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Wednesday, February 18, 2015

Class is Cancelled

President's day has been extended here at the Academy. What started off as a four day weekend for me, seeing as how I had no classes on Tuesdays turned into what can be best described as an impromptu winter break. Snow days left us stranded in our dorms, until Wednesday night, making me miss both a Math review session, and a Kanji test in Japanese. (Look at my new keyboard!!        こんいちわ!!) I have been rather stressed, cooped up like a lion, with all this pent up energy and no classes to expend it on. Even with my new 3ds, I am unable to focus on anything without a proper outlet. I also came to a small impasse in Majora's Mask for my 64. I got the new version, and my 64 is currently much less attractive. I need to distract myself for a day, and take my final challenge on in the game, before I start on the new version, so expect my final Majora's Mask post sometime this Sunday.
Lastly, I have a fun little story to share with the world, but I know I am going to get flak for this, so I will be hiding out for a while after I post this. I went to a friends house on another slick day, and I had another accident, this one much more... high speed, than the previous. I was on another side street, going about fifteen, keeping great balance, and a safe speed, when someone passed me, and lost control of their car. I swerved to get away from them, and lost control myself. Luckily, with a little quick wit, and more than a little adrenaline, I managed to shift my weight towards the side of the road, avoiding the other car, and slamming into the lawn of some random stranger. The other car, being the genius it was, regained control, and sped off, not even bothering to see if I was okay. Aside from some cold finger, and a very sore right arm, I escaped mostly scot-free. I am definitely not going to risk any more icy adventures though. Obviously I can't trust myself or others. Luckily, I am fine, and hopefully not too many people will scream at me. Ace out!

Sunday, February 15, 2015

Extreme Frustration

I have some good news and some bad news. The bad news, is that I had forgotten how insanely frustrating the Water Temple for Majora's Mask is, and I took much longer than anticipated to beat it. The good news... I BEAT THAT STUPID TEMPLE AND I AM GOING TO BE FACING THE FINAL DUNGEON TOMMOROW! I feel that I timed this extremely well, because that means I can finish the game the exact same day that I get the new 3DS and can play my remastered version of the game!
To give a brief description of my journey, I must explain the new creature I could become, and describe its useful abilities. I am now able to transform into a Zora, which is a fish-based life form. I have blades on my arms that allow me to fight very effectively. I also have VERY incredible swimming abilities, one of which include using my magic meter to engulf myself in electricity, and damaging enemies heavily. It is my second favorite mask, and has my absolute favorite effect. The swimming is incredibly fun.
The first part of this run is unique, in that there are three very complex tasks I needed to complete in order to access the third dungeon. First, one has to sneak into the outsider-hating clan of all-female thieves, and obtain a hookshot, in order to obtain a fourth bottle from some beavers, after beating them in a race. Trust me, as crazy as this sounds... it is pretty standard for this series. It makes sense if you play through the whole game. Finally, I had to get a photo of one of the female thieves, and give to a rather... lewd fisherman, in order to obtain a seahorse, and have him guide me to the last three eggs.
After delivering the eggs of a very distressed Zoran woman to the scientist, they taught me a new song, I am able to enter the third dungeon of the game. Full of... you guessed it, water, it is one of the hardest because the main room consists of a large pool of water with many levels, with a flow that goes in a circle in one direction. One has to switch up the flow of water to access every room. After obtaining the ice arrows, you are able to access higher, even harder to reach areas, and eventually fight the boss.
The boss, named Gyorg, is a large fish, who swims around a central platform, and attempts to knock you into his water so he can eat you. It is an extremely frustrating boss, and even worse, partway through, it spews out about twenty minifish that swarm you when you have to hop in the water to deal damage with your electricity. It took me longer to access and beat this dungeon than to get in and beat the first two dungeons combined. Partly due to the incredibly complex process beforehand, and partly due to the complex nature of finding the hidden fairies in this dungeon.
But, in conclusion, I have beaten the temple, acquired incredible defense, and a new type of arrow. I got away stronger, and I get to face one of the most interesting portion of this game next. Maybe not the most cheerful, and definitely not the easiest, but I will have a lot of fun. Sadly, the first part of this involves the most complex maze ever, involving a scavenger hunt and a mirror shield. Ace out!

