Tumgik
#its botw canon that fi is still active in the master sword
askmerriauthor · 10 months
Text
I'm still trying to puzzle out the timeline implications of ToTK, but I rather like what the story does for the overall LOZ timeline as a concept. Spoiler talk, so more after the break.
I've always liked the approach BoTW took where it basically gathered up all the games in one big bundle and said "maybe these happened, maybe they didn't, but it was like 10,000 years ago and it doesn't matter anymore". Literally making the previous Legend of Zelda games into legends in-universe. There's combined traces of all the games, be they direct references or sidelong allusions that make it seem like that element might've been lost in translation, or the version we originally saw was incorrect in the first place.
So far ToTK does seem to anchor certain concepts in stone, however, but others are very much brought into question.
Skyward Sword is Core Canon While the actual events of Skyward Sword in terms of its overall presentation are up to debate, there are facets of it that seem to be hard-baked into the game's lore now. Namely Fi and the divine origins of both Zelda as the incarnation of Hylia as well as the Master Sword. ToTK actively refers to the Master Sword as "she" and the sword makes Fi's prompting noise a number of times, so it's safe to say Fi's still in there after all this time.
The actual state of things with Demise, however, seems a bit less clear now. Skyward Sword told us a tale of how Demise - an original ancient evil demon from before the dawn of time - cursed Link and Zelda's bloodlines to always be in conflict with his reincarnations. The evil pollutant effect Demise had on the world, Malice, was overtly present and utilized in BoTW by Calamity Ganon. It was what brought on the end of Hylian civilization a century before the events of the game. But the overt parallels between Demise and ToTK Ganondorf raise the question of whether there ever was a Demise in the first place? Or was Demise an exaggeration of Ganondorf's ascension into the Demon King via the Secret Stone? Or is Ganondorf's nature as the Demon King directly the result of Demise and his curse?
There's also a mix up with Calamity Ganon to consider. Previously, I was under the impression that Calamity Ganon was the same OoT Ganondorf who'd eventually degraded over time and multiple revivals, turning into the mindless force of destruction we saw in BoTW. But ToTK makes it clear Ganondorf was perfectly fine, albeit dehydrated and locked beneath Hyrule Castle. Malice and Gloom are pretty obviously the same thing, and Gloom was freely seeping across the land even before the Upheaval occurred, so it's not like Ganondorf was fully contained even in his sealed state. While running around ToTK Hyrule, we often encounter Gloom Hands and a Phantom Ganon doppelganger. That gives me the impression that Calamity Ganon was just a similar phenomenon: as the time neared where the seal would break entirely, Ganondorf was able to exude enough force to manifest it and attack Hyrule on instinct. But any notions of Calamity Ganon being an individual itself made by the Hylians were misattributed.
Did OoT Actually Happen? Something very confusing/interesting in the flashbacks of ToTK is that it basically retells the events of OoT in a different frame. Ganondorf, the ruler of the Gerudo, deceiving the King of Hyrule by pretending to swear allegiance while in pursuit of an ancient, divine relic the Royal Family and the Sages hold safe. Called out by the young Princess Zelda. But Ganondorf succeeds in his efforts and Hyrule is thrown into an age of turmoil where monsters roam the world, only to be ultimately defeated by the efforts of the Sages and a foretold Hero in the distant future.
The events of Rauru sealing away Ganondorf were explicitly stated as The Imprisoning War, which was previously established as happening after OoT in an alternate timeline scenario where Link failed to stop Ganondorf. Given that Link didn't exist at all prior to Ganondorf's arrival and ascension into the Demon King, it feels to me as if ToTK is shifting OoT - and thus Majora's Mask - fully into legend. It also raises the question of whether there was ever a split Triforce, or if that too was just a misinterpretation of past events. The Triforce didn't feature in any way whatsoever within ToTK; it's not even mentioned or seen once. Ganondorf coveted and gained power through a completely different relic. In BoTW, Zelda seemed to innately have the complete Triforce by way of birth, passed down through her divine bloodline. Presumably Zelda still has it, or the Triforce itself is simply a symbolic manifestation of her divine powers outright rather than a physical relic that can be taken.
