#theory series the odd headcanons of vaati

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Theory Series: “The Odd Headcanons of Vaati“, Parts 1-60 (MASTERPOST)

This is the Masterpost to the first sixty parts of my “The Odd Headcanons of Vaati” theory series! More to come eventually. And, in case you missed it, HERE is the Masterpost to my entire “Irony of Vaati” theory series.

1. THE MINISH DIET In which, I theorise about what a Minish eats. Yes, Vaati. You count, too.

2. VAATI’S MUSICAL ENDEAVOURS In which, I theorise about the instruments that Vaati plays.

3. FIRES, COLOURS, AND SHEIKAH, OH MY In which, things about the Mountain Minish's clothing, why the Minish seem to hate the colour yellow, and why Vaati is not a Sheikah are brought up.

4. THE IMPORTANCE OF EYES In which, eyes are the window to the soul for Vaati. Literally.

5. WHY THE JABBER NUT IS NOT A VOODOO SHARK In which, I explain why the Jabber Nut is not one huge Plot Hole, and vaguely explain off a grammatical error on Vaati's part.

6. VAATI AND MIGRAINES In which, I bring up one of my first-ever headcanons, now with evidence: Vaati (quite possibly) had headaches and/or migraines for many different reasons.

7. FUR AND SHAVING In which, I theorise about the Minish may or may not having fur, and why or why not Vaati shaves his legs.

8. RANDOM OBSERVATIONS In which, I point out several things that people may not have noticed with Vaati's over-all design.

9. MAD WITH POWER In which, I speculate not only if Vaati was insane from the beginning, but what was it that he did that prompted "The Minish Cap"'s Game Over.

10. FESTARI’S INCLUSION In which, I speculate the slight possibility that Vaati once worked for Festari.

11. RETCONTINUITY In which, I speculate that if the Goddesses punished Vaati for his actions, then they probably picked the one punishment that would torture him the most.

12. POSSIBLE ALBINISM? In which, I speculate that Vaati could possibly be the Minish equivalent to an albino, among other things.

13. LASER-GUIDED AMNESIA In which, I speculate how/why Vaati's apparent "amnesia" in "Four Swords" and "Four Swords Adventures" works, if at all.

14. THE HIERARCHY OF HAIR LENGTH In which, I point out why there are female Minish, and give a few possibilities on why Vaati has long hair as a human.

15. LIMITED WISHES? In which, I point out how the Magic Hat works, wishing-wise, especially when in Vaati's possession.

16. FINGERNAILS In which, I wonder if the Minish have fingernails- and if so, how they clip them, and what this means for Vaati.

17. VAATI’S HEIGHT In which, I try to headcanon Vaati's exact height, only to accidentally create a paradox involving an older theory of mine. Oops.

18. IF HE COULD MAKE A WISH In which, I try to figure out which of Vaati's forms would he prefer to get stuck in permanently.

19. THE UNLUCKY COLOUR PURPLE In which, I continue speculating how/why the colour purple is unlucky in Minish culture, and how that affects poor Vaati.

20. SPRING-HEELED MINISH In which, I make the argument that the Minish are good jumpers and what that means for Vaati, and briefly accidentally psycho-analyse Vaati's thought processes.

21. A TOAST TO THE MAGE OF FAIRYTALE ENDINGS In which, I compare the characters and events of "The Minish Cap" to many different fairytales. Poor Vaati is caught in the cross-fire of them all.

22. TWO TAILS TO RULE THEM ALL In which, I speculate how/why the Minish Elders ended up Elders and go on a brief colour analysis of Minish tails in general (Vaati is different, of course...).

23. A SACRIFICE OF SELF In which, Vaati sacrifices Vaati to become Vaati. It makes sense in context.

24. IN THE NAME OF POWER In which, Vaati's name helps with his infamy and technical power-level, and Vaati in return potentially doesn't use other people's names.

25. THE FOREST ALL ALONG? In which, I speculate where in the Minish Realm Vaati and Ezlo are from, and it has a rather bizarre answer.

26. THE MINISH AND TEMPERATURE In which, I speculate how the Minish would react to being hot or cold and the like, and vaguely critique Vaati's fashion choices.

27. PENITENZIAGITE In which, I wonder if and how Vaati would/could repent for all of his terrible actions.

28. PROPORTIONS In which, I go into great detail on the physical appearance of my version of both Hylian and Minish Vaati.

29. PERSONALITY QUIRKS In which, I go into great detail on the actions/behaviours of my version of both Hylian and Minish Vaati.

30. FINGERS AND TOES In which, I theorise on the anatomy of Vaati's Hylian and Minish hands and feet. For science.

31. THEFT OF THE LIGHT FORCE In which, I wonder how the Light Force's power level works when in Zelda or Vaati's possession.

32. THE CURIOUS CASE OF MAZAAL AND VAATI’S PALACE In which, I ask a bunch of dumb questions about Mazaal, and then rant about Vaati and castles.

33. TO LOVE AND TO HATE In which, I list off everything Vaati is implied to like or dislike, among other things.

34. BODY LANGUAGE In which, I try to see how Vaati's body language conveys his mood and things of that nature.

35. A ROAD-BLOCK In which, Vaati struggles to over-come a very ironic road-block. It makes sense in context.

36. TIME OF THE SEASON In which, I try to figure out what Vaati's favourite season of the year is.

37. THE BIGGER, THE BETTER In which, I realise a certain pun with part of Vaati's grand wish and how it potentially helped doom him in the end.

38. A DREAM IS A WISH In which, I compare Vaati's "wishing" aspect to all the "dreaming" imagery that pops up in "The Minish Cap".

39. MINISH REMNANTS In which, I realise that Minish Vaati was technically never fully destroyed. It makes sense in context.

40. THE LANGUAGE OF FLOWERS In which, I try to figure out which kind of flower symbolises Vaati and his actions the best/most.

41. BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR In which, Vaati quite embodies a well-known phrase pertaining to magic and miracles.

42. KEEP IT AT THREE In which, I explain why Vaati should never, under any circumstances, be put in another game. Calm down.

43. MINISH HEALING In which, I speculate that the Minish might have some inherent healing abilities, Vaati included.

44. AN IDENTITY CRISIS In which, Vaati somehow loses his identity despite keeping his name. It makes sense in context. I think.

45. SIGNIFICANCE OF COLOUR In which, I do a bizarre Vaati-and-"Minish-Cap"-centric Colour Theory/analysis.

46. FREE AS THE WIND In which, I point out ironies with Vaati's Wind powers.

47. DON’T TRY TO SPOIL MY FUN In which, I wonder why in the world Vaati bothered sparing Ezlo.

48. GLAD TO BE YOU In which, I wonder just what it would take for Vaati to stop being considered "Vaati". It makes sense in context.

49. DELUSIONS OF GRANDEUR In which, I see exactly what broke in Vaati's mind to make him think that he needed to be perfect.

50. VAATI ICARUS In which, I compare Vaati's display of hubris to that of the display of hubris by Icarus in Greek Mythology.

51. ON EZLO’S HEXING In which, I speculate on why Vaati thought it best to curse Ezlo into the form of a hat instead of literally anything else.

