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more-than-a-princess · 10 months ago

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"I am not writing anyone off," Sonia retorted, with a sort of crispness to her tone that Shinobu didn't deserve. At least, not a Shinobu who had full retention of her memories of who she was before The Tragedy. She then sighed, realizing she needed to phrase her point in a non-accusatory way. "It is simply that I am not permitted to help any of you if you do not accept it. For my safety and yours, there are lines I am not to cross."

Even though so much had changed, amidst all of the death and despair, Shinobu Yaguchi still had their methods of getting under Sonia's skin. Even when it was entirely unintentional, words delivered by a depressed amnesiac trapped on a tropical island, Sonia had been quick to react. A time when she should've thought it through, versus others when if she'd reacted quicker and told her precisely how she felt, that the outcome might have been different. Just as well: she hadn't wanted anything to do with her then, at the end of it all.

Unfortunately, so many of the friends she'd made who had wanted her around were now gone. Maybe it was the guilt of possessing the privilege of being taken home early, before Japan had fallen into chaos and ruin, maybe it was simply because she missed them, but Sonia had wanted their memories to live on in some way and to treasure the few friends she had left who had managed to physically survive it all. Emotionally, well...that was something different for all of them.

"From what I was told, that is not surprising," Sonia offered, her tone gentler than it had previously been. "Truth be told, I am not sure if the Future Foundation understood the full extent of the Neo World Program before it was deployed for use. Time, as I understand it, was of the essence, and further testing had to be sacrificed in order to rescue all of you." What she couldn't directly say was what else had to be sacrificed in order to render the Remnants of Despair as no longer threats to society. It had been some of the points the likes of Sonia, Mikan, and other former 77-B classmates had spoken out about when the Future Foundation had come knocking, insisting they provide assistance for their cause and the future Kyosuke Munakata and Makoto Naegi envisioned. It was one of the reasons why Sonia was quick to defend the former Ultimate Nurse. She'd gathered enough courage, a feat for her, to voice her concerns as a medical professional and had been ignored, her guilt and low self esteem manipulated in their favor in order to station her at Jabberwock Island.

She was stronger than she used to be, Sonia thought fondly of her friend, but then again they'd all needed to be. Even Sonia herself, the only one of them sequestered behind the safest borders on Earth, presumably. "But it is all right. If you and your classmates are interested, I would imagine that many of us from 77-B would tell you about our class, and the ways our classes interacted. Many of us got along well, but as it is in any group, there are those with strong opinions that clashed. But overall, yes, our classes were friends."

In no small part, she remembered, due to her own contribution. The friendships she'd cultivated with Anzu, with Tsubasa, and with Shinobu themselves had broken down walls between the two 77 classes, helping them come together for group study, festivals, and outings as a unified 77th class. Shinobu's in particular had been a constant wave of feelings: joy and awe and excitement and desire and love and pain and disappointment, all circled through the course of mere months. Try as she might, Sonia couldn't forget the sleepless nights, curled in bed or tucked into the window seat in the largest window of her dorm room, hoping that Shinobu didn't think of her as the princess, the way everyone else did. Hoping that Shinobu wasn't in love with someone else.

Sonia's eyebrows raised at the movement on the line, relieved for the distraction. "Have you caught one?" She asked, though her question was redundant: by the time Shinobu had reeled in their line, it was clear that they'd caught a mess of trash and rotting driftwood. "Oh," Her face fell at the result. "Well, you shall have better luck next time."

Hopeful words, it seemed, that didn't sink in. Shinobu had muttered a retort at Sonia's yearning, before and after The Tragedy, to alleviate her own loneliness. "I...I guess I just meant in general, even before The Tragedy began," She stammered. Admitting how isolated she felt every day as the Princess of Novoselic was never seen as a positive move: it resembled complaining and resentment about her lot in life, and inappropriate for a future leader. No one would pity her, she'd been told time and time again, especially after The Tragedy: a mostly untouched country and the young woman who would lead it one day. No, the world's population would give anything to be in her position, no matter how alone she felt: that was nothing in comparison to real suffering.

