#I've never played a Zelda game I didn't love

[exploring-in-space]

These totk leaks......😬😬😬

Its not looking good

The moment I saw the game was leaked, I deleted twitter and left all Zelda related subs on reddit. I don't want the leaks to color my judgment of a game I've waited several years to play. I don't want the leaks to color my judgement because I do trust Eiji and Co to deliver another game I'll play hundreds of hours on. I hope when you play it, you'll find that it's better than expected!

[lovely-v]

it's crazy how skyward sword is becoming my favorite zelda game despite the fact that I've spent 2/3 of my time playing it suffering unbearably

[ranger-kellyn]

spent basically the whole day playing totk, just running around collecting koroks and some armor. i almost experienced catastrophe by almost hitting yes to updating my game, but thankfully i hit cancel and i'm still on ver 1.1.1, so i can continue ruining the economy by duplicating diamonds and all my monster gear lmao

[nbmahoushoujo]

i just got a couple of discount vouchers for pre-owned games from my nana of all people since she got them from buying scrabble for her ds and said she wouldn't need them, so nostalgia buying spree here we go!

[rebornofstars]

SEPFEMBER 2024 PROMPTS LIST

HERE WE ARE! AT LONG LAST! THE MOMENT YOU'VE ALL BEEN (HOPEFULLY) WAITING FOR! GIRL MONTH!

I honestly can't believe this is actually happening. This event was a shower thought a few months ago.

Here's a recap of the event: to participate, make at least one fanwork of any variety during September that features a woman or women from the Zelda franchise as the main character/s. All Linksmeets are welcome in this challenge, as well as general LoZ fans!

Before I drop the prompts list for those who are looking for a little direction, I'd like to mention that I have made an AO3 COLLECTION FOR THIS EVENT. It's open and unmoderated so you can add your works to it freely. And if you post on tumblr, please tag #sepfember !! I'll be scrolling through the tag every day looking for things to reblog and gush about 👀

If you have any questions at all about this event, or you want to chat about it, my askbox is open! I will also respond to comments and reblogs of this post.

Now, onto the prompts. Disclaimer: you DON'T have to use all/any of these prompts, or only create things for certain characters on their featured day. This list is just a GUIDE for those who want it. If you have other plans, go with your heart!

At the end of the day, this is a celebration, and all that matters is that you have fun. I hope some of you will join me next month in giving our girls some time in the spotlight, but if you can't, that's okay! There's no pressure! This is just a passion project of mine, really, and I am overjoyed that people are interested 💛💛💛

(apologies in advance for the terrible quality of these pics and the equally terrible commentary. i thought it would be funny. also, i've never had to come up with a prompts list before and it shows.)

DAY 1: SKYWARD SWORD ZELDA + PURPOSE

(we start at the beginning of course 💛)

DAY 2: MARIN + WASH

(it was SO hard to find a screenshot of her that didn't have link in it. they're both cute but this ain't about him.)

DAY 3: MEDLI + GIFT

(i didn't know she played the harp until i saw this screenshot! i obviously have a lot to learn.)

DAY 4: TWILIGHT PRINCESS ZELDA + FREEZE

(how creepy does she look here?! so awesome)

DAY 5: HILDA + GHOST

(SUCH a good character for real. she has depth!!!! she has a thematic purpose!!!)

DAY 6: URBOSA + LOSE

(two words: LIGHTNING POWERS ⚡⚡⚡)

DAY 7: SPIRIT TRACKS ZELDA + MISTAKE

(babygirl you are 2 entire pixels.)

DAY 8: FI + ORDER

(oh she is everything to me)

DAY 9: MIDNA + SWORD

(she looks so soulful right now)

DAY 10: HYRULE WARRIORS ZELDA + SUMMON

(what a FIRE camera angle??? her armour is so impractically attached but SHE HAS A SWORD‼️)

DAY 11: GODDESSES OF HYRULE + EYES

(hylia, din, nayru, farore, the list goes on...)

DAY 12: ZORA PRINCESSES + TRUST

(mipha, ruto... poor suckers... it can't be fun, falling for link...)

DAY 13: OCARINA OF TIME ZELDA | SHEIK + FATE

(note: I personally hc this character as a trans man, but since this isn't explicitly confirmed in-game and might not be shared with everyone, I've given them a celebration day anyway. you are free to do what you wish.)

DAY 14: MALON + GUARD

(she is adorable. look at her)

DAY 15: IMPA + BOUND

(HOTTEST MOST SEXY MOST BADASS WOMAN IN THE FRANCHISE ‼️‼️‼️ I LOVE YOU IMPA YOU ARE PERFECT. SHUT UP I DEFINITELY DON'T PLAY FAVOURITES—)

DAY 16: FOUR SWORDS ADVENTURES ZELDA + PORTAL

(i loved her in the fsa manga. she's barely in it but STILL. go read it.)

DAY 17: FAIRIES + TIRED

(the great fairies, navi, ciela, tatl, proxi...)

DAY 18: TETRA + LEGACY

(isn't she KICKASS?!)

DAY 19: EPONA + BONE

(our lovely loyal girl 🥰)

DAY 20: A LINK BETWEEN WORLDS ZELDA + HOME

(SHE IS SUCH A GOOD PARALLEL TO HILDA PLEASSSSSE)

DAY 21: SARIA + WISH

(a classic character! isn't this picture so peaceful)

DAY 22: BOTW/AOC/TOTK ZELDA + PEACE

(SHE IS EVERYTHING TO ME. SCREAMING CLAWING CRYING. MY DARLING, YOUR FANARTISTS WERE THE ONES TO DRAW ME INTO THE ZELDA FANDOM. I HOPE I CAN RETURN THE FAVOUR ONE DAY)

DAY 23: CIA + LANA + STUDY

(technically, she's one person. between the two of them they certainly only wear enough clothes for one person... )

DAY 24: ARYLL + HUG

(sister to the hero! but what's her story?)

DAY 25: ECHOES OF WISDOM ZELDA + ARREST

(YEAHHHHHHHHH GIRL MONTH GIRL DAY GIRL GAME!!!)

DAY 26: CD-i ZELDA + HOLIDAY

(hehheehehehe. i bet you weren't expecting her. neither was i tbh)

DAY 27: PURAH + FIRE

(SHE'S CLEVER! I LOVE CLEVER WOMEN!)

DAY 28: ILIA + ERUNE + MEND

(listen. i know erune is a very niche character - she literally only exists in the four swords manga - but consider. i love her)

DAY 29: ALTTP/OOS/OOA/LA ZELDA + MISSING

(she has no canon personality. you know what that means. get the building equipment out fellas)

DAY 30: LINKLE + FAREWELL

(and here we are - LAST DAY!)

