#i was watching videos on music in zelda games and majoras mask and the song of healing got brought up and it just sparked all this in my h

[mw-draws]

gonna ramble abt tears of the kingdom for a quick minute (spoilers btw)

So, i don't really post much about Tears of the Kingdom (or zelda in general) all that much on here, but i just wanted to get all this out my head.

totk is a fantastic fucking game man. the gameplay, the music, the artstyle, it's all fucking fantastic. but the thing that really lets me down is the story. or lackthereof.

I wanna talk about the final boss for a quick minute. The final boss fight feels really fucking epic. the fight. the atmosphere. the MUSIC. It's all fucking fantastic. but it feels as if something is missing. what's my motivation for actually killing this guy. what's his motivation for killing me? Ganondorf feels very different in this game. I feel as if i don't have a personal connection like i did in previous games. The most Link has to deal with is meeting this guy like once and then you go and fight him. I'm sat there like WHERE'S THE MOTIVATION.

yeah, you can tell me that Ganondorf is gonna destroy the world and shit, yeah he's the Demon King(tm) or whatever, but that just feels like some label to me. who actually is this guy and what is his motivation for killing Link? yeah, he was told like a million years ago that some guy called link was gonna kill him and stop his dastardly plans, but to go through the process of Dragonification, literally destroying his body, mind and soul, just to kill One(1) twink that has a magic sword and that he met ONCE very briefly, it seems like overkill to me. and to go through all this and have so much hatred for link, who's just gonna curb stomp him anyways?? WHY, what is the fucking reason???

I suppose you could say this about Twilight Princess. You don't actually hear of Ganondorf until about 3/4 of the way through the game and you don't fucking meet him until the very end boss fight and vise versa. This guy doesn't know who link is lmfao, some farm boy and a weird looking thing is about to square go you. But that version of Ganondorf is the same guy that got grassed on by Link 100 years ago. tp link is that kids descendant, so there's a connection there. totk Ganondorf is just some old guy that is completely disconnected from the lore of the three goddesses and shit. he doesn't posses the Triforce of Power. he posses some "secret stone" that isn't so secret. there's nothing connecting Link to Ganondorf in this game, whereas, before, it was the triforce and demises curse.

there's no motivation, no connection and it leaves a pretty fucking epic fight feeling pretty empty. I think disconnecting Link from the main story of the game was a pretty poor move. i want to experience a story, not be told it.

I mean, being told a story can have it's impacts. for example, finding out that the light dragon is actually zelda. finding that out fucking destroyed me man. i felt empty and sad after watching that cutscene, but because i was told the story, i ended up just piecing it together myself. Now, imagine the impact of finding that out if i got to experience the story. it'd be 10x worse.

then actually, it turns out zelda's alright in the end and it's like??? Well. okay then. i didn't actually do anything to save her, some ghosty fuckers did. Like, what is Link's impact here? i would've loved it if i got to do it myself.

And being shown that scene where zelda transforms into the light dragon and feeling fucking DISTRAUGHT, not wanting to move anywhere or do anything and link is just ??? okay that's fine then, lets get on with it. there's no personal connection to anything that happens in the story and it makes me sad.

Like i've said, the actual gameplay of totk is amazing. i blasted through 12 hours of the game in one sitting when i first played it. it's got amazing mechanics, beautiful music and the graphics and artstyle is to die for. but the story is just not there for me. i can't feel connected to it whatsoever.

[linkles-art-blog]

So, back on the 15th of last month, I had made a colored sketch version of this post, as I wasn’t really sure if I would be up for committing the time necessary to finish the artwork in full for quite a while, if ever; however, since I was, in fact, able to complete it after all, I would now like to make a much more proper post for it here on my art blog.

This is my take on the “Meet the Artist!” type of posts that you occasionally see floating around the various parts of Tumblr (except, seeing as that I’m also a writer, I added ‘author’ to it, too).  As stated above and as most of my blogs’ urls imply, the name that I most typically go by online is, of course, Linkle — although, there are some exceptions on a very select few other platforms.

My main hobbies are (obviously) writing and drawing, although I am also a gamer who loves playing video games, listening to music, reading books and poetry, and watching various shows and movies on TV — including a few anime series.

My favorite series out of all of the fandoms I am in is, without a shred of doubt, Bungou Stray Dogs and its related topics, but I also am a very big fan of the Legend of Zelda, Doctor Who, Stargate (particularly SG-1 and Atlantis), Final Fantasy, Xenoblade Chronicles, Ace Attorney, Pokémon, and so, so many other (for me) somewhat minor fandoms that I haven’t mentioned here, but still love dearly all the same. 💖 If I’ve ever loved a series, chances are I will love it forever and ever.

As a creator, I am primarily an artist, writer, and theorist, who takes great pride in drawing my favorite characters and pairings and writing meta articles, analyses, theories, and fanfics for the fandoms and topics that are close to my heart (with my primary focus being especially centered around Bungou Stray Dogs and the general topic of Arthur Rimbaud — both in BSD and in real life, the research of which I take extremely seriously).

As a gamer, some of my favorite games of all time are Xenoblade Chronicles, the Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword and Majora’s Mask, Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity, Code Vein, Final Fantasy IX, X, and XV, Pokémon Legends: Arceus, Pokémon Platinum Version, Rime, Super Mario Galaxy, and Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE! (And there are probably some others I’m forgetting as of writing this, too. lol)

If you have any other questions about me, you should check out the Informational Grand Directory that I have pinned on my main blog! ^-^ Thanks for reading, and I hope to maybe see you around sometime!

Do not repost this artwork anywhere without my explicit permission or claim it as your own. See F.A.Q.s for details. Songs I listened to while drawing this:

Santa’s Real by Sasha Sloan

House with No Mirrors by Sasha Sloan

Carried Away by Shawn Mendes

Rip Up the Recipe by Shawn Mendes and Constance Wu

Take a Look at Us Now by Shawn Mendes and Javier Bardem

[athetos]

My loz tierlist

Thoughts under the cut!

Masterpiece: Ocarina of Time is my favorite Zelda game, and I know it is at least partially due to nostalgia, but it holds up so well today and is still an absolute joy to play. Personally I think it is the peak of 3D Zelda, i give it 10/10 in every category across the board - dungeon design, overworld, plot/dialogue/side quest stuff, music, gameplay… tears of the kingdom may also be one of my favorites due to recency, and not nostalgia, but I find it very difficult to believe it will ever diminish in quality greatly over time. There is so much to do, and it really took what was good about botw and made it even better. I was in awe the entire time I played, and I will only continue to play it as time goes on, coming back to it again and again. I think there are a couple nitpicks the game could improve upon but it is an excellent early swan song for the switch. Botw, truthfully should be somewhere between masterpiece and not quite perfect, simply because totk improved it so much it’s harder to go back to it. But it was also an amazing journey.

Not quite perfect, but amazing: wind waker is a game i so desperately wanted to put in the masterpiece tier, but simply was unable to do so. There are several frustrations I have with the game that stop me from calling it perfect. I only had the GCN copy, so perhaps the Wii U version fixed these issues, but slow sailing, the triforce fetch quest, and how aggravating getting all the pictobox collectables are dampened my enjoyment. However, I want to emphasize that the dungeons are nearly on par with ocarina of time here; that the graphics are beautiful and aged well even on GCN; and that the music is a true delight. It’s why I recommend it to everyone, if you can handle these annoyances littered throughout.

A link to the past is another game I wanted to call a masterpiece, but had to settle for second best. I replayed it 2 years ago and while I had as much fun as the first time, there were surprisingly a couple parts that did not hold up as well as I remembered! Mainly, a couple of dungeons (fuck skull woods) and overworld progression. However, like wind waker, the highlights of the game are unparalleled and when the dungeon design is good, it’s fantastic. Majora’s mask is a very unique Zelda game, one that I personally champion, and like wind waker, it just has some imperfections that do frustrate me going back to it. For example, the tight time limits on dungeons (especially that godawful great bay temple) were agonizing, especially if you were trying to get every fairy. It was also hard to keep track of all the side quests, even with the 3ds journal. But it is such a special game!

Skyward Sword is a game I’m glad is being reevaluated now that it’s on switch with options for no motion controls and less of Fi. Because it’s amazing! I will never forgive anyone who told me the game was bad! Unfortunately, after games like botw and totk it makes the “open-ness” of the world feel very small and limiting; the great sky is empty and barren, and the surface being separate regions kind of hurts. Late in the game, it also gives way to padding; I think the spirit trials were terrifying and very cool, but “you’re trapped and now you need to find your gear again!” And “find all the stupid little tadpole things I forgot what they were maybe they weren’t tadpoles!” Was just so unnecessary. And I do not want to even talk about the imprisoned’s toesie-woesies!!! Kill me!!! But the rest of the game is so good it nearly makes up for all of it!!

Great, better than your average game: the minish cap is a game I remember very fondly, although not without a few gripes. I think the npcs and hyrule town are some of my favs in the franchise, and I actually enjoyed for the most part the Kinstone quests. But after playing parts of it again recently, and watching videos on it, I acknowledge it has faults that stop it from achieving true greatness. Phantom hourglass is also a game I think was great, at least partially because you made your own maps. I love making maps! And the gameplay was good! But my god, the ocean tower…. An absolute slog! A nightmare! Evil! The first Zelda is so simple, but holds up as being very fun even today, despite its shortness; of course it belongs in this tier.

Links awakening dx/hd had some amazing moments, but a few bad ones too. I either loved or hated the dungeons, some of the side quests were mehhh, but the overall game is delightful. Hd is recommended because you can have more weapons equipped at once! A godsend! Spirit tracks, it didn’t particularly stand out to me much, but I did have fun with it! And the Oracle games I am a fan of, I think they’re good but have a couple limitations from the hardware that irk me. If they had remakes, I think they would actually go to near perfection tier for me! Who knows!

Good/Average: I have a confession: I am not a link between worlds lover. I enjoyed it quite a bit when it first came out, but going back to it has been hard; I don’t get very far before dropping it. It feels kind of like a lesser link to the past, but with a worse central mechanic. I liked the non-linearity, but disliked having to rent items, and it meant that the only upgrades found in dungeons couldn’t be items you need for progression, really. A shame, because the dungeons could be quite good. Four swords adventure is good, but it’s such a hassle finding 3 other players and setting it up! I was never able to complete it. The adventure of link is rather unique, but not bad; in fact I liked the metroidvania elements! It’s worth playing, but will not blow your mind. Lastly, twilight princess… this may surprise you, but I was never a big fan. It’s so slow! The opening makes me tired thinking about it. I also felt the graphics aged poorly, and while the dungeons are good, they aren’t nearly as great as other games have been. It’s all very disappointing.

Bad - tri force heroes was bad I am not explaining why. You agree.

[popmusicu]

The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask. Storytelling through music

This is my favorite game from my adolescence, and I remember it fondly for its music and its story, two elements that are intimately related in this game. The game's narrative revolves around the task of saving the world in less than three days before a cataclysm destroys the planet. The hero of this story, Link, must engage in a series of time jumps to alter the course of events in the game. This game, characterized by its concise dialogues where the protagonist doesn't speak at all, yet manages to convey a powerful story primarily through actions and the atmosphere in which events unfold. One of the primary reasons why the music in Majora's Mask is crucial is its ability to establish the atmosphere and reinforce the narrative. The people involved in this story on the first day are in a state of total denial, so the main theme is harmonious, relaxed, and hopeful, but gradually they begin to realize that the danger is real, so the same song gradually transitions towards a sense of urgency and despair brought about by the impending cataclysm. The constant repetition and variation of melodies reinforce the game's central theme: the inevitable passage of time and the imminent fate it carries. The use of musical elements in this game is an excellent example of how music in an audiovisual medium (such as a video game or a film) serves not only to passively accompany the actions taking place but also to be part of the storytelling itself. Here is the game's main theme, which slightly changes as the days pass: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K0kXVfqPrLs Gabriel Ávila Lagos

[phiralovesloki]

I know my queue ran out and I’ve been AWOL, but I can’t sleep so here are some random thoughts about Zelda music.

