#more natural geographic features

[aropride]

when i get bored i like to slightly edit various parts of a us map until it looks Similar but Slightly Wrong

[brailsthesmolgurl]

"What's my hidden perk?"

Preview: The LADS boys and their hidden perks. (lemme know if you guys want a part 2 hehe)

SYLUS - horseriding

Quirking his silver brow, his crimson orbs tailed your gaze. A gaze that went from bottom to top, a view you could not believe witnessing in front of your eyes. The giant figure of your boyfriend on top of a Dutch Draft. "Are you planning to just stand there and watch me in awe or do you plan to ride with me?" His voice thick, specifically laced with proud mockery as he was enjoying the look of shock you had been wearing ever since he had told you that he is good at horse riding. He extended his palm to you and took your hand, providing balance to you as you walked up the steps and took a seat in front of him, on top of the horse. This is afterall, your first time riding a horse.

It all started out as a harmless joke while the both of you were watching some National Geographic show about horses. Till he nonchalantly mentioned that he has been riding horses from a very young age and hence the surprise date for today. Featuring your boyfriend, with a horse--that you had no idea where he got from. You tensed up when you felt his chest pressed against your back, his breaths fanned over the top of your head. You hate to admit it—but you still do anyways— how he always manages to get a reaction out of you, be it stemming from a simple gesture. "Now that you have found out about my secret talent, does this mean we get to ride horses more often?" He leaned down, whispering seductively against the shell of your ear. "Or perhaps you would just prefer riding me, sweetie?"

RAFAYEL - good with kids

“Careful.” Rafayel grabs ahold of your forearm, guiding you past the puddle in the vast garden. The date came about to be a surprise, with the charming boyfriend of yours appearing at your doorstep in the mid evening, seeking you out from the stuffiness of your house to embrace Mother Nature in all of its glory after a whole day of heavy rain. Blushing slightly, you continued walking with him down the cobblestoned pathways, enjoying the coolness of the rain till sounds of laughters filled the air. A couple of kids were perched over a drain cover, staring into the waters with their beady eyes.

Rafayel drops his hold from your forearm and held onto your hand, the casual yet romantic gesture still greatly affects you. “Come on, let’s see what they are looking at.” At a certain extent, when you stared at your boyfriend from a distance, interacting with the children, laughing and chuckling as he was playing catch with them made your stomach feel warm. For someone like him, who spends most of his days locked away in that mansion of his, interacting with only a fish and canvases, you had never thought of him to be good with children. However, Rafayel had yet again managed to surprise you. Seeing him waltzing over to you, with a huge grin stapled on his face, you can’t help but mimicked his expression. “You seemed bored. Do you want to join us cutie?”

XAVIER - has an annual pass to amusement parks

It took forever for the both of you to plan a date due to the recent influx of wanderers. Captain Jenna had gotten the both of you to be split up into two different shifts; with you being the leader for the day shift while your boyfriend, Xavier is incharge of the night shift. Hence, when the wanderers' amount had finally decreased, Xavier did not hesitated to ask you out on a date. "I had always wanted to bring you here. It was on my list." He spoke, hands holding tightly onto your smaller palms as he led you past the huge archways of the theme park. Colours of all spectrums welcomed you, revealing the colourful fanfare of a theme park and you could feel your inner giddiness peeking through your smile.

As the both of you stood in line for the tickets, you were surprised when Xavier muttered to you. "Since it is your first time here, I will buy the ticket for you." When it came to your turn for the ticket purchase, your boyfriend only requested for one and you tapped onto his shoulder nervously, immediately asking him if he was only going to get one and watch you from outside or perhaps he may need some aid for funds. The man however beamed shyly, ear tips turning a shade of rubicund when he tried to explain himself. "I...uhm...have an annual pass?" The hidden question mark at the end of his sentence made you chuckled in return, mind already imagining how funny it would be to see him riding the theme park rides all by himself. "But, I got you an annual pass too." He held up the golden ticket in his hand. "From now on, we can both come together as much as we want."

ZAYNE - good at snowboarding

Zayne had appeared at your doorstep a little too early than his usual timing, which is usually going by your timing as you do like taking your time to sleep in and he do not find the need to disturb your beauty sleep. But today seems to be different when he appeared in front of your door with a coat in his hand. When you asked him about the purpose of him coming so early, the man only kept it short and simple, replying accurately to what you had asked. "I had taken a few days off of work and I had booked us a spot at a ski lodge." When you had an eyebrow raised, he continued to explain himself. "You had been watching the snowboarding event for the Olympics recently. I assumed you would like to try it yourself." You weren't exactly surprised at how conscious he tends to be, but you are more concerned of yourself as you had never done any snowboarding in your life.

"You had never snowboarded before haven't you?" Zayne questioned, those forest green orbs of his meeting yours with amusement. As you nodded, you could feel your cheeks heating up, warming you from the harsh cold winds. You hesitated though, asking him in return if he were to know anything about snowboarding given that during the safety briefing he did asked a couple of questions here and there. "Me? I would not say I am good at it, but I did tried it before, ever since I was a kid." He patted your head, a small smile tugging onto the end of his lips. "Don't worry, I will hold onto you the whole time and make sure you do not hurt your knees or fall into the snow." His arm snaked around your waist, pulling you close against his side and he planted a kiss onto your forehead. "But you can definitely fall into my arms if you slip."

[vestaignis]

Милфорд Саунд (Milford Sound, маорийское название — Пиопиотахи (Piopiotahi)) – самый знаменитый фьорд в Новой Зеландии, известный на весь мир своей первозданной красотой. Милфорд Саунд, как и фьорды Северного полушария, сформировался в результате деятельности ледника 10-12 тысяч лет назад. Знаменитый английский путешественник и писатель Редьярд Киплинг побывал однажды на берегах Милфорд Саунд и под впечатлением увиденного назвал этот фьорд восьмым чудом света.

Милфорд Саунд – это вытянутый залив с высокими скалистыми берегами шириной около 3 км, который вдается в сушу на целых 16 км, а максимальная его глубина 512 м. Со всех сторон он окружен горными вершинами, увенчанные вечными снегами, высотой более 1,5 км. Нетронутые человеком густые влажные леса растут здесь практически на отвесных скалах.

Милфорд Саунд - одно из самых влажных мест на Земле, здесь за год выпадает до 7000 мм осадков. Дождь идет каждый день и это сказывается на характере леса - гигантские деревья покрыты мхом и лианами, здесь растут лишайники и папоротники, лес очень влажный. Туристы могут рассчитывать на солнце в течение нескольких часов ближе к полудню, но во второй половине дня их наверняка настигнет ливень.

Интересный факт — В дождливые и бурные дни можно увидеть потрясающий природный феномен. Водопады, которые падают вверх. Это явление вызвано географическими особенностями Милфорд Саунда. При встрече с утесом сильный ветер часто поднимается вверх, и обычные водопады, попадая в поток воздуха, кардинально меняют свое направление.

Воды Милфорд Саунд населяет множество тюленей, пингвинов и дельфинов. Исследовательская станция Милфорд Дип позволяет ученым и туристам «заглянуть» в подводный мир. При таком изобилии мелких птиц невозможно обойтись без хищников: в глубине фьорда рассекают толщу воды многочисленные акулы. Также здесь можно увидеть уникальные коралловые рифы, в том числе и самые редкие виды - черные кораллы. Вода в Милфорд Саунд настолько прозрачная, что дно видно даже в самых глубоких местах, если, конечно, его не заслоняют густые водоросли.

Milford Sound (Maori name - Piopiotahi) is the most famous fjord in New Zealand, known throughout the world for its pristine beauty. Milford Sound, like the fjords of the Northern Hemisphere, was formed as a result of glacier activity 10-12 thousand years ago. The famous English traveler and writer Rudyard Kipling once visited the shores of Milford Sound and, impressed by what he saw, called this fjord the eighth wonder of the world.

Milford Sound is an elongated bay with high rocky shores about 3 km wide, which juts into the land for as much as 16 km, and its maximum depth is 512 m. On all sides it is surrounded by mountain peaks, crowned with eternal snow, more than 1.5 km high. Dense rainforests untouched by man grow here almost on sheer cliffs.

Milford Sound is one of the wettest places on Earth, with up to 7,000 mm of rainfall per year. It rains every day and this affects the character of the forest - giant trees are covered with moss and vines, lichens and ferns grow here, the forest is very humid. Tourists can expect sun for a few hours closer to midday, but in the afternoon they will probably be overtaken by a downpour.

Interesting fact - On rainy and stormy days, you can see an amazing natural phenomenon. Waterfalls that fall upwards. This phenomenon is caused by the geographical features of Milford Sound. When meeting a cliff, a strong wind often rises upwards, and ordinary waterfalls, getting into the air flow, radically change their direction.

The waters of Milford Sound are inhabited by many seals, penguins and dolphins. The Milford Deep research station allows scientists and tourists to "look" into the underwater world. With such an abundance of small birds, it is impossible to do without predators: in the depths of the fjord, numerous sharks cut through the water. Here you can also see unique coral reefs, including the rarest species - black corals. The water in Milford Sound is so transparent that the bottom is visible even in the deepest places, unless, of course, it is obscured by thick algae.

Источник: //mirsg.ru/ru/pages/milford-sound,//cattur.ru/australia-and-oceania/new-zealand/milford-saund.html,/australiantravelclub.ru /articles/milford_saund_i_paryashchie_vodopady.htm,/sunsetobsession.com/ru/milford-sound/,/mirsg.ru/ru/pages/milford-sound, /varlamov.ru/1250158.html,//wikiway.com/novaya-zelandiya/milford-saund/,vk.com/@greenfieldworld-novaya-zelandiya-fordlend-milford-saund.

[grandstringbeansupreme]

Humans Are Space Orcs- Inhospitable Environments

⋆dedicated to @jhomikle⋆

Captain Giristlo had one major goal as leader of xeir ship, the Stargazer.

The safety and happiness of all of xeir crewmates.

So when xey had caught Human Owen and Durran, xeir two resident humans, arguing about something called a "television", xey had been curious. The argument had apparently been about a show that appeared on this television device. When the ship next docked, Giristlo had ordered one of these 'televisions", hoping this might settle the argument.

When xey gave it to the humans, they were very excited. Soon enough, they had it up and running in their quarters. When they were on break, Giristlo could walk by and hear it running.

Soon, Giristlo's curiosity overcame xem and xey asked to watch one of these "shows" with the humans.

Human Owen and Human Durran sat xem down to watch "something simple." As the logo flashed across the television, the translator clipped it to "National Geographic." *

Giristlo watched with great interest as the episode tracked two Hikers (Human John and Human Sarah) who were taking a trek up a mountain on Earth called "Everest".

Giristlo's interest soon turned to horror as xey beheld the conditions of the mountain. Show after show on this "channel" revealed even more horrible conditions like a "desert" or a "rainforest." Xey had heard of planets with these features before, but had never seen sentients actively try and brave them.

"Why does your species challenge your nature? This is seriously dangerous work, Human Owen and Human Durran!"

"Well, because it's an adventure! It's fun!"

*not sponsored by Nat Geo. I wish.*

[ivys-garden]

Hivy, This is Ivy!

Throughout my time on Tumblr one of my favourite things to do has been to create hypothetical Minecraft updates, I've done this twice before with The Pigeon update and The Pond Update, but a few weeks ago I let you lot chose what geographic area I should turn into a hypothetical update

Yall chose Celtic Europe (and Oceania but that's for later) AKA, Ireland, Scotland, Whales and Cornwall. I was very glad with this outcome as I myself am Scottish and I had a lot of ideas for this…..too many ideas…. So many ideas that I had to cut an entire section and now some stuff feels barebones….whoops. (but hey now I can work on a full portion update later…yay.)

But, enough of that, let's move on to:

The Fae Update!

New Biomes + Structures

There are 6 new biomes in this hypothetical update, each referring a different local found in celtic europe these are: The White Cliffs,The Glacial Pass, The Wisteria Forrest The Heather Moorlands/Peat Bogs (take your pick), The Highland Forests, and… you'll see ;3

The White Cliffs

The White Cliffs are a new coastal biome, consisting of grass topped cliffs, sandy bays and rock structures jutting out of the water. Suspicious sand and gravel generates naturally here and loot from it follows the fishing loot table, though with an increased chance to find nautilus shells and a rare chance to find sniffer eggs

This biome is based on the White Cliffs of Dover and the Jurassic Coast

The White Cliffs has only three new features:

Puffins

A new passive abiant mob, they drop Feathers when killed. Instead of the normal birds nest (introduced in the pigeon update) puffins lay there eggs in “wall nests” grey nests that attach to walls, these can be used as a decorative block

Seagulls

A neutral mob who drops Feathers and fish when killed, they spawn both in the White Cliffs and on beaches and open Seas. Seagulls will attack the player if they are holding any food item in their hand, stealing it.

Seagulls serve no other purpose.

Chalk

Chalk is a new stone block. It has the blast resistance of wood and is exclusive to the white cliffs, making up the cliffs themselves.

Chalk can be dyed any of the dye colours in the game, creating a softer, more Pastel variant of that colour (queers rejoice). Chalk can be made into slabs, stairs and walls in the stone cutter.

The Glacial Pass

A cold mountainous biome, the Glacial past is mainly made of stone and deeplate, with ice and snow also being common. Dipstone spikes can be found here as well as gravel structures resembling Eskers and Terminal Moraines (yes my favourite subject is geography how can you tell?). Suspicious gravel can be found here as well as suspicious snow, which can also be found in the igloo. Strays, Polar Bears, Foxes and Rabbits Spawn in this environment

This biome is based on glaciated uplands

Seals

Seals can be found in all cold environments. Seals will follow the player when they swim, upon coming on to land Seals will bob in the afternoon expectantly.

Seals can be fed fish, clapping after this is done

Seals drop blubber when killed. Blubber can be crafted into blubber blocks, when lit on fire these blocks burn light yellow. Blubber can be used to make torches, lanterns and campfires.

Blubber can also be crafted into a chest plate, the blubber chest plate reduces projectile damage and prevents Frost damage in powdered snow, but it slows you down while on land

The Wisteria Forest

A replacement for the old flower Frocester, this is a rare forrest in which all natural flowers spawn

Purified water (a type of water introduced in the pond update that can cure harmful status effects and restore hunger permanently for a short time) would spawn here too, as well as unicorns and kelpies (introduced in the pond update, will be discussed later)

Other Mobs that Spawn here will be discussed later

Wisteria Trees

Wisteria trees are a new wood type. The wood itself is a pale green with a purplish grey bark. Wisteria leaves are pale lavender. Wisteria trees also have hanging leave variants, much like willow leaves (pond update) that grow in the same way as glow berries

Butterflies and Moths

Passive ambient mobs that spawn in all biomes, though moths are most common in dark oak forests and butterflies are most common here. Both come in many colours, much like tropical fish. These mobs are as large as the bees (traditional dictates that all Minecraft arthropods must be massive, also yes bane of arthropods works on these, but do you actually care?)

Butterflies and Moths drop their respective wings when killed, these can be grafted onto the elytra (using the dragonfly carapace, an mob drop from the dragon fly as introduced in the pond update, speaking of that, the Toad from that update will also eat Moths and Butterflies) grafting these wings on changes the electable texture to resemble the wings of these Mobs (Note: despite both having many textures the electric will always adopt The Lunar Moth and Monarch Butterfly texture respectively)

Crann Bethadh Sprout

The sprout of a legendary tree, this is a two tall plant with ever changing leaf colours, shifting throughout all the pastel colour variants

The player can take a cutting of this plant using shears

This plant can only be dug up by the sniffer

Flower Crowns

By combining any 4 flowers in a circular pattern in the crafting table players can make flower crowns. Flower crowns adopt the colours of whatever flowers were used to craft it. Flower crowns can be worn on the head and serve no purpose other than to make people look pretty ;3

Wisteria Grass

Wisteria grass is a new grass type block that is pale lavender. It behaves the same as grass. It is only found in the Wisteria forest

The Heather Moorlands

Heather Moorlands are made up of water, grass, mud and a new block. No trees and few other plants spawn here, but cattails, reeds (pond update), sea grass and lily pads would be common here.

Bogs would spawn here

Toads, Frogs and Dragonflies would spawn here

Heather Moorlands are based on….Heather Moorlands.

Peat

Peat is a new powered snow-like block. It is brown in colour and makes up most of the ground in the Heather moorlands. Any plant can be planted on it.

Falling through peat takes notably longer than it does for powdered snow, players cannot freeze in peat, only suffocate. Peat can be safely traversed with leather boots.

When broken, peat will break into Peat Logs, peat logs can be burned in the furnace as an effective fuel

When lit on fire, Peat burns Bright Red, peat logs can be used to make peat lanterns, campfires and torches.

Combining 4 peat logs together makes a peat block, smelting a peat block creates Hardened Peat. Harmed peat can be made into Smooth Peat, Chiselled Peat, Peat Bricks, Cut Peat, Peat Pillar and Peat Tiles

Gortach

The Gortach are a new Undead mob. They spawn in swamps and peat bogs and resemble Bog bodies. They hide in dirt, mud, sand, gravel and peat and jump out of the ground to attack.

Gortach inflicts poison with their attacks. Gortach can carry swords, axes, and spears

Gortach drop their weapon, peat logs or Rotten flesh when killed

Spears

Spears are crafted either with one iron ingot and two sticks in a diagonal pattern, or are dropped by the Gortach

Spears are weaker than the sword but have a better reach, can be thrown (though this isn't good for their durability) and completely bypass shields and armour, hitting the opponent as if they had nothing at all

Spears have all the same enchantments as the Sword + Loyalty

Heather

Heather is a new purple flower exclusive to the Heather Moorlands. It gives purple dye when ground up.

The Highland Forest

Made up of rolling hills and Birch trees, all normal passive Mobs can spawn here, but sheep, goats,bees and cows are most common. All normal hostile Mobs can spawn here

Loch Lurkers (a rare UnderWater horse-like mob from the pond update) also spawn in the lakes here

Birch Updates

Yep. This is a secret Birch forest update.

A new form of Birch tree “Silver Birch” that grows much taller and has yellow leaves can be found here. This form gets its own sapling

The Birch block would also get a minor update to make the black segments more like stripes and not ugly blobs

Leave Updates, Packed Leaves and Thatching

Players and Mobs can now walk and fall through leaves.

When breaking leaves with anything other than shears or silk touch leaf blocks will drop leaf items (except wisteria and Spruce, which drop Petals and Needles)

By placing 9 of these in the crafting bench the player can create packed leaves, a new solid version of the leaf block

Thatching is a new block of greyish colour that is crafted with 6 wheat on the top and bottom and 3 leaves of any type in the centre of the crafting bench. Thatching looks the same as a Hale Bale, only without the string holding it together.

Goosegrass, Nettles, and Thistle

Goosegrass is a plant that grows in any forest, but is most common in the Highlands. Walking through goosegrass results in it sticking to you, taking up one of your unoccupied armour slots and slowing you down. Walking through it at all also slows you down, much like cobwebs, making this plant dangerous when fighting mobs

Nettles can only spawn in Dark oak and Highland forests. Nettles stay low to the ground, if they are walked on by a player they are inflicted with Poison. Nettles can be collected and made into a healthy soup

Thistles are a new type of two high flowers. They can be ground into purple dye. They hurt the player if walker through

Deer

Deer are a new mob found in all forested environments, much like Wolf's they have different textures depending on the biome

When killed, Deers drop Venison, a new edible meat

Like Goats, Deers will try to charge the player. Also like Goats, after hitting a block deer will drop and antler

Fog

Fog is a new weather type, lowering the amount the player can see for a short time and allowing a few Mobs to spawn, particularly endermen

Shelf Fungus

A new decorative block that grows on trees

Wildcats

Wildcats are a new ambient Mob, they share a model with Ocelots and Cats and they drop string when killed

The Mushroom Grotto

Oh yes. A new forest of giant mushrooms and mycelium. This biome is very rare. The Mobs that Spawn here will be discussed later

Mushroom Wood

Much like the nether mushrooms, overworld mushrooms are now a woodtype. The mushroom stem can be stripped and converted into all wood blocks. Mushroom wood is white in colour.

New Mushrooms

Yep. There is now a mushroom for every colour of dye in the game. Mushrooms can also now be ground into dye

Here's what all those mushrooms could look like (minus brown and red of course):

(Note: this is based on design, not colour)

Before moving on, sniffers don't just get the Crann Bethadh Sprout. They get a new plant for every dye type in the game

Plus, they can dig up two new mushrooms exclusive to them, when ground these mushrooms become two new dye types… Well, not quite. They Become Rose Dye and Spring Green Dye, the two removed wool colours. This is the only way to get these mushrooms and these dyes. This would make the sniffer more worth the work put in to get one and create a lot of more strange decoration choices

Here's what they COULD look like (note: again, colours don't line up)

Mushroom bricks

Smelting the Mushroom blocks (not the stem, the block itself) creates mushroom bricks: multicoloured bricks taking on the patterning of the mushroom used to make them

Mushroom bricks can be made into stairs, slabs and walls

Puffball Mushrooms and Faerie Rings

Both exclusive to the mushroom forest.

Puffball mushrooms are brown in colour and are plants that stay on the ground, when walked over they release spores that inflict harmful status effects such as Poison, blindness, slowness, weakness, nausea, lethitatvia, and mining fatigue

Faerie Rings are Rings of mushrooms that take up one block on the ground (they also come in all colours)

If a player steps on one it is like they are walking through cobwebs, and upon getting out they will be inflicted with slowness.

If a mob steps in one they completely freeze and their AI is disabled until they are knocked out or the ring is broken.

This would help allow players to use Mobs as decoration without lagging there game

New Structures

Bothies

A bothy is a public structure found typically in the Highlands, there small houses for folks to take shelter in.

Bothines can spawn in any woodland biomes, they'll appear as a simple wooden house. Inside Bothies will have a chest with low level loot and a bed.

