Legend of Zelda – Page 2

Unique Blogger Award!

January 30, 2018by Teri Mae14 Comments

Alright, guys, it’s the end of the month and I haven’t posted a “Gaming Thoughts” post yet for the month of January. So you get a blog overload this week! But this is a fun one. You see, NekoJonez nominated me for the Unique Blogger Award! Yay! Fanfare, Confetti, and Balloons! Jonez is, in all honesty, one of the nicest and most supportive bloggers out there. And his blog is a beauty to read. He delves deep into games to write riveting reviews and seems to always find games I’ve never heard of! Which is a blast because it helps expand my horizons. If you don’t already follow NekoJonez, please go do so right now and enjoy his blog as much as I do!

And now for the award. Jonez provided we the nominees with three questions and asked us to answer them. I thought long and hard about my responses, especially because the first question gave me so much trouble! But I finally figured them out.

Question 1: If you were able to erase all memories from one game to be able to fully experience it again, which game would it be and why?

My first reaction to this question was Ocarina of Time. But then my gut started to wrench and I panicked. My childhood, my life, has been shaped by that game and my memories of playing it as a kid. Everything about me is formed by my adoration for Link and Legend of Zelda. And I realized I couldn’t possibly give up those memories, even for the amazing experience of getting to experience it, brand new, all over again.

But it didn’t take long to come up with the answer I do want to give: Legend of Zelda Majora’s Mask. I had been playing OoT nearly nonstop for 2 years. When Majora’s Mask was released I was ecstatic, thrilled to play another LoZ game. I honestly can’t remember if I bought it myself or if my parents caved and got it for me (or, more likely, “the family”). I remember going downstairs on a Saturday morning, opening the packaging, and literally sitting there and playing through the entire game in one day. I would stop for bathroom breaks and food but otherwise I was glued to that TV. When I finished it I was disappointed. I was disappointed at how easy it had been, at the fact that it had only taken me, on a first run and having never read a manual, 13 hours to beat that game. And I’ve never played it again.

I know it’s people’s favorite game, that it has high acclaim, and a pretty strong following. People even claim they like it more than Ocarina of Time (the heathens!). But I have never been able to dump the sour taste my barely-twelve-year-old mind had when I finished a LoZ game that quickly. I’m sure I was just too young to understand the depth of the story and the complexities of gameplay that mean everyone loves it so much. And I’d love to have the ability to do it over again. Experience it fresh. Having thought a lot about this the last few weeks makes me think I’m going to give it another go this year and try and capture whatever I missed as a child.

Question 2: If you were allowed to help in the production of a game, which role would you take on and why? The role of producer, voice actor, writer, designer…?

This one’s an easy one. Craft Services! Right? Game production has craft services, the amazing people who cater the film, I mean, game… set, I mean studio… Maybe not. Blast. Probably not.

While I wish I could say I was super creative and had amazing story ideas/musical composition abilities… I don’t. What I do have is an incredible attention to detail, mad budgeting skills, some past experience, and an absolute love for a good spreadsheet. And even if she didn’t know it, LaterLevels in a recent article about game production Dream Teams, pegged the exact position I would take in the production of a game: Producer. You see, my husband is a film producer, which gives me a bit of an edge. I know what the position is and what is needed for it. I’m also incredibly conscientious about money and finances. I overlook our personal budget nearly every day and, as I like to say it, “do the math” on basically any purchase or financial whim that comes in to my head. And my scientific background really pushes me to check out the details of how a system works and ensure that all the cogs are rolling along. So I think that’s what I’d be best at…

Question 3: What is one of the earliest video game memories?

My earliest video game memories are of Aladdin, The Lion King, and Sonic and Knuckles on our Sega Genesis. I would wake up at an obscenely early time on Saturdays to play one of these three games. As a kid I remember thinking the stampede scene in The Lion King was the most difficult level on any video game ever. We had an unfinished basement where my parents had set up a small TV with the game systems and my little brother, sister, and I would sit down there, wrapped in blankets, and play until my parents got up, realized where we were, and would force us to come up and do our chores. Oh, to be a child again…

And now, here are the rules for the nominees:

Display the award. (See above).
Thank the individual(s) who have nominated you and include a link to their blog. A little promotion for their blog is also welcome.
Answer the questions asked by the individual who has nominated you.
Nominate an arbitrary number of bloggers and have them answer three questions you put forth to them.

Here are the questions:

If you could only listen to one game soundtrack for the rest of your life, which would it be and why? And then pick one track from that soundtrack, which would it be, and why?
Pick one villain to be the main playable character in a new game series. Which character would you pick and why?
What is one dead IP or game that you’d love to see resurrected and why?

And here are the nominees:

Video Games Nebula

My Passion for Gaming

Gamers United

Insert Memory Card

Quite frankly, it’s rough going after Jonez because he nominated a significant portion of the people I would have nominated, who then nominated nearly all the rest. And while it’s awesome that everyone is getting a chance, it leaves me woefully unable to nominate more… But don’t worry! I think I found a few who have been skipped!

Recipes

Veggies Cream Soup and New Year Resolutions

January 10, 2018January 10, 2018by Teri Mae21 Comments

I’m back! But this time I’m not just attempting to be back because I’ve made a goal/new year resolution to get back into this. I’ve never really been a resolutions kind of girl. I’ve always had the opinion that if you have a goal then start now, don’t wait for the new year and risk losing momentum before you’ve even started! But this year (mostly because of timing, partly because of my intense need to organize everything perfectly to fit in time grids) I’ve decided to start my very own set of resolutions.