Who are Din, Nayru, Farore, and the Other Divines? So ToTK introduces the concept of "draconification" where devouring a Secret Stone turns a person into an immortal serpent dragon. We see this in practice in the game, and in BoTW we're introduced to a trio of such dragons who have names similar to those of the Three Goddesses. Mineru is very much aware of the process and what its consequences are, so that indicates that draconification was performed prior to her arrival in Hyrule. Is this meant to indicate that these three were once Zonai who turned into Dragons? Were they ever Goddesses to begin with, or was that also a legend that grew over time?
What does this make of the "other gods" in the setting, such as the Bargainer Statues or the Horned Statue? The Horned Statue is pretty up front about it being a Demon who was punished by Hylia for its acts, but the Bargainer Statues seem to be different. They're also all found nearby Hylia Statues and express a neutral view of good and evil, while supplying items that both embody and defy evil outright. They're also the source of the Dark Link outfit, which makes me wonder if they're intended to represent a sort of mirror/shadow aspect to Hylia. Not evil that opposes her (that's what Demise, Ganon, and the Primal Demons are for), but just a natural off-shoot. Hylia creates life while the Bargainer Statues manage death.
Soul-ar Powered Technology I can't be the only one who thinks Sheikah Tech was basically powered by the spirits of the dead after everything we've learned in ToTK, right? With the return of Poes (which were totally absent in BoTW), the blue flame furnaces that connect underground into what we now know as the Depths and the ancient Zonai refineries, Mineru's spirit being able to house itself inside the Purah Pad, and the obvious correlation between Zonai and Sheikah technologies?
18 notes · View notes
bxstiae · 4 years
Text
Master Sword Facts.
Tumblr media
honestly, I was starting to do an ask for somebody when i realised that..... i should probably go into some detail about the Master Sword. please note that i actually take into consideration the OTHER games of LOZ that i have played. i will make note of each topic i discuss && where i thought of it, but i thought people should all be told that, yes: i have a very specific way as to how i treat the canon for the Master Sword on this blog,
i will discuss the following but put it under a read more because it’s rather long:
its size
how it is carried
it runs on energy ( never needs sharpened )
it is alive
it talks to him
it is a sword of light: the complete opposite of darkness
magical properties
duplicates
if i think of any more, i’ll be sure to add them all. but for now, enjoy this as it should, SHOULD, clear up any concerns for anybody. 
1. the master sword -- as seen in Breath of the Wild -- is a very large sword. like it’s REALLY big. this is not a sword you would want to be at the end of either. in addition to that, it actually rather heavy. anybody can use it -- the sword is not mjolnir in that aspect, so other people can carry it. but the use of it can only be held by those who are worthy & strong. it can also seem rather light to some ( kind of like how alm seems to be the only one who is capable of holding the royal sword in this aspect ). regardless of it, link is able to wield the sword with one hand. for some, because of its size, it would very much be a two-handed weapon without a doubt. even for link, he sometimes wields it with two hands rather than one because of the battle style he uses ( but also because even sometimes it can be heavy for him too ). how large is large? let’s look at the fact that in BOTW when link rests his hands on the sword, when its standing from the ground, his arms are either horizontal to the ground, or i think raised upwards ( i can’t remember ). granted, BOTW link i am pretty sure is canonically short to begin with compared to the other links, but that doesn’t change the fact that no child can hold it -- it’s too BIG. and mind you. both link and zelda are known to be in the 17-18 age range. ( i think link might be older than zelda too, so that makes him automatically 18 in those memory clips. ) even zelda, when she goes to the forest to ask the deku tree to keep the safe, is seen where the sword itself is BIG for her. so yes: master sword = very large sword.
2. because the master sword is big, link does, in fact, carry the sword on his back. it’s not at his side like most mercenaries/sword wielders have it as. he doesnt draw from his side, he draws upwards to his back! besides the holster for the sword is MEANT to be so that he carries the weapon on his back. otherwise it would be dragging on the ground ( cause again, it’s far to big for that ). 
3. the sword runs on energy more or less -- you see this in breath of the wild. it never breaks, it never needs to get sharpened. EVER. this is not a sword that you can sharpen. i should point out that the sword is.... more or less.... ALIVE. I will get to that in a minute, but what i am trying to get at is that it simply needs to recharge. it may be a physical weapon, but that weapon has magical traits to it. so yes, the sword doesn’t need to be sharpened. mind you, though, that the sword DOES dull!!! it runs out of energy!!! on top of that, if it’s chosen user ( i.e. link ) is worse for wear, it senses that! so obviously it can be seen as getting worse for wear too. in a way, the master sword & link are intertwined. another hc completely, but you can’t have the sword without link. he’s the chosen hero of courage after all -- and the weapon is the chosen weapon for courage. 
