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tirsynni · 11 months

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BotW/TotK Hylian Royal Family meta ahead.

These are my headcanons based on what I’ve seen from the games. Obviously, everyone has different thoughts on it. No bashing in it and possibly Rhoam-critical but not Zelda-critical. Just headcanons about how the role religion played in Royal Life pre-Calamity.

Also, I’ve barely touched AoC, so this meta is based more on BotW, TotK, OoT, MM, TP, and SS, with the full understanding that this is headcanon and no consistent canon on this matter exists and will never exist... not even between BotW and its direct sequel, TotK.

A major plot point in BotW is Zelda’s inability to connect with her powers. There is no indication that she can do the things Link takes for granted in BotW, like see the Koroks and dragons. I would be surprised if she could. She’s young, frustrated, and her father -- her only living parent -- is pressuring the hell out of her to connect with her powers. It’s clear in the flashback and in his journals that he isn’t acting like a parent and he’s aware of it. He’s acting like a king who knows that he needs a specific weapon and is given a rough rulebook on how to access the weapon. Per their history, Zelda has Goddess blood which gives her access to a weapon which can defeat this grand evil; her ancestor was able to activate it, so obviously Zelda should be able to do the same; Zelda is failing to activate the weapon which should be automatic to her per some ancient rulebooks. It’s unknown how detailed the guidelines for activating this power is or the King is just assuming that of course this is what Zelda needs to do to activate this power. I mean, it was 10k years ago (which seems insane to me, but whatever).

Here’s where more headcanons come into play. I think the power of the Goddess -- and honestly, pretty much everything spiritual -- is completely disconnected from the Royal Family in this era. Per their records, the last time the holy power was needed was a long time ago. I would be shocked if something else hadn’t happened in the meantime (seriously, it’s one hell of a time difference), but for them, the power of the Goddess Blood hasn’t been needed any time recently. Zelda has made it clear that she has no personal connection to it. Her drive is scientific. She has no internal motivation to be connected to the Goddesses. Her motivation to connect to her powers isn’t because she wants to connect to anything on a spiritual level. She wants the power to protect her people and, honestly, because she’s experiencing so much pressure and backlash. Again, per BotW (and TotK, really), we don’t see her do any of the spiritual/divine/extra stuff Link does. Link talks to multiple divine statues. He plays games with the Koroks. In the BotW flashbacks, she is happiest when she’s doing Science(!), and in TotK, she focuses on highly practical things with no stories (that I’ve seen so far) of her doing anything with a spiritual slant. Her focus is rebuilding a school, not rebuilding a church.

It makes sense, though! I think the Goddess Blood and its associated power is more academic than anything. They know Zelda has it. Hell, the Hylian Royal Family relies on that Bloodline to claim their divine right to rule. They know that the power of the Goddess was used by previous princesses to protect the family. With all that said, there is no indication in canon that it has any modern role in their lives. Hell, there is no indication that spirituality in general has any role in the lives of the Royal Family. It seems like the Goddess Blood has two primary roles pre-Calamity: to ensure Divine Right to Rule and to awaken to protect Hyrule from the Calamity. That’s it.

In at least one previous game, it was said that the Hylians’ ears were shaped that way in order to better hear the spirits and the like. We don’t know Link’s own abilities when it comes to this pre-Calamity. I personally enjoy the headcanon that he could hear and see far more than Zelda but didn’t want to say anything because it would hurt her. Would also match with the concept of “keeping his mouth shut helps keeps his ears open.” But there’s no strong evidence that spirituality or anything play a strong role in Hylian daily life pre-Calamity. It might have been something which was also lost through time. That is a major theme in many Zelda games: that important things, including connection with the divine, have been lost. The Zelda games love showing ancient, forgotten things, things whose stories can never fully be told again. The original stories are long lost, and all that exists in the BotW/TotK are modern interpretations, fairy tales, prophecies, etc. For further examples, see the Zonai Survey Teams and how they are excited about their discoveries but can’t connect to them in the way Link casually does.

I read a story once about how a pastor once invited an enthusiastic member of his congregation to lead a prayer one day. He didn’t ask her beforehand. She was always highly motivated, highly social, and a strong believer. He didn’t think anything of his request. It should have been fine! Instead, she walked up to the front of the congregation, stood there for a moment, burst into tears, and fled. Later, he discovered that while she was very religious, she was never taught how to pray. Prayer was a major part of their religion, and as such, it was expected that everyone automatically knew how to do it! Not so! He realized an important lesson that day and didn’t take it for granted again.

Prophecy and Divinity play a significant role in the Royal Family, but do they actually know what to do with it? Zelda is told to pray and she’s told to do it for a specific reason: unlock her powers so she can help defeat the Calamity. We never see the King pray or do anything religious at all. He obviously believes in the prophecies and such but doesn’t actively do anything himself: Hylia favors their family, Zelda has Goddess Blood, etc. etc. etc. Very matter-of-fact things. Nothing he needs to do, actually! Because according to the Prophecies, he just needs to make sure the players are in place! Actual knowledge and practice doesn’t come into play here. No actual internal spiritual beliefs: just practical applications.

So that’s my headcanon as to one of the reasons why Zelda struggled. Would knowing how to pray have helped in the end? Unknown. When her power eventually arose, she was still pretty disconnected from it. It seemed like in BotW and TotK that she never fully connected with it: just used it to fulfill her goal, which was stopping the Calamity from destroying her people. Maybe her daughter or granddaughter or whoever would connect with their spiritual heritage. Overall, King Rhoam, who had probably never really prayed a day in his life and had no real connection to Hylia himself, looked at his daughter, told her that the only way to awaken her powers was to pray, and never thought for a moment that if he didn’t know how to pray, how the fuck should she?

#meta #botw #totk #loz #not zelda bashing #i love me some scientist zelda #but really #she didn't want to pray #she wanted to see what happened #if link licked a frog #she would barely blink at a church #but would go nuts #over historical ruins #no idea if this makes sense #or if it is just rambling #but still #also makes me want to write #yet MORE AUs #sigh

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pastelsandpining · 2 years

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i don’t know who needs to hear this but you don’t have to bash BotW zelda in order to raise up literally any other character in the game

#i see this a lot with many characters and like #for what #if you don’t ship zelink then that’s fine #but you don’t need to bash zelda lmao #just say you don’t like woman leads with actual development and personality #be nice to zelda challenge #botw #and vice versa?#you don’t need to bash anyone in order to raise up zelda

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sebssunshine · 1 year

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trying to get over my cold damage taking anxiety in order to play botw and i am not succeeding

#bash games #also like is anyone else having the thing where you write and the text does not show up at all #casue i am #i have been posting soley via my computer casue it’s only on mobile for some reason #botw #zelda breath of the wild

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luna-lovegreat · 5 months

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It's all "links meet aus" and "zeldas meet aus", but where's my "companions meet aus"?

I wanna see midna bash fi and navis heads together for annoying her

I mean can you imagine the sheer chaos of all the Zelda companions meeting and going on a journey together? They're all companions/guides! One of thems a talking hat for hylias sake how are they supposed to take initiative?

I think it'd be like Lu where they all just meet up, but can you imagine the chain just somehow finds out this happened (and twilight is just like guys I am so sorry about midna) (but they're also really oddly touched that all their friends met each other too)

Pretty sure midna would be the sort of leader, since the last time she was in a foreign world she just found the nearest dude and started ordering him around. By like halfway through twilight princess she was literally asking LINK to accompany her to get what she needed.

But like. 90% of the group would be fairies. Which can't heal. One is a talking hat who just needs a head? He can't go on midnas cause she throws him off with her magic hair, poor ezlo is just trying to keep up.

They also have these weird green shadows who come around? They don't talk, but there's a rock, a fish, a bird, and a lady who just appear and stab things and shoot wind water fire and lightning.

Also midnas really confused why wolf link just shows up and kills things every now and then (from botw amibo)

Fi is the one who can talk to Hylia and awaken memories and get guidance and information or whatever, but she only does this by ballerina dancing and the others are always pissed at her anyways "WE DONT KNOW WHAT BATTERIES ARE OR A WII REMOTE WILL YOU PLEASE GO BACK IN SWORD FORM ALREADY" "I detect there is a 90% chance you need a key to open this door" "wow. Your perception is unparalleled fi."

Also there's a boat. A boat. Who is also good at taking charging since he's a king, which causes some friction between him and midna, since she has to grab him by her hair to move him half the time.

