#and zelda has some of the most gorgeous lighting in a game i think

[limesquares]

some (only slightly inaccurate) TOTK studies :D

[jellydragons]

HOLD UP LEMME GO THROUGH MY BOOKMARKS ok here we GO

Moonlight (every single night): time loop fic! link beats the Calamity: then beats it again, and again, and again. just a gorgeous fic all round, not to mention how one of the plot points honest to god had me with my hand pressed to my mouth like a delicate maiden

To Calamity Come: this one’s a series! the experiences of the Great Calamity, told through different perspectives and different points in time with each fic. they’re all very good but my FAVOURITE is Champion’s Fall; if you only pick one fic from this series to read definitely make it that one, it full on changed the way i think of the blights forever

Colouring Inside the Lines: one of my favourite fics of all time tbh. platonic ‘soulmate’ (ish) au where anyone who has an impact on you as a person leaves a coloured mark where they first touched you. link wakes up with skin marked only by scars, and four people he doesn’t recognise. INCREDIBLE fic, it expands on botw’s world so lovingly and i NEED more people to join me in the ‘never not thinking about this’ pit

Honey Nut: same author as the last one! this one is a time travel fic, where 1 year post botw link is sent back to about 10ish (?) years before the Calamity. another FANTASTIC world building fic, this time for pre-Calamity hyrule, and mostly focuses on link trying to find out how he fits in such an unbroken world. read it it’s SO good

Roots: i need to reread this one tbh, the story of everything leading up to the Calamity told through link’s memories, where you discover every event along with him. another good one for world building, with a heavy focus on politics and how pre-Calamity society functioned. also link and zelda are ridiculous little gremlins and we love them so much for it

you could never swing that dagger: link… acquires a murdercult kid, and accidentally takes them in much like one would a feral cat. and like a feral cat, the kid hisses and fights him the entire way. literally LOVE this fic it’s so fun, but also so wonderfully painful at certain points, i’ve reread it so many times

Holding out (for better weather): sick fic! link gets caught out in a storm while searching for the final memory. gorgeous prose, plus it’s just plain hysterical at certain parts - not to mention how the author perfectly captures the experience of being miserably sick. it’s such a good fic, and at two chapters is a much easier read than the rest of these lmao

I am a light (that’s burning out): same author as previous! zelda, while holding the Calamity back, reflects on the stories she grew up with. beautiful prose again, and so many games’ stories are linked together in such a heart-rendingly clever way. it’s short and sweet, and i DESPERATELY need more people to read it please please please

oh oops wait i forgot to blatantly plug my own fic Watch the waves crashing down (each one erasing me): purah and robbie get link ready to go into the shrine of resurrection, and do their best to try not to think too hard about it. short and somber, and borne entirely out of me getting emotional that they let link keep his earrings :(

most of these fics are on the longer side and generally focus heavily on world building and story, so if that’s your cup of tea come! join me in the bookclub corner! even if it’s not, PLEASE give some of them a chance they are some of my favourite fics of ALL TIME, not just for botw

hope you enjoy!

btw if anyone knows of any good breath of the wild fics you can feel free send them my way 🥺

[auspiciousotter]

The M6 as Zelda games

(Moving some stuff over from my Insta and here is the first of my headcanons)

Asra- Majora’s Mask

I was tempted to give this one to Julian because: dark, edgy, fan favorite, but after some thought I liked this one better for Asra.

The game deals with grief and loss, and the different ways people handle it. Asra is someone who has dealt with a lot of loss in his life, and maybe doesn’t have the best way of processing it? (Like glad I’m alive again but bro…)

The game itself starts with Link searching for his dear friend, much like Asra searching for MC.

Julian- Twilight Princess

Of course I still had to give him an edgy game, he’s an edgy boi XD

This game deals with duality as its theme, in particular, the idea of light/dark and how that relates to good/evil. Darkness is shown as not being inherently evil, but like light, having the capacity for both.

This is something that I think Julian struggles with, the idea that he is tainted by darkness, but still a good person who deserves good things, especially when transformed into birblian (cough like wolf link cough)

Nadia- Hyrule Warriors Age of Calamity

I was tempted to do Breath of the Wild, because I felt like Nadia had a lot in common with that Zelda, but she’s not really the focus of that game. Thankfully there was a spin off that explored it more!

Let’s see, we have a this princess who is interested in technology, wants to prove herself but feels she isn’t being taken seriously by her family, and is overcome by guilt for not being able to save the world around her.

She also has that sort of commanding presence Urbosa has. (and they're both gorgeous)

Muriel- Breath of the Wild

Okay so, this is kinda the closest we get to just simple living Link. He can just wander the world, maybe build a house, pick up chickens, pet some dogs. And if you use an amiibo, you can even get a wolf companion so...

Also, it’s up to the player how involved they want to be with the story, how much they want to engage and help other people, but connecting with others does ultimately make the final battle easier. It’s not quite the same lesson as it is with Muriel, but it’s sorta close.

Look I just want this poor man to be able to have a nice relaxing life okay, and this one was very set your own pace.

Portia- Wind Waker

Probably the easiest choice.

Adventure? Check. Pirates? Double Check! Cute as can be? ALL OF THE CHECKS!

Also it’s canonical that Portia would go to any lengths to protect her brother so if he had gotten kidnapped by a giant bird, you can bet she’s gonna go kick some fowl butt.

Lucio- Ripened Tingle’s Balloon Trip of Love

Okay hear me out!

For those who don’t know (because this was not released in NA or Europe) this story is about a middle age man who gets transported to this fairy tale world in which he’s the main character, and the goal is to woo all sorts of maidens and dance with one at the ball. He totally believes that he’s more important than he is, but most people actually find him disgusting. Also he has a troupe of equally incompetent companions (cough courtiers cough)

In all games, Tingle is considered spoiled, immature, and a disappointment to his parent. Also in Wind Waker he basically forces slave labor….

Lucio (but for realsies)- Skyward Sword

Specifically I think he has a lot in common with Groose.

He thinks he’s the main character, the hero who’s gonna save the day and get the girl. Is definitely a bully and gets away with it too.

In the end, he changes character, becoming less full of himself, taking a backseat to the real hero (MC). He helps in the ways he can, and ends up being crucial to beating evil, but not in the lead role he’d imagined for himself.

(He also has a lot of that Midna from TP energy in having a selfish agenda, but after receiving kindness learns to care more, but Julian already claimed that game)

[divineprank]

💘 🐦 👊 🙊

[SEND]

💘 FAVORITE ZELDA SHIP(S)?

READY FOR SOMETHING KINDA OUTTA THE BLUE? Japas and Mikau. That stoner bassist has it bad for Mikau, you can't change my mind.

Also, Link and Midna, their chemistry is super fun and she would totally top.

🐦 ANY OPINIONS OR HEADCANON(S) ABOUT A CERTAIN ZELDA RACE?

IIIII'm under the persuasion that the Twili are descendants of the Sheikah. We see a striking and familiar eye symbol a few times with the Fused Shadow and in Midna's Zant's throne room.

The fact that the "dark interlopers" operated in shadow with black magic. Zant, at one point, describes their tribe as people who mastered the arts of magic who had been locked away and regressing at the fault of the "do-nothing" Royal Family. He could be referring to Midna and her predecessors--and probably is--but I always took that as a slight against the Royal Family from the world of light. By the time Ocarina of Time occurs, most of the history of the Sheikah tribe had been snuffed out and purposefully hidden in places that only people with privileged knowledge--or in the case of Professor Shikashi, people who are old enough to remember--to know. We know that Twilight Princess comes after, and there's zero mention of the Sheikah. Some people argue that there's a connection between the Twili and the Gerudo, like how Zant appears to wear a symbol resembling the Gerudo's cobra insignia and especially since Midna refers to losing their ancestor's king to the greed of seeking power. But, I just don't think she's referring to Ganondorf, because if there's one thing the man is loyal to, outside of his greed that is, it's his lineage. He honors where he came from and his history at all times, we see it on his person -- including a depiction of Link engraved in his armor. If the man can honor a long history with someone he considers a sworn enemy, I just don't think he'd turn his back on his own people (the people he actually aligns with) not yet, anyways, he hasn't become that far gone by that point.

As for Zant's garb, he says he went and found himself a god, right? Surely he'd honor the very power that granted him ownership of both the Light and Shadow worlds. After all, I just established how attached Ganondorf seems to be towards his origins. "If there is anything you desire, I shall desire it too." Oh, also, Midna is surprised by just how powerful the Fused Shadow really is, and yet Breath of the Wild provides us with the knowledge that the Sheikah have always had access to devastating magic and technology. If the Twili are related to the Sheikah, then this isn’t necessarily a surprise.  I can go on, but I think I've made my point haha.

👊 FAVORITE ZELDA VILLAIN/BOSS?

I bet you'll never guess.

Okay, outside of Ganondorf, I'm very much attached to the OG GIANT MOMMY, Twinrova. I think she's a creative character with so much potential and I wish she'd come back. God, now there's a character I have a shitton of headcanons for. But as for bosses that I love to fight the most, it's Bongo-Bongo. I'm not sure if it's the drums, since I'm learning to play, or the Amnesia-esque grotesque design, or just the fact that I'm a sick bastard.

Odalwa is a ton of fun, and so is Goht. I'm really in love with Majora as a villain, the design of the model during each boss fight takes up such a significant space in my head. I have so much love. One day I'll share all those cool headcanons.

Ghirahim is the only redeeming quality of Skyward Sword. I had to say it, cuff me. I'm ready to go to stupid brat-baby jail. 😔

🙊 UNPOPULAR ZELDA OPINIONS?

I'm being a bit dramatic when I say he's the only redeeming quality of Skyward Sword. Groose is great, I love Impa's twist. The dungeon design is gorgeous. But that game struck a nerve with me the moment I popped it in my Wii on launch. The disc didn't work. Then the motion controls constantly failed me. Then I died in the last dungeon and kept respawning in the death barrier and had to restart the entire thing, the linear gameplay and lack of exploration was extremely unsatisfying, Link looks really smeary, Demise's role completely undermines Ganondorf's. There's so much I can poop my pants over with this game, it has left a really bad taste in my mouth and I respect people that enjoy it, and even welcome the people who got into the series because of that game! No hard feelings or anything, I'm just a bratty little shitbaby that can't handle when my Zelda game isn't Ocarina of Time hahaha!

[baphomet-media]

Sword Art Offline - A CrossCode Review

Genre: Adventure Subgenre: Action RPG Developer: Radical Fish Games Publisher: Deck13 Platform(s): PC, Playstation, Switch, Xbox (Reviewed on Xbox Series X) Release Date: July 9th, 2020 Time Played: 60 hours

CrossCode was a game that I knew next to nothing about going in. I heard some faint praise for the title online, but I really had no idea what to expect. The game’s description bills it as a Zelda-like, but offers little else in the way of explanation. The vibrant pixel art environments convinced me to give it a shot. So is CrossCode a success, or is it just a glitch in the system?

Story

In the distant future, humanity has colonized the galaxy. On one remote moon, a company called Instatainment decides to create something unique. They create a one-of-a-kind MMO where the locations in the game are real physical places, and players can log in and explore them using avatars made of something called “instant matter,” a kind of extremely light and insubstantial matter that can be quickly and cheaply conjured up for all sorts of purposes, but cannot meaningfully interact with the physical environment. This MMO is called CrossWorlds, and has become very popular in the world of CrossCode. Despite the fact that the game features an in-universe MMO, CrossCode is in fact an offline, singleplayer game. The different meta layers can be somewhat difficult to explain at times, but I found it to be a novel and interesting setting.