So she swallowed her loneliness, like she did the rest of her feelings most days. She was here to help, and put off certain decisions she didn't want to make. In that order of priority. "Then I will send some clothing sets to your cabin," She nodded, looking out over the waves. "And I am offering because I want to help. Call it guilt, if you like, for being shut away within Novoselic's borders and not doing as much as I could during The Tragedy. But with those restrictions now loosened, I feel compelled to do what I can to assist with the resources I have. That is what I have the clearance to tell you, anyway: some things the Future Foundation have asked I keep private, until a more appropriate time."

When Shinobu's memory didn't have more holes than swiss cheese, perhaps. "You are not bad people, you just-"

"Sonia."

Even when he wasn't giving orders and leading meetings, Byakuya Togami's voice had a certain authoritative tone to it. Like he'd never grown up listening to one warmer and tender and didn't know how to utilize it for himself. Sonia's eyes widened as she half-turned to face him. His tall stature loomed over Sonia and Shinobu both, though he seemed to be making his best attempt at a smile. It didn't reach his eyes, it never did.

"Ah, T-Byakuya," Sonia greeted him, matching his smile. He'd suggested that they call each other by given names, unless it was in a strictly professional situation. In front of Shinobu, it was likely that Togami didn't feel compelled to address her as coldly and formally as he did everyone else. "Good afternoon. You do not often visit the beach?"

"Only when I have respite from my work," He replied, adjusting his glasses. He hadn't changed clothes for the occasion, still wearing his Future Foundation suit, though he held his shoes and socks in one hand and rolled up the cuffs of his trousers. Good quality attire was expensive to come by, and even though he could afford it he was still often beheld to the long wait times of transport ships. "Yaguchi." He nodded to her, "I understand you are catching the former Remnants' meal for tonight? I wish you well."

Sonia stared, wondering who the hell was standing over them. Even if he wasn't particularly compassionate, this support from Togami was strange. Uncharacteristic of him, as he furrowed his brows beneath the bright afternoon sunlight. They both had that in common, at least: they both did poorly in the sun for long periods of time.

"However, Sonia, I meant to find you in order to remind you not to bother yourself with Tsumiki Mikan's work," He returned his attention to her, his attempt at a cheery expression a terrible accompaniment to his words. "She is the professional here and does not need to be burdened further by you. You should keep to what you are allowed to do here, what you should be focusing on here."

"But I can help!" Sonia interjected, scrambling to her feet, her sandals forgotten in the sand. It was her turn for her eyes to narrow but not at the sun, at him instead. "It is just things like first aid, or changing bandages or bedding or bringing food from the kitchens as needed. I spent so much of The Tragedy helping Novosonian hospitals and convalescent homes, overfilled with refugees and volunteer Novosonian soldiers who crossed into our neighboring countries to take part in the fight. I am not performing complicated medical procedures, and Tsumiki had stripped beds and dirty linens that she did not have time to do herself. She is only one person, Byakuya, she could use any assistance we can give her and I have two hands and time on them. It should be no trouble."

"Just keep out of it, Sonia," He replied with an exasperated sigh, before looking to Shinobu and remembering they weren't alone. "You have more important things to consider, more important decisions that you must finalize. Just let Tsumiki Mikan nurse the former Remnants, it is her specialty and she should be equipped to handle it: her delicate nerves should strengthen under the responsibility, she certainly needs it."

"I'm not criticizing any individual person," Shinobu mumbled, having detected something in Sonia's reaction that seemed dissatisfied with what they had said. "I'm not criticizing anything, truthfully. I was only asking that you not write Shikiba and Miss Kamiya off entirely." Their conditions were beyond easy help, and while the medical team themselves may have been committed to proper care, Shinobu found it hard to imagine Future Foundation's administrators signing off on expensive treatments or medications in short supply for the murderers.