Occasionally, suspicious sand,mud, gravel or snow will spawn outside the bothy (depending on the biome), these typically have low level loot but items such as armour Trims or record disks can be dug up

Stone Works

Based on the numerous palaeolithic celtic stoneworks,these are small abiant structures spawning in the Dark Oak, Highland and Wisteria forests, as well as Heather Moorlands, Snowy Tundras, Wetlands and Mushroom Grottos

There would be many variants of these structures resembling stone circles, stone henges, standing stones, stone portals and cobbled walls.

All of these are made from base stone blocks, though sometimes other blocks can be found like chalk flooring or trees/water spawning in the centre of a stone circle

Sometimes, though rarely, these structures could spawn with a “Stone Holder” a new block that holds a tool or weapon (similar to the myth of the sword and the stone) these can be moved with silk touch. The player can remove the weapon, which will always be made of iron (that's important for later) and could have some low-level enchamtmants

Occasionally, these can also structures spawn with suspicious dirt, which can be dug up with the brush. Pottery sherds are more common in these structures, but apart from that, they exist only as set dressing ;)

Castle Ruins

A more substantial ruin, Castle Ruins can spawn basically anywhere, but are most common in Highland forests.

Castle Ruins are winding structures, they have a Dungeon below with Gortach or Bog spawners in the cells. The main ruin itself is made up of narrow passageways, imagine a smaller version of the bastion.

There would be numerous loot chests around, but upon opening one, a new mob would be summoned called a ■■■■■■

This mob will be discussed later :)

The Beast's Lair

An underground structure most common under the mountains or Highland forests

Made up of narrow passages leading to open rooms filled with gold blocks, loot chests containing riches and even some new vaults. There's also a shocking amount of skulls littered around

And of course the new boss here: The Wyvern

The Wyvern is a draconic boss mob spawning only hear, it has 4 legs and two wings and is bright red (Note: no. Wyvern never meant a dragon with only 4 limbs. That is a modern addition. Wyvern and dragons were different because of what they breathed)

The Wyvern is very powerful up close and can attack from far away with its poisonous breath

Upon its defeat the Wyvern will drop copious amounts of gold and emeralds that it ate, perhaps even some diamonds if your lucky

Faerie Mounds

Spawning exclusively in the Wisteria Forests, Highland Forests and Mushroom Grottos, these are small dirt hills with a spawner inside and a handful of loot chests

They are essentially fae Dungeons

The mobs that Spawn here will be: you guessed it, discussed later

Clochan + The Dubnos Tunnels

Clochans are typically just an abiant structures common in the Highlands, small cobblestone huts with nothing interesting about them.

But occasionally, they lead to something greater. Some of them spawn with holes leading to a second structure made up of 5 rooms, oriented in this pattern:

In the centre room are 5 stones, each baring a carving of one of the 5 element symbols (note: these are taken from the unused painting textures, with a new one added for wood), at the base of all these stones is a new kind of Vault “The Fae Vault” exclusive to this structure and the beast's lair

The carvings look like this:

The goal of this structure would be to go to each of the challenge rooms, each of with have there own stone with a carving, right click on said carving to indicate you have completed the room, and once all 4 rooms are complete return to the centre room to click on the craving that was not represented by one of the carvings in the other rooms. Getting this right results in the appearance of 5 Fae keys from the stones. These keys can be used on the fey vaults to claim the structures loot

Failure to complete the structure will be indicated by the carvings glowing Red and numerous waves of Mobs spawning

The challenge rooms each contain a challenge pertaining to their element: the fire room is filled with fire, the water room is flooded, the air room requires parkour, the earth room is a Maze and the plant room is filled with Sweet Berries, Goosegrass, Nettles, Thistles, Puffball mushrooms and Faerie Rings (yes I know mushrooms aren't plants, shush.)

On top of that, there are several spawners for the fae in this structure, with various types appearing to attack you. Though these spanners will be deactivated upon completing a room

(Note: carved stones can be moved with silk touch)

They fae Mobs that Spawn in these will be discussed later.

These structures would create unique challenges for the player and would bring more life to these biomes, encouraging exploration.

(Part 1/5)

[probablyasocialecologist]

The World Food Summit of 1996 approached food security through the principles of ensuring there is enough safe and nutritious food that can be accessed daily to meet healthy dietary needs and food preferences. By definition, this is a desirable and worthy goal. However, in the years since, food security has developed into a paradigm which does not question the underlying power dynamics and the reproduction of material conditions that make food insecurity a permanent feature of the global order. At its core, the food security paradigm deals only with access to food, without challenging the political and economic structures that determine and control access, as well as distribution.  By failing to address the root causes of hunger and famine, the food security paradigm makes it impossible to end hunger globally. Of course, many people worldwide possess food security, but this is restricted to increasingly limited geographic pockets. In terms of the people localised in one area, food vulnerability is influenced and determined by class, race, gender and, of course, citizenship status. Globally, “underdevelopment” and “de-development” lead to widespread food insecurity across areas. Another problem with the food security paradigm is that it is easily co-opted to generate partial answers that pose no threat to the corporate food system, or worse, that even open up new profit opportunities. Accelerated by other crises, the food security paradigm becomes ever more dependent on aid, be it through direct food delivery, cash transfers or small development projects that cannot compete with the food giants and their price-setting powers. In practice, a “science of food security” emerges, one which takes as its focus calories and the output that is compatible with precision agriculture having the aim to increase crop yields and to assist management decisions using high technology sensor and analysis tools. This model tends to be reliant on “Green Revolution” technologies that rely on chemical fertilisers and pesticides and that are tied to colonial projects and corporations, in order to optimise resources in aid response and/or development projects.  In this rationale, food insecurity can be addressed by reaching optimum yields of certain crops that should meet the demand for fats, fibres and protein. All of this is carefully managed and data-driven. Precision farming is advocated by the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) with the objective of optimising, “agricultural value chains […] critical in advancing food and nutrition sufficiency without increasing the size of land under cultivation.” The framing of food that reduces it only to “optimal input” relegates vital elements of food production and the culture of eating, like territory ownership, taste, heritage, care, well-being and connection as secondary. This reductionist approach has, though, proved useful to corporate agriculture, since it reinforces the case for genetically modified crops (GMOs), more efficient fertilisers, and the standardisation of food production for market purposes. Advocates of plant breeding technologies (including GMOs and hybrid seeds) argue that government overregulation is an obstacle to achieving food security. Overregulation, as the argument goes, denies populations the opportunity to grow crops that have increased nutrient use efficiency and are more resilient to climate shocks. 

[...]

The paradigm of food security is about optimising productivity. It’s true that productivity matters – after all, feeding the world requires enormous quantities of food. But if productivity is approached solely as a technological problem, it reinforces the tendency to fragment the quantitative and qualitative aspects of food production and consumption. On the quantitative side, production for food security is viewed as a challenge of multiplication. Whereas division, that is, distribution of food, is left to logistical planning. This ignores what Raj Patel identified in his influential 2007 book Stuffed and Starved, as the bottleneck of power that concentrates international food distribution among a small set of corporations. This bottleneck excludes the poor and small-scale food producers from decision-making. It also normalises worrying tendencies, such as an overreliance on industrial animal exploitation as a protein source, which has direct health implications, as well as longer term consequences like the proliferation of new viruses, greenhouse gas emissions and inefficient use of water and soil.

28 May 2024

[caldwellwrites]

Things to Consider When Writing Setting

As a writer who has been coming up with a specific story concept for the past nine and a half years, I have a lot of trouble when it comes to writing and, oftentimes, imagining the setting of particular scenes. I almost always one detail in my head, but struggle to come up with any other features. Anyone can think, "Okay, my character is in a parking lot". But we, need to think beyond that.

Okay, first things first, decide a few things before we start consulting the big(ish) list.

-Where does this scene take place? (Pt. 1) That means the type of location. Are they in a forest? At home? In a Starbucks? There are a near-endless list of places for your character to be, but it's crucial to make sure you know where this person is before building from there. In my opinion, this is probably the most important aspect to know before attempting to write about the setting. Know. Where. They. Are.

-Where does this scene take place? (Pt. 2) This means the country or province. Consider every aspect of this place (I'll be making a post about world-building soon for those who need it). What are the geographical, cultural, and climate-related features. Think about how would these features impact the way your character experiences their environment.

-When does this scene take place? I'm talking about the time period, time of day, and time of the year. All of these factors will change what your character sees, hears, smells, everything.

Now that you've (hopefully) answered the three questions above, let's look at the big list of ideas. These are just some ideas I thought of while writing and editing this list, there are so many more ideas that are not on here. Try not do get overwhelmed by the list, and just look at it one section at a time. Play with some of these ideas in your head, on paper, a doc, whatever, and decide what feels write (get it?) for your project!

Sky, Weather, and Temperature

Sky Objects: Sun, Moon, Planets, Stars (Constellations), Meteors, Clouds (look up the different types), Rainbow, Flying Craft (Planes, Blimps, Drones, Helicopters), Balloons, Confetti, Kites, Bubbles

Weather: Sunny, Cloudy, Rainy, Stormy, Snowy, Hail, Foggy, Windy

Temperature: Sweltering, Hot, Warm, Comfortable, Chilly, Cold, Freezing

Nature and Natural Elements

Plants: Trees, Flowers, Grasses, Herbs, Mushrooms, Weeds, Bushes

Domestic Animals: Dogs, Cats, Horses

Wild Animals: Wolves, Coyotes, Bears, Wild Cats, Raccoons

Water Sources: Unmoving, Slow / Gentle, Rapid, Rough

Objects and People

Vehicles

Houses

Shops, Kiosks, Stalls

Schools & Other Buildings

Garbage

Fences, Walls, and Other Barricades

Parades, Parties, Festivals

Random Citizens / Passerby's

Higher-Ups (Royalty, Government Officials, etc)

Workers (Gardeners, Dog Walkers, Street Performers, etc.)

Furniture or Decor

Smells

Urine or Feces

Death / Blood

Cigarette / Cigar / Marijuana Smoke

Car Smog

Flowers

Fresh Cut Grass

Garbage

Food and Drink

Rain

Smoke / Fire

Pine

Sounds

Animal Sounds (Birds, Dogs, Insects, Frogs, etc. )

People Being Loud (Screaming, Playing, Cheering, Laughing, etc.)

Wind (Wind Chimes, Howling Wind, Blowing through plants, etc.)

Water

Machinery (Lawn Mower, Leaf Blower, etc.)

Transport (Carriages, Cars, Buses, Boats, Trains, Emergency Vehicles)

Weather Sounds (Rain, Thunder, Hail)

Fire Crackling

Music

[y-rhywbeth2]

Lore: Baldur's Gate #1

Link: Disclaimer regarding D&D "canon" & Index [tldr: D&D lore is a giant conflicting mess. Larian's lore is also a conflicting mess. You learn to take what you want and leave the rest]

The City | Demographics | Law & Legal System | Administration & Government | ??? - WIP

Might as well start compiling lore on the namesake of the game...

Featuring the city aesthetic (the depiction of it in-game wasn't nearly grey, damp or claustrophobic enough) and a mostly complete overview of the city and its major areas: the Lower City, Upper City, Outer City, Undercellar and Undercity.

