Legit shocked that Baldur's Gate utterly demolished ToTK

Maybe this will convince Nintendo to work harder when it comes down to plot

When it comes down to it, I don’t think Nintendo shied away from the fact that TotK was basically a game that maximized what could be done in the world of BotW. TotK used what BotW established to really show off the limits it could reach both with its game engine and its hardware. And, in that case, it did succeed. As I mentioned in a previous post, TotK accomplished giving a player ultimate freedom in solving the problems they faced in the game. You could build an extra long bridge or build some nifty contraption to get to that ledge. You could fight Ganondorf with a sword or run him over with a bunch of tires.

Where Baldur’s Gate 3 won was because I think it delivered a better experience as a whole. It was about gameplay, about story, and about player experience. In other words I just think BG3 delivered a better package despite how innovative TotK’s gameplay was. You have to consider things as a whole, and TotK’s depths and sky and storytelling were really lackluster (you know I complain about this a lot).

Do you wanna see my weenie? Its a very long weenie

……exquease me?

The entire LoZ lore in one sentence:

Florida Man fights abominations from Ohio.

@tartulhouse @figmentforms-the-human can you confirm or deny this for me please. Are the abominations of Zelda lore in Ohio? Are you telling me yall had Ganondorf in Ohio and you NEVER TOLD ME????

I think Link would struggle because he CAN'T send a love letter to the King of the Gerudo. That man knows POETRY. Link woukd either come off dumb or say something offensive by accident.

This is how Gan has wound up with a collection of really wonky, lovingly made horse models in a wide variety of materials.

He loves them.

But as the artist has either neglected or forgotton to sign the pieces, he has no idea WHO IS SENDING THE HORSES.

Task Failed Sucessfully.

The ultimate Ganlink trope: Finding every way possible to express interest in each other apart from just SAYING it because words are simultaneously un-heroic and un-kingly and then having their ever confounding methods fail miserably and this is how the fanfic is 10 chapters in and they haven't kissed yet and there is a 50/50 chance that one of them either hates the person or loves the person more than when we started.

My silly Ganondorf headcanon is that he's a magnet for static electricity due to his affinity for lightning magic. This man can't touch fur or brush hair without emitting tiny sparks.

That would explain his hair sticking up at odd ends in random places. Man is so accustomed to getting shocked he just goes throughout his day without even flinching as sparks fly when he touches things. It might make for a funny or terrifying image depending on who you ask :P Stamp for you ⭐️

Balddorf doesn’t bother me because my au old manondorf is bald. His sight is not great in old age and so he choses to shave himself bald to make maintainence easier. He is fine with being pampered but the idea that he *needs* help with it due to his own weakness? Unacceptable.

(credit goes to @tartulhouse my rp partner who always draws my silly au Gan in such endearing ways)

This has been bugging me for a while but does the whole "Link and or Zelda remember every one of their past lives" have any basis in canon at all or did people just make that up for added drama/further reason to be mad at shippers?

I would say that the extent that it is taken to is completely fanon. Unless I am having goldfish brain, there isn't any LoZ game where Link or Zelda or Ganondorf even recall a past life, or past lives. The only reason Ganondorf "recalls a past life" is because for the most part he is still living the same life. FSA and arguably TotK are the Ganondorf iterations that are reincarnations and they most certainly have no recollection of what their previous iterations did.

The origins for this fanon theory I would say lie in a few things. In Skyward Sword, we learn that Zelda is Hylia reincarnated, and that Hylia is, in a way, propagating her will through Zelda in order to guide Link to where he needs to be in order to defeat Demise, to the point that she sort of orchestrated the relationship that Link and Zelda develop. Then you have Demise who uttered the words of infamy, that his curse will follow them throughout history, indicating that people like Link and Zelda will continue to arise in Hyrule, and when they do his "curse" will follow behind them. Then of course you have the entire story of the Triforce, the same three people that continue to receive either a piece of it and the entirety of it. Ganondorf's words in OoT "Let us put an end to that which binds us together!" really gives off the air of cursed soulmates if you wish to spin it that way. In Twilight Princess, you have Link learning his techniques from the Hero's Shade who has been confirmed to be his predecessor, the Hero of Time. You have Tetra in Wind Waker that is propagating the legacy left by her predecessor even though she is not exactly a princess. So on and so forth. From the previous examples, there is a sense of legacy that the three main characters sort of inherit from title to title. Whatever happens in the story they find themselves in, they end up stepping into the same roles. Fans then took this and ran with the idea of "what if the reason is because they remember what they did in past lives"? I personally don't like this approach because it adds a sense of inevitability to their character that they just have to play this role no matter what. I prefer when they find their feet due to their own personal circumstances because it adds agency to the character and gives them more motivation for the role they play in the story. And, if anyone knows me, I am all about character agency on this blog.

