A Curated Selection of Amusing Miscellany
My sister is vastly moving forward with her creative ambitions as a Concept Artist this year. Something I should be well doing for writing.
I helped her setup a website to display her work and ongoing projects: Sophia Z. Wang
Do take a look.
It’s that time of year again for National Novel Writing Month and now more than ever, Neil Gaiman’s words about making good art everyday remains a powerful message for all walks of creativity.
In this turbulent year yet over, let nothing, most of all yourself, stop you from striving for that goal of 50,000 words.
A Transcript of “Make Good Art”, courtesy of James Clear.
A Video of “Make Good Art”, courtesy of Peter Shev.
Happy writing and I wish everyone the best in all endeavours.
Visual Proxy: Archer (Fate/stay Night) with a mustache
Vocal Proxy: Nakiri Azami (Shokugeki no Soma/Food Wars!)
Etymology: Weylin (Celtic, “son of the wolf”); Blackmore (Old English, “black lake”)
Game System: Dungeons and Dragons 3.5e
Class: Custom (Faker)
Background:
How does the son of an old world magus recover from calamity to rebuild his family?
Apparently he does so by disappearing into obscurity for a few decades to hone his body, mind, spirit, and magecraft.
Born into an unforgiving world. Forged by ruinous conspiracy. Tempered by heedless adversity.
Weylin Blackmore rises from the chaos of the Southern Continent through the excellence of hard-won experience to hunt down every conspirator and their associates involved in the fall of the Blackmore. The legend he made for himself in the process is incidental and thus fragmentary as a result. Most who can speak most directly of him also happened to be the conspirators and their proxies. All are no longer in a position to tell any tales.
Bane to the wicked.
Avenger to the fallen.
Saviour to the unfortunate.
Fortuna to the merchant.
Wonder to the craftsman but divine to the blacksmith.
Enigma to his children.
Intrigue to his wife.
Known to himself.
For it is in striving that we achieve immortality. Through this we become a weapon of precise retribution unyielding to all. Infinite in means and unbound by reach, I reinforce your soul and by empty hands, avenge thee.
Image Credit: None. The avatar of a forum-user found long ago.
There is much to speak of on the subject of Taizen. After all, I consider him to be the most influential character in my personal roster. He is hardly the first character to bear the name, “Kurokawa Taizen”, but it fits him more aptly than his predecessor. That is not to say that I abandoned the former “Taizen” but in the years since, that earlier character eventually came into his own; in accordance with my own accumulating experiences. But that is a tale for another time.
Taizen was created for the first Dungeons and Dragons campaign (3.5e) that I was invited to by a few friends. Up until this point, I frequented roleplaying forums and played an overwhelming number of roleplaying videogames but somehow never played DnD or any similar tabletop game. Inspired by Touhou Project’s Morichika Rinnosuke, an irrelevant character in the overall scheme of that setting, I decided to start with a character who did not completely fit the traditional roles of fighter, wizard, rogue, or cleric.
However, I did understand that playing an actual merchant was a foolhardy undertaking; he would not survive well in a world of swords and sorcery. I settled on a ninja, it was a class like a rogue but carried its own utilities where stealth and subtlety were needed. It has to be emphasized that I was not intending on playing ninja who was merely a merchant as a cover. I was playing a merchant who was competent in his trade first and combat second, all while not drawing too much attention to himself. The idea delighted my dungeon master to no end and he expressed his regrets that my intentions with the character were not kept a secret between the two of us. With background and equipment in hand, Taizen was ready for whatever laid ahead in the campaign.
Although, there was some things that neither the character nor the player can prepare for. The ranger threatening to burn down the boat with everyone on board is one of those things. He was persuaded not to and so my first DnD campaign did not end in a total party kill at sea in the first session. Taizen was well-received by all involved. He was well-mannered, polite, and not prone to haste which carried him far among the townsfolk and local guards. While others frequented the tavern for drink and revelry, he could be seen bartering among other merchants. Taizen strove not to be a liability when combat was initiated though he took pains to hide more astonishing feats from direct view, often with the body of the monster he was contesting with. The results of his successes were not so easily hidden but they were eventually dismissed as necessary skills he picked up in his solo wanderings throughout the land. A few unfortunate failures and stumbles along the way only reinforced his story that regardless of anything, he was just a merchant.
