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SPITE
M.C.A. Hogarth
merethek [ MARE-eh-thehk ], (noun) — A ritual in which someone of lower caste-rank pledges fealty to one of higher, and both acknowledge their mutual duties, lord to vassal. During this ritual, the higher-ranked paints a ribbon pattern on the lower with a dye (or bleach). This dye fades over the course of a year, at which point the ritual is observed again. Only Thirukedi uses permanent dyes.
The knocks before had been frantic, angry, desperate. They'd been accompanied by cajoling, by pleas, by remonstrations. None of them had pried me from hiding.
This knock was slow.
Was hard.
Was inexorable.
I knew I would give in to it. Knowing made me panic. I faced the corner and chewed on my knuckles.
Silence.
Again, the knock.
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The Admonishments of Kherishdar. Tags: ai-naidar, excerpts, the admonishments of kherishdar
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CALLING
M.C.A. Hogarth
alurais [ ah loo RAYZ ], (noun) — loyalty, allegiance, adoration
"Kor."
The sound of his name raises his eyelids.
"What day is it, Kor?"
"It is the second day of my trial."
I nod. "We are hardly begun, we two."
"Yes, Thirukedi."
"Why are we here, Kor?"
"Because there is no Civilization without Shame, Thirukedi."
I smile. "Why am I here?
"Because there is no Shame without Civilization."
"And you? Why are you here?"
"Because I would serve You, and to serve You I must feel the touch of every tool I use on those I would Correct."
"What day is it again, Kor?"
"The second day of my trial, Thirukedi."
"We two, we are hardly begun."
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The Admonishments of Kherishdar. Tags: ai-naidar, excerpts, the admonishments of kherishdar
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PASSION
M.C.A. Hogarth
ama [ ah MAH ], (verb) — to long or yearn
It is an Ai-Naidari ideal to love all people equally as manifestations of the same spirit: "aimeth", we say, "oneness." Most Ai-Naidar spend their lives struggling to balance oneness and more singular loves, but I am fortunate: all fathrikedi—Decorations, living statues, bed-warmers—are chosen for this ability to love without jealousy; it is the measure of our beauty, how completely we give ourselves to aimeth. I was twice-blessed, for as a mute I understood implicitly how words can obfuscate the spirit. So exemplary was my practice of aimeth, my Regal made a gift of me to Thirukedi Himself.
But the moment I witnessed Shame's trial I was lost.
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The Admonishments of Kherishdar. Tags: ai-naidar, excerpts, the admonishments of kherishdar
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CRADLE
M.C.A. Hogarth
atse [ ah TSEH ], (noun) — emotional outlets; anything that allows a person to relieve emotional stress in a safe, healthy and socially acceptable way.
"Drink," my mother had said, interrupting my packing for my trip to the capital, where I was to undertake my first assignment for the family business.
Wide-eyed, I accepted the cup from my eldest sister. "But this is until-a-better-time...!"
"In case you hadn't noticed," my aunt said, "You'll be in town for the Tryst."
"You can't possibly mean me to... but... the capital!"
"For your first time?" my sister said, laughing. "Oh you must! What a story to tell!"
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The Admonishments of Kherishdar. Tags: ai-naidar, excerpts, the admonishments of kherishdar
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HUBRIS
M.C.A. Hogarth
vauni haale [vauhn nee HAA leh], (noun) — an empty vessel used as a meditation aid; popularized by a historical poem that spoke of filling an empty vase with one's spirit so one could contemplate it from a remove.
See, I have bad thoughts.
I know, everyone has bad thoughts. But mine are really bad. Really really bad.
So, I try to fix them. You know. Correct myself. So no one will notice. Sometimes I'm pretty good at it, the thoughts go away for a week. But most of the time they come back fast, so I do it again.
I spend a lot of my life trying to fix myself.
The good part about this is that no one knew. I ended up sick once because I left myself out in the rain and got a fever, but no one knew why I was out there (after that I started doing it in the place-of-contemplation, where I won't catch a chill). But then Father caught me with a whip I stole from the stables and they figured it out.
It was REEEEEALLY quiet in the House after that.
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The Admonishments of Kherishdar. Tags: ai-naidar, excerpts, the admonishments of kherishdar
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BURN-OUT
M.C.A. Hogarth
helun [ heh LOON ], (noun) — camaraderie, particularly among those in dangerous or difficult professions
"You don't belong here," I said.
Yes, I was so bad I was turning away students. And if he'd answered with defensiveness or anger...
...but he said, "I know."
I scowled. "Why are you here, then?"
"You're the only one who can teach me."
"I'm not the only armsmaster in the city," I said.
"No," he said. "But you're the best at what I need to know."
"And what is that?" I asked, ears flattening.
"Subduing the unarmed."
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The Admonishments of Kherishdar. Tags: ai-naidar, excerpts, the admonishments of kherishdar
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Act 3, "Methods"
Burn-out • Hubris • Cradle • Passion • Calling
And we have now completed Act 2 of the Admonishments, which means it's time for a patron call! In our next Act, entitled "Methods," many of your questions are answered: What is Shame's staff like? Why is Shame necessary? How are minors Corrected and is Shame ever involved? What's it like to be a fathrikedi? Where's the porn? And most importantly, how was Shame chosen for his job and who is allowed to Correct him? (Okay, so some of you might want to switch the last two around...) The illustration for this segment is entitled "Sunny Days," and there's a piece of it above. In it, you'll see why I was griping about Ai-Naidari spines. It's also borderline not-work-safe, in that it contains nudity. I didn't do this for ratings, honest! On a serious note, I really like this act. I think it shows the character as a character, and not necessarily as an omniscient shadow in people's lives. Once we're done with Act 3, we'll be over halfway through the collection; this breath-pause leads us into the last two acts with a better perspective on Shame, Kherishdar and Correction as a whole. I think you're going to enjoy it. If I get ten donations (amount ≥ $1), I'll upload some extras... in this case, the full sketch for the illustration, which is significantly cropped in the final piece, and the failed version of the composition and my reason for discarding it. Finally, you can use this post to tell me what other crimes, sins or mistakes you'd like to see handled. Some things already planned include suicide, sociopathy, addiction, another form of child abuse, theft and lying... so anything but those! The Admonishments of KherishdarTags: donations, the admonishments of kherishdar
Current Mood: amused
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TOLERANCE
M.C.A. Hogarth
manais [ mah NEYES ], (noun) — duties a lord owes to those in his or her charge
"I have called you here because I need Correction," I said. "I submit myself to you for this."
The osulkedi, the minister, studied me from across the room. He was hard as a spear; in his frost eyes I saw nothing but a considered evaluation, as if I were an interesting problem to be solved.
"What is your sin, rathkedi?" he asked at last.
I bowed my head. "I cannot bring myself to Correct my own, though I know it is my responsibility."
One of his brows rose. "Why?"
I looked away. "I... hate to make those in my charge uncomfortable."
Again that regard. Then Shame nodded and said, "Very well. You will have what you ask."
( Read more... )
The Admonishments of Kherishdar. Tags: ai-naidar, excerpts, the admonishments of kherishdar
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