#The Exchange Building and Trading Mechanisms

[kc22invesmentsblog]

The Birth of Modern Finance: A Glimpse into the Amsterdam Stock Exchange of 1602

Written by Delvin The world of finance as we know it today has its roots in the establishment of the Amsterdam Stock Exchange in 1602. As the first official stock exchange in the world, it played a pivotal role in shaping the global economy and revolutionizing the way investments were made. In this blog post, we will delve into the fascinating history of the Amsterdam Stock Exchange, its early…

[frustratedasatruar]

I've seen a number of antizionists argue for the immediate destruction of Israel on Anarchist grounds.

Lets just pretend for a second that this is an argument that they are making in-good-faith.

I'm an Anarchist. I don't like states.

This said, Israel seems like it may very well be the worst state to start with trying to dissolve? Like, if a state's territory is reorganized into autonomously self-governing communes, there will be a transitional period between when the State's military was defending its boarders and when the communes are able to organize the same. There would be a hiccup, even in somewhere like Israel or Switzerland where everybody's been in the military, in the territory's ability to resist outside invasion.

And Israel is constantly under immediate threat of foreign invasion.

And its not as if Israel has any kind of strategic depth; its the size of New Jersey! You very much cannot trade land for time there!

And all of Israel's neighbors are, at best, hard right authoritarians who would not tolerate any kind of leftist movement any where near as much as the current Israeli state, and, more practically speaking, have actively genocidal ambitions against the Israeli people.

These are not good conditions for getting a Free Territory off the ground!

Like, it would be one thing if, I dunno, Italy and Spain were already reorganized into Anarchist systems and were potentially willing to intervene against anyone trying to crush a nascent Israeli Black Army. I would still be weary, as Israel is still very very small and her neighbors actively want to eradicate her populace, but I would feel space to talk about that because maybe, if everything went right, that could be managed. Theoretically. (In the real world, there is also the question of Antisemitism to contend with, and to what degree that would have a depressive effect on the willingness of christian communes to come to the aid of Jews. There are far more than enough Strasserites in the modern day for this to be a very real concern.)

But that is not the world we live in. Pragmatically speaking, it is absurd to want to build up a global Anarchist movement starting with overthrowing Israel.

Like, fuck, if the Southern Levant is where you want to start, I would advocate somewhere like, I don't know, Palestine, where anarchist militants would have a negotiating position with the Israelis; able to offer an end to Hamas or other terrorist-groups' ability to operate in territory the anarchists control, in exchange for IDF ambivalence or even material support.

You know, a type of deal that could never in a million years be struck between Israeli anarchists and Hamas.

Even if I imagine a scenario where Anarchy replaces the modern State-based global paradigm, I just can't think of any mechanism by which Israel wouldn't be in at least the latter half of territories to be reorganized thusly... at least, not without wildly unacceptable risk of mass ethnic cleansing.

I can only conclude that any anarcho-strasserites who actually think Israel is a remotely realistic nation to focus on dissolving are high on their own supply.

[jades-typurriter]

Cache Clearing

A piece I did in a bit of a frenzy after working with (you guessed it) Bowsiosaurus on the design for a new OC: meet Posie!! The thought process here was literally, like, no sooner than we decided on "make a Renamon" i was like "hey what if she ate a bunch of data", so, I hope you enjoy it as much as she seemed to =^w^=

CW: Weight gain, tummy/breast expansion, stern office woman is so full from Information yum

A tall, stately fox moved down the drab, linoleum-and-drop-tile maintenance corridor with the same grace, the same level and unerring gait, that one of her four-legged, flesh-and-bone counterparts might display while stalking prey through the underbrush. Though her feet ended in points, modeled as a smooth taper from her knee to a single vertex apiece, the clack of high heels echoed down the empty hallway with each step. Her purpose was singular, and her focus undivided.

She was a Renamon who had adapted to a digital landscape that was as predictable as it was unforgiving; while her predecessors were more suited to the wild west of the adolescent internet, all the precision and discipline that they dedicated to roughhousing instead allowed her to operate within the razor-thin margins of error of the corporate world. She kept things running, and that was exactly what she made her way to the server room to do now.

She waved a paw over the electronic lock on the door, an uncannily smooth, mechanical motion, made with the other paw primly held behind her ramrod-straight back. It was a far cry from the jerky, stiff displays one might expect from a physical construct, though the knob turned under her touch as though she was solid as steel. As it swung closed behind her, she approached the subject of her attention for her next task: server rack B-0, a cabinet of solid-state drives stacked even higher than she was, each loaded to the brim with trade secrets, proprietary information, logs of confidential exchanges, schematics, financial records. All of it was outdated. She had been sent by the management to ensure that it was properly deleted.

Her lip curled into a sneer at the thought. Data disposal was so… undignified. It was beneath a woman of her stature. She had thoroughly demonstrated her particular capabilities: the multitasking necessary direct intra-system traffic in real time, reducing latency; her knack for optimizing data for the most efficient storage; she had even taken the initiative to create financial projections from the figures under her care. And still they expected her to perform a task so crude that any program picked up on a shovelware site could handle it without complication! She huffed, her eyes narrowed into her typical glare, as though she wished she could melt the damned server with the infrared beams she would otherwise use to communicate with it.

Nonetheless, there was no use putting it off any longer. The 2.6 seconds she had spent ruminating could have been better spent elsewhere, and she would be remiss to waste even more time. She was the Renamon assigned to maintaining the integrity of the company’s data center, and she would not shirk that duty, no matter how uncouth it was. She unlatched the wire-mesh cabinet door, reached into the rack, and removed the first drive in the array with a soft k-chk.

Closing her eyes and bracing herself with a deep breath, she brought the disk to her snout, opened her mouth, and moved as though to take a bite out of it. Her pointed, polygonal teeth passed harmlessly through the metal, phasing as she could through any of the other surfaces in the building (though she made a point of logging her activities by using her credentials at doors, like any other employee). The data on the two plates within, however, were far from unscathed—bits parted like the muscle fibers in a succulent cut of steak, zeroed out as she pulled the drive from between her lips, swallowing the information once contained within.

She let out an almost-gasp—Pahhh!—like she was trying not to gag. It wasn’t that the data were unpalatable. Far from it; she could, begrudgingly, understand why her wild cousins were so apt to chew through any unsecured files they could get their paws on. It was the task itself that was distasteful: this was only the first bite of the first drive in the entire rack! She resented that her superiors seemed to think of her as a bottomless recycle bin. Besides, work of this nature came up rather infrequently. Reacclimating herself to the sensation of eating was always a touch uncomfortable.

She powered through regardless, knowing the feeling would settle as she got further underway. She brought the drive back up to her face, taking another bite further into the plate, as though she was gnawing off segments of a particularly thick chocolate bar; with her other paw, she disengaged another drive from the rack. She nibbled off the last morsel of data from the first drive and brought the second immediately to her maw; it was… more efficient to do it that way. As fast as possible. The sooner she could get all these units formatted, the better, of course.

Replacing the first, now-empty drive, she replaced it in its slot and reached for a third as she chewed on the second. On and on she went, paws working in perfect unison to maintain an unbroken chain of drives to deplete; she might have compared herself to a juggler if her cheeks weren’t already burning from the indignity. Electrons slid down her tongue—her mouth was watering more than she cared to acknowledge—and down the back of her throat. Bite. Swallow. Bite. Swallow. Replace. Switch. Bite. Swallow. Bite.

Her pace only increased as she continued. Of course it would. A computer performs better after it’s had time to warm up, after all. And, of course, she simply wanted this to be done and over with as quickly as possible. It was a mercy that she didn’t need to pay any mind to her volume controls, as far away from any other personnel as the data center was. Not that she was paying attention anyway, fully-focused on completing her task as she was. Nobody—not even herself—would notice the muffled mmphs and nnffs she made as she pressed on.

All the data on the disks had to go somewhere, and it was at this point in the process that that tended to become apparent. Beneath the fur on her chest, meticulously brushed and fastidiously fluffed, her breasts became gradually more prominent. At first, the tuft was enough to mostly obscure them—after all, so what if she seemed slightly fluffier that day?—but was soon outpaced. Electrical charges by the millions, now unmoored from their tidy array inside the drives, now sloshed into her, taking up more and more of her own storage space. In short order, the fluff was scarcely enough to cover just her cleavage.

One third of the way through the server rack, now. Still, her pace only increased, one drive in each paw.

Her thighs were already rather prodigious. They were the majority of her curves, under normal circumstances, and she took some pride in the matronly figure that she cut as a result. Now, they pressed closer and closer together beneath the skirt of fur that she sported, the conical abstractions of her lower extremities widening bite by bite (and byte by byte). They pressed further and further outward, straining the “garment” itself, pushing the hem further and further up along her legs; the circular patterns on her hips, reminiscent of loading symbols, became distorted, stretched. She would have thought it was a crude change, not unlike resizing an image file with improper scaling—if she were capable of focusing on anything other than the gigabytes upon gigabytes she was so doggedly downloading.

Well over halfway now. She was shoving storage into her maw two at a time, with both paws. If she was able to hold more drives at a time, she would have; as a matter of fact, it didn’t stop her from trying.

The largest component of her directory—her midsection—naturally took the brunt of the new load. Slowly, the soft, icy-blue fur of her tummy billowed out, first simply swelling as her stomach filled, then folding onto itself, rolls smushing down on each other under their newfound, still-growing weight. Soon enough, she found herself pressed up against the lower racks of the server, though even in her focused state, she hadn’t realized that she had stepped closer. She hadn’t moved any closer, of course, but she needed to step further back regardless: she found that she was beginning to struggle to bend over, straining against herself to reach the lowest-mounted drives in the array.

Finally, heaving for breath, she extended her paw for another drive and found none remaining that needed to be cleared. She blinked and, once she was more aware of herself, pushed down a sense of disappointment. Instead, she straightened herself (allowing the new mass to settle to a stop after the motion), dusted her skirt, and conjured a good riddance air about herself as she closed the server door once again. She could still find pride in a job well done, even if she was loathe to do the job.

As she stepped out once again into the hallway, ensuring that the door was securely closed—not that there was a single trace remaining of anything sensitive that had been stored there—she folded her hands behind her back and surprised herself with a burp that was most definitely ladylike. One paw flew to her snout as it echoed down the hallway, both in shock and to hide the near-glow of her cheeks. She glanced in either direction: mercifully, still vacant. Her shoulders slumped in relief, one of the rare occasions on which she relaxed her posture. Thankfully, nobody but her would know that she’d had to do one of her dirtier jobs today. She set off back the way she had came, her footsteps now playing at maximum volume—not even a clack anymore as much as a clomp.

Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed it =^w^= If you'd like to see more of my writing, have a look here and here!

[bluegekk0]

When the twins are old enough, would they take any part-time jobs? And since I am on the topic, what type of jobs would even exist in a recovering Hallownest?

Hmm that's a very good question, and I thought about it a bit in the context of Dirtmouth, so that's what I'll focus on here. This is a long one so I'll hide it under a read more.

Generally, most of the jobs in Dirtmouth revolve around producing goods to sustain the community, especially food and building materials, rather than just earning geo. Despite the harsh climate, there is a rather big farm in the town, which I imagine is tended to by multiple bugs. This includes crops and farm beasts (for example Mamoths produce wool which is sheared for clothes, blankets and house insulation; there are also other animals I haven't designed yet which are kept for food), so multiple Dirtmouth bugs would find work on the farm. Alcohol such as mead would also be produced, which is then sold at the market (though later in the timeline there is also a local inn/bar where Dirtmouth bugs can come to wind down and enjoy their time).

Nearby, a mountain stream flows and so a water mill was constructed there. This connects to a lumber mill, which produces wood for building purposes. The wood is collected from a forest that grows on the mountain slopes and extends to the Dirtmouth valley, and so there are some bugs whose job is to cut and transport the it to the lumber mill. Stone is also cut there, which is another building material necessary for the town.

It's worth mentioning Vyrm here, as his workshop hobby turned into his job. His workshop connects to his house and a small shop where he takes orders for item repairs, particularly watches and similar mechanical items, and sells his craft (new watches, clocks, toys, anything else mechanical). For that, he needs a supply of metals, tools, nails and other materials, which naturally implies the existence of blacksmiths and miners who gather ores to then smelt them into metals and craft that metal into tools.

Other jobs include hunters, gatherers, medics, and anything else the Dirtmouth bugs need. Confessor Jiji is the town's medic, which requires her to buy herbs and medical tools for her work. Though considering how valuable her position is for the well-being of the town, perhaps she's offered goods and supplies at no cost, in exchange for any medical help or advice she gives the town bugs.

The food from the farm and the hunters-gatherers is available to all Dirtmouth households, either in exchange for other goods (such as farm tools) or geo. Ogrim in particular is interested in a consistent supply of food ingredients, as he runs a diner-like place which serves meals for the Dirtmouth folk, as well as any traveling merchants.

Speaking of merchants, this is another form of job which earns geo. Dirtmouth has a small market near the tunnel entrance to the underground, which connects to the Hallownest trading route. This is where goods produced by Dirtmouth residents can be traded for goods from other regions, or sold for geo. Traveling merchants from outside of Hallownest also stop here to sell their rare items in exchange for geo, food and other items not found elsewhere. The trading route is a source of goods which can also be sold in shops, particularly Iselda and Cornifer's shop, though I imagine there are also other shops opened as Dirtmouth's population grows.

The Troupe is a source of entertainment for the town, as they're essentially a theatre. Most of their profits come from performing in other kingdoms, which are then distributed among the Grimmkin or spent on supplies, though they do also perform during town festivities at no cost. Divine is worth mentioning here, as her Troupe costume designing job morphed into a general clothing production - she buys wool, beast hides and similar items, and then takes orders for new outfits; she also has a representative who sells the wares on the market (as she rarely leaves her hut). Grimm is their boss, and he too has work responsibilities - lots of paperwork, as I mentioned in the past. And because the Troupe is now permanently located in Dirtmouth, this also means that non-Grimmkin bugs can find work there, usually small jobs like cooking or cleaning, for which they earn geo from the Troupe profits.

I won't claim to be an expert in economy, there are definitely many holes in this idea and I will most certainly expand on it, but generally I imagine Dirtmouth to be somewhat self-sustaining when it comes to jobs. The trading route does play a big part, but the sense of community is the primary driving factor. All the bugs supply one another with necessary materials for their jobs, food or services are available to anyone at little cost (often simply in exchange for other goods), and all the bugs contribute to the development and stability of the town one way or another. Despite it growing so much in the past 10 years, Dirtmouth is still a small town, and so this kind of arrangement works just fine. Everyone contributes in some way, and as a result, the fruits of their efforts are available to all of the town residents.

---

Since I already rambled about jobs and whatnot, I might as well talk a bit about the family and where they land in all of this.

As I already mentioned, Vyrm runs his workshop. This is where he repairs items such as tools, various mechanisms and toys. With a supply of materials from the local blacksmiths, the market as well as things Grimm buys on his travels, he can craft more advanced tools and other mechanical items, which he either trades in exchange for other goods, or sells for geo at his shop.

Grimm runs the Troupe and is responsible for managing the whole business. He has to make decisions about the Troupe's activities, which involves a lot of paperwork. He gets a share of the performance profits, especially if he himself stars in them, which he then spends to support his family - he earns the most geo in the family, which allows Vyrm to buy materials on the market, though Grimm also spends his geo in the local bar, Ogrim's diner and the market/shops. On top of that, he buys things during his travels to bring home, usually rare materials or gifts.

Hornet is a hunter and gatherer, she hunts beasts for meat, hides and other items which can be sold at the market or traded, and collects herbs and such for Ogrim, Jiji and to be sold for geo. I like the mental image of her easily annoyed self having her own little stand at the market where she sells things she gathered, and maybe even stuff like necklaces made from beast teeth/tusks/horns (which I'll elaborate on once I get to Holly). Plus the idea of Lewk joining her at the market is adorable and would be a great way to convince bugs to buy her wares (how can you say no to Lewk's cute little face?)

Holly is the artistic type, so I love the idea of them making necklaces, bracelets and other pretty things from various gems or beast parts, like the tusk necklaces I mentioned. Additionally, they have a little garden where they tend to flowers, perhaps they could grow some herbs and vegetables as well. The flowers can be made into bouquets and various decorations, which Hornet then sells at her market stand alongside the herbs from their garden (since Holly prefers to stay at home). The vegetables are used for food at the house, but Ogrim often buys them from Holly, which earns them extra geo. Perhaps they could also create paintings for those who wish to decorate their houses. Generally, their craft is more on the artistic side rather than being essential goods.

Zote is definitely a problematic case, since I can't imagine him having any consistent job. He wouldn't last long in any of them, he's not particularly good at things that are of any use. But he needs to earn geo to sustain himself - sure, he is part of the family, but he still lives separately and can't leech off of them all the time. So perhaps he would do part-time jobs here and there, for example he could help at the farm (the mental image of him trying to wrangle the sluggish Mamoths is really funny) or even at the Troupe as an assistant during performance rehearsals (a little nod to an old idea I had of him joining the Troupe to avoid dying of old age). Of course, all of these would end in a disaster sooner or later, especially considering his nasty personality, but at least he's not just a leech, he also contributes in his own way.

Lewk is too young to have a job, even part-time jobs, he attends the school ran by Quirrel so that's the closest to one I can think of. Though I do like the idea of him helping Ogrim in his diner from time to time, eventually becoming his apprentice as he's older. Plus, like I mentioned, he would join Hornet at her market stand. Similarly, maybe he would join his papa at the workshop whenever Vyrm is accepting orders, I love the mental image of Lewk being the one to talk to the clients and making them laugh (he's already much more less awkward than his wyrm dad hahaha)

Asta and Milo are way too young for work or even school, but I'll answer the first part of your ask here.

I like the idea of Asta working at the farm, I envision her adult self to be pretty energetic, very confident (if at times a little aggressive and very forward) and not afraid of getting her hands dirty, but with a sense of compassion. I think that would make her pretty good at handling farm beasts, big or small, and I could definitely see her enjoying this kind of work as I don't see her growing into someone who cares much about looking presentable. Either that, or she'd work at the lumber mill, as a teenager/adult she would be physically very strong, so she would do a great job there. Perhaps she'd try both and see which type of work she prefers, I definitely think she'd be a lot more eager to explore than her twin brother.

Milo will always remain physically frail in comparison to his peers, so I can't see him doing any physically demanding work. Not to mention, I imagine he would be quite a loner as an adult, he's already pretty grumpy now so I can see that growing into bitterness, which wouldn't make him especially pleasant to be around. He loves his parents dearly, though, and he would remain attached to them even as he's older. Perhaps he would be interested in helping Vyrm in the workshop, I could see him inheriting some of that nerdy personality. And his dad would be very happy to share his work secrets with him, not to mention being able to bond with his child. And Milo would also enjoy not having to deal with other bugs and just being able to focus on something he's actually good at, instead of constantly comparing himself to his stronger peers.

