No more memories left to look through
A person with bright hair stood blankly in front of the shelves, they held an open book, one that they wanted to read through for a bit before deciding to buy. But somehow, like a lightbulb going out, its mind was plunge into the depths of an eternal darkness. It felt as though their entire identity was slipping, memories they knew was just there moments ago were fading far too fast for them to grasp. What was it doing here again?
“Hey…?”
Someone tapped its shoulder, causing them to flinch, the eye on its back opened just as they turned around to face the person beside them. It was a lady with silver hair.
“You okay? You've been standing there for awhile.”
It stared at her for a few moments and then looked back at the book it was holding, then back to the lady, its mind feels so empty but it can somewhat remember that they went to this store to buy a book. Right, they traveled to Ka Bue for a visit, then they went to this store to buy a book.
“Ah… yes! Thank you for asking, m'lady!” It made a small bow as they smiled at her. That's what Lord Joséphandre would do, right? But why did it think like that?
Something is missing… And that needs to be filled.
“M-m'lady huh…?” The lady chuckled, a bit awkwardly with a mixture of amusement too, “There's no need to be THAT polite. You can call me Odette! And you?”
“I'm—” . . .
. . .
What is… their name?
. . .
I can't… remember my name…
Why can't I… remember… my name…?
. . .
It looked around, to the shelves lined with books, to the book they held on its hands, and yet no matter what they do, they can't remember its own name. With furrowed eyebrows and a slight frown on their lips, they looked back to Odette who now wore a confused and concerned expression on her face.
“Ah… Apologies Lady Odette but I can't seem to remember my name after all…”
“Is… is that so? Are you really okay?” She seemed to be taken aback by the title again.
They closed their eyes, although the eyes on its chest and back stayed open. It was an action to mimic thinking deeply, something they used to be able to do before adding another pair of eyes to its body.
When was that however?
They can't remember.
“Hmm…” They opened their eyes again, they don't need to as the eyes on their face are blind, perhaps they wanted to appear as friendly as possible, or as polite as can be, or perhaps… something is wrong… It doesn't know what, it feels as though their identity is being rewritten the more the seconds pass. “I might still be sleepy after all… Well, nothing to be too concerned about Lady Odette!”
“Ahaha… You sure are polite, aren't you?”
“Thank you! Ah! Right, are you here for something by these shelves too? My sincerest apologies if I were on your way.”
“Oh no, it's just, I noticed you pick up that book. It's one of the best philosophy books there is, in fact, a certain friend of mine and I are still on opposing debates about its topics.” Odette spoke with a slight glimmer to her eyes before she paused, “…And also, your hair… somehow reminded me of something… I can't seem to remember what it is now though.”
The person with bright hair looked back to the book again, they remember reading this moment's ago, a philosophy book in regards to Craft, written in Ka Bue's language. They studied a bit of its language before coming here yet it seemed that there are still many unfamiliar words written on the book. Right… they remembered seeing such words and wanted to study some more of the language with the help of this book as motivation.
“This book… Truth be told, Lady Odette… I can't actually understand it!” They chuckled, “I was hoping to study more until I could, although it appears that you know quite a lot about it, if it isn't too much of a bother, may I borrow some more of your time for a chat about the topics of this book accompanied with some snacks and tea on the side perhaps? My treat of course!”
“Well, I can't possibly turn down a free meal! Although…” Odette smiled and turned to the shelves beside them, “How about I pick up some more books for you too, I know some interesting books here! As payment for the meal.”
“Hahaha! So long as I pay for it! It wouldn't be a free meal then if something of monetary value is exchanged!”
“Hah! That's fair. Alright, I'll just choose then.”
The person with bright hair smiled, they'd worry about its blank mind later. It'll be alright, the ________ leads, we follow... What was it that leads though...? Where did I get that saying from again...? . . . Well! Whatever! It'll be fine!
Soleil snippet during that time The Country disappeared ft. Odette by @gilfodile !
