#tp theory

[gay-for-the-moon]

I’VE FIGURED IT OUT

IT’S THE SAME HAND

This is the single illustration of the ancient Interlopers that we have pretty much at all. It’s from the Twilight Princess manga. The Interlopers, or the Dark Interlopers as they’re sometimes called, were powerful magic users who tried to take control of the Sacred Realm and were subsequently banished. Banished to the Twilight Realm.

The Interlopers became the Twili. And I think the Zonai were the Interlopers.

We don’t know much about the Zonai, but we do know two things: They were “strong magic wielders” (from the Zelda fandom wiki), and they disappeared. The stories match.

And honestly, what better way to subvert the theme of an endless cycle of light versus dark than to explore the people who discovered the in-between?

[scopophobia-polaris]

I didn't even conclude my Ganondorf thoughts on Bloo's poll like an idiot

[zeldaversed]

When does BoTW/ToTK take place?

It's a common debate that hasn't for certain been solved. Let's talk about it.

Zelda fans have been debating on where Breath of the Wild (and it's sequel, Tears of the Kingdom) takes place since the game came out.

If you're new to the Zelda universe and just started with Breath of the Wild/Tears of the Kingdom, the timeline of the video game series takes place over millennia, and there are a lot of different branches with different outcomes branching out from one pivotal game, Ocarina of Time.

First releasing on the Nintendo 64 in 1998, Ocarina of Time revolutionized the Zelda universe. It won six awards at the second Annual Interactive Achievement Awards: Game of the Year, Console Game of the Year, Console Adventure Game of the Year, Console Role-Playing Game of the Year, Outstanding Achievement in Interactive Design, and Outstanding Achievement in Software Engineering (and has since won many more). It was the first in the series to showcase 3D graphics, bringing with it a beautiful soundtrack that has stuck with players even 26 years later. It revolutionized combat mechanics with the introduction of Z-targeting, and was named the greatest video game of all time by numerous sources, and is the highest-ranking video game on MetaCritic. In 2011, it was re-released on the 3DS with better graphics and with the option to play in 3D. A more difficult version, Master Quest, was available on GameCube and the 3DS. Its sequel, Majora's Mask was also a game-changer, winning multiple awards in its own right.

Not only did Ocarina of Time completely change The Legend of Zelda's future installments, it introduced multiple timelines through Hyrulean History. Instead of looking at Zelda as a game franchise (we'll save that for a different post), let's talk about its fictional history.

In the 2011 book Hyrule Historia, Zelda fans were able to learn about the production process of their favorite games, including concept art and final designs. The book was released just about a month after Skyward Sword, another legendary game, to go with The Legend of Zelda's 25th anniversary. It included a lot of material on how Skyward Sword came about, focusing on the new game.

Before this book, fans had a vague idea of the history and timeline of The Legend of Zelda. Events were blurry and oftentimes confusing. For the first time, Zelda fans could visualize the entire Zelda history-- and were treated to a full historical rundown of each game and where it fits in.

Since the release of BoTW/ToTK, people are unsure of whether or not this timeline is still accurate. If it's not accurate, then we have no clear way of knowing what game comes when, or even if Skyward Sword is the first game.

[In another post, we'll go more in-depth on each game, its specific story, and its place in Hyrulean history. This post will only target BoTW/ToTK.]

So far, the game's creators have neither confirmed nor denied outright whether or not the timeline released in Hyrule Historia is still accurate, although they have confirmed that BoTW/ToTK take place after all previous games.

But which timeline?

We can try to find this out by looking at what Easter Eggs can be found in BoTW.

In the northern part of Hyrule Field is a small gathering of ruins just called "Ranch Ruins." Despite not being on a plateau, the ruins are nearly identical to Lon Lon Ranch in Ocarina of Time.

The quest A Fragmented Monument in BoTW features a stone effigy of what may be a reference to the Mirror of Twilight. Could Princess Zelda of the Twilight Era have erected it to honor Midna? Or could Link have? We may never know.

Probably the most iconic of Easter Eggs in BoTW is the first one you see when you leave the Shrine of Resurrection.

The Temple of Time has made appearances in multiple games, most notable being Ocarina of Time, Twilight Princess, Skyward Sword, and now of course BoTW/ToTK.

This, along with many, many other Easter Eggs, have been found in BoTW/ToTK. A lot can be found from games in alternate timelines, but even in my own playthroughs, the majority of Easter Eggs and references come from Skyward Sword, Ocarina of Time, and Twilight Princess. Vah Rudania, Vah Ruta, and Vah Nabooris are named after Darunia, Ruto, and Nabooru from Ocarina of Time, three of the Seven Sages. Vah Medoh, however is named after Medli, the Sage of Earth from Wind Waker, which takes place in an alternate timeline from Twilight Princess.

You could take all of the references from all of the other games and debate about it for hours, but in the end you're still left with more questions than answers. Perhaps the creators of Zelda should have left the references timeline-specific.

When BoTW was first released, a common theory was that the game's timeline placement could be interpretive to the player. With the only requirement being that it had to take place at least 11,000 years after any other game, it left a lot of room to work with.

Now that it's confirmed that it took place after Ocarina of Time, that gives us three potential timelines.

In the timeline where the hero is defeated and the one where Link is successful but remains an adult, BoTW/ToTK would have to take place after all the other games in that timeline. This is due to there not being a large enough gap between games for the Great Calamity to occur 10,000 years before the story takes place. However, this means that the references for Twilight Princess and Majora's Mask are null and void, a mere coincidence since they never came to pass.

In the third timeline, Link returns to the Child Era and prevents Ganondorf from ever gaining power in the first place. He is thus sealed away in the Twilight Realm, and Link goes off to find his friend Navi, his fairy. A few centuries later, Twilight Princess takes place. After this is Four Swords Adventures, where Ganondorf returns yet again and Vaati is resurrected. If BoTW/ToTK takes place in this timeline, Hyrule would have had to been at peace for hundreds, if not thousands of years before the Great Calamity happened.

Another common theory is that it takes place in its own timeline, 11,000 years after Skyward Sword. This is a fascinating take, because it gives this version of Hyrule a relatively fresh slate and gives a good basis for Tears of the Kingdoms' Sky Isles (not to mention the numerous appearances from Fi). The references, Easter Eggs, and hidden meanings hinting at other games could simply be timelines bleeding into one another, signs that other timelines still exist but have not happened. Before the confirmation of it happening after Ocarina of Time, some theories suggested that it even preceded Skyward Sword, perhaps a prequel to the entirety of the series.

So what does this mean for the placement for BoTW/ToTK?

In conclusion, there hasn't really been any real, solid evidence to support a specific timeline after Ocarina of Time. The most likely outcome is that it takes place in the Child Era, since it most closely aligns to Ocarina of Time and its sequels.

Until the makers of the series give an official statement on when exactly it takes place in what timeline, we may never know the specifics. Maybe it's meant to be a mystery. Even with its odd placement, BoTW/ToTK makes a brilliant standalone game, and the lack of knowledge of when it happens definitely adds to its splendor.

Released in 2017, it completely overturned Zelda fans' idea of a traditional game. The first open-world Zelda game, it introduced an expansive new version of Hyrule chock full of secrets, hidden bosses, treasure chests, and Koroks. It introduced the flurry rush, fully customizable outfits, voice acting, different sets of tack for wild horses you could catch, and a massive range of dishes you could cook. Most notable of all changes is Link's hero tunic is now blue, an unexpected but welcome change to the traditional green outfit.

It has won numerous awards including Most Anticipated Game, Game of the Year, and many more. Its story alone has set it apart from other games, introducing one of the best storylines of the entire series and unforgettable characters. It's easily one of the best games in the entire franchise.

Next week, we'll discuss whether or not the The Legend of Zelda manga by Akira Himekawa are-- or should be-- considered directly canon to the games.

Have something you'd like to add? Reblog with your thoughts or submit an ask! If you'd like to join the tag list, you can submit an ask or request it directly on a post.

[mari3with3]

How the Zonai connect the The Legend of Zelda franchise (Theory)

In TotK we're explained that the kingdom of Hyrule was founded thanks to the union of the Hylian and Zonai tribes with the marriage of Rauru and Sonia. I've seen that a big part of the fandom thinks that this is not the true founding of Hyrule and that it's the creation of a new kingdom (since this has already happened before), but I think that it is the same Hyrule that we see in Minish Cap, Ocarina of Time, Twillight Princess, etc.

Why do I believe this? Because the Zonai existed during Skyward Sword and became extinct before Minish Cap.

1°- The Zonai in Skyward Sword

Throughout Skyward Sword, in the surface we can see ruins, temples, dungeons, etc. I believe that most of these constructions were built by the Zonai: The Skyview Temple has mechanisms which work with eyes, the Earth Temple is full of symbolism and sculptures of dragons (and also has sculptures of people with fangs, long ears and three eyes), the Ancient Cistern has symbols of what appear to be tears and also flowers of lotus (which personally remind me of the figure that has the Zonai symbol from TotK), the Sandship has many spirals and in the Fire sanctuary there are statues of more dragons. Also, most of the dungeons I just mentioned (aside from being almost completely abandoned) have spirals in their architecture. As you can see, the Zonai probably inhabited all of Hyrule just like in BotW, since there we can see Zonai architecture throughout the entire kingdom.

2°- The symbols

The features that the dungeons have are eyes, dragons/snakes, owls, tears, and spirals; we can easily relate all these symbols to the Zonai, because there are many of these in their ruins. Throughout the Faron region there are statues of boars, owls and dragons/snakes; These represent the golden Goddesses and their qualities: power, wisdom and courage. In TotK we can see that the eyes represent the Zonai (in weapons, architecture, jewelry and the extra eye on their foreheads). The tears can be related to the secret stones, which have the same shape as the tears, and are apparently a very important element in the Zonai culture.

And finally the spirals, the most important symbol. Before TotK, spirals were the symbol of the Zonai tribe; In BotW all Zonai architecture was full of spirals (architecture which you can find in basically all Hyrule). According to Creating a Champion, the spiral is a unique mark to show that the Zonai were there and that the place belonged to them; This is why I believe that the dungeons in Skyward Sword were built by the Zonai. (Interesting fact: as I had already pointed out in another post, the Māori patterns are traditional art from New Zealand, one of them is a spiral and is called Rauru)

3°- The Lanayru Desert

The Zonai made buildings throughout the surface, but I believe they had one special settlement; Lanayru. Long ago I thought that the Lanayru Mining Facility belonged to the Sheikah, but now I'm almost sure it belonged to the Zonai. Here are my reasons:

The Zonai had an incredibly advanced technology for their era, in the same way, the entire Lanayru region in general has very advanced technology: artificial light, flying robots, laser rays, automatic platforms, electricity, etc.

Throughout Lanayru there are all kinds of technology and robots, if you look at their designs you will notice that they have an aesthetic very similar to the Zonai. (Another detail is that these robots work with blue/green electricity, the same color as the electricity that the Zonai Constructs have)

The ancient robots that inhabit Lanayru have many kinds, each with a different function (just like the Zonai Constructs), and it seems that most of them suddenly stopped working while doing their daily jobs. It seems that they worked for someone and then they disappeared, similar to how the Zonai became extinct.

The Lanayru Mining Facility, as its name says, is where they used to process all the Timeshift Stones that they had obtained in the mines. In TotK the Zonai also had mines where they collected Zonaite.

