(I play a game every Sunday and write what happens inaccurately. Currently I'm playing through Majora's Mask. See previous parts here.)
Last time, we found our one and true friend, the Wandering Running Man, and now it's up to us to set things straight for him to remember who we are, so we can party. But first, we gotta find the Skull Kid, and for that, we need to talk to the guy in the observatory, where we, conveniently, are right now. (You'd think I'd planned this or something.)
But first: Scarecrow:
I don't know if I like the sound of a person who keeps a scarecrow in their basement. Either they don't know the point of scarecrows or they get a ton of birds in their basement. And we know what happened to the last people who kept birds and a musical monster in their basement (they died).
Anyways, up to the top of the astronomy tower and say hello.
Helloo?
Friend is a strong word. They literally outcasted me because of how I look.
But the astronomer is nice enough, and let's me borrow his telescope to find the Mask Boy. A little looking around and...
Who's that little thief I spy?
Oh, hi, you're here too, huh?
What we're seeing here is a little comet(?) flying off from the moon and landing right in front of the astronomer tower. I peel away from the tel--
JEEEZ. Personal Space! You are NOT invited to our party!
All right, enough of that, I go down and grab the rock that fell down, which the astronomer kindly tells me is called a "Moon's Tear", and its a very sought after rock. So naturally, we grab it, and head off.
Oh, right, Tatl. That was true. The euphemism guy wanted a Moon's Tear. Let's go give him our only one!
Not like we're under time pressure or anything!
I find the Deku guy, and he's not impressed with the situation.
I present the stone to him, and he immediately MUST HAVE IT. So he is willing to trade.
Ok, sure, I'm gonna get the spot you stand on? That sounds a little... Sure whatever, here's the stone.
OH SNAP YOU DIDN'T SAY I WAS GETTING A DEED!
I'm So In. I have to go tell everyone. We got a party spot! I own it! We can trash it to oblivion now! It's MINE.
W-wait, you mean, I could sell it?
Oh, you did mean that. Ok. (huh?)
In pure gameplay terms, I can now use the flower to reach up to the clock tower, but that actually does nothing for me. Yet. Because the clock tower doesn't open until Midnight on the Day of the Carnival.
Which is today.
Soo.... now we wait...
And it gets dark. And there's no one in town anymore because they all ran away because of the Big Approaching Rock in the Sky.
"Sorry, Moon! I'm... busy... collecting... nuts! Yeah, got a nut competition coming up!"
"OH OK, DON'T MISS YOUR NUT COMPETITION."
"Thanks, I... I won't."
Finally, midnight strikes and there's some nice fireworks, and the clock tower sort of rotates and opens! Time to go!
There you are!
But before Mask Kid can do much--
Fairy Subplot!
They talk for a little, and then the dark one says...
Uh, all right. Perfect. I love Quests.
Mask Kid takes over and says some doomsaying about how its too late...
Kinda hard not to, I will give you that.
Then he starts doing a magic kamehameha (as opposed to a non-magic kamehameha, which is completely different) and Link is a little...
But then a timer appears on screen and then we're back in gameplay. And I'm all flustered because the game hasn't given me anything to do except run around until I remember the ultimate power:
Bubbles.
I aim, fire and shoot one bubble at the Kamehameha'ing Mask Kid and he... drops the ocarina.
Oh ho ho, you fucked up Mask Boy. You dun goofed. You don't just give Link an Ocarin--
Oh, flashback. Hold on, Mask Kid, just gotta remember this Princess I met once.
She teaches me the Song of Time. Again. It wasn't clear until now that I had lost my memories as well? But apparently I had. That's what happens when you become NUTTY, kids! Don't become NUTTY!
Back in reality and gameplay, I press the Ocarina Button, and then...
Wait. WHAT
HOW.
WHO--
...Mask Kid did some upgrades to this thing while I wasn't looking. Holy hell. Now THIS
is an OCARINA.
So I use this grand Power Tool and then it asks me the grand question:
Apparently, yes? Saving's good. I heard saving's good. I'll save.
We get a little montage of all the things that happened before I came to Clock Town (because the song cannot apparently warp further back than until after I met Mask Kid and the Salesman. This is the Statue Moment in Outer Wilds. The Mask Salesman is that. Remember that, that's going to be important (Maybe (Probably not (who knows (Definitely)))).
But we're back! To a safe moon distance! Just the way we like it! I can't even hear him all the way up there! A little peace and quiet is so nice...
The question is... now what?
Oh, that's right, Tatl! Don't mind that he also wanted the mask, he's probably fine with getting nothing in return! He'll love it!
Oh, apparently he is.
How did you... ok, apparently people can conjure instruments out of nothing in this world. You are potentially invited to The Party. As a musician. Maybe as the half-time show? Waddaya say?
He instead teaches me The Song of Healing, which causes Link to go in a dream state where he...
...waves goodbye to the Big Deku Scrub Spirit.
And then it's a mask!
And then it's Link's time to show off:
Oookay, Link, calm down there, buddy.
Mask Salesman is also having none of it, and starts describing to Link how this song traps the curse into the mask and I can always wear the mask to become NUTTY LINK again. You know, If you want. Which I do.
But then, he casually slides into the next part of the conversation...
Oh, right. Aabooout that...
He pretty much loses it upon this realization, and goes into an Angry Lore Dump about the Mask.
Sum up time: It's "Majora's Mask" (surprise!) and it's Evil and Cursed and and Ancient TribeTM used it but then The Ancient OnesTM (other ancients, don't ask) sealed it forever, but that forever wasn't forever apparently because the Mask Salesman found it (method TBD) and thought that was a great idea to keep around in da shop, until da Mask Kid stole it.
Now, he regrets... everything.
Or at least, he wants the mask back.
Of course, I'm COURAGE, fool. That's what I DO.
Just look at me.
Next time!
Because that was a lot of development in one episode, I'm calling it here. Next up, we get to go see how the town reacts to my new Style! And the all important question: Will he remember me now?
Let's find out, together, in Part 4.
Wait a minute. Hold On. I just realized. We went back in time to RIGHT AFTER we'd talked to Mask Salesman the first time. Then we went back in the door, and delivered to him the Ocarina, which he'd just SECONDS EARLIER asked for, from his perspective. And he didn't react to that, at all.... Rather, he assumed we'd also retrieved the mask.
OOOkkkk, there's something more fishy about him. I knew it. You are not outta the woods yet, Mr Salesman! Off The Party List!
(PS, gotta say, Tatl is far proving way more useful than Na'vi. Possibly because this game's structure and narrative so far is so strange that you need a little guidance to understand how it all fits together. We'll see how it holds up...)
(PPS, we now know what Majora's Mask refer's to! We still don't know what a "majora" is, though. But that's progress!)