I know it's a comedy manga, but the ww manga probably has one of my favorite manga interpretations of Link. Mainly because he feels accurate to his games. He's quiet, he can talk, but he mostly just communicates his thoughts through his actions and body language. He's also just a silly little guy.

Top 23 of 2023

Top 23 of 2023 on Tumblr is out and it made me remember something....!!! For those who also remember, I started this game last year and I just thought it would be nice to do it again. For reference, my post is ofc long gone, but here's Mia's~~

Tagging: @ticklygiggles & Everyone who wants to do it lol

Part 1: Fandom Faves 

01. Favorite new fandoms of the year: Red, White & Royal Blue, Honkai Star Rail

02. Favorite new ships since this year: Henry x Alex (RWRB) Sampo x Gepard (HSR), Ballister x Ambrosius (Nimona)

03. Favorite anime/TV shows of the year: Atarashii Joushi wa Do Tennen, Our Flag Means Death Season 2, Niehime to Kemono no Ou

04. Favorite movies of the year: Red White and Royal Blue, Nimona

05. Favorite characters of the year: Furina!!!! (Genshin Impact), also Gepard Landau (Honkai Star Rail), Miguel O'Hara (Across the Spiderverse), and a big honorable mention to the Fontaine gang in Genshin Impact (especially Freminet and Neuvillette)!

06. Favorite soundtrack of the year: Genshin Impact - Fontaine soundtrack and the Our Flag Means Death Season 2 soundtrack

07. Favorite book/manga/comic of the year: The Work Love Balance manhwa, and RWRB which is older but I discovered it thanks to the movie coming out.

08. Favorite games of the year: Genshin Impact, still my fav^^

09. Highlight of this year to remember: Bowuigi trending as a ship.

Part 2: Community Review

10. Favorite Tumblr moments of 2023: Tickletober with the very own list Mia and I created, and even though it was a negative thing at first - getting swarmed with kind words from you guys after I lost my blog. I'm a mere humble person but you guys seriously made me feel a little important for a moment there ^///^

11. Favorite fan art of the year: Hard to say, but I'll say this sampard piece I got from Val baby for my bday, and this Ukatake commission by @dokidoki-muffin, this spiderdads commission by @giulscomix, and this Ittorou commission by @chibimochii have also stolen my heart!

And ofc all other commissions of this year (the bowuigi one fs;ijogij; and miguel one omggg, the pokemon commission so CUTE). And *wiggles fingers* I have more on the way....

12. Favorite fic of the year: Hard to say but I've been enjoying a lot of the Tickletober works specifically by @lovelynim and @ticklygiggles, and also this Nimona fic by @bambinella has become a fav, and all RWRB fics by @kourtniwritesagain!!!!! I still need to reblog them here.

13. Favorite ask game of the year: I can't remember which ones I played, but I remember there was a time I had reblogged "post your anonymous confessions" or something, and it resulted in the most interesting asks and conversations with you guys^^ I liked that.

14. My top achievements as a writer/artist/creator/blogger: If I'll be around in a year, this won't be 'writer' but 'blogger', but for this one as a writer, it'll again be completing all 31 days of tickletober right on schedule despite a minor intervention.. :"D

15. My own best fic/post of the year: I have no idea! But if I ask AO3, it answers that my best fic of this year is my bowuigi fic mahahaha (based on kudos btw).

16. My most underappreciated fic/post of the year: Let's give that award to these 2 poor Tickletober fics (which I enjoyed writing a lot) that were not reblogged by anyone meaning they are no longer on Tumblr since my account loss:

Day 21: Horns/Fangs | Sariphi x Leonhart, King of Beasts (Niehime to Kemono no Ou) 

Day 23: Party | Momose x Shirosaki (Atarashii Joushi wa Do Tennen) 

17. A post of mine that got more popularity than expected: My comeback post! The comments, likes and even reblogs, I couldn't have ever imagined.

18. Something I changed on my blog since this year: You tell me 😂 No but besides the whole blog change, another change is that I got over my embarrassment and was brave enough to commission a couple of artists this year. Me and my money are now in a happy place!

Part 3: Next Year

19. Something I didn’t post this year but would like to do next year: A fic recommendations/faves post (from other writers). Wonder if I'll ever get to it, since my reading and fic reblogging is already not what I like it to be, meaning that every fic I reblog would probably belong on that list lol. But alright, I'd like to make a faves of the faves list then.

20. Goals for next year: Read more...!!! Read more books, more manga, more webtoons, more tickle fics. I love them, so I should read more! My truest ambition.

21. 2024 releases I look forward to the most: Every single update for Genshin Impact and Honkai Star Rail, and also: Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse, Inside Out 2, Deadpool 3, Venom 3, Kimi ni Todoke S3, and Beastars Final Season!

22. Something else I look forward to next year: Traveling to Japan with my boyfriend! Also: receiving more tickles cuz why not. And last but not least, seeing Taylor Swift live at the Eras Tour in Amsterdam!

Part 4: Spreading Love

23. Shoutouts to people who made my 2023 a better year: I know, and you might know, I didn't do so well last time since I tagged a bunch of friends but also forgot to mention some... not because I didn't care about them but because I am a flopper. So to prevent this embarrassment I won't mention any names this time.

I especially would like to thank everyone who is still around, who is reading this, who followed my new blog. To be honest, on my old blog I felt flattered to have so many followers but I was also aware it was the effect of being active for 7 years in a ton of fandoms, and that it didn't say anything about the accurate number of people appreciating what I was posting.

But to be at already almost 500 followers on this blog? Where I only post shit? Now that's a compliment I will gladly accept. Thank you to all of you for the support!

Last but not least, special shoutout to the friends I talk to on Discord sooo much now, you know who you are!

Question list for copy paste below!

