#also zelda is like 3 or 4 years old here i think

[kagoutiss]

prophet baby and prophet baby’s attendant

[waffliesinyoface]

thinking about Echoes of Wisdom again, and, I really hope that the progression in that becomes the standard for zelda games from here on out.

Like, the old standard set by Ocarina of Time, followed all the way to Skyward sword, was strictly linear. I, personally, don't have a problem with linearity, but the devs at nintendo clearly do, if their comments on BotW are anything to go by. In my mind, the downsides of a lack of player agency are more than made up for by the dungeons having a proper difficulty curve, and having a linear story.

In BotW and TotK, in a desire to put player freedom above all else, you can do the dungeons in whatever order, and you get all your abilities right out of the gate. ...Which also means that every single dungeon has to be presented as though it's the first dungeon a player might encounter (ie: explaining you need the map to activate the terminals to control the divine beast every single time) and also can't be too difficult either. And the also means that the story can't be too heavily tied to dungeons because, again, the player can do them in any order. Which leads to moments like every single one of the sages in TotK giving the exact same backstory of "Ganondorf attacked with armies of demons, we fought him with sacred stones, we almost lost but then rauru heroically sacrificed himself, and then the Sage of Time showed up and said you'd be around to fix shit in a few thousand years".

This is, uh. I'm not going to beat around the bush: fucking terrible. TotK tried to solve this a bit with the 5th sage dungeon being locked behind doing the other 4, and the run up to the castle, but it kind of fell flat. Especially because mineru, by the time you get her, really isn't very good.

Echoes of Wisdom, thankfully, fixes this! You have free roam of the map from the start - though, some areas will hand you your ass if you don't have strong enough echoes of your own - but you have to do the starter dungeons, the Gerudo and Zora, first. If you go to the areas with the later dungeons... well, you can go there, but there's no point, because the plot hasn't actually happened there yet. If you decide to go visit the deku scrubs first, they're just chilling. The only thing there is funny dialogue. (For example, if you try to climb the mountain first, Tri will pop up and go "there is nothing here for you and you WILL freeze your ass off, are you sure you want to be here...?")

This!! Is the best of both worlds. The player has freedom to do stuff in whatever order, within limits. And, unlike TotK, which just gives you the same goddamn information each time, the game goes "okay we have 3 different lore-drops we need to do, and they need to be done in [x] order, but it doesn't actually fucking matter who says them."

Granted, this is much easier to do when there's no voice acting, but. Come the fuck on, nintendo. You have like 10 scenes total with voice acting. You can make the actor say something different depending on when you do them. This isn't hard.

[sakuraluna01]

Headcanons

now normally i'd sit here and say i've been working diligently on chapter 3 but honestly I haven't been able to sleep properly in 4 days and i'm really tired so no lmao

so instead imma do smth easier and shares sm of my hcs for the already debuted blorbos + twilight

i'm also detailing stuff about their kits again inspired by how hsr works

Time

He has no clue what he's doing, he hasn't been on an adventure in years and he hasn't traveled with other people like this so he's out of his depth

He always knows what time it is even if he's only been awake for 5 seconds

He's a heavy sleeper if he's in a house or inn, but if he's in an outdoor camp he has a lil more trouble settling down.

He has a resting bitch face plus he's old and stuff so the other links assume he's a wise old man, but nope, hes still a gremlin lil shit and a clueless dumbass most of the time, wars is the only one who sees that lol

As Mask he was a pretty angry teen, bitter at the world for everything that happened to him and those around him, he still has problems with his temper, but he's better at controlling it, Malon helped

Kit details: imaginary, his ult gives him a power up for a certain duration based on your trace lvls, hint hint, its basically fierce deity mode

Sky

he gets motion sick a lot (this is just me projecting ngl)

incredibly heavy sleeper, will only wake up after the sun is long up. even when he wakes up he's not fully awake until he's eaten something

He is the most self care conscious of the bunch, especially with other people. hes an empathetic person, if someone else he cares about is in pain he is too and he wants to whatever he can to help them feel better

Skys like the mom from little women, angry all the time but rarely shows it in front of the people he cares about, but he will fully blow up at anyone who dares harm them

Kit details: He's an ice element. he has shit stamina but he can land multiple strikes at once, an AOE hit. the stamina cost is big for both his skill and ult

Twilight

Twilights built different, he's strong physically without the help of artifacts or magic.

people think sky gives the best hugs and he does give good hugs but twilights the best

Twiight cant look like a kicked puppy on purpose but unintentionally has the best puppy eyes, he just can't use them at the right time aka when he needs it XD

He's a big sweetie, big brother energy, very good with kids but he has temperment issues, rather hot headed that one. comes with being related to time i suppose

Kit details: I gave him the quantum element in hsr, imo it was the closest to twili magic i could get. but the only time he's able APPLY quantum is during his ult, which in the concept art i did has him turn into a wolf

He interacts with magic the least of the chain. I was debating giving him phys dmg instead of quantum? but i needed to incorporate the wolf in his kit smhow. however he doesn't apply quantum dmg with any of his attacks, cept his ult

any questions or clarifications can be asked in my ask box

An AU spinoff based off of Jojo’s Linked Universe at @/linkeduniverse and Nintendos Legend of Zelda, inspired by Honkai Star Rail

[ofcowardiceandkings]

companion piece of young Zelda

AAHH i finally finished something :'D

it actually took more thought to trawl through my feelings about Link as a child than Zelda but we got there idk man i just knew he exudes gremlin energy as a 17 to 20-something year old so he must have been a little demon as a kid gfkdjfkd

we're sort of looking at roughly 4, 7 and 10 years old here feeding sum pigeons, playing soldiers, and doing some baking !!!

more detailed Thoughts under the cut 💙

iiitssss customary ranting about my BotW/TotK opinions tiiiimeeee welcome my darlingsss jfkdjfkd 💙

like i said, this took more thought than Zelda, but we also dont know as much about Link's upbringing so thats fair

having said that, we know his father was a knight - a prominent one - and its hinted at that his family may have owned the Hateno house you can buy from Bolson. im not sure if i land on it being the family / childhood home or belonging to like a grandparent but i like to think Link spent time in Hateno as a kid (im a great fan of bumpkin Link with a country accent aight im a simple man). no mention of any OTHER family members, but imo i think his mother was still around and he probably had younger siblings !! he DID probably spend a fair amount of time in Castle Town just due to his father's job though, to be fair he probably travelled a little as a youngster a-la army posting yknow ... moving on tldr that explains why i've got a bunch of Hateno-esque clothing here aside from us sort of not knowing what the average joe Castle Town citizen from back in the day would have worn idk man its cute also

SO, pigeons !!! i'll definitely expand on this later when i go over more livestock now ive finished TotK but listen i wouldnt be in the least bit surprised if pre-Calamity Hylians had domestic pigeons for sending messages or just for hobby, so here's a first look at the Castle Town Carrier, the Hylian army's best flying friends. Link's just out here feeding his fathers' cohort's messenger birbs :3

stimky boy plays soldiers with a stick and a pot lid and a tub, classic and good, he was probably like ... actually tactically aware at this age though lets be real lol i bet it was annoyingly impressive

C A R R O T C A K E its a bit wonky, but i bet it tastes great :') id imagine Link probably spent a fair amount of time helping around the house and boy loves his food !! some people develop those skills early !!! i bet he was one of those people !!! any chance to get involved and learn how to make his faves and make them for other people yknow, food as a love language everyone HEYO (bowl there is chickaloo tree nuts, hazelnut analog eyo)

ghfjkdjfkd i said i didnt have much to say about this but oops

[ipsl0re]

2024 in 52 games

I maintain a list of every game I complete- get to the point where I see the end credits roll.

Partway through this year, I realised I’d surpassed my previous record for how many i can complete in one year (26), and decided, with the uncomfortable amounts of time I’ve had to fill this year, to go for an all-time max. That number reached 40 near the end of November, and a subsequent sprint brought me here: to a game a week, 52 completed.

Here’s the list, and below that, my top ten.

Bold- I recommend it.

Italics- I enjoyed it.

(honourable mention to all games in italics that didn’t make the list. It was close!)

Monster Roadtrip

Book Of Hours

Misericorde: Volume 1

Settlemoon

Cult of the Lamb

Fight Knight

Cureocity

Venba

Roboquest

Buckshot Roulette

Slay the Princess

Akin

The Cosmic Wheel Sisterhood

Minami Lane

Bad End Theatre

Snufkin: Melody of Moominvalley

Sheepy: A Short Adventure

Portal

Essays on Empathy

Kinitopet

Spiritfarer

Cobalt Core

In Stars And Time

Dicey Dungeons

Sifu

Pepper grinder

Mediterranea Inferno

Ender Lilies: quietus of the knights

Cassette Beasts

Borderlands: The Pre-sequel

Live A Live

Bloodless

Clickolding

Sunshine Heavy Industries

Artic Eggs

Bad North

Horizon Chase 2

I Am Your Beast

Midnight Ramen

Lookouts

Project Wingman

A Year Of Springs

Gravity Circuit

Disco Elysium

Gris

Children of the Sun

Awaria

Neo: The World Ends With You

Resonance of the Ocean

Ib

Serre

Detective Beebo: Night at the Mansion

Top 10:

These are not ranked- though I do have a favourite, as you’ll see.

