#i do also appreciate like. as much as i say that botw doesnt feel like a zelda game to me

[heliianth]

ive seen a lot of takes that go along the lines of “totk rewrites preestablished lore in botw and feels like its forgotten the events completely and that impacts the quality of the story” and while i understand where that comes from (no more dead guardian husks, the missing divine beasts, npc unfamiliarity, etc) i have complicated emotions about the qualitative judgement behind the sentiment. i think more obvious acknowledgement of the events that took place before and during botw is a double edged sword that nintendo opted out of entirely in order to avoid player alienation

like... on one hand, for people who were invested in botw, callbacks and nods are appreciated and celebrated as part one of a single big story. more interesting concepts and plot twists can be developed on the bones of whats already been established, and more emotional moments can come from the familiarity botw players have with the events and backstory of that game

on the other hand, botw and totk are meant to be nonlinear experiences where the (present-day) story bends to the will of the player. functionally it can be told in any order, end at any time, and include as much or as little information as desired by whoever is playing. so an assumption on nintendo’s part that the player both played botw and 100%-ed the story (freed all the champions, interacted with every npc, and collected most of if not every item), and then used those things in the environment, worldbuilding, and story of totk, implies specific “canon events” which must take place in botw in order to end in totk, an approach which just doesnt work with the actual functionality and goal of either game

i really really do sympathize with ppl who are disappointed that there are no guardian husks littered around anymore, or that the divine beasts aren’t still protecting the villages, and are jarred by their exclusion and frustrated bc a single piece of dialogue might be able to explain those things away and also lead towards an overall more cohesive narrative and feeling of totk being a “true sequel”..... but i also just cant muster those same emotions. and i cant really bring myself to say that totk suffers in any meaningful way because of it

[awkwardspontaneity]

Hey are you still doing BOTW matchups? If so could I request one? I'm a ENFJ, 5'3", and super competitive in almost every aspect of my life. I am 100% protective of my friends and family and will fight someone who dares hurt them. I can be extremely hot headed but only because I get super passionate about things and I am bipolar type 2 (the more depressive kind). However, my bipolar doesnt hinder my life or friendships as I refuse to be beaten by my own weaknesses, but when I do have a manic episode or a depressive episode it can be hard to pull myself out. Thank you in advance and I look forward to your response!

Heyo!! I'm always available to for a request!! Thank you so much for the ask! Hope you enjoy!! Have a great day and remember to eat and hydrate 💕

I match you with Revali 🐦

Short squad ftw!!

I feel like you two would be that power couple that knows they're the shit and people are kind of in awe of you both.

You're such a strong team and you learned to read each other in the way where you can have whole conversations without speaking

Revali is a super strong personality and he can come across pretty arrogant so you're there to pull him back to the ground and remind him he's not invincible.

You also stand up for him if anyone ever thinks of making any bad comments, something he hugely appreciates, even if he doesn't say it.

He shows his appreciation by fighting anyone who would say a single bad thing about you.

Revali is the type to show how much he cares through actions. Things like braiding your hair back in Rito fashion or always bringing along an extra scarf in case you get cold. It's the little things that speak volumes.

Queue Revali going on about how you should know better while wrapping 40 scarfs around you

You two have friendly competitions about a lot of things like getting somewhere first or killing the most enemies in battle. Sometimes you argue over larger enemies counting for more points when your scores are close. (LOTR with Legolas and Gimli is the vibe)

Sometimes little arguments can lead to tensions. Revali is known for his snide comments which can strike a nerve. He means we'll most of the time he's just not good with words, so a comment about needing to be smarter when you get hurt can make you feel defensive. He says it out of worry, it's just harder to understand that in the heat of the moment

If anything ever blows up into a fight neither of you are willing to back down and can get pretty intense. You have an agreement that when things get tense you take some time to cool down before talking because you both know your own tempers can get in the way.