52. LOVELY LILAC LOCKS In which, I wonder about the physics/science behind Vaati's hair colour. Because reasons.

53. NOT THE WAKER OF WINDS In which, I explain why Vaati has absolutely nothing to do with the Wind Waker.

54. ALMOST HUMAN In which, I wonder just how human Vaati's wish made him.

55. SMALL THINGS In which, I list off several random things about Vaati and the other Minish. Quite silly, really.

56. SING A SONG OF SIX-SINS In which, I list off way too many songs I associate with Vaati and give reasons as to why. God help me.

57. FAKE IT ‘TILL YOU MAKE IT In which, I expand on the "mask" theme Vaati sort of had going on.

58. AN UNWORTHY HALO In which, I point out something about the design of the Magic Hat and why it's ironic for Vaati to be wearing it.

59. ETERNAL In which, I wonder if the Minish, Vaati included, really do have incredibly long lifespans like people tend to think they do.

60. NOBODY’S FAULT BUT MINE In which, I wonder if the Magic Hat had anything to do with Vaati's terrible behaviour.

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Theory: The Odd Headcanons of Vaati, Part Fifty-five: Small Things

More simple theories. All the small things... All the MINISH things! What are a bunch of random headcanons I have about Vaati and the Minish in general?

And now, the obligatory list of what's to come... 1. Minish Names 2. Ezlo and Fusion 3. Ezlo's Hair 4. Minish Hair Physics 5. Vaati and Hair Normality 6. Vaati and Eye Normality

Like so... 1. Minish Names I've theorised before that even the Minish females quite possibly ALSO have names ending with "-ari" (in Part Fourteen of this theory series)... But, there's something else I thought of about that. The Minish probably don't have last names. ...At all. In fact, it seems like it's the reverse- the Minish tend to be addressed with TITLES behaving LIKE a "full name" instead of "(FIRST NAME) (LAST NAME)". Examples... Elder Gentari. Priest Festari. Master Melari. Sage Ezlo. Even MAGE VAATI! So, it seems "(TITLE) (FIRST/ONLY NAME)" is the Minish equivalent to a 'full name'.

2. Ezlo and Fusion This is stupid. When in hat form, Ezlo's hair bun is clearly warped into the spiral on top of his head, yet... Where in the world did the BEAK come from? Then, it hit me. His staff. Ezlo not only was turned into a bird-hat, he was most likely FUSED WITH HIS STAFF, TOO! And this still works within the limits of Vaati's powers as well- "transfiguring himself, others, AND objects". He transfigured the two TOGETHER!

3. Ezlo's Hair Ezlo is an old man. What colour hair did he have in his youth? Ridiculously simple answer. Brown. Most of the Minish have brown hair. There's a couple of blonds here-and-there, but brown hair seems to be the majority. So, Ezlo likely had brown hair until recently-ish. Speaking of which...

4. Minish Hair Physics Like I said, brown hair seems to be the most common amongst the Minish, followed by blond. So, what does this mean for Vaati's lilac hair? Because the Minish tend to have one specific hair colour (the aforementioned brown), perhaps lilac hair is ALWAYS the result for an albino Minish (that is, assuming Vaati really IS albino). I don't know. BUT... What of the other "natural" hair colours- red and black? I'd like to think that they're possible, but they're pretty rare. Not as rare as freak-of-nature Vaati's hair colour, but still rarities nonetheless.

5. Vaati and Hair Normality Now, for the opposite. If Vaati had been "normal", what hair colour would he have had? Brown? Too obvious for symbolism purposes- to make Vaati still be an "outlier". Blond? Maybe. But that makes him too similar to Link. Red? If his eyes remain red, that might be too "clashy". So... Black? A rare colour- rare enough to be noticed? Maybe. No idea. This is just downright speculatory. As is...

6. Vaati and Eye Normality And if Vaati had been "normal", what eye colour would he have had? Well, the Minish seem to have what appear to be black and/or very dark brown eyes and literally nothing else, so... He's pretty much stuck with black/very-dark-brown. Or something of that nature.

But, I like Vaati the way he is. His differences and way of thinking are what intrigue me. Because, deep down, we all truly are different.

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Theory: The Odd Headcanons of Vaati, Part Fifty-seven: Fake it ‘till You Make It

Vaati has a bit of a "mask" theme going on, and it's not exactly the way I thought it was going... Just how far does Vaati's mask go?

What I mean by this is... Once he becomes Hylian, his very appearance and attitude are mere façades. His Hylian body is fake. He is a Minish masquerading as a human. His attitude is more confident. But he is a "meek, miniscule nothing" pretending to be big and mean!

The Magic Hat is able to bring its wearer's wishes to life, but... Even though everything conjured is real, the MEANING behind the wishes is for masking purposes.

Vaati became a false persona that he perceives to be the "real" Vaati. As far as he can see or feel, this is the "true" him.

But to those who know better, he's a puppet on strings to his own twisted desires. And that's not even the worst part about it. Vaati wound up so warped and disturbed by the time of his imprisonment in the Four Sword and onwards that the Figurines call him an "it". He lost himself that much. And that's STILL not the worst part.

The ACTUAL worst part? I don't think Vaati has the slightest clue on how to NOT BE FAKE.

It's Vaati's Wrath that survives- a transformed eyeball-bat-flying-abomination. Nowhere NEAR his original Minish form. And he just parades it around, revelling in the fact that he doesn't remember a single darn thing of his past. Of his TRUE past. All he cares about is his FALSE PAST.

His "mask". His cover-up. His LIES.

The mask he set up for himself was that of lying. Of deceiving. Trickery. To get what he wanted- the Light Force. He didn't get it (permanently, that is), yet all the transfiguring he did to himself remained.

And Vaati remained "masked Vaati" for all eternity. All because he WANTED it.

Oh, the tragedy...

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Theory: The Odd Headcanons of Vaati, Part Fifty-nine: Eternal

Most people seem to be under the impression that the Minish have incredibly long life-spans or are straight-up immortal. Just how accurate is this? Do the Minish, Vaati included, have long lifespans or not?

...Well, nothing in the game seems to indicate it either way, but... The Minish seem to revere the elderly (hence their leaders being Elders), which would imply that being old is something to admire to them... Which would mean that immortality is probably not a thing.

But then, I got to thinking. The Minish are based off of a good deal of different myths/legends and some real-life animals. What about the lifespans of the things they're based on?

So, I grabbed a list of every creature, real or fake, that matched up even remotely to our dear Minish... 1. Mice 2. Koro-pok-guru 3. Brownies 4. Leprechauns 5. Heinzelmännchen

And this is how they matched. 1. Mice Reason: Because of the size, tendency to live in the walls, and appearance of face. Mice usually only live anywhere from two to eight years, depending on what type of mouse they are. This is nowhere NEAR long nor eternal. And- generally speaking- the smaller something is, the shorter the lifespan it has. This could very well be true. Although perhaps a Minish year (calendar-wise) is longer or shorter than a human/Hylian year? This is one vote for SHORT LIFESPAN.

