#and zelda is definitely one of those things tbh

[mori-no-majou]

‘nooo they can’t make an animated zelda movie! if they make a zelda movie it needs to be live action!’ biting you biting you biting you biting you biting you biting you BITING YOU BIT

[realcube]

HALLOWEEN COUPLE COSTUMES + hq

oikawa toru

barbie and ken. it's 100% his idea too. ideally he'd want you to go as the default barbie, with the pink dress and heels, while he'd be surfer ken with his shirt off.

nishinoya yuu

walter white and jesse pinkman. the previous year he had went as pitbull nation (rapper pitbull) with tanaka but he wanted to do a couples costume with you instead this year. so going as walter white meant he could reuse his bald cap. the two of you would go as them when they're wearing their yellow scrubs.

kageyama tobio

pro volleyball players...

kuroo tetsuro

regina george and cady heron. your friends refused to go as the plastics so doing it as a couples costume was your next best bet. when you told kuroo you wanted to do a mean girls inspired costume, he assumed you'd be regina and he'd be aaron. but you insisted he go as cady, since they are a more recognisable duo, and he has a hard time saying no to you. on the bright side, he made it work.

sakusa kiyoomi

men in black. low effort but extremely recognisable. he doesn't pose for the photos properly but it's okay because he's serving face anyway.

kenma kuzome

link and zelda. of course it has to be something video game inspired, but also he's lazy and doesn't want to put too much effort into his costume, so link is ideal since he can just buy the whole thing online. but he'd combust when he sees you as princess zelda tbh.

yamaguchi tadashi

taki tachibana and mitsuha miyamizu. he is lowk a sap for romance movies so he'd flip at the idea of getting to dress as one with you. he wouldn't mind putting time into preparing a costume, but the fact he just needs to dress in his school uniform and a wig is definitely plus tbh.

tsukishima kei

marie antoinette and the cake. tsukishima isn't nessecarily lazy but he doesn't care for halloween and therefore doesn't want to spend a lot of time/money on a costume. you suggest hundreds of low effort costume ideas to him and he rejects them everytime but this one resonates with him. especially as it means he gets to carry around and snack on a slice of cake. let them eat cake!

ushijima wakatoshi

mummies. the ancient egyptian kind, not the parental kind. it's impossible to find many costumes that would fit his stature, so your options are extremely limited. in the end you opt to just roll him up in toilet paper and call it a day.

iwaizumi hajime

spartans. you need an excuse for him to show off those athletic trainer muscles 👀

tendou satori

ringmaster and circus clown. it's up to you which one you'd rather be because he really doesn't mind. on one hand he thinks it would be awesome to dress up as a clown but also he'd love to see you as one, that would be so cute. plus he could definitely rock a red tailcoat.

[creativesplat]

💘, 🐳, ⛩️, 🙊?

💘, 🐳, ⛩️, 🙊

💘 MIPHLINK!!! Do I have to say it? Absolutely 110% Miphlink. Honestly they are a pairing that I love more than all the other ships I have ever shipped, and I come back to them whenever other hyper fixations fizzle out or I want something comforting. I love them both so much. AoC is one of my favourite zelda games for that reason. (BoTW too, but the tragic lovers vibe is so sad)

Skyward Sword Zelink, a little bit, I wasn’t head over heals for them, but SS Zelda reminded me a fair bit of Mipha (if Mipha had been brought up in a less dangerous time and with less royal duties they would have probably been more similar), so that was that! 

I really wish I shipped Revali with someone, because I love the birb because he is stupid and fun to draw, initially I was a pining Miphvali shipper, but like, I wasn’t a massive fan of that, so maybe ZelVali? Some people ship that, and I’ve got to say the Revali and Zelda talking scene is one of my favourite cutscenes in BoTW, not to mention Zelda’s dialogue to Revali; If not romantic, definitely platonic. 

Teba and Saki are the adorable birb parents so I quite like their couple dynamic? Im not really the biggest shipper outside of Miphlink tbh.  

🐳

I honestly have no idea? Probably a Hylian (boring answer sorry!), but maybe a Rito. I love the decoration styles, and bright colours, and also they live in a cool climate and I do not like hot weather. So maybe a rito. 

⛩️

I think my favourite dungeon would have to be the Ancient Cystern in SS, I just love how beautiful the whole thing is, with all the lotus-y patterns and the pinks and turquoises and the flowers and stuff. ITs just so dang beautiful!! I also really loved the Sandship Dungeon. I think in terms of play through that was my favourite from start to finish. Location is SO much harder. Aesthetically Satori Mountain, and Rito village, story-wise and where I spend my most time in BoTW Zora’s domain, I also Love the Zora’s domain and Rito Village music. Also sweet cozy little skyloft is so nice and permanent and homely. The great plateau is so nostalgic and I love that too… AAA I don’t think I can pick! In AoC it has to be Scero’s Supplies, I know you can’t really go there, but the merging of Zora and Hateno architecture is just so beautiful and I LOVE IT SO MUCH! 

🙊

Ohhh… Unpopular Zelda opinions… I have quite a few of those. Ok. Here we go. 

ToTK is AWUFUL. Hot dang it is the worst thing ever. It wasn’t even the story that made me stop playing. It was one line from an NPC in Rito Village. Molli wants to make elemental arrows, and has an idea for arrow inventions, that can freeze enemies! No way that’s so cool, except… that is literally one of the main things in the last game. You can buy elemental arrows from the shops. Like what the heck? At least explain to me why a very common commodity that EVERYONE but Particularly the people who’s job it is to look after Bows (Harth and Moli) know about and have access to is somethign they want to invent now. I hate is. I hate it. I hate it. I hate it. I ha- anyway. I despise whatever Lazy idiot decided that was the way to go. Who cares about lore? Not us apparently. I also have a massive problem with the imperialist mass-destruction weapon wearing zonai as well. And as a historian I just love BoTW so much better than ToTK. It treats its history with respect, and nuance, and good golly thats not how ruins from 10,000 years ago would work and o my word stop suspending my disbelief!?! 

Anyway. I could rant for far longer about far more things, but I’ll leave it at that. 

Way more unpopular, and Zelink shippers please ignore this: I think BoTW Zelink is creepy. The power dynamic is insanely bad (princess and her servant who literally cannot disobey her father), and the age gap is also awful (16 turned 17 for one day and “20 something” from the BoTW art book). 

