#and someone we could connect to much more than rauru

[rawliverandgoronspice]

I absolutely love your analysis of the gerudo and Ganondorf because they put into words what bothers me about how TOTK portrays Ganondorf. That being they remove his agency as a character in favor of having some great evil against the good guys.

[Major story spoilers ahead for the end of the game]

At the end of the game, when you’ve defeated Ganondorf, he swallows the secret stone and becomes a dragon, like Zelda, fully knowing the consequences of what happens when that happens. And it’s just kinda left me with a bitter taste in my mouth? In the context of the story it makes sense, he’s portrayed as a egomaniac who just wants to destroy Hyrule. But compared to other versions of him, this one just feels more openly biased against him and the gerudo, with no reason or justification other than “he’s evil, hate him.” As far as I can tell… They never really show us that he’s done anything horrible or deserving of being feared before the show of fealty cutscene, other than not submit to Hyrule, attack them once, and generally have bad vibes. It feels forced how much they want us to hate him and the people who follow him. I’m not saying character in video games always have to be nuanced or complex but comparing like, Wind Waker Ganondorf next to TOTK Ganondorf…. 🙃 Waste of an excellent design imo.

Heyyy sorry for being a billion years late with this ask!! I was busy finishing the game!!! among other things!!! Thank you so much for your kind words, I'm super happy it resonated with you in that way!

I mean, the whole draconification plot beat doesn't really work for me. Like yeah, sure it's sad that Zelda is now a giant dragon and it's cool to have her soaring above your head while you have no idea where she actually is (a situation that isn't nearly tapped into enough in the narrative imo, like it gets obvious way too fast if you happen upon the wrong memory, etc), and I actually think the whole sequence of you removing the Master Sword from her head was the best scene in the entire game in terms of mood and emotions --even THOUGH it would have been so much better with a stronger story and stronger stakes-- BUT. How does that build up thematically?

I think what doesn't work for the Zelda side of this plot point (I'll get to Ganon next) is that... she doesn't make that choice. It's not like she's being tempted by an easy way out and decides to sacrifice herself for the sake of Hyrule or Link or whoever: she has no choice in the matter. Her powers activate (?? somehow? once and never again also, talk about dropped plot threads), she finds herself in the past, is the passive witness to a bunch of shit that only tangientially relates to her --it's like she's visiting estranged family in a foreign country and watch their drama awkwardly before being dragged into it against her will even though she was just trying to renew her passport and get back home (if there had been any callback to her relationship with her father it would have landed better, but it's just completely ignored so vOv). Then her relatives all die or corrupt or something, and she still can't get back home. What is she meant to do besides draconify? Grow old and die in the past? What would that accomplish?? Her adventures in the past are just basically about solving a shrine puzzle with a particularly weird solution --but the game treats it like a huge sacrifice when it's basically her only way out, and she lost absolutely nothing making that sacrifice (and then she... cries about the weird family drama? sure. Honestly I think it would have worked better if the tears were Rauru's, it's his bullshit everyone is dealing with right? He's the one who feels broken and aggrieved by the whole thing.)

So, if we ignore the draconification precedent builds up to zero thing thematically beyond cheap drama that reveals nothing about neither the characters nor the world, I think Ganondorf's case is a little more compelling because he does make a choice here: dying as he tries to achieve his weird lofty goals (and fail), or postpone his victory eternally by sacrificing his objectives but reject death and defeat --while also barring himself from victory. In a better crafted story, this could be utterly excellent and it feels very Ganondorf to me. BUT, my beef with that plot beat isn't that he chooses the second option, making him kinda active for the first time in the entire game (and makes an appropriate hideous smile: *loved* this second one, the first one didn't land for me but this one really captures the ecstatic insanity and transcendance and desperate madness of the act --I have nothing against Ganondorf offputting smiles and cackles when they feel earned, and the Sonia one just... doesn't to me, it just feels like weird rigging and mesh deformation choices getting out of control).

My problem is that his existence as a dragon contradicts everything we knew about dragons before --both for him and for Zelda. I thought the big issue with draconification was that you'd lose yourself to the act entirely, and would become this sort of organic landmark of infinite power and eternal life but without will to act on your precedent goals and understanding of yourself. But the second the big man becomes an evil dragon, suddenly Zelda zips in to the rescue (apparently remembering who you are? understanding she's meant to fight Ganondorf? I mean, this kind of works emotionally as a climactic ending and the power of love or whatever, again it would have worked better in a better story), and Ganondorf is still very much into destroying the world as well as you and Zelda.

Also, he's very definitively mortal (and he has the stone on his head again? And so if you destroy it you destroy his immortality? why???)

So... What I dislike here is the suggestion that he was somehow so evil and rotten and bad that all of these rare moments of interesting worldbuilding and ambivalence gets completely swallowed in the bossfight logic, making his choice (and Zelda's) completely meaningless in retrospect.

also: let Zelda remain a dragon you cowards, that way Hyrule gets any sort of chance to escape and reimagine its horrying eternal monarchy instead of re-establishing it even harder than before!!!

[sheikfangirl]

Since you're the Queen of Puppet Zelda, what are your thoughts on these possible explanations for her level of autonomy?

Is Puppet Zelda merely made of Gloom and acts as a physical extension of Gannondorf himself so he has a set of eyes, ears, and hands that can travel and exert influence outside of his perch in the Depths, but as a higher quality puppet/projection (and therefore more taxing on his power to maintain) than the Gloom Hands and Phantom Gannons? Or is she a separate being entirely, created by him, but given her own agency, mind, and will to make her own decisions, in so far as she's still a slave to doing Gannondorf's bidding? She doesn't need constant effort on his part to control or exist, but would have probably cost him a chunk of his power upfront to create.

