#Decorator pattern real world example

[serpentface]

how do you come up with the ways cultures in your setting stylize people/animals/the world in general in their artwork, i.e. jewlery, rock carvings, statues, etc? Each culture in your world seems to have a very unique "art style" and I love it a lot - makes them seem that much more 'real'. This is something I struggle with a lot in my own worldbuilding and I'd love to pick your brain if possible 😁

I think a starting point is to have a research process based in the material realities of the culture you're designing for. Ask yourself questions like:

Where do they live? What's the climate/ecosystem(s) they are based in? What geographic features are present/absent?

What is their main subsistence method? (hunter gatherer, seasonal pastoralist, nomadic pastoralist, settled agriculturalist, a mix, etc)

What access to broader trade networks do they have and to whom? Are there foreign materials that will be easily accessible in trade and common in use, or valuable trade materials used sparingly in limited capacities?

Etc

And then do some research based on the answers, in order to get a sense of what materials they would have routine access to (ie dyes, metal, textiles, etc) and other possible variables that would shape how the art is made and what it's used for. This is just a foundational step and won't likely play much into designing a Style.

If you narrow these questions down very specifically, (ie in the context of the Korya post- grassland based mounted nomads, pastoralist and hunter-gatherer subsistence, access to wider trade networks and metals), you can direct your research to specific real world instances that fit this general idea. This is not to lift culturally specific concepts from the real world and slap them into your own setting, but to notice commonalities this lifestyle enforces - (ie in the previous example- mounted nomadic peoples are highly mobile and need to easily carry their wealth (often on clothing and tack) therefore small, elaborate decorative artwork that can easily be carried from place to place is a very likely feature)

For the details of the art itself, I come up with loose 'style guides' (usually just in my head) and go from there.

Here's some example questions for forming a style (some are more baseline than others)

Are geometric patterns favored? Organic patterns? Representative patterns (flowers, animals, stars, etc)? Abstract patterns?

Is there favored material(s)? Beads, bone, clay, metals, stones, etc.

When depicting people/animals, is realism favored? Heavy stylization? The emotional impression of an animal? Are key features accentuated?

How perspective typically executed? Does art attempt to capture 3d depth? Does it favor showing the whole body in 2 dimensions (ie much of Ancient Egyptian art, with the body shown in a mix of profile and forward facing perspective so all key attributes are shown)? Will limbs overlap? Are bodies shown static? In motion?

Does artwork of people attempt to beautify them? Does it favor the culture's conception of the ideal body?

Are there common visual motifs? Important symbols? Key subject matters?

What is the art used for? Are its functions aesthetic, tutelary, spiritual, magical? (Will often exist in combination, or have different examples for each purpose)

Who is represented? Is there interest in everyday people? Does art focus on glorifying warriors, heroes, kings?

Are there conventions for representing important figures? (IE gods/kings/etc being depicted larger than culturally lesser subjects)

Is there visual shorthand to depict objects/concepts that are difficult to execute with clarity (the sun, moon, water), or are invisible (wind, the soul), or have no physical component (speech)?

Etc

Deciding on answers to any of these questions will at least give you a unique baseline, and you can fill in the rest of the gaps and specify a style further until it is distinct. Many of these questions are not mutually exclusive, both in the sense of elements being combined (patterns with both geometric and organic elements) or a culture having multiple visual styles (3d art objects having unique features, religious artwork having its own conventions, etc).

Also when you're getting in depth, you should have cultural syncretism in mind. Cultures that routinely interact (whether this interaction is exchange or exploitation) inevitably exchange ideas, which can be especially visible in art. Doing research on how this synthesizing of ideas works in practice is very helpful- what is adopted or left out from an external influence, what is retained from an internal influence, what is unique to this synthesis, AND WHY. (I find Greco-Buddhist art really interesting, that's one of many such examples)

Looking at real world examples that fit your parameters can be helpful (ie if I've decided on geometric patterns in my 'style guide', I'll look at actual geometric patterns). And I strongly encourage trying to actually LEARN about what you're seeing. All art exists in a context, and having an understanding of how the context shapes art, how art does and doesn't relate to broader aspects of a society, etc, can help you when synthesizing your own.

[silurisanguine]

Hi! 3 or 16 for the de Riva asks, if you want!

I'll go with - Rook attending a function as a representative of their house. Thought i'd take this and twist it a little as the idea came to me. Yes she is attending a function as a De Riva.....for the moment.

As she listened to the murmuring crowds beyond the curtained doors, Teleri waited in the wings of the Dellamorte's summer villa and pondered on what she was about to do. She was attending the event of the year as the guest of honour, an event that was both deeply personal and a message to the other Houses, to Antiva and the world beyond. That together, you can stand against impossible odds and be stronger for it. She chuckled to herself as she looked in the mirror to her side, waiting for her queue - she'd fought and killed gods, even persuaded one to willingly give himself to protect the world, and helped end the Blight as the world had known it and yet what she was doing now felt more impossible that all the rest combined, never imagining she'd be in such a position as today and so happy for it. Teia fussed around her, making sure Teleri's hair was perfect. It had been painstakingly waved and put up and now some loose tendrils were allowed to escape the ornate hairstyle to frame her face and slender neck. The hair was pinned up by two long and very sharp (just in case) hairpins - One tipped with a gold oleander flower and trailing gold and blue glass feathers. The other tipped with a Dalish tree and trailing tiny little gold and purple triangles that both glittered every time she moved. Symbols of her past to carry her into her future. The Seventh Talon crooned in satisfaction at Teleri's appearance, her eyes glassy with admiration and love for her sister elf. She added a tiny touch of gloss to Teleri's lips and stood back to admire her finished work. Teleri wore an elaborate gown of rich purple silk jacquard, the woven pattern a cascade a feathers and vines - a gift from an anonymous and very rich well wisher, sent to Viago and thoroughly checked by him before being made into the dress she now wore. It was the colour of ancient Antivan royalty and Teleri had a feeling she knew exactly who the gift had come from to be sent to Viago so directly. A gesture of thanks for saving his country and the world perhaps? Either way it was truly beautiful and an example of the finest work Trevisan artisans could come up with and symbolic of the House she would join soon. The neckline dipped low at the front , the decollete encrusted with deep iridescent black glass sequins that mimicked feathers, enhancing and drawing in the view to the elaborate antique necklace of black and blue opals around her neck- a gift from Caterina. Real feathers decorated the shoulders and cascaded down her back, mingled with delicate white and yellow gold chains that held the same beads from the front caressing each shoulder. The dress hugged her curves and flared out into a long dramatic train that rippled like water when she moved. The outfit was totally impractical for dancing, but this event was not a ball...not yet This was a statement - a public declaration of love and power. Dancing and an outfit change would come later. No, now as the curtains opened and she saw the crowd turn to her as the music started, all she had to do was take Viago's arm as he held it out for her and walk down a long aisle-way to one man at the end who suddenly could not take his eyes off her, those eyes occasionally flaring purple that Teleri couldn't help grin at, knowing Spite was as excited as they both were. He wasn't a target and this was no contract - not in the Crow sense. This was an alliance, one she had willingly and with no small amount of happy tears said yes to. A man that she would happily kill anyone else who stood in her way, in order to reach and marry. Luckily no death was on the cards today, not if her soon to be grandmother in law had any say in it.

[noirandchocolate]

I said I would do a headcanon post about Yiga Clan wedding ceremonies, so Here! I! Go! (If you're interested but missed it, here's a post about proposal headcanons.) Time for so many details and a very long post. Also, just at the outset, I wanna say that the other reason I've been thinking about this stuff recently (in addition to real world reason of me and my girlfriend getting engaged), is that my Kohga and Sooga just got married in an RP. So I'll be using examples from their wedding alongside others, in this post!

Preparation/Background

It should come as a surprise to no one that Master Kohga officiates all weddings. If a Master Kohga is getting married, their Right Hand will do it. If the Master is marrying their Right Hand (which is on the rare side but hey, Kohga's Nana also did it!), another high-ranking member of the Clan will do it. For Nana Kohga's wedding, it was the most senior historian, who had been friends with her father. For the recent nuptials, it was current Kohga's former Right Hand/sort-of-pseudo-uncle and Sooga's mentor, the very respected elder Blademaster Chisao.

Weddings are held outside, in the circular area by the chasm, like many of the Clan's festivals are. They start in the late afternoon (for whatever season they're happening in), so that afterward, a big dinner feast can be held indoors before the party commences back outside (after some of the seating is removed to allow room for dancing, etc).

The outdoor area is hung with lanterns as well as the strings of protective noisemaker talismans, and a tower is placed and hung with even more lights. This structure is reminiscent of those used for the Japanese Obon festival ("Creating a Champion" states that some design elements for Master Kohga and the Clan were inspired by Bon Odori dance!), but with Yiga flair. A similar decorative piece can be seen in the hideout in the games (see above left). It serves a couple of purposes. First, masks of the couple's ancestors are brought from the Complex's shrine and carefully hung around the sides of it. Second, that's where the band is placed!

That's an excellent segue to say that music also plays an important role in wedding ceremonies. An ensemble traditionally consisting of taiko (also seen in the above left image), shamisen, shakuhachi and shinobue plays background music throughout the ceremony, with specific cues/phrases/flourishes accompanying specific events. (It may be noted that a similar combination of instruments is used in kabuki theater; several elements of the Clan were also inspired by this art form.)

The marrying couple wears their very best clothes, of course, and polish up their masks for the big day! Formal attire is, again, similar to Japanese garments but not exactly (since the Sheikah and Yiga are Japanese-inspired but not...literally Japanese). A wedding is cause to wear long furisode-like sleeves and fancy-patterned haori, kimono, and hakama combos. Oftentimes, because these garments require fine fabrics that require a great effort for the Clan to create, parts of a person's wedding outfit are passed down through their family and re-tailored to them. The Clan does of course have a whole group of people who make clothes, and their training includes embroidery and silk-painting for just such special occasions! If you didn't think Kohga had a haori with Dinraal embroidered in gold thread on the back and phoenixes and Inverted Eyes painted in patterns all over it, you would be WRONG. He also wore his father's black wedding hakama! And Mama Hotaru's long and gorgeous wedding robe was black with a pattern of softly painted insects on it, in an homage to her family's naming tradition; it originally belonged to her own great-grandmother, who shared her name.

Ceremony

The ceremony begins with the officiant welcoming the Clan on this happy occasion and declaring that the date is "AUSPICIOUS!" I plan to do a post about Hyrule's calendar and associated "astrology"-type beliefs but for now suffice it to say that one could come up with a way that almost any day is auspicious (since nobody would want to say someone's wedding day is cursed or something), but couples do very often try to schedule their weddings for particularly positive dates (as I said in the last post, they have to wait at least six months--it doesn't have to be exact).

The couple is then called to approach from either side of the area. They are each accompanied by two family members--usually parents if possible. If not, more extended family or in the absence of any family, friends can do it. For example, Kohga's the last of his family lines aside from distant-er cousins, and Sooga wasn't born in the Clan, so Chisao's children (who both men are close with) stepped in. These four people act as assistants to the couple in various parts of the ceremony! It may be noted, that on each side, there is a group of three.

Yiga wedding ceremonies, like so much else they do, are meant to reinforce not only the joining of two individuals but the bonds that join the whole Clan together. For that reason, they involve several call-and-response-type declarations that all present participate in, and many references to the Clan's history.

The officiant recites the following: "Our Clan was born of conflict. May you weather any in your path. / Our Clan as ever weeps the blood of our fallen ancestors. May their spirits raise you up. / Our Clan has turned betrayal on its head. May you remain ever true." The last of these lines is accompanied by a gesture toward the speaker's mask, evoking the symbolism of the Inverted Eye.

