#and i like what they did with the zonai a lot. they kept the mystery while also showing that they existed and had a lot of culture and tech

[hyde-nseek]

I'M NOT ALONE!!!

BREAKING MY SILENCE

I prefer totk over botw

[waitineedaname]

I've beaten the four temples in totk!! My thoughts so far under the cut in case of spoilers

The easiest temple and boss was definitely the water temple. I only had to google one puzzle, and I beat the boss on the first try. The hardest temple was absolutely the fire temple -- I have really bad spatial reasoning and I could NOT fucking navigate that map, and the puzzle solutions were obtuse. The hardest boss was probably the queen gibdo because of the enemy swarms and the fact that she kept killing me in one hit

I'm enjoying the plot a lot tbh, it's way more mysterious than botw was. I like trying to uncover what happened and getting a feeling of dread as a I start figuring it out lol I saw someone describe a realization in this game as an outer wilds moment and I like that comparison. My theory so far is that Zelda turned herself into a dragon and the Zelda apparition people keep seeing is some kind of shapeshifter, probably the one that was involved in Queen Sonia getting stabbed

Speaking of, that cutscene is good but Ganon makes a face that looks straight out of an SFM and I cannot take it seriously. Why does he look like that

I've really liked the dragon's tear cutscenes so far, i like finding them and getting little pieces of the puzzle. I found a really late game memory really early on and I was like D:

I've mostly been exploring the main map so far, though I'm still missing two(?) towers (can't remember off the top of my head). I've done a little exploring in the depths but it's scary down there, and i only really check out the sky impulsively when I fly from a tower. I'll explore them in more depth eventually but tbh there is just so much stuff to explore in the main map!! I love the addition of caves and wells, exploring those are so fun

No one knowing link except plot relevant people makes sense and is funny in a tony hawk way but I'm so sad beedle and hateno village don't recognize him. Beedle I thought we were FRIENDS

Of all the people i expected to come back in this game, I did NOT expect kohga to come back, and I'm DELIGHTED. his stupid boss fight was one of my favorite moments in botw (though I hated sneaking through the base) and im so thrilled to kick his stupid ass again

I have not been very creative with my zonai creations so far, no sending koroks to space, but I did make a rocket powered jet and felt like a genius. So that's where I'm at

All the abilities are SO much more useful than the ones in botw oh my god i love ascend my best friend ascend. I thought weak weapons was gonna be annoying but I've enjoyed making monstrosities with fuse, so we're all good there

Overall, amazing game so far 10/10, it's all I can do lately

[kriscynical]

It's Time for BotW 2 E3 '21 Trailer Babbling.

Just like two years ago, I haven't watched any theory videos about this trailer yet, nor have I looked beyond a couple dozen posts on my dash that were mostly gifs and fanart (how the fuck do y'all work so fast??), so anything here that's obvious, stupid, or flat out wrong? Ignore me. These are initial thoughts after going through the trailer frame by frame. With Mom of the Wild (MotW) sitting next to me, ofc. She's stoked.

I'm inserting a cut here because I kept going and going until I ran into Tumblr's brick wall on post content. As I always say, if you're on mobile and the cut doesn't work, go bitch at Staff. Or a wall. Both will be just about as productive.

First off: holy mother of fuck I am absolutely enamored with the animation and physics of Link's loose hair. I joked with MotW that I think Nintendo put all of the additional polys for Link's character model in his hair alone. I was a sucker for playing with his hair in my work before, so thank you, Nintendo, for giving me a canonical reason to continue to do so.

Now to go in some semblance of order within the trailer:

If that's malice going in to his arm, I'm wondering if the reason the bluegreen light goes into his arm as well is to drive out or cleanse the malice out of him, since having malice consume any part of him would presumably kill him.

That bluegreen color has been associated with Farore and the element of Courage in general, so I wonder if it's some kind of extension of Farore assisting her champion or what. That's one that I'm probably dead wrong about but it's interesting to think about nonetheless.

Just like in the first trailer, Zelda does not have the Sheikah Slate here. Since all of the towers, shrines, and pillars surrounding the castle seem to be gone in every wide scenic shot we have of this game so far, I'm wondering if the slate just stopped working or its power source finally died or something. It will be interesting to see how and if Nintendo tells us what happened to it.

The pattern where the green of the arm transitions into his normal skin tone also immediately reminded me of the sky portals in Twilight Princess.

But besides that, skydiving from Skyward Swooooooooooooooord even though a lot of the sky architecture is giving me a combination of Zonai/Windwaker/City in the Sky vibes.

I already thought the sequel was going to tell us more about the Zonai -- or even be ABOUT what happened to the Zonai -- since the original trailer dropped. Why would Nintendo have introduced an entirely new tribe/race into the lore only to say they had mysteriously disappeared without explanation? I think the repeated cries for help we can hear in the reversed audio of both trailers has something to do with the Zonai needing help, and that they aren't actually extinct.

Maybe they just went up to the sky.

Meanwhile, in the department of shit that looks really fun but also has the potential to be really, really irritating to fight... a Talus fort. And apparently Bokoblins are now unicorns.

Okay so when we see Link phase through the stone at the end of the trailer (which I'm going to get to because holy shit), his arm is lit up with that same bluegreen light. In this scene, though, his arm is that dormant dark jade color and only a spot on the back of his hand is lit up with golden light, which makes me wonder if this has anything to do with his Triforce piece. The Triforce was curiously absent from the first game.

Whatever this plant thing is strongly reminds me of Kalle Demos in Windwaker. Either way, yes, Link, burn it with fire.

Hello, awesome flame thrower shield. Hello, dragon head iconography we see everywhere in Zonai architecture.

When I first saw this shot I was thinking that couldn't be Link's arm because of the fingernails being too long.

But then I had the thought that maybe it's just a mid-transition between the long nails on the blue hand and the short nails on Link, and they'll just kind of withdraw until we see the hand that's on Link in the rest of the trailer.

And last but not least:

What.

The fuck.

Is this.

How is it going to be utilized.

And holy hell it looks like it will be fun as shit.

In closing:

I wanted to put a couple more images in this but Tumblr limits you to 10. Fuck you, Tumblr, seriously. I'm too verbose for these archaic limitations. Also:

"Aiming for a 2022 release."

Please. Nintendo. Please. It will have been five years. PLEASE do not delay this game three times like you did the first one.

PLEASE.

[brownkamm]

