BIG BOYS

Waking of Friday, December 7, 2018

BIG BOYS

In studying the network of bright blue shrine markers on my map, I could still see a few empty spaces between them, too-broad empty spaces with conspicuous geography that looked.... likely....

I warped to the Qukah Nata Shrine high above Faron’s waterfalls, and wandered into the wetlands—the Rabella Wetlands these were called. I could see a spot on my map that looked like somewhere I’d seen David visit before....

And I found it. In the middle of a leafy, dappled plateau, an enormous ribcage jutted into the air, points to the sky. And in the middle of that ribcage, snoring grotesquely away.... a big Black Hinox. I remembered seeing David throwing Bombs at this one from one of the ribs....

The Hinox was surrounded by lesser meanies, just Bokoblins, and these I drew away one by one with my Mask, dispatching them each privily in a manner that did not make me feel proud.

But when it was just me and the big guy, I was able to get closer, and I saw that it had.... an orb?

On went my Barbarian Armor and I killed it then and there! With Urbosa’s help. I was just briefly bewildered during the short time its life-meter was visible. For this one wasn’t just a “Hinox”, but it bore the secondary title of “Eldest Kin”.

Oh yeah, I remembered, It had said that when David was fighting it.

What was this some kinda Super-Hinox?

Well if it had been before, it wasn’t now.

I looted the spoils. Now where the heck did this orb go....?

I looked around, and.... there! There seemed to be some ruins of a sort just a bowshot away. I hefted the orb over the grass and drew nearer to the ruins and—

What the—? Three pedestals??

I set the orb in the pedestal nearest to where I had come from, and approached a small stone marker. The inscription on it said something about orbs guarded by three giants....

And the shrine quest banner flashed across my screen: The Three Giant Brothers.

Heh, it sounded like a kind of fairy tale. ^_^

Well then! Two to go, I supposed! :D

So I had killed the Eldest Kin in the Rabella Wetlands. I spread out and searched now in the directions indicated by the remaining two pedestals....

In a place called Uten Marsh, as the sun was going down, I found the Youngest Kin, a Red Hinox. He was just a little bit down the grassy hill, and so was very easy to get to with my paraglider. So easy, in fact, that I took my flight just a little bit farther than I’d ever gone, and landed right on his big sleeping chest!

He didn’t wake, but only continued to snore.

Link meanwhile adopted the broad-stanced, bent-kneed posture he took on whenever danger was near, and glared with ready eyes down at the beast. But at every heaving breath from the monster beneath his feet, his arms would windmill just slightly, and he would have to twine his torso aright with a little jerk to keep from losing his balance.

“David, look at this!” I choked in a whisper.

“Oh my gosh, what are you doing?” He didn’t sound shocked or impressed, just.... resigned. :|

I stole the orb right off the Hinox’s necklace, turned, and stepped off the side of his big red belly....

I hit the grass with the expected clomp of my boots and little gasp from my lips after the drop.... but the Hinox didn’t wake up.

The orb was still in my hands, still held high over my head. I’d been afraid I would lose my grip on it in the little freefall and it would clonk loudly against the ground, or strike the Hinox. But nothing had happened.

And so I started walking softly away through the darkness, back toward the hill.

Well this was going to be cake! I thought. ^_^ I could just walk off with it!

But I stopped when the ground began to incline, and remembered.

I still needed Hinox guts.

I set the orb down in a place where it wouldn’t roll, and.... I actually felt a little bit sad, when I went back, and just.... killed the thing.

Red ones don’t especially drop a lot of good stuff anyway, but it never hurts to check.

And when I came to Hanu Pond and found the Middle Kin Blue Hinox.... I wasted no time there either, but killed him right away too.

And when I went back to the ruin and placed the last orb in the last pedestal, the Tawa Jinn Shrine appeared. It was a Blessing.

That was 105 shrines for me. David was still at 109? Maybe....?

I continued to wander all over the wetlands. I thought about going up to that one high plateau to kill the Lynel, but.... eh, I held off.

Wandered.... wandered.... I meandered looking for Koroks and new things to explore until I came back to whatever peak that was—the Peak of Awakening? Mount Floria? It was Mount Floria. The Peak of Awakening was above the Lanayru Road.

