#manuscript formatting | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

eternalflowershipping · 1 day ago

Text

A Little Closer [ Repost ]

❄️ Reread this recently and realized it has far too many typos for my liking 🥹 so I edited it and now I'm reposting it 🙏🏾

Summary: two very old friends catch up for the first time in some years.

Mini playlist: A Little Closer ~ ZABADAK | Shield ~ Yoeko Kurahashi | Niyodo ~ Masakatsu Takagi

[ Google drive link ] [ neocities link tba ]

The outskirts of Snowbelle city were mostly thick forest, but there was one small area near its cliffs where its trees grew sparse. Being so out of the way it was mostly untouched, and perpetually quiet except for the sounds of Noctowls crying into the night.

Some remnants of larger, older trees remained. Wide stumps existed as evidence that there must have been a sawmill nearby at some point in the town’s history. Others were damaged by natural causes; AZ massaged his weak knee, sat upon a fallen tree whose body bore the scars of lightning. The last time he visited this particular part of Snowbelle, his heart was heavy with a grudge. That turbulent past seemed so distant now.

Life had become busy for him. Busy, but very fun: his younger brother dragging him to-and-fro, the fact that he’d become something of an historical advisor to one of his nephews, and Floette returning to him… it was strange and exciting to exist in the world again, and in all that excitement he’d nearly forgotten the simple joy of peace and quiet.

More recently, he had begun to aid in the reconstruction of Geosenge Town. The recent chaos that left it half-destroyed still bore its marks upon the land, but everyday it healed a little more. Perhaps a day would return where it was lush and bountiful the same way it was in the distant past.

The memory of his most recent visit still lingered in his mind. The fact that he’d seen something— someone important to him, yet he could not tolerate to look at her for more than a second.

As hard as he tried not to linger on his own short-comings, it was difficult when it came to her. Perhaps, in the future, he could…

While he sat in quiet contemplation, a familiar blue speck appeared in the skies above. When a small black petal fell on his nose, he sneezed, and in response he heard laughter.

Floette floated down before him, and instinctively his hand rose to hold her, pulling her to his cheek in a hug.

“Floette… I was wondering where you went.” He could feel a smile tugging at his lips as she hugged him back in what small way she could.

Floette had grown independent enough that on occasion she would leave without saying anything. In truth, some days he grew anxious with her gone. But he at least knew now she would always return to him.

She grinned, and AZ recognized it as the look she would give him whenever she’d done something naughty. Despite being barely younger than himself, she was an expert when it came to causing mischief. He could appreciate this about her… most of the time.

“...Should I be concerned?” he asked, but only received a giggle in response.

Floette gave him a gesture: You’ve got this! Good luck!

“Ah— what are you referring to? What is it that I need luck with?”

Floette, ignoring his clear confusion, flew above his head and was soon out of sight again.

It was just then that he heard a familiar voice, accompanied by the crunch that comes with footsteps falling in snow: “I don’t see her anymore… do you think she went this way? Or…”

A chill ran through his body as he scrambled to stand. Why would Floette bring her here? Have I not suffered enough?

In his hurry to flee from the scene, AZ stumbled over himself, which resulted in him falling backwards quite inelegantly, his fall cushioned only by the frost below.

“Aries, do you think we should…?”

It was too late to escape now. The woman he’d been dreading an encounter with stood before him. Her expression of shock quickly transformed into annoyance, then a scowl.

The oversized Corviknight that stood beside her made a noise of complaint, but did not put up a fight when Nerine recalled it into its ball.

AZ’s body tensed; there was something about Nerine that always made a nervousness arise within him. He recognized it as a vague feeling of want, though he could not put a name to his desire.

He gazed towards her. Nerine’s simpler clothing indicated she’d just gotten off of work, though he still saw elements of her personal style in her rhinestone frames and rose-lace leggings.

“...Nerine.” AZ attempted to regather himself. He nearly sat up, then an ache in his back led to him giving up on that endeavour.

“Aza.”

She continued towards him. Her long curls fell over her shoulders as she looked down where he laid in the snow. The moon loomed behind her head, framing her in its gentle glow. If not for the pain growing in his lower back, he would’ve thought he was dreaming.

