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anger-ey · 1 year

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NSR AMA File 1

Who is Mystery Man? He's intended to be open ending because it gives space to work for possible future games. They meant to be a bit cheeky about it. Daim gave the illustrator (ddaddy star @ IG) freedom to do what they want with mystery man.

Does B2J have any extra rooms in the sewers? During concept arting they had several rooms, influenced by XCOM. There was a thinking room and "recreation" room (weed room, but they didn't put it in bc controversy).

Will there be a sequel? Possible, and they're interested provided they have all the things needed like time and money.

Who came up with the story of NSR? Daim and Aidi (the main scenario writer). Daim came up with the main story, three other writers do NPC dialogue, names, item descriptions, etc. The flow of the battle is important, not too serious/jokey. They play a lot of Danganronpa.

What is the cause behind the Border Wars? They want to keep things loose in case they have other ideas in the future, but they did come up with lore for it. (personal note: James Landino also mentioned in his stream that the composers got extra lore for the bosses that didn't get put in the game.)

What are their favorite lines in the game? Daim likes the 1010 fight dialogue (fun fact: Aidi had more freedom to write it). Hazmer likes the Zuke and Eve ending dialogue, which Daim wrote.

Will they sell the artbook separately in the future? They've been discussing it (and merch) with the team. There are lots of factors, even if fans are willing to buy.

What are 1010's names? (Daim thought this would be the first question alongside Mystery Man) Officially, they don't have names. The autographs were not intended to be canon because Daim gave the illustrators too much freedom and didn't think the 1010 signatures would be significant. They didn't think 1010 would be this popular.

Characters that they didn't think would be popular but did (or the other way around)? They didn't think Kliff would be popular but he is. He was not intended to be a flashy villain. Jay Sheldon was a huge part of bringing the character to life. More than a simp, he did what he did because he believed he was right. The story is about 3 main characters: Mayday, Tatiana, and Kliff, who all have selfish reasons to fight. Tatiana doesn't want to fight because she thought she was weak when she was younger. Mayday is selfish because she wants to prove to NSR that their rejection of rock is wrong. Kliff's reason is to show Tatiana that leaving rock is wrong and a betrayal. Mayday is the hero because at the end she's the only one that can put aside her selfishness for the better of the city. They also didn't think Neon J would be popular; they blame the doodle with him and DJSS for the popularity. They didn't think he would go the fatherly direction considering he uses his own children as weapons.

How did you decide on the order of the bosses? They decide on how the bosses are in term of "evilness" and that's why DJSS was the first (Hazmer's idea was jerk Carl Sagan). First two bosses are straightforward and simple, then they slowly slip in hard-hitter bosses. Eve is Zuke's final boss, and Tatiana is Mayday's final boss.

What's the deal with Zuke and toilets? It's an inside joke. Zuke is the type of character who has a strange fascination for avant-garde things.

Does Mayday have any interesting lore? Mayday and Zuke are supposed to represent the two different approaches to music. Zuke is the academic approach, he's very knowledgeable and went to school. Mayday is more self-taught, she replicates what she hears.

How did they come up with boss attacks? They match the boss' music theme and setting theme. Many of the attacks seem similar because they couldn't make too many unique patterns in the game or players will get confused.

1010 figurines? Their intention with the 1010 figurines was for backstory in Vinyl City (what its toy history is like). Some regrets with 1010 lore because it doesn't tell much about 1010 itself.

Official character heights? They struggled with making consistent heights because they need to constantly resize in the game. It's a balancing act of lore and readibility. The ending scene is the closest to accurate heights that the game gets.

Some backstory behind character names? Daim/Aidi like to include bits from their real lives. DJSS came from Daim wanting his name to be ridiculously long and self-indulgent, also inspired by Negasonic Teenage Warhead from Deadpool. Sayu is trying to sound Malay and Japanese at the same time. Eve's name was originally Eva. The design of Eve is based on self-hatred (especially in her first video). As she grows older, she learns to love her skin condition, comfortably showing lots of skin. Unlike other bosses using external themes, Eve's body is her own theme. They did not want the characters to have surnames because they don't want to fall into the trap of Westernized naming.

Evolution of 1010's design from first trailer? They didn't have time for the first trailer but they always knew that they wanted 1010 to look a bit crazy. The design itself is a personal nod to Tron Uprising, which Daim worked for with Polygon Pictures previously.

Some Vinyl City history + writing tips Vinyl City used to have lots of music festivals, people from all over the world come over by boats, the lighthouse is a symbol of the festival, and the plaza used to house a lot of concert halls. Trying to investigate the props in the city gives lore of past music festivals. After NSR took over they rebuilt the basement of the tower, representing an arrogance in outbuilding a monument of the past after conquering it. The secret to good storywriting is control! When you make a twist, the battle is between making it too vague or obvious. Between the two, more obvious is the safer choice. It's okay for the readers/players to guess the twist early.

Why do the characters have weird skin colors? They want to break the barrier between skin color irl. That is why Mayday's orange skin is darker. Racism sucks. But the best explanation is that they just want the game to be more colorful , inspired partly by Steven Universe. Daim and Haz want to be as inclusive as possible, but they're restricted by their own inexperience with marginalized communities.

How old are the characters? DJSS is in his mid-30s. Zuke is 27-28, same as Eve. Mayday is 21. No idea how old Neon J is, they didn't want to answer what year the game takes place in. Definitely older than DJ.

1010 character roles + fight design 1010 roles were based on common k-boy band tropes. White is the leader, Red is the bad boy, Blue is the cool guy, Yellow is the maknae, Green is the eccentric guy. 1010's fight was always intended to be a breather between Yinu and Eve.

Cast Tech morse code? "I WOULD LOVE TO SUCK REAL ICE CREAM, MAKE IT DURIAN FLAVOR PLEASE" sent by DJSS. (It's an inside joke…)

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lefemmerougewriter · 2 months

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The Corona Blues: Cass the Space Pirate, Her Blue-Eyed Pirate Girlfriend, and Raps' Momentous Choice

Summary: After a mask mandate and lockdown are imposed in the Kingdom of Corona, in response to a contagious "invisible" virus spreading, citizens are restless and hostile toward Raps, as their sovereign. Varian vows to stay behind and help the citizenry, while Raps leaves. She wants to clear her head. Later, while her sketchbook dries, she wades into a stream and falls in thanks to tremors from a nearby spaceship landing. A decorated lieutenant, and accomplished space pirate, comes to save her. The woman has a familiar face, with her mahogany pigment shining in the sun. Its none other than Cass. After meeting Cass's new pirate girlfriend, the captain of a massive spacefaring vessel, Raps makes a far-reaching decision which will impact not only Cass and her girlfriend, but herself and the people of Corona thereafter.

Characters: Marika Kato, Rapunzel, Cassandra, Varian, Eugene Fitzherbert, Misa Greenwood, Kane McDougal, Coorie, Hyakume, Schnitzer, San-Daime, Luca

Friendships: Rapunzel & Pascal (former?)

Romantic pairings: Rapunzel / Cassandra (former?), Cassandra / Marika Kato

Words: 4000+

AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/36110716/chapters/136737880

Wattpad: https://www.wattpad.com/1425409282-the-corona-chronicles-cass-the-space-pirate-her

Quotev: https://www.quotev.com/story/14508344/The-Corona-Chronicles/2

A/N: Sorry that it's been over two years since my last update! I really wanted to publish this a while ago, but a lot was happening in my life. There were preparations for a trip to Italy throughout 2022, even as I still wrote eight fics (like those in the High Guardian Space series) primarily at the beginning and end of the year. And then I moved into a new place in March 2023. With that on top of job stresses, it took until the end of last year for things to settle down. When I wrote the first chapter in December 2021, I had no idea about what was going to happen in the years ahead. I may end up writing a third part. This chapter sets the stage for a possible third part. As a reminder, in this story, Cass is a Black woman.

Work Text:

Back in the castle, Raps was pacing once again. She had locked the castle building and prohibited anyone from entering. She made a snap decision she'd go out into the city, among the people. She couldn't be cooped up forever. Varian wanted to know if she really wanted to pursue this course of action or not. "Are you sure about this?" She nodded. She needed to hear what the people had to say. She was their sovereign... after all. This made Varian very afraid. He had heard people's anger toward her. He realized she had to experience it first-hand. Both put their handmade masks. Varian wore a black cloth mask, with black straps. Raps wore a purple and yellow mask, with intricate designs, that she had colored herself. She would not be content with a single color, as she liked vibrancy.

As she walked out of the castle, and locked the door behind her, she got a taste of this anger first-hand. One onlooker heckled her. "Boo!" he shouted. He then pointed. "YOU got be the virus!" Unfazed by this clear lie, she continued moving forward. Varian used his alchemist staff to trap the person in amber. No dissent to the royalty would be allowed. Most in the town followed the posted ordinances, but some did not.

