You Get The Thing

Sunday, July 29, 2018

You Get The Thing

My birthday was a little bit ago now.... but this evening, the Ben clan came over and my sweet niece Mary, an aspiring young baker, gifted me and absolutely splendiforous two-layer roundcake, frosted in luscious green, and decorated on top with a beautiful, golden-yellow Royal Crest of Hyrule. All in perfect frosting, fondant-free.

She had set the covered dish right in front of me, and it was only after I had removed the lid for the big reveal, that I told her “Oh, I should’ve sung the song as I took off the lid! You know—da-na-na-na, da-na-na-na—” And I hummed that little wind-up tune that plays whenever Link opens an important chest, and finished with a dramatic “DA-DA-DA-DAAAAH!”

We laughed.

Dad fetched some candles and—bless his heart, he went back when I asked him if he could find any red ones instead.... I kept the blue and green ones, and he came back with a pink—close enough.

The pink candle went into the top triangle, the blue candle went in the lower left, and the green into the lower right. Triforce colors, Power, Wisdom, and Courage.

Augh what great, geeky revelry! We lit the candles.

My family sang to me in four-part harmony like they do, John and Siara threatening to add an extra cadence like they do....! But they refrained—aaaand I just walked RIGHT into that pun—they all finished up with an extravagant flourish.... and I blew out the candles with a wish.

Hahhhh if a certain someone knew what I wished for....

But you know how it goes—if you say what you wished for out loud, your wish won’t come true.

The cake was delicious. <3

Thank you, Mary. ^_^

Words of Wisdom

Waking of Saturday, October 28, 2017 ~ 10

Words of Wisdom

Maybe if I hadn’t been so low on sleep.... I might have reveled in it a bit more—rescuing lost adventurers from the Bokoblins.... Wasn’t this the kind of stuff I kept hoping would turn up in Mei’s sidequest....?

I ran and paraglided my way back to Gerudo Canyon Stable.

The five oily friends were gathered around the warmth of the wok-fire, the resident shepherd dog lounging in their midst.

I spoke to Sesami first:

“Oh, hey! I’ve been waiting for you.

You saved them! I thought my friends

were dead, but you brought them all

back to me!

I can’t thank you enough.

My friends said you were outnumbered,

but you were still able to take those

monsters down with style.

As soon as they all got back safely, a

wave of emotion washed over me.

Thank you. Thank you so much.

I want you to have this.”

Sesami handed me a gold rupee—its radiant golden shine illuminated my soul.

“Sorry it’s so small. Everyone chipped in

for it, but we’re in the middle of

traveling, y’know?

In a way, I’m kind of glad all of this

happened. It’s helped me realize just

how important friendship is.

Opening up to others might make you

more vulnerable, but it’s also the only

way to give your life any value.

That said, caring for others is an

emotional liability, so my friends and I

have all decided to part ways.

Not really sure what the takeaway is

here...”

The banner bearing the title of the sidequest—Missing in Action—flashed across the top of the screen. Status: Complete.

But I still spoke to the adventurers. Flaxel was next:

“I was gonna yell at Sesami for leaving me

to die, but as soon as he saw my face, he

looked like he was gonna start sobbing...

I can’t be mad at him for being scared.

That’s just the way he is.”

She smiled and gave a friendly sigh.

“Anyway, thanks for the help. If I ever get

the chance to save you, I’ll take it.”

And then Canolo:

“If you hadn’t come along...”

She shuddered.

“Thanks for saving me.

I had no idea traveling was so

dangerous. There was nothing like this

in the travel guidebook...

I guess you can’t assume to know

anything until you experience it for

yourself.

But at least I’ve figured out that traveling

isn’t my thing. I’m going to rest here

awhile and then head back home.”

And with a smiling laugh she added as an afterthought:

“I get the feeling that going home isn’t an

option for you, so take care of yourself

out there.”

It was nice to see that the women had calmed down and made up.

Of the four recently returned adventurers, only Oliff was on his feet. He leaned against a stack of nearby crates:

“Your swordsmanship...

It was something straight from the tales

of the legendary hero said to have saved

Hyrule during the Great Calamity!”

I must say it does give me a right sheepish little smile when they bring that up.

“Those dusty old legends are a hundred

years old, but here you are in the flesh!

A modern-day hero!”

He cleared his throat.

“Excuse me for prattling on.

I’ll take my leave now. Thank you again.”

But the NPC didn’t go anywhere. He just stood there with his steely gaze. Like they do.

I rather like that one; he seems a noble swordsman. I truly hope I meet him again in the game some time.

Palme was the last adventurer I spoke to:

“I asked Sesami why he didn’t come to

save me.

He spouted some garbage about the

sword of legend in an attempt to dodge

the conversation.

I thought Sesami was a big wuss, but

then I realized that I’m the wussiest of

all.

Instead of trying to help myself out of

that mess, I cowered and waited for

someone else to help me.

That’s why I’ve decided to split from the

group. I need to stop relying on others

to help me and help myself instead.”

And here he gave a hopeful smile.

“And maybe once I learn to help myself,

I’ll be able to help others.

Like you helped me.”

And on those words from the last adventurer, and glancing at the brightness of the sunlight peeping beneath the dining room curtains.... I called it quits, and started my morning.

I’d been taking a small, evening class on Thursdays—almost an informal get-together, really—and we would just discuss the principles of self-reliance. Avoiding debt, working smarter and harder, maintaining budgets, the importance of networking, of identifying good vocational fits....

