#but it was only mentioned in the Japanese manual of the first game

[snepril]

IT'S FINALLY DONE! My new fursona: The Dragon Queen!

Formerly an average human being, she found herself inexplicably trapped in the world of an early-2000s platformer... as its main antagonist! Sure, the new body took a bit of getting used to (to say nothing of the appetite), and sure, she regularly has spats with the resident protagonist (they're friends off the clock. They go go-karting on weekends!). But it's a pretty good life once she got used to it!

Art by KristinTree!

#fursona #posttf #post tf #transfur #transformation #furry #pear dragon #weird cat dragon thing #she DOES have a proper name #but it was only mentioned in the Japanese manual of the first game #so it only really comes up in fanfiction

[shadowxamyweek]

Is Shadow being immortal canon? I thought it was just a generally accepted headcanon by the fandom

...Yes?

The pause and questionmark are not directed at you, they are directed at Sega.

I confess, I'm a bit of a stickler for what lore I consider canon. If it's in the games, it's canon to me. If it's anything outside of the games, including the game manuals themselves... then it's not.

I have such a narrow-bracket view of the story and these characters due to two things:

1: There seems to be a disconnect between the different 'branches' of the Sonic Franchise. There's the Shadow we see in games, there's the Shadow we see in marketing and social media (like Twitter Takeover), There's the Shadow we see in IDW, and then there is the Shadow we see Sega write about in character profiles like on Sonic Chanel and the official Sonic the Hedgehog website. This exists with all the characters to a degree, but I feel Shadow presents an egregious case of it. 2: Sega has a tendency to retcon things or change their language or act like stuff didn't happen and... I don't like it XD But they can't change games that have already been published and played. As such, to me, in-game dialog/play/story/etc is the crowning jewel of truth within the Sonic story.

But that these are *my* paramaters. They do not have to be *your* parameters.

So while there hasn't been any mention of immortality *in game*, there has been plenty *outside* of it. Lots of different official Sega sources say Shadow is 'immortal', but no examples or specifications have been provided in game. There's also plenty of times the whole 'immortality' portion is omitted. Most noticeably, it's not mentioned in the Sonic Channel character profile, nor the character profile provided on the official Sonic the Hedgehog website. At best, it is mentioned intermittently in game manuals and external sources.

(And I know we see Shadow in stasis in 06- I'm aware- but I'll also point out we don't know *when* he went into stasis. Furthermore, I cannot help but wonder if, much like Black Doom in SHtH, Mephiles took a portion of truth and twisted it to scare Shadow. (Also, like.... Shadow was under such heavy security when GUN put him down for an ice nap the first time. Why would they just leave him out and about like was shown in 06? I doubt the truth of what Mephiles shows Shadow.))

I actually reached out to @squid-in-a-party-hat, @fyeahsonicthehedgehog (x), and @forgottensonicfacts (x), as well as some friends of mine like @shadamyheadcanons for help collecting information to provide you with as well-rounded answer/opinion as I can. In fact, Squid has a video on this very subject XD They do a great job of weaving together all the different types of canon (comic, anime, social media, etc) so if that's how you prefer to operate, I really, really recommend them.

Anyway, Here are some game manual examples in chronological order.

SA2 (2001):

Sonic Heros (2003):

And...I want to take a moment to show something interesting between the original Japanese and the English translation. The japanese translation says 'unaging and undying' which gives us narrower guidelines, but the Heros profile is the only time I've seen that.

Shadow the Hedgehog (2005):

Which OUT OF ALL OF THEM you'd think it would be mentioned in his title game but like... *gestures*

Sonic 06 (2006):

Sonic and Mario at the Olympic Games (2020):

Then there are these online examples, stemming from both Sonic Chanel and the Sonic the Hedgehog Website. They are both officially owned and operated by Sega/Sonic Team. Note they don't mention his age or the immortality at all.

Sonic Chanel, 2007:

Sonic Chanel, 2010:

Sonic Chanel, 2022:

This is the character profile put up on the Sonic the Hedgehog website 2024, separate from Sonic Channel but still official.

(In talking to @forgottensonicfacts- I had asked about times Shadow had been called 'ageless' or '50.' Turns out the 'ageless' bit was written in a Scholastic's book and, so far as anyone has found.. there is no official mention of Shadow being listed as '50 years old.' I had been so sure it had been officially listed at one point in time. Really glad to be wrong on that one, frankly, because that would have been daft XD)

So this is what we have about Shadow's 'immortality' that has been put out by Sega themselves. Not the comics, not the media team, just Sega/Sonic Team.

Now... this is where I pick apart that word 'Immortal' and broaden the scope a bit.

Not to be 'that bastard,' but I popped on to the Oxford Dictionary just to get a concrete definition for you and they define the adjective use of the word as being, "living forever; never dying or decaying."

1- Shadow's already almost died. He *would* have died were it not for Eggman saving his sorry ass. We know this. It's a whole-ass plot point in his story because it's due to this he ends up with amnesia.

2- Even though Gerald was tinkering with immortality, that doesn't mean he succeeded. We also don't know how that immortality would look/work/act like.

3- In Sonic Battle (for Gameboy), several of the characters have a healing ability. Shadow is one of them. However, Shadow's healing ability is one of if not *the worst in the game.* Also, in the story itself, he get shot and is down for the count *for a while*.

4- We have not seen any of the characters physically change in game save for the big age up/design shift that happened when Sonic went 3d in Adventure. As such, we cannot personally test/see whether or not Shadow goes through any changes at all, be them aging or just changes to their body.

So... all in all... I feel this leaves a huge amount of room for interpretation.

Maybe Shadow isn't immortal after all. Nothing spectacular, it's just that portion of the Ultimate Life Form project didn't succeed.

Maybe the 'immortality' is his healing factor, and it needs to willfully be employed. As such, if Shadow WANTS to age, they need to intentionally and willfully allow themselves to do so by NOT employing the healing factor.

Maybe the 'immortality', being the healing factor, can wear down/slow down over time, especially due to overuse.

Maybe Shadow can live forever barring any really traumatic physical harm, but their body will physically change over time.

Maybe Shadow is immortal like how Oxford puts it, but there is a way to stop that perminantly if they so choose (like genetic therapy).

Maybe Shadow is immortal in the sense that they will never physically age, grow, or change. Ever.

Truthfully, that's pretty cool! Like, this gives people a lot of stuff to work with and play around with, compare notes, talk- that's the fun part of fandom! And no singular person is right! @shadamyheadcanons has this one that's fun. I personally like the idea that Shadow's 'immortality' wears down over time and gets weird, causing their Black Arms genetics to kick off (like a third eye ooooough gimmie gimmie gimmie.)

I don't know if this was the answer you were looking for. Perhaps I've just confused things further- I've been known to do that XD

Ultimately, what I'm trying to say is- it's whatever you want it to be, and nobody can stop you <3 So go have fun!

#shadow the hedgehog #shth #sonic #sega #anon #ask #op rambles #lore #thoughts #I'm sorry it took so long to get back to you #There's been a lot going on- but I really wanted to give you as well rounded an answer as I possibly could

[fernsnailz]

i love reading your sonic loreposts i was wondering if you could please explain archie charmy to me, i have heard stuff and i am so curious but i am not a comics in general kinda person. the lsd poisoned friend or the brain damage literally just anything that happens to him your pick

hi anon i’m just going to go over everything that happens to archie charmy pre-reboot so i hopefully never have to talk about it after this. i'm sorry i'm so so sorry

Archie Charmy is subject to a lot of controversy and discussion because despite his limited role in the comics, he goes through some of the most batshit insane character and plot beats in the whole series (and that you’ve already mentioned). I’ll be skimming over some of the more boring parts, but the wild stuff I'll go pretty in-depth with.

I’ll also be attempting to explain WHY all of this happens to Charmy Bee of all characters, taking into account the context of the story, what was happening behind the scenes in the writer’s room, and even comic trends in general. I want to try and keep away from the very reactionary “wow archie sonic is sooooo crazy” discussion that happens around this stuff and hopefully provide a little more useful analysis. i talk about comic PSAs for a while so be warned

There are some very, very important content warnings that are coming with Archie Charmy lore: warning for non-consensual drug use and overdose (specifically LSD), child death, genocide, implied ableism, memory loss, implied age regression, breif homophobia mention (not related to charmy)

this is going to be a very long one. charmy lore under the cut

INTRODUCTION - CHAOTIX

Charmy Bee’s first appearance in Archie Sonic is in the Knuckles’ Chaotix special, which adapts the first game he appeared in. This issue introduces the entire Chaotix cast (six new characters) in a mere four pages, so Charmy doesn’t make much of an impression other than “bee who likes to explore and adventure.” He lacks that annoying little brother personality that he has in most Sonic media, and he’ll often speak with language that feels extremely out of character for the Charmy that most people know.

This is because this version of Charmy is based off of his character description from the Knuckles’ Chaotix game manual. Despite the series being based off of the video game franchise, the Archie Sonic writers were often given very little information about upcoming game releases from SEGA when they were asked to adapt them into the comics. Often they had to go digging for the canonical materials themselves - for example, the only way they were able to adapt Sonic Adventure into the comics is because Patrick Spaziante (one of the comic’s artists) had a Japanese version of the game that he bought himself. They had no English translation and zero guidance from SEGA, so they had to attempt to piece the story together without SEGA's help. This was the case with most of the game adaptations, and it was honestly a miracle that they had access to the manual for Knuckles’ Chaotix at all.

There’s just one problem: the manual for Knuckles’ Chaotix describes a version of Charmy that is very, very different from the one we know of today. It describes a 16-year old that is… sophisticated?

(sorry for the low quality, there aren't many images of the manual. also fun fact, there was no age for Charmy listed in the original Japanese manual)

Charmy's differing age and personality will lead to many, many problems, as the writers decided to give the “sophisticated” Charmy darker stories. This brings us to the Knuckles the Echidna mini-series.

The Knuckles mini-series is. Bad. Charmy Bee is certainly there for the first few issues (as are most of the Chaotix), but he doesn’t get much focus until issue 13.

I don’t know how to put this in a way that doesn’t sound extremely blunt: This is the issue where Charmy’s best friend overdoses on LSD and dies.

PART 1 - MELLO

Charmy's best friend is named Mello Bee. This is his first and last appearance in the series.

Mello started feeling strange on their return trip from Happyland, a sketchy theme park that recently reopened under new management. Charmy isn't sure why Mello died, but Constable Reminton (essentially the sheriff of Echidnopolis) reveals that there have been a series of cases similar to Mello's - cases where people were suffering from… Lemon Sundrop Dandelion poisoning.

The Chaotix go to Happyland to see if they can find the source of the poisoning, but what they don't know is that it's actually laced into the food. The manager of Happyland, Renfield T. Rodent, has been lacing the park's chili dogs with LSD in hopes of making everyone addicted to them. However, the amount of LSD he's been putting into the food is too much for most people to handle. This is probably the most insane paragraph I've had to write for one of these loreposts

Unknown to the Chaotix, they all start eating the chili dogs during their investigation (except for Julie-Su and Knuckles, who is absent) and start tripping balls.

Continuing the story into issue 14, Charmy’s LSD trip reveals that he’s actually the prince of a bee colony and has been running away from his responsibilities as a member of the royal family.

Charmy is knocked out for the rest of this arc as he goes through his trip - they have to operate on him and some other stuff happens I guess (Julie-Su gets thrown off of a roof, Knuckles fights some guys in a desert, Vector is a misogynist, stuff like that). At the end of issue 15, Charmy learns from his trip and returns to his family, temporarily leaving the Chaotix to return to his royal duties. Mello's family and his all mourn Mello's death and bury him back at their home.

So. What was the fucking point of all that

In the long-term, Charmy returning home to his family essentially writes him out of the story for a while. Knuckles the Echidna issue 15 released in 1998, and Charmy doesn't really return until 2001. While I'm not entirely sure what the reason for this was, there were so many members of the Chaotix that I honestly think this was an okay decision.

However, there's one very important question left to answer: Why was LSD and a drug overdose included in this arc at all?

When I first read this arc, I had a burning thought that I couldn't get out of my mind:

PART 1.5 - wait is this an anti-drug PSA?

(if you want to avoid me talking in-depth about the abilities of LSD and my ramble about comic PSAs for a while, you can skip to PART 2 where I continue the Charmy lore)

Comic PSAs (Public Service Announcements) and propaganda are a fundamental part of the medium’s history, whether it be to aid their country’s war efforts, give health information to their readers, or warn kids about the dangers of drug abuse. While a comic being used as a PSA isn’t inherently a bad thing, it’s usually VERY obvious. One of the most interesting ones I've found is a PSA that features Green Lantern debunking misinformation about the AIDS crisis. The image quality isn’t great, but the comic doesn’t hold back when talking about how the AIDS crisis is spreading homophobic ideology - if you read this, you know it’s a PSA and you know what message it’s trying to send. Sometimes propaganda can be subtle, but PSAs are usually loud.

(cw: homophobia)

This is why anti-drug PSAs are so common and so remembered - they’re over the top, they’re blunt (lol), and they have a very specific message they’re trying to send. For example, there’s an issue of New Teen Titans from 1983 that introduce a character called the Protector to teach kids about drug awareness where the issue literally starts with the Teen Titans in an auditorium telling kids about a dangerous drug. This issue also includes some bad trip imagery, and it’s uh… honestly i kinda love this

Anti-drug PSAs usually don’t work for this very reason - showing how a drug affects fictional characters can increase interest in the substance, and a single superhero telling someone to stop smoking is not going to break someone’s addiction.

So. Is Knuckles the Echidna issues 13-15 an anti-drug PSA?

Probably not, but if it is it’s doing a fucking terrible job of it

Some of the main factors of a PSA are the information it's presenting, the opinion it wants the consumer to develop, and the bluntness of its presentation. While this part of the Knuckles series is certainly over the top, the rest of these factors are really muddy. First, anti-drug PSAs usually don’t create a fake drug to replace the one they’re advising against. An anti-weed campaign will just tell you that weed is bad because that’s the opinion it wants you to walk away with. So when Knuckles issue 13 introduces a substance called “Lemon Sundrop Dandelion” and never actually refers to it as LSD, it’s less of a message about “drug bad” and more just a sly nudge and wink that goes “hey you see that? yeah, that’s drug.”

Then there’s the problem that there isn’t really much of a lesson to be had from these issues regarding drug use. Yes, Mello dies horrifically of an overdose, but most of the cast is able to walk off the trip like it’s nothing. Charmy needs to be operated on, but the doctors literally treat it like it’s fucking NOTHING

he's literally talking about how he told a patient that couldn't afford surgery to go to the butcher like HUH?????

In fact, Charmy’s trip seems to help him in the long run - he’s forced to face his past, and eventually returns to his family because of the literal guilt trip he has. It’s a fundamental part of his character arc.

This isn’t to say that I wish these issues were explicitly drug PSAs - I bring all of this up because these issues were released in 1998, in an era where the anti-drug movement was arguably at its peak. The people working on these comics would KNOW its content is similar to and even promotes the anti-drug movement. While I don't consider these issues to be an anti-drug PSA, they can definitely serve as anti-drug propaganda.

With this in mind, considering Knuckles the Echidna as a form of propaganda really opens up how utterly terrible these issues are. These comics can be genuinely harmful pieces of anti-drug propaganda because the way they use LSD to advance they plot is untrue to how the drug actually works and relies entirely on fear mongering. While LSD can be laced into other substances like drinks, it probably wouldn't last long in cooked meat - LSD usually degrades at higher temperatures, and telling comic readers that they need to be afraid of LSD-laced fair food is fucking stupid and likely based on false urban legends. Not only that, but Renfield T. Rodent’s plot to addict everyone to his LSD chili dogs is also fucking stupid because LSD is not considered an addictive substance. It can be extremely dangerous at high or multiple doses, but LSD does not normally lead to compulsive use.

I don’t talk about all of this to be a cinemasins guy or to nitpick a comic from 1998, and I also don't want to imply that PSAs can't spread lies and misinformation (anti-drug PSAs famously over-exaggerate things). I bring all of this up to show an ineffective and possibly dangerous use of something that could be considered anti-drug propaganda. Spreading blatantly untrue information and placing false fears into a reader’s mind is truly incompetent on the writer’s behalf, especially considering that this comic was targeted at kids. And that’s not even mentioning that there’s barely any moral to all of this. There’s no lesson and they never talk about this again.

Do I think this was all intentional on the behalf of the writers? I have no idea. I have no goddamn idea what they were thinking with this one, and I honestly don't think much thought was put into this arc at all. Maybe this was a strange attempt to make a Sonic-themed anti-drug PSA, maybe they were just inspired by the drug PSAs of their time when writing this, or maybe they just did not care. I don't know man. Anti-drug propaganda is stupid and it doesn't work and these comics drive me crazy

alright enough of that. let's talk about genocide

PART 2 - SAFFRON

don’t worry this part will be shorter (cheering and clapping)

Like I mentioned a while back, Charmy is essentially written out of the story for a while after the Mello incident. While living in the Golden Hive Colony, he reunites with another friend, Saffron Bee. Saffron becomes Charmy’s girlfriend, and they’re together for basically the rest of the comic. Usually if Charmy shows up, Saffron is there too.

(image of Charmy and Saffron I stole from... the Shipping Wiki??)

They eventually return to help Chaos Knuckles, a green version of Knuckles who is uh. Kinda going through it. Not much important Charmy lore needs to be discussed here, but some of his actions do eventually lead to him creating a genocidal villain that will cause many problems later. Don’t worry about it.

Things are quiet for a while for Charmy and Saffron. That is, until Eggman attacks their colony and wipes out most of its population.

Charmy and Saffron are the only survivors we see from the Golden Hive Colony. Eggman transforms the colony into a new base and traps its residents in an invention of his called the Egg Grapes - basically, he puts Mobians in these little pods that sap all of their life force, powering his empire. Most people do not survive the Egg Grapes.

The two bees return to join the Chaotix for a little while, and the rest of the Chaotix confirm that the Golden Hive Colony and its residents are truly gone. Espio destroys what’s left of the colony so Eggman can’t use it as a base, and no other survivors from the colony are found.

So. yeah what the fuck

Archie Sonic is known to have a LOT of characters - I’ve talked about the sheer number of echidnas the series has before, but there are a lot of characters that have massive extended families. The arc where Mello died introduced like eight new bee characters, but most of them were background characters that didn’t need to stick around.

Most people cite writer Ian Flynn’s debut to the series as when a lot of these unneeded/background characters were written out or killed off, and I agree since one of his objectives as a writer was to tighten up the story. However, the trend of “Archie background characters getting killed off or written out” started a little bit before he joined the team. There’s the destruction of the Golden Hive, and many echidnas in this arc suffer from the horrors of war - a number die off after Charmy and Saffron rejoin the Chaotix. yeah it's kinda fucked up

This is the second major arc where Charmy has lost people close to him - first Mello, and now his entire family and kingdom. The same goes for Saffron - they only have each other left. I mean the Chaotix are also there but still, trauma is trauma

How could it get any worse?

PART 3 - CHARMY

Remember how Archie Charmy is based off of the Knuckles’ Chaotix manual? The one that said he was sophisticated and 16?

This is about to cause a few problems.

At this point, it’s around 2007. The Knuckles’ Chaotix manual is terribly outdated, and most versions of Charmy within canon are 6 year-old kids. Charmy is known to be the annoying comedic relief, which is the exact opposite from how he’s portrayed in Archie Sonic.

So when SEGA asked writer Ian Flynn to change Archie Sonic to be like his video game counterpart, the solution was uh. well. it could have been handled better

Like how he obliterated the Golden Hive Colony, Eggman’s next target to destroy is Knothole, the city where Sonic and the Freedom Fighters all live. It’s a surprise to all of the residents, and he manages to teleport most of the population into his Egg Grapes. Before Sonic can save them, Eggman singles out Charmy to be used as an example of how the Egg Grapes work.

Sonic and friends manage to get Charmy out, but not before the damage is already done. In the limited amount of time the Grape sapped his life force, Charmy’s memory was partially wiped and personality changed forever. After this, Charmy has very little memory of the Golden Hive Colony at all, only seeming to remember Saffron and his friends. His becomes much more child-like, similar to his game counterpart.

the fucking sigh i just sighed

For clarification, Charmy is still 16. The only thing that was altered was his mind, with the intention to make his personality more in-line with his goofy video game counterpart. The problem is that giving a character brain damage to turn them into a comedic relief character is fucked up and unintentionally ableist.

This is something that writer Ian Flynn identified pretty early and openly regrets (I’m not sure what the source of that statement is, I’m assuming an episode of Bumblekast but I’m don’t know which one. I’ll edit this if I find it). Because of this, he mostly kept Charmy out of any comedic situations for the rest of the series. Charmy has a very limited role in the series after this until the reboot, only appearing sporadically and in one Sonic Universe arc. When he does show up, his childish demeanor is usually met with the patience of the Chaotix and their sad expressions.

Although the intention was to make Archie Charmy more like his game counterpart, in practice I honestly think this action only made Archie Charmy even MORE distant from his game character. From the Egg Grape incident to the reboot, Archie Charmy’s trauma never leaves my mind and leaves me feeling strangely hollow.

CONCLUSION - WHAT THE FUCK

I find the Archie Sonic series unfathomably fascinating. While I love the series, I can’t deny that most of the events I went over are poorly handled by the writing team and leave the series with such a strange legacy. With Archie Sonic, it’s often incredibly easy to see the biases of the writers and how they affect the characters and stories, leading to some genuinely fucked up moments that could have easily been avoided in my opinion.

Archie Charmy was really one of the characters that got it the worst, but it's honestly so strange that all of this happened to him specifically. The fact that all of this shit happens to a silly little bee is so, so Archie Sonic to me. Charmy is such a simple character to understand - he's a funny kid who's kinda annoying and hard to handle. So when I look back and see the 3,000+ words I just wrote about Archie Charmy... fucking hell why did i do that

In conclusion. I am sorry and do not become a comics person

thanks for reading if you got this far. as always let me know if i need to tag any other content warnings or if there was anything i got wrong! alright good night tristate area

#PLEASE read all of the content warnings before opening the pandora's box of charmy lore #this one's a hell of a read i am so sorry #sonic loreposting #cw drug use #cw overdose #cw child death #cw genocide #cw ableism #cw memory loss #cw age regression #i actually really enjoyed talking about comic psas and propaganda its very interesting to me #long post

[oddygaul]

Tunic

Tunic is clearly inspired by, and aims to recreate, the sense of mystery you have when playing games as a child - you don’t quite know the rules of the medium, you believe anything is possible, and you approach the world of the game with a mindset of curiosity, learning, and awe.

Wonder is a tricky emotion to capture in art; you have to strike the perfect balance of revealing enough to pique a viewer’s curiosity, to get their mind racing to try and fill in gaps and explore possibilities, but not revealing so much that you set hard boundaries and begin to limit the space. I think this is especially true for games. As a child*, games are a land of endless wonder, because you simply haven’t played that many of them. As far as you know, anything is possible: you’re not thinking of things like invisible walls, skyboxes, AI routines, limited possible player actions - you just feel like you’re exploring a virtual world. As you get older, unless a game is really pushing boundaries, or you’re dabbling in a genre you’re totally unfamiliar with, your brain starts to apply time-tested heuristics to understand what you’re looking at: what was once a vast, sweeping city teeming with life, residents and lit-up windows becomes a bunch of big empty rectangles which you know likely can’t even be entered. Now, part of this seen-it-all sensation is likely also due to games as a medium maturing, and certain techniques and design philosophies becoming standards rather than innovations; mostly, though, I think it’s getting older, having more experiences under your belt, and the loss of novelty.

*As someone first getting into gaming, I should say, whenever that may be.

All that to say, it’s an incredible feat when someone can create something that inspires those feelings in even a hard-hearted 30-year old, and Tunic joins the hallowed ranks of Outer Wilds and Return of the Obra Dinn in succeeding in that task for me. There’s a lot of overlap in the techniques these games use to accomplish this feeling:

A lack of overt directions / instructions on where to go and what to do

Trust that the player will pay attention, take time to think about what they’ve seen and read, then draw their own conclusions and make their own decisions

A more open-ended game structure that allows for a player to follow up on what interests them most

Perhaps most importantly, as mentioned before, that exact balance of knowledge and mystery to set a player’s head spinning, while leaving them hungry to explore & learn more. Each of these games has different solutions that create this information gap. In Obra Dinn, it’s the passage of time leaving you only able to pick up the pieces of what happened; in Outer Wilds, it’s the passage of time combined with the vastness of space. In Tunic, it’s not being able to fucking read.

As someone who’s spent the past 15-odd years more and less successfully trying to learn Japanese, Tunic’s manual system perfectly nailed how it feels to bumble through a piece of media that’s not in your native language. Particularly, Japanese has a weird thing about it where one of the alphabets (katakana) is primarily used for loanwords, and it’s perfectly phonetic. This means that as soon as you learn that set of characters, even if you know hardly any Japanese vocabulary or grammar, you can often pick out one or two intelligible words from amidst the sea of kanji - and usually end up more confused than you were before, because the English that gets used for loanwords is often fucking wild. If you haven’t had that experience but have played Tunic, it’s literally the exact feeling as opening a page of the manual and seeing: “?????, ??????????????. ????? THE POWER TO DEFY DEATH ?????, ??????!” or “???? ????? ?????? THE HEIR ????, ????????. ????? HOLY CROSS ????, ?????.” Just say ホーリークロス!  ザ・エア!! in your best JoJo voice and you’ve pretty much got it.

Of course, Tunic’s real strength is that it manages to provide that sense of wonder from a multitude of fronts, with clever design and storytelling around every corner. Some of my personal favorite touches:

When you first get (well, figure out how to use) the warp ability, and it immediately lets you warp to areas you have no context for, like the Heir's arena with the giant floating sword, or the closed-off chamber in the Ziggurat

The repeated iconography that you don't question when you initially see it, but which becomes more unsettling with each new instance. The first time you see a Here Lies the Hero gravestone, it makes sense; this must be where the fabled Hero was interred. After seeing like, the 4th gravestone with the exact same statue and epitaph, though...**

After spending hours in-game searching across the entire map for the RGB keys, you trek back to the temple in the overworld, slot them into place, the vast rings sink down, and... nothing happens, the world around doesn't seem to react in any way, and nothing pops up to indicate where you should go next. Love it.

Getting to the Cathedral, seeing the sacred carvings of what appear to be eldritch tentacle monsters, and having no fucking idea how that ties into anything - if that's not a Bloodborne reference, I don't know what is.

**I had a similar ominous, growing feeling with the decoy items that look exactly like your little fox. At first, due to my Gamer Knowledge™, I didn’t question it - surely this is just using my character’s design to make its gameplay role clear, right? By the time I was at the Ziggurat, though, walking through chambers full of writhing, captive foxes, it didn’t feel so harmless finding a little me-shaped doll locked up in a chest.

I think it’s great that even after beating the game and seeking out all the secret content, you’re still left with lots of questions and just enough answers for your own headcanon to start coalescing. Personally, my conclusion is that the denizens of this universe learned they were in not just a simulation, but a game, which is why all of their religious iconography looks the way it does. The obelisks, with their RGB symbol prominently featured, indicate the nature of their reality; the Holy Cross is a technique developed by devotees and scholars that found a way to alter the fabric of their own plane using the sacred geometry of the controller's d-pad. Sure, at its core it’s basically a video game becoming aware it’s a video game - which, you know, has been done a thousand times - but the supremely cryptic, desolate nature of this story just makes it hit different.

I certainly had my issues with Tunic from a gameplay standpoint. Design-wise, it bothered me that a lot of the level knowledge you learn in this knowledge game is map shortcuts and hidden passageways - only for those shortcuts to be removed in the second half of the game, i.e. right when it would actually be useful again. Also, I was not a fan of the combat. I dunno how to explain it other than just bad gamefeel. Your character’s controls feel relatively loose and clumsy, yet all the bosses can leap across the arena with no endlag, all while having five times your reach. At first, the unforgiving nature of the combat managed to make the world feel hostile and alien, like in a good Souls game, but by the halfway point I was just fed up with the overly punishing fights and wanting to get back to the parts I actually enjoyed. Fortunately, the game does have accessibility options, so I just turned the combat slider down and didn’t look back.

Anyway, while those slight misgivings stop it from being one of my all-time favorites, Tunic is still an incredible game. Years from now, I’m not going to think about my frustration with the lazy boss gauntlet - I’m going to remember the night I spent with my partner decoding The Golden Path, frantically scribbling on pieces of paper like lunatics and awed at the secrets that had been sitting right under our noses since the very beginning.

#will's media thoughts / virtual brain repository #games #tunic #tunic game

[somasoa]

The Family of the Hero: A Thorough Analysis of the Canonical Bloodline Shared by Every Link in the Legend of Zelda Series - Part 1 of 2

Notes before reading:

First, this is a very long essay. If you would like a basic summary of the Knights of Hyrule, the family that all Links are canonically born from, it will be provided at the bottom of this piece. However, all of the quotes and their sources will be provided throughout the larger article, not the summary. If you disagree with anything in the summary, I would ask you to look over the full article and find where it is mentioned alongside its in-game textual evidence before disputing it.

Second, there are several other potential Knights of Hyrule references and mentions throughout the series that are not discussed here. I intentionally left them out because I wanted to focus on the most important connections to the Knights of Hyrule and the appearances of the Knights and the techniques, characters, and lore pertaining to them. This was done so as to best illustrate an overall view on what the Knights of Hyrule are and how they appear in the series. I intend to create addendums that will look at each game individually and the possible Knights of Hyrule connections they have in the future.

All of the in-game text utilized is from the most recent incarnations of each specific entry.

Special thanks to: Sidier, ymcan64, hwrdjacob, Chateau LonLon, Sean D. Walsh, Lady Sophie, Rinkuto, Ciaroon, and the members of the Cloudmodding Discord server.

—

When most people think of the magical families of the The Legend of Zelda series, they think of the bloodline of the Royal Family, started by the mortal incarnation of the Goddess Hylia, or the bloodlines passed between certain groups of Sages. However, there’s an important bloodline that is often left out of these discussions: the bloodline of the Knights of Hyrule. This is the bloodline that every Link in the series comes from. Contrary to the popular belief that Link doesn’t share a bloodline, all Links stem from the Knights of Hyrule, and thus every Link is a blood relative of each other, even if distantly. To shed light on this topic, I would like to go step by step chronologically through the series by release date and discuss the appearances and mentions of the Knights of Hyrule. Let’s start with the first game that they are ever mentioned in: The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, specifically following the updated text from the Game Boy Advance remake and the manual from the original release. 

A Link to the Past

The manual briefly touches on what it refers to as just The Order of Knights (騎士団), stating that, when evil began to flow forth from the Sacred Realm, the King of Hyrule summoned forth the Seven Sages as well as the Order of Knights in tandem to seal away this great evil. 

ハイラル王は、ハイラルに住む七人の賢者達と騎士団を呼び、悪の原因を封印するよう命じました。

The king of Hyrule sent for the seven sages living in Hyrule, and the Order of Knights, and ordered them to seal the source of evil.

Manual (A Link to the Past) Translated by Johan

In a great battle, The Order of Knights used their bodies as shields, sacrificing themselves to protect the Sages, who were working to seal the entrance to the Sacred Realm. They succeeded, but at a great cost - The Order of Knights were all but wiped out, with only a handful of them remaining. The manual then says that this conflict - which would come to be known as the Imprisoning War, or, in the Japanese release, the Seal War (封印戦争) - would be passed down through history, along with the sacrifices made by the The Order of Knights in that war. 

多くの犠牲をはらったこの戦いは、「封印戦争」として後世に語り継がれています。

The many sacrifices paid in this fight would be known as the "Seal War" in the future ages.

Manual (A Link to the Past) Translated by Johan

The game proves the manual right, as the Knights are mentioned multiple times throughout A Link to the Past, where they are most often referred to as the Knight’s Family (ナイトの一族). The first mention of the Knight’s Family is at the beginning of the game - as Link’s uncle lay dying in the secret entrance to Hyrule Castle, he informs Link with his last breath of the technique passed down through the Knight’s Family - the Spin Attack, or the Spinning Slash (回転斬り).

ナイトの一族に伝わる剣の秘術 お前に... さずけよう。 よくきけ...Bボタンを押し続け 剣に力をためる. ボタンをはな した時、その力が現れる.