In Shibika's case, the flowers that grew around his internal organs would require a long, arduous, extremely delicate surgery to remove, while the spores emitted by the flowers were a deadly toxin to anyone other than himself. Any surgery team would need to work around the clock, in full protective gear, aware that even a single mistake could kill Shikiba or themselves. Even beyond that, the rest that would follow would keep him bedridden for weeks - far longer than they could spare his expertise. As such, it was the unfortunate reality that he'd need to simply endure - going about his work of helping provide for his classmates while every abrupt movement or intake of breath sent small waves of pain throughout his body.

As for Miss Kamiya... whatever there was to be done about her would take time - perhaps more than they had. As the archer understood it, she had been raised in a curious village with curious traditions, leading her to be revered as a great weather spirit in mortal form, a god made flesh. For all her life, her head had been filled with a particular form of truth, that held her up as uniquely important to the people of her village as a blessing of fortune, a moral leader, and a object of worship all the same. To wake from her simulation's dream to realize the truth of what she'd done, to see the horrid things she'd asked of her people, only to turn around and slaughter them once they'd outlived their usefulness, would shatter anyone's sense of self. That Miss Kamiya had considered herself a sort of divine being, ostensibly above mortal failings, surely only made the situation more difficult to cope with.

Among the names that Sonia listed, none seemed familiar to Shinobu. Even the talk of the 'Kuzuryu Family,' as though it were something they should know, lacked any meaning. Still, it seemed that it was important to Sonia to speak of her friends, both the living and the dead, and for that reason, Shinobu kept silent. Given that she and her own friends were the cause of the deaths of Sonia's, it seemed the least she could do. It was only when it seemed she'd finished that they spoke. "I don't remember any Class 77-B," she admitted, half-shrugging before thinking better of it. There was no reason to perform actions that could be seen as taking things lightly.

"Not personally, at least. Although, given that I know I belonged to Class 77-A, it follows, logically, that there would be another class. Otherwise, we'd simply be the 77th Class." A detached way of looking at it. Her gaze fell down, to her hands. The mark on her ring finger would be a permanent reminder of what had happened, and at whose bidding she had done such wretched things. That is, if the beating of the heart in her chest wasn't reminder enough. "I'm sure our classes must have done activities together - festivals, joint classes, that sort of thing. I regret that I don't remember any of it, so I can't say much of value."

Suddenly, the fishing line in the sand began to jerk, causing her to reach for it. It was an easy pull, with the reasoning made clear when the catch was revealed: a mess of trash, with plastic bags, soda rings, and seaweed wrapped around some rotted driftwood. "Oh," she mumbled, tossing it on the sand far enough back where the tide wouldn't easily carry it out, before wiping some of the slime off on the nearby ground. Even that was something to blame herself for - her and her friends. How much damage had they all done even to the planet itself? In some twisted way, that was what Shinobu Yaguchi lamented the most - however many gentle streams or secluded forest paths were gone, and the ecosystems with them. Even the ocean itself, vast and deep, carried the scars of their actions.

At least it wasn't a broken piece of a Monokuma robot, she thought - a not-uncommon occurrence.

"Mm..." Despair had never quite reached Novoselic fully, owing in equal measures to its military strength, quick response, and the general lack of effort put forth by the remnants due to Shinobu's own claim. Still, there had been converts - some were sent as tourists to neighboring countries before the borders were closed, while others waited in secret inside Novoselic, waiting to be given direct instructions. Shinobu could only guess at their fates. Surely they'd all been killed by now, as well, which brought with it a certain kind of guilt. Even if they had all been swayed into something so twisted, many of those who had pledged their lives to despair had once been normal people. Yet, with few exceptions, they had been killed without a second thought, while the organization's ringleaders and masterminds were spared.

