Rhoam's Gift

Continuation of Friday, May 10, 2019 (including raw note editings from April 5, 2023 through April 10, 2023 that I really hope sound consistent because I left it alone for too long)

Rhoam’s Gift

I leapt off the Observation Room’s balcony, due south for Castle Town.

It was night.

The Malcontent Piano was different at night. Only fitful, having nightmares.

Back in the town I was showing David the terrifying trick to Stasising sleepy Guardians and making them fall into oblivion.... when there was a Blood Moon.

The unholy smoke was so unwelcome as it began to drip up from the ground. In a place like this.... I was on the fountain in the ruined central square when midnight struck.

“Not like this,” I imitated Dean’s voice.

When the warning vision faded and I came back, one newly revitalized Guardian targeted me. I killed it before warping to the Plateau Tower.

I went to the Temple of Time to pray, but received no answers about shrines.

I climbed up into the Temple’s high chamber, but King Rhoam wasn’t there.

So I went to Rhoam’s old house. There was.... a chest.

I blinked, and opened it.

A Warm Doublet?

I.... I have his Warm Doublet now.

I looked at the Old Man’s Diary on the table:

Link...

Oh.

Bit by bit, you may come to realize who

I am. I am sorry for not revealing my

true identity to you sooner.

Have I.... seen this before?

The truth is, after you awoke from your

long Slumber of Restoration, I did not

know how to tell you all there was to say.

Read more:

Perhaps deceiving you was not the right

thing to do. Still...you must admit I put

on a great performance!

Heh, you sure did. Had me fooled, that’s for sure.

But all joking aside...what I ask of you

is of the utmost importance, dear hero.

I implore you, with all my heart...

defeat Calamity Ganon and save

my precious daughter, Zelda.

I understand this is no simple task I am

asking of you, but I know beyond a

shadow of a doubt that you can do it.

I.... have faith in myself too, it’s just....

I do not doubt it for a moment. I see

courage in your eyes, just as I did

100 years ago. I believe in you, Link.

....Thank you, King Rhoam.

Read more:

Ah, yes, one more thing. I have left the

warm doublet here as a gift of sorts.

I’m sure it will be useful on your journey.

Heh, wish I’d known to come back here, back then.

You can also weather the cold with

cooking alone, but I caution against it.

There is no time for recklessness.

Good idea.

We are all counting on you.

....

That was all there was.

....

I could sleep in his little hut if I wanted to.

Hm but I did need more arrows.... I got down to nine for the first time in a long time.

....

I’m just gonna go plunder every town I know for arrows.

I hit Kakariko and cleaned it out.

But at Hateno.... I actually decided to make another stop first.

My closet was in a precarious situation.

I had two Warm Doublets.

And that terrible Sort button loomed threatening to wreak irreparable havoc on all my perfect messy piles.... I didn’t want to lose track....

So.... I decided to go to the Dye Shop, so I could differentiate Rhoam’s gift from the other Warm Doublet.

....

Good gravy. I have never logged about Hateno Village’s Dye Shop.

Well, Hateno did leave me with such a sour and sullen flavor when I first rode in. All these people.... So contented. So convenient. So wrapped up in their yarnball world of happy colors when there were terrors hunting the unwary on the road, just outside the gate.

Hunting me.

Hunting anyone I cared about.

Didn’t they know there wasn’t a thing I didn’t cherish?

Maybe that’s why it was such a pain.

I followed the thoroughfare until I came to the paint-splotched building with the big open wall like a garage. I had passed it many times but never gone further than chatting with the proprietor.

Ah, Zunari, from Wind Waker. That’s who he looked like. I remembered.

No, wait—researching—Doc Bandam, excuse me. That’s who he looked like. The Chu Jelly Shop owner.

But this man’s name was Sayge.

Hah, a colorful name.

“You can’t miss him,” his clappercalling wife had always told me when I passed. And she was right. Just a little way into the building and—the color, the face, the forehead, bare knees, that garish lava-pink combover—had he dyed it himself?

He wore a leather apron over what appeared to be his bare chest, and hanging in its row of loops was an assortment of vials filled with different colored liquids. Splashes and stains of different hues smattered his attire and the workshop at large.

I’d never given this place a try. The taste of the town was just too sour in my mouth when I’d first rode in, on that rainy day so long ago. The unfeeling, heedless color of the place.

Though.... perhaps I oughtn’t to have expected the world to turn for any misery I suffered.

I wanted the man’s service now. I wanted Rhoam’s Warm Doublet to stay its original friendly green. But the one I purchased.... Well, I went to see what Sayge could do for me.

“Hue do you do?” he started off.