As I mentioned before, throughout Lanayru there is a mineral called Timeshift Stone, which has the power to change the time around it. These stones have a dark blue color, and when activated they change to light blue/green; When these pass through the Lanayru Mining Facility, a design that looks like an eye with eyelashes and a tear is added. Previously that eye would be related to the Sheikah, but with all these connections it would make more sense for it to be related to the Zonai.

4°- Origins of the Zonai

All of this points to the fact that the Zonai inhabited Lanayru and that everything there belonged to them; That means that the Zonai protected the temple of time and Nayru's flame, which leads me to think that they also protected the other two flames. As I had previously said, all the temples where the flames are have details that make them related to the Zonai. But why do the Zonai have access to these sacred artifacts?

In TotK we are told that the Zonai are descendants of Gods, and these gods were the ones who gave them the secret stones (which are also sacred artifacts). In Creating a Champion we're told that the Zonai worshiped a certain water dragon, however, in the BotW era there is no water dragon (It could be Farosh, but it's more related to electricity). But, in Skyward Sword there is a water dragon, Faron.

I believe that the Zonai are descendants of the dragons from Skyward Sword (which are basically gods). That would also explain why most temples are made for the dragons and the appearance of the Zonai and their dragon-like features too (scales, horns, fangs, bright colors, etc.)

5°- The tears

So the Zonai, being descendants of dragons, were entrusted to protect sacred artifacts such as the secret stones, the Gate of Time in Lanayru, the flames of the Goddesses, and probably also the Sacred Tears.

In Skyward Sword, when Link goes to the Silent Realm he has to find the tears of the goddesses. There are two very important things here:

After TotK we relate a lot the tears with the Zonai, and in the Silent Realm we have to collect sacred tears. Also in the Silent Realm (and only there) we will find many ''dusk relics'', which have the same shape as the secret stones.

In the Silent Realm there are machines called Guardians, which have an incredible resemblance to the Zonai (Extremely tall, with long ears, three eyes, and they also have many spirals on their desing).

Another game where there are also tears that must be collected is Twilight Princess. Here the spirits of light ask you to collect all the tears in order to restore the world of light.

6°- Connection with the Twili

Another thing I want to point out and that a big part of the fandom has noticed is the big resemblance that the Zonai and the Twili have, but I still want to show more evidence of why I think they are connected:

The spirits of light tell us that a dark tribe known as the Interlopers tried to take over the Triforce using their magic, it was then that the spirits of light stopped them and sent them to the twilight realm.

In Twilight Princess they describe the Interlopers as a tribe with incredibly powerful magic (so much so that they almost got the Triforce). In Creating a Champion they describe the Zonai as “strong magic wielders who vanished suddenly,” similar to the story of the Twili.

The architecture of both tribes is very similar; The architecture in the Twilight realm is very similar to the Zonai which we see in the Dragon's Tears. Inside the palace of Twilight we can see that the building is full of figures that look like eyes with tears, hands, snakes and spirals.

Eyes and hands seem to be very important in Twili culture as well as in the Zonai (There are giant hands in the palace of twilight and even Wolf Link has the mark of a third eye with a tear on his forehead).

The Twili have technology similar to the Zonai's (platforms, switches, etc.)

The magic of the Twili is blue/green, a color we associate with the Zonai, and when something or someone bad controls both, they turn red. Another thing to add is that when we saw the TloZ TotK logo, many of us related the cracks of the master sword with the magic of the Twili.

In BotW, in the Faron region, there is a fragmented monument which is very similar to the twilight mirror and which also has the same color as Twili/Zonai magic.

Despite being a tribe of shadows, they have artifacts called “Sol” which are made of light.

A very important piece of evidence that the Twili and the Zonai are connected is the design of the Fused Shadow. The Fused Shadow (in addition to appearing to be made from the same material as most Zonai architecture in TotK) has spirals, snakes, and eyes.

Another detail about the Fused Shadow that has been talked about for many years is that one of its pieces seems to be one of the eyes of the Majora's mask (I also once saw that someone was comparing one of Rauru's eyes in the mural with Majora).

