The sense I'm getting from the Tears of the Kingdom artbook is that the project was initially developed with the intention to allow the player to learn about the Zonai civilization through the ruins they left behind. The concept art of the sky islands showcases a range of unique designs, while the environmental sketches of the Depths and other underground areas are quite detailed and diverse.
Based on a few of the notes for the character designs, it seems that the developers ultimately decided to eliminate or simplify the elements of Tears of the Kingdom that weren't already present in Breath of the Wild. This is a shame if it's indeed the case, because it means that the underdeveloped lore and generic area design was a deliberate choice.
Tracking Terrako between the two timelines — Where did it start?
Lore Dump / Idea Post - Fic Spoilers Ahead!
Terrako-One is Built 10,000 Years Ago
After learning about Sonia and Rauru's young child, who is raised in the secret Shadow Temple (home of the monks and reminiscent of the later Sheikah shrines), she takes her opportunity to experience older technologies to construct a protector for the other Zelda.
Terrako is unintentionally given some of Zelda and Sonia's Time Power, but it is imperfect.
She constructs Terrako based on a toy she made with her mother as a kid and eventually lost with the Calamity. Terrako and the younger Zelda become inseparable, and it is very protective of her. It plays her a lullaby every night!
Terrako is destroyed in the Imprisoning War by Ganondorf when he discovers the Shadow Temple and begins a massacre of the Sheikah Tribe. It is broken protecting the toddler Zelda I and promptly discarded as Rauru and her remaining caretakers swept her away to safety.
Reconstructed
Terrako is re-constructed by a young Zelda and her mother using scattered parts that are excavated where the Shadow Temple once was. It is not exactly the same as its original model because of missing/replaced pieces. [ It, in turn, becomes inspiration for itself... ]
Of course, Terrako is eventually taken from Zelda in both the AoC and TotK timeline so she may focus on her sealing power.
Warping Time
Terrako splits time during the Calamity and warps into/creates the AoC timeline, which isn't entirely accurate to the one it originated from because of its imperfect reconstruction of time power. (Leading to inconsistencies like when Link drew the sword). We know time power goes off of memory, and Terrako has a very fragmented sort...
The Harbinger, Terrako-Two
Though AoC's original timeline's Terrako was corrupted into the harbinger, and destroyed afterward, I like to imagine it is reconstructed post-game free of corruption.
Terratwo. There are now two Terrakos. In the one timeline. [ In my Zeldas meet AU, I want the Terrakos to reunite with their respective original Zeldas... It'd be cute to have a tag-team! ]
Concepts not elaborated on will be getting their own posts soon! Please ask questions if you have any!!
I just noticed that the secret spring of revival has two grand poes. One could possibly be the king, and the other is right where Link woke up in botw on the surface. I think the shrine of resurrection didn't quite work as the Sheika intended, I think it just sped up the inevitable reincarnation process that Link and Zelda already go through. I think botw/totk Link has a different soul than the one from a hundred years ago did. And might be why his amnesia was so bad, he was literally just reborn moments ago with a brand new soul. And due to this reincarnation being sped up like it was and in the previous Links body, these two Links are basically the same guy. He is the Link from a hundred years ago but slightly to the left. He might have a different soul now and have a hard time remembering his past, but he's still Link. Ship of Theseus but with Link i guess. Is it the same guy if he has a different soul than before and has trouble remembering the past? I would say yeah it's the same guy. And I don't think the previous version of himself from 100 years ago would be mad at him for "replacing" him, someone needs to be there for Hyrule and Zelda and if it wasn't him specifically a slightly to the left version of himself is good. And botw link didn't exactly ask for the role, he was just kinda created and kicked into the world he was told he has to save.
Although this is just speculation. I'm still staring at the grand poe at the spring of revival suspiciously. Because it is right where botw Link woke up on the Surface and that seems not coincidental
It would also be very angst if Link ran into himself while in the depths, like oh hey is that poe ME. I think they would have a lovely conversation actually, once they're done freaking out. Alive Link freaking out at first seeing a poe version of himself, and poe Link freaking out at first because is that HIS BODY MOVING AROUND.
When did Kohga, the leader of the Yiga Clan, find out that the seal on the Demon King had been broken? Interestingly enough, Kohga expresses a fervent desire to “bring an end to this world in concert with a divine being,” which echoes the Demon King’s own ambitions. Perhaps the Demon King used one of his puppets to appear before the Yiga Clan and inform them of his intentions.
It’s also worth noting that the Yiga Clan makes several attempts to trick Link into an ambush by using Princess Zelda as a lure. If this strategy was concocted in imitation of the Demon King’s own methods, then it might be regarded as a display of sincere respect (although it must be said that the Yiga alter their own appearance rather than using magical proxies, and they have the unfortunate disadvantage of becoming distracted by Mighty Bananas).
The Yiga Clan even managed to pinpoint the Demon King’s location under Hyrule Castle and developed an ultimate weapon as an offering, thus demonstrating the depth of their devotion.
I really liked Age of Calamity. I must have played that stupid game for close to two hundred hours. I'm usually the sort of person who's like, "the story and atmosphere are just as important as the gameplay," but in this case. 100% of the appeal of Hyrule Warriors is the gameplay. The story is inconsequential; I just want to swing around a samurai sword. Hopefully while playing as Ganondorf.
What I'd really like to see is a series of flashbacks depicting how Sonia and Rauru created the Shrines of Light and Lightroots. This seems like a story well-suited to the Dynasty Warriors gameplay flow of defeating swarms of enemies in order to seal an area. On the reverse end, it might also be interesting to play as the monsters this time. Wouldn't it be fun to charge across the field as a Lynel...?
So if Zelda can use the Tri Rod to summon defeated monsters, and if Ganon was (possibly?) defeated by Link before the rifts appeared, does that mean Zelda will eventually be able to summon Ganon...?
Something that bothers me about the backstory of Tears of the Kingdom is that the fall of Zonai civilization is never explained. Even before the war with the Demon King, the Zonai already seemed to be in severe decline. During his formal surrender, Ganondorf taunts Rauru by claiming that he and his sister Mineru are the only two remaining Zonai, and there seems to be no evidence to the contrary.
As Rauru guides Link through the Gardens of Time, he explains that the Zonai used their technology to build a civilization that "flourished for many, many years," presumably before the founding of Hyrule. In Breath of the Wild, ancient technology was somewhat sinister, as demonstrated by the disasters precipitated by the malfunctions of the Divine Beasts. Was the decline of the Zonai also connected to their technology, somehow?
I'm intrigued by the implications of Rauru's meditations on the Temple of Time, which he claims was originally on the surface. I wonder how the islands floating over Hyrule came to exist, and whether their creation was perhaps an unintended consequence of Zonai technology. This is just a theory, but such disruptions to the natural environment might be a result of the use of the secret stones in particular, which might explain why Hyrule Castle suddenly rose into the sky as soon as the seal on the stones it was built to protect was broken.
So here’s an interesting difference between the English and Japanese versions of the Tears of the Kingdom teaser trailer...
In the English version, Zelda says, “Link... I am not sure you’ll be able to stop him.” In the Japanese version, she says,「リンク。このままでは、あなたでも勝てない。」This translates to, “Link, as things are now, even you will not be able to succeed.”
What intrigues me is that, while the English version makes it clear that Zelda is referring to the voice (Ganondorf?) commanding his servants to attack Hyrule, the Japanese version is much more ambiguous concerning what Link needs to accomplish. Zelda seems to be suggesting that Link needs to undergo some sort of training montage, but for what purpose?
