe), Time (Linked Universe), BEN (BEN Drowned) (mentioned)

Additional Tags: Video Game Mechanics, Creepypasta, Crack Treated Seriously, Linked Universe (Legend of Zelda)

Words: 1,221

Summary: While the Chain are staying at Lon Lon Ranch, Time needs to go run an errand, so he leaves behind a statue of himself using the Elegy of Emptiness so it looks like he hasn’t left. However, the statue has a really creepy face, so Legend and Wild try to make it look less creepy.

This is my second gift to @awkwardpossum0 in case my first one wasn't finished on time. It was, so now they have two gifts!