And with the fairies. Again. They all offer advice mainly. And with the fairies a lot of their main role is speaking and getting attention and pitching in? They come on an intersection and there's a chorus of bells all shouting the same directions. Ezlo is trying to cover the kings ears from his place on the boats head

Also there's this ghost/spirit of Zelda that everyone just feels REALLY strong loyalty to. But she's just like this kid who wants her body back?! They try to protect her but she can turn into a purple knight and stab things so there's that. I think there's also some animal companions from ooa/oos so.

Side quests are nonexistent they don't care about a village or gathering frogs for a kid they are there to save the world on a mission linear plot it is

And it's interesting because you have so many of them who just vanish and then appear to give loud advice. All at once. And the fighting skills basically fall to those weird green shadows that shoot various elements and fight and randomly disappear. Midna and spirit Zelda can fight, and Fi can too (kind of like how she fights as a sword in hyrule warriors). Also up to you if midna is drop dead gorgeous or devilish imp.

By the end they find whatever enemy so they can go back and midna is so pissed by this point that she hears the word "batteries" from Fi and goes full on fused shadow and just obliterates the jerk

***I have not played all the games so do not know or understand all of the companions and probably got some stuff wrong

Bonus: there is a child in a village named Link who does not have the spirit of the hero. He is stalked for three days until Fi decides his vibes are off and they all stop telling him he's the chosen one

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dragonzzilla · 1 year

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Tears of the Kingdom's underwhelming narrative had rich potential

I'll preface this with a confession: I have not played Tears of the Kingdom. As a matter of fact, I haven't played any Legend of Zelda. I simply never had the opportunity while growing up, so my interest in the series has always been satellite. As such, I do not have the perspective of someone who has. My opinions are formulated entirely in what little I have seen or sought out. I'm coming at this with the perspective of an outsider looking in. But I'm not looking for a fight. My aim isn't to bash the new hotness out of jealous spite, or to convince people to feel bad about liking this game that, I've otherwise heard, is really fun. The reason I care, even though I'm not a part of the fandom, is that we all deserved better.

This is a much anticipated sequel to a smash hit from one of the biggest names in the industry, sold at a whopping $70—and having watched for free a YouTube compilation of all the cutscenes pertaining to Ganondorf, the much advertised central antagonist of TOTK, I felt robbed. This was my legitimate reaction:

Disregarding all my other feelings for a moment, I was dumbstruck to see a Nintendo game—released in our year of 2023—use what is essentially the same cutscene four times while explaining the backstory. I recognize TOTK has modular progression, allowing you to reach the Sages in whatever order you please. But once you've seen the first one, the other three will offer you no more valuable information. I'm willing to stretch my suspension of disbelief pretty far, yet even I recognized on first viewing how formulaic the Sage cutscenes are. It wrenched me out of the story.* Hearing different perspectives about the same events can and should be interesting, but the Sages relating these events barely qualify as characters—possessing neither names nor even faces, thanks to their uniform masks of Zonai design...

* I'll acknowledge: Within universe, there is reason enough for the Sages to repeat what is essentially the same story to their respective successors to apprise them of the situation. I can certainly see Link having to sit through the same spiel several times so everyone is on the same page. But it felt really unnecessary as a member of the audience. And unlike their BOTW counterparts, the Four Champions, the Sages don't stick around long enough to endear themselves any further, instead passing their abilities and function onto their successors.

… Which, I feel, represents the Ancient Past Storyline as a whole. Despite the number of bodies involved, no one felt alive. Queen Sonia—this continuity's founding mother of Hyrule, where divine power is explicitly matrilineal—amounts to nothing more than meat for the fridge to motivate the real star of the show, Rauru. Everyone else, including Zelda and the other Sages, are merely bit players in the conflict between him and Ganondorf. But it's a conflict without teeth. Ganondorf displays nothing but a mad, naked lust for power. Opposing him is Rauru, the quintessential Good King and benevolent god figure who would never abuse his power, but would sacrifice it all to seal away the evil invader who killed his beloved martyr-wife. There is no interrogation of the 'gentle' imperialism Rauru represents. His way is textually presented as the only righteous way. The world of this continuity revolves around his legacy and its preservation; anything else is not merely deviant, but indicative of evil. Only someone with the blackest of hearts would oppose this order. The narrative requires Ganondorf to be nothing less than the epitome of evil.

Which is… really disappointing, to say the least. Because I happen to like Ganondorf. His character and his place in the mythos have always been the forefront of my interest in the series; forget Link or Zelda. Naturally, I was drawn in by TOTK's marketing about Ganondorf's return as a human antagonist after a 17 year long hiatus. Given how much of a reinvention BOTW was for the series as a whole, I was disappointed back in 2017 to learn that Ganondorf existed only as a mindless force of primordial evil. "How lame," I thought, "but I guess it's not really Ganondorf." Calamity Ganon was just that: Ganon. And Ganon's always a full-blown monster, divorced from any nuance possessed by his OOT, WW, and TP selves. Then the first teaser for TOTK dropped, placing Ganondorf the man (if a little worse for wear) front and center. Intrigued, I enjoyed the explosion of enthusiastic fan art that followed, as well as the speculation regarding the role he would play. Surely, he would be more than a one-note villain! My expectations rose as Nintendo revealed more about him. His new design didn't immediately scream Dark Lord; and in his first speaking role, he draws attention to the fact that he has returned (within universe and meta-wise) and he has a vision for the world. I couldn't want to see the final product! Yet here we are.

It's a strange thing to fixate upon, when I don't have any skin in this game. But I'm passionate about storytelling. I enjoy rich narratives with nuanced characters, and I respect those that fully commit to the ideas they present... whereas stories that try to have their cake and eat it too, well, those pique my interest as well. Whenever I see untapped potential, my writer's mind cannot help but ponder the age-old question of "What if?" And I intend to do just that, in the cut below (this rant is long enough as it is).

Of course, no amount of brainstorming can change the reality of a product. A ship's structural flaws only become apparent once it's left port, but there's no recalling it then. Nonetheless, there is value in the discussion. We should always critically analyze what corporations give us, desiccating their products to discern the messages (whether intentional or not) contained within—especially when the product is aimed toward a young audience that might not have the cognitive tools to decipher those messages for themselves. Even if we cannot affect change in a monolithic company like Nintendo, we can still draw lessons from their missteps to improve our own writing.

If I have such grievances with TOTK's story, why bother with a rewrite? Because:

Playing within the limits of another's sandbox can help to build creative muscle.

I believe TOTK has all the right ingredients for a compelling story, if this new series wasn't so afraid to challenge its narrative roots the way it has its gameplay.

A few more things to note: I am not a professional writer, nor am I a veteran of the series. I'm working strictly with what TOTK brings to the table. I'll make no efforts to reconcile the continuity errors between BOTW and TOTK (though it deserves mentioning), or even attempt to fit this in a single cohesive timeline with the rest of the franchise. I am not that brave lol. What I propose below is simply how I would use these toys; YMMV. I hope this inspires discussion more so than congratulation or wordless agreement (though my ego will accept compliments all the same, especially since it took no small amount of spoons to organize my thoughts like this). As Ganondorf says:

A Modest Rewrite of TOTK's Ancient Past Storyline

Zelda is still flung to the past, but she awakens not to a picturesque golden age under the magnanimous rule of an infallible demigod. Instead, sadly reminiscent of her own age, the land lays in ruin, in the immediate aftermath of its own calamity. But this isn't the fault of Ganon. The blame lies solely with the Zonai.

The Zonai were understandably viewed as gods. A people who live up in the sky on floating islands, in possession of miraculous technology (including killer robots to protect their interests!), and magical artifacts that in the wrong hands can unleash cataclysmic power? A civilization as powerful as theirs doesn't suddenly end without a very good reason. Yet as far as I know, no explanation is provided as to why Rauru and Mineru are seemingly the last of the Zonai. No mention is made of a rival power that could've taken them down; certainly none of the terrestrial races. Remember, the Zonai were seen as gods. If you were to ask me? A civilization with that great of a power at their disposal, and apparently so much of it that Rauru has four more Stones (not including his own, Sonia's, or Mineru's) to pass out as he sees fit... can only destroy itself.*

* I know the Zonai are depicted in text as a purely enlightened and benevolent race... but as far back in the franchise as OOT (which TOTK draws a lot from), not even Hyrule—the standard by which all civilization in LOZ is judged—was above a civil war, orphaning Link. War Within LOZ clearly isn't waged solely against primal forces of evil that can, must, and should be destroyed. And that's good! A story is made richer when even the Designated Good Guys can fuck things up, when characters are allowed to contain multitudes—good and bad qualities!

