Let's talk about Princess Zelda

[terajk]

I didn't finish A Game of Thrones before it went back to the library. :( I was reading an e-book version, which is fabulous because I don't have to actually go to the library and also I can make the font really big. And thanks to Sansa Stark I have all these Princess Zelda feelings--in particular, the Princess Zelda from the original Legend of Zelda from 1986. (Note: All the Princess Zeldas and Links from different games in the series are different people with the same name. And there are, like, several different timelines that branch off, I guess?)

But anyway! Princess Zelda was my first very favorite female character in a video game! I rented it because I liked the word "Zelda," and also thought the subject of the legend was the little dude in the Peter Pan outfit. The kidnapped princess being important in a way the hero was not BLEW MY MIND. And also, she fucking spilt the Triforce of Wisdom into 9 pieces while kidnapped and basically LED THE HERO  TO HER. 

Other Zeldas are pirates or mistresses of disguise or just badass-swordfighting-princesses generally who assist Link more directly, and I like those, too! But there is a special place in my heart for the Zelda who rebelled against Ganon without using Link's brand of heroism.

And also, most Zeldas and Links don't have explicit romantic feelings for each other, although they are good friends, which is really cool. Link reminds me of Finn from Adventure Time in that he does heroic things because they are right and not because he wants things from people. Like, yeah, Finn has romantic feelings for Princess Bubblegum, but he helps ANYONE who needs it and even with PB doesn't want to get in her pants anything in return for saving her.

ALSO I should point out that The Legend of Zelda was reeeeeally fucking scary for wee!Teras. I mean, 90 percent of the game is Run Around and Find Things! And when Link is almost dead there's this constant BEEP BEEP BEEP and then when he dies the screen TURNS BLOOD-RED and then fades to black and it just seemed a really gruesome way to die--for, you know, an 8-bit video game. Especially because, unlike Mario who was obviously an adult, Link looked like a kid who could be my age. I mean, just LOOK at this scary-ass shit (warning: flashing lights):

Deaths in Zelda II: The Adventure of Link were even scarier (SCREEN-FLASH!! FUCK!) but I can't find a handy vid of one.

Comments

[chordatesrock]

Same here. I keep meaning to write a fic to fill the gap, but have never gotten around to it. I requested heroic Zelda for an AU meme recently, and received two fills that I recommend most highly, but it hardly makes up for the general canon lack of this.

I would love to fill the gap eventually, with more heroic!Zelda fics, especially epics that could be games in their own right.

By the way, did either of the Toph prompts appeal to you?

[lovepeaceohana]

Ooh, ooh, have you read Surface Tension? Sheik/Zelda and Ruto adventures, and soooooooo good - although I'm really really glad the dungeon they clear out was never an actual level, I would've quit in sheer terror :P

[chordatesrock]

I had not read that fic! :)