“...Do you need help?” her voice was tinged with a slight irritation, as if she’d repeated herself many times by then, only to remain unheard.

“N…no.” AZ blinked slowly. “I enjoy it here. It is wonderful to be cold.”

“You’re a terrible liar.” Nerine sighed, “Give me your hands.”

Nerine stepped over one of his long legs so she was standing in front of him. She reached for him, and AZ did the same in turn. With a great effort, she stepped backwards in an attempt to help him up.

“You’ve gotten skinnier since I last saw you. How are you still so heavy?”

“I apologize…”

“No need for that. I just think you should take better care of yourself— eep!”

Though AZ was now sitting up, Nerine stumbled against him. Her hands gripped his shoulders to balance herself, and for a brief moment their eyes met.

Her glasses are crooked, he noted. When he reached to adjust them, she let out a soft gasp. For a moment she grew timid, turning her eyes towards nothing in particular. Her hands grew tight upon his shoulders, before relaxing.

“...Now that that’s finished,” Nerine’s voice wavered. “I should really be on my way, don’t you think?”

She stood up straight, and AZ, with all the speed he could muster, reached forward to grasp one of her hands. Her brows knit as a frown formed upon her face, but she did not seem anxious.

“Nerine, wait,” he was shocked by the desperation that arose within his voice. “I ask for only a moment of your time. Please.”

He released her hand as he stood, praying she would not take the opportunity to run off. When he settled himself back onto the fallen tree he was seated on before, he gestured to the empty space next to him; an invitation.

She hummed suspiciously, her eyes narrowing at him… yet she chose to sit down next to him all the same.

“You… seem to be doing well.” AZ mumbled. His sentences were stilted, frozen much like the cold air. “You are very beautiful… ahem. Your kindness to me is a blessing.”

No, that’s not quite right.

“I want to…” he began, but paused. He attempted the word again, want, and struggled to properly shape it. For him, desire and guilt were one and the same, the two emotions tangled together in an unbreakable knot. He could not imagine wanting without shame.

“Nerine,” he began again, “I wish to speak to you.”

“You’re speaking to me right now, aren’t you?”

“Yes,” he conceded, “I am. And I do not wish to waste your time with frivolous matters. It is simply that… erm.”

He thought of their previous encounter, and how he ran from her before she could speak. The key he had gifted to her long ago gripped tightly in hand, he had imagined himself saying Take this back. I want it no more than you do. Seeing her in person, he instead found he missed the visual of it hanging from the pearls of her necklace.

He began to reach for this key that now sat in his pocket. The entire reason why Fleotte brought them together was so he could finally return it to her, he concluded.

As he attempted to grab it, he thought of the circumstances in which he gave her the key to begin with. A parting gift, holding her close as they kissed. He faltered.

“I am afraid you may think strangely of me, or… of my intentions. I wish to speak to you,” he repeated, “but I do not know what it is I wish to say. I apologize.”

Silence filled the space between them. He half expected her to decide she was wasting her time here, and that she had better things to do than to deal with his foolishness…

But she laughed. Warm and genuine. Had he been standing, the sound alone would have been enough to make him stumble again.

“At least you’re honest about it!” she snickered. “I’m not entirely sure what I want to say to you, either.”

AZ felt his shoulders relax at her words, before he wheezed out a laugh as well.

He had always imagined an encounter between them to be filled with bitter vitriol, but here they were, both uncertain.

“We…” he inhaled, “We two are quite similar, are we not? In many ways..”

The words were coming easily to him now. She was still his dear friend, despite the time that has passed between them, despite the circumstances of their shared past.

“The very thing that brought us closer as children created a rift between us as adults. I feel as if during our previous time together, there is much that went unsaid. I was not fully authentic in the ways I expressed my feelings for you— my feelings towards you,” he corrected. “I regret my lack of patience during our time together. It is a great misfortune that I am still so immature.”

She leaned forward to touch his knee. Her expression was warm… he’d nearly forgotten how much he enjoyed seeing her smile.