THE END! YAY! I CAN'T WAIT FOR SEPTEMBER - CAN YOU?

[wayfayrr]

The Menace is back with a Self-Aware ask and your weekly words. So here we go with the Self-Aware!

So I think about a Self-Aware Wind and Spirit would be a good idea. You ask who Spirits is? Well the Link from Spirit Tracks because I'm sure he is a reincarnation of Wind as there were things that wouldn't make sense if he was the same. Niko is old but Spirit isn't, Zelda and Spirit don't recognise each other, Spirit doesn't have a sister or a grandma only old man Niko and Niko tells him the story of Wind Waker and Phantom Hourglass.

I believe that Wind tries to be sneaky like when Reader looks away he turns his head towards them. Reader also catched him a few times but just thought their eyes were playing tricks on them same with Spirit. But I think it would be interesting when both of them break out at the same time.

Like the scenario is like that. Reader plays Phantom Hourglass on their DS and their little/older sibling comes to them as they are stuck somewhere in Spirit Tracks and it was Reader's game after all, they don't know that Spirit planned it. So Reader just say leave it with them and put their DS down to look at the problem. Only to notice that it seems as there isn't one, Link just runs around the overworld. So Reader thinks it's a glitch and runs around with Spirit to find a next town, they are really far away if you don't use the train. So Wind gets jealous and looks for methods to get their attention. How? He runs out of the safety zone from Bellum's temple and has a monster running after his life. So if Reader plays with sound on they immediately switch DSs to save Wind. And these two do that the whole time. Oh, there is the train geek? Sorry Spirit, but Wind just fell down somewhere and Reader has to go the whole way back so they don't lose progress and heal him. Oh, Wind has a puzzle that Reader tries to solve? Sorry Wind, but Spirit just rolled against a tree with a bees/horns nest, Reader has to save him. Oh, Spirit sees and Overworld Boss and it does nothing and Reader wants to take pictures of it T posing?! Sorry Spirit, But Wind needs their help as he lost all of the ore for smith Zauz and now has to collect them again!! Oh, Wind just got a heart container after he defeated a boss?! Well Sorry Wind But Spirits RUNS ON WATER! OH LOOK WIND FELL DOWN FROM THE BOAT AND NEEDS TO BE SAVED!! SORRY SPIRIT, BUT YOUR JESUS JOURNEY HAS TO BE CUT SHORT!! OH READER FINALLY FOUNDS THE TRAIN?! WELL EXCUUUSEE ME SPIRIT BUT WIND RAN INTO FREAKING BELLUM IN THE OVERWORLD!!! OH...

And so on. These two will go into extreme lengths to get Readers attention on one of them. So they will probably break out as Reader didn't fold any of the two DS to help their parents who called them. But at first the two will fight. Obviously they love Wind more they played his games a dozens of time! Nooo, they love Spirit more they could've given him back to their sibling but they didn't he was still there. When Reader returns they just demand to know who Reader's favourite is. Reader completely stunned as both games start talk to them think they go nuts as they pulled an all-nighter before. The two won't stop and slammed against the glass until it breaks and... why are they so small? Why is Reader so tall?! WHY ARE THESE TWO HERO CHIBIS!? AND WHY HAS ONE OF THEM A JOB!?!

And your words are.

Sacrifice

Mask

Search

Arsonist

Ice blue

Unknown

Hello menace! you've discovered one of my utter weaknesses that I've never mentioned on here - spirit is my son/lh/j. I love that silly little train kiddo, he's just! So silly goofy!!!

also firm believer that if they both get out - or actually speak to one another then they'll get along really really well. they're twins and I can't be convinced otherwise.

I think the idea of them both spiting the other until reader leaves them both to go and destress would be an eye opener to the both of them, being bitter and not working together is worse for BOTH of them. Of course they'll both bicker about who is the favourite but when push comes to shove, two is always more effective than one.

ALSO LITTLE MENACE SPIRIT???? LOVE HIM oh he deserves to be an absolute little shit for attention, he's just a baby that can do no wrong after all!!!! just a tiny little guy!!!! Baby boy!!!!! he's got his train so now he just needs his older sib's attention!!! so what if he has to mess with someone else's game to do that - it worked so how can you hate him for it?

also the jesus journey bit is actually sending me- he's so desperate for attention he'll break all the rules in order to keep your eyes on him ;-; hopefully you won't reset his game seeing as he's breaking it so much now

heheheheheh tiny baby spirit who can sit in your hand or a baby wind who can fit in your pockets they're just little tiny babies!!!!! little itty bitty guys!!!!! (reminds me of some imgs peep's sent in asks lmao) so what if they shouldn't be there! now they are and that's your problem to deal with!!! they won't cause issues - pinky promise <3

(both of these guys are by @artsy-moonwalker, I adore these two little guys beyond belief and spirit looking so scruffy is just so!!!!!! literally baby and I love him so!!!)

as for the words hmmmmm, I think I'll go with ice blue for this one (sorry for the late response too, I know these were last week's after all)

[amiserableseriesofevents]

when they figure out they do laundry veryy differently (like whether or not they separate colors/whites, how they fold, how often laundry is done, etc.) 🥰🥰

The end of a lazy afternoon finds John sprawled on the couch with Meatball next to him, snoring quietly as John plays some Legend of Zelda on the tv.

They're waiting for Buck to come home from a shift at West Anglia and John personally hopes he'll arrive with some news about the latest endeavors of Marge and Rosie, aka the Most Unlikely Duo as John and Benny call them. Buck isn't usually one for gossip, especially when Marge is involved, but the constant push-pull of the couple is too much even for him.

When the door of the apartment – their apartment, John reminds himself with a proud grin – opens Meatball immediately runs to Buck and John pauses the game, waiting on the couch. “Welcome back doll, how's it going?” He shoots loud towards the entryway.

Buck steps into the living room with Meatball at his heels, cheeks reddened and hair askew from the bike ride home. “S'doing well, better now here at home. Did you guys have fun? Went for a you know what?” He asks, leaning over the back of the couch to kiss John on the lips.

“Yeah, we did go to the park and shared a sandwich,” John answers, stealing another kiss. “And then we cleaned the bedroom, prepped dinner, and folded the laundry that was in the dryer.”

“That's good, I think it's just time for another round of washing. I'm gonna take a quick shower then I'll help you with the dinner, ok?”

“Sure love, take your time. Oh, any news about our favorite couple?” John teases. Buck rolls his eyes. “I'll tell you later,” he says, and with another kiss he's gone before John can complain. Sighing, he starts the game and plays for a few more minutes before Buck's voice gets to his ears.

“John, sweetheart, can you come here a moment?”

And John's blood immediately turns to ice because if there's a thing he's learnt in this past year and a half he's spent with Buck it's that when he uses pet names like this, he's just about to murder him in cold blood.

