Dear all,
Today’s post is exceptionally for you.
It’s a simple Thank You message to convey our appreciation for your constant visits and support, for following and engaging with us.
In this confusing world of constant rush we will always strive to welcome you with stories and the work that we create.
★Thank you for being the stars that make us grow★
It’s a joyous day for any Japanese rpg aficionado! One of the most beloved titles from the 90’s era named Grandia, together with its first sequel, Grandia II, gets an HD release today.
Oh Grandia, how long has it been? Our nostalgia filled souls already have your soundtrack blaring for all to hear (well, not on the stereo because it’s still daytime… we’re respectful neighbors) and we celebrate by drawing your sweet, memorable characters!
This game might not be the best jrpg out there, the plot is quite simplistic and the most demanding rpg gourmand among us might quickly decide to snub it, however, for us two, it was a hit straight to our gamer hearts.
Without geeking out too much, here’s what we believe the game offers very, very well:
• An awesome combination of medias: engaging story that keeps you moving forward, fun game mechanics, great music evoking the feeling of exploration.
• The feeling that you’re truly going on an adventure and on the search of an ancient civilization.
• Well written characters that are equally appealing visually, with their looks perfectly representing their roles and personality.
On our image, from left to right we got Justin, a troublemaker of a kid, dreaming of becoming an adventurer and honor the legacy of his ancestors, Sue, the cutest girl in town, but with wits and attitude to match and Feena, an adventurer from the New World, with a few well kept secrets. And there’s also Puffy in accessory mode on Sue’s head.
And now we get to travel by their side once again, on their quest to reach The End Of The World and maybe, even go beyond it because as we know, the World never ends and neither do adventures.
Charming, delightful, a bit frustrating at times but very well paced, Grandia is the perfect treat for this weekend. Hurray!
★Stay inspired everyone!★
The colour illustration for the folktale of “Cardil, the Bull” wouldn’t be complete without at least a detail of its lines.
Poor Cardil… If you’re wondering why he’s looking so upset, don’t miss the opportunity to read the story on our previous post. Or even quicker, by clicking right here.
★We hope you have a great week and stay inspired!★
Today’s folktale is a simple tale of Temptation versus Loyalty swirling around a prized bull named Cardil. Curiously, we were unable to discover the meaning of the name in Portuguese, but we discovered the name in Ireland having its origins in an old Gaelic word, “ardghal”, which means “high valor”. Very fitting for the esteemed pet of a king!
This story, with deep roots in Portuguese tradition is usually told in the island of Madeira, in the region of Algarve and the city of Coimbra. In the Sicilian tales we discovered a similar tale but instead of a bull, it is a goat that will test the hero’s faithfulness.
Now without further ado, let’s begin our retelling of this tale!
Cardil, The Bull
Temptation and loyalty, is what our next Portuguese Folktale will bring you! Probably in the least expected way and the least expected results…
So be sure to visit soon and we’ll tell you all about it with the final illustration!
★Have a great week and stay inspired!★
Lines for Okiku, the wronged maiden of the ten plates
Hair and more hair, that’s what can be summarized from the illustration of Okiku, twists and turns made quite the therapy to carefully ink and “sculpt”.
In case you missed it, the coloured finished version and her ghostly story is waiting for you at a previous post: A Japanese Folk Tale: Okiku.
★Have a great week and stay inspired!★
The relief of the word “ten”
Okiku or “Banchou Sarayashiki” (The Dish Mansion at Banchou) is one of the most popular ghost stories in Japan and as expected, has several versions. Within all of them we settled for its folk version.
The story tells us of a beautiful girl serving a samurai called Aoyama Tessan, who constantly made advances towards her and every time was met with refusal.
Tired of her resistance, he plotted to make her accept him through a cruel plan where he accused her of losing one of the family treasures, a Delftware plate from a set of ten.
Haunted by the terrifying fate of such an offence -none other than death itself- Okiku desperately counted the plates time after time but to no avail as there was no tenth plate, no matter how many times she recounted them.
Under the guilt she confessed to Aoyama, in tears, and was received with an offer of him disregarding her wrongdoing if she gave in and became his lover. Okiku once again refused him, and this infuriated him to the point of throwing her down a well as punishment and killed her.
The story says that due to that unfair death, Okiku turned into a ghost who haunted her murderer. Counting up to nine, then shrieking loudly, agonizing, unable to find the missing plate.
It is told that her haunting was broken by an exorcist who shouted “ten”, just before her shriek after her usual count. Finally finishing the set and releasing her from the fixation on the missing plate.
Other versions involve the anger of a jealous wife, another one where she finds out a plot from her master against his lord and contributing to dismantling it, unfortunately all the versions have her die and return as a ghost.
The most romantic version is where Okiku is actually guilty of breaking the plate, hoping that her lover proves his devotion for her, but instead she is killed when confessing that it was intentional. When appearing as a ghost, the beauty and calm displayed on her face instead of ugly and vengeful feelings reaches out and touches his heart, leading him to commit suicide (seppuku) to join her in death.
Romantic?… Yes.
Right-minded?… Well, Love and Passion are complicated matters. We’ll just leave it at that.
★Stay inspired★
