#all together its a massive region of the world

[geges]

hello gege >< i was wondering if there are any posts about turkic costumes or culture, that i could read up on? theyre difficult to find ><

i'd recommend narrowing your search a bit first. turkic cultures are widespread, varied, and wildly diverse. our clothing, languages, and practices are very different, so you'll be better off finding a region of interest and going from there. in terms of general sources, i cant give you anything that a library isn't better suited towards. it's useful to go to a public library website (or zlib) and just search for some introductory books on a specific region

[asexxxualauthor]

So, Monster Hunter Wilds is on the horizon, and with it the 6th generation of the Monster Hunter franchise. And, as a fan of the Monster Hunter series since MHTri, here’s my list of the monsters introduced in the 3rd generation that deserve a return. These are in no particular order other than alphabetical.

1. The Final Bosses

Combining these all together since they all fill the same niche (and so I can fit all the monsters on this list), I’m just gonna go ahead and say a flat “no” for them. Final bosses basically never show back up again, and even if they did, these three will not. Ceadeus is a strictly underwater Elder Dragon, and Amatsu is strictly native to Yukumo. Dire Miralis could potentially work out, but he’s still semi-aquatic. Anyway, 0/10

2. Agnaktor

On the exact opposite end of the list is this lovely son of a bitch. Not only is Agnaktor not aquatic, it’s the exact opposite—it’s a lava-swimming wyvern, which is a whole subclass of frequently-used monsters. We already have Lavisioth as an option, and Agnaktor’s immature form—Uroktar—were available in MHRise, so why not? 10/10, should come back again

3. Duramboros

Duramboros is the first monster on this list that isn’t in total dire need of a return—it was available back in MHGenerations, and isn’t extremely unique or memorable. It wouldn’t be hard to add to the game—in fact, the ecology of Wilds’ regions do seem like they’d fit him well, but he wouldn’t exactly need it. 3/10

4. Gigginox

Oh, Gigginox—the Khezu’s more creepy, yet less disturbing little brother. Therein is a large part of the problem with Gigginox, in that its design is too similar to Khezu's—if a game is going to have one, it most likely won't have the other. However, despite having similar designs, their fights are completely different—so, bringing Gigginox back for the Forbidden Lands seems like the perfect opportunity to me. 8/10, bring the freakshow back!

5. Gobul

Gobul is an unfortunate victim of gimmickry. He's definitely a fun enemy—the encounter with him is memorable, he's extremely frustrating and fun, and being able to fish him up with a frog on a stick is so unique and interesting! And I could certainly see ways that reintroducing him for a Swamp region in Wilds could be done well—the problem is that so much of his design is tied to his flooded home, and having to navigate murky waters, that I don't think he's likely to come back. I'll put him at a solid 4/10, though, being hopeful.

6. Great Jaggi

Whenever a small predator monster is included in a game, and the game chooses not to include their mature form or pack leader, I die a little bit inside. Getting into Rise's desert region, seeing the Jaggi running around, and slowly realizing there was no Great Jaggi to beat up on broke my heart. Do I think there's any chance my boy will be showing up in Wilds, though? Not a chance in hell, there's nothing unique about him—unlike his cousins G.Baggi and G.Wroggi—that makes him worth bringing home again. 2/10

7. Jhen Mohran

I, personally, never got the chance to go far enough in one of the games to tackle one of the massive siege monsters—the closes I ever got was Zorah Magdaros, and from what I've seen from the community, that was a bit of a shit-show of a siege. Still, we are shown sailing on desert sands in the trailer for Wilds, and we already know the MH4 crew is tied up in this somehow, so maybe siege is back on the menu, boys! 5/10

8. Lagiacrus

Oh, Lagiacrus—yet another wonderful monster that was handicapped by gameplay gimmickry. Lagi is one of the most beloved monsters in the series—an odd thing to say, since he just barely made it into the gen after his. Without a sea to duel him in, he's locked to just his on-land combat, which is far less interesting to deal with. If we could get underwater combat back, I could see a world where he comes home, but that's not this one. 3/10

9. Nibelsnarf

Honestly, this is one of the monsters I can most see coming back with Wilds. Like Jhen, Nibelsnarf is a desert-dweller that loves digging through the sand—and there's plenty of sand to go around in Wilds first area! Not only that, but Nibelsnarf is perhaps the most bizarre monster to come out of the 3rd gen, and if there's one thing we've seen from the MHWilds roster so far, it's that they're a bunch of ugly, nasty motherfuckers—so he'll fit right in! 9/10

And of course, saving the best for last...

10. Qurupeco

Why, on gods green earth, has this bastard not left 3rd gen yet? He has such a colorful, unique design! His antics and mannerisms are so goofy and fun! The fact that he can parrot the calls of other monsters in the area and bring them barrelling down on you with the force of a hurricane itself is crazy, and makes for such a terrifying conflict—I genuinely do not understand why he isn't in more games—in all of the games—he deserves it!

10/10—11/10—15!! This bastard deserves to make Hunters' lives hell in the Forbidden Lands, I swear to god!

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Jess Craig at Vox:

After more than a year of neglect from global leaders and massive funding gaps for humanitarian assistance, the war in Sudan has reached a critical tipping point. Warring parties are waging a deadly battle for control of El Fasher — the capital of the state of North Darfur and, until recently, one of the last safe havens for civilians. If the city falls, experts warn there will be dire human rights consequences, ranging from ethnic cleansing to outright genocide for millions of people.

What’s happening in El Fasher is just the latest in the year-long conflict between two rivaling military groups struggling for power after working together to oust Sudan’s former president and his successor. General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, the general of the country’s military, known as the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), became the de facto ruler of Sudan in 2021 — but tensions with his temporary ally, the paramilitary group known as the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), soon boiled over as the leaders attempted to integrate the RSF into the SAF. This tension grew into a civil war last year, one that has created the world’s largest displacement crisis: On Monday, the United Nations told the AP that more than 10 million people — about a quarter of the population — have already been internally displaced since the war began. The SAF and RSF have clashed sporadically in El Fasher, which is the government military’s last foothold in all of western Sudan, but the town has largely been spared the worst of the war until recent weeks. That changed on the morning of May 10, when heavy fighting between the two groups broke out. Near daily bombings, indiscriminate shelling, and airstrikes have rocked the city since. More than 1,000 civilians have been injured and 206 people have died, according to Claire Nicolet, the emergency program manager at Médecins Sans Frontières. Hospitals and camps for internally displaced people have been damaged by gunfire and explosions. Very few aid convoys carrying food and health supplies have reached the estimated 2 million civilians in the city. 

As RSF has expanded its control of other towns in Darfur over the course of the war, they have resorted to ethnic targeting and brutal violence against civilians, including raping, torturing, and killing non-Arab civilians and using racial slurs against them, as Human Rights Watch has documented. Human rights experts are concerned that if El Fasher falls to the RSF, it might trigger a new wave of ethnic cleansing, reminiscent of the genocide that occurred in Darfur in the early 2000s when some 200,000 non-Arab civilians were killed by Janjaweed militias and government forces. The RSF evolved from the Janjaweed militia, an Arab-majority fighting force created by the former president to fight Darfuris in the mid-1980s. 

Although the current war between RSF and SAF is more of a power struggle than a sectarian one, ethnic tensions have long simmered in Darfur since the genocide, Akshaya Kumar, the director of crisis advocacy at Human Rights Watch, explained. If RSF gains the upper hand, they will control the entire Darfur region where most non-Arab communities reside.  The situation is all too familiar. As it was in 2003, the crisis teeters on the brink of famine and genocide. And as was the case then, the world’s worst humanitarian crisis remains unconscionably neglected by the foreign governments and international bodies that have the power to intervene to push for a peaceful resolution or to urge the warring parties to respect international humanitarian law. In the coming months, the humanitarian and human rights situation in Darfur and across Sudan may be finally too harrowing to ignore, but by that point, it may be too late to do anything about it.