1. Book of Hours

Only finally finished it at the start of the year after playing for four months- it can’t be accused of lacking in content! Hush House is vast and full of fascinating mysteries, both physical and historical. (It’s also very Cornish, which is fun.)

The gameplay cycle of reading, learning, classifying, and using the knowledge to read ever more complex tomes really immerses you into the life of an occult librarian. Once you’ve heard the secret histories: “well, there just doesn’t seem to be anything else worth hearing.”

2. Bloodless

There is little here that wasn’t meticulously designed. Genius combat that always keeps you on the back foot and insanely good art direction that works in tandem with the hyper-defensive combat to help tell a great story on the dynamics of violence. That makes it sound very grim and serious- and I can’t pretend that it’s not when it needs to be- but Tomoe is one of my favourite characters, the warrior idols plentiful side content, and the geography of Bakugawa just a delight to explore. There is so much here to love and it breaks my heart that so few people have played this.

Please give it a look.

3. Fight Knight

I didn’t think a game like this would be made- technologically (a 3D game in gamemaker? Are they mad?) or from a design perspective. It’s a collection of old school Zelda style puzzle dungeons, with grid based movement, a save system about pushing your luck, and combat that puts you into some kind of corridor fighting game? Also you punch people to talk. And… to do everything else, too.

Despite, or perhaps in some places because of all that, I’d also consider it the most epic game I played this year, with some really touching writing. Huh.

You won’t find anything else like it. On that note…

4. Artic Eggs

I thought a game like this would exist even less- a… Post? Pre? Apocalyptic setting where you fry eggs and all sorts of other things, for all sorts of people. And a dolphin. But I can’t say I’ve stopped thinking about it since frying my first egg: I mean, could you fry an egg on mount Everest?

5. Misericorde: volume 1

A visual novel, in monochrome, without a single decision, isn’t a great sales pitch. But when it’s a 10-hour tour de force of characterisation in a murder mystery set in a medieval yorkshire abbey- and with such stunning monochrome art & 104 tracks of incredible trip-hop… well, there are few games I can recommend more heartily.

6. Disco Elysium

Look, this game will (and has already begun to) shape the entire art of games. And for good reason! The twenty-seven voices in a certain double-yefreitor’s head (if i’m counting the ancient reptilian, limbic, and necktie right) have such incredible interplay, and would make interacting with the dullest characters and situations engaging. Not that such a crutch is ever used- every storyline and three-dimensional character involved in it is often painfully human.

Few games will get you thinking about so much in its world and ours.

Also, heads up: don’t pay for the game. The actual devs don’t get a penny from the sales any more.

7. Live A Live

If Disco Elysium is what happens when RPGs are focused into telling a very specific kind of story, Live A Live is what happens when one RPG somehow manages to tell multiple totally different ones. Every story brings something new, (except prehistory. Prehistory contributes nothing.) and by spreading its efforts across all these different narrative and gameplay conventions, Live A Live stands out as almost ten times the game of many of its contemporaries.

8. Ib

Ib doesn’t alternate between being cute and being a horror game. Somehow, it pulls off both at the same time. I don’t know how but I do know it makes for a very effective experience. Ib, Garry, and Mary have such wonderful interplay, and as you explore the galleries, solve the puzzles, and lay eyes upon the sheer variety of Guertena’s works, they all bring a lot of character that helps ground the frights and bring the humanity to the quiet moments.

I’ve already got four of the endings in this game, and no doubt i’ll be going back for the rest.

9. Slay the Princess

On the subject of many endings and paths (in the woods, at the end of that path…), a game that takes that to the extreme: in the form of another horror game, with just as much heart. With intricately branching paths, there’s so much to see and hear (Nichole Goodnight is stellar with everything from angry beasts to ascendant gods, and Jon Sims, well, he needs no introduction). It’s beautiful, it’s horrifying, it’s probably made me laugh the hardest of any game this year. It is a love story.

10. Detective Beebo: Night at the Mansion.

If you play anything from this year, let it be this. The best time loop game this year- and that’s even when stacked against Cobalt Core and fellow love story Slay The Princess. Private detective Oliver Beebo is a delight to see in action, whether he’s solving puzzles, reliving traumas, or being flirted with by a hot guy. It twists the established conventions of everything it touches in ways that are touching and new- a relationship that can be seen as five or as one, brief horror used to carefully set stakes, foreshadowing aplenty merged with a unique take on player and character knowledge, and utterly incredible characters that are allowed to unfold with unparalleled care- some more than once each!

Maybe it’s recency bias making me go this far- but gods, this is a high note to end the year on.

Try it! Give it one more chance.

[cheesecakeislazy]

I feel like nobody is going to ever see this. But I just need to get some BEN Drowned headcanons out here-

1. He always wears his goofy ass hat because he never brushes his hair and it helps hide the absurd mess it is

2. Whenever Ben feels shocked, angry, or an overwhelming emotion, his pupils disappear leaving a black void(?)

3. His voice is naturally glitchy, it’s like his vocal cords are a messed up record player. Examples; He repeats words like a broken record occasionally, he tends to stutter pretty often, his voice has a constant static undertone, he has voice cracks but they sound cooler.

4. Virgin af

5. Short king (he’s 5’5)

6. Smokes weed and listens to Hyperpop and electronic music

7. He also loves video game soundtracks

8. He doesn’t technically need to sleep as a technology ghost, so he tends to pull all-nighters constantly

9. When he does sleep, he either has dreams about drowning in an abyss of water or other things he can’t remember

10. He listens to video game OST’s when he goes to bed (usually Minecraft or Legend of Zelda)

11. He loves the Zelda franchise but has a small grudge towards Majora’s Mask

12. He also doesn’t need to eat food, but he likes to anyways- it helps him feel human.

13. He doesn’t look exactly like Link. His blonde hair is a little pastier and dirtier (color wise lol) and his face still mostly looks like his

14. He’s toned. He hates being made fun of for his height so he started working his ass off at the gym to try and get some muscle

15. He loves brownies

16. Sour cream and onion is his favorite chip flavor

17. He is cracked at nearly every game he plays (he totally sucks at Among Us)

18. He can only take showers, baths scare him too much

19. He actually likes the beach, he just hates swimming to far out

20. He loves mint chocolate chip ice cream and Jeff thinks Ben is the devil because if it

21. Ben is bisexual, his motto is “Hole = Fucking Goal”

22. Ben doesn’t know how to flirt, so he just acts like himself (aka a dumbass)

23. He’s not a pervert unless he’s in a very good relationship, he makes sex jokes 24/7 but that’s because his humor is 13 year old boy humor

24. Ben is in his 20’s

25. Ben is a technology ghost. He’s a dead person aka a ghost. But his spirit lingered and possessed a gaming cartridge. Once his spirit was released from the game, he was able to transverse the internet. Computer, phone, tv, anything with a screen that’s connected to the wi-fi he can go through as he pleases

26. He’s really good at standing still like a statue

27. The Blood that leaks from his eyes is minimal most of the time and can be wiped off easily, he just chooses not to because he’s lazy

28. When Ben gets upset or any emotion to make him cry, the blood that oozes from his eyes literally thickens and bursts out

29. Ben hates bugs and he lets out a girly ass shriek when he sees one

30. He can teleport a decent distance, but he usually only teleports within the mansion (slender mansion AU)

31. He can summon fire from his hands but he doesn’t use it too often

32. Sometimes when he gets really mad, he unintentionally sets a fire (lots of controllers have been burned)

33. Ben can manipulate electricity, it makes his entire body warmer as he does it, Fire only makes his hands warm.

34. He tends to constantly have the electricity powers going on at a small level. Not enough to affect his electronics but enough to give you a small shock if you touched him. It gives him a sense of human like warmth

35. He always wears gloves because his hands are so frigid he can barely feel them.

[citrusici]

Ao3 tag game!

THANKS @ragecndybars FOR THE TAG I APPRECIATE IT

*cracks knuckles* lets do this

How many works do you have on AO3?

24 works! I would have never expected to have that many 5 years ago, hahaha

What's your total AO3 word count?

186,291! oh wow, almost 200k!! (unsurprisingly PT minato takes up over a third of that LMAO)

How many fandoms have you written for, and what are they?

10 fandoms! I'm counting Persona 3, 4, and 5 and separate, but I'm grouping all the Zelda fandoms together since it's all Linked Universe fic.

Here's the breakdown!

