#sub!ganondorf

[lunian]

Russian Ganondorf's voice is not what I expected to hear, it grew on me but ALSO I love this scene bc man struggles so damn hard being nice to Rauru and saying praises, it's very cool and funny akdbdjdnd

[ohno-goddammit-haych]

rock-paper-scissors looks a bit different than i remember

[rawliverandgoronspice]

I wish there were more ganon fans that just didn't make him into a misunderstood little meow meow and made him into a complex leader who can be right about his reasons but still have red flags and be selfish

I'm glad people have fun with him, especially given the flurry of attention he received recently, and I'm glad there's a wide breadth of content to enjoy. I do prefer that version you're describing here as well though! I call this reading of the character "Morally Dark Gray Ganondorf"; the kind that definitively has a point, whose whole psyche makes a twisted kind of internal sense that one may absolutely find compelling, awe-inspiring and/or devastating, but who is also unforgivable the second you step outside of his own selfish "me against the world" conception of reality --while also understanding why he can't conceive of anyone as anything but pawns in a much larger game of chess played against gods who kind of demand to be opposed in absolutes. Still: all of this is cool and swell, but, also, do you know how many war crimes you're doubling down on just because you refuse to be owned??? Too many!! The answer is: too many!!

[therealmofamorus]

Prompt

Crossover Original Stud

MK Intro

Gender bender Ganondorf vs Issei

Arena: Ganon Castle

Ganondira: *Sitting on her throne carried by a group of bokoblin* You will bow before true power!

Issei: *reading a porn magazine* I think you will be the one bowing before me~! *put away his mag and summon his Booster Gear*

Ganondira: *gets up from her throne* You will suffer great pain and death when I am done with you *summons her signature swords*

[powdermelonkeg]

You're big on Zelda, so I'm curious. How would you rewrite TOTK, if given the writer's room?

Fun question! *cracks knuckles* Let's answer it.

I've answered about the disconnect between BotW and TotK before, so I'm going to take some of those ideas and run with them here.

I'm taking the intended route, for the sake of keeping coherence rather than just making up an entirely new Hyrule from scratch. Link and Zelda are the same as they are in BotW.

To start off, I like the Zonai.

I like that they're an entirely new race of people in Hyrule. I love how weird-looking they are. I love that they're not human race #87.

I also love their bastard not-Zonai lovechild thing. If we saw more examples of Zonai, I would love for this funky lil dude to be part of them, kind of like how the Zora have a ton of variation between them.

So why don't we do that? Why don't we give them a kingdom?

And why don't we put some meat on the bones of what was already built?

There are Zonai-esque ruins all over the Depths, mostly in mines for Zonaite.

Their color palette matches. Rauru's braids and Sonia's earrings match brightblooms.

And the three dragons, who have Zonai features (segmented, color-edged hair, long ears, blunt muzzles, scale beard mouths), could have been a catalyst.

A catalyst for what, though?

It starts with the Depths themselves, and the dragons breaking free.

See, in TotK, the three elemental dragons all dive in and out of the Depths chasms. There's no explanation as to why, and the only explanation we have for the chasms forming is that it was like...geysers of Gloom.

However, the dragons in BotW are confirmed to have carved these canyons:

So let's go back in time a little.

The Zonai live in the Depths. They're underground, away from all the chaos that Hyrule has ever had to endure. They worship the bargainer statues as gods, they collect the souls of those above that drip down into the world below.

They have a rich mining industry, and coliseums for their greatest warriors to test their mettle against captured monsters.

They have their Secret Stones, and the one who's allowed to hang onto those is their leader.

That'd be young Prince Rauru.

The elemental dragons, Dinraal, Naydra, and Farosh, are testaments to why no one can be allowed to have the Secret Stones. They were consumed by their power, literally.

One day, they break free, as if summoned by an unknown force. They tunnel through the ground and into the sky, connecting the world below to the one above.

The Hylians cautiously venture below, or the Zonai above. Prince Rauru, keeper of the Secret Stones, and Sonia, High Priestess of Hylia, meet.

They fall in love.

They marry.

Their marriage marks a unity between the Surface and the Depths.

(Maybe throw in a lil Skyward Sword continuity, mention that while Hylia sent the humans to the sky, the Zonai fled underground to avoid Demise, to keep the Secret Stones out of his grasp. You don't even have to name drop him, just say they went down to avoid destruction.)

Suddenly, Hyrule (the center part of the map, based around the Great Plateau, not the whole sub-kingdom conglomerate it exists as in BotW) undergoes a technological boom. Ganondorf, neighboring leader of the Gerudo, is interested. He talks trade with now-king Rauru, but there's the sub-plot of trying to get his secrets, which he steadily grows obsessed with.

Meanwhile, the Gerudo make their own expedition into the Depths.

There. The stage is set.

Now Zelda falls into the past.

She's found by Rauru and Sonia. Adopted as their daughter, more or less.

Also, the two of them have a small child. Nintendo, you CAN'T set them up as "they're her ancestors" and then kill them childless, descendants don't work like that. Zelda's immediately endeared to the kid, who reminds her of Link. Lil half-Zonai girl with a wooden sword who swings it at anything that moves. There are memories, it's cute.

In the past, Zelda witnesses, real time, Ganondorf going mad with power. They get along well at first, he's cordial, polite, a model diplomat. But she finds his troops in places they shouldn't be, confronts him about it and gets brushed off.

She tells Rauru, he's unwilling to throw suspicion onto Ganondorf. They're semi-friends and diplomacy is important! He's got to run this kingdom right. He can't fail, this is the biggest thing he's ever done!

(Sprinkle in a parallel to BotW Zel's fear of failure)

Some of the memories fill in gaps about Rauru's power, also. He's got what Link can do, minus Recall. Ultrahand and Fuse mainly, but Rauru's been experimenting with Ascend, excited because it'll make passage between the Depths and the Surface so much easier, and we see where Zel gets her scientific excitement from. Regardless of how different they look, they ARE family.

Ganondorf and Rauru get into a fight one day. A BAD fight. Maybe because Zelda tipped Rauru off, and despite telling her no, Rauru looked into it anyways. Regardless, they march out in opposite directions, and Zelda overheard it in the hallway. As Ganondorf leaves, he gives her the most SCATHING glare.

He then declares war on Hyrule.

Rauru makes a bid for allies, trying to get enough manpower to fight Ganondorf's impressive military. It's a struggle at first, but Zelda steps in, being the leader she's skilled at being and telling the others how crucial it is that they help. Ganondorf, meanwhile, turns to forbidden arts in his rage against Rauru, gets infected by Gloom/Malice, becomes scarily powerful. First Blood Moon. The Gerudo are kind of unnerved by him.

We see Zelda and Sonia helping with the war. Sonia's got light powers, Zelda's are stronger, together they can destroy entire ARMIES of monsters, saving their warriors on the battlefield. A few instances of Little Princess trying to be involved like the grown-ups are, getting huffy when she's told no.

In the aftermath of each fight, Rauru runs around, sealing away the monsters' latent energy with green spirals. That's where the Shrines come from, though in the past, they're Luminous Stones—it's all faded by present day, the light bled out of them.