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The biggest recommendation I can give on writing dialogue that sounds in character for the character to say is, not to read the quests they are in, but to listen to the English dub whenever you get the chance. This may seem difficult especially if you are used to playing it in another language, but listening is key to getting the vibe of a character down. What you pay attention to is, not what they say, but the cadence in which they say it. Pay attention to the emotion in their voice, the speed at which they say things, the volume, etc. Once you get this down, it becomes easier to get an idea of what “sounds” right and what doesn’t. Cadence is an especially powerful thing. By training your ears to a character’s cadence, you can get a better idea of which words they would prefer to use, the lengths of their sentences, and things of the sort.
For example, reader asks Zhongli to dinner and he accepts. How would he respond? “Hmm, I’m not busy this evening, so I accept. Thank you for the invitation.” But that doesn’t sound right, does it? Is Zhongli the type of person that uses many contractions? I don’t think so, so let’s fix it. “Hmm, I am not busy this evening, so I accept. Thank you for the invitation.” But would he say “I accept?” Perhaps, but it still doesn’t sound right. How has he accepted proposals in the past? A bit of research shows he has said “sure.” How can I mix that in? “Hmm, I’m not busy this evening, so sure. Thank you for the invitation.” But hmm… the second sentence doesn’t sound right. What else could he say instead? “Hmm, I’m not busy this evening, so sure. It would be my pleasure.” That sounds a lot better.
Some people may ask why you can’t do these things while listening to another language. Personally, I don’t believe you can. If you are not fluent in those other languages, your ears are not properly trained enough to understand the nuance of the ways they speak. The correct emotion and tone will come through, yes, but you still won’t be able to intuitively know what sounds right and what does not. You only will get this sense by listening to it in the language you choose to write in.
The only downside to this is that your writing will become based upon the English translation of the game. As many people know, the portrayal of characters in English often does not completely match the portrayals in Chinese. This is especially so for characters like Zhongli, Xiao, and Kaeya. A lot is lost in the translation and dubbing process. Characters do not vibe the same. Thus, your portrayals will be more true to English, but not how it technically is “supposed” to be. Personally, I don’t necessarily believe this is a bad thing. However, it is something that can bother people. The only way I can imagine getting around it is by playing the game with the Chinese dub and by following accounts that speak Chinese and can give insight on the literal translations and what they mean and imply.
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5/21/24 tune #3
A hop into another genre as well as the other coast, Speech Patterns is a post-hardcore based in Florida. While they sadly haven't been active since their last single release in 2019, their music still stands fairly strong with melodic notes and a flip between high and mid tempo beats.
Personally, I think this one is the best of their 2017 album, Without a Sound. The instrumental and vocals pair well together and compliment the other, without drowning one or the other out. Makes you wish you could strum along a bit.
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that post about your coworker being an absolute legend was so wholesome, i also hope to be as cool as her when I grow up 😭 but now I’m wondering, what portraits of Lestat do you have on your wall? I’m so curious!
this is my wall!!!
(the "Nevermore" art isn't really my vibe but sometimes my mom buys me little Goth Things she thinks I'll like so obviously I HAVE to put them up lmfao)
ANYWAY the bottom 3 gold portraits that take up most of my zoom background are by Bat in your Belfry art, then hanging up above the gold Louis portrait is a mini @thecoveninarticulate podcast pennant flag hand-painted by @superhiki! In the upper left corner I’ve got the daguerreotype Loustat art by @sheepskeleton which was commissioned by my friend @smas405 who then sent me a print as a gift, and last but by no means least in the top right corner: my prized Louis portrait by @kf-tea!!!!
Not to get too Emotional on main but i’ve been through hell this last year after my mom and I sold my childhood home and have been hopping around a few different houses before settling down in our current place, so having this wall with all of my friends and all of this gorgeous art just makes my heart so happy like it finally feels like a space of my own 🥰
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