Mount Floria was the name of the mount between the provinces. The one above Misko’s Treasure Cache, and the Twin Bridges. The peak from which you could see both the Valley of Terror spread before the Dueling Peaks Stable, and the jungled plateaus of the Faron Province.

It was the crest from which I had first seen that Lynel-haunted plateau. The Lynel had been Blue that first time—the kind I’d always wanted to fight, but had never gotten the chance to.

Tougher Lynels kept showing up all the time.

I had a look at the Lynel down there now. Looked like another White-Maned one. I scoped in for a better view, not knowing what in the world possessed me to use my Pictobox zoom instead of the regular scope....

And as the reticle passed over the Lynel, the targeting box briefly flashed, but it was.... orange? What in the heck—The box only ever turned orange if the subject hadn’t yet been logged in the Compendium. I thought I’d already pictographed a White Lynel....

I steadied the Pictobox, and looked again. Lined up the reticle.

And the Sheikah Slate identified it as....

A SILVER LYNEL?

THE HECK.

....

.__.

....

WELL.

I’D JUST HAVE TO FLY DOWN THERE AND GET IT THEN.

I donned my Lynel Mask, and laughed as Link puffed out his chest and cast back his arms in muscular majesty. Forgot about that one. XD

I paraglided in, and could see the subtle differences now. It was still striped like a monstrous Zebra, but it was not so much black-and-white as purple-and-white. Like the other silver creatures, Moblins and Bokoblins and Lizalfos, pale with purple markings.

The thing had 5000 HIT POINTS.

DANG.

....

SO I GOT TO IT UNTIL IT WAS DEAD.

....

Hey I needed the Lynel bits.

After that I kept wandering, just finding a whole lotta Koroks. And finally a claw from the dragon Farosh as well.

More wandering, more wandering, more wandering in the Wetlands.... That would make a good title. Wandering in the Wetlands. Or Wetland Wanderings....

Just a few more Koroks, just a few more Koroks.... I was up to seventeen; if I could just get to twenty, Hestu could fill my last shield slot, and then.... I could find out what would happen next. Just a few more.... Huh, I wonder what color the southern Corridor Lynel is....

I warped to Ishto Soh to check.

It was Silver.

Just my luck.

I didn’t bother with it.

Any more Koroks....?

Hhhhhh.

Running out of juice, I warped to Tera and upgraded a few clothes. Soldier’s Armor all up to level three.... Barbarian Leg Wraps up from level one to level two.... which meant there might be a perk....

And there was! My charge-attack stamina was.... up? Or something? Did that mean.... I could charge up a spin-attack without wearing out so fast? Like how in the Zora Suit I could swim harder and faster without wearing out?

I dunno I’m tired.

PEPP’S AND BED.

GOOD NIGHT.

Faron's Five-Cent Tour

Waking of Saturday, October 27, 2018 ~ 4

Faron’s Five-Cent Tour

I warped to the Shoda Sah Shrine in the rainy jungles of Faron, and went up the plateau. I’d seen it from the top of that mountain above the Twin Bridges.... the Lynel. Except it was a White Lynel now.

It had stood between me and the tower. I remembered....

I killed it. Awesomely. I don’t think I even got a scratch.

And I floated down a level to the next broad shelf, and found a Red Hinox.

I killed it, too.

Down another level and I ran into a nest of Lizalfos.

Killed ‘em.

And there, out from the edge of the next shelf downward.... was the crown of the Sheikah Tower. I could have floated over and it would have been a very short climb to the top, but....

I looked down.

An Electric Wizzrobe pranced around the tower’s base, and a cloud of Keese swarmed about its middling heights.

A few appeals to Ja Baij and they were all gone.

I sailed down and ran around the base for a little bit, scaring up what Koroks I could, before giving the tower a proper climb.

And the Faron Tower and local map were mine.

Cooool. I could see the places I’d been to—that pointy sandbar was called Cape Cresia, with a Soka Point at its tip.

All the Floria names were cool. I made my way north to a Keelay Plain—which was one of the very few places I’ve found that have gravel—enjoyed the foley—played some dangerous bog games looking for Koroks in Tobio’s Hollow, then up to the Jia Highlands and Angel Peak.

