#Ganon history

[zentendo]

Legacy of Villainy: Unveiling the Iconic Antagonists in Nintendo's Gaming Saga

In the rich tapestry of Nintendo’s illustrious gaming history, one cannot ignore the formidable presence of its iconic villains. From the menacing Bowser to the sinister Ganon and the cunning King K. Rool, these antagonists have become ingrained in the collective memory of gamers worldwide. In this exploration, we delve into the depths of their characters, motivations, and evolution over time,…

[phoenixcatch7]

The more I think about it the more confused I am by the very brief appearance the triforce makes in botw (and then nothing at all in totk?). Like, it should have evaporated calamity ganon on the spot, it should have overpowered him completely. If zelda had his triforce piece, if he didn't have the Power piece to resist like in tp. He should have gone poof.

Did she accidentally use her wish early? Pure hearted don't break the triforce by wishing on it, it didn't save link, it didn't defeat ganon. Did it break? Where did the pieces go? I can't remember if she actually had a triforce mark on her hand?

Totk having the triforce be in pieces above the clouds would have been so cool...

I'm not considering aoc canon for this but also?? What's zeldas magic and what's the triforce? Did -

Did she just wish for the power to save link? To defend him and protect the kingdom? Is THAT why she suddenly became so insanely strong??

Wait I think I'm onto something here. Zelda carrying the triforce without realising and only having the strength to wish upon it in her darkest hour, but being unaware and untrained, the triforce lost to faintest myth over eons, instead of wishing for ganon to be destroyed and the kingdom restored like every other purposeful use in other games, she instead simply wished to be able to save link, to not be powerless, not be helpless.

And the triforce granted it. Which is why that's the only time it appeared in botk.

[that-one-loz-nerd]

I've been having Thoughts about Zelda being your companion in totk and mourning the fact it never happened so here's my thoughts on how Zelda would work as a companion (and if anyone else has any ideas feel free to add!!)

General

Zelda would follow you around similar to the spirits in totk but less annoying since there's not 4 of her

She'd keep the same pace as Link - if he's walking, she'll walk and if he's running, she'll run

She might occasionally point things out in the environment like "maybe we should go explore there" or "that looks interesting!" but not super often so it isn't too annoying

I think it would be cool if Zelda also had a sheikah slate but maybe one that's just for taking pictures since she seems like she'd be more interested in using it for research rather than for combat like Link

When you're idle she might wander off a bit and go look at stuff (maybe there could be animations of her taking photos with the slate, looking at a ruin etc)

When you start the game you'll automatically have the white horse from botw in the stable. There could be some dialogue about Zelda saying she's happy he's being taken care of and she's fine with Link riding him

Any horses you've got in the stable can either be assigned to you or Zelda. She'll only ride her horse if you ride yours so she can keep pace with you

When you whistle to call a nearby horse both horses will come regardless of which one was close to you

When you go directly up to Zelda there would be four button options: Stay here!, Forage, Talk and Camera

Stay here!: just what it says on the tin. If she's told to stay here and an enemy attack she'll automatically start fighting unless she doesn't have a weapon then she'll hide or run to you if she's close enough

Forage: Zelda will walk around the nearby area and collect any fruit, herbs, etc. and anything she collects will automatically go into your inventory. If there's nothing nearby to forage she'll tell you

Talk: She'll say something to do with the currently pinned quest or surrounding area

Camera: Zelda will randomly take photos of pretty areas, interesting things, landmarks etc and the camera option lets you see all her photos :)

Combat

Okay so it would be super cool if in an early game cutscene Zelda thanks Link again for teaching her some basic combat just to explain why she's suddenly good with a sword lol

In your weapon inventory you can press one button to assign yourself/Link a weapon and another button to assign a weapon to Zelda

She wouldn't be as good as the player at doing damage (just so she wouldn't be too op) but as the game goes on she'd become more involved in combat as she becomes more confident

It would be cool if by assigning her swords all the time she'd start doing more damage with them but then if you switched her to a spear she'd be back at base damage like she's having to learn how to properly use a new weapon

Maybe there could be a God of War-esque thing where she would shout to you if an enemy's behind you or about to attack (but definitely not as often cause that would be annoying)

I presume zelda still has her light powers from botw so maybe that could be implemented somehow like she could temporarily blind enemies or light up a room

OHHHH what if there was a mirror shield mechanic (like in totk but way less janky) with her light powers too but you can also set enemies on fire with it lmao

Health

Zelda would have set health and can lose it in battle or by taking damage from the environment (walking through fire, being too cold etc)