Could she be something else?

First, let's rectify one thing: I am NOT the Queen of Puppet Zelda. Puppet Zelda IS MY QUEEN. (But thanks for the compliment, I am blushing over here 🤭)

Secondly, thank you so much for your interest in my HC. I will happily share my thoughts on this criminally underused character that has drama written all over. This is an overview okay because I feel I could write a freakin thesis paper on Puppet Zelda 

Quick note: I am not pretending to be right or to have the absolute truth. This is my headcanon, the backstory in the back of my mind when I draw my Puppet Zelda art.

All headcanons are valid, games are interactive media, and the relationship and connections one has with a game are personal.

As you might know, English is not my first language and  visual support helps me explain things... so I made a graphic. I hope this will help understand my take of this character and why I love her so much🤣🤷‍♀️

In a nutshell:

I think Puppet Zelda is an independent minion created by Ganondorf using his magic powers. He created a shell in Zelda's image from 10 000 years ago to do his bidding and re-used her 10 000 years later to distract Link to buy himself the time to regenerate to full power.

Exhibit A: Ganondorf's Magic

If Ganondorf can spawn a whole list of monsters and gloom hands, he created Puppet Zelda too. The monsters are not continually controlled by Ganondorf, right? They do his bidding, they do what they were "programmed & designed" for, we might even say. I think it's the same for Puppet Zelda. But she is definitely a more defined and complex creation.

Exhibit B: The Hot henchwoman trope

I am not gonna lie: This is one of my very favorite tropes.... EVER! I always fall for the hot henchwomen. Ganon's quote from the glorious Sanctum scene during  the "Crisis at Hyrule Castle" scene makes me absolutely think she is indeed autonomous. "Did my puppet distract you?" Ganondorf asks Link in that chilling and subtext filled scene.

Puppet Zelda had one objective: To distract Link.

Ganon was busy regenerating. Having to control or act through someone would've been too power consuming. I don't buy it's a manifestation of him. AT ALL. so...yeah. hot henchwoman trope. Also, I'm a lesbian and I have no interest whatsoever in Ganondorf.

...HOT HENCHWOMAN TROPE SUPREMACY!! Yep. Fanservice for me.

Exhibit C: Real Zelda's Angst

This is where it's getting twistingly FUN.

This is an HC I assimilated like a borg from my ZHS buddy @kazraza  Her theory is so ***** angsty and delicious and I love it! 

At the time of King Rauru and Queen Sonia, Ganondorf created a pawn with Zelda's appearance so that it could get close to them and attack.

Then, in order to distract Link 10 000 years later, Ganondorf had to "refine" his weapon. He needed "data and real Zelda knowledge" uploaded into Puppet Zelda to ensure her credibility and the success of her mission. He wanted to make sure she could distract Link and trick him. 

And where did all this personal knowledge of Real Zelda's innermost intimate thoughts and insecurities come from, you may ask?

Well from the real Zelda herself of course!!

But when and where was this data collected?

We believe all of Zelda's Angst was leached directly from her during her 100 years mystic battle containing Calamity Ganon in this Malice Cocoon in Breath of the Wild. *GASP* Puppet Zelda was there all along in Breath of the Wild....absorbing all of Zelda's angst!!!

This is why everyone was confused and tricked by Puppet Zelda in TotK. This is why Puppet Zelda asks Link if he remembers their time at Hyrule Castle: she has Zelda's pre-calamity memories and this why Link is so tortured in my art! She can REALLY mess with him big time. I really like to think there is a part of real Zelda inside Puppet Zelda. Her dark side: Her anger, her cockiness, her jealousy, her selfishness... her desire. 

She is also kind of Zelda's answer to Dark Link.

Alright I wrote enough for tonight. To whoever took precious minutes of their lives to read this well...thank you! I am now moving on with my life too 🤣

For more HC about Puppet Zelda, her powers and influences, this should be all covered in future art

(i hope)

Cheers!! And glory to Puppet Zelda ✋

[toushindai]

Hello, it is me again with a question for you regarding your Ganrauru series 😁

I was just thinking about how you have framed Rauru's relationship to power, that there is a part of him that does seek the sort of friendship and genuine connection it brings while also bristling at the idea of someone opposing him and discarding his attempts at making said peace and friendship. That being said I was wondering, given Rauru's very complex feelings and mental gymnastics around Ganondorf and his refusal to submit, in your opinion what would have Rauru felt compelled to do had Ganondorf refused his advances? What if he had continued to refuse his invitations to Hyrule? How about in the case where Ganondorf does give his false vow of fealty, but refuses Rauru's more sexual advances, seeing them for what they are? How do you think Rauru would handle this situation, and how would he justify himself in the sort of framework he has set for himself as a just king? (For the record I don't think for a second that Ganondorf would have refused, just because I see him as an opportunist and he would absolutely take the opportunity to exercise some form of power over this so-called king in his mind, even if he is deluding himself in the process and choosing to forget that Rauru is essentially keeping him like a prisoner and objectifying him. But, it is something I do think about, even in the context of canon itself. What would Rauru do if Ganondorf and the Gerudo dug their heels in and refused allegiance with Hyrule?)

Ooooh this is such a great question. Consent issues ahoy, let's get into it

I was thinking about something similar the other day from a slightly different angle; if I argue that the Gerudo's previous chieftain was leading Rauru on, maintaining diplomatic relations and humoring his overtures, what would have happened if she had eventually said "No, actually"? And I think with either negotiating partner, Rauru's first emotional response is a petty, confused indignation. Excuse me I am benevolent and my rule is beneficial, why are you not responding to me accordingly?. We see this kind of pettiness canonically, I think--Zelda introduces herself and his response can be interpreted as "No, I'm king here, you want to try that again?"; Mineru tells him he can't defeat the Demon King alone and he gives her such a look. My guy, what is going on with you.