“What are you talking about…? I mean— I know about me, but you’ve grown so much. You don’t seem as angry as you were in the past.”

“It is true that anger no longer consumes me… but I have not yet learned to cope with it,” he sighed, “I have quite the talent for repression.”

“Well, so do I.”

“Yet another way in which we are similar!”

“Don’t say it like it’s something to be proud of!” Her faux-anger was made obvious by the laughter in her voice.

“And besides—” she exhaled, clutching a hand to her chest, “And besides! Both of us were fools to even think it would be a good idea to…”

She sighed, turning away from him. Her shoulders fell slack; the energy she had just a moment ago had been sapped in an instance. AZ watched her, waiting for her to speak again.

“At least… I was foolish, thinking that things could work out between us.” her voice was small. AZ was reminded of her youth, and how she’d rarely speak unless spoken to. “It must sound pathetic to you, but I thought… maybe if I acted so perfect, if I was so wonderful and sublime, you wouldn't want anything else. It was selfish of me. I knew your true desires were elsewhere, but I still wanted to keep you all to myself.”

“Nerine…” His hand lifted slowly, uncertainly, before reaching towards her. His fingers brushed against her cheek. She flinched away from him at first, but soon allowed her cheek to rest against his palm.

“I am no better. I was selfish as well…” He watched her brow furrow, her dark eyes swirling with uncertainty. “A smarter man would have treated you as the beautiful and gentle woman you are, and not as….”

He trailed off. There was a time where he looked upon Nerine and saw not a person, but a great city— a kingdom. The very same he had abandoned so many years ago. He wished to dedicate himself to her in the hopes he could find a way to forgive himself.

When Nerine began to tremble, whether from the cold or the conversation itself, any reluctance AZ held melted away. He collected her into his arms, and settled her between his long legs. Her arms hovered around his body for a brief moment before she decided to place her hands on his back in an awkward embrace. Though it had been so long since they last sat together like this, the feeling of her body leaning against him still felt so familiar.

“You must have wanted the same thing I did…” He leaned over her, his face burying itself against the cotton-candy of her hair. Nerine, in turn, laid her head against his chest. “To cling desperately to a city whose walls fell long ago. I was unhappy as king. Yet every now and again, my heart longs to return there.”

“Recently,” he continued, “I decided that I no longer wish to be prisoner to my nostalgia. If I am to keep living, it must be in the present. I assume you feel similarly?”

“I do. I… I know exactly how you feel. it’s funny, isn’t it…? I always felt as if I didn’t belong in the world when I was younger. Like I was something the gods mistakenly tossed down to Earth. At the same time, it’s… scary. To change yourself, or the circumstances around you. To be forced from your old routines, your old life. Maybe that’s why it was so hard to…”

“To engage with one another as we are now.” AZ finished, “I can’t imagine you would look upon me, and still see a king…

“Well… I do a little bit. It comes out in the way you talk sometimes. But for the most part… no. More than anything, you come across as a strange old man.”

“Strange, am I…? Hah. When I look at you… I see a very fashionable, very hot-headed young woman.”

“Aza.” her voice turned cold. “I am older than you.”

“Would the lady deny a compliment…?” AZ chuckled, “Fine then… a fashionable, hot-headed woman… who, like me, is an old crone.”

She jolted with a gasp. “Oh, you’re just terrible! I’d rather you call me a young lady if you’re going to say all that!”

She cackled, and AZ grinned, feeling emboldened by the knowledge that he could still make her laugh. He couldn’t help but to smile.

“My point is, Lady Nerine… you offered me a great kindness, allowing me to live out a fantasy of the past. I took advantage of this. I did not allow myself to truly know the person you’ve become. For that, I am greatly sorry.”

“W-what are you talking about!?” Nerine gawked, as if he’d just told her some unbelievable news. “If anything, I was the one taking advantage of you. You had much more important things to worry about than trying to make me of all people happy. I was just wasting your time.”

“Lady Nerine… my time spent with you was not time wasted. Despite how things ended up, I would not have allowed myself to idle with you for so long if I did not find it valuable.”

