#but still revered and treasured as art thousands of years later

[ofcruelheart]

* ◟ : 〔 DEVON AOKI , CIS WOMAN + SHE / HER 〕 AZUSA FUJIWARA , some say you’re a THIRTY SEVEN YEAR OLD lost soul among the neon lights. known for being both HEADSTRONG and IMPULSIVE, one can’t help but think of MIZU SUITE by AMIE DOHERTY when you walk by. are you still a CAPO, FREELANCE MERMAID for THE DEAD HAND, SELF-EMPLOYED, even with your reputation as THE BLACK PEARL? i think we’ll be seeing more of you and LUMINESCENT PEARLS AND SHELLS INLAID WITHIN THE HILT OF KATANAS, BARE FEET DANCING UPON SHATTERED GLASS AS THEY WOULD UPON AN OCEAN FLOOR, RUEFULLY STARING INTO THE HORIZON AND DENYING YOUR OWN HOMESICKNESS, although we can’t help but think of MIZU ( BLUE EYE SAMURAI ) + OYUKI ( LADY SNOWBLOOD ) + YOR FORGER ( SPY X FAMILY ) whenever we see you down these rainy streets.

Name: Azusa Fujiwara Age: 37 Pronouns: She/Her Orientation: Bisexual Affiliation, Role: The Dead Hands, Capo Occupation: Previously, an ama, a pearl diver--she will always consider herself as such; currently a freelance mermaid Notable Attributes: Cutting, thrilling dark eyes, hair the color and luminescence of undyed silk trailing down to her waist, unrivaled agility, a siren's grace in and out of water but a sailor's mouth, literally deranged logic Tropes: Silk Hiding Steel, Disproportionate Retribution, Lady of War, Didn't Think This Through, Insane Troll Logic, Lightning Bruiser

tw: murder

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海女

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Their lineage trace its origins to ama during the Heian period—Japanese divers plunging into the depths for pearls and abalone, offerings destined for shrines or emperors. The women of the family mastering the art of reading tides and waves, rendering their descent into the abyss more fruitful. They wear white in their dives to symbolize purity and to ward away sharks. Sometimes they wear nothing at all. Their pearls delicately grace the bosoms of consorts, and their abalones, plump and fat, bedeck the altar. Among ama, they are revered.

Nearly two thousand years later, the demands in their craft and the bounty of their catches dwindle. While the pearl cultivation technique has since developed, and ama divers are no longer required, its success wouldn’t have been possible without their contribution. Her lineage, in particular, has transformed into a tourist attraction at Mikimoto Pearl Island, captivating visitors with their daily diving demonstrations at the museum. It is a humiliation, her mother bemoans, a far cry from their days of lining crowns and shrines with pearls, but she is in the minority. The rest of their kin, and the other ama, are grateful there is still a place for them at all to share their art. Azusa thinks the act of serving has simply shifted. From shrines and emperors to tourists and gift shops.

In spite of this, they find she is a marvel underwater, carving through currents and waves like a knife, emerging from the depths with oysters cradling the largest, roundest pearls. She remains silent as they are transported to the museum shop, celebrated as treasures hand-captured by one of Japan's oldest pearl-diving lineages. Her demonstrations at the museum become among the most beloved, thanks in part to her showmanship—how she entertains the crowds with graceful acrobatics during her dives, earning her the moniker 'The Mermaid of Mikimoto' for her swift maneuvers beneath the cresting waves and her enigmatic smile as she unveils the bounty concealed within an oyster.

It is during one of her demonstrations that she notices a group of foreigners engaged in boisterous conversation, their laughter permeating the air, accompanied by remarks about her speaking. Annoying and somewhat distracting, she dismisses it from her mind. Only when she splits open an oyster does she cast a glance their way once more. A man makes a crude gesture towards her, signaling to his companions in an unmistakable manner. Fury pulses through her veins, though her countenance betrays nothing.

Chaos ensues only in the night, when the museum and the island shuts down for the evening, and onto the next day. The foreigner, the very same who had made the crude gesture, is found washed up on the island's shores. Her kin know there is only one to blame. To save her from punishment, they send her off to America, to New York, to live with her father, far from all she's ever known.

Her father, as it turns out, presides over another enduring lineage in the city—matchmakers. Having garnered the favor of the city's oldest families, ethical or not, his lineage boasts a storied history of uniting esteemed families. It is not a vocation that suits her, they quickly find out, but it is through a misfire that she becomes entwined with another - The Dead Hands.

Her acrobatics, athleticism, and penchant for violence lend themselves well to the organization, and cloaked in the whispers of iridescent silk, her presence is a dance of shifting hues, a reflection of the depths she once navigated as a pearl diver and the new depths she cuts through now. Her weapons, adorned with luminescent pearls, tell tales of her past. Each blade is a crafted tribute to the ocean's treasures, now wielded with the deftness of a capo. Her steps leaves no ripples, just as a drowning leaves nothing in its wake.

SUMMARY: Rooted in the ancient tradition of ama during the Heian period, Azusa's lineage, a revered group of Japanese divers, once plunged into the depths to retrieve pearls and abalone for offerings to shrines and emperors. Over the centuries, their craft transformed into a tourist attraction at Mikimoto Pearl Island, with Azusa herself captivating audiences with her breathtaking underwater prowess, earning her the title 'The Mermaid of Mikimoto.' However, a disturbing encounter with disrespectful foreigners during a demonstration leads to a tragic turn of events. To avoid punishment for the death of one of the offenders, Azusa is sent to live with her father in America, only to discover his involvement in a prestigious lineage of matchmakers. Unsuited for such endeavors, Azusa's trajectory takes a darker turn when her skills attract the attention of The Dead Hands, an organization that sees her acrobatics, athleticism, and penchant for violence as valuable assets. Cloaked in iridescent silk and wielding weapons adorned with luminescent pearls, Azusa's journey weaves together the depths of her past as a pearl diver with the newfound shadows she navigates in her capo role.

WANTED CONNECTIONS:

an expansion of how she became involved in the dead hands - perhaps she set up an ill-fated match with one of its members? perhaps she became involved in an ill-fated match??

her daytime occupation is a freelance mermaid, which, to her is a humiliating perversion of the art she had practiced. hire her for your pool parties or adult soirees!

more of her past matchmaking misfires coming back to bite her in the ass lol and no, she can't issue refunds

a handler tbh, she is a menace

[kaizokuou-ni-naru]

The Voyage So Far: Skypiea

east blue (1 | 2) || alabasta (1 | 2) || skypiea || water 7 || enies lobby || thriller bark || paramount war (1 | 2) || fishman island || punk hazard || dressrosa (1 | 2) || whole cake island || wano (1 | 2)

the bar scene in jaya is one i didn’t really get the first time i read it- like nami, i mostly found luffy and zoro’s refusal to fight back frustrating more than anything else. i didn’t realize the connection to shanks in the prologue until someone else pointed it out awhile later, but when i did, it made me appreciate the entire sequence and luffy’s choices a lot more. 

honestly, i know this is one of the pages that gets the most attention from jaya, and it absolutely deserves it. blackbeard here is effectively dropping one of the biggest main themes of the series- people’s dreams don’t end!!- and how interesting that we get that delivered by the antagonist to the protagonist, instead of the other way around? how often do you see a series do that? 

and the line hits. look at the emphasis. there’s absolutely nothing on these two pages except for the three strawhats, blackbeard, and blackbeard’s line, bigger than anything else. 

chapter 232, with luffy punching out bellamy in one hit is still, to this day, probably my favorite one piece chapter. it opens with the drunk pirate seeing the newspaper with luffy’s hundred million bounty and realizing just who bellamy was kicking around, and it hits on one of my favorite plot threads of one piece- the growing infamy of the strawhats and luffy in particular, and their rise in the world. 

the atmosphere of the whole scene is so good, the tension in their air, the way all the bar patrons jump when luffy yells for bellamy to come out- and when the hit comes, the satisfaction is visceral. 

i’ve talked about it before, but god, i LOVE the way one piece defines “romance”- the arthurian kind of romance, the adventurous kind, that romanticizes the world and its wonders- romance dawn. in an arc as thematically heavy as jaya, it makes sense that it, too, is explicitly brought up. can you think of a more romantic, impossible adventure than traveling to the sky?

nami’s confidence when faced with the task of navigating into the sky is so fantastic. 

the expressions, and the art in general, in skypiea, are really so lovely. look at the variety between the strawhats when they first emerge from the white-white sea to lay eyes on angel island. look how expressive they all are!! i have such a soft place in my heart for the art in these earlier arcs, honestly.

somewhat related to the above: there are so many little moments in skypiea where the strawhats just get to have FUN, and be stupid, and get fleshed out more as characters, and honestly it’s such a delight. also, everyone’s skypiea outfits were just really really good. cowboy hat robin... i miss u every day 

i really like the whole scene where robin is exploring the ruins, and these panels in particular have such a lovely sort of ethereal look to them. i love seeing robin doing archeology, i think for the same reason i love to see sanji cooking- the strawhats are all such cool and passionate people, and it’s really really nice to see them doing and talking about the things they love and excel at most. 

i’m sure i’ve said it before but i LOVE how logia powers are depicted, especially when used to avoid an attack. it’s so cool. ace’s cover story runs through most of this arc, and we get some great examples of it there as well. 