2. Koro-pok-guru Reason: Because of the association with nature, the "not being seen" thing, the size, and the fact that they helped people. I didn't find a single thing of the actual legends detailing the lifespan of these guys- HOWEVER, the game called "Okami" had creatures called "Poncles" that were also a reference to this legend, and... In THAT, they had long lifespans. Even the "Picori" name for the Minish in Japanese is "Pikkoru", which is very close to "Koro-pok-guru". If "Okami" is correct with the lifespan, then the Minish might have long lifespans as well. This is one vote for LONG LIFESPAN.

3. Brownies Reason: Doing good deeds for humans without them knowing, the size, something about invisibility, and an odd trend involving clothing. There's not a set age for these guys, either, but people usually tend to place their lifespan as anywhere from forty to three-hundred years. So, this could go either way. This is one vote for WHO-THE-HECK-KNOWS LIFESPAN.

4. Leprechauns Reason: Association with the colour green and spring, the small stature, association with wishes and clovers, and common depictions including hats. Of all small-statured creatures of legend, Leprechauns tend to be the ones that people tack the "THEY'RE IMMORTAL!!!" thing onto. Nonetheless, I've seen some pages describe the lifespan of a Leprechaun to be about 250 years, which is CLEARLY not immortal. Which is it? To me, it seems to be along the lines of "immortal unless killed", since Leprechauns have the whole "will grant wishes for freedom" thing going on. This is one vote for LONG LIFESPAN.

5. Heinzelmännchen Reason: The size, the doing good deeds for humans secretly, association with clothing, and not being seen. Once again, no clue on a commonly-agreed-upon lifespan. Therefore, this is one vote for for WHO-THE-HECK-KNOWS LIFESPAN.

...We've reached a stalemate. One vote for SHORT. Two votes for LONG. And two votes for WHO-THE-HECK-KNOWS.

But... There's something in-game that I just realised I over-looked that might put an end to this debate. The Light Force is said to live on forever in the bloodline of the many Princess Zeldas... And it was delivered by the Minish...

If the Minish CREATED it and didn't just bring it down with them from the sky... Then if the Minish are strong enough to be capable of creating an object with immortality, then why wouldn't they themselves be immortal?

Either way, this means the GAME ITSELF has a vote for "short" AND "long"!

What do I think? ...I'll admit it. I love to think that the Minish are somewhere along the lines of "immortal unless killed" all because of one little line of dialogue from one Forest Minish... "You see, we thrive on making humans happy. It gives us energy". If this energy-absorption thing works like I think it does, then- theoretically speaking, a Minish could continue living as long as they continued to do good deeds. In other words, possibly for forever.

Another reason why I think that, is because if the Minish live a long time/for forever, then Vaati would have to stay hating himself for eternity. And that's hilarious. Only the Magic Hat could fix something like that. ...Wait.

There's no real set answer, but I like to think that the Minish are immortal unless killed. I don't know. It just fits their magical natures.

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Theory: The Odd Headcanons of Vaati, Part Fifty-two: Lovely Lilac Locks

This is incredibly stupid, but I don't care. What is the potential science behind how Vaati, of all Minish, ended up with lilac hair?

There's a few candidates, believe it or not. And they are... 1. A random freak mutation 2. It was inherited 3. He was cursed? 4. His possible albinism 5. His possible anemia

1. A random freak mutation Very likely, but also quite pointless and too simple. There's more "wrong" with Vaati than just his hair colour (ie, his paleness and his eye colour), so I don't think something random just so happened to cause all three problems. There has to be more to it than him just being a freak of nature.

2. It was inherited From his parents or grandparents? Also very likely; but there is a problem with that. We have no clue about Vaati's family lineage. Judging by how Vaati was living with Ezlo, this means that either his parents just dropped him off there and never returned... Or... Because Ezlo seems to have RAISED HIM ("Vaati was just a boy...") as well, his parents may be straight-up DEAD. Why? Old age? Murder? Who knows? Maybe they shared his hair colour, too, and were done away with, because...

3. He was cursed? ...the Minish tended to see the colour purple as highly unlucky? I've mentioned this several times before. Maybe Vaati's parents gave him up to protect him from the Minish who were highly superstitious, knowing that Ezlo was respected enough to protect him? I have no clue. This seems possible- although it would be a bit too "evil" for the happiness-driven Minish to regularly do... So maybe not?

4. His possible albinism The other Minish seem to all have variants of some shade of BROWN hair. So, if this is the "default" Minish hair, therefore, an albino Minish might always end up with LILAC HAIR as a result?! This would also explain his pale skin and red eyes. THIS is the one that makes the most sense. This would also help explain why Vaati seemed to not have any friends- he was ostracised for being different (and for all the "unlucky purple" things, too). This could also explain the lack of parents, too- THEY could have been the superstitious ones and just abandoned him ON PURPOSE!

5. His possible anemia Unless Minish anemia works differently than that of real-life human anemia, then no. I couldn't find any concrete evidence of anemia doing anything to hair, other than causing it to fall out.

So, the final verdict? It's not a curse. It's not random. It's probably inherited (but I'm not sure from whom). It's a reason why Vaati ended up so alone.

Vaati's (likely) albinism is the cause behind his lilac hair, amongst other things (including his pale skin and red eyes). It fits quite well, visually and symbolically. It makes him stand out. Makes him different.

Makes him strange. Strange enough to want to warp his form away into something even stranger... And redirect himself just like his beloved Wind...

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Theory: The Odd Headcanons of Vaati, Part Sixty: Nobody’s Fault But Mine

Vaati's always been twisted, but being like that adds a layer to his personality, and a creepy one at that. But... How far does Vaati's "twisted" nature go?

What I mean by this is... It was Vaati's idea to steal the Magic Hat and curse Ezlo, but he continues to do awful things after gaining such power. Does this mean that the Magic Hat had something to do with it?

Was the Magic Hat a bad influence, or at least did something to cause Vaati to snap further? ...Honestly, I don't think so. Why?

All Ezlo says on the hat was that it "granted the wishes of its wearer" and nothing more. In other words... All those terrible things? The cursing? The transfiguring? The attempted murder? IT WAS ALL VAATI'S FAULT. HIS OWN FAULT. HIM.

Not the hat. Vaati the Wind Mage. No doubts about it.

...However, having the hat might have tipped Vaati further towards being "drunk on power", but that's about it. Vaati ran with it and ran himself down into his own grave. Rest in pieces.

...Really, if you think about it, Vaati abused the hat's abilities. And those abilities were all wished-based. Vaati WISHED for everything bad to happen. He was that twisted- FROM THE START. HE NEVER HAD ANY GOOD WISHES!

It's all Vaati's own fault. He WANTED this- all of these horrible things. And he got them. By DYING all alone in the end.

He did this all to himself. ON PURPOSE. ...How sad...

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Theory: The Odd Headcanons of Vaati, Part Fifty-eight: An Unworthy Halo

This was (definitely) most likely unintentional, but there was something funny about the Magic Hat I just noticed... Why is the design of his beloved hat ironic for Vaati?

