Spoiler Totk Dragon Ending Theory

[Mikey the Gengar]

We're finally on the same page that you were arguing against something nobody was arguing for. Yayyyyy!

Man, you say that, but just wait till the other guys wake up

It was never a pre-established rule though. The fact it was a legend to Mineru is evident of that. She thought it was a rule, but she was wrong.

The story depends on the emphasis mineru placed on draconification. you're writing more fanfiction but this time your fanfiction retroactively worsens the source material for its existing

 

[Angopik]

I guess I don't really know how to take this. If you're happy with the subpar storytelling offered by Tears of the Kingdom then more power to you. I can't really look past a garbage narrative by saying, "Well, it's just a legend about garbage." If you want to keep your standards that low then I wish you luck.

It's not my fault you're not able to think critically about what's said in the game.

Good luck to ya though lol

 

[Angopik]

Man, you say that, but just wait till the other guys wake up

Well it's a good thing I can go back and read what was said.

My mistake, I mixed things up.

With that said, there was evidence of Zelda possibly being able to turn back. The other two provided the pieces of evidence that did lead people to believe Zelda's human form was brought back through time.

"The story depends on the emphasis mineru placed on draconification. you're writing more fanfiction but this time your fanfiction retroactively worsens the source material for its existing"

I'm not writing fan fiction. She wasn't speaking about draconification as if it was a fact. She heard or read about it from a story.

 

[Mikey the Gengar]

"Of course it wasn't foreshadowed, nobody is saying it was foreshadowed"
"Wait, I misread what people were saying"
"Of course there was foreshadowing"

 

[Angopik]

Smh. I was apologizing for my mistake, and that's the response you give?

 

[GZ Zelda]

If you have to write threads worth of fanfiction explaining the thing that the game never built up to or explained then it didn't give a reason why.

There is no fanfiction in the game we played taking two narrative elements (draconification and recall) and combining them.

Evidence--

Memory 4:

Rauru: But if you, like Sonia, have a secret stone and are able to manipulate time, then your story makes sense

Sonia: I can feel your light power within her. As well as my time power."

Memory 5:

Mineru: I suspect it was the power of your secret stone that allowed you to travel through time. To put it simply, secret stones amplify the power their owners possess...Rauru can repel or destroy evil with his power of light. And Sonia, she can control time. As for you, I can sense both light and time powers. But your secret stone seems to amplify your time power. Ultimately, the secret stone only amplifies your power. It doesn't suddenly grant you mastery and control. That's still up to you...There are stories about the secret stones and a forbidden act called draconification. 'To swallow a secret stone is to become an immortal dragon, one blessed with eternal life.'

Rauru: Interesting. Another way to reach the future, though not a very quick one. So you think these stories could hint at a solution to our dilemma?

Mineru: Yes. But there is still more to those tales. 'To become an immortal dragon is to lose oneself.' That is why it is forbidden. I thought maybe this could lead to a solution--some way to transcend time. But if you have to sacrifice your heart and mind, sacrifice what makes you "you." I'm sorry. I wish I could help more.

Rauru: I think the answer, the answer to this problem lies in study and learning more about the nature of your power.

Memory 8:

Sonia: The secret is to think of it like drawing out the object's memory. You ask the object where it was, how it arrived where it is now, and then you coax it back to that original moment in time.

Zelda: The object's memory...

Sonia: I am sure it will become almost like second nature, and you will be able to find your way home...You possess more than the power over time. You have a sacred power that can dispel evil. Both of these powers will help you protect your own era.

Memory 15:

Rauru (flashback): Zelda, I believe there is a reason you were sent to us. It has to mean something.

Zelda: I know why I am here. It's something only I can do. We will finally stop him.

Mineru (flashback): 'To become an immortal dragon is to lose onself."

Zelda: I'll be forever changed. Link! You must find me.

Memory 16:

Mineru: I've told you! That act is forbidden for a very good reason! It would mean throwing yourself away! You...won't be able to change back.

Link: The moment I had the sword, I knew what to do. I knew this was why I came to this era.

Mineru: I understand. You really have made up your mind? Very well, then. As a Zonai, I bear my share of blame for these events

The story depends on the emphasis mineru placed on draconification. you're writing more fanfiction but this time your fanfiction retroactively worsens the source material for its existing

She only says "you won't be able to change back" ONCE, and it's as a last-ditch attempt to stop Zelda from doing it.

We see Recall activate on Link's hand, we know that it can coax an object back through time via its memory, we watch Sonia and Rauru's spirits add additional time and light power to this endeavor, and then Zelda wakes up with no memory of her time as a dragon; what felt like "sleeping" she says, and a "warm loving embrace" waking her up. This is the subjective experience of a draconfied being, with all sense of what makes her "her" gone, Zelda, being sent back in time.

This is not fanfiction, this is evident in-game and confirmed in subsequent material, this is not absurd, this is not bad storytelling, and this is not narratively unsatisfying or confusing. Zelda draconified and then was recalled.

The fanfiction element is the specifics of the relation of Link, Zelda, Rauru, Sonia, and Mineru to the process that occurs.