You take control of Lea, a player of CrossWorlds who has seemingly lost her memory. While being aided by man-at-the-keyboard Sergey, she must infiltrate CrossWorlds from the outside and play the game to recover her memories. But all is not what it seems, as a strange flying blue avatar seems to be pursuing Lea.

Along the way, Lea will participate in the game of CrossWorlds alongside other avatars such as the feisty french Emilie (AKA Emilienator), the nerdy Toby (AKA C’tron), the braggadocious Apollo, and many more. Each character has a vibrant design and personality that make them stand out and feel loveable.

The game’s plot is quite intense at times and drips with intrigue, keeping you playing for hours on end. In one of my play sessions, I played the game for over 7 hours in a single sitting, which is a testament to how hooked I was. There are plenty of twists and turns throughout that keep you guessing, and many different layers to ponder over in between sessions. Unfortunately, I feel like the ending falls a touch flat, as it feels like the game just kind of stops and all the conflicts resolve at once, but it’s a small issue.

There is a bad ending to the game, obtainable by missing or failing a single optional story event, but if you’re paying attention and exploring you’ll have no trouble finding it. There is also a DLC epilogue episode that continues from the true ending, but unfortunately this epilogue is not yet available on console at the time of writing. It is currently slated for a ‘Summer 2021’ release, so perhaps I will be able to review it shortly.

I wish there was more I could say about the story because there’s a LOT going on, but unfortunately it would ruin the experience, so you’ll have to discover it for yourself. Suffice it to say that the story kept me intrigued and hungry for more up until the very end. The writing is often witty and funny, and I noticed various references to other series, such as Kingdom Hearts, Gurren Lagann, and Ace Attorney.

Gameplay

CrossCode at its core is a top-down action RPG. Lea has a number of different moves that can assist her in combat, such as melee attacks, ranged attacks, dodging, guarding, and special attacks. Additionally, once you complete the game’s dungeons, Lea will be able to switch into different elemental modes. Each mode has its own stats, special attacks, and affinities, and it pays to be vigilant about which elements are effective against which enemies. Plus, using elemental modes for too long builds up an overheat meter that, when filled, locks Lea out of elemental modes until it depletes. Due to all this complexity, it pays to think on your feet and be conscientious about how you approach fights.

On top of that, there are different consumables that offer timed buffs, different equipment effects which offer different buffs, as well as the Circuit, a skill tree with different trees for each element. Every time Lea levels up, she gains one Circuit Point for each elemental tree to spend on permanent buffs and unlocking special attacks. Some nodes on the circuits require multiple circuit points to unlock, so you’ll have to weigh which nodes to unlock when. All of this combined makes Lea highly configurable, but versatile enough to where you can completely change her build at any time outside of combat.

As you play the game, you will typically have allied characters fighting alongside Lea, which makes tough groups of enemies much more manageable. However, there are many areas which are “instanced” to where Lea must complete challenges alone. These are some of the game’s toughest challenges, and typically involve puzzle solving and/or combat. There are various dungeons around the Playground of CrossWorlds, the in-universe playable area, and most are quite extensive. These are the moments that the game somewhat feels Zelda-like, though really only in that you have to progress through dungeons with various puzzle and combat rooms in order to unlock a new element. Each dungeon adds new mechanics to master, and many dungeons bring back old mechanics from prior dungeons, requiring you to figure out how multiple mechanics work together. I found these sections a ton of fun, even if some of the puzzles were real head-scratchers.

Where would an RPG be without its sidequests? CrossWorlds, and by extension CrossCode, has plenty of sidequests for Lea to undergo to gain experience, money, and items. Most of the quests are your bog-standard fetch quests, but many have the player find new areas, face unique encounters, or even engage in minigames. Fortunately, a lot of the monotony of questing that you’d expect from any other game is mitigated by the fact that you can teleport back to any discovered landmark at any time for free.

As you explore the world, you’ll find yourself engaging in minor platforming. Essentially, areas of the game map are on different elevation tiers, and there are a ton of chests that are locked behind finding out how exactly to manage the elevation to reach a chest on a high ledge, often traveling on high elevation across multiple maps for a single chest. It can be a bit frustrating for people who constantly see chests that are seemingly out of their reach, but I found it fun to hunt them all down. Additionally, using a charged projectile to ricochet off walls and obstacles are quite common. One downside to the platforming is that it can sometimes be difficult to determine the heights of different stage elements at a glance, as the game doesn’t seem to have any sort of visual indication of the different elevations aside from just looking at the relative vertical distance between the floor and the next level. This often causes you to jump into walls or off cliffs during drawn-out platforming sections, which can be frustrating.

Overall, I don’t really agree that CrossCode is a Zelda-like. To me, it’s more like a 2d hack-n-slash without aerial combat. Still, that isn’t a negative, and I feel like CrossCode manages to create something that feels its own and not heavily derivative. I only wish the marketing had played more to its strengths instead of just bragging about how much the game was like Zelda and how many different genres they think they mashed together. I probably would have given the game a shot a lot sooner.

Presentation

The environments of CrossCode are gorgeous, with high detail pixel art that is hard to believe is based on a tileset. The character designs are bold and emotive, and really give you an idea of what each character is about at first sight. The game’s soundtrack is also a banger, with plenty of different tracks in many different instruments. It’s the kind of soundtrack I’d happily listen to outside of the game, and instantly becomes familiar to you.

Conclusion

Aside from a bit of platforming jank and a slightly underwhelming ending, CrossCode is a real gem of a game that anyone who likes RPGs should check out on their platform of choice, and especially if you have Game Pass. This is a game that deserves the same level of cult following as other indie gems such as Celeste and Stardew Valley. I look forward to the coming DLC, and whatever developer Radical Fish cooks up next (hopefully a sequel!)

Score: 9 / 10

[violent-optimism]

Why Twilight Princess is the Best Zelda Game (To Me!)

Hey ya’ll,

I know I don’t really talk about video games that much. I really should though! Video Games have been a huge part of my life for pretty much as long as I can remember.

The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess is a game that means so much to me I can scarcely put it into words. I was 10 years old when this game came out, the perfect age in my opinion. I think if I had been any older or younger it might have slipped past my radar. Despite the game being rated T for Teen, my parents got it for me and my sister anyway which I think is pretty fucking rad.

Not that we really knew what we were in for, of course. I was just a kid. I didn’t read game reviews yet, and I didn’t have any friends who had played this game so I couldn’t ask them about it either. When we first popped that disc in and were brought to the main menu, we had absolutely NO idea just what kind of ride we were in for or how just how much this game would impact us.

Another thing I’d like to mention was how this game was introduced into my life at the perfect time. My sister and I had just moved schools. We were the new kids, and we had a lot of trouble adjusting and fitting in. There was definitely some teasing, maybe even some bullying. I don’t remember much from those days to be honest. But you know what I do remember? Playing Twilight Princess. This game was the perfect distraction from my crappy school life, and in a time where my sister and I barely had any friends, it was so comforting. We’ve always been close, but I think we bonded a lot over this game.

If you’re a gamer, you know this feeling; the feeling when you are currently playing a game that is just so fun, so amazing, so utterly addicting in the best possible way; that when you’re away from it it’s all you can think about. I distinctly remember my Dad installing the new TV which meant no Twilight Princess for a day or so. I was SO impatient and I just couldn’t wait for him to be done so I could continue playing it.

Even though I’ve now played Twilight Princess so many times that I could basically play it with my eyes closed (maybe lol) I still remember experiencing some of the best moments of the game for the very first time; running around Ordon Village, finding Midna, beating the first dungeon, finding out that GANONDORF was in the game! (Remember I had no way of knowing this at the time). Every big moment, every discovery, every heart-wrenching cut scene, it all felt so real and so important at the time. In a lot of ways, it still is.

Okay, so that’s the personal part. A bit long-winded, I know. I just thought it was important to include for this essay. But what is it about Twilight Princess that makes it so special? Why do I love it so much even after 15 years? (God that makes me feel old). This list isn’t really in a particular order but I will definitely be covering a lot of the BIG reasons why I adore this game so much. Oh, and in case you’re a little late to the party, there will be spoilers. Let’s go!

 Darker and More Mature:

There’s something really enticing about being a kid, and witnessing something in a movie, video game, etc. that you know you probably shouldn’t have watched but you did anyway. Not only is Twilight Princess the only Zelda game to date that is Rated T (I’m pretty sure anyway), but it has some seriously dark and disturbing moments throughout the story; including one VERY creepy cut scene about halfway through the game that still haunts me a little to this day. Beyond that, you’ve got painful transformation sequences, characters being stabbed, characters sacrificing themselves, and a scene where I’m pretty sure Ganondorf’s neck just gets fucking broken. I can go on, but the point is this Zelda game does not screw around when it comes to showing intense moments and it’s all the better for it. I never felt the game went too far with it, but let’s say Twilight Princess definitely earned its T rating.

 Wolf Form:

I’m sure people who haven’t even played TP know that this is probably the biggest defining feature. In this game, Link gains the ability to turn into a Wolf! I know some people might consider these parts of the game to be boring and not as fun, but I have always disagreed with that notion. I think it’s a really cool and out of the box way to break the somewhat repetitive gameplay of traditional Zelda games. There’s more of a puzzle-solving element to these Wolf sections, and I for one find it very satisfying to collect the Tears of Light. Turning into your Wolf form becomes essential, especially towards the latter half of the game when you need to complete tasks that you couldn’t normally do as a human. Plus…Wolf Link is pretty darn cute! His design is awesome too.

 MIDNA!!!:

And speaking of Wolf Link, around the same time Link gains this ability he also meets a character who (in my opinion) is THE BEST Zelda sidekick/companion across all the games. She’s not annoying, she’s not boring; Midna is a 3-Dimensional, fully fleshed out character that plays a crucial role in the story. I can’t imagine anyone playing this game and NOT getting attached to Midna. I know I certainly did. In the first half of the game you don’t really know that much about her, but she is certainly helpful gameplay-wise and doesn’t just give you the same useless hint over and over. Plus, the SASS! My God, Midna is so sassy I love her so much. I love how she grows and changes and becomes a better person by the end of the story. Midna really deserves her own game!

 A Beautiful Game:

Now obviously this doesn’t just apply to Twilight Princess. Most Zelda games are very beautiful, especially the more modern ones such as Breath of the Wild. However, there is something about the specific beauty of Twilight Princess that just takes my breath away. The scenery is just gorgeous everywhere you go. Ordon Village is beautiful, Hyrule Field is stunning, Snowpeak is captivating, the Fishing Hole is serene, you get the picture. And to top it all off, Twilight Princess STILL looks beautiful even after all these years. The graphics have aged really well which is certainly no hindrance. As a kid I always wished that some of the locations were real, and honestly, I still kinda do.

 Best version of Ganondorf:

It’s funny; I don’t normally root for villains. I tend to gravitate towards more heroic characters or characters that are more similar to me. Ganondorf is certainly the exception; specifically the Ganondorf that we see in Twilight Princess. I remember being SO EXCITED when he first appeared in a cut scene after Arbiter’s Grounds. I don’t know if it’s the way he was introduced, the raspy laugh, or his character design, but I LOVE Ganondorf in this game. He is just so bad-ass, so cool, my only wish is that we saw a little bit more of him in TP. Regardless, every time he shows up in the game, he is a formidable and dominating screen presence. And I feel no shame whatsoever admitting that 10 year old Sam developed a massive crush on this Ganondorf. Is that weird? I dunno, but either way he is just so cool as well as a fantastic addition to an already perfect game.