You always talk things through because neither one of you want to repeat the same disagreements and you know not talking through the issue might leave you both feeling regrets and guilt. It's just better to calmly work through what happened and how you really feel.

You both are passionate about things and sometimes you clash but you never let it get in the way of things.

One of Revali's absolute favourite things to do is listen to you talk. You could go on forever about the things you love, or something you did that you enjoyed. He finds it relaxing to sit back and just watch you talk. The way your eyes light up brings a warmth to his chest he never wants to let go of.

Sometimes the two of you will sit by the fire and just talk throughout the night about anything you can think of. You've been told to be quite more than enough times but nobody's really bothered by it. It's sweet to listen to the way your voices carry across the breeze into the night as you talk about your pasts and futures.

When it comes to your depressive episodes, sometimes Revali can be slightly dismissive in the beginning. He truly doesn't mean to hurt you, but it takes him a bit to understand this is more than an off day

The moment Revali realizes that you're pulling away he's right there to pull you back. He'll do everything he can to understand what you're going through so he can be by your side through it all.

He may act all tough but Revali is running you water and snacks and more blankets throughout the day. You wanna sit and watch the sunset, he'll carry you in a burrito to the landing. Sometimes he'll offer a competition like a shield surfing race down the mountain when you seem better to try and take your mind off any darker thoughts.

He's not the best at giving advice but he's there to listen whenever you need. Even if it's not really directed towards him he'll sit with you, playing with you hands or hair, and let you ramble on to work through your feelings

He won't let you pull away or think you're weak because he knows firsthand just how strong and incredible you are. Even the strongest people need to lean on others sometimes and he's gonna make sure he's always there to hold you up when you can't do it on your own.

Overall 10/10 birb who loves you so much he doesn't know if he could ever really voice it. You ground eachother while reminding eachother of your strengths. Your competitive nature's compliment eachother in a way where you can let loose and have fun with your friendly games. At the end of the day you're together and that's what matters most to you.

[superrcell]

ooooo for the video game ask thing botw or ffxv!!! :3c (sorry if thats a bit boring but im so interested in hearing ur thoughts about those soundtracks! :D)

hdsjkghjk dw those are both great i would love to talk about them and im doing both because. i never get a chance to talk about them and i have nothing better to do so long post time

botw

Fav Character Theme

tbh... revali’s theme, actually. i dont like revali all that much but his theme is so so beautiful i love it so much. i dont think i really realized how much i love his theme until just about right now, actually. i also love sidon’s theme, but i think that revali’s is actually my favorite. 

Fav Area Theme

hmm.... i think the hyrule castle interior, honestly. though the stables theme is also really up there. hyrule castle is just really nice and i love the atmosphere it has, but also the stables just... makes me feel safe its always so nice to hear it off in the distance when playing. oh and also the flight range... its so pretty. ohhh and the sheikah tower theme.... this is so hard so many areas of the game are so good. 

Fav Battle Theme

tbh... i think the talus battle theme! idk its just really good ghdsgk i really think that it really perfectly captures fighting just a big rock + i love the mix of the instruments that are playing + i dont hear it too often. i really like the guardian battle theme, too, though, but i think that the talus battle theme is slightly better because idk.. it doesnt feel as... empty as the middle part of the guardian battle theme? yeah. 

WAIT I FORGOT ABOUT THE MOLDUGA THEME. ITS THAT ONE DEFINITELY. ive listened to this one so so much its soooo so good. ESPECIALLY the second half. i love those string instruments.

Fav Boss/Final Boss Theme

absolutely divine beast vah ruta’s theme... vah medoh’s comes in second but something about vah ruta’s has just really stuck with me. its just so so so beautiful. i think its because it really reminds me of the first time i was doing the quest.. idk the music just perfectly captures the moment.

Personal Fav Theme

its really really hard to choose because i love literally everything else ive mentioned, but i think its the dragon’s theme. like... literally everything about that song is so good, and hearing it in-game... its just really so good. 