4. like i said, the sword is alive. as seen in Skyward Sword, there is a spirit names Fi that inhabits the sword. while she was ‘considered’ to ‘die’ at the end of the game when she was sealed: she still.... was there. she simply just lost her ability to come out of the sword. you witness that she TALKS to zelda in BOTW. so canonically, she’s still there. However, that being said, link ( in twilight princess, MY LINK ) doesn’t consider the sword a she. the sword is an it. there is no he or she to it, just it. not even a them. IT is the MASTER SWORD. the master sword. for link, he cannot consider it as a girl or a boy. it’s not human to begin with, but that doesn’t mean that he doesn’t consider it as an inanimate object. 
5. he can hear the sword talk to him sometimes!!! he knows it’s alive because he can hear it in his head. it whispers to him constantly. while they are never coherent words.... he can still understand it. it’s incredibly weird, but he’s not thrown off by it. nobody else hears the sword though. only those who bear the brand ( the triforce ) can or those given that brand can. it is why, when zelda gives midna her triforce magic to help save her, midna hears the sword too. not as much as link can though, but she can notice because in link’s battle style, he’s actually taking HEED of the sword! the sword helps him. it is his extension. it helps him when he needs it the most. it is why, when its voice softens or quietens, he can tell it’s low on energy. hence why it.... ‘sleeps’ to recharge. but i digress, you will notice in my threads sometimes that it talks to him. it’s cause it does. but nobody will realise that. && the way he acknowledges it is extremely subtle. people won’t know that link can hear it.
6.  the master sword is literally a weapon of light. in this sense as well, it is considered a divine weapon. it’s a god tier weapon!! hence why it is unbreakable. it comes from the gods in a way -- it was forged by the flames of the gods ( as seen in Skyward Sword ). The Goddess Hylia was the one to have given it to the people though ( again this is canon in skyward sword ). considering all of this, it is an anti-darkness weapon. as it is described in twilight princes as the ‘bane of all evil’. in this case, it’s a weapon against dark magic. which is why it can turn link back from a beast after being infected with the dark twilight magic. in that sense though, as well, it is more than capable of completely destroying the dark. you witness this when link goes to the twilight realm!! when he brings it back to normal the denizens of the twilight world -- the twili -- are terrified of link! it’s not that they are scared of link, they are SCARED of the SWORD. that thing can kill them or harm with a single touch from it. midna is obviously immune to this for two reasons: she is the princess of the twilight realm ( since she is capable of being the only one to destroy the mirror, she obviously has the power to not be harmed greatly from it ), but zelda also gave her the gift of light as well, so that’s another reason why she’s not really phased by the sword of light. 
7. like i said about the energy, the sword, also GLOWS with that energy. it’s normally a faint glow, but you can definitely tell it is there. and of course when it’s low, it ‘dull’ in that sense too where it dims. ( rather, that glow isn’t there anymore ). if it has enough energy && if link is healthy enough, it is also capable of shooting beams of light! ( as seen in botw ) another way it can shoot beams is if link points it skyward to collect the light ( as seen in skyward sword ). other magical properties it possesses is that it acts as a guide for link. it shines/glows brighter when it nears monsters of evil/darkness. it help him by telling him when he’s near enemies that have that evil/dark energy about them. i should also point out that while it doesn’t necessarily ‘heal’ link, but it can give him a boost of energy if he needs it. not that it wills him to move, but in dire cases, it is capable of doing that one last hurrah before going to sleep. it’s kinda like a safety precaution, but it’s very dangerous for link as it’s like that last thing before the end. lets also not mention that it also.... seals darkness/evil away too. to in a way it’s also like a key.
