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(Created page with "{{book |setting=Cosmere |'publisher=Dragonsteel Entertainment |released=July 2023{{url ref|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6a-k6eaT-jQ|text=Brandon's Announcement...") |
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On March 17, 2022, Brandon released the first seven chapters, along with some brief commentary, which can be read [[bws:first-look-at-secret-project-3|on his website]] and listened to [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bBUVXcIE0E0 on his YouTube channel]. He also did a full spoiler Q&A about these preview chapters, which can be listened to [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cFGDcvtRdz0 on his YouTube channel].
== Synopsis ==
The story is set in two vastly disparate locations -- the city of Kilahito, in a world covered by a perpetual shroud of darkness, and the land of Torio, where the ground is extremely hot and humanity can only survive around geysers. In Kilahito, Nikaro, or Painter, works a thankless job as a nightmare painter, capturing nightmares that slink out of the shroud into the city to feed on the fear of its people. In Torio, Yumi is a travelling yoki-hijo, a rare priestess able to summon and command spirits that serve various necessary functions for Torio's inhabitants. Painter is beginning to feel ennui, and slowly realizing he needs to improve himself; Yumi feels trapped between her yearning to be free and her sense of responsibility as a yoki-hijo.{{wob ref|15473}}
One day, Yumi is contacted by a spirit from deep below, who asks her to help free them. She agrees and collapses. Around the same time, Painter tracks down and scares away a particularly powerful nightmare before feeling extremely tired and falling asleep.{{wob ref|15473}} When the two wake up, they realize they are now bound together. In Torio, Painter appears to others as though he was Yumi, while she herself is a disembodied spirit visible only to him; in Kilahito, their situation is reversed. They now must work together to learn each other's jobs and figure out what happened to tie them like this -- and how to stop it.{{wob ref|15474}}
== Development ==
''Yumi and the Nightmare Painter'' was written as one of the secret projects that Brandon worked on during the Covid-19 pandemic.{{ref|name=AnnouncementVideo}} Alongside [[Secret Project One]], it is an experiment in writing [[Hoid]] narration in anticipation of ''[[Dragonsteel]]''. While Secret Project One is set to have more of a fairytale vibe, ''Yumi'' is supposed to be a more dramatic voice.{{wob ref|15474}}
While the setting is a mix of Japanese and Korean influences, it was inspired mostly by Japanese media. The initial concept came from ''[[wikipedia:Hikaru no Go|Hikaru no Go]]'', which Brandon became familiar with through [[Peter Ahlstrom]]'s fan-translation. In it, a young boy finds a Go board haunted by an old master who offers to teach him the game -- hence a ghostly Painter teaching Yumi his craft, while ghostly Yumi teaches Painter hers. Additional inspiration came from ''[[wikipedia:Your Name|Your Name]]'', as well as ''[[wikipedia:Final Fantasy X|Final Fantasy X]]''. Yumi's name specifically is derived from Yuna, one of the protagonists of FFX.{{wob ref|15474}}
== Trivia ==
* The book will be illustrated by [https://aliyachen.com Aliya Chen].{{wob ref|15513}}
== Notes ==
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