Also, the women deserve better from that fandom. But that’s not news.

Thank you so much for the ask Stars!

[cutebutalsostabby]

In which LoZ games can Link see ghosts, and are there any reasons why he can see ghosts in those games? What about Zelda? Does she ever get to see ghosts or is that a Link thing.

It's a bit arbitrary tbh? In short, I would say that some ghosts are able to make themselves visible whenever they like, whereas others can only be seen if Link has a particular item or ability. I don't recall any of the Zeldas having specific items or abilities here, but you tend to only interact briefly with Zelda in these games so it doesn't actually come up. The specific Links with items/abilities are OoT/MM!Link, WW/PH!Link (arguable), TP!Link, LA!Link, ALBW!Link and AoL!Link - see further details below.

Skyward Sword: Link can see one (1) singular ghost and it's the toilet hand. Which maybe doesn't actually count as a ghost? Do ghosts have physical forms? Nonetheless, it's indicated that other people can hear if not see this ghost, so SS!Link doesn't seem to have any special powers.

Minish Cap: Link can meet a few different ghosts! These include the ghost of a dead king, the ghost of a swordsman, a pair of ghost siblings and some sort of ghost parasite that you can suck up with your gust jar if you arrive at the right time (which I didn't. No light arrows for me...)

Four Swords/Four Swords Adventures: I don't recall there being any ghosts in the former? I think there were some in the latter, but there were no specific abilities/items associated with them. I'm less familiar with these two games however.

Ocarina of Time: you can view ghost Dampe with the naked eye (I think) but need the eye of truth to see the spirit in the wasteland. While you're in the Shadow Temple, Well and a few other areas, Navi mentions being able to see/hear spirits that Link can't.

Majora's Mask: this game's version of the Eye of Truth lets you see a few other ghosts, including Darmani! Though you can see his shadow without it, which is interesting.

Wind Waker: you meet a few dead people, including Fado, Laruto and King Boat Dad. It seems like they all appear specifically because they want to talk to Link, e.g. in response to him conducting the sage's melodies. He doesn't have any special items or abilities, except potentially the Ghost Ship chart: you need this in order to board the ship, and the game text hints that the object is cursed somehow. Might explain why Phantom Hourglass is suddenly so much ghostlier?

Phantom Hourglass: same Link as above, but he meets way more ghosts this time! They're everywhere! Spooky!

Spirit Tracks: technically Zelda isn't a ghost? I think? She's technically still alive, after all? I don't recall there being any other ghosts in this game.

Twilight Princess: hell yeah ghosts, and this time you actually have a reason(?) for being able to see them! Turn on wolf senses. At least one ghost is visible (to both Link and Midna) even WITHOUT wolf senses, and it's the dead Zora queen who wants you to save her child.

A Link to the Past: nothing that I recall, outside of monsters.

A Link Between Worlds: you can get the highly fashionable hint glasses, which let you view hint ghosts! I of course am a pro gamer and never used this ability.

Oracle of Ages + Oracle of Seasons: there are a few ghosts, but no special items or abilities. They're just there.

Link's Awakening: some ghosts are visible without items, but you can also obtain the Magnifying Glass, which lets you see others! But then again, this is a dream so whatever goes, I guess (spoiler lol).

Triforce Heroes: nada afaik.

Zelda I: it's not really clear who is and is not a ghost? You meet an old man under a grave and he gives you a sword. It's probably fine?

Zelda II (Adventure of Link): you obtain the Cross! Definitely not based on any real world religions. The Cross lets you see invisible ghost monsters. You don't meet any actual ghost NPCs in this game, but theoretically this Link would be able to see them if they were there.

Breath of the Wild/Tears of the Kingdom: you meet plenty of ghosts but don't have any special items to see them. Imo this version of Hyrule must be SUPER haunted, so you're probably only seeing a fraction of what's there.

Hyrule Warriors (if you count it): no special items or abilities, except maybe the magic mirror you get in the water temple? It's an item that you can use to break an illusion spell. But in general, if a ghost shows up, it's visible to all characters.

I think that's everything? Let me know if I missed a game!

[pancake-nikkitty]

Thoughts I’ve had about Hyrule while playing TotK

Warning these are a little unhinged bear with me. Also possible spoilers? I don’t think there are but like. Read at your own risk.

So Zelda is definitely a descendant of Rauru&Sonia. So they definitely had at least one baby before they died. Who raised it? Sonia’s family? Did the living sages co-parent the child? Did they just entrust the child to castle staff? Do Zonai walk out the womb able to take care of themselves?

In the same vein, have royal Hylian’s lifespans been slowly getting shorter as they’ve married non-royal Hylians? I’m assuming Zonai had long lifespans if they were considered so godly, so a half-Hylian half-Zonai probably lived a long ass time, but as you keep adding Hylains with no genetic connection to Zonai I’d think it’d shorten it over time? I’m no geneticist so idk.

Do you think the rest of Hyrule was super racist toward Gerudos for awhile? Maybe its because I grew up in America and I’m used to people being racist towards a whole race for things a small group did but idk if that’s how people in Hyrule would be, especially since they had Gerudo on their side.

Did people want the next Gerudo male to be executed in fear of him turning out like Ganon? And do you think the Gerudo considered it? With how long some lifespans are (like the Zora, possibly royal Hylians? Sheikah live a long time too it looks like) people affected by Ganon might still be alive when the next male was born.

Continuing with Gerudo but less…heavy? Can they reproduce with other races besides Hylians? Like if a Gerudo fell in love with like a Rito would they be able to conceive and potentially have a child? Or does it have to be a Hylian?

Do Gerudo only produce other Gerudo??? Like will she always spawn a Gerudo no matter what? Can they have pregnancies that result in boys or non-gerudo women?

On the subject of producing children. Can Zora have children with Hylians? Because like. King Dorephan did not give a fuck about an heir when Mipha was in love with Link. Is it because they could reproduce? Did it have to do with the vast different in lifespans, so he figured she could have an heir with a Zora later in life? Did he just assume Sidon wouldn’t fall for a Hylian himself and create an heir with his future spouse?

HOW DO GORON REPRODUCE??? I have no other thoughts around this. Just. How. My brain is like. Fucky magic shit. Like a couple decides they want a child and find a suitable rock, then pray to Hylia and eventually the rock is imbued with life.

