straightforwardly (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
straightforwardly) wrote2017-09-26 08:33 pm
straightforwardly) wrote2017-09-26 08:33 pm
162 | Fandom Giftbox + The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
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fandomgiftbox happened, and I got some incredible fics. All of them made me incredibly happy in different ways and also a little guilty about how, despite like five false-starts, I ended up writing nothing at all for this one.
► Lately, I’ve been playing The Legend of the Zelda: Ocarina of Time on the 3DS. Ocarina of Time was one of the Games Of My Childhood, though I never beat it. (Actually, the first time I ever managed to beat a Zelda game was when I played Majora’s Mask on the 3DS last year—another one of the Games Of My Childhood). Right now, I’m at the Fire Temple, and so am now officially further than I’d ever managed as a kid, iirc.
I’m actually playing this at the same time as my older brother. It’s something that we do sometimes, though not too often—the last time was when we both played Final Fantasy IV for the first time together (me on the PSP, him on the… PS1, I think?— though that wasn’t really planned; it was more that he got inspired to pick up a neglected save file by my playing it). (That was actually around the time I started this dw account, iirc.)
Anyways. About Ocarina of Time: You know, as a kid Ocarina of Time was my favorite Zelda game (though I did really like Majora’s Mask), but now… I think it might be reversed? I’m enjoying Ocarina of Time, but with caveats, while last year I loved Majora’s Mask without reserve. Mostly, I think, it’s the dungeons—this probably isn’t a popular opinion, but so far, I think Majora’s Mask did a better job in dungeon design. The puzzles were more...intuitive, I guess? At least, they were for me. Sure, I didn’t always figure them out right away, but I also never got stuck. I always played through the dungeons in one sitting (and in one three-day cycle), while in Ocarina of Time… the first two dungeons were fine, but the last three I’ve been in (Fire Temple included), I’ve played in multiple sessions just because I got stuck and annoyed.
(I also really liked the three days mechanic in Majora’s Mask, and think that it helps make the game better-structured, but that’s more subjective, I think.)
But other than that, I am enjoying the game. And I did like the Forest Temple a whole lot as a dungeon, despite all the design elements that didn’t work for me. The werewolves at the entrance are actually one of my strongest memories of this game—I just felt so nostalgically happy when I saw them again. They scared me so much as a kid, haha. And so many of the rooms were gorgeously designed, too. (The moss and vines on the walls! The little outdoor areas!) The falling-hand-from-the-ceiling was also much less frightening than kid!me thought. I really loved how paintings were used in the dungeon—first with the Poe’s, and then with Phantom Ganon. What an excellent boss fight. The paintings on the walls in the boss room were gorgeous too, and the actual fight pretty fun.
And the characters… guh. I’ve always loved so many of the characters in this game, and revisiting them has been such a delight. Saria, Ruto, Zelda, Malon, Epona—I love all of them.
I’m also really feeling for Link right about now. Suddenly flash-forwarding seven years, growing up, finding himself in a post-apocalyptic version of the world he knew, finding out that he wasn’t a Kokiri—I know the game doesn’t linger on that, but, uh, considering the whole “you don’t have a fairy” and “you don’t belong” elements of the opening, I can’t help but feel like that has got to hit hard. AND HOW NONE OF THE KOKIRI (except Saria) EVEN RECOGNIZE HIM ANYONE. These are the people who he’s known best and longest throughout his life! And, after the forest is restored, how some of them start wondering to his face if Link will come back now, that they’d like to see him again… Ugh, so many feelings. Poor Link.
I also wibbled a lot at the scene where Saria becomes a sage, with that whole “we can never live in the same world” thing and the “but we’ll always be friends <3”. I actually shipped Link/Saria pretty hard as a kid, and while I don’t know if I actually ship them anymore, I definitely do love their relationship a whole lot. And Saria herself. ♥ She was always one of my favorites—I remember how, as a kid, I’d play Saria’s Song all the time just because I wanted to talk to her.
Riding Epona to freedom was also pretty emotional for me. EPONA, HORSE OF MY HEART. ♥ The fact that it also helps Malon was an excellent bonus. I love that she stayed on the ranch specifically because she wanted to protect the horses from harm.
Running/riding across Hyrule Field is pretty nostalgia-inducing too. That is… on one hand, it does make me impatient because I just want to get to my destination already, but on the other hand… I still remember how new and fresh it felt, back when I was a kid, and how much I enjoyed simply running/riding across that open space. I thought it so beautiful.