How this plays out with Ganondorf and a protracted refusal from the Gerudo to join up is of course a slightly different question of course, and I can't really see any answer to it other than that Rauru just... will not hear a no. Hyrule just keeps pushing the boundaries of what they can get away with. The shrines are already in place on Gerudo land but what if there were, you know, a military outpost or two as well. How much control over trade does Hyrule have, and how do they exercise it? Is there eventually an attitude of, well, if the Gerudo want nothing to do with Hyrule, then Hylians shouldn't be marrying Gerudo? I'm spitballing here, but a lot of this has an air of punishment to it, yknow? Retaliating against the Gerudo for not responding positively to Hyrule's invitations/incursions, for not playing into Rauru's self-conception and thus revealing the ways in which it's not fully true. Wow, so benevolent.

I don't see any world in which Rauru escalates to armed conflict first but I see many, many worlds in which he escalates to a point that armed conflict is an understandable response from the Gerudo. I mean. Is not "I have decided I'm gonna be king of this new kingdom I just made up :) You're invited!" already pretty close to that point? If we're being honest? I do feel like it is. (And I wonder if there's any world in which he loses the support of the allied tribes, if this pressure ever could have been perceived as the imperialism it was.)

How does Rauru justify this to himself, this refusal to acknowledge the Gerudo's no, this inch-by-inch encroachment? By conflating, I think, his personal sense of injury with the threat of harm. Ganondorf does not want the Gerudo to become part of Hyrule is shrunk down to the petty, personal terms of Ganondorf thinks of me as an enemy and then expanded again into Ganondorf is an enemy of Hyrule. He's right about that last one because Nintendo is so very boring about this, but he's making a series of logical fallacies without realizing it. I don't see a lot of propensity towards self-reflection in Rauru. Not without Very Bad Things Happening to Him first. So he trusts his own feelings without questioning them.

As for what would have happened if Ganondorf had turned down his sexual advances... oh that would just be awkward for everyone, wouldn't it? In the sense that: I think that part of what keeps Ganondorf from pushing back when Rauru is being petty and imperious is Ganondorf's own recognition--conscious or not--that Rauru will not necessarily listen to a no. This is his experience of Rauru thus far, of someone who receives an implicit no and rather than respect it simply keeps asking and thinks himself right to do so (canonicallyyyyyyy). And so there is a risk for Ganondorf in saying "no": that of winding up in a situation where he has drawn a line in the sand that he cannot defend. One that Rauru will coldly step over. Rauru doesn't want to be in this situation, either: he doesn't want to see that he is a person who will only accept a "no" if he thinks it's justified. His mind squirms around admitting how coercive he's being, even to himself. But on some level he does know what sort of position he's putting Ganondorf in. He knows that Ganondorf is not in a position to say no, and that's a balm on the ego-wound that Ganondorf's political refusals have inflicted. One that reveals that the true nature of the ego-wound is not he does not think I am good but he does not acknowledge my power. (Again I gesture towards "I'm the only king Hyrule's got, who r u" and "excuse u, wat do u mean I can't defeat the Demon King")

So if Ganondorf did actually say no? In ACNOC, after that first kiss, a cold, "I don't want this, Your Majesty"? There is a part of Rauru that flares with the desire to take anyway, to say have you not come to offer me your submission?, but so early in the situationship maybe he is able to recognize that desire for the cruelty it is. ...Maybe. But god, can he afford to? Can he afford to apologize to Ganondorf for overreaching? Mm, absolutely not. Even if he ceases to try to goad Ganondorf into a sexual relationship, I think the answering dialogue is along the lines of "Then what makes you think you have the right to invade my personal space like this? Your actions belie your claim that you have come to offer submission to Hyrule." There's still very much a need to put Ganondorf in his place--an increased need, even, having just lost a bit of face by allowing Ganondorf to refuse him something.

(consent issues get louder)

At the end of UAWTATR, though, hhhhhhhh. Many times I have turned this thought over in my head. At that point. I think there might be some phrasing of the sentiment I don't want this that would stop Rauru in his tracks with the realization that hey this is WAY rape-ier than I wanna be, but I'll be honest. I haven't figured out yet what phrasing would do it. I think most protests that Ganondorf could have offered would have been met with something that boiled down to I know you don't want this, but your position relative to mine means you're going to do it anyway.

How he justifies that to himself later, I don't know. Ganondorf did try to assault him just the night before so that comes into it, probably. That Ganondorf immediately tries really hard to kill him keeps him from having to look to closely at it, either. He's still left with a feeling of nauseated shame and horror but he's got other things on his mind.

God. Nintendo cannot possibly have meant to make Rauru like this but then why did they make Rauru sO CONSISTENTLY LIKE THIS. I know I am expanding things. But I am expanding things that DO exist. Why is he like this.