1. wife 

2. skypiea is SUCH a good character-building arc for robin- which is good, because the next saga is almost entirely predicated on how much both the audience and the strawhats care about her. it’s here where we learn about her passion for archeology, her reverence for history, and get a much better look at the softer sides of her personality and her fast-growing admiration and affection for the strawhats. 

man, enel has so many huge, terrifyingly powerful shows of force throughout this arc, but this right here, this little sequence where he appears behind raki between panels without warning and we see him reflected in her eye, communicates better than absolutely anything else just why he’s a nightmare.

“jonny you sure are posting a lot of panels of zoro being cool without any real commentary” yeah. he kicks ass in this arc 

conis is a very underrated character, i think. she’s pretty easy to overlook, but she also manages to completely break the indoctrination she’s been raised into and gambles her own life to save most of the population of angel island from complete extermination. she yells that she doesn’t recognize enel as god, an instant death sentence at any other time, just to get them to listen to her. 

there’s a moment, in this scene, where a boy throws a rock at her for insulting enel, and she just stands there, and lets the blood trickle down her face, and keeps making her case. honestly, i really like her.

look at this page. look how it’s framed. luffy in the foreground, taking up most of the page- enel in the background, tiny, inconsequential. 

now that’s how you draw god’s natural enemy. 

this is one of my favorite nami character moments in the whole manga. nami is a greedy person. she has a lot of things she wants. it’s one of her defining traits. 

but when faced with someone with godlike power, offering her absolutely anything she wants if she’ll just abandon her friends and come with him- she doesn’t want anything, for that price, even with her life on the line if she declines. she knows exactly what her treasure is. 

obviously this is an awesome panel, but sanji’s little smile just before enel strikes him is what really, really makes it for me. he’s about to get slammed with several thousand volts of lightning, but more importantly, nami and usopp are going to be safe. 

the skypiea flashback is one of my very favorites, and also the first time one piece ever made me cry. i nearly cried just flipping through it again for this post. it’s just so fucking devastating.

noland never stopped looking, and calgara never stopped waiting, and neither of them ever lost faith in each other despite how badly they fell out at the end, and wow, that just kills me. but at the same time, it makes the way the flashback and the main story come together at the end so satisfying and cathartic.

i do think skypiea has one of the best climaxes of any arc. the way all the disparate elements and plot threads- enel, the story of noland and calgara, the war between the skypieans and shandians, cricket’s search down on jaya- come together and tie up so perfectly that the entire arc can be ended by the ringing of a single massive bell is nothing less than genius writing. 

i really love the establishment of roger’s poneglyph message and all the things it implies here. it raises so many questions, most of which we’ve only now gotten answered, in wano. oda’s capacity for long-term storytelling is one of his greatest strengths, and this is probably one of my favorite examples of it. (see also, in jaya when sanji mentions offhand that he was born in north blue.)

i just really love seeing them all smiling, and i love the parallels to calgara and noland’s sendoff here. feels like a wound finally healing, after four hundred years. 

and, of course, it ends with cricket, asking what crazy, romantic dream they’re going to chase down next. because this is one piece!! just because you find the end of one rainbow doesn’t mean you stop looking for the next one. 

[c-atm]

Fighting Flirty: Character Select PT4 (Act 4.2)

A five minute break, and Alex discovers her muse

Ok, you two take five, and then we'll do some official art recreations," Alex announced, as she looked through the pictures on her camera. Her smile growing larger at each new pic "Ey, do you guys want every photo in an album or what?"

"Uhh?!" Steven started before turning to the woman on his lap.

"YES!" The eagerness in her voice caught Steven off guard. "I don't ever want to forget this feeling, this day, these moments," Connie added in a low admiring tone.

"Neither do I," he kissed her neck, getting her to squeal in delight. 

"Well said." Alex agreed. "Still, it's hard not to think of you as a romantic couple, with the way you two carry-on and all this shipping gold in my hands." She sighed," If only I were an illustrator, instead of a photographer. You two would be perfect fanart subjects…Though I wonder if 'fanart' even works here in this pretense."

"Why wouldn't it?" Connie asked as she leaned back, caressing Steven's whiskered chin.

"Well, you're not fictional characters or celebrities. So maybe it'll just be art."

"I have, you know,  you are in the presence of a very successful Tube-Tube star." Connie asserted, implying a prideful thumb at Steven, evoking a laugh from the hybrid and the slyest of smirks from the photographer.

"Is that so." Alex rubbed her chin, mischievously. "How many subscribers you gathered, Steven?"

"My personal channel is at 680+ thousand  but ...Our s, meaning the channel Connie, I,  and two of our friends run… Is at one-point-five million, last time I checked; haven’t been on either for a couple months or so. ."

"1.7 now on G-squared , and Your  personal channel is at 700+ now, Mister." Connie interjected, "at least that's what I saw last time I went to the channels."

"How…Am I at 700+?!"

"Your vlogs have been used in compilations about traveling and self-betterment. While your people used your music in their 'Let's play's ' and ' AMV's '...I think there's even been a few memes and reenactments based on your stuff. There's a real popular source film of last year's panel at Kansas vid-con; during that game of 'scenarios,' we played with Daniel, Patricia, Jewels of Cal, Steve Da' Duck, and Akira Mas."

 "Oh, I remember that," his eyes broaden in remembrance, "That was a fun game, and the audience loved it." 

"I think they were surprised at your capacity for swearing and sarcasm and how smoothly it flowed out." She teased, getting a nod from Steven.

" I was just following the scenario, and I got a bit heated. Not like you were any better." 

"True enough." She gave him a peck before turning to Alex, looking smug. 

"Okay, okay, didn't know he was a big thing." Alex relented with a smirk, "gotta check out your pages then, Steven." 

"Yes, you do that, subscribe too."

"Ok, miss proud wife." 

Despite blushing a deep maroon, Connie leaned back into his hold and kept her smugness, " Go-go check the pictures."

Alex gave her an affirmative nod before doing just that. As she plugged up the camera to the nearby laptop, she heard Steven scream.

"I JUST REMEMBERED, YOU ALL WAS READY TO SACRIFICE ME TO CHUTHUL BY THE SECOND CHOICE!"

"BUT YOU BECAME A GOD!"

Alex looked over at them to see Steven ticking the woman in his lap as he simultaneously rained down kisses upon her neck, making her squeal in delight.

*click!*

Of course, she took a picture of the cuter scene. "I still don't get how you two are not together." She muttered." Maybe I can find out the full story later tonight…." She sighed, "oh god, I need a date or a 'jambud' of my own."

"Hey, Alex!"

 She looked back over at the two to see Steven trying to get her attention 

"Can you pass one of our phones, please!" 

Alex looked over at the table and spotted the two devices, a darkish pink and a forest-blue. They both had a text notification. With a shrug, she picked them both up. "How well do you catch?"

"Not well enough to catch my phone!" Steven yelled.

"I am," Connie announced confidently.

"That's all I needed to hear." 

With that, she grabbed both phones, a bit of masking tape, wrapped it around both, and launched them both. 

"Oh, it's coming." She heard Connie's voice raised. The silence of the stage got her a bit worried.

"Got' em; thank you!" Steven called back.

"Welcome, now let me do this so we can get back to it," Alex expressed with a thumbs up, her eyes going over the pictures on the screen. 'These two could do some real couple modeling. Photogenicity aside, they just look excellent as a unit, and their body language towards each other is at the forefront. They come off as innocent yet impassioned, cute yet coquettish, loving yet libidinous.' Alex surmised as she gazed over the photos, selecting and adding them into both a folder.

"Hey, they came out beautifully." 

"They really did. Thinking about adding a background." Alex looked up to see Wanda with a camera in her hand as she named the folder."What's up, boss lady?"

"Got a couple more for you to add."

Alex took the camera with an arched eyebrow, hooking it up to the laptop. Her teeth kissed as she looked at pictures. She placed her fingers on her lips, thumb under her chin, and slightly nodded her head. "These two… I want to see these two in the bride and groom looking just like this. We have to; they're just…" 

"Yeah, I know," Wanda said as she looked at the pictures. 

The first picture was Connie pulling up a video, most likely the video they spoke about prior; Connie was sitting in his cross-legged lap while Steven drooped his arms around Connie's shoulder comfortably. A firey, determined look in her raven eyes and on her face as she tried to find the video. On the other hand, Steven's attention was all on her.

His smile was small but so genuine. Full of pure love and affectionate pride for the woman, treasuring her, favoring her, adoring her..all with his deep brown-eyed gaze. All without her being aware.

The next photo was its companion and mirror in away. Connie seemed to have found the video by the mid-chuckle grin that threatened to split his face. Phone in his hand, head on her shoulder. Utterly oblivious to the goings-on beside him. The gaze his best-friend was giving him.

'And what a gaze it is.' Alex mused. 

Connie's eyes were half-lidded, her mouth a relaxed grin, and to the untrained eye or someone who hasn't been around these two for more than an hour, they would have written off as merely teasing, and they would be wrong. 

That expression radiated exceptional pride, heartfelt tenderness, and limitless affection for the man beside her. The unbridled joy and the way he was the only one in those raven orbs was something to be envious of.

"How?"

Wanda looked at her employee in question.

"How can two people, not in a relationship, look at each other like that? With such…

"Reverence and intimacy."

Alex nodded. "The way they act and such is one thing...but..this. These seconds….These moments caught in between the playing and teasing..."

"You seemed quite taken with them, Alex."

Alex looked at her witch adorned boss with a bit of a scowl. "It's not like that...It's not just them… More like. I'm intrigued by what they have. This thing..this type of romance..naw too weak...this bond..they won't or can't name...It's..ugh!"

