Hidden Details: Link Needs a Shrink (Patreon)

Phew. Making this comic was one weird, confusing and surreal experience. The reason why has nothing to do with the Zelda series or Breath of the Wild in particular though. The circumstances and atmosphere of the past few days are.

I knew this comic was going to be a whopper when I started sketching last Friday. The last panel was going to be a huge group shot, as I sometimes like to do. I knew I wasn't going to be able to finish it (and other assignments) on time if I didn't work during the weekend, so I sacrificed Saturday and part of Sunday to work on it. By Sunday, I was done with the line art. I hyped myself up on Monday morning in an effort to get this big boy done by afternoon, but when I arrived at the office, I couldn't get my PC to boot properly. Windows Update issues or something. VERY frustrating, especially when you're in a hurry to finish a comic. The fact that the PC had died meant that I had to walk back home and work from there. So I walked through Utrecht (as I always do), got home, made coffee, and got back to working on the comic. A few minutes after I began drawing, my mum called me. She asked me if I was okay and if I had seen the news about the shooting. I hadn't, so I quickly got up to speed. Apparently, there had been a shooting in a tram that I often travel with. Three people have died and a few others have been wounded. Luckily, I wasn't anywhere near any danger, but as the day went on, more details were revealed about the incident: the shooter was still at large, and a lot of shops, schools, government buildings and other venues all closed their doors. The authorities urged the citizens of Utrecht to stay indoors, which was pretty intense. The Wooden Plank office was pretty close to the action, so I really felt like I had abandoned the two interns during hectic and slightly panicky circumstances. It didn't feel good to be at home while they were still there. Later that day, the shooter was caught just a few blocks away from my home, bringing the whole craziness even closer to my own doorstep. It was weird and it sucked and I didn't feel very well during the whole ordeal.

But I often tend to drown myself in work and sometimes, that helps me when I don't want to think about negative things. So I used that same strategy that day. I just kept drawing with the news on in the background. Drawing and finishing this comic felt weird and not… appropriate. Drawing cartoons and funny pictures while people were dying so close to home. It doesn't match. But in the end, I still did it.

There's not really a point I want to make with this whole backstory. I just wanted to get it off my chest. You're paying to read these "Hidden Details" so here's a HUGE Hidden Detail that nobody else will know about this comic. I'm sorry it's not a particularly funny one!

LUCKILY, there are still a bunch of regular ol' Hidden Details I can talk about. After this depressing opener, I think we can use some jolly vibes.

First off: just like last week, I cheated a bit and took some screenshots with my trusty old Switch to help me draw the backgrounds. These are the screenshots I took this week:

Panel 1

Panel 2

Panel 3 (and 4, blurred)

Panel 5.

I even directly colorpicked some colors from these screenshots. I know, it's frowned upon by lots of digital artists but sometimes I give into the time pressure.

In the first panel, you can see a mirrored Breath of the Wild Logo near Link. I thought it'd be funny to include this, since this is the logo you see when you emerge from the Shrine of Resurrection and the game gives you a beautiful shot of Hyrule to show you the vastness and open nature of the game's world:

So in my headcanon, that logo actually, physically appears and floats around for a bit while Link is standing there.

Just as the Old Man already hints in the first panel, the first few sentences he uses to welcome Link back from the (near) death are riddled with references. All three of them reference the Zelda CD-i games (Mah Boy, Bomb some Dodongos, Oh boy, I'm so hungry I could eat an Octorok . I love to reference those hideous games. And I do so, regularly.

The little Korok from last week's comic is back! You can also see his silhouette in the first panel. I think I named him "Mick" on Twitter.

That's it for hidden details in the first four panels, by the way. The majority of hidden details are all in the final group shot. But before I dive in, I have to write a little disclaimer:

I haven't done anything meaningful in Breath of the Wild yet. Even though I'm already 70 hours in, I've only been collecting Korok Seeds. So a bunch of the following details and references in this panel are purely based on stuff I read somewhere or advice from Christiaan and the interns. Which means that I won't be able to give you backstory on some details, haha. I realize that kinda defeats the purpose of this blog, but as long as I mention names, you can probably Google backstories if I'm not able to give them myself.

