#and yes its heavily inspired by botw

[ganondoodle]

accidentally worked longer on this than i intended; a little mock up of a dream game of mine for my OC stories world i took some ideas i had for the totk rewrite into this but this is in fact an original thing

(original art, character: (post timeskip) Shargon, he/they, demon)

[skyloftian-nutcase]

Since I see you've asking lots of people this, I'm throwing the love right back at ya!

It’s “appreciate yourself” hours! Pick five pieces of writing/art that you’ve done that you love and talk about them! ❤️❤️❤️

aowhebfofhsnwowuwbe AHHH YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW HAPPY THIS MADE ME ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ Thank you for asking ❤️❤️❤️😭

Well, let’s see…

I know this isn’t a popular AU of mine, but I really love the Imprisoning War AU (and, consequently, Golden Mercy as well) with my whole heart. Also it has invaded my brain so freaking much I might actually explode LOL. Idk, my mental health and life in general have been not as optimal as I would like, and this AU has been my outlet for that, which is why it’s far more hurt and less comfort than most people like. But I relate to the characters in different ways (people pleaser Link my beloved haha dude I get trying to make everything work for everyone and trying to say yes to everyone and burning yourself out; forever alone and somehow the most rational one Hemisi I feel you girl; everyone relying on you and you have to do it because when you don’t the world falls apart Zelda keep up the good fight girl), I like exploring what happens when you really push the “Zelink has to happen every time, even at the expense of other relationships” agenda that sometimes is tossed around (no hate to Zelink or its shippers, I enjoy some Zelink ships and I know many Zelink shippers who are wonderful. I just hate the idea of forcing them together all the time when there are other relationships that are clearly there lol, I’m salty about how Hyrule Warriors handled it but it was fan service so whatevs. ANYWAY. It creates great drama), and I like showing a realistic depiction of the absolute, if you’ll pardon the expression, shit show that would be left behind in the wake of such a disastrous war that Ganondorf created. It also sets up Ganondorf’s expectations, worries, and views really well for Golden Mercy, and I’m pretty excited to write a Hyrule Warriors long fic and try to redeem that giant jerk while still making it realistic and recognizing he’s a complicated guy. :) They’re all complicated, and I love characters so it’s just so much fun for me. Also, making anybody turn into a good Dad is obviously a passion of mine LOL. I’ll shut up now, but I really love this AU. ❤️ (technically I lumped two stories together for this but they’re all part of the same AU so… there lol)

Blood of the Hero is probably my current favorite long fic that I’m actively updating. The LoZ fandom is sorely lacking good parental figures (and I understand part of that is because Link just doesn’t have parents in his games and partly because people are projecting and that’s understandable), so I wanted to fix it dang it. LET LINK HAVE PARENTS WHO LOVE HIM. BOTW TALKED ABOUT HIS FAMILY. Anyway, I also love letting adults actually have a role in saving the world instead of always leaving it to the poor overwhelmed kids LOL, making them middle aged parents is an absolute bonus. And Abel being constantly tired and burnt out and done with the world speaks to my soul, and Tilieth being the one to hold on to hope despite everything and still have sensitivity and femininity to her while still being a strong character also speaks to my soul. I love them both, and I love showing how determined they are to protect their kids, as any good parent should be. They’re heavily inspired by my own parents, as well as myself, and what I would interpret Link’s parents to be like based on his upbringing and personality, so it was really fun creating their personalities. :)

I have so many Sky-centric stories that I love, but I think my favorite is probably Paradox, I had such a fun experience writing it and loved the idea of giving Fierce Deity an origin story while creating a sense of urgency and confusion and mystery and wrapping it all in a sickfic. :) I cranked that sucker out in thirty minutes and I still think it’s one of my best one shots.

I can only take partial credit for this since @nancyheart11 came up with the original premise, and because @smilesrobotlover has contributed so much as well, but I do love Dad Squad with all my heart. They’re such idiots, I adore them and their quest to save their sons who already technically saved themselves because they’re heroes. Also, the latest development in my brain of including TotK Ganondorf as the main villain from Hero of Shadow seems appropriate in making the big baddie a Bad Dad in a Dad Squad story LOL. Having Majora’s Mask in the hands of Kohga gives me life, though, and I will forever be grateful to Nancy for coming up with that premise HA. I haven’t written much for it lately, but I do love it so much. Also props to her for publishing it on AO3, I could never LOL, I’ll just throw random things on tumblr hahaha. Also, just all the fun we’re all having - the fact that multiple people have written/drawn for this AU makes it all the more precious to me, they’re our collective characters and we all get to play in the sandbox. ❤️

I don’t do much art, I’m not very good at it, but I do want to share one since I’ve shared a bit of it. I have a few pieces I’m actually really proud of, and it’s equal liking for all of them, but I’ll share just one so I don’t talk too much.

I really like this one because for once I kind of drew a face well?? And it’s at an angle I don’t usually draw and it turned out ok?? Also I’ve never drawn rain or wet hair, and I think it turned out well. And I just like Power’s design, especially at this stage in his life where his war attire/design is mixing with his royal attire/design, even if I can’t give it justice. :) Also, I think his tired expression turned out pretty well? Like he has an actual expression?? Anyway. I think it’s decent, I like it. :)

Thank you for this ask, it made me really happy and I couldn’t wait to answer it! :D But I have like 60 works on AO3 and even more here on tumblr, so there was no way I could narrow it all down, but I think I’ve listed most of my absolute favorites. :)

[dumbfinntales]

Last night I beat Immortals Fenyx Rising, so let’s talk about it.