Those who refused to abide by the regulations had started to come together, loosely, into a grouping they called the Anti-Rapunzel Alliance, or ARA for short. Those who led the organization did not believe in any governmental system, state, or anything like that. They didn't even think of themselves as leaders, claiming the group was "leaderless," another lie that anyone could see through very easily. They called themselves anarkhists. They would always be a thorn in the side of Raps, especially after the passing of her parents a year prior from old age. The ARA had been annoying Raps for years. She was aware of their violent activities. She did not worry about them. She did not see them as representative of the people. That sentiment was accurate, even though their support was growing every day.

She was jeered and booed as she walked through the city. People did not feel she had done enough to protect them from what was being dubbed the "Corona-Ailment," or ca for short. She shared their sentiments since she did not know if she had done enough or if more could be done. She wracked her brain with these questions every day. The ca crisis was always at the top of her agenda. She was exhausted, tired of running the city, and the kingdom, almost entirely by herself. She wished that Eugene had been there, as he had gone on a voyage to one of their allies across the sea, specifically to Avalor. Instead, she had to do this without him. She sighed.

The viciousness and nastiness toward her by those in Corona had deeply affected her. Varian expected this would happen. This is why he hoped she'd decide to stay inside the castle. This belief was misplaced. If he had known Raps as well as he thought he did, then he'd be aware that she liked to take risks, no matter the costs. Some people in her position would cry. Her emotional strength allowed her to weather heavy criticism, at least in this case. Sometimes Pascal would help her through this. She couldn't even rely on him this time. She had left him in her room, letting him sleep away without bringing him with her.

She turned to her trusty confidante, her royal science advisor, and royal scientist. "You can go back to the castle, Varian. I want to be alone." He didn't want to leave. He felt obligated to help her, especially since he had caused so much trouble for her in the past. Back then, he almost overthrew the government. Even still, she justified her response, at the time, noting that she only pushed away his pleas for help because of pressing demands on her as the royal queen of Corona. She couldn't spare anyone back then. "I…want to stay," he remarked. She shook her head. She wouldn't let him do that. "LEAVE!" she shouted and pointed back at the castle. She glared into his eyes. He cowered and turned around. He did not want to cross her. He realized that giving her some space was the right thing to do.

As he crossed the bridge and walked toward Corona, and the royal castle, Raps went the opposite way. She had to clear her head for a bit. She wanted to sit by the stream and watch the water cascading across the rocks. That always calmed her down, even when times were tough. It made her feel better about herself. She found a nice spot: a rock which overlooked a bubbling stream. She then pulled out her watercolor paints and sketchbook. Every day, week, and month, she believed that her art had improved.

In the past, she had disguised herself as "Robin Rap," putting on a mask, fake wig and beard, and a robe with a hood. She secretly set out art displays in the street during the night. This led to curiosity and excitement from those across Corona and the nearby lands. However, since ca had begun spreading, she hadn't taken on the persona, perhaps contributing to lower spirits among the populace. It made them more prone to feelings of utter despair, hopelessness, and anger toward her. Not everyone in Corona liked her as the monarch, in part due to her gender. Others saw it as a step forward to have a break from a line of male rulers which went back eons.

She yawned and stretched, leaving the sketchbook out to dry. If she put it away now, it would ruin not only the page she had sketched but also others inside the book as well. She walked into the stream bed and sensed the cold-water coursing through her toes. She wished she could stay here all day. This place of bliss would not last forever. Out of nowhere, tremors from something far away, shook the ground. It caused her to shake. The reverberations came ever closer, becoming so strong that she lost her balance and fell into the streambed.

She complained. "Fuck! My dress is all wet now…UGH!" she yelled. Trying to regain her balance, she slipped on a rock, and hit the stream with a thud. She began to cry. Even a queen could be taken down by something as small as a rock with moss on it. "Help! Won't someone please help me!" she shouted into the distance. She half-believed that no one would lift a finger for her. She resolved to give it five minutes, then she'd crawl out of the stream on her own. It was a time like this that she wished Eugene had been there, or anyone else who could be just as loving. The latter seemed very unlikely.

She sat as the water passed around her, through her soaked clothes. She grumbled and had given up. Suddenly, a woman dressed, in a what looked to be a fancy lieutenant's uniform, with epaulets on the shoulders, and a sword on the belt, approached her. She outstretched her hand, its mahogany pigment shining in the light. "Let me help you, Ma'am," the voice bellowed. Raps looked up. It was none other than Cass, whose mahogany skin almost sparkled. She blushed. She was surprised that Cass was there and even more embarrassed that she had to be helped out of this... unfortunate situation. Perhaps they could start again, with a healthier relationship. After all, Cass was an independent woman now. Raps had no power over her, unlike in the past, when she has been employed as a lady-in-waiting, a servant, and handmaiden all-in-one. It was a master-servant relationship. Cass had obliterated that when she subsumed the Moonstone's power into her own body, wanting to determine her own destiny. Although her motives were justified, her actions could be extreme and destructive, thanks to Zhan Tiri's mental manipulation.

"Cass…is that you?," Raps asked inquisitively. She nodded. "Yes, and I'm here to save you…princess, I mean...queen." She pulled her out of the riverbed and onto the dry land. Cass chuckled. "I didn't know you’d get so wet before you saw me…that must have been quite an experience." Shamefaced, Raps pounded against Cass, clearly annoyed. Her face was the color of a ripe tomato. "Come on, that’s not fair…," she said. They had a good laugh together and Cass helped Raps get up. Looking at her clothes, she remarked, "That's quite a look for a member of the royalty…what would the people of Corona think if they saw their queen drenched to the bone?" This comment got to Raps too, who pouted in response.

She quickly regained her composure. She grabbed her now-dried sketchbook and smiled. Before she could say anything, Cass interjected. "I'll bring you to my ship…there's some dry clothes there." She nodded curiously. Her...friend now had…a vessel…under her command? She thought that Cass would be some lone wanderer, or something. At least that's what she expected. Even so, she did not know what was in store for her. Originally the plan had been to bring a fleet of medical ships to the surface. Marika had called them back to the starship, saying that she and Cass would survey the situation first, then report back.

They reached the dinghy, sitting in a nearby field, with the cockpit closed, so no miscreants got inside. She saw a pinkish orange-haired woman dressed in space pirate regalia leaning against the ship. "Hey, Cassie," she began. Pointing at Raps, she asked, "who's that you have there?" Raps started to say something. Cass spoke first. "This is my friend…Rapunzel Fitzherbert, you know, from Corona, whose distress call we got on the Bentenmaru." Marika understood but was confused. Was this woman really a queen? She didn’t get the vibe from her at all. Perhaps it was the wet clothes. "Nice to meet you, Ms. Fitzherbert. I'm Marika Kato, the captain of the Bentenmaru…and I’m Cass’s friend." Cass rolled her eyes. "Girlfriend. She's MY girlfriend." Raps was surprised. In a year's time she had gotten a girlfriend and...her own ship to command! Cass had been busy... in her estimation.

"Nice to meet you, Ms. Kato. You can call me…Rapunzel or Raps. I'm not really about all these formal titles." Marika chuckled. She shook Raps' hand. "Nice to make your acquaintance too. Cassie told me about you…in fact, she's the one who pushed us to come here." That was only half-true. Cass and Marika had jointly agreed to come there, not one of them deciding it on their own. Knowing that Raps probably had feelings for Cass, she thought it would be better this way, since it could allow them to reconnect better. Although Cass knew that Marika wasn't being entirely truthful, she let it slide, this time. "Yeah, that’s what happened," she said sheepishly. After that, Cass opened up the cockpit of the dinghy, and showed her where the spare (and clean) clothes were. She even got her a bag for her wet clothes, which she'd dry later. Since Cass had left, Raps had started doing more tasks by herself, without servants.

It's awkward to be with a girl you once loved and... their new girlfriend. So, she tread very carefully. She didn't want to cause any problems for Cass or for herself, for that matter. Even so, she couldn’t stop herself from blushing. And Marika noticed. She watched Raps like a hawk. Although she had only been with Cass for about a year, she could be somewhat jealous, especially since Cass was her first girlfriend. Surely, at the academy, girls had fawned over her, like no one's business. Once she helped her friend get together with her lover, also a girl, on a mission that involved the entire Bentenmaru crew. It was a huge endeavor, to say the least. All of this colored what was happening at the present.

Raps eased the tension pretty quickly. She decided to confide in them about what was going on. "I'd like to get away from here, away from it all...things are not going well in Corona." Cass was surprised. What could have gone wrong? She was unsure. "There's this contagious virus that’s spreading...and people are getting restless. No one is helping me combat it...at all." Her latter statement was somewhat untrue, as Varian had done his part to help her. This made Cass and Marika even more curious. Rather than Cass getting in a word, Marika asked a question. "So…can we catch this virus?...I don't wanna make my crew sick." Raps moved her head from side-to-side. She had to tell the truth. "I guess so. The number of cases have been rising...it's not that many yet. I mandated a lockdown and that everyone wear cloth masks to protect themselves. It has made people very angry at me. Even Varian refused to leave."

She stamped her foot on the ground and gritted her teeth. This situation had brought back her fears about being a ruler. She didn't think there was anything else she could do. Perhaps it would be better if she wasn't there at all. She grabbed Marika's hand. "Can you please take me with you into space?" she pleaded. "I really don't want to be on this planet anymore. I have to get away." Marika wasn't sure this was a good idea. She looked toward Cass. She needed her approval before agreeing to Raps' request. Cass asked Raps directly, "Are you sure you want to do this? If we take you with us, we might not be back for a while." She nodded.