It was just a really nice assortment of basic life skills that.... honestly, why don’t they teach those in college?

Oh yeah, because then they couldn’t rope you into being their debt-slave.

They never caught me accepting a student loan. Ugh.

Thanks for teaching me to be money-wise, Mom and Dad.

Some principles I had learned long ago. Some tips and tricks were revelatory and new. Some practices I knew about.... but didn’t practice.

But the whole basic end of it all....

The whole point....

Hahh, that the entirety of our exertions, the culmination of all our aspirations in and out of that class.... should then and there be spoken back to me so succinctly, so precisely, so simply, by that pudgy little man with the unflattering haircut.

“Maybe once I learn to help myself,

I’ll be able to help others.”

Maybe that’s why it just so happened to strike me so deeply that sleep-deprived morning. Heh, the bell it rang was so loud and clear I couldn’t help grinning as I shut down the console.

Why do we learn to help ourselves?

So we can have enough in life.

And with enough in life, we are able to help others.

And why do we help others?

Because.... that’s the only way to give our lives any value.

A Familiar Face

Waking of Wednesday, March 29, 2017 ~ 4

A Familiar Face

The girl slowed to a walk.

I doubted another Yiga would venture this close to civilized folk, and I spoke to her.

Her name was Leekah, and she thanked me for my help on the road. She even said she felt less anxious with me around, and I thanked her; that felt good.

Once I had seen her safely into the glow of the Woodland Stable, I turned back to the tall, bobbing figure across the road.

I ran to meet him.

“SHALAKA??” he exclaimed at the sight of me. He was happy to see me, and I to see him. ^_^

What is “shalaka”? Just some snatch of Korok-ese, I imagine. Either that or he just likes to scat. He does sing a bit when he works his magic on my carrying capacity. In fact he sings a very recognizable little tune every time that just makes me grin and tickles me no end....

Before, when he had allowed me to carry two more weapons, he had done a little dance with his special maracas, and it had ended with a little bang like a cheap firecracker and a small shower of scarlet confetti.

It was quite adorable, really. :3

But this time, as I asked him to allow me to carry more bows, he did his dance, but the confetti came out green.

Oh, I thought, perhaps it’s some kind of evolution his character goes through throughout the course of the game. Do his upgrades become more powerful or something?

But then I asked for more shields, and the confetti turned blue!

Why! Those were the Triforce colors! Red for Power, Green for Courage, and Blue for Wisdom.

And I pondered.... Yes, those two weapons.... the weapons in general.... those were definitely a symbol of Power.... employed to inflict your force upon those you deem fit to slay. That was Red.

And the shields.... Protection. Cover and safekeeping. Giving yourself a safe space. You can’t do anything in there, but it buys you time.... time to formulate.... time to think.... A bubble of relative calm and quiet. That could be the Blue of Wisdom perhaps....?

But what about Courage and the bows?

That sounds like a band.... formed by skull kids maybe.... a very juvenile boy band, yes....

*COUGH* What about Courage and the bows?

Well it’s definitely a weaker weapon than the forceful blades you could be using.... Huh but.... archery kind of like sniping.... while hiding....

Well that seems rather cowardly, doesn’t it? :(

But it’s not like I hide every time I use a bow....

Maybe just the thought of it being a weaker weapon.... but still a weapon nonetheless. It can’t rely on great overwhelming force and you can’t use a shield while you hold it, but it can still do something. That’s got to take some of the Green of Courage, hasn’t it?

It was a bow that quieted Vah Ruta.

....

Maybe I did use to be a great archer.

Mister Hestu allowed me a few more trades this time. They got more expensive per carrying-type as they went on, but I had plenty of Korok seeds.

But after a time, he looked up with a jolt, and said he thought he might remember his way back home after all! (He’d been a bit lost, you see.) He also said something about his father or grandfather might be waiting for him.... I do wonder if I’ll ever find his home, or meet his family....

We parted ways, and I turned toward the little pond by the stable.

There was a shrine there, and I had come a long way.

The pounding rain finally let up as I passed a sodden open-air dining area or deck of some kind, and I made my way beneath a high cliff, along a narrow bank toward the shrine.

Two stalizalfos popped out of the ground and I slashed them both to bits, killing one with my blade, and taking the other’s skull-head and punting it into the water, which felt AMAZING.

And in I went, into the shrine of Mirro Shaz.

“I said it was SIMPLE, I never said it was easy!” – The Witch of the Walls, Legend of Zelda cartoon

I think I must always have had some kind of soft spot for Bob Forward....

I broke a few weapons, hounding after the prizes of Mirro Shaz, the tricksy devil.... That very last hidden one was an arduous exercise in math, science, physics and athletic precision. And patience. At one point, wanting to go faster and hitting the wrong button too soon, I caught the wrong end of Ja Baij’s gift point blank and blew myself across the room.

Have I mentioned yet how beautiful the animation is of Link sent flying?

He looks like what a person would look like, as the poor guy rolls to a dazed and dizzied stop.

Very lovely. Very fluid.

Very painful. -__-;

Weapons shattered, numbers mounted in my skull, hearts were lost, but it was worth it, getting that final chest behind the last barred door.

I wonder what Purah would make of a Giant Ancient Core.

It wasn’t until later that I wondered what the stable folk might have thought of me as I jabbered away to the empty rain.... since most people can’t see Koroks it seems. I’d forgotten.