[waywardsalt]

im actually going to tear into totk’s dragon’s tears/ memories rn bc i remember feeling distinctly unsatisfied with them when i got all of them so im just going to write some general bullet points about them, about what i dislike or maybe what i do actually like about them, leaving out both master sword scenes and the mummydorf one because i’m here to talk about the stuff in the past not that

- off the bat (i play this game in english btw so all of this is based on the english text and translation i am aware some stuff is slightly different in other languages) im not really a fan of how the descriptions of all of the tears is just a literal description of what happens?? i think my issue with it is that some of the text is a little bit too in depth, as in it just tells you literally everything about the scene. this might be nitpick-y but i personally dont like it

- what’s up with zelda saying ‘but that must mean...!’ at the end of the scene. is it suggesting that she’s made the realization that rauru and sonia are the first king and queen of hyrule? because they literally tell her that like ten seconds before. i guess it’s suggesting she’s realizing she’s in the past but... idk the texts says ‘she’s left startled by a suspicion that she’s heard those names before’ yeah theyre the first king and queen of hyrule?? they tell her that. they tell her their names and that they are the first leaders of hyrule is she just now connecting the dots that she’s in the past? that’s what the next cutscene implies. but all of the surrounding dialogue and the description don’t suggest that that’s what she’s realizing i feel like this was kind of muddled in the translation

- why did sonia elbow rauru he was just standing weird he didnt say anything this isnt a nitpick im just confused. is it because he’s not being very empathetic towards what zelda’s going through? she elbows him and then she goes and talks to zelda why even elbow rauru. ordinarily you elbow someone like that if you mean for them to go do something why elbow someone if you’re going to do the thing you want anyways

- why doesnt zelda offer to help with the purah pad or anything like that. what happened to her sheikah tech fascination from botw. not even as someone actually familiar with the technology who could give mineru some points as to how it works

- what are sonia and zelda doing behind rauru when he shoots that insane fucking beam at the mulduga swarm they’re clearly doing something with their stones but like... are they amplifying rauru’s power somehow?? what do time powers have to do with the beam of light i dont- what were they doing please the text description only mentions him using his powers so are sonia and zelda just... supporting his powers? idk man

- dragon tear #5 is a whole can of worms with its worse-than-oot reenactment of that one scene from oot. why the focus on sonia and her tear btw. i mean yeah she dies to motivate rauru and zelda but like. why not aim for the new girl who probably doesn’t know how to use it as much and is probably more likely to be separate from the king who can shot insane lasers. im really not a fan of this scene for how strongly the game sides with rauru and zelda being passive and judgemental but ganondorf is literally the best part of it there’s a lot of character in just how he picks up his sword and stands up to leave

- putting memories 6 and 7 together just because of how there was just. no fucking care put into the idea of zelda learning to use her time powers. memory 6 zelda talks about wanting to use her time powers and sonia gives her tips on how she could use it and visualize the use of it and then in memory 7 she can just use it perfectly with great control and timing. why even bother talking about her nothing yet understanding how to use it when the very next scene she just uses it like it’s nothing. how much time has passed we get nothing to show us zelda trying to practice this power just. nope. she’s good she can use it perfectly. also more awkward dialogue sonia saying ‘what a picture zelda paints of him’ as she is. looking directly at zelda. change the line to like, ‘what a picture you paint of him’ she is literally looking right at zelda so why would she say it like that

- generally i feel like memory six should have been before 4 and 5 (4 being where she uses some power to... support??? rauru and it being before memory 5 so that there isnt this weird break in between the memories concerning ganondorf.) memory 6 does not have anything to do with memory 4 or 5 so just put it earlier so there isnt a weird shift in focus between the two big ganondorf scenes

- good god they introduce the idea of sonia and zelda being aware of ganondorf using a fake zelda but theres literally nothing about it having been a problem or them having experience or like. anything. they just TELL you that they know and suggest that it’s been like. a thing for a bit??? also obligatory ganondorf’s face model rigging is fucked comment he’s still the best part

- the pacing of these memories is just weird in general, memories 7 and 8 being separate but the same scene is strange when other memories are long as fuck but cover one event each, plus theres clearly barely any passage of time between memories 7 and 8 it almost feels like they were split up to fill space or just because otherwise it’d be... too long? man idk

- ‘queen sonia needs you!’ girl she is DEAD good fucking luck doing anything to help her

- ganondorf’s horse and its armor both look sick as fuck i really wish you got to see more of it outside the memory it appears in

- everything about the original sages honestly sucks. they aren’t characters they’re just walking macguffins. they have no names and are not relevant or mentioned or make any appearance until they are needed by the story. why does the zora sage talk about getting word about the attacked gerudo village in this scene when like. they’ve all met up and have clearly. been together for a bit. when she gives them the news it’s clearly the first they’ve heard of it... but... why would she wait until this moments to give this info unless for the benefit of the player watching the scene. why does the ZORA sage have this news and not... the gerudo sage?? what’s with the masks. they’re all made of zonaite or whatever sure theyre gifts from rauru but like. i hate that it kind of denotes them being subservient and lower than him and the zonai. honestly i really hate this scene in general mostly because of the uncomfortable showing of how rauru absolutely holds power over them and despite them being leaders as well they are expected to be wholly blindly loyal to him. rauru only gives them these stones when he needs their aid and they swear loyalty too him soon after but you also see that sonia and mineru have stones, too, so they’re clearly withholding these things despite it being kind of reasonable for him to give each race their own secret stone as further proof of their pact? there is so much shit to be said about the imperialistic themes or whatever in this fucking story and i really hate it

- i do kinda like how the next scene shows you that the one rock in the corner of that first hidden room in the forgotten temple is sonia’s grave

- zelda’s phrasing and description of how she and link found ganondorf is weird to me ‘he’s still alive’ ‘he lives on’ girl that was a mummy. he was not moving until you got there. he’s undead at best as far as you know. this is def a nitpick but eh. also the reliance on link is a... bit odd when zelda does not actually know that link is safe until she gets the master sword. its fine but still. also her shell-shocked expression after rauru talks about her being in the past for a reason is a bit... it doesn’t fit her emotion it’s kind of similar to the expression she had when sonia was killed

- the memory about the imprisoning war starts with practically the whole story up until now being repeated back to you by mineru with a decent amount of bias on mineru’s part and while it’s fine because of some of the extra stuff you learn but it does a lot more telling rather than showing when it comes to the actual imprisoning war and... idk the whole thing about their ‘fight’ kind of falls flat when you don’t actually see any fighting you just see that the sages have gotten their asses beat. i think it would have been a little interesting if in the god-awful repetitive sage-awakening scenes they had actually showed you the og sages fighting ganondorf instead of just. slow-mo freeze-frames for whatever. once again ganondorf if the best part of the scene

