愛情革命[aijoukakumei]

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Turn the Page

A Page of Myrann’s journal, upon departing the homeworld:

© Fianna Ai; 02/21/2012. Images and written content owned by me and not to be used without express permission.

Prologue

Year Zero, month Ten – FGV Audacious

What would we like to leave behind for our children? Even one thousand years from now, there will be only the most tenuous sense of connection between them and their forebears – us, that is - and with all likelihood, our situations will be forgotten. What we went through will no longer be real to them; they will not know our names or the details of our struggles. They won’t understand the rolling of our guts at the sound of a siren, the paralyzing fear of lying on our beds at night listening for the whisper of decompression. They won’t know what it’s like to hear the heavy finality of the airlock closing between them and everything they’ve ever known.

Two thousand years ago, perhaps our own forebears thought the same way – the end of the great Beneiian Empire; an imperial, industrial, and cultural behemoth that finally shuddered to a gradual halt. Ghiu’rahn’s Representative States theory took over the idea of succession by right of birth. The geniuses of the day dreamed of the stars, and of the power of steam; envisioned vaccinations and watched the last of the warrior classes fade into obscurity, where once they had been the forefront of society. I wonder if they had any idea of the things we would face, or did they just blindly do what they could do, as we are, and hope for the best?

I envision a day where every cultural advance of which we are so proud is meaningless. The most basic things about us – our habits, our manners, our culture – from the identification of a famous painting to the recognition of a snatch of a bunkmate’s humming, from our historical identity to our very language and turns of phrase… these things will not be in the consciousness of our descendants. They won’t understand about the Waterfalls of Ersetha, or have the same sense of knowing when we talk about a Descendant of the Islands. What islands? They will want to know. Perhaps there will be no islands where they are. Perhaps it will be nothing but islands.

I wonder, then, about the culture that will grow to replace us. Presumably, they will have spawned their own works of art – when time there is for things like painting and creation – and they will have their own versions of things that we know and love. I wonder if the records of what we’ve done will survive. I wonder also if there will perhaps come a time when they rediscover us and treasure what scraps remain. Or they may forget about us completely, as cultures have done time and again throughout history.

What, therefore, should be our course of action? Humanity’s imperative since time immemorial has been the preservation and continuation of our identity. We are delightfully innovative creatures, as well as unforgivably short-sighted. But what we rarely glimpse is the blessing involved in that short-sightedness. Naturally, it would be an exciting leap forward for us to grow beyond that short-sightedness, and the nature of events has made it difficult to be so blissfully blithe about our situation. But as a means of protecting our fragile little psyches, that blindness has served an inestimable function.

I submit that our actions would, and should, be the same regardless. We can do naught but save ourselves from our fate. We complain that we were woefully unprepared for events to progress as they are, but the truth of the matter is that, one thousand years ago, in the ages of our golden champions, we would surely have been wiped out completely, and have had no progeny to consider at all. The complaints therefore become tiresome. We have… enough, right now. Don’t we?

Then again, as the philosophers have theorized, the nature of our people is always to want more than what we have – it keeps our complacency from wiping us out, and teaches us to strive for something greater when we are unsatisfied. The irony of that reality is simply smothering me at the moment. Sometimes what we have is okay, isn’t it? Even if we want more?

When I find the answer to that, I’ll be quite certain to enlighten the rest of the species… all five thousand or so of them.

End Log

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This is a great webcomic I discovered some time ago… I don’t really know how. I can’t remember. It does update, but infrequently enough that I have to forget it for a while to gain a major plot advancement.

That being said, it’s entirely worth it. It’s comical and warm in the Western style, and I love Delilah as a female character, even if she does seem a bit anachronistic. There are very few people to whom I wouldn’t recommend this comic, so far.

I decided to post about it because I’ve yet to see any love floating around for this awesome comic. I would love to own a hard copy of this (maybe to go next to that copy of TJ and Amal that I hope to buy soon ;^;).

Give it a shot! Updates every Saturday at http://www.delilahdirk.com/ , Delilah Dirk and the Turkish Lieutenant is by Tony Cliff. “A tale of adventure and action told in illustrated fashion, presented each Saturday in four- to six-page installments.”

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In which a protagonist begins to cogitate

Xiigh seems, undeservedly, to belittle his own intelligence in these mild ways, despite his flashes of insight. At least it keeps him humble.

I think I love him <3

Happy 2012, followers.

© Fianna Ai; 01/05/2012. Images and written content owned by me and not to be used without express permission.

…Meanwhile, my thoughts flitted back to the hateful comment that had been hissed at me earlier. Someone like you – that was what the man had said. On the other hand, Sauviin had told me, you are one of us.

And yet, when it came to the chance, I had not had the courage to take his hand.

