I was never a fan of either the "Link is dead" or "Termina doesn't exist" theories. In part because they tend to create discrepancies, but mostly because they're depressing and basically say "nothing here matters." In contrast, your take works whether or not it's a dream. It allows the adventure to happen and Link to do his thing, and he still gets the best lessons that come from those theories.
Personally, I don’t think Termina ever was a dream world, but I’ve thought that the five stages of grief idea is good. Sometimes real places we visit in our lives remind us of intangible concepts in our own minds, and I believe that’s how the five stages of grief works in Termina for Link. The places Link visits aren’t inherently tied to each individual stage, however the perception Link has while he works his way through each area to help others winds up deliberately showcasing the five stages. To the citizens of each area, they’re just living their own lives as anyone would, but to Link, the outsider, everything has a strange affinity to the stages of grief. I think you nailed it when you said this Link suffers from trauma, and it’s the primary reason why he’s my favorite Link. He’s still just a kid, and not the cartoony type of kid like Wind Waker Link. OoT has this Link go through childlike adventures at first, but then immediately thrusts him into a mature, dark, bloodstained world once he’s an “adult”. The only thing is, he never got the chance to grow into an adult. Suddenly having a grown up brain that can perceive the darkness around him doesn’t mean he can process it properly. But he perseveres through it all anyway… because he has to. When Link returns to being a child again by the end of OoT, he doesn’t really get the chance to be a kid like Zelda hoped. Time may be thought to heal all wounds, but scars will always remain. The land of Termina, I believe, is a real parallel world to Hyrule, and it couldn’t be any more different yet the same. Link was able to go through the five stages of grief while he helped this world from ruin, but it wasn’t because he had to; helping the individual citizens of this world is completely optional as all you need to return things to normal is collect the four boss masks. And yet, skipping the side stories means you skip all of the important differences that make up this unique world. I believe that this means Link helps everyone individually for their problems before saving the world, as helping others is one of the truest ways to heal from the scars of trauma. OoT ends with the child timeline barely knowing about Link’s exploits against Ganondorf and his adventure is only known about through the Royal Family, but after Majora’s Mask everyone in Termina knows who their hero is. A boy named Link who helped everyone he came across, whether it was to simply listen to bedtime story or stop a burglar from stealing a valuable bag of bombs, everyone knows who Link is. And Link, even though he knows he’ll never meet Navi again, even though he knows he’ll never truly be a child again- Link knows that he made a personal difference in the lives of the people of Termina. This doesn’t make his scars fade away, but it does help them sting a little less than before
@@SaturnLink hey and isn’t that the beauty of MM? We both have our own interpretations, but that doesn’t make the other any less valid. I spoke about it from my perspective, and you from yours. I love MM to death for what it means to me, so please continue loving it for what it means to you!
Termina was created out of the Imp's memories of Hyrule after he donned Majora's Mask. It's in one of the official books. That's why everything is so familiar, and yet out of place. Of course, the real reason is that it was simply convenient to reuse all of the assets from Ocarina of Time. The mark of a truly great storyteller is the ability to tell the same story in different ways, rearranging themes, characters, plots, etc. Every game in the Zelda franchise has been successful at doing just that, but none more so than Majora's Mask. It is a remarkable achievement by masterful storytellers at the peak of their craft.
I have for some time now interpreted Termina as being a purgatory like realm where the souls of the dead wait in a dream like state for rebirth. I like referring to Termina as The Terminal of Souls. I do believe that Link is still alive, and that he was pulled into Termina through his dreaming. For an example of what I mean, look at The Unknown from "Over the Garden Wall".
It fits well with how you see the hero's shade in TP, there's probably ages after MM before Link's dies, but you can see that by that time the hero has moved on
I love that your video gives a more positivie outlook on Link's story. This is why I dislike the whole "Link was a sad loner with no happiness" theories that so many people make in regards to the Hero's Shade. Majoras Mask gives you so many lessons about overcoming grief and pain and healing not just others but yourself and then Link is suddenly supposed to not have applied any of these lessons on himself? Like, that's going against the whole point of it. Sure he grew up to die with regret, but that does not rule out the possibility of happiness and fulfilment in other ways. You can have a long and happy life and still end up with regrets when something you always longed for doesn't end up fulfiled. One does not rule out the other.