I’ll get this out of the way and say, this game is mechanically almost identical to Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild. If you’ve played BOTW in the past you’ll notice this and the game doesn’t try to hide its inspirations. Everything from the open world design to how the overall movement feels is identical, with some minor variations. The only thing that is truly different is the combat, which is actually very fun and varied. Now, is it a bad thing that Immortals is so similar to BOTW? Hell no. If you’re going to copy a game then do it with a good game and do it well, which I think Immortals succeeds in.

Immortals does stand out however with its setting and presentation, the game takes place on the golden isle which was built for the gods as sort of a vacation resort. But then the big baddie of Greek mythology called Typhon sets all hell loose, turns all the mortals to stone and takes all the power away from the gods. You play as Fenyx, a character who can be either male or female depending what you choose when you customize your character. Fenyx seems like a lowly nobody and is the sole survivor of a shipwreck, but he quickly finds the famed sword of Achilles, the axe of Atalanta and the bow of Odysseus which turns him into an ass kicking badass. Fenyx then sets out to free the other mortals from their stony prisons, help the gods and uh. Solve a lot of puzzles? That are just scattered around the isle? Those puzzles have something to do with Daedalus.

The game is very heavily steeped in Greek mythology, and if you’re an absolute nut for the old Greek myths like myself, you’ll get a chuckle out of the many references. The game even managed to teach me some new myths that I didn’t know about. I love Greek mythology, but I haven’t studied all the myths in detail. It took me forever to read about Heracles and his twelve labors. Oh yeah, and the game is also narrated by Prometheus and Zeus. Prometheus being the main storyteller and the voice of reason, while Zeus is kinda there and makes smug quips. You’d think that the banter between these two would get annoying, but no. It is actually very entertaining to listen to Prometheus’ stories, and whatever Zeus has to say.

Okay enough with the myths and the gods, how’s the gameplay? The open world? Good. Really good. The world isn’t bloated, it’s big enough to feel expansive, but not so big that it exhausts you with the sheer volume of repetitive content. I’m looking at you, AC: Odyssey. The open world of Immortals is filled with fun puzzles and activities to take part in, and there’s ALWAYS something to see or to do. There’s never a moment where you just run long distances without anything to do in between and that’s what kept the open world so captivating for 50+ hours. Not to mention that the things you do are a lot of fun, as I enjoy puzzle elements in adventure games. My favorites were the constellation challenges where you had to find blue orbs from the surrounding area while solving simple puzzles, and then arranging them to form a star sign.

I mentioned that the combat was good, and it is. At least when compared to BOTW where the combat is very simplistic and your weapons break every 2 seconds, that’s not the case here. You got your basic combo system with light and heavy attacks, a satisfying parry mechanic, a perfect dodge system and even a system that rewards you for not getting hit. There’s a combo meter and the higher it gets you start doing more damage with each hit, accompanied by some neat visual effects. There’s also the godly powers that allow you to just decimate everything. The damage and the stun damage that these skills do when fully upgraded are disgusting. Some bigger enemies can’t do anything when I send them to the stratosphere. Talking about enemies, what this game does better is that there’s great enemy variety! There’s tons of mythological monsters to fight like harpies, gorgons, chimeras, three headed dogs, hydras etc... There’s also many kinds of humanoid enemies and even animals, like bears, lions and chickens! Yes, chickens. Hated those things.

So were there any things I particularly disliked? There’s really one thing that bothered me and it’s the upgrading “cut-scenes”. Every time you upgrade anything, like your armor or your health you get a funny little cut-scene of your character doing the thing. It was fun the first time I saw them, but considering how much you upgrade your character throughout the game it gets very tiring. Even though they last for like 10-20 seconds, they still feel like time wasters after a while. And of course you can’t skip them. So every time you upgrade your stamina you have to watch that annoying work out cut-scene. But yeah, beyond that there was nothing that really bothered me. I truly feel like Ubisoft actually created a good open world game. Guess all it took was to mimic a game that did open world well.

Is Immortals Fenyx Rising the open world Greek mythology game of my dreams? Not really, if AC: Odyssey was actually done well it would be. But it is still a damn good BOTW clone. This game gets a thunderbolt out of ten! Get some disinfectant for those!

[castletownranger]

Make Haste, And Go (Part 1)

So I’ve had some botw angst floating around in my head for a while. Heavily inspired by Memory #17 from Breath of the Wild, this is the first of what I believe will be a three part story chronicling the moments of Link’s death, and the immediate moments that follow. This first part is most heavily based within Memory #17, but later parts will expand on what I picture happening off-screen. 

Tw: Blood, burns, death

__________

She had told him to run. Broken Guardians blazed in the field around them. Embers swirled in the air. Smoke flooded their lungs, and rain battered their skin. In a fleeting moment, the princess wished for a flood. Let the sky cry for eternity, let it wash away all the pain and wreckage that lay in front of them.  If this was to be the end, she wanted it to end swiftly. 

Because as many Guardians as her knight had killed, more were on the way. 

They came relentlessly. Scampering across the field, six legs to carry each one of them, like mindless insects swarming a rotten pile of fruit. The land was already bruised enough. Hyrule’s fields were covered in blood and fire and ash, and even for Ganon, it must have been enough. With the rain falling down her cheeks like tears, Zelda looked to the sky. Let it finally end, Hylia, please. But the princess had long since learned that her prayers would not be answered. And her kingdom’s demise would not be so swift. 

