#four swords headcanons

[james-p-sullivan]

here’s the post no one asked for but i need because i work in optometry: four swords vision headcanons

Green: has fairly good eye sight, definitely 20/20, but he has absolutely crap night vision and Shadow likes to play with this

Blue: used to have vision like Green but his corneas were scarred and his optic nerves damaged after being frozen and he has decreased vision overall, especially in his peripheries. this makes it rather easy to startle him and he usually reacts with anger which is actually masking his fear at being caught off guard so easily

Red: has reading glasses that he’s super non compliant about wearing and then proceeds to spend the entire night whining about how much his head hurts

Vio: extremely hyperopic, has incredible distance vision but can’t see a damn thing up close. he could hit a target with an arrow at 500m with no problem but getting him to thread a needle? oh man, oh boy oh man

Shadow: the dude has vision like a hawk regardless of light and it terrifies EVERYONE

[heyitsmikky]

This has been in my notes for god knows how long and I felt like sharing it

Romantic headcannons for the fs boys

(The hcs are x reader)

(I apologise if some of it doesn’t make sense)

Blue

This boy loves physical touch. Whether you’re touching his hand or holding it or your hand on his shoulder he absolutely loves it! His most favourite is when you trace you hands over his chest while you two are cuddling or sitting by the fire it just makes him melt, maybe you could move your hands just a little lower?… He also loves when you spar with him or if you can’t he just likes it when you watch him kick the other opponent’s ass - it’s usually Green- he loves when you cheer his name afterwards because he won and it makes him feel praised and loved by you, the most important person in the world to him.

Green

Like Blue he loves physical touch. He likes it when you two hold hands and lock your pinkies together, he just thinks it’s so cute. This boy get really flustered whenever your praising or flirting with him like you’ll just say “you look really cute when you blush” and that is all it takes for him to go burry his face in his hands to hide his blush but you can always see his ears twitching and turning pink. He also likes it when you two are out camping and he gets the chance to wrap his arm around you while you two are sitting around the fire, he just finds it so relaxing.

Red

Red absolutely loves baking/cooking with you it gives him a chance to show off to you what he can do. He also loves gift giving! I headcannon that he knits/sews/crochets and he just makes the cutest little animals and pillows. He will make it his mission to find out what your favourite animal is and how to crochet it just so he can present you with it and see you face light up with happiness every time.

Vio

Vio absolutely loves spending quality time with you. His favourite is sitting in the library with you in his lap while he is quietly reading to you/you reading to him. It gives him a sense of comfort. He also enjoys it when you both have very similar interests and you are able to spend hours and hours just talking about anything that you both are really interested in -sometimes even forgetting that it’s been six hours and your still on the topic of how the solar system is formed.

Shadow

Shadow loves to find you little trinkets lying around that he thinks look really pretty and gift them to you (he says that they remind him of you.) But the thing he loves most is a late night cuddle session with you because it gives him a sense of relaxation and a break from his semi-hectic life, a chance to give you cuddles is a chance for him to feel loved and cared for and it makes him feel so special and cared for and a chance to not feel forgotten.

[annienyx]

Palace of four swords

[localicecreambiter]

look at how I inconsistently shade these manga panels. very classy. very demure

[linkstem]

Four Swords redraws except they look like our fictives' appearances/headcanons

[zarvasace]

This was going to be far less finished than it is. I am simple. Friday the 13th, I draw goths. They are awful and in love.

[weepingtalecowboy]

Gerudo wind fills plot holes

It’s way to fitting

Fanfic prompt: Considering that in wind waker

wind has extremely tiny ears in the art style

it would make more sense to make him a Gerudo or related to them instead of twilight (nothing wrong with that au but wind just slides into the role perfectly while also covering plot holes as well)

wind is a perfect fit because he already has smaller and rounder ears (even in linked universe he has tiny ears and in the game's art style they even look a bit rounded up in comparison to others)

the whole world probably stopped caring about race separation because the entire world flooded and all survivors had to pick up the pieces and Gerudo are also there and would have helped recover from the massive death (no matter how much feuding happened by the time the world drowned it would not have mattered anyway)

He also is incredibly strong for a kid

(capable of picking up struggling pigs and throw them and use the skull hammer with no problem) and capable of surviving getting thrown across the see with minimal injuries (when the helmaroc king threw him)

and Gerudo are repeatedly shown as incredibly robust and strong

They are also shown to be capable of using magic (while hylians have to use artifacts )which wind also can do by using fire ,light and ice arrows (he canonically has magic stamina) and it just would work perfectly for irony because four is his ancestor (link's grandmother implied that the shield belongs to an ancient hero but also calls it a heirloom and on top of that the shield looks exactly like four's )

and if wind turns out to be a part of a race of incredible tall people it would be hilarious

Also considering that riju is also tiny and still 14 (while wind is around 13 at most)

He still got room to grow (and can also be mixed because the hylian/goron guy will forever haunt me)

It fills so many plot holes that it’s funny

And in botw and totk the Gerudo have long ears because of how often they pair up with hylians

Like evolution canonically exists in Zelda

And even further the reason why wind can exist without becoming ganondorf (male Gerudo curse and all that)

Is because there is no hero spirit and demise's curse specifically told as long as both the hero spirit and the bloodline of the goddess exist he will return

And he literally can’t return because time went to get milk and left the timeline

Thereby creating a disaster but also breaking the curse

Like the fanfic potential is nearly endless

[asofspades]

I'm making a list of my favourite Four HC

- He has a necklace made from a shard of the dark mirror to remember Shadow and a strand of his hair is dyed purple in his honour.

- I like to count Four swords and Four swords adventures as separate adventures, so he's been on 3 adventures.

- Four Swords personally would be literally Link and 3 copies of him, I like to consider this as if the clones you can make in Minish Cap just had a solid body and thinking ability but Link does go back to being the same at the end of the adventure

- Obviously I like to incorporate the FS manga to his last adventure and this time Link splits into four different beings each a main part of his personality but over the course of the adventure they sort of become their own person

- That's why I headcanon that Four isn't really link as he was before his last adventure, for me all of the colours went back together into one body but remained separate, they usually work together and that would be Four as we know him.

- Obviously I love the HC that we have seemed to collectively agree on that Four's eyes change colour depending on who's more dominant at certain points.

- I do think that sometimes not all of them are driving the wheel together and that might be because they just went through a moment that required a lot of one of the specific colours or they're in disagreement

-That leads me to the HC that Four gets migraines when the colours are not in sync, which is another one most of the fandom seems to share.

- I'm also a fan of the "dark portals scramble the colours and thus Four" collective HC

- particularly I like to think that Four is both distrustful of dark magic because of the whole Vaati resurrecting and Ganon thing, and the soldiers and his father being controlled by that magic but also it makes him sad because it reminds him of Shadow's magic

- Also, while I HC that Vio was the closest to Shadow for obvious reasons I think when they merged into Four their memories and feelings were instantly registered by each other and now the other colours also appreciate Shadow for more than just sacrificing himself for them and Hyrule.

-I like to HC that he was almost the same age as Time was in OOT for his first adventure, as a bonus I like to think his bday is on the Picori Festival day which adds an extra layer of depth to both the beginning of his first adventure and his relationship with the Minish

- Following that logic I like to HC him as being freshly 8 y.o for his first adventure, around 11 for the second and almost 14 for the 3rd, and as such I love the idea that Vio and Shadow kind of developed crushes on each other.

- On that same note, since we can see Link as a soldier in the FS manga, but obviously there's only his Grandpa in MC, I like to HC that his father was deployed somewhere far away from Hyrule for diplomatic reasons (he's the captain of the royal guard after all) and he comes back after the first adventure. He gets told about what his child did and decides him joining the Royal Guard would be a good idea

- Following the previous HC, I like to think Link is not really enthusiastic about joining the Royal Guard because my boy got raised by his very cool blacksmith Grandpa who loves him very much and he's a little blacksmith at heart. Which kind of explains why he looks a bit done about being part of the royal guard, aside from the fact that he's literally saved Hyrule on his own before. That is also the reason he's so proud to be a blacksmith but never talks about having been in the Royal Guard.

- This is a more niche HC but since Four's era is way before OOT and way after SS I like to think the legal age changes a lot and so I HC that in Four's Hyrule you're considered an adult at around 14 so he's already working an paying taxes and is of marring age by the time he joins the chain.

- That brings me to another point and it's that I HC Four to be 16 in linked universe (I think that one's also pretty much shared by the fandom) but since legally he's been an adult for 2 years he gets thrown off by people calling him "kid" despite technically being the second youngest, he's a kid in basically everyone's time but his and I find that idea hilarious.

- Another commonly shared HC, four hasn't grown or has barely grown a cm since his first adventure because he overused minish magic, I like to add a twist and since you also turn into a minish in FS I like to think he grew a tiny bit between his first and second adventures but the overuse during the 2nd one was what did him in.

- Another HC is that four can in fact use the minish magic by himself, making him one of the Links with innate magic ability. Going a step further I think both Hyrule and Time can detect some Fae magic emanating out of him due to his entrenchment with the minish and his earring and sword (after all the four sword was forged form the remains of the Picori blade), Legend can sense some light magic coming off of him (he can canonically use innate magic and is attuned to magic artifacts) and Twilight can sense something similar to Midna's magic and the twilight mirror due to the dark mirror shard necklace Four carries.

Technically Wind can use light magic just because but I like to think he senses magic but really doesn't know what he's sensing at all because nobody bothered to explain magic to him even though he uses it a lot and often.

- okay, the shield think, we know the Shield in WW and MC are quite literally the same shield. And while I support people who have the whole "wind is Four's descendant" HC, for me personally I think people just knew it belonged to a hero and the people who found it after the great flood decided to keep it and it ended up becoming a family heirloom. Particularly they just mention that it belonged to a hero, and it's the first and only time that they don't mention that hero being the Hero of Time like they do in every other instance.

- the Palace of the Four Swords is a tricky one because me personally, I like to think that Four's soul is tied to his sword not only because he forged it but because of his second and particularly his 3rd adventure. Thus, when he dies he turns into a sword spirit and in the downfall timeline the sacred realm becomes the dark world and all inside it becomes corrupt and the sword that has been resting there for eras along with it's spirit gets corrupted as well prompting the events that happen at the FS palace in ALTTP.

- personally I like to think that since the Sacred Realm gate never opens in the child timeline the sword just rests in it's palace (built out of the elemental sanctuary that became the four sword sanctuary) along with it's spirit. And for the adult timeline it just rests underwater along with the rest of the old Hyrule forever undisturbed.

I find it really tricky that the splitting of the timeline ends up affecting previous heroes in the long run but it makes sense.

-Also, because SS takes place way way before MC I like to think the story of Sky is barely known outside of the Royal Family who might know a bit just because it's tied to their very existence. However I find that I like the idea that the people of the sky do know a version of said story and are descendants of the skyloftians who never took to the surface and that's why after living on the surface for a while by themselves they decided to go back to the skies and build a city on the cloud tops. Coincidentally since the Minish did come form the sky as well they might know about those stories. I think the molemits found in the wind ruins might be a version of the mogma mits from SS and the gust jar might have been inspired by the gust bellows from SS.

- Take I like, the blue ocarina in OOT that seems to be an heirloom of the Royal Family is in fact the Ocarina of Wind from MC, timeline wise it is the earliest apparition of that ocarina. My personal HC is Four gives it to Zelda either as a parting gift before parting on a trip where he ends up dying or he simply has it on his will to give Zelda that ocarina when he dies. With time the Royal Family unknowingly or knowingly infuse it with the power of the Goddess giving it the abilities we see in OOt and then in MM but, by the time it gets found by Legend in ALTTP is has basically lost all abilities except for the one to call a bird to bring you places. Personally I like to think that in the fallen timeline since the ocarina is in Link's hands when he fails it gets lost after being used to open the sacred realm and a regular someone ends up finding it prompting the side quest you do in ALTTP to get it.

- I also think that Four's relationship with his father is a bit rocky since he left the Royal Guard to become a full time blacksmith.

Some Colour headcanons

- Red enjoys using the fire rod but he doesn't like when people mess around too much with fire in forest because it reminds him of the third adventure

- Blue hates the cold because of the time he was encased in ice during the 3rd adventure

-Green has a need to save everyone because he still feels like he failed people during his 3rd adventure

- Vio likes to act all smug about his traitor act but he actually feels very bad about having tricked and betrayed shadow and he feels guilty that Shadow sacrificed himself after having been betrayed.

- Green also blames himself for Shadow and he finds it hard to be around their father because of the whole 3rd adventure.

[lunavagans]

In my interpretation of a post-manga Shadow, he‘d be fully hylian, with all that comes with it. Today, I‘m for some reason wondering specifically about what would happen with his hair growing out. Have the almost literal convo with myself on the matter before I‘m off to draw it.

Me: okay, so he‘d need a haircut eventually. Would he cut his own hair? That wouldn‘t end well.

Brain: would anyone trust him with a sharp blade?

Me: not at first. Okay, so someone else would cut it?

Brain: would shadow trust anyone with a sharp blade?

Me: …

Me: ponytail?

Brain: ponytail, headband, hair band, braids, hair clips-

[sillygoofyqueer]

(@weirdocat83's tags to this post) LUNA. YOU HAVE SUMMONED ME. FGRGGRGHOHGROHGROGHROGH LET'S DO THIS.

Okay, so, I don't think it's going to be a reincarnation au in a sense, but, uh, the spirits of the swords search for what could be classed as a 'replacement' for their divine wielders? So, take Xin Mo for example. His previous wielder could be labelled as a god of war, one who craved bloodshed and spent most of their time on the battlefield - so, Xin Mo's spirit naturally searched for a more hostile soul that was similar to the god's soul, because it was easier for the spirit to...bond? with the soul compared to if the spirit had to edit itself to bond with a more peaceful soul. It found the link with Binghe's (Bingge's?) soul because the guy just wanted to be powerful, and it's easiest to gain power through bloodshed - meaning that Xin Mo's spirit could probably "edit" certain parts of Binghe to fit its basic needs (a lot less predatory than in canon), and then "edit" certain parts of itself so that the bond was less hard to maintain. This would be things like recognising and becoming more calm and less bloodthirsty than it can afford to be due to the fact that Binghe is likely to only be on the battlefield if it's necessary for power - unlike the divine wielder, who had battled for entertainment (not to say that Binghe doesn't revel in a good battle, whether due to Xin Mo's influence or just general satisfaction). I feel like the gods do still exist in the divine realm, but they're a lot quieter and aren't really worshipped by the vast majority anymore (think how secularisation has affected modern society), some even disappearing because they simply didn't have enough worshippers or drive to sustain themselves after the purging of their temples - their lives, if you will. Spiritual weapons still exist in the modern times (this is a modern au, in a sense), still wielded by only a choice few (often granting them immortality as long as they held a strong bond), so people know that gods existed at one point, but most believe that all gods did die in the purging. Obviously, part of why the Three Swords are so unique in their legend is because they require a sacrifice in order to be wielded (connected to how their gods had such strong bonds with their swords that they practically sealed themselves until they could find a worthy replacement), whereas most spiritual weapons merely require respect and devotion because their bonds weren't as wholly consuming as the Three Swords' - if that makes sense? Wei Wuxian's sword will be Suibian, I think. Mainly because there is always a lot of emphasis on Chenqing and, don't get me wrong, I love that little fuckin' flute but Suibian my beloved sword. We don't quite know how sword spirits work in MDZS, so I wanna give them some spotlight in this AU! They deserve it!! Suibian definitely had the most protective/familial bond with her previous owner and (I'm not going to blab about the circumstances or anything of Wei Wuxian finding Suibian but) when she hears such a desperate cry for help from what is practically a teen who obviously has no other support, she can't help it! She's always been the most fair of the Three Swords, but she's still picky when it comes to her owner - they must have good, honest intentions to wield her, and nobody ever does (there's always, even a subconscious, ulterior motive outside of protection. Well, kind of). It's hard to yap about without spilling about Wei Wuxian because I do want to write this and I'm not one to drop secrets before I've even got a first chapter drafted. I would yap about the red/black interactions but this post is already pretty big so- PLEASE ASK ME MORE QUESTIONS, IT'S HELPING ME WORLD BUILD AND I AM A FAN OF TALKING ABOUT MY BRAIN WORMS!!

