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regurgitatedskeleton · 4 months

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Day 2 of Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

- okay so I’m on a cliff. Instead of jumping I’m gonna just teleport to one of the other places

- oops that was the place with all the turrets guess I’ll run for my life then

- grabbed a frog. Poor guys gonna get eaten alive

- ran into more mobs. Blue one one-shotted me. Rude.

- came back, threw a bomb and blew up the weaker ones

- threw another bomb and blew myself up but it’s okay I’m still alive. And I have food

- blew up a bomb and missed. Got hit again but still have a bit of health

-blew him up *again* and he’s getting kinda low

- guy is back to full health? That’s not fair only I’m allowed to do that

- shot all my ice arrows and missed

- shot all my fire arrows and hit him

- managed to kill him by running away and dropping the square bombs on him. I feel more accomplished than when I didn’t drown in mud

- loot was more fire arrows I approve

- shot another pig thing but it jumped off a cliff

- :(

- blew myself up again, still haven’t figured out the range on those bombs

- climbed a tree and stole some eggs

- found a rock golem but managed to do no damage. In a rare display of self preservation I decided to run away and not spend the next half hour trying to kill it

- found another skull cave but it’s empty feels like a trap

- nah it’s all good??

- climbed the mountain in search of the other dungeon

- it was cold tho

- the old man said he’d give me his warm doublet. Idk what a doublet is but he said warm so imma go get that. His thing says seafood near the tower so I’m gonna try fish

- fish worked, I guess doublet is a fancy name for a jumper

- climbed back up the mountain

- saw a raft, maybe I can take it across

- cut some trees in order to make my way over because the bridge was broken

- got over to the dock but fell in the water anyway

- survived and got there in one piece

- raft is gone

- waited for a while no raft

- went back across and tried to light a fire, still unsuccessful the flint didn’t work neither did the bomb

- raft is back

- got on the raft

- now I am on the raft but it is not moving

- stood around a bit and now it’s moving, hopefully it doesn’t take me off a waterfall

- apparently there was a bridge there the whole time but okay this works too

- some goblins threw some rocks at me and I threw some bombs back. We had a good time

- sweet I’m Elsa now

- shrine was pretty easy

- this guy knows my (Link’s) name he knows who I am

- tried to get the chest in the middle of the lake. Was less easy but we got there, only died twice

- he said to draw lines on the map but imma just guess it’s the place with the statue

- yay more heart

- yeah I was right

- also right about him knowing stuff, guess he’s a king now lol

- welp time to go save a princess I guess

- I mean he says that i have to hurry but I’ll probably get diverted more than a few times along the way

- wind shrine was pretty easy tbh

- smart guy guarding the thing but also silly because it would kill him easily. Not much winning there

- old guy said to go between the mountains but around looks quicker

- found another tower that’s nice

- Link climbs very slowly

- died again, if only someone (possibly like 3 separate NPCs perhaps) had warned me about the sentinels. This is what I get for trying a shortcut

- back at the tower? I guess I’ll go between the mountains then, road is hopefully safer

- found another shrine but it had spikes everywhere. I just left it

- girl is nice for giving me a pot

- Blood Moon had risen. I wonder if you can just not talk to that guy?

- horses, that’s nice I will try to get one

- I failed to get the horse

- succeeded at killing a goat tho

- everyone is giving me directions to the wrong village lol

- plant guy wants his maracas

- go to the mobs

- oh god there’s three blue ones

- some NPC showed up mid fight, poor guy looks traumatised

- my method of dropping bombs and running away has yet to fail me, we got the maracas

- Bugus gave me food for “saving him” but I’m not about (or able) to correct him

- an extra inventory slot for some maracas and that seed the flower said to give to someone (can’t remember who lol, hope it wasn’t too important)? Sure I’ll take it

- okay now I gotta go lol, fun game tho

#loz link #loz breath of the wild #loz botw #zelda breath of the wild #breath of the wild #first time playing #this game is fun #spent a good 10 minutes killing one blue goblin #still better than not drowning in mud tho #now I know to just blow them up that’s nice

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abyssal-cryptid · 1 year

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Even more Tears of the Kingdom thoughts (SPOILERS)

I cant figure out how long after Calamity this game is set. It's got to be at least some years, everyone else has changed but Link and Zelda

Link and Zelda have lived this time together in Link's house in Hateno <<33

Their Well holds Zelda's secret room

Also yes every well in this game has something so my favorite thing rn is just jumping into wells

Zelda had a school built to Hateno because she loves kids

I hate how so many people in this game who should know who Link is dont know him

You mean to tell Ive been living in Hateno for years and no one recognises me

Zelda is still referred to as princess which implies she hasnt allowed herself to be crowned queen

Ive spent like three hours just strolling in Hateno

I did get the camera and my enjoyment of the game has increased tenfold

HATENO TECH LAB HAS A RUINED GUARDIAN I REPEAT HATENO HAS A GUARDIAN REMAIN

Im so excited I missed seeing these everywhere

Purah's room has drawings of them and the divine beasts

You can just pick up the koroks who need to be reunited w their friends with ultrahand and carry them wherever they want to go. They also roll down hills

Me @ the forbidden ruins in Kakariko: "Let me in, let me innnn"

SIDON HAS A FIANCE

IM SO DISTRAUGHT

THEY SAW US SHIP LINK AND SIDON AND WENT "none of that here is his gf"

HUDSON HAS A DAUGHTER <<33

This game has cheese. I can die happy now

I am taking the elevator up every time I see a falling rock

Went to Akkala Citadel Ruins. Was looking at the views. SUDDENLY EVERYTHING GOES RED AND HANDS ARE CHASING ME WHAT THE FUCK

The way they dont let my boy have his long hair out on any fits is criminal. Could have tweaked the armor sets that much

Why is Zelda appearing everywhere and being an evil menace??? Zelda tf is going on w you?? Arent you supposed to be in the past

They looked at me, specifically, loving side quests more than my life and going "we have to give them more" and this is a good day

There's a golden horse???

Also I heard Yunobo is a dick in this??? Not my boy :(

I go to the Zora tower and there is a man nearly dead

ALSO OH MY GOD WHY DID ZELDA ATTACK KING DOREPHAN

Man was dying (Lets hope this doesnt age poorly because I dont think I could handle it)

So its been like five years at least since BOTW ended and like. Why does no one remember me and also where did all these new people come from that didnt exist here couple years ago?? Where were yall?? Having tea??

Kilton has a little brother <3

I should get back to the "first" main questline as in the Rito are dying in a blizzard but there's pretty flowers and mayoral elections

Did I already mention they did not nerf bows? They didnt and I love that, archers for life

Also I lost Hestu again and I need more inventory

I am afraid to venture into the Korok Forest

Stables are so fun. You get points from first visit, staying the night, registering horses etc AND THEY GIVE YOU REWARDS

I got the Traveler's Gear for General (my baby boy horse)

I found Big Horse and named him Babylon

Also saved this one guy stuck in a cave

Starting to get to a point where enemies drop 15-30 fuse power parts and life is getting easier

Ive activated like 20 shrines since I last did a bunch. I havent done them because what if I have to build vehicles (bad)

I miss cryonis

Havent done much in the sky tbh

I want my champions tunic. I however dont feel like going to the castle

Where the fuck is Ganondorf

I could always see him in BOTW I dont like this

I am kind of disappointed they didnt change the looks of old armor sets. HOWEVER. Cece's hat is all Im going to say. I wonder if I can wear that to Gerudo town

Im still a one shot to so many things

The Zora are dying (their water is turning into mud)

Gorons have malice pink eyes so dont trust theyre doing too well either

Barbarian armor fits so well with Link's messy long hair

Im still kind of shocked that the sheikah tech is just gone

How do I get into Hateno tech lab

Some of yall are actually building vehicles? Im avoiding that like the plague

Still salty about Sidon

I get taken for a little while and he gets engaged

His fiance did refer to Sidon as "my best friend"

The quote went "Im Prince Sidon's... oh forgive me. I am your best friend's fiancee"

She us cute but still

ALSO THEY MOVED MIPHA'S STATUE TO THE TOP OF PLOYMUS MOUNTAIN

THE ZORA'S DOMAIN STATUE IS NOW OF LINK AND SIDON

Why cant I marry him

Sidon carries Mipha's trident now (sobs)

When you meet him he goes "Its good to see you my friend" so happily

"By the way... I hope you know that I am truly happy to see you again after such a long time apart, my dearest friend"

I sobbed

He loves us so much

Just go visit him

Sidon wont marry me and Sonia and Rauru are married, cant a man find some love in Hyrule

#tears of the kingdom #legend of zelda #spoilers

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slade-neko · 3 years

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Saw this video game tag thing pop up on my dash a few days ago. Wanted to do it.

1. First game you played obsessively? Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, I believe I was 5yo. Still waiting on that FF7 Remake treatment.

2. A game that has influenced you creatively? Writing, drawing, etc. Well if I play a game and like it, then I'll create sims of it. Does that count?

3. Who did you play with as a kid? My brother from the day I was born.

4. Who do you play with now? My brother FROM THE DAY I WAS BORN.

5. Ever use cheat codes? I wasn't lying when I made this post. {link}

6. Ever buy strategy guides? Yes! Mainly to look at the artwork though. (Don't need no guide!)

7. Any games you have multiple copies of? Lots of games, most being Left 4 Dead with 6 copies (3 Xbox 360, 1 PC case, 2 PC digitally.) What can I say, its a GOOD GAME!

8. Rarest/Most expensive game in your collection? Gold cartridge Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time (maybe that's rare?)

9. Most regrettable purchase? I don't regret my purchases, but I have received games I have never played like Cubix (PS2) no clue where that game came from, but I have it somehow. Madagascar (Xbox 360) came with my Xbox 360, never opened it from its case. And Monsters Inc. Scream Arena (Gamecube) or something... it was a gift.

10. Ever go to a midnight game release or stand in line for hours? No, because then I'd have to interact with people.

11. Have you ever made new friends from playing video games? I'm only friends with people BECAUSE of video games, so yes.

12. Ever get picked on for liking games? No, that'd be ridiculous.

13. A game you’ve never played that everyone else has? Probably a lot, I'd say Call of Duty, but I technically played CoD 1, 2, and 4. The campaign mode was alright, but I don't really care for CoD games at ALL.

14. Favorite game music? Koji Kondo and Grant Kirkhope are two BIG ones.

15. If it was a requirement to get a game related tattoo, what would you pick? Triforce is the most basic option, but I'd rather not get a tattoo.

16. Favorite game to play with your friends IRL? Super Smash Bros. Brawl with hacks, but that was over a decade ago.

17. Ever lose a friend over a game? No, that'd be ridiculous.

18. Would you date someone that hates gaming? No, that'd be RIDICULOUS.

19. Favorite handheld console? PSP. 3DS is great, but PSP Monster Hunter has ALL of my portable gaming memories. Like playing in school after End of Grade tests with my friend.

20. Game that you know like the back of your hand? Sims 4 I like to think I know everything about Left 4 Dead. Quite a bit about Monster Hunter, more so of a series though than a specific game.

21. Game that you didn’t like or understand as a kid but love now? I'd say Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic. I loved it as a kid, but had a lot of complex pen & paper RPG mechanics that I never understood. I understand a lot more of it now, but its still complex as all heck. I just know you hit things, they die.

22. Do you wear game related clothing/accessories? That's the only thing I wear.

23. The game that you’ve logged the most hours into? Not sure so I'll list a few. Sims 4, Smash Bros. Brawl, Monster Hunter (its a series though), or Left 4 Dead

24. First Pokemon game? Leaf Green

25. Were you ever an arcade game player? No, don't like paying to play.

26. Ever form any gaming rivalries? No.

27. Game that makes you rage? I don't get mad at games, but I had a custom modded Hard Eight mutation in Left 4 Dead that is absolute bullsh*t!

28. Ever play in a tournament? No, because then I'd have to interact with people.

29. What is your gaming set up? A giant wall of video game consoles spanning from NES to Switch, 4 TVs, but I sit at a desk with a PC.

30. How many consoles do you own? "I own every console that's ever existed." - I Don't Play Games When I Play Games (My STRENTH) original song by Smooth McGroove BUT no seriously I own 32 consoles including handhelds.

31. Does the 3DS and/or Virtual Boy hurt your eyes or give you headaches? Yes. 3DS gave me headaches though I only really played with the 3D feature in Ocarina of Time 3D. I think my eyes broke because I couldn't get my 3D to work very well after.

32. Did you ever play a game based on your favorite show/cartoon/movie/comic? Sure I play games based on a lot of things. Literally any anime game. If I had to pick Dragon Ball Xenoverse is kinda like a dream Dragon Ball game. Oh, Attack on Titan 2 is pretty neat too!

33. Did you ever have any bootleg games or plug-n-play games? Some SEGA plug-n-play thing once. Played it like once and now its lost to time (or my closet.)

34. Do either of your parents play video games? Yes. Mom and Dad played NES Super Mario Bros. My Dad went HARD at that game until he saved the Princess. Then he quit forever.

35. Ever work in a game store? Or do you have a favorite game shop? "Hi. Welcome to Gamestop!"I never want to hear that again, but it was my main store until I went full digital/ online orders.

36. Have you ever shed actual blood, sweat or tears over a game? No, I don't tend to get upset or emotional, but Bill dying in Left 4 Dead made me pretty pissed.

37. Have you played E.T. for the Atari 2600? Do you think that’s the worst game ever, or do you have another nomination? Never played it. I don't really play "bad" games, but maybe Sims 4.

38. A game you’re ashamed to admit that you like? The Sims 4

39. A sequel that you would die for them to make? Dragon's Dogma 2 WHICH I think is actually in development, so I'd have to say Fallout New Vegas 2. C'mon Bethesda you cowards, hand the keys back over to Obsidian so they can make another good Fallout game!

40. What to you think of virtual reality headsets or motion controls? Two part question, two answers. VR Headset to immerse in world, yes. Motion Controls, no.

41. A genre that you just can’t get into? MOBAs and MMOs. I don't like paying to keep playing.

42. Maybe it wasn’t your first game, but what was the game that started you on your path to nerdiness? Nintendo 64 opened me up to what video games could be as a kid. Sad to say my parents' NES didn't really do that for me. And years later Fallout 3 was a big game changer for me too.

43. Ever play games when you really should have been concentrating on something else? Every day of my LIFE.

44. Arcade machine that has consumed the most of your quarters? None. I'd rather emulate.

45. How are you at Mario Kart? Pretty dang good. 3-STARS MARIO KART WII, BABY!

46. Do you like relaxing games like Animal Crossing or Harvest Moon? Yes, both of those. I preferred when Animal Crossing had more character to it. New Horizons looks so pretty, but feels so bland compared to classic AC.

47. Do you like competitive games? No. Not really. Usually amongst friends or if I can get competitive against AI Bots. I love my machine bot friends cause they don't cry like 10 year olds when they lose.

48. How long does it take your to customize your player character? Too long. I've seriously restarted games because I wasn't happy with my character's appearance.

49. In games where you can pick your class, do you always tend to go for the same type of character? Yes, I am always the magic man, my brother is always brute warrior, and my friend is the ranger.

50. If you were a game designer, what masterpiece would you create? I don't really know. Honestly, I'd rather mod already good games to make them better than create something completely new.

51. Have you ever played a game for so long that you forgot to eat or sleep? No, that'd be ridiculous. But I've had a friend fall asleep playing games at my house 3 different times and currently dozes off during our Minecraft sessions. So, maybe that's not a completely ridiculous thing after all.

52. A game that you begged your parents for as a kid? Kirby 64 apparently. My brother tells me we had to count out pennies to buy it. I must've been too young with no recollection, but I believe it.

53. What’s your opinion on DLC these days? It's good if its not in the game's files from the beginning and is actually developed AFTER launch... and pre-order bonuses should be standard DLC a month or two later. Some games have content lost to time because of that pre-order bullsh*t.

54. Do you give in to Steam sales? Of course. If you want a game and its on sale then why not? I typically wait just for Steam sales to get games.

55. Did you ever make someone you hated in the Sims and did mean stuff to them? No? I typically make people and characters I like in Sims. I've made villains like Dio, but he's an anime villain and I don't really HATE him despite the horrible things he's done.

56. Did you ever play Roller Coaster Tycoon and kill off your guests? No. Never played that game.

57. Did you ever play a game to 100% or get all of the achievements? I try to for all the games I really like.

58. If you can only play 3 games for the rest of your life, which ones do you pick? The Sims 4, Skyrim, & Fallout: New Vegas. Mods make them live forever. Left 4 Dead and Monster Hunter are good choices too.

59. Do you play any cell phone games? Those aren't games.

60. Do you know the Konami Code? No? But I'll take a guess. Is it make an IP and forget it exists?

61. Do you trade in your games or keep them forever? Keep forever... even the bad ones.

62. Ever buy a console specifically to play one game? PS4 Pro for Monster Hunter World. It was basically for early access since the PC version was being developed and releasing after PS4, but I don't like waiting.

63. Ever go to a gaming convention or tournament? Sort of. Been to anime cons and walked into the gaming tournament rooms only to walk out less than 10 minutes later.

64. Ever make a TV or monitor purchase based on what would be best for gaming? No, but I'm going to be doing that soon, hopefully.