A song you didn’t like at first but grew to like

i dont know if i didnt like it at first, though i probably did, but the cave theme, i think. idk its just really.. idk not something i would normally like, and the high notes are kinda uneasy to listen to somewhat, but i love hearing it in the game it just. makes for a really good atmosphere, makes me feel safe. idk i love it a lot now. i also really have to mention i love the field (freezing cold) song... like i love love love the cold song and i dont think i wouldve ever enjoyed this as much as i do because its not really like? that much of a song? but yeah i love it. 

One of the first songs you heard from the game

i would say the main theme! i never saw any of the trailers beforehand, so the first song i heard was just... the first song in the game! and its a really really good song so.

A song that gets you pumped

i know i just mentioned these two but really divine beast vah ruta and vah medoh’s themes really do. like theyre just so good.. but something i havent mentioned: the divine beasts strike! (and then really all dark beast/calamity ganon songs but gdhjsgkjsj) 

A song that makes you happy

tbh, i think the song in link’s memory with the silent princess! its hard to find songs that make me really like... happy, ig, but this part is like.  my favorite memory it makes me so happy watching and listening to the song reminds me of it. and then also i think the main theme! because im sentimental gdbsjkghjkds

A song that makes you sad

idk! i dont know any songs really make me all that sad, either. i think ill say the epilogue because again im. sentimental 😢

The song you like least from the game

i think tarrey town actually x_x its not bad but its just so annoying when it comes up on the playlist because its. 10 minutes long of almost the same song. but its really really cool how it changes! though for a song that i dont like because of the music, hm... im just going through the ost right now and i dont like divine beast vah rudania’s theme. i also dont like the themes when youre inside the beasts that much, either, or the [x]blight ganon themes that much. this is too many songs huh gdhsjkghkds

theres so many other songs i looove but weren’t able to put here just know i love the entire ost basically. 

ffxv

Fav Character Theme

um... i definitely have to say home sweet home because i love prompto. i also love love love noctis’ theme (especially this version which i just now really listened to) but also like... i just love prompto so much gdhjksgk 

Fav Area Theme

this is impossible to answer because i just want to say literally every overworld theme from prompto’s dlc buuuut also i love wanderlust!! especially the old version!!!!! idk so many area themes are so so good in ffxv but ill just go with overworld themes here.

Fav Battle Theme

🤔 this is actually a lot harder than i thought it would be? so many are pretty good, except maybe the daemon ones... hearing all of them, i think maybe invidia, actually! idk it isnt one that i think i would get annoyed with if it were to play a lot, but all of them are really good!

Fav Boss/Final Boss Theme

absoooollluuutteeeelllyyy the somnus battle theme from the ardyn dlc like idc about the actual battle, or even somnus tbh, but the song somnus has always been my favorite song from the game and this was like OISIFUDSGUSDFHGSDHGIOSHGDSDFSHJGHDSGGJDSKGJKDS especially because of ardyn’s theme which i ALSO love like iaigjdsiogdsgiovdsjovfjiodjifdjbfdigjs ITS SO GOOD .. . . .. 

Personal Fav Theme

like i said, the somnus theme you hear in insomnia ... ive always loved it because i love songs where its like a remix (or, really just the original song) when youre in a different place, and the feeling of going through insomnia with this playing over the speakers... just an immensely wonderful experience its absolutely my favorite part of the entire game. theres a lot of other songs i love, but this has been my favorite for so long i just cant like... say its Not my favorite.

A song you didn’t like at first but grew to like

it was one of the battle themes from promptos dlc, like it was the first one so it mightve been trigger? idk it was one of them that wasnt like really the same as the other battle themes before it, but now i cant even 100% find the song i didnt like because i love all the battle themes from prompto’s dlc sm ghdjskgkj. i think its because of the song which i put as the one i dont like really made me appreciate everything more.