If she takes a bit of damage she might start walking a bit slower and won't be as helpful in combat, doing less damage and becoming less confident at fighting

She would also have some idle animations like a slight limp or holding her side or something

When she takes enough damage then she'll fall to the floor (sort of like ashley in re4 but less dramatic) and won't move unless she's healed

To heal Zelda you just have to press on any food (raw or cooked) and press the "give to Zelda" button to heal her

In the inventory menu there might be a smaller health bar below yours which shows Zelda's health

Clothing

Zelda is 100% not just staying in her royal outfit the whole time lol

That outfit is her default but you can change it

Each outfit in the game has a version for Zelda so all you have to do is assign one to her

You and Zelda can wear the same outfit at the same time so you don't have to buy two of the same armour each time

She's susceptible to the elements the same as you so she has to wear warm clothing in cold weather etc

It would be so cute if in the inventory she stands behind Link so you can see her trying on outfits, swinging a weapon around and maybe an eating animation too

[helmarok]

just speaking my truth because a lot of people will ignore how lukas was actually a mean girl but get on petra's ass for self sabotaging

[shannonsketches]

do you guys ever think about totk and skyward sword

Like how between the dragons being named for the golden goddesses, the master sword being both a piece of technology and also healed by said dragon magic, the dragons being the result of eating a zonai secret stone, and ganon's quip about how the people must have thought the zonai were gods when they first interacted, and how there is a strong implication that Hylia was just a Zonai the Hylians chose to worship because they didn't know any better.

And how Demise was said to be something that came from beneath the Earth (the depths) and its Imprisoned form looks kind of like a Frox, and how Skyward Sword might be a Zonai legend spread to justify taking sanction over the mines and how in the story we hear he has dark skin and red hair even though according to Fi its true appearance is different to everyone who looks at it (which is an awfully convenient form for Evil(tm) to take).

And how TotK gave context that says Skyward Sword can feasibly be stripped back into a story of ancient Zonai queen having beef with an ancient Gerudo king over control of literal power (zonaite)

and how demise's curse was just 'this will happen again' because a gerudo king is born every one hundred years

do you guys ever think about that

[rawliverandgoronspice]

Okay but. Posts that go:

"hmmmmmm Is Ganondorf Messy in terms of racial representation??? Would it be a *little* difficult to think about how to integrate central characteristics of his backstory, physical form and personality to the conflict without doubling down on the prejudices that started it all? Would it make the heroes like 5% more uncomfortable than usual?

Then maybe, fucking, erase him. Erase the things that are icky to think about or that divide people in any way --or better yet, erase the Whole Guy and start over."

...are kind of.... spectacularly missing the point, in my opinion.

Like, since when!!! do we fix racism by erasing racialized features, and therefore representation that matters to people and that people grew up with (yes even when it doesn't come from a perfect place), instead of, I don't know, the actual racism!!!

This is. Yeah. I know people don't mean it like that, and probably don't realize the dynamics at play here, but.

[windsofcourage]

HE HADN'T LET GO OF her hand save the few spare moments he had to — & . then only to ghost his palm against the back of her shoulder . first , guiding through the coda corridors / shifting past glowing ruins / squeezing through patterned corridors . then , OUT INTO THE TWILIGHT where the sun bleared . link squinted , raising his free hand to shield from the glaring horizon line . shadows cast long across the path , falling dizzyingly into focus . better THAT than the inside of that blasted tower at any rate .

STILL , HE MARCHED ONWARD , feeling the weight of her hand in his hand around a numb palm & . the prickling in his fingertips . the cityscape shifted — & . link was used to that by now . the way the roads twisted & . the back alleys turned — like stumbling over forgotten things / floors & . steel blade slick with the waters that dripped off the hovering blight's horned - helm . HE DIDN'T REALLY KNOW WHERE THEY WERE GOING / where he was taking her / knew it didn't matter / circling back to ragtime way was E A S Y irregardless of whether he could feel his own feet ( were they his feet ? ) on the ground . as long as they were safe , he didn't care .

WHAT EXACTLY COUNTED AS "SAFE" , HERE ?

the best he could offer was familiar .

SO HE PRESSED ONWARD . at least long enough until the rising tomb tower was far behind them . taking the dead with it . until the familiar sights of ragtime way's pavilion sprawled around them . HERE , at least link knew where he was going . roughly speaking , anyways . it did not ease the rattling in his bones the way he'd have liked it to — but having slowed his step and swept his sights over the perimeter , he NODDED SLIGHT anyhow .

it would just have to suffice .