The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms (6)

Persona 5 (5)

Persona 3 (5)

SPY x FAMILY (Anime) (3)

Wizard101 (Video Game) (3)

SPY x FAMILY (Manga) (3)

Runescape (Video Games) (3)

Pirate101 (Video Game) (3)

Persona 4 (2)

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild/Tears of the Kingdom (2)

Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood & Manga (1)

Star Wars - All Media Types (1)

The Legend of Zelda: Hyrule Warriors (1)

Top five fics by kudos:

The Ghost of Mementos/Stygian Ringlet (Persona3/5) - to the surprise of absolutely no one, since this is currently my longest fic. I'm very happy with Stygian Ringlet being the top because I love my boys :)

True Crime Special on the Midnight Channel (Persona 4/5) - my Ren has a TV Dungeon fic! also very proud of the dungeon concept for this one, I really need to finish the last two chapters

Dark Clouds on the Horizon (Linked Universe/TOTK) - I feel like this one got a lot of momentum partially because it was directly in the wake of TOTK's release, but I'm happy with how it turned out :)

Strangers Are Just Friends You Haven't Met (Persona 3/SPY x FAMILY) - this was a collab series with mewrose and a few others in the marigolds discord! we were throwing ideas at the wall to see what stuck and I really had a lot of fun with Shinjiro-related prompts, because I LOVE him and hitting him with the isekai baseball bat into a universe with Anya brings me great joy

Salt Tears and Raindrops (Linked Universe/TOTK) - directly related to Dark Clouds, and I'm glad people enjoyed good ol' fashioned angst >:) (I do need to post more of my wips, I do have a couple more roleswap AU wips that I want to post)

Do you respond to comments?

Yes! I almost always do because I really appreciate them and its my way of saying thanks for the comment! If I don't comment it's because I lost track of it or because I can't think of a response.

What's the fic with the angstiest ending you've ever written?

Probably Salt Tears and Raindrops. I was in a Mood and decided to go for the tried-and-true method of putting fictional characters I like through the emotional wringer. That's how I got the rough draft for this fic :)

Do you write crossovers?

*looks at my persona fics and recent LU fics*

...I think it's safe to say most of my fics these days fall under crossovers lmao

Have you ever gotten hate on a fic?

I wouldn't say I have? One or two comments that came off as rude, but no actual hate, thankfully. If I did, I forgot about it. I've been blessed by wonderfully nice readers <3

Do you write smut?

Nope. I don't read it, so I wouldn't know how to write it anyway.

Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I know of? I sure hope not.

I have seen a couple short fics slightly imitate Ghost of Mementos though, which I thought was really sweet that they liked it enough to inspire their own writing.

Have you ever had a fic translated?

Nope, but I'd definitely be open to it!

What’s your all-time favorite ship?

RYOMINA. Hands down. I love them so much, I am so mentally unwell about these two

What’s a WIP that you want to finish, but don’t think you ever will?

My two Runescape fics, Whispers in the Temple and Welcome to the Jungle. I absolutely loved going hogwild with rewriting old quests in Runescape, but I psyched myself out of Welcome to the Jungle because I got overly anxious about accidentally doing bad representation.

(in hindsight, it probably wouldn't have been as big a deal as I thought; it's hard to make it worse considering how bad Legend's Quest was with the british-african stereotypes. that quest DID NOT age well.)

I also want to finish Snake in the Grass; that was my first attempt at a genuine mystery plot and I really liked playing with Warriors in that fic in the context of the gang trying to figure out who the heck is trying to murder him.

What are your writing strengths?

I feel like I'm pretty good at dialogue! I try to make sure it matches the character's speech patterns and personality. Really well-written dialogue can tell you who's speaking without actually telling who it is. (For example, the way I write them: Minato speaks as few words as possible and has very little filter with his observations when he does share them, and Shinjiro is pretty rough around the edges, with shortened words and the occasional swear. Warriors is good with words and wit, but he has a certain military-esque directness and doesn't dance around the topic.)

I do try hard to keep the plot clear and understandable over everything else, so probably that as well.

Also, now that I think about it, maybe fight sequences? I don't do them much, but I do enjoy the challenge of making a clear sequence of what happens in a fight and trying to make it understandable. Fight sequences are easy to skip or gloss over, but I think of them like their own miniature plot. What happens? What surprises are there? What are their movesets? How do they get the upper hand? (and of course, what looks cool as fuck)

What are your writing weaknesses?

Time management. I tend to over-proofread since I beta my own work, and often I'll go back to tweak stuff if I had additional thoughts to add to it, or extra insight. Lately, it takes longer to write chapters than I'd like.

Also, dialogue-heavy scenes often get very chaotic in my WIPs because of the way I rough out fics. I'll throw together a bunch of dialogue bits I think would be cool to include, and sometimes they'll clash or get really messy, especially if there's lots of characters (looking at the latest two chapters of Stygian Ringlet)

What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fics?

I think it's cool! It adds flavor to fics. If it's more than one short phrase though, or if it's story important, then I do prefer that there is a translation in the author's notes. I haven't done any non-English dialogue in fics, save for one memorable adventure into trying to figure out how Latin grammar structure works for a character that didn't speak English.

What was the first fandom you ever wrote for?

Wizard101 and Pirate101. I was obsessed with those two for YEARS. I really, really liked pirate stories in high school, and having a cast of crewmates that accompany you throughout the game really inspired me to write my first fic featuring my OC. (I was also into One Piece at the time, but I never wrote for it.)

What’s your favorite fic you’ve written so far?

Stygian Ringlet. It's really dear to my heart. I have poured so much love and effort into that fic, and the reception on it has completely blown me away.

THANKS FOR THE TAG!! Uhhhmmm for tags I'm going to go with @skyward-floored, @catreginae and @breannasfluff (but only if you want to!! no obligation of course)

and of course any other writers that want to do it as well!! go forth

[kitsaystransrights]

It'sa me, Kit!

Woah, hey, you can make pinned posts! I totally didn't forget about this feature. I should probably do that, huh?

Weeeeell anyway, howdy! I'm Maddie, I go by Kit online sometimes, you can call me whichever you prefer. She/Her pronouns only, please. I'm a 22 year-old trans furry who is chronically online and geeky, so if you have a problem with that, I'm putting you in a box and then launching that box into the sun. I'm a YouTuber, Twitch streamer, filmmaker, and game dev, so I'm basically every stereotypical geeky trans-girl thing except for an artist. Can't draw to save my life.

On my YouTube, I usually make reviews or video essays about games I like, though I occasionally do stuff on other media as well. Currently, my big long-term projects are the "Splatoon 3 vs Splatoon 2" series, which is AAAAALMOST finished at the time of writing this, and my series on Leilani Wilson's Elancia Chronicles novels, (which are REALLY FREAKING GOOD and you should check them out!) I've linked a few of the videos I'm proudest of down below :)

I also stream pretty frequently on Twitch! I have a PNGtuber of my fursona, Stormy, with art done by EmmalemmaMewmew on Twitter. Stills of her will also start showing up in my YouTube videos eventually, hehe. Currently, the schedule is every Sunday, Tuesday, and Thursday, with each day being a different game. These streams always start at 7 PM Mountain Time (that's 9 PM Eastern and 6 PM Pacific) and go for around 4 hours. Sundays are Splatoon Sundays, currently the Anarchy Challenge, where I attempt to win an Anarchy Series with EVERY SINGLE WEAPON in Splatoon 3. It's hell lol. Then there's Triple-A Tuesdays, where I'm currently marathoning the Zelda series, and Indie Thursdays, where I work through my back catalog of indie games! There are also occasional bonus streams, usually around the releases of new games I'm interested in or events in ones I already play (like Splatfests!) Below is a link to my Twitch channel and my current stream schedule. I'll try to update this post as often as I can, but uh, no promises haha.

Last but not least, here's some of the other stuff I'm into/working on! Currently working on a Secret Game Project that I can't tell you about yet >:) But if you know, you know.

I'm a big fan of video games and animation (clearly), with some of my favorite stuff being, in no particular order... Sonic the Hedgehog, The Legend of Zelda, Persona, Fire Emblem, Pokemon, Elancia Chronicles, Super Lesbian Animal RPG, Splatoon, Hazbin Hotel, Helluva Boss, The Owl House, Gravity Falls, Amphibia, Steven Universe, Avatar: The Last Airbender, the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the Spider-Verse films, Dreamworks animation, Pixar animation, Insomniac's Spider-Man gams, Ratchet and Clank, aaaaaaaaaand that's all I could think of off the top of my head but I'm sure there's more junk buried in there somewhere lol.

Anyway, thanks for reading all the way to the bottom! You must really have nothing better to do with your life XD. Here's some links to my other socials, if you wanna follow me there. Here I'm mostly just be posting random rambling and updates for my YouTube and Twitch. See ya around!

https://www.instagram.com/kitthegoddess/

[faroreskiss]

The Power of Understanding / Part 2 (v2)

Read on Ao3

Rewritten v2 posted on: 2023/09/10

Cheat Sheet

Chapters: Pilot, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9

Summary: You have been with the Chain for a while now, as their "scholar" and translator. You know everything about them, because you are from our world. But do they know the truth about how you can understand everyone? Loosely based on the same reader in my NSFW fic, which is a very loose prequel to this one, and a work in progress. More background info to come, if I feel like it :D Isekai reader, but she doesn't know about the Linked Universe. Warnings: None. SFW. Maybe Teen? Points of interest: This is your thing if you are into the mystery of chain being able to talk to each other. I am an actual trained linguist IRL, hence this HAD to be written! Some fluffy Twilight x Reader content in this chapter.