I will teach you the secret sword skill, passed down through the Knight’s Family.... Listen carefully. Hold down the B button. When you release the button, the power will be unleashed.

Link’s Uncle (A Link to the Past) - Translated by Sidier

However, we don’t get a thorough description of the Knight’s Family until after acquiring the Pendant of Courage at the Eastern Palace. At this point, Sahasrahla, a descendant of the Seven Sages, gives us a lot of information pertaining to the Knights: 

おお、なんと『勇気の紋章』を 手に入れたか...。 では、ワシの 知っている話を教えよう。

その昔ハイリアの王家を守り つねにその盾となるかくこを 持った者たちがおった。彼らは、 ナイトの一族と呼ばれ 勇気の紋章を司り、剣をもって その意をつくしたのじゃ そして、大きなわざわいが王家 をおそう時、ナイトの一族から 勇者が現れるとも伝えられた。

Oh, you have obtained the Crest of Courage.... Now, let me tell you a story I know. Long ago, there was a group of men who protected the Royalty of Hylia. They were called the Knight's Family. They bore the Crest of Courage and expressed their feelings through swordsmanship. It was said that when great evil befell the Royal Family, a Hero would be born from the Knight’s Family.

Sahasrahla (A Link to the Past) - Translated by Sidier

What Sahasrahla tells us here is a basic summary of the Knight’s Family - long ago, the Knight’s Family protected the Royal Family of Hyrule, and it was this very same bloodline that the Hero would emerge from whenever disaster would waylay the Royal Family. However, during the Imprisoning War, most of them were wiped out, and thus it was believed the Hero would never appear again. What this tells us is that Link, the Hero, in every iteration, stems from this bloodline, meaning all Links can tie their lineage back to the Knight’s Family. This is further established by the Maiden who Link rescues from Skull Woods, who says the following:

「大いなる災い」の 予言は知っていますか？ 私は、こう聞いています もし、悪しき心を持つ者が トライフォースを手にしたなら いずこかに「勇者」が必ず現れ この「大いなる災い」の元となる者を打つだろう しかし、「勇者」が倒れた時は 悪しき心に世界は、覆われてしまうであろう、と そう、「勇者」になれるのは ハイリアの王家を守っていた ナイトの一族だけのはず あなたには、その血が流れて いたのね。では、ナイトであり 勇者であるあなたにお願いです 必ず、ゼルダ姫を救い出して 下さい。そして、悪しき心の者 を討ち果たして下さいね！

Do you know the prophecy of the "Great Calamity?” This is what I was told: If an evil one wereto lay their hands on the Triforce, the Hero will appear somewhere and defeat the harbingerof the "Great Calamity.” But if the Hero were to fail in their quest, the world would be shrouded in evil. Yes. Only one of the Knights that protected the Royal Family can become the Hero, which means that you're a blood descendant of the Knights. Please, brave Knight and Hero, Rescue Princess Zelda, and defeat the foe with an evil heart!

Skull Woods Maiden (A Link to the Past) - Translated by Sidier

With this, she further corroborates what Sahasrahla states about how the Hero appears from within the Knight’s Family. She also expands on the circumstances of the Hero appearing, revealing that the Hero is destined to appear from the Knight’s Family when an evil hearted individual gets the Triforce. Something of significance to point out is also that, in her last line, she refers to Link as a “Knight.” This means that to be a member of the Knight’s Family and have the title of Knight, you do not have to officially have a vocational role as an actual knight; merely being a member of the Knight’s Family is enough to possess that title.

While this would otherwise be the end of the general context provided by A Link to the Past on the Knights of Hyrule, the Game Boy Advance remake actually adds a side quest involving the lumberjacks who live west of Death Mountain. Upon completion of this side quest, and speaking to Q. Bumpkin, he has this to say: 

よう,リンク!こたえはわかったかい?どれどれ、カゴを見せてみなうわ一つ、正解だぁ!ままま、 まいった! あんたには まいった!あんたにはかなわねエーや。さいごにおいらの家に伝わる秘密の剣のワザを教えるよ。

Hey, Link! Did you find the answer? Let's see the basket. Oh, no, no, no, no! You got me! You're the greatest! Now, I'm going to teach you our family's secret sword technique as a parting gift.

Q. Bumpkin (A Link to the Past) - Translated by Sidier

He teaches Link a sword technique that he describes as being passed down in his family. While it goes unnamed in the game itself, in the Nintendo Official Guidebook: The Legend of Zelda: The Triforce of the Gods & Four Swords (任天堂公式ガイドブック ゼルダの伝説 神々のトライフォース&4コの剣), published by Shogakukan, we get this excerpt: 

敵とのバトルで最も多用するのが剣。基本ワザは以下の4種類だが、ほかに 「4つの剣」と連動した"大回転斬り"というワザもある(くわしくはP171)。

Swords are used most frequently in battles with enemies. There are the following four basic moves, but there is also a move called the "Great Spinning Slash" that is linked to the "Four Swords" (see p. 171 for details).

Shogakukan Guidebook - Translated by Sidier

(Note: While I am hesitant to use anything outside of the games or manuals as evidence, the Great Spinning Slash (大回転斬り) is consistently used as the name for the sword technique going forward and will appear multiple times across future entries. Therefore, I believe it is appropriate to use the guidebook as a source for the name in this instance.) 

Link can use this technique to perform continuous Spin Attacks multiple times, though it will drain Link’s magic. Because of the Bumpkin family’s sword technique being a variation on the Spin Attack, which as established earlier is passed down through the Knight’s Family, it is very likely that the Bumpkin household is also related by blood to the Knight’s Family, and its members are descendants of the few knights who managed to survive the Imprisoning War,  just like Link and his uncle.

With this, the Knight’s Family as shown in A Link to the Past can best be summarized as follows: The Knight’s Family are a bloodline of knights that served the Royal Family of Hyrule. From their bloodline, the Hero would appear whenever disaster would waylay the Royal Family, or when an evil person had acquired the Triforce. Passed down amongst them were certain sword techniques, such as the Spin Attack and the Hurricane Spin. In the Imprisoning War, their numbers significantly dwindled, but their bloodline lives on through their descendants, with their skills and techniques surviving alongside them.

Link’s Awakening

The Knight’s Family is only briefly mentioned in Link’s Awakening, in a book in Mabe Village’s library. It informs the player of how to perform the Spin Attack.

ある一族の血を引く者だけに伝わる秘剣がある Bを押し続けて力をためろ! たまったらボタンをはなすのだ!

There is a secret sword technique that has been passed down only to those with the blood of a certain family. Keep pressing B to save your power! Release the button when it's full!

Mabe Village Library Book (Link’s Awakening) - Translated by Sidier

This tells us more of what we already learned in A Link to the Past; the Spin Attack is a technique passed down by a certain family, which as we know is the Knight’s Family. Otherwise, there is nothing else of substance to really focus on in Link’s Awakening, if it weren’t for the 2019 Nintendo Switch remake.

The 2019 remake the design of Link’s shield to instead be that of the Hylian Shield, a shield that would be formally introduced in the series in The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. Keep that in mind as we move onto that entry and discuss its connections to the Knight’s Family.

Ocarina of Time

The most substantial connection this game has to the Knight’s Family is in the form of the Hylian Shield. The description provided by the Bazaar Owner states the following:

ハイリアの盾（たて）　８０ルピー ハイリアの騎士が持つ　大きな盾。 炎攻撃を　防ぐ。

Hylian Shield 80 Rupees - Hylian Knight's large shield. It protects against fire attacks.

Bazaar (Ocarina of Time) - Translated by Sidier

This establishes that the Hylian Shields are utilized by the Hylian Knights (ハイリアの騎士). While technically the Knight’s Family aren’t explicitly mentioned by name, future entries will further clarify that members of the Knight’s Family - primarily the various Heroes in the series - are the ones who are associated with using the Hylian Shield, which also explains why Link’s Awakening retroactively makes Link’s shield, which he acquired from his uncle, a version of the Hylian Shield.

 In summary, this is the first game in the series that associates the Knight’s Family - who in this specific entry are just referred to as Hylian Knights - with the Hylian Shield. 

Majora's Mask

In Majora’s Mask, we see the appearance of a strange new shield, which is referred to as the Hero’s Shield. Visually, it very clearly is intended to be a kind of Hylian Shield, and was likely specifically created for Link given its small size. As the Knights of Hyrule are associated with the Hylian Shield and Link was specifically given a custom, smaller version of a Hylian Shield, it’s interesting to note this association between Link and the Knights of Hyrule. This should be expected, given the Hero’s familial ties and origins to the Knights.

Oracle of Seasons/Ages

While it’s a small appearance, in the introduction of Oracle of Seasons, we’re introduced to Din’s traveling troupe. Talking to the members will result in one of them saying the following about their identity as members of a troupe:

でもそれは 世をあざむくかりのすがた 大きなこえではいえませんが じつはわれらは ハイラルのきしなのです

The thing is, that’s just an alias we’re using to fool the world. I can’t say it very loud, but we’re actually Knights of Hyrule.

Knight (Oracle of Seasons) - Translated by Sidier

This is the first time in the series in the Japanese source text where they’re called their most prominent and well known name, the Knights of Hyrule ( ハイラルのきし). Given the relative placement of Oracle of Seasons and Oracle of Ages on the timeline, this would mean that, following A Link to the Past, the knightly order was restored in some respects after their destruction in the Imprisoning War.

The only other possible reference to the Knights of Hyrule is the end of Oracle of Ages, where Ralph uses a variation of the secret sword technique from A Link to the Past. However, given that he doesn’t charge his blade up, it’s likely that this is intended to be Ralph stumbling around, and not him actually performing the technique.

Four Swords Anniversary Edition

In Four Swords Anniversary Edition, after clearing the Hero’s Trial, or in the Japanese release, the Training Grounds (修練場), Link learns a new sword technique:

『修練場』 をクリアした。 大回転斬りをおぼえた! 回転斬り中にB ボタン連打で 連続回転斬りだ! 

The "Training Grounds" is cleared. I have learned the Great Spinning Slash! Press the B button repeatedly while performing the Spinning Slash to perform a continuous Spinning Slash!

Flavor Text (Four Swords Anniversary Edition) - Translated by Sidier

Link learns the Hurricane Spin, or in the Japanese release, the Great Spinning Slash (大回転斬り. 

This is the same sword technique that was taught to Link by Q. Bumpkin in A Link to the Past, so, while small, this is a continuation of the passing on and learning of the techniques that belong to the Knights of Hyrule.

The Wind Waker

The Wind Waker holds a significant amount of revelations regarding the Knights of Hyrule and their lore as the series begins to move into the modern era. To begin with, we learn at the beginning of the game that the Hero’s Shield, a shield that was said to have been utilized by a hero from the past, is passed down through Link’s family. This coincides with what we learned in A Link to the Past, where the Hero appears exclusively from within the Knight’s Family, so it would make sense that one Hero could be the descendant of a previous Hero. 

(Note: while some believe, due to Jabun’s discussion with the King of Red Lions, that the Hero of Winds is unrelated to the Hero of Time and thus he would not be a member of the Knight’s Family by default, this is an incorrect interpretation of the source text. What the King of Red Lions says in response to Jabun asking if he had located the Hero of Time is this:

私が連れている　この者は 伝説とは　無縁の者です ですが、この者の持つ勇気に 私は、可能性を感じました

The one I have brought with me is not a part of the legend, but I can feel potential in the courage he possesses. 

King of Red Lions (Wind Waker) - Translated by Sidier

The exact term used for “part” is 部分, which means part, portion or section. Basically, the King of Red Lions is not commenting on Link’s lineage at all - he’s saying to Jabun, no, the individual I have with me has nothing to do with the legend of the Hero of Time and is a different person entirely. The interpretation that he is unrelated by blood to the Hero of Time is inaccurate and brought about due to localization flaws and a lack of insight of the series in regards to Link’s family.)

The next overt reference to the Knights of Hyrule is when Link pulls the Master Sword. As soon as he does, a group of knight statues that surround Link lower their swords around him, as if “knighting” him in a ceremony. These statues were likely created to recognize the person who pulls the sword, the Hero, as a member of the Knights of Hyrule, and to show his or her connection to them.

The Knights of Hyrule are also mentioned by name later in the game by the King of Red Lions, who describes their failed assault on Ganon:

ガノン城は　昔・・・ 勇猛果敢な　ハイラルの騎士団でさえ 落とせなかった　難攻不落の城だ ガノンの幻影に惑わされぬよう 感覚を研ぎ澄ますのだ

Ganon's Castle was once an impregnable castle that even the valiant Knights of Hyrule could not topple... so steel your senses and do not be deceived by Ganon's illusions.

King of Red Lions (Wind Waker) - Translated by Sidier

The Japanese term for Knight of Hyrule (ハイラルの騎士団) utilized by the King of Red Lions is slightly different than the term used in Oracle of Seasons, and actually incorporates the the term from A Link to the Past’s manual, Order of Knights (騎士団), but the two terms are still referring to the same thing.

The most important connection to the Knight’s Family present in The Wind Waker is in the form of the Knight’s Crest, or in the Japanese release, the Swordsman’s Emblem (剣士の紋章), is a type of collectible treasure that can be acquired from either defeating Darknuts, who wear it around their waists, or stealing it from them via the Grappling Hook. Orca from Outset Island has this to say about them:

剣士の紋章、それは力だけでなく 知恵、そして勇気をかねそなえた者のみが 集めることのできる　剣士の証 そして、それらを １０個　集めることができた者のみが、 一撃必殺の剣の技をおぼえる力を持つという

The Swordsman’s Emblem - a mark of a swordsman that can only be collected by those who possess not only power but also wisdom and courage. Only those who can collect ten of them have the ability to learn a sword technique that can kill with a single blow.

Orca (The Wind Waker) - Translated by Sidier

Upon collecting ten of these crests and bringing them back to Orca, Link learns the special sword technique that Orca mentions. Upon performing this technique, Orca says this:

リンクおお、それがまことの大回転斬りか？！ ワシら兄弟の長年の夢を よくかなえてくれた！

Link! Oh! Is that the real Great Spinning Slash? You have fulfilled the long-held dream of my brother and I!

Orca (The Wind Waker) - Translated by Sidier

The technique Link performs is the Hurricane Spin, or, in the Japanese release, the Great Spinning Slash (大回転斬り). This is the same technique that was passed down by the Bumpkin family in A Link to the Past and learnt by Link after completing the Hero’s Trial in Four Swords Anniversary Edition. This draws a connection between the Knights of Hyrule and the The Wind Waker incarnation of the Darknuts. Darknuts have appeared in the series since the very first entry, but in this entry, due to possessing the Knight’s Crests, which Link uses to perform the Hurricane Spin, these Darknuts are connected to the Knights of Hyrule and their techniques – in fact, if Link performs the Hurricane Spin in the presence of a Darknut, they will perform it alongside Link, showing that they are capable of demonstrating a technique of the Knights of Hyrule.

While no direct conclusions can be drawn from The Wind Waker alone, this heavily implies that the Darknuts - at least as depicted in the Wind Waker - were Knights of Hyrule that were corrupted or transformed, somehow, and the Knight’s Crests that they bear are capable of passing on their techniques. 

The connection of the Knights of Hyrule to Darknuts as well as the Knight’s Crests will be greatly expanded upon in the next game to be discussed, Four Swords Adventures.

Four Swords Adventures

In Four Swords Adventures, we get our most expansive appearance of the Knights of Hyrule to date. In the game, we encounter several Knights of Hyrule - or rather, what’s left of them. 

The Knights of Hyrule are first brought up after saving the Green Maiden at the Tower of Flames, where she compares the bravery of the four Links to the Knights of Hyrule.

この炎の中を　あなたは…。 …その勇気、まるでハイラル騎士団（きしだん）のようですわ！…ハイラル騎士団…！彼らは　ゆうかんで忠実、使命のためには　命をもおしまないハイラル王国の　ほこりです。このハイラルには天空への道を開く神器、４つの宝玉があります。ハイラル王家は　宝玉を守る役目を、しんらい厚い　騎士団に代々　あたえてきました。しかし　その彼らがこのハイラルの危機にすがたを見せないなんて…。いったい　何が…？

You made it through the flames!…. …your courage is just like that of the Knights of Hyrule! The Knights of Hyrule…! They are the pride of the Kingdom of Hyrule, eager, loyal, and willing to die for their mission. In Hyrule, there are four treasures, sacred artifacts that open the way to the sky. The Royal Family of Hyrule has given the role of guarding the treasures to the highly trusted Order of Knights for generations. But how could they not show themselves in the face of Hyrule's crisis? What in the world is happening…?

