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thewatercolours · 8 months ago

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PART EIGHT - Replaying King's Quest, Chapter Three (2016)

I love the sunset lighting during the card game scene. I tend to love rosy light in general. (Ha- we shall see more of it in this game soon enough!)

"Ohhh, mirror which one is it?" I like to think the Mirror is both guiding him AND giving him agency. Like yes, his true love is up in the tower, but as providence would have it, there's two princesses up there, forcing him not just to say, "It's meant to be!" but to actually get to know them, fall in love naturally, and yes, choose. Because, as old Graham emphasizes, real love takes work and intentionality and re-committing every day. So it's right that if the mirror wants to guide him in the right direction to love, it won't just just show him "here's the one." It will show him, "Here's what you need to do to begin pursuing this path - but you are not locked in, and the love will be the result of the two of you choosing it, not mirror horoscopes." And on a meta level, he is an adventure game character - in a very real sense his fate is somewhat set and limited - and yet there's choice within that context.

"Please tell me this is my inside voice?" Even if it is, you literally stood up from the table and flexed your biceps for absolutely no reason during the awkward silence.

I often use icebreakers in my classes to get everyone warmed up for discussion. I have occasionally adapted Moral Quarrel questions for this purpose - they've generally gone over well.

Want to know my real answers on Moral Quarrel? Here ya go.

"A magical genie offers you one of two very specific wishes. A, you can live one life that lasts 1000 years or B, you can live ten lives that last 100 years. Which do you choose?" I choose the latter. I think I'd rather live life on a more humanly-scaled time frame.

"A rich merchant inadvertently drops one shiny, gold coin on the ground. You see a poor, hungry orphan pick it up. Do you... A, convince the orphan to be honest and return the coin? Or B, turn your head the other way and let the orphan keep the coin?" Ok, my answer to this one is nuanced. If a starving orphan takes a single coin, I'm definitely not judging her or ratting her out. However, if I suspect the merchant to be someone of good will, I might suggest to the orphan to be honest and return the coin, because in my experience most people love to reward children's honesty over this kind of thing by letting them keep the money, or even giving them more. If it's the Merchant of Miracles... not so much.

"You have been hunting for your starving family all day and only managed to catch a small goose. On your way back home a hungry beggar offers you magic beans in return for the goose. The beggar tells you that the beanstalk that sprouts from his beans will lead you to a chest that produces unlimited food. He would go after it himself, but his legs are too tired and old. Do you... A, kindly reject the offer, and bring your starving family their dinner. Or B, let the beggar eat the goose, and plant the beans in your yard?" Am I living in the world of Daventry? Then B. Am I living in the real world? Then A. But either way, this does sound a bit like a "Gold at Oyster Cove" situation. The whole, "I'd go after it myself, but I can't," thing is immediately a bit suspect.

"You are a Royal Guard on the lookout for an evil sorcerer that has been terrorizing villagers. When you finally apprehend this sorcerer you discover he is Charles, your childhood best friend. Do you A, tell Charles to leave town, and never return? Or B, throw your friend in the castle dungeon?" Most likely B. Even if he is my friend, menacing commoners with magic shows a level of corruption that probably can't just be sorted out with a simple conversation and giving it some space. If he is my friend, I probably would try to get through to him with conversation, in hopes there was still some openness there. I would let him know that he had to face the consequences of his actions and invite him to come willingly with me, and if he showed any sign of regret for his actions I would assure him that I would help to get through this as best I could. But if he refused, I would have to take him by force. I'm a royal guard, and my place is the protect the people and uphold the law - and in the end, as hard as it is, I would be doing my friend a favour too. You can't hold someone's hand all the way to the destruction of their soul. If I cared about him as a friend, I couldn't let him get away with it. (But knowing me, I would be in agonies about this - I have such a hard time being upfront with my friends about uncomfortable things. People-pleasing. Thankfully, evil sorcery is cut and dry enough that I feel like it would be easier to take a stand.)

"You are the kingdom's wizard doctor. In the middle of the night, an honourable knight and a despicable thief arrive at your door. The thief's injuries are much more severe than the knight's. Do you... A, heal the knight first. Or B, heal the thief first." I pick B, for the exact reasons Vee mentions in game.

"A man you've never met, but is known as a friendly king, sends for your hand in marriage. Do you A, accept his invitation, trusting his reputation? Or B, seek love on your own?" Definitely not A, and I would want to clarify B to include all the different kind of love, not just happily ever after.

"Would you rather A, Have a pet dragon? Or B, Be a dragon?" I don't really want either, but if I had to pick, I'd much rather stay human and have a pet dragon.

"Would you rather: A, constantly reek of syrup and not smell it? Or B, constantly smell reeking syrup?" (Did the makers of this card game perchance know Number Two? This one seems even more specific than the friendly king question.) I pick B. I could get used to it, and I'd be less self conscious about it.

"Would you rather: A, have a tail that never stops loudly tapping against the ground, or B, have noodles for hands that wouldn't allow you to pick up anything?" Definitely A. The tail might be annoying and disturbing, but I am not trading my literal hands!

"An evil, old hermit, who wants a spouse and will stop at nothing to find one, has kidnapped you and taken you to an underground cavern. During the night you sneak to the entrance of the cavern. Do you... A,escape back to your home, hoping that the hermit will learn his lesson? Or B, cause a cave-in before leaving, dooming the hermit, but saving others from potential danger?" A, with nuance. I sneak out, and I don't kill him with a cave in, but as soon as I get free I alert the town guard and send them to arrest that evil kidnapper.

"You have a job you love, as the Royal Love Doctor, but during an appointment, your best friend's husband admits to you that he is in love with another woman. Do you A, break the confidentiality policy and tell your friend,potentially getting fired? Or B, advise the man to go back to his wife and hope your friend does not find out you knew he had eyes for another." I mean, this situation should never have happened as it's unprofessional and conflict of interest. But assuming it had happened, here's what I do - I strongly advise the man to go be honest with his wife himself, because that is the only way they can possibly turn this situation around. But if he will not, I will tell him that under the circumstances, I have to tell his wife, unless he is willing to tell her himself. I explain this situation to whoever is in a position to fire me, and live with the consequences. If he won't tell, I I do it. But like I say, this should never have happened, and I would feel horrible about it.

"You are poor and a thief pickpockets your only coin, forcing you to go hungry for the night. A few days later you see the same thief get robbed of his dinner by two bandits. You chase after the bandits and get back the stolen food. Do you A, return the food to the thief? Or B, keep the food, teaching the thief a lesson?" I'd return the food to the thief. It's his food, and turnabout is not fair play in this situation. But I'd also say, "Give me my money back, you dirty... merchant!!"

I think that's all of them?

#revisiting chapter three

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noneedtoamputate · 7 months ago

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💖💘💞 some hearts for the ask game!

Thanks, Sam.

💖 A drabble that made you want 100 more words.

I don't read a lot of drabbles, mostly because if I do like them, I want more! However, a late online friend of mine held a Twelvetide Drabbles ficfest each winter, giving prompts for 12 days and people donating money to charity. It's where I tried my hand at fan fiction for the first time, and there is a lot of good stuff in the collection. It crosses all fandoms, so there was always something for everyone. Check it out.

💘 A fic you couldn't stop reading once you started.

I tried my hand at M/M fic for the first time this Christmas for an exchange. (The recipient said they liked it, and that was very kind of them.) I did a lot of Spierton research before writing and read The Desolate House by Howling_Harpy in one sitting.

💞A fic that led you to being friends with the author.

Sam, I hope it's not too presumptuous to include you as an online friend. (I read Sam's Where the Pieces Go after my BoB rewatch last summer. She graciously let me build on her fic.) Thanks for letting me message you random things that pop in my head every so often and for leaving me thoughtful comments on my fic and for creating emotional works of fiction.

Someone else who I hope is a friend is @shoshiwrites, I don't know how I stumbled onto her blog, but I'm so glad I did. Her Jo Brandt is one of my favorite OFCs in the BoB fandom. One thing I've learned from Sho is I don't just have to keep writing chapter after chapter on my main fic, especially if it's not feeling right. She uses Jo in AUs and has moved her over to Masters of the Air, too. If I create a character, I can do with her what I want, so thanks for showing me that, Sho! She's also someone else who puts up with my random thoughts and questions and is helping Chuck and me pick out an important piece of jewelry in an upcoming chapter.

