#I think they'll think I'm crazy.

[memento-morri-writes]

Hey!!! Since you said you have a lot figured out for your WIPs I'm interested in your answers!!

what natural resources does each nation have that the others don't? do they export/trade it at all? (For any WIP you wanna answer for!)

@bloodlessheirbyjacques 👀❤️‍🔥

JACQUES, I LOVE YOU!!!!!! I'll try to keep this at least somewhat brief, but be warned, you have NO idea what floodgates you have just opened. (I actually intended to make a post like this literally over a year ago, so thank you for helping me make it!!)

Get ready for:

Econ 101 - A Crash-Course in Continental Trade Policy

Before we get started, here's some things you might find helpful:

a map of the continent (see below)

an explanation of why Anvia and Oryn don't get along

under the cut because hoo boy, this is a LOT.

Anvia, the kingdom where ATQH takes place (and which Fallon rules) is primarily an agricultural society. The country's position in the middle of the continent, plus the river running through the kingdom providing fertile land, gives makes it the best-suited area for agriculture on the continent. (Side Note: It gets colder as you got west-northwest on this continent. Oryn is cold, with long winters and short summers, while Oraine is extremely hot and the land dries up quickly.)

They grow crops and raise animals not only for their own survival, but for export to the neighboring nations. Anvia also has a decent number of craftspeople living in its larger cities, who use crop byproducts (or non-food crops) and animal products to make other products, such as textiles, leather products, etc.

Thus, Anvia's main products/exports are food crops (apples, wheat, strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, lettuce, cabbages, carrots, peas, hops, among other things), created food products (wine, ale, baked goods, jams, jellies, preserves) as well as animal products (largely wool, but things like eggs, cheese, and milk may also be exported), and craftsproduts (textiles and leather products, for example).

Due to the fact that most of Anvia is farmland, be it crop fields or livestock pastures, there is very little opportunity for logging. Even the areas that haven't been developed for farming are largely prairie-like areas. Also, Anvia lacks substantial access to mountains or mineral deposits for mining. So they are lacking in construction materials such as timber, stone, and metals.

Oryn, on the other hand, is ripe with construction goods. They have massive mines scattered throughout the kingdom, especially along the mountain range that borders with Anvia. (Ironkeep, the fortress to the Northeast of Westcliff, is a major stronghold built to protect Oryn's most profitable mines.) Additionally, a massive portion of the kingdom is covered in forests, so logging is another major industry.

(Side Note: Kristopher's father and the current king of Oryn, Pierre, has increased both of these industries massively. The working conditions in both tend to be hazardous, with many people being injured or killed. (Fun Fact: If you want to know how Pierre runs his kingdom, listen to Eat Your Young by Hozier.) Kristopher believes that his father is ruining Oryn, not only by ruining much of its natural land, but also by working the people so hard.)

Notably, Oryn is also home to significant number of craftspeople, specializing in blacksmithing, metalworking, and jeweling. Orynian weapons and armor are said to be stronger and more durable than any others, and jewelry made by Orynian jewelers with Orynian stones is highly prized across the continent and beyond.

Oryn's main exports are lumber, stone, metal (raw, processed, and crafted into items), and jewels (raw, processed, and made into jewelry).

However, what Oryn severely lacks is fertile farmland. Not only is most of the land covered in trees, but the soil is quite rocky -- far from ideal for large-scale farming. (The hilly, mountainous terrain doesn't help.)

So, you can probably see why Oryn and Anvia need each other. They are forced to trade with one another to ensure the survival of both kingdoms. However, as I've explained in the past, the two kingdoms have a long history of tension between them -- which actually was the result of conflict over resources to begin with. However, despite this obvious codependency, neither one has been willing to suck up their pride and open direct negotiations between the two nations. (Fallon has tried several times during her rule, but has never once received a response from Pierre.)

So, this is where Oraine steps in. Oraine has a very hot environment, and aside from a few choice crops, not much of trade value grows there. (Their main exports, aside from a few "exotic delicacies", are fancy goods, such as fine clothes, art, and fancy furniture.) However, what Oraine does have is massive amounts of accessible coastline. Because of this, they have a long history of ship-building and maritime trade. Fortuitously for Oraine, Anvia and Oryn's border is mostly treacherous mountains, which makes overland travel difficult.

So, at some point in the past few centuries, some clever Orainian had an idea, and Orain graciously stepped in, offering to conduct trade between the two kingdoms -- for a fee, of course. Eager to continue their mutual cold-shoulder treatment, Anvia and Oryn were quick to accept the proposal. It was agreed upon that both Anvia and Oryn would be able to use Orainian ships to send their goods to each other, to Oraine, and beyond.

There are multiple companies (each owned by wealthy merchant families) that offer these services, both within the continent and beyond, and each is free to set their own price and negotiate their own service contracts with individuals, companies, or the nations themselves. However, they are charge a hefty tax that goes directly to the pockets of the ruler (currently Empress Adrienne) of Oraine.

Not only that, but Orainian merchants are well aware of how necessary their services are to both Anvia and Oryn. As such, their fees are often ridiculously overpriced. And Anvia and Oryn pay them, because they don't have any other choice. (Well, they could choose to talk to each other and begin their own trading initiatives instead of settling for Oraine's horrid prices, but why would they ever do that?)