65. Ever have a Game Genie, Game Shark or Action Replay? Did it ever mess up your game’s save file? GameShark for N64, PS2, Gameboy, and Action Replay for Gamecube, DS, 3DS. And no not really, I would cheat responsibly... but there was this one time at school my friend and I borrowed another friend's Gameboy game, loaded it up with my Gameshark, tried playing, it crashed, loaded it back up, save file corrupted... we just stared at each other jaws dropped, "Here's your game back, dude. Make sure you don't play it til you get back home!"

66. Did you ever have have an old Nokia with Snake on it? No, but I remember seeing them on billboards in the game DRIV3R on PS2.

67. Do you have a happy gaming-related childhood memory you want to share? Every game I play is filled with happy memories (mostly.)

68. Ever save up a ton of tickets in an arcade to get something cool? These tiger plushes. My brother got white and I got orange. They were the coolest. Got a butt load of tickets from some jackpot spinning light game thing as I was good at the timing with repeated jackpot hits.

69. In your opinion, best game ever made? I've played quite a few masterpiece games, but to pick one, I'd say Fallout: New Vegas

70. Very first game you ever beat? Super Mario 64. I was a mere child on a Sunday morning and ate celebratory pancakes made by my Dad.

Wow, that was long... I get the feeling this was supposed to be a "send me ask with numbers" thing, but answering all at once is more fun.

#personal #video games

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loruleanheart · 3 years

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Desired Fate, Chapter 13

Read on ff.net

Read on AO3

One step closer to Hyrule Castle and one second closer to the Calamity…

And Zelda was no closer to awakening her power than when she began all those years ago.

Zelda cast a side-glance at Astor, who walked beside her. He was being very quiet, almost mirroring her dour mood. What was he thinking? He looked completely absorbed in his own headspace. She wondered what sort of inner demons he must have been fighting. He must have been under a great deal of pressure just as she was. What was it like to serve an ancient evil and be expected to be the perfect instrument to bring about its revival? Not to mention trying to turn away from such a destiny.

He’s changing... I was somehow able to persuade him, and now maybe he could be the key in turning back Calamity Ganon since it seems I won’t be able to… What if I’m being too optimistic? Believing he could change... Or that I had anything to do with it… He’ll always see me as the pathetic royal girl that can’t wield her power. He’ll never see me as anything more. He’ll never love me… Or anyone for that matter... Possibly why he turned to Ganon in the first place... Not that any of us are going to live long enough to worry about that, and it will be my fault...

Astor looked down to Zelda, who seemed as though she were about to break into tears again at any moment.

“I must envision a life after the Calamity, I must...” Zelda said aloud and to herself.

Hylia’s prophecy echoed in Astor’s mind. He wondered if those words could set Zelda’s mind at ease. If so, it seemed almost cruel not to tell her. But he couldn’t bring himself to say the words out loud. What if Zelda shut down the same way he had when Hylia had told him? For all he knew Hylia had noticed his weakness and had come up with a lie to tempt him, Ganon’s chosen, exploiting his weakness to gain the advantage in the war against her greatest enemy. There was no way the goddess herself had ordained THAT for the girl that bore her namesake and her blood.

Yet, Zelda had been unreasonably kind to him. She had ordered her knight to spare him, even after he tried to kill her. She had gone above and beyond in reasoning and pleading with him. There was the way she looked at him, spoke to him. She made him feel desired. But how could that be? Astor briefly wondered if this was Hylia’s doing as well, as far-fetched an idea as it was, but Astor was running out of explanations for Zelda’s behavior towards him. Weren’t the royal daughters supposed to be able to hear the voice of the goddess?

“Zelda…” Astor paused, trying to get used to using her given name. “Does the goddess ever speak to you?”

“No… Not really… I’ve had these dreams though... but I can never quite hear her words.”

This answer satisfied him. Zelda seemed to be unaware of anything Hylia had planned. Her actions and words towards him were genuine.

“There’s something I can’t quite wrap my mind around... Why aren’t you afraid of me? Why don’t you hate me or find me repugnant? For all that I am, and all that I’ve done… Anyone else would.”

“There’s something about you… I can’t describe it.”

“I’m not worthy of whatever it is you feel for me…”

“That's not how it works… It just is…”

“But I swore myself to Calamity Ganon for so long… I am damned.”

“I refuse to believe that.”

“What about that knight? You must have feelings for him?”

“You mean Link? Why do you say that?”

Astor braced himself for what he would say next, but he knew it couldn’t go unsaid if he wanted to show any kind of true compassion towards Zelda.

“You’re fated to unlock your power because of him. It was a vision given to me by my harbinger.”

Zelda stopped in her tracks. It was a lot to take in. “So I haven’t failed after all? It’s really going to happen? Why would you tell me that?”

“I guess to redeem myself a bit, though what I’ve done up until now is unforgivable... I want to help you because you spared my life and helped me to see the truth about Calamity Ganon, and you seemed like you needed to hear it.”

“That’s surprisingly kind of you… But I don’t know if I believe it… I’ve already had my hopes raised and dashed so many times.” Zelda paused for a long moment. “But if an individual could be the thing to bring out my power, I... I want it to be you.”

“I can’t be that person for you…Fate has already decreed it…” He said in a soft, sullen way.

They walked in silence a bit longer.

Astor thought of the Harbinger. Its absence didn’t bode well. It was likely aware of what its seer was up to and it certainly wouldn't let such grievous disloyalty go unpunished.

Astor’s eyes darted around his surroundings. Astor had never been afraid of his Harbinger before, but now he couldn’t shake the feeling that it was capable of doing something really horrible to him.

After some time, they reached a high cliff overlooking Kakariko Village. She had passed through the village on her way to Mount Lanayru in the early morning hours before anyone would be awake to see her, now the village was bustling.

Astor hadn’t set foot in a village in ages, and as soon as they started to cross paths with other people, Astor remembered why. The Sheikah Villagers were giving them odd looks, and of course they would. This village was pretty closed off from the rest of Hyrule. It was rare for them to see non-Sheikah.

A couple of small children darted past them, laughing, barely acknowledging their presence or personal space as children often did.

A Sheikah woman standing outside of a garment shop smiled at them, trying to wave them down. “Pretty clothes for your girlfriend?” The woman said sweetly.

Astor gave an exasperated, flustered moan, drawing his hood further down his brow.

“No, not today, but thank you,” Zelda responded kindly to the Sheikah shopkeep, beaming and radiating a sense of joy even for a moment. Her smile was like the sun, and any doubts Astor had dried up and disappeared. She loved him, and nothing seemed to be able to sway her. Hylia’s prophecy was one step closer to being realized.

I could tell her the prophecy, and she might just die of happiness…. Astor thought darkly. Loving her. Loathing her. He still couldn’t shake his aversion of Zelda realizing her power. It was too deeply ingrained. Although now he suspected that it was out of jealousy for the knight. And then there was Hylia’s prophecy which filled him with a feeling that had been foreign to him until lately. It was a feeling that both disgusted and thrilled him. But he couldn’t summon the words to tell her. Saying them would breathe them into existence even more so.

They passed houses and other shops, including an inn. Other Sheikah villagers were taking notice of them.

“Isn’t that Princess Zelda?” one of the Sheikah villagers whispered loudly to another.

Astor walked faster, eager to clear the village. Zelda walked a little faster, too, despite that her legs felt heavy from covering so many miles.

They made their way through a wide-open valley known as Sahasra Slope, which boasted a magnificent view of Hyrule Castle.

“Father is going to be so cross with me…”

Astor looked at Zelda strangely. She kept bringing up her father. It was almost like she was afraid of him. More afraid of her own father than she was of him… which really said something. Astor knew just enough about the royal family to make some assumptions.

“Does he believe the same as the people in your court?”

Zelda flinched. “Oh… You know about that…? It feels that way sometimes.”

“I don’t understand. You’re the one with the blood of the goddess. Shouldn’t he be worshiping the ground you walk on?”

“Well… He doesn’t see it that way. Tough love, I suppose…”

“What does he have to be angry about? Aside from you breaking custom to go to the Spring of Wisdom? Not a reason to be angry, if you ask me. This is a war, after all. You’re just doing what you must to have the potential to be victorious.”

Zelda looked at Astor with surprise. “You really believe that?”

“I’m… I was... Ganon’s chosen… I’m not ignorant or blind, although I suppose it would be accurate to say that Ganon kept me blind for so long. It’s important to understand your enemy. Your father is a fool. Trust me on this.”

“Hmm…” Zelda hummed. “What about your parents? What were they like?”

“I never knew them… I grew up in an orphanage in Deya Village.”

“Oh… I’m sorry… Now I feel silly for complaining.”

“It's fine. It stopped bothering me years ago and it’s beyond irrelevant now.”

They crossed the Rebonae bridge, on the last leg of their journey, and passed through a vast apple orchard, slightly off from Zelda’s original course.

The sky grew a vibrant orange as they entered Hyrule Castle Town. Zelda gave an audible exhale. “… Almost home…” She knew she had to prepare herself for anything now.

Astor jolted when Zelda took hold of his hand. She was barely aware of how tightly she held onto him. But he felt her… or rather a time in the future where she would squeeze his hand with such intensity, to the point of pain. Her ragged breath was in his ear, as she braced herself against him. A wave of intense emotion washed over him and he...

...ripped his hand away, Zelda looking at him puzzled and a little hurt.

“Whenever you touch me… I see and feel things.”

“Oh… Do these things displease you?” That wounded expression lingered on her face.

“I… I suppose it doesn’t…” He said, offering his hand to her. The vision didn’t continue, but it still left him stunned and strangely longing for more.

The streets were almost as devoid of life as they had been the night before. No one gave them more than a cursory glance as they passed by.

They walked up the winding brick pathway that led up to the castle, and when they reached the sanctum, all four champions, Impa, and Link turned to them as they appeared in the doorway. All was eerily quiet as they came forward. Zelda’s eyes were red from crying and everyone looked with suspicion at Astor. Link placed his hand on the hilt of the Master Sword.

Urbosa and Impa ran to Zelda.

“Well if this isn’t a fine how do you do?” Said Revali in a dry tone. “We all thought the princess was in danger when in reality she was just off on some tryst. The Calamity is about to occur at any moment, and we’re all miles away from our Divine Beasts with our fingers in our tailfeathers...”

“Oh, Revali. Go suck an egg. This is NOT the time.” Urbosa chastised the rito, and then she turned to Zelda. “Are you alright, little bird? Where were you? And why is HE here?” Urbosa looked at Astor with great dismay and distrust.

“Urbosa, remember when you said you would always support me and to just say the word? This is it... I need your support now more than ever.”

Urbosa considered this, her azure blue lips parting slightly, although at a loss for words.

“Tell me what's going on? I’m all ears.”

“Alright, now that Zelda is safe and sound, can we get back to our Divine Beasts and forget this whole asinine situation.” Revali interrupted again.

Astor spoke up. “That’s exactly where Calamity Ganon wants you when he returns. Ganon’s blights are set to take over the Divine beasts and kill their pilots.

Everyone turned to Astor with a look of disbelief. Mipha reached for Link’s hand for support, but stopped short, growing self-conscious.

“And why should we believe you, vile follower of the Calamity? How do we know you’re not trying to set us up? You may have convinced the Princess, but it’s going to take a lot more to gain our trust.” Urbosa responded curtly.

“Urbosa!” Zelda protested.

“Forgive me, little bird. You may have shown this man mercy, but I won’t…”

“I believe him,” said Daruk.

Urbosa turned to Daruk. “You’re kidding right?”

“I mean, he sounds sincere enough to me.”

Mipha quickly assessed the energy between Princess Zelda and Astor and intervened, speaking. “I believe him as well… Or rather I believe Princess Zelda. Let’s give him a chance before we jump to rash conclusions.”

Urbosa turned her ire back to Astor. “What are you trying to pull?”

“I’m not trying to pull anything. You can take my warning or leave it, for all I care. I just wanted to spare Zelda the heartache of losing her champions.”

Urbosa folded her arms. “I swear if you hurt her I’m going to cut you up piece by piece and feed you to the Molduga. She is precious to me and I must do right by my dear friend, Zelda’s late mother… We Gerudo have our ways of dealing with voe who take advantage of one of our vai, especially when said voe is a member of the Yiga… or an affiliate.”

“Do I make myself clear, Prophet?”

“Crystal…”

King Rhoam appeared on the balcony, alerted by the commotion of the Champions.

“What is the meaning of this…. Zelda? You’ve returned? What were you thinking, running… quite literally running from your duty when the Calamity is nearly at hand?” There was much derision in his voice.

“I did no such thing. I would never.” Zelda’s voice wavered. She wasn’t surprised her father would make this accusation, but it still hurt terribly.

“Then. where. were. you?” Rhoam said evenly, and in a way that shook Zelda to the core.

“I went to the Spring of Wisdom… In a bid to unlock my power. I’ve failed. I’m sorry. I didn’t feel anything. Just like all my other attempts.”

King Rhoam shut his eyes. “That was not your decision to make. You know it is forbidden for you to set foot on Mount Lanayru until you are of age. For all you know your disobedience may have cost all of Hyrule!”

Zelda began to break down. “But…”

“No more excuses, Zelda! You are to spend the rest of the night in prayer, asking the goddess for forgiveness and discernment, and so help me, you WILL unlock your power.”

Zelda clenched her fist. “No, I won’t! I’m not a child anymore. Please stop ordering me around like one. We must prepare to oppose the Calamity in whatever way we can, and I won’t waste another second praying for this cursed power to awaken!”

“Zelda, you are out of line, and I will not tolerate another word from you!” Rhoam raised his voice, almost shouting. “There is no excuse for this behavior. As long as I am King, you will obey me. Your mother would be very disappointed in you, Zelda. What a waste…”

“You should watch your tongue, old man… How could you speak thus of the one who carries the blood of the goddess? Perhaps it is you who should beg forgiveness.”

Everyone went deadly silent as they directed their attention to Astor.

Rhoam glared at the younger man, indignantly, taken aback by his words. He felt a deep sense of suspicion just from the look of him. There was a darkness about the young man that gave Rhoam a great sense of disquiet. “You… You must be the prophet I’ve heard about. What role do you play in all this? And who are you to tell me how to speak to my daughter? You know nothing of the responsibilities I have to my kingdom or of the pressures of raising a daughter of the royal family.”

Astor was about to protest when something violently rocked the very foundation of the castle. Everyone braced themselves, gasping.

Zelda’s eyes widened, horror in her expression. “It cannot be…” Zelda raced outside, already knowing what she would see. Everyone followed her out.

She looked up and sure enough, the worst had come to pass, and it was beyond her worst nightmare. Circling and raging around the highest spire was a purple-red miasma. It was just like the image on the Sheikah Slate, except now Zelda could make out that it resembled a great swine. There was a clap of thunder, and embers of malice floated down all around them.

“Ganon…” Zelda stared up at the being in terrible fear as 100,000 wretched screams of despair rang out across Hyrule.

#Astor #Age of Calamity #hwaoc #Zelast #I apologize for the abundance of Zelast in this chapter #I'm sorry #But alive Astor is a good Astor #Imnotsorry

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underthedekutree · 4 years

Text

Young Link might have PTSD - Part 2: Termina is NOT a Parallel World, Technically

This is a continuation of my last post so if you’re seeing this and haven’t read it, go here.

This is the part where I somewhat smoothly segue into Majora’s Mask. Link, lonely and filled with unprocessed trauma, leaves Hyrule in search of Navi. According to most sources (which take from Hyrule Historia probably? don’t quote me on it), Link falls down a hole into Termina, a parallel world to Hyrule, that contains many familiar looking denizens of Hyrule, but playing different roles. And well, if you probably guessed by the title, I have a rather different interpretation.

Okay, so in a nutshell my theory is that Termina is in fact all a dream, kind of like Koholint Island. Except the one dreaming up this world isn’t some deity like the Giants or Skull Kid or the Moon. It’s Link.

(big explainey hoo hah below)

Evidence 1: Link begins the game sleeping. Yes, I know literally every Zelda game begins this way and it’s a whole tradition thing. I am beginning with the weakest points first and working my way up to the strong ones. We’ll get there.

Evidence 2: The reuse of character and environment models from Ocarina of Time. The literal IRL reason for this is of course the game famously being given only one year of production time, which meant that the most practical method was to reuse as much material from MM’s predecessor as possible (eg. Romani Ranch sign is the Kakariko Village sign, and still says Kakariko Village on it). It seems like a rather offhand afterthought for Nintendo to chalk it all up to “oh its just a parallel world like Link to the Past or something. But think of it like this; when we dream, we often see familiar people from throughout our lives put in strange and unexpected situations, like that irritable old farmhand you hated so much is now a depressed circus master for some reason. Dreams don’t make sense. Things you know will mix with other strange inexplicable things, fleeting thoughts in your mind, all roughly tied together by whatever emotions you had been feeling when you went to bed. Malon is split into two people, Romani and Cremia, her older and younger self. This might reflect how Link feels about Malon, that she changed so much in those 7 years that she’s like a different person entirely, that it’s hard for him to process that they are the same, because the change was so shockingly sudden for him.

Evidence 3: Gorons in the snow, Gerudo by the sea. Yes, I know that sounds a lot like good evidence for a parallel world (that’s why the idea is widely accepted in the first place, it has merit), but it also works in as dream world evidence too. As a child, my family was obsessed with skiing. We would go to the same mountain every winter, and we would stay at the same lodge. It almost became like a second home for me. So much so, that one night I dreamed that my house had been replaced by the lodge, so it wasn’t on a snow-capped mountain, but in a bushy Australian suburb. Okay that kinda got off subject but I’m bad at conclusions so in summary Dreams Just Be Like That (tm). You get what I’m saying right? No? Sorry, let’s just move on.