“Yeah sure doll, I'm coming!” John shouts back and goes to their bedroom, feigning nonchalance. Buck's standing next to their bed – neatly made with the space-patterned sheets Marge has gifted them for their new home – and is staring at the piles of laundry John has folded earlier.

“Yes, doll?”

“Care to explain what is this?” Buck asks pointing at the laundry.

“It's the laundry I took from the dryer and folded.”

“And why, pray tell, did you fold it like that?”

Puzzled, John looks at the folded towels. “What do you mean like that? How else was I supposed to fold them? That's the body towels pile, that's the hand towels pile, that's...”

“Are you serious? You're telling me you did that on purpose?”

With a sigh John turns to Buck. “Buck, my love, I'm gonna need you to be more clear because I understand you're pissed but I have no idea why,” he tells him – hell yeah, he's been working really hard on his communication issues.

“You're supposed to fold them by sets! The blue body towel with the blue hand towel, the green body towel with the green hand towel, and so on!” Buck exclaims, so astonished he doesn't even sound angry anymore.

“But that doesn't make sense. What if you only need the body towel?”

“It's a set! You're supposed to use them together, why would you only need one?! Who raised you, John Clarence Egan?!”

John gasps, outraged. “Hey now, there's no need for middle names! And I'll let you know, my mother didn't care about how the laundry was folded: however it would fit into the closet was just about right.”

Buck looks at him in suspicion. “You never folded your stuff once in your whole life, did you?” He asks.

“Well, not when my mom could complain about it. But the guys...”

“Oh shut up about the guys, I've seen how they keep their changing rooms and I am actually afraid to learn how they fold their laundry,” Buck cuts him off with a shudder. Then he exhales, and relaxes his shoulders just a bit. “Next time could you please fold them by sets? I promise it's more practical.”

“I'll try and remember that. I'm sorry, I had no idea you had such strong opinions on laudry,” John says, tugging Buck closer to place a kiss on his head.

“I have strong opinions on things that matter,” the other grumbles. “I'm going to load the washing machine now, do you have more whites to put in?”

“Yeah, there's your white shirt in the bathroom, I put the stain remover on that coffee stain on the wrist earlier and it should be ready to wash now.”

It's Buck's turn to look puzzled. “The what?”

“The stain remover? The one that's specific for coffee stains?”

A beat. “We don't have that.”

“Yes we do? In the cupboard? Along with one specific for wine stains and one for makeup?”

Buck still looks at him like he's grown a third eye. “Now you're just fucking with me,” he says but he sounds uncertain.

John raises his eyebrows at him. “Gale Winston Cleven,” he spells out, and smirks at Buck's consequential eye roll. “Are you telling me you don't use stain removers when you do your laundry?”

“Of course I do, but a generic one! Why on earth would I need a specific one for every kind of stain?”

“Well in case you didn't notice, all the coffee stains on your shirts have been disappearing much faster lately. And the wine I spilled on your trousers at the restaurant? Yeah that's gone too. Because I put the specific stain remover on it,” John explains.

“I'm still not convinced that we actually need that kind of stuff,” Buck says.

“Trust me, you'll see it the next time I leave makeup stains on your collar after a show,” John shoots back with a wink. Buck seems like he's pondering it for a minute, then he slowly nods. “That did go away pretty fast the last time, you're right. Wait, you're telling me you've been using your fancy stain removers on my stuff? Why?”

“Well I cannot possibly let you go around with coffee stains on all your white shirts; who would take you seriously then, Professor Cleven?”

Buck smirks at that, the nickname always hitting him just right. “I'd say from now on, you do the washing and I do the folding? So everyone's happy?” He suggests.

“Deal,” John says pulling him closer again for another kiss. “I like how we're managing this, moving in together and dividing the responsibilities. It makes us sound like two healthy adults, don't you think?”

Buck can't hide a smile against John's lips. “I love it too, coming home and finding you here, you taking care of my laundry, helping you cook dinner... maybe we actually are two healthy adults.”

“Mh, don't count on it,” is John's response, and Buck laughs at it and extricates himself from the hug, finally walking to the bathroom. “I'll leave the washing to you then!” He says closing the door behind him.

“Sure doll! I can't wait to wash all your white shirts with one of my red socks and see what happens. I bet you'd look good in pink!” John says.

The bathroom door reopens in an instant, angry blue eyes shining through the crack. “Don't you dare.”

[ganondoodle]

I was at first in love with totk, and I still think mechanical wise, its quite impressive

And when I collected all the tears and saw the "story" I genuinely got upset in a good way (at first), because man! Did they really got the balls to go that far? Is there nothing I can do for her? Now I MUST do all the temples, see how it plays out and --oh, I've got this cutscene already. Why are all the people so dumb about Zelda, I KNOW where she is, Link say something-- Link??

After finishing all the temples and almost falling asleep, I stopped playing the game, looked up the last boss and remaining cutscenes and went "Thats it?"

Watching other people (including you) being critically about so many things, both character and mechanical wise, I've almost startled myself with a realization what the gnawing feeling I constantly had, actually was.

Totk feels like a fanfic.

And don't get me wrong, I love fanfiction, I think its great and important, I adore fanfic writers, I love finding gems, I love reading self indulgent stories, see new spins and interpretation of characters. I love the casual, the passion, the creativity!

But totk gives me the same feeling everytime I am reminded that Fifty Shades is a Twillight fanfic.

The world is there. The faces I know and grew to love are there. But everything is ever so slightly different, uncannily so. Just how some characters talk, how they act, how they were placed in the story. The Zonai appearing out of nowhere, but no, they always had been there you see, they were these super magical advanced people but they all died, the king is so tragic. And you see, the king is super cool and powerful and-- oh I dont get to interact with him outside of the tutorial. Did they try to do another King Rhoam-- but wait, that only worked because we didn't knew he was a ghost-- totk wait stop why do you take him out of the story, why couldn't he be a companion, he IS ABLE TO TALK THROUGH THE ARM LET THE OLD GOAT COMMENT ON STUFF?? If you bring up all this ancient stuff and you still got a ghost lingering, let him talk?? (I never ended up getting Mineru but I smell wasted potential as well)

Im not even mad, I am disappointed. It feels like the devs saw what all the lore hunters got attached to and talked about and then just... took the "cool". All the Zonai stuff could've easily been Sheikah tech, but got just reskinned to look more exciting instead of being its own thing.

Like... at this point I prefer what fans are doing over what Totk gave us. The characterization of Rauru (and everything Zonai), projects like you do of what totk couldve been, the little nuggets of actual highlights and details of love fans find in the game. I found much more enjoyment in these concepts than I got from a 70bucks game. And thats depressing.