Nerine grew quiet after hearing his words. He could feel her arms tighten around him. Her eyes flickered up at him, then away.

“Well, I… erm…” Nerine searched for her word for what must have been a full minute. “I am sorry as well. It was cruel of me to expect something out of you that you wouldn't have been able to give in the first place.”

“...Lady Nerine, thank you.”

With their apologies now out in the open, and the bond between them still unbroken, the two turned to idle chatter:

You know, I saw that parade… how unlike you, to go marching in front of a crowd like that. …Oh? You’ve been talking to your brother again, too? I’m happy for you, though I’m sure he’s as obnoxious as ever. How has your work been? …You’ve been to Galar recently? No, I wouldn’t find it boring. Please tell me; I wish to know…

Neither realized how much time had passed until the sun began to peer over the horizon, illuminating the sparse forest with its golden glow. AZ had grown so accustomed to Nerine’s natural warmth, that for a moment he neglected to consider that the heat he felt now was from the coming of day.

“Ah—” Nerine began, “...Oh, that’s right. Tomorrow… or today, I guess… is my day off. You’re lucky… I would’ve had to scold you otherwise.”

Sleepiness had turned her voice soft; she punctuated her sentence with a yawn, looking very much like she were mere seconds away from falling into a deep slumber.

“I apologize for keeping you so long...” AZ replied, though he was not very sorry at all. Speaking to her was a pleasure. When he shifted to keep her from falling over with sleep, he felt something cold and metallic in his pocket. In the excitement of their long conversation, he’d nearly forgotten about it.

“Nerine�� there is… one more thing I wished to discuss with you.” she must have noticed the tenseness of his voice. She pulled away from him for a brief moment so that she could look up at his face, a small frown on her lips.

AZ reached into his pocket, and slowly pulled out the butterfly-shaped key. To most it would have appeared oversized, but it sat perfectly in the palm of AZ’s hand. When he presented it to Nerine, her sleepiness seemed to disappear all at once. She opened her mouth with the intention of speaking, but no words came out.

Gazing upon it again caused an odd sensation to stir within him. His free hand lifted to touch where his own key would have laid had it not been destroyed. He’d grown so accustomed to its weight around his neck, he often forgot it was not still there.

“The last time we met with one another, you told me to take this, and claimed that you wish to never lay eyes upon it ever again. I… do not believe your words then were genuine. I do not want to assume, but I must imagine this key means a great deal to you. And one day, you would begin to miss it…”

Nerine continued to stare wordlessly at the key in his hand. Beneath the rising sun, it glittered. Though it had been long buried at the bottom of his pack, it still shined as if it had been polished every day.

“Do you, erm… wish to have it returned…?” he could feel his chest grow tight; he hadn't realized how scared he was of the possibility she'd reject it.

“Aza… do you remember what this key symbolizes? Not just for me, but for both of us.”

“Of course…”

“Do you…” she paused, playing idly with the frayed end of his scarf. She looked for a moment as if she remembered something, but did not say what it was. “...still feel that way towards me now?”

“I am…” he pried apart the question in his mind. How did he feel about her? He found her beautiful, and being with her just felt right. But did he love her in that way, even now? ”not certain.”

“In that case, I can’t take it from you. Not right now. Not until you’re certain.” She rose against him, sitting on her knees so that they were eye level.

“You’re right in your assumption. I miss it dearly. But to accept it from you would be to accept its long history as well. I’m not ready for that just yet.”

“I don’t know how I feel towards you either,” she continued, “I just know I would like some time. I think that would be best for both of us.”

She pushed up beneath his long bangs, until her lips lingered next to his ear. “There’s no need to rush things, right…? We have all the time in the world.” Her words were a mere whisper, carried to him by the gentle breeze. He caught the word we and held it. She wants this for both of us. His hands pulled her into a tighter embrace. Even if she does not love me now, she is willing to try.

I must become someone worthy of her.

“Until you are ready for it, I shall keep it safe. Is that agreeable to you?”

“I would appreciate it very much if you did. Thank you…”

“Lady Nerine… you are very sweet.” the fact that she would even consider giving him a chance made his heart feel full. He watched as a blush crept across her face, and grinned. “I am glad I had this opportunity to talk to you.”

