Chapter 1: What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
If you're a fan of the inner workings of Hollywood, then check out my podcast, The Town, on the Ringer Podcast Network. My name's Matt Bellany. I'm a founding partner at Puck and the writer of the What I'm Hearing newsletter. With my show, The Town, I bring you the inside conversation about money and power in Hollywood.
Every week, we've got three short episodes featuring real Hollywood insiders to tell you what people in town are actually talking about. We'll cover everything from why your favorite show was canceled overnight, which streamer is on the brink of collapse, and which executive is on the hot seat. Disney, Netflix, who's up, down, and who will never eat lunch in this town again.
Follow The Town on Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.
Hey! Listen!
And welcome into The Ringerverse, your Nexus feed for all things fandom.
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Chapter 2: What questions about Zelda's history does Keza MacDonald address?
I am Ben Lindberg, Senior Editor at The Ringer and final boss of Button Mash. And today, Button Mash goes Moblin Mode as we devote an entire episode to my favorite franchise, and possibly yours, The Legend of Zelda. Why are we talking about Zelda with, as far as we know, no new game on the horizon? Well, Link, like me, is a 1986 baby.
And though I'm sure neither of us looks our age, we are in fact turning 40 this year. In fact, it was 40 years ago this Saturday that an old man in a cave in the original Legend of Zelda first advised adventurers that it's dangerous to go alone. And once again, I will heed that advice by bringing on guests for this episode, which will feature a 40th anniversary Legend of Zelda draft.
There are three pieces of the aptly named Triforce. Wouldn't it be weird if there weren't? There are three hearts in the health bar at the beginning of almost every Zelda game. And there are three guests on this episode of Button Mash. First, our lone returning guest and the co-host of the TripleClick podcast, Maddy Myers. Maddy, welcome back.
Thank you for having me. I got to be on the Mario draft and now this. This is a true honor to get to participate in some of the greatest games of all time and to attempt to categorize them. It is both an honor and an extreme challenge. And let's see if I'm up for it. It was tough with Mario. It's going to be tough again.
Given your gaming predilections, this is only a prelude, a warm-up to the inevitable Metroid draft coming later this year.
You know, if you don't invite me to that, I feel like I've been on too many times already probably by coming on this. But if you don't invite me to the Metroid draft, I don't know what's wrong with you.
You would be OP for that podcast probably. It would be very upsetting for me. Yeah. And since you joined us for last summer's Super Mario Brothers 40th anniversary draft, you've been busy launching an actual website. It's called Mothership. You're the co-founder and editor-in-chief and entrepreneur. Please brag about it.
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Chapter 3: How did each guest first get into The Legend of Zelda series?
Yeah, I have a website now. The last time I was on, we were talking about Polygon.com and the mass layoff that happened to it last year, last May. It's a much, much smaller staff now, very different site now. But hey, you know, life goes on, life moves on, and I move on.
Chapter 4: What are the rules for the Legend of Zelda draft?
And I've created my own website. It's an independent website. It is called Mothership. And as the name implies, it is a website in the grand tradition of women's magazines. Our motto is gaming coverage for her, for them, and yes, even for him. Thank you. We've put... We were putting that order in terms of how we categorize our readers.
And it's been really exciting to write games coverage with somebody like me in mind. I also say sometimes it's for the girls' gays and bays. That's my other way of putting it. I also have a wife who really likes gaming and has felt really boxed out by a lot of gaming coverage. So in many ways, I made...
website for her to kind of think about people who grew up playing games but don't identify as a gamer. I never had an issue with identifying as a gamer, but many women and queer people in my life really struggle with that and felt really boxed out by it. And so I wanted to make a website for people who feel that way. And that's very much what Mothership is. And it's been really exciting.
So if that sounds cool to you, go check out mothership.blog. You'll probably like it.
Media mogul, Maddie Myers. Yeah, sure. Are there any possible feminist and or queer readings of a 40-year-old franchise that stars a somewhat androgynous elf but is named after a female character who didn't get her own playable game until 38 years in?
That's fair. Although I think the queer ratings of Link are absolutely present and are a longstanding tradition among fans in terms of interpreting the character. And I mean, we're going to probably get into Breath of the Wild and some of the outfits that Link wears in Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom. You don't have a best outfit ranking as part of this draft.
Yeah.
But if we did, I can think of some androgynous looks that Link puts on that many queer and female fans are very into, including myself.
Some of those Gerudo looks, for sure.
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Chapter 5: What are the highlights from the Legend of Zelda draft picks?
Check it out.
Chapter 6: What makes the Forest Temple a memorable dungeon?
Pages flipping, sound effects. It's very colorful.
I love how big they've made my name on that American edition. It's really fun for me.
And you can hold it in your hands, too, if you pick up a hard copy wherever books are sold. And then you can open the book. You can unbox it while you hum to yourself. Or, less musically, you can acquire it in e-book form. Or get the audiobook and make Keza read it to you herself, which she will do.
Yeah, eight and a half hours of me in your ears. If you ever do an audio book, I went insane, just insane, talking to myself for three days in a studio. It was an experience.
I have done that, and it's harder than it sounds, people. I know it sounds simple, stand in a booth and just read the words that you wrote, but it's draining in a weird way. And also you have to be confronted with all the sentences that you wish you could change, but you can't. It's too late. It's set in stone forever, or at least until the paperback edition.
No patches for books, at least not as easy to patch them. And finally, New York Times reporter Zachary Small, author of Token Supremacy, a book about the great NFT fads that gamers remember so fondly, and the lead games writer for The Times, which has made them the person most responsible in recent years for sneaking coverage of The Legend of Zelda into the paper of record.
We thank you for that, Zachary. Welcome.
Thank you for having me. I am indeed the freak of nature at the newspaper. Who's covering? You know, if you can steal a Picasso, that's my job too. If you're President Trump and you want another portrait in a national gallery, come to me as well. So, quite excited to talk about this. I have my own copy of the book, but it's the preview copy.
Because, fun fact, we actually, Kez and I share an editor, and I guess he was so trauma bonded by going over NFTs and crypto that he was like, you know, I want more world of tech and video games and play to win.
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