To tie all this back to the messy international politics of the continent, the Empress of Oraine has her own fleet of trading ships that carry out trades on her behalf. It is these ships that the rulers of Anvia and Oryn are required to use when they wish to send something more between them for political purposes. Orainian leaders have long claimed this is to "supervise" and "prevent increased hostility", but in reality it's just another way to line the ruler's pockets.

The rulers of both kingdoms have signed contracts with the Empire, including a rate of charge for the service. The Empress continually pushes to raise said rate, with the monarchs attempt to negotiate a lower price -- or at least keep the same one they had before. But it's a precarious slope, because if they push too hard, the Empress could retract her offer altogether, which would be disastrous (at least in the short term) for the two kingdoms, until they were able to communicate in a civil manner and establish their own trade barriers. (Of course, the Empress has no intention of actually rescinding her offer -- it's far too profitable -- but the monarchs don't know that...)

And that's all, folks!! To anyone who read all 1,092 words of this, I am hugging you (if you accept), and buying you your favorite meal. Hopefully this isn't too boring of a read...

[khaopybara]

There are many layers to this.

The official subtitles say "I've heard that P'Khaotung and P'First are close", when Fourth says P'Book. Of course, First and Khaotung are close. Have you seen them?

Khaotung is a shopaholic apparently, but we already knew that. First always says that Khaotung takes him out to shop whenever they are abroad.

Even when First isn't there, he is there somehow.

[jimmyspades]

[mulletmitsuya]

random tokrev rant ahead !!

when i first started this blog it was going to be for random shitposts, groupchats once in a while, and mostly tokrev analysis but i was so scared of discourse that i just chose to do the funnier stuff 😭. when tokrev was at it's peak i'd be reading 20k+ words of analysis and it was so fun!! but i felt like i couldn't word what i wanted to say properly so that discouraged me but i wish i'd ignored that because there would have been at least one person who understood what i was saying yk?

[the-pappu-that-cant-dance]

I've asked my family to watch pjo together with me tomorrow night, but I've probably overlooked the fact that I'm going to be screaming, shouting and crying at every scene

[theprinceandthewitch]

TBH If you were to go back in time and tell me TOH was going to be the show that completely turns me off from consuming and analyzing stories, I would have called you crazy.

[torchickentacos]

Happy Valentine's Day!

My very next post shows the process of how I made this. Timeskip because ONE I don't particularly care to draw canon ten year olds kissing, icks me out, and TWO that way I have an excuse to grow May's hair out and not draw bangs in profile view. SPECIAL THANK YOU TO @metzintli for encouraging me SO MUCH with this, it means the world!

[sapsolais]

does anyone else go out for a small number of hours to do a thing that requires any level of human interaction and come home feeling like ur body has 5 weighted blankets on it and then need to recharge for twice as many hours as you went out for or. is that just me

[solradguy]

Granblue on my mobile browser performs so much better than on my phone it's kind of terrifying. I don't have to mash the skill button in raids lol

[maddy-ferguson]

i feel like the fact that barely anyone who watches the show thinks of will as the main character might be indicative of the fact that he isn't

[confinesofmy]

one of my cousins put ground pork in a cabbage dish he's been making for years (i am allergic to pork) and the side dishes were devilled eggs (i am allergic to eggs) and potato salad (i really shouldn't eat that much mayonnaise with an egg allergy) and it smelled crazy bad in there bc of my post-covid parosmia (this cannot really be accommodated and i understand that) and my cousin was asking three other people and me what we thought of the pork being ground up instead of patties and two other people gave their opinions and then i said that with my pork allergy it kinda made it inedible bc i couldn't pick it out. he got confused, but like angry-confused, pointed out that conecuh sausage is also pork like i didn't know and was making this whole thing up. then when i convinced him that i at least think that i have a pork allergy he said well if i were you and i "couldn't eat pork" i'd kill myself. so maybe i just won't go back over to his place aside from holidays lol.

[forcebookish]

BL fandom's hair trigger haterade chugging is so sus

[ereborne]

Song of the Day: February 5

"It's Electric" Diamond Head cover by Metallica

[rigels-nigels]

honestly it's kinda crazy how the whole wanting to be a parent thing is, like it wasn't even a conscious want at first, just my brain over and over whenever i started or was doing a hobby being like "this will be useful for our future children that we will definitely have"

doing knitting and sewing? i should get better at it so i can make my future child high quality fitting clothing

woodworking? i could make my future children their own toys or tools

leather? i can make them shoes and bags and etc

like the amount of things i start in part for my own benefit but also the semi subconscious want to be able to provide for a child i may or may not ever have in the best way possible

[delulu-4-lewlew]

People who talk to themselves - and I'm talking full blown conversations, playing both sides type beat - do you ever find it leaving the confines of your room?

Like, you're at your desk working and you start mumbling to yourself or mouthing a conversation. Or you pretend to have a conversation as you're walking outside.

[luxiiien]

kinda want to change my name but i have no clue how to go about it