Gerudo Valley is an absolute banger. What the fuck.

Forest Temple is not the same kind of creepy as the Shadow Temple, but both are extremely creepy and terrifying. Forest Temple is kind of like ... good, yes, more, creep me out more, and Shadow Temple is the opposite. Like, no thank you, go away, fuck fuck no.

I love the overworld theme for Ocarina of Time. I don’t care, I don’t care.

It’s mad how they took 5 fucking notes and wrote 11 pieces of music (Zelda’s Lullaby was already a thing). They’re all good except for Nocturne of Shadow. Like, Sun’s Song? It’s so silly, but then you’re playing Wind Waker and the sun comes up over the ocean and you hear the little trill and DAMN SON.

Spirit Tracks. Is it a good game? No. Is the train overworld theme possibly one of the best pieces of video game music ever? Extremely yes. The remixes in particular are sick.

Twilight Princess has a downer of a soundtrack. The best pieces of music are the nighttime Hyrule Field theme and Midna’s Desperate Hour, and BOTH get constantly interrupted by the mediocre combat music. Lake Hylia is nice, though. Relaxing. I’m kind of sick of the Hidden Village them (do not @ me, spouse), and I prefer the Ocarina of Time version of Saria’s Song.

Oh, I do like the E3 trailer music, though, that’s some good shit.

Wind Waker! Oh mannnnn. Great overworld theme. Dragon Roost. Outset. Yessssss. ALSO the end credit music is unexpectedly emotional???

Majora’s Mask has good music but it’s all kind of like ... quietly perfect without making me want to put on the soundtrack in my off hours. Too atmospheric? I mean, I love Forest Temple’s music but I don’t want to listen to that to relax either.

Link’s Awakening’s soundtrack was always great, but the remake just absolutely blew me away. Like, damn, I didn’t realize how different every dungeon’s theme was, or how good they all are. ALSO Ballad of the Windfish for best piece of Zelda music, thank you and good night.

Skyward Sword? Look, man, I don’t know what to tell you. I know what they were going for and I don’t like almost any of it. It doesn’t feel like Zelda music to me. The Ballad of the Goddess is weak and gimmicky, which is how I’d describe the whole game. The only music I like are the romantic themes that play for Link and Zelda in Skyloft. Oh, and the Gate of Time music is actually really good, but you barely listen to it in the actual game.

“Wow, so I bet you feel like Breath of the Wild’s music also doesn’t feel like Zelda music--” WRONG I LOVE IT. ENJOY YOUR WRONGNESS.

Lost Woods/labyrinth/etc music? Best. Champion’s themes? Best. Kass? My guy. Kakariko Village? Love it. Rest of the villages? Also excellent. TARRY TOWN??? RITO VILLAGE??? DIVINE BEASTS???? FIGHTING A TALUS????

“But Phira, the theme--” is PERFECT. It’s PERFECT.

“But there’s no overworld theme--” THAT IS NOT A PROBLEM.

Like, just watch the 2017 pre-release trailer and soak that shit up. The ingenious melding of the classic Zelda themes with the new theme takes my breath away. It’s just good. AHHHHHHHHH.

Doo doo DOOOOOOOOOO doo dooooo ....

anyway, someone teach me classical guitar so I can learn to shred well enough to play Gerudo Valley.

feel free to append your correct opinions but dissent will be ignored, because I don’t care

[psi-groovin]

Eight People I’d Like to Know Better! I was tagged by @ihideinmymusic. Thank you!! ♥

1. Name / Alias I’m Sarah. I don’t really have an alias but some people on tumblr refer to me as psi or groovin. I’ve embraced the nickname “tart” that an old man gave me. “Seargent Tart,” to be specific. Also my nickname for the day (that my sister decided) was “Sharah Laffpattern” 

2. Birthday October 12 baby!

3. Zodiac Sign I’m a libra

4. Height 5’5” ish

5. Hobbies Drawing, sewing, reading, baking, watching movies, listening to music, fashion, taking care of my orchids… eating stuff…

6. Favourite Colors I love orange most of all!! But I also enjoy light blue, mulberry, mustard yellow, pink, and forest green ♥

7. Favourite Books I just read “Let The Right One In” by John Ajvide Lindqvist which was PHENOMENAL and really dark! Of course if you know me, I love stories where the main characters are children (like Earthbound, Stranger Things, etc.). So of course I love “It” by Stephen King too.

8. Last Song I Listened To something that was playing on 103.1 probably. I have an older car and the audio jack doesn’t work so I have to listen to the radio but its okay cos that station plays some really interesting shit

9. Last Film I Watched The Changeling from 1980! I don’t really watch haunted house movies all that often but I figured this was one that was a “must see in your lifetime” type of movie. I ended up not being crazy about it, but it was still quite good. :^)

10. Inspiration or Muse I’m inspired by a lot. When I was a kid it was mostly video games, especially games like Legend of Zelda: The Windwaker, Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask, StarFox: Assault, Paper Mario and the Thousand Year Door, Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance. As I got older it shifted to music, namely Rhapsody of Fire. Holy shit their stuff inspired me for so many stories and drawings!! When I say “inspired” I mean that like these things inspired me to create. Music has always helped me draw. Sometimes I’ll put one song on repeat for like 2 hours until I finish a drawing. Movies started inspiring me more when I was in high school and college. Specifically, movies like Amelie, The City of Lost Children, Pan’s Labyrinth, The Collector (1965), Logan’s Run… believe it or not I am also inspired by The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2, Big Trouble In Little China, and Braindead/Dead Alive (I will put these movies on repeat in the background while I draw). Musical inspirations are ELO (of course), Roy Wood (of course), Muse, The Moody Blues, some obscure shit that I ran across on youtube, Abba, The Idle Race, Mud (!!), etc. etc. etc. I’ve gone on and on on this one

11. Dream Job hmmmm… I really wish I could live in a cottage and just bake and garden all day. I wish I could sustain myself somehow by doing that. I really want to just stay home in a cozy place surrounded by things I love and simply do the things I love.. like all the hobbies I listed above ♥

12. Meaning Behind Your URL At the beginning of the game Earthbound, you get to choose the name of Ness’ signature psychic ability (a question something like “what is your favorite thing?”). The default is “Rockin,” so when you see it on screen it looks like PSI Rockin. So, because I love Earthbound and the word “groovy” for several reasons, I smushed the two together so its an Earthbound reference, a 60s-70s reference, and sort of an Evil Dead reference all rolled into one! psi-groovin! also psychic stuff is pretty cool too

Thanks so much this was a blast! Sorry I took a little bit to do this. I’ll tag:

@eleventh-earl, @britishsixtiesbeat, @eddiecranes, @hungry-joe, @emmadangerheart, @quite-actually-a-nacho, @letthewiresrock, @thenursedawne

 no pressure if you’ve done this already or don’t feel like it ♥

[transslyblue]

Also "1-99"

(1) Do You Sleep With Your Closet Doors Open Or Closed?

Haha, closed. I don't like seeing the dark void that I call a closet

(2) Do You Have Freckles?

Yea, but you can't really see them unless you're close

(3) Can You Whistle?

Yes

(4) Last Song You Listened To.

The Hunchback of Notre Dame musical, the Tavern Song

(5) What Is Your Favourite Colour?

Blue, but I also like a variety of purples and greens

(6) Relationship Status.

Single and not looking

(7) What Is The Temperature Right Now?

69º F

(8) Did You Wake Up Cranky?

Yea, unless I wake up myself

(9) How Many Followers?

118, but I need to go through and block any bots. (;w;)

(10) Zodiac Sign.

Leo

(11) What Is Your Eye Colour?

Blue/green hazel. My eyes are multi-coloured so they have blue, green, and brown with a very grey look to them.

(12) Take A Vitamin Daily?

I forget daily

(13) Do You Sing In The Shower?

Yup!

(14) What Books Are You Reading?

I really want to get back to reading some more Lovecraft, but i don't have much time to read

(15) Grab The Book Nearest To You, Turn To Page 64, Give Me Line 14.

"Minutes before librarians ate him."

(16) Favourite Anime?

Uuuuhhhhhh, hm. I guess it'd have to be InuYasha, but I like a lot of anime

(17) Last Person You Cried In Front Of?

Err,,, it was a very close friend. Idk if they'd want me to say who they are tho

(18) Do You Collect Anything?

Rocks and those snowglobe musicboxes

(19) What Did You Have For Lunch?

Yogurt and a protein bar. Ik, ik real healthy and filling

(20) Do You Dance In The Car?

Depends on the song, but not really

(21) Favourite Animal?

Owls and cats

(22) Do You Watch The Olympics?

Not really, but when I do it's the diving Olympics

(23) What Time Do You Usually Go To Bed?

2am

(24) Are You Wearing Makeup Right Now?

I don't wear makeup. Though I have considered it

(25) Do You Prefer To Swim In A Pool Or The Ocean?

Either. Pool is safer though

(26) Favourite Tumblr Blog?

Oof, idk if I can pick just one, so imma name a few. @ohhimarx @mirosuikaaa @masochist-incarnate they're all really friendly and nice

(27) Bottled Water Or Tap Water?

Whichever is most convenient at the time

(28) What Makes You Happy?

The sound of rain, art, my friends talking to me, I have a list that I've posted, so I won't list out here

(29) Post A Gif Of What You’re Currently Feeling Right Now.

(30) Do You Study Better With Or Without Music?

Haha, I don't study;;;

(31) Dogs Or Cats?

Cats

(32) If You Were A Crayon What Colour Would You Be?

Blue-tiful lol, for real though probably bubble blue

(33) PlayStation Or Xbox.

Does Switch/ds count?

(34) Would You Swim In The Lake Or Ocean?

Idunknow

(35) Do You Believe In Magic?

Not really, but I won't bash on anyone who does

(36) What Colour Shirt Are You Wearing?

Black, but is a Link being a meme

(37) Can You Curl Your Tongue?

Yes

(38) Do You Save Money Or Spend It?

I save more then I spend.

(39) Is There Anything Pink Within 10 Feet Of You?

Yea, it's a pink pillow of Lion from Steven Universe and a music stand from when I was in middle school

(40) Do You Have Any Obsessions Right Now?

Kirby in general

(41) Have You Ever Caught A Butterfly?

Nope, but I have touched one before

(42) Are You Easily Influenced By Other People?

Yes and no. It really depends on how long I've been around them

(43) Do You Have Strange Dreams?

Omg yes! I remember a few and they were all lucid dreams! (I looked up the term from last time I answered this question)

(44) Do You Like Going On Airplanes?

Never been on one

(45) Name One Movie That Made You Cry.

Of Mice and Men

(46) Peanuts Or Sunflower Seeds?

Both

(47) If I Handed You A Concert Ticket Right Now, Who Would You Want The Performer To Be?

Panic!At the Disco, Fallout Boy, or The Neighborhood

(48) Are You A Picky Eater?

Not really. There are some foods I refuse to eat, but otherwise I eat pretty much anything

(49) Are You A Heavy Sleeper?

Yes

(50) Do You Fear Thunder / Lightning?

Nope! I actually like thunder

(51) Do You Like To Read / Write?

I enjoy reading. As for writing, eh. I'll write out my ideas but I'mno good at fleshing them out to be interesting

(52) Do You Like Your Music Loud?

Yes. But not too loud, just enough where I don't hear everyone around me

(53) Would You Rather Carve Pumpkins Or Wrap Presents?

Carve pumpkins! I really am bad at wrapping presents

(54) Put Your Music On Shuffle, What Is The First Song That Came Up?

Hurts - Illuminated

(55) What Season Are You In Right Now? (Weather)

Spring and dying from pollen

(56) What Are You Craving Right Now?

