lostinscarlett

[gerudospiriit]

[Dumb take of the day: Nabooru should have gotten the Triforce of Courage when the damn thing broke because it takes a lot more courage to stand up to the ruler of your people and commit treason against both him (who is also just very powerful in general and she knows it) and the people you love because it's the right thing to do than it does to blindly do what you're told and accept a destiny you don't understand from a tree meant to protect you and a total stranger. :3]

[goopi-e]

Aaaanyways, who wants to hear my pitch for a pre-flood Zelda game that'll never happen. It was, like, the first thing I came up with as soon as I joined the fandom (...and it shows), but kept it for myself, mostly bc for some reason I was never able to design any visuals for the thing.

No, I don’t think that’s what actually went down in canon while the flood was happening. Yes, the story contradicts some facts from WW and OoT. I just tried to make it as much of a playable experience as possible. It's not perfect, but has its' moments.

The Legend of Zelda: The Unnamed Pre-Flood Game

Prologue cutscene features visuals similar to WW's intro and goes like this: "There is hardly anyone in Hyrule who hasn't heard about the Hero of Time. Half a century after his triumph over Ganon and the subsequent disappearance, the deeds of the Hero started to fade into myth, yet there are still people who knew him and remember him fondly. The legacy of his kindness and valiance led the land to an era of prosperity under the rule of none other than Queen Zelda. However, recently she stepped aside from the throne with no explanation, never to be seen again, and rumors of concern started to creep across Hyrule. If both the Hero of Time and the Princess of Destiny had left their people, who will protect the land in case the unthinkable happens?.." It fades into black, not-so-subtly hinting that the unthinkable will happen really soon, and that it'll be none other than Ganon.

The playable character is preteen and can be named. It may either look like your average Link or nothing at all like him, doesn't matter – but throughout the game you're constantly made aware that this kid is not a Link. You know how in the Child half of Ocarina many NPCs are dismissive of Link on behalf of him being a kid? That attitude is carried over here. No matter who you talk to, in the eyes of almost every character, the kid you play as is not the Hero of Time, so you have no business running around pretending to be one; even those sympathetic to your cause will make that distinction. That is a key concept. For that reason, I'll be referring to the playable character as, well, Kid.

Kid lives in Kakariko village, which has grown into more of a town, but not by a lot, and the Sheikah are beginning to recover from their near extinct status, though the majority of residents are still Hylians. Kid has parents! But they're both Royal Guards, and therefore are absent most of the time. For that reason, Kid is mostly left under the care of their neighbor, Auntie Malon – sadly, she had to sell her ranch and move, but that doesn't stop her from keeping some livestock. Kid's best friend is Nopiko, Auntie Malon's adoptive daughter who has a knack for sewing and getting into trouble; if you remember two Gossip Girls from Windfall Island, she looks exactly like the blond one, and is just as young. Mid-game Auntie Malon reveals that Nopiko is actually a Kokiri who wandered off from the Lost Woods; she took the girl in to honor the memory of her beloved Fairy Boy. Due to that, Nopiko is sensitive to the magic of the world – and one day, she informs Kid that something is off, and that they have to meet Nopiko's other friend, who lives all the way at Hyrule Castle. It's not the Castle you know from OoT, though: since Ganondorf emerged his Tower in its' place, the ruins of the Tower were considered cursed, and the new castle was built at Lake Hylia.

To get there, first you have to clear the game's tutorial dungeon – Sheikah Secret Archives. It's a secret police department with some similarities to the Shadow Temple, including the monsters, but also a giant office full of overworked Sheikah employees processing legal cases and such. It has some typical stealth sections where the guards can catch you (sorry), however, most of the time you can talk to the employees scot-free; they're all so overworked they have no energy to be bothered by an intruder and are mostly glad to vent to anyone willing to lend an ear. From their dialogue it becomes clear that they aren't happy with their job, but have no choice, being servants of the Royal Family and all. The amount of arrests the Sheikah Secret Police currently performs is abnormally high, too: Queen Zelda is gone without a trace, and for many her absence means something in the world is about to get really, really wrong, but none can place their finger on what exactly is about to happen, and that air of paranoia leads to civil unrests left and right. The prisoners are also there, ready to talk.

Sheikah Secret Archives is where you get the main (and only) item of the game, the Parasol. It's not a magical item: Kid just grabs some random Sheikah's umbrella in an act of self-defense, but you receive an item get pop-up all the same. You can use its' pointy tip as a makeshift sword or open it to create a makeshift shield.

The dungeon has no boss, so once you clear it, you arrive at the Castle Courtyard. Somehow, Nopiko is already there, talking to her mysterious friend about you. On your arrival, she introduces you by name and comments on how many times you've been caught in the dungeon: "See, Kid has gotten through the Archives and hasn't been caught/got caught only n times! They're so brave, and smart, and capable – if there's anyone in the whole world who can do this, it's them!"

This is where you get introduced to Nopiko's friend, Regent Princess Hepta. She, too, is drastically different from your average Zelda, with deep red hair in a pixie cut and a deadpan snark; she's also a bit older than Kid. Overall, she resembles a teenage version of Tetra's mom, sans the pirate clothes. Hepta sits in her room, talking with Kid and Nopiko through a window. It's clear that she is not amused by Kid, but begrudgingly accepts their help.

"I am of a Royal bloodline," Hepta explains, "but that blood connection is very weak, and I have very few magic powers, no match to those of Queen Zelda's. I have a gift of premonition, though, and it tells me something terrible is about to happen. I don't know what it'll be yet; however, I had a vision that the future of this land shall be revealed tonight at the Unicorn Fountain. Unfortunately, I won't be able to go there: you see, I am locked away by..."

Suddenly, Hepta shoos Kid and Nopiko away, and jumps off the window. They oblige, but catch a glimpse of a menacing middle-aged Sheikah woman, who seems to be angry with Hepta. The woman throws a glance at the courtyard, but doesn't notice anything out of the ordinary and leaves. Hepta, visibly distressed, reemerges and continues:

"My uncle, Daphnes Nohansen (and for anyone curious, yes, it's that Daphnes Nohansen) is the current king, but the actual power over Hyrule is in the hands of my nursemaid and the chief of secret police, Captain Byrna, who governs the land with an iron fist. She decreed that tomorrow I'll be officially crowned as the new Princess of Hyrule and take the name of Zelda in an attempt to quell the fears of the people. This is why I am locked in my room. But you, Kid, must understand that it is of utmost importance the vision at the Unicorn Fountain is seen by someone. You just might be the only hope that Hyrule has right now. Now please, lend me your hand".

Kid hesitantly offers their hand. Hepta kisses it, and an item get pop-up appears: "You got Regent Princess' Blessing! This magical gift will allow you to see the message of the gods!"

Then, a green fairy pops out from Hepta's room. This is Brimm, Nopiko's guardian fairy. He served as a messenger between her and Hepta – this is how they were able to keep up their friendship – but now will accompany you. Not only will Brimm deliver the vision you'll recieve to Hepta, he can also enhance your Parasol with the power of flight, allowing you to fast-travel to any check-point you discover. One of them is conveniently located at the courtyard; throughout the game, you'll be able to visit Hepta freely – she'll give you progression hints like the fortunetellers in Zelda series commonly do, provide some additional lore and lift your spirit with a sarcastic joke or two.

The Unicorn Fountain is your first proper dungeon. There, your Parasol gets a new ability: you can use it as either a boat or, using lilypads or any other flotsam to stand on, as a sail to glide across water. As the name implies, the dungeon is themed after a fairy fountain, is obviously full of healing fairies, and even the boss is a corrupted Great Fairy – she saw a glimpse of the revelation you're about to recieve, and it drove her mad.

After beating the boss, Kid emerges at a little clearing above ground somewhere in Hyrule Field, adorned with columns and such. It offers a view at the ruins of Ganon's Tower. It's midnight, the sight is beautiful and the air is very quiet. The three disembodied voices greet Kid, one of them weaker than the others, and are about to introduce themselves, but suddenly, a giant, ominous fissure cracks open throughout the Hyrule Field–

Ganon has returned.

His emergence is seen and heard throughout the land. From Gorons to Zora, from Sheikah to Gerudo – everyone covers in fear and desperately prays:

"Hero of Time! Come and save us!"

The voices seem to hear these cries for help and are distressed by them. "It's not in my power anymore!", the weaker voice exclaims in despair, "The Hero of Time was sent away from this world by a magic that I can't reverse – not in my current state!"

"Then", the other voice suggests with a calm that betrays the fury, "we have no choice but to fight Ganon ourselves until the Hero finds the way back".

"Ganon has the Triforce of Power at his side", the third voice solemnly responds. "We cannot fight him, but we can seal him away. That seal, however, will be a heavy burden on this land".

And so, the Hyrule was sentenced to the Great Flood.

The voices then address the terrified Kid. They crest them as the Guide, and their job will be to place the Beacons for the Hero to return to. With that, Kid is sent back to Kakariko, and Brimm flies away to bring all these news to Hepta.

From that point forward, the weather on the overworld is always rainy, and the ground starts to get covered in water; the water level rises with each dungeon you beat. Sometimes, Ganon can be seen roaming around like a big kaiju and wreaking havoc, but you can’t interact with him. Another thing that appears on the overworld in a similar manner is a structure that looks suspiciously similar to the Tower of the Gods, but with mechanical legs.

There is, of course, a long trading sequence sidequest spread through the game, but this time it comes with a twist: it only consists of Kid’s parents making them run some errands for themselves, Auntie Malon and Nopiko. Since they’re the Royal Guards, they’re constantly being relocated all across the country, and it’s Kid’s job to find where their parents end up. Parents also update you on what Captain Byrna does to stop you from doing your work, as she doesn’t believe the flood is happening and considers anyone who believes otherwise a threat to the public. She essentially has the same shtick as Jolene in PH, a random overworld encounter, just not as comedic.

There are four dungeons overall, each in a classic Zelda dungeon flavor: one in the Lost Woods, one in Zora’s Domain, one inside the Death Mountain and one in the Gerudo Desert. You are free to beat them in any order. Each dungeon comes with a settlement for an appropriate race. In each of them, you meet a key NPC – the type of person that usually turns out to be a Sage/Champion/whatever in any other Zelda game, but here they’re just ordinary people who are willing to help Kid despite them not being the legendary Hero. They all provide you with a little something to augment the powers of your Parasol, though: a magic rope you can tie to it to create a hookshot of sorts, a special handle that’ll allow you to zip across ropes, or a patch of fabric that’ll give the Parasol a magical property. Yes, it’s the kind of game where you obtain (some) items before the dungeon and not inside them.

(Btw, you do get to meet Laruto and Fado, they’re just too busy with the Sagely business to help you. They do acknowledge your hard work, though).

In Lost Woods, this person is a Deku Scrublet with a crush on one of the Kokiri. Kokiri themselves can’t grasp the direness of the situation: “How can a little rain hurt anyone? Water is what makes the plants grow, silly!” The Scrubs are more realistic about the situation, though, as they know they qualify as monsters and would be eliminated regardless of whether or not they actually serve Ganon. While most Scrubs fend for themselves, Scrublet in particular wants to save their crush above all else. By reuniting these young lovers, you help Kokiri realize that there is a way to save both races by uniting them with the magic of the Deku Tree. This is the origin story for the Koroks.

In Zora’s Domain, it’s a sweet elderly couple with an adult son. Zora, under the false assumption that the floodwater won’t hurt them, volunteer everywhere they can to protect other races, but that couple is among the few Zoras banned from volunteering due to their age, and they’re ashamed of their helplessness. Eventually, their son dies in a heroic accident, and it serves as a wake-up call for the rest of the Zora to start worrying about their own safety.

In Goron City, this person is a wise, yet nihilistic Professor. Gorons know for certain they’ll most likely survive the flood purely due to them not needing to breathe, but are too selfish to help other races (yes, I’m aware that Gorons end up as an antagonistic force far too often, sorry). Kid’s proactiveness makes Professor change his mind, though, and he suggests to the rest of the Gorons to leave the Death Mountain to the apparently vunerable Zora and evacuate elsewhere.

In Gerudo Fortress, it’s a young street artist. With Ganon’s return, Gerudo are obviously super conflicted. Some of them even start a doomsday cult, claiming that Ganon will surely come to his senses and save his people, and sabotage any and all attempts of evacuation. This leads to lots of infighting. The street artist knows that the doomsday cult people are in the wrong, but doesn’t think she can do anything to help – until proven wrong by Kid, that is.

With each dungeon cleared and Beacon restored, you get to see Ganon come and destroy the settlements. His arrival at the Gerudo Fortress is particularly blood-chilling: he insults his kin, calling them traitors and claiming that he is the only real Gerudo left – all while remaining in his beast form.

After you finish all four dungeons, the walking tower stops wandering, and you’re able to undertake the final gauntlet – the Royal Museum. The moment Kid steps inside it, a voice forbids them to advance any farther; Kid proceeds anyway. The final upgrage for the Parasol obtained here is the silver coating, making it essentially a Mirror Shield. The Museum, accurate to its’ name, hosts a plethora of artifacts from Hyrule’s rich history. The boss of this dungeon, then, is the curator and the one trying to stop Kid – and it’s none other than Sheik. After being defeated, Sheik shamefully admits that he left his life as Queen Zelda and stepped off the throne in an attempt to essentially bring the Triforce of Wisdom to his grave. He hoped that, with the Triforce of Courage shattered, the Triforce of Power sealed away with Ganon, and the Triforce of Wisdom buried in a safe spot, the Triforce will be effectively unable to reassemble back without being outright destroyed, stopping any future conflict over the relic.

