LJ Idol Minor+ - Prompt 3
Nov. 15th, 2021 07:38 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
hangedkay(Prompt 3 - "Intaglio")
Fragment
“When you sculpt marble, the goal is to remove everything that doesn’t belong there. Then you are left with what belongs. With intaglio printing, the goal is to remove everything that is taking the place of what belongs there. Then you fill that space with what does belong.”
Toivo grew up learning to be a sculptor. He learned to find objects within a slab of marble. He learned to measure and prepare, to pare down and chip away. He learned to live with imperfections he could not fix and to make one-of-a-kind creations. He treated his life the same way. He would see good in everything and everyone, and then try to chip away all the bad things until only the good remained. And every day was a chance to find something new.
Dyllis grew up learning to be an intaglio printer. She learned to carve out designs from base materials. She learned to be meticulous and exact, to etch and to engrave. She learned to cover up imperfections with flourishes and to create multiple perfect replications. She treated her life the same way. She would see what stood in the way of what she wanted and remove it, then fill the newly formed void with her desires and leave the rest alone. And every day was a chance to do things perfectly.
Skyler grew up learning to be a scribe. He learned to create quill and ink and parchment. He learned combine them to tell stories old and new. He learned to build upon the past and create futures. He lived his life the same way. He would see what was good in the past and retain it, what was needed in the future and add it. And every day was a chance to create change for a better future.
---
April 18
I have found a small stash of seemingly ancient items in a wooden chest in a collapsed cave just east of the dig site. Among the items is a brilliantly carved cylindrical marble container, about 3 inches in diameter, inside of which I found a perfectly circular disc of copper covered with a clear fused quartz top. The entire disc is wrapped in a thin strong metal alloy holding it all together, with a hook on the outside. If it was a medallion as it looks like it might be, the chain is missing. The copper under the quartz is exquisitely engraved with incredibly precise tiny lines that fill the entire circle in a filigree style. The etchings are filled with what appears to be a sandy ochre colored ink. While the other items in the cave seem to date back to the 5th century B.C., this level of precision appears as an anachronism, and likely means the rest of the items were gathered and stored here with the container at a much later date.
If only I knew the story behind how this was made. And why.
---
April 23
Testing shows the ochre ink in what I now calling the copper medallion is made up of a combination of motherwort and juniper berries. A very uncommon combination, historically noted to protect against magic and theft. Additionally, online comparative studies of the etchings show it appears to be an intricate combination of three creatures: the Aqrabuamelu (scorpion man from Mesopotamia), the Pixiu (winged lion from China), and the Akabeko (Aizu cow from Japan). All are mythological protectors of humans.
With all this protection, how did this end up here, lost for such a long time?
---
April 27
The copper medallion is gone along with its marble container. It was locked in the safe, which requires both a combination and a key. The safe is still locked. The key is still in its drawer under my notebook.
No one will admit to having taken the items.
Fragment
“When you sculpt marble, the goal is to remove everything that doesn’t belong there. Then you are left with what belongs. With intaglio printing, the goal is to remove everything that is taking the place of what belongs there. Then you fill that space with what does belong.”
Toivo grew up learning to be a sculptor. He learned to find objects within a slab of marble. He learned to measure and prepare, to pare down and chip away. He learned to live with imperfections he could not fix and to make one-of-a-kind creations. He treated his life the same way. He would see good in everything and everyone, and then try to chip away all the bad things until only the good remained. And every day was a chance to find something new.
Dyllis grew up learning to be an intaglio printer. She learned to carve out designs from base materials. She learned to be meticulous and exact, to etch and to engrave. She learned to cover up imperfections with flourishes and to create multiple perfect replications. She treated her life the same way. She would see what stood in the way of what she wanted and remove it, then fill the newly formed void with her desires and leave the rest alone. And every day was a chance to do things perfectly.
Skyler grew up learning to be a scribe. He learned to create quill and ink and parchment. He learned combine them to tell stories old and new. He learned to build upon the past and create futures. He lived his life the same way. He would see what was good in the past and retain it, what was needed in the future and add it. And every day was a chance to create change for a better future.
---
April 18
I have found a small stash of seemingly ancient items in a wooden chest in a collapsed cave just east of the dig site. Among the items is a brilliantly carved cylindrical marble container, about 3 inches in diameter, inside of which I found a perfectly circular disc of copper covered with a clear fused quartz top. The entire disc is wrapped in a thin strong metal alloy holding it all together, with a hook on the outside. If it was a medallion as it looks like it might be, the chain is missing. The copper under the quartz is exquisitely engraved with incredibly precise tiny lines that fill the entire circle in a filigree style. The etchings are filled with what appears to be a sandy ochre colored ink. While the other items in the cave seem to date back to the 5th century B.C., this level of precision appears as an anachronism, and likely means the rest of the items were gathered and stored here with the container at a much later date.
If only I knew the story behind how this was made. And why.
---
April 23
Testing shows the ochre ink in what I now calling the copper medallion is made up of a combination of motherwort and juniper berries. A very uncommon combination, historically noted to protect against magic and theft. Additionally, online comparative studies of the etchings show it appears to be an intricate combination of three creatures: the Aqrabuamelu (scorpion man from Mesopotamia), the Pixiu (winged lion from China), and the Akabeko (Aizu cow from Japan). All are mythological protectors of humans.
With all this protection, how did this end up here, lost for such a long time?
---
April 27
The copper medallion is gone along with its marble container. It was locked in the safe, which requires both a combination and a key. The safe is still locked. The key is still in its drawer under my notebook.
No one will admit to having taken the items.
no subject
Date: 2021-11-15 01:10 pm (UTC)- Erulisse (one L)
no subject
Date: 2021-11-15 06:41 pm (UTC)I do love the ending and the mystery that perhaps the magical protections did their job after all, and move the items to another safe spot (perhaps how it arrived at the location your guy was working on. ;)
no subject
Date: 2021-11-17 07:50 pm (UTC)I feel as though Dyllis is the collector here - she gathered up the items that were in the box that Skyler found, including the container sculpted by Toivo. It seems that the medallion holds a special significance to her, which also makes her the "thief" of both the medallion and the container it lived in. Although, there's a lot of mystery surrounding this - how would she get into the safe without the combination? Does she exist in the same time period as Skyler, or is something more supernatural going on?
I do see the connection between the two sections, if I'm getting your intentions right - it's all very mystifying and I'd love to know more, but I think that the not knowing and letting your imagination go wild with it is more fun.