At first glance, it's just your normal run-of-the-mill cap; looking identical to Links, save for the golden brim and red jewel. ...That's what's funny about it.

Where does that golden brim sit, exactly? Directly on Vaati's forehead. Even going around the rest of his head... LIKE A HALO. That's right.

Our demonic Vaati is wearing a HALO. The LEAST demonic thing he could have possibly worn!

And here's where it gets weird. Vaati's goal was to get his hands on the Light Force... And he ended up using the chunk of it he got in order to transfigure himself into a full-fledged demon... But, if you think about the Legend of the Hero of Men from the prologue at the beginning of "The Minish Cap", where it straight-up mentions the Minish DESCENDING FROM THE SKY... And the fact that the Legend is told through STAINED GLASS MURALS, not unlike those commonly found in CHURCHES... And the Light Force being described as "a source of infinite power from the heavens" in "Hyrule Historia"...

The Light Force was an ANGELIC power. And the very obviously demon Vaati tried to take that away. ALL WHILE WEARING THE UNINTENTIONAL EQUIVALENT OF A HALO HIMSELF.

And even then, the red jewel is stationed right above and between his eyes, almost acting as an all-seeing third eye, which is also ironic considering that the one thing Vaati has trouble with is planning for events far in advance.

The "halo" hurts worse. He doesn't even DESERVE to wear it. It was stolen. On purpose. He is not worthy.

...Although, does this possibly hint that his original, less-evil self is still in there, somewhere? It was Minish Vaati who desired evil, but what of that five seconds of kindness before he snapped? Is the "halo" imagery some sort of "foreshadowing" towards that? ...I don't know.

All that I know is that Vaati is much too evil to play innocent. And not even that Magic Hat can mask his intentions. People even realised something was up while he was disguised as King Daltus, after all!

Vaati may be slightly inconspicuous on the outside, but Vaati is a raging storm of torment on the inside. Perhaps the halo foreshadowed his untimely death, instead?

...What have I done?

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Theory: The Odd Headcanons of Vaati, Part Fifty-six: Sing a Song of Six-Sins

There are a few songs I associate with Vaati in some fashion, whether they be for his character, for his mindset, for his story/plot, or for a mixture of all of the above. Just what songs are they?

Here is the list, which is way longer than I thought it would be (and most likely would be longer if I hadn't told myself to stop)...

1. "Primadonna" by Marina and the Diamonds 2. "Wrapped Around Your Finger" by The Police 3. "The Devil Went Down to Georgia" by The Charlie Daniels Band 4. "Too Much of Anything" by The Who 5. "Rabbit Heart (Raise it Up)" by Florence and the Machine 6. "Shampain" by Marina and the Diamonds 7. "Chains" by The Beatles 8. "The Air that I Breathe" by The Hollies 9. "I Don't Even Know Myself" by The Who 10. "Written on the Wind" by Roger Daltrey 11. "Walking on Air" by Kerli 12. "Oh No" by Marina and the Diamonds 13. "Almost Human" by Voltaire

Now, for WHY. 1. "Primadonna" by Marina and the Diamonds Quick story time. A storyboard-like thing/project I did all the way back in 2015 featured the very first time I ever drew Minish Vaati AND Hylian Vaati. And the song that that storyboard was set to was none other than "Primadonna" by Marina and the Diamonds. And the reason I did it was because the lyrics- like practically ALL of the songs on this list- fit Vaati's attitude quite well. That's why. Highlights include: "All I ever wanted was the world", "I can't help that I need it all", "I know I've got a big ego/I really don't know why it's such a big deal, though", "And I'm sad to the core, core, core", and this entire section: "Get what I want 'cuz I asked for it/But not because I'm really that deserving of it/Living life like I'm in a play/In the lime-light, I want to stay". ...Funnily enough, Vaati practically IS a spoiled primadonna. A "Primadonna Mage", as I called my storyboard, after all!

2. "Wrapped Around Your Finger" by The Police I've mentioned this technically twice. The first time extensively in Part Forty-seven of my "Irony of Vaati" theory series, where I dissected the song bit-by-bit because of how incredibly well it fit for Vaati- and the second time briefly in Part Fifty of this theory series. Essentially, the song reads like a literal retelling of "The Minish Cap" (even though the song came first), all the way down to odd, minute details like "shining band of gold" (which, for example, could be the brim to the Magic Hat or even the Light Force, etc). Highlights include: THE ENTIRE DARN THING. LITERALLY. Especially: "You consider me the young apprentice", "I have only come here seeking knowledge", "I will listen hard to your tuition/You will see it come to its fruition", "Devil and the deep blue sea behind me/Vanish in the air, you'll never find me", and the most eerie of them all: "I will turn your face to alabaster/When you'll find your servant is your master". ...I tried to storyboard this one, but never got it finished. And I still like to think that there was a Police fan in either Nintendo or Capcom's offices.

3. "The Devil Went Down to Georgia" by The Charlie Daniels Band ...I can explain. Remember Part Two of this theory series, in which I pointed out my headcanon that Vaati played the fiddle? BLAME THIS SONG. And my tendency to storyboard the oddest things. Really, the only way this matches is for the fact that Vaati transfigures himself into a demon- a stand-in for the Devil here. That and the arrogant nature of the Devil's portion of the song. Highlights include: " 'Cuz I think I'm better than you", "I'll start this show", and unfortunately for Vaati, "The Devil bowed his head because he knew that he'd been beat". And I even put "Minish Cap" Link as a stand-in for Johnny! Gee, what is wrong with me?

4. "Too Much of Anything" by The Who Another one of my (completed) storyboarded ideas. For Vaati over-exerting himself and ending up further ostracising himself from everybody else by metaphysically becoming 'better' than them (via the Magic Hat and later, the Light Force, that is). Highlights include: "I think these eyes have seen a lot/I don't know, maybe they've seen too much", "Hmm, there's something in the air", and "I think your ears hear a whole lot of music/And like me, they've heard a bit too much". Sort of along the lines of, he let his bad thoughts lead him too far down the wrong path and he just kept going along with it because he had managed to convince himself that being evil was what he truly wanted. Poor Vaati.

5. "Rabbit Heart (Raise it Up)" by Florence and the Machine You can blame my 12th Grade Environmental Science teacher- of all people- for this one. He was the one who introduced me to this song in the first place! Basically, this is because Minish Vaati was a coward/"meek, miniscule nothing"- he had a "rabbit heart" and needed to gain a "lion heart" (ie, become Hylian Vaati and so-forth). Highlights include: "You made a deal and now it seems you have to offer up/But will it ever be enough?", "It seems I've made the final sacrifice", "This is a gift, it comes with a price", and "And in the spring, I shed my skin/And it blows away with the changing winds". ...And I also tried storyboarding this one, too. Never finished it, though.

6. "Shampain" by Marina and the Diamonds ...Most of these are my storyboard projects, actually. This is the one I'm currently working on. There's not much that matches here, but this is for the fact that the song treats the champagne as something to hold up a "false pretense", just as Minish Vaati had to hold up the "false pretense" of being Hylian. Highlights include: " 'Cuz I remember, the way, the way, the way/It ended the day, the day, the day, the day/That I walked away, away, away, away", "I feel celestial", and especially: "Savour the taste of fabricated wealth". Since every form of Vaati's that wasn't a Minish was "fabricated". And each bigger and 'better' form was more worthy/"wealthy" than the last. The "mask" theme I keep mentioning.

