Adventure

A New Start heralded by the Guardian of Civilization

Or the opening of a door to the world outside the interior, into the unknown itself

Where one can travel to their heart's desire

Provided they have the courage to step over the threshold

And into the Great Beyond that lies just over the horizon

Well out of arm's reach and a day's travel, separated by Nature

What began since the birth of concepts like Time and Space themselves

And since the primordial Chaos changed everything to bring it all together

Was only ages ago that nobody knows how long it has been since Civilization was founded

Seconds, Minutes, Hours, Days, Weeks, Months, Years, Decades, Centuries, Ages, Epochs

All measured by the lifespan of human existence upon the planet that birthed the Holocene

Each one a legend written by mortal hands that learned how the changing languages work

Expressed through forms that have themselves evolved with the passage of time

Clay tablets and cuneiform carvings

Hieroglyphs, petroglyphs, and pictographs

Quill and inkwell on papyrus parchment and rotuli

Pencil or pen and paper

Computers and digital office documents

Throughout a history that has told their stories individually and collectively

Be they pages of fairy tales or story books, folklore or mythology, fiction or nonfiction

Only the author knows the truth they speak when putting words to the material surface

As one so aptly put it, "History is written by the Victors," on the subject of war

But history is not so easily decided upon because many would disagree

It is written by memory for those who will preserve its ebb and flow, orally and in writing

Promises old and faded are tomorrow's memories for those who remember or rediscover

There is so much more left unexplored in the world, and both on and off the maps

So, instead of simply standing there, waiting for the world to tell you a story

Go out there and write one yourself so you can share it with others and be the one to tell it

The unknown is a beautiful world where the moment is fleeting, becoming part of the past

For every step taken down the beaten path marked by your map, no matter where you go

It is okay to stray from the path if you remain true to yourself

The end of one story is just the beginning of another around the corner

As every story written and told is just another page, another chapter, another book

That allows you to choose your own adventure by bestowing you the gift of cartography

A blank sheet of white paper, the canvas upon which you can paint, rewrite, and even flip

The New Start before you and your very eyes

Paper always was indispensable to the development of human civilization

"It may fade and rip, but once a friend, forever a friend"

And when the day turns monotonously the same

When you have forgotten everything you experienced, even including your own name

Just remember that only you can take that first step into escapism from the boring everyday

That has grown old and faded with the passage of time

You will find it, even if what you are looking for can be found among the world's horrors

That may leave you dirty and disheveled, perhaps even broken and destitute

But do not despair, because all that would do is make you grow old without doing anything

After all, why not let yourself get hurt?

Experiencing pain is just another part of the New Start, the adventure you are going on

Where your loneliest days of isolation are spent on self-reflection

Evaluating the journeys that have filled your soul, body, heart, and mind with warmth

The next direction you choose forms not too far from where you are now

But also far away to take your hand and guide you closer to the horizon, pushing you ahead

Whether you remember doing it or not does not matter, it no longer does

Simply let it feel like the first time you experienced it all over again and again and again

Find a companion or more than one for the never-ending journey to search for a New Start

Even if it and the sands on which it all began are for nobody but yourself

We will all go out to see this beautiful world together as this moment becomes the past

While we continue to walk on into the horizon where we might part or stay together

If we have not already strayed because we were true to ourselves

Because the end of this story, our story, takes us to a brand New Start

Our destination and our beginning, connected by our shared wanderlust with maps in hands

Is the Great Beyond that forever lies out of our reach so that it can fill our painted map

With all the colors found along the way, now held within your hands

This is my and yours – our adventure, our New Start

…

As my list of top favorite Hololive Vtubers grows, so too does my dedication to pen a birthday poem to the members I added to it. This time, I have devoted one to Nanashi Mumei, the Guardian of Civilization in Hololive's second English generation and my top favorite out of all the Vtubers in the English generations. Do not get me wrong, I enjoy the others in both the first and second generations and I am starting to like the new third generation. However, out of all of them, Mumei is the one who embodies everything I love about the fantasy genre. As a history buff, I am a huge fan of lore, storytelling, and worldbuilding as told by franchises like the Elder Scrolls. I like character creation and how their backstories can define who they are and the reasoning behind the choices they make. I watch videos narrating the stories that have happened during Dungeons and Dragons or Pathfinder campaigns. Similarly, I am also a fan of anime that take place in a fantasy world, such as Spice and Wolf, Wandering Witch: The Journey of Elaina, and I've Been Killing Slimes for 300 Years and Maxed Out My Level. All of these examples are listed among my favorite anime on my profile page, and Wandering Witch: The Journey of Elaina in particular was illustrated by Azure, the person responsible for illustrating Mumei. When playing a game, such the aforementioned Elder Scrolls, I often either explore the world first or roleplay by approaching it from my character's perspective. Mumei personifies all of this and more, and I am happy to label her my number one favorite in Hololive English. Wherever she leads alongside Watame, Lamy, Nene, and Suisei, I would be more than honored to follow, be it in her footsteps or along the same path she has traveled.

You will also notice that this birthday poem is longer than the others I wrote for them. Part of that is so Mumei can catch up to them on the road ahead. Most of my inspiration for it came from her original song, A New Start, however, as the stanzas were written with care so they would align with the song. The poem is meant to be an expansion of sorts to her song or a companion that goes with it, kind of like expansion packs for video games. Again, Elder Scrolls and its expansion packs come to mind. It delves into the same overarching themes of adventure and exploration that fit Mumei's character perfectly, while briefly referencing the other members of the Council in relation to her role as the Guardian of Civilization. I threw in a couple quotes too, one from the Virtual Vtubers wiki page describing her which I think is attributed to Mumei, and the other on history and war attributed to Winston Churchill. I set out to write the best first birthday poem about Mumei that I could think of as her birthday approached. Looking at it now, I know I succeeded and am pleased to share it with all of you.

Happy Birthday, Nanashi Mumei! I wish you good cheer on this special day and I am so grateful to you for being the first of Hololive English's Vtubers on my list of top favorites! You represent everything I love about the fantasy genre, so I wrote this extra special birthday poem to express my deep appreciation for that, and I hope it represents the very best of you.

Disclaimer:

I do not own Nanashi Mumei and the rest of Hololive Production. They are owned by COVER Corporation. I am also not affiliated with Mumei or anyone else in Hololive, nor am I affiliated with Hololive Production or COVER Corporation either. I do not own the original song, A New Start, by Nanashi Mumei; it is owned by COVER Corporation.

I am also not a member of or affiliated with the Virtual Vtubers Wiki or anyone who is in charge of managing it, nor am I affiliated with its members. I only referred to the quote from the webpage about Mumei while writing this poem.

I do not own the quote by Winston Churchill either. It is unknown if he had coined it but the quote is attributed to him.