They all packed themselves into the dinghy's cockpit. Although most dinghies were single-person, this one had seats for up to three people. Marika closed the visor and told everyone to strap themselves in. Raps and Cass easily followed her instructions. Pressing some buttons, the engine began to roar, and the ship quickly took off. The landing wheels retracted and they went soaring through the sky. Raps was amazed. As they flew up through the air and above the trees, their ship passed by the island kingdom of Corona and over the Bay of Corona. A small schooner arrived in the island’s port. A young twenty-six year-old man, with light skin and short brown hair, was aboard.

Cass turned to Marika. She asked, "you wanna play THAT song?" She smiled. That was fine with her. Pressing a button, a tray came out of the console. She pulled out a transparent plastic case, adorned with a paper cover of a black-haired and pink-skinned woman wearing a black t-shirt, black-pants, and holding a guitar with a black strap around her body. A black heart was behind the woman and two words stood out on the cover: "Bad Reputation." This three-part case, made from a synthetic polymer, had liner-notes, and a back card. The two sides were hinged together. She carefully pulled out a reflective thick thermoplastic disk. It was adorned with images of the same woman, but in a circular fashion. The disc itself the following words: "Bad Reputation – Joan Jett – 2012 Re-Issue." Cass had picked it up when she and Marika went to a flea market, as some called it, during their travels.

Putting the disc in, she pressed another button. The tray retracted. She pressed a third button, looking like a small rightward facing arrow. It had one small word: "Play." Like magic, the music began playing out of speakers, although Raps wasn't sure from where, as any speakers seemed invisible. Cass and Marika began singing along. Raps started to get in the mood of it too.

"I don't give a damn 'bout my reputation / You're living in the past, it's a new generation / A girl can do what she wants to do / And that's what I’m gonna do!"

As the song began playing, they all sang along. Their voices were so loud that people could hear them on the island below. One of those people was the brown-haired man whose boat had arrived on the island's docks: Eugene Fitzherbert. His light brown eyes spotted the dinghy flying through the sky. He saw a woman with blonde hair inside. He was taken aback. "Blondie?" he asked confusedly. He wondered why the woman he loved was speeding away from the planet at a high rate of speed. He didn't even recognize Cass, nor he did know who the other woman inside the ship (Marika) was. People across Corona, including Varian, looked up at the sky in amazement.

In no time at all, the dinghy made its way through the atmosphere and into outer space. It came close to a massive starship, which was painted in a mix of black and magenta colors. The vessel had a cylinder-shaped main body and a coned bow, a design often used with rockets. The ship's emblem and name were on the side: Bentenmaru. There were four fins on the rear. As they came closer, Marika spoke into a receiver. "We’re coming back. Our mission has concluded. No need to bring any additional ships at this time. And we have one new passenger." A woman with little tone in her voice answered: "Affirmative."

This was Luca. She often did not interact with her fellow crewmates and only commented on her work. Her voice's tone usually remained the same unless when she was really stressed out. At times, she could irritate crewmates by saying she saw something but when she was asked about it, she wouldn't reveal it. Other times, she claimed she saw something but when asked, she said she told them nothing. Her attitude differed from the friendly and supportive medic (Misa), the laid-back and friendly helmsman (Kane), the fairly friendly and often amused radar/sensor specialist (Hyakume), and the fairly relaxed electronic warfare specialist (Coorie).

Soon after docking, Marika jumped out of the ship, followed soon by Cass and Raps. She brought them to the vessel's bridge, which had two levels. They entered through the upper level. The lower level had the steering wheel and consoles where crew members could steer the ship; examine radar, sensors, and engines, or conduct so-called "electronic warfare." During battles, the upper level lowered, and shutters blocked out the windows, with the view outside the ship shown on a visual display on the ceiling. That wouldn't be happening... this time. Marika spoke first. "I'd like to introduce our honored guest, Queen Rapunzel of Corona." Misa smiled. Kane remarked, "this might be nothing like your home, Miss...however, we'll treat you well, don't you worry." Hyakume laughed. He was just as friendly toward her as Misa and Kane. "This isn't the first time we’ve transported royalty, but hey, why not another royal?"

Coorie looked up from her screen. She turned toward Raps in a friendly manner. The other crew members were unsure about their new guest. Schnitzer remained stern and serious as always. San-Daime, often worrisome and pessimistic, was anxious. "Are you sure this is a good idea? Won't someone come to get her...and we'll be in trouble?" Cass put them at ease. They listened to her. After all, she was the lieutenant and she was close to Marika, who they deeply respected. "It's fine. Don't worry about it. This was her choice to come here and we should honor that." Everyone seemed to accept that reasoning. Raps interjected jubilantly. "Thanks everyone. I'm glad to be here." She had one more thing to say, something which would surprise them all.

"I have two more requests, if you'll indulge me." They were listening intently. This would be hard to explain. "I assume you have weapons on this vessel, right?" They nodded in agreement. "Well, I'd like you to destroy a stone bridge for me. It''s the last thing I'll do for Corona. Then, I'd like to send a message to Corona...through that radio thing." They agreed to both requests. They seemed easy enough to execute her requests. Walking down the stairs, she came close to Hyakume, skilled at radar and sensors. After guiding him to exact location of the target, he sent her over to Schnitzer, the ship's tactical officer. He was standing-in as the gunner. Usually they had other gunners, but not on this mission. He maneuvered the front-pulse weapon into position. He pressed a button and a powerful blue laser beam fired from the ship’s nose. It traveled at supersonic speed. It hit the bridge's middle with almost exact precision.

The weapon unintentionally ignited dynamite which some angry citizens had set as part of their plan to overthrow the government. The bridge exploded into a million pieces, with stone flying every which way, including into the island kingdom. Some people could barely escape the falling stone. Even the ARA, undoubtedly seen as the culprits whether they were involved or not, was worried about the results of this explosion.

A static crackle filled the air. A voice began speaking to the surprise of the citizens:

"Hello, this Queen Rapunzel. As you can see from the recent explosion, I am cutting off the kingdom of Corona from the mainland. I cannot let this virus spread any further. This is for your own good. As my last act as sovereign, I am appointing Varian as my successor. I believe in him and hope that you all put your trust in him. Thank you."

Everyone in Corona was surprised. Wasn't Eugene next in line? Has she abandoned them? Did she have any loyalty to her subjects? All these questions, and others, rattled in the minds of the citizens as a riot began to break out. People grabbed torches, pitchforks, and any weapon they could find, throwing them in royal buildings. They approached the castle in huge numbers. This unorganized demonstration was not the work of the ARA. It stemmed from the fury of the citizens. The royal guards tried to hold people back. They could barely hold the line. Varian came out of the front doors. Although he knew the citizens were angry, he remained dumbstruck in this situation. He didn't know what to do.

Suddenly, Eugene stepped forward. He believed this was the time for a strong-hand, decisive leadership. He wasn't sure Varian could do this. Coming close, he whispered into Varian's ear, "kid, let me take this." He responded in a low-pitch that only Eugene could hear. "I didn’t want this responsibility anyway, so take it." He closed the door and walked back inside. Eugene addressed the hastily assembled crowd. "I talked with Varian. I'm the one in charge now. I’m sorry that Rapunzel left us behind. I will lead us back to glory." What he said next he came up with on the spot. It was totally spontaneous, at least it appeared. "As my first act, the mask mandate and lockdown are hereby ended. Let us make Corona great again!" The crowd cheered wildly. Masks were pulled off and burned by their torches. People began chanting "Eugene! Eugene! Eugene!" He did not know what he was getting himself into.

Back on the Bentenmaru, Cass led Raps to a spare cabin. "You can sleep here, Raps. See you tomorrow morning." She smiled. Everything was going as she had hoped. While she would have liked Pascal there with her, she wanted to start fresh, at least this time. He would be better without her. In fact, he would have questioned her rash decision. Perhaps her view would change in the future. For now, she needed to get away from it all, and that included Pascal. She was ready and willing to become a space pirate, just like Cass had done years ago. However, there would be some awkwardness since it had been so long since she and Cass had been together.

It was hard to say what remained next for Corona or for Cass, Raps, Marika, and other crew members on the Bentenmaru. But it would surely be written in the stars.