Wednesday, February 11, 2015

The Perks of Being a Pro

Thanks to my experience with my Majora's Mask game, I was able to quickly and effectively catch up to myself in my crashed save, and then some.
My adventure began in the forest, riding my trusty steed, looking for a lost friend. Suddenly, my horse gets upset, and takes off, dragging me along the ground, and knocking me out. Link wakes up to an imp rustling through his bag, and stealing his ocarina, with my horse gone. One event leads to another, and the imp turns me into a "harmless" deku scrub, which is essentially a plant based life form. And thus, my adventure begins.
With knowledge of how the game goes, I was able to easily regain my human form, and begin my journey fresh(again). With my human form strong and ready, I head to the swamp, to clean the now poisoned waters. After running myself ragged in a strange, creepy dungeon filled with spiders, evil puffballs, and dark corners, I obtain my bow, and make my way to the boss room, which is the only truly notable part about the first dungeon. Odolwa, the dancing warrior. Based on an Indian warrior, this boss dances around, six times your size, with a large shield and sword, agile and intelligent, this boss is honestly one of the harder ones, because at this point in this game, you almost definitely have no upgrades, or masks to make it easier. You rely on your quick wits and ability with a sword. Sometimes you can stun him with a bubble from the Deku scrub, or a well-placed arrow, but mostly, you frantically run at him, and try to swing your sword at his ankles. The end result of this fight is what I would like to stress, and why this game is one of my favorites. Unlike many games, where no real results are had until the game has been beaten and the credits roll. However, in this game, beating a boss has huge results. In this case, a whole section of the map is "healed" and the swamp, which has been plagued by poison waters and bad tempers, is restored to its previous state, and reparations are made between the "people" of the swamp. I say people, but they are a race of monkeys, and the Deku race. You can now swim in the swamp easily, and the whole atmosphere of this portion of the game changes. It is so rewarding, and it honestly makes me feel like what I do matters.
Next, I move to the mountains, where I heal the soul of a dead Goron. Gorons are rock based lifeforms, with great size and strength. Their biggest ability lies in curling up into a ball and rolling around at high speed. With enough speed, spikes will erupt from your body, and damage enemies. After another convoluted series of events, too boring and walkthrough-ish to describe, I enter snowhead, the temple for the currently frozen mountain that is killing the gorons, who thrive in heat. In the temple, which is compromised of several levels, with a central pillar and a lot of ice, I obtained fire arrows for my bow, and I that much of the temple, and raise the pillar up, to access the boss room. This boss, Goht, is a four legged mechanical bull that I have to chase as my Goron form, and damage him with my spiky body. After thawing the mountain, and beating a very fun race, I obtain gold powder, and have now got a gilded sword, which is twice as long, and three times stronger than my current sword. I am ready to take on the more challenging areas.
I wonder what Link goes through when he transforms through those masks? The souls of he harmed are trapped in them, which Link does to ease their suffering. he has to change his body though, to utilize their power. Does it hurt? Do his bones shift and break, as his body grows and shrinks? Does he gain their memories? Their fears? All of these things make me question what Link goes through to save the world. He fights, gets hurt, dies, comes back, and repeats the process all the time. No one ever appreciates what he does, and no one ever finds out who saves them. He is the true hero, and not many people appreciate him the way he deserves. it must be hell for him, but he never complains, or shirks away. He is my idol.
With that, I leave you with one question: If you could obtain a mask that let you transform into any person, animal, or mythical creature at will, with full powers, but you had to experience intense pain the first time you used it, what thing would you turn into? Only one thing, and no, it can't be a shapeshifter so you can turn into other things. That is cheating. Ace out!