Since the plan didn’t work out, Sheik decides to get more proactive. He bestows upon you an artifact that used to belong to a powerful mage from ancient times – the Wind Waker, and instructs you to bring it to Daphnes. While you deliver the Wind Waker, you are stopped by Captain Byrna for the final time. Upon the inevitable defeat, she notices the baton, realizes that you’re affiliated with Sheik, and it’s revealed that Byrna is actually OoT Impa’s descendant. That makes her snap back to her senses, she vows to stop letting down her honorable ancestor and starts evacuating Kakariko. The Wind Waker is safely delivered to Daphnes, and Kid gets to see him conduct before Fado and Laruto, performing the Song of Storms.

With that, Sheik appears behind Kid and, while acknowledging they’re not the Hero he used to know, still admits their exemplary courage and asks them to fight Ganon by his side.

The battle unfolds like any final battle in the series where Link and Zelda are fighting alongside one another, except now it’s Kid who serves as a support while Sheik deals most of the damage. The fight is split into several phases, and with each Ganon turns more and more humanoid. With the final hit, you get to see him fully becoming Ganondorf again. He is donned in the black robes that he’ll continue to wear up until WW, yet physically he still resembles his post-timeskip Ocarina self, but even more disheveled. He points out that, sooner or later, he will return, but the damage caused by the flood will have a greater impact than any damage he was capable of. Sheik, clearly not amused, ends him. All this time, Kid hides behind Sheik and is not acknowledged; the latter, done with Ganondorf, apologizes for the unfair world Kid gets to inherit, and expresses hope that they’ll right the wrongs of their ancestors, before willingly stepping into the rising waters.

Kid is also suddenly swept off their feet, only to awaken in an unidentifiable void that resembles the Sacred Realm more than anything. The three voices from the beginning reappear, now angrier than ever. They claim that, by helping Sheik, Kid interfered with fate itself, and, once again, remind that Kid is not destined to be the Hero… and then the owners of the voices materialize out of thin air.

Turns out, Ganon(dorf) was only a penultimate boss. The final obstacle of the game are the Golden Goddesses themselves; appropriately, the battle is frantic and harsh, and is focused more on surviving than dealing damage. Notably, only Din and Nayru are actively fighting Kid; Farore, while participating in the group attacks, seems to be in a lethargic state at first, and her signature green color is initially dull – but as the fight goes on, she gets more and more awake. Suddenly, she intercepts and urges her sisters to stop, as for the first time since the Hero of Time’s disappearance, she felt the surge of true Courage. She reaches out to Kid and says:

“It’s true that your actions defy fate and cannot be allowed to pass. For that I’m sorry. The world must awaken anew with no memory of your deeds. But I promise to remember the courage and kindness that sprouted from a place nobody expected, and I swear that the next time this world needs a Hero, it won’t be us gods who will forge him – he’ll pave that path himself!” With that, the whole world around Kid fades into pure white.

The final cutscene shows them waking up alongside Nopiko on a deserted island – the island that is revealed by a panoramic shot to be none other than Outset. In their hands lays the Parasol, quilted out of all the patches collected throughout the game.

[novelmonger]

My Ranking of the Zelda Games I've Played

My sisters were ranking Zelda games, so of course I had to join in and overthink everything. So here are my...hot takes? Maybe? I haven't played Four Swords, Minish Cap, Spirit Tracks, A Link Between Worlds, Triforce Heroes, Breath of the Wild, or Tears of the Kingdom.

Ocarina of Time In my opinion, the only Zelda game that fully achieves what I've always wanted from the franchise. It has an epic fantasy story, probably the best music (including music being an integral part of the gameplay and story), distinct and interesting character designs, challenging temples, and THE ACTUAL BEST COMPANION IN THE ENTIRE FRANCHISE NO CONTEST. This Link is also my favorite, as he seems one of the most serious and lonely ones, very fitting for the high stakes of his quest. As a bonus, this is also the only game where you get to switch between being a child and an adult, which makes for interesting gameplay and story ramifications. All the nostalgia is there, but it's not just nostalgia, either. I've played this game so many times (in the original version, Master Quest, and various randomizers) that I'm pretty confident I know at least 95% of everything there is to know about this game. It feels like home.

2. A Link to the Past The one after OoT that comes closest to the ideal. It still has that epic fantasy feel, despite the much simpler graphics - which look very pretty nonetheless, especially in the GBA remake. I think this game has one of the strongest beginnings, because instead of starting you out in a calm little village to ease you into the quest, this game starts you out with Link following his uncle through a torrential thunderstorm to Hyrule Castle, and then coming upon his uncle as he's dying and taking up his sword and shield to go save the princess! The music is excellent (Hyrule Castle a;ldkfjsd;lkfjds;klfj), the temples/dungeons are challenging, and I love the concept of going back and forth between the Light World and the Dark World. (Less cool is Link turning into a pink bunny the first time he goes to the Dark World, but still.) There's a reason this one is a classic. Also, this game has hands-down the best title in the entire franchise. Everyone else can go home.

3. Phantom Hourglass I kind of surprised myself at how high I ranked this one, especially since I've only played it once almost ten years ago. But this game surprised me so pleasantly, I still think of it fondly. First and foremost is my whole theory about how Ciela is actually Navi - that theory healed something that had been broken in my heart for over ten years; I didn't realize how much I needed that until I heard Ciela's cheery little, "Hey!" For that matter, I felt like the whole game was full of fun, endearing throwbacks - mostly to WW, of course, but to plenty of other Zelda games as well, like the island with all the Gorons that plays the Goron music we all know and love. I really enjoyed the twists in the story, simple as they were, and overall the whole thing felt like a bite-sized WW. I've heard a lot of people complaining about having to keep on going back to the Temple of the Ocean King over and over again, but that was actually one of my favorite parts of the game. It was challenging, but in a way that made me want to keep trying - which is more than I could say for most of the temples in the newer games. So, while the art style is not my favorite and the whole game is pretty far from my ideal of what a Zelda game should be, I enjoyed this game so much that I think it deserves to go in my top three.

4. Majora's Mask This is a very solid game, taking a lot of the things that make OoT great and expanding on them. I really like how many NPCs there are and how they all have a story and things you can do to help them. It's also cool to play as Child Link but be able to use a lot of items he couldn't in OoT, like the hookshot or riding on Epona. The music is excellent, and even the new ocarina songs are memorable and distinct. It's really fun and interesting to be able to turn into different races, and all the different effects that come from wearing the masks feels like a natural progression from the mask sidequest in OoT. So, when trying to be objective about this, I have to put this one pretty high on the list, but I just couldn't put it in my top three. The main reason for that is that I find the story very depressing, and the overall feel of the game oppressive. The story is framed by Link's search for Navi, which he doesn't succeed in. The primary theme of the game is death, and no matter how many times you turn back time to fix things again, you know that inevitably the moon is going to fall in three days. It's like a pointless, desperate cycle that you get stuck in, and even if you help someone out with their problems, you have to turn back time again and it's like you never did any of that. The majority of the game makes me feel sad, hopeless, or anxious. So even though I have to acknowledge this is a really good game, I can never really bring myself to replay it.

5. Skyward Sword I ended up really liking this game. Part of that was because of the improved motion controls since Twilight Princess, so it felt more like actually swinging a sword around instead of just twitching your hand (despite the tendency to dorkily run around with your sword sticking straight up in the air). I don't really like the characters as much - they tend to be either annoying or just kind of blah for the most part - but I can't deny that this game is just fun. I had fun with all of the bosses, especially Ghirahim and Demise. And speaking of which, the final battle against Demise/Ganon has got to be the most epic battle in the entire franchise! I have never felt cooler than I did summoning lightning to my sword and smiting the King of Evil with it. I also really liked the Silent Realm levels, as nerve-wracking as they can be. Unfortunately, the game also suffers from a lot of less-than-stellar elements, not least of which is Fi. Ugh, ugh, ugh, worst companion EVER >_< I also didn't really like the Loftwings; they didn't end up being as fun of a gameplay element as they sounded at first. Overall, the temples tended to be pretty but not as challenging as I wanted them to be. And then there's the Oocca x.x What on EARTH. So Skyward Sword is a really mixed bag for me.

6. Oracle of Seasons/Oracle of Ages Since these are very closely linked and I feel almost the same about both, I decided to lump them together. I really like the look and feel of these games; there's something very nostalgic and comforting about them. Oracle of Seasons was actually the first Zelda game I ever played a bit of, and it intrigued me so much that's how I got into the franchise in the first place. So it's kind of funny that I actually only got around to playing these games a couple years ago. But they ended up being really fun, with interesting gameplay and good music. Points get taken off for not having a ton of story, and actually requiring you to trade rings through the Link Cable if you want to explore everywhere.

7. The Wind Waker This is another game that's really pretty solid, but I just didn't care for it much personally. I don't like the Toon Link art style, and didn't find the storyline that compelling. Zelda being Tetra was a really fun way to switch things up, but I didn't like how her personality did a complete 180 once she found out the truth about herself. It would have been more interesting if her piratey side showed through more even as she was trying to be a princess. I did enjoy the world, and it was fun to explore on a boat instead of on foot or on horseback. But it didn't feel much like a Zelda game - somehow, most of the game feels less Zelda-like to me than PH, even though they take place in the same world. Also, while there was some good music in the game, I hated the Wind Waker songs. None of them were memorable, so it was really hard to keep track of which ones did what.

8. Link's Awakening It's kind of a shame that this game goes so far down my list, because it was the first Zelda game I ever owned. I didn't realize what I was getting into, I just wanted to swing a sword around after trying out Oracle of Seasons. Story-wise, I really don't like this game. There's such a dissonance between the cutesy, silly adventures you go on…in pursuit of waking up a flying whale who is dreaming the entire island and all of its inhabitants into existence, so as soon as you wake the Wind Fish up to escape the island, all the places you've become familiar with and all the friends you've made just go *poof*. Yeah, 'cause that's not depressing! The whole game just left me feeling weird and unsettled. If you don't think about any of the implications of what you're doing, though, it's a fun, cute little game, a lot like the Oracle games. I found it much harder than those, though that might have been because I was much younger and less experienced of a gamer when I played this one. I will say that the music in this game is fantastic. I used to go to the square where Marin stands around singing the Ballad of the Wind Fish, and just sit there to let that tune soothe me.

9. Twilight Princess On paper, this one should be one of my favorites, because it seems like one of the games that hits closest to my ideal of what a Zelda game should be, with an epic fantasy story and the fundamental elements of Link going to the castle to rescue Princess Zelda from Ganondorf. But the reason this goes so far down on my list is that I was expecting it to be that ideal, and it fell really short of the mark, so the disappointment was much worse than games like SS, where it didn't look much like my ideal at all, so I wasn't expecting it to be. The concept of Link turning into a wolf is really cool, and I do like how the Twilight Realm is kind of like the Dark World, but distinctly different. Midna is probably the second-best companion; I like how snarky she can be, and she gets more backstory than most companions do. The climax is pretty cool, and I love how Zelda actually takes part in the battle - until SS blew it out of the water, I might have said TP had the best final showdown. There were also some cool new items - the Spinner being my favorite. But I really didn't like the drab color scheme that made everything look the same sort of muddy brown. Instead of beautiful, fantastical locations, everything just kind of blurs together in my mind, till I can barely remember any of it. I also couldn't stand most of the NPCs, who were either annoying, ugly, or both. None of the music was memorable except for melodies they reprised from previous games, and in some cases (like Kakariko Village) they made it so much worse I wish they'd done something completely different instead. And don't even get me started on the awful off-key howling you have to do! When you compare it to the beautiful tunes you can play on the ocarina or the harp…. Yeah, I was mostly just disappointed with this game and never want to play it again.

10. The Legend of Zelda/The Adventure of Link I probably shouldn't even put these on the list, because I never got anywhere close to beating them, but I have played some of them, and the reason I stopped was because I realized I didn't like them at all. I appreciate what they gave us, because if not for the success of these two games, none of the ones I love would exist. But…I just find NES-era games to be practically unplayable, sorry :/ The graphics look really ugly to me, and the gameplay is too clunky. It's gotta be SNES-era or later.

[galaxyofhair]

BOTW/TOTK 3?

So since this is around the time was stragglers in the TOTK craze are starting to beat the game and spoiler tags are becoming less common--the question that continues to haunt me is “What’s next?”

Obviously some Spoilers for TOTK but I think my previous post sorta busted that door in.

On the one hand: 

DLC. I feel like there’s plenty of DLC opportunities for TOTK and I really hope it isn’t just another challenge mode with a motorcycle at the end.

But the big question I am thinking of is: Will BOTW/TOTK get a third game?

Points to Yes: 

Because like, that��s the obvious next step right? Most of the time a highly successful sequel like TOTK immediately begets an often disappointing third--and there’s plenty of clues in TOTK that point to what a third game might cover: The mysterious underground race that Josha discovers who are never named, the fact that Zelda’s time powers are forcing everyone to re-evaluate whether or not depictions of other Zelda’s are actually just her, the revelation that the ancient hero of the Calamity wasn’t Hylian--much like the barebones Zonai ruins of BOTW, it feels like TOTK is priming us for another lost civilization to explore and I would love it if the next game actually involved travelling back 10k+ years to different eras.