There's a lot of things in the game that would make explaining Termina as a real place that had always existed make no sense. I don't believe it to be a dream, but I do think it is a real place manifested by Link in some way. If you look at some things in the game, it wouldn't line up as always existing. For example, there is a Gossip Stone that describes The Fierce Deity Mask, calling it a mask with the merits of all masks. If not all masks even existed before the end of the game, and Aonuma described it as containing the memories of all the people of Termina, how could the mask exist before the end of the game, and why would a Gossip Stone know of it? I believe it falls somewhere in the middle of Hyrule Encyclopedia's explanation. It describes Termina as being a world created by the memories of Skull Kid and Majora's Mask using the masks magic. I believe it is created by Links and Majora's Masks memories rather than Skull Kids. Having it also being based on the memories of Majora's Mask in addition to Link could explain the unique culture of Termina. The way you described it as a manifestation of his trauma is a good way to put it.
Your channel is bound to blow up with popularity. I was really happy to see this take on Majora's Mask and its meaning. Well done, thank you for the work that you put into making this video.
Amazing video man, I just finished playing majoras mask on the 3ds and man, I knew right away it was a deep game, it got me thinking a lot as I went on with my play though, I could resonate with the characters and the game itself.
OH WOW I just found your channel, but your videos are incredible!! You're incredibly underrated, keep up the fantastic work!! :D I can't wait to see more of your content, this video was super interesting and so well made!!
This video has been my position on Majora's Mask for some time now, and it does a great job unintentionally explaining why you can't just wear the Fierce Deity mask all the time... Link being an adult was something you put on and took off at your convenience in OoT... It was never permanent.
Hyrule Historia says that Majora's Mask was just a dream. I disagree...just something they said to shut down fan theories. That's no fun. This masterpiece is so much more than that. I absolutely agree that Majora is the manifestation of Link's trauma.
I think termina is real. Two reasons: 1. Link leaves into the lost woods at the end of the game carrying his equipment from termina 2. Characters from the game are referenced in other games, such as the goron statues in Breath of the Wild.
Good video, but I have a couple of things I’d like to see in future videos: 1. if you bring up a theory being disproven, it would be nice to hear a quick summary of what aspect has been disproven and how for the members of your audience that aren’t as familiar 2. it might be helpful to use an external source for things like the stages of grief, especially given that the five stages model was originally created to describe the grieving process one goes through after receiving a terminal diagnosis, as a grief of their own impending death. hearing you argue against the “link is dead” theory on the grounds that grieving happens for the deaths of others when the model actually describes something much closer to link’s own death is a bit jarring and kind of undermines the rest of your argument
I hate how every time people open up this theory they start by mentioning that all the characters are from ocarina of time , it’s literally not true . 95% isn’t 100% and the only reason why this was the case was because of the small deadline for the game and thus they wanted to use the resources from OoT to finish it .
Hey guys, I have no videos yet, but I have been thinking about making a Zelda Breath of the Wild channel since it came out. With Tears of the Kingdom coming son I though it would be a good time, but I was wondering what you guys would like to see if I were to do that. If I like your ideas, I will feature your names in the video. Thank you!
I was never a fan of either the "Link is dead" or "Termina doesn't exist" theories. In part because they tend to create discrepancies, but mostly because they're depressing and basically say "nothing here matters."
In contrast, your take works whether or not it's a dream. It allows the adventure to happen and Link to do his thing, and he still gets the best lessons that come from those theories.
people put too little value to (their) inner worlds
Personally, I don’t think Termina ever was a dream world, but I’ve thought that the five stages of grief idea is good. Sometimes real places we visit in our lives remind us of intangible concepts in our own minds, and I believe that’s how the five stages of grief works in Termina for Link.
