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pyukumukuus · 3 months ago

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TOTV Ethical Dilemmas

I am 3 days into my Tears of the Vegan playthrough and I am having a tremendous time.

I am not actually a vegan, but playing this game as one makes for a very interesting philosophical exercise. The definition of 'vegan' is not always clear, so there is plenty of opportunity for debate throughout this playthrough over which materials are ethical and/or vegan-friendly.

I thought I'd list some of my dilemmas so far here!

Monster parts like horns and teeth are forbidden, obviously. But what about if they come from a stal?

You could very well argue that stal are reanimated dead, so how can you kill something that's already dead? I haven't allowed myself to collect the parts so far, more for gameplay reasons than anything else - I feel allowing myself to do that will just allow me access to too many potential weapon fusion materials! But now that I'm reading about it a bit more, it seems stal only drop the most basic forms of monster parts anyway so allowing this would most likely still keep the game challenging.

Verdict: So far forbidden, but I might allow this

Are base weapons, shields and clothing, which appear to be made from animal parts such as leather, permitted?

It depends. I have decided that the in-game description of the item is the ultimate decider here, more so than its appearance - Link's scabbard and belt look like they are made from leather so I wouldn't get very far if I had to go off appearance!

If it's not stated specifically in the description what something is made of, then I will make the assumption that it is vegan-friendly. Some examples below:

Lizal bow - Description says that this bow has been 'reinforced by the bones of a large fish' so it is NOT vegan-friendly.

Traveler's shield - Description says that this is made of animal hide, so it is NOT vegan-friendly.

Boko shield - Description says this is a 'handhold' attached to flat tree bark. It doesn't state what the 'handhold' is made of (it could perhaps be bone) but we can give this shield the benefit of the doubt as no info = vegan-friendly.

Archaic warm greaves - These very much look and seem like they would be made from leather and fur, but the description doesn't mention this so no info = vegan-friendly.

Verdict: Depends on the item description

What about items made from fossils?

I made a decision on this early on in the game after picking up a dragon bone boko bow. I was prepared to drop it until I read in the item description that it was a boko bow (i.e. string tied to a tree branch) which had been reinforced with fossils. So yes, this bow is made from bones, but the bones are actually from fossils! Are fossils vegan? That is really quite hard to answer!

For this one, I had to decide what kind of vegan I want Link to be. Is it the source of the material (i.e. animal origin) that is most important to Link, or is it how it was obtained (i.e. by killing)? I have decided to go with the latter. Killing animals, creatures, monsters etc. and using their parts for food or clothing is not okay... but making use of ancient fossilised remains is a different matter entirely, as these have effectively become part of the natural environment in the same way that a seed or a stone is. Dust to dust and all that!

There are probably vegans out there who would disagree, but that's part of the fun!

Verdict: Permitted

Koroks are living creatures! Surely it's not okay to use their leaves?

As far as I can tell, korok fronds and leaves aren't parts of the korok's body but rather accessories that are used by koroks. It's not possible to harm a korok in this game (even when strapping them to rockets, burning them on a crucifix or throwing them into the depths!) so we don't really know what materials they would drop as loot.

I have decided to permit the use of korok fronds as these just seem to appear when chopping down trees, the same as pine cones or acorns. There's no evidence of any harm being caused here.

Verdict: Permitted

Are the Zonai constructs alive? Is it vegan-friendly to use their parts?

I have decided to allow this as the constructs seem to be made from stone or similar material and are powered by Zonai charges, making them more akin to robots than living creatures.

Verdict: Permitted

What about taluses?

I had to do some reading to come to a decision on this. It appears that a talus (and similarly a pebblit) is a monster 'camouflaged as a rock formation', which suggests that they are NOT actually made of rock, they just appear that way.

However, the ore that sprouts from their backs is indeed real ore, not a part of their body that just looks like ore.

I will have to double check the in-game description to be absolutely certain, but I would say that this means that talus hearts are forbidden as these are a body part of the talus and not actually a rock, despite their appearance. But any gems received from taking out the ore deposits on their backs are fair game!