Fic Recs

#asked and answered #i have the nicest mutuals #ask game

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melindawiley24 · 8 months ago

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What are best betting strategies in 12bet for beginners ?

If you are looking for online sports betting, you will find various articles on the basics, line reading and betting. You can also find some sites for advanced betting strategies and systems. However, there are sites that can help you from beginners to advanced techniques.

This site aims to fill that void. You will learn 11 simple sports betting strategies that anyone can use. Each of them is an important step in the development of the whole system, which will ultimately lead to profitable results.

1 - Start with small bets

Ordering books takes time. Of course, some players pick up a winning strategy faster than others, but even the best players learn. You can only bet on a limited number of sports, so don't make the mistake of betting on every event as you learn to win.

I started my sports betting career with a $22 bet. Most bets are only between $5 and $11. Today I would bet up to $11. I played part-time for about 20 years with varying degrees of success until I had enough.

I have used many different strategies over the years to help solve this problem but have yet to make any money from them. I lowered the price. The biggest thing I did was place most of my bets on individuals rather than bookies and bookies.

This eliminates labor costs and is a good low-stakes strategy. It takes only half an hour to set up at no charge. This strategy gets harder when you start aiming higher because you can't find people willing to lift and limit you.

When you start betting on sports, you decide how much you want for your investment. Remove it and use it only for sports betting. Divide that amount by 100 and don't bet more than that amount until you know how to improve your results.

You can make mistakes and using a small amount of money won't cost you much. This method also allows you to make a series of bets before you run out of money. The longer you stay in the game, the more likely you are to find a winning system.

2 - Focus on a small area

I'll talk about betting on your favorite teams in another chapter, but one mistake sports bettors make when betting on big games is often betting on things they know very little about.

You have a better chance of picking a winner if you focus

instead of betting everything. Focus on one sport instead of betting on NFL, MLB, NBA and NCAA games.

By focusing on a small area, you can gain knowledge that will help you pick winners. To be a successful bettor, you need to know as much as possible about the teams and players you are betting on. If you can collect and analyze more data from people than just posting series, you've reached a point where you can earn a solid income.

Specialization is the way to start. I understand that one of the reasons you want to bet on sports is to make the games more interesting, but to make the game more interesting you have to decide if you are willing to pay to lose the bet. increase your chances of success.

3 - Money line bet

Most sporting events have at least two different lines. One of the rules is to bet against the spread. A spread bet has points where one team wins a point and the other team gives a point.

Another common type of betting line is the money line. With a money line bet, you pick the team to win the match to win the bet. For money line bets, the winning amount is usually different from spread bets.

Compared to spread bets, they usually pay 11-10 or 110-100 when betting on either side of the match. Money betting in 12bet is something else. The extra money you need to bet what you can win on the spread is called a draw and that's how the bookies make their money.

There is also a screen for money line bets, but it is harder to see as the lines are laid out differently. Here is an example of a money bet limit and how it works.

This game has Nebraska at Penn State. The team with the plus sign, in this case Nebraska, is the underdog. +150 means if you bet $100 on Nebraska and they win the game, you get $100 back and win $150.

The favorite, in this case Penn State, has a negative number. This number means you need to bet enough to win $100. So you need to bet $170 to win $100 at Penn State.

When you start betting on sports, the difference can be used to pick the winner. Bookmakers are good at placing lines close to the final score, so it's hard to know which team will win by a margin.

But it's much easier to pick the team to beat. As the example shows, it is more expensive to buy a favorite, but it is still easier to pick a winner.

You can also look for underdogs that have a high chance of winning. If you can win more than you risk, you don't need to pick multiple winners to make a profit.

4 - Understand local bias

In all sports, the home team wins more than the visitors. The exact percentages vary by sport and season, but you'll see it in all sports. Most people know this from watching games, but few understand the public's attitude towards sports betting. You need to understand what home bias is and how it can affect your sports betting results.

Since the home team wins more often than the away team, many bettors give too much credit to the home team when determining the best bet. This is called local bias. While you should consider the home team's chances of winning, you can't count on them sitting at home too much when trying to pick the best team to bet on.

5 - Online shopping is profitable

If you only have one choice when betting on a sporting event, you need to decide which side of the bet is more likely to win. But if you have more options where to bet, you can compare the tips offered in different places.

Today you can bet with local bookies, multi-city bookies and hundreds of online bookies. You can use 12bet to earn more money over time.

You rate the games equally, but once you figure out which team should win, you can look at different bookies to get the best line. This applies to both spread betting and money limits.

#12bet #sportsbetting

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lairn · 11 months ago

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Ask game: 1, 2, 3, 4, 20:D

Your top 5 reads of 2023 Answered this one, but I'll elaborate a little: Hikaru no Go: I'm a sucker for sports/game stories when they keep the game play relatively grounded and focus on realistic efforts people take to improve. All the character work is very solid too, and the story arc about grief and loss makes me cry. Inside Mari: I was uneasy to read this one because of its subject matter, but I thought it handled things in a successful way. I'm always in love with this author's art style (see question 3) and even though I thought some of the ending was weak, the story was still good. Dungeon Meshi: I did not like the beginning much, but as the characters fleshed out and the world grew, I became much more impressed. I like the art style and I like the comedy. I haven't quite finished it yet. Blue Period: This comic does a good job capturing what it's like to engage with art through academics and the tension between art as expression and everything else art can be. I like the diverse character designs. Chainsaw Man: The anime dragged me back in to the comic. I reread part 1 last year and have been sticking with the updates to part 2 fairly regularly. There's just something compelling and sad about the protagonists. And a little action and silliness is fun too.

2. A series you'll keep up with next year Chainsaw Man, Kekkaishi, The Summer Hikaru Died, Kaiju No. 8 (maybe)

3. Your author of the year Shuzo Oshimi. I read Inside Mari, Blood on the Tracks, and reread Happiness. This author always deals with dark, sad subjects, but often pulls out uplifting aspects of humanity even as he is breaking people down. I love his art. Every time he stops using midtones I get so excited, haha.

4. An underrated gem This is tough. I feel like I read some underrated gems last year (anything by Taiyo Matsumoto). The one I'm picking isn't really a gem, just more of a manga I haven't mentioned yet: Welcome to Demon School! Iruma-kun. The art is okay and the story is okay. But the protagonist is sweet. I haven't looked at it in months, but I could still see picking it up again when I want something cheerful that scratches a specific itch. I think what I like about it is that in a world of demons, the human Iruma has a power-creep trajectory that still feels attached to him being a human.

20. Drop your 2024 reading list 💗 Ones I've paused that I mean to finish: Goodnight Punpun, Dungeon Meshi, The Land of the Lustrous (if I can tough out the despair), Dorohedoro, To Your Eternity (if I can get through without crying every 10 chapters)

Ones I want to reread: Our Dreams at Dusk, Ajin, A Silent Voice, Mob Psycho 100 (waiting for all the books to publish in English), Homunculus

New Reads: Flowers of Evil, Tomie (and other Ito works), Sunny, The Book of Human Insects, Solanin

Always open to recommendations!

#manga #ask game #generally i'd like to read more books i already own #flowers of evil has been sitting on my shelf for at least a year #and my roommate owns basically every ito work every published in english #edited to add homunculus to the reread list #I wonder how it holds up

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thepropertylovers · 1 year ago

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9 Readers Share Tips for Teaching Your Child to Become a Better Reader

We’ve been trying to get our oldest into reading more. Right now, he doesn’t enjoy reading, but I think that’s mostly because he hasn’t really learned how to read well yet. He can read almost all words, but he’s struggling to comprehend and really get into the story, and a lot of that is a lack of interest.

We read to him almost daily, we have him read aloud to us, and we ask him what the story he’s reading is about. We’ll get there, I just know it.

In an effort to get him caught up, I asked you for tips on how to help your child become a better reader, and you gave us so much good advice that I wanted to share (thank you!). If you’re looking for some advice in this area, below are a few of your responses, and if you want to see the rest, you can click here.

“Get them books about what they are interested in. For example, if you plan a vacation, find books about what you can see and do there. If you are going to a movie, find books about the topic ahead of time. Get some books about the baby animals on the farm or sports they like.

