One of my favorite aspects of The Legend of Zelda series is how goofy it can be sometimes. I’ve talked about it in a previous column and I will continue to harp on it. Something about the land of Hyrule really lends itself well to the strange and bizarre.
The first characters that I can distinctly remember saying “Huh, that’s weird” toward were the Subrosians in Oracle of Seasons (sidebar: I played Seasons first, but our subterranean pals can also be found in Oracle of Ages). So, when I stumbled on DeviantArt users Cortoony‘s piece, “Subrosians,” I knew it was time for me to delve a little deeper into these underground (other-dimensional?) beings.
Before I get to the characters here, I want to point out how well Cortoony represented the land of Subrosia. The colors are muted and almost dream-like. Subrosia is a very strange land, connected to Holodrum by the Temple of Seasons, so it makes sense for the overall ambiance of the piece to be this way. Everything has a tiny bit of a red tinge to it since most of the land is covered in lava and volcanoes. All the natural landmarks we see in Seasons are there, albeit in a more compact form. There are the (really) hot springs, the river of lava, the beach, and the trees! Huge shoutout to how good the trees look, as the Subrosian trees were always something of a fascination for me; I always wondered why there were so many holes on these bubbly trees. It’s almost as if the trees are filled with hot air and are going to take off.
Subrosians are kind of like Shy Guys in that artists really don’t have a lot to work with in terms of emoting. The character design is just: hooded robe, color, eyeballs. Cortoony does a great job showing off the three main emotions that the Subrosians we meet during our adventure have. You’ve got relaxed, stressed, and, well, awkward. The eyes are really doing a lot of work in this piece. Simple lines can convey an incredible depth of meaning when showing how these characters are feeling.
Rosa, the red Subrosian, is the one that really draws my eye. As a quick recap, after she loses her bow, Link buys a new one for her from the town shop. As a reward, she goes out on an incredibly awkward date. Rosa seems actually smitten with Link, but Link just wants her for her key. The key she has is used to open the doors around Subrosia so Link can make his way to the Temple of Seasons.
Her face is incredibly telling. She holds the key in her hand, looking worried for her hero. Is he safe? When will he come again to see her? She’s scared of two things: losing him and him choosing not to return. Now, why she would want to be with someone who is only in a relationship for her key is beyond me. Love works in mysterious ways, I guess.
The Subrosians are really strange. They spend the majority of their time digging for rocks or dancing. After a long day, they can lie in the lava springs to soothe away their aches and pains. The more I think about it, the more I am inclined to believe these are actually just Gorons in disguise.
Cortoony’s piece encapsulates all the things that made Subrosia memorable to me (minus the horrible dancing minigame). The Subrosians are just these strange little creatures that fit in so well with the bizarre world that makes up The Legend of Zelda. I really hope that the Oracle games aren’t the last time we get to see them.