[inventors-fair]

Aftermath Eternalized: Tricks of the Grave Runners Up!

~

Our runners up this week are @cthulhusaurusrex, @hypexion, and @tanknspank!

@cthulhusaurusrex — Research Results

Forecast, Forecast, Forecast. As much as it's a dubious mechanic that should probably stay dead and buried, I can't help but like it anyway. And I can't help but like this card, too, because wow is this interesting. I'm not beating the bias allegations any time soon, but oh well. The card seems simple on the surface, but the idea of a counterspell you have to show your opponent you have is just such a fascinating concept. I wonder if the card can't be made a little stronger, honestly, given how much that's a downside. After all, the main strength of counterspells is that your opponent doesn't know whether or not you have one and has to balance playing their gameplan with being careful not to get caught out. Still, it's such a simple way to flip a dynamic on its head that I give it full marks. The flavor's a bit rougher, though. I'm admittedly a bit puzzled trying to make sense of the art description, and I feel as though it could've really done with a name more evocative than "Research Results."

@hypexion — Unexpected Edifice

Now we'll see who's really behind this incident! I just have to take off your mask, and...the Empire State Building?! Ninjutsu-ing in noncreatures is definitely a fascinating concept, and a land in particular hits a lot of the same notes as Zoetic Cavern and Branch of Vite-Ghazi. That is to say, using mechanics intended for nonlands to cheekily ramp. Good catch on modifying the reminder text to not include mention of it being attacking, too; wouldn't make a whole lot of sense for a land to be tapped and attacking. It's also kind of interesting in the context of ninjutsu, too. The general idea of ninjutsu is to trade up, so to speak: send in small evasive thing and swap for something bigger or more valuable that would've had trouble getting in on its own. Now that you're trading a creature for something that's not a creature and sacrificing combat damage, the dynamic shifts. I'm kind of fascinated.

@tanknspank — Temporal Acceleration

You're one of the few people this week who dared to touch exile, and I would consider this a huge success. We've seen something vaguely similar before, that being the cards that produce an effect every turn they tick down while suspended, encouraging you to keep them there longer. This one flips the script a bit, allowing you to gain some immediate benefit in exchange for delaying the eventual payoff. I am a fair bit concerned about if you choose to forgo the double strike and simply leave this in exile in perpetua as a Fervor that your opponent can't interact with (unless you're in a format where Pull from Eternity is legal, I suppose). A once per turn on the activation would likely help a lot in that case. It's tricky, because it's hard to mess with the numbers here all that much. Still, I like the concept enough that I want to see it balanced in the first place.

~

That's about it. As usual, I'll be taking questions in the #fair-talk channel of our discord all day if you have anything burning to ask me about your entry. See you there! —@spooky-bard

[molsno]

minecraft would need a lot of changes in order to be less colonialist, and I don't think it would even really be possible to completely strip the game of all colonialism (it still fundamentally is a terra nullius fantasy at its core) but I've been thinking a lot about how I personally would redesign it as a developer, and I have so many thoughts that if I were to list them all, this post would go on forever. so I think for now, I'll focus on one particular aspect: villagers and illagers.

as a disclaimer, these are just my personal thoughts. I wouldn't consider myself an expert on decolonization, so my analysis may very well be limited. I have a strong passion for storytelling through the use of game mechanics, and that's the angle I'm approaching this from. if I were planning to make any changes to minecraft (which I'm not), I would consult with people who know more than me about this topic first and involve them in the process. anyway, since this post turned out way longer than I expected, I've put the rest under a read more.

the primary critique leveled against villagers and illagers is that they're antisemitic caricatures. a lot has already been said about this, and I'm not jewish myself, so I don't particularly have anything novel to contribute to that conversation. I think that their models should be changed, and all forms of golems should be renamed. I believe there's a mod that renames them to constructs, so I'll be using that to refer to them here.

I think that overall, the biggest problem that villagers have is that you are not incentivized in any way to engage with their mechanics. the most productive and rewarding way of engaging with villagers is to ravage their homes and steal all of their valuable resources, then build slums so that you can shove a villager of each career into a 1x1 hole. to further benefit from this, you can make a zombie effectively kill them, then bring them back to life using a splash potion of weakness and a golden apple. they will then have discounted prices on all of their trades.

there are so many problems with this I don't even know where to begin. to put it simply, you are not incentivized to treat them as inhabitants of the world that are equal to you; you're rewarded for essentially turning them into slaves. this is a fate far more cruel, far more evil, than anything the pillagers do to them (which I'll get to later).

if I were designing the villager system, then the first thing I would do is make them less useful to you if you treat them like this. if you steal the resources from their village, including the items in their chests, then I think that should affect the trades they offer you. think about it: why would they have anything to trade with you if they don't have any resources in their village? if you completely restrict their movement, then they shouldn't trade with you at all; how could they? on top of that, they should fight back! if you start mistreating them, then nearby villages should start taking defensive measures, like building walls around their villages to keep you out and iron constructs to fight you if you attempt to enter. I think this would further humanize the villagers by conveying that they communicate with each other, that they have thoughts and feelings beyond just desiring emeralds. and indeed, having other villages respond to your behavior would demonstrate that they communicate with other villages, not just as trading partners, but as allies.

speaking of trading, it desperately needs to be overhauled. I think one of the reasons people tend not to engage with trades is because villager trades are generally terrible deals, and that's mostly because emeralds are an extremely rare ore. yes, you can obtain emeralds through trading, but the quantity is never enough. the minimum number of emeralds an armorer who hasn't been zombified and healed will ask for in exchange for an enchanted diamond chestplate is 21. given that emeralds are quite literally more rare than diamonds, it makes far more sense to spend your time mining diamonds than mining emeralds to take advantage of that trade. you will likely find 21 diamonds far quicker than you would find 21 emeralds, and with 21 diamonds, you could create 2 chestplates and 2 enchanting tables, and still have 1 diamond left to spare. and most villager trades are similarly worthless! I think that increasing the generation rate of emeralds would help assuage this problem.

another issue I have with villagers is that they're generally depicted as "primitive". they live harmoniously with nature, which is good; considering the fact that the main audience for minecraft is children, I think encouraging kids to see value in protecting the natural world is a good idea. however, the villagers as they are don't really demonstrate this idea, and many of minecraft's game mechanics actually encourage you to destroy nature in order to extract more resources. I think that showing the villagers using more sophisticated technology would demonstrate that it's possible to collect resources more efficiently and sustainably without destroying the environment.

the main way that I would go about demonstrating this is adding redstone devices to villages. perhaps they could have farms that use pistons to release water that automatically harvests the grown crops and delivers them into a chest using hoppers. or maybe they could have houses that are lit automatically at night using daylight sensors and redstone lamps. maybe armorers' houses could have automatic smelting mechanisms. perhaps they could have a redstone clock that rings the village bell at set intervals to indicate the time of day. not only would all of this demonstrate that the villagers are capable of using technology, it would also teach the player what redstone does and how it can be used, which is something that minecraft sorely needs; as it stands, there are almost no uses of redstone in natural world generation. I think this would additionally demonstrate that technology is a very effective tool in making the lives of people easier, without destroying the environment through extractionist practices.

I think this is a good segue to talk about illagers. it seems to me that the primary purpose of illagers is to contrast them with villagers by making them more violent, and in many ways, colonialist. I think that expanding on this would be a great idea!

if villagers had redstone devices, for example, then illagers could have more complex redstone devices that are more destructive and unethical. while these would undoubtedly produce more resources, their negative effects would be made more apparent. for example, they could have automatic chicken cooking farms that produce enormous amounts of pre-cooked chicken, but the meat is of a lower quality - perhaps restoring fewer hunger points and with a lower saturation value, and has a noticeable chance to make you sick when you eat it. perhaps they can have tnt dupers that are used for tree farming, but leave giant ugly craters in the landscape. perhaps pillagers could construct large rail networks that disrupt the landscape and make those areas spawn fewer wild animals. they could have giant, ugly farms for resources like wheat, pumpkins, and iron that produce low quality items in an obviously unethical way.

further, I think that illagers need to be more destructive. they're already an unpleasant sight due to their hostility, but I think that their presence in an area should be felt even when they're not physically there. for example, abandoned mineshafts should have ominous banners hanging at the entrances, and all of the ores that were in them should have been mined out. there should be large, barren fields with empty canals for water where nothing grows anymore, indicating they used it for farmland until the soil was no longer useful. there should be giant holes in the ground that go deep into the stone layer, indicating they used to mine there until they extracted all of the ores they could.

on top of that, I think that making the world more responsive to the players' actions by changing the appearance rate of illagers would do wonders to encourage the player to take care of the world. if the player frequently raids villages, then nearby villages should become more and more hostile until they eventually decide to compete with the player by engaging in more extractivist colonialist methods themselves, thereby turning them into illagers.

essentially, if the player chooses to play the game as a colonizer, then the inhabitants of the world will respond in turn, and begin acting in the same ways to secure power for themselves. pillager patrols would become more common the more destructive the player becomes, and they would become more destructive and powerful themselves, acting as a real threat! if the player has fully enchanted netherite armore and tools and engages with the world in a destructive way, then illagers should do the same and gang up on them in order to take over their home and steal their resources. in effect, colonizing the world would be extremely punishing, as it would make minecraft a more frustrating experience.

it's disappointing that minecraft doesn't have any of these mechanics, because without them, I struggle to see how the message minecraft communicates is anything other than "colonialism and extractionism are good and rewarding". mojang seemingly wants to portray the world of minecraft as a beautiful world of nature, but the game is not at all designed to encourage you to view it that way. every feature in minecraft is treated first and foremost as a resource to be extracted in the most efficient way possible, and it's really troubling. it's not at all surprising, given that the game was initially designed by a white supremacist, but while mojang has attempted to distance themselves from him publicly, his philosophy is still central to the game's mechanics. minecraft is by no means unique in this regard, as many video games are built around these ideals, but as one of the most popular games of all time, I feel it's a grave mistake to reinforce these philosophies, especially in the minds of children. I don't necessarily think my ideas are perfect solutions, but I think that at the very least, it's worth acknowledging the problem and trying to come up with alternatives.

[corellianhounds]

i think people are so focused on din being such a good dad (or daddy) that they forget that he really doesn't care about other people (not related to him in any way) in general. he saved villages and towns because he was paid to or he gets something in exchange, not from the goodness of his heart. this says a lot about his moral compass as a character and i love that about him. so many people think he's kind and caring because they only ever really see him with grogu but outside of that he's a cold and calculating individual who can be merciless in his job.

I do think the focus of the character skews in favor of those first two options in fandom like you said, but I’d disagree in saying he doesn’t care about other people beyond what transactions he has with them; the flashbacks he has of Aq Vetina highlight the fact the Mandalorians showed up to save people who couldn’t save themselves, and those are the people he was then raised by. They’re a community-oriented people, and though they’re wary of outsiders for good reason, supplemental SW material says they’re generally not openly hostile unless somebody else throws the first punch, and hospitality extended to friendly allies or strangers is encouraged. Mando says “Thank you” a lot and that speaks to more than just good manners to me. He builds relationships. If he didn’t care about people, he wouldn’t have formed a connection with or gone back for the kid in the very beginning, which I think speaks the most to his character because that kind of care isn’t born in a vacuum.

The longer answer is that though we know Mando specifically cares about his clan and covert, I think that sense of community and the desire to see other people safe extends to the Sorgan village and Mos Pelgo too, same as it does to the individuals he makes friends with along the way.

Peli had already fixed his ship by the time he got back to the hangar that night in “The Gunslinger” and if she hadn’t, there’s plenty of other mechanics on Tatooine; if he only cared about the kid, he could’ve shot Peli to get her out of the way the second he saw the three of them so he could get a clear shot of Calican. He also didn’t have to overpay her to make up for the trouble before leaving, but money is also one of the only ways he CAN smooth over the problems he causes people so that’s all he could do there by way of apology

He could have just killed Cara Dune when she attacked him first, but he didn’t pull his gun until she did and still retained the presence of mind to see if a truce could be found since she also didn’t shoot the kid the moment she saw him, nor did she use his own distraction to get a shot in

The guilt trip the Frog Lady invokes by appealing to his sense of family and holding him to the reputation of Mandalorians being honorable and keeping their word wouldn’t have worked if he didn’t care about her beyond what information he thought he already wasn’t going to get because their situation seemed hopeless.

He didn’t have to let the crew in “The Prisoner” live if he didn’t think everybody— even the people who betray him— deserved at least one chance. He could’ve killed Karga at the end of “The Sin,” but he specifically shot Karga where he knew for a fact Karga had beskar shielding him.

He’s sad when it becomes clear IG-11 is going to sacrifice himself in the finale, and he made it a point to give Kuiil a proper burial.

Part of the reason everything he does feels transactional is because 1. Trading and working have been his primary interactions with people as a lone hunter who spends the majority of his adult life working paycheck to paycheck, and 2. Mando shows his care for others by doing things. His abilities and actions aren’t just currency, but the loudest way he has or knows how to show his care or gratitude. He’s not big on words or physical touch (lone hunter/survivalist, emotionally reclusive, guarded Mandalorian), he can’t afford to spend time with people and likely knows the reputation and staunch refusal to remove his armor and helmet make it hard to connect on a personal level and be good company in casual settings (best shown in how he never eats around anybody, except the kid), and he lives a meager life with few creature comforts himself, so any physical gifts he can give or share are few and far in between, but are also practical and/or the results of the actions he took to acquire them (a better cradle and chainmail for Grogu, beskar for the covert, blankets for the Frog Lady, soup for Cara Dune in the lodge, dragon meat for Peli, heck even his willingness to relinquish the armor to Fett could fall under that category), and that same thought process tracks for gifts given to him or how he views them given between other people

Mando wanted to lay low on Sorgan long term and he asked after lodging in the farm village— If he didn’t care about the people when the job turned out to be bigger/more dangerous than anticipated, he wouldn’t have stuck around and risked his neck when he very easily could have moved on. He’s got a ship, he’s got fuel, it’s a big planet, and right now nobody’s chasing him. Instead he tells the village they have to pick up and move if they want to stay safe (which makes sense coming from a nomad whose own people, it’s implied, have had to relocate several times because of encroaching danger), which negates his whole purpose in coming to them in the first place if his regard of them is only transactional (if he really wanted to stay somewhere and needed their community to be that homebase, he would have started with the idea of telling them to cowboy up and fight so he could by extension stay there). He still could have ditched at any point, grabbed the kid and took off, but he didn’t.

Same could be said for Mos Pelgo. Those townsfolk were more capable than the ones on Sorgan, but their physical opponent is about a thousand times bigger than two dozen bandits and a Walker. Yes Din wanted the marshal’s armor, but realistically he shouldn’t have had to bargain with anything for it and would have been justified in fighting or killing the marshal and forcing him to give it up. The Krayt dragon is an absurd job from an outside perspective, and Din easily has fifty pounds on the marshal and would absolutely win in a close quarters fight; he didn’t have to agree to help the people of the town, and he never indicates that he’s going to double cross the marshal and take the armor while they’re out in the desert alone. Mando sees and respects how Vanth takes care of people and mediates between not just the townsfolk, but learns to mediate between the town and the Tuskens. Mando wouldn’t make it a point to be a mediator himself if he didn’t think the people around him were worth the peace, safety and cooperation he helps them find.

There’s a fine line the writers need to walk when it comes to characterizing him because he does have a resigned, realistic, occasionally harsh understanding of the world and how things don't always work out for people. He’s old enough in a dangerous galaxy to have experienced some of the worst it has to offer, and he can really only take things day by day without a guarantee of tomorrow— It gives him an objective understanding of the idea that you can’t save everyone, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try. Mercy often goes hand-in-hand with compassion. We have evidence of him stepping forward to protect people who can’t protect themselves (or spending valuable time and resources enabling them to defend themselves), and that typically doesn’t come from somebody completely detached from interpersonal connections.

His characterization and the writing start to break down a bit in Season 2 at a few different junctures; one of the biggest that comes to mind is “The Jedi” because they made Ahsoka the main character of that episode and didn’t tie Mando to anything concerning the main plot. His whole purpose in that episode WAS transactional because he was just providing backup for her to fight her own enemy so she’d take the kid as an apprentice. The writers didn’t connect him to the town or people or the plot happening there with the corrupt magistrate at all. (That's one of my big complaints with Season 2, the episodes where it feels like he’s being moved around instead of being the one driving the story). If Mando is the main character, you have to connect the plot of each episode to him in some way.

Why doesn’t Mando voice any concern over the citizens or situation in Calodan? Why are their interactions with civilians and the choice to save the people being tortured in the street relegated to barely a footnote within the plot? Why doesn’t he ask more questions about Elsbeth and how she got to be in power? Why doesn’t he voice any concern about being two people against a small army and a woman who— based on circumstantial evidence— must be a pretty formidable opponent if a Jedi has beef with her? What is Elsbeth capable of and should he be concerned?

If he’s only there to act as Ahsoka’s muscle and we don’t get anything about how Calodan affects him, then you as the writer have solidified that this whole chunk of story isn’t actually about him, it’s the third act in the samurai movie you actually wanted to make about this special new character who, in the end, you give an effective exit to go into her own show by having her go back on her word to the guy who should be the main character. (We as the audience don’t have to worry about that though because I guess Mando’s okay with it because he never says anything to the contrary. Another dead end with the barest flimsy offer of information sending him elsewhere. If Ahsoka can’t be trusted to keep her word, why should he believe anything she tells him after that? Mando should have been angry with her, and justifiably so.)

I guess my point here was that I’m picky about his interpretation when the writers/fans don’t quite strike the right balance between him being an intimidating, ruthless hunter as well as an intelligent person who can analyze each circumstance with a sense of restraint. They don’t know where to draw the line on his sense of mercy and end up making him a pushover as a result like in “The Heiress” and “The Jedi” and a few other S2 plot points (if not outright woobifying him).

Mando’s moral compass has a balance between justice and mercy, but because his character is hidden behind a mask and rarely speaks, we can only get so much from the rest of his body language and performance (and the aid of good cinematographers) alone, which means it’s up to the writers to have a clear idea of why he does everything he does in a scene. If they don’t have a clear sense of what this guy is thinking based on his character history up to that point, his actions aren’t going to convey the right story and it muddies the character for the audience in unintended ways, especially if that considerable change in his character is never resolved (see: same episodes listed above).

The second season opens with him going to Gor Koresh for information and having to fight his way out of a trap, but only after he gives the don the chance to back down. Gor Koresh doesn’t, and Mando’s retaliation is swift, just, and gruesome. Mando shouldn’t have put up with Bo-Katan manipulating him and changing the terms of their deal midway through the hijacking, and I think he should have jumped ship and left her to the consequences of her deceit as a result. I think the interactions he had with Ahsoka should have built in conflict because he should be at his most desperate, having finally found somebody he believes more capable than himself of caring for and protecting the child, and here she is refusing him (and in the end, breaking the terms she agreed to).