The Soundtrack:

Again, it’s not unusual for a Zelda game to have a really fantastic soundtrack. The series has always had amazing music since the very first game. However, the music in Twilight Princess continues to entrance me even to this day. The Main Menu theme? Amazing. Midna’s theme? Amazing. Lake Hylia? Amazing. And don’t even get me started on those beautiful Wolf Songs you sing throughout the game. It’s just a beautiful soundtrack. To say it’s nostalgic for me is a massive understatement.

Dungeon Design:

Unsurprisingly, most Zelda games tend to recycle the same temple themes over and over again. You got your forest temple, your fire temple, water, desert, time, etc. These are definitely present in Twilight Princess, but there’s something about the way they’re designed and the way you move through them that just feels so unique and wonderful. I won’t name them but I’ve played other Zelda games where the dungeons felt like a horrible, tedious chore. With TP, I never felt that was the case. Every Dungeon is packed full of secrets, with plenty of interesting set pieces to explore. Even the water temple (YES, the Water Temple!) is enjoyable to play through. The Dungeons have tons of replay value as well, meaning that you can return later and find special items that you weren’t able to access before.

And just as a fun bonus, here’s my top nine list for the Twilight Princess Dungeon’s:

9) City in the Sky

8) Palace of Twilight

7) Hyrule Castle

6) Temple of Time

5) Lakebed Temple

4) Forest Temple

3) Snowpeak Ruins

2) Goron Mines

1) Arbiter’s Grounds

 And that about wraps it up, folks! Sorry this was such a long essay, I had so much to say. It is, after all, my favourite video game ever. Of course it’s not technically perfect and it definitely has some flaws. But you know what? It’s perfect to me, and I’ll never get sick of it.

Thank you so much for reading! :) Listen to this track of the opening theme and tell me you don’t feel it in your SOUL!!!

[doorbloggr]

Sunday 22/8/21 - Media Recommendations #16: Top 3's of Right Now

In terms of new media to recommend this week, there is none. So this week I'm gonna do a bit of a recap/best of media thing. From the categories of Music, Anime, and Videogames, I'm gonna list my top 3 of right now.

What do I mean by Top 3 of Right Now? Well, personal taste in consumable media is very malleable and subject to change over time. So today, I'm gonna quickly highlight what I can declare my Top 3 Favourite Songs, Anime Series, and Videogames are, as the Mitchell of August the 22nd, 2021.

Some of these things I'm recommending I will have discussed in a previous Media Recommendations post, but my discussion of each of the things I talk about today will be very short. So without further ado, let's start with music.

● Top 3 Favourite Songs

▪︎3rd: Caramelldansen - Caramella Girls

I can't really explain in words why I like this song so much, but it's just really good. I am not fluent speaker of Swedish, so I do not understand much of anything in the lyrics, but that's the magic of good music, you don't have to understand. If a song bops hard enough, the lyrics can be complete nonsense and still make worldwide charts even outside their native tongue. Caramelldansen also manages to capture that quintessential excitable weaboo nerd energy that I've come to accept is definitely part of my being.

This spot was the hardest to place out of any other placing in this post. There was about 6 songs I could declare as being my 3rd favourite song of all time, but at the very second I'm writing this, midnight on Sunday, I decided that Caramelldansen is my third favourite song.

▪︎2nd: Foolish Heart - Nyanners

One thing that will always make me enjoy a song is a funky beat. Music that just pumps and jams. Foolish Heart is fun to groove to and there's not much more to it. I also have a soft spot for bitter-sweet lovesongs, and there aren't many songs I know that are as bitter about the sweetness of love than this. I follow the artist who does this song on many of her socials and I was a fan of it the second it came out, and it will probably stay in my regular rotation for a long time.

Honourable Mentions:

Old 45s - Chromeo

A Thousand Miles - Vanessa Carlton

Mr Blue Sky - ELO

Mansion Party - Ninja Sex Party

Roundabout - Yes

▪︎1st: I Want You - Savage Garden

I had actually heard this song a bit when I was much younger, but it was only recently I became obsessed with it. It is the song used in the closing credits during JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Part 4, and I instantly fell in love with it. It's just so funky and goes so damn hard. It's a soft song, but also very powerful. The vocals are so smooth and the instruments are so sexy. It's been my favourite song for many years in a row now, and I think it's gonna keep that number 1 spot for a while longer yet.

● Top 3 Favourite Anime Series

▪︎3rd: Darling in the Franxx

Darling in the Franxx just vibed with me on an emotional level. My very soul was touched by how much love this anime exudes. Studio Trigger are known foremost for their intense action and over the top characters, and sure this anime has those in spades. For someone who hasn't watched it, it may appear to be a cosmic mecha anime, but in fact, it is a romance story first. I can't really explain it well, but Darling in the Franxx just punches you right in the soul with how much emotion there is. It is a beautiful anime.

▪︎2nd: Food Wars - Shokugeki no Soma

There's just something fun about rooting for a snarky protagonist who is overconfident. Especially when, most of the time, they are precisely big enough for their boots. Food Wars is a complete 3 course dinner that fills many different niches of anime. It's a lesson in many different cultures, it is food porn, it's a battle shonen, it even has light romance, but never lets that take centre stage over the journey of the protagonists. I'm admittedly a lover of tasteful fanservice here and there, and Food Wars delivers just the right amount of echi to entertain those into it, but no more than necessary. Food Wars is just... a lot. And it's great.

Honourable Mentions:

JoJo's Bizarre Adventure

Kono Subarashii Sekai ni Shukufuku o!

Dagashi Kashi

That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime

Log Horizon

▪︎1st: Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood

FMA is just such a full package. It has a fun and interesting cast of characters. A complex and vast setting that is neither overexplained nor underexplained. A cast of villains that are all unique and the perfect balance of sympathetic to hateable. And most importantly, it does not outstay its welcome. I was very much considering putting JoJo's Bizarre Adventure up here, but the issue is that like, many other series, a series can be too long. A good anime has to be long enough to sink your teeth into, but if drags on for too long, it can become exhausting. FMA spends the perfect amount of time building up the plot and ends where it should. Edward and Alphonse Elric are the perfect dynamic duo, and every character has such fun designs and personalities. I could blab on for ages on why I love Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood, and I have in a previous post. So go search that up in my pinned post if you want a longer breakdown. It is an anime MUST WATCH.

●Top 3 Videogames

▪︎3rd: Super Smash Bros Ultimate

The very idea of Super Smash Bros is something that appeals to gamers everywhere. A suite of characters from all over gaming that are all playable in one huge game. You get to play that classic "my favourite character could kick your favourite character's butt" in real time. I'm not a big fighting game guy, but Smash has a very accessible jumping off point, simple controls and a system of combat that's only really as deep as you need it to be. Smash Bros is also a very important game to me socially, since I owe all my current closest friends to meetings I had interacting with the competitive scene. I used to be really into competitive Smash too, and Smash Ultimate in particular had a fairly balanced cast, in that if you were committed enough, you could dominate with any character. But even if I've grown exhausted with that scene, and only ever play the game casually now, I owe a lot to this series.

▪︎2nd: Animal Crossing New Horizons

As of right now, Animal Crossing is not a game I play.... at all. But for the few months after the game released, ACNH was a religious dedication. I'm in a pretty shitty place these days. Can't see friends, can't even go to work, the world is falling apart as our leaders can't get Covid under control. But while I was playing ACNH, it brought structure and purpose back into my life for a while. I had villagers depending on me, museum collections to complete, flowers to breed, an island to transform into my vision of a nice place to live. It was nice. This number 2 spot might be taken by a different game in the future, but this year, Animal Crossing New Horizons was a very important game for me.

Honourable Mentions:

The Legend of Zelda Twilight Princess

Pikmin 3

Jackbox Party Pack (the whole series)

Shovel Knight Treasure Trove

Pokémon Soul Silver

▪︎ 1st: The Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild

Despite Zelda being a huge part of my identity, I didn't actually get into the series until my mid teens. By that point, most of the later games were very formulaic and linear. And sure that can make for a very compelling story and experience, but BotW just threw that idea out the window. Breath of the Wild is a game you can just get lost in. Spend an hour just dicking around in the middle of nowhere and it's a blast just to move around. The world is tranquil, and also exciting. The game is gorgeous and fun to play and there's just too much to talk about. I've played the game from start to finish at various levels of completion about 5 times now, (one playthrough being a 2 hourish speedrun to the final boss) and every playthrough I found new locations, puzzles, interactions that I never encountered before. It's a game that just matched my being perfectly and I doubt a game will leave an impact like that for many years to come.

[gnosk]

@leechdealer69 Oh, absolutely.

In no particular order:

Hyper Light Drifter Ahaha I know I just said these were in no particular order but HLD might be my favorite video game. I’ve written essays about this game (okay, just one, but I poured my heart into it). Every part of this game is executed SO well and it comes together for an amazing product. It’s gorgeous and the sound design is superb. The story is subtle in a good way, largely told through small anecdotes and environmental storytelling, and is incredibly melancholic. The combat is brutally difficult, which would typically be a turn-off for me because I have difficulty with combat, but feels so good that even if you’re total shit at it you want to keep playing. I’m actually decent at HLD’s combat at this point, somehow. Every part of this game serves its thematic identity, from its story to its world to even the game design itself. Please play HLD if you get the chance.  

Machinarium Machinarium does the point-and-click genre really, really well. I love this genre solely because of this game, honestly. All of Amanita Design’s games are great (I also highly recommend Samorost 3), but Machinarium stands out to me because it’s just so.... charming? It follows a robot protagonist as he attempts to infiltrate the robot mafia to save his robot girlfriend and keep said robot mafia from destroying the robot city (everything in this game is a robot). Truly, the only straight romance that matters. It’s weird and wacky and while the puzzles are certainly difficult, they all make sense conceptually (plus there’s a really well thought out hint system). If you like point-and-clicks, or even if you don’t, I’d recommend checking this one out.

Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild Yeah, okay, nobody’s surprised by this one. Open-world games are the type of thing that sound like they should be  right up my alley, but most don’t execute the open world aspect very well. BOTW, it’s safe to say, does. I’ve sunk, like, 250 hours into this game, and for good reason. I dunno if I can really say anything about BOTW that hasn’t already been said, but for me, the biggest draw is its exploration, and how much there is to explore. I’ve pretty much 100%’d BOTW (aside from the koroks, because fuck the koroks) because I kept being surprised that there was even more I hadn’t found already. Also I project onto Link. There’s that.

World of Goo This game is so weird, in a really good way. It’s also surprisingly anti-capitalist/anti-consumerist? The game itself mostly just consists of building towers of these cute little goo balls to solve puzzles, but it’s set against this warped, hyper-consumerist society that (vague spoilers?) ends up basically ruining everything. It was one of the first real video games I ever played and I’ve never played anything like it since, and it definitely has held up on replays. The puzzles are great, the goo balls are cute, and the world is demented in ways both amusing and intellectually complex. Anyway, yeah. This game’s pretty old at this point compared to most of the other entries on this list but it deserves some love.

Oxenfree Oxenfree is a really cool game. Five teenagers roaming around a historically haunted island, getting haunted and sharing their traumatic backstories? Hell yeah. This game implements choice-based dialogue & multiple endings really well, and every little detail becomes relevant to *something* later. It’s kind of a horror game, but not totally, and didn’t end up freaking me out existentially like most horror does (just has some spooky moments. It’s about ghosts, after all.). The sound design & art are really cool, and all of the main characters are really interesting & well written. There are also plenty of secrets if that’s your thing. Now that I’m writing this I actually want to go back and replay it, ahaha.

I think I think too much about video games.

[i-live-in-a-yellow-submarine]

Ultimate Beatlemania Tag!

