#But seriously though those last few panels | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

reborrowing · 10 months

Text

siblings and secrets (Stranger Swap)

For GT July - Secret

I live on the west coast! I have 15 minutes left of day three!!

Hollow secretly checks in on his outcast younger sibling when he has the chance and finds out Val has been keeping a much more dangerous, exotic secret from the local borrower colony. Word Count: ~1800 content warning for fear and hand stabbing, I guess. Stranger Swap main post

Hollow snuck along the attic rafters to the far east end of the apartment complex. Whenever he was supposed to go out and meet with traders, he got up early to run this errand first. He didn’t think anyone had ever noticed. Val certainly hadn’t, even though it was Val that he was checking on.

He dropped down and followed a pipe to the cavity overhanging the kitchen. It was a comfortably cramped space, kept at a good temperature by an overhead duct and had easy access to both a water pipe and the most important space in the inner apartment. Some day he or Chai or someone was going to have to talk to Val about installing real security, but for today he just took advantage of how easy it was to get into the loft.

He slowed as his eyes adjusted to the dim light. Val had left an electric tea light flickering on the table. A cap full of crushed mint gave a pleasant smell to an otherwise musty space. The pantry shelves were satisfactory, though the contents were bland. No perishables, nothing too fresh, and not particularly balanced, but Hollow wasn’t concerned with any of that. He wasn’t trying to ensure his sibling was living in luxury, he just wanted to make sure the runt was keeping themself alive.

In the next room over, Hollow had expected to find his sibling curled up in the corner, given the early evening hour but the bed was empty. His hackles rose as he swept through the loft more carefully, checking every nook a nervous borrower might choose to curl up in. He found Val’s bag slung over a cork stool and a knotted harness hanging on the wall, but no Val.

He tried to convince himself that it was nothing to worry about. Val didn’t need to be home, they were free to live life on their own weird, daytime schedule if they wanted. But Hollow had a gut feeling that he couldn’t ignore, that something was wrong. It had been just a few months since Val had said they’d been discovered, hadn’t it? Those tenants had left, but what if it had happened again? Or worse.

Hollow followed a stapled ladder down into the apartment and squeezed through a hole carved into the back of the cupboard. The sounds of the apartment grew less muffled and he paused. Someone was home, he could hear them chattering and moving around. They weren’t close, but they were here. It would be smart to simply come back later once the lights were off. But he was already here on the wrong side of the complex, and he had other plans for the night that he couldn’t put off without someone asking what he was up to. And he’d gone dumber places to do dumber things, really.

He picked a careful path through the cupboard. It was such a tightly-packed mess that it was difficult to maneuver through, even at Hollow’s size. He wove around haphazardly balanced packages towards the door panel and forcefully shoved his shoulder against it to get the latch to disengage.

He froze as the conversation in the apartment picked up again. The voices were still distorted, but they were much louder. A large shadow passed over the thin line of light where he’d cracked the cupboard open and Hollow drew back. How had he missed the footsteps drawing so close?

“Seriously, it’s not that hard, I promise. Kids do it, you’ll be fine” a woman said.

“You bought a fire extinguisher after last time.”

Hollow’s stomach sank. That was Val. He didn’t know what they were talking about, but that was Val’s voice. They didn’t sound afraid or hurt, at least, but that only mattered so much. Too much of anything was dangerous. And humans were too much of everything. Even their kindness could smother and crush.

Not to mention that the colony would probably kick them out of the complex if they found out Val was breaking the main rules again.

The woman with Val laughed.

“I should’ve had one before! But besides, this is basically just boiling water, you can’t mess it up. It’s barely even cooking,” the woman said.

“You said that about the eggs.”

“And now I’ve had second thoughts about how much you’ve never had to know, and came up with something easier.”

A set of fingers dug behind the door just below and Hollow staggered back into the mess of the cupboard. He dove into an empty space as light flooded into the compartment. In his rush, he tripped over a bag of chocolate chips, sending a box overhead teetering and crashing into the newly opened space where the human stood.

Val grunted and Hollow automatically leaned forward with concern. It wasn’t enough to get himself seen, but thought he could steal a look at the tenant and what the human might be doing with his sister. At first, all he saw was a downturned head of curls.

“Sorry! I keep meaning to clean that out, especially since…well, you,” the woman said.

“It’s fine,” Val sighed.

The face tilted back up to scan the cupboard and Hollow jerked backwards in horror. It wasn’t just the idea of being discovered, he was still sure that he hadn’t been seen. It was…His thoughts kept shattering before they could finish the very impossible thought.

He knew that face. He recognized it. Or, flashes of it, because it refused to add it up to a whole. The dark curls, the angle of their jaw, the tawny skin, the unusual golden eyes. Their mothers’ nose, the same shape as Hollow’s own.

As he edged further into the shadows, his elbow rubbed against the same bag he’d tripped over a few seconds ago. The rustling sound was soft, barely noticeable. Those golden eyes flicked right towards it. Right towards Hollow. His heart skipped a beat as they focused on him and flashed with recognition, then shock. The two stared at each other without moving for several long seconds.

“Hollow?” whispered the thing that looked like Val.

This wasn’t happening, this wasn’t possible.

This wasn’t worth getting caught over.

Whatever had actually happened to Val, whatever this thing was, Hollow would deal with it at another time. He bolted and if something wasn’t between him and his escape, he didn’t care to think about it. He went much quicker now that he didn’t care about knocking things over or making noise.

“Wait!”

Humans’ speed was always surprising, given their size, and Hollow could swear that this thing was even faster. They hopped onto the counter for better reach. Massive shadows danced overhead as they tore apart the contents of the cupboard.

“Woah, hey! What’s hollow? What are you doing?” asked the woman he’d heard earlier.

“There’s someone in there,” they answered as they dragged away a plastic bin that had been just in front of Hollow.

Hollow stopped suddenly, his stomach twisting with dread. They weren’t ripping away pieces of cover at random. They knew where Hollow was going. They knew more about how to get back into the walls of this unit better than Hollow did and they had a good headstart getting to them.

“Hollow, I won’t hurt you. It’s just me,” Val said softly.

They could hardly be just anything if they had figured out how to turn themself into a human, let alone just Val. He didn’t want to know what someone would have to do to become such a monster.

“You know them?” the woman asked.

“We’re siblings,” Val said.

There was a pause.

“They live here too?” the woman asked, sounding guarded.

“Not here-here, no, but closeby. I don’t know what he’s doing here,” Val said. “Hollow, could you please at least answer me? Can we talk?”

Several seconds passed. Hollow felt his throat drying out and swelling shut, he couldn’t imagine what he was supposed to say. The two weren’t close anymore. He didn’t know how he was supposed to reconcile his memory and mental image of timid, fawning Val with the giant standing in the apartment. He grit his teeth and tensed to try and keep himself from trembling.

“Hey, I’m sorry,” Val said.

Too late, Hollow realized that it was a warning.

His stomach lurched as Val’s fingers wrapped around the box behind him. He panicked at the idea of being exposed, at being grabbed again, and rammed the blade of his prosthetic into the nearest finger.

“Ow! I’m not grabbing you, shithead, just the—you don’t have to stab me!” they snapped.

They flinched backwards, yanking Hollow off the stable floor of the shelf before he could manage to free his blade. He smacked against the side of the box as Val knocked it over. He landed against a paper bag that showered him in a cloud of sugar for a few dazed seconds. Val—it wasn’t fair—runty Val had just flung them across a cupboard. Reflexively. His chest tightened as he pushed himself back up to run while they were dealing with their hand.

“He stabbed you? Are you okay? Is he okay? Oh my god, you’re bleeding!”

“No kidding!” they hissed.

Hollow risked a glance back. Val pressed on the wound with their other hand, graciously giving him the space he needed to make it to the hole in the wall and escape. Val took a breath and squeezed their eyes shut for a moment to keep their temper down.

“I’m fine,” they said. “And he’s…shit, stop! Hollow!”

There was a long, defenseless moment when Val could’ve easily grabbed him. That crack in the wall was narrow and it took time to squirm through. His heart hammered in anticipation as he fully expected to feel something clamp down around his legs and pull him back into the light. He flopped safely onto unfinished wood. His heart kept racing as half-expected those massive fingers to try to pry their way into the walls.

He didn’t sit around to wait for that to happen and got up to sprint for the ladder. He stopped to catch his breath once he reached the loft and ended up sinking to the floor in tears as he tried to make sense of what just happened. He had just wanted to make sure Val was safe. He wasn't sure how to answer that now.

The wall of the loft shuddered as something on the other side tapped against the drywall. Hollow slithered in the opposite direction.

Of course.

Of course Val knew where their own damn loft was.

“Look, I don’t know what you're doing here, if you're spying on me or... I get it if you don't want to talk with me like this. Just, don’t tell anyone about this. Please,” Val said.

As if anyone would believe me.

#g/t #gtjuly #gtjuly2023 #giant/tiny #gt #giant tiny #gt writing #my writing #stranger swap #oc: hollow #oc: val #oc: phoebe #hhhhh I feel way more anxious posting writing I'm not sure about than visual art I'm not sure about #which is wild because art almost always gets put in front of more eyes #also I hate posting stuff at this time but I want to keep up the streak whoops

34 notes · View notes

babytarttdoodoo · 8 months

Note

Since you're at work, any advice for job applications/interviews?

Oh, that's a bit out of left field! I have sat on interview panels before so this will hopefully be helpful - bear in mind it will be very UK-centric, though!

(Yes, the whole job hunting song and dance is performative bullshit. It helps to know the steps, though.)

Applications

When they ask for a cover letter, CV and/or application form, don't just regurgitate the same information over and over.

Cover letter: Pick out keywords from the job advert and frame those things as skills you have or opportunities for you to develop. Example: "I see my project delivery experience as being a real advantage in this role, and look forward to expanding my skillset with management responsibilities." CV: Keep it brief and for the love of god make sure it's easy to read. Set it out like [Job Title] > [Company] > [Years] > [List of relevant responsibilities and successes]. If you've had a lot of different roles, keep it to the last five or so. Application form: Questions about skills/experience are looking for anecdotal/situational examples of you applying those skills. Take every chance you can to mention professional development or learning opportunities i.e. all that stuff you do that isn't actually in your job description.

If you're asked about salary expectations, I normally round my current salary up and then add 10-15%. For example, if you're making £24,675 then set £27,500 as your minimum level for a new position. If you make £102,825, that becomes £115,000. Make sense?

Interviews

Being super early is almost as inconvenient as being late. 10-15 minutes ahead of your interview is plenty. If you're running behind, don't be afraid to call and let them know - they will appreciate it and might be able to push your slot back.

Take examples of your work if possible. At the interview for my first job, I took along some video projects I'd worked on as a student. In the interview for my current job (six years later), I whipped out a powerpoint summarising my input into the last project I'd worked on. Even if it isn't requested ahead of time, prepping something is worth it.

There's no way to predict everything they're going to ask but if you come with a few strong answers ready to go, things will go smoother. Look at the job description and make a few notes on any correlating projects/experience/achievements you have. Specifics are great and you can absolutely refer to what you've written down as you talk.

Expect to be asked about challenges you've faced professionally or failures you've overcome. It's fine. Frame your answer around what you learned from a situation that went wrong. Make it sound like you saved the day if you have to. They're not looking for you to self-flagellate - they want to know you can handle pressure and problem solving.

Always, always tell the interviewer that you're speaking to other potential employers. It's a good thing to throw in at the end like "Oh, and just so you know, I am interviewing elsewhere so my availability might change". (In my experience, this has resulted in a faster answer on whether an employer is seriously interested.)

Feel free to message me if you want advice on anything more specific! I'll do what I can :)

#ama #just don't work the hours I do kids #I got away at 7pm woohoo #work advice

8 notes · View notes

feekins · 11 months

Text

on to Trigun vol 2!!! and right off the bat, we have a lot of translation discrepancies - so here are those and some of my other thoughts and things as I re-read ch 1-2

(NOTE: I'm reading the Dark Horse [physical] and Overhaul [online] translations side-by-side)

(Dark Horse on left, Overhaul on right)

more translation weirdness and confusing speech bubbles, what with Dark Horse making it seem like it's just Vash begging in this panel, while in the Overhaul, it's clear that there's some back-and-forth between Vash and the shoemaker. yes, it's a little thing, but now I understand this exchange better.

then, just a few pages later, while Vash is lounging on that bench, Dark Horse has him going "The sky looks like the deep blue sea" whereas in the Overhaul, it's "You can really lose yourself in that blue sky..." 🤨

another instance of super-perceptive Milly! for some reason, though, Dark Horse has her going like "Just now, Vash looked so seriously sad..."

a subtle difference, but an important one, I think...

...and then, there's how Vash talks about Knives a page or so later. in Dark Horse, it's "The one thing that has kept living for so long..." but in the Overhaul, it's "It's the one thing that has kept me living for so long." like. dude. there's a difference. 😑

(Dark Horse on top, Overhaul on bottom)

😑

BUT THEN!!! WE HAVE LEGATO'S COIN COLLECTION!!!!! OH MAN, OH BOY 😈

and more translation weirdness right at the end of ch1. Dark Horse has Legato saying "Did you think it was the drunken rambling of an old man?" which. always confused me. until the Overhaul cleared it up for me with "Did you think it was just the drunken ramblings of your old man?"

then, right at the beginning of ch2, when the sheriff is explaining why, in his mind, Vash isn't innocent, Dark Horse has him saying "Listen, we have witness testimony that places him at the shoe store. He was also closest when the husband's body was found" which?????????? so, once again, the Overhaul makes MUCH MORE SENSE, saying "He's also the last person who saw the deceased alive and in one piece."

then there's this weird little discrepancy at the beginning of Vash's flashback with Rem. Dark Horse has bby!Vash saying "It's just you...you and me, Rem" while the Overhaul has "It's just...us and you, Rem." W H Y.

and THEN! the explanation for how the Fall started! Dark Horse is all vague at one point like "The program started acting strange, plotting a new course and sending orders through the neural network to all of the ships" which uhhhhh what program? 😑 so ty, Overhaul, for the much more clear "An unknown program started infecting the fleet's neural network, making the ships' AI stop responding as it changed the course."

and...ugh. I could go on and on, but I feel like I'm spending way too much time describing Dark Horse's weird translation shit SO ANYWAY

👀

I.......y'know what, 🤷

perceptive Milly again!!!!!