Zora pregnancies. How do they work? Is it like shark pregnancies? Or like other fish pregnancies? (i don’t know anything about shark pregnancies tbh. Or fish pregnancies in general) Because I think Yona is like a manta ray, yeah? Like Muzu? Because looking at Mipha&Sidon you’d think a pregnancy results in one baby? But is that normal?

Okay also like. The Zora sleep in those communal pools. Do they…do they have sex in there? In front of the children? Do they have separate like mating pools? Or are Zora children just like. Desensitized to it like some sort of Brave New World type shit. Or is mating just like. “I want babies!” “Me too!” Implants female with eggs. And that’s it??? Am I thinking too human with this??? Idfk.

I really just want a whole ass lesson on everything revolving around reproduction with all the different races in Hyrule and the possibilities of having mixed children.

Back to Gerudo. On the subject of thinking about things too long. Gerudo anatomy. What if they’re like hyenas? Like. I don’t know much about hyena anatomy besides the fact that the females have bigger dicks than the males. And like. Gerudo’s have Big Dick Energy so like. What if they actually have dicks?

On a more serious note. I’d also like a whole ass lesson on the life cycles of the individual races and average life expectancy.

That’s it for now. Why am I like this.

[featheredadora]

How did you remove the violence from your child? I've never met a cbc (mine included) who didn't thirst for blood

So don't get me wrong, Zelda can still be a bit nippy at times! (Below: photo of my 'gentle' child, where you can see some of the many marks on my hands from her bites)

But she is definitely a lot more mellow than she was when she was younger! When we first got her, she would bite very often. But nowadays, she only really bites if she gets overexcited (e.g if I am holding something she desperately wants, sometimes she won't wait for it. Or if I have been holding a toy for her to bite at, sometimes she won't adjust her bite strength and accidentally nip my hand with the same power she was biting at the toy with)

In terms of whether we did anything to make her more gentle? I would guess it's probably just luck! But a few things that might have helped:

I am naturally a very jumpy guy. So if she is on my hand and bites me, I will physically kind of jerk from the shock. This isn't nice for her (it can't be nice to have the platform you were sitting on suddenly jolt you off!) so perhaps she has learnt 'oh I shouldn't do that'?

We make sure she has lots of biting/shredding toys available (these are all of my birds' favourites tbh). Everyone loves yucca, cardboard, and seagrass, but Zelda also tears through balsa wood because she has a stronger beak. So I think she enjoys having some tough wood to inflict violence on!

This is the biggest one for us - we just got better at reading her body language I think! Zelda is very obvious with her body language, more than any of my other birds. So nowadays we can always tell when she is getting overexcited or a bit annoyed, and so in those moments we don't put our hands near her, and try to redirect with activities that she enjoys or that calm her down.

So yeah, TLDR: She very much still is a violent child when she wants to be! And prolly her gentleness the rest of the time is pure luck, but we try our best to give her more 'productive'/natural ways to enact her thirst for blood wood

[futurefind]

//I DID THE THING FINALLY!! 😭😭😭The years on first one indicate when they first inspired me/influenced how I wrote/saw Sa!! Hence them being absent on the latter

Elaborations/details below the cut!!!

Element Valkyrie: (Kit) Literally how/why Sa has her main gimmick of fire + water/ice lmao!! In fact I think fire was her original main...? Ice became a focus post-atla (all of like... a year later lmfao)

Link (Twilight Princess): (Aesth) What can I say I really loved TPs, well, 'edgier' aesth (my second zelda after all of wind waker). Also, probably the first wolf association...? Less consciously, perhaps the first taste of cryptid drifter that goes around solving problems? (Kit) Why Sasume has a sword!! And why it's at her back/shoulder!! Also, sort of, ass kicking with said sword, but as a video game YMMV lmao. (Chara) The silent protag stuff could not hurt? Esp w the contrast with being good w kids, implicitly (Heart) WHAT CAN I SAY I'VE SAID IT BEFORE Sa is very much HeroTM, in broader loz/link sense, at heart. Saving and helping people is her priority!! Even when it's hard!!

Naruto: (Kit) Tbh... the source of Shinrei's aesthetic effects wrt eyes, teeth, claws, etc? (Bg/Lore) Samehat with her bg. With an emphasis on samehat, as the two were connected 1:1 in those early days. But unlike canon Naruto even baby Nori went 'reality ensues' 'edgier' variant where shit is traumatizing as fuck. (Heart) As I've also Also stated elsewhere... she's very much a shonen protagonist at heart??? A Knight in Sour Armor but a Knight all the same

Sasuke: (Aesth) Do I even need to say it...? The grumpy/angsty edgelord Lancer surface level absolutely came from here, lmao. Not as conscious as Naruto (iirc, I gave her blue hair bc my brown marker ran out when doing that design? lmfao) but definitely couldn't hurt. (Bg/Lore) Probably colored/inspired taking the aforementioned 'reality ensues' traumatic framing for Sa's bg. And a bunch of other plot-y stuff that's sliding scale of preserved to scraped entirely (ie being Nth distant relative survivors to the Uchiha clan lmfao). (Chara) What can I say... aren't we all familiar w the broadstrokes atp?? Loner angsting edgelord who's just afraid of letting people in... A staple of the archetype, and undoubtedly helped staple that archetype onto Sa. (Other) Far more nebulous, but did inspire a general 'special heritage/family line' power stuff. Though what said family line stuff was wouldn't be figured out 'til further down the line.

Kanda: (Aesth) For a hot second I literally intentionally looked to Kanda for aesth inspiration for Sa lmao... in my NLOG phase I even did an inverse of him being confused for a woman by having Sa be more Bifauxnen bc 'feminine = weak' lol (gag). Also, while from DGM's uniform as a whole rather than Kanda specifically, codified Sa's token look of skintight slevelees turtleneck + fingerless gloves— as well as remove previous aspects of color from her wardrobe. (Kit) Again, a side effect of DGM as a whole rather than Kanda specifically, but this is why Shinrei's kit isn't just so thought out but so specifically staggered (the 'Levels/Stages' aspects present across many Innocence). As a direct inspo, though, Mugen fucking with his pupils/eye is what I used to preserve Sa's emotive angy vfx (and what made it, and her entire kit, 1:1 with her sword rather than being innate). (Chara) Do I need to elaborate...? Lol. He also fits into the archetype of Sasuke that Sa was already in, so nothing too big, particularly as DGM made me develop Sa so much more and breakaway from copypasting him. However, he's liably the source of her more overt tsundere tendencies, as well as her aversion to using people's names (also for tsun reasons). Also probably why Sa's surface level is outright Jerkass and not just ominous stoic dude deal lmao.

Dean Winchester (s1-5): (Aesth) Gets some lite points for styling themselves against/for a parent, jerkass with a reckless heart of gold, and bravado/masculinity that oft loops back around to disingenuous/insecure. (Bg/Lore) What can I say? The idolization of a lost mother, comparing oneself against a parent (derogatory), the deadbeat dad (who's like the younger sibling), and the parentification and resulting over-protection and -devotedness toward their younger sibling/'child'. However, not much direct inspo here, especially since one of his hallmarks is his dysfunctional jackassery toward his sibling and one of Sa's is that her jackass exterior breaks away for hers. (Chara) While I remember Sasume's snark being unintentional irp, passive Deanfluence def couldn't hurt to cement the snark, lmfao. (Heart/Other) Lumping these two together bc man!! Man!!! What if you were forced into a life of violence and endangerment and self loathing and you 'reclaimed' it by putting how much you hate it and life and yourself into something meaningful, heroic. What if you were meant for greatness and it destroyed you. What if you wanted nothing more than a life of domesticity as a partner and parent and thought your only way to get there was through dreams and death. What if the only way you can get through the day is by chasing thrills and throwing yourself into risk after risk for others and half-hoping it kills you.

GRAVEYARD/REVERSE INSPO BOOGALOOS!!

As these are blorbos you can use to 'find Sasume in' instead of vice versa, these'll hopefully be more brief...? Things to make you point at and go 'omg just like Sa :)', rather than unpacking the building blocks of inspiration that helped codify her into how she is.

Geralt: (Aesth) The wandering enigmatic monster hunter with an extremely dangerous rep but with more heart/morals than you'd think... yk? Bonus spn gold eye points. (Kit) Nothing overt, but general hyper-competence wrt combat. (Bg) Witchers' sliding scale of dubious rep, yk? As well as his Butcher legacy. (Chara) As stated, gruff bastards with a caring heart that's variably concealed, depending on the moment. Notably (vs some prev examples), very okay with killing human monsters, even if it's not ideal.

Alucard: (Aesth) Pwincesses The supernatural & enigmatic auras that are both intimidating and inspiring reliance/protection yk? (Kit) Again general combat competence, but also healing factor and resulting being a gd tank, relatively. (Heart) Hearts of gold!! More overt since he's not a tsun though lol

Mizu: (Aesth) Edgelord wandering blue eyed 'samurai', lol. (Kit) Violence hypercompetence, pragmatism, and being a disturbing levels of tanking severe wounds. (Bg) What can I say Mizu's entire traumatic backstory and hardening into who she is is because of being othered and seen as nonhuman (if due to racism, vs Sa's). Plus some spoilery stuff I'm not gonna say bc oh my god guys go watch BES :') Esp if you like Sa. (Chara) The terrifying determinism, raw brutality/pragmatism, being stubborn idiots who need to be forced into accepting help... but also going to extreme lengths once the loner walls are breached. Also, the sass and taunting and blood knight aspects??? Peak Sa. Chef kiss. (Other) Holy fucking SHIT the insecurities? And self perception?? Seeing oneself as monstrous and inhuman and that inhumanity linked with an 'inability/failures of' being a woman yk......... augh,

Ed: (Kit) Having fun with 'bending' elements in utilitarian ways. (Bg) Orphaned big siblings whose main priority is saving/helping baby sib yk... Also, in retrospect, the hypercompetence being developed for the sake of said sib. (Heart) Again!! Shonen protagonist at her core!! Though ofc focusing more on the unironic softness, as well as her 'aspiring' for pacifism and hating having to kill but having no qualms doing so when necessary.

Rengoku: (Kit) Badass swordsmen with fire related aesth? Badass swordsmen. (Bg) While far more... mundane in the tragedies of his upbringing, the overlap in the themes and impact of their traumas are :') very much similar :'))) (Heart) Shonen protags but also mentors!! Staring very loudly at and ignoring even harder how as a kid my intent for Sa's story would be to kill her off. Tbf she's a very solid candidate for the Obi-Wan type 'crutch' characters whose death symbolisms an emblematic turning point...........

Vash: (Kit) Again: See: Hypercompetence in combat, now with more overt inhuman uncanniness!! (Bg) While far more fantastical and sort of... spread out? Impersonal? Than Sa's, it's impact and his view on it are very Sacore!! (Heart) SHONEN PROTAG OF ALL TIME??? And also see: aspirations of pacifism and how, just like Vash is able to be so extremely pacifistic because he's nonhuman levels of sturdy... Sasume cannot be because she's still very much human, and so can only take so much before she's forced to retaliate :') (And also being long past the point of breaking pacifism for sake of necessity/saving others... and p much Only breaking it to protect others... yk.......)

[shadows-from-helvete]

How's it going bro! :3

Also love your oc! :D

Idk if you play games, but what type of games do you think would each of the bunch play? Video games or board games, doesn't matter. I like to think Raban and Jojo play poker lol

Hey^^ and thank you

Ngl I see JoJo and raban playing poker too and sometimes Markus joins cause he played it with his dad a couple of times

I think when it comes to board games they play the basics like uno and "Mensch ärger dich nicht" (idk the English version tbh). Or just card games in general because idk if I'm the only one but I think everybody in Germany at some point has those games that have 100 games writing on it.(I swear idk where it came from I didn't buy it.it spawned).

I think JoJo really Uno tho and they play it sometimes when they are at Camelot.

Leon isn't really a board game guy in my eyes. Yea he would play it when others bring it up but not by himself.

Vannesa is a card game type to me as well as Marlon. Idk they just give card game vibes.( Im Not in the whole card and board game thing so excuse me:') )

Deniz doesn't seem to be the guy that plays board games as well tbh. Would play if brought up but that's all.