Verdict: Ore - Permitted; Talus heart - Forbidden (awaiting confirmation)

Is it okay to loot the zonaite and brightbloom seeds dropped by little frox?

As frox are actively hostile to Link I have decided it is okay to fight back against them. To my knowledge, they eat brightbloom seeds and zonaite grows on their backs similarly to how ore deposits grow on taluses. If that's the case, then I'd say it's okay to loot both of these things.

Verdict: Permitted

Are chuchu jelly and dark clumps okay?

I would say dark clumps are probably fine on the basis that gloom hands drop these when they despawn, even if they are not attacked, suggesting this material is actually solidified gloom itself rather than a piece of the hands.

Unlike gloom spawn, chuchus don't seem to secrete jelly naturally without being attacked so I would for that reason consider chuchu jelly to be non-vegan.

Verdict: Chuchu jelly - Forbidden; Dark clumps = Permitted

What about courser bee honey?

Honey is one of the more controversial vegan debates I have seen and I don't know enough about beekeeping to really be able to offer any argument. Regardless, I have decided to disallow honey in my playthrough as attempting to get honey in this game certainly angers and upsets the bees!

Verdict: Forbidden

#totk #tears of the kingdom #tloz #tloz totk #vegan #the legend of zelda #zelda #botw #breath of the wild #tloz botw

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pyukumukuus · 3 months ago

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Tears of the Vegan

Back in 2023 I started a vegan playthrough of Breath of the Wild. I never actually posted about it here, but it was some of best fun I ever had in a game.

I followed 3 basic rules:

Link is a vegan - Link is not allowed to use meat, animals or animal products for cooking, making elixirs or upgrading clothing. Monster parts are allowed. If Link is gifted meat or animal products, the item must be disposed of immediately (by dropping it, or selling it if it cannot be dropped).

Link is not allowed to fast travel - This includes all shrines, towers and tech labs. The only exceptions are where the game forces you to fast travel, such as after completing a Divine Beast.

Link must pay his respects appropriately if an animal is killed by accident - All efforts must be made to avoid harming animals. If an animal is killed by accident, Link must give them a spectacular or arduous funeral or send-off. A funeral pyre in the form of a Viking-esque burning raft, carrying the meat to the tallest nearby peak and adorning it with flowers, or Link simply throwing himself off the top of a Sheikah tower in penance - all of these are acceptable.

And so! In the year 2025, I have decided Link must once again become a vegan as he embarks on his quest to recover Zelda from the past!

I should mention that this challenge is not about making some kind of point - I am not vegan myself, but with the huge variety of foods and materials available in BOTW/TOTK, this might be one of the only games around where you actually can play as a vegan. It's a great challenge which keeps the game fun at the same time.

Some ground rules for this playthrough:

Link is a vegan - Same as BOTV but this time, for an additional challenge, Link is also not allowed to use monster parts. Killing enemies is permitted, but Link cannot pick up or use any monster parts.

Link is not allowed to fast travel - Same at BOTV, but to make moving from the depths to the surface slightly less agonising, I have decided to introduce one exception: Link is permitted to fast travel from a lightroot directly to the corresponding shrine on the surface, if he has discovered it.

Link must pay his respects appropriately if an animal is killed by accident - Same at BOTV.

I feel like this refreshed set of rules will really force me to think outside the box as I will not be able to rely on armour upgrades or crafting powerful weapons as these both require monster parts. Instead I will have to rely much more on Zonai devices (which I neglected in my first playthrough), Zonai powers, and using the environment to my advantage.

I hope this will keep the game fresh, fun and creative!

#totk #tears of the kingdom #tloz #tloz totk #botw #breath of the wild #tloz botw #zelda #the legend of zelda #vegan

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pyukumukuus · 6 months ago

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hey, I was just at "things got better" island and everyone there is talking about how excited they are to meet you

#this is cute #made me smile

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pyukumukuus · 7 months ago

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I replayed Life is Strange for a third time. I am going to replay all of the series, and want to record my thoughts about it here.