Evidence 4: The Milk Bar. AKA my favourite location in the game! It’s often overlooked as the “haha funny they couldn’t put alcohol in kids game so its kiddy milk hee hee”, but it is actually a strong thematic pillar of Majora’s Mask. As I mentioned in Part 1, if you put a 9 year old in a 16 year old’s body and call him an adult before ripping that all away is probably going to leave the kid with an identity crisis. What is a mature place open at late hours when children are sleeping? A bar. What is a drink associated with the young, being produced for the purpose of helping children grow? Milk. No please don’t go I swear there’s more to this, stay with me. In order to gain access to the bar, Link must prove he is mature enough by wearing a mask, a disguise, like Adult Link is to Young Link. Being adult isn’t earned through years of natural living experience and mental development, it’s a thing you are given by adults to just BE when they deem you worthy, at least from how Link sees it. So that is the amalgamation of dream thoughts that is the Milk Bar. Is it mature? Is it childish? What is the line between the two? Is there one? It’s the culmination of his anxieties and confusions that he doesn’t know how to express. Another, smaller expression of this anxiety is the Clock Town Guards. When Link is a Deku, the guards say they don’t allow children outside the gates. When Link turns back however, the guard goes to stop him because he looks too young, but sees that he has a sword, and lets him pass. Why the sword? Well, in one way this is a callback to Kokiri Forest, where Mido doesn’t let Link see the Deku Tree until he has a sword. But also, what is the item that lets Link travel through time and become an adult in OOT? The Master Sword. Link seems to believe that adulthood is measured by the things you have, physical markers of maturity, which is how lots of children see adulthood. You’re an adult if you can drink, if you’re tall, if you’re married, if you have a house, a car etc. But in reality this isn’t how it works. Heck, I’m technically an adult but I sure as hell don’t feel like one, because I know I still have things to learn about responsibility, patience and all the other things, that can only come with time, which is the moral conclusion of OOT, but clearly Link missed the memo. Don’t get me wrong, there are some indicators to show he’s grown a bit. He can ride Epona, use the bow, do flips like some kind of acrobat etc. But those strange and confused feelings linger, and manifest in the young boy’s dreams.

Evidence 5: The four transformation masks. The four masks represent different aspects of Link’s self, and the way he grew and changed in OOT. Deku Scrub the Innocent, Goron the Confident, Zora the Mature and Fierce Deity the Hero. Link began only knowing the Kokiri Forest, and nothing of the world outside. As he set out on his journey, he grew more confident in his skills and defeated greater foes. When evil took over, he learned from his fatal mistake and worked to right it. And when it was finally time to face the greatest threat, he was ready, with all the heart pieces, bottles full of fairies, Biggoron Sword in hand. At that moment he struck the final blow he probably felt like the strong and unstoppable hero everyone in Hyrule told him he needed to be. And that feeling of pure uncompromising strength, with the whole world behind him, manifested in the Fierce Deity. Fierce Deity is much taller than Adult Link, and packs so much of a punch that he can beat Majora without batting an eye, like some overpowered Super Saiyan. It reminds me a lot of Undertale, with young Asriel becoming what he imagines to be an all-powerful godlike being, like something you’d see as a children’s drawing. Fierce Deity gives off those vibes, like “he has a HUGE SWORD that SHOOTS BEAMS OF LIGHT and he’s 8 FOOT TALL and CAN KILL ENEMIES IN A SINGLE BLOW!!” Before the final battle on the moon, when Majora gives you the mask, he childishly asks if you want to play a game of good guys and bad guys. And the good guy always wins, no matter what. Fierce Deity makes the final boss a cakewalk, but its supposed to.

Evidence 6: Anju and Kafei. Short one, because it falls a lot into everything else I’ve said regarding childhood vs adulthood. Kafei is effectively a switcheroo of what happened to Link in OOT. An adult shrunk back to childhood, uncomfortable in his new body and looking for a way to fix everything. He’s a reflection of how Link now kinda feels like an adult in a child’s body, because he had started to be used to being called an adult.

Evidence 7: The Moon. I haven’t super touched on the main meat of the game yet, so here it is. The moon and the 3 day mechanic is an allegory for constant mounting pressure, that builds and builds, never ceasing, because the world is in danger, and there’s only one person who has been chosen to save it. I’ve always been interested in the Chosen One narrative, and how different media explore the idea of the world’s very existence being pushed onto one person. How at the end of it all, they can never be the same again after all they’ve gone through. When you’re somehow expected to hold up the Moon itself single-handed, and your life and everything you care about suffers because you’re putting everyone else before yourself. That feeling of complete loneliness under a crushing weight, and although other characters may come to help you, in the end its still all down to you, and you never had a choice in any of it, as all the decisions were made by someone else. You must do what they tell you. Believe in yourself, believe...

Evidence 8: Skull Kid. The story goes that long ago in Termina, the Skull Kid and the Giants played together, until one day, the Giants left, leaving the Skull Kid alone and heartbroken, with nobody to turn to. As life moves on, things may change, and people always come and go from your life. Your friend might move overseas, or stop texting you, or you might fall out of friendship after an awkward event from which you could never recover (no, these have totally not all happened to me, shut up i’m fine), or your fairy companion might just disappear without so much as a goodbye after their task is complete. And it feels like you didn’t matter at all. That they never really cared about you, and you’re as easy to drop and move on from as a child’s toy. You might get angry, and want to shut them out, and give them a taste of their own medicine. Majora’s Mask teaches you that this isn’t the case. Life is ever changing, but you will always have the memories of times with your friends, and a chance to make more with new friends, like a sassy talkative fairy sprite and her shy brother or a child made of wood who wants to destroy the world. Friends come from unlikely places, so accept that change will happen and hope that wherever the people you knew are, they’re okay. You’re thinking about them, so they might be thinking about you too. And who knows? Life is unpredictable. They might just come back one day, and it’ll be like they were never gone.

Evidence 9 (the final one, I promise): The Song of Healing. At the end of all things, after losing ones you love, connections to family and friends, memories of things long past... you need time to heal. Link’s journey through Termina is a constant gauntlet of running into his own past traumas, forced to relive them again, and again, and again. But sometimes you should take a deep breath, gather your thoughts, and take time to heal. Although it can be important to confront your fears and learn to surpass them, it is exhausting, and you can end up more emotionally broken than when you started. The three masks all had regrets of powerlessness; unable to protect your community, your loved ones, or even yourself. Troubles you’ve gone through that keep plaguing your mind, and you’re wondering if you’ve done enough, seeking answers where none can be found. And the best thing you can do... is accept and move on. Be kind to yourself, and give yourself time to heal. Link’s way of processing his grief and trauma is to create an entire hellscape world in his own head, but not everyone processes it the same way. Sometimes you feel like you need to busy yourself, or listen to soothing music, or talk to people you trust, or spend copious amounts of money, or make some angst art, or cuddle your plush toys until their stuffing squeezes out. Sometimes life hits you in the face and you want to blame yourself for standing in the firing line, but it’s not your fault. It’s okay to feel however you feel, whether you’re drenched in a pool of tears or you just feel numb, it’s okay and natural. You’re okay. You’re here.

Okay so it got kinda personal at the end there but I hope it was informative, and made you think a little bit differently about Majora’s Mask and Ocarina of Time. You probably want to go back and play them now. Me too.

So was this all just an excuse for me to gush about how cool Majora’s Mask is? Hell fucking yes it was. Congratulations for making it through my monstrous ramblings, you get the secret prize of looking at my weird art on my DA. Here you go. Have a nice day, Zelda Nerds.

#long post #legend of zelda #majoras mask #young link #fierce deity #zelda theory #wow i cant believe i never realised i wrote fuckig outset island instead of koholint im dumby af

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tomboyjessie13-artblog · 4 years

Photo

Here's the digital drawing I promised, it's of Majora's Mask in their human form and in Modern era Hyrule. They're actually a bit of a redesign of a base drawing from 2016(Don't judge, it was years ago). I also made two of Majora's outfits before the modern era. Anyways, here's the bio and description. Keep in mind that there's gonna be some stuff based on Zelda canon but there's also stuff that are non-canon and made for RP purposes and personal enjoyment only, so don't take it seriously. But you're more than welcome to draw my version of Majora if you want, just remember to credit me. This also took hours to upload due to getting carried away with the backstory here.

Majora, Born "Tsukiyomi Majora" and formally called "Court Witch Majora", was a demon sorcerer who once lived peacefully in the Demon Realm prior to the events of "Skyward Sword". They once served the Merry-Go-Round royal family as their Court Witch before Demon King Demise took the throne, and is a family friend to them and Demise's four daughters. Unfortunately, when the Demon Realm fell due to Malladus' recklessness, Majora was gravely injured during the destruction and ended up falling into the primitive Termina through a wormhole and became a mask by a member of the ancient tribe. Consumed by their hatred and MALICE from the incident and being used for hexing, they snapped under the weight and became the most evil and cruel being who nearly brought Termina to it's end, infamously named: "Majora's Mask", before they were defeated by the current Link's ancestor; the Hero of Time. They, alongside Zant, currently reside in New Clock Town as a resident hexer after receiving a Mud Golum body by Veran.

~Technical Information~ Japanese: ムジュラ Romaji: Mujura Other Names: Tsukiyomi Majora(birth name), Court Witch Majora(former title), Majora's Mask(Infamous name), Parasite(Zant), Little Monster(Link), Aunt Jojo(Beelzebub and Lucifer) ~Biographical Information~ Born: Centuries before "Skyward Sword" Age: Ancient(physically in their mid-late 20's in Demon and Mud Golum forms) Classification: Demon(till catastrophe), Mask(till "Majora's Mask"), Mud Golum(currently) Gender: Genderless(currently) Sexual Orientation: Asexual Hair Color: Red Eye Color: Green Affiliation(s): Demon Realm(place of birth/formally), Termina(currently), Ancient tribe(formally), Clock Town/New Clock Town(currently), Court Witch(formally), Hexer(currently)

History and Personality

As a Demon

They were said to be a eccentric yet talented, charming, and funny demon sorcerer in the Demon Realm, thus earning their reputation, but is also criticized for being childish and bratty when things don't go their way, regardless, they were once a sane individual. In the Demon Realm, Majora was actually close friends with Queen Mirai Merry-Go-Round and Royal Chef Bellum, but is rather cautious around Demise due to his "strange behavior", they're also rivals with Demise's aid Malladus. They also have a soft spot for Demise and Mirai's daughters, Beelzebub, Lucifer, Aku no, and Karma, even acting as a surrogate "Mother" to them, and often hang out by Majora's favorite tree(It's rumored that the four remains are the masks the daughters created with them, and the tree is the same tree from the moon).

Later, Majora have grown to greatly despise both Demise and Malladus, the former for killing his own daughters to secure his throne, and the latter for foolishly destroying the Demon Realm and injuring them, both of their actions were one of the few factors that pushed Majora over the edge. During the destruction of the Demon Realm, they fell into one of the expanding wormholes that lead to worlds outside the realm, this one landed Majora in a primitive Termina.

There, they witnessed a group of humans celebrating a festival with four giant beings known as the Four Giants(these people will later build "Clock Town", and the festival will later become "The Carnival of Time"). They tried seeking their help but were too weak to move. Soon enough, a "man with white hair"(Whom the Fierce Deity's Mask's appearance would be based on) walked by and asked what happened, Majora explained what happened to them and told him that they'll die soon because their injuries are so severe. The man, feeling pity for the Demon, healed their soul with a "soothing song" with a instrument and their body was turned into a tree.

As a Mask

The man took the tree to his home and carved it into a mask based on Majora's original body, he made a small grave for them in his home, Majora had gave the man gratitude for giving them peace. Unfortunately, the white haired man died from old age years later, and a stranger walked into the home and found Majora's Mask. He examined the Mask and discovered that it contained all of Majora's magic, Majora tried asking what he was doing but their voice has fallen on deaf ears. The man took Majora to a settlement of land belonging to the ancient tribe that specializes in hexes and claimed that he created Majora's Mask to house magical powers, Majora called him out on his bull, but was ignored again.

The tribe began to use Majora for hexing rituals, they tried to stop them but was once again ignored, this continued for years causing Majora to slowly grow insane from the constant exposure of the hexes, even becoming desensitized to the twisted curses they created. During this time, Majora was left alone with memories of their past life, remembering what Demise and Malladus had done to them, their family, and their home back to the day, causing Majora to grow angry and unstable by the day, even developing a bloodthirsty hatred towards humanity for using Majora for their selfish gain, and blaming the white haired man for turning into a mask, thinking it was all a trick when really he was just trying to help. Regardless, they only have the memories of Mirai's four daughters to keep them sane. Until one day, there was one hexing ritual became so great that it caused them to lose memories of Mirai's four daughters, leaving them as a empty husk fueled by anger and hatred.

This acted as the breaking point for Majora and they snapped, their anger turned into rage, and their rage turned into MALICE, the very thing that plagued the Demon Realm for so long, and used it to get back at the tribe that used them by possessing a human. They eventually used their concealed powers and started destroying the tribe's home and it's inhabitants, developing a sadistic glee and enjoyment for chaos and destruction in the process. Laughing insanely, they happily proclaimed that they want all of humanity to die by their hands, and threatened to drag the moon from orbit to do that. But the surviving tribe members, fearing such a catastrophe, used a spell to put them in their place, knocking them out cold. The surviving tribe members then sealed Majora away, preventing misuse and the world from ending.

Pre-"Majora's Mask"

Centuries later, long after the tribe disappeared, Majora's obsession with destroying the world grew, while also trying to remember who the "four people" were. Then one day, a smiling man with a backpack full of masks(Happy Mask Salesman) arrived to Majora's prison, proclaimed that they're the ancient tribe's sacred artifact, and that they would make a proper addition to his collection, taking them away. Majora sees this as a chance to get back at humanity and tries coursing the salesman into wearing them, only to discover that he's too strong-hearted and sound of mind to be corrupted, and instead made the salesman pass out from trying to resist Majora.

Not long after, a Skull Kid and his fairy companions arrived out of curiosity, sensing that the imp isn't as strong in heart and mind as the salesman, they coursed him into wearing them and succeeded, giving Majora a new body and Skull Kid their tremendous power. During their that time, Majora learned that the Skull Kid was once friends with the Four Giants of Termina, and used that as leverage to push him into creating chaos and curses throughout the world and trap the Giants using the four masks the four daughters supposedly created, first starting with the Ikana Valley, then Snowhead, then Clock Town, then Great Bay, and then Woodfall, at some point they murdered the Deku Butler's son and took his soul, turned Kafei into a child just to satisfy their twisted sense of humor, and tried pulling the moon from it's orbit again to destroy Termina, creating a hideous looking face in the process.

Afterwards, Majora heard the Skull Kid crying and created a mental version of the tree on the moon to confront him. The Skull Kid cried that this isn't what he wanted, he just wanted his friends back, Majora berated them for being weak, telling him that they had all but abandoned him and caused mischief in the past in retaliation. While the Skull Kid had admitted that, they told Majora that they're hurting and murdering people who had nothing to do with both of their torment. Majora doesn't care, they just wanted all of Termina to die, and whither the Skull Kid likes it or not, they're dragging everyone with them to do so, thus leaving him trapped in the mental world. Soon enough, the Hero of Time arrives to the Lost Woods, and the events of "Majora's Mask" takes place.

Post-"Hyrule Warriors"

After being defeated, their soul was banished from their body and lost all of their magic, causing them to be even more angry. They spent more centuries roaming Termina and all the lands outside of it as a evil spirit, watching the worlds as they grew and watching the Hero of Time's descendants from afar, eventually they watched the events of "Hyrule Warriors" take place, at on point they met the Usuper King Zant and shared a lot of things in common with him. After which, they found the descendant of the Hero of Time(Warrior!Link) and snapped again, they began haunting his nightmares in an effort to drive him to insanity as revenge until they were sought out by Beelzebub, who recognized them as Majora.

Realizing that Majora has lost their memories of their past life, Beelzebub used her Black Box(a device that can only be used by Demon Gods) to try and restore it, while also reviewing what has happened to Majora during these last eons. Majora felt their first tears upon gaining their memories back, feeling like the daughters would never forgive them for trying to destroy Termina, while Beelzebub agreed what they did was unforgivable and chastised them for it, Beelzebub was willing to help them recover and get them a new body, but would require bribery. She took Majora to the newly revived Veran who gave them a new Mud Golum body, but was told that their new body would not possess any feelings of hunger nor fullness no matter how much they ate or drank, and that they would not bare children because the body's interfile.

Afterwards, Beelzebub took Majora to the Skull Kid they possessed and forced them to apologize to the imp, but was understandably rejected. After which, Majora began to hide out in Termina and the Lost Woods again since they have nowhere to go, but was warned to not cause anymore trouble in that world again like the last time. Because they had no magic, they're forced to use other means to gain it such as potions and food consumption, at some point they found their old Mask body being guarded by the Great Deku Tree in the Lost Woods, but was disappointed to learned that it doesn't contain any magic, but took it with them as it was their old body.

"Breath of the Wild" and Afterwards

Majora has gained a reputation in Termina as a Hexer, but is also criticized for being childish and sadistic. Soon enough, the Guardians, autonomous machines created by the Sheikah, entered Termina and started causing mass mayhem and destruction through the world much to Majora's sadistic glee. But that glee stopped when one of the Guardians started targeting them and shot at them, not having any strong magic to stop them, they lost their right leg during the carnage. Thankfully the Four Giants were called upon and the Guardians were deposed of, Majora was founded by Beelzebub and was taken to a doctor to be given a new prosthetic leg made from dark wood and Sheikah tech.