Idk, something salty tbh

(57) Post A Screenshot Of Your Tumblr Feed.

(58) What Is Your Gender?

I'm a transgender male, so i use he/him pronouns.

(59) Coffee Or Tea?

Both, but I like tea more

(60) Do You Have Any Homework Right Now? If So, What Is It About?

I'm not in school anymore soooo no

(61) What Is Your Sexuality?

Idk. Questioning I guess

(62) Do You Make Your Bed In The Morning?

No

(63) Favourite Pokemon?

I already answered this one, so I'll say a new pokemon that I love. Rowlet!

(64) Favourite Social Media?

Bruh I am not a fan, but Tumblrs the one I'm on most.

(65) What’s Your Opinion On Instagram Stories?

Idk. I don't have an Instagram

(66) Do You Get Homesick?

Yes

(67) Are You A Virgin?

Yes, and I plan to stay that way for awhile

(68) What Shampoo And Conditioner Are You Using Right Now?

I use Suave, but I also use TeaTree when I get really bad dandruff

(69) If You Were Far From Home And Needed To Sleep For The Night, Would You Choose To Rent A Crappy Motel Room For $60 Or Sleep In Your Car For Free?

Depends on the place. But most likely I'd risk the motel.

(70) Are Both Of Your Blood Parents Still In Your Life?

My mom yes, my biological father... It's complicated

(71)  Whats The Next Movie You Want To See In Theaters?

I don't really watch movies, so none

(72) Do You Miss Your Ex?

I don't have an ex

(73) What Is Your Favourite Quote Right Now?

Be the person you needed when you were younger. I have no clue who said it, but I live by that

(74)  What Eye Colour Do You Find Sexiest?

Eyes in general are great. Idk how anyone can not find something they like in any eye colour

(75) Did You Like Swinging As A Child? Do You Still Get Excited When You See A Swing Set?

YesYesYesYes

(76) What Was The Last Thing You Ate?

Nachos

(77) What Games Do You Have On Your Phone?

Voez and Pokémon Go

(78) Would You Give A Homeless Person CPR If They Were Dying? Why Or Why Not?

Yes, because no oen deserves to die. I'd do my best to help any homeless person

(79) Been On The Computer For 5 Hours Straight?

Haha, not today. Yet

(80) Stalked Someone On A Social Network?

Not really

(81) Do You Like Meeting New People?

Yes!

(82) Do You Wear Rings? If You Do, Take A Picture Of Them.

I don't wear jewlery much. But I would like to get my ears pierced properly

(83) Do You Sleep With Your Bedroom Door Open Or Closed?

Closed! I don't want people or my cat to walk in

(84) What Are Three Things You Did Today?

I woke up, did laundry, answered these questions

(85) What Do You Wear To Bed?

Pajama pants and a t-shirt

(86) List All Of Your Different Beauty Products You Have Right Now.

I've got none. Unless you want me to name what body wash i use. :/

(87) Are You A Day Or Night Person?

Night person

(88) List All Of Your Video Games On Your Phone, Console Etc.

Phone: Voez, Pokémon Go

Switch: Legend of Zeld: Breath of the wild, Super Smash Bros Ultimate, Kirby Star Allies, Mario Kart 8, PuyoPuyo Tetris, Bayonetta 1&2, Hyrule Warriors, Just Dance 2017, Super Mario Party, Let's Go Eevee, Mario Odyssey, Undertale, Shovel Knight, Pokémon quest, Mom Hid my Game, Deemo, Sonic Mania, Detention, The Coma, Cave Story

3DS: Kirby Clash Deluxe, Kirby Triple Deluxe, Kirby's Extra Epic Yarn, Kirby Planet Robobot, Kirby Canvas Curse, Kirby Mass Attack, Kirbg Super Star Ultra, Kirby Squeak Squad, Pokémon Y, Pokémon Platinum, Pokémon Ultra Moon, Pokémon Alpha Sapphire Pokémon Heartgold, Legend of Zelda Link Between Worlds, Legend of Zelda Majoras Mask, Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time 3D, Legend of Zelda Phantom Hourglass, Legend of Zelda Spirit Tracks, Super Smash Bros, Luigi's Mansion Dark Moon, Wario Ware Gold, Super Princess Peach, Animal Crossing New Leaf, Castlevania Dawn of Sorrow, Cooking Mama, Cooking Mama 2, Sonic Colors

Gameboy Color: Pokemon Blue, Legend of Zelda Link's Awakening

This is over the course of many years

(89) Tell Me About A Dream That You Had And When It Happened.

I had this dream where I was flying a red paper plane. It took forever to carry it up this tapestry, but i did it. When I finally took off this group of white paper planes were chasing me so I shook them off and landed, taking shelter in this museum. This museum held other people hiding and was actually an abandoned grocery store. Then I woke up.

I don't rememebr when this was, but I wrote it down. I have a few more if you're interested.

(90) Favourite Soda Drink?

Strawberry Ramuné

(91) What Sounds Are Your Favourite?

Rainstorms,

(92) Do You Wear Jeans Or Sweats More?

Jeans, since I can't wear sweatpants to work

(93) How Do You Look Right Now?

Uhhh, probably a slob since I've been in pajamas all day

(94) Name Something That Relaxes You.

Stuffed animals

(95) What Tattoo Do You Want?

Idk. Haven't really wanted one. Maybe a connect the dots one.

(96) Favourite YouTuber?

Idk. I watch Pyrocynical and Markiplier, but other than that I listen to music, watch speedpaints, and speed plays of various videogames

[slasherflickchick]

Get to Know Me Shindig

I was tagged by the lovely @agent-cupcake to do a thingie

1.) Nickname: I don’t really have very many of these. Megs, Kit, MegaBlue, May, Gee, Moo (?), Snips

2.) Zodiac: Aquarius baby

3.) Height: 5’7” (or about 170.18 cms)

4.) Last Movie I Watched: I think it was Into the Spiderverse? It 100% deserves the Oscar it got

5.) Last Google Search: 5 feet 7 inches in centimeters, because I am a fool who cannot math

6.) Favorite Artist: In regards to art, Van Gogh or Vermeer. In regards to music, Panic! at the Disco is a nostalgic favorite of mine

7.) Song Currently Stuck In My Head: U G H there’s this song my aunt showed me from Sesame Street called “There’s a Hole in the Bucket”. It’s fairly entertaining, but gets annoying when it plays in your head on repeat. It’s become something like a meme in my family

8.) Other Blog: Yeet

9.) Do I Get Asks: Not terribly often, I generally prefer PMs because they’re easier to respond to quickly :)

10.) Following: I’m following 672 other blogs

11.) How Much Do I Sleep: Bold of you to assume I ever sleep.

12.) Lucky Number: 3

13.) What am I Wearing: A sweatshirt and fuzzy pants. We got a hell of a blizzard here and I need to keep my goblin body warm

14.) Dream Job: Something where I could get paid to do nothing would be swell, but realistically I want to either be a screenplay writer or a director. James Wan is high-key life goals

15.) Dream Trip: Space. If I could pick a place to die, the answer would also be space.

16.) Favorite Food: Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches are a staple in my diet. Because I am an adult.

17.) Languges: Chinese, French, Sign Language, memes, gibberish

18.) Random Fact: I’m one of those dumbasses who can trip on nothing and choke on their own spit...I’m a goddamn mess

19.) Aesthetic: G O D. Punk/grunge, gothic, Victorian, steam punk, magical/whimsical, spooky, artsy, books, Ancient Egyptian, cutesy, Chinese/Japanese, mystical, astronomy (like with that incense, tapestries, tarot cards, that shit)

20.) Who Is Your Favorite Anime Character: Hnnggg Joker from Black Butler, Yuki Sohma from Fruits Basket, Ban from Seven Deadly Sins, Greed from FMA/FMAB, Hisoka from Hunter x Hunter, Levi from Attack on Titan, Zuko fro Avatar: The Last Airbender, Seto Kaiba from Yu-gi-oh!

21.) What is Your Favorite Video Game: I don’t really play too many video games, but Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask is DEFINITELY my favorite

22.) Create Your Own Question: What’s the Best Part of Your Favorite Season: I L O V E that in-between period between Summer and Autumn where it’s super sunny but not too hot. Or those days where it rains a lot

[four-swords-dub]

Next up we have our Green bean blooper machine! Riley!  (Karen: Riley couldn’t record his answers so I’ve included one of my fav lines of his) Name: rockriled Character(s) you voice: Green Link, Deku Scrub #2, Sound Director/Editor of the FS Dub Project Are you in any way like those characters? I think we’re similar in terms of wanting to help/protect the people we love.  As for Green’s personality…probably not? Green is confident, independent, and hardworking while I’m a bag of nerves and anxiety.  I could fit into the hardworking area, though. As for the Deku Scrub…we’re both short, squeaky, and flammable?  (I’m probably not gonna refer to the Deku Scrub for the rest of this since they only got…four lines, I think?)

Favourite/least favourite thing about voicing your character? My favorite thing about voicing Green is that I can just let loose.  I don’t talk much outside of the project due to shyness and how most of my friends live a long ways away, but when I play Green, I can feel powerful and confident even if it’s just for a few minutes.Least favorite thing about voicing Green is that depending on the chapter, he has the most lines.  I blame this on my lack of voice-acting experience, but both actor-me and sound-editor-me look through the script and think “dangit, Green, stop hogging the spotlight and let someone else speak!” Which characters did you audition for? I auditioned for Vio first, but I got nervous that auditioning for only one role was rude.  I figured I wasn’t cute enough for Red or tough enough for Blue, so I went with Green. How did you react when you got the part(s)? Hoo boy, um…settle in, this is a bit of a story.My self-esteem has always been in the pits—and combining that with my perfectionist needs didn’t help, either.  Whenever something cool came up, my brain would go “why bother, you’re gonna fail” and I’d do just that: give up without trying.So when posts about the Four Swords Dub Project started floating around, the same thing happened all over again.  Best way I can describe it… Brain: “Don’t even try it.  You know you’re not gonna get a part.” Me: “But it’s Four Swords, my favorite part of the Zelda manga series.” Brain: “And?  Your voice sucks.  Your acting sucks.  You won’t even get a minor role.  Do you really want to add another failure to your life?”   Me: “…look.  I’m really interested in this.  I don’t know if I’ll actually get a part, but I still want to send in an audition so I can say that I tried.” Brain: “…two main characters?  Really? Don’t get your hopes up.”(some time later) FS Dub Email: “Congratulations, you’re going to be our Green Link!” Me & Brain: “WAIT, WHAT?!” It was a total shock.  I was so convinced I wasn’t going to get in that it never occurred to me that I could get in.  Heck, it’s been a little over two years and I still can’t believe I got a leading role. As for the part of Sound Director/Editor…I can’t remember how, but I somehow got a hold of all the voice lines for all the characters in Chapter 1-1.  Even though I have zero experience in editing, I suddenly got curious and started mixing the files with background music and sound effects. I sent a copy of what I put together to Karen (our voice and project director) for fun. Next thing I knew, I was the BGM/SFX guy for the rest of the project! Long story short: this dub’s been full of surprises. ^_^ Who do you wish you could voice? Oof, that’s a tough one. @_@  It’s so hard to pick because everyone’s already perfect as their current roles...   Had you read the manga before taking part in the dub? Yep! :D It was around the time the internet became a big thing and when YouTube was first made.  Middle-school me spent HOURS scouring Google for Yu-Gi-Oh! content (fell in love with the show in sixth grade) when I stumbled across a website with Legend of Zelda comics  It had the manga versions of Ocarina of Time, Majora’s Mask, the Oracle games, and—my top favorite—Four Swords.