The ‘Failed’ Sacrifice 

~ Ooooiii, hows it going fairies? I've been recently doing research & thought about BOTW 2 and the small cutscenes we get to see. And, of course, lots of theories have come out to figure out just WHAT exactly happened to Ganondorf & why he's dried out like a prune under Hyrule Castle 🏰 So join me in this semi-long theory of what I think happened to not only Ganondorf, but the Zonai Tribe as well... Also, your free to have your agreements & disagreements in the comments. Just...don't get harmful 😅 Alright, let's talk about the Zonai Tribe. Who were they and how did NEARLY their entire race mysteriously disappear? I say NEARLY because I believe their people still live, but I'll get to that a bit later. As we know, the Zonai were Ancient Warlike People during their time in Hyrule, though it seemed their people were pretty hidden from if not all, but most of those in Hyrule before Calamity Ganon struck. We also know that, thanks to the Barbarian Armor you can acquire in the game, that they were a strong Tribe and clearly from the 3 Labyrinths you can find in Gerudo Desert, Herbra Plains & behind Robbie's lab, they were clearly WAY more advanced than most Hylians, kinda like the Sheikah Clan, but... the real question is: if they were such a great and strong tribe...how did they go extinct (or to me, NEARLY extinct) ∆∇∆ - here's my main points I want to stick with: ONE: The Zonai & The Sheikah Clan had some kind of connection to one another. TWO: They "mysteriously" disappeared all at once because of a great sacrifice they made to keep Ganondorf locked away. THREE: The mysterious blue/green hand we see on Ganondorf heart before grabbing Link to help Zelda & him up was a way to stop Demise's cycle. Because...no reincarnation. No curse. FOUR: Someone, moreover the Sheikah, was close to the Royal Family who could have possibly tricked Ganondorf into going under the castle to "have the upper hand" on Hyrule. [C]∆∇∆ Okay, so let's start with the first. I believe the Zonai & The Sheikah Clan had some kind of connections with one another, though it seemed the tribe were seemingly standoffish to most of Hyrule. I say this because if you enter in any of labyrinths, what's the first thing you see? Specifically, in the air. [IMG=C8H] [CIU]Guardian Skywatchers. And I think we can all agree that sometimes these things can be annoying to shoot down, especially if you have terrible aim like me 🙂, but that's not the point. Now I know most may say: "Those could have been placed there AFTER The Zonai disappeared" And that could be true, which is why I'm not 100% sold on them working together, BUT, say for instance if that wasn't the case. Say if someone was so convincing to the tribe that they could help them achieve the one goal they had in mind: Stopping Ganondorf. Now, I say it may have been the Sheikah who leaned onto the Zonai because it was clear 100 years ago that Zelda's Triforce wasn't awaking & without a Royal Psychic ( which is usually ONE of the women in the Royal Family, possible Zelda's mother ) they were desperate for a way to get more time so Zelda could awaken her power since her mother couldn't teach her. Now, I say Zelda's mother could have been the one with the psychic ability because it's said that some females in the Hyrule Family have this magic stood upon them & pass down their knowledge of the next generation shows signs, meaning that not ALL princesses & queens of Hyrule have this ability. As we know, Zelda's mother died when she was only 6 from a mysterious illness & she didn't have a chance to learn her teachings. Some even theorize that she was poisoned by someone close to the Royal Family who could have been a Yiga Spy, but I don't know. It's not impossible considering the time era Legend of Zelda takes place in for if you were someone with such HIGH standard, you would have a lot of enemies & needed to watch who you kept close to you... Now without Zelda's mother's ability, the Sheikah were at a standstill. Their Clan was already split into two: The Sheikah and The Yiga Clan from their technology being thrown away because the Royal Family feared of them overthrowing them, so without their greatest inventions of this time era, they needed something that could assist Zelda while she searched for that THING to help unlock her power...which leads me to the Zonai. It's clear the Zonai were around before and during The Great Calamity, but not after..or so it's said. I believe that the Sheikah, without telling the King Rhoam or Zelda of their plan, went to the Ancient Tribe and realized they had the same idea of getting rid of Ganondorf once and for all to stop the endless cycle of this curse. Now, I can't fully say WHAT the labyrinths were for. Maybe a test for Link, but they feared others would go near it and enter themselves? (Which I think might have been possible because if you interact with anyone who notices the Sheikah Slate on Link's hip after awaking, they always say something along the lines of "That's A Sheikah Slate" And never really "THE Sheikah Slate". If there was only ONE in existence, wouldn't they say THE instead of A? Idk) Maybe they just wanted to keep outsiders out & insured