7. "Chains" by The Beatles This one is quite silly. The chains are metaphorical. 'Chains' for the (quite possibly) holding-back that Ezlo had (his grip) on Minish Vaati ("I'll be wrapped around your finger" from earlier, anybody?). 'Chains' for all of the lies Vaati told himself that led him to change his form. And even 'chains' for his various imprisonments within the Four Sword. Highlights include: "Chains, my baby's got me locked up in chains/And they ain't the kind that you can see", my favourite: "Can't run around 'cuz I'm not free"; and (simply) "But I can't break away from all of these chains". He did this all to himself, as I've said before.

8. "The Air that I Breathe" by The Hollies ...To the point that I imagined this song being the ending credits to imaginary 'movie' versions of my stupid Fanfictions. Yes, I'm serious. First, there's the connection to "air" again- perfect for a Wind Mage. And the whole 'wishing' aspect as a whole- wishing to bring "peace". It wasn't the correct type of "peace", but it was "peace" to the mentally-dubious Vaati! ...The lyrics explain it better than I could. What am I saying? Highlights include: "If I could make a wish", "What more could I ask?/There's nothing left to be desired", and "All I need is the air that I breathe". So sleep, Vaati. You need it.

9. "I Don't Even Know Myself" by The Who Another unfinished storyboard! Lucky me! This is for a symbolic reason: Vaati doesn't know himself because (despite retaining his mind), he's changed his outward appearance so drastically that he's basically unrecognisable as "Vaati" anymore. He's lost his way. Exorbitant a semita. Highlights include: "There's nothing in the words I speak that can betray anything I'm knowing", "Don't think about the way I dress", "Don't pretend that you know me 'cuz I don't even know myself", "The police just came and left/They wanted me and no-one else", particularly: "Do you remember me?/I don't remember you/Do you still love me?/You know I think you do", and even the silly, "Come on, all of you big boys/Come on, all of you elves". ..."The police" being Link and Ezlo, I would imagine. And "big boys" being the Hylians and the "elves" being the Minish. I'm reading way too deeply into this.

10. "Written on the Wind" by Roger Daltrey "Wind" is in the title. Need I say more? ...Yes. Basically, this is for Vaati's mindset (and story) again. The Wind is his destiny- to be changed; redirected. But instead of LETTING the Wind warp him, he tried to change his own destiny by CONTROLLING said Wind. Highlights include: "I realise my mistake", "Especially through me and you, it can be stormy", "Rise, fall/Great, small", "Your name's written on the wind", and finally, "And 'no' to you is not enough for you to give in". Like, he tried to convince Ezlo of something that would benefit HIM (Vaati) and failed. Or something along those lines. And no matter how "great" Vaati became, he still wanted more- he still probably felt quite "small" ("And I'm sad to the core, core, core", from earlier, naturally).

11. "Walking on Air" by Kerli For the manipulation of the Element of Wind, and for the mere fact that the song has a hint of "mental" troubles. And by that I mean, it's a warped mindset that led Vaati to do everything he did, just as the girl in the song planned to "set (her) world on fire". If she was "strong enough..." JUST LIKE THAT "MEEK, MINISCULE NOTHING" Minish Vaati! Highlights include: "Saying funny things you have never heard", "Are you brave enough to figure out?", "Know that you could set your world on fire/If you are strong enough to leave your doubts", "Feel it, breathe it, believe it/And you'll be walking on air", "A creepy little bat", "An old blue hat", and "No-one ever thought she could do that". ...This makes Vaati sound like a freaky pyromaniac, and judging by how Vaati Reborn literally had fire sleeves, I can't quite deny that accusation. And the "old blue hat" (to me, at least) is the Magic Hat, if that wasn't obvious.

12. "Oh No" by Marina and the Diamonds Random fun fact: this was the first MATD song I ever heard. You can blame a video about Vriska Serket for that one. This is for Vaati's misadventures as a whole: it was one big, downward spiral of, "Fantastic! I'm a Hylian now! Wait, what do you mean the Light Force isn't here? Never mind- here it is. ...When did I get imprisoned in a sword?". Highlights include: "Don't do love, don't do friends/I'm only after success", "I'll never soften my grip", "Want it fast, want it hard", "I just wanna change", "I know exactly what I want and who I want to be", "I'm now becoming my own self-fulfilled prophecy", "If I fail, I'll fall apart", " 'Cuz I feel like I'm the worst/So I'll always act like I'm the best", and particularly, "If you are not very careful/Your possessions will possess you"; then "Real life has no appeal". Vaati let his ego get to his head, indeed! His head got to his head, if you will. ...What. Either way, Vaati was left alone to tend to his twisted fantasies, his own perfect world where he reigned supreme. Oh, if only.

13. "Almost Human" by Voltaire Yup. The final one. And one of the most heartbreaking, simply because it works for everything: the thoughts, the adventure, AND the symbolism. No matter what Vaati does, he will NEVER fully be a human, nor a demon. All because he started off a Minish, and that's what he still is. He's a FAKE. Highlights include: "Is it really such a crime/For an angel to speak his mind?", "I'll have to close my eyes and picture what it's like", "Despised by they", "I'm almost me", "Pity me, I'm almost a human being", "I still remember your light/And it was streaming down/And burning out my eyes", and tragically: "These tears are real/I'm jealousy/I'm spite and hate/To the core, I'm mean". "Despised by they"; being the Minish and later the Hylians as well. Even though Vaati believed himself to be better than everyone, the "pity me" part hearkens back to his origins as that itty-bitty, displeased Minish. It was Minish Vaati who started everything, by desiring nonsense- desiring MORE. ...Heck, even "If I Had a Heart" by Fever Ray would work in that context! ("More, give me more, give me more"). He was never satisfied.

There's so many songs that fit Vaati, sometimes in more ways than one. Vaati's such a melancholic character that it's distressing how many depressing songs match up with him. Oh, if he hadn't been so messed-up, just what would it have taken to make him happy? Plausibly the exact same thing, unfortunately...

..."High achiever, don't you see? Baby, nothing comes for free..."

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Theory: The Odd Headcanons of Vaati, Part Fifty-four: Almost Human

A rather extremely simple one, I do think... Just how human did Vaati become when he transfigured himself into one?

What I mean by this is- did he just change his outward appearance, or did he go full-on human internal organs as well? Honestly... There's a really dumb answer to this.

Yes-no.

Let me explain. There's this super-awkward 50/50 split going on here. He definitely made himself LOOK like a human, albeit with some minor mess-ups (such as the length of his ears, as I've mentioned before in Part Thirty-four of my "Irony of Vaati" theory series).

BUT. There's no TELLING if he gave himself human organs (or if the Minish naturally already HAD human-ish organs), but... His brain.