[zelda-of-hyrule-tloz]

Echoes of Wisdom Headcanon Countdown

༺ Day 94▪︎ 7 Left

In Four Swords, Zelda met Link in the village within Castle Walls when they were around eight years old. They don't go as far back as in Skyward Sword or The Minish Cap, but ended up growing close fast. However, once Zelda's powers began to show and her duty to the shrine arrived, they unwillingly grew a bit distant... It's just before the events of the game that they reconnect, as Zelda does not trust anyone else to turn to more than him.

One more week until Echoes of Wisdom! I wonder if Link and Zelda know each other? Will they be close, or will they form a friendship based on the fight against Ganon? We'll soon find out!!!

[james-p-sullivan]

id love to write a four swords/steven universe cross over because i like the idea of fusion but specifically because i think a blue/vio fusion would be EXACTLY like sugalite

[heyitsmikky]

A list of random headcannons for the boys

(The hc are under the cut!)

Eating food/cooking food/sharing food

- Don’t ever touch shadow’s food, like ever! (Seriously he will kill you if you try to even touch it or eat it)

- Red and Green are more of the chefs of the group, Blue will cook but only when it’s necessary he usually leaves that to Red and Green

Shadow can’t cook so he usually just waits for Red or Green to cook him something (or he will just find something to eat - he doesn’t really care)

Vio only ever eats dinner and sometimes breakfast, all other meals he skips.

Green and Red are very open to sharing food with anyone, as long as they get some of the other persons food as well.

Blue only shares his food with people he knows and likes. To everyone else, his food is off limits.

Vio only eats little amounts of food so people wouldn’t usually catch him eating. The only person he’d be happy to share food with is Shadow.

Playing games/ how competitive they get

Blue is very competitive when playing anything. Board games, card games, athletic games, etc.

Green only gets competitive when he plays against Blue.

Vio rarely ever plays, but when he does, Blue blames him for cheating as he always wins.

Red is a good sport and rarely ever wins, but when he does everyone gets shocked because everyone thinks he’s the innocent one.

Shadow doesn’t play, instead he watches because he doesn’t understand the game.

[spadeprincesss]

I forget how to send asks so I hope this is the place

Who goes to who for advice or just to get things off their chest? Is there someone each wouldn’t go to for advice? Do they all go to Zelda? Like maybe blue wouldn’t go to Zelda for certain things/ all the time cuz idk maybe he wouldn’t want her to know he’s struggling with something? (even though we all know, she already knows when something’s up with her links)

This was sent in by @saltyskychild as a submission and idk how to answer other than editing so my answer below the cut!!!

Gonna start with a list of who goes to who for advice the most and the least!

