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Message: [QUOTE="Zerpina, post: 205760, member: 51053"] [CENTER][I][B][SIZE=5][COLOR=rgb(184, 49, 47)]Chapter 1 Childhood Shadows and the First Glimmers of Adventure[/COLOR][/SIZE][/B][/I] [ATTACH type="full" alt="1.png"]69967[/ATTACH] [I][COLOR=rgb(247, 218, 100)]I bet this place has the best candy.[/COLOR][/I] [/CENTER] Growing up I was often seen as the odd weird kid the one who preferred the company of pixels and shadows over friends and playgrounds. The neighborhood was lively filled with kids running around but I mostly kept to myself lost in worlds that didn’t quite exist in the real one. Money was often tight and my parents were never really around they were busy making a living or just not paying attention so I was mostly raised by my older brother who is nine years older than me. He was the boss of the house and the king of the remote control. But my brother, sensing my need for something to do, took it upon himself to get me into gaming. He used his savings from the summer before to buy an old used NES, just so I would have some kind of entertainment. I still remember how he took the money he’d been saving to buy something for himself and instead, he bought that battered old console just to make sure I had something to do when he was busy working or out. It was sad in a way knowing that he sacrificed his own savings just so I wouldn’t feel so completely alone. That act of kindness somehow made the lonely nights less lonely even if I didn’t always say it out loud. My earliest memories of gaming are hazy but vivid at the same time. I remember the smell of the old CRT television the click of the controller buttons and the thrill of discovering worlds that seemed larger than life. I didn’t have many friends and the kids in the neighborhood didn’t exactly invite me to their parties so I found solace in the quiet companionship of games that whispered stories of darkness and heroes. [CENTER][I][B][SIZE=5][COLOR=rgb(184, 49, 47)]Chapter 2 The Encounter with a Gothic Classic[/COLOR][/SIZE][/B][/I] [ATTACH type="full" width="457px" alt="2 not this bad but you get the idea.jpg"]69968[/ATTACH] [I][COLOR=rgb(247, 218, 100)]Not quite this bad, but you get the gist[/COLOR][/I][/CENTER] It was during the mid-90s when I first discovered Castlevania on the NES. My older cousin had a small collection of games and one day he handed me a cartridge with a simple label, an image of a vampire hunter with a whip and a castle looming ominously in the background. I had no idea what I was about to get into. [CENTER][ATTACH type="full" width="252px" alt="That art.jpg"]69980[/ATTACH] [I][COLOR=rgb(247, 218, 100)]That epic art[/COLOR][/I][/CENTER] The moment I powered up the game I was immediately transported into Draculas cursed castle. The music was haunting eerie and perfectly unsettling setting the mood for a journey into the darkness. The graphics were simple blocky but somehow they radiated a sinister charm. Every pixel seemed to breathe shadows and menace. That first level was brutal I remember dying countless times losing lives like they were going out of style. But every time I tried again I learned a little more. I realized that patience and timing were my best weapons and that the castle was a maze of secrets traps and monsters lurking behind every corner. [CENTER][I][B][SIZE=5][COLOR=rgb(184, 49, 47)]Chapter 3 The Growing Obsession[/COLOR][/SIZE][/B][/I] [ATTACH type="full" width="516px" alt="3 GOD i want this as a poster.jpg"]69969[/ATTACH] [I][COLOR=rgb(247, 218, 100)]God, I want this as a poster[/COLOR][/I][/CENTER] As I kept playing, Castlevania became more than just a game it was an obsession. I spent hours trying to memorize enemy patterns perfect my jumps and figure out how to best use my limited supply of hearts and sub-weapons. My nights were filled with silent battles against pixelated monsters fighting for every inch of progress. I was the outsider the kid who didn’t have many friends maybe none at all finding solace in the challenge in the thrill of survival. My brother and I would spend some evenings together in the dim glow of the TV battling through Castlevania, taking turns, sharing tips, teasing each other, and laughing at our failures. Only one of us could play at a time and when one of us died because let’s face it the game didn’t go easy. The other would jump in eager to see if they could do better. He’d often sit beside me, watching my fumbling attempts at tough bosses or tricky jumps, offering advice or just silently encouraging me. We’d joke about who was the “real” vampire hunter and sometimes poke fun at each other’s mistakes. Despite the age gap those nights forged a bond, an understanding that even in a world of pixelated monsters we had each other. [CENTER][I][B][SIZE=5][COLOR=rgb(184, 49, 47)]Chapter 4 Bonds Forged in Darkness[/COLOR][/SIZE][/B][/I] [ATTACH type="full" width="327px" alt="screen-shot-2021-05-11-at-4.33.01-pm.webp"]69985[/ATTACH] [I][COLOR=rgb(247, 218, 100)]Gimme my money![/COLOR][/I][/CENTER] Those long hours of battling through Draculas castle weren’t just about beating the game. They were about survival an analog for my own life as the outsider. I learned to read enemy patterns to laugh at my failures and to celebrate my small victories. The game became a symbol of resilience, a reminder that even in the darkest of places there’s always a glimmer of hope. My brother and I grew closer through those shared struggles. We’d swap tips, and sometimes just sit back and marvel at the pixel art and music that made the castle feel alive. The ghosts, skeletons, Medusa heads, they all became familiar friends, part of a story of loneliness and perseverance. Even now decades later I look back on those nights with nostalgia. Castlevania on the NES wasn’t just a game it was a rite of passage. It taught me about persistence and that sometimes the darkest castles hide the brightest treasures. Hidden within myself waiting for me to find them. [CENTER][I][B][SIZE=5][COLOR=rgb(184, 49, 47)]Chapter 5 The Enduring Legacy[/COLOR][/SIZE][/B][/I][/CENTER] Years have gone by but the magic of that game never faded. Every time I hear that iconic theme I’m transported back to those shadowy corridors fighting for every inch of progress. It’s a part of me the reason I fell in love with gothic stories the reason I appreciate art and music that evoke mood and atmosphere. My brother even with the years between us remains an important part of that story. We still talk about those nights how we got along better during those battles how we laughed at our failures and how those shared moments of chaos and victory helped us. Castlevania on the NES isn’t just a relic from my childhood it’s a cornerstone of my life. It’s a testament to the power of perseverance family and facing fears pixelated or real. Sometimes I think about how my brother’s sacrifice gave me that little piece of hope when I needed it most. Because in a world where I was often alone he made sure I had a way to escape. to face monsters and come out stronger. And even now that I’m grown I carry that memory with me a reminder that sometimes the greatest heroes are the ones who quietly give everything they have just to make sure someone else can stand a little taller in the shadows. [/QUOTE]

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