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decepticn · 1 year

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damian seo was spotted in the fashion district adorning balenciaga triple s trainers , with some airpod pros on . they’re most likely listening to consume by chase atlantic . you may know them as @daimes or as that choi yeonjun lookalike . their twenty-third birthday just passed . while living in tribeca , they’ve gained a bit of a reputation . they’re known to be deceptive but on the other hand driven . wonder if they’ll be the next person to hit the headlines . ( cis man / he/him )

hello lovelies !! i’m elle (she/her), twenty-two, gmt +10, and this is my confused child damian !! under the cut is his background and you check check out his statistics here and connections here ; can’t wait to write with everyone,, if you’d like to plot, feel free to send me an im or msg me on discord (dissociating#5340) ,, or if you like this post, i’ll come find you too !!

background:

born in idaho, usa, and led quite an uneventful childhood

middle-class family and learnt the importance of diligence; kept his head down and eventually got accepted into columbia university to study business

moves to nyc, leaving his family behind

in university, he truly found himself and a group of friends he could call his best friends

leads to them each streaming themselves playing games together

this eventually blows up and they each start to garner popularity within the twitch community, with him gaining the most traction out of all of them

decided to quit school and focus entirely on streaming, fully utilising whatever he has learnt to market himself and build a good reputation for himself

finds himself in the spotlight and is now a full-time youtuber/twitch streamer (mainly gaming content but he dabbles in lifestyle and vlogs here and there)

currently has 6.7 followers on twitch and 5.1 million subscribers on youtube and is living in a luxury condominium in tribeca

living his best life but is still very wary that a small mistake can ruin everything he worked for

headcanons:

there’s almost two sides to him: one that his fans know and one that only his close friends are aware of

to his fans, he is outspoken, loud and outgoing, but in reality, he prefers being with a tight-knit community and hates excessive public attention

this can be quite conflicting at times as he might shy away from meeting fans in real life, even though he understands how big of a role they play in his life

so, he decides to hide behind a facade and play a character of sorts — always loud and bubbly when in front of the camera; as such, people might call him fake or deceitful, but it’s all part of his job

#wealthyhq:intro #this is a mess im sorry #anyways lets plot !!!

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wintershieldedheart · 2 years

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DEV TEA ROOM’S WRITING SPRINT PROMPT: Has your muse tried snacks from other countries/regions etc and do they have a favorite that is hard to get?

WORDCOUNT: 150

Margot has a deep rooted love for the little Italian candies that she used to suck on as a kid while she was on base. Howard always kept a stash of the Amaretto flavored hard candies and Margot always seemed to have one hand in them whenever the adults in her life were preoccupied. When she came into the twenty-first century, Tony made a habit of keeping them around for her. Eventually, he got a variety pack delivered and she started alternating between the espresso flavor and the amaretto.

Aside from that, she loves European chocolate, especially the ones that have daim in them. She has a harder time getting both snacks, but she can typically get the chocolate at a store like World Market without much hassle. The Italian candies she has to order online which can be a hassle but are worth it as far as she’s concerned.

#( she transcends time | hcs. )#( the sun will rise and we will try again tomorrow | ch. development. )#rpcdev

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i---dag · 1 month

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Work Diary, entry 4 (Friday 15th of March 2024)

I woke up at 7:30 to catch the Fleet bus to Aarhus at 9:55. Weird morning with M because we need to get used to things while simultaneously needing to get mystical. Bought a coffee at 7-Eleven at Sjælør St. to drink in the bus, I kept spilling it trying to hold the cup and two big bags.

Spent the busride listening to this mix wishing I had stayed in Copenhagen for the weekend. I miss a good dancing experience. Arrived in Aarhus and went straight to the school, it's always so nice seeing all my friends. I'm writing this high af at 23:45 getting distracted by a Marabou with Daim. To be continued.

It's now Saturday 16th of March and the time is 16:29. After arriving in Aarhus yesterday I went to the school to hang out for a bit, the sun was shining and a good mood was spreading. At 16:00 I had a studiovisit with JS, I briefly introduced her to my practice and considerations regarding my work for our 3rd year exhibition, I think she kind of got it and asked why I'm so stressed out about not working when clearly I'm working a lot. Also that I shouldn't care much about finish. Then I sent my boss my invoice, she's happy about the graphics I did, it feels good that she likes our teamwork. We've known each other for almost 15 years now.

I found three stars in the streets yesterday and have now started to collect them and note when and where they were found. You can see the collection here: ★

I have an idea for a sculpture, making casts of the holes in the road where i live, reverse holes. With my broken shoes taking steps on top of them. It's influenced by this Piss Flower piece by Helen Chadwick.

It's so good. Anyways. I like the idea of exhibiting artworks where their source of inspiration is situated, to not bring them into the white cube to "remove them from context" but to insist on the context from where the idea originated.

#workdiary #photography

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chanoyu-to-wa · 7 months

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Nampō roku, Book 7 (71a): Nambō Sōkei Declares His Attachment to the Two-mat Daime Room.

71) This monk replied [to Rikyū], “[what you say] is very praiseworthy; [but we must not forget the fact] that Jōō and [Ri]kyū exerted their wholehearted efforts to establish the details of the kane [䂓矩 = カネ] of the daime-giri [臺目切]¹. So, even if [we] were determined to discard [the use of] such an interesting venue, [I] do not believe it would, in fact, be possible to make do with only the [two mat room with] mukō-ro²! [Nevertheless,] if [you] insist on finding fault with attaching a daime to the two-mat room, then [you] should just continue doing as you wish [and receive your guests only in a two-mat room with mukō-ro]³!

“But furthermore, when the ro in the three-mat room was moved out [of the utensil mat], and cut [in the adjoining mat] on the katte-side of the half-ken [that is beyond the right edge of the utensil mat], that also made it easier [for the host to interact directly with his guests]⁴. The [delightful] effect of suspending [the kama on] a jizai (or something of the sort) -- that it would be difficult to discard this kind of setting [cannot be denied]....⁵”

Lord [Ri]kyū chuckled [to himself], “I think we are both harboring the same thoughts⁶!”

“But as for the rest of the worldly style of tea [that we see all around us], look at the way it is [already] collapsing into ruin! This, we should say, is deplorable!” -- I am passing on what I heard [him say].

_________________________

◎ Though this entry is not very long, the language is extremely idiomatic (with the idiom being that associated with the scholasticism of the late seventeenth or early eighteenth century), meaning that this text proved very challenging to translate*. Indeed, none of the commentators ventured to say anything about this section except for Tanaka Senshō -- and, in his case, he limits his entire discussion to the genpon text†, ignoring the Enkaku-ji material entirely‡.

As is quite common in Book Seven, there are three versions of this entry. While the passage in Shibayama Fugen’s toku-shu shahon [特殊写本] is more or less similar to what is found in the Enkaku-ji manuscript, there are several minor modifications that will be discussed in the footnotes**.

Tanaka’s “genpon” [原本] version, however, is so different that it will be necessary to look at it in a separate post. In addition, Tanaka also included a kaki-ire [書入] (of unknown antecedents**), appended to the end of his quotation of the Enkaku-ji text. That, too, will be covered in the next post. ___________ *Some versions of the Nampō Roku join this entry to the preceding one, so we would have Rikyū’s declaration, followed by Nambō Sōkei’s response. I have followed the Enkaku-ji manuscript in relegating them to separate entries.

†The genpon text was completely rewritten. All of the obscure idiomatic language has been removed, and the arguments have been normalized -- to the point where they feel completely at home in the modern-day chanoyu.

‡Tanaka’s copy of the Enkaku-ji text was produced while the ban on writing anything down while on the temple grounds was still in effect. Thus, it was another example of one of the Enkaku-ji scholars leaving the temple and then writing what he remembered down as soon as possible (it is said that a number of tea shops were opened in the vicinity of the main gate just for this purpose).

**In addition to the original fair copy of the text that Tachibana Jitsuzan created for presentation to the Enkaku-ji, he subsequently authorized the production of four additional copies -- to protect the original from being damaged by the repeated handling to which it was being subjected. After that, the original text was put away, and only the copies were used for their further inquiries -- and the fact that they were copies may have given certain scholars the feeling that important notes might be added. So whether this kaki-ire was found in one of the “official” copies of the text that were available to the Enkaku-ji scholars, or whether the kaki-ire was added to his own copy of the text by the scholar whose personal copy of the Nampō Roku came into Tanaka’s hands cannot be deduced -- since the only person who could have shed light on at least one of these possibilities died, and the four authorized copies dispersed into the general population when the group of scholars concluded their work in the Enkaku-ji.

**None of them change the meaning so greatly that they need to be incorporated into the translation -- which, as a result, is based only on the Enkaku-ji material.

¹Kono-bō mōshikeru ha, osshayū ni sōroe-domo, daime-giri no kane, Jōō to Kyū, sama-zama o-kokoro wo tsukushite sadameraretaru-koto nari　[コノ坊申ケルハ、仰尤ニ候ヘトモ、臺目切��䂓矩、紹鷗ト休、サマ〰御心ヲ尽シテ被定タルコトナリ].

Kono-bō mōshikeru ha [この坊申しけるは] means Nambō Sōkei related (this story)*.

Osshayū ni [仰尤に]†: ossharu [仰る] is a polite word meaning to speak, while yū [尤] means superb, outstanding. The compound, then, appears to mean to praise or express one’s in awe of or in (someone or something): osshayū ni sōroe-domo [仰尤に候えども], then, would mean even though (Sōkei) was deeply impressed by (this situation)...; that Rikyū’s argument was most certainly reasonable or valid....

In other words, Sōkei begins by complementing Rikyū’s argument, before entering into his refutatio.

Daime-giri no kane [臺目切の䂓矩]: this way of writing kane [カネ] (which is usually rendered phonetically) is found only here -- again, casting doubt on the authenticity of this episode.