Cultural titbits: like why you can't have animals bigger than peacocks; that you shouldn't live here if you have claustrophobia; how the Patriars clearly have it out for people with hay fever; the constant mould problem; where to go to get a glowing tattoo, a fake tan and the magical equivalent of a plastic surgeon; and why, in fairness to the Banites, the city requires very little effort to turn into a nightmarish police state under the control of an evil deity.

And if your Dark Urge is a sewer gremlin then that's a life choice they're making, not a Bhaalist thing: the Undercity isn't in the sewers.

-

The city state of Baldur's Gate is one of Faerûn's more important ports, situated geographically between the massive trade centres of Athkatla and Waterdeep. It began its life as a fusion of the early fishing hamlet of Loklee (formed around 0 DR) and the pirate and smuggler hub that formed nearby. It was a popular port with a shipyard and visitor's wharves by 204 DR. The natural harbour the man-made harbour is built on is one of the only places in hundreds of miles that's safe for ships to dock at.

Due to the lack of nearby settlements to form competition, the trade hub attained city status and import early in its existence. It briefly fell under the early kingdom of Shavinar, though this was mostly a technicality and the settlement continued to govern itself and continued to do so when the kingdom fell in 277 DR.

The area was first officially recognised in the history books as the city of of Baldur's Gate in 446 DR.

The primary spoken language of the Gate is Chondathan, however during the Spellplague the city attracted enough refugees to become one of Faerûn's most populated cities, and it's a diverse enough location that many people are at least bilingual (not counting Common): many speak Chondathan, their native/ancestral language and a third.

As a major port the city has always been something of a melting pot and encouraged a policy of tolerance - you don't want to drive away merchants and trade, after all. Likewise, in the interests of encouraging trade, the city has enforced a stance of political neutrality and refuses to be drawn into international problems.

Officially, the city prides itself on being welcoming to all ways of life, to the point where anyone and anything goes as long as they obey the laws and don't rock the boat; even the open worship of the majority evil gods is completely unremarkable - what if you want to trade with a place where those gods are a major religion, after all? While Umberlee is worshipped everywhere near the sea (under threat of tidal waves and drowning in retribution for not worshipping her), Baldur's Gate is one of the few places she has an actual temple.

A shrine to any god - regardless of what their faith does or preaches - can be established in any of the temple districts for public worship, and the law will pay it no mind.

This reputation for tolerance and neutrality means it tends to be one of the first choices for refugees and immigrants looking for a new start. The city is extremely crowded, with many people packed into tight spaces and narrow streets, and its population numbers surpassed the metropolis of Waterdeep decades ago; standing at 42,103 people in the 14th century, it has likely more than doubled since. Visitors often find it incredibly - possibly intolerably - loud and busy, while locals consider them to be backwater farmers who don't know what civilisation looks like.

While the city doesn't discriminate legally against any groups, its reputation for tolerance is somewhat overexaggerated. Peoples who are viewed as monstrous by the Realms at large, such as orcs and other goblinoids, or drow, can expect to feel unwelcome as with everywhere else. The recent wave of unwanted human refugees from Calimshan have a strained relationship with the established Baldurians, who view them as foreign and wish they'd just assimilate and start speaking Chondathan already. The city is a human settlement by culture and demographics, retaining its historical human majority, and while the demihuman minorities are part of mundane everyday life, there have been incidents such as in the early 14th century, which saw the rise of The Sure Helm: a human supremacy group who had an issue with the non-humans in their society and were known to carry out hate crimes on the likes of half-elves and half-orcs if they thought they could get away with it.

On a slightly saner note: you have the freedom of religion to worship a god who demands slaves and blood sacrifice, but it's a bad idea to advertise that... Or get caught slaving and murdering, unless you're a very high ranking priest.

--

Local bards tend to refer to the city as the Cresent moon in their lyrics and poems, after the shape of the city layout. The musical traditions of the Gate focus on "brassy-voiced tenors" and "delightfully smoky altos".

Baldurians frown on drunk, debauched and disorderly behaviour in public: there's no space for this nonsense and you're keeping everybody on the street awake.

The gate has an array of cosmetic services available in the markets of the Wide, where - as well as mundane tattooists and piercers - one can hire wizards in the market to perform cosmetic alterations with transmutation magic: glowing tattoos and other strange illusions, tans, magically affixing gems and jewellery like pieces to your body, changing hair colour, texture and style, changing your eye colour, altering your height or your weight or your sexual dimorphism, etc etc.

It's considered bad luck to harm a cat. Many of the animals moved into the area by hitching a ride on sea traffic, and as they're extremely useful for keeping vermin down both on land and at sea, Baldurians are fond of them.

If you need help carrying your shopping or finding somewhere in the city, most street corners have youths known as "lamp boys" and "lamp lasses" you can hire - so called because of the lanterns they carry at night. With the founding of the newspaper you can also find them hawking the daily papers.

The trade the city brings is the lifeline of the Sword Coast (South), and the only place one can buy foreign and luxury goods in the entire region. That said, these goods come at a significant mark up compared to the prices you'd find in Waterdeep or anywhere in Amn.

The majority of silver trade bars (bars of metal used in place of coins, for ease of transport) are made in the Gate, and the city sets the standards for this form of currency.

-

The city has always been heavily policed, and is known for being quiet and one of the safest cities in Western Faerûn; Baldurians don't expect much if any major disruption to the city's day-to-day life.

The city has its own City Watch - member of the watch being readily identified by their black helms, bearing a red stripe down one side - however the Flaming Fist Mercenary Company is the first thing that comes to mind when you mention law enforcement; you can barely go more than an hour without seeing at least one uniformed officer.

The City Watch used to be the city's police force, however by the end of the 15th century the Fist has taken on much of their role, and the Watch now functions purely as the private law keepers of the Upper City. They are permitted to live within the Upper City, and positions in the watch are now mostly hereditary.

Even when the Watch was the official city police the Fist boasted an army a thousand strong. By the start of the 15th century the Fist had taken over city patrols in a semi-official capacity. The two groups also overlap, and many of the Watch are also secretly members of the Fist. One in ten people in the gate - Watch or otherwise - are spies and informants for the mercenary company.

They may not be fully reliable as a police force however, as they are known to chose not to deal with some problems, declaring it a problem for the watch to deal with. Notably they do not police the Outer City and refuse to touch anything involving the Undercellar.

The Flaming Fist also has outposts in other realms, where it guards the foreign trade interests of the city, such as Fort Beluarian (a hamlet of 313 people) in the jungles of Chult on the Southern end of Faerûn. Being mercenaries, they are available for hire for any purpose that isn't considered flat out evil.

Of course the heavy policing and massive police presence, to anybody who cares to look closer at the city's outward appearance of security, is a giant tip-off that the city has a thriving underworld. The Thieves Guild is an ever-present force, and the religious tolerance means that there are a lot of other organised crime syndicates (ie the priests), murderers and extortion rackets running around. Such organisations keep close diplomatic ties to the Grand Dukes and the commander of the Flaming Fist.

-

The weather conditions are typically rain, sleet or fog depending on season and time of day, and the streets and buildings are almost constantly wet either from the weather or the sea. The architecture is almost entirely stone, as it's less likely to rot. The streets are often slippery, and straw or gravel from the river is sometimes thrown over the cobbles for grip. The citizens take advantage of the moisture and damp to use their cellars to cultivate edible fungi. Damp, mould and mildew are a common menace, but it did lead a wizard named Halbazzer Drin to make his fortune by inventing spells that banishes mildew (12gp per casting) and dry out an area without damaging anything (10gp), so services exist if you need to hire them. The spell is not known outside of the city; Drin refused to sell knowledge of the spell to anyone for any price or offer. Due to the damp, the streets have no banners or other hanging fabrics around.

Buildings tend to be tall and narrow, with shuttered slit windows placed high up, which will be firmly shut at night and all day in winter, to keep out the gales and invading gulls looking for places to nest. The extremely narrow streets of the Lower City are full of window planters and hanging baskets of flowers, providing the sole spot of colour amongst the grey. As the city streets are so steep and narrow, the city has a ban on allowing animals larger than a dog into the city (it's too difficult for them to navigate and likely to cause traffic issues).

Boxed in by its thick, heavily fortified city walls and with no space to expand the city has largely built upwards, and the streets are filled with stone buttresses and arches supporting the upper floors.

Due to its stony architecture and frequent overcast, the entire city is often referred to as the Grey Harbour by residents. (This is also the name of the actual city harbour)

The city is built into the chalk white cliffs around the harbour, growing in elevation until the settlement stops at the outermost walls.

By the 15th century, the city was firmly divided into the Lower and Upper Cities, the latter of which is built into the highest elevation, cut off by a wall. In the population boom that followed the mass immigration of Spellplague refugees, many people were forced to make space for themselves outside of the walls, building the Outer City. Beneath the city lies the Undercellar

Descending from the Undercellar is a labyrinth of tunnels leading down into caverns buried beneath Baldur's Gate; housing the ruins of a forgotten era, where the Temple of Bhaal stands over the ruins, surrounded by the restless spirits and walking corpses of undead residents ancient and brand new.

-

The Lower City houses most of the city, crafts and trade.

With the narrow spaces, cliffs, tall buildings and arches, the city can get rather dark at night. What public lighting is available is maintained by the citizens themselves. The wealthier parts of the Lower City, like Bloomridge, use oil and wick copper bowls, while poorer areas make do with candles in tin lanterns, usually such things are mounted on the walls and ceilings of the darkest corners; but when you want to navigate at night you'll usually be hiring lamp lads.

The Grey Harbour is one of Toril's most famous and best ports, frequented by legitimate merchant captains and pirates alike; many of the families living on the docks are the families of sailors. The area is very industrialised, sporting the shipyard, multiple cranes and railway tracks used to facilitate the moving of goods. The most notable structures are the Harbourmaster's Office, a tiny building with barred windows that deals with all trades and taxes - and the Water Queen's House at the end of the pier, which everybody with a brain makes offerings to and nobody looks too closely at whatever the Umberlant priests get up to in there, because the vast majority of people like breathing.

The Gate has little in the way of large fanciful festivals, but specific streets in the Lower City are prone to a centuries old tradition of "cobble parties", where the people living on a street pull up some chairs, benches and barrels and gather outside to share a mild drink, tell stories and chat. An ongoing cobble party can be recognised by the bright rose-red torches that are hung up along the street walls - these torches are made at Felogyr's Fireworks and can be bought almost anywhere in the city.

Bloomridge is as close the Upper City as you can get without actually gaining access, and houses the Gate's middle class. It was initially built in elevated platforms cimbing up the Upper City's walls using magic and Gondian engineering. It's various attractions - including fanciful architecture, florists, artisanal boutiques, fancy open-air kaeth houses (cafes) and dining houses (restaurants; also known as "skaethars" or "feasthalls"), and elaborate hanging gardens and floral arcades - made it attractive to those with wealth but no pedigree.

The district expanded as those who could afford to do so began purchasing and razing the original, less fancy buildings in the vicinity and building estates on the ground where they used to stand. Those who can't quite afford that instead opt to live in high class apartment buildings and flats over the local businesses. Buildings here often have rooftop gardens and balconies with pleasant vistas.

