Please state the nature of your medical emergency [Oct/Nov TL]

[lovinglefthand]

Who: First Aid (lovinglefthand)
What: post-TDM threads; settling in and meeting the neighbors
When: End of October and into November
Where: Marrow Island; Dr Winterbottom's Clinic, a toy store near you
Warning(s): Violence

Thread starters in comments below.

Smilin' Back [closed to Chris Freeman] (10/23)
Apple THIS! [closed to Erik Osborne] (10/25)

Comments

[lovinglefthand]

"How mysterious...you'd think they could at least give us a hint." Ah well. Even in the legends of old, Primus never intervenes directly. You're supposed to do all the heavy lifting yourself, so you can learn and grow...maybe these goddesses follow the same philosophy.

"The Matrix of Leadership comes with a complete frame upgrade," he says, with a hint of pride in his voice. "Our current Prime, Rodimus, gained about a meter of height and half again his own mass!" Sadly this is the only impressive thing one can honestly say about him without resorting to half-truths or polite lies.

[hyliasblessing]

Zelda understands those words separately. Most of them.

"Matrix of Leadership? Is that--- like a divine right of kings, or something?"

[lovinglefthand]

"Oh goodness no!" First Aid says with a small laugh. "It's a physical object -- a spherical crystal about the size of my head --" At its current size, not his usually one, naturally. "-- set into a metal frame for safekeeping. It confers the blessing of our god, Primus, on its chosen holder, showing that they've been designated to carry the wisdom of our past leaders into the present -- I guess, actually, in that sense you could say it confers the divine right of kings?" You can tell he only realized this just now. "But in a real, material way, it's not just. The Matrix is a lot more than just a political philosophy." You know, unlike those made up divine rights of kings other cultures have. Not that he'd ever be so rude as to say that out loud.

[hyliasblessing]

"Ohhh, I see." Zelda nods, tilting her head in thought. "I suppose that's similar,in a way, to what happens to us? It's more metaphysical than an object, at least for those of us aligned with the Triforce of Wisdom... Basically, centuries ago, an evil god called Demise embued a piece of his soul into a reincarnating mortal form which would each lifetime be destined to bring about the end of days. As such, the Goddess Hylia did the same with her own soul and divine light, as well as creating a champion who would weild her holy sword. I fall into the middle category--- I am the chosen of the Goddess and host of her spirit, her wisdom, and her divine powers of Light which Seals the Darkness, and also the bearer of her sacred name and heir to her kingdom. ...That... sounds very ostentatious, I'm sure, but that rattled off list of accolades is quite rehearsed."

It doesn't quite click for Zelda that she has also described herself as directly comparable to a Prime. Which is not at all inaccurate but hardly her intention. She's just infodumping.

[lovinglefthand]

First Aid does not miss the implication. His visor dims with concern though, as he asks, "Your goddess divided the role of leader and champion into two separate people? But why? Wouldn't it be more efficient if they were one and the same, as it is for my people? The blessings of the Primacy are a near-guarantee that the Prime will always be among the strongest of our world's defenders."

[hyliasblessing]

Zelda considers this a moment. It's a fair point. But she thinks about Link's existence in relation to her own, and...

"Frankly, no, I don't believe it would be more efficient. There are many, many legends, my own included, where the Princess of Wisdom and the Hero of Courage have separate duties. I can think of a number of situations in which fulfilling the duties of both would be genuinely impossible for one person, and we also each act as a failsafe for the other in the event of one's incapacitation. Perhaps it is due to the fact that Hylians have much softer, smaller bodies, or perhaps for us it is the act of helping, loving, and depending upon one another that makes us greater than the evil we face. But I am deeply grateful that the goddess sees fit to bring Link back to my side, lifetime after lifetime."

[lovinglefthand]

"Oh," First Aid says quietly. "That's actually really lovely..."

And after a moment, he adds, "Our Prime has never really acted alone either. He has friends, advisors...assistants and bodyguards. In the old days, before the war, it took an entire palace just to house everyone who was supposed to help the old Prime do his job from day to day. Even with the blessing of Primus, no one person could be all things for everyone all the time."

[hyliasblessing]

"Oh, certainly, and I had those things as well back home. But it isn't quite the same as the inextricable connection between myself and the Hero of Courage." She lets out a sigh, remembering how terribly she misses him... "There are many stories about our predecessors and their exploits that survive to this day. The Tale of the Windwaker is a large part of why I took up seafaring, in fact."

[lovinglefthand]

"I'd wondered how a princess wound up a sailor!" First Aid laughs quietly. "The few nobles I knew back home tended to be a little prissy." But of course the gods of this reality wouldn't summon someone who was completely unwilling to get their hands dirty.

"And you're all staying safe out there, right? Taking breaks, no unnecessary risks?" There's no intention to be condescending in the question, just First Aid's usual concern for people he considers to be part of his extended networks of responsibilities. Fussing is practically his love language.

[hyliasblessing]

"We balance work with rest appropriately. I'll admit, while I don't think I quite qualify as 'prissy', I know well that I'm not nearly as hardy as my crewmates who have served for much longer. We pace ourselves." She chuckles.