Come Out of the Shadows



November 2nd, 2019 by Diana Coman

Motto:
Tu cu painea si cutitul
Mori flamand, nepriceput!1

Since I've recently found out that at least one person2 has been reading my blog for *years* without saying anything at all, all that time, I'm talking now directly to you, silent lurker: come out of the shadows for they are unhealthy and a burden to you!

Take heart and just say something on irc in #ossasepia or at the very least in that comment box there at the bottom of this post - no matter what you think might happen or could happen or couldn't possibly happen, the reality can never be worse than this sort of hallucination that you are inhabiting now by just supposing whatever it is you suppose that holds you back. Even the worst of real outcomes has in its favour this very simple fact - it's *real*! Just as you can finally start living for real - as soon as you stop lurking and step forwards to interact, that is. So, for how long have you been reading around here?

Silent lurker, what's your name?


  1. The full poem ("Nu te-ai priceput" by George Cosbuc; yes, the very same as for Cetatea Neamtului, I like his poetry very much indeed) is quite apt too, though I am rather weary of attempting to translate it to English. At any rate, for those two final verses I can attempt a short and pedestrianly close to the original version as:

    With food on table, fork in hand
    You fail to grasp it and die spent.
    

    What I don't like about the above though is that it still fails to... hm, grasp and fully convey that "nu te-ai priceput" (the closest I could come up with would be "you didn't figure it out"). Basically I can't pack in English as much as the original packs in there in Romanian but trying at least through a longer version:

    For all that's offered to your youth
    You fail to grasp it; and in truth
    With food to spare and fork in hand
    You'll die of hunger, sad and spent.
    

    And yes, seriously now, DON'T do that, wtf? 

  2. Good for you, Robinson, for stating it at least now in clear, still better later than never. 

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18 Responses to “Come Out of the Shadows”

  1. Diana Coman says:

    Adding from the logs a translation by Mircea Popescu: "You, with bread and knife at hand, yet die starv't, uncomprehend't."

  2. Jeff says:

    Started reading your blog years ago, trying to follow the progress and somehow get involved in Eulora. My name is Jeff Owens.

    My wife is Romanian, but I speak nary a word of it other than the all the bad words of a foreign language one typically learns first upon encountering it.

    I teach English in Germany and find languages fascinating in general. I'm particularly intrigued with the Romanian language's inherent aptitude to express scintillating vulgarity. English just doesn't have these inbuilt features. Makes me really wonder how Romanians evolved their language.

    Although, I may be off base here. Could be that case that my wife is just extraordinary at cussing. lol

    I still need to deep dive into your blog to get a better sense of wtf is going on here. Just chose to tap out a few words after stumbling upon this particular article and the directive herein. I know a bit about the topic of shadows, just enough to be dangerous.

    Kudos for calling out lurkers. As we say in the hood, it's on now!

    PS: I'm also interested in your Young Hands project, how it came about... if its genesis had anything to do with the closure of The Most Serene Republic... what that was all about in the first place, etc. I know, I know: do some reading before speaking. Will do. Just responding to the clear call to not lurk w/out sayin suntin.

  3. Diana Coman says:

    Romanian is way more expressive than English for sure but that's not such a high bar at all, really. At any rate, if the fascination is real and otherwise acted upon, why not document it all on your own blog?

    Arguably the easiest way to get involved with Eulora is, has been and will always be: play the game. Just like the easiest way to figure things out is to dive into them as soon as started, when the dive itself is easier, for not being weighed down by all those years and years of postponing, of avoiding it all in fact, while still pretending nevertheless that "it will happen" (only not now, not yet, not ....).

    The end of the Young Hands project is, as it tends to happen, even more informative than its beginning. Then again, there is a whole lot more to it, some of it even documented, for instance in the #ossasepia logs or on the Young Hands Club blog.

  4. Jeff says:

    How do I begin playing Eulora? Can't seem to find my way in, even after having clicked many-a-links over the years that I've stumbled 'pon while traversing the labyrinth that is Trilema & Ossasepia.

    I'm definitely down to start a blog w/mp-wp. Thanks for that nudge! Same question as above tho. Where do I start?

    Also considered volunteering to pitch in, write for Qntra. Seems like that's a not a thing anymore? Could it be? I'm kinda sorta feelin like I'm rett ta go (ready to jump in and start swimming) now.

    Pls advise.

  5. Diana Coman says:

    Well, you are basically late to the party so yes, TMSR, Qntra and Young Hands are all closed down. Nothing useful really waits years for one to "be ready to go". Anyways, for Eulora, see to the right under "Pages" - there's a page called Eulora and one with installation notes. Get it running first of all and then ask MP for an account. Reading around the earlier articles in my Eulora category as well as those on Trilema in trolloludens and s.mg categories can give some ideas regarding play but the game experience itself will depend heavily on your own initiative.

  6. Diana Coman says:

    For setting up mpwp and your own site - if you have no idea about it all, talk to Jacob Welsh or to Robinson Dorion aka JWRD as they can help. Possibly the best way is to show up in their #jwrd chan on freenode and talk to them in real time when they are around.

  7. cruciform says:

    Hi! Did you get my IRC messages from Thursday/Friday just gone?

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