If it comes to video games tho I can say a bit more. Those are games I think they would play so not games from that time

Leon:World of warcraft-. Doesn't look like the type of guy but when it was winter and they couldn't play soccer he started playing wow and could addicted. Maybe Marlon brought it up as a joke first. Leon probably plays FIFA here and there. Minecraft too tho

Marlon: Resident evil. And Nintendo games. Especially the legend of Zelda. Maybe when he got older he was saving a lot of money because he didn't want to fight over the computer with Leon so he bought a switch and started to play Nintendo games. Probably after the Nintendo ds broke they got as a birthday gift years back. And Minecraft too

Deniz: FIFA and maybe tried GTA as well. I don't think he plays a lot of video games tho. Like when he had time sometimes but that's all. Minecraft too like the others probably

Raban: definitely plays wow can't change my mind.also Pokémon obsessed. Other than wow he mostly played games on his phone like class royal ect. Would also instal those ad mobile games that suck

Vanessa: I don't know about her. Maybe shooter games here and there but don't see her as a gamer or anyone enjoying video games a lot. Minecraft yea but just because of the others. She doesn't really play it without them

JoJo: all cozy tbh. Stardew valley mostly. Gives his animals funny names and all(Mood). Minecraft is a basic I think but he definitely played it too and had a lot of dogs before he even had a house. Maybe some point and click like Deponia or Harvey's new eyes? Don't see him in shooter games. Maybe tried them but that's all

Markus:maybe shooter? I don't see him as a video game guy. Minecraft here and there but that's basically it. He played stardew valley with JoJo tho and had a few games on his phone. I see him as a secret Pokémon go enjoyer tho

They all made a Minecraft server but just after a couple of days it was dead. They tried it like 3 times and after 3 weeks the server was dead again

[hepatosaurus]

2023 AO3 Wrapped!

I had a lot of fun tracking my fic reading in 2022, so... I did it again in 2023! Still fun, still both completely unsurprising and a little illuminating at the same time. I definitely read less fic this past year—only 77 across 12 fandoms, compared to last year's 110—but that's OK. Life happens, and I'm very aware that I'm never going to be a person who reads a million words per month (or 100 books a year). Stats-wise, I can't guarantee that these numbers are completely accurate, but they feel right and that's what counts.

Word Count

971,646 words! Numbers fluctuated throughout the year with one real dead zone (lol @ June - I was busy! sibling got married! played a lot of Zelda!), and I kind of petered out by the end of the year. On the plus side, my brain can handle reading actual books again, which was fun. On the minus side: less fic. Oh well. (Also: May's number isn't entirely accurate, but I had to put rubicon's final word count somewhere. No, I haven't finished reading the complete edited fic yet, but that's when the last chapter draft hit my inbox, soooo there.) Most fics were on the shorter side, unsurprisingly (average length was ~12k); I think rubicon was the only one over 100k. I did read more 50–100k fic compared to last year though, which was nice.

(Putting the rest behind a cut. Obligatory warning that this is mostly about Fire Emblem, but what else is new?)

Top Fandoms

My FE3H reading took a HUGE hit this year, falling from 87.3% to... 83.1%. Ouch, how will my faves recover. Really though, this was yet another reminder that although I certainly watched and loved a lot of new movies and tv shows, read new books, played new video games (ok, it was mostly BOTW/TOTK), all things that could conceivably lead me to check out greener pastures, I am still in an extremely monofandom phase in terms of actual fic reading/fandom participation (four years now!). And honestly, I'm fine with that! I'm having fun, blorbos are still my blorbos, there's still a ton of fic I haven't read yet (new and old), and I'm in a nice/quiet/drama-free corner of fandom. Besides, the average fandom lifespan is too short these days anyway. I'm doing my part to break the cycle. :P

I do wish I had the brain space to read a little more widely, though. I was so close to going on a zelink bender after I finished BOTW, but life got busy and it just... didn't happen. Maybe in 2024. Severance and fandom juggernaut SoftBank Next 30-Year Vision tried their best—two fics each! impressive, lol—but the heart wants what it wants, and what it wants is anime chess pieces kissing (and/or killing) each other.

Top Authors

56 individual authors, with the top spot going to...desmodus! which does not surprise me tbh; they write such good fic. Looking at these particular results was an interesting reminder that I'm really not someone who methodically/voraciously reads through an author's entire back catalogue, at least not currently. Like, besides the named authors, there were four more with two fics each and the rest had only one each. Next time, I'm almost tempted to see if I can factor in word count to get a better idea of how much time I really spent reading each author, especially since I might (hypothetically) read multiple forgettable 1–5k fics by Author A, and then a single memorable/meaty 95k fic by Author B that sticks with me for years. Is Author A really more of a "top" author? Not really. That's more work on my part though, so we'll see what happens. (All of this waffling could be solved by making an actual rec list for once, but shhhhh.)

Top Pairings

Surprising absolutely no one, I'm still in sylvix hell. Congrats to None for jumping a couple spots in the rankings, though! A solid showing. I need to get better at tracking platonic relationships, but to be fair, those tags are underutilized on AO3 to begin with (or not used consistently), and I typically—but not always—stick with the main tags chosen by the author.

Also, please note that the ship in sixth place was entirely thanks to alphabetical sorting (it was a six-way tie), but I'm keeping it as is because it makes me laugh/implies some sort of character growth on my part that may or may not exist.

Top Characters

Lol. In my defense(?), Sylvain did drop almost three whole points this year; he couldn't even hit 60%! What kind of blorbo...?! Jokes aside, it's an entirely expected list. My Blue Lions/Golden Deer bias persists, but I'm not sure what determined when I logged "Blue Lions Students" vs. their actual names—probably half laziness, half just following what the author picked. I did love seeing Ask A Manager's Allison Green chilling at the bottom of this list with Bakugo, though. I'm sure she'll be fine. (And god knows Mr. King Explosion Murder and the rest of my top 20 could stand to follow her advice.)

(Also: apologies to Lorenz Hellman Gloucester, as I see his illustrious surname was cut off accidentally. Forgive me.)

Ratings, Categories, etc.