Wanda laughed. "Alex, you just accidentally found your muse." Before she could continue, her phone rang. "Gotta take this. Alex, get ready for the next shoot. We are actually behind time and have more costumes to try." Wanda ordered gently with a wink before pulling her phone out the top of her costume.  "Hello? miss Jewels, yes, we'll be ready for you tomorrow..yeah ..yes. "

Alex sighed as she got up from the desk and got her camera before walking over to the two. She paused at the scene, feeling a surge of excitement. 

"Why am I the one getting sacrificed…Again?" Steven's voice could be heard through the phone, annoyed and desperate, and also trying not to laugh.

"It's not personal, it was a majority vote, and you're kind of suspicious, Traitor." A feminine voice answered.

"Screw you, Jewels!" Steven answered as everyone in the audience and on stage laughed, "You're the one sabotaging us, literally try to drag the party into the room called 'your soulmate is 50%  Zach Callison and 50% hamilton."

"Better than the, 'everything you love is canceled' room."

"AT LEAST WE GOT A KEY IN THAT ROOM."

As Steven cackled at the admittedly horrible animation, Connie leaned upon him, gazing up at him with eyes full of bottomless adoration. This close lip smile displayed her protectiveness for him. It was an expression of accomplishment as if she was watching a dream come true or something she fought so hard for finally came to fruition. A treasure she had searched for and would stake everything she had to keep.

It told a story of the hard times and struggles they had to go through without saying anything. If seeing him be so relaxed and carefree, place something so determined and passionate on her face. 

Well, she'd be a fool not to take its picture.

*click!*

[twitchesandstitches]

In the continuity of the crossovers, ficlets, original stuff and various AUs I like to write, I have an idea for the overall cosmology it takes place in. This is the multiverse, comprising the worlds characters might travel in and stranger realms from which magic and eldritch beings might originate, as well as many unique realms of no particular astral alignment but might make good plot hooks, brief adventures or sources of antagonists or treasures, or even answers relevant to a given story.

This cosmology is very much a work in progress and heavily inspired by a mess of different series - primarily the Great Wheel of 3rd Edition Dungeons and Dragons as seen in Planescape: Torment, aspects of 4th Edition D&D, whatever was going on in Exalted, and whatever else feels like an appropriate addition. Consequently any of this might change later on, and I welcome suggestions.

A few ground rules for how things work, on the scale of the regular universes the characters know. These are places that aren’t so different from the world we know.

On the current scene of things, the multiverse - and thus the casts - has only recently recovered from a catastrophic incident that occured about a thousand years ago, with brief flare ups resulting in further damage a little less than a hundred years ago. This has left many universes collapsed, arun with terrible monsters and destroyed civilizations; warbands of hopeful conquerors run rampant, and newly established societies struggle to gain a foothold, while roaming bands of nomads move from world to world. However, things are not all doom and gloom, as society is making a comeback and people are recovering, now exploring the ruins of the past to piece together what happened and restore lost technologies and arts.

The multiverse itself is still wounded; demons, cosmic horrors, world-eating abominations and mysterious entities of all kinds regularly invade the material realms and make a real nuisance of themselves.

The general tone is similar to Space Opera settings, with a dash of epic fantasy overlaid with sci fi aesthetics; grand and, well, operatic adventures in space, flying from planet to planet, battling with wicked warlords who command whole systems and entreating with ancient empires and vast galactic councils that all beings have a voice in. Battles and wars are fought with laser swords, rocket hammers and energy shields, with firearms shooting stuff like lightning, mini-rockets and chainsaw-grains instead of bullets. Power armor and mini mecha are ubiquitous among the more powerful factions, tending towards ‘mechanical exoskeletons’ in design.

Visually, as far as the stuff relevant to our characters is, the look is a little bit of a combination of post-cyberpunk space travel, with a hint of modern Mass Effect-style shininess, and a heavy dose of scavengerpunk. Spaceships are big, bulky, round and scarred by the ages. People wear leathers, hexagon-toned bodysuits, bulky spacesuit/exoskeletons, or whatever rags they can stitch together into something cool. (If you’ve ever seen Eclipse Phase artwork, you might get an idea.) Technology generally looks bulky, powerful and comically oversized for whatever it’s purpose is; evidently miniaturization was not in fashion before the big breakdown of things. Things mostly look like grand and glorious works of quasi-magical wonder, but worn down by the ages and scavenged, pasted back together and holding on with tape.

This is not universal, however. Certainly some newfound place of philosophy and enlightenment might harken to buildings of crystal spires that act as vast computers, the people wearing elegant lengths of cloth fashioned into togas and robes. The marauding warband trying to annoy them with loud music might wear bulky armor bolted together and painted red (BECAUSE IT GOES FASTER). And RIGHT NEXT to that, is a cyberpunk corporation world of gloomy spires, neon lights, and a lot of slots to plug your stuff into your body.

The overall technology level and series tone can be described as Warhammer 40k IF Mass Effect’s Paragon tone modified the setting to be less grimdark and stabby. (Alternatively, it USED to be super grimdark but the near destruction of all reality made things calm down a lot. All the people responsible for bad stuff got killed and the societies that enabled them were no longer relevant.) Minus the most destructive weaponry and world-buster bombs, barring caches of weaponry or automated factories that pragmatic factions or overeager warlords would just LOVE to have.

This translates roughly to a very high tech setting prior to the big catastrophe; technology capabilities are usually pretty good (to the point that space travel is pretty common for regular folks and not a national effort), but the most powerful and game-breaking things are the stuff of old civilizations, and are bitterly fought for and studied. Massive war ships that can destroy whole civilizations or legendary mech suits are irreplaceable and unique, because no one knows how they work or how to make more of them, due to the surrounding sciences no longer existing.

Modding. This refers to the use of biological alterations (mods, or biomods for more formal stuff), as well as slang for minor aesthetic alterations, and full on reshaping of someone’s body. This is EXTREMELY common in this setting, not just to enable hyper curves, gigantic sizes or other appropriate changes, but for more practical purposes. Someone might make themselves huge and with powerful muscles to be a better fighter, for instance, or alter their brain for greater thinking. Hyper fertility for one-woman population booms is also quite popular, linked to mega-curve changes. Often these alterations are NOT subtle in the slightest, and will show dramatic changes; how kink-related those might be is situational.

Modding also refers to cybernetics. In keeping with the aesthetics, these cybernetics might be polished or elegant, but they are rarely subtle. People don’t have tiny chips in their brains, they have huge bulky thinking engines fused to their brains in perfect harmony. Robot prosthetic limbs are massive, bulky and shimmering masses of machinery. Even synthetic muscle tissue WILL be pretty dang obvious, whether it be glowy, replace weaker organic muscles, or just be huge. Finally, cybernetics has no inherently negative effect just because it isn’t ‘natural’. Neither is sitting at a table looking at a phone or computer, but there you are! Any complications are strictly health-related, rather than innate or spiritual.

Now, to explain the fantasy-ish elements.

There are gods, and angels, and demons, and other beings. They exist far out in the multiverse, far from mortal dealings, and mostly they do their own thing. The affairs of mortals is not their main concern, but they do take an interest in us. Gods and similar beings take on different forms based on the cultures revering them, and they might be shaped by mortal belief, but there is a notable distinction between gods MADE from mortal belief, and those who exist apart from mortal relevance.

Magic is a thing. Specifically it follows the model of magic as just a thing that almost everyone can do, but it takes skill and training to do impressive stuff with it. An example: plenty of people have enough ability to, say, boost their skills to superhuman levels briefly or have great control over their body’s growth, but not everyone can throw a fireball. Typically people draw magical energy and shape it into various effects - perhaps forging it into one of a kind relics for ‘super science’ gadgetry - or more standard fantasy sorcery, with a hint of sci fi rationale to it. It can be understood and is rarely persecuted, and underlies a lot of the technological abilities in the setting. There is a distinction between arcane energy in its many forms, which is just the background essence of the cosmos, and divine magic, which is the raw power of genuine gods or spiritual powers, descending onto mortal believers and champions and empowering them.

Magic is hugely differentiated across the cosmos, and even in specific universes. It is heavily informed by culture and personal experience, and magic is more or less a power caused by emotion and perspective bleeding into the fabric of reality, backed up by energy and force of willpower, and shaping it. (Thus, magic is related to the soul; all beings that have souls can use magic, and using magic means you HAVE a soul.) In some places, you might have people who inherit influence over an element that their people are culturally tied to. In another, it might be a matter of academic study with little personal relevance. HAving them MEET can result in some interesting consequences for their abilities.

A soul, for that note, is the consequence of sapience and also sentience; self-awareness combined with the ability to say to the universe ‘I AM’. Clones, robots, self-aware golems, and every conceivable artificial being has as much of a soul as a naturally born human. They are people, and if it can ask ‘Do I have a soul’, then they do.

Many standards of sci fi, and indeed many archaic concepts (berserkers, knights, plate armor, weaponry of all sort and many varieties of ancient armor) are still quite present. However they are rendered with a sci fi aesthetic. Instead of knights, you have monastic orders of power armored warriors that rule as lords over regions. Instead of berserkers, you have ferocious warriors who have modded themselves

Some tech and sci fi thoughts:

As mentioned above, warfare is more similar to older forms of combat in the romantic tradition rather than modern notions of military action. This is partly because I find realistic warfare to be rather boring to really handle on its own. On a practical level, its harder to do it; one can’t just bomb your enemies into submission when targeting systems are difficult to figure out and you’re not really sure how they work except in the most arcane terms. (And they might be magical and can argue with you.) Modern military action CAN still happen, it’s just not an immediate option most of the time. Tanks, speedy jet-bikes, big time charges ad people gazing in awe as giant robots march into the field like living gods is definitely a feature here. Again, think of Warhammer 40k-style battles. Mechanized stuff is still relevant, as well. It is likely also televised and made into entertainment… which is super messed up.

Technology levels vary… a lot. In general it can be assumed that your standard space faring faction, band or society can produce their own spacecraft without relying on treasure troves of ancient relics or treasure hunts to find intact ships; this also implies intact understanding of relevant scientific fields. Thing might get iffier with things like energy-based weapons, advanced personal shields, or something, but they are still reasonably common. It’s usually a local question whether that means that such things can be made cheaply, or if there is a very large pre-collapse cache of them.

Magic involved with technology is very, very common. Cosmic internet that manifests as interconnected chains of psychic energy between populations, bizarre creations that only function because of their magical nature, the use of mental powers to safely navigate through mysterious realms or send telepathic messages to a distant world; all of these are reasonably common. Many groups may replace advanced scientific know-how with magical experimentation entirely, causing a great deal of diversity in individual tool use and fashions.

On that note: faster-than-light travel. It is a thing in universe (how else would you go from world to world to have fun adventures?) but it’s not easy. It is not simple and it can be very, very dangerous. There are a few different methods; phasing into other realms of existence to ignore the speed of light, as that rule won’t apply, is a common one, but this runs the risk of attracting the attention of potentially malicious cosmic horrors, and surging people up with magic, for all kinds of weird transformations. There is also the use of ancient artifacts that transport ships from one point to another, or complicated warp drives that do stuff to gravity at the cost of enormous fuel requirements. In general, this stuff can’t be weaponized, and its most common that public transit between the stars involves the cosmic equivalent of buses; people pack their ships into really large barges and go along for the ride, saving on costs.

Alien life. It’s there! It’s a big deal! And most of it doesn’t look like us, SERIOUSLY GUYS I HATE THE RUBBER FOREHEAD HUMAN TROPE SO MUCH IT CAN BURN IN A DITCH. Think in terms of Mass Effect or Animorphs alien designs for how distinct they can get. Alien races that are canonically similar to humans will likely either be reimagined as being derived from humanity or redesigned into something more appropriate to their homeworld or, if artificial, the circumstances of their creation.

Feel free to ask me about other stuff you might want to know, or should take into consideration for world building!

[voca22000]