Part 1: Fandom Faves 

01. Favorite new fandoms of the year

02. Favorite new ships since this year 

03. Favorite anime/TV shows of the year 

04. Favorite movies of the year

05. Favorite characters of the year

06. Favorite soundtrack of the year

07. Favorite book/manga/comic of the year

08. Favorite games of the year

09. Highlight of this year to remember

Part 2: Community Review

10. Favorite Tumblr moments of 2023

11. Favorite fan art of the year

12. Favorite fic of the year

13. Favorite ask game of the year

14. My top achievements as a writer/artist/creator/blogger

15. My own best fic/post of the year

16. My most underappreciated fic/post of the year

17. A post of mine that got more popularity than expected

18. Something I changed on my blog since this year

Part 3: Next Year

19. Something I didn’t post this year but would like to do next year

20. Goals for next year

21. 2024 releases I look forward to the most

22. Something else I look forward to next year

Part 4: Spreading Love

23. Shoutouts to people who made my 2023 a better year

I made an interesting little connection while looking at the symbol on minish vaati's outfit. Not sure if anyone has pointed this out already but-

-the symbol on his outfit is strikingly similar to the wiccan horned god symbol. I decided to look into it more to see if I could connect any dots.

I'll start by discussing connections I made to vaati from the first informational image.

As a symbol of power, it makes sense that the horned god would appear on minish vaati's outfit. Like most zelda villains, he craved power, so the horned god served as a subtle representation of that. He later on transforms into a monster with more than a striking resemblance to the horned god, symbolic of him finally aquiring the power he so desired.

One of the first sightings of the horned god symbol being in an image called "the sorcerer" lines up pretty well with vaati, as he is in his sorcerer form for most of mc. One could say that his sorcerer form was the first sighting of the horned god for the people around him.

Horned god osiris' association with rebirth can be related to vaati's "rebirth", as he comes back twice after mc. He also just so happens to have a form called "vaati reborn" that is depicted wearing a horn-shaped crest.

Osiris and cernunnos being gods of the underworld can be connected to vaati's rule over the monsters he released from bound chest, and his prominence among other villains as he is the first villain to take the stage after demise.

Vaati physically taking on the form of the horned god does indeed serve as a direct opposition to the triple moon goddess, the goddess in this case being hylia in the form of zelda. Just as he was able to cause destruction with the power of the mage's cap, zelda was able to fix what he had broken with the same tool. It may also be worth noting that on fs zelda's dress, there is a symbol that shares a very vague resemblance to the triple moon goddess symbol.

Okay, moving on to the second informational image!

Sherry Salman's idea of the male psyche's "horned god" often being a way to compensate for "inadequate fathering" can be interpreted as an indication of the state of vaati and ezlo's relationship.

In the first encounter with the "horned god", it is described as "dangerous" but "possessed of kindness and intelligence". This can be paralleled by how vaati is shown in the mc bonus manga, "vaati during training", when he first decides to study under ezlo. He has his own shallow motives for wanting to become a sage, which may have contributed to his dangerous behavior later on in life. When he first meets ezlo he upholds a kind and respectful demeanor. Vaati is described as "serious" and "ambitious", presumably about learning to become a sage, therefore showing that he is committed to the possession of intelligence.

If the "horned god" is repressed, it shall appear later in life as "hades". For vaati, this "hades" would be his cultivated interest in the darkness residing in human hearts. It's never fully elaborated on, but the repression that caused his interest in such a subject may have been unintentionally induced by ezlo. In both the mc game and manga, ezlo is shown to be quite overbearing and harsh, a tough love type of guy. Vaati may have felt like his hard work as an apprentice was not being acknowledged, and this caused a buildup of repressed resentment towards ezlo (cite "No longer will I tire away as your apprentice! Now, all shall call ME master!") Noting vaati's pompous behavior despite him describing his minish self as "a meek, miniscule nothing", the way ezlo treated him may have caused him to develop some sort of inferiority-superiority complex that greatly contributed to his antagonistic behavior later on. Ezlo most likely didn't mean to make vaati feel this way, but because the two didn't communicate their emotions efficiently, vaati's loathing of ezlo and himself only worsened over time.

The idea of the "horned god" splitting off entirely would be reflected in vaati's hatred for himself and ezlo, his need for power and self fulfilment, and his interest in the sickness of human nature reaching a breaking point. This breaking point is breached when he gets his hands on the mage's cap. Vaati is finally capable of embracing his "hades", getting revenge, and gaining power to compensate for his lack of genuine self love that he covers up with his arrogant attitude.

The violence, substance abuse, and sexual perversion that follow the split off can be clearly seen in vaati's actions. Violence was demonstrated in the havoc he wreaked upon hyrule. The substance abuse is more of a metaphor. He became addicted to the power that the mage's cap granted him and abused it to the point that he was able to achieve god status, even if only for a short time. The sexual perversion is shown in his infamous kidnapping of beautiful maidens. The ego that comes from the integration of the "horned god" was definitely destructive to both vaati himself and the people around him.

I think the idea to make vaati's monstrous forms shaped like the horned god symbol and to incorporate said symbol in his minish outfit was a good choice. It was an interesting way to tell his story through just visuals. It very well may not have been intentional and whoever was in charge of his character designs just thought it looked cool, but I'd like to think they knew what they were doing with this. I suppose the big takeaway from all of this is that:

1. Character design and attention to detail is important for storytelling

And

2. Communication in ur relationships is key

To think that vaati and ezlo could've had a happier ending had they effectively talked with one another is sad to say the least, but honestly I find vaati's arrogant facade very endearing (as I'm sure most other vaati enjoyers do.) I'm not really sure how to end a post like this so uh do with this information what u will 😇

FSR rambles PT 4

Over explaining the decisions in my own comic once again. UwU

Smth fun about these pages is ZELDA. My lady.

Something I'm not sure was how well this portrayed that this was shortly after they put the sword back (like maybe a year at most?)

I kind of like to think for FSR at least, they were all around 13-15 during the events of the manga (This isn't my opinion tbh, though in the bonus pages they buy child tickets for the theme park so they aren't canonically adults.)

Link's old enough to drink in FSR so he's at least 21.

(I've never really liked the idea they're YOUNG kids during FS it just lends itself better to FSR specifically. I really write them however old I want for whatever scenario I'm writing because Link's as fluid as a Vocaloid when it comes to making fan works and cannon is my bitch. Writing them as adults during the events of the manga usually lends itself to MORE writing opportunities but not for FSR. I don't really give a shit what other people decide to do when making fan works either.)