I love fanfiction. I dont love it when my corporate 70 dollar, six year development, console exclusive game feels like a story that passionate fan couldve written miles better in a week (and I've already seen much cooler and interesting rewrites and ideas).

Zelda has been a huge part of my childhood and its depressing seeing it treated like that. It always was about the story, the epic, its The Legend of Zelda for crying out loud. To be courageous to enter a dungeon, to be wise and solve all the riddles. To become powerful over the journey you embarked on. Zelda to me is the campfire story you tell to others and go into the woods or the beach and imagine what monsters you would slay. Zelda is not the sandcastle you build in the sandbox and then add dinosaurs and star wars ships because you didn't had any other toys, and just stumble into and over some story to entertain yourself until lunch is ready.

I'd have an oracle of seasons over another totk any day at this point. They should've just make the mechanics of totk its own thing, but I guess they were scared it wouldn't sell if it doesn't have a Mario or Zelda skin straped over it.

Anyways, sorry for the mini rant - love your art, love your thoughts and insights, and I am looking forward to see more of it - Zelda related or not (your original characters look amazing, I adore your style sm)

Hope you have a great rest of the day!

*nods along through this entire rant*

idk how many of my rants you have read but yeah ... yeah ... and the further you think about it the further it all falls apart, the wasted potential of it all and the goddamn audacity of them to do those interviews in which they make it EVEN WORSE is just

i know the expectation for a direct sequel to botw was huge and understandbly so but i really REALLY think it would not have been that hard to make it a good follow up even taking into account that totk was originally a DLC, pretty much all of botws aspects could have been developed further, i dont know what could have happened to make totk have turned out like this .. literally it feels like something had to have gone wrong, its like someone who doesnt know zelda nor botw at all was given a few prompts and then just made some generic fantasy story while the rest worked on ultrahand for 5 years

the technical impressive things ARE technical impressive, but i dont think it was necessary nor served the game well in any way (and i LOVE building games- however totk is neither a building game nor a story game nor a zelda game nor an exploration game nor a sequel imo) but zelda, this zelda, is not made for that and i cant help but think it was mainly to encourage people to make some ridiculous mechs so it can go viral on tiktok (not trying to discredit them, it IS cool what they are doing but i .... have my doubts if zelda is the right place for that)

ill stop there bc i have ranted so much about everything i dont wanna repeat it here again; it just doesnt feel like a real game (derogatory), it feels extra bad bc i was not really into zelda when botw came out and while i did get it as soon as i could (months after release since i just started a minijob and didnt have the money) i only over time grew to love zelda this much again, devouring any theories and anything about it bc i loved it so much- i was never into it like this when a new title was announced and dont own any special editions so i bought the totk collectors bc i was just so damn excited for it after the 2019 trailer dropped (god i want that time back ... it looked so much more like it was going to be an actual sequel) even if i was already worried it wouldnt be good at that point given how much i started to sense stuff i dont like about the newer trailers

i recently sold it at our local gameshop bc it was like a thorn in my side given how expensive it was and how dissapointed i was in the game, i genuinely think that, technical impressiveness aside, totk is the onyl zelda i truly cannot stand (for alot of reasons) and im genuinely worried for the future of the franchise

i bought an Oki (Okami) figurine for what i got back and i feel much happier with that :3

(also on a note, i did finish the game two weeks after release but stopped playing it right then and hadnt touched it since, i also streamed all of what i played and its still up if you want to see my slow descend into madness fjkdhkdhjk though its been a long while since then and i by far did not talk about everything back then, just what my most immediate frustrations were while still playing)

(also the gameplay isnt as good as people make it out to be, so much is so frustrating and punishing to use i am kinda baffled it got through like that and most people call that its best aspect ..... though i guess if the rest is so much worse even mid gameplay can seem good ooooooooh how dare i)

also thank you for liking what i do!!! <3 it means alot to know it is appreciated by someone :D

[skyloftian-nutcase]

I have two things to share today!

First, I got a new book!

I am loving all the concept art. Also found out there's a manga in the back I've heard about, but had never actually read before.

Second, something Skyward Sword related I've been thinking about today that just so happend to tie into that.

(Yes, I'm still working my way through the game but I've seen pieces of the ending)

In a lot of LU stuff with Sky and Demise's curse, I see it interpreted that Demise was the one to cause the cycle of reincarnation for the three bearers of the triforce. I have a different interpretation on that though.

See, Demise only specifies his own reincarnation. "An incarnation of my hatred shall ever follow your kind. (Blood of the Goddess, Spirit of the Hero)" That suggests that Link and Zelda were already bound to reincarnation, and Demise simply added himself into that cycle.

Then I found the manga in Hyrule Historia, and that pretty much confirmed what I had been thinking. Demise's curse didn't cause the reincarnation cycle, it simply added himself into it.

Would love to hear your thoughts on that, if you have any!

Oooo Hyrule Historia, that’s fun! :D I’m glad you’re enjoying it :)

That’s an interesting take on it! Haha Demise just shoved himself into the cycle too, like “I WANNA PLAY TOO >:( ” 😂 I can see that honestly

I mean, if you really do wanna hear my thoughts, I guess I’ll share 😅 I don’t think my take on it is a very popular one though. 😅

First of all, I disregard all mangas as they’re not canon. Like I can enjoy aspects of them and whatnot, but I’ve never read one and don’t intend to.

Secondly, the entire idea of First’s existence bothers me lol, sorry. Skyward Sword heavily implies that Hylia fought her own war against Demise and didn’t need some man to help her, and I liked that. Like LET HER FIGHT HER OWN DANG BATTLES BLAST IT. STOP WITH THE CONSTANTLY NEEDING A HERO TO SAVE HER AND FALLING IN LOVE AND—anyway that’s just a pet peeve of mine. Also, his existence would imply that Sky’s just another hero in the cycle rather than the start of it, and I liked the idea that Skyward Sword was the start of the legend, not just another chapter - and the game even heavily implies that it’s the start. It has fun callbacks, like Zelda giving Link a sailcloth based on the tradition that Hylia gave her chosen hero that—and wouldn’t you look at that, she’s Hylia and Link travels into the past to fight Demise and is called Hylia’s chosen hero - he made his own legend!! I adore that!! First’s existence and story completely derails all that, so I’ll just stick to canon. ☺️ Many people like him and they’re more than welcome to enjoy him, I just disregard him haha

As for the reincarnation, I guess it varies based on what people think reincarnation is. The way I’ve always viewed it is that if someone reincarnated their soul hops from life to life. So it’s the same person living different lives. But LoZ contradicts this when Hero’s Shade appears in Twilight Princess - that’s two separate souls, but they’re both the Hero. So it isn’t exactly reincarnation, then. And Zelda only reincarnated once - when Hylia became Skyward Sword Zelda. The rest of them, at least according to Demise’s curse, are her descendants. So neither Link nor Zelda are the same person traveling across time and destiny - instead, Zelda is bound to her bloodline, while Link is chosen by the goddesses when a hero is needed because he has the courage to do it. The Spirit of the Hero, as I interpret it, is Skyward Sword Link, who is bound by the curse, who acts as a spiritual companion and aide to the current Hero, though neither of them is really able to communicate, who imparts connections to his destiny (why Link gravitates to Zelda, why he might feel strange connections to items or places, though the games never really show that’s the case), who protects them when they cannot protect themselves (why Twilight turns to a wolf instead of being lost in the twilight realm, why the Triforce randomly splits in Hyrule Warriors and protects Wars from dying against Volga when it’s never shown to be a weapon or shield before).