...that tristamp scene with Vash and Rollo... 🥺

#trigunbookclub #text postan 2k23

17 notes · View notes

flightlessribbons · 11 months

Text

Everyone's honorary little brother, Nate (I just realized they're out of order, it's read with the 1st one, the 3rd, and then the 2nd 😭😭)

dialogue transcript under the cut (and in order, unlike the panels, my bad)

Touya: Woah Nate! You found this yesterday?

Nate: Yep! That and a few pieces of gold and silver. Thank you so much for recommending Undella Bay- the Abyssal Ruins were seriously insane! Jet and I had so much fun!

Touya: Well, only experienced divers can really explore the ruins, so that’s a major accomplishment!

Nate: Ah, it’s nothing, man. I’m sure a lot of people can do it- they just haven’t tried.

Touya: That is incredibly false- I nearly died down there. That reminds me- have you given any thought on the offer?

Nate: O-oh…The Research group one?

Touya: That’s the one.

Nate: It’s a really good offer…but I don’t know if I could accept. Heroes and Researchers…I don’t think I qualify for either of those. Heroes protect people- and if a legendary happens to like the way they do it- bonus points. And researchers bring new discoveries and theories to the group. They get things done…I can’t do what you guys do- in either regard. I can’t explain the mysteries of the world- and I’m no hero. R…Reshiram would’ve woken up if I was.

Touya: Nate-

Nate: She’s just here as a ROCK in my bag. She shouldn’t even be with me- I don’t know why N trusted me with this-

Touya: Nate.

Nate: S-so I’m so sorry I can’t take your offer-

Touya: NATE.

Nate: Ah…

Touya: You don’t have to join- I wouldn't hold it against you- but if the reason you don't want to join is because you think you’re not good enough- I can’t let that slide. You’re one of the most talented trainers I’ve ever seen! You can deny it all you like, but you’ve done so much for everyone. And you think you don’t contribute to our theories and solving the unknown? Look at this. We need these- artifacts and clues to help us piece it all together. We can’t get these without you. You’re on the field getting these to us in one piece. Your skillset is flexible and broad.And about Reshiram. N entrusted her with you for a reason. Just because she’s still in that rock form doesn’t mean that you’re any lesser of a hero than any of us. It’s just not the time for Reshiram to awaken- but you can’t wait for her to be ready to start validating yourself. You’ve always been enough- Even when you first started your journey, that little kid was already more than enough. You don’t need a legendary to be a hero, Nate.

Touya: Whew…Sorry for dumping all that on you right now. You’re just my little brother in my eyes, so I just wanna watch out for you and stuff. Anyways, it’s a slow day today- so you can take the day off and just get m e the gold and silver pieces tomorrow-

Nate: I’ll do it.

Touya: …huh? Is it because of what I said? Don’t force yourself just because of me- I totally understand (don’t lie to me, bro)-

Nate: Touya, relax. You’re not forcing me to join. But…you’re right. I can’t wait for Reshiram to awaken to realize I’m useful and good. And besides, I love diving and helping you guys out at the museum. Joining your group sounds like I’ll be doing what I’ve been doing, so that’s cool. (I’m not lying)

Touya: YES! This warrants a celebration!! LENORA- WE’RE GONNA GET CASTELIA CONES- DO YOU AND HAWES WANT ANYTHING?

Lenora: WE’RE GOOD, T- YOU TWO GO HAVE FUN!!

Touya: OKAY!!

Touya: Wanna race to Castelia?

Nate: No way. I just beat you in last week’s race to Opelucid!

Touya: Bah- old news! Castelia though- isn’t Rosa doing some filming there?

Nate: What- you wanna try recruiting her too?

Touya: Nah- she’s already in.

Nate: SERIOUSLY?!

Touya: Yup- as soon as I mentioned it to her, she yelled at me to “save her a spot!”. So I did.

Nate: Sounds like her…

#pokeverse_m #gen 5 #unova #nate #touya #invitation comic #my art

8 notes · View notes

moodywyrm · 8 months

Note

it’s perfectly fine honey!!! and yay!! happy almost birthday :o 21!!! you can gamble and drink and get a pilot’s license !! isnt that exciting :o

in all seriousness i’m soso sorry you’ve been having a bad week :( hopefully it’ll all get better when school starts back up n everything <3 and omg!! how has crocheting been? :o

i’m good!! preparing for school to start even though i basically still have a month 😭 and we’re starting plans for the wedding omg that sounds so weird .. im still not used to it 😵‍💫 but she’s decided we’re practicing our first dance Now instead of doing anything else so . i mean ive already been looking at dresses,, i’m too excited!! and i finally finished circe!! i’m trying to decide between one last stop and shadow of the gods </3 i think i might go with one last stop since i’m already a couple pages in ?

how’s your day? :)

- 🩷

ahhh hello!! 21 in like six days?????? odd.

hopefully!! I start school in like three weeks? a lil more? It’s been so fun!! I love crocheting, I’m working on a hexagon cardigan rn!! I’m so excited to work on it more, it’s really soothing

Same!! And oh my good wedding plans!! You’re a fiancé and you have a fiancé!!! I’m so happy for y’all!! The first dance!! That’s so fucking sweet!! Dresses!!! Wedding dresses are so pretty, I hope the search is going well!! Did you like Circe? I restarted the audiobook like yesterday!! Those both sound great but my vote is for one last stop 😎 bc sapphics 😎 on a train 😎 I’ve been listening to the audiobook a lot and I really love it 😭

The last few days were also odd but my sister comes back tomorrow!! So I’m just pushing through today, hopefully finishing one panel of my cardigan!

How was your day?

#moodythoughts #🩷 anon

1 note · View note

chidoroki · 2 years

Text

Black Clover ch340

Good effort from Asta for getting the hang of using zetten so quickly. Well, I think much time hasnt passed since last chapter anyways. Few hours maybe but not days at least. Seems like he’s been trying out punches with this technique as well, if the pose and how some of the destroyed bamboo look compared to the one he previously sliced through are anything to go by.

Practicing on bamboo can only get ya so far, so it’s time to spar against Ichika and I must say our boy looks real good here. Also gotta admire his determination and strive to always improve himself.

I dunno why I enjoy these panels so much. His response is simple enough but even then it’s like he’s starting to regret all his life choices in this one moment..

which is completely fair because he gets sent flying mere seconds later. It really is lucky for him that anti-magic still works against yoryoku or else that hit could’ve been much worse. That intimidating aura is definitely a Yami family trait.