There’s a ton of creative directions you could take a third game, and since it seems like the developers are building a new canon for themselves based on the building blocks of older games my hunch is that a third game would have to include some sort of LttP style mechanic where Link travels into an alternative Hyrule throughout the story.

It would give the developers yet another chance to re-use the map of Hyrule--which I support for the most part--and it would be a really creative way to solve puzzles despite the time shenanigans.

Points to No: 

Could this end up as a Duology? Yeah, absolutely. For one thing--how do they top this?! Are they going to have vehicle building and mech riding in one game and then just... not in the next game? A BIG factor that points away from a threequel is the massive corner the developers have both written and designed themselves into. This game is ridiculously big, and ridiculously complex. Obviously it’s not impossible--Link can always get another maguffin that gives him a similar or even the same set of powers, and they can always (maybe) put the zonai devices back into the game (maybe supplementing them with Shiekah devices?) But at the end of the day the shear scale and complexity combined with the self contained nature of the game means that a threequel isn’t a necessity, and it would be expensive to make.

It goes without saying that even if a threequel got made, it’ll be a minute before we even hear about it’s development. Realistically another top-down game will come out between now and then (LttP remake would be cool and popular I think).

But even in the event that Nintendo decide they want another full 3D game with adult link, they might also decide that the monumental task of replicating and building upon the immense complexity of TOTK just isn’t worth it and the that the wiser investment will be to update the engine, and reboot all over again with a new hyrule, a new Link/Zelda, and a new story that isn’t restricted by two games worth of canon. It sounds incredulous--but it happened to OoT and MM. OoT and MM were wildly successful, but when it came to upgrading to the Gamecube’s tech the developers hit the bit reset button.

Conclusion:

Obviously this is all speculation upon speculation, so only time and updates from Nintendo will tell. If Nintendo decide to not make a threequel and they instead reboot it would have incredible ramifications on how we think of Zelda canon (I think the Timeline is/would be caput)--and if they DO do a threequel it would be a monumental conclusion to the new series they’ve built for themselves. In the meantime, I am going to build more Korok rockets, ciao!

[anthemxix]

So... how far did Cia go exactly? I haven’t played hw but I’ve read several fics, and she’s always very... extreme.

hi anon! thank you for your ask!

by “extreme,” i’m thinking you mean stories where she’s a psycho who tortures link or forces unwanted sexual advances on him. which makes for fantastic angst! but that characterization of cia has never felt quite authentic to me.

in the game, she has a roomful of his portraits, like a shrine. that’s extreme. she technically starts a war because of him, which is very extreme, but i don’t think that’s about lusting after him, as people often joke. she says some off-putting stuff, and you could infer that she behaves in an inappropriately “seductive” way, but. she doesn’t really. do anything, like fics might imply. she’s creepy and lewd. i’m sure she makes him uncomfortable as hell. but as for what she does, the extremeness in fics is mostly fan extrapolation.

that’s my short answer! but i kinda got carried away while responding to this, and. um. wrote a lengthy character analysis of cia? XD i thought about not including it, but i spent so much time thinking about/writing this that i’ll go ahead and share.

in my opinion, hw does not present a clear picture of cia, and it skews fan interpretation of her.

(putting this under a cut because it got long 😅)

the story the game gives at the start is straightforward. there's a "guardian of time" (whatever that means) who watches over everything but never interferes. she admires the purity of the hero's spirit. she comes to love the heroes, then to want them. she's lonely. she doesn't want to just watch anymore. she wants to experience love.

gradually her desires become something darker. she doesn't only want the companionship, she wants to possess.

ganon sees this darkness in her heart and causes a split. the darkness separates from her, becomes its own person (a la dark link). the "good" part is lana, the "bad" part is cia.

for ganon, this is all part of a larger plan. in hw, his spirit is divided into four fragments that have been sealed away in different eras. he manipulates cia and gets her to open time gates so he can gather all the fragments together. a key fact: one of the fragments has been sealed away by the master sword, so ganon needs a hero to draw the sword.

cia willingly allows herself to be ganon's pawn because in so doing, in starting a war to force the hero to emerge, she thinks she'll get what she wants. throughout the story, she gives more and more of herself to ganon, fracturing her own spirit further and further, because she is so desperate to claim the hero for herself, to own him. lana repeatedly warns her to stop before she does irreparable damage to herself, but she doesn't listen, and ultimately she...well, dies, i guess. fades from existence. (that's how the original hw ending goes. they added stuff on later that changed this.)

ok, so. we have some interesting stuff going on here. arguably, cia is a tragic figure. a victim even. her underlying motivation is loneliness. viewing it through this lens, the story becomes an exploration of what isolation does to a person. how desperate it can make us. how we become willing to sacrifice anything for love--and i mean "love" broadly, not in a romantic sense. how it makes us vulnerable to manipulation and abuse.

let's also not forget the whole reason she focuses on the hero's spirit to begin with. after witnessing all the atrocities of history, she admires the purity and goodness and self-sacrifice of the hero. it has nothing to do with link being attractive. in her temple (the temple of souls), she has statues of different heroes from different eras, including wolf link and oot/mm link. she is certainly not lusting after an animal or a child, i assure you.

so why does she have frickin portraits of hw link, specifically, (not any other hero's spirit incarnations) plastered all over her walls, if not for lusty purposes? why does she dress so damn seductively? i'm not claiming lust isn't part of it, but i think there's more. she wants to feel surrounded by him, you know? she wants to feel like he's looking at her the same way that she looks at him--with desire. it's delusion.

and holy hell, she's nothing if not deluded. some examples of her actual in-game dialogue: "no matter what betrayals I may suffer, at least I know the hero will always love and protect me." and [to herself, as she's losing a fight] "the hero is still by my side... the hero is still by my side..."

and it's sad. she pretends that he loves her, that he will protect her, because she doesn't have any real love in her life. she doesn't have anyone.

and what's even sadder is that she's condemned to all these feelings and delusions because that's who she is. she is corruption and darkness personified! she's doomed to this lonely hell, to being ganon's servant, to self-destruction.

that's how tragedy, and tragic figures, are defined: hubris. characters that have an innate flaw that inevitably leads to their downfall. that's what a traditional tragedy is.

don't get me wrong here. i'm not saying she had no choice, or that she had to start a war. she can be tragic and we can sympathize with her while also accepting the fact that she's corrupted beyond redemption. morality isn't black-and-white. our understanding of characters, or of real people, isn't black-and-white.

...but. BUT. there is a major "but" here. the game sabotages its own character and its own story. the game opts for the path of least resistance. screw grey areas of morality, screw the tragedy of loneliness, screw exploring vulnerability and abuse and hubris... they sensationalize. cia is a joke.

have you seen her frickin outfit? her character design? she's an uber-sexualized caricature. all those portraits of link in her temple can easily be viewed as a joke, too. "lol, look at this crazy, horny bitch." hell, they even have her say innuendos about the master sword, like, “come show me what your sword can do” or something to that effect. 🙄

it's all very surface level. they don't go deep at all with cia. they give us no substance, only these little bread crumbs of information that i've laid out for you. and not only that, they set this up so that it feeds into old stereotypes. the salient details easily allow us to interpret cia, consciously or not, as an embodiment of feminine hysteria, a woman guided by irrational emotion and obsession, fixated on winning the ultimate prize of a man's love.

so koei tecmo's own confused presentation of this character muddles up fan interpretation and has us falling back on the familiar stereotypes we know and understand. that’s the basis for these depictions of cia as extreme. that’s what fans are extrapolating from when they try to imagine how she might act or what she might say. so in the end, she isn’t really depicted with accuracy. she’s like a caricature of a caricature at that point.

…or at least, that’s my opinion. 🥴

[spiritmaiden23]

soft beatboxing as i mourn over the loss of my headcanon banner even if it was ugly. good morning! here’s some quick headcanons! since i have to go in around 12 and don’t really have the time to respond to threads because most of them are on the long side (short ones ye tho but... we’ll see!) 

The Isle of the Goddess, aka Skyloft, is actually bigger than what we see in game with various other islands surrounding it that are like smaller villages when compared to Skyloft. But Skyloft is considered the “main square” of all the other islands due to the fact that Skyloft has everything in it including: big ol’ shopping center, bath house, boarding school, plaza the light tower, the big giant ass hylia statue, and even larger residential area then in-game and other places you’d typically find in larger towns. Things like blacksmith, restaurants, medicine (if not found in the bazaar that mostly sells potions), tailor etc etc are usually found in these other islands. Similar to the Lumpy Pumpkin! The skies aren’t as barren as they are in game because of the various other islands. Zel in her previous life made damn sure to provide everything she could for humanity up in the skies... (i refuse to believe that all of the residents we see are just... the only people, population for sure dwindled a little thanks to demise and his forces however it bounced back up hence hylia making other islands). I’d like to think that /some/ humans remained down in the surface. The sheikah being one of the many, their tribe pretty darn huge compared to OOT and there is sheikah tech but not as advanced as we see in BOTW just yet. There are bandits that fight to survive due to the influx of monsters or people neither good or bad but still know their ways around the lands. Also, there are other lands outside of Hyrule unaffected by the war, so more humans exist in those lands for sure! 

Since moving down to the surface, Zellie adores bathing in the hot springs that the Goron have so graciously shared with fellow skyloftians. Sometimes, she does stay a little too long where she gets very red and a bit dizzy but no worries, she cools down drinking cool milk tea (yet another delightful drink  she’d found when living on the surface). There have been instances where she sometimes pass out though hjsadbaskhb. It’s a way to unwind from the craziness like moving other islands back to the surface since there are some who are hesitant to leave the skies, keeping watch over the Triforce, and just trying to crave her own path in her new life as a mortal goddess. It’s a fact that she’s come to accept and no longer denies or doubts the fact as she did during her journey. 

That said, it’s not wrong to call her Hylia and if one were to know her name she’ll respond to it but she prefers Zelda because it’s a name that she’s grown fond and attached to. Therefore, she’s yet to tell other skyloftians that she’s the goddess reborn, instead taking some time to live in normalcy even for a short bit. Eventually she does tell them of her origins. Her children carries divinity in their veins, as such anyone born from her bloodline are aware of their godly origins, BEFORE, knowledge of that became lost to time (aka Minish Cap) where it’s now just known that the royal family has a mysterious power not common of other Hylians. In the royal archives, the truth exists only there. 

The kingdom of Hyrule is not established until way after her time, hell Hyrule wasn’t even named Hyrule for a while either. They would just call it the surface and leave it at that. With society not fully restored since some islands are taking time to leave the skies there was just not enough thought put into naming the lands. Though some would call it the Lands of the Gods. 

She wants five hundred kids JFKDSBHFJDSB this sounds like a joke but no she honestly wants that happy domestic home with lots of kids. And become that grandma who gives you milk and cookies and tucks you into bed while telling stories of the old days. Who knows who she’ll marry in the future one things for certain, she wishes for marriage.

SHE... DOESN’T LEAVE THE TRIFORCE OUT IN THE OPEN LIKE THAT HWEOH. She’s well-aware how it draws out the hidden greed in one’s heart and knows all too well the many wars that will come out of it. She’s sealed it away using her powers, not in the Light Realm since that doesn’t come until far later but in a place where it’s not easy to find. The knowledge of the Triforce does come out, however, and there have been attempts to kidnap Zel for the location of it... or for her powers once it comes to light that she’s a god. 

Zelda does miss the days of living up in the skies, but it feels right to be back on the surface and prefers life down there. The lands she’d love since her days as Hylia and will continue to love. Back in Skyloft, though she adored it with all her heart, she’d felt... bored. As though she were meant to do something important. Becoming a knight wasn’t enough. The voice she hears calling down to the surface was one that she’d wanted to respond to despite intentional waving it off. She feels complete watching over the Triforce and spending her days on the earth, exploring the lands to map out certain places with Link by her side. However, she worries whether or not Link misses the skies and since he doesn’t really talk about it much she doesn’t know what he wants.

Speaking of, she always, always wants Link to make his own choices after dropping the ball in using him back when she was Hylia. 

She still cleanses her body by praying to the gods and soon starts a pilgramage of her own visiting the springs to pay respects to them. She often goes when different solstices passes by. Of course, the big three have their own seasons (Spring for Farore, Winter for Nayru, Summer for Din, Fall for the spirits of the realm). Though praying in the water with that white dress during the winter time is hell. At the very least, she can wear other clothing she just can’t dunk herself in them when going through the spring waters because that holy dress does have something to itSo :’)))) it’s a tradition that gets passed down in the royal family, hence why ALTTP Zel does this and hell BOTW zel too.

For fun plot thread reasons, there are other stronger demons that have been sealed away. The seals aren’t as strong as Demise’s seal was since they don’t surpass his level. As such, some of the seals are waning away so anytime y’all wanna explore this :eyes: 

There are other temples spotted around the surface! Some housing those stronger demons, others springs, and others ancient tech or writings left behind by the humans. Some temples, are crumbled down due to neglect of care with how long it’s been but there’s still something inside. Other tribes aside from the sheikah have no clue what the hell those buildings are meant for but I’m sure Goroko loves exploring them :’)))

Light magic is neither good or bad much like the Triforce, it has no morality. It can hurt anyone regardless of where you stand, however the monsters are weaker too it. She can do the usual healing, cleansing something or blessing weapons, sealing away enemies and smitting people. I’d like to add more but perhaps next post this one has gone on too long. 

[avoutput]

Gaps Between Worlds || Live, Love, Link

Nothing keeps a story going like a love interest. In almost every adventure story, at some point, the hero flirts with love, falls into it, is blinded by it, or is even betrayed by it. Love is the strongest emotional connection we share as humans, a double edged sword that can drive us, but also hinder us. Even when a story lacks a love interest, the listeners might begin to imagine one just to keep themselves interested. One adventure series has lacked cannon love for such a long time, it's hard to imagine how it’s been kept alive in our collective consciousness for as long as it has. The Legend of Zelda has jump-cut to Link saving Zelda so many times, but remains nebulous on what kind of relationship blossoms from their journey. As a longtime fan, I have been starving for more from the world of Hyrule, and I think fans across the world agree with me. The official Nintendo Hyrule Timeline wouldn’t exist if it weren’t for pressure from the fans. Before that release, it had been locked inside the mind of Miyamoto, creator of the series. But it didn’t really whet my appetite, because what I wanted is to know of Link and Zelda. Today, we are going to explore the facets of Link and Zelda’s many re-incarnated relationships, which could have turned into love, and where they must have gone after Gannon was sealed and their adventure came to an end.

Before we go any further, the usual caveats to my writing, just so you can get where my head is at. First, I am not going to be super concerned with minute details of the timeline in its purest sense. It has a tenuous linear connection from one game to the next, but it still can provide a little fun for us to speculate on. Second, I have completed every mainline adventure with two exceptions. I have made it to the end of Link’s Adventure and Twilight Princess, but I just never walked up those steps to beat Gannon. I can’t really put my finger on why, but usually I just lost interest by the time I made it to the end of the game. Everything else, including the GB, GBA, and DS releases, I have completed.

In the beginning, one of the most bizarre parts of the overall Zelda lore is how little we actually discuss Link’s obligation to do anything for Zelda. As the games mature, they motivate Link in more realistic ways, but I felt that they mostly lacked a real punch. Lets imagine you DID NOT read the manual for the NES titles, the original LoZ, it just starts by breaking the 4th wall. I always thought it was funny that it just drops you into the mountains with absolutely no direction, as if to say, “You bought the game, dummy, do something! Press a button… ooo… check out that cave!” However, what actually happens is Link saves Zelda’s handmaid, Impa, from an attack by some of Gannon’s henchmen. She then begs him to find the 8 fragments of the Triforce of Wisdom, which Zelda has hidden in 8 dungeons, and he just resolves to do it. In the next game though, she’s just struck with Sleepy Disney Princess disease. Classic. But have you ever noticed that true love’s kiss wasn’t an option here? That’s because Link is not her true love in this incarnation, so he has to kill the curse maker. LoZ and Link’s Adventure are directly related, so we know that in between the two games, they never became lovers. And I don’t know if you need any more proof about these games, but if you ever watched the 80’s Zelda cartoon… you’d know she’s better off.

Climbing up this timeline, we end up at the incredible Link To The Past, a story that’s titular description kind of defies its storyline unless you are really paying attention. Either way, the game has Link, a descendant of Hyrule Knights, being woken up by a psychic message from Zelda. As usual, Link has no real discernible parentage, but he does start off with an uncle. As I grew up, I often wondered if this was his real uncle or the Asian kind of uncle, just an older man with the same familial distance as an actual uncle, just not actually related. (It goes without saying that the west has this kind of uncle as well, but rarely does it rear its head as ubiquitously as in the east) Who knows what happened to his parents, the game never really goes into it. Either way, he runs into his possibly real uncle after following Zelda’s request, only, he is mortally wounded, and with his final breath, he begs Link to take up his blade and his responsibility. Again, he is motivated simply by some sense of obligation, but there is never a moment's glance of flirtation or love. By the end of the game, he revives his Uncle, the Priest, and the King, only to get on a boat and end up ship wrecked on Koholint island, where he dreams up a girl who is much more likely to become someone he could have a life with rather than Zelda.

Let’s take a quick moment to recognize Link has about 5 or 6 games that have nothing to do with his relationship to Zelda: Link’s Awakening, Oracle of Seasons/Ages, Majora’s Mask, and Minish Cap to name a few. In these games, it rarely meditates on his relationship to his previous adventure or the girl he left behind. Link is a very forward thinking… little boy? Adolescent? Teenager? It depends on the game. The more I think about this, maybe the more obvious it really is supposed to be. Zelda, Link, and Gannon are reborn into conflict over and over again. It’s possible that the stories that we play through are the only time they are born into a point of conflict. Basically, Link and Zelda might be born into a world without each other. Maybe the world only falls into chaos when all 3 of them are born. Maybe only when a certain amount of power accumulates on the dark side. The story just makes room for whatever it finds appropriate.

Climbing up the timeline, we get to the only game that implied young romance, Ocarina Of Time. Granted, it kind of dashes this with Majora’s Mask, but it's possible he could return to Hyrule for love. He is only 10. Still, in OoT, Link is the only character that keeps his memory of both the young timeline and the teen timeline. When you think about it, Link is pretty mature for a 10 year old, but waking up in the body of a 17 year old would throw you a bit. People in the future might have found him odd… if they weren’t scattered to the winds and mostly worried about famine, death, and Gannon. In both his young and teen timeline, the Zora princess is very interested in him, and yet, the game still ends with a longing look between Zelda and Link, Link remembering everything, Zelda new to the whole thing. Now, I am willing to admit that as a kid, I probably misread this as a longing look, as an adult, it's really just the culmination of Link’s struggle to finally right all the wrongs, but I was a young shipper, and I wanted everyone to fall in love. (You are reading the thoughts of a boy who was super upset that Ash wasn’t awakened by a kiss from Misty (or Pikachu), and instead the tears of all the Pokemon. I almost walked out of the theater. I was a fresh-faced 13.) Given everything we know about both games, and that we know the timeline splits here, it would stand to reason that since in either case, triumphant or not, Link doesn’t end up making baby Link and Linkles with Zelda. In the Triumphant Timeline Child Era, none of the games end with Link in love, including Twilight Princess. In the Adult Era, the Wind Waker series of games always finds Link closely aligned with Zelda, but the whole cell-shaded, PG universe basically ensures that all the people of Hyrule are grown out of the ground, like palm trees on the beach. In the end, Link always makes for the nearest boat or horse and follows the sun, trying to escape the PTSD that haunts him.

Finally, at the very beginning of the timeline is the largely maligned Skyward Sword. As of this writing, SS is the supposed beginning to the entire legend. It is also one of the few games where there does seem to be an infatuation between Zelda and Link. Throughout the game, they share what looks to be a mild flirtation. When I thought about this budding romance, I began to think it only appears that way because of some cultural filters. First, Nintendo likes to make games for kids, so they aim to get an E rating by the ESRB. So if we ratchet that up to M, the standard for modern day games if you want people to take them seriously, we can adjust the love meter on scale with E = Sesame Street and M = Breaking Bad. They might as well be engaging in some hard sexting, maybe a couple of low-cut Link bathroom mirror selfies. Don’t worry, he has his famous hat over the goods. Why do you think its shaped like that? Secondly, mild flirting in Japan is the equivalent of hardcore furry S&M in America. In actuality, what you are really seeing is the courtship of Link in a Wolf costume and Zelda dressed as a Fire Keese batting eyes at each other. Truly, in this world, Link and Zelda are destined for each other. They are the only freaks in the sky! With this assumption, I can conclude that the legend only continues because once, at the very beginning of their timeline, the Triforce of Courage and Wisdom banged it out. This could mean there is a whole series of games we have never played where the timeline is split at the top. One in which they have children and one where they don’t. Personally, I look forward to their kids journey in The Legend of Steve, the new holder of the Triforce of Wisdom. Let a girl save the boy for once!

There is always hope for our legendary heroes. You may not want them to be joined in glorious, child-making coitus, but I always have. I have always found it odd that it doesn’t end like most JRPG’s with a very obvious death of the “mains” so that love can’t blossom, or with a lavish royal wedding. The worst part is that often, Link has many love interests, but none of them are Zelda. There is some hope for them in the new Breath of the Wild timeline, which is supposedly the furthest in the future of the “official” timeline, so much so that there is no connective tissue left, so it might as well be a “new beginning”. I would actually hate for them to finally, really, fall in love in the BotW universe, mostly because it's my least favorite Zelda game of all time, squeaking past Skyward Sword and Wind Waker.  All 3 of which I dislike for a combination of gameplay-style and story, though honestly, the best part of BotW is the story. It's just a game I never want to play again. Rambling aside, I look forward to the fate of love between Zelda and Link in their next chapter. Maybe we’ll finally play as their love child some day. 

[telesthisia]

HANDY DANDY RP PLOTTING CHEAT-SHEET FOR PRINCESS ZELDA (A Link to the Past)!

Want new-and-exciting plots for your character? Long to reach out to more of your followers, but don’t know where to start? Fear not! Fill out this form and give your RP partners both present and future all the of juicy jumping off points they need to help you get your characters acquainted.

Be sure to tag the players whose characters YOU want more cues to interact with, and repost, don’t reblog! Feel free to add or remove sections as you see fit. Template here.

mun name: Amber!!  ooc contact: My DMs are always open for mutuals and non-mutuals alike (I think at least, if not don’t be afraid to send in asks either I try my best to get to them ;v;)! I do have a personal blog but weeps.... me no longer active on there. And a twitter but weeps once again, it’s an oc twitter despite my yellings of off topic things. MY DISCORD TOO!! Though my activity is very inconsistent somedays I’ll be on others not so much! Don’t be afraid to ask for that uvu 

who the heck is my muse anyway?

HOHO!!! For those who never touched The Legend of Zelda in their lives, I’m sure it’s pretty dang confusing to see more than one design of both Zelda and Link, I’ll try my best to explain this! The series follows a very, very convoluted timeline filled with plotholes, as such the Links and Zeldas we see throughout different titles of the game are actually reincarnations who are destined to seal away whatever darkness may threaten the lands known as Hyrule.

The Zelda I play as is the princess of Hyrule during a point in the timeline known as “Downfall Era” where the Hero of Time in OOT lost against Ganondorf in the final battle; Ocarina of Time is the reason for why there’s multiple timelines with each having their unique era depending on the choices in that game. The Downfall Era is known for having games known as A Link to The Past, Oracle of Seasons, Oracle of Time, Link’s Awakening, A Link Between Worlds, Triforce Heroes, The OG Legend of Zelda, Annnnd Adventure of Link! The Zelda I play as comes from A Link to The Past as well as the Oracle series and I guess Link’s Awakening despite having no appearance. The events of A Link to The Past and Oracle Series has deeply affected my Zellie in that she suffers from unspoken traumas as well depression. See, before the events of ALTTP there was a war known as the Imprisoning War, that war ended where the seven sages seal away Ganon. Peace reigned for a while until a series of plagues and droughts struck which affected the kingdom. It wasn’t until the antagonist of the game, a wizard by the name of Agahnim, would put an end to the misfortunate blighting Hyrule with his magic, gaining favor with the king. He was able to worm his way into court and from there act on his plans in breaking the seal to the sacred realm where the triforce and Ganon rest. Doing so, he must capture the seven maidens who are descendants of the seven sages and sacrifice them in order to break the seal and well, guess which princess happens to be one of those seven maidens? Suffice to say, he was successful in breaking the seal with Zelda being the final sacrifice. Here we find out that he’s actual the alter ego of Ganon (don’t question it too hard) and we also find out she’s not dead! Hooray! But she is trapped in a plane known as The Dark World, once the sacred realm corrupted by Ganon’s greed. So as all LOZ stories goes, Link saves the day. Happily ever after, right? Well... no, see unlike in the game where the ending is happy and everyone who died is alive I follow both the 90s comics and Himekawa manga where those who died in the games did not come back to life. This includes Zelda’s father, Link’s uncle and some of the maidens. It’s very bittersweet in that, the day is saved and Ganon is gone forever but at the cost of loved ones no longer coming back. 

Well... Ganon comes back! In the oracle series! Two years after ALTTP, Twinrova tries to resurrect him by using the blood and body of Princess Zelda, meaning she can actually die this time around. But Link saves the day once again. Which leads us today, the main verse of the blog which is a year after Oracles and three years after ALTTP! NOTE: That my smash verse more or less follows this timeline I have in place for this blog. 

things you should know

I sound like a broken record but. She’s a glass canon of sorts. Where she’s very powerful thanks to blood of the seven sages, the light force, and having hylia’s blood in her veins. As such, she’s very powerful and her magic super potent which is why so many people wanna sacrifice for dark rituals... BUT!! She has super power health issues that affects her magical stamina and body as such she can’t even use half her powerful magic and this upsets her greatly. It’s a small headcanon of mine because in the games and manga, she doesn’t really do much despite being a powerful magical princess. Keep in mind that ALTTP came out before the retcon that is Skyward Sword and before they decided to add more to Zelda’s abilities throughout the course of the series... so my brain went to: she’s powerful but can’t use magic too much due to poor health. It worked!! Before smash came along but I swear I’m not at all salty. To be fair, it was my fault for assuming things but imagine: glass canon Zelda. It sounded super cool at the time! 