Both of those episodes push to the side how his character should be reacting in favor of getting to the right circumstances for Luke “Deus Ex Machina” Skywalker to show up at the end of the season as the Jedi who will train the kid (Oh hey audience, just ignore the fact Mando’s never met this guy, no one knows who he is when he arrives, and also he’s dressed like Moff Gideon when he shows up)

Not that I’m bitter. But I digress.

A good example of the writers actually giving Mando the voice to his change of heart concerning a conflict he started off with with another character is at the end of “The Tragedy” when the two of them discuss the armor and Fett’s claim to it. That interpersonal conflict has setup and meaningful closure given in a way that makes sense for Mando’s character based on what we know of him up to that point, where I think the other two episodes don’t resolve the characters’ conflicts in ways consistent with what Mando’s character should have thought and said once they broke the terms of their deals.

A lot of writers, showrunners included, sort of defang the justice side of him, and I mean justice not only in the sense of the law and him hunting down criminals, but justice in interpersonal conflicts too. The writers (and fandom) tend to neglect/overlook/not analyze the established characteristics of what makes him probably the best bounty hunter of that time: intelligent, analytical, observant, detached, patient, incredibly skilled, and efficient. He’s not gullible, and when it comes to people who are already criminals, he doesn’t have any qualms about tracking them down and dragging them back by any means necessary for payment (though if the showrunners had spent more time on that aspect of him, we could have gotten into how the justice system operates vis-à-vis who is declared a criminal by whom).

When he’s doing something dangerous with dangerous or more specific people in the monster-of-the-week adventure, he should be more intimidating, deadly, ruthless and capable, but at the end of the day he still needs to be the same person capable of soothing a frightened child. Finding the balance lies in the fact he shows innocent people compassion and gives guilty people mercy— And if that guilty party expends that chance, then we see the legendary bounty hunter who doesn’t stop until justice (his own or otherwise) is achieved. He wouldn’t give people those chances if he didn’t see them as anything more than what they’re worth in his pursuit of material gain.

[bed-of-ashes]

third life in the nature lives au

alliances!!!!

Shelby & Katherine: they live in one of the small dark oak forests on the map and give out mushroom stew as a silly trade. they throw their lot in with the witch's alliance and use potions quite a lot as well, and for the most part they just try to avoid being on anyone's bad side. Shelby does tend to pick fights with the other faction however and Katherine attempts damage control

Sqaishey, Netty, Stacy, and Lizzie: honestly this is the 2010s era alliance. they find a hill and make it as defensible as possible with lava and cactus, but they reject every other offer of alliance. because of this they don't make it super far and everyone raids their base

Pris, Eloise, & Cleo: the witch's alliance. they mainly deal in potions and enchants, so their base is a giant tower with many dispenser/pressure plate traps loaded with slowness + poison on the way up. their closest allies are Shelby and Katherine, and they share most of their resources with them

Jojo & Pearl: THE powerhouse. they take the desert and use the gravity mechanic of sand to their advantage. they're big pvpers so they don't do traps as much as they build an "arena" in the desert that they can use for the upper hand in battles. they're one of the big factions this season because of how dangerous they are, although Jojo takes it more seriously and Pearl is bigger on pranks

Gem, False, & Stress: they settle on the edge of the desert and maintain good relations with Jojo & Pearl. however, they do keep a lower profile, so they're less of a target and all three of them make it to the final battle.

how the games actually go

Lizzie is out first when red-named Pris follows her caving and takes her out. Lizzie's team is very upset about this and calls it a dirty move on Pris' part because there were greens + yellows she could have targeted instead. this leads to a big rivalry between these two alliances, and the extended witch's alliance eventually takes out Netty and Sqaishey as well. Stacy survives and runs to Jojo and Pearl as a last resort

In exchange for Stacy's allegiance, Jojo and Pearl declare war on the extended witch's alliance. this is a little more than the nature wives bargained for but Cleo strong arms Katherine and Shelby into it. the two sides on the server now look like this: {Katherine, Shelby, Cleo, Pris, and Eloise} versus {Jojo, Pearl, Stacy, Gem, Stress, and False}.

the stronger potions + enchants that the extended witch's alliance have means they are able to take out Pearl and Stacy, but the pvpers on the other side do overpower and kill that entire alliance.

While Jojo is weakened by potions, Gem runs in and one-hits her. As she, False, and Stress all catch their breath from the big battle, things start to calm down for a sec. False is the first to realize that they need to turn on each other. While Gem and Stress are distracted, she finishes them off, taking the crown as the first victor of the series.

False herself dies when she falls on dripstone. it's unsure whether this was purposeful or if, in her guilt-ridden state, she genuinely didn't notice the pointed stalagmites.

[y-rhywbeth2]

Is it ever revealed what Gortash got out of trading Karlach to Zariel? I’d assume it would be related to some sort of mechanical know-how he’s an artificer in my heart even if the game doesn’t really have that class option but also. My hc is that it’s directly related to him becoming Bane’s Chosen. The gods were picking their Chosen around this time, I think, and it would make sense that betraying a subordinate that trusts you with their life to a miserable existence of serving a tyrannical hell queen, in exchange for ambition serving power, would make Bane very happy. I could just be behind on my game lore, but I’m less familiar with how Gortash came around to Bane worship than I am with Durge/Orin (though those are rather obvious) and Ketheric.

Now that I’m typing this, I’m also confused about the mindflayer colony underneath Moonrise. How long has it been there? Did the Dead Three Chosen put it there intentionally, or was it just there and the Dead Three had a lightbulb moment? “Fellas, I know we’ve been plotting this world domination thing, and it’s just occurred to me that Shar has a guy whose house is overrun with Mindflayers. Should I dig him up?” -Myrkul in the groupchat

The fact that the Emperor/Balduran went there and was turned into a mindflayer really really muddies the timeline for me. Honestly, making the Emperor Balduran fucks up a lot of things, lore wise.

I'm pretty sure it's said somewhere that he got the schematics for the infernal engines, such as those in her chest, which he used to build the Steel Watchers. Not sure if that's in my head though. I don't think the game ever mentioned how Gortash converted to Bane, and information we might find on it isn't exactly reliable because the man's autobiographical notes are out of sync with other in-game information we find on the chosen, so anything he says should be taken with a grain of salt as half-truths and self-PR.

-

I don't think the colony has been directly under Moonrise for very long, though if you overlaid a map of Faerûn and the Lowerdark they might be in similar spots geographically (10-ish miles away, vertically).

Illithid primarily live in the Lowerdark; 10+ miles beneath the earth in conditions that are utterly inhospitable to most forms of life, including humanoids, half-way into the Shadowfell, in a lot of places, and would largely traumatise you beyond functioning if it didn't kill you. Small outposts occur in the Middledark, 3-10 miles down. You can find illithid in the Upperdark (extending from between the surface and the Middledark), but this region is mostly a trading zone, not really inhabited by the Underdark races in a settlement capacity. It's also the layer from which slave-taking raids are sent, which might account for Balduran. Maybe.

So the illithid colony moving into the Upperdark and building a colony directly under Moonrise is kinda weird. I guess there are some really good sea caves under that building because illithids hate the surface and the sun so much.

In a divine capacity, illithid are Ilsensine's domain, the Dead Three don't have a lot of sway here (and mind flayers don't often go in for religion - especially not for the gods of thralls.) If any of the Three had the idea to use mind flayers though, I'd expect it to be Bane (they're closest to his domain in theme).

I have genuinely no idea what's happening here, I don't think this much thought went into it. I would assume it works like this: Gortash and Durge eventually settled on "mind flayers" during the world domination brainstorming sessions (before or after acquiring the Crown of Karsus, who can say... Who even told them that existed, again? Was it mentioned in some texts somewhere? Were the Dead Three aware of it (Bhaal being Netherse, Bane having worked there)) And then they'd have to go deep beneath the earth - possibly all the way into the Lowerdark - somehow not die to a million hazards, get into an illithid city without dying or being enslaved, and then convince an Elder Brain to join the plan. Then the colony starts climbing upwards, as per the plan, and migrates to the Upperdark under Moonrise. Being situated over the sea, sea caves down there might provide a suitable environment for them (they need damn, dark, briny caves).

-

"Suprirse! Balduran is your mind flayer "ally"!" does feel a bit thrown in.

I'm still a bit surprised by the decision to make Balduran an elf, which could be canon to be fair, I've never seen anything on the guy, but I have always pictured him as human considering his namesake city is very much a human Tethyrian/Chondathan settlement. The elves were more populous back then, but the settlement was founded by humans and they very much do dominate and have for a while.

[theworldbrewery]

I just finished a 5 year long campaign on Saturday. I would describe myself as a hardass on the rules, up to the point that something worked within larger thematic parameters in the setting.

In practice, this meant that the game began with me being very strict on rules. Some things, like carrying capacity, were not worth tracking (especially once they got a bag of holding), but other rules, both official and house-rules, I kept to very closely. As the PCs became more powerful, I started offering them brief opportunities when something important wasn't going to go their way. Memorably, when a PC was about to die by mind flayer and lose her brain and drop concentration on the spell that was holding the boss monster at bay, I asked how badly she wanted to survive, and allowed her to make a sacrifice: the goddesses of luck had a problem with her using her Wild Magic subclass abilities to manipulate her fortune, so she gave up her subclass in exchange for surviving the attack (and got a new subclass later obviously).