One of my best friends from high school started making goals in sets of 4 and I think it’s incredibly clever to do it this way! It gives you enough to make changes in every aspect of your life, but not so much that you give up. They are goals in mental (i.e. knowledge), spiritual, physical, and social health. So what are my goals, you ask? They are:

Mental/Wisdom: Master all the Tartine and Tartine No. 3 bread recipes

Spiritual: Actually, I don’t really want to share this here, as it’s pretty personal and would take a very long time to explain. But suffice it to say that I have one!

Physical: The proverbial “Get Healthy”, but I actually have a plan for how to do this, so it’s not just a plea in the dark

And last but not least, Social, the reason I’m boring you with all of this: My goal is to improve my blog and my community here by being more regular in recipes, in the quality of my work, and being committed to the schedule I’m about to propose. They always say you’re more apt to accomplish goals if you tell people what they are so this is me requesting that you hold me accountable! The new sort-of-schedule is going to be:

A new recipe each week

One “Thankful” recipe per month

One Gaming Thoughts post per month

And, potentially, if I’m able to keep all those other posts regular, one collaboration per quarter.

Yeah, it doesn’t seem like a lot, but it’s a schedule I think I can stick to and a schedule I feel comfortable making a commitment to. Also, there will be an element of surprise to it all, since I’m not specifying posting days this time! Let’s see if that works and if it does maybe I’ll go back to specific days… So hopefully you guys can help me stick this goal through and I hope this will produce a better blog for you to give your limited time to and a better chance for me to be a part of your community!

And now, after all that, your recipe.

Veggie Cream Soup

Lets start with stripping the herbs and cutting up all the veggies. When you’re using fresh herbs they need to be taken off the stems. This can seem incredibly daunting but i promise, it’s actually not that bad. If you’re using dried herbs, just skip this step and move on! Start by washing (obviously) and shaking dry the herbs as much as you can. Place the edge of your knife against the herb stem below the leaves, tight, but not cutting through. Once you’re in place simply pull the stem and drag the leaves along the blade of the knife. Don’t move the knife, just the stem. The leaves will strip off and the stem will pull through! Easy peasy! Any more questions, just watch this video:

Next, we cut the vegetables. Just slice and dice them into bite-size chunks, larger or smaller depending on your preferences. I prefer large chunks. I feel like you get a better flavor from them!

Once everything is prepped add a tiny bit of butter (or oil) to a pan with some height. We are going to be simmering in it later, so we want to make sure there’s enough room for the liquid. Start by frying the onion until it’s tender and opaque. Then add all the fresh veggies and saute for about a minute or two, just until they are all shiny. And guys, I know my photos have the zucchini added at this step. My advice, don’t follow the photos! While it was easy, it made the zucchini a little overcooked, which is not what we’re going for. We’ll add it later. Promise.

Once everything is nice and shiny add the vegetable broth and simmer for about 15 minutes. We want everything nice and tender before we add it to the sauce! If you’re using fresh peas and corn (because it’s summer or you’re very lucky) go ahead and add them to the simmering veggies. If not, I used frozen peas and canned corn. I like the taste of canned corn better in soup, but you can use frozen if you prefer. While your fresh veggies are simmering just heat up the peas and corn. Make sure all the water is drained and set them aside for later.

Next, we make a roux. We talked about the pitfalls of making a roux when we made Fish Pie, so I won’t go over them in detail again. Let’s just do the basics.

Melt your butter in a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat. Wait until the butter is completely melted and bubbly. Once it is, whisk in half the flour. Once all the flour is incorporated and the mixture starts to melt and become a bit liquidy again add the remaining flour. Whisk is continually until it starts to melt again. Whisk constantly for 2 minutes until your roux reaches the blond stage.

Once your roux is ready we start slowly adding the milk. Add about half the milk at a time. The roux may ball up on itself when you do but just keep whisking and it’ll sort itself out! Whisk until the mixture is homogeneous and slightly thick. Add the remaining milk and repeat. If the mixture is too thick you may have added too much flour. Add regular milk until it reaches a gravy-like consistency.

Once your sauce is ready simply add all the veggies (including the zucchini, peas, and corn at this point!), herbs, and remaining broth to the sauce, stir until well combined, and let it simmer for 10-15 minutes to allow the flavors and spices to combine! If you skip this part the herbs won’t have done their job and it’ll be a bit bland. Be patient. It’ll be worth it!

P.S. I don’t recommend adding a raw carrot at the end… The price we pay for matching photos, right?

Link’s Veggie Cream Soup

- Fresh Milk
- Rock Salt
- Any Carrot or Pumpkin

Veggie Cream Soup

Servings: 8-10
Time: 1 hour
Difficulty: moderately easy
Print

Vegetables in a thick, creamy soup

Ingredients

3-4 medium carrots
2 medium zucchini
1 head cauliflower
1 small onion
1 15 oz can of corn
2 cups frozen peas
1.5 tablespoons fresh thyme (or 3/4 tablespoon dried thyme)
1.5 tablespoons fresh oregano (or 3/4 tablespoon dried oregano)
1 tablespoon fresh chives (or 1/2 tablespoon dried chives)
1.5 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon butter
1/4 cup flour
3 cups milk
3 cups vegetable broth

Directions

If using fresh herbs, strip the oregano and thyme from their stalks and finely dice the chives. Set aside.
Slice the carrots and zucchini into large, bite-sized pieces. Remove the stalk and leaves of the cauliflower and chop into large bite-sized pieces. Dice the onion.
Add a small amount of oil or butter to a pan and heat on medium until the fat is hot. Add the onion and cook until translucent and tender. Add the cauliflower and carrots and saute until shiny. Add all the vegetable broth and simmer for 15 minutes.
While the vegetables are simmering thaw the peas and drain the corn and peas. Set aside.
Begin the roux by melting the butter in a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat. When the butter is completely melted and bubbling whisk in half the flour. Whisk continually until all the flour is incorporated and the mixture starts to melt and become a bit liquidy again. Add the remaining flour and repeat. Once all the flour is incorporated whisk constantly for 2 minutes until your roux reaches the blond stage.
Slowly add half the milk and whisk until the mixture is thick. Add the remaining milk and whisk until the mixture has thickened to a gravy-like consistency.
Add all the simmering vegetables and broth, corn, peas, zucchini, herbs, salt, and pepper to the sauce and stir until well combined. Bring to a simmer and allow to simmer for 10-15 minutes to allow the flavors and spices to combine.