Ridiculous, on the matter of scale. Kill one person, and be gunned down, but kill one thousand people and be sequestered away for rehabilitation and reintroduction into society. At least Shinobu would likely not receive such fortune, which seemed fair. "I was an international terrorist, Nevermind-san" she muttered, "it wasn't exactly a social trip." Her tone was bitter as she worked on setting the fishing line again, content enough to ignore it once it had been cast, simply perched upright in the sand. Still, their penchant for introspection kept them silent for a moment after, and then quietly contrite. "That was an unfair tone of me to take. I regret it. It's hardly your fault that I've done what I've done."

For a moment, as Shinobu turned to look at Sonia, she thought she might actually be able to look her in the eyes, only for her gaze to dip at the last moment and settle upon the princess's hands instead. "If you're offering, I'd be foolish to refuse." Indeed, some fresh, clean clothing, without rips and tears, or stains that wouldn't come out, would be nice. Yet... "I don't understand why you're offering, though, Nevermind-san." Though she wasn't Future Foundation, she was working alongside them, so the idea that she shared some of their goals was a reasonable one. That didn't explain why she seemed to particularly set upon trying to improve their conditions, down to hoping that Shinobu's acceptance of a gift might entice her classmates to follow suit.

Those dead classmates of hers, the ones she missed and held in high esteem, were gone because of the actions of the former Class 77-A. Even if Novoselic itself was better off than its neighbors, surely that alone should have counted against them. "It's kind of you to treat us like people, instead of like beasts or monsters." They didn't privilege either interpretation. They were all of it, anyway. "That's a luxury seldom afforded us, and I'm sure everyone greatly appreciates it, but it does not change the fact that we are bad people. Some of us especially so." Herself, that was. Perhaps Matsuda. Perhaps Hinata as well, if his capacity for good only equaled his capacity for evil, rather than surpassing it. "So why all this effort from someone who has somewhere else to be, and many other things to do?"

#quickdeaths #Despair Mirror!AU: post neo world program verse #(The rich boy cometh)#(Unfortunately he already has a job so telling him to get a job will be ineffective)#(He thinks Sonia is wasting time making beds and bringing food to formerly comatose remnants)#(He believes she is Too Important and Grand for that)

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milolunde · 8 months ago

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Triplets Born

Like most things, I started rewatching Sonic Underground for fun and nostalgia and ended up making a version of it for myself in my head. However, UNLIKE most things, I felt I needed to draw it immediately instead of keeping it in my head.

Welcome to the stage Sonic Subternion

There was a time when Robotroplis was beautiful, full of life and peace, a time when it was known as Mobotroplis. Mobians were free to take part in the glory the queendom had to offer. They were free to take charge of their future, build a home, explore the world. But, just after my children were born the evil Doctor Robotnik used his technology to turn our world into a place of terror. Capturing the great realm of Mobotroplis, Doctor Robotnik and his machines turned our paradise into a prison of concrete and metal.

As the source of Robotnik’s wealth, the aristocrats were left to play their tea parties and lavish masquerades, dooming my people to mechanical graves of servitude. Refusing to bend to Robotnik’s terror, he stripped me of my right as Queen, placing a bounty on my head… and the heads of my infant babies. Imprisoned in my own home, unable to aid my beloved queendom, I was left with a choice: Submit and forfeit Mobotroplis, or forfeit the life of my family. When all hope was lost, the Oracle of Delphius revealed to me a prophecy…

You must give up your children, separate, hide them from the evil that seeks their demise. Someday, you will reunite and overthrow Robotnik as the Lost Council of Four. But you must not act too soon. Cement your place in this destiny, for revealing yourself too soon will plunge your world into catastrophe.

To give up my babies, to leave my queendom to the hands of Robotnik, then stand idle for years while the prophecy became realized. The Oracle laid before me a destiny where my worst fears were set in stone. Without a choice, I took my babies, smuggled myself and them out of the prison that was meant to be our palace home, and left them on the doorsteps to their true destinies… then fled.

Sonia “Sophia” Windermere

On the steps of House Windermere, Queen Aleena hesitated. The Windermere family had been sponsoring Robotnik since he first began the siege of Mobotropolis. Was leaving her darling daughter in the palm that fed Robotnik truly what destiny demanded? Looking at the lush garden within the tall fence, Aleena stepped through the dead grass to the gate entrance and left her daughter, her beautiful Sophia, cradled in her crib, and ran, imagining herself running with her children through the lush court grass to the grand fountain at the center.

Sonic “Oliver” Oakcrest-Hedgehog

Stepping carefully through the poison oak and already-dead pine saplings, Queen Aleena carried her baby boy through the woods strapped to her chest, arms curled around him in protection from the low branches. Upon hearing the rush of a waterfall, she took a breath and looked down at her baby. Wryly, she smiled at Oliver, who stared up at the sunset sky through the dead tree branches in awe. Untying the woven cradle from her back, she placed the sky-blue hoglet in the blankets, swaddled him tight, and gave him a final kiss before knocking on the cabin door and running back into the trees, arms shielding her face from the pine and twigs in her way. As she ran, she listened as the waterfall hushed and wondered what it would have been like to teach Oliver to swim.

Manic “Maurice” Roach

Fearfully creeping through the ruin of her queendom, the new city of Robotropolis, Queen Aleena held on tight to the handle of her basket. Draped in a cloth, she hoped to disguise the cradle as an ordinary basket for carrying groceries. However, the ornate design of the cradle could not be completely covered, and the shape undoubtedly gave away that it was anything but an ordinary basket. Hoping the shadows and late hour, fifteen minutes before curfew, would keep her hidden, she tread towards her destination. It was a humble home, its front door blocked off and relocated to the narrow passage between the home and its neighbor. She loomed in the alley, hesitating for a moment as the green light flickered above her. Her realm did not have shadows before, but there she stood, skulking through her own queendom. Blinking, she set the cradle down and uncovered it, heart swimming when she laid eyes on Maurice. She brushed his quills, kissed him twice, then soothed her hand across his body, watching as he drifted to sleep with his medallion in his mouth. Finally standing, she covered the basket, rang the bell, and fled to hide for the night before curfew officially arrived. She ran with her eyes forward, knowing if she looked back she would gather her son into her arms in an instant. Tears stung her eyes and she wondered if fulfilling a cruel destiny felt much like being watched: Fingers numb and quills on end as it peered through the back of her throat.

=================

That's it as far as origins go... Sonic does still end up with Chuck a few years after living with the Oakcrest family, and Manic is still super kidnapped after Aleena leaves, but I thought that would lend better to another post. That is, if I have the motivation to make another post lol. I really enjoyed making this one. It's refreshing to get my ideas out somehow rather than just letting them stir in my head until I forget about it. WELL please let me know, of you read this far, if you liked it! I plan to do more with this "rewrite" or "AU" or whatever it is. Not sure what form it will take, but I already have how they all meet typed out somewhere and I look forward to sharing it!

#sonic the hedgehog #sth #my art #sonic #manic the hedgehog #sonia the hedgehog #sonic underground #Sonic Underground rewritten #sonic subternion

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belovedbluv · 14 days ago

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Diana Ross in Yves Saint Laurent/ Rive Gauche in the late 60s and 1970s

1- 2- Image Awards 1972 by

Kim Maydole Lync

3-8 - Studio 54 1979, New Years by

Sonia Moskowitz

9-10 Grand Central, 1968 by Jack

Robinson

#diana ross #yves saint laurent #ysl #rive gauche #yves st laurent #1960s #1970s #fur #1972 #1979 #1968 #Kim Maydole Lync #image awards #studio 54 #andre leon talley #Sonia Moskowitz #jack robinson #aries #Scorpio

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special-encounters · 2 years ago

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Novoselic festival

In the wonderous court of her royal highness Sonia Marie Nevermind, a festival most grand is taking place, the newly minted Queen is celebrating her first year on the throne, after her parents died in the revolution, and she nearly lost her head, it was awhile before she could regain her nation and become Sonia I. She looks around at the guests of honor. The food looked quite good, they had traditional dancers, peasants and nobles (what was left of them), all mingled together. Her fair blue eyes spot you, her esteemed guest in the crowd as she beckons you forth to join her.