Sonia is on the battlefield against Ganondorf one fateful night, Little Princess wanders onto the field, both the girls panic about it, and Sonia tries to run away with her while Zelda affords them cover. THAT'S when Ganondorf strikes her—he's fast like a ninja, rushes past Zelda, strikes Sonia.

She falls. Little Princess tumbles.

Zelda races to Little Princess's side, picks her up to run away with her as Ganondorf gets Sonia's stone, and he transforms into the Demon King. He raises his army. Little Princess screams, and we see an uncontrolled blast of Hylia's power, like an erratic attempt at what Zelda did at the end of BotW.

It fritzes, Zelda hugs her tight and ducks down to shield her, and the power cascades across the battlefield, affecting monsters AND people alike. The war is in shambles. Ganondorf stares at the child and her guardian, and retreats in a hurry.

Cue Rauru running to their side.

He grieves his wife. Little Princess is kept safe by Zelda. The Gerudo shun Ganondorf and join Rauru's side, and everyone involved in the war dedicates everything to one final assault against Ganondorf, one trap to finally END him, to force him into the Depths and fight him on the Zonai's own turf. The Secret Stones are distributed. Rauru knows what he has to do, and at the climax of the final battle, he uses his Secret Stone to amplify his sealing magic, knowing it'll kill him in the process and locking Ganondorf away in the Depths.

Except, it's not that simple.

Gloom bursts out of the newly trapped Ganondorf's chest, flooding the Depths, eliminating everyone in its path. That includes the Sages, the assaulting army, and the VAST majority of the Zonai. Its sole purpose is to gather enough strength over time for Ganondorf to break his shackles, because the Gloom wants OUT.

(Subtly implied that the Gloom is the first iteration of Demise's curse of hatred, maybe.)

And Zelda is alone. Trapped in the past, stuck with Little Princess, her Secret Stone, and the last of Mineru's notes.

Gloom continues to fume out of the Depths, so they're sealed off. The Blood Moon keeps spawning new monsters, so Little Princess and the remainders of the construct caretakers are sent up to the sky, for her protection. Zelda's the one that orchestrates it. Her people once hailed from the sky, and it's always been known as a place of safety for them.

Is this self-referential to the history she's building, or a Skyward Sword reference? Who knows.

They go skyward.

Then the Master Sword appears, and Zelda knows what she has to do. It's compounded, of course, by crushing guilt over the fact that Sonia's death happened on her watch. She tells Little Princess to look out for the world ahead, tells her to be strong, and brave, and everything she wishes her dad had told her. Then ends it with a final message.

"I'm leaving you something very important. Take good care of it."

Then she goes off alone to become a dragon.

Present day.

Link's not guided by Rauru, he's guided by a strange, beautiful woman who looks kind of like Zelda (albeit with Zonai hair, eyes, and long claws), who has a deep regret for the world below and who knows the lonely world above like the back of her hand. She teaches him the basics of his powers as he visits the shrines.

The Great Sky Island is otherwise normal.

You go to Hyrule. The Light Dragon's the one that breaks the cloud barrier, and as she does so, she sheds a single tear. By the time you get to the tear's location, it's spread a mural of the memory it contains around it.

Whenever you Recall a tear, the Light Dragon sheds a new one somewhere else, and it's up to you to follow.

You're chasing Zelda, twice over.

Besides that, Hyrule's Surface is...largely unchanged. I'm still upset that the pirates assaulting Lurelin weren't ACTUAL pirates, so guess what, they are now. Splinter faction of Yiga. Also, River Zora take over Lake Hylia, there's a spat between them and the Sea Zora, and Yona is the princess of the Rivers.

Then you've got the Depths.

That's where you find the ruins of the Zonai civilization, and you start piecing together the world it contains on your own. You aren't told, you're SHOWN.

Rauru's ghost finds and guides you here. He has a moment of "hey, isn't that MY arm?", upgrades your abilities or shows you how to use them more efficiently (ups your build limit, shows you how to un-Fuse, teaches you DEscend, gives you Autobuild, things like that), then DIES-dies. You escort his poe soul to a Bargainer statue.

The biggest change to the Depths, though, is that under the Gerudo Desert, you find PEOPLE.

So remember how the Gerudo launched their own expedition into the Depths in the past? How the Gloom killed almost everyone and the world below was sealed off?

There were a sparse few survivors of the Zonai, and some unfortunate Gerudo researchers that also got trapped. The people down there now are descendants of both. They're not Zonai anymore, though.

They're Lomei. They evolved like how the Rito evolved from the Zora in Wind Waker. Their tribe name comes from the Zonai word for "loneliness."

Regardless, they're initially inhospitable to Surfacers, because Surfacers are how they ended up how they did. If you sneak into their city, you're captured, like a few unfortunate Zonai Survey Team members that have wandered in, only YOU can escape via Ascend. OoT Gerudo parallel.

You can earn the Lomei's trust by doing things for them (maybe beating all three labyrinths as a rite of passage?), and then they let you into their cities. They've got their own brand of tech based off of old Zonai designs. One of the Lomei scientists is working on a mechsuit—that'll be the sage that Mineru passes her stone down to. And it fits doubly, both because the Lomei ARE the descendants of the Zonai and because the Lomei technician and Mineru are both scientists.

The Lomei people give you more pieces to the complicated Zonai-Hylian puzzle, and they're the ones that first tell you the legend of the dragons-from-Secret-Stones. So you can either learn it from them OR get it revealed in Zel's later memories.

Besides that, the present plot is pretty much as normal. Still the same bosses. Still the same sages-help-with-everything, though each sage you rescue gives you another piece of what really happened at the final fight (rather than the same cutscene over and over), telling you about how Rauru sacrificed himself and the effect it had on the rest of the Depths.

I will change where the Ganondorf's Army fight takes place, though. It's ACTUALLY very hidden, like the game was trying to imply it to be when you chase around Kohga. You do still have to do that, but he accidentally directs you to a place that's hidden in the tiniest crevice near Hyrule Castle, one that's very easy to miss and sitting in a veritable sea of Gloom. Once you finish the Kohga quest, a poe hovers outside of the crevice, which leads into an even deeper chasm that leads to the Underdepths.

The poe's your help to get through the maze there, and wherever it goes, Sundelions bloom at the corners. If you go early, before getting everything done, you have to navigate that place yourself, and it's a nightmare.

But you do it. You get to where everything started, and you beat the army, then Ganondorf, then he shoves his fist down his throat and goes dragon.

As he breaks through the ground and curls around Hyrule Castle, he SHATTERS it. The building crumbles to smithereens, crashing into the Depths below.

You beat Demon Dragon, Zelda catches you on her nose, it's over. You're in the spirit realm over sleeping Zelda.

The poe appears over your shoulder, drifts away from you, then materializes into Sonia. She says nothing, just activates Recall, turns Zelda back to normal, then cradles her in her arms. She gives her a kiss on the forehead, looks at you, then says the same line Zelda said to Little Princess ages ago, with the single change of one word.

"I'm leaving you something very important. Take good care of her."

She fades, as does the Spirit World.

You're falling.

Zelda's falling.

You catch her.

She wakes up, sees you, then hugs you and sobs into your shoulder.

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom.

Roll credits.

Bonus for the memory completionists, the True Ending has Zelda meeting the grown Little Princess up at the Great Sky Island, reconciling with her, both of them saying how proud they are of each other. Then Little Princess turns into a poe, and Zelda promises to take her to the Depths so she can be with her parents again. As they walk away, Sonia's poe tails after them.