What part does Link play? He has Recall.

What part does Zelda play? She is getting Recalled.

What part does Rauru and Sonia play? Not sure. Perhaps they don't even need to be there.

What part does Mineru play? She probably is the one that allows their spirits to continue to exist.

This is canon stuff: the constant repitition of "this makes no sense" or "this is fanfiction" has gotta stop.

 

[Bowsette Plus-Ultra]

There is no fanfiction in the game we played taking two narrative elements (draconification and recall) and combining them.

Evidence--

Memory 4:

Rauru: But if you, like Sonia, have a secret stone and are able to manipulate time, then your story makes sense

Sonia: I can feel your light power within her. As well as my time power."

Memory 5:

Mineru: I suspect it was the power of your secret stone that allowed you to travel through time. To put it simply, secret stones amplify the power their owners possess...Rauru can repel or destroy evil with his power of light. And Sonia, she can control time. As for you, I can sense both light and time powers. But your secret stone seems to amplify your time power. Ultimately, the secret stone only amplifies your power. It doesn't suddenly grant you mastery and control. That's still up to you...There are stories about the secret stones and a forbidden act called draconification. 'To swallow a secret stone is to become an immortal dragon, one blessed with eternal life.'

Rauru: Interesting. Another way to reach the future, though not a very quick one. So you think these stories could hint at a solution to our dilemma?

Mineru: Yes. But there is still more to those tales. 'To become an immortal dragon is to lose oneself.' That is why it is forbidden. I thought maybe this could lead to a solution--some way to transcend time. But if you have to sacrifice your heart and mind, sacrifice what makes you "you." I'm sorry. I wish I could help more.

Rauru: I think the answer, the answer to this problem lies in study and learning more about the nature of your power.

Memory 8:

Sonia: The secret is to think of it like drawing out the object's memory. You ask the object where it was, how it arrived where it is now, and then you coax it back to that original moment in time.

Zelda: The object's memory...

Sonia: I am sure it will become almost like second nature, and you will be able to find your way home...You possess more than the power over time. You have a sacred power that can dispel evil. Both of these powers will help you protect your own era.

Memory 15:

Rauru (flashback): Zelda, I believe there is a reason you were sent to us. It has to mean something.

Zelda: I know why I am here. It's something only I can do. We will finally stop him.

Mineru (flashback): 'To become an immortal dragon is to lose onself."

Zelda: I'll be forever changed. Link! You must find me.

Memory 16:

Mineru: I've told you! That act is forbidden for a very good reason! It would mean throwing yourself away! You...won't be able to change back.

Link: The moment I had the sword, I knew what to do. I knew this was why I came to this era.

Mineru: I understand. You really have made up your mind? Very well, then. As a Zonai, I bear my share of blame for these events


She only says "you won't be able to change back" ONCE, and it's as a last-ditch attempt to stop Zelda from doing it.

We see Recall activate on Link's hand, we know that it can coax an object back through time via its memory, we watch Sonia and Rauru's spirits add additional time and light power to this endeavor, and then Zelda wakes up with no memory of her time as a dragon; what felt like "sleeping" she says, and a "warm loving embrace" waking her up. This is the subjective experience of a draconfied being, with all sense of what makes her "her" gone, Zelda, being sent back in time.

This is not fanfiction, this is evident in-game and confirmed in subsequent material, this is not absurd, this is not bad storytelling, and this is not narratively unsatisfying or confusing. Zelda draconified and then was recalled.

The fanfiction element is the specifics of the relation of Link, Zelda, Rauru, Sonia, and Mineru to the process that occurs.

What part does Link play? He has Recall.

What part does Zelda play? She is getting Recalled.

What part does Rauru and Sonia play? Not sure. Perhaps they don't even need to be there.

What part does Mineru play? She probably is the one that allows their spirits to continue to exist.

This is canon stuff: the constant repitition of "this makes no sense" or "this is fanfiction" has gotta stop.

You have not cited anything building up to the ending. You have highlighted dialogue where characters discuss the time travel mechanic alongside dialogue where those characters say that to become a dragon is a one way sacrifice. You are writing fanfiction between the lines to say that they didn't actually mean that it was a one way sacrifice.

Good lore doesn't need fans to write fanfiction between the lines explaining why the crap story is actually clever double speak meant to be good writing. Notice how no fan has to write fanfiction explaining why the Baldur's Gate 3 protagonists can survive the impossible to survive mindflayer tadpoles.

 

[GZ Zelda]

You have not cited anything building up to the ending. You have highlighted dialogue where characters discuss the time travel mechanic alongside dialogue where those characters say that to become a dragon is a one way sacrifice. You are writing fanfiction between the lines to say that they didn't actually mean that it was a one way sacrifice.

It isn't fanfic to draw a conclusion from events and dialogue presented in-game. What are the motivations behind the character saying it? She's clearly lying or wrong. Perhaps she's lying, perhaps she's wrong, but she's one of the two and I think it more likely she's lying. Up to you.

Question:

How was Zelda un-draconified?

Hypothesis:

Link used Recall on Zelda.