Jōō to Kyū, sama-zama o-kokoro wo tsukushite sadameraretaru-koto nari [紹鷗と休、様々お心を尽して定められたることなり] means that Jōō and Rikyū, with their whole hearts†, worked very hard to fix the details of the kane, and kane-wari for the daime-giri setting.

In addition to Sōkei’s own personal delight in this room, he also wants to acknowledge that the two-mat daime room was a product of Jōō’s and Rikyū’s most sincere efforts. Thus, for both of these reasons, he is choosing to speak up in defense of this room -- even if he has to contradict Rikyū in order to do so.

Shibayama Fugen’s toku-shu shahon version of the text refers to Rikyū as Kyū-kō [休公] (which would translate Lord [Ri]kyū); but otherwise the two are identical. __________ *This is problematic, because the fiction is that Nambō Sōkei wrote Book Seven between the conclusion of the dawn memorial service and the time (presumably in mid-afternoon) when he closed up the Shū-un-an, and went off to the mountains to do away with himself. That being the case, there is no reason why Sōkei would begin by saying that he said these things. (Of course, someone writing nearly a hundred years later, and hoping to give their narrative a ring of authenticity, would be inclined to do so.)

†Osshayū ni [仰尤に] is difficult, since I have been unable to find any record of its meaning -- or, indeed, that it is a word at all. That said, while one source cites a Heian period precedent (that I was unable to confirm when referring back to the original source), I did find a handful of Edo period documents where it has been used, always in the specific formula osshayū ni [仰尤に]; and, in every case, it is clear that the expression is being used to indicate that (the author, or speaker) was deeply impressed by something. (The nuance always seems to be that the person was inspired to awe and admiration -- by the situation, object, or, as in this case, the argument that is being described in the narrative.)

In other words, in this specific case, before Sōkei enters into his argument for the preservation of the 2-mat daime room, he acknowledges that, in this, he will be going against Rikyū’s argument that, since the 2-mat room was the original type of “small room,” it might be better to stay with that -- since allowing for variation here will only invite others to change other aspects to suit their personal inclinations, which can only lead to the loss of the “small room’s” wabi identity.

Though I must quickly add that there is no evidence in support of this argument in the historical record. The earliest “small room” in Japan, that was built as a dedicated tearoom, appears to have been the 2-mat daime, created jointly by Jōō and Rikyū in the spring of 1555 (several months after Rikyū’s return from the continent). This was later followed by the situation where the ro was moved within the kamae, when the fukuro-dana was eliminated, at which time the superfluous second tatami in that portion of the room used by the guests was taken away, resulting in the 1-mat daime room (this may have occurred while Jōō was still alive); but Rikyū almost immediately rejected this kind of room, because the close proximity of the wall (at this time, the sode-kabe extended from floor to ceiling) made life difficult for all but the first guest. Only then does Rikyū seem to have begun making use of the 2-mat room. This means that the 2-mat room, as well as the three-mat room, was derived from the ichi-jō-han [一疊半] by eliminating the sode-kabe, and extending the utensil mat to its full length (though the utensil mat continued to be used as if it were a daime) -- a model that he employed in his residences within Hideyoshi’s various compounds, and one that most deeply appealed to Hideyoshi himself. Nevertheless, Rikyū appears to have continued to use his 2-mat daime Jissō-an [實相庵] until he removed his household to Mozuno (around 1588 or 1589), at which time the small room within his residence was the two-mat Mozuno ko-yashiki.

As the Sen family was unfamiliar with the details of this history before its final chapter (Shōan's mother was sent, from Hideyoshi’s harem, to manage Rikyū’s Kyōto household no earlier than 1584, so they would have had no knowledge about his personal life prior to that point in time, and of course they never saw the compound at Mozuno -- as Miyaō Saburō Sannyū and his son Shōan, later known as Sen no Shōan, and grandson Sōtan, were all members of the machi-shū faction that had coalesced around Imai Sōkyū following Jōō's death at the end of 1555), they took that brief experience and expanded its details to fill in the whole of Rikyū’s lifetime. As a result, since the small room that Rikyū was using (outside of his Ima-ichi residence in Sakai, at least) between 1584 and his death in 1591 was the two-mat room with mukō-ro, the Sen family believed and then argued that the two-mat room had been the original small room, with the 2-mat daime and the other rooms appearing later -- as perversions of Rikyū’s original vision.

Returning to osshayū ni, because I have been unable to find anything resembling a dictionary entry for this expression, I have also been unable to locate anything resembling a standardized pronunciation (all of the examples I found were written with kanji, without furigana). So “osshayū ni” [仰尤に] is only a guess.

†In other words, they exerted their intellects to the fullest to determine the system of kane-wari. This argument, of course, reflects an ignorance of the shiki-shi [敷き紙]; and so supports the Sen family’s assertion that Jōō and Rikyū had created the idea of kane-wari out of nothing.

²Sute-gataku omoshiroki-koto ni sōroeba, ikkō ni mukō-ro bakari tomo zonzerarezu　[ステガタク面白キコトニ候ヘバ、一向ニムカフ爐バカリトモ不被存].

Sute-gataku [捨て難く] means (something that is) difficult to discard; difficult to throw away.

Omoshiroi-koto ni sōroeba [面白いことに候えば] means if something is interesting (or amusing) to do.

In other words, if something is interesting to do, then it is difficult to just throw it away (because it does not conform with the original way things were done).

Ikkō ni mukō-ro bakari tomo [一向に向爐ばかりとも]: ikkō ni [一向に] means completely, totally, absolutely; mukō-ro bakari tomo [向爐ばかりとも] means even if it is only about the mukō-ro.

Zonzerarezu [存ぜられず]: the verb zonzuru [存ずる] means to know, to be aware of, to be acquainted (with); -rare [-られ] indicates the potential form (i.e., if one were to be aware of...); and the suffix -zu [-ず] makes the verb negative (“if one were not to know...”).

Ikkō ni mukō-ro bakari tomo zonzerarezu [一向に向爐ばかりとも存ぜられず], then, would mean something like “(I) don't believe it would be possible to have only the mukō-ro.” In other words, even if the mukō-ro were the only option, it would not be very satisfying*.

Though Shibayama's text is written using even more archaic structures* (難捨面白キコトニ候得バ、一向ニ向爐ハカリ共不被存), but when read aloud, his version would result in the same sentence that is found in the Enkaku-ji manuscript. __________ *That is, if, in the small room, there were no other option but to use the mukō-ro, dissatisfaction would drive the tea community to search for some sort of alternative.

†This kind of writing (where kana are kept to a minimum) was considered to be analogous to writing in Chinese. Indeed, this is the way that Takuan Sōhō wrote, and (given the enormous influence that he exerted on the Sen family -- especially on Sōtan and his sons Sōsa and Sōshitsu) he might well have been taken as the model for Sōkei’s speeches in this and other such entries in Book Seven.

This kind of affectation seems to have been mostly used only in writing. When read aloud, it would be necessary to change the order of the words so that they would conform to the rules of Japanese grammar.

³Semete ni-jō-shiki ni daime-giri no tsuketaru ha, sono-mama aru-taki sumai ni te sōrō　[セメテ二疊敷ニ臺目切ノ付タルハ、其マヽアルタキ住居ニテ候].

Semete [責めて]: the verb semeru [責める] means to blame, censure, find fault (with).

Semete ni-jō-shiki ni daime-giri no tsuketaru ha [責めて二疊敷に臺目切の付けたるは] means “if (you) fault (the desire) to attach a daime (utensil mat) to the two-mat (room)....”

Sono-mama aru-taki sumai ni te sōrō [其ままあるたき住居にて候う]: sono-mama [其まま] means (just) that way, as it is*; aru-taki sumai ni te sōrō [有度き住居にて候う] means live as (you) wish; do as (you) want.

In other words, if you object to the idea of appending a daime utensil mat to the earlier two-mat room for whatever reason†, you are completely within your rights to reject that sort of venue, and simply continue serving tea in your two-mat room with mukō-ro.

Here Shibayama’s toku-shu shahon version has ni-jō-shiki ni daime-giri wo tsuketaru ha, sō-an sumai no uchi dai-ichi ka to kono-bō ha zonji-sōrō-mama, semete ha ni-jō-daime-giri wo kagiri ni shitaki-koto to zonzuru nari [二疊敷ニ臺目切ヲ附ケタルハ、草菴住居ノ内第一カト此坊ハ存候マヽ、責テハ二疊臺目切ヲ限ニシタキコトヽ存ズル也].

Ni-jō-shiki ni daime-giri wo tsuketaru ha [二疊敷に臺目切を付けたるは] means “with respect to the case where a daime-giri is appended to a two-mat room....”

Sō-an sumai no uchi dai-ichi ka to kono-bo zonji-sōrō-mama [草菴住居の内第一かとこの坊は存じ候うまま] means “within (the various forms of) the sō-an, was this the first? this monk understands what was (the truth of the matter)....”

Semete ha ni-jō-daime-giri wo kagiri ni shitaki-koto to zonzuru nari [責めては二疊臺目切を限りに慕いことと存ずるなり] means “but though (I) might be blamed, since the ni-jō-daime-giri (already exists), I only know that I love it.”