Power does not defuse conflict. It only escalates the scope of destruction once it's unleashed. So, for whatever reasons the Zonai gave themselves then clung to, they started fighting each other. Using their flying machines and automatons, battles were fought upon and between their sky islands, the detritus of war raining down on the lands below—the inhabitants of which can do nothing but watch as a war rages in heaven—until finally the full power of the Stones is unleashed in an exchange that guarantees mutual destruction. The sky islands all plummet to the earth, wreaking mass destruction. This is the world Zelda finds herself in—where the land has been cracked wide open, the skies are choked with dust, and no one gets along... so unlike the world she knows.

Zelda still comes into the care of Rauru and Sonia, but Rauru is merely Sonia's consort—he holds no power as king. It's evident from the start that Sonia is steering the direction of Hyrule—a humble territory in this age—in this tumultuous time, although Rauru is backing her. It's thanks to Sonia that Rauru and Mineru survived the fall of their sky island, brought back from the brink of death. It was during this time that Rauru fell in love with her; and to repay her, Rauru revealed that, between himself and Mineru, they have three intact Stones (a small homage to the Triforce since it doesn't matter in this continuity) with which they can secure Hyrule's place in this brave new world. Importantly, this isn't portrayed as any more righteous than a nation acquiring a clear advantage over its rivals. Indeed, Zelda's thrown for a loop to learn that in this era, the other races like the Gorons and the Zora aren't merely independent from Hyrule but have a history of conflict—something she never learned in her history books. And tensions are only rising, as these rival nations find Stones of their own after much scavenging, shifting an already fraught balance of power. The gods are dead, their empire shattered—yet slivers of their strength remain, for those daring enough to claim them. By using one of these Stones, a tribe could secure its borders, reclaim ancestral land... or conquer new territory. This is where Ganondorf enters the picture.

This Ganondorf is still a villain, but there's room for nuance. He's ruthless and prideful, and certainly antagonistic toward Hyrule; but the narrative respects him as much as his fellow monarchs. He cares about the success of his people, because his entire identity is shaped around being their king. Remember that a male is born to the Gerudo only once in a hundred years. Ganondorf is but the latest in a lineage of kings, with the heavy burden of expectation that carries—he has a legacy to uphold or surpass if he can help it. And ever since he was a boy, he envied the easy lives and green lands of Hyrule, so as a man he has made it his personal ambition to conquer it... but at every turn, he has met his match in Sonia, who is every bit as skilled of a commander and a magician. The two of them have clashed so many times that they've become the most intimate of enemies, hard pressed to hate each other because they both know what's at stake. For years, they've been evenly matched... but the downfall of the Zonai changed everything. In spite of the Gerudo's best efforts, they haven't been able to find a single Stone to make up for the fact that the crash of their local sky islands kicked up terrible sandstorms and drove monsters from their usual habitats. The Gerudo are more desperate than ever. Then Ganondorf learns that his oldest enemy is housing two living Zonai underneath her roof, and has a total of four Stones at her disposal. He cannot battle Hyrule as before, lest he risk annihilation—if not by Sonia's hands, then another tribe that is more willing to coup de grâce a decimated competitor, or they might perish to monsters, or the desert might finally claim them, the dunes swallowing up their bones and burying their accomplishments. He could bend the knee—throw himself at Sonia's feet and hope for the best, sacrificing Gerudo independence to share in Hyrule's bounty. But his pride will never allow that.

He grew up in the shadow of detached gods, was raised on tales of how they were the ultimate arbiters of truth and value—almighty in their judgment and unassailable—and he saw for himself that they would only ever come down to earth to indulge their curiosity about the quaint groundfolk or harvest what their sky islands could not provide, most notably Zonaite (of course they named it after themselves...) to fuel their miraculous machines, the secrets of which they refused to share with anyone 'because they weren't ready' and would in fact use those same machines to keep the groundfolk from overreaching. Ganondorf is the first king in generations to glimpse a sky—and a future—uncontrolled by the Zonai. Though he was raised to be a king, the very definition of absolute power and privilege, only now is he truly beholden to no one. Finally, he is free to shape his own destiny. And he's not about to relinquish that freedom on account of his dearest enemy getting in bed with a fallen demigod—no, not a god... the Zonai's civil war proved they are not infallible. Without their technology, without their precious Stones, they're flesh and blood, the same as anyone else. Mortal. And what is a man to a king?

Despite the bad blood between them, and the generations of strife between their peoples, Ganondorf is able to convince Sonia that he is willing to bury the hatchet for the sake of his people, that his desire to enter the protective embrace of her kingdom, given the dangerous new world they find themselves in, is genuine. His true intentions are not so painfully transparent, but still Zelda does not trust him. She can't stop wondering how this man becomes the source of the Gloom in her era, even if the hateful creature she encountered in the depths below Hyrule Castle hardly seemed human at all. But she cannot act on a suspicion of duplicity due to future events. So for Ganondorf's entire stint in Sonia's court, Zelda tries to weasel out the truth—and in so doing, builds a relationship with the future Demon King. Once Ganondorf catches on to the fact that Zelda sees right through him, it becomes a game of 4D chess. Who is this girl, a member of Sonia's court that he has never heard before yet is trusted enough to bear a Stone, and why is she so certain of his true motives? He's smart enough to suss out that it isn't simple bigotry. It's a fine line Zelda must walk, because she has a secret of her own—she hasn't told anyone that she's from the future, out of a rational fear of disrupting the past and changing history (but at the same time, she can't abide doing nothing, and these interests war within her).

Despite Zelda's best efforts, Ganondorf succeeds in his plot. In a single stroke, he eliminates an old enemy, deprives her nation of its leader and a Stone, and finally secures a Stone for the Gerudo. But claiming the Stone doesn't immediately transform him into an Almighty Demon King. The surge of power is great, but not so much that he's willing to engage three other Stone bearers—two of which are Zonai who of course have experience using them—so he wisely retreats, though not before telling Rauru: "No point in crying over this one. She's not the first victim of your arrogance. And we both know she won't be the last." He's made powerful enemies, but it's a battle he can fight on another day, and at least now he's on equal footing with the other factions and can take their Stones until he can finally conquer Hyrule. But Ganondorf severely underestimates the lengths Rauru will go for revenge. In killing Sonia, before Rauru's very eyes no less, he has made another enemy for life (and beyond).

Understand that Rauru survived the destruction of his people and their way of life. That's traumatic enough. But now, the person who saved his life, and gave it new meaning, is dead. Murdered. By someone he had come to trust. Because he put a target around her neck. He should have seen this coming, he should have listened to Zelda, perhaps then he could have stopped this. But it's far too late now. Before, he was content to merely support and serve—a just penance, he believed, for his small part in breaking the world. Now, he has a new purpose: To secure Sonia's legacy by any means necessary. He binds his fate to Hyrule, which will never be safe so long as Ganondorf lives. This isn't a wise and beneficent King of Light opposing a terrible darkness, but a grieving widower—who's also a skyborn demigod that just lost his one earthly tie.

After taking command as regent, Rauru does not invite the other races to a grand alliance; he brings them to heel through force. It's not enough for Rauru to immediately counterattack Ganondorf. He wants to destroy him, and what better way than to turn the whole world against him? Additionally, by consolidating the power of the Stones onto his side, he denies Ganondorf the opportunity to pick them off one by one. Zelda is witnessing history, the birth of Hyrule as she knows it, but there's nothing noble about it. It's simple imperialism, and she has to grapple with the fact that she's a beneficiary of it. If the peoples of Hyrule were united through bloodshed, does this invalidate the friendships she's made among those peoples in her present? She's confronted with deep questions which possess no easy answers.

Meanwhile, Ganondorf hasn't been sitting on his laurels. He sees Rauru is stacking the deck against him, such that even the Stone's power won't be enough to win the coming war. The Gerudo are outnumbered and outgunned. So Ganondorf turns to darker magics, begins to press monsters into service, etc. His search for ever greater power takes him into the Depths, where he finds a dangerous substance called Gloom. According to legend, it is the ichor of a demon god who was struck down long ago and sealed away in the bowels of the earth. It drains the life-force of whoever touches it, that much is certain... but Ganondorf reckons it is possible to access this stolen vitality to perform feats of magic hitherto thought impossible. Through his mastery of dark magic, amplified by the Stone, he is able to harness the Gloom. First he tests it upon monsters... then dissidents, those reluctant to oppose Rauru's growing army. He makes examples of them, siphoning away their life-force to show those who will not fight will still serve their king. But this barbarous act only creates more dissent among the Gerudo. Tradition appointed Ganondorf as king, but that doesn't mean they have to stomach his tyranny. Even if he manages to win this war, this new power could allow him to reign forever, and he just demonstrated how little their individual lives mean to him. Worried for the future of their people, Ganondorf's second-in-command, Nabooru, sells him out in exchange for clemency, enabling Rauru and his Sages to capture him. Instead of slaying him on the spot, Rauru declares his intention to haul him back to Hyrule for a public execution in Sonia's name. Nabooru insists on coming along; if the King of the Gerudo is to die on foreign soil, then one of his own should observe his passing.

