The first game I ever played was Ocarina of Time. I was about 5-6 years old and I was obsessed with that game when I was a kid. I would get in trouble with my parents for waking up at 4am to play some Ocarina of Time before school. I made friends with my neighbors because we bonded over the game. I also made a ton of friends at school because they played the game as well and we gave each other tips and hints and it was a really good experience of my childhood and that's why I have such a strong bond with that game. As I grew up I started to have more criticisms with the game, especially when the newer releases in the series started coming out, but I still have sort of a nostalgic blindness to that game just because of how special it is to me. It was actually the only thing I remember fondly from my childhood.
Shortly after I finished the game my parents got divorced and I was forced to move to the other side of the country. I went all the way from Ohio to Arizona. It was a pretty rough time in general, but I was pretty confident as a kid so I wasn't too worried about making new friends in a new school. I would miss my friends in Ohio but I remember I was excited to experience something new. I was shot down immediately by the other kids though. It was the middle of the year. Everyone already had their own cliques. I was mostly just harassed by everyone else and I started having troubles fitting in. I had no friends and my confidence was destroyed. I was a pretty extroverted kid before the move, but I quickly became introverted shortly after. I remember my only escape from reality was when I finally got The Wind Waker and was able to explore that world. Then my mom gave me Twilight Princess as a present and I was so excited to experience what that game had to offer. All I remember from my childhood is Zelda and hating being at school because all the other kids were so mean to me.
I finally was done with everything. Jr high was the worst years of my depression. I made a deal with myself to end my life before I graduated high school. Every time I thought I had made friends they would actively try to avoid me or straight up tell me to go away. I hated gym class because people would actively try to hurt me physically and I was unable to do anything to defend myself. I became tired life. I wanted out. First year of high school though, started looking up. I made a few friends and I was starting to have a good time and began enjoying my life. However, out of nowhere my friends cut all ties with me and I was left with no one to talk to yet again. The worst thing was I was still being beat up and harassed during gym class. I was lonely I was scared and I really had no reason to try and keep on living anymore.
You may be asking yourself why this all matters? Why am I saying all this? Well it still has something to do with Zelda. Right before my second year of high school, I joined ZD. I always had a connection with the Zelda franchise and thought it would be cool to join a forum with other Zelda fans. After joining this site I began to start making friends. I still had my problems with some people and some times I didnt feel like I was fitting in, but slowly I started building up confidence in myself and who I am. I started making more friends and I met some of my best friends on this site who I still talk to and love to this day. Another bright side of that year was I no longer had to be in gym class so no more being physically abused.
In my 3rd year of high school I met Srishti, and even though our relationship ended pretty badly and we are no longer friends anymore, meeting her still had a positive impact on my life. She helped me grow as a person, she helped me grow my confidence even more, and she helped me find a reason to live. This translated to real life too, as I was able to make friends in person and become less anxious aroud other people. Even after I was banned from ZD and Srishti and I broke up, I still was able to be in contact with my friends from ZD and every time I began feeling down they were there to pick me back up. Even to this day, I feel more comfortable with letting out my feelings to people on ZD. My friends in Arizona tell me to stop being a *****, my friends here always know how to lift my spirits whenever I feel down. Since my return, I was able to make even more friends and they have also become a special part of my life. I may still have my issues and still am not 100% confident in who I am, but it's night and day compared to who I was when I first joined this site.
TL;DR: This is just a really sappy story about how despite times of being depressed and wanting nothing more than death, Zelda has always been an important part of my life. And, this may be cliche, I may not be alive today if it wasn't for the Zelda Dungeon community. My story may not be as tragic as other's but the fact that Zelda/a Zelda related community stopped me from ending my life... it just makes it a little more special.