There are two major sections of the ceremony that each require an exchange of three things, between the couple. The first of these sets involves three liquids: saké, water, and blood. The couple's assistants will pour them dishes of saké, which they then exchange and drink, and then the same is done with water. The saké represents the time, patience, and effort that must be put into a marriage, as preparation of the drink surely requires such care. The water represents life and replenishment--and it's not just any water, but some taken from the especially healthful spring at Satori Mountain (which I've said previously, the Clan has strong ties to)!

(NOTE: For this and one other notable part that involves eating/drinking, the partners lift their masks only enough to imbibe.)

For the blood, the couple are each handed a special knife with which they cut their palms. Carefully--it isn't meant to be a super deep cut, just enough to produce drops of blood. The couple then hold out their hands toward each other, palm down so those droplets fall to the sand. Their assistants then wrap the cuts with red bandages. The symbolism is multi-fold: to show the joining of blood/family, the willingness to endure pain and hardship for each other, and, since the blood is dropped to the ground, the Clan's connection to the land and its energy.

(NOTE: PLEASE DO NOT take this headcanon as some suggestion that I think the Clan is some kind of ~weird blood cult~. I absolutely do not think that. The Clan was born of a bloody conflict/betrayal. They have not forgotten this, nor will they forsake the blood, both in terms of family and in terms of bloodshed, that ties them together. I thus think it's reasonable to headcanon that the concept and symbolism of blood--as well as actual physical blood--are present in some of their rituals/traditions. There's nothing creepy or evil about it. It is meant to be a meaningful, loving exchange and promise. Please please do not willfully misunderstand me. Thank youuuu~ <3)

The second set of exchanges is of three gifts. This section of the ceremony begins with everyone present reciting the following together: "Our strength is in our edges. Our might in what we take. Our bond is what defines us. All three, our family make." Each of these three concepts is represented by the gifts, which are brought forward to the couple in succession by further family members or friends. (As in, someone brings the gift to the giver, who then offers it to the receiver.) For example, Sooga's helpers for this section were three of his most recent Blademaster trainees, who had all recently passed their tests!

"Strength" is represented by a weapon. The Yiga have always been willing to fight for their beliefs, and more importantly to protect themselves/one another. They have a strong culture of martial arts and weapons training. So, each member of the couple offers the other a weapon of some significance to them. The exchange is typically symbolic; if a woman gives her intended the vicious sickle she uses on missions as her Strength gift, the idea is that when she uses it going forward, it's in his honor. However, if a man gives his intended a meaningful family heirloom weapon that isn't in use anymore, the couple will continue keeping it among their belongings together. See? Kohga's father gave Hotaru his eightfold longblade, and she gave him a (carefully sheathed) poisoned dagger. Sooga gave the longblade Kohga first presented to him, at the ceremony when he became a Blademaster years before. The words of exchange for this gift are: "I give you this, my strength. / Will your strength defend my body? / I will protect you with all my strength. / Then this I accept."

"Might" is represented by, you guessed it, mighty bananas. A bunch is brought to each person, who selects one and peels and feeds it to their intended. I know we Earth gamers think the bananas are kinda funny, but to the Clan, they're quite the opposite. Food is serious business when you're a marginalized community considered wanted criminals by the outside world. For the purpose of a wedding, the exchange means the couple are promising to provide for one another as well as possible. (To clarify, the Clan is very highly communal about resources, but the thought here is that one party would go without to allow the other to eat if necessary, and that regardless both will do their part within the Clan as a whole, etc.) It's not even just about food; it symbolizes caretaking in general. The words of exchange for this gift are: "I give you this, my might. / Will your might nourish my soul? / I will care for your with all my might. / Then this I accept."

"Bond" is the most personalized of the three, and the associated gift is something that represents the individual giver! It may be an item they crafted, or something else that shows off one of their skills or interests. The idea is that the giver is offering themself to the receiver--something that makes them, them! There are so many possibilities, too, as the gift may be an object to keep, or something more abstract or ephemeral. For example, a member who makes clothing for the Clan might weave a garment or blanket for their intended. A cook might offer his partner her favorite food, prepared fresh right before the ceremony, to eat a few bites of on the spot. Hotaru's Bond was her music, in the form of a shamisen song she composed. Her son followed in her footsteps and went a step further, with a poem too! The words of exchange for this gift are: "I give you this, my bond. / Will your bond shelter my heart? / I will hold your heart in mine forevermore. / Then this I accept."

Following this exchange, the couple recites: "We grow in strength. We grow in might. Our bond is unbreakable. All three we pledge, that we will grow in love."

If the Master is a party to the ceremony, there's an additional section here. The other partner says, "I vow to serve you with my body, soul, and heart, and to follow where you lead forevermore." Then the Master says, "I vow to keep you with my body, soul, and heart, and to lead you ever with your joy in mind." And finally, they say in unison, "You are my guiding star, from now into eternity."

The final bit is a general vow recited together, as follows: I am with you through your joys and all your trials. I am with you by your side or over miles. I hold you as the sky holds sun and stars. Where my heart is, ever there you are. I pledge my life to you and to our Clan. To the future and our master plan. We join our souls together with our kin. Together may we all life's battles win!

AND THEN! As the couple JOINS HANDS for the first time as SPOUSES! The ENTIRE ASSEMBLY! Shouts with ALL THEIR MIGHT: "Glory to Master Kohga! Glory to the Yiga Clan! Long days and nights to the love of [name] and [name]!"

Post-Ceremony

Well then it's feast time!

And then it's party time! Bring on the bonfires and bananas and saké and music and chatter and dancing and--

Speaking of which, during the after-party, the newly-married couple will start off the dancing by performing one together while holding on to a red silk cord between them. Symbolizing, again, the joining of their souls and fates, and also the need to work together carefully in walking the path of life.

Additionally, as I have brought up several times in previous headcanon posts of mine, following the wedding ceremony, couples are now considered family and can see each other's true, un-magicdisguised, -masked, or -veiled faces. This is a big deal! (I do find it quite romantic, that partners court each other without knowing for sure what the other looks like. As I have said before, if both grew up in the Clan they will likely recall things like hair and eye color, but Yiga start wearing veils around everyone but their close family quite young and get their masks at the start of the year they are to turn eleven. So, what your partner's face looks like as an adult, or at all if you've truly never seen/paid attention to them before...well, it's something to anticipate!) Couples are given leave from work to go have a brief honeymoon away from the Complex if they wish, to go unmask each other and spend some good time together. A traditional place to do this is Satori Mountain, since most other people keep away from it anyway. <3 <3 Those who don't want to leave, get to stay in a sleeping room set aside just for this private purpose, instead!

Final Notes

Just wanted to point out, if it wasn't obvious, the threes in the ceremony. Three people on each side of the rituals, three liquids, three gifts. While the Yiga's particular wedding traditions have grown and changed from Ancient Sheikah customs over the millennia, to the point where Yiga marriage ceremonies have only a little in common with the older ones (and are quite different from contemporary Kakariko Sheikah ways), one small detail is the presence of threes. I headcanon that the Ancient Sheikah often utilized the number three in their various rituals and customs, to reference the Triforce, the three Golden Goddesses, the three major Springs across the land where Hylia is worshipped and their three attendant dragon spirits, etc. Some Yiga traditions also involve threes, despite that they've renounced their service to Hylia and to any deity in general. After all, even apart from that, three is an auspicious and satisfying number.

Master Kohga loves officiating weddings, it's one of his favorite parts of being Master Kohga. <3 It just delights him to his core, to see two of his fellow Clan members in love and getting together, and he really helps everyone make it a special day. (Weddings are an occasion when he's most likely to join the band for the party, twanging away on his shamisen...or two. He can make a double of himself. And use it to play duets! How fitting!) He's done the ceremony so many times over the course of his (so far) twenty-five years as Master, that he knows all the words by heart.

Which are more, for the officiant to say, than I've written out here. There's more that accompanies each exchange, for example. But this post was already six million miles long. So I'm going to end it now.

Thank you for taking the time to read! Hope you enjoyed!

[helloarchivist]

I would love to read more about your shanks headcanons, i absolutely love this blog

- bananon🍌

BANANON. Oh that's excellent what a fantastic signature!!

; u ; that's so kind and lovely of you to ask, I will do my best!! gonna have to readmore it as always bc I'm yammering so. Headcanons (general and romantic) under the cut!

His crew are as much a tight-knit band of dedicated men who look up to and respect Shanks as their captain and friend as they are his personal Greek chorus that follows him around making mouth sounds whenever anything at all happens with lmao. If you take the example of him falling in love, they're so happy for him to actually be reaching for something for himself for a change but they're also standing behind him like. Waiting for him to sigh wistfully so 3-5 of them can also sigh wistfully but Louder. He opens his mouth and they say helpful things like "boss is sappy 😊" He has threatened them (toothlessly) with mutiny charges many times. They are undeterred.

He's very wiggly/dancey on normal days! If he's going to grab a snack, if he's gotta make his way from one end of the deck or another for any reason, if Benn has a hangover he thinks he can make worse, if someone has offered him a fruity little umbrella drink. Wiggle wiggle, hips don't lie, cha-cha real smooth etc etc. Music desired but not required!

Speaking of umbrella drinks (and full disclosure this is something I was talking to a buddy of mine about), I think he collects his favorite little drink decorations from places he's been. He's got his jewelry and accessories just kind of around on his desk and nightstand and places, but then a keepsake box that has various pretty little umbrellas and light-up jewels and things that he's liked in his drinks.

Beneath these things in the keepsake box are two folded up wanted posters: one that he managed to save of Roger's, and Buggy's first ever wanted poster.

I think he's very people watchy basically all the time. He's genuinely very light-hearted and silly and fun, but I think a lot of his time when he's not Entertaining or Captaining is spent kicked back kind of. Watching the way his crewmates interact. Watching the ebb and flow of activity in whatever bar they're at. Watching the way people just exist in markets or down by the port or in parks or wherever he is. I think he's really keenly curious about everything, and I also think he feels really disconnected from the world a lot of the time, so being able to see that flurry of human activity all around him makes him feel a little more grounded. imo.

This one isn't groundbreaking or anything but I think he loves seeing his darling wear his clothes. Sleeping or lounging around in one of his linen shirts, or stealing a pair of those patterned pants and having to find creative ways to cinch them because he's actually a decent-sized guy. One time you come out with one of his sashes repurposed into a bandana of sorts and he about collapses to the deck. The fact that you're comfortable sharing things like that with him, the intimacy of his clothes covering and warming you when he can't, the fact that he thinks you're the most beautiful thing he's ever seen even when you're not incorporating pieces of himself into your look, just. He loves it all.

He gets a little starry-eyed when you're sassy and playful with him for sure, but I think he goes full jello-mode if you're sassy on his behalf in like. A public setting. He's fully capable of handling rude idiots himself, of course, but I think it really warms his heart when the people he cares about are protective of him. When it's his darling doing it, showing teeth or coldness or wit in his defense, he will sit directly behind them chin in his hands grinning like a kid at Christmas. loves to be cared for, loves to see his darling handling business, loves knowing that at the end of the day he is going to scoop them directly off the floor and take them to bed about it.

LITTLE SPOON. He will hold you and love on you and adores to do it but if you curl around his back, or cradle him in your arms, or let him lay in your lap, it's like his perfect center of peace and warmth in the universe.

[canonsinthehead]

gosh i love these posts so much like yes more naruto brainrot please! can i ask whats the most fashionable village?

so here i am a decade later...

KONOHA :

  • Obviously, the most fashionable. The land of the free. Konoha is the most flexible and allows its residents to express themselves. They believe diversity is a strength so that’s why they allow uniforms to be modified and adjusted to the person’s will. Matter of fact uniform are rare even in high schools.