Green Maiden (Four Swords Adventures) - Translated by Sidier

In this dialogue, we learn a lot about the Knights of Hyrule in this era. For starters, they’re the “pride of the Kingdom of Hyrule,” and they guard the four Royal Jewels, which when united allow an individual to access the Tower of Winds and by extension the Realm of the Heavens. When describing the Knights of Hyrule, she uses two terms - one is the same term from Wind Waker that the King of Red Lions used, and the other is just Order of Knights (騎士団) standalone, which hasn’t been used in this manner since A Link to the Past’s manual. This is likely due to the intimate story connections that Four Swords Adventures has to A Link to the Past. 

As the game continues, we learn of the unfortunate fates of the Knights of Hyrule who protected the four Royal Jewels. The Red Knight puts it like this:

赤き宝玉を　まもりし騎士。勇者よ聞け、騎士のなげきを。我々ハイラル騎士団は、強大な武器を持った男に倒され、宝玉とともに　魔界へと落とされた。その後すぐ　黒き影達により、我々と宝玉は　各地に散らされ天空の塔は　すがたを消してしまった。

I am the Knight who guarded the Red Jewel. Hear, O heroes, the knight's cry. We, the Knights of Hyrule, were defeated by a man with a mighty weapon, and cast into the demon world together with the jewels. Soon after, the black shadows dispersed us and the jewel to various places, and the tower of the sky disappeared.

Red Knight (Four Swords Adventures) - Translated by Sidier 

In summary, Ganon encountered them, and, using the evil magic of the Trident, turned them into demons, and then turned the Royal Jewels into portals to the Dark World. The Links slay them in combat, freeing them of their torment. The Links are then tasked with saving the Princess Zelda along with the rest of Hyrule by the spirits of the Knights before they pass on. However, they aren’t the only example of possessed Knights of Hyrule in the game. The Links also encounter multiple knight enemies throughout the game, and, when comparing their appearances and even their manner of fighting to those of the corrupted Knights of Hyrule, we quickly realize these knight enemies are also corrupted Knights of Hyrule. 

Most interesting, however, is the name that is provided to these knight enemies in the The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords + - Official Nintendo Guidebook (ゼルダの伝説4つの剣+―任天堂公式ガイドブック). In it, the first encounter with one of these enemies is described in the book as follows:

では青のタートナックと多数の兵士が出現。タートナックは手強いので、先に兵士を倒し、１対１の状況に持ちこもう。全滅させると大量のフォースが降り、先へ進めるようになる。

In the first section, a blue Tartnac and many soldiers appear. The Tartnac is tough, so you must defeat the soldiers first and bring the game to a one-on-one situation. If all the soldiers are killed, a large amount of Force will descend and you will be able to proceed.

Shogakukan Guidebook - Translated by Sidier

These enemies are called Tartnacs (タートナック), which is the Japanese name for Darknut. This means that Four Swords Adventures explicitly confirms that Darknuts - at least in their modern incarnation - are corrupted Knights of Hyrule, as heavily implied in The Wind Waker, explaining their usage of a sword technique that is passed down amongst the Knights of Hyrule. 

(Note: Again, while I am hesitant to use guidebooks, they can be considered a sort of necessary evil when it comes to learning the names of enemies present in video games, as sometimes these games simply do not elaborate on the names of enemies. Also, when analyzing the source in this instance - Shogakukan, the publishers of the book - have been privileged with the opportunity to read several Nintendo development documents and have interviewed several Nintendo staff members over the years, and thus have likely been given access to the names of enemies created during the development process. Further, when cross referencing the book with other sources such as the game and the official Four Swords Adventures Japanese website, the names that are present are consistent across all three. Therefore, I believe it’s reasonable to use the guidebook in this instance.)

We also see the return of the Knight’s Crest from The Wind Waker. While the belt itself doesn’t make an appearance, the symbol on it appears several times. The first time we see it is at the beginning of the game, though it is slightly obscured. It’s present in the chamber of Hyrule Castle that allows for access to the Four Sword Sanctuary, and then in the Four Sword Sanctuary itself.

This is significant, as we learn in the introduction that the Four Sword was once utilized in the past by a Hero who used it to seal away Vaati, or, in the Japanese release, Gufū (グフー): 

その昔　ハイラルという国にグフーという風の魔神があらわれ美しい娘を次々とさらっていきました人々が困り果てていると��こへ一本の剣をたずさえた旅の勇者があらわれました勇者が剣をぬくと体が4つに分かれ力を合わせてグフーを退治したといいますその後　勇者がグフーを封印（ふういん）した剣はフォーソードと名付けられハイラルの奥地　　聖域（せいいき）にひっそりと　まつられていました

A long time ago, in a country called Hyrule, a wind demon called Gufū appeared and kidnapped beautiful girls one after another. When the people were in trouble, a traveling Hero appeared carrying a sword. When the Hero drew his sword, It is said that his body was divided into four and they combined their powers to exterminate Gufū. Afterwards, the sword with which the Hero sealed Gufū was named the Four Sword, and it was quietly enshrined in a sacred area in the depths of Hyrule.

Introduction (Four Swords Adventures) - Translated by Sidier

The symbol is also present on the map of Hyrule, as seen in the credits. This would make sense with the knowledge of the Green Maiden calling the Knights of Hyrule the “pride of Hyrule” - their symbol adorns the map of Hyrule because of the value they hold to the kingdom due to being Hyrule’s sworn protectors and the family of the Hero.

Finally, their symbol appears in the Palace of Darkness, above where the Dark Mirror was once enshrined. To understand the significance of this, it’s important to know exactly what the Dark Mirror is and its involvement in the history of Hyrule. We learn this from the White Maiden, after rescuing her at Hyrule Castle:

それに森の奥深くにある神殿。そこには闇の鏡がまつられています。はるか昔　闇の一族がハイラルに　せめこんだ時、その者らを　鏡の中に閉じこめました。そして、闇の一族と　あの鏡がこの世界と　関わりを持たぬようその神殿へ　かくしたのです。心悪しき者の手へと、闇の鏡が　わたるような事は、決して　あってはなりません。

There’s also a temple deep in the forest. The Dark Mirror is enshrined there. A long time ago, when a Dark Clan invaded Hyrule, they were trapped inside a mirror. Then, to avoid the Dark Clan and that mirror from interfering with our world, they were hidden in that temple. The dark mirror should never fall into the hands of someone with an evil heart.

White Maiden (Four Swords Adventures) - Translated by Sidier

The last small connection to the Knights of Hyrule in Four Swords Adventures is the return of the Hurricane Spin from A Link to the Past, Four Swords Anniversary Edition, and The Wind Waker. The sword technique has a slightly different name in the Japanese version this time, around, however - instead of Great Spinning Slash (大回転斬り), it’s more accurately read as the Super Spinning Slash (超回転斬り), but otherwise it is identical to the technique from the previous games.  

The Minish Cap

A minor aspect of The Minish Cap’s connection to the Knights of Hyrule is the reappearance of The Wind Waker aesthetic of Darknuts, who, as we’ve established alongside their appearance in Four Swords Adventures, are corrupted Knights of Hyrule.

More importantly, however, is the Blade family. The Blade family is first introduced to us in Hyrule Town in the form of Swiftblade, the second eldest sibling in the Blade family.

He teaches a dojo on swordplay, and all of his siblings, whenever Link finds them, will also teach Link new sword techniques and abilities. The first technique Link learns from Swiftblade is one that has been present several times in the series before: the Spin Attack, or the Spinning Slash (回転斬り).

秘伝 回転斬りを おぼえた！テッシン ししょうから 数わった さいしょの剣技だ！

I learned the secret art, the Spinning Slash! This is the first art that Master Tesshin taught me!

Flavor Text (The Minish Cap) - Translated by Sidier

As we know, the Spin Attack is a technique closely associated with the Knights of Hyrule, as it is passed down closely within their families, thus associating the Blade Family with the Knights of Hyrule due to their passing down of this technique. Over the course of the game, Link encounters the other Blade siblings and learns the other secret arts, which are recorded via collectible scrolls called Tiger Scrolls. Swiftblade I, whose ghost can be found in Castor Wilds, teaches us the final secret art which is passed down through the Tiger Scroll. The ultimate sword art of the game, similar to previous entries and subsequent entries, is none other than what this game dubs the Great Spin Attack, or, in the Japanese, the Great Spinning Slash (大回転斬り). 

秘伝 大回転斬りを おぼえた！ これぞ キュウキョクの 剣技なり！！

You learned the secret art, the Great Spinning Slash! This is the ultimate art!

Flavor Text (The Minish Cap) - Translated by Sidier

As we’ve established thus far, the Knights of Hyrule are demonstrably connected with certain sword techniques such as the Hurricane Spin/Great Spin Attack, so this makes it likely that the passing down of these techniques establishes the Blade Family as Knights of Hyrule.

Something to keep in mind for later is also the technique taught by Grimblade. Upon learning his technique, this is the flavor text we are given: 

秘伝 剣ビームを おぼえた！剣の先から ビビッと ビーム！！ライフが まんたんの時しか 使えない 

I have learned the secret of the Sword Beam! The sword beam comes from the tip of the sword! I can only use this when I am at full life.

Flavor Text (The Minish Cap) - Translated by Sidier

We learn from this text that the Sword Beam (剣ビー��), a technique originating from the very first entry in the series, is also a technique that can be taught and passed down via those who possess the blood of the Knights of Hyrule, as it is passed down via the Blade Family to Link, and as we know, the Blade Family knowing how to perform and being able to teach the Hurricane Spin/Great Spin Attack establishes they are also Knights of Hyrule.

Twilight Princess

Twilight Princess has two topics relevant to the Knights of Hyrule: the Hero’s Spirit and the return of Darknuts. 

The Hero’s Spirit, also known as the Hero’s Shade, is an enigmatic specter who takes either the form of a golden, shimmering wolf, or a skeletal warrior donned in ruined armor.

When we encounter him, he teaches us seven secret sword arts called the Hidden Skills, or, in the Japanese release, what he refers to as Secrets (奥義). After learning the second Hidden Skill, he tells Link the following: 

お前に伝えるべき奥義はまだ５つある だがそれは、気高き獣の精神を備える勇者の血族だけに受け継がれるもの

I still have five more secrets to tell you. However, they can only be inherited by the blood relatives of the Hero who possesses the spirit of a noble beast.

Hero’s Spirit (Twilight Princess) - Translated by Sidier

This tells us a few things. First, the Hero’s Spirit having secret sword techniques that can only be passed down by the blood relatives of the Hero, ergo the Knights of Hyrule, reaffirms what we’ve already seen before such as with the Spin Attack and the Hurricane Spin being passed down through the Knight’s Family. Second, it also reaffirms that Link is of the Knight’s Family while also revealing to us that the Hero’s Spirit is a member of the Knight’s Family, as he is the one who is teaching the techniques in the first place. 

After teaching Link the technique, the Hero’s Spirit says the following before departing:

ついに、全ての奥義を手にしたな 勇者として生をうけながら後世にそれを伝えることの出来なかった我が無念も、ようやく晴らすことが出来た必ずや、幾多の戦いを経て　なお、曇りなき眼で未来を見据えるそなたならこのハイラルを在りし日の神々が愛でた大地に戻すことが出来るだろう・・・さらばだ！怯まずに進め、我が子よ！

At last, you've mastered all of the Secrets! Though I was destined to be the Hero, I could not pass those lessons on to future generations. I at last was able to ease my regrets. After many battles, you can still look to the future with unclouded eyes. Surely you can restore Hyrule to the land that the gods loved in its days of yore. Farewell! Go forth without fear, my child!

Hero’s Spirit (Twilight Princess) - Translated by Sidier

With this, the pieces fall into place on who this specter is. The Hero’s Spirit was once a Hero who developed and formalized seven sword skills into techniques learnable by only blood relatives of the Hero. He wasn’t able to pass these techniques on in life, and, in death, had finally eased his burdens by teaching them to Link. 

This reaffirms what we’ve already seen several times thus far - the Hero is born out of the Knights of Hyrule, who possess sword techniques that are passed down through their lineage.

Another connection to be made is through Twilight Princess’s Darknuts. While they don’t perform any sword techniques exclusive to the Knights of Hyrule in this game, there is a small but significant connection that is present on their armor - in the most apparent spot, their shield. Upon flipping the crest that is present on the shields of Darknuts upside down, it can be observed that it’s actually a variation on the symbol of the Knight’s Crest.

This associates the Darknuts of Twilight Princess with the Darknuts of The Wind Waker as well as the techniques of the Knights of Hyrule, and the appearance of the Knights of Hyrule of Four Swords Adventures, another example of the very solid and continuous throughlines when discussing the Knights of Hyrule.

Phantom Hourglass

Phantom Hourglass has very minimal Knights of Hyrule connections; in fact, there’s only one of significance, which is the reappearance of what this game refers to as the Great Spin Attack, or, as has been mentioned several times now, the Great Spinning Slash (大回転斬り). Following a long trading questline, Link receives an item called the Swordsman’s Scroll, which allows him to perform the technique.

剣士の巻物を手に入れた！巻物に 秘められた剣士の記憶が流れ込む・・・リンクは大回転斬りを使えるようになった！回転斬りと同じようにすばやく3回転させれば使うことができる！

You got the Swordsman's Scroll! The memories of the Swordsman hidden in the scroll are flowing in---Link can now use the Great Spinning Slash! You can use it by quickly spinning 3 times, just like the Spinning Slash!

Flavor Text (Phantom Hourglass) - Translated by Sidier

It’s important to point out that the Japanese name for Swordsman (剣士) in the name of the Swordsman’s Scroll is identical to the term used in the Japanese name of the Knight’s Crest, or the Swordsman’s Emblem (剣士の紋章). Both of these items are utilized to teach Link how to perform the ultimate sword technique, and both share the same term. 

As we have learned from Twilight Princess, only Knights of Hyrule may perform the technique, so we can assume that the Swordsman’s Scroll was handed down from a Knight of Hyrule. As the text alludes, the memories of the Knight - likely the lessons that he or she has learned - are flowing into Link, allowing him to learn the ability of the ultimate sword art. It’s likely that this is similar to how the Knight’s Crests work, but to a greater degree, given how collecting 10 of them allows Link to perform the technique.

Spirit Tracks

Similarly to Phantom Hourglass, the Swordsman’s Scroll makes an appearance. This time it’s acquired from Niko, the Hero of Winds’ longtime friend and fellow member of Tetra’s crew. After acquiring all 20 stamps, Niko has this to say to Link:

あぁそうだね... ご褒美をあげないといかんかったの・・・ほれ これはどうだい!?それも昔の友人からもらったものでのお··· [...] なんでも自分の周りに すばやく 3回 円を描くと 大回転斬りとかいうものが 出せるそうなんだよ··· 

Oh, yeah... I have to give you a reward... how about this? It's a gift from an old friend. [...] If you draw a circle around yourself 3 times quickly, you can perform the Great Spinning Slash.

Niko (Spirit Tracks) - Translated by Sidier

Niko affirms that not only is he in possession of the Swordsman’s Scroll, but it’s the same scroll that once belonged to the Hero of Winds himself that he acquired in the events of Phantom Hourglass. Upon acquiring the scroll, this is what the flavor text has to say: 

剣士の巻物その2を手に入れた! 巻物に秘められた剣士の記憶が流れ込む···リンクは大回転斬りを使えるようになった!回転斬りと同じように すばやく3回円を描けば 繰り出すことができる!

You got the Swordsman's Scroll #2! The memories of the Swordsman hidden in the scroll are flowing in---Link can now use the Great Spinning Slash! Just like the Spinning Slash, you can perform the Great Spinning Slash by quickly drawing a circle around yourself 3 times!

Flavor Text (Spirit Tracks) - Translated by Sidier

As the flavor text alludes, there are actually two separate Swordsman’s Scrolls in this game. The other is acquired at Rabbitland Rescue, a station in the Forest Realm. After catching 50 rabbits in the wild and returning them here, the owner of the rescue, Bunnio, will give Link the first Swordsman’s Scroll, which has the following text accompanying it:

剣士の巻物その1を手に入れた! 巻物に秘められた剣士の記憶が流れ込む・・・リンク よ剣から衝撃波を 出せるようになった! 剣を振るだけで 衝撃波がほとばしる! 