I headcanon that every Ganondorf should have rounded ears.

Anon, I completely agree with you. I like Ganondorf with rounded ears. I think he should always have rounded ears. I was actually very pleased to see that TotK Ganondorf has rounded ears. My overall opinion is that, if the lore is going to insist that pointed ears are some form of divine favor, then they should stick to it, because every time they address the inconsistency of pointed ears when it comes to Ganondorf and the Gerudo they end up coming up with The Worst Explanation. What is consistent, however, is that the favor that the Gerudo get is very conditional and very based on their willingness to subjugate themselves to Hyrulean rule and, while allowed to keep their rules, being somewhat tolerant of the Hyrulean men that think they have some right to harass them. Even then, their customs are viewed as weird and backwards and subject to violation by Hyrule when deemed appropriate (like Link sneaking in when he knows he shouldn't because tee hee so cute and troll-y of him instead of asking for an audience with Riju). The Gerudo are the people that are least loved by the divine hierarchy of Hyrule so I say let Ganondorf have his rounded ears and continue to throw down their doors and send their people scattering as a true force and representation of opposition. I applaud it.

Ever notice how Link is usually like… a femboy. I mean sure he’s a man, but I do see some effeminate shit in there, especially in statute and in his face sometimes.

Meanwhile Ganon is full on hyper-masculine; standing at 7-8 feet tall, extremely muscular, sideburns or a beard, and literally everything about him screaming “man”

I was sitting on this ask because well... If your idea of what effeminate and what's masculine is based on looks alone, sure? But I take issue even with that sort of description. Just because Link is smaller than average, and has softer features, it doesn't make him effeminate by definition. That's sort of an insulting way to look at his character, and femininity in general? Link is comfortable in wearing anything. He doesn't care, as long as it suits his end goals. People constantly mock him for how small and weak he looks, but he brushes it off because he knows what he's capable of. He has an unwavering amount of confidence in that sense. He also will spend days in the wilderness hunting and foraging, will square with monsters several times his size, rolls in the mud and wades through bodies of water, will skydive without hesitating, and has a collection of weapons and armor that is the envy of all of Hyrule. He also handles horses, and can build literally anything on his own, from a carriage, to a house, to a destructive robot. He is very stoic, showing little emotion even in the face of the greatest dangers. These are all traditionally associated with masculinity. Let's look at Ganondorf. He cares a lot about his appearance, tailoring it carefully in order to achieve a certain effect of awe and desire for those who look upon him. He uses manipulation as one of his main tactics, and if we look at how he utilizes puppet Zelda, he uses manipulation tactics that I would say are more feminine with the giggling and the alluring beckoning. He even uses these same tactics in battle, laughing and grinning and beckoning Link to come after him. He is incredibly emotional, not quite adept at hiding what he is feeling. Wouldn't you say these traits are more...feminine in nature? However, that's all if we want to play into what stereotypically fits into these binaries, from looks to the way they behave, and personally I think it's just a very boring way to look at characters.

The little hero Rauru promised finally looked like a warrior.

The Legendary Blade glowed twice as bright. Perhaps it too was determined to overcome the malicious power of the King. The arm that pierced his chest since the final battle held the blade. Leave it to the arrogant child-king of the Zonai to steal the glory of the little warrior.

Ganondorf laughed, his voice resounding through the cavernous depths. "Needed a little nightlight, Link?"

The small man huffed like a disagreeable horse. "Needed a hand."

He hated how the sound of his head turning echoed with a fragility that insulted the strength of his own voice. "Oh, yes, of course. Didn't like the ones I made you?"

The expression on the small man's face was beautiful. It was loathing. It was offense. Except the hylian didn't say a word. No, he chose to make a beautifully offensive gesture, instead.

"To think, such fowl thoughts from someone the once-king trusted with his power."