7°- Majora

In Majora's Mask we are explained that an ancient tribe used to wear the Majora's mask to perform rituals, then they sealed the mask in shadows to avoid catastrophes, and then they mysteriously disappeared. It has been three times that we have heard about a powerful tribe which mysteriously disappeared, it's not weird to think that they could be the same tribe, the Zonai.

The manga explain us that Majora was originally a demon. Majora's armor could fulfill wishes, so many people tried to kill him to take his armor; However, Majora ate them. Afterwards, he was defeated by the Fierce Deity, who made him dance for 3 days and 3 nights until he died. The Fierce Deity used the remains of the demon to make the Majora's mask.

It may be that these people Majora killed were the Zonai, and when the Fierce Deity killed the demon, the Zonai thanked him by making a mask in his honor. I believe this because the Barbarian Armor (which is most likely of Zonai origin), when dyed blue or red, has the same marks as the Fierce Deity.

8°- Zonai appearances in other games before BotW

I don't have much to explain here, just more evidence that the Zonai could have been in Hyrule before the BotW era.

9°- History of the Zonai (my conclusion)

The Zonai are descendants of the three dragons that protected the surface in Skyward Sword. This tribe had very advanced technology and powerful magic. However, being so special, they had a small population

The Zonai had the mission of protecting the most important, sacred artifacts (the tears of the goddesses, the tears of light, and even the Triforce), which is why they came down to the surface in the distant past (The age of Creation, before SkSw). When they arrive to the surface, the Zonai took advantage of the resources that were there (the timeshift Stones) and with them created the two Gates of time and also the ocarina of time (The ocarina is a relic that has been passed down through generations in the royal family, it may have been a gift from Rauru to Sonia). However, by spending Lanayru's resources, a portion of the Zonai ended up dying along with all of Lanayru's technology.

When the Zonai descended to the surface, the Hylians and other inhabitants mistook them for Gods. The Zonai became so obsessed with the idea of being Gods that they tried to be one; So they looked for the demon Majora to kill him and take his armor, with which they could make the wish of becoming Gods, however the majority died in the attempt to defeat the demon. When the Fierce Deity managed to kill him, they made a mask of him and painted their armors in his honor, and the remaining Zonai decided to hide the Majora's mask to avoid further catastrophes. However, they did not give up trying to be gods.

When the ancient battle begin the Zonai were sent to build the Silent Realm for the Hero (that's why you have to collect tears and the guardians look so much like the Zonai). But in the middle of the war, a group of Zonai used their magic to create the Fused Shadow to enter the sacred realm (they were its protectors, that's why they knew about it) and obtain the Triforce, so they could finally make their wish. Unfortunately for them, the Goddesses found out about their betrayal and sent them to the Twilight Realm to punish them (Long time later, the other Zonai built a replica of the mirror of twilight, which is found along with the other Zonai ruins in Faron, to remember them).

At the end of the war, the goddesses gave the few remaining Zonai the secret stones, them decided to remain faithful to the Goddesses and protect the stones (It could be that, as gratitude, the spirits of light gave these few Zonai their light magic, that's why Rauru has sacred light without being related to Hylia). Throughout Skyward Sword the Zonai were hiding somewhere in the sky.

Hundreds of years after SkSw, the Zonai descended from the sky again; Rauru, who was the leader of the tribe (and was also a descendant of the Zonai who protected the stones and had the powers of light), married Sonia (who was a descendant of Link and Zelda from SkSw) and together they founded Hyrule. With the pass of time, the Zonai began to die and finally Rauru and Mineru died in the Imprisoning war, and the Zonai became completely extinct.