Thoughts, Thursday Thoughts

Comprehensive Gaming

January 5, 2018by Teri Mae6 Comments

Guys, I know this isn’t the recipe you were looking for. The holidays definitely got the better of me both physically and emotionally. And while a recipe is coming (I just have to write the post) in the meantime I wanted to share a link to an incredible in-depth look at gaming costs vs playtime vs enjoyment. This post is found on Complicate the Narrative, a blog dedicated to analyzing gaming and applying literary theory to it.

You can find the post here

It’s a long article, but guys, it’s totally worth reading.

I highly recommend chatting with the author in their comments about their experience but if you want to chat here I’ll direct him to it.

My favorite excerpt and my take-away message is this:

After forcing myself to look this closely at the time and money I spend on games, I’ve decided that in the end, the best games do only 2 things: entertain and inspire. The second a game is not doing at least one of those two things, stop. Seriously, just stop. Examine why you aren’t entertained or inspired, then watch out for those patterns in other games, and don’t play those games. Don’t buy them, don’t start them, don’t give them any more attention than they deserve.

This year I’ve really questioned gaming and whether I should, as some put it, grow out of it. I’m planning a pretty long post about overcoming my fear in regards to those sentiments soon, but this conclusion by Paul is the conclusion I’ve made. Gaming brings you joy and can inspire and teach. Find the games that make you feel that and then it’s never a waste of time!

Thursday Thoughts

Triforce Heroes and the Power of Nostalgia

October 1, 2017September 25, 2017by Teri Mae8 Comments

Sorry for the major posting today but guess what, readers? It’s another collaboration post, but this one is, dare I say, even bigger than the last one I was involved in! This series, put on by NekoJonez, is a nice retrospective on everyone’s (or at least my) favorite series: The Legend of Zelda. In his article you’ll find links between blogs, sharing all the amazing posts by other bloggers discussing each of the LoZ games. I am so glad and grateful to be involved in this article because, as you all know, I’m a little obsessed with Zelda… Just a bit…

I get to talk about Tri-Force Heroes! I’ll be taking you through my favorite part of the game: the nostalgia. This is something Nintendo really tapped into in order to make the game a massively enjoyable multiplayer experience.

Triforce Heroes, for those of you who never played it, is a multiplayer game for the Nintendo 3DS handheld consoles. The game was created to improve on the limitations of the GameBoy Advanced Four Swords multiplayer game, which required a lot of finagling to be able to play with others. Utilizing the built-in WiFi and capability to interact with people all across the globe, Nintendo was able to recapture the enjoyment and excitement of a multiplayer Zelda game in a much more user-friendly way.

Once you start playing Triforce Heroes it seems like Nintendo wanted to recapture a lot of past feelings. The nostalgia factor is incredibly high while playing, with nods to previous characters, abilities, and artistic styles throughout the game. It may seem like a simple move to include these little hints but it sure made all the difference for me! As a bit of a stickler for story the idea of saving an entire kingdom from a “fashion emergency” put me off right from the start. I was skeptical about the fun I would have playing a game that not only cut out Zelda and Hyrule, but also cut out any semblance of a real story. But every time I came across another nod at the Zelda series I felt excited, happy that I understood the reference, and eager to continue playing. For me, that was the real masterpiece of the game. Nintendo’s ability to capitalize on our love of these characters is what keeps us coming back for more! What are some of these references, you might ask? Here, let me show you…

First, let’s talk about concept and artistic style. This game is heavily based off of the art and world of A Link Between Worlds. In an interview with Polygon the developer, Hiromasa Shikata, explained that it was A Link Between Worlds that really sparked his interest in creating a multiplayer Legend of Zelda game. So, naturally, the game would have plenty of elements of LbW throughout it. The enemies we encounter in each of the levels, the 2D-but-actually-3D visuals, and the stepped terraces and environments are each elements that hearken directly back to LbW. And, if you know anything about LbW you know that this hearkens back to A Link to the Past, one of the first Legend of Zelda games and a favorite among fans. So right in the initial development is a double-hit of nostalgia.

In Triforce Heroes Link is able to enter a realm of Doppel’s, which are character’s he inhabits in order to complete levels on his own. This ability ensures that players can complete the levels they need to even when other players aren’t available. Shikata, who helped develop Spirit Tracks, explained in his Polygon interview at E3 in 2015 “That element [the ability to control phantoms] really intrigued me and brought out the idea that I wanted to try multiplayer as well.” So, if we read that correctly (and trust me, we did) Link’s ability to play and inhabit other characters is a direct link to Spirit Tracks.

But we can’t just spend the entire article talking about development, can we? There’s far too much to see and remember to focus just on that! We’ve already talked about how the art style was heavily influenced by LbW and ALTTP but it seems the character’s were, as well! There’s no need to go in depth on the enemies, who are a perfect match to the enemies found in LbW. Did Match Master and Doppel Master look strangely familiar to anyone else? Yep, to me they looked and reminded me exactly of Sahasrahla from A Link to the Past. Sahasrahla, the wise old sage, is a perfect match up to the Masters, who are supposed to be guardians of the gates to the outer drablands. This character, who is able to communicate with Link in ALTTP makes perfect sense as the Masters, who would need to communicate with outside Link’s to create matches. And then there’s the Street Merchant, a perfect match to the one found in LbW and ALTTP. This character even makes a little nod when he first shows up at having “seen” Link before… possibly in another world?