She represses a lot if only for the sake of her nation and to appear as a good leader for her people. As such, she’s almost always calm and has a gentle smile on her face despite radio static sounds resounding in her thoughts. Give her time, she’ll open up and show you her playful side! 

She’s been surrounded by death considering before ALTTP, during ALTTP and kinda with Oracles if you count Twinrova, as well as having a connection with the spirit realm due to freaky PSI powers. So, she doesn’t really have a negative view on death and has actually gained that edgy romanticist view as the result of her life experiences. She’s very much someone who likes to live life to her fullest as the result... and well, it doesn’t help that she’s aware of her short life span thanks to her future vision. Something she won’t reveal to anyone more than likely as to not worry them. She’s more or less accepted her fate... speaking of which

She hates fate/destiny/etc but accepts whatever happens because again clairvoyance has proven that there’s no changing what’s been planned. So, she doesn’t bother fighting against it. But, what impresses her are those who manage to overcome destiny, something that Link does sometimes which is why she looks up to him. He’s that variable that the future can’t keep track of due to how ever changing he is. 

 She loves exploring creepy places, ruins, caves, and dungeons that are scattered throughout her kingdom, for both history and the spooky aesthetics of it! So if you see her outside the castle she’s more than likely getting ready to explore some spooky place. She’s almost always wearing her cloak but there are rare moments where she’s not either ;v; she’ll always go by the name Elle... worth mention she doesn’t bother hiding the mark of the triforce on her right hand.

Speaking of which, only people from the capital known as Castle Town and even some from Kakariko village as well know of the princess’ appearance. Various small towns throughout the land of Hyrule however, only remember her appearance from ALTTP where her hair was a more golden blonde rather than the platinum color that it’s taken from the various fear and stresses from her life. And also, she’s more freckly due to not wearing coverup when outside the castle. Ok well,,,,, here’s the best side by side comparison I have...

If you ask her what the light arrows are, she’ll look at you funny. She comes from a time where silver arrows are a thing :’) the few things that can defeat Ganon

Closet romantic, as in she loves love and wishes for a romance of her own but when it comes to her own feelings she’s an idiot due to repressing feelings.

what she’s been up to:

main verse: Which is during the events of Skyward Sword, as such she’s no longer in Skyloft nor does she have the full knowledge that she’s Hylia but Zelda is suspecting that there’s a connection there. She does not know how to wield her magic as it comes and goes in spurts. She’s seen throughout the Surface so she can be anywhere! Even in other timelines due to using the Gate of Time, we can just say that something screwed up causing for her to end up in another time period or even verse! LOZ series is pretty flexible in time travel.

where to find her:

Graveyard + Sanctuary: It’s a soothing place to visit and also to pay respects to the fallen in ALTTP. 

One of the three provinces (my rendition of Hyrule is a little bigger than the in game map so don’t be afraid to add places that aren’t in ALTTP but in other titles, I know I tend to do): aka anywhere in the fields, she’s a woman plagued with wanderlust and doesn’t like being confined to one place

Kakariko: the villagers who know her true identity are hella nice to pretend that it’s not the princess but Elle! Guards tend to be here after a certain time though, so to avoid them she always avoids going to the village when it’s nearly sundown

Ruins, catacombs, abandon shrines etc: again she likes creepy or historical places or both! 

Haunted Grove: Well... it’s haunted! So :’)

Castle: it’s possible to meet her here too! Whether as princess or someone sneaking either out of the castle or back into it. 

current plans:

Lead her kingdom to the Golden Age, something her father tried to do before his demise. While wishing to see Link once more. 

desired interactions:

I would love the usual adventure threads!!! 

FRIENDSHIP!! She needs friends, pls!! 

ENEMIES!! It’d be fun to write a more angry Zel who doesn’t get along with someone! 

ROMANCE!! I’m a sucker for cuteness ;v; and slow burn ;v; 

HORROR AU!! HORROR AU!!! 

Creepy gothic threads of Zelda running into a creepy cryptid in a gothic castle on a stormy night.... this is very specific but listen, cries... 

Comfort thread ;v; 

things that bother me:

People who know she’s the princess right off the bat ticks me off ngl. A-ok if you muse is unaware of her otherwise! 

PEOPLE WHO KNOW THAT SHE’S FROM A BLOODLINE OF A GODDESS AND SAGES DHSJAKJADB no one really knows that the royal family actually did descend from gods, unless your muse is an immortal and is aware of the events that goes on they shouldn’t know this fact. The only thing the public is aware of is how the royal family have mystical powers different from the population. 

uhhhh that’s about it? Mostly metagaming pft, not too much bothers me now that I think about. 

tagged by: i pirated it ;v; from myself! 

tagging: whomst ever! i recommend doing this since it’ll help a ton with those who still are unsure with your muse but feel too nervous to ask questions.

[oliviermiraarmstrongs]

SHIP HISTORY MEME

Embrace your past and get to know your friends’s fandom origins!

Rules: Post gifs of your fandoms / ships starting with your most current hyperfixation and work backwards. (Bonus points if you share any stories about how or when you got into that ship! But not necessary!!) Then tag anyone whose fandom history you’d like to learn about!

Tagged by @betweenironyandsilver! 😁

(Not posting gifs bc I’m on mobile and can’t find any good ones. also this will be streamlined and half-remembered fandom history for me so 🤷‍♀️)

Daenerys and Sansa (A Song of Ice and Fire)

I’m gonna cull down my ASOIAF ship list to just a few since I get fixated on a new relationship like every month (honorable mentions: sansa/sandor, sansa/margaery, arya/gendry, theon/jeyne, many others because I’m an extreme multishipper) but dany/sansa has become like, THE ONE. I just want these two sweet girls to find happiness with each other! They’ve suffered so much and just want to go home, and I think they should find it together. I know they’re not gonna be the titular “fire and ice”, but they should be!

Fleabag/Priest (Fleabag)

All I can say is OOF!!!!

Finn/Rey/Poe(/Rose)

I can’t get into just Poe/Finn or Rey/Ben or Finn/Rose because I don’t want any of them to be separated! As much as I love The Last Jedi, it needed more trio interaction, and TRoS only kinda half-delivered on it. And Rose deserves better, and she and Rey should’ve bonded! Kylo Ben is kind of included in here, I just wish he had more interaction with Finn and Poe. I just want these lonely, dysfunctional, emotionally stunted man-children to find a family with each other!

Link and Zelda (Legend of Zelda)

I get very invested in any Zelda game, so naturally I’m very attached to them! I’ve loved them since I was a kid playing OoT and TP (partially because I had a crush on both of them, and also on every girl Link has vaguely romantic interactions with like Malon, Midna, Ilia, etc. where’s my Zelda dating sim). They’re SO CUTE in Skyward Sword, and Breath of the Wild makes me love them even more!

Roy/Riza (Fullmetal Alchemist)

I love it as much as Ed/Winry, Al/Mei, and Ling/Lan Fan, but I gotta say Royai because like, when will a ship go this hard. “Will you follow me?” “If that is what you wish, then even into hell.” The DRAMA! The HISTORY! The DEVOTION!

Stiles/Lydia (Teen Wolf)

I was such trash for this show, but can you blame me with them? Say what you will about “snarky, dorky comic relief best friend gets with popular girl”, but they managed to bypass the common tropes by actually having good chemistry and a lot in common! 14-year-old me started watching because of them! It wasn’t enough to make me finish it though. But apparently they were endgame, so good for them.

Korra/Mako (Legend of Korra)

That’s right, time for a little controversy. I was down to clown for these two before the show even started, and when it did start? Ooooh boy! I will still maintain the opinion that s1 of Korra is the best, but that’s a whole other conversation. Episode three is like, SUCH a good showcase of how these two work so well as a team, with Mako calm and collected and Korra fierce and bold. She helps him break out of his shell, he helps her reign in her impulsive tendencies! I know the romantic drama of s1 could’ve been written better, but I still think they work well together. They just needed to grow more as people. I do like Korra/Asami, but I don’t love how their relationship was handled; but that’s a bigger discussion about my beef with the last two seasons. Anyway, I’m still a huge Mako defender, and an even bigger Korra defender, and I am humble enough to admit that I was one of the many who were prepared to pop the biggest bottles. (I still follow the girl who made that post, avatarskorra. She’s funny and takes the whole thing really well).

Maka/Soul (Soul Eater)

I’m just a sucker for ships who don’t have an explicitly romantic relationship, but are such a good team and have a such a close bond that it seems like they’re undergoing a veeeeeery slow burn.

James/Lily (Harry Potter)

They were my first experience reading fanfiction! I loved looking at a lot of fanart and gifsets and other creations on tumblr, and I was just losing my mind over this relationship between two dead characters! Just. The DRAMA of it all. I mean, I liked the magic parts of Harry Potter, but I really wanted a seven-year-spanning slow burn teen drama about the marauders and their shenanigans. Also, I was into the other canon HP ships (yeah, I was and still kinda am a canon fucker), but what I really loved was luna/neville because they were my faves.

Aang/Katara, Zuko/Mai (Avatar: The Last Airbender)

The canon fuckery strikes again! ATLA was one of my first experiences with fandom, which is a terrible introduction because y’all were a bunch of feral children ready to throw hands at any moment (same goes for LoK). But the show itself delivered so many pure, joyful moments. Aang’s face when he first sees Katara? Katara’s devastation when Aang nearly gets killed by Azula, followed by her relief at managing to resurrect him? The Kataango? Don’t try and tell me this ain’t the cutest shit ever. And I will go to bat for my moody teens Zuko and Mai! “I don’t hate you.” is some romantic shit!

Chuck/Ned (Pushing Daisies)

I loved romance as a kid, but I was afraid of sex and marriage, so they were made for me. Everything about this show made me happy, and also I had a crush on both of them.

I tag @sctine, @anipokie, @the-ginger--mermaid, @borispavlikovskys @trxters, @altraviolence, and anyone else who wants to get in on it!

[mobius-prime]

145. Sonic the Hedgehog #80

If Wishes Were Acorns

Writer: Karl Bollers Pencils: James Fry Colors: Frank Gagliardo

So, what exactly has happened to Amy? What did she use the mystical, wish-granting Ring of Acorns to wish for? Why, to become older of course - because if she's older then people will take her more seriously!

So this is essentially how the comics resolved the issue of Amy originally being very young, but now suddenly needing a redesign and an excuse to act older - they literally just magicked her older. Specifically, she's physically about sixteen now, despite being ten years old in actual age. Of course this is kind of an insane decision for the reasons Sonic points out above, but then again, ten year olds aren't known for their stellar decision-making skills. Despite the fact that by all accounts she should be mentally still ten, the comic actually treats her like a full teenager from now on aside from small references to her true age here and there. I guess her maturity is just assumed to follow the same rules as OoT Link's or something - perhaps the ring also gave her that extra six years of mental maturation or something, I dunno. Regardless, she's gotten her wish and is now allowed to come along on the mission, though perhaps not for the reasons she initially wanted.

As everyone prepares to leave, Sally steps into her mother's storage room to say her goodbyes, hoping that her mother can hear her speak even though she's still in a coma. Outside, Sonic's own parents try to say goodbye to him as well, but he refuses to actually say the word "goodbye," seeming downcast.

Nice to see Mina again - she's not getting a lot of screentime these first few issues, but she'll become a bigger character as time goes on. Everyone groups up on Knothole's makeshift airfield, and Nate explains that the Hidden City of the Ancients is inhabited by five-fingered Overlanders instead of the usual four-fingered ones like himself. Wait, what? So this is a weird plot detail that hasn't been touched on at all yet, but if anyone has been paying attention, all Overlanders, including the original Robotnik (but not the current one), have usually been portrayed with four fingers. I say usually because it varies wildly between issues - both for Overlanders, and for Mobians. For example, lately Sally has often been portrayed with four fingers, but later on in the series she gains a fifth, and it's entirely inconsistent between issues due to changing artists and canons. For now, just take the comic's word for it that Overlanders usually have four fingers, while these other ones apparently have five. As the king, watching over the departure, reassures Elias that they'll still be able to find a cure for the queen even without the Ring of Acorns, the group takes off, Sonic and Tails in the newly-rebuilt Tornado, and everyone else in the shuttle the Freedom Fighters always use. Soon they find themselves coming up on a strange mountain in the distance…

It's hard to imagine how this city has apparently remained so hidden that many think it's a myth - that thing looks like a siren's call to any intrepid explorer. Apparently somehow this thousands-of-years-old airplane managed to survive the ravages of time and nature, paint and all, with nary a scratch to be seen. Nate suspects that the survivors of the ancient crash took shelter inside the mountain's caves, discovering they went very deep. Everyone takes a mine cart further inside, and at the end of it, they find themselves bedazzled by the sigh of an entire metropolitan city underground…

Land Fall

Writer: Ken Penders Pencils: Steven Butler Colors: Frank Gagliardo

Knuckles has rushed to Haven to find out why the other members of the Brotherhood didn't see Robotnik's assault coming. Thunderhawk was apparently the one on duty when it happened, and blames Hunter's sabotage of their systems for disabling any early warning they may have gotten. However, they did capture images of Robotnik during the attack, and in fact still have him on their video feed.