Link was a dead man standing as he held his ground in front of her. Zelda knew this, and she had begged him over and over to run; insisted that he leave her and save himself. With all the friends she had already lost, she could not bear to lose another. But after her most recent attempt, a new Guardian beared down on them. And the knight—bruised, limping, and bleeding—raised his sword against it. 

The red tracking laser locked onto Link’s forehead. 

Zelda told him to run. He did not. 

There was nothing else she could do but throw herself in front of him. She swore on Hylia, on all the Goddesses, she would not lose another friend. Whatever it took. But taking the hit for her knight would not prove to be the princess’ final act. 

Zelda did not know the golden power would erupt from her palm when she stepped in front of Link. But as she moved, she was compelled to raise her hand skyward. A bright, shining aura enveloped her hand. The Guardian froze. Three triangles ignited on Zelda’s skin, and golden energy burst through the field. 

The Guardian dimmed and collapsed. Its pink glow, the Malice infecting its core, drained from its body and dissipated into the air. And it wasn’t just the Guardian in front of them that suffered either; one by one, the Guardians in the field that had been enveloped by the princess’s light halted and collapsed. Zelda stared at the back of her hand. Maybe Hylia had finally heard her. Maybe this wasn’t the end after all. 

But her hope died when she heard something—something close, something smaller than a Guardian—collapse behind her. 

She turned. Link lay in the dirt. His chest rising and falling in rapid heaves, his blood already pooling on the ground around him. 

“No, no…”  

Zelda rushed to his side. 

“Link! Get up!” 

The princess knelt and gathered the knight in her arms. He wasn’t supposed to die here. She would have taken the hit for him, and instead she unlocked the power that would save them. She was sure she had saved him. And they could save everyone else now too. 

He wasn’t supposed to die here. 

Link looked up at her with a weak cough. Blood trailed from the corner of his mouth, and his body was more burn and gaping wound than skin. Zelda cried. She couldn’t hold back her tears anymore and she did not make any effort to. But through her sobs she spoke. “You’re going to be just fine.”   

Link looked into her eyes. His breathing was slowing. The crease in his brow indicated to Zelda just how focused he was at keeping his gaze on her. His lips trembled like he wanted to say something, but Zelda watched the light leave from his eyes first. He stilled against her. 

Zelda held him. She held him close to her chest, not caring about his dark blood staining her white gown; she held him as if her touch could will him back to life. There were no more Guardians in sight, but still she curled over his body as if in a last ditch effort to protect him when she couldn’t earlier. The rain and fire swirling around them would not touch him. It did not matter that his body was already broken; nothing would get him, not ever again. 

Through her sobs, she almost did not hear the voice. At first it sounded faint and far away, but then it sounded like it came from between her ears. It was soothing, if a bit robotic, but there was something sorrowful about the simplicity with which it spoke. The Master Sword, still clutched in Link’s lifeless hand, glowed in time with the voice. 

“Child who carries the blood of the Goddess in her veins…” 

At first Zelda could not believe what she was hearing. “The sword…?” She was aware of ancient legends that told of a voice within the sword, a voice that only the hero had been able to hear. 

“Yes. Child of my creator, you need not give up hope. There is a way for this incarnation of the hero to survive.”  

“So he can…He can still be saved?” 

“If you bring him to the Shrine of Resurrection, I estimate a 91% chance that he will be revitalized. But you must hurry.” 

Before Zelda could respond, another voice echoed from across the plains. 

“Princess!” 

Two Sheikah foot soldiers bounded over the wreckage of the Guardians and knelt before her. “Are you alright?” One of them asked. 

Zelda did not waste time explaining that she was relatively uninjured. “Take Link to the Shrine of Resurrection. If you don’t get him there immediately, we are going to lose him forever. Is that clear?” 

Both soldiers nodded. 

“So make haste, and go. His life is now in your hands.” 

“But princess, what about you?” 

“Do not worry about me,” Zelda said. She looked down at the sword in Link’s hand. Then placed her hand on top of his. “I will meet you at the Shrine. Activate it and stand guard, but do not seal it until I get there. I have other matters to attend to first.” 

“But, your highness—”

“That is an order.” 

Both Sheikah bowed their heads. Zelda did not let go of Link until she had placed him in the arms of one of the soldiers herself. She requested that the soldiers leave Link’s sword with her. This sword, combined with her own sealing power, and the hope of a revitalized hero, was  their last remaining chance at sealing away the darkness. Zelda was too wary of anyone other than herself securing it. 

It would be a long and perilous journey north of Hyrule Field, she knew. But there was only one place the princess felt comfortable with putting the sword to rest.

[recallback]

If You Do Not Feel Happy Dirt Boss Can Make You Some Yummy Dirt Chicken Noodle Soup

Wow thank you dirtboss, I would love some chicken noodle soup :)

Obligatory read-more because I've been using these asks as an infodump for shit I've been thinking about. Which is almost always related to my wish fulfillment zelda game, and that is literally what it is about today because I wanted to dump thoughts.

First of all, I finally settled on a rough name for it, and have been calling it Spectre's Blade. Just named after your main gimmick, you got a ghost sword. Boom.