Alright, if you made it this far I want to thank you very much. If you have more evidence about this theory that you would like to add, or anything that contradicts it, or any comments, I would like to see it. :)

[mlentertainment]

video essay about how benson and jigsaw accidentally have similar philosophies and execute their visions horribly

[gwyns]

i wish i could find the post where i noticed that lucien wears a jacket the same color as elain's eyes in acowar where someone told me that i was "grasping at straws" bc LMFAOOOO

[hauntedselves]

The Continuum of Dissociation

[Image description:

An infographic describing the continuum of dissociation and the theory of structural dissociation. From left to right (more integrated parts to less integrated parts), are:

Altered states - Altered states of consciousness: Includes things like daydreaming, normal absorption, 'highway hypnosis', flow states, meditative practices, and imaginary play

Primary dissociation - PTSD / single incident trauma: Where a person has what can be described as a 'Going on with normal life' part that does daily life, as well as a 'Trauma part' that holds the experience of trauma

Secondary dissociation - C-PTSD / complex trauma: Where a person has more than one 'Going on with normal life' part as well as multiple trauma parts that often are caught in defensive actions and patterns of trauma

Dissociative disorders - OSDD / UDD: Other specified and unspecified dissociative disorders are diagnoses given when a person does not meet the full criteria for a specific dissociative disorder

Tertiary dissociation - DID / polyfragmented DID: Characterised by two or more distinct personality states, and in the case of polyfragmented DID, a person has a large number of 'alters' or identities, each with their own sense of self

Outside of the parts model, but still within dissociation, are:

Dissociative amnesia: Where a person cannot remember important information about their life (more than ordinary forgetfulness)

Depersonalisation & derealisation: Where a person experiences feelings of detachment from their body or cognitions, including a disconnect from their self or environment

End image description]

[Image description:

An infographic describing primary structural dissociation.

In primary structural dissociation, there is a 'Going on with normal life part', which avoids traumatic reminders to function in normal life goals. Daily life functions include rest, play, socialising, relationships, and intimacy.

There is also a trauma part, which is engaged in survival / animal defences and is often in hyper- or hypoarousal. Trauma responses (defences) are: fight, flight, freeze, submit, and attach.

End image description]

[Image description:

An infographic describing secondary structural dissociation.

In secondary structural dissociation, there is a 'Going on with normal life part', which avoids traumatic reminders to function in normal life goals.

There are also multiple trauma parts, which are engaged in survival / animal defences and is often in hyper- or hypoarousal. Trauma responses (defences) are: fight, flight, freeze, submit, and attach.

End image description]

[Image description:

An infographic describing tertiary structural dissociation. It gives an example of a system, the collection of all alters (parts) within a person.

In tertiary structural dissociation, there are multiple 'Going on with normal life parts', one or more of which may be called the 'host(s)', who are engaged in daily life. Examples of going on with normal life parts are a worker alter, a caregiver alter, and a partner alter.

There are also multiple trauma parts, which are alters engaged in survival defences. Examples of trauma parts are a gatekeeper alter (who decides who fronts), fight alters (e.g. Ann, a 24 year old primar protector part, and Don, a 30 year old persecutor part), flight alters (e.g. Sally, an 8 year old trauma holder), freeze alters (e.g. Marcus, a 10 year old trauma holder), submit alters (e.g. Pia, an 18 year old trauma holder), and attach alters (may be called 'littles', e.g. Lily, a 4 year old and Jack, a 6 year old, both trauma holders).

End image description]

- Natasja Wagner

[heros-shade-fanclub]

I'm a little confused. From what the Hero's Shade said as well as what the devs revealed in the Hyrule Historia I thought that the Shade really was OoT Link and that wasn't a fandom decided thing. Did I miss something that indicated otherwise? I mean him saying that TP Link was a disappointment to the tunic he wore was definitely odd but otherwise?

I always thought it was originally a fan concept -- I have no idea where I got that idea from tho so I could be wrong. I know that Hyrule Historia did indicate that the concept is canon but since it came out so many years after Twilight Princess I was never sure that was their original idea for the character. The other concept sketches for him in the book seem to imply this too (like, there's a samurai version, a female version, etc. which makes me doubt they were designed with oot link in mind).