What really got affected here was his thought processes. Minish Vaati always was as nuts as Hylian Vaati, yet... What happens as soon as HYLIAN Vaati gets his hands on the Light Force? Boom- demonhood. And then, it just got worse and worse- more corruption. MIND corruption.

The only organ that plays a role here is his brain- as soon as he got a HINT of a taste of power by becoming human via the Magic Hat, THAT's when he starts going insane. Cursing Ezlo. Knocking Link out. Turning Zelda to stone. Imprisoning King Daltus and a bunch of innocent people. Warping Hyrule Castle to his liking. Stealing the Light Force- even just that little hunk. Assuming more-and-more monstrous forms...

The Minish seemed way too innocent/precious to even THINK about doing such devious things... So, what happened? ...The "evil in the hearts of men" incident, that's what!

Human-like evil is what led Vaati to adopt human-like thoughts! Knowledge is power, and Vaati's learned knowledge of evil is what led to his power-trip. And that's the thing. It was a POWER-TRIP. He got drunk on power and led to his own downfall!

And in the end, that's extremely fitting. It was human evil that sparked the interest in the first place; and it was human GOOD that extinguished that raging fire.

Barring the unknown organs (I'm sorry), Vaati became human enough to not only look like one, but THINK like one. A horribly misguided one, but one nonetheless.

...Pity him, he's almost a human being...

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Theory: The Odd Headcanons of Vaati, Part Fifty-three: Not the Waker of Winds

There is an odd trend that people tend to do, and I really don't understand why. Here are some reasons that Vaati had nothing to do with the Wind Waker.

There's a few problems with saying that Vaati either created OR found the Wind Waker, and they are... 1. Timeline 2. Minish Magic 3. Theft of the Magic Hat 4. Ezlo??? 5. Wind Association

1. Timeline Vaati is from the completely wrong Timelines. He only appeared in the Pre-Split Timeline (which was caused by "Ocarina of Time", NOT "Four Swords"!) and the Child Timeline. The Wind Waker is only found in the ADULT Timeline- where Vaati is NOT ONCE seen nor even mentioned!

2. Minish Magic Vaati was a Minish. Yes, we get that. But that means he only had the basic MINISH MAGIC at his disposal, hence why he wanted to steal the Magic Hat. How in the world could a low-level Mage, who was still training under a Sage, be able to create something that powerful? Unless...

3. Theft of the Magic Hat You could argue that after Vaati stole the Magic Hat, he created the Wind Waker. But, no. Vaati already had all of the cap's powers- and wanted even more with the Light Force- so why would he be satisfied with just a puny baton? On top of that, if he "had" the Wind Waker prior to the taking of the hat, then Vaati WOULDN'T HAVE NEEDED TO STEAL THE MAGIC HAT, COMPLETELY RUINING THE POINT OF HIS PLOT.

4. Ezlo??? Even if Ezlo had made it rather than Vaati, with all of Vaati's association with Wind, he probably would have stolen THAT instead of the Magic Hat! But, no. He clearly didn't. That hat is the entire FOCUS of "The Minish Cap", after all!

5. Wind Association I've said it before, and I'll say it again. Just because Vaati has something in common with something else doesn't mean he's a part of it. Like I mentioned in Part Three of this theory series, Vaati is NOT a Sheikah, despite him having red eyes. Things like that. This is in the same manner- Vaati shouldn't be associated with/blamed for the creation/discovery of the Wind Waker just because he also happened to have Wind powers!

That's what I just don't get. Yes, people can believe whatever they want- hence why this is a "headcanon" theory series!- but, personally... I really don't think Vaati has anything at all to do with the Wind Waker.

Because if he did, he would have had no reason to do all of the horrible actions that he actually DID do at all. And Vaati's bizarre rationale/mentality is what I find the most fascinating about him. He's... Almost human.

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Theory: The Odd Headcanons of Vaati, Part Fifty: Vaati Icarus

There's a certain Greek myth that fits Vaati's over-all story, and I'm amazed I never noticed it sooner. How are Vaati's misadventures a probable reference to the myth of Icarus?

This will make sense. Sort of. In the myth, a guy named Icarus and his father, Daedalus, are trying to make a daring escape by fashioning some wax wings they can use to fly away on. Daedalus takes off first, but stops for a second to warn his kid about how fragile the wings are- they can't take the heat, so he shouldn't fly too close to the sun. And they can't take moisture, so he shouldn't fly too low, either. Icarus is all like, "Okay. Whatever. Got it." But then, he gets way too carried away with the joy of flying and DOES end up flying right into the sun. The wings melt, Icarus free-falls, and drowns in the ocean.

So, how in the world does this match? Well... Let's just change a few things. In the game, an apprentice named Vaati and his father-figure, Ezlo, are not exactly getting along, since Ezlo fashioned a mystical cap he can use to help the people of Hyrule. Ezlo wanted to give the hat to the King of Hyrule, but is stopped for a while once his apprentice displays interest in taking the Magic Hat for himself- the hat runs on the wishes of its wearer, good thoughts give good wishes. Bad thoughts give bad wishes. Vaati is all like, "Okay. Whatever. Understood." But then, he gets way too carried away with the joy of being powerful and DOES end up thinking too many bad thoughts. He runs himself straight into the ground, gets defeated by a mere child, and is sealed into a sword.

Then, what of the most important aspect of the story- the warning of "Don't fly too close to the sun"? Well... What's the closest thing Vaati interacted with to the sun? ...THE LIGHT FORCE. HE FLEW TOO CLOSE TO THE LIGHT FORCE.

Meanwhile, the OTHER half of the message, which people tend to forget for some reason- the warning of "Don't fly too low"- still works, too. If Vaati flies too "low", he'd end up back a Minish again. A "meek, miniscule nothing". Back at square one. The lowest of the low. Literally.

Vaati's problem, really, is that he stopped listening to Ezlo. Which is weird considering that, as I've mentioned in Part Fifty-seven of my "Irony of Vaati" theory series, he quite possibly had a big reason for NOT listening to him. Speaking of which...

Vaati and Ezlo's bickerings not only match this legend warning against "hubris" (excessive pride- as I've mentioned in Part Forty-nine of this theory series)...

I've mentioned before in Part Forty-seven of my "Irony of Vaati" theory series, that their sorry tale matches up EXTREMELY well to a song by The Police called "Wrapped Around Your Finger" to the point where I briefly went full-on conspiracy with it. Why do I bring this up? Well... In the song, there's a reference to the Scylla and Charybdis... Which are from Greek Mythology. Just like Icarus.

But, what does THAT have to do with anything? Well, there's that rather poignant line towards the end of the song... "Vanish in the air, you'll never find me".

Vaati will never be found in the air because he's a Wind Mage, yes, but... He'll also never be found if his wings were melted by the sun. Our poor Vaati has become a tragic Icarus.

It was there all along.

[space--cadet-glow]

Theory: The Odd Headcanons of Vaati, Part Forty: The Language of Flowers

There is a way to communicate symbolism through flowers... The Language of Flowers! What flower's meaning would match up the best with our dear Vaati?