I was getting quite good at clearing out entire camps of Moblins and Bokoblins before they even knew I was there.

I remember paragliding in to the very last Bokoblin in my mask, his start of surprise and then friendly approach to come talk Bokoblin to me, and how I cut him down in two rapid strokes the instant he was close enough.

Didn’t even give him time to blink.

“I’m a heartless murderer,” I said to myself.

Of course, that very night was a Blood Moon and they all came straight back. In the high meadow I killed the stray Guardian one more time before getting out of there and paragliding all the way to Dueling Peaks Stable—I’d wanted to do that since I first climbed up to Misko’s Cache above the Twin Bridges. I was in roughly the same area....

But I couldn’t think of any business to see to at Dueling Peaks Stable, and I was getting tired, which meant.... it was another warping meander back to the Great Fairy Tera.

I upgraded a crapton of clothes.

And I considered....

I considered.... sorting.... for a while....

Sooorrrrt?

No.

Not cleaning my closet yet

GOOD NIGHT.

Deep Smit

Waking of Saturday, October 27, 2018 ~ 2

Deep Smit

I didn’t have the topo, but I could see the icon indicating Lurelin Village’s location. It was directly on the other side of a sizeable mountain from where I was.

Instead of following the winding beach all the way back, I decided to take a little climb, straight up and over....

From the beach and sea level, the mountain looked rather unremarkable, but as I climbed I discovered a good number of little dells and hidden hollows, and a heckton of Blue Nightshade flowers! Cool.

And at the tippy top was a Korok. Of course.

As long as I was at the crest I decided to spend a moment taking in the view. And looking down the tumbles of another side of the mountain, I could see.... Why that’s a heart-shaped pond! One single pond—not broken down the center like that one above Hateno Village. This heart was whole.

And there were people down there....

A Hylian man and a Gerudo stood on opposing shores of the little pond. Furtively staring at one another. I spoke to them both.

Wabbin was the man’s name. And he was in some seriously deep smit. That Gerudo across the way was gorgeous. But he couldn’t work up the nerve to just go over there and talk to her....

The Gerudo, Perda, on the other hand, was feeling a bit unsure. While she was indeed out seeking her true love, and this did seem to be a place of providence for the matter, she didn’t quite know what to make of the creeper who kept staring at her from across the way....

I played a lovely game of go-between. XD

Wabbin wanted to offer her a token of his feelings—a flower. Only he didn’t have any flowers. And he begged me to find him some Blue Nightshades.

Well! As it turned out I’d just run into a huge stash of those! Not that my pockets weren’t already full of them. I handed one over.

But Wabbin was too petrified to offer the gift himself. So he asked me if I would do it.

Heh, sure thing, buddy. X-)

I took the flower to Perda, and let her know how that guy over there was totally digging on her, and well.... that put her in deep smit, too.

A few more messaging runs back and forth, and the most adorable cutscene ensued, with Wabbin and Perda finally on the same side of the pond together, Perda still holding the flower! ^_^ Awww, that was cute. Don’t see items as props too often.

And as the sun rose on the high meadow with its pond in the seaside mountain.... I was the last one to fall into deep deep smit. Because I saw just how many Hearty Radishes there were growing around here! Sweet! 8D

Those things is good eatin’!

The Entry For Which I Do Not Apologize

Waking of Thursday, October 25, 2018

The Entry For Which I Do Not Apologize

I wanted to get back on the road to Lurelin, but.... I was distracted by my shrine-detector once again as I wandered around.

My wanderings also brought me back to that Lynel I’d seen from the top of that peak above the Twin Bridges. It had been blue, then. But now it was a White-Maned Lynel!

Why were they all white now? I’d been hoping to try my hand against a blue one.... a nice, medium level against which to test my mettle....

I didn’t want to mess with a White Lynel right now, but I did run a derping circle around it in my mask a few times. Seems if you stay in motion and they don’t get a chance to study you carefully.... they might just stay fooled.

After a time I finally found the shrine I’d been detecting—the Shoda Sah Shrine, hidden behind a big waterfall, like that one near the Lanayru Promenade.

You Shoda Sah me get it.