They were surprised to know that the humans and even the Giants would allow them to stay in Clock Town to recover after what Majora tried doing to them, Beelzebub explained that it's because they're compassionate to those in need, no matter how cruel the person is. She then told them that if Majora want to continue to stay in Town, they outta help them rebuild the town, Majora caved in and agreed, saying that they needed a roof over their head anyways, they participated hesitantly in the rebuild of Clock Town, now named "New Clock Town", using the Sheikah tech they salvaged from the broken Guardians.

After 100 years, they met the new hero(Wild!Link) and Princess Zelda who stumbled upon Termina, and teased Link ruthlessly, but was easily bested by him much to their chagrin. After a while, Aku no destroyed the worlds with her Key, but teamed up with Beelzebub to restore it and defeat MALICE. Once the worlds are restored, they joined Beelzebub and her friends in searching for the old Demon Realm. At some point they returned to Hyrule and Termina, during the Modern Era, they met up with Zant once more after having been banished from the Twilight Realm for his past crimes, they allowed Zant to live with them in Termina, becoming their roommate and partner in crime.

Trivia and Personality traits

- The name Majora may have been inspired by the ancient Brazilian society of a similar name, Marajoara, a culture that created masks, some of which look strikingly similar to Majora's Mask, this may also explain Majora's human appearance. The Japanese name "Majou" means "Witch" in Japanese, hence Majora's evil magic and previous occupation as a Court Witch.

- Majora follows a Japanese moon motif here; their family name is an alternate name to "Tsukuyomi", the Japanese god of the Moon, and their pigtails in their Mud Golum form resemble rabbit ears, which references the Japanese Moon rabbit. Both of them references Majora's infamous deed of dragging the moon from it's orbit in an effort to destroy Termina by crushing it.

- Despite being genderless, Majora prefers appearing female due to hearing the human belief that "all women are innocent little angels" when they know it's not true, thus uses this to lull people into a false sense of security and get away with things.

- Majora was described as very beautiful in their original Demon form, even having several suitors coming onto them because of this. But they turned them all down, saying they have better things to do than be tied down by marriage, though they admitted to liking Zant, they only see him as a partner and nothing more. They also don't seem to mind being infertile since they're asexual and don't like raising kids, Mirai's daughters being the only exception however.

- While they got their memories back and their malice exorcised, they still act as sadistic and childish as they were before due to the over exposure of hexing and games, becoming just as twisted as the tribe's hexers. They also gained the ability create small versions of the moon to throw at people.

- While displeased about having to consume human food and drinks for health, magic, energy, and climate resistance at first, they eventually became a bit of a Epicurean due to developing strong taste buds. They admitted that their favorite drink is Chateau Romani due to it's delicious flavors and great magical potential.

Design belongs to me

#artwork #legend of zelda #human!majora's mask #majora's mask #hyrule warriors #breath of the wild #modern au #roleplay #fanfiction

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mrneighbourlove · 5 years

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A Study of Abuse and Forgiveness: The Skull Kid

Let’s talk about the Skull Kid. I was eight when I first played Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask. I was lucky enough to have open parents who exposed me to different aspects of life through film, theatre, video games and life events. Violence was something I quickly learned through ‘Alien’ and other forms of art. However, for me, this moment was different from other forms of violence when I experienced it. It made me uncomfortable. Not from the violence itself though, but what the violence represented, and what I took away from it. Friends shouldn’t hurt friends.

The Skull Kid is my favourite Legend of Zelda character, and one of my favourite characters in fiction when you pair him up with Majora. This is a character who is a child of mind and soul. And what makes him realistic to me, is that he’s a kid. And most kids are the paragon of mischief and misbehaviour. They have fun, whether or not they do so at the expense of others’ comfort at times, mostly adults. This does not necessarily make kids inherently bad too.

We learn more about the Skull Kid before he had the mask through the word of Tatl. According to Tatl, people didn’t associate or play with Skull Kid because he was always up to tricks. This may be why, when they find Skull Kid, he is all alone and hiding under a log, shivering from the rain, even though he’s not too far away from Clock Town. People don’t like to be tricked after all, but we don’t know how far Skull Kid went with his pranks. Did he hurt the feelings of people around him greatly, or did he simply annoy them to the point of indifference?

Kids are usually loud or are big and noticeable with their actions when they want attention. For someone as lonely and different as the Skull Kid, it was friendship he sought. So, when he befriends Tatl and Tael he seems pretty content. The most trickery we see is him sneaking up on Tael and giving him a spook, or drawing Grafitti on a tree. Other than that, the Skull Kid is simply playing in the fields of Termina, playing music for his new friends, and having a good time. He acts like an average kid.

Then Majora’s Mask enters the picture. This is the first chronological case of abusive behaviour from Skull Kid. One might be able to argue that the mask somehow reached out to Skull Kid’s weak mind and influenced the Imp’s actions subtlety but, at the end of the day, the Skull Kid used violence to knock the Happy Mask Salesman out cold, rummage through his sack, and take Majora’s Mask for himself.

Now, it’s an interesting case to judge the actions of Skull Kid from this point on. There seems to be acts of evil that are clearly the Entity of Mask’s influence, such as the destruction of the world, as it would not have benefited the Skull Kid of before; however, we also see that the Skull Kid appears to be able to control his actions, at least in the opening act. He slips off the mask to congratulate his fairy friends, so the mask has not fully possessed him at that point or, at the very least, it does not seem to worry about Skull Kid abandoning it.

These are the crimes that were carried out by the Skull Kid throughout the game, but there is no way to know who was in control.

- Turning Kafei into a child, resulting in a near broken relationship.

- Transforming the Deku Butler’s Son in a rooted husk, permanently killing him.

- Sealing the Giants Guardian Gods away.

- Physically assaulting Koume the witch, leaving her in a paralyzed state.

- Cursing Woodfall, creating a monster that kidnapped the Deku Princess, leaving an innocent monkey to be unjustly punished.

- Cursing Snowhead, leaving the mountains in an never ending winter, freezing Gorons, sending the Goron Hero Darmani to his death, and leaving him a ghost full of regrets.

- Cursing Great Bay. Following this by telling a group of Gerudo Pirates to steal Lulu’s Zora Eggs, which short term gets Mikau killed, and long term tricks the pirates into traveling into a typhoon.

- Cursing Stone Tower, unleashing spirits of the dead and damned, which are unable to return to rest, and cursing Pamela’s father into becoming a Gibdo.

- Knocking Link out, mugging him, stealing his horse and Ocarina, ditching the horse right after because he can’t ride it, cursing Link into becoming a Deku Scrub, and laughing as he leaves his friend Tatl behind.

- Cursing the moon to fall and crash onto Termina, bringing the end to all life.

- Striking his friend Tael for pleading for help to the giants.

It may have been Skull Kid himself, the Skull Kid under the influence of the mask, or Majora with Skull Kid unaware at all of his actions and possibly being under control of Majora, with the demon speaking through Skull Kid, possessed ala Regan from the Exorcist.

Some of these seem childish and in line with Skull Kid, such as the opening act with Link or cursing Kafei, but I choose, in my opinion, to believe Majora at least influences most of these evil actions. That said, a lot of pain has been inflicted on others leading up to the the end of the three day cycle. Does the Skull Kid deserve forgiveness for his actions?

The biggest contender for forgiveness is the giants. They are the guardians of Termina. It is their job to ensure the inhabitants are safe. Yet, after all the giants are freed from the imprisonment by the power of the mask, they say this to Link and Tatl.

“Forgive your friend.”

They see the grasp of evil the mask has enveloped around the Skull Kid. This is a kid who has become entangled with something absolutely insidious, and they recognize that. That said, I also wish to examine a more grounded viewpoint of the argument of the abuse Skull Kid was a part of and whether or not he deserves forgiveness by looking into the debate between Tatl and Tael.

Tatl, rightfully so, is concerned for her brother. Skull Kid’s hitting of his friend and her brother is NOT acceptable behaviour. It is not something that is ok. And, like any child, he should know better. Now, this can be interpreted as the Skull Kid having hit Tael more than once off screen, but is more likely evidence of Tatl’s immunity to the effect of time reset, and her losing her patience for seeing Skull Kid hit her brother over and over and over again in the time loop.

This is a line to convey pity and, perhaps, remorse for the Skull Kid. The little imp seems to have always been alone. In the Lost Woods he was separate from other Skull Children; he didn’t seem to be included with the people of Clock Town and his antics made him isolated. Should we forgive Skull Kid just because of his life? Because he is a child in mind and soul, can we hope that he will become a better person if shown compassion and friendship?

Even if we are hurt and lonely, we make the choices that define us. To Tatl, Skull Kid chose to cause destruction and pain by lashing out with the power of the mask. Regardless of whether or not Majora made that final choice, the message is strong. We can’t defend bad behaviour just because of circumstance.

Absolutely. With great power, comes great responsibility. Give power to a child and bad things will happen, but the Skull Kid was doomed to failure due to the evil that possessed him, not him possessing it.

Which leads to the ultimate reveal. In the end, Majora manipulated Skull Kid’s weak will to its own end. It worked through Skull Kid to bring about pain, suffering, and death to the world. Skull Kid’s body is cast aside as Majora reveals itself at the final hour.

A big part of Majora’s Mask, is that you save a lot of people from the pain the mask is inflicting on the world. All of the masks you collect are symbols of every person you have helped to live a happier life. And Skull Kid is the last person you save from Majora. He was manipulated by a darkness far beyond his comprehension. And despite hurting Tael, the fairy forgives his friend.

However, what matters to me the most about the Skull Kid is an act that comes after you slay Majora. The Skull Kid displays shame at his actions.

He lowers his head and shakes. To me, this can be taken two ways. He could be addressing the giants, shocked at how they forgave him. Or, alternatively, I think it could be subtly showing Skull Kid is ashamed of hurting Tatl and Tael, that he feels guilt at his actions. He feels guilt that he was shown compassion. And the fairies fly over to comfort him in an act of forgiveness. Despite any abuse the Skull Kid committed under Majora, they forgive him. To me, it’s huge that Skull Kid shows any regret at all. It’s a sign of self-reflection, which he can use to become a better person.

Vaati is an evil wizard who kidnaps women. Zant is a crazy creep who usurped his kingdom. Ganondorf is an evil king who tries to control the world. Skull Kid is a child. You want to save him, with everyone else in Termina, because he has an innocence the other antagonists of Zelda just don’t share. He is someone you can be friends with at the end, once all of the evil has been exorcised out of the land and its people. In my own conclusion, I believe we can forgive Skull Kid, just as the Giants, Tael, Tatl, and Link have done.

Skull Kid isn’t completely evil. But, he also isn’t completely pure. He’s a kid. Kids screw up - sometimes they hurt their friends with the choices they make. But they can also learn from their mistakes. And they learn better if given a chance to be forgiven. I believe Skull Kid just needs a friend to help guide him, and he can grow through the ages to be a good person, and an even better friend back.

#Skull Kid #Legend of Zelda #Legend of Zelda Majora's Mask #Majora's Mask #Majora #Tatl #Tael #Tatl and Tael #Link #Character Study #Abuse #Forgiveness #figmentforms #ridersoftheapocalypse #s-kinally #Put a lot of careful thought into this one #Hope you enjoy!

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ozzdog12 · 4 years

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2019- Top 7 (And 1)

Another year has come to an end and thus the hotly anticipated Top 7 (And 1) from your ‘average at best’ Ozzdog12 is here for you to feast your eyes upon. 2019 was an extremely odd year for me, gaming wise. As parenthood has taken the full brunt of my time, my gaming time and the choices of what games I decided to play, have changed. I played several games this year that, under any previous year I may have stuck with longer or tried again, but as time for gaming has become more and more thin, I now have less ‘patience’ to stick with a BIG RPG (Disco Elysium, one day I’ll get to you). Now I’m going to contradict my previous sentence with this next sentence. I was unemployed for a stretch of 5 weeks and in between looking for jobs I also found myself with a decent amount of time to play some games. What I did with that time is played 2 games that ultimately made the list, for two very different reasons. I also cleared out a chunk of backlog games (Finally beating Diablo 3 for one, thank you Switch) and played several, shorter smaller games in the process. If interested in my previous Top 7 (And 1) 2017 & 2018.

And now on to the And 1 this year

Favorite game that came out in 2019 that actually came out 20+ years ago: Legend of Zelda: Links Awakening (Switch)

This one was actually a hard one to decide as Age of Empires 2: Definitive Edition also released this year. AOE2 is the one game I may have put the most time into ever, cumulatively. But I’m giving the nod to Link’s Awakening simply because its BRAND NEW to me. I did not play the original release and this has been an absolute joy to play and is by far, the best Zelda available on Switch. The updated graphics are gorgeous and the art style is great. I haven’t completed the game yet, but I’m slowly chipping away at it at night. It feels and plays like a Zelda game but updated properly to a modern console to make it feel like a brand new game released in 2019 and not just a reskin/up-resed re-release. The game is also structured in a way that appeals to me more than Breath of the Wild was (see 2017 And One for reference). The world feels big, but is contained in a clever way to make it FEEL bigger than it actually is.

Number 7: Rage 2 (PS4)

Rage 2 is a very weird game. I don’t mean it’s weird in the sense that nothing clicks or that its bad. In fact, it’s a joy to play (especially is you love iD shooters). It’s weird because outside of the gameplay mechanics, it’s fairly barren (intentional or not). And I mean that in terms of both story, things to do and the world itself. Having very little to do with the previous Rage (which I really enjoyed on the 360), Rage 2 starts off quick and with a bang. You choose which version of the character you want to be, learn the mechanics and then are eventually sent to a town. There are a total of 6 ‘story’ missions that are stretched out by requiring you to complete tasks for one of the 3 town leaders who you’ve enlisted for help to take down the General. Once you do this, you fight the General and that’s kind’ve it. Now along the way, you will kill a bunch of mutants and humans alike. There are 3 factions (4 if you count the Ghosts in the DLC) that are in an ever engaging gauntlet to the death and you get to play janitor by spilling more guts and blood, but none of it really matters, the Factions I mean. There are a few Crusher Mutants (BIG MUTANTS) to also fight, but they are essentially extra heavy bullet sponges. Now, I know I haven’t really sold you on it, but here’s the thing. I REALLY enjoyed RAGE 2. It was the perfect game to play during the summer. Due to a personal situation I was dealing with (the looming unemployment) it was nice to just sit down at night, turned my brain off and just kill things. It reminded me of a simpler time in my youth playing games like Doom. Same vibe honestly. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve become more of a story and narrative driven player, but Rage 2 scratched a nostalgia itch for me at the perfect time.

Number 6: Concrete Genie (PS4)

Concrete Genie is a game that is honestly out of left field for me these days. Not that I don’t like these types of games, it’s just as previous stated, time is somewhat of a precious commodity and had Concrete Genie come out in any other year, I probably would’ve skipped it entirely. However, it didn’t and I’m glad I picked this up for $20. It also scratched a nostalgia itch and reminded me very much of the PS2 era of games like Sly Cooper and Jax and Daxter. You play a kid who is bullied (something I am familiar with first hand, sadly) for being a loner and an artist. His creature drawings come to life with the help of a magic paint brush and your objective to put color back into an abandon town and bring it back to life. There is a VR component I wasn’t able to play because I don’t have a PSVR. The game is fairly simply and doesn’t deviate far from that formula. There is very little combat and just enough variety in the monster’s you can make to keep you going. It’s also fairly short. I was able to complete and collect everything in around 7-8 hours. Having a complete game in a bite size package is something I long for these days.

Number 5: The Outer Worlds (PS4)

This game should be higher on the list but I put it here simply because while I have played it a fair amount, I haven’t played it enough to warrant it being higher. I’m maybe halfway through? I love Bethesda Fallouts (And Obsidian’s New Vegas) and this is an improved New Vegas in space with a more cheeky approach. The Outer Worlds never takes itself too seriously and revels in its sarcasm. The companions are all mostly likeable enough and each planet has felt distinctive enough to entice me to keep exploring. The mechanics are improved and the overall gameplay is better than New Vegas. Its structured just like a Fallout game, so there is a lot of comfort there. However, just like any open world RPG, sitting down for less than an hour and trying to accomplish anything is hard. The Outer Worlds is best played in big chunks. It’s at the top of my list to finish in 2020.

Number 4: A Plague Tale (PS4)

A Plague Tale was THAT game that was on everyone’s ‘Hidden Gems’ list. I had seen a trailer around E3 and it intrigued me enough to check it out. I completed it over a whole weekend, a rarity. The game isn’t perfect, but everything is serviceable enough to work within the confines of what it’s trying to accomplish. It has some technical flaws and the occasional hiccup, but I’m a sucker for 3rd person action adventure games. The game is mostly centered around stealth with combat as a mostly secondary option. The game takes place in France in 1348 during the rat plague. You play as the daughter of an alchemist and your brother has been sick since birth. Once your village has been raided by the Inquisition, you are cast out to find help. The plague has taken over the majority of the country, but it isn’t until later in the game where the game takes a turn into the fantasy in a major way. You meet up with some really likeable characters with different personality traits along the way that really kept the story moving in an interesting way. The story was really grim at times, but honestly kept me hooked until the final chapter. The boss battle was extremely frustrating. With a sequel being announced, I am extremely interested in where they take the next chapter.