Right off the bat, thank you so much to @johns-prince for tagging me! It took me forever to get around to filling this out, but I did it! I kind of don’t know people though so I don’t really know who I’d tag...I’ll just throw @toughbaby-buggybaby in because why not, you can do this if you want!

Anyway, this is gonna be a long post, so prepare yourself if you decide to read this.

How long have you been a fan?:

Okay well this is a little complicated to answer properly, but I’ll do my best. I’ve been listening to their music ever since I was little, and I’ve always adored it. The only problem was that I was either too young to think “Oh, this is The Beatles, I like them a lot!” or I just had no clue that it was them. I have that problem with a lot of bands that I’m into now actually. My dad always forgot to tell me “Oh by the way, you’re listening to insert band name here,” so now I’m catching up.

But if we’re talking about when I decided to sell my soul to these four dorks then it was about a year ago. I got really into their music because of some family members that had come visiting for the holidays, and they were all about The Beatles. One of my cousins would play their songs for me on the piano, as well as some of Paul’s solo work. After that I went in a spiral of just investing myself in them, so now they own my life.

Favorite Beatle:

How dare you make me choose. I love them all and refuse to pick between them-

Really though, I adore each of them so much and it’s really hard for me to make a concrete decision, especially since I tend to go through phases. I always conclude with George though because I just relate to him the most personality wise and admire him in a lot of ways, plus I think he’s gorgeous.

Favorite era for music:

I assume we’re talking about their specific eras in their own music? I hope that’s what this question is. If not, I personally like music from the 60s to the 80s, kind of bleeding into the 90s.

For the bug boys specifically, I think at the moment I’d have to go with everything.

Favorite era for lewks:

Again, if we’re talking about in general, I honestly don’t have an answer?? I’m not into fashion whatsoever, I just walk around wearing hoodies and jeans no matter what. The extent of my fashion knowledge is me seeing something I like and thinking “nice.”

For The Beatles, I honestly don’t know either. I thought they usually looked good in one way or another, (with a few exceptions that we’ll be getting to, don’t you worry) though I’ll always have a soft spot for their moptop era because they just looked adorable all the time. Also, those four looked amazing during their teddy boy days. I’m weak for teddy boy John and George.

Favorite song:

This is a really hard question to answer because I have so many favorites but I’ll try anyway.

This Boy is what I’m gonna start with, because oh my goodness it’s beautiful. John’s voice makes me feel so many things in that song, plus the harmonies behind it are just- mwah. Amazing. Along with that, In My Life never ceases to make me emotional for pretty much the same reasons, and the lyrics of course. The acoustic (???) version of While My Guitar Gently Weeps also has the same effect and I can’t deal with it.

When I’m Sixty Four has always been a favorite of mine from the start. A big part is because I’m a biased clarinet player and love every bit of it, plus Paul’s vocals in that one are so crisp and clear and I can’t handle it. And while we’re on the topic of Sgt Pepper, I also love With A Little Help From My Friends. I always get so happy when I hear Ringo’s voice, and this is one of my favorite songs that he sang.

Probably an unpopular choice for a favorite, but I’ve always really liked For You Blue??? I don’t know why, it just makes me laugh and all giddy for some reason. Honey Pie has the same effect on me as well. That song makes me bounce around like I’m a little kid again, and I adore it. It’s pretty much the same with Martha My Dear too, and also it makes me think of Martha which is always great.

I’m also a fan of their solo work and still branching off into it, but I really like Somedays, Blood From A Clone, and I Know (I Know).

Sorry I went on a tangent I just really appreciate music-

Favorite Album:

I’ll try not to rant on this one because again, I love them all. But uhhhhh, the first album I listened to all the way through (and also the first original record I received, my prized possession) was Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. It holds a special place in my heart for that reason, on top of it just being all around amazing. But if you asked me to pick one album that I had to stick with for the rest of my life, right now I’d have to go with Let It Be or The White Album.

Unpopular/Controversial Beatles opinion:

Oh boy, I don’t want to go into details very much because I don’t feel like it, but I’d have to say my belief that the Lennon-McCartney relationship was romantic in some way. I know that one is controversial because…I mean just take a look around.

A song everyone loves but you dislike:

I honestly don’t know really, I don’t think I dislike any of their stuff, or at least I can’t think of any at the current moment. I don’t have many people that I can get opinions about their songs from, but I do know that I don’t go crazy over Yesterday like some people do. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a pretty song, I just have others I prefer much more than it.

A song everyone dislikes but you love:

Again, I don’t really know what songs people collectively love and don’t. I do know that when I listened to Lady Madonna with my mom for the first time, I was absolutely vibing and she was not having it. My step dad wasn’t either, and it’s the same situation with The Long And Winding Road. Those are just between three people’s opinions but shhh-

Your fantasy involving The Beatles:

Gosh, if I were able to have met those four and been one of their friends, it would just be a dream come true. Talking to them and just spending time with them is something I wish I could do, just to be there with those brilliant humans would be amazing. I admire each of them for different reasons, and if I got the chance to have been their friend for years, I could die and be happy.

Tell us about the moment you knew you were a fan:

Looping back to what I said at the start, I’ve technically been a fan of their music since I was a little kid. But talking about the time I unknowingly handed my soul to them, I’d have to say around my last birthday.

A while back I was - and still am - all about the Legend Of Zelda franchise. I’d finished up all the manga that I’d bought based off the games, and wondered if I could find other stuff to read that was like it. Then the world of fanfiction showed itself to me and I just thought “Oh boy, this is a bad idea, but who cares, I want content.”

Fast forward to the point where I was really into The Beatles musically. I wanted to know more about the actual people making the music, so during the process of learning more about them, I remembered the deep and dark depths of fanfiction websites. Thus, I discovered that McLennon was a thing and immediately needed to know why. I literally read my first McLennon fanfic on my birthday.

Basically a month later I’d fallen completely in love with these four guys, their music, and McLennon.

Did you ever have a genuine ‘The Beatles suck!’ phase before becoming a fan?:

Oh no, I could never! This band had been drilled into my mind as one of the greatest of all time by multiple family members, so I just went with it. My dad would talk about them and I’d find them fascinating, even though I was much younger. In fact, I have a fuzzy memory of him driving my brother and I to the beach one time many years back, and he was talking about Norwegian Wood. He never actually told me that was the name, so I forgot shortly after. Then a couple years go by and I’m listening to it for the first time in who knows how long and go “Wait! That’s the song he was talking about!”

Favorite Beatles Book:

I actually haven’t read any yet, but I really want to. I’ve been thinking about getting both of John’s because I’ve heard that they’re quite entertaining for the right people, and based on what I have read from them, I think I’d really like them. I would love to get more after that, but that’s where I’d start.

Thoughts on the old generation of fans:

Having family members that fit in that category, I don’t have any problem with them at all. I mean, they were there during the time of The Beatles, and they always have interesting things to say about them and fun stories to tell. In my own experiences some of them can be a bit condescending with their views and opinions because they were alive during the time, but I know that not all the people in that generation are like that.

If Hollywood were to make a high budget Beatles biopic, what is one thing you desperately hope they include?:

Lots of things really. If I had to go with one, I really would want them to show just how much those four loved and cared for each other, especially the bond between Paul and John. I feel like the breakup, which is a very complicated topic in it of itself, tinted the media’s view to the point where some people believe that they hated each other, which is far from the truth.

I assume they would get their personalities right?? But if that’s something high budget biopics don’t guarantee, then that too. I just want to see their lives done right, with the important factors and people in their lives shown in the right light too. I know that’s a lot to ask of a biopic and probably will never happen, but I can dream.

Do you read/write fanfic?:

Yes, I do both. I wanted to become a better writer and artist, so I use The Beatles and other fandoms I’m a part of as a creative outlet in that sense. There are also so many amazing creators out there that I adore, so why would I not pay attention to the great things people have made?

Are you the only one in your family/friend group to enjoy them?:

No, but also yes? It’s kind of weird actually. Family wise, I have a lot of family members that at least like their music, so I can talk to them when it comes to that. But when it comes to the boys as people, I really don’t have many family members who know much or care. I can rant to my mom because she just takes it all in even though she doesn’t have a clue what I’m talking about, and I infected my brother with Beatlemaniac as well, so now his favorite is Ringo and we talk about them a lot with each other.

Friends wise, I have two that enjoy them. My closest friend is a musician and music is really important in her family, so she’s been listening to a number of bands since she was basically a baby. I talk to her about anything and everything, which also means I rant about everything involving The Beatles. As far as I know, she doesn’t mind and likes talking about the McLennon tea. The other loves all music and she’s been listening to some of their stuff since she was young as well, but it was when I was getting really invested in The Beatles that she also did.

Are you a shipper?:

Yes, yes, and yes.

Addressing McLennon first, I don’t necessarily see it as only a ship, I believe that those two were in a romantic relationship of some kind. But I’ll save those opinions for just a little bit-

Of course when roaming around in the fanfiction world for that good McLennon content, I was bound to find other ships. Obviously my heart belongs to McLennon, so I can’t see Paul or John in any other relationship. As a result of that, I found comfort in Starrison and think it’s precious, though that’s purely just a ship in my book, so I love and put their friendship first. It definitely doesn’t fall into the same boat as McLennon for me.

Favorite movie starring/made by them?:

Over the past few months I fell in love with Yellow Submarine, which I am going to make count in terms of this question because it’s quality content. I love the humor, the artwork, the designs, the story, the music, everything. I just love it all.

Do you believe in McLennon?:

I’m sure you know the answer to that by now.

General opinions on McLennon?:

This post could go on forever if I actually let myself say everything I wanted to. I’ll try to keep it brief because I’ve rambled for long enough as is.

As I already stated, I have a firm believe that McLennon was real. No, is real. Paul shows his love for John to this day, and I’m sure John is reciprocating it wherever he is right now. Everything that they went through together just takes me on the most emotional rollercoaster to ever exist.

I was in the middle of making a list of just all the little things about their amazing relationship, but I realized there were so many that I could fill books about it all, and there would still be so much that we don’t know about. In the end, what John and Paul had was theirs, and the glimpses of it that we’ve been lucky enough to see are beautiful, heartbreaking, and everything in between. The love they shared lives on in the music they created, and I’m just glad to be able to experience it in that way.

If you got to change ONE thing about their history, what would it be and why?:

Oh this is a hard one for sure. I think if I were able to change something, it would be how the breakup played out. Altering factors in their lives so that they had been able to communicate with each other (specifically John and Paul) properly so they were on the same page with each other in what they needed and wanted probably would have softened the blow of the breakup for them, if it were to even happen.

Preventing the alcohol and substance abuse that was dealt with during that time and onward would most definitely have made things better as well, along with everything that happened with John’s association with Yoko. If they had just been able to keep their issues under control with help from people qualified to do so, I think things would have turned out much better for all of them. Then again, it’s such a complicated topic and there are so many things we could change for the better that I don’t have a set way to answer the question.

What song has the best vocals?:

I’m about to go on a tangent again, sorry-

I love the vocals for When I’m Sixty Four. Everything just sounds so clean in that song. I also really love how Paul sounds in Michelle and She’s Leaving Home, with the background feeling all calm so his voice kind of pops.

Girl leaves me feeling like a puddle and I don’t know how to handle it. It’s a similar situation with Do You Want To Know A Secret and This Boy too. The vocals just make me feel things.

John’s voice in Across The Universe and Julia sounds so sweet and sincere, and it always calms me down. I don’t really know why I love it so much, I just think the vocals are wonderful and almost insecure.

I think my favorite performance vocals wise has to be If I Fell though. The way Paul and John’s voices blend perfectly shows prominently in this song, and it’s absolutely beautiful.

What song do you feel had no effort put into it?:

Los Paranoias, but I don’t care and vibe to it anyway.

What is a well talked about moment in Beatles history that you genuinely believe to be false?:

I’ve been thinking really hard about this question but I can’t really think of one off the top of my head that holds much significance. I know there are plenty, but how glorified John and Yoko’s relationship was just seems so artificial to me the majority of the time. I know that isn’t really a moment per say, but it’s the only thing I could think of.

What is something you KNOW to be true, but often gets erased in their history?:

The biggest one that comes to mind right now is definitely the majority of the things involving Yoko throughout the breakup of the band up until John’s death. Honestly, I’ve read and thought about it so much that I just don’t really feel like going into much detail, but in general a lot of the things Yoko did seem to be brushed under the rug.

Least favorite look from a Beatle(s):

Need I say more?

Really though, I don’t have a care for the facial hair John and Paul had in 67, and again later on with their beards. I think they just looked better without it, when you can see their whole face. There’s also the underlying struggles they were dealing with at the time that brought on those messy looks, which makes me more sad than anything.

Favorite look from a Beatle(s):

I’m just gonna list my favorites for each of them and then my favorite pictures or gifs of them because why not.

How I Won The War John is beautiful and I can’t explain why, he just has that special something. I also have a thing for 64-66 John in hats-

Honestly everything from 63-66 is great for Paul. He looked pretty much the same to me during that time period, just with his hair gradually getting longer.

He also had his moments in 67, after he got rid of the mustache (that’s how I feel about John in 67 too)

I could go ahead and say just about everything for George honestly because I’m weak for him. But to pick absolute favorites, then I’d go with 65, 67, and The Rooftop Concert.

I absolutely adore 63 and 64 Ringo to no end. He was just adorable no matter what.

For the whole group together, I think my favorites would be their Shea Staduim or A Hard Day’s Night looks. They make my heart melt.

Anyway, that was a lot of rambling and I definitely didn’t need to write as much as I did, but what can you do? Thank you again for the tag! On the off chance that anyone sees this and wants to do it, go ahead! Peace and Love <3

[callunavulgari]

TOP 25 FICS OF 2019

1. these roads will take you into your own country by @notbecauseofvictories | American Gods | Laura Moon/Mad Sweeney | WIP | 33k

Here’s a joke for you: a Muslim, a zombie, and a leprechaun walk into a bar in Misery, Indiana. No one stares, because no one in the puckered, shitty asshole of Misery, Indiana gives a fuck. The Colts are playing.

Heather Says: So. It’s funny that another of @notbecauseofvictories‘s stories is at the top of my list again this year. Keep in mind this list is sorted by when the fic was read rather than favorites (because that would get real complicated real quick). Clearly there must be something about January. There’s just something about the writing that is easy to slip into, be it a Star Wars fic or a Labyrinth fic or even a fic about Johnny and the Devil. This was lovely and I can’t wait until it’s finished.

2. eighteen wheels on an uphill climb by @honkforhankcon | Detroit: Become Human | Hank/Connor | 91k

Hank is going to die. He’s going to die right here in Kentucky, 53 years old, halfway to broke, and tragically sober. Survived only by a nine-year-old St. Bernard and the 31-year-old twink who delivered the fatal blow.

Heather Says: I don’t think that this is the first DBH fic that I sought out after beating the game, but it is the first that I loved enough to make it to this list. I didn’t think that I would go for a modern au for this fandom, certainly not a modern au wihere Hank is a truck driver and Connor is a sex worker (albeit briefly?) but here I am.

3. Fuck pride (pride only hurts, it never helps) by ImogenGotDrunk | Detroit: Become Human | RK900/Gavin Reed | 41k

After the android uprising, Connor becomes a permanent fixture in the DPD. That’s fine. Gavin can accept that. The dipshit’s more human than he used to be, and a decent detective to boot. Gavin can deal with him being around. What Gavin cannot deal with is Connor’s replica; two inches taller, blue-eyed, and with a mouth that Gavin doesn’t know whether to punch or take between his teeth. The RK900 model has been assigned as his partner for the foreseeable future.

Heather Says: I also never thought that I’d like a fic with Gavin in it. But I got curious about all the Reed900, and well, this fic really won me over. The writing is fantastic, and it softens Gavin while still keeping him believable. Also, well, I like the enemies to lovers thing.

4. Almost Cool by @blacktofade | Buzzfeed Unsolved | Ryan/Shane | 30k

While filming the Yuma Territorial Prison episode, Shane gets bitten by what he thinks is a bat. Spoiler alert: it's not.

Heather Says: This is actually the first thing that I read for this fandom. In fact, this is the fic that got me into Buzzfeed Unsolved in the first place. I’d seen a lot of art and gifs and fics pass my way, but I was only ever slightly interested in what I saw until this fic came through my inbox and piqued my curiosity. 

5. Pride by @astolat | Game of Thrones | Jaime/Brienne/Cersei | 22k

Jaime didn’t understand why Cersei suddenly insisted on trimming his hair and shaving his beard, but he also didn’t care to fight her on it, even though he’d just as soon have kept the beard: it was bitterly cold in the small tower room with its arrow-slits. 

Heather Says: Wowza. This fic was intense. I’ve always loved Jaime and Brienne. I’ve loved them since the second book, which was read at least a few years before I started loving them in the show. Adding Cersei to their dynamic would have probably been almost impossible to pull off if it was anyone else, but @astolat lives to surpass my expectations.

6. Skin and Scales by Ernmark | The Penumbra Podcast | Lord Arum/Sir Damien/Rilla | 18k

The man glares, and this time, Damien is certain it isn’t a trick of the light: those eyes are violet as amethyst. He wears disdain like a second skin–- or, perhaps, like the scales that he is missing. “Lord Arum?”

Heather Says: I was one of those people who skipped through all of the Second Citadel episodes during my first listen through of Penumbra. The stories were good, but the pull of Juno was too great. A couple months after I finished, I went back and listened to everything I didn’t. And let me tell you. Lizard monster. Honorable knight. Bookish girlfriend. Poly. It hit every single button I had and then some. This fic really hit the spot when I ran out of story.

7. someone you like by caela | She-Ra | Adora/Catra | 5k

catwithabat u think ur so hipster but u just look like a lesbian 27m she_ra @catwithabat bc… i’m a lesbian. lmao 5m

Heather Says: Noooot usually a big fan of high school fics. Namely because I’m not in high school anymore and well, after you read so many in your teenage years they sort of lose their luster. This one was phenomenal enough to change my mind.

8. Sands of Time by @tirsynni | Legend of Zelda | Ganondorf/Link | WIP | 98k

Link awakens in the desert with no idea how he got there, to encounter his worst enemy...except it was the King of the Gerudo, not the King of Evil, he faced.

Heather Says: I have seen a lot of really good Link/Ganondorf art over the years, but never really stumbled across a fic that didn’t have judicious amount of non-con involved. But the Breath of the Wild 2 trailer happened, and everybody started drawing really pretty art, so I went looking. And lo and behold, @tirsynni saved the day with this gorgeous time travel/fix-it fic. 

9. killed with kindness by veterization | Persona 5 | Akechi/Akira | 52k

Goro can't quite figure out why so many people keep acting like they're his friend. (Or: the one where the Phantom Thieves decide to know thy enemy, befriend thy enemy, love thy enemy, crush on thy enemy).

Heather Says: I’ve read a couple of veterization’s fics over the years, and to date they have never disappointed me. They published this in June, and I think I clicked on it mostly because I was bored and hadn’t read any good P5 fic yet. This was basically just what the doctor ordered, and I was really happy to find something where Akechi’s story went ever so slightly different.

10. paper thin by @ebonybow | Buzzfeed Unsolved | Ryan/Shane/Sara | 9k

Shane’s new neighbors are a morning-sex kind of couple.

Heather Says: So I went into this one knowing very little about how Sara fit into things. I didn’t know she was Shane’s girlfriend. I’d never even seen her, but I clicked because I like poly and I trust the author. I was 100% not disappointed. There’s also another fic with a very similar dynamic here, which is also aces.

11. damn.nation, now available on itunes by @kaikamahine | Good Omens | Aziraphale/Crowley | 11k

When lowly tempt-pusher Amphora (formerly of Stairwell 7B North, before she Fell,) gets the notice that end times are nigh, she gleefully quits her job and cancels her Netflix subscription and takes her place among the legions of hell. This, it turns out, was a bad plan.

Heather Says: Elizabeth may have only written one fic this year, but she made it a damn good one. I’ve always loved her OCs especially, so I was pretty tickled that this is 10k+ of outsider pov. Also, demons! Demons are great! This demon is great! I want like 9 seasons and a movie about Amphora, just saying.

12. The Dragon and Her Wolves by hapakitsune | Game of Thrones | Jon/Sansa/Daenarys | 60k

When the truth of Jon's birthright is revealed, control of the North and Daenerys's claim to the Iron Throne are both called into question. To preserve their tenuous alliance and secure her rule, Daenerys puts aside her personal feelings to arrange a marriage of political convenience between Jon and Sansa Stark.

Heather Says: What do you mean season 8 didn’t exist and the show totally ended with a three way relationship between the two most powerful women in Westeros and Jon Snow? Never been a big fan of Jon/Sansa before this, but this is another of those writers that I would literally trust if they wrote a fic about a fork and a spoon.

13. never tell me the odds by @wildehacked | Wolf 359 | Eiffel/Hera | 9k

“I tried Star Wars," he says, adjusting the phone under his neck, "and it was way underwhelming.”

A shaky breath from her end. “Well, where did you start?”

Heather Says: I don’t remember which of @wildehacked‘s fandoms I started reading first. Most recently it’s been The Magnus Archives (more on this later). The point is, they’d written Wolf 359 fic and it had Hera and Eiffel and it was literally everything that I’ve been looking for since the series ended.

14. Find Me Somebody by raiining | Good Omens | Warlock/Adam Young | 11k

“You left me,” he said. “You both left me, for him. And I can’t even blame you, because I’d have left me for him too.”

Heather Says: There was an Art. The art was lovely. So I went looking, because that’s what I do when faced with beautiful art depicting a rare pairing. And I found the holy grail. Like, possibly my favorite Good Omens fic? Ever? 

15. flirting with fire by @brawlite | Stranger Things | Billy/Steve | WIP | 7k

Steve's a cop, Billy's a firefighter. It's not a grudge, it's just a regular old small town rivalry.

Heather Says: Okay so brawlite has written a lot of great stuff this year (more on that later), but I read this in bed at the beach house this August while I was reeling from both a horrible sunburn and like seven hours of mild to moderate day-drinking while everyone else was still throwing back shots right outside my bedroom door. Jaws was playing on the tv and I wasn’t even paying attention to it, because THIS. Long story short, I’ve been thirsty for more ever since.

16. gold, when you find me by mmtion | The Flash | Iris/Barry | 53k

It's not that Iris hates The Flash, per say - more that she hates writing about The Streak in a weekly, pun-heavy comic based on The Flash.

Heather Says: I never would have thought that a canon pairing would make it to my Top 25 list, but here we are. I like Iris/Barry a lot better when they don’t grow up together and spend a lot of time playing the Superman game, apparently. Also, this was really well-written, and sexual tension has never been something I’ve felt from Barry and Iris, but I felt it in this fic. Just. Damn.

17. never gets old by @brawlite & @toast-ranger-to-a-stranger| Stranger Things | Billy/Steve | 78k

Falling in love with a cam boy named KingSteve isn't the smartest thing Billy Hargrove has ever done, nor is it the most healthy -- but the good choice is rarely ever the fun choice, and Billy is all about living life fast and loose.