THEN I came back to the Lurelin Road, and back to that little canyon just beyond the jungle that had been so infuriating, where the cliffs had been impassable in the downpour. Maybe I’d try them again at some point, if the rain-spell were truly broken. But for now, I pressed onward down the road.

Just how far away was this village?

I ran on and on, along the bottoms of the cliffs and back to where I had plunged into the foothills to double back, and beyond, and still the road wound on through treeless, grassy hills and grey mountains, with no sign of the village.

I sported for a little while with a treehouse full of Bokoblins before.... my shrine-detector started going off again.

Maybe this one would be the shrine near the village.... for there was always a shrine near every habitation....

And this time, as it turned out.... it was.

Over the last rise in the road, I could see the sea, and spread along the shore, little fishing huts, and boats resting along the beach.

The shrine, the Yah Rin Shrine, was nearby the village, and it was easy to find.

You just go up the hill from the trail a little bit, and Yah Rin.

I was upon Lurelin Village, but.... I detected buzzkill impending.... and my laundry needed switching out anyway.

So I saved and quit.

Soon.

The Least Dangerous Game

Waking of Friday, October 12, 2018 ~ 2

The Least Dangerous Game

Eventually I floated down all the way to the Afromsia Coast.

I had reached the sea. At last I could switch out my one defense point Warm Doublet for something stronger.

There were more Koroks down here, hiding beneath huge stone slabs on the beach. And it had already been quite a fruitful Korok hunt up on the mountain! I was on a roll....

I started southward along the shore, using my Zora Armor to swim for it whenever the beach ran out and gave way to rocks, until I came to a certain Mapla Point.... and its resident Talus.

I recognized it. This was the first Talus David had ever defeated. I had helped him that time.

Now I took my own turn killing it, after which I continued to scare up a mess of Koroks, as well as a lot of new seafood: crabs, fish, porgies.... Lizalfos....

Following the coast, which bent in a general westerly direction now, I swam across Deepback Bay—which I’d always thought was a cool name whenever I saw it on my map—to reach Hateno Beach, which I traversed, and traversed, scaring up Koroks and killing baddies all the way, until I finally came to a landmark I recognized: the Hateno trailhead.

But I saw something else that piqued my interest, even further west.

Way up on top of a lone spire of rock standing out in the water.... was Kass!

So I swam out to meet him—killing an Octorok, in the water, along the way! Felt so boss.... Its Lizalfos pal proved to be a bit more trouble, though. Never mind him then! I swam out to the rocks, the Lizalfos buggered off, and I climbed up to visit with Kass.

He sang me a song about a Hero’s Stash, located at 17 of 24.... and said that this rock would show the way....

Well anything of twenty-four had to be a time of day.... and it was half past three! An easy wait.

And when five o’clock rolled around, the rock spire’s shadow pointed to.... Eventide Isle.

Well.... I knew what was over there.

I’d seen David do it.

Hadn’t done it myself yet! But....

Well.

Soon.

Before I took my leave from Kass’ rock I wanted to check if there were anything Magnesable in the surrounding waters. I took out a Bomb instead on accident.

“Wah!” Kass jolted with a start! XD

I put the Bomb away, switched to the appropriate Slate function, and swept the area.... but could see nothing. Well.... no worries.

I paraglided back toward the shore, coming up short and splashing down almost on top of that pesky Lizalfos I’d run into before. And this time, I killed the beast—in the water! In its own element! Excellent.

For old time’s sake I hiked up to Hateno by the grassy seaside switchbacks. I even considered the house. But once again I left it alone. I didn’t have the money for it at the moment anyway.

I’d picked up an awful lot of Luminous Stone in my travels thus far. Breaking from the Korok hunt for a spell, I warped to Cotera to see about my clothes. I had her do up my Radiant Suit, but.... not the Climbing Pants yet. I still wanted to show Siara all the funny animations, especially that fourth one. Later.

As long as I was in the neighborhood I paraglided across Kakariko Village and headed out the back door to the Sahasra Slope—and had the easiest time I’d ever had killing all three Guardians out there—and got a core for my trouble!