Oh boy.

Well at least he loved his work.

It seemed clothing could be dyed for 20 rupees a pop, but it also required me to bring some ingredients of my own.

Well, my pockets were certainly full enough; I didn’t anticipate running tight just there.

Sayge also told me it was the tradition in Hateno to dye a person’s entire outfit, from head to toe, all at once.

Oh gosh, then these splatters on the wall—I wondered. Was he going to blast me with some kind of pressure hose?

He had me stand in a large empty quarter of the room at any rate, and—oh, but the menus were generous in letting me see what different colors would look like. And there were quite a few of them to choose from, too!

The menus also allowed me to get into my inventory to change or rearrange my outfit if I wanted—because it seemed when I previewed a color, the projected outcome of the dye-job was reflected across every item I were wearing.

They really would spray everything at once.

So, I stripped off my pants and whatever was on my head until I stood there in the single, thick winter doublet and nothing else.... except for those first sleek blue undershorts I’d had from the Shrine of Resurrection.

It looked.... kind of ridiculous.

I tried to imagine my Hylian Trousers or the Snowquill Trousers still on me, as I cycled through the different colors for the Winter Doublet.... Some colors looked better than others. Why does navy seem to be so universally appealing? But grey looked nice, too. But.... mmmm.... cold....

I took the Warm Doublet I purchased, and chose.... white.

Oh, but Sayge still needed ingredients from me.

And again the menus offered me all kinds of free-reign; I could even still cancel back out if I wanted—

It’s just that the service seemed so scarily final. I mean, yes, this was just one spare Warm Doublet, but some of my clothes I had worked incredibly hard for!

Who could ever do this to his clothing?

Hhhhh—I flicked through my items. Everything I could use for white dye stood out strong; the rest was greyed out.

Flick, flick, flick.... I scrolled through the pages. Lynel horns? As dye!?

The nerve to even suggest it! Those were hard-won!

I guess they were certainly white enough, though.

How interesting.... the entire spread of everything that Link could carry in his inventory.... That the whole of it should be further engineered to provide a balanced rainbow of hues. Apples for red, rushrooms for purple....

Amazing.

I needed to provide five ingredients, and my store of White Chuchu Jelly was ample enough for that. I loaded up my arms with the stuff, and Sayge took my money. No turning back now.

This was it.

My first time dying something.

“All right then,” said Sayge, “hold on to your britches!”

Uh?

I’m standing there.... holding the Chuchu Jellies.... the camera looming in like a cat out for mischief, while the Piano wound up like a ticking bomb, and then....

The floor fell out from under me! And with a gasp and a start, Link fell into a big VAT below and poof!—

....

I stepped out from the glittering cloud as it dissipated, and looked down at myself.

My clothes were magically dyed.

....

Never done that before.

That was....

Well....

....

Never done that before. XD Heh, delightful.

Sayge complimented my outfit, and then I learned—he could change back any dyed item to its original color if I wanted? For 20 more rupees....

HOOOOO what sighs of relief were mine!

Then, I could try things out with no worries of losing any original coloration forever.... albeit a bit expensively....

Well that was good to know!

Wish he’d let on about that a little sooner....

Ah, delightful and lulzy.... But now.... really I needed to stay focused....

Back to arrow-shopping.

....

....

.......

. . . . . . .

Dang this game preying on my girly need to try on clothes.

NOT RIGHT NOW I need arrows.

LINK IS A MAN AND HE NEEDS HIS ARROWS.

FOR KILLING THINGS.

....

Went to Goron City, but no arrows there. Just some Sugar Cane and Goron Spice.

Went to Gerudo Town; always a good supply. I also stopped at that jewelry shop and got the Opal Earrings and the Amber Earrings. Just because.

Just because of all the outfittery on my brain? I wonder....

Went to Outskirt Stable and found Botrick nearby; bought all his arrows....

When did I start running out of juice?

I warped to the Sho Dantu Shrine and made for the head of Satan Canyon, and the Yiga Hideout. But in going through it I only found that it was eerily empty. What was I looking for?

Could I even tell anymore?

The place was creepy, and so I decided instead to go scope out some cliffside scaffolds on the north side of the Gerudo Highlands, which I didn’t think I had explored before.

But I didn’t find much. Just some ‘Blins to kill, and wolves like gangbusters.

....

I’m going back to the Old Man’s Hut.

I made the old Warm Doublet, the one I had just dyed white, Link’s new pajamas. Those and his Snowquill Trousers. I took everything else off.

8:45 pm.

Slept until the morning.

Good night.

 

 

Return to Serenne

Waking of Saturday, November 3, 2018

Return to Serenne

I’d heard from somewhere, maybe somewheres, very probably including Madman Joseph, that there were 900 Koroks in this game.

I wondered just how deep my pockets could go, or would even need to go. Would I break through some kind of boundary with Hestu, once each of my inventories took up an entire screen? Would I reach hammerspace?

I wandered out from Tera’s fountain and into the desert. I’d caught unintended glimpses of map screens in my researching for finessing the log; the Korok Seed icons were practically tripping over each other. But where were they all hiding in this wasteland?

I trekked all over the desert, all over the highlands, killed the Lynel.... I found a few more Koroks.... But.... where were they all hiding?

Done with the puzzling Koroks for the moment I finally paraglided down to the Gerudo Canyon Stable, and took out.... Dragmire. Hadn’t ridden him in a while. I wanted him to carry me now, all the way to the Serenne Stable. Faron was found and mapped. It was time to head northwest.

We hit the road, stopping only a few times to rescue people—Regan, Chabi....

Near the Coliseum I bought all of Botrick’s arrows; I was always happy to do business with him. And at the Outskirt Stable I stopped to sell some more meat to Trott; he was always happy to do business with me.

But I didn’t continue right away. There was one other person I’d been meaning to speak to here at this stable....

Aliza stood out in the dappled shade of the trees by the road. “So did you find the Hero of Legend?” she asked when I approached. She was excited.

My choices of response made me laugh—it was either “I am he.” or “Bye.” XD

“I am he,” I said. Lol so stoic....

Aliza was.... surprised! She’d been waiting so long, but.... I wasn’t at all what she expected. It was a shame, she told me, because I wasn’t even her type! But she gave me something she had been saving for me anyway—a Star Fragment.

Well that was friendly! :)

“It feels SO good to finally check that off my bucket list!” she finished.

Then when I spoke to her again.... “You must be really busy, saving the world and all. How about instead of talking to random strangers, you think a little more about doing your job, yeah?”

Oof wow. XD

We rode on, not meeting a whole lot of other people on the road except for a guy named Savelle at the north end of the Breach of Demise. He had a cool helm. Made me want to get on enhancing my Soldier’s Armor....

We reached Serenne Stable in the ten o’clock hour where I boarded Dragmire and spent the night . . . . and when I woke up in the morning it was raining.

But here I took a break to eat dinner and then to watch a movie with friends. It was a little after Halloween, but we still enjoyed a corny run of Spaced Invaders. But in the opening credits I thought I recognized that name.... Ariana.... Ariana Richards.... And as the movie progressed and we came to the part with the young girl OH MY GOSH IT WAS LEX—she was so little!—was this her breakout role....?

Distraction

Waking of Saturday, November 25, 2017 ~ 2

Distraction

Time washed ugly hours over me as I watched the ink dry on the unending archives of my magpie brain. No blasted Delete key....

I wish.... I could be forgetful like some people.

I don’t like buzzkill.

Is it wrong of me to so want to honor the cinematic experience?

It was made to be seen and heard. And felt, depending on your rumble settings.

First impressions.... shouldn’t be cheapened.

And for some things.... every impression is important. Every meeting must be respected.

Am I wrong?

I did not save. I reloaded from before I had even spoken to the returned Oily Adventurers, and when I spoke to them this time, I took note of their words, so that I would have them for when I would have composed the previous entry.

Are you confused yet?

I took out Thrice and rode him hard all the way to the Outskirt Stable, and boarded him there.

Then I climbed up the back side of the Coliseum.

I just wanted to run away, be about something, plunge headlong into anything. And there was a Lynel in there.

Handy that the Coliseum was built up against the side of a great, jutting mountain, spiking into the air like Weaver’s Needle. From its top I could peer down inside the structure. But I couldn’t quite see the bottom....

I crept down closer and got on top of the ancient wall.

More than the Lynel met my gaze—there were ringing walkways, each level populated by a different kind of beast.

The Moblins were highest and nearest, then Lizalfos, and then Bokoblins down near the Lynel, who prowled the main floor. Three of each.

I had to clear part of the Moblins’ level for Bomb Golf to be any good. The bombs—they disappear if they roll or fall too far away.

But bombs were far too slow against this Lynel. I think it was a blue one. Very powerful.

Did I venture down into the Lizalfos level?

How close did I get before I reached the optimum range for archery....?

I used almost all my specialty arrows to kill the Lynel, and then cleaned out the rest of the Coliseum. This yielded plenty of monster bits, but only a couple of minor chests.

The Lynel gave an excellent bow, though.

The Lynel....