Secondly, I've been tryna flesh out what I'd want from the dungeons more. Of course, I'm a fan of traditional zelda dungeons so that's the vibe I'd like, and I'm not against the gimmick items either they're fun. I would ideally want a good mix of stealth and battle mechanics though - the Link you play as is a thief and treasure hunter, he should be adept at stealth, but he's still Link. He's a sword boy at heart. But yes, I've been fleshing out ideas for the dungeons! Here's a list of the order they come in, and my current ideas for em:

Kakariko Cavern - a secret cavern underneath Kakariko village, this is the starter dungeon where you begin the game and find your Prince~. It's relatively small, very gloomy looking with some vague sheikah aesthetics, and a few generic buggy and lizard enemies. It's just supposed to teach you the game mechanics, thatse it.

Magamar Mines - the Fire dungeon, it's a mining operation in part of Death Mountain run by the Goron. As typical of fire dungeons, it has very heavy industrial aesthetics, and the special dungeon item you get is a bomb pouch. The little run-up to being allowed access is a secondary tutorial to teach you more game mechanics, such as shield surfing and archery. The story here revolves around first confirming there is a plot by the Yiga Clan to steal parts of a relic known as the Phantom's Pool, which when assembled creates a doorway between the mortal and spirit world, that they intend to use to revive Ganon. Not sure on the boss yet.... maybe something mechanical to fit the industrial theme? Big furnace creature you gotta throw bombs into.

The Water Temple - The name is self explanatory. It's an ancient temple maintained by the Zora, it has very Ancient Rome vibes (as one might expect of the Zora) but it's very much abandoned and in ruin. You obtain the Zora tunic in this area, and it serves to help teach water mechanics obvs. Bit more stealth heavy, the Zora do Not believe you about the whole Yiga plot and think they could stop em themselves anyway.... so you gotta sneak in for the first part. The boss monster is definitely fought underwater, I think something like a giant squid monster would be cool. Cut off the tentacles, avoid being grabbed, stab a big eyeball in a beak.

The Great Deku Tree - This is the forest dungeon, and as the name states, it takes place within in the remains of the Deku Tree. Typical of a forest temple. I want it to have very planty, natural vibes, like Inside Jabu Jabu but if it was just made of plants. The story here is where things get a bit more serious? You initially go to check up on some villagers who evacuated into the woods following Yiga occupation of their town, then go off to search for a girl who got lost in the Lost Woods. You find em with a lone Korok, who explains they were just tryna find help, because the Yiga have cleared out Korok Village too and seized the Deku Tree in search of the Pool piece. It's very gloomy and sad in this area in general, everything is abandoned and lonely. The item you get in this area is a whip, that can pull objects closer to you and attack enemies from afar and such. The boss? Unsure. I wanna say a giant termite themed monster.

The Forgotten Aviary - This is the sky dungeon, it is in fact In the sky and it takes its aesthetic inspiration heavily from Skyloft. The item you gain from this area is a glider, functions a lot like BOTW. The story here revolves around being scouted by the Rito for help, as they've heard of the goings-on with the Yiga and are worried about an attack on some ancient grounds their ancestors once guarded. But without knowledge of how the Yiga are operating their attacks, they are ill pre-pared to take them head on and can only attempt to hold them off while you secure the relic. This is a bit of a dramatic lore heavy area I wanna say, since it's like... supposed to be a riff on Skyloft. Main boss here is definitely some kinda sky whale, those guys LOVED their sky whales.

The Abandoned Lodge - I'll completely admit this takes a lot of insp from TP. But I'm not being original. Just writing what I like. This is the ice dungeon, it is a large abandoned lodge house out in the Hebra mountains that was once used by the royal family. You end up here largely by accident, after taking time to unwind from the Aviary siege and hearing rumors in a nearby town of this weird house a little ways out... you get there, find there's a couple living in it, and that a relic piece is there too. Some researcher guy has been trying to use the weird spirit magic from the pool to heal his partner, and demands you help em secure the relic from the Yiga when he hears about the thefts. It's supposed to be a Lodge, so the general aesthetic is just very... yknow, large snowy abandoned manor. Plenty of fortification cause the royals stayed there. Gotta be safe. The main boss is the researcher guys partner, gets turned into a big ol' dragon by the main villain who shows up to confront Link and be dramatic. The special item you get here is Iron Boots, since they let you walk across ice without sliding around.

The Ancient Hyrule Archives - This is the light dungeon, it has a very medieval european vibe cause it's this big sacred building created centuries ago by the royal family. Literally Holy Ground. Storywise, you arrive here after receiving a letter from the current caretaker for the place. They explain they heard you've been helping fight off the Yiga, and need your help securing the relic - as they unfortunately can't. The family put in charge of guarding the place centuries ago was cursed for stealing from it, and it's a bit hard to sneak around the Yiga when you're kind of a half-skulltula.... but they wanna make up for those old mistakes! A lot of this dungeon is more stealth based than the last few, that were combat heavier, but you Can take a combat approach if you feel ballsy. The special item you get here is the Beetle - like the Skyward Sword one. You can use it to manipulate items from a distance (differently from the whip that just pulls em or breaks em) and also as a scout! For stealth! The boss here is your caretaker npc buddy, who is turned into Gohma (big ol spider boss in most games) by the main villain, and the battle itself is this big chase sequence through a secret route out the dungeon. Gotta use the beetle to knock rubble loose and trap em momentarily to smack around, until you eventually escape and the magic wears off. Inspired by the lost footage of TP's original Gohma fight I wish we had that shit.

