- JosephWongKS
- Apr 4, 2009
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by Nyc_Tattoo
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Fun with Chinese hanyu pinyin
Background posted:
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Your father dies in your arms. His last words are, 'Go to the Baochou Monastery. Avenge me and save your mother!'
Now turn to paragraph 1.
Baochou is the sound for "报仇", which is Chinese for "revenge / vengeance". The appropriateness of "Revenge Monastery" for someone seeking revenge is obvious.
Page 54 posted:
Page 54 posted:
You let out a blood-curdling yell as you swing your wooden sword at the barbarian. Taken by surprise, he staggers back, grunting in pain. You follow up with a thrust to the stomach, but he is too quick for you. Grabbing the end of your sword, he tugs sharply, unbalancing you. Before you can dodge away he is upon you pinning your arm behind your back. 'Ha! You fight like a sabretooth,' he snarls.' Perfect for the arena.' Somehow he manages to tie your hands together and throw you across the back of his horse .The jolting ride that follows bruises every bone in your body.
Eventually you arrive in a town and clatter through its streets. You are delivered to the arena, where you are put into training under the master swordsman Jian, a muscular fellow with a strangely curved right eyebrow. Closely guarded by day and by night, you are taught the use of the sword, spear, halberd, bow and axe.
Jian is the sound for "剑", which is Chinese for "sword". So this is a master swordsman named "Sword".
Page 290 posted:
There must be almost fifty people crammed into the strange building. Intricate machinery stands idle, waiting for the combination of knowledge and motive power that will set it going. The imposing figure of the rebel leader climbs on to a squat cylinder. Although quite old, she plainly has plenty of energy. Most of her speech makes little sense to you, with its references to 'Merezi's great vision' and 'government by council'; but there's no doubting the enthusiasm of the assembled group. You push your way towards the front as the leader introduces Suiyuan, a young man who urges the assembled crowd to arm for the struggle. Then everybody is chanting: 'Down with the tyrant!' The atmosphere is electric. You can feel the violence hanging in the air like a heat-haze before a storm.
Suiyuan is the sound for "随缘", which is Chinese for "in accordance with destiny" / "following destiny".
Page 289 posted:
The rest of the journey passes uneventfully. Eventually Shoudu rises before you, sprawling along the banks of the mighty Red River. At first you don't take in its size, but as you approach the city you begin to realize that your home district, fields, woods, hills and all, would fit comfortably within its walls. You pass through the enormous North Gate and look around. Although there is the bustle of everyday business, there are signs that the civil war has scarred the capital. On one side the charred remnants of a building bear silent testimony while, on another, a pair of flint-featured Dragon Guards survey the citizens with barely disguised contempt. Nevertheless Shoudu is the seat of the God-King and by ancient tradition he may be petitioned in cases of great injustice.
Shoudu is the sound for "首都", which is Chinese for "capital city". This is a capital city called "Capital City".
Page 145 and Page 365 posted:
The people you meet in the street treat you with suspicion, but when you ask for directions to your uncle's house they become friendlier. You are directed to a pleasant little dwelling close by Yenshu's North Gate. When you strike the gong which hangs outside the door, a slender woman answers; she leads you into the main hall where your uncle Zhonggao waits. When he rises to greet you, the similarity to your father in voice and appearance is striking. Zhonggao must have been your father's brother, though he had always been described to you as if he were only distantly related. Your uncle smiles to welcome you and you tell him the fate of his brother. A shadow passes across his face as you speak of the foreign barbarian's foul deed...
...
Zhonggao warns you about the strictness of the monks. 'They will test you to see whether you are suitable.You must show determination or they will never allow you in.'
Zhonggao is the sound for "忠告", which is Chinese for "faithful warning" i.e. a warning by a trusted retainer or friend with good intentions, as opposed to a hostile warning / threat by an enemy with ill intentions. So your uncle "Warning" gave you a warning.