Read aloud to them. Pick a book as a family and read a chapter every night (or day). 3. Let them see you read. They need to see that reading is a fun and pleasurable experience, not just a subject in school. Maybe the entire family puts aside electronics for 30-60 minutes every night and reads. Then, share something about what was read.

This is important and is often skipped, but TALK to them about what they are reading. Not only can you check their comprehension but you are sending the message that what they are reading is important to you.” -Sue

“Go to the public library together, let the kids pick out books, and read to them as a family. Ask questions about the stories. Another wonderful option is to listen to audio books.'“ -Patrick

“In my experience a series that draws their interest and will make them want to read. For me it was Harry Potter my aunt read and recorded the first 10 chapters for me to follow along then when I wanted to know what happened I had to start reading the book so I could find out.” -Andrew

“This sounds ridiculous but we taught [our child] how to read by putting subtitles on her favorite shows. She started associating the words with the pictures.” -Jill

“Phonics... if you/kids can "sound out" a word, they can pretty much read anything. "Hooked On Phonics" seems to be most widely used but there are 100's of books available here.” -Steve

“7 Keys to Comprehension How to Help Your Kids Read It and Get It by Susan Zimmerman and Chryselephantine Hutchins. You can get it on Amazon for $12. I used this book when I was a teacher and when I was literacy coach. I had amazing results using this book as a guide.” -David

“Make it a game, be consistent with time of day. Play the characters . Reread the same material. Switch between you reading to the child and the child reading to you. Age appropriate with pics to give clues. Dr Seuss is your friend.” -Steven

“Phonics! If your child cannot hear the parts of a word then they cannot read the parts of a word. You have to start with learning by sound before you ever look at the print word. Best skills for this: rhyming, give them 2 words that rhyme and one that doesn’t have them pick out the incorrect one. Syllables. Have them clap ( or my favorite hum) a word and tell you how many parts are in the word. Give them a word such as fan. Say if you take out the “f” sound in fan and replace it with the “p” sound what word do you have? These make great games for car rides, while your cooking dinner and they are helping, or really anytime.

Also, any and all Jack Hartman videos on YouTube. They are fun and really help with learning letter sounds/blends/ and he even has topics for other subjects!

All of these will really help learning the basics of the word and lead to a better more confident reader!” -Kate

“I’m an English teacher and Mom. This is what I do with my kids.

Get their Lexile level from their iReady report.

Then choose a book they are very interested in, that is just a little above their lexile (which is their independent reading level). Have them read to you, but when they get stuck on a difficult word, model how you work through or sound out that word (I often cover half of the word, to make it more approachable).

If they are in chapter books and get fatigued, finish the chapter for them.” -Samantha

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inadreamerslibrary · 5 months ago

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july camp nanowrimo day 04-15

word count: 15,009 / 30,000

i'm still here, i swear! i feel like every time i went to write an update post, i didn't finish it and forgot to return to it.

writing has been going okay so far. there was one day where i only wrote 250 words but i made up for it pretty easily. kinda starting to drag again, but hopefully that will change when i reach the chapter where the action starts picking up again.

i'm on part iii now, which i actually had a couple scenes already written. i rewrote them though bc a lot of stuff has changed in the plot since i initially wrote them. does this count as cheating? maybe, but it's helping me push through so i don't really care lol. plus i'm not copy-pasting everything, much of these scenes had to be reworked bc i made a ton of changes.

i'm also realizing i'm definitely not finishing this book within the next 15k-ish words. if i had set my word count goal higher, i might've been able to finish it, but having a lower goal is honestly helping me stay motivated. if it's too high, then i tend to fall behind and give up. so if i have to continue writing ~1k words a day in august, i can try that. i would LOVE to get this done soon so i can start revising. but i have so many hobbies that i often find myself drawn towards more than writing (as much as i hate to say it). i've been deep in the gaming trenches recently and finally playing games that i've had in my backlog for awhile. i always make sure i do my writing first before playing anything though.

also reached 50 pages with today's writing, so that means i'll be at roughly 100 pages when i hit 30k. so that's interesting. hope anyone else doing this camp nano is doing well :)

#camp nanowrimo #camp nano 2024 #camp nano july 2024

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wozman23 · 1 year ago

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2023 Game of the Year List

1) Alan Wake II (10/10)

Thirteen years! That's how long some fans had to wait for the follow up to the original Alan Wake. Thirteen years of uncertainty about whether we'd ever see a sequel. Thirteen years full of glimmers of hope. Thirteen years full of periods of despair. Thirteen years of Alan Wake II prototypes being passed on. Thirteen years of those projects turning into other IPs. Thirteen years of clever little nods and Easter eggs in games like Quantum Break and Control. I was a bit more fortunate. Having never owned a 360, and only finally getting to experience the original Alan Wake on PC in March of 2014, the wait was closer to a decade for me.

But from the moment I finally played the original Alan Wake, it quickly became one of my all-time favorite games. So the wait was still excruciating. Slowly, all the signs began to point toward a sequel actually existing. Remedy bought the right to the IP from Microsoft. The Control AWE expansion heavily featured Alan and hinted that we may soon be returning to Cauldron Lake. And then, it was official: Alan Wake II would finally be coming out! Even though I was far more certain by that point, it still felt surreal.

I tried to stay away from details pre-release. I wanted to go in knowing nothing. I pretty much did. Over thirteen years, so much has changed with gaming. Playing the remaster of the original shows that. Performance capture back then was in its infancy. Holding even the remaster up to today's light shows its rough edges. The atmosphere is still phenomenal. The Pacific Northwest is fully realized. But other areas have lost their luster. Animations, particularly when it comes to the characters and their facial animations feel dated in 2023. The audio is often a bit jarring. But the charm and intriguing nature of the game is still there in full effect. There were a few things I knew about the sequel. There would be two protagonists, with Saga serving as a bridge for new players. And the game would shift to more of a survival horror genre compared to the more action-focused original. That detail created a bit of fear.

Then I got to play Alan Wake II, and any fears were quelled. I can say that every, single, little decision that was made for Alan Wake II was perfect. Switching protagonists was great. Creating more tension by making enemies and encounters fewer and far between was great. Rewarding characters for exploring by hiding weapons and various upgrades off the beaten path was great. Abandoning collecting 100 damn thermoses was great! Taking the cinematic ideas from Quantum Break multiple steps forward was great. Linking all the breadcrumbs from the Remedy Connected Universe, which really seemed to come into its own in Control, was great. The visuals, great. The effects, particularly in overlaps and with jump scares, were great. The story, which answers a few key questions while creating many, many more, was great. The subtle inclusion of humor was great, especially within such a dark and serious game. On an artistic level as a whole, it was great. The interstitial songs between chapters were great in the first game. Here they were phenomenal! They command your attention. They provide their own details about the narrative. And they all absolutely slap! It would be impossible for me to pick a favorite because they're all so varied and amazing for different reasons. The graffiti in The Dark Place was great. Coffee World was great. That one moment, that was almost cut, that feels unlike anything that has ever been in a game was simply magical!

No one does music like Remedy. Their partnership with Poets of the Fall at this point is historied. All the artists they worked with on Alan Wake II were really impressive. The chapter songs from RAKEL, Poe, and ROOS + BERG feel like they occupy a eerie space somewhere between Billie Eilish and Nine Inch Nails. Mougleta and Jaimes threw down some catchier, poppy tracks. And the Paleface song packs a punch on its own just as much as it did in game. Even more impressive, Poe really hadn't really done anything in ten years, but re-collaborated with Remedy once more. Then there's Ahti, portrayed by Finnish actor and singer Martti Suosalo, who sings the beautiful Yötön Yö in Finnish.

The game really is a love letter to Finland. There's so much Finnish charm in the characters, locations, and humor, particularly with the Koskela brothers. I've always been fascinated with the Nordic region. The beauty of the area. They're unique cultures. The music coming out of that Sweden from We Are The Catalyst and Katatonia. Comedian Ismo. Or maybe it originally stemmed from watching Conan take his show there in 2006. Regardless, Alan Wake II definitely makes me want to visit Finland. It makes me want to live there. And it makes me want to learn the language just so Ahti can't sneak any secrets by me. Perkele!