But that’s just my take on it, Nintendo leaves it very vague so we can all play with our own ideas! :)

[druidbottles]

Birdsong

Legend knows that Marin is gone. He knows he will never see her again. But sometimes he has moments where he can still feel her around. And maybe that's enough for now.

Hello! This is my first time writing something for Linked Universe!

I am very new to Legend of Zelda as a whole, but I have been loving what I've experienced so far. I'm almost done with Link's Awakening (I watched the Game Grumps play the Switch remake a while back, but I'm finally playing the Gameboy Colour version for myself!) and I love Marin so much... I completely understand why Legend would have trauma about her loss.

I know that the ending of Link's Awakening at least heavily implies that Marin's spirit became a seagull, so this story can either be read as existing under the interpretation that she didn't, or that Marin's spirit lingers in other places as well, watching over her beloved Link. I really like the second option.

You can also read this over on AO3!

Legend knew he could never see her again.

She was gone, and he wasn’t stupid enough to hopelessly believe she could ever come back, but that didn’t change that there were moments when it felt like she was still around.

It was early morning, and the group was already moving, making their way through the dense forest despite the occasional yawns that echoed through the air from party members who might not have gotten enough sleep the night before. Every so often, someone would say something, and someone would respond, but it never led to a conversation. It was far too early for conversations.

The only sounds surrounding them were the calls and chirps of birds greeting the morning. It made walking through the forest while tired and still stiff from sleep feel actually somewhat peaceful.

And then the song started.

The sound of a bird gently singing, like a beautiful voice floating between the trees, making the peaceful atmosphere feel even more soft and relaxing.

It was Marin’s song.

Legend stopped dead in his tracks, unable to move for a moment. All he could do was listen to the bird singing, feeling a multitude of emotions rush through him. The others immediately noticed his sudden pause, and it was Sky who turned to cast a questioning and worried glance at him. “Is everything alright?”

It took a moment for him to be able to respond, but eventually Legend was able to nod, his voice coming out a bit shaky and unsure. “Yeah… Something just came over me. I’m okay. Let’s keep going.”

The group seemed hesitant, but continued to move, and Legend walked with them while continuing to listen to the birdsong, feeling his lips turn up into a small smile. That beautiful song that he remembered her singing so vividly, now being performed again by a twittering bird.

Legend knew he could never see her again. He knew she was gone, and that she was never coming back no matter how much he hoped she would someday.

But sometimes the world was kind enough to grant him a moment where he wondered if she still existed somehow, even if he would never be able to speak to her again or tell her how much he still cared for her. Her spirit still lingered, in the songs sung by birds, and the beauty of the nature that always surrounded him. Even in a Hyrule other than his own, that spirit remained.

And that thought was enough to give him some comfort.

[phoenixcatch7]

Remembering my first time playing oot as a kid and hearing about the heroes of legend, those who had used the master sword before. And because I wasn't part of the larger community, no internet etc, I didn't know I was supposed to think of the other zelda games.

My theory was that every zelda game took place simultaneously across an infinite sea of parallel worlds, and each link could reach out and witness the other adventures alongside their own. I thought of them as different facets of the same soul, which turned out to be true enough, I suppose XD.

But I also thought the master sword was too simple a name and design, too overarching to not, similarly, be a culmination of different aspects, referencing different swords from real world myth and legend.

I remember I believed past heroes referred to people like King Authur, like Odin, like Hercules and Theseus and Achillies, like legendary samurai and kings under hills and travelling swordsmen and ladies lost to time.

And now, this small child, this little backwater kid my age was going to take up that mantle, join the ranks of heroes unsung, perform great feats in forgotten temples and save the suffering kingdom, here and gone, to slip back to home and safety upon journey's end, the kid with a hero's story and a precious, gleeful secret. That was how a lot of stories go, when they're targeted at little kids. Save the fairy kingdom from the bad pixie and run back to your parents before they wonder too long where you've been.

The direction Nintendo ended up going with making a canon timeline and destroying the mystery of how it all began (tho SS is amazing) takes a lot of the fable, the secrecy, the hushed gleam in the eye of it. But I still love it. For older players, it's another turn of the cycle, the new and old mixing into something unrecognisable and yet so familiar.

For new players, for children, the creator truly captured that feeling of stepping into another world behind your own, shifting ivy aside with your dirt scuffed hand, the feeling of wonder welling up inside as you step into the sunbeams of a brand new horizon where everything they told you about magic is true. The feeling of becoming something greater than the sum of your parts, of hearing a thousand silent voices at your back, of meeting equal with the legend, of being good for the sake of it and being rewarded with making a thousand memories, a thousand experiences beyond your wildest dreams.

Of, at the end of it all, being rewarded with the privacy and peace you really wanted, not being forced to perform nice for rude adults and go on stage to accept your little trophies. Something to cradle in your heart and smile secretive smiles, to be true to yourself, to always have that little something extra, something adults will never notice but you know. You know, and you will never breathe a word of that beautiful, magical world, because it's just. For. You.

I suppose that's always why I've liked the epilogue of a zelda game, the Links all choosing to close the loop, to return the master sword and return to their peaceful lives. To fulfil your purpose. To become everything they said you'd be and more. To go home, and your enemies don't follow.

The adults doubt your magic, but you don't. Not anymore.

[coffeeghoulie]

Kinktober Day #29: Masturbation

The Ghostober prompts were put together by @kroas-adtam, and divider made by @gothdaddyissues, thank you both so much!

Pairing: Swiss/Rain

Swiss finds a toy in Rain's room, and wants to see Rain take it for a spin. Inspired by this post by @crimsonclergy

Trans Rain, cock and cunt used to describe his anatomy, Swiss being needy and nosy and so incredibly whipped.

Read under the cut or on AO3!