Vox takes a look at the vastly under-covered story of the Darfur Genocide and the battle for control of El Fasher in Sudan.

[evelynpr]

Arlecchino Demo Music Analysis

DISCLAIMER: I am no musical expert in any way, just a massive fan of the Genshin soundtrack and learned music theory as a hobby.

One of my favorite things about Genshin is its music. It is not just that it sounds amazing, but each element, style, and motif has meaning and purpose- while being orchestrated and mixed to create a truly magnificent and unique musical experience. It is no exaggeration that this soundtrack is one of a kind.

Arlecchino's Character Demo has just been released, so I want to make a musical breakdown of it because I think it is a stellar example of how Genshin uses music to signify its themes and present its story. Before we get into that, there are ideas that I must detail for you to get the full picture, so I hope you enjoy!

Genshin uses musical elements to signify certain ideas (places, characters, elements, etc.). For example, Chinese and Japanese instrumentation signify Liyue and Fontaine respectively, but it goes beyond this.

"Travelers' Reverie" — Behind the Scenes of the Music of Sumeru | Genshin Impact

You may have noticed that a majority of Genshin's environmental music consists of real world instruments. There are even videos showcasing the orchestras and instruments of each nation (Mondstadt, Liyue, Inazuma, Sumeru, Fontaine), and using orchestral/live instruments even applies to other regions such as Enkanomiya, The Chasm, Golden Apple Archipelago, and etc. This gives each region a distinct musical identity, but all together it establishes them as places that are grounded and real.

During the final act of Fontaine's archon quest, we have been introduced to a new musical identity. This is Genshin's dubstep, and it has been used to signify otherworldly power. This genre not made by a real orchestra or real instruments, but through sampling (using existing sounds/music) and technology.

This is the identity in its most blatant form: (Shadow phase of the All Devouring Narwal boss fight)

This entire track symbolizes this. No other track within Genshin's world sounds remotely like it, symbolizing its otherworldly nature. It does not belong here- not with the live orchestras and melodic symphonies of Genshin's world.

Simply put, hardcore dubstep = otherworldly

Note: I am aware that many character demos and other tracks also use dubstep/EDM, but for the purposes of this post I think it should be left separate. Only if someone openly disputes this conclusion then I would happily oblige in presenting more evidence to this thru a reply or rb. Essentially, dubstep IS used in other tracks, but only in Silhouette of Catastrophe and Arlecchino's demo is the dubstep used as a"main idea", while also accompanied by heavy bass and "smaller intricate" sounds. This specific form of dubstep is what signifies being otherworldly.

Another musical element is children's singing!

In terms of the in-game ost, children's singing is used most prominently in Dragonspine's soundtrack in Genshin's world- and I will admit that I am not sure why that is. Perhaps Dragonspine has themes relating to innocence? Childhood? Tranquility? Whatever it is, I am not sure of. (If you have an idea, I would love to know!)

Instead, we can look at a certain character demo:

Nahida's! The beatdrop of her demo begins with children's singing. I believe this represents her innocent nature, status as a young archon, and the children of the forest that surround her- the Aranara.

Not only that, but the only other people in her demo are all children. Suffice to say, Genshin pays very close attention to using their music to reflect the themes and attributes of their characters in their demos (I could make more posts about this- breaking down more demo music...I think that'd be fun)

It's fairly straightforward, but essentially children's singing = children, innocence, and childhood

Now let's (finally) look at Arlecchino's demo

Let's first review each of the main musical elements and what they represent:

Dubstep and distortion: Otherworldly power. For Arlecchino: her curse, power, and dominance. "A spark cannot shatter all shadows until it sets all ablaze"

Children's voices and music box: Children. For Arlecchino: a lullaby; possibly protectiveness/care or tainted innocence (depending on how you interpret how she sees her children)

The music begins with a solo piano- lonely, melancholic, and mysterious. This is how she is after the death of Clervie and the rest of the children of the HotH.

Afterwards, the piano gets distorted- then replaced with harsh artificial beats and musical turmoil. This may be reflected on how she defeated her "mother" using her otherworldly power- her curse.

Following this is the anticipated beatdrop. Fascinatingly, it is not actually lead by dubstep, but by a distorted music box with a creeping melody. Not only that, but it is accompanied by a children's choir and a drum beat together.

The dubstep then ramps up- completely overtaking the track. But one it has reached its height, it is interrupted by the music box and singing children.

One can interpret this as her children holding her back from unleashing her true power. When she is most ruthless and violent, she is reminded of their playfulness and innocence.

The choir ends abruptly- but afterwards, the children's voices and music box lead the melody, while the dubstep and distortions accompany it harmoniously to create one whole piece.

This is who Arlecchino is. A Father and Harbringer defined by "caring" for her children and her otherworldly power. A love that nurtures and neglects- a power that frees and destroys. A wolf in sheep's clothing, or a sheep in wolf's clothing?

However the demo doesn't end there- the solo piano returns once again.

"Its flame is no longer needed, for you have the strength to defend yourselves"

This is going into speculative territory, but perhaps after she passes on her title as "king", she is once again lonely, left without a family. After all, she may no longer be needed or wanted at all- not after all that she has done, not after all that she has failed to do.

Conclusion

I love Genshin's music from the bottom of my heart. One reason why is the attention, detail, and beauty put into each track. Each piece is not only an experience, but also a story, an idea, a character, a place, whatever the artists wish to portray.

Arlecchino's Character Demo is one but many pieces that showcase this. In this track, we are able to discern Arlecchino's two core ideas, her relationship with her children and otherworldly power, through an incredible combination of singing, a music box, and dubstep. One can even theorize the course of her story through its visuals and music, in the end creating a beautiful and encompassing display of "Arlecchino".

[thebayclans]

A map of the clans’s territories marking significant locations.

Location descriptions under cut:

1. The Moon Glacier

Said to be a piece of the moon itself, fallen from the sky onto the earth below. This massive chunk of ice slowly creeps across the ground, carved deep with crevices that glow blue from within. Traveling across this glacier will lead a cat to the Great Ice Sea, a stretch of cold, barren waste that no one but a god could survive on alone.

2. Iceclan’s Camp

If one scales the mountain that lies south of the glacier’s maw, they will find the narrow entrance to a cave between where ice and stone meet. Within this small cave lies the denizens of Iceclan, who all bed down together in the middle of the cavern.

3. The Moonlight Cavern

Deep in the cave where Iceclan makes their camp lies the entrance to a tunnel that extends into the mountain. This tunnel serves as the resting place for Iceclan’s dead, but also leads across the width of the mountain to where the glacier runs against the other side. A traveling cat is greeted with a wall of ice that stretches the far side of the cavern, and the sound of dripping water and the creaking groan of the glacier echoes off the walls. Light filters through the ice, flooding the cave with a haunting blue light. But in this stunning cavern, the first thing that will catch a cat’s eye is a dark shape suspended in the ice. Backed by a blue glow, the clear silhouette of an ancient cat skeleton sits frozen in the middle of the wall. A fallen god, preserved forever in moonlight, a link between cosmic beings and the cats of the mortal world.

4. The River

Fed by the meltwaters of the glacier, the River runs southeast through the mountains for several miles before joining the Bay. The land around it is flat, bordered by broad stretches of gravelly terrain.