And THAT is a way longer post than I expected to write. Whew.

[clockwise-works]

Witching hours? Yup saving that one lmao.

I guess with the Zelda angle I'll omit it for now unless a really good idea pops in my head, since your also not a big fan of the Zonai and how their handled. The only idea I kinda had was instead of redoing "sent to the past to aid past warriors" like with the descendants, maybe Terrako gets damaged in the first battle with Ganondorf while using its power and time gets all jumbled up, with each region being shattered into different points in time, and Zelda missing in response.

Definitely looking forward to that interquil coffee house concept! More fluff never hurt 🤣

I swear you made a post talking about Miphlink TotK and I liked a lot of points in it and don’t have a chance to reblog but maybe I’m going insane 😂

Anyway, I’ve got a whole morning to vibe and am trying to figure out if I’m gonna vibe with Miphlink Baby Brainrot

Your definitely not going insane, I just wanna reassure you on that.

Being completely honest I ended up deleting it about 2 nights ago. I definitely regret it now, but at the time it had gotten maybe one note over a little under a week's course, and I began to think it wasn't all that good and I was flooding the miphlink tag with garbage, or that i was annoying people and directly tagging you was overstepping (which im certain isnt the case, just that late night worse case thinking). I think i also ended up removing two art posts since i wasnt happy with them, so my lesson has been learned. Don't make unchangeable decisions about your blog at 3am 😅

As for the post itself, I am glad that you liked the points! I could try to retype it up and readjust some stuff with hindsight (like instead of saying Sidon got sent off to Yona's domain when Link went missing, he was simply visiting Yona's domain prior to Ganondorf's awakening, and has remained there when everything went to shit. Still a little contrived, but not as much). The main thing I wasn't happy with was Zelda, as it seems like see was still boxed into "being sent to the past." One of the coolest parts of AoC was watching her grow and become more self-assured and confident, eventually leading all of Hyrule herself. She had dominant control over the story in the present, and it would be cool to see that continue in a Zonai Age AoC followup story, but it's tough trying to figure out what to do with her. Unfortunately I am at work, so if I do type this up again it would take some time, so Miphlink Morning Vibes will most likely be over 😔

[diamondwerewolf]

I have more-so been discussing this on twitter, but I'll place it here as well for anyone interested or curious. I have some investigation findings for you all this friday. I've been having some difficulty getting Ganondorf to un-crouch during his boss fight, so I can do some measuring on the actual size of him relative to Link. Then I remembered...he stands upright in cutscenes!

I wanted to find the exact places he's standing in the Gerudo Assault Memory, so that maybe I could do some minor overlay. Of course, the cutscenes have some camera + environment manipulation I don't have access to. Some of the set peices are a little different from what is available in the gameplay. So, I can't properly zoom out and get something accurate. Still, I think this is pretty helpful in determining how large he is. He's a known giant, but I'm always amazed. Ganon may actually be the largest human in hyrule. And that mod screen clip of him may be...correct What a big lug.

I'm talking about this, of course: I thought his height may be influenced by being a sub in for Sidon. But I'm starting to think that....no, He's just actually that big.

Here's a screenclip of gameplay from @unnoton on twitter.

[kaisers-house-of-desires]

Masterlist

💕 = fluff

🔞 = smut

💚 = not smut but not fluff, an in between, mostly may contain makeouts

🖤 = contains dark themes

Danganronpa

Byakuya Yes, Sir (Top!Byakuya x bottom!m!Reader) 🔞

Celestia Retrained (Top!M!Celestia x bottom!m!Reader) 🔞

Korekiyo Taming the Prince (Top!Korekiyo x bottom!m!Reader) 🔞

Nagito Needy Little Pup (Sub!Nagito x Dom!M!Reader) 🔞

Demon Slayer

Giyuu A Hashira's Protection (Giyuu Tomioka x Transmasc!Reader) 💕

Gyutarou Caught (Gyutarou x m!Reader) 🔞 🖤

Muzan Summer Night Destress (Muzan x Transmasc!Reader) 💕 In Sickness and in Health (Muzan x m!reader) 💕 Meant to Be (Muzan x m!reader) 💕

Rengoku Hearts Ablaze (Rengoku x TransmascxReader) 💕

Jujutsu Kaisen

Sukuna Under the King's Control (Dom!Sukuna x sub!m!Reader) 🔞 Cinderella Style (Sukuna x transmasc!Reader) 💚 To Live with You (Sukuna x m!Reader) 💕

Satoru Gojo 2 + 1 (Gojo x m!Reader) 💕 A Hands On Lesson (Gojo x m!Reader) 🔞 A Hands On Lesson: Lesson Two (Gojo x m!Reader) 🔞 A Hands On Lesson: Lesson Three (Gojo x m!Reader) 🔞 Sweet Tooth (Gojo x m!Reader) 💚

Misc Jealousy starts with G (Geto and Gojo x m!Reader) 🔞

The Legend of Zelda

Ganondorf Late Nights (Ganondorf x m!Reader) 💕 A Hylian's Fantasy (Ganondorf x m!Reader) 🔞 Inexperienced Lover (Ganondorf x m!Reader) 🔞 💕 For Every Rupee Stolen (Ganondorf x m!Reader) 🔞 By My Hands (Ganondorf x m!Reader) Over and Over (Ganondorf x m!Reader) 🔞

Ghirahim Just Shut Up (Ghirahim x m!/gn!reader) 💚

Majora Exchange of Payment (Majora x m!reader) 🔞

Sidon 1-2-3, 1-2--oof! (Sidon x transmasc!Reader) 💕

Tokyo Revengers

Draken x Skateboarder!m!reader 💕

Twisted Wonderland

Crewel Divus Crewel x Reader 🔞 Idia Attached (Yandere!Idia x m!reader) 🔞 🖤 Wrong Turn (Top!Idia x Bottom!Incubus!Reader) 🔞

Jade In the Boss's Chair (Jade x m!Reader) 🔞

Leona Shut Your Mouth (Top!Leona x bottom!m!Reader) 🔞 A King's Corruption (Top!Leona x bottom!enby!reader) 🔞

Lilia Raising Silver with Lilia Headcanons 💕

Malleus The King’s New Toy (Yandere!Malleus x m!Reader) 🔞 🖤 Crime and Punishment (Yandere!Malleus x m!Reader) 🔞 🖤 Malleus Married/Domestic Headcanons 💕 Love Bites (Malleus x vampire!Reader) 🔞

Misc Mostro’s New Toy 🔞 🖤

Your Turn to Die

Mishima x Reader 💕

Misc

Caution: Sharp 🔞

[fioreofthemarch]

Finding Her - final chapter

Link makes notes, takes photos and keeps time on his quest across Hyrule, in the hopes of finding Zelda and staying sane until he does. [ Previous | First | AO3 ] with artwork by @nocturnalfandomartist at the end!

A photograph of Hyrule Castle seated on a rocky mesa of petrified Gloom. Where once malice and corruption rose high into the air, there is nothing but clear skies. 

A photograph of the rolling meadows of Hyrule Field, with Lookout Landing approaching just over the next hill. Ahead of the camera walks a woman wearing traditional garb, her short golden hair still a little damp.

A photograph of a group of Sheikah, young and old, at the gates of Lookout Landing as they greet the golden-haired woman. Their arms are outstretched towards her, tears in their eyes. 

A photograph of the five Sages of Hyrule, crowded around the woman as they draw her into a group embrace. The woman has her back to the camera as a young Gerudo vai hugs her tightly. 

The same picture as above, only now the woman has turned to the photographer. She smiles, surrounded by her friends and allies. Despite the weariness on her face, she radiates warmth and contentment. She is finally home. 

Caption: Thank you Rauru and Sonia. Thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you tha

---

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1. BATTLE IN THE SKIES: A SPECIAL LUCKY CLOVER GAZETTE REPORTby Penn of Rito Village (Guest Correspondent)

26th Satorember 104AC 

The citizens of Hyrule were treated to an extraordinary sight yesterday after what appeared to be an enormous, demonic dragon emerged from the ruins of Hyrule Castle.

It was approximately midday when what is being dubbed the ‘Demon Dragon’ appeared. Eyewitness accounts state that a second entity, which some have called the ‘Light Dragon’, was also spotted and appeared to confront the Demon Dragon, however this has not been verified. 

About an hour after the Demon Dragon appeared, there was a colossal explosion in the skies that caused several grassfires on Hyrule Field. These were swiftly contained by brave volunteers of the Zonai Survey Team who happened to be in the area. The Gazette can confirm there were no ground casualties.

Earlier this week, the swordsman Link and the Sages of Hyrule departed Lookout Landing to mount an assault on the Demon King Ganondorf. The outcome of that battle is not yet known, and investigations continue as to whether this mission has any links to the Demon Dragon. 

More to come. 

2. A letter, with a stamp that reads ‘Rito Courier Certified’

Link,

Forgive the chicken scratch, I don’t write a lot of letters. 

I heard the Princess is back. Good for her. Knew she wouldn’t abandon us. Good job dealing with the Demon King too -- you saved all our tailfeathers there. 

Tulin’s back with us now. Just writing to say thank you. He’s got a long way to go, but I can tell that hanging out with some responsible adults has put him on the right track. Though sometimes I wish he’d never learned about this Sage business. I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve heard ‘Would a Sage have to do his chores, Dad?’ Ridiculous. 

If either you or the Princess need a holiday, Rito Village welcomes you. I’d sure like to hear the story of the battle against Ganondorf from someone other than a cocky teenager. Let’s just hope that’s the last of Hyrule’s troubles for now. We all enjoy a good fight, now and then, but a broken wing never really heals if you know what I mean.

Fly well, Teba, Elder of Rito Village 

3. A pamphlet advertisement printed on paper that smells of fireproof elixir

MINE-CART LAND: GRAND OPENING 

YUNOBOCO IS PROUD TO PRESENT THE PRIDE OF ELDIN CANYON, NOW OPENING TO THE PUBLIC FOR THE VERY FIRST TIME. COME FOR A FUN-FILLED DAY WITH ACTIVITIES FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY:

‘THE ROCK ROAST REBELLION’ DINNER AND SHOW 

MINE CART RIDES AND TARGET MINI-GAME

MINE TOURS 

MINING

THIS ONE-OF-A-KIND ATTRACTION IS NOT TO BE MISSED. CONTACT YOUR LOCAL YUNOBOCO SALESGORON FOR TICKETS. 

FIREPROOF ELIXIR SOLD SEPARATELY.

YunoboCo is the author of this pamphlet for the purpose of copyright. © YunoboCo 104AC

(overleaf)

Link! Zelda! 

Look at this! Isn’t it great!? We got it back from the Lucky Clover Gazette just today. Took a bit of negotiating with Traysi to let us use her printers, but we got it done. I can’t believe Mine-Cart Land is gonna open for real — it’s all thanks to you or we’d all be Demon King lunch!

The other Sages said you’d gone back to Hateno to rest. They’ve all got fire ants in their pants wanting to get back to rebuilding, but I say we’ve all deserved a break. How many people can say they saved the world twice? 

Anyway, let us know next time you’re in Eldin. Slergo and Offrak have been asking about you every day. Dinner’s on us!

Yunobo 

4. A letter written in silver ink on lily white paper, in cursive that borderlines on unreadable 

The 8th Day of Octoroktober, 104 After Calamity 

Princes Zelda Bosphoramus Hyrule 5 Wildflower Crossing, Hateno Village Necluda, Hyrule 

The Reception Celebration of the Wedding of Their MajestiesKing Sidon and Queen Yona of the Zora 

By command of the King, the Advisor Muzu is directed to invite

Princess Zelda Bosphoramus Hyrule And Sir Link, Knight-Captain of the Hyrule Royal Guard

to be present at Zora’s Domain on the 3rd day of Naydrember, 104AC

Dear Princess Zelda, 

I hope your recovery in Hateno with Sir Link has been restorative. As Winter draws closer and the days shorter, time of respite is often best spent with close companions. 

My dear Sidon has told me all of what happened to you in the ancient past, and I must extend my deepest sympathies for the hardships you have endured. I cannot even begin to imagine them. I must also express my gratitude that Sidon has returned to us. While he is so humble as to pass all credit for the victory against the Demon King to Sir Link and his fellow Sages, to those in Zora’s Domain he is a hero.  

It would give us great joy if you could join us in a month’s time for I do so wish to meet you. However, I will understand completely if you choose to remain in the quiet solace of home. 

Sincerely, Queen Yona of Zora’s Domain

5. An informal letter, written in an assured hand 

Zelda,

Did you also get an invite to Sidon and Yona’s wedding? Or second wedding? I’ve never even been to Zora’s Domain. You will have to tell me what to wear. Is it cold? Is there really water everywhere? Not that I have a problem with that. 

So your sabbatical with Link has been just ‘good’? I get the sense you’re holding back details. If you don’t want to put anything in writing, you can call me using the Purah Pad. I could tell, Zelda, that when Link brought you to Lookout Landing after our battle with the Demon King, he couldn’t wait to whisk you away again. And what’s this about leaving Hateno next week? So soon!

I suppose I understand. You and I have our kingdoms to take care of. It is nothing less than our duty to do as much as we can. Heroines, I don’t think I’ve ever had a holiday. Even going to Lanayru is ‘official business’ as Chief of the Gerudo. But I will get to see you, and we can talk and laugh and drink all evening. Until then, sister. 

(Or you can simply call me! I want to hear everything, Zelda. Even if he proposes. ESPECIALLY if he proposes). 

Yours, Riju

6. A typed letter, on paper with a watermark of a Sheikah eye 

10.20.104AC

Princess Zelda and Champion Link Lookout Landing Central Hyrule

Princess, Champion--

Thank you for your latest report from Lookout Landing on the rebuilding efforts post-Upheaval. I trust that Purah isn’t working you too hard and that Josha is proving a very dedicated assistant. I know that Impa’s instruction was for you to rest as long as you need, however I disagree. On the contrary, I believe that engagement and activity is the best way to stay invigorated. It worked for me after all.  

I’m pleased to report that the manufacture of a second Purah Pad is nearly complete. I’ll need to finish the work at my lab in Akkala, so will be returning there. You’re welcome to visit any time. I suggest doing so before Dincember. Once Winter starts in Akkala, it really settles in. 