So, what was happening to you today? You just couldn't stop thinking about Twilight for some reason. You even carried your work over the stables, having to inhale the smell of horseshit around you. 

But he was just... there. Not like he has been far away lately. You’ve literally been stuck with him (and the rest of the chain) for around two years. Your ‘situationship’ with Wild was still there, and the rest of the chain was aware of it, you were guessing.  You both weren’t exactly super subtle about it, hand holding and such and sometimes a small kiss here and there, but you were never explicit with it either. Nobody questioned anything, everybody had their… quirks, you guessed. 

Did they think you were just in a relationship, you wondered sometimes. Were they even familiar with the word, situationship? Gods, what would they think of the involvement of you, Zelda and Link at the same time, if they knew? Technically, everybody had their room in the house in Hateno, but, well... Ah, you really missed Zelda too, and her delicate fingers on… You took a breath and then sighed. You were getting distracted.

Anyway, nobody owes anyone explanations in the Chain that you learned. That was the agreement of the Links, in which you were indirectly included. If they don't want to tell, you don't force them.

Except, you pretty much knew everything. Well, you weren't really familiar with any game where all the Links were together except maybe some fanfiction where they met in the afterlife, but Wild didn't "exist" back then, from your perspective.

Now, Time was out with the others, getting some business done in Castle Town. Wild also joined him to get some ingredients for the recipes he learned from Malon.

Back to Twilight... You were watching his strong arms, brushing the horse gently. He definitely had a tall stature compared to the other Links. The Links you are in contact with are ranging from their mid to late twenties, maybe early thirties (except Wind, though he was still almost a 16/17 -year-old teenager). So, most of them were fully adults.

"Hey, I can feel ya starin', ya know, Trivia Queen,” he said with his Ordona drawl that occasionally made an appearance, sighing, while still brushing his Epona.

Right. That was your nickname. When you first arrived, you kept spouting things about them that you supposedly should not "know" about, which made the Links (except Wild, he was used to it) extremely suspicious. Over time, they got used to it, especially after finding out about your "job" at Wild's world, as a historian, linguistics scholar. So they left it at that.

The other rule was that you were not supposed to discuss one Link with another, unless you are sure you are not revealing any secrets.

...which was a rule that was established right after you revealed that Twilight is Wolfie, to Wild. Seems like the Old Man already knew (you and Wild joined the chain pretty much as the latest additions), and it was his idea to come up with it. And it was kind of unfair because Wild said he already knew Wolfie from his initial adventure! Hah, good riddance. It did end up being revealed to everyone anyway, after his near death experience.

Fair to say, you were the persona non-grata for a while. And that nickname was not Trivia Queen, but it was Trivia-something else for a while (Thanks, Vet).

"Mhm," you idly replied.

Twilight raised an eyebrow, catching you lost in thought while the stables filled with the scent of horse dung. "Hey," he called out again, his voice carrying a mix of amusement and curiosity. "Lost in your own world again?"

You sighed, blushing slightly, and tried to shake off the daydream of you and him in a big bear hug. "Yeah, just got a bit distracted," you admitted, turning your attention back to the ranch's budget paperwork. "These numbers can be quite mesmerizing, you know."

The rancher chuckled, his eyes warm as he continued brushing his Epona. "If you say so," he replied playfully. "But I have to admit, you manage to make even the most mundane tasks seem fascinating."

You couldn't help but smile at his compliment, feeling your heart flutter slightly. "Thanks, Link. You know how to make a 'trivia queen' blush," you teased back, trying to keep the conversation light-hearted.

His grin widened, and he leaned against the stable door, looking at you with that undeniable twinkle in his eyes. "Oh, really? Well, consider it a skill I've honed over time," he said, winking playfully.

You playfully rolled your eyes, trying to hide the butterflies in your stomach. "I suppose I'll have to keep my guard up around you, then," you replied, feigning a serious tone.

Twilight chuckled, and for a moment, the two of you locked eyes, a silent understanding passing between you.

"You wish you could," he winked.

There was an unspoken awareness that, despite the friendly banter, there were lines he would not cross. You respected his relationship with Wild, and he respected your history with him. And of course, the fact that everybody's existence is but a flicker...

Yes... Who knows how long you will still be here anyway? Even the stuff with Wild and Flora is as dangerous as it is. You can literally disappear and get back to your own world, leaving them behind.

This was the thing that was stopping you from the other type of "feelings" you could catch. You never spoke about this with Wild or Flora. To be fair, not like there was any time to. You… literally had the most intense moment of intimacy one night, and less than 24 hours after that, you and Link were taken in via the portal and met with 8 other Links. Poor guy even hesitated to sleep with you in the same bedroll, literally the night after. 

 And since the adventures with the Chain started, there was this weird gloom between you two sometimes (both missing Zelda), but the respect you have for each other never disappeared. That was another unspoken agreement.

The moment you want to speak about this awkward issue of you having a heart big enough for love for other people, the reality of your existence would be bare.

Anybody can disappear, forever, anytime.

Time's return broke the moment, and you both quickly resumed your tasks, acting as if nothing significant had transpired. "So, what were you two chatting about?" Time inquired with a sly grin.

"Just discussing the ranch's budget," you replied casually, keeping things vague.

The Old Man raised an eyebrow but seemed to take your word for it. "Alright then, just remember we've got some preparations to make before the next portal appears," he said, his eyes flickering with a knowing but serious glint. It wasn't the first time he witnessed something like this.

You nodded, grateful for the diversion. "Of course, I'll get back to work."

As the day went on, you couldn't help but steal glances at Twilight, his presence always managing to captivate you. Though you were the "translation magic" of the group, your understanding of him went beyond language. It was a connection that had been forged through shared experiences and unspoken feelings of the last couple of years, despite the initial incidents you had.

And as you continued to work alongside the Chain, you held onto the hope that, in the midst of all the chaos and adventure, there might be a chance for your paths to intertwine in a more profound way. For now, you would cherish the friendly banter and the secret glances, knowing that no matter how many worlds you traveled, Twilight would be a part of your heart's journey, for now.

[generalluxun]

My TotK experience and how it shaped my TotK shipping.

I'm writing this out because I got static on a random post for mentioning my headcanon, and I figure my own blog is a safe place to write it all down and get my experience in one place for better or worse. I'm a mutishipper by temprement, so you can and should ship what you like. Do not think by outlining my experience and thoughts I am trying to invalidate your own. Totk and BotW are both games with amazing emergent gameplay. The written narrative is only a fraction of the tale as you write your own version of events by what you choose to do and in what order you do it.

My wife is a huge Zelda fan. I enjoy the games, but she is the one who keeps them coming in. She's got a Triforce Engagement Pendant(try putting that on a ring!) we saw the Symphony of the Fates on our wedding night(and our first not-date years before) Zelda is a thing.

So I played BotW, and I played TotK. I enjoyed them both! At the end of BotW I was sure Zelink was a cute sure thing. I was happy! (My wife was frustrated Zelda didn't tell Link how she felt 😆)

Then we played TotK. Six years later, Zelda and Link are spelunking and boom the game yeets Zelda away. Couples-time, we barely knew ye. Now, both my wife and I play our own separate saves. We generally avoid spiling for each other, and we play quite differently. (In BotW I went right for the castle, found the basement, and ended up fighting the Stalnox that protected the Hylean Shield with 4 hearts. In TotK she mapped the entire underground early on)

My TotK experience began with me making a bee-line for Gerudo town after talking to Purrah/Robbie and exploring the castle a little. I liked the Gerudo plotline in BotW and wanted to see what was going down over there these days.

The Gerudo plotline is definitely fun (uh spoilers I guess?) Seeing Riju grown and trying to be a strong leader was awesome. (I have a headcanon she's still short because she met Link. She knew exactly how tall the strongest warrior in all of Hyrule was, and so why get any taller than that?)

I completed the temple, got my first sage power, and now several things converged.

1)Okay, so Riju's crush on Link in her Diary is cute. Not unique, everyone crushes on Link!

2)I decided to explore after completing this quest. Checking out the corners, completing my map, gaining some shrines, etc. This means I spent a lot of time with Riju as my only sage. We crossed Hyrule and back time and time again, checking on people, visiting old haunts, and fighting enemies way past my weapon's abilities thanks to her lighting.

3)Riju is the most interactive of the sage powers. Activate the power, and then you have to actually work with her to trigger it. It's not temperamental like Yunobo's either. Riju will hold ready for you for quite some time. It's also very versatile. Explode enemies, blow up mining points, and one of my favorites- Light the underdark. There's something deeply intimate about being surrounded by darkness with only your partner's power to light the way for you.