Number 3: Katana ZERO (Switch)

Katana ZERO rules. There is a fine line where a game is challenging and when a game is unfair. I like a challenge, but I don’t want to work (games like Dark Souls are work). KZ is very similar in style, gameplay, tone, and even music to Hotline Miami. The difference being KZ is a side scroller instead of top down. You play a samurai in a quasi-dystopian future after a war. You are programmed killing machine…or are you? The story is fairly heavy and can bring up some tough subjects. KZ is pretty challenging, especially later in the game, but never once did I feel the game was cheap or unfair. Every time I died (MANY, MANY TIMES) it was always my fault. Either I didn’t plan my attack correctly, I hit the wrong button, took the wrong path, or didn’t time it right. The game has a nifty way of dealing with ‘deaths’ in the game using a neat rewind feature. When you complete a level, it shows you a replay in ‘real time’ giving you a nice recap of your work. Every time I completed a level, I felt a sense of accomplishment. My Switch says I put around 5 hours or more into it once I completed the final level, but it honestly felt longer than that, in a good way. KZ is an absolute blast to play and you should go play it right now!

Number 2: Gears 5 (Xbox One)

I’m a fan of the Gears of War series. The first Gears of War still being my favorite of the series. As time has passed, I’ve become less interested in the series as a whole but still interested enough to play every entry. I thought Gears 4 was the Force Awakens of the series. Essentially a retelling of the same story, with a new coat of paint and new characters with the old ones sprinkled in. Gears 4 was ultimately, fine. So I was actually excited for Gears 5 was going to go and to see how they built upon 4 with a focus on Kait instead of a Fenix. Halfway through the story, the group is divided and it starts to take a different tone. Gears 5 experiments with a first of the series, a semi-open world. I thought it broke up the monotony of wall hug, shoot, reload, repeat. I finished the story in a few days and had a good time with it, though once again, the ending being kind’ve abrupt. The series has a knack for being sort’ve slow, then suddenly turning it to 11, then ending. I wished the campaign was longer, but it’s still solid. Gears 5 introduced a new mode called Escape, where you and two other players plant a bomb and try to escape a level with limited ammo. There is weekly a revolving door of new levels, which is nice, but each level is just reusing assets. I suspect with time and each new Operation (Season) that will be expanded. Horde mode is back and the character classes are fun. New characters have been added and will continue to be added, but they are an absolute grind to unlock (But you can always pay for them!) The reason Gears 5 is this high is mostly due to the amount of time I spent playing multiplayer. As stated, I loved the original Gears of War and put an insane amount of time into the multiplayer. That was in 2007 and the older I’ve gotten, my desire to invest into multiplayer has waned, almost completely. Once again though, right time, right place. I spent almost the entire month of October, logging on every night, completing challenging and playing online. Something I haven’t done since I was a freshman in college. I had an absolute blast. While I don’t delve into online as feverishly as I did in October, I still occasionally dabble when I get the chance.

Number 1: Mortal Kombat 11 (PS4)

As if this was going to be anything else. I’m a Mortal Kombat mark, plain and simple. I’ve loved the series my entire life. I love the lore, I love how ridiculously violent it is, how goofy and bat shit insane the story has evolved. I love it all. But its not all gore and lore, Mortal Kombat is a supreme fighting game. It’s not a nuanced as the likes of Street Fighter, but its infinitely deeper than a game like Smash Bros. Mortal Kombat is in a good sweet spot for both casuals and hardcore fighting fans. MK11 has maybe the greatest in-depth tutorial that has ever been made in any fighting game. It not only teaches you how to play, it teaches you the terminology. The story picks up right after MKX, with Raiden upset with everyone and taking matters into his own hands by torturing Shinnok. Liu Kang and Kitana rule the Netherrealm. Raiden plans an attack where he is essentially the Trojan Horse. All goes according to plan, until Kronika, The Time Keeper, decides she doesn’t like this anymore and eventually brings back some old friends to help her change time (again) and finally eliminate Raiden from existence. In doing this, Kronika has made all those mirror matches from previous games cannon. The production level and story mode in Netherealm games are on another level compared to other fighting games and they continue that trend in MK11. They implement the gear system from Injustice 2 into MK11 and its fine. The Krypt is amazing and is full of secrets. The Living Towers have returned, this time in the form of the ever changing “Towers of Time”. The roster, which is what everyone really cares about isn’t the worst but isn’t the best. None of the new characters are all that fun (Cetrion, Geras, & Kollector) and the returning roster was missing some notable characters. The DLC thus far has been fairly underwhelming compared to MKX. It was nice to see Shang Tsung, Nightwolf, & Sindel return (all 3 should’ve been in the main roster) but Terminator is lame. MKX had the likes of Tremor, Tanya, & Predator. MK11 seems to break what was a fun tradition in DLC having new, MK characters (Skarlett and Tremor, respectively). While I do think there is another set coming after Spawn, if the leak is true, then it seems underwhelming. I played MK11 pretty religiously for almost 2 months and still play at least once or twice a week. I love MK!

#mortalkombat #mk11 #gears of war #gears 5 #katana zero #a plague tale #rage 2 #legend of zelda #links awakening #concrete genie #ps4 #switch #nintendo switch #sony playstation #xboxone #videogames #gaming #games #2019

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ashleyswrittenwords · 5 years

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How To Be A Queen [Part 7]

Summary: Princess Zelda is at a loss. Her handed royal responsibilities have begun to weigh heavily on her and she is eventually backed into a corner. Live a life she loathes or run away from everything she’s ever known? Navigating life is hard, and Link forces her to learn that she doesn’t have to do it alone.

Warning: None

Part 1

How To Be A Queen

I woke up this morning with a stumble in my step and a desperation to eat more than any lady should. Today, I reminded myself, I am not a lady. Or royalty, or anything of the sort. I was Zelda. Just like yesterday, and just like tomorrow. Zelda.

I fumbled around the pockets of the trousers I wore for the last week and after blindly patting around I procured a thin leather strap. I was not in the mood to even attempt to style the rat's nest that sat on my scalp, instead settling with combing the more obvious bits of hair and tying up the rest in a rather messy bun. I peered into the dresser mirror. My eyes weren't even all the way open. The nest on my head was smoother, but easily resembled a pile of hay. Oh, well.

A glitter on my finger caught my attention. On my middle finger was a gold band. It was simple, as it was supposed to be. I was gifted it on my 13th birthday. It was supposed to symbolize my sincerity and purity. On the night of my wedding there is a ring ceremony of switching it to my ring finger. Which, in all honesty, was pointless. It just screams out to everyone that I got laid. I pursed my lips. I had forgotten to leave it when I left. There was no point in having it now.

There was a quiet tap at the door. It shuttered as it slid open.

"Oh, good. You're awake. One of the girls prepared breakfast. I've also brought a change of traveler's clothes."

Impa closed the door behind her, giving one disapproving look at my hair. "You look like you've never been near a marbled floor in your life."

"Oh good, that was the look I was going for actually."

She shook her head and pulled a chair up, "I do suppose you've never had the chance to get ready by yourself before. Sit child."

I followed suit and sat. Impa pulled the leather strap from my hair with ease and my hair sprang into frizzy mess once more. "Now follow me in the mirror, Zelda," she began taking my hair into her hands and narrated a process of how to properly style one's hair without an extra pair of hands. After a few minutes of struggling and strained fingers I managed to do a proper bun that satisfied the Sheikah woman.

"Just because you've been traveling with a man doesn't mean you need to get ready like one," she muttered, handing me a set of clothes she had brought in. "Nor should you wear their clothes."

I laughed at her sincerity and thanked her. She rambled a little bit about the village and how cold the winter would be as I undressed myself.

"They're saying it will be one of the coldest winters in years, Zelda. I think if you are going to Hateno like Link had told me you should leave today before nightfall if you want to beat the snowfall."

As my head popped through the thin first cotton layer I looked at her in disbelief, "Today? But I'd like to spend more time here. With you."

She shook her head with a smile, "I'm afraid the goddesses haven't deemed it so. These are the perfect conditions for a blizzard. And whenever we have a large snowfall, the mountain passes get blocked for days. Unfortunately, I wouldn't want to risk Link and yourself being stuck here when a whole world awaits you."

I scowled, "Rubbish."

Despite my sour mood, the clothes fit like a glove. There were two long white layers with a pattered black and green bodice that laced in the front. I held the laces in my hand and looked up at my host with a light blush, "I'm sorry, could you help me? I've never tied a bodice before."

Breakfast was divine. I ate canned peaches and strawberries with porridge, and though it wasn't my usual favorite from Castletown it was a welcomed treat. A tea pot was set down by a girl who Impa had said was a priestess in training. I smiled and thanked her. It steamed through the spout and I looked just beyond it at a blond headed man already asking for a third helping. The girl giggled at his aloof grin and took the bowl away from him with a red face.

"Have you no shame, Captain?" Impa addressed him.

"I'm afraid not, ma'am," he answered easily.

Impa let out a "Hmph!" and turned to me, "I attempted to teach him basic etiquettes before you were his charge."

"You were?" I looked over at Link, who in turn held a grin.

"An emphasis on attempted."

No wonder they were so comfortable together. Impa nodded, "Your father had asked me to vet him before his promotion. As you can see his mannerisms weren't what won me over."

"It's okay, Lady Impa, you don't have to tell her it was my charm."

Impa failed to hide a smile, "It certainly was not."

I laughed. "I don't think it was all for naught, I don't think he spoke more than a sentence to me the first two years."

"Is that right?" Impa asked, "Probably a good thing, if you ask me. Once you start getting him to talk about himself he doesn't shut up."

"That's not true!" He said. Much to my amusement, I watched Link and Impa bicker from my seat. I could only listen with a smile. For some reason, I enjoyed this. It differed greatly to the silent meals in the great hall, but it was welcomed. I giggled at one of Impa's retorts. The uneasiness between Link and I had apparently been dissolved. The possibility of it resurfacing once we leave today made me nervous, but I pushed it aside finding them looking at me. Link had just finished his question. Embarrassed, my cheeks warmed, "I beg your pardon?"

"See!" Impa interjected, "Impeccable manners. You could actually learn by example."

Link half acknowledged her with a smile and looked back at me with concern creeping into his voice, "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine!" I said while I messed with what remained in my bowl as a measly attempt to distract myself from the way he looked at me.

"I'm sorry you have to leave so soon, Zelda," Impa said gently. I shook my head, "It's not your fault. I'm not upset."

I shrugged, glancing at Link, "We can always come back, right?"

"Don't look at me, Princess," he said, laughing a bit at my question, "I'm just along for the ride."

"And my door is always open for you, Zelda."

I felt suddenly bashful, "Thank you."

The outdoor air was a shock to my system. I had been spoiled the last day with a warm bed. I tried to engulf myself with the coat I was given. It was grey and lined with fur on the inside. Someone lifted the hood and let it drop over my head, dipping in front of my face. I saw Link kneel in front of me with a broad grin, "You ready?" A boyish excitement peeked through, making me smile without my meaning to.

I watched him wait for my response. "Oh!" I scrambled, "Where is Impa?"

"Behind you," she responded. I spun around and gave her a tight hug.

"You're coming back," she said as a statement, not as a suggestion. I nodded eagerly. "Good," she hugged me back, her voice dipping into a more professional tone, "We need to talk about how you will address your court."

"I know," I said pulling away. She was right. I was thankful to have someone like Impa there to help. It made me feel less alone. With a bout of waving, we parted. I rushed to catch up with Link's long strides. It had snowed overnight and the inches of snow crunched under our feet. I wished I could say goodbye to Rivka and her mother, but it seemed it wasn't meant to be. Perhaps next time we were in the area.

"Where to next?" Link said as we entered the mountain pass.

I looked at him weird, "Hateno. Where else were you thinking?"

"I dunno," he shrugged, "It'll be underwhelming compared to everything."

"Doubtful." A gust of wind came through the pass and I gasped as the hood flew off, letting the cold hit my face and neck. "Keep your hood up, it would suck if you get sick," he said, adjusting his own. Tufts of blond hair overflowed from his dark coat.

I held onto my hood as another gust blew past us, it was almost violent. I wonder what would've happened if we stayed longer than we should have. Despite the chill, I was entranced by how much heavy snow changed the scenery. Plants and grass that were poking from the ground when we arrived was now deeply entrenched in snow. The trees that loomed over us were skeletons. It was quiet other than the crunch of snow under our feet. The depth had gotten so deep that I opted to tail behind Link and follow his footsteps. Every now and again he would look back to check if I was still there. And each time I would smile because I didn't know what else to do when I looked at him.

It took us longer to get through the trail than we expected. If I had to guess maybe two hours compared to the hour long ascension. We took a path that led us farther south. The mountains opened and not long after were in the distance behind us.

"I didn't get Aryll anything."

"Hm?" I was pulled out of my thoughts and saw Link debating something in his head. The snow wasn't as heavy here so I hurried to walk alongside my guide.

"I didn't get a souvenir for my sister. She'll be mad."

"Well, what do you usually get her?"

Link paused, "Girl stuff. From Castletown. I've bought a gown for her before - of course it didn't fit. A necklace for her birthday. I think one time I bought her a diary. She never used it."

"Oh," I pondered, "What does she like?"

"Girl things."

I blinked, my eyebrows drawing together, "Like what?"

He shrugged, "Hair and jewelry or something. She doesn't really express much interest in anything other than astronomy, but she already has a telescope."

"She likes jewelry?"

"Yeah, but we never really could afford anything growing up. I think Aryll was forced to grow out of that interest."

I pulled at a band around my middle finger, "Here, give her this."

I held out my palm. It was my gold ring. "Zelda," Link sounded surprised, "I can't just take this."

"Why not? It's nothing special. I only wear it on formal occasions."

"You know why," he shook his head, "It'd be wrong for me to give away my charge's purity ring."

My cheeks reddened, "Don't say it like that. It's not- We aren't-"

I was lost for words as unnecessary imagery rushed through my head.

He raised his eyebrows at me in a knowing expression, "See?" I mumbled my frustration away and glanced at our bag on his back.

"What?" He said, noticing the smile playing on my lips.

"During the era of the Middle Kingdoms, wives would give their husbands the rings after," I wiggled my eyebrows, "you know."

Link's face went blank and he looked at me strangely. I expected a response attune to "Go on…", but he didn't say anything.

"Sooo," I prolonged the 'o', "We just have to find someone to marry me and then he can give you the ring."

"Yeah, no," he rolled his eyes as I began laughing.

"Why not? I think it's a fool-proof plan! It'll totally get the heat off your back."

"Sure, let's go back and get ahold of that one guy from the ball," he said, taking long strides. I picked up my pace, unbelievably amused by my own banter. My face scrunched up. "I wouldn't touch him with a ten-foot pole."

"I wouldn't let you come within one-hundred feet of him!" Link exclaimed, "Hylia willing."

I beamed, forgetting completely about the cold. My face dropped as I remembered something. "Link! Stop I need to get something."

Link did and I took the moment to reach into it, rummaging around. It was forcefully pulled low by my weight.

"Ow, quit it," he said, kneeling slightly. "I'm not a pack mule, Highness."

I flicked him in the head, "I told you to stop calling me that, Pack Mule."

"Um, it's Sir Pack Mule to you. I was knighted by you-"

"Aha!" I yelled out, producing an ivory comb from the bag. "Give her this."

I made sure to bring a comb when we left Impa's house, and they were like the ones from the castle. It was made from ivory and fine-toothed, on the handle was a delicately carved flower. If Aryll wanted to, I suppose it could be used as decoration .

"Where did you get that?"

"Impa's house. Don't worry, I asked to steal it."

Link took it out of my hand gingerly. "I think Aryll will love it."

"Really?" I grinned. He nodded, lingering a bit. "Come on, we'll get off track."

I complied. We walked further and eventually we reached a bridge. The lake was frozen over to the point where I thought it was a field of white, it wasn't until I heard water was when I questioned Link about it.

"Lake Siela is known for freezing only the over the top," he had told me, "A lot of travelers have fallen through and died because of it. People think the water is just warm enough from the hot springs runoff that only the surface is affected. Others think the lake is cursed."

"What do you think?"

"I think we should walk over the bridge instead."

As we were reaching it, we noticed a woman standing around.

Was she… singing to her horse?

"Link," I whispered aggressively, "That's the same woman from the campfire."

"From Kakariko?"

"No, the stable."

He grew quiet. I looked up and he had a set expression on his face. Somehow, I could tell that he was debating if we should turn back. I wasn't so alarmed by her presence, but Link's reaction when he saw her that night unnerved me. I had thought it was because it was the first person I spoke to since leaving the castle, but he didn't act the same at the village. Something was wrong.

"I'm sure she's fine, though," I said more to assure myself.

"Your ring."

"What about it?" I thumbed the side of the band. I felt him move closer and my heart jumped when we brushed sides. Hot fingers interlaced with my own and my cheeks flushed. My brain stopped working. All I knew was that Link was warm and he smelled good. With that thought being processed properly, I realized how strange it would be to say that aloud. "Switch it to your ring finger," he finally whispered. It sounded like he knelt to my ear to say that. His voice was low, but my stomach seemed to drop lower.

"O-Oh."

Suddenly I was aware of how I was walking, how my hair looked, how my frigid hands were starting to sweat, how I was breathing, amongst other things. Despite it all, I unfortunately took my hand away from Link and switched the ring before unceremoniously slipping it back into place. My breath was uneven as he tightened his hold.