You got the Swordsman's Scroll #1! The memories of the Swordsman hidden in the scroll are flowing in---Link can now emit a shockwave from his sword! Just swing the sword and the shockwave shoots out!

Flavor Text (Spirit Tracks) - Translated by Sidier

With this, we now have another technique that’s being passed down via an artifact likely associated with the Knights of Hyrule - the Sword Beam, which this text refers to as a Shockwave (衝撃波を). This coincides with what we learned from The Minish Cap, where the Blade Family teaches Link how to perform the Sword Beam, meaning that the Sword Beam, while likely not exclusive to them, is also a technique of the Knights of Hyrule. 

Skyward Sword

Skyward Sword sheds significant context on the Knights of Hyrule - or, at least, their origin, and their association with the Hylian Shield. 

Up to this point, we’ve learned that the Hylian Shield is a shield used by the Knights of Hyrule, as established in Ocarina of Time, and appears again in Twilight Princess. There was also a smaller, personalized form of the Hylian Shield made - the Hero’s Shield - for the young Hero of Time before the events of Majora’s Mask occurred. Link's Awakening was also retconned in the Nintendo Switch remake to have the Hylian Shield, as well.

The Hylian Shield in this entry is described as an indestructible shield by the Thunder Dragon, Lanayru, and he is correct - the shield is completely invulnerable to damage and cannot be broken, unlike any of the other shields in the game. As this is the first appearance of the Hylian Shield in the timeline, a designer of the game, Manubu Hiraoka, comments on the significance of the shield and the emblem displayed on it.

たて赤い鳥に乗った勇者が後にハイラルとなる大地を救ったことから、盾には鳥が描かれています。 でも、 図柄はその前から描かれているので、 運命はすでに決まっていたのでしょう。 

The shield has a bird on it because a Hero riding a red bird saved the land that later became Hyrule. But the pattern was created even before that, so his fate must have already been preordained. 

Hiraoka (Designer) (Hyrule Historia pg. 9) - Translated by Sidier

Interestingly enough, Hiraoka points out very clearly that the shield has a red bird pattern on it because of Link’s role in Skyward Sword - he rides a red bird, the Crimson Loftwing, and therefore his shield is emblazoned with the Crimson Loftwing so as to represent him.

With this context, we can then look back at the entire series and understand why the Knights of Hyrule are so connected to the Hylian Shield. The Knights of Hyrule, the family of the Hero, bear the crest of the Hero who rode the Crimson Loftwing because that Hero would be their ancestor, and, given the context of Skyward Sword, also the person who we now know as the origin of their bloodline. While Skyward Sword alone cannot prove that Link in this entry is the progenitor of the Knight’s Family, a future entry will do that work for us.

(Note: I am deliberately ignoring the manga associated with Hyrule Historia due to the many contradictions it has and the lack of direct involvement from any member of Zelda team in the writing and production of the manga, as well as the book itself, which has several gaping errors and contradictions which break the foundation of the series and the games within it.)

Before moving on, I would like to discuss a possible counterargument that could be raised against certain assertions I’ve made thus far - namely about certain techniques being tied to the Knights of Hyrule. 

In Skyloft’s Knight Academy, the instructor of the Sparring Hall, Eagus, teaches sword techniques to the students of the academy. Two of these techniques are sword arts that have been associated with the Knights of Hyrule - the Spin Attack, the Ending Blow, in this game titled the Fatal Blow, or the Finishing Blow (とどめ), as it is referred to in both the Japanese versions of Twilight Princess and Skyward Sword, and the Shield Attack, in this game titled the Shield Bash, or the Shield Attack (盾たてアタック) as it is referred to in both the Japanese versions of Twilight Princess and Skyward Sword. Eagus mentions these names by technique several times, as seen here:

敵が攻撃してくるのに合わせて盾を構えると その勢いで敵の攻撃をはじき返すことができる盾アタックと呼ぶこの技を使えば敵をひるませて 攻撃のスキを作ることができるのだ [...] 丸太の中心に立って動かずに タイミングよく 剣を振らねば回転斬りは 出ないぞ もう一度やってみるか [...] とどめは 盾や回転斬りがきまって敵が吹っ飛んで ダウンした時に有効となる 技だからな

If you hold your shield in time with the enemy's attack, you can use the momentum of your shield to repel the enemy's attack. This technique, called a shield attack, allows the enemy to flinch, creating a gap for you to attack. [...] You must stand in the center of the log and swing your sword at the right moment without moving or you won't be able to perform a Spinning Slash. [...] The "Finishing Blow" is a technique that is effective when the enemy is knocked back or downed by a Shield Attack or a Spinning Slash.

Eagus (Skyward Sword) - Translated by Sidier

As Skyward Sword takes place before the establishment of the Knights of Hyrule, due to the implication of Link in this entry being their progenitor, this could cause a potential contradiction with previous entries that suggest these techniques are associated with the Knights of Hyrule. To quickly debunk this notion in relation to the Fatal Blow and Shield Bash, the Skyward Sword incarnations of the Ending Blow and shield Attack from Twilight Princess, it’s important to look at the context of what the Hero’s Spirit says after learning both of these techniques:

お前に伝えるべき奥義はまだ５つある だがそれは、気高き獣の精神を備える勇者の血族だけに受け継がれるもの

I still have five more secrets to tell you. However, they can only be inherited by the blood relatives of the Hero who possesses the spirit of a noble beast.

Hero’s Spirit (Twilight Princess) - Translated by Sidier

He establishes that the techniques Link learns after the Ending Blow and Shield Attack can only be inherited by blood relatives of the Hero. This means that the Ending Blow and the Shield Attack are not, in fact, exclusive to the Knights of Hyrule, and can likely be performed by anybody who would want to learn them. 

The Spin Attack can be explained best by pointing out the mechanics of the Spin Attack when it is explained to Link. For example, reusing what Link’s uncle says in A Link to the Past:

ナイトの一族に伝わる剣の秘術 お前に... さずけよう。 よくきけ...Bボタンを押し続け 剣に力をためる. ボタンをはな した時、その力が現れる.

The secret of the sword, passed down through the line of knights... I will teach you. Listen carefully. Hold down the B button. When you release the button, the power will be released.

Link’s Uncle (A Link to the Past GBA) - Translated by Sidier

Here, we see that the important part in performing the Spin Attack is focusing power in the blade, and then releasing that charged up power. This is a consistency throughout the series, including games like Link’s Awakening and Ocarina of Time.

The technique Link performs and Eagus teaches in Skyward Sword does not involve focusing energy in the blade - in fact, Eagus never even mentions it, only saying to swing the sword at the right time to perform the technique, as shown in the text provided above. This is very important, as Ocarina of Time, as previously mentioned, actually provides a proper distinctive name for a sudden Spin Attack with no charge:

秘技　回転斬りを　おぼえた！！Βを押して　���合いを　ためる Βをはなすと　回転ビーム！気合いを　ためずに　やりたい時はCを一回転させ　Βで　ＯＫ！クイック回転で　効果バツグン！

I have learned the secret technique of the Spinning Slash! Press Β to build up energy. Release Β for a spinning beam! If I want to do it without building up my energy, Rotate [the Control Stick] once and press Β to perform it. The Quick Spin is very effective! 

Flavor Text (Ocarina of Time) - Translated by Sidier

This text reveals to us that there is a distinction between a charged Spin Attack and an uncharged Spin Attack, which it refers to as a Quick Spin (クイック回転). The Quick Spin involves the performer quickly rotating while swinging their sword without charging energy in their blade. 

This perfectly describes the way Spin Attacks are performed in Skyward Sword, and thus explains why the Skyloft Knight Academy teaches how to perform the Spin Attack before the Knights of Hyrule exist - it’s not a true “Spin Attack” in the sense of charging their blade with energy, an important part of the technique as performed by the Knights of Hyrule. Instead, Link performs a Quick Spin, which, as described in Ocarina of Time, entails the performer specifically not charging their blade with energy.

Therefore, the techniques performed by Eagus and learnt at the Sparring Hall do not contradict that notion that specific sword skills such as the charged Spin Attack are exclusive to the Knights of Hyrule, because the techniques as we see them in Skyward Sword are not ones that are associated with the knights in the first place.

A Link Between Worlds

The Hylian Shield makes another appearance in this entry, depicted almost identically to its Skyward Sword incarnation. The appearance of the shield in this entry again reaffirms the connection the Hero has to the shield, especially after the revelations of Skyward Sword, and thus to the connection the shield has to the Knights of Hyrule as a whole. 

The Hurricane Spin/Great Spin Attack/Great Spin also reappears, this time utilizing the form it took in in Twilight Princess as a significantly larger Spin Attack. It is acquired by Link after being enhanced by Mother Maiamai upon saving all 100 of her children. Mother Maiamai throughout the game will upgrade Link’s gear by sucking it in her mouth and presumably upgrading it inside of her somehow.

Upon returning all of her children to her, she says the following: 

ミーのジュニアたち、みんな見つかりました!ホントにサンクス!コレはサンクスの気持ちデす

All of my juniors have been found! Thank you so much! This is a special THANK YOU!

Mother Maiamai (A Link Between Worlds) - Translated by Sidier 

After saying this, she then sucks Link into her mouth. She spits him out, and upon doing so, we immediately get the following text:

大回転斬りをマスターした! Bを押して気合をタメて放とう!

I have now mastered the Great Spinning Slash! Press "B" to build up power and release it!

Flavor Text (A Link Between Worlds) - Translated by Sidier

Since Mother Maiamai upgraded Link’s items whenever she swallowed them and spat them out, her swallowing and spitting out Link means that  she “upgraded” him. Upon being “upgraded,” Link then expresses that he has acquired mastery over the Great Spinning Slash (大回転斬り), the technique we’ve seen across several entries in the series. This shows that it is also possible to learn the ultimate sword art without formally being taught it or having items that allow access to it such as the Swordsman’s Scrolls from Phantom Hourglass and Spirit Tracks, which suggests that it is an innate technique to the bloodline of the Knights of Hyrule that can be accessed through multiple means.

This harkens back to The Wind Waker, where, when Link performs a parry, he can perform three Hidden Skills, the techniques from Twilight Princess,  without ever being directly taught them: the Ending Blow, the Back Sice, and the Helm Splitter. Similarly, this is akin to how some Links must be taught the Sword Beam, while others can naturally perform it.

With all of this information, we can reasonably assert the following: While the secret arts of the Knights of Hyrule that are passed down typically require being learnt from a teacher or an item, it is possible that they can be performed without requiring a teacher or an item due to the innate connection these techniques have with the Knights of Hyrule. This explains why these secret arts appear so often - they are innately tied to the bloodline of the Knights of Hyrule - and why, in Twilight Princess, the Hero’s Spirit established that only those who are blood relatives of the Hero can perform them - their innateness to the Knights of Hyrule is what allows them to be learnable only to them in the first place.

Click HERE for Part 2 of this article!

#zelda #legend of zelda #zelda lore #zelda theory #nintendo #hyrule #knights of hyrule #the legend of zelda

[kinopioa]

It gets me how Adventure took 3Ks concepts mentioned in the Japanese manual (and US/EU PC port) and expanded them

First, the origin of Angel Island

Consider in Adventure

-Pachamac's tribe took over others with vicious strength

-His attempts of getting the Master Emerald led to most of his tribe getting wiped out

The main diff in Adventure was that it was Chaos that wiped them out, and the land mass wasn't raised by some God. It was straggling survivors

And yes, there were *some* survivors, as noted in the Japanese Softbank Guide (in game context who do you think made the warning murals?)

Warning, Machine Translated:

End of Echidna Arrogance

Pachamac's tribe was devastated by Chaos' attack, and their power weakened significantly. The surviving stragglers use the power of the Master Emerald to levitate the landmass around the Emerald Altar, live there, and take on the role of monitoring and protecting the sealed Master Emerald to ensure that something like this never happens again. They also left inscriptions and murals in the temple behind to convey this incident to future generations. Some Chao are also in danger of extinction due to the loss of the Chaos Emeralds, with only a small number managing to reach land with a suitable environment, and barely survive...

Incidentally this means Knuckles has no reason to keep Angel Island afloat; Chaos has been pacified after Adventure

Second, the environment on Angel Island

In Mushroom Hill we actually see this in effect. Eggman's Machine wilts the environment as you progress through the stage

What most don't realize, this affected the entire island!

Ice Cap and areas near Lava Reef in particular look different in Adventure due to this, being less extreme. Note: Lava Reef cools down in after Sonic's boss in 3K!

Side Note: Mushroom Hill was planned to be in Adventure!

Finally, this note from Knuckles in 3's Japan manual. Translation by Windii

Knux mistakes the Death Egg for a literal egg. He implies some draconic legend...

Hmm...

Do note it's been 3000 years since Chaos raged at the tribe. The legend likely got dilluted/misinterpreted over the generations, especially with dwindling numbers

@aquillis-main @greenyvertekins

#sonic the hedgehog #lore

[ym-loreposting]

Where is the Wrecked Ship in Metroid: Zero Mission?

Super Metroid and the original Metroid for the NES share their setting: the fortress planet of Zebes. While the first Metroid game only allowed players to explore its underground areas, Super Metroid introduced a couple of areas set on the surface of Zebes: Crateria and the Wrecked Ship. When the original Metroid was remade for the Game Boy Advance as Metroid: Zero Mission, areas from Super Metroid were added to the map.

For example, in the original Metroid, Samus leaves Zebes via a long vertical shaft that leads to the surface after defeating Mother Brain. In Super Metroid, Samus enters the underground of Zebes via this same shaft via a cave in Crateria. In Zero Mission, this cave on the surface was added to the escape sequence following the defeat of Mother Brain, as can be seen in the images below.

[Above images from Metroid and Super Metroid taken from NESmaps.com and SNESmaps.com]

[Above map is from Zero Mission]

The Wrecked Ship appears to be missing at first glance however, so what is up with that?

The Wrecked Ship's location

In Super Metroid, the Wrecked Ship is located in the east of Crateria, as can be seen in the map included with Super Metroid's manual.

A conclusion some may jump to is that the Wrecked Ship is the remains of the Space Pirate Mother Ship. This purple vessel lands in the east of Crateria during the events of Zero Mission and Samus explores it after defeating Mother Brain. It explodes after she is done. However, this does not appear to be the case as the Mother Ship as a whole appears to be too far east and it was explicitly denied by Metroid producer Yoshio Sakamoto on the Japanese Zero Mission website:

Question: "スペースパイレーツの母船に、攻撃をしてこない二足歩行の作業ロボットがいましたが、もしかしてあれはスーパーメトロイドに登場した作業ロボットと同一タイプですか？そうなるとラストで爆発したスペースパイレーツ・マザーシップはスーパーメトロイドで登場した難破船、ファントゥーンのステージになるのでしょうか？ぜひ教えてください。"

Question: "On the Space Pirate Mother Ship, there was a bipedal working robot that couldn't attack. Maybe it's the same type of working robot that appeared in Super Metroid? If that is the case, will the Space Pirate Mother Ship that exploded at the end become the Wrecked Ship that appears in Super Metroid, Phantoon's stage? Please tell me."

Sakamoto: "あの作業ロボットは、この時代の宇宙船には欠かすことのできないスタンダードタイプですので、「スーパーメトロイド」に登場したものと同タイプだと思われます。しかし、マザーシップとスーパーメトロイドの難破船は別物という設定です。"

Sakamoto: "That type of working robot is a standard and integral part of spaceships of this era, so I consider it to be the same type as the ones that appeared in Super Metroid. However, the Mother Ship and Super Metroid's Wrecked Ship are two entirely different settings."

So, where is the Wrecked Ship in Zero Mission? An area resembling it does in-fact appear in the game, although it is small. It is located between Crateria and the Space Pirate Mother Ship.

Superficially, this area also has similar aesthetics to the Wrecked Ship from Super Metroid, though they still look distinct due to the two games' different artstyles.

[Zero mission on the left, Super Metroid on the right]

To further drive the connection home, room you enter this area in Zero Mission from is also highly similar to the entrance area of the Wrecked Ship in Super Metroid in its layout.