FS holds a special place in my heart for not only giving the Links such diverse eyes/expressions, but destroying typical color-personality associations.  I’d seen fan-comics of Four Swords with Red as the angry one, Blue as the smart one, and Purple as the newbie or the…um…stereotypically-gay one.  Akira Himekawa’s version of the Links blew my freaking mind and I LOVED IT. <3     Any past voice acting experience? At best, the only voice-acting experience I had prior to the FS dub was watching tons of anime and re-enacting scenes via talking to myself.  I still do this with anime, TV shows, movies, books, and video games. @_@ I’m not sure if this counts, but I…kinda got voice training in other areas?  I yelled my lungs out in Tae Kwon Do for two years, sang alto in a chorus for three years, was moved to soprano for one year, yelled my lungs out again in Judo for one year, and learned classical/opera singing techniques for a few months (a friend’s friend was studying to be a music teacher and they needed a volunteer to practice their teaching skills).  They might not count for this question, though… Who is your favourite FS character (if any)? Oh boy...I know younger-me’s favorite was Vio (I blame the eyes and ability to side with both Shadow and the other Links), but these days?  It’s hard to pick, thanks to the dub. @_@ How do you warm up/get in character before recording? Big thing for me is how I’m feeling.  Currently, I work six days a week (it sucks but I need the money/insurance DX) and I use the commute from work to where I live to figure out my mood.  If I’m down in the dumps to the point that music can’t help, I won’t be able to deliver as Green.  If I have some energy or so much energy that I can belt/rap to my music, I’m all set.  It means I’m all loose and confident to record. As for days when I don’t have work like days-off or holidays, I try to relax and get myself in a Green-y mindset. 

Little something I picked up from YouTube is gargling a mouthful of water.  I’m not too sure how it works, but I do this right before a recording session and it helps a lot. Favourite chapter to voice so far? Favourite scene? Um…it’s kinda hard to pick a favorite chapter or scene I liked voicing since I had fun with all of them.  Can I make this into favorite scene/chapter to do sound stuff for instead?  And can I pick multiples instead? >_>;; Favorite Chapter for Sound Editing: Chapter 4.  I had to compile different sounds that reflected Green’s desert, Blue’s snowstorm, Red’s forest fire, and Vio’s night in the woods. It was both challenging and fun. :D  Favorite Scene for Sound Editing: Every comedic scene, scenes where the background music slowed to a halt, and scenes where I had to improvise sound effects.

The slowed-down songs are in the scenes where Blue and Green fight on the boat, and when Red admits he lost his weapons to Blue in the Ice Cave.  Those were tough to do in Audacity (had to slow down the music piece by piece), but it was SO worth it.

As for scenes where I had to use nearby stuff for sounds…there’s a bunch of ‘em.

The door slamming while Erune talks about the missing children = me slamming my bedroom door.

The Gerudo Masseuse’ movements and the Gerudo Elder’s staff = me shaking my wrist while wearing my old belly-dance bracelets.

Deku Scrubs popping out of the ground = me smacking my lips mixed with the deku sound effect from Ocarina of Time.

Green’s sword hitting the labyrinth wall = me hitting a pot lid with a wooden spoon.

Green falling and sliding down the labyrinth wall = me falling and sliding down a bedroom wall.

Eerie shadow raising their sword to attack Green as the moon rises = me sliding a knife sharpener over a kitchen knife.

Shadow walking on clouds = me blowing into the mic mixed with footstep sounds from Ocarina of Time.

Big Poe screaming at Red and Blue = me banging pots, pans, and piano keys mixed with chaotic sound effects I found online.

Big Poe taking Blue’s soul = me breathing into the mic along with heavy editing.

Red clapping at Big Poe = me clapping my hands.

The Four Swords pulsing = me playing a four-note harmony (one for each Link) on the piano mixed with heavy editing and a wind chime effect.

(Karen: This guy is a genius when it comes to sound effects and the dub wouldn’t be half as good without him!)

Lines you dread voicing the most (screaming, crying, etc): As much as I love battle cries, my microphone and its inconvenient ability to make stuff clip bothers me.

And even though the chapter’s long gone, the part where Green remembers when he playing with Zelda as a toddler.  I’M NEVER VOICING SMALL CHILDREN AGAIN. DX

What are your biggest worries when it comes to voicing your character? *pulls in with a giant dump truck* um…

#1 – Is my voice too high or too low? Green’s age would be around early teens or so, and with my weird vocal range, I can’t tell if I make him sound younger or older than he is. #2 – Am I getting the personality right? Because of my shy-as-hell nature, it’s hard for me to pick up if my confident-Green-persona sounds genuine or fake. #3 – Is it bad that I can only voice Green with my natural voice? Many voice actors have a HUGE variety of voices they can do (ex. Tara Strong).  It’s likely because I’m still new to this, but part of me gets nervous that me voicing Green with my normal speaking voice is a sign that I lack voice acting talent. #4 – (Personal worry but it still bothers me sometimes) How will I sound as Green in the future?  I’m a pre-HRT transmale who hates how high his voice is. This year, I’ll be moving out and if I play my cards right, I can start the process to either get testosterone, top surgery, or both.  I love this dub to death, but after voicing Green in my non-HRT voice for so long, I get nervous that I could accidentally lower the quality of the dub if my voice changes if/when I start HRT (assuming the editing process for videos will be the same as it’s been). (Karen: i figure I should add this since people might be wondering how we’re going to handle it. As Green is right now I feel his voice wouldn’t hurt if it went a little deeper. However, if Riley’s voice becomes too deep, I’m going to edit the pitch of his lines. Don’t worry Riley, you aren’t going anywhere!) #5 – Do I make too many bloopers?  During recording, I either screw up or my mind wanders a lot, and I save ‘em for the blooper reel.  When the reel comes out, however, I’ll sometimes see my segment is a little longer than everyone else’s and I get nervous.  ESPECIALLY if Green only had two lines and I had nearly an extra 30 seconds worth of bloopers. Would you date your character (if they were of age)?I’m gonna sound horrible, but…I don’t think Green’s personality would stand out enough to me as a possible date.  If anything, I think we’d just end up being a weird duo of friends: the strong, confident soldier and the socially-awkward weirdo. *laughs*

Do you have a favourite voice actor on the dub?I don’t have a favorite voice actor, but I do have favorite lines/sounds from some of the cast (this is likely to change as more chapters are released).  The way the VAs say these lines, I LOVE ‘EM.  For now, I’m only going to list a few of them so this Q&A doesn’t go too long.

Favorite Carrottheluvmachine/Red line: “Oh!  And it [footprint] looks like mine!” Favorite Ashe/Blue line: “so that’s how you want to do this, huh?!” Favorite Swiss/Vio line: “Losing confidence? …it’s because I’m you too, remember?” Favorite Kaenith/Shadow line: “Shadow saying “you’re a creature of darkness now, don’t forget that.”

Asked by Anon: Riley, how do you come up with so many awesome bloopers? Aww, thank you. ^///^ Most of them are accidental, like me not saying a word correctly. Others happen when I try and fail to memorize the script: if I’m struggling with a line, I’ll have a physical copy of the manga and match Green’s facial expression. This helps me get into the mindset, but it does draw my attention away from the script and I’ll end up flubbing a line because I tried to say it off the top of my head. 

The mistakes where I either notice something weird either pop up on the fly or something I noticed a while back, and then suddenly remember during recording.  The part where I noticed the Four Sword “thrumming” happened when I couldn’t get Green’s “the four sword is pulsing!” line right and I had to keep looking at the manga for the proper face.  It was at that point I noticed the weird sound effect drawn in.  Also, the blooper where I sang a song from The Heathers as Green flees the Eerie Shadow? That was in my head long before the script for Chapter 5 was out and when the time came to record, I remembered that bit. 

Asked by Anon What was the funniest/most humorous line you guys have had to say? Not sure if this counts, but Kaenith had a blooper where they screwed up as Shadow, saying “you’re pretty—UM PRETTY SMART!”  They shared it with the staff and it was so funny, Swiss made a joke response as Vio going “I prefer handsome.”  I was given the two lines to put together and as a joke, I added some audio of a guy screaming “MAKE OUT!” 

The staff liked it so much, they asked me to add Green shouting “NOW KISS!”  It took a while to get perfectly, but I had SO much fun with it. ^_^

[obsessivelollipoplalala]

36, 37, 41, 94 and 99 please! 💖

36. favorite movie?

I can't pick just one because there are a million films out there and some genres are very different lol. The one movie I can always watch is Tim Burton's adaptation of Sweeney Todd, though

37. do you read a lot? What's your favorite book?

Ugh, I don't read nearly as much as I used to. I stopped reading enthusiastically in college because I had to prioritize my mental energy for coursework, and now I torture myself with my Japanese textbook in my spare time lol. With that said, my favorite books are: Frankenstein, The Great Gatsby, Animal Farm, The Handmaid's Tale, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, and The Book Thief

41. top 10 favorite songs

I mean, this is similar to the movie question where I feel like I can't possibly choose because there are so many different genres of music, and I feel like I can make a list just from video game music alone lol. But here are some songs I love off the top of my head: "Epiphany" from Sweeney Todd, "No One Is Alone" from Into the Woods, "Being Alive" from Company, "I Dreamed a Dream" from Les Misérables, "Somebody to Love" by Queen, "Satisfied" from Hamilton, "Song of Healing" from The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask, "Theme of Laura" by Akira Yamaoka from Silent Hill 2, "Koe" by Tsukiko Amano from Fatal Frame 3, "Beauty and the Beast" from the movie, obviously lol

94. favorite lyrics right now

"Somebody need me too much / Somebody know me too well / Somebody pull me up short and put me through hell / And give me support for being alive / Make me alive / Make me alive" from "Being Alive" from Company by Sondheim. Actually, I can put a lot of Sondheim lyrics here lol, but I'm obsessed with this musical ending on such an emotionally raw note

Also the entirety of "Long Away" by Brian lol

99. what is your zodiac sign

I'm an Aries

Thank you for the questions!!!

more questions here

[wisestudentninja]

July 2018 Featured Creator

What is a Featured Creator?

Write Way Studio’s “Featured Creator” segment is my way of showing appreciation for the creators of the world.  Creative outlets are limitless, because there is no end to human imagination.  Every month shows the succeeding featured creator.  If you would like to be a part of this collaborative project, contact me at studiowriteway@gmail.com!

My tenth guest creator is an artist and writer known as Emi!

Introduction

This lovely lady goes by both Emi and Emily!  She was born the sixteenth of March, currently twenty-one years old.  Her home resides in New York.  At the moment, she is a college student going for Computer Animation and Interactive Media, with an Associate’s in Illustration.  She absolutely adores character design, complete with storyboarding and writing in the art of storytelling.  As an emphasis on her passion, Emi confessed that “you can always catch me with a sketchbook in hand and story ideas to discuss.”

She comes from a variety of educational backgrounds, from primary Catholic school, public high school and then the college she presently attends, the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City (or FIT for short).  There is one year left for her Bachelor’s degree.  She is unsure of what she will do afterward, either to go to a community college to potentially gain a teaching degree or extend her Bachelor’s into a Master’s degree after the graduation from FIT.

What Sparked the Creator Passion?

Cartoons and video games influenced Emi early in life.  For television, she grew up on PBS Kids and KidsWB while her older brothers played with a Nintendo 64 and GameCube.  Nowadays, it’s mostly cartoons she watches, especially if it is animated.  She plays any video games she can get her hands on – new and old!  A family trait of hers that she inherited would be the artist’s eye, a characteristic that would influence her even today.

An Animated Beginning

Emi revealed that “the game that really sky-rocketed [her] love for the world of imagination, and still fuels [her] to this day, is The Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time and Majora’s Mask.”  There are numerous other games she played when she was younger.  Banjo Kazooie, Yoshi Story and Spyro name a small few.  Japanese-based games introduced her to the world of anime and manga after she discovered the Internet.  There were multiple phases as she cycled through an assortment of anime, from Sgt. Frog, Ouran High School Host Club, Black Butler, and Princess Jellyfish.  All of them have led to her current obsession, My Hero Academia.  Studio Ghibli also holds a special place in her heart.

She recently read The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold and thoroughly enjoyed the book.  She is currently invested in a book called Blonde by Joyce Carol Oates; it is a fictional story sharing the inner thoughts and feelings of the one and only Marilyn Monroe.  Emi confessed that Oates is her favorite author since “her level of writing is where I aspire to be.”

“We All Live In A Yellow Submarine”

Yet, there is one film that stands above the rest in her eyes.  As she called it, “the magnum opus of all animation, imagination, storytelling, creativity, illustration, and music [can only be] Yellow Submarine directed by George Dunning, produced by Al Brodax, Story by Lee Minoff, Art Direction by Heinz Edelmann, [and] based on the song of the same name by John Lennon and Paul McCartney.”  The movie stands as a huge inspiration for her, and since it is based on The Beatles with their songs, only has Emi adoring it more.  The experience with the picture repeatedly “kindles [her] aesthetic and motivation to create . . . [because of] how much it means to [her].”

Interestingly, Emi possesses the uncanny fan-ability of quoting the object of the fanatics.  In this case, Yellow Submarine, complete with “accents . . . tones . . . and everything.” Oh, yes, being a dedicated fan can definitely come in handy, if you become creative with your resources.  Emi even confessed that, for the previous semester, she wrote a final paper of hers (AKA the grade-that’s-most-likely-to-be-OP for a college-level course) centered on the film. 

I pulled a similar power move with Studio Ghibli films for a Linguistics class.  But that is a story for another time.

Future Projects

For now, Emi is focused on improvement with lots of practice and taking time for herself.   Toon Boom is an animating and storyboarding software that she uses for 2D animation.  Besides working with the software, she has a plethora of other outlets to utilize.

As previously mentioned, this young lady is concentrating on her senior thesis to rightfully obtain her hard-earned degree.  This summer, Emi managed to actively participate with multiple zines as both a writer and an artist in order to remain imaginatively occupied.  There is also her summer internship position, where she works on storyboards and animatics for a production company called O.T.O TV. 

If you are intrigued to know more about the company, check their social media links down below!

·       Twitter

·       Facebook

·       Instagram

Where To Find You? Support You?

Luckily, Emi can be found on multiple online platforms!  There is also the possibility of supporting her creativity by visiting her online shop or even submitting a commission.  Don’t hesitate to ask her more about it!

Social Media

o   Tumblr

For her original story and characters!

o   Instagram

o   Twitter

      Portfolio Website

Various ways to support Emi!

o   Commission Information

o   Ko-fi

o   Tictail Store

Last Tidbits

There are a few random things to know about Emi.  To start, she is right handed and a Pisces!  Her favorite food is any form of a potato.  She listens to music every day in order to improve her groove.  Her favorite Beatle is Paul McCartney and her favorite Disney film is Beauty and the Beast.

Emily then concluded our interview with a message to all of you lovely readers, “I wish you all a lovely day.  Thank you for taking time to read up a little bit about me, my life, and my passions. Your support means the world to me.”

Important Notice

Please understand that some information will not be shared by the creator’s request.  If you cannot understand that, there is not much more I can do to help you.  Safety is a top priority here, and I am here to help the creators, not instigate negative behavior.

Collaboration Disclaimer

The information provided in my Featured Creator articles is, in fact, from the real people, not some random Internet bot.  I do not use random stock photos to fill an imaginary photo quota.  Any photos in the Featured Creator segment are provided by the creators with permission to use them in this manner.  I want to support the original person behind the work, not a random online copycat creeping around.

To Emi,

I honestly can’t remember how I found you on Tumblr, but I am so happy I did.  Not only are you a hilarious young lady, you also are creative and insightful.  I am not much older than you, and yet we will be both getting our respective degrees with the completion of the following school year.  Most of the other creators I’ve worked with before were, for the most part, already out of school and being full-blown adults.  So that was definitely a nice change of scenery I did not expect.

As a fan of both your writing and art, I was really excited to work with you on this collaboration!  Despite the problems we’ve encountered across this little project, please know that I don’t make a habit of it.  Truly!  I had a lot of fun working on this.  I hope that happiness shines through somewhere in all of this.

I wish you luck with your final year of school and I can’t wait to work with you again on a different project (if you’re interested, of course)!

Sincerely,

Jasmine Love

MLA Citation (8th edition)

Emi.  Personal E-mail Interview by Jasmine Love. July 2018 Featured Creator Collaboration, 18 June – 5 July 2018.

[ex-shark-virtue-005]

I’m watching a compilation video with snippets of 100 songs that were popular when I was between the ages of 7 and 14 (1997-2004) and quite a few of the songs bring me back to a specific time during my childhood.  Most of them bring me to sitting in the back of my mother’s old minivan with my brother and after August 2000 my sister and on occasion my cousin or a friend. 

For example the song: “Maria Maria” by Santana brings me back to winter 2000. And a time where I was following my mother around the clothing section of an old mill turned department store while I tried to beat Morty in Pokemon Silver version. I must have heard it on a day I wasn’t feeling well, the memory has a hazy, almost feverish feel to it.

The song “....Baby One More Time” brings me to the day we got our first computer in February of 2001.  We stayed at Best Buy for what seemed like hours while my brother and I tried to occupy ourselves by playing the Legend of Zelda Majora’s Mask demo they had set up in the video game section.  At least we got to go to Toys R Us and got a few packs of Pokemon cards when we were finally done at Best Buy. 

“In the End” by Linkin Park, “Escape” by Enrique Iglesias and “In the Middle” By Jimmy Eat World bring me back to February 2002 and the opening weekend of the 2002 Winter Olympics. I was sick with a fever and bad cold and I heard those three songs in a fever dream I had the Saturday of that weekend. (I got sick a lot as a kid)

“Milkshake” by Kelis, “Barbie Girl” by Aqua and “It’s My Life” by No Doubt brings me to a field trip I went on in 8th grade in 2003. We were on the way back from a local theater where we saw “West Side Story” and all the guys were singing Milkshake and Barbie Girl while the girls cringed and the teachers tried to get them to stop (we didn’t know what the song Milkshake implied but our teachers did). On the way there this kid named Jason gave us a play-by-play of the music video for “It’s My Life.”

“I’ll be There for You” and “Kiss from a Rose” bring me to a being in a car on a stormy afternoon. “I’ll be There for You” brings me to day in 1994, we were at a local park for a festival and it started thundering and pouring and I was terrified we ended up going to a local mall instead.  “Kiss from a Rose” brings me to a stormy day in 1996 my mother, grandmother, aunt and I were on our way back from one of those Wholesale clubs and I noticed the sky was getting dark so I ask my mother if there was gonna be a storm. My mom said no but it started thundering shortly after we got home. 

But yeah, there are a good handful of songs that induce incredibly vivid flashbacks (Hell I can even remember that fever dream I had back in 2002). Now if you’ll excuse me, Imma go on an iTunes shopping spree...

[yukithesnowman314]

In celebration of the 30th anniversary of the Fire Emblem series (with the release of the first game of the series, “Fire Emblem: Dark Dragon and Sword of Light released on April 20th, 1990), I will be doing a bit of a low-brow, personal “retrospective” of the games I played from the series. Join me as I talk about my first experience with the series through my first and second favorite Fire Emblem game: “Genealogy of the Holy War”.

[Warning: Foul language, low-brow commentary, and crude remarks  on the characters of  Fire Emblem.  Go watch some boring elitist cornballs with no real talent who think talking about video games on YouTube  is a real, viable job on YouTube if you want a serious retrospective on the series]

As with many of my peers who grew up playing video games throughout the 90s, I played such classics from that era such as Super Mario World., Street Fighter II, Sonic, Gran Turismo,  Final Fantasy, and Pokemon to name a few.  It was thanks to the 1996 capsule monster catching RPG that I would find love within the RPG genre.  As my first RPG, I loved the idea of capturing and raising monsters to dominate the world of Pokemon  Blue.  Later, around the early 2000s, I was introduced to two of my top favorite RPGs of all time: Paper Mario and the original Final Fantasy 3 on the Famicom; which happened to be my first Final Fantasy game.

(For those wondering how and why Final Fantasy 3 was my first FF game: grew up in Nintendo dominate household and my Pentecostal mother thought RPGs were the devil because Christians, especially Black old-school Baby Boomer Christians,  live in fear of thinking for themselves and questing religion; so emulation was the way for me.)

I loved the idea of taking a traditional  2D-platformer Mario game and reimagine it as a turned- based RPG spanning across the Mushroom Kingdom as Mario, once again, must save Princess Peach from the clutches of Bowser. As for FF3, the 8-bit charm of four young orphaned youths being the chosen ones of legend to save the world from darkness. While both games’ story could be consider “basic” to some (which, to a degree, they’re sort of right especially on FF3’s front), I enjoyed and loved them.

I would continue my RPG journey as the early 2000s progressed with classics such as Chrono Trigger, Shin Megami Tensei II, Final Fantasy IV, V, VI, and finally VII (mostly 16-bit emulation because, again, scared Pentecostal Christian mother).  They told such amazing stories of their worlds.  Time travel.  Nuclear holocaust. Tales of hope, life, and death. Yet, despite all of that, there was something missing from those games. Something that I could say in confidence would impact me for life.

Don’t get me wrong: it was a shock to see teen pregnancy used as a narrative theme in Final Fantasy VI with realism as Katarin struggles with the fact of becoming a teen mother in an world of ruin. Katarin, along with her lover and baby’s fathers Duane, the oldest member of the destroyed village of Mobliz in the World of Ruin. Chrono Trigger made me thought about my own existence in the universe as I watched Crono and crew ponder about how the universe and its inhibitors became to be during the campfire scene.

Chrono Trigger campfire scene

  Yet – those things didn’t fulfill a certain need of true, down-to-earth realism.  I needed something more grounded. Something that would make such sense to me as a young man. Something that I could relate to with absolute:

Super Smash Bros. Melee. for the Nintendo GameCube!

2001:

Through a summer school event, I managed to get my hands on a copy of a Nintendo GameCube demo disc for the PC.  Featured on the disc were video demos of upcoming launch titles for the GameCube: including Luigi Mansion, Star Fox Adventures, NBA Courtside 2002, and of course, Super Smash Bros. Melee.  Super Smash Bros. 64, the game prior to Melee, felt dwarfed compared to the raw graphical power and scale of Melee. I was aware of and hyped for Melee being created by Nintendo through elementary schoolyard conversations and magazines.  Seeing a demo of the preceded flawless game’s action and mass scale drove my desire to get a GameCube and Super Smash Bros. Melee for the 2001 holidays season.

So, did I eventually get Super Smash Bros. Melee for the Nintendo GameCube and the GameCube for Christmas of 2001 like every other good little boy and good little girl?

Of course fucking not!  My parents went bankrupt after buying a new house, having to bury my mother’s parents who both died a month apart from each other, and finally — said new house’s kitchen catching on fire; thus, causing us to  living in a downtown hotel then a temporary luxury apartment because we all have shit lungs (asthma). I was lucky to get a DVD/VCR combo for Christmas with a few DVDs.

  2004:

For three years, I had to live the Melee (and by proxy, the early 2000s gaming) life vicariously. One day, while working on a paper on the history of video games in 8th grade (2004), I discovered  the MIDI (Musical Insturmental Digital Interface) video game vgmusic.com. Musically inclined fans could upload their recreation, remixes, and close-to-the-original MIDI files for the nerdy gaming massive to indulge in.  Being curious about how the music of Melee sounded, I led myself to the Super Smash Bros. Melee section which had an impressed library of fan made songs from the game.

Scrolling through, there was one track that caught my eye: Hyrule Temple: Fire Emblem.  “I don’t remember a Fire Emblem in Majora’s Mask, OOT, nor Zelda II. Maybe I missed something like a secret item named ‘Fire Emblem’ when I had played those games.” I ponder to myself.

Curious, I clicked the link to the song.