It made Riju one heck of a travel companion. Just having someone *anyone* along with Link, him not being alone, felt so good after being alone in BotW. The Warrior of Light and his Sage companion. Little tales wrote themselves, like an epic saga.

Still, Zelink was still a thing, right? Then You run into Link's old home in Hateno. It's changed, definitely. You find Zelda's lab. You find her Diary. -Now, here I know the Japanese version has a very different tone, but I didn't have that version so I only got the English- reading Zelda's words painted a picture of a close bond, but also not a classical 'ship' one. Combine this with some of the other tidbits and memories collected on the journey and it just painted a very different picture for me(and my wife) There may have been dialogs we missed too, it's a vast open world game, and this is a retelling of my playthrough, not a comprehensive thesis based on all the lore available on a wiki.

This Zelda, being Aro/Ace. Or at least if not, being so immersed in her work and duty that something like a traditional relationship isn't on the radar for her. She's got her Science. She's got her Kingdom. She's got her curiosity. These things Matter to her. A romantic relationship? Just didn't feel like it did.

Link is still the most important person in the world to her. He's her Knight. He's reliable, supportive, dedicated, brave. He's as vital to her as her own two hands. A respectful Link could easily be seen accepting this role. Zelda's vital to him too. He cares for her and will always be there. It's his duty, and his passion. The two are inseparable. They're just not a *couple*

So, where does this leave us? Link and Zelda will travel together always. Riju is Queen of the Gerudo and cannot just leave her people. She's also someone who my TotK Link spent time with (in my writer's brain the sage-mirages actually sent impressions back to the Sages in their dreams, and as time went by the link between the two could be two ways, like a form of active astral projection in a crisis)

So a RiLink relationship that is built on respect and trials together, but that understands the duties placed on both just seemed cute. He's still with Zelda, she's still with her people. She'll eventually end up with a hero's child, and the one male ever allowed into Gerudo town will be able to visit his future child and maybe even pave the way for a more open Gerudo society in the long run.

Zelda and Link are still constant companions day-to-day though. She's the Queen(eventually? Still princess?) he's her Knight. Their relationship is still built on respect and shared hardships(much like RiLink) They're just not an 'item'. They're liege and retainer.

I did the 'Wait how old is Riju?' thing as this was starting to come into focus, because she was young in BotW 😅 She's 17... I think? Fantasy setting, it seemed fine to ship. I mean, everyone thinks Mipha crushing on Link is adorable, and she saw him first when he was a little tot! 🤣

So, that's it really just kind of laying out my ship and why I think it's cute. I welcome any and all comments provided they're couched politiely.

[ryttu3k]

The big writing year in review, plus AO3 Wrapped! Last year's is here.

January: 9,527 (Sweet Things: 6,777, An Interview: 2,750)

February: 4,383 (Sweet Things: 2,018, An Interview: 522, Karlach meets a bat: 1,843)

March: 4,111 (Sweet Things: 3,775, An Interview: 336)

April: 6,465 (Sweet Things: 6,465)

May: 11,293 (Sweet Things: 11,293)

June: 6,392 (Sweet Things: 6,392)

July: 11,812 (Sweet Things: 11,812)

August: 4,471 (Sweet Things: 3,753, The Librarian: 718)

September: 2,635 (The Librarian: 692, Many Meetings: 1,943)

October: 3,106 (Many Meetings: 2,164, Eyebite: 942)

November: 701 lol (Eyebite: 701)

December: 4,049 (Eyebite: 165, The Reason: 1,395, The Librarian: 2,489)

Total: 68,945

(Sweet Things: 17,465 written in 2023, 51,938 written this year; The Librarian: 21,707 written in 2023, 3,899 written this year.)

Current WIP lengths: The Librarian (25,606)

Fic/Writing Meme

1. Favourite fic you wrote this year

Sweet Things. So glad I finished it and it came out well!

2. Least favourite fic you wrote this year

*gives hard look at Eyebite*

3. Favourite line/scene you wrote this year

Honestly? All of chapter 11 of Sweet Things. It was dark as hell and had some stylistic screw (because it was both mid-ritual and also Astarion was both dissociating and also getting hit with A Lot of psychic damage) but I really enjoyed just… messing with the formatting.

…Also, Lae'zel's, "I would have been inevitable. You will have to try harder to avoid me" in Many Meetings.

4. Total number of words you wrote this year

Just shy of 69k lmao

5. Most popular fic this year

Going solely by kudos because it's hard judging oneshots versus multiparts by either hits or comments: An Interview, interestingly. In fairness, it was posted long before Sweet Things was done, but it has 309 kudos to Sweet Things' 244.

6. Least popular fic this year

Eyebite. *gives it another hard look*

7. Longest completed fic you wrote this year

Sweet Things by far, with 69,403 words. The next-longest was like, 4k XD

8. Shortest completed fic you wrote this year

The Reason was itty bitty, 1,395.

9. Longest WIP of the year 10. Shortest WIP of the year

The Librarian, which remains the only WIP by the end of the year.

11. Fandom you enjoyed writing for the most this year

I mean. Clearly it's BG3 XD

12. Favourite character to write about this year

*holds up Astarion by the scruff of the neck like a soggy cat*

13. Favourite writing song/artist/album of this year

GY!BE remains my favourite and most effective writing music.

14. A fic you didn't expect to write

I wasn't expecting to write something for Mononoke??? Given that I watched the series fourteen years ago and was not expecting the movie???

15. Something you learned this year

Even if you hate a fic, you still can get nice comments on it :)

16. Fic(s) you completed this year

See the monthly breakdown above! The completed ones are all linked.

17. Fics you'll continue next year

I will finish The Librarian it is happening it's just not happening. Like. This afternoon.

18. Current number of WIPs

One :o

19. Any new fics to start next year

The deities fic (five deities that never answered Astarion, and one who does). It got started off in that 'Karlach meets a bat' part, which is going to end up being one part of it.

20. Number of comments you haven't read

I read all of them :D

21. Most memorable comment/review

Friend went through and commented on every. chapter of my old Zelda fics. I'm kind of torn between "ancient sins!!" and rolling around having emotions that people are still reading and enjoying them.

22. Events you participated in this year

None this year!

23. Fics you wanted to write but didn't

*waves hand helplessly at The List*

24. Favourite fic you read this year 25. A fic you read this year you would recommend everyone read 26. Number of favourites/bookmarks you made this year 27. Favourite fanfic author of the year

*dumps the rec list at your feet*

28. Longest fic you read this year

Complete or incomplete? I think The Season is still longest, not actually sure for complete.

29. Shortest fic you read this year

Like. Some drabbles. Hard to get shorter!

30. Favourite fandom to read fic from this year

Astonishingly, BG3!

-

AO3 wrapped

Striking through for repeat questions.

1. How many words have you written this year?

2. How many works did you publish this year?

Five! All linked above.

3. What work are you most proud of (regardless of kudos/hits)?

4. What work of yours has the most hits?

Sweet Things, on 4,803. Which is fair because it's, you know, eighteen chapters long.

5. What work of yours got more feedback than you expected?

An Interview. Apparently it was pretty popular!

6. Favourite title you used

I dislike the fic itself but 'Eyebite' is kind of a funky title, yeah?

7. If you use song lyrics, which artist's songs did you pull from the most?

Astonishingly, none this year!

8. Pairing you wrote the most for this year?

Wyllachstarion by virtue of Sweet Things being the longest thing I wrote.

9. Favourite pairing you wrote for this year?

Many Meetings threw in a bunch of new ones, so I got to try different ones like… Shadowlach and Lae'zel/Gale and stuff. Was fun!

10. What work was the quickest to write?

The Reason just happened.

11. What work took you the longest to write?

I started Sweet Things in October 2023 and finished in August 2024 lmao

12. How many WIPs do you have in your docs for next year?

The Librarian is getting finished!

What's your longest work of the year?

What's your shortest work of the year?

What WIP are you taking into next year with you?

16. What's your most common 'Additional Tags' tag?

'Traumatised Astarion' and 'Astarion's past abuse' both came up in Sweet Things and The Interview, and 'friendship' in Eyebite and Many Meetings.

17. Your favourite character to write this year?

18. The character that gave you the most trouble writing this year?

Gale. Eyebite took a Lot to get out XD;;

19. What's one pairing you want to explore next year?

The deities fic is Halstarion :D I wrote their friendship a bit in Sweet Things, looking forward to writing the actual ship!

20. Which work of yours have you reread the most?

Uh, I went over Sweet Things a lot in the editing process, I guess?

21. How many kudos in total did you get this year?

633!

22. Which work has the most comments?

Sweet Things has 84 comment threads (and 176 comments total). Again, in fairness, eighteen chapters.

23. Did you do any collaborative works this year? 24. Did you write any gifts this year?

Nope to both!

25. Did you receive any gifts this year?

Yes! Someone wrote a 'missing scene' fic for Memory of Younger Days! :D

26. What's your most common category?

Astonishingly, Gen!

What do you listen to while writing?

Favourite work you wrote this year?

