It sounds like she was a great person, and I’m happy you’ve found peace. I’m sure she’ll rest well knowing that.

I know all too well that time holds no prejudice to anyone. Take care, friend.

the Zelda material is super sad for me as well because my late baby sister and I bonded tightly over the Zelda games

First off, I hope you have been able to find your solace. Losing family sucks, but when it’s someone that close to you it frankly changes you. This internet stranger’s heart is with you, FWIW.

My brother and I bonded over the Zelda franchise (specifically the OoT/MM era, plus WW). We grew up rough, weren’t sure if we would even make it to our thirties, and those adventure games helped us escape from some pretty crappy experiences. To us, it’s more than a franchise: it’s a culture.

Link is (usually) never the same character in the games; they’re like reincarnations. Being a Link doesn’t mean being one singular person. To me, being a Link means being steadfast, flexible, compassionate and, above all, adventurous. Things anyone can do/be, and that’s why I think the Zelda franchise fosters some truly amazing gamers when they play those games. Although I do find myself regularly curbing the invasive thoughts to break people’s pots… small price to pay!

I digress, the explosive prevalence of the Internet has led to printed walkthrough manuals being a thing of the Early Aughts. Ahh, it’s great getting older!

This is something me and my brother always did whenever we collectively bought a new game for our N64/GameCube. I’ll never forget snapping that shrink wrap off, popping open the case, and whiffing in the wood-pulpy smell of a freshly-printed, made-with-love Wind Waker manual. It was all ogre when we bought the walkthrough manual; not even my wife smells that good.

Or should I have mentioned Pokemon Stadium…?

Kika meowing loudly because she “hunted” something

Our 10yo Tabby has done this since the first day I adopted her. We found it so endearing we bought her a stuffed rat that’s almost bigger than her own noggin.

In regards to sleep hygiene, that was arguably the worst decision we’ve ever made.

Still love the rascal to pieces!

Cat tax:

I used to have the same thoughts on the matter, but honestly it does a disservice to those fine, intelligent people who are doing something against our broken socioeconomic system. We all know that fear and anger are significant driving forces in the political atmos’fear’, but hope and compassion can be an order of magnitude more effective than the former duo; especially when unjustly destroyed. I believe that Bernie, being the smart congressman he is, is setting the stage for reactive politicking in order to find the chink in Capitalism’s armor. We as a species can’t afford to waste any opportunity we have, otherwise we acquiesce with some disgusting Corpo Oligarchy and obliterate the one and only planet we have. For profit, of course.

Geographically speaking they’re a pretty spaced-out corporation, so they’re difficult to get ahold of.

I heard the CEO is pretty hot tho…

I feel the vibe as well, little dude.

One demographic are folks who appreciate their employment and subsequently lose said job because of corporate decision, while the other demographic you state are people who make the conscious decision to quit a job. That’s comparing apples to oranges and making a blanket statement about all workers within that industry, or honestly any given industry. Your argument is moot.

I was an Assistant Manager of a well-established, popular restaurant franchise about eight years ago now. Business was fine, probably showing a modest black line on their financial reports.

“This location is no longer in operation.”

That’s all the advance notice I received when I arrived for my scheduled shift and all the doors were locked. No two-week-notice, no severance package.

Publicly-traded corporations don’t care about their employees, their only concern lies within how to spend as little money as possible. Employee benefits included.

I wasn’t allowed to adopt a pet when I was growing up, my father and legal guardian didn’t like how “dirty and destructive” they were.

As soon as I graduated 12th grade I moved to another town for uni, finally renting my own apartment. I got into a serious relationship and together we felt our home needed more life; a cat. We visited our local humane society and as soon as we entered one room holding at least 15 cats, we knew who to bring home. Our little Chicky climbed my six foot frame like a tree and stood upon my shoulders as if she were a fanged parrot. We as humans go to these shelters thinking “who will I pick”, but instead she picked us.

A few years later, my relationship ended poorly. I was already prone to mental health issues (yay, genetics) but her infidelity along with the pressures of school and work broke me. I tried to take my own life one day. As I was sitting on the bathroom floor and it welled up inside of me I knew I was ready.

In walks this little creature, nary a care about exam deadlines and romantic security. She must’ve known something was happening as she walked over to me and laid in my lap, just staring at me. She saved me that day. Since then, I’ve developed an emotional bond with this little animal that is stronger than anything I’ve felt before.

About two years ago was when life really started to challenge both feline and myself. During a dental check at the vet, they noticed her bad breath and ran a blood test and UA. It was confirmed that afternoon that she had moderate renal disease. It wasn’t end-stage at the time, but for her only being 7 years old at the time it just dug a little deeper into my heart.

She has doubly beaten her vet’s prognosis of one year, but I’m beginning to see the disease whittle her away. She’s skinnier, sleeps deeper, and doesn’t always come when called now. It’s tough seeing something you love so much slowly fade away.

Before her diagnosis, my fiancee and I had lost our other 13 year old cat to SCC quite suddenly. In a span of one week Teah went from jubilant to lethargic and leaving traces of blood in her food. That was the most difficult thing we’ve ever had to endure. It still hurts today.

Just one year ago as well we had to put our good boy pup to rest for liver failure and a heart murmur. He lived a very long life though, so we’re happy he is able to rest now.

You’re not just losing a pet when they pass. You’re losing structure. Compassion. A friend. It’s never easy, especially when they’re taken too soon. Grief is the price we pay for love, so cry as hard as you loved them and understand they’ll be waiting for you on the other side.

“To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything and your heart will be wrung and possibly broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact you must give it to no one, not even an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements. Lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket, safe, dark, motionless, airless, it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable. To love is to be vulnerable.” --C.S. Lewis

Honestly, it’s partly on the fans. Not enough people understand to be angry at the investors instead of the developers, who are essentially just scapegoats. Everyone gets fucked in the end except for the CEO and their Board of Directors. The frustration lies in how we remediate this as consumers who don’t want to boycott our favorite AAA-title games that get churned out yearly.

And don’t even get me started on…

shivers

Early Access