Link shrugged. "Had the holy sword from young. Learned to be nasty off-handed early. Small mercies."

Ganondorf did not have a response prepared.

"I know you can fight." Link spat. On the floor!! Sure it was the depths but- no, his eyes belied he knew the offense. "Or after all these years are you still not ready?"

"I will slap that smirk off your face." Ganondorf snarled.

Link. He laughed. "With your own hands, or do you rely on the power of the Zonai's magic rocks for that, too?"

This battle would be worthy.

Well this conversation got a little handsy didn’t it? They should just throw down their weapons and engage in a bitch slapping contest, Ganondorf with his gloom hands and Link with Rauru’s hand.

That being said nothing like some good ol’ shittalk before fighting your legendary battle~

New ship: Fierce x Rauru

This Rauru?

Or this Rauru?

Or Rawru (Polycule)?

zelda asks: 🧚!!

🧚 Favorite Zelda companion?

Okay I need to talk about Spirit Tracks Zelda because I love the part where she's basically telling Link to go off and save Hyrule while she sits back and waits for him because she's a princess and then they're like "uh no, you'll be going to assist him" and she's like "WHAT???? WHAT DO YOU MEAN I HAVE TO HELP HIM I'M THE PRINCESS????" Anyways we need more Zelda companionship in games that was hilarious.

my headcanon is that ganondorf appreciates a 'me' day. having his hair, nails, and make-up done pristinely, even if having all these things done takes FOREVER (especially his hair)

YES ABSOLUTELY

If they’re going to tell us that Ganondorf is particular about his appearance then of course he would have a “me” day where he makes sure he is up-to-date, looking as fine and snazzy as any king would. I could see him closing his eyes and letting out a sigh as his hair is worked on hehehe.

APPROVED ⭐️

Hi, I saw these socks at a local gift shop and they reminded me of you.

I HAVE TWO PAIRS OF THESE SOCKS 🥰🥰🥰

Not Ganon but I come praising 1 (one) thing about Tears of the Kingdom. The Sexual Dimorphism between Rauru and Mineru. They ACTUALLY looked like the same species and vaguely humanoid without being like "Sexy woman in body paint" for Mineru. Ears were different, hair was different, body shape was different. But you could tell they were the same species and definitely not Hylian. Probably could have pushed it a little harder but as it was... not bad!!

Absolutely, I appreciated that about the direction they went with the Zonai when it came to how they were designed. It's just a shame that TotK itself didn't explore the Zonai deeper than having them become the sacrificial holy maidens along with Zelda for Ganondorf's rise to power and a source of energy and materials for Link to use. I would have loved to see what other Zonai may have looked like, how they had come to Hyrule, *why* they came to Hyrule, and how Hyrulean people as a whole actually perceived them and how they perceived them in turn. I feel like, for how interesting their design was, that Rauru and Mineru, and the Zonai as a whole, were very under-utilized given that the game is all about their technology.

Also, a bit off topic, but a lot of people theorize that the Zonai died off but I feel like it's not the case? I get the sense that they left, and that Rauru and Mineru remained behind to assist Hyrule I would guess? In any case looking at such a schism between Rauru and the rest of his people and now it ended up with Rauru being king of Hyrule would have been very interesting imo (and would parallel Ganondorf nicely, given the schism with himself and his people after becoming Demon King).

I think ppl also put so much stock in the manga of LOZ because people struggle to understand the concept of "pseudocanon"

To be fair I don't think it's wrong to take inspiration from pseudocanon sources when coming up with your own headcanons. I do it myself all the time. For example, when I write Ganondorf I often take inspiration from Hyrule Warriors which is also pseudocanon. If we're talking about the "Link and Zelda remember their past lives" headcanon, I think that most people don't consider it canon either. The thing that is of note when it comes to fandom culture in general is that there are always fanon theories that run rampant and that a majority of people adopt. There seems to be a collective understanding that this is not actually canonical but because so many fans subscribe to the idea and use the idea in their works that it just becomes a popular way to depict and interpret certain parts of the story. For example, canon never said that Ganondorf was a direct reincarnation of Demise or that he was afflicted by a curse in such a way that if he was never cursed he would actually be a good guy but plenty of people use the idea regardless. There is another one I'd LOVE to talk about but that's for a different post