First up...

Life is Strange

This game had such an effect on me. I can't put my finger on exactly what it is that this game did that was just so special, it just feels like the right balance of 'cosy and warm' and 'bleak and eerie' in all the ways I love.

Aesthetically I find this game really stimulating. I love the way the screen looks when you reverse time, particularly the blotchy red visual when you go as far back as it is possible to go, which is just so visceral and I can feel it in my brain. I love Max and Chloe; this game made me care about them so much so quickly, better than any of the other LiS games. I think LiS2 is also an incredibly strong game but it took me a lot longer to warm to Sean and Daniel. I never really cared for Alex in LiS:TC at all. Nothing has come close to the original for me. The language of this game may be utterly cringe to some but it is so nostalgic to me. I have seen people heavily criticise this aspect of the game saying 'kids don't talk like that' but they seriously did. LiS is set in 2013; I would have been 19 at this time - the same age as Chloe. The way they speak takes me right back to being at school, 'hella' this, 'bro' that... this is just how me and my friends spoke about everything all the time.

In my very first playthrough of LiS, I just went with my gut and did what I felt was right, both morally or narratively. I saved Kate, tried to be nice to everyone I saw, and agonisingly chose to sacrifice Chloe in the end. For my second playthrough, I tried to experiment a bit with different choices and do things differently. I let Kate die, was as horrible to Victoria as possible (10/10 would do this every playthrough) and chose to sacrifice Arcadia Bay.

So this brings me to my third playthrough. Ultimately all of the choices you make in this game boil down to just two endings, both of which I have seen (except Pricefield! Must play again for this...) so this time I am playing the game in a way I very rarely play any role-playing video game - being as big an asshole as I can! Think 'I have these powers which I can use to undo mistakes/bad decisions but I just... won't' vibes.

So far I am having a LOT of fun. Chapter-by-chapter review below...

Chapter 1: Chrysalis

I have to mention again how this game is just so beautiful to me. Each time I see the storm it gives me chills. I'm fortunate to live in a part of the world where extreme weather events of any kind are a rarity. I have never seen this level of weather-induced destruction; to see a storm of that size and what it does to the Bay is darkly fascinating to me.

Horrible decisions made in this chapter:

Not letting Daniel sketch me

Ignoring Kate/not bothering to check in with her

Covering Victoria in paint (this is the only correct decision actually)

Noseying at Dana's pregnancy test in her room right in front of her

Taking a photo of David and Kate instead of intervening

Ransacking Madsen's garage with absolutely no effort to cover my tracks (doing this was HILARIOUS)

Not attempting to hide when David returned home

Blaming Chloe for the weed (only 1% of players are asshole enough to do this!)

Chapter 2: Out of Time

Before I get into my horrible decisions for this chapter, I want to have a rant about the absolute grade-A asshole that is David Masden. I know this is the writers' intention, but honestly finding out in the end that he isn't actually the antagonist just makes me hate him even more because it makes it even harder to justify his fucked up behaviour. I hate Joyce for marrying him and expecting Chloe to just get on with him even though he literally hits her, enforces rules about who she can bring into the house that she has lived in longer than him, and intimidates a vulnerable girl who is being bullied by her classmates. I do not buy that he is a 'good man at heart' and I don't believe that Joyce can be a nice woman if this is the man she chose to marry and bring into her grieving daughter's home not even 2 years after Chloe's dad died. In this chapter, Joyce defends David when Max tells her he hit Chloe by saying he has served his country in war and therefore Chloe shouldn't aggravate him. Fuck Joyce honestly! I feel like she is portrayed in the narrative like this sweet gentle soul who is just trying her best and she's such a great mom (I suppose we are seeing her through Max's eyes) but her decisions surrounding her own grieving and incredibly troubled daughter suggest otherwise. Chloe is dealing with losing her dad and then her best friend (Max), and Joyce thinks this is an appropriate time to just move a new man into the house who is so unabashedly in conflict with Chloe? Couldn't they just have dated until Chloe moved out? You're a fucking adult Joyce, not a teenager, put your fucking daughter's needs first please.

