Defending the Princess, Why Zelda?

I'm sure most of you have all come up against the people who bash Princess Zelda. They claim all sorts of reasons why Zelda isn't a good match for Link, degrading her character and making her out to be something she isn't. So here I would like to build defense cases for protecting the honor of our favorite Princess, and why we believe she should be with Link instead of one of the other girls.

(Is this ok Mods? Not sure if this topic is too broad or should be placed elsewhere. . .)

Boo! Not high.

Well, starters. She's nice, and I can accept the fact that we don't have to have LxZ. But even so, bashers, you suck!...well, not really, but yeah. don't bash. not cool.

That goes for Linkkeeperofcourage. No bashing. I am not a mod. But I say so. No bashing. Not even Malon. Only noogies. *knuckles Malon* Ah yes...as I was saying.

However, back to subject. She's nice, she's hot (well, she's close enough for it), she's pretty much one of those "dream girls" that you get. Except you can never get her. Makes it so damn frustrating...

Any bashers suck. They need to get a life.

Plus, most Malinkers clearly haven't played another game than OoT. It could be a possibility, but let's face it: Zelda's been around forever. Just like Link. And Ganny.

So. What's best? The one who keeps reappearing at Link's side, or someone else who provides some sort of help but nothing more?

I'm just waiting with tense shoulders for the LinkxIlia fiction and the LinkxHena fiction that will arise once TP comes out. *cringe*

Well, it's like..Malon has...what, three appearances? Zelda has one in every game except...like...uhh...one i think. So there! It's like "I'm sorry, but NO!"

And even if Zelda doesn't appear, she's mentioned, correct?

But what I was actually trying to do with this topic was give support to the idea that Zelda is a strong person and not the weakling Malinkers make her out to be. Link gave a very strong defense of our Princess in the Ask Link thread

yay!

Yes. She is strong. Headstrong. And she doesn't give in to a geezer. Like...the...aggh person Link was sorta made out to be in the Loz cartoon. At least, that's what they said about him...

Don't get me started about the cartoon. Whoever allowed that crap to be made deserves never to see the daylight again.

Link should have been laid-back and strong. The determined kind. Not a slacker perverted little freak.

Just thinking about it makes me ill.

Rofl! I've never seen the cartoon, but from what I heard it sucks and the creator ought to be shot.

I think a lot of people who don't like Zelda use her character from the cartoons to say: "Look! See what a B**** she is? She's horrendous! Keep Link away from her!" And that's really unfair, because they don't take time to look at how Zelda's character is presented overall, through all the games.

A prime example of Zelda's strength is the fact that in OoT she evaded Ganondorf for SEVEN YEARS. Seven years she avoided his capture, and the moment she lets her guard down to tell Link everything, that's when Ganny gets her! To live on your own in disguise, hiding from the King of Evil for seven years is quite a feat of strength in my opinion.

I comepletely agree with you, and I'm also fearing the Ilia/Link thing! Omigosh, I hate her already and I haven't even played the game! She's just inspiring more bashing wars. *SIGH* It's already started in some places, I've already had an argument with this extreme Zelda hater.

Well, I'm not sure I'm going to HATE Ilia. I'm probably going to see her as another Saria. And I kind of like Saria. Somehow, characters shouldn't be either loved or hated. It's okay to just enjoy their presence too. Hatred destroys the game experience, in my opinion.

And frankly, I was hoping the LoZ community was moving away from the bashing period. I thought we were all a bit more grown-up. I know ZeldaBlog is making a big effort to unify the community (great place, everyone. Check it out if you haven't already). It's not so much the fact that those new TP girls are going to be in the game as much as the fact that it's going to generate more second-grade fanfiction that upsets me.

Back on topic. I think Zelda, as a character, evolved for the better when she got the alter ego of Tetra. Tetra was cool, sarcastic, and also had this caring edge that kind of made her hard to classify. I always kinda pictured Zelda like that. I think Tetra definitely shows what Zelda is really capable of.

(It would so rock if Tetra was a character for SSBBrawl. That would be amazing!)

She just seems so bossy in the demos. The way she yelled at Link and her own father... I don't really see her as a Saria type character, more like the new Malon. My mind isn't completely closed to her (hate was too strong a word I think), but I can't help dreading what the fans will do with her.

Only time will tell, and, as I always say, "We'll cross that bridge when we get there."

I think she just sounds bossy because the demo was abbreviated, because it's not explained as clearly that she's worried for Epona and Link (because he makes Epona jump all these fences, etc.).

Let's still give her a chance. She can be a friend and not be romantically involved with Link.

Even though she'll probably have a crush on him. Like every one of us.

Ah, super faboo topic, Alantie. We needed something like this around, and I'm loving that you took the initiative to start it up.