I know there's also the fact he teaches you oot and mm songs, but. It wouldn't be the first time songs from past games are featured like that. Unsure whether that was a direct hint or whether that was nintendo being like "they wanted oot 2.0, we'll give them oot 2.0". Overall I think if nintendo actually wanted people to think he was the hero of time, they would've been more heavy-handed with it?? Like from a marketing standpoint that'd make more sense considering oot's popularity? < BIG DISCLAIMER THAT I MIGHT BE BEING STUPID. If anyone who follows me actually knows the answer, please!! let us know!!!!

[mememan93]

my fave thing abt TP actually is that Shad is obsessed with the ancient civilization that "might have created the people of hylia [Hylians]" and they were advanced and stuff and it just turns out to be these fuckers

[ezlo-x]

I am begging on my knees for new tloz fans who have only played botw, to get themselves an emulator and start playing I take no excuses. Or read the tloz lore books (Hyrule Historia/Encyclopedia) and read the lore of the older games (and ignore the timeline cause it's pointless that will make you more confused 👉👈)

you got two weeks before totk releases go go go!!!!!!! 💥💥💥💥💥💥💥

[softshuji]

Any men out there wanna pretend to be my bf to get my parents off my case about marriage? I am so so serious right now.

[koishua]

pissed and want to complain so why do i have to pay 3000€ for a driver's license??

[thegreatimpersonator]

swifties will try to make the most ludicrous connections out of the smallest inconsequential thing and then miss the most obvious ones like what do you mean you needed to know the meaning of the title 'the black dog' to think the album titled 'the tortured poets department' was gonna be sad

[sloaaaa]

why do i kinda feel like taking piano lessons all of a sudden.

[cindydartist]

Why I think BotW fits as a sequel to TAoL

My lovely siblings let me rant Legend of Zelda timeline stuff to them and I figured, might as well post it here. Note: this is my own headcanon, NOT what I think Nintendo or anyone else HAS to follow. I know and recognize that neither BotW nor TotK are part of the official Zelda Timeline.

--

Currently, if I had to pick a spot for it [BotW] in the Canon timeline, I'd put it after The Adventure of Link (second released game) with LU nicknamed 'Hyrule' Link. Two main reasons for that:

1) Ganondorf the Man and Ganon the Beast

The Fallen timeline in which TAoL takes place is the only timeline where pig Ganon is the predominant form of Ganondorf. (Despite all the separate incarnations of Link and Zelda, Ganondorf… is kinda just one guy through all of it who refuses to die properly.)

This is due to him gaining the Triforce of Power AND KEEPING IT by killing the Hero of Time (hence why that timeline branch is referred to as the Fallen Hero or Downfall timeline). Ganondorf's beast form is always shown in the games as an overrun of power and a sacrifice/discarding of the 'human' in him. In the other two timelines, he is beaten in that form effectively immediately after transforming, therefore has no time to lose himself. He continues to keep his gerudo form in further sequels/successors. Not so in the Fallen timeline.

By the time we get to A Link to the Past, Ganondorf has been beast Ganon up to/after the imprisoning war, a last-ditch effort by a bunch of sages after the Hero of Time’s death. Some details are unique to Hyrule Historia book, but the sealing war is a key part of history for ALttP (and its sequels) due to the plot-related presence of those sages’ descendants.

Again, Ganon only shows up in beast form in this game and going forward. A secondary factor may be where he was sealed to: Ganondorf keeping the Triforce of Power for a hot minute also keeps the Sacred Realm (where the Triforce previously resided in OoT) transformed into the Dark World (also predominately featured in ALttP)

ALttP’s Link, LU nickname Legend, later has Oracle of Seasons and Oracle of Ages. The goal of hidden antagonists Koume and Kotake is to resurrect Ganon. (This isn't exactly spoiler territory for either gameplay, but heads up I guess?) It succeeds -- partially. The Ganon brought back is mindless - only a force of destruction. Sound familiar??