You'd also notice the 7 years it takes FS Link to pull the sword is a reference to the seven years Link misses during OOT.

Anyways onto the page itself: Zelda's a sweet girl who cares deeply about her childhood friend. Link means a lot to her and she makes time for him. He waits for her too. Zelink shippers I got you lol.

Something I always found WEIRD was how Link doesn't talk in the pages after he reformed. That's so odd to me. The fan "theory" It's basically cannon in BOTW/TOTK at least Link's selectively mute. That Link's mute is also something I took inspiration for FSR Link.

So Link doesn't respond to Zelda verbally but she still makes the effort to talk to him.

Shadow Link is very disapointed he can't get hugged by the princess. Because as he stated earlier in the comic he loves her. Zelda addressed him too so she tries to include him.

This page shows off just how gradual the curse was: So funny enough at the START of the comic it was actually going to be explained how Link utterly deteriorated but I decided to add that later. (Wanted to get to funny shenanigans with the boys so I put it off)

It started with him just hearing whispers, then full voices then the what I call "Headspace" fully appeared.

Blue mentions liking Zelda's hugs Haha "Where's my hug???"

Vio just says Zelda's name, Vio's relationship with Zelda is something I'd love to expand upon later down the line.

Green's more focused on food oof.

Red's just happy to see Zelda.

Green was right about being hungry, so Zelda invites him over for DINNER-

Shadow Link's still just vibing.

Zelda lifting Link up in this panel just shows she's there for him.

Link is just dealing with the fact he can hear them by himself. Also dad is still alive.

Lol he's actually making his dad proud which was something he didn't do often before the OG book.

Zelda hanging out with Link and his father kind of shows them as a family.

Shadow Laughing in the bg but he's away from the rest.

So the captain died in a fight, and Link blames himself for it because he can't think straight when there's 4 people constantly talking.

Daddy's demise was really the start of the snowballing downhill for him.

Lol. So Vio's daddy issues are apparent for the SECOND time in the comic. He was uncomfortable even bringing up Link's dad before and this is partially the reason why:

Vio's the only one not crying or overtly emotional about their dad dying.

But something to consider is if he's truly talking to Link or himself in that panel. Because the man is still SHOOK. We have the liberty of SEEING Vio here, but Link doesn't.

So he takes this statement very poorly because:

Well, Vio's seeming "no shits given" attitude is unsettling enough coming from an outside source but that IS apart of Link.

A part of him, seemingly doesn't care his own father kicked the bucket and that's scary to him.

I think anybody would have lost it at this point.

Too bad Zelda saw Link screaming his lungs out at his father's grave lmao. Poor man.

Bro can't do anything but plead for Zelda to help him at this point. She's really the only person he feels he can turn too anyway.

Our girl comes in clutch with them hugs.

This was the conformation Link was actually not speaking in the comic Felt like I had to outright state it cause I wasn't sure if people would notice it otherwise.

Something I REALLY wish was a thing in Zelda manga:

Zelda and Link BOTH lose their parents. Usually their mothers.

And we never get any sort of bonding over that. And I find that a complete waste of potential.

I'd like to dive further into that with FSR or some other Zelda work I do because: HOLY SHIT THEY COULD BOND OVER THEIR LOST PARENTS????

Also Zelda's unfortunate phrasing here with "You can talk to me" she means just, that he can confide in her in general lol.

He's still struggling to actually speak. Poor guy.

While keeping him from doing knight duties kept him PHYSICALLY safe it was just another thing he lost to the curse Vaati laid on him.

So the obvious: Zelda had to watch the person she cares about most completely fall apart before her eyes and she couldn't do shit.

They weren't even aware this WAS A CURSE from Vaati mind you. They were completely in the dark trying to solve this.

Something horrific about this situation you might have also considered:

Not only did Zelda have to watch Link deteriorate but so did Shadow Link.

Shadow Link couldn't even offer much comfort. Zelda could offer physical comfort and attempt emotional comfort but Shadow was completely fucked.

And with the new context of "Link was mostly mute" the fact he wasn't actively TALKING to Shadow Link makes a lot more sense.

Still didn't make that fact any less painful in the moment.

Shadow literally could not participate, was isolated and lonely and had to watch someone else slowly get isolated and lonely and couldn't even help.

Link and Shadow Link literally felt the same way and could not help each other even though they were right next to each other all that time.

Also with the new context of what Link was going through, Shadow's persistence to be there for Vio starts to make a whole lot more sense: He can actually DO something now.

Vio's just stating the obvious at this point and his broken record nature really pissed Link off.

I'm sure you noticed what he wore color wise matched his emotions lol.

Vio technically is 100% right: They think Gannon is in the sword. It would literally be INSANE to pull it knowing that.

But Link's kinda at the point of not giving a shit.

Zelda would get hurt no matter what his "solution" to the problem ended up being.

Shadow Link trying to cheer Link up by reminding him he's there is so sad. Mghhhh

And for the first time in the flashback we actually have Link fully acknowledge Shadow Link's presence.

Vio was outright in denial the man was still alive and didn't want to acknowledge his existence so Link fully embracing Shadow Link here was a big moment between the two of them.

Shadow Link started to figure out what the man was planning but couldn't do squat about it. (He also couldn't communicate with the 4 or HEAR THEM.)

Link shows up in the head space! :D

His words imply he wasn't SURE he could properly communicate with Green like this alone...Which is no surprise considering Vio thinks how odd it is they were able to do that in the first place.

I kinda scrambled to think of what to have him look like hah. Ended up with him wearing white. Since white is the lack of color, white reflects all wavelengths of light so it literally kinda REJECTS color. (Apposed to Black which absorbs light, which funny enough his pants are black...)

And it symbolizes rebirth, peace stuff like that.

It can also symbolize death but we're ignoring that one lmao.

His nails are all the colors + Shadow Link too.

Lmfao when you gaslight yourself.

Okay in all seriousness the Link lays down just how DIRE the situation is since the other 3 don't seem to be quite aware.

And the "Promise" Green made to Link is what had Green so shook at the start of the comic for.

And the weight of the line "Can I trust you?" really sinks in as we'll see.

