raisedbymoogles (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
raisedbymoogles) wrote2021-12-13 12:49 am
raisedbymoogles) wrote2021-12-13 12:49 am
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fic notes: untangling the monsters of BotW
Okay so there's probably a limit to how much you can talk about the monsters in BotW(/LoZ games in general) like they're part of the natural world since they're in effect Ganon's minions and not actually native to the ecosystems they're found in. How much of their behavior is programmed/commanded directly by Ganon and how much is natural? Do they even exist when Ganon's inactive? Age of Calamity shows monsters acting as units, cooperating with and/or tolerating the presence of other species, responding to orders, and otherwise acting in ways you maybe wouldn't expect if they were just doing what came naturally, but the canonicity of AoC is another thorny issue. So for the purposes of this can of worms masquerading as an essay, I'm going to assume that Ganon is suffering from Acts of Princess in BotW's present day and is not exerting direct control over any of the monsters you encounter. What, aside from hostility towards Hylians, do they have in common? Where do they differ? How smart are they really, and how do we even quantify that?
1st issue: Sociability
Social animals = intelligent animals, see dolphins, parrots, and apes. It takes a lot of brainpower to process social stuff! Source: me, being terrible at it.
So Bokoblins are pretty social, hanging out in groups of 2-6 or so, hunting cooperatively or guarding points of interest. You rarely ever see them alone. They sometimes group up with Moblins, who don't seem quite as socially-inclined themselves when Bokoblins aren't involved, but now and then you run into an all-Moblin group. Given Moblins' relative size, maybe food competition is the issue?
Lizalfos are also highly social, maybe even preferring larger groups than Bokoblins. The two species will group up in those fire-pit-style monster camps, especially in harsh environments like the Gerudo Desert or the snowfields. I don't remember any Lizalfos + Moblin groups though, so I still feel like Bokoblins are the social glue in those scenarios. Left to their own devices, Lizalfos tend to stick to their own kind.
One extremely interesting thing - credit to Dark Puck for pointing this out - is how Bokoblins tame horses just like Link does. ...I mean, we don't see them do it, but I can't imagine their technique is too dissimilar. The horses don't seem mistreated, either. Once you defeat their rider the horse will just stand around like any other tamed but unregistered horse. So Bokoblins are not only intelligent and social but empathetic enough to gain the trust of wild horses. Which is a weirdly cute thought.
On the other end of the sociability spectrum there's Lynels, Wizzrobes and Hinoxes. All confirmed loners, especially Lynels, to the point where I kind of sneakily headcanon that the two Lynels in the valley-of-the-giant-horse are a breeding pair because they're the only ones to even live that close together. All the other Lynels live not only far away from each other but in extremely out-of-the-way places, like they can't tolerate the presence of other creatures at all. (The question of what they eat, in that case, is perhaps best left alone.) Now and then you'll encounter a Hinox or a Wizzrobe with a Bokoblin entourage, but no Bokoblin, it seems, is brave enough to team up with a Lynel. Except maaaaaybe the ones in the Coliseum, though that barely counts since the Bokoblins and Moblins all hang out on the upper floors and leave the ground floor to the Lynel.
2nd issue: Crafting
Except for Hinoxes who really don't need weapons (aside from the occasional tree XD), all the monsters use unique-to-them weapons, in addition to picking up and using Hylian weapons. So they're all tool-using creatures and they're capable of recognizing the utility of things they didn't make themselves, but there's a marked difference in the materials they use that's pretty telling. Bokoblins and Moblins craft with wood and bone, and their stuff is pretty rudimentary: spears are sharpened sticks, bows are just sticks with strings on, clubs are just the biggest branch they could find with optional pieces of bone bolted on, etc. I found a spreadsheet on Reddit listing the damage and durability of most of the weapons (excluding bows for now) and it looks like the durability of most of the Boko and Moblin weapons are somewhat low compared to their Hylian counterparts. So these weapons are more enthusiasm than skill - they'll get the job done, but they're bodge jobs. Bokoblin and Moblin intelligence, or maybe their attention span, is not really built for more complex builds.
Lizalfos and Lynels are another story. They use unique metal weapons, with durability comparable to anything Hylians (I'm using Hylians very broadly here) can make. I suppose there could be a Yiga blacksmithery somewhere churning out these weapons to arm monsters, but I doubt that was the intended takeaway. I think the game means to imply that the monsters are forging these things themselves.