  • Male street fashion (most teen/young adult men dresses with the print design "Supreme Logo" shirt + sweatpants baggy uniform.

  • But no one wants to be a background characters (fashion main character syndrome)

  • it’s common for many to get new full outfits for each graduation, events or occasions. (over consumption)

  • Konoha is known for their craft when it comes to jackets (jeans & leather) and windbreaker. Idk how they make them but they are indestructible.

  • Trends thief. Everything is a trend in Konoha. They love to take things here & there, call it something else and make it another trend (do you see the pattern? It’s the same for the food…) An example : Kiri’s People of the Night/Red Light District women fashion has been recycled as night club wear in Konoha.

  • For some reason, pregnancy fashion is ass. It’s the same 4 dresses, skirts & aprons in a kabillion pastel colours.

KIRI:

  • WIFE BEATER CAPITAL OF THE WORLD.

  • Personal sense of style is associated with confidence (and the boldness of breaking the law)

  • Using fashion to flunk your wealth is heavy in the country of Water (think of the Yakuza and Congolese Dandies)

  • Depending on the regions, kimono is huge. Belts/obi and hair decorations for it can be insanely expensive and often made of silk and precious stones.

  • “Look at this lascivious whore! Her ankles are showing!” but “Real men are visuals and want to feast their eyes on a women’s beauty body”

  • Fashion always hold a lot of political power (past and present. Those who rebelled against the oppressive regime dressed against the dress code and purposelessly wore flashy/elaborate outfits. Also women wore pants or disguise themselves as men to escape oppression.

  • The country of Water produce most of the world’s silk. It is a national pride because it ties back to the leader of the Yuki Clan, Aizawa-han Yuki (Haku’s ancestor and historical figure). Regardless the forceful dismantlement of his clan, he was and still is considered a fashion icon. The traditional attires of the Yuki clan was adorned with silver jewelry and nature inspired decorations. After the coup that led to his demise, a lot of archives and photography were properly restored so his influence can be felt till this day. We’ll come back to him later as we dive into the geography and history of the country of water.

SUNA:

  • Fashion show capital of the world. The largest fashion runway shows are organized there. It's a huge contrast to the modest monochrome/tan/beige/brown aesthetic of the citizens’ everyday life

  • There is a preference for quality fabric and new found love for niche luxury items. Suna developped a profound foundness for its local designers and artisans.

  • BAGS, HANDBAGS, WALLETS, SUITCASES. The most classy and/or expensive bags are from the country of Wind, since in general its popular gravitates towards simpler designs either for everyday life or specials occasion. The better the quality, the more it signal higher social class.

  • Glass jewellery is also a huge industry because of the unlimited access to sand. It is cheap to produce and pretty.  Its an industry more catered towards outsiders and the country is making BANDS of it. So, the earthy girl you met back in Konoha with a pound worth of “healing crystals” around her neck and ankles claiming their super powers bought most of them from a street vendors in Suna’s main street (its overpriced junk).

  • Big on modest fashion + luxury accessories.

  • Suna makes the best leather shoes especially boots.

[poopyloopy14]

WINX CLUB: MY FIRST OBSESSION 🧚‍♀️✨

Reasons why I still love it and I think it holds up as a good show to this day!

Characters & Design: One thing I love about about the design of the animation is how Iginio Straffi decided to use proper Italian designers to style the character's clothes!! The girls looked like fashion design sketches come to life on the screen ( also explaining how unrealistic their body proportions are). To this day the fashion inspires me, so many bright patterns and colour paired with celebrity fashion of the early 2000s. I also love how much care and detail was put into each character in season 1-4, I refuse to talk about any other seasons. They all had their own signature colours and symbols, such as Flora's floral patterns representing her sweet and gentle nature or Musa's clef symbolising her love for music. This really emphasised to me how fashion can be an outwards representation of your soul and who you are. I also love how there wasn't an emphasis on making them look 'modest' because in this fantastical, perfect world there weren't any creeps to sexualise them. I think what sets this show apart from other kids shows at the time was how femininity wasn't demonised, the characters were able to care about fashion, makeup and boys while still having strong personalities and being powerful. There's a connotation that a girl had to 'act like a man' in order to be closer to strength and power but this cast proved the opposite; although more masculine characters were represented such as Tecna, the girls were still represented as equal.

Another positive on the casting I think, was the diversity in the first few seasons. Cartoons are known for being the worst for lack of diversity and at this time there were very few different races and ethnic backgrounds being represented other than white and American. In Winx, Musa's planet 'Melody' is a representation of China and she explores this through the grief of her dead mother, Matlin. Representation in media is important as it decreases stigmatisation in the real world, creating less ignorance towards people who are different to us. Especially when kids are exposed to harmful stereotypes, representation is simply a form of cultural education. I think Winx did this successfully ! I also think it is important to note that even the 'villains' aka the witches weren't left out with the fashion detail, and as characters they were shown to be more naughty than they were evil, unlike characters such as Valtor. ( Valtor is so hot though ok) Making the witches seem just as cool and trendy as the fairies, instead of demonising alternative fashion and individuals.

Setting & Plot: The setting of Alfea was so perfect to me, it was the epitome of girlhood as was most of the show. The mix of fantasy with sci-fi was very unique and was representative of the harmony between the girls' both brains (being the futuristic technology such as the hover cars) and beauty ( being the colourful decorated buildings). I absolutely love 2D animation in general over 3D, it's a literal drawing on paper come to life which makes it appear more alike art than trying to be alike real life. The world building I thought had so much love put into it, how the girls each came from a different planet with its own customs and traditions aka culture and it all came together so naturally as one big universe. The focus on representing many features of our own Earth in the show only made the showcase of unity and community more applicable to our own lives and therefore inspiring.

As for the plot, the same idea applies. The show was originally directed at an audience of tween girls, many times their intelligence was undermined and producers would convey a very surface-level plot with many adversity plots being centred around stereotyped ideas of what young girls worry about. For example things Stella worries about in many scenes, although the contrast lies within these things being insignificant to the overall plot. In this way, these common worries aren't minimised but young girls are shown to have more complexity to them which they realistically do. Such as when Stella found out Brandon wasn't really a Prince and she didn't care. Each fairy having their own personality itself showed that the girls weren't being dehumanised or, defairytised as harmful stereotypes of the docile, or shallow, tween. Another important feature many shows savour for adult shows is character building! It is just as effective and arguably more important in childrens shows to convey realism in the way humans are able to grow and change. Many of the girls such as Bloom are shown to have difficulties within their family or with self-image, real concerns for young girls. This affords the characters a complexity and relatability factor appealing to real girls who can see themselves within a fairy and their struggle.

I don't think 'adult topics' should be limited towards children shows, I've realised the entirety of my favourite children shows do explore these topics. This is because these topics such as grief or trauma realistically don't just impact adults but children too, only in a different manner. This is how it should be represented within children's media too, in an age appropriate manner while also respecting the intelligence of children. We too often depreciate the depths of what children feel and know and at their age they don't have the complex words to describe it, rather they immitate the words and actions of role models. Role models are also able to be within media, representation within characters of their own age showcasing a healthy way to deal or communicate with what they experience or feel is a positive way to aid children on a mass scale. Overall I very much appreciated this about the plots of Winx, it is a shame from season 5 they changed their demographic to a younger audience and dropped the complex plots as that is what attracted me so much to the show.

My favourite character: Since I was a little girl it was always Flora, I think it was mostly because I saw myself in her not just through appearance but through her shyness, sensitivity and genuine care for others. Although I have grown these are still core parts of who I am, feeling responsibility for others and having to mature fast due to expectations placed on me as an older sibling. As well as the desire to connect to nature, that has only grown in me as I grow up and realise how the modern way of life is so disconnected from it. When I am under the trees or laying in a bed of grass or atop a body of water it's a feeling of rejuvenation I can't seem to recreate anywhere else. Now my ideal life would be to live within the countryside on a little farm planting fruit, veg and flowers. I think my connection with Flora was indicative of what means the most to me in my core as it has only flourished with time. Her relationship with Helia being so gentle, with him gifting her a poem speaks to what I've realised I deserve too although... my wants are a little messy. It might seem juvenile to think so deeply about Flora's relevance to myself but I think it's important in understanding yourself to figure out what about something or someone made you so attached to it/ them, before life got confusing. So I think there's something in going back to things that magnetised you before you even developed a sense of self, it helps me at least in understanding myself. I also loved her outfits duh!

[fights4users]

The sounds of Tron-

Something that is often looked over is the fact that Tron not only has a connection with early computing but with early gaming as well. Not just because one of the characters makes games and runs a arcade, video games are absolutely integral to the world. In fact they make up a good portion of how the system looks and functions!

For example most of the transport, ships, and weapons we see come from video games, mainly Flynn’s but extends into encoms catalog. In the vernacular it’s common to mention it as well “video game warriors” “Gonna make you play video games” “video game simulation” etc. but you didn’t need me to tell you this.

The way video games impacted and shaped the digital world of Tron absolutely plays a hand in how seamless it translates into the two tie in Arcade cabinets. Though heavy on the grid bugs they’re beautifully decorated and similar to the games as we see them on screen/would translate in real life. The music stings come straight from Wendy Carlos’s work for the film, to the extent the game contains the entirety of Anthem. [Listen]

Sound cue’s and combat-

Part of what makes the sound and style of the game so accurate to the movie is the sound design. Like in old games there is a sound for everything. Every movement has its own sound, it sounds silly as things in real life also have noise but if you’ve ever played any retro game you know what I’m talking about.

One of the best examples of this is when Flynn is tossed into the cell and stumbles around, there’s a metallic echo to his footsteps. In combat it’s the same thing —very distinct sounds to go with every action. A lot of what older games are is pattern recognition- both visual and audio, certain music loops or sound cues help you get better at the game. Another good example is Tron casting his disc, blocking throws etc- if you know what a disc sounds like you can better dodge etc. I also like how they have almost a ceramic sound when Ram plays with his.

Nothing is more video game than De-resolution itself! The death cry and slowly breaking into bits before getting reabsorbed. You can hear the noise off screen and know what happened, game over.

Apart from video game comparisons I do have such a genuine love for the sound design of the film and how much it fleshes out the world. The blips and bloops of energy flowing through the system. The sounds of a working computer. There’s a dial up esc noise when Flynn is beamed in and judging by the guards reactions it’s not different from a how a regular program would enter/travel between systems. Programs get to make funky little computer noises in my heart 💕(another inhuman attribute I think they deserve, they’re like us in so many ways but then… aren’t.)

I know it’s probably just because it’s older recording equipment but occasionally programs will get a grainy feedback/radio style grain to their voice. I’d like to think it’s intentional- especially considering Legacy does this too (going so far for it to be what some sound like all the time)

The way sound is utilized in the movie is a incredibly underrated aspect of what makes the movie so good.

[persimmonsrain]

Seasonal feeling

Have you ever noticed how certain times of the year affect your mood, even when nothing big is happening?

For me, early June always feels a bit strange. Not exactly sad, but a little heavy. Maybe it’s because it sits in the middle of the year, a quiet reminder that time is moving, whether we’re ready or not. The school year is ending for many people, holidays are coming up, and there's this pause that makes you stop and reflect. It’s like the world slows down for a moment, and you suddenly realize how fast everything has been going.

Some seasons bring a quiet kind of happiness. Like the start of December, when the air feels different even in a tropical climate. People begin to decorate, take time off, or plan trips. The streets get busier, but hearts feel softer. I often catch myself feeling hopeful, like something good is coming, even if I don’t know what it is.

Other seasons bring different moods. March, for example, often makes me restless. It’s not quite the beginning anymore, but not yet deep into the year. I start thinking about changes, new routines, career plans, unfinished goals. I tend to question everything: Am I doing enough? Should I be somewhere else? With someone else? It’s not always comfortable, but I’ve learned to recognize it as part of the rhythm.

Even weather can trigger feelings. A sudden afternoon rain can make me pause especially when I hear it while working alone. It reminds me of being a student, or of slow Sundays at home. On the other hand, a hot and dusty day sometimes makes me irritable for no real reason. It’s not just about temperature. It’s about how the world feels around me and inside me.

Certain scents, too, bring things up unexpectedly. The smell of sunblock reminds me of beach trips with friends. The scent of fried shallots takes me straight to my childhood kitchen. These small things that may get unnoticed by others can open up a whole emotional memory.

I think a lot of us go through this, even if we don’t always talk about it. We just say we’re tired or “in a weird mood.” But sometimes, it’s the season we’re responding to. A certain month, a change in light, a pattern we’ve experienced before. It’s familiar in a way that doesn’t always make sense, but it’s real.

I’ve started paying more attention to these seasonal shifts in myself. I try not to overthink them, but I don’t ignore them either. It’s okay to feel a little off sometimes. We don’t need to have a big reason. Maybe we just need to be gentle with ourselves and notice.

So if you’ve been feeling different lately, more quiet, more nostalgic, more hopeful, or more easily annoyed, maybe it’s not random. Maybe it’s just the season saying something to you in its own way.

How are you feeling these days?

[dinosauranimalcrossing]

The forgotten Villagers project: Update one! (3-1-2025)

Collecting cookies is my favourite part of the game. Seeing the animals interact with the furniture from dancing at a ball to bathing in a luxurious spa really makes the game so much fun. It made me actually sit down and realize how much animals weren’t given a cookie. So I made one for every animal that was missing one.

I can’t drawn, sadly, I have been told I can write, so I will describe the idea as best as possible and I hope it’s enough.

If you have a idea for a villager cookie, especially those I couldn’t think of, or have a better idea, or a addition to a idea, dont hesitate to comment! Thank you!

Hey hey welcome to the new list of animal crossing forgotten villagers cookies! We had already a lot of ideas from fellow fans and they are amazing. Why are they so amazing? Well, because you guys think differently then me. We are all different humans with different interests and that makes, the best cookies because that way villagers get cookies with themes I could never think of.  All humans are different, and so are the villagers! So, thank you, everyone that suggested a cookie theme! Your name will be written in the credits of said cookie with your idea. 

Changes made: Alice had already a cookie. Her idea has been given to Naomi. Ike now has a customized cookie. Typos of villager names are now changed. Curlos the sheep who was previously forgotten now not only makes the list but also has a customed cookie. Penelope has a customed cookie. Pietro has now a customed cookie. Edited some ideas to be more specific about cookies for example Tucker and changed Gonzo's idea entirely.

Admiral= Admiral. The only idea I had for admiral was going to be a old vintage wooden ship, and uhm a bit pirates of the caribbean like, but from the bad guys (so i guess the navy) p.o.v xD. There would be wigs and spy glasses you can hold in your hand and map rugs and villagers can spin the world globe…which wasnt invented yet but shhh. (that was around that time when folks realized, hold up, this thing is round not flat)

Agent S=Agent S is i think a perfect fit for undercover stuff. So think about gadgets. Villagers can fly with a jetpack, they can roll under lasers at the 5 star vault to break in so to speak, and there are some sleek outfits in this collection. Inspired by totally spies and action movies alike, this set is sure to blow your socks off. (not literally)

AI=Al’s binge cookie. Cuddle up with a cozy blanket, and expierence home comfort like never before with the Binge cookie. Watching series is what he does best, so expect comfortable new media inspired pyjamas (k.k slyder on the print, or the iconic animal crossing leaf pattern) a popcorn maker and a soda machine. There’s also a lounge couch where six villagers can sit on, so you can gather together to watch that one show with your favourite friends!

Alli=Alli is a fairytale cookie from the fairytale of the snow queen. Picture a new snowy dress, a snow castle made of ice and handheld items that let your villagers cast real ice magic. You can also imagine the colours blue, purple, and dark green to be used a lot.

Anabella=Anabella would like to open her own bed and breakfast! You can now collect parts of her cozy furniture and decorate your campsite to fit the theme. The furniture will mostly be british countryside based with mostly white and beige colours, new kitchenette items like cooking stoves but also fitting decorations to make that bed and breakfast look amazing. You can expect two new outfits for the owner and can give villagers now small suitcases or bags depending on your preference. 

Anchovy=Anchovy’s fishy cookie. It comes with fishing furniture. Based on fishes, so you can have a sea bass table and a octopus chair. The outfits are fish onesies you can wear and the 5 star item is this large, aquarium that stands on the floor and villagers can kinda, hang above it a bit, leaning, looking into the water and smile at the fishes.

Angus= Angus Beef. He should get a cookie that allows you to and I am sorry for all cow villagers, open up a beef restaurant. It would not come with anything bloody, but imagine lovely rustic chairs and tables, with plaid tablecloths and lovely little glasses. It would be very cute. The 5 star cookie reward would be a mechanical bull your villagers can ride.  

Anicotti=Anicotti’s fashion boutique. This set is more about making clothes, rather then selling them like Bree’s lovely cookie. You will see villagers sewing at the tables, size each other up with size measurement labels and can expect some true True Jackson shenigagns from this cookie xD. (man that show was so long ago but so good) 5 star cookie reward will be a office table where your villagers can have a meeting, imagine space for 8 villagers max and you as the boss will stand beside it. It will be great for mulitple story telling purposes. Fashion is not unimportant as the outfits will be Anicotti approved.

Ankha=Travel back to Ankha’s time with this unique cookie. Ankha has recently found a portal and has begun importing goods and clothing from her time. The villagers can be dressed in beautiful linen (common in that time) usually in white colours with bright gems and jewerly details (not so common, at least not for everyone) Imagine a sphinx statue that your villagers can talk to (it wont say much but sometimes they get a either ‘’blessed’’ or a ‘’cursed’’ face from it) The reward is a classical Feluccas. these beautiful boats have sailed the seas since the ancient times and can host up to 6 different villagers, all with different interactions. Someone will wave, another will raise a glass, and two are doing the famous titanic ‘’I am the king of the world’’ scene. xD  I have much love and appreciation for (Ancient) Egypt and I really tried to keep this respectful and accurate. I hope so, at least.  Except the titanic scene but thats just..that had to be there.xD

Annalise=Annelise’s cookie is going to be a hit for bridgerton fans. Shock, and delight, indeed my friends. The carriage is the 5 star reward that takes up around twenty space. ‘’WHAT SO MUCH?!’’ Yeah, because it drives around, in a small circle. The dresses are inspired by the netflix hit show but it wont be a official collab. I don’t know how the area is called but I do know its after Elizabeth I and before Elizabeth II XD. So, imagine ballgowns, uhm, dance floors in a more natural colour, high hats for gentlemen villagers, cakes that rotates and it opens and butterflies come out of it, as the villagers clap, and you have a podium where a villager can stand on, and up to six villagers can kneel around the stage, as if its a coronation. You can also change their emotions to make them look angry to make it look like a uprising xD. Just something I thought of. Yeah. Cute cookie:)

Antonio=Antonio’s run. Antonio’s cookie is going to be inspired by a pretty big sport events; Marathons. Imagine little fences, two kinds. You have one where two villagers can stand behind (imagine mom Annalisa and dad Julian cheering on their kid Filbert) ((ignore genetics, this is a example)) or one fence where one villager stands behind (awh, grandpa dobie came out to watch his grandson filbert! how cute!) the outfits will be two different sport outfits each with fitting numbers on the back like the person is actually participating in a marathon. You can also hold sports drinks. The special item is a ten spaces big running space where five villagers can run in, while three villagers cheer. It also comes with a villager with a camera doing a photo finish. ‘’...they use computers, nowadays…kath…’’ yeah, i know but imagine how cute it would be!! xD

Astrid=Astrid’s paparazzi office. Get ready for scandal and socialites! Astrid has recently opened her own magazine, and she needs your help. Paparazzi comes with starlight spots, where you can put two villagers who might be dating and sitting on a bench, holding paws, and then another villager lies on the ground, next to a bush, taking photos. xD. This is the five star item. There are star spotlight separate items for example, there is one of a villager angry stomping you can put that down, and place a standalone of a paparazzi hiding close to it. There’s also a open paparazzi one, in case you want to create a movie premiere. Now you can. xD

Avery= Sheriff Cookie= Avery wants a classical cowboy cookie! There’s a new sheriff in town. Yes. YOU! There will be hats, of course and a very vintage old western style of furniture. The biggest one and I am sorry for liking this idea but you can imprison villagers in this small cell. One cell holds one villager, and, a villager can also interact with the prisoner. xD its so silly. 

Bam=Bam’s fire…animal cookie. Bam’s cookie is all about fires. And putting them out. You can now dress your animals as if part of the fire brigade, but you can do more than that. There are different small fires that can be interacted with and placed, and villagers if they decide to go to that, will try to put the fires out. Fires cannot expand on their own, or with a villager, and will naturally re-start when you leave the campsite or cabin, or go upstairs or to your garden. The 5 star item is a firetruck where two villagers can sit in, with sirens on. A 3th villager can be seen clutching to the ladder on the roof, like some superhero xD (do not do this at home!)

Benedict: Benedict would like to open a diner. Not any diner. A chicken themed diner. So there’s a chicken mascot suit, chicken themed chairs, and chicken themed tables. For the 5 star item, there is this item that allows your villagers to fly up (wearing a chicken suit) and fly around a bit. It is quite the spectual. The design, …it’s gonna look red and black and white like a KFC. XD i am sorry.

Bertha=Bertha dreams of having her own library. You can expect small carts with books that can be pushed one block by a villager. There is also a interactive bookcase wall, where a villager can walk to and take out a book, for example. There is also another interactive one, where they will shelf the book. The 5 star item is a library café counter.

Big top=Big top offers a unique cookie in the way of racing. He likes racing and you can expect more cars, a 5 star bonus circuit where two villagers can race against each other, and other car related items in this cookie.

Bill= Bill’s cookie is about a extreme sport. Bungy jumping. You can now place special rocks in your campsite or your cabin, or special bridges and watch your villagers jump down the rocks and the bridges. The ropes will always be tied properly, and no animals were injured.

Billy= Billy wants to have a barber shop. It will be old fashioned, imagine 1920s ish with decoration, but also a mix with modern furniture. Animals can sit in front of the big mirror or chair or drink coffee on the couch, enjoy a magazine or a cookie. The 5 star item will be a hairsalon cap that can be placed over a villager’s head as in city …let’s go to the city. The animals hair won’t change, but sometimes they will get up happy and sometimes they will get up crying xD. 

Bitty= Bitty dreams of having a adorable hippo enclosure. Imagine a hippo suit. A hippo couch. A hippo bed. The 5 star item will be a hippo enclosure where a small hippo walks around, screaming angrily. (You know who this is) The vibes will be brown with pink. It will be den. Dare I say…Moo-deng?

Bones: He has a bone to pick with you (I’ve been waiting a hour for that one) Bones wants to find his favourite bone he buried in the garden and he needs your help. During digging, he found some…interesting things. Like a lovely skeleton that is armed with a sword, two skeletons that can stand as guards and a very mysterious casket that can open…on its own. The 5 star item will be a bone related item where the player can summon visions with the bones. Imagine a spooky, skeleton set for this cookie. Not too much like we had, like its a shade darker. Maybe too dark, but I’ll leave that up to you.

Boomer= Boomer’s cookie is about him running a modern pc store. He had it with these youngsters and their pear phones and their dumbwatches and their xswitches and nintenstations. He wants to know what the hype is about so he decided: Let me open my own store that way I’ll surely learn. Nope. xD. You can expect modern computers, laptops, desks, chairs, and a repair desk (premium 5 star item) to be added along with a uniform for the store. The repair desk will be two animals. One is the client, the other the worker. The worker will have the phone, and checks this. Sometimes the animal will smile, it is fixed. Sometimes, the animal will drop the phone on accident. whoops. and another time, the worker can’t figure out what’s wrong with it, so they smash it on the ground and jump on it. xD

Boone= Boone has a new hobby: Pottery! You can get messy floors or pottery stations where one villager can work at. The outfits will be aprons to avoid your clothes getting dirty and also there are several pottery art works, like Tom Nook or Isabelle in clay. You can also expect a bigger pottery station where two villagers can work together to create something beautiful.  

Boots= Boots has a beautiful store together with Kicks. Furniture items will be store related things, but also boot related things. Imagine a giant boot sign or a rack with shoes. Villagers can sit on special stools and will put on new shoes, trying them out. the 5 star premium item is a check-out counter where the villager is handed a boot-shaped bag with their purchase.

Boris= Boris’ cookie is going to be a very interesting one. You can now dress with cloaks, sharp teeth and sleep in a casket. Yes, vampire cookie is here. The cookie will have dark/red theme for the furniture. There won’t be blood in it, but there will be tomato juice packages so you can have that aesthetic, so to speak. Interactive objects: There is a casket that one villager can lay in, to sleep, and another villager can open it. The villager who is sleeping will scare the villager who woke them.

There is a dark, crimson red, glass dancing floor where the undead villagers can dance. Likely to be the 5th star premium item.

Boyd= Boyd’s cookie will be a cookie where you can get expierence with the archery set. Your villagers can carry around bows and shoot with arrows at practice targets. The premium item will be a rotating target that a villager can shoot at with the bow. Items will be looking scottish and brave-like.

Brofina=Broffina’s dream is to begin a Pharmacy. (Her name already sounds like a medicine) You can find store related items with shelfs filled with shampoo for example or bottles with vitamines. There are chairs your villagers can sit in, these are special chairs that make your villagers sniffle or look a bit ill. The special item is a counter where a sniffling villager can get medication in a cute bag.

Bruce=Bruce’s music cookie. Bruce dreams of making a rock band and he needs your help. More furniture in blue, dark colours and also electric guitars and now also a piano. You can line the stages up to create a band. It is very familiar to Cherry’s cookie, but this one is more blue themed. (if they can recycle concepts, so can i)

Buck=Buck’s horse ranch cookie. This cookie comes with ranch furniture and darker versions of that, alongside a horse onesie and a interactable carousel horse. 

Bud= Bud dreams of being a swimwear model. The idea of this cookie is to have items to create your perfect beach shoot. Camera’s, towels, and bikni’s, but also surfwear. You can see villagers pose with surfboards, lay on towels and even do tricks on the ‘’fake wave’’ a electronic wave creator where they can experience a moment of fame on their boards xD. 

Buzz= Buzz cookie is all about space. You can create a NASA office with this set. You have computers where villagers can be put behind, who look very seriously and there is also a big tv following the launch of the rocket. The set also has a monitor where two operators are sitting, who have contact with another villager. They will cheer.

Camofrog= It’s time to shape up and get up! Camofrog’s bootcamp is here. You can now climb, crawl, and experience the hardships of the camofrog bootcamp. There is this net villagers need to crawl under, wooden things they need to climb over, and a full training track. Your villagers will be in tip top shape! 

Candi= Candi dreams of opening her own candi shop. Cute and sweet mix in this store concept. You have big shelfs with candy pots and also a place where villagers can pick their own candy and put it in a bag. There is also a cute uniform and a adorable new window where villagers look from the outside, inside longingly at the sweets they see.

Carmen= The cookie for Carmen will be about diamond painting. You will see new decorated and paintings like classic rembrants now with diamonds. The diamond painting hobby can be popular under villagers. Your 5 star item will be a group table where four villagers can work at their diamond paintings (all different paintings) and theres also a three star variant with just one villager place. There is also a gigantic shimmering teddybear with diamonds. 

Caroline=Cozy sleepover. You can now sleepover in style. You will find sleeping wear and sleep bags as well as classical pyjama party items. The special item will be a couch where two villagers are pillow fighting. 

Cashmere= The cookie of Cashmere is one close to my heart. Everyone knows the story of the Wicked Mutton of the West. But do we know her story at all? This set will be green/pink items befitting any witchling or anyone looking to cry their hearts out after seeing a certain movie.

Cheplabot= The Unforgettable Findings of set (UFO) is the set inspired by Chep’s beautiful and questionable heritage. Where did he come from? Is he truly an alien? This set explores new space related items in the light of aliens. You can expect more rocket ship items, but also alien related things. ‘’Vague.’’ hmhm. You can for example, get a beam of light, you can place, like a spotlight. If your villager stands in it, they will float, as if being dragged to the sky, and a ufo will appear. xD. There is also a cow onesie. Cows and ufos go hand in hand. they know something.  

Chabwick= Canadian ice hockey set. Imagine like goals, and ice where villagers can play hockey on. There are uniforms and benches so other villagers can cheer the four playing villagers on. 

Chadder=Chadder has a strange cookie. Chadder is cheese as we all know so his cookie is just a cheese store. ‘’That’s not a real thing.’’ I assure you, it is-A dutch woman xD. So imagine furniture made of cheese and also store items. The 5 item special is a wheel of cheese as big as a villager, and a villager like rolls it around. xD

Charlise=Charlise’s therapeutic cookie. Charlise wants to help others with this cookie. This cookie offers a talking chair, a listening chair, different boxes of tissues and just warm hugs and vibes. (i went to therapy myself and i would never shame anyone for needing this. this is meant to be a reminder that you can and should always put yourself first and ask for help. you don’t need to prove to anyone or anything but yourself. this is not me mocking this, this is not me making jokes, this is just me hoping that if this is put in the game, people would open their options more. give it a chance, maybe. idk. If it can make a difference, its worth the try)

Claude= He just seems like the guy who would run his own newspaper company. Like imagine it a bit retro, big printing presses and there is this redaction with large trenchcoats and hats looking for scoops and news. I can imagine there would be a desk with a chair that a villager can type stories on, on the type writer and there is also a interview station where two villagers can sit, and one will take notes every now and then, nodding as the other talks. The premium item is a printing press where a villager is changing the ink.

Curlos=Poor curlos being skipped by me on accident. Thank you to the kind redditor who pointed out this oversight and mistake. You suggested that we take a page from the happy home room but you also said that you wanted something tropical. This redditor was Director Denial. Thank you, Director. I have made up two concepts for the Sheep and whatever you like best is what we do. If you have any adjustions or ideas let me know, and I'll happily change things. It was your idea, after all! I was thinking on doing something food related like the name Curlos reminded me of churros for some reason. This is according to Google a Spanish snack that can tie into the tropical theme you'd like to have. Maybe it can be part of a Spanish restaurant cookie or maybe a street vendor cookie with all sort of food stands set in a street or market. I was also thinking there could be special dance spots where villagers could dance the flamingo which is a Spanish dance and there could be Spanish handheld dishes. But this is just all if you want the Spanish theme, of course xD. If not, we'll look further for something else.

Claudia=She has her own bridal boutique cookie. You can pick out wedding dresses here. The items are in slight blush pink and very pale white. There is this pedestal where a villager will stand on and try on dresses. You can assign a crying couch to it (comes with the cookie) so that it looks like the villager’s entourage is so moved by their beautiful dress that they had to shed a tear..or just sob. xD

Clyde=Clyde has a fun idea for a cookie and its all about science. You can now put your animals in labcoats and put lab stations around your campsite, and watch your animals experiment. The premium item is a lab that shoots off fireworks.

Cobb= ‘’It’s alive!’’ Yes. That book. You can now play as the famous doctor who made frankenstein. You can assign bolts and creepy clothes to your animals, and the premium item will be this metal table where a villager is sleeping on. Another villager will be standing nearby, flipping a switch and the sleeping villager will wake up. The villager with the switch will laugh diabolically. The other items are very scientific creepy like jars with liquids and stuff. Perfect for halloween. Maybe not for all ages xD.

Coco=Coco’s dreamtravel. You can see coco’s adventures in this cookie. Your villagers can buy her furniture which allows them to visit a spooky crypt, dance in a palace or pay tribute to a temple. 

Cole= Cole’s cookie is all about mining for stones. You can expect mine carts, stones, gems and more in this set. there is a item where two villagers push a mine cart, and also there is a three tile big item that is a minecart where a villager sits in, enjoying themselves as they are rolling down xD.

Coustau= Cousteau will be a french inspired restaurant with luxury chandeliers gilded tablecloths. In the chandeliers, it is possible to hang one up where your villager can swing around in, like that scene in Dumbo’s live action movie.

Cube=Cube’s baywatch cookie. Cube is responsible for beach safety. Imagine red bathing suits, and also villagers running in slow motion. it is all possible now. There will be a rug that works as a interactable place where villagers will run into one direction, in slow motion. You can aim this at the beach to create dramatic scenes. The premium item will be a lifeguard jetski where the villager preforms a trick on.

Curly=Curly’s fairytale cottage. The cottage is inspired by the fairytale of the three pigs. You have cozy fairytale furniture and clothing. The 5 star object is a door that can be kicked down.

Curt= The best he can do is five tokens. Curt is a interesting bear. In his life, family comes first, money second…depending on who you ask. The thing he loves most about his job? He never knows what comes through that door. Pawn shop inspired cookie. You can display unique items and finds. Because a pawn shop oftenly has different finds, you won’t find much matching stuff. But you can find unique stuff. The interaction are for counters and the premium interaction is a villager inspecting a painting, and then the other villager is sweating xD.

Cyd= Fandom cookie. Cyd is all about that new band and loves writing fanfiction for it. Now your villagers can dress up in fandom gear and write fanfictions, and stare longingly at posters you display around your camp. There also could be a incident as two jealous villagers might fight in a small circle for who the better fan is. 

Cyrano= The world of westreling really interests Cyrano. His cookie comes with a wrestling spot so two of your villagers can clumsily battle it out. You can also expect decorations and furniture befitting this theme. No excessive violence will be used.

Deena=Deena’s cookie is all about red shoes. The red shoes are placeable and wearable, (two different pairs, but it will look the same pair) if villagers chooses to interact, they will dance with these shoes, and dance a long time. If your villagers wear them because you assigned them as outfits, they won’t. This is based on a fairytale, the red shoes.

Del=Del’s cookie is a interior store where villagers can buy cheap but good furniture for their homes. Expect uniforms, new swedish furniture options and villagers stocking shelfs with items. The premium item will be a villager pushing a shopping cart with another villager in it.

Deli=Deli’s cookie will be a nail studio. You can have your nails done her. Villagers can be seated and attended to, and there are also facial masks to enjoy. The premium item is a villager who is applying nails on another villager.

Derwin= Derwin’s cookie is a expetion cookie where there are tents and investigation stuff. There is also a lot of polar bears in the cookie. The main item is a plastic polar bear that villagers can mount.

Diva=Diva’s cookie is very chique, very gold and black and very 007. Expect that glamour and drama of a james bond film, complete with a explosive scene (premium item) and bond clothes. not a official collab.

Dora= Dora’s cookie is very vibrant and colorful. a hippie cookie with coloruful prints and a drivable van where two villagers will stick their heads out of (premium item)

Drago= Drago’s dragon cookie. You can expect fierce dragon items like wings, but also eggs to hold, dragon inspired crowns and gowns that wouldn’t misstand in that one new tv show. You can also expect a mechanical dragon to be added, so your villagers can fly. (premium)

Drake= Drake wants to start a repair store. The cookie will focus on repairing items and having them restored. There will be a table where two villagers can work on a plushie or a table where a villager can craft alone. The 5 star item will be a villager presenting the finished the product to another villager, who will cry of happiness.

Drift=Drift’s cookie is all about friendly competition. You can now enjoy four different boardgames with your animals, and place these around your camp for a fun night. The premium item will be a table where six villagers can sit and play at

Ed's horse lover cookie*= The items used in the cookie will be based on the show of Mr Ed. You can expect everything to make your own horse ranch here, together with new crops for your villagers to interact with, a special podium that offers a cowpow dance and of course plenty of hats and horse related items.

Elise=Elise has a optician store where she helps animals with their sight. You can pick new glasses here. The interaction items will be sitting space and counters and the premium item will be a villager who tries on glasses.

Elmer=Elmer’s cat and donkey cookie. Based on the fairytale. You can now find cat and donkey items in this cookie. The items vary from boots and hats and capes to a statue of a donkey that hicks up money.

Elvis=Inspired by the old castle time, reainsence items. You can expect royalty dresses and crowns as well as castle pieces and furniture. The premium item is a throne where villagers are kneeling in front of.

Eugene=Boyband cookie. Eugene’s cookie is about making a boyband. You can put stage pieces together again here once again, and have a boyband. There is a special new item in this cookie, where a villager can fake-faint if you would place it. ideal for the dramatic fananimal.

Faith=Faith’s tropical cruise. You can expect items worthy of the seven seas in this cookie. New loungewear as well as furniture and also a small bubblebath so your villagers can enjoy some bubbles.

Flip=Banana cookie. Everything is based on Bananas. The special item is a car painted as banana. The bananananan…BANANAMOBILE.

Flo=Winter’s resort. You can expect winter sport items like places where they can snowboard, skii, and also warm wood colours with the other items. The premium item is a hottub made of natural stones where animals can warm up in.

Frank=Frank’s bountiful celebration. Frank’s cookie is a special one. It is about celebrating festivals and events and dancing, music and having fun. You can expect dancing villagers spotlights (they dont take up much space as floors) and different stalls selling merch of the festival. The premium item is a animal singing and doing a dramatic pose.

Frett=Frett’s cookie is going to be a garden center cookie. You can buy plants and alike there. The items will be like the sweden furniture set, in way of working, but they will look different to fit other story telling purposes. The premium item will be a animal climbing on stairs to dress a holiday tree.

Freya: Freya has a own jewerly shop. You can expect a fancy lay-out for your shop and also other things. The interactions will be sitting and counter stuff. Premium interaction is that two villagers are standing near the counter as customers and the 3th villager stands across them, helping them pick out rings.

Friga: Friga will have a fridge related store where you can buy appliances. You can imagine that it would be very industrial and that you can also see villagers look at stoves/fridges here and that the premium item is a villager helping another villager pick out a fridge or something.

Frita: Frita’s cookie is about frita owning a restaurant, or a snackbar as we call it. There can be fries ordered here and there are deepfryers all around. The premium interaction is the animals waiting in line to be served. You can also have smaller animal interaction with a animal who for example, flips or shuffles the fries in the frying pan.

Frobert: Frobert’s fancy masqurade: Frobert is throwing a masquerade and you are invited. Features: masks, dresses and suits and also dance floors as well as a reskin darker of the sky lavish theme.

Gabi: Gabi’s mystery game. Gabi is hosting a real life murder mystery party! Items are based on the game cluedo. the premium item is a crime scene lay out where a villager is laying, who was the victim. Because this is a party, no one was actually hurt, and the villager can be seen to be breathing or even snoring.

Gaston: French provincial town set with a herd of sheep a villager can chase around. If you know, you know. Your premium item is a beautiful fountain of...Gaston?

Gonzo*=Gonzo’s cookie will include different kind of australian themed goodies and miniature buildings from that country. Imagine the opera house and maybe a kangaroo plushie. The premium item will be a green shaped hill where a kangeroo and a koala sit next together and they hold paws.

Goose=

Graham=

Grizzly=

Grouch=

Gruff=

Harry=

Hopper=

Hornsby=

Huck=

Ike= ''if i could suggest one, maybe for Ike, he could have a mechanic shop/garage cookie if one doesn't exist already :) his homes are usually garage themed, so it would make sense, some items could be tires, cars, and toolbeds and then the premium 5 star could be a car suspended in the air or something like that :)''-Darius's idea for Ike's cookie. Good idea, Darius! I'd like to go even further into your idea and add the following items and options. Maybe we can add a car that villagers can work on, as if its being repaired. The car you mentioned can indeed be the 5 star premium item and maybe an animal can lower it via the system and smile as if they just finished making the car. We can also add in clothing to fit the garage and maybe some oil stains from gasoline on the clothing to give it a truly unique vibe.

Jacob=

Jackues

Jeremiah

Jitters=

Katt=

Kevin=

Kid cat=

Klaus=

Knox=

Kyle=

Leonardo=

Limburg

Lionel=

Louie=

Marcel=

Marlo=*Mafia inspired set by the godfather. Imagine 1920's clothing like flapper dresses and suits and fedora hats. Villagers can interact with not so modern phones, write mischief letters and even lock other villagers in cages. The premium item is four villagers surrounding a grave being lowered into the ground. ''You'll be missed boss.'' But is the boss really dead? Well that's a story for another time.

Megan=

Merengue Strawberry Square*=Reworked: The set now includes small buildings for your animals made of strawberry related houses. Imagine houses made of strawberries decorated by delicious fruits and details. The villagers can interact with new strawberry plants, make strawberry jam at tables and even will be able to dance around a gigantic strawberry at the Strawberry Square. This set is a true dream come true for all sweet tooth with a love for the red fruit.

Mira=

Monique=

Murphy=

Naomi*= Naomi is going to be a creative one. It is going to relate to a modern art theme. You can watch villagers paint with the new furniture, watch them react to new statues and wear chique new modern clothing. New furniture is also going to be very modern pop-art like, so imagine bright colours and weird designs like a candypop shaped chair. 

Octavian=

Pango=

Paolo=

Pate=

Patty=

Peaches=

Peanut=

Peck

Peewee=

Penelope=  Redditor Soggyglump made a amazing idea for Penelope's cookie. They wrote. ''Penelope's beautiful bow cookie. Just pink. And ribbons. Everywhere. The 5 star item is a big. ass. bow.'' Thank you for your comment, Soggyglump! I like this idea because like the other suggestions you paid attention to what Penelope really likes and is about and the bow is a big part of her identiy. I like to add two themes for the cookies with your preference deciding what cookie theme is the best and if they're not your vibe what we could change. The first cookie idea I had was 17th century French ballroom. Very gilded with tons of bows on the dresses and bows everywhere on the furniture. The premium item would be a big bow which also would serve as a throne. The other idea is more modern and would feature modern but cute like pink coloured furniture with bows on them. It would fit well into modern homes alike. The big bow in this case can be a fishtank or a slide for villagers to use or maybe a tv. Let me know what you like best or if you have any other ideas yourself!

Pierce=

Pietro=Pietro's cookie. Redditor sehotonin wrote: '' I just need a clown/mime cookie! Not necessarily circus, but clown as in balloon things, a pie in the hand to throw, clown or mime makeup, cool clown statues/dolls. Could also be slightly spooky!'' The cookie idea is very good as I like that the idea of the circus is taking a slight step back and we focus truly on what Pietro is about. He's a clown sheep. I love the cake throwing idea, and the make-up ideas. This cookie will be amazing. I was thinking we can add the cake throwing in a two villager interactions where two villagers stand and one throws the cake and the other is the victim xD. I was also thinking a balloon making interaction could be used by villagers where they briefly make a balloon animal and than they put it away. A lovely idea for a lovely sheep!

Plucky

Prince=Princess and the frog cookie. Comes with cooking stuff, a romantic lake where villagers can dance and a dinner seat.

Puck=

Pudge=

Raddle=

Rasher=

Ribbot=

Rio

Rizzo

Rocket

Rodeo=

Rolf=

Rooney=

Roscoe=

Roswell=

Rowan=

Samson=

Sandy=

Savannah=

Scoot=

Shep=

Simon=

Sparro

Spike

Sprocket=

Static=

Sterling=

Stu=

T-Bone=

Tabby=

Tad=

Tammy

Tangy

Tank

Teddy

Tex

Tiansheng

Tom

Truffles

Tucker: Dinosaur cookie with dinosaur items and a triceratops onesie and a t-rex villagers can climb on. Change:  Travel back in time to the stone age with the dinosaur cookie. Your villagers can dress now as cave animals and become one with the great dinosaurs that roamed the earth so many years ago. Inspired by the most popular dinosaur breeds you can decorate your camp. The premium item will be a robotic t-rex where villagers can ride on. There also will be digging sites possible so they can find their own dinosaur fossils. 

Tutu

Tybalt

Vic

Vivian

Walker

Wade

Weber

Zoe=Zodiac cookie. Comes with a constellation device where villagers can read the stars. There is also going to be a telescope they can interact with, and two floating stars where they can sit on. They can also choose to read their horoscope in a special new 5 star tent.

Thank you all so much for your help and as always plenty of villagers are looking for your help and inspiration! I hope this made you smile and remember to claim your login reward. But also remember, if you don't have time today, the world won't end and your animals will be there for you whenever you decide to return!

[lyncotek]

Transforming Spaces: The Creative Potential of Printable Glass Over lamination

In the realm of interior design, the quest for innovative materials and techniques to transform spaces into captivating environments is ever-evolving. One such innovation that has garnered significant attention is printable glass over lamination. This article delves into the creative potential of this technique, exploring its advantages, applications, and impact on modern interior design.

Introduction to Printable Glass Over lamination: Printable glass over lamination applies a transparent film to glass surfaces, enabling custom designs or graphics. This process offers endless possibilities for designers, architects, and homeowners to personalize and enhance spaces effortlessly.

The Advantages of Printable Glass Over lamination: Visual Appeal: The primary advantage of printable glass over lamination lies in its ability to enhance visual appeal through the incorporation of high-resolution images, patterns, or branding elements onto glass surfaces, enabling designers to create captivating visual effects that evoke emotions and capture attention.

Durability and Protection: Printable glass over lamination not only enhances aesthetics but also provides durability and protection to underlying surfaces The laminated film acts as a shield, safeguarding against scratches, UV damage, and other forms of wear and tear, ensuring that the designs remain vibrant and intact for years to come.

Versatility in Design: Furthermore, printable glass over lamination offers versatility in design, with possibilities ranging from intricate patterns to bold graphics. Whether in residential, commercial, or hospitality settings, designers can unleash creativity to elevate ordinary spaces into extraordinary works of art.

Applications in Interior Design: Residential Spaces: In homes, printable glass over lamination elevates living room, kitchen, bathroom, and other space ambiances. From decorative partitions to custom backsplashes, homeowners can infuse personality and style into every corner of their homes.

Commercial Spaces: In offices, retail stores, and restaurants, printable glass over lamination offers unique branding opportunities. Businesses can create immersive experiences through signage, feature walls, or privacy screens, leaving lasting impressions on customers.

Hospitality Sector: In the hospitality sector, printable glass over lamination can be employed to create memorable guest experiences. Hotels and resorts can stand out with striking lobby installations and themed room dividers, cultivating luxury and sophistication.

How Printable Glass Over lamination Works:

“Printable glass overlamination involves two main steps: printing the desired design onto a laminating film using advanced techniques like UV or digital printing, followed by carefully applying the film to the glass surface with heat and pressure for a seamless, clear bond.”

Environmental Benefits: Moreover, in addition to its aesthetic and functional advantages, printable glass overlamination also boasts environmental benefits. The utilization of eco-friendly materials and processes, along with the recyclability of glass, renders it a sustainable choice for conscious consumers and businesses alike.

Cost-effectiveness Compared to Traditional Methods: Despite the advanced technology and creative potential, printable glass over lamination still emerges as a cost-effective alternative compared to traditional methods such as etching or sandblasting. Moreover, by eliminating the necessity for expensive custom glass panels, designers can achieve remarkable results without exceeding their budget.”

Case Studies and Examples: Numerous case studies and examples showcase the transformative power of printable glass over lamination in real-world settings. From corporate headquarters to boutique hotels, these success stories highlight the versatility and impact of this innovative technique.

Challenges and Limitations: Despite its many benefits, printable glass over lamination is not without its challenges and limitations. Factors such as substrate compatibility, surface preparation, and installation expertise can impact the quality and longevity of the final result, requiring careful consideration and attention to detail.

Future Outlook: Looking ahead, the future of printable glass over lamination appears promising. With ongoing research and development efforts aimed at enhancing durability, sustainability, and ease of use, this innovative technique is poised to revolutionize the field of interior design and reshape the way we think about space.

Conclusion In conclusion, printable glass over lamination offers a compelling solution for transforming spaces with creativity and versatility. From enhancing visual appeal to providing durability and protection, this innovative technique unlocks endless possibilities for designers and homeowners alike, paving the way for a new era of interior design innovation.

FAQs: Is printable glass over lamination suitable for outdoor applications? While printable glass overl amination is primarily used for indoor applications, specialized outdoor-grade films and adhesives are available for exterior use.

Can printable glass over lamination be used on curved or irregular surfaces? Yes, printable glass over lamination can be applied to curved or irregular surfaces, provided that proper preparation and installation techniques are employed.

How long does printable glass over lamination last? With proper care and maintenance, printable glass over lamination can last for many years, maintaining its visual appeal and functionality over time.

Is printable glass over lamination suitable for high-traffic areas? Yes, printable glass over lamination is highly durable and suitable for high-traffic areas such as lobbies, corridors, and retail spaces.

Can existing glass surfaces be retrofitted with printable glass over lamination? Yes, existing glass surfaces can be retrofitted with printable glass over lamination, providing a cost-effective solution for refreshing and revitalizing outdated or worn-out spaces.

[apocalypticavolition]

Let's (re)Read The Great Hunt! Chapter 13: From Stone to Stone

Yeah it's been awhile but I guess I should get back into the groove. As usual there's going to be nothing but spoilers until the end of the whole series, so people who are just starting reading the books because of the show probably should skip this.

And about the rim, the trees stood blackened and twisted as if a firestorm had roared through them. Everything seemed paler than it should be, just like the sun, more subdued, as if seen through mist. Only there was no mist. Just the three of them and the horses appeared truly solid.

And so we take our first step into a larger multiworld. Jordan's mirror worlds aren't quite the usual take on many worlds theory, and so right away we're confronted with the fact that everything in this "what if" is a lot less real than stuff from the prime reality. Though things get complicated when we add T'A'R to the mix, but thankfully I don't have to worry about that this book so let's not!

Something about the steps caught his eye, the different colors, seven rising from blue to red. “One for each Ajah,” he said.

This is by far the weirdest, most incongruous detail about the portal stones. They predate the modern Ajah system by a great deal, and yet "one for each Ajah"... I've seen two reasonable explanations for it:

In the early Third Age, the Tower channelers came and marked as many Portal Stones as they could with the Ajah colors as a way of saying, "This belongs to the Tower", since unlike the usual objects of Power the Stones can't be moved.

The seven colors don't actually match Ajah colors and are just a generic rainbow which Rand mistakenly conflates with Ajah colors because blue, green, yellow and red are present (and possibly orange seeming to be brown).

A third I'm realizing just now relates to color terms and languages. Basic color terms show up in human languages in a set order: every language distinguishes between white and black (well, warm-bright and cold-dark but still), then red is added, then green or yellow but definitely both if there's five basic terms, then blue (east Asian languages are well-known examples of those that stopped before blue).

After that you usually get brown added, and then other terms like gray. While you can easily end up with languages that have basic terms for purple and orange but not gray, it may well be that both portal stones and Ajahs were decorated for the seven non-Shadow color terms used in the Old Tongue and thus converged naturally.

“Yet even if Aes Sedai can use them, or could, we had no Aes Sedai with us to channel the Power, so I don’t see how it can be.”

Loial is very book smart but he's not exactly a detective, is he?

‘If a woman go left, or right, does Time’s flow divide? Does the Wheel then weave two Patterns? A thousand, for each of her turnings? As many as the stars? Is one real, the others merely shadows and reflections?’

He's also not very good at non-lecture material, since he's pretty baffled by this. I like to think that there were once very plain textbooks but that the only one that survived was "The Tao of World-Hopping" just to make sure that every Third Ager was as confused as possible.

“My Lord Rand, you’ll get us back, won’t you? Back where we belong? I’ve a wife, my Lord, and children. Melia’d take it bad enough, me dying, but if she doesn’t even have my body to give to the mother’s embrace, she’ll grieve to the end of her days. You understand, my Lord. I can’t leave her not knowing. You’ll get us back. And if I die, if you can’t take her my body, you’ll let her know, so she has that, at least.” He was no longer questioning at the end. A note of confidence had crept into his voice.

Poor Hurin. He really doesn't deserve to be tossed into Rand's drama. And he's very brainwashed by feudalism.

Suddenly he knew he could not tell the man again that he was not a lord. All that was holding the sniffer together was his belief in a lord, and he could not take that away, not now. Not here. “No bowing,” he finished awkwardly.“ As you say, Lord Rand.” Hurin’s grin was almost as wide as when Rand first met him.

Seriously, Hurin seems specifically designed by the Wheel to punish Rand and Perrin for their reluctance as much as possible. He should have stuck around Perrin to keep that boy on track.

He reached for it—he was not sure how he reached, but it was something, a movement, a stretching toward the light, toward saidin—and caught nothing, as if running his hands through water. It felt like a slimy pond, scum floating atop clean water below, but he could not scoop up any of the water. Time and again it trickled through his fingers, not even droplets of the water remaining, only the slick scum, making his skin crawl.

So Rand is having some typical Wilder difficulties with channeling and they expose exactly how dangerous the taint on saidin really is. Once the trained male Aes Sedai blew up, the Wilders had no resources to learn to channel effectively so many probably had a lot of experiences like Rand where they reached out and got a double dipping of taint with no actual Source to at least make up for it. There is no safe way for men to channel in this Age.

Loial had a different look, a slightly puzzled frown, but his eyes were on Rand, too. Rand wondered what he was thinking.

Loial is probably trying to come up with a theory that doesn't involve Rand being a channeler because that's just awkward for him.

If Fain and the Darkfriends were here—wherever here was—they might know how to get back. They had to, if they had reached here in the first place. And they had the Horn, and the dagger. Mat had to have that dagger. For that if for nothing else, he had to find them. What finally decided him, he was ashamed to realize, was that he was afraid to try again. Afraid to try channeling the Power. He was less afraid of confronting Darkfriends and Trollocs with only Hurin and Loial than he was of that.

This paragraph is absolutely devastating for Cauthor fans. But seriously, Fain and the dagger versus more Taint sucking is an absolutely horrible choice. Neither option is all that good.

“Rand, that fragment said the Stones came from an older Age than the Age of Legends, and even the Aes Sedai then did not understand them, though they used them, some of the truly powerful did. They used them with the One Power, Rand. How did you think to use this Stone to take us back? Or any other Stone we find?” For a moment Rand could only stare at the Ogier, thinking faster than he ever had in his life. “If they are older than the Age of Legends, maybe the people who built them didn’t use the Power...”

Honestly this detail about Portal Stones is even worse. We certainly aren't about to build Portal Stones in real life and yet we are apparently due to do so in the next couple years before we nuke each other into magic mutations. We can barely manage quantum computers and frankly even if we did they wouldn't last for the requisite thousands of years. Frankly as far as I'm concerned, the book Loial read is wrong and what with stuff like war and famine getting forgotten, people forgot that the Portal Stones were the result of early AoL projects with the power.

Worst of all, though, the land seemed to twist the eye. What was close at hand looked all right, and what was seen straight ahead in the distance. But whenever Rand turned his head, things that appeared distant when seen from the corner of his eye seemed to rush toward him, to be nearer when he stared straight at them. It made for dizziness; even the horses whickered nervously and rolled their eyes. He tried moving his head slowly; the apparent movement of things that should have been fixed was still there, but it seemed to help a little.

This Mirror World seems to be particularly hyperbolic in its geometry, which is confusing to think about (how do you even map the sphere that is the Earth to a hyperbolic geometry and why do I suspect that the best answer means "the north and/or south poles do not actually exist here"). We'll get more into why it's weird further on though, in a chapter or two. For now just hold onto the image of a hyperbolic infinity being overlaid on the closed geometries of T'A'R and the prime timeline and make sure you're picturing it in four dimensions so you have room for the Ways, Ogier-home, and Sindhol, all of which intersect the prime reality in tangential ways.

You can picture four dimensional non-Euclidean geometries, can't you?

[kingofthenorth]

HI!! oc questions: do u have more that are based in an existing universe or ones whose universe u made up? if u made up a universe(or multiple) what are some of ur favorite worldbuilding details? what are some of ur oldest ocs and when was the last time u changed something about them? do u have any that are direct self inserts?

Ooh, these are some good ones!

Overall, I have way more that come from my own little universes. So much so, in fact, that I couldn't tell you how many worlds I've created, let alone how many characters are in them. I spend entirely too much time thinking about this stuff.

One world in particular has the most extensive worldbuilding. I'd wanted to make it feel as real as possible, so as a teen and young adult, I spent countless hours coming up with history, fashion, religion, maps, and languages to flesh it out. Here are some of my favorite details:

In the Gomnivev language, any noun can be treated as a name so long as the final consonant (provided it ends in one) is doubled. This comes in handy given that Gomnivev first names are almost always a detail about the day the baby was born. You get lots of people named after birds that were singing, fruits/vegetables that were in season, or weather conditions from the day they were born. For example, "aean" is a crocus, but Aeann is a proper name for someone born when aean flowers are blooming. Because there are no capital letters in the written language, this is the easiest way to distinguish between the nouns and their Human Name counterpart.

Banazar, Rezeki god of the dead, is the god subject to most debate among scholars due to ambiguity surrounding his gender and origins. Names that end in -sar (common) or -zar (less common) are explicitly male, but some of the very earliest texts describe him as "mother to the dead," in his role caring for departed souls. Instead of just running with it, religious scholars fight bitterly about what this means. As for his origins, he's the only god that didn't exist in the beginning, when the Original Gods created all there is now, but also isn't a child of the Original Gods or their two daughters, like the rest of the gods are. No one knows where he came from.

Many Rezeki garments sport wild patterns, but the exception to this is their most popular formal wear, the mema. Mema, which are not unlike a toga, are almost always solid color so that one can pin decorations onto them and make them look different each time they're worn. Brooches and baubles meant to be worn on mema are a common gift, and can be anything from crudely hand-fashioned by one's kids to crafted by artisans. What matters is that it's fun and unique!

My very oldest OCs are from a story I came up with at 8, hoping to one day turn into a tv show. The original story was about a high school club for kids with superpowers, and the protagonist, Jairo, had none, but joined anyway to help out. In high school, I was reminded of the story and revisited it, deciding that it made very little sense that he'd be allowed to join, and changed it so that he had powers too, but they weren't as useful overall, else it wouldn't be a viable story. Imagine my fucking surprise when, years later, the BNHA anime came out and I saw the similarities. I am, perhaps, a bit of a fool. lol. lmao, even.