Royal Catacombs - This is the games shadow temple, based entirely underground in a stretch of land between Kakariko Village and Hyrule Castle. It's got a lot of the general aesthetics associated with the Sheikah, though more of the modern-ish aesthetics with a healthy mix of the Ancient aesthetics in its enemies and puzzles. The item you get from here is the Lens of Truth, explainable for any OoT fans. The story here is kinda... idk, heavy? Because your companion character, Mr Sword Gerudo Prince, was killed and trapped in his sword BY the Sheikah when the kingdom was fearful of the rise of Ganon a few centuries back. He's extremely uncomfortable around em, you gotta navigate that, and the fact the Sheikah are a bit too prideful to want your help or to apologize until it's obvious they fucked it. The boss battle here is against a very familiar and terrifying face - a giant, corrupted Guardian Stalker. You have to use the Lens of Truth to see its weak points and strike em. Big Bad does usually say a few dramatic things before these battles, defo does a monologue here though to taunt your prince buddy.

Gerudo Valley Temple - The spirit dungeon of this game! It has a lot of inspiration from yknow ancient Arabic architecture, since that's where the Gerudo draw inspiration from. Unlike the previous temples though... you explore this one entirely in the Spirit Realm. Your intro to the area is going through the Yiga headquarters set outside of it, right before the Gerudo plan to raid the place for the relic pieces they managed to steal, and the Big Bad yeets you through the partially constructed Phantom Pool into the spirit realm, intending to trap you there. No concrete decisions here yet on mechanics, gotta stop though because I. hit the character limit.

Wait can I write more words if I create a new block. I think so. Anyway at the point above, I considered making you play as Wolf Link because it's wish fulfillment game and I Like Him. But I'm not settled on that because it feels like a big tone change for one area. The final dungeon of the game would obvs be the final dungeon inside Hyrule Castle, gotta confront the Big Bad and kick his ass.

That's all I got for today um. This was a lot of words <3 If anyone ever feels like actually talking to me about this AU then you can ask, I have plenty to say clearly. Thanks for reading this far I am kissing you.

[gaiabros]

Short on time? Head on over to our ELECTROWEEN Mixes page where we have created an archive for all of our ELECTROWEEN productions. There you will find our latest 2017 mixes to stream and download. We will be adding additional mixes from other projects in the future, so please subscribe to GAIA BROS to receive forthcoming news and announcements.

Prologue: Alone In A Basement (An Origins Story)

In October 1994, somewhere in a small suburb of Detroit, I was playing by myself in my Ghostbusters tent in the drafty unfinished basement of my parents’ house. All of the lights were off, with the exception being the ceiling light near the stairs heading up to the main floor. It was almost Halloween, and my curiosity was unquenchable.

I had inside the tent with me a single battery powered cassette player and a tape that I had smuggled from my parents without raising suspicion. Being young and foolish, my inquiring mind drove me to ask but one innocent little question:

“What else is there?”

With the help of the internet, I tracked down the memory of a tent that had almost been consumed by time. What is shown below closely depicts the visual atmosphere of this personal memoire I wish to share. This I remember vividly.

Encounter With The Tape

I had managed to load my cassette player with the blood red Halloween tape my Mom used for luring brave trick or treaters to our doorsteps. This particular tape included all sorts of haunted sounds, noises and things within the realm of the supernatural. Ghosts shrieking. People screaming. Chains dragging on cement. Zombies moaning. It was truly horrifying for a seven year old boy; my brain at that age often blurred the lines between fantasy and reality. I dared myself to listen as long as my bravery lasted, which was no longer than five minutes. Spooked by my imagination recreating all of the surreal scenes around me, I ran upstairs as fast as possible, never stopping to look behind me at what was following and chasing me…

Leaving that tape to continue to play on, into the empty darkness of bare, cold concrete and musty air…

A Tale From A Dark Place, Carried

Undoubtably, this was one of the scariest experiences of my entire life. I distinctly remember the feeling of being chased by the void and my heart racing at insane speeds. The influence of that vivid moment in my early childhood left a permanent scar on my subconscious mind. Looking back, I can say that it planted an endless curiosity of the unknown — and an eagerness to come to terms with it.

“No End Darkness” — my latest mix released for ELECTROWEEN 2017 — is the most recent and honest attempt I’ve made at revisiting that frigid, dreadful basement and remembering what it was like…

Sensing the coldness of the air…

Grasping the presence of absence….

Witnessing the canvas of the void…..

Feeling hopelessly vulnerable and alone.

Twenty three years later, that tape still plays its haunted cacophony into the atmoshere within the depths of my soul.

Reconciliation

This is my personal encounter that I’ve chosen to share with the world, and by doing so, have come to confront my fears and the wholeness of life once again.

Knowing the darkness is a personal experience we must all wrestle with in some aspect of our mortal existence. However, it is through the honesty of our shared vulnerability that we discover the most promising truth of human existence:

That each of us is not alone.

“No End Darkness” Mix Liner Notes

From Scott: These are the sounds of a past golden age, paired with the technology of the present. Some of these tracks have echoed in my mind for the past 20 years and never left me. They are the video games and stories I grew up with, forever entwined in the fibers of the visionary synthwave works and gaming titles of today. This is the present in full reconciliation with the past. Everything is relevant, and nothing is forgotten.

These artists and their counterparts communicate the importance of narrative, of colossal struggle and the great lengths protagonists go to fulfill their missions. They tell of creative diligence, uninhibited imagination, and a reconnection to the core essence of humanity; that is, the capacity to endure life’s most difficult trials in dark times.