"Rainy, have you seen the hoodie I lent you the other day?" Swiss asks as he sticks his head into the common room. Rain barely looks up from the screen, eyes focused on the Zelda game he's been playing for the last few weeks. He's this close to beating this boss, but Swiss's voice is enough of a distraction that he messes up his timing, and the boss lands a critical hit, enough to one shot him.

Rain sighs, reloading his save and bracing himself for another round with the Blight he's been trying to beat for three hours. "Should be in my room. On my bed somewhere."

Swiss grins, darting back into the hallway. "Thanks, Rainbow! Love you!"

Rain parrots it back, turning back to his game, reorganizing his inventory for the tenth time before rediving into the belly of the Divine Beast.

It isn't five minutes later when Swiss ducks back into the common room, pulling his hoodie over his head. "Hey, Rainy?" he asks tentatively.

Rain takes a deep breath, retreating from the boss and pausing the game. "Yeah, Swiss?" He asks, craning his neck to look at the multi ghoul. He's standing a little awkwardly behind the couch, and Rain turns to face him more fully.

"I couldn't help it, it was just kind of out, but when I was in your room looking for my hoodie, I found something," Swiss says, rambling just a little bit. Rain peers closer, tries to figure out what Swiss found when it hits him.

He had used his grinder the night before and didn't put it away, left it out on his nightstand to dry after he cleaned it. It's his favorite toy, a little secret he keeps from his packmates. Marbled blue and silver silicone molded into the shape of a mass of writhing tentacles shaped just right. It gets him off like nothing else does.

"What is it?" Swiss asks, eyes darting over Rain's face, watching a violet blush starts to bloom on the tips of his ears.

"It's one of my toys, Swiss," Rain says, willing the blush from spreading down his cheeks.

"I've never seen any kind of toy like it," He says. "What does it do?"

Rain sighs, turning off his Switch and standing from the couch. "This is not a conversation for the common room, honey. My room."

He leads the way back to his bedroom, Swiss following after like a lost puppy, tail swaying behind him eagerly. Rain shows him in, shutting and locking the door as he slips into his room.

The grinder sits right in the middle of his nightstand, in all of its tentacled, suckered glory, the straps folded up beside it. "This what you find, Swiss?" Rain asks, grabbing the grinder and holding it up.

Swiss nods, tail flicking behind him curiously. "Yeah. You're saying that's a toy?"

"Mhm," Rain says, still brandishing the silicone. "It's a grinder. You put it between your legs and go to town."

Swiss cocks his head, taking in the shape of the tentacles. "It seems very you, rainbow."

Rain raises his eyebrows. "And what's that supposed to mean?"

The multi ghoul raises his hands, showing Rain his palms in an almost submissive gesture. "I meant, it feels very water ghoul to have a tentacle toy."

Rain chuckles, leaning over to kiss Swiss on the cheek; his stubble scrapes his lips, but he doesn't mind. "You wanna watch me use it?" He asks, delighting in the way Swiss gulps, Adam's apple bobbing.

"Yeah, Rainy, I do," He says, hands coming up to rest on the water ghoul's lithe waist. Rain smiles fondly at him before stepping back, pointing to the wingback chair in the corner of the room.

"Take a seat, pretty boy," Rain laughs, pushing Swiss by the shoulder with the hand not holding the grinder. "You wanna watch? You're gonna watch."

Swiss keens under his breath, cock filling out in his sweats, but he does as he's told, sitting crosslegged in Rain's chair. He fiddles with the string of his hoodie, unable to tear his gold eyes from Rain or the toy in his hand.

Rain turns to his bed, grabbing a pillow out of the mound of plushies and cushions at the head of his bed.

"Sure, I could just grind on the toy, but it's got straps for a reason," Rain says, tossing the pillow to the center of his mattress and grabbing the straps off of the nightstand, threading them through the slits in the toy. "You could, I'd assume, strap this to someone's thigh, make that a little more interesting, but you said you wanted to watch."

"Rainy," Swiss breathes, and Rain's head jolts up to look at him. His eyes are blown out, a tiny ring of gold around each pupil.

"What?" Rain says, tightening the straps of the grinder around the pillow. "Don't you want to watch? See how this kind of toy is used?""

Swiss nods, breathing already heavy. "Yeah, I do, like seeing you when you feel good."

Rain smiles, stepping over to cup Swiss's head in his hands, pressing a kiss on the curls between his horns. "You can touch yourself if you want, baby. I just want you to watch."

Swiss smiles back at him, warm and contagious. "Whatever you want, Rainy."

Rain slips away, back to the bed, as he strips out of his sweats and shirt, revealing his pretty teal gills along his ribs, the silvery scars under his pecs. He grins as Swiss swallows harder, and he straddles the pillow, aligning the grinder against his already wet cunt. He bites his lip as the tentacles nudge just right against his cock, peeking out from his folds slick and dusky violet, the same color as his blush.

He rocks his hips against the toy, immediately dropping down to brace himself on his hands and knees as he humps against the pillow. "Shit," Rain breathes, using the same motion he would if he were riding someone. His dick twitches against the silicone as Swiss slips a hand into his own sweats, the movement of his shoulder unmistakable. "Feels really good," he whimpers, biting his lip hard enough to taste iron as his slick coats the toy.

"Yeah, Rainy?" Swiss groans, leaning forward to watch the toy disappear between Rain's thighs. "It looks like you feel good."

"Makes me cum so quick," Rain groans, eyes pressed shut as he rocks back and forth. "Use it all the time when I'm not with one of you."

"Kept it a secret from us," Swiss says, breath hitching as Rain's hips stutter for just a moment. "Even though this is probably the hottest thing I've seen in months."

"Flatterer," Rain says, biting his lip hard.

"It's true," Swiss weakly protests, but Rain believes him, seeing just how fast his shoulder works. The sight of Swiss getting off to him paired with his cock sliding against a suckered ridge just right has him cumming, soaking the toy and the pillow underneath it. His hips stutter, jerking back and forth as he keens.

Swiss isn't far behind, leaving a wet spot on the crotch of his sweats. He shrugs, kicking off his pants as he stands, taking the few steps towards the bed. His hands rest on Rain's shoulders, helping him dismount the pillow, the water ghoul's thighs trembling.

"Shit, Raincloud," Swiss says, smoothing a hand up and down his bicep, easing Rain back down against the pillows at the head of his bed. "You looked good."

Rain smiles, shark-like. "I'll look even better when I strap it to your thigh next time."

[lyrakeaton]

Chronicling The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess - The Final Entry

Gosh, what a game huh?

I'm not even sure where I want to begin with this. The Final Entry. I have so much to say. So much I've been thinking about throughout this wonderful little game. Where do I even start?

Well, I suppose I'll start off by saying that I had a very wonderful time with this game. It's my first time playing a game with the secondary intent to analyze and write down my thoughts here on my blog. It's been a delight to do so, and I'm looking forward to analyzing other games in this manner going forward.