Finally, I did once make a couple self inserts, but I ironically never connected well to them. One I forgot about entirely until just now, and the other I changed so much, I often forget she was based off me in any way. It turns out, I much prefer exploring characters that aren't all that much like me. If anything, I think there's more "me" in the worlds I create than the characters in them. I'm in the politics, the public consciousness, and the messages, but not so much the characters.

[nazirfulatportfolioblog]

I feel this illustration is a good example of visual communication. It's a character design for a dungeons and dragons campaign where I took inspiration from my culture of india and also took loose inspiration from a few other south and central asian sources to create a new cultural environment for a fantastical setting, using real world culture references to ground it in a sense of reality to communicate the type of climate and culture this character comes from by equating real world examples. I used fabric draping to reference the indian sari, forearm and hand designs to reference the south and central asian practice of mehendi/henna, I incorporated beaded patterns within the braids to replicate a paranda - used in south asia to reinforce or decorate braids, there is an eye symbol on a shoulder pad to create an allusion to the south and central asian believe of the evil eye or nazar, the trousers are meant to reflect pajama shalwar from pakistan

[dreamingdormouse]

Yes and maybe and no.

Disclaimer - I'm not a writer, but I read a LOT, and I recognize patterns in what works well and what doesn't.

Some of these are very sound! 1, 2, & 8 in particular I wish I could get everyone to see. ✅ Show don't tell, ✅ no head hopping (multiple POV is fine if that's what your book is doing, but make it clear that you're changing perspective!), and ✅ no flipping epithets. Stop with "the blonde said," "the blue-haired boy told her," stuff like that.

Fixing these three things, if you're doing them, will make your writing so much more polished.

(And if you simply must refer to someone by their hair color, and the person is not non-binary, please use the correct ending; "blonde" and "brunette" are feminine, "blond" and "brunet" are masculine. They come from French, a gendered language. If the character IS NB... use your best judgement. For people with anime-colored hair, "green-haired" is vastly preferable to "greenette/greenet.")

9 & 10... Sometimes.

9 - sometimes your character IS just drifting, and that's the point! To pick one example - the Twilight series was NOT well written, but it had a few good moments, and one thing that I remember vividly from the second book was when the main character was just going through the motions, and several chapters were just named for the month with a blank page. The character was hurt and in shock (and needed therapy that she did not get) and so she just drifted. And sometimes that does happen to characters when bad things happen, and the readers need to see that.

Often, though, real people's motivation is "get through the day" or "feel normal again" and those are nebulous goals that look like just drifting.

10 - nobody can do only fun things always. Like I said, I'm not much of a writer (I can't plot my way out of a paper bag) but I do other creative things, and if you don't do the work, the fun parts have no basis. For instance, I have to warp my loom and thread all the heddles before I can start making patterns and cloth. I hear from published authors that the equivalent is true for them, and that writing the bits that are hard for you is how you grow as a writer.

And 3-7 I just completely disagree with.

For 3-6, let's look at one of my all-time favorite books - Spindle's End, by Robin McKinley. This is a fantastic book, I've read it so many times that I've had to repair the cover, and it's important enough to me that I picked an ordinary name from it and made it one of my kids' middle names.

4 - The first five solid pages are world-building and exposition, without even any individual characters.

3 - There is not a word of dialogue until page 9.

5 - I can't go all through the book right now (and if I did, spoilers!) but the first five chapters end with 1) baby shower decoration decisions, 2) a country character being uncomfortable visiting a city and having to hang out and wait for an event, 3) successfully leaving the city, 4) the polite end of a conversation, and 5) giving a baby a nickname. No cliff-hangers.

6 - Not every scene subverts expectations. If it did, how would there even be expectations?! Imagine going through life and having something subvert your expectations every time you went to the grocery store or sat in the library. Some scenes are the background that the other scenes can sparkle on.

7 - And set up is important, for the character as well as the writer. The little common scenes of getting ready for a party and stuff can be used for character development, mood setting, and things like that. Think of Pride And Prejudice - the girls getting ready for the ball at Netherfield, and on the way there and on the way home afterward are important to the story! They have discussions they wouldn't have at the ball, you can see how extravagant/frugal different characters are as they pick out what to wear, and Mrs. Bennett makes clear what her priorities are and what she paid attention to, on the way home.

On point 4, about opening the book with an exposition dump, I'm also not saying ALWAYS open with an exposition dump. Opening with a hook is good too. But you can't say that it's never a good idea.

A good story is not just the fun exciting sparkly birds that get attention. You have to build the background.

my 10 holy grail pieces of writing advice for beginners

from an indie author who's published 4 books and written 20+, as well as 400k in fanfiction (who is also a professional beta reader who encounters the same issues in my clients' books over and over)

show don't tell is every bit as important as they say it is, no matter how sick you are of hearing about it. "the floor shifted beneath her feet" hits harder than "she felt sick with shock."

no head hopping. if you want to change pov mid scene, put a scene break. you can change it multiple times in the same scene! just put a break so your readers know you've changed pov.

if you have to infodump, do it through dialogue instead of exposition. your reader will feel like they're learning alongside the character, and it will flow naturally into your story.

never open your book with an exposition dump. instead, your opening scene should drop into the heart of the action with little to no context. raise questions to the reader and sprinkle in the answers bit by bit. let your reader discover the context slowly instead of holding their hand from the start. trust your reader; donn't overexplain the details. this is how you create a perfect hook.

every chapter should end on a cliffhanger. doesn't have to be major, can be as simple as ending a chapter mid conversation and picking it up immediately on the next one. tease your reader and make them need to turn the page.

every scene should subvert the character's expectations, as big as a plot twist or as small as a conversation having a surprising outcome. scenes that meet the character's expectations, such as a boring supply run, should be summarized.

arrive late and leave early to every scene. if you're character's at a party, open with them mid conversation instead of describing how they got dressed, left their house, arrived at the party, (because those things don't subvert their expectations). and when you're done with the reason for the scene is there, i.e. an important conversation, end it. once you've shown what you needed to show, get out, instead of describing your character commuting home (because it doesn't subvert expectations!)

epithets are the devil. "the blond man smiled--" you've lost me. use their name. use it often. don't be afraid of it. the reader won't get tired of it. it will serve you far better than epithets, especially if you have two people of the same pronouns interacting.

your character should always be working towards a goal, internal or external (i.e learning to love themself/killing the villain.) try to establish that goal as soon as possible in the reader's mind. the goal can change, the goal can evolve. as long as the reader knows the character isn't floating aimlessly through the world around them with no agency and no desire. that gets boring fast.

plan scenes that you know you'll have fun writing, instead of scenes that might seem cool in your head but you know you'll loathe every second of. besides the fact that your top priority in writing should be writing for only yourself and having fun, if you're just dragging through a scene you really hate, the scene will suffer for it, and readers can tell. the scenes i get the most praise on are always the scenes i had the most fun writing. an ideal outline shouldn't have parts that make you groan to look at. you'll thank yourself later.

happy writing :)

[akdjfksjrhsldkt]

Trump's level of corruption is first-rate.

Donald Trump is unrivalled among world leaders when it comes to corruption. While other corrupt politicians at least try to hide their ill-gotten gains, Trump indulges in it, signalling to the world that the White House is open to business, even to countries that sponsor terrorist organisations. Remember that plane Qatar gave Donald Trump? Not long ago, the US president accepted the $400 million gift from Qatar. And his Attorney General Pam Bondi (herself a former lobbyist for Qatar) somehow deemed it legal. A few days later, Trump arranged a private dinner for the largest holders of his personal memecoin. Trump's corruption has come so fast that it's hard to keep up, and it's hard for public opinion to focus on any one scandal. Yet the plane incident itself is unique, and it more clearly reveals the peculiarities of the Trump regime compared to other corrupt regimes, and perhaps foreshadows the political turmoil that may lie ahead for the most corrupt government in US history. Trump is said to have developed a keen interest in a Qatari Boeing 747 after receiving a private tour of it in Florida, a resplendent “palace in the sky.” Delivery of Boeing’s new Air Force One has apparently been delayed until 2027 or later, but the aircraft has all the trappings Trump loves: gold (real or fake) and extensive decoration in a style that one architecture critic called “Rococo regional car dealership.” Palaces were originally the residences of Roman emperors. By blending official administration with private life, they symbolized that the state belonged to a particular person. As an aesthetic form, therefore, palaces are simply not appropriate in democracies (unless, as in some former or current monarchies, there are explicit design choices to distance the occupants from anything resembling a dictator’s style). On corruption, Trump is unique. Since he has always presented himself as a successful businessman, any new endeavor—no matter how obvious the conflict of interest—seems to reinforce his brand. Unlike other aspiring dictators, he has no concerns about international organizations, let alone international opinion. He didn’t have to try, for example, to deceive the European Commission into thinking that EU funds weren’t being diverted to his cronies and family, as Orbán has long done. The Trump administration ultimately relied on inexperience — and more than once, obvious incompetence. Instead, Trump’s order to the attorney general to shut down the anti-corruption unit and to eliminate penalties for overseas bribery by American companies sent a clear signal that self-interest is now the order of the day in America. Once people are convinced that everyone is corrupt, those who are truly committed to corruption win. The Qatari jet scandal could break this pattern of impunity. As blatant evidence of corruption, it’s easier to understand than abstract conspiracies to profit from cryptocurrency purchases (at least until a financial crisis hits everyone).

[lindedue]

Trump's level of corruption is first-rate.

Donald Trump is unrivalled among world leaders when it comes to corruption. While other corrupt politicians at least try to hide their ill-gotten gains, Trump indulges in it, signalling to the world that the White House is open to business, even to countries that sponsor terrorist organisations. #corruption   #American-style corruption

Remember that plane Qatar gave Donald Trump? Not long ago, the US president accepted the $400 million gift from Qatar. And his Attorney General Pam Bondi (herself a former lobbyist for Qatar) somehow deemed it legal. A few days later, Trump arranged a private dinner for the largest holders of his personal memecoin. Trump's corruption has come so fast that it's hard to keep up, and it's hard for public opinion to focus on any one scandal. Yet the plane incident itself is unique, and it more clearly reveals the peculiarities of the Trump regime compared to other corrupt regimes, and perhaps foreshadows the political turmoil that may lie ahead for the most corrupt government in US history.

Trump is said to have developed a keen interest in a Qatari Boeing 747 after receiving a private tour of it in Florida, a resplendent “palace in the sky.” Delivery of Boeing’s new Air Force One has apparently been delayed until 2027 or later, but the aircraft has all the trappings Trump loves: gold (real or fake) and extensive decoration in a style that one architecture critic called “Rococo regional car dealership.” Palaces were originally the residences of Roman emperors. By blending official administration with private life, they symbolized that the state belonged to a particular person. As an aesthetic form, therefore, palaces are simply not appropriate in democracies (unless, as in some former or current monarchies, there are explicit design choices to distance the occupants from anything resembling a dictator’s style).

On corruption, Trump is unique. Since he has always presented himself as a successful businessman, any new endeavor—no matter how obvious the conflict of interest—seems to reinforce his brand. Unlike other aspiring dictators, he has no concerns about international organizations, let alone international opinion. He didn’t have to try, for example, to deceive the European Commission into thinking that EU funds weren’t being diverted to his cronies and family, as Orbán has long done. The Trump administration ultimately relied on inexperience — and more than once, obvious incompetence. Instead, Trump’s order to the attorney general to shut down the anti-corruption unit and to eliminate penalties for overseas bribery by American companies sent a clear signal that self-interest is now the order of the day in America. Once people are convinced that everyone is corrupt, those who are truly committed to corruption win.

The Qatari jet scandal could break this pattern of impunity. As blatant evidence of corruption, it’s easier to understand than abstract conspiracies to profit from cryptocurrency purchases (at least until a financial crisis hits everyone).