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- Sounds great, - Sanex's companion agreed, - but where can we "farm" them now?.. - I'll be waiting, - Lua nodded, - you can, for example, sign up for a tournament nearby.
—Thank you, we'll be back. As for the tournament... I don't feel like devouring souls just for fun right now. —Lua. —Where? Let's go to the art gallery, for example, and vote as we like, we'll get one there. And we'll find another one somewhere else, it's not difficult. —Sanex.
Sonata also submits her comments and scores on a neatly lined sheet of paper.
Road to Tomorrow (Tenok Ferluci)
9
"Where does the road to tomorrow lead?" This is such an interesting question that everyone will answer it differently, and those whose eyes fall upon this canvas may perceive the drawing depicted on it in vastly different ways. Where is this girl going? Perhaps she is heading to school because it is far from her home—meaning tomorrow is represented by an unchanging but familiar routine; Or perhaps she is trying to leave her past life behind and get as far away from familiar places as possible? Then it would be melancholy with notes of new hope; One who cares for history or the processes of technological development will see in this painting a Conflux of the new and the old, and the road to tomorrow will lead to some kind of new discoveries.
Pleasant colors and an extremely curious theme, skillfully conveyed on paper.
IPB (Heinos Gnilomud)
6
An extremely original idea, the girl's figure is good and the general mood of the painting is also appealing, but I strongly recommend that the author does not actually lead up to IPB, and not only because it is prohibited in this country... (⸝⸝⸝╸▵╺⸝⸝⸝)
Inexperience (Kanchan Kizdam)
9
Looking back at their past, almost anyone would find the period of childhood sadly fleeting, but in those moments of long-forgotten days, time stretches in a gentler rhythm for us and each individual day is a unique adventure full of various emotions and new impressions.
In this drawing, I see exactly that—a scene from childhood frozen in time, where even the interior of an abandoned house is perceived like a fairy tale and every detail evokes extraordinary interest.
Jigokuraku (Sima Yun)
10
Hell (jigoku) + Paradise (gokuraku) = a battlefield?
For the simple soldier and the innocent, it is pain and suffering; for a true warrior obsessed with battle, it is a moment of exaltation. This idea is very well conveyed by the drawing itself—in essence, the scene represents hell on earth, while the central figure is a Valkyrie, a maiden of battle, enjoying what is happening.
The protagonist of the painting deserves special attention, in whose appearance exemplary femininity is intertwined with an uncharacteristic bloodthirstiness and ruthlessness.
My favorite work of this event! My gratitude to Yun and Ahuri (˵ •̀ ᴗ - ˵ ) ✧
Lady from the Portrait (Revania es Diesra Arual)
8
A magical, mysterious image and an equally intriguing plot. The more you look into the eyes of the depicted woman, the stronger the feeling that she could step out of the canvas at any moment and grace the viewer with her presence.
Linze Reim (Kostus Kepler)
9
The best depiction of Linze Reim that my eyes have ever beheld, and that says a lot—even in the absence of a background.
Beginning (Eogan Lamarque)
6
Beautiful.
Quiet Place (Princess Ayano)
8
It evokes in me the same peaceful feelings as my own home, even if there are more external differences between it and this painting than similarities.
Island Map (Ahuli)
8
This is very educational and useful, and even unusual for a contest!
Ayano-sama in Hoshigume (Ahuri)
8
I really liked how the seasons are conveyed here, and Ayano turned out to be extremely cute!
State (Cleona Cream)
6
The idea is interesting and the execution is amusing.
Dragon Slayer (Beata Luxae)
5
The hand of a professional artist is evident, but the theme does not touch any of the strings of my soul ( ´･･)ﾉ(._.`)
End of the World (Erefir Linel Darwening)
6
Can this work be considered a continuation and conclusion to Eogan Lamarque's "Beginning"? Had I been aware of the plot, perhaps I would have liked this work more.
- Well now, Ayanchik, - having cast her votes, Sonata returned to her friend, - perhaps it's time for us? - She taps her fingers against the hilt of Fiammael. - Let the girls have their fun without us for a while.
-- Thank you very much, -- the entry reads, followed by a slight bow.
- No problem. In the initial version of the review, I had these ratings, but they turned out to be... not very flattering, considering the nature of many of the exhibits, one of which belongs to the owner himself. Therefore, I thought it would be too rude to include them.
Author
- Well, Ayanchik, - after casting their votes, Sonata returned to her friend, - I guess it's time for us to go? - She taps her fingers on the hilt of Fiammael. - Let the girls have fun for a while without us.