No, you know what, shut up Locke. And Knuckles, good on you! It's about time you stood up to the Brotherhood and your father and told them what ignorant idiots they were being. This is the biggest case of "I told you so" in the entire comic. They refuse to help Sally and her kingdom fight against Robotnik, and not even a week later he comes in, blasts apart the Chaos Chamber, shatters the only thing keeping their island aloft, and releases Mammoth Mogul back into the world to boot. Locke gives me strong vibes of that type of middle-aged asshole who refuses to let someone younger than them tell them off because they don’t want to admit to being wrong. Knuckles has every right to be angry and shame the entire Brotherhood into rethinking their stupid isolationist policies, despite Locke's insistence that they did what they did "for the greater good." Thunderhawk tries to agree, but Knuckles ignores them and heads out to trail Robotnik and hopefully find out what he's planning next.

Meanwhile, outside, Vector, Mighty and Julie-Su are examining the crater left behind by Robotnik's drilling venture. They don't know it's him yet, so they spend some time speculating, wondering if it's perhaps the work of the Dark Legion.

They race to find Espio and are first shocked by the fact that the island is floating in the water (did you guys completely not notice the eight mile drop earlier or something?). They then notice Espio, handcuffed and being led along by some very large and vicious-looking kitties, who he nervously introduces as their new "neighbors." I'm sure this bodes well…

Swallowing Trouble

Writer: Ken Penders Pencils: Jim Valentino Colors: Frank Gagliardo

Have you ever lain awake at night and thought to yourself, "Gee, there's nothing more I want out of life than to see the story of Big the Cat and Froggy as told by Ken Penders"? Well boy oh boy, you're in luck, because that's exactly what you're getting! Unlike in the games and anime, where Froggy is literally just an ordinary frog, apparently in this universe he's a fully sapient being in his own right, thinking in complex thought to himself throughout the story. Froggy wakes up in the middle of the night to some strange noises, and tries to rouse Big, who carries on snoring. Thus, Froggy leaps away to investigate for himself, finding a moving puddle of water and deciding he needs to drink it immediately in perhaps the most uncomfortable series of panels imaginable.

Big awakens shocked to find that his friend now has a tail and is acting strange and ignoring him, and before he can move closer to investigate, a red and yellow robot appears from amongst the trees and scoops Froggy up. This alarms Big, who moves closer to demand his friend's release, and proceeds to blame the robot for his hand hurting after he punches it.

Bro, I'm sorry, but you punched a freaking robot! What did you expect, a gentle caress on the knuckles? The robot scurries off with its new prize, and Big picks himself up and lumbers after it, determined to get his friend back. And thus, the stage is (halfway) set for our upcoming adventure! How much weirder can this adaption get, you ask? Tune in for the next issue to find out!

[windskull]

Hello all the lovely people out there that have been following The Heart of a Hero.

As I promised before, I said that I would write up a bit on how I have approached this adaptation, and likely how I’ll be approaching Majora’s Mask, if I end up doing an adaptation of it down the road.

At the time of writing this, I have finished drafting up through chapter eleven, which takes me through the end of Dodongo’s Cavern. As such, anything referenced directly here will only be up through that portion.

The first thing that i had to do was actually decide to make a adaptation. Originally, Thoah started out as just an au idea, based on something I had seen while looking at stuff related to Hyrule Warriors and the Zelda Encyclopedia. Somewhere, I don’t remember where, I saw a wild theory that, as an alternative to the “Link is dead” theory, that he was in the process of becoming a skull kid because he did not have Navi to guide him.

I did not care for that theory, but the idea of Link being a skull kid intrigued me. So I sat down and started doodling some designs for fun and imagined up an AU.

At the time, I had been planning to draw a Windwaker AU comic involving skull kid existing in the windwaker timeline in the forbidden woods, finding Link, and following him around the ocean for the majority of the rest of the game. (I still may write a little about this after the heart of a hero is done, but not a full fic. I may also release the three pages I drew at some point if I meet a certain view/kudos goal. Maybe 1000 AO3 views or 100 kudos, whichever comes first?)

I ended up enjoying the idea and the idea and design so much that The Heart of a Hero ended up happening.

So now I can actually get into hows of my creation process behind the fic.

It is worth mentioning that I had read one fic adaptation of a game at that point to completion (Sonic Adventure), and another one for Majora’s Mask that I quit reading. At one time I started to write my own Sonic Adventure 2 novelization, and considered writing a novelization of Kirby Planet Robobot in the anime verse, but neither of those ever got very far.

It is also worth mentioning that although I have finished Ocarina of Time (and Majora’s Mask). I have never gone through and done a full completion of either, I’ve never finished every side quest.

So before I ever began writing, I sat down and watched a 100% play-through of OOT. (Specifically, for those curious, I watched Masaeanella’s master quest playthrough.) By doing this, it gave me a chance to go through all the game’s main material and decide what quests I might want to include in the story.

Then I replayed the game myself, taking my time and thinking “What about this would be different if Link was a Skull Kid.” For one of the more obvious things, it makes him significantly more susceptible to fire, as is heavily touched on in the Dodongo’s Cavern arc. But in lesser things, it makes people - especially those outside of the forest - more wary of him, something that is starting to develop into a bit of a character arc for him.

His change in species also has an effect on how he acts around other people, and as a result, changes some of the sidequests that are brought up, such as his run-in at the Happy Mask shop. Because of his mischevious nature, he never goes through that fetch quest, but he still has an interaction, and ends up stealing instead of selling.

Perhaps the most interesting portion that I’m looking forward to writing is the seven year skip, and how being sealed that long is going to be handled, considering he is an eternal child that will never get bigger or grow older. I already have that planned out, and look forward to how people react when I reach it!

But the process doesn’t stop there, because at that point, I have only just finally laid the groundwork and begun writing. But memory is not perfect. So as I’m writing, and as I’m wanting to describe these areas, I am looking at let’s plays and playing through the game again, giving me a chance to look at the areas so I can describe them better. Especially dungeons.

Once I write a batch of chapters, usually half of an arc or a full arc I go back and start editing. I try to write in half or whole arcs so as to hopefully not forget anything.

One of the hardest things of writing is the dungeons. I want to write them so that they’re recognizable (Oh, this is that room) without just writing straight through it and explaining every puzzle. I want to cut out some of the unnecessary fluff that would be a chore to write and read. A good example of this is the part in the Deku Tree, where Link and Skull Kid find the slingshot at the base of the vines (where the dungeon map is in the game) without having to go all the way to a dead end room, only to have to backtrack again.

Some areas, both in and out of dungeons are changed very little. Others are changed a lot. The deku tree is something that did not change much, beyond the reaction of the Deku scrubs to Link and Skull Kid. On the other side, Dodongo’s Cavern is changed up a lot, due to Link’s much more flamable body. There’s going to be a lot of things changed in the adult portion of the timeline. The areas I’m looking forward to the most are the Gerudo hideout and Spirit Temple.

That’s everything I wanted to cover at this point in time. If you have any questions, feel free to shoot them my way and I’ll try to answer.

[fleursetrebellion]

Why Breath of the Wild Doesn’t Have A Companion Character

Among Legend of Zelda games there’s a rift between two types of games in the series: those with companion characters and those without. And I think there’s an interesting topic to discuss in why some have them, and why some choose not to have them. To really get to the heart of this though, it’s important to recognize what the design of Zelda was originally made to do, and how that changed over time.

In the original Legend of Zelda, the game was explicitly made to be a game about freely exploring a mysterious world and uncovering surprising things around every corner. In some sense, the original design was intended to be the purest possible form and experience of an adventure. That adventurousness goes into every part of the game’s design. You’re never guided, you make your own path. You’re never pushed, you do only what you want to. And the game never stops keeping its secrets, you must uncover them yourself. There’s never a point at which the world is no longer mysterious. They even included a feature where the second time you play through the game, it shuffles around the map so that it maintains its secrets and you can give it a second try. But a big factor here is that players were explicitly meant to choose what they want to do next, not to be told. The game directs you, but only with hints and very subtle suggestions.

In this sense, having a companion with you simply doesn’t solve any problems. The companion character could be neat at best, but even still they would be an unnecessary element which keeps you from getting to the best part of the game: discovery. At worst they might even spoil secrets that you wanted to find yourself, or push you towards things that you didn’t want to do.

When it came time for the next proper sequel, A Link to the Past, some things had changed. The game started directing players more. Some secrets were given away, though most still needed to be uncovered. But the biggest change was that parts of the game started to push you through its critical path, always nudging you towards the next dungeon. There were lots of reasons for this, I believe biggest of all was that aLttP introduced a huge increase in scale, which made it harder for players to self-direct in such a big world. But to accomplish this they introduced the first step towards a companion character.

See, the game opens with the sequence of Zelda contacting you with her telepathy, and she directs you into the castle where you save her. But after that point Zelda no longer was poised to direct you through your journey. Enter Sahasrahla. This guy was an old man, like the ones who gave you cryptic hints in the first game. Except this time he outright guides you towards dungeons and tells you where the next objective is. His function was pretty limited, so he didn’t chime in much but he did was occasionally contact you through telepathy. Pretty hands-off, but it’s already a step towards a Companion Character. So to put it simply, they introduced Sahasrahla because they needed to tell you what you can do in the world. Otherwise you might not even know that there’s a dungeon to go find.

Anyway, the next main Zelda game after aLttP was Ocarina of Time, and that’s where we got the most iconic companion character of all. The reason for introducing a companion was complicated. It was an N64 game, and every designer at Nintendo was so excited to try out 3d game mechanics. But the shift towards 3d introduced all kinds of technical issues. Spaces became harder to navigate, game worlds became more costly to create, and most of all cameras became very hard to program. Ocarina of Time famously solved this camera issue with Z-Targeting. But it wouldn’t be Nintendo if they left that as “good enough”.

Maybe you’ve noticed but Nintendo has this habit, almost an obsession, of tying up loose strings. Anything done in one part of a game’s design must connect back to all other parts of the design, including the narrative design. They couldn’t just let you Z-target, they had to tie that into the game’s narrative design as well. So they came up with one narrative-friendly solution for all of the technical problems of the 3d world all at once: Navi.

How does Navi solve camera controls? Navi is Z-targeting! How does Navi make 3d spaces easier to navigate? Navi can chime in with hints and direct you towards doors! And how does she solve the problem that 3d game worlds are costly to create? Well, if the world is smaller, Navi can stick with the player and always let them know where the next objective is, driving players along the main path so they never stray too far and discover just how little is actually in this 3d world. (At least compared to aLttP.) And it worked amazingly! Ocarina of Time quickly became the classic we all know and love. Some other neat tricks that Navi has is that she can help make story moments more interesting by speaking for Link when he has to remain silent, which lent to the new more cinematic tone of the game. She could even give a sense of larger scale to the world with bits of lore, though let’s face it they weren’t really all that great most of the time.

And then moving into Majora’s Mask we saw something... weird. Majora’s Mask was developed in a hurry, and they didn’t completely have time to rework any ideas from scratch. So when the game abandoned the cinematic style of OoT, favoring a much more classic open-exploration style of play, they still didn’t really have the time to come up with a new Navi. So, even though Majora’s Mask is much more similar to aLttP in structure than OoT, Navi stayed. Or rather, her concept stayed under a different name.

But the N64 is done. The GameCube is announced and the new tech is amazing. The best console specs in that generation, as it would turn out. That meant fewer limits on the world size, the tech for 3d cameras had time to mature, and Nintendo learned how to communicate space in 3d. So we saw the first even return-to-form for a Zelda game. Mostly it was a return to the style of aLttP, but we even saw one interesting feature return from the original Legend of Zelda. That is, in Wind Waker, the world was organized as a grid of spaces.

It was kind of a brilliant piece of design. In the first Legend of Zelda you could never see beyond the edge of the screen, each time the screen scrolled over was a new chance to surprise. But even still, they were able to make sure you could still navigate the world without getting too lost by making the world... kind of small. I mean, no doubt it was full of interesting content, but there weren’t actually that many screens in the original Zelda’s world. And that made it easier for players to recognize landmarks, remember all of the things they wanted to come back to, and remember paths through the world. And in Wind Waker they found a way to replicate that sense of exploring a limited set of spaces on a grid. Except this time the grid was a massive ocean, and each screen was the size of an entire island. You never got confused exploring the ocean because there are only a few really important islands to go to. And you never got confused exploring an island because you can see the whole thing at once!

And that isn’t the only return to form. Wind Waker favored open exploration over the linear epic storylines of OoT. It cut down on Z-targeting and allowed for more free navigation and puzzle-solving even if there were enemies around. And, back to the topic at hand, it didn’t have a companion character. At least, it sort of didn’t. The King of Red Lions acted as this sort of Sahasrahla-like character (complete with telepathy). He would direct you to certain island (annoyingly locking you into an island once at the beginning) but he could never tell you how to explore each island. He was pretty hands-off. And there were certainly more cinematic moments in the game which featured companion characters, like Makar, Medli, and Zelda at the end. But it was never anything on the scale of OoT.

With Twilight Princess there isn’t much to talk about besides the fact that, for reasons that I can’t really explain, Nintendo chose to return to Ocarina of Time’s style of play. Not that this was a bad thing, OoT and TP are both classics, but it seems strange that they would return to OoT’s style having made almost no improvements at all. The companion and the strict guided-ness of TP got slightly more overbearing than OoT, but it wasn’t so much as to ruin the experience. And the story and characters were good enough to make us be okay with it. (Seriously, who doesn’t love Midna?)

And then... Skyward Sword. There’s a lot to unpack here.