I still wanna learn more about Ryu/his ability and how he can be so insightful about literally anything or anyone.

I wasn’t doubting Ichika’s strength but seeing her cut down all those bamboo and knock Asta out of his transformation all at once is quite the sight.

He said the thing! He said the thing!

Pfft, rest in fucking peace Asta. Seriously though, to think our boy trained so for six months in the Heart Kingdom, finally learned how to use Liebe with Nacht and facing off against many devils.. and he gets knocked out by this absolute powerhouse of a girl. It’s hilarious to me in a good way, but damn honey, where were ya during the last arc? Your insane strength could’ve been such a huge help.

Apparently Asta lasted longer than many others so that’s nothing to feel bad about. Good thing we still have that medic nearby though huh?

Ahh, still eagerly waiting to see what everyone back in Clover is up to. I wanna see what their plans are for finding Asta. Hopefully they get some useful information soon before Ichika ends up killing him on accident or something.

#black clover #bc manga #chidoroki used chatter

7 notes · View notes

callgespenst · 1 year

Text

My Ohayocon 2k23 Writeup

Every time I go to a con and I think “wow, so much happened, that was fun” and then it all blends together with every other con I’ve ever been to after a few weeks. This will be the first of hopefully many convention diaries/life updates so I can look back in a few years and -not- wonder where the time has gone.

THURSDAY: while the con had events (mostly badge pickup, really) on Thursday, we elected to skip out to go see the Reincarnated as a Slime movie before the weekend really got started. Good movie! Got cash out for the con and some last minute supplies (more E6000 glue for my boot covers).

FRIDAY: My wife and I both had to work in the morning but as soon as that was done we got our costumes on and got out the door! I wore my Paptimus Scirocco cosplay, which I haven’t taken the chance to do since ANYC 2019. (There haven’t been a whole lot of anime cons since then, or at least, not ones I’ve felt safe going to). Got in, bought our badges at the door (almost glad we didn’t pre-reg, the line for that was much longer) and went straight to the dealer’s room. Ran into a few friends, went to our long time favorite vendors of Otaku Joseph and Megaroad, and didn’t actually spend a whole lot of money because our collections are already massive and out of control. I got a lot of small stuff (my last daily photo) going through some dealer’s bins and chatted with a guy who was also looking through for cool robots. After that was dinner with friends at the local pizzeria, and a panel, and then we left early.

THE PANEL: Went to a guest panel for Shin Kurokawa, who worked on the AnimEigo Macross release in the early aughts. I’ve learned a lot about early anime fan culture (exchanging raw VHS tapes, some of the first cons, etc), but never really heard anything about working from an official perspective at that point, so that was fascinating. Used to be a lot harder to make DVDs, that’s for damn sure. Kurokawa revealed that the release of the DVD set got pushed up, after being delayed for a while, because 9/11 happened, a lot of people cancelled their preorders, and they wanted to cut their losses. So then someone at the end of the panel, starts to ask “So, if 9/11 hadn’t happened...” and everyone starts laughing because, what a way to open a question about anime.

SATURDAY: Our friend Koji came up for the day so a lot of our Saturday was showing them around the dealer’s hall, artist’s alley, and taking photos (I was Gamlin on Saturday, and my wife was dressed as Nekki Basara all weekend). We got lunch at North Market during the only lull in the ramen place’s line, and managed to show Koji around and have a good time. Took those two back early and then went back to the con center on my own.

KARAOKE: Fumbled my way through Totsugeki Love Heart, I usually do a lot better but I felt weirdly self-conscious at the time. The funny part was before karaoke, when we were sitting outside the room in line. The hosts were doing a sound test, and it sounded suspiciously like “The Borderline” by Sharon Apple. So I turn to my buddy next to me in line and say “Hey, isn’t that The Borderline?” and he says “I don’t think it is”. So I go up and open the door just to confirm, and I was right! And in my con-powered enthusiasm I turn around and shout “IT -IS- THE BORDERLINE, FUCK YOU ANTHONY!” to the confusion of most of the other people around us.

SATURDAY EVENING: Went to go get pizza again with a slightly different group of friends. Met a Quattro cosplayer who seemed pretty cool. Ended up sitting around for three or four hours just bullshitting, which is always good. Got tired and left just before midnight.

SUNDAY: Designated Mahjong Day. Most of the rest of my usual group didn’t show up until one, so I played some DDR (did awful) and some Initial D (did alright). I think that was the exact motivation I needed to get back into playing DDR more seriously, accidentally put on a ten-footer (on basic mode!) and got most of the way through it even though it wasn’t a song I was familiar with. Just gotta build my stamina back up. Then I helped with a mahjong teaching session, which was a nice confidence booster, I felt like I was doing pretty well with three players who were mostly unfamiliar with the game. We had -both- genders of Americans interested in riichi mahjong, “played it via Yakuza”, and “played it via FFXIV”. The game room closed early due to snow, and then we went home.

OTHER HIGHLIGHTS: the literal, honest to god barbershop quartet that was there on Sunday. I don’t think they were there as attendees, they just went to entertain a crowd, and they were pretty damn good. Their group name was “The Fourskins”, and you can “follow them on nowhere”.

All in all, I had a great convention! No drama, no bullshit. Fewer of the lads made it this year than usual, but those who did come, I got to have a good time with, which is what counts. For my next convention I really need to submit some panels, cons don’t quite feel right without them.

#gespenst updates

3 notes · View notes

ashlinyack · 2 years

Text

Forbidden Phoenix Chapter 9

Xifeng could still not grasp everything as she awoke that morning. The days that had passed now were all but a whirlwind. She had already been placed in her palace the day before as a sudden change had occurred at the prompting of the Emperor. She had gone from being a candidate for the entering into the palace to a consort within mere moments. And it was a whirlwind of emotions that were flooding her as well. His Majesty had said that he had long wanted her here by his side and that he had long held affection for her. It made her tingle with delight knowing he had such sentiment for her and made her heart skip a beat at such a thought. For someone so great to care for someone so simple as her was nothing short of amazing. And then the lavishness of everything he had given her was nothing short of amazing.

There had been a gold necklace inlaid with pink diamonds, a beautiful piece of green coral that matched the inside of her eyes, twenty brocades of the finest silk she had ever touched in many different colours, six gold hair pins that matched to form a garden like piece in the hair when done up, a white fox fur, two black bear furs, a ink painting of a sparrow on a cherry blossom branch done by an artists she favoured, five-hundred gold taels, and so many more items that she had not been able to see them all to grasp. Even the secret gift given by his Majesty that was now hidden by a secret panel in her bed still shocked her.

Laying there in her grand bed, the soft blue curtains drawn closed to keep out the early morning sun, she kept recalling everything that had occurred over the last three days – from the gift of the rose jade bracelet to His Majesty whispering in her ear that day, saying that he keeps his promises. The soft kiss he had placed on her cheek as well. Holding a hand to her cheek, she felt the warmth rising in them at the thought, every inch of her awakening at the memory of his breath playing along her neck in those few seconds.

