Baphomet Complex — Wrap-up

EPUB

MOBI

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Alright, here's the last Baphomet Complex for the foreseeable future. I've reformatted everything, done a bit of editing (catching typos, smoothing out a few sentences), and put everything into an ebook version that includes the first illustration (I can't scan the remaining two where I am now) in addition to the usual Pastebin. I strongly recommend you check out the ebook, because the pastebin necessarily lacks a lot of formatting that improves the reading experience (for instance, the lilim's telepathic speech is in italics).

The one major change I've made in terms of terminology is the decision to adopt "mana" for "魔力." I am currently keeping "精" as "essence," because it does not strike me as felicitous to render two distinct terms with the same word. I also refuse to ever use the word "mamono" in what is ostensibly an English translation, especially as the English word "monster" already appears on the covers of several MGE books.

Baphomet Complex — The End

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This update brings the English translation of the main story of Baphomet Complex—or at least the first draft of it—to an end. There's a two-page afterword by Strange that follows the story, and I'll have that for you next week, along with EPUB and MOBI files for people who would prefer to read the story with proper formatting. After that it's BTE 6 and more Fallen Brides.

While I have generally endeavored to edit only readability, this update contains a single edit for content, or rather for continuity. Baphomet Complex was published in 2011, prior to most of the other MGE books, and it seems that strange may have been unclear about a) there being more than one lilim, and b) "lilim" not being a personal name. As such, I have translated "リリムさん" here as "the lilim," etc. and not as the more literal "(Miss) Lilim." This has been done to keep the work generally in continuity with the setting materials as they currently stand.

Baphomet Complex — Tentacles 2: Judgment Day

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I'd hoped to have a little more for you this week because there's a page-break one page past where this update ends, but midterms were less than amenable to that plan. Anyway, here's another 1,200 words.

With any luck, the next update will be finish the book, with the exception of Strange's afterword (which is short). Beyond the End 6 before the end of the month is looking like a real possibility.

Baphomet Complex — Round Two

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Well, the translation has now officially broken the 20,000 word barrier.  With less than ten pages remaining, including Strange's afterword, we're well on track to finishing this draft within the month.  It will be followed by Beyond the End 6 (and maybe also 7), then Mimiru's chapter of Fallen Brides.

I had a chance to use "somnambulist" in this section, but I regretfully held myself back because it doesn't seem appropriate for the character's voice.

Baphomet Complex — Another 1,000 Words

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The title pretty much says it all.  We're in the home stretch now, and this draft of the novella should hopefully be finished in October.

Baphomet Complex — Short Update

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Only a thousand words this week. I've been busy.  Still, there's only about a fifth of the book left to go.

I've acquired a copy of Beyond the End 6 and plan to translate it, but I may wait until after Baphomet Complex is done (which hopefully won't be too long).

Baphomet Complex — The Pacing Improves

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Well, this is technically a day late, but it's at least close to being on-schedule.  We're now almost 3/4 of the way through Baphomet Complex, following which we will be returning to Fallen Brides for at least two stories before looking at other collections.

I'd like to take some space here to address a question of translation in the previous update.  More specifically, the translation of 精 (sei) as it is used in the context of the Encyclopedia.  Many of you may be familiar with this as "spirit energy," but for various reasons I am unsatisfied with this translation.  In the first place, 精 means "spirit" only in the sense of "a spirit" or "a sprite," which can hardly be the intended sense in this instance.  It can indeed mean "energy," in the sense of "vitality" or "vigor."  The energy expressed my 精 is vital and anything but spiritual.  It also means "semen," although compound forms such as 精液 or 精子 are more common in this instance.  Nevertheless, I think it fair to say that the double entendre is certainly deliberate.  To my knowledge, no English word combines these two essential senses, but I think it possible to at least approach the original.  I experimented with several renderings erring on the side of "energy" in my previous translation, but in this novella I have decided to experiment with "essence."  I will probably try several other renderings over the course of this project, but whatever I finally decide on will be standardized across my final drafts of all the stories.  (Speaking of which, expect a substantially revised draft of Wilmarina's story later this year.)  I welcome your opinions on this matter (constructive or otherwise), but I will not necessarily abide by them.

