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Link vs. Link
Published: 2011-07-27 22:48:57 +0000 UTC; Views: 86864; Favourites: 4248; Downloads: 1514
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Description
While graphics have improved over the years, Link's design has taken some definite steps backward. At least when I looked at those chunky pixels, I imagined a cool scrappy kid elf, and not the androgenous pretty boy that Nintendo's designers want him to be now.This was done for the Avalanche blog "Legend of Zelda" tribute for the 25-year anniversary of the first game.
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Comments: 504
Oh Majora freaked me out so bad D: Especially when it grew those freakishly long legs and arms and started dancing around. The stuff of nightmares.
And yes it was, oh I just felt bad for poor Odolwa :'D
Also thanks for watching! <3
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Yeah he was such a creep! And then his final form where his arms became whips! And he'd spin round really fast so it's hard to dodge and would do so much damage. Imagine taking that to the face...poor (greatest incarnation of)Link!
I didn't. I hate moths so this was my revenge.
No problem you're such an awesome person! (and your art rocks!)
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I remember that battle so well. I think I was playing well past midnight, I just wanted to finish the game so bad. And when Majora went into his third form I nearly screamed, both because he'd gotten ever scarier and the fact I had one more form to fight haha :'D
Gyorg can go to hell for all I care, I hated that stupid fish XD Ugh the many times I got swallowed and spit back out again. Now he's stupidly easy to beat, but man I struggled so bad. Now Odolwa I kinda liked actually. After I got over the creepiness I thought the sounds he made were hilarious. Goht I also kinda liked; the battle mechanics were so interesting and it was a mechanical bull. What's not to like?
And aw, so are you! (thanks) <3
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Yeah I could never forget it either, it was a nice departure from having Ganondorf in all his gloominess. Why did you wanna finish the game so bad XD Yeah if you're just using the three main transformation masks that battle is hard and goes on and on!
Hahahah! Yes I hate that boss too, althought for me it was his/her(?) stupid piranhas that she'd spit out that got me so annoyed. I haven't played the game in about 7 years so (I should really play it again) I don't know how easy he'd actually be now...my sister once beat the whole boss in under a minute, I was like "Woah!" She could never do it again afterwards XD. Oh yeah I loved chasing Goht as a goron I always loved rolling around as him, and the battle was simple too.
Hehe you're welcome, and thank you too! <3
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Yeah. As amazing a villain as Ganondorf was, it was refreshing to have a different and such a sinister, creepy and somehow more evil boss to a Zelda series. I wanted to finish it because it was late, I was already in the Moon (couldn't save) and even though the N64 is pretty reliable I didn't want to leave the system on for the whole night just in case it overheated.
Gyorg is just nasty D: As is his temple. Though strangely, less frustrating than OoT's legendary Water Temple. Especially now I've replayed MM a few times the Great Bay Temple seems like such a breeze, but that's just through familiarity. The Stone Tower though (as awesome as it is) with all the Stray Fairies is another story...
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Yeah Majora just wants to destroy everything, and anything while Ganondorf just wants to conquer. And not only does Majora try and destroy everything but it does it in the cruelest ways, poisoining the aquatic life, freezing the gorons, making Stone Tower filled with Undeads/Redeads, I mean wow! I once left my N64 on because I found 14 out of 15 fairies but I had to go to bed and I didn't want to do it all again, then the next morning I wondered "Why's the N64 on?" then I switched it off T.T
I actually love the Water Temples even though everyone else hates them. Though I do love MM's more than OoT's, it was so colorful and shooting the water with the ice arrow and walking across was cool. Oh boy the Stone Tower fairies, I've only ever done it once and I've played it I don't know how many times.
So I see on your profile that you like Chrono Cross? That is so awesome! I haven't played it but I played it's prequel Chrono Trigger which is one of my favorite games definitely.
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but yeah,Indeed! I hadn't thought of it like that before, Majora is quite a lot of worse than Ganondorf O_o Makes you wonder about the Redead in the Stone Tower. What did that place look like before Majora? The whole Ikana Canyon reeks of decay and despair...
And oh my God, I can feel the pain you must have felt when you found out what you did D: The temples were one thing, finding the stray fairies is a real paaaain. I once did something similarly stupid. I collected all the stray fairies in Snowhead, killed the boss and everything and then completely forgot to hand them in at the Great Fairy Fountain and warped back to the First day. I just about cried haha.
