Azami’s Forest 01 by Kamima TL by boke ### TL notes indicated by hash tags like this: ### ### Page numbers indicated by —XX for example, page one is: —01 ### Panel numbers indicated by -X for example, panel one is: -1 ### sfx- means the following is a sound effect. ### hw- means the following is handwritten text. ### Unless otherwise noted, panel and text balloon flow is from upper right to lower left. ### This TL indexes on file number in case the page numbers don’t match. ### Sometimes my comments are snark or color, so feel free to ignore those. —01 Azami’s Forest —02 You shouldn’t do that… You shouldn’t… —03 -1 You shouldn’t do that… You shouldn’t… Going into the the forest ### bold and italicize “forest” is forbidden sfx- Huff Huff -2 Hah …n -3 Huff Haaah -4 sfx- Hah sfx- Rustle —04 There’s a frightening witch in the forest ### bold and italicize “forest” Well. Are you out for an evening walk too? —05 -1 I gobble up humans than get lost, you know. -2 Little piglet —06 -1 I’m… -2 I’m not a piglet! I’m Kuko! hw- Uh, why aren’t you scared -3 sfx- Shllp Ssllp ##repeat through panel 5 -5 UWaaaaan! Yuck! Stop! Go away! —07 -1 sfx- Splush Hup -2 Well now. A swarm of Tsurube Modoki. hw- Now this is just gross Little piglet, what have you done? —08 -1 Chapter 1 The Barefoot Witch —09 -1 Ok, thanks for helping, Kuko… -2 Once you fill this jar full of Goji berries, come right home. -3 Sorry to always be asking for help with ingredients. Mm-nn! sfx- Shake Shake -4 It’s ‘cause it’s for papa’s medicine! -5 I’ll work really hard, Serina! Ok? -6 I’ve got my snacks too! I’ll be back soon! —10 -1 Do not go into the forest under any circumstances! ###bold and italicize “forest” -4 Ah, that’s Rira’s kid… She still so young. What a good girl. -5 But all she does when her mother is working is go out and gather flowers and berries all by herself. I wonder if she even has friends… —11 -1 Ok! I think this might be enough? sfx- Kaw kaw -3 Huh? Maybe that’s a Tsurube mushroom? -4 Aw, this is my last one… hw- That’s what Serina said -5 But… That’s… the entrance to the forest… sfx- Th-thump Th-thump -6 Just a little bit should be ok… sfx- Rustle Rustle —12 -2 sfx- Shhhhlurk Just a little more… -3 Splat -4 Fwaaaah! sfx- Thud -5 Hmph hw- Owie… —13 -1 Shudder -2 sfx- Shhlurk What are those?! They’re not mushrooms! -3 Uwaaaaaaah sfx- Kaw Kaw Kaw —14 -1 Shit.. Fuckin’ creepy crawlies… What a pain. sfx- Waaah Waaah -2 Yank -3 This little piggy is mine! ###bold or italicize “mine” -4 Scram already. I don’t give a shit about you disgusting things. —15 -1 Silence -2 Shffa Shffa Shffa -3 At last… Finally things have quieted down. -3 Um… Um… Thank you for helping me! Scary Onee-san! hw- Down? Please? So you were scared after all -4 I can’t stand it when someone goes and raises a ruckus in my forest. It upsets all my Mizume. sfx- Pat Pat -5 After I punish you, get out of here. hw- Wow So slippery! And warm! hw- You need to be learning something here… -6 But even after saying that… —16 -1 You won’t be able to leave right now. ###italicize “right now” -2 Well, it’ll be a pain if you stir something up again, so come with me. Fwa? -3 I’m saying, I’ll let you stay with me. Or would you rather be bait for those things? -4 Whish Whish -5 Yoink hw- Again? -6 Ok, hold on. -7 If you fall, I ain’t picking you up. —17 -2 Pa-whish Pa-whish -3 Crack Thwap -4 I’m gonna fly! —19 -1 Scree Scree -2 Whoooosh -3 sfx- Flip Aaand down. sfx- Tap -4 See? We’re here. Wake up! —20 -1 Hooo Something’s there…! -2 sfx- Creeeak Shhhlurk -3 Ok. Everyone! -4 You master is home! sfx- Stomp -5 Fwaa Vvooom —22 -1 Crackle Crackle -4 hw- Something’s there! Woow! Woow! Did you find all this, Onee-chan? You can look, but don’t break anything. sfx- Clack -5 A monster’s egg! -6 Well, Some I gathered up. Some were brought here. About half was stuff from the previous owner. hw- That’s opal, ok? -7 For light… for firestarting… Ingredients for medicine, and… sfx- Nab —23 -1 Crunch -2 sfx- Crrrnch sfx- Crack sfx- Chew Food. sfx- Hyaaa —23 -1 Oh, my my my. This is unusual. A customer maybe? So unusual. -2 CrickCrackCrackCrack Human? -4 Human? Human? Human? CrickCrackHuman?CrickHumanHuman? -5 Good evening! I’m Kiko! I’m a human! Good evening! hw- Wow GoodEveningGoodEveningGoodEvening ningGoodEvening Color me astonished. Indeed. This is astonishing. —24 -1 It’s the first time you have brought a human into your house, isn’t it, Azumi? miAzumiAzumiAzumiAzumiAzumiAzumi isn’tItIsn’ntIt -2 Just shut up already, fossil! -3 Human Kiko, it does seem that Azumi has taken a liking to you. KoKikoKikoKiko AzumiHasTaken KikoDoes -4 Silence -5 Onee-chan… Is Azumi your name? Ah… sfx- Whip —24 -1 Azumi, are you a witch? -2 Well, that’s what people say. sfx- Crumble Crumble -3 Do witches eat people? -4 What do you think? sfx- Stir Stir Stir -5 Azumi… Are you going to eat me? -5 That’s right… -5 Bubble Blurp Blurp Bubble -6 But if you give me something nice I won’t eat you, little piggy. —26 -1 Something nice? Um… Um… sfx- Rummage Rummage -2 Which one might be “nice”…? sfx- Pop -3 Ah, Goji berries. I can use these. I’ll take these. Ah! Ah! Not that one! I need that for papa’s medicine! -4 Your papa’s medicine? Piglet, are you going to make the medicine? -5 No me. Serina is going to make it! -6 Serina… -7 Well, I guess that’s that. Oh? What’s this? —27 -1 That’s my momma’s cookies! The best in the village! CooCooCookieCookieCookie ### Toad and Frog song goes here Well, this is unusual. Unusual indeed. That’s a confection eaten by humans. ConfectionConfection sfx- Sniff Sniff …kie? Food? This is food? -2 Chompf Chompf -3 Chom… -4 Wh-what are these?! It’s the first time I’ve eaten these rocks! hw- They’re not rocks! Hey, hey! Yummy, right?! If they are “something nice” I’ll give them to you Azami! sfx- Beam -5 Ngulp… —28 -1 Aaah fine! It’s a deal! I won’t eat you! sfx- Yaaay! -2 Here! Whump -3 What’s this? Whoa Whoaa whoa -4 Medicine. You’re dirty and covered in scratches. I can’t stand it when the bedding gets dirty. hw- Take off your clothes and wash. Ah… -5 Mmph Mmph -6 Wipe Wipe —29 -1 When you’re done, getcher butt into bed. -2 Fwa Fwish Fwa -3 Azumi, what about you? You’re not going to sleep? I’m nocturnal! If you don’t stop yer oinking, I’ll eat you up! -4 …okay. Noc…turn… al? -5 Fwumph Goodnight… —30 -2 Did you find her? No, not yet! We searched the fields and the pond… —31 -1 What’s left… Is the forest ### bold and italicize “forest” -3 Silence -4 Ahhhh! Kuko! Kuko… Rira-san! Hang in there! When dawn comes, we’ll go out searching again! -5 My husband is in that condition ###italicize “that’ And if Kuko were to be eaten by the witch… —32 -1 She went in the forest? ### bold and italicize “forest” That’s unthinkable… Well, blood runs true… -2 After all, that family is… Possessed by witches. -3 You stupid ass! They can hear you! Ah… So scary! So scary! -4 Azami… -5 Hoo Hoo —33 -1 -2 Is she asleep…? -4 HwaChoo -5 sfx- Sniff sfx- Shiver Shiver —34 -1 Fwomf -2 Flump -3 To be continued ###under panel —35 -1 Trivia that couldn’t be fit in the story ###above panel sfx- Stare sfx- Jolt Leave ‘em alone They won’t cause trouble in my house. -2 Well, actually, be careful. Those things will eat anything. A-anything? sfx- Th-thump Th-thump -3 Like ###small Bears. Swarm Swarm sfx- Roooar Uwaaah -4 No, no They stick to prey and suck out nutrients. hw- They have tons of small suckers There have a retractable proboscis Nutrients ###right circle Fluid ###left circle This is not the mouth ###upper left Ooooh If it’s just one, it’s not a big deal. ###left side of page Like being stung by a mosquito 2-3 time? It’s not itchy, but getting stung may leave a mark. So annoying… sfx- Suck —36 -1 The people in the village accuse Kuko’s family of being “possessed by witches” (the reason will be revealed soon). It’s a small village, so community ties are strong, and everyone is extremely superstitious. But even so, when Kuko goes missing, the men of the village are concerned enough to gather and search the village. The goji berries in chapter one are in imitation of the berries from the Chinese vine. ###right I thought “I can write a story about plants and animals.” It’s unknown if I really have, but for those children who think “You did it!”, that makes the thought “did I really?” not matter at all. (It’s likely true that Fossil really did talk.) ###left