THE SILENCE BREAKS . link heard his own voice a beat delayed .

❝  — . . . you okay? ❞

@silentaura / omerta nostra

[nickysfacts]

All fear the Calamity Ganondorf, the true heir of the Gerudo throne!

🔥🐗🔥

[frayedblorbos]

HEAR ME OUT-

LINKED UNIVERSE THE GREAT ESCAPE AU

I have very detailed notes and plans because I hyperfixated on it for three weeks- like, honestly- so much potential angst even if I don’t make it 100% historically accurate and only follow the gist of events. But I don’t know if this would have a target audience at all- so please comment, like, reblog, whatever-

Just show me that this has an audience and I will write it!

[linked-history]

Was going to post Shade but then realized none of what I was going to say in their information was going to make sense without this context so here is the updated First Trio with the information under the cut. Sorry if it's kinda jumbled, I tried to include as much as I could without getting too long winded or giving too much away so this is what you get.

The life created by Faore was vast though most inhabited the surface; across the desert, hidden in the forests, or spread across the plains. There were other races though who inhabited the sky or dwelled deep underground.

THE BEGINNING

As the Golden Goddesses completed their work on the creation of the world they left behind two relics for the inhabitants that the youngest, Faore, created. Din, gathering the broken shards of their power that they left behind, created the Triforce. While Nayru, melding Golden Flesh from all three of them together created Hylia, who would protect the Triforce. Faore as a final act of love for the lives she created imbued the Triforce with a portion of her own power before the three departed from the world.

From their first meeting the two grew closer and Hylia warmed up to her self-appointed guard, with his help those who lived around the temple no longer shied away from her gaze and Hylia found herself learning more about the world she inhabited instead of what she was only able to see from her place at the temple.

THE MEETING

The inhabitants would frequent the temple erected around the resting place of the Triforce, viewed as a Holy Ground and the last place touched by the Golden Goddesses, though most were weary to remain due to the silent vigil of the Triforce's protector. One day a man from the desert appeared, one who did not shy away from Hylia's golden gaze and rather seemed to house a portion of gold in his own gaze.

The one day, someone new appeared, one with a strange appearance the likes of which no one on the surface had ever seen. They had fallen at the steps of the temple near death by the time Hylia and Ganon had found them. After they had regained some strength and woke up they explained to Hylia and Ganon that their name was Link of the Zonai and that they had fallen to the surface from their home far above the clouds. After learning a bit more about his home and telling him more about the surface Link was given one of the available rooms within the temple and later introduced to those who lived around the temple.

Time passed and the three grew closer, learning more about one another and Link learned more about the new world around him, unable, or unwilling, to return home

As the corruption spread and gained power it took longer to kill but corrupted to the point of control, and those who it controlled would begin attacking loved ones and it was around this time that the corruption took hold of Ganon completely.

CORRUPTION

About a year or two after Link had arrived at the surface a plague began spreading across the surface, corrupting and quickly killing any afflicted by it. The people of the surface, unsure of where else it may have originated from, grew weary and rumors began that it was due to Link's arrival. These rumors spread and Link was soon imprisoned by those who feared the spreading corruption. It was at this time that Ganon had become afflicted by it, though hid it from Hylia so as not to worry her.

In the end Link was freed from his imprisonment to help Hylia fight against the corrupted Ganon. Though they were unable to kill one they had grown so close to, so Link presented a solution. The Zonai were all born with latent abilities, his was one that would help for the time being, until they were able to find a better solution. So Link, with Hylia's help, was able to seal Ganon away in a prison the two made together, though his Soul was shattered in the process. Hylia then made a wish upon the Triforce for herself, so that she may be reborn when the time came that his soul was reformed and the two would one day be able to save their friend in the future.

[phoenixcatch7]

Love how every zelda has a special interest and that special interest saves the world.

[gloriousmonsters]

Mememememe I want to see

please enjoy a selection from you're on a path in the desert, chapter 2: 'The Ancient', brought about by wondering what ganondorf's motivation is and being honest and brash enough he kind of likes you and is like 'sorry, kid' while murdering you to attempt a breakout in the first chapter. narrated by Zelda, starring Link and Ganondorf.

--------

You're on a path in the desert. Or... it's more of a beach, isn't it? You can hear the sea. Small crabs scuttle and hide among rocks smoothed by eons of lapping waves; the pristine sands glitter, here and there, with old coins and jewels set in tarnished metal. Pirate treasures, as if a ship was wrecked here long ago. A lonely blue sky arches high above, unmarred by a single cloud. A path of scattered white rocks, like sun-bleached bones, lead toward the edge of the water. At the end of this path, a man with evil eyes is imprisoned. A king. You, hero, must slay him; or it will be the end of the world.

