On trusting the chain more, I’m also just fond of the idea that sharing the hero’s spirit gives them all a sort of… unbreakable bond of faith and love. And I don’t mean this in the sense that they’re a perfectly healthy and functional group—learning to fight alongside each other is a canon struggle. But I simply don’t think warriors would doubt the chain to such an extreme extent that he'd hurt or put them in danger. His own journey was full of allies from other worlds that saved him at his lowest time, after all, with him only regaining the master sword’s “true power” when he “[understood] the bonds of friendship” (a real quote from the game narration lol).  

And so consider the alternative… where he’s watches and catalogues everything about the Chain, not because he’s suspicious, but because he cares about them. Hyper-vigilance? Contingency planning? All this means that he can instantly tell when someone is acting off or hiding an injury. He’s seen the kind of things people say to try to get his guard down, or when they’re not themselves, and its very difficult to fool him; he’s not paranoid about his allies, he’s prepared. Just look at the way he gives advice Wild. He’s someone who is always actively reading those around him (both emotionally and physically) and trying to help.

As a war captain, he should also know that paranoia can lead to even more infighting: witch hunts, false accusations, I mean, a big part of the game also includes keeping up your army’s morale. If there’s any doubt to be had, he should be quick and efficient in addressing it and solving the problem.

Also… I think warriors + paranoia in relation to cia rather than traitors is an underutilized concept. Because stalking? A stalker that can observe you across all of time and space?? Even if his journey ended with cia defeated and no longer evil,… it’s not like cia/lana’s feelings for link disappeared. They accepted their fate as an unrequited lover and resumed their activities as the overseer of the triforce. Warriors can’t even complain because it’s their duty to be watching over heroes like him. Now that many of them are all gathered together… who knows when she’s watching. What she thinks. Feels. Does he trust that darkness will not enter her heart again? Being under constant surveillance, even when its out of love and duty can be extremely heavy.

A bit of a tangent, but I also like to think that in contrast to being an extremely skilled people-reader, he’d be absolutely awful when it comes to himself. “Wow my hearts beating really fast whenever I see rose gardens whats up with that” “Wow I guess that statue of Wild made it a little hard to breathe but That’s just how it is.” Wars is lecturing everyone on making sure to ask for help when needed and then going “what? Trauma? Emotional suppression? …Do you mean you need help with that?” and he means that genuinely. He’s gotten so good at putting on a façade, of always needing a façade, that it makes you wonder if he even remembers he’s wearing one in the first place.  

Now tie in his identity as a very public hero and figurehead for those in his era. Consider that he’s a Link often discussed in relation to his looks. This is a person who is constantly being watched. Observed. Digested. He’s good at reading people, and he’s aware he’s always being read by others too. So what's the plan, captain, where to next, captain. C'mon, we're alone, no need to be so tense, captain! Captain, is someone there?

Firstly, i think warriors is one of the most self-sacrificial links

its clear he thinks of sacrifice as a worthy thing... and sacrifice means you have to consider what that person might be giving up in exchange for their death, and whether that transaction is ultimately worth it. I've seen lots of fics and headcanons work with this idea and also imply that warriors is someone who is very isolated in his era, someone who is a symbol more than a person. The people either view him as the penultimate hero, or see him as the reason for the War of Eras, cursing him out for what he represents. If he could ensure his loved ones stay safe , even if it resulted in his own death, would he not take it? How he exists right now isn't that different from that narrative anyways lol. While it's a tragedy when a person dies, it's noble when a symbol does. Consider his morals. Consider his isolation as a Link. His fear of commitment. It's easy to see Wars as someone lonely, because the friends from his adventure are ones who he's hijacked from the others. I don't think its unrealistic to say he's the kind of person who'd think a sacrifice involving himself is always worth it.

But while I enjoy exploring the idea of Warriors struggling in his era... I find myself sort of? leaning away from the idea that Wars has no clear purpose in his life, or no purpose outside the battlefield. Maybe a bit counterintuitive, as his namesake is literally Warriors and his whole thing is about big battles over and over and over again.

How he talks to Wild about the five year plan personally shows me he's someone who thinks a lot about the future and has clear goals he wants to work towards. In an interview Jojo also mentioned that Wars wishes to work with Artemis to rebuild and strengthen their Hyrule. I think of him as a bit paradoxical, in the sense that he's the type to be realistic and methodical in his approach to life, and yet his biggest ideal is the lofty idea of peace. All this to say, I think Wars and a self-sacrificial death would be something far more complicated than just a result of his loneliness, or his identity as a symbol. I think he'd still feel like he's giving up a future. A chance to protect more people, to see the results of his hard work... he cares so, so deeply for Zelda. There's signs that he still wants to live. It's just that for him, maybe things are never really about what he wants.... so if it really came down to it, he'd still do it if the situation called for it. And what end is better fit for a Hero as iconic and monumental as him? But. But then! What if he can't die? If he couldn't die for peace. Whether in canon or in an AU or whatever it is, lets make Wars live. What if he outlives the land? What if he is stuck as he is, youthful, beautiful, preserved forever like a painting. Like the paintings that haunt Cia's place.

I think you can always draw various metaphors of Link to an extension of the master sword; they are a weapon for the kingdom, for the people.

But something underutilized in this metaphor of hero and sword is the identity of the Master Sword as a sealing power. After all, true peace means means that the sword is not drawn. Stuck in the ground. To need to unearth it is a tragedy. Warriors knows this first hand, for drawing the master sword himself only brought more death and destruction to those around him. So keep that sword on display. Let him become a decorative blade meant to symbolize the sealing of darkness. Let him become a lasting symbol. Let him watch over this peace he'd sacrifice himself for. (also a bonus thought: considering vampires + being shunned from the light, along with Warriors' canon access to the other timelines... Post LU Alternatives: he knows so many links personally now, but I'd imagine most time rules wouldn't allow him to act so freely lest something gets broken. And vampire can no longer roam the land of the light, of heroes, anyways. Like this, he's just a frozen snapshot of a hero, unable to move out of his frame, his (unending) time.