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Thread: Xiao shuo

  1. #1
    Hitai de Bodemloze's Avatar 避世絕俗
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    Icon1 Xiao shuo

    Xiao shuo 小説
    A History of the Writers’ Study and Critic’s Quill, 2013 to 2015

    To Walk in the Shadow of Giants
    March 2013 – June 2013

    Taking up the Quill
    June 2013 – June 2014

    The Last Triumvirate
    June 2014 – March 2015

    A Sherriff and his Deputy
    June 2014 – March 2015

    The Editor Ascendant
    March 2015 – August 2015
    Last edited by Hitai de Bodemloze; May 14, 2018 at 08:17 PM.

  2. #2
    Hitai de Bodemloze's Avatar 避世絕俗
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    Default Re: Xiao shuo

    Foreword

    Xiao shuo might seem like an odd name for a memoir, which it is. However, A Record of my time working for the Writers’ Study and the Critic’s Quill didn’t really sound all too great. It isn’t mysterious like Mi Lucha, or impressive like The Rise and Fall of the Last Emperor of TWC, or evocative like Of the Exile. Although my exploits are hardly as important or worthy of recording as those of Siblesz, HorseArcher or the Professor, I hope the title of Xiao shuo can nevertheless capture something of the spirit with which their own chronicles were writ.

    It is quite apt then, that the literal translation of xiao shuo from Chinese is ‘small talk’, for to talk about working as a humble content staffer is relatively small in comparison to the achievements of those listed above. It is one reason that I have thus named this chronicle. As some may know, I do speak Mandarin, and as some may not know, the peak of my activity here came at a time when I was first starting to learn the language. A lot of my personal writing and my staff work on the website has concerned China and Chinese in some way. It has been, and probably will forever remain, something that defines me as a person – so I think it is quite appropriate to borrow such a term for my memoir.

    But whilst the literal translation of xiao shuo is small talk, it is much more widely known as the Chinese term for ‘fiction’, and at the end of the day, there could be no more fitting a term for my history of writing on Total War Centre. Etymologically, the reason why xiao shuo means fiction – and not a lot of people know this, oddly enough – is because poetry was always regarded as the purest form of literature in China, and anyone who wrote prose was said to just be indulging in ‘small talk’.

    I am hesitant to say that this is an interpretation that we can apply to the Writers’ Study, but the writing community here has always been particularly insular – oft forgotten and overlooked in the grand scheme of things. Citizenship applications of writers – especially those without any staff work to their name – have often been quite hotly contested, and sometimes there really has been a sense of: “well so what? All they do is write stories.” Perhaps that is true to a certain extent. Perhaps we are just partaking in ‘small talk’, when set against the modders, or the artists, or the debaters. But at the end of the day – as biased as I am – I don’t think I would agree, and I hope that this humble chronicle can maybe play a role in changing that opinion, if indeed it is one that any passing reader might hold.

    Nevertheless this memoir itself is certainly ‘small talk’ in its own way. It is a history of my time writing and working for the site, which isn’t particularly impressive nor interesting when set against the histories of old. There is no real drama, no ostrakons, no villains or heroes, revolts or schisms. There is just the simple tale of one young man and his rise from obscurity to senior staff; an author in a generation that burned all too brightly and too briefly, following in the wake of such titans they could not surpass, before passing the torch on those that followed them in turn. The names you may not recognise, nor remember; the deeds you may not know, nor appreciate; the importance of it all you may not understand, nor care about. But to me, those name were those of my brothers and comrades in arms; those deeds were those that spurred me on; and the importance of it all is why I am still here, even after all these years, writing these very words.

    I am Hitai, scion of House de Bodemloze, heir to the legacies of Robin, Radzeer and Hesus, and this is my story.
    Last edited by Hitai de Bodemloze; April 20, 2018 at 09:39 PM.

  3. #3

    Default Re: Xiao shuo

    Quick note: Is there any chance you can change the font or make it bigger?

    It would be great if citizens within this area would put forward members worthy of the badge. I have "chance" on a couple that I would consider worthy of the badge.

  4. #4
    Hitai de Bodemloze's Avatar 避世絕俗
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    Default Re: Xiao shuo

    Quote Originally Posted by ♔PikeStance♔ View Post
    Quick note: Is there any chance you can change the font or make it bigger?

    It would be great if citizens within this area would put forward members worthy of the badge. I have "chance" on a couple that I would consider worthy of the badge.
    Apologies, it's the font I always used when writing here - it's actually something of an unspoken tradition amongst certain writers here, I can think of a good half dozen or so of us that always use this font. I have increased the size though

    Sadly activity in the Study has died down a lot in recent times, although I can think of one or two currently active that could probably step up to the citizenship plate. It's a very different era and environment now from when I was most active though, which is partly why I'm taking this little trip down memory lane.

  5. #5
    Hitai de Bodemloze's Avatar 避世絕俗
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    Default Re: Xiao shuo

    To Walk in the Shadow of Giants
    March 2013 – June 2013

    It’s difficult to describe just what the Writers’ Study was like back in the heady days of 2013. Looking back on it, it was a very special time, filled with very special people, although as a starry eyed and woefully ignorant young writer pitching his tent in the community, at the time I didn’t really grasp the import of my surroundings.