Importantly, both Lynels and certain Lizalfos have fire breath, which would certainly make blacksmithing easier, but access to fire is only part of the equation here. I've never done that kind of work myself, but if you check out Man at Arms: Reforged or That Works over on YouTube, they walk you through the steps of making weapons and it's a pretty complex process. Temperature control, how different metals react to heat, quenching in oils and grinding and polishing and look it's a lot okay? You gotta learn some SCIENCE to do this shit. So Lizalfos and Lynels have to be about as smart as humans/Hylians in order to make these things.
Hinoxes are an edge case here. They don't make weapons - the weapons you get from them are probably trophies from unluckier adventurers - but they do make ankle armor, out of wood or metal. Both look like scrap pieces bolted or tied together, so I think it's safe to say that although Hinoxes may be limited crafters, they aren't forgers. I could be wrong though.
The question of where the monsters are getting their metal, like the mystery of the Lynel's lunches, is perhaps best left alone.
(Also, Wizzrobes are another edge case, and I have no idea whether they craft their staves or just, like, manifest them, Because Magic.)
3rd issue: Building
Hyrule is lousy with monster forts. Some of them are the ruins of Hylian forts or settlements, but a lot of them seem to have been built by the monsters themselves. There's tree forts, there's a few beachside forts, there's those Lizalfos platform complexes on every river. And honestly? They're pretty well made! Not exactly permanent structures but like the stairs aren't at wonky angles and all of it is sturdy enough to withstand exploding barrels and the like. The Lizalfos' buildings especially are genuinely beautiful pieces of work.
Now, Lizalfos structures don't surprise me. They're smart enough to work metal and they're highly social/intelligent. The tree forts with the Bokoblins/Moblins, though, seem out of character compared to the craftsmonship of their weapons. The planks are uneven enough that I don't think these structures were built by Hylians(/Yiga) and then captured/repurposed by monsters, but the platforms are flat enough that you'd think they'd used a spirit level and the stairs are even enough that Link doesn't trip and fall on his face running up one of those things. Furthermore they are fucking indestructible, not even slightly damaged by explosive barrels! I guess this is a case of game design trumping lore - destructible monster forts would've made more sense but been one mechanic too many for the designers, but man, compare that to the Boko/Moblin weapon durability and it all seems very strange.
Loner monsters don't appear to build at all. I'm not sure if that means they lack the capacity (Hinoxes and Wizzrobes?) or they're just not interested (Lynels).
4th issue: Culture
Bokoblins, Moblins, and (thankfully) Hinoxes wear loincloths. Some of the stronger Bokoblins wear wraps, but that seems more decorative/indicative of rank; loincloths are mandatory for all these humanoid monster types. The impulse to conceal one's genitals is unique to humans as far as I know, and strongly implies to me that there is some form of higher thought processes going on in their heads. Bokoblins feel a sense of shame or embarrassment, which is a humanlike social construct; Bokoblins have some form of social taboo. Or, or, Moblins or Hinoxes were the ones with the taboo and the Bokoblins picked it up from them and now it's just What We Do. Or the other way around. I have no idea! But either way it's indicative of some sort of wider culture Thing going on.
Lynels do wear things, but they appear to be purely decorative: belts and chest harnesses and anklets, etc. No sense of shame about their goolies. Of course decoration is another aspect of culture, but one wonders where they pick that up or who they expect to impress given that they hate everything that moves. Possibly those two lovebirds I mentioned before could shed some light on the subject.
Lizalfos have armor (more forging!) but no clothes. Though given they probably have barely-visible cloacae instead of those silly mammalian goolies, loincloths probably never occured to them.
ALSO. Language! These monsters absolutely do sit around and talk to each other! No way of knowing whether they all have a common language or if Bokoblins and Lizalfos have to spend some time learning how to communicate. Either way, sitting around campfires shooting the breeze seems to be their main source of entertainment aside from harassing hapless passersby. Are there stories that get told and retold? What do they tell each other about the whole Ganon thing?
Now and then you find monsters, like, patrolling like soldiers, or lying in ambush on the cliffs overlooking a ravine, etc. That tells me that even though they're not being directed by General Ganon, they do retain some memory of tactics either directly or via being passed down from generation to generation. Which, you know, what else is the point of culture, but preserving knowledge over time?
Random stuff that doesn't fit into any other category:
- I have no idea what the Wizzrobes' deal is, but I'm honestly leaning toward "they're not creatures per se, they're just wads of pure concentrated magical Asshole that sprouted arms and legs." Which is why I didn't talk about them when I was going on about clothes.
- I'm just going to go ahead and presume that monster reproduction happens in the usual manner, and no one's gotten close enough to a gestating monster to observe gestation times and such.