5. Brookclan’s Camp

At the base of the north mountain, alongside a chilly stream fed by runoff and snowmelt, lies the Brookclan camp. To the camp’s north, a small waterfall leaps off the mountainface, continuing down south where it eventually meets the river. The ground here is slightly sloped, and clusters of bushes line the stream, in which the cats make their dens.

6. Gathering Rock

Resting just next to the river, surrounded by a wide swath of flat, pebbled ground, a huge flat stone rests alone in the valley. The cats of the clans gather here every full moon, spending the entire day feasting, playing games, and catching up with loved ones from across the clans. The clans’ leaders also use this time to coordinate with each other, gathering close to discuss strategic, survival, and spiritual matters.

7. The Bay

Stretching wide and blue toward the distant horizon, ringed by jagged mountains, the Bay lies at the heart of the surrounding region. Its shores are lined with a diverse array of fauna and flora, and its waters teem equally with nutrients and hazards.

8. Oceanclan’s Camp

Just inland of the Bay’s shore, through a tidal marsh into the hemlock woods, one can find the Oceanclan camp. The camp is pressed against the stony clifface and surrounded by dense, old-growth forest. In the middle of the clearing, a shallow freshwater pool is fed by a small waterfall, providing fresh water to Oceanclan’s denizens.

9. Stoneclan Camp South

Where a small stream runs between the south mountain and the edge of the town, the cat’s of Stoneclan have established their southern camp. The camp is often bustling with activity from passing couriers, hunting parties traveling from the North camp, and cats slipping into town to scavenge human goods.

10. The Town

Nestled between the surrounding mountain ranges, spreading out from the coast into the valley, one can find the hub of local human activity. Here lies much danger, in the form of humans, with their prying eyes, their grasping paws, their chemicals and roaring deadly machines. But where there is danger there is also resource: fish from the harbor, stolen human trinkets, information and news from local housecats. Here is where the domestic cats of the clans can return to their roots, a refuge from nature’s ruthless grasp.

11. Stoneclan Camp North

Stoneclan’s North camp sits within a small grassy meadow, settled beside a wide stream, only a stones throw away from the humans’ railroad tracks. The cats here make dens using scraps of human metal and other industrial waste, and will sometimes make fires for warmth, the smoke plumes hidden under the cover of night.

12. Bear Lake

If one goes inland, a few miles northeast of the clans’ territories, a cat may spot a break in the dense forest. There, one can step onto the shore of Bear Lake, gazing across the impressive expanse of water. The lake and the surrounding woods provide an abundance of herbs and wildlife (both passive and hostile). Due to its distance from the clans’ center, the lake is not frequented often, but serves as a location for summer fishing trips by cats from Brookclan and Stoneclan.

13. Captain’s Shack

Deep within the woods a few miles south of Bear Lake, a small, dilapidated cabin sits alone in a clearing. A narrow stream runs beside it, and a tiny, well-kept garden lies between. This is the home of Captain, an old cat who has lived here for decades. She enjoys crafting and collecting, and will often trade her wares with Clan cats in exchange for food or assistance with her garden. She’s also known to brew a special drink out of valerian and silver vine that often leaves cats with a pleasant buzz.

[jackredfieldwasmyjacob]

my mum showed us this book they made showing some of my grandpa's work as a photographer for spanish singers and I wanted to share with you some of them <3 below I'll add a little description of the artist in case you don't know who they are

in order of appearance, they are:

massiel: she was the first spanish winner in eurovision in 1968 with 'la la la'. later in life she denounced the usage of the francoist regime of eurovision as a propaganda machine, and has remained vinculated to eurovision.

marisol: she was a child actress who suffered great abuse (as is usually the case) during her childhood and teenage years, working both as an actress and as a singer (she mostly starred - especially as a kid - in musical movies). she was also a member of the spanish communist party and has marxist ideas <3.

ana belén: she is one of the most iconic singers from the transition period (1975-1978) alongside her husband, víctor manuel (he was also photographied by my grandpa but i couldn't find a way his picture could fit). her songs have a strong social and political content, and she has also taken part in movies both as an actress and as a director. one of her most iconic songs is 'el hombre del piano', a spanish version of billy joel's piano man.

julio iglesias: he is perhaps one of the most successful spanish-speaking singers ever, having sold more than 150 million records. he is also part of the latin songwriters hall of fame. in 1983 he was celebrated for being the artist with songs in the most languages in the world, and in 2013 for being the best-selling male latin artist of all-time. oh and he has had a star in hollywood walk of fame since 1985, as well as having various grammys, latin grammys, billboard music awards, american music awards, etc. so yeah. he's a big deal (he's also the father of enrique iglesias who you might have already know). he represented spain in eurovision in 1970, with 'gwendolyne', which was his breakout hit.

nino bravo: he was one of the biggest spanish singers in the first half of the 70s, with massive hits and an incredible rise to fame that was tragically short, as he died in a car crash in 1973, when he was 28 (he only had 3 years of fame). my grandpa was a close friend of his, he even went to his wedding and appears in his memories. anyways, despite his short-lived fame, many of his songs are iconic and classics, possibly its best and most popular one is 'un beso y una flor', a karaoke classic.

joan manuel serrat: he is the singlemost imporant catalan singer-songwriter in history, with songs both in his native tongue and spanish (he's also my mother's favourite singer <3). he has a very poetic lyrical style, being influenced by poets like lorca, neruda, benedetti, machado, or alberti, and he even has some albums singing poetry of different spanish poets (the miguel hernández one is insane). he was also the pioneer of the nova cançó catalan movement, and he has been galardonated with highest honors in spain, as well as receiving the honorary latin grammy in 2014. his song 'mediterráneo' is for many - including myself - quite possibly the best spanish song ever (at least lyrically).

joaquín sabina: he is like a friend to me. my parents love him so they would always play his songs in long car rides and now i also love him his songs are incredible. he's actually a good friend of serrat and have toured together, their styles are similar only sabina isn't catalan (he's andalusian but lives in madrid) and his songs are more like stories than poems, he is inspired in baroque literature more than 20th century poets like serrat. just like serrat, he also has honorary awards by the ondas awards, the latin grammys, and various cities and regions in spain. it is literally impossible to choose only one of his songs to showcase here, but i'm afraid i have to go with 'y nos dieron las diez', one of his most popular songs, a karaoke classic, and the song we scream the loudest on the car with my family.

alejandro sanz: he is the most recent of all these singers, and currently the most famous spanish male singer i would say, only second to rosalía. he has won 22 latin grammys and 4 grammys, and he's collabed with artists such as alicia keys, shakira, or marc anthony. he's huge is what i'm trying to say lol. his breakout hit was 'corazón partío', in 1997, that still remains one of his most popular songs.

lola flores: she is everything to me istg. anyways. lola flores was a flamenco singer, dancer, and actress, that remains as one of the best folclóricas in history. just so you know, folclóricas were basically flamenco divas, think of them like that. she was iconic as fuck, antifa, feminist, and funny as hell. she is, as the english wikipedia says, 'a spanish pop culture icon'. you might also know her grand-daughter, actress alba flores. her most well-known song is probably 'ay pena, penita, pena'.

rocío jurado: just like lola flores, she is one of the most iconic and best folclóricas in history. just as her, she was both a singer and an actress, and she is remembered for having one of the best voices ever; in fact, in the year 2000 she won the new york times' prize 'the voice of the millenium' for best female voice of the 20th century. she is also iconic and regarded almost like a minor goddess in flamenco circles (just like lola flores). her most well known song is the iconic 'como una ola'.

[aswegoalong72]

Reyal At A Glance - Therikine

Map by @nexelart (twit)

Therikine - Where Land Meets Sea

Therikine is one of the latest settled regions of Southern Reyal during their early history, but it was the most important prior to the discovery of the Yuniv-Semat Trail.

As a temperate island, deep in Alkanite territory, it was exploited for its remoteness and abundance of natural resources at first. As those who fled from South-Eastern Reyal during the Exodus didn't have many resources or much of value in terms of trade goods, Therikine was essentially a holy grail for them.

Following the first religious wars, The Alkanites had a very hard time regaining trust of the rest of the world. Those in Tyrateol and other cities refused to do business with them for almost thirty years, before one day a ship set sail from Therikine to Heryeg-Ta, a major Tenavite shipping center. There, they unloaded several tons of gifts, ranging from dried ajjen mix from Therikine, to a few major works of art from Gallak. This marked one of the first attempts of intercontinental unity and goodwill, even if it didn't last.

In the following centuries, Therikine became a massive hub for traders and civilians alike, drawing in traders all across Reyal. As things cooled down thanks to communication and treaties, Therikine became a symbol of unity; a place where anybody, regardless of their religion, could feel safe together.

Nowadays, Therikine's use in terms of ajjen production has fallen; it's still produced and exported, but in much smaller amounts. Most familial communes, no matter where they're located, have their own greenhouse dedicated to growing the plants needed for it. Instead, Therikine focuses more on its mineral wealth, and has built a few small factories with the GRC's aid to help produce and distribute household robotics.

LV-72

LV-72, or “Laren Vuuhet”, which stands for “Mining Site 72” in the local tongue, was one of the Global Resource Committee’s many prospecting regions in the area. Located in a canyon, the area was originally marked for exploitation due to its high levels of yttrium and iron. However, many were shocked to find the presence of some very well preserved fossils in the canyon walls, coming from just before the Second Reset.

The entire mining operation switched gears, focusing on locating more. As time passed, two junior specialists (Sav and Uutarb, who grew to be very respected in their fields) proposed using ground penetrating radar to see if there was anything else in the area.

They were proven right, and on one fateful cave dive, Uutarb and one of her compatriots discovered two incredibly well preserved fossils. Not from before the Second Reset, but the First. Due to the nature of the extinction events & Reyal’s resurfacing in the periods that followed, they only had a hazy idea of what life was like before these catastrophic events. These caves helped to change their understanding of not only their world, but of themselves.

As this discovery took place well over two hundred years ago, LV-72 has more or less become a tourist attraction. Most of the fossils in the area have already been uncovered, being sent to museums and universities across the globe.

Yuurat

Yuurat is the capital of the United Therikine Communes. Originally, Yuurat had just been a small farming community, forming shortly after the third Exodus wave. Settlers were those who disagreed with mainstream Alkanite beliefs back in Gallak, and set out to find a new land that had been untouched by anyone. After scouring the seas, they found Therikine; a beautiful green gem among the dark blue seas.

Initially, growth was slow. The only things they knew how to work with were the super abundant algae and seaweed that grew in the area, which they used to supplement their diet. After a little more exploration of the region, they discovered a few new fruit species, as well as some miscellaneous vegetables and herbs.

On one fateful day, a local doctor began experimenting with some of the herbs, and discovered that quite a few had some very stimulating properties. After drying some and blending them together, he made Reyal’s very first cup of ajjen; a beverage that would change the world.

Word quickly spread, and ajjen became a very important trade good for Therikine. It began to command trade deals with Gallak and other Alkanite cities, with ajjen being almost as expensive as gold as word of its properties and taste spread. However, as dry ajjen is nowhere near as potent as fresh, things began to die down as some got their hands on seeds to grow their own.

Yuurat’s population slowly declined for a few hundred years, before it had a second wave of exponential growth, thanks to the discovery of rare earth minerals.

Today, however, most mining and production has been moved off world, and Yuurat has become more of a general food producer and vacation town. With a population only a fraction of what it used to be, Yuurat barely holds the power it once did, but is still a bustling and thriving town.

GRC Therikine Outpost

The Global Resource Committee (GRC) can be very closely tied to Therikine, in more ways than one. Therikine has always been a major producer of rare and important minerals, and the GRC was a big player in the development of Therikine’s mining industry.

The GRC’s Therikine outpost was established a little over 250 years ago, initially to help scout for new deposits on one of the relatively uninhabited sections of the island. Mining was already a very important sector for Therikine, but with the aid of the GRC, production tripled. Before the push of mining into space, Therikine would be one of the GRC’s top donors of resources, and played an important role in helping to fund new projects, such as the Rev-Legaken Launch Facility.

The outpost also was a major training facility for the GRC; new recruits of various physical sciences would typically be sent here to get their bearings, before being sent out to other locations across Reyal. Calculating environmental impacts from mining and finding new deposits were fairly easy, so it was a very simple and easy first post for greenhorns.

With the discovery of numerous fossils in the region, mining was slowly toned down in the area, with its new focus becoming paleontology. This marked the slow end of the outpost, as new discoveries are eventually dried up. Choosing for the area to become a center of learning, it was converted to a museum and hotel just a few decades ago.

That’s it for this entry; thanks for your patience in waiting for this! It means a lot to me. Until next week, when we’ll be discussing the Great Central Desert Mountains! Take care!

Directory: Intro | Climate | the Land of Tenav's Dawn | the Desert Rings | Therikine | the Great Central Desert Mountains | the North Glacial Plains | the Yuniv-Semat Basin | Juleg Marrdev Technocracy | Yuniv-Semat Trail | Ro | Velgae

[chairteeth]

This week for my @magireco-minibang fic, I grant you a tiny peek into Touka's childhood. If you notice that these teasers have been a lot less descriptive than most of my works... heh. That may or may not be on purpose.

Project partner: @karinmisono

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Touka, are you sure you can read all of this?”

Small Touka looked up into her older sister’s concerned red eyes. “Of course I can! Just hold those books for me, okay?”

“I thought you were going to paint or sew today…”

Touka groaned. “I’d much rather continue learning. These books are about the sky, I think, and I really want to know more about it. And they’re Father’s books, right?”

“Well, yes…”

“Then I’m also learning more about him through reading his collection!”

She stood on her tiptoes to try and grab the last book she needed from the shelf, but it was too high up for her to reach. One of her more silent sisters took it and handed it down to her.

“Thank you,” she said politely, setting the tome on top of the other two she’d been carrying. She had to remember her manners. She found her way to the white sofa rested against the wall and tucked her layered skirt beneath her to sit down. “Okay, this one is about… constellations.”

Her red-eyed sister loomed over her shoulder, brown bangs covering one eye when she did. “Are you sure this is a good idea? You know you can’t go outside. Wouldn’t it be better not to know?”

“And die of boredom? Nope! Besides, it’s my birthday, isn’t it? I should get to do whatever I want. No, I should get to do… how old am I?”

“Nine years today,” her sister mumbled, sorrow dimming her eyes.

“Yeah, so I should get to do nine things I want today! You all have to do whatever I say until I run out.”

“That reminds me, you wanted to come here today… Normally, you’d prefer to stay in your room.”

Touka sighed. “My room makes me want to throw myself into a paper shredder lately. I wish we could renovate my entire wing of our home, at least. It’s so…” she opened the dictionary she’d taken to keeping at her side and sought out the word she was thinking of to make sure the meaning was the right one. “Dreary. Are you gonna let me read?”

“Sorry. You’re a smart girl, Touka. I didn’t mean to imply you can’t handle the knowledge. We all know how much you love to learn. Go ahead.”

She let out a proud huff at the praise and started looking through the book.