Page 145 and Page 365 posted:
'The child must be given money,' says Zhonggao's wife. Yubei, the woman who answered the door. 'Shelter too, and any other help we can render. They may have spurned you because of me, but they are still your family, and you must help avenge your brother's death.' You sleep well, and in the morning you hungrily devour a delicious bowl of rice porridge with pickled vegetables. While you eat, Zhonggao ponders upon your best course of action. 'The magistrate is busy, and perhaps too callow to take action. It may be wisest to make for Baochou, there to learn the fighting arts, so that you can take revenge yourself.'
...
Yubei presses a small bag into your hand as you leave. Inside are 10 Gold Pieces, more money than you've ever seen in your life. You thank her for her kindness and promise your uncle that you will not fail.
Yubei is the sound for "预备", which is Chinese for "prepare". So your aunt "Prepare" helped you to prepare for your mission by giving you supplies.
Page 253 posted:
As darkness falls, you follow the path down into the valley, encountering a bubbling stream splashing over rocks. Spray fills the air with moisture, and out of the stream rises an ominous shape; part man, part fish, with razor-sharp fins instead of hands. Water laps around your feet, preventing you from moving, and the Yuemo approaches, its mouth opening and closing rhythmically.
Yuemo
SKILL 7 STAMINA 7
If you have a pronged spear, add 2 to your Attack Strength while fighting the Yuemo
If you win this battle, turn to 17.
Yuemo is the sound for "鱼恶魔", which is Chinese for "fish demon". So this is a "part man, part fish" monster called "Fish Demon".
JosephWongKS fucked around with this message at 14:34 on Aug 30, 2017
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Aug 30, 2017 05:51
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May 17, 2024 23:45
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- JosephWongKS
- Apr 4, 2009
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by Nyc_Tattoo
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399 posted:
You start down the steps. Visibility is limited; the tunnel is lit only by a faint luminescence from the walls. Your body feels light and your mood is euphoric. After a while the steps reach a platform, a small square chamber. Out of the shadows emerges an old man, his face familiar but not identifiable. 'I am Meng Zhidao. I will guide you through these tunnels. In everything there is a pattern, and you will understand only if you observe a pattern. Balance, balance and progress - concentrate on these. Now follow me.'
Meng is the sound for "梦", which is Chinese for "dream". Fitting for the surreal / dream-like atmosphere of this "mysterious underworld full of hidden dangers".
Zhidao is the sound for "知道", which is Chinese for "know" / "to know". A fitting appellation for a "guide".
Walk past doesn't get us a FEROCITY drop, and fight reveals a 9/16 "Mengemo" to conquer before moving along to 19.
Mengemo is the sound for "梦恶魔", which is Chinese for "dream demon".
JosephWongKS fucked around with this message at 14:34 on Aug 30, 2017
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Aug 30, 2017 14:31
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- JosephWongKS
- Apr 4, 2009
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by Nyc_Tattoo
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Page 58 posted:
The passage carries straight on for a while, then bends to the right. You follow it and enter a strangely shaped chamber. In the wall opposite are five short passages, each less than two meters high. In the center of the room, a large clay bowl sits on the block of stone. Around it are strewn the bones of a dozen skeletons. Megs says, 'Many have tried to take the cup: do you dare?'
Do you:
Grab the bowl from the stone? Turn to 48.
Approach warily and touch the bowl? Turn to 257.
Go back the way you came? Turn to 4.
The instadeath for "approach warily and touch the bowl" seem really arbitrary to me. Is there a clue on Page 58 (or any earlier pages) which suggests that "grab the bowl" is the right way to go?
EDIT: Of course, arbitrary instadeaths in CYOA gamebooks in general or Fighting Fantasy gamebooks in particular are hardly a new or uncommon phenomenon.
JosephWongKS fucked around with this message at 10:35 on Sep 4, 2017
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Sep 4, 2017 09:19
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Aug 30, 2017 05:51