Speaking of Akkala, Granté visited last week and wishes to relay that the house Link purchased from the Hudson Construction Company is complete. He also said something about not knowing if you wanted plants or children’s toys in the house and that he ended up purchasing both. I suggest you liaise with him directly on that matter. 

Regards, Robbie 

7. A hastily scrawled note bearing the mark of the red Yiga eye

To the scoundrel who calls himself Link,

You have slighted us for the last time! Master Kohga will have his vengeance. 

Already our forces gather weapons of ultimate death beyond your comprehension! Just last month, we debuted the HOVERDOOM MK.4!   

Your day of reckoning approaches. As soon as we find his excellency , you will know true fear! So just let us know if you have seen him… if you want to live!!

Damn it, why am I even writing this note? I’ll just leave it in our hideout in Karusa Valley. Link will never get in there… 

8. A carefully and neatly written note, on lined paper 

Zelda, Hyrule’s adored Princess 

I am dictating this note to Josha, as my construct arms cannot grasp a writing quill. I had intended to create an attachment to allow this, however it was not to be. 

It is my request that you gather the Sages to Lookout Landing, where Link and I have built a new balloon ship. Link may no longer have my brother's arm to aid him, but his strength and endurance have proven invaluable in this endeavour. With this ship I intend to bring everyone to the Temple of Time on the Great Sky Island. It will be my gift to them as Sages, and then I must depart. 

There are words I must say before then that I fear will fail me if I try to convey them to you in person. However, you mean a great deal to me, so I have written them down instead. 

Zelda, my dear friend. You had no obligation to aid my people, yet you sacrificed everything to do so. When I thought all was lost against the Demon King, your faith and hope for the future gave me the will to continue. It was your bravery in the face of annihilation and your vigilance over many millennia that turned the tides in our favour and allowed us to finally end the war. Hyrule will be forever in your debt and this act will be your legend. 

I am merely grateful to have survived to your era, to have met your friends and allies (whose wedding feast I was honoured to attend), and to have seen that Hyrule will be under the care of those who are not only wise, but courageous and kind. One such Hyrulean sits at my side now, helping me write you this letter. 

As a final note – during your absence, I saw firsthand just how deeply Link cares for you. When you described him to me, I pictured a brave Knight of course, but the Link I met was more than that. He overflowed with tenacity, even in his darkest moments, and while the past half-year has been difficult, I don’t think he ever truly gave up hope of seeing you again. You are to him as the sky to the stars and the ocean to the waves; whatever you dream of he will dedicate himself to its fruition. I will leave you content in the knowledge that together, you will guide Hyrule to new beginnings and greater futures. 

We will be ready to travel to the Great Sky Island in three days. I hope you will join us on the journey.

— Mineru 

---

Log date: 14:00. 11th month, 12th day 104ACLocation: Akkala Beach, AkkalaWeather: Calm 

Well, it is done. I have read every log, viewed every photo and listened to every recording on this Purah Pad. It is quite the account; the valiant quest of Link, a Knight of Hyrule, to awaken the Sages, defeat the Demon King, and reunite with his beloved Princess Zelda. 

With me. 

I scarcely know where to begin. I can hardly believe I am here at all. Yet, I am here, thanks to Link and the Sages, and Queen Sonia and King Rauru… All of them devoted themselves to Hyrule’s salvation, for which I will always be grateful. Link tells me I was of aid in the final battle, and while it is true that my power was able to restore the Master Sword, a blade is only as strong as its wielder. 

So is this it then? Is this true peace, after all this time? I myself have been restless, falling from memory to memory. I cannot shake Rauru and Sonia from my mind. They were the ones who gave me my life back after all, or so Mineru theorised before she left us. It feels like only yesterday that I was dining with them all in their grand palace. I keep expecting to find Rauru in his hall talking with his constituents, or Sonia out in a garden tending the flowers, or Mineru lost in a book within her vast library. I wish we could be together, but I take solace that they can now rest. I will honour them by protecting the Kingdom that fate has passed to my care – it seems the least I can do. 

Since that fateful day of the defeat of the Demon King, Link and I have attempted to rest. However, I believe it is in neither of our natures. We spent some time in Hateno, the first two days of which we did little more than sleep. During that time, Link clung to me day and night, protesting the second I was out of his grasp, as though to pin me to the earthly realms lest I float up into the sky again. Then, once it became clear I was back for good, neither of us could bear lazing about. The more he told me of his quest to find me, the more I wanted to see all of our friends and allies again. The more I told him of my journey in the past, the more he wanted to show me the Zonai relics he had found. We were back on the road within a week, and have just come from Lookout Landing to visit Akkala and see our new house. 

In quiet moments I have been reading the extensive field notes that Link has kept on this Purah Pad. I cannot describe the feelings they provoke in me. I am constantly struck by the tremendous efforts of all those in Hyrule. Their headstrong Princess set another Calamity upon them, and never did they despair, only banding together to vanquish Ganondorf once and for all. And Link… he suffered so greatly when he learned what happened to me. I’ve felt compelled to apologise for it, and often. When I was lost in the past I ached to return home, but I accepted my sacrifice as necessary. I never thought what sacrifice really meant. To lose yourself is one thing; but to be lost to all those who love you? Such consequence didn't occur to me at the time. 

He does love me, doesn't he? It overwhelms me to read his words, they tremble with it. Yet somehow I never knew. I was so foolish as to never even tell him myself. All that time together, before the Calamity, before the Upheaval, and we never said such simple words. We took for granted that which felt obvious but could be so much richer if confessed. We’ve remedied that now, many times over. And I do love him, more than anything, and I want the life he dreamed of for us. Certainly, we have already begun, first with the house in Akkala, and lately with much practice at the necessary steps towards a family of our own. (I do hope no one but Link ever reads this.)

To that point, this will be my only entry into this particular Purah Pad. It is no longer mine. Through every hardship and triumph of the past half year, this little device has been Link’s constant companion. So I entrust it to him now, to continue recording our story and the story of Hyrule. I pray it will be a good one, though perhaps with a little less excitement than what has occurred thus far.

By the Goddess’ Grace,

Zelda 

A photograph of Link, resting underneath the shade of a palm tree on Akkala Beach. He wears his ancient Zonai tunic – a makeshift beach outfit – and has his hair loose. His eyes are closed and he appears to be taking in the warmth of the sun, and the cool of the ocean breeze. 

Caption: I better wake him up, the sleepyhead...

---

Log date: 14:30. 11th month, 12th day 104ACLocation: Akkala Beach, AkkalaWeather: Calm

A lot has happened. Plenty to write. This Purah Pad has given me a voice I didn’t know I had. Think I’ll start with an account of how we defeated the Demon King (or Demon Dragon) for that Lucky Clover Gazette column Penn mentioned… 

But not now. Not for a long while. 

Zelda’s here. We’re both here. It’s a sunny Autumn day and we have a home to go back to, one that’s up on a hill, overlooking the sea. I’ll make her dinner; a meat and rice bowl maybe, with ginger and Hyrule herb? Then tomorrow we’re back on the road – the whole Kingdom is ours to explore. I’m up for anything – somewhere new to find, someone new to meet, a new puzzle, a new enemy, a new fight. I can face it all, face anything, with her or without. But it doesn’t matter, not right now. She's here, in my arms, watching me type this. Better not write too long. Fate gave us back the time we nearly lost. I’m going to make the most of it. 

