A willing scapegoat, and her unwanted savior
ramblings of a madman below;
they make me so violently ill your honor. like do you ever think about how much unresolved feelings they have to unpack after the end of ALBW? I do. I get psychic damage every time. This is painting is me trying to convert that psychic damage into something pretty.
Anyways. this is mainly based on the Pieta by Michealangelo and also Fallen Angel by Alexandre Cabanel. The duality between Hilda and Ravio makes me sick: here you have a princess who would rip out her own beating heart to save her kingdom, and then her advisor/friend/partner would let the world die if it meant saving her soul (and also their kingdom's, really but you know). They care eachother so much to the point of betrayal. hhhghg. I went on a whole thing about this to my friends while conceptualizing this painting and I cannot capture those thoughts in a concise paragraph again aaaa
anyways have some detail notes:
Ravio looking to the sky lamenting to the gods not only for Lorule's fate, but for Hilda's specifically--as the princess shouldering this burden that her ancestors left her.
Saintly halo because within the narrative he's technically the "good guy" between himself and Hilda, plus the slight martyr themes from him choosing to let Lorule die with integrity instead of surviving with a stolen Triforce.
Blood on his hands also for this same reason ^^ and also because he refuses to truly abandon Hilda despite her actions.
He really doesn't have that much going on in this painting aside from that tbh. NOW HILDA ON THE OTHER HAND,
She's sooooooo angry <3333 she's angry at her ancestors for breaking their triforce, angry that her people are suffering, angry at her own powerlessness, angry at the gods for abandoning Lorule, but also. angry at Ravio for his abandonment and betrayal
So much rage and grief inside one girl! I thought the Fallen Angel-inspired eye expression would be fitting. Like yeah, Ravio did left + actively worked against her to save her, and yes it all worked out in the end. But that doesn't mean the betrayal didn't still hurt! ⭐⭐⭐
Ravio is holding her hand--she isn't holding it back, but she isn't pulling away either. Similarly, she's leaning against him but not into him. (is that the term? idk english).
Hilda hates him but she still loves him. Even if what he did cut her deeply, the presence of a dear friend/confidante/"partner" is still something she craves. Especially in a world as broken as theirs.
She can't look at him, but she can't bring herself to pull away either.
Lots of blood ⭐ Hilda will do anything, even spill blood, to ensure Lorule's survival. Unlike in the original Pieta, Hilda is wide awake. Her decisions are not the result of brainwashing evil magic. She knows what stealing Hyrule's Triforce entails and how it condemns her. This was her own conscious choice.
also the sword is based on the one Puppet Zelda uses in Twilight Princess. there's no on purpose thematic relevance I just didn't want to make an original sword design.
me when I got this idea but tumblr was blocked in the ph:
