#crenulation

[cordially-stupid]

Hello fellow geology enthusiasts! I've finished my structural class and have now put some of my homework on my redbubble! link is to the socks version >:3 Enjoy!

[fieriframes]

[Crenulation.]

[vox-anglosphere]

Perthshire

Blair Atholl.

[lichenaday]

Nephroma expallidum 

Alpine kidney lichen

For Pride Month, let's talk about one of the many ways lichens are queer icons! Lichens are a symbiosis between a fungi (typically an ascomycete) and a photosynthesizing partner (a green algae or a cyanobacteria). BUT some lichens have 2 photosynthesizing partners: a green algae AND a cyanobacteria! We call these tripartite lichens! One such tripartite lichen is N. expallidum. This foliose lichen grows on siliceous and mossy soil in arctic/alpine regions of the northern hemisphere. It has large, lobulate or crenulate lobes which grow in loose patches or rosettes up to 15 cm wide. The upper surface is yellow-green to brownish, and often covered in a thin, grayish layer of tiny pubescent hairs. The lower surface is dark brown toward the center of the lobes, and pale brown to white near the margins, with black cephalodial warts (structures which contain cyanobacterial secondary photobionts) and few rhizines. It very rarely produces apothecia, which grow facing down toward the lower surface and have a kidney-shaped, brown disc. The green algae present throughout the majority of the lobes is considered the primary photobiont, and the cyanobacteria housed in the cephalodia are the secondary photobiont. 3 partners??? Living together??? In my N. expallidum???? Absolutely!!

images: source | source | source

info: source | source

[herpsandbirds]

Direct evidence of frugivory in the Mesozoic bird Longipteryx contradicts morphological proxies for diet

Jingmai O’Connor, Alexander Clark, Fabiany Herrera, Xiaoting Zheng, Han Hu, Zhonghe Zhou

Summary

Diet is one of the most important aspects of an animal’s ecology, as it reflects direct interactions with other organisms and shapes morphology, behavior, and other life history traits. Modern birds (Neornithes) have a highly efficient and phenotypically plastic digestive system, allowing them to utilize diverse trophic resources, and digestive function has been put forth as a factor in the selectivity of the end-Cretaceous mass extinction, in which only neornithine dinosaurs survived. Although diet is directly documented in several early-diverging avian lineages, only a single specimen preserves evidence of diet in , the dominant group of terrestrial Cretaceous birds. Morphology-based predictions suggest enantiornithines were faunivores, although the absence of evidence contrasts with the high preservation potential and relatively longer gut-retention times of these diets.  Longipteryx is an unusual Early Cretaceous enantiornithine with an elongate rostrum; distally restricted dentition; large, recurved, and crenulated teeth; and tooth enamel much thicker than other paravians. Statistical analysis of rostral length, body size, and tooth morphology predicts Longipteryx was primarily insectivorous.  Contrasting with these results, two new specimens of Longipteryx preserve gymnosperm seeds within the abdominal cavity interpreted as ingesta. Like Jeholornis, their unmacerated preservation and the absence of gastroliths indicate frugivory.  As in Neornithes, complex diets driven by the elevated energetic demands imposed by flight, secondary rostral functions, and phylogenetic influence impede the use of morphological proxies to predict diet in early-diverging avian lineages.

Read the paper here:

Direct evidence of frugivory in the Mesozoic bird Longipteryx contradicts morphological proxies for diet: Current Biology (cell.com)

[mycoblogg]

FOTD #134 : mycena indigotica!

mycena indigotica (no common name) is a newly-discovered saprotrophic fungus in the family mycenaceae :-) it is currently only known to occur in northern taiwan, where it was first found.

the big question : can i bite it?? so far, the edibility is unknown.

m. indigotica description :

"basidiomata gregarious, not luminescent. pileus 1.5-3.5 mm diam, at first semiglobose, then convex to flattened, non-striate, pale blue… to blue… when young, gradually with black tints with age, totally black when old or in dried specimens, slightly pruinose when young, glabrous with age, context white, margin entire, crenulate. hymenophore consisting of 70-120 pores, pores circular, usually oval near stipe, concolourous with surface of pileus, 8-12 pores per mm. stipe 2e4 x 0.5e1 mm, blue… to dark blue… gradually with black tints with age, pruinose when young, glabrous with age, cylindrical, central, basally bulbous."

[images : source & source] [fungus description : source]

[exitwound]

favorite word?

i can’t pick favourites it’s not fair to everyone else. but lately i have been by captivated by the vocabulary invented for the (biblical in my opinion) task of objectively describing and categorizing rocks … there's slate, phyllite, schist, blueschist, gneiss….Mudrock protolith…Carbonaceous sediment...Slaty cleavage; crenulations.. phenocrysts… Luster, lustrousness, something hard, something secreted, something leaving behind a streak of surprising color. Garnets squeezed out of grey matrices, micas sweated out with the exertion of transformation… im soooo here . Im in here im looking at a rock and Im wanting so badly to know it that I take it to the geology textbook and select an abstraction for it like as suit tailored to it as well as I can and I realize how much more time I want to spend looking at rocks now that I am beginning to learn their names, even as I realize that it is only the names giving the objects their objectivity, and that it might be easier to experience the strangeness of the world if I could forget its names, but I won't forget its names, because then I wouldn't be able to talk about it and it gets boring not being able to talk about it, and if it gets boring, then you might stop paying attention..its a paradox. There is a rock called reticulite that looks like iridescent foam. Exactly like a lump of glittering rainbow foam scooped out of a bubble bath post-bath bomb, but it comes out of volcanoes, specifically, it is only formed from lava fountains whose basaltic spew pierces the clouds like high castles -- at least 1000 feet high is the number often given, the height necessary to reach the speeds necessary to suddenly exsolve gases in the basalt, as if the air in its lungs exploded outwards and rendered a solid thing nothing but a lattice of itself. It is the lightest rock in the world, much lighter than pumice but it doesn't float. It defies the idea of solidity, you can hold it in your hand (although it crumbles into a smaller version of itself whenever it is touched) but water pours right through it and it sinks like a fishing net would sink. Then it dissolves like cotton candy. Its a beautiful gold color, a gold latticework, a thought bubble ejected from the inside of the earth..But you can't let yourself believe any of this. Anything I say might not be true because this is about the words, although most of this is true, but I think its better to react with disbelief. That's my recommendation

Also I love, lately, words related to castles and bacterial colonies of luxury and the associated equally extravagant acts of self-protection or self-comfort: Crenellations and machicolations and spirals and balustrades and pediments and cruciforms and chandeliers and lacework and swagging and frosting

early paleozoic eras: cambrian, ordovician, silurian, devonian. But not the american state or dinoasaur themed ones except under special consideration

Sweeteners: sugar, gel, gels, jelly, creams, paste, solvents

And this is the set of all the other words that I love that I didn't name here represented by the heart symbol: <3

[ranticore]

working on my story today... which one... who can say... have some old art

idk if i ever posted these. super early development when i didn't know where the vertical stabiliser or the jet runes were gonna go. ultimately decided against a crenulated wing shape but it would have been cool lol. also before i decided that the membrane layer of the wing could get stiff for fixed-wing flight, so technically they should not be able to fold the wing while the jets are engaged without risking serious structural harm

the radio apparatus got much bigger with development & the forward-facing projections got longer too, i decided that if i was going all the way with them being basically cannons i had to give them more clearance past the nose. spitters (the lil light fighters like pipes) can spray out their burning magnesium pellets in rapidfire, so the visual effect is like this

especially when there's a lot of them all at once in formation. for the sprinters, like breakneck, they have one cannon and can fire only a few shots, but they are much larger and deadlier if they hit. the cannons are powered by runes. all the runes are 'vectors' (and they're just called vectors in-universe) in that their function is to accelerate something past the surface on which the rune is placed, in a specific direction indicated by the rune. it's a 'move object from a to b' rune that is used for many purposes. not much magic exists outside of it. the dragon eats the pellets, stores them in a gular pouch, and then fires them out through the cannons (which are the nostrils in reality). they have kind of a fulmar thing going on

[ramshackle-ramblings]

Chapter 15: Study Sesh

Sorry for the months-long wait. I've been busy with other things (dating sim) and work. It's the Busy Season now. I would like to say we're back, but that's probably a lie. We never left, just wandered into the other room for a bit.

@sunnysidesevenup, because you asked

~~~

First Prev

Alise crashed through the Heartslabyul mirror, stumbling forward a few steps on the other side, and nearly plowing into Ace and Deuce.

She was on a flagstone path leading to an imposing red and black building with crenulated walks. Rose trees, carefully shaped into hearts, lined the walk, alternating with tidy rose bushes flowering in marble pots.

Behind the roses on both sides, hedges stood as the walls of maze, low at first, but growing taller and taller as they stretched into the distance, topiaries peeking over the top.

Silk banners, white bordered red, decorated with the crowned black-and-red heart of the Heartslaybul crest, waved gently in the breeze.

"Alise!" Deuce said in shock, "We were just coming to look for you!"

"Damn, you went through that like a champ!" Ace commented, smiling down at the girl. "Mouse usually complains and has the jitters after going through the mirrors. But here you are!"

"Here I am," she confirmed. Alise looked back over her shoulder at the mirror. "It's a little weird. It's like diving into a pool, if the pool was made of that hard, gross layer on the top of old Jell-O."

"Yeah... That's how me and everyone else describes it." Ace confirmed, crossing his arms. "Not many places travel by mirror from what I know. But it's definitely more common in the Queendom of Roses."

He frowned, looking over her to stare at the mirror. "But Mouse describes it as moving through tar and getting pricked by tiny shards of glass so... I dunno."

"That does sound terrible," Alise agreed. "I wouldn't want to go through it if it was like that, either."

Ace shrugged again before pointing to the doors. "Eh, it's probably them just being overdramatic. But study sesh is about to start, so we should get going before Riddle has our heads."

"Sure."

She followed the boys into the building, and to the lounge. Deuce pointed to a seating group in the back corner and beelined for it, claiming it for the three of them. Ace followed Deuce, calling over to Alise in case she gets distracted. Alise followed the boys to the corner, flopping onto the couch, and started pulling books and papers out of her bag.

She was bent over, head practically disappeared into her bag, searching the bottom of it for a pen she knew she had, when a new voice entered the conversation.

"Ace, Deuce, I'm glad you're here," Riddle said warmly. "This semester can be better than the last one!"

Ace waved at Riddle, sighing as he spoke. "Yeah yeah... Mouse even made us promise not to bother with Azul this semester as well," he admitted, remembering the lecture that the prefect gave not just him and Deuce, but Grim as well...

Actually... He and Grim got the worst of it now that he thought about it...

"Yes, well, that's for the -"

Riddle's face went pale, and then slowly started to color.

"What are you doing here?" he hissed, all traces of warmth gone from his voice.

Alise looked up, curious to see who had caused such a sudden and drastic change in the new boy's demeanor.

She found herself staring up at the other boy from last night, grey eyes like thunderclouds, shaking with barely contained rage.

Ace paled, looking between the two before pulling Alise close to him, trying to alleviate the situation at the cost of his neck.

"Deuce and I invited her!" He started, before quickly adding on. "MOUSE said it would be a good idea for Alise to get help from you! Since she's literally joining in the middle of the year, she doesn't know much!!"

Deuce stared back and forth between Alise and a slowly reddening Riddle.

"Fine," Riddle spat the word out like it was physically painful. He drew himself up and glared imperiously at her, pointing his pen at her. "But you are here to study. Do not make a scene."

"I wouldn't dream of it," she said, a little too sweetly.

Riddle swung around on his heel and stalked back to the center of the room where Trey and Cater were sitting.

Ace watched as Riddle left, before looking over to Alise. "So you're why we couldn't sit with Mouse at lunch."

"I guess," she said. "I don't know why that guy hates me so much. Who is that?"

Ace blinked a few times, before looking over to Riddle's table.

"The guy who just basically yelled at us is out Housewarden - Riddle Rosehearts." Ace started, pointing at Riddle before pointing out the green haired man in the glasses. "That's Trey, he's our Vice-Housewarden. And that right there -" He pointed to Cater next. "- is Trey's boyfriend, Cater."

"That's Riddle?" Alise said, a little too loud.

Riddle's head snapped toward them at the sound of his name, and he did not look less furious than he had when he'd left. Deuce hushed her quickly.

"That's the same Riddle that Mouse was going to ask to teach me how to tie a tie? The same Riddle you went to have lunch with? The same Riddle Mouse had potions with after lunch?" She stared at Riddle in wonder. He glowered back in disappointment. "But that Riddle is nice!"

Trey noticed that Riddle was... not happy... in a specific direction. Looking over to Ace's group and then back to Riddle, he put on a patient - albeit worried - smile, getting up from his seat and moving himself to block Riddle's view, sliding some papers over to talk to Riddle about.

Riddle looked at Trey in surprise. Without Trey having to say a word, he knew he was right. This was not productive. Deep, calming breaths ...

"Riddle is... Uh..." Ace looked for the words to defend his housewarden. "He's a bit short tempered..."

Alise gave Ace a skeptical look. "That's a little beyond short-tempered. He looked at me and practically combusted."

She waved it off, Riddle's death stare blocked by Trey now. "Anyway, homework."

"Right!" Ace nodded, grabbing his bag. "Homework..."

The first little while went smoothly, working on homework from the classes they'd been in together. Alise even managed to get part way through the homework from the morning class with Lilia.

"I don't understand this question," she said after spending too long on one.

"Let me see," Deuce offered, and she handed him the paper.

He read the question, read it again, and read it a third time. He held the paper out to Ace, and shot a look at Riddle, who seemed in a much better mood, smiling with Trey and Cater. "Maybe ... ?"

Ace sighed, taking the paper from him. "Let me see it Juice."

He looked down at the paper, his eyebrows furrowing as he read over the questions.

He looked over to Alise.

He looked back to the paper.

He looked at Alise.

"What the fuck?"

She shrugged. "I don't know, you're the magic ones here."

"I don't understand it, either," Deuce shook his head.

"Well no shit, Deuce. This is third year homework!" Ace spoke, swatting at the dark haired boy with Alise's homework. He sighed, placing it in front of him. "Honestly..."

He looked over to Alise.

"You're better off asking Riddle. He's a second year but... He'd most likely know this already."

She picked up the paper with a sigh and looked across the room to where Riddle was enjoying a quiet conversation with his friends.

Maybe he wasn't angry with her for existing anymore. Or he'd forgotten about her.

She gathered up the homework sheet and her notebook and cautiously approached the group in the center of the room.

The pretty boy with the strawberry blond hair - Cater - watched her approach. His face was all smiles, but his eyes were wary.

"Riddle?" she said softly, perching on the edge of the couch next to him. "I think I need help with this."

He turned to her, and his smile evaporated. His jaw tightened, and Alise braced herself for a fight.

"Riddle..." Trey spoke, like a parent trying to reign in a child's tantrum before it started. "Give her a chance. She's asking for help."

Riddle closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

He opened his eyes and looked at Alise. He still looked furious but his voice was carefully controlled when he spoke. "What do you need help with?"

Alise relaxed, handing over her homework. "This is what I've gotten so far." She handed him her notebook next. "These are the notes I took today. I can't figure out where to go from here, I think it must be building on something I've missed."

Riddle accepted the paper, and read what she had so far. Then he read her notes, and then the homework again. He looked more and more confused as he went back and forth between the two.

"What ... What class was this?" he asked finally, looking up from the paper in befuddlement.

"I don't remember," Alise told him honestly.

"You don't remember?" Irritation colored his voice.

"Riddle..." Trey tried to reign him in again, glancing over his shoulder to look at the paper. "Wait..."

"What?" Riddle snapped at Trey, looking sharply at him.

"Whoa, now, Rids," Cater said with the same placating tone Trey was using.

Trey looked over to Cater, a bit concerned, before looking to Alise. "You... Wouldn't happen to remember what any of your classmates looked like, would you?"

She shook her head, opened her mouth to answer, but Riddle cut her off.

"You don't remember what class it was, you don't remember who was in it. What do you remember?" he snapped, leaving Trey and Cater to exchange glances behind him again.

"Lilia was in it," she answered, meeting Riddle's gaze steadily and trying to keep her voice level.

"Lilia? What were you doing in a class with Lilia?" Riddle shot to his feet, towering over her.

"I was trying to learn!" Alise snapped back at him, snatching her homework back and standing up herself, forcing Riddle to take a step back or risk being crashed into as she rose.

"Lilia is a junior! You had no business being in that class!" He was dangerously close to shouting.

"Regardless, I still have homework!" Alise did shout. "Are you going to help me or not?" She pushed the half-finished homework into his chest, crumpling it against his buttons.

"Not!" he shouted back, ripping the paper out from under her hand and holding it out toward the other boys. "But Trey or Cater should be able to!"

Trey quickly took the paper, looking between the two and standing up to try guiding Alise away from Riddle. Looking shocked with himself as to how he didn't notice Alise in the same class as him.

"I'll, uh..." He spoke up, looking to Cater as if he'd have an answer.

Alise let herself be tugged backward, snatching her notebook as she went, eyes still locked with Riddle.

"Hey, Rids, lets sit down," Cater said, touching him softly on the arm to get his attention.

Trey just nodded, tugging at Alise to get her walking away from Riddle.

"Yeah, I'll help her with her homework."

Riddle sat, and Alise walked backward, both too stubborn to break first, until the back of Alise's knees hit the couch by Ace and Deuce, and she looked down to see what she'd run into.

She looked from the couch, to Trey, to her crumpled homework paper.

"Thank you," she said, dropping onto the couch. "I don't know how to solve this."

Trey shook his head, now positioning himself to block Alise from looking at Riddle. "Don't mention it. Just..."

He chuckled, pushing up his glasses a bit.

"Try not to make it a habit." Whether he was referring to crashing third year classes or upsetting Riddle was unknown.

Alise made no promises on either count, but turned her attention to Trey's explanations. Trey pretended that he was NOT worried about her lack of response, explaining everything she needed and answering any questions she may have.

"Thanks again," she said when they'd finally finished, standing up to stretch and shed her vest and tie. She'd already rolled her sleeves up earlier.

"Don't mention it." Trey smiled, nodding to her. "I don't think we introduced ourselves yet though. I'm Trey."

She shook her head. "Ace pointed you out earlier. I'm Alise."

She unbuckled the the belt contraption and dropped it on the table with a dull thud.

"Those are yours," she said to Ace.

Trey nodded, before blinking and turning to look at the belts. "Wh..."

Ace stood up, slamming his hands on the table. "YOU STOLE MY BELTS???"

"Borrowed," she shrugged, untucking her shirt. "I needed something to keep the pants up." She hopped up and down a couple of times, and her pants settled lower on her hips. "See?"

Ace's cheeks flushed, shaking his head as Trey just sighed like a disappointed parent. "NOPE!! WE DO NOT!!"

"They're just pants Ace," Trey spoke up. "At least they're not falling down completely..."

Alise stared at Ace blankly. "We don't what?"

"Nothing, ignore him." Trey cut in, shaking his head. "He's 16," he added as if it'd explain everything...

She laughed. "I'll understand when I'm older, I guess."

He sighed, "I hope you don't..." Trey coughed, shaking his head aggressively before pushing at his glasses. "Anyway, why are you taking off articles of clothes exactly?"

"Because I have been wearing them all day, and they are stuffy, and I am tired of them," she explained. "I guess the vest wasn't so bad, but I am tired of being choked by that thing - " she pointed at the tie. " - and this thing - " she unbuttoned the top few buttons of her shirt " - and those belts were awkward and uncomfortable because these pants don't even have belt loops." She lifted her shirt up to show the waistband as proof.

Trey nodded with each of her complaints, waiting for her to be finished before asking. "Is it because they're too big? Or is it something sensory?" He asked, trying to figure out if he could ask a student if they could offer up a spare uniform temporarily. Or if she needed a change of clothes entirely.

"I'm willing to help you," he said, his tone calm. "But I need more than 'stuffy' to find a solution."

She shook her head. "No, mostly it's just too big, not what I'm used to, and it's been a long day."

"Why," Riddle demanded, coming up to the group. "Are you undressing in my lounge?"

"I'm sorry," Cater said to Trey quietly. "I tried."

Trey turned to Riddle and then Cater, giving him a small smile. His voice quiet but fond. "It's all good, my daisy. Riddle's been on a short fuse all day..."

He then turned back to Riddle, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Alise's clothes are too uncomfortable, I was just about to ask if someone more her size would be willing to give her a spare." Trey explained, trying to diffuse the situation as quick as possible.

Riddle shrugged Trey's hand off.

"I have not been!" He snapped at Trey, then whirled back on Alise. "You need to button your shirt!"

"What?" she said, looking down. It was just the top two buttons. It was nothing risque. Cater had more buttons undone than she did.

She looked back up at Riddle. "No."

If he'd been asked later - and he was - why that single word set him off so badly, Riddle wouldn't have had an answer. It's not like no one ever said no to him. Ace did it all the time. And he'd gotten so much better about flying off the handle.

But this tiny girl said no, and he said; "OFF WITH YOUR HEAD!"