Also, Zelda-as-Sheik is pretty cute. Never noticed that before. I’m also really looking forward to seeing Ruto again, though, first, I need to get through this damned Fire Temple.
fandomgiftbox happened, and I got some incredible fics. All of them made me incredibly happy in different ways - The Overgrown Fields (Stardew Valley, Abigail & Sebastian)
- A Touch of Optimism (Stand Still Stay Silent, Aksel & Berit)
- Lifelines (Stand Still Stay Silent, Emil/Lalli)
► Lately, I’ve been playing The Legend of the Zelda: Ocarina of Time on the 3DS. Ocarina of Time was one of the Games Of My Childhood, though I never beat it. (Actually, the first time I ever managed to beat a Zelda game was when I played Majora’s Mask on the 3DS last year—another one of the Games Of My Childhood). Right now, I’m at the Fire Temple, and so am now officially further than I’d ever managed as a kid, iirc.
I’m actually playing this at the same time as my older brother. It’s something that we do sometimes, though not too often—the last time was when we both played Final Fantasy IV for the first time together (me on the PSP, him on the… PS1, I think?— though that wasn’t really planned; it was more that he got inspired to pick up a neglected save file by my playing it). (That was actually around the time I started this dw account, iirc.)
Anyways. About Ocarina of Time: You know, as a kid Ocarina of Time was my favorite Zelda game (though I did really like Majora’s Mask), but now… I think it might be reversed? I’m enjoying Ocarina of Time, but with caveats, while last year I loved Majora’s Mask without reserve. Mostly, I think, it’s the dungeons—this probably isn’t a popular opinion, but so far, I think Majora’s Mask did a better job in dungeon design. The puzzles were more...intuitive, I guess? At least, they were for me. Sure, I didn’t always figure them out right away, but I also never got stuck. I always played through the dungeons in one sitting (and in one three-day cycle), while in Ocarina of Time… the first two dungeons were fine, but the last three I’ve been in (Fire Temple included), I’ve played in multiple sessions just because I got stuck and annoyed.
(I also really liked the three days mechanic in Majora’s Mask, and think that it helps make the game better-structured, but that’s more subjective, I think.)
But other than that, I am enjoying the game. And I did like the Forest Temple a whole lot as a dungeon, despite all the design elements that didn’t work for me. The werewolves at the entrance are actually one of my strongest memories of this game—I just felt so nostalgically happy when I saw them again. They scared me so much as a kid, haha. And so many of the rooms were gorgeously designed, too. (The moss and vines on the walls! The little outdoor areas!) The falling-hand-from-the-ceiling was also much less frightening than kid!me thought. I really loved how paintings were used in the dungeon—first with the Poe’s, and then with Phantom Ganon. What an excellent boss fight. The paintings on the walls in the boss room were gorgeous too, and the actual fight pretty fun.
And the characters… guh. I’ve always loved so many of the characters in this game, and revisiting them has been such a delight. Saria, Ruto, Zelda, Malon, Epona—I love all of them.
I’m also really feeling for Link right about now. Suddenly flash-forwarding seven years, growing up, finding himself in a post-apocalyptic version of the world he knew, finding out that he wasn’t a Kokiri—I know the game doesn’t linger on that, but, uh, considering the whole “you don’t have a fairy” and “you don’t belong” elements of the opening, I can’t help but feel like that has got to hit hard. AND HOW NONE OF THE KOKIRI (except Saria) EVEN RECOGNIZE HIM ANYONE. These are the people who he’s known best and longest throughout his life! And, after the forest is restored, how some of them start wondering to his face if Link will come back now, that they’d like to see him again… Ugh, so many feelings. Poor Link.
I also wibbled a lot at the scene where Saria becomes a sage, with that whole “we can never live in the same world” thing and the “but we’ll always be friends <3”. I actually shipped Link/Saria pretty hard as a kid, and while I don’t know if I actually ship them anymore, I definitely do love their relationship a whole lot. And Saria herself. ♥ She was always one of my favorites—I remember how, as a kid, I’d play Saria’s Song all the time just because I wanted to talk to her.
Riding Epona to freedom was also pretty emotional for me. EPONA, HORSE OF MY HEART. ♥ The fact that it also helps Malon was an excellent bonus. I love that she stayed on the ranch specifically because she wanted to protect the horses from harm.
Running/riding across Hyrule Field is pretty nostalgia-inducing too. That is… on one hand, it does make me impatient because I just want to get to my destination already, but on the other hand… I still remember how new and fresh it felt, back when I was a kid, and how much I enjoyed simply running/riding across that open space. I thought it so beautiful.
Also, Zelda-as-Sheik is pretty cute. Never noticed that before. I’m also really looking forward to seeing Ruto again, though, first, I need to get through this damned Fire Temple.