Even in the evening she had been quite overwhelmed. She had spent most of her time talking with Xiaoxiao and Yi Chen, learning the various buildings of the Palace, the important staff she needed to know, and of course the members of the Harem. She had repeated each member and how long they had been apart of it back to Yi Chen, as well as the facts regarding their pregnancies. The Empress and the Emperor had been married for five years and conceived one child that died at the age of three months. Noble Consort Zhou had been in the Harem acting as the Second Wife for four years and had been able to have two children. One had lived until the age of three but had caught a horrible fever and died from it in his nanny’s arms, while the other child had not lived past one month. Consort Fei had been in the harem for two years and had conceived one child that lived till they were two, and once again became seriously ill with fever and died over night no matter how hard the physicians tried. Consort Xei had been in the harem for eight months now and had conceived one child but lost the child late into the pregnancy. None of the of the Noble Ladies had yet to conceive a child. It was only Imperial Concubine Chu who was now successful pregnant.

The amount of information had been heartbreaking but also daunting. She wanted to give the Emperor a child that would survive. And she hoped that one day she could. For now, though she needed to face the Harem and be able to handle them, be able to withstand the criticism for being so quickly favoured by His Majesty. Though she was a high-ranking officials daughter, it was still rare for the amount of gifts to be given to a new consort like what occurred with her.

Sighing softly, she pushed the curtain to the side, blinking as she was surprised to see Qian standing there. “Oh, good morning, Qian. I was just getting up.” Qian took a step back, unsure of what to do – she always had to wake her Mistress up in the morning no matter what the occasion. Xifeng was not an early riser in any shape or form, so for her to be awake before Qian even came to open the drapes confused her greatly. “Good… good morning my Lad… your Highness. I have breakfast set out for you already, and there is a basin of warm water and a cloth to wash for the day. I will go prepare the dress you wish to wear.”

Xifeng nodded and headed out of the bedroom to allow Qian to do her work and set out her dress for the day, as well as her hair pins and makeup. She planned to wear a dark blue dress with a scattering of butterflies on it today in various colours – it was vibrant, bold and would make an unusual statement for her first time sitting in with the other Consorts for morning tea.

Wiping the sleep from her eyes with the warm cloth at the basin that sat near her table, she kept her nerves calm and at bay as best she could. She tried to reassure herself that she still had someone here with her and hoped that they did not think she had been favoured greatly compared to them. However, it was easy for games to be played in the harem between all the consorts if one was not careful and watched their backs. Sighing, she shook her head and sat at the table, pulling the bowl of congee close and enjoying its rich flavours with the steamed bun as well.

After eating, and at a leisurely pace at that, she returned to her bedroom and dressing room to attire for the day. The room was far grander than her bedroom had been back at the manor – and it was her own, not shared with her mother or grandmother. She only shared the expansive garden with Lady Ming who had a side area within the palace and that was fine with here, for it was better to have a friend within the home she now had versus an enemy in the future. Lady Ming had been chosen from the remaining girls by His Majesty for her skill in poetry and was conferred as a Noble Lady. She had made friends with the young lady when they first entered the selection process, and it was appreciated that she would have a friend within these grand walls of the Palace. She had been one of six others to stay within the palace and be apart of the harem.

Sitting at the large dressing table, she touched all of her own makeups and pins, plus everything that had since been added in the hours of her arrival to the palace. All the finest rouges and lip stains, all the finest eye brow pencils and colours for her eyes as well. She had never seen such a selection before her in all her days and she did not know where to begin. Even the new oils for her hair were exquisite and vast, ranging in unique to exotic scents that she could have only dreamed of owning at one time in her life.

Qian came to stand behind Xifeng at the dressing table, squeezing her shoulders lightly in comfort. “We best prepare you for the first tea with Her Majesty. You will sit with all the others, and you likely will be the one they talk of most since His Majesty named you a consort directly from the selection, even before it was complete.” Smiling, Xifeng nodded and began to work on her makeup, working on something that would make her eyes subtle yet expressive, as well as match the dress she wished to wear today. While the traditional way was for women to wear their hair up in the Harem, Xifeng was going to opt to be different and continue to be the stand-out if she must and have a partial down, with strands of her long dark hair wrapped with silk strands that reflected in the light. These strands she had designed to go with the dress she was wearing, to seem as though she herself was a butterfly taking flight – and in truth she was.

Once fully prepared and dressed, Xifeng and Qian departed the Palace of Eternal Spring to make their way to the Empress’ palace. It was not a terribly long walk, and it was nice to enjoy first thing in the morning. They did note however that they did not see many others on the way to the Empress’ palace and that made Xifeng wonder if she was running later than she was.

Upon arrival to the Palace of Heavens Beauty, Xifeng glanced around to see if any of the familiar faces from the selection were present yet. She was happy when she spotted Lady Ming, and quickly went to grab the chair beside her. Qian assisted Xifeng to sit, allowing for an ease of comfort in the chair with her unique outfit. “Good morning, Lady Ming. It is so good to see a familiar face among the others. I hope you settled well at the palace. I learned of your arrival late in the evening so was unable to come greet you properly, however now we can converse. I was so worried I had overslept and was to be late when I did not see a single soul on my way here, however it seems that there are still a few stragglers.”

Lady Ming jumped at the voice speaking to her, fanning herself slightly at the startle before smiling and thanking Qian as she poured the two of them tea and placed cakes. “Oh, Your Highness! I did not see you arrive! Please think nothing of it. I was quite tired last evening after the banquet and was simply glad to settle into a place that was going to be my own indeed, rather than a place I did not know I was going to stay at or not. I have been trying to figure out who everyone is and doing a poor job of it. Do tell, do you know who belongs where, and who is of what rank yet?”

Taking a small sip of the smooth herbal tea that Qian had poured, Xifeng nodded her head lightly in response. “Yes, my eunuch was ever so wonderful in instructing me to who is who. Over there… that is Nobel Consort Zhou, essentially the ‘second’ wife to the Emperor. Then over there, you have Noble Lady Su, Noble Lady Cao and Noble Lady Dong. Noble Lady Cao is good friends to the Empress, whereas Noble Lady Su is good friends to Noble Consort Zhou. Now over there, those two that just came in – those are Consort Fei and Consort Xie. They often stick together. They only one who isn’t here is Imperial Concubine Chu and that is because she is heavy with child and permitted to remain at rest. Her father actually works alongside my father in the Department for War and Defense so I am hopeful that we will have an amicable relationship together.” A satisfied smile Xifeng’s features, proud that she had barely been in the Harem a week and she already knew whom who was, who was friends with who, and who was having children.

Lady Ming look stunned at all the information she was suddenly ladened with, trying to recall it in hushed tones as she recalled everyone who was now present in the tearoom at the Empress’ palace. “So the Empress is not here yet then?” Just as Lady Ming asked the question, the Empress entered from a side door, all the consorts and noble ladies rising to bow and greet her majesty.