Oh? Hello there! It has been awhile since i have seen you!

(@mikado-sannoji, @mystery-orphans-club, @mortuis-studiis, @dark-overlord-of-ice)

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mezzopieno-news · 2 months ago

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SPUNTANO I MURALES ALL’UNCINETTO: LA STREET ART DELLE NONNE

A Montegalda, comune di 3000 abitanti in provincia di Vicenza, è stato inaugurato il Vialetto della Gentilezza, una strada a colori realizzata con l’aiuto di tutti, dai bambini della scuola materna agli anziani del centro “Nonnochiamanonno”, a pittori di professione a tanti aspiranti artisti autodidatti che hanno voluto dare il loro contributo per colorare uno spazio poco valorizzato. Tutto è nato dalla creatività di Sonia, un’infermiera che abita in una delle case confinanti con il vialetto, stanca di vedere solo muri grigi e spogli ha bussato alle porte dei suoi vicini per chiedere se poteva decorare i muri che danno sul retro delle case, circa 50 metri che portano alla posta, alla scuola e al parco. Il posto giusto per fare due passi tra arte, colori e fantasia.

Il progetto di Sonia ora è diventato realtà e in tanti hanno contribuito a realizzarlo: chi ha dipinto il Murales dell’amicizia mondiale, chi il murales dell’amicizia tra Montegalda e Eichstatt, in Germania, con cui il paese è gemellato. E da marzo 2024 si è aggiunto un nuovo tipo di murales: quello fatto all’uncinetto e a maglia, realizzato dalle “ragazze” del centro Nonnochiamanonno che ogni mercoledì e giovedì mattina si sono riunite per questa e molte altre attività. «Il mio grazie va Sonia – dice l’assessore alla Gentilezza Loreta Tonello Bortoli – per averci coinvolto e in modo particolare a Agnese, Marta, Giovanna, Miranda, Rita e a tutte le persone che hanno cucito! La dimostrazione che tanti piccoli momenti passati assieme possono dare grandi risultati. Penso che Nonnochiamanonno abbia raggiunto lo scopo, che è quello di combattere la solitudine». I murales di lana sono stati trattati con una vernice che li protegge dalla pioggia e li mantiene a lungo. «Lana e fili sono stati donati da persone che li avevano a casa e che hanno messo a disposizione borse piene di materiali – continua l’assessore Tonello Bortoli – quindi non si è speso quasi niente per realizzarli». Il murales di lana ha unito il paese ed è stata una grande occasione di socialità, sia per le signore del centro anziani sia per tanti abitanti di Montegalda e dei paesi vicini. Il Vialetto della Gentilezza, nato tre anni fa, continua ora ad arricchirsi di idee e nuove iniziative, nel suo futuro c’è ad esempio una collaborazione con i bambini del dopo-scuola e una forte caratterizzazione sui temi della gentilezza e dell’inclusione. Nel frattempo, spuntano di tanto in tanto nuovi sassi colorati e le piante aromatiche che crescono troppo vengono tagliate e lasciate a disposizione di chi ne ha bisogno.

___________________

Fonte: Assessorato alla gentilezza del Comune di Montegalda (il progetto)

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loz-furbies · 5 months ago

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Breath of the Wild / Age of Calamity / Tears of the Kingdom Zelda, part 1/2

The final Zelda (so far) of this character review series is the most developed of them all, and probably has more character content to her in just one game than any of the others, and she has three to boot! With full voice acting (I'm JP voice only), a huge and personal role in the story, diary entries, notable relationships to multiple characters and being discussed by many NPCs there is a lot to talk about, but I'm mostly going off of memory and rewatching the cutscenes since it would be too much work to research every mention of her in all three games.

Design

(Ancient dress Zelda model from here)

Not going to copypaste my thoughts on her BotW look since this is long enough already.