They knew who I was – who my father was – and I was stupid not to grasp the fact that there had been no question all along; stupid to trust that it was not an issue, or that the information had stayed at a manageable level of the command structure. I was being used. By my superiors, in whose authority I ought to trust; I knew it fully, the moment the pieces clicked together for me. The bitterness that rose in me was palpable. All the same, there was nothing to be done now to mitigate mine errors. I had never been the type to pray.

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A post-Christmas fictional rant

Xiigh just needed to tell somebody off that day.

© Fianna Ai; 12/26/2011. Images and written content owned by me and not to be used without express permission.

“We’ve lost the trust of the people completely,” I said, after a moment spent gathering my thoughts; choosing between lies. “This was a man of exceptional breeding and family history, a man of community who refused to so much as touch a gun. A man we have on camera entering a square and calming a riot with a wave and a smile – and don’t tell me he didn’t prevent one simply due to the fact that we had one,” I warned, raising a hand as he opened his mouth. Amused, Stovhen closed it and gestured wordlessly for me to continue. “The truth of the matter is that there was a riot that day because we were determined to have one. We completely lost control of the situation, not once, but twice. If we’d wanted to negotiate – and over something so stupid – we would never have had a problem. Blame the As’shalli or whomever you desire – but don’t blame the Kheru. We bungled the situation, and then had the temerity to punish them for it.” The sanctions had not been bad that time, but anything more than what they had to endure already was really too much.
…
“This is why I wanted to work with you,” he said, looking at me and hoisting his glass in salute. “If you keep going above and beyond like this, you’ll be able to move absolutely anywhere you put your mind to, in the scheme of things.” He knocked back the glass as though saying this was as much a good thing as a bad thing. I didn’t realize until after we’d parted that the negative quality of the statement was something I’d pulled directly from his mind. Time and thought revealed that I might be a threat.

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Kheru fashion: the Ch’ka, part 2

Here are several examples of a men’s head covering. I know, some of them may look amusing, but I’m about to give you more detail about them. Please remember that these styles can be altered according to what is fashion at the time, or of practicality.

A) Occasion: Formal; long

A ch’ka of this nature can be as long as a Japanese obi. In this style, the wrap frames the face and the tails are allowed to hang long. It is often tied in an elaborate sort of knot to a side or back, and the knot style as well as the length and lay of the tails may vary. Generally, this would be made of a heavy quilted satin or the heavier materials worn at night or by traveling Kheru outside of their homeland.
Note also that this is one of the few styles that you may find embroidered or screen printed toward the ends.

Worn by: Travelers, Politicians, Actors, Models, Bridegrooms, the wealthy

B) Occasion: Informal; short or medium

This is a style that, while eminently practical, represents the bare minimum of what a Kheru man might have worn in the third millennium. See that the wrap lies quite low on the brow in order to catch sweat or help protect the face from fumes or spray (in some cases, a forehead protector might have been strapped to the head this way). This style may feature a covered or uncovered top, but those who must wear this style for daily wear due to economical hardship tended to cover the head with it. It was usually made of linen and was quite thin. Also, it was rarely available in colors due to the expense of the dye and the additional care required during laundering. This style did not usually feature tails at all, but there were exceptions.

Worn by: Laborers, Messengers, Butchers, Smiths, for occasional labor, or by lower-middle class and the poor

C) Occasion: Informal; medium-long or long

This style is depicted with a long-haired model for maximum effect. While casual in style, it was favored by those who affected long hair who worked with unclean substances, and was almost never affected by those with short hair. The wrap is extremely high and generally calculated to suit the shape of the wearer’s face. While technically a sanctioned style, it was seen as a bit eccentric in the third millennium, spiking dramatically in popularity in the early fourth. Always featured without tails.

Worn by: Artists, Sculptors, certain tailors, Herbalists, Musicians, and all economic strata, esp. middle class

D) Occasion: Semi-formal; medium-long to long

While not a common style in the third millennium, the fourth found that this style could frequently serve to replace style A, depending upon the occasion. Dependent upon the style used to dress the knot in the back, it could be a very clean or very elaborate style. It was accomplished by wrapping the ch’ka, usually narrowly as time went on, and then pulling the long tails either over or back through the wrap portion to create a layered fabric look in the back. Rarely, it was secured into more elaborate fashions with braided cord, and frequently it was made from serge or another heavy fabric. This style had the distinction of almost always leaving the head uncovered, and covered a larger portion of the hair in the back than the front. Featured with or without tails.

Worn by: Middle and upper class for daily social functions, regardless of occupation

E) Occasion: Informal; short

Having fallen sharply out of favor by the late third millennium, this style was featured explicitly for its ease of application and maintenance, as well as its rather extreme practicality. Uniquely, this piece always consisted of two parts, the band and the cloth, and never with tails. It was accomplished by folding the cloth around the band before wear. It served to cover the back of the neck and ears, and was usually worn long enough to be used to capture the sweat on the back of the wearer’s neck. The unusual properties of this style are due most like to its descent from the ch’kai worn by monks who competed at sports events. At the height of its popularity, it was adopted by professional athletes of many varieties.