And then there’s the outfits. So many of them are reminders of the characters and things we loved from LoZ games. Shall we list them? I think we should, just for the fun of it.

There’s the Goron garb and Kokiri tunic are a perfect match to those races from Ocarina of Time, while the Zora garb comes straight out of LbW and ALTTP. Was anyone else reminded of Dodoh from Skyward Sword with the Rupee Regalia outfit? And Linebeck from Phantom Hourglass and the Fierce Diety armor from Majora’s Mask shows up in the DLC. The Tingle outfit needs no introduction and in a game without Zelda the legendary dress was sorely needed to remind us of her. The Timeless tunic, from the original Legend of Zelda, is the perfect little nod to the one that started it all, changing all the music to 8-bit sounds throughout the entire game. And, in a fit of inclusion Nintendo added the hammerwear, a perfect match to the Hammer Bros. from Mario and the Cozy Parka looked very similar to Ice Climbers from Smash Brothers.

But now for my favorite nostaglia moment of them all – the music balls in the waiting room. I decided, when I was asked to help contribute to this awesome collaboration, to replay a little of the game. While it held up (mostly) from when it was first released I got stuck in an awful lot of waiting rooms. It seems like there are fewer and fewer people playing, which means waiting for matches can take quite a while. And while I waited for a team to show up I spent what amounts to hours playing with the music balls. If you haven’t played the game you can run, full tilt, at the wall and a music ball (looking like a beach ball) will bounce down from the ceiling. If you’re able to keep the ball off the ground using your sword you get to hear all the classic Kondo tunes that make Legend of Zelda great. There’s something, it seems, from nearly every game, and each one brings to mind exactly how much I loved that game and makes me want to play it again. It was like a few perfect minutes remembering things I loved and still loved from every single game. I would even get a little upset when my match would begin and it would prevent me from playing with the music balls…

Nintendo created an incredible franchise when they developed The Legend of Zelda. They created memorable characters, places, stories, items, and music to immerse us in a world we can continue to visit again and again. In Triforce Heroes, where they needed to create a different type of story and a different type of gameplay, Nintendo capitalized on the elements of LoZ that really capture our hearts, making it another classic we will continue to revisit as time passes on.

Featured Image Credit: Pieter-Jan Casteels https://zoef.deviantart.com/

Thursday Thoughts

Blogger Blitz Retrospective

September 28, 2017September 25, 2017by Teri Mae6 Comments

After something that has been pretty blog-consuming over the last month or two I wanted to jot down some feelings I’ve had throughout the entire competition.

First and foremost – a HUGE thank you to Ian at Adventure Rules for dreaming up the perfect competition. His creativity knows no bounds, his pictures have been spectacular, and his enthusiasm really caught us up in his excitement. The work and effort that went into something as big as this cannot be understated and we all owe him a lot of gratitude for pushing us outside our comfort zones.

Secondly – I’ve thoroughly enjoyed getting to know the other competitors in the Blitz. It’s been so fun to get immersed in a community and really feel the encouragement and support of everyone. The stories and writing have truly inspired me and I’ve learned so much from what they’ve done. It’s been a blast to trash talk or encourage by turns and exciting to see how creative everyone is. I’ll really miss the constant interaction that this experience has brought.

Third – A competition would be nothing without our judges and it feels like these one’s have really upped the bar on blogging competitions! Their insight, interest, and extensive knowledge have really broken down these entries in a way I’m surprised at. They took their duties very seriously and it’s been impressive to read their logic on announcement days AKA Fridays. What a task and we were lucky enough to find people worthy of it!

Fourth – I’ve always known how much Link means to me and what he’s helped me get through in my life, but it’s nice to be able to revisit him in so much detail and really express my love for the Legend of Zelda series. And it’s strengthened my resolve and determination to 100% BotW, which is no small feat!

And lastly – I want to talk a bit about my journey through this process. Each time I’ve won I’ve been surprised. Once I read the competitor’s entry I am confident I don’t stand a chance of winning. Luna’s entry on the Joker was clever and so well-written. She really knows that character and her details really blew me away. And then came Luke’s moving story about Claire and her heart-wrenching decision. Each Friday, when I read the results, I felt like there had been some kind of mistake. There was no way I actually beat those guys. And frankly, despite making it to the finals, I still feel a little like my place here is a fluke. I may have gotten one or two elements better, but their entries were so inspired I just don’t feel worthy of winning. It’s been a learning process for me to accept the idea that I may have done something right. I’ve had to learn to accept my advancement and have tried to come to terms with my place in the final. I’ve never had a lot of self-confidence and I’m more used to making excuses for why my thing “got lucky” than accepting the fact that it might actually be good. So along this journey I’ve been trying to accept the idea that what I created may have actually had merit. It may have actually been a worthy entry. And that’s where I’ve grown. I’ve grown as a writer, of course, but I’ve grown emotionally and mentally, as well.

So Ian, judges, and fellow challengers, thank you. Thank you for teaching me and encouraging me. Thank you for the confidence boost this has been and for the community you’ve given me when I’ve definitely needed it. No matter who wins the competition tomorrow it doesn’t matter – because I’m definitely the real winner because of all of you.

