The Day the Shadow Temple Nearly Killed Me

As every good older sister will tell you, part of your job requirement as the eldest is to toughen up your younger siblings to prepare them for the ways of the world. Personally, I like to think of it as both a duty and a perk. I’m extremely fortunate that my younger brother is probably the best one that I could have ever asked for, especially thanks to my consistent torment guidance. Okay, okay, so he’s just an awesome brother even without my help. As he started to become interested in the same things as me (hard rock, manga, video games, etc.), I found a companion who actually understood me. We could sob together over the death of a beloved character in Naruto, beat each other to a pulp on Smash Bros., or squee over the latest Nightwish album. Yup. He’s that cool. Though we’re almost eight years apart, the older we get, the stronger our friendship is.

So now a confession must come from me. (I do that a lot, don’t I?) Anyone who knows me knows first-hand that I love the Zelda franchise with a passion. Or, as Brother would say, a flaming purple passion. (Don’t ask, ‘cause I don’t know where he got that.) The characters, the storylines, the gameplay, everything. I have LoZ decals on my car, a wallet, even a lanyard for my key card at work. So here’s my confession:

I’ve never actually really played or beaten a Zelda game. Ever.

Yeah, I played the original NES one, but I didn’t really understand it. (I was kid, okay? What do you want from me?) The sad fact is, I rather suck at them. I tried desperately when the N64 was released, and even managed to go a little ways in Ocarina of Time. But as it got harder and harder, I found that I just didn’t possess the skills to master such amazing awesomeness. I was great at Mario Kart, Smash Bros., even Mario 64, not to mention that I was a pro at most NES games. So what was I to do? I wanted to see what the heck happened. (Okay, so I really just wanted to see Link as an adult. Pervy elf fancier, remember?) Low and behold, I discovered that my little brother, who was probably about eleven when Ocarina of Time came out, was surprisingly talented at just about any video game handed to him. He started playing OoT, so I started watching. New discovery – we were actually a pretty sweet team together. When he couldn’t figure out a puzzle or couldn’t find an object, I could often point out something that he’d missed. Yes, it was the beginning of something beautiful.

From that point on, I just pretty much let him play every game while I watched. It was like seeing a movie for me. Not a bad deal in the long run. We’d grab some lunch/dinner and spend countless hours poring over the next dungeon or puzzle, oohing and ahhing as the storylines unfolded. Legend of Zelda and Fire Emblem were the top two on our “must-play” list.

OoT. Best Zelda game ever.

That brings me to my favorite gaming memory of all time. The Shadow Temple in Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. Let’s just start out by saying that it’s not for the faint of heart. The Nintendo 64 was stretching all of the boundaries gaming-wise at that time, and OoT was at the forefront of the revolution. It changed the way games were played. It had killer graphics for its time. It pushed the 64’s capabilities to the limit. It. Was. Awesome.

It was also extremely complicated, which is why die-hard Zelda fans love it still to this day. But by far, the creepiest aspect of it was the Shadow Temple. You knew it was going to be difficult. You didn’t know it was going to be mind-scarring. Remember that Brother was only about eleven or so when we played this, and I was around seventeen. It’s late at night, on a weekend, if I remember correctly. All the lights are off in the house because Mom and Dad are already in bed and it’s just cooler that way. Creepy music is playing in the background of the game. Brother enters a chamber of the Shadow Temple, unsure of where to go next. Suddenly, we both see this strange, black spot on the top of Link’s head. We stare at it, perplexed as it slowly grows bigger and bigger. The next thing we know, a giant severed hand jumps out and brings Link to an instant, untimely demise.

I’m pretty sure we both screamed like little girls.

My heart actually tried to jump out through my throat. Brother kept whomping on buttons like crazy screeching, “Get it off! Get it off! Get it off!” But alas, it was to no avail. That was just one of many difficult temples, but it’s the one that sticks out in my mind the most. Actually, I don’t think I could forget it if I tried. Between the dead hands and the long-necked zombies (I forget their proper name)…yeah. Those gave us both nightmares.

However, it’s still one of my favorite games, and it was the one that sparked both of our interests in LoZ. To this day, I still make Brother play games for me. Yes, I have my Mario Kart and Smash Bros., but when it comes to complicated games that I don’t stand a chance on, he’s awesome and plays for me.

I tell ya, that’s a good little brother.

See? Mind-scarring.

You know you’re somebody when I decide to draw you.

It’s a commonly known fact that Husband and I don’t really want children of our own. That certainly may change someday, but for right now we’re content to look after our furry friends and call it good. While even that has some down sides, like having to change litter boxes and deal with some extra drool, the lovin’s are worth it. (Although my so-called “clumping action” kitty litter has failed to actually be “clumpable.” We are not amused. After meticulously scooping what felt like every single soaked grain of kitty litter individually into a plastic bag, I lifted it up only to discover that there was a hole in the bottom of it. That left a nice trail of … um, stuff on the floor. *grrrrhulksmash*)

Sorry, random tangent. The real reason for this post was to state that if I ever change my mind about having a kid, it’s bedroom is going to be decorated … like this! OMG, cuteness overload. And no, I don’t care if it was for a boy or a girl, that is freaking awesome. Although I might have to mix and match with this. I love the name Chewbacca. I still want to have a dog named that someday.

Of course, if it was up to me, my entire house would be decorated in video game/fantasy decor. Husband is the one who says it has to look all “grown-up.” Puh. How could he not love to see people setting their drinks on awesome Zelda coasters? (I do actually have some Lord of the Rings coasters, but they’re part of my collection, so I don’t tend to use them much. And yes, I collect random LOTR stuff. Someday, my collection shall be on display for all to see! Or at least all who come in my house. Provided Husband actually finishes the game room downstairs.)

I would make my entire house look like it came out of Lord of the Rings if I thought I could get away with it. I still love re-watching those movies. I remember the first time I saw Fellowship of the Ring and how utterly entranced I was. That simply fueled my already established elf fetish, which began the first time I saw Link in Ocarina of Time. Link has been hugely inspiring for me. In fact, he’s one of the few characters that I’ve actually done fan-art of:

They’re not perfect, but they were fun projects to do. I’ve been feeling the itch to start drawing again. These two drawings were done nearly three years ago. Sadly, I must give the usual lament, “If only I had enough time in the day!” Perhaps with the changing of seasons and the new opportunities coming my way, this will be something I can do once again. I haven’t tried to draw Twilight Princess Link yet. I think I sense my next art adventure. 😀

Um, yes please? My friend posted this on FB and I have decided that I need to own one of these just so I can do this. Speaking of Zelda-themed cars, I saw one where the guy had decals all over the it, including the word “Zelda” on the side door. And I thought my two Hyrule logos on my back windows were bad to the bone.

I’d hoped that I would run into more fellow geeks when driving my car around, but so far the only guy to ever find it as amazing as I do was a random attendant from a gas station. But he was impressed, though mostly because I was female, I think.

I’ve loved everything Zelda ever since I first watched a friend play Ocarina of Time. Link actually played a major role in the inspiration of Celestyn’s character in Prince of Light. I think I was mostly influenced by Link, Prince Nuada from Hellboy II and a little bit of Tolkien. As the story unfolded, so did his character.

But I dare not reveal much more until the book itself is ready to be given to the masses. Yes, I am that cruel.

Image found at Geekologie