One of the first songs you heard from the game

oh, huh... i would think that it would be the same as botw, where the first song i heard is the first song that plays, so somnus instrumental! maybe? i cant really remember but yeah i think i first just watched my little brother play it from the start of the game! maybe ....

A song that gets you pumped

theres so many and i think the somnus battle theme which i already mentioned is especially one, but other than that, hm.. yeah i think thats it! idk i dont know many other songs that make me that FHDSHGDSG you know? 

A song that makes you happy

hm... maybe rodeo de chocobo! nothing bad happening, just some big birds c: yeah, not many are really that upbeat so this one is kinda an easy pick ghdjksgds

A song that makes you sad

oh everything in prompto’s dlc. but no ghjkdsjgk from the main game, probably dewdrops at dawn. idk like theres other parts of the game that are sadder, but just like... idk when i hear the song i can remember the whole cutscene, and the view of the world turning back to light and its just... i love it. it doesnt make me like really sad but idk... that sort of area of emotions dhjsgkj but yeah. but not from the main game, hm... promptos feelings/home sweet home from prompto’s dlc. i feel like its. pretty self explanatory ghdjkshg

The song you like least from the game

oh absolutely the song in insomnia in ardyn’s dlc ive always hated it. it just feels so out of place with the entire rest of the soundtrack and it's definitely not the kind of music i like fhjdskghjkds

anyways stan prompto

[bloodsbane]

regarding that last botw post, i really do love this (not exactly new, but more... definitive?) take on the meta of ‘players dicking around when zelda is holding off ganon’ as an actual element of the game narrative. 

one of my few big problems with the game was the idea that the fact that we, as players, want to explore the entirety of the world and what the game has to offer is at odds with our overall goal/quest, which is to help zelda defeat ganon. this is emphasized by the fact that it is entirely possible to go fight ganon at any time, unlike most other games where you have to do some things first. link doesn’t need to defeat all the divine beasts, doing so just sets the champions at peace and helps make the final fight easier. you don’t have to find all of link’s memories, that just gives you background/story to chew on. 

so i really appreciate that lots of people are viewing it less in the lens of the player acting against the story, and the game failing in bringing those two elements together cohesively, but the take that our behavior is demonstrating something unsaid about the story. specifically, link’s feelings on the ultimate quest, what he has to do, how he feels about waking up with no memories, etc. there are plenty of reasons for link to feel differently about anything and everything - including himself - when he first wakes up. 

this may also be due to my own feelings on the topic of amnesia in stories. i dislike amnesia, it’s actually a big fear of mine to lose any of my memory, and for me it can be make or break when a story has memory-loss as an aspect. silent/amnesiac protags aren’t uncommon and are usually there for a reason, and it is usually easier to engage with when we all start off with the same blank slate. 

my problem lies more in the idea of characters we come to know losing their memories, because it feels like such a huge part of them is gone. even if they do regain their memories at some point, the time between them losing them and getting them back is a time when they are, essentially, a completely different person. and how can you ever come back from that in totality? especially in the case of link, asleep for so long many of his friends either aren’t around anymore or are much, much older, people have weird or difficult feelings towards him and he doesnt understand why, he has to put himself into dangerous situations constantly; not only is this world he come into hostile due to ganon’s influence, but he’s charged to save it all, and to rescue his dearest person... someone he barely even remembers. 

so yeah, i’m just saying it’s a lot, and i think the take that link spends so much extra time on small quests and exploring and adventuring, learning, training, wasting away time, makes sense when you view it as link trying to find himself. and maybe that person is different from the person he used to be, who would’ve done all of this without any complaint. but especially after that one particular memory with zelda, when she wonders over what could be different, if link felt he wasn’t suited to be all he was told he had to be... 

anyway, that’s an interesting view! i think it actually benefits the experience of botw a lot, to consider that as an unspoken but very relevant aspect of the narrative. it gives link a clear character arc, and it’s something that can be felt by the player too, as we learn and become endeared to hyrule and it’s people, and develop our skills enough to feel like we have a chance to fight ganon.