Monday, February 9, 2015

Unexpected Errors

I CAN NOT DESCRIBE MY FRUSTRATION TODAY!!!
Sadly, I have to report that my little series about the Majora's Mask game I was playing is going to be slightly delayed, as I experienced a fairly common, and extremely upsetting glitch in the game. One of the 64's biggest flaws is also one of it's biggest glitch causes. When a cartridge is slightly out of the system, the game will still run, but as it loads certain areas, it can also lead to horrible, terrifying glitches that make your characters spaz out and start flying around. I experienced this today, and my game crashed badly, forcing me to restart the whole game. Sadly, that means I will have to begin the game again, and replay the first temple.
So, I will attempt to quickly recover my progress, and deliver the narrative that you followers so laboriously demand of me. Ace out!

Sunday, February 8, 2015

The Lore of my Land

I am going to educate you, the reader, on my world now. The world invented for me, and billions of others by my idol, Shigeru Miyamoto. The Legend of Zelda is a world full of legend, and myth, and backstory.
To start at the beginning, I would like to explain the basis of almost every game. Instead of a story where it is linear, like Mario and the princess being captured again and again by the same Bowser, Link and Gannondorf play their fights out over the course of time. By that, I mean the two characters are reborn, in a vicious cycle that repeats every 100 years. Link is also know as the hero of time, and he is constantly born into the era that is threatened by Gannondorf. In some games, he is a child, in others, a young man, close to full adulthood. Each reincarnation has different skills, and different companions, all of which influence the flow and style of each new game. For example, he is actually born as a normal child in Windwaker, in a world that is mostly ocean. He earns a boat, who turns out to be an important character in the game, and he sails for most of the game. His friends are pirates and sailors as well. But in a game like Skyward Sword, where the game takes place on a floating island, you have a flying bird at first, who helps you get around, but when you fall below the clouds, you discover uninhabited lands, and carve your own path through indigenous people, aiding them by solving problems.
Link is extremely courageous, because of two very important reasons: he is always born with something to protect. His friends are always near him, and he feels like he should help them, often they are even captured and he has to. The second reason is much more pressing though: he is in possession of the Triforce of Courage. It is a golden seal that has been bestowed upon him by the goddesses of the world in which he lives. it gives him the courage to face impossible odds, and to beat foes others would have given up upon seeing. This is critical knowledge, although a lot of people tend to forget this information.
So, with this bit of backstory, I will get on with my short post today. I am starting a runthrough of the old Nintendo 64 Majora's Mask. It is a dark, mysterious land that Link explores in this land, where the moon has been cursed to crush the world in three days. Link has been tasked to retrieve the mask after which this game is named, and save the world. However, unlike many other games, this game actually poses a time limit, with an ever moving clock at the bottom of your screen the whole time. It is stressful, and full of darker messages than the other games I have played, but not disturbingly so. It is more along the lines of a deep, thought provoking dark, that makes you question the meaning of grief, and the true meaning of loss. I will have posts all week about my playthrough of this game, as well as some speculation as to what Link does in his free time. With that, I kick of my Legend of Zelda appreciation week for my blog! Ace out!