First, the game wanted to use motion controls, you can’t fault it for that. I think most of us wanted to try out a motion control Zelda, even though it kind of seemed like nobody could do the sword thing properly. And in classic Nintendo style they started tying up loose strings. The motion controls become a character. Thus Fi joins the roster!

Second, Skyward Sword was made by a new director for the series mainline games. Maybe it was that Hidemaro Fujibayashi wanted to continue following in line with the Ocarina of Time style of play, or maybe it was that Nintendo wasn’t confident letting him go Wild on his first game (hah hah). But he pushed towards this more directed structure. More directed even than Twilight Princess was.

And with these two things together, Fi came out as... Well, she was the motion controls (a feature that wasn’t well-received) and she also heavily directed the player more than any other Zelda game (also not well-received). And the result was that she become a frustrating, hand-holding, symbol of whatever feature the player personally didn’t like in the game. I mean personally I like Fi. I think she’s cute, and her final scene made me cry. And I mean, (unpopular opinion) the motion controls were kinda fun. But there’s no doubt that she’s overwhelmingly hated.

And then we come to Breath of the Wild, the truest Return To Form in the series. The design is almost exactly, point for point, the same as the design of the first Zelda game. Except this time, we’re fully leveraging the power of 3d graphics. You can see distant objectives, which helps you self-direct. The world is broken up into recognizable regions, so no worry about getting lost. And the concept that you only have to do what you want to do is turned up to 11. The only things that the game forces you to do are learn how to play, and beat the final boss. Every path you take is a path you choose.

So given all of that background... of course there’s no companion character in BotW. Why would it need one?

[pika-ace]

ITH Legend of Zelda AU? Maybe???? plEASE??????

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YOU HAVE JUST KICKED MY WRITING/FANGIRL BUTTONS INTO OVERDRIVE!!!!!!

Okkayokayokayokayokay, so the only Zelda games I really REALLY know are TP, WW, LBW, OoT and MM but with how different the stories and Links are, I was thinking…what if every Zelda timeline has a different Link and Zelda?? Hell, the regular timeline is just as confusing so WHY THE HELL NOT??!!!!

FIRST UP: Wind Waker! Usnavi (16), Sonny (7-8), and Abuela live on Outset Island when a large bird appears and drops Vanessa into the forest on the island. Usnavi goes to get her since he was just being taught how to use a sword and barely manages to get through and find Vanessa, who’s a PIRATE. After awkward introductions, Sonny appears to meet them, but the bird comes and swoops him away. Turns out the bird has been targeting and kidnapping young people who are Hispanic and have black hair. So Usnavi pleads with Vanessa to take him on her ship so he can go find Sonny. They go to the Forsaken Fortress and launch Usnavi in their (much to his dismay) and after a BUNCH of struggling and sneaking around (Usnavi was NOT made for violence; when he first gets his sword, he can barely swing it straight) he reaches the room where Sonny and a few other young girls and boys are being held in a big cell. But before Usnavi can save him, the bird shows up, grabs Usnavi and just about flings him away. Luckily, Usnavi’s picked up by a talking boat and takes him to three different islands. Dragonroost where he meets Bird-People siblings Nina and Lincoln and help Lincoln overcome his fear of flying and taking charge as the next heir (the boss fight was a DISASTER; Usnavi almost died MULTIPLE times cause he had a little experience but still NO IDEA hat he was doing), Forest Haven where he helps Benny, a trouble making Kokiri when he gets trapped in the dungeon (that boss fight went a bit better; skills were still shaky, but Usnavi got knocked around less), and Usnavi eventually gets to the Temple of the Gods where he gets the Master Sword (that boss fight went better than ANY fight Usnavi ever did)! Now, back to the Forsaken Fortress and things go TEN TIMES better this time around. Usnavi and Sonny have a brief reunion (poor baby Sonny thought his big cuz was dead :( ), Usnavi kills the bird (he’s had three boss fights worth of experience, he’s got this), and comes face to face with the big bad. But, uh-oh, the Master Sword has lost it’s light! It’s useless! After Vanessa tries and fails to save Usnavi, the two are saved thanks to a last minute swoop in and rescue from Nina and Lincoln, and Usnavi’s talking boat takes them to the lost Kingdom of their ancestors, where, SURPRISE! Vanessa’s the princess! And Usnavi’s boat was her father the whole time! So Vanessa stays in the kingdom to be safe (it IS under the sea, after all) and Usnavi goes off to find the two sages to bring power back to the master sword. And as it turns out, Nina and Benny are sages!! So stuff happens, the Master Sword is restored, we get the Triforce pieces and the big final battle ensues and thanks to a tag team effort from Usnavi and Vanessa, the big bad is defeated. Vanessa’s father sacrifices himself to save Usnavi and Vanessa, and they resurface to be met by Vanessa’s ship, her crew, Nina, Lincoln, Benny, and of course Sonny, who’s SO HAPPY to see his cousin again, he doesn’t wait for Usnavi to get on the boat for a hug, he just jumps into the ocean. Everyone goes back home and everything’s good.

NEXT UP: Ocarina/Majora! Benny (12-13) is a Kokiri child living in the care of the Great Deku Tree. Only problem is, he doesn’t really fit in and doesn’t have a fairy companion like his Korkiri brethren. Anyway, trouble eventually strikes, and Benny is given a fairy named Lincoln and the he leads Benny inside the Great Deku Tree where his first boss fight takes place (it goes pretty good, for Benny’s first try; kid is brave). So Benny and Lincoln are told to go to Hyrule and seek out Princess Nina and give her the Emerald of the Kokiri Forest. They do just that and Benny meets Nina and her personal guardian, Daniela. Nina explains that she’s been having prophetic dreams that the big bad is gonna come back and they need three sacred stones to stop him. Benny and Lincoln go off to find the other two stones, leading them to Death Mountain for the Goron’s Ruby, and inside a giant fish in Zora’s Domain for the Zora Sapphire (the Zora princess Yolanda gave it to them as thanks for saving her; she said it was like an engagement ring, but it went right over Benny’s head XD). Benny also comes across a ranch, run by two cousins Usnavi and Sonny (Usnavi’s the same age as Benny, and Sonny’s about 8). So yay, we got the three gems but OH NO! The big bad has taken over the castle, and Princess Nina and Daniela are on the run! Nina throws Benny the Ocarina of Time at the last second and Benny goes to the temple where he pulls out the Master sword and is now magically 20 as seven years have passed and basically, GREAT GOOGLY-MOOGLY IT’S ALL GONE TO SHIT! Hyrule is COMPLETELY overthrown, all the survivors are now living in Kakariko, and poor Usnavi and Sonny’s ranch got overthrown by some asshole. So Benny and Lincoln go around and find the seven sages (They can be anyone, you decide) with the help of a mysterious masked figure, and Benny even lends Usnavi and Sonny a hand in between temples. Turns out when the guy took over, he basically enslaved Usnavi and Sonny, but since Sonny was so young, Usnavi volunteered to do any extra work that Sonny was too tired to do. Unfortunately, this asshole kinda has it out for Sonny due to the boy’s rebellious spirit and attitude and he eventually trapped Usnavi in some underground dungeon to keep him away. Now poor Sonny is staying strong, but he’s hurt physically and emotionally, and wants his big cuz back. Benny and Lincoln do just that and everything’s good. So after the seven sages are awakened, Benny and Lincoln eventually find out that the masked person who had been helping them was Nina all along! But then she gets caught by the big bad, so Benny and Lincoln get to the castle to save her, Lincoln leading the way since he seems to have a feeling where Nina is. When they get to the top where Nina is, it’s also revealed that Lincoln wasn’t always a fairy; he was actually Nina’s brother but the big bad put a curse on him to turn him into a fairy and wipe his memory. Anyway, big battle happens, Benny wins, Nina uses the sages to seal him away, Benny’s brought back to the past where everything’s been just about reset, but Lincoln’s gone. Benny goes back to the courtyard where he first met Nina, but she’s not alone this time; a young boy about Benny’s age is with her. Lincoln has been returned to a human and everything’s good.

And as for Majora, basically the same plot, only Lincoln returns to help as a human and I’m taking the Purgatory theory with this one so all the barrio members are in Termina and they’re all going to die unless Benny stops the moon. Make up all the depressing theories you want here. I’ll start: Usnavi and little Sonny run a ranch like in Hyrule and on the third day, Usnavi allows Sonny to have an alcoholic drink to dull his senses and offers for them to sleep in the same bed so they can be together when the moon falls and destroys them :’(

NEXT: Twilight Princess! Sonny lives in a little town and helps his cousin with his ranch and the rest of the barrio with stuff. But then, as usual, disaster strikes and a bunch of monsters storm in and kidnap a bunch of people from the barrio, including Usnavi, Nina, Benny, Lincoln, and Vanessa. Sonny tries to follow, but he’s pulled into the Twilight thing where he becomes a wolf (he basically becomes Chip XD) Sonny is then helped by a weird little imp that calls himself Pete who is actually the Prince of the Twilight Realm. He was kicked out of his realm by the bad guy and wants to take his land back, and knows that Sonny is the one to do it. So Sonny and Pete go on adventures together, find the kidnapped barrio members and occasionally fighting the leader of the guy who kidnapped them all. Sonny really gets pissed at that guy as time goes on, ESPECIALLY when Usnavi got rammed by his giant boar trying to save Vanessa and got taken hostage. So again, many dungeons and taking Twilight away (also, Sonny gets pretty damn good at fighting; he had been practicing a bit before shit went down so he was kinda shaky like Usnavi, but more confident) and it eventually boils down to them facing off the big bad together and it ends with the Twilight Realm and Light Realm living in harmony (I’m a lowkey LinkxMidna shipper and also, I am NOT separating Sonny and Pete like that X3)

LASTLY: Link Between Worlds! Pete is a blacksmith’s apprentice and he’s eventually called to the castle where Prince Sonny has called him in. Sonny warns him that a great danger is coming, but no one believes him, not even his cousin, Prince Usnavi and the current heir to the throne. But of course, everything goes to shit and a bunch of people are zapped into paintings, including Sonny. So Pete has to use his enchanted bracelet to use his ability to go into paintings to save the seven captured sages (again, take your pick on who they should be) and save both Hyrule and Lorule. (Sorry for lack of story on the last two, I got lazy :/ )

[chaos2go]

Ramble about the Deku Tree and Alden >U

Okay. Finally getting around to finishing this ramble. Sorry it took so long ;w; I had one of those times of “wow I really want to do this //does everything else” orz.

Just as a reminder, the stuff below is following my ‘headcanon’ of junk. So please don’t take it literally XD And I apologize for length. This is way too long haha.

So I’ve pretty much stated in my LoH lore before that I believe the Deku Tree can create life. It’s never really stated what he can do so I just roll with it given it makes explaining stuff a lot easier. And he’s supposed to be a deity of sorts anyway. He is a ‘spirit of nature’ after all so why not organic things? His specialty beyond ‘simple’ plants are forest fairies (aka guardian fairies), koroks, and his newest/most proud creations the kokiri (the intended form of the koroks).

Now even if he is a deity, it had taken him quite a few decades if not centuries to ‘perfect’ every sentient creation. He is proud of them and he enjoys watching them live their lives. They bring about a harmony he loves. They are not savage but rather innocent creatures. They have bouts of anger but they never outright really try to hurt anyone beyond survival needs. These creatures are his children. In all due respect, he wants to protect them beyond just his magic because he understands that his magic isn’t unstoppable. In fact, his magic is mostly that relating to creation of life.

Given legends of the past, the Deku Tree is worried about something bad eventually happening in his forest. This means that his creations will die in bloodshed rather than natural causes (not to say they can’t die to monsters or creatures in the forest in general). Not to mention his control over the Lost Woods is only so much. It has a strange magic of its own and the way to navigate it seems to change from time to time. The only way to protect his children is to create something unlike them.

The legends of the past speak of heroes. This would be something he would believe in but there are other things that stood out too. Robots, machines, and even of swords that have spirits. A lot of his interest went into these ‘mechanical’ aspect but the resources to make a machine let alone an understanding on how to make one was just outright lost. A sword spirit however was more in his field given his magic. It sounded a lot more organic than trying to make a machine. He put many fairies to work to try and find information on creating a sword spirit but not a lot of information was returned. Still it was enough for him to make an attempt and a chance at extra protection for his organic creations.

It took a lot of tries to actually create Alden properly. Creating life was pretty simple in comparison to making a metal statue mostly made of magic live. For a time he gave up and thought about perhaps making a new race to protect the forest. But then what to give them? He didn’t want to create any sort of monsters or have the creature(s) turn into them. And what if they died for some reason? There were so many variables that he wanted a constant. It needed to have a little consistency like he did. Having a protector of the forest meant sacrificing some things that made organic life better in his opinion. Plus it couldn’t die as easily.

A few more tries were given with more success but nothing solid. At times he’d end up with metal lumps, other times a spirit that only survived until the gem collapsed, or just a spirit that died for no reason. Eventually Alden was created using pieces of these spirits (in terms of metal body, not gems) and there is a celebratory moment. However the moment is somewhat shattered when he realizes Alden isn’t anywhere near what he expected. The spirit is outright confused upon creation and doesn’t know what to do. Even though he’s seen others have this problem, the fact Alden doesn’t shatter right away brings some pain. He’s lifeless compared to the organic creations. There is little will beyond asking for instruction on what to do. This really makes the Deku Tree regret his decision. Thankfully the fairies (and a few koroks) step in on the Deku Tree’s silence to make Alden start to ‘live’.