8. canonically.... there can only be one master sword. take the infinity stone in the avengers. only one for each timeline/period. however, that being said... if link were to meet another link that has the master sword already on hand? it can happen! there are two cases i want to bring up. -- first case: twilight meaning sky ( skyward sword ) or wild ( botw). they are allowed to each have the sword, the problem is..... if lets say.... sky were to die, then the master swords for both twilight and wild would vanish. it’s like an oninaki moment and honestly..... the world comes to an end. ( if you haven’t played oninaki, well then. man, play it ) on top of that, the masterswod has difficulty staying ‘active’ for very long. it tires too quickly. as it is witnessing it’s past ( sky ) or future ( wild ) self. the laws of nature don’t LIKE it. so long as it returns to where it should be then nothing changes.  -- second case: twilight meeting another twilight. this one is more like parrallel universes happening rather than actual timelines. in this case, nothing happens. so if one twilight dies, then its not like the master sword will vanish. 
more hc to come when i think about any more but hopefully this helps many of you! please, if you have any questions, please let me know! i love talking about meta.
9 notes · View notes
dipshitcoyote · 5 years
Text
Breath of the Wild Daemon!AU
Ok so! I’m working on an actual fic using these concepts and this version of the BotW world, but I thought that maybe some of you might be interested in my ideas so here! I’m putting pretty much everything under a readmore, because this is copypasted from my planning document, which got very long and doesn’t even have anything to do with the plot of what I’m writing ^^’
Enjoy!
Link’s daemon is a Hyrule Field Mouse (lol get it) named Firielore (fih-REE-ehl-ohr), Firi for short. From Fi, Ciela, and Farore. They settled early, when Link first drew the Master Sword. Historically, the Hero most often settles as a wolf, but other forms are not unheard of and he isn’t the first Hero to settle as something more unassuming.
Pre-Calamity, most people, even other knights, thought that Link and Firi’s behavior was odd. Neither of them ever spoke (Link is mute, but Firi can speak and just doesn’t), and Firi was just as stoic and inexpressive as her human. As a mouse daemon, she was always on his person, usually on his left shoulder as was uniform for smaller daemons of knights and soldiers, but was rarely seen out of that position except for when she would turn to increase their field of view or leave him briefly to scout stealthily around corners/over boulders and the like.
Relating to the issues that make him canonically selectively mute, Link’s lack of self preservation re: his Duty translated to Firi as well. Things like stretching their bond too far for too long for the sake of getting the scope of a situation or enemy, but not letting the pain show externally where someone else might be brought to their knees with it. Other things like Firi using herself as a distraction, running from Link’s arm to the Moblin’s to divide its attention and leaving them both exposed to give Link a chance to strike. The monsters don’t know the difference between hitting a daemon vs. its Hylian, and that makes the contact less bad, but not insignificant. There were rumors throughout the castle that Link and Firi had been separated traumatically or that the Master Sword allowed them the distance, but both are untrue- their bond was no different than any other Hylian, they just pushed it further in the name of duty.
Link and Firi’s character development (in the memories) is subtle just like in canon. Through the Yiga attack she is always on Link’s left shoulder, even when they and Zelda are just traveling. On the hill with the Silent Princess is the first time she’s not there- she hops off his shoulder when he crawls forward to look at the flower and she moves closer to it. After Zelda’s failure at the Spring of Power, Firi touches Zelda’s daemon to comfort him, just for a moment.
Firi had and has (Impa gave it to them with the Champion’s Tunic) a small set of custom armor for protection, but rarely wore/wears it; she’s fast enough that any attack that would possibly hit her in battle would probably kill Link as well. On the battlefield she would either deftly scurry around Link and warn him silently about attacks from behind, or slip into a small armored pouch that existed to protect her in one-on-one combat unless an opportunity to assist presented itself. In the present, she doesn’t participate in battle the same way she would 100 years ago (with the aggressive distraction and the like), moreso providing Link extra ears and eyes in a fight.
Post-Calamity, she is considerably more physically active, but she still doesn’t speak out loud- except very occasionally to Link himself. I.e when they first wake up in the Shrine of Resurrection, Link hears Zelda’s voice first and opens his eyes to Firi sitting on his chest, also saying his name. However, she’s still a very quiet daemon, especially considering that Link communicates via signing and it would be considered acceptable for her to talk for him. In Post-Calamity Hyrule she’s more outgoing towards other daemons and will greet them physically if appropriate.
Zelda’s daemon, Hylayrune (hih-LAE-roon), Layrune or Rune for short, is unsettled until the moment she awakens her power, when he settles as a Snowcoat Fox (Real life equivalent: Arctic Fox). His name comes from Hylia (all Zeldas daemons’ names start with ‘Hy’), (La)Nayru, Hyrule, and rune/ruin. Before he settled, he took atypical forms for the sacred princess’ daemon that were more representative of Zelda’s scientific pursuits, such as bugs (usually a bee), frogs, and lizards. Almost always, the Princess settles as a bird of prey (often owl, occasionally eagle or loftwing), or in some cases a small dragon (as the three dragons Dinraal, Farosh, and Naydra are said to be the daemons of the three Goddesses, with Hylia’s being most often depicted as a golden dragon or occasionally a huge, golden Loftwing).
