REVIEW: The Stuff of Legends is a Legend of Zelda High School AU fan fic by ryttu3k. "What's a fan fic?" Good question. 'Fan fic' is short for 'fan fiction', where fans of a series of any kind write their own stories that fit in in some way with the series. "What's a high school au?" Another decent question. 'AU' stands for 'Alternate Universe', and is used in the case where a fan fic is part of a series, but doesn't take place in the exact same universe. In the case of a High School AU, it takes the many characters and changes the setting to that of a modern high school, and the characters change to fit the setting. (Mentor becomes a teacher, rival a bully, etc.) "What is the legend of zelda?" ...now you're just fucking with me.
*Spoiler-free Zone*: This fan fic is 85% greatness. Their new versions of Link, Zelda, Shiek (I know they're not supposed to be separate people, just roll with it) fit the originals and expand upon them. It's a really hilarious story with great references and jokes at the beloved gaming franchise it's based off of. The closest things to problems I have with the majority of the work are the characterization of Ruto (Way too over-the-top), and the choice to make Link and Shiek gay lovers (Not really a flaw, I just don't enjoy reading those scenes. I can't say it's a flaw because if said scenes were girl-on-girl, I'd love them and others would have a problem.) Why do I keep excluding the end? Read below to find out. But beware! Spoilers ahead.
*SPOILER TERRITORY: BEWARE ALL YE WHO ENTER HERE*: The story ends with two twists, one right after the other. Before either it was preparing for a festival, where chosen students would reenact the legend of old (Ocarina of Time's story). Link is chosen for the Hero, Zelda for the Princess, and Secretary of State Ganondorf Dragmire for the King. When the reenactment begins, SURPRISE he really is Ganondorf with magic powers, and kills the Prime Minister of Hyrule and several Sages. I don't have that much of a problem with this twist. It's a major genre shift, for sure, but it had been subtly hinted at in previous events. It still could have been a great fan fic, just a much darker one. But when Link confronts good old Ganondorf, he finds the G-man has killed Zelda and Shiek. The second twist? It was all a dream. Yes, you read that right. THE ENTIRE FAN FIC FROM BEGINNING TO END WAS JUST AN ILLUSION DONE BY GANONDORF ON LINK JUST BEFORE THE FINAL BATTLE IN OOT. While oftly ridiculed in this day and age, the "It's all just a dream" twist is not always bad. I have recently seen a webcomic have that twist, but instead of ending it there they instead created an entire dream universe, so while it was a dream it still happened and therefore still has significance. But by saying that the people, places, and events within were entirely fictional, and hold NO significance whatsoever in any way, you make those of us who were emotionally invested in your well-written (up to that point) story incredibly pissed that you would bullshit us like this. I have seriously lost all faith in the author as a writer, as he/she clearly has no idea how to end a good story (...was this written by Mark Millar?). If you count in the 2 twists, the story overall goes from a 9.5/10 for me into a 6/10.
REQUEST: My request to you all is simple. I shall now provide you with a link to the first chapter of the story I've been ranting about. Please read it, and post your thoughts and feelings in the comments below. Try and give some support for the author as well. I may not have liked his artistic choice for the ending, but to me his skill in weaving the rest of his tale is worth high praise indeed. Catch you later.
No comments:
Post a Comment