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133. 3쿼터가 끝날 무렵 원정 팀은 18점 앞서 있었다. 그것은 우리 팀이 극복할 수 없는 점수차였다. At the end of the third quarter, the visitors were ahead by 18 points, a lead that our team was unable to surmount. 134. 오늘날 미국은 도시 인구가 농촌 인구보다 훨씬 많다. In the United States today, the urban population far outnumbers the farm population. 135. 카테리나는 파인 가와 와이오밍 가 부근에서 열쇠를 잃어버렸다. Katerina lost her keys in the vicinity of Pine Street and Wyoming Avenue. 136. 루스는 기술자가 되기 위해 공부를 할 것이다. 밥은 선생님이 될 계획이다. 그러나 나는 아직 직업을 선택하지 못했다. Ruth will be studying to be an engineer. Bob plans to enter teaching. I, however, have not yet chosen a vocation. 137. 물 부족 현상이 완화되고 있기는 하나, 여전히 걱정거리다. The water shortage is abating, but it is still a matter of some concern. 138. 헬렌은 그 테니스 시합에서 아슬아슬하게 패했지만 테니스에 대한 그녀의 열정은 줄어들지 않았다. Helen’s close defeat in the tennis tournament has not abated her zeal for the game. 139. 만약 분쟁하는 양측을 협상 테이블로 이끌어낼 수 있다면, 아마 합의에 이를 수 있을 것이다. If both sides to the dispute can be brought to the conference table, perhaps they can come to an accord. 140. 햇볕에 탄 데가 가려워도 긁지 마라. 그것은 상처를 더 악화시킬 뿐이다. If your sunburn itches, don’t scratch; that will only aggravate it. 141. 버트는 여전히 무력으로 논쟁을 해결하려는 경향이 있다. 그는 그렇게 호전적인 것이 유치하다는 것을 언제나 알게 될까? Bert still has a tendency to settle his arguments with his fists. When will he learn that it’s childish to be so belligerent. 142. 맨해튼의 고층 건물들 중에서도 엠파이어 스테이트 빌딩은 월등히 높이 눈에 쉽게 띈다. Among Manhattan’s skyscrapers, the Empire State Building is conspicuous for its superior height. 143. 오리엔탈 카펫을 짜는 사람들은 뛰어난 기술로 유명하다. The weavers of Oriental rugs are famous for their remarkable craft. 144. 그리스인들은 계략으로 트로이를 차지했다. 그들은 목마를 속임수로 사용했다. The Greeks took Troy by craft; they used the trick of the wooden horse. 145. 헨리 플레밍은 자신이 영웅이 되리라 생각했다. 그러나 전투가 시작되자 그는 두려운 나머지 비겁하게도 싸움터에서 도망쳤다. Henry Fleming thought he would be a hero, but as the fighting began he fled from the field in craven fear. 146. 몇몇 뉴잉글랜드의 종족들은 구슬을 돈으로 사용했다. Some New England tribes used beads as currency. 147. 폭우가 왔지만 사람들이 연극을 보러 오는 것을 막지는 못했다. 거의 모든 좌석이 찼다. The heavy rain did not deter people from coming to the play. Nearly every seat was occupied. 148. 복사기가 작동이 되었다면 결석한 친구를 위해 역사 노트를 복사할 수 있었을 것이다. If the photocopying machine had been working, I could have made a duplicate of my history notes for my friend who was absent. 149. ‘조니 트리메인’에는 사무엘 아담스와 폴 리비어 같은 실재 인물들은 물론 조니와 랩 같은 가공 인물들도 있다. In Johnny Tremain, there are fictitious characters like Johnny and Rab, as well as real ones, like Samuel Adams and Paul Revere. 150. 그 용의자는 그린 가 423번지에 산다고 말했었다. 그러나 나중에 그것이 가짜 주소였음을 시인했다. The suspect said she lived at 423 Green Street, but she later admitted it was a fictitious address. 151. 커튼은 얼룩 하나 없었고 식탁보도 아주 깨끗했다. The curtains were spotless; the tablecloth was immaculate, too. 152. 대통령 선거일과 취임일 사이에는 두 달 이상의 간격이 있다. More than two months intervene between a president’s election and the day he takes office. 153. 랄프는 그와 그의 남동생 간의 싸움에 내가 간섭하는 것을 달가워하지 않는다. 그는 내가 끼어드는 것을 원하지 않았다. Ralph is unhappy that I stepped into the dispute between him and his brother. He did not want me to intervene. 154. 킴은 가방 안에 작은 스테이플러를 가지고 있다. 그것은 공간을 거의 차지하지 않는다. Kim has a miniature stapler in her bag. It takes up very little room. 155. 농구팀은 선수가 다섯 명이기 때문에 흔히 5인조라고 부른다. A basketball team, because it has five players, is often called a quintet. 156. 팻과 탐이 다시 친구가 되었다. 누가 그들을 화해시켰는지 궁금하다. Pat and Tom are friends again. I wonder who reconciled them. 157. 우리는 다시 친구가 되었다. 우리는 의견 차이를 조정했다. We are friends again; we have reconciled our differences. 158. 도시에는 눈이 6인치가 내렸고 주 북부의 시골 지역에는 최고 14인치가 내렸다. Six inches of snow fell in the city and up to fourteen inches in the rural areas upstate. 159. 고객들은 안전을 위해 호텔 금고에 귀중품을 맡기도록 권고받는다. Guests are advised to deposit their valuables in the hotel’s vault for greater security. 160. 공항 경비가 강화되었다. Security has been tightened at airports. 161. 영국 해협을 수영으로 건너는 것은 대단한 체력을 요하는 일이다. Swimming the English Channel is a feat that requires considerable stamina. 162. 고용주가 그를 해고 했습니까, 아니면 그가 자발적으로 그만 두었습니까? Did the employer dismiss him, or did he leave of his own volition. 163. 만약 구두 보고와 서면 보고 중 어느 하나를 선택할 기회가 주어진다면, 나는 후자를 택할 것이다. If given the choice of making either an oral or a written report, I would pick the second alternative. 164. 오렌지 주스는 건강에 좋은 음료다. Orange juice is a healthful beverage. 165. 우표를 붙이지 않고 편지를 부치는 실수를 해 본 적 있어요? Have you ever committed the blunder of mailing a letter without a postage stamp? 166. 공화당원과 민주당원들은 어느 정당이 세금 인상에 책임이 있는가에 대해 논쟁을 벌여오고 있다. The Republicans and the Democrats have been engaged in a controversy over which party is responsible for the increased taxes. 167. 회계 담당자가 우리 클럽의 회계 장부를 보관하고 있다. The treasurer has custody of our club’s financial records. 168. 비행기를 타고 도시 상공에서 아래를 내려다보는 사람에게는 아무리 큰 건물도 아주 작아 보인다. To an observer in an airplane high over the city, even the largest buildings seem diminutive. 169. 두 장교는 폭도들을 해산시키고 폭력 사태를 예방해 칭찬을 받았다. The two officers were commended for their skill in dispelling the mob and preventing violence. 170. 이른 봄이면 겨울 내내 잠들어 있던 나무와 덤불에 새싹이 돋기 시작한다. In early spring, new buds begin to appear on trees and shrubs that have been dormant all winter. 171. 로페즈 부인은 아이들 모두를 위해 컴퓨터를 샀는데, 맏이는 마치 그것이 완전히 자기 것인 양 행동했다. Mrs. Lopez had bought the computer for all of her children, but the oldest behaved as if it were exclusively his. 172. 각 개인의 수입 중 일정부분은 과세가 법적으로 면제된다. A certain portion of each person’s income is legally exempt from taxation. 173. 어선은 강풍으로 위험에 처했지만 무사히 항구에 도착했다. The fishing vessel was imperiled by high winds, but it managed to reach port safely. 174. 프랭클린 D. 루즈벨트의 가문에 대한 어느 연구를 보면, 그가 1638년 미국에 정착한 네덜란드 조상의 후손임을 알 수 있다. A study of Franklin D. Roosevelt’s lineage shows that he was descended from a Dutch ancestor who settled in America about 1638. 175. 업계의 대기업들이 가격을 인상하면서 중소기업들도 대개 따라 올린다. When the major companies in an industry raise prices, the smaller ones usually follow suit. 176. 우리의 기금은 이미 650달러가 모였다. 목표는 1천 달러다. Our fund has already raised $650; its objective is $1,000. 177. 당신이 틀렸다는 수많은 객관적인 증거에도 불구하고 계속 옳다고 주장한다면 당신은 너무 고집이 센 것입니다. If you keep arguing you are right, in the face of overwhelming objective evidence that you are wrong, you are opinionated. 178. 버스를 오래 기다리지 않아도 될 거예요. 버스는 곧 도착할 거예요. We won’t have to wait long for our bus. It will be here presently. 179. 책 반납일이 되면 즉시 도서관에 반납하십시오. 그렇지 않으면 하루 연체될 때마다 10센트씩 벌금이 부과됩니다. When a book is due, return it to the library promptly. Otherwise you will be fined 10 cents for every day you procrastinate. 180. 보통 미국 도시는 날마다 엄청난 양의 신선한 우유를 필요로 한다. The average American city requires a prodigious amount of fresh milk daily. 181. 방문객들은 몇 시간만 머물 계획이었으나 더 머무르라는 설득을 받았다. The visitors had planned to stay for a few hours only, but they were persuaded to protract their visit. 182. 그 회사는 식당을 폐쇄하지만 수익을 가장 많이 내고 있는 의류점은 계속 운영을 계속할 것이다. The corporation will close its restaurants but retain its most profitable clothing stores. 183. 우리는 능숙한 패스로 4점을 올릴 수 있었다. Our adroit passing enabled us to score four touchdowns. 184. 루스는 양손잡이 타자이다. 그녀는 오늘 손이나 왼손 어느 쪽으로든 공을 칠 수 있다. Ruth is an ambidextrous hitter; she can bat right-handed or left-handed. 185. 어린 벤 프랭클린은 이복 형인 제임스의 견습공으로 일하면서 인쇄업을 배웠다. Young Ben Franklin learned the printing trade by serving as an apprentice to his half brother James. 186. 신디는 연장을 다루는데 서툴지 않다. 그녀는 기계를 다루는 데에 소질이 있다. Cindy is not clumsy with tools; she has mechanical aptitude. 187. 집을 지으려면 목수와 벽돌공, 배관공, 전기 기술자의 수고가 필요하다. 각 사람은 숙력된 기술자여야 한다. To build a house, you need the services of carpenters, bricklayers, plumbers, and electricians; each one must be a skilled craftsperson. 188. 견습공에게서 숙련공과 같은 솜씨를 기대할 수는 없다. You can’t expect an apprentice to have the same dexterity as a skilled worker. 189. 일이 서툴렀던 한 일꾼은 망치로 자기의 엄지손가락을 내리쳤다. A maladroit worker banged his thumb with a hammer. 190. 레오나르도 다빈치는 무척 다재 다능했다. 그는 화가이자 조각가, 건축가, 음악가, 기술자 그리고 과학자였다. Leonardo da Vinci was remarkably versatile. He was a painter, sculptor, architect, musician, engineer and scientist. 191. 강력한 지진 때문에 수백 명이 목숨을 잃고 수천 명이 곤궁에 빠졌다. The severe earthquake killed hundreds of persons and left thousands destitute. 192. 소비자들은 우유를 갤런 단위로 사면 비용을 줄일 수 있다. Consumers can economize by buying their milk in gallon containers. 193. 그 노인은 빵과 치즈밖에 먹을 것이 없었으나, 이 부족한 음식을 손님과 나누어 먹자고 제안했다. The old man had nothing to eat but bread and cheese; yet he offered to share this frugal meal with his visitor. 194. 점심 값과 교통비로 받는 일주일 용돈은 많은 것은 아니지만, 절약하면 그럭저럭 지낼 수 있다. My weekly allowance for lunches and fares isn’t much, but I can get by on it if I am frugal. 195. 회비를 기껏 1년에 1달러 인상한다고 해서 가난해질 사람은 아무도 없을 것이다. The increase in dues of only a dollar a year will not impoverish anyone. 196. 열심히 일한 수많은 미국인들은 가난에서 벗어나 부자가 되었다. By hard work, countless thousands of Americans have raised themselves from indigence to wealth. 197. 그 병원의 새로 생긴 부속 건물은 어느 부유한 인도주의자가 선물한 것이다. The new wing to the hospital is a gift from an affluent humanitarian. 198. 제조사들이 정당한 이유 없이 가격을 인상하려 한다면 그들은 탐욕스럽다고 비난을 받을 수 있다. If manufacturers were to raise prices without justification, they could be accused of avarice. 199. 욕심 많은 사람은 벌어서 자기가 갖는 것을 좋아하지, 남을 주거나 남과 나누는 것은 좋아하지 않는다. An avaricious person likes to get and keep, but not to give or share. 200. 호르헤는 이웃의 농장이 탐이 났으나 팔게 할 수는 없었다. Jorge coveted his neighbor’s farm but could not get her to sell it. 201. 이탈리아의 판화가 파라네지는 아내가 가져온 결혼 지참금 덕분에 작품 활동에 완전히 전념할 수 있었다. The dowry that his wife brought him enabled the Italian engraver Piranesi to devote himself completely to art. 202. 