Ganondorf doesn't respond well to this betrayal. After everything he sacrificed, they would still rather roll over and show their bellies—surrender their freedom and pride—to a foreign lord. Who are these people, to abandon the courage of their ancestors? These are not his Gerudo. Ganondorf disowns them, swearing vengeance upon these cowards even as he is taken away in chains. The journey back to Hyrule gives him time to brood on his destiny. He was born to be a king, yet the place of his birth has forsaken him while the rest of the world wants him dead. Most people would crumble, succumb to despair. But his pride will never allow that. He will keep fighting, like he always has. He will crush any opposition, even if it's the people who gave him birth. He will rule, even if he must reign as king of the undesired. There's a saying: 'The brighter the light, the deeper the shadow.' And Rauru has blazed oh so fiercely. To oppose him, Ganondorf must become nothing less than the King of Shadow.

At the moment of his execution, he draws upon the Gloom to transcend his mortal limits, finally becoming the Demon King. In this form, he's able to battle all seven of the Sages, but he's still not almighty. In theory, Rauru is able to slay him... but he chooses not to. Imprisoning Ganondorf isn't done as a last resort; Rauru wants him to suffer. "Killing you would be far too kind. I will make you wish you could die. You won't. I will hold you here. We will build our kingdom over the lands you tried to burn and pillage. And you will rot here, trapped in this moment, long after you have faded from its memory." And he sincerely believes that he'll be able to contain Ganondorf for all time—because he was able to ascertain that Zelda is from the future, after examining her Stone (his Stone, as it turns out) and piecing together her strange accent and unusual notions, even though she has the pointed ears of a Hylian. He doesn't understand the power, but he does take it as proof positive that his victory is guaranteed and Hyrule exists well into the future... without ever learning the whole truth of it. Rauru is directly responsible for the cycle of Calamity Ganon, as Ganondorf's resent and hatred transformed the Gloom into Malice.

Rauru's pride is an actual flaw, one that is fully explored in the modern day. Just like Ganondorf says, thousands of years passed in the blink of an eye; Rauru hasn't had any time to process his rage. He only saves Link to make him a vehicle for his revenge; sticking around past the tutorial as Link's spectral companion, constantly pushing him to ignore all distractions to destroy Ganondorf ASAP, yet unable to control him directly. In staying with Link, Rauru learns of his legacy; that he created a lasting kingdom, but harmed future generations by inadvertently creating Calamity Ganon—Ganondorf's disembodied anguish and hate, nursed over thousands of years. His selfish decisions created more harm than Ganondorf could have in a single lifetime. Just as the Zonai destroyed the world once before, Rauru managed to destroy it again and again. Hyrule no longer even exists as a kingdom, destroyed by Calamity Ganon 100 years prior. Yet Link continues to fight—not for himself, but to protect and help those he cares about as well as perfect strangers. Rauru gives a touch of the divine to Link, and in return Link reintroduces Rauru to humanity.

In contrast: Ganondorf broods in the Depths, alone. Although he still has a corporeal form, he's just as much of a ghost as Rauru is. He's more isolated than ever, having awakened to a strange world where nothing is as he remembers it. The geography is different, the flora and fauna is different, the people are different. Especially the Gerudo. They don't remember him as ever having been a person at all, believing the monster of their legends merely adopted the form of a Gerudo. But that doesn't sting as much as how tame they've become in his absence. These Gerudo have no fangs; they're fully in bed with Hyrule in every sense of the word, and it disgusts him. Nothing in this world is right. Everyone has forgotten their pride and their history; no one remembers a time when Hyrule wasn't be-all and end-all. Unable to accept this future, he terraforms Hyrule in the image of what it used to be, so it might become a crucible once more. The strong will adapt and survive, while the weak rightfully perish. He will create a world that rewards might and daring above all else.

Ganondorf is none too pleased to learn Link is running around with the arm of the man who sealed him for millennia, and assumes that he has become Rauru's puppet (even more hand symbolism)... but that's a key difference between Ganondorf and Rauru. Link essentially drags Rauru through character development, rekindling a sense of humanity within him. Ganondorf has no one to break him out of his rut. His only company down in the Depths are monsters and the Yiga Clan, who revere him as the source of Calamity Ganon—for his power and opposition of Hyrulian supremacy—but do not see him as person, a king in need of counsel. Ganondorf is more alone than ever, but he refuses to address this. To despair is to admit that the world has power over you, and he is the single strongest being in the world. Gods do not weep. And in that final confrontation, Rauru addresses Ganondorf: They're both ghosts of the past, stubbornly trying to shape the future to their liking; but the present belongs to the living. They both need to let go. But Ganondorf's pride will never allow that. To admit defeat is to admit someone has power over him, and he cannot allow it. It becomes clear to him that the only option left to him is to not play at all.

He swallows his Stone and becomes a dragon, but this doesn't lead to another boss fight (to compensate, the third phase would be a more classical Ganon fight; a friend suggested the name of "Scourge of Hyrule—Apocalypse Ganon"). Instead, in line with what was established earlier—that to become a dragon is to lose yourself to the process—Ganondorf ascends to the sky... and bears no more malice toward Link or Hyrule. He becomes the ultimate in power—immortal and at last truly divine—at the cost of his ego. He's still dangerous since he radiates Gloom, but he doesn't attack, just like the other dragons: an idiot god. He returns to the Depths out of instinctual comfort, but will occasionally surface and usher in a Blood Moon. And like the other dragons, you can harvest rare materials from him to make the best Gloom weapons or whatever. + Leaving Ganondorf in this state leaves a door open for fanatics to try and restore him in a sequel.

So, that's all I got

There's a lot of things I didn't address. Like whether the line of succession was broken with Sonia's death (so is Zelda descended from a relative of hers?), what sort of characters the Sages should be, or what Zelda does after Ganondorf is sealed away by Rauru (I'm personally not comfortable with her waltzing up to the Sages and in a stable time loop binding all the races to Hyrule), how weird the Draconification plot point is (and how Zelda is restored to her human form by Good Ending ghost magic), how Zelda is restored in this version (sequel hook same with Ganon?), how disconnected I feel Link is to the Ancient Past storyline as a whole, whether my version of Ganondorf actually ever learned about him, I didn't really dive into the aforementioned imperialist message in TOTK (others have already done so better than I), etc. Thing is, I'm not a professional writer. I do it for the love of it, and that's what this is. A messy labor of misplaced love for a franchise I've never played, all because I was upset they didn't treat my blorbo the way I like. You know how it goes. My brain didn't know when to let go, but at least now it's out there and not rattling around solely in my noggin, making an awful racket. Maybe now I can work on other things. If you've made it this far, cheers.

#legend of zelda #my writing #tears of the kingdom #tears of the kindom spoilers #rewrite #posting this now even if it could use another pass or two #kinda exhausted with the whole thing at this point #it's taken a lot of spoons over many days #ganondorf #rauru #zelda

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felkithecreator · 3 months

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Do you have revalink fic recs?

Oh do I ever. (Please don't take the numbers that I use too seriously, they're not to really judge the quality of work or anything it's just level of enjoyment for me and my particular tastes)

My favorite Revalink fic of all time is Pinesong by aperplexingpuzzle!! Honestly it's just an absolutely amazing work, and personally I think it's one of the greatest post-calamity Revalink stories written. Link and Revali bond on Vah Medoh after Revali's been freed and exists as a spirit, and while Link struggles through the rest of his adventure. Absolutely recommend, 10/10.

Finding Link by Umbreonix is another one I'd absolutely recommend. It's so silly and just - the characterization of Link and Revali is so fun. Link goes missing after the defeat of Calamity Ganon, and it's up to Revali to find him and potentially bring him back. Honestly Umbreonix's other Revalink work Beating about the bush is also phenomenal - that one's unfinished, but it's also great if you want to read something silly. It's a modernized/human version of Hyrule, which is super interesting as well. All That Glitters is hilarious as well. Recommend them all around 8.5/10.