Saturday, February 7, 2015

The Ever Changing Tides

Things never stay just the way they were. Life changes in the blink of an eye. People mature, relationships change, and video games are remastered to look good again. All of these things have been happening lately.
Ichigo and I have been through a little bit of a tiff lately, but I think we figured it out. We just needed to learn to compromise. I have a tendency to let people tell me what to do or how to think, especially when I love them, because I don't want to hurt them or annoy them. However, being submissive isn't always the best option, because then I feel like I have no choice, and I get annoyed, and it leads to arguments, because Ichigo has the tendency to be very stubborn and push certain views on people. A lot of people who know us may think that sounds backwards, but believe me, I am being 100% honest when I say that as loud as I am and strong willed, it doesn't make me any less of a softy when the woman I love asks me to stop doing things or start doing things, even if I don't want to. But recently we both sat down and had a long talk, and I think things are looking up again, because she agreed to make compromises, and I agreed to start being honest when her demands bother me.
On a slightly funnier note, I went to a bar with Ichigo for one of her friends' birthday parties, and I experienced something rather dumbfounding when I went there. I didn't get carded. The guy just handed me my bracelet and let me in. I am not 21, but I have had a lot of people assume I am. I have had people assume I am almost 30 before. I was just going in to see the band, as my old choir teacher was a part of it, but I found it flattering that I officially look the part of an adult. I am a few months away from 21, so I was responsible, but it was a funny experience. Ichigo was pretty annoyed because she is actually 21, and she kinda wanted to show off her ID, but it was a good night for the most part.
And lastly, the most exciting thing of the night! I pre-ordered the most recent remastered game! Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask for the 3DS!!!!! WOOOOOO! This game is part of my childhood. I love it. I love the game, and the mechanics and the way it plays. I love the lore, and the background. This game is by far my favorite game in the world, and I am proud to say it is one of those games that I consider it a true achievement to have beaten, along with Dark Souls, and Ocarina of Time's water temple. I am so excited for the new graphics, and the new mechanics. When the game comes out, I think a lot of my posts will be about the game's lore, and my ideas about characters, and maybe even some fan fiction about Link between his quests. I don't know. But there will be a lot of Legend of Zelda related things to come. But I promise to give background and story so the people who aren't familiar with the game are left to flop around sadly while I rant about something they don't understand.
With that, I am going to go play the N64 Majora's Mask in celebration and think about my next post. Ace out!

Friday, February 6, 2015

Interesting Happening

So some new things have been happening in my life. I bought a Moped, I can now get around town much more effectively. I actually got a bright green Bintelli Flash, and his name his name is Barry. As in Barry Allen. If you don't get the joke, just assume I am shaking my head disappointed in you. But I forgive you, for I am a loving and kind Blogger, and I will never judge you. However, with Barry, comes some issues that I have faced. In my town it snowed recently. I rode Barry over to a friends house, before it got too bad to play some Smash Bros. and return his art supplies. I stayed until it got dark, and got on my way back to the University. However, on the way out, the side road from his apartments were icy, and I experienced a new sensation: slipping on ice in a scooter. Now, this wouldn't have been so bad, considering my cool charm, and quick wits. In a car, if you start to slide, you don't apply the brakes. You are supposed to ease into the turn, and slowly accelerate to regain control, and slow down once you are straightened out. In a scooter, which is much lighter, and on much fewer wheels, that tactic does not work as well. I caught no traction with my wheels, and the scooter spun in a quick circle, slamming me into the ground and crushing my leg. However, since Barry only weighs about 250 pounds, I was just a little bruised. I spent the next five miles skiing down the road, sitting on my scooter, with two feet on the ground. I was a little frozen, and a little shaken, but I am fine, and the swelling has gone down greatly.
On a less dangerous note, I have discovered that I am very ready for marriage. However, due to present circumstances, i still have to wait. But I should speak my mind here, where no one can tell me no. My Ichigo and I have been together for about 4 years now, and I have never been so happy with anyone. But everyone around us is getting married first, and I am extremely jealous. But I realized the other day... I have been reserved about marriage before now. I had thought it would be scary, and even though I never doubted us, I was scared that I was boring, and actually being tied to me forever would scare her away. Nut when she told me she was afraid of the same thing, I realized that we may be scared, and afraid of the future, but if we were both that scared, and she still accepted my proposal, then I should be a lot less afraid of how she will react to me, because after four years, if I haven't bored her to death, then I can certainly find small talk to last the rest of our lives.
Also, a quick side note, I will be trying to update my blog quite a bit more often for now, as I happen to be trying to catch up to a rather eager blogger, who wants me to post as much as I can, despite my feeling boring. I will come up with something at least once a week. Thanks for reading my blog! Ace out!