This type of scenario worked because I established the possibility of 'trading' a consequence for a desirable outcome -- borrowing from other systems a little bit, where you can succeed at a cost. It fit into the mechanics and flavor of the Wild Magic sorcerer's abilities, but it broadened over time to include anyone willing to make a deal and give something up to get what they wanted.

That practice brought us to an underdark adventure where they found the place where sacrifices 'go,' metaphorically speaking, and set the stage for the finale in which the PCs broke with fate altogether and ascended to godhood to fight Bane to the death. I worked with them to build divine statblocks and what mattered most was the exchange. The sense of loss, thematically, that comes from achieving great feats of power that should be impossible. It builds on the most basic ideas of making sacrifices to a god to receive their support, and of destroying components to cast powerful spells, and turns them into a larger framework of magic and power.

But I still expected them to use spell components, and take fall damage, and remember you can't stack advantage or temporary hit points.

Once they ascended to godhood I relaxed the rules somewhat, to let them savor the power they'd gotten. But as mortal beings those rules represent their vulnerabilities, their relative weakness, the risks and rewards of adventuring. I always considered it necessary for my own peace of mind to be clear on the rules and on the interactions of mechanics, from the limits of dark vision and which hexes could be affected by a spell, but it also empowered me to be more flexible with the rules when specific, thematic moments came into play.

Rule of Cool can get weak when you rely too heavily on it. It takes away the stakes, which kills the fun. But this version of "Rule of Cool" expected the players to open themselves up to risk and change -- trying and failing to wake up a cursed archfey led the group's cleric to give up all his memories before the age of 10, trying to force an enemy to fail her Banishment saving throw made the bard swear to protect the cleric with their life (and be compelled to do so). The losses they suffered weren't punishments, but opportunities: what new subclass does the sorcerer take, and why? Do you throw yourself in front of a blow that would kill the cleric?

The role-play moments that resulted, the twists in the tale, were worth it, every single time.

I didn't accept pure mechanical sacrifices: the gods don't care about your melee weapon attack modifier. They had to give up something that mattered to the character. To understand what sacrifice really is.

And they sacrificed themselves, in the end.

[lady-bee-holmes]

Ok building off the tags in my last reblog, now that we know about the balance system, a lot of the previous episodes are starting to gain a new context. The Artist, Dice Master, Violinist, and Crypto-boi all had “statements” revolving around an exchange. The Artist exchanged flesh for beauty, the Dice Master exchanged misfortune and fortune, the Violinist exchanged blood for music, and the Crypto-boi exchanged safety for cold hard crypto cash.

What’s interesting is the internal/external issue in each of these statements. Both the Artist and the Crypto-boi gave themselves up in the exchange; she traded her own skin for a chance to ‘tweak’ her appearance, he traded his body for a chance at earning a quick buck.

But both the Violinist and the Dice Master gave someone else up for the exchange. Someone else faced misfortune, someone else’s blood fed the violin.

Now the question is, what type of entities are behind this? Are we seeing two antagonistic entities vying for control, two complementary ones pushing and pulling each other? Maybe one entity with two opposite sides? How is this balance mechanic going the impact this world?

[jaysterg5]

Xenozoic Tales Vol. 1

by Mark Schultz

After the Cataclysm, the Earth has reawakened and the dinosaurs walk the world again. But man still has some artifacts of old civilization - ruined cities, firearms, and mechanical marvels that power the cities and can move him around this new world. But there are still dangers around every corner, and you need a man like Jack Tenrec to keep you safe.

Quite the phenomenon in the late 1980's and early 1990s, this book reprints issues one through six and includes the very first Xenozoic story from Death Rattle #8. The first issues featured two stories each and served to really set up this world. In fact, this entire volume is Schultz world-building and establishing his characters. The world is a different place and much technology has been lost in the 500 years since the Cataclysm. Some people retain the ability to work with machines, but others have degenerated to a hunter/gatherer state. While people still huddle in cities, the interior of the land is very wild and dangerous and hides many unique secrets.

While there are still scientists hoping to bring mankind back to a greater form of civilization, there are also criminals and politicians that only look out for themselves. The more things change, the more they stay the same! The complexities of this new world only offer more issues and more conflict.

Jack Tenrec is a mechanic and a de facto leader in the tribe of the City by the Sea. While he chooses not to be an official member of the government, others look up to him and respect him for his ideals. He warns that people should live in concert with the world, not try to change it for their benefit, but those in power don't often listen until it's too late. Jack's affinity for machines has him living and working in a garage separated from the rest of the city, where he works on his archaic vehicles and converts them to guano power from whatever those ancients used. Cleaner energy for sure!

Jack is introduced to Hannah Dundee, an ambassador and something of a scientist from the distant land of Wasson. She seeks to initiate trade and knowledge exchange between the tribes. She is insatiably curious and headstrong. Just like any woman should be in the post-Cataclysmic world.

There's a lot of commentary in the undertones of the book, and some that's not exactly undertones as well. This book forms a cautionary tale about ecological and political disaster that we can still take to heart almost 35 years later. And all of it is draped in a lot of pulp action and gorgeous line art.

Schultz is in the same category of the Dave Stevens (The Rocketeer), Al Williamson (Flash Gordon), and Milton Cannif (Terry and the Pirates). His art style is gorgeous with detailed lines and a style that borders on the cheesecake. You won't find any ugly women in this series! He takes special care in rendering the animals and dinosaurs as well, and his backgrounds are full of detail and shadow that just draws you into this world. From complex machinery that has a real Jack Kirby feel to the expanses of the Xenozoic world, each panel is a joy to explore. This book is worth your time even if you don't want to read the story. Just page through it and absorb the artwork.

Filled with monsters, machines, and mysteries, Xenozoic Tales is certainly worth a read. Escape the current world for an afternoon and disappear into Mark Schultz's creation. You won't regret it.

[definitelynotshouting]

Hi!! Hello!! Your worldbuilding has once again enchanted and fascinated me! But I have no one to talk to about mcyt-related worldbuilding so I’m just going to (definitelynot) shout (ha ha. I’m funny.) at you if that’s ok!!

Ever since I found this fandom I’ve been fascinated by how to deal with video game mechanics in writing, and I’ve found it a very interesting ongoing puzzle, to come up with worldbuilding or lore to explain the more mechanical, coding-based stuff and cover up the fact that the characters are in a videogame. I think that’s part of why I love your worldbuilding so much, because you went in completely the opposite direction, and made Code the base, the reality-fabric, of all the rest of your universe! It kinda blew my mind!

Anyway, the player inventory and in-game chat are two of the most glaringly Video Game mechanics, and two of the first that I came up with explanations for, which is why I (like Tango) latched onto those few lines and details about them in chapter four. For me, they’re both explained by the very flexible fabric of reality inherent to server-words. Because reality is so easy to manipulate (and be manipulated without breaking down) in these worlds, it’s easy for Players to simply open a small personal pocket dimension they can store stuff in. (The same way it’s easy to make something float by just leaving it there and taking away what connects it to the ground) the chat happenes basically the same way. Server-worlds allow for a very shallow telepathic link across all players that everyone experiences a little differently (you might see it scroll across the inside of you arm, look at it in the corner of your vision, actually hear it quietly in your head, etc.)

But that’s a lot of My Ideas, I am, in fact, here because of Your Ideas. Because I’ve alway seen them as sperate things, and I am So Curious about how you’ve linked them. The chat being on external comms on a watch or phone-like device seems pretty common in the fandom, but linking them the way you have — in that you can’t have an inventory without a comm — raises so many questions!! (/pos) how do they work? Are they mechanical? Magical? Natural? Bio-magical? If they were something that needed to be invented, who invented them? How long have they been around? What did people do before then? How does a new player get their first comm/inventory? If comms can comunicate across worlds, could they theoretically take their inventory across worlds/servers as well? Is cross-void trade a very dangerous, but lucrative, profession? Do they have to exchange comm-phone-numbers or can they immediately contact anyone they’ve ever met? If you have stuff in your inventory and you loose your comm, do you lose the stuff too? Or does it transfer like an ender chest? Could someone else steal your inventory by stealing your comm? Does a player have to attune to a comm like a dnd magic item? How common is it to have to build a new one?

I’m gonna stop now because this is really long, it’s 11, and I Will just keep thinking of more questions. I’m so intrigued by this!! Those few little lines have completely captivated me with their potential!! I’m excited!!

(Sorry if this had a bit too much of my own personal worldbuilding ramble, I just really wanna talk to someone about this stuff!)

Ive been 👁️👁️ at this ask since you sent it in and first of all im so sorry the autism won for a bit and kept me from answering your questions, second of all i think your worldbuilding is SO NEAT :DDD this is SUPER COOL i love your ideas, comms being a telepathic link is so interesting to me!!! Also, im intensely flattered that you like the direction i took with hunger au's worldbuilding so much!! I've been having a lot of fun sorta marrying biology and irl physics with computer programming-based building building blocks for this universe, to the point where im actually starting to put together a legit glossary in my masterlist doc to keep it all straight in my head 😂😂😂 it's an interesting challenge for me to try and meld all these things together so i can make something that feels completely different from our world without losing its relatability, so im super glad you're appreciating it!!!

