A String of Wisdom
Dec. 1st, 2022 02:34 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
rynlingLo and behold, it turns out that I enjoy writing Legend of Zelda fanfic. I really should do it more often. I was thinking of writing stories based on the pitches that have been rejected from various fandom zines, and there's one in particular I think might be easy and fun.
A String of Wisdom
A vast labyrinth stretches under the ancient kingdom of Lomei. It is said that this labyrinth serves as the prison for a terrible monster. Every seventeen years, the kingdom sacrifices a youth to the labyrinth to appease the monster. As the time of the sacrifice draws near, a young soldier-in-training named Link volunteers himself as the sacrifice, secretly hoping that he will be the one to slay the monster. It is tradition for the princess of Lomei to lead the sacrifice underground, a ritual for which Zelda has been training her entire life. Inspired by Link’s courage, she dares to reveal a secret of the labyrinth that may save them both – as well as the creature trapped within a maze of memories and deceit.
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This story will be told from the perspective of Zelda, who takes the role of Ariadne, the Cretan princess tasked with guarding the Labyrinth built to confine the Minotaur. Ganon is the Minotaur in this AU, while Link is Theseus. In the original myth, Ariadne helps Theseus defeat the Minotaur only to be abandoned and betrayed. I'd therefore like to give the story a gentle twist in which Zelda and Link work together to save the monster instead of killing it, thereby bringing peace and compassion to a terrible and violent situation.
This story will emphasize Zelda's perspective as a capable adventurer and curious observer she enters the Labyrinth along with Link, and I'd like to capture the mystery and wonder of the Lomei Labyrinths in Breath of the Wild. I'll aim for the tone of the Hayao Miyazaki movies that influenced the game, specifically Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind and Princess Mononoke, both of which advocate empathy for nonhuman beings who are often viewed as "monsters." I've also been influenced by the game Hades, which presents an interesting take on the Minotaur myth.
I just finished reading Susanna Clarke's novel Piranesi, and oh man do I have some thoughts about labyrinths.
A String of Wisdom
A vast labyrinth stretches under the ancient kingdom of Lomei. It is said that this labyrinth serves as the prison for a terrible monster. Every seventeen years, the kingdom sacrifices a youth to the labyrinth to appease the monster. As the time of the sacrifice draws near, a young soldier-in-training named Link volunteers himself as the sacrifice, secretly hoping that he will be the one to slay the monster. It is tradition for the princess of Lomei to lead the sacrifice underground, a ritual for which Zelda has been training her entire life. Inspired by Link’s courage, she dares to reveal a secret of the labyrinth that may save them both – as well as the creature trapped within a maze of memories and deceit.
.
This story will be told from the perspective of Zelda, who takes the role of Ariadne, the Cretan princess tasked with guarding the Labyrinth built to confine the Minotaur. Ganon is the Minotaur in this AU, while Link is Theseus. In the original myth, Ariadne helps Theseus defeat the Minotaur only to be abandoned and betrayed. I'd therefore like to give the story a gentle twist in which Zelda and Link work together to save the monster instead of killing it, thereby bringing peace and compassion to a terrible and violent situation.
This story will emphasize Zelda's perspective as a capable adventurer and curious observer she enters the Labyrinth along with Link, and I'd like to capture the mystery and wonder of the Lomei Labyrinths in Breath of the Wild. I'll aim for the tone of the Hayao Miyazaki movies that influenced the game, specifically Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind and Princess Mononoke, both of which advocate empathy for nonhuman beings who are often viewed as "monsters." I've also been influenced by the game Hades, which presents an interesting take on the Minotaur myth.
I just finished reading Susanna Clarke's novel Piranesi, and oh man do I have some thoughts about labyrinths.