As for my thoughts on Twilight Princess: I think it's an excellent game, with a lot of heart and a commendable focus on story and emotional connections. This game has dealt me a few sour blows that stick out like an ugly blemish on an otherwise spotless surface. But those blemishes in turn give contrast to just how competent the rest of the game really was.

In fact, that's what I would love to call this game more than anything else. Competent. It was made by people who knew what they were doing, and were fucking excellent at doing it. It shows how much heart the people involved put into this title, despite how under cooked and rushed it felt at a few moments.

One of my favorite moments in the ending part of this game, which is also one of the clearest signs of how this game was developed, is what you see above.

Your allies come in to save you from a sticky situation. It's a lovely moment, showing the care and respect that these characters have fostered for you, after all the time you've spent working together for this common goal.

And yet, it also shows off how much this game wanted to do, but couldn't. What it tried to say, and what it left unsaid.

Because these people just show up. You don't tell them when or where you're going, and neither do they show up later to help you. They show up for this scripted event where they get to save you from a menial threat, so that they can show their appreciation for Link always having their backs. It leaves me wanting a bit more, and wondering what potentially was planned before or after.

And these moments aren't rare. There are many moments, that become more frequent as the game progresses, where it feels like the developers had more to say or do, but didn't have the time to implement it.

And I think no point shows this better than the presence of Ganondorf, and Midna's true form.

Ganondorf is name dropped once in the story, but isn't elaborated upon. Later, he shows up in this weird, incorporeal form, which Zant interprets as a god. This spectre then combines into Zant(?) to take over him as a sort of puppet. As such, Zant is kind of just thrown aside so that the player can have their badass final boss against Ganondorf. I was honestly a bit disappointed.

But not necessarily because it was yet another Ganondorf ending. But because there was so much more room to explore Zant and his relationship with Ganondorf, that I really wanted to see.

I think another sign of this was Midna's true form. Her true form was first shown in a cutscene, right before the second to last dungeon of the game. Before this, we have never even heard of Midna being anything but the imp we've known since the start of the game. And it makes me wonder a lot about what the developers wanted for Midna. Did they always intend for her to be this humanoid form? Or is their vision of Midna actually the imp we spend the whole game connecting with?

I ask this because Midna's imp form appears later in Hyrule Warriors alongside her true form, which makes me wonder if the devs couldn't decide which form they liked more. It's a bit of a weird moment for me because I love imp Midna a lot, but never got to see or interact with her true form self until after the journey was over.

What's more, Midna then destroys the Mirror of Twilight. This moment made no sense to me at all. I couldn't justify it, or understand how Midna would justify it. Why would she do this? Zelda just made a small speech about how their worlds are two sides of the same coin. Midna then says that as long as the Mirror exists, they may meet again, only to say "see you later" before destroying the mirror.

I understand this was likely thought of from the start, as Midna establishes that Zant could only fragment the mirror due to his incomplete power. But Midna, having regained her true power, is the only one capable of utterly destroying it. What I really wish though, is for the game to have explored why she feels the need to do this, because I think it would serve the game better if it were spelled out. It's a genuinely sad moment! I'll never get to see Midna again! Why is the credits continuing with the triumphant music!

It hurts, man. But it does make sense, after I thought about it. Because the mirror was what allowed the Twili to escape into the Light World and cause havoc, so, by destroying the mirror, that connection is severed, forever. No more evil forces invading each others worlds, causing problems.

Which makes Midna's words all the more tear-jerking. 'Cause she won't see us later. She'll never get to see us again. But she doesn't have the heart to say goodbye. So she says she'll "see us later."

I'm not sure how to feel. I think I feel sad, and a smidgen disappointed. I mean, all this time, we've been fighting to help Midna restore peace to her realm, and to prevent Ganondorf/Zant from wreaking havoc on the Light World. And then, only for Midna to get the reward she deserves so much, and yet she doesn't get what she seems to actually want, which is to stay with Link. She cries, knowing she'll never see him again.

I think that right there shows the beauty and magic of this game. No other Zelda game has grabbed a hold of me with its story, its characters quite like this. I felt emotionally invested throughout, and I truly wanted to make good for this world, and to help Midna. It even feels selfish to say that I wish she could have stayed an imp and gone on more adventures with Link. But I think narratively, it is not only perfect this way, but it also couldn't end any other way.

Because not all stories should end completely happy. I think it does a bigger service to showcase how meaningful these emotional connections truly are by taking something from us in this way, than it does if everything ended like a story book.

It hurts, because we care.

This is the best outcome, where everyone can be happy, with the clear exception of Midna's and Links relationship to each other. That meant something, which is made all the more clear because of them never getting to see each other.

In closing...

More than anything, I wish this game had a bit more time to fill in the empty rows before and after some of its more significant beats. But still, I am so grateful that what is here was fantastic from beginning to end. And I'm glad that regardless of what was lost before the print to disc, what was left was something forming a beautiful and complete whole. A whole that I love with my whole heart. Wholeheartedly.

Thank you Shiggy Miyamiggy for this wonderful game. Please don't shy away from this kind of narrative and emotional focus when making future Zelda titles. I want to cry when it's all over, they way Twilight Princess made me. What you've got here is truly special, and I'm so very glad I got to experience it.

[demdozeguys]

Strap in for a long one, because it's time for:

REVIEWING AND RANKING EVERY GAME I GOT FROM THE STEAM SUMMER SALE

ramblings under the cut:

UNRANKED: ULTRA STREET FIGHTER IV

okay look I know I said I'd be ranking all of these but putting a fighting game up against six linear-progression single-player adventure type games feels a bit unfair.

as for whether I liked it: yeah it's alright. it's street fighter, it's fun. only time will tell how much my brother and I will get out of it, but I'm already feeling like I don't like it quite as much as 5. how much of that is due to 4 not having Urien is anyone's guess.

#6: CROW COUNTRY

I'm gonna be honest I didn't fuck with this game nearly as much as I thought I would.

maybe it's because I'm new to the genre. maybe it's because I've been spoiled by autosave. or maybe it's just because I can't aim to save my life. but losing upwards of 20 minutes of progress every time some creature I failed to hit or juke tagged me one too many times got frustrating pretty fast.

I didn't hate my time with Crow Country. the environments are gorgeous, the story kept me intrigued, and filling out my mental list of "oh shit I can go here now"s was still satisfying. if this is your thing don't let me dissuade you, I just wasn't built for it.

#5: KAMIKO

Kamiko is decent fun, but there's not really a whole lot to say about it. It's a short and sweet zelda-esque game where the meat of the playtime comes from trying to go through it as fast as possible, and as you'll see later I happen to enjoy going fast. enjoyable, but not super meaty. if you like routing and time management give it a shot.