- the rest of the memories are fine idc

i get the feeling that the japanese-to-english translation was either all-around rough or somehow rushed, because some of the phrases in the game as well as some of the dialogue is really awkward and... could have been better. i don’t know how it works but it feels like a lot of it was very literal, direct translation and no one at noa thought that it ought to be tweaked just a little bit

these memories also do a fuck-ton of telling rather than showing and it really is like they don’t really trust you to connect the dots, and some of it does come off like they either didn’t want to make more memories or ran out of time or something. i felt like the memory of ganondorf just summoning his monsters and riding on his cool horse could have been a bit longer to actually show us the forces of hyrule fighting him and having a hard time with it

a lot of the character animations doesn’t have a whole lot of personality to them, ganondorf is the character who had the most distinct and interesting movements. rauru and sonia had their... singular movement (rauru putting a hand to his chin and sonia taking zelda’s hands) and zelda was kind of just... standing around and reacting to stuff, and neither mineru nor any of the other sages had any really interesting animations asides from mineru’s coughing fit in memory 16 (plus her reclining chair that was a nice touch). very few of their movements really express anything about the characters besides some really baseline values or traits.

the ordering of some memories is kind of odd, the excessive flashbacks in memory 17 are a bit much, the telling rather than showing, the sometimes awkward dialogue, a lot of the scenes are characters just... talking at each other, you don’t actually see very much of hyrule in the past or any characters beyond the main four, and it really did nothing to actually get me to care about these characters at all.

tldr i dont like totk’s dragon tears

[alelelesimz]

here's a long and non exhaustive list of things i want to see in a totk dlc (big spoilers btw)

i want to learn more about the zonai. people in hyrule spend the entire game trying to learn more about them and in the end when purah sees the temple of time and says "just when i thought i started to figure out the zonai!" there's still sooooooooooo much we don't know about them that i wish we could learn somehow.

ganondorf and the gerudo. in the story we learn that he is the king of the gerudo, he's evil, he wants power and loves darkness. that's all. i want to learn more about who he is in this story, his motives, his relationship with the gerudo, etc. are ALL the gerudo of that time with him? are they all evil? do they leave him once he becomes the demon king? when he gets the secret stone we don't see the gerudo warriors anymore, what happened with them?

KASS. WHERE IS HIM???????????? IS HE OKAY? ARE WE GONNA SEE HIM AGAIN? MY BOY MY DARLING PLEASE COME BACK. i truly can't believe nintendo would leave out such a beloved character without an explanation. even his family is still there. i would've preferred him having a minor role than completely disappearing :(

the connection between ganondorf and calamity ganon. are they related at all? [tangent warning] my guess is that ganondorf/demon king happened first, from there god knows when ganondorf's evil leaked in the form of malice (in botw it's said that he came from the depths of hyrule castle so that checks out) then creating calamity ganon (the one 10000 years prior to botw), which is evil in its purest form, from there he gets sealed away and 10000 years later he comes back and the great calamity happens which destroys hyrule castle and that's what weakens rauru's power therefore gloom spreading more and more and making people sick, and then totk happens. [tangent end]

who's the ancient hero??? okay hear me out here's another tangent: the ancient hero set is a reward after a huge task, so it definitely cannot be only a fan service, right? it is the look of the hero that defeated calamity ganon 10000 years ago. he's obviously not a hylian, at first i thought he might've been a zonai but he doesn't quite look like one? granted, the only zonai we've seen are rauru and mineru, maybe the others looked different, BUT if he's a zonai then calamity ganon must've happened BEFORE ganondorf??? bc by the time ganondorf appears the zonai are pretty much extinct so my theory above would be wrong. BUT if he's not a zonai THEN WHAT IS HE WHO IS HE I WANT TO KNOW! ofc 10000 years is an insane amount of years, that's longer than the entire documented history of humanity, so maybe he's a completely different race that disappeared long ago and hasn't been mentioned yet. if that's the case i wanna know about that too.

naydra, farosh and dinraal. i actually don't think this one's gonna happen lol, but i'd love to know more about them. we know that they represent the triforce and in totk we learn about dragonification. i've seen theories of them being zonai sages who swallowed their secret stones long ago. it would be so much fun to learn if that's the case and why they did that.

what happened to the sheikah technology that was so prevalent in botw? it would make sense that all the guardians in botw just died after ganon is gone. their parts were used for the skyview towers and i saw someone making the argument that they do explode when they die, so that would explain how they were completely erased from the world, although it still baffles me how despite most of the world is still in ruins, there's absolutely no trace of the decayed guardians ANYWHERE not even in the most remote parts of the world. what happened with the towers? they raised from the ground, we see the one in the gerudo canyon came all the way from a chasm which we can now explore. i wish we had more of an explanation of what happened to them.. and as for the divine beasts, it is implied that they've stopped working in the end of botw, but these machines were huge, where are they now? did they bury them again? so many questions that are probably never gonna be answered honestly :/

[quibbs126]

I’ve been thinking about this dream I had last night today, and I want to share what I remember with you

Okay so I think it was in the form of a video game, and I was watching the cutscenes or something. But also I wasn’t experiencing it as a video game, but rather like a version of events like it was a TV show? I don’t know. But what I do know is the story was segmented into chapters, and I was only able to get to the very beginning of Chapter 2

Chapter 1 followed the main character (they all had names but I forgot their names, other than the one who’s name I ironically couldn’t remember in the dream starting with a G, and I think her name was Ghanima) and his one friend (who is said Ghanima), and they were both soldiers in training or something. They got assigned to some task, and they both thought it was nothing but a simple quest, but through it they somehow ended up uncovering something big that they weren’t supposed to (that being the actual main plot of the game), which involved the princess being snuck out of the castle, and getting caught up in it. Ghanima ends up dying, I think by sacrificing herself so everyone else can escape, and so Chapter 1 ends with our new trio of heroes, that being the soldier main character, the princess, and this other guy I don’t remember the purpose of at all but is also here. All I recall of Chapter 2 is the group starting out sneaking back in to the castle they just escaped from for something they need, which also includes the princess remarking on how they had just escaped from the castle and how things are different now. And that’s about where I woke up

I realize just on paper, it doesn’t sound that great, but it was cool in my head

I remember that both Ghanima and the princess (who I may have just called Zelda) had blonde hair, though it wasn’t the same blonde. They in general looked kind of similar, but personality wise they were very different. Also I remember Ghanima just being a great character, she was the best and didn’t deserve to die so quick. Though granted it could also be because the first chapter heavily involved her and we didn’t get to see much of the other two. Also as I recall, the main character wasn’t just a blank slate, he was a character himself (also a note that MC and Ghanima were never romantically implied, they were just friends)

As for the other two, MC I think was a ginger, while the other guy had dark brown hair. I don’t know why I remember this but I do

I genuinely don’t remember who the other guy is or what his role was, or why he was on the team. I don’t think he was another friend of the main character, Ghanima was his one friend. In my later musings, I’ve come up with the idea that instead of being connected to the MC, he was instead connected to the princess, being her bodyguard or friend or something

Also in my musings I was thinking that the story would just be better if instead other guy died and Ghanima was our third trio member, and also she could maybe be lesbians with the princess, but that’s in part because I genuinely don’t remember what the other guy’s part in the story was, though I’m sure he had some importance, and also I wonder if having the trio consist of two long time friends and then someone they don’t really know would create a dynamic imbalance. Like having the main character be on equal ground with his two new companions feels better

I like the story in my head, and I kind of want to make it its own thing. There would be changes along with it though, like for example making Ghanima and the princess look more distinct. I’m thinking of giving the princess white hair or something (and also now making her parents like gender bent Rauru/Sonia because spite)

Anyways yeah, weird ramble

[valkyrieelysia18]

RWBY x Zelda Story

Okay, I really am evil. Or I'm just currently blocked with another story of mine. Seriously though, there is some potential to bringing elements of Hyrule into Remnant and I was thinking about the past Sages when some inspiration struck me in regards to some RWBY characters. Ocarina of Time was the first Zelda game I was exposed to and it really struck me how the majority of these important sages were women. So that influenced this list.

Pyrrha: Gerudo/ Sage of Spirit. This is a connection that other people have made, but can you honestly blame them? Pyrrha's issues in canon do fit up with the Gerudo's difficulties when it comes to men. Not to mention the red hair, her height, I bet a lot of fans of both series might have imagined what Pyrrha would look like in traditional Gerudo wear (someone link me the fan art if it exists) and how she would interact with the notable Gerudos of the series Nabooru, Urbosa, and Riju. (Telma as well.)

Blake: Sheikah/ Sage of Shadow. This is another easy connection to make. With the release of Breath of the Wild, the Sheikah have gotten more ninja like and we all know how Blake LOVES ninjas (winks). Of course, shadows really fits with Blake. Aside from that, when it comes to the usual Sheikah of the games Impa, she's usually depicted as an older woman with great experience that can help Link in some manner. I think this really fits with Blake because out of her team she is the one with the most real world experience. I think she would bond as well as appreciate the insight of an older ninja lady.

Weiss: Zora/Sage of Water. Okay, from here on it's more tangential connections. Weiss is technically more associated with ice and snow then water, but considering that ice is just water frozen I don't think it's that bad of a stretch. Besides, water is the element that is most associated with grace which I can say Weiss really shows. It's also the element of adaptability which I can see Weiss starting to really harness as she's currently growing. Then there's the really notable parallels between her and Ruto. Both started out as spoiled brats that became quite capable young women as they matured. I get the feeling they'd bond a lot though Ruto would definitely get on Jacques Schnee's case (her dad by comparison was mostly just useless). Also, Weiss would probably respect Rutela's queenly grace and appreciate Mipha's more quiet, kind nature. (Sidon would probably be like Ruby for her, someone she takes a while to warm up to.)

Yang: Goron/Sage of Fire. Come on, Yang would completely fit in with the Gorons. Aside from Yang's 'fiery' nature, her strength and determination would definitely win the Gorons' respect. Heck, they might even enjoy her puns. I can just see her challenging Darunia or Daruk to a wrestling competition. She would also really work well with the Gerudo, but the Gorons for her are a better fit in my opinion.

Ren: Kokiri/Sage of Forest. Okay, this is a little more out there than the others. Still, Ren really does fit with the idea of a calm forest and not just because of his color choices. Most of the Kokiri aside, I get the impression him and Saria would probably get along well as the more quiet thoughtful souls of their groups. Saria would probably enjoy his natural remedies and Ren would probably enjoy her showing him how to play an ocarina with Makar accompanying with his violin. Medli being a Sage of Earth could be classified under this and that brings an interesting jam session to mind.

Nora: Sage of Light. I know, she's much more fitting for lightning than light. I'm looking through what I have to work with and I really can't see her being a farm hand. Admittedly, putting her and Rauru side by side is an interesting contrast. The thing about Nora is that we honestly don't know much about her before she Ren and met. Granted, from Boop and what we've seen of her as a child, I get the impression Nora didn't have the same loving familial support that the others have had at one point. I'm hoping we will get more of her backstory in later volumes.

