Tasty Tales of Transformation

  Artwork - Ema (Emaura) This story is a sequel to A Dominating Cosplay Caspian Inc. the ever present symbol of oppression that loomed over the lives of all in Silicon Shores. In the high tech future, all who did not bend to the whims of the tech barons were left to fester within the dredges of this mega city. Even still, working for such corrupt forces hardly guaranteed one a better life. For most, it was either living in squalor or eking by. Rachael, was one of those eking by, living paycheck to paycheck, hating that she worked for the very corporation which oppressed her. But what else was she to do? It wasn’t like she had the power to change anything, not even a profession she could feel proud of. The depressed woman certainly dreamed of greener pastures, thinking she could find solace perhaps in creative or performative fields of work. Seeing the many eye-catching neon signs and billboards advertising performers made her long for such a liberating lifestyle. She wasn’t naive t...

  High upon the towering hills and peaks of a land called Liyue, sat an abundance of shrines and temples seemingly frozen in time. So far removed from the outside world and being difficult to traverse kept untouched by the common tourists and rabble that would have otherwise flocked to see their serene beauty. They were a perfect picture of a bygone era, kept alive by the few who still tended to them. Every aspect of these locations was kept as pristine as they could manage, replacing artifacts a regular occurrence every few decades. One such artifact, a couple of binding ropes meant for dulling the cursed, violent energy said to be sealed within a blessed stone, was due for replacement, a new one having been made and shipped to the shrine. “Is this the package young one?” the elder shrine attendant asked. He approached a younger groundskeeper shuffling through a box. “I-I… don’t understand! This was supposed to have been mailed from one of the head temples. How did it get mixed up...