#17 june

[belovedofgod-world]

[oediex]

It always tickles me when in a video game you have to turn a wheel or pull a switch or push a button in order for something to happen, like a gate or door opening so you can continue on your path. Because the question is always - how is this happening? If this is a video game universe in which magic doesn't exist, and especially if it is not a modern universe in which electricity exists, then the mechanism has to be ... mechanical. There must be a connection between the wheel and the gate, between the switch and the door. And often enough, they are not in each others' vicinity (because that would make the puzzle too easy of course). So where are the mechanics? How are the gates opening? Which radars are turning, which rods are pulling back? And how are they connected to the object I have just handled?

And that's not even considering who is resetting all these puzzles for the next adventurer to come along...

[nerosunero]

17 June 2026, Dublin

[nerosunero]

17 June 2026, Dublin

[nerosunero]

17 June 2026, Dublin

[nerosunero]

17 June 2026, Dublin. Ten Years

[dracula-abridged]

17 June - Abridged Text

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JONATHAN HARKER'S JOURNAL

(Kept in shorthand)

17 June.—This morning, as I was sitting on the edge of my bed cudgelling my brains, I heard without a cracking of whips and pounding and scraping of horses' feet up the rocky path beyond the courtyard. With joy I hurried to the window, and saw drive into the yard two great leiter-wagons, each drawn by eight sturdy horses, and at the head of each pair a Slovak, with his wide hat, great nail-studded belt, dirty sheepskin, and high boots. I ran to the door, intending to descend and try and join them through the main hall, as I thought that way might be opened for them. Again a shock: my door was fastened on the outside.

Then I ran to the window and cried to them. They looked up at me stupidly and pointed, but just then the "hetman" of the Szgany came out, and seeing them pointing to my window, said something, at which they laughed. Henceforth no effort of mine, no piteous cry or agonised entreaty, would make them even look at me. They resolutely turned away. The leiter-wagons contained great, square boxes, with handles of thick rope; these were evidently empty by the ease with which the Slovaks handled them, and by their resonance as they were roughly moved. When they were all unloaded and packed in a great heap in one corner of the yard, the Slovaks were given some money by the Szgany, and spitting on it for luck, lazily went each to his horse's head. Shortly afterwards I heard the cracking of their whips die away in the distance.

[dracula-abridged]

17 June - Abridged Differences

For an explanation of the abridged text and to download it in its entirety, see this post.

For an archive of the differences between the abridged and original text, click here.

For today's differences, click to continue reading.

Cut from Jonathan's description of the Slovaks:

They had also their long staves in hand.