“‘A constellation is a group of stars that appear to form a recognizable shape or pattern in the sky.’ Like giant connect-the-dots puzzles? We have those at home. ‘They are formally defined regions of the celestial sphere. Imagine the sky as a giant dome surrounding the Earth. Constellations are like countries drawn on that dome, outlining specific areas. While individual stars move through space, the stars within a constellation tend to maintain the same relative positions over long stretches of time. However, it’s important to remember that the stars within a constellation are rarely related to each other in space; they simply appear close together from our vantage point on Earth.’ Do they…? ‘Beyond their cultural significance, constellations were vital navigational tools. Sailors at sea used the stars to determine their location and direction, while farmers would track the constellations to know the changing seasons. For example, the rise of the constellation we know as Orion (the Hunter) signaled the arrival of winter in many cultures . Even today, stargazers and astronomers alike rely on constellations as signposts in the night sky.’ So they also serve as compasses or maps… I’ve never gotten lost here, but it’s pretty massive, maybe I could try cartography?”

The book went on to talk about the eighty-eight constellations officially recognized by the International Astronomical Union. Touka realized as she read that she didn’t know much about the state of the world, its countries and governments. She frowned. That felt like an important gap in her knowledge.

“Big Sis, did Father have stuff I could read to learn about the countries of the world?”

Her sister put down the books she’d been holding and scratched her head. “I believe he had an atlas somewhere, and statistical reports about Japan as well as other countries. Say the word and we’ll look for it.”

Touka smiled. “Yay!”

Her attention was drawn back to the pictures of the night sky, white dots connected to form different shapes. Delicate fingertips traced over the lines, longing, but for what? Even if she could go outside, it wasn’t like she could fly, and she was pretty sure she’d die if she tried to go into space. Not that her life mattered very much to her. It hadn’t been enjoyable like in the stories she’d read, at all.

Maybe she was too young to say that for certain. Maybe all she had to do was wait. And wait, and wait, and wait… Touka didn’t remember a time where she’d done anything but waiting. Had she not taken matters into her own hands, she was almost sure her soul would have wasted away with how little there was to do at home. Her thoughts drifted to an incident the prior month, where two of her brothers had dragged her away from the basement.

“The walls were black, like my room… I didn’t think it was off-limits. I’d never been there before. Everyone was so worried… They told me the basement is dangerous. Why would the basement be dangerous…? No one said anything, but they’d never handled me so roughly before, and they looked genuinely upset that something terrible could’ve happened to me…”

Touka was going to need to investigate the basement more.

[dailyadventureprompts]

I have pretty much always ignored the D&D dinos, but I have a player who I know would get a kick out of them, especially if they were somewhere unexpected like a dungeon. Any ideas why dinos might be in a dungeon?

I mean, on the surface there's no reason NOT to have dinosaurs all throughout your world, they're no more unusual than any of the other fantastical animals the game presents, plus they help fill out the roster of more mundane encounters: Raptors hunting through grasslands, pterodactyls soaring off the coast, duckbills hanging around in the marsh filling the night with their trilling song.

Then you can get fun with it:

The party is told to seek information at a goblin trading outpost, but finding it might be difficult: Not only is the surrounding swampland full of threats and miring mud, but (as they only discover later) it also moves. The tradepost is constructed on a platform rigged to the back of a massive lumbering longneck, adopted by the goblins as the last surviving member of its herd.

From atop their mesa home overlooking the arid plains, the people of the ancient Vyltaln citystate saw the herds of triceratops band together to face off against predators, horns forward, shield frills interlocked. Inspired by this unbeatable defence and taking the beast as their symbol, the Vyltaln to developed phalanx tactics and establish military dominance over their region, creating a sparta-analogous empire that lasted for centuries before its fall. Though the empire has been swept up into the dust of history, the plains are still littered with their monuments and memorials, many bearing the sigil of the three-horned saurian.

A group of goblins have established a trading post that strides through their swampy home on the back of a lumbering longneck

[legolasghosty]

For the au generator I got Scientist au and Enchanted Forest au! If you want to make it willex that’s a bonus 😊

@beencryingfor25years

Hiiii @beencryingfor25years, thanks for the ask!!! And of course I want to make it Willex, everything is Willex!

So! We have Willie, who is a really good chemist and researcher (Hey, that hyperfocus and need for answers has to be good for something, right?). He gets selected to be a part of a team to go in and study this massive forest (I have no clue where in the world) that seems to have some... odd properties.

Teams have been sent to research it before, but none have been able to get in, or they've been kinda insane when they come out, much later than they should have and never together. But it's been a few decades since someone tried, so time to sacrifice some more scientists to the scary forest in the name of research!

Willie is understandably freaked cause like... the only people who have been able to pass safely in and out of the forest are the indigenous people of the region, who tells some pretty wild stories about what lives in the wood. They range from giant monsters to pixies to robots to dinosaurs. Either way, everyone agrees that the forest is scary and to be respected at all costs.

The only reason Willie agrees to go is because his boss, Caleb (duh), says he has to in order to keep the business's assistance in paying off his student loans. Guess what, getting a doctorate isn't cheap...

So Willie, along with Julie (physics), Flynn (biology), Bobby (zoology), and Nick (geography/maps), goes off to wherever it is that the scary forest is. They are able to hire a local guide, who takes them into the forest (after telling some more terrifying stories). Unfortunately, they all get separated really fast.

Willie swears up and down that Julie only took three steps away from them and then he couldn't see her anymore. He couldn't see any of them. Nor was there any trace of the path they'd come down. It was like the forest itself had just swallowed him up.

They wander around for a bit, trying to find them, but suddenly run smack into someone else: a blond boy with twitchy hands and an odd, golden tint to his skin. Willie doesn't really understand the boy's response when he asks for a name, but the hums and clicks sound a bit like an Ah, then an Ex, so he goes with 'Alex' for simplicity's sake. Alex's sound for their name sounds more like We-Leh, but they both let the name butchering slide for the time being.

They kinda have to communicate without words for the most part, since Alex doesn't speak English and Willie doesn't speak whatever magical language Alex is using, but Alex shows Willie that the forest has a power of its own. It doesn't come from any battery or source, it just is. And it must be cared for and nurtured. That is why Alex and his people exist.

Initially, the plan of the magic folks had been to separate the mortals, show them a bit about the forest to see if they would respect it, and then probably capture them or drive them insane when they inevitably did what all mortals do: take and destroy. But Willie surprised Alex by actually showing respect for everything they were shown. Sure he didn't fully get it, but there was so much in the world that he knew he didn't get. He's a frigging chemist after all, there's so many unknowns that are just a part of his everyday life. So a magic forest maybe isn't as much of a stretch.

So Alex deems Willie safe to learn at least a bit more, and takes him back to the magic village. In my head, these folks are some mix of elves, fae, and dryads. There's also some variety, and multiple villages throughout the forest. There, Willie is startled and relieved to find Julie sitting beside a soft fire, beside another being like Alex, though this one shorter and with darker hair. The two seem to be communicating in melodies, humming bars back and forth instead of using words.

Julie is super happy to see Alex as well, and they have a lengthy discussion about what the heck is going on here. Bobby and Flynn also make it to the camp, though they are assured that Nick was deposited safely back with the local guide to go home. Apparently he didn't mean any harm, but also couldn't really wrap his head around the whole magic thing. It seemed safest for his health and the forest that he return home as soon as possible. The science gang decides that they're here to study the forest, so they might as well learn all they can. Respecting the things they study is essential to all of them, so they get along well with the Caretakers, as they've decided to call them.

