Just to let you know that I've also sent you a DM request on Discord! Really strangely, our times online match perfectly (rare for me!). It's very likely that Melle was one of the good employers that C'io found in her early days at Ul'dah -- she's done courierwork and is an adept gatherer, so while it may not be that Melle was a bulk customer, she could have very much been one receiving very specific cuts.
In Japan, I know one of the last woodblock carvers left, and when I visit him he tells me about how difficult it is to carve now compared to before since the old supplier of block wood died and never passed on his secrets. The old wood, apparently, was carefully selected for its grain and age so that it could be finely chipped at with uniform resistance in a specific direction. It's really amazing how interdependent these artisan crafts are, but also particularly sad when the supply chains begin to die out without successors and affect everyone involved.
In Japan, I know one of the last woodblock carvers left, and when I visit him he tells me about how difficult it is to carve now compared to before since the old supplier of block wood died and never passed on his secrets. The old wood, apparently, was carefully selected for its grain and age so that it could be finely chipped at with uniform resistance in a specific direction. It's really amazing how interdependent these artisan crafts are, but also particularly sad when the supply chains begin to die out without successors and affect everyone involved.
![[Image: enucwJZ.png]](http://i.imgur.com/enucwJZ.png)