Heather Says: Told you I’d come back to it. brawlite and toastranger are a fantastic team. last year was cherry pie and under the covers, this year it’s camboys and cop/firefighter dynamics. Also, I have a really strange fascination with fics where a character has an instragram. It’s really, incredibly strange. Also also, every time I see this fic title I get that one Discovery Channel song stuck in my head. And no, it probably isn’t the one you’re thinking.

18. ways to save the world by @wildehacked | The Magnus Archives | Martin Blackwood/Jon Sims | 19k

“I left you,” Martin says softly.

Heather Says: And we’re back at wildehacked too! The Magnus Archives was a thing that happened to me. This is I think the first fic I read for it while listening, and it was so very close to what we got in canon. I think when it comes down to it though, I still prefer this fic, even if the ending of this season was pretty fantastic.

19. The Denial Twist by beethechange | Buzzfeed Unsolved | Ryan/Shane | 35k

“This is kind of surreal,” Shane says, taking a sip of his tea. It’s piping hot and delicious, except it tastes like hot chocolate and not like tea at all. “Sort of—Wonka-esque, right? Or Alice in Wonderland.”

Heather Says: While the vampire one is my favorite both because it is excellent and because it was my first, this one was bizarre and sexy and also I read it like only a month or so ago! The dancing was my favorite part, but having dreams to work with made this story fantastically interesting and I loved every second of it.

20. silver in our lungs by taywen | Spinning Silver | Miryem/The Staryk Lord | 4k

The marks had been with Miryem for as long as she could remember. There were a number of them, all the same shade, following one after the other around her left wrist. They were pale as old scars, though they felt no different from the rest of her skin, and her mother claimed that Miryem had been born with them.

Heather Says: I really like soulmate aus. There’s so many different ways to twist them and the way they can sometimes change the dynamic entirely and other times not change them at all is just fascinating. I’ve been hoping there would be more Spinning Silver content on ao3 and running into this while I was trying to decide what I wanted to do for yuletide was a real treat.

21. you got me begging, begging, i'm on my knees by plalligator | The Queen’s Thief | Attolia/Eugenides/Costis | 5k

Costis has a particularly enlightening evening. (or, that struggle when you're a guard who's in love with your rulers and it turns out you would kind of like it if they bossed you around a little)

Heather Says: I accidentally re-read the King of Attolia and it made me consider ships I had perhaps not previously considered. This was really lovely and just steamy enough.

22. something more alive than silence by pageleaf | The Queen’s Thief | Attolia/Eugenides/Costis | 21k

It was a good thing that six months after the king had promised to halve the guard, he still hadn’t done it, because since then, there had been two attempts on the king’s life.

Heather Says: I want to only type the words AGONIZED NOISES to describe this fic because that’s basically my headspace when I get 21k of a shiny new ot3, but I mean. Really. This is super good and maybe my favorite yet? Why didn’t I start reading this fandom when I first read the books?

23. Timing it Right by DragonBandit | The Bright Sessions | Mark/Damien | 14k

The dragon chooses, Mark knows that as well as any boy born in a weyr. He'd never considered what that would mean if the dragon picked someone you hated. He's starting to think that was a mistake.

Damien's gold rises at Whitney. Mark tries to make things right.

Heather Says: This should actually be somewhere back in March, but I apparently closed out of the tab at some point. I never really got into Pern much. I have the first three books, but got most of the way through the first one a long time ago and then never picked it back up. I didn’t think I would like this, mostly because of the fact that I hadn’t gotten into the books, but was surprised to find that I absolutely loved it.

24. Keep It In Your Sights Now by LuckyDiceKirby | Shades of Magic | Lila/Kell/Holland | 9k

Holland travels with Lila and Kell. Somewhere along the way, they reach an equilibrium.

Heather Says: I love the new things I’ve discovered during my yuletide trompings. I don’t think I ever actually considered this pairing when I first read the books, but I am just so enamored with the idea of the three of them together. Like, why did I not realize that potential back then? This was lovely, and I loved it, and I want so much more out of this pairing than what ao3 has to offer me.

25. Charioteer by petrichoral | The Queen’s Thief | Gen & Costis | 13k

Captured in battle and stuck in the Mede capital, Costis has given up all hope of seeing his country again. But Eugenides has a habit of turning up where he's least expected.

Heather Says: Technically this shouldn’t be on here because I only read it today, but it was really wonderful and so canon typical. Gen and Costis were perfect in it, Irene was perfect in it. Everyone was perfect and nothing hurts.

[midzelink]

"#listen i know exactly how these two meet and how they start dating and it's beautiful and i LOVE THEM" Please tell me everything!

(( in reference to the tags I made on this Ilia x Ashei art ))

HOO, BOY, OKAY - where to begin?  A lot of this is going to be stuff that I didn’t really want to make a post about, because my hopes were that I would eventually write their meeting and eventual dating into a multi-chapter fic of sorts (called “Love & Horses,” and there’s good reason for that, I swear), but I struggle with writing enough as-is, and by the time I do (if ever) get around to it, this post will absolutely be lost to time - so, what the heck!  Lemme gush a little bit.  Some of this I’ve already written about in the description of this wedding piece I had commissioned, but I’ll expand on it a bit here. (Also, shoutout to @therealflurrin for inspiring a lot of this - we somehow fell in love with these two independently of one another, which just goes to show how much potential these two have. Spread the Iliashei love!)

So, what’s important to understand about Ashei (and this is all just my headcanon, of course) going into this is that she was raised alone by her father in the Hebra Mountains, with very sparse and sporadic human contact outside of him.  As she says in-game, he was a “knight in his own right,” and he “taught [her] the arts of war as though [she] was his son” - he taught her how to wield a sword, but unfortunately for her, that was pretty much all he taught her.  He was a troubled man haunted by the ghosts of his past, perhaps, but he was a terrible father, and when Ashei was only fifteen years old she bested him in battle and ran away from home. She was on her own for quite some time, surviving in the harsh wilderness of the frozen wilds, but she did so aimlessly; all she had was her sword, and with nowhere else to turn, she eventually found her way to Hyrule proper, choosing to enlist as a knight solely because she would have a roof over her head and some money in her pocket.  She was only sixteen at the time - she lied and told them she was twenty - and when she bested every captain in the entire royal guard in a single evening, they agreed to take her in.

Another important thing to note is that Ashei’s arrival in Castle Town (and one particular encounter with Princess Zelda herself, but that’s a story for another time) awakens The Gay within her; she’s never really been around so many people before, let alone women her own age.  This has some interesting side effects, namely that Ashei has no idea how to talk to or behave around women, and it plays into the first time she and Ilia (improperly) meet.

So, picture this: a short time after the events of the game, Ilia travels back to Castle Town to visit Telma, whom she bonded following her kidnapping and memory loss.  Ashei is sitting in the bar, sipping on some ale, and she hears someone come in and begin chatting; she thinks nothing of it, of course, until she takes a quick little peak -

- and sees the most drop-dead gorgeous person she has ever seen in her entire life.

She panics.  Face goes completely red, she hides her face in her hand, nearly drops her ale.  Her fight her flight instincts kick in, and she chooses flight, rushing out of the bar before the girl can even notice her, let alone speak to her - and though it’s a few days before she can get the image of her out of her head, eventually things go back to normal, and Ashei finds comfort in the fact that she’ll probably never see that mystery girl again.

Except, y’know - she does.  Because of course she does.

Fast forward a bit, Hyrule Castle is a still a mess of being rebuilt, and the people need something to keep their spirits up - so Zelda is like, f**k it!  Dance time!  An outdoor ball, in the afterglow of twilight, with food and live music and all what have you.  Ashei attends in a full set of royal armor, complete with helm and all the fixings, as she’s only there on guard duty, but just as soon she thinks the night is going to end without incident, who do you think she sees sitting all alone, and does she looks slightly sad or is that a trick of the light, and oh my gods that dress is lovely, was it handmade, did she make it, and what are the chances she would see her again -

Ashei is still quite flustered, of course - only this time it’s different, because here, she isn’t herself.  Here, she’s just a nameless solider among many - she could be anybody - and somehow, someway, she musters up her courage to approach the young woman…and offers her hand in dance.

And I think now would be a good time to talk about Ilia’s side of things; we know a lot more about her story, of course, but it’d probably be good to mention that, yes, she did love Link - and perhaps, once upon a time, he could have loved her, too, but after everything that happened, he was unable to readjust to life back in Ordon, and as we see in the final credits, he leaves, in a scene that tells us almost certainly that he only said goodbye to her.  Ilia goes through quite a lot both during the game and in the months after; romance aside, Link has always been her closest friend, and suddenly he’s so distant from her.  It’s difficult to handle, and as she watches him leave after a few months of struggling with this, with no idea of when or if he’ll return, I guess you could say that she fell out of love out of necessity; he was, and always will be, a very dear friend to her, but the weight of what had happened to both of them had changed them, and their relationship would never be exactly the same as it once was.  It pains her - but she accepts it, and moves on.

So, Link is AWOL for a while, yeah?  Ilia has a lot going through her mind, and like Ashei did before she found a good friend in Shad and a makeshift home in the Resistance, she feels aimless.  On top of that, she’s still dealing with the trauma that being kidnapped had saddled her with, and what sticks with her the most is how helpless she felt waiting for someone else to save her.  Then wouldn’t you know, one day she gets a letter from Telma inviting her to festivities to be held in Castle Town, and Ilia makes up her mind about something.  She packs up her things…and sets off.

The night of the festival, Ilia does take the hand of that mysterious stranger - and as they dance it’s wonderful and magical and lovely and for a time she forgets all of her troubles, but before she can see their face or even learn their name they’re gone, leaving her wanting and curious.  Some time passes, and the festivities come to and end; Ilia makes for Telma’s Bar, where Shad, Ashei, and Auru are unwinding from the night’s events.  Telma introduces the younger woman to the gang, and Ashei almost begins to panic, before she realizes that Ilia would have no way of recognizing her, that Telma was just introducing them to a friend, that this would pass and be done with in no time at all, but then -

“I want to join the Resistance!”

And Ashei is just like,

Ah.

Ah, shit.

This post is getting rather long, so I’m gonna try to wrap things up here - but as you can imagine, hijinks ensue!  Things reach a climax when Ilia insists that Ashei teach her how to fight, and Ashei lashes out and flat-out refuses in a burst of anger, which triggers an episode of “oh my god am I turning into my father oh f**k no” and sends her running, truly panicking this time; Ilia runs after her, of course, and when she finally finds her they get to talking.  Ilia tells her that whatever it is that’s bothering her, she doesn’t have to open up about it now, or tomorrow, or any time soon, but if she ever wants to, she will be there to listen - and then Ilia opens up, about why she joined the Resistance, about her kidnapping and her scars and the horror she’s endured.  She chooses to be vulnerable where Ashei cannot, and then suddenly the mood is lighter, and Ashei is sheepishly admitting that she couldn’t teach her how to fight because she likes her too much, gods be damned, and Ilia is joking about how she never knew she liked girls till now because there were none her age growing up in Ordon, and Ilia thought Ashei liked Shad and Ashei thought Ilia liked Link, except Shad doesn’t like women and Ashei doesn’t like men and Link has been gone for months now, and oh, aren’t they both so stupid - and then they hear music, and Ilia stands and offers Ashei her hand, and in that moment both of them know, y’know?  Ashei still has a lot of stuff she’s got to work through, and it’s not going to be easy by any means, but for now, she can do this much - so she takes Ilia’s hand and the two of them dance into the night, pushing aside their worries till morning’s light.