Bobby has a massive shock a few days in though, because one of the Caretakers looks so much like his sister, Caroline. But that's impossible. She died when they were kids, in a car accident with their mom. But it is her. Part of the magic of the forest is that it gives new life to those who are lost, generally due to the fault of another. So Caroline, or Carrie as her name sounds in her magical voice now, is alive and well. The siblings are reunited!!!

Willie, meanwhile, spends a lot of their research time with Alex as their guide. He's good about warning them about what they can and can't take samples of, what is dangerous, and where the connections are between various life forms. He's also just a really nice person to hang out with. They start to learn each other's languages, mostly small words at first, but they learn. And as time passes, they grow closer. And Willie wonders if Alex would even know what he meant if he asked him on a date.

Apparently Caretaker courting is rather different from that of modern mortals. But they find a nice blend. It's not like Willie has anyone outside to go back to. So he mostly stays in the forest, learning and studying and being with Alex. The others come and go, they all have more family ties and stuff, but the forest takes them all in. It becomes their home.

Willie didn't know something like this was possible, and magic still doesn't make sense, but the feeling of Alex's hands in his and the way his heart races when the enter their new home for the first time can't be explained by science. It's magic, plain and simple.

Ack sorry about how long this got! Hope you enjoyed!!!

[bigfootbeat]

Wood Boogers in Appalachia

For years, campfire stories of wood boogers have been whispered in the deep, dark forests of Appalachia. It is believed of these secretive, enigmatic creatures that they defend the wild, representing the wild spirit of the environment. Wood boogers, who are infamous for their seclusion, are frequently characterized as big, hairy ape-like beings that resemble the more well-known Bigfoot but are unique in their local legends and traits. Wood boogers are thought to be nocturnal creatures that only come out of their secret hideouts at night. Their sightings are infrequent and transient; they are sometimes caught off guard or perceived as a dark figure moving between the woods. A wood booger is described by those who have seen one as a towering creature, between seven and nine feet tall, with broad shoulders and thick, matted fur that ranges in color from dark brown to black. Their unearthly presence is allegedly enhanced by their eyes, which are reported to glow an unsettling red or green in the dark.

According to legend, wood boogers are incredibly intelligent creatures that can read human behavior and skillfully evade detection. It is believed that they use a sequence of knocks, howls, and whistles to communicate with one another. At night, these sounds can occasionally be heard resonating throughout the forest. These noises, together with the sporadic discoveries of massive, human-sized footprints, contribute to the continuous interest and terror associated with these mysterious animals. Humans and wood boogers have a complicated connection that is characterized by a mixture of curiosity, respect, and terror. Wood boogers are frequently portrayed as both tricksters and protectors in regional folklore. They are regarded as the forest's protectors, keeping an eye on the flora and fauna and making sure that the natural equilibrium is preserved. Respecters of the forest and its creatures may come under the careful observation of a wood booger, who will make their presence known even if they are not visible. However, wood boogers have a reputation for being cunning, especially when it comes to people who mistreat the forest. Many campers have had strange things happen to their supplies or their campfires go out in the middle of the night. Particularly hunters talk of being misled by unusual sounds or having their prey disappear without explanation. The wood boogers are thought to be using these behaviors as a means of reminding people of their place in the natural world and the value of preserving environmental harmony. Wood boogers are elusive, yet they have had a big cultural impact on the Appalachian region. Every year, these species are celebrated with festivals and get-togethers that attract experts and fans from all over the world. These gatherings include storytelling sessions when community members discuss their experiences and hypotheses, fusing folklore with the search for cryptozoological proof. The wood booger has come to represent the majesty and mystery of the Appalachian woods, serving as a constant reminder of the treasures that exist just beyond the reach of human comprehension.

The wood booger mythology is still developing in the present era. Online reports of sightings and interactions frequently provoke discussions and disagreements among aficionados. Even though there isn't much scientific evidence to support its existence, the wood booger has had a significant cultural impact. They are a representation of the wild and uncharted regions of our planet, evoking both the innate dread and wonder that the wilderness may evoke. The legends are both a source of pride for the locals and a warning to those who live close to the forests where wood boogers are rumored to reside. They serve as a helpful reminder of the value of honoring the natural world and its mysteries. Wood boogers are myths that have been passed down through the ages, but they can also be viewed as tricksters, protectors, or just fantastical creatures that pique people's curiosity about the vast unknown.

[sevenrs]

okay so first of all our lord and savior raindb legacy mods https://www.raindb.net/legacy.html so first installing 1.5: you can have 1.5 and 1.9 versions completely separately and that's what I recommend. Go into your steam games folder, rename rw to anything else, the go to steam library -> properties -> betas -> choose 1.51 and it'll create a separate folder and install it there, leaving 1.9 files intact. When its done downloading, rename the 1.5 folder to anything else again (personally i have it as "Rain World 1.5"), rename the original 1.9 folder back to just rw and once again go to properties -> betas and choose none, it'll verify 1.9 files and leave 1.5 alone. BOOM! You have both of them installed.

now that you have that figured out, 1.5 mods: you need bepinex - extract the contents into 1.5 folder and BOI mod manager - extract it anywhere, run it and and choose the path to your 1.5 game. It will create a "Mods" folder in your game's root folder, this is where you're gonna have to put all the .dll mod files. AND NOW ! Custom region support - you will be able to download and install regions in an in-game mods menu. (feel free to contact me if you need help!) OKAY NOW TO ACTUAL REGION MODS all that i can remember rn and my rating Old New Horizons - one of my absolute favourite. But I do recommend playing it with dev tools otherwise it can be very frustrating. It's a collection of scrapped custom regions so some parts are not very well designed but overall it's a delight that offers A LOT and has some of the most unique level designs and mechanics. There's a portal reference region. And a build-a-ladder room. If you even care.

Arid barrens - a very solid mod. It adds a desert region thats very fun to explore, has an above dround and below ground routes which are pretty cool to explore. Drowned Pantheon - really loved that one. Has a nice vibe and there are bells :'] Aether Ridge - mixed feeling. It's pretty cool but very brutal. And MASSIVE. One hell of a skill check, also has manyt one way routes and dead ends. Personally was not a fan. The Mast - I ! LOVE ! CLIMBING ! UP ! Very cool solid region, similar vibe to atop the tallest tower in downpour. Would recommend. The Root - didn't like it. It's the leg but more. As an underhang hater would not recommend. Hanging Gardens - very pretty and chill I especially loved the design of the upper levels. Also Hollow Knight fans will see a lot of familiar architechture. Also it only connects to two custom regions which is interesting. Coral Caves - has a lot of frustrating water mechanics and one way paths. Except you don't realize that until the cycle is already wasted. But the vibe is cool. Would still not recommend honestly. One of requirements for Hanging Garden. Badlands - similar vibe to Arid Barrens, liked this one! Also has an above ground and below ground routes and overall is a nice enjoyable experience, it's also not a very big region, so I'd say give it a shot. Undersea - was not a fan, has some very cool moments but all also has some very frustrating moments. unsure about this one. Tainted overpass - played just a bit but from I saw there was nothing of note particularly. No cool mechanics or level design. Scorched District - UM. YES ?? IT'S VERY GOOD ??? METROPOLIS BEFORE METROPOLIS. Pilgrims Ascent - the leg but green. Side House - very different from other regions I mentioned, it's a collection of unused vanilla rooms, they aren't particularly good or flow together in one region, but it's a very curios thing to see and has some slightly different familiar rooms! Aqueducts - a challenge region, meant to be played by hunter, has a nice feel to it, some rooms are very interesting, but overall. Was not a fan, call it a skill issue. Underbelly - did not like it. Also kinda reminds me of the exterior (minus the wall) and superstructure, do you see a pattern? I certainly do. Anyway when playing I got stuck repeatedly dying in an area where you're supposed to wall jump. between those five pebbsi zap thingies in recursive transform arrays. Howling Rift - it's a very cool a well made region, I'm sure it's many people's fav and I recommend checking it out. Personally did not care for it tho. Grand Reservoir - recaptures that feel or going into shaded for the first time, has some frustrating platforming, but I loved it nonetheless, the tight pathways and spider enemies bring just the right level of unsetteling. Swamplands - I remember playing it for sure, but I don't even remember what was there. Also have a feeling I didn't like it ? Don't take my word for it tho. Pyramid Wall - what it says on the tin. The wall, but its a pyramid. Drainage System + - I like it :'] you will like it too if you like drainage and hate it if you don't.