[Above map is from Zero Mission]

[Above map is from Super Metroid, taken from SNESmaps.com]

Clear effort was made in Zero Mission to parallel areas from Super Metroid, though they also have differences. Part of this is due to artstyle as mentioned before, but also due to potential in-universe changes. The area outside the Wrecked Ship is in the open air in Super Metroid while in Zero Mission it is in a cave. There are also far fewer Chozo Ruins on the surface in Super Metroid. If one looks at the map of Zero Mission, it also becomes apparent that the Wrecked Ship area is located under the Chozodia Ruins.

At the end of Zero Mission, the Space Pirate Mother Ship explodes and as can be seen on the above map, it is situated right next to the Chozodia Ruins. It is possible that the explosion blew up the ruins, exposing the Wrecked Ship buried underneath, and also the caves in Crateria.

Phantoon and the lore of the ship

There is one weird aspect though given that these areas are the same, as in Zero Mission, the ship seems functional and is buzzing with the energy-based Atomic enemies. Meanwhile, in Super Metroid, the ship's electricity is not functioning and all Atomics inside are sealed until the defeat of the boss Phantoon. What happened to the ship?

The answer lies within Phantoon, who is a ghost like being who was generated from the evil thoughts of Mother Brain according to the Japanese manual of Super Metroid:

"ファントゥーン （難破船のボス） マザーブレインの意識が実体になったもの。その邪悪な念波によって周囲の霊は悪霊化し、船の機能は停止してしまった。"

"Phantoon (Boss of the Wrecked Ship) Mother Brain’s consciousness has resulted in an entity. Its evil telepathy has demonized the surrounding spirits and stopped the ship’s functions." -Japanese Super Metroid manual

This entity may have spawned due to Mother Brain's defeat in Zero Mission. It is after all nowhere to be found in that game and also wasn't one of the high-ranking Space Pirates in charge of guarding Tourian, their command center, in Zero Mission while he is in Super Metroid. The manual, when discussing the enemies found in the Wrecked Ship, also confirms it was Phantoon who drained the ship of its energy: "The Wrecked Ship has been shut down by the floating ghost, Phantoon." -Super Metroid manual The Covern found in the Wrecked Ship in Super Metroid meanwhile are the spirits it has whipped into a frenzy, explaining their absence in Zero Mission: "These souls of shipwrecked creatures turn into evil spirits that wrap themselves around intruders." -Super Metroid manual As an aside, the Covern are the souls of the ones who crashed into Zebes in the first place, the Chozo who first settled on the planet according to the Super Metroid manual. This would thus also mark the first physical appearance of the Chozo in the series, long before the first living on-screen Chozo seen in Metroid Dread or even the Chozo Ghosts in the first Metroid Prime.

#metroid #metroid zero mission #super metroid #chozo #wrecked ship #zebes

[spinningbuster98]

 Castlevania (NES) Part 1

Good Eeeeeeveniiiiiing...

Anyone who knows the story of this game raise your hand!

If you answer “It’s Simon Belmont VS Dracula” you only get half a cookie

If you answer “It’s a big homage to classic horror” you also only get half a cookie!

Yeah sure this game’s story is fundementally basic as was usual for games at the time and the early days of the series were indeed big on homaging classic Hammer Horror flicks

But I honestly find both descriptions to not do the game justice

Nowadays you often get people who say that “8-bit games have no story”, and while often these kinds of folks say this because they’ve never actually played said games other times these kinds of assertions actually come from long time fans, sometimes by people who even grew up with these kinds of games since they came out!

And I think the main reason, outside of the fact that these games often didn’t really have any on-screen narrative, is that manuals back then failed to properly convey tha game’s lore and story...or rather the overseas manuals

If you think that Classic Castlevania games have very little to no story and were little more than an excuse for the developers to cram in a bunch of old horror monsters then you’re only half right and you get to sit in the same corner as the same people who say that Classic Sonic games had no story

But I can’t fully blame people: the International manual for this game really tells you nothing about what’s going on here, mostly just making a bunch of horror-themed puns

Now the original Japanese Manual on the other hand... talk about night and day!

Not only is it way more stylized it also:

1) Gives you some general context as to how Dracula resurrected and how it’s a recurring event while also establishing that Dracula gets regularily resurrected by evil people who wish for destruction

2) Establishes Simon as the last heir to a family of vampire hunters who have been battling the count for a long time, even mentioning a certain Christopher: who is that? Apparently Simon’s ancestor who put Dracula in his grave last time. Did they have to mention this? No it wasn’t necessary but it helps sell the idea that this is a war that’s been going on for some time and that Simon has some big shoes to fill. Not to mention that we will see Christopher in a future travesty game

3) It even mentions how the Belmonts’ whip isn’t just any ordinary whip nor is it just some generic “Magic Whip”, it has “mysterious powers”. Hmmm intriguing...I wonder what its origins are...?

This is all stuff that future games will not only reference but also build upon: how many games feature Belmonts talking about how its their destiny to defeat Dracula? How many games will focus on the Whip’s otherworldly abilities? Dracula’s line from SOTN about how “he was called here by humans who wished to pay him tribute”? The one that’s been memed to Hell? That idea was already present all the way back to the very first game!

I’m not saying that the developers already had a clear vision of how the series would turn out as a whole, hell no! But evidently they did have A narrative vision, as limited in scope as it was given the limitations they were dealing with, so I think that boiling this down to simply “Haha 8 bit sprites on the screen!” or “It was just a love latter to old Hammer Movies, nothing more. Unlike those future games that added a needless story ugh!” (though future games will definitely have plenty of narrative hiccups make no mistake I have my share of issues) is pretty disrespectful

#youtube #akumajou dracula #my gameplay

[hadesknockedupintheunderworld]

So I was mostly going through them for uh research out of curiosity

But I think it might interest Sontails fans to know that shockingly few of the English game manuals comment about either Sonic or Tails seeing the other as a brother/sibling.

For reference, as I went down the list of Sonic games on Wikipedia and checked the english manuals, I didn't see a single English manual before Sonic Heroes list them as brothers to each other (no mention of relationship at worst, and best friends/buddies at most). Funnily enough, the Sonic Heroes Manual was also the first English Manual I saw list that many ages at once. The only ones I could find before that listed Knuckles' and Charmy's ages. So as far as I've gathered, Sonic heroes may be the first English Manual to claim Tails as 8 years old (which also was the manual that changed Charmy's age from 16 to 6), and was the only English manual I found that listed Tails' age at all

And between Sonic Heroes and the Wii U/3DS Sonic titles (when manuals stopped having any extra info aside from controls in them), I found—what—like four that mention them being like brothers?

I did look at this a couple weeks ago but like. Those four I found were Sonic Heroes, Sonic Advance 3, Sonic Rush, and Sonic Rush Adventure.

*Four* Sonic game manuals from the plethora of games that released before 3ds/wiiu titles came out. 3 of those 4 are handheld nintendo exclusives. That's 1991 through about 2011 (3DS) or 2013 (WiiU)

Here's some shots I have of some of the manuals (aside from those four) that mention their relationship in any capacity.

From the Sonic the Hedgehog 2 English Sega Genesis Game Manual (Page 3)

From the Sonic the Hedgehog: Triple Trouble English Sega Game Gear Game Manual (Page 1)

From the Sonic Blast English Sega Pocket Arcade Game Manual

From the Sonic Adventure English Sega Dreamcast Game Manual (Page 20)

From the Sonic Adventure 2 Battle English Nintendo Gamecube Game Manual (Page 8)

From the Sonic Advance 2 English Gameboy Advance Game Manual (Page 4)

From the Sonic Colors English Nintendo Wii Game Manual (Pages 3-4)

From the Sonic Generations English Playstation 3 Game Manual (Page 4)

Is this...interesting to anyone else?

Let me tell you, I went through a lot of game manuals. Even for games Tails doesn't star in. The rest of the manuals I looked through only had one of either Sonic or Tails, didn't list character bios for them, or didn't note their relationship to each other in any capacity.

Given what I've heard about the Knuckles Chaotix Japanese game manual also listing Vector and Espio's ages as well as Charmy's (whereas the English Manual only lists Charmy's), I'd love to see translations of the Japanese versions of all the Sonic game manuals. It's hard not to wonder what changes there are between the versions.

But in any case, food for thought.

#I just be ramblin #sonic the hedgehog #tails the fox #miles tails prower #sontails #I was reading through the reblogs/replies on my post about how Sonic in Sonic Prime doesn't call Tails/Nine/any other versions of Tails #'brother' and decided I might as well share this information I found from a couple of weeks ago #If you were wondering why I'd post about this out of the blue😂 #unbreakable bond

[secretgamergirl]

Just what is it with wiki editors and trans characters?

It’s still June, which means it’s still pride month, which means I’m still updating this blog more often than the usual maybe 3 times a year, and today I’d like to talk to you about some fictional characters who are trans and the weird wiki entries bending over backwards to deny it. And I’m not even playing this game on hard mode here, talking about like the cast of FF6 or something. I’m here to talk about a gal from Final Fight, and a guy from One Piece.

Oh and I guess I’m also talking about Poison. You all know Poison right? She’s pretty commonly referred to as the first trans woman in a video game, specifically Final Fight in 1989. And that little fun fact is... not an actual fact.

Prior to Final Fight, we had Ms. Pac-Man in 1982. While I hesitate to deadname even fictional characters, Ms. Pac-Man began life as Crazy Otto, and had a brief stint going by Super Pac-Man and a couple other monikers before going with just Ms. Pac-Man. I don’t see why she shouldn’t count.

Perhaps you think we shouldn’t count Ms. Pac-Man because to your reasoning, the origins of the game and the character re-design process behind don’t qualify as transitioning? OK then, the next example that comes immediately to mind is Luigi, from Super Mario Bros., in 1993. Who has had a remarkably consistent portrayal as being very very into feminine clothes, acting super girly while wearing them, and quite enjoying this. Doesn’t count because it’s all in supplementary material? No, it’s in multiple games too. Want to argue there was no in-game confirmation prior to the release of Final Fight? That’s really splitting hairs now, particularly when tie-in media got onboard this train quite early on. Perhaps you want to make the argument that Luigi is not trans, but is a cis man who likes to crossdress, perhaps as a sexual fetish? That is a weird argument to make about a character from a series of games aimed at young children but you do you.

How about Metroid, 1986? Samus canonically dresses like a man, uses masculine pronouns, and when that armor comes off we reveal a woman in a low cut leotard ready to start living it up. Who’s also canonically two meters tall, has super broad shoulders, had her biochemistry tweaked as a child... I think I wrote a whole separate post on this once. We still gonna play the “oh that’s all a disguise/misunderstanding” card on that one?

Well, Doki Doki Panic came out in 1987. Birdo (Catherine in Japan) is quite explicitly a trans woman. It’s right there in the manual, and ad campaigns, and really tastelessly referenced in many sources since. What possible justification could anyone use to argue she isn’t trans?

Well, let’s ask Wikipedia.

“ Since the character's North American introduction, Birdo's gender identity has been an issue of discussion and speculation. The Japanese manual for Doki Doki Panic, when translated into English, states her name to be Catherine and as a man who thinks of himself as female, adding that she likes to wear a bow and would rather be called "Cathy."  However, in the first edition manual for the North American release of Super Mario Bros. 2, Birdo is referred to by a text block that states "he thinks he is a girl" and would "rather be called 'Birdetta.'" In later printings, mention of Birdo being male was omitted. Mention of this fact is further not included in most later games featuring the character and seems to have been retconned to Birdo always being a female to begin with. In the Japanese version of Super Smash Bros. Melee, Birdo, called Catherine, is described similarly to the original manual, though wanting to be called "Cathy." In Super Smash Bros. Brawl, it is said that Birdo is of "indeterminate gender." Birdo appears in the Wii Japan-only video game Captain Rainbow, which delves into Birdo's gender identity. It specifically depicts her being imprisoned for entering the women's bathroom, and the player is asked to locate proof of her femininity (her vibrator) to get her out. Birdo is often lauded as the first transgender video game character. The character was given a female voice actor in Super Mario Advance, a remake of Super Mario Bros. 2. The Spanish language website for Mario Smash Football while describing Birdo suggests that the character's gender is indeterminate. The European website for Mario Strikers Charged Football refers to Birdo as a male character.”

And later in the same article, we have this whole subsection:

“Gender identity

Birdo has been the subject of discussion relating to her gender identity and has been regarded as transgender. She has become a trans icon due to her gender identity. She has been credited as an early transgender character in video games. The manual excerpt from Super Mario Bros. 2 about Birdo's gender did not receive attention until some time after the game's release. Writer Lorenzo Fantoni suggested that this was because few people read the manual or because no one cared about Birdo's gender at the time. Fantoni also compared the Captain Rainbow scene to the later bathroom debates regarding trans people. Fantoni also suggests that Nintendo does not know what to do with Birdo and that changes to Birdo's character are made to match present-day morals. Author Sam Greer was critical of Birdo's portrayal, stating that her gender had become a "running joke" and was the "subject of much derision and stereotyping." Paste Magazine's Jennifer Unkle criticized Birdo as a caricatured trans person and as an example of Nintendo's poor handling of gender identity in general.

It is speculated by Wired's Chris Kohler that the gender issue was retconned to make her a cisgender female, while video game developer Jennifer Diane Reitz suggests that she may have undergone gender reassignment surgery. Writer Andrew Webster of The Escapist used the history of Birdo in the lead-in to his article, commenting on the changes Nintendo has made to hide Birdo's gender status.”

Weird efforts by wiki editors to try and establish some sort of “ambiguity” or “controversy” here highlighted in bold. Really though, ALL of this text can quite easily be boiled down to just “it used to be that every single mention of this character in any source of any kind felt compelled to include a gross transphobia-informed vulgar 'joke’ about her being trans, but more recently, in North American localizations, they don’t do that as often.”

I wasn’t planning to focus so heavily on Birdo, but wow what a fantastic example of the thinking at play here. Nobody’s trans unless you’re explicit about it. And by explicit about it we mean making gross jokes... and even then the character is only assumed to be trans when we hear that joke, if you go too long without making any, they revert to being cis.

Anyway I’m sure there’s plenty of other examples with other weird excuses not to count them that I’m forgetting. Was Faria out before Final Fight? It’s hard to pin old arcade releases down to a particular month.

How about Final Fight though? Poison isn’t even the first trans character in the game she appears in. Roxy pops in at the tail end of the first level, then again just before Poison, her palette swap. Believe it or not though, there are absolutely people out there who will insist that Poison is trans but Roxy isn’t. I have a lot of building up to do here but have a little tease from the dedicated Street Fighter wiki to get us going...

Before getting into why “it has been speculated” that Roxy is trans, let’s head over to regular wikipedia and see what they have to say about Poison’s “gender history” shall we?

“Originally conceived as a female thug in Final Fight and part of the game's antagonist group, Mad Gear, concerns during the game's development about reactions from North American audiences to fighting women led to the character being re-imagined as a "newhalf". However, that was not considered satisfactory and both Poison and her palette swap Roxy were replaced by the male characters "Billy" and "Sid" and have been for every subsequent North American port of the title on Nintendo consoles and handhelds. After the Final Fight series, she later appeared alongside wrestler Hugo, acting as his manager, with her schemes revolving around finding a tag team partner for him or developing their own wrestling organization. Poison first appeared as a playable character in Final Fight Revenge. She was also to appear in both Capcom Fighting All-Stars and Final Fight: Streetwise; however, the former was canceled and she was omitted from the latter as development progressed. Following those aborted attempts, she ended up appearing as a playable character on Street Fighter X Tekken. She was also added as a playable character to Ultra Street Fighter IV.

The character's potential status as a trans woman, consciously left ambiguous by the developers, has remained a topic of frequent debate by both fans and media alike.”

OK we’re going to be here a while, this is just the first section. Before even getting into the point I was going to make it’s super weird not to mention that she’s a playable character in Street Fighter V, how long ago was this last edited? Anyway, right off the bat, we have perhaps the most oft-repeated lie in video games. Which is even called out as such in the next section here... while repeating it again.