Jaune: Royal/Wielder of the Triforce of Wisdom. This is perhaps the most odd choice to people and yet it makes sense to me. Maybe it's because Jaune's greatest strength to me is not his fighting ability, but his tactical skills and relationships with others. Basically, he's a leader before he's a fighter whereas Ruby's a fighter before she's a leader. I think that more befits the Triforce of Wisdom then Courage. Also, Jaune's situation with his family kind of bugs me. Despite coming from 'heroes' (implied to be Huntsman), Jaune had no experience in fighting prior to enrolling at Beacon. I don't know why, but I get the impression that if a Huntsman/Huntress had kids, they'd at least teach them how to defend themselves in a worst case scenario. It's like Jaune wasn't even given a chance to try and that his parents didn't train him on purpose. There's got to be a reason for that. Then there's the deal with Crocea Mors and the possibility of Jaune being connected to the last King of Vale. Whether or not they are related by blood, I do think that there is some connection between the two. At the very least, it would explain why Ozpin let him into Beacon despite the forged transcripts (there's no way Ozpin didn't know). After all, it's implied that the King of Vale was probably Ozpin's direct predecessor as the Wizard. Wouldn't surprise me if he keeps tabs on those connected to his predecessors.

Ruby: Wielder of the Triforce of Courage. Oh look, I'm upsetting the balance of the Triforce by giving Wisdom to a man and Courage to a woman. Seriously Aonuma, that explanation made no sense. Back on topic. I was considering the situation with her and Oscar for her while before deciding she was better suited for Courage. Much like Link, she stated as starting out as complete garbage before Qrow took her under his wing. And even though she does have some sort of power, her defining trait to me is her reckless courage. Granted, she's learning from her recklessness, but she is definitely a fighter in how she's probably the first in the action much like Link.

Oscar: Wielder of the Triforce of Power. Kind of a change, but it'd be nice for once to have the wielder of Power on the good guy's side. Oscar has been thrown into this conflict without much warning, possessing neither experience nor great resolve. In other words, he's got a lot of power, but not much wisdom or courage. I can see that changing as he learns and grows. Not to mention it would play into his interactions with Ruby and Jaune in which I see these three having very likeable chemistry.

[anotherlifefic]

Chapter 13: Their Blessing: Rauru and Princess Zelda

It was already sunset when we awoke and got dressed. It would take some time for me to get used to waking up in Link's... no, our house. After we ate some apples, bread and cheese, we made our way to the Temple of Time, where we would be able to contact the sage Rauru.

As soon as we entered the temple, the first thing we heard was a soft, female voice I recognized as Princess Zelda. „Has Link been informed of  that yet?“ An elderly male voice replied:„Yes. He has been travelling around Hyrule, visiting the shrines of the sages for the past few days. I'm sure he will also come here.“ „That's good.“ Link and I approached them. Princess Zelda stood in front of the altar, next to the ghostly figure of an elderly man with a very distinctive mustache. He was wearing the kind of robe that was usually worn by high-ranking members of the clergy. So this was Rauru, the Sage of Light. Her Highness spoke first:„Speak of the devil. Link, Rebecca, it's so nice to see you. We were just talking about you.“ I sank into a deep curtsy. „It's an honor to meet you again, Your Highness.“ She chuckled. „Still so polite.“ Then she turned to Link. „Your fiancée has excellent manners.“ Link smiled as he helped me up. „You already know of that?“ „Word travels fast“, Her Highness said. „Too bad the good news had to be overshadowed by Ganondorf... it seems he has made it his goal to spoil every happy occasion he can.“ „Quite frankly, I don't think he cares“, Link replied dryly. „Any ideas on when he might appear again, so I can prepare?“ Rauru sighed. „It's hard to say. All I can tell you at this point is to keep your weapons ready.“ „Of course.“ Then Link turned to me, his face slightly apologetic. „It seems we'll have to postpone the wedding itself until this matter has been sorted out. I'm sorry, Rebecca.“ „Absolutely not“, the Princess interjected. When everyone stared at her, she awkwardly cleared her throat. „I mean, a wedding is just one day, and it will take a good while to prepare, too. So you can make preparations for Ganondorf's return while Rebecca and her family take care of the wedding preparations.“ I raised my eyebrow. Why in the Goddesses' name was Princess Zelda so obsessed with Link and I getting married as soon as possible? Link seemed to be just as dumbfounded as I, but shook it off and said:„...I suppose. But I will need a place where I can train.“ „You can use the royal training court“, Her Highness offered. „Our knights use it to hone their skills. You can spar with them. This way, you can become stronger without straying too far from your future wife.“ A grateful smile appeared on Link's face. „Thank you, Zelda.“ „Oh, don't thank me. After all, the fate of Hyrule depends on you being at your best when the inevitable happens.“ She hugged him, and again, I felt like an intruder on a perfect couple. But the feeling went away when Link wrapped his arm around my shoulder. „We should go now. There's a lot to be planned.“ We were just about to leave, when Rauru stopped us. „You forgot something. Rebecca, step forth.“ I hesitantly approached the sage, and he placed his hands on my head, making a strange, tingly warmth spread from my head to my entire body. „Know that your connection to Link is blessed by the sages, as well as the Goddesses we serve.“ My eyes widened, and I drew a deep breath. The feeling reminded me of the way I felt when going into the temple as a little girl, leaving flowers at the altar for the Goddesses, or praying to them after a big fight with my mother. A deep inner peace, like being held by someone who cared. When Rauru took his hands from my head, I felt a little dizzy, and Link had to hold me so I wouldn't fall. We bowed before Rauru and Princess Zelda, and then left.