While the Enkaku-ji text generalizes the matter, the toku-shu shahon version personalizes the issue. __________ *Sono-mama, here, is referring to the original 2-mat room.

†Again, this ignores the actual history of the case. It is not that the daime was appended to a two-mat room, but that the superfluous 1.5 mat area at the lower end of the 4.5-mat room was cut off, since this was not necessary.

The 4.5-mat room had been considered the usual size for a personal study -- the amount of space needed for a nobleman to live comfortably (he spent virtually his entire time within that room, both day and night). This is why the 4.5-mat room was considered intimate -- it was inviting ones guests into the nobleman-host’s personal space.

And the number of guests had been fixed at around 5 people (which was half the number of people usually considered appropriate for a renga [連歌] competition, since a smaller number would lack the variety of personalities, and so the varied nature of their verse links, that made such gatherings interesting: the participants in the renga-kai were usually divided into two teams of five persons each, and this may have been the precedent for the number of guests invited to the the chakai), because it was difficult to serve the meal to a larger number of guests in the 4.5-mat room (since, unlike the poetry session, the guests were not supposed to sit on the utensil mat, nor obstruct the path that the host would have to take from the katte-guchi in order to have access to each of the guests -- this is why the renga competition took place in one room, while refreshments were served somewhere else).

As Jōō grew older, he came to find serving five or six guests more and more difficult, so the number of guests, as well as the size of the meal, began to shrink. (Nevertheless, even 5 people could be entertained in a 2-mat daime room without difficulty.)

⁴Mata san-jō no ro wo mochi-dashite kiritaru ha, katte no kata, ken-han kutsurogite　[又三疊ノ爐ヲ持出テ切タルハ、勝手ノ方、間半クツロギテ].

Mata san-jō no ro wo mochi-dashite kiritaru ha [又三疊の爐を持ち出して切たるは] means “and again, the ro in the three-mat (room) was moved out and cut (to the right of the utensil mat)....”

Ken-han [間半]* refers to the division of a one-ken (a 6-shaku square, which is roughly† the space occupied by two kyōma tatami) space into halves. Here, it refers to the utensil mat (in the three-mat room) plus the mat to its right, divided in half. Thus, it is referring to the space to the right of the utensil mat (regardless of the actual orientation of the mats).

Katte no kata, ken-han kutsurogite [勝手の方、間半寬ぎて]: this phrase is oddly written. It means that the 1-ken area (that includes the utensil mat) is divided in half (parallel to the edge of the utensil mat), and then the ro is located on the katte-side of the half that does not include the utensil mat -- since this would give the most comfortable (katsuragite [寬ぎて]) access to the guests, when he is seated on the utensil mat -- as shown below (where Ⓣ is the host, and Ⓢ, ②, and ③ are the guests).

Looking at Nambō Sōkei’s Shū-un-an [集雲庵] (since this is probably the room that the author was thinking of), the one-ken area is that outlined by the dashed red line. The middle (ken-han [間半]) is, in turn, indicated by the dotted red line.

The ro was to be located on the katte-side of the half that does not include the utensil mat. This is what we see in the sketch.

Here Shibayama's version has mata hira-san-jō no ro wo mochi-dashite kiritaru ha, katte no kata, ken-han kutsurogite [又平三疊ノ爐ヲ持出テ切タルハ、勝手ノ方、間半クツロギテ].

The only difference is that the 3-mat room is defined as a hira-san-jō, which means a three-mat room where the utensil mat is located at one of the shorter ends of the room‡. __________ *The word is usually pronounced ma-naka [間半] today; and also, it is more commonly written ma-naka [間中].

†Technically, two kyōma mats placed side by side would give a square that measures 6-shaku 3-sun by 6-shaku 3-sun. Either the author did not know this, or was not concerned about such details (as Nambō Sōkei most certainly would have been).

‡There were two basic ways to orient the mats in a three-mat room:

￮ the fuka-san-jō [深三疊], which (in Book Seven) is said to have been the older version, had the utensil mat on one of the long sides (with the temae-za close to the center of the room);

￮ the naga-san-jō [長三疊], which appeared later, originally had the three mats arranged so they were parallel (left).

Later, though, the two mats used by the guests were arranged so that they were perpendicular to the utensil mat (right).

When the idea of using the utensil mat as if it were a daime-gamae arose (even though the use of a sode-kabe was optional), cutting the ro to the right of the utensil mat also became an option -- and both orientations were also seen (as shown below).

Rikyū’s Tai-an [待庵] (though it included a sode-kabe, and also had an ita-datami [板疊] installed on the left side of the utensil mat) was arranged like the example on the left; Nambō Sōkei’s Shū-un-an [集雲庵], as shown above, took the right version as its model.

⁵Jizai-nado tsuri-sōrō keshiki, sute-gataki sumai ni sōrō to mōshikereba　[自在ナドツリ候氣色、ステガタキスマヰニ候ト申ケレバ].

Jizai [自在] refers to a length of bamboo, with an adjustable wooden hook (made from the crown of a small pine-tree) that is used to suspend the kama over the ro.

Jizai-nado tsuri-sōrō keshiki [自在など釣り候う氣色] means “the visual effect (or mood)* produced by suspending (the kama over the ro) from something like a jizai....”

Sute-gataki sumai ni sōrō to mōshikereba [捨て難き住居に候と申しければ] means “if we argue that it is difficult to throw away this kind of situation....”

The second phrase of the toku-shu shahon version is omoshiroku sute-gataki sumai ni sōrō to mōshikereba [面白ク難捨住居ニ候ト申ケレバ], which means “if we argue that it is difficult to throw away such an interesting sort of place (where the kama is suspended from the ceiling on a jizai)....”

The Sen family only used the jizai in the daime-giri setting†, so the elimination of that venue meant that the tsuri-gama could no longer be used in the small room. And in rooms of 4.5-mats or larger, they always used a metal chain (kusari [鏁]) to suspend the kama. Both of these rules seem to have been originally articulated by Imai Sōkyū. __________ *This is referring to the very special mood that comes from suspending the kama from the ceiling -- since it is impossible to keep the kama from moving once it begins to boil (and so, throughout the temae). This feeling of inherent instability emphasizes the transient nature of the gathering, an idea that became increasingly important as Takuan Sōhō’s ideas began to spread through the Edo tea world.

†Unlike Rikyū, who certainly used it in his 2-mat room with mukō-ro, when serving tea using the small unryū-gama -- according to his own records. (Indeed, there is no other way to use this kama in the ro, since it is too small to rest on the ro-gotoku: this small kama actually fits in between the legs of the gotoku, which was necessary because Rikyū set up the ro at dawn with an ordinary kama, and then replaced that with the small unryū-gama shortly before the guests were expected to arrive -- and the fact that it fits between the legs allowed the small unryū-gama to be suspended so that its mouth was below the level of the ro-buchi).

⁶Kyū-kō waratte, warera mo dō-i ni omou nare-domo　[休公笑テ、我等モ同意ニ思フナレドモ].

Kyū-kō waratte [休公笑って] means Lord Rikyū chuckled to himself.

Only the Sen family (and their followers) referred to Rikyū as Kyū-kō, never his contemporaries.

Warera mo dō-i ni omou nare-domo [我等も同意に思うなれども]: warera [我等も] means us, we; dō-i ni omou naredomo [同意に思うなれども] but I think we share the same thought.

In other words, Rikyū is saying that even though the two-mat room with mukō-ro came first, and so should be considered the orthodox form of the sō-an, he has to agree with Sōkei -- that it would be a shame to repudiate the 2-mat daime just as a matter of principle.

The sentence in Shibayama Fugen’s toku-shu shahon is the same.

⁷Amari se-jō no cha, kuzure yuku-beki tei wo mite, tansoku ni mōsu nari to zo no tamaikeru　[アマリ世上ノ茶、クヅレ行ヘキテイヲ見テ、歎息ニ申也トゾノ玉ヒケル].

Amari se-jō no cha [余り世上の茶] means “but as for the rest of the worldly form of tea” -- the kind of chanoyu practiced by the men of the world.

Kuzure-yuku-beki wo mite [崩れ行くべき体を見て] means “look at the way it will fall into ruin.”

Nagekawashiku ni mōsu nari [歎かわしくに申しなり]* means (we) should say that this (state of things) is deplorable.

To zo no tamaikeru [とぞ給いける] means something like (I am) offering what I have heard.

Aside from taking a pot-shot at the competition (which was something that the Sen family and their followers were always ready to do, particularly as the seventeenth century came to its end with the appearance of the hated daimyō-cha), it is difficult to see how this conclusion is connected with the rest of the passage. The entry looks at Nambō Sōkei’s polite objection to Rikyū’s assertion that he regrets that the sō-an was ever enlarged from the original 2-mats (with mukō-ro) to the ni-jō-daime configuration, and ends with Rikyū’s amused concession that he, too, has a special fondness for this latter version of the sō-an. But how this then serves as an invitation to knock everything else† that was being done “in the world” -- which pointedly is a reference to the modifications being wrought by the recently untethered daimyō (and anyone else who was not part of the Sen family’s machi-shū tradition) -- is beyond me.