Four taps on the artificial hi-hats rang out followed by Latin-like horns, a heavy bassline, and drawn out bass strings and horns building up to the meat of the song.

“Okay, did Link went to Mexico and fight Zorro in a Zelda game because this song sounds super Mexican as hell.”.  Rather than do the incredibly smart and not racist thing and Google search Fire Emblem (because I was too busy googling Princess Daisy, Terra Branford , Ayeka Jurai, and Sailor Pluto hentai images and doujins) I just assumed that it was some a weird Zelda thing.

  Months later, after my parents recovered from their bankruptcy, they gifted me a Nintendo GameCube for Christmas (they couldn’t find Melee in any store sadly).  No worries.  I was given a Blockbuster gift card by a family member for Christmas, so I decided to rent Melee the day after Christmas.  Wanting to know how to unlock everything, I went online for answers when I came across two Nintendo characters whom which I’ve never heard of: Roy and Marth.

Again,  rather than doing the smart thing and Google search “Roy and Marth” (I was googling how to torrent anime illegally this time instead), I decided to play Melee for my answers. After defeating the original 13 fighters, I was alerted with the “Challenger Approach” alarm.  A shadowy figured appeared with a male wielding a sword.  We’re transported to Kirby’s stage with me wondering who I was going to face off against.

Then, that familiar Mexican sounding melody starts to play.

“Okay, this song sounds ever more Mexican than before now I’m hearing it how it meant to be heard.  Why is this white boy speaking Japanese to some  Mexican sword fighting music? Is this Zorro’s cousin? Kirby’s friend?”

After defeating Zorro’s half Japanese/Half Mexican cousin from Kirby (I assumed) I’m greeted with the following message:

“Direct from Fire Emblem, it’s Marth, the swordsman supreme!”

“Okay, what’s Fire Emblem, who’s this Marth dude, and why he’s a white boy speaking Japanese to Mexican music?”

Upon unlocking Marth, I ran him through his Classic Mode route to unlock Roy. Fought Roy.  Figured out why I thought Fire Emblem was Zelda related after a year (you fight Roy in Hyrule’s Ruins because I guess Roy was sleeping with Zelda behind Link’s back after she slept with Gannondorf). Whoop Roy’s ass and got Marth’s trophy. Wanting to learn more about Marth, I deiced to check out his trophy.

“MARTH

            The betrayed prince of the Kingdom of Altea, the blood of the hero Anri flows in Marth’s veins.  He was forced into exile when the kingdom of Dolua invaded Altea.  Then, wielding his divine Falchion, he led a revolt and defeated the dark dragon Medeus. Afterwards, Altea was annihilated by King Hardin of Akanea.

Fire Emblem JAPAN ONLY”

“Wait, he saved his kingdom only to have it annihilated by another king? So, a Nintendo hero failed at saving the day for once? That’s interesting.” Reading Marth’s bio deepened my curiosity towards Fire Emblem.  “Why was Marth forced into exile? Who betrayed him? How did he escape it?  Who’s Medeus and Hardin and how did they manage to destroy his kingdom?”

There was only one way to find out: download Fire Emblem through emulation.  But,  which one?  Visiting my preferred emulation site at the time, Emuparadise, I sought answers through the form of three Fire Emblem games: Mystery of the Crest (FE3), Genealogy of the Holy War (FE4), and Thrica 776 (FE5).

First Try: Mystery of the Emblem

The game boots up with a shield with five circular groves and a flame crested embedded in the middle while a trumpet and French horn fanfare plays for a few seconds. Next, I’m treated to a tapestry with scrambled text. However, the imagery of men burned alive by dragons, sages praying to the heavens, a god armed with a mighty sword and shield descending to earth from the heavens to slay a dragon, and humans giving praise to their savior to a medieval musical motif told the tale for me.

Following, the intro ends with three strikes of lighting; causing the screen to flash. A known fanfare plays as the words “FIRE EMBLEM: MYSTERY OF THE EMBLEM” fades into the foreground as the Falchion pieces through the text.  Finally, I’m introduced to the playable classes and their stats through the game’s attract mode.

Due to the state of the game’s translation, the pre-chapter’s screens were an unreadable mess (a most common issue of Fire Emblem early fan translations days). For all I could had known, this could had been Roy’s game, which I would had been cool with, but I wanted to know Marth’s story.

Skipping past the mess of the “translation”, the game starts.

Axe-men swarming a lone island: pilaving and killing.  A young woman on a Pegasus flies away from the carnage to a castle.  It is here I’m introduced to Fire Emblem’s first ever characters: Jeigan/Jagan, Ceada/Shiida, and the poster boy of the series: The legendary Prince Mars!

“Yo, who the FUCK is Mars? Where’s Marth?” I asked myself in confusion.  I mean, he had blue hair like Marth. Wears a tiara like Marth.  Look like a chick like Marth. But, he was clearly Mars. Not Marth.  Disappointed (and utterly unaware that Mars is Marth and the translator took the Marusu name too literal), I stopped playing I FE3 and booted up FE4.

But MAAAAAAARRRRRRSSSSS!

Second Try: FE4 (or, my true first Fire Emblem experience)

  Immediately, I’m blown away by audio/visual presentation. While the opening text aren’t a jumbled mess unlike the “translation patch” of Mystery of the Emblem, they were in Japanese; a language which (at the time), I lacked understanding of. Regardless, I could understand the story though the art and sound.

Dreadful music plays as the red and black hellfire serves as the background while mighty warriors and fearsome dragons engage each other in brutal combat.  Twelve flames, representing the twelve  holy gods of Jugdral surrounding a lone tower. As the music reaches a peak and fades out,  A dragon of darkness and a dragon of light entangled in a fierce battle  and the screen goes black. Silence. Then, a golden wheel fades in with slow strings building up. The wheel is surrounded by glistering weapons in a celestial blue shade before flying off.

Finally, this specular ends with the Japanese Fire Emblem logo proudly appearing as the theme of the series plays in vigorous pride: as if it was an anthem for a militaristic nation.

Even if this wasn’t Marth’s game and even if I lacked the knowledge to understand the Japanese language, the ominous scene displayed for me alongside with the introduction of the actors and players of the world of FE4, I wanted to dive deep into the blood soaked tale of Jugdral.

After the marvelous introduction, I created a new file, got hip to the story of Jugdral thus far, and proceeded to play.

“Finally! That’s Mart- no, who’s the hell is Sigurd and why does he looks like he could be Marth’s older cousin? If that’s Marth’s cousin maybe Marth will show up in this game.” I proceed to play FE4; impressed by the scale of the map compared to FE3’s Book 1 first’s map.  FE4’s first map felt like a long-standing war was about to take place while FE3’s first book seemed like a meek, short skirmish.  In a way, this set the tone of the overarching theme of FE4’s maps: large armies clashing with one another non-stop.

Needless to say, this was going to be a long, uphill battle –and I was going to love it.  By that detail alone at was then that I knew that not only Genealogy of the Holy War was going to be something special for me, but the Fire Emblem series in general.

*****

Three turns passed.  The blue hair axe dude, Lex, wasn’t Marth.  The other blue hair guy, Finn, wasn’t Marth neither. At this point, I realized two things:

1. I’m racist against blue hair mid-90s anime-inspired  fantasy characters. 2. This wasn’t Marth’s game.

In any case, the first few minutes of gameplay impressed me. How should I  move my units?  Which weapon is best against the enemy’s?  Should I keep Arden guarding the castle or should I be bold and reckless by leaving the castle defenseless?  Midir wasn’t a girl? Azel have a thing for cute young nuns and so do I.

Hooked, I spent an entire weekend getting through the first three chapters of the game (Birth of the Holy Knight, Maiden of the Spirit Forest¸ and Disturbance in Augstira). By the time I reached Chapter 2, I realized something: I suck.   Ethlyn (Sigurd’s sister) got wounded, so these left the game alongside her husband, Quan: causing me to lose two units at once.

I accidently killed Ayra with Alec and my dumbass saved my game after the fact.  I also got Jamke killed because Adean, the priestess whom was supposed to talk to him so he could join your cause, was at the other side of the map. I made Azel kill him.  But, it didn’t matter.  All it matter was that I was having fun with the game and I kept at it.

Why?

Well first, I simply fell in love with the game’s story.  Who would had known that Sigurd  recusing his friend Aidean from the savages of Verdane was actually a part of a much more diabolical plot orchestrated by the underground cult, The Loptr Church and their leader, Manfory to control the world.

Manfory was the man running the show behind the scenes in an attempt to find the last two surviving decedents of a twisted, dark, demonic dragon god (Lopotsu) in order to revive said dark dragon to plunge the world into disarray, death, destruction, and darkness.  Using his pull and promise of power to politicians throughout the land, Manfory was able to install his plan of bringing the world into darkness.

Second, as a teenager, I wasn’t one for politics. It was a topic that bored me to no end. Yet, Genealogy of the Holy War opened my eyes to how brutal and ruthless politics can be. No. Inferior words such as brutal and ruthless are understatements.  Cutthroat fits better.   I was filled with disgust with Chagall killing his own father, King Imuka, to gain power in Agustria.  I took note at how one set of dukes and lords of  Agustira  bid their time as Sigurd cross blade against the other dukes and lords of their land.  Levin’s uncle was willing to kill him and his mother if it meant controlling their nation.

(As Leptor told Sigurd: “Politics is all about power!)

Now, let it be known that politics alone wasn’t the sole reason why I fell in love with Genealogy of the Holy War despite it being the driving force behind why I loved the game.  The countless tragedies after tragedies that transpired throughout Sigurd’s tale got me as well.  To understand where I’m coming from, let’s go deeper into what I mean by this.

Towards the end of Chapter 1 (Maiden of the Spirit Forest) we’re treated with a touch of “love at first sight” story narrative.  Upon conquering Marpha Castle, Sigurd encounters the beautiful and alluring maiden, Deidre, being harassed by a brigand.  After running the thug off, Sigurd and Deidre exchange a few words; with Sigurd being shocked that Deidre knows his name (through Aiden) and admitting that he’s everything  she imagine him to be. Sigurd ask for her name, which Deidre asks for his pardon for not revealing it before running off loves struck.

Curious about her (and not being able to shake off the feelings of love) , Sigurd asks a local elder about her.   The elder informs Sigurd of Deidre’s name, background, and warns Sigurd not to engage in any sort of relationship with Deidre; least disaster shall befall upon the world if she left the forest and found love. Not wanting to believe in such superstitions, Sigurd sets out to find Deidre. They encounter one another and admit that they had fallen for each other…

…And like any good woman and man who fall for each other upon a chance, first meeting, they both fucked later that night. This isn’t me being lowbrow (for once): that scene is in the official Fire Emblem 4 manga written and drawn by Mitsuki Oosawa.  Deidre totally fucks on the first date  (must be due to of all those years of living a sheltered life).

Without context, this scene can be taken completely wrong…

  Anyway, after conquering the Kingdom and Verdane, Sigurd and Deidre got married.  From their marriage, Sigurd started to change.  His sister, Ethlyn, notes how much Sigurd changed thanks to Deidre.  He’s no longer a slob.  His hot-headed attitude has all but disappeared.  He became more upbeat. From their love and marriage came their first and only son, Celice, whom they both loved dearly.

Sigurd was happy. Deirdre was happy.

And then, Chapter 3 hits – hard.

After receiving news of Sigurd subduing Madino Castle, Deidre decides to leave their army’s home castle to check on her husband.  Despite pleas from Shanan (Prince of Issac, his backstory on why he’s in Sigurd’s army  is a tad long for this post for me to explain) to ensure that Deidre do not leave the castle as per Sigurd’s request, Deidre leaves; assuring Shanan that she’ll only be but just a second. As Deidre walks outside, she is attacked by Manfory, brainwashed, and taken away by the dastardly villain.

(Keep in mind: Sigurd is prepping to engage in combat against his own best friend, Eldigan)

After subduing Evans Castle, Sigurd is alerted by Shanan that Deidre went missing (in the manga version, Shanan engage in combat against Manfory and fails to rescue Deidre). Sigurd, still stressed out due to discovering the beheaded body of Eldigan in Silvali Castle, sets out to find Deidre.

To worsen matters, Sigurd hears that he and his father Vylon are accused of murdering Prince Kurth of Grannvale  (in truth, Vylon’s rivals, Lombard and Leptor, murdered the prince as an attempt to frame Vylon and take Castle Chaply from him).

Sigurd and company are forced to flee to the faraway frigid mountain lands of Silesse. Despite his justified anger/desires to storm Grannvale and expose Lombard and Leptor for their crimes, Sigurd is forced to resolve the civil conflict of Sileese while living as a refugee.

Once the civil conflict in Sileese subsides, Sigurd sets off to Granvale to combat against Leptor and Lombard. He revives his family heirloom, the Holy Tyfring from his father, who has been morality wounded by Lombard’s squad.  Sigurd is helpless as his dad dies in his arms and promises to rain wrath and revenge upon Lombard and Reptor for their crimes against the Chaply family and the land of Grannvall. Keeping to his promise,  Sigurd successfully slew Lombard and set his sights against Reptor and his unit.

During this time, Quan and his Ethlyn, along with Leonster Lance units, are to aid Sigurd and his army.  However, King Tribant (introduced in Chapter 3) ambushes their squad: killing them and leaving behind no survivors sans Cuan and his Ethlyn’s 3 year old child, Altena. Sigurd hears of this news and is devastated by yet another tragic event in his life.

Following, Sigurd eventually take the battle to Leptor, effortlessly defeating him with the help of his army.  Sigurd is greeted by Arvis’ aide, Aida, who tells him that Arvis and Kurth’s father knew Sigurd and his father weren’t involved in Prince Kurth’s death.  This relives Sigurd, a man who for the past two years dealt with soul-crushing pain.  For once, Sigurd is able to take a break and repay his allies  for their work.

Yet, all isn’t what they may seem.

While Sigurd and company are welcomed to Belhalla by Arvis in a faux celebration party, Arvis reveals to Sigurd that everything that has transpired within the past three years of Arvis’s doing.  He doesn’t pardon neither nor his father for crimes to conspiracy to usurp the Grannvall throne by murdering Prince Kurth. Sigurd is sentence to death.  Sigurd, now in absolute disbelief and believing that Arvis is joking, asks if this is a cruel joke, to which Arvis replies that he is not. Before killing Sigurd, Arvis reveals something that Sigurd has been looking for the past year:

Deidre – now recognized as the wife of Arvis.

Arvis insists that Sigurd must be confronted by the daughter of his victim. Deidre, lacking any sort of recollections of her (true) marriage with Sigurd, questions if Sigurd murdered her father. The man snaps, yelling at his wife that he’s married to him, not Arvis, and that he did not do such a horrible thing to his wife who, he loves dearly by killing her father.  Deidre is confused.  She ponders why Sigurd, the man who supposedly murdered her father, is speaking to her as if he was her familiar. She requests to Arvis that she is given more time to speak with Sigurd to clear things, only to have that requet deny by her new husband.

As Deidre is courted away by Arvis’s royal guards, Arvis believes that Sigurd has said more than enough and orders the execution of Sigurd and his army.

My jaw dropped as I helplessly watched the army whom I raised and the characters I grew to love lives come to a brutal end.

“Nintendo a company for kids and family…Did they just really let one of their main characters die so violently like that?” My teenage mind couldn’t compheren that Nintendo allowed the death of a main character (among many other controversial things) in one of their games.

Continued in Part II.

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The Swarthy Nerd Podcast A Black nerd empowerment podcast where Black nerds (well, all nerds, but Black first and foremost) can get together and talk freely about nerd culture while also acknowledging systematic white supremacy and racism in the nerd and Eastern otaku fandoms. Every Tuesday join @superlostfan108 and @weebtrashyuki the founders of http://www.swarthynerd.com for there very informative podcast talking about all things nerdy. No desperate boot licking self hating negus who were never accepted by Black norimes for being too weird for  their love of anime and comic books by the Black community allowed. Go drink bleach.

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15 years ago, I learned that Sigurd is not Marth's cousin and that I might a racist towards and against any Fire Emblem with Blue Hair (they all look alike to me -- i am not sorry). In celebration of the 30th anniversary of the Fire Emblem series (with the release of the first game of the series, “Fire Emblem: Dark Dragon and Sword of Light released on April 20th, 1990), I will be doing a bit of a low-brow, personal “retrospective” of the games I played from the series.

[breakingarrows]

Discourse Conversations During E3 2019

Watching press conferences and livestreams of various talking heads discuss whatever video game thing they saw that day is only part of E3. Another major part is the social media discussions that unfold faster and accumulate more conversation than any ten hour IGN livestream could. However, like any form of discourse being developed on Twitter and elsewhere, it can be easily lost if you aren’t in the moment, and nearly impossible to find due to some of the best commentary coming indirectly. This is a small attempt to capture some of that discourse that unfolded during this week of E3 2019.

Before E3 even started we already had a large social media argument about “spoilers” for the press conferences. Essentially: people went back and forth on whether or not to share/publish/promote leaks of things like, “This game surprise is going to happen!” While things like Breath of the Wild direct sequel being announced is a fun secret to watch live, a headline report spreading online beforehand isn’t something to condemn. The sort of corporate love-fest E3 already is will only continue when gamers are actively antagonistic to anything other than the publisher message being put out. As many of these discourse conversations will go, this is the same old song and dance we have seen for over a decade. If you don’t want to see anything before a corporation hits “go” on a press conference, just stay offline and don’t bitch about it at whoever it is that’s publishing details earlier than the publisher dictated commercial. People trying to frame this as hurting developers feelings should redirect that energy towards unionization and fair pay advocacy, not, “Please don’t publish details early, these people worked really hard to sell me this game.”

Perhaps the biggest thread-spawner was the reappearance of Cyberpunk 2077 from CD Projekt Red at the Microsoft press conference. Developer CDPR also owns GOG, which has previously tweeted a gamergate related gif of Postal 2, a, “did you just assume their gender?” response tweet from the Cyberpunk account, and using the #WontBeErased for GOG games. Eurogamer has a rundown of it all here. Then this week, you have Keanu Reeves making a surprise appearance in the game Cyberpunk 2077 as well as on the Microsoft stage to announce the release date. The internet goes wild, fueled by post-John Wick 3 hype and long-lasting Keanu love. Then an advertisement in-game for ChroManticore appears, bearing the image of a presumably trans-female with a large erect dick and the phrases, “Mix It Up,” and, “16 flavors you’d love to mix.” CDPR’s explanation via Polygon was: “This is all to show that [much like in our modern world], hypersexualization in advertisements is just terrible,” Redesiuk continued. “It was a conscious choice on our end to show that in this world — a world where you are a cyberpunk, a person fighting against corporations. That [advertisement] is what you’re fighting against.” Responses were generally critical of the ads message, intentional or not, as well as critical due to CDPR’s past actions. “Also, as a note, and this is all i'm gonna say: in proper context, that ad could absolutely be a meaningful statement in a cyberpunk world, and we don't know the context. But also, sadly, CDPR has burned all their trust and have given us little reason to take them in good faith.” [source] That about sums up most of the opinions coming from trans critics, CDPR has failed to properly respect them in the past, why should this be treated in good faith?

Discussions about cyberpunk weren’t limited just to the one game, as it also extended a previous conversation about the origins of cyberpunk as a genre and if the genre has any inherent themes no matter its adaptation or usage. One thread making the rounds argued that cyberpunk is inherently xenophobic, playing on fears of Eastern Asian cultures spreading and taking over the world. Other pushed back against this, citing early Japanese media that heavily influenced western cyberpunk fiction, not the other way around. The opinion I most agreed with was, “Maybe I'm being naive, but everyone keeps saying ‘Cyberpunk is good’ or ‘Cyberpunk is bad’ or ‘Cyberpunk is X’ as if cyberpunk is a cohesive, monolithic thing. It's a genre that has been around for decades which countless different creators have contributed to, and all of those creators were trying to say different things within the genre.” [source] “I am beginning to feel like strongly emphasizing genre as an acting force is kind of formalist nonsense? Like, cyberpunk or whatever isn't any *thing*--it's just a set of ideas some people have used, and other people can take or not take or use or not use.” [source]

Another big topic was the continuing saga of games as non-political and the back and forth between media and developers/publishers/PR in the lead up to a game’s release. Games have messages, but their creators, whether intentionally or due to PR, won’t engage with those ideas during pre-release coverage most of the time. Those sorts of conversations don’t happen until post-release, because the previews are generally focused on the gun-feel or summarizing slideshow pitches. There is also a disconnect between what “political” even means. “They think ‘political’ means being explicitly literalist about what every single moment means instead of being in any capacity complex or open to audience interpretation, for better or worse.” [source] Chris Avellone, longtime games writer, had a statement in a VG247 article about whether stories can be apolitical. “If you’re purposely pushing an agenda or point of view in your game – especially a real-world one that’s clearly divorced from the game world – and you’re dictating that perspective as correct vs. asking a question or examining the perspective more broadly, then it’s left the gaming realm and the ‘game’ has become a pulpit.” However, in an example like Far Cry 5, a game that doesn’t “push an agenda,” actively, still promotes a specific perspective or viewpoint as valid with its endings, as I detailed before. “But, another (very reasonable group, to which I largely subscribe) would say that ‘asking questions that emerge from perspectives in the fiction’ is *exactly* what being political is--interrogating our relationships to each other and the world.” [source] This topic also seemed to collapse in on itself when Watch Dogs Legion was announced, playing on the fears of a post-Brexit London and an authoritarian surveillance state, and coopting the “welcome to the resistance” which is mostly mocked by leftists online whenever someone from the right is kicked out of their group. Definitely not political.

This is also a very tired subject. Ubisoft for years, and other publishers as well, have avoided talking about their games messages relating to the current events during events like E3. Continually the press laments and pushes back against it on social media and sometimes in previews, but the cycle continues. “You know how I've argued ‘We need to stop debating if games are art and just do the job of treating them like art?’ It's also time to move past ‘Can games be apolitical?’ and just focus on continuing critical cultural analysis. Do the work, make it unavoidable, shift the frame. To be clear, I think we needed to spend some time on that earlier debate just to have a mass-level, stakes-setting conversation. But at this point, the best way to push back on ‘No, no, we just make games just ask questions’ is to show how those games actually offer answers.” [source] This is true, but it’s also something others (mostly non-staff people) have been saying for years now.

The annual, “E3 is weird huh?” conversation also happened, like it has for at least the past five years. In May it begins with, “Man what is E3 going to be like this year?” Then E3 happens, everyone does their shit, and at the end they go, “Boy what’s next year going to be like?” The major difference this time was Sony’s complete absence from the show. Despite not having a press conference or show floor presence with demos and presentations, games media still had plenty to talk about, including E3’s relevance. It seems to be the same old song and dance, with the ending statement being, “Well I guess we’ll wait and see what next year is like.”

Another repeated conversation was that of video game streaming platforms, with Stadia having another presentation pre-E3 and Microsoft coming out with console and internet streaming plans for later this year. No real advances were made in this conversation other than confirmation that, yeah, Stadia streaming for those with data caps on internet or smartphone use are going to be fucked if they want the best presentation, which of course they would. Not a ton of talk about the details behind how developers would be paid, though going by how streaming has been slowly killing the movie and music industries, it is not going to be good. Of course the usual access and archivist arguments continue, which I am 100% behind.