Until next you hear from me, 

Link 

A photograph of Link and Zelda, together on the shore of Akkala Beach, the sun shining above. Link laughs and blushes as Zelda snaps the photo – still smitten, even after all this time. 

Caption: Home and heart, heart and home. 

artwork by the wonderful @nocturnalfandomartist

[catreginae]

LU x Demon Slayer

I don't have the time or motivation to start a whole giant crossover fic but I still think about it from time to time because it is fun and the tags I got on my last post made me think.

Anyway, due to ramblings, this is going to have a cut!

Also, this post will assume you're caught up with the anime up to the end of the Hashira Training Arc. I haven't read the manga so I'm doing a lot of heavy lifting with the anime.

If I did a crossover, it would be a fusion. I want the boys to use breathing styles and I like to imagine that they're all hashiras being sent down to track down a troublesome demon who is turning others into demons on mass (Dink's ability to infect monsters to make them stronger is kind of like how receiving the blood of a demon also makes you a demon).

Basic Story Elements

The fic would be mostly about taking down Demon Dink. Demon Dink could fill the role of Muzan but if we're wanting it to be more Zelda like, Demise could also be Muzan and bosses like Ganondorf, Zant, and Cia could be part of the Twelve Kizuki. Choices!

Unfortunately, making them all hashiras kind of makes it hard to have the Tanjiro, Inosuke, and Zenitsu trio. It also makes it hard to have a Nezuko. However, if only most of them are hashiras, then we could make a trio. I think either Colin or Aryll could work as a family member turned demon (even though they are a tad young, I think) and have Wind or Twilight be Tanjiro. You could make a trio from whichever boy you like.

One last thing is that Lon Lon ranch is totally the Butterfly Mansion and Malon is always around to nurse everybody back to health.

Breathing Styles

Now for the fun part! I feel like a lot of this could be debated because it's so open to interpretation! It also doesn't seem uncommon for people to just make up their own style (looking at you, Inosuke) which would also fit the guys. I also tried my best to give everybody a different one.

Warriors - flame breathing. Warriors has always felt like a fire guy to me and that might because I strongly associate him with the fire rod. What captured my imagination the most is that Flame Breathing has a form that resembles a dragon and Warriors can use his fire rod to summon a dragon (gif credit - click for more gifs of Warriors using his fire rod). I can't shake the fire vibes from Warriors, honestly.

Wind - Wind breathing. I know, I'm lame for picking a breathing style with his name in it but Wind is the guy who teleports via cyclones and what does wind breathing look like? It's the most obvious style you could pick for him but it works. No need it make it complicated..

Twilight - Stone breathing. We haven't see much of stone breathing in the anime yet but I feel like Twilight could sub in for Gyomei well. Both have a past of looking after young children, both like cats, both are strong (Gyomei's whole section of the Hashira training regiment is essentially strength training), and both of them use a giant spiky ball on a chain. I'm not sure if you need a flail for stone breathing but like I said, I feel like Twilight is a decent stand in for Gyomei, who uses this breathing style.

I couldn't find a gif of Twilight using it so you get this picture I took from Zelda Dungeon:

Four - mist breathing. Mist breathing is about being hard to predict (as if shrouded in fog), which I think is something that suits Four, who uses his height and agility to his advantage. It kind of makes me think of that page in The Shadow 2 where he dives under a lizalfos to give Time an opportunity for a sneak attack. Four was kind of tricky for me but now I kind of love the idea of him using this style.

Legend - water breathing. This is another one where I don't have anything super concrete Water breathing is versatile and lends itself well to being modified, which I think suits somebody who can be called a veteran. I also like how much it flows, which fits with the dancer headcanon a lot of people like for him. I think Legend would in particular would excel at it to the point of making his own forms for it like Giyu has.

And now, for the guys that gave me a harder time.

Sky - thunder breathing. I think thunder breathing suits Sky thematically in that Sky actually used lightning in his fight with Demise. It's a semi-popular headcanon for him to have the ability to manipulate lightning because of this. Sky is capable of being fast as well, so I don't think Thunderclap and Flash is out of the question for him either.

However, I can't quite let go of the hinokami kagura/sun breathing because that's the first style and in LOZ, he's the first hero. I think anything that looks like fire suits him a lot but I do have a hard time letting it go. Maybe he learns thunder breathing first and sun after.

Wild - beast breathing. Beast breathing is one that Inosuke made up himself with little influence from anybody else because he didn't really grow up with people. I think this sort of things suits Wild, who had to learn to not just survive but thrive in the wilds.

I also kind of like sound breathing for him but ultimately, I figured beast suits him a bit better. I also think it would be cool if before he got amnesia, he had a completely different breathing style and learned something new while he was out on his own without his memories.

Hyrule - thunder or flaming derivative? I feel like Hyrule is also someone who is likely to end up with his own unique breathing style, though I can't figure out if thunder or fire would suit him better because both work. I'm stumped.

Time - maybe sound-breathing? Sound breathing, at least the way Tengen uses it, is flashy, loud, and also uses giant blades on a chain. Tengen also sees battle in a musical sense in that he reads a demon's battle style as a musical score and Time's one of the most musically inclined. Legend would be the other only person who compare in that department.

However, I'm not completely sold on Time using sound breathing because I think stone breathing suits him too and I'm kind of mad about that. I also have a hard time seeing Time using the amount of explosions that Tengen uses. We could turn him into an Urokodaki-like figure and we just have two people who use stone breathing but ehhh, I don't exactly like a retired hashira or demon slayer travelling around with ones who are on active duty.

Anyway, that is it from me. I would love to see what other people have in mind!

[ladyrijus]

I'm not sure if the creators realize, but based on its title alone, Tears of the Kingdom has the potential to turn around the entire Legend of Zelda franchise in terms of its storyline.

Let me explain.

I think we can all agree that in most of the games, there is a core narrative of light versus evil that outlines the game. Link and Zelda are the benevolent heroes of the story and Ganondorf / Ganon is the irredeemable villain. Storywriters for the franchise like to use this formula for the franchise because hey, it's worked so many times, and gained lots of reception, so why not?

But just because it has worked doesn't mean it's right or suitable. 

Firstly, given the history of our world, it is problematic that the face of evil for this game series is a dark skinned man from a tribe of women who are based of the caricatures and sexualization of women raised in the MENASA regions (MENASA stands for the Islamic countries in Middle East, North Africa, South Asia) and the face of good is always two white characters who are held in the highest regard. Not to mention, Ganondorf and his foster mothers Koume and Kotake had their character designs in Ocarina of Time based on anti-semetic caricatures. This overall set-up speaks volumes already, but it doesn't stop there. The franchise decided to expand upon the lore of the Gerudo in Ocarina of Time, Wind Waker, and Twilight Princess, explicitly and implicitly establishing that the tribe was, in fact, oppressed, ostracized, and underwent genocide. Some people may argue that this information is up for debate, given that a lot of it comes from Ganondorf who is an unreliable narrator; however, this argument fails to consider that even then, it never proves that Zelda and Link are any more trustworthy. After all, the victors write history. With these complexities added in, it becomes hard to discern who exactly is in the right or wrong. In reality, the matters were never black and white to begin with.