버는 것보다 더 많이 쓰는 사람들은 대개 재정적 어려움에 빠진다. People who keep spending more than they earn usually get into financial difficulties. 203. 당신 여동생이 저 자동차 값으로 9천 달러를 지불했다면, 바가지 쓴 거예요. 그 정비사는 그 차가 5천 500달러 정도라던데요. If your sister paid $9,000 for that car, she was fleeced. The mechanic says it is worth $5,500. 204. 보니 아줌마는 자기 수중에 들어오는 모든 돈은 모두 비축하는 구두쇠로 유명했다. Aunt Bonnie had a reputation as a miser who hoarded every penny she could get her hands on. 205. 그 젊은 상속자는 만약 계속 돈을 낭비하면 곧 아무것도 남지 않을 것이라는 경고를 받았다. The young heir was warned that he would soon have nothing left if he continued to be lavish with money. 206. 베라의 작문이 훌륭하기는 하지만, 린다가 격찬한 만큼은 아니다. Vera’s composition is good, but it doesn’t deserve the lavish praise that Linda gave it. 207. 선물가게가 충분한 이익을 내지 못했기 때문에 주인은 돈벌이가 더 잘 되는 사업을 하기로 결심했다. Because the gift shop did not produce a sufficient profit, the owner decided to go into a more lucrative business. 208. 비싼 집과 요트, 그리고 리무진을 소유하려면 재산가여야 한다. To own an expensive home, a yacht, and a limousine, you have to be a person of means. 209. 디킨스는 프랑스 귀족의 부를 농부들의 가난과 대조시키고 있다. Dickens contrasts the opulence of France’s nobility with the indigence of her peasants. 210. 가죽 커버와 두툼한 융단이 깔린 차는 멋지기는 하지만 나의 소박한 취향에는 좀 사치스럽다. The car with the leather upholstery and thick rugs is beautiful but a bit sumptuous for my simple tastes. 211. 반 아이들이 박물관에서 귀가하는 시간이 늦어지자 걱정이 된 부모들이 학교에 전화를 걸었다. Apprehensive parents telephoned the school when the class was late in getting home from the museum. 212. 너를 못살게 구는 네 언니 앞에서 위축되지 않고 맞선다면 언니도 물���설 것이다. If you stand up to your bullying sister instead of cowering before her, she may back down. 213. 선장이 침몰하는 배를 버리고 승객들이 스스로 대피하도록 내버려둔 것은 비겁한 짓이었다. It was dastardly of the captain to desert the sinking vessel and leave the passengers to fend for themselves. 214. 나이가 많은 아이들이 더 어린 아이들을 겁주지 않았다면 그 아이들이 그렇게 빨리 운동장을 내주지는 않았을 것이다. The younger children would not have given up the playing field so quickly if the older ones hadn’t intimidated them. 215. 싸움이 일어날 듯 보이자 언제나 그랬듯이 톤세튼은 겁쟁이처럼 침대 밑에 숨어버렸다. Like the poltroon that he was, Tonseten hid under a bed when he saw a fight coming. 216. 만일 다른 팀이 도전해 오면 우린 그것을 받아들여야 한다. 너무 두려워하지 말자! If the other team challenges us, we should accept. Let’s not be so timid! 217. 나는 캐롤이 연설할 때 긴장할 거라고 생각했는데, 그녀는 떨지 않고 연설을 했다. I thought Carol would be nervous when she made her speech, but she delivered it without trepidation. 218. 용감한 선장은 해도에도 없는 바다 쪽으로 항로를 잡았다. The audacious sea captain set a course for uncharted waters. 219. 우리는 거의 20분을 기다렸는데, 늦게 온 어떤 사람은 뻔뻔하게도 어슬렁거리다가 우리 줄 맨 앞에 끼어들려고 했다. After we had waited for about twenty minutes, an audacious latecomer strolled up and tried to get in at the head of our line. 220. 구빈원에서 생활하던 아홉 살된 올리버 트위스트는 용기를 내어 죽을 한 그릇 더 달라고 했다가 독방에 감금당하고 말았다. Oliver Twist, nine-year-old poorhouse inmate, was put into solitary confinement when he had the audacity to ask for a second helping of porridge. 221. 겁먹은 선원들은 되돌아가기를 원했으나, 겁이 없는 선장은 그들에게 항해를 계속하라고 재촉했다. The frightened sailors wanted to turn back, but their dauntless captain urged them to sail on. 222. 아멜리아 이어하트는 비행사로서의 공적으로 세계적인 명성을 얻었다. Amelia Earhart won worldwide fame for her exploits as an aviator. 223. 그 장교는 고통스러운 부상에도 불구하고 계속 의무를 다함으로써 대단한 용기를 보여 주었다. The officer showed remarkable fortitude in remaining on duty despite a painful wound. 224. 길들어지기를 거부하는 야생마는 모든 기수를 내동댕이쳤다. 그 말에게는 정복당하지 않고 자유로워지려는 의지가 있었다. The bronco that would not be broken threw all its riders. It had an indomitable will to be free. 225. 구명 뗏목 위에서 이틀을 보낸 후 그 용감한 생존자들은 헬리콥터로 구조되었다. After two days on a life raft, the plucky survivors were rescued by a helicopter. 226. 화가 나서 경솔한 말이나 행동을 하고나면 나중에 그것을 후회할지도 모른다. When you lose your temper, you may say or do something rash and regret it afterward. 227. 자베르 경감은 마들렌 씨가 시장의 본명이 아니라 전과자 장발장의 가명이라는 것을 알아냈다. Inspector Javert discovered that Monsieur Madeleine was not the mayor’s real name but an alias for Jean Valjean, the ex-convict. 228. 독립전쟁이 일어나기 전, 한 지하 애국 조직이 보스턴에서 비밀 집회를 가지곤 했었다. Before the Revolutionary War, a patriot underground organization used to hold clandestine meetings in Boston. 229. 그 문장을 여러 번 읽었지만 이해할 수가 없어요. 당신이라면 이 수수께끼 같은 문장을 도와줄 수 있을 거예요. I have read the sentence several times but cannot understand it. Maybe you can help me with this enigma. 230. 훌륭한 교육은 당신의 잠재적인 재능을 찾아서 계발하는 것을 도와 줄 것입니다. A good education will help you discover and develop your latent talents. 231. 캐서린은 낯선 사람이 이웃집 차고 뒤에 몰래 숨어있는 것을 보고 경찰에 신고했다. Katherine called the police when she noticed a stranger lurking behind her neighbor’s garage. 232. 에이미는 공부할 조용한 곳을 찾아 다락방에 숨어들어야 했다. To find a quiet place to study, Amy had to seclude herself in the attic. 233. 스파이는 두 명의 경비원에게 들키지 않고 지나가기 위해 은밀하게 행동해야 했다. The spy had to be very stealthy to get past the two guards without being noticed. 234. 잡지사는 독자들에게 5월 1일부로 가격이 인상됨을 통보했다. The magazine has apprised its readers of an increase in rates beginning May 1. 235. 항복의 백기는 패배를 시인하는 것이다. The white flag of surrender is an avowal of defeat. 236. 나는 내 비밀을 오직 마가렛에게만 말했다. 왜냐하면 그녀가 누설하지 않으리라는 것을 알고 있었기 때문이다. I told my secret only to Margaret because I knew she would not divulge it. 237. 변호사는 증인 심문하면서 사고 당시 비가 오고 있었다는 사실을 알아냈다. By questioning the witness, the attorney elicited that it was raining at the time of the accident. 238. 그 신입사원은 누군가가 그의 방이 건물의 반대편 끝에 있다는 것을 가르쳐 주고서야 비로소 올바른 방향으로 돌아갈 수 있었다. The newcomer was going in the wrong direction until someone enlightened him that his room was at the other end of the hall. 239. 내가 알기로는 해리엇이 미술에 아무런 흥미도 없었기 때문에 그녀가 그 과목을 수강하고 있다는 것에 놀랐다. I am surprised that Harriet is taking an art course because she has never, to my knowledge, manifested any interest in the subject. 240. 그 숨겨진 카메라에 공공연히 뇌물을 받는 장면이 찍혔다. The concealed camera recorded the overt acceptance of the bribe. 241. 내가 선생님에게 논제를 바꿔도 되는지 물어보았더니, 선생님은 기꺼이 내 요청에 응하셨다. When I asked my teacher if I might change my topic, he readily acceded to my request. 242. 우리는 목표가 무엇이어야 하는지에 대해서 의견이 일치하지만, 그것을 달성하는 방법에 관해서는 생각이 다르다. Though we are in accord on what our goals should be, we differ on the means for achieving them. 243. 델라웨어 강에 접해 있는 주들은 강물을 공동으로 쓰기 위한 협정을 체결했다. The states bordering on the Delaware River have entered into a compact for the sharing of its water. 244. 아서와 나는 같은 위원회에 속할 수 없다. 우리는 서로 마음이 맞지 않는다. Arthur and I can’t be on the same committee. We’re not compatible. 245. 처음에 노동조합과 경영진은 임금 문제에 관한 의견차가 컸지만, 결국은 타협에 이르렀다. At first, the union and management were far apart on wages, but they finally came to a compromise. 246. 새로운 스타일의 옷이 나오면 바로 따르는 편입니까? When a new style in clothes appears, do you hasten to conform? 247. 당신은 상관없는 문제를 꺼냄으로써 주제를 고수해야 한다고 한 앞의 말과 일관성을 보이지 않고 있다. By bringing up an unrelated matter you are not being consistent with your previous statement that we should stick to the topic. 248. 육군에서 소위의 서열은 해군에서 소위의 서열에 해당한다. The rank of second lieutenant in the Army corresponds to that of ensign in the Navy. 249. 길버트의 작가로서의 역량은 설리번의 작곡가로서의 재능과 꼭 들어맞아 그 유명한 길버트와 설리번의 오페테라(희극적인 주제의 짧은 오페라)가 탄생했다. Gilbert’s skill as a writer dovetailed with Sullivan’s talent as a composer, resulting in the famous Gilbert and Sullivan operettas. 250. 알시아와 팻은 다투고 나서 내가 그들을 화해시키고서야 비로소 서로에게 말을 하기 시작했다. After their quarrel, Althea and Pat refused to talk to each other until I reconciled them. 251. 세레나는 부모님의 차를 빌려야 하는 정당한 여러 이유들을 제시했고 결국 부모님은 동의했다. Serena gave her parents so many good reasons for letting her borrow the car that they finally relented. 252. 서로 주먹질이 오가기 전에 우리는 두 사람을 떼어놓고 언쟁을 중단시켰다. We halted the altercation by separating the two opponents before they could come to blows. 253. 그 당원은 자기 당 의장을 위해 선거운동을 하지 않고 적대시했다. The official antagonized the leader of her own party by not campaigning for him. 254. 협상이 우리 계층 간의 불화를 해소하기를 희망한다. We hope compromise will repair the cleavage in our ranks. 255. 빌리 버드는 ‘인간의 권리’ 호 선상에서 있었던 불화를 종식시켰다. 그는 뛰어난 중재자였다. Billy Budd put an end to the discord aboard the “Rights-of-Man.” He was an excellent peacemaker. 256. 무도회에는 80명이 왔는데 입구에서 받은 표는 74장뿐이였다. 왜 이런 차이가 날까? Eighty people were at the dance but only seventy-four tickets were collected at the door. What accounts for this discrepancy? 257. 수정안 승인 투표는 만장일치가 아니었다. 여섯 명의 회원이 반대했다. The vote approving the amendment was far from unanimous; six members dissented. 258. 나는 리네트의 입후보(출마)를 열렬히 지지한 나머지 그 경쟁 상대들과의 분쟁에 휘말리고 말았다. My enthusiastic support for Lynette’s candidacy soon embroiled me in a debate with her opponents. 259. 유산을 둘러싼 싸움으로 그 형제들은 여러 해 동안 사이가 멀어졌다. A quarrel over an inheritance estranged the brothers for many years. 260. 예산안 공청회에서 세금 인상 지지자와 반대자 간에 상당한 의견 충돌이 일어났다. At the budget hearing, there was considerable friction between the supporters and the opponents of higher taxes. 261. 사이가 멀어진 그 동업자들을 누가 화해시킬 수 있을지 의심스럽다. 그들은 화해할 수 없는 사이가 되어 버렸다. It is doubtful whether anyone can make peace between the estranged partners; they have become irreconcilable. 262. 일부 사업 분쟁은 당사자들 간의 합의로 해결될 수 있지만 소송이 필요한 경우도 있다. Some business disputes can be settled out of court; others require litigation. 263. 신시아는 독자적인 생각을 가지고 있다. 그녀의 견해는 우리 모임의 나머지 사람들과 일치하지 않는 경우가 자주 있다. Cynthia is an independent thinker. Her opinions are often at variance with those of the rest of our group. 264. 내가 나갈 때 이웃사람 둘이 소란스럽게 싸우고 있었다. 1시간 후에 돌아왔을 때도 그들은 여전히 다투고 있었다. When I left, two neighbors were quarreling noisily. When I returned an hour later, they were still wrangling.