Experiment:

Does Recall reverse things in time? Yes
Does Link's Hand, where Recall is, glow yellow? Yes
Does that energy absorb Zelda's dragon body? Yes
Does Zelda revert to her human body that she had in the past, with the memories up to the moment she transformed? Yes

Analysis:
Link probably used Recall on Zelda.

This is not difficult or fanfiction. The only hole is Mineru saying "You won't be able to change back" once, right before she says she's going to do it. Clearly she's wrong. Perhaps she's lying. She's never seen someone draconify or she wouldn't refer to the past as "stories."

This is the same as the Baldur's Gate 3 example, except less obtuse and much simpler to understand.

 

[Bowsette Plus-Ultra]

It isn't fanfic to draw a conclusion from events and dialogue presented in-game. What are the motivations behind the character saying it? She's clearly lying or wrong. Perhaps she's lying, perhaps she's wrong, but she's one of the two and I think it more likely she's lying. Up to you.

Question:

How was Zelda un-draconified?

Hypothesis:

Link used Recall on Zelda.

Experiment:

Does Recall reverse things in time? Yes
Does Link's Hand, where Recall is, glow yellow? Yes
Does that energy absorb Zelda's dragon body? Yes
Does Zelda revert to her human body that she had in the past, with the memories up to the moment she transformed? Yes

Analysis:
Link probably used Recall on Zelda.

This is not difficult or fanfiction. The only hole is Mineru saying "You won't be able to change back" once, right before she says she's going to do it. Clearly she's wrong. Perhaps she's lying. She's never seen someone draconify or she wouldn't refer to the past as "stories."

This is the same as the Baldur's Gate 3 example, except less obtuse and much simpler to understand.

Are we going to treat other Zelda lore like this? There are sixteen pieces of the Triforce because we can't rule out that every character has been lying? The Master Sword isn't the blade of evil's bane because everyone in Hyrule is a dip****?

Meanwhile Baldur's Gate 3 just... explains how you've subverted the impossible to remove brain parasite.

 

[Guinea]

How did Zelda un-ghostify at the end of Spirit Tracks? How did Zelda un-darkify at the end of Twilight Princess? It's the plot, always the plot, no matter how corny it is. "Tetra, help me!" yells ghost Zelda, and sure enough, the help she so deperately seeks is granted to her... not like it could've happened, say, at the start of the game. Maybe Tetra was busy? Idk.

Granted I haven't played TotK but I have a sneaking suspicion that her revert to human form is similar.

 

[GZ Zelda]

Are we going to treat other Zelda lore like this? There are sixteen pieces of the Triforce because we can't rule out that every character has been lying? The Master Sword isn't the blade of evil's bane because everyone in Hyrule is a dip****?

This is Zelda theory: for good or bad. They do not give us straight answers, they do not explain what's going on, they contradict themselves consistently, Easter Eggs ruin timelines. Perhaps we deserve better, but I find the fun in the way they tell their stories.

I think Mineru not really understanding everything about draconification, or not thinking that Recall could work on a dragon, is a perfectly valid explanation. I think it's more compelling if she lied, that's fanfic I admit, but she's no doubt in-universe incorrect.

The insistence that this is a plothole is insane to me.

How did Zelda un-ghostify at the end of Spirit Tracks? How did Zelda un-darkify at the end of Twilight Princess? It's the plot, always the plot, no matter how corny it is. "Tetra, help me!" yells ghost Zelda, and sure enough, the help she so deperately seeks is granted to her... not like it could've happened, say, at the start of the game. Maybe Tetra was busy? Idk.

Yes exactly. This isn't new either, they never kill Zelda permanently in any game and they aren't going to start in the game where the main objective is "Find Zelda."

I also happen to think that using Recall on Zelda is a very smart idea to revert her. It combines two seemingly disparate elements into the epic catch sequence at the end of the game. Mineru's one line said in panic as she coughs her lungs out having clearly very little knowledge about what draconification is or how it works does not a significant plothole make.

 

[Angopik]

This is Zelda theory: for good or bad. They do not give us straight answers, they do not explain what's going on, they contradict themselves consistently, Easter Eggs ruin timelines.

Which I believe has always been by design. Each game comes across as a legend not too different from our real life legends. Nintendo leaves a lot open to interpretation because it provides each player kind of their own unique experience. If that wasn't what they were going for, I'd agree about them being horrible at telling their stories. As is, they're pretty basic and straight forward. Isn't their target audience teenagers? It's crazy that people aren't able to pick up on clues like in this instance.

 

[Bowsette Plus-Ultra]

When the storytelling is so bad that you start saying, "It's a legend. The storytelling is supposed to be garbage."

 

[GZ Zelda]

When the storytelling is so bad that you start saying, "It's a legend. The storytelling is supposed to be garbage."

That isn't what any of us said.

 

[Guinea]

When the storytelling is so bad that you start saying, "It's a legend. The storytelling is supposed to be garbage."

To be fair, people have said this the moment the games got inconsistent. The fans don't control Nintendo, if we did then the stories would actually make sense.