Life was just a bowl of cherries today! ^_^

From thence.... it was just a big crawl around the Dueling Peaks and all the western foothills and surrounding regions looking for more Koroks. It was, once again, pretty fruitful! Though the Silver Bokoblins down in that silty monster-nest did give me a bit of trouble. I thought I should see Hestu again soon.... maybe....

But before I did, I decided to warp over to Gerudo Town and check on Pokki.

She was in the canteen.

“I ask you, Furosa, is there anything better than a taste of Noble Pursuit?” she asked as she leaned against the bar.

“You were at death’s door and you ran all the way here for that! Good grief... You’re in incredible shape,” said Furosa in response, “Does that mean you don’t plan to investigate that shrine anymore?”

“Definitely. I never dreamed that kind of work would be so dull...”

Dull. Hah....

“I’m not surprised you found it dull,” said Furosa, “That sort of thing isn’t really “you”.”

“Yeah, you know what really is “me”? Drinking.”

HAH! XD That made me laugh! It was.... a little bit refreshing to have conversation so uncoddled from the NPCs!

While I was there, I went to see what those three gossips—Heh, Three Gossips—in the other room had to say. They spoke of one Perda, who had gone to find the Lover’s Pond.

Hmmmm....

Maybe I would make it an adventure for another day.

But for now....

It was time to head to Korok Woods. And Hestu. I’d accumulated an awful lot of Korok Seeds since I’d last seen him. I wanted to see what he might be able to do for me.

“Shaka-kala!” he exclaimed as always. With music notes flanking his speech.

“Weapon please,” I asked. And he obliged.

And when he had finished, “Dah-na-na-na-naaaaaaaa!” OH YEAH HE SANG THE SONG! With more music notes flanking! XD I’d forgotten!

Ah! Delightful times. ^_^

Well I’d had 99 Korok Seeds on me, and that expansion had cost me 45. And I asked, and the next weapon expansion would cost 55. And I only had 54 left.

Rats! Heh.... Guess I cut my Korok hunt only just a little too short....

Did I want to get another shield slot in the meanwhile? I could afford it. But.... only one more Korok Seed and I could get the weapon; it’d be a shame to let the opportunity go to waste.... Besides, in normal play I felt the need for expansion more in my weapons inventory than in my shields.... Still, maybe if I expanded my shield inventory some more, well, maybe it would run out of upgrading room, like my bows had. Why not....?

Nah. Not right now. I decided to wait.

It’d been a great hunt, but.... I was done for now.

I went to Pepp’s, and slept.

Good night.

This is why all Heroes are called Fools

Waking of Saturday, MARCH FOURTH, 2017 ~ 14

This is why all Heroes are called Fools

The rain slicked over my Hylian Hood.

Brokka [Toma] and I walked on, soaked, our horses’ hooves endlessly clopping, clopping, clopping over the dirt and slush.

There was so much we were passing by, so much that.... I would have wanted to explore. But I somehow felt safer in Brokka’s company. Safer in the footsteps of a sprite for which the game must always have an escape, surely....

As we passed by some towering cliffs on the other side of a wide river to our right—the Cliffs of Quince, beneath which some bokoblins capered about their campfire—I saw a woman sobbing by the side of the road.

Brokka didn’t stop.

I paused.

Brokka kept going. I didn’t want to lose her.

But who was this crying woman?

This didn’t feel right. This didn’t feel right at all.

Surely this woman needed help.

But I wanted to stick together with Brokka.

What if this was a trap?

Brokka moved further and further ahead through the rain, without me.

Two Roads Diverged.

“All right Brown stay here,” I murmured, and dismounted. I wanted to make this quick.

But the woman had no name.

She was only a Traveler.

Uh-oh....

She was crying because she wanted some salmon.

“And.... and also....” she stuttered.

“The life of the Hero!”

She transformed just the same, into the lithe and lanky thing, reddish, quick, deadly.

Well I’d taken the scythe of the last one—and his bananas and his rupees!—and we fought blade against blade.

Or was this where my Eight Fold Blade finally wore out and shattered?

I don’t remember....

I defeated her. And took her scythe and bananas and the rupees she dropped.

The bananas were from somewhere called Faron.

I wondered if that’s where this Yiga Clan was based....

I climbed back on Brown and raced ahead to find Brokka again.