The final phrase, as found in Shibayama's version (the punctuation of which has also been changed), is given as nagekawashiku omou yue ni, mōsu nari to zo, no tamaikeru [ナゲカハシク思フ故ニ、申ス也トゾ、ノ玉ヒケル], which means “because (I) think this is deplorable, I am saying it (out loud) -- and passing it on to you.” ___________ *Today nagekawashiku [嘆かわしく] (or, more commonly, nagekawashii [嘆かわしい]) is preferred.

†This statement appears intent on gathering together every other change that had been effected -- except for the creation of the 2-mat daime. Everything else should be repudiated, and chanoyu should be restored to Sōtan’s machi-shū version of the practice (which, far from having anything to do with Rikyū, would have resulted in a restoration of Imai Sōkyū style of tea).

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theteageek · 2 years

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On reading chanoyu-to-wa and the translations of the Nampo Roku

I am torn between my academic side and my pedagogical side when I read the posts. My academic side understands the footnotes with their own embedded footnotes, but my pedagogical side wants to see a coherent curriculum of study, for which the blog's work is an irreplaceable foundation. But I have a problem: the author is writing as if this was hardcopy, i.e. paper. I recall back in my grad student days having at least half a dozen scientific papers arrayed around my desk (or floor for big projects) and busily jumping from one to the other while writing notes. The posts are written in this manner, but a computer screen (or more poignantly, a smart phone screen) does not lend itself to reading this. There are methods to create pop-up footnotes, etc. for computer writing, but I would hazard that Tumblr is not suited to this kind of thing. There are publishing formats for epubs that are 2 paged - one side is the base text, and the other side keeps pace with the footnotes as they appear, although with notes on notes, the reader would have to have a 3 page display. But that is neither here nor there. Let me say a word about what I think is the audience for this blog: I think it is a mix between the simply curious looking to make sense of their school's methods, or at least to understand the roots of their school's evolution in patterns of service in the 500+ years since Rikyu, and those seeking to escape any school's restrictions, and expand their practice, forsaking the menjo system entirely (I fall into this latter group). How we read the work differs, because how we practice also differs. The curious will benefit from the fact that the Nampo Roku is such a mess of edits from different time points and from different points of view. For me and those like me, it is frustrating, because we are in the process of constantly questioning and updating how we do tea, so it almost feels like we are being whipsawed. Further, "we" (the escapees and heretics) have a luxury afforded only to the daimyo and higher aristocracy of the period: we have an extent of equipage and the ability to easily reconfigure our practice spaces that they could only marvel at. Consider my 3 mat tea space with an intercalated board between the service mat and the guest mats - I can at will move my fire across 2 positions of the ro (yojohan, and daime giri) and 2 positions of the furo (in the muko-giro and sumi-giri positions). I can use a take-daisu, a naga-ita, a maru-joku, a full size yamazato-dana, a tsuri-gama (if in the daime giri ro setup) and daime-dana (to emulate a hanging shelf), or simply a koita doing hakobi-demae. I have a doan-buro and a kimen-buro, and 3 kama (large, small and unryu). I can put my chaire on a tray, or not. I can use one of 3 chaire (tall, small, or flat), and likewise 3 chaki (round shouldered, middle-cut or flat with a hinged lid). I can mix and match at will and desire. Rikyu wrote his densho for individuals that were more severely limited - they had what they had. So he had no "curriculum" at all. But with the wealth of translation this blog has provided, we (the heretic readers) have the task to make a curriculum from this assemblage of 100 lines, 300 poems, all the densho, and now the volumes of the Nampo Roku. Given all this, how do I should "teach" those who come to me to learn chanoyu? I start with a shiki-shi, of course, physically laid out on the mat. And I walk across the year through my positions of the fire to teach the principles of placement rather than simply memorizing what goes where for each layout, i.e. kane-wari. I want my students to be able to reason out what goes where, not have to remember it. Their task each time is to count the room, and setup the equipage (given the current position of the fire and the chosen shelf if any) before the guest enters. The procedure of making tea of course never changes, which is the great advantage of following Rikyu. And it is true that at least one of my colleagues in tea has a fixed setup (muko-giri tsuri-gama ro, no shelf) that he never changes, no matter what, and so has a fixed procedure with summer and winter being the only variations he does. In a way, he truly does what Rikyu intended - make his practice a "do-zen". In contrast, I have 8 "seasons" with a different setup for each, with the fire moving from the upper left furo at midsummer through right furo and daime-giri ro to the lower right ro at mid-winter and back again, but it keeps me engaged and forces me to re-examine each time I change the (virtual) shiki-shi and again bring into consciousness the dictates of kane-wari, and thus prevents me from falling into rote brainless behavior. Just thoughts ....

#chanoyu

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ohdaim · 3 years

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tonight, i'm updating an old fic with some absolutely beautiful cover art my friend @elathepenn created for it. i thought she'd posted them on her twitter ages ago, but i can't find them, so here we are:) i really hope they look normal idk how posting images on tumblr works lol

#ravus nox fleuret #ravus nox fleuret/reader #underneath #uh cover image i guess #pls don't flag me plssssssss #it's safe for work #it's very gentlemanly #elathepenn #daim writes #?? i think #might be a #long post

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kezibun · 2 years

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Hey guys!

Soooooooooooooo...

I had quite the surprise when I checked my follower count...

Like... HOW THE HECK? Did I get to 300??

Where did yall come from? Where did ya go? Where did ya... wait... Why are y'all even following me? Like how? XDDD TwT

So I wanna thank you all, yes all 300... and 1.... daim yall must be crazy XDD ^_^

Yes 301 by now... cuz well tbh I jus didn't notice 👉👈

Just thank you everyone!

And special thanks to my beloved mutuals, the loud, the quiet, the ones I technically have actually had little to no contact futher then likes and/or reblogs, and the ones I frequently message! TwT

I appreciate and love you all!!! Thank you for your support 💕

Now how to show my application for y'all???? 🤔

I wanna do something cool!

I'm sure I had thought of something awhile back... but I forget ^^;

I do have an idea for a "through the ages" story thing (similar to the choose-a-date format) where you could pick a time period in my universe, a boi and a few other things to spice it up and then I write a thing for ya.

I'm also thinking of starting some new roleplay soon, I could do that earlier?

Or idk I could do a raffle if y'all want???

Free commissions? For a few of ya??

Some kinda give away?

Ok I'm jus throwing out random stuff rn XDDD

But please let me know what you want as a thank you! If you have any suggestions please tell me!!! Any questions about any of the above throw em my way, I jus really wanna do something cool for you guys real soon ^-^

Thanks again! Y'all are awesome.

#kezi chats #please idk what to do >_<#i wanna treat y'all #300.... wow like du heck???#300 followers #how???#and dude i clear out bots when they follow me so like... ur legit... like actual people who hit follow... why? I'll never know XDDD #i never throught I'd even reach 200...#tbh when i created this account I had 0 intentions of posting anything XDD #didn't think id even get like 10 followers XDD #man... tis crazy...

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loves-quinns · 3 years

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something i really liked about bly manor was the sense that more was happening outside of what we saw - like with daime specifically the pinkie promise, the "i'm not sick of you" line - things like that that seem to reference other conversations/moments that we didn't see. makes the story feel more lived in

Dude I KNOW. like it feels like a full story because they don’t rely on showing us rather than telling. You can tell Dani and Jamie’s relationship is advancing because they have a conversation about feelings and love. You can tell their relationship is advancing because of the car scene. You can tell they’re in love because they’re building a life together and Jamie offers to stay with Dani after the lake. It’s a show built off good writing that doesn’t rely on spelling everything out for us and it makes everything feel more natural.

#answered #thobm #Dani x jamie #damie

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techmomma · 3 years

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General headcanons about the sheikah monks I am fond of:

Their jewelry and bangles are themselves made of technology and amplify/let them do some of their magic/give them new abilities. being made of this ancient technology, and fitting with the Magic Martial Arts Master tropes, the jewelry and bangles are ridiculously heavy. like they’d break your foot if you dropped one on it.

There’s an oddly specific number of veiled monks on the ancient tapestry, and that number is almost the same number as actual veiled monks in the game. you could actually take every veiled monk in the game, and assign their names to every veiled monk in the tapestry, and you’d only have a few leftover. (fewer, if you count eight particular dlc monks). I think this is not a coincidence.

I think the four monks depicted working on the Slate in the ancient tapestry are, in fact, the first four monks you meet on the Great Plateau, and possible creators of the runes their shrines teach you to use. This would be Ja Baij, Keh Namut, Oman Au, and Owa Daim.