Voice of the Curious: He didn't seem that bad!

- Yeah, he wasn't as bad as she hyped him up to be.

- Bad? He was very bad! I'm completely on board with the 'slaying' thing now.

- Hang on, how are we here? Didn't we die?

> I see what you mean, but he did very much kill us. That was a thing that happened.

Voice of the Curious: I guess, but he was so... sad. He just wanted to escape. He seemed like he'd been there for a really long time.

> He did.

Excuse me, who's this? And what are you saying about dying? Please don't tell me—

Voice of the Curious : We died and we came back to life!

- More or less.

- I died and it was terrifying and now I'm me and also this other part of me and they're both me and I don't know how that works or what's going on and I'm going to start crying probably

> This isn't the first time we've been here. Your 'man with the evil eyes' was the one that killed me, not the other way around.

He's not mine, and... It wouldn't be the same, the other way around. You need to slay him, not kill him.

- I get it. I'm a human, and he's a monster.

> Semantics.

Very important ones. Listen to me, hero. I hoped that this wouldn't happen, and I didn't want to scare you with the possibility. But please believe me—we're walking a fine line, now. All is not lost, but every failure widens his chance at escape.

Voice of the Curious: Really?

I do not like how you said that. This... voice, whatever it is, it seems very young. Don't let naivety influence you, hero. One failure means he's already found a chink in your armor—it is even more imperative you keep your guard up. Whatever he said, whatever he did, put it out of your mind. Focus on this. He is evil, and he will destroy everything if he escapes. You are the hero, the only one with the power to stop him. I—everything depends on you.

Voice of the Curious : That's a lot of pressure...

- I love pressure.

- I hate pressure.

 > Are you really sure I can do this?

Yes. You’re the only one that can. 

Voice of the Curious: Wow, she sounds... so serious. I don't know if I trust her, but I think she likes you.

Ha. That's... You matter a great deal to me. By definition, of course. You’re the hero, you matter to everyone. But we don't have time to sit here and talk about our feelings, whatever they might be. Your quest is the same, hero. It's time to go forward.

> (proceed to the prison)

N: At the edge of the water, the path of rocks continue—for a little while. Soon they're fewer and farther between, and in their place are footholds of debris, half-rotted hulls of wood, old chests rammed up on some invisible sandbank below the water. There have been many wrecks here, and as you pick your way forward, you see the largest of them up ahead. Splintered and broken, its massive hull impaled on the tall and jagged rocks that rise from the hidden seabed, like towers of some sunken castle. The rest of it is remarkably intact, but it looks ancient. Weathered, by years that have sapped color from cloth and wood and leached memory from material. Every detail blurred. The figurehead is faceless, nearly formless, like the... like the image of a loved one long forgotten.

> Are you all right?

Your path ends—or rather, takes a new form—at the side of the wreck. An old rope ladder leads up the barnacle-encrusted side. The old wood creaks as you ascend, but even that sound is... muted. This ship isn't just wrecked, it's becalmed. The muting of that sound makes you acutely aware of the absence of others. No birds cry in the sky; no fish splash in the water. The land behind you is already lost in a hazy fog. This is a lonely place.

Voice of the Curious: She's making it sound so depressing. It's sad, but it's also sort of cool, right? It's like an old pirate ship! It doesn't feel like a prison, it feels like... like a hideout!

Please be quiet. It's a prison. It might look... odd, but it's a prison.

Voice of the Curious : Do you think there's treasure?

...No.

Voice of the Curious: ...You want there to be treasure too, right?

I'm not interested. We have a very important job to do. To your left, across the weathered deck, a door leads to the fo'c'sle. It's not locked, but it's encrusted with barnacles, warped in its frame. Beside it, a sword is embedded in the wall, as if left there after a battle long ago. It gleams with its own light—

Voice of the Curious: It's not glowing, though. It's just a sword.

It's not—but... Ah. Yes. Well, it doesn't need to glow, does it? It's the hero's sword. It's made to kill evildoers and monsters. It's meant for your hand, and your hand alone. Take up the sword, hero. You'll need it if you want to save us all.

- But it's not glowing. Didn't you say it was important it glowed?

- What if I don't want to save everyone?