[akihaharu-blog]

[Genius Demon Empress] 003. Advancement

Sorry for not being able to post in such a long time. Long story short, a string of bad luck. Hard drive dying and losing my precious files in a very untimely period of time of papers and exams seasons, then being forcefully dragged on an unwilling vacation and finally catching the damn flu.....which I just recovered from. So I’m sorry. But. LIFE....doesn’t go the way I want.

I’ll probably have regular releases again, except schedule will change for sure. I’m working hard to catch up ><. 

Enjoy! 

PS. Chapter is half edited. I thought it might be better to just release it first then edit later when I have more time. Oh and some changes to terms, just because it sounds better. Human arcanist => mortal arcanist. Sounds...less...human? More fantasy-ish? I’ll make changes to previous chapters later.

“The Canonical Text of Summmoners?” For some reason, Yue Jing Hua felt that the name was somewhat familiar, as if she’s heard something similar thing before, but couldn’t remember where at the moment.

“This one’s an incomplete one left from the ancient times. According to it, it says its owner is a Shaman Summoner expert and can make contracts to summon beasts. After that Shaman died, his canonical text was left behind on the battlefield. I came across this book by chance and bought it. This book is only an incomplete one, but Shaman Summoners have gone extinct for so many years now, and since Shaman Summoners are strong, their items can be spread around forever,” Ol’ Xia sighed with sentiments. This canonical text is his shop’s main featured treasure.

“Between Shaman Summoners and Arcanists, which is stronger?” There are no memories nor information about Shaman Summoners in this body of “Yue Jing Hua”’s, which means, Shaman Summoners have already become extinct on Azure Dragon Continent.

“I’m not quite sure about that, but according to [Events in the History of the Azure Dragon Continent], the Shaman Summoners were once one of the most respected races of Azure Dragon Continent, and about ten thousand years ago, by just relying on an arcane beast army of a few hundred, they were able to cause the whole continent to descend into chaos. They are the true Children of God, and the so-called Shaman Summoners are powerful beings who are able to summon and forge contracts with arcane beasts. A bronze grade summoner can contract up to two low grade arcane beasts. The power of one low grade arcane beast is equal to three to four mortal arcanists, which means one a bronze grade Summoners can go up against several nine-grade mortal arcanists. So what do you think, aren’t summoners a powerful existence?” Ol’ Xia said with a face of reverence. Since he’s been running this general store for so long, he’s heard many kinds of gossip and rumors.

Once Ol’ Xia began talking, he wasn’t able to close his chatterbox anymore. He dragged Yue Jing Hua around and talked about many more things relating to summoners. Such as, the different grades of summoners, and that a summoner’s canonical text is split into different ranks of diamond, gold, silver, and bronze.

“Could I take a look at that summoner’s canonical text?” After receiving Ol’ Xia’s tacit agreement, Yue Jing Hua walked over to where the summoner’s canonical text was stored.

The summoner’s canonical text was about the size of two hand’s palms. The cover has a special layer of red paint applied on to it. After opening the canonical text, there were only three pages inside.

“Page one: Shen Lan. Birth – Year 110 of Azure Dragon Continent. Death – Year 210 of Azure Dragon Continent. Attributes – Bronze grade summoner. Skill(s) – Seduce; is able to confuse a low grade arcane beast for a short period of time, making it temporarily lose its offense abilities. Page two:  Strength Rabbit; a winged second rank fire arcane beast; its explosive force is astonishing. Page three: Mole King; is able to summon other mole rat arcane beasts; loves living in colonies.”  

Since Shen Lan is already dead, and the summoner’s canonical text is incomplete, the grade of this summoner’s canonical text has already dropped to the lowest, since the cover is grey and dusty.

Yue Jing Hua closed up the summoner’s canonical text with easy grace, a shining gleam flashed across her eyes.

“Looking at your attire, you must be from Shang. It just so happens to be the season when academies are holding their entrance exams for new recruits.” Ol’ Xia looked at her sharply. He noticed that when Yue Jing Hua was looking around the general store just now, she had stopped and looked at the second rank arcane stone the longest.

During the autumn of every year, people from the few countries around would come and take the entrance exam on Hundred Beasts Mountain.

“I’m participating in an academy’s entrance exam; I need to find one second rank arcane stone or spirit gem.”  Yue Jing Hua didn’t hide anything from the kind old man in front of her. If that summoner named “Shen Lan”’s ability was seduction, then Yue Xiao Qi’s is “insight”. She is able to differentiate a person’s good and bad intentions in a flash of a moment.

“Which academy’s entrance exam is it for? A normal academy’s entrance exam only requires students to obtain a grade one arcane beat or spirit plant, and they have an instructor accompanying them as well. It’s too dangerous for one person to go alone.” Catching a grade one spirit beast or looking for a rank one spirit plant is much easier compared to obtaining a second grade arcane stone or spirit gem.

Yue Jing Hua raised her brows. It looks like “Yue Jing Hua” had fell for someone trap on this exam’s difficulty.

“I’m used to moving around alone,” she said indifferently as she placed to items she bought into her bag. Only when one is alone will there be no risk of being backstabbed at the most critical moment.

Ol’ Xia opened his mouth to say something. He found a kind of loneliness in this young child’s body, a type of loneliness which seeped out from deep within the soul.

But this loneliness was mixed with an unusual amount of confidence.

On the account of this child’s confidence, the Ol’ Xia who never liked to meddle in other people’s affairs, did something even he was surprised about afterwards, “Kid, “ Ol’ Xia changed the way he addressed her. He took out a sheet over parchment, “This is a map of the center of Arcane Beast Valley. A few types of second grade arcane beasts and the regions they live in are marked on it, so this may be of use to you. But of course, this map isn’t free.”

Yue Jing Hua was surprised. But immediately after, she noticed that Ol’ Xia’s gaze fell onto her old and worn-out deer skin armor. She began to smile; different kinds of vigor bursted out from within her eyes. “How should I repay you.”

“Sell me the arcane beast skins and fur you obtain. I just need to obtain some small profits, that’s all.” Ol’ Xia narrowed his eyes, seeing Yue Jing Hua off as she disappeared out the door.

After leaving the tree house, she relied on the map left behind by Qi Feng and the rest of his group. Yue Jing Hua immediately found a quiet place near a creek nearby.

After the curtain of night fell, when the sun completely set, the cover of night completely covered up the entire creek.

Yue Jing Hua set up a bon fire, and scattered some beast expelling powder nearby. After taking of the deep skin armor, she took out the items she got from the general store, and put each one before her.

Most of the needles she bought from Hundred Beasts Mountain, are bone needles used for sewing the skins and furs of arcane beasts, so they were a bit thicker than the needles you normally use for embroidery.

Her fingers quickly swept across the ten plus embroidery neeldes, and chose seven or eight needles of different sizes.

She concentrated all of her attention then breathed out a breath of air, and slowly walked into the water.

A glacial radiance reflected at the very tip of the steel needle. Arcane-qi rushed into the tool and even though these were only a couple of steel needles, but if other arcanist saw it, they would definitely jump out in fear. This was only something an advanced jade-arcanist could achieve.

Right now, even though they were just steel needles, they could still easily pierce through a steel plate that was several inches thick.

The map of hundred acupoint of humans clearly appeared in her mind. Yue Jing Hua took up the needle and accurately pressed down on the acupoints, “Heart Transport, --, Mute’s Gate, Sun, Camphorwood Gate…” Every time she said aloud a name, a steel needle which had already been disinfected with fire had pressed into that very acupoint.

And at the same time, the arcane-qi which had been hiding in the steel needle began to become more active, flowing along with the flow of the blood and the tendons and muscles towards the dantian.

After Yue Xiao Qi had brushed up “Yue Jing Hua”’s body, she immediately found out that the arcane-qi inside “Yue Jing Hua”’s body was very similar to the traditional concept of inner-qi found in Cathay traditions and conventions.

According to the Cathay’s oriental studies of martial arts, a human’s inner-qi is not something that is easily dissolvable. In pace with time’s flow, the building up of inner-qi would only continue to deepen and grow more.

The arcane-qi which “Yue Jing Hua” had cultivated for over ten years was also like this. She had begun cultivating arcane-qi at the age of three, and at the age of seven, she had already become first-rank mortal arcanist at the age of seven. At the age of thirteen, she had already become a ninth-rank mortal arcanist, which was only a line away from a jade arcanist. Such talent, can be called first-class.

It only took three years for a genius to suddenly become a good-for-nothing. And whether or not a good-for-nothing can become a genius again, will have to depend on tonight.

Before beginning acupuncture, Yue Jing Hua had concentrated her all her attention and scanned the situation the body was in.

There was a cloud of black smoke like texture of something which had layer by layer, just as if it were a spider web, separating her flesh, blood, tendons and muscles, and organs, making it so that the arcane-qi in the dan-tian unable to gather up and condense together in “Yue Jing Hua”’s body. This is what created the illusion that “Yue Jing Hua” was unable to condense up arcane-qi.

