Majora’s Mask Side-Characters (Volume II – Author’s Choice: Part II)

Here are the final two analyses which I initially planned to have in one single editorial. Now, you’ll be able to see why all five analyses in a single editorial would’ve been too long. The second instalment in this series of analyses looks at ??? and Tingle. At the end of this editorial, I will confirm the line-up for next week’s editorial, as suggested by you: the readers. And you’ll have that to look forward to next week, but for now, hit the jump to find out a little bit more about ??? and Tingle!

???

How can you not wonder about this thing? Seriously: it’s a hand in a toilet that asks for paper. Despite the fact that there is a tray of toilet paper right there for it, Link must still give ??? a piece of paper that he has collected. ??? will then thank Link and give him a Piece of Heart in exchange for his charity… not sure if I’d want something that a complete stranger found in a toilet…

Well, let’s try and figure out who ??? might possibly be. ???’s earliest appearance was in Skyward Sword, in which, ??? was the ghostly hand of young girl. Fi comments that the girl’s true identity is unknown, that 80% of ghosts harbor an unfulfilled desire, and then recommends that Link give her some paper. If Link gives her paper, she reads it before use and falls in love with the author (Cawlin) of the words of love printed on the letter, and later haunts Cawlin in his sleep. If Link doesn’t give her the paper, she asks him to forget about it, and bids him farewell.

In Majora’s Mask, ??? is now a deformed arm and hand of indeterminate gender, though its exclamation of joy when Link gives it the paper sounds masculine. Once again, after receiving paper, ??? will disappear, returning only when Link goes back to the start of the three days.

???’s final appearance is in Oracle of Ages. Despite being a completely separate timeline, ??? maintains a similar appearance to its incarnation in Majora’s Mask, and once again requests paper. This would suggest that ??? in Oracle of Ages is the same one from Majora’s Mask, just, in another timeline.

With these two ???s being the same, is it possible that they are somehow connected to the ??? in Skyward Sword. It is unlikely, given that the ??? in Skyward Sword was a ghostly, female hand, and that the ???s in Majora’s Mask and Oracle of Ages are physical arms and hands, that are suggested to be masculine. The ???s in Majora’s Mask and Oracle of Ages are definitely paranormal in some way, but the connection between those ???s and the ??? in Skyward Sword is unknown.

It is also interesting to note that ??? in Skyward Sword is referred to as Phoeni in the Skyward Sword prima guide, and given that the names of everybody else in Skyloft are derived from the names of birds, we can assume that Phoeni is derived from Phoenix, making Phoeni the only name derived from a fictional bird. And, given that the hand is found in the bathroom of the Knight Academy, and that the knights ride birds, is it possible that this ??? was once a rider of a Phoenix?

??? is a theorist’s dream-come-true: anything is possible, they can make up whatever story they want. I personally have never really put any thought into it, but I think I will, after this. Given that I haven’t really put any suggestions forward, who/what do you think ??? is/was? Let me know in the comments.

Tingle

I’m sure there are those of you who are looking forward to reading about Tingle, those of you who aren’t, and those who will simply skip straight to the final paragraph. The infamous Tingle makes his debut appearance in Majora’s Mask. For the first time ever, Tingle appears wearing his infamous skin-tight green suit and red underwear on the outside (I think Superman just filed a lawsuit), reveals his infamous obsession with fairies and that he (not so infamously) makes maps for a living, and utters those infamous ‘magic’ words, ‘Kooloo-Limpah’.

Yes, there’s a lot about Tingle which makes him infamous. Tingle is just so weird and different, that only Japan could love him (and a handful of other people in the world). Personally, I don’t mind Tingle. His obsession with fairies is a little unnerving, and the combination of Tingle’s figure and a skin-tight suit is a little off-putting, but that’s as far as it goes.

What I’ve always wondered about Tingle is… how the hell does that balloon keep him in the air?! I know my physics, and that is just NOT possible. Maybe that’s what those ‘magic’ words of his do: keep him in the air. After all, ‘Kooloo-Limpah’ is derived from ‘kururinpa’, the Japanese alternative to ‘cuckoo’ when doing the ‘insane’ gesture (the one where you twirl your finger around your ear). After all, you’d have to be insane to believe that that one, tiny balloon, could hold him in the air…

Just kidding! I actually wonder how Tingle wound up the way he is, especially given that he has such a, shall we say… butch, father. Tingle’s father believes he spoilt his son as a child, which caused his son to reject adulthood, and instead believe that he is a human incarnation of a fairy.

Freshly-Picked: Tingle’s Rosy Rupeeland suggests the idea that Tingle is not this man’s real name, rather, it is his status as a slave to Uncle Rupee, being forced to wear the skin-tight suit, and causing his obsession with rupees. Because fairies are the beings that go against Uncle Rupee, this is why Tingle holds fairies so highly (and because his suggested love interest in the game, Pinkle, is a fairy). However, it is debated as to whether this game is considered canon, so, assuming it isn’t, here’s another reason for Tingle’s personality.

As a child, Tingle read stories of the forest children, who were dressed in green and always accompanied by a fairy. Tingle soon grew fascinated with fairies, believing himself to be a forest child, and wanted nothing more than to have his own companion fairy, to the point where he dressed himself in green to further attract one (I guess nobody told him skin-tight suits do not make overweight men more attractive). However, a fairy never came to him (didn’t see that one coming). As Tingle continued to grow up, to the point where he was no longer a child, he realized he could not be a forest child after all, and decided that the reason a fairy would not come to him… was because he is a fairy!

Knowing that fairies fly, Tingle made himself a balloon, and created the magical words, ‘Kooloo-Limpah’, to get the balloon to hold him in the air. After mastering this contraption, his father cracked down on him, forcing him to get a paying job. Denying this necessity, Tingle went up with his balloon to escape his father. From the sky, he became fascinated by the geography of the land, and started drawing what he could see.

Tingle soon realized his drawings were so good that he could sell them as maps, which would shut his father up. So Tingle did just that. Fast-forward to today, and Tingle is still the same; having reached a place where he is happy with himself. Before you comment that he enslaves his brothers and was imprisoned for some reason, those are from different games; this is simply the Tingle from Majora’s Mask.

Obviously, that’s all just my theory. So what are your theories on Tingle? Why do you think he chooses to believe he is a fairy? What do you think caused his obsession? Do you have an idea as to how that puny balloon keeps a man in the air? Also, who/what do you think ??? is? Let me know in the comments. But before I go, here is the line-up of characters to be analysed in Volume III: the Bombers (suggested by diabloaura), the Gorman Brothers (suggested by Marvel), Zubora and Gabora (suggested by Christian), and, finally, I’ve taken Ordona’s suggestion of Romani and Cremia.

Apologies to Michael Houston Rose, despite employing ‘each of the’ six times, your suggested character (the man who appears at the Oceanside Skulltula House) lacked any real mystery: he was simply seeking shelter; and MinimanTheFirst, who employed ‘each of the’ three times, because covering the entire Deku Royal Family would’ve been too big for a compilation editorial. Until next week, Zelda Dungeoners!