    It was a time when giants roamed the Study. Radzeer was embarked on his third and final AAR, The Wolf Among Dogs; Schrodinger was pioneering Restoring Rome; Rex Anglorvm was gracing us with his wisdoms; Thokran’s writings had yet to be deleted; the legacies of Skantarios and SeniorBatavianHorse were still fresh in everyone’s memory; and my dear patron Robin was putting the finishing touches on his masterpiece Takeda.

    It was Takeda that inspired me to make my account here and start writing. I knew vaguely what AARs were, but I had never quite seen anything like Takeda before. The style of it, the blending together of quality prose and beautiful screenshots - it was truly inspiring. I took one look at it and knew that writing AARs was what I wanted to do. It is no understatement to say that I owe everything to Robin and his quill, for if he hadn’t penned that tale, I would not be here today, having seen what I have seen and done what I have done. But there will be time enough to discuss him and his work over the course of this chronicle, so let us press on.

    I of course had no idea just who Robin and his fellows were or just how important their writing was. I just liked the idea of mixing two of my passions: writing and video games. So I dropped by the Writers’ Study, said hello, and promptly began my first AAR: The Road to Kyoto. It was very warmly received, but in the end it sadly didn’t go anywhere. I don’t have very fond memories of it and I consider every unfinished work of mine to be a stain on my honour as a writer, but it is something unfortunate that I have to live with.

    It helped me to get my feet wet though and allowed me to gain a foothold in the community. I got to interact with the other writers in the Study and begin to participate not only in the local competitions, but also in the general camaraderie there that I am pleased has never since dulled over the years. Robin, bless him, was one of the first to welcome me to the Study and take me under his wing, but I also swiftly came to know other old hats; my future uncle Shankbot; future administrator and grandfather Radzeer; Tale of the Week stalwart Ybbon; the wrinkly wordsmith Rex.

    There was a mix though, of the old and the new. The old guard still presided over the Study. Radzeer I believe was still in charge of things, shortly before his promotion to Hex; Juvenal was in his final days as editor of the Quill; Robin and Boustrophedon were firmly established staff members in the Study, just as m_1512, brother Heiro and Schrodinger were over at the Quill. It is difficult to understate how important these people were in the writing community, nor the legacies they left behind. They were innovators and pioneers, not just in writing AARs, but in the community itself. Juvenal single-handedly defined the very ethos of the writing community through his work as editor of the Critic’s Quill; Robin changed the way we all thought about video game fiction; m_1512 set the benchmark for hard work, dedication and commitment that everyone now aspires to. These people were (and in m’s case, still are) giants of the community, and to have had walked among them – even if at the time I had no inkling of just who they were or what they had done – is my great honour and privilege.

    In their time in the Study, they had changed everything. Long gone were the days of the traditional AAR, where people just posted campaign write-ups with no narrative or nuance. From 2011 to 2013, their generation presided over one of the biggest shifts in the philosophy of Total War Center's AARtistry. Skantarios and others such as Decimus Milo had written traditional AARtistry to perfection and pushed it to its absolute limits, whereafter the Robins, the Radzeers, the SeniorBatavianHorses had begun to shape what might come next, paving the way for entirely new and innovative narrative and artistic styles that would make the Writers' Study of 2013 a cradle of excitement and creative experimentation. It is a debt we owe them to this day; one that can never be fully repaid, but can forever be honoured.

    But whilst their generation was a mighty one indeed, all good things must come to an end. And in the early months of 2013, my generation was beginning to wake; born into this crazy new world of writing that our predecessors had gifted to us. Merchant of Venice, Tigellinus, Audacia, Lugotorix, General Retreat, Scottish King. Our star was in the ascendancy, but what we would go on to do in its light, well, that’s to all be revealed…

    Last edited by Hitai de Bodemloze; May 16, 2018 at 02:44 PM.

  6. #6

    Default Re: Xiao shuo

    What a pleasant read, the niche areas of this site can be extremely rewarding to those who spend a good deal of time in them. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say they can even provide a means of formative development. Please keep it up

  7. #7

    Default Re: Xiao shuo

    Ditto! Nicely written.

  8. #8
    Aexodus's Avatar Persuasion>Coercion
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    Default Re: Xiao shuo

    I really liked reading this, very well written hitai
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  9. #9
    Hitai de Bodemloze's Avatar 避世絕俗
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    Default Re: Xiao shuo

    Thanks! I can't believe it's been nearly a year since I last updated this; it's sadly fallen further and further down my to-do list. I had hoped this, and opening up the LHF in general, might inspire others to pen similar historical works and biographies, but that sadly hasn't been the case - and my own lack of commitment has hardly helped. I will 100% get back to this though, and my schedule is slowly freeing up, week by week, so hopefully I can carry on in the Spring~

  10. #10
    King Athelstan's Avatar The Wheel Weaves
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    Default Re: Xiao shuo

    I'm very much looking forward to reading more, it is both entertaining and educational
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  11. #11
    ♔Greek Strategos♔'s Avatar THE BEARDED MACE
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    Default Re: Xiao shuo

    Excellent read! Keep it up

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