Also pretty unsurprising! I considered cutting my NSFW tracker at the beginning of last year since it's a little redundant, but that never happened. It might come in handy one day, especially if I'm looking through my spreadsheet for individualized recs. I was surprised that the Multi category was so low, but that could be due to inconsistencies in how people tag their fic? And/or how I logged them. Sometimes it means poly, but sometimes it just means that there are multiple kinds of ships in a fic. Either way, it's something to consider for 2024's tracker. Consistency! Let's strive for it! ✨

Tags & Tropes

Also about what I expected, though I was honestly shocked to see Established Relationship ranking so high? And Friends to Lovers so low? What is going ON here. (The former is probably partially due to mikey desmodus's excellent married sylvix fics.) Sorry to Horse Feelings, though; I made a dedicated tag on my google form and everything, but there was only the one fic in the end :(

Etc: Commenting, Rereading, Reccing, and Bookmarks

Commenting: My only real fic-reading "goal" in 2023 was to get my commenting percentage up to at least 50% and...I did that! Just barely, but 51.9% is 51.9%. Obsessive media tracking works!

Rereads: As expected, and pretty in line with last year (with a tiny increase). I'm just not a big rereader in general, though I did do a fair bit of rereading WIPs to prepare for new chapters. (Not sure how I classified those, come to think of it...)

Bookmarks: Also pretty similar to last year (with a tiny decrease).

Reccing: Now this DID surprise me. That "Yes" percentage seems almost absurdly high, jumping from 46.4% to 61%, and my "No"s dropped a ton too (22.7% to 5.2%). Either I got nicer or I just read better fic. :P Leaning towards the former, but probably a bit of both tbh. My one DNF was a longfic WIP that didn't spark joy and was becoming a hateread, which is rare for me - byeeeee.

Takeaways

By now my tracking form has become part of my fic-reading routine (read - track - comment/etc), and I can't see that changing any time soon. Obviously not everyone wants to (or should!) engage with fic this way, and I can definitely see how it might suck the joy out of reading for some people, but for me, it's been a good mental exercise and a really helpful commenting aid. Also, it's just fun. I like thinking critically about media! I like having a place to record my silly little thoughts about the silly little fanfics I read! All in all, I highly recommend doing something similar if you, like me, get a rush from making lists and compiling data, and if you like complimenting people but sometimes need that extra push to actually tell them and post a comment.

Goals-wise... I don't really do those lol. Probably to continue commenting and maybe try to read more widely, but honestly I'm probably not going to change my habits intentionally. Besides, looking at what I've read so far, yes, it's already half Fire Emblem, but also half gen and half F/F with nary a Sylvain in sight*! We got History Boys, we got Haikyuu filk, we got Ingrid and a MILF! Who knows what's around the corner?

(*This is quite literally only because I haven't logged rubicon yet. Don't worry, he's coming.)

[amiharana]

currently declining to study for bio and am instead thinking about college au revalink where they have an apartment together because they are such Boyfriends and link is a bio major because he just Loves Nature but he's struggling with studying (can you see the self projecting😁🙏) he definitely has gifted kid burnout

meanwhile revali is a major perfectionist like if he gets below a 90 on anything he wants to start crying and tbh even a 90-95 is too low for him, don't ask me what he majors in though idk

anyways they are struggling together but link is just not having a good time and is stressing out studying so much he forgets to take care of himself so revali has to get him to remember things like eating regularly or showering or sleeping ANYWAYS i just felt like projecting onto revalink🫶

as a fellow bio major with gifted kid burnout who doesn't wanna study for bio (can you believe i still have a fucking bio lab due tomorrow. it's spring break for me rn. blasphemy.), i 'm 100% all for this projection COUNT ME IN!

link is totally a nature guy but i lowkey feel like he would make a great veterinarian 🥺 he's just a little guy who loves his silly little creatures 🥺🥺🥺 what do you think about revali going to flight school to be a pilot 😳 like i think if revali wasn't doing something viciously intense like. becoming a neurosurgeon or some shit, anything related to aviation is absolutely right up his alley. DEF agree with him being a perfectionist. a 99.9% will make revali lose his shit, he'll be in his professor's office hours taking up the whole time just arguing why he deserves a 103%

link brings home strays all the time and gives revali the 🥺 eyes, and revali is very weak for both link and a cute little creature, but he has to be the voice of reason since they realistically cannot take care of a pet full-time with how demanding school is on both of them. so to compromise, they foster the strays and take care of them with the local vet until they can be taken to a shelter for adoption. link gets hands-on experience which is good for his vet program but he also cries his eyes out every time they send off one of the animals because those are his babies 🥺 link with his strays is that one tiktok that's like BITCH I'M A MOTHER!!!!! NO DRAMA!!!!!

to deal with link's post-foster pet depression, zelda brings her puppy terrako to their apartment to let link cry and play with him, while revali just rolls his eyes (and secretly is looking into surrounding shelters and pet stores to find the perfect pet for the both of them once school isn't so intense for them anymore 🥺)

do you think they have study dates at a cafe or do they stay home and rot in the living room studying together? because i love the idea of study dates but if link is a bio major looking to become a vet and reval is an aviation student trying to become a pilot, these bitches must be stressed out of their mind i think. the week before finals week they're camping out in the living room and haven't slept in their bedroom for a couple days, the room is covered in papers and diagrams and books and pens and markers and flashcards and sticky notes. revali's hair is a mess which is a rare occasion, and it's held up by one of those hair claw clips, he has his glasses on, meanwhile link is lying facedown on the floor having his third breakdown of the hour. in this au i'm thinking that revali is a decent enough cook but neither of them have the energy or the time to go to the grocery store or kitchen to cook an actual meal, so they're living off of takeout and instant noodles for those two weeks. but revali definitely is the one in charge of time maintenance and prying link's ipad out of his hands to make him take a shower or drink water

it all pays off in the end because they both get high grades on their finals!!! link and revali cheer but immediately go to their bed, curl up around each other and sleep for the rest of the weekend because these bitches are exhausted 😭 hashtag ScholarLife

[icharchivist]

Tbh that's my issue with a lot of modern video games

I don't need photorealistic graphics. I want things to look good and clear and interesting

Trying to make your humans look like real humans only leads to the uncanny valley and it usually ends up dating your game because by the time the next generation comes out, your graphics are outdated

Also, I play video games to get away from people

It's completely fine to stylize things. It looks better, even in twenty years, it avoids the uncanny valley, it can still be expressive! And it cuts down on rendering and ideally on development costs. Like, I play the new Baldur's Gate and my computer is not high-end, but the game runs fine. Except for the dialogue scenes, where sometimes the expressions are weird and it kind of lingers uncomfortably for a few seconds before going to the next dialogue. Again, probably a problem with my computer, but it's a bit weird every time