Thursday Thoughts

Blogger Blitz Semifinals: Raccoon City

September 11, 2017September 11, 2017by Teri Mae14 Comments

If any of you follow along with the non-recipe posts you’ll know that I won Round One of the incredible Blogger Blitz Challenge, hosted by Ian at Adventure Rules. I honestly didn’t expect to win, especially since Luna of Gamer’s United put up such a good fight. But by some serious luck I got to move on to the semifinals! If you want to know more about the basics behind the Blogger Blitz a link to the rules can be found here. However, for this second challenge a new scenario and a new rule were introduced. The new rule: I get 800 words (instead of 500) to describe why Link would be able to survive a dastardly plan by LeChuck of The Secret of Monkey Island and take down Albert Wesker in Resident Evil territory. Since I’ve never played Resident Evil I relied heavily on recaps and synopsis to understand what Link was up against, so bear with me if it may be a tad inaccurate! The official prompt is as follows:

“In this event, the two competitors must switch roles for a day – Link must lead the charge against biologically-enhanced zombie warriors (can you tell I’ve totally played Resident Evil before?!) and their leader Wesker, while Claire has to save Hyrule from the mighty sorcerer Ganondorf and his evil hordes. However, before they can do their new jobs, LeChuck interferes, dragging them to the waters of Mêlée Island (which, as we all know, conveniently borders both Hyrule and the United States). Attaching each competitor to a heavy ship anchor, he sends them plummeting into the deep before heading off to capture Elaine Marley. Our competitors must explain how they escape LeChuck’s deadly trap without drowning, make their way back, and defeat a villain they have never faced with abilities foreign to their own world.”

If you are dying to see what my competitor, Luke, at Hundstrasse has written (like I am) then check out his blog here. And now, let’s see what Link’s got up his sleeve for this challenge! And don’t forget, the results will go live Friday at 9am EST on Adventure Rules.

Judges and curious onlookers – the word count starts now:

Another day, another kingdom to save. It seems the work is never done for the Hero of Hyrule. But this time, it’s not his kingdom that needs saving. A request came for help from the distant land of Raccoon City, and Link, a born hero through all ages, answers the call. As he leaves the safety of Hyrule he is ambushed by the dread pirate, LeChuck, who captures Link using a sleeping draft. LeChuck ties Link to an anchor and drops him into the depths of the ocean…

Link! Link, wake up! Hurry!

Link awakens, gasps, and struggles wildly. Luckily, he always wears his Zora Tunic, which allows him to breathe underwater, when he sails. With no fear of drowning, Link struggles with his bonds, eventually freeing one arm. He draws the Master Sword and slices through the rope, freeing himself from the anchor. Using his Silver Scale, Link swims to the surface to find the King of Red Lions, his companion across all oceans. He hops into this boat and ties up his Swift Sail, knowing that time is running out.

As Link reaches the shore he realizes he is still far from Raccoon City. He could call his loyal steed, Epona, but knows that time is pressing. Instead he calls his Crimson Loftwing and soars through the skies to reach this new realm. He sets down just outside the town, cautious and wary. He isn’t sure what monsters Raccoon City may be facing but his Stealth Crouch and Sheikah Stealth Armor help him avoid detection. The closer he gets to the city, the fewer resources he notices. Luckily, scavenging for food, materials, and weapons and careful use of those goods is a skill he has recently acquired. Maintaining a supply of health-restoring food and weapons shouldn’t be a problem with his Sheikah Slate Sensor capabilities. And Link isn’t afraid to break literally every pot and cut every blade of grass to find what he needs.

As he enters the city he encounters his first monster – a hideous, humanoid thing that looks undead. Or maybe ReDead? Link sighs with relief when he realizes he’s encountered monsters similar to this before. He manages to sneak past the first few zombies before coming to a large mansion. He checks his map and notices a glowing sphere underneath the mansion. It must be the location of Wesker, the man behind these evils deeds. He cautiously slips through the front doors and stumbles upon a monster just inside the door. He whips out his Ocarina, quickly plays the Sun Song and a beam of light appears, blinding the zombie, allowing Link the time to kill him with the Master Sword before moving on.

As Link steps into the next room he notices hidden switches and some kind of puzzle to be worked out. He smiles. As Hero of Hyrule, he has worked his way through hundreds of puzzles. It seems like the people of Hyrule insist their temples be so complex no one could actually use them. He quickly works out the first puzzle and moves on. As he works his way through the following rooms and puzzles he notices that the mansions is becoming quieter. As he leaves the last room and zombie runs down the corridor toward him. Working quickly, Link uses his Ice Rod to freeze his opponent. He then uses a well-placed bomb to kill the monster. The sound, however, draws more zombies to him. His Triforce of Courage never fails him and he swiftly fires a Bomb Arrow, blasting them all as he makes his escape to the stairs at the end of the hall.

Link rushes down toward the glowing dot from his map to find a giant mutant and Wesker. Wesker congratulates Link on making it this far and explains his terrible plan for world domination. Link rolls his eyes – he’s heard this before and this guy had nothing on Ganondorf. As Wesker finishes his tirade he unleashes the monster, a Tyrant. Link quickly downs a Tough Meat and Rice Bowl, boosting his ability to handle damage and his health, and uses a combination of the Mirror Shield to blind the monster and Master Sword Beams to defeat it. In the monster’s last, terrible rage he attacks Wesker, who appears dead beside the remains of the beast. But Link knows that after Ganondorf comes Ganon and waits for the second monster to appear. Wesker revives, having injected himself with a powerful virus, and attacks. Link brings out the Light Arrows, knowing of their power to stop evil (and blind his foes), and uses them and powerful attacks with his Master Sword to defeat Wesker. As Link leaves the building the sun bursts above the horizon and he smiles, knowing he restored peace to Raccoon City.