Linger On by ICanFlyHigher is one I genuinely loved as well. It's been a while since I've read it, but I do know that the vivid descriptions of combat and fighting, and just - the immersion of it is so impressive. So I'd really really recommend this one. It's basically just Botw, but you're really put in Link shoes + that extra touch of Revalink. Again, haven't read it in a while, but 9/10 recommendation from what I remember.

I Lost Myself by self_indulgent_authorship is amazing as well. I love reading from Revali's perspective, and just - the take on Link and Revali getting to know each other after Link's lost his memory is so interesting and refreshing. I wouldn't recommend it if you don't like a bit of Zelda-bashing, but I think this fic handles it well and it didn't feel as if it were over the top or anything. 9/10 recommendation.

Snow filled days by SharkPinata is a great one if you're just down for a fun time!! The author kind of took a concept/idea and ran with it, and the plot grew later - and it shows, a bit, but honestly that's part of the fun with this fic. A great thing about it is you can also see the author's writing style improve over time as they write (I desperately hope that the same can be said about my fics too), so it's fun in that aspect of well. The concept is that Link isn't a knight, and just lives in Selkie's Spot in Hebra - where Revali regularly comes to visit him because they're each other's only friends. 7.5/10 recommendation.

Shades of Blue also by self_indulgent_authorship is just fucking amazing. It's the normal botw journey, but you get so much more intricate lore and flashbacks than the OG game - one where Link and Revali knew each other before they became champions - and it's so so so so good. I genuinely think it's one of the greatest Breath of the Wild fics out there, regardless of Revalink. 10/10 recommendation.

Come Morning Light by misscoconi is great as well!! I haven't read it in a long while but I do know it's one of my favorites. It's very sweet - and it's where Link and Revali begin a shared sleeping arrangement. (Meet Me Halfway is the sequel, also very good.) 10/10 recommendation.

The Longest Night by tirsynni is amazing. It's a relatively short fic, and it's unfinished, but it's still just - great. Trigger warning for some things, I'd definitely recommend reading the tags first, but like, I love. It's an interesting exploration of Link's psyche, and Revali's response to it. Honestly, anything by tirsynni tends to be amazing. 8/10 recommendation.

The Effect of the Illusion of Truth by GeryutheTzakandi!!! This is genuinely one of my favorite fics ever - it's so silly and funny and just an all-around good time. Small warning in that it's unfinished and hasn't updated since 2022, but like - I'd still give it a read because what is there is a fun time. It's a fic where Revali and Link decided to get married so that Link and Zelda don't have to. (And no, the two of them were not previously dating.) 10/10 recommendation.

(Another good one by GeryutheTzakandi is Deftly avoiding saying exactly what you mean - this one's hilarious, and Revali is surprisingly self-aware.)

Inertia by sincosma is a great exploration of how Link's amnesia affects the relationship between him and Revali - and what promises they made pre-Calamity. The memories are so interesting yet heart-breaking to read - but the happy ending makes it very much worth it. 9/10 recommendation.

A Seed of Song by Ginneke is adorable. I'm always a sucker for child fics/baby acquisition fics, especially if they're done well, and, well - this one is definitely done well. It's very cute - it's unfinished, but I still think it's worthwhile to read what's been written so far. The drama of Link not wanting to marry Princess Zelda is also very interesting. 7.5/10 recommendation.

Under the Stars by peterpiez is one of my favorites!! Honestly because it's one of the very few Revalink Linked Universe fics to exist. There's very little active Revalink, given most of it is just Link mourning and being retrospective in response to the lives and loves of the other Links, but I still really enjoyed. This is also unfinished, and I don't see the author ever updating it, but I still would recommend giving it a go.

The Last Song on the Wind by Inked_Jael is another incredible fic. There's so much worldbuilding, and insight to Link's thoughts, I just love this one so much. It's super interesting because it explores the politics and the different cultures of Hyrule. I know second-person style can sometimes throw people off, but I think it works really really well given the story - and also if you keep in mind that it's about Link, just... please read this. Their work needs more love. 10/10 recommendation.

a moment's respite by cottonmouthcandy is another one of my favorites. It's a bit of a sad read, because it's pre-calamity and you know what's coming for the champions in the future, but it's a story where you get to just enjoy with them their little vacation at the beach. It's just sweet, and nice. It's been a while since I've read it, though, so those are more just the vibes that I remember rather than the content of the story itself. 9/10 recommendation.

the wind through the flowers by HopeStoryteller is also just a silly, fun time. The boys go Modulga hunting. 7.5/10 recommendation.

I have more, and I would continue, but I kind of have a class in six hours and I need to sleep before then, so uh... yeah. I hope this satisfies you question!! But honestly please spread the love to these authors their works are just absolutely amazing.

#revalink #botw #legend of zelda #ask response #fanfiction #loz #fic rec #sorry it took so long to respond

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nolongerapileofashprobably · 10 months

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When director Hidemaro Fujibayashi said that Zelda in TOTK is “going through growth, experiencing things, and ultimately figuring out what kind of a person she’s going to be,” how would you say that is reflected in the game? What kind of person do you think she realizes she wants to be? What scene(s) reflect her overall growth?

Zelda’s growth in this game is all about choosing her role, becoming a leader for a freshly healing Hyrule, and about finding her place in the past. For so many, I think we misinterpret growth and development, as Zelda’s main growth in BoTW was directly tied to her magic and her narrowed outlook on life.

In botw, Zelda disregards the reason she needs a knight, naively travels by herself for research purposes, cannot understand the magic supposedly within her, detests the magic, and ultimately detests herself. She’s constantly bottling up her emotions, to the point that she lashes out and it is even commented by Daruk that she “can’t quite see the ranges” because she was incredibly sheltered and stubborn as a result from the constant pressure to do as she is told, not as she thinks. We do see Zelda working on this, as a result of finally seeing Link for who he is, rather than what she has assumed of him. On top of that personal development, she is pitted against a prophecy that TELLS her what she has to do. And when she finally unlocks her magic, in a moment of pure love and selflessness, she is forced to adhere to the prophecy, to do as the sword’s spirit says, to play her part in this prophecy.

I think so many people think Zelda’s development is shallow or barely there in ToTK because we don’t see that personal development piece we get with Zelda and Link’s relationship. And the reason for that is simple— Zelda is now an adult, she has matured and grown from the development we got to see in botw. She’s at peace with herself and with the fact that her magic is basically gone.

The thing she spent the entirety of her life focusing on— it’s gone. Zelda no longer has that pressure on her shoulders. There’s no prophecy to live up to. There’s no kingdom to protect.

But there is one to rebuild.

*spoilers for totk and the ending*

We see through Princess Sightings side quests how Zelda has truly traveled the world of Hyrule and gotten to know her people. She is beloved by all— she did NOT immediately reclaim a throne abandoned for a century. She did NOT make it a priority to rebuild castle town and the castle. I have seen people actively BASH these things, but it makes so much sense when you consider who Zelda is.

Zelda is this legendary Princess that has been holding back Calamity Ganon for a century— everyone knows of her (which is confirmed by talking to NPC’s, one of the most notable being Manny from Hateno). And from ToTK, we see that she has formed research teams, a Guard, presumably (with the shared opinion of Robbie and Purah) cleared nearly all traces of Sheikah tech from Hyrule, built a school to ensure education is properly taught, and invigorated Hyrule’s kingdom through COMMUNITY and CULTURE. Zelda could not just sweep away the rubble on her throne in the Sanctum and start ordering shit around from the castle.

She integrated herself back into Hyrule, learned the people of NOW and grew to love them. Zelda acted as a symbol for a long time and she finally got to show everyone exactly who she is. A kind, compassionate, incredibly smart girl who lived in a village just like everyone else. She put the focus on healing the kingdom and rebuilding it. Which brings us to the world we see in ToTK.

One question in general helps us pinpoint Zelda’s development in ToTK: What is her purpose of being in the past?

This question is first introduced through Rauru, who posed it as a “why”. Why did Zelda’s magic bring her back to this point in time? Why is she here, at the moment in time where Hyrule is currently under the rule of its first King and Queen. Now let’s take a look at this— Zelda went back in time. A newly developed kingdom. The first King and Queen. So that + that = fuckin parallels PEOPLE!!! PARALLELS!!!! Ooh man do I love parallels.