Wet World - it's funne, Outskirts but more water, I liked it, but also some parts are very bullshit. Would you like a BLL in your outskirts sir ? Floating Isles - all the worst parts of sky islands. No thank you. ANDDD that's all, I'm sure there are more region mods, but I was only looking through the ones on Raindb and besides floating isles I couldn't remember more. Thank you for coming to my Ted Talk.

damn you can have two rain worlds?

would they automatically have separate launches or do they need to be shoved into steam through the add a game button?

regardless. very cool. thank you lots pipa!

[demifiendrsa]

Stellar Blade - New Gameplay Overview

Stellar Blade will launch for PlayStation 5 on April 26, 2024.

Pre-orders will open on February 7, 2024. The standard edition will cost $69.99 / £69.99 / €79.99 / ¥8,980, and the Digital Deluxe edition will cost $79.99 / £79.99 / €89.99 / ¥9,980.

Key visuals

Latest details

The Story of Eve’s journey

Stellar Blade follows the journey of Eve, a warrior who descends from an off-world Colony to defeat the Naytibas, humanity’s enemy that suddenly emerged on Earth. The Naytibas appear to be attacking the human race at the will of a higher entity composed of Alpha and an Elder, but no one really knows about their origin.

The protagonist, Eve, finds herself in a devastated world where she meets Adam, a survivor left on Earth, and Lily, a member of a previous airborne squad. Together they join forces in battle against the Naytibas. Along the way, Eve’s party works with the surviving citizens gathered in the last human city, Xion.

The World of Stellar Blade

Xion is connected to a semi-open world region called the Wasteland and the Great Desert, which harbor many secrets. You get to cross paths with many different people and go on adventures in these vast fields to fulfill Eve’s goals while also helping the citizens of Xion. One of the missions involves gathering Hyper Cells, which are a massive source of energy sustaining Xion. These cells lie dormant throughout the fields, and Eve retrieves these Hyper Cells to turn Xion back to its original glory. This leads her to meet more characters along the way.

Throughout her adventures, you will pick up items like Exospines or Gears as well as acquire SP EXP which unlocks powerful skills. You can also acquire various cosmetics, such as costumes, accessories, and hairstyles.

Players will hear a wide of variety of music while exploring in Stellar Blade. From relaxing tunes at the camp to music that captures the poignancy of a ruined city. Almost all the songs have choruses and vocals, which will immerse you into the world of Stellar Blade.

—Stellar Blade makes use of the DualSense controller’s haptics and adaptive triggers to immerse players.

Pre-Order Details

In addition to our launch date, we are excited to share your options for experiencing Stellar Blade. Pre-orders will open on February 7 at all participating retailers, PlayStation Store, and direct.playstation.com. Preorders will go live at 7:00 a.m. PT / 10:00 a.m. ET in the United States on February 7. Players who preorder any version of Stellar Blade will receive an early unlock of “Planet Diving Suit” for Eve, “Classic Round Glasses” for Eve, and “Ear Armor Earrings” for Eve.

Get your hands on the standard edition of Stellar Blade for $69.99 / £69.99 / €79.99 / ¥8,980 MSRP. There will also be a Digital Deluxe Edition of the game.

The Digital Deluxe edition of Stellar Blade ($79.99 / £79.99 / €89.99 / ¥9,980 MSRP) will include the game, all the preorder incentives, as well as Stargazer Suit for Eve, Stargazer Wear for Adam, Stargazer Coat for Lily, Half-Rim Glasses for Eve, Quadruple Rectangle Earrings for Eve, Stargazer Pack for the Drone, 2,000 SP EXP and 5,000 Gold in-game currency to help you on your quest to reclaim Earth.

[ashitakaxsan]

Interesting Developments on Iran's Gaming Industry.

a)The influence of "Prince of Persia" on Iran and, specifically, Iran’s video game industry is irrefutably strong and seriously everlasting.Now the news is The French video game publisher Ubisoft released the first major installment,of the popular video game,where the characters speak Farsi.

Speaking about the collaboration with Ubisoft Montpellier, a subsidiary of Ubisoft, the secretary general of the Tehran Broadcast & Dubbing Association said: “The French company, together with an intermediary company in Iran, negotiated with different groups and asked for voice samples. 

“Finally, they selected Moj-e-Ketab Digital Publishing Group for dubbing the game in Persian,” Honaronline quoted Sobhan Ekrami, who served as the director of the dubbing team, as saying on Sunday.

“When the dubbing process was over, they liked the work. According to their procedure, before the official release of the game, the company had some gamers, especially some famous Persian-speaking gamers, play and assess the game. Fortunately, it was well received by all the gamers. Upon the release of the game, the company suggested to all the customers that for a better experience of the game play it in Farsi,” he added.

The “Prince of Persia” franchise draws heavily on Persian mythology and Iranian culture, but until now has always been in English. 

Below screenshots by the previous instalments of “Prince of Persia”.

The game's designer, Mounir Radi, said that the developers wanted to “depict and respect Persia and Iran” in the gameplay. “It was natural for us to say, 'if we are going into this culture, we have to be true to this culture, we have to do this”.

Among the updates for the new version was an increased effort to add elements like language and history that made the game more authentic to the region it depicts.

The game's producer Abdelhak Elguess said they were “very proud” to have made the changes. “We have so many people from Persian cultures that are very happy,” he said.

Emad Saedi has been a fan of the games since he was a child when he connected with the series' cultural references to Persia but says something always felt off.

“Those games were missing a fundamental element of the culture the prince came from: language,” he said. “My friends and I always had this question that if he's a Persian prince, how come he speaks English or any language except Persian? Isn't that odd?”

Emad said it is a “huge step forward” to include the language, in part because he felt Iran and Persian culture are “under-represented in today's world”.

“In a world that is saturated with Western culture content, seeing something from other parts of the world feels like a breath of fresh air, especially from a hidden gem like Iran,” he said. “It feels like we are finally being seen after being ignored for many years. There are many wonderful stories in our culture with massive commercial potential - I hope the entertainment industry recognizes this opportunity and continues to invest in them”.

Persian is spoken by a significant number of people worldwide, totaling around 130 million. Other than Iran, it serves as an official language in various countries including Tajikistan and Afghanistan.

“Prince of Persia” is centered around a series of action-adventure games focused on various incarnations of the eponymous Prince, set in ancient and medieval Persia.

Its latest installment “The Lost Crown” has been released for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S and received positive reviews from critics and gamers.

The game was heavily inspired by Persian mythology, with Radi adding that the team wanted to “bring some light to a mythology that maybe should be better known,” as well as showing how Persian culture has affected other mythologies.

Source:https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/493995/New-Prince-of-Persia-game-voiced-in-Farsi

b)Serious Efforts to Prevent Brain drain The Iranian Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance has pledged its support,in an effort to prevent the migration of game developers and boost the gaming industry.

Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance Mohammad-Mehdi Esmaeili stated that game developers are crucial cultural elements in the country and that the ministry is working tirelessly to eliminate obstacles and stop their migration, Mehr reported on Saturday. 

Esmaeili emphasized that the gaming industry is a vital cultural and artistic sector in the country. He stated, "We have requested the National Foundation of Computer Games' board of directors to assess all barriers in this field and actively work towards resolving them."

He continued by highlighting the attractiveness of the gaming industry and the potential consequences of not providing suitable platforms for talented individuals. "If we fail to create favorable conditions for these skilled developers, we may lose some of them," he cautioned.

"We are committed to preventing the migration of game developers by removing obstacles and offering support," Esmaeili affirmed.

Esmaeili further emphasized that game developers are the country's most significant cultural figures, emphasizing that the gaming industry is not merely a technological sector. Rather, he believes that it serves as a valuable cultural and artistic tool that can contribute to the intellectual advancement of society, address various issues, and promote societal values.

Esmaeili reiterated the ministry's supportive stance towards the gaming industry and game developers, stating that they will continue to provide assistance and foster its expansion.

https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/493952/Culture-ministry-aims-to-prevent-game-developers-migration-for

[mariacallous]

Rosenberg: I want to move from the personal to the political a little bit. You work for a Tel Aviv–based liberal newspaper. Most people assume you live in Tel Aviv, but you don’t. You moved to Nahal Oz, and you told me you were inspired to go there after you first visited it as a journalist, following another clash with Gaza, during which the community had been rocketed again and again. And yet, you met people there who were Israeli patriots still committed to the place and to peace and who wanted to find something better, even though they perhaps had more reason than anyone to distrust the future. I know you share that faith, but I’m wondering how it feels right now. Is that faith ever shaken?

Tibon: The politics of our area, of the Gaza-border area, is very interesting, and it’s a microcosm of politics in Israel. The kibbutz communities, like mine, are very left-leaning. And the large town in the area, Sderot, which also went through a terrible, terrible disaster, is actually much more right-wing and religious and supportive of Netanyahu. So there’s this split. But we’re in this together. It’s true that there is this divide, but we are both suffering from these same conditions right now. And I think a lot of people are going to reexamine everything once it’s over.

I love my community. I love my neighbors. I’m proud of them for their resilience on this horrible day. What we went through is not a unique story. This is the story of an entire region in Israel.

I’m ashamed of my government. We had a contract with the state that communities like ours protect the border. This is why people live there. We protect the border with our presence there. This is a fundamental strategy of the state of Israel since the earliest days of the country, that a border that does not have civilian communities and civilian life along it will not be properly protected.

We kept our part of the contract. We lived on the border. We went through difficult situations sometimes, with mortars and with the use of incendiary devices to set fires in the fields. If you live in a place like Nahal Oz, you wake up every morning and you know there are people on the other side of the border who want to kill you and your children. And so the contract was: We protect the border, and the state protects us.

And this government, which is the worst government in the history of the state of Israel, led by a corrupt, dysfunctional, and egoistic man who sees only himself—Benjamin Netanyahu—failed us. There were warning signs that this will happen. The military and the intelligence agencies warned that Israel’s neighbors were seeing the internal divide in the country over the government’s disastrous plan to eliminate the powers of the judiciary. There are reports coming out as we speak that Egyptian intelligence warned Netanyahu a few days ago that Hamas was planning something massive on the border.

The way that the events of the day unfolded is the worst failure in the history of the state of Israel. I mean, people like my father, like Israel Ziv and other retired officers, had to come down to save citizens, to try to save their own families and others. Meanwhile, the military is falling apart, and all the civilian infrastructure that is supposed to support the military and society in such an event is also not functioning.

Listen, right now we have to win this war. We have to destroy Hamas. We have to make it impossible for them to ever, ever again conduct anything that is even close to what happened on Saturday. No country in the world can allow something like this to happen to its citizens and just go back to business as usual. I feel very bad for the people of Gaza. I’m heartbroken. But this was our 9/11.

After we win the war and we eradicate Hamas, there will be time also to throw into the dustbin of history any politician, starting with the prime minister, who had anything to do with this failure. But that’s a conversation for tomorrow. Today it’s about saving our citizens and destroying the enemy’s ability to do something like this ever again.

Rosenberg: Tomorrow, what happens to Netanyahu?

Tibon: First of all, we have to win the war. This is the most important thing. After the war, I believe the people who went down to fight and to rescue their families, and the people who have loved ones kidnapped inside Gaza, and the people who lost their homes—these people will not allow this government to stay one more day. The protests that Israel saw in the last year are going to be a children’s game compared to the anger of the public after this. But right now it’s about winning the war.

Rosenberg: This is not over. This is ongoing. There are people held hostage. What do you expect now from the U.S. and the world?

Tibon: First of all, I was relieved to see the very, very strong commitment of President Biden, verbally but also in action, in sending U.S. military forces to the region and making clear that if any other actor in the region is confused, the United States will support Israel if someone is trying to use this moment of crisis in the wrong way.

There is the issue of the Israelis who are kidnapped, some of whom are dual citizens of other countries. And on this, as someone who covers diplomacy, I think the language really matters. You can say, “Hamas is responsible for their fate.” That’s, you know, the usual diplo-speak. But the sentence I hope to hear from countries, including the United States but also others, is: “We expect their immediate release.”

These are citizens, okay? The majority of them are not soldiers. There are many women there. There are children; there are elderly people. And I think the international position should be that they must be immediately released. This is what I hope to hear.

[bloghrexach]

🇺🇸 … as per usual, just follow the money!! What happened to ‘take care of yours before others’?

By: LaillaB, founder of ‘Reclaim the Narrative’, from LinkedIn …

“Israel is the largest recipient of US. aid in the entire world. It receives more aid than that given to all the countries of sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, put together.

Israel receives over $10 million dollars per day from the United States, and there is evidence that the total cost to American taxpayers is closer to $15 million a day.

Yet this information is almost never printed in American newspapers.

Coverage of the Middle East in general, and of Israel in particular, virtually never reports this enormous American connection with this region.

Empowered by American money, Israel is occupying land that does not belong to it, is breaking numerous international laws and conventions of which it is a signatory, and is promulgating policies of brutality that have been condemned by the United Nations, the European Union, the National Council of Churches, Amnesty International, the International Red Cross, and numerous other international bodies. This truth is also rarely reported.

Through the money and weaponry provided by the United States, Israel is imposing an ethnically discriminatory nation on land that was previously multicultural. There is ethnic and religious discrimination inherent in its national identity, and a doctrine of the supremacy of one group over all others permeates its political, financial, and military policies. This also is virtually never reported.

American support of the Israeli government is against our national interest on every level: It places us at war with populations whose desperate plight we are helping to create, and who, quite correctly, place the responsibility for their sufferings on us.

It makes us an accomplice to war crimes and an accessory to oppression.

In analysing the American media, we are increasingly discovering a cover-up of appalling proportions. Israel is being protected, the news about Palestinians in particular and Arabs in general is being distorted, and the American public is being manipulated.

We believe strongly that if Americans knew the truth about Israel and Palestine, about the massive amount of our tax money that is being given away to Israel, and about the human costs of Israel's American-financed militarism, they would demand an immediate re-thinking of our policies in this region.

We are driving the violence in this region.

We can stop it.

The mission of “If Americans Knew” is to inform and educate the American public on issues of major significance that are unreported, underreported, or misreported in the American media.

https://lnkd.in/epgrjuQN

“All our money is going to an occupation that’s slaughtering people.” — UCLA Student.

#ReclaimTheNarrative — 🍉🕊 — #FreePalestine … @hrexach