Green:

Zelda - literally for everything, she knows all his secrets and he knows hers

Blue - to confide in, if he needs a shoulder to lean or cry on and Zelda isn’t available he knows Blue will have his back (and also beat up whatever made him upset)

Vio - for a practical response, he trust Vio and he knows that if he’s lost as to what to do then Vio will have an answer for him

Red - also for emotional support, but he can be a little reluctant because he hates that if he goes to vent and starts crying then Red will cry too and he hates making Red cry

Shadow - don’t get me wrong Green cares for Shadow a whole lot but he knows Shadow doesn’t understand his own feelings most of the time so he doesn’t want to burden Shadow with his own

Red:

Vio - Red often goes to Vio first to find a way to just rant without having to put his thoughts in order, Vio just lets him get it out before helping him sort it all out

Blue - Red LOVES Blue, but he hesitates to confide in him at times because he worries Blue will get a tad too protective and go straight to punching whoever made him sad. He IS Red’s first option when he needs optimal comfort though, like if he feels he needs a hug he will run to Blue (Blue gives the best hugs fight me)

Shadow - mostly to gossip LMFAO, Shadow also gives great hugs and always offers to kill anyone for him, Red has yet to take him up on the offer

Green - Red loves going to Green for comfort, he always listens intently and waits until he’s done to give him his input much like Vio does, Red just hates burdening him because Green is always so busy

Zelda - same as Green, hates burdening her but trusts her 100%, crying on her shoulder is a healing experience

Blue:

Red - Blue knows he can always go to Red, it’s always hard to get him to open up because of his pride but when he does open up it’s always to Red first. He knows Red would never judge him for being vulnerable so when it’s time to break down he only wants Red to see him

Green - Green is Blue’s closest friend, he trusts Green to always keep his secrets and give sound advice, but Green is also going to be his King soon and that makes him want to be even stronger so he can always keep Green safe from inevitable threats

Zelda - Blue has an immense respect for Zelda, as his friend, as a ruler, and as a person overall; he watched her rule her kingdom from a young age and keep the peace all six of them fought hard for. However as his queen he’s sworn loyalty to he tries not to bother her, keeps a respectable distance that Zelda herself tries to narrow

Vio - Blue and Vio’s relationship can seem complicated from an outsiders perspective, they poke and prod, they tease, but as they’ve grown and matured they’ve each learned when its ok to make fun and when you need to back off (it took a lot of trial and error throughout the years trust). Much like the others if Blue needs an answer to a question he will go to Vio, but it’s hard for him to open up emotionally to him because Vio always seems to kept together and he doesn’t want to fall behind

Shadow - to Blue Shadow is super fun to be around, they used to get into a lot of mischief together when they were younger and although they’ve matured a lot they find trouble one way or another. They’re both good friends, but Blue and Shadow are the masters of bottling things up so you won’t catch them having a heart to heart very often

Vio:

Shadow - the love of his life, Shadow knows things about Vio that Vio himself wishes weren’t true. Shadow sometimes understands what Vio needs before he even says it; and Vio doesn’t cry often but the times he has it’s been with Shadow there to put him back together

Red - Red is a great confidant, and Vio’s best friend, and although Vio considers himself the smartest in the group he knows Red has him beat in emotional intelligence, so when it’s his turn to be vulnerable (which he hates) Red helps him prepare for it

Zelda - Vio loves Zelda’s company, she’s smart and witty, yet completely honest with him; in Zelda’s rare free time they’ll sit and have tea together and talk about anything and everything. Vio would never admit it but Zelda is the funniest person he knows (he doesn’t want to hurt Shadow’s feelings)

Green - Vio trusts Green wholeheartedly, he’d put his life in Green’s hands in a heartbeat, but Vio doesn’t like how Green tends to hover so he hesitates to show any distress around him

Blue - as mentioned before Vio and Blue’s relationship is complicated, Vio doesn’t like showing vulnerability around Blue because he knows it makes Blue feel awkward seeing him as anything less than perfectly kept together. However not to say Blue wouldn’t be there for him, he would, they both would, but they try to keep strong in front of each other, it gives them a sense of normalcy and security they often need

Shadow:

Vio - just like it is vice versa, Vio often knows that Shadow is feeling down or overwhelmed before he himself knows, and although Shadow thought he would hate that he doesn’t. Vio is the one who taught him how to feel more than just anger and scorn, Vio gave him his first real laugh of joy, his first tears of sorrow and heartbreak, and even after all that Vio made up for it and taught him that he was able to feel all of that because he was in love. There’s no secrets between them

Zelda - to many people’s surprise Zelda is Shadow’s best friend, when he was first brought back he gravitated towards her, wanting to repay her for making him realize he wasn’t just a puppet of darkness but his own person. She took his emotions in stride and alongside Vio taught him so much about what he feels, so he confides everything to her

Red - Shadow and Red are very close, when Shadow needs a laugh or a smile he’ll rush to Red, he always has kind words for Shadow no matter what, confiding in his isn’t as easy as it is with Vio and Zelda but Red has always understood that and it helps put Shadow at ease. Again they gossip a lot together

Green - Shadow doesn’t go to Green often, much like Vio he doesn’t want him to overly worry and hover, but while he isn’t Shadow’s first option, he always brings a sense of belonging that means a lot to him

Blue - like mentioned earlier Shadow and Blue are masters if bottling things up, most of the time when Shadow goes to Blue it goes “hey this person made Red/Vio/Green/Zelda sad wanna go beat them up together?”

Zelda:

Green - that’s her soulmate, her other half; Green knows Zelda’s deepest fears and worries that she can’t allow herself to share with anyone else. He knows of her visions of the future and her past lives, of how much past wars haunt her, and he holds her through it all, when he proposed he promised to always keep her and her people safe, he would always be a hero worthy of her

Shadow - Zelda loves Shadow, you’d think she’d be scared of him given he was once her kidnapper, but as she’s always said “I wasn’t scared of you then and I’m not scared of you now”. Shadow is only slightly disappointed, but loves how she’ll ask for him when she’s overwhelmed, saying she needs someone who won’t try to sugarcoat anything from her. Zelda knows Shadow would move mountains for her and she would do the same

Vio - Zelda made Vio one of her advisors early on, she values not only his practical knowledge but his resourcefulness as well, they’ve spent many a late night pouring over documents together and its led to deep conversations. Vio takes as much workload off her shoulders as he legally can and she in turn forces him to take breaks

Red - Red is the little brother Zelda always wanted, as a single child who had to grow up too fast having someone so kind and fun to be around is something she cherishes so deeply. When she needs a hug she’ll seek him out, she knows she’ll always leave an encounter with Red with a smile on her face

Blue - Zelda knows she can trust all her boys with her life, and Blue is no exception, they don’t often confide in each other, but let’s just say that after a certain encounter that leaves Green in a terrible state Zelda learns Blue is not as cold hearted as she feared he was, and she’s made an effort to break down his walls. No knight should have to face monsters on their own, wether they be external or internal

So long story short these six idiots all love each other, but as you could have guessed they have certain people they go to for certain worries/situations. I can’t wait to share more on their relationships with one another!

[nocturnalfandomdoodles]

peek at my designing canvas... fsa link!

[adel-memes]

OKAY SO I already posted the fic inspired by this HC but HEAR ME OUT

Ok OK so Shadow's revivals post manga is USUALLY through 'xxxxx revived Shadow to give him a chance' examples that come to mind are: Vio, Zelda, Red

However!

While I love that take and DEFINITELY used it myself! Hell, I got story ideas based on different colors / characters reviving Shadow and what story unfolds from there. I LOVE that HC!!

But, I still personally think this kind of puts Shadow in an unfair position / not a good start and I definitely have an idea we could explore together <3

There are two main reasons and 1 extra ??? reason I believe this headcanon/piece of lore/etc would suck for him and it's:

1. Power Imbalance

2. Pride and his personality

3. Dark Mirror Shards or dark magic?

On the first point. I don't think the right term is power imbalance but it's the closest thing I got. Because him being revived by the heroes for example feels like 'oh I'm depending on Link' when his whole motive is behind separating and showing he could stand on his own and be a big threat even with or without Link.