"What the fuck, dude?" Alise snapped angrily, sitting hard on the couch as the collar appeared around her neck.

Trey took a step back, looking to Cater and then back to Riddle. Ace vaulted over the table to be on the same side as Alise. He looked over Alise before looking to Riddle, a glare evident in his eyes.

Riddle's face was bright red, and he was glaring daggers at Alise, his breathing short and rapid, ignoring Ace entirely.

"What the fuck, dude?" Alise asked again, but she no longer sounded angry. She sounded curious, tilting her head from one side to the other to try and get a better look at the collar. She brought a hand up to trace the patterns on its surface with one finger.

"Watch your language," Riddle hissed, turning on his heel and pushing past Trey and Cater to storm out of the lounge.

Next

[beautifulmars]

HiPOD: Lavas and Grabens

How far do the lavas from Arsia Mons invade the grabens here in Noctis Labyrinthus? Why is the contact so sharp? What marginal characteristics are present in the lava flows, particularly the details of the crenulations or lack thereof? (Black and white cutout is less than 5 km across.)

ID: ESP_075264_1630 date: 16 August 2022 altitude: 251 km

NASA/JPL-Caltech/UArizona

[12pt-times-new-roman]

c3e87

We open on the Bells Hells traversing through the storms on foot, with Kraveris in sight through the cleft valley of a mountain. There's one travel roll left, and they roll another, more severe storm.

As the storm abates, there's another flare -- it feels the same, but every Ruidusborn gets 15 temporary hitpoints (does not stack with the flares from before, as with normal temp hp).

FCG casts sending on Ira (twice), and it's like there's a haze between them and the Changebringer so it takes more effort than normal to cast the spell, and the spell itself takes longer to find its destination, but it does work. "Bells Hells here, on the moon with you. We've got information and treasure. And plans. So many plans. Laudna says hi. Where can we find you?" // "Oh, my. You've finally come along! Welcome to the crimson land of the strange and beautiful. I've been busy watching, learning." // "In relation to Kraveris, where might we find you? Please be specific and brief so that we may speak more in person. Laudna still says hi." // "But where's the fun in that? I'm very interested to talk, but I want to see how interested you are in finding me."

They decide to try to connect with the Volition to get access to the city. Imogen tries a sending to Vesh. "You didn't trust us before. Maybe the dispatching of Admuda will convince you. We need to find the Volition. We're here to help. Outside Kraveris." // "Look. If you must talk, find me in the Jagged Edge, within the Clutch. Tell Jodot that you are of the Vanguard, and looking for a contract."

Then, they head to one of the outposts that stands outside the walls of the city itself.

Fearne notes that she could potentially look like a reiloran because she's been practicing her magic, and they work out that because the reiloran's low-level telepathy doesn't give a direction if the creature is unknown, they can do a bit of telepathic ventriloquism to make it seem like she's actually talking.

That brings up a good point though: couldn't they polymorph into reilorans? The ones they've encountered have been of varying class levels, so some of them have had to be lower than level/CR 11, and it's not like PCs haven't polymorphed into other humanoid creatures before.

As they approach the outpost, they see another figure that they haven't seen before: eight feet tall, clad in leather armor, with furred legs almost like a sasquatch. Fearne disguises herself as a reiloran, and Imogen speaks through her: "New recruits for the Vanguard. Our caravan broke down, and yours was the nearest outpost."

This figure has a deep voice, southern accent, and isn't sure why they'd bring recruits here -- it seems like there are fewer reilorans and more armed (possibly drafted) civilians manning the outpost. But they let them through, their ruse works for now.

The tower, though pretty tall, is also empty except for motion-sensitive lanterns and some barebones provisions.

While FCG ritual casts telepathic bond, Ashton and Laudna go up to the top of the tower. There are crenulated parapets here, fit to take cover behind or put a spyglass through; one of the guards, another of the sasquatch-type people, actually has an Exandrian firearm, and the other is a bormodo with a spyglass.

Chetney learns that the name of the outpost is Tyran A.

While Laudna scouts with Pate, Ashton trades questions with the bormodo. They ask what strawberries, apples, and blueberries taste like. Ashton gets the name of a bar, and learns that the Clutch is an outer ward of the city.

With Pate, Laudna sees something carved into the earth, and a protrusion that looks almost like a warhorn (which indicates that telepathy is more of a short-ranged thing, and they need actual sound to project over long distances). In the city, for as refined as she would've expected, it appears that the surface has been eroded away, dilapidated; the fine details and sharp edges have been worn down, there are no bustling throughfares, and it reminds her of Bassuras. (Almost like the majority of the city's infrastructure and populace is below-ground.)

Orym gathers some information about the "Attrition" (I'm assuming he purposefully mispronounced "Volition," but I dunno if I missed something) -- they can come from anywhere, they can be anyone, "it's just kind of a gut feeling... if you hear something loud and dangerous, you run." The sasquatch-guy points out a ruin that was once an outpost.

The two reiloran guards defer to Fearne because Imogen told them she's the Willmaster, and the facade almost cracks because of the latency between Fearne receiving their telepathy and Imogen talking back to them -- but Fearne just makes the deception check. The reilorans refer to "the Will" as if it's some kind of independent council or agency that hires and gives orders to the Willmaster, but this might also be their name for the Weave-mind.

Breaking news: Sam, after a whole-ass campaign playing a bard, learns how ritual spells work.

As they all gather at the base of the tower and prepare to head toward the city, Imogen puts the circlet back on.

They approach the walls of the city, having gone around the main gates, and find that there are homes and businesses clustered together like eggs on the surface-level. Laughter, and they see a group of children petting, grooming some kind of livestock.

Break time!

They descend onto the main street of a semi-subterranean village on the outskirts of Kraveris, and approach the two children: a reiloran and a bormodo -- Asha and Kolito, respectively. The reiloran is speaking with her actual voice, not telepathy.

They tell them that "the Clutch" is this entire section of the city, outside the walls where the buildings are clustered like eggs. They aren't allowed to go underground because they're "clutch-folk" -- their families aren't important enough to be allowed into the lower layers of the city.

All of the above-ground city is the Keluma-Kraveris, and the below-ground part is the Vatera-Kraveris. "The Crumbles" are the parts of the city where the upper layer has crumbled down into the lower layers, and it's a kind of wretched hive, "where the rough folk live."

They also take interest in Chetney -- "you're so small, but so old!" Also, Chetney continues to be fantastic with kids, which is hilarious to me -- they've never had toys before, only dreams of them, and Chetney makes them some.

Hold up-- Chetney says that the more he makes toys, the less special they get. Did he get Condensed Capitalism, The Feat from Nana Morri?

The guardian of these children comes around the corner, and looks afraid of the Bells Hells. There's a nervousness, a reticence, that belays the relationship that the people of the Clutch have with the Emperium. They say that the Emperium wants to put every resource toward "the coming move," implying that they would draft or otherwise steal away or use their small, seven-year-old children to support their war effort. They also point the Bells Hells to the Jagged Edge.

As they move through town, they see a mixture of the native people of Ruidus: bormodos, reilorans, and the gray-furred sasquatch-like people they saw at the outpost. The majority of them are civilians, thin, living rough, afraid. They scatter, and so do the Bells Hells -- but they botched the stealth roll. There's the sound of scratching on stone as two avadons (giant faceless moon wolves), saddled with reilorans on their backs, trudge through the street. Other figures walk behind it as it moves through, accompanying a wheeled container, heading from the entryway to the city toward the outside. One of the avadons sniffs out Fearne: "you're out in strange places, Vanguard... there have been a number of rising attacks against this city, we're on alert. What is your business? Answer my question, Exandrian. Who are you, and what are you doing here?"

Fearne fumbles her way through the conversation with some decent rolls, but Imogen -- without consulting the party, even though they have telepathic bond up -- takes it upon herself to collapse a building onto the reilorans and every surrounding civilian.

Fearne wildshapes into a tiny-ass fly and tries to get away, triggering an attack from the avadon, and we go into initiative!

They have two choices: either grab Fearne and run, which would let the enemies alert the city, or take everyone out so they can't raise the alarm. It sounds like they're going with the latter, but with some foresight to not cast fireball in the middle of a populated city.

Foregoing the collapsing building plan, Imogen just throws some stones at them, and everyone's engaged and seen at this point so there's no escaping this.

Ashton update: When Ashton deals a critical hit, attacks against that creature have advantage until the start of their next turn. Notably, the wording on this feature -- as Talisein read it -- specified "character," not "creature."

Laudna casts blight through Ashton's hammer, which -- after a spellcasting ability check based on the spell's level -- lets her split the spell and target 2 creatures instead of 1.

Orym update: One of the battle maneuvers he took was riposte.

FCG update: FCG's "toll the dead" is re-flavored to "scramble the dead," and he plays the modem dial-up sound when it happens.

The battle is over and everyone's alive, so they toss all the bodies into the portable hole so that no one else can talk to them later. "We're getting way too good at that -- let's run." Meanwhile, Imogen and Laudna use prestidigitation to get rid of the blood on the streets, and they investigate the cart: it has a 1ftx1ft heavy metal container, which also goes into the hole.

They see a witness in a window, and Laudna sends Pate to intimidate them -- they're an older civilian reilora, spooked. "'ey! You! You don't say a thing. No peeping! Shh. Don't worry; we're all friends here! Look, we even cleaned it up for you! It's a service we provide here. So, what did we learn?"

In the aftermath, they immediately head to the edge of the city. They just barely make a deception check to pass themselves off as people who belong; there are folks talking to each other, gathering -- it's a sense of a military occupying its own city, and it's been like this for a while now. In the Treshi scry ball, they see the faintest blip near the entrance to the city.

FCG casts locate creature on Jodot, and gets a ping within 1,000 feet -- they're far into the city, through this decaying Escher painting that is the surface-level, but they all follow the signal until they come to what appears to be some kind of mercantile district, where hovels, tents, and cabins give way to stained glass, magical lanterns, dyed cloths, and signposts. There are home decor shops, dye shops, gifts -- some have chimneys with smoke. But they eventually come to the outside of a massive kiln, with a structure built around the base of it with a sign carved like the memory of a handwriting. Inside is the clanging of metal, like a workshop.

Inside, it's very warm, and carries the smell of a kiln firing clay. There are all kinds of weapons here -- scimitars with obsidian edges, spears with shards of glass. There are also little knickknacks: models of wuccors, the glass rendition of a dancing reiloran. It's a unique mixture of artistry and weaponry, manned by a tall, rotund, male sasquatch-like creature with stark white hair and heavy goggles, chipping away at a tiny piece of something.

They have a nordic-type accent, I think. The Bells Hells use the key-phrase that Vesh gave them, and they roll insight to see if they're walking into a trap: with FCG's nat20 insight check, they see that the shopkeep is legit.

Jodot walks into a back room, and nearly 5 minutes later, a reiloran shrike emerges: she has dark green eyes with a scar like a C that curves from her eye to the edge of her mouth. As she enters, she's taller than any of them but with a natural hunch to her form. "So. You have my attention -- you said you needed a contract, yes? You wear, ah... deceptive attire. It shows promise. What is your business here in Kraveris? Do you need help smuggling things in, out? What do you want?"

Vesh is speaking with her mouth and voice, like the children from before. She lives among many people, and feels it's best that they all live at the same level. Ashton lays it all out: "We're here to figure out how to stop those who want to release the One Who Sleeps." Imogen clarifies that they're not here to stop reilorans from coming to Exandria, but Ludinus from enacting his plans.

They are not on the opposite side of this conflict from Vesh -- she's not part of the Volition, but she's a liaison between them, so she can show them where to find them. The Volition signals their current safehouse by a different color, and she pulls one from behind a curtain: a deep, royal purple, freshly-dyed. The safehouse is hard to find, so they'll need a vantage point: somewhere in the Banners, a district of the city. She gives them the name of an associate, who will let them through in exchange for wealth. He works at dusk, so they have a few hours, and Vesh can guide them there.

The weapons that used to be built here before the Emperium take-over channeled the lightning from Ruidian storms into attack power.

Stepping back to where she came, Vesh disappears, and Jodot emerges: he allows them to stay in his shop for a short time, so they can rest before heading out again. Chetney offers gold for a gold-plated scythe. Jodot takes the gold and slides it into the kiln, where it'll be melted down, because gold doesn't have much value here apart from being a rare material to work with.

Vesh lets them stay in the basement for an hour to recoup and take a short rest, but they have to be gone by the end of it. Meanwhile, Laudna asks how much the sculpture of the dancing reiloran is -- with a persuasion check, Vesh gives it to her, on the condition that if the Bells Hells are captured and the dancer found, Vesh will give them up.

In the basement of this workshop, they take short rest. Imogen re-attunes to the circlet, while Chetney and Orym investigate the box. The construction of it is familiar -- it's the same as the Cerberus Assembly boxes they procured from the Paragon's Call encampment, and there is a trapped magical lock on it.

Now that sending is working again, FCG wants to contact Frida, and they all wonder why it's suddenly working again. They look at the scry ball, and see that Otohan has moved closer to the center of the city.

They talk a bit about the disparity between classes here on Ruidus, and Imogen expresses that people here might be "better off if they could come to Exandria... they've never seen trees, or anything like that." Orym says that it's beautiful on Ruidus, too, but they want to see what the Dreamers see -- and Laudna recognizes that it's easier to sway those who have been stepped on when they're trying to rally a force against the oppressive Vanguard.

Ashton notes that it's too easy to make assumptions, so they're not exactly infiltrating but they aren't integrating either -- and Chetney, in stride, notes that it wouldn't be the worst thing if half of them got captured. (it would. it would indeed be a terrible thing if half of them got captured. all of them is one thing, but splitting up? disastrous.)

Halfway through this discussion about expendability, Imogen gets a message from Vesh: "wait. Don't move." A half-dozen footsteps sound above them, Laudna casts darkness on the basement, and all they have is the sound of footsteps and silence as we pick up next episode.

[pheobescreatures]

Northern megalithodon (Bovis rostridentis) 

[Megalithodon adult female] Human danger rating: 3/5, intermediate  Low probability of attack but high fatality rate.   Megalithodons prioritise flight over fight. They are unlikely to be dangerous unless provoked, with calf, or diseased. Incidents predominantly occur during breeding season and when males are in musth.  Distribution and habitat:  Geographic range:  Oxia Palus/MC-11 - Lunae Palus/MC-10 quadrangles.  Range extends from the western tip of the Tempe Terra border to the north-west border of the Margaritifer Terra region.   Habitat: Lowland Chryse Planitia  Roams relatively flat crater plains and fluvial outflow channels containing meteorite deposits and rocky outcrops. 

[Northern megalithodon range] Description:  Northern megalithodons are gregarious ungulates that live in matriarchal herds in symbiosis with northern megpeckers (Alatus equitem). Their common name, meaning 'large rock tooth', is in reference to their size, as well as their beak-like teeth which are used to rasp boulders and meterorites for sustenance.  Morphology:  Individuals of both sexes are long, tall, and stocky with short, sparsely-haired tails. Underneath the epidermis is dermal armor layer composed of small, rounded osteoderms, giving the skin a rough, bumpy texture. The neck is pronounced by thick muscles and dense cervical vertebrae which taper towards the upper thoracic spine. On their back legs are a set of defensive spikes, and bone-like plates protect the knees. The hooves are wide and flat, with a split at the front and a soft pad for maneuverability on uneven ground.   Megalithodon heads are aerodynamically shaped, reducing damage to the skin from abrasion during storms and dust devils; cells on the head and back have a fast regeneration rate to replace lost skin. Both sexes have a spiked mandible which is widest in mature males. Males also have a pair of long, straight horns which act as both defence and a tool.  Dark eye patches absorb UV rays, reducing glare and visual impairment from photokeratitis. Multicolour arcs above the eye act as individual identification. The thickness of each arc, and the number of circular blue markings underneath the eye, combine to give a unique impression. The eyes themselves start off as compound eyes, then divide off into four separate eyes as the individual matures. The heart shaped noses are lined with dense cilia which filter air, and gills behind the ear holes expel fine dust particles accumulated through inhalation.  Like the horns of the males, the crenulated, beak-like teeth are composed of microscopically woven tectosilicates. Crystaline polymers narrow from 5 microns wide at the base of the teeth to 2 microns wide at the tip. Where rasping wears or cracks the enamel, acidophilic bacteria on the surface of the teeth aid repair. A secretory gland on the roof of the mouth produces a reductase that helps break down rock; calves lack this gland and receive this reductase from the mother until they are 3 months old. Adult megalithodons have a bite force of 1060 pounds per square inch (PSI).  

[Megalithodon adult male] The ichor (blood) of a megalithodon, like many Martians, contains cryoprotectant anti-freeze proteins (AFPs) to protect cells from intracellular ice formation (IIF). Ichor must be kept at an internal temperature of -93.15 to 24.85°C to remain liquid and transport minerals around the body.  Megalithodons have several adaptations to maximise their energy and oxygen input. Acidic glands on their hard palate produce acid that breaks down rock. Hindgut fermentation increases mineral absorption. Several Geobacter spp. form an obligate symbiosis with Megalithodons, conducting electricity for metabolism, and remediating toxic perchlorate accumulation.  Females/cows: 5.6-6 metres long (from nose to tail), 3.4-3.8 metres tall, 3.8-4.2 thousand kilograms  Males/bulls: 5.9-6.3 metres long, (from horns to tail), 3.8-4 metres tall, 4.3-4.7 thousand kilograms  Lifespan: 38-42 years  Behaviour and ecology:  Behaviour:  Megalithodon herds are nomadic, travelling anti-clockwise across Chryse Planitia over the span of a year. After overwintering in the Ares Vallis and Tiu Vallis outflow channels (of the Valles Marineris canyon system), herds traverse wide, flat and open areas of Chryse Planitia before reaching the edge of Kasei Vallis in Summer. Megalithodons generally avoid wrinkle ridges and enclosed terrain due to ambush attacks from wrinkle-ridge divers (Iugum raptores).  Megalithodons learn the body language and vocalisations of megpeckers shortly after birth. As diurnal creatures, megalithodons rely on warning vocalisations by megpeckers during the night to alert the sleeping herd to predators. They can interpret the volume and frequency of warning clicks to determine the size and distance of the predator/s.  During a severe storm, megalithodons form a circle with their herd and create a shield wall with their forelegs. Young calves are positioned in the centre of the circle for protection, and the eldest females form the second ring. Young males and females form the outermost ring. Bachelor males simply find rocks and hide among them unless they form bachelor herds, in which case rings are organised by dominance.  Common body language and vocalisations include:  ⦁ Moos - friendly greeting  ⦁ Mwonks + tail flicking - happiness  ⦁ Huffs + tail flicking - annoyance  ⦁ Grunting - annoyance, warning signal  ⦁ Grunting + stomping - aggression, dominance  ⦁ Growling + bow - aggression, fear, attack imminent  ⦁ Panting - alertness, regroup signal  ⦁ Trumpetting - fear, predator alarm  ⦁ Squeaks (in calves) - hunger  ⦁ Squeaks + head swinging/hops - excitement, playfulness  Megalithodons can also produce an infrasonic whistle-pop which reaches up to 20km away, yet the reason for this vocalisation is unknown. 