“Conception and history

Poison's first appearance in Final Fight featured her and a palette swap character named Roxy as recurring minor enemies for the player to fight. Named after the band by an unnamed female employee at Capcom, she was designed by Akira Yasuda to contrast against the bigger characters in the game and move about randomly and described as a "cool and rebellious woman". According to the book All About Capcom Head to Head Fighting Games and Final Fight director Akira Nishitani, the characters were originally planned to be cisgender women, but were changed to "newhalfs" (a Japanese slang term for trans women) after the game's release, due to the suggestion that "hitting women was considered rude" in America and the concern that feminist groups would sue. However, concept artwork included in the 2005 compilation Capcom Classics Collection of the pair specifically uses the kana for 'newhalf' (ニューハーフ), contradicting the statement the change occurred post-release. In 2007 Nishitani stated that he supposed the character "could be male", but added it was up to the viewer to decide. He later clarified in a discussion on Twitter that in his personal view Poison was a woman. Yasuda himself commented that as far as her gender, he considers her transgender in North American localizations, but cis in Japan.

A later appearance by Poison as a playable character in Final Fight Revenge, an American-produced 3D fighting game spinoff of Final Fight, portrayed the character in a highly feminine manner and had her romantically interested in Final Fight hero Cody. Commentary about her ending in the game in All About Capcom suggested that the character may have received sex reassignment surgery. The Final Fight-related character profiles featured in Capcom Classics Collection instead allude to her being a cross-dresser, while addressing Roxy as a "she" who dislikes Poison's cross-dressing.

Street Fighter IV's producer Yoshinori Ono, when asked in an interview about Poison's gender, stated: "Let's set the record straight: In North America, Poison is officially a post-op transsexual woman. But in Japan, she simply tucks her business away to look female." He later emphasized it again when asked about what female characters could be included in the game Street Fighter IV, stating that it would be too confusing to include her due to the region-specific gender. However, in a 2011 interview with Electronic Gaming Monthly at the Tokyo Game Show, he stated that Capcom "doesn't have a stance technically", and while they wouldn't give an official answer, felt it was up to the viewer to decide. He added that his intent was to please all fans and that the mystery behind her gender was the core of the character. During the same interview, a Capcom representative further added that they worked closely with GLAAD, an organization concerned with the portrayal of LGBT people in media, to ensure "anything that might be offensive has been very tailored to not be" for Poison's portrayal in Street Fighter X Tekken.”

Where do I begin? Besides shouting a string of profanity and mashing my keyboard while I read all that. Well first of all, I’m fairly certain every woman who has ever worked at Capcom has, in fact, had a name. Also can we have a look at that Final Fight Revenge ending that allegedly hints at her getting bottom surgery?

I don’t even want to diagram the thought process by which one would get from some stock tropey “I bet I could make him like me” to “clearly this alludes to her running off to get surgery performed after this.”

Anyway damn, I haven’t even gotten to the sections on “censorship” and “reception” here, but I don’t want to be here all night. So let’s just say there’s a bunch of quotes from various people about how she’s really hot, half of those add some “I hope that doesn’t make me gay” sort of comment, and we have a couple more rephrasings of the big lie. So... yeah let’s get into that properly.

So... game developers tend to be gross creeps who love dehumanizing jokes about women and queer people in general, “games journalism” has traditionally been the realm of clueless teens quoting each other in circles, paraphrasing press releases, and pasting anything that claims to be a translation of an interview with someone speaking Japanese, said interviews tend to involve flummoxed third party interpreters, and none of these people are particularly likely to know a single damn thing about trans people, let alone what various slurs and terms in languages they don’t speak really imply.

So, first off, there’s nothing at all “mysterious” or “left to the player’s imagination” about the Final Fight girls. They are a pair of trans women who when not busy being brawler enemies or getting folded into the Street Fighter franchise and rounded out are sex workers, specifically catering to the the plausible deniability crowd who can go “hey she totally looked like a hot cis girl when I picked her up” in regards to women they very much know are trans and haven’t had bottom surgery. It’s a pretty common fetish. There has never actually been any ambiguity or deviation on that. It’s spelled out plain as day right on their original designs. Which I have a scan of, right here!

There it is, plain as day. If you can read katakana, and you’re up on your Japanese sex work slang, there’s no ambiguity here. Same term all these developers keep tossing out in interviews. It ends up getting translated in all sorts of awkward ways because an interpreter is going to have to try and clean it up and simplify it, especially back when most of these quotes were pulled (the one from Ono is a bit more explicitly worded) and I’m guessing all the bits of “well in America she’d be considered a woman” stem from our language regarding trans women being a bit better generally, and/or a further weird crack because, well, America is kind of the country all the other country’s trans women come to when they want bottom surgery. Very few people in the world perform it, and we have a shocking percentage plus the best reviewed ones. Now you know.

The whole story about “making them trans in the U.S. to avoid being sued by feminists” is... just self-evidently BS? That’s like, a 10 year old on a playground’s understanding of “feminists” and the concept of a lawsuit. The closest thing to a source on it is a vague second or third hand anecdote passed along a decade after the fact from someone who thought one of them was blonde. Plus when you remove the later embellishment about neither of them being trans before being swapped out for random guys in the SNES release, it’s uh... pretty obviously all just a setup for a gross “trans women aren’t really women” joke. So let’s all stop spreading that around and get an adult to fix wikipedia.

All THAT said, back to the full text of the funniest thing I’ve ever read on a wiki:

“Trivia

Roxy is named after the English rock band Roxy Music. It has been speculated that Roxy is transgender like Poison not only due to the latter's gender history but also because of Roxy being referred to as a "newhalf" (Japanese term for a pre-op transgender person) in her original character concept art, but this has never been confirmed or denied.”

Yes, that’s right. According to the Street Fighter wiki, some people have this wacky theory that Roxy might be trans, just because the artist who first designed her wrote a giant note under the illustration stating “hey this is a trans woman!” And apparently this “has never been confirmed or denied” despite the citation note literally linking to her original concept art. Which, again, could not be more clear on this subject.

You can’t even ask, “what do designers have to do? Spell it out for you!?” because they ACTUALLY DID in this case.

But I’ve got one more for you all. The other day see, someone showed me a recent scan from the manga One Piece, with a very satisfied “well that should finally settle this.”

So... full disclosure here, I haven’t been up to date on what’s going on in One Piece for at least like a decade, and my effort to catch up on the context here ironically just involved me hastily trying to look up what that is with the horns between Luffy and Zoro. I’m not even sure what his name is. But I sure as hell know when I’m looking at some wiki editing weirdo trying to deny a character is trans when I see it.

Like all trans characters with wiki pages, we have a big subsection just labelled “Gender” which does some filibustering about “controversy” Japanese not using gendered third person pronouns (and conveniently ignoring the first person ones) and so on before begrudgingly hitting us with something like this:

“However, certain statements by characters in the manga have continued to create confusion and uncertainty regarding Yamato's gender, particularly regarding Yamato being referred to as Kaidou's son. Yamato has stated that she refers to herself as Kaidou's son due to her desire to adopt Oden's identity, saying "Oden was a man, wasn't he? So I chose to be a man too!"  Yamato has also been referred to as Kaidou's son by Kaidou himself as well as the Beasts Pirates; though their reasons for doing so still remain unclear, given their relationship with the real Oden and their reactions to Yamato claiming to be the legendary samurai. This has led to a significant portion of the fanbase believing that, in-universe, characters who know Yamato consider her to be male, and the official VIZ and Funimation translations have taken this approach, with Luffy and the Beasts Pirates referring to Yamato with masculine ("he/him") pronouns.”

I know, I know, us trans people are always itching to claim any character we can as a trans guy, but just because someone unambiguously says 'I am a man' and 'I am this guy's son' and that guy says 'yes, this is my son' and the official translation exclusively uses he/him pronouns, and when visiting the bathhouse he heads to the men's side and nobody bats an eye at that, well that doesn't really mean ANYTHING, necessarily!

For real though, wiki editors are out here admitting to going out of their way to misgender this guy and stubbornly shout that the official localization is wrong. There’s also some grasping at straws involving a trading card, but like... even if the guy writing the manga were to say “oh this character is actually a girl” that wouldn’t trump the fact that he... unambiguously says “I’m a guy, refer to me as a guy, everyone refers to me as a guy, I am living my life as a guy.” Like, that wins. The only way to argue this isn’t a trans character is if you want to go and say he was actually assigned male at birth and we should just ignore the gynecomastia that might have lead to thinking otherwise.

I don’t know what it is about people who edit wikis where they find it so damn hard to admit when a character is trans, but according to the standard they seem to have set, I guess I have to infer that no cis person has ever actually existed in any work of fiction, or indeed in real life! If they did we’d clearly be bombarded with crass jokes about them.

Also for real, for as often as people make [citation needed] jokes, nobody who edits wikipedia seems to know a primary source from a hole in the ground. People seem to just be searching for whatever they just typed, pasting the first hit, and praying nobody thinks to look at any of the footnotes. It is a MESS down there.

#trans #final fight #poison #roxy #no not the five nights at freddy's roxy #actually wait no #ALSO the five nights at freddy's roxy #I'm sick of quoting trans-denialist wiki pages though #one piece #yamato #birdo

[chibishortdeath]

i absolutely love your tags on my post about the mysterious woman, it's nice seeing someone who's as passionate about her as me ❤️

Hehehe, thank u, I’m pacing around all happy about it rn (>.< ). I love Simon’s Quest and how genuinely odd everything that happens in it is.

And the Mysterious Woman doesn’t get talked about very much and y’all are missing out!!! She’s so so so fun to speculate about!

I ran into I think it might have been an old conversation on like Gamefaqs or some other comment section somewhere and there were a surprisingly large amount of people in the conversation who said that when the game came out they assumed that she was meant to be Selena, and that’s just aaaaaa so so interesting to me. And it wasn’t just American fans either, there was someone from Japan who assumed the same. It’s so awesome getting to see the perspectives of people who were there when the game was new and this theory has me going nuts sometimes lol. On one hand it makes sense for the ghost woman in the Belmont family graveyard to be someone from the family, but on the other hand is she really “mysterious” anymore if it’s someone Simon would know?

And why did the Mysterious Woman not mention the Tooth of Vlad and only the other five pieces that she knew would partially summon Dracula instead of the intended burning, burying, and breaking of the curse? Especially if she’s meant to be Selena/Simon’s wife or if you interpret her as Sara? Simon’s Quest really went for the twist of having the call to action character and the one to get Simon out of whatever rut he was in for 6 years in the first place be the first person to lie to him. Which is just so!!!! Aaaa!!!!!!!!!!! This also raises the question: is the Mysterious Woman actually a force of good? Or did she just know that Simon was desperate enough to believe what she was saying to him? I’ve seen some people theorize that she was some kind of Dracula cultist or even a possible form of Death because of this.

Or was she completely right that summoning and killing Dracula is the only way to break the curse? After all a lot of other games in the series that revolve around curses end in Dracula being brought back and defeated. But this is also a strange option as usually when Dracula is resurrected it’s by cultists or Death or whoever else and it’s not a good thing and is just for the purpose of having the evil dark lord do evil things. So that would make this game one of the few scenarios in which Dracula’s resurrection is justified which is so weird I just— thinking about Simon’s Quest to hard is gonna kill me one day lol X,,,,,D.

She also says that one line of “within your own heart, you might be able to defeat the evil if you wager your own life” and thinking about that along with the ominous vagueness of the endings all having different eulogies so similar that you could genuinely make an argument for any of them being the canon ending and the fact that almost all of Simon’s symbolism is related to self sacrifice and martyrdom is uh… interesting. Also a lot of people forget that the area around Castlevania is also cursed, not just Simon. The swamps are messed up, the towns get less saturated in color more empty the closer you get to the castle, and there’s monsters everywhere, this wasn’t entirely a selfish endeavor to save himself.

Anyway, the Japanese manual also talks about the Mysterious Woman in specific ways, appearing and disappearing with the mist. And maybe this is a way to keep her as mysterious as possible, but it’s an interesting choice of words. They could’ve said she walked away into the mist, but they specifically said “disappear”, which is an awfully ghostly thing to do. And it’s also weird cause we kinda do see another character suddenly appear out of thin air in a graveyard in who I like to call the Garlic Guy. The Garlic Guy is also massively under appreciated like what the heck is up with that whole interaction 💀💀💀. Go to the graveyard, only at night, and some hooded figure will suddenly begin to exist in front of you if you lay garlic on the ground and then give you a bag. And then like most things it’s completely unexplained and you just have to keep moving on. I’m thoroughly convinced Simon is just as confused as we are lol. And in a way she is also treated the same way as any other NPC: she does something unexplainable and is never mentioned or important again. The way the game is written I swear it’s designed to make you feel anxious and rushed, ya know like a guy who is actively dying would feel.

And the fact that none of this is ever explained is just so ominous. It adds to the tension of the game and themes of not being able to trust anyone. Nobody trusts Simon, Simon can’t determine who’s trustworthy, there’s NPCs that you don’t even get to know who or what they are, sometimes even the hint books aren’t particularly helpful, things happen and you just have to keep going as to not waste any time.

Hopefully any of this makes sense lol I ain’t reading all that again to check cause I gotta go have lunch cause I forgor about it whoops. Anyway I am very normal about Simon’s Quest and every character in it, please everyone play this game it’s good I promise— (;w; )

Edit: oh my god I did not realize how long this ended up oopsie—

#castlevania #castlevania games #text post #ask post #simon belmont #castlevania simon’s quest #simon’s quest #the mysterious woman #Garlic Guy my bestie he’s so weird and I’m not sure if he’s human or not but he’s cool #theory posting #analysis post #theory dump #incoherent rambling #just kinda a bunch of random ideas in one post #is stream of consciousness what it’s called #uhhh train of thought #yeah #I love how this game is written and I take 90 psychic damage every time I see a post saying is has no story #the dev team behind this one really said what if we took our cool little hero guy and made him increasingly paranoid— #I can see all of these ideas and stuff about her being really cool to like #I’m just super indecisive and can’t pick one I like the most #shout out to that one guy who suggested the chronicles she wolf is Selena tho that one is a wild and sad theory #cause he also said he thought the mysterious woman was her ghost #and ​Simon killed her in the castle when she turned and that’s why she lies to him is cause she’s kinda a not very good spirit #like that guy was cooking ong I wanna see a comic or fic about that #I’ve also seen a couple people say the mysterious woman is Simon’s mom to them which hey I mean maybe who knows #I’ve seen a cool Sara idea where she gets him to do this cause she also wants the cycle to continue due to not being able to move on #we need the Castlevania theory community to be bigger ong this is fun

[catulhu333]

Pazuzu in Castlevania...

Arguably the most mysterious character in the series.

Pazuzu is an oldie, first appearing in Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse...as the final boss:

Pazuzu in Dracula's Curse, his design taking inspiration from 1st edition Advanced Dungeons of Dragons depiction of Pazuzu from 1983's Monster Manual II, most visible with both having beaks, as opposed to other depictions of the Mesopotamian demon king.

This either Dracula taking his form, Dracula merging his spirit with Pazuzu's petrified form, or Pazuzu taking over as the final boss after Dracula's defeat. The lore, even Japanese one is unclear, and this is from were we even get notion of Pazuzu being a separate character.

To be more specific, Pazuzu was meant to be "the Devil", also referred as "Evil God/God of Evil" (邪神／邪心 Jyashin) Dracula sold his soul to in old lore for his powers, vampirism and army, as well as selling Alucard's soul. This was overtime retconned, with Alucard being born a dhampire being established in Symphony of the Night, Alchemy and Chaos, as well to a degree Death (seemingly) taking Pazuzu's place in the lore. Only thing is...Pazuzu still reappeared, even in games after these retcons.

He first re-appears in Harmony of Dissonance, first there being shown as a damaged version of his petrified form/statue/idol,

and then as one of the bosses near the end of the game...coming out of what seems like a sealed portal, being in place usually were Dracula's throne is.

While many think Pazuzu here mostly (beyond his name)references the Demon/Leviathan boss from also Dracula's Curse and Baphomet, I think it's more than that. It's just in this depiction, design wise he is based on the unearthed more recently statue of Pazuzu (from Tell Sheikh Hamed, Syria), which make it clear he has horns on his head (the horns from earlier statues are misinterpreted as ridges on his head):

Pazuzu's attack patterns, are also meant to reference Dracula's classic Demon Final Form.

And that takes to Pazuzu's next appearance...in Curse of Darkness as Dracula's final form, even more similar to the statue I brought up, having now 4 feathered wings like it:

He also takes here cues from Ultimate Dracula forms from Legacy of Darkness and Circle of the Moon, but the similarity to Pazuzu is obvious, along the fact Curse of Darkness is a direct sequel to Curse of Dracula, probably referencing the final boss fight in it, if with new twists.