Thursday Thoughts

Blogger Blitz Round 4: Matchmaker

August 21, 2017August 21, 2017by Teri Mae12 Comments

You know, after an accidental hiatus it’s interesting that the post I come back with isn’t a recipe. It’s not even a Thursday Thought. It’s a competition. So to kick off being back from vacation and back on track I’m going to spend the next 500 words (after this intro, judges! Don’t start counting now!) convincing you that Link, our very own Hero of Life, the Universe, and Everything can play matchmaker with only his impressive collection of skills. This competition, hosted by Ian at Adventure Rules, is called the Blogger Blitz. If you want to know more about it a link to the rules can be found here. I’m participating in Round 4, so if you’d like to read the previous rounds click on 1, 2, and 3 for the respective hub articles. This community event has been really fun to be a part of so far, and, with luck, I’ll get to keep playing in the next round! For any of you who, for some silly reason, don’t want to read the full rules and regulations, my prompt is as follows:

“Match Maker! It’s a mission to find love for a malboro, the most horrifying creature in Final Fantasy history. Malboro are known for their putrid breath, breath so terrible that when exhaled on a party of adventurers, it can cause a range of status ailments from poison to confusion to becoming Doomed to die! Finding someone – or something – for a creature like that is pretty intimidating, but it’s up to you to convince the judges why your character can do it.”

malboro

If you want to read my competitor’s argument head over to Gamer’s United. Luna is writing about the Joker so this could be a very interesting match-up! Oh, and one more thing, the results will be posted on Adventure Rules this Friday to see who won! So cross your fingers, wish me luck, and let’s get this party started! Judges, word counts starts at the top the of the next paragraph.

“Hey! Listen! Link, it’s almost time for the challenge. Wake Up!”

*Mumbling and yawning*

“I can’t believe I picked such a lazy boy to help me with this… Link, it’s challenge day! Can you explain the argument we came up with that you are an incredible matchmaker and that you can help anyone find love?”

“. . . . .”

“Um…. A little louder for the back?”

“. . . . .”

*Sigh* “Fine. Why don’t I just tell them.”

Link, The legend of Zelda

Link, the Hero of Time and defender of Hyrule, has always been up to a challenge. When he heard about this one it was no different. He knew that finding love for a creature as horrific as a malboro would be tough, but he’s never backed down from a fight and he never will.

First, Link must use his triforce of courage. Only the most brave and fearless could stand to be near a malboro long enough to learn what he was really like. Link’s ability to stay calm in the face of overwhelming danger would allow him to hang out, learn, and find the positive aspects of such a creature. Link’s incessant questions to everyone, including asking the same questions over and over again, would allow him to discover who malboro truly was. This knowledge would be invaluable to finding a true love for this monster. He would also utilize his companion, be it fairy, sword spirit, or twilight princess, to learn everything he could about malboros. He would learn the creature’s weaknesses in order to help the potential mate know when it was safe to approach their true love.

After learning about his foe… I mean, friend… he would start to search for the right person to love such a monster. Link loves to travel, usually covering vast countries and lands to discover everything he can about other people, cultures, and races. This knowledge will help him choose the person most likely to love a malboro. After using his persistence and questioning skills he will have found the person just right for the malboro – looking for love and slightly desperate.

moe the moblin Once the potential soul mate has been found he’d start a letter campaign, knowing that the best way to get these two to fall in love would be long-distance. So he’d deliver these letters back and forth between the lover’s, like he’s always done. He reminded me that every incarnation of himself has played matchmaker regardless of race, age, and distance. He even reminded me that his incarnation during the flood (Wind Waker) was able to match a Hylian with a Moblin monster.

He’s always helping people find love and it usually bring him great joy and some kind of reward. The promise of this reward means that he would not give up until the quest was completed. These letters would spark true romance and, after enough of them, the malboro and his true love would finally meet. Armed with the knowledge Link was able to pass on these two could live happily, and maybe distantly, ever after.

Thursday Thoughts

It’s Okay to be a Hero

July 27, 2017by Teri Mae10 Comments

Lets chat for a bit about heroes. The new, modern, trendy, super cool, trench coat-wearing thing nowadays is anti-heroes. Batman, Joel from The Last of Us, Aloy from Horizon Zero Dawn. All these characters are dark, mysterious, brooding, kind of morally ambiguous, and dreamy. It seems that the media and critics are obsessed with the anti-hero and anything even remotely resembling a hero is a boring trope that’s obviously been done before.

But you know who I love? The hero. I love Link, Mario, and Captain America. I love the brightness, the hope, the radiating goodness that pours out of a hero and into our lives. Heroes are absolutely still relevant and, especially in these dark times, still necessary in our games, movies, and media.

So what’s the exact difference, you may ask? Well let’s check Wikipedia – because that’s what we do nowadays.

A hero is defined as a “person or main character who, in the face of danger, combats adversity through impressive feats and ingenuity, bravery, or strength, often sacrificing their own personal concerns for the greater good”. Let’s break it down. A hero is someone who utilizes their natural abilities to overcome evil. They are always found giving up what they want to help others and are good, true, honest, and kind. These characters always do the right thing and have a fantastic moral compass.

An anti-hero is a “protagonist who lacks conventional heroic qualities such as idealism, courage, or morality. Although anti-heroes may sometimes do the right thing, it is often for the wrong reasons and because it serves their self-interest rather than being driven by moral convictions”. So these are the people who fight against the system, break the rules, live by their own code, and do their own thing. And somehow they usually end up doing the right thing for the people around them. But it’s not always the best way to do it or the best reasons.

Because anti-heroes are much more flawed and much more like us they tend to be more loved. They appeal to us because we relate to their circumstances, they struggles, and dilemmas.

But…

Just because a character is a hero doesn’t mean they’re flat. Or outdated. Or boring. It just means they are a good person with good morals who does good things for people. It’s because they are heroes that makes them people we should emulate. I mean, add a couple of cut scenes of Batman sneaking through a window with an ax and this just became a horror film. Instead of focusing on the parts of a hero no one feels they can relate to, lets focus on the fact that these are characters we can strive to be!