- Are you thinking what I'm thinking?.. We can check. Good review, by the way; it's as if you compensated for your lack of participation with this effort, - she looked uncertainly at the remaining trio. - Have fun?
Lady Reime, Lady Kleona – Amamius Okikot, from the tech exhibition, sends a request through me to supplement the reviews from that event with ratings, for statistics. If you want to do that and it is convenient for you, I will pass it on to him.
- Thank you, we will return. And the Tournaments... I don't feel like devouring souls just for fun right now. - Lue. - Well, where? Let's go, for example, to the art gallery and vote as we wanted, we'll choose one there. And we'll rate the second one somewhere else, it's not a difficult task. - Sanex.
- Let's go! Let's see what's so interesting today.
Klisan arrives at the art gallery.
Added 5 minutes ago Author
- Are you thinking about what I'm thinking? We can check.
- Uh-huh... I think we've made her wait long enough. They probably aren't still walking around. Author
Good review, by the way; it's as if you compensated for your absence with this effort.
- Ha-ha, thank you. I even earned a star, so I only won!Author
- She looked uncertainly at the remaining three. - Have fun?
- Of course, Aiyano-sama, - Onyata replied in unison, Kleona nodded silently. - I'll make sure they don't get lost, - Yun offered.
- Let's go! Let's see what interesting things are happening today.
Klisans arrive at the art gallery.
—..This is great, when we came in this morning, there were almost no people, but now look: they organized a whole exhibition with voting. Since today is a day of high art, we should definitely participate, at least in the evaluation, I don't think we'll regret it.
The notes are carefully sent to the inventory (possibly without being read, depending on the apparent desire of those voting).
-- On behalf of the organizer, many thanks, and have a good rest of the day.
The nose-winged one did not fail to notice that Sanexa and Klin entered the academy... Oh, they are going to tear her painting apart now, but nothing ). A nod to both, then to the guild of philosophers, where for now two essays are turned in within a short time (but there will be more almost for sure).2. AconiaThis question contains two parts. What is good and what is evil? What is Aconia?
Practice shows that even in the first, seemingly simple, two matters, people have no single opinion. Good is understood both as good for the world, and as good for the individual, and as good for the country, and as good for civilization as a whole, and this is only the most superficial division.
What, then, is the result of Aconia's life? It is well known that she was a singularity, a saint, under the command of Arsilia, very strong and devoted. And in the days of crisis, when a threat from the sky fell upon the world, Aconia, to the same extent as the others, was a line of defense for Anuzish. Was this a fleeting whim or was it her very nature? Obviously, the second — how could it be that entities not born of human wives had childhood, growing up, a stage of determining values and orientations? Thus it should be concluded that Aconia's military defensive functions were an integral part of her, a duty of blood, which she carried honestly and fully during the war with the Celestials.
What could have made such an entity turn against her main ally at the hour when the crisis had passed? History does not speak of this, and it is obvious that some important piece of information has been lost by official sources. She who, by all classifications except perhaps the ardent pacifist-self-assimilators, should have been clear good, suddenly commits a villainous act, betrayal and murder of a friend.
It was little, but I was fortunate to communicate with some singularities, and their way of thinking... It is similar to the human one in that they have certain preferences, desires, goals, and interests. But it is not similar in that they are not subject to sharp sensual variability; I find it hard to imagine an unexpected act from them that does not fit their character, and I somehow had the feeling that they existed as they are now thousands of years ago. Why was the version accepted that Aconia is any different? Most likely this is not so. Concealment of some important detail, an error of understanding, an accident, or slander — it doesn't matter what, the main thing is that I find it incorrect to judge Aconia as a murderer.
Paradoxically, from the point of view of the development of human history, that episode could even have been positive, although in my somewhat individualistic understanding of good, the death of Arsilia still does not fit. From our point of view, as people, we have learned to exist in a world where there are heroes of the past, but where in the present we must become such heroes ourselves; we have learned independence and overcoming ourselves and the difficulties of the surrounding world.
Thus, what is Aconia? She was a special person for the universe during her life, while for us she became a catalyst of history, and instead of thinking in simple categories, I will prefer to understand this saint precisely in this way. 5. The Church of Anuzish/Arsilia, the New Tradition, Lugranism, Liberation, Luencian Ethics, Godlessness, worship of Celestials and otherworldly deities: which of these movements are viable and which are not?Church of Anuzish: apparently, with the new changes in the country, veneration of Arsilia as an incarnation of Anuzish will cease to be universal (although it is possible that somewhere and in some form it will remain). The Church itself, even having changed its doctrine, will remain strong because it is based on the simplest and most indisputable principle of love and reverent attitude towards the planet you live on.
New Tradition: consisting mainly of three sects, this challenge to the traditional Church is generally too demanding of its followers, imposing additional rules on them. However, using such offshoots can certainly be convenient for political purposes, to avoid being tied by any relations to the main Church and the territories in which it operates, as well as to impose a certain way of life on the population. In Zimivia, the Order sect was undoubtedly used in this way, but it also helped that country fall, as soon as the population began to doubt the necessity of sacrificing their personal freedoms as much as the sect demanded of them. Nevertheless, this sect or similar ones, being convenient, will hardly cease to exist entirely. The Chaos sect perfectly justifies pirates and bandits, so it too will not be eradicated at the present time, any more than organized crime in neutral waters and poorly controlled territories of countries will be eradicated. The Harmony sect looks the most reasonable of the three, but apparently is not very actively preached and therefore will not spread beyond already developed territories, unless some accident occurs.
Lugranism: an excellent idea for enraging society and elevating some villains on its blood. Undoubtedly, if there had been no crisis of power in Zimivia, Lugranism would not have taken root, but still it is empty as a religion, as it is based on envy. And yet its manipulative potential is extremely great, even higher than that of the sects, so it will not be eradicated quickly in any case.
Liberation: sounds like an ideology that, if it spreads or if truly powerful forces are on its side, will lead to the Apocalypse and the destruction of all existence, or to a catastrophe with the death of 95% of the planet's population. Megalomania leads to no good...
Luencian Ethics: a fairly simple idea with no requirements for religious rites or practices, while not contradicting a kind attitude towards Anuzish. It sounds quite tempting for people with a rural way of life, and probably will persist in that form. In cities and in the wild, people usually need stronger moral support, as it seems to me, so with the industrialization of society, this ethics will weaken.
Cult of Mao: beyond any doubt, the cult of this saint is akin to the cult of Anuzish in terms of how justifiably grateful her followers are to her. Because of this similarity, the Cult of Mao can disappear from the islands only with a strong decline in morals or someone's evil will; for the same reason of similarity, it will hardly spread far beyond the islands, only pilgrims from there will carry their faith to other countries. Nothing bad, it is an interesting identity.
Godlessness: there is an idea that the whole world exists in the head of one single person, of course, exactly the one who holds this idea, and other people, things, and entities are the product of his imagination. Utter nonsense, all these strange imaginers will one day die, and the world will continue to exist without them. So it is here, one can fantasize anything about one's personality, but no one in their right mind will play along with these fantasies. Especially when it comes to promoting a concept towards which almost everyone in the Empire feels strong rejection; its disappearance is only a matter of time (although, considering the lifespan of elves, not a very short time).
Worship of Celestials and otherworldly deities: Miss Cosmos will be relevant as long as alien summonings are carried out. Sofia, as I recently heard with surprise, supposedly patronizes couples, but this is some strange and destructive romance, and I deeply do not understand how anyone worships her at all. I will not argue with reality, however, but surely cursed mind control is involved in many cases here, which means this cult will one day face oblivion, as soon as someone takes it seriously. Teuta is a competitor of the Chaos cult: a dangerous and undesirable celestial, however, fighting her may be difficult, because envy is always held in high regard among people, and who can predict where her name will be invoked in the next minute? Gnosis symbolizes a dangerous and uncontrollable striving for knowledge, like Liberation symbolizes a striving for control. If she is not banished from Anuzish by someone's mighty will, it will be difficult for many to explain why such a simple path to knowledge could be bad; most likely she will remain desirable. Rinze seduces with external beauty, masking emptiness within; now that she has been "banned" and her cursed power has fallen, only a few who are greatly lost in their spiritual development will believe in her, plus those who believed in her before the ban, because a habit is not so easily changed. Risha — no one knows what she wants, perhaps even she herself does not, but it would be difficult to prevent such a being from penetrating Anuzish if it were her desire. For now, we are not very interesting to her; this goddess will be the lot of a few magic lovers or simply freedom-loving people without a clear tendency towards negative emotions, unlike some other religions and deities. Not particularly popular, but not fading away either.
Belief in Kami (Yanagi): a religion that tries to supplement belief in Anuzish without contradicting it, imposing some additional, but not too draconian, rules. It seems promising in itself, because people would find it pleasant to find new friends in the form of spirits in the world around them. But besides this, the enormous and exponentially growing popularity of the abbess of this faith, Princess Ayano, will undoubtedly convert many people to this faith.