When she get’s excited, she runs around flapping both her hands. She’s developed the habit of letting her mouth hang open. ###left She has a Goji flower stuck in her hairband. Kuko A girl from the village She’s got long fluffy hair. Her momma braids it every morning. ###right She loves her momma. She loves Serina. Her poppa’s a little scary, but she loves him. And what about Azumi…? ###left She’s a cheerful and good girl, but she does get excited and runs wild at times. ###right Even though they are not related, Serina’s like a big sister to her. When her mother’s at work, she often helps out Serina by gathering ingredients for medicine. She mistook False Crawlers for a rare mushroom (Tsurube mushroom) she sets off a dangerous event. It’s not certain Kuko has any friends. There are not many children her age in the village. Her parents love her and even though they have a hard life, they want her to go out and play more - it’s not like they treat her badly. —37 -1 Azami eats rocks for food (minerals). In particular, her main diet consists of crystals from the forest. But since she received cookies from Kuko, she’s learned she can eat wheat, milk and eggs. Actually, she can’t meat at all (it’s not a matter of liking it or not, she can’t process it). Azami’s way of life and way of thinking is simple If she wants to do something, she does. If she doesn’t she doesn’t. She never thinks “I need to be nice to others” or “I’ll be hated if I don’t do this.” If she wants something, generally she goes out and gets it herself. If she has to humor someone to get something, she doesn’t want it. Her parents were teachers and they existed. ###italicize “existed” Thanks to that, she can read and write. (However, in witch’s language) She can speak to people in everyday language. ###right In regards to the creature of the forest (one of which is the False Crawlers), she can command them to some degree. (Creating fire. Creating light. The ability to stop attacks) But it’s not like she has a deep affection for them. If she thinks they are in the way, she’ll stomp on them and kill them. ###left She considers herself nocturnal, but she can wake when she wants to, and sleep when she wants to. ###right Azami The Barefoot Witch Her back is the only place without any patterns. ###right Flat chested ###center In this world “witches” don’t ride brooms, wave wands or curse people. Instead, the bear a some kind of power that normal people don’t possess. ###left When she goes out, she carries medicine, stones for snacks, shredded tobacco leaf and the like. ###right Barefoot ###center Her patterns are not tattoos. She was born with them. (Mark of the Witch) ###left Her nails are black (Mark of the Witch) Her design motif is: Birds Amethysts Thistles Diamond Shapes X shapes —38 -1 Azami’s House Huge Amethyst Geode Used for illumination. And food? ###upper right Mainly used for Rain Very waterproof Hard to soil Bird feather cape ###black cape Mainly used for cold Used to cover Kuko in the end of Ch 1. Animal fur cape ###white cape Ingredients for medicine (bones) Snack rocks Wax paper. Empty containers. ### three arrows on bookcase Medicine in aqueous solutions. Mainly used for birds. ###lower right Water containers There is an old well behind the house ###under cloaks The floor is wood planks. If you step hard on them, it creaks. Fur rug Warm and cozy. Firewood • Dried herbs ###above fireplace Homura Niserasu lives in the fireplace. (see note on following pages) Tree branches and roots infiltrate the house. ###upper left Something’s there. ###lower left —39 -1 Something’s there. ###upper right A crazy huge crystal with stars ###right ###The next six lines are for the bookcase on right. Counter clockwise from bottom right corner. Wolf skull Corpses of Memis (see note on following pages) Ancient fossils Fossil (see note on following pages) Monster egg. Actually its not. It’s an opal. Mushroom collection Where she breaks down and mixes rocks, bones and plants. ###near red crystal Books and scrolls. Book on mixing medicines and on animals and plants. Various books. ###center Animal corpses preserved in liquid. Ingredients for medicine? ###upper