Link's kinda spooky haha. You can tell he wasn't sure Green was going to help him but that's quickly overtaken by how overjoyed he is Green is for sure on board.

One of my favorite panels from this batch is how happy he is. He's so relived he can finally just rest.

Green can't though. The crushing weight of keeping everything "Okay" is a heavy burden to bare and Dark Link spits those words right back into Green's face, and just holds him.

Green doesn't seem to hate the hug as much as Vio did hah.

Green doesn't even seem to acknowledge his presence while Vio not only NOTICED but was actively terrified of him to the point of trying to grab his sword.

He also mocked Vio more throwing Vio's own words back in his face, but just repeats what Link said to Green.

How. Odd.

And that's all for this batch. Hope ya come back to read my rumbly thoughts about my own comic.

I love your Four Swords ideas!! You are very creative! I like regular (FS manga) Link in addition to the four separate Links, so I'm glad to see you mention him sometimes!

THANK YOU SO MUCH AWAWA......... that means a lot to me bc i dont feel very creative a lot of the time. genuinely, thank you.

AND YEAH I LIKE LINK A LOT ive planned on drawing a spread of hims for a bit i should get on that. i really hate when hes excluded entirely because ???? hes all of them?? hes Your blorbo (if said blorbo is one of the links)? thats him?? and also hes kinda the crux of the whole characters growth so.

u can rlly tell how a person is based on how they perceive the itoshis' relationship. like this has been simmering in my head for the longest time now bc ive been trying to find exactly why i agree w sae so much despite having been in rin's position time n time again.

bllk manga spoilers under the cut!

ok so i gotta scribble this rq lest i lose my train of thought hence why there are zero manga panels attached. most of this basically refers to the u20 arc anyway so if u've read that i hope that u get what i mean ! a lot of this is rambling n very common shit but whatever!!!

we know that rin has p much worked his ass off for a good decade to get to the level that sae is on. that's his entire appeal: hopeful younger brother who tries so hard to be like the best person he has in his life. n so when sae comes back from spain all cold n stone-like, spewing shit abt how he doesn't wanna be the #1 striker anymore, rin saw his entire life fracture into unrecognisable pieces. but he still hopes! he still thinks that he can get sae to pick up his dream again, get sae to turn back into the kid he was before spain. even after losing that 1v1 when sae came back, rin never fully left behind the possibility that sae could just take back his words; the u20 match was one of - if not The last - opportunity for rin to prove to sae that he can still afford to dream that dream. to play soccer together, be number 1 n number 2 in the world. i mean the look on his face when sae spoke to him after the match looked like that of a child who retained such naiveness, like he was 7 again and not 16 fucked over by everyone. but the world he was slowly rebuilding shattered again when sae spat out isagi's name n not his, n u can see how much of an impact this had on rin ever since then (in the rare instances he shows up).

he's become more selfish, thought more for himself than anyone else (if this was even possible), gained even more of an ego. for once this ego is his n no one else's. it's not tied to some dream he had with his brother, it is his and that's why i think pxg matches will probably show rin at such a heightened state that his evolution from u20 will tower over everyone else's (bar isagi bc bro is blanketed by mc privileges). think abt it, sae improved so much during his time in spain bc he learnt to detach himself from everyone. he learnt to fall and grow by himself. rin was still tethered to him until their confrontation after the match. it wasn't until then that rin can also fall and grow by himself, for himself.

yea sae may be cruel but what he did, at least how i see it, was necessary bc rin would never grow to be the player he wants to be if he keeps tying himself to the idea that he needs his brother's approval. no, it's apparent that rin needed sae's cruelty to grow as a player. it's time for lil emo guy to own his dream as his n not some shared fantasy with sae. n idk fs if sae is cruel to him for this very reason but i am glad bc it got rin off his moping pity party ass. blue lock needs u to become the worst person imaginable before becoming the best, that is ego's entire mantra (as we are all v familiar w). sae was the last piece in rin's puzzle to become the best he's always wanted to be. n for that i do not and cannot look at him as a "horrible" person. everyone in this manga sucks in one way or another, that's what happens when too many people try to be the best! hurt people hurt people! sae and rin being the loudest example of this does not necessarily make one of them horrible.

yea it sucks n it hurts to read but it is one of my favourite relationships in media ever bc it is realistic. i believe that one of the hardest lessons u gotta learn is knowing when to detach urself from ppl and/or dreams that will limit from becoming the person you've wanted to be. to be able to listen to hurtful things from ppl u've always loved n turn them into reasons to become the best u've ever been even if it means leaving them behind. i love it (◞‸◟；)

Hi fencer-san! Firstly thank you for replying my question before... I love your answer! Now do you mind if I ask you again?

So recently I just saw a pict about the child rinharu holding hands. Is that the official scene from the movie FS 2? If yes, why they were holding hands?

Also, is there any other skinship between those two? I know that we already got that tackle-hug after the rematch in the rooftop right?

Or perhaps we also get the skinship of the two with the others? Maybe Rin hugs Sousuke or Haruka holds Makoto's etc? Or we only got to see the one and only skinship from Rinharu in the movie?

Would you mind to explain why Rin loves to touch Haruka? Well, I don't recall he did that so often with the others even Sousuke? A slight touch might be yes, but does Rin hug Sousuke or Ikuya too after the final? I mean, does Rin being THAT touchy/clingy with the others just like what he did to Haruka?

And the last...

What do you think about skinship? Is that even necessary in the (((SPORT))) anime? Cuz I don't remember watching sport anime that gives me the 'shoujo manga' vibe like Free! Even I do think that Free! is somehow gayer than Yuri on Ice--the actual sport-shounen-ai anime imo.

Thank you!

For the pic of them holding hands, I don't think that's official? But I could definitely be misremembering--there are several scenes of them as kids, so I won't profess a solid memory for that part. (guess I'll have to go see it again and confirm 8D)

ETA: nm it's definitely official, it's from the early dream sequence scenes set in a movie theater, where the characters are watching memories (or fantasies) of themselves. That particular one comes after Makoto envisions a sequence where Haru and Rin are power ranger-like superheroes who have to work together to defeat an evil, and once they do, they revert to their child versions where they're holding hands.