> take up the sword

- don't take up the sword

Sword in hand, you force open the door, rusted hinges screeching as you shove your whole body's weight against it. Before you is a sheer drop, lightless, only the first few feet visible in the foggy sunlight that filters past your shoulders. A rope ladder hangs over the ledge at your feet, vanishing into shadow. The air is musty, damp, and smells of moldering spice and rotting silk, wood permeated with gunsmoke and worried by the icy teeth of the ocean over the course of centuries. If this is the prison the king's been confined in, killing him will be a mercy.

His voice echoes up from the darkness, tired but commanding.

The King: I knew you'd return. Come here, boy. Let us speak face to face.

Voice of the Curious: He remembers us! And he sounds... older. I mean, he was already older than us. But he sounds much older now. 

Of course he's old, he's been in prison for a long time. Don't dwell on it or wonder about it, the more time and thought you give him the more dangerous he is. Just get down there and accomplish your quest.

> proceed down the 'stairs'

After what feels like half an hour of nerve-wracking descent, feeling for foot and hand-holds in the darkness, light begins to bloom below you. When you come to the bottom, a few minutes later, you find yourself facing another door—this one richly carved wood, remarkably well-preserved considering the state of the ship. It's hard to make out much in the light filtering through the cracks around it, but you can see intricate, geometric patterns, and the snarling face of a boarlike beast carved huge in the very center.

Voice of the Curious: What—

You waste no time fooling around and asking questions, and open the door. Striding within, you find yourself confronted with a surprisingly lavish room, dimly lit by old oil-lamps. Rich rugs cover the floor; a huge bed stands in the back of the room, partly hidden by curtains, and a huge desk carved with intricate details dominates another side of the room. Tapestries, paintings and maps nearly cover the walls, save for a section that seems dedicated to a number of weapons—at a glance you see twin swords and a trident. Everything feels a little... oversized, as if you're a child venturing into the room of an adult. When you look closer, you can see signs of wear and age—cracking paint, books with pages puffed by soaking and drying out, scratches in the fine wood and dust on the tapestries—but the overall effect is still opulent, overwhelming. This feels right for a prison meant to confine a king; it would be suitable for an emperor, confined to his office by the new regime, allowed to keep a pretense of dignity.

But across the room from you, there's a strangely bare section of the wall, interrupted by only two things: A porthole filled more by spiderwebbing cracks than glass, showing only blank darkness, and the King, who stands tall and studies you thoughtfully with pale gold eyes.

The King: You approach me, yet again, with your blade in hand. Interesting.

He's a big man, broad and heavy, a physique that might impress as brutish or sedentary if not for the way he holds himself. Straight-backed, imperious, with a hint of a fighter's grace in the way his stance shifts as his eyes track the step you take forward. There's no gray in his hair, or deep wrinkles on his face, but something about him gives an impression of great age and greater weariness. His face is craggy, but his eyes are delicately lined with black; he wears a topaz on his brow, and fine robes that inspire ideas of entrenched and confident authority. As he seems to reach an internal resolution in his appraisal of you, his teeth bare in what is hard to determine as a mocking smile or a grimace of pain.

The King: I suppose that if you try to kill me this time, it will only be fair. But I'd rather we talk.

Voice of the Curious: Ooh, talk! Yes! I want to know what's going on! Just, um, maybe we should stay at a distance.

Remember what you're here for. Don't listen to him, or him. Please, hero. Kill him now.

- slay the king

- kill him?

- You killed me last time, I'd like an apology before we do anything else.

> All right. Let's talk.

[merlindotpdf]

I know that ganon/ganondorf always serves to be the villain, like that's his eternal role, but I wonder if he ever has sympathy for zelda and link. the big bad evil seeing the same faces again and again all throughout time no matter how many times he or they have died, does he pity them for not knowing? does he laugh, thinking it dramatic irony whenever they defeat him knowing he will see them again in another life?

[fragmentedlegends]

"Sayyyy, I know you’ve been itching to fight Link yourself buuuut…he’s been my personal nemesis for longer and, well, I’d reallllly like to be the one to finish him off for good. That cool with you, boss man?"

Submitted Inquiry

His answer comes bluntly, as though he were asked to confirm if the sky were blue.

"If he falls to you, then he is not worthy of fighting me."

[jellyfishvibes]

Thinking about Ganon with the lyrics of the Last Midnight from Into the Woods

Like

Nintendo would let him be this complex if they weren't cowards

[alphascorpiixx]

can’t believe there’s a possibility of totk confirming a timeline theory I had after botw’s release but it’s happening at a time where I have decided I don’t care about the timeline anymore