ANYWAY. This introduces Zelda’s main development in ToTK. Whereas in botw her character constantly expected to act as she is told, do as is prophesied (is that a word? … I have a degree in professional writing but that word looks so incorrect… sorry, carry on), and ultimately accepts that the thing she vied for her entire life has been drained, her character in ToTK is now given the chance to DO as she wants, to find her own role, to make her OWN choice.

It’s foreshadowed with Zelda unlocking her magic in botw by way of her own, deliberate, selfless choice to love and protect Link that grants her a path to save everyone else. Zelda’s entire CHOICE is a key focus in her journey.

Zelda chooses to train her magic, to learn about the Zonai, to befriend the sages, to immerse herself in the culture of a Hyrule long forgotten by time. There was no one telling her what she HAD to do. Instead, she was guided. Zelda is supported by Sonia and Rauru in ways she was never granted as a child.

And in this, she learns that even having EVERYTHING she was deprived of in botw, they will fail. They couldn’t save Sonia. They won’t stop Ganondorf.

Zelda, through all of this, develops as a LEADER. She acts as a Sage and ultimately finds herself confused at Rauru’s steadfast determination. She knows he will die if they face off with Ganondorf. He knows he will too. But.

“Maybe so. But it is my duty to try.”

Rauru is the King of Hyrule. He made the choice best suited for his kingdom, to be the sacrifice in order to let the world continue on in his absence. He did what was best for the kingdom— not what was best for him as a person. He was secure in his role as the King of Hyrule, he knows the type of leader he is and wants to be.

Zelda… has not yet figured that out for herself. She is beloved, known to the people of Hyrule for his compassionate deeds and lovely personality, but she has yet to cement herself as the Queen of Hyrule. Naturally, she was born a Princess and remembered to be, but she is not a Queen. She is the Princess of a newly developing kingdom, one being rebuilt from rubble. But she is not the Queen. She is the only royal family member left.

Zelda’s character in ToTK develops to be a QUEEN.

Her actions and assured choices speak VOLUMES over the ones she took when she was listening to the words of others. Instead, she CHOSE to TRY. She embraced the duty to her kingdom, even if it took EVERYTHING she had to offer. Her sense of self and her life. Gone. She expected to NEVER wake up as she does in the end of totk. She knew precisely WHY she found herself in the past, in that era, and with Sonia, Rauru, and the sages.

Zelda chooses to have faith in Link, to heal the sword, to lose herself… all for her kingdom. The one she was rebuilding. The one she was healing with. Zelda becomes her own, mature leader in ToTK. And this is even FURTHER established at the very end, with the extra cutscene of Zelda, Link, and the new sages. They vow to support ZELDA.

The last vow was the serve the King of Hyrule. Zelda now finds herself in the same position, albeit different circumstances and new people.

Zelda’s development in ToTK is establishing the leader she WANTS to be, the person she matured TO be, and ultimately the Queen she WILL be.

Zelda’s story is so emotional and there are so many layers to dig through that I am so so thankful to have the opportunity to discuss this. She is absolutely PRECIOUS and I am so proud of her and the journey from botw to the end of totk.

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the-moon-files · 5 days

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Who do you think you could beat in a fight? like no weapons, not power gloves/bracelets, just bare hands and a dream.

BARE HANDS AND A DREAMMMM

who let u be this funny kota lmao

Tbh, me v. anything stronger than a chicken or a chuchu, they winning.

Ive only Just started going to the gym, i have very little muscle that isnt from carrying groceries, so hands down, not many things i would realistically fight in botw/loz games in general

If ur talking abt the Links tho?? Uh, none. 💀

Im not that delusional (yet), i mean i guess if u wanna get creative with it, I think, personally,

I could beat some of them in a drinking game lol

Like maybe Sky, Hyrule, Four, Wild, and (to his lightweight dismay) Legend, just bc im not a lightweight so thatd be funny

But general strength? Nah probably none of them

But u wanna hear my delusional takes on this, like if i would just swing regardless of actual strength discrepancy,

Weirdly enough, Hylia? LMAO

(Warning, Hylia bashing, if u like her a lot for whatever reason and are going to feel the need to comment in her defense, pls find another post to do that on, this rlly isnt that serious)

Alright, let me explain, let me explainnn

So i saw LU blogs defend this better than me, but basically Hylia (not Zeldas) is like lowkey another root cause for problems in Hyrule, she kind of encourages this endless cycle of abuse of "heroes" or mortals, to enlist in this eternal battle against Demise/Ganon, when he's technically immortal, and she should be fighting him herself.

Or at least not making mortals (who can Die) fight for her, especially with the setup being a SINGULAR MORTAL. like not even an army of mortals

(Like i get it, its for stupid-plot-not-rlly-thought-out-reasons so the games get to exist, but suspend ur disbelief pls, assuming this is now a real universe that ive got dropped into)

There are other reasons, like how she possesses every Zelda lowkey against her will, or without her permission to be in her body at least, and that she sort of? I thought, like? Wants to to be with Link every time? Feels kinda creepy?

Idk that one may not be true, but there are way cooler blogs out there that have a nicer receipt list of beef with Hylia, pls find them

But most importantly, if u take nothing else away from this, its that, someone out there, in the depths of LU tumblr, gave reasonable, logical, justifications about how Legend could take down Hylia on his own.

She's basically all magic, so if she suddenly had no more magic in this scenario, im betting that i could at least tackle her and turn it into a bar fight lol

Revenge for all the Links u could say,

I actually thought abt making a fic that had smth like this premise, but eh, ive got so much to write abt rn i havent taken it on

Plus, hey, who doesn't wanna fight God a little?

Hope that answered ur question! Or at least was entertaining!

Sorry if u rlly like Hylia for whatever reason and i just shat on her for like a small paragraph, idk, just unread it or smth

(Im still watching a playthru of SS, but i think i also could specifically take Ghirahim in a arm wrestling contest, ok thank you, good night)

Peace out,

🌙

#linked universe x reader #moon chats #moon rambles?#kinda?#its not rlly that great of content its just kinda me answering kotas great question #male reader #sure why not

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keep-looking-to-the-sky-me · 1 year

Text

ok so I've been shipping sidlink for years now and been in the zelda fandom for longer(fandom since 12, shipping since 16) so I'm used to seeing bad faith takes trying to explain why a ship between two adults who aren't related is "problematic" but "if you don't ship z/elink your a misogynist" is definitely the newest and most disheartening.

out of all of my LITERAL YEARS of shipping these two I haven't once seen a post bashing zelda or another female character. Even with the interruption of Yona I haven't seen much hate, sure there has been somethings here and there but for the most part everything's been chill.

what I wish people would do is analyze racism and sexism on the Gerudo, discussing how although link is gender androgynous in botw it comes at the price of orientalism, and how Zeldas powers being connected to birth right calls into question how much sexual agency she has. not you know....trying to prove moral failings based on what you ship(sidenote, please don't read this line and think im p/ros/hip I got beef with yall but that's for another post)

what I have seem instead was toxic z/elink stans putting sidlink hate directly in the ship tags. I can't look up sidlink on here and especially twitter without seeing a post saying that if you ship them you're a pedo when I haven't seen this behavior for all my years I've been shipping. only in the last year that I've seen it. I personally think the problem is (that isn't unique to z/elink) is that fans feel the need to feel justified when hating a ship, it isn't enough to just not vibe with it, there has to be a valid reason. so instead of ignoring it they come up with reason why liking something that's completely fine is a problem. so they come up with a reason like pedo are most recently misogyny. I don't like z/elink but I would never try to make a moral reason as to why.

you can understand sexism in zelda, and fandoms as a whole without shipping the main girl character. infact I would argue its more sexist to imply you can only understand a female character only when they're with a man. so if your gonna callout non-z/elink shippers for misogyny can I also callout z/elink stans for internalized homophobia with their weird need to nitpick every mlm ship?

#rant #ok to interact #ok to reblog #this is kinda a reply to a self proclaimed ceo #but mainly about stuff I've seen in general #mainly from new fans #sidlink #also don't yell at me ill c**#this is getting tagged #zelink #too because it shows my point better #legend of zelda #totk #tears of the kingdom #my post

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austinmaris18 · 1 year

Text

Personal Thoughts on Yona (No Bashing)

I'm gonna be honest, I hate shipping discourse because at the end of the day, characters aren't real and muting tags, posts, accounts are a thing. I also don't want to clog the Sidlink tag with discourse bc it's bad enough on twitter. However, if there's one thing I've learned about myself, it's that when something's bothering me, I need to talk about it, if only to process it. So, apologies but here I go. I will say that I feel like this is a nuanced take, so I guess if you're interested in that feel free to read. Disclaimer before I go in: there will be absolutely no Yona bashing. This post isn't to bash or attack Yona, anyone who enjoys Yona individually or paired with Sidon. I don't necessarily dislike her as a character, I'm more annoyed at the writing surrounding her introduction.