- Keese are just... animals. They swarm and they attempt to bite you and that's about it.
- Hinoxes are a little like Lynels in that they are never found near populated areas, but in their case it seems like they're just looking for a nice quiet place to nap. Which, honestly, mood.
- Lynels being solitary and territorial might explain why Keaton's Lynel mask doesn't work. It's not that the Lynel isn't fooled, it's that that's how they react to other Lynels in their territory. (I mean it's far more likely that they just aren't fooled, but.)
1st issue: Sociability
Social animals = intelligent animals, see dolphins, parrots, and apes. It takes a lot of brainpower to process social stuff! Source: me, being terrible at it.
So Bokoblins are pretty social, hanging out in groups of 2-6 or so, hunting cooperatively or guarding points of interest. You rarely ever see them alone. They sometimes group up with Moblins, who don't seem quite as socially-inclined themselves when Bokoblins aren't involved, but now and then you run into an all-Moblin group. Given Moblins' relative size, maybe food competition is the issue?
Lizalfos are also highly social, maybe even preferring larger groups than Bokoblins. The two species will group up in those fire-pit-style monster camps, especially in harsh environments like the Gerudo Desert or the snowfields. I don't remember any Lizalfos + Moblin groups though, so I still feel like Bokoblins are the social glue in those scenarios. Left to their own devices, Lizalfos tend to stick to their own kind.
One extremely interesting thing - credit to Dark Puck for pointing this out - is how Bokoblins tame horses just like Link does. ...I mean, we don't see them do it, but I can't imagine their technique is too dissimilar. The horses don't seem mistreated, either. Once you defeat their rider the horse will just stand around like any other tamed but unregistered horse. So Bokoblins are not only intelligent and social but empathetic enough to gain the trust of wild horses. Which is a weirdly cute thought.
On the other end of the sociability spectrum there's Lynels, Wizzrobes and Hinoxes. All confirmed loners, especially Lynels, to the point where I kind of sneakily headcanon that the two Lynels in the valley-of-the-giant-horse are a breeding pair because they're the only ones to even live that close together. All the other Lynels live not only far away from each other but in extremely out-of-the-way places, like they can't tolerate the presence of other creatures at all. (The question of what they eat, in that case, is perhaps best left alone.) Now and then you'll encounter a Hinox or a Wizzrobe with a Bokoblin entourage, but no Bokoblin, it seems, is brave enough to team up with a Lynel. Except maaaaaybe the ones in the Coliseum, though that barely counts since the Bokoblins and Moblins all hang out on the upper floors and leave the ground floor to the Lynel.
2nd issue: Crafting
Except for Hinoxes who really don't need weapons (aside from the occasional tree XD), all the monsters use unique-to-them weapons, in addition to picking up and using Hylian weapons. So they're all tool-using creatures and they're capable of recognizing the utility of things they didn't make themselves, but there's a marked difference in the materials they use that's pretty telling. Bokoblins and Moblins craft with wood and bone, and their stuff is pretty rudimentary: spears are sharpened sticks, bows are just sticks with strings on, clubs are just the biggest branch they could find with optional pieces of bone bolted on, etc. I found a spreadsheet on Reddit listing the damage and durability of most of the weapons (excluding bows for now) and it looks like the durability of most of the Boko and Moblin weapons are somewhat low compared to their Hylian counterparts. So these weapons are more enthusiasm than skill - they'll get the job done, but they're bodge jobs. Bokoblin and Moblin intelligence, or maybe their attention span, is not really built for more complex builds.
Lizalfos and Lynels are another story. They use unique metal weapons, with durability comparable to anything Hylians (I'm using Hylians very broadly here) can make. I suppose there could be a Yiga blacksmithery somewhere churning out these weapons to arm monsters, but I doubt that was the intended takeaway. I think the game means to imply that the monsters are forging these things themselves.
Importantly, both Lynels and certain Lizalfos have fire breath, which would certainly make blacksmithing easier, but access to fire is only part of the equation here. I've never done that kind of work myself, but if you check out Man at Arms: Reforged or That Works over on YouTube, they walk you through the steps of making weapons and it's a pretty complex process. Temperature control, how different metals react to heat, quenching in oils and grinding and polishing and look it's a lot okay? You gotta learn some SCIENCE to do this shit. So Lizalfos and Lynels have to be about as smart as humans/Hylians in order to make these things.