I could break down nearly any of the other qualities that make the game great, and write plenty about the finer details that make them great. I could talk about practically every single character, their actions and motives, and the theories I have about them. Since release I've been absorbed with just that. I've been reading other people's interpretations and theories. I've watch many a youtube video dissecting the entire Alan Wake universe as well as the Remedy Connected Universe. I want to go back and replay Quantum Break, and Control, and the original, and even Max Payne – having never played the originals. I'd almost rather just further explore the Alan Wake rabbit hole than play other games. That has never happened before with a game. I've played a ton of amazing games over my approximately 35 years of gaming. Both entries of The Last of Us gave me slightly similar feelings, but that was more about just exploring the themes about the somewhat concrete narratives. Here, there is so much nebulousness to the narrative. We have no clue who Thomas Zane really is. We have no clue who Ahti really is. We have no clue who Alex Casey really is. Mr Door... Tim Breaker... The Bookers... Odin and Tor... the list goes on and on. We have no clue what Alice has actually been up to. We have no clue about the resolution to Saga's story, or what she's actually capable of. We really don't comprehend the mysteries of Cauldron Lake, The Clicker, parautilitarians, and so much more. And I love the game for that. For every thing I learn, or think I know, there's an ocean of things I don't know. And they mystery has its hooks in me deep.

Every little thing feels like it has a purpose. Every detail meticulously crafted. It almost doesn't feel like a game. As the game industry has evolved, and budgets reached stratospheric level, games have become safe, predictable. In the average AAA game, you can expect missions, a bunch of side missions that may be important or may just be there to pad out the game play time. You'll hunt for collectibles that often have little-to-no purpose.

Alan Wake boldly goes in a different direction. Sure, there's still a common thread that urges you to continue, and plenty of things to seek out and collect. But none of it ever feels forced or fake. It all feels like it adds to the narrative. I could even talk about the lunchboxes or nursery rhymes for quite a bit, and the way they transcend simply being collectible and puzzles to expand on the lore as well.

I feel like I could play the game a thousand times, and find new details that lead me to new theories.

Director, Sam Lake, has gone on record saying that he was happy that the game did take thirteen years to release. And as painful as the wait was, I have to agree with him. I don't think we would have got this version of Alan Wake ten years ago, or even five years ago. It feels as if it was created at the perfect point in time as a culmination of everything that Remedy has learned since the original.

Very few games have brought me to tears. The Last of Us is really the only other AAA game to do so. But after finishing Alan Wake II, and listening to the beautiful chapter songs, I found myself tearing up. Not because of the story itself, but because I'm just so damn grateful that it exists. And so damn happy that Remedy did such an excellent job and following up and exceeding my nearly insurmountable expectations.

I could talk about this game until I ran out of air. I've tried not to delve into the story to much, or mention any spoilers. But I could easily go on about all of that stuff for days. But I wouldn't want to spoil the experience for anyone. If you have any interest in the game, or just enjoy the spectacle of gaming in general, you really should play Alan Wake II. It's a once-in-a-generation game. Perhaps a once-in-a-lifetime game. I'm so happy it was recognized and rewarded at this year's Game Awards, taking home awards for Best Narrative, Art Direction and Game Direction. I thought it should have easily won for Best Music and Score considering how unique Remedy's approach is to incorporating music, and I figure it had an outside shot a GOTY, but it's hard to know feel so happy and proud of the team for all they accomplished.

When Geoff was asking on Twitter what the musical act should be, I, and many others, emphatically chimed in with “The Old Gods of Asgard!” Not allowing Poets of the Fall to let it rip live was a travesty, but I know that's often the case for live performances. It was still a wonderful moment. My worry was that they wouldn't be able to coordinate everything to give the performance the love it deserved. So it was great to see everyone show up: David Harewood, Ilkka Villi, Matthew Porretta, and Sam joining in at the end, living his best life in pure elation. The smile on his face as he danced along will live rent free in my head until the day I die. I love that man, his enthusiasm, and his reckless ambition so damn much! I also enjoyed seeing people who didn't play the game react to it, utterly confused by its weirdness. Best moment in the shows history! On Monday, the Final Draft patch comes out for Alan Wake II, which promises new content, new videos, new manuscript pages, and a different ending. It's the perfect excuse to play through the game again, which I'll plan to do after the holidays.

Please, let's not wait another thirteen years for a continuation. I don't want to be 53 when Alan Wake III comes out, which thankfully no longer feels like an if, but a when. I've got a fever, and the only prescription is more Alan Wake, and more of the Remedy Connected Universe! So until that day, I'll consume myself with fan theories, and replaying their games, and maybe finally getting around to watching a large part of the inspiration for the franchise, Twin Peaks.

2) Viewfinder (10/10)

Viewfinder quickly climbed to the Number 2 spot on my most anticipated list, behind only Alan Wake II, and much like Alan Wake II it not only lived up to the hype, but blew me away. It's a once-in-a-generation puzzle game, going toe to toe with greats like The Unfinished Swan, Portal, or The Witness. There is no other way to explain the mechanic than it feeling like magic. I cannot comprehend how you would make a game with that much freedom to reshape the world. If there was one game that it reminded me of, it would be The Unfinished Swan. Both did such an excellent job of introducing you to a lovely world, evolving their mechanics, and varying up their art styles throughout the experience. The game got some bad publicity upon release due to some of the voice over work, which I found to be an absurd criticism. Not once was I distracted by it. What did distract me was my childlike desire to toy around with the main mechanic. Not once could I break the game. Playing it was like watching a grandiose magic act. Every time I placed a picture, I understood what I was doing, but I could never believe it actually worked.

3) Cocoon (10/10)

I think Jeppe Carlsen is one of the best developers in the industry, period. His work on Inside and Limo during his time at Playdead is well respected. But for me he really made a name for himself with his smaller project, 140. So anything that he makes will be on my radar. I really hoped Cocoon could finish in my top spot this year as well, but placing it at Number 3 isn't a slight by any means. I consider all three of the games mentioned so far to be perfect or near-perfect games (as well as the next one). The main reason that Cocoon finds its place behind the other two is because if felt somewhat safe when it came to the gameplay. The atmosphere was perhaps Jeppe's best work to date. The world was as mysterious and strange as it was beautiful. However I found the gameplay, bosses, and overall puzzle design to be a bit too simple and predictable. I really applaud the one button approach, and really appreciate Jeppe's dedication to minimalism and simplicity, but I think it may have undermined much of the Cocoon experience. As expected the puzzle mechanics did evolve nicely, and never overstayed their welcome, but I was kind of left wanting a bit more complexity. The later levels did some really cool things, but I never really found myself stumped. Again, it's hard to discredit the game because of that, because part of Jeppe's design philosophy seems to favor creating puzzle games that are extremely intuitive. While I might sound a bit more critical here, its really only because I hoped for more depth. There's another game you'll find on many peoples' Game of the Year List that is absent from mine: Super Mario Bros. Wonder – a game I actually bought after Jeppe tweeted that a mechanic from it looks oddly similar to something from 140. The reason you won’t find it on my list is similar. It just didn't have enough depth for me to find it anything other than average. Wonder just plays everything so safe, never really fully explores the clever mechanics in it, and just feels so sterile in every detail. It's the biggest, major criticism I have about practically every Nintendo title these day. Every game feels like it's weighed down by Nintendo's stubbornness to evolve. They make simple games, with simple gameplay, with simple art styles, with simple stories. Despite my desire to enjoy their output, they've become predictable and boring to me. I feel as if I've outgrown them. Thankfully I don't get that feeling from Cocoon. The only less-than-stellar thing I can say about it is that the gameplay just didn't wow me. The artistry of everything else is top-of-the-class. It feels fresh and new and unique. It's really what I'd like from Nintendo these days.