These are a lot of questions im gonna try and answer all at once, so i'll put it beneath the cut so it doesnt clog people's dashes LMAO

So firstly, the way i view communicators is,,, okay dont laugh too hard but i literally just visualize them as pip boys from fallout SKDNJWNDJS for some reason ive NEVER been able to shake that mental image, so ive just sorta accepted that into how i view them for hunger au. Personally, i see them as sort of a... mishmash of the bio-mechanical, something that isnt QUITE a direct part of them but is very much attached and integrated with their code. So its not like an organ, but an interface, i guess-- comms are how you can access an inventory, which is basically just hammerspace the way you've already described it, and where you can change your own surface code, and its also just... the way Players are able to interact with the worlds around them.

You also send messages with comms, but instead of there being anything like phone numbers, you're forming a direct link between your comm and someone else's!!! Not telepathic the way you've done with your worldbuilding, but because i see comms in this universe as something that latches onto and interacts with your code, its still a very important connection. Once connected, you can talk to that person all the time through your comm, even if they arent currently on your server-- although I do think that this only extends to when youre within the same server cluster.

As for how Players get them in the first place: for spawned Players, they just spawn in with them. Thats where the bio part comes in i think, and its a little hard for me to explain the way i view it, but its something like... i guess a bit like when moons form around planets. The code of an entity has a certain weight to it, and when a Player and their singleplayer world spawns in, the comm does with them, already attached and integrated with their code. For birthed Players, its very different-- they arent born with a comm, so they need a comm made, and then integrated with their code by a skilled code wrangler. It is VERY tricky to make a comm-- theyre incredibly fiddly, super hard to code without mistakes, and they take an extraordinarily long time to put together, let alone integrate properly with someone's code. Im not sure the word dangerous is the most accurate term here, but there are potentially harmful consequences if you integrate a poorly made comm with someone's code.

As for inventory transfer, i think you can bring stuff in your inventory from one server to another. This is mostly used for personal items or gifts, i think-- Player culture and attitude generally emphasizes fun, and whats more fun than giving someone something special that you made/got for them, or bringing a little memento with you from an old world you want to remember?

Theoretically, im sure there are Players who bring supplies or previously used tools with them to new worlds, but i think most Players like the excitement and challenge of starting fresh. It all depends on the person and the community culture surrounding that server if its a multiplayer. Cross-void trade is probably definitely a thing, but i dont think its necessarily very dangerous, just something more personal that you'd do for yourself or for a friend rather than any kind of business model.

As for someone being able to steal a comm, i dont think you can if its attached to the Player it belongs to, because at that point its basically a part of them. They can take them off, though, so someone could potentially steal it then, but unless theyre a skilled code wrangler and can crack into it, i dont think it would work for them or let them access that person's inventory. It would, however, be an incredibly effective (and cruel) way of controlling someone's actions and where they can go/who they can talk to.

This is why, ultimately, lost comms are a huge deal; losing your comm is literally losing access to pieces of yourself, your world, and your community. And while as a Watcher, Grian doesnt technically need a comm to access his code or enter other servers, he does still need it to keep in touch with other people and facilitate those community bonds, as well as keep an inventory. So yeah, Tango fretting over Grian losing his comm was very much warranted.

AAAAAAA THIS WAS VERY LONG i hope it was worth the wait!!! I know you sent another question but im gonna answer that one separately later since its about a different subject, and this is already SOOOO MUCH RAMBLING on my part. Thank you for sending these asks, and you are absolutely welcome to ramble at me as much as you want!!! :D

[tokenlauncher]

A Comprehensive Guide to Solana : How to Buy Meme Tokens & Using Solana Meme Coin Maker

Introduction

In the dynamic world of cryptocurrency, Solana has emerged as a powerhouse blockchain platform known for its high speed, low fees, and scalability. Whether you’re a seasoned investor or new to the crypto scene, understanding Solana’s ecosystem can open up numerous opportunities. This guide will explore how to buy Solana, delve into the world of meme tokens on Solana, and introduce you to our platform, SolanaLauncher, a cutting-edge tool for creating your own Solana meme coins.

What is Solana?

Solana is a high-performance blockchain that supports decentralized applications and cryptocurrencies. Launched in 2020, Solana aims to provide fast, secure, and scalable blockchain solutions. Unlike many other blockchains, Solana can process thousands of transactions per second (TPS), thanks to its unique Proof of History (PoH) consensus mechanism.

Solana: How to Buy

Setting Up a Wallet

Before you can buy Solana (SOL), you need a digital wallet to store your tokens. Some popular Solana-compatible wallets include:

Phantom: A user-friendly wallet with excellent integration for Solana dApps.

Sollet: An open-source wallet that offers advanced features for developers.

Solflare: A secure wallet with staking capabilities.

Purchasing Solana

Once you have a wallet set up, you can buy Solana from major cryptocurrency exchanges. Here’s a step-by-step guide:

Choose an Exchange: Select a reputable exchange like Binance, Coinbase, or FTX.

Create an Account: Sign up and complete the necessary KYC (Know Your Customer) verification.

Deposit Funds: Deposit fiat currency (like USD) or other cryptocurrencies (like Bitcoin or Ethereum) into your exchange account.

Buy Solana: Navigate to the trading section, search for Solana (SOL), and place a buy order. You can choose a market order for immediate purchase or a limit order to buy at a specific price.

Transfer to Wallet: Once you have purchased SOL, transfer it to your Solana-compatible wallet for security.

Exploring Meme Tokens on Solana

What are Meme Tokens?

Meme tokens are a type of cryptocurrency inspired by internet memes and cultural trends. Unlike traditional cryptocurrencies, meme tokens often derive their value from social media buzz and community engagement. They can be highly volatile but offer unique opportunities for investors who can identify viral trends early.

Popular Meme Tokens on Solana

Solana’s high-speed and low-fee environment makes it an ideal platform for meme tokens. Some popular meme tokens on Solana include:

SAMO (Samoyedcoin): Inspired by the Samoyed dog breed, SAMO has garnered a strong community following.

COPE: A meme token that aims to provide users with a sense of community and belonging, COPE has seen significant engagement.

Creating Your Own Meme Token with Solana Meme Coin Maker

Why Create a Meme Token?

Creating your own meme token allows you to capitalize on viral trends, engage with a community, and even raise funds for projects. Meme tokens can serve various purposes, from entertainment and community building to innovative financial instruments.

Introducing SolanaLauncher

Our platform, SolanaLauncher, simplifies the process of creating meme tokens on Solana. With SolanaLauncher, you can generate your own meme tokens in less than three seconds without any coding knowledge. Here’s how you can get started:

Sign Up: Create an account on SolanaLauncher and log in to access the token creation tool.

Fill in Token Details: Enter the required details, such as token name, symbol, and total supply.

Generate Token: Click on “Create Token” and your meme token will be generated on the Solana blockchain instantly.

Benefits of Using SolanaLauncher

Ease of Use: SolanaLauncher is designed for users of all technical levels. You don’t need any programming skills to create your own token.

Speed: Create and deploy your token in less than three seconds, thanks to Solana’s high-speed network.

24/7 Support: Our dedicated support team is available around the clock to assist you with any questions or issues.

How to Promote Your Meme Token

Build a Community

Community engagement is crucial for the success of any meme token. Use social media platforms like Twitter, Reddit, and Discord to build and interact with your community. Regular updates, engaging content, and interactive events can help foster a loyal following.

Leverage Influencers

Collaborating with influencers in the crypto space can help boost the visibility of your meme token. Influencers can provide endorsements, share your content, and help drive community engagement.

Provide Utility

While meme tokens often start as fun projects, adding utility can enhance their value and longevity. Consider integrating your token with decentralized applications, offering staking rewards, or creating exclusive content or services for token holders.

Investing in Solana Meme Coins

Research and Due Diligence

Before investing in any meme token, conduct thorough research. Understand the project’s goals, the team behind it, and the strength of its community. Be wary of projects that lack transparency or seem too good to be true.

Diversify Your Portfolio

Diversification is key to managing risk in the volatile world of meme tokens. Spread your investments across multiple tokens and other types of cryptocurrencies to mitigate potential losses.

Stay Informed

The cryptocurrency market is highly dynamic. Stay informed about market trends, news, and developments in the Solana ecosystem. Following key influencers and joining relevant communities can provide valuable insights.

Conclusion

Solana offers a robust platform for buying, trading, and creating meme tokens, thanks to its high-speed transactions, low fees, and scalability. Whether you’re looking to invest in popular meme tokens or create your own, Solana provides the tools and infrastructure to succeed.

With SolanaLauncher, generating your own meme token has never been easier. In just a few clicks, you can turn your idea into a reality and engage with a global community. By leveraging Solana’s strengths and following best practices for investment and promotion, you can capitalize on the exciting opportunities in the meme token space.

Start your journey today with Solana and SolanaLauncher, and be part of the next wave of innovation in the cryptocurrency world. Whether you’re an investor, developer, or enthusiast, Solana’s vibrant ecosystem offers endless possibilities. Don’t miss out on the chance to be part of this revolutionary platform.

[askvectorprime]

What is the story of stardrive in idw2019?

Dear Stardrive Seeker,

Not all newly-forged Cybertronians spend their early lives on Cybertron—always, there are those Cybertronians born with an instinctual thirst for adventure, who yearn to venture beyond the confines of their metallic homeworld. Thus, in the years following the War of the Threefold Spark, the Cybertronian government authorized the creation of a cultural exchange program between the Cybertronian commonwealth and some friendly galactic neighbors, an incentive program where newly forged Cybertronians could study abroad on a diverse range of planets, assimilating the local culture and language as part of a possible career in Xeno-Relations.

