#case1

头七怪谈 Eng Translation Summary | Chapter 1 - part 2

[CH. 1] - [Previous Part] -[Part 2]-[Next Part]

After the forum thread about the family of three stops receiving updates for now, another new forum thread pops up.

[Story] That Girl From My Childhood (1)

• A user by the name 青城山下 (" Qingcheng Shan Xia ", Below Qingcheng Mountain) says that the reason they are telling this story is also to looking for a missing person. • " A long time has passed, I think [this person] can't be found anymore, but if there still is hope I still want to try. "

• They say their parents used to be part of a theatre troupe that performed plays, and that they would be invited to sing whenever there was a big event in the village.

• After they were invited to perform for a wedding, everything changed.

• That day, there were many village children backstage, and amidst the noisy children, QingchengShanXia saw a girl wearing red clothes.

She claims she’s crazy

But she has no idea what crazy wears

What crazy says nor

What crazy does

For she has never heard the deafening sound emitted from the loudest silence

Or all the mistrust that resulted in this shyness

And her body has never been riddled with grief from aimlessly wandering remaining ruins

And she has never experienced the crippling effect associated with unrequited blinding desire

For she has only lived but one life

And has never had to set herself on fire

The depth of your ocean is but a murky puddle, can you not see?

And if she were the least bit wise she’d know that crazy claims what crazy does is done with good measure, not insecurity

Metaxourgeio is a transitional neighborhood located on the western edge of central Athens. Once an industrial area known for textile production, it is now in a complex state where urban renewal, cultural intervention, and decay coexist. The name “Metaxourgeio” comes from the Greek word for “silk” (metaxi), referencing its former identity as a silk factory district—though most of the original industrial spaces have long been abandoned.

According to literature, since the 1990s, Metaxourgeio has gradually transformed from a working-class neighborhood into a hub for cultural and creative activities.

Mixed Spatial Typologies • A juxtaposition of industrial buildings, residential houses, vacant properties, graffiti-covered walls, and cultural venues; • Neither a tourist attraction nor a suburban area, but a grey zone embedded within the urban fabric; • Not a “home” in the residential sense, yet a corner of the city repeatedly subject to attempts of “activation” and reimagining.

During its transformation, Metaxourgeio has developed a fragmented and heterogeneous spatial character—abandoned factories, galleries, migrant canteens, and design studios often coexist on the same street. Its ongoing spatial disintegration, social misalignment, and constantly rewritten cultural meanings strongly resonate with our exploration of how the concept and structure of “home” are being deconstructed and reconfigured in contemporary cities.

Reference List：

Alexandri, G. (2014) ‘Reading between the lines: Gentrification tendencies and issues of urban fear in the midst of Athens’ crisis’, Urban Studies, 52(9), pp. 1631–1646. doi: 10.1177/0042098014538680.

Alexandri, G. (2018) ‘Planning gentrification and the “absent” state in Athens’, International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, 42(1), pp. 36–50. doi: 10.1111/1468-2427.12566.

Avdikos, V. (2015) ‘Processes of creation and commodification of local collective symbolic capital: A tale of gentrification from Athens’, City, Culture and Society, 6(4), pp. 117–123. doi: 10.1016/j.ccs.2015.07.003.

This project is inspired by a critical reflection on the Ideal Home Show, a century-old exhibition that commercializes domestic ideals by presenting curated, idealized visions of the “perfect home.” What emerges from this spectacle is a vision of “home” designed not for real inhabitants but for market consumption—home as a product rather than a lived experience. It exposes how contemporary notions of domesticity are often constructed from an external, impersonal gaze that favors visual appeal and consumer aspiration over emotional resonance or spatial authenticity.

A key theoretical anchor of our study is Richard Hamilton’s 1956 collage, Just what is it that makes today’s homes so different, so appealing?, a landmark work in the history of Pop Art. Through a surreal assemblage of mass-produced items—ranging from a bodybuilder to canned ham—Hamilton critiques the postwar consumer society’s transformation of the home into a commodified showroom. His work challenges us to consider how everyday environments are shaped by advertising, visual culture, and capitalist desire, reducing “home” to a branded aesthetic space.

By combining the hyper-curated spectacle of the Ideal Home Show with Hamilton’s critical visual language, our project questions what remains of “home” when it is stripped of function, memory, and intimacy. Can it be recovered, not as a whole, but in fragments—reassembled within the city’s overlooked voids and residual spaces?

Ideal Home Show official site: https://www.idealhomeshow.co.uk

Hamilton’s collage (Tate): https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/hamilton-just-what-is-it-that-makes-todays-homes-so-different-p11358

Concept Summary

If the meaning of “home” can no longer be fully expressed within a physical “house,” can it still exist in the city—through fragments or symbols?

In today’s urban reality, where spatial structures and patterns of life are increasingly compressed, fragmented, and alienated, “home” is no longer the same as a “house.” A house is a physical shell, but a home is a complex carrier of diverse emotional experiences and essential living functions.

For the last little while, you have been searching for clues as to Francis’ murder. It is a duty that should have never fallen to you. Not a single one of you is trained, and while you do have the minor assistance of a medical professional, Shroud only really told you the cause of death. Figuring out what led up to that is the real challenge. So, for the past two hours or so, you and a group of your fellow Incarnates have been looking around.

But the search comes to an end where to hear the tree rumble to life. “The investigation period is over. Please make your way to the Summoning Circle.”

The Summoning Circle? Are they going to make you do this stupid trial in water up to your ankles? Luckily no. It’s an odd sight, especially for those of you who had been inspecting the Summoning Circle only a few minutes before. Along each of the smaller circles where you first woke, you find a raised desk and chair have been set up. The chairs are tall enough to keep your feet out of the dark and chilly water, and each desk is equipped with a pad of paper, a quill, and an inkwell.

Above the center of the circle floats the illuminating orb from the lounge, cutting through the dark and the fog to illuminate the whole circle of desks. Directly below it, Amber’s puppet body extrudes from the roots, Kali perched on her shoulder.

“Please take your seats. Each one has been labeled accordingly. Please do not leave your seats without permission during the trial,” Amber glumly requests. She seems downtrodden and very uneasy, but is facilitating this trial anyway. 

Arms folded, Kali scowls disapprovingly out at the group of you. “You heard the lady! Move it, and don’t waste your time whining at her!” Seems that Amber’s misery has once again spurred Kali into irascible protectiveness. Though not violence yet, mercifully.

“Please don’t forget,” Amber mutters, just loud enough to be heard. “The majority of you need to correctly identify the killer. Failure to do so, and someone else will have to be executed in their place. Please make your decisions carefully.”

“Also obviously, an attempt at violent escape will mean I have to stop you. I have a job to do and whatnot,” Alvarie grumbles from the front of the area, where she stands with her arms folded. Or is “front” even the right word?

On Day 4, Francis performs her role as King of the Food patiently and without bias. No one goes hungry, or at least no one goes unfed. But, the tension always remains. Who will be chosen next? Will it be Perry, who's actually good at cooking? Will it be Nao, who seems like a complete wildcard? Will it be, horror of horrors, Manami?

The question plagues you as Day 5 approaches, but it is ultimately destined to go unanswered.

Right before midnight, at 11:48, Amber's voice echoes through the tree in a mournful announcement. "A body has been discovered. Please make your way to the practice dungeon..."

As ever, vines coax you there if you're unwilling. When you arrive on the scene at the practice dungeon, though, it's a wretched sight.