Favourite line/passage you wrote this year?

30. Biggest surprise while writing this year?

It is entirely possible for November to be one's least productive month. lol. lmao even.

[anosrepasi]

Tagged by @aeide and @ainulindaelynn, thank you two!

1) How many works do you have on AO3? 22, so far.

2) What’s your total AO3 word count? 140,852

3) What fandoms do you write for? Quite a couple now! And amazingly I have even more unposted. The Hobbit, Fallout 4, The Old Guard, Supernatural, The Legend of Zelda, Full Metal Alchemist, Greedfall, BG3, Horizon: zero dawn, uhhhhh.

4) What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

1 - Lingua Franca (by a landslide)

2 - Soil and Ashes

3 - Kitsukuroi

4 - what you call a thing is seldom what it is

5 - Prima Lingua (I was surprised this wasn't higher up given that its connected to Lingua Franca)

5) Do you respond to comments? I try really hard but usually end up responding very late in bursts. If you've commented on my work and haven't received a reply... i'm working on it. I will get there eventually. This is a turtle vs hare situation.

6) What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?...This is hard cause most of my fics are unfinished as of right now but.... I think Lacuna for posted but unfinished fics and uh. two of my so far unposted BG3 fics will take the running once they get posted.

7) What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? A lot of them could probably be considered the "happiest" mostly cause i usually make the characters go through the worst of it right before the resolution so comparatively they're happy. >.>

8) Do you get hate on fics? So far no, maybe the occasional pedantic comment that i just... ignore. I think LF was the only fic where I had to deal with that. Perks of being relatively small in fandoms.

9) Do you write smut? If so, what kind? Nah, not my cup of tea.

10) Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you’ve written? The only one I've written I think is the Hob Gadling meets Sebastian Le Livre and become immortal drinking buddies. That's only been posted here on tumblr though.

11) Have you ever had a fic stolen? Not to my knowledge!

12) Have you ever had a fic translated? Not to my knowledge :)

13) Have you ever co-written a fic before? Nope, I'd be open to the idea of any of my writer buds want to try something low stakes for fun and giggles.

14) What’s your all time favorite ship? I'm not sure I could answer this one cause I'll immediately think of another ship the moment I try and define a favorite ship for 'all time'. Which is great cause there's so many good fandoms and ships out there, what a cool thing to never run out of.

15) What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will? I also am not a super big fan of this question cause sometime a fic needs years to crystalize into what its supposed to be and we're all doing this for fun/for free... sooooooo you get what you get, and WIPs aren't worth less to the fandom just because they're incomplete.

16) What are your writing strengths? Making people cry (hopefully)

17) What are your writing weaknesses? Anything resembling a consistent writing or posting schedule.

18) Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic? You ask this as if I didn't do a ton of research and base my own knowledge of linguistics to write semi-coherent lingurian in Lingua Franca. If I feel I can pull it off to some degree and it adds to the story? oh hell yes. It's also one of my favorite literary devices in fic and in shows (I'm looking at you Shogun 2024, you beautiful beautiful tv show on the intrigue of translation)

19) First fandom you wrote for? uhhhh. Naruto on like, fanfic.net for the super old stuff. The hobbit for my modern era lmao.

20) Favorite fic you’ve written? I don't have a favorite, I think? My brain just kind of demands I make up stories and like, I am a happier person having made up stories so I do that. Each story has something I absolutely adore about it that I needed to explore but none of them are my absolute favorite above the others.

And that's all folks. I'd love to tag @ongreenergrasses, @lobstermatriarch, @green-nbean, @findusinaweek, @aevallare, @avelera, @tirsynni, @nagia-pronounced-neijia , @poppypopp and with any other writers who'd like to play :) No pressure though!!

[eirikrjs]

Maybe you could play Christmas Nights into Dreams. From what I can tell, it's like a christmassy demo for the actual game.

My personal Christmas game is the first Ace Attorney, just because of the last case lol.

I'll pass the idea along to Soren, though I don't think Nights is within our purview (which nowadays is "Ringo Starr group masturbation" jokes)

This got me thinking about my games I received for Christmas, or games I associate with Christmas; of the latter category, they are actually few for some reason. I will try and list the former to the best of my ability. I'm 4 decades old, so strap in.

1988 (year I got my NES, though during that summer): Super Mario Bros 2, Zelda II (I think...)

1989: Game Boy + Super Mario Land

1990: Yoshi (This is apparently a faulty memory going by release date data, it's quite possible it was Dr. Mario instead)

1991:Super NES + Final Fight

1992: Super Mario Land 2 , Street Fighter 2, The Ren & Stimpy Show: Space Cadet Adventures

^Game sucked so hard I got my mother to return it, maybe the only time I ever returned a game.

1993: Clayfighter, Tetris 2 (NES)

1994:Donkey Kong Country, Super Return of the Jedi

1995: Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island

1996: Nintendo 64 + Super Mario 64, Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire

1997: Final Fantasy II (used but complete), I forget what happened to my original copy but I wanted the game back, possibly due to FF7 hype at the time and I had no Playstation... yet

1998: Turok 2, Star Wars: Rogue Squadron (one of these I may have bought on my own in Decemberish), and, oh yeah, a Playstation + Parasite Eve

^The demo disc sold me on Xenogears.

1999: Honestly can't remember

2000: Vagrant Story, Legend of Mana, Majora's Mask

2001: Gamecube + Super Monkey Ball

2002: Super Monkey Ball 2

^ A Happy Monkey

2003: Totally forget, though by this time I was also asking for Game OSTs for Christmas

2004:Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne, Shadow Hearts: Covenant

2005+:Specifics become hazy as I increasingly buy games on my own throughout the year

I think this year I might ask for Dragon Quest 3 2DHD, though.

Merry Christmas to all you old gamers out there! And here's a Christmas association that's appropriate:

FFX came out in the US a week before Christmas 2001 and I would listen to this theme playing from the TV as I gazed upon the lit tree in our living room (this memory is not from 2001, though). FFX does remind me of Christmas, however, so this may be the association winner I was looking for.

[an-aura-about-you]

cracking open a room temperature one (Handbook for Mortals chapter 1) with the boys

when we last left our hero, Scheherazade, who insists on having a nickname that doesn't sound like her name, had just left home after some vague thing her mother did. it's implied that she used magic to keep her stuck in her one horse town, but it's never outright stated and I doubt it will be at this point. it's wild because it honestly doesn't take much for me to side with a kid against their parent in a fictional argument, but you're giving me nothing to work with so I don't honestly know if Dela even did anything that bad.

also I'm upset that Dad is apparently on just the right wavelength to hear the name Zade and guess that it was similar to Scheherazade. but maybe that's one of those parent things like when good ol' Strong Bad told us that a garage sale is more like a garbage sale and made them rhyme. so congrats, you have reached your target audience of nearly 70 year old dads who do things like doing a little dance when they try on a comfy pair of shorts at the store.

anyway, on to Chapter 1: The Magician

-Zade is doing her audition in front of the entire theater company of nearly 200 people. this is ridiculous both in real life and in the story. like isn't that equal to about 2/3rds of the population of the town where she just left? why waste their time when you probably only need to audition in front of like 3-4 people?

-I don't know why Sarem feels the need to explain what show blacks are. I'd be surprised if someone reading this book hasn't seen a piece of media that shows the backstage crew all in black. I guess it kind of works because she takes the time to talk about how she thinks dudes in show blacks are sexy? but like, we know that black clothes are sexy. that's why the concept of the Little Black Dress exists.

-"Most of the performers looked bored." which means you're really making a great first impression. her audition hasn't started yet, but she's already getting off on the wrong foot with her potential coworkers by dragging them to see this when it's clear they'd rather be somewhere else, like getting ready for their next show since a number of them are in full costume.

-the boss of this thing is the "infamous" Charles Spellman, which means it's time to get into word choice! this isn't exactly a wrong word to use here, but I think it has different connotations than what Sarem was going for in this scene. it's kind of like when I watched like half of the opera Doctor Atomic and a song chose to use the word "odor" when talking about a pleasant smell. it's my understanding it was based on a real poem, but odor typically DOESN'T convey a pleasant smell, and I probably would have chosen "scent" or "aroma" instead had it been me. likewise, unless we're talking about Spellman's penchant to date girls his daughter's age, then there's not really anything infamous about him.

-speaking of, we've got a dude named Spellman and his daughter isn't named Sabrina, but it occurred to me tonight that it WOULD have been hella cool and still a subtle reference to Sabrina the Teenage Witch had she been named Zelda. I might just pretend we're reading about Zelda Holder for the rest of this book.

-in the very next paragraph after calling him infamous we're told Spellman is well respected. so which is it?

-the theater is in the round with stadium seating. (she doesn't say stadium seating, she spends like half a page describing stadium seating instead of just calling it stadium seating.) we're keeping this detail in mind for whinging purposes later.