There is of course the tackle-hug, which is the main instance of skinship--but they also hug again after the relay, along with Sousuke and Ikuya (in the classic post-relay group hug as we've seen before). For other instances of skinship, Rin gives…Ikuya or Sousuke? (I think Sousuke, but for some reason my first instinct was Ikuya…) a fistbump before a race. I'm positive there was a little bit of skinship with Makoto and Haru, but I can't recall the details, so I'll just say I assume there was because they're them XD

As for why Rin loves to touch Haru…………………well that's the $64,000 question, isn't it? XD

From as non-shippy a perspective as I can manage: I feel like Rin is just a really tactile person in general. He's fistbumped Sousuke on several occasions, he's hugged his Samezuka relay team, and in a more negative light, he's pushed and shoved people when angry. He has no problems showing affection through touch, and even when his temper shows itself, he still gets 'messy' with his hands. It's just in his nature. But he definitely is more tactile with Haru than anyone else we see--there's TONS of official art out there with Rin leaning on Haru's shoulder or touching him in some way. It became a meme, even. So why is Haru special? Well…because Haru's special. Period :P

Haru doesn't get fist-bumps like Sousuke because he's not the same kind of 'friendly rival' that Sousuke is. He doesn't just get 'hanging on the shoulder' (though he does get that), but bone-crushing hugs, at least two that we've seen so far. Hugs where Rin is so overwhelmed with emotion, to the point of tears, that he can't hold himself back from just unloading it all onto Haru.

Haru means SO much to Rin--he's a friend, he's a hero, he's a goal, he's an impediment, he's a yardstick by which Rin measures his own success. He's something ineffable, someone who has made Rin the happiest he's ever been and close to the saddest he's ever been. And Rin loves him, I think that's clear--whatever you want to define that love as--even though he'd probably deny it, or explain as he did to Ikuya that his feelings for Haru aren't that simple.

And those feelings might just manifest in a tactile relationship unlike Rin's with anyone else's. Maybe because he's had to keep Haru at arm's length for so long, he overly indulges now. Haru just pushes him over the edge until he needs to touch, needs to feel with his full body that Haru is real and there and not going anywhere, needs to impress upon Haru the depth and breadth of his feelings for him and it's the only way he knows how.

Or idk maybe he's just gay af and wants Haru's ass. All equally possible, imho.

Today's translation #85

Yuri!!! on Life

Sayo Yamamoto x Mitsurou Kubo conversation

Part 7.

K: The base of our work is the respect we have for figure skaters, but there's that thing that, to understand something well you first bring it to "your territory" [in the sense that e.g. if you are a mangaka then it is probably easier to first understand figure skating when it's in a manga form]. If you say that it's a bad thing to do, then it means that there must be something wrong with that territory itself… [This was continuation of the "is it wrong that anime fans watch FS because of Yuri!!!?" topic]. Another thing I want to say - the thing that left a big impression on me when we were gathering information for the production of Yuri!!! together with Yamamoto-director, is that she calls even younger skaters "-san", when she talks about them. For example: "Nagai-san and Higuchi-san will take part in the next competition in Tokyo!".

Interviewer: So not "Wakaba-chan". Yamamoto-director is just like Matsuoka Shuzo-san, isn't she! [Matsuoka Shuzo is a sports commentator for Asahi TV].

K: That's right! In the figure skating world we are familiar with, it's normal to call skaters just by their names or add "-chan", right? But Yamamoto-director calls even very young skaters "-san" and this really impressed me.

Y: No, no, no. Can you call [Nagai Yuka] "Nagai"?

K: Of course not! In my mind, like a fangirl of an idol, I call her sometimes "Yukaaaa!".

Y: Yes, when things get emotional, then yes, it's like that.

K: Normally, it's like "Na-Na-Nagai-saaan!", like I'm her kohai/junior (laugh).

Y: Hi-Hi-Higuchi-saaan!

K: When I heard [Yamamoto-director] calling skaters in this way when we were watching them together from spectator stands, I really felt that she has so much love [for figure skating].

Interviewer: So it's because you have so much respect for figure skating, the composition of [all skaters'] programs were so surprisingly well-thought-through, and you had done this enormous amount of preparations before creating this anime.

Y: Ahh~ Thank you.

[In the next part they talk a bit more about the anime, but still mainly about FS ✨]

some blog housekeeping!

just a reminder that i'm trying to tag all four swords posts with "fs," and there's a lot of them, so if you're not interested please consider muting that tag. i'm not sure if there are any other very popular topics that would be abbreviated as fs, but apologize if that's the case.

related more specifically to four swords:

i think it'd be hard at this point to divorce my blog from vidow as a ship, given that it's the main reason i'm interested in the media in the first place. i don't mean to sound standoffish when i say this, but if it makes you uncomfortable, you need to take responsibility for yourself and simply block me. no hard feelings at all, and no conversation necessary. i love interacting with people in the fandom, whether or not they share my shipping preferences, but accept that some people have sensitivities to the ship or the way it's discussed. if that's the case with you, you don't need to personally explain why, especially if that explanation involves judgment or shaming of me or anyone else. i'm just not your kind of person and it's just not your kind of ship, and that's okay!

moving forward, i will continue to tag some of my vidow content under the ship name when i specifically want it seen outside my normal followers/mutuals/whatever. but i won't be tagging the ship every single time i reblog or post something to do with it. please use that information to make the best choice for you.

i'm probably taking this way too seriously, especially since the majority of you guys know what i'm about at this point. thank you for being so welcoming over the past two months—fandom is just one part of my life, but it is something that i treasure, and this fandom in particular has been super creatively healing. since encountering the manga i've been fully allowing myself to bask in the hyperfixation, cringe-free, which is partially why it bothers me when the ethics of my interest are questioned. still, not an excuse to lash out. i'm an adult and i should act like one.

after this explanatory post, i intend to post what i enjoy, how i enjoy it, with the tagging i find appropriate. either you're cool with that or you're not, but this should be more than enough information to help you decide for yourself.

Hey Fire! I'd love to hear your opinion or rating on wach Four Sword ship

Assume you mean each FS ship?? In which case sure :]

Discussion under the cut in case anyone is uncomfortable with Linkshipping

Short answer is I honestly have no ships in FS that make me go yucky!! No!! (Unless it's like, illegal stuff. But I haven't seen any of that in FS tbh).