4) Worldless (10/10)

Worldless was on my radar mainly due to its look, but it wasn't until the summer when I played the Xbox demo that I decided it would be a Day 1 purchase. Due to it's somewhat turn-based combat, it's not the typical game I would play. But the presentation, platforming nature, and Metroidvania structure of it coaxed me into it. And I'm glad it did, as I had a lot of fun with it. Much like Cocoon, the world was very mysterious. The biomes looked great, and the sound design complemented the world well. The animations of the characters and enemies also really impressed. It's one of those games that is somehow tranquil in its presentation, but challenging with its gameplay. Figuring out each battle felt like a puzzle, especially when trying to efficiently battle entities so that instead of simply defeating them you could absorb them to gain upgrade abilities. There were a large variety of enemies, and every one of them felt unique. There were also a lot of mechanics. Perhaps too many for me. The controls between the two characters did take some getting used to, especially considering you had double the abilities to play with, and they felt as if they didn't always align within the control scheme, especially when it came to having specific buttons to block specific attacks, whether they were physical, magical, or star attacks. So I'm sure a lot of my struggles came from not fully understanding each ability and the benefits of all of them. Between basic attacks, heavy attacks, ranged attacks, elemental attacks, combos, blocks, parries, and buffs, there was a lot to try to comprehend. And you had to also be cognizant of the use of attacks that resulted in physical damage as opposed to filling the absorption meter. Still, I took down every foe except for the two most difficult. Even a few of the last challenging ones I took down took a lot of perseverance. I'm sure I was stuck on one or two for a few hours alone. There were a few mechanics I probably never explored enough. Sometimes a single boss would help me understand one I wasn't using. Clearly the two I faltered on just represent the blind spots I still have when it comes to the mechanics, but I didn't want to resort to help via the internet. So after hours of struggling with one – but I think getting close - and making it to the other ultimate boss who I instantly noped out on, I'll just accept that failure. As opposed to Cocoon, this game's biggest issue, at least for me, was it overcomplexity. So I'm probably sounding pretty wishy-washy right now. Damned if you do, damned if you don't. Still its hard to fault the game for my own shortcomings and unfamiliarity with the depth of a good turn-based game. It rounds out the list of the game's I thought were near-perfect this year.

5) Dredge (9/10)

Dredge snuck up on me. I don't remember how I found it. I probably saw it on Twitter. But it looked like a really cool blend of tranquil gameplay and a weird, eerie, occult story. So I put my faith in it and bought it on release day. And it turned out to be precisely what I hoped it would be. The boat upgrades provided a nice sense of progression that kept me exploring the seas to hunt down every species of fish, crab, and the aberrations. The only thing I wanted more of was cutscenes that looked like the initial Animated Trailer. The recently released DLC is the next thing on my list to play. I don't think it will be a lot of content, but any excuse to sail those seas again is fine by me.

6) Tchia (9/10)

Tchia interested me when it was announced. But so many games catch my eye that it may never have got any playtime. Thankfully it was included with PlayStation Plus, so there was no excuse to not try it. The main reason it finds itself at Number 6 is because it didn't feel as unique as the previously mentioned games. You could feel its influences, the D.N.A. of other games. You had the charming ukelele parts that felt like a more cheerful The Last of Us. There was the exploration of Assassin's Creed. The climbing of the newer Zelda entries and boat travel similar to Wind Waker. That's not to discredit Tchia, because it borrowed great things from all those games, and presented them cohesively, with a fresh coat of paint, in a beautiful world. The one thing that did feel wholly unique was the traversal. Taking over animals and objects felt very satisfying. Soaring through the skies as a bird felt just as good as tumbling across terrain as a rock. It also really nailed the sense of adventure when it came to treasure hunting by incorporating the map and photos, favoring clues instead of the blatant and obvious objective marker laden experiences that so many games choose to go with these days. I had an absolute joy completing every single thing in it, and I'm glad PlayStation Plus gave me the chance to do witness its charm.

7) Humanity (9/10)

Here's another PlayStation Plus game that I played because it was a right place, right time game. I really didn't know much about it prior to release, but upon release I was reading a lot of good things online. I love a good puzzle game. It took the Lemmings concept a wrapped it up in a tranquil yet fun experience. Some of the puzzles were pretty tough, especially the one's required to reach 100% completion. In some cases, solutions took hours. One trophy in particular, due to its vague description took me way longer than it should have, stating that you had to beat a particular level “without using one of the branching commands.” I bashed my head against the wall trying to figure out how I could move platforms and everyone around to do a seemingly impossible task without using any branching commands. At one point, I finally got lucky, with so many humans walking around that they bled over into other tiles where I could manipulate their paths to the exits. Once I'd beat it, I went online to see if others struggled with it. Turns out, in that level you had TWO branching commands available. So you just needed to beat it with only using ONE, which was super simple by comparison. Thankfully I wasnt the only idiot who interpreted it wrong and brute forced the harder solution. Aside from the standard levels and challenges, the boss battles were really high points as well.

8) Hi-Fi RUSH (9/10)

Much like PlayStation Plus provided me with the last two great games, Xbox Game Pass drew plenty of my attention this year. In many cases, like with Atomic Heart, The Last Case of Benedict Fox, Ravenlok, Planet of Lana, Dordogne, Figment 2: Creed Valley, and Starfield, the experiences were middling or downright disappointing. Hi-Fi Rush was one of the exceptions. I think the best compliment I can give it is that it felt like a game from a previous generation, maybe around the PS2/XBOX or PS3/XB360 eras. It reminds me a lot of the colorful action platformers like Ratchet & Clank, Sly Cooper, and Jak. It looked great, oozed creativity, and was a ton of fun to play. Most notable though: the music. The in-house music was great, but whoever picked the licensed stuff knew my wheelhouse. From the moment early on when “1,000,000” by Nine Inch Nails came on in a boss fight, I was invested. Then there was “The Perfect Drug” in another battle. And “Honestly” by Zwan to bookend the game. But perhaps the greatest sequence came during the final stage, with “Whirring” by The Formidable Joy. For a brief moment in time, in 2011, I was enamored with that song. But I really never got into The Formidable Joy, so I forgot about it completely. So when that invisible friend reappeared to say hello again here, I fell in love with the song all over again. The entire time it played I was in a state of bliss. And one of the first things I did then night, after I beat the game, as I laid down for bed, was listen to “Whirring” again. That rediscovery was the colorful bow atop an already brilliant package.

9) Marvel's Spider-Man 2 (9/10)

Insomniac is my favorite developer of all time, largely in part thanks to Ratchet & Clank. I've been playing games for around 35 years now, nearly my entire life, but I wasn't always as invested in the hobby. The Ratchet & Clank franchise revitalized my enthusiasm for much of gaming. And for that reason, I will play any game they release if I own the console. The reason I can play games on Game Pass is because I bought the Sunset Overdrive Xbox One Bundle. However, Spider-Man isn't a property I care all that much about. What you see here is what you get. Spider-Man 2 is the typical AAA game, a graphically impressive game full of action and blockbuster moments. It is a spectacle. But it's also weighed down by the design ideas of what a typical AAA game should be. It is a step forward compared to the original. Peter and Miles gain a lot of fun powers. The less agile, more hulking Venom was really fun to play as briefly. The combat system has a depth to it that is engaging and fun. The portal mission early on dials the Ratchet & Clank rift mechanic up to 11, making the power of the PS5 feel like a true step forward, but sadly the idea is only seen in that one sequence. Overall, much of the game feels like a chore, merely serving up obstacles that get in the way of the main story. Do this side mission. Collect these things. Decide how to use your upgrade points. Get Gold in the Mysterium challenges. A lot of things just feel like they get in the way of me seeing the myriad of cool villains. It's not the most tedious AAA game, but when compared to the likes of something like Alan Wake II – which I played prior to Spider-Man 2 despite it coming out a week later because I was more hyped for it – it just feels so gamesy, and less artsy. The one really praiseworthy improvement is the traversal. Swinging around is always fun in a Spider-Man game. Here, new ideas like the wing suit make zipping around the city effortless. That part never gets old. Its overall excellence does make me wish I knew more about the franchise. Perhaps I'd be more impressed in that case. But because I don't, and because the AAA development cycle has ballooned to somewhat unsustainable levels, not only was I in the dark about the character teased in the ending, but I'd completely forgotten the plot and characters from the first game. Also, the Cube Suit Spider-Man glitch hit at possibly the worst point possible, when a disembodied head of Peter was seen crying over his Aunt May on her deathbed. Followed by an intense action sequence where I should have looked like a total badass in the Negative Suit, but instead I whooped ass as a small white cube until the gameplay slowed down and I found a working skin amongst a sea of white cubes. Fortunately, Miles' top tier Bodega Cat suit was unaffected, so I still got to watch that kitty whoop ass. Yeah, Spider-Man 2 is still a good game. But it's just that: a game. I'll still play Spider-Man 3. But I'm glad it's out of the way because as an X-Men fan, I'm far more excited for their Wolverine game, and hopefully another Ratchet & Clank. And if it were up to me, I'd scrap Spider-Man completely in favor of more Ratchet & Clank.