Also, it kind of goes without saying really, but Kate Marsh's story is just so upsetting. Going into her room to return her book and seeing all the little details reflecting how depressed she has become is just so haunting. I feel that narratively, her committing suicide has the bigger impact on the story and allows you to really feel the cost of a choice which you cannot rewind.

Horrible decisions made in this chapter:

Agreeing to a date with Warren (yes romancing Warren counts as a horrible decision)

Not erasing the link to the video Victoria wrote on the mirror

Telling Kate not to go to the police, and being doubtful of everything she told me about the Vortex Club party

Ignoring Kate's phone call

Not trying to shoot Frank (I consider this an asshole choice because it means risking Chloe's life)

Not saving Kate on the roof (and instead trying to make it all about me... I picked the 'I was bullied too' option and my god what an asshole that option makes you sound)

Chapter 3: Chaos Theory

I feel like this chapter drags a bit. Not one of my favourites. I love the creepy omen shit in this chapter though; the dead birds are particularly unsettling.

I am aware of the slightly ableist ending to this chapter (which gets a lot worse in Chapter 4) but I still remember my first reaction to it and how it moved me to tears. I did not see it coming. Such a stark contrast to Chloe's life in the main timeline and a reminder that things can indeed always be worse. A good twist if not very ham-fisted.

Horrible decisions made in this chapter:

Stealing the 'handicapped fund' (That is so fucked up honestly?! Most unhinged thing I have done this playthrough)

Not kissing Chloe (yes this is a horrible decision! I will have to play a fourth time to get the Pricefield kiss ;_;)

Getting Pompidou hit by a truck

Randomly siding with David in the argument between him and Chloe after getting him sacked from his job and being on his ass the entire game so far (Chloe was PISSED)

Not warning the homeless woman

Chapter 4: Dark Room

The whole 'help me to die' plot that follows on from the end of Chapter 3 is quite uncomfortable narratively, which of course it is supposed to be, but I think it is excessive. The purpose of this in the story is to show Max that every action comes with consequences, even the well-intentioned ones (in particular ones that involve protecting Chloe in some way). This part of the chapter is brutal and gets the point across more than enough without the euthanasia element, which I found to be very on-the-nose and rubbed excessive salt in the already agonising wound that was seeing Chloe and her family like this. On top of this, it sends out a very questionable 'being dead is better than being disabled' message which is... not cool.

Once we get beyond the alternate universe subplot, I think this is a really great chapter. Up to this point, that game feels like mostly good light-hearted fun with a few gritty parts thrown in. This is the chapter where all the cutesy fun dies.

In my first playthrough, I found the reveal that Rachel was actually dead just devastating, and I cried alongside Chloe. All the signs throughout the game had been pointing so heavily towards Rachel being dead that I felt it just had to mean she wouldn't be, so to find out after everything Max and Chloe have been through in pursuit of the truth that Rachel was indeed dead the whole time and that she had been killed in such an undignified, upsetting way, then buried in the same junkyard she used to hang out with her best friend in the whole time we had been there... it just ruined me. She was this huge sparkling presence in Chloe's life and for Chloe to have to see her in the ground like that just... there are no words.

Mr Jefferson becomes incredibly pantomime in Chapter 5, but that final camera shot in this chapter where he is looming over Max really gives me chills.

Oh, and I also have to mention the two moons and the beached whales, which are so sick. This game really nails the creepy end-of-the-world 'something is really off but we don't know why' vibes.