-ok, Zade is talking about how she doesn't know much about her father during the book's introduction to Spellman. HOW was him being her father supposed to be a twist?? there's a difference between planting clues to your twist and just spelling it out for the reader. but then, considering Sarem has been spelling everything else out, I'm surprised I'm not seeing dashes between the letters.

-this girl on Spellman's arm, Sofia, is the Designated Mean Girl, and I'm gonna take a moment to do what Sarem SHOULD have done and think about her like she's a person for a second.

Because here's the thing about writing, guys:

Your characters are not people; they are tools.

Your characters are most successful when they APPEAR to be people instead of tools.

All of the characters you write are you. Yes, you. Not just your designated self-insert. ALL of them. Even the characters that might be based on someone else since they're still going through the filter of your perception of them.

so let's take a look at Sofia with some information that we're going to learn about her later. we know almost immediately in the book that she's Spellman's girlfriend. (she's about to tell it to Zade "coldly and mean even") and if you know how this book ends, she and Spellman will be broken up sometime before the ending because *spoilers* Spellman is gonna marry (possibly remarry?) Zade's mother Dela. this means their relationship is possibly on the rocks at this point. we're also going to learn smartphones exist in this world. considering Sarem's lack of creativity thus far, I wouldn't be surprised if that includes Facebook and thus has info on Spellman's past hookups. also, when Spellman talks to Zade, he doesn't mention being pleased to meet her or anything. he already knows her, and she knew enough to set up this weird ass audition with him.

if I were Sofia, I would be thinking one of three things:

I would think this girl wants my spot considering my boyfriend is respected as a magician but otherwise "infamous" so it's likely known he likes them young.

I would (incorrectly) assume this is Dela and/or another ex and that Spellman is going to leave me for her.

I would (correctly) assume this is Spellman's daughter and she's about to give me shit for banging her dad.

also, there's a scene later in the book when Sofia talks about paying her dues to be in the show. if she and Spellman are close to splitsville, then her illusion is in the show by merit of her actual talent. even if I was banging the boss, I'd be pissed if his kid showed up expecting a position out of pure nepotism when I had rightfully earned my spot initially. all things considered, I would probably be kind of cold in my greeting to her, too, especially since Zade straight up forgets about Sofia by the end of the page. if Zade can't be bothered with Sofia, why should Sofia bother with her?

-Zade is all self-conscious about everybody sizing her up before her audition but like. what do you think happens at an audition? they are literally here to judge you???

-let's just pause the book for several paragraphs while we introduce you to every fucking person who works in this show. because that's a worthwhile use of pages and ink.

-I know from later information that the dude Zeb who's looking at Zade like he's not happy she's here also knows real actual magic. and like, yeah, I'd be pissed off if I had a magic show in Vegas and worked very hard to conceal my true magic ability while still making it work in the show only for this rando from bumfuck, nowhere to come along and just blatantly do magic in front of fucking everyone in the company.

-this probably would have been a good setup if Zade was supposed to be unlikable but I honestly don't think Sarem would have the ability to write an intentionally unlikable protagonist if she wanted to. and considering she literally confirmed Zade is her self-insert mary sue, I doubt she's supposed to be unlikable. though this also leads to the story problem a lot of mary sue stories have: if the protagonist is already perfect, then where is her character arc going to go? (the answer is nowhere.)

-"I do hope you can get this going soon; we all have other things we need to do." wow Zeb really is a magician you guys! he was able to read my mind!

-oh my god everyone is ignoring Zade. I love this.

-oh this is rich, saying the way Trig spoke to her could have sounded very condescending, Miss "Let Me Devote Paragraphs Of This Book Explaining Show Blacks And Stadium Seating."

-Zade takes the time to tell us it bothers her when people say her name wrong like "Zaad" which just makes me wonder how the hell Sarem thinks Scheherazade is pronounced. like, after reading this I tried doing this with my own name since it could be parsed like that, going from Auralie (rhymes with bee) to Lie (rhymes with eye) and I'm just distracted by how wrong it sounds. I'm convinced that Sarem thinks (or thought, idk if she's heard anyone say the name since publishing the book) Scheherazade rhymes with jade because I can't imagine being called Scheherazade, hearing it pronounced correctly by my mother all 25ish years of my life, and then not being bothered if someone said ANY part of it wrong.

-Mac the technical director is very upset that he hasn't been able to do a safety check on Zade's setup for her trick. and yeah, bro is right. I don't care that Zade signed a waiver, this is still one hell of a liability for the entire company because we don't know if or how any of the other acts will be affected by this.

-Zeb is playing on his phone during Zade's audition. clearly he's the most relatable character in the book so far.

-Zade meets a guy that she claims is too attractive for her to date because she wants to be the prettier one in the relationship. this is the first of many of the little things Sarem will sprinkle into the narrative that indicates Zade is not interested in any actual partnerships but instead wants others the way one wants objects.

-I notice that Charles calls Zade's act a "jump" but Zade thinks of it as an "illusion." calling it a jump is the more fitting description. what she does is she uses her Actual Real Magic to turn the stage into some kinda fiery transportation liquid for her to dive into only to reemerge from the nearby pool. she throws a rose down as proof that the stage is solid, but I mean. anyone who comes to see this trick will go, "Oh! There must be some hidden pool for her to dive into and the rose landed on the only solid bit!" like, I used to really REALLY like magic shows as a kid, and if you watch them long enough, you start picking up on some of the sleight of hand they use, start noticing some of the things they do to try drawing your attention away from the mechanics of the trick. the trick as presented is only truly impressive because of its high dive nature even with the magic.

-wow, Zade even points out that a regular audience would think "trapdoor," meaning once again that the magic part of this is pointless since the high dive is the only part a regular audience would find impressive.

-immediately after the trick, Zade throws her rose to Sofia, winks at her, and says, "For the pretty lady." once again putting myself in Sofia's shoes, this is the moment Zade makes it personal, the moment Zade throws down the gauntlet. this would erase any lingering doubts in my mind. as far as I would be concerned, Zade specifically came here with the goal of ousting me from my position in the show and just straight up challenged me for it in front of literally ALL of my coworkers AND my boyfriend. the absolute fucking nerve of her.

-Sofia gives her a fake smile upon receiving the rose. I'm amazed she had the strength to do that because holy shit Zade that wasn't just a bitch move it was a bitch samba.

-"I was starting to realize it was going to be harder to keep our secret from everyone." YOU MEAN YOUR MAGIC? THE MAGIC YOU JUST POINTLESSLY USED FOR YOUR HIGH DIVE ACT? THAT MAGIC? THE SECRET MAGIC THAT YOU JUST SHOWED 200 PEOPLE? IS THAT THE THING YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO KEEP SECRET?

-Spellman's assistant Beth tells Zade that the offer in her contract is the biggest she's ever seen Spellman offer. this is just beyond insulting. girl walks into her daddy's theater like she owns the place, does a high dive with some pointless magic sparkles, and then Daddy gives her allllll the money.

in an interview Sarem did for Vulture, she says that she wrote the story so her self-insert could have all the things she wanted. so, what, Sarem wants her dad to give her some money? if the idea is that Zade earned it, that doesn't hold up no matter how you look at it. with the twist built in that Spellman is Zade's father, it's gonna reek of nepotism upon reread no matter what. but let's look at it without that, and let's take a moment to look at Sofia again.

if I had to pick the dynamic I THINK Sarem was going for with Zade and Sofia, then it's probably Elle and Vivian from Legally Blonde. (not that I think Sarem would watch Legally Blonde, but that doesn't mean the example isn't fitting.) Vivian doesn't take Elle seriously and initially tries to humiliate her but eventually comes to respect Elle the longer they know each other and genuinely befriends her. but it's important to point out that the reason Vivian develops that respect for Elle is because:

she sees all the hard work Elle does to actually earn her position on the legal team

Elle is a genuinely kind person who works to uplift others even if they didn't start on such great terms (more on how Zade treats other people especially women later)

Zade is like if Elle showed up to Harvard Law with the necklace from Ace Attorney that's haunted by the Ghost of Lawyers Past that gives her all the legal information she needs to win the case and bigger boobs. that's just the magic equivalent of what Warner did buying his way in.

long story short, the work Sofia puts in to her prestidigitation act is more impressive than Zade's magic, and Zade getting a position in the show is an insult to that hard work.

ugh, and that was only the end of chapter 1.

[toddstool]

i finished breath of the wild (loz for those who don't know) and before I get to totk i wanna at least talk about the casual/subtle/built-in misogyny in the game and get it off my mind

1) the first i noticed directly was how purah OFC wasn't allowed to be an old woman. two old women in a game? naahhh that's crazy, let's make the one that's a scientist a loli stereotype 🤪 "sure she has the body of a cutesie 6 year old (that looks nothing like the other children in the game) but she's ACTUALLY like 120 sooo :P" plus that stupid stance thing that she does with that noise is so fucking... weird i can't stand it. why couldn't she just be a wise old woman?

2) backing up to purah's village and family, let's talk about her grand niece Paya. complete fan service right off the bat. that noise she makes when you start a conversation with her is straight up pornographic. and she's nervous around men. and she's in love with link. there's NO other personality we could give her nintendo?