While I don’t know if the hats and veils indicate ranks, or indicate certain jobs or talents or skills or certain trials they took, there are a much lower number of monks with both hat and veil, and most seem to be in significant positions; see, the eight most significant monks in the dlc, Ta’loh Naeg the Master Swordsman of Kakariko, Eventide Island, so on. Ergo, I suspect having both hat and veil indicate a higher rank or exalted position.

the shrines are almost illusionary or outside of time, or there’s some kind of magic bullshit that keeps Link from actually dying inside of them.

the monks were either very minutely accurate with prophecy down to microseconds, or if it was a more abstract or general prophetic power, then they are at least partially aware of what is happening outside of their shrines--at least in the immediate area. which uh, likely means they’ve had a peek at whatever’s been going on in hyrule since they enshrined themselves.

they are, in fact, stronger than they were in life; it’s a very common magic martial arts trope that meditation can make you ungodly powerful, able to survive on a bead of dew or the energy of the universe or whatever, that sort of bullshit. the monks have been meditating for centuries. that’s a whole lot of time to grow in strength.

they’re technically alive; the sokushinbutsu, the self-mummifying monks they’re based off of, are generally considered alive in shugendo and buddhism, just in permanent meditation. the monks may be in a similar condition, just with very, very, very slowed down vitals due to their stasis pedestals/meditation. a heartbeat every decade or something of the like.

they enshrined themselves before the banishment of the sheikah; while I suspect the monks would have still obeyed the royal family out of religious/spiritual obligation, I sort of suspect they took a bunch of their technology with them, or were perhaps the main keepers as the most powerful of the sheikah. with the most powerful and technologically apt enshrined in the ground and unable to do anything, the sheikah left were more vulnerable to the Hylians, despite their technological advances.

(yiga clan theory related to this: the yiga clan split ALSO happened some time after the monks enshrined themselves, which meant the yiga had to rediscover old techniques or find old records: hence the yiga using Hylian letters in their teleporting rings, instead of ancient sheikah)

their veils are evolutions/more advanced versions of the Mask of Truth; in addition, the Guidance Stones are evolutions of the Gossip Stones. the two can work together in some way. if the gossip stones were abacuses, then the guidance stones would be the equivalent of smartphones, in terms of evolution. possible connection to the pirate’s charm?

in addition the ones with veils can see just fine; either the veil provides an augmented reality view, or it’s indicative of them seeing through their third eye or sheikah magic mind powers or something

not a headcanon, but a weird thing: why do the spirit orbs look like the champion ability emblems you get after defeating each blight and receiving the champion’s special power?

the shrines are actually very comfy, despite the poses they sometimes take.

the dagger-like instrument that Robbie uses to make the Ancient Arrows was their equivalent of kunai (and Robbie amplified them to make the ancient arrows so terrifying). Robbie’s done the equivalent of strap a magic kunai to an arrow shaft and added some more magic.

Lakna Rokee might be Impa and Paya’s very distant ancestor... or Dorian’s. no there’s no evidence for either but I love the idea okay.

the monks kept their hair long as a cultural thing and you can see remnants of it in the modern sheikah with everyone having enough hair to tie in buns, or just outright very long in the form of Paya and AoC Impa.

there is a myth in ancient china that the first emperor learned writing from the hide of the qilin, a legendary creature. I’m very fond of the ancient sheikah essentially learning the divine coding of the universe via the markings on the Lord of the Mountain’s back

#botw #loz #legend of zelda #sheikah monks #headcanons of miiiiiine

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metanoiamorii · 3 years

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❛Falling for her wasn't falling at all. It was walking into a house and suddenly knowing you're home.❜

♧ Title: Coming Home [CH]

♧ Status: Drafting, honestly

♧ Point of View: Most likely third person, with two, three povs it can jump between

♧ Genre: Fantasy, Adventure, Romance

♧ Warnings: Nudity, violence, attempted murder, eldritch beings, gore, witch hunts, using religion to commit atrocities, deaths, tragic endings, star crossed lovers, tragic romance, mention of past abuse, mention of past torture; I'm sure I'm missing some.

♧ Featuring: A cottage witch and her two eldritch idiots for a good start.... Diverse LGBTQ+ characters, enemies to begrudging allies to friends to lovers to enemies, complicated relationships, morally grey characters, complex and complicated world-building, slow-burn relationships, plenty of symbolism, witches, fantasy religions, found family, cottagecore, character redemption arcs, character corruption arcs; I'm sure I'm missing some but you get the picture!

♧ Setting: Honestly? It's kind of ambiguous as I can't make up my mind where it's set. Overall it's a cute remote cottage these three share. With mention of other places.

♧ Tease: Just because you are feeling lost, it does not mean that you need to go back their way, even if they were the only home you've ever known. You left it for a reason, remember? It is best to stay lost and search for a better home than to return to the home that was never really a home. Build your own home.

♧ Synopsis:

Liraz lives a simple life. Her days are spent alone, with her companion Blodeu. Together they live in seclusion in a cottage in the middle of nowhere. It is as they prefer, for their own safety.

In the mornings, Liraz wakes. She cooks herself breakfast and plans for the day. Until noon she tends to her cottage and her gardens. In the evenings, with Blodeu she ventures into the woodlands nearby and enjoys nature and all she finds. Before she sleeps, she leaves offerings to the spirits and to the gods. She wakes. The cycle repeats.

One night, however, the cycle is interrupted.

First comes a hailstorm as never witnessed before. When she stirs from bed to investigate, the wind calls her by what she is: witch. The next night opposed to a hailstorm and wind, there is a fire that blazes across the entire mountain. The flames too cackle in greeting by what she is: witch. The next night, she meets the spirits that have been interrupting her sleep.

Or so, she had expected spirits. She may have bargained a bit more than she could handle. But she isn't a woman that rejects a challenge.

Ultimately, Liraz comes to an arrangement with the two. Soon, they all fall into a pattern that involves a reliance and acceptance of each other. The company they provide, the cottage is no longer quiet and lonely, and Liraz... Liraz doesn't mind it as much as she should.

♧ Excerpt:

[this is one of the few times I write first person, so enjoy it. This all started since I was writing a journal for this woman in a dnd campaign]

I admit, I must have fallen asleep waiting. It's to my surprise, it did not come during the Witching Hour, but after, in what could be in the early morn, before the suns and moons would chime five. And it was not an it, but a they. It would make far more sense, than it being one entity. Their presence, not such a show as the night before, stirred me from my slumber.

The first clad in dark with skin to rival ice. Off the ground they walked, glided I believe is the right expression, on the wind. And in hand carried a gnarled staff made of ice. The second donned the head of a bird (more a vulture than a raven, I would say), with eyes made of ember and cloaked in a dark mantle of feathers. And they carried a gnarled staff made of fire opal and flames. One singed the earth where they walked, and I knew it was the one that came last night; the other chilled the wind when they breathed, and I knew it was the one that came the night before.

At the boundaries, where the wards began, they stopped. To me, they greeted, in voices that tasted older than anything I have known, "hail witch."

As I moved forward, to stand within my safety, but before them, I returned their greeting. "Hail spirits."

And how they laughed a laugh, one that chilled the air and my very bones, and another that ignited the blood in my veins and sent my heart racing. "We are no spirits."

"Hail daims then." I corrected myself.

And again, they laughed that very very laugh. When they settled, they replied, "you have not a name for what we are… some would call us—"

Although they spoke, I caught not what it was. It felt like a blow that hit hard and forced me back a step. In I took a breath and my ground I stood.

"What do you want from me?" I asked them as I held their eyes.

♧ Characters: Surprisingly, I only have four main characters for you this time. Sure there will be others, but this is their story. Get a taste of simplicity with me.

Ekaterine Liraz, The Cottage Witch

Afab • Genderfluid • She/They • Witch • Asexual • Demiromantic

Liraz is the known witch who lives on her own at the top of the mountain. She lives around and comes to town only for supplies once or twice a month. Her only companion is the owl she keeps and she keeps to herself. She has secluded herself atop her mountain and in her cottage for her own safety, against the urge of he nature for adventure.

Blodeu, the Horned Owl

Male • He/Him • The familiar of Liraz

Blodeu is the faithful familiar of Liraz. He's moody and overprotective of his witch. With his unnerving eye, he keeps away any of the townsfolk who wish ill against Liraz. In return, he enjoys chin scritches, being able to fly the open sky, and being able to accompany his mistress on her endeavors.

Kregznic, or En for short, The Eternal Flame

Agender • They/Them [they will have days in which they will align She/Her and He/Him, but overall it's They/Them and you need permission for anything else] • Great Old One • Asexual • Aromantic

The Keeper of the Flame, En is well known amongst their own kind as a ruthless individual that holds no affection for anything except their other half. They're withdrawn and antisocial, and quick to set anything aflame. The few capable of becoming close to them get to see the unwavering loyalty and support they place, and their devotion to ensure the happiness and security of what they love.

Marzomme, or Moro for short, The Eternal Frost

Genderfluid • He/She • Great Old One • Asexual • Demiromantic

The Keeper of the Ice, Moro is well known by his own kind as a childish. He lacks the care to understand human concepts, but he does enjoy learning their traditions and cultures. Very airheaded, Moro carries a light attitude about him. He's immature and enjoys pulling pranks. Rarely does he share in En's indulgence of ruin and damnation, but when he does... most prefer the Flame.

Taglist: @little-boats-on-a-lake, @zielenbloesem, @cecilsstorycorner

If you would like to be added or removed, feel free to send in an ask, shoot me a dm, or reblog this! 💕

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