Thirty yards turned into fifteen and then into five.

"Hello there!" Link bellowed, he sounded completely different from before. I tried searching for a word to describe it and quickly settled on jovial. In some respect, with the same assertiveness as Uncle.

She turned towards us as if she was expecting company. "Well! What a coincidence to see this happy couple again!" Her eyes were the same piercing color. I hadn't noticed her tan skin that night, but it's deep complexion contrasted perfectly to the winter wonderland around her. Her cheekbones being more extenuated. It occurred to me that she may not be Hylian as I had assumed earlier. However, she wasn't tall like a Gerudo. My thoughts were put to rest as her eyes scanned me. I smiled politely despite feeling violated by her gaze. I involuntarily squeezed Link's hand, feeling reprieve when I felt him return the pressure.

"I thought you two were engaged!" She gasped audibly. My heart jumped.

"You caught us!" Link laughed, it sounded foreign to my ears, "We got eloped in Kakariko."

"How romantic!" She smiled widely. I smiled back, hugging his arm.

If you're going to play the part… at least make it convincing, right?

"We'd love to stay and chat, but I'm afraid we'll miss our honeymoon. Happy Midwinter!" He said bowing his head and pushed against me to start walking. Admittingly I almost tripped on my own feet but was saved by lumber support.

"And what is this lovely budding family called?" She called behind us.

"We're the Foresters," he said, glancing over his shoulder.

#harharhar #ending on a high note #how to be a queen #zelink #zelink fanfiction #legend of zelda: breath of the wild #legend of zelda #zelda #link

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sittingoverheredreaming · 5 years

Note

So how much is it to commission you to write that Zelda bit out? *chin hands*

HERE IS A BIT FOR YOU, RHIO. BotW fic has been such an intimidating prospect to me, even though I’ve wanted to give it a try since I first played, and I went down so many rabbit holes researching bits of this. This is definitely something I might want to continue/dig into more, but for now, here’s 1100 words. Spoilers through the last memory in the game.

____

Zelda ran as she had not ran since she was a little girl. She’d run chased by fear, chased by grief, in recent years, and that was there, but now freedom led her, freedom and joy and the glimmer of victory. The burden she had carried since her mother’s death had lifted. Her powers had finally stirred. The champions had fallen, but their deaths need not be in vain, she would not fail them. And Link…

They will save him, Master.

“They will, they will save your Master, and he will wield you again,” Zelda said to the sword on her back. It pressed warm against her back with every stride. Legends had told of the spirit that lived in the Master Sword, but Zelda had never imagined it would speak to her. Its chosen heroes hearing its voice was a rarity, much less anyone else.

Zelda did not slow until she came to the edge of the Lost Woods. If she turned now, she would doubtless see the castle, overtaken by malice, all the surrounding towns destroyed by the very Guardians meant to protect them.

She did not turn. She would make her way there soon enough, to Seal the Calamity within.

I can lead you, the sword said, and the faintest shadow of a spirit appeared in the fog ahead. Zelda followed her into the woods, through the mist as thick as butter, round the trees carved into screaming faces. The spirit did not seem phased. She seemed more sold the deeper they got, Zelda could now make out the blue curve of her head, the flutter of her cape.

The spirit stopped at the mouth of a great log. This way, Master.

Before Zelda could open her mouth to point out her mistake, the spirit disappeared back into the sword.

Through the hollow log, she could see light breaking through the fog. Zelda stepped through to find a large sunlit clearing, and at its center–

“Great Deku Tree.” She curtsied.

“You need bow to no one, Princess. The children of the forest have told me of your courage. You have done well to make it here.”

“Then you know I have brought the sword, so that you may watch over it while Link heals.”

The Great Deku Tree let out a low hum. “You plan to leave it behind?”

“I must return to the castle.” Zelda placed the Master Sword gingerly against its pedestal. “My sealing powers have finally awoken, I can–”

“Forgive me, Princess, but it is not your mother’s sealing power that has awakened.”

“It was. It destroyed the Guardians on Blatchery Plain. Whatever you have heard, it isn’t true. I can do this. The sword spoke to me–”

“The sword is known to speak only to the chosen hero.”

Zelda clenched her fists. The same whispers followed her even now– false princess, liar princess, weak princess. “It spoke to me.”

“I am afraid you misunderstand me.” His voice was kind. “It seems a great many people have been wrong about a great many things of late, myself among them. I should never have allowed Link to pull the sword from that pedestal. He is not the chosen hero.

You are.”

Zelda’s breath caught. The sword pulsed with the faint song of its spirit. “I… this… this is no time for pranks, people have died and–”

“And a few moments more will do them no harm. It may do them some good, if they rest knowing others will not fall to the same mistake.” His branches creaked. “Link is a very strong and noble knight, but the sword is not known to choose those born to such circumstances.”

“It is also not known to choose the princess it is meant to protect.”

“You are a scholar, are you not? Surely you’ve come upon the knowledge that it was made not for the royal family, but for the good of the land. And as such, a scholar seems much more in line with the children and farmers it has chosen in the past than does a miraculous knight born into the royal guard.”

“Then…” Zelda paused, heart and thoughts racing. It was all in line with texts she’d read but… Everything up to now, had it been for nothing? Every prayer, every night spent in freezing water before a Goddess Statue, every harm she’d done herself? Every life lost in the absence of her power? Had it all been some cosmic joke at their expense? “Then why… why was everyone so sure?”

“When pushed to terror, we take any solution offered, be it by the Gods’ decree or by a swindler’s shadowplay.” The Great Deku tree sighed. “Who would turn away a boy with incredible skill with the hour of our greatest need drawing nigh? Not I, and not your father. But we were wrong. He has his part to play, but he is not the hero.”

The two of you are not so different, the sword whispered. He has dedicated his life to his presumed role, but was not able to fill it. You are mirrors to one another.

“Tradition says that the royal family carries the blood of the Goddess,” Zelda said slowly. “But so too do all Hylians. Is it possible the sealing power…?”

“Resides in another? Yes, that may be a factor in our misstep.”

Zelda knelt before the sword. “Is it true, then?” she asked it. “Do you chose me?”

Yes, Master.

“I’ve never wielded any weapon before, much less a sword. Father–” she choked on a sob, but now was not the time for grief– “Father would not even allow me to carry a dagger when others suggested it.”

“The legends tell of courage, not skill, Princess. If you find it in your heart to accept the sword, it will not fail you.”

She reached out with trembling hands. The hilt was warm, welcoming like the embrace of a friend. As she grasped it, she felt something stir inside her. She rose it above her head. It caught the light, and suddenly, the world felt like it made sense. She swung, once, twice, cutting through the air and feeling the balance of it in her hand. It was as easy as breathing. She was made for it.

The Great Deku looked at her with pride and sadness in his eyes. “You know what you must do, Princess.”

“Yes.” She looked to the sword, her sword. “The battle will be long, but there is peace on the other side. I must go.”

“May the Goddess be with you.”

She turned, ready to face her fate, but paused. “Great Deku Tree, may I ask one more favor of you?”

“Of course, princess.”

“Might you have a set of clothes more suited for fighting?”

He laughed a big bark of a laugh. “I have no such thing, but I know when you can find one.”

#botw #rhiorhino #sam writes #breath of the wild #I HAVE A LOT OF FEELINGS #one of the rabbit holes I went down was trying to figure out if zelda could be left handed #because IT WOULD BE SO COOL SINCE LINK IS TRADITIONALLY LEFT HANDED BUT IS RIGHT HANDED IN BOTW #but alas in the cut scenes she's clearly right handed #and in previous games has also been right handed

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randomchick29 · 6 years

Text

50 Facts About Me (THANK YOU FOR 50 FOLLOWS!)

So... as promised in this post, I’m doing 50 facts about me because 50?! people followed me and my crazy masa obsessed cat mom ass. Thanks for enjoying my messed up commentary/rambles! Great, now I’m starting to sound like a youtuber that just wants money lmao sorry. Enough mushy stuff, and onto ze list!

Possible trigger warning: I’ll try to keep this as positive as I can, but there may be some things that can trigger some people (including but not limited to mental health, abuse/bullying, eating disorders etc.) If you are not comfortable with those topics, don’t read this.

1. My real name is Robin (middle name starts with Y and my last name starts with G)

2. I live in AZ

3. I LOVE FOOD. Part of the reason why I love masa and luka tbh... But seriously, food is great.

4. My fav foods are crab, ham, and burgers. See why I can’t become vegetarian 😂

5. I HATE onions with a passion.

6. My fav animals are owls, cats, hedgehogs, snakes, and whale sharks.

7. I have two dogs and used to have a cat (extremely long story short: My cat is in the “care” of an abusive psycho that isn’t allowed near me so I can’t see her ever again :/ but my sisters can) I still love Lucky (my cat) to death. She’s a sweet kitty (most of the time) and I miss her so much ❤️

8. My dogs are named Tucker and Bella. They’re both miniature schnauzers and they’re crazy. Tucker is a sweetheart, but he DOESNT. STOP. BARKING. He has a bit of a jealousy issue. When Bella gets attention, he starts barking and/or pushes her away from the human 😂 He hates when his people hug. He will jump on them and bark and growl. He also has stuffed animals that he LOVES. He uses them as pillows and carries them around. Bella is a lazy piggy ass. All she does is sleep and eat (like me haha). Half the time she’s too lazy to get up and go outside, and only responds when there’s food (once again, just like me 😅) They absolutely love each other though. Tucker licks her and grooms her and Bella follows him around and it’s just the cutest thing.

9. My lucky number is 9 because my birthday is 9/29 and my adoption day is 9/9 (see what I did there hehe get it? fact 9 is about my lucky number 9? no? okay...)

10. I’m adopted from an orphanage in (Eastern?) China

11. I have 2 sisters. They’re both in college but everyone who sees us on the street thinks I’m the oldest because I’m taller and curvier. One is 21 (but everyone thinks she’s like 16) and the other is 19 (people think she’s like 10 😂) No, none of us are blood related.

12. I’m 5’ nothing...

13. I’ve always been heavy for my height and age. I was and still am judged because of how much I eat and weigh. Because of this, I had an eating disorder in 4th grade and have always hated myself and envied my sisters for their tiny asian bodies.

14. I used to do tennis, dance, and swimming. I haven’t done any sports since then.

15. I can play 3 instruments, and tried many others. I played piano for 10 years, violin for 2, and French horn for 6 months.

16. I am EXTREMELY double jointed in my fingers

17. I have a fused tooth

18. My fingers bend back at the first knuckle way farther than most people’s

19. My hair is REALLY long and grows really fast. It goes to around my hip/tailbone area as of now.

20. My shoe size is a 7

21. My fav colors are red and green

22. My first fictional crush was Link. I was 8 at the time. We’re still going strong 7 years later.

23. Only a few months ago did someone top (wink wonk) Link: MASAAAA

24. My first otome was Shall We Date? Love Tangle after I saw an ad for it on trivia crack. My first route was Ryan. My fav is Nolan.

25. I still love MM, but I don’t have the time OR space on my phone to play (SORRY ZENNY)

26. I got in huge trouble when I was 10 coz I made a bunch of accounts that my mom didn’t approve of. I made an email, twitter, pottermore, quizilla (I miss that site smh), etc. And I did it MULTIPLE times. After she took the computer from me, she found out my DS had internet too. I didn’t have my DS for a long time. She would give it back after a while, and ID GO ONTO THE INTERNET AND YOUTUBE EVERY. DAMN. TIME. I got my DS back on Christmas in 7th grade coz I got games for it and she trusted me enough (and I had a phone by then so yay trust...?)

27. ...the twitter accounts still exist... I’ve looked back at them and I wanna kms holy crap it was bad. Lesson: 10 year olds shouldn’t be on twitter.

28. I love Harry Potter and The Inheritance Cycle (Eragon series). My fav HP book is Order of the Phoenix, and my fav IC book is Eldest.

29. My fav Zelda is a tie between Skyward Sword and Wind Waker

30. My fav Pokémon are Garchomp, Shaymin, and Breloom

31. We used to have so many games and systems. We had like 100-200 games, 2 gamecubes, 3 GBA’s, 4 DS’, 2 wii’s, and prob more 😂 We got only $150 from gamestop.

32. My fav youtubers are Chuggaaconroy, Rachel & Jun, and Glam & Gore.

33. I learned about sex through fanfiction (specifically, The Lemon of Zelda (pretty sure it’s been deleted tho coz I can’t find it))😂 I never got The Talk.

34. I may have looked at yaoi at school before...

35. I’m pansexual

36. Biggest turnoffs are arrogance, possessiveness, and bad hygiene.

37. Biggest turn ons are good chesticles and sense of humor.

38. I’ve had ONE bf and I dumped him after a day coz he wouldn’t stop calling me and I was scared of my mom. The thing is, we both liked each other for a LONG time and to my friend I was like “Yo ask who he likes” coz he was acting all sus and SHE TOLD HIM I TOLD HER TO ASK HIM and he’s like YA I LIKE ROBIN and I’m like WTF IS WRONG W YOU to my friend. Then he told me in class and it was really cute and I accepted. Then broke up w him OVER TEXT not even 24 hours later 😂 Dumb 7th grade ass

39. I’ve always been bullied because of how awkward and weird and annoying I am

40. My fav anime is Ouran

41. The only thing keeping me alive in freshman year (this past school year) was otome. Specifically Masa. My mind: What would Masa do without his kitten? Who would he chase through Azuchi? Who would be the pretty pillow/futon when he’s drunk? Damn, I love this man agh

42. I can reach my back much better than most people. I don’t need a back scratcher because I can reach my whole back.

43. I’m obsessed with makeup and nails, and used to love music, reading, and art.

44. My real baes are Huang Jing Xiang (fellow Chinese SPOTTED!) and Kato Kazuki

45. I sweat A LOT. I have to have a STRONG fan coz ac isn’t enough to keep me from sweating too much. And I live in AZ, so it’s even worse...

46. I still sleep with my baby blanket. I put it over my pillow coz it’s so soft (and I don’t have any other blankets)

47. My fav movie is Heathers (WELL FUCK ME GENTLY WITH A CHAINSAW)

48. I have HORRIBLE eyesight but I don’t like wearing my glasses coz the arms give me a headache and I don’t like them period

49. I love bad puns too much (I would make one here, but I don’t wanna be PUNished) 😂

50. I’ve gotten caught drawing... and writing... some NSFW things at bad times...

AAAAND DAS IT! Sorry it was more negative than I thought it would be, but I’m a really boring person with a boring life filled with drama and... That makes no sense does it. A boring life doesn’t have drama... I’m dumb. Should’ve stopped at DASSIT. Ok, I’m actually stopping lmao baiii 😊

#robin rambles #thanks for 50 followers #50 facts about me #trigger warning #ikesen #ikerev #date masamune #ray blackwell

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repeatsfate · 7 years

Note

A, K, R!!

vidya games!

K – game you’re most looking forward to?

at the moment it’s super mario odyssey and pokemon ultra sun and moon! and, uh… my inner 12 year old is rearing her ugly head to force me to admit i’m also pretty hyped for sonic forces, oops. lOOK IT LOOKS FUN, OKAY…

i’m looking forward to fe musou too but also i’m pretty neutral on it– everything they’ve revealed has been super incredible so far and i’m looking forward to maining my birb, but i’m more interested in the confirmed fe16 and i’m looking forward to hearing more about that when the time comes.