Well, there are a few candidates... 1. Red Dahlia 2. Purple Hyacinth 3. Saffron Crocus 4. Forget-me-not 5. Daffodil 6. Blue Rose

1. Red Dahlia MEANING: "BETRAYAL" and "DISHONESTY". Perfect for Vaati's back-stabbing and double-crossing of Ezlo. His theft of the Magic Hat... And his biggest lie- he's not a human at all. But rather, a lowly, little Minish. His Hylian form is completely and utterly a lie. He's even lying to himself.

2. Purple Hyacinth MEANING: "PLEASE FORGIVE ME". Now, this is a stretch, but... It's not that Vaati needs to be forgiven by others. It's the fact that Vaati needs to forgive himself. If he could do that, there would be no reason to be that power-hungry perfectionist. If he could forgive MINISH VAATI FOR BEING A MINISH, that would be the most "perfect" thing for him to do. But, he won't. To him, the past was "imperfect", so he'll try any way he can to make his future his type of "perfect". He'll keep on with his quest and forget his past rather than forgiving it. Poor guy.

3. Saffron Crocus MEANING: "BEWARE OF EXCESS IN PLEASURES". THIS. Two words: MAGIC HAT. The one thing capable of BRINGING pleasure to that displeased Minish. And without that hat, he's nothing. Therefore, it brings him pleasure- if only for those moments, when he had the hat in his possession. It's a pleasure to be one step closer to perfection, he'd reason. And CONSTANTLY wearing that hat is deep into the realms of EXCESS. He was basically on a power-trip. Drunk on power, even.

4. Forget-me-not MEANING: ..."FORGET-ME-NOT". Duh. This is another weird one... Why does this even work? Well... In order to remember why Vaati was doing the things he was doing, he has to remember his Minish form. He has to remember why he wanted the Light Force. Why he betrayed Ezlo, why he battered up Link, why he turned Zelda to stone. Because, the second he DOES forget, all is left is his Wrath. Not him. To forget himself is to forget why he wanted freedom. A "loss of identity" seems to be a theme with Vaati, and remembering who he once was is both a blessing and a curse to him.

5. Daffodil MEANING: "NEW BEGINNINGS". A quite sad one... For two different reasons. First, for the idea of Vaati creating his new form- the Hylian one- to be a fresh start against his Minish body. And second, for the idea of Vaati ever being able to be redeemed- could he ever "start over" with Ezlo? Or Link? Or Zelda? Anybody??? He sacrificed himself for a new beginning... So, could he sacrifice his new beginning for a second chance?

And finally... 6. Blue Rose MEANING: "OBTAINING THE IMPOSSIBLE". Since blue roses are artificial, of course. Like Vaati with the Magic Hat. The hat was capable of wishing anything he wanted into existence in the blink of an eye. He obtained his wildest dreams- his deepest desires- and obtained the impossible. He did all that, and it still wasn't enough. He wanted more. And he got it. He got his hands on the Light Force. Obtained the impossible again. But, Link and Ezlo obtained the impossible, too. They took Vaati down. Impossibilities vs. impossibilities...

So, which flower do I think fits the best? ...All of them do, for their own unique reasons. Red Dahlia for the "mask" theme... Purple Hyacinth for the inner turmoil... Saffron Crocus for the over-indulgence... Forget-me-not for the bitter remembrance... Daffodil for the uncertain future... And Blue Rose for the magic...

But, honestly? If I absolutely had to pick one? ...I can't. It's a literal dead tie between SAFFRON CROCUS and FORGET-ME-NOT. The Saffron Crocus works the best because of the symbolism itself: Vaati over-indulged in way too many things, including his own ego. But, for the IRONY, the Forget-me-not works the best because in order for Vaati to win, he has to both remember and forget himself simultaneously, which is impossible. It's terribly ironic, and "irony" is another key theme for him. Therefore, they both work the best for Vaati.

...For that terribly troubled Minish.

[space--cadet-glow]

Theory: The Odd Headcanons of Vaati, Part Forty-six: Free as the Wind

Like I've said before, Vaati seems to be a Wind Mage for a reason. And that reason, strangely, is a question... Why are Vaati's Wind powers so ironic?

"Irony" is one of the key themes with Vaati, as I've noticed, and his powers are no exception to this theme. There are some things that Wind symbolises and those are... 1. Freedom 2. Choices 3. Knowledge

1. Freedom Vaati, to some extent, wanted to be free from Ezlo- because of his boring lessons or his possible mistreatment. Vaati, despite having that home to live at and clothes to wear and magic to learn, decided that the "freedom" of attaining the Light Force would be much better. The twist here is that by wanting freedom from being Ezlo's apprentice/"slave", he ended up becoming a slave to his own desires. To his own wishes- and the Magic Hat. And even to the Light Force. And his own loss of sanity. By eventually forgetting his origins as a Minish, he is free of his past, but... He wound up sealed in a sword long enough to be considered a "legend". That's not very much in the way of "freedom", now is it?

2. Choices It was all Vaati's fault. Everything he did- everything he wished for. Everything he said. It was VAATI who wanted to get away from his Master. It was VAATI who stopped being a "meek, miniscule nothing". Who turned Zelda to stone. Who fought Link. Who sought the Light Force. Who OBTAINED it. Who went nuts- who was hoisted by his own petard, his own choices. He did everything here all because he WANTED TO. The sad thing is that those were all very much terrible choices. These are not the choices of a contemplated Minish, no, not at all. These were the choices of someone so discontented with everything that by the end of it all, the only thing left was his NAME. He led himself down the wrong path.

3. Knowledge In a way, this is the worst one. Vaati didn't want Ezlo's knowledge, it seems. He wanted the ULTIMATE knowledge. Omnipotence. PERFECTION. To be ABOVE the other Minish. The Hylians. Ezlo. Maybe even the Goddesses. To have his OWN knowledge. ...Well, they say knowledge is power... And by essentially becoming the Minish equivalent to Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Vaati got what he wanted. He had it all for the course of about ten minutes; but he got it. And that little taste is why he wanted more. That's why his Wrath lived on; he wasn't done- and never would be. Despite having all of the powers and knowledge in his grasp when in possession of the Light Force, I don't think he believed it was enough. He wanted MORE. Bigger, better, perfect. The knowledge of there even potentially being MORE out there is what spurred him on and kept him going. Forever. Until "Four Swords Adventures", at least.

It's not so much that Vaati really DOES embody everything that Wind symbolises, it's just that he symbolises "Wind" in the most twisted ways possible. Freedom? Lost. Choices? Wasted. Knowledge? Corrupting.

If we counted his Fire and Earth (ie, possessing the statue in "Four Swords") powers, there's not much in the way of "irony", just straight-forward symbolism. Fire is for anger (Vaati's Wrath), transformation (Minish to Hylian, etc), and passion (determination to get the Light Force). And Earth is for creativity (transfiguring himself into various forms), introspection (self-hatred), and dependability (on himself, not others).

...But what about the fact that he doesn't have a single Water attack? Is there any symbolism and/or irony with the lack of that? In some ways for IRONY, yes. Water is for... Purity, healing, and... Stability. It was a corrupted heart that made Vaati's wishes so dark. There would be no healing because he refused to change his ways from bad to good. And, tragically, he lost himself TO HIMSELF, because he was unstable and could no longer rely on himself. He lost his ground.