My sister-in-law and I have this debate semi-regularly. She is a hard-core anti-hero fan and I am a die-hard hero worshiper. It’s why she loves Brontë and I love Austen. Why she loves Rogue One instead of Force Awakens and I… well I love both. And I wish I could help her understand that a character doesn’t need to be an anti-hero to be worthy of praise or positive critique.

Lord David Cecil once said (when talking about Austen’s novels, but let’s be honest, it can be applied to any hero character, “There are those who do not like [heroes]; as there are those who do not like sunshine or unselfishness”. These character’s can bring light and happiness into our lives and into our perspectives. Instead of focusing on the flaws and negativity and selfishness we are given the option to look at the selflessness, the integrity, the courage of characters doing the right thing because it’s the right thing. Link saving Hyrule in every iteration simply because he’s in the right circumstances. Mario rescuing the kidnapped girl and freeing countless worlds from the clutches of tyrants. These are the people with hope and the ones who can teach us to hope.

The website Literary Devices explains that “in modern society when we are presented with a character that is overly righteous and upright, we find it too good to be true. The social turmoil that the entire world as a community has been facing recently has disposed us to be skeptical of almost everything. . . So, we relate better to a character that has suffered through life and has both good and bad sides than a character that is only seen doing good.” And maybe that’s true, but I like to believe there’s some good left in this world and that heroes exemplify who we can become in order to make things right!

Who are your favorite heroes? Or, if you prefer anti-heroes, which is your favorite and why?

P.S: Special shout out to the artist Kurama805 on DeviantArt for the artwork I used as my featured image! This is a downloadable wallpaper and is gorgeous!

Recipes

Salmon Meunière

July 18, 2017July 18, 2017by Teri Mae11 Comments

I learned a lot while making this recipe. Here are my top three – and then on to the food…

First: it is very important to choose your butcher carefully when you get seafood. I mistakenly used a grocery store butcher that I usually trust. Apparently the betray you when it comes to seafood. The salmon wasn’t scaled properly and still had all it’s pin bones. And, not only that, but the cut was uneven. I wound up slicing off a decent amount of fish that wasn’t really usable to get even portion sizes! I was pretty disappointed. So make sure you choose a reputable seller, double check that they scaled and removed the bones prior to purchasing, and then hope you have a very sharp knife if they don’t cut evenly!

If you do get unlucky enough to have to debone the fish yourself it’s really easy. Just annoying. Wash a pair of pliers with hot water and soap. Carefully push the flesh of the salmon in and grasp the tip of the pin bone. Pull it as carefully as you can to prevent the flesh from ripping. It’s not bad if it does, it just isn’t as pretty anymore. Make sure you get all the bones – you’ll be able to feel them if you gently run your hand down the length of the fish. If you are doubly unlucky and they didn’t remove all the scales just flip the salmon over to skin side up. Run the blade of the knife down the fish and watch all the clear, inedible scales pop off. But you can always skip both these steps by choosing a better store! Which I will do for all my fish from now on.

Second: experimenting with a very basic, traditional recipe turns out sub-par results. I tried really hard to fiddle with this this recipe a bit and make it my own. Turns out this recipe is so straight forward it doesn’t do well with a lot of tweaking. I tried the sauce twice before I finally gave up and realized sometimes the old school way is the best way.

Third: no matter how many times I try it I really, really hate salmon. It’s very fishy, even fairly fresh, and fatty. The flavor is just… not my favorite. If I’m going to spend this much on a protein you can bet it’ll be something I actually want to eat. Unlucky for me, there are still a handful of salmon recipes left in the official Breath of the Wild guide…

Salmon Meunière

You’ll find a lot of themes in these recipes. One of them is to allow the meat to warm up to room temperature and to pat it dry before seasoning. I explain why in my Meat and Rice Bowl recipe. And that’s exactly how we are going to start salmon meunière – take the salmon out of the fridge about 30 minutes before cooking and allow to warm up to room temperature.

While it’s warming up wash and pull the leaves off the parsley. It’s pretty easy, actually. Just grab the stems and line up the leaves, place the knife edge down right at the base of the leaves, and gently but firmly pull the parsley through the knife blade. It’ll get most of the stems off and leave you with a nice pile of leaves. And no, it’s not one of the piles that hides a korok seed. Sorry. Roughly chop the parsley into pieces, they don’t have to be perfect. You’ll want a small handful of parsley. If you’re using fresh lemon cut it in half and squeeze the juice of one of them. You only need 3/4 tablespoon so no need to go crazy. Smash the garlic by placing the flat of a knife blade against the garlic clove and smash your hand into the blade. Never do this on the edge of the knife and never smash the knife down – both these could result in some serious cuts and I refuse to be held responsible for that. When the garlic is smashed peel off the skin. Get the butter cut and ready to go and play a few rounds of Splatoon 2 until the salmon is ready.

When you’re ready to cook pat the salmon dry and season with kosher salt and pepper. Turn your burner on to medium, add your oil, and get your pan nice and hot. When the pan is hot add the butter. Be really careful, the butter will splatter and pop as the water cooks out of it! We add the salmon when the butter stops popping so when the mixture starts to calm down spread the flour out on a plate and dip and pat the salmon into the flour to completely coat it. This is called dredging and it’s a pretty awesome technique to get a nice, crispy, almost fried skin. Make sure you don’t dredge too early or the flour just gets soaked into the fish and it doesn’t fry quite as well.

Add the fish to the pan, skin down, laying it away from you to prevent any oil splatters. Let it cook for 3-4 minutes on this side then flip the fish and allow it to cook for 3 more minutes. Take it out of the pan, place it on a plate, and cover with foil. You’ll want to do this next part quickly – the longer the fish sits under that foil the less crispy it gets!