When I saw it give off that sudden flash as I was pelting it.... I ducked back, fearful of incoming Shock Arrows.

But it wasn’t firing at me.

It was doing something else.

I caught a glimpse of it later, as I struck it again.

It teleported.

A short distance away.

I didn’t know Lynels could do that.

Afterward I went outside to talk to Dai about what I’d done, but he cowered as he ever did behind that big chunk of stone.

As long as the Coliseum was clear, I took the opportunity to chase up what Koroks I could in the area. A bit tricky in the rain.

After this it was a venture into the field and another saving of Mils and Mina and from there.... I looked at my map.

There was another Korok circle I hadn’t noticed before, on Satori Mountain.

And so to Satori Mountain I went, and chased up Koroks and gathered various plants and captured bugs and things.... It was all in a little glen there, on that mountain, that I had not been in before. Cool, and shaded, and quiet, and peaceful. With the laughing of the water so soft and lovely. It was very relaxing.

Except perhaps for the occasional Octorok, but I dealt with them easily enough.

As I ventured farther and farther from the Glen of Quietude in my quest for plants and critters, I came upon the Satori Mountain Stalnox, as they are called. Rather the opposite of calm and peaceful, but I was feeling refreshed, and wanted a go.

My Compendium said if I could destroy its eye I could defeat it.

The Stalnox’s tack was quite unexpected however: as soon as it caught on to my presence and intentions, it retreated down the mountain. Right down the steep path on the western slope, toward the baobabs far below.

I tailed it, but did not want to get too close, or too low—fighting on uneven ground might take unexpected tolls on my stamina.

And so I simply remained on the shelf where I was. There were a few large boulders nearby, obviously meant to be rolled down the hill. My aim was terrible, though, and the Stalnox got away.

Where was it going?

Did the music fade away?

I don’t remember.

But I did not have to wonder long. Presently the Stalnox started lumbering back up the same path again. Maybe I could get a shot at its eye as it neared....

Its gaze stayed fixed upon me as it came closer and closer.... and when it was in a decent range, I fired.

Khing! Direct hit to the eye!

And his slow recovery cycle allowed me to keep him pinned!

Khing! Khing! Khing! Down went his health meter.

But when it reached about the halfway point, THE STALNOX RATHER FELL ALL TO PIECES AND HIS EYEBALL POPPED OUT AND DISAPPEARED BELOW THE ROCK I WAS STANDING ON. Oh shoot, was it going to roll away before I could kill it? I jumped forward to chase it—the collapsing bones MURDERED the framerate in cold blood—I came free and caught sight of the eyeball just exploding in a puff of evil.... and.... the thing was dead.

Monster bits spilled down the slope in a small avalanche. That was unexpected....

I guess.... somehow that did it!

After a while I finally sailed back down to Sanadin Park and thence to the Outskirt Stable, and did some business with the bespectacled Botrick—bought every last one of his arrows, and sold him what I could sell him.

And I chased more Koroks.

There were plenty of water-goal Koroks I hadn’t been able or willing to reach before, but I wanted one of them now—that one near Manhala Bridge.

I went upstream and fetched the boat from those flooded ruins with the near-sighted Lizalfos, and sailed it down the river....

It’s easy to put a rock in a water-goal when you have a boat.

Is it really cheating my guts out if I’m only using what is at my disposal?

I got the Korok seed.

And then it was off to Kakariko to see if any of my clothes could be upgraded—and I was pleasantly surprised to see that the fairies were back! 8D I had gone through a couple of the ones in my pockets, and they respawned here! That was encouraging. ^_^

It turned out Cotera could only upgrade my Ancient Helm, if I gave her ten of my Ancient Gears. Right then and there.

Didn’t she know how hard those were to come by?

I forgot that idea, and checked the rest of my wardrobe. It looked.... like the next enhancement to my Zora ensemble could be reached easily enough.

I just needed some fish.

Fortunately, I had a sample of what I needed on me—I threw a Hearty Bass on the ground, took a picture of it, loaded it into my Compendium, and tuned my sensor.... If I could just get enough of these....

But first I headed down from Cotera’s spring into the village proper, and found Paya up in Impa’s house.

“It’s almost dawn,” she said, “If you haven’t slept yet, you really should... Staying up late can’t be great for your health.”

....

I considered the hour.

It was quite late. Not as late as last time, but.... still quite late.

I’d been all over the map.

I know from experience that it’s hard to go to bed without having caught something you’ve been chasing.

I think.... it’s the same going to bed without having escaped something you’ve been fleeing.

My rage was not done.

But.... maybe Paya was right.

I saved my game,

and quit,

and went to bed.