Worn by: Athletes, Soldiers, and other competitors, usually lower and middle class

F) Occasion: all; medium

The last pictured style was worn exclusively by religious affiliates and their lay associates until the Eastern Confederation’s occupation of Kher’marat. This is one of the few styles characterized by always having the top of the wearer’s head covered, and was one of the most restricted in terms of vocational use. During the occupation, however, a few noted anti-Confederation leaders adapted the style out of respect and representation of the Kheru tradition. There was a resurgence in popularity after the restoration of the Kheru state, but it waned fairly quickly in the face of its relative complication compared to other, more contemporary styles.

Worn by: Priests, Monks, and lay attendants; later by revolutionary recruits and non-secular government representatives

Not pictured:

Most if not all pictured styles ould be worn with another cloth in order to cover the face and mouth when anonymity or safety required, though none of these styles have been pictured in this manner. Occasionally, men might wear just a headscarf tied hurriedly and not wrapped, although this was quite unusual in all time periods, and so is not pictured.

© Fianna Ai; 12/07/2011. Images and written content owned by me and not to be used without express permission.

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Kheru fashion: the Ch’ka, part 1

I wanted to take some time to point out a few things about Kheru fashion. Unexpectedly, the first few stories under production, with the exception of Zephrann’s Tale, center around the Eastern Confederation’s occupation of Kher’marat, which occurred in the Third Millennium after Exodus. (Timeline forthcoming ^^) To save some confusion, I’ll specify now that Brothers in Arms takes place in the third millennium, and Ne’eth is settled early in the fourth (corresponds to Nhamorhi’s time).

As a result, I thought I’d take some time to talk about it, as this custom, while being unique to the Kheru people, can tell someone a lot about an individual, especially when taken with other habits such as hairstyles.

Distinguishing Factors

Firstly, consider the fabric. Cottons are always the most practical in the desert, or linens, especially when they need to breathe and absorb sweat from the brow. Whenever you see a Kheru in a richer fabric, such as a heavy wool or velvet, they are most likely dressed for an occasion that does not require elemental exposure, or practicality, for that matter. (That’s leaving aside the issue of relative cost.)

Secondly, length is related to both cost of fabric and the style utilized, both of which can be seen as indicators of relative wealth. Lastly, consider the practicality of the fact that these aren’t like Victorian top hats, to be removed at will. Rather, this was the style of every day, and a man was expected to be dressed properly in public. Anyone who would be doing a messy or hazardous job, from butchery to smithy, would not want to wear a longer or more elaborate style while working.

History

An important distinction to note is that only men generally wore the ch’ka, for women had their own styles. When the Kheru women wore shawls or headscarves, they were almost never wrapped. Loose ch’kai or scarves emulated flowing hair, and are thus viewed as feminine.

Why was this garment worn? First of all, the Kheru lived primarily in desert climates; therefore protection from the sun and absorption of sweat were always in order. Secondly, being of an extremely modest religious disposition, it was seen as polite for a man to keep himself covered in public or social situations. Why not women, you ask? Well, the same guidelines of conduct applied, but they had their own ways to address it.

The Kheru continue to utilize the garment throughout the third and fourth millennia, though the surrounding culture is diluted dramatically by then. The ch’ka has fallen out of favor by the fifth millennium, which corresponds to our modern day. Integration of races and genomes is an influencing factor in the utilization of the garment, however during its period of usage, the male head covering went from a symbol of purity and devoutness, including adherence to their mode of worship, to a symbol of integrity or traditional values, most especially as a result of resistance efforts during the occupation. During this period, many historical Kheru practices were outlawed or banned by the Eastern Confederation, and although the end of the occupation saw a formal restoration of religious law, the customs had already been irrevocably changed.

TBC…

© Fianna Ai; 12/07/2011. Images and written content owned by me and not to be used without express permission.

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Subconsciously, that was the moment he decided to become a healer.

Snippet of the journey to Beneiia-Kahm.

© Fianna Ai; 12/04/2011. Images and written content owned by me and not to be used without express permission.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered in Vrishats, “but the truth is we’re taking a gamble, here.” He leaned close into the boy’s face and continued, “They have let you go so long that there’s a chance you may still sicken this way. To be honest, I think taking the arm wouldn’t have saved you!” He had been weakened enough that his body wouldn’t have been able to recuperate the way it needed to. Though he was young still, his strength had been sapped. He had thought that admitting it to his patient, the first patient of his own and not his cousin Franu’s, would make him feel better even if the boy couldn’t hear, but he wasn’t sure that that was the case, after all.

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