Literature, poetry and poll

The previous update introduced a lot more conversations for the npcs with the new talk mechanic. After we tested it with Mina and played a bit with Iron Chest, we added one topic that was dear to our hearts to almost each npc with the talk mechanic: books.  

We gave a favourite book to each character. My favourite conversation is with Pyra and Pyris where they are living in their world where "draconic beings" are supreme and above all other beings as foodies, developing methods to indulge their palate. Nonetheless....Ximena...Came out like a thousand bucks with this image, re-imagining her as Clara Barcelo from Shadow of the Wind from Ruiz Zafon (a blind lady where lavender and rose being significant).  An incredible "coming of age" story.

Had a lot of fun thinking what kind of book would fit Priya and then it hit me: something she does not herself truly understand would be what lingers as most impactful. Judge Ooka Tadasuke and Mullah Nasrudin. The first being a famous judge in Japan with wonderful, inspiring stories of wit, insight and profound wisdom. While Mullah Nasrudin/Nasr al-din is a character of similar depth in terms of insight and wisdom, though often revealing idiosynchrasies, hyprocrisy and more. Something that Priya cannot comprehend a holistic approach to others that is beyond the clinical approach. She sees the world as that of physics, chemistry, natural laws and systematically disregards the spirit, the nature of the soul, so it is only normal she would struggle and thus, be intrigued. I laughed so hard at re-imagining her as Mullah.  

Nefer-Katebet was also a difficult one, quoting lines from sutras, religious texts, the Q'ran, the Bible or others that I can remember would have been easy. The perfume of Suskind then came in mind. Where she would be fascinated by the beauty of the women and seeing the quest of Grenouille as a metaphor for the quest towards the Divine rather than that of someone alienated to human nature.

Taylor touched me the most. I had not revisited old slavik or nordic tales since I was very young. Reading them again as an adult brought tears and moved me beyond what I could imagine. I sat there reading those old poems with tears rolling down my cheeks, a lamp stand as my only source of light last week, in the dark hours of the night. How can one write something so beautiful?  

She remained before his eyes, as though he could never look away" 

(Gazhov "Golden hair") . I posted this one on Discord. For long minutes I stood, simply contemplating the idea: to look at someone and be so immersed that one can never take one's eyes away. Or to be looked upon in such a manner. What would it feel, how profound would be that experience? 

And the Bylina ....How...I take hundreds of words, barely capable of evoking a single emotion and then...with a few lines...carry the whole world. Should you ever want to read them, please read translations of the old poems and not modern imitations/re-imagining.: 

O thou, wide earth, my mother, 

Thou hast borne the forests and the rivers; 

Thou givest bread to the humble ploughman, 

And strength to him who walks upon thee. 

I laughed and I cried reading those lines.  When my awe, wonder and sense of feeling overwhelmed by what was contained in those words subsided, a feeling of rage and hatred arose within me: I will never be able to write something like that. . . an ant walking along a blade of grass watching mother nature herself. Yet maybe, if one does not try, how can one be so sure? I had to pause and meditate a bit, calm down my inner fury and simply learn to let go of the folly of wanting to be capable of such a literary, wise and poetic expression, without even trying, giving myself a chance. It quickly reminded me of a haiku I read over the shoulder of someone who was reading it on a bus one time and thus, shall butcher it trying to translate it: 

"Those few words written on the corner of a napkin 

Feel more real than the rest of my whole life" 

When we witness something that has more weight, more depth than the rest of all our life. A call to strive and do even better, at least for me. 

I will leave you with a few more lines from a Byliny: 

In the white world, beneath the heavens, 

The rivers flow and the forests sleep; 

But the glory of heroes passes, 

And the earth her secrets keeps. 

And: 

The moon shone pale upon the helmet, 

The stars burned cold above the wood; 

The hero listened to the sleeping earth, 

And thought of all that once was good. 

P.S.

I read them again and again and again over the last few days, discovering something new every time. Feeling so small and those few words so vast. A beautiful ode to all the beautiful, incredible possibilities that await us in life.

P.S.S.

We are introducing a tomboy at the request of Discord members, now you get to choose for the male version:

The Australian Blue Heeler will help you train the animals in group sessions, making it easier to help them maintain a healthy lifestyle reducing disease and parasite chances.

And so! The question is: do you want

A. an athletic athlete male version

B. an athletic trap/crossdresser tomboy