Do the two of them start dating pretty much immediately?  Yes.  Do they love one another completely and utterly?  Absolutely.  Do they get married and is their wedding super, duper gay?  You bet your ass it is.

There’s a lot more to this that I won’t get into here, including Link’s eventual return (after three years of being away!) and the aftermath of that, and the exact specifics of Ashei’s troubled history with her father and how being with Ilia helps her to heal from it.  On the plus side, Bo becomes like the father that Ashei never had, and fun fact: the two like the arm wrestle!  Like, a lot!  (And Ashei sometimes lets him win.)

[thebackloggamer]

Darksiders II: Deathinitive Edition

Is this game beloved? It is not, right? I mean, I really haven’t heard a ton of people saying that they love this game. Right? Well... I just played it and I gotta say, I really, reeeally like it. It is a solid game, the likes of which seems to me that should have some sort of cult following.

I played the first one way back when it first came out and have been meaning to play this one since it was released. Then the remaster came out and I still skipped it, until now. The game is nothing groundbreaking. Nothing is about it is super unique or revolutionary. And it even has some refinement problems like a few wild bugs and some less than ideal camera work. And still, I had such a great time playing through it, exploring the world, fighting enemies, etc.

Yeah, this is a pretty good game. As I said, nothing groundbreaking, just an honest, solid, fun game that I enjoyed a bunch.

What is it?

So anyway, what is this game about? The best way that I would describe Darksiders II is by saying that it’s a mix of several good things. This is an 3D action adventure game with RPG elements. The combat is just like pre-2018 God of War. It’s got a world structure just like the pre-Breath of The Wild Zelda series. Also like Zelda, it’s got dungeons with puzzles and traps and enemies and the like. Traversal feels like Prince of Persia mixed with Uncharted most of the time. It’s got a progression system based on your character leveling up as he fights and gains experience, like any RPG. And, finally a loot system akin to the ones found in games like Diablo.

Darksiders II takes all these well established gameplay elements and merges them together into a cohesive package that, after summing up all of its individual parts, comes out being something great. In a sense, you could say that this combination is the very thing that makes Darksiders II unique: an expertly executed mix of these specific genres. That could maybe be a little bit of a stretch though, but really, that’s neither here nor there. I don’t subscribe to the belief that a game needs to be unique or have a twist to be truly great and enjoyable. To me, Darksiders II is a validation to that sentiment. This is just a fun game.

The combat

Darksiders II is made up of many parts. All of which I think are well implemented enough. The combat, while not being nearly as deep as something like what the genre defining games like Bayonetta or Devil May Cry have, still feels good and fun. It’s also nuanced enough to keep it from being a mindless button mashing festival. It’s your classic God of War-esque affair of two attack buttons (light and heavy attacks) and a jump button that, when pressed successively in different orders, can produce a variety of combos. That, along with some special items, attacks and buff skills sprinkled in, make the whole combat competent enough.

The level design

The level design of both the over-worlds and the many dungeons are intricate enough so that exploration feels rewarding. The puzzles are a mixed bag that go from just-ok to pretty good. These brainteasers are a good way to take a break from hacking and slashing, slowing things down for a while a bit. Save for a very few instances, they never overstay their welcome.

The loot

Tying back to the rewarding exploration idea that I mentioned earlier is the loot system. Your character can equip multiple pieces of armor and main and secondary weapons. The game world is littered with treasure chests both hidden and in plain sight that contain such items in varying rarity levels, along with healing potions and good old money, which can be used in shops throughout the adventure.

The traversal

Traversal though these these worlds also feels very good. There’s a combination of climbing, wall-running, swinging, wall-jumping and more, that make you feel like a very capable acrobat.

The presentation

All these aspects are well executed in Darksiders II and make for a pretty good game. Where I think it excels though, and is what propels it to the next level, is in the overall presentation. This game looks gorgeous. And make no mistake, this is no technical marvel, but the art direction is so on point that I couldn’t help but stare at times at the architecture, vistas, and the design of weapons and armor which are made with so much intricate detail.

All of this looks so cool.

That said, what takes the cake in the presentation department is the character designs. I feel like all the characters, including the player, NPCs and enemies got a ton of work put into their designs as well as in their realization within the game world. Everyone looks great, from the goat person that sells you weapons to the king of the undead that at some point has you running errands for him. Everyone is so unique, interesting, fun and just... cool. So cool. The voice acting is also great, backed by some excellent writing. Particularly Death, the player controlled character, has some great lines and great deliveries. I’m no writing expert but I found the way people speak in this game so appealing. The words they use, their accents, their voices, everything works together to really sell the high fantasy setting. And nothing feels weird or out of place.

I mean... Look at this guy.

As far as the plot goes, it’s not the most intricate tale in the world. But I feel like it is well executed. In this game you play a Death, one of the four horsemen of the apocalypse, who, after learning about his brother’s wrongful imprisonment, embarks on a quest to redeem him by bringing back humanity from extinction. The story is pretty simple but there are several events that transpire and characters that you interact with during the journey that manage to keep things interesting. That, combined with some good acting and writing, makes the whole thing pretty effective.

Not everything is rosy though, I have two complaints related to game refinement:

1. Bugs. I encountered a couple of weird bugs. Nothing game breaking thankfully. There was a time when the physics engine went haywire and threw me into the sky when I was actually supposed to drop down. Died and had to restart from the latest checkpoint. No biggie, just a minor annoyance. Another issue that happened to me sometimes was that almost everything would go silent and I had to restart the game. I’m talking about most sound effects and background music, gone. Super weird.

2. The camera. The camerawork, overall, leaves a lot to be desired. I feel like the camera could’ve been used much more effectively to highlight some key moments in traversal (like some tricky jumps or swings) and in combat. Which is a shame too, because this game’s animations are so cool and well done. It would’ve been great to be able to enjoy them with a camera that actually made sure we saw them in all their splendor. And this is just camera placement, not bugs with the system per se. I feel like many times the camera was too close to the character or not having the action front and center. A missed opportunity there for sure, but overall it didn’t hamper my enjoyment of the game too much.

Death is a pretty cool guy

So yeah, that’s my opinion on Darksiders II. In case you couldn’t figure it out, I really enjoyed this game. It is, as I said, nothing groundbreaking as it takes heavy inspiration from other industry heavy-hitters like Zelda and God of War, but it’s still, nevertheless, a super fun time. Would definitely recommend to any and all action adventure fans out there. Looking forward to getting around to playing the sequel soon.

[thewakingcloak]

What happened

Since the beginning of this year, I haven’t really been able to make anything. Sure, I’ve dabbled here and there, drawn a few pixels, edited the draft of the story for writers group, but I’ve had to force myself to do all these things. Even the thought of working on something harder made my brain shut down. I was terrified to make anything.

In other words, I burned out. It was a combination of NaNoWriMo, perfectionist expectations, general exhaustion, impostor syndrome, and family health issues (everyone is fine, by the way). It sucked having the desire to be creative but feeling just completely dried up. I wanted to sit down and work on enemy AI, but couldn’t bring myself to even try. It wouldn’t even be that hard; I have the framework and everything. But I couldn’t do it.

A few weeks ago, I grabbed the audiobook of The Neverending Story on a whim. It’s a favorite of mine, though it’d been many years since I last read it. If you’re not familiar with the book, it’s pretty different from the movie--the movie follows the first half of the book, but then goes off in a different direction for the end (and there were awful movie sequels that were only vaguely connected to the book).

The second half of The Neverending Story is very strange, and a lot of people don’t like it. The pacing slows way, way down, and the adventure gets even more surreal and weird. I love it. The protagonist grows in a fascinating way--learning who he is, learning what his deepest desires are. In order to do that, he has to make wishes.

His first wishes are to be strong, handsome, impressive, and adored by the masses. But over time, these wishes change him for the worst, and he literally begins to forget who he is. And in the end, he finds these aren’t things he really, truly wanted. He only thought he wanted them, but they ended up hurting him.

While reading about this character discovering what he actually wanted, actually needed, a knot inside me sort of... untied. My own path hasn’t been one-to-one with that of the protagonist of The Neverending Story, but the combination of rereading one of my favorite books and seeing him go through a similar creative journey affected me in a really healing way. It made me think about making stuff and why I do it and what healthy motivations look like.

This post won’t have anything new from me, quite simply because I don’t have anything new that’s shareable at the moment. But I still want to share something!

First, if I can be honest with you: it's hard to see other people making Zelda-like games faster and better than I can. A few were published on the Switch, making me feel like I missed my window because I’m too slow.

I try to ignore that jealous part of me whenever it rears its ugly head, but it's still there. It's jealousy rooted in fear, and that’s not healthy. There’s more than enough room for other people to make games (yes, even if they end up better than mine!), and so--maybe for my own health more than anything--I’d like to share some of these wonderful people making wonderful Zelda-like games with you. Please go check them out! :)

t3nshi’s working on The Steamhaven Chronicles, a Minish Cap-esque take on the Zelda formula

dicey’s making Tunic, which you might have seen at E3 and has an adorable fox!

naemo is working on Desecrated Light, which has one of the most gorgeous pixel art styles I’ve seen

Nathanael Weiss made Songbringer, which looks super cool, and it’s already out!

Juice is working on Mistiqa, and I’m always impressed by how quickly he makes progress and how much varied gameplay he has

Fervir is creating Elysis, which has a really fluid-looking item/combat system

ITTA’s jammin’ on Itta’s Gun, which is probably more of a Hyper Light Drifter-like game than a Zelda-like, but close enough

Aloft Studio is creating Hazelnut Bastille, which is very LttP-ish and has a crazy variety of items!

What now?

From this point on, I’m going to make more of an effort to just make the game as I can. I won’t force myself to make every #screenshotsaturday and #indiedevhour (that didn’t work anyway). I’m going to give up expectations for follower count, likes, favorites, retweets, reblogs, freaking out trying to calculate the most effective time to post, all that stuff, because in the end, that stuff doesn’t matter. Not really. I’m not making a game to validate my worth as a person. I’m making a game because I want to, and I’d like to share it with whomever else wants to play. I think a game made with that angle will be a much truer, purer experience rather than one made by driving myself crazy trying to be perfect.

This is the reason it’s a hobby and not my job. I can take my time. I can work on the parts that I want to work on even if it doesn’t make “good business sense.” Not that I’m going to run away from difficult problems that pop up! But I’m not going to rush after success and validation. I don’t need to be admired by the masses. I just want to make a game, so that’s what I’m gonna do. And I’m gonna do it in a healthy (probably meandering) way because that really appeals to me. That’s how I started, and I wish I hadn’t forgotten that for so long.

Thanks to all of you who are here for the ride. :) I’m grateful that you see something in The Waking Cloak! I’m back in the saddle and very much enjoying it.

[alternis-dim]

Breath of the Wild is still one of the most unique and gorgeous takes on a post-apocalyptic world in modern games, in my opinion. A lot of games with post-apocalyptic settings are very stark and colorless and alien and while those are interesting in their own right I still think that BotW’s take on it is just as fascinating and makes it stand out. 

Hyrule was utterly destroyed. No matter where you believe it lands on the Zelda timeline, it’s undeniable that it came thousands of years after well established kingdoms we’ve seen within games in the franchise, and that’s before we even discuss the Sheikah technology that predated this iteration of Link. We know that the wild and open Hyrule we have now is a far cry from the established kingdoms we’ve seen. People were killed. Civilizations were ravaged, destroyed, and left empty. Existing towns are small, scattered, and isolated by a violent wilderness full of monsters. Enormous mechs with land-altering properties and minds of their own threaten the livelihood of those remaining. There are fields littered with the remains of nigh-unkillable robots, and some of them still prowl the forests and mountains. At the very center of it all, the apocalypse-bringer itself is only barely restrained from releasing its absolute fury on what’s left as it continues to bring monsters back from the dead time and time again.