Whenever I think about shipping the characters it's usually in my brain an AU of the boys choosing to stay split after the manga and essentially becoming their own beings instead of just "Link". Is it still weird? Yeah. But will I still fall head over heals for shipping tropes like a buffoon? Yeah 😔

Love Vidow ofc. I mean they desperately need couples therapy but goddamn I love them so much. They are both kinda assholes and I respect that.

I'm so silly for Red/Blue. I also think they have a lot to learn. Like Blue can still be snappy w Red and Red gets way too touchy feely when Blue tells him not to. And I love the idea of them learning together while being oblivious lil lovebugs! I'm so starved for Red/Blue ngl 😭

Those are the main two. If anything though I think there's a severe lack of polyshipping. Like just throw them all in a pile together w Zelda and Shadow and maybe Erune and there you go! That's me and my GF's favourite thing lol.

Only monogamous ship I'm a little eh about is Vio/Red. But that's only because of this one fic I read (if you think you know you probably know fhdgdfc) and I can only associate them with that goddamn fic...

Anyway hope this satisfies anon 👌❤️

omg for that ask meme... okay i find your attention to clothing design super super fascinating, and it makes me wonder if you have a theater background? especially like period pieces, with costumes that evoke certain eras? i like how warm and cozy your art always looks and the fact that it's inked by hand. that shit is SO HARD, are you kidding me? no undo button! i look at the expressions you draw and can just TELL that you likely make them with your own face when you're trying to figure them out on paper. they always look so natural, and it's honestly amazing how well you distinguish the different four swords guys given the fact that they are visually very similar in the manga. you give them personality just through the subtext of their appearances in a really neat and endearing way.

your writing gives me similar vibes where it's like, either you've immersed yourself in certain historical genres and aesthetics for practical reasons, like being in theater or studying them in school, or it's purely through the power of hyperfixation that you're able to channel them seamlessly into your work. either way, i admire it so much. i love how you created an entire world and magic system and tense political environment for the fsaa one-shot, despite it being. a one-shot, as far i know? it adds so much richness and depth to the character beats, and could totally work as original fiction. i still want to hang out in that tavern you described it would probably have bitchin fresh bread

okay i'm stopping now i just love getting an excuse to praise people's art in very specific ways !!

Oh wow, thank you so very much, Sam!! I'll be honest, I wasn't expecting this much in response to the ask meme, but I'm absolutely delighted by it <3

To make it easier for myself, I'll break it down and answer point by point:

Do I have a theatre background? Well, not really. Not unless you count script writing, 4 years worth of D&D, a 3-day improv course I did once, and some basic stuff we did in school one winter. I think I would've loved to be more involved in theatre — either as a writer or as an actress — but at the moment I'm not. That said, script writing and acting have relatively little to do with costumes and designs. When I design clothing for characters, I have two rules in my head: it should tell the viewer something about the character; and it should be practical. That last bit is particularly important. One of the main reasons I started the LiWiAU was because I was annoyed by how impractical some of the LU Links' designs were, and I guess that's carried over into the FS designs (especially the Knights Lodge AU). That's not to say my designs are perfectly practical or deeply researched, but it does mean that I try to make the outfits as plausible and useful as possible. In terms of armour, I frequently default to my partner's superior knowledge and research actual medieval armour, but when it comes to things like winter clothing I have a lot of first-hand experience with it from Scandinavia.

Yup, inking is a one-way street! I also don't have backup sketches or copies, so if I make a mistake, I have to find ways of covering it up or distracting from it!

True! If I'm struggling with an expression, I do try to replicate it on myself to figure out how it works. This actually goes for anything, from expressions to full-body-poses, and it's not unusual that I pause in the middle of a drawing session to figure out what I'm doing.

Thank you so much! I really enjoy making the FS boys look similar but distinctly individual, and I'm so glad that comes across.

So when it comes to writing certain time periods, I'd say that's 50/50 hyperfixation and studies. The particular one-shot you're referring to is partly Dickensian, partly Austen-esque, and I did study both Dickens and Austen, as well as their respective context, in uni, which has given me some insight into the general culture at the time. (I also studied a number of other texts in that approximate time period, which has given me more to work with.)

I still don't know where the world for that one-shot came from, but I think I'm as deeply fascinated by it as you are. I'd love to explore it further one day, either as a fanfic or as original fiction.

been rlly into love triangle (Actual love triangle) mangas recently. and one of them was a yuri love triangle and one of the mcs brother with a guy who previously had a crush on aid mc. it was cut short because of time constraints so a lot was left unresolved but i found two of the characters (brother and one of the other mcs) rlly compelling. like the girl has got Many Issues that i can find myself relating to and the brother is terrified of change and being 'categorized' that he overrelies on his sister. and to comfort himself through this loneliness of his sister changing he crossdresses to look like her. and astounding depiction of loneliness and fear of the world and how it is to be nonconformed in society to me tbh. i also appreciate that no one rlly got together in the end. theres even an authors note stating that one doesn't see their unreuquited love to mean unhappiness, they're just happy to love that person and i. Got That. everything was messy as expected from love triangle drama but there were characters that Got me yk? also asexual represenation too cheers for that. or just unlabeled.

the manga is nanashi no asterium btw. cw for internalized homophobia though fs. give it a read.

Me? Flooding my blog with more Searion art? Naaaah.

Still trying to figure out the lore for this guy... I got some ideas.

I don't know if your still doing the ship bingo, but if so, could you give me your thoughts on Shadow x Vio and Shadow x Princess Zelda (From Four swords)?

Oh heck yes I am always down for some ask games! <3

First up: Shadow/Vio!

Yes good! I don't tend to go looking for it but am perfectly happy to read it when it crosses my path! I do love their dynamic and how many different takes there can be on it depending on when the story is set. Corrupted hero, redeemed villain, betrayal angst, post-manga angst, Shadow-brought-back fluff and found family and redemption arcs... yep this one is fun pretty much any way you slice it.