R – most underrated game?

hmmmm… while xenoblade chronicles itself would certainly fit the bill despite shulk being a giant meme now, i think i’ll take it a step further and go on to say xenoblade chronicles x deserves a bit more love than it got–

despite the very real flaws with the game and some aspects of the story, a thing that draws me to it aside from the ‘if you can see it, you can go to it’ MASSIVE open world and setting on a foreign planet was just how human its supporting cast and even minor npcs are. the game does an excellent job of portraying raw humanity in both ends of the spectrum– where there are heroes, there are people even in man’s most desperate hour that took that second chance as an excuse to be horrible, horrible people. the encounter of alien life goes as swimmingly as you expect, with the remaining fragments of humanity split on how to deal with these new beings in their midst. some choose to try and form alliances and bonds, the others shun and fear the outsiders– many quests actually revolve around the racism in what’s supposed to be a safe haven for the aliens pledging themselves to humanity’s side. the conflict taking up the last leg of the game is one born of human grief and the sting of loss– and when you really get into the motivations behind it it’s so easy to understand why the person did what they did but also acknowledge yeah no you did bad buddy you gotta pay for it now. i just???? it’s so good????

the planet and creatures that make up the game’s setting are imaginative and beautiful, i honestly love just booting it up and wandering. sometimes it’s scary as all heck because OH GOD GIANT MONSTER OUT OF NOWHERE but also… that just adds to the immersion and feeling like you’re a tiny fish in a big, big sea… and when you’re strong enough to stand up to those monsters it’s the most satisfying thing in the world.

the musical direction is honestly up to taste- i personally adore xcx’s soundtrack, but those not a huge fan of hiroyuki sawano’s works might find it lacking. here’s a personal favourite!

point is, it’s super fun, i want to do an araceli run sometime if i can ever be arsed to go back on my wii u or it gets a switch port, and a verse would be fun to play around with… i’m not a huge jrpg person, but i really really like xcx. also, fans of matthew mercer– he’s in this one, too! he plays lao huang, one of my all time favourite characters tbh

point is it is flawed, yes, but it’s also a very solid jrpg that i had fun sinking hours into and i’d totally do so again

A – favourite game of all time?

my top fave game of all time? easy! it’s the legend of zelda: wind waker!

it wins in both nostalgia points and a critical eye as i’ve gotten older– as a little kid, it was the first game i ever actually beat all by myself! the gamecube was the first home console i ever got to own– for a while i lived with my granny, who wasn’t very big on gaming if that makes sense? and then after moving back in with my mom she got me one for christmas and a friend lent me wind waker after i tried playing it at his house and repeatedly got stuck in the forsaken fortress. the excitement of finally making it past that and seeing this big, bright, beautiful world and story unfold before me has stuck with me to this day?? idk how to explain it i just. wind waker was an important game in my childhood, and i’ve played through it a loooooot– mostly i’ve noticed it was during times of stress or particular loneliness. everyone has that one game that’s been there™ for them during times of duress, and wind waker has always been mine.

okay i’m read more-ing the rest of this because i… went on for a WHILE. which is also why i answered it last oops. tl;dr there are many reasons why i love this game and it’s still my fave even now that i’m nearly 23.

as an adult, i’ve found that from a technical standpoint the game holds up really well, too– even without the hd remake on the wii u wind waker is still a very beautiful, stylistic game; a major benefit to having taken the art in a more cartoony direction is that it prevents the game from aging too much; if you were to look at the vanilla gamecube edition now, it still holds up amazingly! (meanwhile, i find that while twilight princess is still lovely, the more realistic art direction tends to date it a little. i could look at the original and just know the era it was made in, whereas if i never saw wind waker before, i would question it.)

the textures are rather blurry, sure, but that was a product of the time– hypatia on tumblr actually produced a mod with hd textures for roms of the gamecube version– check out these comparasion shots of the then-work in progress mod versus the original textures… and then here’s a few polished shots of the mod with a few extra effects dolphin/ishiiruka can provide. in short, the original wind waker is a very, very beautiful game and age has done very little to tarnish that even with the remake’s updated graphics.

but obviously graphics don’t make or break a game, though proper presentation is important– wind waker’s story also resonates with me deeply in various aspects. as an older sister, the initial quest to set out and rescue your younger sibling in danger caught my attention and held it fast; they do a very good job of making you feel attached to aryll, and the scene where she is kidnapped always tugs at my heartstrings every time i see it. watching this young boy who lived the world’s most quiet little life on a tiny island suddenly get swept up into this grand, big adventure to rescue someone dear to him and becoming an actual hero – despite having no relation to oot link whatsoever! – is the quintessential coming of age story that most people can relate to, and watching that change as the game plays out is always really sweet???

it was nice watching link’s development through his little actions: the backing away from helmaroc king when he first storms the fortress and then confident staring it down the second time and then giving it what for– aside from ganondorf himself that’s my favourite boss in the game if only because of those moments of development. link’s not just some kid from outset in over his head anymore– he’s a hero who overcame the trials of the goddesses himself in the name of protecting his baby sister, and he will not fail again. and then, after he could easily just throw in the towel and take his sister home because he accomplished what he set out to do, link goes on and sees it through to the end anyways because restoring order to the world is the right thing to do– there’s no legacy of knights looming over his head like several of his other incarnations. there’s no grand kingdom, there are only desolate little islands. there’s a princess, but… he barely knows her. hell, she didn’t even know she was a princess until that moment.

the story also touches on themes of death and the ends of eras… but also ends on a note of hope and new beginnings– clinging to the past only leads to ruin, and we must create opportunities for ourselves and the world to grow. hyrule is actually completely washed away by the end, and ganondorf goes with it– unless we assume breath of the wild is in the adult timeline, that’s it. he’s gone FOREVER in the subsequent games, with bellum and malledeus taking his place as the main villain. the kingdom link and tetra found is called new hyrule, but that’s all they share in significance– it’s their own land, just like the king said. that final scene of wind waker with the king always got to me– that message of hope is so poignant and powerful, i just. i don’t know how to put it into words, but it’s a scene i love dearly.

then there’s the music and cast of characters, and even quests and gameplay? i know the sailing could get tedious but i always liked it; it was relaxing to me just watching the virtual waves and listening to that beautiful score?? the characters are all bright and unique and fun– they’ve got their own little lives and you can impact them in so many different ways and things definitely change once you do?? like starting windfall vs windfall after you do a few sidequests or even turn on the ferris wheel and lighthouse again feel so different? it’s a neat little detail i’ve always found!!

…i really need to stop rambling about wind waker now i actually dozed off a bit typing this post, oops.

#long post;#◈▏▐ ❛ ɪ ᴄᴀɴ'ᴛ sᴀᴛɪsғʏ ʏᴏᴜ / ʙᴇᴄᴀᴜsᴇ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴀɴᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ᴛʀᴜᴛʜ. ❜ ― ( latrocinari )#◈▏▐ ❛ ᴄʜɪɪ ɪs sᴘᴇᴀᴋɪɴɢ. ❜ ― ( ooc )#◈▏▐ ❛ ᴡᴇ'ʀᴇ ɴᴏᴛ ᴅᴏɴᴇ ʏᴇᴛ. ❜ ― ( meme )

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thisisbud · 6 years

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All the numbers coward

Oh goody, I was beginning to think no one was going to ask me to do any :)

1. First game you played obsessively?I think the first game I played obsessively was Pokemon Ruby. This was before I actually new anything about strategy (like 3rd/4th grade) or even how to swap out pokemon, but I remember running through the whole game with just my trusty Swampert, up until the Elite Four beat my unbalanced ass ; u ;

2. A game that has influenced you creatively? Writing, drawing, etc.I don’t draw or write much now, but I do remember really liking the boxart of LoZ: Link to the Past enough to try doodling it and a few items.

3. What did you play as a kid?As a child I was like exclusively nintendo. Pokemon Ruby and Emerald, Mario and Luigi Superstar Saga, like every single Pokemon Mystery Dungeons Game, and LoZ: A link to the past

4. Who do you play with now?Mostly League of Legends and indie games on the PC. Shooty Bois on the XBox one and a few games on the Switch

5. Ever use cheat codes?Yes because my child self is a degenerate. 6. Ever buy strategy guides?nope. Any money I had went to games, if I needed strats, I begged to use a computer.7. Any games you have multiple copies of?I have Skyrim on my ps3 and computer, and boarderlands 2 on my computer and xbox. not because I really like boarderlands, but because it was on sale for steam, and then my friends wanted to play on the xbox instead :)8. Rarest/Most expensive game in your collection?I still have my original Pokemon Emerald cartridge, and a link to the past gba cartridge9. Most regrettable purchase?oof. Probably Splatoon 2. Great game, wonderful aesthetic, but I realized I spent $60 for a game that held my interest for like a week because of my friends.10. Ever go to a midnight game release or stand in line for hours?Pokemon Omega Ruby/Alpha Sapphire release. It was just a really good time with friends and then a bunch of nerds playing pokemon together after.11. Have you ever made new friends from playing video games?Video games is like the reason I have any friends today.12. Ever get picked on for liking games?just the usual snide comment from some family members, but not like stereotypical school bullying.13. A game you’ve never played that everyone else has?Sims, Rollercoaster Tycoon, Sports games 2Kyear14. Favorite game music?Persona 3 and 5 soundtrack15. If it was a requirement to get a game related tattoo, what would you pick?probably some kind of arcana card from persona. yeah, that sounds neat.16. Favorite game to play with your friends IRL?Smash is #1, but The Jackbox games are a close second.17. Ever lose a friend over a game?ummm I think golf with your friends got close, but no.18. Would you date someone that hates gaming?I’d date @kamichamachu-iloveyou19. Favorite handheld console?nostalgia: GBA, Currently: 3DS. switch doesnt count20. Game that you know like the back of your hand?Modern Warfare 3 but like exclusively multiplayer21. Game that you didn’t like or understand as a kid but love now?League of legends technically.22. Do you wear game related clothing/accessories?I have pokemon pajama pants and a really nice D.VA backpack that one of my bestest friends got me @the-giant-made-of-stone but that’s it.23. The game that you’ve logged the most hours into?either COD Modern Warfare 3, or Black ops 2. Hit master prestige in both of them.24. First Pokemon game?either red or blue, but I was too young to play them or even remember.25. Were you ever an arcade game player?I went hard in peterpiper, but these days I’m a tiny bit smarter with my money26. Ever form any gaming rivalries?well more like salt driven blind rage from smash, but that only lasts like an hour or two27. Game that makes you rage?League of Legends.28. Ever play in a tournament?I played in like one smash tournament and got bm’d so I stopped going.29. What is your gaming set up?I have a dual monitor pc setup, but one of the monitors is bigger than the other, so it also doubles as the screen I use for my xbox, switch, and ps430. How many consoles do you own? 5 if you include the 2ds31. Does the 3DS and/or Virtual Boy hurt your eyes or give you headaches?never played the Virtual boy, and I’ve never used the 3D setting long enough for it to do anything weird.32. Did you ever play a game based on your favorite show/cartoon/movie/comic?when I was a smol babby, I had Power Rangers Light Speed Rescue for the nintendo 64.33. Did you ever have any bootleg games or plug-n-play games?when I was in middle school, a family friend hooked us up with a fancy ds cartridge that had a slot for a microSD card that we could put roms onto. it was lit. I also had a lot of plug and plays as a bby34. Do either of your parents play video games?my dad has a playstation something, but idk what he plays35. Ever work in a game store? Or do you have a favorite game shop?I want to work at gamestop, but they hate me or something. Gamestop is also my favorite game shop because it’s the only one that still exists.36. Have you ever shed actual blood, sweat or tears over a game?sweat and tears sure, I think I picked at a scab while playing a game, so technically blood too I guess.37. Have you played E.T. for the Atari 2600? Do you think that’s the worst game ever, or do you have another nomination?I’ve seen those articles, never played it.38. A game you’re ashamed to admit that you like?like the entirety of my H-Game collection.39. A sequel that you would die for them to make?eh don’t really have any, if they remaster modern warfare 2 and 3, that would be pretty neat.40. What to you think of virtual reality headsets or motion controls?sounds like fun, but I don’t think I’d ever buy any until I have my own place and a lot more room.41. A genre that you just can’t get into?sports games that involve real sports teams (not including tennis)42. Maybe it wasn’t your first game, but what was the game that started you on your path to nerdiness?Pokemon Mystery dungeons series was like the first games that actually made me feel anything emotionally.43. Ever play games when you really should have been concentrating on something else?When I was still in school that’s pretty much all I did.44. Arcade machine that has consumed the most of your quarters?that one that’s like a half a bubble and the inner rim is a ring of light bulbs, and you have to hit the button on jackpot otherwise you get however many tickets is on the number you stop at. You feel?45. How are you at Mario Kart?I’m decent. definitely not the best.46. Do you like relaxing games like Animal Crossing or Harvest Moon?I need to be in the mood for it. I played like 30 hours of stardew valley but now that game makes me sleepy.47. Do you like competitive games?love em, unfortunately.48. How long does it take your to customize your player character?not crazy long. I just try to make the cutest girl possible, but really I just want to start playing.49. In games where you can pick your class, do you always tend to go for the same type of character?I lean pretty heavily towards the stealthy classes. with the stereotypical paladin/fighter as a secondary50. If you were a game designer, what masterpiece would you create?bitch if I had enough creativity to think of a gaming masterpiece on the spot, I’d be writing or something.51. Have you ever played a game for so long that you forgot to eat or sleep?League of Legends.52. A game that you begged your parents for as a kid?Pokemon Platinum. It was really good.53. What’s your opinion on DLC these days?I don’t care for it. If it’s a game I like, I might drop a bit (every month) on microtransactions, but as for solo games, they need to be really really good for me to spend another $20 on it.54. Do you give in to Steam sales?oh god yeah unfortunately. Speaking of which… the stream summer sale is up right now…55. Did you ever make someone you hated in the Sims and did mean stuff to them?never played the sims, and I’m glad to say I’m not that petty.56. Did you ever play Roller Coaster Tycoon and kill off your guests?never played Roller Coaster Tycoon57. Did you ever play a game to 100% or get all of the achievements?only once, and it was Legend of Zelda: Link Between Worlds.58. If you can only play 3 games for the rest of your life, which ones do you pick?League of Legends. and that’s like it. I can’t think of any other game that will hold it’s value for the rest of my life.59. Do you play any cell phone games?I played a lot, and honestly had a problem, but now it’s kind of like a rotating roster for me. Used to be those Gacha pay to win RPG’s now I have basic games to play on my breaks at work because I get no signal in the break room.60. Do you know the Konami Code?up up down down left right left right b a start cha cha real smooth two hops two hops - - two hops two hops - - hands on your knees hands on your knees61. Do you trade in your games or keep them forever?my games are constantly rotating. When I stop feeling it for a game, and it still has value over $15 it goes towards a new game.62. Ever buy a console specifically to play one game?Technically I got the switch just for breath of the wild, but I am enjoying the other titles coming out for it.63. Ever go to a gaming convention or tournament? I went to a tournament and got bm’d so I never went back.64. Ever make a TV or monitor purchase based on what would be best for gaming?no but I kind of want to one day.65. Ever have a Game Genie, Game Shark or Action Replay? Did it ever mess up your game’s save file?I had an action replay because I wanted to cheat in pokemon pearl, and it let me for a bit, but I kept accidentally erasing all the data on the action replay itself, so yeah.66. Did you ever have have an old Nokia with Snake on it?I actually did. When one of my old flip phones broke, I needed a cheap replacement.67. Do you have a happy gaming-related childhood memory you want to share?for this question, we’re gonna pretend “childhood” encompasses freshman year of college. I remember telling my best friends about a smash tournament that was going on while I was away, and that I would be back for the last half of it. They were telling me about how well they were doing on the way back and I got more and more hyped. Then when I got there for the grand finals, I asked the guy that everyone considered to be the best player there to play some casuals with me. and I absolutely obliterated him. I could go more into detail but yeah, that’s like my most memorable gaming moment.68. Ever save up a ton of tickets in an arcade to get something cool?god no, I really wish I learned to be that frugal, but anytime I went to a place with tickets, those tickets would be gone literally the same night, no matter how cheap the prises were.69. In your opinion, best game ever made? I think my personal favorite is Pokemon mystery dungeons: Explorers of Sky. story line, gameplay, music, everything about it made me so happy.70. Very first game you ever beat?I think it was pokemon ruby, but honestly, I’m not super sure.

#video games #ask #the-giant-made-of-stone

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ladytitanium · 7 years

Note

1,2,7 to 17, 19 to 23, 25 to 70

OKAY SO this got suuuuper long and I’m gonna answer it under a readmore but thank you so much for asking!

1. First game you played obsessively?

Definitely Minecraft. I got it around 2012 and played it whenever I could, although shortly afterwards I moved on to playing a lot of TF2 with some online friends.

2. A game that has influenced you creatively? Writing, drawing, etc.

TF2 and Portal 2 were the first things I ever wrote fanfic for, so I’d say those two are big and important for sure. More recently, though, Transistor and Pyre have been inspiring me to pursue more art and music.

7. Any games you have multiple copies of?

I have Portal 2 for xbox 360 and PC.

8. Rarest/Most expensive game in your collection?

I had a copy of Link to the Past in great condition, but my ex stole that and my entire SNES so :/

9. Most regrettable purchase?

No Man’s Sky is the obvious answer but I think I have some steam games lying around that I bought and played once, or just never touched. Not sure which ones, though. Usually if I’m going to spend actual money on something, I try to make sure it’s good first.

10. Ever go to a midnight game release or stand in line for hours?

No, but I’d like to someday.

11. Have you ever made new friends from playing video games?

Not in the sense of meeting people in an mmo or anything, but I’ve definitely bonded with people I’ve met over a mutual love of games.

12. Ever get picked on for liking games?

Nah, not really. I’ve been picked on more for not having played enough games, honestly.

13. A game you’ve never played that everyone else has?

I’ve never played Overwatch or most online competitive games, or any MMOs aside from like 5 hours of gw2.

14. Favorite game music?

Anything Darren Korb, the composer for Supergiant Games, has made. Bastion, Transistor, and Pyre OSTs will always have a special place in my heart. Honorable mention goes to the Portal 2 soundtrack.

15. If it was a requirement to get a game related tattoo, what would you pick?

I……. have a triforce tattoo…….. on my left wrist……………

16. Favorite game to play with your friends IRL?

I tend to like watching people play games rather than doing competitive or couch coop type things, so it’s hard to say. I used to hang out with my friends while we all did playthroughs of the Mass Effect trilogy, though, which was wonderful.

17. Ever lose a friend over a game?

Nah. Had some arguments over the Souls games, though.

19. Favorite handheld console?

3DS, definitely, although I do have some nostalgia for the good ol’ GBA.

20. Game that you know like the back of your hand?

Portal 2, although it’s been a few years since I’ve played so I might not be as familiar with it as I once was. Barring that, Stardew Valley.

21. Game that you didn’t like or understand as a kid but love now?

I can’t think of any, honestly, since I almost never played anything as a kid.

22. Do you wear game related clothing/accessories?

The occasional Zelda t-shirt, and my old Aperture Science tanktop. I’d wear more if I owned more.

23. The game that you’ve logged the most hours into?

TF2, I think? I used to play for hours every evening.

25. Were you ever an arcade game player?

Sadly, no. My mother thought arcades were giant wastes of time and money and would corrupt me and make me stupid.