While this campaign never completely resolved, I like to imagine that it ended in success as it was a first for many involved and the DM was very lenient with that in mind. There was only one causality before we stopped and that was entirely self-inflicted on that character’s part. However, Taizen as a character would have greater implications than I would have imagined at the time. He felt like a character that was truly possessed of an agency that was his own. He was not a self-insert or a “better” me, he was not riddled with so many bells and whistles as to make him “special” and “unique”, and he was not a power fantasy. Kurokawa Taizen was Kurokawa Taizen; independent. I did not so much play him within the context of the game as observe him while he carried on with his business.
It may be odd as a creator but I owe a debt of gratitude to Taizen; one he has no intention upon collecting. It is through him that I would come to know many other characters, all individuals of their own, and it is through the roads he traveled that I was also exposed to a myriad of novel places. From the humble beginnings of my first DnD game to the present where I world-build my own setting, Taizen’s influence is truly pervasive and persistent. It may have not been his exact plan but it seems to be what he always intended.
Visual Proxy: Morichika Rinnosuke (Touhou Project)
Vocal Proxy: Professor Ozpin (RWBY)
Etymology: Kuro (黒, black), Kawa (川, river); Tai (泰, calm), Zen (然, to be). Kurokawa (黒川, black river); Taizen (泰然, self-possessed)
Game System: Dungeons and Dragons 3.5e
Class: Ninja
Background:
A self-described “simple merchant”, Taizen ventured into the land to barter goods and ply services away from the auspices of his noble family. He is a voracious and curious collector of all manners of items, skills, and experiences. His travels were mundane if successful and he went about usual business until circumstances incentivized him to work with a group of adventurers.
A merchant certainly stood out as an odd addition to a party that consisted of an intimidating fighter, a mischievous Gnome illusionist, a Merman druid who lost an animal companion, a basiphobic ranger with a flaming honey badger, and a silver-tongued bard. But this was only called into question early on as Taizen handled himself on the battlefield far better than what anyone else expected. He merely pointed out that his solo travels necessitated that he learn to defend himself and his wares. All the better as it permitted practical experience with his inventory that other merchants did not necessarily have and so gave him an advantage. The issue was dropped shortly after and Taizen carried on his business with the party, in and out of combat.
But it was after this particular adventure, where people were saved, evil was averted, and treasure was acquired, that Taizen found himself yet unsatisfied. It seemed to him that adventuring was too much of an investment for too little of an effect in the long run. There were some prolonged consequences but they were far too localized for his liking. There had to be a better way to render aid to all people, not just those within his reach. He eventually came to the conclusion that the best way to accomplish this was to be what he always was, a merchant, but in a more proactive role.
Thereafter, Taizen deliberately sought out areas of potential conflict or activity and all the points in-between. He came in with inventories based on the observed needs and lent out items as well as advice both; often at much reduced cost or even freely. He set up shop long enough to evaluate the situation, build networks, and stabilize affairs but left just before all the dust settled. Taizen aimed to be precisely where he needed to be with the exact services required by his patronage, whoever they were and whatever situation they found themselves in. One merchant could make a substantial, positive difference in the overall state of affairs. All he needed to do was greatly enable every guest who passed through the doors of his shop to take action and provide the proper tools to do so.
Image Credit: eho (icbm)
By all means, I bid you welcome.
This has taken entirely too long to manifest but it finally has. Inaction has a price and I have paid far beyond tolerance. But, I forget my manners.
I am Kurokawa Taizen, proprietor of this particular shop. Calling it such may be a bit generous of a term but items will occasionally be sold here and they will be clearly marked and disclosed. However, the main purpose of Akashic Curios is accumulation; of drabbles, of writings, of musings, of thoughts, and of observations. The shelves are bare at the moment and inventory sparse but this will change with time and steady, daily diligence. There is much to unpack after all.
In here, browsing is not only acceptable but encouraged. It is my hope this shop serves to be a respite from the road, whether in the form of entertainment, food for thought, or else. And should you find something particularly compelling, then take it; I lend it freely. Whether the item in question prove useful on your chosen quest outside these doors or simply lighten its steps, it would gladden me all the same.
Take your time and thank you for your patronage. If there is need, my doors are always open.