You do? You are one of few 
Yes, I love Chrono Cross!! I never actually played Chrono Trigger, but I would really like to, since I love its sequel so much. I hear the games are very different though. I must try to get my hands on it someday
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Exactly, that guy is just evil, I mean let's not forget the small scale stuff he did too. I mean he turned a man into a boy, literally right before his wedding. I can only imagine how depressed/angry/lonely/hopeless Kafei must have felt, and how Anju must've felt thinking her man has left D: It was probably a beautiful radiant garden filled with daffodils and roses
Yes! It must've been like 10 years now but I still think back on it from time to time and get so mad at myself that I did it! And even with the Great Fairy Mask those things were a pain, cause sometimes you'd know where it is, but have no idea how to reach it! Awwww! Wow I definitely know how you feel, damn! That sucks!! Did you ever recollect those fairies.
Yup. But that's part of the appeal, when you finally solve something that's so confusing I just love it. But when something is very confusing and just nerve wracking then yeah I know how annoying and how much of a pain it is. Oh yeah then that hand would drag you up while Link screams if you stay in the same spot for too long. The screams of the redead screams that freeze you also scared me to bits.
Chrono Trigger is so amazing! You will love every second of it, every character, every music in the soundtrack, everything! I have Chrono Cross but my PS2 won't play American PS1 games so I'm stuck T.T
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funny but aren't you exaggerating a bit?
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I actually thought these were 3D models for a second! Beautiful digi-paint work. 
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LOL! awesome very funny
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Love this. -is guilty of adoring pretty boy Link-
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Those sassy woman hips made me laugh.
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This is awesome! It looks like it came out of one of the Shrek movies xD
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You say androgynous pretty boy like it is a bad thing. I personally love the character design, it coincides with the idea of Elves from LotR (elegant but kick ass)
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I laughed. I would argue that the Windwaker style Link who keeps popping up carries on the scrappy-kid-elf spirit.
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Jebus...
This is done really well!
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this is so awesome...but new link isnt a pretty boy hes badass!
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The brown haired Link is probably what the child of Rapunzel and Eugene would be like, with Flynn's attitude
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You took the thoughts right out of my brain. I would suggest one thing though. Scrappy Link's sideburns should go past his jawline.
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The pretty boy will no doubt be going into musicals every minute saying something about his fabulous hair.
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yesh ish no ish kinda creppy but AWESOME
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Love this and couldn't agree more with the statement!
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I am loving the metallic properties of the sword and how it also bears realistic scratches and scuffing. Very nice work, I want to try and draw one now!
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Damn, I can't stop looking at the sword. . .
And I agree, though I'm glad it hasn't ruined the experience for me.
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Nice to see how one-sided all of these comments are. His design has always had a bishounen or shouta air to it; it's plainly obvious just by looking at the official art. And I guess its wrong for them to want to appeal to women in a design for once.
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Not everyone who likes the Zelda games also likes anime. It's also sexist to assume that women would only play the game if the main character was attractive to them. Last time I checked, I'm female, but I prefer games where the character has a unique look and personality. Not to mention, ALL J-RPG's these days appeal to that specific demographic of females that only play games for the girly pretty boys. So I don't see why you think it's wrong for this 'one-sided' opinion about the look of this character to exist.
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These games also come from Japan; so you kinda have a problem then if you can't deal with the anime art style. That would be like me throwing a fit at Sucker Punch for making InFamous feel like a comic book, it reflects the culture of the people creating it. So wanting a character that looks somewhat appealing to the eye is a bad thing? I thought one of the first things that draw you to a character is their look? If they work for you, then you want to find out more about them. But I guess that makes me a horrible person for wanting to play as a character that I find pleasing. I'm female too; and yet I am rather tired of the constant "HURP HURP GUYS LOOKING LIKE SOMETHING OTHER THEN JOHN RAMBO? GAY!" mentality. Along with the "It doesn't look like the old stuff, I DO NOT LIKE ANYTHING NEW!" nonsense.
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Not really, dude. People have grown up with these games for like what, two decades? They are games. I am in LOVE with Chrono Trigger, a few Final Fantasy titles, and several other classic J-RPGs, but I couldn't give two shits about 'kawaii shoujo' and 'kirei bishounen' or however you spell those silly things. People are entitled to their opinions.
And in my opinion, I don't care for a pretty boy being the hero. Not at all. I didn't exactly have a Rambo in mind, but the way I always pictured Link was a tall, awkward teenage boy elf with a big nose who was a little unsure of himself, but full of heart and fight. It made him feel far more real and likeable, as he was not 'perfect' and had lots of character. The pretty boy model makes me think that he stops every 5 minutes to straighten the tangles out of his fabulous hair. And mind you, I'm not being a total ass here just for kicks, but I'm letting you know exactly why I don't find this appealing to me.