It is a pity that Zelda didn't get a full redesign for TotK, but I'll take what I can get. The bob is really cute! And unusual among the Zeldas too, and I guess a nice way to represent that she has moved to the commoner lifestyle.

As for the ancient dress, it looks perfectly fine on its own, but since I value it when the designs have their own unique identity, I wish it wasn't so similar to her white dress from BotW. Maybe there is some connection, like Sonia used to be a priest so maybe the dress design survived through millennia as a prayer dress or whatever, but since that's not actually in the game, I'm not giving credit for that.

The bulkier and sort of unrefined jewelry does a good job making the outfit look ancient, but it's still fancy enough that I can believe it to belong to the royal family. That decorative accessory on the front of the dress is really cool looking and a nice and consistent detail among all the ancient clothes, but man is it a pain to draw. Finally I really like the big earrings and the tear makeup is a great little detail.

When I first saw the Light dragon in the final Zelda memory I thought it looked kind of doofy, with its bright colours, clumpy eyelashes, bulging eyes and borzoi nose, but it has since grown on me. I once read that some Pokemon designer said in an interview or such that if a Pokemon design looks too cool, they add something uncool to it to make it more memorable, and I think it's a pretty good design philosophy. There have been several LoZ designs that have shocked me at first, but eventually I get used to them and they will look just right. They could have given the dragons a more cool or elegant look, but that would have also risked making them more generic. Also the eyes give a good impression about Zelda's state that nobody is home there.

Character

This iteration of Zelda is easily the most fleshed out of them all, since we get to see so much of her relationships, character development, emotional reactions to plot events, and also stuff she does outside the immediate plot.

BotW Zelda's dread over the impending doom and the self esteem issues that rise from it are a large part of the story. There are other Zeldas who also worry about the Plot, but in BotW Zelda's case it's incredibly personal since her failure to do her crucial job in preventing the disaster is at the core of the story. According to Rhoam's diary, she had already internalised her duty at the age of six (and this caused her to not show any weakness even at her mother's funeral), and from there she spent her life trying and failing to awaken her powers. This lifelong crushing sense of responsibility and guilt and the failure to live up to her demanding father's expectations give BotW Zelda a very melancholic vibe that constantly pops up through the game. Though I must say that in the memory where the champions perform their little ceremony and Zelda gives a long speech to Link, her voice acting gets really awkward when it sounds like she's about to start crying with every word.

Once she finds her inner strength, Zelda gets her badass moments as well. I especially like the grand finale of BotW where she, glowing with power, calmly stands before Calamity Ganon's pig form and doesn't even flinch when he charges at her. And in the TotK flashback cutscenes she can apparently be taken to a battle against Ganondorf as a part of Rauru's sage posse.

I called out Skyward Sword Zelda for being a bit too much of an ideal girlfriend, so I'm really glad that the memory where BotW Zelda lashes out at Link exists. It works to prevent her from being just a pure maiden who is victimised by unfair outside circumstances. Or I mean that does happen to her, but letting her display some negative traits (like frustration and jealousy) that she's personally responsible for as well makes her feel more like an actual person and not just a perfect victim.

Even if BotW Zelda's heavy burden is a huge part of her character, luckily that's not all there is to her. And not just because being multifaceted of course makes her more interesting, but also I find it a lot more realistic that not every moment of her life had been constant suffering.

One of her most charming and notable traits is her nerdy scientist side. It certainly sets her apart from the other Zeldas, and also gives her something else to do than just worry about the plot and be a princess. The memory where she geeks over a frog and goes on such a ramble over its scientific properties that she forgets basic social norms is such a great piece of characterisation, and it's cute how her enthusiasm returns in TotK where she's excited over Zonai discoveries, and is also into Mineru's constructs. According to AoC, studying was also apparently something she did with her late mother as a child.