10) Horizon Forbidden West: Burning Shores (9/10)

Spoiler Alert: Since Zero Dawn, I've wanted to see a Horus in action. Here we finally got that moment, and it was great. Nothing much more needs to be said. That alone is worth the price of admission. Sure, there are cool new machines and weapons, and I could visit my local buddy, the Hollywood Sign, but let me just fight more Horuses?.. Horusi?... or is it one of those things where the plural is the singular?... One thing is for certain. I'm certainly going to miss Lance Reddick as Sylens. He was well known in the world of TV, but also a bastion in gaming. There was still so much mystery surrounding his character. I'll be curious to see how Guerrilla approaches that. Maybe they should just got the same route as Remedy and hire David Harewood who filled a role that was clearly originally going to be Lance's so well.

Honorable Mentions:

Jusant (8.5/10) – A charming yet simple little game about climbing a large tower, with nice art and a fun climbing mechanic, that's include in Game Pass

Bramble: The Mountain King (8.5/10) – A weird, eerie, macabre little game based on Nordic fables, that uses photorealism well, and feels like the lovechild of Little Nightmares and Hellblade. Also on Game Pass.

Solar Ash (8.5/10) – Cool, fluid traversal, drenched in a lovely style, only marred by a few gripes about the controls and framerate

Trine 5: A Clockwork Conspiracy (8.5/10) – More Trine. A beautiful fantasy world. Fun puzzle gameplay and mechanics led by Amadeus Amadeusing it up by making boxes and planks. In some cases so many abilities were added, I forgot what all I could do. As a fifth entry, its getting a bit long in the tooth, so I imagine its hard to come up with as memorable set pieces and bosses.

UVSU (9/10) – A short game jam project from Dietzribi, who made one of my favorite games of 2021, Toodee & Topdee. It's you (U) versus you (U) as you play as both the protagonist and antagonist, switching off to get to the goal, then preventing your past self from getting to the goal, then avoiding that past self then next time, and so on for multiple rounds. There's a lot that could be iterated on here, and a full game may materialize at some point in the future!

Mechstermination Force (2019) (9/10) – I found this one on Twitter. It's got some rough edges. But underneath a bit of jank is a fun little game with some really cool boss design, where you take down mechs by focusing on their weak points as they evolve through multiple phases. Creatively it reminded me a lot of one of my favorite platformers, Puppeteer. Retroactively it takes the Number 5 spot in my 2019 list, which seemed like a mediocre year overall.

The Quarry (2022) (9/10) – A campy horror choose-your-adventure game that's light on gameplay but a thrilling romp. The use of light and dark looked great and really heightened the atmosphere. It approaches uncanny valley in some instances, but overall the performances were great. My favorite game from Supermassive to date. Retroactively, it takes the Number 8 spot in my 2022 list.

Dead Space (Remake) (9/10) – If not for Alan Wake, Dead Space would be my favorite horror game. I'm not really a fan of the trend of remaking games that aren't really all that old, so I don't consider remakes for my GOTY lists. The original does rank among my Top 10 from the entire PS3 generation, and was probably a somewhere between my Number 1 and 3 game in 2008. It would probably still hold up. If I did want to check, I could simply plug the PS3 back in. If it ain’t broke, don't fix it. The original isn't fresh in my mind, so I didn't notice most of the changes. But quite a bit was changed. Weapons got new tweaks and fire modes, probably for the better. But a lot of other unneeded changes were made, like giving Isaac a voice, and padding the game out by adding side quests and a security clearance system that locked upgrades and resources away until a points in the story where you gained a level of clearance. Some people may have appreciated this stuff as it fleshed out the story, but I realized I never really cared much about the story with this one. I just wanted to slice limbs off Necromorphs, which is still so unique, and just as satisfying fifteen years later. Props again to Game Pass for letting me revisit this without spending $70 for it.

Most Anticipated:

1) Pepper Grinder Game 2) SCHiM 3) The Plucky Squire 4) THRASHER 5) Sword of the Sea 6) Hades II 7) Senua's Saga: Hellblade II 8) Gori: Cuddly Carnage 9) The Spirit of the Samurai 10) GREENFIELD 11) Rootown 12) Little Nightmares III 13) UVSU 14) Bionic Bay 15) Go Mecha Ball 16) Öooo (the next game from Nama Takahashi about a bomb-laying catapillar) 17) Symphonia 18) IKARO: Will Not Die 19) Skate Story 20) PaperKlay 21) Judas 22) Clockwork Revolution 23) Phonopolis 24) Été 25) 30 Birds 26) Marvel's Wolverine 27) Control II 28) Black Myth: Wukong 29) South of Midnight 30) Summerhill

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oceansmelodysblog · 2 years ago

Text

The Olympic Games of Hyrule

Chapter 1 - A Rainy Blessing

Notes at the end

Sound on!

Further and further, the red strip of horizon sank behind the majestic twin mountains until the shadows finally swallowed the light source. As I did every evening, I practiced the basic movements of any knight. Even in times of peace, it was a necessity for me to remain strong.

Over a year had passed since we had last fought Ganon the Calamity, but I never wanted to be too weak or too slow to protect her again. For far too long she had hoped for my awakening, and once again I had been too slow to rehabilitate myself.

But even now Zelda could not rest, she was too busy with the reconstruction of Hyrule, the exploration of the Zonai ruins, the cultural and economic construction, because 100 years left deep traces in the realm, even in the minds of the descendants of the survivors. Only through the initiative of Hyrule's inhabitants was the kingdom able to survive a century, and so Zelda made it her mission to help Hyrule regain its splendor.

I was torn from my thoughts as fine drops fell on my face. I glanced upward hopefully. The gray ceiling hung heavily over me. It seemed almost comforting as nature poured down on me.

Will Zelda make it home in time before the downpour? She had been doing a lot of research in the ruins and catacombs of the Zonai lately. That's why she was now traveling with Purah. Sighing, I sat down at my desk, which was littered with crumpled notes, scraps of paper, pencils, and rolled-up plans, and noted how much I had accomplished today.The one year it took me to rehabilitate never felt as lonely as this second. Her scent still hung in the room, signs of life were everywhere, but she wasn't there. Lost in thought, I held a pen between my nose and my pursed lips as I teetered on the floor with one foot, when suddenly the door slammed open. In terror, I crashed to the floor. Two cackling young women walked in and the rain with them. "Link! Where are you! Zelda and I have a brilliant idea."

Solitude wasn't so bad after all. "I'm up here, what do you want from me now?" Purah had been barging into my house uninvited far too often lately. Of course, she had been continuously experimenting with reaching the age she wanted. As soon as I picked myself up, I rushed down the stairs, and Purah mocked me with her gaze, which spoke volumes about how rude and primitive she thought I was. But then Zelda turned around. Her hair and clothes were dripping with wetness, her cheeks and nose were rosy, and her lips were trembling slightly.

"Link, make us some tea! Otherwise we'll catch a cold!" Purah's words sounded far away, as if I were underwater. Zelda's forest green irises shone with hope and joy as she looked up at me.She smiled as I untied the knot of her cloak. Such a wonderful smile…

"LINK!" Purah's squeaky voice slapped me out of my haze.

"What did you say?" I finally took notice of Purah, who seemed anything but thrilled to be paid no attention to. The sight of her was very amusing.

"Make us some tea! Or do you want your beloved Zelda to catch a cold?" I sighed, again the Zelda card that always worked on me, though I always saw Purah through.Therefore, I gave her a fake smile with a deep bow.