“Please be at ease my sisters. Sit and enjoy your cakes while we speak of matters at hand. First off, welcome to the new sisters of the Harem. I am sure we have all had a chance to meet over the past days and will have further chances to get to know each other in the days to come as we serve His Majesty well.” The Empress’ handmaid came up beside her and offered her a cup of tea, bowing her head lightly once the cup was taken and departing to stand off to the side. It seemed that most of the consorts and noble ladies had brought their handmaids with them this morning, all except Lady Ming, which Xifeng found curious. “The first matter that needs to be addressed, which may be rushed for those new to the Harem, is His Majesty’s birthday banquet. It is in three months time, and I will need to know what it is you plan to give His Majesty so that I can inform Her Majesty the Empress Dowager within the next month. No gift should overstate that of the Empress Mother’s, nor mine.”

Xifeng swallowed the lump in her throat, having been aware of the Emperor’s birthday well before she entered the palace, and had in fact already started the gift she had planned to give him. The silk had been handmade by her after painstakingly learning to do so and dyed as well to a beautiful colour. Now she was working on the embroidery slowly to bring life to the piece she was creating. She did not know if the piece she was making would be over the top, and would out-shine that of the Empress and the Empress Dowager. She did not wish to create enemies within such a short time of her being here but at the time she did wish to please His Majesty.

“Second, His Majesty has asked us to host a soup kitchen at the southern gate for the refugees. We are the provide soup, buns and clothes to those who have come to the capital seeking shelter, and it does not matter if they are Mage or not, we are to offers them respite. I offered to go to the temple to pray for the refugees but he did not take kindly to this idea. So do I have anyone who would willingly volunteer to run the soup kitchen – this means organizing it, setting it up, and ensuring that it goes well in the name of His Majesty?”

The Empress glanced about the room to get a feel for anyone who would volunteer but no one immediately put their hand up. After a moment’s thought, Xifeng raised her hand, smiling softly. “Your Majesty, it would be an honour to assist with the soup kitchen for those less fortunate. I have skills in making clothes as does my handmaid so we can even have several clothes made in a few days time for children in need. Lady Ming, would you like to help me? It would be a great experience to do, and we would be spreading the kindness of His Majesty.”

Lady Ming blinked for a moment, looking lost as she glanced between Xifeng – a Consort she saw as her friend – and the Empress who could either make or break her. Smiling after a moment, she nodded her head and took Xifeng’s hand gently. “Oh yes Consort Li! I would be most delighted to assist you! I have skill in making clothes also so me and my handmaid can also make some clothing for the children, and even for the mothers. And if it is out of our palace, it will be easier to organize than stretched between many.” The fright seemed to melt away from the innocent girl, and Xifeng couldn’t help but worry for her and what she might face in the coming days in the palace as her friend – for now though they had each other and that is what mattered.

“Very well then. The Palace of Eternal Spring will organize the soup kitchen. If any wish to assist and join in, speak to Consort Li. I will expect it to be done by the end of the week. The final matter, which many are already aware of but those new to the harem will not be is the trip to the Summer Palace. It will take place as usual just after His Majesty’s birthday. Those who he selects will pass a final assessment to go with me. If you do not behave well in the Harem, then you do not go to the Summer Palace. It is as simple as that. The only ones guaranteed to go are myself and Noble Consort Zhou as we are the senior members of the Harem. If you wish to go and enjoy the delights the Summer Palace has to offer – do not offend me or His Majesty.”

The Empress stood with the last words and departed without another peep to the rest of the Harem. Noble Consort Zhou tailed after her, however the rest of the harem seemed to disperse to return to their own palaces. Departing herself, walking with Qian and Lady Ming, Xifeng couldn’t help that the end was mostly aimed at her. She was favoured already by the Emperor without having done much – she simply had arrived and he already liked her greatly. She did not know why, did not understand the reasoning behind it. She just knew this to be true and accepted it.

“Let’s detour through the Imperial Garden. I want to get some ideas to redo our own garden – make it truly a picture of Eternal Spring.” The escape from the stuffiness of the Empress’ palace was a relief but she needed more fresh air than the walk between the two palaces gave. The detour was a bit out of the way, but it gave her an excuse to spend more time with Lady Ming, and to gather ideas to change the garden slightly.

Once they had arrived, she took a deep breath of the fresh air the flowers gave in the soft breeze. The sound of the river running through the Imperial Garden’s tickled at her ear and it brought peace to her mind – and a memory of not to long ago with a stranger on the riverbank who happened to be the Emperor. Feeling her cheeks warm at the thought she turned to look at the various flowers, letting her mind change and drift, not wanting to think of his touch on her again but it was ever so difficult not to.

“What flowers do you enjoy most Lady Ming? I am partial to tree blossoms and azaleas. I do however want to include flowers that bloom year-round in our garden not just one season, so it truly is forever in bloom.” Smiling, Xifeng bent down to smell a patch of narcissus and smelled their delicate scent, enjoying them for the moment in thought. It brought back memories with her family at the time of the New Year Festival, and she couldn’t help but smile more knowing that times had been pleasant before she entered the palace. However now she was here for them, and things had changed in the blink of an eye, and it had become prosperous for them indeed.

Lady Ming glanced about the garden herself at all the tall tress, beds of flowers, ponds of lotus, and pavilions spread about for conversation and enjoyments of tea and activity. “Consort Li, I must be honest. I do not know fully which flower I enjoy the most as I have never been asked. However, I do quite enjoy the sounds of the waterfall that is in the palace already – I find it very comforting to be around. Is it possible to have a small creek and waterfall created by my area? With lotus flowers perhaps?”

Out of nowhere, a rich voice chimed in, startling them from observing the flowers. Suddenly Yongzheng was there behind them with his entourage that included four ministers and two princes, as well as several eunuchs, touring the Gardens no doubt. He approached Consort Li and placed a soft kiss to her cheek in greeting, startling her even more. “Whatever it is you desire to create in the gardens of your palace shall occur. No expense will be spared to provide a luscious, relaxing garden for you Consort Li, and for you Noble Lady Ming. Fu Gei, have extra workers sent to the Palace of Eternal Spring to obey the orders of Consort Li and Lady Ming. I would very much like for this project to be completed a month before my birthday, so I have time to enjoy it.”

Stunned into silence for the moment, Xifeng and Lady Ming quickly bowed and greeted the Emperor, which elicited a chuckle out of him and to wave it off. It was a casual greeting in the garden to Yongzheng between the women he liked the most and himself, he did not need the formalities. “Please my dears do not fret with the formalities. Relax. It is just us.” Fu Gei moved to the front of the group to stand beside the Emperor, bowing to the two ladies of the Harem respectively. He whispered to the Emperor briefly before he was waved off and smiled at the ladies.

Xifeng smiled and bowed once again in thanks before moving forward boldly and placed a soft kiss to the Emperor’s cheek, feeling her cheeks flush in the moment. “Thank you, Your Majesty. For allowing this endeavor to occur. We simply wish for a beautiful space to live in, and a wonderful space to raise your children in should we be so honoured. We shall work diligently to complete this task in time for you to enjoy before your birthday.”