The places Link visits aren’t inherently tied to each individual stage, however the perception Link has while he works his way through each area to help others winds up deliberately showcasing the five stages. To the citizens of each area, they’re just living their own lives as anyone would, but to Link, the outsider, everything has a strange affinity to the stages of grief.
I think you nailed it when you said this Link suffers from trauma, and it’s the primary reason why he’s my favorite Link. He’s still just a kid, and not the cartoony type of kid like Wind Waker Link. OoT has this Link go through childlike adventures at first, but then immediately thrusts him into a mature, dark, bloodstained world once he’s an “adult”. The only thing is, he never got the chance to grow into an adult. Suddenly having a grown up brain that can perceive the darkness around him doesn’t mean he can process it properly. But he perseveres through it all anyway… because he has to.
When Link returns to being a child again by the end of OoT, he doesn’t really get the chance to be a kid like Zelda hoped. Time may be thought to heal all wounds, but scars will always remain.
The land of Termina, I believe, is a real parallel world to Hyrule, and it couldn’t be any more different yet the same. Link was able to go through the five stages of grief while he helped this world from ruin, but it wasn’t because he had to; helping the individual citizens of this world is completely optional as all you need to return things to normal is collect the four boss masks. And yet, skipping the side stories means you skip all of the important differences that make up this unique world. I believe that this means Link helps everyone individually for their problems before saving the world, as helping others is one of the truest ways to heal from the scars of trauma.
OoT ends with the child timeline barely knowing about Link’s exploits against Ganondorf and his adventure is only known about through the Royal Family, but after Majora’s Mask everyone in Termina knows who their hero is. A boy named Link who helped everyone he came across, whether it was to simply listen to bedtime story or stop a burglar from stealing a valuable bag of bombs, everyone knows who Link is. And Link, even though he knows he’ll never meet Navi again, even though he knows he’ll never truly be a child again- Link knows that he made a personal difference in the lives of the people of Termina. This doesn’t make his scars fade away, but it does help them sting a little less than before
@@SaturnLink hey and isn’t that the beauty of MM? We both have our own interpretations, but that doesn’t make the other any less valid. I spoke about it from my perspective, and you from yours. I love MM to death for what it means to me, so please continue loving it for what it means to you!
Termina was created out of the Imp's memories of Hyrule after he donned Majora's Mask. It's in one of the official books. That's why everything is so familiar, and yet out of place.
Of course, the real reason is that it was simply convenient to reuse all of the assets from Ocarina of Time. The mark of a truly great storyteller is the ability to tell the same story in different ways, rearranging themes, characters, plots, etc. Every game in the Zelda franchise has been successful at doing just that, but none more so than Majora's Mask. It is a remarkable achievement by masterful storytellers at the peak of their craft.
I have for some time now interpreted Termina as being a purgatory like realm where the souls of the dead wait in a dream like state for rebirth. I like referring to Termina as The Terminal of Souls. I do believe that Link is still alive, and that he was pulled into Termina through his dreaming. For an example of what I mean, look at The Unknown from "Over the Garden Wall".
It fits well with how you see the hero's shade in TP, there's probably ages after MM before Link's dies, but you can see that by that time the hero has moved on
I love that your video gives a more positivie outlook on Link's story. This is why I dislike the whole "Link was a sad loner with no happiness" theories that so many people make in regards to the Hero's Shade. Majoras Mask gives you so many lessons about overcoming grief and pain and healing not just others but yourself and then Link is suddenly supposed to not have applied any of these lessons on himself? Like, that's going against the whole point of it. Sure he grew up to die with regret, but that does not rule out the possibility of happiness and fulfilment in other ways. You can have a long and happy life and still end up with regrets when something you always longed for doesn't end up fulfiled. One does not rule out the other.
Dude you deserve more credit for this, because this whole video is great. I hope you keep doing more!
0:56 Okay let me pick at something right there. The Skull Kid was never evil, just mislead.