-

The Upper City is located in the oldest quarter of the city, the Lower City being built outside of the walls and stretching down to the harbour and then having the lower city walls constructed around it. The only gate connecting the two halves is the eponymous Baldur's Gate, the first of the many city gates constructed. It's also heavily guarded and the only gate by which outsiders may access the Upper City; there are numerous smaller gates, but they are exclusively used by patriars and those bearing family livery or bearing a letter of employment signed by a patriar. This district houses the Gate's oldest and most powerful families: anyone who isn't a patriar is either a servant or a watchman, who will most likely be a member of a family that has served a patriar family/the Upper City for generations. The exceptions tend to be a handful of the most successful and affluent business owners whose businesses have become popular enough with the nobility to be welcomed in. Every business and city service in this district exists to serve the upper class exclusively.

It's the most open and colourful part of the city; the shutters and doors are painted in fresh, vibrant paints. The streets are broad and well lit with ornate enchanted lamps; the terrain is mostly flat, unlike the streets of the Lower City, which can often resemble giant staircases.

Businesses that would cause unpleasant smells are banned from the area, and the Upper City maintains many gardens, windowsill planters and trellises where flowers bloom and fill the air with pleasant scents (unless you have hay fever, anyway). Wandering minstrels provide ambient music as they wander the streets - usually a singer playing a lute or harp accompanied by a flutist and perhaps a drummer who may provide a chorus.

They've also got drains, so the streets are less inclined to flood or turn to mud the way the rest of the city is.

There are no inns or alehouses here: a noble who wishes to drink will either host a party, attend a private club, or go slumming in the Lower City.

The Upper City houses the High Hall, also known as the ducal palace; the administrative building that provides a place for feasts, court hearings and government meetings. The meeting rooms are and have always been open for public use, however there is a rule that states you cannot rent a meeting room there twice within 48 hours (to stop people from monopolising the rooms). The High Hall used to be a more grim, military building but has since been renovated to appear more bright and friendly as a PR stunt following a giant riot over taxes.

The other two of the city's temples are located in the Upper City, the Lady's Hall - a Temple of Tymora - and the High House of Wonders, the temple of Gond (who is near enough the city's patron god). The building serves various purposes: a temple, workshops, factories and laboratories. When something deemed ready for the eye is released it can usually be viewed in the Hall of Wonders: a science museum across the street to the temple.

It's also where the Gate's largest marker - the Wide - is situated. It's the only large open space in the city, and the only open air market. Outside of festivals, performances and music is banned in the area. The Wide is usually packed with people forced to stand shoulder-to-shoulder, and those who are hired to perform deliveries in the Wide are always tall and large, capable of seeing over the heads of the throngs and pushing their way through. Goods are carried atop tall poles that are strapped to the deliverymen's chests or backs. Prices are lowest in the Wide compared to anywhere else, and any transactions that cannot be performed within a licensed store must take place here by law.

Permits to rent space in the Wide for the day are limited, and they usually go to whoever has the money to bribe the bailiff, watchmen and other officials who have sway in over the market's administration - which is usually the merchants of the Upper City.

As well as the usual fare of goods, the Wide offers a large range of cosmetic services including the mundane body modifications and stylists that one would find on Earth, and more esoteric concepts that can only be accomplished with magic; such services and the artisans who provide them are seasonal and ever changing. The Wide is the most colourful spot in the city, and the only place that's the exception to the lack of banners and other hanging fabrics. Historically the Wide was open all day and night, but in recent times the watch has been closing the area at dusk - nobody except for the patriars may have use of the Upper City after dark.

The Wide is only closed if the area must be used for something else, such as public Highharvestide festivals... or because a patriar decided to close it off for private use, such as a ball or wedding.

Just outside of the market area is the rest of the Upper City's commercial area; stores, insurance offices, trade guildhalls, Ramazith's tower and the public entrance to the Undercellar - a flight of stone stairs leading down to a pair of heavy oak doors at the southern edge of the market. The doors are shut, but the Undercellar never closes and if you knock somebody will open them and usher you inside.

-

The Undercellar is a maze of underground passages lying beneath the city - mostly vaulted stone chambers created from the interconnected and abandoned cellars of the old Upper City, with hidden exits all over the city. Those who know where these exits are tend to guard them jealously, but may be willing to allow the Thieves' Guild access for coin or service. The Guild itself controls a fair few of these exits, and has been working on expanding the network.

It's also the playground for the criminal underworld of the Gate. The Undercellar's public image is that of a rather unprincipled festhall (a specific form of adult entertainment venue in the Realms that serves as a fusion of casino, bar, lounge, spa, brothel, playground, BDSM scene, LARPing club and so forth), which in a way, it is. Due to its dangerous reputation, it's incredibly popular, especially with those who are trying to look edgy and dangerous (particularly teenagers).

If one is openly carrying weapons, you can expect the armed guards stationed in the room to start following you closely; otherwise they'll leave you be. The guards are unlikely to care much about any disturbances, so long as they don't start disrupting everybody's business. Customers are not to venture further into the Undercellar without permission and an escort.

And behind that edgy, but mostly harmless veneer visitors play at and never see past is the real Undercellar, which is every bit as dark as its rumoured to be.

The Guild has its offices down here, and other rooms are used for varying purposes by other criminals. Want to put a hit on somebody, watch somebody get murdered in a Bhaalist red room, smuggle people or whatever crimes against humanity you feel like seeking out, this'd be the place to do it.

The Undercellar is policed by nobody except the criminals who do their work down there; whatever might take place down there, neither the Watch nor the Fists have any desire to know about them if you try and bring them to light. Want to avoid bad things? Don't get involved with the Undercellar.

The sprawling, pitch-black maze - if one knows how to navigate it - is a good way to get around the Upper City without detection. Somewhere down there is a passage that goes deeper, leading further into the earth and into the Undercity.

The Undercity is, clue in the name, the dead remains of a city buried beneath the living Baldur's Gate (specifically the original city that became the Upper City). At its heart is the Temple of Bhaal, and the city is inhabited by Bhaalists, alive and dead; the original, now undead, inhabitants of the undercity and any victims of the temple that have joined them.

-

The Outer City, Cliffgate and Blackgate are not technically parts of the city, being constructed outside of them.

The soil surrounding the city is little use for agriculture, but it is sufficient for grazing, so most farmers are the likes of shepherds and cattle farmers. As livestock and large animals are not permitted inside the city, cattle markets, stables and such businesses will be found there. Many of the less pleasant businesses, such as butchers and tanners, have relocated here to spare the rest of the city the smell and mess.

Much of the structures are semi-permanent in nature, and the areas are not subject to official oversight or in possession of any particular infrastructure. They aren't policed by the Fist or the watch, the area is near enough lawless, and crime is frequent. "Security" tends to be overseen by the Guild, and while the government doesn't tax outside the walls, residents still have to pay their dues to the local thieves and thugs.

The Outer City is as crowded as the Lower City, but less sanitary or orderly: these places are dirty, loud, smell a lot and tend to be quite dangerous. Many of the residents are farmers, criminals and foreigners and immigrants of varying generation who can't afford or find a place in the city proper.

The Blackgate is the historical slum area, and grew around the inland-facing Black Gate to the North West, growing around the Trade Way connecting The Gate to Waterdeep.

The Tumbledown district, located in Cliffgate outside the city gate of the same name, is the middle child of the expansions, leading down the cliffs. The land was owned by the Szarr family generations ago, before they were all (supposedly) slaughtered by a rival family in the night. Tumbledown is an extremely foggy area, full of graveyards and tombs, and rumours abound that the ghosts of the dead Szarrs haunt the streets there and steal people away. People do disappear there, but most people are sceptical that it's due to ghosts.

The Outer City is a newer, larger slum that grew around the Basilisk Gate and spread along the Coast Way - the road between the Gate and Athkatla - as the city population exploded at the end of the 14th century.

Immigrant communities have taken the opportunity to build their own settlements in the Outer City, styled in their own architectural styles, such as Little Calimshan; a tenement on Wyrm's Crossing is exclusively occupied by halflings; Whitkeep houses a gnomish community who does most of the city's tinsmithing; half-orcs lodge in Stoneyes; a shield dwarven community is located in Shieldgate.

These communities are considered outsiders by most Baldurians, and generally there's no love lost between those inside the walls and outside.

[mikuni14]

4 Minutes - Ep 4

This ep featured some of my favorite tropes: when two lovers share a secret that requires them to choose between their loved one and a cause, family, work, etc., when one of them decides to side with and protect their beloved, even if it means opposing and endangering their own family. And also that, besides Great choosing to side with Tyme and the kidnapped girl against his own family, Tyme himslef also doesn't waver in his conviction about what's right like Tan, even if it could cost him Great.

I just like this kind of stuff. I think it's neat 💖 The only thing I miss is the development of these scenes, more of them.

Unfortunately, this is not possible for one reason, namely that we are probably watching it all from the perspective of the dying Great, so there are no extended scenes, "fillers", there is no conversation between Great and Tyme about what actually happened, who Nan is, what is going on, what happened to Tyme's parents and what's the deal with Great's family business.

I apologize to WinTonklaKorn fans, but I can't convince myself to invest my interest and emotions in them. Especially now, because messy love triangles ALWAYS turn me off. There is also a lot of focus on the physical element of these relationships, and I find myself turning my head away when that happens (and as a fujoshi I should watch it like a National Geographic cameraman spying on two endangered species having sex like 👀), and generally drifting away. This plot could have been interesting, with elements of toxicity, crime, mourning, ambiguity, but it looks like it might want to, but it comes out more and more like a cheap romance with unnecessarily emphasized pornographic elements. Again - sorry to the fans of this thread and this couple 🙇‍♀️, but that's how I see it. Tonkla's brother was murdered, and he's constantly shown in a sexual context, in relation to other guys who are into him, instead of in the family/ sibling context of someone who lost his brother in terrible circumstances like Tan.

The only interesting scene was how Great's changed "reality" affects Tonkla's reality. The moment when he hears his dead brother's voice was very moving. I won't hide the fact that I would rather see more of this Tonkla. I would rather see him follow Tan's path from DFF in a sibling context, than entangle him in love triangles. I would like to see him as someone who doesn't lose sight of the goal and isn't distracted by the pussies around him like Phee. Unless Tonkla has some plan for Win and Korn 🤔 but I doubt it atm.

Of course I must mention the love scene between Great and Tyme, and I assure you, I did NOT turn my head here 🤩 I have no complaints, Bible and Jes are super comfortable together, they kiss beautifully and their physical contact has a nice flow, is smooth and natural (has Jes ever acted in a BL production?). You can also see in this scene the feelings that Great and Tyme have for each other. And I love how Great is vulnerable and open to Tyme in this scene (as in every other scene).

I like how Tyme starts with "innocent" kisses, giving Great time to react and even say no. I like how Great is just as eager as Tyme, which he shows with his whole body (as a huge fan of equality in relationships, I pay close attention to whether the series shows that both MLs are equally emotionally involved AND want each other). I love the moments when they smile at each other, when they laugh, when in addition to obvious desire they also have FUN, gosh, it's so 💯✨👌

Bible's tattooed thigh will forever be burned into my brain.