Oh yeah, Zelda definitely gets her share of crap from fans. In fact, some of my first experiences with fan communities online involved running into Zelda bashers. Back then I was a bit more rabid... erm... well, aggressive, let's say, when it came to taking action (not to mention offense as a fan of hers) when I ran into flamers. So I spent tons of time examining every little bit of Zelda's character to shoot 'em all down. Ah, twelve-year-old Luna was such a helicopter fangirl. :-D

Let's start at the beginning--namely, game number one, the Legend of Zelda. Even though she only got ONE line in the entire game, regardless of the fact that it was named after her, it was already obvious that Zel was meant to be portrayed as a strong character, if only in will. She was the only one who was sensible, not to mention brave enough to try and stop Ganon (or, dare I say it, "Gannon"). :-P Splitting up the Triforce of Wisdom was definitely a very smart idea, and of course Zelda was obviously working under pressure, what with the country she ruled being attacked by a satanic pig. So, yeah. That already scores her a lot of brownie points, at least in my book. ;-)

So, onward to game number two, the Adventure of Link. As unlikely as it may seem, Zelda did show some visible signs of great character in this game, even though she was asleep from long before the game's intro until its ending. Let's examine her backstory. We know that she had a father and a brother. Dad dies, bro gets pissed because he doesn't inherit the Triforce. Sis knows something about it. Issues ensue. :-P Naturally, being an asshole, Zelda's brother questioned her about the Triforce and even went so far as to sic a homicidal wizard on her. She said nothing, even when he threatened to put her in an "eternal sleep." Yikes. Still, Zelda gets another boatload of brownie points for that. Although a lot of people think the ending (where Zel meets Link and goes straight in for a kiss on the lips) implies that she's a whore. Ah, the fanfolk. XD

Now things kick up a notch with game number three (one of my personal favorites), a Link to the Past. While lots of people often accuse Zelda of showing a lot of weakness in this game because of, and I quote, "whining" to Link when she was imprisoned, and getting herself imprisoned in the first place. What the hell? Please. I thought she was surprisingly cool about the whole situation, and seemed to have a very rational, level-headed nature about her, even in the face of danger. She also seemed very honest and well-mannered to me, and I think ALTTP was our first real glimpse at the depth of Zelda's character--we got to see the extent of her sensibility. I mean, the girl managed to contact several (well, at least two :-P ) outlets for help without her captors batting an eyelash in her direction. Very nice.

Skipping game number four, since it has a noticeable lack of Zelda in it, we're moving right along to game number five: one of the most talked about games in history, our beloved Ocarina of Time. Being that this game basically redefined the series while still maintaining its classic feel, the princess herself was bound to play a huge part. And we got to get even further under her skin--she was portrayed as profound, yet melodramatic, well-mannered, yet still holding a faint air of charming uniqueness. Most importantly, she had an almost enigmatic humanity about her. She was, for the first time, a troublingly real character. And I loved her to pieces. Her personality just evolved so smoothly and worked so well with the plot--she went from a bright, determined, yet still confined dreamer as a child, to a troubled enigma making the endeavor to save the world in secret, to the wise, duty-driven leader we know and love. On the surface, she was difficult to read, which left her susceptible to fan-made interpretations of what she was truly like as a person. But if you take the time to look more closely at her as a character, it's not hard to see what a great character she really is. Just as one example... not only did she single-handedly dodge a crazy, headhunting warlord for seven years, she remained totally and completely devoted to Link. She still believed he was going to come back for Hyrule and for her. Perhaps she holds some unrealistic ideals in that respect, but it was that faith in him she had written all over her character that originally drew me to the Link/Zelda pairing.

I think her character remained basically the same as it was in OOT throughout the rest of the games, but depending on which game we're talking about, different stages of her character are portrayed. For example, games like the Minish Cap are more reflective of her childhood persona, while games like Majora's Mask (although her appearance was short-lived) portray her with the maturity she had as an adult. The Wind Waker, however, completely steered Zellie off her usual course, and I would go into my fangirlism about Tetra and her kick-ass-ness, but that's another story for another time. ;-)

As for the cartoons... I don't know about you guys, but I really don't take those into account as much as the games. I insist--that dude in the green outfit trying to get action from everybody is NOT my Link.

[/RANT]

EDIT: BTW, great points on everybody's part. :-D As for Ilia.... I'm going to wait until I get TP to make my judgments about her. That, or I'm just lazy. XD

I think there is little more we can say for Zelda's defence.

Congratulations, Luna. You are now the official Advocate of Defence for the Princess of Hyrule.

Bravo Luna!! *claps enthusiastically* I agree with Crazygurl and dub thee Luna, official Advocate of Defence for the Princess of Hyrule! I think your rabid fan days definately paid off, for you have given possibly the best defence of Zelda I have ever lucked upon reading! You covered things so well, don't even know if there's anything left to say!

Lol, I figured we needed one, since I keep running into Zelda bashers wherever I go

I totally agree, WW portrayal of Zelda as Tetra was possibly one of the best things ever done for her character! She completely kicked booty, and it gives peple no right to say Zelda isn't brave or strong. I mean, Tetra comes back to help Link against Ganon before Valoo burns the hideout, not to mention that she helped lure the giant bird off before hand! I also was pleased that she gets to help Link in the final battle with the light arrows And judging from some of the TP fanart, it appears Zellie gets a sword? Which means we might get to see her fight! Coolness! Though, truth be told, I prefer her fighting with magic, such as she does in SSBM.

Once again, loving your rant Luna!