Under the huge tree in front of my house, I cooked the herbs for the tea. It had been a brilliant idea of mine to build a roof, because I could now store my herbs and mushrooms dry here. While I filled another tea with wild berries and honey, I hummed to myself. Zelda loved the sweetness of berries, her eyes always shone so happily then. Just as I was thinking of her smile, she walked upon me with a dreamily smile just for my eyes. Curious, she peeked over my shoulder and watched me silently as I stirred the spoon. She held the brown clay cups in her hand that we had made together. It made me happy to explain simple things to her that had nothing to do with obligations. But then the memory flashed before me of my hands on hers as I sat close behind her, explaining the ancient technique of pottery.Still my hands tingled from it.And now that hand was touching my shoulder. Even through the thick fabric of my traditional Hateno clothing, I felt how cold her hands were and placed my free hand on hers, warming them. So we stood there listening to the bubbling water in the pot and the thunder of the rain. "I mixed honey and berries into your tea, it will neutralize the bitter notes of the Warm Safflina," I explained fleetingly as I placed the cup on the table in front of Zelda. Subtly, our eyes crossed - as a way of saying "thank you." She smiled and turned back to Purah's speech diarrhea. I sat down at the edge of the table between them and listened. "Link, I know the inside of your head doesn't reach the capacities of a scientist like zelda, but even you should be aware of how essential our research is to the continued existence of Hyrule." I rolled my eyes. "We need to boost our economy and provide government revenue. So we thought of rebuilding the arena near the Forgotten Plateau and holding some kind of festival there, in honor of the reunification and rebuilding of the kingdom. The Zora, Rito and Gerudo have the financial resources because of their resource-rich lands and mountains. We really need them as sponsors by getting them to participate. We were thinking of some kind of sports festival… arena battles in different disciplines…" By Hylia! I don't have a good feeling about this as far as I'm involved…. "…That's when Zelda and I had the idea of making you an arena fighter for the Hylians." I knew it! "No." "But…". "Honey, I'm not your boy for everything. To put me forward because there are no better fighters right now and then expect me to fight for glory is really ridiculous, even by your standards." "Honey, I think that defeating Ganon has gone to your head. Do I need to make a note that after a long nap, you exhibit an insufficiency of auditory perception, as you are again not listening. This is about rebuilding Hyrule!" "You're all about the rupees you can then stuff in your pocket." "You mean for my research that saved your life?" "You only researched what already existed." It didn't slip my eyes how Zelda and Purah exchanged meaningful glances."Link, Purah didn't mean to-" "Go now, it's late." "Hey Link, you can't kick us out in this weather! How can you be so conscienceless-" My look must have silenced her, because now she was quieter than she had ever been in her life. Slowly, she turned her stunned gaze to Zelda. Sighing, I turned away and marched out. I protect. I don't dance to please others.

"I knew you would come here to calm down." The incessant rain seemed to make any anger in me flow down the creek. Here, standing in the rain with her, surrounded by an army of guards, there was something surreal about it.

Am I really the same man who 100 years ago almost reached the other bank in her arms? Now we stand here - hand in hand - and look back on that event that had separated us for 100 years. "I gave my life here, trying to protect you. I have scoured all of Hyrule to find every shrine and memory, found every single Korok to possess more and better weapons, brought the Titans under control and redeemed the souls of our friends…"

Daruk, Mipha, Urbosa, Revali, now you can rest in peace

"… Even if I took too long, I wanted to free, even just a moment earlier, to see your lovely smile again. I fight to protect you, not to show myself off, Zelda." Zelda stroked my arm and squeezed our intertwined fingers tightly. "You should have let Purah finish to the end." I looked deep into her eyes. Her face was so close to me that I could have kissed her. The desire was consuming.

"She wanted to explain in more detail about the arena fights…it's more like a competition in different disciplines…" I put my arm around her shoulder to warm her. She put an index finger on her chin, which she always did when she was musing. "Isn't Sand seal surfing is your favorite activity?… remember how you once raced against time to awaken a shrine? That's kind of how we envisioned those arena battles…we just haven't come up with a proper name for it yet." She leaned more into my embrace and stared into the distance with a kind of reverie.

"What are we really doing this for?"

"The devastation has left deep scars and Hyrule needs to be rebuilt, we need Rupees for that. But also King Dorephan had strongly insisted on strengthening the bonds between the Zora and the Hylians again…" Her voice stuttered almost unnoticeably. Yet I knew she was still feeling guilty. I squeezed her tighter against me.

"So we want to create a way to bridge these differences, and so we thought of joint activities that would fill the state coffers as a byproduct to spur research. After all, better technologies mean greater prosperity for peoples, and greater prosperity evenly distributed means civil liberties."

I was used to being exposed to the wet from my several adventures through the wilderness, but her body shivered from the wet cold, despite the cape she had thrown over. "Zelda forgive me for making you walk through the rain-" But Zelda suddenly held a finger to my lips and whistled sharply between her fingers. Not even a fraction of time had passed before I heard a familiar neigh. Turning around, I immediately recognized the terra-cotta colored coat with the light mane.

"Fraser always knows where you are," she said, giving me an innocent look. Playfully, I rolled my eyes and chuckled gently. Fraser, meanwhile, pranced on his hooves and wagged his head in a whinny as he came closer to me. I stroked his huge head as he nudged me and nibbled my hair.

Suddenly, an idea flashed before my eyes. "Then wouldn't it be better if whole teams represented one people? That way, you won't have to rely on me if I get hurt."

I offered her my hand to climb more easily onto the saddle, hoisted myself onto the soaking wet back behind her, and took the reins she thrust into my hand. Normally I would have been in the saddle, but it would have been a tremendous strain on her legs to ride bareback. I didn't want that. "At the same time, more representatives of a people come into contact, can exchange ideas, and form a basic requirement for new Hylian warriors." I tried to rein in Fraser's pace, because he was my fastest horse in the stable. He loved speed, but now a chilly breeze through her soaked clothes would be deadly. Zelda had been isolated in that disgusting slime for almost 102 years, while I had wandered all over the kingdom after my isolation and had a lot of time to recover. She got sick very often, that didn't slip my mind, but it was possibly part of getting used to the environment again.

Afterwards, I'll pour her a hot bath. No, Link don't picture it - "Link, you're brilliant!"

What? Ah… get a hold of yourself! "Yes, I am." She was laughing by now at my exuberant nature, which she had only learned from me after our fight. In the beginning, she always looked at me with wide eyes. Zelda talked incessantly; ideas spurted out of her like a fountain. I laughed to myself; there it was again, the crazy blossoming side of her. Her face then shone especially brightly, her smile went all over her face and her eyes sparkled like emeralds. I wanted to be as close to her face as possible, wanted her to look at me again with those big eyes.

So I asked cheekily, "What position will you have? Will you nurse me back to health when I hurt myself?" Abruptly, she turned her face to me. Mischievously, I smiled at her. There they were now those dark sparkling eyes, judging me but looking slightly flirtatious.

"You won't have a free minute in front of me because I have to make sure you meet the health and physical requirements."

"Even better."

"LINK!" she huffed, and I burst out laughing.

Endnotes:

It's been a really long time since I wrote something for the Zelda community. Mainly due to nasty comments and a large dose of self-doubt, I haven't written anything for any fandom for a long time (2 years) and now hope my writing style hasn't gotten too rusty. I'm glad to be back, as Zelda and Link are my comfort characters. I got the inspiration for this idea from the lovely Twitter user Leo. I thank you as I am now back in writing mode!

If you are interested in what Link and Zelda's adventures would be like then I recommend reading 'Botw Clash of Kingdoms' by @wwwhttps

Link is a sassy, flirtatious, demanding, joyful, bashful young man. Before his slumber and memory loss, he has never been able to show who he really was, as he was under a lot of pressure to live up to the expectations of a legendary hero from a young age, and therefore decided to keep quiet- a form of selective mutism.

#long reads #zelink fanfiction #botw zelink #totk zelink #botw fanfiction

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valleynix · 2 years ago

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The Fool. As in, the tarot card?

(With that "you have to remember" all I had in my mind was the "remember who you are" from lion king lmao)

"They’re right in front of you-

But they’re not real. They’re gone."

Can you stop?? I need a safe word.

"You won’t let her destroy more and more realities or worlds or whatever.

It stops now."

Yes, that's the spirit! Let's go!🎉

"It seems as though Cassandra has the most control over her urges after she drinks blood from a fresh source"

But little miss Bela will be out there saying she's managing it better than her sisters😭

🥺 Cass draw Reader and Daniela sleeping???? Pls that's so cute.

I wonder if she drew some more moments of her family spending time together. That'd be like family pictures :')

Idk if they have cameras out there so

There certainly must be something wrong with me, because Cassandra is extremely attractive when she's threatening the Reader.