The Deku Tree gives Alden a simple purpose of protecting the forest before instructing him to meet the kokiri he will be protecting. Given Alden is just outright do and ask only simple -if not stupid- questions, he just pops out and gets scared by the reaction he got. Just backlash. He was told not to fight them yet he got rocks and sticks thrown at him. His instinct did want him to fight back. Instead he retreats and asks what he did wrong. The fact Alden couldn’t come up with making a disguise is actually somewhat troubling for the Deku Tree despite there being some promise given how he reacted to the event. There was a little hurt in how he acted which was a good sign of life.

From there the Deku Tree instructs him to make a disguise to fit in amongst the kokiri. The actual disguise takes a lot of work and quite a few attempts before he fits in enough for the kokiri to let him be. He actually had to observe -alongside getting feedback from his partner fairy- and choose. Thing is, even with a disguise to fit in he still lacked basic things others could do. He couldn’t emulate eating, sleeping, he ‘cheated’ at games, etc. He had to learn how to be a child and fitting in became a priority. In all honesty, it was part of his purpose whether or not it was intended.

Alden’s frustrations with fitting in became apparent to most in the forest. It actually became a bit of a joke and he didn’t mind playing to it to fit in. However being laughed at still stung him. Thankfully during his existence thus far the Deku Tree tried to teach him through stories. It was a thing he did every night with Alden when the kokiri were sleeping in order for Alden to learn more about the world he was in, the kokiri, and just how to ‘live’. Stories of heroes and such became Alden’s favorite as he could relate to them more because of what he is. Every once in a while a kokiri came too which meant Alden could observe a bit.

All in all, this was a big effort. More than the Deku Tree wanted to do. He honestly felt awful for creating Alden to be so lifeless at first but was so hopeful with how much he was growing. Even if he was a bully from time to time, he still was trying to live. Still he was a spirit with little soul. Alden wasn’t completely stupid or extremely smart. And he didn’t have a large range of emotions but rather a collection of emulations and reactions he understood for certain situations. He could be angry at the right moments or emulate happy at the right moments. Very little things were genuine unless it involved his purpose, a wrongdoing, or a chance to show off his powers. Really the only plus of anything there too was his speed, magical abilities (at the time due to the Tree’s power), and his skill with the sword. Unlike most others (including most people he’s met), the Deku Tree sees that Alden is mostly a machine of reaction at the proper times. And honestly, that is how I see him too. A very well studied one that goes to extremes. But back to the tree who wishes he could make Alden ‘real’.

The arrival of Link to the forest didn’t help Alden grow at all either. Especially when the Deku Tree could observe how little Alden changed. He was confused by the baby (as were many kokiri) but Link just had an understanding of everything so much easier. For a time, Alden even distanced himself from the kokiri as Link was growing because he couldn’t understand what the heck a baby was or what it was doing. The baby was annoying as far as he was concerned and he didn’t want to break Link either. He was more fragile than a fairy and cried every time he was forced to interact. If anything, he only got more confused on Link growing up. Despite knowing how Link got there and bringing him to the Deku Tree in the first place, Alden never once mentions this to Link. And in fact, he ends up being on of Link’s bullies given he chooses to be with Mido due to Mido’s status as leader.

Upon Ganondorf doing his crap in OoT, he honestly hoped that Alden would have died in that attack in some respect. Alden wasn’t a strong spirit but rather a mostly innocent one that had a hard time understanding how to ‘live’. Destroying him would be a good thing in that respect. At the same time, Alden was a great creation and he didn’t want him to die. Alden was dutiful and did everything in his power despite being bested. Alden chose to defend when he clearly could have easily stayed out of the situation. The lack of a real choice and the obligation to do his purpose is what could have saved the Deku Tree. Ultimately it would help shape Alden further though.

Skipping through Alden blaming Link for the Deku Tree’s death, revealing himself to Link, and outright continuing bullying, we get through the Forest Temple. The sprout emerges from the ground and isn’t exactly the same one as before. However it still carries some regret about Alden. It was partly saddened to see Alden still existed but glad to see he was still trying to do what he was created for. There was a sense of relief that he at least did one thing right with Alden. On the other hand, Alden didn’t consider the new sprout to be the same tree but wanted to listen.

The sprout specifically tells him that the old tree wanted to give him new purpose. Those being 1- Continue to protect the forest to the best of your abilities, 2- Do what you can to help Link, and 3 - Live your own life. The last one having the most emphasis which only confuses Alden. His entire ‘life’ has been fitting in and protecting the forest. So really he puts the second job as his priority. And that only leads to more issues given he is set on his duties and he is a spirit of reaction.

But that about sums it up without jumping to other games or LoH. Sorry it turned into more about the overall arc of his story. But eeeeh lemme just state this. There is a deep regret the Deku Tree carries about Alden. Alden however is a creature of reaction and learned behaviors rather than his own being. Given enough time, he would assimilate into another culture. Fitting in is his ‘life’ and little things do confuse him. Why a certain way of dressing? Why are some actions more preferred than others? He has many questions but refuses to ask them and instead just tries things in hopes of positive reactions when able. Otherwise he will observe unless he feels brave. As I said, Alden isn’t smart or dumb. He reacts. His entire character is about proper reaction rather than being him. His entire emotional range goes from extremely angry to extremely happy or extremely sad in a matter of seconds. There is very little inbetween so it can be as if he is hyperactive. The only time he tends to sound mature is when he feels there is nothing to react to and can state what he wants. It is confounding to him to be outside of the forest until he realizes that children can get away with certain things. He uses his childlike nature to Link’s advantage when the adult Link cannot do things. Fi has her smarts, Ghira has his emotions, Alden has a mix in terms of just reacting in the proper way at the proper time (which can be messed up!). So more or less he understands to an extent when to be happy, sad, etc.

To quickly jump to another games since I rambled about the rest, Alden’s second purpose becomes a major focus for the MM game. Especially since he becomes even weaker. Alden’s focus is broken to a point and he has a loss of powers. At times he is a hindrance to Link. At the same time, it also allowed him to speak his mind more freely. If anything he sounds a tad more intelligent than before if not emotional. He thinks about things and realizes why people might enjoy it. He’s seen a lot more in life than he ever would have in the forest. Being lost in these thoughts become is downfall however. There are joys/fears/etc. he’ll never understand and it kinda scares him a little. And it scares him even more that he won’t be able to protect Link from it. In the end he fulfillshis third purpose before he is ultimately destroyed. He spends time with Linkdespite time travel and enjoys things he hasn’t before. And as an upgraded sword, he can continue to protect Link. But that’s for that version.

Come LoH, the Deku Tree gets to meet Alden once again. There isgreat disappointment in knowing that Alden was left behind by Link but also ahappiness in seeing that he’s trying so hard to help someone else. Alden has chosen to continue his job and his reactions give more ‘life’. He seesKalla has rubbed off on him and he’s actually happy to hear Alden reject himwhen he states that he should stay. Still Alden is a lost cause as he seesgiven he is so strung to his purpose that living will never really happen. He’s still attaching himself to a forest dweller despite wanting to be outside of the forest. And the only reason Alden states he wants to stay outside is to protect the forest. Sothere will always be a loss for this magical life he created rather thanbiological. Little does the Deku Tree understand though that if Alden was to stay, he’d try to leave. Alden does want to protect the forest but understanding others to some degree might help. He in no way wants to be like them (he believes himself a kokiri after all) but it means a possible means to an end if he has to fight them.

[gascon-en-exil]

The Not Really Definitive Ranking of the Zelda Series: #4

#11-19 (link to #11, with further links to each of the others)

#10 - Tri Force Heroes

#9 - The Wind Waker

#8 - The Minish Cap

#7 - A Link to the Past

#6 - Link’s Awakening

#5 - Ocarina of Time

#4 - The Legend of Zelda; Twilight Princess (including the Wii U remake)

a.k.a. that time this series tried to show us its idea of gritty realism and gave us a snarky imp, a monkey with an oversized red ass, some guy with a bird nesting in his afro, a yeti couple of vastly disparate sizes, a man turned into a golden statue with his cat petrified atop his head, a “princess” who enjoys doing suggestive things with insects, the spirit of unbridled capitalism incarnated in the body of a toddler, a race of unholy abominations with humanoid heads on chicken bodies, and a pair of ambiguously gay clowns who make a living by shooting people out of an enormous cannon. Never change, Nintendo.

I’ve never been very fond of what is usually thought of as realism in gaming - comes with being a Nintendo fanboy and all - in large part because it’s almost always a shallow definition of realism: guns, blood, dull colors, and unemotional and aggressively straight alpha male protagonists. Quite a few of the games I’ve already discussed in this ranking tackle mature themes that belie their outward whimsy, and Twilight Princess is no different. Of course, nowadays I think TP is best remembered as that game that slavishly imitated the formula of Ocarina of Time, though there doesn’t seem to be a consensus as to whether or not it succeeded in the attempt. Clearly I’m of the opinion that it surpassed its predecessor, but the reasons for that are probably not the most obvious ones. The combat is indeed more complex (though the Wii version’s sword controls feel flailing and silly now that Skyward Sword has taken that concept so much farther), the story beats are bigger and come more regularly, and the dungeons are longer, more complicated, and nearly as numerous, but those aren’t the improvements I want to focus on.

Instead, I think it’s important to talk about narrative and characters (again - this is plainly a Thing in this ranking). Midna is without question the best companion character in the series to date; she has an actual character arc and visibly connects with the other characters in the story, and she’s useful without ever really becoming a nuisance. I also appreciate that she’s never entirely “good,” that even after she learns to care about others and value the world of the light she’s still talking back to Ganon and popping Zant like a balloon. It’s arguable that her development might be a tad weakened because it’s implied that she was possessed by Zelda or something like that, but if the game is incredibly vague on that point I can’t be expected to do any better. The gradual revelation that TP is not really Link’s or even Zelda’s story but Midna’s is handled excellently all the same; I even like the fake-out title drop followed by the actual title drop near the end, as slightly cheesy as they may be. There’s also Link/Midna, which overtook the shipping culture of TP so thoroughly that we didn’t have to suffer through (much of) a repeat of OoT on that score. Hooray.

Midna is not the only standout in this cast, though. I might be the only person on the internet to say this, but Zant is an intriguing villain even after he’s exposed as a tantrum-throwing nobody playing at being an evil overlord. It’s not foreshadowed at all, but it’s not really that hard to reconcile the two sides of the character, the dumbstruck sycophant of Ganondorf who gets some kind of metaphysical vengeance in the end and the figurative (and literal) mask of a ruthless tyrant. And who knows - Ganondorf could have easily been giving him pointers the whole time, which is hilarious to envision. All of it culminates in a wacky and chaotic boss fight against Zant that comes completely out of left field and is entirely the better for it. That it props up perhaps the weakest dungeon in the game is just icing on the cake.

Midna and Zant represent the central conflict of TP that runs parallel to - and arguably supersedes, in an interesting twist on how plot hijackings in Zelda usually go - the usual mythic pageantry of Link, Zelda, and Ganondorf and their struggle for the here-unnamed Triforce. But TP goes beyond that and offers a third narrative level, that of the assorted common people of Hyrule just trying to survive in the face of the advancing twilight. Many of this game’s NPCs really stand out for their strange designs and even stranger behavior, but in addition to those oddballs Link’s quest is grounded in his connection with the children of his home village (including another not-quite-girlfriend), the sole survivors of an implicitly horrific massacre in Kakariko Village, and the members of an underground resistance group who...admittedly don’t do all that much resisting over the course of the story, but I suppose it’s the thought that counts. Also, one of them has a bazooka somehow.

These NPC groups fill out the world of Hyrule, to say nothing of their frequent additions to the story between dungeons. Except for the part where restoring the amnesiac Ilia’s memory initiates a sequence of events that leads to Link being shot into the heavens by one of the aforementioned gay clowns, it’s all dealt with rather organically too. This is more than can be said for the Tears of Light segments early in the game, which force Link to collect plot coupons in his extremely limited wolf form. Though these segments were shortened slightly in the HD version, my problem with them stems more from their presentation. You have to first explore three major sections of the map when they’re covered in twilight - in other words, bathed in oversaturated lighting and dreary, monotonous music. They’re never something I look forward to, though mercifully after the third one the twilight leaves Hyrule and the world opens up fully.

Speaking of Wolf Link, there’s the matter of the Wii U version. Unlike with The Wind Waker, TP’s remake made no really noticeable gameplay improvements, and the only additions I can recall are bigger wallets and Miiverse stamps. The real new fun comes in the form of the Wolf Link amiibo, which opens up the new Cave of Shadows area. It may be just a rehash of the concept for the Cave of Ordeals only with Wolf Link, but since most players including myself don’t really use the wolf form for combat in the main game the place offered quite a challenge the first time I attempted it. It’s a lackluster remake to be sure, but I consider that a testament to just how solid TP was in its original version. In my opinion this is linear, story-driven Zelda at its absolute best, putting fresh spins on the traditional story and keeping the gameplay engaging and diverse. Really, even the sidequests and optional collection never really become too frustrating or tedious, and that pleases my completionist self to no end. The remaining three games all set aside linearity and/or the classic Zelda story, but under those constraints TP is absolutely as good as it gets.

Next time: a sequel that’s also kind of sort of a remake that’s also very definitely amazing.