New game details sparked lots of speculation, mostly in regards to a direct sequel to Breath of the Wild, one of the few good Zelda games. Being a direct sequel to a previous entry and having a trailer with a darker tone, mean Majora’s Mask became a recurring subject in regards to what this follow up could be. The inclusion of visuals and audio cues seemingly from Twilight Princess also fueled the “darker” Zelda sequel. Some also speculated about a playable Zelda, which, don’t get your hopes up people, this is Nintendo after all.

A game closer in release and in my heart is Final Fantasy VII Remake, which looks to be a big fucking hot mess. Broken up into parts, each seemingly equivalent to a mainline Final Fantasy game in content, this first one releasing next March (we’ll see about that) will only cover the Midgar section of Final Fantasy VII. You know, that section that takes about five hours to complete in the original release. Now that’s going to be extended into probably 30+ hours, which means lots of new original content coming from Square Enix, who are great at adding great new content to the already existing universe of Final Fantasy VII! Despite that I’m still very interested in getting my hands on it and playing through it all. I really like the opening hours of Final Fantasy VII, I just have little faith that they are going to do anything interesting with the new content and not make it feel like filler. It appears Jessie will have a much more expanded role, but still no word on the crossdressing or squats minigame. Combat has been very much changed, and everything is super overproduced in terms of visual flairs, which might explain why there will be TWO blu-ray discs! TWO! Red Dead Redemption 2 is the only other game to do this!

Back to Nintendo, Animal Crossing will now allow players to choose their skin tone, something that has been asked for a very, very long time now. They also confirmed they will let you use whatever hair type you want, which some people took and ran with as equivalent to them saying trans rights, which, no? “You guys please these are fucking table scraps. This is not pro-trans this is just a bare minimum feature for thee love of god.” [source] “Not only is that animal crossing thing a bare minimum there weren't hair restrictions in new leaf anyway???” [source] This was giving me flashbacks to when Soldier 76 was shown to be gay in a tertiary comic from Overwatch and people went nuts despite it not being represented in the game at all. Also, “quick reminder that nintendo fired a support team member bc of ppl making trans flag stages in smash bros” [source] [source]

There was some good news, Ikumi Nakamura came out and presented her new game Ghostwire to rapturous reception. A female creative director, a visually interesting trailer, and an excited jump at presenting her game made her the darling presenter alongside the likes of Keanu Reeves. She was previously an artist on Bayonetta, The Evil Within and its sequel, and made her own Twitter account during E3 to celebrate with her fans. Some of the reaction is probably rooted in how Asian women are treated as adorable and infantilized when compared to others, but she’s been having a good time gathering all the fan art of herself on Twitter, so for now it’s a nice break from the usual depressing nature of AAA publisher presentations.

Lastly, this wasn’t so much a part of the discourse but just an amazing moment, Dr Disrespect was banned from Twitch and thrown out of E3 after he live streamed in a bathroom without censoring other people’s faces, violating a California privacy law. As Alex so wonderfully stated, “this is our generation’s version of Capone going down for tax evasion.”

There was probably a lot of other conversations going on and this isn’t even the full depth of what I tried to find but boy does going back on timelines and searching for threads and responses and quote tweets and subtweets take way too much time. Anyway hope this proves to be a good time capsule for E3 2019 discourse and can’t wait for next year where a majority of these topics are readdressed again and again and again. Video games!

[popmusicu]

My favorite video game music composers

I think writing video game soundtracks is a very complex form of art, considering that it doesn’t always have to be just fun or catchy, it actually has to be able to create an accurate and specific ambiance, express emotions, and enable the player to really connect and truly immerse themselves into the experience of the game. This is not an easy task and very few composers manage to create iconic music pieces that mark generations of players, and I’ve decided to share a couple of my favorite video game music composers with you.

Koji Kondo

Personally, I think Kondo (composer of basically all of the Mario, Yoshi, Star Fox, and The Legend of Zelda series’ soundtracks) is the greatest musical genius of video games. Not just because he composed the most iconic video game music theme of all time, the Super Mario Bros. Theme, but because of his ability to navigate different genres, sounds and musical techniques to evoke a wide range of emotions in the player, going from fun and excitement to fear or sadness. I especially feel like the songs from the Zelda series are the most heart wrenching video game soundtracks ever made, and his use of musical eerie tritones to create tension in Zelda’s dungeons or boss themes is always effective in creeping me out and creating memorable ambiances. Here’s my favorite song from TLOZ: Majora’s Mask, a melancholic and beautiful piano piece that always makes me feel nostalgic called “Song of Healing”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7G_aaak-tDE&ab_channel=GilvaSunner 

Toby Fox

Toby, the game developer and soundtrack composer of Undertale and Deltarune, revived 8bit-ish music in the most awesome way possible. Even though he’s just using digital sounds and the games are very minimalistic themselves, the music is able to immerse you in the game, making you feel like you really are part of it. Maybe this is thanks to the use of “leitmotif” (the recurrent use of musical themes throughout the story to represent characters, feelings and ideas) considering that out of the 101 tracks from Undertale OST there are just 12 that are not related to each other, the rest of them are all part of a bigger, interconnected song even though every song feels unique. Here’s my favorite, “Spider Dance”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NH-GAwLAO30&ab_channel=TobyFox-Topic 

Gustavo Santaolalla

You might know this Argentinian guy from being the producer of great latin rock bands like Los Prisioneros, Café Tacvba, Julieta Venegas, Juanes, etc. but he’s also the composer of the soundtracks from The Last of Us I & II. These games are inherently sad, but the music makes great use of silences and acoustic guitars to create the dramatic, dystopic and hopeless feeling. It just makes me cry. Here’s the main theme from the first game: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pfA5UqEU_80&ab_channel=etienne8489 

-Helena Rojas

[earlronove]

Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

I finished a game! This time it was Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. The short version of this review is: I had a blast. I don’t have any pretty pictures since I couldn’t ever figure out if the Wii U had a screenshot taking capabilities (probably doesn’t) but I’ll have a boatload of text and spoilers underneath the cut! All you may need to know is I don’t know if Nintendo can top this.

But no, really. I had a lot of fun playing this game. I was so happy it didn’t have motion controls (aside from those few shrines you had to tilt the controller around--I turned off the aiming motion) since that really kept me from playing Twilight Princess (on the Wii anyway; I never had a gamecube) and Skyward Sword. 

The Legend of Zelda series has always been very dear to me. Link to the Past was one of my first video games and though I’m sure I was terrible at it, it was very charming and I always had fun playing. Majora’s Mask was and still is my absolute favorite (although kid me didn’t like it very much and I only grew to appreciate it when I was older), but Breath of the Wild gives it a run for its money.

What did Nintendo do well? I think the whole open-world thing was really amazing and fun. You always find new things when you play (and new ways to die hilariously). Link has been slumbering 100 years after Ganon wrecked everyone’s shit and wakes up with no memory of where he is or really who he is and the game just sort of drops you in the first area, the Great Plateau and lets you go. Of course with the whole open-world thing, you can either do a lot of nothing (like just climb every tree you see because Zelda has never really had a climbing mechanic before or go swimming then realize oh shit I’m out of stamina and learn you gotta watch that), or you can hit specific areas on your map to do shrines, quests, etc. All the towns and little settlements you find are always very charming and holy crap Link continues to be super duper goofy and adorable. The little hum he does when you cook? The content noises when he sleeps in the comfy Rito bed or the giggles when he’s supposed to be sleeping on the waterbed? Despite Link still being mute in a game that has introduced legit voice acting, this game attempts to give you a kind of reason for that which Zelda spells out in her diary if you find it while dodging all sorts of bad in Hyrule Castle (which it really is he has so much riding on him and so much pressure, he just stays quiet because he’s under so much pressure the poor guy he needs a hug) and I thought it was a well thought out reason.

Another thing I enjoyed was that Zelda and Link actually like communicated in this game more than they tend to do in Zelda games (I haven’t played Skyward Sword, so I’m basing on what I know). In this one though, told through memories you can find to help Link remember what happened before, we see them interact and boy was Zelda not happy with Link in the beginning. But then she softens up to him because she realizes he’s not judging her for not being able to do her Hyrule Princess duties, he’s just being Link. My favorite memory was the one where she tried to make Link taste a frog. IT WAS TOO CUTE.

I also loved the NPCs so much. My favorite was probably Kass (the accordion playing Rito) with Sidon a close second because he’s such an uplifting encouraging shark dude. I don’t know why I liked Kass as much as I did I just know that when he told me he had a family in Rito village that he can’t go home yet all I could think of was “I’LL MAKE YOU GO HOME LET ME FIND ALL YOUR QUESTS” and when he finally did go home and you see him and his 5 daughters (I think it was 5) all practicing music I was just like happy. And the final song he plays for you when he lets you know he knows you’re the Hero, I thought it was very sweet.

All the mini-games were really fun (I really liked the snowballing since I was really good at it and got lots of rupees) and all the little things you could find. Like monsters throwing other monsters at you, sneaking up on monsters and one-shotting them, blowing them up with bomb arrows (it was so satisfying when there’s a bomb barrel near a camp).

The things I didn’t like? I was not a fan of the Divine Beast dungeons. I felt they were painfully short compared to like the really nice dungeons of Ocarina of Time or Majora’s Mask. They had little to no enemies (aside from the boss, the eyeballs, and little guardian scouts) and many of the puzzles were simple (except that damn chest in the Camel that just got lost to the sand since I wasn’t fast enough with buttons and did the runes in the wrong order). In addition, I did not like the lack of enemy variety. Lizflos, bokoblins, and moblins everywhere. Guardian scouts and lynels. Keese. I’m aware I probably spelled each of those wrong. That’s about it aside from little mini bosses which are painfully easy when you get the trick. And like, I’m okay with these few dislikes because I realize they are there because of how much Nintendo did a good job with the open world. Who needs involved dungeons when you have an entire world you can explore and find adventure? And where dungeons are just replaced pretty much with the 120 shrines you can do? Although I would have loved to have classic dungeons back, I’m okay because the world was still very interesting.

In addition another thing I disliked that the Gerudo, the Gorons, and the Zora all had something involved to getting to their respective Divine Beast. Gerudo you had to dress as a woman to get into the city and then convince the gal in charge you can take down the camel and then she takes you out with her Thunderhelm on Sand Seals to get you closer. The Gorons you had to make it up Death Mountain and get Yunabo’s help in cannon-balling the only Goron with abs into the Divine Beast to stop it (and how you can whistle to make him wait for you and he was just adorable okay). The Zora’s practically begged for your help (I think I found 3 Zora’s in the wild who are just like omg Prince Sidon needs a Hylian! Go go!) and when you finally found Sidon, he was so relieved and encouraged you the entire way. And THEN he helps you get close enough to the Divine Beast so you can shut it down and get inside. The Rito? Talk to Teba, shoot some things to prove you’re good, then disable the shield with Teba. With how much story you got before the other Divine Beasts, the Rito felt like a let down to me.

Also I’m really sad to say but the ending was kind of a let down. I expected more fanfare! Although during the last part of the final battle when my trusty pink steed, Carnation, came to aide me I was beside myself with joy and terror (NO I DON’T WANT MY HORSE TO GET HURT and LET’S DO THIS CARNATION WE GOT A BEAST TO TAKE DOWN). It was cathartic but also I wish it was more difficult. Like after you shot the glyphs, you could climb up on him and not be shaken off (a la Shadow of the Colossus style) or something more involved but I know you want to use the Light Arrows and just go to town. Though back to the ending, I wanted more fanfare! Show that people saw your epic show down and just are like “holy shit, Ganon’s dead, our princess has returned”. I did appreciate the ending bit with Zelda and Link on an adventure to keep things right. I appreciate the ending and I think it was a good end, but I kinda wanted more. I would entirely love a sort of prequel with maybe the first time they put down Calamity Ganon or whatnot.

I’m very long winded. I’m sorry. I had things to say. All in all, I absolutely enjoyed this game. There’s still more I could do if I choose to (I never did take down a Lynel cause I was too chicken and I never did upgrade everything absolutely), but I have another game to look forward to in a little over a week.