Key influences for this mix include Castlevania (The new Netflix Original series released in July, created by American film producer Adi Shankar), Stranger Things Season 1 (in anticipation of Season 2 releasing October 27th!), Game of Thrones (HBO’s masterpiece, particularly season 7 here), and all of the timeless 80s/90s NES masterpieces (in particular: Ninja Gaiden, Castlevania, The Legend of Zelda, and Mega Man series). While I know these creations are not for everyone, I could not hold them in higher regards nor offer more significant recommendations for those adventurous in spirit, mind, and heart.

I should note that No End Darkness is just as much of a political statement as it is a memoir. Perhaps some of the included pieces speak to your own experiences this year; maybe none of them will. It is crucial for me to note that my objective is not to seek agreement nor acceptance from its creation. This project came out of a need to express myself and challenge the forces dictating this very moment. Now that it has been released into the wild, it may very well speak for others too, but not intentionally.

This work is dedicated to my loving parents and brother; for introducing me to the darkness at an early age, and giving me the strength to learn from it and fight it, no matter the cost. Thanks for all of your support along the way. I love you guys.

“The Nightmare Begins” Mix Liner Notes

The Nightmare Begins came into being after one of the best gaming experiences I have had. Early this year The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild released with the Nintendo Switch. Then the idea was fully formed with my viewing of American Horror Story: My Roanoke Nightmare. From those inspirations came a steadier mix filled with atmosphere instead of the bombastic electro that came in years prior.

Zelda BoTW is a video game all about exploration. Within the land of Hyrule, there are no waypoints or map markers telling the player where to go. Every destination you must set on your own by climbing up a high area to see interesting points in the distance. Complete directionlessness is given to you, but the developers trusted they built an interesting enough world that you’d want to explore anyways. In addition, I decided to play with the pro-HUD on, which takes away the minimap and forces you to remember your surroundings and paths. Just getting lost in the world was one of the most enjoyable experiences I’ve ever had in a video game. Combined with themes of loss and Zelda’s timeless charm this is a perfect combination for ELECTROWEEN.

Getting LOST was what I took away from this game. The point was to go for a jaunt in the woods and get sidetracked. Find something that sparked your interest? That something could turn out to be a cute Korok (a type of woodland spirit) or a dangerous Guardian that could down you in one hit. Whatever the consequences it was always compelling and fun. Link, the character you play as, wakes up at the beginning of the game to find his own nightmare come to fruition. As Link, you must go through this waking nightmare. I wanted to reflect this in my mix, but with a much darker and slower tone than previous years.

I first came across American Horror Story with my girlfriend, Jessica. She asked me to watch it with her, as it is one of her favorite shows, I was reluctant. Historically, I’ve not been a fan of extremely scary tv or cinema. For those not familiar, American Horror Story changes every season in what story is told and the way in which it is told. We started by watch season 5: Hotel. Other than the performance by Lady Gaga, I didn’t enjoy the show. It was watching this year, season 6: My Roanoke Nightmare that got me hooked. The first half of the season is done in the style of true stories, that is, the “real” people are recounting their horrible time at the Roanoke Manner while actors act out the scenes. The second half of the season is played out like a reality show. The entire season is thrilling, tense, and extremely graphic. The many times I wanted to cover my eyes in horror, I also wanted to dive back into the show night after night.

Yes, a theme of My Roanoke Nightmare was getting lost in the woods. Unlike Zelda, this usually played out poorly for the heroes. Both Zelda and American Horror Story were my two and only influences for this mix. Usually, I have several others, but these two pieces of media were masters of their respective areas, it only felt right to draw from them.

Inside The Nightmare Begins: Different From Years Past

The Nightmare Begins is much slower than previous ELECTROWEEN mixes. It was very difficult for me to find songs that fit into what I wanted at the beginning. I started with a list of about twenty songs I thought could work, knowing that many had to be manipulated in ways I wasn’t quite comfortable with yet. I ended up throwing about half of my original track list out and completely replacing those selections.

The first song I knew I wanted in the mix was Hot Lights by Lany. This song set the tone for what I wanted the mix to be. A plodding medley focused on the somber mood, yet something you could dance to. My usual sources of Bandcamp and Beatport were quite useless at the beginning of my search. Fortunately this year I was exposed to quite a bit of Lana Del Rey, thanks to Jessica. Three of Lana’s songs are in The Nightmare Begins since she captures such a dreamy darkness with her voice. It was a perfect match!

Most, if not all, of the song selections were slowed down between 10 to 40 bpm — even Lana Del Rey’s songs were slowed down. Two songs, Somebody Else and Starboy were fast upbeat club remixes. Both of the song tempos were reduced heavily to give the exact feeling I wanted. Personally, I thought the slowed down versions sounded amazing. Check out the originals below:

I discovered it was difficult to pick out songs because I had to listen to the songs as if they were already slowed down. I had to see if the music would sound good together in a much slower tempo. Fortunately, it worked out for the best and now you can enjoy The Nightmare Begins.

Art and Music: The Voices of The Times

One takeaway we hope our work conveys is the reminder that no art form exists within a vacuum. Every personal creation is subject to the circumstances of the time and age from which it is crafted. In this way, these mixes give voice to an era ravaged by the evil-doing of cowardly men and women, the few seeking to fulfill personal agendas at the expense of the many. Every day has felt darker since their arrival, and the nights longer…

Right now, this Halloween season, we ask Karma to return the light to these lands again soon and conquer the darkness in which we find ourselves living. The great balance will be restored. In the meantime, we suffer through the long night together. Not just as a people, or a nation, but more so as a species that has survived hundreds of thousands of years of pain, grievances and tragedies alike.

