Link’s Friendlist: Rusl from Zelda: The Twilight Princess
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If you didn’t play The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, you probably never heard about Rusl before! This guy is Link’s mentor and gives him his first Sword just like that old man back in the Cave over 27 years ago did in the first Zelda game. He is from the same town as Link (Ordon Village) and helps Link multiple times during the game mostly through giving him important items such as the Ordon Sword, which is much more powerful than its wooden version. Rusl was a surprise to see in the first round of Link’s Friendlist and he was claimed quickly by two artists. |
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The illustration of him where you see Rusl in his armor was drawn by Contraltissimo from the USAm who joined GA-HQ with a submission to our previous Link’s Blacklist round. She wrote the following description for her submission: As…. exquisitely as this fellow would have lent himself to my bad fixation on severely wounded hero types…. I wanted to portray him as being a little more, mmm, win. And I’m betting that the whole bloody-bandaged couch-moaning episode was not one of his proudest moments. And so here we have Rusl in the back room of Telma’s bar, no doubt layin’ in to the rest of the Resistance that crap just got real, and them what wants to save Hyrule’d better man up or get out. No offense, Telma, Ashei. “In looking for references to draw from, I was able to reacquaint myself with Rusl a bit. I have always loved his character. Rusl is what a man should be. A good and true friend. A wise and steady mentor. A brave and able protector. A faithful husband and a loving father. To this day, seeing him in the darkness of the village after the attack, ruddied by his own blood and dragging one leg, but still boldly bearing a torch and his sword as he sweeps the night for any remaining villains that would dare come near his pregnant wife…. oh my heart, how it just roars for that man’s fortitude. I remember the first time I, as Link, found him again after having lost him for so long. He’d been half-dead recovering in the village the last I’d seen him, and out searching for the missing children the last I’d heard of him. I wonder if he may even have crossed the Twilight wall on his own at some point, anything to bring back his son…. And then to think that I’d found him again before I even realized he was there before my eyes. Words will never be able to express my shock and exhilaration at that one moment of revelation. As Link I was the world’s Hero. But Rusl was my Hero. He is an expert swordsman, a skilled falconer, a seasoned warrior, a befriender of creatures who have obviously somehow found the Triforce already, and at the very end…. a life saver. From the Hyrulean Resistance, he is Rusl.” |
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The second take on Rusl, which shows him on a short rest during the events when another character from the game, Colin, was abducted, was drawn by Eli Haun, also from the USA and an active member of our community for over a year now. His works are a part of Link’s Blacklist as well as one of our Final Fantasy Art Tributes!