I should comment, briefly, on the history of the Solstar Order—it originated corewards of Cybertron, not far from the barricaded region of space known as the “Quintessence”, and expanded outwards not through conquest, but by carefully negotiating trade agreements and alliances with alien civilizations and gradually building a strong federation of many diverse species: Elonians, Intriessians, Karkans, and more. By the era of the Nominus Edict, the borders of the Solstar Order nearly bumped up against remote Cybertronian colonies like Velocitron and Omicron. Despite their proximity, the two star-nations had only ever enjoyed a strained relationship. The Solstar Order consolidated much of its recent power by absorbing the defeated remnants of other empires, smashed to bits by Cybertronian hegemony—in particular, a large contingent of Szorian refugees who’d seen their homeworld obliterated by the Titan Waypoint eyed the Transformers with a deep and abiding distrust. More recently, tensions flared when unscrupulous elements of the Cybertronian government conspired with the ambitious Natalus to abruptly declare that the planet Probat was a Cybertronian colony, despite the fact that no Cybertronians lived there—deliberately smashing years of careful accession agreements that would’ve seen the citizens of Probat join their galactic government.

Into this already-tense environment came Stardrive—already a model mentee with a rare triple-changing bodyframe, a knack for languages, and eying a possible career in Xeno-Relations—who announced that she would like to study abroad on the planet Elonia. The request, while highly unusual, went through, and before long Stardrive had arrived in Solstar space and enrolled in a xeno-linguistics program on the planet Ofsted XVII, with a minor in astro-navigation. Although she faced prejudice and even outright discrimination from many of her organic classmates—and indeed, more than one lecture hall had to be renovated so that she could fit into their classrooms—Stardrive persevered.

One day, Stardrive and her class were on a field trip to monitor the unique phenomenon known as the “Quintessence”, a seemingly insurmountable barrier of electrical energy that prevented the Solstar Order from expanding any closer to the galactic core. Suddenly, while monitoring the phenomenon aboard an orbital research station, Stardrive witnessed a bizarre astrological phenomenon: what appeared to be a nebula somehow shifted into a massive portal that crackled with arcane power, a gateway through which a new kind of shapeshifting lifeform came to attack their vessel! The creatures, their slug-like bodies immune to conventional weaponsfire, easily breached the station’s hull and devoured many of the beings inside. Those who survived were infected with toxic biomatter and converted into more of their kind. However, the invaders hadn’t prepared to deal with a Cybertronian, whose mechanical biology rendered her immune to their necrotic touch, and whose tight-beam plasma blasters could simply burn through their arcane biology. Fighting her way through the hordes, Stardrive piled as many students as she could—including their professor, Rom K’atsema—into her space fighter alternate mode, then beat a hasty retreat as the station exploded behind her.

By the time Stardrive limped back to Elonia, it soon became clear that the Solstar Order faced a grave crisis. The “Dire Wraiths”, as they were now called, had launched coordinated invasions of outlying worlds like Xeres and Buras, and lightly-armed planetary garrisons had already been overwhelmed. Although the Solstar Order’s celebrated diplomatic corps had long since assumed that they could defuse any problem with negotiations, it soon became clear that they were fighting an enemy that had no obvious means of communications, and would accept nothing less than total extinction. It soon became clear that the Solstar Order would need something new to combat the hordes… and, eventually, all eyes fell upon the one Cybertronian in their midst.

Before long, Solstar scientists had gathered enough firsthand testimony and video recordings to draw up a weapon capable of meeting the aliens head-on: a full-body suit of armor forged from artificially-synthesized cybertonium that would be cybernetically grafted to one’s skin, equipped with a plasma-blasting “neutralizer” powered by a miniature energon reactor. While the scientists referred to their creation as merely an “anti-Wraith battle armor”, it was Rom who joked that the suit resembled the knights of old—and so it was he who volunteered to become the first organic to undergo the procedure, and emerge as “Rom, the Space Knight!” Inspired by his example, other courageous members of the Solstar Order stepped up to undergo the process, and over time the efforts of these “Space Knights”, supported by Stardrive herself, gradually helped push the Wraiths back.

It soon became clear that Stardrive couldn’t fight alone; fortunately, the Cybertronian embassy on Elonia was able to pull the strings that would allow Sentinel Prime to authorize the deployment of the Wreckers on the technicality that the Dire Wraiths posed a threat to Cybertronian territory—namely, their embassy on Elonia. Supported by a hundred Space Knights, Stardrive and the Wreckers took part in the effort to take back Xeres, which had, by this point, been turned into a grotesque hive-world where billions of fast-breeding Wraiths reproduced. Their victory was pyrrhic; they were able to cut off the primary source of the infestation, but only by destroying the planet and scattering millions of Wraiths across their member worlds. The Solstar Order would have to prepare for a protracted war against the alien infiltrators, who'd already put down roots on dozens of planets—but Stardrive, honorary Space Knight, gladly agreed to support the Space Knights in their quest.

[govindhtech]

“Tales of the Shire” by Weta Workshop and Private Division

Introduction

Based on Middle-earth created by J. R. Tolkien, a fanciful new game named “Tales of the Shire” Designed by Weta Workshop and released by Private Division, the game which centres on Hobbit life is an interesting and odd experience. This novel perspective to the Tolkien universe has drawn enthusiasts, especially those interested in the Shire’s pastoral side. We’ll discuss the game’s development, fundamental gameplay mechanics, narrative, setting, and expected impact on gamers and Tolkien fans in this article.

Developing Background

Renowned for their work on visual effects and props in “The Lord of the Rings” and “The Hobbit” films, Weta Workshop has entered game production with “Tales of the Shire.” This amazing change in visual effects to game design reveals the company’s passion of Tolkien’s universe.. Wētā Workshop worked with Private Division, a publisher recognized for promoting innovative projects, to produce a realistic and engaging game that reflects the essence of Hobbit life.

Focusing on the Shire and its people gives Middle-earth games a new perspective. Many games in this setting have focused on big battles and grand missions, while “Tales of the Shire” focuses on Hobbits’ everyday joys and adventures, creating a peaceful yet compelling gameplay experience.

Game mechanics core

“Tales of the Shire” is a cosy life-simulation game inspired by “Animal Crossing” and “Stardew Valley.” As a Hobbit, players will experience the lovely Shire lifestyle. Farming, crafting, cooking, and Hobbit socialising are key gaming aspects. The game emphasises creativity, relaxation, and exploration, letting players fully experience the Shire’s beauty.

Farming and Gardening: Players will raise food and flowers in their gardens. This component of the game supplies cooking and crafting resources and personalises the player’s home. The straightforward and rewarding gardening techniques encourage players to try different plants and arrangements.

In “Tales of the Shire,” players can craft furniture, tools, and more. The building feature lets players customise their Hobbit hole, encouraging creativity and ownership. Explore and trade to gather materials for crafts and house expansion.

Players can create traditional Hobbit dishes in Cooking and Festivities. Social gameplay includes sharing meals with neighbours and attending local events, representing the Shire’s collaborative attitude.

Socialising with other Hobbits is key to the game’s charm. Community can be fostered through talks, favours, and community activities. The dialogue and exchanges are touching and sincere, showcasing Hobbit society’s hospitality.

Story and Setting

In “Tales of the Shire”‘s relative serenity, players can explore the Shire without violence or gloom. The game follows the player’s integration into the Shire community as a newcomer. Players will learn about Shire history, population, and traditions through quests and events.

The Shire is deliberately created to match Tolkien’s bucolic splendour. Beautiful hills, meadows, and villages set the scene for the player’s excursions. The architecture of Hobbit holes, farms, and communal places are meticulously detailed to create a realistic, true-to-source experience.

The game‘s soundtrack, with its serene and melodious Shire vibe, increases immersion. The music and nature noises provide a relaxing atmosphere for players.

Expected Effect

The gaming community and Tolkien lovers may be affected by “Tales of the Shire”. Its novel take on Hobbit living sets it apart from previous Middle-earth games that emphasise warfare and heroic missions. This serene and creative approach may appeal to casual gamers and those seeking a healthy gaming experience.

“Tales of the Shire” lets Tolkien fans explore the Shire in unparalleled detail. Fans of Hobbit life’s charm and simplicity will appreciate the game’s authenticity and embrace of Hobbit culture. The game lets players live as Hobbits and experience their daily routines and celebrations, giving them a new connection to Tolkien’s universe.

Tales of the shire Release Date

The forthcoming cosy Hobbit game, “Tales of the Shire,” is scheduled for release on October 4, 2024. This game, created by Wētā Workshop and released by Private Division, transports players to the enchanting Shire universe and provides an engrossing and touching experience. Enthralled readers of Tolkien’s works will anticipate discovering the gorgeous scenery, participating in a variety of activities, and getting to know well-known Shire characters. Make plans to embark on a lovely voyage through Middle-earth, ideal for anyone looking for a peaceful and captivating experience.

Conclusion

“Tales of the Shire” is a charming and original Middle-earth video game. It offers a new viewpoint on Tolkien’s cosmos by focusing on Hobbit life’s calm and uplifting qualities. The game, developed by Weta Workshop and Private Division, is greatly anticipated by gamers and Tolkien lovers due to its excellent quality and authenticity.

Players will enjoy the simple delights and strong sense of community of the Shire as they grow gardens, craft unique objects, prepare wonderful meals, and make friends with other Hobbits. “Tales of the Shire” will be more than a game it will invite you to dwell in a tranquil, beautiful, and friendly world. This game is a lovely and fascinating tour into the Shire for Tolkien fans and newcomers to Middle-earth.

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