#4: PONY ISLAND

Alright, this is where we get into the Good Shit.

Pony Island is a game in which you play a game called Pony Island made by The Devil From The Bible. every few minutes there's some new weird meta setpiece to keep you on your toes, plus the code puzzles and pony sections between are solid fun on their own. it's a great time. and if you're interested, there's a pretty solid reward for getting 100%.

if I had to dock points, it didn't seem to have much in the way of replayability, but that's not a huge dealbreaker. I really need to get my hands on Inscryption now.....

#3: SPOOKY'S JUMPSCARE MANSION REMASTERED

I'm not normally big on horror but Spooky's kept me coming back. despite going into it already knowing what all the specimens did, they managed to keep me on the edge of my seat because you never know when they're going to show up. combine the legitimate building terror with an offbeat and self-aware sense of humor and you have a damn fun package.

it's worth noting that as of writing this, I've only completed the main story. the DLC campaigns probably won't affect the final ranking? but I have a feeling they'll make me appreciate the game more.

#2: PEPPER GRINDER

Pepper Grinder is fucking awesome.

The level design is great, the soundtrack rips, and just moving around with the core gimmick of "what if you could drill and then jump out" is so good. I just really wish there was more of it.

I was able to get all the major in-level collectibles and reach the end in under 3 hours. the bulk of my playtime came from the time trials, which do manage to hit a sweet spot of encouraging you to push yourself without requiring CBT perfection. demolishing the gold medal on the final boss took me well over an hour's worth of attempts and may have been one of the most viscerally satisfying challenges I've ever completed in a game.

Pepper Grinder is really, really cool. But if it had another world's worth of levels it would be even cooler.

#1: CHICORY: A COLORFUL TALE

Man. I fucking love Chicory.

The vibes are immacculate. The story made me really feel for these gay little animals. The soundtrack is delightful (Lena Raine, everybody!). The exploration is rewarding. The painting mechanics made me actively want to go back to areas I'd already been to and recolor them better than I did originally, which is like. not something most games do. You can even draw penises everywhere if you want. There's something for everybody.

I'm having a hard time putting down exactly what made me fall head over heels for this game as much as I did - especially when I wasn't expecting to going into it. Maybe it was just in the right place at the right time. No matter how it cheated the system, Chicory is easily the best game I picked up.

And that's that. this was my first time doing something like this (especially on tumblr) so it felt kinda weird but idk lmk if I planted any seeds in your brain

[sraksha]

Why do you love the Legend of Zelda? What first drew you to it?

Honestly, i just love Link lmao

Twilight Princess was the first Zelda i tried to play as a kid, meaning i begged my big bro to play until he got to a wolf part and i would play that bit. And when he refused to play for me, i tried to play by myself but never got very far because i didn't understand english and i just wasn't very good at the game.

So that was my first exposure to LoZ and my next Zelda experience would come +10 years later and it would be my downfall.

I bought my Switch late 2018 when Pokemon: Let's Go, Pikachu/Eevee came out and later when i was looking for more games to buy, i came across BOTW and went "Hey, i know that guy". I was intrigued by the open world aspect and the game just looked really fun so i bought it, played it and fell in love.

Eventually through BOTW i found LU and all the other AUs im reading and the brainrot has been real ever since. I've also bought more Zelda games and thanks to my switch membership i have access to the older games, but i've only finished Link's Awakening, ALBW, BOTW and Minish Cap lol. So many things to do, never enough time.

[light-wolf]

Ok, time for some of my Nintendo Direct thoughts! I'll go in announcement order:

Mario & Luigi: Brothership: Well, this came out of nowhere! After the closure of AlphaDream, I assumed the M&L series was dead, at least for the time being, so this was a really cool surprise. Mario RPG fans are eating good lately. Game looks really fun and charming and I'm looking forward to it!

Fantasian Neo Dimension: I'm not super familiar with this game but I've heard cool things about it so it's nice seeing it on Switch. I have soooooo many JRPGs in my backlog already though...

Donkey Kong Country Returns HD: This one was a bit of a disappointment, to be honest. Not that I don't like seeing a great game get an upgraded version available on a modern console, but man... it's been 10 years since the last original DK game, and all we can get is yet another remake? This is one of Nintendo's biggest and most iconic franchises and it feels like all they do with it these days is using it as Mario spin-off fodder. It's just sad. Oh well. Great game, though, highly recommended.

Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake: I haven't played much DQ outside of DQV (which is one of my favorite RPGs of all time) but this one is said to be a classic and I like the HD-2D look so it's definitely on my radar. Nice to see the first two games get remade as well. But I can't help but feel that what I really want is a DQV remake in this style. xD

NSO stuff: Great to see Four Swords live again in some form! Also ZERO MISSION FINALLY!! I've been wanting to replay that one lately. I'm not really interested in Turok or Perfect Dark but I guess it's a good thing that the West also has an "adult" version of the N64 app now, as that opens the door to more games.

Super Mario Party Jamboree: I've never been much of a Mario Party fan, but this one looks quite fun! At least it seems more interesting to me than the other Switch ones. I probably won't get it since I'm more of a solo gamer but I'll keep an eye on it.

The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom: HOLY SHIT!!! YES! YES! YES! Oh man, I'm soooo glad that this game exists! I LOVE 2D Zelda and I've been wanting a playable Zelda for so long. Also the gameplay looks so creative and fun! Not a huuuuge fan of it reusing the "toy" art style of the Link's Awakening remake (even though I loved it in that context) but I feel like this game has enough differentiating stuff to have its own identity, so I'm fine with it. Absolutely love this. Probably my favorite thing about the Direct, and it's releasing quite soon too! Can't wait!

Stray: Not a lot to say about this other than it's a game I really wanted to play back when it first released but I didn't have access to it. So it's great to have it on Switch! If the port doesn't suck I'll probably get it at some point.

Ace Attorney Investigations Collection: YESSSS!! These two are the only AA games I haven't played yet, and while I've considered emulating them for years, this is even better! Also great to see the second game get an official localization. So all around a great thing. AA7 when, Capcom? :P

Metroid Prime 4: Beyond: Oh man, what can I say? It's real. Seven years after being announced with just a logo, we finally got a real first look at it. A very short first look that didn't really show much, but a first look nonetheless. It was a bit disappointing seeing it get a 2025 release date, but oh well. I wouldn't be surprised if this ends up being a cross-gen release. We'll see. Can't wait to see more, and find out what's the deal with Sylux.

Overall I'd say it was a pretty good Direct! Nintendo is still giving the Switch a lot of love during its final years and that's great to see. Now, to keep working on that backlog...