Nodding, the Emperor continued on his way, touching Consort Li gently on the arm in a sign of affection before going to a desired pavilion for tea and discussion with his ministers. Xifeng on the other hand, let out the breath she was holding and could feel her cheeks burning from embarrassment. Lady Ming was giggling lightly behind her hand as she looked at moments that passed between the two of them.

Departing back to the Palace of Eternal Spring, the walk was mostly a discussion on flowers and what could be placed where within the palace – they agreed on lotus flowers within several ponds, a new pavilion for siting to enjoy tea and meals together, a large space that they could simply sit and enjoy the flowers or play chess, and perhaps a small waterfall or two throughout the palace. As well as the occasional mention of His Majesty, their discussion was very in depth for two people who had simply become friends a few days before. It was delightful to have a good friend in the palace that was easy to discuss various topics with from flowers to their husband – she had never had such a friend before, and it was rather new to Xifeng. Still, it was quite enjoyable to know she had someone she could interact with.

Arriving to the palace, they noticed Consort Xie and Lady Yin waiting at one of the pavilions with Lady Ming’s handmaid. They had been served tea and cakes in their time waiting it would seem but were not to pleased to have been waiting a time or two for their return. It was no fault of theirs since they had detoured to the Imperial Garden and met His Majesty there that they were waylaid from returning to the Palace of Eternal Spring. And they were not on a schedule either to meet others, so to Xifeng, she did not feel completely upset by the matter.

“Sister Li, we were beginning to wonder if you got lost in your return to your own palace. We were so wishing to have tea with you. You are, after all, the talk of the Harem with having achieved your position so quickly. For many of us it isn’t this simple task of appearing and becoming his favoured Consort, as it has been with you. Do tell us – how did you woo a man like the Emperor. You must have a hidden talent that has spoken to him in some manner.” Xie Shuchun spoke softly as she held the green porcelain cup in her hand, enjoying the fragrance of the herbal tea that had been brewed for her. She was a beautiful woman not much older than Xifeng herself and had been within the Emperor’s harem for at least eight months from what she was made aware of.

Lady Ming was about to speak when Xifeng gently touched her arm to console her. She would handle this on her own without the assistance of other’s. The games of the Harem had already come to her doorstep, and she wished to put a quick end to it. “Sister Xie, I do not know what tricks you speak of, for I am simply blessed. I am not favoured any higher nor any lower than you are. All the decisions are made by His Majesty so if he wishes to honour me, so be it. If you and Lady Yin wish to remain for lunch you may, we can add a few more dishes. We are simply going to planning how to reinvigorate the gardens here, before we likely will begin to plan the soup kitchen. Otherwise, I do wish you a good day.”

Consort Xie huffed, putting the cup of unfinished tea down on the table abruptly and standing. She brushed past in a flurry of robes, failing to offer a respectable nod or bow to either Lady Ming or Xifeng in the process. Lady Yin on the other hand tried to be a little calmer in her departure, muttering pleasantries and bowing as she tailed after Consort Xie, however it was apparent that she was not to remain without the other there. Perhaps it was not the answer she was seeking, but it was the answer she was going to get. For it was the simple truth of the matter, and no one needed to know any further details of her and His Majesty’s relationship.

Qian giggled as she headed off towards the kitchens with Lady Ming’s handmaid, Luli, going to fetch a few more dishes for an early lunch so that they can discuss more of the planning of the garden. Through the discussions, Xifeng felt the sense that this palace would become enchanting and ethereal once it was completed, her delight at knowing that she was given full reign over how things could occur in this space was still unbelievable.

#forbidden phoenix #chapter 9 #romance novel #romance

5 notes · View notes

one-and-a-half-yikes · 2 years

Text

With regards to the cyberpunk comic.

So to start, I actually owe everyone a massive apology.

While looking back through a few of my text posts I realized how often I would drop a due date as to when I would be releasing the comic and then just...not, do anything. First I said it was coming over my spring break, then I said sometime during the winter I'm pretty sure and other times I just said I would during the school year.

And I never went through with any of those posts. Nor did I ever give an update for why the panels hadn't been posted even though I should have so with respect to y'all I'm really fucking sorry about pulling that shit. Seriously.

There won't be anymore posts made about when the comic comes out; it'll come when it comes. More importantly it'll come when it's complete.

At the time when I made those tone-deaf posts, while I had character sheets looking back they weren't well thought out. None of them really conveyed much about the characters or come across like they lived in a cyberpunk universe which made them feel less cohesive as a whole.

I also didn't have any of the worldbuilding really figured out and there are still aspects of the world that I need to think about (especially pertaining to Hell and the Upper). OCs also had not been fully worked out and it's only now that I have a few ideas for some, and one that I am working on who is a part of the Cupbros's past.

The point I'm making is that I didn't have a lot of shit worked out, including most of the plot so thank fuck I never released this at any point in time when it was still in its infant stage.

I am still working on the cyberpunk AU, right now I'm just typing thing up about the main cast (their pasts as well as interests, personality that sort of stuff). I don't know how much of that I'll be sharing though...I might post some of it??? We'll see.

Last thing, when the comic is posted it will not be on this blog but on a separate one to keep things orderly and make it easy to find comic pages for people. I will also do character Q&As on there probably after I finish with Book One and take a break to focus on Book Two. I'll explain more about that though much, much, much later whenever the hell this comic is up and ready to be released to the public.

#yikes speaking #inky mystery: cyberpunk

2 notes · View notes

thelostfractal · 8 months

Text

Paradox

This morning I woke up at five o'clock and wondered if I should get up. Before (what does that even mean, before?), I used to wake up at five o'clock every day. And I loved it ! Because I did it to write. The blue silence of dawn, the mystery between night and day, it's magical, damn it! I'm really nostalgic for those moments, now that I usually get up around nine o'clock. So, I seriously wondered what I should do, because lately (the after before), I haven't been writing anymore. It's been months, maybe a year, and if we thought about it properly (but do we really want to?), and didn't count the last gasps, maybe even two years. Whereas Before...

Argh!! It would be difficult to convey the joy, no, the ecstasy that used to fill me during those moments of pure creation, those flights outside of the world, that floating in the eternal, outside of time... So, is that all over now?

How can it be over? I asked myself. In my bed, eyes wide open to make sure I didn't fall back to sleep foolishly, I analyzed the situation. How did I start being unable to write at all? First, I finished college. A return to studying psychology, if you want to know. Go ahead, make fun, the nutjob studied psychology. Yeah well, if you knew who hangs around in those classes... Anyway. It took me a year to recover from those four years of studying, ‘cause it was so intense in terms of learning and rich in emotions. I'll detail it some other time if you want to talk about Freud. So, depression.