As we continue to endure the darkness and nightmares before us and within ourselves, let us never forget the pendulum swings both ways.

Yours,

SW (VII) and MK (Loveless)

ELECTROWEEN 2017's No End Darkness and The Nightmare Begins are musical journeys into the depths of Hell itself. Short on time? Head on over to our ELECTROWEEN Mixes page where we have created an archive for all of our ELECTROWEEN productions.

[ganondoodle]

something i just realized thats yet another point to the whole "sonau did all the things before the shiekah did, actually" weirdness is the helmets of those unnamed and utter voids of personality ancient sages- their weird ass sonau helmets are very clearly meant to be the titans heads but "sonau" so i guess the shiekah didnt even come up with that design on their own either, isnt that totally coolio (why are they wearing that sonau stuff anyway ... doesnt that too come off as weird?? putting face masks made of the design from the dominant culture of the king ruling everything over the other races leaders heads and not even giving them a name .. let alone a pesonality, or anything to say but the literal same exposition dump 4 times???)

also, though it is a smaller point, the sonau being supposedly "from the sky" also sitts wrong with me bc we know the shiekah had a long history of admiring the stars and trying to read from them etc, which combined with everything else just kinda adds to the weird feeling of the sonau having hijacked all of the shiekahs things in retrospect despite the shiekah as a whole having a wayyy longer history (and no i dont find it inspiring or like ... cool that the sonau are bascially the origins of everything the botw shiekah ever did, it feels not just disrespectful but like it cheapens the shiekah as a whole since now they really had never an original idea i guess lol - i swear if they meant that random "mechanical beast" that zelda apparently rode when she was trapped back in time as some sort of precursor to the eponator zero from botws dlc im gonna scream-)

additionally, the sonau being from the sky is still kinda weird to me given their other heavily used design elements are clearly based on undergound stuff, like the lightferns being literally every lamp bc i guess they knew only one kind of lamp to build, one that only gives off an eery cold slightly greenish light, (not really working in favor with that also cold grey and rather featureless blocky design of all the totk sonau structures) and the design of the constructs looking alot like mini/gigamas, i dont know if i want to believe they invented all of their stuff that isnt grey blocky rock after coming to the surface and mining the underground barren .. given how spread out their mines are they must have had a pretty strong grip on hyrule before they all went extinct from *gestures vaguely* -i think the english version puts it more vaguely but the german text def implies they all died 'somehow'- which is weird and underexplored as well-

all of this really adds to the sonau just ... not fitting into anything, not the world, the history, the design, the story, and their presentation as those only good goodestes of peoples makes me even more sus of them- i know im not the only one who was convinced that rauru was running some sort of scheme behind your back or something like that for almost the entire game (also to the person that added to this post saying that the same rauru statue being over and over at the end of the shrines made him feel even more like an "divine king" kind of dictator vibe, yes i feel like that too) and yet he is only ever presented as the oh so kind and good and perfect king by divine right, with his only mistake ever being not stabbing ganondorf right away i guess, but its fine, he died to seal gan after all uwu, what a noble guy, uwu

*sigh*

... man this entire game is such a mess once you start to think about it even a little, tbh i think zelda fans should be kinda offended this is what we are offered for an even higher price than botw after all this time ... we deserve better man :(

sorry, long post, got totk thoughts ...again

first botw vs totk shrines aesthetic and meaning; then shiekah symbolism thats overtaken by sonau

botw vs totk shrines (not in quality of puzzle since i talked about that a little before, but as in aesthetic, meaning etc)

something that worked well with shiekah shrines in botw was that these things were built SPECIFICALLY to make a future link stronger, theres that denialability to it that kinda make sense when you think about it, they are small challenges for the future hero to test and make them stronger, they are spread around the world bc you wouldnt want to hide some major source of power in one place, a monk literally sacrifices their life to enable you to gain more power their dead body waiting for you at the end (neat!!), they are each a little different in pose and clothing and im pretty sure its implied each monk made the puzzle for their shrine themselves; and the ones that rely on something happening in the world first can also be explained by their ability to see the future, the shrines and towers all rise up from the ground, which gives them that believable sense of they have been down there all this time and been activated via the net connecting them all to signal it is time- their design is also just .. nice? its got a nice contrast of the dark and the ligher brown with eye catching light from orange to blue to pink telling you in what states of operation it is (idle, working/done, corrupted) and their shape design is a very striking mix of bigger emptier spots of dark with the lighter browns wiggly lines coming in in nicely paced patches and the strong lights poking through giving you a nice soemthign for your eyes to look at (their tech is also a mix of magic stuff AND mechanism, they still look and work kinda magical but still have cogs and springs and looks like they are actual maschines put together)