Oh and this?

This is it people! This is what it's all about, this is the quintessence of them and a good BL series. This showing of every aspect of a love relationship, this joy and pure fun, these smiles, these tattooed thighs, this beauty. Just.. wow. Wow!

(this is the second version of the post, the first one didn't appear at all, probably because of the full screenshots and Bible's thigh area lol hence the second attempt with cropped photos. EDIT, the previous version was flagged! 🥳 This is my first flagged post in my life, what a special day, I think I'll get drunk in honor of it)

[dalekowrites]

After Dark's Update DevLog

Hey there! As promised, this update brings new features, some enhancements, and a few bug fixes that I believe will improve your read-gaming experience.

Features & Enhancements

Persistent Memory for Characters: your party's characters will now remember your past conversation topics and answers, making interactions feel more realistic.

Pansexual Main Character: Your main character can now be pansexual, and can now date...

Nonbinary Option for Max: ...nonbinary Max, adding more representation and customization to your gameplay.

Expanded Special Abilities: I've added seven new special abilities, bringing the total to ten. Can you find all of them?

Updated Geographical Details: I've changed some geographical data, including the pandemic's starting location. Additionally, I've revised geographical distances and character speeds for a more authentic experience. You’ll also notice new geographical and environmental details based on real-world U.S. locations!

Improved Conversations: Certain message exchanges with Rain and some conversations with Michael have been revised—now they should sound more natural and relatable.

Enhanced Gameplay Mechanics:

Collectible Card Game (Beta): I've completely revised the collectible card game. It is now in beta! While it's not fully functional yet, you can already...

Card Game with Michael: ...play with Michael, and you'll be able to fight more characters in future updates!

Revised Sun Damage and Sunscreen Mechanics: The sun damage system has been updated, and there’s now a higher skin tone level requiring sunscreen (I'm also working on modifying the sunscreen system to operate on a usage basis rather than by bottles, but this is still TBA).

New and Expanded Mobile Games: The existing mobile game has been expanded, and I’ve added a new one for you to enjoy!

Flavor Text for Name Choices: When choosing certain names, you’ll now see new flavor text to add a bit of fun and more personality to the characters.

Relationship Revisions: I've adjusted the relationship system to enhance characters' interactions and narrative flow.

Optimized Cell Phone Battery Usage: I've also revised the smartphone battery usage, to make it more realistic (and challenging, obviously!).

Bug Fixes

Various Typo Corrections: You know, things like tohse.

Portable Charger Bug: Fixed a bug where the portable charger from Abby's house would not charge at all. Your smartphone should now be powered!

Friendbook Search Bug: Resolved an issue where players could tell Michael he had been searched on Friendbook, even if he hadn't been searched. Now you actually need to search him.

Other Bug Fixes: I've fixed other minor bugs to improve the overall gameplay experience.

Known Issues

Weapon System Bugs: There are still some known bugs in the weapon system that I'm actively working on. I appreciate your patience (please don't use them on me!)

Sunscreen System Update: As mentioned above, I'm still modifying the sunscreen system to function based on uses rather than bottles. Right now it's a bit unrealistic, but I'm working on it!

Thank you for your support and feedback. Whether you have already received it (as patrons) or are waiting for it next month (as free users), I hope you enjoy this update! ♥

[ Patreon ][ Discord ][ Public Demo ]

[mxxnlightwriting]

✨ A Spark of Magic Pre-Orders Are Now Live ✨

A Spark of Magic is one step closer to being yours. You can pre-order the ebook from most retailers here! (Note: Amazon's link will only be available on release day. I apologise for the inconvenience) Paperback pre-orders coming soon.

Since I can't do any pre-order campaign with physical goodies due to my geographical location, I decided to lower the ebook's price to half of what it will be after release, so if you pre-order now, you can get it for $1.99 (US)/1,99€/£1.99. I'll keep this price for a week after the release so that people who tend to get ebooks from Amazon can still enjoy this little bonus. I hope you can understand and take advantage of this deal 💛

Check the section below for FAQs such as whether it'll be on KU, ARC readers and other things. If you have any questions not featured below, feel free to send them my way!

Q: Why pre-order?

A: Pre-orders are a great way to help authors. Whenever you pre-order a book, you're letting that retailer know there's interest in it which helps it chart higher in retailer charts (generally speaking). This means there's a potential for it to reach more people who otherwise might miss it.

Q: Will this book be available on KU?

A: Since I'm opting for a wide release, and due to KU's exclusivity nature, I can't offer my ebooks through there while having them available elsewhere.

Q: Will this book be available on Kobo Plus?

A: Yes, it will! In case you don't know what Kobo Plus is, it's a similar subscription program to KU, except it doesn't require authors to be exclusive to the platform. This program isn't available in every country, but you can check here if your country has it. They're also adding new territories often, so keep that in mind.

Q: When will paperbacks be available for pre-order?

A: I wish I could have a concrete date, but I don't. There's a chance the paperback release will have to be postponed a week or two, but I'll keep you informed. If you're unsure which you should order, wait until I show you what the paperback looks like so you can make your choice!

Q: Will you have ARC reviewers for this release?

A: I will only have eARC reviewers available, and you can sign up for it here if you're interested! All the information is there, but if you have extra questions/concerns feel free to reach out and I'll reply as soon as I can.

Thank you so much for reading this far! I'll try to keep this post updated, so I'll probably reblog it whenever I add new information!

[dragon-mantis]

grabs dsmp fans by the shoulders utah is not just desert.

most of central and northern utah is mountainous. southern utah is the place with the most sandy desert area, and utah as a whole is considered a steppe climate.

if you are writing or drawing about utah and its supposed to be set in wintertime, there should be at least a foot of snow on the ground.

^ like this!

this is southern utah

this is northern utah

this is central utah

some other really beautiful areas:

notice how there are forests and mountains all over the place! notice how the deserts are more rocky than sandy!

utah is 84,900 square miles (219,884 square kilometers). to put that in perspective, the entire uk is 94,060 square miles (243,610 square kilometers). it has a very large and varied climate

from the wikipedia article on utah:

"Utah is known for its natural diversity and is home to features ranging from arid deserts with dunes to thriving pine forests in mountain valleys. It is a rugged and geographically diverse state at the convergence of three distinct geological regions: the Rocky Mountains, the Great Basin, and the Colorado Plateau."

please do research on the places you are writing about/drawing i beg of you

[script-a-world]

Submitted via Google Form:

Since a lot of the desert is not very habitable, my world has a lot of underground buildings in the desert very high tech so that the natural land isn't very important. What do I need to consider for this?

Tex: Do you have a particular desert in mind with this question? There’s a fair amount of deserts that are inhabited already by flora and fauna, if not to a hundred percent coverage, such as the Great Basin desert, Kalahari Desert, and the deserts of Australia.

Deserts that have less flora and fauna, and are of the more popular imagination, such as the Sahara, Gobi Desert, and Syrian Desert, will have pockets of inhabitation around places like wadis, where there’s enough underground pooled water for migrational animals - including humans - to travel to and from. It’s not unusual to see water, and thus inhabitation, around mountainous regions in the desert, or by the borders of a desert where climate zones shift based upon geological features.

Humans have been living in and around the desert for a very, very long time (Wikipedia). Because of this, they’ve developed methods of surviving, and while it might not necessarily be an analogue to denser human populations like New York City that’s teeming with life and a focus of travel, a life is made.

Aridity isn’t necessarily the domain of traditional deserts, either - mountains are a good example of this, as are certain popular examples of civilizations in these areas. Petra is a popular example, home to the Nabataeans and geographically within modern-day Jordan. A notable mountain peak, Tian Shan, in Central Asia, was one of many places the Yuezhi people lived, who were nomadic and lived not only in the surrounding area but also across places like the Tarim Basin and the Tibetan Plateau. There’s a lot of examples of similar situations in other parts of the globe, so this is not an isolated event in human history.

Now, what is your definition of high tech? Skyscrapers? Internet? Something else? Lighting is something humans have had for a while, in the form of candles, hearths, and lamps, and we’ve more or less had an electrical grid in some places since the late 1880s (Wikipedia).

Plumbing has existed for thousands of years in some form for both fresh and wastewater (Wikipedia 1, Wikipedia 2), as has architectural features such as bridges (Wikipedia) and other types of architectural works (Wikipedia). Multi-story buildings have also existed for a while, notable in Roman insulae and Egyptian city of Fustat.

Telecommunications has existed in some form for about as long as human civilization has existed (Wikipedia), but electronic telecommunications began at about 1830-1840 (Wikipedia). I don’t know if you consider this sufficiently old or sufficiently modern, but the information is there for your perusal. Accordingly, the predecessor to the modern internet, ARPANET, was a multi-country project that began in the 1960s and established by the US Department of Defense - and computing hardware has a before and after historical split in technological advances at about the same time (Wikipedia).

What are your goals with this setting and this technology? What are the reasons that your society is living in such an area with such a climate, and what are they using the technology for? Are the communicating with people outside of this area? Is the technology completely isolated, for archival purposes, or is it interacted with on a regular or frequent basis? How much of this is aesthetic, and how much of it is part of a plot or culture?

Utuabzu: Historically, there have been several cultures in arid environments that favoured partly or wholly underground structures, from the Ancestoral Puebloans of the American South West, who sometimes built into the sides of canyons to the Derinkuyu Underground City in south-eastern Türkiye, to the modern town of Cooper Pedy in South Australia. These sites vary significantly in form and in motivation, with the Ancestoral Puebloan canyonside structures built primarily for defense, Derinkuyu built partly for defense and partly just because the local stone was really easy to carve through and vast underground spaces made for convenient storage, and Cooper Pedy is underground to mitigate the worst of the desert heat, mostly utilising exhausted opal mines.

Any or all of these reasons could apply, and would impact your setting’s architecture and urban forms, but the biggest impact is always going to come from the reason people started living there in the first place. The Ancestoral Puebloans farmed the fertile river valleys, Derinkuyu lies in Cappadokia, a region that once gave rise to the Hittite Empire and has plenty of decent farmland and pasture, while Cooper Pedy is a major centre for opal mining. 

I’d suggest considering why this culture lives in the desert in the first place, and then researching what similar locations in the real world look like. Also, decide what sort of desert you’re working with. As Tex said, there’s a lot of different kinds of desert, and they have historically produced very different cultures and architectural traditions. What makes sense in the hot sandy deserts of the Arabian Peninsula or Northern Africa does not necessarily make sense in even the relatively nearby Iranian Plateau or Thar Desert, let alone the cold deserts of Central Asia or the high altitude Atacama or Tibetan Plateau.

[blackgirlwhowrites2k23]

Can you write going on an aquarium date w alejandro balde and you just giggle at him most of the time bc of how childish he looks when he sees all the animals and stuff😭 sorry its kinda vague but i need the balde fics out here😣

Summary: Finals are coming up and your general marine biology class has got you all types of worried. Balde to the rescue! A trip to the aquarium never hurt nobody.