We went straight back to bed once we were back home, despite not having been up for that long yet. As we lay next to each other, Link placed his hand on my waist and pulled me closer, so I could rest my head on his shoulder. „I'm so sorry“, he mumbled. „Because of me, you got involved in this whole Ganondorf business.“ „Don't apologize, please. None of this is your fault“, I replied. He was quiet for a moment, pulling me closer. „I wanted this to be a happy time. And now he... he comes to ruin it. I can just never catch a break, can I?“ I did not know how to answer this. He was right, it was like the world just didn't want him to have his peace. We fell asleep a short while later.

I woke in an empty bed the next morning. A soft melody was hanging in the air, and when I sat up, I saw Link sitting on the windowpane, playing his ocarina. He looked angelic with the pale morning light framing his slender body, his eyes gently closed as he concentrated on the song he was playing. I got out of bed and walked over to him, sitting on a chair next to the window and listening to him. When he stopped, he seemed a bit startled to see me sit so close to him. „Rebecca! I didn't hear you get up. How long have you been sitting there?“ „A few minutes“, I replied, leaning forward to rest my cheek on his knee. „This song was really beautiful.“ „Thank you.“ He sat up a little straighter. „I was planning on going to the castle right after breakfast. How about you go shopping for our wedding while I'm away? There's still a lot of things we need. A venue, flowers, fabric for your wedding dress. I'll give you enough money to buy everything you need.“ „Okay“, I whispered, not wanting this quiet moment to end. We stayed there at the window for a few minutes before going downstairs to have breakfast.

An hour after that, I got dressed and left the house. Link had given me a purse with 800 Rupees in it before he had left for the castle. Business at the marketplace was in full swing when I stepped out of the alley and into the bright midmorning sun. It was as if the entirety of Hyrule City had gotten up to browse the stands. I mostly walked from stand to stand, looking at flowers and fabrics until I stopped at one stand that offered a beautiful white linen that would be perfect for a wedding dress. Someone cleared their throat, and I looked up to find myself face to face with one of my worst nightmares. I tried my best to seem friendly as Jenna looked at me with an equally forced smile. „Well hello there. Isn't Link with you today?“ „No. He sent me to do the wedding shopping on my own while he has some business to attend to.“ „I see. So you're interested in that fabric? That'll be 100 Rupees a yard.“ „You're crazy.“ The words had slipped out of my mouth before I could stop them. „What, too poor to buy a bit of fabric? Does Link know that you only marry him for the money?“ I groaned in annoyance and walked on, ignoring her until I reached a stand that was also selling white linen for a much more reasonable price. I also bought some tulle I would add to the skirt, and very light green thread for a bit of embroidery. It was fun to imagine what kind of little details I could add to my wedding dress. I wanted to make it really special, so that I could pass it on to any daughters Link and I might have in the future. The entire time I was on the marketplace, I could feel Jenna's icy gaze on me. At the end of the day, all there was left to do was to decide on a venue. I would buy the flowers and order the food as soon as I knew a time and place to have them delivered. But there were few good places to get married in the city. Commoners usually got married in their homes, sorrounded by their loved ones. As my gaze wandered towards the city gates, it struck me. I went home, grabbed a sheet of parchment, sat down at the table and began to write a letter to Malon and Talon.

After I brought the letter to the post office, where anyone could task a courier with delivering letters, I returned home, only to find that Link had just come back as well. He looked tired and had quite a few bruises and small cuts on him. „Hello, Rebecca. How was your day?“, he asked as I entered the house, as if he wanted to distract me from his injuries. I gasped. „What did they do to you?“ „Turns out that I still have a lot to learn until I am on the level of a trained knight.“ „How can that be? The knights sure couldn't stop Ganondorf when he invaded.“ I grabbed a clean towel, made it wet in a waterbucket next to the stove, and sat down next to Link to clean out the little cuts. „To be fair: Neither could I.“ „You were a child at the time.“ „Don't worry. I'll be stronger than any of them by the time Ganondorf comes back.“ He grinned, and then flinched when I dabbed the towel on a particularly deep cut. I sighed. „Just take care of yourself. You won't be able to save anybody if you work yourself past your limit.“ „I'll keep that in mind.“ He waited for a moment. „You didn't answer my question. How was your day?“ I smiled. „Pretty successful, actually. I found some good fabric for my dress, and I had the perfect idea for a venue. I just sent a letter to Malon and Talon to ask if we could hold the ceremony at LonLon Ranch.“ „Wouldn't that completely disrupt their work schedule?“, Link asked, doubt in his voice. My heart sank. I hadn't thought of that. „Oh.“ He gently rubbed my back. „It's okay. I'm sure we'll find another venue.“ I sighed and got up. „I think I'll get to making supper now.“

I cut up some vegetables and meat Link had stored in the pantry around a blue flame, something that was usually sold for outrageous amounts of Rupees at shops but was very helpful in keeping food from spoiling, as it was cold and thus basically turned the pantry into an icebox. While I was doing that, Link went to get some water from the well, poured it into the pot on the stove and lit a fire underneath that. The resulting soup definitely had some room for improvement, but it satisfied our grumbling stomachs. We spent the rest of the evening talking about when we wanted to have our wedding, until we finally decided that it should be at the first day of autumn.

A few days later, I got a reply from Malon. It was early morning, and I had just come down to prepare breakfast, when the letter was shoved through the mail slot at our front door. I opened it and had to stop myself from squealing. Then I ran upstairs, where Link was just getting dressed. „Link! We just got a letter from Malon. She says that she will let us have the wedding at the ranch!“ He looked at me wide-eyed, then dropped the tunic he was about to put on so he could grab my waist and twirl me around. „That's wonderful news! Now, we can order the food and the flowers!“ We laughed and almost fell, but Link set me down just in time, so we could hold each other up. „Oh Link, I'm so happy! This is going to be great!“