that with a long & complicated maze? Or maybe they were doing their Ancient Art Magic in each area to see if it were a good place to hold the King of The Desert? ( and yes, I know, from one of Link's memories that Zelda tried to enter, but didn't have access. Could it possible that the shrines were only made for Link? Or maybe that particular Sheikah Slate is like the Master Sword and only responds to him because it only has one task: assisting the hero.) Regardless of what the labyrinths were for, it's clear that the Sheikah have left their mark on these ancient artifacts and knew of more knowledge on this tribe than anyone else.Now remember, the Zonai worshiped the Water Dragon, AKA Farosh 🐉 so they were clearly those who trusted somewhat in The Golden Goddesses...maybe. ∆∇∆ Now onto my second point. They mysteriously disappeared without a trace, which is strange considering they were clearly in a LOT of areas of Hyrule. From the sandy beaches in Lurelin to the hot desert all the way to the colder regions of the Hebra..it was clear their tribe might have been bigger than most expected....either that or they were just really sneaky. I like to say that their "mysterious death" was really a noble sacrifice. Remember that if this is true, it isn't the first time someone else, other than Zelda and Link, stepped in and tried to stop the Demon King. In Twilight Princess, the ones know as the Six Sages also took matters into their own hands & attempted to stop Ganondorf by stabbing him in the chest with The Sword of The Six Sages... But they failed miserably, even thinking that the gods were playing a cruel joke when seeing Ganondorf had The Triforce of Power on his left hand, leading to the king breaking free & killing one of the six Sages before they used The Mirror of Twilight to send him away and think of their actions. Which...if were being honest...the goddesses have some things messed up about them, but that's a different rant for another time. Now I say they had a noble sacrifice because one of things we see in the short cutscene of BOTW 2 is the famous Lumious Stone that can found just about everywhere in Hyrule, but specifically underground there's A LOT OF IT. And if we read the description of the material, it's clear that some of Hyrule like to theorize it glows so bright because their are souls trapped inside. Now, clearly, there's a LOT of lumious stone in this one area, and if my theory is right tat the Zonai were one of the people who used their ancient magic to try and seal away Ganondorf, I feel it would have taken A GREAT AMOUNT of magic to do so considering we know how strong not only Ganondorf is, but the Triforce of Power. Hell..it stopped him from dying by a goddess forged weapon! YOU TELLIN ME THAT AINT STRONG!? I believe that possible not only the Zonai, but some of the Sheikah Clan, died doing a noble cause of holding Ganondorf back, or at least his body, to keep him from a new reincarnation. Alright...I know this is a lot. Take a breather. Get some snacks and a drink because here's POINT 3: This caught everyone's attention. The Hand. Off the back, we can tell this clearly Ganondorf's newly found prison & a terrible and dark one at that. I mean, cmon, I personally wouldn't want to be mummified and have my heart grabbed at by a hand, but that's just me Now from this hand we can tell it's the same color as the ones that reside around Lumious Stone, The Fallen Champions, & The Monks when taking their Spirit Orbs to give to the Hylia Statues when exchanging it during prayer...kinda like Link is the key to setting their soul free for doing their deed for Hylia. I believe a lot of spirits were brought together in sealing away Ganondorf....a lot of ANGRY spirits, but as we see in BOTW 2 cutscenes that it's clear the hand not only moved itself (or the spirits moved themselves) to help Link and Zelda when they almost fell to their doom. And, even though this is a different game, I make the comparison of a lot of souls in ONE BODY to Noob Cybot from Mortal Kombat. Even though he appears as one person, there are lot of souls stood inside of him and one of his quotes are "We are many. You are one". The power of the hand, now given to Link, could be the spirits last attempt at helping Link and Zelda seal away Ganondorf considering it seems The Master Sword isn't as strong as it use to be ten to thousands of years ago. But in doing so, they released the seal that held Ganondorf captive for those past 100-10,000 years. I'm sure the only freedom Ganondorf had was The Malice that leaves his body (which is just a mixture of rage and hate..and honestly I'd be mad too if my only escape was a spirit form of myself) and his mind, if it wasn't already gone by then. Because of the seal now being broken, our beautiful demon king was up from his long nap 😅 I mean...cmon now...theorized to be bad or not, Ganondorf is FIIIIINNNNEEEE 😍 and I would give myself to him, but we're not here for my girly fantasies. And now was prepared to release havoc on Hyrule once more. Now, I say that this was a attempted by the Zonai and Sheikah to hold Ganondorf back because even though it's clear Ganondorf can still attack in spirit forms and