A/N: I know you want to beat my ass right now for how long this took, but I was having some personal issues so I had to be away for a bit. I should be all alright now though! You probably already got someone else to write this but I still felt like I owed you this at least. That aside, there really is a lack of fanfiction for some of my best boys. So here’s one for the bestest of the best boys: Balde himself. I took a little bit of a spin on this so I hope you don’t mind, Anon.  Also, shout out to women in STEM! (Also I don’t own any of these pics or video so credit to the original owners)

“I should be at home��studying,” you started to complain. It was futile to try to argue with him once he got so riled up about something, and as you stood at the start of the aquarium it was clear that it was a lost cause.

“Why do that when you could be here, with me; your awesome boyfriend,” he wiggles his eyes in an obnoxious manner that only serves for you to scoff in fake annoyance.

College life was definitely not easy and while you're confident in your choice of major and your ability to succeed, it’s hard not to get nervous. Especially when it’s just the beginning and your general studies classes are already throwing you for a loop. 

You had initially planned to be cooped up in your house all day doing nothing but going over the material, reviewing, and then reviewing some more. Then, when that was done, take the longest nap of your life. 

That had been the plan. That was until you received a text at 9 in the morning that effectively threw those plans out the window.

————————

Baldie 👨🏾‍🦲💖

Be prepared in an hour. Wear something nice. I’m coming to help you study😼

You

Going to watch Spiderverse again

will NOT help me study.

Baldie👨🏾‍🦲💖

What?

Babe No…

Just be prepared☝🏾😼

————————

As you walk hand in hand through the entrance of the aquarium, an immediate sense of wonder lit up Alejandro’'s eyes; as the soft, pillowy blue cascaded across his features it was hard to decide what would occupy all your attention: looking at him or figure out what exhibit to look at first. 

He was like a kid in a candy store, or in this case a kid at an aquarium. His excitement was palpable, and you couldn't help but giggle at the way he bounced on his toes, his enthusiasm infectious.

The first exhibit you come across is a vibrant coral reef, a living breathing tapestry of colors and textures. Alejandro's gaze darts around, absorbing every detail.  

“Woooahh! That looks like a brain,” he points dramatically at the various Australophyllia wilsoni that you both had the pleasure of stumbling across. Balde, in his infinite wisdom, presses up as close to the glass as he can to imprint every detail in his mind’s eye. 

You were in just as much awe as he was, but you definitely went about it in a more formal way.  

“That’s actually the Australophyllia wilsoni, or a Wilson’s brain. Like all coral, these guys are super important for the environment with keeping the Ph and oxygen balance within the water.”

He turns to you with a grin, eyes wide, and asks you to continue on about the different types of corals and their natural habitats, curiosity gleaming in his eyes. You humor him. With a chuckle, you launch into an impromptu lecture, weaving scientific names and geographical locations together like a basket, and you the expert weaver. Alejandro's fascination only grows, and he listens intently, occasionally gasping as a particularly striking fish darts by.  It was clear that he was overcome with a sense of eagerness; he may not have understood every single thing you said but he would sagely nod and act like he did. 

The enormous tanks all appeared to be their own living, breathing universe, packed with colorful marine life. A complex tapestry of coral and other organisms. As you move from tank to tank, his excitement never ceases.

The jellyfish exhibit captures his attention next, and you find yourselves lost in a world of languid, mesmerizing movements and ethereal effervescent lights. Alejandro's laughter rings out as he playfully imitates the up, up, up movements of the jellyfish, almost like a dance meant to capture anyone who witnesses it. You can’t keep up your professional facade anymore and you go up, up,up, moving your arms like you were floating. You immediately feel the joy bubble up within you, making you light, and yeah, maybe you were floating.

You were glad that particular exhibit was empty though, because you both probably looked real crazy. 

You have to remind yourself to never talk about fish around Alejandro because once you got started–he never wanted you to stop. You could see why though. The aquarium fish were everything and more. Their colors danced in the ethereal blue light, casting mesmerizing reflections on the glass walls of their world. Behind the glass, they felt so close, yet sooo far away.

“You know I once caught that fish with my bare hands” he points to the nearest fish as it darts past you both and makes the gripping gesture with both of his hands out.

You follow the direction of his finger, see a suckermouth catfish, and playfully hit him on the arm.

“Boy, be so for real right now.” You have to immediately walk away though because, in your laughter, you had said that entirely too loud. 

“I’ve lived many lives, woman.”

The rays in the touch pool become the next unfortunate victim in his boundless energy as Alejandro all but races you over to the waters. He reaches out to touch the sleek backs of rays gliding through the water, his eyebrows going impossibly higher up on his face as he fails to contain his pure delight. You can’t help but snap a picture as he squeals, or manly show his appreciation as he would put it, the perfect embodiment of elation.

As you explore, you find yourselves in the tunnel under the massive shark tank. The world above you transforms into an aquatic ballet, with sharks and rays gliding gracefully overhead. Alejandro's grip on your hand tightens as he whispers in awe, comparing the canopy to a majestic underwater sky.

“Am I not like, the best boyfriend ever?” You look away from him for a moment and see a pair of sharks, presumably a couple if their size difference and proximity are any indicators, and hum thoughtfully.

“I don’t know. Lemme pass this test first and I’ll get back to you on that,” you stare into a different pool, his eyes this time, and immediately get pulled in. It’s hard to keep up your cheeky game when he’s that damn fine. 

“How bout I give you a kiss and we’ll go with yes,” you have to hold on to the railing of the enclosure to keep yourself from falling in.

“That’ll work too.”

[rjzimmerman]

Excerpt from this story from Yale Environment 360:

Strong winds sweep over the Rhön, a vast region of rolling, forested hills and pastureland in central Germany. Undeterred, Stefan Zaenker, leading a group of four volunteers, runs through his checklist alongside a forest road. Are rubber boots disinfected to prevent introducing potentially harmful microorganisms into the wetland? Are the team app and GPS functioning correctly? Have enough flags been packed?

When all is in order, Zaenker, 56, leads the group into a soggy alder forest. Its mission for the day: to locate and map as-yet-undiscovered springs and document any species inhabiting them.

A senior conservation official for the state of Hesse, Zaenker considers springs so important for human life and biodiversity that he — along with volunteers from the Hesse Association for Cave and Karst Research — spends much of his spare time conducting large-scale searches for them in the Rhön, which includes the German states of Bavaria, Thuringia, and Hesse, and in a nearby national park.

Conservation strategies around the globe focus on rivers, bogs, forests, reefs, and many other habitat types. Springs rarely get any special attention. In the United States, for example, springs do “not appear to be a prominent feature on the conservation radar,” says Kirsten Work, a zoologist from Stetson University in DeLand, Florida.

But for the biosphere, these tiny spots dotted across Earth’s land surface play a powerful role: They connect reservoirs of groundwater to the outside, sunlit world. Only so-called “fossil” aquifers — ancient bodies of groundwater that do not recharge — lack a link with the surface. Without a continual connection to groundwater, which also feeds rivers, many landscapes would quickly dry up and become hotter. In addition, springs are home to a wide range of highly specialized species, some of which live outside by night and in the darkness of groundwater by day.

Far too little is known about where springs occur and what species they harbor, Zaenker says. In a country like Germany, which has no wilderness but a very efficient bureaucracy, most people assume that everything in nature has already been discovered and mapped. This is not true, he claims: “I can stand right next to an impressive spring with water flowing out, but the official topographical map shows nothing.” Official maps denote springs with a blue dot, indicating they are habitats protected by law. Yet many — if not most — springs remained undocumented. “How are we going to effectively protect these important habitats or know if they dry up,” asks Zaenker, “if we don’t even know they exist?”

Halfway around the globe, ecologist Larry Stevens is on a similar mission and is equally worried about the future of springs. In 2013, Stevens cofounded the Springs Stewardship Institute, a nonprofit science initiative linked with the Museum of Northern Arizona, and in 2023 he published Springs of the World: Distribution, Ecology, and Conservation. Stevens considers springs prime examples of “canaries in coal mines” because they act as early warning systems of water table decline and biodiversity loss.

Stevens is particularly fascinated by the large number of highly specialized and endemic species found in and around springs. He points out that with constant temperatures and high purity, spring water offers unique living conditions. Springs are often isolated from one another geographically and many have been in place for millennia, characteristics that make them hotspots for new species to arise and refuges for species that have lost their habitats elsewhere. “Although miniscule in habitat area compared to rivers, lakes, and oceans, springs support more than 10 percent of U.S. endangered species, as well as thousands of other rare and endemic biota,” he notes. For example, the so-called Comal Springs riffle beetle is limited to a few springs in Texas, while the endangered White River springfish lives only in isolated warm springs in eastern Nevada.

While there are many spectacular springs — like the white Pamukkale terraces of Turkey, Blue Spring in New Zealand, or the hot springs in Yellowstone National Park — most are rather inconspicuous. That doesn’t diminish their importance, though. Every creek, river, pond, and lake starts with at least one, and often many, springs.

[coquelicoq]

Names of the Raksura

to whom it may concern!! i made a list of the raksuran names (as translated for us into english) used in the books of the raksura. i included the names of the characters that we meet and hear about as well as the names that can be extrapolated from the fact that courts appear to be called [name of queen] [name of her consort]. this list is almost certainly not complete; it's very likely i missed some characters and courts, so feel free to fill me in on your favorite glup shitto if i missed them <3

the list of names is given in full at the end of the post. first, some stats!

i recorded 163 unique names for 180 raksura:

147 of these names were used by only one character

15 of the names were used for two characters (in most cases these are coincidental (e.g., two people named after the same thing in nature) rather than namesakes (i.e., one person named after another person))

1 name was used for three characters (Rain you are so important. parents love you)

i then categorized the unique names by word class (noun, verb, or adjective). of course, many of these words can be in multiple classes, so i went with what seemed to me to be the primary meaning (for example, Venture is both a noun and a verb, but its noun meaning seems slightly more fundamental; i think it came first etymologically). colors can be nouns or adjectives, but i kept them all as adjectives unless they were named after an object, like the indigo plant, in which case i called them nouns.

of the 163 unique names:

128 are primarily nouns

21 are primarily verbs

14 are primarily adjectives

of the 128 nouns:

115 are found in nature

11 are made/constructed objects

10 are abstract

the 115 nouns found in nature break down further by category:

animal, vegetable, mineral

fire, water, weather

celestial features

geographic features (including bodies of water)

light, time (i suppose these two could have fallen under "abstract" instead of "found in nature" but i felt like putting them here)

three names i wasn't sure how to classify (Horizon, Dust, Speckle)

i could have broken these down differently. for instance, i've currently got "animal (component)" as a subcategory of animal, but most of those names are also materials that the arbora might use in their crafts (Shell, Bone, Feather, Horn, Ivory). so i could have had a "material" category that would have also contained most of the minerals as well as some of the "plant (component)" names. but i liked keeping the minerals separate to make it more obvious that over half of them are queens.

or i could have had an "edible" category that would have contained some of the "plant (component)" and "plant (exemplar)" names as well as some of the water names and, perhaps, Salt. but i don't feel i have a good enough handle on what raksura consider edible. plus, much of their diet is meat, and other than Heart (which could refer to a plant part instead of an animal part!) and i guess Bone (which could refer to the bones of raksura instead of their prey), none of their names are meat-related, which to me suggests "edible" may not be a relevant category.