This segues to my next point: the light versus darkness trope is not suitable this time around. It's a very two dimensional, inaccurate representation of the world of Hyrule that conflicts with the goals the creators are trying to achieve in Tears of The Kingdom. If they truly wanted to concentrate on the duality between light and darkness, they've already done it with Breath of the Wild. We had Calamity Ganon, a sub-sentient manifestation of hatred that sought nothing but death and destruction, and it was up to Link and Zelda, who strove for the preservation of life and progress, to seal it. So why continue to expand on that? Why bring back Ganondorf? Personally, I see no point in his return. 

Unless… the "Tears" of the Kingdom refer to the Sheikah. 

"But, wait!" you ask, "All this talk about the Gerudo and for what? What does the Sheikah have to do with this?" 

To explain this we'll have to start at the beginning. No, not Skyward Sword, though it shares striking similarities with Tears of the Kingdom, such as the return of the magatama relics, a character with a likeness to Demise, and the juxtaposition between land and sky. No, we have to go before even then. We have to go to the Era of Hylia.

The Legacy of Hylia

Not much is known about Hylia beyond the fact she was meant to protect the Triforce as supposedly ordained by the Golden Goddesses and the people worshipped her for it. But, notice how we learn this story through Fi, a creation of Hylia, with few additions from Impa, from the Sheikah tribe that Hylia established herself. The Triforce is seen as something to protect in this story they share, though interestingly, the relic itself is designed to be as unbiased and uncaring of the individual that seeks it out. It is, without a doubt, divine (as it quite literally is a means to warp reality), but there is also no tangible morality associated with it.

So why did the Golden Goddesses think it had to be protected? Why is Hylia chosen to do it?

…Why did Demise go for it?

If it wasn't clear enough, Hylia is much more flawed than the creators let on. She feels entitled to the Triforce, though there is no reference but the Golden Goddesses (whom no one has ever witnessed) that says she should. It's selfish, almost childish even, that she gatekeeps it away from any user. It's human. Perhaps her traits are a reflection of the time she had spent with the civilization that worshipped her. Because of this, I consider her to be a demigod rather than god. Not so distant and otherworldly like the Golden Goddesses, but a force of nature that can't be subdued but still respected. Time is ruthless, it flies and it trudges. But I digress. In short, for all that is said about Hylia and her divinity, she was certainly stubborn in her efforts to prevent anyone from wielding the Triforce so that her world could remain the way it is, perfect and idyllic. 

But that's the thing, life was not idyllic like she wanted the Sheikah and the rest of the world to remember; no, it was terrible enough to spur Demise and his "demon" forces to seek out the Triforce as a means to wrest control from her. Again, I want to make it clear that Hylia and Demise go beyond the bounds of good and bad. A lot of lives were lost to Demise, to the point the humans nearly went extinct. There's little to redeem on that end. But we're never told the stories from the other side of the battle, so who's to say they hadn't suffered as much extreme casualties? Either way, there had to be something Hylia had done (or even not done) for Demise to take severe measures. The hatred he feels is all consuming, but there is something to be said about how hate does not bloom spontaneously — it is cultivated and grown. Keeping all of this in mind, I sometimes wonder if Demise's name was in relation to Hylia, as in he was her Demise, and that those demon forces of his were actually the demonized. We'll never know. But what we do know, is that the Triforce was the Golden Goddesses' way of giving hope to the mortals, to be able to use divine power to shape the world as they see fit (at least, according to the first Zelda, which is a fantastic moment of irony if you ask me) and Demise had every intention of seeing his future through.

The Sheikah's Story

Now, let's fast forward a few eons and come back to the tears. Many people have associated the tears from the title to be the magatama relics seen with Zelda, Sidon, Riju, Tulin, and Ganondorf. But the tear's symbolism in the franchise has been around for much, much longer, thanks to the existence of the Sheikah. The tear is a part of the eye symbol for the Sheikah, and according to the The Legend of Zelda Encyclopedia, it represents their willingness to go any lengths so as to support their divine mission of protecting the Royal Family that possesses the blood of the goddess Hylia. Given that information alone, wouldn't it make sense that the title "Tears of the Kingdom" refers to the Sheikah?

"Okay sure, but what role would they play in the game?" That's not the point. It's not the role they play now. It's the role they played in the past. Something of particular interest to me when it comes to the Sheikah is how differently the Sheikah are characterized between the games of Skyward Sword, Ocarina of Time, and Breath of the Wild. In Skyward Sword, they were a tribe who patiently for the day to protect the goddess's reincarnation and went so far as to transport her through time repeatedly. In OOT, they were agents who went so far as to secretly carry out the Royal Family's dirty work. In BOTW, they were inventors and sorcerers who went so far as to recreate divine power to protect the land. 

But guess what never changes? The fact that they write history.

Above everything else, they are the storytellers, and they have seen everything. The good, the bad, and the ugly. But with the role of storytelling, they have the ability to alter it, embellish it. And in the Sheikah's case, they have a tendency to omit the negative, so as to promote support for the goddess and her Royal Family. Think about it: Impa never explains why Demise wanted to take control of the world in Skyward Sword and she's the first to jump to fix issues at the Shadow Temple in Ocarina of Time so no one has to bear witness to what the temple had actually turned into. If she did, Hyrule would surely fall into chaos. To Hyrule, the governing powers like the goddess Hylia and the Royal Family are the pinnacle of morality. That image can't be compromised.

And for a time, it wasn't, until we reach Breath of the Wild. That's when things get interesting.

In the tapestry, as shown above, a majority of it is occupied by the tale of the warrior with the spirit of a hero, a princess with divine power, and a technological army pioneered by Sheikah. That's what the game's creators want you to see. But do you see that little strip at the bottom?

Yeah, that. It's a tiny piece of the story but it's a big one. By now, most game fans know that is the history of how the Yiga Clan came to be. Cado, one of the Sheikah that stands guard in front of Impa's home, elaborates on this imagery, remarking that once upon a time, the Royal Family (more specifically the King of Hyrule) did turn on the tribe that swore nothing but utmost loyalty to them.

Of course, this seems counterintuitive. Why punish the people who protected you? What was their sin? As far as we're told by Cado, Sheikah technology had once been praised as "the power of the Gods". Now, I won't get into too much detail about this, but the Triforce, which you might have noticed isn't really mentioned by word of mouth in Breath of the Wild, is now a power of the Royal Family that is passed down. All parts of it. It's a lot to take in, given my lack of elaboration, but I recommend watching THIS video by Monster Maze who does a fantastic job exploring the nature of the whole Triforce being hosted in an individual body.

But what I want you to take out of this information is how there is, essentially, a rivalry between the Sheikah and the Royal Family, a sudden leveling of the playing field that the latter party does not want. It's eerie how similar they act as their ancestor god. The entitlement is present yet again: you cannot change the world like I can, you cannot be as powerful as I am. I have the final say. This certainly paints a more explicitly, vicious picture of the Royal Family, but it's nothing really new. After all, the Sheikah remember everything cruel that had been done to others by this family, by them, but hid it for the purpose of the "greater good". But once they become the target, everything changes. The Sheikah don't remove it from history. They remember it. Some more passionately than others.