smaller, puppet forms, as we see with the BLIGHTS, Ganondorf can't reincarnate if the DOESN'T HAVE A BODY FOR IT. Clearly when Ganondorf dies in his physical, Gerudo form, it takes Eons later for him to reform and be born into the world again, but...his body was still under Hyrule....and it could be possible, just like the Monks, that he was still alive, but had no ability to move, leading him to release so much hate in the world that it created Blights and Calamity Ganon, along with Dark Beast Ganon And now with that seal gone and nothing holding him back, the Demon King was Awaken once more, but...my final question is...how did he get down there in the first place? ∆∇∆ I'll try making this last part short considering this was longer than I expected. Also, no more pictures passed this point. I've already reached the MAX if you couldn't tell 😅 Now this is my own thought. I believe someone in the Sheikah Clan who served the Royal Family set Ganondorf up. I say this because I can't think of any other reason why Ganondorf would be hiding below the castle and not strike. There's also my thought that Ganondorf was either led there or possible kidnapped and brought to the sacrificial grounds below Hyrule castle. And I know some might say: "Ganondorf...kidnapped? That's impossible" But we have no clue HOW STRONG the Zonai's magic really was. Even in Twilight Princess, those who wielded a very strong and ancient magic had power great enough to take over Hyrule for their terrible desires, leading them to living in the Twilight Realm, so it's not as if it's not possible that this power was equally as great, but used for a different cause. Whose to say the similar green color of the Twilight Magic isn't being used once again, but this time for good and not selfish greed for the power of the Triforce? I believe that if Ganondorf was led to this area, he was clearly betrayed. Now, in many incidents  in past time eras, Ganondorf has been betrayed by many and his power was turned against him, which I hate, but this isn't about my personal feelings on the king. I have TWO ideas of how it could have happened: Say if the "spy" for Ganondorf was actually working for the Royal Family and tricked him to believe that they were getting as much intel as possible to keep from him being killed by Zelda and Link. What if the spy had been discovered by a fellow Sheikah member and eliminated them to keep things as they should have been? What if they gained so much of Ganondorf trust to the point where he thought they were a ally that they gave him the idea of going under Hyrule Castle, hiding for a certain period of time and was ambushed by the power of the Zonai and The Sheikah Clan? The other idea is that someone was ONCE loyal to the Royal Family, but betrayed them and went to Ganondorf instead. I think this is possible because it's clear the Royal Family has dumped the Sheikah Clan many times and doesn't trust them fully (which is understandable in that day in age, but still) and a few banded together to betray the Royal Family. Telling Ganondorf of the technology they created and how they were planning on using it against him, leading to him creating the Blights and attacking all 4 divine beast and the champions, but they were figured out, forced to reveal where Ganondorf was hiding OR someone followed them and found out the truth and set them up under the castle, but maybe not all, and this birthed The Yiga Clan in secret. It could have been possible that Master Kohga could have been there as well, or heard information of it, considering the Sheikah can live up to 100 years plus as we see with Impa, Robbie and Purah, along with the monks, but idk if it was Master Kohga in particular considering how goofy he is, but some like to theorize that he's a descendent of Zant because he mentions something of his great great grandfather's magic that was once sealed away was taught to him. Not to mention, they have similar personalities and fighting styles. So it could be possible...that the power of the Twili tried so hard to get rid of ten to thousands of years ago...still lives on, but now, used for good instead of evil by the Zonai. I could go on and on about this, but I clearly need more information on the whole thing. That and this is getting way too long. These are just my theories of what may be in the story line of BOTW 2. I hope you fairies liked this one 🧚‍♀️ PS: if you didn't notice, the same symbol that's on the walls in the cutscene of the SWIRL that can found on other works of the Zonai are the SAME as the symbol of Lurelin. This is what I meant when I said that it's possible that their people are still alive, but either the people of Lurelin don't know of their history considering most of their tribe died or was lost OR they know, hold some power, but keep it secret from outsiders of the village and disguise themselves as "noble fishermen" . I also think it's strange that Lurelin wasn't effected by the Calamity considering it was BEHIND that great defense wall where Zelda awakens her power & Link nearly dies. I say it's strange because I feel like Lurelins people & the Zonai have a very strong connection, but that's just a theory. A GAME THEORY ‼️