Ikigai: the belief that a person must impose many restrictions on their spirit, humble it to achieve harmony, and be critically disposed towards everything "superfluous," be it magic, technology, or even some supernatural entities, is a sensible counterbalance to human greed and the thoughtlessness of their actions; this religion will undoubtedly gain many more followers, despite being, in my humble opinion, too strict. It will be especially valued among adherents of asceticism.
This is my opinion on the question of the spread of the most well-known beliefs on Anuzish.
- Arigato, Yun-kun, - he nods to him, then nods to the ladies. - Ladies.
He nods to the art teacher, then to all the remaining acquaintances who were nearby, finally finishing the nodding combo with a final nod to Sonata:
- Let's go. I hope everyone is here.
...But at the exit, fate once again presented an opportunity, missed last time due to a temporal misalignment:
Author
- It's great that when we came in this morning, there were almost no people, and now look: they've organized a whole exhibition with voting. Since today seems to be a day of high art, we can't help but participate, um, at least in the judging, I don't think we'll regret it.
- Chegver-dono?... Or rather, Chegver-sama, - Aiyano bows to the countess. - And...? - she asks, looking at Saneksu. - Good day. I suppose many have already congratulated you on your appointment... - she hesitated, not knowing how to continue from here. - Although this is a very terrible situation. Although formal condolences are worth nothing against what happened, and yet... however bland it may sound, my heart bleeds. Something like this should not have happened. It's still hard to believe.
- Hmm... - Saneksa examined the works submitted for evaluation. - One is drawn by a princess, another depicts her, and the third is by Her Majesty's sister... Will we be executed if we give them low scores?
- Hmm... - Saneksa scrutinized the works submitted for evaluation. - One is drawn by a princess, another depicts her, and the third is by Her Majesty's sister... Will we be punished if we give them low scores?
—I'll tell you more – most of the other works feature imperial knights or members of the inner circle. —a nod to a familiar figure. —Some chubby factory worker who happened to wander into the exhibition might suspect something is amiss and complain to the mayor's office, but I think that's just proof that art is directly related to a high calling. Hmm, what was I talking about? Oh yes, can you really doubt the people closest to Her Majesty? As far as I know, she never respected servile insincerity, and I think that applies to everyone else, so... let's vote according to our hearts.
Added 1 minute ago I don't have time to reply right now, I'll edit it later...
Li Jun, accompanied by Kilika, approached Erefir from behind and glanced at the texts of the right pillar.
"Very interesting! It's not often you meet someone who has not only met saints face-to-face but also chatted with them! Hmm... So, what's next? I see that Lugranism isn't popular with you... Well, that's not surprising; this ideology isn't very appealing to many. Usually, it attracts those from poor social classes who feel economically disadvantaged and intellectuals who, ironically, don't have to work at all or work very little. In other words, to put it bluntly, it's a kind of symbiosis of the oppressed and the idle, either against the greedy and cruel bourgeoisie or against the most productive members of society – the so-called middle class. It's a very paradoxical thing! Hmm... You don't like Liberation either? To be honest, yes, I find this worldview very immature. Next... Oh, Godlessness! You know, looking at the Empress, her daughter, and the left pillar, it seems that many people around us would be willing to perceive these three as goddesses and blindly follow them in everything, so this way of thinking is not limited to just the slavery of Lower Lunaria. Oh, and even Sophia and Rinze are described in such a negative light..."
"Hello, Erefir," Kilika finally greeted, "how are you? How was the performance? How is the Empress?"
- Chegver-dono?... Or rather, Chegver-sama, - Ayano bows to the countess. - And...? - she asks, looking at Sanex. - Good day. I presume many have already congratulated you on your appointment... - she hesitated, unsure how to continue. - Although this is a very terrible situation. Although formal condolences are worth nothing in light of what has happened, and yet... however bland it may sound, my heart bleeds. Something like this should not have happened. It is still difficult to believe.