Baphomet Complex — New Update Schedule

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In an effort to avoid my recent prolonged absences and also balance this with my graduate work, I'm adopting a new schedule of updates for these translation.  As of now, I will be posting whatever I have done every week rather than wait until I have a particular amount to post.  The updates will be smaller (this one is around 1,700 words instead of 3,000+), but they'll be more consistent and things should get done in a fairly timely manner.

This is another section in which I could spend pages just complaining about the prose, but at least we're past the entirely redundant descriptions, so I'll spare you my grumbling for the present.  Fortunately for all of us, Strange seems to have improved as a writer over time and most of their other novellas are at least slightly better paced and plotted than this one.

Baphomet Complex — Okay, So Maybe I'm Just Not That Great At Keeping a Schedule

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Well, that certainly took longer than I promised.  In my defense, a lot of things cropped up in the meantime, like moving, starting grad school, some last-minute freelance work, deciding to replay Drakengard 3 (in English, this time) and discovering they still haven't fixed the worst final boss of all time, building a new arcade stick, indecisively taking up knitting...  Anyway, I don't quite have a handle on what my new schedule will mean for my free time yet, but I'm going to keep working on this and try to get updates up more frequently, even if I have to make them shorter to do it.  We're currently more than halfway through Baphomet Complex, so you shouldn't have to wait that much longer.

With this update, we're past the transformation sequence and drawing nearer to the climax of the story.  (That was a pun.  Ha ha.)

Baphomet Complex — No, I Haven't Died or Given Up

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This update took much, much longer than I'd initially planned, mostly owing to personal circumstances that no one else is likely to care about.  In any case, here are another 3,000+ words translated, and I ought to be back on a more timely schedule for the rest of the novella.

Many of you may be pleased to learn that by the end of this section — halfway through the book — there is officially one (1) baphomet in Baphomet Complex.

There is an illustration at the end of this section, depicting Lilia in the middle of her transformation.  I intend to post it here for you as soon as I can get my scanner sorted out.

Baphomet Complex — What Kind of Name Is "Flimlight," Anyway?

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We're up past 6,000 words now, and things are actually starting to happen.

As you may notice from the above illustration, KC and Strange are not exactly in agreement as to the costume of our heroine, but — as I explained last time — Strange can't even agree with himself on this point, so it's only to be expected.

On the subject of the illustrations: Baphomet Complex three full-page black and white illustrations by KC.  In addition to the one above, there is one depicting Lilia in mid-transformation, and one depicting post-transformation sex (I swear, KC must be subject to some sort of curse that prevents him from drawing male faces).  If anyone has decent scans of the remaining two, I would very much appreciate them.  If not, I would very much appreciate some tips for making quality scans without damaging the book.

Baphomet Complex — 100% Baphomet Free

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After several delays, the first 3,000 words of Baphomet Complex are finally here.  There are about 40 pages to go, and this section contains no baphomets, monsters, sex, or anything that isn't a little girl sitting at a shop counter.

I've done a bit heavier editing on this than I'v done on Fallen Brides so far because Strange seems to be under the truly bizarre impression that almost every sentence ought to be its own paragraph.  I think they may get some kind of shock to their pleasure centers every time they hit the return key.

Note also that neither Strange nor Kenkou Cross have any clear idea what our heroine is actually wearing during this scene.  First she's wearing something so short that it lifts up and reveals her navel when she raises her arms, then later she's said to be wearing an apron (which, however short, wouldn't lift up when her arms move because it doesn't go over her shoulders), and finally KC's illustration shows her wearing a vest and a one-piece dress.