As in Harmony of Dissonance, Hector also encounters in Curse of Darkness the statue of Dracula's Curse Pazuzu:

Indeed, the statue's presence in games seems to be be a foreshadowing Pazuzu will appear in some form in the game.

Even more curiously, in the official Curse of Darkness manga (supervised by IGA/Koji Igarashi himself) Pazuzu is referenced (as 邪神／邪心 Jyashin/Jashin, as he was called in the Japanese version of Dracula's Curse, mistranslated as Evil Lords in the official English version):

What is his role after the retcons, or is he just a reference to retconned lore?

It doesn't seem he is just a reference, seeing the mention in the manga by IGA/Igarashi himself. Pazuzu exact role in current canon though, is left up to pure speculation. He might be mighty demon Dracula struck a bargain with, before he became (fully?) the Dark Lord/Demon King. He might a previous Dark Lord/Demon King/avatar of Chaos. He might be some manifestation of Chaos that Dracula merged with to become the Dark Lord. We can only speculate, as possibly we will never know, seeing Koji Igarashi left Konami.

And why chose Pazuzu over many other demons, including some like Satan who would fit? Well, I will discuss that...in a next post, (hopefully) tomorrow.

#Youtube #castlevania #pazuzu #dracula #dracula's curse #harmony of dissonance #curse of darkness #dungeons & dragons #d&d #mesopotamian mythology #manga #assyrian

[valkyrieblogs]

okay here's an ask for you! you mentioned that okino's feelings towards hijiyama change in the yakisoba pan scene. do you feel that it's the beginning of him seeing hijiyama as something more than "a tool," a realization of pre-existing feelings, or just something on the subconscious level (kind of like hijiyama, how his heart starts beating faster even as he denies his attraction)? a lot of what we see of hijioki is hijiyama pining, & i wish we'd gotten to see more of okino's pov :")

THIS IS SUCH A GOOD ASK thank you!!

so i do feel like he's viewed hijiyama as more than a tool for awhile. back in sector 5, they confirm in the developers' talk that when okino first meets hijiyama, the reason he's acting awkwardly and isn't really engaging until hijiyama specifically addresses him is because he's aware he's going to be experimenting on hijiyama. and so i think at least initially, his intention was to interact with him as little as possible, or at least keep some distance. (i imagine that hijiyama makes this pretty impossible, even if he's respectful about any interactions he has with okino as kiriko.)

but then, by the time he flees sector 5, he clearly has some affection (non-romantic at this point is my headcanon), especially since when he says his farewell to hijiyama, he even says that he's reluctant to part with him in japanese. this is despite the fact that until that point, okino's been in this self-imposed isolation ever since the 2064 kaiju invasion.

THEN we get them to be reunited in sector 4, and i'm just going to copy some of what i said in another post:

and when hijiyama arrives in sector 4, okino studies him, watches him for awhile. he knows what hijiyama's been up to. where he's been living (or more accurately, where he hasn't been living), how he's been surviving with working manual labour, and how he's never given up looking for okino this whole time. and when he finally does run into hijiyama one day… he doesn't run from him [like he does with other characters]. yes, he leaves the scene, but he allows himself to be followed. he allows hijiyama to find the hideout. and he's even thoughtful, buying his favourite food for him when he knows he lost his meal that day. and when they finally reunite properly, hijiyama fully realizing who he is… he invites him to stay, and even says he wants his help. for someone who, until this point, has been in self-imposed isolation, it really says a lot about his feelings for hijiyama that he actually lets him get involved. even if he's not telling him absolutely everything yet.

like!! to me it's so clear that he cares for hijiyama, even if he doesn't necessarily have romantic feelings for him at that point.

but then i really do feel like this changes with the yakisoba pan scene. i feel like, unlike hijiyama, okino isn't dense about his feelings. they're just not necessarily relevant, and he's got better things to do. he obviously knows about hijiyama's feelings for him, but i feel like until this point, it's just kind of a game for him. he teases hijiyama for reaction constantly. we never see him do this with other characters. but i think it's less a pre-existing feelings situation, and more that it's just fun. the yakisoba pan scene is where i feel like that changes and okino realizes oh, wait a second, i think i'm feeling something in return. especially since i feel like hijiyama being kind to him here is a moment where the relationship stops being transactional post-reunion from hijiyama's perspective. it's not to get something from him. it's just because he cares about okino, which is something okino isn't used to. and i especially love how okino gets a little flustered by it, because of how much he wasn't expecting it? he seems so unflappable when he's teasing hijiyama, only to be startled by this moment of kindness from him.

after that point, i feel like we don't get too many moments of okino flirting with him again outside of the love letter scene. and it does really make me wonder about okino's intent in that scene. obviously we know that he's written hijiyama an explanation about the sentinel, and the activation switch. but the choice of delivery being a love letter, it being a confession styled like the one he gave ogata… in japanese it sounds clear to me how okino puts on this affect (using anata instead of kimi, playing up being a girl in this moment), and he even says that he's joking shortly after hijiyama's initial response. but he also seems genuinely disappointed, and maybe a little hurt when hijiyama comments that getting a confession from a guy wouldn't make him happy. to me it sometimes reads like, he's doing a confession like this because it's easily denied if it goes badly. and it does. but those feelings for hijiyama are definitely there.

honestly, while i'm not sure if we'd see okino pine the way that hijiyama does, i do feel like he might get frustrated with hijiyama at times. hijiyama has so much to untangle about his feelings for okino (his gender, getting over the betrayal of him posing as kiriko, being used by okino, even whether his flirting is actually flirting or just a game), and i do feel like it would still take him a bit to work through that. meanwhile there's okino, fully aware of how hijiyama feels and how he feels, just waiting and still flirting viciously all the while. i know in some fan content (especially the japanese stuff i've read) it sometimes gets into okino wondering if hijiyama prefers kiriko and that being a sore spot for him, which is something that i like the idea of.

#valkyrie replies #valkyrie plays 13 sentinels: aegis rim #hijioki #13 sentinels: aegis rim

[judgeanon]

Plastic Skies - Model 8: F-16A Falcon

It’s been a little under two months since the last time I posted one of these, but without being dramatic, it feels closer to two years. Issues with getting paid at work meant I spent most of the early weeks of 2023 in a constant state of anxiety, and models only added to it. Or rather, knowing that I wasn’t gonna be getting any models done any time soon. Eventually, the fever broke and after paying any outstanding debts, I decided to treat myself. And it sure was a treat.

I like the F-16 Falcon a lot. Light, compact but still sporting some fine lines and a great silhouette, I always think of it as the pony car to the F-14′s muscle drag racer. The Camaro of fighter jets. That love for the F-16 runs deep, since I remember it being another one of the kits my brother or I built as kids, and one I had a big fondness for. The intake in particular I remember thinking looked very cool. And more recently, I kept running into it on every single Ace Combat game I touched, along with its cool seafaring Japanese cousin, the F-2.

Speaking of Japan, this particular F-16 comes from the fine folks at Hobby Boss, and is the first time I bought a Japanese kit. I got it for a decent price and at a 1/72 scale, mostly because all the 1/144 kits I could find had some wacky paintjob or something. So HB it was, and right out of the box, I was in love. The plastic felt strong and durable, the pieces all looked beautiful, none of them had to be cut or drilled, and as I would later find out, the kit came witha  bunch of small touches to make it an extremely easy build.

Along with the model, I also bought a couple of extra tools and paints I’d been missing, including one that was an immediate “How the FUCK have I been doing this for so long without you?” moment: a pair of spruce cutting pliers that made separating parts an absolute joy. That was, in general, my main goal with this model. Joy, relaxation, just having a good time building one of my favorites and giving it a cool desert camo job (appropriate, considering the scorching summer we had while I was building it). But I also had a bunch of other goals in mind that turned this kit into a test bed of sorts.

The first and most obvious one was finally getting to use a bottle of Mig Jimenez’ AMMO paint, a particular shade of grey I bought months ago in preparation for the “final boss” project I’ve had in my mind pretty much since I started doing this stuff. It’s a very strange kind of grey, almost turquoise under certain lights, but definitely eyecatching. I wanted to see how it’d look like when applied, and while it was a little weird at first, the more I got used to it, the more I liked it.

For the top, as mentioned above, I decided to go for a desert camo. I'd already painted two woodland camos before, so I figured this would be a nice change of pace while still using brown. Beyond the paints, however, the build proved to be really satisfying. All the pieces fit together perfectly (although some required a bit more pressure than usual) and the whole model, even before being finished, felt sturdy in ways no other model had felt so far. Turns out, the “Boss” part of Hobby Boss ain’t just hype.

Speaking of Japan, I also bought a can of Tamiya’s burnt iron metallic paint, since I’d seen it in a lot of instruction manuals. And just like every other metallic paint before it, I immediately fell in love with its easy application and lovely tone. This feels like the edgy member of the metallic paint crew and if I could, I’d probably try to paint a whole plane with it. Just to see what that’d look like.

And speaking of paints, the brown part was a bit painful, requiring about three coats before it looked decent enough to varnish. Maybe I need to start using primer, but I swear I have three or four specific paints that just refuse to stick properly until I get a bunch of coats in there. A bit frustrating, but the end result was still decent enough, and before I knew it, it was time for decals.

This is where things got a little interesting: the model I bought had decals for the Belgian and Norwegian air forces. But I had other plans. Using a couple of USAF roundels leftover from my F-14 Tomcat (as seen in Plastic Skies: Model 3) and a pair of emblems from the Ace Combat decal sheet I’d ordered last year, I decided to turn this into a Warwolf Squadron F-16, from Ace Combat: Assault Horizon. It was never going to be canon, since that game’s desert F-16 has a different camo scheme and I didn’t have any serial number decals, but the idea was to test the decals I did have while also finally doing something with those USAF emblems. And something was done indeed.

Unfortunately, however, decal application ended up being an absolute mess. The sheet that came with the plane was extremely packed together, so cutting around things was a terrifying labor. The decal solution I used dried up terribly quick, leading to decals that landed on a surface and immediately refused to move no matter what I tried. And one or two decals were just absolutely nuts to begin with. The job was taxing and the results were a bit disheartening, but I’ve long since learned to accept imperfections. Or at least, I try.

Lastly, I applied a bit of grey wash to accent the panel lines, a process that continues to haunt me. I’m trying not to rely on the “sludge” method of just covering the entire surface in wash and then cleaning it up, but I’ve tried three brands of wash so far and none of them seem to really slip into the lines as easily as advertised. I’m worried that I might be the problem, that my paints and varnishes may be so thick that the washes just can’t find the lines, but despite asking a couple of shop owners it seems like I’m doing everything right. Oh well.

Of course, you might notice something missing, and not just talent or skill. Hobby Boss, turns out, sells missiles and other weaponry separate from their models. I already knew this going in, having looked at the model on a few websites, and to be honest it was a little relaxing to not have to worry about tiny little decals on tiny little missiles. Plus, I already have a plan laid out to deal with this. But the way things are going, it might take a while.

Despite problems big and small, I’m pretty happy with this F-16. Every time I spend more than a month without building a new kit, I’m terrified that I’ll get rusty, that my hands will forget the meager skills I’ve gained so far and that my final goal keeps getting away. So doing something in this scale and spending so much time on it was a relief in several ways. And who knows? Maybe someday I will find some applicable serial decals for the fin. Still, it’s good to be back on the saddle.

And thanks to a very generous friend, the wait until the next one would end up being way, way shorter this time.

#My Stuff #Hobbies #Journals #Ace Combat Assault Horizon #Warwolf #Funky shades of grey

[beevean]

Hey I just remembered: Trevor doesn't even use the VK to kill Death, he uses some magic knife that S4 pulls out of its ass. It's like they were going out of their way to make the whip as unneeded as possible: Dracula brushes it off, Death is only somewhat fazed by it, he doesn't even get the chance to use it on Carmilla. The only thing it ever accomplishes is kiling various fodder level vampires and some demons. But hey it's just some video-gamey weapon from a dumb 8 bit game right? It's not like the Japanese manual of the first game specifically mentions that it's a mystical whip passed down through generations capable of killing Dracula right?

You're right

And this might come off as a nitpick in a vacuum, but I never liked how N!Trevor is also a sword wielder. On its own, sure it doesn't matter, it might be taken as proof that he's combat ready, but then you consider how nearly useless the VK is, the Belmont weapon ever since the first game...

I like how non-Belmont protagonists use a myriad of different weapons, mainly swords but not just those, while the Belmonts stick to the whip and they're damn good with it (plus any subweapons ofc). They don't need anything else, they're the only ones wielding such an unconventional weapon and making it work as well as a sword. (I think Jonathan is the only character who can use both the VK and other weapons, good for him)

And not to be a CoD stan as usual, but this cutscene really incapsulates for me how the VK works so well:

It's long, so there's the distance advantage; it's flexible, much more than any other conventional weapon, so the Belmont can pull off tricks and block the opponent (not shown here is my favorite tactic of rotating it quickly lol); and it's strong enough to shatter stone. Then you add how it's essentially embued in holy powers. The VK is awesome.

And yes, in the show they manage to make it and the Morning Star (mostly the Morning Star, since I'm pretty sure it nearly replaces the normal whip) look super cool, with the choreography and the fire effects... but then you put all things together and realize it never reaches its potential.

#castlevania #anti netflixvania #i honestly forgot about the knife #apparently he built through the season? #i completely checked out during his and alucard's subplots lmao

[projektimpworld]

[HS2/AI] Street Fighter ~ Makoto

Street Fighter series for Honey Select 2 (ハニーセレクト2 リビド) / Ai Shoujo 少女 Name : Makoto Origin : (Capcom) Street Fighter Costume : Default Birthday : July 1st, Height : 160cm Character Build : Projekt IMP Build version : 1.0 Mod by : Yamadamod Profile : https://streetfighter.fandom.com/wiki/Makoto

Makoto (まこと Makoto?) is a video game character from the Street Fighter series, first appearing in Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike. She is a tomboyish Japanese teenager looking to bring back the glory to her late father's dojo. ---------- Card & Mod Pack ---------- ► Download : https://projektimp.gumroad.com/l/ffpgm ► Store : https://projektimp.gumroad.com/ ►Install Note : Extract Zip to your game installation folder : X:\Game\Illusion\Honey Select 2\(HERE) ► Overlays Note : Load overlays manually IF needed, face, body or clothes overlays can be found at X:\Game\Illusion\Honey Select 2\UserData\Overlays\IMP\(HERE) ► Gumroad download instruction : Put any amount inside "$ box" before check out. Ex : $.0 and click I Want This/Buy This. Fill the email section, fill discount code if you are a patron member, click "Get", click "View Content", Click "Download" to download your card file. ► Guide and tutorial to download and install : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Ubmg-NUPaU

If you encounter any problems or have any question, feel free to reach our support. Contact Support : [email protected]

---------- Social Media ---------- ► Pixiv : https://www.pixiv.net/en/users/74997946► Twitter : https://twitter.com/Projekt_IMP► FB Page : https://www.facebook.com/projektimp/ ► Youtube : https://www.youtube.com/c/ProjektImpWorld ► Deviant Art : https://www.deviantart.com/syncvloid► Patreon : https://www.patreon.com/ProjektIMPworldAlso Available at IG, Pinterest, Tumblr and Pawoo. Best regards, Projekt IMP 世界 Disclaimer : All character model available at Projekt IMP store are built by Projekt IMP. Projekt IMP 世界 character card store is ONLY selling base character model, not the mod. Please keep your KK manager updated. Mod creator will always mentioned at description box. Please do support Mod creator listed in the description for their awesome works. All character created in this channel is a work of  fiction. Unless otherwise indicated, all the names, characters,  businesses, places, events and incidents in this creation are either the  product of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any  resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is  purely coincidental.

#honeyselect #honeyselect2 #studio #fanart #fanartdigital #3dfanart #artwork #3dartwork #artworkdigital #3dgirl #3dmodel #model #girl #femalemodel #femalecharacter #game #gamecharacter #gamefanart #gameartwork #arcade #ps4 #ps5 #xbox #capcom #taito #streetfighter #streetfighterfanart #streetfightermakoto #makoto #makotofanart