Her research notes also detail how together with Purah and Robbie they discovered various things about the ancient Sheikah tech, but I do think it's a little disappointing how we don't get much anything concrete about Zelda's contributions specifically. There's a lot about her being interested in the Sheikah technology and how she apparently was a part of research group, but all actual discoveries are attributed to different characters or left vague, so as a result she comes across more like an enthusiastic hobbyist who in the end doesn't actually get anywhere. I would have liked it if for example Purah's diary had a line of how Zelda's efforts helped them understand the Guardians better or something like that, but now you have to imagine her contributions yourself. The closest we get is how in AoC she gives one Sheikah artefact to Rhoam, which ends up saving his life, but it's not quite what I'm looking for since Zelda didn't know what the item would do, so it feels more like luck. But even if the execution didn't quite land, I'm glad that AoC took the time to give some kind of resolution to the Rhoam-forbids-Zelda-from-Studying aspect and has to admit that he was wrong. And regardless the Sheikah tech works well to give Zelda her unique identity, and it's also nice how two of her weapons in AoC are based on it.

BotW Zelda also has a playful side, like for example she runs up to play with a dog she just saw, or jokes with Urbosa about how they both had to act all formal in front of an audience despite being long time friends. She is also a very proactive character; thanks to the "find the memories" gameplay, we see her travel all across Hyrule instead of just sitting at her castle, she's the one to handle all business with the Divine Beast pilots (and since they're all high ranking individuals among their people, this makes Zelda pretty politically active as well), and BotW ends with her wanting to work on rebuilding Hyrule.

Zelda being active continues in TotK, where there's a lot of little snippets how she has founded a school, installed memorial monuments, managed survey teams, worked on gardens, and so on. And of course she also immediately volunteered for investigating the Gloom situation at the start of TotK as well, and from the stone tablets we can read how she also got into fiddling with Constructs and fashion in the ancient Hyrule. Obviously it would have been nice to actually see all of this instead of just reading or hearing it second hand, but I understand that not everything can get a fancy cutscene, so it's at least nice that this was included in the game at least in some fashion.

I touched on it in the part about her nerdy side, but let's also bring specific attention to the fact that BotW Zelda also has a delightfully weird and chaotic side to her. She tries to feed a frog to Link, and the TotK stone tablets tell about how she would ride Mineru's construct despite the protests of the chamberlain. And while the recipe she cooks in AoC is a legit BotW recipe, the way the scene is depicted clearly makes her come across as eccentric in her cooking.

AoC also casts her in a leadership role once her powers finally awaken and she becomes more confident. Honestly I prefer the insecure nerd Zelda over the charismatic leader because I don't think she quite has enough credibility to pull off rousing speeches to masses at this point of the story, but I guess it does make sense for the kind of story they're telling

Her powers are pretty inconsistent between games, BotW is obviously all about awakening her sacred sealing power, and the game ends with her saying that she used all that up. And then TotK reveals she had two different powers all along; Sonia's time power comes out of nowhere and Rauru's light power overlaps with her BotW ability a lot. But I can live with a discrepancy like this since I like the story of TotK.

Since I brought up how it's nice that Skyward Sword is implied to have a knitting hobby, I suppose it should be mentioned that BotW Zelda made the Champion's blue clothes and accessories. Though here it feels a lot less important and even a bit tacked on, since BotW Zelda already has so much going on that is more important and meaningful to her character. But I guess crafting clothes is princessy enough of a subject that Rhoam approves of spending time on it instead of prayer practice and even brags about it. A different little detail that I like more than this clothing thing is that we get to learn Zelda's favourite food (fruitcake).

In Japanese Zelda uses polite language, but no honorifics. I'm no Japanese expert, but to me this comes across as keeping a polite distance from everyone, while also implying status ("I'm a princess so I don't need to use a honorific for you"). Also in the beginning of AoC, Link (who at this point is just a random knight to Zelda) kneels in front of her and she doesn't even acknowledge him, so it appears she's pretty used to her standing. The stone tablets in TotK also describe her having an undeniable air of nobility.

#breath of the wild #age of calamity #tears of the kingdom #legend of zelda #zelda #character review #meta #totk spoilers

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