The Legend of Zelda

The Legend of Zelda is a videogame series created by Nintendo. Many elements found within Johnisdead and Ben Drowned are based off of The Legend of Zelda. While it's not required for one to have played any Zelda games to understand or participate in Johnisdead, it is recommended that one has a base understanding of the games - The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask specifically. This page will cover the basics needed to understand Johnisdead and Ben Drowned.

This page contains spoilers for all the games listed. If you haven't played peak vidya yet then go fix that.

Overview

The Legend of Zelda is a videogame series created by Nintendo. The games follow a protagonist named Link who is usually tasked with liberating the kingdom of Hyrule from the malicious Ganondorf. In the process, he will rescue the princess of Hyrule, Zelda. One of Ganondorf's main goals is to obtain the Triforce - a sacred item within Hyrule made up of three golden triangles. Each piece of the Triforce represents a different aspect - Power, Courage, and Wisdom. These are associated with Ganondorf, Link, and Zelda respectively. Sometimes, the different pieces of the Triforce are imbued in their respective owners, requiring all three to congregate in order for the relic to physically manifest.

Most Zelda games follow a completely different incarnation of Link and Zelda at a different point in Hyrule's history. It is implied that there is some degree of reincarnation taking place between the two characters. The series also sports a fairly long timeline that splits into three different concurrent timelines. Sometimes, Link will travel to other lands and face unique enemies separate from Ganondorf.

Games

Below are specific games whose elements are related to Johnisdead.

Majora's Mask

The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask holds the greatest influence over Johnisdead and Ben Drowned compared to any other Zelda game. This game is a sequel to The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time and it follows Link entering into a strange parallel version of Hyrule called Termina. Here, Link must face Skull Kid - a small forest creature who's been possessed by the evil Majora's Mask. Majora's Mask originally belonged to the enigmatic Happy Mask Salesman - a strange salesman who initially sets Link on his quest after stepping foot into Termina. Under the influence of Majora's Mask, Skull Kid has caused a variety of problems for the citizens of Termina. Above all else, he's cast a spell over the moon, causing it to slowly descend towards the planet. Link has only three days to defeat Majora's Mask and stop the moon from destroying the planet.

To do this, Link must travel to four different key locations in Termina - the Southern Swamp, the Snowhead mountains, the Great Bay, and Ikana Valley. In each location, Link must defeat a malicious creature and free that area's associated Giant. Once all Four Giants are freed, Link can summon them to stop the moon's descent. To assist him on this journey, link is accompanied by Tatl - a small fairy guide. Link also has a variety of transformation masks that transform him into a variety of species. These include Dekus, Gorons, and Zoras. Link obtains these transformation masks by soothing the spirits of deceased / dying individuals, transforming their spirits into the masks themselves.

Upon finally stopping the moon's descent, Link enters the mouth of the moon itself, warping him to an idyllic, dream-like field. Here, five Moon Children can be found frolicking around a large tree. Four of the children are wearing masks representative of the four bosses defeated to free the four giants. The final one is wearing Majora's Mask. Speaking with him will initiate the final boss fight against Majora. Defeating Majora will finally free the Skull Kid and end Termina's woes, allowing the land to finally enter into a fourth day.

Ocarina Songs

Link is also armed with a magical instrument called the Ocarina of Time. By playing specific songs on his Ocarina, Link can achieve a variety of different effects:

• Song of Time - Resets the three day cycle so that the moon does not crash into Termina.
• Inverted Song of Time - Slows time down so that Link has more time during the three day cycle before the moon crashes.
• Song of Double Time - Skips ahead to either the night of the current day or the dawn of the next day.
• Song of Healing - Soothes the spirits of troubled, dying, or dead individuals - sometimes transforming them into masks.
• Epona's Song - Summons Link's horse, Epona.
• Song of Soaring - Used for quick traversal across Termina. Teleports Link to an Owl Statue of his choosing.
• Song of Storms - Manifests a storm around Link. It is also associated with easing the woes of restless spirits.
• Sonata of Awakening - A song belonging to the Deku Royal Family that has the power to awaken anything that's asleep. It also raises the Woodfall Temple from the bottom of the Southern Swamp.
• Goron Lullaby - A lullaby belonging to the Gorons that has the ability to put them to sleep.
• New Wave Bossa Nova - A song taught to Link by the Zora Lulu's children. Playing the song to Lulu will recover her voice, allowing her to speak.
• Elegy of Emptiness - A song that creates an empty shell called an "Elegy Statue" of whoever plays it.
• Oath to Order - Summons the Four Giants to stop the moon's descent. This will only be successful if all Four Giants are freed.

Mask Effects

As mentioned above, Link obtains a variety of useful masks throughout the course of the game. Some of them have unique effects and abilities. These include the following:

Items

Like in most Zelda games, Link obtains many different items during his journey. These are as follows: