Trust me, I know...
Message in a Bottle #1
Let’s talk Zelda, because my switch is totally something I would haul up into my treehouse and play!
I’ve never actually been a gamer… Seriously never. The amount of games that have captivated me on even a remotely “gamer-like” level, I swear, I could count on one hand, and even then, the only ones I can think of right now are Spyro and The Hobbit. You know, the one on the PS 2? The one where Bilbo’s eyebrows are literal bushes and gollum looks creepier than all get out!
But when my brothers, who are most certainly gamers, got me a switch for my nineteenth birthday three years ago and introduced me to Breath of the Wild, it was Spyro, The Hobbit, and more to me. Guys, I heckin’ love that game!
That said, once I beat it, I had to get the DLC. I wasn't about to wait around for the next one! It still isn't out!
I started the Master Trials one night to destress after the craziness of starting a Medium account and an email list! Which... Never went anywhere.
If you felt that, thank you. You are not alone with these tech and internet deficits.
But the Master Trials. Oh, are they grueling! Did I actually destress? Probably not. This side quest promises to upgrade your Master Sword in the end, but it never promised what it takes to get there would be easy. In short, Link is not ready to possess the full might and power of the Master Sword unleashed, so he must go through a series of trials to become worthy of the weapon.
Sounds pretty cool to me!
On entering the trials, an ominous voice tells Link he must complete these trials without the many things he’s come to rely on.
All his armor.
Gone.
Weapons.
Gone.
All he has is his Sheika slate, his paraglider, and the environment. Here we go…
From a glance, I saw a garden like room with lots of trees for protection and in the distance a group of frenzied bokoblins cavorting around a fire. Typical…
I like to take the sneaky, cunning approach when it comes to fighting in LOZ, because I’ve never gotten that great at combat and I need the advantage. Also… It just makes me feel like a boss when I can pick ’em off without them even knowing what hit ‘em. I crawled up behind the tree closest to them and climbed to the top like some master forester, still totally undetected. With my treetop vantage point, I now saw the idiots were so busy whooping it up, they left their weapons lying against a fallen log, just begging to be stolen. Jackpot! I jumped from the tree and used my paraglider to swoop down directly on the weapons and snatch them up, all before the bokoblins question marks could turn into explanation marks. If you play Breath of the Wild, you know what I’m talking about.
I vanquished my enemies easily enough and after that, was feeling pretty good about the whole thing. But the trials to come were far from simple or easy…Don’t get me wrong, the whole thing would have been a breeze if had I had my fancy smancy, fairy upgraded armor and the Master Sword itself. Sure, I’d have definitely swept through the trials with those. But you’d be surprised how difficult it is to survive when things you’ve relied on to protect and defend you are taken away.
And, guys, did I lose… And lose, having to start all over every time. And even when I got somewhere, making it all the way to the hinox, (which, I had a funny feeling in my gut, was the last trial before a save) I lost again.
But the truth is, it’s hard work to level up your Sword that Seals the Darkness. We all have one, some of us just don’t know it. Mine is my writing.
Yes, I just went there. I’m that much of a nerd. And yes, I have called my writing that in my head multiple times… I mean, my keyboards name is Sting!
But here's the thing, I know there’s a lot of different opinions out there, but when it comes down to it, most of us can agree that darkness is real and it’s out there in the world. Also, and this is a fact, every one of us have the ability to do something about it. Because that sword, was a gift given to us when we were born, we need only take up the call to battle.
Just think about that. You have darkness-sealing, shadow-burning power residing in your chest, just waiting for you to become the champion you were born to be! I know you might not believe that’s true for you. I know it might sound so very hard. But that’s because we can’t do it on our own. Trust me, I know! When I think about having to go it alone, when I think about having to write by my strength alone, I feel a little like how Link might, fighting the Master Trials, armor-less, my bare skin vulnerable to the weapons of the enemies. I feel overwhelmed by the monsters in the world and in my head. The thought of bettering myself or my writing skills all on my own, cripples me. I’m helpless and wholly at the mercy of my depression and anxiety.
Of course I’m not gonna give up on the Master Trials, and Link will do it by himself. But I don’t want to. Why would I struggle through life, getting battered and bruised, when I have a God that gives me strength? I need only ask. He gave me this sword, why would I try to use it without Him?
So my question to you is, what is your Sword that Seals the Darkness, and how are you gonna level up?
“I lift up my eyes to the mountains — where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.”
Psalm 121:1–2
Your Captain,
Ellie
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