Horrible decisions made in this chapter (this chapter seems weirdly light on decisions?):

Didn't euthanise Chloe (is this an asshole decision? Probably not, but it does prolong Chloe's pain and the Prices' financial struggles)

Let Warren beat the ever-loving shit out of Nathan (felt good... debatable whether this is an asshole decision because he deserves it big time)

Let Chloe shoot Frank in the leg (I didn't realise he can die in this scene! I totally would have gone for that if I'd known)

Didn't warn Victoria (my original plan was to warn her because I read that doing that gets her killed by Jefferson but apparently that's only if she believes you... and I've been too much of an asshole to her already for that. I tried EVERY dialogue choice here and there was just no way she would believe me so I used rewind and went full nuclear on her instead because FUCK Victoria)

Chapter 5: Polarized

Jefferson is disappointing in this chapter. He is just way too over the top. I hate when villains undergo a complete personality change when you find out that they are the villain. He doesn't even feel like a character at this point.

What I love about this chapter is the eeriness. It takes a while to get going; the early part of this chapter really drags. But once the dream sequence starts I love that it is everything from the previous chapters coming to a head in the most creepy ways imaginable. The ocean of dead birds outside the classroom window gave me the biggest chills imaginable. The blood hitting the window. The blood spatter in Kate's seat. The whole backwards section. The numbers on the walls. On another note, I don't particularly like the sneak sequence... there's just too much of it and it's... a bit silly.

I have seen both endings in my previous two playthroughs. I didn't particularly like the 'Sacrifice Arcadia Bay' ending. To me it felt like the 'bad ending'; Max seemingly getting what she wants but in doing so creating even more chaos and destruction, much like she did when choosing to save Chloe's dad. It left me feeling that Max had not really learned any lessons, and would continue to put hers and Chloe's needs above everybody else's. Narratively, I felt like the 'Sacrifice Chloe' ending worked better, closing the loop of consequence which seemingly started the very moment Max saved Chloe, and it felt like a neater and more circular way to end the story. I felt like if Chloe had actually fought for her life and tried to persuade Max not to go back in time and let her die rather than encouraging her to do it, then sacrificing the Bay would have had more appeal to me and ultimately the choice would have felt a lot harder.

That was my initial take, but interestingly upon reading a few other opinions I realised that some people had a different interpretation entirely which made sacrificing the Bay seem a lot more appealing. The storm is the first scene we see in the game, long before we see Max unlock her powers, so this would suggest that the storm is set in stone regardless of Max acquiring her powers and therefore the decision to save Chloe does not create the butterfly effect that destroys the Bay. Also consistent with this is the fact that in the alternate timeline where Chloe is wheelchair-bound, in which Max has not had the encounter with Chloe in the bathroom, the same bad omens such as the beached whales are still happening. If you look at it this way, then sacrificing the Bay seems a lot more appealing, as this interpretation suggests that going back in time to allow Chloe to die in the bathroom in no way guarantees that the Bay will be saved from its fate.

Horrible decisions made in this chapter:

Telling David Chloe is dead (I consider this an asshole move because I'm about to attempt to go back in time again anyway, so there's not really any reason to tell him. Loved seeing him shoot Jefferson in the head though)

Not saving a single person as I made my way towards the diner (man... this was hard to do)

Electrocuting that guy and NOT REWINDING IMMEDIATELY ;_;

Telling Frank that Nathan killed Rachel with an overdose of drugs supplied by Frank himself (MAJOR asshole move busting out this level of detail to him... honestly I'm kind of disappointed Frank wasn't more distressed by this. He was way too amicable with me considering I killed his dog and Chloe shot him in the leg)

Kissing Warren (I know it's not quite up there with the others but still... he's fucking annoying)

Sacrificed Arcadia Bay (I love the idea that Max went back in time countless times trying to prevent the storm and she and Chloe finally arrive at the solution, Chloe is ready to die, she doesn't want the lives of everyone in Arcadia Bay to be lost on her account... and then Max just decides on a whim to rip up the picture and give up. Cue incredibly depressing car drive through the Bay while dead bodies litter the floor. A glance at the diner, the final resting place of Chloe's mother and Max's simp boyfriend. Finishing with an absolute asshole flourish!)

#life is strange

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