i could have put all the bodies of water in the "geographic features" category into the "water" category, but then i wouldn't have known what to do with Vale and Reef. also i put Amber as a plant component and Pearl as a mineral, when maybe by this logic Pearl should be an animal component?? is it Tear as in the verb (rhymes with tare) or as in the noun (rhymes with tier)? i put Umber in the mineral category even though technically it's a soil which is probably a different thing, but if we think of it as a mineral/stone/metal/soil category, it works. etc., etc. so it's all a lil bit arbitrary.

of the 21 verbs:

6 describe ways to move from one place to another

4 describe ways to act on an object

2 concern light/vision

2 concern sound

2 concern fire

2 concern plants

3 i didn't know how to classify

of the 14 adjectives:

5 describe personality traits

5 describe color (interestingly, these do not necessarily correspond to the color of the character's scales; iirc, Cerise has blue scales but "cerise" means "cherry red")

4 describe physical attributes other than color

for each character, i also recorded what type of raksura they are (Aeriat or Arbora) and their caste (for the Arbora: hunter, soldier, teacher, mentor; for the Aeriat: warrior, queen, consort). there are a few patterns here:

all the characters named after nouns found in nature that i classified as celestial, fire, water, weather, and time were Aeriat.

interestingly, all nouns having to do with darkness, which fell in either the light (Shadow (x2), Shade) or time (Dusk, Night, Twilight) categories, were for consorts specifically, possibly because of their matte black scales?

geographical features were more likely to be names for Aeriat (7 Aeriat, 1 Arbora), as were minerals (22:3, 1 unknown).

plant components were more likely to be names for Arbora (12:5), while specific types of plants were more likely to be for Aeriat (10:6).

out of 19 total characters with water-related names (all 6 in the water category as well as 8 in the weather and and 5 in the geographical features categories), 18 of them are Aeriat. Rill, a female Arbora, is the only exception.

there are more than twice as many Aeriat in my database as Arbora (119 Aeriat, 57 Arbora, and 4 additional characters for whom this information isn't provided), so the categories that appear to be more Aeriat-heavy could just be a function of there being more Aeriat overall. if, to make the Arbora more directly comparable to the Aeriat, we were to extrapolate 57 more Arbora and assign them to categories in the same proportion as the Arbora currently in the database, we'd double the Arbora in each category, which would make the apparent Aeriat lead in the plant (exemplar) category disappear (it would now be 10 Aeriat to 12 Arbora instead of 10:6). the categories that have no Arbora at all seem slightly more likely to be specifically reserved for Aeriat, though the N was small in some of these so it's hard to say for sure.

i also recorded female/male, which imo is a strange distinction for this species to have, but that's a story for another day. the database contains 94 female characters, 81 male characters, and 5 for which this information wasn't given.

more likely to be names for female characters: adjectives (11F:4M), abstract nouns (7F:3M), minerals (16F:9M, 1 unknown; this is largely because of how commonly queens are named after minerals)

more likely to be names for male characters: light-related nouns (2F:6M, plus 1 unknown), weather nouns (5F:8M), time nouns (2F:5M)

there's a lot i don't understand about baby raksura. it seems that while Aeriat/Arbora and F/M are assigned at birth, you can't tell if an Aeriat is going to be a warrior or a royal until they're older (for instance, the sister queen Ruby's newborn clutch is said to have "three potential queens and two potential consorts"). but if that's the case, it seems like there should be more female warriors with mineral names (there's only 1) and more male warriors with darkness names (there are none). i'm not sure if you can sometimes tell if an Arbora baby has mentor abilities; there's a mentor named Fluff and it's acknowledged that his name is too silly for a mentor but no one knew he was going to be a mentor until he was older, which kind of implies that most of the time you can tell earlier with mentors?

in any case i didn't do a stats breakdown by Arbora caste, since for the most part these are chosen by the person in adulthood and so (theoretically) are unlikely to correlate with the name given in infancy. but i have listed the caste for each Arbora at the end of the post.

now for the full list!! given twice, once organized by word category first, then type of raksura within each word category, and the second time organized the other way around.

list of names by type of word

abbreviations: Q=queen, C=consort, W=warrior, A=Arbora, F=female, M=male. ?? indicates Aeriat/Arbora and F/M are both unknown; a single ? indicates just F/M is unknown

nouns (142 characters, 128 names)

in nature (121 characters, 108 names)

animal, component (8 characters, 7 names): Ivory (Q), Horn (MW), Heart (FA), Feather (FA), Bone (MA), Fluff (MA), Shell (MA), Shell (??)

animal, exemplar (2 characters, 2 names): Halcyon (Q), Sable (C)

plant, component (17 characters, 16 names): Amber (Q), Thorn (C), Floret (FW), Root (MW), Vine (MW), Bramble (FA), Flower (FA), Reed (FA), Thistle (FA), Sprout (FA), Bark (FA), Blossom (FA), Petal (FA), Spice (MA), Grain (MA), Leaf (MA), Leaf (?A)

plant, exemplar (16 characters, 15 names): Fern (Q), Amaranth (Q), Indigo (Q), Aster (C), Bitter Starshell (C), Balm (FW), Briar (FW), Saffron (FW), Willow (FW), Sage (MW), Plum (FA), Violet (FA), Ginger (FA), Fern (FA), Moss (MA), Yarrow (MA)

mineral (26 characters, 23 names): Silver (Q), Argent (Q), Beryl (Q), Celadon (Q), Emerald (Q), Garnet (Q), Jade (Q), Malachite (Q), Onyx (Q), Opal (Q), Pearl (Q), Ruby (Q), Sapphire (Q), Umber (Q), Umber (C), Copper (C), Silver (C), Cinnabar (C), Flint (C), Stone (C), Lapis (FW), Sand (MW), Gold (FA), Salt (MA), Copper (MA), Pebble (??)

fire (3 characters, 3 names): Ash (Q), Flame (Q), Ember (C)

water (6 characters, 6 names): Frost (Q), Ice (Q), Water (C), Torrent (FW), Rime (MW), Snow (MW)

weather (11 characters, 7 names): Tempest (Q), Wind (Q), Zephyr (Q), Mist (Q), Rain (Q), Mist (C), Rain (C), Rain (C), Cloud (C), Cloud (C), Gust (MW)

celestial features (5 characters, 4 names): Sky (Q), Star (Q), Moon (C), Sun (C), Sun (C)

geographic features (8 characters, 8 names): Ocean (Q), Vale (Q), Sea (C), Branch (MW; branch of a river specifically), Reef (MW), Rift (MW; renamed himself, original name unknown), River (MW), Rill (FA)

light (9 characters, 7 names): Starlight (Q), Light (C), Shadow (C), Shadow (C), Shade (C), Aura (FW), Luster (MA), Light (MA), Glimmer (??)

time (7 characters, 7 names): Sunset (Q), Dusk (C), Night (C), Twilight (C), Sunrise (C), Winter (C), Spring (FW)

other (3 characters, 3 names): Horizon (C), Dust (C), Speckle (FA)

made/constructed (11 characters, 11 names): Beacon (FW), Prize (FW), Band (MW), Coil (MW), Tribute (MW), Bead (FA), Gift (FA), Needle (FA), Braid (MA), Knife (MA), Bell (MA)

abstract (10 characters, 9 names): Solace (Q), Solace (Q), Paragon (C), Song (FW), Sorrow (FW; renamed herself, originally named Swift), Venture (FW), Muse (FA), Dream (FA), Merit (MA), Bliss (MA)

verbs (23 characters, 21 names)

locomotion (7 characters, 6 names): Fall (Q), Rise (FW), Streak (MW), Dart (MW), Drift (MW), Streak (FA), Dash (MA)

actions on objects (4 characters, 4 names): Tear (FA), Strike (MA), Snap (MA), Twist (MA)

fire (2 characters, 2 names): Burn (C), Blaze (FA)

light/vision (2 characters, 2 names): Fade (C), Glint (??)

sound (2 characters, 2 names): Chime (MW, but was MA at birth), Knell (MA)

plant (2 characters, 2 names): Furl (FW), Bloom (FA)

other (4 characters, 3 names): Wake (FW), Dare (MW), Wake (FA), Weave (FA)

adjectives (15 characters, 14 names)

personality (6 characters, 5 names): Gallant (FW), Serene (FW), Tranquil (FW), Fair (MW), Fair (FA), Merry (MA)

color (5 characters, 5 names): Azure (Q), Cerise (Q), Viridian (Q), Russet (FA), Auburn (MA)

physical characteristics (4 characters, 4 names): Bright (C), Fleet (FW), Lithe (FA), Sharp (FA)

list of names by type of raksura

Queens (41 characters)

Azure, Cerise, Viridian, Solace (x2), Ivory, Halcyon, Sky, Star, Ash, Flame, Ocean, Vale, Starlight, Umber, Silver, Argent, Beryl, Celadon, Emerald, Garnet, Jade, Malachite, Onyx, Opal, Pearl, Ruby, Sapphire, Amber, Fern, Amaranth, Indigo, Sunset, Frost, Ice, Mist, Rain, Tempest, Wind, Zephyr, Fall

Consorts (36 characters)

Bright, Paragon, Sable, Sun (x2), Moon, Ember, Sea, Light, Shadow (x2), Shade, Umber, Copper, Silver, Cinnabar, Flint, Stone, Thorn, Aster, Bitter Starshell, Dusk, Night, Sunrise, Twilight, Winter, Water, Cloud (x2), Mist, Rain (x2), Dust, Horizon, Burn, Fade

Female warriors (21 characters)

Gallant, Serene, Tranquil, Fleet, Song, Sorrow (originally named Swift), Venture, Beacon, Prize, Aura, Lapis, Floret, Balm, Briar, Saffron, Willow, Spring, Torrent, Furl, Rise, Wake

Male warriors (21 characters)

Fair, Band, Coil, Tribute, Horn, Branch, Reef, Rift (original name unknown), River, Sand, Root, Vine, Sage, Rime, Snow, Gust, Dare, Chime, Streak, Dart, Drift

Female Arbora (32 characters)

Hunters: Fair, Bramble, Plum, Blaze, Bloom, Wake

Mentors: Lithe, Muse, Heart, Flower, Reed, Thistle, Violet, Tear

Soldiers: Sharp, Sprout, Ginger, Streak

Teachers: Russet, Dream, Bead, Gift, Needle, Feather, Rill, Gold, Bark, Blossom, Petal, Weave

Caste unknown (too young): Fern, Speckle

Male Arbora (24 characters)

Hunters: Braid, Knife, Bone, Salt, Spice, Strike

Mentors: Auburn, Merit, Fluff, Copper

Soldiers: Shell, Grain, Knell

Teachers: Merry, Bell, Luster, Moss, Yarrow, Snap, Twist, Dash

Caste unknown (too young): Bliss, Light, Leaf

Unknown (5 characters)

Arbora teacher, F/M unknown: Leaf

Aeriat/Arbora and F/M unknown: Shell, Glimmer, Pebble, Glint (all clutchmates of Speckle, an Arbora baby)