“Yes, well… I suppose we have a certain little flower fairy to thank for that, don’t we?”

“Mhm. It is not the first time she has forced me to have a conversation I had been putting off.”

“How unsurprising! You know, despite being a former king… you’re very easy to boss around.”

“What can I say? I live to serve.”

Nerine squeezed his shoulders, her eyes gazing upwards at him. The soft wind had blown her hair into disarray. Since she was in her work attire, her makeup, somewhat messy after so many hours spent awake, was done in a simple style. He focused then on the plum colour that was painted onto her lips, which remained vivid. Something stirred within his breast, some strange excitement that reminded him of his teen years, of the joy and anxiety of holding a girl’s hand for the first time.

He found himself leaning towards her, one of his hands tangling itself in the soft pink of her hair. Nerine in turn pulled his scarf, bringing him closer.

The moments their lips met, AZ was struck with a realization; I’ve missed this. He curled a finger in the long coils of her hair, while Nerine’s grip on his scarf grew tight, as if she was determined not to let him go until she had her fill of him.

When she finally pulled away, Nerine blinked slowly. Her body jolted with the realization of what had just happened between them, her cheeks darkened with blush.

“Um. Well, um. Thank you for, um… thank you.”

“Y-yes, thank you as well…”

“I should probably be heading home now…”

“Yes, of course. It has been quite a few hours, hasn’t it?”

Nerine stood, and pulled her coat tighter around herself. Though her gaze was fixed firmly at the ground beneath her feet, he watched as she brought a hand up to her mouth, her finger brushing softly against her lips.

After a few brief steps forward, she stopped to look at AZ over her shoulder.

“...Will I see you again soon?” her voice was barely above a whisper; had he not been so fixated on her in that moment he likely would not have heard it.

“If you would allow me, I would cherish an opportunity to visit you.”

“Don’t be a stranger then, alright? You know where to find me.” She turned to face him, and AZ noticed that her lipstick was slightly smeared. “Well, then… goodbye for now.”

AZ watched as her figure disappeared beyond the small clearing of trees, and became little more than a speck on the horizon. It was only when she was completely out of sight that he realized how much tension he’d been holding: his shoulders fell slack, and he breathed as if it were his first in centuries.

The sun finished its ascent, and the world was swathed in its golden light. The perpetual snowfall that laid in the forest was illuminated with a speckled glow. He was much too distracted to take in the scenery before him. Were he younger he might have chased after Nerine, but for now…

He outstretched an arm, holding one of his hands open. Soon, Floette fluttered down into his hand, her expression as innocent as ever.

AZ poked her small forehead with his index finger, a frown on his face.

“I should scold you,” he huffed. “Look at the situation you’ve gotten me in.”

Floette blinked at him slowly, as if she were confused as to what he was referring to. But AZ knew better than to fall for her tricks.

“Fine then. I admit it. I’ve… missed her.” when she merely giggled at him, his indignant tone softened. “...I would very much like to see her again. Sooner, rather than later. that is what you wanted to hear, yes?”

Floette nodded. If you want her to love you again… you have to put in the work! And… I think she wants the same from you, too.

“The things I would do for even a fraction of your energy…”, he sighed. But he knew her words were true. If this was something he wanted… he could not fall victim to his own passiveness.

Just a few years ago, such a task would seem daunting to him. And in truth, he was still scared. But he would be a fool to squander this opportunity to start over with her.

“I will… pursue this. It is something I want,” he said it firmly now, knowing how intensely his heart desired this. “Though if I am to do this… I have one request for you.”

What is it? Floette gasped.

“...Never do anything like this again.”

Floette pouted, but did not complain. When AZ finally stood, she squeezed herself into the curve of his scarf. He had no doubt that she’d eavesdropped on the long entirety of his conversation with Nerine, and would be asleep for the next few hours.

Careful as to not wake her, AZ began to step forward, a renewed sense of purpose now guiding him onwards.