Using a few paper towels rolled in a ball and a heavy duty oven mitt pour out the oil into a heat safe container and wipe the inside of the pan. We don’t want to keep any of the old mixture since it’s likely to burn if it cooks too long.

Add the new butter and smashed garlic and wait for it to melt and cook down. It will take 2-3 minutes to turn brown and nutty and delicious. Remove the pan from the heat (don’t follow my photo example and just turn off the heat. It’s not good enough!). Add the lemon and parsley and stir to combine. Again, use caution, this mixture may splatter as well. Uncover the fish, pour the sauce over, and serve immediately. PS- if your pan is still really hot your parsley may brown pretty quickly and it’ll make your sauce look a bit burned. I promise, if you use this recipe it won’t burn and will still taste good!

Link’s Salmon Meunière

- Tabantha Wheat
- Goat Butter
- Hearty Salmon

Salmon Meunière

Servings: 2
Time: 30-45 minutes
Difficulty: moderately easy
Print

Salmon drizzled with a meunière butter lemon sauce

Salmon

2 8 oz portions salmon
1-2 tablespoons kosher salt
1-2 teaspoons pepper
2 tablespoons oil
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1/4 cup flour

Sauce

3/4 tablespoon lemon juice (juice from half a small lemon)
5 tablespoons unsalted butter
2-3 tablespoons chopped parsley
1 large garlic clove, smashed

Directions

Warm the salmon to room temperature.
Using the blade of your knife pull the leaves off the parsley by gently but firmly running the blade along the stems. Roughly chop into small pieces.
Cut the lemon and juice one half, making sure not to get any seeds in the juice.
Using the flat of a knife blade smash the garlic and remove the skin.
Pat the salmon dry and season with kosher salt and pepper.
Heat a pan over medium with the oil.
When the oil is hot add the butter. Be careful, as this will splatter and pop until all the water is cooked out of the butter.
When the butter mixture starts to calm down add the flour to a plate and dredge the salmon by patting it into the flour. Immediately add the salmon to the pan, skin down, by laying it away from you.
Cook the salmon for 3-4 minutes, turn, and cook for another 3 minutes.
Remove the salmon and cover with foil.
Acting quickly pour the remaining oil mixture out of the pan and wipe out with paper towels. Be careful not to burn yourself and use proper heat proof equipment.
Add the 5 tablespoons of butter and garlic to the pan and allow to melt and brown, about 2-3 minutes.
Remove the pan from the heat and add the lemon and parsley. Again, use caution when you add the lemon because it may splatter and pop.
Immediately pour over the salmon filets and serve.

Thursday Thoughts

The Completionist’s Dilemma

June 8, 2017June 8, 2017by Teri Mae9 Comments

Warning- this post may contain a few minor spoilers for completionists

I’ve always been a completionist when I play Zelda. I complete every side quest, open every chest, get the highest possible tier in every game, collect every item, explore literally every nook and cranny, and, up to this point, cut every blade of grass and pick up every single rock. I love the feeling of mastering a game, of knowing it inside and out, and of feeling like I gave it everything I have. So when I started playing Breath of the Wild there was never any question of whether I would collect all the Korok seeds, explore every area thoroughly, and complete as many missions as they threw at me.

I started with a game plan: I would explore every new tower area completely and 100% before I unlocked the next area. It was the only way to ensure that I didn’t miss anything. I block off the new area before I activate the tower and then I start exploring. Literally every single square foot is explored before I move on to the next tower. I slowly move my boundary inward until I have seen all the amazing, incredible landscape and admired every lovingly-rendered scene. If I see anything suspicious that I haven’t figured out yet, I stamp it and come back to it once I’ve had time to figure it out.

It’s been a fantastic way to see everything. I have definitely gotten hours of excitement and enjoyment from this game I would have missed if I had focused on the story alone. It’s nice to be the one my little brother questions when he can’t find a shrine and it’s fun to feel like I gave the developers the exploration they were intending.

But sometimes it’s a struggle. When I climb yet another craggy peak at Death Mountain it can get boring and tedious. When I run across yet another empty field, zig-zagging until the entire thing has been viewed I wonder what I’m doing with my life. And when I accidentally notice how many hours I’ve played and I’ve barely finished half the map I worry about my life choices. Sometimes I worry that, by choosing to play the game this way, I’m losing all the spontaneity and pure excitement that comes from random exploration. And, frankly, sometimes I worry that people are judging me for not spending my time the way they think I should.

So there’s the dilemma… What I am doing vs. what I feel I should be doing vs. what other people do. It’s been hard. Sometimes I don’t want to keep playing because Hyrule field took forever to explore and there was literally nothing there. And sometimes I get bored climbing and climbing and waiting in the rain to do yet more climbing just to get to the top of spires that don’t contain a single item. But when I find something all the spark and energy come flowing back. It’s rewarding to find a Korok seed in some random area I never would have explored. It’s awesome to be obsessed with killing every Lynel only to find out there’s a medal for doing so. It’s breathtaking to find a view you never would have seen unless you were in the right place at the right time.

And you know what – it doesn’t matter what people think and how other people play the game. This is your game and your experience. Don’t let anyone take that away from you! They can keep their judgy comments to themselves because this brings you joy and life is about having joy. However you choose to play the game, just do it! Because Zelda is about adventure and someone else’s adventure should never take away your adventure.

So has it been worthwhile to become a 100% completionist for Breath of the Wild. You bet. I wouldn’t change this experience for the anything.

So how about the rest of you? Are there any completionists out there pushing for 100% like me? Have you been working a different strategy to make sure you get every piece of awesome you can?