Hinoxes are an edge case here. They don't make weapons - the weapons you get from them are probably trophies from unluckier adventurers - but they do make ankle armor, out of wood or metal. Both look like scrap pieces bolted or tied together, so I think it's safe to say that although Hinoxes may be limited crafters, they aren't forgers. I could be wrong though.
The question of where the monsters are getting their metal, like the mystery of the Lynel's lunches, is perhaps best left alone.
(Also, Wizzrobes are another edge case, and I have no idea whether they craft their staves or just, like, manifest them, Because Magic.)
3rd issue: Building
Hyrule is lousy with monster forts. Some of them are the ruins of Hylian forts or settlements, but a lot of them seem to have been built by the monsters themselves. There's tree forts, there's a few beachside forts, there's those Lizalfos platform complexes on every river. And honestly? They're pretty well made! Not exactly permanent structures but like the stairs aren't at wonky angles and all of it is sturdy enough to withstand exploding barrels and the like. The Lizalfos' buildings especially are genuinely beautiful pieces of work.
Now, Lizalfos structures don't surprise me. They're smart enough to work metal and they're highly social/intelligent. The tree forts with the Bokoblins/Moblins, though, seem out of character compared to the craftsmonship of their weapons. The planks are uneven enough that I don't think these structures were built by Hylians(/Yiga) and then captured/repurposed by monsters, but the platforms are flat enough that you'd think they'd used a spirit level and the stairs are even enough that Link doesn't trip and fall on his face running up one of those things. Furthermore they are fucking indestructible, not even slightly damaged by explosive barrels! I guess this is a case of game design trumping lore - destructible monster forts would've made more sense but been one mechanic too many for the designers, but man, compare that to the Boko/Moblin weapon durability and it all seems very strange.
Loner monsters don't appear to build at all. I'm not sure if that means they lack the capacity (Hinoxes and Wizzrobes?) or they're just not interested (Lynels).
4th issue: Culture
Bokoblins, Moblins, and (thankfully) Hinoxes wear loincloths. Some of the stronger Bokoblins wear wraps, but that seems more decorative/indicative of rank; loincloths are mandatory for all these humanoid monster types. The impulse to conceal one's genitals is unique to humans as far as I know, and strongly implies to me that there is some form of higher thought processes going on in their heads. Bokoblins feel a sense of shame or embarrassment, which is a humanlike social construct; Bokoblins have some form of social taboo. Or, or, Moblins or Hinoxes were the ones with the taboo and the Bokoblins picked it up from them and now it's just What We Do. Or the other way around. I have no idea! But either way it's indicative of some sort of wider culture Thing going on.
Lynels do wear things, but they appear to be purely decorative: belts and chest harnesses and anklets, etc. No sense of shame about their goolies. Of course decoration is another aspect of culture, but one wonders where they pick that up or who they expect to impress given that they hate everything that moves. Possibly those two lovebirds I mentioned before could shed some light on the subject.
Lizalfos have armor (more forging!) but no clothes. Though given they probably have barely-visible cloacae instead of those silly mammalian goolies, loincloths probably never occured to them.
ALSO. Language! These monsters absolutely do sit around and talk to each other! No way of knowing whether they all have a common language or if Bokoblins and Lizalfos have to spend some time learning how to communicate. Either way, sitting around campfires shooting the breeze seems to be their main source of entertainment aside from harassing hapless passersby. Are there stories that get told and retold? What do they tell each other about the whole Ganon thing?
Now and then you find monsters, like, patrolling like soldiers, or lying in ambush on the cliffs overlooking a ravine, etc. That tells me that even though they're not being directed by General Ganon, they do retain some memory of tactics either directly or via being passed down from generation to generation. Which, you know, what else is the point of culture, but preserving knowledge over time?
Random stuff that doesn't fit into any other category:
- I have no idea what the Wizzrobes' deal is, but I'm honestly leaning toward "they're not creatures per se, they're just wads of pure concentrated magical Asshole that sprouted arms and legs." Which is why I didn't talk about them when I was going on about clothes.
- I'm just going to go ahead and presume that monster reproduction happens in the usual manner, and no one's gotten close enough to a gestating monster to observe gestation times and such.
- Keese are just... animals. They swarm and they attempt to bite you and that's about it.
- Hinoxes are a little like Lynels in that they are never found near populated areas, but in their case it seems like they're just looking for a nice quiet place to nap. Which, honestly, mood.
- Lynels being solitary and territorial might explain why Keaton's Lynel mask doesn't work. It's not that the Lynel isn't fooled, it's that that's how they react to other Lynels in their territory. (I mean it's far more likely that they just aren't fooled, but.)