totk shrines have no real denialability to why they are the way they are, its pretty clear that they are there for game reasons (and to copy botw i guess?) with no proper thought given to it (or failed to convey); they are already there when zelda does her time travel bs, and i heard (havent seen it myself? or dont remember) that the sonau shrines were built to .. keep monsters at bay? ok, im not even gonna question that part ( ... but i am .. i guess lightmagic wahtever dont think about it) so .... why do they contain a puzzle at all? its not to prevent monsters from entering since you need raurus hand to activate it (in botw you need the shiekah stone to do so which isnt really found besides yours either but ... their purpose is to test and empower you anyway .. and pehaps in a wider range to strengthen the bond with other folks when you have to work with them to get to it) then they werent present in botw so they must have ... somehow appeared out of nowhere? their connection to the lightroots might have been an attempt to try and make them feel more connected but that didnt work either imo, the shrines on the surface mirror lightroots in the underground, implying they are connected somehow, i at first thought like the lightroot is their root and the shrine is the flowerbud, but its very clearly just some ...magic rock crystal with stuff built around it including a teleportation thing thats pretty much copied from the shiekah ones (??) and you somehow ... enter magic dimension (which is .. fine, but i liked how in botws it was an elevator going down, making it feel like you are put into a physical room underground) but then there .... are also shrines in the sky ... that have no lighroot to connect to .. (i guess .. magic light wahtever dont htinkaboutit) so that part kinda falls flat- and the bring-crystal-to-shrine-spot (uhg) also debunk that thought since its a (tasty looking) green crystal that just kinda warps into a big grey rock ... for some reason, at their end is always the same colorless statue of da kind and his fridge wife (not her build) they are also missing that denialability that they were built for link specifically, sonau cant see into the future so (unless they yoinked that from the shiekah too??).. how does .. anything of that work then? especially with the crystal ones given that they are always a blessing shrine sicne bringing the crystal to its spot is counted as the puzzle but they couldnt have known that thats where it would end up at (and then ...how and why would you put a shrine thing into a crystal thing and disconnect it and throw it whereever when it manifests somehow again thousands years later- i need to stop thinking about it)- then their aesthetic is white green and gold(ish) which is a nice color combination in itself tho its lacking that neat status singaling and the eye catching contrast with their glow, the green glowy bits dont stand out as much, their shape design i dislike alot since it ... looks kinda unfinished and in a strange disconnect to their tech; buildings and statues are very blocky solid colors with the occasional rune or dragon carved into, which is also very blocky and one colored, their shapes are pretty uniform in a blocky way, theres not alot of shape contrast anywhere besides basic smaller block and bigger block, the most interesting looking ones are the ... outer walls of the shrines with their scaled look and the ground with the circle patterns; their tech and clothing is in a strange disconnect, its got a gree-tealish scale like texture in anything solid, be it tech or ornaments, it also features alot more gold and also brown stones that look rather untouched- now, for clothing, that is fine, the shiekah didnt dress like their tech either (.... mostly, ancient armor does exist) BUT the constructs and tech also have that more natural look to them

the fact that the same blocky statue waits for you at the end alsso removes not just coolness but also personality, instead of individual monks that gave their life for you and you setting them free once you take their spirit orb its the same representation of the holy king and queen giving you some light juice to cure you more of miasma .. which doesnt actually matter sicne you get your normal arm back no matter how many light juices you got at the end anyway (their "tech" also just looks less like actual maschinery and much more like .. magic tm, the constructs have nothing maschinery like about them and are just floating rings animated by green magic wiggle lines and function almost the same as literal bokblins with the added thing of being able to fuse/use tech.. the empty spot of a threat like the guardians is very prominent once you realize that the constructs are largely just like a reskinned bokblin, and the miasma hands, while neat, are more like a surprise jumpscare and less like a looming threat and are also not taken to their full potential)

theres also a disconnect between the sonau as we are introduced to them in totk and the actual sonau ruins from botw, which share a common dragon motive but have a much more .. MORE aesthetic, theres even color present you dont see anywhere in totk sonau stuff, like the red paint- you are given the explanation that those are ruins built by hylians as a monument to the sonau but i think it falls very flat sicne its clear it wasnt designed to be meant like that in botw and also looks much more withered than the totk sonau ruins which rarely look withered at all despite being even older than the botw ruins; im very sure its jsut an excuse bc their design for totk sonaus got changed ... for some reason, just like their "barbaric" origins in the phirone/faron region

shiekah symbolism and more kinda overtaken by sonau

so, soemthing i really dont like about the sonau as well is that theres quite a bit that they take from shiekah and kinda... present it as being the origin of it, actually;

we all know the very dominant symbol of the eye/third eye with three eyelashes and a tear drop for the shiekah which is established in the very first chronological game (skyward sword) but also featured in alot of other zeldas, it symbolizing their connection to hylia and their foresight (perhaps even more? i dont know everything); now we got the sonau who ... have a LITERAL third eye (and it doesnt even look special ..) that has three lashes and they paint tear drops under their eyes... (which has only the connection to .. the tears zelda sheds when shes a dragon, no other character does so at any other point, lol?) it makes it seem like we are to assume that the shiekah got their symbols from the sonau, actually, just like their tech wasnt their invention either but the sonaus, actually, who are new to the franchise and have no other connection to anything of past games, unlike the shiekah who have been there from the start really

then theres the tech, the ancient shiekah had very advanced, mystical tech in botws ancient history and now the even MORE ancient sonau had even MORE advanced tech way before them in totks lore which goes beyond even botws ancient history

im not saying symbols gotta be exclusive to one group of people but .. it holds alot of significance carried from the older games too, it feels strange for them to highjack the shiekah symbols and achievements WITHIN the two games that are supposedly directly connected in timeline and world (while also pairing them with those supposedly aniecnt hylian feather crowns and belly out look ... which, im no expert but i raise my eyebrow at that) together with the fact that nearly any and all traces of shiekah tech, except for the little needed parts that are never called that though and are just footnotes .. if anything, are precisely erased feels .... off

another long ramble about my thougths about totk, some people graciously call them analysis but i wouldnt say its that, its jsut a largely incoherent waterfall of words that would have spun around in my head for weeks if i didnt write them out and i keep coming up with more thoughts bc im thinking about the rewrite and well ...

im gonna have art soon again ... promise <(＿　＿)>