In the 23rd century, research of the composition of the human body had already reached a pinnacle. As a requirement for her job, Yue Xiao Qi once had an old traditional Chinese doctor who had a Shaolin monastery background as her teacher. That old traditional Chinese doctor taught Yue Xiao Qi how to use acupuncture to facilitate the inner forces and blood and vital breath of her body.

But there’s a saying that says that doctors never self- treats themselves. Only someone like Yue Xiao Qi whose a fierce character willing to play around with her life, would be able to treat her body so cruelly.

After all, the acupoints she chose although are the quickest shortcuts to flushing out all of her major veins and arteries by activating the inner force in her body, but at the same time, they are also the utter most dangerous positions. All of those major acupoints are all the human body’s lethal points. Just the slightest bit of carelessness will result in either serious injuries if light or immediate death on the spot if serious.

Along with the insertion of the steel needles, her body began to shudder nonstop. The feelings of comfort and stimulation created by the pain and arcane-qi flowing around became bundles of high pressure electric currents, making people tremble.

This caused her to slip into a state of chaos; losing all sight and the ability to hear, forgetting everything around her.

The black smoke in her organs had been successively forced back, and a mud like texture substance appeared and stuck onto Yue Jing Hua’s skin. Along with the flow of her sweat, drip by drip, it flowed down. The cloud of black smoke in her body was also slowly and eventually dissipating.

Arcane-qi slowly approached the dantian nearby. The entire dantian was like a clay pellet, the place where the black smoke was most concentrated.

She watched as the arcane-qi had no way of breaking through the black gas’ which confined the dantian.

Yue Jing Hua suddenly bit together her jaws, and then pricked towards the second last needle on the Spirit Court acupoint on the top of her head. The steel needle broke from the middle of the needle, sounds of it snapping sounded out.

The broken half of the needle took on the dark red color of blood, and the other half pricked into her acupoint. The figure of person in the water unconsciously shook around, like a dried leaf on the tip of a branch in the winter, and was about to fall down.

Back to the Yue Jing Hua in the water, the ugly lines on the right side of her face seemed as if it had become even clearer. At this time, the right side of her face was burning red like it had been branded with steel. The demonic light rays brightly lit up, and for a moment, the black air in her body began to backthrust, just like a greedy fierce beast, and crazily plunged towards Yue Jing Hua.

The light on the water shined continuously, reflecting the crescent moon and a beautifully charming figure, along her a face which was both extremely beautiful and ugly.

The light upon the water shimmered, and on the water was another tall and slim shadow of a human.

The water ripped again. That person’s face couldn’t be seen very clearly. That person let out a sound of surprise, as if they were very surprised: “Arcane-qi is currenly transforming…forth rank mortal arcanist…third rank mortal arcanist…”

On the creek, the degree chaotic of arcane-qi was transforming nonstop.

The stranger had only ever seen the advancement of arcane-qi, never the rapid drop of arcane-qi.

Such a strange sight made the person who talked couldn’t help but step forward with curiosity.

When the moonlight shined on the person’s face, everything around them immediately lost all color and beauty.

[joeyvintage]

A small, bleakly beautiful island just off the Northumberland coast was the theatre of an epic feat. This island is Lindisfarne, also known as Holy Island. The hero of this story was a man named Eadfrith. In this quiet place, cut off by the tide from the rest of the world for a few hours a day, every day, he undertook a gruelling battle; his weapon was not the sword but the pen. Eadfrith is the person credited as the mastermind behind the Lindisfarne Gospels. The manuscript is commonly regarded as one of the greatest achievements of British medieval art. Just a cursory glance at its pages reveals curvy, embellished letters; strange creatures and enchanting, spiralling symbols of exquisite precision and beauty. A copy of the four Gospels of the New Testament, it was produced around AD715 in honour of St Cuthbert, one of the most revered medieval saints. The making of the book - which contains the oldest surviving English version of the Gospels and escaped Viking raids and turmoil - required time, dedication, and the invention of new tools and materials. Continue reading the main story The sack of Lindisfarne  Lindisfarne was raided for the first time by the Vikings in AD793At that point, it was the centre of spiritual power for northern England and southern ScotlandIt was the first recorded Viking raid on BritainLetters by the scholar Alcuin of York to the king of Northumbria and the Bishop of Lindisfarne give great insight on how the Christian world reacted to the raidsLindisfarne was sacked again in AD875. The monk community moved to Chester-le-Street with their most treasured possessions, including St Cuthbert's shrine and the Lindisfarne Gospels.Where did the Vikings go when they left Lindisfarne? In a note (or 'colophon') added to the manuscript around AD960, Eadfrith is said to have copied and decorated the Gospels on his own. This is extraordinary, not only because books were normally made by groups of several people, but also because Eadfrith undertook this giant task on top of his responsibilities as the Bishop of Lindisfarne. Experts estimate that it would have taken him between five and ten years to complete his devotional act of meditation, defeating the dark and cold North Sea winters and, probably, his own old age. Experimental chemist With no modern technology at his disposal, he is credited with inventing some of his own gadgets to help. "He was a technical innovator who invented the pencil and the light box in order to achieve his complex artistic and social vision," explains Professor Michelle Brown, an expert in medieval manuscript studies at the University of London's School of Advanced Study. An experimental chemist, Eadfrith was able to manufacture a palette of around 90 colours using only six local minerals and vegetable extracts: "He knew about lapis lazuli [a semi-precious stone with a blue tint] from the Himalayas but could not get hold of it, so made his own," adds Prof Brown. The result of Eadfrith's eclectic approach is one of the most colourful gifts that we have received from the Dark Ages. The Lindisfarne Gospels in numbers (sources: Janet Backhouse, Michelle Brown, British Library) The manuscript is a melting pot of styles, inspired by "all the different peoples who lived in these islands at the time - Britons, Picts, Celts, Anglo-Saxons - along with those of Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cultures," says Prof Brown. Prof Brown also sees in the art of the Gospels a statement about Britain's multiculturalism in that age: "At a time when people signified their status, genealogy and belief by the symbols and decorative motifs they wore, such an 'esperanto' of art signified that everyone had a place in this colourful vision of an eternal harmony to come." Today a book is, for most, something to be enjoyed in solitude, but in the 8th Century, explains Prof Brown, the Lindisfarne manuscript was one of the most seen and visited books of its day; pilgrims flocked to St Cuthbert's shrine, where it stayed. Medieval multi-media Continue reading the main story “Start Quote  The beauty of the book conveys the value of the content” Richard GamesonDurham UniversityBritish Library: Explore the Lindisfarne Gospels online The Lindisfarne Gospels' intricate and symbolic artwork helped convey its message to those who could not read. Professor Richard Gameson, an expert on the history of the book at the University of Durham, even sees it as a precursor to modern multi-media, as it was designed to be a visual, sensual and artistic experience for its audience. "The full-page decoration, the elaborate verse-like arrangement of the text, written in calligraphic letters, the integration of colourful initials of different sizes throughout enrich and enhance the reader's interaction with the volume," says Prof Gameson. "The beauty of the book conveys the value of the content, simultaneously enriching the reader's experience of it." The Gospels originally had a precious metal binding, which made the visual impact even greater. Aldred, the colophon's author, also added a word by word translation of the entire text, so that above every Latin word on the manuscript there is one or more Old English equivalents, a process known as 'gloss'. This is the oldest English version of the Gospels that has come to us. Prof Gameson compares the gloss to current technology, in which we are only a click away from a dictionary. Prof Brown adds that, because of its evocative art and the power given by the still relatively new medium of writing, the book's impact was similar to those of films and electronic media today. And just like modern media, the Gospels helped transform society: "Books such as the Lindisfarne Gospels became books of the high altar, before which legal transactions - such as the freeing of slaves - would be enacted. "Such books formed focal points in a process of social transformation that could lead warriors to embrace pacifism, and kings to free slaves and forgive enemies, at risk of assassination for overturning the social order," she says. Built to last Continue reading the main story What books meant to the Anglo-Saxons  A riddle contained in the Exeter Book of Old English Poetry (c. 960-70) describes the benefits of consulting a book - probably a gospel book. It almost resembles an advert for the latest fashionable gadget: "If the children of men are willing to make use of me, they shall be the more healthy and the more victorious [...] They will have more friends, dear ones and kindred, true and virtuous, good and trusty, who will bounteously increase their fame and fortune, and kindly surround them with benefits, and will hold them fast in a loving embrace." (Translation: Richard Gameson) Who were the Anglo-Saxons? Another extraordinary aspect of the Lindisfarne Gospels is that, unlike most early medieval books, it has come to us in almost perfect condition. It certainly did not have a quiet life: it survived Viking raids and was carried by the wandering Lindisfarne monk community to Chester-le-Street and, from there, to Durham. Much later on, after the dissolution of the monasteries, it ended up in the hands of private collectors in London. The fact that it endured all this might ultimately be down to luck, but it also tells us that it was treasured and, indeed, built to last. Prof Gameson says that, in medieval times, a book was an investment for eternity. "The emphasis was to reach as many people as possible for ever," he explains. "And you did something to last [for example by] choosing animal skin and other durable materials, because 100 years from now, 1,000 years from now it was going to be as valued." It is hard to say whether Eadfrith expected that, 1,300 years later, thousands of people would still queue to see his masterpiece. But the Lindisfarne Gospels, with its beauty and history, continues to inspire awe in those who see it as it did in the Middle Ages.