Feel ur correct alot theses aspect gj gj good show
bro i dont know why you dont have a lot of followers and likes like bro you are a real goat
There's a lot of things in the game that would make explaining Termina as a real place that had always existed make no sense. I don't believe it to be a dream, but I do think it is a real place manifested by Link in some way. If you look at some things in the game, it wouldn't line up as always existing. For example, there is a Gossip Stone that describes The Fierce Deity Mask, calling it a mask with the merits of all masks. If not all masks even existed before the end of the game, and Aonuma described it as containing the memories of all the people of Termina, how could the mask exist before the end of the game, and why would a Gossip Stone know of it? I believe it falls somewhere in the middle of Hyrule Encyclopedia's explanation. It describes Termina as being a world created by the memories of Skull Kid and Majora's Mask using the masks magic. I believe it is created by Links and Majora's Masks memories rather than Skull Kids. Having it also being based on the memories of Majora's Mask in addition to Link could explain the unique culture of Termina. The way you described it as a manifestation of his trauma is a good way to put it.
What a great take on this game. I have never looked at it this way
You are giving Zeltick a run for his money.
Zeltik*
@@itssbrucewayne right, thanks!
Your channel is bound to blow up with popularity. I was really happy to see this take on Majora's Mask and its meaning. Well done, thank you for the work that you put into making this video.
Amazing video man, I just finished playing majoras mask on the 3ds and man, I knew right away it was a deep game, it got me thinking a lot as I went on with my play though, I could resonate with the characters and the game itself.
Great video
Dude! Great theory!
This is a cool idea!
Just stumbled upon this and I love it! Amazing theory! Great work ❤
OH WOW I just found your channel, but your videos are incredible!! You're incredibly underrated, keep up the fantastic work!! :D I can't wait to see more of your content, this video was super interesting and so well made!!
This video has been my position on Majora's Mask for some time now, and it does a great job unintentionally explaining why you can't just wear the Fierce Deity mask all the time... Link being an adult was something you put on and took off at your convenience in OoT... It was never permanent.
Hyrule Historia says that Majora's Mask was just a dream. I disagree...just something they said to shut down fan theories. That's no fun. This masterpiece is so much more than that. I absolutely agree that Majora is the manifestation of Link's trauma.
I think termina is real.
Two reasons:
1. Link leaves into the lost woods at the end of the game carrying his equipment from termina
2. Characters from the game are referenced in other games, such as the goron statues in Breath of the Wild.
great theory
I've been a Zelda fan since 2006 and this was a very good video
Got a sub out of me, that was very well done.
Im just gona say this but i thought termina was an alternate dimension from hyrule and the gate was the clock in clocktown
Yo nice vid
all in his mind?
Good video, but I have a couple of things I’d like to see in future videos:
1. if you bring up a theory being disproven, it would be nice to hear a quick summary of what aspect has been disproven and how for the members of your audience that aren’t as familiar
2. it might be helpful to use an external source for things like the stages of grief, especially given that the five stages model was originally created to describe the grieving process one goes through after receiving a terminal diagnosis, as a grief of their own impending death. hearing you argue against the “link is dead” theory on the grounds that grieving happens for the deaths of others when the model actually describes something much closer to link’s own death is a bit jarring and kind of undermines the rest of your argument
I hate how every time people open up this theory they start by mentioning that all the characters are from ocarina of time , it’s literally not true . 95% isn’t 100% and the only reason why this was the case was because of the small deadline for the game and thus they wanted to use the resources from OoT to finish it .
Ah shoot this channel's going to blow up like a parade float, isn't it?
Maybe it was just another place
Well done.
Nah, it's a real land. Just an alternate dimension.
Pog and real
Not bad.👍
WHO Said, ITS a dream?
Hey guys, I have no videos yet, but I have been thinking about making a Zelda Breath of the Wild channel since it came out. With Tears of the Kingdom coming son I though it would be a good time, but I was wondering what you guys would like to see if I were to do that. If I like your ideas, I will feature your names in the video. Thank you!
@@SaturnLink Okay, thank you so much!