—Oh, Your Excellency, I am glad to finally meet you! - the mountaineer replied, mentally berating himself for his shamefully low perceptiveness. - Allow me also to congratulate you on receiving the high title and wish you success in your future endeavors. Ahem, allow me to introduce my companion, - Sanex Rimm. And... Thank you for your kind words. And not just for the words. You know, if circumstances had been a little different, my gloomy face might have been the first one you encountered "upon arrival." And although this was not meant to happen, ironically, echoes of your valiant deeds still reached and saved, perhaps more than once, my life. And the fact that you mentioned my humble homeland in your first speech... means a lot to me. To all of Kridear. No matter how heavy my heart is at the thought of the lost past, sometimes it all still seems like a bad dream, and yet... I cannot help but feel an inspiring hope from such broad support from the imperial family for our future. This truly gives me the strength to move forward, towards revival, just as what happened to me today.
- You can just call me Ayano, - the priestess said, slightly embarrassed. - After all, this "title" of mine is more of a formality. But thank you for the congratulations. Now I won't have to hide it from my loved ones... Sanex-san, it's a pleasure to meet you, - she bows and smiles at her companion, then gestures broadly, introducing her companions. - Sonata Reim, as you already know, this is Kleona, and these are Ahuli and Ahuri - our friends. Over there are Yun-kun and Kanchan-kun - Sonata's subordinates. And this... Riikumeru and Iraola, our, um... protégés, - she looked around for Gnil-kun and noted with regret that he had already run off somewhere. Having finished with this, she slightly lowers her gaze and shoulders. - Despite everything, your face was one of the first things I saw. I thought something had happened to you, and I was glad when I saw that it hadn't... hmm. That you were still with us, - she thoughtfully examines his aura, which is now free of the blue tint. - Yes, it's truly a miracle. She wanted to object to the Count's exaggeration of her importance, but she couldn't find the words to do so without it sounding awkward and shifting the focus to herself, so she decided to drop the subject. - I was away for a while, and when I returned, I heard... and saw... the News only today. Unfortunately, I didn't have time to visit Kridear in person, but... I'll try to do so now. You know, I thought that perhaps my words might have sounded cheap to someone in that situation. But being in such a wasteland at that moment, I couldn't think of much else. So I'm glad that it wasn't the case, at least for you. In my life, I've witnessed cataclysms a couple of times, albeit not on this scale, and I can say one thing - life always finds a way to return. I would like you to know that I will do everything I can to help with that, and to shed light on the origins of this situation. If not us, then who? - I've been thinking about this principle a lot lately, and I've come to respect it. And also, let me express my respect for your attitude. Sometimes people can't cope with the trauma and fall into complete despair, sometimes they deny it. But you're right - you have to live and move forward, there's no other way. At least for the sake of those who were not so lucky. Know that if you have any difficulties, you can always turn to me, and I will do everything I can.
Oh, the Godless! You know, looking at the Empress, her daughter, and the Left Pillar, it seems that many of the people around us would be ready to perceive these three as goddesses and blindly follow them in everything, so this way of thinking is not limited to just the slavery of Lower Lunaria. Oh, and even Sophia and Rinze are described in such a negative light...
-- Perhaps I am a bit conservative, Sir June. But still, I believe that one should be judged by their results, and if we talk about Sophia, she was not kind to the goddess protecting her own world, let alone easily putting another planet to the knife; this is a strange religion for us. As for Rinze, I don't like interfering with the mind. The Godless's observation is interesting, but let's take a look. Having authorities is definitely a positive trait, whether they are among mortals or not; faith requires rituals and absolute solidarity on certain issues. Her Majesty Naria venerates Anuzish and therefore serves as an authority in this capacity. Her Highness Aiyano extends her love to the lesser spirits, and it is about them that she speaks... By the way, it is curious why no one asked about Yanagi and Ikigai. Well, it is probably clear that these are developing religions and have not yet reached their peak in terms of followers, okay. Finally, the Left Pillar, due to its modesty, will not allow itself to be worshipped, although I cannot guarantee that someone will not try anyway. I think that's how it is...
"Although, when the Suzerain is gone, they might try to deify her, perhaps... Well, you also need to understand that a similar fate befell Mao in her time, it's not something completely unusual."Author
- Hello, Erefir, - Kilika finally greeted, - how are you, how was the performance, how is the Empress?
-- Hello, Kilika ) Yes, a lot of unexpected things happened. I'll tell you about it in the evening... - she was sad for a moment, but recovered. - But you already know some of it. The performance was a great success; Beata showed herself in all her glory.
-- Pay attention to the center today if you have time; there you can learn more about Baldur, with a change of element - if visiting this location does not disrupt your schedule, of course. It's worth the money, but if you need it, find me in Carneol, and I'll help... Yes, I need to earn it myself first, but there are many events here, so it's okay.)
-- And tomorrow morning, I will initiate you, so be prepared.
Ment