[Megalithodon calf] Diet:  Megalithodons primarily consume boulders, rasping the outer layers with their teeth. Small meteorites and stones make up a limited portion of the diet and are consumed whole, with a preference shown for calcareous or siliceous stones with colonies of Rusavskia spp. lichen.  Reproduction:  K-selection with type 3 survivorship curve.  Megalithodons are semelparous and reproduce sexually, choosing their mate depending on their ability to create a stable (and aesthetic) den for the mother to give birth to her offspring. The reproductive cycle begins from 4 years old and repeats every 2 years.  In Spring, males go into reproductive musth and become hyper-aggressive towards other males, defending their dens against sabotage. Males create dens by arranging boulders around depressions in the ground with their horns, forming semi-circular domes which face away from prevailing winds.  The females then inspect the dens, kicking or butting them to test stability. After choosing a suitable den, the female will mate with the male who then marks it with scent glands on the side of his head. Mated males are then ejected from the herd, often forming bachelor herds with other males, and the females continue their migration.  For the last month of their 14-month gestation, the female lays in her den until she gives birth. The newborn emerged in an egg made of stone and is tapped out with the mother's teeth. Both the mother and her female relatives look after the calf; if the mother dies during the 12-month nursing period, the next youngest female with calf becomes the surrogate.  By the end of Autumn, post reductase weaning, the calf will either stay with the herd (if female) or be ejected (if male).  Predation:  Adults rarely predated due to their large size and herding behaviour, but sick and injured adults are attacked by opportunistic hunters and scavengers.   Calves are particularly vulnerable to attack from triple-headed saildogs (Erpeto kerveros). A saildog's appearance vaguely mimics a megalithodon calf from the side, allowing them to target unsuspecting strays in the herd. When ready to attack, the saildog splits into three separate bodies and flanks the calf. Adults will attempt to chase and crush the assailants.  A covert dune snatcher (Placename latinus) has been documented to have been attacked by a megalithodon individual, perhaps in self defence, but the ranges of the two species do not overlap and so this event has been classified as an anomaly. 

[aroaceweirdos101]

dream update: found his base. it looks like a cross between a meepleHQ-style building and a castle. it was in the direction I thought it was based on how his forces approached previously.

the first and larger segment of the building appears to be five stories tall; the first has no windows but a door on one side and decorations shaped like music notes going around the rest of the building, the second has no windows as well, the third has one long window that spans almost the entire building, and the fourth and fifth both have five more squarish windows. there are crenulations on the top in a sort of []_[]_[]_[] pattern typical for castles.

the top and smaller segment appears to be three stories tall, placed in the center of the ceiling in such a way where the windows line up with those below. on the first is three windows of the same size as the ones on the lower segment, on the second is a long window spanning almost the entire segment, and on the third there is a single window on the same side as the door. on top, instead of crenulations, are 24 (6 on each side) of some kind of phone, presumably guarding the building. their screens seemed to be gray at first, as if they were pretending to be crenulations.

I know for a fact that they're both in there, the angel and the devil.

- 💭💥

Damn, I wonder how long it took for him to build that huge thing(and how much it even cost)—

[cuffmeinblack]

Garreth Weasley x f!OC

Tags: explicit | friends to lovers | dark themes | trauma

Chapter 40

Sebastian picked up the moving portrait from his desk, its occupant jostling slightly and a wide grin creeping onto her face. Intending to place it on top of his other belongings, he stilled as she waved up at him. He smiled down at his sister, fingers tracing the worn crenulations of the old wooden frame. Anne was young here—twelve, perhaps, maybe younger—and radiated such energy, the picture of health. Before all that had happened. He lingered on it a little longer, holding tightly to the memories attached to the picture, then tucked it snugly next to a pair of black gloves inside his crate. He wouldn't be moving far, yet the walk from his old desk in the pen to a private office meant for only himself and his partner felt agonisingly long. He'd not bonded with the aurors who worked the night shift, and instead of congratulations, Sebastian felt only a simmering envy from the smattering of witches and wizards he passed. Most ignored him as he levitated the crate through the room; some were simply asleep, slumped at their desk.

[lichenaday]

Physcia clementei

Clement's rosette lichen

This foliose lichen grows in rounded or irregular rosettes made up of narrow, sparsely dividing, adpressed lobes. The center of the rosette is covered in pustules which break apart into granular soredia, which can then fuse back together forming a thick crust. Hey P. clemntei, with all due respect, what the fuck is that about? The upper surface is dull whitish-blue to grayish-white, and the lower surface is white near lobe tips, darker toward the center, and with sparse rhizines. It produces lecanorine apothecia with pruinose, blue-black discs and crenulate margins. P clementei is a rare species, and grows on exposed tree trunks and sometimes rock in a few scattered localities across North America and Europe.

images: source | source

info: source | source | source

[extrusivethoughts]

Tomorrowmost

It sits in its rippling skin. Its bouquet of beaks sift between its armour plates in a jittering preen. Its mandibles tipped with pine needle teeth click and spark like flints. Its yellow blood floods to and fro from its feathery gills to chill its baking striations. Its leaves lining its shell turn orange then shed ahead of hibernation. Its paws plant themselves sprouting roots that will hold against the tides of the sugar swamp. Its motor oozes with mucus to seal its crenulations and lubricate its rails. Its glass scales close around the interlocking perpendicular ring eyes embedded in its motherboard.  Its rubbery gynophores zip up their humps packed heavy for their pilgrimage. Its fin fans flap wafting perfume pheromones out far and wide from its vents shafts. Its clay hinges creak caked in bioluminescent chlorophyll pumped by its tetrahedron of fusion powered hearts. Its moons lactate a misty plasma that makes its tendrils dance and glisten. Its hollow horns reverberate its clangus mating call punctuated by steam whistle. Its zimaralls phumph. As it thinks. The yellow orange thing looks beautiful over the blue green thing.