26. Ever form any gaming rivalries?

No, I don’t get competitive much.

27. Game that makes you rage?

Any kind of roguelike makes me angry just thinking about it. I hate losing progress. Really difficult platformers make me frustrated and angry too.

28. Ever play in a tournament?

Dear god no.

29. What is your gaming set up?

Currently, none. I have a shitty, half-broken laptop.

30. How many consoles do you own?

I own a Switch and a 3DS. I have access to an XBONE though.

31. Does the 3DS and/or Virtual Boy hurt your eyes or give you headaches?

I’ve never tried a Virtual Boy, but leaving the 3D on high on my 3DS is something I’ve only done once due to the nasty headache it gave me.

32. Did you ever play a game based on your favorite show/cartoon/movie/comic?

I don’t think so, no.

33. Did you ever have any bootleg games or plug-n-play games?

I had a Sonic handheld game from a happy meal, does that count?

34. Do either of your parents play video games?

My dad does, a lot. Mostly MMOs. I think my mother did too, but mostly Civ, some ancient Egypt themed MMO, and Guild Wars, from what I can recall.

35. Ever work in a game store? Or do you have a favorite game shop?

I worked in a game store for about six months late last year/early this year. It’s the best job I’ve ever had.

36. Have you ever shed actual blood, sweat or tears over a game?

Oh, tears, absolutely. Plenty of games have made me cry. FFXV, Persona 5, Transistor, Portal 2, the list goes on.

37. Have you played E.T. for the Atari 2600? Do you think that’s the worst game ever, or do you have another nomination?

I actually have played it! Perks of working at a game store that sells Ataris. I was utterly baffled by it, so I think “worst game ever made” is a fair title.

38. A game you’re ashamed to admit that you like?

I really enjoy all the walking simulators/art games I’ve played. I know a lot of people say they aren’t real games or whatever but I think most of the ones I’ve played are genuinely enjoyable experiences.

39. A sequel that you would die for them to make?

...Portal 3, but with the same writers+VAs+team in general. I know that’ll never happen now but I need it like I need air.

40. What to you think of virtual reality headsets or motion controls?

Motion controls can be hit or miss. I think they need to be integrated well and very functional to be enjoyable. Like, wii sports and stuff? I loved it. Those tilt puzzles in the shrines in BOTW? Absolutely horrendous. As for VR, I really want to try it someday. I think it’s neat.

41. A genre that you just can’t get into?

Roguelikes, Souls-like (where the only purpose of the game is to be as difficult as possible so people who master it can be snobs about it), and any realistic online-only FPS things like Call of Duty are the three main things I will never, ever touch.

42. Maybe it wasn’t your first game, but what was the game that started you on your path to nerdiness?

Pokemon Ruby, absolutely.

43. Ever play games when you really should have been concentrating on something else?

All through the second half of high school, tbh.

44. Arcade machine that has consumed the most of your quarters?

I’ve never actually gotten to play arcade games much.

45. How are you at Mario Kart?

I’m only decent at Mario Kart Wii, because I played it a lot.

46. Do you like relaxing games like Animal Crossing or Harvest Moon?

Absolutely! Animal Crossing New Leaf and City Folk are games I love dearly and have spent a LOT of time on over the years.

47. Do you like competitive games?

Almost never. I only ever played TF2 with friends, and that pretty much extends to any competitive game I might play. Only with friends, and only sometimes.

48. How long does it take your to customize your player character?

So. Long.

49. In games where you can pick your class, do you always tend to go for the same type of character?

Yeah, mages are kind of my thing. I get jumpy when I have to do a bunch of melee so I tend to prefer to stand back a little. I always went full biotic in Mass Effect for that reason.

50. If you were a game designer, what masterpiece would you create?

That’s a tough one. I’ve had a few concepts over the years, but none that have really stuck with me.

51. Have you ever played a game for so long that you forgot to eat or sleep?

Yeah, definitely. I lose track of time really easily if I’m absorbed in something.

52. A game that you begged your parents for as a kid?

All Pokemon games from gen 4+5.

53. What’s your opinion on DLC these days?

Any DLC that adds characters or plot necessary for the full enjoyment of the game should be free imo. Skins/weapons/maps/non-essential quests and missions can be behind a paywall. Like, ME3′s From Ashes DLC should have been free, and I go back and forth between whether it was cool to have Citadel and Omega DLCs behind paywalls, but all the weapons/armor/alternate appearance packs I’m totally fine with being paid DLC.

54. Do you give in to Steam sales?

Only when I have money.

55. Did you ever make someone you hated in the Sims and did mean stuff to them?

I never played any Sims games.

56. Did you ever play Roller Coaster Tycoon and kill off your guests?

Never played Roller Coaster Tycoon either.

57. Did you ever play a game to 100% or get all of the achievements?

Minish Cap, I think? I tried to 100% Super Mario Galaxy but I couldn’t ever quite do it.

58. If you can only play 3 games for the rest of your life, which ones do you pick?

Oh, shit. Uh. Animal Crossing New Leaf, Pokemon Sun (or Moon), and... I can’t pick a third one. Probably something with multiplayer.

59. Do you play any cell phone games?

Yeah, but most of them are just little time-wasting puzzle games.

60. Do you know the Konami Code?

Yes!

61. Do you trade in your games or keep them forever?

I’ve never traded in a game but I might if I bought a physical copy of something I didn’t like.

62. Ever buy a console specifically to play one game?

Does the Switch count, since till Splatoon 2 came out I only had BOTW on it? I’ve considered getting a PS4 just for P5 and Horizon Zero Dawn.

63. Ever go to a gaming convention or tournament?

I went to GenCon a few times when I was really young but I barely remember it, and I’ve tagged along to a handful of Warhammer 40k tournaments with my dad, but that was also like 10 years ago. So no, not really.

64. Ever make a TV or monitor purchase based on what would be best for gaming?

I’ve never bought a TV or monitor myself.

65. Ever have a Game Genie, Game Shark or Action Replay? Did it ever mess up your game’s save file?

I had an Action Replay for shinies in X and Y.

66. Did you ever have have an old Nokia with Snake on it?

No, my first phone was a Windows phone when I was 14 because my mother hated technology and wanted to control me so a phone was way too much freedom and entirely out of the question :/

67. Do you have a happy gaming-related childhood memory you want to share?

I remember the first time I beat Portal 2, sitting on the floor in front of the TV and crying tears of joy. That was pretty great.

68. Ever save up a ton of tickets in an arcade to get something cool?

I wanted to, but didn’t go to arcades enough.

69. In your opinion, best game ever made?

Transistor. Can’t think of a single bad thing about it, honestly. Persona 5 and Horizon Zero Dawn are near-flawless too.

70. Very first game you ever beat?

The first game I beat was Pokemon Ruby, but idk if that counts since I shared with my brother, and I think my dad had to help us beat the Elite 4 because we were young and didn’t grind enough. I took turns with Portal 2, too. Portal 1, maybe?

#anonymous #goodsola shh

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viralhottopics · 7 years

Text

Nintendo Switch: hands-on with the world’s strangest games console

At a London launch, we got our first look at Nintendos hybrid gaming system, as well as playing Zelda, Splatoon 2 and more

Some are calling it Nintendos last chance. At least at manufacturing a games console. The creator of smash-hit machines since the original Nintendo Entertainment System in 1983 suffered an ignoble commercial failure with Wii U. Announced last year and revealed in full on Friday, the new Nintendo Switch machine has a lot to prove.

Its a typically idiosyncratic creation. Described as a hybrid system, it works as a traditional home console, plugging into your TV, but it can also be slid out of its dock and played on the go, via a built in screen. The concept is fascinating, merging the portable and home experiences into one product, but what about the practice?

On Friday afternoon, Nintendo held hands-on events in several cities around the world. Outside the Hammersmith Apollo in London, a long queue of lucky fans, media types and industry insiders waited patiently, many bleary-eyed from having stayed up until 4am watching Nintendos Switch console livestream from Tokyo. All were eager to get inside, away from the cold and towards Nintendos future. Heres what we discovered.

Hands-on with the machine

The Nintendo Switch games console. Photograph: Chesnot/Getty Images

Immediate first impressions. Its small. The central tablet-shaped unit is smaller than a Wii U GamePad and has the same size screen – 6.2 inches, which is smaller than an iPad Mini. The dock through which you connect the device to your television is just a little bulkier. The Joy-Con controllers, which can be connected to the sides of the Switch to turn it into a handheld console, are tiny. Wrap your fingers around them, perhaps for a motion-controlled game of boxing, and they almost feel like they could disappear. You might want to actually wear your wrist strap for these, and dont let your children run off with them or youll never find them again.

Still, with their curved edges and soft finish the Joy-Con are surprisingly comfortable in every possible configuration. The grip that turns a pair of Joy-Con into something that resembles a standard controller might look a bit silly – and canine – but it nestles snugly in the hand. It was difficult, however, to get a proper feel for the weight of both the grip and the handheld mode with Joy-Con attached to either side of the screen, because they were all attached to their stands with thick security cables.

Nintendo Switch in its box. Photograph: Nintendo

Because of the security measures, it wasnt possible to try much of the actual switching that gives the console its name, with one exception. When playing The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, attendees could switch from television to handheld mode by removing the Switch from its dock, which proved to be almost instant, and back again, which took a second longer. Placing the Switch in its dock didnt seem to quite have the satisfactory click expected, but that might again be blamed on the thick cable throwing off the balance.

Attendees werent allowed to try attaching the Joy-Con to the grip or the Switch itself, but the different games around the room were set up to be played in different ways. In handheld mode, games were displayed at 60fps and 720p, which looks pretty good on a screen that small. Some games were set up with the Switch as the display and the controllers detached, and for those it was common to see players leaning in to see more closely. It works, but is best saved for when you cant use a television.

Importantly, while it wasnt usually possible to test physical switching from one mode to another, moving between games set up to be played in different ways felt natural. Those with experience with the likes of analog sticks and triggers should have no problems adapting to the feel of the different control methods.

Hands-on with the games

Here are the titles we got a chance to play.

Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. Photograph: Nintendo

Given the popularity of this long-running adventure series, its unsurprising that The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild was the only game with a substantial queue. Many of the attendees had already played this demo at E3, but on a Wii U. The Switch version is largely similar, right down to the existence of Links Sheikah Slate, which was obviously meant to reflect the second-screen experience provided by the Wii U GamePad an experience you cant have on Switch because when its docked, the screen is not visible. You can of course undock your Switch and explore that beautiful world 720p but still lovely on the go, if only for up to three hours at a time.

1-2 Switch (Nintendo; launch title)

1-2 Switch. Photograph: Nintendo

The game that best showed off what the Joy-Con can do was 1-2-Switch, a collection of mini games designed to get players looking away from the screen and at each other. Each mini game on show was one-on-one competitive multiplayer, each player using a single Joy-Con to perform some action mimicking real life.

Quick Draw and Samurai Training use the accelerometer and gyro-sensors inside the controllers to test your reaction times, by respectively asking you to shoot your opponent or catch the sword they swing through your open hands. The latter also demonstrates the sturdiness of the Joy-Con, since you catch the sword by clapping the controller in your hand.

Ball Count and Safe Crack demonstrate the HD rumble technology in the devices that can make it feel like there are little balls rolling around inside the controller. Nintendo claimed that the rumble tech is so intricate it can even make the Joy-Con feel like a tumbler full of ice cubes. Its cool, but unlikely to be used to its full extent in many games.

But the 1-2-Switch mini game everyone was talking about was Milk, for which you hold the Joy-Con vertically, wrap your fingers around it, and move it up and down while applying rhythmic pressure to the top and bottom in turn. You know, to milk a cow. In the background, the screen shows a stylised view of a cows teats delivering the … product. Unsurprisingly, footage has already been a hit on social media.

These mini games are great the first time you try them, and would probably go down well at parties, just like the original Wii games did a decade ago, but the collection lacks the lasting appeal required to justify a purchase. Its a shame Nintendo hasnt chosen to bundle it in with the console, especially given the popularity of Wii Sports.

Snipperclips (Nintendo; March 2017)

Snipperclips. Photograph: Nintendo

Another game that caused a lot of buzz on the showroom floor was a cooperative 2D puzzle game that involves two shapes with feet and faces cutting chunks out of each other in order to create new shapes and solve challenges. Played in pairs with a Joy-Con each, Snipperclips fits well with the tendency players have to lean in when using the Switch on its kickstand as the display. Its unique mechanic feels very refreshing, and appropriate for a Nintendo console, but Snipperclips might not be as new as it seems. A very similar game called Friendshapes, from brothers Tom and Adam of SFB Games, was playable at EGXs Leftfield Collection back in 2015.

Arms (Nintendo; March 2017)

Arms. Photograph: Nintendo

Arms is reminiscent of the boxing game in Wii Sports, albeit with characters whose arms extend on springs and end in a variety of weapons. Hold two Joy-Con vertically and turned so that the buttons face inwards which is still comfortable but makes you grateful for the wrist strap and punch. You can also tilt the controllers to move, turn them inwards to shield, punch both at once to grab, press L and R to dash and jump, and press ZL or ZR to use a characters special move – heal while shielding, hover, teleport and so on. Theres plenty of strategy here, but just as boxing was the lesser played of the Wii Sports games because it required each player to have a nunchuck, Arms is likely to suffer from its need for two Joy-Con each, especially given their listed price of 75 a pair.

Splatoon 2 (Nintendo; summer 2017)

Splatoon 2. Photograph: Nintendo

Despite promises of a full sequel, Splatoon 2 feels very similar to the original, which will probably be just fine for those who racked up dozens or hundreds of hours and just want more of the same, or those who skipped the Wii U altogether and will experience it for the first time on Switch. The demo did include one new weapon, Splat Dualies, which let your squid shoot their coloured ink from both hands at once. Using motion controls in this case in handheld mode still feels gimmicky, fun at first but not ideal for fast-paced competitive play.

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (Nintendo; 28 April)

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. Photograph: Nintendo

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe isnt pretending to be anything more than an upgraded version of Mario Kart 8, which will suit both those who want to bring that experience with them when they upgrade from Wii U to Switch, and those whove never played the game before. Changes include the introduction of a battle mode, some new characters including ones from Splatoon, and an optional smart steering feature that keeps players on the track.

But the biggest Switch-specific feature, of course, is the ability to play in many different ways. At the event, attendees could play eight-player local multiplayer in handheld mode, with the Nintendo Switch Pro Controller in television mode, or with the Switch on its kickstand and two players each using one Joy-Con in a tiny steering wheel. Any way you play it, Mario Kart 8 is still great.

Fast RMX (Shinen; March 2017)

Fast RMX. Photograph: Nintendo

This colourful futuristic racer looked great in 1080p and 60fps on the television mode, but it would have been good to test out how it plays in handheld mode, whether you can still play two-player splitscreen and if that causes the frame-rate to drop. Still, with little more to worry about than staying on the track and switching your anti-gravity vehicles colour in time to catch boost strips, Fast RMX is good simple fun.

And the rest

Sonic Mania. Photograph: Sega

Sonic Mania (Sega; Spring 2017) was described as a homage to Sonic. Its neither a new game nor strictly a reboot. The demo was the first level of the original Sonic but with added Tails and dash ability, and a different boss encounter at the end.

Skylanders Imaginators (Toys for Bob; Activision; 3 March) was demonstrated the NFC, with players bringing Skylanders into the game by tapping them against the right Joy-Con. It works well, but feels less magical than placing them on a solid pedestal.

Super Bomberman R (Konami; 3 March) was also played with two players with a Joy-Con each, leaning into the Switch on its kickstand. This setup seems to work well for retro-type games, and well probably see more come to Switch.

Just Dance 2017 (Ubisoft; 3 March) also worked well with each player holding just one Joy-Con, their small size and light weight an advantage for those who want to forget theyre holding a controller at all.

A Nintendo Switch launch event. Photograph: Chesnot/Getty Images

Our verdict

As its name suggests, the main selling point of the Switch is the ability to play it in all sorts of different configurations. Though it was disappointing not to be allowed to try many of these actions at the event, most of the configurations were available and proved viable even if they sacrificed some resolution or power or in the case of leaning in to better see the Switch on its kickstand comfort. The question is whether people will see these options as reason enough to buy.

If were going to question the necessity of certain features, when will we see why the Switch needed a capacitive touch screen? What games will make the HD rumble worth whatever extra cost it added to the expensive Joy-Con controllers? Without having 1-2-Switch bundled in with every console, will players care about the motion controls and will developers bother to create more games that use them? Will there be enough online content to justify paying a monthly subscription after the free introductory period ends?

Of course, you could just see these features as a bonus to a console that looks and feels great, but then the selling point has to be the games. As far as launch titles go the Switch is lacking, but then the hardcore fans wholl buy the console on day one will likely be satisfied with just the huge open-world Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. And for those who wait for Christmas therell be lots more to choose from, supposedly including a new open-world Mario game in Super Mario Odyssey.

As for third-party developers, word on the show floor was that the Switch is far easier to develop for than the Wii U, which could translate to better third-party support. Given the architecture is apparently similar to the latest Sony and Microsoft machines, it should at least be easier for developers to port across their PS4 and Xbox One games to bulk out the Switch library. Whether they do this or not will depend on whether the console shows signs of success. Low initial sales can quickly cause a vicious cycle in which publishers withdraw support and further lower a consoles chances.

This was a fun event, filled with familiar Nintendo experiences, but doubts remain. Given what happened with the Wii U, heres hoping Nintendo can switch things up.