He took flight as the Mage of Winds; losing what made him "Vaati" in the first place, but donning the Mask he thought would help him thrive. ...That poor, misguided Minish...

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Theory: The Odd Headcanons of Vaati, Part Forty-nine: Delusions of Grandeur

Vaati eventually becomes so far gone that the Figurines call his final form an "it" instead of a "he". Just exactly when and how much did his own ego get the best of him?

It has occurred to me that it's not so much his ego by itself that doomed him, perhaps... There IS a thing called... "Delusions of grandeur". In which a person believes themself to be 5,000% more important/better than they really are. This seems to fit Vaati's mindset... But just how well? Did Vaati really suffer from delusions of grandeur?

So, what are the criteria for it to be delusions of "grandeur" in particular? Includes exaggerated beliefs of... 1. Self-worth 2. Power/knowledge 3. Identity 4. Divinity

1. Self-worth Vaati definitely believed himself to be better than everyone else, especially in his Hylian form and onwards. But what of Vaati's quote about his Minish self? "A meek, miniscule nothing"... That doesn't fit... Does it? If he believed himself to be more important/better than he really was, then why use THAT sentence above to refer to himself? ...Because that's what he WANTED TO CHANGE. It was the "MEEK, MINISCULE NOTHING" that HAD the DELUSIONS in the first place!

2. Power/knowledge Together because of the infamous "Knowledge is power" thing... 'Power', in the sense that he wanted to be above everyone else ("transformed, perfect"...). And 'knowledge' in the sense that in order to accomplish everything he wanted... He had to leave Ezlo. To leave Ezlo's guidance and teachings. To forge his OWN knowledge, on his OWN terms. The "delusional" part isn't the fact that he wanted to capture his own knowledge... It's the fact he had a PERFECTLY GOOD TEACHER RIGHT THEN-AND-THERE TO HELP HIM. And he STILL left it all behind!

3. Identity The "mask". Oh god, the mask. The mask of a Hylian. Of a Demon. Of a ball of sludge. Of a furious flying eyeball abomination. It all leads back to that sad, sad little Minish. That "meek, miniscule nothing" who wanted "none" to "stop him". To him, Minish Vaati basically never existed. His hatred remained (Vaati's Wrath, anyone?), but the appearance didn't. Vaati pretty much was playing an extremely prolonged game of dress-up.

4. Divinity Do I even have to quote it? "And with the third toll of the bell, I will become like a god!" Right there. "Like a god". A two-inch tall Minish decided he was going to become divine. That's the greatest delusion of them all!

"Delusions of grandeur" match up incredibly well to Vaati and his twisted thoughts. AND- there's something funny about all of this, too. Strangely enough, a reported possible cause of these kinds of delusions is a Vitamin B-12 deficiency. Why do I bring this up? Because it goes hand-in-hand with anemia, which I HAVE theorised Vaati to have before a few times. It all comes full circle.

Vaati is a Machiavellian narcissist with a few psychopathic tendencies (as I've theorised before in Part Seven of my "Irony of Vaati" theory series). And this all stems from his self-hatred-turned-inflated-ego.

...There's a word for that. "Hubris". Excessive pride or self-confidence. Did he, much like in the Greek legend about Icarus, fly too close to the sun?

...Wait a second... Oh, yeah... The Light Force... Huh.

Something's really up with Vaati now...

[space--cadet-glow]

Theory: The Odd Headcanons of Vaati, Part Forty-three: Minish Healing

The Minish might be too smart for their own good, but I think that their bodies might be too resilient for their own good as well. Just what does this mean for all Minish- Vaati included?

Basically, what I am getting at is that, because the Minish are so small... There must be some way- other than their intelligence and usage of magic, that could help them survive being attacked or getting sick.

Then, it hit me. I believe that the Minish might have some sort of inherent healing abilities. Imagine the scenario: a Minish has gone out to pick herbs for a magic lesson. Then, it strikes: a gigantic cat just swipes the heck out of the nearly-defenseless Minish. The Minish fights back with some magic or speed trickery, and absconds back home, only to discover that the hit is worse than they thought: their entire back has been clawed!

But rather than panic over it, the Minish just shrugs and goes to gathering supplies to treat it. Because- most likely- the Minish have bodies that heal rather quickly. To prevent unnecessary deaths. To help them survive against anything bigger than them. Which is everything.

And this would also apply to Vaati- this could partially explain how/why he managed to stick around for so long after being pummeled by Link and the FOUR SWORD. Yes, the Light Force probably did something to help, but if Vaati's body had a natural sort of "defense" against injuries, THAT would really, really help him.

Even though he came nowhere close to deserving it. He might not have even realised that his Minish heritage was still helping him in the end. And that is depressing.

Because, to him, everything "Minish" was bad. But how could your own basic powers be "bad"? Well, he wanted more. Absolutely more. The bigger, the better. The more healed.

...Though, it seems that the only thing he never was able to heal was his own heart.

[space--cadet-glow]

Theory: The Odd Headcanons of Vaati, Part Forty-two: Keep it at Three

As much as I love Vaati, there is something strange that I have an opinion on. Here is why I think, for the love of god, that Vaati should NOT ever be in another game.

Put down your pitchforks. I have slightly good reasons for thinking this. 1. Vaati's over-all adventure 2. The theorising 3. The symbolism

1. Vaati's over-all adventure What I mean by this is... In all the games Vaati has been in, it's been one, continuous Vaati. We are told (to some extent) his back-story in "The Minish Cap". He is resurrected and re-sealed in "Four Swords". And he is finally killed in "Four Swords Adventures". Therefore, VAATI'S STORY IS A COMPLETED ONE. There is literally NOTHING MORE to do with him! (Except, perhaps, make a game about his childhood- but how in the world could THAT be accomplished and fill up a complete game by itself???)

2. The theorising If we are taught more about Vaati, the less mysterious he would become. The colour purple is associated with mystery- and good ol' Vaati wears it for a reason. He's SUPPOSED to be mysterious. We aren't supposed to know everything about him (unlike Ganon, for example). This is why he is prime for the theorising and headcanoning- he's almost like a blank-slate, similar to a player-character (ironically). His motives are almost left up to us. Vaati wasn't known to talk much of his past- and in fact, this is doubled in by the fact that he himself even forgets his past starting with "Four Swords". If we knew more about him, it would just ruin him. He'd be less mysterious. Less purple. What. We'd know too much. KNOWLEDGE IS POWER.

3. The symbolism What was one of my earliest Vaati theories ever? Part Two of my "Irony of Vaati" theory series- "Vaati and the Number Three"! Why do I bring this up? Vaati seems to be associated with one certain number- and that would be "three". And, through everything else pertaining to that number, just exactly how many games has he been in? THREE. If he appears in a fourth game, the symbolism (intentional or not) is broken. And I do not want to see it broken.

As much as I care for our troubled Minish, he needs to stay dead. It's for the best. For us and for him.