It puts him in a 'oh do I have to forgive this person for reviving me after betraying my trust?' with Vio or 'She is another person of authority much like Ganon, do I have to obey/listen to her since she revived me?' with Zelda.

So it feels like some kind of imbalance, he can't ever view them fairly because that 'favor' puts him in a 'I owe you' position. It's sort of like a trap and EVEN if they don't want anything or are genuine, Shadow's pov and personality would clash and disagree with that sentiment.

Which brings me to my second reason:

Shadow being revived by the others does NOT guarantee he's a good guy. Sure he sacrificed and gave that whole speech, but 1 act out of desperation does not equal he is totally a good guy and would do the right thing always.

That feels like it strips away from his character. He had growth but what about the things we love about him? His cocky arrogance, his excessive show-off attitude, his pride? I know a popular take is him and Red being arson buddies, but if he's revived by Zelda.. would he risk burning things if it means the person of authority would be upset with him? I don't think so.

If he becomes dependent and has that 'oh they revived' take, then he will always have his pride threatened as well as sense of security. Because what does he do if he messes up? Does he always need their approval if he wants to live? Would his pride allow him to accept that state of life? Where is the line?

The take comes from not just 'oh I want him to have a chance to live' it comes from a 'oh I can fix him' perspective too.

Which feels.. like it would take Shadow's agency. It gives a 'oh they want me alive but not me, they're doing it out of guilt and want to change everything about me.' type of thinking and..

Would Shadow accept that? Accept ALL of that?

The answer I believe would be no.

And finally the third reason which is using the dark mirror or so to revive him. I definitely think this could be a bit messy for Shadow.

Using a mirror, something easy to break and lose, as his source of life? Something he tried to break?

Would he want something that can be stolen, broken, and easily gone if he lets out of his sight be his source of life?

Again, I don't think so.

Also I don't think the heroes would risk using dark magic to revive Shadow as much as they like him / want him back. (A whole other ramble 🏃‍♀️)

But does that mean Shadow stays dead?

Of course not. Wdym he's dead? No he's not. 🤨 who do you take me for?

So duh, I got an idea. Or a suggestion for what could revive Shadow and it definitely uses references from previous games.

After all, Shadow is a being of magic. So.. if not with the dark mirror.. and not the heroes or someone reviving him..

Then, what? Who? Just who would bring him back?

Or should I say, what would bring him back?

My suggestion is: Gratitude Crystals.

For context, gratitude crystals are a concept in skyward sword where Link has to do good deeds (helping others) and he would get these magic star-like crystals in return. After collecting 80 of them, he trades them to a sad monster who wishes to be human.

So in a way they're like wishing stars that have magic that is strong enough to change a demon to be human.

So if there's a solution made of magic, can't be easily broken, and does not take away Shadow's agency.. then I believe gratitude crystals could help offset the potential power imbalance.

And who was grateful / thankful at Shadow's sacrifice. The heroes. Green specifically.

So imagine with me, their gratitude forms that crystal for Shadow. He, being a creature of magic, attachs himself to those crystals instead of dark mirror. Separating himself from Ganon, Vaati, and Link.

Which brings me to the second point.

Okay, he's revived. He's alive. But what about his character? His motive?

I think it would change to being a good person.

Hear me out, Batreaux needed 80 to change from demon to human. So 1 crystal isn't enough to be someone's life source.

So what if it becomes a challenge for Shadow. Doing good deeds in exchange for the crystals and getting to live.

He gets to change as a person and grow with a genuine reason to why he wants to be good now without taking his agency away. Through that, I believe he would go to the heroes to make things right and they could have their slow-build in friendship or so.

And that is why I believe this is an idea worth exploring <3

Extra: I also like thinking Shadow loves stars, imagine how beautiful it is that his life source becomes starlike crystals too. I think it's symbolic <3