left Huge amethyst crystal cluster. Illumination and food source? ###bottom Something’s there. ###lower left Azami didn’t build this house. The previous owner had left, so she went ahead and remodeled it after she moved in. It might that she has been always waiting for the previous owner to return, or perhaps she doesn’t care at all. —40 -1 Tsuchimono A general name for a variety of unusual things that dwell in the forest ###bold and italicize forest Tsurube Modoki Not based on anything. One kind of Tsuchimono. They mimic a rare medicinal mushroom (Tsurubedake). They hang down from branches and drop down when prey approaches, covering them in Tsurbe Modoki. The suck up nutrients from their tentacles. Taken one at a time, they are small and fragile, but in large numbers they can suffocate and eat large prey. They are sort of the mascot for this story. Mizume Based on: Agate One kind of Tsuchimono. They range from huge to ones that are the size of your palm. They come in a variety of shapes and colors. A special feature is their spiral patterns. They can live from hundreds to thousands of years. Some have lived for tens of thousands of years. When bathed in the light of the moon, they’re bodily fluids glow, and their patterns seem to float up. Since there are smooth and soft, and feel good to the touch, Azami often uses them to take a break on. Fossil Based on a Promicroceras fossil One kind of Tsuchimono. A fossil of the ancient era that possesses intellect. In the forest, they gather underground or on rock faces, but the one in Azami’s house is just used for decoration. ###bold and italicize “forest” Fossil can converse with Azami and Kuko. Because there are a variety of fossils, it seems to have multiple personalities (?) —41 -1 Some variety of Tsuchimono have intellect, and move around. They sometimes prey on animals, bugs and small birds. If Koku were left alone in the forest, she might become prey for the Tsuchimono. ###bold and italicize “forest” One Eyed Squirrel. Based on Hokkaido Red Squirrel Rather than being a Tsuchimono, it’s more of an animal? It’s about the size of a medium dog. It’s charm point is it’s bulging black eye. It pretty much can eat anything in the forest, but in particular, it like gnawing on animal bones. ###bold and italicize “forest” They are pretty peaceful, and most have gotten used to Azami. However if you agitate them, be on guard against their sharp teeth. Homura Niserasu Modeled on Ammonoidea (fire ammonite). One kind of Tsuchimono. They self ignite. Their fire can burn other objects, and they consume the smoke. If left to themselves, they can cause wildfires, and due to that, the other Tsuchimono don’t care for them. In Azami’s fireplace, several of the have taken up residence. Even though they are used as coals, since they can eat as much smoke as they want, they are not disgruntled. (If they start a fire without being commanded to, they get killed) Meni- Modeled on Menilite. (Australian Fire Opal) They burrow down beneath the earth during the day, but come out at night. They often can been seen climbing Azami’s roof, but it seems they only eat moonlight. The have short legs and a soft body, and have a squirming locomotion. If they died, they dry out and shrink considerably. In Azami’s house, there are a number of dried ones on the shelves, but whether they are decorations or use for medicine is currently unknown. —42 -1 Easy cheat sheet! ###jagged bubble Azami’s Forest Chapter 1 ### The TL follows vertical columns, top to bottom, right to left. Rocks Gathered in the forest ###box Tsuchimono and other things ###box Kamima ###lower right Delicious Mostly coexisting Annoying (but she can’t leave her alone) Something’s there!! Azami ###box Kuko ###box A scary big sis type (But nice) A sweet big sis type Thank you for helping Mama Parent and Child ###bold at bottom Please come home safe… Get it together! Please don’t eat Kuko… Serina ###box Friends? Rira What do we do? What do we do? Villagers ###box I think they’re witches sfx- Whisper Whisper Married ###bold Makes medicine for him —43 -1 Fennel Flower 2020. Kamima —45 -1 You must not enter the forest! Fennel Flower. Kamima 2020/2/9