3) Mipha. also in love with link. she dies lol ofc. very soft spoken and is a healer. again whole personality is being in love with link. there's some side notes about her connecting with van ruta really well but majority of her story is about her love for link. 😐

4) all the female zora are in love with Prince Sidon. he has a fan club. except for one:

(and also one female zora that is married and got so carried away with fishing she forgot about her family. she kinda slays so I'll give them that but getting to my point)

5) one of the younger female zora; a side quest you're able to do is ssaauurrr weird. so the zora age slower and live longer than the hylians (humans) and there's a female character that wants to find love cuz she doesn't have a thing for Sidon like the others. she sends love letters down the river to some guy she's corresponding with. they meet once you complete the side quest and he's an adult human with a child female zora. but it's okay cuz she's a late bloomer. 😰 also also side note there's another female zora not in love with Prince Sidon, she's in love with link. or was. she got married after link went missing but like CMOOONNNN

6) zelda's entire damsel in distress character. others have worded this better than me. also in love with link and was completely "useless" until "her love for him" unlocked her powers. not when like, her entire kingdom and her father and all the champions died that was chill ig. NOT MY MANLET KNIGHT ESCORT NAAUURR. i never thought i would start to dislike link ever but here we are.

7) the great fairy/ies. but this has been a thing. and they kinda slay. but still it's kind of weird to be in what is considered a child's game.

8) the rito. the males of the rito are known as flying warriors, skilled in archery. the women: their singing 😐 literally give me a break here. both male and female birds sing. at least majority of the children in the village are these sillay girls but that doesn't make up for the fact that all they do is sing. and stay home. and cook. and like,, stand around.

9) the gerudo is just......... like they could be SO COOL but that's not allowed. for those of u that dont know the gerudo are an all (most of the time) female race (one male is born every 100 years)(oh and btw when he is born he's like hyrule wizard hitler very cool not racist at all when u look up the gerudo (only sometimes tho i think to be fair)) and they strictly forbid men from entering their village. sounds kinda cool right? yeah that's where that stops. a majority of the gerudo talk about marriage or men in general. the female children gather up at some point in the day and when you interact with them, they're talking about marriage and falling in love. the gerudo leave their village when old enough and go out to find a husband. the older gerudo women are portrayed as lonely and regretful. and of course there's the whole thing of link either having to sneak in in most games or CROSSDRESS like in botw to get into the village. but it's for the good for the world or whatever. oh and btw, in botw the male that link gets the crossdressing clothes from has the same voice sounds as the only other gnc male, who is largely portrayed as gay. verrrrryyy interesting stuff here. very subtle.

10) the gorons. okay I like the gorons. just silly guys. but that's the thing there's no female gorons. i forgot their origin and lore but they're basically rock creatures and are very big and buff. and nintendo couldn't make a female character like that 😱 so there's just no female gorons. im sure it's explained away but bruh.

okay this has gotten too long and that's all i can think of off the top of my head anyway.

[singingcookie]

Fanfic Q&A!

Thank you for the tag @encyclopika, sorry I'm oh so very late getting back to it 😅

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

Good question uhhhh 55???? That seems like way more than I thought it would be....

2. What's your total AO3 word count?

523,858 words! Granted over half of that is just my slow burn story so lol

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Primarily I've written for My Hero Academia (40 out of the total 55). But I've also written for Kingdom Hearts, The World Ends With You, and more recently Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild/Tears of the Kingdom.

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Oh that's a good question let's see...

Drops of Jupiter (829)

A Princess's Dilemma (381)

Within Arms Reach (378)

One Plus One Does Not Equal a Date (Probably?) (303)

I Roll to Seduce (296)

I'm...genuinely shocked one of my LoZ fics is up there??? And so high??? 1, 3, 4, and 5 are all from my hero fanfics which is not surprising and most of them are super old. Number 2 I only posted in June and it was my first fic for LoZ so that's...interesting to say the least.

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

I try to! The last year or so I've had a hard time working up the energy or finding the words to respond to comments, sometimes. But whenever I do gather up the energy to do it, I tend to answer everything in my inbox in one fell swoop! And I always really appreciate getting them so tbh sometimes I feel bad that it can take so much energy to reply....

6. What's the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

Oh gosh idk if I have anything that qualifies as an angsty ending lol. Maybe Tarantism (a KH fic) because it's supposed to be feelsy and then the ending is one of those "it's just a dream" things haha.

7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Happiest...probably A Family's Orbit? The story has married izuocha with their first kid who they're not sure when or if she'll have a Quirk of her own. But the one-shot ends pretty happy.

8. Do you get hate on fics?

Hmmmm I've gotten a handful of complaints on Drops of Jupiter, on occasion. Usually just people telling me I'm going too slow (when I put in the author's notes of the very first chapter that it's "the slowest of slow burns" smh). Or this one time someone told me I didn't give Deku enough victories in the fic and it would be way better if I did.

Outside of that though, I can't think of any on my other stuff. I've been blessed with very kind commentors, I think.

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

I've written a couple for Izuocha. But yknow usually, in all honesty, I've only ever written smut out of spite? The two fics I have (Burning Heat and Homecoming) were written in opposition to fandom tendencies at the time. Mostly everyone was talking about Izuku like someone who was a sex addict/sex god and Ochako was just kind of there. And I said "actually I think Deku's on the ace spectrum and probably mostly just cares about pleasing his partner than anything" and thus they were born. I haven't reread them in ages though that said lol

10. Do you write crossovers? What's the craziest one you've written?

Generally, no. However, about a year or so ago I got really into twewy again because I had just finished playing NEO:The World Ends With You. So I came up with a concept that kind of meshes twewy's concept with the my hero world? I only have one chapter posted of Death By Proxy so far, but I have an outline and little details written down whenever I'm in the right headspace for it. For what it's worth, you don't really need to know about twewy to read it, because Izuku finds out how everything works at the same time you do lol

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not to my knowledge. Here's hoping it stays that way lol

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Not that I know of? I've never been asked about it anyway.

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Not explicitly? I feel like I help out my friends with their stories and vice versa, but not really.

Oh!

Although once upon a time me and a friend (you know who you are) wrote a KH fanfic together but I guess that was moreso just for us than anything else lol

14. What's your all-time favourite ship?

Probably Izuocha, just going by the numbers.

15. What's a WIP you want to finish, but doubt you ever will?

Hmmm probably Eri-sitting? I really want to finish it at some point, and I posted the first part with every intention of doing it. But I never figured out the way I wanted to start chapter 2. Maybe someday though. Also!!! I did start writing a fanfic based off of heroes of the dark, but I didn't end up finishing it because it contrasted how the story ended and I thought completing that would be in poor taste with that said lol

16. What are your writing strengths?

Hmmm I've always found dialogue and characterization comes easier to me than I think it does to most others? There's always been discussions I've seen where people are like "oh sometimes the characters just do what they want" and I've never really...had that happen? Or at least not in a way that completely alters a story like I've seen people say. Little actions or pieces of dialogue that take me by surprise, sure, but like never anything that completely alters a plot beat I had planned. But usually at least for me, the plot beats are so centered around who they are or how they act that the odds of them veering off course are incredibly slim, if that makes sense

God I'm rambling uh dialogue and characterization I guess was my point haha.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Probably description is the thing I have the hardest time with. Some people are so good at writing a setting and making everything seem so like immersive in that way. For me, I don't see the point in describing something unless it's like relevant and so my description tends to be very to the point.

Also estimating a story's length. Usually I come up with a concept and then I'll say "oh yeah this'll only be this long" and then I start writing and writing and realize I had a lot more to say than I thought I did initially. This has happened a handful of times now haha

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic.

I definitely don't see anything wrong with it. I usually only do it for small phrases, myself, but partially because I'm not fluent in anything except for English. And I generally try to do some research or I'll check with friends if I have any who speak the language I'm using.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Kingdom Hearts! Back in the days of yore, yours truly actually wrote KH retellings with OCs back on quizilla lmao. I wrote quite a lot back then although with how long it's been most of the things I posted on there don't exist anymore. But that was back during 8th grade when I started.

20. Favourite fic you've ever written?

Oh hmm I don't know. I feel like favorites is tough because I like a lot of my stories but for different reasons. I'm exceedingly proud of Drops of Jupiter for example. And I think it's been a true adventure to write and does have some of my best work in it as a result.

But I also think some of the prose and concepts I've made for Call From the Wild has a special place in my heart. It's very different from...basically anything else I've ever written because most ever other fic is "modern" in a manner of speaking and this was my first time writing something that's...decidedly not lol. I also think I'm fond of it because it's adhering to canon while allowing me the creativity to come up with how certain things happened since the details before the Calamity in botw are pretty limited...

Basically I guess my favorite kind of fic I've written is anything that really allows me to go nuts creatively.

Thanks so much for sending this! I don't have anyone in particular I want to tag, but if any of my followers fill it out, please tag me so I can see it!