Meanwhile I'm looking forward to Relink, which is a very stylized Anime game and I'm sure it's still gonna look good in 20 years

Or like, Super Mario. The new Zeldas. Stuff like that

There's also the argument that back then, games had to sell you on their narrative and story and gameplay instead of just graphics. I personally don't have an opinion on this, there's plenty of ugly games that also suck as well as pretty games with good stories. But I'm also not one of those people who throw a fit about a game not running at 60 FPS

But yeah, Final Fantasy games could totally embrace their Anime roots, I'm sure they'd be better for it

Fortunately, animation in movies at least is moving towards more stylized and I think that could be cool

Video games are art as well, after all and I'm happy for each one that isn't trying and then subsequently struggling with this self-imposed realism where it's not actually needed

You don't have to publish this ask btw, this just popped into my head just now and I have a lot of thoughts about animation

TOTALLY AGREE, 100%.

Like i think trying to perfect some graphic is fine and all but it's been quite a few years now that the progress is genuinely not worth it. Like the constant rush for realism often end up bringing duller artistic choices (which is even more noticeable with the remake trend in general because you see how older games went around those "graphic limitations") and it's just... not worth it? not with how big and huge it makes a game in the end?

like i know BG3 is that big because it's a huge game and stuff, but the fact i need over 150GB of stockage to install it gives me hives. If a part of it is due to the overthe top animations and high res's designs... i'd rather them toning it down instead.

Final Fantasy definitely fall into this category as well. Like for crying out loud, they justified making the remake a multiparter because the assets for Midgar alone were too big to just make the prologue of the game (which it IS, the current remake that came out in 2020 only covers the PROLOGUE of the main game) and it ended up being the reason they went completely off script and made a whole new narrative instead. All because they wanted the whole city to be this HD? Like Crisis Core came out in 2007, it's not perfect graphic wise, but it plays well within its limitation. And most of it happens in Midgar!!! they just knew to limitate as much of the Midgar's sets as they could!! Seeing how its remake just basically butcher most of the artistic creativity just by replacing the models with HD models is genuinely so boring to me. What's the point!! what's the point!!

maybe it's nostalgia and all but i'm at a point where i feel like most graphisms from up to the mid 2010s, as far as realism go, have pretty much filled this artistic approach, and anything else is just more flashy just to prove they can do it.

like i keep seeing those Last of Us' remaster's comparaison and i feel so ill like, the first game already holds up fine!! it didn't need all those remasters what the fuck are you people on about!! how is it improving the game the slightest!! i mean i know it's all about money, but jesus christ it's SO not worth it???? (for the record i don't give a shit about TLOU, i just saw the screenshots and it makes me feel ill).

i've also seen comparaisons of some Metal Gear Solid's remakes comparaisons where in order to chase the realism of the effects of the jungle and everything, they just completely removed the stylized lightning and atmosphere because REALISM, amnt i right? how is that better?? i don't need 30GB+ of game on my computer just to nod like "ah yes this one cutscene was worth me uninstalling a couple of my old games for it. you got me."

at this point i'd rather they focus on the story! on the characters! allocate this time somewhere else!

and it comes with a major disregard for stylized games in general. Games that don't want to pursue realism and are doing just fine like this.

idk i'm also just rambling but it makes me so sad. I'm not even against HD graphisms, but i definitely think we reached a cap years ago already and most of the attempt at progress we've had since have been about removing the stylization to push the realism, and it's genuinely not the interesting way to push the medium forward.

and like i'm definitely at the age where i'm probably clouded with nostalgia and i'm just "old man yelling at clouds" (ahah get it because Cloud stri-) and all but this is genuinely something that gets me annoyed.

and with ff7 in particular i'm just so upset because the pursue of realism led to "the game is too big now because of the assets so we need to cut it into pieces" to "but the pieces we have don't have enough plots to explore all the assets we have so now we're doing an original story!" and every decisions the "remake" has taken outside of the remake portions have been making me sick in my stomach. And while greed is of course the main cause of it all, it just ends up feeling so disingenuous and now i'm at a point a remake i awaited for a long time just so the saga could have a coherent imagery together (because the OG's graphisms do in fact clash a lot with the rest of the graphisms of the others game of the saga) just now is something i want nothing to do with. (except to take screenshots when the characters look pretty. 3D model simulator only.)

so yeah. felt. so much so. it fucking kills meeee like whyyy

BUT ALSO YEAH it's why games like Relink is definitely up my alley on that. Finally a game that is trying to actually do some style and isn't relying on realism to sell you something. Fucking lord. At last. We just needed Granblue to save us istg.

[errorwarblesrr]

Came up with another ask: if YOU had to make a Zelda movie and had infinite money to make it but also had to make sure it appealed to the mass public, which game would you adapt/what would you do for a story

Hoho boy okay so for starters 2D ANIMATION IS A MUST!! With the obvious out of the way, I would love for it to be wind waker because I am absolutely biased, but I don't think that would be the smart move. I think basing it off of games like the first one, alttp, tp, or oot would be the better move since those settings would be more recognizable for the mass public. Botw is also a contender, but I would want Link in the green tunic since while botw is the best-selling game, the green tunic is the most recognizable. Buuuut I would rather the movie not be based on any games but rather be it's own thing. The safe option is definitely that while having plenty of references for fans. I mean I'd love for there to be a movie where it's like based on Hylia and her first chosen hero, but that would mean no Zelda and I don't think that would be a smart move. It's so hard to say tbh. I feel like it's restrictive to appeal to the masses. I think it should be focused for the fans and by that I will scrap the movie and make an anime Jojo style where each season is based on a new Link aka the different games so we can go all the way instead if being restricted like an hour and something minutes. Screw it there can also be some movies too to accompany it.

[cutebutalsostabby]

12, 21, 24 :D

12) favourite character to write about this year

I just answered this one on a separate ask and said Hyrule, but I also like Legend! He's so soft to me. So squeezable. For my version of him: he means so well and he's actually quite clever and astute when he applies himself, BUT... he's a bit (a lot) impulsive, and can be clumsy as a result. Woe: ADHD be upon ye.