My lil rainbow heart was at its limits doing all the Cass paragraphs 🥴

Reading with Bela 🥺

That would be such a nice experience I bet, her voice is so soothing like she could be talking about how she cut open a manthing in the cellar and that would be like a bedtime story.

Need her to talk to me when I'm anxious <\3

Yhm yhm nvm once again giving me a slap on the face with the sweet moment followed by nothing but pure pain.

Lunatic kinda fine tho 👀 I like their evil mind, games and plans.

Mmm mmm evil people who ruin the lives of others (if only it wasn't Reader's life ). It's a love-hate relationship 😭 we gotta learn self love

DANIELA 💘💝💖💗💓💞💕💟❤

I knew sth bad would happen once again 😩

The way they argued with Bela anyway, about leaving the castle. They couldn't escape it.

Gosh I hope the Reader won't fuck up with the timeline too much this time 😭

And for now I don't trust the woman from the cellar.

And damn what killed those maids from the castle. A mystery that is yet to be solved.

i love that i saw this just as i was about to start writing again hehe

The Fool as in the tarot card >:) i'm glad someone picked up on that sdkjfhskj (there's a shit ton of symbolism that i so far haven't really seen anyone mention just yet, but hearing this made me happy :D)

*THE SAFE WORD COMMENT LMFAOOO

*can't give up hope in these trying times >:)

*listen Bela just likes to think she has that control- little miss Bela "perfect daughter" Dimitrescu is struggling BAHA

*Cass 100% has a little stash of drawings no one will ever be able to find, and it's just sketches of her family doing things she can remember or that mean something to her :')

*also tbf Cass is just attractive no matter what she does. she could threaten to cut out my tongue and i'd be like "wow say it again" LMAOOOO

*so real of you </3 Bela strikes me as someone with a voice that literally everyone loves and wants to hear (cue Daniela begging her to read just because she finds it soothing for her nightmares)

*HEHEHEHEHE, i'm trying to get better at just comfort and not as much pain following it </3

*Lunatic is honestly really smart sdkjfhs, there is a method to their madness (also have you seen the fanart done of them?? bro is cool as FUCK)

*(i promise you will learn to like them more <3)

*IN CONCLUSION: DANIELA <3333333 (i'm on my laptop so no emojis but imagine i spammed hearts)

*some things are just set in stone, as we'll see more of >:) that's the unfortunate reality of fate; no matter how hard we try, sometimes we just can't escape what was already destined to happen at some point or another

*about that...

*i definitely wouldn't! she does mean well, but... yknow... the village is a scary place, and sometimes it gives life to scarier humans forced into a certain role by the horrid shit going on

*i think chapter ten briefly implies who/what killed the maids?? if i'm not mistaken? it's often difficult to know every little thing when we only see things from one POV >:)

i hope you're still enjoying it so far, though <33

#asks #and now back to writing some bela fluff #perhaps... some spice......#ehehehe

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fair-fae · 6 months ago

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I think people forget what it's like to... pick up a new game? Or can't comprehend how to treat Dawntrail like a new game after playing FFXIV for so long? I've seen complaints about how "by the end of Endwalker, every single plot thread has been totally wrapped up!" and that's kind of the point? I don't think it's entirely true--there are still some questions left in the FFXIV universe and we've obviously had teasers and expectations of things to come dangled in front of us in the pre-xpac content and the promotional material. But overall, it's like picking up the next installation of a franchise where you know most of the setting and most of the characters, but you don't know the story of this next installment or what new characters and areas it will bring. There's just as much "in it for you" as any new game you decide to pick up or more accurately, a sequel to a game you have played and invested time and emotion into. Realistically, FFXIV has been running for 10 years since ARR, and more and more new players are getting interested. The devs need to hit the reset button at some point and start a new story somewhere that new players can join in on without needing to catch up on 10+ years of content unless they choose to go the extra mile. It was also way more satisfying to see an actual "end" to a storyline rather than for the game to have storylines stretching on indefinitely until one day Square Enix decides the game is losing players and losing money, and suddenly the devs are left with whatever budget and whatever timeframe they are allotted to wrap up as much of the story as they can for whatever playerbase remains before SE pulls the plug. Not to mention, writing in media tends to be much better when the writers have a story outline and ending in mind, along with a timeframe for it, rather than writers just pulling out new ideas from a hat as they go along for the sake of stretching out the same storylines as long as they can just to keep a piece of media going. I was watching a show recently and noticed how the finale of each season tended to wrap up every single storyline and felt very "final," and then found some commentary from the writers about how they treat each season as its own contained, independent story despite continuing with the same characters, setting, and themes each season. I just think that's a really smart approach in modern media where things get canceled so abruptly and often suffer shoddy endings (or no ending whatsoever) because of it. And I know some people are unhappy about going from the high stakes of Endwalker and the lead up of Shadowbringers to "fun island exploration adventure time!" but the power creep would get out of hand and the story would get absolutely ridiculous and outside the realm of suspension of disbelief if the writers had to up the ante of each expansion continuously. Shadowbringers and Endwalker had pretty huge stakes and larger than life foes, so again, it's a good time for a reset to bring things back to the basics so the devs can start building up a new story from the ground. Sorry for jacking this post with my rambles, but I've been having a lot of thoughts about Dawntrail and this subject ;_; Ultimately I get that it's a bit of a downer to close out a chapter and have to start from a nearly blank slate. It feels disappointing to go from the exciting climax of a story a decade in the making to the trepidatious beginning of something (kind of) unrelated. It doesn't hold as much anticipation for most players--myself included--as previous expansions have because we don't really know WHAT to be anticipating yet. But I still think it was 100% the smartest move, both for a satisfying pay off to Endwalker, and for the longevity of the game overall.

I've seen so many people express disinterest in Dawntrail by saying something along the lines of "there's nothing in it for me". And I'm going to be honest, I don't really understand this sentiment.

When I began playing ARR, I didn't know anything about the world or the people or the characters or why my own character should care about any of it. I was set down in an unfamiliar world and expected to just walk around doing generic quests waiting for something interesting to happen to my character. With Dawntrail, the WoL is a well established character with a characteristic love of travel, discovery, and the world and people at large. The WoL is traveling with well known companions, and has clear goals to pursue while getting to explore a whole new continent. Comparatively, there is far more "in it for us" in DT than there was at the beginning of ARR. (Unless you played 1.0, but the majority of players have not.)

You never have investment at the beginning of a story, whether it's a game or book or movie or anything else. You become invested over the course of the story, as you learn more about the world and characters. Going into Dawntrail, we have the advantage, first, of knowing that the devs have an excellent track record of creating complex characters, fascinating worlds and compelling stories. And second, we have the advantage of having been shown a great deal of the world we are about to enter.

Personally, I have found all of the images and information about Tural hint at some amazing worldbuilding. It's a completely different kind of place from what we're used to and I find that very exciting. I love diverse regions and intricate cultures and getting to explore them in game. If you don't... well I have to wonder why you're playing this game.

Similarly, if you've developed your WoL to be someone contradictory to their canon characterization, someone who doesn't like to travel and experience new places and people and who would not be interested in Wuk Lamat and Krile's goals... Well, it's kind of on you if you don't feel there's anything "in it for you" in this expansion. Because it's clearly been purposefully crafted to appeal to the canon WoL, the one that SE is telling their story about.

And while I completely understand the desire to develop characters that deviate from the msq and experience the world of FFXIV in other ways, I don't quite understand playing the game but not wanting to experience the story as the devs have made it. You can so easily do both.

Getting to experience the devs' story, to explore their world and meet their characters, is always what's most exciting to me about new expansions. I can enjoy the story for what it is and then decide how I want to apply it to my WoL's development. And I appreciate how much work they put into creating this experience for me and the fact that they do encourage us to create alongside them.

Of course, it's not wrong to feel that there's "nothing in it for you" in this new expansion. But they've been very clear about the fact that this is the beginning of a new story full of unfamiliar elements. So I'm just not sure what some people expected.

#also I'm starting to realize that a lot of the people who say this or even previous expansions “have nothing in it for them”#are talking about classes/skills/characters/gear/settings/aesthetics/music that they personally enjoy #and are more interested in things that suit their own sense of aesthetic rather than story or characters #which is valid if that's anyone's priorities but it just seems like a weird complaint to make #ooc

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