Rune’s late settling, and his preferred forms before settling, were a huge cause of anxiety for him, Zelda, and their father. This is all tied into their self-doubt about awakening their sealing power and being able to fulfill her duty as the sacred princess, but it’s also personal for the King. His daemon is a Mountain Crow, which though known to be clever and resourceful are seen as a bad omen, even a curse, within Hyrule. It puts stress on his regime, and the idea that his daughter prefers frogs and lizards over forms that have become symbolic of the royal family and the sealing power is deeply troubling. Rune takes “appropriate” forms only at official appearances and ceremonies, and even then, usually a more wild hawk over an owl, eagle, or dragon.
Other characters:
The Old Man/King: Mountain Crow (real life equivalent: Raven)
Urbosa: Islander Hawk (with kind of a more desert coloration. real life equivalent: Harris Hawk)
Riju: Unsettled, usually a Sand Seal bc they love them
Impa: Blue-Winged Heron (real life equivalent: Great/Little Blue Heron).
Beedle: Hylian Retriever (A golden one, fight me)
Other random stuff/past Links:
- The Princess traditionally settles when she first unlocks/uses her powers, and the Hero traditionally settles when he draws the Master Sword. There are some exceptions, like the Hero of Twilight being old enough to have already been settled, and the Links in games without the Master Sword settling in other ways.
-Hero of Time and Twilight both had Wolf daemons. Their wolf forms are kind of a combination of them and their daemons’ appearances. Time had a lighter colored wolf and Twilight had a darker colored wolf.
    - BUT Hero of Time’s daemon is usually a mouse as a child, when he’s unsettled, alluding to past and future heroes.
    - The mouse thing (here and for the Hero of the Wild) comes less from personality and more from the feeling of facing an enormous dungeon boss as Link, like a mouse about to fight a lion.
-Both the Hero of Wind and Four Swords/Minish Cap Link also had mouse daemons.
    - For Wind this is because of the mobility he needed re: moving on a ship (also kind of like a ship rat? Disclaimer: I’ve never played WW)
    - For Four Swords/Minish this is because he shrinks down and is pretty much the same size as his daemon (she’d have to shrink a little bit too but not as much) and I just think that’d be really cute
-I’m not sure what Skyward Sword!Link’s daemon would be. Not a loftwing because it isn’t possible for anyone but a Goddess or a sacred princess (with Goddess blood) to settle as one, but I’ve never played SS so I can’t really say. It would have to be small enough to ride on a loftwing with him, or a bird of some sort- probably all of the people in Skyloft settled like that, now that I think about it. Maybe a beetle?
-Link from the original games probably has a wolf daemon, as well as LttP/LBW Link.
- Spirit Tracks!Link has a white dove daemon and she rides on his head like the birds in the game and its adorable
-Ganondorf always has a boar daemon in any iteration. When he transforms into Ganon they merge, similar to Wolf Link, but grotesquely instead of dissolving together in Twilight.
-Only the Hylians, Sheikah, and Gerudo have daemons
    -The Sheikah have mostly same-sex daemons, with opposite-sex daemons being about as rare as same-sex daemons among the Hylians and Gerudo. No one’s quite sure why.
    -The Zora have sort of a connection to their jewelry and weapons, but not necessarily a physical one. More of a literal “put your soul into your craft” type thing, which is why Zora armor is the way it is and most of the Zora have specialized livelihoods like sculpting and smithing.
    -The Gorons don’t have a physical Thing, they have a special brotherhood with other Gorons. It’s why you rarely see Gorons traveling too far from Goron City, and almost never alone. They can be alone, like a Zora can be without their craft and affects, but it negatively effects them after a while.
    -The Rito have their songs; though not all of them are musically inclined, its a cultural thing and not a physical requirement. Kass would be considered very spiritually aware and expressive, whereas Revali would not, but a non-musician Rito doesn’t suffer for it. There would only be an issue if there were no bards among the entire Rito race, and the songs faded from memory.
125 notes · View notes