Ties between the Gerudo, the Sheikah, and the Yiga.

Something else on the Sheikah tapestry that seemed out of place for me is the depiction of the hero.

He is clad in green, which one would imagine, is a reference to Link's green motif throughout the games. However, I fully believe that detail is a red herring — that is to say, it's meant to throw us off. And from what I have seen, most fans of the game agree. Why? Because that same individual has red hair and a sword that looks more like a golden claymore than the sword that seals the darkness. And well, given that the Gerudo are the ones who use golden claymores, plus the way the figure is drawn to have a knee bent, there can only be one person this image is referring to:

Ganondorf.

Keep in mind how the Sheikah have erased his name, but did not erase him, and that the Yiga swear their allegiance to Calamity Ganon. To be completely honest, I think the Calamity did not have the name Ganon to it 10,100 years prior to the events of Breath of the Wild. But, to explain why it suddenly does in Breath of the Wild, I do believe Ganondorf had a calling to malice, whether the kind left behind by the Calamity or the kind that was already existing throughout the land. Read THIS post by @golvio to get an idea of what I mean. The only change I would make regarding this theory is that the people did not originally see the malice as inherently evil. A little rot was needed to clear the space for new growth. But with great power comes great responsibility, and I think Ganondorf might have utilized the malice in a manner the King of Hyrule was not pleased with. 

How so, and why? Well there can be different reasons to choose from for the creators, but I have a personal favorite theory that explains why the Sheikah and Yiga remember Ganondorf more acutely than even the Royal Family and why there's ruins in the Gerudo Desert: As a last resort, to protect the Sheikah who helped him defeat the Calamity, and to reclaim the technology they lost, Ganondorf used the malice to take over the guardians and to get rid of the soldiers wiping out the civilians. In response, Zelda from that time was tasked with defeating him with the help of the other "Sages" (those who possess the magatama relics/tears) and one of those sages sealed him away with the Zonai hand. Zelda's betrayal breeds the hatred that Demise foretold would reincarnate, time and time again, leading to Ganondorf internally accepting that a peaceful world is a world without the Kingdom of Hyrule, without the Royal Family, completing the cycle once more.

And so here it comes, the big storyline change that Nintendo stands on the precipice of:

To break the cycle, Ganondorf is not the one that needs to necessarily be redeemed. It's Zelda. That isn't to say that Ganondorf isn't flawed and should not repent; there are a million things he could have done better or have not done, whatever it is that lead him to be sealed. And what I mean by Zelda having to be redeemed is that even though she technically has done nothing personally to Ganondorf, it is her blood that binds her to the ancestors who spurred the very hatred that fueled the Calamity and left behind a legacy built on the maintained misfortune of others. If anything is to change, she must be the first to cast aside her fear so that the cycle cannot repeat again, and instead work on understanding her family's past and building her faith. And no, I don't mean her faith in the goddess (she has lost too much trying to), but faith in the goodness of a man who was unfairly pushed to become the worst version of himself to protect the helpless.

[sol-lar-bink]

So I've been in a big anime mood lately (got another old anime piece in the works lmao), so I've been watching clips on youtube.

One stood out to me from a youtube short, so i looked up the name for more clips...

Literally called "Chillin' In Another World With Level 2 Super Cheat Powers". And someone on youtube has just posted all 12 episodes in a 4hr video lmao. So I've been watching that on and off all day.

Despite some... very obvious anime designs, its such a wholesome show honestly, its been really nice to watch something more happy.

Some scenes feel a bit samey but i dunno, I've enjoyed it so far (:

Its dubbed too, very well imo! Tho it switches to sub around the 3hr mark lmao.

Dark lord kinda hot ngl... kinda makes me think of Ganondorf. Main character kinda has Links BotW hair. Wolf girl wife. Like ACTUALLY CUTE MARRIED COUPLE STUFF. ACTUAL!!!!

[deuterosapiens]

Binged Captain Laserhawk: a Blood Dragon Remix last-night.

So, aside from having a title so ridiculous that I will not be able to say it aloud with a straight face (heh), this thing was awesome. Weird as actual hell, but awesome.

We are talking Grade-A insanity here.

This show is a Ubisoft themed wonderland of beautiful violence and absurdity. So you have Rayman as the mouthpiece of a technopocalyptic Big Brother post-Usonian society, who goes down a drug-addicted rabbit (Rabbid?)-hole after being fired for calling out one of the city's superhero elite watchmen (who I'm sure I would care about if I had ever bothered to play Rainbow 6,).

Meanwhile, our hero, Awesome McCoolname, Dolph Laserhawk (our MC), is living through a rousing case of "my boyfriend betrayed me to Kickstart a revolution" (we've all been there), which results in him being confined to the Ubisoft Suicide Squad featuring Uncle Pey'j and Jade (from Beyond Good and Evil, a game which I've played like a dozen times), a frog-man Assassin, and a real-world wrestler whose name I can't remember, nor do I care ro since he basically exists to demonstrate that, in true Suicide Squad fashion, failure to follow the rules is a recipe in getting your head blown to tiny little gooey pieces.

If you've ever seen There Will be Brawl, the Super Smash Bros fanseries starring Matt Mercer as Ganondorf (and a Hannibal Lecter-inspired Kirby), this show kind of reminds me of that.

And to wrap this post up, I cannot praise the animation enough. It's fluid and gorgeous, vibrant when necessary. There's an experimentality to it that's also very cheeky. You'll see drastic style shifts that exist, to me, exclusively to remind you that this is a video game property and you should treat it as such.

I should probably make some comment about the sub-title or something, but I've never played Far Cry, and therefore have no opinion on that aspect of the show.

So, this thing which will probably be my new obsession for the next six months, has the perks of looking good, having interesting characters with very distinct personalities, traumas, and representations, gloriously creative violence, and an entire society of fur-bait.

This, this one I like. Might finally finish Castlevania, after this.

[rawliverandgoronspice]

I have to say. Drawing and rendering the Ganondorf Kneeling Scene from OoT one night before learning whether I'll eventually need to consider getting rid of my dual citizenship or having to become a sub-citizen sure is hitting different. :)

[blood-starved-beast]

honestly going into the twilight princess manga nobody ever told me it was gonna be shoujo as hell and that Link and Midna's relationship would be very clearly sub/dom dynamic. Or that there would be massive amounts of Link whump. Or that Zelda and Ganondorf would have their own humanized version of the Hylia vs. Demise rivalry. The ending where Link rides into the sunset following the Hero's Shade that is simultaneously sweet, nostalgic, sad, and all around ambiguous?

People were saying it was good, didn't expect it to be good and catered to me personally that's what I'm saying.

[unsweetenedsugar]

Huh, just realised in English Ganondorf’s dialogue before dragonification was quite different from the Chinese sub (and I think original Japanese as well?)

So, English Ganondorf said Link will not stop him rule Hyrule and he will sacrifice everything to destroy Link, but in Japanese version, it’s something like:

‘I am the king who rules it all… how can I be defeated by a mere mortal… I won’t accept it… this body is no longer needed, and you will go to hell with me! I’ll bring enteral darkness to the world!’

Which sounds to me more like desperation and ‘if I can’t win then nobody wins’ mentality