the courage of stars

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So in no particular order:

I am not immune to big drink, cheeseburger, or leftovers from restaurant portions. In fact, not only am I not immune, but I love them. I love getting giant milkshakes. I absolutely love a delectable, high quality cheeseburger (but the quality level of a cheeseburger has to be shockingly low before I'd turn it away too). And I LOVE that restaurants give you enough food to have lunch the next day, and maybe even dinner the next day, too. Leftovers rule. I fucking love leftovers. And I especially love leftovers when a restaurant meal is already expensive, so it's like, I paid all this money, hell yeah load me up on food for tomorrow too, fuck yeah.

I love being able to just smile at people randomly on the street, and have them smile back. I don't know, man, but there's so much bullshit going on in this world that I just like to be able to share a smile with someone and not have it thought of as weird, creepy, etc. Let's just share a little warmth, yeah?

Similarly I love being able to just strike up small talk when in elevators, when waiting in lines, etc. Yes, it IS way too fucking hot out. Yes, we both COULD have taken the stairs instead of this short elevator ride, and yes times two, when the elevator doors open your brain does autopilot you out whether it's your floor or not. Also, your outfit rules and your hair looks cool as hell. I love making little moments of connection like this. We don't know each other for beans, but we can still connect through a minute or two of small talk, and I think that rules.

Similarly, though this is really a regional thing, but I love how everyone holds doors open for everyone else. I do it all the time. And people do it for me. And when people DON'T do it for me I judge them SO hard. I'm FROM here (the midwest) and we HOLD DOORS OPEN FOR THE PEOPLE BEHIND US, STRANGER.

I honestly really love how multicultural it is here. Obviously this is going to differ depending on where in the country you go; there are some areas that are VERY white, for instance. But where I live, and have lived for the past . . . jeez, almost twenty years now, I do encounter so many people from so many different countries and walks of life, and I love that. (And I know you're like, "you just said you're in the midwest" but believe it or not we do have cities out here. Wild, I know.) I love learning about different countries from the mouths of the people who come from them. I love meeting people who are just so very different from me in every way, from how they look to how they talk to the cultures they or their families brought with them from their homes. I love the fact that we're so multicultural that many of our products have multiple languages on them (English, Spanish, French, German, etc) and I hope that we someday get to a point where every set of instructions has like, sixteen languages on it. I feel that life is so much richer when everyone comes together to share their experiences and their lives and their cultures and I, for one, love the fact that the United States has been that place for so long, and hate those who are trying to make it not so.

I love the fact that we have absolutely ridiculous stores like Wal-Mart Supercenters. Note that Wal-Mart itself I have a ton of beef with because of how they treat their employees, but during the World Cup I saw so many videos of, for example, Australians going to Wal-Mart for the first time and being absolutely bamboozled by how you can buy pretty much anything you want in just that one store. "There's food right across from the underwear" there sure is!! I had never even thought that something like a Wal-Mart Supercenter would be bamboozling, but it was and I found it absolutely hilarious, and I love having that kind of nonsense here. Same with like, Buc-ees. (I've never been to a Buc-ees personally but I have a friend who loves it, so. I know of Buc-ees even if I haven't been.) But also those Australians should have gone to a Costco for real. I think it would have bamboozled them even more.

This is going along with the small talk and smiling up above, but I love that for the most part, if you ask someone for help, they will help you. I'm talking like, you're wandering around a city, you're lost, Google Maps is lying to you, and you say, hey kind stranger, do you know where X is? And if they know they'll point you in that direction. Again, might be more of a regional thing, but people are willing to be kind to those who are kind to them and I love that.

A short post because maybe there's not, like, a billion things I love about my home. But this pretty much encompasses the main points, I think. I hadn't realized until I went to other countries myself how very American I am, in the sense that going to a country like Japan where you're not really supposed to make small talk with cashiers or people around you is something I had to hold myself back from doing. (It was the same when I was in England, for that matter, but that was also sixteen years ago so I don't know how England's culture has or hasn't changed in the time since.) It's one of those "a fish has no word for water" things, right? But I like that about myself, that I'm able to smile and strike up small talk with others easily. Even if I'll hold it back in countries where that's not a normal thing to do (because I do my best to be a polite guest in every country I go to, I really try), I love that about myself, and about the people around me. I do like that about my culture.

(Also, again, not saying any of this doesn't happen in other countries. I know there are plenty of countries, for instance, just as multicultural as the United States. But I just wanted to emphasize that point in particular because our current administration is trying to erase our multiculturalism, and the "patriots" who claim to love America do as well, and I am NOT with them, and in fact I am AGAINST them, and wish that It would happen today especially to truly make this a patriotic day.)

Anyway. There is much to hate about this country currently, but it is still my home, where I live, and where I have lived for most of my life. And I have things about my home that I love, and these are those things.

Armor would be mostly linen, with added padding around vital areas (e.g. abdomen, legs, arms / hands). Could be magically reinforced for added protection. Abdomen guard has the Gerudo symbol because I love the Gerudo symbol and so do they.

Footwear is sand boots, a la the ones you get in BotW. They need to be able to move fast and effectively and the sand boots let them do that while also working as armor.

Outerwear over the padded underarmor would be loose robes magically enhanced to offer protection against high UV. These robes come with hoods to shield their eyes / boost sun protection, and are color coded according to rank. (An idea I am borrowing from Rose Zemlya's LoZ RR). Purple is lowest rank, then Red, then White for the Elite. Green robes signify military mages and / or tactical advisers.

They would also have robes enchanted for their nights, meant to keep them warm in the cold desert air. Same color coding would apply.

Standard issue weapon is a khopesh, given all the Egyptian influence recent Gerudo designs have had. Varying lengths would suit various styles. They'd also have composite bows designed for mounted archery.

Gerudo warriors would wear the accessories we see in BotW to augment their abilities, depending on need.

Also they do have pants under the robes that are loose-fitting linen for breathability, that tuck into the sand boots.

Rank is not just skill based, but also behavior based. An exceptionally skilled warrior could be stuck in Red because she doesn't work well in a unit and constantly gets herself and others in Situations.

A lot of this could also apply to Gerudo civilians. Like the loose-fitting robes over linens would be pretty standard to protect from the desert sun (or keep warm at night), but civilians can wear any color and design they want. (Off-duty warriors can as well, but when on-duty they have to wear their official robes.)

Another thing is that the colors would all be light / maybe sheerish? Like light red, light purple, light green, since darker colors absorb heat and lighter ones keep you cooler. And then inverse for the night robes.

Basically they're only going to regularly have exposed faces, necks, and fingers. Everything else is covered because it is silly to have so much skin exposed to swords and sun. Ditto for having practical footwear; they do not need to be trying to do all that in high heels. Sand boots make much more sense.