#eternalflowershipping #📜 manuscripts #sorry for formatting issues 🥹 posting from mobile cuz my busted ass laptop #cant handle having gdocs and tumblr open at the same time

10 notes · View notes

cuties-in-codices · 2 years ago

Note

Where do you find these manuscripts? Is it like a website or do you find it randomly??

hey, thanks for the curiosity! lenghty answer below the cut :)

medieval manuscripts are typically owned by libraries and showcased on the library's websites. so one thing i do is i randomly browse those digitized manuscript collections (like the collections of the bavarian state library or the bodleian libraries, to name just two), which everybody can do for free without any special access. some digital collections provide more useful tools than others (like search functions, filters, annotations on each manuscript). if they don't, the process of wading through numerous non-illustrated manuscripts before i find an illustrated one at all can be quite tedious.

there are databases which help to navigate the vast sea of manuscripts. the one i couldn't live without personally use the most is called KdIH (Katalog der deutschsprachigen illustrierten Handschriften des Mittelalters). it's a project which aims to list all illustrated medieval manuscripts written in german dialects. the KdIH provides descriptions of the contents of each manuscript (with a focus on the illustrations), and if there's a digital reproduction of a manuscript available anywhere, the KdIH usually links to it. the KdIH is an invaluable tool for me because of its focus on illustrated manuscripts, because of the informations it provides for each manuscript, and because of its useful search function (once you've gotten over the initial confusion of how to navigate the website). the downside is that it includes only german manuscripts, which is one of the main reasons for the over-representation of german manuscripts on my blog (sorry about that).

another important database for german manuscripts in general (i.e. not just illustrated ones) is the handschriftencensus, which catalogues information regarding the entirety of german language manuscripts of the middle ages, and also links to the digital reproductions of each manuscript.

then there are simply considerable snowball effects. if you do even just superficial research on any medieval topic at all (say, if you open the wikipedia article on alchemy), you will inevitably stumble upon mentions of specific illustrated manuscripts. the next step is to simply search for a digital copy of the manuscript in question (this part can sometimes be easier said than done, especially when you're coming from wikipedia). one thing to keep in mind is that a manuscript illustration seldom comes alone - so every hint to any illustration at all is a greatly valuable one (if you do what i do lol). there's always gonna be something interesting in any given illustrated manuscript. (sidenote: one very effective 'cheat code' would be to simply go through all manuscripts that other online hobbyist archivers of manuscript illustrations have gone through before - like @discardingimages on tumblr - but some kind of 'professional pride' detains me from doing so. that's just a kind of stubbornness though. like, i want to find my material more or less on my own, not just the images but also the manuscripts, and i apply arbitrary rules to my search as to what exactly that means.)

whatever tool or strategy i use to find specific illustrated manuscripts-- in the end, one unavoidable step is to actually manually skim through the (digitized) manuscript. i usually have at least a quick look at every single illustrated page, and i download or screenshot everything that is interesting to me. this process can take up to an hour per manuscript.

---

in conclusion, i'd say that finding cool illuminated manuscripts is much simpler than i would have thought before i started this blog. there are so many of them out there and they're basically just 'hidden in plain side', it's really astounding. finding the manuscripts doesn't require special skills, just some basic experience with/knowledge of the tools available. the reason i'm able to post interesting images almost daily is just that i spend a lot of time doing all of this, going through manuscripts, curating this blog, etc. i find a lot of comfort in it, i learn a lot along the way, and i immensely enjoy people's engagement with my posts. so that's that :)

#if you ever have any specific questions about any of these tools or my strategies feel free to ask or dm me #i'd also be interested in recommendations of databases that are specific to other languages/regions that are neither german nor english #preferably with a focus on illuminated manuscripts #or useful databases that are just not very well known #ask #medieval art #medieval studies #btw @anon sorry for only getting around to answering your ask now #and re: your following message. first of all never apologize for your english skills. like ever #it's a daily struggle for me as well tbh. i never post anything without german/english dictionary tabs open lol #and i feel like i 'owe' it to the tumblr blogger format to write in smooth english #secondly your question wasn't dumb at all! i'm glad somebody asked :)

148 notes · View notes