The first one is a good example. This is one of the "Champions", a Gerudo lady called Urbosa. She has a present for Link: it's a stuffed "Sand Seal". Apparently, seasoned Breath of the Wild players will understand and appreciate this reference. I also gave her epic sixpack a little twinkle. The interns also told me the Champions should have blue flames, similar to the Old Man around them. So I'm guessing they're not... alive or physically present during the game. I'll find out soon enough!

This dude I AM already familiar with. It's a Monk from one of Breath of the Wild's 120 Shrines. They give you a Spirit Orb if you manage to solve the trial that their Shrine throws at you. Spirit Orbs can be exchanged for Heart Containers or Stamina Vessels. I put a Loss and a Cool S on the little sheets of papers that are attached to the Monk's hat, as is tradition. I also made a reference to these reference on the sheet in the lower left corner. Some Monks in Breath of the Wild actually strike this pose (they don't move at all). This Monk is using the pose to hold two (unknown) presents for Link.

Above Kass (the parrot), you can see Link in the background, looking very sad and lost.

Hestu, the jolly (and HUGE) Korok that you can donate your Korok Seeds, has two big... eyes? Eyebrows? I don't really know what they are. In either case, I gave him TWO party hats. One for both eyebrow eyes.

Impa (who also has a fancy Sheikah sombrero, just like the monk) received a custom party hat that fits ON TOP of her hat. This is especially awesome because she's wearing two cool hats. Only Impa can pull of a stunt like that.

The Zora girl is called... Mipha, I believe. Apparently, it'd be smart to have her give Link a first-aid kit. I have no idea why. I'm guessing she can heal people or something?

The big Goron champion, who is called Daruk if I'm not mistaken, has also prepared a present for Link: a huge piece of meat that is, apparently, also a rock. I'm thouroughly confused by this one.

This one I CAN explain. The fourth champion is a Rito fellow called Revali and he looks EXACTLY like Falco Lombardi. He's so similar in both looks and personality that I wonder if the similarities are intentional. Just look at this:

I did some cautious research and I understand that Revali, just like Falco, is a bit of a proud jerk who doesn't seem to want to show how much he likes the game's main character. That's why I thought it'd be funny to have the other characters force him to be present at the welcoming party. That's why he's all tied up. They just tied up the wrong blue bird with an attitude from the wrong Nintendo franchise. That's all.

Ah, another character I HAVE already met in my playthrough! This girl is called Paya because she has a birthmark in the shape of a papaya seed and she doesn't want to tell me where the birthmark is. She's, apparently, heads over heels in love with Link, so I made her sweat a bit and I put some hearts around her, to show how nervous she is to welcome Link back among the living.

Beedle, the shopkeep from Breath of the Wild, Skyward Sword, Spirit Tracks, Phantom Hourglass and the Wind Waker, is obsessed with Rhino Bugs (in Breath of the Wild and Skyward Sword, at least). If you have one and you talk to Beedle, he'll immediately ask you if he can have it. In this panel, Beedle actually wants to give one of his precious beetles to Link, indicating just how much Beedle likes Link and appreciates his continued patronage.

The little girl all the way to the right is called Purah, and she's actually a very old woman who looks like a little girl again as the result of an experiment with Sheikah technology, which she's a so-called expert on. This is also the reason why she is lightning a cool Sheikah/Ancient rocket as part of the (cancelled) celebration of Link's awakening.

And I think that's everything there is to reveal about this week's comic! I'll keep making some Breath of the Wild comics for a few weeks more (if you want me to, at least) and then the craziness of Game of Thrones and Avengers Endgame will start! Very excited!

Let's just hope there won't be any sad events like Monday's in the coming weeks. Or ever, for that matter. Be kind to one another.

Cheers,

Abel