I've been thinking a lot, and I think the reason that Yona's introduction bothers me so much is because it mirrors (more than likely unintentionally) a pretty annoying heteronormative trope. In Jeffrey Brown's book Love, Sex, Gender, and Superheroes (an amazing analytical book in general, would highly recommend) they note that following the publication of Seduction of the Innocent in 1954 - which claimed amongst other things that Batman and Robin were a couple - there was a sort of moral panic about comic books. This was also during the era of McCarthyism, and so to avoid Senate action, the comic industry created the Comics Code Authority, which partly ensured that "illicit relationships" weren't hinted at, and in 1956 Kate Kane as Batwoman was introduced to be a love interest for Batman to reinforce his heterosexuality.

Now, am I comparing Sidlink to the supposed queer subtext of Batman and Robin in 40s and 50s comics? No. Am I saying that Nintendo purposefully introduced Yona for the same purpose as DC did Batwoman? Not necessarily. I just think it's almost comical how similar the situation feels, and the writing doesn't help either. Now, Yona is apparently Sidon's "dear childhood friend" and is also from a different kingdom. That in and of itself feels so awkward because again, we've had Breath of the Wild and Age of Calamity AND their respective DLCs, and not once have gotten mention of Yona or her kingdom. Not in a throwaway line from an NPC, not in the murals of Zora's Domain, not in Mipha's diary. (Also, I know that technically, Age of Calamity isn't canon. But it still had input from the Zelda team, and it provides a supposedly canon view of the settlements in Hyrule before the Calamity.) Especially considering the fact that we get confirmation from Sidon's mural and King Dorephan's dialogue that the engagement to Yona is political/arranged, this engagement was not really foreshadowed in any meaningful way other than this sort of heteronormative notion of "He's a prince so he'll have to get married at some point." Like, Sidon had a whole fanclub in BotW, and not one of them knew?? Did the engagement happen in the six/seven years between BotW and ToTK? Again, for a race of long lived beings like the Zora, that feels a bit hard to believe.

This in particular is what makes her introduction so jarring. We've seen all the countless Twitch and YouTube streamers reacting, the TikToks, the tweets and Tumblr posts of people shocked and disappointed. Here's where I point back to the fact that Aonuma and Fujibayashi even addressed the fact that Sidon was so popular during the BotW DLC Dev Talk. That's not to say they were aware of the ship or even cared enough to have taken the action of mitigating any potential queer readings. Other than reactions to the gameplay and the overall story, I don't think Nintendo particularly cares what we do, think, or ship. But they did know that Sidon in particular was a standout popular character, and so it seems so strange to not pair him off in a more well written way.

That's before even mentioning the whole Zora mural where Sidon parallels his relationship with Yona to that of Mipha, literally calling her a sister. There's also no getting around the fact that he uses that phrasing as in Spanish, French, and the original Japanese (those are the languages I read, so that's what I'm referencing) so it's not an English localization quirk. And I know there's the line about his feelings become more "difficult to quantify" but again, why? Why not just say he admired her instead of comparing her to Mipha in that way if they want to show us there was something there even in their childhood? I know it's meant to be sweet and to depict a sort of growth of feelings between them, but it reads strangely.

So we have these aspects and then we compare this to Sidon's interactions with Link this game. (Also before that, I want to acknowledge something: the vast majority of us who ship Sidlink or just enjoyed Sidon's character were never under the illusion that Nintendo would go towards any canonical romance between Sidon and Link.) We arrive to Zora's Domain to find a statue of us riding Sidon from the Vah Ruta battle. There is a whole Hylian bedroom constructed near the area where Sidon and Link fought Vah Ruta (more built out than the bed area Mipha used). The whole "Link Shrine" Sidon has singing his praises. Sidon literally getting down on one knee, taking OUR HAND in both his hands before presenting us the ring (I know that the other champions say the same oath and give us rings, it's the imagery of a proposal that I'm referring to). Link standing equally distant to Sidon as Yona during Sidon's crowning. Yona telling us that when Sidon speaks it's more than likely to talk about Link. Already Yona's introduction so funnily parallels heteronormative tropes, but to actually have so much imagery and subtext for Sidon and Link makes it feel even more crazy? I think this is where people get so hung up on the idea that "Yona was just introduced to get in the way of Sidlink." Honestly, I think the interactions with Link are more probably concessions for fans (not necessarily shippers) because again, the devs know how popular Sidon is. But it compounds with the manner in which Yona is written into the game.

All that being said, I don't necessarily have a neat conclusion to draw from these thoughts, but going back to the Batwoman parallels, I do think it's a shame Yona won't have to chance to canonically develop further the way Batwoman did. After all, despite her original introduction, most people nowadays think Batwoman and think of Kate Kane, the redhead badass lesbian superhero. But that happened over the course of decades in a medium that iterates narratively on the same characters over and over. Even if we get a story DLC for ToTK that has more Yona content, I don't know that it would be enough to smooth over how awkward her introduction was, and it's hard to believe Nintendo would make another direct sequel or carry over Sidon and Yona to the next version of Zelda. But we can already see Yona's iterative growth through fandom!

Now listen. I know myself, and the truth is I'm never going to actively ship Sidon and Yona. But I'm sure there are amazing artists and writers out there who will flesh Yona and her relationship and history with Sidon out (whether that includes Link in a polycule or not). I'm glad that the game has made the interpretation of a lavender marriage between Sidon and Yona who have their respective paramours possible (with the politically arranged aspect of the marriage, Sidon's boisterous actions concerning Link, Yona's acknowledgement of Link's importance to Sidon). I'm looking forward to fics, standalone art and comics that take that route. I'm sure that there will continue to be art and fanfiction that don't acknowledge ToTK or Yona, and I will surely be consuming those as well. I really hope the homophobia and general discourse towards Sidlink subsides, because it's been surprisingly overwhelming on Twitter. I also hope that there aren't people actively attacking posts about Yona. After all, muting and blocking words, tags, and accounts are options across all social media platforms.

This post will definitely be a one off for me, and I don't ever see myself making another post like this again. I honestly might also delete this post in the future now that I've properly written out my thoughts. Anyways, time to get back to drawing practice and working on my fics.

#prince sidon #sidon x link #sidlink #lady yona #tears of the kingdom ship discourse #nuanced ship take #no bashing of female characters #please do not be homophobic in my comments or dms

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skyloftian-nutcase · 8 months

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What do you think of Hylia? I’ve seen fans paint her as the true villain of Zelda series. Many of which blame her for the reincarnation cycle, and pretty much every bad thing that happened after SkSw’s era.

I have strong feelings about the fandom’s treatment of Hylia, but I’m gonna try to keep this chill.

Long story short, the hatred for Hylia doesn’t make logical sense.

It’s based on the erroneous assumption that Hylia caused the curse (fun fact, if people bothered playing the game they’d see that it was Demise who did it), or it’s based on botw Zelda’s struggles and frustrations because the story is told from her point of view. Oh no!! Hylia is evil because she didn’t listen as Zelda pleaded!! That’s not how prayer works, guys. You don’t get what you want, you get what you need, and Zelda’s major issue stemmed from her father, the pressure on her, her own insecurities, her lack of training and guidance. It’s a two way street to make things work - for all we know Hylia was trying to reach out to her but Zelda couldn’t hear her over the beratement from Rhoam screaming in her head or the whispers of the people echoing in her brain or her own questioning if she could even do it.

So basically, fandom’s Hylia bashing is based on poorly thought out arguments. Also they use characters who don’t even know who she is??? Like, Time, Legend… they have no freaking clue who Hylia is, guys. Her character didn’t even exist when their games were made. Maybe people are trying to make continuity or something, but Hylia was never mentioned in those eras.

Now! Did Hylia do questionable things? Yeah! Yeah, she did! But you know what else she did? She sacrificed herself multiple times to save her people, she fought her own war to protect everyone and the Triforce. She sent people to Skyloft to protect them while fighting alongside those who likely chose to remain. She died in her battle against Demise. She planned on coming back as a mortal, giving up everything she is, so she could finish the job and eliminate the threat. Yes, she used Link - she took a calculated risk, choosing someone with a pure heart who had the fighting prowess necessary if the need arose, and she befriended him. Yes! She used him! It’s messed up! But she also did everything she could to guide and protect him, and she tried to just do it herself without him if she could.