Also, Japan doesn't have just ONE style they do things in, and the only reason they're doing the whole bishounen things is because it appeals to a very large demographic, and thus it is perfect for marketing. The face that sells like hotcakes.
My original point was though, you saying that Link is meant to look like so-and-so type of anime male is something gamers and just people who love the Zelda franchise really couldn't give a crap about. It's not that he's not MANLY, it's that androgynous pretty boys are NOT a minority in games these days. That's all I SEE in a games, in fact. Any Final Fantasy, Kingdom Hearts, Star Ocean, ANY NUMBER of J-RPG titles, all have the same exact formula of characters. Pretty boy with lovely long blue or green hair, sparkling eyes, extremely feminine features, a cat girl with a cute but abrasive personality, and some random mix of characters that never really matter. As I said, it brings in the dough; a very marketable formula. And a lot of us are just REALLY sick of seeing it, and want characters that have, well..character.
Does it make me a horrible person if I prefer the style of games in the past? I'm allowed to be nostalgic, aren't I? Hence why I'm more interested in the older Zelda titles, rather than the new, same going for Final Fantasy and the like. We're all entitled to our opinions. That's why I play those games, and not these. So?
What I can't understand is why people have to throw a big shitfit whenever someone posts a deviation expressing THEIR personal opinion. It's like back whenever someone posted a hilarious Anti-Twilight deviation, everyone ripped them 100000 new assholes. Why? Make your own fanart of Link in all his glorious bishounen-ness, maybe even a yaoi pairing, if that's your thing, no one will care. If they don't like it, they'll give it a glance, scrunch up their face, and look at something like this [link]
And so ends my long essay about why I am irritated at your comment and why I disagree with everyone that disagrees with this deviation and the so-called 'one-sided' opinions of all those that dislike the bishounen formula and what it has done to our beloved nostalgic Zelda titles.
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Your second sentence defeats itself after the semicolon.
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I'm staring right at the art. And they all have the qualities of a bishouen and shouta. The only thing throwing those off in the 80's/ early 90's was his big nose.
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You say "only thing" like it's a negligible detail.
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For the most part, it is really. Like I said, change the nose and boom, full bishounen. But he still looked bishounen before one does go and mess around with that. His hair was a bit long, large eyes, lithe build, soft face, rather short, and not overly masculine; even as a young adult. So saying they changed him into one is rather silly when that's what he always was.
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Skinny with have long hair, a bishounen does not make. It's just hair. He looked far more boyish than anything, like a young punk. Hence the nose, giving him character. You see where I'm going with this? Would more males than females in the 80's and 90's really be so into a character like that if they thought he was pretty? That's like saying, 'yeah, shave off Mario's mustache, put him on a treadmill for 5 months, give him some growth serum, get him out of those overalls and put him in a pair of skinny jeans, a cape, and a fabulous blonde wig, and voila, he's bishounen too!'
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It gave him character. I wish he still had it.
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Me too. Big nose Link is my favorite.
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I always love the classics of any series-- this can be said of Final Fantasy, Zelda, etc. The classics were always more difficult for me to complete; simply because although the graphics were mediocre (Great for the time, though!) the game's difficulty was challenging. The newer Zeldas are challenging-- yet less so, in my opinion.
However, I must admit to liking newer Link 
As for this actual art piece, I think it's really great! The expressions are what make this piece so magical; the relationship between the two Links is just portrayed so well :'D I love newer Link's snotty-like expression and "older" Link's grumpy defiant expression. The way you depict the two of them is just perfect. This is one of the most original Zelda pieces I've seen in forever!
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Haha it is great!
I agree with you... xD
Modern link is way better xD
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This may seem one-sided, and it is. Because tiny Link already has his sword out, and he can so totally cut big Link's legs off.
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I think it would have been neat for him to be a "scrappy kid elf".
His pretty boy bishieness is a very over used concept.
He'd be like a fantasy/medieval Mario.
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I think he should be a brash jerk, that could work well...
"Well excuuuuuuuuse me, princess!" Oh wait...
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Is that...eyeshadow I see on the androgynous Link? LMAO.
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"I imagined a scrappy kid elf..."? Did you ever look at the official art? We've all known what he was supposed to look like for years and it's definitely not what you drew. I prefer my "androgynous" Link over this. If you think he looks androgynous you might need glasses. It's pretty easy to tell hes a guy and hard to mistake for a female.`
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