Idk I know some people view/write him as the most traumatised of the bunch but in my head he's coping with things in a reasonably healthy way (by Link standards at least lol).

21) most memorable comment/review

WHA- DON'T MAKE ME PICK A FAVOURITE CHILD!! ;_;

Ok fiiine, I will pick a favourite child. But I do really appreciate all comments!! I just chose this one because it was probably one of if not the longest comments I received, which also had the SHEER AUDACITY of apologising for being a long comment. And this is the same commenter who prompted me - politely and hopefully - to update that fic in the first place (complete with author note about pasta-related burns which probably looks ridiculous out of context and tbh doesn't make much more sense IN context lmao), so bonus points for that, and I'm glad they were so excited to see the update. I know some authors don't like being prodded for updates, but I definitely do (dependent on tone, obviously, and it won't always work - but it does help motivate me!).

24) favourite fic you read this year

I AM ONCE AGAIN CALLED ON TO PICK A FAVOURITE CHILD >:O

/j. But also not /j because I'm bad at picking absolute favourites, so I'll instead just add another item to the "fics I enjoyed" list from my previous post:

Things I enjoyed about this:

One of those whump scenes I like to reread a bunch.

Downfall duo belovvvvved.

Autistic Hyrule and also ADHD-coded Legend (idk latter might be just my reading into it but I'm going with that). Neurodivergent downfall duo: yes, correct.

Also it updated daily which is actually a thing I really appreciate in fics (but can never replicate in my own, sorry). I think it was probably afternoons/evenings for the authors but it was generally early mornings in my own time, so it was lovely to go to bed with the expectation of waking to a new chapter!

[minijenn]

Very cool you did a Zelda marathon. I recently got into the games myself and I love them and I just want to explore more of the franchise. So far I've played Skyward Sword, Breath of the Wild and I'm currently busy with Ocarina of Time. You know to keep me busy until Tears of the Kingdom lol Fave game so far is definitely BotW . I will say though I think I prefer the bosses in Skyward Sword than BotW. I mean in SS every boss felt unique and you had to outsmart it or figure out it's mechanics, and the final boss. Best final boss I've fought in a while. Demise is hype. BotW, most of the bosses are those Ganon guardians or some giant robot. That's just my take I know this isn't really an ask. Just wanted to share my Zelda opinion. After I play Windwaker I'm looking forward to reading your story. Keep up the great work.

Ah I actually completely agree about the bosses; tbh the bosses and the divine beasts in botw were one of its weaker aspects. I’m really hoping totk takes things up a notch in therms of both

[swordmunch]

The only one I could see having Actual Beef with Hylia is Time for the 7 year coma thing but tbh he’d prolly just blame it on Bad Fucking Luck. At most he’d blame Nayru or Farore bc like. Those are the goddesses he actually knows about. I can give grace for hcs about Hylia worship throughout the timeline, but by god that boy was told about Din, Farore, and/or Nayru from birth. He’d blame one of them if at all

Hard agree Legend Does Not Have Beef With Hylia. Same with Time—at most he’d have beef with Din, Farore, and/or Nayru??? The one god (?) I can say for certain that Leg has beef with tho is the Wind Fish

Honestly I do like the beef to SOME extent bc I think it fits their characters. Legend is definitely someone imo who does not appreciate fanatical god worship—or like. That was a bad way to explain it sorry. I mean like. Bc he’s had to do everything himself to his knowledge I think he’d get pretty pissed at people being like “X god will solve all our problems” or at least VERY confused (“who TF is HYLIA?????”) and to Legend, confusion (imo) comes out as anger.

Like not ??? “Sorry who is Hylia I don’t know her” but instead his reaction would be “WHO TF IS HYLIA AND WHY ARE WE NOT ASS-KICKING FRIENDS” or “WHY HAD SHE NOT INTRODUCED HERSELF??? bitch could be GOING ON QUESTS w me and cutting down my workload!!!!!”

I have v complicated feelings about the Hylia Beef. On the one hand I think it’s funny. On the other I think it’s completely baseless and a little infuriating depending on how intense the hate is (is it like realistic beef or is it blind hatred characature hate). On the other, third hand I think these guys, if/when told the whole story would have beef with her—not for the things she did to them (or lack thereof lmao (bc it’s not her job???)) but for the things she did to Sky

I think Legend would hate Hylia for—in Sun-Zelda’s words—using him. I think they all would—as like, a protective knee-jerk reaction.

Then after that I think the beef would be for laughs—like “she traumatized my ancestor I should get free stuf lololol” (in the “god gives his hardest battles to his tiniest soldiers” sort of way) sort of thing not like “she ruined my life and actively hindered my quest(s)” sort of deal

im back on my Hylia did nothing wrong soap box. if i see one more thing about hylia making heroes lives miserable imma have to,, do something dramatic. why would the links point at her for everything gone wrong in their lives when ganon is RIGHT THERE actively lowering their quality of life.

the only link i could really see having a weird relationship with hylia is sksw link and thats because of the "manipulation" hylia/zelda believes she pulled on link even tho he wouldve done it all for her anyways. she did her best. demise kinda killed hylia, she was low on options.

all she does is help in botw/totk. she helps link regain his strength when given offerings. shes not as strong as she used to be. demise kinda killed her, remember? she DID try and talk to zelda through dreams but the reception seemed kinda bad

[ravioverse]

one of the things I find incredibly funny about writing characters who are still like. Zelda-adjacent but not from Hyrule specifically is the fact that they dont necessarily know what things from Hyrule are (eg: Atlas not knowing what a zora is)

even funnier is when I look up what games certain enemies appear in, find that theres one specific game where they look WILDLY different, and realize that they DEFINITELY wouldn’t know what they are

anyway did yall know that wizzrobes dont appear in Ocarina of Time? they only appear in Majora’s Mask, and they’re the ones that look like this

which means that Viola 1000% has only seen them a handful of times after he’s not in his own time period, Space has only heard of this kind and maybe seen a couple other ones elsewhere, but literally nobody else would have heard of that kind. which means i get to write silly little discussions like this

Viola, talking about something they saw at a distance: what are those things called? wizzrobes?

Vex: the fuck kinda wizzrobes are you dealing with that run?

Compass: yeah they definitely dont run

Space: ive heard of some that do

Vex: bullshit. dont try to cover for him saying dumb shit