And yet... the world is still so alive in spite of all its struggles. The dust has settled, but instead of being dark and devoid of life, nature has crept over the ruins and roads. Wildlife thrives, birds sing, and plants grow, including the rarest flower thought to have been nearly extinct making a slow return. The sunrise and sunset are still beautiful, even if that light is cast mostly on empty, grassy fields as far as the eye can see. Wild horses frolic among the remains of guardians. Strange and beautiful spirits soar through the air or shine between the trees. Great fairies watch over towns. Even though the terrain is dangerous, people have made roads and paths for merchants and adventurers who connect the towns and villages. Monsters and guardians haven’t stopped them from exploring, scavenging, and pioneering the wild. Yes, the people know that the world is full of danger which threatens to engulf them- it’s hard to ignore that when Hyrule Castle is so visible- but that hasn’t stopped them from gathering the remains and making the most of it. It isn’t the shining kingdom it once was, but the people have a newfound appreciation and respect for the wilderness that now spans it. 

There’s just something so lovely and humbling about a setting which looks at the fallout of a magical kingdom and the new lives its people lead in the midst of a world that’s dangerous, seeing how they’re working on stringing themselves together again, and watching as they rekindle their hope... and all the while, the rest of the world keeps breathing. The sun still rises and the sun still sets.

[nintendotreehouse]

Exploring Skyrim Part I: Welcome to Skyrim

In the 100+ hours I’ve clocked in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild game, at least 70 were spent just exploring and discovering fun ways to interact with everything (tossing bombs into Bokoblin caves causes such lovely chaos). I couldn’t help being reminded of another game I’ve spent hundreds of hours doing whatever I want to in: The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. Experiences vary, of course, but given my “do everything” playstyle, it’s hard not to see similarities peek through.

Dragons spawn randomly, though you can also find their lairs scattered throughout the continent.

Both games feature robust worlds to explore. Both let you do what you want, when you want. And both offer up a ton of content beyond the main story. Delve into dungeons packed with enemies and traps. Try to discover the right mix of materials to create effective (and lucrative) potions. Cook up delectable dishes to help restore stamina and health. Dive into the story and the many side-quests. Or just hunt out new locations (and then use them to fast-travel around the map). There’s always something to do!

This series of posts will dive into some important concepts to keep in mind as you head into the world of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. If you’re a returning fan, we’ve got some Nintendo Switch version exclusive insights (like the aforementioned motion controls) for you, too.

I’ve played a few versions of Skyrim now, but I had some time to kill before The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild DLC packs…and when we started getting builds of Skyrim in for Nintendo Switch, I was drawn back in immediately. It feels natural to be able to carry Skyrim to meetings or sneak in a bit of dungeon crawling during caffeine breaks. As someone who likes to play ranged characters, at first I just wanted to see how aiming a bow with motion controls felt (and I have good news: it feels natural—especially after playing Breath of the Wild). However, motion controls can be disabled if you prefer. But, before long, I was experimenting with battle styles and characters and exploring locations I hadn’t found on previous playthroughs (it helps that the game’s finally portable; maybe I’ll finally 100% the game and add-on content).

Each time I play, the depth of customization, flexibility, and the fact that this huge, open world changes dynamically based on my decisions blows my mind. Whether you are a diehard Elder Scrolls fan or someone dipping your toes in for the first time, you’ve got a heck of an adventure ahead of you, and it’s yours to shape however you like.

Understanding Skills and Archetypes

Your character in Skyrim is VERY customizable, and skills are a big part of that—the time you spend developing your character’s skills determines how effectively you’ll accomplish a wide variety of tasks, from swinging a sword to picking a lock. Using a skill will help raise both the level of that skill and the level of your overall character. The more time you invest in your skills, the more they will improve.

There are 18 different skill trees in the game, and each is associated with one of three archetypes: Mage, Warrior, or Thief. Whichever you choose to develop depends on what sort of character you want to play. I’m generally someone who likes to experiment, so my characters end up with pretty diverse skills, but what works for you might be quite different. Let’s explore your options!

Generally speaking, Mage skills involve an array of spells right at your fingertips. If you want to hurl lighting at your foes, reanimate the dead, or fool your enemies with illusions, you’ll have a (likely literal) blast. Spells can have a very wide range of effects! There are five different types of magic that you can mix and match as you like, each one offering something slightly different than the next.

Magic is a great way to take down Frost Trolls.

Warrior skills involve combat with short- and long-ranged weapons. If you want to snipe enemies with a bow, swing giant two-handed axes, stagger enemies with a shield bash, and be an unstoppable force of heavy armor and steel, this archetype is for you. It’s worth mentioning that certain light armor wearers, such as shielded skirmishers and hawkish archers, fall under this archetype. It offers some great variety.

Glass may not be the first option you think of for armor, but it’s surprisingly durable and gorgeous as well!

Thief skills involve agility, light armor, stealth, and charismatic speech (someone has to sweet talk the merchants for better prices). Archers, assassins, and spellswords lean heavily on these skills, though they will also leverage some abilities from the other two archetypes as well.

So that’s the three archtypes in a nutshell, but the beauty of the game is that they aren’t mutually exclusive. You aren’t forced to stick to just one. A Warrior can cast spells, just as a Mage can swing a battle axe (though they might squish faster if hit by one... Robes can only offer so much armor, after all). And diversification can be helpful! My first time in Skyrim, I decided to go straight melee with no magic. While I got rather skilled at two-handed weapons and blocking, it made it brutal to go up against dragon fire and casters like Hargravens and Necromancers. Many times, the only way I could get close enough was to try taking them down by surprise…with mixed results. Usually it ended with a rather spectacular critical blow that would leave my corpse sprawled in the snow. Visiting again with my dual wielding assassin meant that I still got my sweet, sweet revenge (and loot) in the end.

One of our video editors, Cait, made one of my favorite builds by mixing skills together to create a fully armored “sneak tank.” In her own words:

“The first time I picked up Skyrim, I wanted to try everything: I found myself blacksmithing, making potions, doing archery, and harboring exotic cheeses and sweet rolls just because I could. During that initial playthrough, I invented my favored class: The Sneak Tank. Imagine, if you will, a Barbarian-style Redguard—heavy armor, giant axe, armed to the teeth—and yet somehow…undetectable. It was utterly laughable, having this stocky woman in Daedric armor sneaking around guards like it’s nothing. To this day, it’s one of my favorite ways to play Skyrim.”

…So, she basically made a ninja who can pull off incredibly stealthy maneuvers while tucked into a mass of heavy plate armor. To understand how she pulled this off, let’s dig a little deeper into the “Perks” of these skills.

Customizing with Perks

Each skill has its own perks, which collectively make up that skill’s “tree.” (Think of a skill as a tree, and the perks become its branches.) Across all the skills, there are over 200 perks to choose from. Each time your character gains a level, you gain a “Perk Point” that you can spend on one (Perk points can be saved or used immediately—it’s totally up to you).

This skill tree, for Two-Handed combat (which falls under the Warrior archetype), shows off the perks “Barbarian” and “Champion’s Stance.”

Each time you gain a level in a particular skill (as opposed to an overall character level), new perks in that skill tree become available for you to choose. However, you may have to invest in some prerequisite perks or level up in that skill before you can select it. For example, an aspiring archer who wants the “Steady Hand” perk that helps with aiming at multiple enemies (by slowing down time) must first have their Archery skill leveled up to 40, the “Overdraw” perk (which increases bow damage), and the “Eagle Eye” perk (which provides zoom while aiming).

It’s not just random encounters in the field. Dragons can attack everything from tiny villages to huge towns.

While you aren’t forced to stay in a skill tree just because you’ve invested points in its perks, keep in mind that, once made, for the most part those choices can’t be undone.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this overview of some basic concepts and how they play into customizing your Skyrim experience. In our next post, we’ll be delving deeper into combat skills and comrades, so check back and see what else you can discover about Skyrim!

—Lindsey N.

[corvus-von-wolff]

Corvus’ Top 5 Games of 2017

What a year 2017 has been. I think we can all agree that it’s been an absolute shitshow, but at least it was a good year for gaming. In light of this, I thought it’d be fun to list my top 5 games of the year. 

Before I start, I wanna lay down the ground rules:

1.) Only games that came out this year are in the running. 2.) Only games that I have personally played are in the running, mostly because I simply didn't have the time/funds/appropriate systems to play all of them. [Please note: that this does not necessarily mean that I have played them to completion, but up to a point that I can recommend them] 3.) If a series has had more than one installment come out this year, only one game will be allowed on this list.

These are all great games. So if you haven’t gotten the chance to check them out, I highly recommend them!

Onto the games!

# 5: Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (Nintendo WiiU & Nintendo Switch)

A welcome shaking up of the Zelda formula, favoring an open world approach rather than the traditional linear progression. I love how the game rewards you for exploration and playing around with the physics engine. However, the weapon durability system and limited inventory space both really get on my nerves, since I feel like it limits my options in combat. I’m constantly afraid that all my good weapons will break right when I need them most, and I’m left fending off the hordes of evil with a stick. Additionally, I feel like the tutorial area may have been a bit too long, and made getting into the game a bit trying early on. While a good game overall, I just didn’t have a lot of fun with it, compared to some other games I played this year.

# 4. Hollow Knight (Windows, Mac, Linux, and Nintendo Switch)

This is probably my indie darling of the year, with it’s gorgeous hand-drawn sprite work, Meroidvania-style gameplay that rewards exploration, challenging combat, and subtle environmental storytelling. The only real problems I have stem from the sheer number of insta-kill environmental hazards that make exploration really frustrating. Regardless, Hollow Knight is a treat, visually and gameplay-wise.

# 3. Yakuza 0 (PlayStation 4)

An overall fantastic game with a lot to offer -- jam packed with a gripping, cinematic crime drama story; memorable characters; fun, satisfying combat; and a wealth of side activities. I love this game’s willingness to betray its own serious tone to allow for some really wacky and funny moments. However, it really drags its feet - especially in the first hour - and the story can sometimes lose you. Additionally, some of the drama and tension feels a bit toothless in some parts, although that may stem from the fact that this is a prequel. Despite this, there is still a lot to enjoy, if you give it a chance. [Please note: that this game does not have English voice overs, and you will be reading a lot of subtitles. If that’s not your cup of tea, than you probably might not like this game]

# 2. Persona 5 (Playstation 4)

A fun, stylish JRPG romp, with a rockin’ soundtrack to boot. While the combat and rpg mechanics are fun themselves, what really makes the game great is the time-management system. You’re given a set of deadlines and some time to complete them, and how you spend that time is entirely up to you. The aspect of having to carefully manage my time between in-game activities, making progress towards my end goals, and hanging out with memorable characters really adds a sense of satisfaction to the moment-to-moment gameplay. However, the game will often go into a prolonged story phase, preventing you from doing the more interesting bits. Also, this game does take a while to get going, as the first hour mostly consists of tutorials and setting up the story. 

# 1. NieR: Automata (PlayStation 4 & Windows)

Between the rock-solid, fast-paced combat; intriguing, emotional story; great characters; lovely environments; and the absolutely phenomenal soundtrack, there is a lot to love about this game. I appreciate how deep and thought-provoking some of the story’s themes can be -- discussing things like existentialism, what it means to be human, and what constitutes a living being. I also like how the beginning throws you into the gameplay without delay, letting you get to the fun parts sooner. There’s so much more I can talk about this game, but I think I’ll simply conclude by naming NieR: Automata  my Game of the Year.