The seeds had been there for a while, they had probably always been there, but they got a huge dose of fertilizer to the face. Crying every night was still manageable, I was already familiar with it. Cutting myself, I did it briefly in high school, not as deep though. But the psychiatric clinic, I wasn't familiar with that. Boom! Meds, and I found myself on a month and a half vacation, far from everything, with my boyfriend. Everything was fine, you know. No brain, no thoughts, no creativity, and most importantly: no guilt for not having them anymore! Bliss!

And here we are: I wake up at five, wondering if I should get up to write and enjoy my life. The thing is, there should be a good reason to do it. To be sure. Oh, I forgot to tell you: I stopped taking the medication. So I had this argument with myself: if you get up, you'll find your reason! Inspiration doesn't just come on its own, you have to go after it, blah blah... and the other part retorted: if that reason existed, we wouldn't be having this debate, and I would already be in front of my computer! Because the rest of the analysis confirms it: I have nothing to write.

Abandoned projects, these past few years, are like an invasive species. The fantasy trilogy started in 2016? One and a half books done. The fiction started in 2020? Missing the ending. The pixel art video game started during college? Guess. The tabletop RPG based on the same universe? Special case: everything is there, or almost, except the players. Coding? Oh yes, I started learning how to code too. I wanted to create a character creation website for my RPG. Abandoned too, of course. The science fiction story outlined this year? Not even started. I'm starting to lose faith, you see. And what happened during the vacation? An urge to create a webtoon, believe it or not. So, and you'll probably understand, I don't have an ounce of ambition for this project. And even though I started a panel or two, just to test… I'm not going to give you an exhaustive list, you get the idea. I discovered a new feeling: the desire to stop something that hasn't even begun to avoid being disappointed by seeing it unfinished.

So, I was submerged by this ambiguous feeling this morning at five-thirty, eyes stinging with doubt. In conclusion, I could get up, continue a project or start a new one, force myself if necessary, and abandon it in three days. So what's the point? Eventually, I told myself that at least before, I had enthusiasm. And I can't remember which guru from my Spiritual Quest said that we should always, oh grand Always, follow our enthusiasm. It's a good way not to panic, and the general idea is that it leads us towards the things we're supposed to go to. So, I closed my eyes until eight o'clock.

#writing #fiveoclock #mentalhealth #doubts #creativity #anxiety

0 notes

zololacan · 10 months

Text

Re-examining the Tsurumi Island Mural

TL;DR: It’s a guide

A few days ago, I landed on Tsurumi Island for the first time. I found the mural room there with three panels, and decided to double check the wiki’s transcription using their font. Here is what I got on the first pass (process done on PS5):

Hic Tacitus permana, calor argen.

Vigilabi caelum est no

In stellare ??agmenti sapientia absconditur

At this point, I searched for other translation attempts and found this post: https://www.reddit.com/r/Genshin_Lore/comments/qbj0b6/tsurumi_murals_revisit/ (tysm to the author, /u/felixfellius!). This gave me two important insights: first, that the word on the third line was most likely "fragmenti". Secondly, that the “no” at the end of line 2 may not be complete, and instead may be “nothum” meaning false. As I have no training in Latin, this was very helpful.

With that said, using the higher-res textures on PS5, we can see that it’s much more likely to be a “b” in “vigilabi”. I searched for possible words and found “vigilabis”. This is a second-person future-tense conjugation meaning something like “you will watch”. There’s also the question of what the deal is with the “punctuation” in the first line and if it’s incomplete text, but frankly I’m not sure this matters— with all this in mind, here was the rough translation I got:

“You silently flow here, silver heat. You will observe the sky is fake. Wisdom is hidden in stellar fragments.”

First, what could be a silver heat? The sun wouldn’t appear as silver. The moon could maybe be described as a silver color, but it’s not really what we would think of as a hot object. “Calor” here is specifically about thermal heat. How about an object falling from Celestia, like the one that presumably shrouded Tsurumi Island in fog? We have some evidence that it could be a hot object, since the nail on dragonspine removes the sheer cold effect. The others don't seem that hot, though, and I'm not sure how it would fit with the rest of the mural. Not to mention, there are stars in the mural which the fog would make impossible to see, meaning that this likely isn't it either. There are two candidates I can think of: stars and meteors. But would they have a conception of stars as hot objects? And in-game, the meteors we see are a bluish color (though they would obviously be very hot from entering the atmosphere). Let’s table this discussion for now, because as we are about to see, in Teyvat these two can be the same thing.

Even just looking at the last two sentences, we can draw links between this mural and what happens in the 1.1 Unreconciled Stars event. In the event, stars from someone’s constellation break up in the atmosphere and crash as meteorites all over Mondstadt and Liyue. You discover not only that those who interact with the fragments are drawn into the memories of the person whose constellation fell from the sky, but that Scaramouche and the Fatui are also after the fragments. Mona speculates that the Fatui may have caused the constellation to fall to Teyvat to begin with. When Scaramouche beats you to the core, he interacts with it and the following exchange happens:

Scaramouche: “I’ve discovered something far more important... and far more terrifying. The stars, the sky... It's all a gigantic hoax. A lie.”

Mona: “The stars are a lie? What are you talking about?”

Paimon: “Is this some kind of astrological debate between you and Mona? Because if so, surely you can come up with a better argument than ‘The stars are a lie.’”

Paimon: “Seriously, who's gonna fall for that one when you can just lift your head up at night and see them up there, twinkling away?”

Scaramouche: “Hah... Hahahahaha! Oh, you are so naive, it kills me!”

Scaramouche: “Still... Can't really blame you. After all, I used to believe the same thing myself — up until a few moments ago, that is…”

In other words, Scaramouche interacted with the meteorite core and learned the true nature of the sky. Let’s bring it all together now, assuming Mona’s guess from earlier is true. The Fatui caused the constellation to crash by doing something planetside. By analyzing the core, Scaramouche learns the sky is fake.

We can now make a fairly educated guess as to the purpose of the mural on Tsurumi Island: it’s a guide.

Silver heat silently flowing here -> The stars can be affected by something you do “here” in Teyvat.

You will observe the sky is fake -> What you will discover by following the mural

Wisdom is hidden in stellar fragments -> Don’t take our word for it, go find your impact site and see what we mean for yourself.

———

To get into the more speculative part of this post, what does it mean for peoples’ constellations to “flow” planetside? Again, I admit this is very shaky, but here is what we know.

People touching the meteorite fragments were drawn into the memories of the constellation’s owner.

The Ley Lines contain the memories of Teyvat.

Dottore tells Nahida that the “skies of Teyvat are fake” thing is “the secret hidden by Irminsul concerning the truth of this world”

If there’s some kind of resonance going on between the memories in the ley lines and the memories in constellations, then perhaps that’s what the Fatui used to summon the constellation. Irminsul hiding this ley line technique would explain why it’s obscure, but I won’t guess as to why it’s being hidden.

———

Thanks for reading! from u/False-Programmer8828 on reddit https://www.reddit.com/r/Genshin_Lore/comments/12vd1sw/reexamining_the_tsurumi_island_mural/ link to og post

#genshin lore #Genshin impact

1 note · View note