Next: Shadow/FS Zelda

So nine times out of ten I headcanon Princess Zelda as pretty solidly f/f only; thus far the only exceptions have been Skyward Sword and OoT. But I can see Four Swords Zelda and Shadow getting along well, she's got the vibes of someone who'd enjoy a little mischief! I think she'd totally be willing to assist in bringing back someone who ultimately helped save Hyrule and would be eager to get to know him, especially if he means a lot to Vio.

(Ask is for this ship bingo game!)

Four Swords for the fandom thing 👀

YES YES THANK YOU FOR ASKING ILY /p <3

(Ask game)

The first character I first fell in love with: Red! Happy sunshine boy has my WHOLE heart. He was the one who I knew would be my favorite before I even started reading the manga. ...little did I know that they’d all be tied for my favorite. All 5 Links share a spot for my top favorite characters, I can’t choose. But Red was the first. It took a little while for me to come around to the others.

The character I never expected to love as much as I do now: GREEN?? I really didn’t care for him at first because he felt bland, but NOOO I just didn’t understand him!! But I DO now! And I LOVE HIM SO MUCH!! I will rant for HOURS about how wonderful Green is and about the intricacies of his personality (at least the way I see it). He’s the best.

The character everyone else loves that I don’t: Uhhhh,, honestly? No one. I love them all. They’re great. I can’t think of anyone I don’t like. Except Tingle? But nobody likes Tingle lol

The character I love that everyone else hates: Does the FS fandom even hate anyone? I don’t know,, I don’t think they do? Maybe I just haven’t seen any hate, idk. I had an acquaintance once tell me they didn’t like Green though, idk if that counts. But I adore Green.

The character I used to love but don’t any longer: nnnnnobody! Again, I love everyone. I mean... Vaati? Maybe? I prefer Minish Cap Vaati over Four Swords Vaati, I have NO CLUE if that counts or not, but that’s all I can give you, lol.

The character I would totally smooch: Zelda,,, girlboss. Also Erune, she’s really cute,,

The character I’d want to be like: The thing I really like about FS is how flawed a lot of the characters feel. I don’t think I’d want to be like ANY of the Links because they’ve all got their own shit they need to sort out, lol. I think I’d wanna be like Zelda. She seems like she really knows and understands how people work and think. She’s also not afraid to speak her mind. She’s opinionated and won’t let people talk down to her. I find that admirable.

The character I’d slap: Blue, the little shit /j. Actually I wouldn’t slap him but I WOULD watch someone else slap him and I probably wouldn’t feel bad about it. <3 I love him

A pairing that I love: Platonically: SHADOW & BLUE. @adel-memes YOU!! YOU DID THIS TO ME!!! THEY’RE SUCH A GOOD PAIRING! I WOULD DIE FOR THEM!! THEY HAVE MY WHOLE HEART!!! THE UNDERSTANDING! THE ANGST! THE DRAMA! THE BANTER! THE,, THE POTENTIAL THAT THEY HAVE IS JUST,,, AAAAAAAAAAAA. (...anyway Red & Vio also have a really sweet dynamic that I wish I could see more of lol. They should hug)

Romantically: uuuhhhhh. Idk, tbh. Zelda/Erune is a really cute ship that I could get behind. I’ll go with that. Everything else is like,, I don’t mind them romantically but I prefer them platonically. There’s only a select few fics that have made me really appreciate certain pairings as romantic. Vidow especially is one where I don’t really mind either way, I just like Vio and Shadow’s dynamic. But if it gets too romance-focused I don’t usually like it. (Like, I wouldn’t read a Vidow fic, but I would read a fic that has Vidow in the background or as a subplot.) Again, thinking of a couple of very good fics that are exceptions to that. Usually you can win me over with boundless tooth-rotting fluff, lol.

A pairing that I despise: DESPISE is such a STRONG word that I simply refuse to use. I don’t DESPISE any pairing. ...maybe like, any romantic Vaati ones? I don’t really like those. But I also know that those aren’t really popular from what I’ve seen? Sooo... idk.

The Links as D&D Characters, Part 5: Shadow Link

Inspired by a question I saw on @hauntinghyrule ‘s blog. My character analysis and thoughts on what character class the boys would be if they were D&D characters, and why. Also! @atinybitweird has been drawing the boys D&D designs, and she’s doing really great! I’ll link to her posts on the individual analysis as well as reblog them here so look out for those : D

Green / Red / Blue / Vio / Vaati / FS Zelda

As a preface, there won’t be any doubles on classes except in the case of dual-classing, and in those cases the first class I talk about my justifications for will be the primary class (i.e. the class they would have chosen at level one). My choices will be based on the character theming and personalities, even though at a base level it would be easy to say “they’re all paladins, duh” because of the implied “holy knight chosen by the gods to eradicate evil” concept. For Shadow, there are plenty of shadowy-themed D&D subclasses to choose from. Kaenith mentioned Way of the Shadow Monk in his initial answer on his blog which is actually not a bad pick for him. However, I wouldn’t initially say that Monk is the class for Shadow, because he’s shown relying on magic much more than martial arts (like a Monk would) or even swordplay (like the other Links). He has a sword in the manga, but I think it’s mostly for show- a visual parallel to Link, who does use his sword to fight. This is just a small part of the big reason why I’ve chosen the particular classes and subclasses I have for Shadow, so lets look at the reason as a whole: Shadow’s origin, and how it ties well into the Sorcerer class.