All that being said, sometimes Hylia bashing makes sense in the context of the narrative and the narrator. If your character/narrator has a beef with her for some reason, then yeah, they’re gonna criticize her. Doesn’t make them right about her. 🤷🏻‍♀️ But the idea of the fandom vilifying her is just… stupid.

Sometimes I don’t think it has to do with the stories at all, it’s people venting frustrations they’ve had with religious groups. I can’t fault them for that, but when I see that connection it kind of feels like a smack in the face and really freaking hurts, because God and Christianity aren’t people’s bad experiences, but I’m not opening that can of worms. I can’t control everyone’s experiences and nobody wants to hear me say that just because a person or group of people acted like hateful morons doesn’t mean that’s what Christianity is about. So anyway.

I like Hylia. Demise caused the curse. Hylia was trying to stop him before he even had a chance to utter a word. Demise’s curse led to bad things happening.

#you ask skye answers #lovely anon #hylia #watching people use hylia as a means for religious bashing is like watching people talk shit about your best friend #because garbage human beings who claim to be your bff’s friend did awful things so somehow this is your friend’s fault #It’s… frustrating and hurtful to say the least #and is probably the main reason I have strong feelings about this issue #But also the fandom’s complaints just make little to no sense???#Hylia is a complicated character THAT IS WHAT MAKES HER INTERESTING #A lot of the turmoil in the heroes’ lives is because EVIL INCARNATE WAS CAUSING PROBLEMS #what are the goddesses supposed to do just twiddle their thumbs and be like ‘well sucks to suck 🤷🏻‍♀️’

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demiboydemon · 6 months

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I found a really cute post about koroks so I went to OP’s blog and read a couple posts and was like :) what a nice blog! Loving these headcanons :)

I’m having a good time in their Zelda tag until I get to one where they keep saying King Rhoam was justified in his actions because he had a hard life and obviously Rauru was only nice because he faced no hardship. I’m like, whatever. People can have different opinions than me and can read characters differently. I disagree with their opinion, but that’s okay.

Then the next post is about how TP Link is so much hotter than BotW Link because he’s not a twink, and Nintendo is ruining loz by making Link too girly in the more recent games and he needs to be more masculine.

Against my better judgment, I keep scrolling. And there, in a place of glory, is a post where they’re bashing Sidlink shippers for not being happy Sidon is with Yona and saying polyamory is never okay (they called it cheating) even when both parties agree to it and are happy with the situation.

So that’s enough for me and I go to block them and in their profile is along the lines of ‘no pedophiles, no one who grooms kids, no one who thinks letting kids transition genders is okay’

I did not expect to see such cute posts about koroks from a terf blog today but here we are.

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troutlawyer · 1 year

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*raises hand* I would like to hear your Yona/Sidon/Link court relationship ideas. All the Yona hate sucks :(

Wow I did not expect anyone to actually ask!! Thank you btw

Mostly my ideas line up with one of the posts I've reblogged earlier about Yona and Sidon's political marriage, but I have a LOT of ideas of my own to expand on that. I hope you'll stay with me.

Canon Stuff

Sidon and Yona were childhood friends.

Sidon and Yona's marriage was arranged.

Sidon looked upon Yona as an older sister but hadn't seen much of her since childhood.

He has been bashful and nervous around her since she arrived in the Domain.

Sidon views Link as his best friend and closest companion and apparently values that relationship so much he replaced the statue of Mipha in the courtyard with one of him and Link fighting divine beast Ruta together.

Though I did have a shocked and jealous initial reaction to Sidon and Yona's engagement when first learning of it, I quickly recovered when I put a little thought into the situation. Of course I immediately (and correctly) assumed that the marriage was probably arranged and political in nature, as most royal marriages go.

It also reminded me of my thoughts on Zelda and Link's relationship. Despite seeing obvious love and devotion between the two, I didn't feel any romantic tension between them. I wonder now if this is deliberate: to sort of keep their relationship without a label and sort of highlight their distinct roles as princess and knight in their working relationship, but I digress. I saw the same sort of situation with Sidon and Yona--they obviously love each other, and are devoted to each other, but there is a lack of romantic tension. All of these observations are subjective, and I don't want to step on the toes of Zelink and Sidona lovers--these could definitely blossom into something romantic!

Then I thought about the nature of royal courts back in their heyday, at least the royal courts of Europe, which the system in BOTW/TOTK seems most similar to. There were countless royals, male and female alike, who kept lovers outside of their arranged marriages. Some countries were more strict about it, and of course some relationships were more allowed than others, but it happened all the time.

I also thought about the lives of queer people in times where it was less accepted, especially those who entered into heterosexual marriages. There was more than one reason for these decisions. There was of course the obvious: stay safely in the closet, but sometimes these people wanted to have families, sometimes they wanted to give their spouse a home and a companion, and sometimes they simply felt like it was expected of them. Many times, these people would genuinely love their spouses, even if it wasn't romantic or sexual. And a lot of times, even if they ended up having extramarital affairs, their first priority was to their family and life partner.

Keeping all of this in mind, I developed a few headcanons about the nature of Link, Zelda, Yona, and Sidon's relationships to each other.

Link & Zelda

Link's role as Zelda's protector is his absolute top priority; he forewent speaking or even showing emotion in order to fulfill his duties more efficiently. His vow to protect her is sacred, and I would safely say this means he loves her very much.

Zelda views Link as her appointed knight, her dear friend, and her confidante. Her love for him is what fuels her magical abilities.

A marriage between the both of them may happen, but a political match to secure an alliance would be more realistic in Zelda's future.

Sidon & Yona

Sidon is fiercely devoted to his kingdom and his people. He would do everything to keep them safe and secure.

Sidon finds Yona's kind personality and similar devotion to the Domain compatible with his. They share a goal, and that makes for a strong royal match.

Sidon is the only one in line for the throne after the death of his sister. He must take up the role as king and he must secure further heirs to the throne.

As far as arranged marriages go, getting paired up with a childhood friend is kinda like winning the lottery. They both love and trust each other already, so there will be little risk of awkwardness and/or incompatibility.

Yona is supportive of Sidon and Link's relationship, and is not a jealous person.

Sidon's bashfulness around Yona may be due to how she reminds him of his sister, and he feels uncertain about how he will fulfill his role as king by her side.

Link & Sidon

If they have a romantic relationship, it would not overshadow their duties towards their respective kingdoms.

They would visit each other when duty called, or when they were able to take time away from their jobs.

They may communicate day-to-day by letters.

All of this would be excellent fic fodder in my book!

Now onto why I kind of reject some of the more common reactions of Sidlink shippers.

Yona/Sidon/Link throuple

I'm sorry, but I just don't see any chance of attraction between Link and Yona.

Yona and Sidon calling each other pet names does not indicate romantic feelings AT ALL. I call my friends and my pets "my love" too, doesn't mean I'm attracted to them.

Sidon's feelings for Link seem to be miles stronger than his feelings for Yona.

I don't really NEED Link and Sidon to be officially married to each other. I've never seen their relationship that way, honestly, even before TOTK.

The trend of making a ship poly when a canon love interest is introduced is overused and frankly a boring solution. But that is my own subjective opinion.

"Yona was added to straightwash Sidon"

We know almost nothing about Sidon's past. Just because it feels like Yona came in "out of the blue" does not mean she was shoehorned--there is a lot of empty space for her to have been present in his backstory.

Yona and Sidon's marriage is perfectly understandable. He is a prince, she is a princess, of course it would be arranged and political.

Link was gone for a long time. The last time that happened he was gone for 100 years. The Zora were not obligated to wait for him to come back to marry their only heir.

Sidon must produce heirs; there is no one else who can do it, and as far as I know, Zora and Hylians are not reproductively compatible, and even if they were, I doubt two amab (again, as far as I know) characters could reproduce together.

Zora live a lot longer than Hylians. A marriage between them would end fairly quickly in Zora time once the Hylian dies of old age.

Y'all didn't actually think Sidlink would ever be made explicitly canon, right? Speaking as someone who has been a Sidlink shipper since BOTW: be realistic.

That all being said, I haven't actually seen much hate with my own eyes on Yona. Maybe it's because I'm not on Twitter, but on Tumblr I have seen absolutely none, save for the odd meme about Link's jealousy, or gripes about straightwashing as mentioned above.

Anyway, thank you for the ask! If you read this far, I hope it was at least interesting ;;^_^

#ask #legend of zelda #botw #totk #prince sidon #link loz #yona totk #sidlink

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