Importantly, this all adds up to a potential Decomposition of Ganondorf the Man.

While Ganon does regain some strategic thinking in The Legend of Zelda I (Hyrule's first adventure), he remains in pig/beast form. And is killed again. Okay, technically it doesn't state killing, so it could be sealing away. Except. One of the most known things about Zelda II: The Adventure of Link is if you die enough times to get a game over, it states Ganon comes back, implied to be through spilling Link's/Hyrule's blood. Quote from the game’s English instruction manual “The key to Ganon’s return was the blood of Link – the valiant lad who overthrew the King of Evil. Ganon would be revived by sacrificing Link and sprinkling his blood on the ashes of Ganon.”

Revive? Blood ritual?? Ashes??? Sounds awfully like a resurrection ritual ta me.

Thus, with further decomposition of self through death and revival, especially if one counts how many times Hyrule’s predecessor Legend defeated Ganon as killing him, it makes perfect sense to me that a logical conclusion would be BotW Calamity Ganon. (Granted, I have not finished TotK’s history plot yet, so there may be arguments/evidence I am unaware of with how he got that way. Like his existence as Gerudo Ganondorf, but from my current info, that is in the far past, potentially after Skyward Sword. Sue me, I have a working theory the Zonai are evolved Remlits)

On to my SECOND reason:

2) My Own Personal Gratification ✨

The world of Zelda I and Zelda II is frankly post-apocalyptic. Ironically more so than ALttP which is the closest to the ACTUAL apocalyptic events that happened.

Perhaps it is important to note that ALttP explicitly confirms the idea that a previous unnamed hero failed to stop Ganondorf. And that years back IRL there was genuine reason to speculate that that previous hero was Hyrule. Now think about the blood ritual.

With the release of the official timeline, that theory is now only fanon. But the potential is still there. Currently there is no canonical sequel to Hyrule’s story. Legend’s adventures give evidence readable as foreshadowing that this is a timeline where the land itself has clearly degraded. The zora are ruthless enemies that will attack on sight. Natural water is acidic and damages. There are monsters who can take the form of hylians so no-one ever knows quite who is safe to trust.

Link’s/Hyrule’s story is beautiful because he is effectively hope that refuses to give up on a land falling apart. A synergy between selfless bravery and survival. One who sees hardiness in the weakened kingdom’s people and inspires them to try a little harder, be a little kinder, trust a little more.

For all we know, as long as there is a monster or member of the Cult of Ganon, he might be running forever. Will have to carry that risk for the rest of his life. For the sake of Hyrule’s people and future, how he lives as a hero is not enough; he must control how he dies.

 Is it strange to wish that the bountiful green land of BoTW is what his kingdom will eventually be? That, even if not in his lifetime, the Kingdom of Hyrule will continue on and find its feet again?

That’s how I see BotW. Even if Ganon manages to destroy Hyrule, it will always live on through its people. You can never take what was never takeable in the first place.

--

tldr; Pigman signifies Dementia and I want Hyrule!Link to have a happy freaking ending, okay?

[vioshortforviolence]

Some parallels I’ve noticed between Tears of the Kingdom and Skyward Sword so far:

Link fails to save Zelda from falling to the world below

Link must search for her

Zelda has her own mission, something only she can do

Link needs to (re)forge the Master Sword

Numerous sky islands that were hidden behind a cloud barrier

Lots of skydiving

Possible time travel to the past? At least on Zelda’s end? Maybe??

Giant storm/cyclone that needs to be tamed by defeating the boss within it

Ancient robots with their limbs held together by energy

Nintendo seems to be doing what they had originally wanted to do in Skyward Sword but ran out of time for.

They definitely released Skyward Sword HD for a reason. They absolutely want players to know the story of SS, and possibly important locations, before going into TotK.

Nintendo what is going to happen in TotK?? 👀👀