The Four Swords manga and the Four Swords games don’t give us a lot of information about how Shadow Link was created (if he was born vs conjured like Dark Link) and also what exactly the Shadow Realm is. We never actually see the realm that Shadow came from (except for the Erune arc in the manga, and only a small town) so we have no idea if it is a true shadow version of Hyrule, like the Dark World/Lorule (if you believe they’re the same place) are. Furthermore we don’t see any evidence that there are others like Shadow Link, like we do with Lorule with Ravio being a parallel to Link and Hilda being a parallel to Princess Zelda. There’s nothing pointing to the idea that Shadow was born and raised the way a normal kid would be, and so the most logical conclusion canon-wise is that he was literally conjured from Link’s shadow. Magic would be weaved into every fiber of Shadow’s being, and we see this evidenced in the manga because he wields it naturally and easily against the Links. Sorcerers in D&D can be born as well as made, but the key thing that separates the magic sorcerers use from the magic used by wizards, bards, druids, clerics, and warlocks is that a sorcerers magic is innate, often carried through a bloodline or via transforming from the latent energy of a place. In this case, Shadow was literally made with the arcane magic he controls. Xanathar’s Guide to Everything introduced a Sorcerous Origin called Shadow Magic where the arcane magic is sourced from the Shadowfell (i.e. Shadow Realm for authenticity to Zelda), either through being exposed to and transformed by the energy of the place or from being descended from a denizen; neither of these situations are applicable to Shadow BUT I think being created from the source magic should and does count. The majority of Sorcerer abilities come from their Sorcerous Origin, but there are two features that all sorcerers regardless of origin gain that I think fit Shadow based on his story in the manga. Font of Magic and Metamagic can be linked to the Dark Mirror being Shadow’s source of life and magical power because of the abilities that Shadow is able to display while being linked to it. Font of Magic gives Shadow access to Sorcery Points, which he can spend to create new spell slots, or sacrifice spell slots to gain more sorcery points which effectively translates to giving himself more power to wield in battle. Metamagic lets him twist the magic of his spells to suit his own needs, using sorcery points to do so. It can let him double the range of spells, double the spells’ duration, potentially do more damage on a hit and target more than one opponent with a ranged spell that normally only targets one creature. I’m choosing to translate this as him getting a boost in power and flexibility that he normally wouldn’t have without the power of the Dark Mirror (though depending on your interpretation of post-manga shenanigans he could have these abilities anyway because of whatever method brought him back allowed him to have them). Back to Shadow Magic though. Thematically it makes the most sense: Shadow Link is created from shadow magic and thus is a Shadow Magic Sorcerer. But the abilities here are what we want to look at to see if it really fits. At 1st level, Shadow Magic gives Shadow a darkvision range of 120 feet, and the Strength of the Grave ability means he can charm his way out of death. That’s not entirely accurate- the actual text says he can take a Charisma saving throw and attempt to equal or exceed a target number equal to 5 + [amount of damage taken], and drop to 1 hit point instead of 0 if he succeeds. I think this makes sense- if he’s a shadow, he’d be able to slip out of battle or narrowly avoid life-threatening attacks just by the art of deception; this isn’t necessarily supported by the Sorcerer class itself, but if you mix the game canon into the manga canon, Shadow can technically clone himself and use those copies to his advantage. At 3rd level, he learns the Darkness spell without it counting against the amount of spells he knows, and he can cast it with either sorcery points or a spell slot (he can see through the effected area of the spell if he casts it using sorcery points). At 6th level, he can spend sorcery points to summon a shadow creature that effectively acts like an attack dog, which he can sic on a creature within 120 feet of him. Shadow is shown leading an army of monsters in the manga, so the Hound of Ill Omen feature actually lends itself well to that image- maybe one of the creatures he used to attack Hyrule Castle was his magically summoned shadow hound. It isn’t that far-fetched of an assumption to make. Shadow Walk lets him teleport through darkness and dim light up to a distance of 120 feet, which is an ability he already portrays in the manga and in the games. The only Shadow Magic ability he doesn’t get to benefit from is Umbral Form, and that’s because I want to call a parallel to Link that I think is fitting for Shadow’s role as his foil in the story. Shadow is not a copy of Link- I don’t want anyone to get confused by what I’m saying. However, he is still Link’s shadow, the reflection of everything Link could have become if he wasn’t the hero, didn’t grow up with all the people around him who loved him and supported him. Shadow’s main motivation in the story is loneliness and the desire to be recognized, but who is going to recognize him if he doesn’t make himself recognizable? I talked at length in my analysis of Green’s class about how Paladins take oaths that serve as pillars for their conduct and core beliefs as paladins, but what happens if you don’t have any of those beliefs or you did have them but chose to cast them away? In the Dungeon Master’s Guide, it describes a class option for Paladins called the Oathbreaker: essentially a paladin who has abandoned or broke their sacred oaths. Shadow probably never had any oaths to begin with, but he wanted to be recognized the way Link was, and so I think he chose to take the mantle of Paladin without really understanding what makes Link (Green) a true Paladin. He has to take at least 3 levels in Paladin to subclass as Oathbreaker, and that unlocks light and medium armor, shields and all weapons for him to use in combat. It also unlocks spells like Hellish Rebuke, Inflict Wounds, and if he takes up to 5th level in Paladin, the Crown of Madness spell. He still gets all of the normal Paladin abilities, but his Channel Divinity options are kind of the opposite of Green’s: He can control undead creatures with it, or use Dreadful Aspect to create an aura of fear around himself with a radius of up to 30 feet.  Depending on how you look at the option of Shadow being redeemable, there is an option for Oathbreaker Paladins to “atone” for their evil actions as an Oathbreaker. They lose the Oathbreaker features and gain the features of a Sacred Oath, and I can’t think of a more fitting tribute to his character journey than him becoming an Oath of Vengeance Paladin from the Player’s Handbook. It lets him fill a different niche of paladin than Green does, and takes his character into account in regards to the Tenets of Vengeance: Fight the Greater Evil (Faced with a choice of fighting my sworn foes or combating a lesser evil, I choose the greater evil). No Mercy for the Wicked (Ordinary foes might win my mercy, but my sworn enemies do not.) By Any Means Necessary (My qualms can’t get in the way of exterminating my foes) Restitution (If my foes wreak ruin on the world, it is because I failed to stop them. I must help those harmed by their misdeeds) Taking Oath of Vengeance in this way would replace Hellish Rebuke, Inflict Wounds and Crown of Madness with Bane, Hunter’s Mark, Hold Person and Misty Step, and the Channel Divinity features include Abjure Enemy (inflicting fear on a targeted creature) and Vow of Enmity (basically pointing at an enemy and saying “I choose you” and then he gets to attack them with advantage for a minute [10 rounds of combat]). In conclusion, Shadow ends up as a dual-classed Shadow Magic Sorcerer/Oathbreaker Paladin (later changing to Oath of Vengeance Paladin to account for character growth).